There was a moment of silence after Lexi’s last statements. Hematite’s gaze went from Onyx– who was fine, if a little upset and not admitting it, back to the blue-haired woman. He tilted his head a bit, the smile still on his face. The implication of someone as unstable as this bringing guns into their home, and offering to show them off– well, that wasn’t great.
But. But, she had been in a gang before. And she was looking for work. Possibly another gang, at least someone level-headed to give her direction. As far as Hemie knew, no one was as level-headed as Obsidian, and he could definitely give her a direction. It all depended on Lexi, really.
“Well, ain’t that something.” He commented as Onyx passed the woman another drink. “Tell me, Lexi– You said you don’t mind less than legal work?”
His voice got soft, just loud enough for the woman to hear as he leaned in. The smile on his face had changed, into something a little sly. Like a fox that was creeping up on a rabbit, like someone who had spotted an easy mark. “How do you feel about metahumans?”
If she was a human who liked metas, or had a favorable outlook, she could go to Crystals or likely to lower levels of Slate. Now, if she herself was a meta, well that was a highway straight into mid-level Slate. Hematite was no stranger to recruiting new blood- He’d been one of the main negotiators for gang takeovers in the last few years. He was good at convincing others to believe in the cause, especially when they heard his own story. From one former gangster to a gangster who wants out or more protection, Slate was a dream come true.
He cracked his neck as he finished speaking and the ever so sly smile stayed. One of his hands began to drum across the counter as he waited to hear whatever ramble the blue-haired woman was about to provide him with.
Onyx knew Hematite well enough to know when he was playing an angle. Most people could be persuaded by a soft voice and a charismatic conversation and normally that didn't bother her. Onyx believed in the cause, and a pretty face did wonders for bringing others into the fold.
She had reservations about Lexi.
Onyx couldn't judge on the gang front. Both her and Hemie had come from that sort of violence. Being acclimated to that environment was certainly an asset when it came to Slate, but Lexi...was unstable. Chemically dependant and brain damaged.
She smelt of liability.
Onyx turned her back to Lexi, and subtly signed to Hemie where the woman couldn't see, and a sardonic look in her eyes.
Another glass of vodka was provided and greedily downed by the maniac. A grateful nod given before her attention turned b a ck to the one who spoke. Two simple questions perhaps it deserved simple answers but that wasn't exactly the nature of Lexi as they knew likely by now.
"It's most what i know! Grew up a kid with little stress made me want for more. More friends more people to hold onto. Makes a kid go to parties, more people there. This leads to where drugs are. I could have done better but the want for others stear me one way. I'm early into teens and joining a gang. I love it, simple spray painting stuff, then it's helping sales. Bounce on up to grand theft auto robberies and the like. Eventually doing it all not afraid to resort to violence but we ran out the competition. Small town and we were ambitious, I wanted more. The rest as well...we're just kids though a more teenagers in the ranks wanting something then professionals. Job goes south, it's survivor locked away."
The story came with a lot of animation of course. Gestures of dancing, of shooting up drugs then to shooting. The final gestures a finger gun to her head and hands raised to be cuffed together. Perhaps they could see through her theatrics though, the consistency of one word showing up. WANTED. Before them a woman who was ambitious but craved belonging over all else. In another universe one could see her a business tycoon perhaps. Or maybe an engineer of prestigious reknown. Instead her want to do right for her gang mixed with unprepared members got her now devoid of people who wanted her around. She was free from prison, but now in a world that didn't want her.
"As for metas, I am one."
She swung her backpack up onto the table. She would tip it over deciding better to let things fall out then remove them. What came first was a metal rod. It seemed maybe size of a short sword at first kept going to the length of a bat, then an entire staff. It shouldn't have fit inside the bag yet there was more. Two pistols dropped out, stylishly painted but other then that normal. Another gun poked out though, then dropped with a thud. A full blown machine gun resting on the table. Genuinely impossible to fit into the bag. She moved to the pistols again, making the steps to remove the clip and chambered round. She didn't so much as pick the gun up until it was empty. Showed it to the two that it was empty.
A click of the hammer chamber closes. She repeats the action to evacuate the chamber another round caught in her hands. A gun empty suddenly having another round. She set the gun down, moved to ruffle her hair bringing strands before her face. A curtain of blue turns red hair changing color in a instant. She pulls back the curtain and her eye color had changed to a green hue. Her nails had grown long enough to scratch someone with. Her changes weren't radical she wasn't changing her facial features but it was undisputed different.""Reality bending. Its not to grandiose i cant turn say water to wine, but i can get drunk if I want. I don't have infinite ammo but it as more then logic says should be allowed. Im not a genius every day. But I can learn sign language in a night if I want to. It's weird, weird tricks for a weird girl."
The last line coming with running her fingers through her bangs. Those strands of hair bleeding back into their cobalt blue.
Hematite gave Lexi his full attention as she spoke, then turned his now sideways smile on Onyx. They could do better than crazy, but sometimes crazy was what they needed. Sometimes crazy was willing to do the jobs that no one else was. And it had been a while since they had found someone this crazy. He gave Onyx a look that said ‘maybe, but why not?’
The man turned his attention back to the other woman and gave her a polite smile as he spoke. “Reality bending, huh? That seems useful, even if it’s only low grade. I’ve only ever heard of one other person who could reality bend, but, well. They’re long gone, I guess. Died almost a decade ago. I’m sure Obsidian would be interested in meeting you. Tell me, have you ever heard the name Slate?”
The drumming of his fingers stilled when he said the name of their organization. There was a stillness about him now, an almost sharpness that was only held at bay by the still-present polite smile. A keen interest, maybe. Or maybe it was just that he felt he could have hooked on his line. He’d fished enough already, after all.
She didn't catch what the cute bartender who wasn't a fan of her said. Hematite obscured the vision of the woman. While signs were out of view expressions were a bit more readable. Mixed eyes looked to a glass above the counter to watch what the man signed in reply. The glass bottle held liquid to thick to be to good a reflection. Eyes of Lexi's though seemed to dilate and sure enough she was seeing the reflection like it was a pristine mirror. The world bent to her whims to let her witness a reflection with crystal clarity where it should have been a barely visible as mber haze. A gesture and expression that said "why not".
To her detractors credit Lexi could think of plenty reasons why not. A drug craving Lunatic was perhaps not the best hire. That said Lexi was someone homeless, and desperately longing to be wanted, who's own rules were out the window. There was in all likelihood no job this organization could offer that she wouldn't take. A question came her way once more and the lunatic brushed aside some bangs.
"Few loose mentions on the news. If I was a betting girl, and I am, it's largely only been when want to be spoken of. Maybe some heroic intervention in recent years picked up. Can't say I've heard to much more or more detailed stories. I know however I didn't do time with any. And I love that as means to skilled or to dead to make it to most prisons. Cause I don't want to go back."
She giggled at herself and some memories however.
"I do miss the straight jackets though and a girlfriend i had while locked up once. Anywho, if your willing I'll take any job. The potential I could be is all up to investors. All a girl wants to be is wanted, I could be anything from corner girl to nuclear physicist if Slate desires." One could see it in her eyes to she ment every word. There was no job she wasn't willing to undergo and given her unique power set the reach was quite far. She might not be a technomancer who made bombs from toasters, but with some investment she could be crafting bombs in a garage with malicious intent. With the sole caveat being the girl who also liked the idea of making bombs, jumped to extremes of giddy wanting weapons of mass destruction.
