Say, for example, you were at a party. You could steal a few trinkets and baubles.
Who: Rogue and Mystique What: First meetings, Raven gets her claws in.. When: Sunday morning Where: The beach Rating: PG-13 for flirtings and thievings Status: complete
The beach. Raven didn’t get out here near enough, but she’d had a good sale, and she wanted to celebrate. She walked along the boardwalk, wearing sunglasses that cost more than some peoples’ entire wardrobes, and a skimpy white swimsuit that covered less than most peoples’ underwear. Her red hair fell down her shoulders in stark contrast to the color of the swimsuit.
She sucked on a popsicle and studied other people, looking for a mark - either to con them out of money or con them out of clothing, whichever she felt like at the time.
Rogue was walking on the boardwalk herself. Slender fingers toying with the ring she’d grabbed from someone’s pocket. The beach was the perfect place to snag a few items for fun, although truly Rogue’s main reason for thieving was her way of life, survival. She had no other choice, her parents were rather mad she’d skipped out on the family farm to go to California. Chasing dreams. Rogue spotted Raven - not that she was a good mark. Not enough stuff on for Rogue to really want to try to steal from. However she was someone Rogue would follow.
There was a familiar twinge of jealousy - for having clothes that looked new, items that looked far more rich than she’d ever thought about owning herself. She chewed her lip softly, and pushed her red hair out of her eyes and made to shadow the woman.
Stopping to flirt with a man, Raven drew all of his attention. When she walked away, she was ruffling through his wallet. She rolled her eyes behind the sunglasses and tossed it in the trash without taking anything. There’d been nothing of interest to her. Besides, she had the nagging feeling of being watched, and it was never good to have hot goods on oneself!
She stopped to watch, before leaning on a railing and looking out over the ocean, one eye watching sideways. She licked her lips slowly, before moving to pick up the discarded wallet. Even if Raven found nothing of interest, Rogue might, only because she wanted cash and not goods or credit cards. She deftly pulled anything left from it and returned it into a trash bin before moving to keep tabs on the woman. After all, she’d netted her a few bucks she didn’t have before.
Raven was almost certain she was being shadowed, but the person was pretty good at it. Good enough that while she couldn't shake that vague feeling she still couldn't tell where she needed to be watching.
She decided to place some more bait, and opened a little pouch dangling from her wrist, to separate a twenty from a wad of cash. She made her way over to a street vendor, a little smile playing across red lips.
Rogue stopped and melted back into the crowd. It wasn’t hard to stay unnoticed in a crowd like those on the boardwalk, but Rogue did stand out a bit. A flash of red and white here and there gave her away. She hadn’t been out to steal today so she hadn’t hid her hair. Although she looked at the bait - even she knew it was just a trap to draw her out - but the grumbling in her belly was enough to make her go for it anyways. She moved lightly on her feet through the people, her lips twitching as she focused on that money, that woman and where the people around her were. She made the move, putting herself in line to get jostled into Raven, slender fingers moving to brace on the vendor’s table and flick the twenty free at the same time.
Blue eyes latched onto Rogue's face and Raven's other hand pressed into the small of her back. She gave the girl a smile. "Oh honey, did no one teach you not to steal from a conwoman?"
She lifted her voice, and said. "Another hotdog for my friend here."
Rogue stiffened, rather quickly as her fingers fell away, nose wrinkling in annoyance. “No.” she said with a firm voice that hid the fact she was inwardly panicking. She fell for a stupidly obvious trap. How dumb was she? She looked up at the fact she ordered a second hot dog. Lips parting in surprise. “Are ya sure? Ah thank you.” She said, dipping her head. “Thank you.” she murmured again. She wasn’t comfortable, though, with the fact her hand was still on her back.
Fingers doing a little dance on Rogue's back, Raven led the girl away from the hot dog stand once food was acquired and paid for. She could hear Rogue's stomach even now!
Her smile became a little toothy. "You're welcome. I was hoping we could talk."
Rogue couldn’t quiet her stomach - the smell of food was delicious. It was almost calling to the hot dog! She twitched slightly at being touched, Rogue wasn’t fond of people she didn’t know touching her like that. The fingers dancing on her back were both terrifying and making her curious about her predicament. “Oh? about?” she asked curiously, lips pursed lightly. Not that she’d deny her the time, now, after all the woman had caught her.
"Have a seat." Raven waited until Rogue sat, before she did. Her eyes looked across at Rogue's, and studied her face and the way she held herself. She seemed a little thin, but not as young as Raven had first thought. Still, it was interesting. She didn't know if she was attracted, or just drawn to her for some reason. There was a compulsion to get to know her that went well beyond Rogue's obvious thieving skills.
"You're good."
Rogue sat, carefully, and tucked her legs neatly under her chair. Despite all appearances she was a polite woman - Southern manners don’t just vanish because one’s a thief! She didn’t slouch, her shoulders were back, and even though she let her head dip a little in deference to the one who caught her, she wasn’t sitting in a way that would indicate self-loathing or any confidence issues. Beyond, perhaps, the annoyance of being caught! And under it all, those green eyes sparkled with fire, she was no pushover and she wasn’t happy with herself about being lured by such a stupid and obvious trap. Her head came up a bit, eyes lifting to meet the woman’s.
“Not that good. Ah did get caught, didn’t ah?” she replied, honestly.
The politeness was kind of cute, and Raven revised some of her initial opinions. This woman was a spitfire. Spitfires could be used, and if one pushed the right buttons...
"Only because I've been doing the same thing since I was twelve," Raven pointed out. "I've just moved up in the world." She flashed her teeth. "Bigger fish."
Rogue was born and bred in the backwoods of a small, tiny, town in Louisiana, being a spitfire was practically in her blood. She didn’t know any other way, even if she was also quite capable of being super polite. Snarky Hospitality was a speciality. Before she spoke, though, she took a bite of the hot dog, and mulled over what the woman was saying. She looked up again after a moment. “Twelve, eh?” she asked with a tilt of her head and a tiny, tiny, little smirk starting. “Ain’t never had a bigger fish, jes tryin’ ta survive is all.” she said, not quite defending herself, and certainly not apologizing for it at all.
"We all start out that way. And even though the fish are bigger, the goal is still the same. Survive. And maybe live a little more comfortably." She gave Rogue a wink as she took a bite of her own hotdog, mulling over her desire to win this woman over. She didn't know where it came from.
There was a nagging feeling she should, and shouldn’t, trust this woman. But the former won out and she sat just a smidge further forward - just enough to show she was curious about what she was saying. Just enough to indicate she’s got ears and is willing to use em. “Considerin’ Ah barely scrape rent by every month, livin’ a bit more comfortable would be nice.” she pursed her lips a bit.
That smile returned. It was the sort of smile of someone who liked to have fun in life - and didn't really care who got hurt in the process. She shifted in her seat, and regarded Rogue with warm eyes. "Hon, I could show you things. You have talent, and charm. Half the con game is charm."
Rogue didn’t trust that smile. Not one lick. But she returned it with a charming one of her own. “Oh you could, could you?” she asked as she crossed a knee over her leg and leaned one forearm on table, never ever an elbow. “Ain’t never played no real cons, just pickpocketing, and a lil breaking in.” she pursed her lips, curious as she was, it sounded like something she’d never tried before, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be good enough...
"Those are fine, and good training for cons," Raven allowed, brushing some hair out of her own face. Her smile wasn't one to be trusted, no, but Raven still wanted to win her over. "Say, for example, you were at a party. You could steal a few trinkets and baubles. Or you could charm a man out of the code to his safe."
Rogue couldn’t actually help the fact she sat up a little more, eyes widening just a touch, oh that caught her attention. She’d never thought about that... “Ah’d never thought about that... oh...” she settled back in her seat, arm coming off the table as she looked at Raven with critical eyes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to believe her but …. oh that nagging feeling. “A’ight. How’d this go, then, if’n ah said ah’d be willing ta learn a few new tricks. What’s the catch, ain’t like a conwoman to do anythin’ fer free.” Rogue was straight to the point, the mere thought of providing better for herself was great, but she didn’t expect anything for free - you worked for it or you paid for it after all.
"A woman can't live on cons alone, and it would be a real shame if my talents weren't passed on when I decided to retire." Because getting caught? Wasn't happening. Raven was making a nice retirement fund for that eventuality.
Besides. It might be fun. "A cut of the take. We could even work together, and split it...fairly."
Rogue actually laughed, breaking decorum and laughed. “Fairly eh? Ain’t never heard that word used the right way. Ah work, Ah learn, you get most of my take. Isn’t that how it usually goes?” there was no fooling Rogue. Not one bit. She licked her lips and shook her head a bit. “Give me a number. A percentage and we’ll go from there.” She was willing, and curious, Raven certainly had her attention, but Rogue wasn’t going to just let her take everything willy-nilly. That’s not how this worked, for either of them.
"Yes," Raven admitted honestly, smiling warmly. She took a moment to finish her hotdog and wipe her mouth. Half the fun was negotiating - she'd throw out a number that was almost insulting and hash it out from there.
"Five percent on most things, eight on anything really dangerous or big. I’ll even be generous and help you with places to stay, if you’re having rent issues."
she licked her lips slowly. “Five and eight, mm? you with the lions share. Ain’t sure how ah’d live ta start, there ma’am. Cause see that works to five and eight dollars on the hundred, and that’ll take an awfully long time ta make rent and buy groceries.” she took a bite of her dog, finishing it off before dabbing her lips dry with a napkin. She did hold up a hand to forestall any further words for a moment. “Ah’d be werking night and day and not enjoyin’ the fruits of my labors that way.” she didn’t shy from the gaze that she knew was coming. “Ah ain’t lessening yer experience, yer knowledge, yer help - jes sayin’ that ain’t gonna work. A quarter of what ah take needs ta, at least, come home with me. With considerations being made for things and marks that are bigger and more dangerous.” she ran a hand through the red strands. “The harder the mark, the more ah get outta the deal - with this caveat - ah don’t have much need for jewelry, unless ah’ll need it for a job - you can have that with a five percent of the value fer me so ah can have some spoils.” she was willing to negotiate further, smilin’.
She was a pretty good negotiator. Raven found that exciting. She rested her chin on her fingers as she listened, studying Rogue's face and the tone of her voice.
"Lets bring it up a little, shall we? Fifteen percent, with larger cuts for the bigger jobs. I'll throw in..." She waved a hand. "Training. Experience. Tools."
Rogue didn’t want to dicker over the percentages too much but she smiled. “And help finding a place to stay.” she said simply then added. “With a review on how things are going in six months time, with the potential to adjust percentages.” she looked at the woman, legs unfolding as she sat forward a bit.
Raven clasped her fingers together, feeling pleased for coming in several percent below where she'd expected to settle at. "Both those requests are fair. Now, hmm..." She lifted a hand to push hair from Rogue's face. "What's your opinion of side benefits?"
She had to ask?
Rogue flinched as the woman touched her hair fingers twitching in her lap. “Depends on what they are.” she replied calmly, not sure where this was going but not entirely sure she was ready for it. She held Raven’s gaze, though. “If something is necessary, ah’ll work with it.” she stated, flexible but worried.
"I'm not saying you have to do anything you don't want to do. Sometimes, you might have to trick a man into thinking that’s where it’s going. A pretty woman like you, I don’t think you’ll have a problem.” Raven’s voice dropped an octave. “Especially with that accent. It’s incredibly … distracting.”
“A’ight.” she pushed the hair out of her eyes and took a deep breath, cheeks red, “ah don’t know how ta talk anyother way.” she said quietly, looking up at the woman with an equal measure of uncertainty and curiosity.
“I think I’m already fond of it,” Raven offered. She trailed a finger down Rogue’s cheek, then leaned back, giving the southern belle a look that was openly appreciative. “I think we should start with lockpicks. I’m eager to learn how nimble your fingers are.”
She couldn’t resist?
“Oh. Good then.” she didn’t move, shelving her uncomfortableness, and smiling sweetly. “Lock picks and ah are good friends.” she said without hesitation, lips curling into a mischievous smile.
“Then I don’t have to start those fresh. We can start with safe cracking.” She flashed Rogue a smile that was borderline flirtatious. “I actually have something coming up...Relatively soon here.”
Rogue arched a brow. “is that so?” she asked with a sweet smile. Rogue was nothing but capable of hiding her true feelings. It was a talent she’d honed long ago. “Ah’ve never cracked a safe. Can’t wait ta learn, ya?”
"That's so. And I'll teach you how to crack a safe, and more." Raven was flirting, and enjoying it, though some part of her felt odd at the idea. And yet Raven had never been someone who didn’t enjoy a good flirt! Really, she’d flirt with anything to get her way.
“Sounds good, then.” she offered the woman a smile - she didn’t know exactly what she was getting herself into but.. it couldn’t be worse than where she was right now - could it? “When do we start?” her cheeks were a bit red, but she held her own pretty good.
Stroking a finger along Rogue’s collar-bone, Raven smirked. “Have you ever gone to a classy society party, Rogue?”
Rogue almost flinched - almost. The physical contact was a little on the scary side for her. Mostly cause Rogue was less flirty than the least flirty fly on the planet. But she smiled and gave Raven a look that all but cried ‘are you dumb?’. “No, not much call for such things back home. Ah wasn’t part of the Old Money, New Money group who got debutante balls and such, so ain’t never had the chance.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to teach you.” She reached into her little pouch, and pulled out those wads of bills. She slid them across the table. “Your advance. Use some of that to buy a nice dress. Green would suit you. Tonight, I’ll teach you to mingle and dance.”
“Oh..” she slid her hand to gingerly pick up the money. It was more than she was used to holding. Even when she was back home, they were poor farm folk, not rich. Money in real form was rare. So it was like touching treasure. “Green? A’ight, ah can manage that. Ah can clean up real nice.”
Raven smiled and nodded her head. She gave Rogue her personal space back. “I’ll text you a location, and you can meet me there. Is that fair enough?”
Rogue nodded. “Fair enough. Ah can do that. Nice dress. Nice shoes. Makeup, ah;m guessing?” She asked lifting her eyes to Ravens.
The older woman nodded, her expression lacking only the canary feather sticking out of the corner of red lips. “The rest is yours. A gesture of faith.”
Rogue eyed her warily - noting the cat in the cream look on her face - but she was too overwhelmed with things to say no. This could be a great chance. “A’right. Ah’ll speak with you later then?”
“Later, Rogue.” She patted the woman’s hand, and then slid smoothly to her feet, and sauntered away.