Chapter Text
Chapter - 2
To be honest, Rio was not sure what she was expecting but certainly not scandals or the spotless description of how Agatha made lovers weep on roads, mascara black and bruised as other parts of the body did or how they would try to jump off of... literally anywhere high, heels in both hands as they would beg Agatha to stop them and she would reply, “No, no, go on.” It was as if Agatha enjoyed their suffering, from what Rio heard. She really was half-expecting Alice to recite one of those absurd crime documentaries she forces Rio to watch every Saturday evening with a warm batch of popcorn and the only difference would be that ‘Agatha’ would be muttered instead of another name. Now, she was stuck listening to an in-depth psychological pornography of a woman she has never met, seen or heard of in her entire life. And dear god did she want to be this woman’s next victim. So desperate when Alice tried to show a picture of her, Rio immediately said ‘No.’ She wouldn't be able to handle it. She could picture Agatha quite clear even now, no thanks to Alice's constant emphasis. Rio even thought Alice forgot to hate her along the story on the behalf of Jen, one of the lucky- poor victims.
“And Evanora?” Rio asked as she slurped her coffee until every drop around the ice was gone.
“Oh, she’s rumored to run a child-trafficking ring under her mansion and sell them to old aristocrats. Or butcher those that weren’t bought and feed them to guests during events which is why no matter how boring her shit is, people keep coming back,” Alice whispered, looking around cautiously as if the mayor would be somehow around here instead of her manor in Westview. "Jen ate their 'Braised Beef Short Ribs' and vomited for days! And Agatha? She gave her a grin. A fucking grin."
"So she ended their relationship before the suicidal stage?"
"Yeah. Dodged a bullet honestly."
“And the paintings? Are they like real because-" Rio raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, that’s legit. Not the whole ‘it reveals the secrets of the beyond’ or the other whatnot your father sprouted but the event. That charity event is like splatter across those classy, famous companies like advertisement every time. Shoes, jewelry, clothes, you name it. It's spoken about so much that it's almost crazy weird that there's no trace of that so-called art. I've never seen it!"
“You’re surprised people didn’t resell it with a more inflated price?”
“It just feels so... I don't know, unsettling? Maybe the charity is like a guise and the real business is Evanora's underground slavery", Alice shivered before grabbing both of Rio's hands as she looked Rio dead in the eyes. "You will bring me there. You will tell your father you're bringing me and if that fucker tried to argue, name drop my mom. Tell him she has all kinds of brand new shiny snakes already and she doesn't need an old, crusty one. Understood?"
Rio gulped. Alice really wasn't letting her go alone. She nodded with a smile and a little mock salutation. "Yes, ma'am." Afterwards, they talked some more, about Jen, about their lives and dreams, and all the little pebbles of ideas rolling in both heads. Rio loves spending time with Alice, and loves Alice who makes time for Rio no matter how busy her schedule is. She's like an older sister Rio never had; reliable, brave and passionate which one day Rio hoped she would be. When they had to part after the sun was stolen, Rio felt reluctant to leave Alice, to bid farewell towards a soft fireplace warmth that was lovingly wrapped in a coffee filled box and had her favorite person inside, to return to a never-ending winter that persists despite the heavy rain outside. To abide to the one person she wanted no more than to escape from. If only her mom was still alive. Maybe she wouldn't feel like a bird with clipped wings.
"Perhaps after this trip, you can come see my concert?" Alice looked up, hopeful. Alice had decided to follow her mom's footsteps three years ago after moving here from Westview and ended up as a huge success with her band, 'Bloody Crimson'. She even dyed her hair partially red for it and Rio have never been prouder but alas, she could not go. She could not watch as she wasn't allowed access to anything online, trapped in daily routines of case files and books. She could still taste the blood dripping from her nose. That gross metallic taste... Rio's smile deflated as she remembered before forcing it back, nails digging into her palm behind her back for Alice. "I don't think even name dropping can get me permission to visit somewhere that's not work." Alice's shoulders slumped as expected and Rio felt terrible as well. She stood up slowly from their little brown round table against the floral-themed window bedazzled with vines and flowers, grabbing her black leather purse before pulling out a small moss-green umbrella. "I wish I could stay longer," Rio muttered upset to herself which Alice heard and lightly bumped her shoulder with Rio before sitting back down. "Just survive dinner with your father, Rio. We can hang out all the time, and Jen too in the future. You can't get rid of us that easily." Rio managed a smirk at that before giving her a sly wink. "I'll be counting on that."
As Rio walked out of the café, her driver Albert was already waiting patiently with a black umbrella of his own near the car. He did not greet her nor smile, simply opening her the back passenger seat in her polished-black limousine. Rio paused at the door, looking back where Alice was still sitting before shaking her head. She sat in the back as the car cascaded amongst the sea of vehicles underneath the seething downpour. The air was biting cold against her skin, making her lie down and curl into a ball, her forest-green blazer keeping her legs warm. The muffled horns and the soft thuds of the wiper soothed her nerves and for once, she found herself able to drift into sleep. She would have to meet her father for dinner an hour from now but she could save that to worry later.
. . . . . . . . .
Rio wondered how much she would profit if she rented the foreboding slab of precisely-placed old brickwork owned by the devil himself to directors that want to shoot thrillers or horror movies. The halls of eternal darkness would probably make her more money than her annual salary at her own company. Crickets chirped from outside- probably from the bushes that were cut neatly. Rio still made no move to signal the lights to turn on, bathing in the comfortable pitch-black as her heels clacked against the hard tiles of marble towards the dinning room at the far right corner, where the only splinter of light in the entire house remained behind a singular door. A tall one with simple carvings on the wood. Rio braced herself with one last deep breath before knocking on the door. When she had permission, she entered.
"How was your meeting with that girl?"
"It was fine." An long silence. Rio looked up from her plate of rare steak and vegetables to the indifferent man sitting opposite to her at a table that's unnecessarily lengthy. He looked the same as he did at afternoon except his shoulders look stiffer and movements were sharper. Brown eyes looked rusted and dull with a touch of coldness, hair as unruly but still perched as neatly as hers but she still couldn't recognize him. His soul died years ago, now leaving a numb body in a well-pressed suit.
"Alice requested to come with me. Her mother believes that she should return to Westview for a bit to get to know the locals and her father's side of the family," Rio lied as easily as she breathed.
"And you?" He stared into her eyes with a critical gaze. "What are your thoughts?"
"I think it would be great to have her along to head to an art event I never wanted to go," Rio answered back with an even voice, not backing down from his gaze.
"Like I said, those painting are a must-have-"
"And like I've told you, I couldn't care less." Rio calmly set down her knife and fork. "I'm doing this because you're my father. Even if you don't act like one."
"... I'll allow the girl to come along. The two of you will be housed by the Romanoffs and will stay there for a month. The event is in two weeks but in three days, you are to head out. Am I making myself clear?"
"Will I be able to use socials?"
"Only during this. And don't overstay, you know how much I hate things that aren't punctual." 'Things,' Rio thought, internally scoffing. 'That one's new.'
Rio simply clenched her jaw and continued her meal despite the persisting lost of appetite. When he finally left, Rio let out a relief sigh as she slumped against the chair, gazing into the blazing fireplace. In three days, she was to head to Westview. She was to meet her childhood friend Natasha again and her ex Wanda but most importantly, she would finally meet Agatha in person. Rio wondered how she would smell like. Salty like the supposed sea in her eyes or perhaps sweet like the lies she would use to worm into Rio's heart. Despite Alice's warnings, Rio was hooked on the idea of a potential drug that would ruin her, wreck her more than anyone could. Maybe her skin would be soft and smooth against her touch, underneath the warm chandelier light as they would greet. Ah, a girl could only dream. Rio hoped she would meet her soon.
. . . . . . . . .
"Rio!" Natasha strangled poor Rio into a hug with Yelena trailing from behind. Rio's flight ended a while ago and she and Alice took a taxi to reach one of the colorful small houses in the block. Alice had been overjoyed about being able to come along with Rio and had been chattering non-stop along about what they would do there. She had tied her short hair in a small pony tail, hiding behind a pair of sunglasses in her cream crop-top and as she watched Rio shuffle from feet to feet nervously. Rio, on the other hand, was dressed as if she was going to another meeting, always so formal and rigid yet a softness in her makeup and eyeshadow.
"Heyy.... how many years huh..." She drawled her words with an awkward smile as she let herself in, Alice right behind with a sweet smile. The nostalgia hit her like a train-wreck as Rio remembered fragments of childhood back in Westview, where she would bake cookies with her mom and Natasha's family. How little Yelena would sneak them into her mouth in the middle of the night and bribe Natasha and Rio to stay quiet with a piece for each person. How they all would swim in the Romanoff's swimming pool in the backward and come back dripping in the living room. How Rio's mom would laugh as Rio would shove Natasha off from the plank and dive in with a cannonball. How her mom would-
"This is Alice, my um other best friend," Rio quickly introduced, trying to get herself out of her mind. "She wanted to tag along to be my knight-in-shining armor."
Natasha just blinked at her before shrugging. "So I've been replaced."
"No, no! I-" Yelena laughed out booming, patting Rio on the back. "Relax, she's kidding. Nice to meet you Alice, I'm Yelena. If you ever want my company on a free Tuesday, my number is-"
"Taken." Yelena groaned dramatically, hands out as if in disbelief. "Why is it always the hot ones?" Rio and Alice looked at each other as Alice puffed up her chest as if 'see? I'm such a catch!' Rio smacked her head lightly as if to tell her to knock it off, a smile on her own face.
Natasha chuckled at her sister's antics before gently guiding Rio to the guest room upstairs, fingers trailing on her back. "It's the same one you sleepover back in the days. I thought it might make you feel more like home." Yelena nodded to Natasha's words.
Rio snapped her attention to the redhead. What's with that? Rio shook her head before refocusing onto the Natasha's words. It was the same as she remembered- turquoise wallpapers littered with their old crayon doodles, bed fluffed up and neatly resting against the left corner, dark green. There were still glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, glistening from the adjacent sunlight from the large window doors next to the bed. The only difference was that there were now all sorts of plants hung decoratively in respective pots or placed at the foot of the pristine balcony. Vines around the narrow pillars and the outer walls while the floor remained spotless clean.
"Thought you would like company. Heard you're stuck with attending that art event by the Harknesses. You should take all the positivity you can get." Natasha flashed her a smirk, tilting her head as she leaned against the door, arms crossed against her grey tank top. Rio whistled. "Even you're wary? Damn, maybe I'm really in some deep shit."
"Well, I wouldn't quite say that. Mentally-draining yes but otherwise, they seem fine. Much better than that bitch Wanda." Right. Wanda. There's that problem too.
"Don't worry, if I see her, I'll scream. I hope you're a method actor because I'm gonna drag you into some crazy shit," Rio flipped her hair dramatically and checked herself in an imaginary pocket mirror. Natasha rolled her eyes fondly at that.
"Wait, I don't get one? Man, the favoritism here is wild. So blatant in bright daylight, Jesus," Alice's voice rang out humorously from the other side as Yelena had showed her around. Right, speaking of Jesus, it's been a while she had visited the local church. Rio wondered if it was as deserted as before. For unknown reasons, the locals have always been so against religion of any sorts so usually, it would be her family and Natasha's every week. "Hey Tasha, can we go to the church? It's been so long since I've been there." And unbeknownst to Rio, far from deserted, it was packed with extremists that would stay glued for hours to prey to a religion that would make spiders crawl down her entire being and the ringleader wears such a pretty smile.