[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'A' is for amity

Tonight, Alice and Ashley had planned a girls’ night. They weren’t really sure exactly what the night was going to entail just yet but, knowing Alice, there would be copious amounts of food. Maybe drink too, depending on how things developed. Alice wasn’t 21 but Ashley was, and it made a world of difference when it came to their night-time activities. Alice had gotten away with it in New York so the two were feeling brave about such things back here in San Francisco if a night in a club happened to take their fancy. However, the odds were equally in favour of the two of them eating their weight in pizza and passing out in front of a Disney film, so there was really no telling at this point just yet.

In advance of their undoubted overindulgences later on that evening, Ashley had been for a particularly long and challenging session in the gym a few blocks away. She’d showered there but she still felt a little self-conscious – she’d thrown her gym clothes back on afterwards, which probably didn’t help. Still, it wasn’t a long walk, and Ashley was in a good mood after meeting a personal best for Russian twist reps.

The road she’d walked down to get here had been blocked off over the course of her gym session, construction vehicles apparently needing both road and pavement to get their job done, so Ashley was taking a bit of a detour to get home. That was fine – hopefully the city could put up with her sweaty gym clothes for a few extra minutes.

As she rounded an unfamiliar corner, Ashley caught sight of a lone figure in a bright red jacket surrounded by a crowd of people. She gazed curiously – always an appreciator of any medium of performing arts – and watched with delight as a series of colourful and wonderful mirages burst into life. She crossed the road for a closer look, spellbound, and ended up staying for the entire show.

Not one for shyness, Ashley decided to hang back while the crowd dispersed so she could greet the performer herself.

“Hi!” she exclaimed warmly, dropping her coins into the performer’s hat on the ground as she drew closer. “I’m Ashley, nice to meet you!” Ashley extended a hand. “Like, wow, that was an amazing show. You’re really talented – such a creative eye!” she gushed.

Now that she was close, she could see that the girl was around her age. Ashley wondered briefly if she would recognise her as McKenna Chase – it was highly likely if the girl kept up with popular music. Ah well, she’d introduced herself as Ashley now so even if the girl did recognise her, she might dismiss her as a lookalike. After all, she was in sweaty gym gear with no make-up on, and even McKenna’s most ‘natural’ stage looks required a long time in the make-up artist’s chair.

@blackbirdfly Alice Morrow

487
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[Deleted]

|| Status
Just finished a street performance

|| Tags
Ashley McKenna-Chase

For Ari, it wasn't everyday that people decided to hang around a little longer post-performance. Sure, there was an occasional "Can I take a picture of you doing your illusions?", but Ari had to turn them down most of the time, because her illusions didn't exactly appear on photographs or videos--it would be just her flailing her arms around and she very much knew it would be embarassing to look at. Then, there were those who stayed back because they were eyeing the money-full hat just lying there by the sidewalk. Three years ago Ari couldn't count how many people took her top hat and made the run for it, but now she had a solution to that problem, and frankly she was quite proud that it didn't need any metahuman abilities--all it took was a...topless...top hat.

So yeah, there were the photographers and the clueless hat-takers. But today, Ari was greeted by a popular singer whose songs she had listened to countless times and used at least once in her performances (although Ari couldn't remember when), so she quite clearly stifled a double take as McKenna Chase approached.

Or at least, she resisted the urge to look starstruck until the girl introduced herself as Ashley.

Being the performer that she is, Ari quickly regained her composure, hoping it wasn't all too evident that she had mistaken someone else for one of her favorite singers. "Hey!" she answered with a lopsided smile, accepting the handshake offered. "It's nice to meet you as well! And thanks, it's not everyday that people say that, although the tips are enough assurance."

She stood there for a bit, laughing softly, taking quick glances at her top hat before looking back at Ashley and realizing she hadn't really introduced herself yet. "I-I'm Ari, by the way! Ari Chandler," she gave one last handshake before giving an apologetic look, "Apologies, almost forgot to introduce myself. Just kinda, uh, got a bit surprised for a moment. I mean, you look like one of the singers I listen to so I kinda almost -fangirled- when you approached. McKenna Chase, have you heard of her?"

And with that Ari had unknowingly shot into a ramble. Again. She always did, even with the people she barely knew. Tilting her head curiously, she waited for the girl's answer, hands in her pockets with the lopsided smile still up on her face.

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'a' is for amity

Ashley looked at the pile of tips Ari Chandler had accumulated. It was certainly impressive – Ari clearly had her fair share of adoring fans. It was hard to imagine that working as a street performer was particularly lucrative but she supposed it would all add up pretty quickly if this was the amount she received for just one show. Nothing that was about to propel her into millionaire status or anything, but probably enough to keep bills paid, mouths fed and red jackets clean and bright.

Ashley was definitely a big fan of the red jacket.

“I’ll say – you must have a whole bunch of admirers,” she said happily as Ari indicated the modest collection of tips with her eyes. “Do you get regular attendees?”

Having not really taken this route before at this time, Ashley wasn’t sure how much of a schedule Ari operated on. Her knowledge of such things were woefully limited, but that only made her more eager to learn.

“Ari Chandler, awesome,” Ashley echoed, trying her best to commit the name to memory. It was a strategy she’d picked up over the last year as she’d grown steadily in fame. Remembering people’s names was a sure-fire way to keep in their good books and Ashley had realised quite early on that being a singer was equal parts singing and networking. It was a good thing Ashley liked people.

Ari’s expression shifted suddenly, and Ashley furrowed her brow for a moment in confusion as the girl started to apologise. Once she realised what Ari was talking about, however, a slow beam spread across her face instead and she gave a delighted little laugh.

“Oh, dude, I’m sorry for the confusion – I didn’t think anyone would recognise me like this.” She pulled at the fabric of her gym clothes, looking almost apologetic herself. “Your eyes do not deceive you!” she said dramatically, slipping into an equally dramatic pose. Then she finally burst into full-blown laughter.

“Sorry I’m such a dork. McKenna is my stage name,” she explained gently. “But you can still call me Ash – if you want! Thanks for listening to my music, I’m honoured.” She met Ari’s lopsided smile with her own broad grin, happy to be bonding with a fellow artist.

“So all your tricks, how do you do them? Or is it a secret?” Ashley tapped her nose with a wink, eyes sparkling mischievously.

@blackbirdfly

400
WORDS

[Deleted]

|| Status
Got plot twisted!

|| Tags
Ashley McKenna-Chase

"Regular attendees and a bunch of admirers? Well, this place has been my stage for quite some time now, but I can't exactly say I have a fan club." Ari responded with a grin, shrugging her shoulders before kneeling down to pick up her headless hat, the tips temporarily staying on the concrete ground until Ari scooped them up and tucked them shut inside her jacket's zippered pockets. A few passerbys shot her confused looks as she collected the earnings, probably questioning her not-really-obvious-but-it's-actually-an-anti-theft method, but it was subtly deflected with a carefree smile.

"More like, the same people take this route everyday," she continued, facing Ashley again as she spoke. "So passing by my street shows becomes a part of their daily trip to work or home. But mostly home, because I like to think that I'm brightening them up after a tiring day at work."

However, Ari couldn't help but squint her eyes slightly as she tilted her head curiously again. "I don't think I've seen you walk around these streets, though. New to San Francisco?" Her question, however, was partially answered when Ashley mentioned her stage name, to which Ari paused for a few moments, nodding with an 'Ah...' expression on her face.

Once there was a popular saying: You can't change the past, but you can learn from it. It may be something of an overstatement to describe Ari's current situation, but she couldn't think of anything else that would allude to her reaction when, for the second time, she realized she was talking to McKenna Chase. Thankfully, she didn't do a double take or freeze in surprise like she would have done the first time around.

"Oh, wow, that's like, the biggest plot twist I've experienced today." Ari couldn't help but laugh along, and in equally dork-ish manner gave a small bow. She'd never encountered someone famous before, but she'd once imagined that if she did meet one, she'd be looking completely starstruck. And yes, she did almost do that a few moments ago, but now Ari had the feeling that McKenna--Ashley--wouldn't want to be treated like that; like her normal life and her life onstage were one and the same. "It's an honor as well, to meet you in person, McKe--Ash. We can be dorks together, if you want?"

To Ash's latest question, Ari's eyes lit up with a playful glint. "Ah, well, if metahumans can be compared to magicians, then yes, they're magic tricks." She chuckled softly, snapping her fingers and letting nonexistent, blue will o' the wisps temporarily flit about. She'd seen them plenty of times in Brave, and frequently used it in her shows. "But no seriously, I can make people see or unsee things; illusions, I think is the closest term to it. But shhh--"

She held a finger in front of her lips, a lopsided smile still on her face. "--the birds don't know my little secret, yet."

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'a' is for amity

“That’s a shame – they could all have matching red jackets.” Ashley’s eyes lit up. “That would be so cute! If I start walking this way more often, I might have to start it myself!” She giggled. McKenna Chase had her own modest group of ‘Chasers’ – apparently you’d made it in show business once your fanbase had nicknamed themselves – but they didn’t wear matching jackets. Ari’s fans were clearly missing an opportunity here.

“A bit of magic is just what you need to rejuvenate! I was kinda too busy staring to look at the faces in the crowd, but I just know you’ll have brightened them all up. How noble,” she added with a grin.

Ari obviously paid attention to passers-by in her territory – she’d immediately clocked that Ashley didn’t normally take this street. “Born and raised! I moved out of my parents’ kinda recently though, so I haven’t explored everywhere in this particular part of the city. I had to follow a diversion on the way back from the gym today and like, boy am I glad I did!” she finished excitedly.

Ashley laughed at Ari’s ‘plot twist’ comment, her giggles intensifying as Ari bowed suddenly. This girl was a dork, but cool about it. Just the way Ashley aspired to be.

“I like to surround myself with dorks,” she said happily, smiling gently at Ari’s near-slip-up that almost turned her name into some kind of McDonald’s product. “Makes it harder for people to figure out just how weird I am.” She poked her tongue through her teeth, playful grin spreading from ear to ear.

Ashley watched the will-o’-the-wisps dance in the air, enjoying the little light show. “Oh, it’s your ability! That’s hella cool, dude,” she said seriously. “I would kill to have you at one of my shows – this kind of performance is so up McKenna Chase’s street that it’s not even funny. What a fun power!” Her tone was lightly tinged with jealousy – Ash was powerless, after all. Even her own brother had a power, although it had brought him nothing but trouble.

Still, Ashley had been unbelievably lucky in life so far, so she could forgive the universe for not bestowing magic gifts upon her. So long as her album continued to sell well and fans continued to show up to concerts, Ashley could be more than happy with her lot in life.

@blackbirdfly

397
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[Deleted]

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Wants a red jacket army

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Ashley McKenna-Chase

"Woah, I totally did not think of that before!" Ari responded, her expression gradually turning eureka as Ashley continued to talk. True, her red jacket was the one thing that people could identify Ari with, and the illusionist mentally slapped herself for not realizing she could utilize it sooner. A small grin soon crept up her face as gears turned inside her head--maybe she could do a promo with red jackets as the prizes...but that would take a big toll on her wallet. Or, she could just cast an illusion so that everyone would seem like they were wearing red jackets the moment they stepped in the crowd. But that would be too tiring and she couldn't possibly manually do it on everyone. Or--

Stop. Just stop.

That shut up her brain real quick. There she was again, thinking of impossible possibilities--if she hadn't stopped who knows what outrageous thing Ari could have concocted. The red jackets can wait. It can't happen today, or tomorrow--not if she didn't have enough influence or a fan club...yet.

The small grin still twitched on her face. Yet. "Dude, with you leading this impending jacket army, I think anyone would want a red jacket first thing in the morning."

Ashley's next remark made Ari almost rethink her hesitations, the grin turning into a soft smile at the thought that yes, she did brighten the days of those people. "In a world as crazy as this, I just think everyone needs a little spark." she added with a chuckle, nodding and listening as Ashley continued to speak. Ari felt a little bit...astonished. Ashley was surprisingly easy to talk to, and even if the girl wasn't a popular singer in another world Ari would still have thought the same thing.

Plus, she was a dork. A fellow dork. A member of the Dork Coalition. Someone who's probably as weird as Ari is. It's been a long time since she met someone like that, and Ari definitely welcomed it.

She giggled at Ash's remarks about her ability, twirling her fingers around as if to snuff out the wisps. "Let's not reach the killing part," she joked, "With you probably beginning a red jacket army, I'll gladly provide a concert boost if you need one."

It felt a bit quick, but Ari was always one to jump when an opportunity presents itself. She wasn't exactly being presumptuous, and knew that Ash might as well be just kidding. Heck, they've just met a few minutes ago.

But what if, right?

However, she was also one to think of the consequences and setbacks. Concerts...sometimes they were taken by cameras and broadcasted live on TV. And cameras were something her illusions shy away from. Not exactly good for the TV audience, but eh, with or without illusions she was sure Ash's McKenna Chase persona would still shine bright.

Shaking the thoughts off for a bit, Ari looked around the streets, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "Say, we shouldn't really be standing in the middle of these side streets. Foot traffic's busy and gosh, you don't wanna know how many times a person's tried to grab at people's pockets here." she remarked, "Even with the Heroes about, there's still the occasional mugger who's gutsy enough."

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'a' is for amity

Ashley grinned. “What can I say? I must be some kinda marketing genius – you can have that one for free,” she said with a cheesy wink. She tried to imagine showing up to meetings and declaring that she was going to be in charge of publicity from now on – strangely enough, she decided it was probably best left to the professionals. The sea of red jackets was a beautiful mental picture but it was hard to really figure out how one would implement such an idea in practice.

Still, she liked the spirit of it, and it was certainly an iconic part of Ari’s image. That and the jazzy-looking top hat.

“You think I could pull it off? I’ll start dropping hints to my stylist,” Ashley laughed.

She agreed whole-heartedly with Ari’s suggestion that everybody needed a little spark in this crazy world. It resonated well with her own ideas about what she wanted McKenna Chase’s music to be about. Her songs – particularly the latest album – were often about hope, faith and finding the joy in the everyday. It was probably why they had such a broad appeal.

“Are you serious? I’m serious, that would be awesome! Do you have like… business cards or anything?”

Ashley was not the type to let inspiration run away from her in moments like this. She saw an opportunity – a little spark, as Ari had said – and just like the illusionist she was definitely excited to follow it and see what could come from it.

Ari seemed to want to move on from where they stood which, if her allusions to pickpocketers were true, was fair enough. Ashley peeked down at the watch on her wrist. “Probably a good idea not to stand around here chatting all day,” she admitted with a small frown. “I guess you have other things to do – I’m sorry to keep you! I’m just on the way to meet up with my roommate, you’re welcome to come along too.”

It might have seemed like a throwaway invitation, but Ashley really was enjoying talking to this girl and she knew she’d fit right in with her and her equally dorky roomie. She was sure Ari had better things to do than hang out with random strangers but it was always worth offering, just in case.

@blackbirdfly

385
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[Deleted]

|| Status
A temporary buh-bye

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Ashley McKenna-Chase

OOC Note ||
Have some Ash/Alice scenes before Ari chimes in again XD

Sweet mother of all things awesome...Ashley was serious. Invitations to bigger things haven't exactly crossed Ari's street before, so she hadn't bothered with the hassle that promotional cards and contacts brought. "Business cards? Nada, unfortunately..." she admitted, her voice slowly lowering down into a mutter. "All I've got is my name, and these streets, and...oh! Yeah, would, uh, would my Gmail address suffice?"

It felt a bit embarrassing--the difference in professionalism between the two of them was now pretty evident. But Ari wasn't about to let that be an obstacle to the opportunity in front of her. She could see it in Ashley too, the willingness to see where this would lead to, so it just fuelled the curiosity further. "Thank God for pencils," she remarked after a few pats on her pockets, managing to pull out a pencil and a scratch piece of paper--sheesh, sometimes Ari wondered why she always had at least one tucked in her jacket.

A few seconds later, she held out the piece of paper for Ashley to take, '[e-mail]' written in a slightly...crazy handwriting, but thankfully it was readable enough that one wouldn't mistake the 'j' for an 'f'. "It's pretty old, but it's the only thing I've got. Gosh, this is so informal for a business card. "

Frankly, she hadn't realized that an ample amount of time had passed by until she looked at her own watch as well, so both of them having to separate ways was understandable, if not a bit unfortunate. "Yeah, it quite seems," To Ashley's small apology, Ari abruptly shook her head. "Oh, no, no! We didn't ever actually expect the conversation to last this long so, you know, there's nothing to be sorry for!"

Ashley's subtle invitation, however, caught Ari a bit off guard--they had just met, after all. Even after their recent conversations, it still surprised Ari how friendly Ashley really was. "Oh man, as much as I would love to, I don't think I can accept that," Ari admitted with a lopsided, apologetic smile. "I've still got some tasks to attend to at home so...'till we meet again, then? It was really nice meeting you, Ashley!"

She did another dorky rendition of a salute, the smile turning into a playful grin as she began taking a few steps backwards. Soon enough, with a final wave of her hand, Ari turned around and began heading the route to her apartment.

'Till we meet again, huh?

At that time, Ari didn't know how quick the phrase was going to come true.

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'a' is for amity

It wasn’t exactly surprising that somebody who made their living in such an unconventional way didn’t have a stack of business cards or an agency to point Ashley in the direction of. Clearly there wasn’t going to be any “I’ll have my people talk to your people” going on here. She smiled genially as Ari’s voice quietened, hoping she hadn’t put her in too awkward of a situation by asking for a card.

“Email address is great! Here, you can-”

Ashley had reached into her bag with the intention of searching for her phone that was safely secured in one of the internal pockets. Which internal pocket that was exactly was always a game of pocket roulette. She stopped, however, when she realised Ari was having a search of her own pockets, triumphantly producing a pencil.

“Old school! Nice,” she commented with a grin. Ashley took the makeshift business card and only had to squint a little to wrap her head around the handwriting. “J Chandler, right?” she asked, just to clarify. Feeling proud of herself for having deciphered the words, Ashley tucked it into her bag, waving away Ari’s concerns that it was too informal. If there was one thing Ashley definitely wasn’t, it was a snob.

“No problem!” she said cheerfully. “I’ll be in touch – I have your business card safe in my bag.” Ashley patted it lightly. “Nice meeting you! Can’t wait to catch your show again some time.”

Ashley returned the salute with an amused smile, watching as Ari marched off down the street. She turned her attention back to retrieving her phone, taking a few moments to send Alice a text before she started to walk herself.

GIRLS NIGHT 😘👯🥂 wanna come pick up some supplies from the store? i’m nearly home 😘😘😘

There was a shop just by Alice and Ashley’s building which would cater to their needs. Ashley, of course, would have to do the alcohol purchasing solo if required, but she always liked to have Alice there to help in the decision-making process. Alice was also a great bad influence in picking up snacks at the same time, and Ashley had deliberately made her gym session today a more gruelling due to this very fact.

She wandered slowly towards the shop to give Alice as much time to respond and make her way there as possible. She took the opportunity to transfer Ari’s email address into her contacts as she walked – conscious that the scrap of paper was maybe not the best business card to rely on staying intact.

Alice Morrow @blackbirdfly

428
WORDS

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

Alice's patrol had finished an hour or so ago, and even without the ability to leap over buildings without causing a stir (Paladin was now an accepted sight in San Francisco) it hadn't taken her long to get back to the flat that she shared with her best friend. She'd just stepped out of the shower when her phone buzzed, grateful, as she always was when similar situations arose, that she had short hair, she towelled herself dry and threw on some more casual clothes than her costume. It might be imposing, and damn if it didn't make her look good, but it wasn't exactly appropriate for a quick trip to the grocery store. She grabbed her bag, throwing her purse and phone into it, before letting herself out of the apartment and making sure that she had locked it behind her. She knew that Ashley would never let her forget if she, the 'great protector of San Francisco' forgot to lock the door on her way out. Then she headed down the stairs. She made a point of never using the elevator except on leg day. The store that Ashley was referring to was virtually next door, and Alice trotted across the road and inside, the bell ringing as she entered. It seemed that she'd gotten here first, so she pushed her still damp hair back out of her eyes and set to scouring the snack aisles in search of the appropriate fuel for that night. She glanced up a few times as the entrance bell rang, but got lucky on the third as Ashley stepped through the doorway. She waved from down an aisle and met the brunette halfway. "So how was the gym? Must've been a long session, I thought you'd have been back before me today."

© seadra of gs

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'a' is for amity

Pushing through the door to the shop, Ashley noticed gleefully that Alice had already made straight for the snacks.

“Oh, it was a toughie – every part of my body is probably gonna be hurting tomorrow but it’s worth it if it means we can go wild tonight.” She shared a knowing grin with Alice – the other girl could definitely understand the toil of a hard gym session. Probably more so than Ashley herself, in fact. Heroes needed to be physically fit, and Alice seemed determined to be the athletic role model of the Program. Even without her powers, the girl was still really, really tough.

“And yah, I got delayed on my way home,” she explained, walking slowly down the aisle now and looking for anything that wasn’t too terrible for her diet that might also be immensely satisfying. It was a difficult standard to meet. “There was a road closure so I went a different route – met this awesome street performer, have you ever seen her?”

Ashley turned to face Alice, gesturing, “She’s got a top hat like, yay-high.” Maybe she should invest in a top hat herself. It would definitely boost her height. “And this absolutely beautiful red jacket that I totally want. She was doing a magic show with all these illusion tricks, it was so neat.”

She shrugged. “So I accidentally got talking to her and now I’m going to try and get her on-stage sometime – what do you think?”

The question was multi-layered. Ashley was interested simultaneously in what Alice thought of hiring a street performer for McKenna Chase, and in which snacks the girl would recommend. After that gym session, Ashley’s stomach would be content with just about any food product under the sun.

Alice Morrow

290
WORDS

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

Alice nodded sympathetically, "I know what that feels like. I guess we'd better enjoy the night while we still can." It had been a while since Alice had been quite that bad, she still had days where she felt she was recovering, but not as many as she'd had when she was in the process of training to become one of the country's first Heroes. Now she had to be careful, it wouldn't do to go out on patrol with legs that felt like jelly. She turned to Ashley as she started describing the street performer. It sparked a vague memory in her thoughts. "I don't think I've ever seen her properly, but I remember seeing like a big gathering of people around a girl in red, maybe that was her?" She nodded eagerly, "Wow, you see her once and you want her on stage, she must be really good. I'll have to try and see her sometime." She turned her attention back to the shelves at Ashley's question. "Well I've been craving chocolate like all day, so we definitely need plenty of that. What did she say when you suggested it? I mean it's a big change, from performing on a street corner to performing on a big stage like you do." As she spoke she grabbed said chocolate, dropping a bag into the basket she'd picked up at the front of the store. "I can make like four different things with this, cookies, crispies, ooooh, I could do those nutty things I made ages ago. They were nice right?"

© seadra of gs

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

'a' is for amity

“You might need to use your superpowers to help me out of bed in the morning,” Ashley said with a laugh, a little softly in case anyone happened to be eavesdropping. Getting blasted across the room was not the ideal solution, but if Ashley’s tired limbs weren’t cooperating then it was her best hope at actually escaping the clutches of her bed sheets. “Or cook something that smells reeeeally good.”

That one had actually worked on a few occasions. Alice rarely submitted to Ashley’s demands for breakfast in bed and sometimes the smells from the kitchen were just so enticing.

“That sounds like her, I think the red jacket is kinda her thing,” Ashley said, nodding. “And hey, she is really good! You know me, I always wanna step things up in fun ways – I think gorgeous, visual magic would be a great addition to live shows. I have her email so we’ll see what the team thinks, I guess. Hopefully at least someone will be on board, my crazy ideas never get off the ground unless somebody at the table has my back and can translate them into profit-ese.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. She was definitely eager for success in the music industry, and had done well with it, but there were some parts to her job which were definitely not so fun. Hanging out with street performers and playing remixes in clubs with DJs? Much more fun than talking numbers.

Chocolate was a great idea. Ashley hummed with enthusiastic agreement as Alice loaded some into the basket. “She seemed pretty excited! We didn’t really have time to talk about anything specific but she said ‘Til we meet again’ so like, she seems down to at least discuss it again in the future,” she explained happily.

Ashley peered into the basket. “Yes, they were delicious! We should grab some drinks too… are you feeling like drinks or drinks?”

She eyed up the selection of alcohol that she could see from the aisle, turning to Alice with a shrug. She didn’t mind either way – sometimes it was fun when the two of them had silly nights with sparkling wine and a bountiful supply of treats from Alice’s kitchen. She handed the responsibility of making a decision – as she so often did – over to her roommate.

Alice Morrow @blackbirdfly

385
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[Deleted]

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Plot Twist v.2.0

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Ashley McKenna-Chase
Alice Morrow

Ari could technically be called a resident of Hal’s Mart by now.

It was a simple building—two-story, painted peach and brown, with windows at every corner where one could see whatever they were probably planning to buy. To the apartment residents in the area, it was a sort of godsend considering it had everything one could need to survive the day (a bit of an overstatement, but to Ari it felt the most accurate). Ari’s apartment was just a few blocks away from the shop, so she always stopped by it after her performances to grab a quick dinner or so.

Greeted by the familiar ding! of the shop’s bell, Ari quickly headed to her usual route, which was in the direction of the fast food counters by the very end of the building. They were newly installed booths that the owner had added in some few months ago, and before that Ari’s dinner consisted of RME’s and canned goods. Not that fast food was healthier—she just found it cheaper.

Potstickers and a pack of siomai later, Ari found herself roaming around the shop for a while. It was a time-formed habit of hers, because her apartment room was too quiet and lonely and Ari preferred the outdoors during mornings. Besides, Hal’s Mart had plenty more to offer besides food—many times had she brought home random items that would later on become homemade decorations and performance props. Maybe she could pick something u—

Suddenly, Ari stopped in her tracks, squinting and tilting her head curiously to see if it really was who she thought it was. ”Ashley?” she called out, approaching a bit closer and realizing that yes, it was the Ashley that she had met almost an hour ago. ”And I thought the best plot twist of the day happened a while ago,” she quietly muttered, a lopsided grin on her face.

Looking closer, Ari noticed another girl beside Ashley. Was this her roommate? Ari didn’t ask, but she sent a polite nod and a lopsided smile to the girl, either way.

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + @blackbirdfly + wearing

"I can probably do that." Alice laughed at the thought of blasting Ashley out from under the covers. Sometimes it had seemed like that was the only way to get her roommate up and about. How the girl managed to balance the rest of her life around the time dedicated to her bed simply baffled the blue haired Hero. "I dunno, something like that could be pretty fun, and it would only make your shows better right? I haven't run into any metas with illusion abilities yet, they seem to steer clear of crime, or they have so far anyway. I wonder what kind of stuff she can do. It might be pretty cool with your music. Although some of it is trippy enough anyway." Pursing her lips, Alice considered the question. She tended to be relatively sensible with alcohol these days, taking her responsibilities as a Hero seriously. That didn't mean she couldn't relax occasionally though. "Maybe we should go with some drinks, I feel like kicking back tonight, and you need to relax after that gym session." Alice looked up at Ashley's name being called, slightly surprised that they had been approached in the grocery store. It wouldn't have been the first time that a fan had recognised Ashley, but the name that had been called was just that, Ashley, fans would have called her McKenna, or at least most fans seemed to. It wasn't really too much of an inconvenience when it happened, but it was sometimes annoying enough to make Alice grateful that her job, while it came with a healthy amount of fame, still kept her entirely anonymous from her legions of fans. She surveyed the newcomer, either this was an old friend of Ashley's, or, judging by the red coat, she was a very new one indeed. She prodded her roommate in the arm. "This your friend from earlier?"

© seadra of gs