"Oh, that's not..." Not how it works, she's going to explain, clearly Jasper hasn't done a very good job of it, but she's distracted both by Natasha's words and by the sudden sweet warmth of her hand, which disappears much more quickly than Alice wants it to. Vampires don't blush, but she might be, if she could.

"The adventure of it all," she repeats thoughtfully, and her smile grows before she just can't resist anymore and she has to reach out and pull Natasha into a joyful hug. "That's exactly what I think," she continues as she releases her and takes her hand, lacing their fingers together, because all this polite-stranger nonsense needs to stop.

She tugs gently and leads the way to the low cushioned reading area tucked away behind the fireplace. Jasper will be back within an hour, she thinks, and they have a lot of ground to make up. "He's had you to himself for weeks, it's definitely my turn. But at least you didn't keep me waiting as long as he did," she says as she perches on the couch, legs tucked up underneath her.