[Alice Morrow]

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

"So, how'd it go?" Stephen was hunched over the worktable, making adjustments to the costume. He had first adjusted it when Alice tried it on, then insisted she come back with it once she had worn it out. Only then would she know how it really fit. Alice had faithfully done so and returned with notes and suggestions. Well, they were more like complaints, but only because he had demanded she do so. Fingers working deftly, Stephen didn't look up as he asked his question. Alice was sat on the opposite worktable, swinging her legs back and forth. "It was so cool. We all looked so good in costume. I mean I already told you that but this was like the first time we were all there and all in costume. Except Ink and Overwatch obviously. I'm sure I'll convince them eventually." In truth the night had been scary, beyond scary, there had been times that Alice had genuinely feared for her life, and the lives of her friends, but they had lived, and the adrenaline had kept her going long into the morning. Clearly the ambush had been meant as a discouragement, to Alice it had been a sign that they were doing the right thing. Someone big had wanted them to stop, but even when they had sent a score of armed thugs to deal with them they had escaped with barely a scratch. Well perhaps more than a scratch. Alice herself had been unharmed, her power rendering her virtually impervious to damage. For the others it had been quite another story. Will had taken a beating, though he had suffered the worst of all of them. That thought sparked a sudden splinter of guilt. Maybe if she hadn't panicked, hadn't run, he wouldn't have been trapped with those men. None of them could have hurt her, but she hadn't thought, her mind going blank with shock and panic. It didn't scare her off, it didn't make her not want to go out again. If anything it firmed her resolve. Next time she would be better. Next time no one else would get hurt. "I just… I kind of fucked up and someone got hurt…" Stephen turned to look at her, concern on his face. "Are they… um… OK?" She nodded quickly, "Yeah! I mean, they're OK now, but… I could have stopped it happening and I f**ked up." He frowned, "Yeah but he's OK. I know you want to be a hero Alice. But you aren't. Not yet, I know they make it look easy in comics and movies, but you know how much those actors train just to do the stunts and fight scenes, and that stuff is choreographed. You can be a hero, and you will be. But you can't be too hard on yourself until you actually get to that point." She looked at the ground, "That's what I've been telling myself"

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[Alice Morrow]

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

Stephen put the suit down for a minute, turning to face Alice. He leaned back against the work bench, his hands braced against the surface either side of him. "Pally…" She didn't look up. "Come on, you know you're being silly don't you?" She shrugged, then spoke, her voice thick. "But it was my idea to go out, and then I was the one who hurt that dealer and maybe if I hadn't done that then there wouldn't have been so many people there. We shouldn't have even gone out in the first place." He sighed, "Look, Pally, they didn't have to go out with you, that was their decision, all of their decisions. " "But Will wouldn't let us go out alo-" He cut her off, making a slashing motion with one hand, "No, he chose to go out with you. Maybe he felt responsible, or guilty, or whatever, but he is not your Dad Alice. He didn't have to go with you. If Will's the one that got hurt then that sucks, but of all of you it sounds like he's the one who most knew what to expect." She looked up at him, "But he was trying to draw them off me." He raised his hands in exasperation. "Well that clinches it then, he's an idiot." She gave him a questioning look, clearly confused by his reaction. He returned her gaze, but with incredulity, clearly surprised that whatever had occurred to him hadn't occurred to him as well. "Hello? Aren't you the one that's like… indestructible? You already showed me that a punch doesn't phase you, and you've been practising with baseball bats. What were those guys gonna do?" Alice's voice was small as realisation dawned. "Oh…" Stephen turned back around, hiding the satisfaction on his face. "Oh is right. Now I'm not saying that you should keep going out like that, cause I still think it's dangerous. Really cool! But still dangerous. But Will knew the risks when he went out. Probably better than the rest of you."

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[Alice Morrow]

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

It was early morning, and Alice was staring out through the early morning fog over San Francisco. In the distance the red towers of the Golden Gate Bridge emerged from the rolling white banks. She loved the way the sea fog flowed in across the bay, enfolding the city in its soft embrace. Here and there buildings rose from the white clouds like icebergs from the sea. She kicked her heels against the wall of the building as she caught her breath. She'd been up here for an hour, and she could feel her heart rate starting to slow down now that she was relaxing. She was taking this hero business seriously, especially since the events in the warehouse just a couple of nights ago. A gym membership had been out of the question, and there wasn't enough space in her apartment for two chairs for the table, let alone to exercise. The roof had been the obvious choice. It was empty, relatively flat, and definitely large enough to run a few laps. She'd taken a few tips from Ashley and now she felt she needed to lie down for the rest of the day. Her stomach burned, her chest burned and her legs felt jelly. She had muscles hurting where she hadn't even known she had muscles. She didn't think she had ever been in this much pain, until a brief flash of the accident crossed her vision. Maybe she had then, but it had never been self-inflicted. She felt good though. In pain and barely able to move, but still good. This meant something, she might not be out on the streets fighting crime right now, but she was making sure that the next time she was, she would be ready. She might be virtually indestructible, and she might be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but she still got out of breath sprinting a hundred meters. She looked about for a moment, then pushed off the edge, dropping straight down. She plummeted into the alleyway, out of sight once she'd left the roof of the building. Her hair whipped about her face as the wind from falling rushed through it, and a delighted smile lit her face as she landed. She barely flexed her knees, arriving on the ground as if she'd dropped from two feet up, not a hundred. The power filled her, bubbling around within her skin as if she were a bottle of champagne. She felt like she could conquer the world, protect everyone.

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[Alice Morrow]

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

The alleyway was empty, mercifully, as no doubt someone would have had cause to question why she had just fallen from the sky without turning into a blue haired puddle of goo upon impact. It took a few moments for the energy within her to settle. It was still there, still eager to escape, to be put to use, but it was obedient. She could feel it settling into that strange well of power she could feel in her chest, contained until it was called upon. She wished she could practise with her power now, it was, after all, what made her special. In truth she shouldn't even have dropped off the edge of the building like that, only the early hour and the lack of business in this neighbourhood ensuring someone hadn't seen her. Now that her powers had been broadcast over the internet she should really be more careful, she didn't really want conspiracy theorists showing up and hanging around where she lived because someone had seen her using her abilities. She glanced around once more, this time a little slowly, then jumped up to reach the bottom rung of the fire escape. She felt too weak to hold onto it, and almost dropped. Fortunately the old, rusted mechanism of the fire escape gave before her fingers did, and it dropped with her hanging onto the end. It clattered into the ground and immediately began to bounce back up again, stopping only when she put her full weight on it. She climbed gently up it, her legs shaking, and headed back up to her apartment as gently as she could. She had work, and she had to shower before she left. If she didn't hurry she'd be late… …again.

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[Alice Morrow]

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

"I'm sorry Alice, but I just can't do it anymore." The manager pushed open the door out of the kitchen, trailed by the tearful blue hair teen. She was still wearing a white apron, her hair covered by a white peaked hat. The manager looked harassed and guilty. Alice guiltier, her face red from the heat of the kitchen and ruddy from the tears that were already threatening to worsen. "You don't understand. I need this job, if I lose it I…" He interrupted her, looking as though he wished he didn't have to. "And I need a cook who shows up on time and doesn't fall asleep in the back." He turned back to her and shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry Alice, I tried to cut you some slack, but this has been going on for over a month. I just can't afford to take the risk anymore. If you sort out whatever is going on then I'd love to have you back. But I can't afford a cook that isn't here. I'm sorry." Alice stared around the diner at the wide eyes of the patrons. Most of them were eating food she had cooked, and most of them, though she didn't know this, were there because of the food she cooked. She fought back further tears and fled back into the kitchen, balling up her apron as she did so. She was already behind on rent, without the paycheque from this job she would have nothing coming in, and she'd already been warned by the landlord that he wasn't going to let her get away with slipping on payments. Added to that were the payments she owed for her hospital stay. Even with the ACA she was struggling to pay her premiums, and now it was inevitable. She was going to lose her apartment.

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