Avery Ngo

What is your name, occupation, and where do you live? Avery Ngo. I am a student and I live in the Hinterlands.

How long have you lived in the City? Not very long. You see, my family made it a habit to move around often. My mother insisted on it despite my grandmother’s disagreement. I think I am beginning to understand why we never settled in one place for too long.

Did you know Sybil Halloway? Were you at her party when she died? No and No, but I hear it was the party of all parties. 

What brought you here to the premiere and afterparty for The Valiant Fisherman’s Demise? I was simply curious about that boy. You know, the one who died? I mean I am sure everyone was to some degree. I just wanted to...make sure he died in peace, you know. He was about my age if I am not mistaken. Makes me wonder if anyone would come looking for me if I met the same fame.

Do you know anything about the Blackout that happened a few weeks ago? Not a clue. I was travelling during this time, you see.

Did you know Scott Sheffield? I do not.

Where were you March 12th, the night that Scott Sheffield was murdered? Asleep on the couch in the headquart- I mean, my home. With a rousing book on Egyptian Mythology. Did you know that pyramids are actually just extravagant tombstones for the pharoahs? 

Do you have anyone who can corroborate your alibi? I.....well, I am just not sure who was at the house at the time. Whoever was could’ve possibly heard my snoring. 

Scott Sheffield was seen at Sybil Halloway’s party. Do you know if they had some sort of relationship whether it’s platonic or something else? I hadn’t the slightest idea they even knew each other. 

The girl in front of Dutch looked awfully familiar, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on where she knew her from. It bothered Dutch and she hoped that she’d figure it out soon before the night was over. “Well, congratulations on winning,” Dutch said with a smile. “I’m sure it is something you will be prideful about for the rest of your life. Having a small vocabulary and two left feet,” she added with a laugh. “But I suppose if you’re getting cash for these downfalls, it’s not all that bad, hm?” She raised an eyebrow. 

Avery shook her head quickly. “My vocabulary is actually quite large. I was just told it makes you look prissy if you try to use five dollar words for a two cent conversation.” She shrugged once again, not getting offended at these comments despite what her mother might have said if she were here. That woman was never one to ‘roll with the punches’ so to speak. In fact, she might have thrown a punch or two at this place if given the chance. The girl’s question brought her back to reality briefly, still going on about the fake bet. “Yes yes....cash....” She mumbled dismissively. “Have we spoken before? You look vaguely familiar.”

He chuckled as she checked herself, brushing off anything that might’ve spilled onto her skirt. Usually he was the person in that situation – for once, it was nice to be on the other side. “That’s probably for the best,” James joked. He took her hand in his for a handshake. “Pleasure’s all mine. I’m James. I take it this is a typical occurrence for you, just like it is for me?”

She made a face. “That obvious, huh?” She sighed and readjusted her ponytail briefly before folding her arms across her chest and pursuing her lips in a silly manner. “I am very wise and very strong, and yet....my two left feet seem to betray me constantly. You never can win, can you?” She finally let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “It is.....nice to meet you James.”

Stella had been making her way rather swiftly through the crowds of the party, in search of one Dutch Balotelli in order to pass her on an unsuspecting slip of paper. She was sure she had spotted her over by the bar, or at the very least someone who looked just like her. In an attempt to keep her eyes on the woman for as long as possible, Stella hadn’t really been paying attention to any of the other party goers.

Or she wasn’t, until someone collided with her and almost sent the note floating down to the ground. For a brief moment, she frowned heavily, and may have erupted had she not realised the collision was caused by Avery, a girl she considered a good friend. “You almost knocked me clean out!” she began, as her frown turned to a bright smile. “You’re such a dork, Avery, you know that? Stop apologising.”

Avery stopped, her eyes widening a bit when she saw just who she bumped into. There was an odd mixture of relief. Maybe she wouldn’t be too ridiculed for her clumsy nature. “Oh goodness. Yes, it is a bit habit or so ive been told.” She picked up whatever fell and handed the note back to Stella quickly. “I have a lot of those, don’t I?” She scrunched up her nose with a little laugh. “Good thing I didn’t spill anything on ya.....Right?”

Nora had been just trying to blend into the wall, figuring that it would be the easiest way to get through the party that she didn’t particularly want to be at.  She’d been taking notes, or at least had been trying to as well as she could while using her leg as a makeshift desk for her notebook, so she hadn’t seen the girl coming or else she would have gotten out of the way.  “It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” Nora assured her with a smile, “Are you alright?”

Avery checked herself, checked the girl’s wardrobe, and then glanced around the floor surrounding them. Not a spill or stain or drip in sight. She sighed in relief. “I am alright. Are you alright? You are alright. Good good.” She very nearly wiped her forehead. She sipped her drink and set it down on the corner of a table that lined the wall. “What are you writing about?” She asked out of keen curiosity, quite a fan of writing and reading. She herself had a small notebook tucked into the breast pocket of her polka dotted shirt.

Dutch put a hand over the top of her glass when she ran into a girl. Luckily, with her fast reflexes, none of it spilled anywhere. For a split second, she saw red, but she knew better than to lose control of her temper around here. “Oh, don’t worry about it at all,” she said with a kind smile. It probably wasn’t the most sincere smile, but it was an attempt and she didn’t care all that much what others thought of her. “Did someone make a bet with you to see how many times you can use ‘terribly’ in one sentence?” she asked before taking a swig of her drink. “I’m perfectly fine. No need to apologize.”

Avery felt a small sting with the sarcastic retort. Her first instinct was always to crawl back into her shell and hide like her mother raised her, but her grandmother was much more spicy. So, instead of apologizing and making her leave, she gave a wide smile. “Yes, actually they did. I am currently winning. We also had a bet to see who the clumsiest person at the party was.” She held up two fingers. “Two for two. I am getting a good bit of cash after the after party.” She did a little dance and made sure to sip her drink until it was harder to spill.

Finally, it seemed that James Armstrong wasn’t the clumsiest person in the room. The young woman was looking up at the lights, and then out at the crowd – it was a wonder that she didn’t blind herself by doing so. But before James could even make a comment under his breath, she seemed to prove his point, bumping into him and starting to fumble around and apologize. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m usually the one bumping into people, so it’s nice to see someone else do it for once. I’ll…” He glanced down at himself, assessing the damage. “I think I’ll be okay. What about you? Are you okay?”

Avery Ngo checked herself of any spills before double checking her new friend, sighing with relief when there were no stains or spills to be found. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Why don’t we just...put this...” She set the cup on the edge of the nearest table found. She wiped her hands off on her bright yellow skirt before extending a handshake to him. “Avery. Pleasure to meet you, fellow clumsy individual.”