[h2][center][i][color=9e0039]Allison Hawthorne[/color][/i][/center][/h2]
[center][i]Location: City Hall[/i][/center]
[center][i]Time: Sunday, 7:30-ish PM[/i][/center]

Allison sat quietly, idly drumming her fingers on the table as she waited for Kriss to get back. He hadn't said where he was going. Maybe he needed to make a phone call or something. The table shifted suddenly as it was nudged by a young woman with long blonde hair.

[i]Sorry about that. Distracted, Lovely dress by the way, have a good evening.[/i]

[color=9e0039]"Oh, thanks! You have a nice evening too, uhh..."[/color] she said cheerfully, attempted to call her by name even though she didn't know it. Allison frowned as the other lady slipped away. That was a wasted opportunity to meet someone new.

She glanced around again at the mass of people and noticed for the first time just how much alcohol was running at this party. Her nose wrinkled and she suddenly felt very out of place. She didn't need EMT training videos to shy her away from booze. Her memory of being in the hospital at the age of 4 was so vivid that it still gave her nightmares. The beeping of machines, the hardness of the bed, and the burning. The horrible burning in her throat. Her father had finally decided to spend some time interacting with his daughter for once in his life. He wasn't drunk, which just made it worse, because somewhere in his mind he thought it was a good idea to give his 4-year-old a shot of whiskey. Even though she threw up (and threw up again at the hospital), the doctor had said she was extremely fortunate to be alive. If they hadn't been able to revive her from unconsciousness, she would have been dead in less than a day.

Even now, thanks to her father's love of variety, she could identify several different substances by smell alone all the way from her table. Scotch, rum, and whisky were the most notable. The clear liquid in the glass at the next table were probably vodka. She glanced down at Kriss's water glass and for a moment wondered if it was actually water. She didn't smell anything, but hard vodka is odorless, and this place certainly looked like it could afford the best. Now curious, she lifted the glass to her nose and sniffed. To her relief, it was water.

[color=aba000]"Why are you smelling my drink?"[/color]

She jumped in surprise, turning to see Kriss standing awkwardly nearby. A trauma bag was hanging from his fist. She carefully lowered the glass to the table and raised an eyebrow at the bag.

[color=9e0039]"Did someone get hurt?"[/color]

[color=aba000]"You did not answer my question."[/color]

Allison looked away, embarrassed. She could sense Kriss's irritation and knew that he was not going to let this go until she answered. She sighed.

[color=9e0039]"I was wondering if you were drinking vodka."[/color]

He scowled. [color=aba000]"Yes, that is what I suspected you were doing. I am not drinking alcohol."[/color]

[color=9e0039]"I know, I was just..."[/color] she trailed off, returning eye contact and offering an apologetic face. [color=9e0039]"Sorry. Honestly. There are just a lot of drunk people here, and...I wanted to make sure."[/color]

[color=aba000]"I do not drink,"[/color] he said, lowering himself into his chair and plopping the bag on the ground. [color=aba000]"It is unhealthy."[/color]

[color=9e0039]"Yeah, me either. Alcohol brings out the monster in people,"[/color] she said, rubbing her stomach. The scent in the air was starting to turn her stomach. Kriss noticed and pointed in the direction of a buffet table.

[color=aba000]"There is a buffet table if you are hungry."[/color]

She perked up immediately. [color=9e0039]"Oh, awesome! I'm gonna grab a plate." [/color]

Without another word, she hopped up and began carefully making her way through the crowd. Snippets of dialogue made their way through the air with varying degrees of slurred speech and grunts of discomfort. She sighed quietly to herself. Her stepdad would kill her if he knew she was at a party with booze. Hopefully the perfume would help counteract it. Snatching up a plate and plastic fork, Allison helped herself to about as much food as she could lift. Her mother teased her frequently about how she could each so much food and seem to not gain a pound. Metabolism is apparently magical. She jabbed the fork into a bread roll and trotted carefully to a less occupied bar, taking a deep breath before approaching.

[color=9e0039]"Do you have soda?"[/color]

He nodded and directed her to a soda fountain. She filled a wine glass with as much Coca Cola as it could hold and left, letting out a huge breath. There had only been one man at the bar, but he was still drunk enough to shoot a rather immature comment her way. She brushed it off and returned to Kriss, who had refilled and re-iced his glass. He noticed her holding a glass of wine and narrowed his eyes until she lowered it to the table to reveal the carbonation bubbling along the top. The two sat in silence for a while as Allison set about emptying her plate. She looked around the room again and perked up.

[color=9e0039]"Ashton is here!"[/color] The woman was wearing a different outfit, but her hair and figure made her impossible to mistake.

[color=aba000]"Yes,"[/color] Kriss replied, having already noticed.

[color=9e0039]"You should go say hi."[/color]

[color=aba000]"I would rather not."[/color]

Allison rolled her eyes. [color=9e0039]"Ugh, Kriss, I know you don't really care, but it's better than sitting and doing nothing. Snap would not approve."[/color]

[color=aba000]"Snap is not here."[/color]

[color=9e0039]"She's with us [i]in spirit[/i],"[/color] she said dramatically.

[color=aba000]"I sincerely doubt it,"[/color] Kriss responded with even less enthusiasm.

[color=9e0039]"Come on,"[/color] Allison said, standing up and nodding towards Ashton. She had missed the chance to speak to the woman earlier and wasn't about to let another opportunity go by. [color=9e0039]"We're gonna go say hi."[/color]

[color=aba000]"No, we are not."[/color]

She dropped her plate on the table and crossed her arms.

[color=9e0039]"You wanna sit there and argue, or you wanna go talk to someone for a change?"[/color]

Her tone grated on him and he felt his brow furrow in disapproval. [color=aba000]"Neither."[/color]

[color=9e0039]"Okay fine, we'll compromise. I'll do the talking. You just stand there and look uncomfortable."[/color]

[color=aba000]"Why would I do that when I could sit here and look uncomfortable?"[/color]

[color=9e0039]"Think of it as exercise. [b]UP![/b]"[/color] she barked, putting a slight edge on her voice to suggest she was not going to debate this. He gritted his teeth, then dragged himself into a standing position. Snap would probably want a report of the evening and he would get an earful if she found out he hadn't talked to a single person. Maybe she'd lay off if he did. Though he wasn't going to give Allison the satisfaction of his approval. She collected her plate and still half-full wine glass of coke and headed into the crowd. Sighing in frustration, he tagged along at a safe distance.

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[@PrinceAlexus][@Silver Fox]