Rose had been unable to hide the occasional glances she sent in the direction she’d seen Astoria slip off into. The club was crowded, the music unfamiliar and loud and everyone seemed to take casual body contact for granted in a way the former Hufflepuff had never encountered. Elbows brushed her, arms slid round her waist or shoulders to catch the attention of the person of a friend standing beside her. One man had even gone so far as to bodily move her by her hips to get closer to the bar area she’d been loitering beside and Rose had blinked at him in shock as he winked at her and carried on ordering drinks.
However as the night had worn on, she’d become used to it and no longer jumped or flinched when people bumped into her. Always a tactile person she found herself liking it; Muggles were still relatively unfamiliar but they seemed to be friendly enough. Almost like wizards really, minus the magic. Her dress was a little shorter than the outfits she normally wore to social outings but compared to many of the other dancers in the club she was overdressed in her new and highly charmed shoes. Astoria looked regal: tall, willow-slim and with poise Rose knew she couldn’t even begin to emulate. The past week had been hard for her best friend and it had been days before she’d even come out of her room; longer still for her to beat the stutter which Rose laid firmly as Daphne’s fault.
But tonight wasn’t about that; it wasn’t about families, disputes, jobs or even worries. This evening was simply about having fun – Rose didn’t want to be reliable, safe or predictable. Tomorrow she could go back to being that but with a dress she’d chosen to deliberately skim her thighs, Rose wanted to create her own adventures and not borrow them from her clients or friends. Spotting Astoria, Rose gave her a grin as she approached them. “Tequila? I’ve heard of that. It’s supposed to be good. I’m in, what do you think Adrian? Is it something we should try?”