Remnants of the Earth
TEINAR => Teinar => Topic started by: Anonymous on March 21, 2009, 08:44:07 pm
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This was his debut, he decided it so long ago and if it weren’t for the lack of a jet bike, he’d have done it sooner! But now he was ready and there was only one thing in mind: Victory! Jhett got off his normal back-breaking eight hour shift of turning bolts, lifting 2x4s in metallic dimensions, and listening to the tornado-like voice of his supervisor, Mrs. Dasco, courtesy of Iridium Delta Metalworks Co. He should have placed in the suggestions box to change the company slogan from “Making the Future Every Day” to “Welcome to Hell! Please sign a waiver when you give us your soul”.
He felt different than he usually did when he came home from his shift, returning home to his apartment complex by foot instead of what meager forms of public transportation Teinar had to offer. But he had to admit, for a society that wanted to escape the evil clutches of an imperialistic, totalitarian government who had better resources, a better military, and better weapons, Teinar had done a pretty good job of taking care of itself. It even had its own share of underground activities that offered excitement to the many refugees that good comfort in the Lower City. And one of those was the famous, or infamous depending on who you ask, Motorail, a chain of bikers who tested their vehicles, whether jet or two-wheeled against one another in circuits. Joining in with that ragtag band was something Jhett secretly dreamed about the first time he ever heard of it.
He entered the two-bit dump he called a home and slumped on the bed only for a moment before realizing that he was about to be late for the Star-Steel Amateurs circuit that started five minutes after hour twenty-four. “Shit,” he cursed under his breathe as he swiftly shifted to the ’fresher, and readied himself for travel. From his earlier estimations it would take him at least two hours to get there, unless he took the speedway.
A few blinding passes and engine kicks later and he was there in the circuit way a mile or so beneath Star-Steel Stadium. Before him were people already gathering on the track, at least ten or fifteen other racers on a riffraff assembly of wheelers. Suddenly he felt his face grow hot, Guess this was a wheeler race after all. Sure the antigrav mechanisms on his own bike made it seem like a hovercraft, but the great wheel in front still concluded it as a wheeled vehicle, didn’t it? Suddenly he heard the name of his bike being called out by a man with a very gruff voice, “Fury?! Num’er thirteen! Fury, num’ber thirteen! Dammit, where the hell!”
“I’m here!” Jhett called back as he leapt off the steel exhaust that served as footrests as well as equal weight-distributors. “Yer late, goddammit! Look the fans are already filin’ into the spectators’ section. Now that I gotcha marked down, get the hell outta my face!” He rolled his eyes and was about to head back to his bike when he saw a small albeit growing crowd around a peculiar looking woman. That is, if a woman with fins could be called that. They seemed giddy and were squealing, girls and guys alike, “Oh look! It’s Makani Oya! Hey, can I have your autograph? I’m such a big fan!”
“What fangirls!” he remarked with apparent distaste and good roll of his eyes.
The man who checked him in called back in his gruff voice, “And why the hell shouldn’t they? That’s Makani Oya, yer talkin’ ‘bout!”
“What’s so special about her?”
“You tellin’ me y’don’t know? I ain’t gotta knock yer face in do I? She’s one o’ the best damn racers we got in the run. Don’t know if she’s racin’ today though; she don’t have the decency to sign up like she oughtta. I—”
“Maybe she just doesn’t like you.”
“Huh! Well, hell! If I had a cred fer everytime I heard that! Don’t give a damn ‘bout that. Thing is though, she’s real good. And if you goin’ ’gainst her, then you best watch out, young blood.”
“Is that so…” Jhett muttered in response as he kept a grim determined look in his eyes as he stared at her for the longest time.
-
Makani didn't normally got to the entrance races. The group she raced with was more exclusive, more secretive. She had started out in these wider races of course. Almost everyone did, if you had a bike you were in. They were also overlooked by the law somewhat, which she didn't find nearly as much fun. The secret circle was a bit more destructive sometimes. Plus it held some not so savory individuals, like herself. but, there were times she showed up to these and this always happened. People all over her ass.
Now Oya's biggest fan was certainly herself, there was no doubt about that. She also thought she certainly deserved to be fawned over. No one could talk her into not thinking that. However sometimes she wondered how it came to this for her. She was grabbing pens and signing autographs for the few people who asked her. Most of them were other drivers trying to ask her about parts and techniques. things that she would never share in a million years.
Then she registered someone saying something about fan girls. She glanced in between the heads of some of the people talking to her. She saw someone staring at the spectacle looking very disgruntled. Someone not happy to see her! Well this had to be remedied, or the person at least fucked with. Makani slid her way out of the crowd of people around her and walked over to the familiar face of the person hosting the race. Though this wasn't referred to as Motorail it was basically the testing ground. The person who ran it knew this and knew Makani pretty well because of that. Makani knew Molly would be here somewhere as well, looking out for people who looked interesting.
The snake eyes woman put and arm on the shoulder of the man in charge and directed him towards the person staring at her with what seemed like lots o misdirected grumpyness.
"Who's the scoundrel trying to ruin my day hmm?" She leaned on the man one leg kicked behind the other so one foot was supporting her. She slid a cigarette pack out of her back pocket with the other hand. As she asked the question she didn't even hide who she was talking about.
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Jhett kept his vigilance as stolid as he’d ever been. He was here to business only and as long as he could stand the heat, he’d stay in the kitchen. He casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves that matched his outfit. He stood tall, back straight, chin perpendicular to the ground, all decked out in leather. The black suit that embraced his body was one of a typical of racer sans the bright colors the other bikers used to make themselves stand out: Reds, hot pinks, ceruleans, yellows, and others laced across their bikes, boots and jackets. It seemed that in a bigger scope he was raven amongst a flock of peacocks.
Jhett settled for what he could afford on his salary, going with a motorcycle jacket that had a double layered lining, the zipper pulled up halfway toward his chest, with a built in shoulder/arm pad on the left arm and a buckle that swept from his right shoulder and was sewn into a fold beneath the right pocket. The pants were only slightly better off, slightly snug in the crotch area and gradually more comfortable down toward the leggings. His boots, which seemed like the military grade type, went up to mid-shin and were buckled there by various clasps horizontally.
A sniffed passed through his nostrils haughtily, as if he didn’t think much of the woman returning the gaze as she pulled out a cigarette and casually placed it to her lips. The man beside her gave Jhett a dirty glare and pulled out a lighter, which he flicked at the end of the cigarette. He pocketed the tiny, silver mechanism before answer, “That there’s some young blood participatin’ in the race. Ain’t got his name but the bike he’s got, name’s…uhh—” He scanned the list in his hand, looking for the most recent check mark, “—here we are. Calls it Fury or somethin’ ’r other.” Still, the red veins popping out of his neck refused to recede as he yelled out to Jhett, “Hey! What’d I say! Get that hunk-a-junk out ont’ the track. Goddamn….what a jackass.”
Jhett scoffed and pivoted on his heels as he stepped toward the Fury, swung a leg over the side and placed each foot onto the exhausts. With a few flips of the switches, he placed his helmet over his head, an old fighter pilot’s helm painted gunmetal black and with a deeply-tinted visor, and grasped the handlebars as the rear antigravs lifted and sent the bike rolling forward slowly on it’s front wheel. It’s ‘go’ mode made the Fury’s front wheel extend it’s shocks and lift the exhausts ten inches from the ground. He gave Makani one more look before he rolled out onto the track.
The host, whose forehead tattoo read “Fluffy”, turned back to Makani and said, “So what odds d’you give the bloods, Mak? An’ why all ’o sudden y’takin’ an interest in the youngsters passin’ through? Shouldn’t you be, oh I don’t know, racin’ with the dogs like Gar or Moll? There ain’t nothing special ‘bout that new one too, don’t even think that Fury fella’s gonna win for shit. I’d sooner throw my money a mile! So whatcha doin’ here anyhow?”
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The reptilian woman couldn't help but grin. Her eyes stayed on the biker as 'Fluffy' lit her cigarette. She always forgot his name so in her mind she called him Fluffy. She breathed the smoke in deep her eyes following the biker as Fluffy told her his bikes name. Fury hmm? Makani just loved a petulant, proud and grumpy attitude, she couldn't help herself, especially when it was wearing black leather. She gave lick of her lips for a moment then put the cigarette back into her mouth. Despite the guy's best efforts he was making points with her.
Fluffy drew her attention back as he continued talking. He always asked her so many questions. Damn, man I'm just one woman. She grinned towards him but really it was at a memory of a line she always told Rupi. Only my bitches light my cigarettes. She considered it very true sometimes. She was sure Fluffy wouldn't mind being her bitch. When the biker gave her one last look she arched a brow and gave a sort of masked flirt with her eyes. maybe he would make a good plaything.
"It's my day off, thought I'd come and scope out the new kids. Gotta keep a tab on my domain right?" She wondered what the black clad biker's odds were. He was obviously here enough for Fluffy to remember him and treat him like dirt, but hadn't been here long enough to get the nicer side of him. Fluffy didn't seem too impressed, though in her opinion he rarely saw potential for Motorail material right off.
"I have to keep an eye out for people to draft, make someone's dream come true." She winked at Fluffy and took another drag on her cigarette as she watched the grumpy rain cloud pull onto the track. The bike didn't look too shabby by any means. She let the smoke slide out of her mouth then blew the rest away. She rubbed her ring finger and her thumb together on her right hand as she held the cigarette obviously still watching him. The predator side of her was showing, when something grabbed her interest it had better watch out.
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All Jhett heard was the rumbling og-log-glog-glog! of the engine beneath him. He was so utterly focused, he only vaguely recalled the words his boss would use to describe his current state of concentration. Something about being “in the zone” or something cheesy like that. All he could think about was one thing: Winning. That’s what he came here to do and that’s just what he was going to do. Even as one of the female racers beside him turned her head, lifted her goggles and sized him up decisively, he merely gave a slight head bob and thought, Competition’s gonna be tough. Maybe I’ll get a drink after I win…
Instead he affixed his eyes on the runway ahead just as an important looking man approached the front of the row of racers. Here we go… The man was built like a brick wall and looked as if he hadn’t shaved in days. His voice was gruff as he said, “Alright, you sons-a-bitches—” Obviously he hadn’t noticed the girl in the middle “—listen up! The first rookie to make the end of the run and back wins. Circuit goes round once like this—” he demonstrated with a swirling motion of his finger. “Give me a clean race, maggots, or all have all your goddamn heads mounted on my wall. Since this is just an amateur circuit, first prize is 350 creds. That’s probably more than any of you bastards make in a month. Joe, get out here.”
Before he knew it, Jhett could feel his heartbeat in his head and the adrenaline pumping even before the starter gun went off. Three… This was is, this was his chance. Two… The moment he’d been waiting for forever. One…
CRACK!
Off went the pistol and he thrust down on the accelerator at full force. The Fury punched forward four bikes behind the start. He came off to a shitty start but he was read to pull out the full potential of his vehicle even as the four wheelers scrambled ahead of him. With a violent shout, the crowd surrounding the riders went off in flurry of screams of excitement, each rooting for their favorite rider (most likely because they’d bet a great deal of credits on them).
He didn’t care about the roar of the crowd. Instead he let the power of the vehicle surge through him. He designed his bike for both durability and speed and he had complete faith that the heap would bring him to victory. He still had to find a way to maneuver passed the other racers in front of him. Dodging left and right, he swept passed two of them when he found an opening, ignoring the slew of curses that were flung out of him in the process.
They rounded the circuit and were on their way back around now but as Jhett fought for second with a biker clad entirely in neon red he noticed a hunk of debris flung at him from out of nowhere. The debris was consisted of a fifty foot steel bar with several pieces of cretesteel slag still attached to it. It rolled toward them at an incredible rate seemingly undodgeable.
“Time to hit that thrust, Jhett,” he said to himself as his thumb jammed hard down on a joystick that caused the rear boosters beneath his seat to push the Fury forward at an angle. With a mighty yank of the handles, Jhett pulled the front wheel up into the air and, combined with the thrust of the antigrav modules, the Fury was sent at least fifteen feet into the air, clearing the rolling debris with ease. He glanced back only once before speeding off. The other biker wasn’t so lucky.
At a steady pace, the Fury reached the rider in first place and a nose-to-nose struggle commenced. His thumb on the thrust wasn’t yet at full strength. As he turned his head toward the racer in first for a split second. It was the chick who’d gave him the once over. As she looked as well she found a free hand to blow a kiss in his direction. He merely grimaced at the action and pressed the thrust lever full force. The Fury jerked forward and pushed passed the female racer without so much as a head butt. Apparently she wasn’t as disgruntled with that as that gave her a chance to peer at his backside.
But the race wasn’t over yet. The woman rode a lean machine that took on little to no drag. This allowed her bike to pull forward with just as much ease as the Fury. They went nose to nose once more, her expert steering allowing her to steer as close to him to make him nervous then drift away before repeating the process again. Shit! She’s trying to make me crash!
Jhett maneuvered the Fury away when she was close and slid deeper into his seat, trying to lose as much drag as possible. Little by little the front wheel of his bike inched ahead of hers and it wasn’t until he saw her eyes furrow together in rage and sheer incredulousness and the ultimate and final cry of the spectators that he realized one thing: he’d won.
Fluffy rushed forward as the Fury slowed from end of the finish line. With eyes wide he said in clear disbelief, “I don’t believe it. The son of a bitch did it. He actually won!”
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Makani watched the race from the sidelines next to 'Fluffy'. She couldn't help but be reminded of her Fi, this Fluffy was a far cry from that one. She sipped on her flask of whiskey and then slid it back into her pocket as they took off. The roar of the cycles gave her that tickle of adrenaline she knew exactly how they felt. Her fingers twitched, aching to wrap themselves around Serpentine. She missed that bike like a lover when it was gone, something completely separate from her but entwined in every way.
She watched Fury go around the track with rapt attention, though somehow she managed to appear disinterested at the same time. He was handling himself very well, especially for a rookie. It was clear he had a drive for this. She bit her lip when the obstacle appeared. She stopped and found herself very surprised that she actually cared about his performance. She shook her head at the big screen and watched him as he continued to move up the ranks.
Lifting the cigarette to her lips again she observe the struggle as he neared his prize. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at who was next to him. She had seen the girl race a few times. She wasn't too bad but not exactly what Makani was looking for in a Motorail racer. However, when the girl started to push against him, she wondered if she had been mistaken about her drive. Her heart rate was rising as she watched the race start to draw to the end. It was the moment of truth just around the corner.
As he pulled forward further she leaned closer to the screen. This was his moment would he fall or rise? The crowd rose out of its seats. There was a sort of hush filled with anticipation that went through them. Makani felt it too. It was like the instant when you realized you were blowing the balloon too full and it was going to burst. Then it popped. The crowd screamed. The underdog had pulled through. She watched Fluffy run forward. The crowd loved an underdog to win, even if sometimes that underdog beat who they bet on.
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This was a dream, it had to be. Everything slowed in his mind as he looked around. The spectators who had watched the heart stopping action had lunged from their seats to surround the victor as he pulled into the ring. They were a volatile mix of crazed excitement, incredulousness, rage, happiness, disappointment, and spontaneity. If they were a bomb, they would surely have exploded. Many of them rushed forward and even more were shouting in anger at having lost their bets. But everything was still surreal to him. He almost didn’t believe it himself. This must have been some sick, chimerical joke. It just had to be.
Jhett pulled up his visor and lifted his helmet when Fury came to a halt, the og-glog-gog indicating the engine was still on. Beneath the heat of his helm, his head had grown hot, effectively catapulting beads of sweat to form on his flesh. A bead rolled down alongside his temple and his chest heaved up and down in an attempt to catch his breath. The hot, rage-like adrenaline that had flooded his veins only seconds before was finally leaving him and he found his muscles throbbing in some places.
Looking around him, at least ten people surrounded him and it wasn’t until one slapped him on the shoulders and exclaimed, “Dude! I can’t believe it! You were amazing out there. You nearly got pummeled and you still won! How do you feel?”
Jhett was momentarily speechless as the notion was beginning to finally sink in. When he found the words, he cleared his throat and said, “I’m fine. I feel good. Never better in my whole life.” He smiled and nodded to the people around him, avoiding the gaze of the female racer who came in second. He saw only for the fraction of a second as she leapt off her bike and rushed towards him.
As he flipped the switches to turn the engine off, the exhausts falling to rest once more and the boosters flaming out, he stepped off, swinging his leg from over the side. She yanked off her helmet, clearly frustrated, and knocked him with it in the shoulder. In anger, she cried, “You fucker! You cheated!”
Fluffy, who stood next to Jhett, was taken aback in disbelief. “Cheated? What the hell ya talkin’ ’bout? Where ya out there at all? That was a clean race.”
“He’s got a glider. Just look at those boosters on the back. The rules say gliders don’t race with wheelers.”
“Didja bother to look at the front at all, missy?” Fluffy replied in some mocking defense. “It’s got a wheel, don’t it? That makes it a wheeler. Now shut the hell up, take the second place prize and get the hell outta here, ‘fore I knock yer face in! Git!” ‘Fluffy’ pointed with his thumb in the direction of her bike. Turning back to Jhett, he grimaced and said grudgingly, “Well, ya did it, kid. Ain’t got a damn clue how, ya did with this piece o’ crap, but ya did. Say, you got a name?”
Jhett’s eyes fell on Makani once more, somehow feeling his first victory will surely show her he’s not just some new blood anymore. He have her a thin-eyed stare, hopefully one that said, ‘I’m not who you think I am.” He didn’t even bother to thank Fluffy for defending him. Instead he just answered, “Name’s Jhett,” while keeping his eyes on Makani the entire time.
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Makani was walking towards the winner and Fluffy from where she had observed the race. She could hear the girl from here screaming at the two of them. Makani retracted the judgment she had made towards the girl earlier. It was admirable to do whatever it took to win, but vicious complaining that wasn't founded was something the Motorail group wouldn't take any of. Gear was probably more mature then this girl. She arrived at the two when the girl was walking away.
Makani watched the girl retreat with thinly veiled amusement. Fluffy wouldn't give in to what she wanted. Makani wondered if the man ever had before letting her complain and look at what she thought was the problem. Some day someone would cheat and no one would pay her any mind. Her eyes moved back to the task at hand. The rider. The guy interested her, she needed to see what his attitude was beyond this first meeting.
The look he gave her as she arrived just made her grin in return her canines showing. It was a threat and an invitation all wrapped up into one expression. Those were always her specialty. She would have to take this kid out for a drink and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She was sure Fluffy would be surprised, maybe even slightly jealous. She would enjoy that emotion.
"Jhett, you have to go out for a drink with me, I won't even make you use your prize money." She scooted Fluffy out of her way a bit as she leaned in to speak over the crowd around them.
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Well, this certainly was a pleasant surprise. Jhett was slightly taken aback by Makani’s sudden decision to come forward. So she wanted to make this more of a contest, eh? He assumed she approached to make something of his victory, perhaps make something of a problem for stealing a bit of her thunder. He was ready anyhow. Now normally he normally wouldn’t fight after such an exhilarating event, and a girl no less, but he wouldn’t mind if it meant taking what was rightfully his.
However, he wasn’t suspecting an invitation to go out. What the hell! He quirked his brows oddly at her, obviously taken aback by her statement. At first he glanced at Fluffy, wondering if the larger fellow would want to knock his face in now, and then back to Makani. He tilted his head up and down, sizing her up effectively. She looked like a strange combination of a serpent and a human woman; it was odd yet morbidly fascinating. After hardening his jaw and raising a brow, he commented, “I guess that’s apart of the prize, then? Where to?”
He ignored Fluffy who crossed his arms over his massive chest and looked incredulously at Makani. A laugh escaped his throat as he mulled over her proposition. Glancing down at her with raised brows, he said, “You’re not serious are you. This guy won one race. What makes ya think he’s good enough to hang with you? He’s nothing but a runt as far as I’m concerned.”
Jhett glared at him with burning eyes, “Am I interrupting something?”
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Fluffy spoke before Makani could get a word in. She rounded on him her back towards Jhett as she looked at Fluffy. She narrowed her eyes at him a look of death in them. It was easy for her to appear intimidating with the snake eyes as she looked at him. She was pretty but in a sort of way that could easily make you think she could kick your ass. And she could. Getting that look normally stopped people in their tracks. Her voice was cold when she spoke.
"Since when have you decided what interests me?" with the rhetorical question out there she turned her back on Fluffy and when she turned back to Jhett her eyes softened slightly. "And also, I'm not part of any prize. I just want to know you Jhett." She gave a mischievous grin. "Plus I want to see your bike, and show you mine. My mechanic requires everyone I ever meet in my entire life that Serpentine is introduced as a part of me."
She walked closer to him a hand on his arm, she gave a glance back to Fluffy then looked at Jhett her eyes much softer.
"Ready for the ride?"
-
Jhett didn’t believe he was coming between anything that happened between Fluffy and this Makani Oya chick. From his perspective, Fluffy was too much of a dickhead to be anything but repellant. Of course, there was the small matte of him sticking up for Jhett against the accusations made by the female racer. But Jhett was more than willing to hold a grudge against anyone who had a problem with him. And, from the way the giant of a man glared down at him, he guessed the feeling was rather mutual.
Maybe it wasn’t the fact that Jhett was walking away with a chance meeting with a well-known racer after his not so impressive victory that bugged Fluffy so much. It seemed more like the fact that he felt Jhett wasn’t the material he wanted handing around a respected racer like Makani. He would have talked back to her but the mad dog look she shot at him was reason enough to keep his mouth shut.
In any case, seeing that Fluffy was at bay to protest, Jhett raised his brows to the both of them, stepped back onto his bike and nodded to Makani. His eyes turned to stone as he said with an ice-laden voice, “I was born ready.”
Fluffy, knowing there was nothing else he could do to keep him away from her, reached for a credit chip from the announcer who was near him and said as he tossed it to Jhett, “Hey, new blood! Don’t ferget yer prize…”
Jhett caught the credit chip with one gloved hand and put it to his face to scrutinize it. The digital marker on it confirmed that there was indeed 350 credits on it. He regarded Fluffy with a minor nod and said to Makani, “Let’s go.”
-
Oh, to think Fluffy believed he could stop her from doing anything. Silly man, what Makani had he met? She gave an icy smile when she heard the cold tone of Jhett's voice. Oh how could she resist something like that to toy with. Hopefully he would loosen up when Fluffy wasn't breathing down their necks. She wiggled her fingers and Fluffy and sashayed toward where Serpentine was laying in wait.
She walked over to her girl and ran her hands along the shiny dark metal. In the low light off to the side it looked like a dark shiny beast laying in wait. Her hands slid with ease over the slick metal.
"I missed you too baby." She stood up and pulled on a pair of leather gloves. They had a hole that showed the top of her hand. She used them when she was racing sometimes or just when she felt like feeling fancy. She loved the feel of the leather against her fingers. She swung a leg over the side of the bike moving the helmet to sit between her legs. She cranked the key in the ignition and the car lit up like a runway. The light green and yellow lights gave Makani and eerie sort of glow.
She wheeled it over to Jhett with a grin apparent on her face. She felt whole again.
"And this, is Serpentine." She revved the bike at him. She wondered if he had even seen her before. He obviously didn't know Makani. Serpentine was Makani and Rupi's pride and joy. Hopefully his attitude would adjust properly in the presence of god like wheels.
"Now Gravitation," she stopped for effect. "is the destination. Think you can keep up?" A canine showing smile and a flick of her tongue in his direction followed. She slid on her helmet and revving it one last time looking at him and blowing Fluffy a kiss before shooting off through a space in the crowd.
-
He couldn’t help himself, really. A scoffing laugh escaped his throat in reaction to the expression on Fluffy’s face. It was priceless ad though he wasn’t one to gloat too much unless he was sure of himself but the mere fact that such a powerful looking man was cut short by a much smaller woman made him laugh on the inside. There was nothing quite like making giants fall.
When Makani departed, Jhett took that moment to rev-up the engine of his bike, the front wheel extending, the exhausts lifting from the ground, and the boosters in the rear giving the bike its glide. The bike rolled forward a little, elbowing a gap in the crowd as her bike rolled near his. “Nice hunk-a-wheels,” he said with a genuine grin. “Maybe I can take a look at it later, if you don’t mind.”
He let her get a head of him, ignoring the icy glances of Fluffy as he moved to the side. “Keep up? Did you not see me win just now?” He shook his head as he placed his helmet on and hit the accelerator when she took off. The og-glog-log of the engine beneath him moved through him as he glided along side her. This proved to be a very interesting night so far and he was a little tired. For a moment he was thankful she offered him a drink, he sure could use one.
-
Makani wished she could have seen Fluffy's face when she took off but the laugh behind her told her all she needed to know. However then Jhett performed a travesty he may not have even been aware of.
Hunk-a-wheels?!!!
She hissed behind her helmet as she pushed Serpentine harder and faster. She was cutting turns and blowing up dirt as she blasted past. If someone looked out their window the only thing they could see would most likely be streaks of light. If only Rupi had heard what Jhett had called Serpentine. The beautiful goddess of bikes. She tightened her thighs around the bike for a minute feeling the rumble go through the skin.
She pulled into the Gravitation parking lot. The crowd from after the race was just starting to arrive. People proclaiming the tale of the new racer who won all. She rolled her eyes. People came and went in the Motorail scene like they were extra in a bad action movie. They'd be talking about someone else next week. Unless her feeling about Jhett was right, that there was something to this new guy.
She slid the helmet off of her head attaching it to her bike. She gave Serpentine a pet like she was a horse and smiled to herself. Good girl. Then she looked around for Jhett.
-
Through a zigzag of streets and paths they zipped in a blinding motion of lights. The pyrotech city lights barely had a second to reflect their lights down on them; that was just how fast they moved.
Jhett followed her lead closely, but not close enough to make it seem like all he wanted was to be right on her ass. He let her swerve in front of him, or maybe it was just him cruising, and smirked at how quickly her wheels were moving under her. Serpentine truly was a machine to marvel at and, if she let him take a look at it later, maybe he’d be even more impressed to say that it was better than his own. But he wasn’t ready to switch the mantle just yet; after all, he’d worked on Fury. He’d put his sweat, effort, and sometimes blood into the machine just to make it the beast it was right now.
He didn’t know the secrets behind her ride or if it should be the sole vehicle in which to receive his awe, but whatever the case, he wasn’t ready to give up on Fury just yet. Every bike was different and special in their own way. He respected the ones that could get results and the hell with the ones that couldn’t win for shit. And right now, his respect certainly extended to Serpentine, in at least some part.
Jhett, without the aid of superhuman hearing, was ignorant to the fact that he’d pissed her off. He played with the steering on his bike while keeping the throttle ignited. He stayed on course with her and didn’t even put in the full power of his bike. After all, he was following her, not racing her.
Soon they pulled into the lot for a club called Gravitation. It was strange on the outside and certainly no place he’d ever seen before. But then again, he didn’t get out much. He was either working or sleeping. There was hardly room for anything else, let alone clubbing. It was amazing that he even had time to make it to the race. But whatever the excuse, he was here now and was going to have a chat with the magnificent Makani Oya. He still didn’t know exactly what this was about other than the fact that he was up to having a couple of drinks with her.
He rolled into the lot alongside her and removed his helmet once the bike settled. He looked to Makani with swirling, curious eyes. “This the place, eh? Nice joint, looks like. My guess is you come here often?”
[sorry for taking so long!]
-
She crossed her arms as she turned to see him pulling up very shortly after he did. Her blue nailed finger was tapping against her arm but she couldn't help a small upturning of her lips.
Not bad at all.
She watched him slide his helmet off and uncrossed her arms with a wider smile. She held her arms up pointing to the club.
"Oh Gravitation..." She said it like she was saying a lover's name. "It's like a home away from home." She turned back to him, her hands sliding into a pointing motion as she started to head backwards. "And if you impress me, you'll see a lot more of it." She actually showed teeth with her smile that time and spun around beckoning him to follow her into her domain over her shoulder.
She came up to the bouncer passing over a few bucks for the two of them. She always paid when she could, they would let her in for free, but she hated to feel like she might owe someone something, plus these were her friends, they didn't owe her anything. She patted the bouncer's hand and turned to make sure Jhett was still with her. She had just hit a big race anyway, one off the regular circuit, and bunch of big mouthed men...well boys, who got their asses burned off. She had walked out with a lot of money. Funds that Rupi didn't really know about so she could get away with not having to buy a new part right off this time.
Gravitation had a very different feel than the race track once they had gone through the doors. It wasn't filled with fans, it was filled with close friends. People who knew Makani, knew who she was passed the way she rode Serpentine. Of course there were people who didn't know her or came to find her here. Mostly though, it was just...home. She let out a long breath and her shoulders visibly relaxed.
"So, main room or one off to the back?" she turned around to Jhett her eyes searching his face for his reaction to the place.
-
Jhett perked a brow when she spoke of the club’s name. He didn’t think much of it, at least not at this moment, and figured the name suited the club since virtually all of Teinar was underground. It was a good match in his mind.
He shot a glance at her and offered a wry grin. “I’ll be looking forward to that.” And he followed her towards the back entrance with a look of curious about him. Because this was one of the first times he had actually found time to go to a local club, he wondered for a moment why they were heading toward the back instead of going in through the front. But he understood that Makani was someone of prestige, someone to have connections with if he wanted to be in with this crowd, and therefore someone to not be questioned unless he considered otherwise. Besides the main entrance was getting far too crowded for his tastes; the back way was as good as the front so long as it got you to the same place.
There was heat guarding the back, a squat man whom quickly let Makani inside when she passed him a tip. Jhett blinked in vague surprise. Well this was easier than expected. He didn’t know who the man was, other than he was a bouncer, or his relationship to the racer but he suddenly realized he was now in a place where all the racers here were connected. Common rivals and friends alike who all fell into the same hole to associate with one another. Reminded him of when he was offered to go drink with his coworkers when he’d get off of work. He always refused but he knew that it was common for likeminded individuals to gather together. Birds of a feather burned together.
He followed her inside, a little confused when the bouncer gave him nothing more than a side glance and let him inside. He looked around, tossing his eyes from wall to wall, room to room, person to person, and raised his brows in fascination. Though his face barely presented such emotions (his eyes were another story), on the inside he was thinking this place definitely could be home. And when he shot a look back at Makani when she asked him a question, he figured this was her comfort zone.
“One in the back; I don’t like crowds,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and rubbing a gloved hand through his hair, removing a strand that fell in his face. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, waiting for her to lead the way.
-
Canines showed as she smiled, a dreamy sort of look in her eye. She put a hand on Jhett's arm right above his elbow and pulled him a long behind her. She touched someone every so often a stroke across their back and a smile as they turned to see who it was. Just little touches like that sometimes on their arms, across skin. A hand through their hair. Makani was in love with body language, that minimal contact that issued such a response, it told you so much about the person you were interacting with. She wondered what it told people about her.
Approaching the bar she put some money down. There was a girl behind the bar tonight, she looked new and sort of nervous. She had purple layered hair that moved every time she did. The only characteristic Makani could think to call it was spunky. The girl had several silver rings on her fingers and a blush crossing her cheeks. A pink spaghetti strap shirt stood out against her tan skin.
"Don't worry dear I'm gonna make my order easy for you." The girl sort of recognized Makani, after all she was a regular, and in this bar normally people were forewarned that she might come in if they were new. Makani didn't let it get to her head too bad, or at least didn't let it affect her attitude....not too often anyway.
"I want a bottle of whiskey, hope you have some extra, and a pitcher of cola. And one of my backrooms." She turned back around to face Jhett that same flirtacious lazy smile on her lips. "What would you like from the bar. Remember I'm paying."
-
He raised an intrigued and curious brow at her act of placing her hand on him. He wasn’t one to constantly be touched, given that he was always busy and didn’t spend much time around people. In addition, his work and attitude didn’t allot him much time for a girlfriend. If he didn’t know any better, he would have suspected that she was hitting on him. He merely gave a trying grin that quickly faded into his dark visage and his eyes glittered in the lighting.
Which may as well have been the case, but in any circumstance he allowed her to lead to the bar. This was an interesting place with different racers mingling with one another and plenty more of them just relaxing alone, no doubt blowing off some steam. It was a mesmerizing experience and it was almost as if he was dreaming the whole thing up. But when he looked at the bartender, who couldn’t be more obviously new, he knew that he wasn’t. He needed a drink and thought of downing a good strong one to relax after his first race.
When he heard her order her drink with such ease and assurance, he couldn’t help but smile at her with great amazement. “That’s a strong drink. I like a woman with a steel-liver.” He smirked again and nodded to the novice bartender, “Mine’s a cinch, too. Gimme your strongest bourbon. Straight. None of that fancy stuff.” He then turned to Makani and grinned wryly, “I’m not gonna have to pay you back sometime in the future, am I?”
-
Makani lifted her head up putting her thumbs behind imaginary lapels and looked pleased with herself when he complimented her. She loved when people realized what a good quality that was. It always made her so much more fun. It was also excellent of him to realize how wonderful she was, as he should. She grinned as he ordered his drink and dropped her hands from her shirt. Good drink choice from him as well, none of that sissy stuff. The bartender turned and started to look for their drinks. Makani watched the woman's ass for a minute until Jhett spoke to her.
A very mischievous smile played on her lip and a brow rose slowly as he asked her a question. She took a step towards him slowly like she was moving towards the bar.
"It all depends on if you get lucky doesn't it?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye a slight smirk playing on her lips one canine showing. The bartender came back with his glass and Makani's bottle of whiskey. A glass was turned upside down on top of it and a pitcher of Cola next to it. She nodded at the bartender and reached into her back pocket pulling out a little book of some kind. She pressed a button and handed the girl a card and the money she already had in her hand.
"In case you ever end up interested in coming to Motorail sometime. I'll get the good seats for you. Anyone who gets me my whiskey that fast is an angel." The purple haired girl beamed at Makani, who only gave a slow smile back.
"You're regular room is waiting as well." Makani nodded and saluted the girl with two fingers briefly as she picked up the bottle, then turned towards Jhett.
"A manly man like you mind carrying my pitcher for me?" She scooted it his way on the counter closer to his drink. "That way I may lead the way more easily."
-
He was quite the simple man. There wasn’t any need for him get any other drink. If he didn’t feel like getting drunk as quickly as possible, or at least wasting away the hours until he would go home, he would have ordered a simple beer. The bourbon, when it reached him, had that familiar smell that he liked when he wanted a good strong drink. And by the looks of her whiskey, Makani wasn’t afraid of a challenge.
This was good and he smiled inwardly at the fact. Maybe there would be use for such knowledge later. Right now, he nodded and replied, “That depends on what you mean by ‘lucky’.”
Jhett smiled at the bartender when she marveled at the offer to go to Motorail. Nodding, he said, “Yup. And be sure to be there when I make it to the big circuits. Those are victories you won’t want to miss.”
But he quickly raised a brow when she spoke to him and his face became stone serious. She wanted to him carry her stuff for her? Was this what this was all about, now? Highly unlikely, but possible. He was sure people, especially well known women like Makani, wouldn’t just call on someone else just to have them do stuff for them. Especially when they could do it themselves. She was trying to stroke his ego, he could tell. But he would do it, if only because it was harmless task. He shrugged, picked up the pitcher in one hand and his drink in another before crossing over and jerking his head in another direction, “Lead on.”
-
The serpent gave a laugh when he said something about his victories. In a way, if he won though they would be her victories as well. As long as she wasn't racing of course, then she would have to smoke him. Which worked perfectly well for her. After all, just because you lead somebody in doesn't mean you had to go soft on them. She normally did the opposite and raced that much harder against her inductees. How else would they learn anything?
She watched him not allowing the smile to show on her lips when his face went so serious. That little twitch of a brow said so much, she wondered what he was thinking as he did it. She always liked getting people to do little things for her. This time it was actually sort of needed though well in a way. She could have gotten him to just open the door but no matter. She liked it better this way in the long run anyway! She pushed her hair back over her shoulders and lead the way to the back.
Her hands were touching people again on the way through, briefly saying 'Hey,' and anything else that was connected to them.
"Nice race the other day Mack," she wrapped her free arm around a brown haired boys neck loosely. "You should really have Rupi take a look at the bike though, she'll give ya a heads up on that thruster." The boy grinned widely and rubbed her arm before she took off again away from him. Without stopping, at least not that many times, she lead the way back to her normal room. Taking out a wallet attached to a small chain she slid a card out with her fingers, balancing the whiskey bottle in the crook of her arm. Swiping the card the door slid open.
"Welcome to the Maki Suite." She swung a hand presenting it then went inside setting the bottle of whiskey down on the table in the middle. It was the same room she normally arranged the Motorail after parties to be in. Jhett was seeing a piece of Motorail he normally wouldn't get to see yet. She'd have to make sure he was properly thankful. She didn't share this room with a racer unless they had potential...or they were on her 'to bone' list.
The room had a very hookah bar sort of feel. The walls were covered in fabric that hung down in folds in some places. The table in the middle was circular as was the big couch around it the only space was to allow you to walk into the room. Most of it was a dark purple and black color, it felt sort of like you went to get your fortune read, and the lady just told you to go drink, you didn't want to know.
She turned around to see Jhett's reaction hoping for the best. As she did she reached for her cigarette packs and slid them out of her pockets.
-
The owner sure knows how to fix the place up, he thought with an inner smile. So much so that it was almost too fancy for him. He grew up on the streets, and sometimes even the streets had its glam. But even as he grew up, he never saw it; no nightclubs or biker hang outs, no hookah bars or drug joints for him. Just grime and dirt and sweat and death. It was one thing to be middle-class and stuck there forever till you were pushing up genetically-enchanced biomechanical daisies when you were old and gray, and quite another to be just barely pushing middle class and kicking the bucket of radioactive waste when you were barely more than thirty.
But the darkness of this place, even for all the semi-fancy fabrics and lighting, it was nice in his mind. It made him wonder just what kind of person the owner was and just how much synthsense he had to smoke to come up with a club like Gravitation. It was a great club, without a sense of a doubt, but Jhett was starting to wonder what he was doing here in the first place other than the fact that Makani had practically dragged him here. He would never come to a place like this on his own that was for sure and he was starting to have serious doubts that he was going to fit in.
His face, however, expressed no shadow of doubt and he grinned sardonically as his eyes swept across the room. “Nice place,” he said when he stepped in, holding each of the drinks firmly in both hands. Without being told he set her pitcher down on the round table and stood, clutching his bourbon in hand while he stuffed a hand in one of his pockets. He made a face slightly when the action caused him some minor discomfort; these pants were a little snugger than he thought. He’d have to get to remember to get them resized later by a professional since he wasn’t much of a seamstress himself.
He jerked his head in her direction as he spotted her pull out a cigarette. “Hey, could I get one of those?”
-
She watched him look around the room, there was no real trace of discomfort or disgust. He just looked like he was enjoying himself. Her smile was showing in her eyes as she slid two cigarettes out of the pack and place them between her lips lighting them. The orange flame shone against her face. She moved closer to hand him one.
"I don't mind sharing." She sat down and started to mix herself a drink pulling the Whiskey and Cola towards her. Setting the cup on the table she poured mostly Whiskey and a little bit of Cola. She stirred it with her long finger then looked up at him and sucked the sticky off of it. She lifted the cigarette to her mouth taking a long drag from the cig. She wrapped her fingers around her glass they pushed aside some of the perspiration on the glass and she took a long drink. "Oh that's good.
She grabbed the other pack off of the table this one was a metal looking container. She slid a baggy out of it with two fingers and smiled at Jhett. This was Garrett's prized plant. She was in love with this plant. If it was a person she would...well it shouldn't really be mentioned. It's far too graphic.
"Do you smoke anything else?" She patted next to her and grinned, or tried to with the cigarette hanging from her lips. She took in between two fingers ashed it on the floor then made eye contact with him. "Now, tell me about yourself."
-
Like the serpent that she resembled, Jhett nearly marveled at how snake-like she moved. Smooth and slithering, as sensuous as she seemed cunning. To be frank, it was a bit a of turn on. But for now, he only wanted a drink and a moment to relax. “Thanks,” he said when he took the cigarette from her hand and then he tossed the bourbon back into his mouth, taking a succulent sip from the container. He made a pleased face when the warmth of the liquid scorched down his throat, the sting of it indicating it was aged to perfection. “Damn good,” he agreed and nodded to her.
He let the cigarette burn in his hand for a bit before taking a seat beside her as indicated. Then he leaned back, spreading his legs out comfortably and taking a few puffs from the cigarette. This position was much better than standing. “Oh, I smoke a bit of synth here and there. A rare plant. Looks a bit like that.” He pointed to her baggy. “’Cept its got a bluish hue to it.”
He grinned a took another drag, this time letting the sensation relax him. “But I prefer this—” He waved the bourbon around. “It’s a great buddy to have after a long day. Which are most days if you work ten hour shifts like I do. I’m an Engineer. I make parts for starships and construction at Iridium Delta Metalworks Co. The pay ain’t great, surely not for the work I do, but I get by, I guess.
“Sure as hell is better than scrambling around for food in the slums of Aedolis when I was a kid. My cousin was able to smuggle me through though and I’ve been livin’ here for about fourteen years. And as you already know, I’m just getting into the circuits.” He took another sip of the bourbon before asking for himself, “What about you? What’s your story?”
-
She had taken an amount of the plant, or Kettle as Garrett liked to call it.
What a strange boy. She couldn't help but smile just slightly to herself as she thought about him though. Makani was picking out the seeds and stems from the small pile and moving like a scientist as she did so. The serpent still looked over her shoulder now and then as he spoke still paying attention. He certainly sounded like someone she could get along with very...
From Aedolis?! She shivered just from hearing the name. That may have been the Military training when she was younger, or maybe genuine unease, but it was just a gut reaction she couldn't help. Her eyes were on him and not moving then. It was odd just to know someone had been in both places. There were times she had wondered about what it would be like to live above ground, in a completely different sort of place.
Leaning back and stretching as she stopped her work for a minute, then she ashed on the floor and took a drink. As he asked what her story was a sort of laugh escaped her, but it had no real humor in it, there was only a tired sort of feeling that came with it.
"Well you certainly have a story." an inhale of a cigarette and her hands were busy again. "I don't have much of a history I suppose. At least nothing momentous like that." She grinned at him over her shoulder then looked back at her hands. She was completely focused on what she was doing. Trying hard not to reveal too much as she spoke.
"I'm a waitress during the day and high speed racer at night." She chuckled and slid some papers out of the same container when she finished her excavation. "Sometimes I throw dealing into the mix." She pointed at the small pile on the table and started to put some of the plant on the small paper. "I was on the streets for awhile too." A sort of loaded pause. "It's a hell of a way to learn how to be a kid isn't it?" She didn't look at him when she asked though. Makani having a sentimental moment? It was rather rare and having to make eye contact was out of the question.
When she did turn she was ready to diffuse any deep conversations that might occur before she got lost in the smoke and drink.
"I'm a fan of mixing vices." She held the joint between two fingers looking at him. "What about you?" She arched a brow and ashed her cigarette with the other hand.
Sometimes even she didn't realize when she changed conversation to avoid topics.
-
Jhett was so relaxed now he could hardly care about what he needed to do the following day, having to work ten hour shifts at some gods-forsaken dead-end job that paid the rats more than it paid the engineers. He was sitting, chilling, and smoking a cigarette in some back room and though the smell of the burning plant was getting to his head (and he wasn’t even smoking it), a hazy fog growing thick into the atmosphere, he couldn’t help but just lay back and reassert his senses. He couldn’t allow himself to fall asleep just yet, especially not here. Even though his pants were too tight, that didn’t excuse the fact that he still might get robbed.
Hands down, Jhett had learned not to trust anyone, not even his closest family. Even though his closest family was still in Aedolis. Slowly he started to think about his cousin…then his dad…and then other various events and wondered just as to how he ended up here. Oh yeah, he’d just one a race didn’t he? Or was that her…. Hm…who was she again? Oh yeah! That Oya chick…. Hardly mattered.
Jhett faded in and out and it was apparent that he was loosing it really quick. He dashed out his cigarette on the table, uncaring if he actually missed the ashtray and merely nodded to her in response to her question. “Oh yeah. It is. Especially when you’re getting your ass kicked left and right. You ever been in a fight? I mean like a really good one where you’re gettin’ the shit knocked out of you but you know….inside you know you can win. So you just wail on the other guy until not even his own mother can recognize his face… That happened to me not too long ago… last week I think it was.”
“I don’t need more than one vice. And I got my fixation on racin’. Ain’t nothing gonna distract me from my one goal, winning. But if you mean like smoking, then the answer is still no. I like my liquor. None of that fancy business. Just a few shots, a few smokes and I can sleep just fine. You gonna smoke all of that, right now?”
[After so long, and it's STILL a fail post! I suck! ><]
-
"Oh God fighting," The way she said it made it sound like she longed for it. She laughed afterwards. "I had to learn to fight the way I grew up." She listened to him talk about beating the pulp out of someone and grinned while taking a long hit from the joint. She remembered so many different situations she had to fight her way out of when she was younger. Teinar may have been better than Aedolis but it still wasn't perfect.
"I love that moment..." She sat up starting to get really excited about what she was going to say "...when the other person realizes that they've lost. Either you've held back to trick them or some sort of moment flips the sides," She placed the cigarette in her mouth and snapped her fingers to represent it, "...and they see that they're going down, probably with a few broken limbs." She smiled letting some smoke out of her mouth.
"Ah well I have my vices and they have me." She said it in a sing song voice, but really it was her way of admitting addiction. She'd never say it out loud. Especially not to someone she had just met but her mind was loaded with those little half truths and outright lies to tell people.
She glanced at the joint when he asked her about it. She shrugged.
"If you're not sharin' I might not finish it, or if we have more exciting things planned. Takes a bit of this stuff to really effect me anymore." She leaned forward snubbing the joint in the ashtray. "Maybe I'll wait a little while. Sounds like a need to keep on my feet around you." She grinned at him and toasted her drink towards him after picking it up. She took a long gulp out of it. The dry feeling in her throat was burned away. That felt much better.
-
Yes, he was very out of it. Jhett shook his head fiercely, dashing away the lethargy that hung heavy on his eyes. Damn! Maybe he needed to get home now. There was still so much to do tomorrow; rarely did he ever get a day off. First he needed to deal with that bitch boss of his, maybe smack her around a little, fix up the mods of his bike, then look out for more…Ugh, all this was going to exhaust him if he wasn’t careful. This small talk was starting become a waste of his time.
Jhett, after rubbing his face and fighting the euphoria hanging heavy on the air, glanced at her and suddenly found her only slightly less attractive than he did at first, which was hardly at all to begin with. What was he doing here? Was this a way of getting in to that inner circle and making all the right connections? What did she have in mind? He narrowed his eyes at her, curious and simultaneously suspicious. Along his lips he formed a small snarl, before tossing back the rest of his own drink, the liquor singing his throat in the process and making his hands suddenly steam.
“Speaking of smashing some heads in, I think I’d like to do that on my next race…and maybe a few at work.” He paused for a moment was about to stand when he suddenly considered what she said. “Wait a minute, what do you mean ‘you need to keep on your feet around me?’ What are you trying to say?” He hoped he wouldn’t have to take that personally and then, subsequently, take it out on her face.
-
"Oh whoa sir." Makani's eyes fell into slits as she looked at him. "I didn't mean to offend. Was just a joke." She sighed at the end of her sentence. That was the problem with some people, took everything so personally. She shook her head and leaned forward picking up her drink and knocking a large portion of it back. She rose out of that with a smile on her face looking at him.
"You know, you should maybe try to take things less personally." She lit another cigarette and slid the joint into the pack where the cigarette had been. She took a long hit and leaned back putting her teeth up on the table and let it all out.
"I think it will improve that disposition."
-
He didn’t take it personally at first, but he was starting to become very irritated, by her craftiness in dodging his question. He vented his anger in various things, mostly in work or out on his bike, or a few people who’d been cross with him on the street. Jhett narrowed his eyes a little and set his lips, frowning wryly, yet there was something there that hinted at a suppressed smirk.
He hovered over her now, leaning in and placing both of his hands on the back of the couch on either side of her shoulders and looked at her intently. “I wasn’t offended,” he said coldly. His hands were growing hotter though whether that was from anger or suppressed bodily urges, he couldn’t tell.
The took the cigarette from her lips and took a great puff of it, blowing the smoke off to the side, before handing it back to her. “All I wanted to know was what you meant by it. Why would you have to keep on your toes around me?”
-
She might have twitched a little when his hands came to rest on the couch behind her and then he took her cigarette. Only a little though. It wasn't that he scared her at all. That would just be silly. She was so used to dancing around things with people, flirting without really meaning much of anything that when someone wanted her to be upfront it was one of the hardest things to do. She took a drag on the cigarette when he handed it back.
"You seem to be aggressive, that's all I meant." She played with the cigarette in her hands rolling it up and down her fingers as she looked up at him. Now he had her all twitchy...and kind of excited, most people didn't confront her. They took her word for fact. She liked it that way...but a challenge was a challenge and she loved those.
"You're different than anyone I've met." She said with genuine honesty. "You don't take shit...even mine. I kinda like that."