Coriolanus and Candi arrived at Rose Manor at midday on Saturday. Candi skipped out of the sleek black car, stopping before the grand door to pluck a rose, rolling it in her fingers and inhaling and relaxing at the way the scent curled around her. These roses were known for their fragrance and the Snows were known for their horticultural excellence when it came to Rosaceae. Of course, rose varieties were their favorites. While they still kept a payroll for gardeners to tend to their impressive botanical fields, the roses kept at the front entrances of the manor were the eldest living matriarch's duty, handed down from generation to generation.

Too bad there wasn't money in unique and rare rose varieties. Well, of course, there was, but not nearly enough to mend the gap in their coffers that his father and uncle had made.

These roses were particularly fragrant.

Tigris, so far, had done the most for the family, mostly to ensure that she would have enough funds for herself to go to her 'frivolous fashion school', such as starting a luxury fragrance line from the obscure varieties of flowers that Rose Manor grew.

Once again, it wasn't nearly enough.

But it was clear to Coriolanus that any chance at regaining their once lofty and wealthy status would be on the next generation.

"Hi Grandma'am!" Candi said, spying their grandmother tenderly caring for the flowers. Much more tender than she'd ever been toward her sons and grandchildren. She was a stern, imposing woman, but she became soft around her roses. Her late mother-in-law had died early, leaving the task upon her shoulders when she was no more than twenty-three years old, and over the years, Grandma'am had become quite protective of her roses. The family joke was she cared for them far more than any human relatives, sans Candi.

But Candi was the baby. Everyone loved her.

Case in point; if Coriolanus had plucked a rose without explicit permission (including submitting a formal request for one), he'd be lectured until her face was blue. But she just patted Candi's hand.

"Sweet Girl, how nice to see you back. You need to return more often to visit your ailing grandmother."

Candi kissed both of her cheeks, leaning in with childish joy. Though she was nearly a high schooler, something about her charm lent itself to such unbridled displays of emotion, a luxury Coriolanus had not been able to have since far younger.

"Grandma'am," Coriolanus said, nodding to her. He waited for her to call him forward before he kissed her hand. As expected, his grandmother blushed.

"When should I expect you to bring home a wife, Coriolanus?" She tutted, "Your father had proposed to your mother by the end of his senior year, and had the bring by the start of it!"

Coriolanus winced, "Choices are slim."

Grandma'am narrowed her eyes, humming distastefully. Coriolanus was not unaware of the large task set upon his shoulders. Though Tigris was older, she wasn't the heir to the empty vaults, like he was. Not only did he need to pick the next future Mrs. Snow who would be the best business partner, but he also needed someone with money (if he failed at amassing it himself) who would keep quiet about the indiscretion of their rapidly dwindling wealth.

It seemed near impossible to find someone. Coriolanus expected he'd have to charm a girl within an inch of her life, make them so desperately in love with him they'd ignore all the glaring red flags he knew he was arriving with.

And he could, theoretically, but Coriolanus wanted to take a crack at what he could do himself before admitting failure and marrying into funds.

"We'll find someone," Grandma'am gave a long sigh, clearly just as aware of what was required of him.

Coriolanus gave a half-hearted shrug, "Just tell me who," He muttered. He had long ago come to terms that his future was not entirely his own. Not his legacy, not his wife, not his future children. It was only by providence that his father held any affection to his mother and that she had come from the highest echelons to be an acceptable choice.

In so many ways, his parents were the anomaly.

For every way that Coriolanus hated his father, at the very least, he knew his parents loved each other.

He didn't understand it, but he knew it to be true.

Grandma'am hadn't been so lucky, her whole marriage was a strict business agreement that had been upheld until the very end.

Coriolanus was sure his life would feel similar.

"Your mother is anxious for your arrival. You fray her poor nerves. Go in now, before she calls the CIA to track you down," Grandma'am said, shooing them both inside.

As warned, their mother was pacing the foyer.

She was skinnier than when Coriolanus had left for the start of term. Her clothes hung from her skeletal frame, a set of gold bangles sliding freely up and down her toothpick-like arms. She was the original poster child for Ozempic, her diet consisting of pills and cleanses more than actual food.

"Mom!" Candi grinned, dumping her backpack and running to hug their mother, standing on her tip-toes to sway in her embrace.

"Darlings!" Maris Snow extended an arm to Coriolanus too, "I expected you here hours ago."

"Sorry, Mumma," Candi blinked at her, "It was my fault. We missed the train to the city because I had to go back for my purse."

"And no one thought to update me?" She seemed headed for a conniption. She was always flying off the handle like every inconvenience would cause her to crumble. Ironic, considering that she could have had a life of easy luxury, had her husband not been such a colossal fuck-up.

"Sorry," Coriolanus let his mother tug him underneath her arms like a child.

"No sorries, I've been calling your phone all morning," She chastised.

"I think I misplaced it," Coriolanus gave an easy lie, knowing exactly where it was…still locked in his desk drawer, "Maybe it fell out of my backpack or left it in a classroom."

"Well, don't both of you have a phone?"

Candi held up a black screen, "Forgot to charge it last night."

Maris pinched her nose, giving an elaborate sigh, "Why do I even pay for those devices if my two children don't bother with either of them?" She kissed their foreheads, "It's not the Middle Ages. Aren't children meant to be tied to their phones?" She asked, gently teasing.

"Guess you got lucky with two kids that care about more important things," Coriolanus offered a chuckle.

"Oh, hardly! The phone is meant so I can keep track of you both!" Maris released them from her arms, "If you cannot find it by the end of Monday, we'll look into getting a replacement, Coryo."

"And how am I meant to tell you if I can't find it?" Coriolanus raised an eyebrow.

"You're an intelligent boy," His mother drew a manicured hand up his face, before licking her fingers to fix his hair, "I have no doubt you'll figure a way out."

It was so normal that her actions tightened a weird feeling in his stomach. Mothers were the same no matter where they were, he supposed, but he side-stepped her before she could wipe something invisible off his cheeks.

"Is Dad home?"

Coriolanus prayed he was at his office. He could really only stand his father for three hours, generously, and all of his attention would be needed to get through the party tonight.

"He'll be back in time," His mother said, mistaking his question for eagerness.

If he missed it, it would be better for everyone, but there was no such luck.

"Is Tigris home yet?"

"She got home last night, and kept her father updated every step of the way," His mother said warningly, sending a semi-exasperated sigh, "She's outside."

Coriolanus nodded, dipping out to the backyard where event workers fluttered around, preparing their lawns. Coriolanus was acutely aware of how much money they had but also knew that his Uncle was going to put them deeper in debt by this party he was throwing. But it would be suicide not to host something. That was the double-edged sword, after all.

Uncle Bacchus passed Coriolanus as he opened the back door, already drunk. A waify red-headed girl clung to his arm, giggling like he was the funniest person on the face of the earth. Ever since Tigris' mother passed, Uncle Bacchus had a steady stream of over-eager young, leggy things. Most were scarcely older than Tigris, and Coriolanus knew it wouldn't be long before she was older than the woman her father slept around with. This one looked vaguely familiar, maybe a model or social media star. Coriolanus had absolutely seen her face somewhere.

"Laney!" Bacchus hiccuped, shaking him roughly by his shoulders, "You're back!"

Coriolanus swallowed back his annoyance. He thought his name was perfect the way it was, no nicknames were needed. But if it was necessary, he preferred Coryo. Laney was downright offensive.

"This here is my nephew. Handsome, isn't he?" Bacchus said, turning back and grinning at his date, "But of course, not as handsome as me!"

The girl laughed behind her hand in such an exaggerated way that Coriolanus couldn't believe that his uncle believed it.

"Going in?" Coriolanus asked, stepping away from the doorway.

"Ah, yes, we accidentally fell into the pool," Bacchus said, winking, "Going to clean off before the party starts."

Her white skin-tight tank top was soaked through, something Coriolanus had been avoiding looking at directly until now.

Accidentally, huh?

"I'm just so clumsy!" The girl piped in, as though reading his disbelief.

Coriolanus raised an eyebrow. God, he wished he could tell all these gold diggers they were only going to hit fool's gold. Bacchus had nothing to give them and certainly wasn't going to marry any of them. He'd barely tolerated his first wife, and though she'd died of absolutely natural causes (cancer), he wasn't eager to tie himself down again.

But if they were dumb enough to throw themselves at him, well, let them.

Out on the pool deck, Tigris was curled up on a lounge chair, wearing a pair of sunglasses and an elaborately complicated-looking suit, biting her nails as she flipped through a fashion magazine, circling something with a marker every so often.

"I already regret this," Coriolanus said, and she jolted up, face turning into a large grin.

"Coryo!" She jumped up, hugging him, "Well it's far more bearable with you here now."

"I saw your father's latest," Coriolanus said, sitting, "Where do I know her from?" He asked, crinkling his forehead.

"She's an actress," Tigris rolled her eyes, "And was in a movie that just won the Razzies. It was that one that ran ads everywhere? The movie about the aliens and the intergalactic diner-,"

"Oh, god," Coriolanus pinched the bridge of his nose, "Her? Ugh, her acting was atrocious." He huffed, "I mean, from what I've seen, not surprising."

"I watched her 'trip' over her six-inch heels into the pool and act so flustered ," Tigris put on a high-pitched voice and gasped dramatically, " Oh, Bacchy, I'm all wet! '"

Coriolanus gagged, literally, "You're joking."

"Do you think I want to see that foreplay?" Tigris spat on the pavement, shuddering, "I wish I was making it up."

"Is she coming to the party tonight?"

Tigris settled back in, smirking, "Oh, please. He has a much more impressive date for that. I did consider inviting her, just for fun. Just to see what she'll do."

"I'll do it," Coriolanus grinned conspiratorially, "If you pay off someone to spill wine on my dad's shirt, right before he makes his 'big brother' speech."

Tigris spun, lifting her sunglasses onto her head, vibrating with excitement, "Deal."

You see, Tigris and Coriolanus had trauma-bonded from an early age from their mutual hatred of paternal figures. And it would be too easy to guess that, whenever something went awry, it was their children behind it. By outsourcing trouble to each other, they could stand in front of their fathers and say with their full chest, "I swear, Dad, it wasn't me!".

"I hoped you'd say that," Tigris added, "It'll make a dull party more fun if she's as dramatic in real life as she is in her movies."

"I'll tap someone," Coriolanus promised. They also never directly did anything, lest it lead back to them, "Is Antonio still working here?"

"No, Uncle Crassus had to let him go last month."

"Damn. He was always easy to ply with a little pocket change," Coriolanus' leg bounced as he thought of who else he could manipulate into this little scheme, "Maybe Maria? Or Justin…"

"Speaking of dates-," Tigris added, her voice purring playfully.

"Shit, Tig, I've only been home like twenty minutes."

Tigris shoved him, "Spill. The. Details!"

"It's nothing, nothing at all," Coriolanus said, clamming up.

"Liar. It's not nothing or you wouldn't have mentioned it."

"I just wanted to lure you back so that tonight would be bearable." Coriolanus shrugged, rolling up his sleeves, "You're so gullible sometimes."

"Coryo," Tigris sang, and when he ignored her, she leaned in, closing the space between their two chairs, "Coryo!"

Coriolanus shook his head, as though to say, 'It won't work', but Tigris was a master at pushing his buttons.

" . ," She repeated rapid-fire, getting closer each time, until she was all but sitting on him, "Coriolanus Snow!"

"Get your dumb ass off of me!" Coriolanus shoved her but she had figured out exactly how to hold him down long ago, "Arg, fine! Fine!"

Tigris sat back, triumphant.

"I met her…" Coriolanus pressed his lips, trying to decide how much to say. If he said 'at a bar' or 'in town' that would pretty much confirm that she was a Districter. And could he admit that to his cousin, even if he trusted her above all else, "Through music."

"That's vague," Tigris snorted.

"Instagram," Coriolanus threw out, hoping that if he was vague enough, Tigris would assume certain situations and he wouldn't have to divulge more than necessary.

Tigris immediately fumbled for her phone.

"I'm not following her," He said, which was true. He'd made very sure of that.

"Is she following you?"

Coriolanus shrugged, "Maybe."

Maybe she was. Maybe within the last half of a week, she'd found time in her very busy schedule to give poor old Coriolanus Snow a second thought.

"So she reached out to you?" Tigris pressed.

"Uhm, yeah."

"...And?" Tigris was bursting at the seams, "What about this girl would make you tempted?"

"She's…" Coriolanus leaned back, thinking of the night in the bar, "Headstrong. She knows what she wants. And is interesting," He chewed on his lip, "She takes what she wants."

"Sounds like my type of girl," Tigris laughed, "I really want to meet her. You've met in person, though?"

Coriolanus nodded, feeling his pulse quicken.

"Are you going to again?" Tigris nudged him.

"That's up to her," Coriolanus said cooly.

"Oh, seriously? You're a guy, it's your job to chase."

Coriolanus gave an affronted look, "I don't chase anyone. It's a new world. If she's interested in seeing me again, she can reach out to me." He huffed, "I'm easy enough to find." He added sourly.

"Wow, she really riled you up!" Tigris laughed, taking everything the entirely wrong way, "Guess I'm not gonna get her name out of you, huh?"

"To Instagram stalk? Absolutely not."

"That's fine, Coryo, I like mysteries," Tigris said, "And I'm good at 'em too. Besides, you'll trip up soon enough and tell me exactly what I need."

Her phone beeped. She looked down at the alarm, giving a heavy sigh.

"Time to start getting ready?" Coriolanus had timed his arrival so he would have exactly as much time as he could stand at home, most of it being taken up by the party.

"Yeah," Tigris gathered her things, "I'm sure your target will be heading home soon," She added.
"Yep, yep, on it," Coriolanus stood.

"Hey, Coryo?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you've found someone, even if it doesn't go anywhere. Makes you seem more…" Tigris was smiling at him all mushy, "Human."

"Am I not?" He asked, frowning, though somewhere, he knew the answer.

"Not since we were kids." She shrugged, "Gives me hope for the future. I'd hate to see you unhappy."

"Happiness isn't a guarantee."

"I know, but it ought to be," Tigris said quietly.

He followed her inside.

Then, he hid out in the kitchen, waiting until he saw Uncle Bacchus make an exaggerated farewell to his date, moaning about some 'stupid engagement' tonight he was required to attend.

As soon as she was walking to her car and Bacchus had vanished upstairs, Coriolanus slid up next to Justin, one of their in-home chefs.

"Hey, Coriolanus," Justin greeted. They weren't too far apart in age, Justin on the older side of twenty-something, but close enough to be friendly in the way staff and the rich were. Close enough that it was acceptable for him to call Coriolanus by his first name whenever his parents weren't around, and Coriolanus didn't mind it.

Coriolanus shook his hand and slipped a fistful of hundreds his way, "Have you confirmed her dietary needs for the party tonight?" He asked, motioning to where her car idled as she reapplied her lipgloss in the mirror.

"Should I?" Justin asked, grinning, tapping the side of his nose.

Antonio, their laundry person, had been Coriolanus' best 'secret agent', but Justin was a fine replacement. And if he managed to pull this off, he'd be trusted in bigger, more obnoxious plots, for far more money.

Coriolanus shrugged, casually, not instructing in any way. The important thing about this was to imply, but not command. Justin would need a certain level of…critical thinking to pull what Antonio had been able to do for Coriolanus and not get burned himself.

"Ah, maybe I'm mistaken."

Justin counted the bills, shrugging, "I'll check my lists again."

Then, Coriolanus slithered upstairs, far away from the pieces as they began to fall. He watched out of his window as one of the hired event banquet serves ran out to Bacchus's date's car, starting to ask something, but masterfully backpedaling when her expression became furious. She began pointing back toward the house, towards the clear set-up occurring (God, how dumb did you have to be to miss that clearly an event was being held here?), gesticulating wildly, while the server made a 'you didn't hear it from me' sort of motion.

She squealed out of the gravel driveway with the fury of a woman scorned.

Success.

Coriolanus would have sent Tigris a little snake emoji to let her know that her task had been set into motion, and she would have returned a tiger emoji when she started his, but he obviously didn't have his phone.

So he squiggled a bad picture on a Post-it and tacked it on her door.

When he passed by two hours later, starting to get dressed, it was replaced with a smiley face and a sick-ass drawing of a tiger.

Coriolanus carefully folded it and put it in his pants pocket, grinning.

XXX

Coriolanus adjusted his suit jacket, milling around the cocktail tables near the pool, uncomfortable and socially exhausted.

Barely three hours into his uncle's 50th birthday party Coriolanus was already wishing he'd skipped.

Tigris stomped through the grass in her ostentatious gown, her hundreds of layers grasped in her fists, pausing to laugh with people who stopped to ask her who she was wearing.

Coriolanus could read her lips.

It's a Tigris Snow original!

At least she was getting some marketing out of this event, well worth her time.

As always, Tigris' outfit was a show-stopper.

Coriolanus wanted nothing more for his cousin to succeed in her industry and become a household name, said in the same breath as Valentino or Gucci.

Tigris eventually made it to where Coriolanus sipped his one allotted drink, his mother worried he'd get roaring drunk at these parties.

I'm not my father or my uncle.

Of course, he couldn't argue with his mother, so he always got whatever had the highest alcohol content and sipped it slowly, savoring the way it tasted. For god's sake, he was eighteen! People went off to war at eighteen, but he couldn't even have more than one glass at a family function.

Yes, his family function was a bit more elaborate than the average senior's, but hey, that's how it was.

"I don't see her yet," Tigris scanned the party-goers, "Did I miss her?"

"Oh, I doubt you'd be able to."

"Maybe she decided not to come? Maybe Dad talked her down?" Tigris pressed her lips together with worry.

"Unlikely." Coriolanus patted her shoulder, "People are so predictable, Tigris, really, it's a blessing."

Tigris pouted, crossing her arms. Coriolanus rolled his eyes, lifting his glass to his lips. Just as he was taking a sip, someone patted his back. Hard.

Coriolanus choked, spitting up his drink, dropping the glass on its side on the covered cocktail table, trying not to die.

"Hiya, old sport!"

Coriolanus turned to see Sejanus.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Well, I would have warned you," Sejanus said, grinning mischievously, "But someone's phone is still locked in their desk drawer."

"I know you have Tigris' number!"

"I thought you didn't want us texting?" Sejanus asked innocently.

Coriolanus glared hard, using a napkin to mop up his spilled drink.

"Aww, don't cry over spilled whiskey," Sejanus teased.

"Coriolanus is forbidden from getting more than one drink for…" Tigris nodded across the pool where Baccus was already roaring, embarrassingly drunk, "'Obvious' reasons."

"Wouldn't want to make a scandal," Coriolanus spat furiously, sarcastically.

"Oh. Oh!" Understanding dawned, "Ah, shit, man. I'll make it up to you. Serious. I'll buy you something else."

"The bartenders are paid off to watch carefully for that." Coriolanus had already tried that with Tigris long ago, who wasn't banned from more than one. She wasn't any fun about it, and only ever had one or two anyway.

"Sorry?" Sejanus did look properly embarrassed, wincing. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Anyway, you know, I'm a little upset that as your best friend, you've never invited me here. This is dope, Snow."

Coriolanus locked his jaw.

Not my best friend.

But the truth was, even if he was, Coriolanus still wouldn't invite him over. He didn't know if he could ever trust someone's implicitly. He was forced to trust Tigris due to familial proximity, but if she were just some girl at school he got on with super well, he didn't think he'd ask her to join him for an evening at home.

But if Sejanus had to see here, Coriolanus supposed it was best he saw it dressed up for a party. It was an impressive view; a thousand string lights dripping off every leaf, branch, and flower in sight, with golden canopy tents and expensive golden champagne flutes. Coriolanus could tell what his mother's touches were since Bacchus had tried to make the theme 'The Godfather', specifically 'The Godfather II' since it was also turning 50. Those elements were more…haphazardly strung together in an almost campy way.

But right now the space was contained and wearing its best makeup.

If Sejanus came at any time, he might start to notice things. Notice that they never had a full staff anymore, notice in the light of day certain parts of the facade crumbling from disrepair, notice the empty garage that once housed twelve of the highest quality automobiles, or notice one part of the house shuttered to save on electricity and heating costs.

So fine…Sejanus could be here, but he ought not to linger or make a surprise appearance tomorrow.

"Hey, so I can't get you any more drinks, but uh…" Sejans clicked his tongue, winking, "How about some party favors?" He asked, pulling out a rolled joint from his pocket, and palming it like a magic trick.

"Oh, god, yes please!" Tigris nearly dragged Sejanus by his tie away from the crowd.

"You comin'?" Sejanus asked, hands in his pocket, looking expectantly at Coriolanus.

Coriolanus gave a firm nod, scanning the party once more, hoping that Uncle Bacchus' surprise guest made her appearance before the night was up.

On the far side of the lawn, near the treeline backed up to their property, Sejanus lit the joint and waved it in his fingers.

"That's a wicked dress, Tig," Sejanus commented.

"Why thank you," Tigris bowed, turning in a circle, "It's an original. Spent $430 on just the taffeta alone, so," She shrugged, "It better be a showstopper."

"We should take a picture before we're too high to think about it," Sejanus said, taking out his phone. Tigris immediately came behind him, grinning widely. They both paused and glared at Coriolanus.

"What?"

"C'mon, please?" Tigris whined, "Get in the photo, Coriolanus."

"I like to be mysterious and pictorially unavailable."

"Dude. Photo. Now," Sejanus said, dragging him into the shot. Coriolanus rolled his eyes but adjusted his suit. He knew he cleaned up well.

Some small part of him wondered if Sejanus would post it on his Instagram feed. And maybe he'd tagged Coriolanus. And perhaps Lucy Gray would come across it…and maybe she'd see how good he looked and remember how good their time had been and…ah, well, now he was spiraling again.

Still, Coriolanus gave an easy-going smile, friendly and a breath below unapproachable, as Sejanus snapped the photo.

"That's a fucking keeper," Sejanus pronounced, and then took a hit and passed the joint. Tigris flexed her fingers like she was French in the way she held it, letting the smoke ooze out the side of her lips.

She passed it to Coriolanus.

The three leaned against the trees, watching the people at the party hover around each other like bees. Coriolanus was glad no one had come looking for them. These parties weren't fun and he hardly understood why they were so important to throw. Just kick a wad of cash at a charity and you did basically the same net gain from the tabloids.

"You never really answered. Why are you here?" Coriolanus asked into the silence.

"Well, uh," Sejanus blushed, looking nervous, "Well, actually, I guess I have some news. We have some news."

"We?" Coriolanus asked, confused. Sejanus turned to Tigris, tilting his head and extending his hand in an invitation.

"We've been texting a bit, mostly to keep tabs on you, but somewhere in there…this seemed like a good of time as any to announce our engagement."

Coriolanus, currently mid-hit, inhaled all too fast and almost sucked the joint down his throat.

"What?" He spat.

Oh god, he's going to be your brother-in-law, basically! You'll never get rid of him!

That was Coriolanus' first thought.

His second thought was; Aw fuck, Grandma'am will love this. Tigris couldn't find a wealthier husband than marrying into the Plinths.

There was a long, tense moment, and then Sejanus and Tigris burst out laughing. They were slapping their knees, doubled over, and all but rolling on the ground.

"The look…on your…face!" Tigris wiped tears away from her eyes, "Oh my god," She fanned her eyes, dissolving into giggles.

"You're not engaged?" Coriolanus asked again, panicked.

"No!" Sejanus caught his breath, finally, "Sorry, that was just too good and too easy. You're fun to mess with sometimes, Coriolanus. Always so serious." Sejanus made a 'serious' face that Coriolanus took as a mimic of his.

Not that he looked like that.

At. All.

Sejanus reached out to give his hair a friendly tussle, but Coriolanus ducked out of the way.

"Though, can you imagine, doing it at my dad's birthday? I mean, that would be pretty damn funny. Almost enough to make us want to do it, just to see what he says," Tigris finally composed herself.

"Yeah, if not for the fear that someone would actually make us go through with it," Sejanus sucked in through his teeth, "Anyway, I mean, why am I here? My Dad got an invitation. No great mystery."

Coriolanus blinked, surprised. He was under the impression that his father hated the Plinths, and assumed Baccus was the same. But maybe he was desperate to be seen as 'cool' and 'connected', and inviting Sejanus' father was almost as impressive a VIP appearance as the President or Jeff Bezos.

"Oh!" Tigris suddenly clapped her hands, "Sejanus, as Cor's roommate, do you know anything about this mystery girl at all?"

"Tigris-," Coriolanus hissed in warning, but the pair outright ignored him.

"Ah, we should swap details!" Sejanus said, eyes alight with purpose all of a sudden, "Maybe he's slipped something to you. I have a pretty good guess where they met, or where something may have occurred, and I've narrowed it down to-,"

In a stroke of pure luck, or divine intervention, Sejanus never got a chance to finish his theory because Coriolanus' party guest crashed the party. Literally.

She arrived in true newsworthy fashion, driving her red convertible through one of the fences.

"This is too good," Tigris gasped, bounding down the lawn, contorting her face to seem appropriately horrified.

The bad actress was screaming about disrespect and a lot of other ironic things, pointing accusingly at Bacchus and his more 'photo-appropriate' girlfriend, a Victoria Secret's model.

"Who told her? Who told her!" Bacchus stormed away, unsteady on his feet, pointing accusingly around, as though his finger would divine the betrayer.

"Oh, really?" Maris crossed her arms, staring at her brother-in-law, "It's not exactly a secret. We have People Magazine here doing a cover, for chrissakes!"

His mother held no lost love for Bacchus, and Coriolanus' father hardly did either. They'd both screwed the family fortune, but Bacchus partied like he was still eighteen, just generally distasteful.

"Can someone get her out of here?" Crassus asked, aggravated, "Why do we pay you people if you can't keep unwelcome guests out?"

Security swooped in quickly after that, in fear of losing out on their due pay.

"Fuck you, Bacchus! We're done! Totally done!" She kicked and screamed as they pulled her out, "You're missing out on one hell of a woman, and one day when I'm rich, I'll show you!"

Crassus gave a long, tired sigh, tapping the bar twice as Bacchus turned to smooth things over with his second girlfriend. She spun on her heels, huffing. Why any of these girls assumed they were exclusive was beyond Coriolanus, but he supposed his uncle knew all the right things to say.

Crassus took out a tiny slip of paper from his pocket, now looking like he was about to be held at gunpoint to give his baby brother a birthday speech.

"Oh! That's my cue," Sejanus winked to the pair of cousins, slipping into the crowd before Coriolanus could ask what he meant.

Coriolanus watched his father take his dear sweet time, glaring at Bacchus between long swigs of his drink of the night, muttering under his breath. Coriolanus could imagine he was turning all celebrations of his brother into swear words.

As Crassus started towards the stage, Coriolanus saw Sejanus again, walking with four glasses of wine precariously in his fingers. Coriolanus tilted his head, unable to tear his eyes away as Sejanus masterfully tripped over a carefully placed stone right before Crassus took the stage, spilling all his drinks.

To Sejanus' credit, it was so natural looking that no one could accuse him of doing it accidentally, and Sejanus seemed so horribly stricken. Coriolanus never knew he was that good of an actor…

Hmm.

Crassus was red in the face, just as red as the wine stain on his expensive white shirt, and began to open his mouth to swear bloody murder…until he realized who was anxiously apologizing and attempting to pat him dry.

Sejanus Plinth.

Crassus looked like he swallowed a bee.

No way in hell was he going to swear at the son of the wealthiest person here.

Coriolanus watched with unmitigated glee as Crassus swallowed his anger, giving Sejanus the most milquetoast and weak 'it's okay', so meek that Coriolanus would have never guessed it was his father.

And then, because he'd already started to call for the toast, he had to get up there and still give it, bathed in Merlot and all.

"Ah, careful folks, it's slippery," Crassus attempted a joke, but his inflection came off strange. Still, people laughed. Crassus fiddled with his notecard, a sign of unsureness that Coriolanus had never seen, "Ah, right, what is there to say about my brother? Well…"

Coriolanus faded his attention out as Sejanus returned, sending them both a fleetingly triumphant smile before looking appropriately sorry. Everyone at the party, of course, patted his shoulder and told him that they also nearly slipped, all the while Sejanus moaned about how he was so embarrassed and he felt so terrible.

"Okay, that was pretty sick," Coriolanus whispered to Tigris.

"I think we just about tied tonight," Tigris winked in return.

After it all, Coriolanus watched his father go up to Strabo Plinth and apologize for not noticing Sejanus carrying all those wines. Of course, neither wondered why Sejanus was carrying four wine glasses.

The pair of men shared a cigar, Crassus acting like Strabo was his oldest friend.

"Ah, no harm done. I'm sorry my son is so clumsy. I tried to get him into sports to fix that, but, well…" Strabo scowled.

A few tables away, listening in, Sejanus rolled his eyes. Tigris nudged him, as though to remind him that most fathers were pretty shitty, theirs both included.

The pair chatted amicably for a bit, and in turn, the conversation turned to the fact that Sejanus and Coriolanus were long-time roommates and that Strabo and Crassus had never crossed paths at the Academy. That would require both to actually be there, but both were obviously pretending like they were stellar parents.

"The best decision I made though was getting Sejanus out of those filthy District schools," Strabo said, to which Crassus nodded in firm agreement, "He would have been swallowed there by their incompetence. He has a goddamn chance to do something with his life at the Academy. I would have sold everything I owned to ensure his place there."

"Aye, aye," Crassus hit the table with his fist, "The Academy makes boys into men, and men into leaders. Anyone who is anyone went there. Can't afford to muddle with the riffraff at the public school. Abysmal, of course, but what can you really expect?"

Sejanus spun sharply, pushing through the crowd. Tigris grasped Coriolanus' sleeve, tugging him behind.

"You know? I didn't even mind it," Sejanus hissed sourly, shaking his head as he leaned against the brick wall, away from the crowd, "The Districts. I think if you're smart enough, it doesn't matter. But my dad is so…obsessed with all of this," He waved around, "It's fucking exhausting sometimes. Sometimes I just wish I was back on the playground, playing kickball with the duct-taped ball again, worlds away from here."

Though it would have usually thrilled Coriolanus to imagine such a world, some part of him felt unusually soft toward Sejanus. Maybe it was the weed.

"We know what you mean," Tigris whispered, and Coriolanus didn't say anything. But he didn't say anything rude, too.

The party winded down not long. Between Bacchus' warring girlfriends and Crassus' speech, neither was a winner.

Sejanus was summoned to leave by his father not long after. Strabo slapped Crassus' shoulder, insisting they ought to play a round of golf sometimes before taking his leave. And, once Strabo left, most of the guests vacated too.

Coriolanus and Tigris lay on the grass near the trees again, finishing off the last bit of the blunt, staring up at the starry sky and making themselves categorically unavailable and not easily found in case Coriolanus' mother tasked them with clean-up in anyway way.

Lying here, for some reason, Coriolanus felt…safe.

He didn't know what possessed him to say what he said next, but some part of him was glad he did it.

"Don't go crazy with what I'm about to say," Coriolanus began hesitantly.

"Uhm…alright?"

Coriolanus blinked, staring up. It was easier to admit it when he wasn't looking at Tigris.

Maybe he was just thinking about Strabo's conversation with his father. Maybe the weed did fuck him up. Maybe he was just tired .

"Her name is Lucy Gray. I met her at a bar. She was singing with her band. She's District." All at once, it was like a word vomit of this faceless person that had kept Tigris in rapt captivation.

He expected Tigris to tease him like he probably would have with her, but instead, Tigris just was quiet.

And then, "I retain my original statement; she sounds like someone I would like."

"Yeah, she seems pretty cool." Coriolanus felt like 'pretty cool' was such an ugly way to say it, but he didn't have a better way to phrase it at all, "Don't tell Sejanus, alright? I just…I don't know.." He trailed off.

Tigris rolled onto her stomach, "Secret's safe with me, Snake. I swear it."

Coriolanus felt the uncomfortable bubble in his stomach settle. He felt…lighter.

"Thanks, Tiger."