Now Comes The Mystery

LOCATION The casino
DATE 3th of February 2022
Time Afternoon / evening
OUTFIT Link
TOPIC FOR @Michelle
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Now it was just any other night, River had spent most of his time in the office, because he liked being in the public eye whenever he wanted. And it did give some mystery to not just be out and about all the time. Now, around the peak of the evening River found his way downstairs to the floor filled with people - some knew who he was, others didn't. Every night was almost the same, yet he missed the thrill that came with being in Russia even though he knew it was likely that he would return for at least a handful of years. Now he was always happy to see his place was thriving and they earned good money, this was one of the reasons why he could have his casinos up running across the world. He knew what he was doing.

River walked around looking, mostly just observing with a glas of whisky in his left hand. Then he saw a face of someone he hadn't been spending an awful much time with in the past nor the present, but he knew the faces of the Jones'  a great deal of them at least. So, when his eyes caught Michelle he couldn't help but chuckle. Almost surprised she hadn't had the appetite for destruction till now.

Even though Cassian had quit his job, Michelle was doing quite well, handling everything. Or at least that was what she told herself when she was spending her money on being at this casino. She had dressed herself in a very eye-catching red dress, not really thinking much about being invisible. She didn’t need that, she just needed some fun, and as of right now, glee was filled in her eyes as she saw how the dice rolled out of her hand and onto the board. Her arms raised into the air in a winning position as she won a great deal. “Thank you, thank you. It’s been a pleasure playing with ya’ll,” she said and gathered her things in a bag she carried. This bag was quite magical and could contain most things. With a wide red smile on her lips, she winked at the other attenders before she turned away from the table where she noticed the owner of the place River Turner. She tilted her head and sent him a greeting smile. She let the black leather bag hang down her shoulder, supporting it right under her hand as she let the black high heels lead her in River’s direction. “Evening,” she said a little before she got close enough. She hadn’t really kept in contact with the vampires ever since the incidence with Ace, but it didn’t matter that much anymore. It was so many years ago. “Are we thriving?” she wondered before she placed herself in front of him within arms reach.

She headed towards him, which made a small smirk curl up upon River's lips. Well, he knew Ace and Michelle had a longer thing going on many years ago. Then again, River just knew things he hadn't really had a hand in anything going on with his family for 8000 years other than when they actually ended up crashing together. Like right now here in Athena, bad luck really. "Evening," he replied letting his eyes once again look over her, "dressed to kill I see," his eyes found their way back to Michelle's with a approved little lift with his brows. "If we weren't thriving darling what would be the point of it all," he gave her a small wink before taking a sip of his whisky, still keeping his eyes on her. River then moved his glass a little down from his lips, folding them to get the remaining drops of his lips. "And how are we? I wasn't expecting to see Michelle Jones here - but I'm not disappointed," he chuckled a little placing the empty glass on a tray that walked around by some of the staff, still without taking his eyes off the witch. River clapped his hands a little bit and clicked his tongue. "Looks like we are both out of drinks, come along the next one is on the house," he insisted and nodded towards the bar hoping she would tag along.

Michelle couldn’t stop herself from smiling of the compliment. “Nothing less would do for a place of yours,” she almost purred. She almost told him that she had dressed up for him. Which she hadn’t, but a little meaningless flirting and compliments wasn’t going to doom the world, was it now?
She hummed a little as he responded how it was going with the business. She let her eyebrows once, but not surprised. No, flirtatiously. She kept her eyes on him and couldn’t help but notice how his eyes seemed to be enjoying the sight. “Very well. We’re doing very well,” she said, and just like River, she gave him a relaxed wink. Oh, this place had such a good aura, and it was only feeding Michelle’s mood. Maybe it was the point of it all. Probably.
She couldn’t help but smile as he clapped and invited for drinks. She shortly licked her bottom lip before she gently bit it and followed the vampire towards the bar. “So much hospitality,” she mused and got up next to him.

"Hospitality is key, wouldn't you agree?" He chuckled a little bit and turned his head to one of the bartenders, usually he would order with Kailani but he had given her a day off to do whatever she wanted. A way for him to get back on the siren's good side. "I always wondered what you were doing with my dull ass brother," he chuckled a little as their drinks were served on the counter and he took his glass. Now River, hated Ace in the way most brother's hated their siblings, and sometimes even a little bit more than that. The two of them had just simply chosen not to have each other in their lives, and both were fine with it. Then there was Aria who bounced around when she could. "So, do tell me, what have you been up to lately, anything interesting?" He wondered, Michelle always seemed to be up to something scandalous in one or the other way.

“Oh yes, very much indeed,” Michelle hummed, clearly quite appreciative. They reached the bar, and River managed to ask for a drink for both of them. She turned her full attention to him as he mentioned Ace. She rolled her eyes by the mere thought of Ace. “Don’t even remind me,” she sighed, “He was my mate back then,” she explained and raised her brows, clearly thinking that it was a bad match. Or at least that was her thoughts now. Before, the mate mark had made her see a very, very good man. Yuck. “My daughter and father helped me get rid of the mark that bound me to him,” she exhaled and ran a hand through some of her hair. She licked her lips, not really withstanding to eye him up and down once more.
Her eyes had to focus completely on his lips and eyes as he spoke to her about what she had been doing lately. A slightly wide, wicked, and crooked smile appeared on her lips. “Oh… Nah,” she said and scrunched her nose a little, clearly lying. She took a small sip of her drink. “I’ve actually been busy with working for my father,” she said nodding her head to the side. That was also a partial lie, because she honestly believed that she was working way smarter than any of the men; Killian and Cassian. She managed to finish tasks quite quickly and could have her fun at work after approximately three working hours. She licked her lips a little sensually, “Of course, there was the apartment building in Southside… The Angelos laboratory… Some fun hacking…” she kept it short and without details, leaving River to imagine just what she had been doing. He liked when something was left for the fantasy, right? The things she had mentioned had also only been within the last year, but was it necessary to know from before that? Of course, she had talked to some, gotten some into her bed and been at other casinos and- “You know, I’ve also spent some time in other casinos, but this… This really is the most perfect place to be. You’ve done such an excellent job, River,” she purred.

River chuckled a little bit, everyone who knew River knew he disliked his parents and his siblings. Well, his siblings were a perhaps not that much of a disliking as much of them not having enough in common to stay in contact. River had parted from his family after he had thought he had lost his mother - even if Revna never had been much of a person River had trusted. He was the oldest of his siblings, he had seen more than the youngest, which was perhaps why he had tried to shield them a little but not nearly enough. You couldn't with someone like their mother because you never knew the modo she would be in, and then there was their father who never could love them as much as he loved the daughter he had gotten with Melanie and the son Clay. But River was an old maybe not wise man, but he knew a thing or two, and he perhaps shouldn't hold a grudge, yet couldn't help it. So, he had chosen distance. If they couldn't love him, they didn't deserve his love, right? "You unlucky little fool,"he teased pushing the filled glass that got placed on the counter towards her. It was unfortunate that her mate had been Ace, well not because he didn't believe Ace didn't serve some fine qualities, but well River was bound to claim it was unfortunate. Well, of course her daughter and father had helped her. But poor bastards all the witches were unlucky bastards in that way, soul-bound to another. What was the fun in that? "But you got rid of him, I will drink to that," he took a larger mouthful of his drink.

Waiting for her to reply on what she was spending her time on. No, nothing funny? She had been working for her father, now he knew about the family having their company and such - then there was the image of Michelle behind a desk doing paper work he couldn't really picture. The Angelos laboratory, it wasn't the first time that name had been brought to his attention. The first time months ago when Hanna had been by or Norah as she went by at the moment. But no, he wasn't going to mention her sister right of this moment knowing Norah wouldn't appreciate it. Then Michelle mentioned that she had been spending time in other casinos as well, not that it made him jealous or anything, of course she had the rights to. He owned so many casinos all over the world, almost sure it wasn't the first of his she had found, "why thank you, I appreciate it," he honestly replied letting his eyes wander over the crowd of people.

Michelle chuckled a little of Rivers teasing. “Well, that’s the damned curse of being a witch or warlock,” she mumbled with a cheeky smile. He toasted to her, that it was good that Michelle had gotten rid of Ace on her collarbone. Just like him, she took a larger mouthful of her drink. “Who knows what I would’ve done without my daughter and father,” she laughed a little and shook he head. Honestly, without them she would certainly have been a completely other person. She was a free woman who managed to kill her unclaimed mates to keep herself untamed and feeling good. And not that she was planning that much about it, but now she had the possibility to see what else the genes of Revna and Oscar could carry.

River thanked her for complimenting the casino in Aston. She smiled and took another sip of her drink, noticing how he looked out over the crowd, “Are you looking for anyone special, Rivs’?” she wondered and took a little step closer to him, letting her hand keep track on her drink.

River eyed her again when he asked if he was looking for anyone special, lifting his brows a little bit. Just a little. "I'm sure you would be dying to know the answer to that question," he mused a little as he took a mouthful of his drink, not really taking his eyes of her. River had lost count of the Jones' family members a long time ago, he knew a few that he kept track on. Then there were of course the ones like Michelle who sometimes showed up, when you didn't expect it. It had been a while since he had talked to Oliver, poor bastard thought he could simply just check out of this sort of living, he would have yet to learn this life had a way of following you to your deathbed. He knew Kailani had been talking to, what was her name again, Florence? Yeah it had to be the name. "You wouldn't happen to have Oliver's address ?" River wondered and clicked his tongue a little bit, well he could find it with ease himself, but he could at least ask. Pay his old friend a visit now couldn't he? Sure Oliver wouldn't appreciate it, but did River care? No. "What about you darlin'? What do you want?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow as he didn’t truly reply to the question whether or not he was searching for anyone but thought her eyebrow could be showing that it had crossed her a little, a wide wicket smile was still on her lips. She knew what he could do, and it didn’t scare him. She simply just wanted more.  Almost as when she had met Fenris. She just wanted more and more. She wanted to ride on the adrenaline tsunami of as many things as possible.
River asked for Oliver’s address which made Michelle chuckle a little. “You want to spend a night with my brother?” She laughed a little and grabbed some sugar from the bar before she let a good a mount of sugar spread on the bar top. “I never really keep track on him but…” she said. She let her hands glide over the sugar once before she quickly knocked underneath the countertop of the bar. The sugar then divided into both a map and a written address. “Royalty Lane,” she said looking at her little artwork of magic before she looked back up at River.
Her smiled kept being wicked. “What I want?” she mused. “The world, simple as that,” she purred a little. She sighed and looked out towards the crowd. “But I can live with less,” she before she teasingly looked towards him.