The Pitch Who: Nora and Peter Where: The Bar When: Monday Evening
Just a few days after the party and Peter was already bored again. There was no way they could keep planning extravagant parties, which meant he’d have to find something else to do. That was what had him heading towards the bar, one of the only ones on the island, just to see if it changed things up a little bit. And maybe he would see the pretty girl from the ball. That would be an improvement on things. The bar was a little bit of a dive, but he supposed it did the job. Out of habit he tried to keep his nice clothes out of the mess, but then he realized he was dressed more casually than he was used to and who cared if the jeans and sweater got dirty? He was still learning the relaxed way of things, which Gavin teased him for relentlessly. Sitting at the bar he tried not to make too much eye contact with the others, picking up emotions around him and knowing that no one here wanted to be chatted up just yet.
Nora had to figure out how to get in touch with Peter. She had a task from Daryn but she wasn't sure how to find him or even what to really say to him when she did. She'd given up on it before work that evening and current as behind the bar. Hair in a fishtail braid and black elbow length gloves on, she headed toward the newcomer at the bar without looking at him first. "What can I get ya?"
"What's worth drinking?" Peter asked, looking up with a smile, surprised to see her. She looked like her, but without the mask it was hard to be sure. Still, she was gorgeous and distracting and he was fine with going with that.
Nora tilted her head a little, thinking that might be him but she wasn't sure. His voice sounded the same but she couldn't be sure. "Everything's good here but you have to answer a question before I get you a drink. What is the name of that princess with the big pumpkin carriage and the glass slippers?"
"There's a quiz to get a drink now Cinderella?" Peter asked with a grin, deciding it was her. "How about you surprise me then?"
Yeah, that was definitely him. She could hear it in his voice and she could see it in that smirk. "I can surprise you," She said, heading for a darker bottle and pouring a whiskey neat before handing it back to him. "this place doesn't look like where I think you'd hang out, Peter..."
He looked around it before taking the glass and eying it. "You'd be right. But things have changed so maybe I can change too." Smirking to himself, he took a sip of the whiskey before setting it down. "Doesn't seem like somewhere someone like you would belong either Cinderella." He knew her name, Nora, but he preferred the nickname, especially considering her aversion to being a princess.
Nora tried not to glare, frowning though as she grabbed a towel and started wiping down the bar. "You don't know me very well. These types of places are mine." She needed to talk to him, in private, but how. "About to take a break shortly. You wanna come with me?"
Peter shook his head. "This is not you. I saw you in a pretty dress with your hair done. You belong there. You've just let someone convince you don't." Which fit the Cinderella title that was for sure. Her offer had him raising an eyebrow. "Really? Of course." Like he'd say no to that.
"You saw me once like that. I never look like that. I don't even own things like that. I never had and I probably never will. I don't have a need for it." She waved at the other bartender and started around the bar to come to his side. Nudging her head, she started toward the back of the bar. "got a proposition for you."
"It fit you," Peter said. "And if we ever get out of here, I could give you reasons to dress like that. You'd love it." Then she was at his side and he downed the last of the drink before following after her. "A proposition?" he asked, catching her waist with one hand.
Nora stiffened at his hand on her waist, moving away from him before looking back at him with a serious glare. "I don't wear that stuff. I just don't." She needed to keep her cool, approach him with the proposition calmly. So she stepped further from the bar to give them more privacy. "You want to leave this place, right?"
"You really do hate the idea don't you?" Peter said, amazed by that. Girls usually liked being pretty. And she didn't seem to like him much either. "Who doesn't? I'm supposed to be taking over for my father in New York and instead I'm here, wasting away."
"Taking over for your father doing what?" She asked, suddenly very curious about what he was doing back in New York that meant he would need to dress that nicely to begin with? She needed to stay on track, though, so she just shook her head after a moment. "What if I told you that you could join a group with the same interests as you, a...secret group?"
“Running the Irish mob,” Peter said without batting an eye and leaning back against the wall as he watched her, curious what her reaction would be. She might not believe him, but he wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. “A secret group? I’d tell you you were crazy.”
Nora stared at him, eyebrows raised as she studied him. What the hell? Was that something that he'd joke about? She didn't know him well enough to really be sure if meant it or not. "Putting a pin in that mob stuff...but yeah, there's a group here, focused on that, and we...want you and your brother to join us."
She almost believed him. That was just amusing. There was no hiding it. There were Wikipedia articles about him and his family. They had someone that managed the content. He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re starting a resistance are you? You’re ridiculous. What would you want with us?”
"I'm ridiculous?" Nora asked, bristling again at the accusation. Really? "You just told me some bullshit about running the Irish mob in New York and I'm the ridiculous one? I'm not starting a resistance..." She said, glaring at him. "I'm supposed to be inviting you to join a fully functioning one but if you think it's so ridiculous, then why the hell would you ever be interested in helping us get back to the life we all once knew?"
Peter just smiled as she bristled. “Who says it’s bullshit?” he asked because it definitely wasn’t. It was the absolute truth. What she said had him tilting his head. “If it’s fully functioning, I’m curious what you need me for.”
“Revolutions need people,” She said, looking back at him and trying very hard to hide the scowl on her face. He was so frustrating! “Just tell me now if you hate the idea or if you’re at all interested. If you hate it, I’ll go back inside to work and leave you alone.”
“Oh I don’t hate the idea. Even more so if you’re leaving.” He smiled more, thinking she was adorable when she was frustrated. She would hate that if she knew it. “Tell me more.”
Sighing, she tugged on her gloves to pull them up on her arms and started further away from the bar. “What more do you want to know? You should show up to one of our meetings sometime. It’s gonna give you more insight than I can. But...you’ll need a codename.”
He followed after her, reaching out for her again, hand finding her waist. “Why don’t you just tell me. What’re your goals? Why did you join? And better, what’s your codename?”
She wasn’t ready for him to touch her. It concerned her, thinking that maybe her power was somehow connected to all of her skin and not just her hands, but she tried to push that away as she stepped back from him. She didn’t need him touching her period. “Why do I want to be a part of this? They stuck us all on an island, for their mistake! Screw them, I want back in the normal world again! And...for my codename, you’ll just have to come to a meeting to find that out.”
When she pulled away again, Peter opted to address that instead. “You aren’t doing a good job of pitching this. You seem like you want nothing to do with me rather than have me around. You do know if I join your little rebellion I’ll be around yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow before he shrugged. “They stuck us here because they’re afraid of us. No other reason.” Maybe rising up was a good idea, but at the same time, it was also probably suicide.
Nora watched him again for a moment. "Of course I know you'd be around. I'm not good at pitching anything. I am barely good at pitching a more expensive drink." Crossing her arms, she sighed. "Do you want to do this or not? Because they might be scared of us, but I think it's about time we give them something real to fear."
“You aren’t. We need to work on that.” Peter chuckled a little, then moved closer to her. “I’m still deciding if I want to. I’ve felt fear. I’ve taken fear that didn’t belong to me. It’s not a fun game. I usually try to avoid emotions that I can grab that are uncomfortable. I also like the idea of avoiding getting shot.”
Why would she need to work on pitching things accurately? That didn't make much sense to her, because it seemed unnecessary for her considering she didn't do much pitching. She sighed, trying not to think of letting Daryn down right now, but that was what it felt like she was doing. Turning to look at him, she narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, you've taken fear that doesn't belong to you?"
Peter smiled, laughing a little. “You agreed to recruiting me without knowing what I can do?” he asked, finding that completely amusing. “You thought I was some sort of warrior hmm?”
I was told to recruit you, She thought. "Not everyone knows what I do in the…group. Mostly I don't really care what you do. I just need to know if you're in or you’re out." She hadn't thought about that the repercussions would be if he was out, though. "Can't guarantee that this isn't a 'you're in you're dead' sort of deal either."
Peter laughed again, shaking his head. “You need to learn the art of this.” There was an art to it. He’d been a con man for ages. “You won’t scare me like that. Irish mob remember.” He smiled again then nodded. “I’ll come to your meeting.”
"I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe then I'll also believe you're an Irish mobster…" She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Fine. I guess I'll pick you up for the next meeting then." At least he hadn't said no. At least he was going to come to the meeting and she hadn't failed. "Oh, and your brother too."
“Google it. You’ll believe me.” He smiled again then shook his head. “You get me first. Then, if I like what I see, I bring him.” His brother was the real weapon and Peter wasn’t just handing him out like it was nothing.
Nora weighed his offer and then nodded. “Sure, you first then your brother.” She thought maybe she should offer her gloved hand for a handshake but she didn’t really do that anymore. “My breaktime is probably over. I should go back to the bar. Are you staying here or coming back?”
He considered her offer then shook his head. “Nah, I’m heading out. You don’t seem too receptive to being flirted with today.” Which was what he had wanted.
Jessie’s eyebrows furrowed again and she glared at him. “Real classy,” She ended up saying, but it wasn’t like she knew anything about class anyway. “I don’t like being flirted with period. I thought the party would have told you that.”
“No you did just fine at the party. You were beautiful,” Peter said with a smile. “I never claimed to be classy, but it’s not a matter of class.”
“I think you must have hit your head or something. I am not like that. I don’t wear that kind of stuff, I don’t dance, and I sure as hell don’t have any fancy parties to go to. Never had before.” Not even prom. But that wasn’t what was important now. “You’re barking up the wrong tree if you want someone who flirts easily.”
Peter watched her before moving closer again, holding up a finger. “I believe you, but we can fix that, but you have to let me try one thing. Then we’ll see what happens from there.”
“I don’t have to let you do anything…” She said, crossing her arms again over her chest. She was trying to be content enough to not ask him what it was, though curiosity won out in the end. “...What thing?”
Peter got closer still, smile creeping onto his features. “Just one, tiny little thing,” he said, giving her his most trusting look before leaning in to kiss her.
Nora wasn’t at all expecting that and her instant reaction was to back away, but she wasn’t able to at first. From the time his lips touched hers, she could feel the change in her. The warmth passed up through her core to her lips and she had to shut her eyes against the bright light that came with it. When she was able to pull herself back, she was sporting the cut he’d had on his left cheek on her own now. “What the hell were you thinking?!” She asked, anger clear in her voice as she glared at him. “You can’t just do that shit!”
“I was thinking that you might enjoy that…” Peter’s voice as his eyes narrowed, looking at the cut on her cheek. That hadn’t been there. And it looked familiar. Reaching up he touched his own cheek, then looked more surprised. “That’s a neat trick,” he told her. “That’s what you do?”
She felt sick. She didn’t want anyone here to know this. Marie and a couple Faction members, that’s all who needed to know. And now he knew. And she didn’t know what to do about it. Covering her cheek with her gloved hand, she shook her head. “I need to go. Now.”
“Hey, hey,” Peter said, catching her gloved hand. “Don’t do that. Don’t run. I’m not what you need to be afraid of.” He could feel her anxiety and shut it down, pulling it away from her, giving her the ease and thankfully not having to take it himself. “See?”
Nora didn’t know how, she didn’t know why, but in an instant her heartrate slowed again and she took deeper, even breaths. Turning her eyes back to his, she stared for a long moment, mouth open, as she tried to piece it together. “...Was that you?”
Peter just smiled. “What?” he asked, teasing again. “Like I said, I’m nothing to fear.”
That was incredible. It was amazing. She couldn’t even conjure up enough fear to be concerned about what he now knew about her. Slowly, she smiled a little. “Ok, that’s cool. And weird, but cool. Are you gonna tell people what I do now?”
“Are you going to let me kiss you again?” Peter was more interested in that than anything else, but he didn’t say it.
Nora was not prepared for that question. She stammered for a moment, stumbling over her words until she looked back up at him. “So it...wasn’t as awful as I thought it might have been.”
“If I kiss you again, will you kiss me back?” he asked. He was willing to try again. “You might actually enjoy it.”
“I don’t know. You still haven’t answered my question,” She said, looking back at Peter again. “I think it’s only fair that you answer mine first.”
“I won’t tell your secret. It’s of no use to me. What you can do is interesting enough, but not worth it.” He smiled and leaned in closer. “What do you say.”
“...Not worth it?” She asked, looking back at him like someone smacked her in the face. “Are you...Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Sure, she didn’t like what she did, she didn’t even want it, but it was a part of her and if that wasn’t worth it, what made the rest of her worth it? “No, I’m not kissing you again.”
“No it’s the truth. What good does spilling your secret do me? It does me more good to keep it.” Pete shook his head. “Not everything is meant as an affront.”
“Well then, Big Time Irish Mob, maybe you should learn that here people don’t just forgive any slight they feel because of your family connections or whatever. Because that was rude and I’m going back to work now,” She said, looking back at him with a glare before turning and starting back toward the bar.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said not offended by what she said or worried about it. He was fine with her going with how angry she was. She’d come back. Or he’d just see her again.