Even though her father owned a club and her boyfriend had owned one as well, Sabrina hadn’t really ventured into them much when she’d first arrived in Vallo. For one, she’d been underage and two, there had been a multitude of other things for her to do. Technically the latter was still true, but living above Lux and her need to throw herself into activities that had nothing to do with saving the world or anything with Hell had her frequenting the various night clubs in Vallo much more frequently after her last update.
It was easier to forget everything about home when she was letting loose on the dance floor or slinging back shots. The bitterness she still held toward her aunts after five years dulled to a point she could brush aside, the pain over Nick’s fate could be pushed down deep so she could forget it all for a few hours and focus on either living or absolutely nothing. Everything had become a distraction from the unfairness of it all, but some distractions worked better than others.
Currently downing a shot of some fae blend alcohol was at the top of her list. “Are you still seeing your Vorrera sugar daddy?”
Faye was still working on getting settled into Vallo because even after almost a month of this place, she was still kind of wide eyed at the whole situation. Sure, she had dealt with a lot of magical fuckery as a teenager, but this was still on a whole other level. Faes, witches, and werewolves, oh my!
But at least she wasn’t worried about avoiding the devil’s child anymore. Apparently all demon types were not the same and Sabrina had been moved firmly away from “avoid at all costs” to “hi drinking friend” in Faye’s eyes, once the blonde had saved her bacon during the daemon invasion.
“Sugar mommy,” Faye corrected, as she raised her shot for a quick toast, before tossing it back. She winced at the burn, before reaching for her lime slice to suck on to temper the taste. “And…it’s a work in progress, shifting away from her. Still kind of owe her a car.”
Sabrina winced at the idea of owing anyone in that coven anything. At least a car wasn’t a life or death situation. Probably anyway. Who really knew with them? Any sort of collateral they could hold over someone was something she stayed the heaven away from. Bonnie got to deal with them for anything DOA related. Mostly because Sabrina couldn’t promise not to set them on fire.
“Probably means you just need to find a new one to give you a car and pass that one off.” Maybe that would be the end of it, maybe not. Sabrina blew on the next shot the bartender pushed forward, grinning as little icicles formed along the glass before he set it on fire.
“I bet we can find you someone here,” Sabrina suggested, gesturing toward the crowd.
Faye snorted and waved that suggestion off. “That’s a problem for future Faye. Current Faye wants to forget that Vallo’s kind of a dick and sent my bestie back without my permission.” Which was absolutely rude of Vallo, but it wasn’t too heartbreaking. At least Melissa wasn’t dead back home and she was used to being out of contact with her, as she had been away from the United States for years by the time Vallo had kidnapped her.
She ordered another flight of shots and then grabbed the closest one to her. “Right now, take another shot, witch. I was promised a night I wouldn’t remember.” She waited patiently to toast, before shooting the shot and squinting at the taste. “Holy shit, why did that one make my tongue numb?”
Ah, yes. People sticking around Vallo seemed to be a lost cause. No matter how long anyone had been around for, there was still the possibility that they’d vanish. It seemed to happen more often with the newer people, some never managing to last more than a month. Sabrina didn’t think anyone got used to it (each time was a hard blow), but it was a staple of the place.
“I believe I said night to remember, but we can go with your version instead.” Sabrina slid another shot over to Faye. “Suck on the lemon and it’ll counter the numbness. And I dunno, sometimes getting over or under someone else helps with Vallo being a dick.” It was Sabrina’s current strategy whenever Vallo was getting to be a bit much.
At the hint of Callum’s usefulness to Sabrina came up, Faye snorted after sucking on the lemon as instructed and then took the next shot. “Your boytoy truly is only good for one thi-blerg,” she paused to pull a face and looked at the now empty shot glass in her hand, like it had personally betrayed her. It had. By being disgusting. “Gross. Just like him. What do you see in him again, other than his dick?”
It was a common opinion among Sabrina’s friends that her current sexual partner kind of sucked. But Faye understood the appeal of good sex and a nice face and how it could override any terrible personalities.
Callum Nova would never sacrifice himself for her. So many people seemed to think it was utterly romantic when someone did that, but Sabrina knew better. It was nauseating; leaving a festering, growing emptiness inside that could never be shaken. She didn't need to worry about that with him.
It also amused her that her friends seemed to think the only reason she kept him around was for sex. Admittedly that was great (how could it not be when he could read her emotions), but it wasn't like they were intimate every time the two hung out.
They went clubbing, out to dinner and lunch, sometimes brunch. To the movies and the beach and for car rides. When she was bored at work, Sabrina knew she could text or call him and he'd be along shortly to bug her and get her out of it. When someone died in her arms and she brought them back to life she knew she could go to his place afterwards and every reminder of what she couldn't do back home but could in Vallo would wash away. There was no talk of responsibility or guilt over not doing something or not thinking about someone. No reminders of futures that would never be.
Sabrina felt more like herself, the young woman she could have been, stripped of all the Lucifer's daughter and Queen of Hell bullshit, than when she was with most other people.
"He makes me laugh," she told Faye. Which was true as well. "And we get along and enjoy a lot of the same things, so." Sabrina shrugged her shoulders. "Why shouldn't I enjoy myself?"
Faye had never had anyone that would put her first, so maybe it was why she had always strived for someone that would. Someone that would be there for her when she needed it and willing to put up with her admittedly harsh personality when she didn’t feel like being nice.
It wasn't jealousy that had her questioning this Jake lookalike - in looks and personality - but concern for this fellow witch she was kind of starting to care about. "I guess if you know what you're getting into and are enjoying yourself, that's that," she murmured, starting to feel the effects of all the shots she had just downed. "But my offer to set him on fire so you don't have to is always there."
Sabrina raised her glass to that. She didn’t really think any of it would end in heartbreak that would result in Callum needing to be set on fire. Sure, she cared about him, but she wasn’t in love with him. “If he ever does anything to deserve that I’ll let you know.”
Though Sabrina was perfectly content with setting him on fire if it came down to it. So far he hadn’t earned her needing to set his drink on fire again in the last few months. Whether or not that would last was anyone’s guess, but that was half the fun of it. “But enough talk about him. I think we’re both ready for some dancing.”
“Always happy to live out that particular catharsis,” Faye joked, though she was utterly serious about how nice it would be to set the Jake lookalike on fire for her own personal growth. “But I think you’re right. I think the dance floor is calling my name and that cute witch over in that corner that’s been eying us for the last ten minutes needs something to compel her to come say hi,” Faye said, pushing her empty glasses forward to the bartender to take them away and using the momentum to stand up.
Holding out a hand to Sabrina, she shot her a wicked smile. “Shall we?”