#richard brinkerhoff

Jordan didn't outwardly complain when Brink brought new people into the fold, but they were never pleased about it either. The more people in the know, the more possible problems down the line.

At this point in the game, the others picked up on their wariness about newcomers and would not stop teasing them about it. Andre had actually created a bingo sheet of 'Jordan fucks with the newbie'. When Emma was brought on, they got a bingo in under three hours.

So when Brink told the team that he found a new recruit, Jordan ensured they kept their eyes forward, ignoring the reactions of their friends behind them.

"Alright, alright. Look - her power is weird but it's especially critical to this upcoming mission so please, don't scare her away."

Jordan forced themself not to roll their eyes - they never scared anyone away. People just couldn't handle them. There's a difference. But then Brink gave Sam a very pointed look, and they had to stifle a smile. They had forgotten about that... incident.

The metal door creaked open and in walked probably one of the most gorgeous people Jordan had ever seen. Big brown eyes, full lips, gorgeous deep skin, and long locs pulled back into a ponytail.

"Everyone, this is Marie."

Fuck. Jordan was fucked.

---

Marie was skeptical when Victoria told her about this new job. Multiple missions, little-to-no information about the group or the jobs. Just - do what these people tell you for the next few weeks, months, or even years, and then her and her sister would be set for life. To be fair, that is the deal that Victoria gave her initially when she caught her stealing on the job, but still. At least she had known Victoria for a few months beforehand. She's never met any of these people, and now she has to play nice? She just had to stay focused on Annabeth. If she could find them a good, stable place to stay...

So she went, pocketknife in tow, trench coat on, prepared for pretty much anyone when she walked into the cold conference room. Sitting around a large table were six people about her age, and the only other person in the room was a much older man with white hair and a beard. Marie presumed he was the head of whatever kind of ragtag criminal organization this was. This was confirmed when he introduced her.

"Everyone, this is Marie." She gave a small wave and the others introduced themselves. Andre, a black man with short hair and a relaxed posture, Luke, a tan blond man who looked like he had walked out of a Gap catalog, Cate, a thin and pale preppy blonde girl with piercing blue eyes, Emma, a bubbly white girl with short blonde hair, Sam, a pale muscular man with curly brown hair and puppy dog eyes, and Jordan, a small Asian girl with headphones in who seemed to have a permanent frown on her admittedly very pretty face. The leader went by "Brink", and she was sure there were a plethora of shitty puns she could come up with if he wasn't her boss. She took a seat in between Jordan and Sam, knowing Brink would likely want to begin quickly.

Taking in the group, it was clear whatever they were doing paid well. She wasn't well-versed in designer brands but the few she did recognize were scattered throughout the group.

---

The mission seemed simple enough, once Brink explained the details, but it was clear he was holding things back. Mainly because he hadn't mentioned the newbie's powers or why they needed her. I mean she was unassuming, but weren't they all? Jordan was halfway tempted to corner Brink and demand answers, but they knew they wouldn't get any information out of him he didn't want to give.