It had been a long week. She had needed to pick up some extra shifts to pay bills, and she was just tired. Well, technically not tired, but tired of the extra work. But tonight was her day off and she just wanted to relax, have a few beers, and listen to some good rock (as opposed to the crap music the bar she worked at played).

It had taken Lee a little bit to get ready that night before heading out. She hated taking a coat to the bar, but with the sun down it was a little too cold not to. And so she had sifted through her closet, pulling things out just to put them back again. Finally she made up her mind, dressing in a red corset shirt, black and grey plaid skirt that fell around her mid-thigh, and a large black knit scarf to use as a shawl outside but that she could tie onto her purse while she was in the bar. After that it took almost no time to finish; a quick trip to the bathroom to put her makeup on and check her hair, then to the front door to put on her black leather boots and grab her purse.

Out the door (making sure to lock it behind her), down the stairs, and out onto the street. It didn't take long to reach the bar (she had heard the place had a good DJ and had been wanting to check it out for a while), her heels clicking quickly on the sidewalk as she went.

Around another couple corners, and she reached her destination, only to see that there was already a line forming at the door. Not that it really mattered much. The bouncers were nice enough to let her in fairly quickly after she commented on how chilly the night was. She may or may not have let her shawl slide down her shoulder to let them see the red corset underneath.

Either way, she was now inside the much warmer bar, letting the shawl fully slide off her shoulders now as she felt the energy flowing into her from the crowd. After just a couple more seconds of scanning the room and feeling her energy level starting rise, Lee moved forward making her way to the bar. She needed a drink.

It was rare for Stephanie to take a true “night off.” Her photography work rarely kept her late, but when Poseidon tasked her with something, it was usually set at night. Even when she was lucky enough not to be summoned by her lord and master, she was a mother and she wanted to believe she was a good one. She was trying to be a good one.

Really, she was starting to think she was failing. Ever since the job with Honey, Stephanie was finding it harder to look at Malia. She was convinced her daughter would see through to the horrible person her mother truly was and that thought terrified her. Malia even saw some of her darkness as she lost herself to fear on Halloween. Keeping the sides of her life was becoming harder as the side of Syndicate and monsters and violence encroached and took up more of the pie.

With all the late nights, Stephanie’s sitter was already suspicious of her employer’s evening activities, but for once, the young woman was onto something. Stephanie had no pressing matters or corrupt acts to take part in; she just wanted a night out at a bar to make things easier.

The weather in New York was dipping into the realm of “chilly,” so Stephanie wore the prerequisite coat she planning on taking off as soon as she entered the bar. Once she was out of the cold, she would take the outfit down to her curve-hugging black bodycon dress, with off-the-shoulder sleeves and enough leg showing to garner her some attention. There were nights to drink away her sorrows in solitude, but Stephanie was not looking to be alone with her thoughts; company would be a nice change of pace.

While Stephanie hated being under Poseidon’s employ, it came with a degree of respect from all the people you did not want respect from. Most people did not know much about the man sitting behind the shadows, but bar and club owners knew she was one of his “pets,” which meant line-cutting privileges.

The bar was nice. Not fancy, but not a dive, which often led to an interesting blend of people to choose from. Dives were hit and miss for company, and upscale bars often touted pretentious clientele. Shedding her coat, she surveyed the scene for anything that piqued her interest.

Color was a good place to start and there was something undeniably eye-catching about the color red. Red was more eye-catching when it was the shade of a corset top gracing the subtle curves and lithe waist of a beautiful woman. Ever the shadow of a person, Stephanie found a comfort zone in blacks and neutral colors, but she had a taste for red.

With a few heel-clicking steps toward the bar, Stephanie placed a hand on the back of the barstool. ”Excuse me, sugar,” she greeted in her smooth Southern accent, ”I certainly hope no one’s taken this seat just yet?” If they had, they would have to put up a fight to reclaim it, because Stephanie was already draping her coat on the back of the chair.

It didn't take long for Lee to get a beer in her hand, and she flashes a smile at the bartender as she sat down on a nearby bar stool. It was always a good thing when the bringer of beer was eager to head back in your direction. But at the moment, her drink was full and the bartender had other customers to serve, so Lee turned her eyes to look over the crowd as she took a sip.

There was definitely a good sized crowd there tonight, Lee thought. She would have no shortage of energy, that was for sure.

>> ”Excuse me, sugar, I certainly hope no one’s taken this seat just yet?”

The Southern accent was a bit of a surprise to Lee as she turned. Even more of a surprise was that the voice belonged to a woman; Lee had figured that someone would have been trying to slide up beside her to hit on her by now.

”Go ahead, I'm not waiting for anyone,” Lee replied. Though, Lee noticed as she took another sip of her beer, the woman hadn't waited for an answer before placing her coat on the back of the chair. That was New York for you.

Since the birth of her daughter, Stephanie’s uninhibited criminal lifestyle had settled down, but she never forgot how to flirt with men and women. The key was in the differences and flirting with women was undoubtedly more complicated. It sounded arrogant, but Stephanie felt confident luring just about any man into a conversation and, subsequently, a bed. The odds she would stumble across someone who was gay or did not consider her to be “her type” were low.

Flirting with women meant determining interest, gauging how successful she could be with a woman without knowing where she might fall on the Kinsey scale. The room for error was greater, but Stephanie had never been shy about taking her chances. Worst case scenario, she spent some time talking up a pretty straight woman at the bar. There were less interesting ways to waste time, and it was not as though she was strapped for time.

Sipping a beer beside her was a lovely brunette with grey eyes, which was a sight Stephanie was not used to seeing beyond a mirror. If she had to guess, the woman was near Stephanie’s age, which was fine by her; young women were fun and perky, but not all proved to be good conversationalists.

As luck would have it, no one was occupying the seat next to the brunette, which was surprising, but not a gift horse Stephanie would look in the mouth. ”Lucky me,” she replied warmly, working her way into the seat. It was a terrible double standard to take advantage of, but Stephanie was likely being given the benefit of the doubt because the woman assumed her intentions might be purer than some male passerby. The joke was on her, of course.

The bartender was quick to address his newest customer and before long, Stephanie was looking into the red-amber color of a Manhattan in a cocktail glass. While waiting for her drink, she kept quiet, not looking to make it obvious that she claimed the seat so she could chat up a pretty woman. ”I have to admit, I’m surprised no one beat me to this spot,” she mused with a grin, turning her eyes to her neighbor. ”Women like you generally aren’t left to drink alone very long.” Maybe the other patrons were too intimidated to approach her, but that was their loss; Stephanie was not one to hesitate.

Once Lee told the woman that the seat was free, that she wasn't waiting for anyone, Lee turned her attention back to the crowd, people watching. Just because there was no longer an open seat beside her didn't mean that there wouldn't be any men approaching to hit on her, Lee knew. In fact, now that there was another good looking woman beside her, Lee belatedly realized, the chances of someone coming over to flirt probably doubled. And by the number of glances in their direction Lee figured it was bound to happen sooner rather than later.

Well, she would have to deal with that when the situation came up, Lee decided as she continued to sip her beer. And, she thought as she caught sight of a couple of the men looking her way, how she reacted to said situation would depend on who it was that came over. It had been quite a while since she had actually touched someone, after all. Depending on the guy, physical contact could be a nice diversion for the evening.

A moment later, many of Lee's thoughts seemed to be excited out loud by her beer neighbour. It was true, she normally didn't tend to go very long at a bar before she was approached by one man or another.

”To be honest, I'm a little surprised too,” Lee admitted as she turned her eyes back to the woman beside her. And noticed that she already had a cocktail in her hand. Maybe, she thought, she wouldn't have to flirt with the bartender that much after all to get quick service. ”I haven't had to turn anyone down yet, but the night's still young.” That said, Lee took another sip of her beer that was quickly getting dangerously close to being empty.

It was a delicate dance, but the woman did not ignore Stephanie, which was the first step. It appeared that the beauty came to the bar on her own, so it would have been understandable if she wanted to be left alone. Disappointing, but understandable. As good fortune would have it, Stephanie was being given the time of day and she could work with that.

Some women acted oblivious to the attention they garnered, but the brunette was willing to own it. She anticipated people approaching her at the bar, and with the way she was rocking that corset, she was right to do so. The way she was talking to Steph also made it clear she did not expect a woman to be the one approaching her. She was either straight or she assumed men would be the ones more readily willing to throw themselves at a stranger.

Regardless, it was not enough to ward Stephanie off so early. ”I’m sure they’re all working up the nerve,” she said, flashing a friendly smile.

Glancing at her new drinking partner’s beer, Steph noticed she was not the type to nurse a drink. With the beer already running low, Steph hopped on the opportunity. ”Until they do, how about I right this wrong and buy you a drink?” Steph politely flagged down the bartender and asked him to put whatever the woman wanted on her tab. As much as she was used to preferential service at bars, Steph had a feeling sitting next to another beautiful woman made the pair a top priority.

Once the other woman had a new ice-cold beverage in hand, Steph offered a free hand of her own in greeting. ”I’m Stephanie, by the way.” It was helpful to be conscious of social norms, and unless the woman had a reason to stay guarded, offering a name was often the most reliable way to earn a name in return. Stephanie was curious who the lady behind the grey eyes was.

The atmosphere in the bar was good; the music so far was good, the people didn't seem too pushy (at least not yet), and the bartenders seemed to be on top of serving drinks. Which was very good, Lee thought, considering her beer was almost empty.

The other woman seemed to have a similar thought about the men in the bar and that they hadn't yet worked up the nerves to come over and hit on one of them. Though she had smiled as she said it. So Lee gave a small smile of her own. ”You're probably right about that,” Lee replied. ”I'm sure it's just a matter of time.”

But if Lee hadn't been surprised by anything so far, she definitely was now. The woman offered to buy her a drink. This particular situation was not one that Lee had found herself in before, and thus she wasn't prepared for how to react. As such, the bartender had already brought her a new beer before Lee had been able to say anything. So she settled on saying a simple ”Thank-you,” as she raised her bottle in a toast.

Then the woman introduced herself as Stephanie with an extended hand. ”I'm Lee,” she introduced herself simply. Then took another sip of her beer. Beer was good, free beer was even better.

After a couple moments of scanning the bar again, Lee turned her eyes back to Stephanie. ”So are you waiting for someone?”

The vibes Stephanie was getting from her drinking partner were… well, disappointingly straight. There was the possibility she was wrong, and for the sake of everything contained within that red corset, she hoped she was, but it was not even crossing Lee’s mind that Stephanie was there to flirt with her. The offer to buy her a drink was accepted politely, but it seemed to catch her by surprise.

There was still time to take things slow and allow someone to surprise her. As much as Stephanie made a career out of reading people, it was not a perfect science. She had a name, at least. Stephanie reciprocated the toast and took a sip of her own beverage. She let herself relax and focus on her drink, hoping to find out if she was lucky enough that Lee would take a turn reinitiating their conversation.

As it turned out, luck was on her and Lee did not keep her waiting long, asking about Stephanie’s plans at the bar and potential companions she was there to meet. ”Oh, no, I decided to come out all by my lonesome tonight. Though I’m more than willing to share my time with someone new if they catch my eye,” she affirmed to Lee, the eye-catching someone new. Her tone offered the subtle suggestion that she was already doing so, but it was up to Lee to pick up on it or not.

Taking the last sip of her first Manhattan, Stephanie’s eyes lingered on Lee as she asked, ”What about you? How does a pretty thing such as yourself end up at a bar like this alone?”

She was out all by herself, though she was willing to spend time with someone if they caught her eye. It was about the same with Lee, though someone didn't catch Lee's eye very often. But it did happen, Lee mused as she sipped her beer, not often, but it did.

Luckily Lee had finished swallowing her drink when Stephanie spoke again. Wait, what? She had heard that line before, many times in fact, but always from the opposite sex. But Lee tried to not let her surprise show as she looked over at Stephanie. ”No friends in the city,” Lee replied. There was no point in turning Stephanie away just because of that one comment, this was a much more agreeable conversation than she was likely to have with the majority of the men in the bar.

”But despite that, a girl's still gotta get out and have some fun, doesn't she?” Lee could always turn Stephanie down later, after all. Lee was not against taking advantage of someone at a bar.

While taking things careful and slow was important, Stephanie could only run around in circles for so long before she had to start taking chances and putting herself out there. It came in subtle ways, because women were usually keener on picking up subtle gestures and comments. Calling Lee a pretty thing sounded almost natural in Stephanie’s southern accent, but it was also suspiciously similar to the kind of line a guy at a bar would drop.

If Stephanie caught Lee off guard, she did not let on. Maybe she was giving the Carolinian the benefit of the doubt. She admitted to not having friends in the city, which Stephanie understood. ”Girl, I feel you. For as big a city as we’re in, friends still ain’t easy to come by.” Stephanie was able to pick up on the Canadian influence in Lee’s voice and assumed she spend a large portion, if not most of her life north of the border. The conwoman was being genuine for a moment; she would not call those at Syndicate friends, so most of her meaningful interpersonal interactions were with Malia.

”Well, in lieu of friends, I’m happy to keep you company,” she said over the rim of a recently refilled glass. Sitting near Lee was already paying dividends, if only for the top-notch customer service two beautiful women warranted. ”With how crazy the world’s getting, I think we could all use a little fun, right?” Fun was a suggestive term, and Stephanie’s tone portrayed it as such.

Stephanie was right, it really wasn't very easy to make friends in this city. But then again, that could have also been because she never actually let anyone get close enough, for long enough, to be able to become friends.

”Your company is much nicer than what I've happened across other nights,” Lee said. And it was true; many, most of the men that hit on her when she was at a bar, or anytime for that matter, were far worse company than Stephanie seemed to be, really only wanting one thing out of her.

Picking her bottle up again just as Stephanie started talking about how crazy the world was getting, Lee lifted it in a toast. ”Well then, here's to having fun.”

The city was not an easy place to make friends, but Stephanie would not say she was looking for friends. It was a loner cliché that friends were a liability and Stephanie hated conforming to a role, but with Poseidon watching her every move, getting close to someone would only put them in the path of a powerful man’s wrath.

There would be no exchanging numbers or making plans, but even Poseidon could not begrudge Stephanie for extending her friendship to one woman for one night. At least, she hoped so for Lee’s sake. The corseted woman was open and amicable to Stephanie, encouraging her to press forward and be even bolder. ”I’m glad I’m not the only one enjoying our time here. I can be very good company, I promise,” she replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Lowering her gaze to Lee’s lips, then quickly to the beer they were frequenting, Stephanie chose to move to a new subject. ”So… you’re a drinker and a talker. Any chance you’re a dancer?”

Lee didn't miss the look Stephanie directed down after she commented that she was enjoying the company too. Didn't miss it, but didn't turn away. At least not until Stephanie asked if she danced. Then Lee turned to glance at the dance floor as she took another sip of beer. At least the music was pretty decent.

”Normally,” Lee admitted as she turned her eyes back to Stephanie. ”I would say no. But, tonight, I think I could be convinced.” In all honesty, at this point Lee was pretty sure that Stephanie was hitting on her, and Lee couldn't help but think that that might make for an interesting evening: what kind of reaction could Stephanie and herself get from the men in the bar if they were to start dancing together?

Stephanie was laying out her cards one at a time, dropping the subtlety the longer she spoke with Lee. The woman was still not showing overt interest, but she was not shying away from Steph either. Wanting to believe Lee was aware enough to realize she was being flirted with, it seemed like a good sign that Steph had not yet been shooed away.

Normally, Lee was not a dancer, but she was prepared to make an exception. A mischievous grin overtook Stephanie’s lips at the opportunity. ”That’s wonderful, because I can be quite convincing. Just think about it; enjoy a dance or two with me, and I can tell you no, neither of us’ll have to pay for a drink for the rest of the night.”

Getting up from her stool, Stephanie offered her hand to Lee in hopes of leading her to the dance floor. ”I mean, I’m content buying your drinks tonight, too, but really, doesn’t this just sound like more fun?” Dancing, free drinks, and taking advantage of men. What was not to love?

Lee couldn't help it, she took another quick look over as Stephanie said that she could be quite convincing. She definitely looked like the kind of woman who would expect to get her way, especially in a situation like this.

But Lee's thought about this becoming an entertaining situation for her was even further bolstered by Stephanie's comment that neither of them would need to buy another drink that night after going up for a dance.

”Well then,” Lee said, taking a quick look at her beer then Downing what was left. ”Because I could definitely use a refill before too long.”

At this point, Stephanie had stood up and was holding her hand out to Lee, inviting her out to the dance floor. Again, this was something that Lee never really did, she only started initiating contact after she had decided she was interested, after she had decided that something was going to happen that night. And she had most certainly not decided that tonight. But still Lee reached out her hand to take Stephanie's as she stood. ”So let's start having some fun.” With that, Lee let Stephanie lead her out to the dance floor.