It's A Hell Of A Town

[Alistair Holmes]

Set in Manhattan, New York

Manhattan stretched out in a mass of silhouettes, the shimmering reflections of mirrored buildings and the glare of lights, mixtures of neon, deep blue, white... Flashing, gleaming in the dark. The people below filled the well worn streets, most filled with the delight of the evening ahead, stumbling in heels, laughing; The bars were filled with clinking glasses, music so loud it drummed into your very being, the theatres filled with excited watchers as the last minute patrons franticly attempted to reach their seats before curtain up. From the vibrant, dazzling lights of Times Square to the cool greenery of Central Park, the entire city felt alive with the hum of human lives, an almost breathing metropolis.

Alistair Holmes smiled softly to himself, looking out over the familiar view from his balcony vantage point, tapping a finger thoughtfully against the rim of his glass. He'd missed the sight, the sounds, the very heartbeat of his home town... It had been far too long. He slowly drew his glass to his lips, the amber liquid slipping it's heated touch down his throat as he found his eyeline drawn from the view towards the grand piano situated inside, where the bar's pianist had taken up dancing his fingers over the keys. The soft notes gracefully filled the room and out onto the balcony with their simple elegant symphony, a few other patrons drawn from their conversations to take notice of the music. The bar itself was primarily black and white, the beautifully intricate tiles that made up the floor a swirling mosaic featuring piano keys; "Keys", was the feature bar at the Nicholas Hotel, a grand highly ranked establishment that prided itself on modern decor. It was situated where the view looked out over the city, providing an awe inspiring sight for those who favoured the city that never sleeps.

Clad in one of his usual perfectly fitted suits, Alistair took a deep breath of the night air, before finding his gaze drawn from the piano to the bar's entrance; He'd messaged Evelyn earlier, enquiring if the young woman would meet him in the hotel's piano bar if the evening found her feeling up to it after her flight that morning. Despite enjoying the time he had spent within the welcoming warmth of his family, the bodyguard... Had found himself almost impatiently looking forward to his vacation with Evelyn Conner. He furrowed his brow a moment as this thought occurred to him, and he sighed softly, taking another sip of his drink. He needed to try and ignore those... Familiar issues.

[Evelyn Conner]

One of the things Evelyn loved about being away from Bellefonte an in the midst of one of the biggest fashion cities, was that she could finally fully appreciate what good taste meant. She had gotten far too used to being mingled with teenagers who didn't seem to care overly much about how they dressed. Sure, there was a few diamonds among the hundreds of pieces of coal, but it wasn't the same. Not really.

Clad in a long dress she didn't think she could wear at Bellefonte, Evelyn stepped into the room she'd agreed she'd meet Alistair in. She'd been looking forward going to New York, and although she much preferred Los Angeles, New York held a charm of its own. She could honestly admit that she would always be a city girl. There was something overly comforting and familiar with the busy city and everything that followed; the lights, the sounds, the people...

It didn't take her long to spot the man she knew all too well. A tight smile formed on her lips as she pressed her purse against her stomach as she trudged forward, the dress' skirt flowing around her feet like gentle waves. It didn't take her long before she reached the table he'd been sitting at and without a word, she sat down and waved one of the waiters over. She ordered herself a glass of white wine and finally, she turned towards Alistair.

"Manhattan is a lot more charming than one would think," she said with a wry smile. "Even if parking is horrible," she added with a nod to her head.

[Alistair Holmes]

The sight of the skyline had momentarily taken the bodyguard's attention, Alistair taking in the dark silhouettes and glaring lights of the city, before he became aware of the approaching sound of heels on the coal black marble flooring. He slowly drew his gaze to the corner of his eye, the source of the heels taking a seat at his table and bringing a small smile to his lips. Evelyn Conner placed her order before addressing him, the bodyguard turning his full attention to her as he placed his half empty delicately cut glass onto the table.
"This city ain't exactly sunny Los Angles," He commented with a slightly quirked brow, slipping naturally into the conversation as though they had been sat there together all evening. "But it has it's charms, for those willin' to put a little time into lookin' for them." He tilted his head slightly, his eyeline quickly taking in the familiar appearance of his charge; Evelyn, as always, gave off such an aura of elegance and grace, and this warm evening was no different. Her dress, the folds of which so beautifully swept over her slender frame, only further enhanced this ethereal beauty she carried; She was old Hollywood glamour... She was the very essence of Vogue... A princess in everything but title.
Usually, she was forced to wear the Academy's uniform,a fact which aided Alistair in remembering where he stood; She was a student of the Academy, his charge, his employer... But seeing her like this, it brought screaming to the forefront of his mind of much of a stunning woman Evelyn was, in far more then mere appearance... And how much that fact made his chest ache.

But he kept this all from his expression, merely smiling at her, tapping his fingertip against his glass. "How was your flight? I trust everythin' went smoothly?" He inquired, bringing his glass to his lips and taking a small sample of the high end liquor. "I've had a few messages from Drew, it seems his lil' trip with Miss. Bellefonte is goin' pretty well." He honestly didn't expect to hear too often from the male Conner twin while he was on holiday since he'd gone to further cement his relationship with the Bellefonte, but that did little to worry Alistair; If Drew needed him, he would make sure the bodyguard knew.

[Evelyn Conner]

"It was pleasant enough," Evelyn replied without missing a beat. She looked over at the man, her brown eyes sweeping over his attire with a small smile plastered on her lips. "Though, that's to be expected with private jets," she mused. After all, she'd learned her lesson from the last time she'd taken public transport. Somehow, that had ended up with her sharing a room with one of the students at Bellefonte, whom she happened to dislike a lot. Ah well, she supposed it couldn't be helped.

She turned her attention back towards Alistair and offered him a smile. "Of course it is," she drawled, eyes rolling. No, she had little interest in discussing the love life of her brother. It seemed to be the only thing on everyone's mind lately. It was rather tedious - at least when that was all you ever heard about anymore.

Why people cared so much for her brother and his private life, or his girlfriend for that matter, she'd never understand. She did however understand where Alistair was coming from.

"Enjoying your time back home?" she asked, head tilting curiously.

[Alistair Holmes]

The young woman replied without hesitation, stating that her travel had been pleasant. That was one of the many benefits that came with the wealth of her assets... Private jets. Alistair had the pleasure of travelling on one a handful of times when he was called to travel alongside the twins, but otherwise he was perfectly accepting of first class. If you could pay for quality service, then he could see no reason why you should accept any less. She then smiled at him, making her lack of interest in her brother's high profile love life more then obvious.
Evelyn had never been one to take an interest in affairs of the heart, regardless of who was splashed over the glossy magazines; Be they her brother or some lacklustre celebrity. Alistair's opinion on the matter was similar to her own in terms of his own personal interests, but when it came to his work, he had to extend into detailed observation and knowledge about every aspect of his client's lives... And that included their love life; That, and he honestly cared about Drew's choices. As Evelyn did, he had no intention of taking any step towards hindering the relationship, and in fact would take any precaution to sustain it... But for Drew's sake, not Erika Bellefonte's.

The bodyguard placed his glass back down onto the table, although he kept his grip on it, his eyeline dipping to the amber liquid as he allowed himself to present a small, warmer smile. "Enjoyable, as far as ya could be expectin'," He answered. "The girls miss you. Can't imagine why." He smirked a little, before turning his gaze back out to the cityscape. "... It was pleasant, though, ya know? They keep askin' about you and Drew, askin' about Bellefonte Academy... ... I think they're hopin' they end up sharin' that particular gene."
This thought however caused his smile to fade a faint touch; Alistair didn't dislike what he was, and in fact was quite proud to some degree with the unusual skill the mutant gene presented to him... But that didn't mean he wanted his sisters to undergo the same. Perhaps, if it did come to that, they'd be blessed with an ability that wasn't similar to his own... Blood Manipulation wasn't something he'd personally wish on anyone... It hurt more then most, and presented a greater risk of death then most.

The bodyguard then drew his gaze back to the Conner; He met her gaze. The deep, stunning colour of her eyes... They caused him to recall the memories of the recent Bellefonte prom, when he'd danced with Evelyn... So far it had not been brought into question by any of the higher members of staff directly, but he'd noticed a few of the other members of the faculty giving him judging glances. He didn't much care for what reputation he held, as long as it did not impose on either of the Conners... Especially Evelyn. Thankfully, she seemed to care little for what notions were presented in the festering mess of slander that was Dirty Laundry as much as he did.
"... Have you been thinkin' on what you'd like to do here? I've taken the liberty that you intend to trust my judgement," He smiled. "To plan a few things that should be suitin' your taste."

[Evelyn Conner]

Eve found herself slowly nodding at the tirade of words that escaped Alistair's lips as he talked about his family. There was that kind of fondness in him that seemed to only be brought out whenever he talked about his family. She wondered if it was really that obvious, or if it was something only she noticed simply because she knew him as well as she did, and knew what to look for as well as having seen most of his expressions. He was a private man, and she couldn't really see him talking like that around someone he wasn't as familiar with as he was with her.

"Well, maybe I should go visit them and recruit them into the family business," she smirked, tipping her glass in Alistair's direction. "I have a feeling they'd make quite good business women, seeing as how easily they bring you to your knees," she added, her smirk widening. "Being a mutant isn't all that bad," she reminded him. "Some of us have harder powers to carry, but in the end, we all learn to live with them. And some of us are even glad we have them." She cast him a short glance. "Besides, if you hadn't been a mutant, you likely wouldn't have been able to work at the academy."

She looked out over the small crowd that had gathered around their location. People busying themselves with their day-to-day life. She shrugged her shoulders. "Seeing as how you're the one who invited me, I'm fully expecting you to make this trip worth my while," she said as she turned to look at him again, her eyebrow quirking.

[Alistair Holmes]

Alistair knew he often fell into a warmer tone when talking about his family, but even then the change was usually subtle and slight; He rarely spoke of them, with the Conners due to their close family ties to his own one of the few to be granted that insight into his life. Alistair didn't see much need nor held much want in discussing the topic with others; He never understood why anyone would wish to lay out their family history and issues out for all the world to judge and dissect, like so many chose to do through various social media. Alistair was quite content to keep his private life just that, private; Save to those he trusted enough to see that part of his life, to see the warmer side of him. It had become so natural to show this subtlety to Evelyn and Drew that the bodyguard barely noticed anymore.

Alistair found a small chuckle escaping his throat at the female Conner twin's proposition, tipping his own glass towards her in agreement before bringing it to his lips, finishing the glass and placing it back down on the table. "You'd best be weary about sayin' that in front of them, I know just as well as you do that they'll be beggin' to take you up on that offer," He spoke honestly, knowing full well his sisters would adore such a career prospect; They certainly had the capability to be highly tuned business women. Alistair then hummed softly, turning his glass sharply so that it sat neatly on the table, tilting his head as he smiled a touch in response to his charge's comment. "Few can do so, but they do seem to have a talent for it." There were few people in the world that Alistair would give anything he could for, and one was sat opposite him. He then leaned back in his chair, looking out of the rest of the bar; Most of it's occupants were significantly wealthy, and weren't paying too much attention to them. Most seemed to take Drew as the dominant of the two, since he was the one in the gossip magazines with the prolific life, and generally ignored Evelyn... Which Alistair supposed worked in her favour.
"You know I would be lyin' if I said I didn't like what I was," He smirked slightly in response, turning his eyeline back to Evelyn. "And you have a point. Couldn't be your bodyguard most likely if I weren't a mutant." not that he thought the Conners would have judged him for not being one, but more so he likely wouldn't have been allowed to become staff at the Academy, and therefore would not have been allowed the full rein of protection over the twins that he needed to have in order to forfill his duties to the best of his ability.

Alistair then folded his arms, quirking a brow with a knowing smile. "Well, there's a few places I'd like to take ya. Although there is a few official events you've been asked to attend... Seems news that Evelyn Conner is in New York gets round fast," He spoke. "Although, it's entirely up to you if you want to go."

[Evelyn Conner]

"Might do them some good," she suggested with a light shrug. No, she was in no mind to babysit, but even she could see the allure. After all, considering how Alistair's family had been so close to her own, he already knew that even his sisters would be well taken care of. Even as employees. "Let's hope they don't waste that talent," she mused. After all, it took more to survive in the business world than having connections. At the end of the day, it would come down to talent.

She looked over at the man then, the corners of her lips tugging slightly into something of a smile. "That's good." If you didn't like what you did for a living, then what was the point? Lack of passion only got you so far. "I'm glad neither of us have to worry about that then." She might not tell him often, but both she and her brother appreciated everything Alistair did for them.

Placing the palms of her hands flat against the table, Evelyn leaned forward. Her brow quirked slightly to match his. She then lifted her hand to swat his comment off. "Well, as everyone already know, Evelyn Conner does exactly what Evelyn Conner wants, and official events are hardly at the top of my list right now." She was here on vacation. She could deal with all the events that followed with her last name at a later time.