Paladin's Academy

Act II, Chapter 2: A Cold Knight Out

People often say that in New Arden, the nighttime is livelier than the day. Is this because of the security a Superhero school brings? Or maybe New Arden has more to offer during the dark? No one truly knows. Some residents even claim it's hard to sleep because of all the noise. One of the culprits is the infamous Club Atimré.

Everyone who has ever attended Paladins has been to this bar at least once. It's kinda like a rite of passage. Stories have been told of drunken Superheroes doing all sorts of crazy things. Some claim they've seen Heroes fight one another, puke out acid, and even pole-danced, all in the same night! The craziest rumor is about the hero teachers who go there. But that would be irresponsible, right? After all, the teachers have their image to uphold. Once you've seen your mentor chug down an entire bottle of vodka, there's no going back.

Usually, the club opens around midnight, with people lining up as early as ten. The bouncers there are pretty lax compared to others, generally letting people in early. Currently, it is around eleven-thirty, with a line as long as a football field. Thankfully, the bouncers have started accepting people. Before he can let them in, he scans people for trouble. Right now, he's checking on three familiar-looking people as he looks at their I.D.

The first guy is Christopher Lowenthal. He has medium-length black hair, which compliments his brown eyes. He has light brown skin and a lean build, with his height being around five-ten. He looks to be twenty-five, and he's wearing a white shirt, black jacket, and pants.

There is a girl on his left named Stephanie Garfield, who has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She's got tan skin, a muscular build, and is around five-eight. She seems to be wearing a red crop top with blue-bottom jeans and looks twenty-six.

Finally, there is another girl on his right. Her name is Amelia Winter. She has short black hair, round glasses, and black eyes. Her pale skin reflected in the moonlight. She sports a black party dress with a silver snowflake necklace. She looks to be twenty-four and around five-six.

They don't seem like trouble; the bouncer thinks to himself as he lets this dynamic trio enter the club.

The three sit at the counter by the bar as electronic music plays in the background. The guy starts looking through the list of drinks.

"I'll have the Streetwise Sunrise. Shaken, not stirred." Chris smiles.

"Oh, Oh! Get me a Sparkplug Sundae!" Steph happily requests.

"And I will have a Long Island Ice Tea." Ame orders.

"Not gonna get the Ms. Winter Mojito?"

"Shut up."

The bartender serves them their drinks. They thank them as they find a table to sit at.

"Okay, we got our drinks, now can we focus?" Ame asks. Slumping her head down so no one can recognize her.

"Come on, Amelia, It's not like we go here every day. Have some fun!" Steph responds.

"Yeah, Amelia. Stop being such a buzzkill, " Chris laughs.

"I hate you both." She replies, slowly sipping the drink.

Chris and Steph laugh as they quickly finish their drinks. They continue to order seconds, then thirds, then fourths. The night quickly passes by as the two hit the dance floor. For people with superhuman reflexes, the two dance like inflatable advertisements outside a car dealership.

Ms. Winter glares at the two idiots as she finishes her drink. She looks at her phone when a man approaches, carrying two drinks. Her eyes widen as she instantly recognizes who she's talking to.

"Hey there sweet cheeks, drinking all by yourself?"

The man appears to have dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. His outfit is a red hoodie, with black pants. Even without his White Mask, Winter easily identifies him as one of the students of Paladin's Academy.