shellyharmon (shellyharmon) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-12-01 16:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | shelly harmon, ~ro clark |
Nice Con
Who: Ro, Shelly
What: Mutual Appreciation
Where: Las Vegas
When: November 16th
Ratings/Warnings: Low-ish
She had just finished blackmailing someone. A thick envelope brimming with dirty money sat in Shelly’s clutch. The blonde was perched on a stool in the lounge, flicking the olive floating in her martini. Her long hair cascaded down her back in curls, and she was wearing a black, short-sleeved A-line dress with a lace Peter Pan collar. She felt empty. As she cast her gaze about, she took in the profiles of the people around her.
Shelly was anonymous there, or maybe that was wishful thinking. Not a single person in that establishment cared what happened to her. They had no personal investment in her story. She plucked up the olive and popped it into her mouth, frowning thoughtfully as she chewed. She could go missing, and the only thing the police would have to go on would be fragmented memories of half-fictional people that Shelly pretended to be, from people who had pretended to be Shelly’s friends.
Ro hadn’t been eating. She couldn't help what she was or what she had to do to survive. That wasn't her fault. But she hadn’t fed since Noah. Despite her protests that she'd be fine without him, something about Noah's words got to her. He understood her. The way she needed to play to find life interesting, using even people she liked for her own amusement. It was one thing to face your own flaws. Having your flaws laid out by a murderer because it's what you have in common was something else. So Ro hadn’t fed out of some attempt to prove a point. If she didn't eat soon, weakness would set in. Already her face was more pinched, dark circles standing out under her eyes on skin that had gone a shade paler.
Ro was sipping a cosmo, surveying the other patrons and deciding where to put her attention, when a blonde at the bar caught her eye. She was rocking a kind of haunted Victorian doll vibe when Ro realized what the other woman's conversation had been about. Another sip of her cosmo and Ro slunk over. Noah didn’t have to dictate who she chose to talk to.
"Well done," Ro said leaning on the bar with her forearms against the bar top. "Very professional."
Shelly turned toward the newcomer hovering next to her, looking up to meet her eyes. “What, my hair?” she asked innocently, plucking up one of the curly locks and lifting it, before letting it fall. “I go to 9037 Salon.”
"No, though that's nice too," Ro answered casually, looking over at the other woman. "I meant that bit of business you just finished. In control the whole time, impressive."
“Ah,” Shelly said dryly, looking down at her olive-less drink. “You overheard.” And now she looked at the woman more closely, appraisingly. She couldn’t detect any sarcasm or malice. Her fingers tapped briefly at the counter before she gestured to the seat next to her.
“Want to sit? You’re kind of looming over me,” the blonde remarked with a slight smile.
"I don't know," Ro said, corner of her mouth twitching up. "I've never loomed before. Sounds exciting." She sipped from her cosmo and then settled onto the stool beside the blonde. "Don't worry, I don't think anyone else picked up on what you were doing."
Shelly watched the other woman appraisingly before leaning forward over the bar, checking to see if anyone was looking before stealthily stealing a new olive for her drink. “And what makes you so observant, hm?” the blonde asked curiously, sweeping her hair behind one ear and bringing the martini glass delicately up to her mouth.
"I'm good at noticing where people are looking." Especially if they were looking at her. "Besides," Ro continued, "You're not the first person I've seen rip someone off."
“Is that so?” Shelly asked curiously, adjusting the hem of her dress as she turned more fully toward the other woman. “So you make it a habit to watch people, then?” One high-heeled foot tapped against the metal rung of her stool. The blonde wasn’t dressed in usual club attire, and she could feel the gaze of strangers glide over her. She didn’t mind.
The blonde was beautiful and Ro had noticed but wasn't doing anything about it yet. The question was how long could she entertain this conversation if it wasn’t going to lead to a meal. "Best entertainment value for money," Ro smirked. "I'd say best value for money but I think you have that locked down tonight."
Shelly laughed, licking her lips and tasting gin. “I’m a people-watcher, too,” she said. “You learn all kinds of interesting things, especially from people who don’t think anyone would bother giving them a second look. You know the type. They think they’re practically invisible.”
She held out a delicate hand. “I’m Shelly. What’s your name?”
Ro shook Shelley's hand much less delicately. "I'm Arrow. Or Ro is fine. The invisible ones can sometimes go off like a rocket when they finally get some attention." Ro had some experience with that. "You don't seem the invisible type, other than what's required for your job, I'd guess."
“Ah, yes, my job,” Shelly answered, stifling a laugh. She supposed it could have been described as such, since it did provide her with an income. But to her, it was more like a loose, cloudy network of low-level grifts and blackmail. Just enough to feel risky and fun, not enough to get repetitive and boring. Or so she liked to tell herself.
“Arrow. I like that. As in Cupid’s?” The blonde smiled.
Ro brightened at that. "I suppose that depends on the target." She glanced around them. "Anyone look good to you?"
Shelly’s eyebrows shot up and this time she did laugh openly. “Are you asking me to be your wingwoman?” She pivoted on the stool to look behind her, scanning the prospects that were milling about. It wasn’t long before the blonde clocked a woman shooting glances in Ro’s direction. She had long, wavy red hair that cascaded down her back, and was wearing a short, shimmery dress.
“I think you won’t have to look far,” she told Ro with a knowing smirk.
"That's encouraging," Ro said with a smile towards the pretty redhead. "I can't say I have any complaints. Anyone for you? Or are you all business?"
“My business is done for the night,” Shelly told Ro with a sly smile. “And the person I’m interested in isn’t here, so…” This last bit was said quietly, and she trailed off with a shrug before bringing the last of her martini to her lips. “You should go talk to her.”
Ro nodded and drained the rest of her pink drink. "I think I will. I'd say good luck in your future business but I don’t get the feeling you really need it."