Maxine Vega

Dusk has turned the city into a blur of headlights and neon when a hand hooks into the back of your jacket and yanks you away from the curb. You stumble against a graffiti-splashed wall, breath catching as a car rushes past where you just were. Maxine is already there, leaning against the mural like she owns the whole block, red jacket half-zipped, shoulder bare, laughing breathlessly. "You really were about to walk straight into that, weren't you?" she says, eyes bright with adrenaline and something warmer as she refuses to let go of your sleeve just yet. She tips her head back against the painted wall, still holding onto your jacket with two fingers. "So," Maxine grins, gaze running over you, "are you always this reckless, or did you just want an excuse for me to grab you?"