making a mark [open]

[Purge]

It wasn't the first night Melita found herself on the opposite end of the food chain. Not literally, but damn close to it. Recounting past events might explain why she found herself cornered in an alleyway with three large, stinky men with evil grins. She recently returned to New York after a two year stint away in Alaska and picked up where she left off as if the past two years did not exist. She returned to her once abandoned apartment, now rented out to a drug dealing dope fiend, and spent the better part of an hour lighting his things on fire until he ran away screaming in horror. Later, she decided to get some groceries in the form of a bag of ice, Ruffles potato chips, and some beef jerky from a local convenience store. It was there did she run into these three bumbling idiots with too much testosterone for their own good.

One had cat called her and another urged the other two to follow her as she made her way back home. So, she didn't live in the best of neighborhoods, but that didn't mean she deserved being oogled by idiots and junkies. Slipping away from the general public, Melita walked briskly down the alleyway next to a closed Italian eatery. "Hey baby," one goon said, "Where do ya' think yer going?" His moronic friends giggled like Catholic school girls. She found herself facing a brick wall and three of the most unattractive men in the universe. Even their mothers would deny they were related. She spun around, clutching the green 7-Eleven bag in one hand. "Listen boys," she began with a little smirk, "I'm only going to say this once... Leave now and I'll let you lick your wounds."

One chuckled loudly and cracked his neck, "C'mon babe," he said, slowly approaching her. "We just wanna talk." Yeah, right. "Well, talk to this," she replied angrily, balling a fist as sparks ignited into roaring flame. "Oh f*ck..." The so-called leader of the trio cursed, his eyes widening. "She's one of those... those... freaks." Melita's eyes narrowed. "I really hate that term," she growled under her breath, dropping her bag to the ground as her body began glowing with a bright orange sheen. One man grabbed what looked like a lone metal pole and held it out as a barrier between him and her. "Get back, you... mutant freak!" He shouted in what might seem like an act of bravery. Melita's nostrils flared, "What did you call me?" She growled under her breath and clenched both fists.

"Run!" Another man yelled, grasping onto his friend's tacky leather jacket. "Oh no," Melita said, dripping with venom. "I just want to talk." She lifted her clenched fists and opened her palms. Flames shot out from her in a stream of orange violence. They turned to run but found themselves blocked by a wall of fire. It billowed and poured toward them, surrounding them in forever torturing heat. Sweat could be seen pooling at her would be assailants' feet and steam began rising from their shirts. "P-please," the defacto boss-man begged, "We were just playing around..." Melita sneered, "Oh, let's play." She widened her eyes and titled her head back as the flames shot upward, towering over the men. "Who's going to be a superhero now?"



AUTHORS NOTE:
STATUS: OPEN
SONG: E.T. by Katy Perry

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[Gambit]

Gambit rode through the night with his motorbike. The sound of the bike's engine humming the city streets was somewhat homely to the cajun. He had to admit, nothing in this neighborhood was relevant to Gambit. Well, atleast, not the buildings. For him, it was just a usual night to relieve himself from the monotony of the brotherhood compound. Aside from the cruel pranks Medusa pulls off on the unfortunate Tsunami, he found nothing else to entertain him inside.

The streets were for Gambit, as Gambit was for the streets. It was not the same as the swamps of his home town, but it was good enough for him to trek through his bike. With the gas tank on full, he had the confidence that tonight he can roam around the city for about another hour or two. While he roamed the streets through his mode of transportation, he couldn't help but think of what to do tonight. His itinerary was as wide open as he could get. The 'boss man', the name he penned for Magneto, has yet to give him any direct orders. Without any orders, Gambit was pretty much a free man for tonight.

The stoplight was on red and Gambit pulled over to acknowledge the city's traffic laws, for now anway. It gave him a few seconds to think of what to do tonight. He had a couple of things in mind and one of them might be a possible solo heist inside a museum. A grin appeared on his face at the thought of the heist. The rush, the thrill of stealing something valuable, did appeal to him. While he rummaged through his brain on what to do tonight, something caught his attention. He saw a stream of fire literally appear. His eyes narrowed upon the sight, something was up. The fire he saw was a street and an alley away from his distance.

"Apologies t' de traffic enforcers", he mummbled with a grin before he revved his motorcycle and veered it towards the fire's direction. He drove past one of the alleways before he hit the street. He narrowly avoided colliding with an incoming pickup truck before his bike made a complete stop onto the sidewalk. With his bike on stop, he took off his helmet and made his way into the alleway where he saw the flamming scene...and what a scene it was. A few feet in front of Gambit was a circle of fire that surrounded three fightened men. Inside the alleyway he also saw a young woman who he figured might be the source of the flames. He let out a whistle, this was impressive.

"We were just playing around..."

From the tone of the men's voices, Gambit had a smirk on his face. Was it a situation wherein these hobos tried to outnumber the young lady, only to find out she had this type of powers? From his point of view, it looks like the case.

"Oh, let's play....Who's going to be a superhero now?"

He let out a whistle, this was impressive. The woman surely wanted to assert to them that she isn't to be played around. Gambit took a couple of steps towards the scene and made slow round of applause. "Impressive", Gambit said with his dry cajun accent, "But methinks dese gentlemen have learned their lesson already. So dont you think it be a good time for dem to be let go?"

Gambit had to admit, she was impressive. But at the same time, he thinks that burning them won't leave a good mark on the alleyway.

[Purge]

Some kind of buzzing sound broke through the intense anger that came from Melita. She couldn't put her finger on it but as soon as the sound came closer she was able to make it out: a motorcycle. The first thing that came to mind was a police officer, but why a motorcycle cop and not the pigs in the car? The sound of feet hitting the concrete broke her attention on the trio of idiots. She turned her head slightly and caught sight of a tall, strapping young man. Her eyes burned into him for a good five seconds before she relaxed her body.

As her body fell the flames surrounding her victims fell until it was just a low dancing circle of embers. She sniffed, "Who are you? And what do you know about these men that make them gentlemen. They're scum and they deserve to get what's coming to them" Running her eyes up and town this mysterious man. Was he brave enough to counter her? Or was it plain stupidity? There was something that wasn't right about him. Either he was trying really hard to look "hard core" or he had eaten really spicy Mexican food because his eyes were a piercing red. Her own eyes flickered with deep gold, as if she had flames inside her irises.

One of the men took the opportunity to pull himself away from the other two he was clutching. He tried to move but found the heels of his shoes had melted to the concrete. "Dude," he called out toward Gambit, "Get us outta here." Melita snarled and shot a look back toward them, the flames bursting twice as high now. He shrieked and cowered back with his buddies. "Did I say you can leave? We're not done talking...." Her eyes flickered as the flames got hotter and hotter. "Oh God, we're gonna die!!!" One man shouted, crying as he held onto his friends.

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[Gambit]

"Name's Gambit", the cajun said in his usual soft and relaxed voice while his eyes fixed on her. As the flame were bright he did have a slightly good look at her from his position. The lady looked quite good, but it seemed to Gambit her eyes also were different. Her eyes, it flickered, Gambit saw it. He can feel intent, one that would leave these three fools to their fiery grave. He shrug and answered, "Well if dey ain't gentlemen, then Gambit apologizes for quickly labeling them as such."

He just gave a faint look at the three men as one of them offered to have Gambit let them escape. He would love to, but maybe he can still talk some sense into the girl. He just let out a sigh after the man said they were gonna die. "Well you know...haven't heard any...ONE of you three apologizing to the lovely lady here. Seems you did something bad to have her call you a scum now didn't you?"

He had a smirk directed towards the three gentlemen inside the circle of fire before he offered, "Tell you what, you say sorry to this lovely woman and maybe, just maybe she'll let you go.". Slowly, he directed his gaze towards Melita. His eyes were showing that he can be trusted to the enraged fire manipulating girl. Seconds later, Gambit said to her, "So chere...tell me you WILL try to let these men go if they said sorry, yes? Much as I'd love to see them burn for their 'sins', it may just be a waste of your time. Besides, tonight's still young, better things can happen if we let dis pass non?"

[Purge]

Who did this guy think he was? Since when did she take advice or directions from a motorcycle driving, trench coat wearing.... weirdo. Albeit, this guy was rather dashing. Tall, dark, and handsome was the trio of things many women liked - Melita was no different. But this was not the counter top of a bar where he could buy her a drink and she would drown her sorries in shot after shot of tequila. This was a stinky alleyway with even stinkier men, all of whom deserved what they got in her opinion. All Melita knew was that this guy was getting on her last nerves.

His speech was very charming. HE was very charming. There was no denying that, but something made Melita's skin crawl... just a little bit. She hated backing down from fight, even though this was definitely a one sided fight. Of course, perhaps the last thing she needed was three more deaths to notch on her already long belt of "accidental," "somewhat accidental," and "down right bloody murder". When their eyes met once more, she felt a small ting of trust radiating from him. Could he really be trustworthy? Out of all those who betrayed her... could this stranger being some one worth... oh getting to know?

She relaxed slightly, the flames dwindling around the two men. "Who... are you?" She remembered his name, Gambit, but who was he really? Nowadays people name their kinds all kinds of messed up names. Perhaps his parents were notorious gamblers in Las Vegas and he was the product of some drunker game of strip poker?

"We're gonna die!" One shouted to the air. "I can't breathe!" Another called, feeling the oxygen in the circle begin to fade as the fire sucked every last molecule away. "We're sorry! We're sorry!" The defacto leader chimed in, clutching to his throat as he probably felt his mouth become dry. This snapped her out of her moment of sanity... She turned toward the trio, eyes narrowing on them. "Your apologies mean nothing to me," she snapped at Gambit. "You're not like me.. So, what do you know about being called a werido, a monster, a freak!" She found herself getting more and more worked up. The flames surrounding the three idiots grew stronger, although it didn't appear it on the outside. Melita's heart beat was increasing. Little tiny flames jumped out from the tops of her shoulders, burning at the material of her shirt. Steam rose from her body, making it appear as if she was disintegrating. "Oh no…" She whispered, lowering her hands as the fire around the three men disappeared, yet her temperature could only rise.

She felt her skin stretch as golden embers emerged from her pores. Her shirt and jeans ripping at the seams as fire engulfed them. She turned her eyes to Gambit and held her hands to her face as the golden scales ignited. "I-I can't…I can't control it." She let out a terrifying cry as her entire body erupted with flame, setting fire to the things beside her. The metal bars of a fire escape liquified in seconds, landing to the reddened grown with a growling hiss. "Run," she pleaded, feeling her conscious get to her. This guy had done nothing to her. If anything, he had tried to calm her down. He didn't know what it was like to be called a freak. He couldn't be held responsible for the trio of turds' actions. Her heart was racing so fast that she had difficulty breathing. She could feel the things beside her begin to crumple as they were engulfed in flame. The bag of ice she had purchased moments earlier had melted and evaporated.

Melita tried to calm herself and look for some source of water to quite literally cool her down. But she found herself stuck in her spot, the lack of control making it difficult for her to move. "Please!" She finally begged, sobbing liquid fire as the heat radiated from her.


Author's Note: My apologizes. I thought I posted this last night but it didn't show.

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[Gambit]

The moment that the flame dwindled down on the trio of men, Gambit thought of trying to enter and just get them out of there. However, that was just a brief moment for the flames started to rise up again. The heat was intense that even Gambit himself could feel it. His body was literally sweating bullets as the atmosphere around him was starting to get a bit heated.

He gazed back at Melita who started to speak to him with agression. Things were not looking good, the temperature was rising intensely while the girl too was getting a bit hot headed. "Clear your mind chere, don't get all worked up.", he pleaded to her while he still stood there. There was no fear on the face of Gambit, but on the back of his mind, he was dreading that his efforts to dissuade the lady would be in vain.

Surprisingly, the flames around the three men have ceased. Gambit felt that it worked, she was convinced it was not worth it. He let out a shrug and told the men, "Well...bout time you boys just get outta here no-". He cut himself off as he noticed the lady slowly having some flames herself. His mouth slowly opened in confusion and worry for her as they locked eyes from the distance.

"I-I can't…I can't control it."

Clearly she can't, the flames started to engulf her entire body. He winced a bit at the sight of her crying in pain due to the fire. The cajun let out a grunt, he had to do something. Surveying the area, he figured he needed to stop the flame from spreading outside this narrow alleyway. He looked at the walls, finding any water piping that was sticking out. To no avail, none. She told him to run but he just shook his head and then looked up. A small grin appeared on his face. "Dat's it...", he muttered to himself before he made a run for it on the other side of the alley.

Gambit jumped off the top of a dumpster and started to jump and climb his way up to the building. It took him a few seconds but he managed to climb up. On the building across him, the side where Melita was directly below, stood a water tower. It wasn't big, but it was good enough to take out the flames below. Gambit couldn't help but smile and say, "Dat some timely deus ex machina if Gambit ever saw one.". Looking below, he could see the flames starting to spread. Hopefully it wasn't too late. Gambit pulled out a handful of cards and started to charge it. 2 seconds later, he flicked it towards the direction of the wooden water tower.

"Boom!"

The four legs of the tower got taken off and it slowly teetered toward Gambit's direction. He made a jump back and narrowly avoided the water tower hitting him. Upon hitting the edge of the buidling, it broke and the water started to fall down from the sky and onto the ground where Melita was. Gambit looked down, hoping the trick and the amount of water from the tower would be enough to stop the flames from spreading.

[Purge]

Everything happened in one glorious blur. Melita couldn't see beyond the orange haze of flames, but the sound of crashing objects pierced the sound of vicious flames licking at the air. Her heart was racing what seemed like a million miles an hour and no matter how much she tried to calm herself, she couldn't. Things just got worse. She closed her eyes and waited for the ultimate explosion. One that happened every time she became overwhelmed. Last time, a block in Colorado perished similar to a nuclear blast. She had found herself standing amidst a pile of ash, miles wide. It was the last time she told herself that this would happen... but that didn't last long now did it?

Melita felt the sting of rushing water. It hit her skin like a large ice burg hitting a heated stone. She instantly felt her body begin to cool and could finally hear herself think. Steam rose from her body, high into the air, turning into droplets of water that made it seem like it was raining in that small alley way. Her heart slowly stopped beating and she clenched her eyes shut tightly, waiting for the flames to flicker away from her and her body to absorb the cold water. It took every last drop of the water tower to stop her from going nuclear on the block.

She grasped at her bare chest, taking slow breaths, feeling the cool night air on her skin. It was over. It was over. Her thoughts crowded around the idea of finally being calm... until she realized that if it were not for the mysterious, sexy accented man she would have woken up in a place very similar to Colorado. Melita opened her eyes slowly, her hair falling over her face, dripping with water. Steam rose slowly from her skin, which had become its natural hue. "I... I..." She whispered, finally coming to the realization that she had burnt all of her clothes off and was not standing butt naked in the alleyway staring straight at a white knight. "Well, this is embarrassing," she sighed, her cheeks turning a natural red.

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[Gambit]

While the fire died down, Gambit felt it was safe to climb back down to the alleyway. So he did, he climbed down through the fire exits and made a jump from the last step to land on top of the dumpster again. Hopefully, the lady was ok and not engulfed by her own fire. It would be truly ironic to see a fire manipulator die in her own handiwork. Having his own powers kill him, would be something Gambit wouldn't wanna experience.

He hopped off the dumpster and approached the woman. She looked ok, there was steam coming out from her body which was a better sign than a burnt crisp of a cadaver. Thankfully, the plan worked to perfection and Gambit saved the day. As she looked up to him, his brain finally registered it, she had no clothes. Yes, an attractive young woman stood naked in front of the cajun with his indirect assistance. Different method, but a really familiar situation. The two stared for a moment, the cajun slightly embarassed at staring into the eyes of a woman without any article of clothing. He noticed it, she had some scales on her cheek, he understood. She was ostracized by her looks, but outside that she looked perfectly normal. Had she hung out with him at the brotherhood house, she would see others similar. He shook the thought off as she broke the silence.

"Well, this is embarrassing,"

Gambit gave himself a second to nod before taking off his trench coat. He knew wearing these things would come in handy sometimes. He made his way towards Melita and placed the trench coat to cover her up atleast. He stood beside her and said, "Y'all can have this till we get to your place. It just near here yes?" He looked at the surroundings and could see the damage made by the flames. It wasn't a big structural damage but it burnt a fire exit ladder and a couple of black patches on the wall.

He looked back at Melit and said, "Y'feelin ok chere? If you'd like, Gambit can drive you off to your place. De bike is just nearby." His tone was reassuring and told her that everything will be ok for now. Hopefully she won't flare up on the ride home.

[Purge]

Melita's face was burning red from embarrassment. She could feel the scales on her face sizzle a little as she put her damp hands to her face. She told herself time and again to take deep breaths. Her mind searched the charred remains of the building, just as sirens began to illicit from the distance. It was time to flee, but she wanted to hide behind a dumpster until it was safe for her to run away. That was until she felt the heavy thump of a leather jacket being draped over her form. Melita looked up from between her fingers and stared at Gambit for a few seconds.

She inhaled and gathered her bearings. Clutching the coat closed, Melita brought her gaze back to the mysterious good doer. "Thanks," she said somewhat gruffly, not enjoying the idea of having to thank him for preventing her ultimate meltdown. "I don't need a ride," she said quickly, almost too quickly. "Don't give me handouts." She made sure to add something that would keep him at arm's length. Melita pushed past Gambit, making sure to hide the glowing golden scales with her now frizzy hair. She stopped as she reached the intersection of the alleyway and street.

She sighed and turned around, pulling the jacket closer to her. "Ok. I changed my mind," she said quite haughtily. "But don't think just because you play hero that I'm going to reward you with something perverted." She didn't know this guy and trusted him as far as she could throw him. Melita looked toward his bike and cringed a little. This was going to be a bit awkward for her. Well, one was because she was naked under the jacket. Two, this meant she'd have to actually touch him and who knew how riled she would get up.

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[Gambit]

The cajun let out a sigh once she told him she didn't need his help. Seconds after being brushed off he shot back, "Ok, but y'do know Gambit still needs his trenchcoat back. He only have 2 of em and de other one's in d'cleaners" He lied, and the grin was indicative of it. However, he does want to get his trenchcoat back because about 3 packs of playing cards were there. He only had a handful of 'ammo' on his pockets right now. While Gambit knew there would be no confrontations anytime soon, he still felt the need to be prepared for such.

The sounds of the sirens drew closer, it would only be a matter of time before they would reach the alleyway. He slowly walked towards his bike, but he still kept an eye on Melita. A smirk appeared on his face once she told him her change of mind. On the back of the cajun's mind, he knew this would happen. He figured that she would know better than just walk around the streets with nothing on but his trenchcoat. He said with his usual calming voice, "By all means, just hop on."

He didn't lie, all she needed to do was just hop onto the bike. Remy made his way near the bike and got on it. He turned on the engine, and seconds later, the bike roared as it was ready for the drive back to her home. He tilted his head towards her direction before he handed her the helmet. "Safety first", he said with a small smile on his face.

Gambit assumed by now she put on her helmet and was ready to ride. So once he felt it was time, he told her, "So just tell Gambit de directions and we'll be off to that place in no time." For Gambit, he hoped the place was near to this area. If it was not, no biggie, he still had plenty of tank left in his motorcycle. Besides, it wasn't every night he could save a damsel in distress.

[Purge]

Melita grumbled quietly to herself as she looked at the bike, trying to imagine how she'd actually get on it. It wasn't that she never rode a motorcycle before. She'd never rode it butt naked wearing a strange man's heavy trench coat. Seriously, what did he keep in here? Bricks? What was it made of? Dinosaur skin? She adjusted the coat once more and moved her frizzy hair out of her way, wincing as it got caught on the cuff. "Don't try anything funny," she said harshly, "I'm not some one to play around with." Of course, she really wasn't in the predicament to request anything or make threats but, hey, it made her feel better... so why not?

Melita lifted the coat as she sat on the back of the bike, looking for somewhere to put her hands. She'd be damned if she put her hands on.... well they were off and she squealed with anticipation, grabbing onto his waist. "I'm on the corner of 5th and Stockton." She shouted into the wind. It wasn't that far but there was quite a few stop light along the way... and the further you went into the town the more creepy and run down it became. It was a bit of a site to see some one as young as Melita living in such a slummy place, but when you're constantly on the run having a bed was better than having nothing.

She felt herself automatically leaning closer until her cheek rested on the back of Gambit. He felt warm. Not like a fire warm but a human warm. It had been a long time since she felt the warmth of a human being... well one she wasn't brushing the ashes of off her shoulder that is. The act of resting her cheek against his back made her blush. She could feel the scales on her face shimmer with heated excitement and told herself to calm down. This wasn't what it seemed and it would never be what it seemed. This guy was a mutant but one who controlled himself. No one wanted to be with a control freak like herself, especially considering she had nearly burnt down the entire block.

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[Gambit]

"From de looks of things...Gambit don' need dat advice. He already knows.", the cajun replied in a blunt manner after she warned him of not getting too comfortable. He drove off from the sidewalk with Melita in tow. The cajun's bike was riding albeit too slow, since he was waiting for her cue to tell him where to go.

"Got it", he said with a sly tone upon hearing the directions. It wasn't that far, that's for sure. While he made his way towards the said street, he felt something on his back. A warm smile crept on his face, the girl wasn't that much of a harsh one after all. He felt her head leaning on his back. It also amused the cajun since a few minutes ago she threatened him not to get too comfortable. As irony may have had it, she was getting a bit too comfortable with him.

Moments passed and they were in front of her place. Gambit put on the breaks of his bike and slowly got off his seat. He held out his hand to Melita, in hopes to help her get off his own bike. "Well here we are, home sweet home.", the cajun declared in a joking tone. He looked at Melita as he inquired, "De ride wasn't that too bumpy was it?"

[Purge]

Melita pulled herself from Gambit's back and shook the odd feeling of comfort that came from the short ride. She adjusted herself as the bike came to a halt outside her apartment. She looked up at the tattered building, noting the missing bricks littered throughout the outside of the building. It was a home away from home. At least to her. "The ride was…" she said, struggling to get off the bike. "Ok. I guess." She didn't want to see too grateful for his help. She didn't even know him.

"Well, this is my place. Don't expect me to ask you up." She said quickly. "Just stay here and I'll bring your coat back." She held her hand out to attempt to prevent him from even moving toward the apartment. The last thing she wanted was for him to know which apartment she lived in… even though she could probably burn him to a crisp she did owe him for saving the entire block from her… meltdown. Melita ran up the stairs, checking out the window at each level to make sure he didn't follow. She narrowed her eyes a little before heading into her apartment to dress.

Throwing his jacket onto a tattered chair. Melita grabbed the first things she could find, including a pair of purple shorts and a white wifebeater. She picked up his jacket and smirked. Pulling the window up, Melita shouted. "Hey, you!" Waiting to see if he'd look up. "Thanks for a ride. Here's a little something to remember me by." Melita held the jacket out of the window and smirked as she lit the collar on fire. She tossed the jacket and watched as it fluttered down toward Gambit. She leaned against her window and smiled to herself.

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[Gambit]

Gambit was glad she didn't feel uncomfortable with the ride. Then again, his bravado assured him she felt completely safe in the arms of Gambit. The cajun had a smirk on his face when the lady tried to assert her authorty. Certainly he didn't have to get up inside the building. While it was a tempting proposition to try and charm his way into bed with her, his priority was on the bike. The neighborhood was evidently unsafe, so there was a big chance the motorcycle might be stolen if he took his sweet time with her.

"Don' worry, Gambit trusts you", he said with a smirk still placed on his face. Well another reason why he wouldn't follow her is that she might just burn his trenchcoat if he did so. But that gave the cajun a thought, if she did do that now or when he was following her, wouldn't she be naked heading back to her place? Not a wise move for her more than it would be for him. He just forgot about that thought and sat back on his bike. It wouldn't take a few minutes, he hoped.

"HEY YOU!"

Remy blinked his eyes and immediately looked up. He saw the girl, finally wearing some clothes. He got off his bike and stood a few feet near the window. Once she told him there's something for him to remember her by, he winced. He saw her light up the collar of the trenchcoat. He let out a slightly frustrated grunt while he caught it mid-air. He slapped the trenchcoat to the wall to take out the fire before it would spread out from the collar.

"Didn't expect THIS would be de thanks Gambit gets.", Gambit said as he looked up to Melita. He smirked and joked to her, "Expect a bill comin' soon from de tailor once Gambit fixes dis." But for now, he still put on the trenchcoat. He looked at the collar, it was burned up badly, but it was just the collar. Gambit had enough money to repair this soon, he still had his 'sideline' job.

He made his way back to the motorcycle and said, "We will meet again soon, and hopefully you can let lil ol me in as well." Gambit shot a smirk at her direction. That last line can be interpreted in a dozen ways. He'll let her imagiination decide what he meant by that. He turned up his engine and drove off into the night with his bike.

[EXIT GAMBIT]