The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
Unsatisfying sex was like a crime. But not a legal crime, since Stephanie had no qualms with those. Nope, it was a crime against nature.
After being unceremoniously left on the dance floor by a certain sweet but incredibly confounding blonde, Stephanie buried her sorrows in a perky redhead on the dancefloor. It made sense; Steph and Raine were friends and Steph knew that screwing with that dynamic was a bad idea. Well, she knew that before the wine. Deep down, she still knew it somewhere, but it was a truth hiding in the fog of alcohol and sexual frustration.
It would be easier when she just found a way to deal with that wound-up libido. She wasted no time, quite literally-- she took her dance partner, (May, she was pretty sure?) to a staff closet for some privacy.
And the sex was good. Like, the girl put forth a marvelous effort and she was definitely attractive. On paper, it was totally serviceable coat closet sex.
Which did absolutely nothing to unwind Stephanie. She did her best to make a polite exit, thanking May for her time, which was a terrible way to say thank you to someone you just had sex with. Tonight was just an off night, and Steph should call it there and go home. That was not going to get rid of this lingering energy, though, and somehow anonymous sex was not doing the trick either. Vexed, Steph found a shiny twonie in her purse and decided to try one last option.
Finding a Syndicate hub nearby, Steph offered the coin to make a small purchase. She had not tried this yet, even after the unsettling emissary of the group offered her an invitation. Waiting anxiously, the thief breathed a sigh of relief when she was led into a backroom. She did her best impression of a less tipsy Silhouette, asking for any job that involved theft. Willow Warren inspected her curiously and asked if she was sure, but Stephanie was adamant.
And so, after discretely picking up her costume without alerting her babysitter, Silhouette was off to a mansion in the city. The city was busy, with sidewalks of people on their way to or back from exciting Saturday night plans. Lucky them. But it was fine, really. Thanks to the eclectic mix of New York’s night owls, no one was going to question some dark-haired young woman in a skin-tight bodysuit and a mask. She was clearly on her way to a costume party! Or an orgy! You never knew; New York was a hell of a city. Her true intentions had to be at least three or four guesses down the list. It’s why she felt comfortable walking amidst the crowd until she slipped away into a bush outside the fence of the mansion.
“Didja catch that hot number in the catsuit?” a male voice called out over a police radio channel. “Like a skintight suit or like a furry?” “Skintight, weirdo. Brunette in a mask. Wonder what party she’s heading to; my shift’s gotta end eventually.” “Maybe something spicier than a party?” “Manning, Davion,” an exasperated female voice sighed, “can you two be less gross on official channels?” “Fiiine, Mays.” “Was it a masquerade mask or some plain mask? That could be suspicious. Maybe she’s up to something?” “Quit being a buzzkill, Harper.”
A nearby streetlamp gave Silhouette just enough light to shift, letting her slip through the bars of the fence. She kept low to the ground in the darker parts of the small lawn. What an asshole; who had a lawn in New York? He deserved to be robbed.
When she got closer to the building, lamps on either side of the main door cast enough light for Steph to shift back. She had to be careful; her victim was out for the night, but security would be around. Thankfully, no one was on the lawn and once she shifted, who was going to be paying enough attention to notice a shadow climbing the outer wall and slipping into a cracked second-story window?
Flirting was so fun when there were no consequences. Sure, that was not guaranteed, she supposed, but she was willing to take April at her word. The fiery blonde seemed on board with keeping commitment far off the table. Tables were for pasta. And maybe your dining partner, but only if the date went really well. (Though considering the public nature of this date, that was probably off the table, too.) Other Malia-level consequences were less likely unless she had more to learn about April, but if she was wrong in her assumptions there, at least she was smart enough to keep protection in her purse. Well, now. You only make that mistake once.
Things were going well, and April did one of the few things that made Steph blush consistently by complimenting her parenting. As a stress-basket when it came to Malia, it was reaffirming to have people tell her she was doing well. Even if they were unaware of her criminal lifestyle, the thought was reassuring.
Of course, she wanted to focus on the date and not her parenting right now. That was a road toward more emotionally available talk. Craziness. ”Well, if you were wondering if your effort and dress choice were worth it,” she posited over the rim of her wine glass, ”I can lay your concerns to rest. It’s gorgeous, and I desperately want to see it on the floor.” She sipped her wine and smirked, adding, ”After dessert, of course.”
She was ready to start hitting the flirting efforts hard now that they laid the ground rules, but then an unexpected revelation came up. Stephanie blinked a few times at the explanation, stunned to be hearing such a familiar story. ”No way! I was thirty-three apparently! I woke up in an alley with no clue how I got to New York and Malia in my arms.”
Replaying the exclamation, Steph realized it was kind of a mood killer. ”Sorry,” she walked it back, ”But what are the odds? Two girls displaced out of time, crossing paths and trying to talk their way into each others’ underthings? Life’s funny, isn’t it?”
This dance was so easy. The more skin against skin, the more contact she could find against Raine, the more something in Stephanie spurred her to push things. Her little possessive show was something she was not expecting from herself, but it gave her a tantalizing taste. Steph's dark eyes locked on Raine, wanting to taste her again, more intimately. This just felt like the thing she needed, and she was not going to listen to the voice telling her she should not.
They were so close. If Steph had gone ninety-five percent, Raine had gone four and it felt as though the paperwidth of resistance between them would give way.
And then it didn't.
It did not register to Stephanie right away. At first, all she recognized was absence. Something missing, creating a void where she still felt need. All that contact was gone in a moment, and it left Steph standing there, feeling like an idiot looking at Raine as she repeated Steph's own words and walked away.
Ouch.
Steph was vaguely aware of Raine leaving the dancefloor and retreating to a bar to apparently find someone "better." The thief was shaken, which was dumb. The point of their night was to find other people to take home. The night was never supposed to be Steph and Raine in the end. There was not a Steph and Raine who shared dancefloor kisses and bedroom moans.
Shaking herself out of the stupor a gorgeous blonde left her in, Steph turned to the redhead who had given up on Steph moments ago. She took the girl away from her consolation dance partner and pulled her into heated dancing she could lose herself in. She could ignore how, even with a new partner to grind against and kiss, the absence lingered.
The world was so narrow. With the club lighting and the walls of bodies, everything Steph knew beyond the music reverberating through her was what she could see and feel in arm’s reach. There was a strong figure behind her, running hands down her figure to her thighs, and in the moment, she let it happen. A woman moved into the space beside her and closed the gap. Steph would have pivoted her body to offer more of herself for the redhead to get close to, but doing that might encourage her to dance into any space between Steph and Raine.
And that was a space Steph did not want to give to anyone in that moment. It was barely a space, she was realizing. Bodies brushed up against Steph, but the longer they danced, the more Steph and Raine found each other. Thighs between thighs. Waists against waists. Chest brushing against chest, and in those moments, there were no good thoughts in Steph’s head. No thoughts at all. Just a desire to keep contact.
The guy grinding behind Steph was being handsy but not crossing the line, and Steph expected he might be the one to make a move. Instead, it was the man behind Raine who tried to speak over the music. It was only then that Steph realized there was a guy behind Raine. That there was anything past Raine.
He leaned in toward Steph, which only pressed Raine further into Steph, forcing her breath to catch. It took her a second to refocus and realize they were being propositioned. Both of them.
The guy, as far as she could tell in the light was… okay. In fact, if Stephanie was alone, she may have considered it. But with Raine? When she tried to picture it, vivid images invaded her thoughts and this guy was nowhere in them.
As close to Raine as she could physically be, Stephanie realized this conversation taking place over Raine’s shoulder left her neck available. An action came before a thought or a plan. It led her to lean in not to speak to him, but to plant a kiss where Raine’s neck and shoulder met. She looked up from that spot and shook her head. ”Sorry, not sharing tonight.”
The man was disappointed, but to his credit he danced away, working himself toward a pair of nearby co-eds, leaving Steph to vaguely realize what she had done. Thankfully, she was already so close to Raine’s ear that she could explain in a ragged, breathy whisper. ”Trust me, we could do better.” Because Steph was definitely not here to force away suitor or claim Raine for herself. She was just defending their worth, because if some third person was going to invade the fantasies she was now plagued by, they better be a damn marvel.
The spiral staircase was a cool set piece. A tipsy-bordering-on-drunk Stephanie thought it was a striking addition to an otherwise are-walled stairwell. It was also terribly inconvenient after a night of drinking, but Steph was damn sure not going to trip over her own feet in front of Raine.
Their ascent was successful and the air of this new area was a shift in the atmosphere. Steph had been to clubs before; she knew what kind of dancing she would find on the dancefloor. She could put herself amidst the bodies and embrace anonymity. It was her comfort zone.
After what was becoming a romantically-charged scene downstairs, this might be safer. Raine thought it was best if they just tossed themselves into the thick of the dance and Steph agreed. Why pick a partner when you could let the dance lead you to one. ”Then we jump in together,” she affirmed, following to the space Raine found.
The air on the floor was hot with moving bodies, which was fine; Steph brought heat of her own with her. Finding the gap that quickly closed up behind them, Steph grinned at Raine and started to listen to the music. She found the beat and let her hips start to match it, setting the tempo. It all started there and moved to her legs and soon, Steph was just part of the bodies all claiming space, ready to trade contact.
Her hand reached out, and naturally the first person she could make contact with was the woman who started in front of her. Steph’s fingers found purchase on a hip and the bodies around her seemed to tighten the space, spurring her to step forward, closer to a stunning blonde whose rhythm she sought to match.
Singing there with an arm around Raine, everything felt easy. Steph made a habit of making life look nonchalant while she was anything but. It was the kind of mindset you adopted when constantly living a lie that could blow up in your face at any time.
This, though? This was simple. She was content with this beautiful woman at her side. That was dangerous, right? This was absolutely dangerous, but that voice was not speaking up in her head when everything just felt good and easy and… well, right.
The world was warm, and she was sure it was the fault of that tiny patch of skin Raine left available for Steph to connect with. Raine’s heat was infectious, and Steph could feel a heat in her rising, too. The crowd cheered for love and romance and Steph barely gave it a thought when she pulled Raine in a little closer. More warmth. More heat.
The calls to kiss came along to the rhythm of the song Stephanie was lost in, but she heard them. Steph was not a total cynic, though few saw the romantic side of her. She did have one, though; a sentimentality she rarely let out. She felt it tugging at her heart and her gaze was compelled to fall toward the woman beside her.
The woman slowly closing the distance between them. Was she doing what Steph thought? She felt something impending. Inevitable. Wonderful. Wine let her focus on that last one, and not the many logical reasons to pull away.
The song ended and Raine changed her course to sip from her glass. Steph exhaled and finally realized that she had been holding her breath. She was not even singing the last dying lines, was she? No, she was waiting for something she clearly imagined. Steph said nothing about the little moment, turning her attention to Raine’s new suggestion.
”Mmm, I was thinking the same thing,” she murmered in a low voice, feeling that same energy needing an outlet. ”My turn to lead.” Offering a smirk and a hand, Steph led Raine to the back of the room and the stairwell door.
The spiraling staircase was the gatekeeper between two vastly different scenes and, to the designer’s credit, when they emerged into the club upstairs, Stephanie could not hear the piano downstairs striking up a new song. Instead, they were met with a massive dance floor surrounded by small bars for dancers in need of a pick-me-up. On the floor, dozens, maybe hundreds of people were already collected and dancing to the high-energy music. It was hard to tell how many people there were now; in her pleasant wine-fog, Raine was the only person defined in her sight.
Not even making an effort to scan the crowd, Steph’s eyes stayed on Raine. ”See any potential dance partners you like, hun?”
Stephanie did not seriously advocate for Raine having a baby. They were both young and, as much as Steph loved her daughter, she sacrificed her youth based on a reckless decision. Sure, her youth was spent committing crimes and wandering the country, but that was a totally valid way to spend her teenage years.
How did she not spend her teenage years? Listening to music from the late-two-thousands and early twenty-tens. Upon learning this, Raine promptly burst into a fit of laughter and while Steph scrunched her nose, she could not keep from grinning.
At least her friend offered her an excuse and Steph latched onto it. In fact, she latched onto Raine’s waist and pulled her in with one arm, her hand resting on the cut-out spot at the side of Raine’s dress. ”Well then, I’m right! I would never set fire to you, sugar!” Nope, she preferred Raine to be decidedly not on fire. In fact, holding the blonde at her side, she was already plenty warm.
They made it to the end of the song, and by then, she at least had a grasp of the chorus. She did still elect to replace “rain” with any rhyming word. She had committed to keeping Raine out of the fire, after all. ”Not dating will definitely do that,” she admitted lamely. Can’t go through a breakup without a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Her head was just defaulting to girls tonight for whatever reason.
Steph considered a recommendation, but what would be a cool song? What would Raine like? That felt important in the pleasant fog of her thoughts.
Thankfully, some couple in the front, two older gentlemen, asked for a song to celebrate some big night. And good for them! She was not sure if it was an anniversary or a birthday, but she was all about people celebrating right now.
The introduction to the song was slow and sweet and it only took two lines before Stephanie realized she knew this one! Feeling herself sway to the music, she moved Raine along with her by virtue of her grasp on her friend’s waist.
The tipsy thief hopped in just ahead of the chorus. ”Then you say, ‘go slow,’ and I fall behind, “The second hand unwinds…”
Her voice was not as melodious as Raine’s, but she could carry the tune. It was when the chorus hit that her heart was in it fully, because she had not felt this happy and carefree in a while.
”If you're lost you can look and you will find me, “Time after time! “If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting, “Time after time!”
Stephanie looked away from the piano to the friend she was so glad to be sharing this night with, sporting a toothy grin. They should do this again. They should do this a lot.
It was comforting to know Raine was not judging Stephanie for her youthful decision-making. People were not afraid to look down on a young mother, so Stephanie did not always give out details to people who have not earned them. At this point, Raine knew she was eighteen and Malia was one, so simple math suggested Malia was an unplanned pregnancy, but Raine never made her feel irresponsible or stupid for it.
In fact, she apparently thought Stephanie should have another kid, which made the single mother promptly choke on her wine. ”Yeah, because I have my shit together dealing with one kid,” she pointed out, giggling all the same. ”Maybe she just needs a bestie. It’s clearly your turn to have one, and we can get you squared away tonight!”
Raine was not the only one having fun, though she was the surprisingly proactive one taking Steph’s hand. Gathering herself, she had the sense to snag her wine glass before being led along by the firm hand of the one woman in this universe Steph trusted to lead the way.
They masterfully navigated around the crowds and Stephanie realized how much louder the music was this close to the stage. The song was one she had certainly heard, but that was big between when she went to sleep and when she woke up in twenty-nineteen.
Raine knew it well, though, and sang with confidence. Steph remembered in the back of her tipsy mind how Raine asked how she would feel about singing. Now she understood why, because Raine’s voice was gorgeous. Steph’s eyes were on the blonde, oblivious to the performers on stage, because she was not expecting that.
Her mesmerization was broken when Raine gave Steph a bump of the hip and encouraged her to join in. That was going to be an interesting challenge. But… well, she had to give it a shot, right?
”But I set fire to the frame! “Watched it burn as I licked your face! “Let it turn while I died 'cause I heard it dreaming up your game, you're lame…”
Her voice was not bad, but that did not matter when she was basically trying to mumble through the lines. She winced and leaned in toward Raine to admit, ”I sorta missed a lot of music over the years.” How freaking lame after Raine proved she sang like a muse!
It was only when Raine reclaimed her arm that Steph was aware she had been occupying it. She was comforting her friend through contact, which she assumed was how friends were there for one another. With her hand free again, she would retreat to her wine. The wine was also her friend, and the more she deepened that friendship, the easier the night was feeling.
When it came to being an adult, Raine was indeed doing well for herself. It did not negate Steph’s point; none of that made her trouble. Those eyes made her trouble, but that was an accusation she would keep to herself.
Based on the everything about Raine in their short time as friend, it really was not a surprise that going with the flow was a struggle for her. Stephanie grinned, shrugging her shoulder. ”I mean, going with the flow got me pregnant at seventeen, so maybe take my life advice with a grain of salt.” The past year did a lot to force Steph to handle her life better. She was still learning and failing, of course. A responsible person would not have hooked up with the cute blonde she met while strolling Malia through the park. Being out with Raine right now, with the blonde wearing a dress like that… was this a responsible choice?
Or that was what a sober Steph would worry about! Comfortably tipsy Steph gestured to a table of friends near the piano singing along with the Beastie Boys song to varying degrees of success. ”But sometimes it’s nice not to think beyond the moment. They’re clearly going with the flow. So content singing, they don’t have to care if they’re off-key.”
Propping her elbow against the bar, Steph let her cheek rest against her palm. She locked eyes with her friend. ”We’re out having fun. We don’t have to overthink things tonight, right?” When you just enjoyed the moment, focusing on that keeps you from getting too wrapped up in what ifs.
Once again, there was a reason Stephanie had a baby at eighteen.
April was clearly under no illusion that Steph was planning for this to be her last first date. While she wanted to be modest, Stephanie was aware that puberty had been very kind to her. This had led to benefits and challenges. She rarely struggled to find a date, but she also encouraged some people to see her as “wifey” material. That was not as weird as the obsessives and creeps, but it was also antithetical to her life goals for the foreseeable future.
It was flattering to know April guessed her age higher than it was. That was common with her lately, thanks to all she had done to be a more responsible mother. ”Trust me, a lot of it is an act. Everything else is me trying to do right by Malia.”
The air felt clearer with expectations set. This was special; two women who rarely made time for real dates getting to share one over a lovely dinner. ”Well, since this is a special night, I’ll try to live up to it,” she assured.
”So… new to the city. Have any plans on what you’re going to do now that you’re here? It’s a heck of a place to start fresh; I should know,” she added in her Southern drawl that marked her as a transplant herself.
They were a team. This was not a date or a night of flirting; it was Women-Loving-Women solidarity! Because they were both women who loved women apparently, which was great! Raine was right; women were harder to figure out than the comparatively easy-to-handle men of the world. Steph carried herself with confidence, but her experience was more limited than she wanted to admit.
”I’ve been there. Not being ready is valid,” she assured Raine with a sagely nod. ”That just means we get to redeem our past failures.” Sure, Steph had done her fair share of redeeming in the last two or three years. That did not change the fact that when a woman came onto her for the first time, she was absolute putty and missed an appointment with a local crime boss. She had to skip town because she was enamored with a party girl.
Steph tilted her head, curious as to what came into Raine’s mind to trail off her words like that. Something must have hit her. Much like two quickly downed glasses of wine were beginning to hit Steph.
The thief was about to ask what Raine was thinking about when Raine’s soft voice spoke up. Stephanie leaned in closer to hear her friend better over the catchy piano chords. Proximity left her vulnerable to the power of Raine’s puppy dog eyes, which were so cute, Stephanie could feel herself melt. She was pretty sure Raine could have asked her to do anything with that look and she’d comply eagerly. This girl held a dangerous power.
”Well for starters, girls with looks like that,” she nodded to Raine’s expression, ”are bad news. Puppy eyes are so unfair, and yours are like a ‘get away with anything free’ card.” Actually, that could totally be useful for a heist.
Okay, focus. Raine did ask for advice. ”I think you keep your eye out for mean girls nonsense. Backhanded compliments, overly sweet fakeness.” Steph would fight the woman who would toy with Raine callously. ”I think most of us are just like you though; nervous, but excited to meet another queer girl. And yes. Girls are soft. All the more reason to get over your hangups, girl!” Steph was proud of her best-guess advice and oblivious to the way her fingertips were running along Raine’s forearm as she spoke.
Learning her lesson, Stephanie held her tongue and chose only to smirk as Raine reminded her how out of place she would be on a heist team. In a dress like that, Raine could be one hell of a distraction. To her or the victim? Still unclear. ”Nah, I can’t set you up like that. We’re a team, obviously.” That’s what they decided when they vowed to bring each other out for a night of fun, right?
And fun meant a little bit of flirting. They were surrounded by the beautiful people of New York, and both deserved to cut loose a little. So maybe Stephanie was choosing to egg Raine on. If she was going to be a good wing-woman, she needed to know how Raine approached a guy she was interested in.
Despite her humility, it sounded like Raine had a handle on flirting with guys. She had a point; there was a cultural expectation when it came to men approaching women. It sounded like she was comfortable enough to manage a suitor.
Sipping her second glass of wine, Stephanie nearly choked on the liquid when she mentioned girls. Girls. Raine did like girls. How had that not come up already?
And it totally did not matter. Raine was another bi girl. Great! Their dating pools overlapped, but there were plenty of options to go around. Hey, was she feeling suddenly parched? Downing most of a glass of wine should fix that.
That was better. Now she could focus on what was honestly an adorable struggle Raine had with sapphic flirting. Stephanie grinned. ”But if she already had your hand, that’s a good sign! Heck, my biggest issue is figuring out if the woman I’m chatting up likes women or if they're just friendly.” Not that she had any examples of that.
”It sounds like you need to get out of your own head,” Steph pointed out, setting down her empty glass to gesture at Raine. An empty glass that was quickly refilled. This place really knew how to dole out good service. Steph rested her hand on Raine’s forearm. ”You’re a cutie Raine. I don’t see why you should be intimidated when a woman’s giving you green light signals.”
Flattery was always a tool Stephanie felt comfortable employing personally and professionally. A woman like April made that easy. ”Well, now you have this place in your back pocket next time you find some cutie in the park,” she teased playfully.
Now that they were settled in, they needed to figure out what the plan was. Not for the night; Steph was certain they had a similar plan in mind for their immediate future. What both women were looking for the next morning was a real question. The younger woman kept a casual expression, but she was eager to know what was on April’s mind.
Not only was April thinking casual, she used the word twice. Stephanie grinned at the affirmation. ”Well, it seems like we’re of the same mind there. Malia is the biggest thing in my life, so I can’t imagine devoting time to a partner. Besides, I’m still eighteen. Just isn’t what I’m looking for.” She had a daughter, but she still had a long life to live and crimes to commit.
A waitress came by, interrupting their little chat. Stephanie flashed a smile, confidently sharing her fake ID and ordering red wine along with her Veal Marsala order. With that taken care of, she rested her chin on her fingers. ”So do most of your beautiful people take you out to a nice dinner first? Or have I gone above and beyond your usual conquests?”
In the warm confines of the restaurant, Steph felt like a person again. One day, when Steph’s endeavors set her and Malia up with a comfortable life, she wondered if she would return somewhere warm to retire and enjoy her wealth and family. She was not attached to New York; this was not even her New York. Still, the city was exciting. She wondered how she would feel in fifteen years.
Taking their seats, April built up Steph’s ego, which she did not need yet thoroughly appreciated. ”I know it, but I like hearing it more off the lips of a total babe,” she admitted playfully.
Scanning the menus placed in front of them, Steph mused aloud, ”Well, I certainly do hope my company is worth it all. I wonder though… what does a lovely lady like you look for in her company?” Maybe she could feel out for April’s expectations of their night now to avoid trouble later.
The shock must have subsided, because Raine’s cheeky word choice was picking on Steph rather than scolding her. Steph dragged her out to a bar, so why hold it against the eighteen-year-old when she found a way to get a drink? The wine was top notch and Steph smirked, matching Raine’s long swig.
According to Raine, she lacked the coordination to throw expensive bottles around at the bar. Steph could hardly blame her; she would not risk it unless she had some good way to cheat.
What Raine could do? Flirt. Stephanie raised an eyebrow as Raine confirmed, despite her earlier mock-protest, that flirting was a part of the job. ”Nice to know if we had met back then, you would have charmed every penny out of me for your tip.”
That last point though. Oh, the smile Stephanie could not control. ”Oh, I’m sure when I need to pull a gang together ‘one last time,’ I can find a place for you.” Steph sipped her wine, mentally scolding herself. No heist movie jokes!
After a teasing back-and-forth with the group who recommended it, the pianist and her band were playing to the crowd with a lounge-friendly version of a duet rap that came with its own piano pieces. Steph’s attention was on Raine, but she was catching some of the lyrics from the other side of the room.
Damn, why are you Playinwitme? You don't even like girls, ha So I need you to tell me, baby What you want just like the Spice Girls
Steph almost wanted to point out that she understood that reference, but bit her tongue. That did get her thinking though; Raine had admitted to flirting, but Steph’s digging was turning up nothing. And she was digging, she realized. It did not matter if Raine was straight or gay, but Raine knew where Steph stood. If she was queer, she would have told her new friend in solidarity.
”So what’s your flirting game? Assuming you have game,” she teased playfully. ”Gonna chat up some handsome guy at the bar? Or do you just plan on seducing one with your dance moves when we go upstairs? Either way, I’m totally fine playing wing-woman.” Yes, because realistically, Raine was straight and that was good. Because they were just friends obviously, and there were plenty of attractive people they could both pick from tonight.
