First walking through those massive, heavily decorated doors was akin to being the main characters in a movie. An old nineties, coming of age movie. One with a prom and make over. All eyes were drawn, dragged from their own business to the pair that strode arm and arm together. Conversations simmering down to nothing, as the hall fell into relative silence.
Albert could see the obvious expressions flicker across their faces. Jealousy, desire and interest each going hand in hand with one another. But in that field of attention, there were a few with far more hostile intentions. Standing in small pockets, it was like he could see the malicious intent flowing off them in a wave. Not allowing his gaze to linger too long on them, he instead turned his attention to the environment.
The interior could be summed up in a single word. Decadent. The sheer amounts of wealth on display was nearly staggering. Ancient pots displayed under careful lights, painting covered in a glass window, literal statues that looked as though they would better belong in a museum than a home. Hell, even the rug beneath his shoes felt and looked more expensive than anything he could've bought in this world or his last. Bright red and fluffy, it rolled from the door entrance all the way across the foyer and up a set of stairs that splint off into two separate areas of the mansion. Of course, such a place deserved a grand chandelier sparkling above as the final cherry on the cake.
'That's going to fall on someone and then this going to turn into a murder mystery party'
But given how much more important everyone at this soiree than he was, it would be prudent to take extra care not be the unfortunate victim.
A light tugging at his arm told him he'd once more fallen in on himself, and with a shake of his head, he 'lead' his date deeper into the gathering. It did feel nice, to have a pretty women pressed up against his side, her arm entangled intimately with his. Feeling those jealous glares burrow into the side of his head, made a sense of smug sanctification to fill him.
He'd always been on the other end of such a scenario, so it kinda felt good to be envied for once. But, still nonetheless, it wouldn't do to rub things in the faces of these social elites too much. He did still need to live in Gotham and it would do a lot better not to form too many enemies without establishing himself.
If only Barbara's grip wasn't like a vice. Not like she was gripping his arm too tightly to her but more like there was potential there. Like if he tried to distance himself, all attempts would be end in sudden failure. It was a bit off putting, to have someone that strong and capable of enacting great pain onto him so close. All it would take was a quick jerk and he didn't doubt his arm would come flying out of it's socket, or wrist broken in multiple places.
Instead of showing his concern, he kept a 'pleasant' smile upon his face as they stepped off the red carpet and begun to disperse into the crowd.
At least, tried to.
Immediately upon stepping off, like it was some kind of barrier to keep the vultures at bay, a near swarm of people came up to them. Wide, gleeful smiles etched across their faces. All possessing that aristocratic look about them and wearing formal attire that just screamed wealth beyond anything he'd ever encountered before. Some wore shiny golden or silver watches, diamond dangling beneath their earlobes, or pearls larger than quarters upon their necks.
"Hello Miss Gordon!" One of them, a male with slicked back brown hair and almond color eyes that flickered over to her side with a minor hint of disdain. "My name is Cedric Bancroft! From Bancroft's shipping! It is a pleasure to meet yo-"
The brave man didn't even have the chance to finish his introductions before the other's began bombarding her a series of introductions that each blended together into an endless stream of chatter. Each of them fighting the other for even a scrap of her attention, forcing them to essential just smile as the words become impossible to understand.
Whether it was to earn her favor or just because it was such a ridiculous sight, a new voice spoke up from besides them.
"Miss Gordon is going to be here all night, there is no need to cloister around her like yipping fox cubs." This new individual had a completely different air about them, voice rich and highly educated. And their appearance seemed to match. Neatly trimmed, black hair and brown orbs that seem to hold a universal contempt for the world. Tall and well muscled, they stood with a glass of amber liquid. A small but noticeable smirk playing across his features. "I'm sure, she wishes to settle down for a bit and get her feet under her. Enjoy the atmosphere and let conversations happen naturally, what you're doing now will only accomplish the complete opposite of your goals."
It took a moment, a few seconds of indecision where some members looked at each-other uneasily while others barely held back a sneer but for one reason or another, they nodded with a smile before scattering off into the crowd with tails tucked between their legs. The handsome man, looking to be in his mid-to-late twenties, shook his head before turning to them with a congenial smile on his face.
'Not at me.'
It was as though Albert didn't exist to the man, his gaze locked onto the red head.
"I must apologize for their actions." He tilted his head in a show of a 'deep' regret. "They're just a bit excited, that's all...and it looks I too need to apologize as well for my rudeness. My name is Adrianus Hardwick. Third son of the Hardwick Family. It is a pleasure to meet you. May I?"
Gently taking her hand, the noble man placed a light kiss to the back of it. Maybe for a few extra moments than were appropriate.
"My name is Barbara Gordon," A blink of discomfort flashed across her face, a light cough all that could cover it up. "Thank you for hosting this event and inviting us to to attend...speaking of which, meet my DATE for the night."
Using her powerful muscles, she foisted him to the front. A human shield to be placed as a sacrifice in this new social battlefield.
'Just toss me to the wolves, why don't you.'
Despite grumbling internally, a smile was stretched across his face. Forced and false as can be, looking more akin to a grimace than anything else. He still had a role to play.
And how would a guy react to having a love interest or date even being looked at, much less kissed on the hand, by a more physically attractive man?
Insecure. Like a match alight under his feet, a feeling that if he didn't act quickly his 'date' would ditch him for someone better than him in all ways.
Adrianus had it all. Looks, height, money and social grace honed from years of practice. In comparison, how could some poor teen have a shot?
"Hello." Albert let out a tiny hint of his 'displeasure', drawing upon that small candle-flame of jealousy deep within. His smile growing more brittle as he was forced to look up at the completely unbothered man. His one good hand outstretched. "My name is Albert Nelson, it is nice to meet you."
"I'm sure it is."
The way those eyes flickered down at his gloved hands with a hint of relief made that flickering flame nearly blaze to life.
'Does he think he's going to catch my poor man germs?'
Meeting that grip in the middle, the man squeezed. Hard. Much harder than was needed and possessing way more strength than the teen could muster from his malnourished body. And if before his smile was a near snarl, now it barely held back the wince of pain that threatened to bubble up to the surface. He could feel it, the tiny bones grinding together. Feel them resist shifting and see the all too pleased smirk 'hidden' behind an upraised wine glass.
"I will not keep you two," Releasing his grip, the man looked back at Barbara with a somewhat triumphant gleam. To further add insult to injury, he even 'discreetly' rubbed his hand on a nearby napkin. His suit far too expensive to ruin by rubbing poor man's germs on it. "The servants will be around with wine, take what you will. If the wine isn't to your liking, they will be able to satisfy your needs. There is a buffet to the back but please do inform us if you have shellfish allergy. Mingle and be merry. Please, enjoy the soiree."
And with that, the pompous man turned on his heel to disperse amongst the gazing crowd. Most of them not even trying to hide their interest in the conversation. Despite wanting to let him go, there was a very important question he needed answering. Besides, his cover wouldn't allow himself to be trampled upon so thoroughly without some sort of jab.
"Are the to-go boxes near the buffet? Or do I need to ask the staff for some?"
He suspected most of it was going to be tossed anyway, so it really wouldn't hurt to ask...maybe his pride in the eyes of these people. After all, everyone there came from influential and well off families, or at least they portrayed themselves as such. No one would be caught dead asking for leftovers, after they were down with it, it was suppose to be considered 'servant food'.
"…" The question caused a crack in the man's facade, his mind short circuiting for a few moments. Like a virus, confusion spread amongst those eavesdropping. Morphing to pure and adulterated disdain, as though some street rat had deigned to bump into him or tracked mud into his home. "The servants will know more about than me. Take what you want."
Or in your case, need.
Words better left unsaid but it was loud and clear to everyone. And just like that, Albert could see those glances once filled with curiosity churn into disgust. Maybe at first they wanted to know what kind of person could attract the eye of the newly appointed Commissioner's daughter, but now it was obvious what he was. A lowborn, glutinous, poor child that was likely to be a charity case than anything else.
Not someone worth any of their time.
With everything said and done, Adrianus stalked away. Now fully intending to escape before some of the teen's 'poorness' could somehow rub off on him.
"I don't think it was a stupid question." Barbara said under her breath, just loud enough for only him to hear. "I know I'm going take at least one plate home. Maybe two. My dad loves lobsters."
"How do you know they have lobster?" He even tried taking in a deep whiff to try and smell the briny goodness that should've been tickling at his senses from the moment they first stepped in that building. But all he could smell was heavy perfume and cologne. Even glancing around at a few people that simply refused to acknowledge his gaze, he couldn't seem to find any evidence of her claim. No shrimp tails, empty crab legs or anything.
"Just trust me," With grace, she began to 'pull' him along. More akin to slight nudging that made it seem like he was leading. "Let's go check it out, maybe they got something good."
***
'Why am I not surprised?'
Albert could feel his lips begin to curl up at the edges as he finally spotted someone familiar in the sea of aristocratic faces locked in disdainful expressions. It seemed that news of his question had spread and now, no one wanted to be caught interacting with the street rat. Something, he suspected Barbara was all too eager to use. Having spotted multiple people work up the nerve to try and walk up to her only to stop just as they spotted how tightly she was gripping his arm.
They would eventually be forced apart and when that happened, he suspected that it wouldn't be until something big and loud happened that they would be 'allowed' to come back together. The red head was just far too popular at the moment for anyone to not to try and befriend her.
But that was later, for now, he was just glad to see a pair of somewhat friendly faces.
There, in a large dinning room type area, a long table wrapped around it's edges. With a pure white table cloth presenting a wide array of food. From cookies and little cupcakes, to pies and full cakes. Crackers and little sausages on toothpicks, cheese squares and even a fondue fountain with frozen fruits neatly arrayed around it.
Near that particular fountain, a pair of girls stood off to the side.
One tall and athletic, with blonde hair tied up into a tight bun, wearing a form fitting blue and white dress that ended just below her knees. A single, golden armband wrapped itself snugly against a bulging bicep. She particularly, was nibbling on a small place with a variety of fruit and a singular piece of chocolate cake.
The other, slightly shorter and more lithe than her companion, with tanned skin and short cropped dark brown hair that ended right below her chin. That loose black dress fell well below her knees, it's long sleeve stopping right at her shoulder and she wore a pair of heels that added at-least another three-to-four inches to her height. But that wasn't the weird part about her, it was the nearly obnoxious amount of jewelry she wore. From bracelets, to earrings, to layers upon upon necklaces and to top it all off, even a silver tiara atop her head.
A ridiculous display, especially if the fact that none of it matched in anyway was taken into account. It looked like she'd went on a theft spree and decided to just trounce around in the evidence of her crime. Sure, she was getting weird looks but he suspected it was because of what she was doing instead of the suspicious amounts of jewelry. Glancing at his 'date' from the corner of his eye told him all he needed to know.
'Specter Pieces.'
Minor enchanted objects gifted upon the living by the dead as a final act of gratitude for allowing them to pass on. Each item were imbued with two separate effects. One, defensive in nature. Protecting the wielder spiritually, mentally, or physically depending on how powerful the spirit was. And the other effect being the root cause of everyone's acceptance of her ridiculous attire. They shifted the attention away from those who didn't also possess a Specter Piece.
So with that in mind, it made sense why she was bejeweled head to toe but no matter the combined power they might've had, there was no way they were going to hide her glutinous actions.
In one hand, she held a massive plate filled to brim with a variety of differing finger food. And she was making progress in devouring it all, with her gaze greedily taking in the fondue fountain besides them.
"Hey!" Albert waved as he approached, a genuine smile falling to place at the two familiar faces. With his greeting, the pair looked up from the conversation and froze, their eyes starting on him before they were dragged over to his 'date'. Their mouth's dropped in unison, a half eaten sandwich falling onto that monstrosity of a plate.
It took them nearly colliding with the pair to shake them out of their stupor, Angeline shrugging off her disbelief first.
"Hey Albert, you clean up pretty well!" The blonde complimented but her gaze was elsewhere. "Good evening, Miss Gordon. You look very beautiful in that dress, what's the brand?"
"Hello and thank you Miss Gramercy, it is good to see a familiar face!" Barbara grinned widely and turned to look at the still gobsmacked girl besides them. "Hello to you too! I don't believe we've been properly introduced, my name is Barbara Gordon and you are?"
"…" It took the blonde elbowing her to actually answer and when she did, that confident somewhat goofy cadence was nowhere in sight. Instead, for the first time since meeting the psychopomp, she sounded shy. "Marceline..but you can just call me Marcy."
"It is very nice to meet you, Marcy." The red head smiled wider, looking from one to the other before continuing. "You ladies look very gorgeous tonight! You guys must tell me where you got your dresses from, they look amazing. I got my mine from that little shop on…"
Seeing that has his chance, he slipped out of her distracted grip and made his way to the buffet. He did need to check if her nose was actually as supernatural as she claimed. Looking over the array of food before him, he allowed his nose to carry him.
Skipping over the mini-sandwiches and sausages, pass the fondue fountain, eyeing the singular chocolate cake in the back, before finally finding the object of his desire. There, at the far end of the buffet, were shrimps cocktail displayed neatly and in a way to draw the eye to exactly how large the crustaceans were. They certainly were jumbo size.
But what really caught his eye was the massive platters filled with crab legs and giant, bright red lobsters. Each possessing a visible steamy trail, the briny smell nearly punching him in the gut as it rumbled in distress.
'Now you feel like eating?'
He didn't try to hide his snort, there wasn't anyway his standing there could get any worse anyway. Ever since 'that' day, sleep and hunger had alluded him for the longest time. Constant tossing and turning at night, to forcing himself to eat no matter how hard it was to keep everything down. Merely nibbling. But it seemed, his stomach just needed something more 'refined' to jump start everything, and suddenly it felt like he could eat a whole cow with ample room leftover.
Letting it's desires know, his hands were already darting to the nearby plates to get sate his loudly rumbling stomach.
'I wonder if they'll let me take some of their spare sheets?' He mused as his eyes grew larger than his stomach, each egging the other on. 'I bet some satin would do wonders to help me sleep.'
With his food in hand, he found a nearby table and plopped himself down in it. Only barely stopping himself from falling face first in the pile of goodness. Marceline could get away with her actions because she was cute, him, not so much. Sliding his gloves off, he snapped the shell open and felt a wall of steam slap him in the face.
And it was glorious.
Buttery and sweet, that massive hunk of meat called to him and he saw no reason to reject it's siren call. The first time was heavenly, teeth sinking in with ease. He could feel it begin to melt in his mouth as flavor exploded out and drowned everything else out, pushing away that hidden exhaustion and only further fueling his hunger.
Before he knew it, his plate was filled with only empty shells. Grease covering all around his mouth and fingers drenched in butter and juices. A flash of white focused into view and without hesitating, he quickly took it before using the napkin to clean up the evidence of his murder.
"Thanks." Albert murmured with a hint of embarrassment tinting his cheeks, in that environment there was truly only a handful of people that would provide that kind of a gesture. "But why are you here? I thought you were talking to Barbara? I hope I didn't cut that conversation short or anything."
"Dude." Marceline eyed him cautiously, taking in his attire for stains or splattering. "You've been over here for like twenty odd minutes. The moment you left, your date was nearly swarmed from all sides. I have no idea where she is now, maybe she got dragged into another intro or something. If you're important enough, these people are just as desperate as some of the beggars I see at the shelter. Speaking of your date…"
In a flash, a series of blows hammered into his uninjured arm. Flinching, he lazily fought off the girl's attacks. They didn't even hurt, more surprising than anything else. Like someone was tapping repeatedly at his shoulder, as if they were trying to get his attention.
A heavy snarl upon her face as she hissed out between gritted teeth.
"You! Fucking! Lucky! Bastard!" Each word emphasized with a blow that didn't really amount to much. Her body blocking the interplay from nearby people. Even with his abysmal STR score, it was an absolute joke to slap her fists away after awhile. It didn't matter how inconsequential her actions were, becoming a punching bag was not his goal. Huffing, the brunette cross her arms and glared down at him. "You just spent all the luck from TWO lifetimes tonight! How in the world did you get her to invite you as her date?! Did you see her in that dress? She's gorgeous dude! Like, I'm surprised some hotheaded idiot hasn't challenged you for her hand or honor! In fact, I will! We can use some sticks out back!"
"Aren't you going to use Angeline as a proxy?"
It would make way more sense if that was the case, the blonde had always been the most physical of the group and after igniting her Spark, he suspected she leaned even more heavily on that aspect of herself.
"...Maybe you're right about that." She rubbed her chin in thought, reaching over to squeeze at his noodly bicep as though to actually calculate her odds. "But nah, I can take you...you wouldn't hit a lady anyway..right?"
"The hammer of justice is unisex."
Whether it was from that food making his body set down it's resistance to sleep lately or the perfect set up, but the words were out of his mouth before he could even begin to think of the possible fallout. It was, after all a quote directly from the Dark Knight himself. Something that should've only been known to two people.
Ms. Manface and Batman himself. Albert hadn't really gotten around to figuring out if that particularly goofy verse was also apart of this reality, but if it was things could go very, very wrong.
"I want to hate that, but I kinda like it. Do you mind if I use it?"
"Sure, knock yourself out."
Slumping, it was like yet anther brick was added to nearly toppling amount on his shoulders. A yawn built itself up and released loudly. Tears just barely forming out of the corner of his eyes. It wasn't theatrical this time around, if anything he just wanted to find a random bed somewhere and sleep for a couple days.
"Are you alright?" Marceline bent closer to get better look at him. "Dude, your eyes are so red. They look like what happens when Steve get's super passionate and doesn't sleep for days just finish a painting, what gives? Did you take up a new hobby or...wait, what the hell happened?!"
Her fingers were up, just barely hovering over the bejeweled broach in the shape of wood lily at his right breast. Looking down himself, it took a few moments for him to notice a very un-welcomed sight. Ever since getting that piece of jewelry, he'd never have polish or really take of it. Whatever magic that was imbued kept it frozen in it's most perfect condition.
Normally, it was just something he wore subconsciously with everything. Magic or muscle memory, he'd long since looking at it closely. But now, with a tanned finger pointing it out, he could see a large crack running down one of it's dew drop like pearls.
'How in the world did that happen?' He tried thinking over anything that could've inflicted such noticeable damage to one of his few gifts in this new life. A third eye flashing through memories and there wasn't anything of note that should've caused this. He usually made sure to take off his coat before training with Harley and their had been very few physical altercations he'd been. Hell, most of his injuries came from himself than anyone else. There was only incident that might have something to do with it. 'Was it that reading? Did I break it during my episode?'
"I-I.." It was only now that he'd been forced to retrieve the memories of that day did he realize how tight his throat had gotten. Licking cracked lips, he looked down at his much too pale skin. Even in comparison to how sickly he normally looked. "I had a bad reading and-"
Once the floodgates were open, it just wouldn't stop. Leaving nothing out, he realized how much he needed this. How much it was eating him up inside to just go on with life like nothing had happened. After that day, no one from Madame Clements side had reached out to him. And with how secretive the magical world was, confiding in someone like Harley or even Pamela wasn't viable. So for the last couple days, he's just been trying and failing to keep it deep in a far off corner where it couldn't hurt anyone.
But it seemed, there was some damage left behind from that traumatic event. Sleep had alluded him for days, flashes of ritual sacrifice and chanting keeping him up at night. The smell of iron overlapped anything he tried to force down before even simple objects like noodles looked more like intestines. Hell, even showering had only become a necessity for tonight only. The absolutely foul smelling clothes on his bathroom floor the proof of that.
Marceline didn't say anything as he regurgitated everything, just listening. He didn't really know how much time passed, but by the time he was done, he felt wrung out. Raw. Like someone had scooped out his insides and placed them outside.
"I'm sorry Albert." And truly meant it as she placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing a bit to show that she was present in the moment. Her brown eyes locking onto his, forcing him to meet that concerned gaze. "You shouldn't have had to witness something like that...I didn't think you would stumble upon a cursed artifact this soon. I can't even imagine what you're going through . You're still new to this side of the world and frankly….you're lucky to be so well in mind. I've heard of plenty of stories of Psychometrist like you getting their hands on powerful artifacts only to go mad as whatever echo within completely fractures their mind leaving them as vegetables for the rest of their short lives. Marian Gran, along with your own strength, saved you from that fate."
"Usually, Specter Pieces are physically indestructible. And most of the time, they will continue to be in perfect until your death. And while they do provide protection, there is a limit. With a Specter Piece as powerful as yours, it can actively fight off spiritual attacks in times of great peril. But not without a price, depending on how powerful the attack was it can cause damage to the Specter Piece itself. And once it accumulates enough damage, it doesn't just breaks...they shatter into dust."