Re: Zania and Caius
She was supposed to be mad at him and was pretty determined to stay that way, but listening to him made her laugh. That was the problem with Caius, wasn't it? As determined as she was to stand her ground, she still found herself giving a little. It was infuriating, even though she was certain he wasn't doing it on purpose. "How high are you?" she asked with a little smile. "I mean, thanks, I spent forever on the damn thing, and it's pretty much the only thing that's not dripping with Nic's glamour, but that's a pretty big compliment and nothing I'm serving is that strong." She'd considered lacing the brownies, but decided that not everyone wanted that kind of experience. So those brownies were in the kitchen for later.
As someone who wasn’t actually high very often, the question took Caius by surprise and he laughed. It felt good to do it, like he hadn’t in a while, but then again everything was feeling good now. Whatever mixture Shayna Mae had made, it was good shit. It was a wonder the O’Reillys weren’t drug kingpin millionaires. Or maybe they were and it was just that nobody knew. “Pretty high, I guess,” he admitted, snickering a bit more. The sugar cookie in his mouth tasted like manna from heaven. He studied Zania’s face -- his eyes weren’t dilated or bloodshot, he didn’t feel out of control of himself or unaware of his surroundings, he just felt good. Peaceful. Better than in a very long time, and all he wanted to do was hug her and mend whatever was broken. “I wish you would talk to me,” he murmured, more openly than he ever would have sober. “I don’t like whatever’s going on.”
The bold faced honesty took Zania surprise more than him being high did and she stared back at him for a second, her smile slipping before she took a breath and forced it back in place. "Do you really, though? Want to talk? Or do you just want something?" Gods, she didn't want to do this now. Or ever. It made her feel vulnerable and that was bad enough with someone she trusted. She wasn't all that sure she trusted Caius anymore. "I thought we were friends," she said softly. "I know that's naive, but... we've known each other forever and... I'm just tired of being used." Friendship would have a certain amount of that on some level, but it was usually equal. There was give and take. With Caius, it had become all take and she had nothing left to give him.
Caius could feel the venom in that forced smile and her questions, and it stung but didn’t make him pull back like it otherwise might have. He felt strangely connected to every person under the Castell roof, but the connection between him and Zania was frayed, barely hanging on. He didn’t want to get defensive or argue, he didn’t want to roll his eyes and brush her off, he wanted to understand, because he honestly didn’t. It was a weird, vulnerable feeling, but not in a negative way, not at the moment. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to do this, in the middle of a party where they’d both been drinking, but it felt like the perfect time too. “I don’t ... I don’t understand,” he said, still quiet and open. “Have I used you? I thought we were friends too. But you’ve seemed upset with me lately, almost hostile, and I don’t know why. ... I’m not the best at seeing those things, will you please help me understand?”