It still counted if one showed up fashionably late, yes? As much as these kinds of events really weren't his thing, Alastair was actually taking some of the things Ruka said to him to heart. If he wasn't going to make friends out of his coworkers or patrons, or other locals, the least he could do was try to rub elbows with the other freaks and geeks, right?

He didn't have much in the way of formal wear, the only pair of pants he owned that weren't jeans were skin-tight black leather, the kind for clubbing. Those, with a tight black sweater, were the best he could manage. He prowled his way in at ten to eight, annoyed that he was still too early for the bar but at least he missed the dining and mingling part. It wasn't like him to go all wallflower, but there he was, just sort of scoping out the crowd and wondering what possessed him to come looking for friends.