"Seriously? People get actually murdered that way, talk about a great big invalidation of consent," Isabella says. "I count it among my blessings that it's not how my parents got together. It is how my maternal grandparents got together."

"No," says Kas, laughing. "Not seriously. Not seriously at alllll."

"I really don't think murder or coercion-based relationships are funny," says Isabella.

"Yeah," he says, flashing a smile and standing up, "and I bet nobody's ever tried to fuck you at daggerpoint. I don't feel like being here anymore, let's go."

Isabella gets up. "I - wait, has someone done that to you?" she asks, following him out with Path shifting from foot to foot on her shoulder.

"Never met a witch before you," he non-answers.

"Point of a dagger, edge of a knife, same difference," he says, with a careless shrug that has the look of performance. Petaal slithers into his coat as he retrieves it.

"I know Metis was thinking it but I think I'm the one who first said it aloud. I'm sorry." Isabella shakes her head as though to clear it. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, obviously. But I would listen."

"You're sweet," he says. "And I'm fine."

Petaal pokes her head out of Kas's hood as an Arctic fox. "What, don't believe us?"

"General sympathy hooting," disclaims Pathalan.

"Okay," Petaal says comfortably. Kas adds, "Thanks," and a smile.

Isabella sits on her cloud-pine but doesn't immediately go anywhere, once they leave the club.

Isabella drifts forward beside him. "Okay enough that you don't need me to curse this person or anything? Witches can still get away with cursing people. Mostly because the police can never find out who did it. It annoys my dad."

"...Yeah, you might have some trouble with that," he says with a quirk of a smile.

"Already dead?"

"Yep," says Petaal, showing teeth.

"Good," says Isabella. "Well done."

Kas laughs and scritches the top of Petaal's head.

"I would curse him for you, though, if he were alive and you wanted me to," says Isabella.

"You're a sweetheart," says Kas.

"That and I've never actually had anybody I was willing to curse," admits Isabella. "I'm not of Metis's opinion that in the name of practice it's okay to do it to random people once or twice, and people pay attention to that sign she has up."