With sunshine streaming through her eyelids, Mariel woke to see the flight attendant's warm smile and a cup of coffee in his eager hands. "We've landed, Miss Mariel. I hope you had a pleasant flight." She smiled at him and took the paper cup gratefully, as she gathered her things, got off the small plane and into the Ford V8 Touring she had arranged to fetch her.

Dozing off during the 6-hour flight, Mariel was now wide awake and ready to explore the unfamiliar cityscape in front of her. With 12 hours of free time before the drug deal she went here for, she had no idea what to do and where to go in this town called Chicago. "Take me to the nearest speakeasy, please." She asked the driver lowly.

Surprisingly, there was an open one just 2 blocks away, despite it being the middle of the day. Mariel sat at the bar and lit up cigarette after cigarette, just waiting for someone to relieve her of her boredom.

"Sure," Mariel said with a cautious smile. Offering the last stick of her pack, zhd reached in her bag to retrieve an unopened carton of cigarettes. Her eyes travelled to the liquor in his hands and raised her eyebrow. "A bottle of whisky in the afternoon? Rough day?" She said with a laugh.

"I'm Mariel, by the way." The girl motioned to the bartender for another drink. "You from around here?"

"A bad day how? Are you the reason why there are police sirens wailing right now?" She said with a chuckle. "Besides, no one could like booze too much, don't worry."

Sliding off her seat, she takes her glass with her and walks towards the pool table. "No, I don't shoot pool. I've tried it once and failed miserably." Mariel grabs a cue stick and offers another one to her newly acquired friend. "Doesn't mean I can't try again though. Ready to lose?" She challenged with a smirk.

She nodded to signify she understood and sympathized with him-- she knew how nerve-wracking it could be to be chased down by the cops. "Alright then," Mariel said as she aimed at an angle and broke. A striped ball falls into a pocket and she smiles. "Guess you're solids." She says as she aims for another one and misses. "So what brings you around Chicago?" Mariel asked as she gestured for him to take his turn.

"Is it my turn?" Mariel asked, a bit confused as to how she should proceed. Pool was never her strong suit. "Well, Chicago has been pleasant for the past hour I've been here. Haven't really seen too much of it to judge." She said with a shrug. "Yeah, it's my first time here for... for a job." She said, hesitating to tell him the true nature of her visit.

The youngster slipped into the bar, taking an empty seat near one of the windows. Despite his age, he frequented many of the local bars at least once or twice during the week, spending what cash on he had an drinks appropriate for his age group. While his favorite Brewery was the Shadowy Slices, as he assisted in the work there, occasionally, he visited others as well. Which was what he was doing now.

By himself, Nixe relaxed in the plush seat, sipping at some sort of tea mixture. His bright green eyes wandered about, searching for snatches of interesting conversation. If there was a place to people-watch, the bar would have been one of his favorites. So many.. interesting characters residing within.

Mariel nods and waves a small hand goodbye to her new friend. She sighs as she looks at the unfinished pool game and clears the table-- pool was never her forte, but she hated leaving things unfinished, hence the sigh.

As she was making her way back to the bar, she noticed a new figure with piercing green eyes scanning the room. Locking eyes with his, she tilts her head and smiles to say hello. She called to the bartender for another drink, pulls out another unopened pack of cigarettes, and sat 2 seats away from the mysterious man. "Care for a smoke?"

Nixe smiled at the older woman in return, bidding her silent hello with a nod of his own. At her offer of cigarettes, his face broke out into an easygoing smile, in which he chuckled. "A tempting offer indeed," the brunette said kindly, "But I'm afraid I never took up smoking." He phrased his words in such a way that the male didn't seem rude - for he knew it was a rarer sight to spot a gangster who didn't smoke. Even so, he didn't want to offend her, for she seemed quite nice. 

"I'm Nixe. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Never too late to start," Mariel joked with a chuckle. She lit up her cigarette and took a long, much-needed drag. Extending her free hand to the man, she looked at him with a kind smile. "I'm Mariel, but everyone calls me M. And the pleasure's mine."

She gazed at the man for a few moments, tilting her head in confusion. His features were so delicate, eyes so bright, and he looked so young. Too young to be in a place like this. "Sorry, I just have to ask-- how old are you?" Mariel asked hypocritically, herself being 3 years younger than the legal drinking age as well, even though it doesn't really show. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you look so... young."

When the woman extended her hand, Nixe took it in his own, momentarily intertwining their fingers to give her a hearty shake before breaking off the exchange. "M," he said then, testing out the letter. "That's a nice name." It certainly sounded secretive. Then again, these were the streets - who didn't know something of the confidential manner? At M's inquiring of his age, an expected smile creased his own face. "I'm eighteen," said the male in turn. "Though I'm sure I could easily pass for sixteen. And you?" She didn't look much older than he was. Definitely in the late teens, early twenties range. 

"Sixteen? Try fifteen." She said with a giggle. "Just turned 18 three months ago.."  She trailed off, suddenly bittersweet. "Three months ago... what a different time." The young woman sighed, reflecting on how much things in her life have changed over the course of a few months. M has yet to decide on whether or not these were changes for the better or for the worse. Shaking the melancholy away, she put on another bright smile and looked at Nixe again. "Sorry about that," she murmured. "So anyway-- Nixe, you from around here?" She asked, with a spark of adventure and mischief in her eye. 

Nixe cracked a smile, playing along with her interpretation of his appearance. There weren't many who actually commented on it. Two, if you would count her and Henri. "Okay, okay, so I look like kid," he replied, chuckling softly. Refocusing his attention on M when she recounted her own experiences, the brunette picked up on the soft air of sadness radiating from the woman. His cheery mood dampened for the moment, knowing full well how every moment was life changing around here. "It's fine," he murmured, "I understand." Glad that the conversation had picked up, moving away from depressing topics, he picked himself up at her next question. "Yup. Chicago born and raised. Why do you ask?"

Grateful to the man in beside her for not pressing her on her sad past which she so foolishly opened up, M shot Nixe a small, thankful smile. "Well, I've been here for about two hours and I've got more or less 10 hours to kill," she started, her eyebrows raised and her smile split wide her face hurt. "And I've been looking for a local to show me around town 'til then. Are you the man I've been looking for, Nixe?"

"It would be a pleasure, Miss M," Nixe replied, as he slowly slide out of his seat. Offering his hand to the eighteen year-old, the brunette smiled at his newest acquaintance. "Is there anywhere in particular you would like to visit? I can't say I'm an expert on this city herself, for she's quite vast, but I do know my way about."

She scrunched her nose and shook her head. "I'm afraid not, I've only been here once and I was too young to remember," the girl recalled, as she gathered her things and motioned towards the door. "Though I've been hearing about your pizza and its magic, maybe we can start there. And then you can lead the way." Mariel said as she bounded out the door, eager to see the city she was in. "Trust me, I'm not picky and I'm game for almost anything, so don't hold back."