Charlotte Sinclair had seen a lot of **** in her life. 

Wars, famine, sickness, births, marriages; she'd been there for them all. She'd seen stuff that would make people want to run in the other direction and never look back. She'd thought she'd seen it all.

She was wrong.

Worlds had collided on July first, 2017. The time anomalies that everyone had been chalking up to strange conspiracy theories turned out to be far from jokes. They were signalling the arrival of something much bigger: another reality. 

The other world was very similar to the one that Charlie knew all too well. So similar, in fact, that she had been completely disoriented when she found herself on the other side of the rip. She'd been at the eclipse festival when suddenly things had gone crazy, and she was lying on the road in the other universe, staring at a place very much like the one she'd just left. The craziest thing was the actual RIP, though. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie.

For a while, there was nothing but chaos. Charlie had stepped away from it all to get out of the crowds and think, but it was all too strange. Her first thought was to jump back through the strange hole in the space-time continuum, but then she began to realize what an opportunity she'd be missing. She was on the ground level of a new universe! There was no way in hell that she was letting that go!

It had taken her a while to get reoriented with her surroundings, but she'd done it. Charlie was adaptable. She'd figured things out and moved on, just like she always did. To celebrate, she also did what she always did: she went to go find a drink.

The Atlantis club was a little more upscale than the places she typically frequented, but hey, she was already a fish out of water (heh). She figured that it was time to try something out of her zone.

As much as it was strange and out of character for her, the club felt vaguely familiar. Like she'd been there before. Obviously, that was absurd, considering it was a completely different universe, but still... it felt like she'd walked down the very hallway that her shoes tapped along then. Strange. 

Charlie made her way to the bar and leaned over the counter, taking in the new surroundings. "Just, uh- a whisky. Neat. I assume that alcohol is the same over... wherever the hell this is?" She quirked an eyebrow, and the bartender responded merely by handing her a glass of regular ole' whisky. 

She sipped her glass as she turned around, taking in the dancers, gambling, and other scenes with curiosity. It was just a matter of what she tried first. 

There is one great thing about the universe, no matter which you are from, that is a reliable constant – the need for people to indulge their vices. July 1st, the world, hell, the universe as it was known was changed forever. Thanks to circumstances that were still being investigated, what was one universe suddenly became two. Realities had clashed, the worlds had changed, and now there was double the space, double the people, and an infinite number of possibilities. For someone like Jorge Cervantes, it was an absolute recently discovered diamond mine just waiting to be picked clean; and that brought a smile to his face.

The Atlantis Club had been doing amazing business. Walking through the crowds that found themselves in his establishment, the crime boss could only grin at the compliments he heard throughout. Individuals from both this reality and the other marveled at the ingenuity of the club’s design, at the respect that it showed mutants, and the fact that there was not an establishment like it “on the other side”. Jorge took particular pleasure in that notion, being the innovative entrepreneur that he was. Though he had to wonder, if the worlds really were twins and , and he had heard tale of people meeting their doubles, he had to wonder – if there was another of him across the rip.

That was a project that River could work on later, once he finished detailing the rest of his plans for how to utilize the rip. The Syndicate needed feet on the other side and while Jorge had already made some contact, there was still so much untapped potential that he needed to figure out. It was going to take time, a luxury he had perish few of. The government would be getting involved in the rip soon enough and once they do, it would complicate matters. It as best to strike now while the iron was hot.

Leaving such duties to his loyal followers, Jorge took the rare night since the rip occurred to simply stand in the shadows of his club and enjoy the view. Dressed in a deep, navy blue suit with a smooth, lightly patterned silver tie, Jorge cut an impressive figure. As he moved through the mass of people, they parted like waters to Moses. Within his club, it was impressive and everyone seemed to be absolutely enjoying the revelries. The alcohol flowed freely, people watched the ocean scene just outside the windows, and the dancefloor was filled to the brim with individuals who were more than happy to dance their cares away, shattered dimensions or no.

Upon the stage, flanked by crashing water, was the latest musical addition to his club. A duo was on stage, both dressed in finery with, deep and soulful voices. They sang about what it took to be a good man and it was a song that especially spoke to Jorge’s heart. It was the entire reason that he sought the duo out and signed them up immediately with the Atlantis Club. The music was deep, soulful, and served as a reminder that the actions he made were all for a greater good – nothing less than that.

As couples, known and strangers, danced closer and closer to one another, Jorge made his way to the bar where he claimed a seat of his own. The bartender, immediately stepped over and produced a glass of scotch on the rocks for him, without a word needing to be uttered. Taking a sip of his drink, the older man sighed, grinning as he watched the musicians perform, but he had another purpose for sitting here, it was the best seat to get a bead on what his clientele thought. Jorge liked to be in the mix of things, after all.

It was as he did this that he caught the smallest glimpse of a younger woman with blonde hair. This was her first time here, that much was easy to tell, but he had to vaguely wonder if she was from this universe or the other. It wasn’t exactly easy to tell, unless, of course, he came across someone he already knew (which had yet to happen). He didn’t turn towards her, but instead simply listened as he dropped her drink order.

>>”Just, uh- a whisky. Neat. I assume that alcohol is the same over…wherever the hell this is?”

He grinned. At least she answered the question that had bounced around in his head since spotting her. Unable to help himself, Jorge decided to engage in the younger woman. Still he didn’t turn to her as he began to speak.

”Ripper, huh?” he asked. He had heard the term being tossed about, for people coming from the other world. He doubted the term would stick. It was then that he turned his head, slowly to her, and gave her his devilish grin. ”Welcome to the other side. I can confirm, the whisky here is some of the best.”

The music, the booze, the dancing, the gambling; it was all so encapsulating. There was nothing about the Atlantis club that didn't fit with the theme that they were so clearly going for. It was almost like someone had taken a club right from the 1920s and modernised it to fit right into the twenty-first century. Charlie adored the whole thing.

Was the whole 'alternate world' thing like that? A mafioso style 1920s revival? If so, she was so down for something like that. Charlie knew that if that was the case, she would have a hard time finding a reason to go home. Other than dying, of course.

She sipped her drink and continued to look around, trying to decide if she really did recognize anything from that place. She really did think that she would have remembered going somewhere like that. Even if it was in her world. She didn't get very far into her drink, though, before she was interrupted.

>>”Ripper, huh?”

The blonde looked to the side to see a man in his mid-forties, dressed lavishly. He looked powerful, which was an impressive thing to gather from just one glance. Curiously, she turned a bit to give him more of her attention. For what she gathered was his age, he looked good. He was clearly doing well for himself.

"Slang evolves quickly, huh? What's it been? A few hours?" she chuckled and shook her head. The world always seemed to be changing around her. Sometimes it was hard to keep up. "But yes, you caught me," she commented. She was from the other side, trying to figure things out in another world. He was perceptive. Or maybe he'd just heard her comment about the whisky.

>>”Welcome to the other side. I can confirm, the whisky here is some of the best.”

"Thanks. Yeah, it's decent, alright. Not the best, but definitely decent," she said, taking another sip. She'd had better somewhere else. She just couldn't remember where.

Charlie took another look at the man she was talking to. It wasn't usual for her to be approached at bars, but she wasn't usually approached by someone like, well, him. He looked like he would sweat money. "So what's your deal?" she asked forwardly, wanting the truth right off the bat. If he was hitting on her, then sure, she would change her plans around a bit, even if he had nothing on the dancers. If he was interested in something else, then she wasn't about to beat around the bush.  

Jorge didn’t always make it a point to speak directly to his clientele. It wasn’t that he thought he was better than them (deep down he knew he was) but mainly because he didn’t want to interrupt their fun. Most people came here to spend time and money on vices, not to speak to the owner of the establishment. Oh sure there were those drunk men and women who attempted to flirt with him, smelling the money and power that Jorge Cervantes carried with like a neon sign above his head, but they rarely garnered his attention. Instead the man preferred to be shadow, looming in the corners, observing, watching, studying.

But this was one of those special circumstances. Honestly he only wanted to talk to the pretty blonde next to him as a means of trying to garner more knowledge about the other side. His troops were already beginning to poke around but he wanted a first-hand perspective from someone who already lived there. The best way to gain such information was simply to talk, to get to know people, to weave his silver-tongued charm like a net and drag unwilling victims closer to him.

So he initiated. He spoke with the woman, calling her by the moniker that was quickly beginning to develop in the world as he knew it. That was more than enough to get her attention.

>> "Slang evolves quickly, huh? What's it been? A few hours? But yes, you caught me,"

He chuckled. The light was dim in the club so the side glances weren’t offering him much of a good look at her. Still, even a blind man could see just how attractive she was. Her comment about how quickly slang developed earned her an earnest smirk from him as he bowed his head in her direction.

”You know the New York,” he said with a laugh. ”No matter the universe, we love our labels.”

The music dug down into the soul of his body as the man grinned, clapping his hands along with the crowd as they reached a particularly inspiring crescendo in the song. Whistling towards the ground, he gave them a little wave and a grin as he sighed and leaned back against the bar. Taking up his drink again, he took a sip of the burning liquid before giving the glass a little swirl. At the woman’s order of whisky, he couldn’t help but comment that it was the best she could have ordered.

She seemingly had other notions about what made whisky good…

>> "Thanks. Yeah, it's decent, alright. Not the best, but definitely decent,"

A deep chuckle fell from his lips. ”Ha ha. If you know better I should like to hear from where. Maybe I can pass a not along to the owner.”

He turned in his chair to greet her…and immediately it was like looking at a ghost. Jorge paused, his usual humor and snake-oil salesman demeanor faltering only briefly as he gave the woman a once over. His expression would have been hard to read. He was just a little shocked, not overly startled or cringing, but someone staring at an absolute enigma. The blond hair, the perfect lips, the deep, soulful eyes that looked as if they had peered through a thousand lifetimes – he knew this woman. This was Charlotte.

Jorge just continued to stare at the woman. He knew her. She was an employee of his, a dancer in the Atlantis Club for years before he found further use for her. She quickly became one of his most valuable members of the Syndicate before she was felled by one of those god forsaken adapteds that S.U.P.E.R. trained as agents. Just like that, Charlotte was gone from his life…until now.

But before he could open his mouth to say anything, he stopped himself. She said she was from the other side, didn’t she? She both was and wasn’t Charlotte. She had to have been a double from the other universe, a version of Charlotte that was still alive. This was getting more and more difficult to wrap is head around.

>>"So what's your deal?"

She turned to face him, having his full attention. His strange expression ended as Jorge quickly slipped back on the mask of the charming entrepreneur. He definitely needed to know more about this universe…

His charismatic smile once again adorning his lips, he tilted his head curiously at the forwardness of the woman. In so many ways she reminded him of Charlotte, her blunt forwardness being one of her most memorable qualities.

”I have no deal,” he said simply. ”But I can hardly be blamed for wanting to strike up an conversation with a rather striking woman sitting by herself, now can I? Tragedies such as that really should be avoided.” Oh how easily the honey coated words rolled off of his lips. He was clearly a practiced individual in such arts. Gently he held his hand out to shake hers. ”Jorge Cervantes, at your service,” he said with a small dip of his head.

>>”Ha ha. If you know better I should like to hear from where. Maybe I can pass a not along to the owner.”

Charlie snorted and shook her head. That was the thing about her memories; they were all shuffled up together. Sometimes she would remember things from years earlier as if they were yesterday, all while forgetting what actually happened yesterday. She remembered the whisky she’d had very well, but she also remembered where she’d had it, and the flappers that had danced around her as she did.

”That’ll be a little difficult. I’m fairly certain they’re dead by this point,” she informed him before taking another sip. In typical Charlie style, she continued to drop hints about her mutation, never saying anything outright. ”But I’m happy to keep tasting more of the stock here to see if any it’s better.”

It seemed like the man wasn’t just there to hit on her, or something. He seemed like he was in a position of power, from the way he was carrying himself. Yeah, she was definitely willing to entertain him for a while.

For a minute, though, his expression seemed to change. Could it have been possible that he was having the same weird sense of deja vu as her? Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant, replaced by the expression that he’d been wearing before.

>>”I have no deal… But I can hardly be blamed for wanting to strike up an conversation with a rather striking woman sitting by herself, now can I? Tragedies such as that really should be avoided. Jorge Cervantes, at your service,”

Charlie waited for a beat and then shook his hand, taking another sip at the same time. ”Charlie,” the woman supplied. She was in an interesting position after just a few hours of being on the other side. She had such a strange habit of ending up in positions like that.

”Alright, Jorge,” she nodded and took a good look at him once again. ”You look like someone important. Tell me a bit about yourself. And this ‘universe’.” There was no harm in getting a bit of information while she was there, especially from someone as interesting as Jorge.

It was truly like talking to a ghost. Sitting next to this woman whom he so clearly knew from the past and yet didn’t was a bit mind boggling. He had heard about people running into dopplegangers from the other side, sometimes they looked different, other times they were exactly the same person. It made the crime boss wonder what exactly had happened to his alternate self. But the prospects only continued to grow as he looked upon this young woman sitting at his side. She was the spitting image of Charlotte, one of his most loyal, right down to the ball-busting snark. How was it possible?

However Jorge was curious about the woman, the man didn’t let too much of that shine through on his expression. He simply smiled at her and continued to play the part of a powerful man taking interest in someone new. She didn’t seem to know him in any way and part of him wondered whether or not he should actually tell her anything about the woman that he knew. He would have to tread carefully because there was no telling whom this woman actually was. She could be an authority figure, a superhero, or, much worse, a human.

It certainly wouldn’t do any human to know of the Syndicate – at least not until before their life was brought to an unexpected end.

At her jab about the scotch, Jorge dropped a comment that he should inquiry of her as to where the “good” stuff was and implied that maybe he could have passed that information along to the owner. Such a subtly drop as to the influence the man obviously possessed. However, her answer would surprise him…

>> ”That’ll be a little difficult. I’m fairly certain they’re dead by this point…But I’m happy to keep tasting more of the stock here to see if any it’s better.”

His smile broadened but his eyes narrowed. It wasn’t a malicious look, but the look of someone whose interest had been swiftly captured. Any Neanderthal simply looking for a night of bliss with the blonde would have let her comment pass as some sort of bad joke, laughing in a riotous manner in order to further cement that they thought she was more than just a pair of nice breasts and tight ***. But Jorge wasn’t feigning interest in what she said…he was interested.

The thing about Charlotte that made her special was, essentially, that the woman couldn’t die. It was a skill that Jorge had utilized a few times in the past and to great effectiveness. When the impossible happened and she did die, it was a wound that Jorge had felt deep. And now, sitting next to a woman who was the spitting image of the one he knew and dropped enigmatic comments about her possibly possessing a similar skill prodded the back of his mind. The coincidences were far too convenient.

But where were his manners? Introductions were required, if only so that he could sustain the younger woman’s attention long enough to learn more about her.

>> ”Charlie,”

Hrm. Different name. But it was a name that was indeed remarkably close to his dear Charlotte. Still…”Charlie…” he said gently, shaking her hand as she offered it. ”A lovely name for a lovely woman.”

Wanting to get down to the bedrock of why he was speaking with her, the bluntness he was so familiar with shone through as asked what his deal was. In response, of course, he didn’t have a deal, he merely wanted to speak with a pretty woman who was sitting by herself. This sparked her interest further as she gave him her full attention. She eyed him, always scrutinizing him, before she continued.

>>”Alright, Jorge, You look like someone important. Tell me a bit about yourself. And this ‘universe’.”

He grinned. Right to the point. ”You flatter me, Miss.” he said with a small tilt of his head. ”I’m merely a local business man. I’ve earned the favors of a few, done what I can to give back to the community, so forth,” he said. ”This universe, from what I hear, is very similar to your own, merely some paths were taken that were not in your own. Though it is not without its dangers and pitfalls. Still,” he smirked as he lowered his voice towards her. ’You’re fortunate enough to be speaking to an expert navigator of such things.” he leaned back, another sip from his drink. ”And yourself? What can you say of young Miss Charlie?”

It wasn’t often that Charlie met someone at a bar that genuinely wanted to talk to her. Typically, there would be a bit of small talk, a few introductions, and then she would find herself too many drinks in and in another strange situation. Basically, it was unusual for her to have spent that long in a bar with that many clothes on. She sort of liked being able to just enjoy her drink and talk to someone.

The thing about the mysterious Jorge was that he didn’t seem like the type to sit and be interested in someone else. To Charlie, he looked like the kind of person to have a million things at his disposal and a million things to worry about. So why was he indulging some stranger at a bar? That was worth finding out.

She took his hand and shook it, noting how his handshake seemed to fit with his appearance. He was definitely someone powerful. It would be interesting to get in with him, then, especially if he was already interested in her. It’d been awhile since she’d had fun with anyone important.

>>’You’re fortunate enough to be speaking to an expert navigator of such things.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow at that. There was something evocative about the way he spoke and his body language. It wasn’t quite flirtatious, but it was on the line. It was almost as if she was speaking to someone who had already reached a level of comfort with her, and was pulling upon that to speak to her. It was a strange mix of familiarity and excitement.

”Is that an offer, Mister Cervantes?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. It was worth asking, anyway. She sort of liked him in a strange way, and she wasn’t planning on returning to her own world anytime soon. There was too much to be explored on the other side.

>>”And yourself? What can you say of young Miss Charlie?”

”Oh, you know. I guess you could say I’m an old soul,” she shrugged, using her favourite line. It really was the truth. ”I’m a PI to pay the bills, but I’m always looking for better things. Life’s long, you know. Gotta do the right things to pass the time.”

The woman had always been captivating. Of course Charlotte was a beauty to gaze upon, but there was always something more about her. Layers upon layers thanks to her years of life, of her inability to fall before the scythe of the reaper. How much had she seen in her life? Jorge was never fully sure and often felt like it was a subject that Charlotte didn’t like to think about. After all, when one had lived as long as she had, do you really want to look back at how things used to be? Would you even be able to recall it all?

It was the same look that he pulled from Charlie here. The look of an old soul, someone who had seen plenty but probably wouldn’t be able to remember all of it if she tried. Jorge found that intriguing, especially given the fact of how close he and Charlotte used to be. He knew this wasn’t actually her, that she was just some doppleganger from another universe, but the similarities were quite striking. It really was as if he were talking to his same Charlotte, or at least an echo of her.

Jorge poured all his charm into his dialogue with the blonde. While most were after a few compliments that would eventually lead back to the bedroom, the older man simply spoke with his silver laced tongue. More often than not it did lead to the bedroom, but that was not his intention right now (of course if it led there, then so be it.). Besides, it wasn’t as if his charm was something that Jorge could actually turn of. It was a natural as breathing.

His actions seemed to have spur on the curiosity of the young blonde. She turned to face him, dissecting his words before she gave him a flirty grin.

>> ”Is that an offer, Mister Cervantes?”

Yeah. It was spooky how much she was like Charlotte. He grinned and gave an innocent shrug of his shoulders. ”What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t offer my services?”

She inquired after him and Jorge both responded honestly, and yet vaguely. He didn’t know anything about this woman other than the fact that she was the spitting image of someone he used to deeply trust. It was actually more difficult than he thought it would be, keeping his mouth shut in front of her. It was almost as if he wanted to pick right up where they had left off the last time that they had conversed. He was going to have to watch that.

Instead he quickly turned the conversation back onto her, inquiring after her own story. What could she tell him about herself?

>>”Oh, you know. I guess you could say I’m an old soul…I’m a PI to pay the bills, but I’m always looking for better things. Life’s long, you know. Gotta do the right things to pass the time.”

The way she talked was so eerily similar that Jorge had to remember to breathe half the time. This other dimension, the other ‘verse as people called it, seemed chalk full of mysteries that Jorge was more than willing to explore. Once his agents are done ensuring the safety of the other side, he would have to make the trek to visit his new friend over in the Continental Hotel. But for now, the older business man kept his sights on more interesting matters.

He had to smirk, though, at her comment about life being long. It was rare that anyone ever thought like that as the majority always commented that life was far too short; an excuse to make as many random and stupid decisions as possible. For Jorge, well, he never really thought about how long or short life was, he lived in the moment, planned for the future, and respected his past. His end would come, that much he was sure of, but he was more concerned with making a mark on the world than extending or grieving the time he had left.

Still, he couldn’t help a playful smirk on his lips as he shrugged his shoulders, his eyes drifting back out to the dancefloor. ”I dunno about that,” he commented. ”Sometimes the wrong things can be just as entertaining.”

Jorge really was a gentleman. He was offering to show her the world behind the tear in the universe, and his hands hadn’t even started to wander yet. His eyes, were, of course, but in Charlie’s experience, it was hard to find a man whose eyes didn’t. She wasn’t exactly set on finding a gentleman (her standards were pretty low), but it was always interesting to find one in a sea of men who weren’t. Especially in an establishment that featured semi-nude dancers. It was somewhere that gentlemen tended to flock toward, to say the least.

He was a little mysterious, though. There was something about him the exuded power, yet he hadn’t claimed any. He was either trying very hard not to be subtle or to suddenly sweep her off her feet. Either way, Charlie was planning on sticking around to find out. The conversation was interesting, the drinks were pretty good, and there was the potential for the night to get better. She wasn’t going anywhere fast.

The questions that she’d asked about his life had been somewhat deflected, or at least answered in the least amount of detail possible. He was more interested in drawing her attention toward the world that she was now in, which only made her more interested in seeing what secrets he was keeping.

>>”I dunno about that. Sometimes the wrong things can be just as entertaining.”

Charlie grinned widely and shook her head as she took another sip of her whisky. ”I like your thinking, Jorge,” she said in a low tone, raising her eyebrow at him. ”What ‘wrong things’ were you considering?”

He either wanted to sleep with her or get the ball rolling with something interesting. Either way, she was game. She was far too invested to feign anything else by that point.

The woman was enchanting but there was more he wanted from her. Her resemblance to Charlotte was almost impossible to not see and most of the things she said lined up precisely with the woman whom he knew so well. It wasn’t her, though. Charlotte died. He knew she died because he watched her die for that final time. Her mutation allowed her to love, over and over again, that is until she died in presence of one of those damned adapteds. Now she was gone and here he was, chatting up a spectral image of her. It was strange, but it was one he was going to have to live with.

Still, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t speak with the woman, learn what he could about the other world, and maybe even have a little fun in the meantime. After all, she certainly didn’t seem opposed to it.

A wicked smile upon his lips, he tilted his head towards her but had kept himself turned to look out on the dance floor. The club was absolutely brimming with energy tonight and everything was there in an attempt to shake some of it off. Jorge loved the sound of each foot as they slid and tapped on the dance floor. Added to that, he enjoyed the aura of energy that steadily built upwards with every passing movement. People were having fun, they were spending their money, and his establishment was thriving. What more could a man want?

At Charlie’s insistence that life could be long if not given the proper things to do, Jorge took that as a perfect time to sneak in with a small, coy little comment of his own. It was just natural for Jorge to speak in such a way, to weave his net and cast it upon the waters. If she responded badly, it was a simple enough matter to excuse himself and continue to observe from afar. But if not, well, encouragement led to escalation for Jorge Cervantes.

>> ”I like your thinking, Jorge, What ‘wrong things’ were you considering?”

It was the grin that pulled him in. Even before her words were uttered, he knew what she was going to say. It was the same, excited look that Charlotte got whenever Jorge suggested similar things to her. It would seem that moral question crossed all boundaries, dimensions, and so on for an individual like her. In turn, his grin also widened.

He gestured towards the rest of the club with a small sweep of his hand. ”Whatever you so desire, my dear,” he said coyly. ”You name it and I’m certain the proprietor of this fine establishment will be able to provide it.”

>>”Whatever you so desire, my dear. You name it and I’m certain the proprietor of this fine establishment will be able to provide it.”

The corners of Charlie’s mouth curled upward and she made a slow purring noise. Jorge was a sly gentleman, by the looks of it. It seemed like he got what he wanted through charm and wit rather than force. It was always admirable to see someone quick on their feet and good with words.

From the sounds of it, though, he didn’t need to use charm or wit to get anything in that place. It seemed that the vibe of power that Charlie got from him was because he was the mysterious ‘proprietor of the fine establishment’. By that point, though, it wasn’t all that surprising. It actually fit quite nicely.

”Nice place you’ve got here, Jorge,” she complimented before downing the rest of her whisky. She breathed deeply as she took it in and then set the glass down on the counter. She could have anything she wanted in the bar. As she looked around at the incredible setting, she realized that she really only did want one thing from it. More information about the man that she was standing with. The dancers, the booze, the gambling; they would all be waiting, and they would be in her world too. She had an in with the owner of the bar and it seemed like a shame to waste it.

Charlie took a slender finger and ran it down the center of his tie, then flicked it up and ran it along the base of his chin. He was powerful, but she had nothing to lose.

”What do you say we do a bit of dancing and then you can give me a tour?” Charlie suggested, her eyebrows raised seductively as she stepped toward the dance floor.

It would take a second but Jorge would get over the fact that Charlie here looked so much like his old friend, Charlotte. Really the notion of persons in another universe who were essentially you was utterly surprising. He never thought that Charlotte would grace the doorstep of this club again and yet here she was, or at least a shade of her. Jorge didn’t know a lot about Charlie but he hope that would change – so long as he could keep her attention.

He was purposefully vague, dropping little hints, the power and prestige he carried with him exuding off of him like an invisible aura. It wasn’t something that Jorge could exactly control, but rather it was something that the man simply was. He was power, he was strength, and he was prestige – there were some things about the man that couldn’t not be hidden – and it was a fact that he absolutely reveled in.

His honey coated words found their mark in the blonde’s ear as she turned and inquired as to why “wrong” activities could possibly be achieved. Like a showman trying to sell the illusion of everything, he waved his hand towards the club, informing her that the owner of this establishment would be more than happy to help her achieve whatever desires she sought. Another hint as to his identity and one that could scarcely be confused for anything else. She deserved this snippet, it nothing else.

>> ”Nice place you’ve got here, Jorge,”

His grin widened. His eyes trained ahead, just let the chuckle bubble up from the depths of his throat as he nodded his head. It warmed his heart to know that Charlotte’s doppleganger was not just some airheaded trouble seeker, but actually had a brain between her ears. That was at least encouraging to know about the other side.

He dipped his head towards her, finally turning to give her the full force of his smile. ”My thanks.”

With that he turned in his seat, his arm resting on the bar top as he gave the woman his full attention once more. Oh she was a coyly and sultry little creature. Clearly intrigued by the puzzle piece she discovered, she leaned forward, her slender finger grazing down the length of his tie before she suddenly snapped her finger up and ran it along his chin. The man couldn’t help the low chuckle as he felt her finger graze his skin.

>> ”What do you say we do a bit of dancing and then you can give me a tour?”

He grinned. Taking his drink in hand, he took a sip before he nodded his head and set his glass back down. ”I did say whatever you desire.”

Slipping out of his seat, Jorge attached button his suit jacket as he quietly followed the seductive blonde out on to the dance floor. In any other place, people probably would have found this comical, to watch this clearly older gentleman following a devil-may-care blonde out onto a dance floor in one of the most popular clubs. They would probably sneer and point and laugh behind his back. But people knew better than to do so here, especially in the face of someone like Jorge Cervantes. Rather, individuals who saw them walking parted like the wave he held under his sway. They were good sheep.

Jorge never let his eyes fall from Charlie as they two of them headed out into the throng of music and people. While he was older, the man certainly still had some moves, especially for the song that was just gearing up to play – which was oddly appropriate.

An older man of Hispanic descent stepped onto the stage, ahead of his band. He was dressed in colorful, button up shirt, jeans, and a black fedora resting upon his aged brow. In his hands he carried a guitar that looked as if it carried age for the both of them. Quietly the man began to rock from side to side until he strums of his guitar began to fill the room. His aged voice began to sing, the lyrics haunting, energetic, and filled to the brim with flame that could impassion the heart and soul.

Though Jorge had his moves, Charlie was indeed younger so, of course, he would allow her to do as much of the work as she wanted. But Jorge wouldn’t disappoint either. He was Hispanic, and he was from Miami after all. No matter the age, dance was in his blood…

Charlie stepped out onto the dance floor, expecting the crowds to stay as they were as they travelled onto the floor. However, with Jorge following her, it seemed that Charlie was going to get certain privileges. The sheeple parted like the red sea, allowing the centre of the dance floor for just the two of them. Not a word was spoken, but there was a clear understanding shared in that club.

Undeterred by the fact that they would be dancing in a mostly abandoned part of the dance floor with full visibility, Charlie sauntered forward, ahead of her companion, swaying her hips and running her hands through her hair as she did so. When she’d reached the centre of the dance floor, she removed her jacket and threw it to the side. It was far too warm for it there.

The music that was playing was not typical club music. It was not the kind of thing that university students would get intoxicated to while losing their hearing. Instead, it was far more sophisticated and detailed, being played with a live band and encouraging some actual dancing skill.

Feeling freer in her blue tank top and jeans, Charlie began to dance. She’d been around a long time, and she’d picked a few things up over the years, one of them being the art of dancing. The song that was playing called for something along the lines of a salsa dance, but she wasn’t sure how much of that Jorge knew. She didn’t want to leave him in the dust, so she began to lead him in something between a salsa and a slow dance.

Her hands moved between their position above her head, tangled in her hair, and Jorge’s body. She wasn’t shy with touch or with her movements, so she got close to him quickly. By the end of the song, while the music was speeding up and crescendoing in a show of talent and skill, Charlie had let loose completely; shaking and moving against him in time with each beat. It was just like something out of the 20s or 30s.

It had been far too long since she’d danced like that.

The crowd parted like waves and Jorge smiled as the music started to envelope the both of them. At first glance he didn’t look like a man who should be on the dance floor, but a harder look and one could see that the confidence the man strolled with that he was made to be wherever the hell he wanted to be. He was older, yes, he was with a much younger woman, yes, but at the end of the day, these were the escapades of Jorge Cervantes, a man with him social norms never truly found a way to mesh with. Such was the aura of confidence that enveloped him that he would make whatever he wanted his own; and right now, that would be the dance floor.

As they stepped onto it, they quickly turned their experience into a show. Charlie was eye-catching, the say the least, moving with a kind of bridled abandon that looked ready to spill out into the world with the slightly provocation. She moved slow at first, a twist of her hips as she allowed the latin-infused music to swirled around her. Jorge just grinned, watching the show with utter pleasure, nodding his head as the woman moved.

Their movements were slow at first, withheld as the guitarist on stage made his instrument cry with need and wanton lust. Charlie absolutely encapsulated those tunes, moving with a seductive allure that immediately had most of the eyes in the club upon her. Any other person would have asked to cut in, but when her eyes were solely locked onto Jorge himself, they knew better than to make fools of themselves thusly. Instead, a ring was formed as the Charlie danced, removing her jacket and tossing it aside. She was certainly a sight to behold.

Added to this, Jorge was actually an amazing dancer.

At first glance, one wouldn’t think so, but having grown up for a good portion of his life in Miami, there was a sound and a beat to the music that Jorge was intimately familiar with. As he and Charlie engaged in their slow salsa, where the two danced rather intimately close, her hands running through her hair and body grinding against his. Jorge, however, was not in the least embarrassed or thrown off by her maneuvers, rather he was encouraged by them. He could match her moves almost perfectly, allowing her to take the lead when she wanted to, but swiftly taking it back only the most appropriate moments. Pretty soon, Jorge himself was taking the lead, twirling the woman and matching her steps as the song began to pick up tempo, blending seamlessly into another song

The need to remained respectively slow vanished as Jorge fully moved into his dance, chuckling heartily at the younger blonde as she danced to her heart’s content. Towards the end of this mash-up, she finally let herself go, dancing with complete abandon, her energy infectious as the crowd around began to dance with just as much a carefree attitude, Jorge just chuckling the entire time. It was clear that the older man had far more energy than one would have expected, energy that could be spend in a number of ways.

Through it all, as the song finally began to die down, Jorge just continued to chuckle at the woman’s exploits, grinning from ear-to-ear as he spoke to her. ”You truly are full of wonders…” he said with honey-soaked words.

To Charlie’s delight, Jorge was a wonderful dancer. Each move that she made was matched in skill, passion, and energy, which showed her that he was more than able to keep up with her. Despite his seemly old age (not that she could judge), the man was spry and energetic, which excited Charlie, especially since he was rich as anything and very much into her.

As the music swirled into a different number, the two dancers merely picked up the tempo. The cowbell that kept the beat under the electric guitar was a perfect anchor for her each move. It was just a shame that she was dressed wrong for such a dance. She really needed a dress that would shake and move with each movement of her hips.

She took Jorge’s hands and turned and spun around with him, twisting in and out in a more formal salsa style. It was nice to be able to dance with someone that was able to keep up and knew what they were doing. Most of the people that Charlie had danced with in recent history were completely incapable of following a beat or doing any sort of movement that was more complicated than the sprinkler. She missed when Jorge’s generation was in their prime.

The second song faded out, signalling the end of that set. Charlie was a little disappointed, but she knew that nothing lasted forever, not even dances like that. She took a step back and smoothed her dishevelled hair, eyeing the crowd that had stayed at a reasonable distance from the two dancers. Slowly, the floor was starting to fill back up.

>>”You truly are full of wonders…”

His voice dripped like honey and he clearly wanted something else. No more beating around the bush.

”Tell me more about it somewhere more private,” she told him, having stood on her toes to breathe the words in his ear. There was no question in her voice, only confidence. Jorge had made things clear enough for her. They were on the same page and it was pointless to keep spending the evening dancing around the line. If they wanted something, what on earth was the point of waiting for it?