I fell twice before, my bounce-back was special

[Isolde Schwarz]

Perhaps to Wanda's surprise, Isolde has managed to locate something worth dancing in. Her eyes rove the line for the club as she gets out of the taxi, her nostrils flaring briefly.

[Wanda Johansson]

The building, an old opera house labeled KOKO, seems to be relatively popular. The crowd outside is certainly human with a mixture of too much cologne/perfume and some of them having already started their evening festivities with some drinking. Still, it doesn't take long for them to pull Wanda and Isolde out of line and allow them inside. "Seemed like a great place to dance," she says as the thumping club music settles around their senses.

[Isolde Schwarz]

Isolde takes a breath as if she's about to ask a question, but apparently thinks better of it.

"It's a good choice. I like it already," she says, the club lights reflecting oddly off her retinas for a moment.

[Wanda Johansson]

Wanda catches the retina flash, “We’ll be fine. Drink first or dance first?”

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Dance first," she grins. "you need something to be thirsty for."

[Wanda Johansson]

“Very well then.” She grabs Isolde’s hand, leading her out towards the middle of the dance floor, already swaying a bit to the music.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Didn't take much convincing, did it?" Isolde laughs, quickly finding the beat herself.

[Wanda Johansson]

"I want to do both with no distinct preference, so no, it didn't take much," she says as she gets into the beat, trying to match Isolde's movements.

[Miriam Bell]

Unaware of the other two in the crowd an (un)familiar face is moving through the dancers, people parting in front of her almost instinctively as she finds a place to settle into the crowd and dance.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Sometimes if you dance well enough, you don't even have to pay for drinks. That might be a bit cruel, though."

[Wanda Johansson]

"Yeah, I'm good with paying for them tonight," she says with a laugh, lifting her arms as the music grabs her.

[Miriam Bell]

Miriam's head swivels as if she just heard something. There's so many people, so many minds in here, but for a moment she thought she felt a familiar one. She shakes her head and tries to focus on anything else, letting herself get swept up by the music and the minds around her instead of thinking about Her.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"You know I'm not entirely penniless, right?"

[Wanda Johansson]

"I would assume not, but I also asked *you* out," Wanda responds, lowering her arms to slide them over Isolde's shoulders.

[Miriam Bell]

As Miriam's mind slowly spreads through the crowd to soak in the atmosphere she inevitably reaches Wanda and Isolde and her eyes snap over to follow her mental perception and she sees her slide her hands over Isolde's shoulders. In an instant all the good feelings and energy in her turn to ice, the shards of which tear at her insides. The dozen or so people closest to her stop their dancing as suddenly as Miriam and with an eerie delay all turn their heads as well as she clenches her gloved hands into fists, fingernails digging into her palm.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Well that's..." She tenses, looking to the commotion.

"...needlessly dramatic."

[Wanda Johansson]

"What is?" Wanda asks, glancing in that direction, but only seeing the people looking at them and not recognizing any of the faces.

[Miriam Bell]

One of the crowd of people steps forward, pushing past a couple of them and they slowly turn their heads back again, looking vaguely confused but quickly going back to dancing as Miriam steps towards Wanda and Isolde.

"What the hell?" she demands. The music swallows up most of her voice, but she reinforces it by pushing the thought on Isolde.

[Isolde Schwarz]

Something in Isolde... doesn't want to be pushed. Something in her is hardened by a few centuries of being in the company of the sort that turned Miriam, both willingly and unwillingly.

Something in Isolde's mind pushes back with a threatening growl that nonetheless doesn't leave her lips. Yet.

Do you really want to do that? She thinks, meeting Miriam's gaze with eyes that flash in the club lights like an animal's.

[Wanda Johansson]

Wanda steps behind Isolde and says next to her ear. “Do you know her?”

[Isolde Schwarz]

"I know of her."

"And you used to."

[Miriam Bell]

"What are you doing here?" Miriam snarls as she gets closer.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Dancing. You?"

[Wanda Johansson]

Miriam can sense the frustration that Isolde's comment about she 'used to know her' generates in Wanda. And she focuses it on Miriam, "Listen, she's here with me. What's your problem?"

[Miriam Bell]

"Apparently running into opportunistic bitches." she answers both their questions with a more than pointed look at Isolde.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Right now, I'm doing you a tremendous kindness by not ripping your arms off. It's better than you deserve after what you did to her."

[Wanda Johansson]

"I asked her to come," Wanda says to Miriam and her own eyes flash angrily. "And I don't see what business it is of yours. I don't even know you."

[Miriam Bell]

Miriam is clenching her teeth at Isolde, but when Wanda starts talking she seems to settle down a bit. It seems to drive home that this is something that she should have expected as a consequence of what she did. She glances down at her hands and the gloves she's wearing and she unclenches her fists. "It's... complicated." she tells Wanda. "But she better not be taking advantage of you." she says, staring daggers at Isolde.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"I'm not the one who won't let her make her own decisions."

[Wanda Johansson]

"I wouldn't let her take advantage of me. That's not how *this* works." They're starting to attract a little attention now like those sidelong glances from other dancers just waiting for the train wreck. Arguments on the dance floor are nothing new, of course, but everyone loves a good look at someone else's drama.

[Miriam Bell]

"Depends on what this is, doesn't it?" Miriam says, but she does reign herself in just a little. She's still shooting angry glances at Isolde though. Taking the grief and heartbreak away from Wanda was a blessing, as far as she's concerned and it's becoming obvious that the people around her seem to insist on ruining it by alluding to it.

[Wanda Johansson]

Wanda steps around Isolde, now towering over Miriam. "What does it look like? We were having fun until you came over here to start shit-talking my date. I don't know what your deal is, but you're getting on my nerves."

Isolde gets a strange sensation, like the smell of ozone, but it's not hitting her nose.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Yes, why don't you tell her what your 'deal' is, if you insist upon interrupting a lovely night?"

[Miriam Bell]

On some level Miriam is aware that she has absolutely no grounds to object here. Unfortunately, letting that rise to the surface would require her to admit to herself a whole list of mistakes and personal failings. Maybe if she hadn't decided to distance herself from the one person willing to offer emotional support she'd have continued to work through that. Maybe that realization itself is part of her anger now. Either way all of that blame and guilt finds a convenient target in Isolde in this moment.

"My deal is that for someone who was hunting you down and hurt people in the process she's being a little too friendly right now." she informs Wanda. "If we're judging people by their nature then maybe she'll show us a glimpse at hers." she says as she steps around Wanda, people around them stepping out of her way as she strikes at Isolde's face with an open palm.

[Isolde Schwarz]

Isolde's eyes turn livid yellow as she's struck. She curls a lip, showing a sharp eye-tooth.

"I know what I am, little girl. I haven't hidden that. Not from myself, and not from her."

"Can you say the same?"

[Wanda Johansson]

That makes Wanda reach out and grab Miriam's shoulder to try and turn her around. "I know who she is. I know what she's done. If everyone else is to be believed, what she's done to *me* personally is less problematic than what you've done." She flexes her fingers, "I'm not holding it against you right now because I don't remember it, but strike her again and I'll start holding the whole world against you."

In the back of Isolde's mind, the scent of ozone gets significantly stronger.

[Miriam Bell]

"Of course she thinks what I did is worse!" Miriam glares past Wanda at Isolde. Wanda's barbs hit and they hit hard, but unfortunately right now all it does is fuel her anger even more. "Believe them and see where that takes you." she says, her eyes getting wet with anger and bitterness as she turns around. And as she does she pushes hard into Isolde's mind with all her anger and she tries to stoke what's already smoldering under the surface with her own anger.

[Wanda Johansson]

Wanda, of course, is oblivious to this anger push. Miriam's sidelong admission that she did something to Wanda is enough to make the frustration boil over. "Everyone kept talking about my 'girlfriend'. I've never had one before. Even my parents wanted to know why I wasn't spending Christmas with my girlfriend. All I could do was make up some story because as far as I knew I didn't have a girlfriend. They say you took that away from me. If you did, then fuck you, that's *my* thoughts on you."

[Isolde Schwarz]

And that's when Isolde gave an audible growl and shoved past Wanda to throw a punch at Miriam. Her joints pop in protest, her strength frankly startling even for someone of her frame.

[Miriam Bell]

Miriam anticipates it, but she has pretty much no experience really fighting anybody whatsoever. She tries to twist out of the way but the punch still hits her shoulder and sends her stumbling forward into the crowd. It's all the people who keep her from hitting the floor and she pushes into them to try and get away from Isolde. Latching on to the more primal thoughts coming from Isolde she starts pushing the same sentiment to everyone around her. Predator! Animal! Fight or flight! Most people pick the later and those that wouldn't get swept up in the crowd when it starts move in a panic.

In the chaos she tries to keep her wits about herself enough to single out Will's mind and figure out how to adjust his shifting, but that's delicate work and she can't afford to put enough of her focus on it. She ends up just kind of vaguely sending jumbled thoughts and ideas to Will about silver.