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Post by recluse on Sept 30, 2006 11:32:38 GMT -5
Rolling her eyes at Dom, Gracie shook her head.
"Yeah, but I wouldn't want any of the rest of them to take me home."
After their quick toast, she took his money with a smile and headed over to speak to her girl about a dance.
Who was more than happy to oblige. Apparently she preferred dancing for girls. Recluse kept her smile reasonably small - she didn't want to find out how the chick felt about mutie girls if she didn't have to.
After a fantastic lap dance from Erica, and a whispered suggestion that made Gracie smile broadly but have to decline sadly, the young woman returned to the bar to finish her beer and wait for the boys.
She got a smile from a cute blonde barmaid, who had as many tattoos as she did, but Recluse didn't bother striking up a conversation. They'd be on the road soon enough, so there was no point getting started with something that she couldn't finish.
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Post by avalanche on Sept 30, 2006 11:43:57 GMT -5
Dom's dance wasn't particularly exuberant, but good enough for him to find it enjoyable. As he suspected, the girl loved her job, and delivered a show - she just stayed a bit too far away for his tastes.
So he came back in an almost ho-hum mood, but in decent enough spirits to not actually be glum. He ordered another beer, and shot the shit with Gracie about old times while waiting for Lucas.
He caught the big man entering the way he exited, and nodded to Gracie.
"Alright... time to hit the road."
Tipping the waitress who was serving them, the two left the club.
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Post by impact on Sept 30, 2006 11:52:06 GMT -5
Slipping out onto the freeway at an inconspicuous speed, Lucas held the car lighter to the end of his cigarette, the red hot coil illuminating his face for a moment.
He turned on the radio and fiddled with the station until he found the only hard rock deejay he didn't want to seriously maim. He said nothing to his passengers, keeping a thick fingered grip on the steering wheel with one hand.
Soon enough they were travelling in the space between the part of the city known for its poverty, and the part of the island known for its wealth. Lucas chain smoked and stayed quiet, a subtle frown growing slowly on his brow.
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Post by recluse on Sept 30, 2006 12:09:36 GMT -5
After Dom's conversation with Sparky, the trio got into Lucas' car and Gracie ended up picking her fingernails in the back seat while the driver fiddled with the stereo.
It was really quite boring - she could think of much better things to be doing right now (one of which was the cute stripper Erica, but she didn't bother mentioning that). Being stuck in the back seat of a car that contained a silent Lucas James wasn't really her idea of a fun night, but at least she'd gotten to have a couple of beers first.
Things can always be worse.
She rubbed idly at her arm as she stared out the window - thankfully all of the hairs had already dislodged and wouldn't be back until after she got some shut eye, because she didn't really think that it was the best place to be letting them circulate.
Fiddling around in her bag for a moment, Recluse found an eyeliner pencil and started drawing the next stage of her left sleeve, just for planning. She couldn't quite reach all the way around, but what she had was looking pretty good - some basic flames and the like. Went well with her rather large permanent obscenities.
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Post by avalanche on Sept 30, 2006 12:18:51 GMT -5
For his part, Dom chose to take the oppurtunity of the long, relatively boring trip and get some of the rest he still so longed for since the earlier job.
Reclining his seat a bit, he laid his head back and closed his eyes... mostly. He could only get so relaxed around Lucas, and knew enough to keep at least a partial awareness around the man.
Still... if Lucas had evil intentions, couldn't he have made his move by now? Maybe somehow word got around about Avalanche's new powers? He doubted it, as it was a fairly tight-lipped secret.
Ultimately, he hoped to get this layover done with and be on the plane to wherever the hell it was Sparks was keeping his crew.
Oh well, maybe this stay will give him a better chance to get to know Luke... see what pushed his buttons, and what was motivating him.
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Post by impact on Sept 30, 2006 23:29:22 GMT -5
It took them about an hour to get from Queens to Jamesport, stopping only briefly at a 7-Eleven where Lucas picked up twenty cartons of Marlboros, tossed a good amount of food haphazardly into bags and the latest issue of Playboy, grumbling "I hate that Pam Anderson broad.." as he tossed the issue on the counter. The bags went in the trunk and they were on their way once more.
As they entered the rather posh Mattock neighborhood Luke was glad he'd grabbed the Altima and not one of the more trashed cars on Sam's lot.
They pulled into the drive of a beige and white newly built home, its outside lights shining bright in the relatively dark neighborhood. The mini blinds were closed but they could see their were lights on within.
Without saying anything, Lucas shut the car off and got out, walked up to the door. He pulled a key on a chain over his head and unlocked the door, going inside and leaving the door hanging open for them to follow.
The place was virtually empty, pure white walls and beige carpetting undisturbed in almost every room except the main living area- where a white leather loveseat sat partnered with an immense flat screen television, an XBox tossed on the floor, controllers snaking out in either direction. A few DVDs were stacked on top of a small player. Otherwise, the place looked deserted.
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Post by avalanche on Sept 30, 2006 23:36:45 GMT -5
Dom was generally the kind of guy who kept a close reign on his diet. He ate right to maintain the physique he wanted, which he was more than glad for given the athletic nature of the "earth vaulting" he'd done with his powers. It required great body strength and balance, as well as a hell of a lot of coordination.
Still, he was drained from the job earlier (since he still wasn't running on eight hours of sleep,) so he munched on a Snickers bar as they entered the house.
He took a look around as they entered. "Damn, Lucas. I think I'm completely speechless. There's a movie this reminds me of... shit, what was it?"
He thought for a second before it struck him. "Yeah, Beverly Hills Cop 2... or was it 3? Tell me, you don't actually own this house do you?"
The loveseat was particularly upsetting. Three of them, and two spots to sit. He wasn't planning on parking it next to the big guy, so he expected he and Recluse would likely sit on the floor.
The thought of Recluse sitting next to Luke didn't upset him in a jealous way... but upset him none the less. Something about the idea of them being close. He didn't like it.
Not that he thought they'd ever be close. Far from it.
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Post by recluse on Oct 1, 2006 1:06:09 GMT -5
The last one to enter the house, Recluse found herself wondering how the hell Lucas had gotten himself into a place like this. Not to mention why he hadn't actually put any furniture in the place - except for the living room. Dom's rambling about movies was like a commentary to her thoughts, except that she continued by wondering how he planned on getting the expensive shit out when it was time to split. Not that she thought he'd payed for them or anything.
When Dom didn't take the seat, Gracie shrugged and plonked herself down on the white leather. The carpet looked plush enough, sure, but she wasn't tired enough to fall asleep yet, and she didn't particularly fancy the idea of sitting on the floor for hours. She didn't have a big enough ass for it to be comfortable for very long.
And it wasn't like she was worried about sitting next to Dangerwang - he was pretty enough, but she suspected that she wasn't his type, and she didn't find herself particularly interested in him. Just cause it was a loveseat didn't mean there was bound to be lovin' from sitting together, either. Two people could share a chair without anything coming of it. Two people could share a bed without anything coming of it, as evidenced by her and Dom last night.
The dream still made her shudder, though.
Slipping her shoes off, Recluse pulled one knee up to her chest and leant back into the corner of the chair. Her eyes flicked over to Lucas - and her mind started wondering if his mutation even let him get any play.
Not that it mattered. 'Cause she wasn't interested. At all.
Yeah, this was going to be an interesting road trip.
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Post by impact on Oct 1, 2006 1:13:21 GMT -5
Lucas dropped the two sacks of cigarettes and threw the third of food in the fridge, three Coronas dangling from his knuckles as he came out. He handed one to each of them before opening his.
"Nah. It's a safe house for Ricky Bambura." The rather notorious Italian was definitely set enough to have a place like this as a 'summer home'. But Luke's relationship with the mobster was anyone's guess.
Luke looked at Gracie flopped on the couch, rolling beer over his tongue. She was a sharp girl. So were those teeth. He could see himself with a chick like that... if she weren't so into pussy. Fucking lesbians.
Leaning over to scoop up the remote, he turned the tv on and tossed the remote on her stomach, wandering back into the huge, if empty kitchen to find an old soda can to use as an ashtray. His lighter flickered flame light into the dark kitchen doorway.
"So what'd your boss say, Dom."
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Post by avalanche on Oct 1, 2006 1:23:12 GMT -5
Dom tossed his leather jacket on the carpet as a pillow, and dropped down with finesse. He adjusted himself for a moment, and left his head propped up watching the tube.
Munching on the candy bar, he mused over the idea of Luke working for the mob... an interesting concept, though very seeable. Mutants were highly regarded mooks in organized crime, considering their operations were largely familial - meaning if they weren't mutant 'rearing' types, they'd likely never have one outside of hired help. Befriending a bonebreaker like Luke would be very smart indeed.
Dom took the bear, popping the top, and washed down what was left of the junk food. "Thanks, man."
"So what'd your boss say, Dom."
"He asked what I knew about you, which is remarkably little. I know you by rep, but not much by actual experience... I know you've got connections, talent, and a lot of experience. I also know you can punch really hard..." he said, rolling his eyes back up to the big man.
"But I don't know much about your mutation. What is it, exactly, that you 'do'?"
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Post by impact on Oct 1, 2006 1:29:56 GMT -5
"When I hit things," he shrugged. "Sometimes even lightly, they crumble. And I can kind of reflect myself off things." He stomped on the floor almost like a dance step, and it kicked him off the ground a foot or so. He landed heavily and the faint sound of wood cracking deep beneath the carpet could be heard.
Taking a slow drag, he leaned against the wall, washing the smoke down with another drink of beer.
"Can be a pain in the ass at times."
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Post by recluse on Oct 1, 2006 1:42:30 GMT -5
That looked like fun. The reflecting off things. Of course, crumbling things with even a light hit wouldn't be so fun - particularly with the legendary size of his wang. Gracie decided that he probably couldn't get much play without causing illness or injury to his partners.
Pity, really.
Sucking at her beer, Gracie flipped through the channels in an attempt to find something half decent. Of course, she had a habit of changing until something interesting popped up, not waiting for more than a few seconds to see what it was before moving on, so this was bound to go on for quite some time.
Swallowing, she lowered her Corona and looked back at Luke.
"I bet it is."
It took her a moment to realise that that was the first thing she'd said to him since he'd banged down their door.
"All kinds of things?" He'd crumbled that guy's head easily enough, if the rumours were true.
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Post by impact on Oct 1, 2006 1:46:51 GMT -5
Lucas grinned at her. It was a predatory expression, yet somehow not altogether threatening.
"Yeah."
Then just as soon, the look was gone. Fucking lesbians.
"Can't say I've found anything I haven't been able to break. Asphalt, concrete, glass, steel... it all goes, if I hit it hard enough. I can turn it off... to an extent. Some things ya just can't help."
He looked between them, then back to Recluse. "So what about you girl. What's your hidden talent." The innuendo was thick enough to be obscene.
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Post by recluse on Oct 1, 2006 1:56:03 GMT -5
One eyebrow raised at him for a split second, her lips curling into a smile. Though she was tempted to give him the finger again, Recluse just unfolded herself from the couch and walked over to the wall, climbing her way up it until she was hanging from the ceiling by just her hands. After a few seconds, she felt her grip start to come loose and she dropped down to land lightly on her feet.
Returning to the couch and her beer, she raised another eyebrow at him.
"I've got plenty of talents..." There was a reasonable amount of innuendo in that statement, but she covered her smile by wrapping her lips around the neck of her beer bottle again for another swig. Of course, there could have been the slightest bit of innuendo in that motion, too, although it wasn't intentional. Gracie didn't let many people come near her mouth - unless she wanted to cause them quite a bit of pain and suffering.
"You saw the web before, didn't you? And everyone knows about the bite." She didn't bother mentioning the irritating hairs on her arms and legs - she'd rubbed all of them off anyway, and they didn't come in that handy most of the time.
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Post by impact on Oct 1, 2006 1:58:48 GMT -5
He nodded slowly, having watched the whole thing with a good amount of interest.
"Spidergirl then. Now that's cool." He pointed with his cigarette in his fingers; realizing it was still lit he brought it back for another breath, as if he were uncomfortable breathing the fresh air of a Long Island suburb.
"Work with the whole vibe you got going on." He licked his upper teeth under his lip, and looked at Dominic.
"You're still pulling earthquake duty I take it?"
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Post by avalanche on Oct 1, 2006 2:09:09 GMT -5
Dominic had watched the interaction with partial interest, and feigned disinterest. Luke was being much more reasonable than he'd initially been lead to believe him to be. This was good.
He was still thinking about the guy's powers though... he could punch through steel, and bounce around off of things. His body seemed to be able to modify impact somehow, intensifying it - yet apparently not hurting himself in the process. He noted that Luke didn't include resistance to regular injury in there, and was slightly grateful. A handy combination of abilities, though... a leaping smasher.
He almost missed Lucas asking him about his powers. Then he nodded to him, and considered keeping the majority of his new improvements to himself... but why bother? Lucas seemed to be on the clean, so why shouldn't he?
"Well... not really. My earthquakes are actually a manipulation of the ground I can do, including fault lines... but really, I can manipulate a lot of normal matter too." He explained.
"I've been training for the past year, off the streets mid-state. Pretty much exclusively with my time. Now I can disentigrate things - which is what I did with all the evidence, by the way - and I can liquify the ground, and throw large chunks of it forward like a tidal wave... Manipulating the ground pressures around them, I can also pull up solid rock into structures, like domes and columns and shit. I usually throw myself using them, and then catch myself with them."
It seemed awfully long winded, but Dom had found his power to be amazingly flexible in it's use. He was limited essentially to stunts he trained with, gaining better usage over his power with pure effort and muscle memory. Though describing it this way, he couldn't help but feel like he was bragging, though he really wasn't.
He hoped Lucas didn't think he was trying to be an asshole. Their relationship was already pretty strained as is...
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Post by impact on Oct 1, 2006 2:12:29 GMT -5
Lucas snorted a bit, but it wasn't a blow off. He nodded once. "Comes in handy I'm sure."
He slid down the wall to sit, feet a bit more than shoulder width apart and his head tipped back. He finished his cigarette in silence, watching Recluse down the length of his nose.
"So how long you think we'll be here."
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Post by avalanche on Oct 1, 2006 2:15:30 GMT -5
Taking another sip of his beer, and setting it on the sill of the fireplace, Dominic shrugged.
"Shouldn't be much more than a day, Pyro is considering flying out as soon as possible. Not entirely sure where they're stationed at, so can't guesstimate how long that'll take."
He bunched the jacket up under his head, and sighed.
"You got any beds in this pad?"
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Post by recluse on Oct 1, 2006 2:23:49 GMT -5
Though she was tempted to ask about the vibe she had going, just to see what Lucas' opinion was, Gracie kept her mouth shut as he and Dom went through their little discussion about powers. Seemed to her like they'd had a little three way pissing contest, but she didn't care who had won.
Her attention had apparently turned back to the TV, though she shot a glance at each of the boys when Dom mentioned beds. He was probably still tired - they hadn't gotten all that much sleep before Lucas had dragged them out of bed, but she hadn't been doing quite the same things as Dom during their heist. The nap had been enough for her.
Finally settling on one of those late night comedians, Gracie stretched her legs out on the couch and put the remote down, going back to her beer and wondering just what the sleeping arrangements would be.
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Post by impact on Oct 1, 2006 2:26:54 GMT -5
Lucas shook his head. "Nah. This isn't the sort of place you want to get comfortable in." He took the empty beer bottle back to the kitchen, talking a bit louder. "That's not to say it isn't safe, we're golden here as long as we lay low."
He poked his head in. "But it ain't the Hilton either." He thought about it for a second. "Unless she's in the mood for that sort of thing." He gestured to Recluse before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Grinning to himself when he was out of eyeshot, he lit another cigarette.
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