[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

New York was different to San Francisco, dirtier, bigger, louder, and somehow more clinical all at once. It was a very strange experience. Alice hadn't thought that the city would be that much different to central San Francisco, but somehow it was. She'd flown over from San Francisco in economy, but splurged a little on the plane. Her costume had been transported separately, by the Program, presumably to avoid any possible embarrassments with the FAA. The Program had arranged a car, a fairly standard black affair. Alice had never travelled in a limo before, and she sat back in the simple black car, enjoying the illusion of luxury, even if it wasn't really that luxurious. It wasn't like it was a stretch limo. Alice was certainly not wealthy enough to have any idea of the difference between wealth and class. Still the car would be relatively discreet, the driver had a sign with her name on and she'd simply jumped in. He knew her destination. The hotel was nice. Very nice, and she wasted no time in snapchatting pictures to Ashley. The bed was huge, and the first thing she went to, jumping up to fall flat onto it. She bounced and nearly fell off the other side, giggling. Best. Bed. Ever! She tapped send on her slightly blurred snapchat picture for Ashley, then began unpacking her things. The Fashion Show itself had been a huge success. Stephen had told her rather excitedly that several extremely important fashion people had been in the front row, and that one of them had nodded to the others. Alice, or Paladin as she was now, hadn't really understood what was going on, but she'd been excited for her friend, returning his enthusiastic hug with one of her own. Now she was at the after-party, and glad that Dominic had been very clear in arranging a VIP area. She'd spent some time in the more open part of the party, but it had been exhausting, and after a while she'd made her way to the cordoned off VIP section. That had been a little better, although there were still a few people who were awestruck to have an actual super hero in their midst. She'd acquired a glass of champagne from a passing tray (her age was officially classified as a Hero, but Dom had said as long as she wasn't stupid it wouldn't do any harm) and now she was holed up in a dark corner with it.

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

Carol Havelock had a knack for getting herself invited to the hottest of social events on any given calendar, and New York Fashion Week was no exception. She’d witnessed a couple of the more high-profile collections and had acquired invites for a select number of invite-only parties throughout the next few days. She had long given up on trying to bring her husband to such things – he barely tolerated the stuffy company parties for his own business as it was. Her son, however, still obeyed her instructions for the most part, no matter how insultingly he had tried to distance himself from the world she had raised him in.

He was probably quite aware that without her and her husband, Nate would have to make quite a few lifestyle sacrifices. He’d never openly admit it of course – he was quite insistent on “making it” on his own – but somebody had to put him through medical school and help pay the rent. Accordingly, Nate occasionally indulged his mother in her invitations – and so he found himself at an exclusive after-party surrounded by vapid celebrities searching for opportunities for the perfect candid shot.

There was even a VIP area. An extra layer of exclusivity to the invite-only party. Carol had connections in many places, of course, and Nate had VIP access by extension, but so far he’d been trying his hardest to find somebody normal and so had stuck to the rather more crowded “open” area. His quest hadn’t been particularly successful, although he’d been having an interesting discussion about metahuman fame with a model who could change the colour of their skin until his mother appeared with a pretty young woman in tow for him to be introduced to.

Nate excused himself, leaving the girl to gawk at the colour-changing guy, and escaped through the crowd before Carol could chase after him.

He ended up in the one place she’d never think to actually look; the VIP section.

Cheerfully accepting a glass of champagne from a passing tray-bearer, Nate slipped to the side of the room. It was lined with booths – mostly occupied with bored-looking beauties – but the last one in the far corner seemed empty. It was smaller, and you couldn’t see into it from the open section, so it was highly undesirable to people looking to be noticed. It was precisely what Nate needed.

He sat down so swiftly that he nearly spilled his drink, and he lifted it quickly to his mouth to contain any potential overflow. As he did so, he began to slide more comfortably into place on the seat before realising that the booth wasn’t quite as empty as it had first appeared.

Nate jumped up, aware he’d been nearly on the verge of sliding himself all the way onto her lap, and hurriedly switched seats. “Sorry, didn’t see you there,” he laughed, setting his drink down as he made himself more comfortable. “I was kinda hoping to hide here but I guess you had the same idea first.”

He looked up to view his companion properly at this point, realising with a jolt that the costume was more than just a fashion statement. He didn’t say anything further, but she’d probably be able to spot the surprise on his face if the neon lights had hit it at the right moment. Paladin!

An actual superhero, and from his home city nonetheless. Maybe this party wasn’t such a lost cause after all.

Alice Morrow

577 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Paladin had only been sheltering in the booth for a matter of minutes before her idyll was rudely interrupted by someone else. He slid onto the couch, apparently without looking, and almost collided with her before he spotted her in the shadows. She giggled a little as he stood and moved around to the other side of the table. "That's one way to meet people I suppose." She'd already drunk half of the champagne, she knew how she was supposed to drink it, in little sips, but each little sip was so unsatisfying in quantity that she had to take another one immediately after. She was beginning to feel a pleasant glow in her stomach from it. Perhaps she would have been more perturbed by the arrival of this stranger if it weren't for that warmth, or the fact, that had been illuminated by the flashing neon lights, that he was so good looking. "We can both have the same idea. Don't great minds think alike or something?" She leaned back again, keeping out of sight of the rest of the party. It wasn't exactly his fault that he'd stumbled across her, particularly if he was trying to avoid the rest of the event. She'd obviously chosen well in her concealment, so well that others now wanted to hide here with her. Still, at least he hadn't fawned over her in quite the way several others had. She wasn't entirely opposed to the attention, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with it. She certainly wasn't accustomed to the looks of undisguised lust some guests had shot her way. Her costume was a full body suit for God's sake. At least this guy didn't seem to be drooling all over her. He clearly had a little more class than that. She extended a hand, "I'm Paladin."

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

Fortunately for Nate, Paladin did not seem disturbed by the fact that he'd nearly sat on her. In fact, she was laughing. Even joking with him! It certainly was one way to meet people - and apparently pretty effective too.

"Hey, I like to think I'm pretty good at meeting people," he said with a smug grin. Fact of the matter was that Nathan Havelock was indeed quite excellent at meeting people, even if it was by awkward accident in this case. He'd had a lifetime of training in social skills at dull, self-indulgent high society parties and he liked to think that he could talk his way around any room if need be. The social world his parents lived in may have repelled him greatly, but it had also fed his natural charisma immeasurably.

He was positively buoyant at her 'great minds think alike' comment. It was almost flirtatious given the circumstances.

"You'd really class my mind in the same league as a famous superhero?" he scoffed, though the twinkle in his eyes gave away his intelligence anyway. "I'm honoured." Definitely teasing her there - just a little. He was genuinely honoured to meet one of the most prominent Heroes in the country, after all. Who wouldn't be?

As Paladin extended her hand, Nate offered a rebuttal by raising his champagne to block it.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said smoothly, "But please, we are at a party after all. To hiding from parties!" Nate tilted his glass towards her, hoping that she'd join him in the rather cynical toast.

"I'm Nathan Havelock, by the way. My mother may have mentioned me if you had the delight of being cornered by her this evening." He pulled a face. "Please, call me Nate though."

It was almost inevitable that his mother would have spread word of her darling son Nathan. Whether any of it was true was another matter, of course. Carol tended to be economic with the truth at the best of times.

Alice Morrow

330 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

"Hey!" She laughed, "I'm just a normal human like anyone else, only super…" She felt herself blushing, and hoped that the mask would hide the heat in her cheeks from his gaze. Not that she needed to worry too much, it was dim enough in this corner that it was unlikely he would be able to make much out in the way of fine detail. She was a little taken aback by the raised champagne glass, thinking momentarily that he didn't want to shake her hand and feeling irrationally hurt by the thought. Fortunately she understood his meaning soon enough as he explained and raised her now nearly empty glass of champagne to clink against his. "To hiding from parties." She said with a smile. Paladin searched her mind, thinking of the various people she had run into in her slow progression to this hiding space. One leapt out at her. One that had sung the praises of her son the doctor. "Wait… You mean Carol?" She felt quite proud at remembering the name, most of the people here had seemed to blend into one another, but Carol had stood out as somewhat forceful, and very in command of the group she had gathered around her. It had taken Paladin sometime to politely excuse herself from that particular gathering, thanks in no small part to Carol's apparent skill in bringing the conversation back around to her every time she tried to duck out. "So you're a doctor? We're at opposite ends of the spectrum then. I put them into hospital and you get them out again."

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

He laughed openly and happily at Paladin's claims of normalcy tinged with 'super'. "Sure," he said with a grin. "Only super. That's all."

Their champagne glasses clinked together, ringing out in completely different notes. Paladin's glass was nearly empty. Maybe Nate would have to bravely venture to the bar on her behalf - he was by far less likely to attract unwanted attention from their fellow guests. He took a hearty swig of his own champagne. It wasn't great - free champagne on trays was rarely anything he'd order by choice - but it went down pretty smoothly nonetheless.

He watched as Paladin racked her brains, her eyes lighting with sudden triumph. She'd even remembered Carol's name.

"That much is true," he said with a smile, relieved that his mother had at least mentioned his occupation. Sometimes she preferred to give the impression that he was interested in taking over the family business.

His smile broadened at her last comment, amused by her wit. "I actually work with meta-humans specifically - at the MNRU, if you know it?" A redundant question - any major player in the Hero program knew of its links to the San Francisco research unit. "Not really with beaten-up villains though - my patients tend to be victims of their own abilities rather than at the hands of Heroes."

A cheerful topic. He shook his head at himself. "I'm sorry, it really is very interesting work. And really positive, life-changing work, I promise. It's not all doom and gloom!"

Alice Morrow

250 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

"I know the MNRU, I haven't really spent any time there though." She raised her eyebrows in slight surprise at what he told her, impressed, "That's really cool, I know it's not that easy for some people to control their powers. It's good that they've got someone there to help them work through it." Her thoughts strayed briefly to Mason, held captive by his own powers, unable to even see his own face in the mirror. She wrenched her mind away from it, she'd been down that path before, and it didn't end with her in a good mood. She might not want to be at this party, but it was a party, and she couldn't exactly start sobbing in the corner. "It sounds amazing. I don't really get to meet metas much socially, just the odd Hero, and occasionally someone who is interested in joining the program. Otherwise I only really get to meet them after they've robbed a bank or something. You don't really get a chance to get to know someone then." She deposited her now empty glass on the table, and glanced ruefully in the direction of the bar. SHe would have gone for another drink, but even though it was less than a hundred feet away, it would probably take her ten minutes to get there and back. Plus she was supposed to be sensible tonight. She was technically underage after all. SHe leaned in confidentially, though the smile on her face gave away the lightheartedness of her next comment. "What about those secret experiments they get up to. Are you in charge of them? Or would you have to kill me if you told me about them?"

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

“No, although I’m sure you’ve been invited for tests on numerous occasions – I bet they’d love to figure out your powerset up in the research labs!”

Some people mistakenly believed the MNRU to be intricately linked with the Hero Program, but they were in fact two separate government programs. There were several facilities like the MNRU across the country, though it was by far the largest (and most secretive) of its kind; each one worked with the relevant metahuman populations in their areas. Sometimes this included Heroes, although mostly just for checks and tests, but mostly it focused on the kind of patients Nate dealt with. Claire was a particular rarity – she was officially a Hero, but a deal had been arranged with the Hero Program under the guise of collaboration that brought Claire into the employment of the MNRU. A form of rather permanent contract work.

It was strange to hear that Paladin didn’t have a big social circle of metahuman friends – Nate had always assumed that the whole Hero gang would hang out together laughing and recounting their heroic tales to one another while they awaited the next Bat-Signal. Or at the very least, there would be some kind of regular meta-coffee shop where they all secretly met up to share their experiences.

“If it helps, the majority that I get to meet have some of neurological or psychological issue, so there’s not really the same chance to get to know someone there either,” he said with a grin. “You seem pretty normal though – hopefully I’ll get the chance to get to know you while we hide out here.”

When she’d leaned in, Nate had first been worried that Paladin was about to divulge some major secret or drop a major bomb about the MNRU, but instead a warm smile spread across her face.

“I’m only in charge of the super-secret mega meta-soldier program, of course,” Nate teased. Which, in a way, was a half-truth. He had worked with Anna after all, and his exclusive access made him technically in charge (although Jack would probably have a thing or two to say about that claim). “Interested in being one of my test subjects?”

He noted the empty glass and the watchful look at the bar. Carol was nowhere to be seen – Nate could probably dash over and grab something if he was quick. The VIP area was thankfully far less crowded with people wanting to discuss their own achievements. (They were still there, and in many ways worse, just in smaller numbers).

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, gesturing to the glass. His own was still half-full but he could easily finish it off while he was ordering the next round. Nate was a seasoned pro at finishing off barely-decent drinks. It made it closer to his round; closer to ordering decent liquor.

Alice Morrow

476 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Shrugging, Paladin waved a hand, "I mean I've done a few power assessments, although not with the MNRU, but it's not given a lot of answers. I'm sure there is a limit but I don't know what happens when I hit it. Would the next thing just splat me? I don't know if I really want to take that risk. Plus if I really went all out I'm sure they'd have to rebuild the lab. Apparently they're building a site so they can test powers like mine. Something that's cheap and doesn't matter too much if it gets blown up, burned down, that kind of thing." It made sense that the Hero Program would attempt to assess the abilities of those they recruited. Heroes could act independently, intensive training was involved, but they were also called in to deal with situations that it was difficult or impossible for normal police to deal with. It was rare they were called in to anything but the most difficult of conventional situations. SWAT was still the go to, they had more experience right now, but apparently it was just a matter of time before there were Heroes experienced enough to take on that task as well. Metacrime usually involved an instant call to a Hero though. When super strength or laser eyes were involved it was difficult for a normal human to deal with the situation. "Like already? Before the powers? Or because of them?" Paladin had been present when the Doctor had launched The Event, she'd thought it was the right thing to do at the time. Maybe it had been. But when she heard about the people that accidentally hurt others with their powers, or simply couldn't deal with the power that they'd been handed she felt guilty. It had seemed that there was little she could have done at the time, but she still felt that to some extent she'd had a hand in it. She giggled at his next line. "Like, for real?" It seemed to be a genuine offer though, not flirtation, which was… disappointing. She perked back up at the offer of another drink. "Sure… but I've never really been anywhere this fancy before, I'm not sure what I should drink. This seemed the right choice cause they were handing it out."

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

Nate set his glass down and re-enacted Paladin’s fears with his hands – splatting them together satisfyingly before smushing them into the table for effect. He gave her an apologetic look before responding.

“I would hope they’d come up with more sophisticated tests than just ramping up the power until you’re squashed like a bug, but what an adrenaline rush that would be.” He poked his tongue out. “The test site sounds great though. Would probably be a great excuse to just go out and expel a load of destructive energy – maybe I should look into it for some of my patients!”

It was difficult to read Paladin’s expression because of the mask, but she certainly didn’t seem as cheerful when asking about the MNRU patients. He imagined that it was probably a particularly unnerving topic for somebody who had also been bestowed abilities – even if not through the actual Event itself.

“We get cases of both, sometimes new issues arise completely separately alongside pre-existing conditions. No two powers seem to be exactly alike and well, y’know, not all of them have positive effects.” He pulled a sympathetic face before smoothing it back into a smile and taking another sip of his drink. “We help them, though. I promise.” Eager to move on.

Watching a famous superhero giggle before him was certainly a nice surprise, and Nate was doubly surprised at how nice it was to hear her laugh trickling through the loud music.

“For sure, I’ll make you 60 feet tall and we can go conquer Canada or something.”

She definitely seemed eager for a refill. Nate understood – this party was taking quite a lot of alcohol to endure. “Well! Don’t worry, you’re in safe hands. I can provide excellent recommendations from my history of drinking alcohol, and I can assure you, I’ve done a lot of it.” He winked mischievously. “What do you want? Something that actually tastes like liquor, or something fruity? Bubbles? Cocktail umbrella?”

He didn’t want to make assumptions. Whatever she wanted, however, he was going to ensure that it was concocted from only the highest quality booze the bartender could find.

Alice Morrow

356 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

"Thanks, now I feel so much better about that." She stuck her tongue out to indicate her amusement. "I'd hope so as well, but I think they're still working on some stuff to do it. It's not like they've ever had to test this kind of thing before. It would be pretty exciting, not knowing. F**king scary though." "Oh." It wasn't much comfort to hear that the MNRU helped them, as it sounded that perhaps those people might have had less issues before the advent of their powers. On the other hand, perhaps they got the help they needed now that they' hadn't before. The government was much more eager to help metahumans than they had been people without the ability to topple buildings. "Hey!" She put on a mock serious face, "I'm tall enough already thanks. I can reach all the shelves!" "Well I'm glad I've stumbled across a veteran drinker, I'd be lost without your wisdom." Once he actually started asking what she wanted however she was set. After all, who wouldn't want a cocktail umbrella? Why a drink would need shade Paladin had no idea, but she certainly wouldn't be complaining about it once she got a drink with one in. Paladin had drunk hard liquor before, a bottle of cheap vodka was often a staple of high school parties and secret rendezvous with friends. She definitely knew it didn't taste nice. She doubted they would be serving that kind of liquor here though, and this guy seemed a lot more sophisticated than she was used to. She didn't want to make a bad impression and she was worried that asking for something too fruity might seem a little uncouth. "Something with a bit of a liquor taste I guess? And I think I've had enough bubbles. Something without them would be nice. And definitely an umbrella!"

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

It was odd to be confronted by the idea that Paladin wasn’t actually particularly tall or large in stature, and it hadn’t occurred to him until she made her objections. It was hard to tell while she was sat down but he could believe her claims that she could probably reach all the shelves – but maybe she needed to tiptoe for the high ones.

“Ah, is that your meta ability?” he teased with a grin. “Some rescue cats from trees, others grab that just-out-of-reach item from the top shelf. I guess Walmart sponsors you; am I right?”

Nate was aware of the variety of sponsorship deals that took place with the new class of celebrity forming in the wake of the Event. Official Heroes received a government salary, much in line with police pay, but most of the household names – if not all of them – also had various deals with sponsors to top up their earnings. It was something he kept half an eye on himself. The pressures of celebrity were notoriously great, as were the pressures of saving lives, and he was surprised there hadn’t been any huge, headline-grabbing Hero breakdowns yet. Certainly, the top dogs of the Hero industry were worth paying attention to for somebody in his line of work.

He looked a little offended at her next remark. “Veteran makes me sound old! C’mon, how old do you think I am?”

Nate listened carefully to her request, jotting down her requirements on an imaginary pad of paper, before taking a quick glance down the room. “Coast is clear,” he murmured, half to himself. His mother was nowhere to be seen and everybody else seemed perfectly absorbed either in their own conversations or in their dance moves.

There were a few waiting to be served, and Nate resisted the temptation to look back at Paladin and pull faces while he waited. He didn’t want to give away her hiding spot after all. Instead, he took the opportunity to finish off his champagne.

Eventually it was his turn to order. The first thing Nate did was enquire about umbrellas – to which he was told they were served with cocktails only (snobs, but at least the umbrellas existed!). Then he ordered a single malt whisky for himself and a Black Russian for Paladin. She’d asked for “a bit of a liquor taste” so he hadn’t wanted to just get something straight and he could only hope that she liked coffee. It was technically a cocktail, he argued to the bartender, and therefore needed an umbrella. With a bit of a dark look, the bartender agreed and balanced the umbrella rather comically on the rim of the low ball glass.

Nate tipped well as a sign of gratitude.

“Here you go,” he announced happily, sliding the drink across to Paladin. “That’s a Black Russian – mostly vodka with some coffee liqueur. I even got you an umbrella!”

He beamed proudly at his work, taking a self-congratulatory sip of his drink.

Alice Morrow

500 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Paladin kept each word short, clipped, and clearly not impressed by his joke. She stuck her tongue out flirtatiously. "Like Walmart would sponsor me. I don't match their shade." She indicated her hair, which, while blue, would not have matched the blue that Walmart used in most of their commercials. She didn't pretend to really understand anything about sponsorship deals, but she trusted Dominic to get her good ones. He was the one who was more interested in them anyway. The money was nice, but she didn't think she'd ever get used to seeing her face, or her masked face anyway, on billboards and on TV. Apparently there was a comic book and a cartoon in the works as well. She blew out her cheeks theatrically, tilting her head to one side, mock seriously considering his age. "Fifty-two?" She sat forward with a grin before he could object. "Sorry sorry, ummmm, twenty… three?" She was hoping that she was right, he was clearly older than her, but right now she was hoping not by much. Four years seemed reasonable, right? Paladin relaxed as he went off to acquire more drinks, though not before leaning forward to watch him as he walked off. She sat back after her admiring glance, doing her best to keep out of sight. Fortunately she had chosen well, and no one else disturbed her before her white knight returned with a black drink. "Oooooh OK, I can handle Vodka, and jeez I live on coffee these days." She grabbed the umbrella immediately, twirling it above her head with a laugh, before taking a sip of the cocktail. It was strong, the taste of vodka immediately apparent and not quite overpowered by the bitter coffee liqueur. "Oh wow, that's good, I've never had one before. Definitely keeping me awake the rest of the night though." She held the glass in her hand, waving the other quickly, "not that that's a bad thing…"

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[Nathan Havelock]

Lace, Bows and Super Heroes

“True, this is much classier.”

Nate reached out, not really thinking, as though he were about to play with the not-quite-Walmart-blue hair. He pulled his hand back, looking a little embarrassed, and hoped Paladin either hadn’t been paying attention or was tactful enough not to question the hand that had suddenly waved across the table.

Paladin took a lot more time to think about his age than he would have liked and, even though the 52 was clearly a joke, Nate still dropped his jaw open in mock offence. She apologised, leaning forward and grinning infectiously at him, and guessed a few years too low.

“I’m flattered, unless that’s a Blink reference… in which case, hey!” He regretted saying that – it would be a little awkward if she didn’t know who Blink-182 were. “But no – close! I’m twenty six, twenty seven in November in case you’re looking for an invitation to a better party to hide in,” Nate said with a laugh.

He looked her up and down. “I’m going to assume you’re at least twenty one. Don’t tell me the real answer until I’m back from the bar.”

She’d been drinking champagne, after all. Nobody could tell him off for assuming otherwise, even if she did look pretty young beneath that mask.

It was a relief to see Paladin’s reaction to his drink choice. She was particularly enamoured with the umbrella. Take that, snooty bartender.

“You should put it in your hair, very fashionable,” he suggested with an amused smile. “Makes a change from lace and bows, right?”

He took a moment to enjoy his own drink, quirking an eyebrow at Paladin’s next words. She was definitely tipsy at best.

“Well hey, if you still have that attitude by the time that drink is over we can ditch this joint and find somewhere a little more fun.” And far away from his mother, who he had just glimpsed in the distance. Nate shuffled closer to the wall until she was out of view once more.

Alice Morrow

336 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Paladin couldn't hold back the laugh at Nathan's Blink-182 joke. She might be young, but she'd always liked that kind of music, and it wasn't exactly hard to find this good-looking twenty-something guy funny. She almost joked about how 'old' he was, but refrained. After all he was about to buy her alcohol and she didn't want to make him think that she was too young to be legally drinking. Or just plain too young for that matter. "OK, OK, I won't tell." Still enjoying her drink, she twirled the umbrella idly between her fingers until he suggested it might make an excellent fashion accessory. She lifted the tiny wooden and paper object between her fingers and placed it coquettishly in her hair. "How do I look?" She sighed, "Yeah, I'm here for a friend, but these are really not my kind of clothes. Too much flouncing and frills involved. And oh my god the people…" Paladin leaned forward to glance out of her hiding space, she couldn't see Stephen anywhere, or Dom for that matter. The PR man had said that she had to do the rounds, mingle and be seen, but after that she was free to go. Well she'd had more than enough cameras shoved in her face tonight, and talked to plenty of the upper echelons of New York City it seemed, Paladin reasoned that she had more than paid her dues. She took another sip of the drink, it was nice, but she didn't think chugging it was such a good idea. Not with three glasses of champagne already glowing in her stomach. "That, Mr Havelock, sounds like a good plan."

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