Deanna smiled widely, surprised by the warm welcoming she was getting. She'd been almost terrified to meet Tristan's friends- the way he'd talked about them she knew their opinion meant a lot to him. It was as close to meeting his family as she was going to get and had come with all the required nerves.

Deanna: "Actually I am! I lived in Seattle up until a few years ago when I moved to Vegas to escape the six months of rain."
Emily: "That's a big change."
Deanna: "Yeah, it was a little weird at first, but then I got used to it. Now it seems weird being back here."
Emily: "I bet!"

Serge: "I love what you've done with your hair, Tristan. That color is spectacular."
Tristan: "Thanks! I was a little nervous at first, but I think it's grown on me."
Deanna: "I thought it would be fun for him to try something a little different."
Andy: "So how did you two meet, anyway?"

Deanna: "It was about 6 weeks ago I think…I was working at a tattoo parlor out in Las Vegas when he came in wanting some work done. I was working on another client at the time, but I had to check out his ink. Have you guys seen it? He's got some great work."
Markus: "Yeah it's really beautiful."
Deanna: "So we started talking, and one thing lead to another and now here we are!"

Andy: "Did you travel together?"
Deanna: "Yeah, we went all over the place. It was a great adventure!"
James: "I can imagine."
Emily: "Excuse me for just a minute, I have to pee. Bladder of an old lady and all that."

Emily was making her way toward the bathroom when Mary pulled her discretely aside.

Mary: "Are you ok?"
Emily: "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"
Mary: "Deanna, for starters."
Emily: "You don't like her?"

Mary: "Don't play games, Em, it doesn't suit you."
Emily: "I'm not playing games. I think she's great."
Mary: "What about Tristan?"
Emily: "He seems so happy- it's nice to see."

Mary: "Em-"
Emily: "Listen, Mary, I really have to pee. Can we continue this discussion some other time?"

Mary didn't respond, stepping out of Emily's way. Mary couldn't be sure what she was reading from her- everything was so jumbled and confused. Maybe she'd read her friend wrong, maybe she really did only care about Tristan as a friend and really was happy to see him with Deanna. She let go then; let go of caring and centered on the growing rage she felt building up inside her.