When Nick arrived, he watched in amusement as Cassie scuttled off. She was a quirky sort of kid. With an appreciative glance around at all the decorations he then set a beeline for one of the open bars and got himself a glass of whiskey to start the evening. He was, for once, dressed in civilian clothes- a black suit with a red shirt and not tie- and he felt strangely exposed without his customary leather trench coat. Damned California weather. It had been snowing in New York this morning.
As he sipped his drink he glanced over and watched as a very familiar young woman approached. Susan Storm, of the Fantastic Four. He'd done a lot of dealings with her father and with Reed Richards. Malibu was far from home for the girl and he looked around, wondering if Richards would be here. Eventually he decided he might as well just ask so he sidled over and smiled. "Ms. Storm, fancy seeing you here. How's your father?"