a/c: Rosalee the OC meets up with someone she teamed with briefly.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but these three dorks are mine.

Rosalee peered across the bar to spot the voice that had called to her. The waving hand, each finger tipped with crimson, should have made it clear, but Rosalee didn't want to assume. She frowned at the gesturing woman and then almost blinked when the woman's smile lit up the dark and crowded space. Rosalee pushed her way towards the table. The pounding in her ears didn't match the music.

"Rosalee, babe, have a seat. You know Izzy? He moonlights with us Harriers sometimes." The woman with hair like a thunderstorm gestured toward a squat man that Rosalee forgot instantly. "Have a seat. We're just about to order dessert."

"Thanks." Rosalee slid in, keeping one foot hooked on the edge of the bench. "How you been, Marguerite?"

"Oh, you know me, trying to keep cool at all costs. Izzy, you should have seen me on the mission I shared with Rosalee. Oblivia at its hottest and me riding in Barret's newest skell."

Her companion whistled appreciatively. "He's got nice rides."

"He's a madman. All about the power, nothing about the comfort! He'd neglected to tell me it had zero air conditioning. But of course, I didn't dare change a thing. I was broiling by mid morning." She leaned her head back and fanned herself with exaggerated flicks of ruby nails. Rosalee remembered watching a sweat bead follow the curves of Marguerite's neck when they took a break that morning.

"So what did you do?" Izzy asked with mild interest.

Marguerite winked at Rosalee. "Stripped down to my sports bra and drank a lot of water. We got the job done, but I want hazard pay next time."

The waitress arrived and the table ordered dessert. Rosalee wondered if she should order more than sherbet when she heard the other two order a total of five more sweets. "We can share," Marguerite said. "I'll let you take a bite of everything."

Rosalee stared at the woman's perfectly arched eyebrows, the smooth crescent of her forehead, her lips that matched her nails.

"You like it?" asked Marguerite. "The brand is spendy, but I think the colors would suit you. Not that I don't like the lipstick you're using now, mija. Very fierce."

"Yeah, I'm all about being fierce," Rosalee said. She really needed that sherbet and fast.

Two comm devices chimed in unison and conversation halted. Marguerite and Izzy answered and within seconds were talking very excitedly about what was clearly the same problem. "Hold on, I can ..." "Ten minutes?" "No, absolutely." "She's right here, we can do it."

"Trouble?" Rosalee asked.

"We gotta go," Izzy said, maneuvering out of the booth.

"Yeah, sorry," Marguerite said with what Rosalee thought was genuine regret. "Team got pinned by twin tyrants in, where else, Oblivia. Lucky for me it's our on-call night." The faint worry in her face increased. "Oh! The bill!"

"I'll get it," offered Rosalee.

Marguerite laughed. "Thanks. You'll be sorry, once you see how much me and Izzy had for dinner. I'll try to cancel the desserts on the way out."

The bill had indeed been staggering, and Rosalee had called herself a sucker when she didn't see Marguerite again. She practically haunted the Repenta for a week, but she never spotted the other woman. Enough, she thought, time to find a new hangout. She paid what she expected would be her last tab.

The bartender checked her signature and brightened. "Oh hey, I have something for you." He pulled a small folded paper from his apron. "Hope this isn't something gross, okay? Tell me if I should get on her case."

On an untouched bar napkin were the words "I owe you" and a name and number. Rosalee ignored those, all her being focused on the lip prints seared into the corner, red as the sunsets of Oblivia.

a/n: Rosalee is officially over Irina. Rosalee was in Rosalee and Lucky, Day of the Dead, and Ring Around the Rosies. Izzy was just a name in Secret Santa with H.B. and Frye. Welcome to Marguerite, who knows what she wants.

Next up: Can it be short? I wrote two stories today. (Because Happy 5th Anniversary Xenoblade X!)