"And it was like slow motion, standing there in my party dress, in red lipstick, with no one to impress, and they're all laughing, as I'm looking around the room, but there was one thing missing."

—The moment I knew, Taylor Swift.

    An exasperated sigh had passed by her lips as she stood at yet another checkpoint, getting her identification checked once again. They truly were paranoid about this wartime situation which made her more anxious. The family friend she'd met up with, Markos, stood beside her, explaining everything to her as she tugged on her bracelet to calm herself down as she looked around.

Eventually they were welcome inside and Trixie couldn't be more thankful, linking arms with Markos as they stepped into the ballroom. Time passed and they'd split up, both going to do their own things. Markos had his own reasonings for being there and he went to continue with them while Trixie found herself mingling with the people there, recognising a few people from talks with her mother. Fake laughs passed by her lips as she listened to them talk, not caring for what they had to say.

That's all being rich included in her opinion, fake laughing your way into any conversation. Saints, these people were stupid. A glass of champagne rest in her hands as she looked up at the man speaking to her with a curious gaze, pretending she was deeply impressed by what he had to say when in reality she was trying to figure out how his teeth were so white. She felt as if her retinas were being burned every time he opened his mouth to speak to her.

"Can I steal the lady for a dance?" A soft voice called out and she saw one of her mother's friends, Ivor. "If that's okay with you?" He looked down at her with a soft smile and she reciprocated it, spending a curt nod as she grabbed his hand and allowed him to move her towards the sound of music.

"How are you, Ivor?" Trixie asked politely, deciding to keep the conversation going with him, he seemed to know things.

"I'm feeling great, what about you? It's been a while since I visited." Ivor commented, leading her in the dance as she smiled, shrugging.

"My life's becoming rather boring, I need something to excite me." Trixie lied, as if helping in the planning of a heist wasn't exciting enough for her. "You should really come and see me perform one day, I'm sure you'd love it."

"We'll see." Ivor winked at her, raising his arm as he pulled the girl into a spin which sent her blonde locks cascading around her head like a little halo. They'd been curled slightly with the headband keeping them in their place. She assumed if she were to die here she'd die looking great. "You know, you speak of your life being boring but I'd say it's quite the opposite."

"How so?" Trixie opted for playing dumb, hoping the sound of her racing heart couldn't be heard.

"For starters you seem to have found some new friends." Ivor whispered as he held the girl tighter. "Joining such deceitful beings isn't like you, Trix, what happened to that innocent little girl who knew how to obey orders?"

"I grew up, Ivor." Trixie shot back with a malicious grin, purposely stepping on his shoe as they continued their dance. "What is it you want?"

"Straight to the point, I like it." Ivor commented happily, his hands tightly gripping onto her waist. "Everyone wants something, don't they. Money, fame, love, not me, I want something different." Trixie stared at him, wishing he'd hurry up and tell her what it was he wanted so she wouldn't feel as bored. "I want to see the bastard suffer, I want to watch his life drain out of his eyes as he finally gets what's coming to him.

"And what is it that he did to evoke such a reaction from you?" Trixie mused, thankful the dance had come to an end. Ivor said nothing, using her grip on the girl to force her through the crowds to a more secluded location. Long, white, strong pillars stood above them as he practically covered her body with his, keeping her pressed there so she couldn't escape, he needed her to hear this.

"Brekker has power, too much for mere scum that he is. Born from the barrel with nothing other than a criminal mindset." Ivor began and Trixie felt like yawning from how boring he was. "People like that shouldn't be allowed power, they needed to be put down. People like us shouldn't watch in fear as someone as worthless as he steals everything without working for it."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Trixie crossed her arms over her chest and raised her brow. "You want to kill Kaz, go ahead, what's it got to do with me? Want me to wish you good luck and congratulate your idiocy?"

"No, Trix, I want you to do what you do best." Ivor's smirk grew wider as he continued his explanation. "I want you to help me kill Kaz Brekker."

     Sat on the windowsill, she looked out of the window and down at all of the people below her as she swung her feet back and forth. Wind softly whipped in her hair and she found it oddly relaxing, it kept her connected to reality and she appreciated it. Sunlight beat down onto her, hitting her just right and behind her eyes latched onto her figure, almost forgetting what he was trying to do prior.

    A bottle was pressed to her lips as she threw her head back against the wall beside her. It was becoming a routine at this point, she'd arrive to Kaz's room, totally drunk and she'd just sit there, silently, watching as he worked and plotted, whatever it was Kaz Brekker got up to on a weekday. On the occasion she got insanely drunk, she'd find herself spilling her secrets to him, alike right now.

     The topic of her mother had been brought up and she found herself unable to stop talking about the woman. It was a difficult topic for the girl. She knew her mother wasn't a good woman but she had memories that made her conflicted, after all she was her mother. All the times she pushed her and demanded the best and nothing less from her was because she cared for her, right?

     "Sometimes I find myself feeling guilty for hating my mother as much as I do, she wasn't always like this." Trixie began and Kaz turned to face her, his interest peaked as she let out a quiet sigh. "She was lovely and I always wanted to be more like her when I grew up because she never took anybody's shit and kept them in their place. Whenever I was sad she'd remind me who I was and she'd take me to go get ice cream, joking around with me. Part of me viewed her as a best friend rather than a mother and I think that's where our problem started."

      "I saw a different side of her, a side nobody else saw her and that's why I hope those rumours aren't true." She frowned, looking down at the floor below her. "Over these past years, I admit I've not seen the nicest side of my mother but I don't think I'll be able to handle knowing that the woman I idolised my whole life is involved in something I am truly against."

     Kaz remained silent, guilt, such a familiar emotion, clung to him as he looked at the exhausted girl who was telling him all this stuff. He knew he should've told her the truth, told her everything he knew, but he kept silent and decided now wasn't the right time, she didn't need to know right now. How foolish he was to believe lying and hiding this from her was actually helping her.

    "What about you, Dirtyhands, got any interesting stories to share?" Trixie mumbled, her mind completely fuzzy as she looked at him with a small grin.

     "Nope," Kaz responded, tapping a gloved finger against the table before him, "I'm an open book."

    "Yeah, right." Trixie scoffed, a bitter laugh passing her lips. "I know nothing about you, yet, you know so much about me because I can't shut my mouth for more than five seconds." A quiet laugh passed his lips as he shook his head in amusement at the girl, watching as she kept her gaze on him, an unfamiliar glint shining in her eyes as she observed him. "Kaz."

     "Mhm."

     "Can you tell me a secret, a nice one?" Trixie mumbled, her eyes practically drooping from the exhaustion.

      "I enjoy watching your ballet performances, you seem so careless and happy on the stage." Kaz responded, moving his eyes away from the girl as he busied himself with the work in front of him. "It's refreshing to see."

    Silence followed and he waited until the quiet sound of soft breaths surrounded around the room to finally look over at her. A small smile tugged at her lips as she dropped her head against the window, succumbed to slumber. He thought over the secret he'd told her, how she'd probably not remember it in the morning. Kaz begun to think of what he'd actually wanted to say to her, the words he just couldn't get out, no matter how hard he tried.

    I find myself missing you when you're not here and it's stupid to say out loud but I hear the sound of your laughter in my dreams and I'm sick of it haunting me. Why are you always haunting me when you're not even here?

Words~1642.
{edited:no}