ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ

Finding out she was a mutant had been a shock for Gia, especially since she found out while trying to sneak out of a blind date gone wrong. The years following that night she had done her best to ignore what she was - it wasn’t like she had any use for such ability. Till she ran into one William Crain. Nonetheless, she believed in his mission and welcomed the change in scenario from Philly. “I mean you are eating Doritos,” she asked tilting her head to read the bag. “Here, I’ll swap with you,” she offered her bag of Cheetos, not particularly hungry. Primarily, she was curious on who her new teammates were. Maybe she would run into an old friend. Stranger things had happened before. 

sometimes amara wonders what her life could have been like. if maybe she didn’t wake up with light coming out of her hands. granted it was even more of a surprise when she seemed to blast a hole through the ceiling of her shared room with the full moon shining through her, illuminating her. if that didn’t happen, where would she be now? certainly not with william crain and this mission. not with these strange people. and while amara wants to know them --- she can’t help but be a bit nervous. what if they think she’s just some strange and weird girl? what if the guards at the center were right all along? “ oh wow. i haven’t had cheetos since i was twelve. but umm, are you sure? i don’t mind doritos either. ” honestly, she didn’t even realize it was doritos. she just grabbed the first bag she saw.

She had been hiding out with mutants for the majority of her life at this point, yet introductions were always awkward. The abilities that their mutations gave them were so vast and unpredictable that she was almost always embarrassed to meet someone new. But they were all here to make some money, and that was as good of an ice breaker as any. Out of the many introductions she’s made in life, getting to know someone over a bag of chips took the cake. “They smell like salt and vinegar so….yes?? It’s probably not the chips, though. Factories fill chip bags with nitrogen gas as a preservative before sealing it so that’s probably why it smells.” 

“ so... all bags like this smell funky? ” amara looked at the bag suspiciously. when was the last time she had a bag of chips? probably back when she was with her parents --- family. that word seems so foreign to her now. the idea of a normal family lost years ago. the members at the government center --- other mutants, freaks like her as the guards would say --- they were more family to her than anyone. but now she was on the outside and they all remained in the facility. should she feel lucky or guilt? “ also why are there so few chips? this bag is huge. ” because that seemed more pressing. 

“The casino was built a little over a decade ago. It’s not unbreakable but it’s not really going to be easy. But public resources are public resources.” She handed him a few letter-sized pieces of paper with floor plans on them. “Public library, you’d be surprised at the kind of things you can print there. Anyway, these were the original plans for the building when it was set up. I circled some vantage points that could be useful but the casino had a major remodel in 2016 so those things may not still be available….” She bit her nail, hoping the information was enough. She wasn’t a seasoned criminal, she was just a brain. There was a big difference between lifting a bottle of Poland Spring from a deli and planning a heist for a casino. “It has a four-star yelp rating with 236 reviews from the last six months so there’s lots of foot traffic. George C from Oklahoma said it was the best casino he’s ever been to.”  

william took the floor plans, glancing through them as she talked --- explained the layout just a bit. “ i don’t think the reviews are necessary but i do appreciate knowing what some george thinks. ” a critique of the knowledge that was presented but the only one he had. after a pause, his attention on the floor plans in his hands before finally glancing up at the other. “ good work, nakia. ” hey, even william can express a compliment here and there. “ keep looking. see if you can get an updated model. some of this could have changed and if you find that it’s necessary for us to scope out the casino prior to when we set this in motion, i’ll arrange that. but before that, look around for disgruntle employees, people with vendettas against the owner. see if we can get a leverage from them or anything from them that would be access points, security breaches, anything that may be useful. ” after a pause, considering something new, he spoke again, “ actually, the reviews may be of use. look for the ones that aren’t five stars. see if you can get in contact with those guests, what their story may be. ”

“ well —- the owner likes his scotch, and he has expensive taste, ” replies gisèle as she takes a seat in what appears to be an old staff room, the door pried off long ago. she, too, bypasses a hello, how are you in favor of putting the wheel into motion. “ but that’s not surprising considering the casino’s dress code is rather strict. so, this, ” she flicks a manicured hand at his t-shirt, “ will have to go. we can’t take anything if we can’t even get in. it doesn’t mean a suit or putting cass in a gown — unless there’s an event — we just have to dress up a little, look nice, look like we have money. and your hat? that’s a no. ”

“ of course he does, ” william scoffed at the expensive taste comment. what rich bloke didn’t? there was a reason that the casino was targeted despite the high risk population surrounding the area. they would have better luck with a casino with far less than the one chosen. however, that wouldn’t be the point. william enjoys hitting where it would hurt the worst. a few extra risks was worth the trouble. “ what’s wrong with my hat? ” he took it off as though it had personally offended her. “ alright, alright gis. what’d you suggest i wear then? more importantly, how are you going to convince cass to dress up? ”