Old Times' Sake (Marcelo)

[pyroprincess]

WHO: Stephanie, Marcelo
WHAT: A dinner date, supposedly to discuss business.
WHERE: La Navarra
WHEN: 7:30, Friday evening (prior posted due to my being away on Friday night)

Normally, before meeting with a fellow businessperson for an important discussion of relevant things, she would rehearse whatever it was she planned to say before her assistant, Reginald, who would offer a precise, learned critique. When she had declined to do so for this particular dinner, despite it being with a very important individual, the local "big man" of Veridian Dynamics, Reginald had understood implicitly that the real business of the "dinner meeting" wasn't really business at all, and instead he'd devoted himself to tending to her stock portfolio, as well as to the management of her current, fairly extensive property holdings around the 11th Street Shelter.

Instead, she'd spent the time preparing herself more personally, getting her hair styled, nails done and spending the afternoon at a beauty spa. She'd had something of a revelation, thinking in the time between when she'd sent the text to Marcelo and today. They'd had troubles in the past with being together often enough to sustain a relationship, but neither of them were happy apart from each other. Her and Marcelo. To wit, Stephanie wanted her Brazilian prince back, and like any Shaw worth their salt, what she wanted, she would get, and in style at that. Slipping into the dress she had chosen for the occasion, she looked at herself briefly in the mirror, making sure everything was just right.

She wondered what he thought about her invitation, whether he assumed it would be a mere business discussion after all, or if she wanted to simply spend an evening together as friends, or what she really had in mind. Stephanie mulled it over for a moment and decided she liked the idea of keeping him a little unsure, surprising him a little. For a moment, a little doubt crept into her mind- what if he didn't miss her as much as she missed him after all? She shooed away the undesirable and patently false doubt. No, the mistake she'd made, that they'd made was to let things go. If she didn't think she had the opportunity to undo that nasty mistake, she wouldn't have asked him out for dinner at her favorite restaurant.

When she arrived there, they greeted her with the respect many reserved for royalty- after all, this was her restaurant, even more than the one that she and Brooke owned. She knew its space as well as anyone, the owner included, whom came out to greet her with air kisses and just a slight air of familiarity. She was their best customer, after all. A very special  prix fixe menu with wine pairings (and a selection of their favorite spirits for pre-dinner and possibly post-dinner cocktails- and as they were in an entirely private part of the restaurant, they would even be able to smoke cigars if they wanted, public smoking laws be damned). Decor brought in specially from a company that had done similar services for the President, the British Royals on their last American visit and Tony Stark. No expense, no preparation had been spared.

Now, though, all that there was to do was to slowly enjoy a pre-dinner drink and wait for Marcelo to arrive. 1966 Domaine Boingneres armagnac, to be precise. Bold, but smooth. A complex flavour with a hint of mystery ...

Comments

[vesper_verde]

At least with both of them smoking cigars, neither of them would have a reason to complain about the taste of the other. Though Marcelo followed where Stephanie's eyes went and quirked an eyebrow.

Her suggestion gave him a small, internal jolt of energy. Nervous energy. He straightened out his tie and got up a little stiffly. He offered a hand to help Steph from her chair.

Not that she needed it, but it was a good excuse to touch her as any. "Your possible new home beckons."

[pyroprincess]

"Mmm, it does." Stephanie noticed that he got up a touch stiffly. "Maybe a massage first. For exploration, you know." She kissed him again, dipping down to kiss his throat a few times. She chalked it up to probably overwork. It wasn't as if she'd been lacking in it herself.

"Let's go, mi amor." After they went to get on their jackets, she sidled up close to him, laying her head softly on his shoulder as they walked out of the restaurant into what was, admittedly, a rather chilly New York night.

[vesper_verde]

Damn, Stephanie made it hard for him to remember his worries at times. Though they came rushing back once her lips weren't on his skin.

As much as he loved her, he wouldn't give up being Vesper. Even if it drove her away. He had a promise to keep for his mother's spirit.

But he put those thoughts aside as he slipped on his coat. When Stephanie got close, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You're lucky, querida. You don't have to suffer the indignity of stuffing me into the cab." He paused. "Or was that my indignity? It got a little hazy on course six."

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie stayed close to him, the crisp air actually jolting her just a little bit out of her alcohol-and-fine-dining induced glow, though far from totally. She looked up at the sky, wishing she could see the stars, but having to content herself with city lights and the moon.

"I think a short walk will be good, anyway." She breathed in again. "I really do love this city." She'd lived most her life in Spain, but she'd long since adopted New York as her home.

[ngm_villains]

There were about five men who didn't quite fit into the neighborhood around the block. The things they had to do for gang initiation. Particularly since the gang had been harassed by a giant man-bat and wanted the toughest of the tough. One of the five noticed a couple walking along the street and paying attention to anything but the people around them. He nodded and signaled for the others.

Then he started following them. As long as they didn't walk into one of the nearby buildings, this would be an easy score.

[vesper_verde]

"A walk will work off some of the.... everything I ate. You do plan a wicked meal, querida." He gave her a squeeze with the arm wrapped around her. His hearing hadn't picked up anything problematic around them yet, so he was unaware of the men slowly converging on them.

"New York is nice, but it's no São Paulo." Marcelo loved everything Brazil. Warts and all.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie smiled warmly at him. "Well, it was a special occasion, yes?" She kept close to him, watching the city go by as they strolled, a frantic heartbeat that never stopped. Normally, she matched the city perfectly, all restless activity, but now she felt downright mellow.

"I'll have to go with you sometime. Finally meet your whole family." The thought stopped as she noticed shapes in her peripheral vision. Her expression narrowed.

"Marcelo." They were being followed.

[ngm_villains]

Not only followed but approached. The five initiates were surrounding the couple. One pulled a snub-nosed revolver out of his coat pocket while others got metal pipes and easily potable clubs to hand.

"Hey, lady. Donchu know it's not safe to walk around at night. Specially with a 'guy' like that."

Though guy wasn't the word used.

[vesper_verde]

Marcelo caught the warning from Stephanie. He quickly used his hearing to get a number of people coming at them. Five to his ears. He slipped his arm off of Stephanie.

He spotted the gun but didn't think he could do the whole throw the invulnerable girlfriend at a gun thing on general principle even though it was logical. He was rapidly losing room to maneuver.

He held up his hands. "C'mon, guys. You don't want to do this."

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie had the feeling that these men were not simply after wallets. If they had, she might have been inclined to mollify them simply to get the whole thing over with. But this felt different.

The man with the gun was the threat. Not to her personally, but to Marcelo. She made sure to step between the gunman and Marcelo, but along the way, she punched a wall. Hard. If they were observant, they would've noticed chips of stone coming out from the walls.

"He's right. You don't have to do this." She spoke calmly, firmly. As if she weren't some not-particularly-intimidating looking woman.

[ngm_villains]

"Nah. We gots to and want to. You're gonna get more than busted up knuckles, punta." The lead guy gave little more explanation before they descended on the pair. The one with the gun hung back a bit. His weapon wasn't for close-quarters but was good for stopping runaways.

[vesper_verde]

Being tri-lingual, Marcelo knew all the good cuss words in all the languages. He did not like ones being directed at Stephanie. He grit his teeth and tried to go after the mouthy one. Except someone with a pipe found a sore spot from the previous night.

Marcelo staggered and grunted. He went on the defensive to even have a chance.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie for her part went immediately for the man with the gun, sending a small but practically white-hot blob of pyroplams right for his eyeballs in a motion too swift for a normal pair of eyes to really register.

Letting a baseball bat bounce off of her head with no effect, she noticed that Marcelo was being attacked directly and pushed aside her attacker to go after the one harming her boyfriend. She took a running leap, a small spurt of pyorplasm giving her dropkick greater momentum that would otherwise be possible.

[ngm_villains]

The one with the gun screamed and clutched at his eyes, gun clattering on the sidewalk.

The one with the baseball bat said "Oh, shit. Muties!" Because nothing else could stand up to his Sammy Sosa swing.

The one going to swing again on Marcelo got kicked out into the street and hit a moving taxi.

The two left were in different camps. One was still calling Stephanie names. The other was thinking about a quick escape.

[vesper_verde]

Marcelo did not care about blows that were incoming (even though they weren't. He dove at the mouthy one. He worked quickly on disarming the man and smashing his face into the cement.

"Shut. It. You," he growled through clenched teeth. He pressed the man's face hard against the cement.

[pyroprincess]

It was time to ramp up the intimidation quota here. The impact, far from tiring her, simply fuelled her further and her eyes were glowing now. Tendrils of pyroplasms started flowing from her hands, spinning like chains, striking the concrete and melting bits of it. She started walking towards the man left on his feet, moving the tendrils deftly.

"Your move." One of the tendrils of pyroplasm brushed against a mailbox and sliced it neatly in half, little bits of molten metal dribbling away from the centre of the destroyed recepticle.

Then she engaged a jet of pyroplasm, making her leap high up into the air, banishing the whiplike tendrils and plant her feet directly in the would-be assailant's chest. Breaking his ribs at the very least.

"Guess not." She turned around to look to see how Marcelo was doing.

[vesper_verde]

"Whoever you're initiating for isn't worth this," he growled as he gave the thug a little cement burn. His voice dropped lower and softer. "Because Vesper's going to take them all out."

Then he smacked the man's head against the concrete and got up. Only he hunched a bit as he stood up because... ow. Metal pipes into sore spots hurt.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie went over to him, helping steady him a bit.

"C'mon, let's just get out of here. Let them deal with the consequences of their actions." The glow left her eyes and she gave him a hug, tight, but not too tight.

Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, she just wanted to get out of there.

[vesper_verde]

He grunted a little. Pain did not make him articulate. "Let's get moving, querida. Remind me to not play a knight without the armor next time."

His steps staggered a bit, but he headed in the direction of home.