Girl Talk (AFD)

[Gambit]

Bella Donna was tired and angry. She'd arrived to New York City an hour ago, looking for Gambit, only to find out that he was not at the Hellfire Club where he supposedly hung out quite often. She didn't feel like starting a search for him all over the city right after having gotten off the plane. She needed a moment of rest. And maybe he'd show up later...

So she checked in at a hotel and returned to the Hellfire Club. She'd been 'fitted' with a mutation that Candra had given her in exchange for a favor, and so she was able to get inside.

Radiating confidence, she strolled over to the bar and sat down to have a cocktail and take a better look around. A professional habit.

[Shade]

The Hellfire had quite a few guests already at this time of the day (or night almost), buzzing with some lively chat, music and the occasional few visitors that had abandoned their seats and instead moved over to the dancefloor. It was a familiar buzz of voices and beats to Shade, who, even though she didn´t come to the Hellfire that open, had been here now and then. It was Gambit´s after all.

She had been in the city and had decided to come by. There had been a lose arrangement between her and him, a ´maybe´, no specific time, but since Shade didn´t have anything else to do, she had decided to pay the club a visit and wait for him there. Maybe there were some people she knew, somebody from the Institute, one never knew.

But as she strolled in, there were no known faces and no Gambit either. It didn´t surprise her. She walked up to the bar and ordered a coke. A few of the bar stools were already occupied so she came to stand next to one on which a blonde woman was sitting, sipping one of the Hellfire´s colourful cocktails. Shade had not seen her here before. She was maybe a few years older than hersef, looking not too happy about things. Shade gave her a smile as if to say hello when she ordered her Coke. Habit out of friendlyness.

[Gambit]

Bella Donna noticed a woman looking at her and - was that it? - giving her a friendly smile of sorts. She threw a curt fake smile in response and returned her attention to the bartender, who had just finished fixing her the cocktail. She ordered a rather heavy one, feeling the need to quench her anger by alcohol. Damn LeBeau, she thought, a frown crossing her features.

"Thanks," she told the bartender, taking her glass. " 'ey, d'ya know if Gambit's gonna show up t'night?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

[Shade]

The bartender gave the woman an apologetic shrug. Shade wouldn´t even have bothered to ask him, since she knew that Gambit usually didn´t stick to fixed times here. Or anywhere. He showed up when he pleased. The bartender knew her by now and gave her a small grin and a wink serving her her Coke before he returned to one of the backrooms, handing over the command over the drinks to another bartender.

Out of curiosity that she could not really explain, Shade just stayed at the bar, sitting down on the stool next to the stranger. Who was she, she wondered. A friend of his? Not that she bothered much about other women, but it was just...interesting.

[Gambit]

"Dat is so Gambit," Bella Donna muttered to herself as she rolled her eyes, her frown growing deeper. She tasted her drink, found it suitable for her gloomy mood and let her eyes wander around the bar and the glowing shelves with colorful bottles, stirring the seahorse-shaped cocktail stick absently. She put her chin on her hand and prepared to sit here until she'd either drop asleep or see Gambit arrive.

[Shade]

Shade was more pretending to pay attention to the bar. The dancers, the music, the lights. But she wasn´t fully doing so. The woman she had just noticed, there was something about her that struck her as familiar - the accent, but she didn´t notice that. But apart from apparently waiting for Gambit, she didn´t seem in the best of moods and since she herself didn´t have anything else to do either, she wondered whether the stranger might be up for a talk. Hard to tell with annoyance clearly written all over her face.

"Bad day?" she asked over the music.

[Gambit]

Bella Donna looked askew at the woman as she heard the question. What was it with her - was she trying to flirt or something? But then it occurred to her that she might as well use some little company while waiting for LeBeau. After all, this could take the whole night, and Bella Donna wasn't the one to sit idly doing nothing.

She took a sip of her cocktail. "Yeah," she said and her brows flew upwards once. "Promises t' be even worse de more I sit 'ere waitin'."

[Shade]

Her reaction was not the friendliest one could imagine. A look that made Shade wonder whether it really was a good idea to have a chat. Shade liked to meet new people, had no problems starting a conversation even with people she had not met before, yet this one did not seem too eager to engage in some small talk. Shade shrugged innerly. Well, there was always the possibility to excuse herself of course so there was no problem with that.

So she was waiting. Waiting for Gambit. And Shade wasn´t sure if Gambit knew...which didn´t really matter, but she wondered what the other woman wanted. Or who she was. She didn´t exactly look like someone who had come by for a friendly hello.
"If you want to wait alone I´ll go sit elsewhere." she said. "I just haven´t seen you here before and thought I´d say hi."

[Gambit]

"Eh bon?" Bella Donna quirked a brow. "Ya sound like ya know everyone 'round 'ere, non?"

[Shade]

At her choice of words, it occured to Shade what struck her as familiar about the other woman. It was the accent. Either she came from somewhere French or she was a Cajun. A Cajun woman enquiring about Gambit. That was...probably not good. And it even more probably meant that she would do wise in making up some sort of excuse and stay away.
But damn curiosity.

"No," she gave back. "I just come here now and then." Because this is my boyfriend´s place. She didn´t say that out loud. It didn´t seem like a smart thing to say. Not that Shade usually pranced around the Hellfire proclaiming she was Gambit´s woman, but still.

[Gambit]

"Well, den dere be lots of people ya don't see here every day?" Bella Donna pointed out. "What's so special 'bout me?" she finished off her cocktail and signaled the bartender for another one.

[Shade]

Because I have an idea of who you might be, Shade thought. And because that makes me want to take a closer look. "Nothing." she said with a shrug, noticing how the other woman was trying to twist her words. That too, was familiar.. "You just looked like you could need a little chat. I was not going to hit on you or anything, I just wanted to be friendly." She took a sip of her Coke, her voice sound normal, neutral, nothing apologetic in it.

[Gambit]

"Okay," Bella Donna shrugged, looking at her empty glass. "Yeah, seein' as I'm gonna sit 'ere for a long time, I could use some company." She thought to herself, why not? Maybe this woman visited the club often enough to share some interesting information.

[Shade]

Shade gave a small nod at that, both to indicate that she had understood and that, yes, she might be sitting here for a whole. One could never tell when Gambit would show up. He might show up the next minute. Or not the whole night or the next few days at all. Right now she preferred an option that at least gave her a bit of time. To find out who she really was and what brought her here.

"I´m Shade, by the way." she said. If the other woman was indeed who she might be, Shade was still sure it was safe to tell a name. She knew Gambit well enough to know that he would not give away her name to somebody else if there was a reason for it.

[Gambit]

A mutant name, of course, Bella thought. Probably everyone here had one. "Call me Bel," she said calmly. Then gave a nod of thank you to the bartender as he placed another cocktail in front of her. "So ya come 'ere often, eh?"