Gothic City

Gothic City was broken and bleeding, and like a malignant microbe, she was drawn to the festering wound. Some hominids were really quite stupid. The things they would eat, drink, snort, smoke, and inject into themselves just for a moment of pleasure... It was almost too easy for the rising vixen of vice to infect the citizens of Gothic. Marketing her own mixed blood called Sangria Hits in various formulations was simpler and more profitable than traditional bacterial possession. Mutants were immune, and some had immune systems strong enough to fight the foreign influence. But others never stood a chance, addicted and controlled by the Sangria bacteria.

It proved easy enough to assimilate smaller drug distributors to her fledgling empire. Those she couldn't seduce to her cause were infected and mentally controlled or simply killed as an example to weaker drug lords who might seek to challenge the lady in red. There was always room for expansion.

Scantily dressed in black leather, boots hugging her bare thighs, Queen Cobra walked up to the Mistress Sangria in the café. "Hello, love. You and I need to have a talk."

Sangria arched a brow over her green eyes. "And who might you be?" A hand settled on her red clad hip.

Her lips curled into a fanged smile. "Evelyn Queen, but to sssome I'm known as Queen Cobra. Pleassse, come have a ssseat." Her forked tongue flicked as she spoke. A gloved hand motioned to the booth in the corner before its mistress stepped lithely towards it. Her tall, toned body nearly slithered into her seat as she awaited her lovely companion. From her purse, she pulled a long, gold cigarette holder which was held delicately between her fingers. She lit it, curving her lips around its mouth piece and inhaled deeply. Jan casually followed the strangely alluring woman, sitting down beside her. Eve smiled. "I've noticcced you've been quite the busssy girl, Sssangria. Quite the racket you've ssstarted. But it's only in its juvenile ssstage. I've come with an offer of aid. I was raisssed on the ssstreetsss. You... I can sssmell that you're new."

Sangria felt herself lulled by Eve's rhythmic, snake-like voice. Her scent was intoxicating. She was quite certain something controlling was at play. Finally the chemical composition registered. Pheromones. This scaly woman was giving off huge amounts of unconsciously detectable attraction scents. Her red lips curled into a grin. "Perhaps I am." She leaned forward toward the snake woman. "But if you're planning on making a move against me, it would be a grave mistake." Her blood red lips uttered words that sliced through the air like razors.

Queen Cobra laughed. "Oh, I know, love. I've been watching you." She leaned back in her chair with a puff from her cigarette holder while folding her legs one over the other. "I'm impresssssed. You and I... we're not ssso different." She gripped the holder in her teeth and slide a glove off of her left hand before reaching it out to touch her face. She closed her serpentine eyes for a moment. "Mmhmm. Your ssskin is ssso sssoft. It'sss not often I get to touch a perssson without immediate death."

Rampant poison seeped into her skin, a unique combination she had never encountered before. A sly smile spread over her face. "Toxic to touch. How unfortunate."

"That dependsss. It'sss very good for killing. I don't need to touch people to get them to do what I want. You'll forgive the pheromonesss? It'sss almossst instinctual when I'm trying to impresssss sssomeone." Eve restored the glove to her arm. "You sssee, I'd like to form a partnerssship with you. I can help you massster your abilitiesss to ssseduce with a touch, weaponize your poisssionsss, provide mussscle, even my my own niche busssinessssesss that are sssure to keep you in power."

The bacterial host placed a finger to her lips. "And what do you get in return?"

The Queen of Diamonds laughed. "Sssame as you. Money, control. A sssisterhood. What do you sssay, Msss. Red?"

Janus pondered the offer that seemed to good to be true. She could assemble a band of underworld scum, add Kurt's influence, means, and connections, and they could completely take over the city. Like an infectious monopoly of crime. She would be feared and powerful. Her ruby lips pursed thoughtfully before the edges curved into a sinister smile. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."