Somehow it leads Sina to the bar, even though she can't tell why. It smells terribly and it is full of already drunk people, but she still grabs something to drink and takes a seat in the darkest corner she can find. The music is so loud it almost hurts her ears and the bass causes her whole body to vibrate, and together with the piercing lights of the spotlights it creates an atmosphere that might even help her to get over this tempestuousness. It helps Sina to suppress the thoughts that make her cry, and the alcohol does its part too.

Whatever she drinks tastes gross but at least its strong, and whenever someone approaches her asking for a dance or something else, Sina manages to stare at them with such vicious eyes that they soon leave her in peace.

She feels so stupid. What did she expect at all? That Chishiya would be the sweet and romantic boyfriend now, greeting her with hugs and kisses and carrying her in his arms wherever she wanted to go?

It is still Chishiya in the end, and Sina obviously disturbed him in something he wants to keep secret. But Kuina brought her there in the first place, so she expected him to let Sina in on their plan, didn't she? Why couldn't he have at least said something nice to her before acting like this? Something like "glad you're okay", or "thank you for risking your life yesterday"? Or at least, well – "good morning"?

While Sina's body is still shaken with sobs, she leans her forehead against the cold rim of the bottle. How is she ever supposed to have her happy ending in this cruel story of the Borderlands, if every victory she achieves only leads her to a down phase like this?

The roller coaster ride continues, and Sina has definitely had enough of it. She wants to hop out of the wagon and continue her stroll through the park, but right now it's either being alone or continuing this heartbreaking journey together with Chishiya.

Someone sits down next to her, and Sina prepares herself to say something mean so they will leave. But just as she opens her mouth, she recognizes someone familiar and pause.

"You're stupid. I really like you, but you're stupid."

Without taking her head off the bottle, Sina's eyes turn towards Kuina and she answers her with a pout. Somehow that woman always manages to get to her in her worst moments, but Sina is not sure if that is what she wanted to hear from her.

They both have to talk quite loud because the music around them would be too noisy otherwise. "You're a mean angel. Did Chishiya send you to calm me down?"

"I don't need Chishiya to care about a friend myself."

Kuina takes away the bottle and Sina's head almost drops to the table, and Kuina raises an eyebrow as she examines the liquid. "Wait, you were drinking this stuff straight? Oh, dear. Guess you definitely had enough of that."

She puts the bottle somewhere behind her, and Sina hides her face inside the crook of her arm. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want you to listen. But I won't keep screaming like this, so you come with me. Now."

Kuina leaves her no choice but grabs her arm, ignoring the painful whimper Sina exhales, and leads her out of the Bar towards a more quiet and less crowded area. It's next to the staircase, and the people here don't pay them any attention.

"Why am I the stupid one? He's the one deserving the lesson."

Kuina pulls Sina down on a sofa and sits down next to her while Sina rubs the areas where Kuina has touched her bruises.

"Because you're not listening. Yeah, it might have been a wrongheaded idea to take you to the surveillance room. But Chishiya was right, you should try to think before you talk sometimes."

The tears come back again, and Sina somehow feels betrayed by those words coming out of her friend's mouth.

"Whose side are you on, Kuina?"

"Oh, you stupid." She pulls Sina into a hug, not too tight of course, patting her back on a spot that's not too badly bruised. "Chishiya said that you weren't the right one, not that you were not good enough."

"Isn't that the same?" It doesn't help that Sina's voice is cracking with another hiccup.

"Not at all. You know why he can't tell you about his plans?"

"Because he doesn't trust me?" She wouldn't even blame him. Just because they shared a kiss, that doesn't mean that he has to pour out his heart in front of her. But Sina definitely wouldn't have minded…

"Because it's dangerous. And he doesn't want you to be involved because he doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Oh."

Kuina's words actually make sense somehow, and it would put another complexion on the matters with no doubt. But is it true, really?

"He could have said it differently though." Sina mumbles in between sobs, and Kuina can't help but chuckle.

"Well, you didn't let him explain either. Maybe just don't flounce out of the room next time without properly talking about a misunderstanding."

"Still. He could have used a different wording in the first place!" She keeps being stubborn in this matter, because it was him after all who acted that weird from the beginning. Kuina sighs and Sina is sure to hear a feint "Stupid" whispered at her back.

"Sure. But don't forget it's Chishiya we're talking about."

"Am I the only topic you both talk about at any time?" Chishiya's voice sounds from the distance, and both of the women look up to see him strolling through the hallway towards the staircase. He has his hands tucked inside his pockets and carries his typical smirk as he drops down next to them on the sofa, exhaling a long breath as he leans back.

"Tell me. What are we supposed to do with you, hm?" He watches Sina from the corner of his eyes, and she rubs the tears out of hers. At least it doesn't matter that they're red and swollen, because the rest of her face looks the same.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" Sina counters while still pouting, and it causes Chishiya to shake his head and chuckle.

"Will you listen to me now without running away in an instant?"

She nods, and Chishiya continues.

"Good. I won't tell you more about what is going on in the surveillance room, so you better don't even bother to ask further. Besides, do me a favor and stay out of this room. It's not meant as an insult, but some things just have to be kept secret. And you're not the right one for this because it means taking a risk. A risk that I don't want you to take. It has nothing to do with you not being good enough for anything."

"Because he doesn't want you to get hurt." Kuina repeats next to Sina, her eyes clearly screaming "Told you so", and while Chishiya rolls his eyes about that comment, he doesn't disagree.

Instead, he taps Sina's forehead with his finger, causing her to awkwardly flip backwards because while she would never admit it, the alcohol has caused her reactions to slow down with no doubt. "See? Using this thing here could be useful sometimes and would definitely save you some drama now and then."

"All I wanted was to say good morning to you…" Sina mumbles, trying hard not to cry again.

"Good morning. You look awful, by the way." Chishiya replies, and Sina leans her head against his shoulder the way she always seems to do after he upset her. The roller coaster is slowly going up again, but even though she can't see it yet, she knows the next downswing is about to come at some point.

"What… what about a reconciliation hug?"

Chishiya chuckles, smirking down at her. "Let's talk about this when you're sober."