Mina gives a push

And there it is, thought Izzy, paralyzed by the comment. He just... said it. Without reservation. She looked up and out of the conversation pit, where Ward was standing between them and the bar. He was as stone faced as ever. Implacable, was the word. A quiet man like that seemed like he should take offense to his friend's comment, so very gauche, but he didn't. Izzy remembered, and not for the first time, that her social circles didn't look anything like this one. That was the freedom wealth provided, maybe. A person didn't need to hide his feelings because he didn't need to impress a boss to keep a job. She couldn't imagine a reality more different than her own. It was a good day when Ivan didn't hear a word from her and she didn't hear one from him.

Though, this felt like a very good night. Her heart was racing. The cool air of the lodge felt good on her skin, which was hotter than she could believe. As she approached the white powder she'd thought it might be kind of like ecstasy, a **** she'd tried once or twice. There were similarities, but with MDMA, there was that soft glow. Like a friend's arms wrapped around you. The feeling was sharper here. It was like that friend was running their nails over every inch of her skin at once, but she liked it. You're a sucker for pain, she thought. Not for the first time. But right now, she didn't feel ashamed.

Except the feeling was fading. Already her eyes were focusing again. It was easier to concentrate on just one thing. Her brain was boiling just a second ago, but now it was... simmering? On low burn. The light was harsher. Definitely, it felt better than before she'd done the line, but compared to the heights of that first moment... Izzy pressed her fingers against the skirt. The word was silly, but the leather felt unsentimental. More in tune with the world outside Engblom. It belonged to Mina, but it reminded Izzy instead that she was going to have to go back to the blue collar world after tonight and be a boring old maid again.

She felt Mina's hand on her knee. It crept upward, closer to the hem of the skirt. "You want another one?" she asked.

Izzy looked at Paul, then at Ward. "Ward hasn't done his yet," she said.

"I don't care," he said. He didn't sound gracious or charitable. So what did he care about? Izzy couldn't fathom why he was here.

"It just seems..." So expensive, was the thought. She was trying to price out how much she'd sniffed up her nose, but her understanding of the economy's seedy underbelly was weak. And, to tell the truth, she was afraid to say it. Already she was the odd one out in this bunch. Ward stood apart from Mina and Paul because of his demeanor, but one look at his clothes, and his comfort in a place like this, made it obvious he had money too. She didn't want to be the broke bitch at the bar begging people to pay for her drinks.

Mina's fingers tightened around Izzy's knee for a second. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind," she said. "But if you're worried about it, you could always... do something nice for them?" she said.