Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“Welcome to the Desperados. As long as you're here, you're family.”</span>
Ember raised her now empty water bottle. Felicia reached up to tousle her hair, and Flint had one tree-trunk sized arm wrapped around her shoulder. Ember looked mildly annoyed, but she didn’t blow up at anyone. She was only weakly fending off their attempts at skinship between comrades, and they didn’t look like they were willing to stop anytime soon.
<span class="mu-r">“And just as a reminder, if you don’t pick out a codename soon, one will be chosen for you, and it might not be the most flattering.”</span> you said.
The devious grin on Cat’s face told you that she was thinking up some rather unflattering codenames at this very moment.
<span class="mu-r">“Is there a deadline for that?”</span> Ember asked.
<span class="mu-g">“You've got until we pull our first job. Just think about what you want to be called when you finally hit it big.”</span> Flint advised.
<span class="mu-b">“Think of it like creating a character in one of those role-playing games that you like.”</span> Felicia added.
Ember's expression grew thoughtful at that.
<span class="mu-r">“You know, I always thought committing literal crimes would be more serious than this.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“We like to keep it casual. There's no rule against mixing business with pleasure.”</span> Cat said with a wink.
Ember's cheeks colored a bit, and she backed away slightly. Instead of looking hurt, Cat merely seemed amused by the whole thing.
<span class="mu-b">“Don't be shy, buttercup. I like to roleplay too.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“I…don't think we're talking about the same thing.”</span> Ember accurately judged.
<span class="mu-b">“They can't be <span class="mu-i">that</span> different.”</span> Cat countered. <span class="mu-b">“And who knows? You might like it.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Give the kid a break, Cat.”</span> Flint said, unable to stop himself from chuckling. <span class="mu-g">“We don't wanna scare her off on her first day.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“I'd expect nothing less from our most unsubtle ‘Master Thief’.”</span> you said, not at all ashamed of the fact that you were currently hogging the mic.
Felicia raised both hands and shook her head.
<span class="mu-b">“All I'm saying is, she's the only one here who isn't underage or going steady with someone. A girl can only find so many ways to entertain herself.”</span>
If Flint was at all capable of blushing, he most certainly would have. Instead, he quickly glanced away and cleared his throat unnecessarily. Unless your best friend and sister were hiding things from you, they weren’t dating quite yet. And how your teammate found out about Flint’s crush on Vic was beyond you.
<span class="mu-b">“Plus, it doesn't hurt that she's got a bit of junk in the trunk.”</span> Cat said, giving Ember’s backside a light tap.
Ember yelped and reflexively swung an arm out at Felicia, but the white-haired woman easily stepped out of the way.
Everyone else in the room, you included, tilted your heads to get a better look at your new recruit.
Now that she mentioned it…
