-
Posts
1048 -
Joined
-
I wasnt looking forward to going out tonight. Its not that I dont enjoy the nightlife here I do, and very much so, whether Im performing incognito in a piano lounge, or dancing and dining with Miu. No, it was our hosts that caused my trepidation. Something about him And her voice was not right. It was old.
I had almost talked myself into excusing Miu and I from the outing when I heard a familiar ding from my laptop. Someone had IMd me, and Id be a liar if I said that my heart didnt race when I saw who it was. GreenAngelofMercy.
For weeks, I had seen myself as Michael Marcone. Smith and Clint seemed like some other person who no longer existed. And yet, deep down, I couldnt completely let go of my former life. There was someone from that life who would always anchor me to it.
Jessie.
Before I came to the Isles, all of my memories, good and bad, centered on her. All of my emotions. All of my desires. All of my dreams.
No other girl Steph, Julia, Ally, not even Miu could unbind the silken tangles of that love. I am sure that until the day I meet my final fate and beyond -- I will love Jessie Eagle and her only.
I sat down and returned her greeting, let her know I was available, waited anxiously to see what she was messaging me about.
What was I hoping for? I wanted an, I love you. Or maybe a, Please, come to me I cant live without you.
But she could live without me. And I, though I loathe to admit it, could live without her. I just couldnt be happy.
Was that why I had made up a whole new life? To play pretend that I didnt need her anymore?
She typed her message and my heart sank back to its normal depths.
What she typed floored me. Stephanie Martin had gone bad. Jessie gave me a link to a news story about it. Steph was mad at the world and had become a bad girl. I laughed when I read it. About time, actually, I thought. No one can live up to a squeaky clean image forever. Especially when theyre not squeaky clean.
Good for her.
But the school Maggies Rock was upset about the whole thing. They were convinced that Steph had been coerced or brainwashed or somesuch. They couldnt accept that maybe she was just unhappy and needed the space to figure out who she was, even if that space was in Etoile.
The school was in a tizzy about it and they went to Jessie to get her to contact me to get me to use the psychic link that Steph and I share to find her. Jessie correctly assumed that the link flowed only one way, and that was from Steph to me. Any attempt on my part to reach into the mind of another or to initiate telepathic contact always resulted in intense pain for the other person or sometimes worse.
At any rate, my powers were useless in this instance, but I had connections now, and I could use them. If Steph was in the Isles, someone had to know, and that someone had to know someone else. In the end, by degrees, the Family knows everyone.
So I told Jessie to tell them Id help. Probably stupid of me to agree to do so, since it will make them suspicious that I am in Etoile too. Not that it matters. I like the lifestyle that I have here. I like the status being Michael Marcone affords me. And someday, perhaps Miu and I will become something more than pretend lovers.
But Jessie was IMing me. She told me that she had to go now, but would be back on later, and I promised her I would be waiting.
Then I waited for her to return from idle.
I waited for her return until Miu reminded me it was going on ten oclock, and we had to go meet the others at the club.
I left Jessie an away message. I wanted it to say, I love you.
What it said was, SlippedMyMind is away... -
My cell phone playing the Godfather theme wakes me out of a sound sleep. I grab it before it wakes Miu, and give a quick glance to the bed to see that she is still slumbering peacefully.
Hello? I say.
Yo, Mick, Tiny says as my waking mind fights to process who Mick is.
Of course Mick is short for Michael, who is me. Michael Marcone. Not Smith. Smith is who I was.
Cmon downstairs, Mickey, I got somebody for ya ta meet.
My back pops as I rise from the bedroom sofa on which I sleep. Rolling my head loosens the kinks in my neck and after a couple of stretches I get dressed. Before I leave, I go to wake Miu to let her know Im gone, but then I realize there is no need. No reason for both of us to get up early today. Im sure shes as tired from last night as I am maybe more so. After the night we had, terrorizing other factions and busting up that rival smuggling operation, and then the bar fight -- it was exhilarating!
I kiss Mius cheek and leave her lying there, beautiful and exotic, wrapped in satin.
My apartment door opens straight into an elevator (how cool is that!) and Im downstairs in no time. Tiny is in the buildings lobby, sitting in a chair facing me. A couple of people sit on the sofa with their backs to me. One is a tall man with a shaved head. He has tattoos on his neck. More than that I cannot see of him. Beside him sits a woman with curly blonde hair. She turns to look at me as the elevator doors open and although shes exceptionally pretty, something about her sends a shiver up my spine.
Mickey Marcone, Tiny says as he rises, I want ya ta meet Aris Polemo an his girl, Chloe.
The tall man stands and faces me while his girl goes back to the magazine in her lap. He wears a leather jacket, embellished with metal studs. His pants are also leather expensive leather that cover pointy-toed boots with ornamental steel toe caps.
I recognize the tall man as the one who punched my shoulder after the war council, but theres something else familiar about him. Something about him that is screaming alarms in my memory.
Aris is with your cousin Ginos crew. Hes takin Sonny Ciciones place, may God rest his soul. Aris, thiss Michael Marcone Mickey to his friends.
I nod to Polemo in salutation, but remain silent and wary.
Polemo smiles, and I see his teeth are capped with steel. When he speaks, he rumbles and booms like Hell spitting up magma.
Hi, Mickey, he says, Ive been hearing good things about you.
I return his smile with one equally insincere and say, Then someones been lying to you.
We men laugh. Chloe just turns her pretty face up at me and gives me a funny smile.
She likes you, Polemo says.
Shes charming, I say, trying to be complimentary while being careful not to say anything that could be construed as flirting.
Chloe is a good judge of character, he continues explaining. You might say shes good at taking the measure of a man.
I just smile and nod because I have no idea of what hes getting at.
The elevator dings and the door opens, and out steps Miu. She doesnt look happy. Its not obvious to anyone but me, Im sure, but I can tell shes displeased that she woke up and I was gone. Shes my protector and my companion. But then Tiny is my bodyguard, so as long as Im with one or the other, I feel pretty safe. But then, Miu is much better to look at than Tiny
Before I can open my mouth to introduce her, Tiny says, Aris, Chloe this is Miu, Mickeys girl.
Miu smiles in greeting, but her eyes are assessing them. Miu is pretty good with her own measure.
Im very pleased to meet you, she says.
Tiny speaks up again, saying, Mius quite a gal. If I was thirty years younger, Id take her away from you Mickey.
I laugh, but really didnt find it that funny. Miu however has a satisfied smirk on her face and I realize that, yes, if he was thirty years younger, he probably would take her away from me.
I can see why, Polemo says, then punches my arm again. Youd better keep her happy, Mickey. Im sure Tinys not the only guy whos noticed her.
All right, this whole conversation is making me uncomfortable.
Hey, Arie, Chloe says, speaking for the first time. Her voice cracks and creaks and sounds like it belongs to a much older woman. Why dont we invite them to go to the Polka Dot Lounge with us tonight? Tiny too.
Miu looks at me and I can tell she wants me to decline the offer. I dont know what she senses about these two, but it cant be good.
I begin my polite turn down with, Actually
Hey, that sounds great! Tiny cuts me off, smiling, always glad for night on the town, always up for a party.
Wonderful, Polemo says. Around ten. Well meet you there. You know where it is, dont you?
Yeah, sure, Tiny says, sealing the deal.
Polemo looks at me then, and a chill runs down my spine as he says, I hope youre looking forward to it as much as we are. -
Quote:((I don't believe he really thinks you're an RP hater. I think he was just trying to frame you. ))http://virtueverse.com/index.php/Quinton_Vance
http://virtueverse.com/index.php/Spectre_Raven
http://virtueverse.com/index.php/Empire_Of_Atlantis
Take a look at those as ask yourself. "Would someone who hates RP put that much time and effort into virtueverse?"
The short answer is: No.
I don't hate RP in the slightest. In fact, I treat the art with utmost respect. I just won't bite my tongue when it comes to the addressin' folks. I don't do it in the real world so I ain't gonna start here. I'm not always nice, but I'm 100% honest. -
((Get well soon! ))
-
((Yep. It's the proper thing to do.))
-
-
((If you would have said something last night about that, I'd have been glad to do it. I have a free slot or two and maybe even a homeless hero and/or villain. ))
-
-
((Hey, Sorah! Here's what you couldn't see during the base tour:
Wish you'd had your graphics set higher -- it's cooler in person. )) -
((Lots of love and respect from me to you, Sorah. Follow your dreams. ))
-
Quote:((You get an A++++! ))Fingers drift across bare skin, riding the tremble. Breath hitched as lips brush feather-light against lips. Hair grazes across cheek, eyelids flutter. An attempt to find focus fails in the rising electric-heat. All that's left is to give in to the moment... and kiss.
Or...
unf unf unf o so hot baby.
Or...
im in ur pantz, diddlin' ur naughtiez -
-
((Remember the classic two-parter where Jill St. John was the Riddler's bad girl, and fell in love with Batman while she was disguised as Robin? And how about the way the Robin mask made her breasts disappear? Ahhhh... those were the days.))
-
-
-
-
Quote:((The Bale Batman movies still fail to capture the character as he appears in the comic book. They are good movies, but they still give me that feeling that the creators are ashamed to be dealing with a comic book. Like they gave him body armor. Batman generally doesn't wear it. And the whole ninja thing, while interesting, had nothing to do with the Ra's al Ghul I know. I understand that they're adapting to make it work, but they veered too far for me. Plus they're both too bleak for me to watch repeatedly ad nauseum.NUH-UUUHHH!!!!! The Bale Batman movies are the bestest EVAH!!! *nodnod* But, even though I cant stand the comic book character, the Iron Man movie was very good and I did nlove the first Hellboy movie. The theater I saw the second one in had some technical problems so I really couldnt enjoy seeing the sequel. To be fair though I will objectively watch it at home though before formulating an opinion on it.
Iron Man totally trumps the Batman movies on those counts. It perfectly captures the Tony Stark I remember from the good ol' Michelinie/Layton days. And it put him in a universe where there are other superheroes. It was awesome! Good performances. Great action. Dynamic storytelling. Snappy dialogue. Iron Man ftw!
And Hellboy is easily better in every respect than either Batman movie. IMHO.)) -
((Myeh. I knew they weren't really going for campy. That just makes it all the better for me. It's like, in spite of the ******* mistakes that were made, what should have been a piece of **** turned out to be something highly entertaining. When the monkey at the typewriter turns out a good novel, it's still a good novel, even if the intended text was "give me another bannana, plz". ))
-
((Uh-oh -- time for a preemptive subject!
Ghost Rider is better than any other Marvel movie except for Iron Man, which is the best superhero movie ever (with the possible exception of Hellboy). )) -
((Glad they got their butts unplugged. ))
-
-
Quote:*snickers*
So hopefully they fix it so I can unblock their butts. -
((Grats on the drawing and on living another year. Yeah. In that order.
Happy Birthday! )) -
((Happy Birthday to our anthropomorphised quadrupedal prebuescent canine friend! ))