Day of Restoration: Festival at Redheart Arena

[Nate Hawthorne (DELETED 5464)]

She had a point. He had seen her drink from both glasses. But that still didn't make it right or safe for him to do it. "That's illegal though. I'm not quite 21 yet." He didn't give his age directly but danced around it and let her draw her own conclusions.

He noticed her looking around and guessed that he had offended her somehow and she was already ready to go on with her evening. Trying to let her off the hook, he started to ask "Are you looking for someone?" but another woman approached and the question died on his lips. When the new woman smiled at him, he looked back and forth between both of them, trying to decide if it was rude to stay and listen to their conversation or leave without a good bye since they had started to converse with each other.

[Aliyah]

The arena was getting a gathering of people from all the over the city, and the crowd was making Aliyah anxious. The occasional brushing of shoulders made her cringe, and it was hard to fight off the urge to snap at the innocent bystanders. Her gaze scanned through the faces when she caught sight of the white hair. Dhara. Her steps took her off toward the woman, only to see Skylar and Nate, as well. "Nate?! What are you doing here?" she asked her brother, moving to his side and wrapping her arms around him. As she stepped back, she greeted the two women, "Sky, Dhara. How are you?"

[Dhara]

"Ali!" She said happily, thrilled to see her best friend here. And the gentleman she called Nate had her amber gaze swinging curiously to him. She looked him over thoughtfully, a small smile on her lips. She knew all about Nate, though she wouldn't say any thing about what she knew. Instead, she offered a smile up at Ali. "I am okay. Just trying to find a little something, but not having luck. I am surprised to see you here, all things considered." She meant the large crowd. She knew Ali was not a fan of crowds at all and that their evening would probably end in "coffee" and relaxing in their apartment. Glancing to Nate, she smiled again and held out a delicate, fragile looking hand. "Hello, Nate. I am Dhara, a friend of Aliyah's."

[Skylar]

“Hey hey pretty lady.”
I smile at Dhara.
“I’d hug ya but I kinda have my hands full and this cutie refuses to take a drink from me.”
I give a nod of the head in the guy’s direction, before turning to face him.
“And I’m not the cops mate. I don’t give a rats arse how old you are. If you want a drink, take it.”
I offer the glass just as Aliyah arrives and greets the male with a hug.
“Hey sis, if you’re giving away hugs, I wouldn’t say no.”
I spread my hands apart so she can hug me if she wants to. I keep my mind on the drinks though too so I don’t spill them, cos that would be bad.
“How do you know the cutie? And can you tell him he’s safe to take a drink. I’d kinda like a free hand.”

[Aliyah]

Aliyah's smile widens as Dhara shakes hands with Nate. Dhara knew the truth when it came to the minor, and it soon became obvious that Skylar had no idea. Her blue eyes widened as she nodded, hugging the other blonde woman close, "He is the third Hawthorne..." she whispered hastily just before pulling away, giving Sky a rather pointed look. Her attention then turned to Nate as the mention of alcohol, her gaze hardening, just a tad. "Perhaps the drink isn't the best idea, Sky?" she sighed, glancing over at the young man. He was in college, though, and should she really be THAT sister? The one that stopped the kid from having any fun? "I guess if he is careful, though, and doesn't mind me sticking around..."

[Skylar]

"Oh wow. Nate. Cool. I'm Skylar and I'm the poor cow dating your brother."
I grin at Nate and try again to push a glass in his hands.
"It's just one drink Alley Cat, he'll be fine. God. Now I know who is, you think I'm gonna let anything happen to him? That'd be more than my life's worth. You saw what he did to me the other week and I was being nice to him. Can you imagine what he'd do if I let his baby brother go off the deep end?"
I'm laughing; it's funny but it's not. I’m pretty sure Ric would actually plunge my own blade through my heart if I did anything to upset his family. As much as I know he cares, I have no idea where I fall on his scale of priorities and I’m sure as **** not ready to find out.

[Nate Hawthorne (DELETED 5464)]

The conversation had picked up and whirled around him. He thought that he was about to be pushed out of the conversation but almost as soon as that happened he was pulled back in. Forcefully.

He gravitated towards his cousin. Sister. He smiled for real as he remembered. The specifics weren't clear to him but somehow Aliyah was his sister and he was glad for that. She was nice and he liked spending time with her.

Nodding probably a bit too much at everyone he said, "It's nice to meet all of you." Looking between Sky and Ali, he tried to please them both and slowly reached for the glass. "As long as you stay close I guess." He held the cup without actually taking a drink, still hesitant.

[Aliyah]

The blonde watched her younger brother take the cup, her first instinct being to rip it away. How this sisterly role had taken over, she didn't know. And though Nate was an adult, she still felt responsible for his safety. "Just take it slow, Nate," she said, placing a hand on his arm. He really was nothing like Ric, and his hesitance was enough to show just that. Ric didn't hesitate. Ever. The three of them, the three Hawthorne children, were all so different. They each had their own niche. It made her wonder how things would have been if they grew up together.

"Ric isn't the only one you would need to worry about, Sky," she pointed out to the woman, her eyes narrowed. If Sky were to let anything happen to Nate, there would be two angry older siblings, not just one. "You would just have better luck talking me down, over Ric."

[Dhara]

She watched the encounter, listened to the pressure and gave a soft sigh. Ali was lucky she loved her. With out thinking twice, she snatched the cup from Nate's hand and gave a tight smile. "Allow me." She said cheekily and with out hesitation, she brought the cup to her lips and emptied it in several quick swallows. She nearly gagged at the taste, her eyes watered and she tried not to cough as she held the empty cup in her hands. "There." She squeaked, knowing she would regret what she'd done. Especially since she didn't drink. This was only the second time in her life. "Now you don't have to worry, and Skylar has a free hand."

[Jersey]

It was a short walk from work. At least, that was her excuse after she got off her shift at Peppermint and sent a text to Peter, Nakia, Danton and Kallista to let them know where she would be for a while. Jersey knew she had course work to do back at the cabin, but the idea of seeing people come together to celebrate getting past such a terrible disaster had made her smile the moment she found the festival poster in the mall. It was worth being a little bit behind, but all else fails, she figured that she could ask Danton for help.

As she walked into the Arena, the woman pulled her dark brown hair into a messy bun at the top of her head, ignoring the way that her tunic brushed sequins against her skin and how the multiple silver bangles on each arm chimed together.