A HELPING HAND

7 | FAMILIARITY

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CH. 7
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It had been a long time since you'd managed to go to a fancy event. Working from home rather than at the main office in Keystone meant you missed out on most of the office events. The dresses that you had in the back of your closet often went ignored in favor of jeans and t-shirts and pajamas.

Jane, your best friend who had moved to Star City back when it was Starling City after graduating and began working for the paper, had texted a week ago to invite you to a charity gala. When she could Jane liked to bring someone along to help keep away the creepier sort of guest.

It had not been particularly difficult to convince you to go.

So you'd dusted off your favorite little cocktail dress and even bought yourself a new pair of heels. You were ready to, very sneakily, eat every hor d'oeuvre you could get your hands on.

Jane had stuck around beside you for a good few minutes, but she was there for work and now and again she would scurry off after a particular notable figure in an effort to get a quote. You were content to watch the wealthy and powerful of Star City rub elbows and there was also this amazing apple chutney prosciutto crostini that would haunt your dreams for weeks to come if you didn't get your fill.

You were watching an older gentleman try to tell an elaborate joke from a distance. Your lip reading skills weren't spectacular, but it was fun to try and figure out what the setup and punchline were.

"You'll want to avoid him." A voice said behind you.

You turned in place and looked up. Mayor Queen stood smiling down at you. He was dressed crisply in a sharp suit and you couldn't help but note that however attractive he was on tv was nothing compared to up close.
You swallowed the last bit of crostini and glanced back at the older man you'd been watching.
"Is he a creep?" You asked.

If you hadn't known any better you would say the smile on Mayor Queen's face was fond. He glanced past you at the man.

"No. Or, I don't think so. But if you get him talking you'll need someone to pull the fire alarm to escape." He leaned in conspiratorially as he spoke.

Instinctively you leaned in as well. "Should we save those people." You stage whispered. He immediately shook his head, still smiling.

"Everyone suffers it at some point. They're on their own." You laughed into your champagne flute and wondered where Jane was. She would have loved a chance to speak with the mayor one on one like this. You weren't exactly sure why he was talking to you.

"Oh." Mayor Queen said and dipped his head as if he was hiding. "Careful now, I think he's looking this way. We should hide." He made a questioning gesture with his head toward the right of the room, out of the man's direct line of sight.

Without thinking about it you followed him. When he cupped your elbow as a means to steer you didn't even blink. It felt familiar.
You both made your way to stand by the wall of ballroom. You were laughing to yourself, almost a giggle, and while he wasn't laughing outright you could see the humor clear on his face.

You'd gotten rather good at reading what you could of expressions and body language since you'd first met the Green Arrow.