It had been a few weeks since they'd first met, and Sybil hadn't missed a show since. She was always there, already inside Red's dressing room by the time she made it backstage. The singer would always return bright eyed and almost jumpy, adrenaline pumping from each show. It astonished Sybil. Red never seemed to tire.

"Stand up." Red glanced up from her desk. She'd been idly scribbling lyrics, a way to pass time in between shows. In her mirror, she caught Sybil's reflection. How had that woman gotten in here?

"Come on, stand!" Confused, Red slipped back into her heels and hobbled to her feet. "Now shoulders back."

"Sybil, what-"

"Shoulders back!" Sybil's tone sounded sterner, but she was smiling. "Chin up- goodness, put your arms down!" Red's fingers had been idly twisting her skirt, and she promptly dropped them. Sybil walked over and straightened the sleeves of her dress, fingers straying for just a second too long. "Hm…" She abruptly tugged the front of the other woman's dress down, pushing her chest out to the point of modesty.

"Sybil!" True to her name, Red's face burned as she swatted away her hands. Sybil only laughed, tweaking the woman's nose with her finger.

"You're cute. Now, walk towards me." Sobering herself, Red strode across the room. After three steps, Sybil groaned and put a hand to her forehead. This was even worse than she'd expected. "Do you honestly expect to intimidate anyone this way?"

"I don't need-"

"You're famous now! Trust me, this makes all the difference. Now, go again!"

"You said-" Sybil waved her away dismissively.

"Never mind, just… watch."

With the ease of someone who'd lived on a catwalk, Sybil squared her shoulders, and began to walk. If you could even call it walking. Her hips swayed with each step, eyes burned holes through Red. Red was suddenly very aware of her position. This was Sybil Reisz. Sybil Reisz of the Camerata. There was no question of how she'd kept that power. The woman looked like she was stalking prey. Her heels clicked as she made her way right up to Red.

"See?" Her voice was lower now, almost sultry.

"I… I think, yeah." Her mouth was slightly agape. Sybil allowed herself an inner cheer of victory.

"Now you." Sybil turned and flounced back across the room, feeling the other woman's eyes on her ass. This was definitely turning out to be a good night. She swiveled back around, and Red's eyes snapped back up. "Go."

Visibly swallowing, Red straightened up. Her face darkened, and she began to walk. Each movement was achingly slow. Her steps were languid, and the smirk she was giving Sybil was positively lascivious. Sybil was in awe. She'd definitely pulled her dress down much too far. This was-

"Killer." Red stopped, her smile now considerably more innocent.

"Really?" Sybil grinned and nodded.

"Yeah! Really really good. Great! Best I've seen so far. You're all set." Sybil laughed a little too loudly, and hurried towards the door. "I'll be seeing you!" She waggled her fingers and the door slammed. Red blinked.

"...Alright then"


Shit. Shitshitshit. In what universe could that have possibly been a good idea?! Sybil all but sprinted down the hall, skirts flying. She couldn't go back. It was only a matter of time before Red put two and two together. She was a smart woman, after all. She'd be horrified. Repulsed. Sybil came to a halt, panicked. Red had been one of their most promising subjects. She'd heard Grant say so himself. And Sybil had just chased her off. The others would be furious. She felt a knot in her throat and her eyes began to well up.

No. She was acting ridiculous. She stood for a few minutes, taking deep even breaths. She could go back there. She would go back there. And she would talk to her. Maybe she still had time.

Sybil turned and hurried back. There was no telling how Red would feel. Maybe… Maybe she wouldn't push Sybil away. She hadn't shied away, after all. Sybil felt the adrenaline rushing through her, heart fluttering madly as she turned the corner to the hallway. She would tell her, then. And if Red felt the same way, then… well, who could stop them?

Red could join the Camerata and stay with the four of them. They could spend the nights together, get Junction Jan's (it would have to be Harvest Garden though, Sybil couldn't stand anything else), stay up chatting about anything really, and Sybil could listen to her sing. Sybil would listen to her read the damn phone book, so long as it was Red, her Red, and she could hold her and kiss her and-

Sybil froze. There was a man at Red's door. Her Red's door.

He was tall and stocky, with cropped dark hair and bandages wrapped around his arms. A fan? Probably. Sybil was still waiting on that damn archivist for family records. She hung back, unsure.

Suddenly the door flew open. In a blur of crimson and gold, Red lept into the man's arms. Sybil stopped breathing. He spun the singer around, peppering her face with kisses while she laughed. Sybil's heart dropped, watching Red's eyes fill with adoration. Adoration for some man who Sybil had never even heard of. Never even seen. She felt sick. She willed herself to move anywhere, just to get out of that hallway, but her feet were glued to the floor. Sybil stood, helpless as the man carried her Red back into the room. Then door slammed shut and the hallway was silent once again.


"You're going to break the cup if you keep that up." Sybil glared over at Asher as she tapped her fingernails against the base of her martini. From their table, she could just barely get a view of Red and that man across the restaurant. On a date. She watched as Red laughed and sipped her drink. And it was that utter fool making her laugh. Sybil frowned. He was clumsy and disorganized, an arrogant ass who could do absolutely nothing for her. Not like Sybil could. Sybil would have given her the world. This man probably expected Red to pay for their meal afterwards. "Sybil, if you've just come to stare at those two, then I'm leaving. This is a waste of precious time."

She gritted her teeth. "She's all over him!"

"Jealous, Sybil?"

"What does it matter to you?!" Asher's face darkened suddenly and leaned forward sharply, nearly upsetting his glass.

"What does it matter?!" He spat. "You've let this petty distraction consume your every waking moment. Every day the Process gets stronger and stronger. Bracket's research shows that some have even stopped responding to simple commands. Do you know what this means?! We've bred millions, billions of them already. They could consume the world at this rate!" Sybil's eyes widened. "This has the potential to undermine our entire operation, and you've dragged me here so that we can waste our time stalking this expendable woman like a pair of dawdling schoolgirls!" Each word was a slap in the face. Asher stood and grabbed his briefcase. "You're a member of the Camerata, the most influential and elite group in all of Cloudbank. You'd do well to stop acting like a child." With that, he stalked out of the restaurant.

Sybil was shocked. Royce had never even suggested that anything could be going wrong. To think that their greatest success, these corrupted cells, could topple each carefully balanced tower the Camerata had built… It would mean death. For all of Cloudbank. Maybe even the world. Once the Process grew that big, there would be no stopping it. She'd seen them consume whole buildings, and create that massive horror of a Spine. All it would take was a few missteps on their part, and then-

She had to leave.