When You Wish Upon a Star *Lady Megara*

[Rome Dextaris]

A new casino...again... This time it was based on Ancient Greece. Rome liked Ancient Greece and with the loss of Thanos, he was bored. As a matter of fact, he was so bored, he felt bothered and out of sorts. He was ready for some fun and what better place to have it than at the new casino. At least in the casinos there were enough people to make wishes to keep him satisfied. With him leaving the child with the wish he had saved for Thanos, he had fulfilled his contract and was now a free Djinn.

Being free to do what he would, Rome was careful to pace himself, granting only minor wishes, mostly to childless couples and the extremely poor who made modest wishes. When he wanted to have fun, however, he visited the higher society areas. Just the day before a woman wished to have sex with a man like him. It didn't take any actual wish granting for him to fulfill but it did give him a taste for more carnal pleasures. The Ares is where he planned to find them so he decided to dress the part and pay the place a visit.


He was dressed in a white chiton tunic that extended down to his upper thighs, showing off the well defined musculature of his legs. Over the tunic he wore a solid gold chest plate that was identical to the musculature he boasted underneath with a gold studded Pteryges and nothing underneath. On his feet sandals with spun gold straps extending up his calves. On his head was a crown of solid gold laurel leaves.


He walked with confidence, resembling a Caesar during the age of the Roman empire. one corner of his mouth turned up slightly, promising mischief at a moments notice. His ears pricked up at the first mention of a wish. "Wow! I wish I had a breastplate just like that!" he heard and his grin broadened and showed off his perfect white teeth. His eyes twinkled with delight as he made eye contact with the wisher. He was a small, slight man with glasses and thinning hair. Rome tilted his head to the side just a bit. Why would he want it? Power? Money? To get women? "Done." Rome said and continued on without even looking. There was a cry of pain and a crashing sound as a solid gold breastplate appeared on the man who was much to weak to support and he crashed to the ground, breaking several bones.

Rome chuckled slightly as he heard a woman shriek, "Norman!" Why didn't it surprise him that the man had a name like that. He walked past a fat boy, rubbing his stomach, "Man I wish I could throw up, just so I could eat that meal again." Now Rome, being a free Djinn could have had a lot of fun with that but this night he was not in the mood for grossness of that proportion. He made a face and shook his head. "Denied." he said with pride in his power to deny a wish, as he was free.

He strolled over to the bar, intending to have a drink while he listened to the drunken prattling of two men who were discussing life and love. "I'll have a glass of your finest champagne." he ordered and threw a handful of scripts on the bar that would probably pay for their entire supply of champagne, "Keep the change." he muttered in a bored tone. His ears pricked up at the subject of wishes.

"I would wish for love." one man said vehemently.

"No, I wouldn't just wish for love, I would wish for loyalty and companionship." The other man threw in.

Rome took his champagne and sat back, facing the man. He took a long drink and ordered another with a silent wave then set this drink on the bar. "Do you wish for that?" he prodded the man. Each time he granted a wish, he felt a surge of energy through his whole body, it was invigorating and addictive.

"What?" the man turned and looked at him blankly then caught on to what he was asking. "Well, sure, I guess I do, I wish I had unconditional love, loyalty and companionship." the man answered.

Rome felt he had to take mercy on this man. He could not just twist it and make a soul who was so lonely even more miserable. He liked to play games but the heart was a lonely hunter. But he would not inflict any sort of person on him whose affections might wear on him after awhile. No, this would be a special wish grant that would most certainly fulfill the man's needs. "Done." he said happily. A black and white spotted puppy with snake scales down its back appeared on the bar and began wagging its tail and licking the man wildly. "Awww, hey there little guy." the man was thrilled with it. "It's not exactly what I wished for but...he's a cute little thing."

Rome sighed that the man did not understand the gift, so he would explain it to him. "If you want loyalty, unconditional love and companionship, a dog will fit your needs perfectly. If you need sex, buy a whore." he picked up his champagne and turned to leave only to find himself staring into beautiful intense blue eyes that were not very well pleased but still managed to hang onto some level of amusement. "Are you annoyed my Lady, or are you enjoying my mischief and just want your patrons to think you are annoyed?"

[Megara Kontos]

Being new to this city wasn’t as much of a hardship as one might have imagined. Adaptability was something that all creatures possessed if only they would allow themselves to break away from the chains that had bound them to their norms. Few things in life were constant and the things that were people so very often over looked or simply feared. Making New Vegas her home had been a small task, but soon The Ares had been built and the bounty was flowing like the sweetest of wines. She had settled in famously but Megara had never been one to isolate herself. So many things were to be done, people to meet and though it was a given that she was to be treated with respect she had a preference to earn her place wherever she went.

Roaming through the various locations of her casino she eventually found her way toward the bar her attention diverted for a moment to a woman’s cries as a scrawny man lay injured on her floor. Megara ventured over to the pair. ”Try to calm yourself. Your Norman shall be taken care of.” A hand rested on the woman’s shoulder easing her sorrow. Megara wouldn’t take it all away of course, that was too much of a violation for her to tamper with but soothing the woman in her worry was acceptable. Moving over to the broken man she put her hand to his cheek, cupping it gently to extend some relief to him. ”Everything will be okay soon.” The pair were mellowed out by her influence but the pain was still there as well as the woman’s worry, only it had been turned down a few notches. Megara motioned for someone to attend to the couple before following the cause of the disruption.

Lacing her fingers together, her hands clasped in front of her barely grazing against the rich violet fabric of her chiton with gold embellishments observing the, what she now knew to be a, Djinn granted yet another wish. This one didn’t offend her as much as the last. If her patrons had truly wanted to be hurt they would have gone and played Gladiator. The puppy was an acceptable gift however, the balance of his mischief being restored with such an action. Megara knew that it always was at some point in time, in this case it had been sooner rather than later. Whatever scolding she might have given him was rendered unnecessary but still she approached.

She locked her gaze with his the instant that the Djinn turned around to face her. ”However annoyed or complacent one might be its in your nature to cause mischief. Even I have little say over your habits.” Megara hadn’t come across a Djinn herself, in person before. She knew of them of course but this was the first time being up close and personal with one. It did stir her curiosity quite a bit. Would her influence work on one such as him? She had no desire to try it out as of yet but the notion did linger in the back of her mind, never one to close her mind to possibilities. Glancing over at the man with his new companion Megara was pleased with the sight. ”Mischief has redemption though,” Looking back to him her eyes moved over his figure studying him. ”I had heard Djinns acts of kindness were few and far between. Do you break away from that norm?”

[Rome Dextaris]

Rome had his own agenda in all things mischief. Whereas he liked to witness most of his mischief, there were some things that just knowing the outcome was enough for him to feel satisfaction. "So, you know all about Djinn do you? Those who are bound by their chains do not get much chance to cause the mischief that feeds our souls. What you know is, in fact, correct." he pointed out. "However, for those of us who are not bound by a master, may do as we please and cause mischief where we may. If that appears to be a kindness at the moment, so be it."

Rome looked back over at the man who was having a blast cuddling his new derg puppy. "I am far from the norm, my Lady." he turned back to her, "Is not loneliness enough of a tragedy? My powers are limited, just as anyone else's. The loneliness he feels when the animal turns to sand in three days, shall teach him to be grateful for what he has, rather than to pine for things that will amplify his loneliness when he loses them."

Romes eyes turned sad, "I have learned that loneliness is only made worse if you find what you long for only to lose it once more." he said softly. "I feel the loss of my Thanos. It has thought me not to wish for things that will only bring me happiness for only a moment then leave me devastated at my very core, never to feel it again." he looked her in the eye, letting her see deep into his being, the saddness and loss that he felt. Just as quickly as he allowed himself to feel that loss, he turned it off. "It is what it is." he suddenly grinned like he felt nothing at all.


Just then his head snapped to the side at the sound of a wish. "I wish I could have a million chips." He turned back to the vampire and grinned, "Done." he said and turned away from her, walking away.

The woman's belly was suddenly distended and she let out a painful shriek as she began to give birth to chip after chip after chip into her undergarments beneath her dress. Rome let out a robust laugh as he walked away. "Greed, I love greed!" he roared as he continued to walk through the casino, listening for more wishes.

[Megara Kontos]

For all her years and experience Megara would have never claimed to know all about any particular subject. Invariables came in all things and for one to claims to know them all was an affront to the universe. The oldest and wisest of creatures couldn’t lay claim to such a thing and Megara’s arrogance had never and likely never would, reach that level to presume something such as that. One of the many joyous things about life was the mystery that it held. To be able to pursue answers and seek truths was infinite and by definition, one would never be able to come to the end of it. She rather enjoyed that notion. Still, she wouldn’t speak out of turn with the man his assumptions about her were no different than her inquiry about him and his kind.

It would have appeared that this Djinn was in the business of teaching lessons. However, so few things were ever only as they appeared. She bowed her head slightly, keeping her formal stance in tact, acknowledging the conditions of the man’s happiness. It had been granted to him out of loneliness but the message that he would be left with, if the man was open to interpretations, was that happiness could be found in unexpected forms. His wish hadn’t been for a puppy and yet what had been granted to him, something that she doubted the man realized at the moment, was that he had to be more open to the possibilities that life offered.

Seeing the Djinn unhappy was slightly uncomfortable for Megara. The playfulness and mirth that had just been detected from her surroundings was immediately overwhelmed with the burden of the Djinn’s emotions and though her outward composure was maintained, Megara felt a fluttering waver internally that displeased. It didn’t last for long but long enough for her to remain silent while yet another wish was granted and the greed of the crowd took over, some apprehensive about touching the chips that were being birthed by the vampire and others shamelessly diving in to take their fill of loot. She did nothing, sent no one to assist the vampire or stop the patrons from walking away with handfuls of chips. It wasn’t the best business move but some things were beyond control.

The sight had given the Djinn time to walk away but soon Megara was at his side. ”You mentioned that happiness if fleeting but can you tell me that it was something that, if given the chance, you would go back and never have enjoyed happiness from your precious Thanos?” Megara posed to him delicately. ”We can only strive to seek and cherish what we’re granted- nothing lasts forever.” Everything the lived could die. His love for Thanos had once lived and now it had died. Still, things that were gone could be appreciated in memory. ”Might I know your name?”

[Rome Dextaris]

It was really none of the vampires business whether or not he would repeat his adventures with Thanos. But he was well versed in games and he was very inclined to play her with her. She was stalling him, distracting him and a very pleasant distraction she was. He stopped in his tracks and sighed, resigned to answer her question. Would he do it again? Would he go back and walk the other way when he spied the tall handsome vampire or would he leap into his arms and carry him away?

Rome lifted a hand to the gold crown on his head and pulled it off. “No…” he said softly then turned to face the vampire. “No, I would not do it again because I would never want to feel that kind of pain again.” He informed her. “We were in the explosion. I could not save him. I carried his charred remnants for 12 city blocks, in a daze, not even knowing why I was carrying this burned chunk of charcoal and bone. Would I do it again?” he asked her, his piercing gaze meeting hers with fire to the forefront and a dark and all consuming sorrow lurking behind it. The man had not yet let himself grieve, that was apparent. “Never.” He growled then turned and began walking away.

Rome passed the miserable fat boy again, waved a hand and let the boy evacuate his stomach contents all over a pure white marble statue. “I wish I could be beautiful forever, like Lady Megara.” He heard the wish and a woman instantly became a mannequin. “I wish I had been born before the apocalypse.” Another wish and a young man in his early 20s was now pushing 110. “This casino is so big! I wish I didn’t have to walk everywhere.” That one was too easy, a very fat woman was now rolling around on the floor with no legs, her arms too short to stop herself from listing this way and that, wobbling like a Weeble. It was obvious that what Rome was doing was trying to fill a void. He was trying to over compensate for the pain he felt inside and deny that he even felt it. What Rome needed to do was… grieve. Rome needed to cry.

[Megara Kontos]

As one well verse in emotions Megara didn’t believe his conviction to be true. Not that the Djinn didn’t believe what he was saying to be true but rather, if back in that same situation, he wouldn’t be able to simply walk away. The form between the two, however brief and cruelly it had ended had indeed happened for a reason. Something inside of his mind had clicked on that first meeting and it was undeniable that walking away wouldn’t be an option. Djinn, to her knowledge, were very old. Throughout his years he must have felt something for another at some point in time and given that there had been a Thanos, she imagined that it hadn’t lasted either. It was an unfortunate truth of life but the guarantee of lost love was no reason to dismiss it or avoid it when you were lucky enough to find it.

”You carried him because to leave him there would have been an affront to his memory in your eyes, though you may not see that now.” Ironically. Megara could feel the overwhelming power of his emotion as he looked at her, gazes locking. Such sadness lay in his heart and it stung at her breast as well. ”Don’t be afraid to mourn.” Megara left him with that wisdom, as he was walking away figuring that much more, if not enough already- would have pushed the Djinn too far. She could feel his loss, how muddled it made him feel and anticipated that his leave would be filled with the chaos that he could cause. A mischievous Djinn was one thing but one on a warpath, she couldn’t have him bringing that degree of ruin to her casino, especially as it was so new.

Megara had people on the wish-fulfilled patrons in a blink of an eye cleaning up the destruction that the Djinn left behind. It would have been foolish to continue to let him roam around unattended but wasn’t it also foolish to attempt to restrain him? She found herself between a rock and a hard place, which was often the last place people wanted to find themselves. Sighing softly playing chase wasn’t something that she wanted to do. Blurring in front of the Djinn, blocking his frontal path of escape Megara looked to him imploringly. ”Might you indulge me in allowing me to give you a tour of my personal quarters?” It would get the Djinn off the main floor and afford her a better chance of soothing the fury within him.