Mutants & Masterminds Mutants & Masterminds: The Magisterium - [2.2] Vacation

[Dawn OOC]

May 22, 2012, Rio de Janeiro

Isaac leaned against the railing of his balcony and breathed in the sea air. The weather was a perfect seventy degrees Fahrenheit and the sky and sea were both an impossible shade of blue. The stark white of the railing of his balcony was almost harshly white in the bright sun.

Two stories below, giggling caught his ear. When Isaac looked down, he saw two Latina woman in bright sundresses. They glanced up and happened to catch him looking; they giggled some more and waved. They knew a tourist when they saw one in the pale, pasty flesh. Isaac was cute enough that they wouldn’t mind letting him buy them some drinks. That’s what tourists were for, after all.

Isaac chuckled uneasily and waved before withdrawing from the balcony. The jet lag had settled into his bones and Isaac decided to lay down for a bit. He was excited to be in Rio for his all-expense paid trip but he wasn’t going to enjoy himself if he was exhausted. Plus, there was a show and dinner tonight at a dinner-theatre.

Still smiling, Isaac laid down. As he passed out, his last thought was, This will be the best vacation ever.

---

“I need you all to establish a safe place for us in Rio.” The announcement from David was something of a surprise. He’d never mentioned taking them to a city or working on a place in a civilized area. “I’m choosing you because you can all blend. Thanks to May’s actions, we have passports for you, fake identities.

“What I need you to find is housing for us. Rent or buy. Something on the outskirts of Rio, where our coming and goings won’t be noticed.” David smirked. “I know that’s a tall order, but we’re going to need access to civilization. Tyrone will get you to an area outside the city proper.”

“So… what’s the plan after we get a house?” Rebekka asked.

David smiled slightly. “Focus on this step. The next step comes later.” The smile turned into a chuckle as Rebekka crossed her arms and started to pout.

Isaac: Feel free to post waking up from a nap and heading to the show.

The others: Feel free to post exploring Rio and having some fun being back in civilization.

For reference, this is 2-3 weeks after the 1.x threads.

The thread for all the non-faux humans will be posted soon.

[Isaac Romanov]

Isaac woke up, on his own, not to some squawk box, in the plushest bed that he had ever slept on. This trip truly was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He stretched and reveled in his lack of exhaustion, lack of anything that he had to do, and lack of any sort of responsibilities. He didn't have to be anywhere, didn't have to do anything, no one to answer to, and a whole big foreign city to explore.

So Isaac jumped out of bed, put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, closed the outer translucent curtains so that the late afternoon light could still stream in and then went in to take a shower. He made a water construct to help him scrub his back; he had to make sure that he was immaculate when he started his night on the town. Then he made an air construct to lay out all his clothes as he finished in the bathroom. He hoped that his 'airy' smell would be similar to the clean, heady smell that he remembered when he first opened the doors to his balcony. That he might be able to pass off as some sort of cologne.

Isaac had been meticulous about his packing, so his shirts and pants still looked freshly pressed as he dressed. His black shirt and slacks were spotless and his black wingtips shone. His tie was bright white with just a touch of pink. All in all he thought he looked rather dashing.

With a thought to his air construct to stay out of the way and to watch his room (he may be in paradise, but he still didn't completely trust the hotel staff) and to let him know if anyone entered, he headed off down the hall. He left the sign on the door in hopes that it would keep his stuff safe.

As he strolled off to the dinner theatre he wondered if he would meet anybody along the way that he could share the evening with. Experiences were much better when you could share them with someone... preferably not of your own making.

[SalmonMax]

In her excitement to finally see an actual CITY, Mary was first through the warp to Rio. She could barely hold back even though those warps were still kind of scary to her in how they confounded her esoteric senses. On the far side she found herself in a lush tropical forest. not that far different from the one around the old stone temple where the other mutants holed up. Of course, the differences blared in Mary's mind...the soil and trees and very AIR had differences, but minor enough that she was only disoriented for a moment.

The air was especially interesting though. It had things in it she'd only seen once before in detail. The exhaust of the generator in the temple coughed up complex compounds like these, full of hydrogen and oxygen and carbon in tight little loops. It made Mary think back to the books she'd been studying over the past couple of weeks. Books with titles like Introduction to Modern Chemistry and Physics for Beginners. Combustion. Burning. Something was burning nearby, burning fuel like the diesel fuel. A LOT of it, because it was spread thinly through the air as far as her senses reached.

Not far away she felt a change in the forest floor. A peculiar combination of rocks unlike the other rocks in the area...all surrounded by something else. It felt familiar. Ah! The area outside the labs, while she was being broken out, had stuff like this.

The road!

As the other mutants started appearing, Mary ran off towards the road that wound south...to Rio de Janeiro.

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

"You're no fun," Rebekka muttered, giving David a playful pout, but there was a glint in her grey eyes hinting that not knowing anything more was an irritation - she was The Archive after all, beyond everything else she was, or assumed to be. "Fine. What kind of funding do we have to play with? It will help focus our search."

"How about you just see what you can find, Rebkka, and depending what you do find, I'll see what I can scrape up?" David countered, the faint grin lingering on his lips.

Rebekka rolled her eyes and waved a hand in resigned acceptance, then held it out to May to receive her passport. It was easy to find Rebekka fake identities and passports - they usually didn't even have to be altered, since she could be just about any woman imaginable.

"Buffy Melony Cockburn?!" Rebekka exclaimed with a scowl, her Afrikaner accent ringing with scorn. "What an insipid name," She glanced at the passport, raising a brow in condescension. "Of course, it would belong to an American."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl, Rebekka," May countered - and to be fair, the girl in the passport photo was a looker. "Besides, it's not like passports grow on trees - we use what we use."

Rebekka sniffed then began to shift into the likeness of Buffy Melony Cockburn. She added a few inches of height, bringing her to 5'7'', her skintone turning the golden-bronze tan of a flawless SoCal complexion. Facial features shifted subtly, more apple-cheeked, shaving off a few years so she looked barely twenty, grey eyes turning a sparkling blue-green. Her breasts swelled a full cup-size - maybe two - taking on a firm roundness that could have been due to superior genetics or a superior plastic surgeon.

A bare minute later, Rebekka stood as the epitome of the Californian beach bunny. Her passport photo didn't do her justice, though no one would doubt she was Buffy Melony Cockburn. Her attire flowed into a capris painted on her long legs, a blue and pink bikini-top, and sandals with a high wedge heel. A pair of stylish sunglasses perched on top of her head of shoulder-length, glistening pale gold hair.

"Like, then, let's do this thing, then!" Rebekka chirped in a bubbly, velvety voice flavoured with the American West Coast, big blue-green eyes bright and vacuous. "I've never been to Rio before! Great beaches, great dancin' - d'ya know when Carnival is? And they speak Mexican, there, right?"

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Rebekka/Buffy strutted after Mary, her hips rolling, almost as eager as the incredibly sheltered girl. After being cooped up at the Temple, she was more than ready to spend time in a real city again and Rio certainly fit the bill. A vibrant, sensual city with more than just a veneer of danger for tourists and natives alike.

And though she had memories of visiting the city, during her many years with the DRM, she had never been to Rio herself. She would love to be here for Carnival or Reveillon. Also, oddly enough, despite several African nations were is was spoken and knowing dozens of languages and dialects, she didn't actually speak Portuguese, at least not more than very poorly from some rough lessons some of her clients had taken. Certainly not fluently. She would remedy that soon enough.

"So, like, I was surfin' the net and as awesome as it would be to have a beach in Ipanema or Copacabana - I don't think that's like what we're lookin' for, right?" Rebekka opined in her cheery, breathy soprano to her companions as they caught up to Mary. "That knocks out Zona Sul, and Centro is totally downtown Rio, so that ain't good either. Zona Norte has Maracanã stadium, so lots of opportunity to blend in and mucho Samba schools, but still too packed. And I considered the Favelas - those are those shantytowns climbing the mountains you see in all the movies, if ya didn't know. Lots of anonymity, but no security and we'd still be paying protection and stuff."

The gorgeous blonde took a deep breath and somehow didn't stop talking - Rebekka was really selling her part as the vivacious co-ed. "So, we totally go more west, to the Barra da Tijuca borough. Developing suburbs, backs onto a mountain mostly favela free, large houses on large plots in some of the districts. And the Barra near the coast is an economic powerhouse where the wealthy and famous live - good security that isn't intrusive. I think we should look there, especially Vargem Pequena and Vargem Grande."

"I thought you said you've never been here before, Re - Buffy?" one of the group asked as they reached the road.

Rebekka's brow furrowed in perfect imitation of ditzy puzzlement, the tip of her tongue poking between her gleaming, cute white teeth. "Uh, hello? Google and Wiki anyone?" She tapped the side of her head with a pair of tingers, the nails painted in a variety of bright colours, and giggled "And I remember everything, silly! Remember?"

She clapped her hands together and leaned forward, giving the group an intently enthusiastic look. "Now, to catch us a ride. C'mon guys! Try to look a bit sweaty and lost, 'kay? Our rental broke down - we went looking for help or whatever, got lost and couldn't find the car again, now we're looking for a ride back into the city. Let's say, Copacabana, though depending are where they are going, we'll settle for Barra da Tijuca. Famous people, pretty people, beaches, shopping - we're tourists living it up in one of greatest cities on Earth."

Rebekka stretched and ran her hands through her hair, then sauntered up to the road and began walking south, turing to look back - incidentally presenting a fine view of her ass and chest to passing motorists - a thumb hitched out. To all appearances, she was just what she looked like, a lost American tourist - prettier than most - looking for a ride back to the beaches. Hopefully, her companions could fake the same, to some degree.

[Jeremy]

Jeremy accepted his passport with a wry glance at Rebekka for her grandstanding over the naming. Well, that was a genuine moment of humor. His was named Damian Jessup, and the photograph definitely would pass muster with him.

What did occur to him, was how long ago high school has been, and the classes in Spanish and Portuguese. Jeremy self-acknowledged a lot of cramming would be necessary.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Jeremy/Damian shook his head as he followed Buffy/Rebekka. "Look, I know the the Barra is ritzy and all... but there's attention down there. We don't want attention... It's a safehouse right? Mary can probably make enough Brazilian reals to pay the local hoods in the Favelas, and we can set up what we need underground, into the mountains."

His voice was carefully limited in volume, though bodily he affected that confused look that 'Buffy' had suggested.

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

Rebekka gave Jeremy a wry, amused glance. "Please! D'ya even know what ritzy means, Damian? It means rich and private, just like the Ritz hotels. And the entire Barra isn't even all like that - there's the fancy districts, yes, but it's a good deal of suburbs too. We can find an out of the way place on a cul-de-sac or something."

She wasn't whispering - speak too softly, and people strained to listen - but was pitched not to carry as she rolled her shoulders in apology to a passing motorist who seemed inclined to stop for her, but didn't have enough room for all of them on his motorcycle.

"'Sides, even if Mary can forge enough of the funny monopoly money they use down here and the gangs stay out of our shit, there's like twenty families living in each shack smaller than my closet. They might stay out of our shit, but people will find out about it. And..." she held up a warning finger. "... we are not setting up another hole in the group as a home-away-from-home, y'know? We're in a city, let's live like it."

[SalmonMax]

Mary watched the two converse, just trying to keep up. It was fruitless. She was completely lost two sentences in.

"I have no idea what you're saying," she confesses. "I mean, I sort of get you're talking about...places in the city? Where we should be looking for a house? And you want me to make money? But that's pretty much it. What is a cocobana?"

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

"Got it in one, sweetie!" Rebekka told Mary with a dimpled grin, booping her on the nose with a finger. "That's pretty much all we were sayin'. Co-pa-ca-bana is a neighborhood of Rio, a district with its own personality and nature, but part of the whole, like a lab with different departments, y'know?"

Though outwardly, Rebekka maintained her good cheer, inside, she still seethed. For someone who learned more with every act of intimacy, with every memory trapped inside her head with crystal clarity like a fly in amber, the enforced ignorance Mary had been subjected to was infuriating. She had gladly answered any and all of Mary's many, many science questions and encouraged more while passing time at the Temple. If she had wanted to do more with - and to - the girl, well... she'd her come around in time.

"I think we should have some comfort and privacy, 'stead of the anonymity among a mass of the great unwashed - most of the shanties of the Favelas don't even have electricity or running water. Aren't you tired of living in a hole in the ground too, honey? But of course-" Rebekka rubbed her fingers together in the universal sign for cash, "- that takes cash."

Rebekka pursed her full lips musingly. "Having you make money would help, but I think we'll have you make gold or diamonds instead and hock 'em to a pawn shop or the like. Those have worth based purely on their composition. I guess you can copy the polymer the money is made of but I dunno how good you are at forging the visual details, and then there are serial numbers and... Why take the chance, right? No worries, we'll figure out, and have fun all the while."

[SalmonMax]

"I haven't seen what they use for money here," Mary said thoughtfully, "But in the United States it was basically paper, with some other stuff woven in. Anyway, if we can get something I can copy, it won't matter what the details are. But then, if there's numbers, all the numbers would be the same too. And it'd take me some time to figure out exactly which pieces of it were those numbers, and how to change things around to make the numbers look different." She shrugged. "But I could do it. Still gold and diamonds would be easier. I already know how to make those."

[z024]

Lamia adjusted her clothes and peered down at the enormously sprawling settlement. It was and wasn't like the brief views she'd had of the cities of the Italians and Germans. She'd taken her passport cautiously; it had taken her a little bit of time to suss out the meaning of the symbols, but she'd managed and was now being Alexis Zaylie King, from Los Angelas, California. In her cut-off shirt, hip-hugger pants, and oversized mirrorshades, she looked every bit as much the bored, rich tourist as Rebekka/Buffy, but far less comfortable in the role.

"Gold and silver would be best, such metals have long been regarded as universal currency, but we must be careful how much we put into the city at once," she said quietly. "Too much, and the lords of the city will take note, as will the thieves and thugs."

She thought on the capabilities of her companions for a moment and added, "There may be a more secure way, however. Rebekka, could you not seduce some wealthy patron, obtain information and money from them, and thus grant us legal access to what we need? As well as learning of the city?"

"Jeremy," she nodded to the male with them, "while you would not gain knowledge as Rebekka does, your skills with drugs that cause euphoria could do the same. It would take perhaps several days, but we could secure information, followers, and resources without much disturbing the city. Mary and I could exchange small trinkets of some value during that time as well, to provide quick access to a small amount of coin, or things such as clothes that the two of you might need to play your parts."

Her alternatives were offered as just that, alternate suggests she considered no more or less viable than what had already been said before. Her attitude, though, was focused, almost predatory. She did not see the city as some grand new experience or party opportunity - it was enemy territory and this was a quiet, unobtrusive act of war.

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

"Just what I was thinking, girlfriend!" Rebekka chirped, giving Lamia a playful swat on the ass. Lamia's aggressive intensity might be a bit off-putting, but maybe it would be passed off as rich-girl arrogance. She wasn't sure about all of Lamia's claims - who clearly believed them - but she was more than willing to find out. She needs a good fucking, and I'm just the one to provide it...

"You and me, Alex, we are going to take Rio by storm!" Her lips quirked up with mirth at the look on Lamia's face. "And you need lighten up, some, BFF. Take the good times and the fun times where you can, 'kay?"

She turned her smile on Mary and gave her a nod, accepting the input on her skills. "Then we'll stick with gold and silver and diamonds for now. And this would be a perfect time to take you window shopping at some jewelry stores for design ideas. Clumps of gold raise more questions, y'know? A few nice pieces for ourselves - girls need their bling - and the less rings and bracelets we can hock off at various pawn shops. Not too many in one place."

Her grin turned mischievous as she turned to Jeremy, waggling a finger at him as if he was a naughty boy. "You be careful too, my chemical brother. We don't want to draw attention from the local druglords, now do we?"

"As for moi," Rebekka said, placing the fingertips of one hand between her heaving breasts, "I'll get to know a number of men soon enough, I assure you. Not sure if we can count on them as a source of quick funding though. I can become a mistress or girlfriend quick enough, who they'll shower gifts on, but convincing them to buy a house takes a little more time, especially if isn't supposed to be a love-nest."

She tapped her lips musingly then waved a hand, moving on. "Maybe a former client or two, if I can get in contact with them might work... Anyways, Dave seems to be footing the bill. We just need to find the location and I'll know Rio better than a native in a night or two. If nothing else, I may have another plan or two to pull out of the vault."

Like all the secret Swiss and Cayman Island bank accounts I know of, she thought, tapping her head again. But she wanted to keep those to herself for now. She had her own ideas and plans to fund.

"Look alive girls - and Damian - here comes our ride," Rebekka said, straightening her shoulders and widening her smile as a pick-up in good repair and wooden slats raising the sides of the bed began to slow down, the men in the cab riveting their eyes on her and Lamia.

Rebekka took an ostentatiously deep breath and waved, then leaned on the door as the truck came to a stop. "Hi! Thanks for stopping, you're a life-saver! Our car broke down and we need a ride into town. Can ya help us out? You speak American, right?"

[Dawn OOC]

Isaac stopped at the front desk to receive directions. The theatre was the Theatro Municipal, which was one of the more famous in the city. Dinner was at the Assirius in the basement of the theatre, so he wouldn’t have to go anywhere else. The clerk’s eyes lit up when he asked about it, and she was smiling as she showed him the path on the city map. “It is a beautiful theatre. You will adore it.”

“Thank you.” Isaac was all smiles as he turned and headed for the door of the hotel. Before he’d gotten far, a lovely brunette intercepted him.

“Gospodin? I heard you are going to the Theatro?” Her voice was accented with Russian inflections.

“Yes, I am.” Isaac felt himself straighten a bit more in her presence.

She smiled demurely. “If it is not imposing, may I come with you? I find that a woman traveling alone is often bothered, where one walking with company is not.”

“I’d be honored to escort you safely.” Isaac offered her his arm. As she accepted, he added, “I’m Isaac.”

“Julija.” She was dressed as nicely as he, in a stylish black dress and simple heels. Her hair was done elegantly, and a silver choker accented the graceful arch of her neck. “I thank you so much, I had concerned that I would be forced to go alone.”

“Where are you from?” Isaac asked as he walked her outside. A taxi was lurking outside and he quickly hailed it.

“Russia,” she answered, nodding at him when he held the door for her. Once he’d entered on the other side, she inquired, “Where do you come from?”

Isaac, feel free to have them converse as much or as little as you want. Julija is genuinely interested in who he is and where he comes from. Go as far into the evening as you want, and I’ll pick it up from there.

---

“Si, we speak English.” The man was grinning at ‘Buffy’s’ boobs, managing only to look up once as he spoke.

“You can get a ride.” The driver was older and able to hide his appreciation better. “Your friends, they can ride in back, and there’s room for one in front.”

The passenger opened the door and motioned for ‘Buffy’ to climb in, leaving the others to find their own way into the bed of the truck.

Sort yourselves and get yourself down into Rio. The truck’s going to take you guys anywhere you want, so choose wisely.

[Jaunt]

*THOOMP*

Jaunt appeared in motion, walking forward casually and popping the collar on his designer, purple leather trench coat. His shades absorbed the sunlight as he walked up and out of the parking garage and into the sunny street of Rio De Janeiro. He walked among the throngs of people for about a block or two, reminding himself about the lay of the land and all the little nook and crannies that were perfect for evasive jaunting. By the time the sniffers had him, he'd be half way to another country.

Christ the Redeemer looked down upon the city and Jaunt looked up at the towering stature, smirked and said a silent prayer to himself. He wasn't religious, but what the hell, it couldn't hurt, right? A sweet old lady saw him looking up at it and surmised he was paying his respects and she smiled joyfully at him. He offered her a polite smile and a nod and was on his way.

He rounded the corner and ducked into an alleyway.

*THOOMP*

He slipped through the unlocked patio door and made his way to the extravagant bed room. He loved these million dollar homes, especially when their owners were away for the season. With the fridge raided and the mandatory travel shower taken, Jaunt was well on his way to enjoying his hard earned vacation. the hiest he'd been paid for was a pretty one, and with the twenty grand in his pocket waiting to be spent, he tucked it away in a secure bag, hiding it on the roof, and was on his way to the beach. Sun, surf and sand. God how he loved Rio.

With a change of clothes and a few choice items in his bag he patted his way down the stairs...

*THOOMP*

...and out from the portapotty and into the beautiful sunny beaches of Rio.

Thick and ripped thanks to his mutant physique Jaunt was a playa on a mission. The fine oiled up asses of Rio's fine ladies were enough to drive his hormones wild, and he enjoyed playing up his natural physique to lure in the women. Suave and cool the beaches were like a punanny playground and he wanted to play on all the rides. within an hour he had three phone numbers and was already sitting in his beach chair on his KiK app setting up dates that he had hardly enough time for.

This was the life. More money, no problems, zero complications.

With a smirk and a sigh he leaned back and enjoyed the gorgeous view. The ocean was nice too.

[Jeremy]

Jeremy/Damien scrambled up into the truck bed with a hint of impatience, and a hapless grin. Sitting down he stretched his sandal-wearing feet out and over the side, making the driver mentally sigh. "So, thanks guys. We're heading for Copacabana. I mean, beaches... and bikinis." The last few words were wrapped firmly with a half-naughty grin as a topping that made the previously alone truck occupants mentally sign stronger.

Well-off, bored, American tourist. And he's with THEM, to boot.

The truck sped down the road, leaving the group to feel the thrill of the breeze, and the sights and sounds of a packed, bustling, wealthy side of Rio. Jeremy had to admit, goddamn it was good to be out again.

Eventually, they were dropped off by the beaches, and 'Damien' started to look around, accompanied by the three women drawing quite some attention on the beach. Of course, his arm was around 'Buffy' strictly for appearance purposes.

Not at all related to the thrill of having an arm around a walking wet dream. But, he wasn't going to stop Rebekka from getting her work done.

[SalmonMax]

"Yes," Mary agreed with her wide-eyed 'I'm trying to fit in like everyone' look snug on her face. "Bikinis."

She hurried around after Jeremy and whispered as they got in, "What are bikinis?"

He explained.

Mary considered the explanation, and put her followup questions on hold. The truck was starting to move, and the noise was very loud.

At the beach she UNDERSTOOD his explanation in a rush of realization that was like a thunderclap.

"They're all naked!" The absolute red of her cheeks told all that was needed to tell about her thoughts on that subject.

[Jaunt]

"You are from America?" The fine Brazilian hottie asked him as he applied lotion to her back.

He tapped away on his phone, relying to a kik message about some clubbing late tonight. "Baby, I'm from all over. I just jau- uh, flew in from Egypt a little while ago. Just closed a very profitable deal." He always did it like this. Show up, look good and important, then talk about money and travelling to exotic locations and before he knew it there was some fine ass woman looking to 'get to know him better'. Looks, money, and a means of supporting them... the three key things most woman were looking for and were usually willing to sleep just about anyone to get them.

She leaned up and looked behind herself up at him. "You travel lots?"

"Eh." He bobbed his head from side to side dismissively. "From time to time."

She laid back down resting her head on her folded arms, moaning appreciatively at his constant massaging. "I hear, it is beautiful. I have always wanted to go and see more of the world. You are lucky to travel so much."

"Yeah," He said with a smile, nodding his head as he looked off over the vast blue horizon. "Yeah I am. You'd be surprised though how many people just don't want me doing what I do..."

"Well, those people are stupid." She looked back again with a flirtatious smile. They shared a laugh and he continued to massage her back while gazing at the breathtaking view of the Rio coastline.

[Dawn OOC]

A couple of girls laughed at Mary’s outburst, giggling in Portuguese about her naivety. The men slowly gathering around weren’t laughing; they were eyeing the two women with Mary. Rebekka and Lamia both found themselves the center of attention. Both were used to it, in different ways. For Rebekka, this regard was a sign of the prestige she'd enjoyed under her father's command and then the vile relationship after; for Lamia, it was a harsh reminder of the way she'd been treated in her captivity.

Rebekka and Jeremy steered them through the blankets and umbrellas to an open spot on the beach. They were watched the entire way, even as Rebekka leaned over to Mary and hissed, “In my bag, make me a bikini so I can change and blend!” She held open her bag for the younger mutant to peer into and deposit the newly-created items.

[z024]

There was a moment of panic after Mary made outfits for three of them; Lamia began to strip out of her clothes to change. Rebecca managed to salvage the moment by snapping at 'Damien' to "Hold a towel up for us, pervert!"

Several large beach towels and some lightening-fast changing on the beach, and the group was properly attired for the area. Blending in....not so much. Lamia's inadvertent display and the small circus afterwards, along with the simply inhuman beauty of 'Buffy', bared except for a few square inches of flesh, guaranteed a large stir on the sand and a rather large crowd of the curious, lustful, and jealous.

Lamia murmured to 'Buffy', "Have you decided on one, or do you need more time to choose?" There was a thread of unease in her voice and she added softly, "I will be glad to be away from the crowds quickly."

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

"Only one?" Rebekka murmured with an arched brow and a lascivious grin as she adjusted the strings of dental floss she was wearing, gaze scanning the beach for a good mark, while she basked in the admiration and jealousy aimed her way. Even in cosmetic surgery-mad Brazil, a beauty like hers was rare - if ever seen - sight.

Noting any female face that didn't have envy oainted on her face - and promising herself that she'd visit one of the few and reclusive gay beaches sometime this trip - Rebekka's blue-green eyes settled on two men that looked promising.

Distractedly, she waved her bag at Mary once more. "Good job with the bikinis - top rate. Now, make us each a pair of havaianas to complete our beachware."

"Pardon?"

"The colourful sandals - footwear - everyone is wearing on the beach," Rebekka explained, pointing with a small jerk of her chin.

"Oh!"

Man one was young, about her apparent age, with a deliciously toned, V-shaped torso. Not Brazilian, he still held himself with a confident ease, probably well accustomed to travel and at least somewhat familiar with Rio. With that roguish grin, she inferred he was at least comfortable, money-wise. And while he was oiling one lovely lady's backside, he attention was split between his smartphone and any other piece of T&A that passed his field of vision. If he wasn't a perfect mark, she could certainly have fun with him.

The other man, not far from the first and sprawled out in one of the ubiquitous beach chairs, was older, early to mid forties, with a taut body courtesy of a personal trainer, and had a severe, latin handsomeness. Perfect manicure and unroughened hands pegged him as a business man of some sort who still had copious time to himself. The quality of his sunglasses and the diamonds flashing off his Cartier watch, along with another man next to him, obviously to watch his things, said he had lots of money. And the way he didn't scope out every woman passing by suggested he had high standards. Very promising.

"Okay, I've, like, totally got two pieces of man-candy to start with," 'Buffy' told the group softly as she switched her heeled sandals for the ones Mary had just made, "but who knows where I'll end end by tonight, right? Mary-honey, try to get a look at the reals - money - and make us some pocket-change, and maybe take a look at the shops lining the beach for some trinkets we can pawn. If we split up guys, find a hotel and give me a call - we all got disposable cellphones. This is gonna be fun!"

Rebekka straightened up, rolled her shoulders, and hooked her beach bag over her wrist, her expression flattening and a questioning lilt entered her voice. "Oh, and Damien?"

"What?" Damien said, coming up behind her and reaching to put an arm around her once more.

"Sorry 'bout this."

Rebekka spun around and gave him a full armed slap across the face, blue-green eyes blazing. His cheek reddening, Rebekka planted one hand on a cocked him, her other hand poking him sharply in the chest.

"How dare you?! I can't believe you said that me! You jerk!" Buffy snarled in affront. tossing her head and spinning her back to him after she was sure Jeremy knew what she was doing. "'Lexy - he's so totally yours! If you even want him. I'll find me a man who can treat me right and who's a million times funner than him and meet up with you girls later, 'kay?"

Without waiting for a response, Buffy stalked away, figuring swaying hypnotically, and every guy looking their way thinking Damien was the biggest idiot on the beach. The closest of her admirers didn't follow her right away, fearing they might have been tainted by proximity to the foolish tourist.

Buffy came to an irritated halt not at all coincidentally between her first two marks, hands curled into affronted fists and full lips pursed into a petulant moue. Inside, Rebekka was completely relaxed, wondering which man, the younger or the older, would make the first move. There was no doubt that they would.

[SalmonMax]

Mary complied with the commands, her face bright, indigo red...especially as she made the bikini. There were ample examples nearby to work with. But it wasn't even as covering as underwear. And that was already like NOTHING.

For whatever reason, growing up surrounded by doctors and scientists hadn't made her blase' about bodies. She'd never been comfortable with the lack of privacy. And there'd always, always been a kind of unspoken tension in the air during examinations that made her feel extremely vulnerable and...well...naked when naked. It wasn't pleasant. Even her dress now was edgy for her, and it still went to her knees.

Right now she felt like she was about to melt through the sand and burn a hole to the core of the Earth, leaving a glass-lined tunnel in her wake.

Moreover, didn't they know what they were exposing themselves to? The air here was -not- clean, though the seabreeze seemed to help. And there was stuff on their skins. Some kind of fatty acid goo that had definitely come from something that had been alive at one point...Mary knew organic residue when she sensed it, even if she couldn't pin down precisely what it had been. The idea that they were possibly smearing dead animal goo all over themselves was a fresh horror quite apart from the mortifying exposure of everyone around her.

Ocean. Sand. Air. Cars. Buildings. People. Clothes. Cosmetics. Animals. A billion ceaseless voices, all crowding in. For some reason she was having trouble blocking them out. Maybe it was because she wanted distraction from her eyes, or maybe she was just embarrassed enough that her control was slipping.

"Can...we go inside? Somewhere?" the young woman pleaded. She was wearing sunglasses now, dark ones; had she had those a second ago? "I need less...stuff...around me."

[Jaunt]

There was enough lotion on this girl's back that she could comfortably live on Mercury for several weeks. Jaunt really wasn't here to pick up tail, he was recruiting. Recruiting for the party that he was throwing in a house that wasn't his, where he would then be picking up all kinds of tail... and picking the pockets of those who passed out from excessive drug and alcohol use. Rarely did people show up to a high profile (or one they believed to be high profile) without a bit of scratch in their pocket. Since Jaunt usually stole all the liquor for these events anyway, and everyone with money had a drug dealer on speed dial anyway, he usually come out on top with enough to keep him going for a few months. Jaunts major problem is that he blew all of his money on partying, so he usually was borderline broke.

Unfortunately he didn't witness the altercation between Buffy and Damien, he was too busy schmoozing his Brazilian hottie. Fortunately, even if Damien had been on her arm, it wouldn't have stopped him. "Darlin', would you pardon me for a second? I just seen an old friend and I'm curious to know how their doing."

"Sure, Mark... run back to me soon?" She looked behind at him, that alluring gaze damn near making it impossible leave.

"Me? Run?" He chuckled. "That'd be sight... lemme tell ya." He shared his laugh with no frickin' clue why.

Jaunt was good at what he did, and one he'd learned a long time ago was that confidence will win a foot in the door, every time. He went for the direct approach. "Hi, I'm Marques Haynes. President of Sojourn Entertainment." He said with a million dollar smile. He pointed to the older man next to Buffy, her second mark, and smirked. "Please tell me you're not here with that guy." He pointed at a random guy running. "Or that guy." He motioned for the beach as a whole. "Or any of these guys, because I have a bucket full of cheesy pick up lines and I'd hate to waste them on a lady who is spoken for because I'm sure at least one of them is going to work..."

Admittedly, his charm was above average and his delivery quite sincere. Didn't hurt that he was at least attractive, too. "Regardless of how the next minute or so goes for us, I'm having a party later his evening and I'd like for you to be there." He produced a business card from God only knew where and the slight of hand was sort of impressive. "Address is on the back. Bring some friends, it's going to be a good time."

the card, which he just got 250 made up at a 24 hour Kinkos not but twelve hours ago, seemed strange:

Marques Haynes

Sojourn Entertainment

"Not here for a long time, just here for a good time."

Not sure how Rebekka is when it comes to esoteric trivia but, Marques Haynes is the name of an old Harlem Globetrodder. I'm sure you'll see the correlation between Jaunt and 'Globetrodder'

[Jeremy]

Jeremy understood what was happening, 'Buffy' was free to play the field and get the information they needed. Sure, the slap hurt - c'est la vie with the appearance of the thing. Likewise, he blinked and stared in abject male shock and disbelief, before slumping down in the sand - coincidentally next to Mary, head looking down.

"Well," he said quietly, "Buffy did say shopping and looking. You two wanna come with me then?"

[SalmonMax]

Mary gave Jeremy such a pitiable look of adorable gratitude that it was a small miracle that little animated birds didn't flutter down to tweet sweetly on her shoulder. Thoughts like that, in hindsight, might give one cause to be thankful that Mary had not been exposed to fanciful or overly imaginative works...lest things like that actually happen.

She whirled around to look pleadingly at the others, nearly bouncing up and down on her toes with eagerness to leave the hurly burly bustle of the Rio beachside.

[z024]

"I will stay with...Buffy." Lamia responded, still on edge among so many people for the first time in so long but trying to look relaxed. She nodded for Jeremy and Mary to go on, sticking close to Rebekka herself.

She gave Marques Haynes a once-over, not hostile but definitely sizing him up. "I don't know, Buffy...." she shrugged, a slight smile playing at the edges of her lips. "I mean, we don't know him. Should we go to the house of a stranger at night?"

Invitation or challenge, the ball was definitely in 'Marques' corner now.

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

Marques Haynes. Rebekka supposed this boy's name could have been Marques Haynes, but he looked far different from the black man she had seen playing ball for the Globetrotters in '73. But who was she to cast stones - she had used many names over the years, even before she was classified as The Archive.

Glancing at the address - a good one in the Barra de Tijuca - she suppressed a victorious smile. This would do very well indeed, others attending would be just what she was looking for.. And if 'Marques' wasn't totally on the up-and-up, well, he still seemed to be promising a fun time. Besides, he had made his move before the other mark and he was cute too. Score one for Marques.

Her lips quirked in a small grin, eyes sparkling as she teased a corner of the card in her pearly teeth, giving Marques a languid once-over before sharing a telling glance with Lamia.

"C'mon, Lexy! That's 'xactly how they become more than strangers," Buffy giggled. "'Sides, he already gave us his card. Marques Haynes, I'm Buffy Cockburn and this is my BFF Alexis King. See? We're barely strangers already." She shot Marques a coquettish glance, shifting to emphasize the strings she was wearing, though they hardly needed it. "This party, is it beach-glam or glam-glam?"

"You're almost making me change my mind, but it's definitely glam-glam. But there's a hot-tub, so you can bring the beach-glam too," Jaunt responded suavely after taking a moment to enjoy the contours of the two women before him.

"Oooh, I looove hot tubs," Buffy breathed. "We'll be there in our sexy dresses, maybe with a few more friends too. Just promise me one thing... " Card held between two fingers, fair brows lowered in mock severity, she tapped him firmly between two well sculpted pecs. "Forget 'bout the bucket of cheesy lines - I ain't spoken for. And-"

"And?!" Jaunt interrupted with a mischievous grin, waggling his brows. "You said one thing."

Buffy pouted with painfully adorable cuteness. "Two things then." Her lips curved into a wicked grin. "Regardless how it goes then, it better last longer than a minute."

[Jaunt]

It seemed obvious that Lexy was running interference, which was man lingo for 'cock blocking'. Shame, because a threesome was brewing evilly in Jaunt's mind. It was obvious they weren't related and this Buffy chick was all over just about any option he tossed at them. Eagerness was a red flag, but pushing forward when he should have backed off was Jaunt's forte. It was easy to be brazen and bold when you had no fear of being captured.

Cockburn? Wow, I should propose and marry this woman just as a favor to rid her of that name. High school must've been rough, her surname screams V.D. Not that he was one to talk, considering he was supposed to be an elderly black man. Oh, wait... that's right... I can't get married, or have a job, or a car, or a house, or a bank account, or a future. Fuck you mom, fuck you very much...

"She makes a great point, Lexy." Jaunt offered her up that charming smile. "Were all strangers until we get to know each other. I throw one of these parties every time I come through Rio. I mean, I'm one of those 'lucky' guys. I never asked for the life I ended up with and then BAM, one day I'm travelling the globe and eating things I can't pronounce." It was strange how the truth made he best lie sometimes. "Now, I throw a little shin-dig, have a little fun, and give a little back." His tone shifted to something inviting and flirtatious. He wanted her to go, but was letting her know he wasn't going to twist any arms. "I hope I see you there."

Buffy the Cockpire Burner... he couldn't get that last name out of his head. He was already a bit superstitious and certainly no stranger to irony or karma, was kind enough to bail him out of convincing the interference to let her hawt friend attend a party in a dress that should be illegal. When she tapped him on the pecs he chuckled briefly. "Oh, you're missing out. It's a damn good bucket, hours of laughs." This was the hard part, to not sound like a typical guy and just soak up the innuendo with some comment that was nothing more than posturing or high school bragging. "In all seriousness though, I would love to see both of you ladies there, I think fun times will be had by all. As for lasting longer than a minute, hon, that's up to you y'all," His Arizona accent crept out for just the slightest of moments. "I'm here inviting you to a good time, how long you make it last starts with showing up."

"Marques!" A smoking hawt Brazilian beauty was shamelessly bouncing up and down while waving in Jaunts direction. "Marques!"

He smirked and lowered his head trying not to laugh. The ladies could tell this woman amused him on some level. "Well, ladies, if you'll excuse me, I promised a client I'd take her to lunch. I hope you two have a great day, and I look forward to seeing you tonight. Boa tarde, ladies."

[z024]

"See you tonight then, Marques. Ata hoxe á noite." Her Portuguese was more Galician and definitely formal, but she spoke like a native. Once he'd bounded off, she leaned in and quietly asked Rebekka, "So, do we look for any others now, or prepare for this evening? He seems....malleable enough, if he's also wealthy enough."

She glanced over to where Jeremy and Mary were edging away from the crowd Rebekka was attracting. "I think perhaps going shopping would be a good idea. We will need different clothes for this evening, and jewelry, yes? The more she can see, the greater choice we will have. And I think she would like to get away from the beach and the crowds for a bit." Rebekka caught the undercurrent of agreement in Lamia's own voice and saw just the barest flinch from the cocoa-skinned mutant as a group of men passed by, whistling and making catcalls at the two of them.

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

"Oh! Shopping is totally next," Rebekka agreed, an understanding light in her eyes as she glanced from Marues' and the Brazilian babe's assess to Mary and heard the undertones in Lamia's voice. "And we don't need to find any others now, I think. Marques..."

Rebekka smirked, amusement in her voice letting Lamia know that wasn't his real name, as she showed Lamia his card and the posh Barra address on the back, "... will do it for us. He seems fun - and I'll show him a good time given the opportunity - but it's his guests I'm interested in. It's the right bit of real estate I'm looking for. Unless David has someone lined up, money will take a bit longer to acquire." She grinned impishly. "I'm good, but even I can't get someone to buy me a house in one night - at least not one that isn't a crap shack or comes with strings attached."

Taking Lamia's hand, Rebekka led her through the press of men surrounding them with exuberant aplomb, flirting and bantering and conjoling with Valley Girl ease. Soon, Rebekka and Lamia rejoined Mary and Jeremy, the men leaving the girls alone with friendly regret and ardent promises.

"So, guys, we're, like, so going to a totally slamming party tonight, 'kay?" Rebekka explained in her 'Buffy' voice. "That means shopping first. I say we walk over two streets to the Nossa Senhora de Copacabana to cruise for the basics, have Mary here fill her eyes window shopping and build up a few thousand Reals at the pawn-shops like we planned. Then we'll grab some food and head over to the São Conrado Fashion Mall to really glam up."

Rebekka had found the locations for some good shopping through glib questioning of their admirers. She linked her arms through Lamia's and Mary's and began leading the way, her blue-green eyes roving over the passing people like a huntress. She licked her lips hungrily. "And I'll need to find someone to teach me Portuguese at some point too."

[z024]

"I can teach you the basic language while we shop, if you would like," Lamia offered, having obviously not gotten the memo on Rebakka's manner of "speed reading". She hesitated and added, "It is a bit different now, but I have been listening. You two, as well." She nodded to Mary and Jeremy, including them in the offer and visibly relaxing as they left the crowds at the beach and found pavement.

They were still getting stares and catcalls, but it was a touch more remote now as the people were also intent on food, clothes, and thousands of other daily rituals throughout the city streets. She let Rebekka lead the way, taking in the new sights and smells of a modern city herself, while trying not to start at the cacophony of sounds or ask questions that would mark her as completely out of place. Most things she could put a name to and infer what they did....but there was simply so much everywhere.

[Jeremy]

'Damian' nodded as he walked with the girls down the street. "Yeaah... party. Maybe after we've done some window shopping, we find a hidden spot, Mary gives me the stuff to pawn, and I'll trade that stuff for Reals. Plus containers for the... party specials of mine."

Already, the smell of food from the restaurants that lined the Nossa Senhora de Copacabana intoxicated nose and mouth, and the bustle and glinting glamor of the upscale shops interspersed in offered a great deal of potential items for Mary to copy and the group to use.

Things were looking like an enjoyable bit of business with pleasure.

[SalmonMax]

In the city, away from the distractions of the beach, Mary had an easier time with the crowds. It was easier to ignore them, make them into geographical features. The idea that there could be this many people in one place was easy to grasp academically, but threatened to overwhelm when she was actually confronted with it.

But the stores were incredible!

The first store they hit was a trendy, upscale spot that offered mostly beachwear and similar 'touristy' offerings. No sooner than they were inside than Mary's mouth fell open. For a full minute she just stood there, transfixed. All around her were gorgeous weaves of carbon chains and complex polymers, organic fibers pressed into resins, and materials and dyes and objects that chattered themselves to her. She spent five minutes while the others rummaged through racks just staring at the cash register in stupefied awe. Rebekka had to come over and pull her away because the clerk was giving her funny looks.

"What's the matter?" she asked quietly.

Mary could only shake her head. "It's beautiful inside. It...it can count. It knows how much things cost. There's this light..."

Rebekka had to smile at that. "You've seen laptops though. They're computers too."

"No, I mean...it's different now," was the girl's reply. "I couldn't feel things from the inside then. I know how to do it now..."

She looked back at the register and swayed dizzily.

"You okay?" Rebekka asked, quickly catching hold of her shoulder.

Mary nodded. "Yeah. Just...a lot. Okay."

Clothes were picked out, but not paid for. Once outside, the mutants simply ducked into an alley quickly and Mary whisked up a few bags, each one full of copies of the clothes they'd wanted. Just a few shops down the row was their real destination; the jewelry store.

Here too, Mary was a kid in a candy store, though she at least didn't trance out again. The collection of diamond rings struck her as unaccountably amusing, getting giggles out of her that lasted all the way over past the emeralds and the earrings. She couldn't explain what was so funny though, just shaking her head and waving it off.

After she'd had a full run of the store, she confided in the others, "This is easy. These things aren't complicated at all. They're almost all the same stuff...just with little extra things that make them different colors."

By that time of course, the salespeople were giving them stinkeyes, and the security officer was watching them pretty closely, so they quickly went back into the streets. A few minutes later they were the proud owners of some of the finest jewelry in Rio. Or reasonable facsimiles therof. At Rebekka's urging, Mary also made a little money...copied from within the cash register. They were going to hit the pawn shop next, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a little chump change on the way there.

It was in the pawn shop that the changes that had been working quietly in the background of Mary's head suddenly came out to play.

The pawn shop was, to put it simply, like some kind of religious experience. Objects of every sort, every description, all gathered together in one place. Mary got about ten paces inside before she suddenly groaned and sank to a knee, almost falling entirely over.

The noise was a crashing rush, like the ocean. Mary felt as if she could feel her brain stretching; a balloon with too much air in it. There were red pulses of light behind her eyelids. And then something happened. Images started shifting and merging in her mind's eye. It was a mishmash of color without shape, shadow without depth. And then it snapped together....and she saw.

It was the difference between making noise in a cave and listening to the echoes, and actually echolocating. The room came into focus around her...not a focus of light, but of her awareness of mass. She'd always been able to tell what something was made of by looking at it, and with quite a bit of detail. With time she'd learned to extend that sense into a volume of space, even the parts she couldn't see. Even then though, there was no sense of how that composition was arranged. She might know a cup on the table had water in it, and even tell how much water, but where in the cup the water was...not so much. That she had to infer. Now though, she could feel that boundary layer...the point where air became skin, and skin became muscle, and muscle became bone. The smear of chemicals that a person was made of resolved into a kind of map of where those chemicals were.

Eyes closed, she turned her head. The focal point moved; the store's inventory swiveled through her mind. Blindly she reached out and grabbed Rebekka's leg, barely even aware she was doing it.

All around her, atoms danced and molecules sang, and they were heartbreaking, and they were hilarious, but most of all they were so beautiful as to cheapen the word.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

Rebekka reached down and patted Mary's hand on her leg in consolation, a sympathetic smile on her lips. If she didn't know exactly what Mary was experience, she could easily see the experience was deeply affecting her.

Seeing the clerk behind the glassed-in and barred cash-register starting to get anxious, Rebekka flashed him a brilliant smile, easing his concern. She helped Mary to her feet and handed her a bottle of water from her bag.

"Desculpe, my cousin here, she's not used to the heat," Rebekka explained with a light laugh. With a gift for languages and a flawless memory, she was picking up Lamia's lessons with remarkable ease, though she planned on broaching another way to make the lessons go faster - and far more exciting. "Not used to real cities either. Damien, why don't you show him what we have to trade and we'll browse a bit."

Rebekka supported Mary on one side, Lamia moving to her either side, escorting her around the cluttered pawnshop marveling at the symphony of atomic and sub-atomic particles only she could hear. Jeremy dickered with the clerk, hocking the moderate pieces Mary had fashioned for this express purpose, as well as picking up a number of tiny containers to hold his chemical candies, as well as some placebos - simple sugar pills - he could infuse with his special cocktails for some variety beyond liquids and powdered crystals.

"You okay, honey?"

"It's... it's so... whatever means more than beautiful," Mary whispered.

Over Mary's head, Rebekka flashed Lamia a wide grin. The sheltered girl's horizons were expanding and watching it was a beautiful thing too. Rebekka wiped the a tear from Mary's cheek with a gentle finger. "So are you, hon."

In a little while, Jeremy had finished the deal and the group moved on to another pawn shop several blocks down, repeating the scene, though Mary handled it much better this time. Courtesy of Mary, they had some classy everyday clothes, now it was time to acquire some glam party clothes and shoes for tonight.

They took a taxi to São Conrado and its more upscale boutiques - and promising Mary a visit to a high-end electronics store. After all, once they had a base of operations, they would need to furnish it, right? Before heading out for another round of shopping, they decided to stop for a late lunch.

A bit of coy questioning of their driver directed to a promising open-air restaurant on a languid avenue, the prices and quality of the food indicating this place was for locals. Turning from trying to convince Mary that trying on and paying for the clothes was at least half the fun - and debating with herself if she wanted to persuade her into going for a make over - Rebekka settled languorously in her wicker chair with a sigh, fingering the stem of her glass of wine.

Rebekka smiled impishly as she listened to Lamia continue with her language lessons, using the menu as an aid. She took a sip of her sweet red, eyes sultry and intent as she considered the purportedly ancient woman.

"Y'know, Lexy, there's a much more convenient, and considerably more satisfying way of teaching me Portuguese," Rebekka commented in seductive and suggestive tones. "And I'm sure you'd learn something too."

[SalmonMax]

"I know Japanese," Mary offered, lowering her menu, her eyes bright with pride. Then she realized that the conversation wasn't about any language, but about one particular language. "Oh. I want to learn Portuguese too. I can't read this menu."

With that, she returned to not-reading her menu, humming happily to herself.

While she hadn't been able to articulate quite what had happened in the pawn shop, it seemed to mark a shift in her outlook. In particular, in how her senses affected her. There weren't any more 'overload' moments, though she was even more prone to being childishly infatuated by mundane objects she encountered.

[z024]

Lamia smiled at Mary's enthusiasm and good mood, the last bit of tension fading from her as Mary seemed completely recovered from her episode in the pawn shop. She helped the three of them order, getting anything advertised as 'sampler' for herself; some of the food looked like things she had before, but most of it was new to her and she wanted to try as much as she could.

Once the waitress had departed,she gave Rebekka a curious look, not missing her sexual subtext but at this point simply used to it as Rebekka. "How so? Could it help everyone learn the language by tonight?"

[Jeremy]

Jeremy started laughing, but held a hand close to his mouth politely at what he heard. Mary had no idea what she was asking for. "Oh, Buffy. You really are something, girl, asking them like that." To the others he began quietly explaining. "As I'm told, she's an archive of facts, like she reads your mind after sex, hey? I don't think Mary would be up for that."

[SalmonMax]

Mary's menu bobbed down in her hands.

"What?" She gave Jeremy a haughty look, spoiled somewhat by her ears turning pinkish. "I'm not a child, you know. I know about sex."

[Rebekka Van der Vyse]

Rebekka's lips quivered with the effort of suppressing mirthful giggles, before settling into a grin that could easily have been condescending but was instead simply greatly amused at Mary's youth, or rather, inexperience. With so many lives locked inside her head limiting her emotional development, REbekka hardly felt older than she currently appeared to be, maybe younger, but experience she had in spades and then some.

"Sweetie, sweetie, sweetie," Rebekka murmured, reaching out and giving Mary's hand a playful squeeze. "You're not a child - just innocent. You might academically know of sex, but 'til you've had it, you don't know anything about it." Her grin deepened as she gestured at herself. "And there might even be something about it even I don't know yet. Maybe." She switched to Japanese, sounding like a native of Tokyo. "I can teach you if you like..."

As Mary's ears went from pink to red, Rebekka leaned back in her chair and recrossed her legs, dipping a fingertip in her wine then running it around the rim of her glass, making it hum softly. She still looked the same, but a change in her manner and posture made her appear to be a different woman, indolent and glamorous instead of a vapid Valley girl.

"Damien, like most men who think they know what I do, you give a dry explanation without really understanding the essence of it. Facts! Bah! That's what they most often used me for - the ultimate research tool." Rebekka had switched back to English, though this time her accent was the sort-of-Dutch-kind-of-German of South Africa.

"It is much more than just 'facts'. It's all their dreams and fears. Their memories and thoughts and emotions, with all the context and psychological trauma included, subconscious or otherwise. All of it."

She paused to finish her drink and get a refill as the waitress came around. "I experience it every bit as much as they have. It's not so much mind-reading as I copy the all chemical codes in their brain that make up the sum total of their life experiences. When I'm done, I know them as much as they know themselves. Better. And it stays with me. Forever."

Currently, Rebekka looked no more than twenty or twenty-one. None of the others actually knew how old she was, but for a moment, in her eyes, there was a look of - not of antiquity like Lamia - but of a frightening amount of experience.

"I get languages almost right away - needed so that the rest of what makes them them makes sense. During sex is a bit of a misnomer, though, Damien. While there has to be the promise of climax, orgasm, what it really required is intimacy." There was a shadowed gleam in her eyes, conveying a darker side of her gift and her desires. "And not all intimacy is... pleasant."

And suddenly, Rebekka was in 'Buffy' mode once more, bubbly and care-free as she regarded Lamia with enticing and daring eyes. "It's too bad though, what comes in, I can't send out the same way - how the lab-boys wished I could do that!"

Lamia felt a playful foot graze her calf. "Still want to 'teach' me Portuguese, Lexy?"

[z024]

Lamia had gone quiet throughout the explanation, slowly lowing her spoon back into her soup. Her expression was unreadable and while she didn't start or flinch back from Rebekka's brush against her leg, neither did she really respond at all. She stared at the soup for a few silent moments, then shook her head.

"I...do not think you would find that a pleasant experience," she said softly in English. "Marques speaks English. If we must seek out another and it is imperative that you know Portuguese, I will...." She took a breath, "We will...discuss it then."

Another heartbeat of uncomfortable silence passed, and then she picked up her spoon and began eating again. "In the meantime, we should discuss how we should proceed with Marques and the party this evening. You had said that you wanted to look for another target at the party; shall I distract Marques for you, then? Damien can discover addicts and other malleable mortals, providing us potential revenue sources and blackmail if necessary." She nodded to Mary, "You are innocent, but more importantly you appear innocent. That will attract two kinds of men to you: predators and those looking for a pure bride. Damien, I would like you to keep an eye out for her, perhaps play the part of an older brother? That leaves all of us open for those looking for a lover or wooing."

She looked to each of them in turn, "Unless one of you have a better idea? I admit, it has been a very long time since I have done this kind of activity."

[SalmonMax]

Mary gave Rebekka her best 'yeah, right,' look, since everyone knew only men could have sex with women. It didn't make her any less red in the face, but at least she knew when she was being teased.

Lamia's words got her attention, and she nodded, all business. She wanted everyone to know she was part of the team. "What should I do?" she asked.

[Jeremy]

Jeremy dug in and continued eating for a moment. He may not have that the same amount of intimacy as Rebekka, but he knew emotions rather well. Right now, it seemed Rebekka was making some mistakes. It wasn't the forbidden suggestion of generally despised same-sex, but Lamia, whatever her reasons, and he had a sinking feeling as to the reasons - found the invitation uncomfortable.

"I can do that, finding people with means and influence and getting them hooked. Vivi, I personally say, hold it together, I know the people were making you uncomfortable earlier. And perhaps we'll find private spots and you can make something for us if we need those there."