Twilight in a Hazy Pub

[Kiki]

Kiki wandered into the Three Broomsticks, sufficiently confused. As much as she didn't want to think on it, it lurked within her mind. The warm, cozy air of the pub hit her face and embraced her - the smell of alcohol (if there was such a scent) doused the air and Kiki resolved not to think on anything that would detract from her enjoying a drink at an old favourite haunt of hers.

She slid through the crowd, slapping away groping hands and shooting cold looks to the drunken wizards who seemed to congregate in the only path she had to get to Madam Rosmerta. She considered pulling out her wand to hex several of them but remembered her personal vow and settled for simply hitting them away for the moment. She reached the bar and ignored a wolf whistle from behind her and ordered herself an Apple Explosion, winking at the bar boy cleaning glasses whom she'd organised the job for. He smiled back and Kiki slipped through the crowd again and sidled into an empty booth.

She took off her cloak - the air was more than warm enough in the hazy pub - and folded it on the seat beside her. Her purple eyes took in the scene around her: the flickering candlelit pub with broken shadows and pleasant atmosphere for all the drunkeness. She smiled at the thought that she had done it all once, but was much more cheery at the fact that she worked in an office now, not in a pub.

[Barnett Lee]

The smell of the pub clung to his clothes. The scent was so strong it was hard to tell what was his doing and what was merely the result of meeting with friends at a popular stomping ground. He was sitting on one of the high chairs at the counter. His elbows leaned casually on the counter top and he looked at the blond witch sitting beside him with a slightly dazed expression. At first glance, he would be yet another man off in drunken stupor. But really he was squinting at the woman, trying to figure how much work it was for her to act so ditsy.

"Scuse me, love." He growled, holding up a carton of cigarettes as excuse and slipped off his seat. He headed toward the exit, but as he was looping around a group of shouting, drunken men, he noticed the object of their - er, affection.

He tilted his head curiously at her retreating back and immediately pocketed the carton he had been threading between his fingers. Darting back - though making sure that the blond didn't see him - he ended up at the black haired woman's table, leaning his hip on the edge of the tabletop casually for a moment. Now, often he tried to be a bit more aloof with women in taverns, but he was caught up in the excitement of the evening - and the buzz of a few drinks - leading him to slide casually into the cushion across from her, trying on his most charmingly shy smiles.

"A fine establishment, no?" He asked her, lifting a careful eyebrow. "Everyone here is just so friendly."

[Kiki]

Kiki glanced up as a new face appeared by her table and slid into the seat opposite her. She brushed her raven dark hair out of her eyes and looked at him apprehensively about to ask why he'd joined her table exactly when her drink arrived. She slipped her hand into her pocket and extracted eleven Sickles, tipping them into the waitresses hand. Kiki smiled at the waitress as she turned and left, and Kiki remembered the gentleman who had invited himself into her booth.

She lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip, the clear coloured liquid looking and tasting exactly like water. As soon as it hit her tongue, there was an explosion of apple flavouring into her mouth - hence the name of the drink. Savouring the fruity taste as it slid down her throat, she set it back down on the table and turned her attention to the person opposite her.

"Mmm, at least finer than the Hog's Head," She agreed. She smiled ironically at his next comment - he had obviously seen the drunken wizards on her way in. She rolled her eyes a little at the sarcasm that was laced around his words. "Perhaps a little too friendly at times."

[Barnett Lee]

"Oh, no one here means any harm." He assured her, grinning crookedly. It wasn't clear if he meant the entire tavern, or just the young stranger sitting across from her. He eyed her drink ravenously, the number of glasses he had already thrown back a small, shadowed number floating in the back of his head, misting gently, easing the mind where alcohol should. He knew that he shouldn't have any more to drink if he were to creep back into the castle and not be falling over himself. But he was well trained, he wasn't worried.

"I love it when there are crowds like this." He confided after sensibly ordering a glass of water. "After a little while it doesn't matter if the person sitting next to you is a complete stranger - or your cousin - " he chuckled. "Because a number of them won't remember the evening anyhow. And those that do remember their escapades are out of your lives once you turn the corner. It's liberating."

He gazed across the table at her, lapsing briefly into silence. The tavern lights swung above them when a half-giant a few tables over slammed his ham-sized fist on his table, angry at the outcome of a round of poker. He noticed that the swinging circles of light shined rather unusually in her hair. She was sitting too stiffly for this kind of evening, he realized with a burst of inspiration. That's what it was. She looked rather reluctant to be liberated.

Well, we'll fix that, won't we Lee?

[Kiki]

Kiki laughed and took another sip of her drink, pausing to let the explosion take place and then licking a few droplets from her lips. A lock of dark hair fell in her eyes again and she slid it behind her ear, her violet eyes flickering around the pub before she opened her lips to speak.

"I don't know if liberating is the right word," She grinned nonetheless and looked over past the stranger in front of her and saw that the poker players on the table behind them were chipping in for another round. She watched them for a moment, the player with his back to her fanning his cards out so she could clearly see what he had. Pair of threes. A fairly pitiful hand, but then the threes transformed into Kings and Kiki's grin widened. She was surprised that none of the other players had picked up on the cheater as yet, though her eyes skipped over the others in the group and noticed that they all had a collection of empty tankards in front of them.

Turning her line of sight back to the boy drinking water in front of her, she realised that she had forgotten to ask his name.

"I'm sorry," She spoke over a particularly loud roar of disgust from the poker table next to them. "I didn't ask your name."

[Barnett Lee]

He set his glass down, drained now, because he was afraid that if another half giant decided to pound on the table and send vibrations through to their table, he didn't much want to clean up his water spilling down onto his pants. It often made people look at you awkwardly. Not that anyone would notice at the hour. The lighting was dim for atmosphere and the place was growing more and more crowded. The shouting and laughter and general buzz from the crowd was growing to an exhilerating level. Things were starting to spice up.

His shoulders twitched upward and he chuckled appreciately at the roar from one table over. He leaned forward slightly to hear Kiki better.

"Ah, of course." He answered her quickly, the wheels turning loudly in his head. Ah, what could it hurt? She's clearly out of school. "Barnett Lee. And may I ask your name, fair maiden?" He held out a hand cordially to her to formalize their greeting.

[Kiki]

Kiki placed her Apple Explosion gently on the table, swallowing the exploded liquid as she extended her hand to grasp Barnett's. She had noticed that he had moved closer to her, but said nothing. It was perfectly plausibly for the person in front of her to have moved a trifle closer with the increasing noise. She smiled wryly at the 'fair maiden' comment. He quite obviously was blissfully naive to her true identity. She wondered whether she should give him a false name, just to run with his ignorance a little, but decided against it.

"Kiki Michaels," She shook his hand firmly, deciding a comprimise with herself. She wouldn't add her official title so if he didn't know who she was - not that she had expected him to, after all, she'd only known the Minister Bob Rainbow because of a crazy sprite called Cornish, and Ministeress Meriel because of Agiel. Any before that she was too young to bother to take notice of.

She flashed a short smile to him and let go of his hand. Kiki reached for her glass and took another sip.

"What brings you out here tonight, if I may?"


OOC: Apologies for the lateness and the arghness of the post.