"i wasnt actively,or even wanting to fuck someone else when i married natalya. so dont try to make yourself feel better by dragging me down to kai's level.he played you,and you know it. i at least waited until we sent out thank you card before i hopped in bed with someone else." she hisses back. this would be comical,if erica wasnt seething with rage at the moment. she looks back into the room quietly to ensure the children were sleeping soundly. "do you honestly think i have a problem with admitting what i did was wrong? your obliviousness really isnt an act, is it? i am not about to explain myself to you ,but i have come to terms with what i did." she paces slightly,thinking back on her sitation,on faith's situation. "i am sorry about what i did. but you being pig headed about it,makes me wish i wasnt! look,we are probably going to be around each other. a lot. are you going to accept it,or are we going to be hissing at each other every time nichole leaves? yes. i was a total cunt to you. you want to hit me? would that make your little pity pooh party end?" she pulls her hands out of her pockets and places them at her side. nothing irritated erica more than someone who wouldnt accept an apology.

A slow smirk spreads across Erica's face. Faith wasn't afraid to play dirty,she had to give her that. " that picture is all wrong then. We didn't find ourselves with other people. Its fairly public knowledge that nichole rejected me on many occasions. We did not just end up with other people. And how dare you assume natalya was a placeholder. I am not rehashing old history. Especially with you, of all people." Erica sneers.. This wasn't fair. Faith knew far more about the inner workings of Ericas life,than the other way around. She couldn't even honestly use what she did know of faith and kai. Its not like he cheated on her out of malice. She clenches her fists in her pockets,not wanting faith to see how much she was really getting to her. The truth of the matter was trading barbs wasn't going to work. Faith's were always going to be sharper. It would be like arguing with natalya. Faith was innocent and had the higher ground. " you are right,I never did get to know you.by the time I started to? I was already in on a totally fucked up situation. I just never could understand why you seemingly totally let him get away with it." Erica says softly,totally changing gears. She knew why it had been so important kai and honor,but especially kai, to be called to task. It was busting herself by proxy. With. Faiths final sentence,Erica was completely done for. Erica would have rather faith actually hit her. " You can phone kai up right now and hear his voice. I'd have to search the ishinomaki beach for some ashes to speak to." She says in a small voice.Erica never spoke of what happened to Natalya's body. She had scattered the ashes on the spot her parents house once stood. " i...would have loved to had that last chance. I never...I never thought I had taken that from you.I had never thought of it that way." She says,with a sigh. Among Ericas many bad qualities,she tended to be pretty self centered.

" that isn't what I meant at all by that..." Erica starts.she didn't want to pour gas on a fire that was going out,especially by not making herself clear. " i may have said some terrible things to you today,but I didn't mean to sound like it was your fault.....once I calmed down. I was trying to say..I was trying to say he suffered no repercussions from you. I think I fought with him more than you did.' She says, gesturing with her hands. " how can you not just want to....grrr!?" She makes her hands like she is strangling someone. She couldn't fathom not wanting to address every injustice,bitterly and publicly. Faith was far stronger than Erica had assumed. After today,she may not understand faith,but she did respect her. She respected her enough to let her have the last word and didn't try to stop her from leaving.

Erica slowly turns her head,like a dog that is confused. This incident with faith had went from vicious to enlightening very quickly. "Oh." She finally says in genuine shock. She had wrongly assumed that faith should hate kai,just as she had always thought natalya would hate her. " I think he is.I'm certainly well on the outside of he and honor's lives." Erica looks in on the babies and then back towards faith. " faith..I am sorry for trying to fix my past through your present...and ending up with the same results. I wanted everyone involved to be happy. I tried getting to know you at the end,so you would have someone there for you. It ended up being some sick...fucked up,high school from hell situation." She says,taking her turn to walk away. She didn't want to hear how her words meant nothing.

Erica stops instantly. This was it,she was going to cry in front of faith. A woman she barely knew,whom she had done something terrible to,and she was going to cry. Erica's other option is to run away. Which while saving face, would be horribly rude. " faith.....that is probably the kindest thing,l I have ever heard." She says,willing the tears not to flow. She had heard similar words from both nichole and honor. Nichole certainly had an agenda to make her happy. Honor liked her at once time. But faith had no such obligations. Erica turns to face faith,who probably was one of the most decent human beings Erica had ever spoken to." Natalya deserved so much better than what was done to her. I also wanted her to be happy.i truly did. " Erica puts her head in her hands,not even sure if she was speaking metaphorically or not,and just sobs. Faiths words taking away so much guilt that Erica had held onto.

erica breathes a small sigh of relief that faith hadnt taken the opportunity to point and laugh at her. it surely was there. she was no longer miss bad ass,and certainly backed down from confrontation. just like faith accused her of. erica didnt see herself as ever backing down from confrontation,she could just admit when another person had a good point...and faith had certainly made good points.when she comes back in with a glass of water,erica looks up at her and just weakly smiles before taking it. "thank you,faith." she manages to get out. her throat was dry indeed. she sips the water with both hands,feeling the hoarseness leave her voice box. "you really are amazing....or i am evil...or a bit of both. i know we wont ever be bff's,but i do have a new respect for you."

"now you are just being totally sweet,faith." erich laughs in between sniffles. "you are hardly evil...impish at most." she adds.this was something right out of bizzaro world. she had fully went into today with a bitter fight pictured and nichole coming in and having to play mediator....for pretty much the rest of their collective lives. plus,an intense whisper fight could be a very bonding experience. erica lets out a content little sigh before taking another drink. " you told me some things i desperately needed to hear. nobody ever mentions natalya, at least around me. or me in a negative light during that situation." erica reminisces. in spite of her guilt over the event,she had seemed to built up a rather blameless version of herself.she meets faiths looks and nods in agreement. " thank you so much. your acceptance means a lot to me. no more trying to make everyone happy from me." she says with a shake of her head." may i make you some tea for a token of apology? im a bit rusty on the ceremony,but i could give it a go." she says sweetly,wanting to make as many amends as she could

"I....don't really know. Tea is relaxing to make,I know that." Erica replies. She is intensely curious about who else offered faith tea. But she is no where close to being on that level. Erica trots behind faith,very happy things ended up as they did. Faith was the hinge upon nichole's world pivoted. She was part of the family,and it was important to Erica that they got along. " I have very good sake." Erica smiles,reaching for a bottle near the window. " I keep it there,so it is slightly cold.....you know we are going go have to finish the bottle. It doesn't keep well." She smiles widely and pours two small cups.

Erica leans against the sink. In spite of the house's enormous size,most working rooms were pretty small. She planned on leaving most of the drinking to faith. She still felt guilty if impaired in anyway when taking care of Takara.. ..well,maybe a little to celebrate wouldn't hurt. When Takara slept,she was good for at least several hours. Erica hands faith her drink and looks around. Other than few modern devices,it still looked like its 19th century origins. " yup. I usually stay at my sister's house when visiting though. It just seems more baby friendly. " she answers back. Not really knowing if faith would have a clue who mariko was." Its not" the" house." Erica adds. Some people would probably feel uncomfortable in a murder house.

erica gives a little shake of her head to answer faith's question. she refills their cups promptly. she was going to need a bit more sake for this conversation. "not yet. its sitting there decaying as we speak." she says this,looking out the window as if she could see the house.the tone of her voice conveying she has considered just what faith thought she had done. " that house is on the outskirts of osaka.right in the countryside. it was a beautiful place." erica says before finishing her cup and pouring more. "so how about you? where do you live when not at nichole's beck and call?" she sweetly asks. she really did want to know faith better. being close to nichole and the recent events of her life,faith had to be very interesting.