NeoAJ

[Canceled]

The Darkened Blade of the Scarlet Dagger

Nat 🗡️ Natty 🗡️ Dagger

Jordan Miller 🗡️ 8a2cb5
Natalia "Nat" Pereira 🗡️ 24 (looks 27 to her dismay) 🗡️ 11/25/1996 🗡️ Female 🗡️ Bisexual 🗡️ Single 🗡️ Her loyalty is to the loft.

- - - -
Occupation:
🗡️ Lead singer / Guitarist for "The Scarlet Dagger", a two-person band with her sister Mina. They could have interest in a drummer, should they be able to hang with both Mina's symphonic concertos on the keys and Nat's alternating rock-heavy shredding on the electric guitar and soft strums on the acoustic. They could have an album deal in the works.
🗡️ Bartender / Bar-area Bouncer at Amnesia NYC. She keeps the job despite the band's recent successes because the tips are really good, she gets to dress as she pleases and she can keep a close eye on the friskier patrons that try anything when her sister is up on stage dancing. They get to find out why she is called Dagger.

Affiliation/Loyalty:

Her loyalty is to her family, what little is left. It's her and her sister until the end. She also will fiercely defend the loft and her roommates from the scourge of vampires and men. However, in an effort to get info on her father's killer, she has maintained friendly relations with the Artois, unbeknownst to her sister.

Personality (3 positive traits, 3 negative)
🗡️ Loyal It takes a lot to earn Nat's trust. However, once someone has it, they have an ally who will fight to the death (or undeath) for them. She does not take slights very easily and will defend those she cares about in whatever manner she has to, especially if it involves violence.

🗡️ Creative Nat has grown up being an outside-the-box thinker, and it's led to some beautiful things. The creation of "The Scarlet Dagger" was one, combining her sister Mina's classical talents with her own rock-honed strains to make something truly unique on the New York scene. It's also led her to come up with some very innovative ways to get her daggers exactly where they need to go. She will not be pegged as some straight-shot simp.

🗡️ Unafraid The worst of the world already unveiled itself to Nat, so what does she have to fear from it? She will not back down from any fight, she will not shirk away from any tenuous situation, she will dive in and face it no matter what. Daggers drawn.

🗡️ Overprotective She may claim a lot of lovers, but there is only one woman in the world that matters to Natalia, and that is Mina. She will literally do whatever she needs to in order to protect her lone surviving non-insane family member, even if that means sacrificing herself for her sibling. She is the smart one. She has the world-changing talent. She must survive, even if that means Nat must not.

🗡️ Hot-headed Nat has a temper, especially when it comes to protecting her little sister. There have been many drinks offered to patrons to make up for being on the wrong side of the Dagger's anger, although she argues that 95% of them deserve what they get. It's led her to be a little rash, but she is so good at what she does that the management of Amnesia and Envy usually look the other way.

🗡️ Free-wheeling Definitely not as meticulous as her sibling, Nat is usually not one to go into things with a plan, other than attack. In any aspect of her life, be it finding her next make-out partner or finding the next off-kilter vampire to slay, she just charges in with her weapons and hopes for the best. Heck, getting a job at a popular vampire hangout and bringing her sister in blind to work with her wasn't exactly planned out, but here they are.

Aspirations/goals/philosophy:

🗡️ "There are two powers in this world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women." - Muhammad Ali Jinnah

🗡️ Natalia subscribes to being a master of all three mentioned in the quote above. As a woman, songwriter and mean wielder of daggers, she believes in herself and what she continues to do. She has to do so. There were few who did at the start.

🗡️ It feels like everything has been building towards this era in time for Natalia. The band is finally getting some buzz, enough to get notice from at least one record label thanks to her friend Angie. Loft life is good. Her sister is still good, and starting to come out of her shell a little bit. Things may finally be looking up for the Pereiras, and Nat will do whatever it takes to keep it going.

🗡️ Long term, the goal is to eventually get out of the loft and find a family home again, for her, Mina and their mother to live in relative peace and harmony, like they did before talk of vampires and serial killers entered their lives. Maybe even back in her birthplace. If its good enough for all those hockey players, it's good enough for them.

Skill Set:
🗡️ Guess Why She's Called Dagger: With her sister needing protection following the disintegration of their family dynamic, Nat sought ways to protect herself and her sibling. A chance visit to a pawn shop on the Lower East side netted her a pair of daggers that she quickly became skilled with. It took many nicks and cuts that Mina had to treat, but she is now ruthlessly efficient both in stabbing someone wherever she wants and throwing her daggers wherever she wants. She has accumulated many daggers for her continuing training as a vampire hunter, enough that there is a door in the loft that others open at their own risk, as it has become her "dagger closet".
🗡️ Beaten to the Punch: That isn't to say that Natalia would be helpless without a blade in her hand. Prior to acquiring her collection of weapons, she became proficient in bare-handed combat after being enrolled in a boxing class for "troubled youth" when she was 13. She enjoyed fighting, and learned how to defend herself, as well as the other members of her family, since her sister was loathe to fight and her mother's ability to battle steadily eroded. It's given her the ability to essentially be her own bouncer while tending bar.
🗡️ Flexible In All Ways: The training she undertook as a teenager has given Nat a very flexible body, as well as a flexible mind. Boxing trained her to think quickly, look for openings and try and come up with battle plans on the fly. She is relatively new to applying that to hunting, as she is still learning about the trade from her roommate, but certainly it can't hurt.
🗡️ Drawn To the Rocks: While her sister is more of an operatic singer when she performs vocals on stage, there is a rough, jagged quality to Natalia's singing voice that suits her rock leanings. However, when switching to the more hushed, acoustic songs, Natalia can get quiet and smooth to convey the tone. It allows her to match whichever muse Mina has when it comes to their music.
🗡️ She Can Dance If She Wants To: While not as taken to dance as her sister was, Nat still shared in the classes if only to maintain the family cohesiveness that it bred. She is a passable Latin dancer because of this, but she did not go to the lengths of Mina.
🗡️ Puny Gods: While Mina has her own god she prays to, Natalia has become something of an atheist. Hard not to after what happened to her father and what she learned about the world that got him killed. No, bless her soul, Nat found her rapture in the rock and roll, and sweet blasphemy guides her in much of her daily dealings.

Fears:

Her main fear is something happening to Mina, especially given how little she knows of the world she finds herself on the fringes of. She doesn't want her to fall in.

- - - -
History:

Natalia Alicia Pereira was born on a brisk fall day in North Caldwell, New Jersey to Mónica and Justin Pereira, who married following a whirlwind romance after Mónica came to America as an exchange student from Mexico. She met Justin, an aspiring architect, who when they got hitched, adopted the surname Pereira as his own, out of reverence to Mónica's family, and to be rid of the last name Dyck once and for all. They doted after their little brunette treasure, and Mónica became even more devoted to family life when Mina came along a little over two years later. They were happy in their idyllic New Jersey town, but a job offer forced Justin into the city, and the family, against their better wishes, followed.

This lasted for a couple years until Natalia was 12 and the disappearance of her father rocked her world. She and her mother were at one of Mina's recitals when they got the call from the local precinct that they had reason to believe that Justin had been claimed by the Bonekeeper, a serial killer who had been working in New York for some time. It was incomprehensible to Nat that her father would just be vanished like a cheap trick. It couldn't be. The world didn't work like that. Mina didn't take it well and Nat did her best to be strong for her sister, but it was hard.

Nat started lashing out at school, in anger at the world for what it did to her family. It led to her enrollment in boxing lessons to try and corral some of that rage. However, the money was drying up at a rapid rate. The Dycks, never thrilled Justin took Mónica's name, cut the family off from their resources and Mónica had to do terrible things, mind-wrenching things to try and keep the family afloat. Nat took a job at 16 at a local music store, doing janitorial work and odd jobs to try and help, but it wasn't enough. Mónica got worse and worse. When she was 18 and Mina was 16, Nat became the legal guardian, and Mónica was committed to a mental hosptial to try and get help for her various problems.

Nat continued to work at the music store and Mrs. Mitchell was happy to indulge the young woman in this world, leading to Nat's dreams of a band of her own to perform and serve as her outlet. She learned how to play the guitar and got very good. This was also when she bought her first set of daggers, for protection on the mean streets of New York. However, when she was 21, Mrs. Mitchell sold the store to a national conglomerate who just wanted the retail space for another bloody coffee shop. As thanks for her hard work and to give her a bit of a payout from the sale. Mrs. Mitchell offered Natalia a loft above a different record store that she owned as a rental deal, given what the family had to go through and how she just uprooted her from her spot. Natalia accepted. By this time, Nat was on friendly terms with the folks at Amnesia, who had allowed her in for a couple open-mic nights with her guitar. She picked up a job there as a bartender, and then learned just how much she didn't know about this city she was moved into.

It was at Amnesia when she had her first encounter with a vampire, a smooth-talker who liked the bourbon and was convinced Natalia was a reincarnation of a 16th century Spanish countess. He got handsy, and as such got punched out. A couple of the other co-workers revealed their statuses as vamps and informed Natalia exactly what Amnesia was about. Nat was angry at first, having associated the surreal with the disappearance of her father, but she needed the money, so she stayed. It was especially surprising when Angie Park, her former friend from the music store, resurfaced as a vampire in the most obvious way possible, but in a way it made sense. Rekindling that friendship helped Nat get over the initial shock of being knee deep in a bloodsuckers' world. Eventually, she grew accustomed to having vampire co-workers and patrons, like it was just normal, and her fellow barkeeps helped keep her sharp when dealing with the unruly customers. However, while Nat was now convinced that not all vampires were evil, she had to know what happened to her dad.

In addition to living in the loft with her sister, Natalia has allowed a couple other women to move into the loft. Vampire hunters. People she could learn from in exchange for a substantially reduced rent in the big city. Mina still doesn't know that Natalia plans to try and figure out what exactly happened to their dad, or how, but that's a worry for another day.

| City of Dreams |

The Blade of the Scarlet Dagger - WIP

Nat 🗡️ Natty 🗡️ Dagger

Jordan Miller 🗡️ 8a2cb5
Natalia "Nat" Pereira 🗡️ 24 (looks 25) 🗡️ 11/25/1996 🗡️ Female 🗡️ Bisexual 🗡️ Single 🗡️ not actually in a family.

- - - -
Occupation:
🗡️ Lead singer / Guitarist for "The Scarlet Dagger", a two-person band with her sister Mina. They could have interest in a drummer, should they be able to hang with both Mina's symphonic concertos on the keys and Nat's alternating rock-heavy shredding on the electric guitar and soft strums on the acoustic. They could have an album deal in the works.
🗡️

Affiliation/Loyalty: Primarily Pereira. It's her and her sister until the end. However, in an effort to get info on her father's killer, she has maintained friendly relations with the Artois, unbeknownst to her sister.

Personality (3 positive traits, 3 negative)
[Give a little bit more analysis/insight on each trait, or an in-depth look into the mind of your character, whichever you like!]

Aspirations/goals/philosophy: Why are they going through this trail, what do they want to achieve? What kind of change do they want in the vampire society?

Skill Set: What sets them apart from other vampires/humans, why would any party benefit from creating a partnership/alliance with your character?

Fears:

- - - -
History: [short blurb about where they come from, what they have experienced]

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

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Location | Misfits' RV, outside Barstow, California (130 miles from Santa Monica)
Interacting with | Her own stupid broken head
Mentions: Nate @spooner, Kim @Stanifly, Sami @BrutalBx, AJ @TootsiePop, Umbra @Syn, Val @Dirty Pretty Lies
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The 120 or so minutes running along 1-15 north were pretty joyous. Nate made good on his promise of Ariana karaoke to the delight of one. Kim assured Nate he was doing well, but it was easy to tell just how much she meant it. Emilia was content to let Nate off the hook with just a couple of songs. For the good of the group. Then the conversation turned to superpowers. The blonde tried to make the case as best she could for controlling the weather, to make sure it was always sunny whenever plans were made, but it was a losing battle. She didn't care though. Someone had to be Storm.

The reverie was wrecked with the sudden jolt of the RV, a quick veering off the road and a lot of bumps. Emilia was thrown against Umbra as she tried to brace against the side of the vehicle. It wasn't effective, and she was thrown to the floor of the vessel.

“What the fuck was that?!” As usual, Val put into words what Emi was having a hard time doing at the moment. Although she could have done without the cursing. The Latina sparkplug lept into the front seat as Sami asked if everyone was all right. Emilia was unable to answer immediately, still a bit shaken from the impact.

She looked around as the other Misfits slowly got up to see what the heck just happened to their chariot. The blonde was feeling a bit woozy. She looked out the front of the window seeing nothing but steam or smoke or something rising out of the front. Her time in Auto Club was short, so she wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she knew vehicles weren't supposed to do that. Oh god. It's already broken. We made it to what, Barstow? Some trip this is. Stranded in the middle of the desert. My head still hurts. This is terrible... I need... I need air.

Emilia stumbled towards the exit of the RV and made it a few steps outside before collapsing into the sand at the side of the road, hands on her knees. A commotion had sprung up with Val aiming to keep Sami away from...

AJ....

She knew AJ. They had a couple of brief chats over the last couple years. Whenever Emilia was visiting Brandon on the sidelines of football practice...

He...he knew Brandon...who...who...

For the second time in two hours, the emotions were too much for the young woman. The combination of a crash, a possible concussion and the reminder of why she experienced both of those things sent her into a tizzy of bawling into the sands of the Mojave Desert. It couldn't be confirmed which was leaking more fluid at this point; the RV or Emilia. But she didn't care. It was too much. Her hands left her knees and held her head as the waterworks flowed.

| City of Dreams |

Well I might as well confirm what Tootsie said.

---

HUMAN - 24 - COULD POTENTIALLY LEAVE A MARK ON THE VAMPIRE SCENE
BAR MUSICIAN/BARTENDER
HAS PICKED UP A BIT OF INTEREST WITH HER BAND "THE SCARLET DAGGER"
LIVES IN A LOFT ABOVE A RECORD STORE
WITH HER SISTER/BANDMATE MINA @TootsiePop AND THEIR FRIEND KHIONA @Hoekage
INITIATOR OF THE "GIRLS LOFT ONLY" RULE
DON'T TEST HER

Natalia "Nat" Pereira
FC: Jordan Miller, 8a2cb5

| City of Dreams |

I can show interest in this.

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

&

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Location | Misfits' RV, Santa Monica, California
Interacting with | Kim @Stanifly, Umbra @Syn, Val @Dirty Pretty Lies (contributions by @Syn)
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It was going to be a rough trip if two of the Misfits were already nursing injuries. Given Sami's battered face, it would have done no good if Umbra has picked up a concussion or heatstroke or something nasty negative minutes into the trip. Emilia did her best to assess her fallen friend, and Kim had similar concerns about the dreadlocked girl. "Is she alright, Em? She didn't knock her head or anything on the way down, right?"

Emilia continued to hold the drink out at waist length. "I hope so. It would kind of be a downer if our first stop on this trip had to be a hospital." Luckily, Umbra proved resilient as ever and revived herself on the promise of sweet orange liquid as she grabbed the cup from Em's hand.

The blonde was relieved to see her friend drink deeply from the cup. “If you drank my orange soda I would have had to hex your life or at least haunt you after I die, which was pretty close just now.”

She giggled, "C'mon, Umbra! You know I wouldn't do that to you, unless, you know, it was going to go flat or something. Although, if you did die, I would think your ghost would be good company. Plus you could have all the orange soda you want, right?"

These were existential questions that Emilia didn't have any answers to, and she suspected Umbra would have terse ones. However, the witch of the group was more concerned with the other injured crew member. "What happened to Sami’s face? Did he lose a fight to the RV trying to fix this thing?

Emilia bit her tongue at first, debating on whether or not to tell the truth of the situation they were in, but it was Umbra. She had ways of drawing the truth out of people anyway. At least, Em thought she did. There mush be some kind of truth lasso in her spell book or something. "Well...it wasn't from fixing the RV. Mostly from acquiring the RV...cause it's kinda roughly borrowed."

While everyone else was preoccupied it seemed as though Emilia was the only one to react. The good thing about Em and Um was that they shared mutual information pretty easily, trust that had been built on for years. It was either that or the power of the voodoo doll of Emilia she kept at home. Regardless, Umbra swallowed her truth like a spoon of molasses. It was bittersweet though. While a stunt like this was in Sami’s wheelhouse, the cost was almost too high. “I think you mean stolen! Who’d he steal it from? I don’t need to read his palms to know there’s a pack of frozen peas in that boys future.” she said giggling with effervescence.

Emilia giggled and rolled her eyes. "You know how he is, Umbra. Jules tried to patch him up, Sami refused. Dumped the ice in a cooler. He stole it from his dad, because it's Sami. It's the best way to get back at that ... no-good person."

A small sigh left her lungs, it was sweet how wholesome Emilia truly was despite all of Umbra's particular influence. “Yes, well I guess he’s a creature of habit, I’ll just have to make something to put in his drink. Do you want to help?” Had it been up to Umbra, Sami’s dad would have had a change of heart long ago.

The bubbly blonde tilted her head back and forth to think about it for a couple seconds before the rumble of the RV coming to life shook her from her thought process. She thought Umbra was talking about the driver. "Maybe once he's not behind the wheel. Then we can get his drink. Just don't want whatever you have kicking in while he's on the highway, you know?" She winked at her dreadlocked friend as if to confirm they would try it another time.

Unfortunately for Umbra, Em was right. Whatever potion she would concoct had not been completely tested. Resting a single dread above her lip, Umbra squinted her face and perked her chest out with hands at her side. With her best impression of an elderly English male she spoke, “Well then young lady, what do you fancy we do for the rest of the ride?”

Emilia giggled loudly. Whenever Umbra did that trick with the dread mustache, it just looked so silly. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't even do it good, either. Her hair was too fine for it. Emi tried to stifle herself enough to counter with her own bad British accent, sounding like a strange mix of Cockney and Scottish. "Well, I do say, maybe we should, as the kids say, strap ourselves in for the ride! Aye, what?"

If there was one thing the wicked witch did enjoy, it was the soothing laughter of her closest friend. It was so contagious that Umbra couldn’t help but laugh herself; her upper lip having undergone a quick shave. Luckily for Umbra, they were both horrendous at their accents. Slapping her knee, she continued her British Invasion. “Ah why yes what a marrrrvelous idea my dear. Tally ho then, god save the queen and all that,” she said, standing up with her hand reaching for Emilia’s. This trip was shaping up to be one heck of an adventure.

Emilia laughed and took Umbra's offered hand. "Yes, yes, um... well, One Direction and Ed Sheeran and such?" Now she was laughing at herself. She didn't have much for British pop culture aside from the Ariana-adjacent music she heard on the radio, but it would work for now.

As Sami announced that the show was about hit the proverbial road, Emilia looked around. "Wait a minute! Val never got on the..." She stopped in her tracks as she looked towards the big bed in the back that she had claimed before her bout of tears. It appeared that her soon-to-be Nevada wife was already perched on the mattress, with her lips in her familiar pout as she cared not for the sound of the engine. How the fudge did she get back there? Did she teleport? Is she a stealth ninja or something? Is there an open window? Is there an open piece of the RV? I don't want to sleep back there if there's no wall... The revving of the gas pedal told her there wasn't much time to think about Valeria's new magical abilities. "Oh ...um, never mind, I guess." Her and Umbra took a seat on the couch beside the table seats and braced themselves for what was about to come on this whirlwind tour.

Olympus Academy // A School for Demigods and Demigoddesses

Mia Riley, Daughter of Hermes

"Profit is sweet, even if it comes from deception." —Sophocles

---

_Name

Mia Siobhan Riley

_Age

19, June 4

_Gender

Female

_{Sexual Orientation}

Who wants to know? I don't know. Maybe I like you? You seem cute.

_Ethnicity

50% Greek, 50% Jersey Irish

_{Years at Olympus Academy}

Fourth Year

---

"I'm the one who gets away. I'm a New Jersey success story. And they'll say "Lord give me the chance to shake that hand". They'll say..." — Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino

---

_Appearance

One does not forget the visage of Mia Riley when it is stared upon, for while she is no child of Aphrodite, she made out pretty well in the looks department. Her eyes are most noticeable, piercing blue pools that draw the attention of moths to her flame. She has a fair complexion, framed by hair that can vary in color depending on what she's feeling that month. Right now, it's light brown with blond streaks worked in. This compensates for Mia's short stature, standing a mere 5'2" and weighing 112 pounds. She is as well-versed in makeup as any Jersey girl, preferring thick lashes, and light pink lipstick. Her ears are pierced and usually adorned with small hoops, with emeralds hanging at the bottom to give some clue to her roots.

The Garden State native puts as much care into her outfits as she does her looks. She favors a a traditional look, usually wearing a rotation of camis, t-shirts and dresses under a black bomber jacket in the fall/winter months. Otherwise, she likes to show off a little bit. She will pair that with shorts in most weather conditions, because a girl's gotta show what she's workin' with. The more the marks' eyes are on her body, the less they are on their wallets.

_Personality

✔ Resourceful ✔ Loyal ✔ Clever ✔ Confident ✖ Hot-Headed ✖ Unscrupulous ✖ Shallow ✖ Greedy

Raising three kids as a single mother on the Jersey shoreline made Catriona Riley a very tough woman, and she imparted that personality on her youngest daughter. Mia learned from a young age to take what she could get whenever she could get it, but never at the expense of the family. She upholds these truths to this day. Mia will display an unwavering loyalty to those who are close enough to be considered family, but anyone outside the sphere is fair game.

As such, Mia will lie, cheat and steal with great regularity if she feels the benefits outweigh the costs and it will get her something she needs. She is very good at it, but it can get her into trouble at times, but nothing beats a quick getaway. However, while she gets a lot of praise for her looks, Mia gets very defensive about her height. When pushed, she goes full Jersey and threatens to do various things to various members of the offending party's family and it's really tough to calm her down.

_History

It was never an easy life for Catriona Riley, but she did what she could to support her family. One-night stands led to the birth of son Shea in 1994 and daughter Aisling in 1996, and it led her to take multiple jobs in an effort to make ends meet and put diapers on butts. However, old habits never die, and while working the hot dog stand at Morey's Piers in the fall of 1998, those Irish eyes lured an attractive looking Greek man to tip more than a dollar on his purchase. Waking up the next morning to the man attempting to sneak out the door, Hermes spilled the beans on why he couldn't stay for more than a night. He had messages to convey and while spending his night off at an amusement park wasn't initially supposed to end like this, he would check in to make sure Cat was all right. Turned out she was all right enough for two. Nine months later, Cat's second daughter was born in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. Cat's prospective name of Siobhan was bumped for a name that better indicated her father's lineage, Mia.

Hermes was good to his word, and he checked in regularly on his trips around the world as he passed through Jersey. He always brought money, but never mentioned how he acquired it. It was enough for Cat to quit the hot-dog gig and focus on becoming a massage therapist. She set up shop at home so she could still be there for her kids and it was successful enough that when combined with the money that Hermes regularly delivered, she could finally start providing herself and her kids some of the adequate things in life. While Shea gravitated to sports, particularly soccer, and Ash shifted to more of a grunge phase, Mia went another route.

After a particularly disappointing incident at Morey's Piers led to her sulking out on the boardwalk at age 10, Mia heard a couple of Japanese tourists arguing about directions. Not realizing that they were speaking Japanese and not English, the young girl went up and stunned the couple by offering to solve their problem in flawless Japanese for a nominal fee. They agreed and young Mia saw a way to increase her meager allowance.

While most people with the ability to speak all languages would go into politics or something, Mia was built to hustle. She would offer directions and other info during the tourist swells. The foreigners ate up the cute kid act, and she made decent money. However, she found her true calling when a German tourist got indignant with her, and left his fanny pack open. Mia deftly slipped her fingers in and swiped his wallet, netting a tidy profit before dumping it on the beach. Now she had her true calling.

She continued to work the boardwalk for the next few years, even if her cute act wasn't as viable as a teenager. Her pickpocketing skills only continued to improve. However, it came to a head on her 16th birthday, when her father appeared for a visit that lasted a bit longer than a swift exchange of money. After the cake had been consumed, he pulled Mia and Cat aside and explained that it was going to be time for the young girl to learn how to harness her talents. While loathe to leave the Shore, Cat understood that it would be the best path for Mia to get an education that wasn't hawking directions on the boardwalk and she agreed. Mia protested, but Hermes pulled her aside and explained that he knew what she had been doing, having spotted her on one of his return trips lifting the wallet off a Texan who was too big for his britches. Olympus, he reasoned, was the best place to get so good at the thieving craft that she would never have to worry about getting caught, not as good as her old man, but still good enough. Mia saw the logic and agreed to attend.

In her time at Olympus, Mia has worked on her agility and ability to sweet talk with the best of them, and she has made some great progress. So much so she can clean out a Czech caravan of all its cash in mere minutes if she set her mind to it. She has indulged in feeding her fashion sense with all her ill-gotten gains and fell in with a crowd at the Academy that appreciates what she brings to the table. Now she's starting to eye bigger scores than just the boardwalk buffoons. Just a matter of when she can make her move.

---

"I mean, I like her. Clearly the kid's got talent. Who am I to judge how she uses it? She's good at what she does, that's all she needs to do. Now I'm outta here." — Hermes

---

_{Godly Parent}

Hermes, Messenger of the Gods, god of trade, thieves, athletes, sports, travelers, border crossings, guide to the underworld

_{Relationship With Godly Parent}

It could be less described as a relationship and more described as an understanding. Hermes' work meant he could never be in one place for too long, certainly not the Shore. However, he always made time for his daughter when he arrived to give Cat her usual payment. He is also thrilled to see her take to his special talents so quickly and with such aplomb. The hot-dog escapade was proving to be quite fruitful in more ways than one.

_{Demigod Abilities}

Now We're Talkin' - As a messenger to many corners of the world, it's important to be able to communicate said message clearly. Mia, like all offspring of Hermes, can understand and converse in any language known to mankind. It means none of that snide switching languages to badmouth her while she is standing right there, got it?

Can't Keep A Good Girl Out - Hermes is the god of thieves, and he has learned a few tricks that he has imparted to his children. Mainly that there is no lock in the universe that Mia can't bypass. Key, car, house alarm, Mia is able to open them all and force them to give up the ghost as it were. She has yet to try it on anything more complex than a 2018 rental Focus, but she's starting to dream big with this talent.

The Gift of Gab - Almost an homage to her family's roots, Mia has the ability to talk herself out of almost any negative situation. Particularly useful when the cops back home were sniffing about her totally legitimate business operations, even if they aren't as legitimate anymore. It doesn't seem to work on her fellow demigods though, but who knows? They could fall for other things.

I Got the Magic Stick - Now that she is 19, Mia has been gifted her first caduceus. There are many powers that this winged staff contains, but the young woman has no idea what they all entail yet. She's read that it could potentially have the power to turn rocks into gold, to bring the dead back to life, and to make Vitamin Water not taste like cough syrup. She is unsure about that last one.

_{Ryan Whitney Newman | 4cbb17 kelly green}

Olympus Academy // A School for Demigods and Demigoddesses

Mia Riley, Daughter of Hermes

"Profit is sweet, even if it comes from deception." —Sophocles

---

_Name

Mia Siobhan Riley

_Age

19, June 4

_Gender

Female

_{Sexual Orientation}

Who wants to know? I don't know. Maybe I like you? You seem cute.

_Ethnicity

50% Greek, 50% Jersey Irish

_{Years at Olympus Academy}

Fourth Year

---

"I'm the one who gets away. I'm a New Jersey success story. And they'll say "Lord give me the chance to shake that hand". They'll say..." — Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino

---

_Appearance

One does not forget the visage of Mia Riley when it is stared upon, for while she is no child of Aphrodite, she made out pretty well in the looks department. Her eyes are most noticeable, piercing blue pools that draw the attention of moths to her flame. She has a fair complexion, framed by hair that can vary in color depending on what she's feeling that month. Right now, it's light brown with blond streaks worked in. This compensates for Mia's short stature, standing a mere 5'2" and weighing 112 pounds. She is as well-versed in makeup as any Jersey girl, preferring thick lashes, and light pink lipstick. Her ears are pierced and usually adorned with small hoops, with emeralds hanging at the bottom to give some clue to her roots.

The Garden State native puts as much care into her outfits as she does her looks. She favors a a traditional look, usually wearing a rotation of camis, t-shirts and dresses under a black bomber jacket in the fall/winter months. Otherwise, she likes to show off a little bit. She will pair that with shorts in most weather conditions, because a girl's gotta show what she's workin' with. The more the marks' eyes are on her body, the less they are on their wallets.

_Personality

✔ Resourceful ✔ Loyal ✔ Clever ✔ Confident ✖ Hot-Headed ✖ Unscrupulous ✖ Shallow ✖ Greedy

Raising three kids as a single mother on the Jersey shoreline made Catriona Riley a very tough woman, and she imparted that personality on her youngest daughter. Mia learned from a young age to take what she could get whenever she could get it, but never at the expense of the family. She upholds these truths to this day. Mia will display an unwavering loyalty to those who are close enough to be considered family, but anyone outside the sphere is fair game.

As such, Mia will lie, cheat and steal with great regularity if she feels the benefits outweigh the costs and it will get her something she needs. She is very good at it, but it can get her into trouble at times, but nothing beats a quick getaway. However, while she gets a lot of praise for her looks, Mia gets very defensive about her height. When pushed, she goes full Jersey and threatens to do various things to various members of the offending party's family and it's really tough to calm her down.

_History

It was never an easy life for Catriona Riley, but she did what she could to support her family. One-night stands led to the birth of son Shea in 1994 and daughter Aisling in 1996, and it led her to take multiple jobs in an effort to make ends meet and put diapers on butts. However, old habits never die, and while working the hot dog stand at Morey's Piers in the fall of 1998, those Irish eyes lured an attractive looking Greek man to tip more than a dollar on his purchase. Waking up the next morning to the man attempting to sneak out the door, Hermes spilled the beans on why he couldn't stay for more than a night. He had messages to convey and while spending his night off at an amusement park wasn't initially supposed to end like this, he would check in to make sure Cat was all right. Turned out she was all right enough for two. Nine months later, Cat's second daughter was born in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. Cat's prospective name of Siobhan was bumped for a name that better indicated her father's lineage, Mia.

Hermes was good to his word, and he checked in regularly on his trips around the world as he passed through Jersey. He always brought money, but never mentioned how he acquired it. It was enough for Cat to quit the hot-dog gig and focus on becoming a massage therapist. She set up shop at home so she could still be there for her kids and it was successful enough that when combined with the money that Hermes regularly delivered, she could finally start providing herself and her kids some of the adequate things in life. While Shea gravitated to sports, particularly soccer, and Ash shifted to more of a grunge phase, Mia went another route.

After a particularly disappointing incident at Morey's Piers led to her sulking out on the boardwalk at age 10, Mia heard a couple of Japanese tourists arguing about directions. Not realizing that they were speaking Japanese and not English, the young girl went up and stunned the couple by offering to solve their problem in flawless Japanese for a nominal fee. They agreed and young Mia saw a way to increase her meager allowance.

While most people with the ability to speak all languages would go into politics or something, Mia was built to hustle. She would offer directions and other info during the tourist swells. The foreigners ate up the cute kid act, and she made decent money. However, she found her true calling when a German tourist got indignant with her, and left his fanny pack open. Mia deftly slipped her fingers in and swiped his wallet, netting a tidy profit before dumping it on the beach. Now she had her true calling.

She continued to work the boardwalk for the next few years, even if her cute act wasn't as viable as a teenager. Her pickpocketing skills only continued to improve. However, it came to a head on her 16th birthday, when her father appeared for a visit that lasted a bit longer than a swift exchange of money. After the cake had been consumed, he pulled Mia and Cat aside and explained that it was going to be time for the young girl to learn how to harness her talents. While loathe to leave the Shore, Cat understood that it would be the best path for Mia to get an education that wasn't hawking directions on the boardwalk and she agreed. Mia protested, but Hermes pulled her aside and explained that he knew what she had been doing, having spotted her on one of his return trips lifting the wallet off a Texan who was too big for his britches. Olympus, he reasoned, was the best place to get so good at the thieving craft that she would never have to worry about getting caught, not as good as her old man, but still good enough. Mia saw the logic and agreed to attend.

In her time at Olympus, Mia has worked on her agility and ability to sweet talk with the best of them, and she has made some great progress. So much so she can clean out a Czech caravan of all its cash in mere minutes if she set her mind to it. She has indulged in feeding her fashion sense with all her ill-gotten gains and fell in with a crowd at the Academy that appreciates what she brings to the table. Now she's starting to eye bigger scores than just the boardwalk buffoons. Just a matter of when she can make her move.

---

"I mean, I like her. Clearly the kid's got talent. Who am I to judge how she uses it? She's good at what she does, that's all she needs to do. Now I'm outta here." — Hermes

---

_{Godly Parent}

Hermes, Messenger of the Gods, god of trade, thieves, athletes, sports, travelers, border crossings, guide to the underworld

_{Relationship With Godly Parent}

It could be less described as a relationship and more described as an understanding. Hermes' work meant he could never be in one place for too long, certainly not the Shore. However, he always made time for his daughter when he arrived to give Cat her usual payment. He is also thrilled to see her take to his special talents so quickly and with such aplomb. The hot-dog escapade was proving to be quite fruitful in more ways than one.

_{Demigod Abilities}

Now We're Talkin' - As a messenger to many corners of the world, it's important to be able to communicate said message clearly. Mia, like all offspring of Hermes, can understand and converse in any language known to mankind. It means none of that snide switching languages to badmouth her while she is standing right there, got it?

Can't Keep A Good Girl Out - Hermes is the god of thieves, and he has learned a few tricks that he has imparted to his children. Mainly that there is no lock in the universe that Mia can't bypass. Key, car, house alarm, Mia is able to open them all and force them to give up the ghost as it were. She has yet to try it on anything more complex than a 2018 rental Focus, but she's starting to dream big with this talent.

The Gift of Gab - Almost an homage to her family's roots, Mia has the ability to talk herself out of almost any negative situation. Particularly useful when the cops back home were sniffing about her totally legitimate business operations, even if they aren't as legitimate anymore. It doesn't seem to work on her fellow demigods though, but who knows? They could fall for other things.

I Got the Magic Stick - Now that she is 19, Mia has been gifted her first caduceus. There are many powers that this winged staff contains, but the young woman has no idea what they all entail yet. She's read that it could potentially have the power to turn rocks into gold, to bring the dead back to life, and to make Vitamin Water not taste like cough syrup. She is unsure about that last one.

_{Ryan Whitney Newman | 4cbb17 kelly green}

Olympus Academy // A School for Demigods and Demigoddesses

_{Location: Niaides Lakeshore
Interactions:Marcella @Write
Dallas @Plank Sinatra
Dustyn @MissCapnCrunch
Mentions:
Viv @Altered Tundra
Rebekah @Krayzikk
Phil @spooner
Dana @Plank Sinatra
Ariana @Dirty Pretty Lies
Jonas @HereComestheSnow
Avem @Rockette}

It was clear from her mouth that Dustyn was no worse for the wear from her collision with Viv. No surprise. Kelsey has seen Dustyn take hits that would make Jay Bouwmeester wince and she's always bounced back ready for whatever action comes her way. She was a damn tough cookie, and this night was only enhancing her legend.

"Hey now, not even Viv's hard ol' dome can keep me from some pong. No offense Viv." Kelsey let a giggle slip. "S'what I knew I was gonna hear, D. Fuck, even if ya were concussed, figure you could show up Dal." Kelsey told her BFF as Phil went to help Dustyn with her newfound dental problem as well as Viv with her own potential bell-ringing.

The Missouri girl crushed the rest of her beer and tossed the can back into the cooler to grab a fresh one. Meanwhile, Dallas and Marcella turned their attention to the scene playing out by the source of the music. That big lunk of deep-friend meat was getting the business from the daughter of Aphrodite, Ariana, who was fashionably late to the party.

Dallas was not bullish on Ariana's chances, at least judging from the macho string of praise for ...Joey's? ability to bed women and inability to put up with a puff of weed smoke in his face. Kelsey was distracted by the mention of Shendu's talismans. Fuck, I gotta try again see if I got that Moon gravity shit yet. I mean, that's gotta be something, right?

"Look at him go. It's like watching Scott Summers try and take a fucking eye exam."

Kelsey shook her head. "I dunno, dude. Ari's dang tough ta say no to. I mean, shit, she come over here n' puts the moves on me, pretty sure I'm ditchin' all y'all. No offense, Dusty. Just, dang them Aphros got it, ya know?" Now that she was saying it, she almost wished Ariana would take Joey's hint and c'mon over. But it appears she had her target and she wasn't going to budge, even with the rejection. "Also, I ain't playing pong on ya. Can't bounce a damn thing off your ass."

It appeared Marcy was already taking the lead in attempting to ensnare Dallas for the night. Say what you want about Hades girls, they go for the jugular quick. Then, Marcy caught her attention again. “I just got a fun idea, how do you both feel about getting a piercing? I’ll do anywhere and you get your choice of gem, I think sapphires would look beautiful on you Kels.”

The archer thought about it for a moment. It would be pretty poetic if she got something put in her body on the same night Dustyn got something taken out of hers. She took another long sip of Busch before speaking. "I tell ya what, Marcy. If you n' that Mississippi pong court there kin actually manage to beat me n' Dusty in two games outta three, I'll let ya pierce whatever part of me ya want, with whatever gem ya want. But, if we win two outta three, I pick mine, then I pick one for you. Sound savvy?"

Kelsey had been meaning to get another piercing, for classy events that maybe required a nose stud or an eyebrow ring with sapphires on it. This was just a fun way to make Marcella a little more uncomfortable on the field of battle. It appeared Rebekah was joining Dana in the Ariana support train, so that event was coming to an end. Pong would commence soon. She could feel it in the air. She turned to Avem, elbowing her roommate. "You ready to watch some straight sick shit go down? These two ain't got a prayer."

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
You're my experimental game
Just human nature
It's not what, good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

The blinds were open at the guest’s request, allowing the sunshine to peer in and illuminate the decadent sins that were occuring in the upstairs bedroom of the palacious home at the end of Via Las Incas. Two young women were occupying the spacious bed, just voraciously eating, not a spot of cream escaping their tongues as they attacked the feast that lay between the pair. The previous occupant of the room would be horrified to know what her younger sister was doing right now, as the display grew to the towering crescendo of a finale.

Shawna dropped the last bite of her banana cream cupcake into her mouth with a flourish and clapped her hands. “And boom! I officially ate healthy today. Thank you, fruit!”

A round of laughter erupted from the opposite side of the bed, where Kellie Anne had been tackling a cupcake from her own batch of six. “I suppose the same rule counts for me, then,” the girl said with a smile, dropping her now empty cupcake wrapper inside the cardboard box. “Carrot cake is healthy, right? Even if it was topped with this delicious cream cheese frosting?” she asked Shawna, wiping some of the frosting from the corner of her mouth with her thumb and licking it off.

The hostess nodded and tossed the wrapper with that of her first cupcakes, one of the red velvets that was decidedly not on the food pyramid, and went for a second helping of the deep crimson goodness. “Seriously, it’s all about balance,” she noted as she peeled away the paper keeping her from the baked goodness within.

“Exactly! I stuff all six of these today, then sweat them out during dance practice this week. See? Balance,” Kellie confirmed, shooting the young woman in front of her a complicit wink before grabbing the peanut butter cupcake from the box.

“Shoot, forgot about that part of the equation. Hmmm, guess I did go for a run this morning. I’m good,” Shawna reasoned, counting her mad dash to meet CJ at Green’s as her exercise. “So...I never did ask you,” she motioned to the other woman as Kellie Anne also appeared to be ready for another cupcake, “What happened? I mean, you look like you’ve got a lot going for you, Kellie Anne. Why are you joining me in this cupcake binge?”

Having just taken a decent bite out of her cake, it took a second for Kellie to answer her new friend's question. She chewed the delicious dessert slowly, downed whatever was left with the glass of milk her hostess had so graciously offered her earlier before replying. “My ex-boyfriend is being a piece of shit,” she declared, eyebrows knitting together in a frown while she took an angry bite.

Shawna’s eyes widened a bit at that news, before she sagely nodded as if she knew exactly what she meant. “Ah yes, men being men. I get that.” She did not get that, aside from the Netflix shows, but she wasn’t going to show that card yet. A sip of milk prepped her body for what was to come. “So what’s his poison? He not taking the hint and leaving you alone? He spreading rumors? Does he keep thinking you’re on a break? What’s the asshole doing?” She took a huge bite of the red velvet cupcake, as big as she could muster, while she waited for an answer.

Kellie shook her head, her sugar craving evaporating on the spot as she thought of Max and his escapades. “In the two and a half months we've been broken up, I've seen him hang out with about seven different girls, made out with six of them, and slept with at least three,” she admitted sadly, placing her half-eaten cupcake back on the box. “It's as if the half year we spent together meant nothing to him. I gave him everything -everything-, but it still wasn't enough for him.” The dancer let out a sigh, picking away the crumbs from her shorts. “I mean, I'm not saying I'm completely innocent for what happened- but can you blame me for being a little insecure? Max isn't known for being a good guy. He's best friends with the devil, for crying out loud! I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to kiss him that night…”

The green-eyed girl swallowed hard while listening to the litany of crimes listed off by her cupcake-eating partner. Having never actually been in a relationship, Shawna didn’t have much of her own experience to go off of. However, she did know the feeling of giving all your effort to something and not having it pay off. Knew that way too well. “Hey, hey, hey…” She figured a reassuring pat on Kellie’s knee was necessary here. “You know, you can’t blame yourself for what someone else is doing, and you can’t let it just wreck you like that. You got no control over it.” The brunette leaned back. “You didn’t know what you were getting into, and it didn’t work, and that’s OK. You just, um, you just gotta use this knowledge and try to, um, figure out what works for you. What you need. Cause like, obviously this didn’t work out, right? That means you just move on and figure out what makes you happy, and you do it.” Shawna was spitballing a little, but hey, if the advice was good enough for her and she was getting more out of life, it couldn’t hurt to see if it would help her new friend.

“But I did know what I was getting into,” Kellie argued, lower lip sticking out and trembling. “I always knew of Maxie’s player reputation. But I thought that I could fix him, you know? Change him for the better. That I actually meant something to him because I was the first serious girlfriend he had. Obviously I was wrong…” she trailed off, wiping away the tears on the corners of her eyes.

Clearly, Kellie needed more than the meager life platitudes Shawna was offering. This Max person meant a lot to her and he did her wrong. The hostess looked up and spotted a relatively abandoned box of tissues and hoisted herself up to grab it off the shelf. Once it was acquired, she plunked herself back down on the bed, closer to Kellie, “Here,” she offered. “Look, I don’t know this Max kid, don’t know what he’s about, but he sounds like an asshole. Dumping a sweet girl like you? Clearly isn’t bright either.” She didn’t know exactly what she was doing, relying on more sitcom sayings to try and help lift Kellie’s spirits. “A guy like that, he’s just probably broken himself trying to fill that hole in himself, and he’s not gonna be able to do it, because he’s going about it the wrong way. And if you tried to help him see that and he couldn’t do it, well then you are a saint for trying.” She looked down. “And you earned those cupcakes.”

The brunette shrugged her shoulders, graciously taking one of the tissues Shawna was offering while listening to her new friend. She laughed at her attempts to cheer her up, even if they didn't have the desired effect. “I am so sorry for just dumping this on you, Shawna,” Kellie apologized, taking a second to blow her nose loudly before looking up at her hostess with a sad smile. “Everybody else I trust is already sick of me talking about it, all because they told me he was trouble in the first place and I didn't listen.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey…” Shawna said, placing an arm on Kellie’s shoulder, as the TV guides she was now using to help steer this conversation taught her to do. “First of all, you aren’t dumping anything. I’m glad you actually want to talk to me about personal shit like this. I don’t get that a lot here. Don’t know if you can tell, but this place is pretty dead. Second, you gotta do what you gotta do for you, and don’t listen to other people anyway. If I did that, I wouldn’t have done this.”

Shawna adjusted herself on the bed and pulled the hem of her t-shirt down to reveal the sizable wolf tattoo on her left shoulder. The black bra strap was covering it partially, but there was still plenty of wolf to be seen. “If I had listened to the people in my life, I wouldn’t have gotten that. And it still kinda hurts, hurt a hell of a lot more a few weeks ago. But I’m still glad I did it for me. And you know, you may be hurting now, but that hurt is gonna fade, Kellie. Because you are dealing with the pain now, but you are gonna find something beautiful at the end of it.”

“Oh my God, that's really pretty…” Kellie complimented Shawna on her tattoo, letting one of her fingers gently graze the inked skin of her bare shoulder. She stared at the wolf on the other girl's tanned skin for a while longer before letting her brown eyes lock with Shawna's hazel ones. “Why a wolf?”

The tattooed girl completely missed the visual cue and let out a shrug. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” It was accurate, the drugs convinced her it was a good idea. She lifted her shirt back up over her shoulder. “I just wanted something wild. Something free. Something to symbolize, like, my independence. And you know, wolves are pretty badass. Especially lady wolves. Lady wolf saved Mowgli from getting eaten, you know?”

“Really? Must have missed that part of the movie,” Kellie admitted with a shrug. Growing up, she'd been more of a Barbie movie fan than Disney- and it moments like this, it showed. “But I get what you mean. And I think it's a really beautiful piece. It suits you.”

“Thanks!” Shawna beamed as the decision to get the badass tattoo was now fully justified in her mind. “Oh, I didn’t show you what’s underneath it! Um…” The brunette lifted her t-shirt off her body, letting her wavy hair settle before pulling it off to one side. The bra strap obscured the bottom half of the wolf, but the words “Live Free” were written in cursive underneath. “See, like I said. Independence symbol.”

Although she kept her cool, there was no denying the greedy way Kellie eyed the exposed parts of Shawna’s body. This wasn’t the first time she’d caught herself staring at a girl like this either, or having rather interesting thoughts about one. Ever since she’d made out with Lorena Galvez back in California, it was more than obvious to the dancer that her sexuality wasn’t limited to the male species. But an innocent kiss at a sleepover with her best friend was one thing. Having this sort of contact with a girl she’d just met was another thing… But she wasn’t about to stop now.

“Can I touch it?” she asked Shawna in a low, shy voice, cheeks blushing a little.

The green-eyed girl locked eyes with the hazel-eyed girl again, looking over the shoulder, this time catching a bit of a blush. She wasn’t sure how to proceed, but if she just wanted to touch it again, it wasn’t like it felt bad before. “Sure, but be careful. I’m just out of the healing stage, so like I said, it’s still a little tender. And make sure there’s no icing on your hands.”

“Why? That just means I can lick it right off,” she said in a mocking seductive voice and wiggling her eyebrows at Shawna, bursting out in a fit of laughter as soon as the words left her mouth. The other girl giggled in kind. Once she had composed herself, Kellie slowly extended her arm and let her fingers trace the outline of the cursive letters, enjoying the feeling of the soft, warm skin under her touch. When she had admired the work enough, she pulled back with a satisfied grin.

The tattooed girl almost felt a tinge of regret when the other girl pulled away. It was still tender as she warned, but it was a good kind of tender. It was warm and it felt so good to have another person touching her in that way. Even if it was another girl.

“You know, I have something I can show you too. It's definitely not as cool as your tattoo, but I think it's cute!” the dancer told her hostess before pulling one side of her shirt up, revealing a rather curious light brown birthmark on the right side of her tanned-skinned midriff. “See? If you look at it closely, you can sorta see it looks like a heart. Right? Or am I just being crazy?”

Shawna turned back around and leaned in for a closer look at Kellie’s torso to see if she could spot the heart that was indicated. She traced around the shape without asking, figuring it was ok since Kellie did likewise. “No,” she stated. “No, I don’t think you’re being crazy. I can definitely see the heart shape. Like it’s a little smushed but it’s there for sure.”

It wasn't a secret to those who knew her that Kellie Anne was ridiculously ticklish. She couldn't count the amount of times her brothers and Millie had used this against her, or how awkward the first time with Max had been when she squirmed away in a fit of giggles at his every touch. This was why it took all of the girl's self-control to not impulsively jerk away from Shawna, brown eyes filling up with tears of held-back laughter. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, and the next thing either girl knew, Kellie was falling backwards on the bed, collapsing with laughter.

Shawna was a bit surprised to get such a reaction from her prodding at Kellie’s birthmark, but she lit up in a big smile. “Ohhhhhhhh,” she commented. “So you’re that ticklish, huh? OK, OK, gonna have to remember this if I catch you in a rut or something. This is good info.” She realized she was already making plans to see this girl again, but why not? Kellie was a solid hang. She seemed to be full of energy and she needed a friend. Shawna needed anyone in that category. Plus she didn’t have any desire to smoke up since Kellie walked in the door. It was hard to remember the last time that was the case, especially when it played such a big part in inspiring the tattoo that Kellie had adored before her giggle fit. “I guess a mean person would use this for evil. Luckily for you, I’m not that mean…”

“‘Not that mean’?” Kellie repeated in a teasing tone, smirking at Shawna. “What's that supposed to mean? What do you do when you are being mean?”

Shawna tilts her head back and forth. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to be mean before. Been the recipient, never really been the person being mean.” She got a devious look in her eye. “But if I was, gotta imagine I would do things like this!” She lunged forward, brushing both sides of Kellie’s torso with her fingers to try and get the same reaction she did before out of the dancer.

A combination of loud shrieking, giggles and pleading filled the empty rooms of the large house as Kellie Anne was attacked with tickles. She squirmed and fought with the darker girl until she was atop Shawna, grabbing her by the arms and pinning them over her head.

“What are you gonna do now, bitch?” the brunette said in a taunting voice with her face inches away from Shawna's, pretending to sound menacing but letting out a thrilled laugh.

The green-eyed girl wriggled as much as she could, but she was no match for the far more athletic dancer who was now on top of her. She looked up into those hazel eyes and tried to put on her best puppy dog face. “P-Please, ma’am. I’m so sorry. I was drunk on power and didn’t know what to do with it. I’m not made of stone! Spare me and I shall greatly reward you!” Shawna was doing her best to try and be cute, but she was a little out of practice, having not relied on this tactic since she was nine.

Kellie snorted, corners of her mouth curling up in the beginnings of a smile before she cleared her throat and focused on appearing dominating instead. “And how exactly will you reward me, peasant?” she replied in a fake posh tone, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Shawna.

Shawna was trying to think of what she could offer to play along, but her options were limited. Her ability to do a bad British accent was not though. “I’m afraid I don’t have much, queen. I’d give you cupcakes, but I know you ‘ave plenty. I’d give you money, but I gave it to other peasants.” As she continued to gaze up at the girl who had her in such a compromising position, it was funny. She actually felt more at ease with everything. It felt good. “All I can offer you my queen... is myself…” Shawna actually blushed slightly when she said that, partly because she was still playing along, but partly because it started to sound like something she wanted. Despite just meeting this girl this afternoon, she was just really enjoying herself. It was intoxicating.

Shawna’s terrible British accent sent Kellie into a fit of giggles. It took all of her self control to stay in character and not loosen her grip on the girl, but there was no hiding just how funny her new friend sounded. However, the taller girl’s proposition sent a blush of equal proportions to spread her surprised face. If you were to ask Kellie, she would justify everything with ‘it’s just a silly play pretend game we’re playing!’. But if she was really honest with herself, the scene that could possibly unfold if she did this had been nagging at her ever since Shawna took her top off.

And before she realized it, Kellie found herself lowering her head, pressing her lips against Shawna's and begin to softly kiss the girl underneath her.

Shawna’s eyes opened wide, as if she wasn’t prepared for what was happening. She could feel it coming, however, there was no real way she could prepare. Wha….my first kiss!?! Now!? Really? I... I… Her thoughts seemed to dissolve as she melted under the touch of Kellie’s mouth on hers, a rush of euphoria flooding her body. She closed her eyes, wanting only to experience this moment and that beautiful touch forever more.

It seemed like a lifetime later that Kellie Anne and Shawna finally broke away from the sweet kiss they’d shared. Not a word was exchanged between the two girls as they willed their fluttering hearts and labored breathing to steady. As Shawna looked up and Kellie looked down, their eyes locked onto each other, not daring to look away, just taking in the full extent of what just happened and where they go from here. One thing was certain, though.

Their kiss had tasted like cupcakes.