X-Gene Persuasion. When Winnie had first heard about this club, she was both ecstatic and a little scared. A bar where mutants could meet up, have some drinks and find some fun? Who would say no to that? Of course there was the tiny problem of mutants being the majority of the clientele. Winnie was a mutant but her abilities were something that she was understandably just a little sensitive about. While not everyone could hit the powers jackpot, for her it was doubly hard. She loved mutants, she loved being one, but she really wished that her powers weren’t so lame. After all, how was being a kiwi-shifter impressive?

But that was a small thing that Winnie wouldn’t let stop her from enjoying a night out, especially after the events of Halloween. Ugh, Halloween...it still occupied space in her mind. She had been wanting to forget that horrid night ever since it had happened but seem scars just ran too deep it seemed. There were still occasions where she would wake up with a fright, seeing people beating their own heads into a wall or clawing at their own skin. It was such a disturbing thing to have gone through that she couldn’t barely contain her own fear these days. But, she guessed that was what drinking was for.

It’s was “I Can’t Believe It’s the 80s” night at X-Gene, and Winnie was definitely up for that. That was the decade of some of her favorite music and cheesy action movies; mixed with alcohol, it would promise a fun evening for the short-haired photographer. So, deciding to go out solo tonight, she stepped out into the world ready to forget her problems.

Stepping into the club, Winnie had decided to dress the part of the 80s. Her usual, skin tight outfits were traded in for something a bit more in touch with the event, but still revealing. Black shorts with a rainbow of splatter colors wrapped around her tone posterior and firm legs while an off the shoulder, blue sweater covered her top. The neck of the sweater was large enough to hang off one arm and reveal the lacy black strap of her bra beneath it. Small, black, leather half boots clipped and clopped along the ground as she strolled in, tucking her clutch under her arm. She was here to have fun and fun she shall have.

The club itself was decorated in such a way to encapsulate the 80s, with various decor that hinted back to brighter, neon times. Even the music was spot on, with an energetic song pouring through the speakers and causing the crowd on the dance floor to move with feverish rhythm. Winnie grinned from ear to ear, nodding her head and bouncing on her two feet for a moment before she slipped away to the bar. Already she was feeling her troubles lifting away and that cursed night falling into the shadowy recesses of her mind.

Tonight would be good.
Stepping away to the bar, Winnie managed to squeeze in between people and gave a flirtatious wink to the bartender who was seemingly trying to balance a number of drinks at the same time. Winnie did her best to grab his attention.

”Hey hun! Can I get a Lemon Drop?” she asked. The bartender did not seem to hear her over others asking for drinks and trying to keep orders straight in his head. Winnie rolled her eyes in annoyance and waited for him to actually have a moment to notice her. She was getting a drink tonight, goddammit.

A mutant gay bar. What a niche market.

It required a) out mutants and b) out, out mutants. In the actual 80s, there would have been few brave enough to fill that bar, even late at night. In 2017 in the heart of New York City, though, it was chock-full of people.

In all honesty, Charlie hadn’t felt like going out that night. She was still reeling after a tumble (push) down a few stairs (a flight and a half) and the subsequent encounter with the basement bar floor. She’d already been day drinking.

Still, as much as she didn’t feel like going out, she also didn’t feel like going home. Things had changed since Gwen had moved in, and she felt like she had to step up her behaviour a bit around her. She felt bad about coming in at four in the afternoon with whiskey on her breath. Sure, Gwen likely wouldn’t question it, but it would make Charlie feel weird. She didn’t want to let Gwen in on the poorly kept secret that Charlie Sinclair was often an absolute mess.

It had been a long time since she’d cared that much about someone. Most of the time, Charlie could care less who saw her at her worst, but Gwen was an exception. She didn’t need to see that. Around her, Charlie needed to be poised, confident and knowledgeable about the world that she was unacquainted with.

So, after her time spent at her usual bar, Charlie had wandered into a few other places while she avoided her apartment. A few bars that she’d just stumbled upon, one sports place that served great wings, and finally The X-Gene Persuasion. What a find. Hot mutant girls walked around there like it was going out of style and Charlie got a front row seat. For a moment, she could forget that Gwen existed.

She hadn’t been going slow throughout the day. It was only thanks to a semi driver that hadn’t looked both ways that she wasn’t actually on the floor. Two deaths in one day. It definitely wasn’t a record, but it had been the first time in a while that that had happened. It had let her cut even more loose without repercussions, though, so that was a positive. Who didn’t love an excuse to keep drinking past their limit?

Charlie was seated at the bar, staring down at her glass. The whole atmosphere was a little loud and colourful for her current demeanor, but she could drink good alcohol with a bunch of attractive mutants, so she wasn’t going to complain. She did, however, stick out a bit from the eighties theme in her unplanned all black ensemble. It wasn’t her fault that she hadn’t gotten the memo.

The bar was very full. In the twenty minutes that Charlie had been there, it had apparently gotten all the more appealing (her tipsy brain liked to think that she had something to do with that fact), and it was so insane that the bartender was overloaded and Charlie was being pushed by all the people trying to get his attention. She looked to the side to check out one girl in particular who was trying to get herself a lemon drop. She looked… almost familiar. Maybe.

She was cute, anyway. Charlie grinned at her a little, took another sip of her drink, and then slammed it down on the table. The bartender didn’t even look in her direction. Time to step it up, then. She shoved her fingers in her mouth and let off a long whistle, which immediately made him turn his head.

”Yo! Barkeep! Lemon drop for the pretty girl. On me.” There. That should get her one. Her hand was poised in the air with her finger up as if she were declaring something, but as soon as she was finished, she let it drop back down to her glass, where she used it to bring another sip to her lips. Yep. It was a drinking kinda night.

She then turned to the pretty girl to her side. Very pretty. Big brown eyes, short brown hair, eerily familiar features. Her brain had obviously pushed all the memories of how they knew each other out that time around. Way out. What a shame. ”How do I know you?” she asked her quizzically, her voice crescendoing over the music.

Okay this was getting a little annoying now. Winnie knew that bar life had its ups and downs, but this time it was getting positively annoying. How could she be expected to just wait here, dressed in her 80’s best, and not be already drinking? Honestly! It was a sin against nature. However, no matter how she tried to get the bartender’s attention, nothing was coming up. For a moment there she was actually doubting her ability to attract attention, something she was never unable to do, but now it was looking like a grim possibility. Maybe she should have worn that Madonna-inspired bustier…

But just as Winnie was beginning to come to terms with her bad decisions, she was suddenly interrupted by the presence of another noise -- a loud, piercing noise. Winnie blinked in surprise and turned her attention towards another woman who had joined the group, this one seeming far more determined looking than the photographer herself was. She arched her brow, staring along with the rest of the people gathered at the impressive whistling ability of this woman. What else could those lips do?

>>”Yo! Barkeep! Lemon drop for the pretty girl. On me.”

She tilted her head, smiling sweetly as she looked over the blonde. For a second she didn’t know who this person was, dressed all in black, stepping into her like like a dreamboat. She had such a commanding and devil-may-care presence about her that the pixie-cut woman was already planning her route of flirtation (not too much since the night was young). But, just as Winnie moistened her lips to speak, she stopped -- she knew her. But...from where?

As the bartender turned to make Winnie’s drink at the rest of the barflys started to return to their own business, Winnie watched as the other woman stepped up closer. Those eyes, that cocky smile, oh yeah, she knew this woman. It took longer for her to actually grab onto the memory (mainly because she had been trying to drown it since it happened) but finally she managed to wrap her slippery mitts around it. She did know her.

>>. ”How do I know you?”

But apparently that feeling wasn’t mutual. Maybe it was because she was going the same route that Winnie had, trying to forget that horrid night, but she definitely recognized her in some respect. Though they never gave one another their real names when they left that rooftop together, they didn’t really need to. She blinked, smiling a little at the other as she couldn’t help but call her out.

”Sandy,” she said with a mysterious, and yet elated smile. ”It’s Win--err, Toxin.” She reached over, reached over, giving the other woman’s arm a gentle squeeze. ”Wow, I haven’t seen you since...you know…that night.” She tried not to bring up the thought of Halloween so she figured that vagueness was probably the best course of action. She took a step back to appraise the other, grinning from ear-to-ear. ”You look amazing. And...heh, thanks for the rescue,” she said, gesturing towards the bartender. ”Thought I was losing my touch.”

Charlie was beginning to feel the beat of the music around her. As much as the eighties weren’t really a decade that she wanted to relive (they weren’t as great as everyone suggested), the music was a little nostalgic. It was bringing back all kinds of memories; all kinds of bars just like that one. She could remember that just fine, but for some reason, she couldn’t remember the pretty girl beside her. All that drinking and dying had not been a good combination for memory retention.

Hopefully she would be able to fill it in. Charlie had looked to the other woman to give the details about how they met. Charlie had little doubt that it was in a situation very much like the one they were standing in then. A few drinks in and the blonde would have had a difficult time keeping away from someone like her.

>>”Sandy. It’s Win--err, Toxin.”

Charlie merely raised an eyebrow. Sandy, huh? And Toxin, apparently. That did not make things any clearer. Nothing like those two names rang any sort of bell in her mind. Maybe it had been a murder mystery event? Perhaps she had been working under cover? Nothing came forward.

>>”Wow, I haven’t seen you since...you know…that night. You look amazing. And...heh, thanks for the rescue. Thought I was losing my touch.”

That night. Well. That could mean absolutely anything. Charlie did like to think of herself as decent when it came to things that happened when she was alone with another person, she was also known to get involved in some shady things. When ‘Toxin’ referred to that night, the blonde’s mind went in a million different directions. Had they hooked up? Done some Syndicate work? Had she investigated her? All three, perhaps?

The barkeeper had noticed her little display. He stalked up to the two girls and set a pale yellow cocktail down in front of Charlie. She traded her whiskey for the long-stemmed glass in order to toast the man with it before handing it over to Toxin. He merely rolled his eyes at her. Sure, service wasn’t the nicest when you were pushy, but it was better than no service.

With the pretty girl properly supplied with a drink, Charlie could turn back to their conversation. ”Sorry, luv. I’ve got… memory issues sometimes. You’re going to have to be a tad more specific. I’m sure Toxin isn’t your real name.”

Winnie still couldn’t believe that she ran into “Sandy” again. It seemed like it was almost a lifetime ago that she had been in that terrible hotel, during that most insidious night. The things she saw, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, still haunted her. While Winnie did good about avoiding thinking about it and was successfully moving on, right now she was hit with a stark reminder of that night. The woman next to her had been apart of it, had witnessed the whole thing, even vanished at some point before it had all ended and returned. Needless to say, seeing her just brought back a flood of memories.

However, as Winnie spoke, it was clear that the memories that came back were hers and hers alone. The blank, almost suspicious look in Sandy’s eyes were telling enough that she still only had the vaguest recollection of who she was. While Winnie would have been offended by that, in some ways she was a jealous because it seemed as if her drinking buddy that night had utterly blanked on the experience.

A fact that was verified when she finally shook her head and spoke.

>>”Sorry, luv. I’ve got… memory issues sometimes. You’re going to have to be a tad more specific. I’m sure Toxin isn’t your real name.”

Winnie smirked. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she noticed that her drink was set down next to them. A sweet smile was offered to the bartender as a thanks for getting her order in, but she turned back to the blonde, scooping up the drink and taking a sip. Oh the sourness almost immediately locked up her jaw, but it was a welcome experience and she just rode it a satisfied sigh of relief. The alcohol was a welcome addition to this conversation, but so was the lovely woman in front of her -- even if she had completely forgotten who she was.

She shrugged off the comment, leaning her hip against the bar and crossing her arms under her chest, one hand still holding up her drink. ”It’s not. Then again, we didn’t trade actual names that night.” Another sip before she extended out her free hand to her. ”Winnie. My name is Winnie.” Once that was out of the way, she went on into clarifying how she knew this woman. ”And we met last month. At the Halloween party in the Skyline Hotel.” She paused, shaking off the memory. ”It seems that one of us was successful in forgetting that awful night,” she said with a teasing laugh.

”Winnie, hm?” Charlie smiled easily, the words spilling out of her like sticky honey as she shook the woman’s hand. ”Pretty name for a pretty girl. Much more fitting than Toxin.” Whatever they had been doing when they met must’ve been really kinky. Charlie wasn’t unknown to occasionally take part in things like that, but she would have liked to at least remember it.

>>”And we met last month. At the Halloween party in the Skyline Hotel. It seems that one of us was successful in forgetting that awful night,”

Charlie cocked her head at that new information. A Halloween party. She couldn’t remember Halloween of that year. It seemed to be getting mixed with a few other Halloween memories, but none of them included Winnie or were at a hotel. That meant that, this time around, the memory was all but gone.

From the sounds of it, though, she wouldn’t want to remember that night. Interesting. She quietly wondered what sorts of things they could have gotten into that would make a person want to forget something that adamantly. In the very least, she seemed somewhat glad to see Charlie, which meant that she had made a good impression on her. Wonderful; that meant that there was still something to be salvaged from whatever wreckage her brain was keeping from her.

Charlie took the final sip of her whiskey and then slammed it down on the table once again, signalling the bartender for a refill with her right hand. He rolled his eyes at her, but he appeared to be grabbing a bottle from behind him. Success.

She would soon have a fresh drink in hand and there was a pretty girl to her side. It was the perfect situation. Maybe after awhile she would start to remember something.

”Well, Winnie, I’m Charlie.” She turned in her seat to look the woman deep in her eyes. ”I gotta say, it’s a goddamned shame that I can’t remember you, but I have a different proposition… it’s getting a little noisy in here, so what do you say we get a table in a quieter area and make a few new memories?”

Her glass was set back down in front of her, so she nodded toward the bartender and snatched it up with her. With her other hand, she traced lines along Winnie’s arm. Really, she was just too pretty to forget.

>>”Winnie, hm? Pretty name for a pretty girl. Much more fitting than Toxin.”

Winnie blushed a little at that, nibbling on her lower lip. Honestly the soft touch and the wondrous words were already getting her engine revving up and causing her to forget the horrid night that the two of them had met. While normally she may have decided to stay away from the blonde because of what they experienced, right now she was too lost in those old, soulful eyes the woman had. If she could forget that night, then maybe Winnie could too -- or at least be distracted for a bit.

The woman’s drink was refilled as she closed the gap between them. Winnie closed her eyes briefly, smiling at the scent what whatever the woman wore filled the air between them. She grinned wide, her nose crinkling cutely as she looked over the woman again. Yeah, this definitely had some promise for a good and memorable night. She hoped that the other had the same idea and, considering the look in her eyes, it was clear that she did.

>>”Well, Winnie, I’m Charlie...I gotta say, it’s a goddamned shame that I can’t remember you, but I have a different proposition… it’s getting a little noisy in here, so what do you say we get a table in a quieter area and make a few new memories?”

It was exactly what she was hoping for. Watching Charlie’s eyes, she sighed, letting her stresses and fears melt away at the promise of something else to come. While Winnie was usually accustomed to being the one to bring all the forwardness to these conversations, it was kind of nice to be pursued for a change. Coming across another person as forward and charismatic as herself was rare but it was something that she was willing to play along with.

Plucking her drink up from the bar top, she took another sip from it and nodded her head. She stepped closer to the woman, on arm looping around one of her’s as she gave her a sweet and lustful smile. ”Lead the way, gorgeous,” she said playfully. ”I couldn’t certainly do with some ‘new memories’.”

Charlie was forward. That fact about her count be easily discovered after just a few minutes spent around her. There had been a point in her long existence when she had just realized that if she wasted time waiting for things to fall into place on their own then she would lose her chance. If she acted right away, then they would either happen or they wouldn’t. Simple, and she would know right away. None of that cliche drama that modern television loved to exploit.

Of course, there were exceptions to this fact. Gwen, for example. Gwen… gorgeous, displaced Gwen. Charlie liked her a lot, and there was no denying the fact that she was incredibly attractive, but Charlie was in a position of power over her and she was just getting acquainted with the new world she was in. If there was ever going to be something between them, then Gwen would have to really want it.

Even if it was killing Charlie to live just down the hall from her. Damn, she wasn’t supposed to think of her that evening. Great time for another sip of her drink.

Pushing all thoughts of the woman she was housing out of her mind, Charlie returned Winnie’s smile and stood up. She grabbed her drink and rolled her shoulders back as she looked around for a place for them to go in the bar. It was a fairly loud place all around, with the dance floor, flashing lights, and pumping music, but off in the corner, there were a few relatively hidden booths. From that vantage point, she could see that one was open for them.

”Come on,” the blonde said as she trailed her hand along the length of Winnie’s arm, ”let’s go over there.” Her hand finally fell into Winnie’s and she used that position to pull the brunette through the bustle of dancing bodies. People rubbed against her and attempted to pull her into the movement, but Charlie had a mission. With a pretty girl in one hand and a drink in the other, she had it made. All that was needed was a quiet spot to enjoy them.

Once they were through the thick of things, they came to the quieter section of the bar and the empty booth. Charlie plopped herself down on the cold vinyl and patted the spot next to her for Winnie.

Okay, well, Winnie certainly had a promising distraction in front of her. When she came out this evening, this was exactly what she was looking for and it looked as if she was going to get her wish. Admittedly she wasn’t wearing her absolute best, but the photographer was only too happy to meet up with someone who was willing to look past the bad colors scheme she currently had on. Best of all, it was someone who she knew and wanted to meet again. Though their last meeting was apparently a mystery to her, Winnie was more than happy to remind her.

At the invitation for some private time together, Winnie readily agreed. The bar was getting a bit crazy and a quiet, dark booth seemed like exactly the thing that she needed. So, with a smile upon her lips, she nodded her head and agreed that slipping away was best for the best of them.

>>”Come on...let’s go over there.”

A slender hand slipped into hers. Holding onto her drink, Winnie was pulled along and she readily followed. Moving through the crowd of people, away from the grinding and the dancing and the touching, Winnie found solace in open air when they finally popped out the other end. As promised, Charlie found a nice little booth for them to hide themselves away in, something that Winnie was only too happy to accept.

Taking a sip from her drink, she followed her to the booth and waited for Charlie to slip in first. She didn’t need more than the simple patting of the vinyl seat next to the woman to partake of the invitation. Carefully she slid into the seat, crossing her legs under the table as she turned to face her new friend. Charlie was indeed a gorgeous woman but her eyes held such a mystery for her. They were the eyes of an old soul, something that had always attracted the young photographer.

Now that they were away from the crowd at the bar, Winnie could hear herself think again. The music was still loud but not as obnoxious out in the seating area as it was near the bar and dance floor. She turned to the other, a sultry and teasing smile on her lips as she gave her another careful look. Really she found it hard to believe that Charlie didn’t remember her at all, but she guessed that there must be a reason for it. She hoped she wouldn’t be bothered by her asking.

”So you really don’t remember me?” she inquired gently. ”And here I thought I was pretty unforgettable.” She grinned. ”Oh well, probably better that way. The Skyline Hotel, I dunno how they’ll recover from that event. Wasn’t specifically their fault but so many got hurt.”

The bar was a loud, lively place. There was no denying that fact. However, there were booths along the wall that allowed for a bit of a quiet spot in all the chaos. Charlie had set her drink down on the table, feeling the glass meet the somewhat sticky surface of the rubber-coated wood. It made her wonder what sorts of things went down at tables like those at a mutant bar.

She had actually been surprised by the fact that there were so many mutants there that evening. For a relatively small population, she was running into more and more mutants in New York City. Mutants of all different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and appearances. There was even one with tentacles out on the dance floor. He seemed to be having a rather good time with several other people.

It also likely meant that the woman she was sitting next to was either a mutant or a very strong ally. She hadn’t really thought about that fact before that moment. Silently, she explored images of what the woman’s mutation might be…

That fact also meant that she was in the clear for sharing fact about her own mutation. She wasn’t exactly secretive about things like that, but it also wasn’t something she typically led with. Especially if she didn’t feel like dying that night and she knew that it might put her in danger.

>>”So you really don’t remember me? And here I thought I was pretty unforgettable.”

Charlie smirked and sipped her drink. ”My mutation makes me forget things sometimes,” she admitted freely. ”I’m sure I’ll get it back eventually, though. I mean… I couldn’t possibly forget you forever.”

The blonde raised her eyebrows quickly at the other woman, her face displaying her amusement with it all. The chances of her forgetting both meetings of the woman were quite low now, so she was bound to remember at least a little bit of her. It was just which bit that was up for debate.

>>”Oh well, probably better that way. The Skyline Hotel, I dunno how they’ll recover from that event. Wasn’t specifically their fault but so many got hurt.”

Charlie cocked her head. That was an interesting thing to say. She had figured that their first meeting had just been a little.. freaky, but it didn’t sound like that was entirely it. There was definitely more to the story. ”So what am I missing from that night? Fill me in on the details, sweetheart.” She really had no idea what she was getting herself into. She figured it couldn’t be that bad, after all, especially if it had brought her close to the pretty woman she was sitting next to.

Winnie was happy to find a nice, quiet spot to spend with her new lady for the evening. Charlie certainly seemed pleasant enough, and her words and actions all pointed to the exact same direction that she wanted this evening to go. Winnie loved, love; she loved sex, she loved to warmth, the heat, the absolute bliss that it could cause to course through one’s veins. Some may wonder if maybe Winnie had a slight problem, but it was never to that degree; she just knew how to have fun and when. And right now, that was what she was after.

However, while Winnie was usually all for getting passed the uncomfortable talk and throwing herself into the dancing and the touching, the woman was a mystery to her. Halloween had been such a horrendous night that she could scarcely imagine anyone forgetting it. It seemed altogether impossible, to the point that the photographer felt she was partially scarred by it. Who wouldn’t be?

Well, Charlie apparently, as she could remember a damn thing; lucky.

Trying to regain some of her flirtatious footing, Winnie pouted and commented that she was almost offended that she was so easily forgotten. After the events of that night, and the drinking that followed, Winnie was assured that totally blocking out that night was impossible. However, that was exactly what was happening to her new friend.

>>”My mutation makes me forget things sometimes...I’m sure I’ll get it back eventually, though. I mean… I couldn’t possibly forget you forever.”

Mutation. Duh, she was in a mutant bar, after all. She bit her lip, nodding her head in agreement. She wondered exactly what the blonde’s powers were that caused her to forget something so traumatic, but the coy words that followed immediately pulled her back into the goal for tonight. Charlie certainly had a way with words, something which the pixie-haired photographer appreciated.

”You certainly know how to make a girl feel special,” she teased. ”That your power?”

She sighed, taking a sip from her drink. Though she didn’t like talking about that night, she could feel the relaxation beginning to course through her veins again. Muscles untensed, her body melted into the booth, and she in no way recoiled when her bare knee brushed up against the other woman’s leg.

>> ”So what am I missing from that night? Fill me in on the details, sweetheart.”

She licked her lips, trying to think of how tastefully to recount the incident. She didn’t want to scare the woman, especially after she had managed to forget it, but if she wanted to know then…

”When we met at the hotel, in the hallway, things started to get a little...nuts…” she said with choice words. ”Some weird black mist came through the vents and everyone...we all…” she sighed. ”Things got bad. People started going crazy. I swear I thought I saw things. Thank god that X-Man showed up when he did on the rooftop and knocked out that crazy mutant. I just hope the police locked her away for doing that stunt.”

Charlie snorted. If making people feel special was her power, then she would definitely be in a better place in life than in a crappy New York apartment and working to pay her rent. Seriously, 260 years and she was still as broke as ever. It was probably to do with the fact that Charlie made horrible financial choices and typically got bored of being charming after a while. She silently wished that she had been granted a power like that. ”Maybe a secondary one,” she said, steering herself back to flirting, ”but you’re welcome to test it out whenever.”

The two women were touching legs underneath the table, which didn’t bother Charlie in the slightest. It was clear that Winnie was beginning to relax and let herself fade into the atmosphere a little.

Charlie requested some details. Her lips were pursed and her head was rested on the heel of her hand as she adorned the other woman with her full attention. She was fully prepared for some kinky revelations of a night that would make most blush, since, even if she couldn’t remember many of them, that was what Charlie assumed she got up to most weekends. She was an optimist, clearly.

>>”When we met at the hotel, in the hallway, things started to get a little...nuts… Some weird black mist came through the vents and everyone...we all… Things got bad. People started going crazy. I swear I thought I saw things. Thank god that X-Man showed up when he did on the rooftop and knocked out that crazy mutant. I just hope the police locked her away for doing that stunt.”

Charlie recoiled a little as Winnie recounted the events of Halloween. Not exactly what she had assumed. There had been a mutant attack that had left Winnie scarred and the hotel forever blacklisted, even though it hadn’t been their fault at all. The blonde sat up on the bench and looked at the table rather than her companion, her brow furrowed as she thought through everything. It was a very different story than most of the ones she was told. Despite being part of what was essentially a mutant mafia, it wasn’t all that often that she dug herself into situational holes quite that deep.

”Well. No wonder you’re a little shaken up,” Charlie mused after taking a large sip of her drink. She winced just a little as the large quantity went down her throat. Damn her resetting tolerance. ”I mean, I probably would be, too, in your shoes.” Pause. ”Are you… holding up alright?”

>>”Maybe a secondary one...but you’re welcome to test it out whenever."

Winnie smirked a little, feeling her cheeks color under the attention. Really it was exactly what she needed tonight. She didn’t want to think about Halloween or what she witnessed when she was last with this woman. Rather she wanted to give herself over to something fun and blissful, nothing that was complicated and terrifying. Of course, the more time she spent with the other woman, the more often her mind kept drifting back to that night. Truly it was a horror filled evening and while anyone who was a fan of Halloween would have wished for it, Winnie wouldn’t have willed it upon her worst enemy.

A small tingle ran down her spine, like the icy touch of death rolling a bony fingertip down each of her vertebrae. But she didn’t let it stop her from trying to have a good time. Rather she just took another sip of her drink and gave the attractive blonde next to her her undivided attention.

But it seemed that Halloween was going to be the topic of conversation. It made sense, especially if Charlie couldn’t remember any of it. So she asked, wanting to know what was so different about the evening. She wanted details, to know how they knew one another, what horrors were seen. Really her mutation must have packed quite a wallop if she couldn’t remember so much of it. Winnie basically saw it every time she closed her eyes now.

Still, she couldn’t avoid the subject forever. While she could have easily just gotten up and decided to find a different distraction, really she didn’t want to be rude. So, swallowing her courage, she started to recount the night as best she could.

By the time she was done, the flirtatious smile had seemingly been swept off of Charlie’s face. Instead she was now looking just a bit shocked.

>>”Well. No wonder you’re a little shaken up...I mean, I probably would be, too, in your shoes...Are you… holding up alright?”

Winnie offered her a small, genuine smile. She was thankful for that little bit of actual care in the other’s voice. They may not see one another again after this meeting, but at least she knew she wasn’t just some being scammed to feel emotional to drive her closer to bed. So, with a nod and a tender smile of gratitude, her lips formed a “yeah” in response before she followed it up.

”I’m holding up fine, now.” A sip. ”Though I’m definitely staying in on Halloween from now on.” She chuckled a little before her dreamy eyes turned back to Charlie. ”Shame. I have some amazing costumes and, alas, no one will get to see them.” Okay, she could feel her own flirtatious nature returning (that god for liquid courage). ”What about you, hon? Clearly you don’t remember, but, things been good since we last met?”