The scent coming off of the bar was a mixture between well treated oak and sweet fruity cocktails, mixed with the sounds of people in competition over games in a big group, highlighted by music in the background.
There were bar staff dashing around the room trying to collect up the empty glasses and plates of food from earlier when they were still serving it as they prepared for the frantic rush that would be their evening. 

The bar wasn't one April had actually ever heard of before this night. It wasn't exactly a shocker given the sheer volume of bars in New York city, and her limited time spent exploring them. She was working on it though! And tonight she'd spotted this cute little bar that seemed to be lined with nerdy references and video games consoles set up for patrons to play with, most of which she absolutely did not get. So she dived head on in, to try something new.

Nodding to the bartender after he checked her ID, she pointed out which cocktail she wanted from their list of interesting drinks. Opting to go for a xenomorph, which turned out to basically be a cuba libre with a very dark liquor floating it it, April eyed it curiously for a few seconds after it was placed down in front of her, drawing a chuckle out of one of the bartenders. 

Pleasantly surprised by the sweet flavour of the drink, she thanked the bartender and continued to take a few sips. The place wasn't too busy at the moment, she supposed that the rush came soon by the way the staff were moving. 

It wasn't until a few sips into her drink she started to take a more active interest in those around her, noting an absolutely gorgeous brunette recently taken a perch quite close to her, but appeared to be all alone, not moving to any of the games, or chatting with people immediately. Turning to face the newcomer with her drink April gave a warm smile in greeting. "What's a lovely lady like yourself doing at the bar alone? Seems to be so much excitement to be had in here" 

It was a step forward, but maybe a half-step back. After some consoling and coaxing, Nessa was convinced to leave the apartment. She was encouraged to go out that Saturday and do something she might enjoy. Video games were things she enjoyed. She also enjoyed alcohol, which was more counter-intuitive to the whole “get better” initiative.

Vanessa would argue that at least she was drinking in public, surrounded by people. She was still drinking alone, but it felt less like a social stigma at a bar. Drinking at The Bonus Level, it was still possible that she might breach actual social contact by joining one of the groups gathered around a television with a free controller. It was an ingenious idea for a bar because it took all the fun of drinking with people and replaced talking with gaming.

It was still too early to start stepping back out of her comfort zone, so Nessa claimed a stool at the bar, watching some pro-MOBA match and sipping from her Rainbow Road. James always gave her grief for ordering the house cocktails, reminding her they were overpriced for what she was drinking, but Nessa always greeted that criticism with a finger and another sip. It was just rum, blue curacao, OJ, and grenadine layered to create a rainbow (that she had to stir and destroy to truly enjoy,) but it was delicious and still worth the price in her eyes.

Despite being in the “video game entertainment industry,” (which she would never say out loud since it sounded pretentious,) she was rarely “bothered” at The Bonus Level. The bartenders and security knew her and the rest of The POW Block Party and kept people from getting too obnoxious and keeping them from enjoying their nights. Some regulars gave her a wave, and the occasional new fan might ask for a quick picture, but Vanessa was more often than not left alone, and for her first night out of the apartment post-Becca, that was fine.

Evidently, it was also not an option. Someone did approach her, but mentioned nothing about the channel. Instead, Vanessa swiveled on her stool and found a pretty blonde woman close to her age smiling back. It was unexpected, but of all the people who could intrude on her night, there were certainly worse options.

The corners of Vanessa’s lips curled slightly, like she was considering a grin. ”Celebrating my independence,” she replied flatly, feeling it was an apt response and better than saying she was recovering from a romantic tornado strike. ”Pretty bold of you to just stroll up and flirt. Maybe I’m straight,” she proposed, keeping to herself how silly the idea felt on her tongue. Outwardly, though, there were no signs. She was wearing a black top with a neckline wide enough to slide off her shoulder to expose her masked tattoo, and her shorts were just short enough to allow a peek at the fox on her thigh, but straight girls could be tatted. She was wearing no rainbow jewelry (that night,) so she honestly wondered if she just put out that strong a gay vibe.

Taking another sip of her drink, Vanessa met the girl’s hazel eyes, curious to see what was going on in the mind behind that smile.[/a]

Studying the lovely brunette's slow reaction to her greeting, April tilted her head  very slightly as she listened to it, and tried to gauge her exterior to try and pick up on interest. The little cocktail that had worked into her system was very much interested in the brunette's lovely eyes, her smile widened a fraction at the response. It wasn't often she picked somebody to hit on that was in a relationship, even less so that they were fresh out of one, but in this case the lovely lady could probably use some fun. "I see." She responded, not wanting to dwell on the topic in case it was sensitive. 

Stirring her drink around a little with the straw, she took another sip of the exceedingly sweet cocktail before letting out a hearty laugh. "I flirt with all of the pretty people, honey. There's no harm in it, and even straight girls or gay bros can have fun." She replied with a wink. "You look like you could use a good laugh, and I love helping people get some fun into their systems." She admitted in a happy voice, quite genuinely. 

"Oh, and the ink is gorgeous." She added, still maintaining eye contact with the brunette, an amused smile spread across her ruby lips. 

Whoever this bold blonde was, it sounded like she had no apprehensions when it came to flirting, gay, straight, or otherwise. When Vanessa looked into her hazel eyes, she found the girl was thinking about… Vanessa’s eyes. It made sense, and considering how her telepathy worked, it was surprising thoughts like that were not more common. Her new drinking partner thought her eyes were lovely.

She also picked up on the subtext of Vanessa’s “independence” comment, and her thoughts made it clear she had no intention of shying away. Everything about her was unabashedly positive. Gina had been like that in her own way, but her positivity was reassuring and comforting. Whoever this newcomer was, she was exuding enthusiasm, sweetness, and possibly mischief. If she was picking up a vibe from the woman, it was that she might be the human personification of a cocktail.

Maybe the cocktail girl was right, though; she was overdue for some fun. Vanessa smiled and maintained eye contact as she offered her hand in greeting. ”Well, they always say it’s better to drink together than alone, right? I’m Vanessa,” she greeted.

Something about the unapologetic flirtiness of Vanessa’s new friend emboldened her. She took a chance on the lonely brunette, and risks deserved to be rewarded. ”And for the record? I’m like, hella gay. So good job,” she joked, as though the blonde’s gaydar had divined a path through the bar to Vanessa’s seat.

April grinned as she examined the lovely brunette's sparkling eyes. She had heard more than once the phrase 'Eyes are a window to the soul' but she'd always thought it was corny. Sure, you could pick up things about a person, especially when you combined those things with facial expressions, like April for example. People tended to feel mischief radiating off of her, especially in a setting like this one. And normally they wouldn't be wrong. 

April accepted the offer of a hand shake with a giggle, her fingers surprisingly nimble and soft given that her arms and legs had a reasonable amount of muscle tone to them. "Nice. Glad to meet ya, 'Nessa" She shook the woman's hand softly and grinned, still maintaining the eye contact the brunette dared to keep with her. "Complete agreement over here, I'm April." the blonde supplied quickly before adding. "Nobody should have to drink alone, regardless of how beautiful they are" she chirped with a confident tone. 

She openly giggled at that. "Well as I said before, it doesn't really matter to me, but it's definitely a bonus." taking another sip of her rum cocktail she continued to beam at the other lovely lady. "So do you come here often?" she asked completely genuinely, not even remotely thinking of the pickup line or conversation starter troupe. 

Vanessa liked the way women shook hands with one another. It was soft and gentle and lacked any of the squeezing and bravado of men trying to one-up one another. April maintained steadfast eye contact, which was always appreciated when it opened Vanessa up for some thought-peeking. When she first developed her mutation, she worried about the violation of privacy she was committing. Now, it seemed like too much work to avoid glances, and it would only make her seem more suspicious.

Right away, Vanessa appreciated how genuine April was. The way she spoke was transparent; it almost defeated the purpose of being a mind-reader. They claimed each other as drinking partners, and she was curious to see where the night would take them. Vanessa had no expectations; the Rebecca wounds were still too fresh. She did like how open her new friend was about admiring her beauty. After what happened, little morale pick-me-ups and ego boosts were welcome.

April asked the cliché “talking to a girl at a bar” question, but her eyes made it clear she was oblivious to the trope she was feeding into. Vanessa smiled, giving her a pass. ”Regularly enough. I come here when I feel like combining my hobbies of gaming and drinking,” she joked, taking a deep sip of her cocktail. ”Is this your kind of scene? Are you a gamer girl or a cute newbie?” The Bonus Level sometimes intrigued non-gamers or people on the edge of nerd culture, and it was interesting to befriend those people. Some gamers could be ruthless to “casuals,” but Vanessa believed the gaming world worked best when it was welcoming and inclusive, (for obvious reasons.)