"Damnit!"

She sighed loudly and raised her eyes to the dark, night sky as her arms flew out into an over dramatic shrug. She didn't need her heel to break. Not tonight.

"Are, uh, are you okay?"

She jumped slightly as she turned on the spot to find where the voice had come from. With her eyes narrowed and her hands closed into tight fists at her sides she cursed beneath her breath as she went over on her ankle for the second time "If you're a murderer can you just get it over with? My night is already bad enough."

The amused sounding chuckle caught her off guard "Surely it can't be that bad?" he asked as he pushed himself up from where he was sitting and stepped into the light. He was wearing a light denim jacket, had a grey beanie hat pulled low over his hair and couldn't look less like a terrifying murderer if he tried.

"You have no idea my friend," she said as she leaned with her hand pressed against the wall to her left to pull the offending shoe off her foot "Don't suppose you have any super glue? If my last pair of tights ripping and my favourite top having a hole in it wasn't enough my heel has decided to break and I'm already very very late."

He smiled slightly as he reached out to take the shoe from her "My best friend's dad was shot the other night."

"Huh," she answered pausing for a second before she reached out to attempt to get her shoe back "Well. It isn't a competition."

"If it was I'm pretty sure I'd win."

"I'd call for a review of the rules. You can't use sob stories to win."

His smile was wider as he looked up from where he had been examining her heel "Is it absolutely necessary you wear these heels tonight?"

A loud groan left her lips as she took it from him to get a closer look herself "Yes," she said stubbornly "They're comfy, they match my outfit and…" she paused, pursing her lips together for a few seconds "And they're lucky."

"Lucky shoes," he repeated tucking his hands into his pockets and leaning back slightly as his eyebrows raised "What are you doing that requires your shoes to be lucky?"

Crossing her arms over her chest she regarded him with her head tilted to one side "Do you actually care or are you laughing at me?"

"I guess you'll have to tell me to find out," he answered as he leaned with his shoulder against the wall "It'll take my mind off things," he added quietly, his head bowing slightly as he scuffed the bottom of his sneaker against the floor.

"Wow. Pulling the sob story yet again hey?" she asked with a laugh before reaching up to push her curls off her face "I'm off to the White Wyrm to meet some friends I haven't seen in a while," she explained with a sigh, leaning her back against the wall beside him "They don't know I'm here."

"If they're your friends surely they'll be happy to see you?"

"I guess," she replied with yet another sigh, resting her head backwards and closing her eyes for a couple of seconds.

"Uh...didn't you say you were already late?"

"Shit!" she exclaimed scrambling away from the wall and hopping slightly as she pulled her shoe back on "Shit you're right!" she continued ruffling her curls up slightly before she sent him a smile "See ya round AlleyBoy," she called throwing her arm up in a wave as she hurried, as well as she could with a wobbly heel, in the direction she'd been heading.

"Bye ShoeGirl," he called after her before tucking his hands into his pockets once more and turning to head off in the opposite direction.

The two of them only realising they hadn't got the others actual name when it was far too late.

The door to the White Wrym banged open and, pausing their game of pool, both Sweet Pea and Fangs shared a raised eyebrowed look. Toni was following closely behind a bored looking Tall Boy with the expression on her face that had always told the two boys to keep their opinions to themselves.

"Apparently there's an initiation tonight."

Sweet Pea jumped slightly and let out a sigh as Toni dumped her bag down loudly onto the pool table in between where he was lining up his cue and the ball "That what you were bothering Tall Boy over?" he asked straightening up and nodding over to where the older serpent was making his way through the bar.

There was a determined look on Toni's face as she leaned against the side of the table and crossed her arms tightly over her chest "Yes," she answered shortly "He wouldn't tell me who it was."

"Well he's not going to when you've got that look on your face," Fangs replied teasingly, flinching backwards over dramatically when she turned to face him and holding his hands up innocently.

"It's never usually such a secret," she answered with a huff "And, anyway, if I remember rightly you two weren't exactly pleased when I had to the outdated, misogynistic, absolutely ridiculous part of the initiation," she added after a moment of silence, throwing glances between the two boys "Direct quote. From the pair of you."

"We're not happy about it T," Fangs said with a roll of his eyes "No one's happy about it."

"But it's tradition isn't it. No matter what you do you'll never get this lot away from their traditions," Sweet Pea said with a shrug as he glanced around the packed bar "And, anyway, we didn't watch yours. Kept our eyes down," he continued as he leaned back down, pushed her bag out of his way and began to line up his shot once more.

"Wow thanks," Toni rolled her eyes "You're such gentlemen."

They were interrupted as a loud cheer went up and the lights cut out, a spotlight spun so it was trained on the stage and Toni let out another loud huff. Beside her Sweet Pea's face lit up into a laugh and she reached over to punch him in the shoulder.

The three of them all glanced up as the silhouette of a slim girl with long, wild curls stepped up onto the stage, raising a microphone to her lips she began to sing "My demons are begging me to open up my mouth. I need them, mechanically make the words come out. They fight me, vigorous and angry, watch them pounce. Ignite me, licking at the flame they bring about…"

The looks they exchanged were brief as the lights flashed up and the girl reached the pole. Sweet Pea's eyebrows arched and he couldn't help but nudge the open mouthed Toni sitting beside him with his elbow as the girl's arm curled around the pole and her head lay backwards.

"I sold my soul to a three-piece. And he told me I was holy. He's got me down on both knees. But it's the Devil that's tryna hold me down, hold me down…"

There was a spluttering sound as the girl on stage brushed her hair from her face, the light hit her properly and she sent a wink out to the rest of the bar "Eyes down!" Fangs exclaimed almost choking on his beer and waving his arm over to his two friends "Eyes down!"

Sweet Pea let out a shout of irritation as Fangs' hand slapped against his shoulder "Dude?! It's an initiation we're just watching what-?"

"You can't watch," Fangs insisted keeping his eyes lowered to the floor as he turned to his two friends "Because that-" he continued jabbing his finger over in the direction of the stage "-is Bambi."

Both Sweet Pea and Toni slowly looked back to the stage for a few seconds, just in time to watch their childhood friend rip open her blazer to reveal a cropped lace top beneath.

"Oh my god that's Bambi," they said together, Sweet Pea turning away as Toni's hands covered her eyes. They hadn't seen their friend, Bambi to them but Noelle to everyone else, for a couple of years but as soon as it was pointed out there was no mistaking that it was her.

"This is why it was such a secret," Toni grumbled as a round of applause went up and Tall Boy stepped onto the stage to present the bowing girl with her jacket.

"How have we missed that she's home?"

"Because you're terrible friends?" spreading her arms Noelle sent her three best friends a grin filled with as much innocence as she could muster when they all turned to stare at her with shocked, happy and slightly irritated expressions "Surprise?"