One Last Dance, Goodbye [Ehefra, Natasha]

For a moment, Natasha reflected on the woman's words. Ehefera had gone through troubling times in her absence. The near-death battle in Miami had truly left a long-lasting impact on the woman, perhaps even more than Natasha could imagine. A modicum of guilt certainly threatened to settle in; it wasn't easy to hear about what she endured, after all. At the very least, she thought, she was here now and making amends for that poor display of friendship months ago. This mystery woman seemed to be a crutch for her to lean on in her difficult days, someone to be there for her and watch over her.

From her perspective, she clearly meant a lot to her. The pain in her voice and expression seemed to tell her that much, at least. But now... she was at an impasse. She couldn't tell her to break up with the woman, but she was too jealous to bear seeing them enjoying their right as couples. Natasha sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. What advice was there for something like this? Was she the third wheel? Did they want to humor the thought of loving Ehefera together? It was a myriad of some of the most confusing stuff she'd ever heard in a while.

"It is pretty unreasonable to make them compromise on actin' lovey-dovey with each other, I reckon. First come, first serve, and all that jazz. Question is... is that what really has to happen? Does she feel the same way, too? Has she ever told you she loves you? Have you ever told her that you love her? Genuinely? Beyond all the times you've shared, have either of you expressed these sentiments openly?"

Natasha supposed she could relate to avoiding committed relationships. There had never been any intention to explore anything serious with Ehefera, either, much less anybody else. Observing Ehefera as she was now, Natasha wondered if she was justified in maintaining her stance regarding true intimacy.

Did she believe she would be reacting like this? It was a mystery, certainly, though far from one she was prepared to explore anytime soon. For now, she was content with making some degree of effort toward easing her friend's agonized mood.

Such efforts were proving less than fruitful, she reckoned, but there wasn't much advice one could offer for an odd situation like this. Lots of questions, certainly. Lots of answers? Hardly. It was the equivalent of trying to force a desert to produce an abundance of water. Despite the difficulty, she nevertheless offered advice. A point of view, perhaps, of how she would operate in a difficult time like this.

"Persistent type, eh? Those are a hassle to deal with, sweetheart. Reckon there ain't much helpful advice I can offer there, either, but if that's what feels like it'll bring you peace of mind, I won't stop ya. Guess my only other question is.... will that make you happy? Based on all that time you two spent, I can't imagine that'll be a pleasant ending, ya know. It'd be easy if this was early in, but you two seem to have shared a lot of intimate moments. At the same time, if ya want some brutal honesty, I can't imagine it'll end well for you, either. You can't bear the sight of those two, you never truly wanted to commit in the first place, and now yer sufferin' from it all as a result on top of the stress of work and duty to the Vandenreich. How is this Candice gal's capacity for understanding, anywho? She a receptive gal to breakups?"

Natasha crossed her arms as she slumped against the couch, stretching her legs out to relax despite the tense atmosphere. This really was out of her ballpark. Guess three's a crowd really did hold true, huh? How would the woman react if she cut it all off? That's the part that worried her the most. No one who spent that much time would simply accept those results. No matter how one flipped it, the likelihood of it ending ugly was a definite possibility.

Natasha maintained her comfy little position on the couch until, for the second time this evening, she was forced to do a double-take on what was freely flowing out of Ehefera's mouth. Gewelle... Gewelle... Giselle? What in tarnation? No, really, what the hell? Those hazel eyes traveled back to that woman, dumbfounded, her mouth agape as she raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had mentioned that she knew the woman this Candice lady was with, but Giselle? Christ, what the hell was this woman's dating life like?

Even worse, she didn't exactly know how to reply to the violent shit that Ehefera said about her just now. Yeah. No doubt about it, she was definitely going to be indulging in some late-night pizza and alcohol after this woman left. There was no other way around wrapping her head around these revelations. The thruple was one thing, but the fact that it involved both of the women that she knew?

That sunk her mind like a battleship. Chuckling sheepishly, Natasha rubbed the back of her head as she offered what could only be described as an awkward whistle in response to all of this. She felt for her friend, certainly, but this really was a mess. A mess she was fortunate not to walk into, but a mess nevertheless. Part of her really didn't want to believe it, but there weren't exactly thousands of women roaming the planet with the name Gewelle, especially not any currently aligned with the Vandenreich.

"Giselle, huh? Holy shit. Guess that's another thing I didn't expect to hear tonight. Normally, I really would suggest the drinks, because heaven knows I need one now, but let me think of some proper advice first. I... uh... can't really comment on yer feelings about Giselle nor am I gonna go poking the bear that wants to rip her spine out, but I will say this; when the goin' gets tough, ya just gotta know when to fold em'. I wish there was a scenario I could envision where you two walk away on the winning side of all this, but I can't see it. And your mind appears to be made up about it, too. For everybody's sake, it's probably better to cut yer losses before you all end up miserable."