Drink With Me

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana was checking in on all of her targets now that the events of the fire were done and things were already on their way to being fixed. She still had yet to meet with them all, but most she didn't actually have to meet and talk with in person. There were only two of her actual targets that she had pledged more than just her job to look out for them. Those two people where Ellen Banks and Elsa Bellefonte, the latter of which she was going to check in on now. It was a pain to have to rent a car in order to drive to where Elsa lived, but the other girl no longer lived on campus so it had to be done.

This time Roxana didn't go about the whole sneaking and approached the front door, knocking and informing whoever answered the door that she was here to see Elsa. Elsa didn't really have a decision in the matter, no one did. Roxana was going to check in on the girl she considered more than just a target even if Elsa did not want her to. She would even show herself in, if need be and she kind of did as she didn't wait to be led to where Elsa was. Rox knew where the girl was and headed right there inside Elsa's home. "I expected you to have called me and wanted a report of how everything is. Or have you lost your need of me now that you no longer hold your position with the school?" Roxana asked as she approached the girl.

She didn't mean to come off as mean or insensitive, she was just asking a question. Was Elsa done with her now that she didn't hold the position of power she once did? Roxana still had all the privileges she had when Elsa and Erika were in charge. Call it a perk of certain people within this new council or what have you. "How are you?" Roxana then followed up with. A standard question that she was always going to ask Elsa.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa sat in one of the estate's sitting rooms, a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in another. She'd actually found the bottle from her mother's stash, and she certainly didn't have any qualms about appropriating it for her personal use. Not as though she hadn't covered for the rest of her siblings doing the very same thing. Sometimes Elsa even assumed that her mother kept a few on hand just for that purpose.

Elsa heard someone at the door: a servant or maybe one of her siblings or something. She didn't really care; didn't involve her. She then heard someone moving through the house, and soon the voice had her wincing slightly. Roxana Strix.

"You must have missed a memo: I stepped down," she drawled, turning, even though she realized that Roxana had mentioned the whole loss of need or something. "I'm obviously doing amazing. Laying around my parents' house wallowing in my inadequacies is one of my favorite activities."

Elsa took a drink, then pointed with the hand still holding the glass. "I'm afraid I don't have any Indian women for you to sleep with. I think we've a maid from Puerto Rico, if it's only the dark skin that matters." Elsa began pouring herself another glass, watching as the red liquid splashed against the fine crystal.

[Roxana Strix]

"No, I didn't miss it. That memo of you stepping down does not answer my question if you have lost you need of me." Roxana pointed out. She was hinting to something else but she was not sure if Elsa was going to catch onto it with how she had clearly been drinking. Roxana didn't think she needed to break it down for Elsa, but with how Elsa was behaving she figured she was going to have to. She moved over closer to Elsa, heading over to the wine bottle, and picked it up for a moment before setting it down.

It was a good year, so at least Elsa was not drowning herself in something of poor taste. Yet, if she was wanting to really get drunk there were better drinks out there. She took a deep breath, having already felt on edge since the fire events and Elsa words were not helping as she spoke of inadequacies. "You better not be blaming yourself for what happened and how you and your sister no longer hold your position over the school. You two are children and you should have expected that you appointment was going to be a temporary thing." Roxana pointed out, being blunt.

She didn't like seeing this side of Elsa. A side that was still Elsa but one that was hiding behind a drink and letting things get to her on the outside now. She opened her mouth to say more as she moved to find herself a glass so she could have a taste of the wine. Rox was not really one to drink since it was a bad idea with the job she had, but it would have been a shame to not to have at least a taste. Roxana merely glance at Elsa when the other girl pointed out something about sleeping with an Indian woman and how they only had a Mexican if skin color or something mattered. "What does that have to deal with anything, Elsa?" Roxana asked as she found a glass and helped herself to the wine, reaching to take it from Elsa when she was done with pouring herself a glass.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa would have thought that it would have been obvious. It wasn't Roxana who wasn't needed; the blonde had actually performed remarkably well. All the reports Elsa sent in on the situation said as much, often in very strong language. No, the one not needed was sitting on the couch drowning her thinking mind in awful liquid.

Elsa looked up at Roxana, her expression dry. "Why thank you, Dr. Strix. That was enlightening experience! I feel all better now. Want me to call that maid for you? It's the least I can do," she took another shot of her drink, before moving to pour yet more, letting some slop over onto her hand and the couch, not seeming to really care about either.

What does that have to do? "I put together a council of people I trusted, my closest friends and people I happened to love on some level. And how do most of you repay me?" she looked up at Roxana. "You fuck the enemy at the first chance you can get. You know," Elsa pointed with the hand holding the wine, "it's even worse for you: because you did it early. Oh yes," Elsa smiled, "she sent all the information about all her little liasons. Reception? You didn't waste time. Oh, thanks for letting me know, by the way. That was super of you."

Elsa took another sip of her drink. "Now, unless you want that maid, get the hell out of my parents' house."

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana's point was that Elsa was not useless and she was trying to point out because Roxana still had a job to do, so did Elsa. Roxana did work for SIGUARD but she also worked for Bellefonte Academy, specifically for Elsa Bellefonte. Had that not been clear when she took on the job? Roxana reached out to take the wine bottle from Elsa after she made a spill with it. How much to drink did she already have? Clearly she was either was bad at holding her alcohol or had been at it for a while, and Roxana was assuming the latter. It was still odd to see Elsa like this...so broken for lack of a better word to fit with how Elsa was.

Roxana looked at Elsa for a moment as she brought up the maid again. Roxana didn't have a use for a maid and she was here for Elsa, not her maids or any of her other workers. She didn't say anything on it, planning on moving on to talk about why Elsa had to snap out of this little funk eventually. SIGUARD didn't have a need for drunken little girls who could not handle when they lost a privilege or what have you. Elsa was then talking about the council she had put together; figuring Elsa would understand all the more that she still had so much use in her. "Wait, what?" Roxana said, actually taken aback for a moment by Elsa's words.

"Clearly you still do not know me Elsa if you think I did anything that would hurt you or what you were trying to accomplish." Roxana said a hint of anger behind her words. She could not believe that Elsa of all people was saying such a thing to her of all people. Her who had her bird killed because she would not do something to Elsa. She who had followed Elsa's orders twice despite what she should have been doing. "I did not intend to sleep with her. She used her power on me and well as you know, I had sex with her." Roxana explained, keeping her voice as level as she could.

"As for why I didn't tell you, I did not think it was important, and if I recall properly; you didn't want to know about my sex life." Roxana added after a moment. She didn't even bother to touch on that Elsa told her to leave if she didn't want the maid. Again, Roxana was not here for Elsa's maid, she was here for Elsa Bellefonte. "I'm not going anywhere just yet. I'm your friend, Elsa." Roxana said as she looked Elsa right in the eyes.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa let out a derisive laugh as Roxana continued. It only got worse as Roxana continued. "Oh, of course not," she said, feigning innocence. "Why, sex accidentally happens all the time! Just the other day my brother and I were passing each other in the hall and wouldn't you know it: incest just happened." Elsa threw her arms wide. "Just like that!"

Elsa lowered her arms, staring at Roxana. "No, I didn't want the details about your sex life. I did, however, want to know if you thought it would be an absolutely splendid idea to go sleeping with the enemy. Congratulations, by the way: she was so very attractive. One would even say she was quite hot." Elsa rose up now, smiling nastily at Roxana. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that too soon? Tough."

Elsa tilted the glass back, only to pause and hold it at arms' length, noting that it was nearly empty. She turned to reach for the bottle, ready to pour more. "I also wasn't kidding about the whole getting out of this estate business. I will call the servants. Though you do seem to thoroughly enjoy having people run their hands all over you." Elsa was having trouble steadying her hands to pour now, and she stopped talking and moving, focusing on getting liquid into glass.

[Roxana Strix]

Elsa was laughing then, clearly mocking the fact about sex just happening. Did Elsa not understand what Pirya's power was? Did she not understand that Roxana might have had training but her training could only take her so far against someone who was older and had more practice in their own power? Roxana was letting the fact slide that it was because Elsa had been drinking that she was saying things she didn't mean. Then again, people said drunks were the most honest people out there but Rox felt like that was up for debate. "Your jest is in poor taste. She can manipulate emotions and is also an emptath." Roxana explained, closing her eyes for a moment to keep herself as level as possible.

"I had not intended to sleep with her. I had gone to talk to her to gain information and keep an eye on her." Roxana added after she took that moment to keep herself calm. Yes, the woman was beautiful and if it would not have affected her job and she had made it clear she wanted to sleep with Roxana then she would have. But, it would affect her job and it had not been in her orders to sleep with the woman. Elsa was standing up then, apologizing but Roxana didn't want an apology. She wanted Elsa to stop with such words and behaving like this. Elsa could be mean to her or whatever, she didn't care but she did not want Elsa to think that she had done it with the intention to betray her.

"I assumed you were not." Roxana said when Elsa pointed out that she was not kidding about Roxana leaving. Now Elsa was making threats but Roxana still didn't move to leave, not yet. She did however reach out to grab a hold of Elsa. "Stop. I understand why you are upset and why you are behaving like this. I have told you before about whom I work for. How you are one of my targets, but you are a priority target. Do you know why that is?" Roxana asked. She didn't like this, but it was not something she had to deal with before. This time however she felt different about it, because she actually cared about Elsa.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Oh no, poor taste. I'm just a horrible person," replied Elsa, her voice again dry, her eyes nearly rolling. She didn't care if Roxana 'intended' to sleep with Priya or not. She frankly didn't care what the circumstances were behind the situation. As a matter of fact, Elsa found she didn't care that much that Roxana had even done it. It was all the subterfuge, the breach of trust.

Then a hand on her. Elsa jerked back, giving Roxana glare filled with knives and anger. "Your mistake is thinking that I care about your motives," she spat. "Or your reasons or whatever the hell your damn excuse is for even being here! Do does?" she gestured around her, "does that? Does anything I've said or done give you the slightest inclination that I care about anything?"

Elsa let out another laugh and then waved dismissively. "I don't, Roxana. Now just leave me the hell alone, or I really will follow through on my threat," she was already fumbling about for her phone. Damn, she must have left it... when she grabbed the wine? Elsa's brow furrowed as she looked around, trying to remember where she'd put the phone. She could always yell, she supposed, but she did want to make sure she actually had the phone.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana was not bothered by the tone or the basic mocking that Elsa was doing. She had younger targets and targets who had behaved like this with her before. She could handle it and the words Elsa was saying were not the problem. There was that dry tone, a practical eye roll was even there which was all consistent with how Elsa behaved. Just add in the fact that the girl had been drinking and was clearly 'hurting' on some level and it all made sense. Roxana understood it, at least in the simplest of terms. Elsa jerked back, not allowing Roxana to grab a hold of her. Those eyes, filled with such anger that Roxana could practically feel stabbing into her. She could handle it.

Elsa then spat out about how she didn't care what Roxana's motives was or why she was even here. The other girl going on to ask if there had been anything that Elsa had ever said or done that would have gave Roxana the idea that Elsa cared about anything. Elsa might have meant that directly for just Roxana but she was going to use it in a broader term. "Yes. I know you care about your sister. Before you were in charge of the school you put together teams all for the sake of getting her back. I also know you care about your family, doing what is expected of you and keeping the family line and name in high regard. I also know that you care about the school." Roxana went on to say, pausing there for a moment to let Elsa take that in.

"While you were in charge you did everything you could to make this place safe, to make the students feel safe, and even went as far as helping out those families who lost those they cared about. Just because you did not seek my advice on every matter, does not mean I was not aware what you were up to. How you put so much of your time into making things better. I saw how you handled the stress, how you went without sleep sometimes, and how you did what you had to do for this school." Roxana said, looking at Elsa the whole time, her voice managing to stay level like it normally did. Elsa could say she didn't care, but there were things that the other girl cared about. Elsa wanted her to leave, and while Roxana normally would oblige, she was not done yet.

No, there was still much more she had to say but she was trying to not give away too much. She still had to be loyal to SIGUARD but she wanted to show that Elsa did have her loyalties as well. "SIGUARD puts targets as a priority when they feel like that target will be of great use or a threat. They would not make a girl who has 'inadequacies'; as you put it, a priority target." Roxana said. Yes, no one was perfect, people failed, and that was how the world went. Elsa had so much potential, SIGUARD saw it for both the good and the bad.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa let out another scoff as Roxana mentioned SPECTRE. Hadn't that been another of Elsa's failings? Shouldn't she have realized that her sister had been missing far before they'd needed to launch an all out strike? The rest... the rest might have been who Elsa was. But now? she shook her head, her eyes closed, forgetting even her phone for a few moments. No, that wasn't her any more.

"The school can burn for all I care," she mumbled. Elsa opened her eyes, again turning to work at finding her phone, purposefully ignoring what Roxana said as she continued, insisting that Elsa did everything she could, mentioning all the work, the sleepless nights, as if Elsa hadn't been there to experience them herself. As if that wasn't exactly the problem: that she'd done everything, and it hadn't been enough.

Then SIGUARD, more SIGUARD nonsense. Elsa finally let out another exasperated "tch." "Well, your organization was clearly wrong, wasn't it?" she pointed out. "Seeing as I ended up messing up the entire school, having the people who were supposed to be close to me, supposed to aid me, betray me," her heart lurched as she recalled the images, the pain. She waved a hand, then turned, walking toward an entrance. "Emmanuelle?" she yelled using one of the few names that she actually remembered. "Emmanuelle? There's a guest here that needs showing out." Where were the servants when she wanted them? They always seemed to be around whenever Elsa was raiding the alcohol; you'd think they'd show up when she actually needed them.

[Roxana Strix]

Elsa seemed to be listening at first, letting out a scoff, and then closing her eyes for a moment. Roxana saw every detail, every reaction Elsa was having because she was watching the girl closely, studying her as if she was an art piece. Else was an art piece, at least she was to Roxana and SIGUARD in terms of something they valued highly. Elsa was still a child to them, Roxana was still a child to them and she had been trained all of her life. Elsa had been trainer to, in different things of course but she was still young. To error was human and it was not as if she alone was to blame for things.

Roxana hear the mumble and her hand rose to strike Elsa but she stopped, stopped as he hand shook a little. She wanted to hit Elsa, she wanted to slap the girl so hard but at the same time she wanted to hug her, and another part of her just wanted to walk out and be done with it. The latter was what she had been trained to do; she had already done too much when it came to her relationship with Elsa. She was either expected to hook up with the girl or just keep her in a range where she could use her and keep tabs on her. Yet, Roxana had become her friend and allowed Elsa to use her as well. It became a working relationship, even if it always had its small little threats, and short banter.

Elsa then seemed to stop listening to her before going on about how SIGUARD had been apparently wrong. No, they were rarely wrong, they calculated for such things. They were right on their take about Elsa but it all depended if the girl was going to hold strong or break before she became of real use. "They were not wrong. You still have what it takes to change so much." Roxana pointed out. She let out a sigh at Elsa's others words about how she felt betrayed by those she trusted and were supposed to aid her. "I apologize that you see it that way. You may feel that I betrayed you but I'm still here Elsa. I'm still here to aid you and protect you, even if it is from yourself." Roxana pointed out, standing firm.

When Elsa went to turn Roxana almost reached out to grab a hold of the girl. She then reminded herself that she could not expect Elsa to bounce right back. She didn't have that kind of training to just shove down what hurt and focused on the task at hand. She was still a young woman who was hurting and taking it out on those around her and drinking. Elsa started calling out name, but Roxana still didn't make any attempts to leave, she did however move to be in front of Elsa, extending out a hand to the girl. "I will be there for you, Elsa. Share your pain so you do not have to bare it alone." Roxana said, sounding very much like a knight. She didn't expect Elsa to still give it all up, but really Elsa didn't have a choice. Sure Rox might have left today but she would still be there, checking in on the girl like she always had been since that faithful meeting when Elsa dug around in her head.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Still have it? Elsa nearly scoffed. What had all her efforts achieved? What had all her work and will accomplished? Nothing but people willing to betray her and a school literally smoldering. What a way to treat her family's legacy. She might as well strip the name Bellefonte from herself, though she'd effectively done that now.

Nothing said that someone couldn't betray you and still be around. Elsa gave Roxana a sharp look at that. Yes, Roxana had betrayed her. Perhaps if she'd at least admit as much, confess that there had been some error, Elsa would have given her some consideration. Instead, the girl kept going, kept talking as though she had the upper hand.

"Stop acting like you're a knight," she spat, her eyes flashing. "You're an assassin at best and a knave at worst. You're a cold, calculating bitch who does what it takes to accomplish her task and apparently that means you're willing to spread your legs at the first indication. Get the hell out of my life," and with that, she turned and walked away, already gesturing for the servants, who had finally started to peek their heads out, to come forth and escort the painful reminder away.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana didn't intend to make it seem like she had the upper hand and didn't' intend to make it seem like everything she had done was right. She made mistakes, often. She was making one now in some ways by telling Elsa things about SIGUARD, something she was not supposed to do. Her organization had not forgotten about the fact that Elsa did know when she was not supposed to. If Rox reported that Elsa was now a threat well it was likely they come send someone to wipe what Elsa knew of Rox and her organization. Or worse, they would tell Rox to get rid of her.

As if she could do something like that when she had not been able to do what was order of her the last time when it came to Elsa. Elsa told her to stop acting like a night, putting out that Roxana was an assassin at best and a knave at worst. Yes, she was an assassin. She could not deny that but she was far more than that, she was whatever her organization needed or wanted her to be. The next bit did hit something in Roxana, but again these words were not knew to her. She heard them often and even before this but why did it cause something inside to hurt for a moment when Elsa said it? Roxana was not sure and noted that away to be analyzed later.

"If I did whatever it took to accomplish my task I would have had sex with you. Even if you didn't want me to, I would have done it if I did whatever it took to accomplish a task I would not have obeyed you when you told me to protect the school when SPECTRE attacked. I would not have gone to help put out the fire in the library. I would not even be here right now if I did whatever to accomplish my task." Roxana said, her words were firm and she could not hide the anger hidden behind them. Her only friend for the longest time had died because she had not done whatever it took to accomplish the task. She bit her lip then as the servants did start to show up and Elsa started to leave.

What more could she say? What did she want to say? Why was this situation so hard to actually be cold and calculated? Right now she would have been more than thankful to be how everyone saw her to be, what she was supposed to be. "I'm sorry Elsa Bellefonte, but we have come too far for me to simply get out of your life. I also apologize for having upset you and will work on rectify and wrong doings to you." Roxana said and gave a small bow of her head before moving to start leaving of her own accord; as if she let some servants try and make her leave.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa just stared at Roxana, her eyes nearly dead, with just a little of her previous anger still smoldering in them. She just wanted Roxana to leave, to leave Elsa to keep wallowing and keep killing herself one drink at a time. Part of Elsa still felt like raging, like demanding that Roxana say or do something, like pulling Roxana down and insulting her again. But she'd said what she wanted, and she really just wanted to be left alone, to be the wreck she knew herself to be.

The servants came. Elsa looked to Roxana as she spoke, as Roxana insisted that they'd come too far. A few weeks ago, Elsa would have readily agreed. Now? Now Elsa just shook her head. She shook her head and turned, leaving the servants to gently usher Roxana out, likely while simultaneously thanking her for at least trying.

Elsa simply slumped back to the couch, phone forgotten. She collapsed onto it, then reached for the bottle. Elsa didn't even bother with the glass: she just tilted the bottle up, draining contents into her mouth. She swallowed, then closed her eyes, leaning back as if wishing for oblivion to just hurry up and get there.

[Roxana Strix]

Elsa at least looked to Rox as she spoke to her, but shook her head all the same and moved on to leave and more than likely go back to her wallowing. The servants ushered Roxana but she mainly moved ahead, assuring them she knew the way out and she didn't need them following her around. She also assured them that she was not giving up on Elsa but that it likely was going to take time. Elsa was hurting; in ways that Roxana could relate to but had always dealt with differently so in a way it was all new to her. Yet, that was not deterring her away from still trying and even if she was not successful today there were says to come.

She then headed out, or at least made it look like she left just to get the servants off her back so she could go back to talking to Elsa without any interruptions. She always disliked it when a person would bring others into a matter that should have just been between the two of them for at least the time being. Rox waited a moment even as she doubled back, going into her skills to sneak back unnoticed and undetected. She even made sure to put in place something that could cause a distraction in case she needed it. Once she was sure that Elsa looked like she thought Roxana was gone.

"Shame that you didn't save any for me." Roxana spoke up as she walked over to Elsa now, seeing the girl slumped on the couch and having drained what was left of the wine. She didn't feel the need to say that she was not done with Elsa yet, since that was pretty obvious with her being back and all with Elsa. "I still had more to say. Less on SIGUARD and more from me." Roxana informed her. Yes, in that amount of time of her leaving and coming back she at least figured out a few things that she wanted and should have also said. "First, I wanted to say that I am truly sorry for having betrayed your trust by sleeping with Priya Kaur. She might have used her power on me but I'm still at fault for not being more cautious." Roxana said, looking at Elsa for a moment before she started to look away because there was some level of embarrassment there.

"I should have told you what had happened, even more so when I had a feeling what she was up to but...would you believe me if I said that I was embarrassed on the matter on some level?" Roxana asked, hoping that Elsa did. It was the truth after all. She had been won over by someone she was supposed to be watching. She had passionate sex that she had wanted and led to her being confused about a lot of things. She slacked off on her job and didn't do what she should have done because part of her was...she didn't know what word would fit best for what it was. “It still does not excuse me from not telling you and again I am truly sorry for that.” Roxana added and then went silent for a moment, looking back at Elsa.