[Alice Morrow]

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

6 months after the Event Alice had been living out of the warehouse for the last six months. It wasn't exactly luxury, or even comfortable, but the small office section of it was at least dry and warm once she'd left the small space heater on for half an hour. Since being kicked out of her apartment Alice hadn't had much opportunity to find a new one. She certainly didn't have enough money to pay rent on her own apartment. Her current job was paying enough to live on and that was it. Dominic had made promises of a job being forthcoming, but it was now six months in and he said it would still be a little while until money started coming through. The government didn't seem willing to shell out until they were ready to go public, with the exception of the daily training sessions she was now attending. She would have complained as they took up a lot of her time and it wasn't like a job washing dishes was enough to get by on. However, they were making her better, her muscles were more defined now, her athleticism clear to even the average curious onlooker, she felt better, stronger and faster. It was making her more of what she wanted to be, a hero. It didn't make the small office with it's cheap white lights and electric heater anymore comfortable however. She tapped away on her phone; wrapped up under her covers, too beat after today's session to really consider doing anything else. She was still in touch with Ashley, more than in touch, they were best friends, to the extent that Stephen had begun to get a little jealous. She had crashed on both of their couches, well, Ashley's parents' couch and Stephen's halls couch anyway. It hadn't seemed right to stay any longer, and she hadn't wanted to give away just how bad her living situation was right now. It was difficult, the topic came up more often than Alice would have liked, and she had to try and address it without seeming as if she were changing the subject. She was pretty sure she'd gotten away with it so far. They knew things weren't perfect, but she was pretty sure they didn't know that she was effectively homeless. She tapped out a message to Ashley. Another training session today. My abs feel like steel now. I bet they're better than yours!

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

In so many ways the world had been turned upside down in the last six months and, yet, the wheels of Ashley’s own personal sphere of existence just kept on turning undisturbed. Actually, things seemed to have shifted up a gear or two, and Ashley was feeling more and more like she wasn’t actually in the driver’s seat at all but was perfectly delighted to experience the rush as a passenger.

The album had been put together in the almost immediate aftermath of the Event. There was an obvious hesitancy about going forwards with publicity and release in the new, uncertain world that was forming around them, but Ashley had pushed for a quick release. The album was heavy in songs about faith and hope, and the lead single was so incredibly well-received that McKenna Chase had gone from minor internet phenomenon to regular airplay practically overnight.

She wasn’t topping the charts or being hailed as the new Adele, or whatever, but she had certainly been thrown headfirst into a whole new realm of fame and notoriety. People were buying her music, eagerly anticipating the album, and when it was eventually released a month later Ashley found herself with a whole new fanbase teeming with demand for a tour.

Thankfully her manager was giving her a little breathing room and letting her have a solid few weeks of down-time after all the beautiful chaos that had surrounded her album release. Supposedly, with McKenna Chase’s new success, they couldn’t afford to break her. Time to rest and recover was certainly much appreciated, even if it did speak volumes of all the hard work and excitement that loomed in her near future.

For now, though, Ashley was doing her best to just be Ashley. She was catching up with friends, spending quality time with her parents and taking the opportunity to reconnect more consciously with God. It had been a good two weeks so far and, as her freedom drew to a close, Ashley had finally bitten the bullet and put down for a two-bed apartment in the city. Nothing fancy, but nothing cheap, either. It was perfect for a first place, really, and missing only one important detail: a roommate.

Of course she had thought about advertising the spare room but she didn’t think putting her address out there was a great idea. That, and the room had already belonged to someone else the second she’d laid eyes on it. Or – more accurately – when she’d first laid eyes on the kitchen.

Her phone buzzed, and Ashley smiled with gentle amusement at the message on the screen.

Sounds like fighting talk, missy!

She tapped mindlessly against the side of her phone, wondering how to segue.

This town ain’t big enough for the both of us. Meet me at this address, and bring your abs! It’s showtime!

Alice Morrow

474 words

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[Alice Morrow]

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

You bet it's fighting talk. Alice was confused by the sudden change in topic into meeting up with Ashley, but beyond recovering from today's training session it wasn't as if she had much of the way in plans. She tapped out a quick affirmative and rolled gently off her bed and to her feet, wincing at the ache in her muscles that likely wouldn't fade until the day after tomorrow. It didn't take her long to get dressed, picking out a few clean items and throwing them on, before tossing her others into the bag she used to take them to the laundrette. It wasn't like there was a wardrobe or anything here, and she had been living out of her suitcase. The only thing that had merited a hook had been her costume, which was carefully covered by a black cloth, standing promisingly in the corner. She shrugged into a coat, it was cold today and she'd regretted being without it earlier. Carefully locking the door behind her she walked gingerly off down the alley before beginning to stride more confidently. Her muscles still ached, but she could, for want of a better word, cheat. Cushioning the impact of her feet against the sidewalk with a judicious use of her power made it feel as though she were walking on pillows, with none of the disadvantages. It didn't take her long to get to the address Ashley had texted her, it wasn't all that far, one quick bus ride, and her pass was still good for a few more weeks. She hopped off at what seemed to be the closest stop and walked down the street. Well… This was it. Apparently an apartment building, but Alice couldn't think why Ashley had invited her here. Unless… she was moving into her new apartment? She felt herself perk up a little, she might be in a difficult situation herself, but she couldn't help but feel excited for Ashley's new opportunity. Especially with how well her album was doing. It was still in the charts. It made sense that she might be looking to move out of her parent's house round about now. I'm here, where you?

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

There was a nervous flutter in Ashley’s chest as she waited for Alice to make the quick journey across town. Although she knew that Alice would love the place, it was still something that they’d only discussed in fantastical, hypothetical conversations. Why yes, we would make amazing roommates! Sure, I am also a big fan of kitchen islands and open-plan living spaces! Wouldn’t it be fun if we lived together?

She wasn’t even sure what was going on right now for Alice in terms of living arrangements – she’d stayed at hers for a little while but then she’d stopped, so Ashley had figured that whatever had been keeping her out of her apartment had been solved, but then she hadn’t actually visited Alice in her apartment for a long time. They’d both been busy, true, but it wasn’t like they hadn’t hung out at Ashley’s. Maybe it was because Ashley’s mum was so fond of Alice – her enthusiasm was enough to make anyone feel welcome.

Ashley gasped internally, Alice was secretly set on being besties with her mother! She took a moment to giggle at her own silliness, and then Alice’s text came through to signal her arrival.

Are you outside the building? I’ll buzz you in. Go up to the fourth floor and look out for number 16. She followed her text up by a series of progressively wilder and more abstract expressions of excitement, then slid off the barstool to go and wait excitedly by the door. The flat was still pretty bare – it came with some furnishings, like the beds and the stools, but it was still a way off from feeling like home. Hopefully Alice could help out with the decorating, if she could tear herself away from the shiny kitchen.

Finally she heard a knock, yanking the door open before Alice could even finish.

“Surprise!”

Ashley threw her arms wide, backing into the space so Alice could see inside. “I wish I had confetti, but these will have to do.” She waved her arms enthusiastically. “What do you think? It’s hella nice, right?”

It was impossible not to notice the catch of concern in Ashley’s voice there. Please like it here.

Alice Morrow

366 words

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[Alice Morrow]

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

Alice was moderately be surprised to be buzzed up into the building, though it only further confirmed her theory that Ashley was looking to move out of her parent's house, and into a place of her own. She wouldn't have expected her to have already found a place and moved in though, at least not without mentioning it. She felt a little hurt that her best friend had taken such a big step in her life without talking to her about it. She knocked on the door, impressed by the building. It wasn't any sort of luxurious penthouse, but it seemed comfortable enough, and it was a damn sight better than the apartment she'd lived in before being evicted. She didn't quite jump as Ashley threw open the door, half expecting the sudden appearance of her friend and her excitement. Despite her jealousy and her annoyance that she had been left out of the loop on this one she was happy for her friend. She certainly wasn't that selfish, and she was determined to be happy for her friend. It wasn't hard. The flat was pretty awesome. "This is so awesome!" She moved further into the flat, nearly tripping over the mound of stuffed toys that made Ashley's unpacking priorities clear. There was a wide open space, the kitchen to the right and what would undoubtedly become a dining area and lounge to the left. The kitchen nearly made her drool. It might not be anything all that impressive, or even as good as Ashley's mom's, but it was big, with plenty of counter space and an oven you could have cooked Ashley in. She tore herself away to glance into the other rooms. A small, white tiled bathroom was next, then two bedrooms. Alice frowned. Why two bedrooms? She turned back to Ashley, a questioning look on her face. "So who's your roommate?"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

It was all at once relieving and exhilarating as Alice’s face lit up upon entering the apartment. Ashley was beginning to wish that she’d unpacked a little further than she had so that Alice could really appreciate the space, but it seemed like Alice was easily able to visualise the apartment’s potential as she made her way through the rooms. Her reaction to the kitchen was definitely worth the wait.

The two bedrooms were equal in size, although one of them had an extra window and the other had nicer flooring. Ashley was hoping to leave Alice up to the decision-making on that side of things. Or maybe they could toss a coin. Rock, paper, scissors – loser has to choose their bedroom. It was a good thing they were virtually identical, really.

Ashley’s heart sank when Alice finally turned back round to face her, brow furrowed. She didn’t look like she’d fallen in love with the place after all. In fact, once she asked her question, it became apparent that Alice didn’t even consider herself a candidate for the spare room. Maybe Ashley should have made more of an effort to unpack and make the place more homely. So far, she’d only managed her instruments, her laptop and her childhood stuffed toys. (She just couldn’t leave them crammed into a box; it wasn’t fair on them).

“Oh,” Ashley said quickly, nudging at the pile of stuffed animals with her foot. “I figured these guys could do with a space of their own!” Her joking was an attempt to deflect from the disappointment she knew had flashed across her face – an expression which quickly shifted to horror as one of her teddies tumbled from the summit.

Ashley bent down swiftly to arrange the pile into a less precarious form.

“No, well…” She kept her eyes on her work. “I don’t have one yet, but I kinda had… Like… I kinda thought maybe you would like to live here?”

She looked up hopefully at this point.

“The rent’s great and the area’s great and, and c’mon – the kitchen!”

If that wouldn’t sell this place to Alice, then nothing would. She knew it was asking a lot – Alice lived on her own, and maybe actually preferred it that way, and the fact that she was genuinely confused as to who Ashley was planning to live with suggested that she hadn’t been planning on moving anytime soon. But, hey, Ashley was throwing her best pitch at her – and it even included the kitchen sink.

Alice Morrow

420 words

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[Alice Morrow]

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

Stupid and deliriously relieved was a strange mix of emotions, but it was the one that Alice was feeling when Ashley made the offer of the flat. It was an amazing flat. And she could easily see herself living here, hanging here, cooking here. That train of thought brought her back to the kitchen, which wasn't quite what she had dreamed of, but was a damn sight closer than anything she'd had before. She and Ashley had discussed moving in together, but she'd never thought that the conversations would ever actually come to anything. Ashley might have still been living with her parents but she had seemed to have everything else together. Unlike Alice, who had been barely scraping by in a mouldy shoebox of an apartment in a minimum wage job. She'd not even managed to maintain that for long. One stupid hospital visit and whatever savings she'd managed to accumulate had been obliterated in a matter of months. After this long and convoluted thought process Alice's face lit up as she realised that Ashley was serious. She really did want Alice to move in with her. "You… you're serious?" She almost couldn't believe it. For a moment she was bouncing with the same kind of excitement the energy from her power seemed to possess. Then reality hit her with the force of a dump truck, and her power didn't work on unfortunate realisations. "I… I can't…"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

The journey of emotions travelled across Alice’s face in no time at all, but it had been slow enough that Ashley had allowed herself to get excited at Alice’s more joyful reaction. She’d begun to rise to her feet but, upon Alice’s sudden mood change, had dropped back to the ground with an ungraceful thud. She frowned.

“You can’t?”

It wasn’t specifically that she didn’t want to. Alice wasn’t so tactless as to make that obvious anyway. The way she’d phrased it and the initial euphoria that had begun spreading across her features showed that it wasn’t a case of lacking desire, but ability.

Ashley didn’t want to make it too obvious, but she guessed it was probably money. She hadn’t told Alice how much this place cost and it definitely was on a whole different level to Alice’s tiny little studio that Ashley had poked her nose around a couple of times all that time ago. It had been months since she’d seen it – maybe Alice had found somewhere else and not told her. More likely, however, was that her budget hadn’t changed all that much and she was just reluctant to even consider this apartment in case it was out of her reach.

In fairness, it probably was, but Ashley was willing to split the rent rather unevenly in exchange for the delight of having her best friend as a roommate.

“It would mean a lot to me if you would consider it,” she said eventually, still sat on the floor amongst her teddies. Ashley was struggling to think of how to persuade Alice without actively making an overtly charitable offer. “The deposit’s already covered so like, no rush,” she explained. “I just really don’t want to live alone and, while I could afford to… I just figured that it would be nice for me to live with my best friend. You know?”

She pulled a toy monkey close to her, setting it in her lap and smiling hesitantly up at Alice. “If there’s any issues I can help with, you know I will. Pleeeease?”

Alice Morrow

347 words

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[Alice Morrow]

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

The rent for this place couldn't be cheap, and Alice hadn't even been able to afford the rent on her last place, hence her current state of living. In truth, if she had to she could probably scrape by on rent, but only if she kept getting the same amount of work that she had been getting and nothing got in the way, like serious injury. The kind of serious injury she just might acquire while patrolling the streets at night. Dom had promised that something more was coming, but she was still left staring at a slow trickle of dollars into her bank account, all of which were coming from her meagre wages scrubbing dishes. She had enough to pay for perhaps a few months of rent, but after that the demands might start outpacing her ability to supply. She would have happily got a job that paid better, or offered her more hours, but she couldn't stop everything else she was doing. Every night she patrolled the town, and it felt that every night now she was stopping something. Even the other vigilantes seemed to have had little effect on crime in the city. If anything it had gotten worse. That wasn't even factoring in the super powered metahumans she'd had to deal with. The wall of the warehouse office was covered in newspaper clippings and pictures from the last few months, not a few of her victories. It made her feel good to be recognised for what she was doing. The offer from Ashley was tempting, more than tempting, and Alice desperately wanted to throw caution to the winds and say yes. She almost did. Once upon a time she would have done, but she couldn't leave Ashley in the position where she'd have to cover all the rent herself. That just wouldn't have been fair. It stung a little that her best friend could have easily afforded to live alone, but she realised that this probably wasn't intended as charity. As far as she knew Ashley didn't even know that Alice had lost her apartment. No, this was a best friend who wanted to live with her best friend. As was her wont, Alice threw caution to the winds. "I'd love to!" She held up a hand to forestall the inevitable hug. "But, if you're helping me out then I do all the cooking. Deal?"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

Halfway through the motions of throwing herself at Alice, Ashley stumbled to a halt as the hand was swiftly raised before her. She raised an eyebrow, more than a little worried that Alice was going to take it back, and so was pleasantly surprised by Alice’s generous insistence that she do all the cooking in the flat. As if Ashley was going to turn around and demand that she demonstrate her excellent microwaving skills.

“Paladin, my hero – I need you to do all the cooking. Having you as a roomie is what convinced my mom and dad that I wasn’t going to move out and immediately die of malnutrition,” she added jokingly.

There was probably a grain of truth to that, however. As the darling baby of the family, Ashley was definitely coddled by her parents and they hadn’t been completely enthusiastic at the prospect of her moving out until they realised that she wouldn’t be living alone. They knew, as did she, that Ashley was an incredibly social creature and probably would have driven herself insane all alone. It was unlikely that she’d be spending much time at the apartment as it was – impending headline tour and all else that came with being McKenna Chase – but it felt good to know that when she did return to it there would be her a best friend and a gourmet meal waiting for her.

Probably – unless Paladin was off rescuing kids from burning buildings or something.

Ashley finally got her hug, dancing on the spot.

“Okay,” she said, business face on as she pulled back from the hug. “Now – as your roommate I gotta let you know that I haven’t claimed a bedroom yet, and it’s driving me crazy trying to decide.” She laughed at the ridiculousness of it. “Pur-lease tell me you have a preference?”

She smiled apologetically. It wasn’t her fault the rooms were so damn similar – how was a girl supposed to choose?

Alice Morrow

325 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

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

It had almost been an effort to hold back from the hug, but Alice had managed to do so for long enough to deliver her ultimatum. Serious though it had been… She stepped back from the almost bone crushing hug, turning to look back at the two bedrooms. She stepped from side to side, changing her view from one room to the other. It was a difficult choice, especially because the rooms were so similar. The same size, the same shape, even the same colour. Eventually she settled, running in an jumping onto the bed, which creaked. "This one!" The room with the extra window had successfully held her attention for long enough to win her loyalty. She had barely been able to see the floor in her last place, and what she could see had been scratched and battered anyway. She'd just cover this one up with a rug or something. "Mine!" She rolled around onto her stomach to gaze at the petite singer in the doorway, sticking her tongue out. "Too late to change your mind now."

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

Ashley did her best to hide her jubilation at Alice’s decisiveness, instead opting to peer jealously through the doorway at Alice who was already making herself at home on the rather creaky bed. She looked the room up and down, eyeing the extra window with excessive envy.

“Awww no fair, you picked the best one,” she pouted. “But… I guess you can make it up to me with breakfast-in-bed some time, right? And I want pancakes,” Ashley added with a jab of her finger. “Fluffy ones.”

She joined Alice on the bed, acutely aware of how bare the room seemed.

“Will you need help moving your stuff? Or is your old place furnished?” Ashley gasped suddenly, looking excited. “We should do an IKEA trip! Or, or, like a thrift store hunt for used furniture, or something.” She looked excitedly at Alice. “I need some new stuff anyway seeing as I can’t just take all my folks’ furniture. Rude, right?”

Ashley was secretly glad that her parents were insisting on keeping her room as hers, rather than turning it into a gym or office as some empty-nesters were prone to doing. She’d claimed a few essentials – the glittery shower curtain, her stuffed animals, her music and audio equipment, her favourite bedspread – but had left enough there to keep the space distinctly Ashley-esque.

She’d also promised to visit lots. Equally, she’d made them promise to attend some of her out-of-town shows so she could treat them to a VIP experience. What was the point of having a famous singer as your child if you didn’t capitalise on the fancy hotel rooms? Okay, maybe McKenna wasn’t quite at the stage of fancy hotel rooms all day, everyday. She could dream.

Alice Morrow

287 words

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[Alice Morrow]

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

Sticking her tongue out, Alice rolled over so that Ashley could lie beside her on the bed. The brunette's mentioning of furniture made her suddenly conscious of how empty it was, and how little she had to fill it. Most of her furniture had been in her old apartment, she only had a bedside table and a TV to fill this one. It was yet another required expenditure that she was not looking forward to. Still at least this one would be fun. Though wandering through Ikea would just make her want all of the bedrooms and kitchens they had on display. Maybe it would be better to look at some second hand furniture stores first. "Well first on that list will have to be a breakfast tray then, I like my pancakes with lots of syrup and you can't be spilling that everywhere. I'm very serious about how you eat food, not just about cooking it." Alice jumped up from the bed, eager to go and check out the kitchen properly. After all, she had only really glanced over it. Glanced with an experienced eye, but glanced nonetheless. She really wanted to try and explore it, see what it came with and what she'd have to get a hold of. Although, she brought herself up short, she'd have to make sure she didn't get too carried away. It would be typical to spend all of her money on cooking equipment and end up with no money with which to buy actual food. She was excited as she spoke, "So when can we move in?"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Key to Friendship

Ashley looked amused.

“A breakfast tray? How fancy. You make an excellent point about the syrup but…” She grinned devilishly at Alice, inching away so that Alice couldn’t so easily smack her. “…Wouldn’t it give me sweet dreams?”

Truthfully, syrup in your bed sounded like a nightmare. Just think of the hair! However, Ashley didn’t want to miss the opportunity to wind Alice up with a terrible pun. The girl was so easy to get – which was maybe not the best thing for Ashley’s health considering how hard the blue-haired heroine packed a punch.

She followed Alice’s lead, standing up and making their way back into the main space so that Alice could give the kitchen a more thorough inspection now it wasn’t obscured in a smog of jealousy. It really was a nice room – so open and light, pleasant even with the piles of boxes littered around the place. Furnishing it was going to be so fun but so hard. It was important to Ashley that it looked just right.

“Dude, haven’t you seen the boxes?” Ashley exclaimed, arms spreading wide. “Deposit and first month’s rent are down, we live here now!”

She reached into the nearest box and pulled out the first thing she could get her hands on (a book about post-tonal music theory) and placed it arbitrarily onto the sofa. It was a poor demonstration, but nonetheless she was trying her best to illustrate that move-in day was now.

Ashley quietly tucked the book back in the box – not ready to tackle unpacking that heaving monstrosity just yet – and smiled cheerfully.

“You can move in whenever you want. My stuff is here, I just need to buy more furniture. I’m gonna slowly move in over the next couple of days and bam!” Ashley raised a triumphant fist. “I’ll be an independent city girl with a hella nice apartment and the coolest roomie in the universe. We’ll definitely need to throw a party,” she added with a sudden gasp of realisation. “And invite the neighbours! Who knows, maybe they’ll be cute.”

Ashley winked.

Alice Morrow

346 words

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[Alice Morrow]

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

With Ashley out of reach, Alice settled for a narrowing of her eyes and a glare as punishment for the pun. She realised that by accepting the offer to live here she had probably signed herself up to unending and unforgiving amounts of awful puns. Maybe they should pad the flat, that way she could throw Ashley around with impunity. Of course. Now that Ashley had pointed out the boxes it was obvious that the place was ready to move in. Ashley's gesture made it even more obvious, and she couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the enormous book placed with such finality on the sofa. It was a strange gesture, but it really hammered home the fact that she would be back in a flat. Not in the crappy little warehouse office, but in an honest to god flat. With a flat mate! She almost cried. She laughed instead, "Well you get first pick of them, I don't get how I seem to have more luck than you. I will be your wing woman!" She adopted a heroic pose, chest puffed out, hands on hips. She'd been practising, but couldn't imagine an opportunity to actually assume the pose in the real world. This would have to do. She didn't exactly see herself as the saviour of Ashley's love life, but considering how virtually empty it had been, someone had to step up and take on the challenge. "Should… should I get my stuff now?"

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