A Grand Bon Voyage (attorneys/law)

Not having Hart along to go to the retirement party for Judge Stone was a bummer. But the poor guy was sick and had decided to forego the whole event. Sloane had dropped off a bowl of hot soup for her boyfriend before popping down to Honest Abe's for the party.

She had dressed rather casually because there hadn't been a dress code and she barely knew the attendees. Hopefully Janice would be there and that could ease the awkwardness Sloane was bound to feel once she arrived.

The dark-haired police officer had brought a bottle of vintage wine that cost a pretty penny and she placed it on the designated table before scanning the room for people she recognised. So far, none of them looked even remotely familiar so she went over to the bar just in time to hear a man announce that it was an open bar.

She chuckled and ordered a beer. "And mine." She chimed in, sliding on to the stool next to the man. "Do you know Judge Stone personally?"

As much as Niko loved a party, he was a little nervous. He'd only just gotten hired on at the firm a couple of weeks ago and barely knew his bosses well enough to call them by name, let alone know everyone in the court system. Granted, he tried, but it was still a weird thing. Also, he was pretty sure he was the youngest person in the room, and it was an open bar. Sucked not being 21 or in Europe sometimes. Oh well.


Like when he first showed up at Mr. Bernstein's law firm, the Greek young man was dressed nicely in a nice suit, though instead of being all black and white he'd added some color to the mix. A navy shirt and a black vest took the place of the black jacket, and his hair was slicked back once again. No help looking unkempt or anything - this was a professional setting... he thought so, at least, though he looked like he was going to prom instead. Seeing the business-casual environment when he walked in made the brunette relax, though, as did hearing his boss' voice from across the room.


Eh, why not - I won't be drinking, but I can at least get a coffee or something. Walking over, Niko noticed a familiar face and laughed out loud before increasing his pace. "Dr. Neville! I didn't expect to see you here!" The middle Gallo-Jones child hadn't seen the counselor since he was at Hammel, though he remembered him well. Everyone did. "It's been a while! How are you?"


Waving to catch the bartender's attention, he asked for that coffee, then smiled brightly at his new boss and the young woman standing nearby as well. "Thanks for inviting me, Mr. Bernstein. It looks like the place is going to be lively tonight."

Unlike Damien, Mariposa thrilled to the concept of party. She absolutely adored being around other people, particularly when those other people were ones she knew well. And anyone who came through the court house counted as someone she knew well, at least in her mind.

She had just ordered a Mimosa from the bartender, giving the young woman behind the counter a flirtatious wink, when someone sidled up beside her, and she turned to see the (very handsome) young law clerk who worked with some of the lawyers in town.

"If it isn't Damien!" She greeted him with a wide smile as the bartender returned with her drink. "Life at the court house is always interesting. Less so without that intern of yours."

Of course, she knew that Damien had nothing to do with hiring the little troublemaker, but he had worked at the same offices, which made him part of her friend's responsibility, at least from a work perspective.

"How's life at the law firm without him?"

Cobalt didn't want to go to this party. He was familiar with Judge Stone and wished him all the best in his retirement but Cobalt didn't see why he should have to go to the party. Usually, he sent Leila to these things (and she bullied him into coming along with her), but she wasn't here anymore, and he had no real excuse. He could just as well not go, but Janice took up Leila's spot in the bullying category and Josh had thought it would be fun. Occasionally, Cobalt could concede that going to these was a good idea, career-wise and speaking from curiosity's standpoint. Although he knew a good portion of people in these circles, it was always amusing to see them all interact. And anyways, nobody would talk to him. Probably.

Honest Abe's was a blessedly short way away, and Cobalt made his way in without attracting much attention. He ducked into a corner and sat down at a table and settled in. Yeah, this was manageable. He caught sight of Josh and Sean talking to some kid he didn't know. Damien was talking to... Mariposa? He couldn't remember if that was her name or not. He liked Damien well enough. And he looked just about as thrilled as Cobalt was to be here.

Mariposa leaned in with interest as Damien mentioned a new intern.

"Ohhh?" She raised her eyebrow, keeping an eye on him while at the same time accepting the drink the bartender shoved at her. "An interview, you say? What a novel concept."

She raised her glass to her lips, following to see who the other law clerk was waving to.

"That him?" She gestured with her drink. "He's a cutie."

Which was an indirect way of saying she was strongly considering going to say hello. Maybe after she finished this drink.

"Pants on is a helpful part of employment. Unless you're a stripper." There was a pause, and then she asked, face serious. "What do you think the likelihood is of Mr. Verax becoming a stripper?"

Sloane looked a little surprised when Dr. Neville appeared beside the guy she had spoken to. She gave the doctor a smile and nodded. "Likewise." She took her drink and sipped it a little before turning back to the guy beside Dr. Neville. "Um...I suppose." She chuckled. "I'm a police officer." She shrugged before taking another sip of her drink.

"Uh...how do you two know each other?" She motioned him and the psychiatrist before taking a backseat when other people suddenly appeared. She didn't know anybody else around in this party and was suddenly regretting coming at all. She really wished Hart was around. She felt like a little kid, being scared of strangers.

"Yeah, Mr. Bernstein hired me a couple weeks ago," Niko replied agreeably, flashing the older men a bright smile. "I'm learning a lot, that's for sure - I'm having to work for my keep a lot more than I did at Hammel."

Taking a perch at the bar when his bespectacled boss offered him a seat, the friendly boy grinned again. "Networking, huh? I didn't really think about that. I was mostly worried I would be under-dressed for the occasion!" Niko, being the type to laugh at himself often, did so before looking around the room. There were a ton of people he didn't know, including the people Joshua was looking at (or, in the case of the grumpy-looking man and the stern lady conversing in the corner, waving to), but the Greek kind of expected that. This was, after all, a party with people that trended towards more than twice his age.

Noticing the uncomfortable look on the woman's face (and having missed her introduction entirely), Niko gave the policewoman a warm smile and held out his hand. "I'm sorry for barging in," he apologized. "I'm Niko - I work for Mr. Bernstein as an intern." Hopefully, his friendly and open demeanor would allow her to relax a little; he disliked when people clammed up in his presence simply because he was an unknown, so he introduced himself whenever he could to put people at ease.