Ru and Cassandra
It was weird, being back at parties, dressed as the Good Witch out of the Wizard of Oz, but Cassandra figured she was already Dorothy toss into the tornado and winding up in a world of technicolor. She was sipping on a drink, wanting to be on her third or fourth martini instead of her second, but both Hayden and Hunter were at the party. She’d managed to steer clear of Hayden so far, not sure how he’d act or if he’d try to be back in boyfriend mode or realize that they weren’t supposed to be parading that around. Not knowing had her keeping her distance, upset that she was having to play this way. Upset at listening to Hunter tell her he hated her when she was sure it was a lie. The way he was lingering at the edge of things, obviously sulking, that was sign enough that he was lying. Or so Cassandra thought.
Ru wandered over and smiled, close to Adam still but taking the opportunity to talk to the girl she'd heard so much about. "Cassandra, right?" she asked, having clocked her a few days earlier, but it was the first time she'd gotten to actually speak to her.
While internally Cassandra’s guard went up when some woman approached her, she managed to keep an almost icy exterior. “Yes. And you are?”
"Haruko, or Ru, depending on whichever you choose." she introduced herself. "Lovely costume," she added with a smile. There was something a little sly about it. "I've heard a lot about you."
Cassandra just nodded in response to the name, not gracing it with much of an answer. That the other woman had heard about her, she raised an eyebrow and sipped at her martini again. “Have you now?”
"Yes. Quite fascinating, really." she said. "So, was it intoxicating, having twins strung along like that?" she asked, curious. She smiled at the woman, something that looked nearly sweet but wasn't quite.
That stopped Cassandra’s glass halfway to her mouth, turning to look at the other woman with her lips pursed. “I’m struggling to determine just how it is that any of that is your business.”
"You have a terrible attitude." Ru said. "No wonder you've lost them both. I was interested in seeing about remedying that, but if you'd rather be a cold bitch..." Ru said, starting to walk away. "Though it doesn't seem to be working out for you." she added with a bright smile, turning to head off.
“I haven’t lost both of them,” Cassandra said, defensiveness in her voice. “Though I do have to say I’m curious what you think you can do.”
Ru snorted. "Really? So you aren't standing here alone, surreptitiously keeping an eye on them?" she asked. "Honey, you aren't nearly as good as you seem to think you are, and you're stupid if you really think you haven't fucked up. So, if you could get off your own high horse for two seconds, I could tell you exactly what to do."
“I am not...” Cassandra stopped, biting hard at the inside of her lip. “Why would you help me anyway?” She had fucked up, she knew that. It was only half her fault though; getting caught hadn’t exactly done wonders for the her plans. And she did want them back. “I’m out of practice.” At least with the twins. She’d done her own bit of work in prison, but those people were easier. They all wanted the same fucking thing. Hunter was nearly impossible to read now and Hayden seemed to be asking too many questions.
"Maybe I like seeing sparks fly." Ru said, shrugging. "Maybe you'll never know. Does it matter?" she posed. "If you get what you want in the end?"
Cassandra bit at the inside of her lip again, thinking about that. “I don’t like owing debts to others, even less when I don’t know the terms.” Though it showed in her eyes Ru had hit on a point. The price Cassandra would swallow would be high if she could get what she wanted.