InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Zeeky boogy doog!"

erniedtmac (erniedtmac) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-10-17 22:55:00

Entry tags:

character: ernie macmillan, character: gemma farley, character: neville longbottom, character: pandora montgomery, character: pansy parkinson, character: vikesh moon, character: wayne hopkins

Who: OPEN
What: Finnigan's Dance Club - a quick Salsa lesson and then everyone par-tay!
Where: Finnigan's - The Roost
When: Friday, October 17 - 9pm - 2am
Status: OPEN / Ongoing

Even though several members of the greater wizarding community were off enjoying their dates from the Fawley Foundation fundraiser, that didn't mean that everyone else couldn't have a fun night out. It was Ernie's once-a-month dance lesson, and he'd chosen a simple Salsa for the night. Those who were interested were welcome to join in the short, half-hour group lesson to learn a few steps - and later, Ernie was more than happy to give a few one-on-one lessons to any man or woman interested - but for those who weren't the music was pumping in the room specially designed by Dominic to be fun and flamboyant - something like Ernie himself. Neither the music nor the pouring of drinks would end until last call.

[A/N - Feel free to start your own threads below, and/or start one for a private salsa lesson with Ernie]

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-18 10:04 am UTC (link)

Wayne shook her hand and nodded. "Very nice to meet you, Dora." His good sense (or what there was of it) reminded him not to ask if she were an explorer. It was probably just short for Isadora or something. Whatever.

"Well, why don't we start with the drink and then you can decide if you want to dance with me or not?" His coordination, while not the best, wasn't terrible. He had the usual rhythm and moves of a stereotypical caucasian male.

"So, what's your poison, then?" he asked, tipping his glass to indicate hers. "I'm in a rum-and-coke mood, myself." It was good, too - Wayne could tell the bar hadn't skimped and gotten bargain-brand cola. The cold crisp taste of the soda mixed with the warmth the rum gave him was, at this moment, perfect.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 12:13 am UTC (link)

"Hmmm." She thought it over a minute and then nodded. She couldn't see the harm in another drink before dancing. She had several more before her coordinatjon started to slip, at least, she knew from experience.

She held up her glass and smirked faintly. "Firewhiskey," she said succinctly. "You ever had it?" It was unique to the wizarding world and not everyone liked it or could handle it. "But I'll try what you have. Rum is always good." Better than tequila, certain. That was an evil she didn't want to revisit.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-19 04:31 am UTC (link)

Wayne chuckled to himself. Had he ever had Firewhiskey. That's a good one.

"I'm gonna guess you grew up in the magical world, then?" he asked, summoning the bartender for a rum and coke for Dora.

"I'd advise against tequila. It's very very good until it suddenly is the worst thing humanity has ever achieved. Not sure I know anyone without a terrible tequila story."

He had a few under his belt, to be sure.

"What's your story?" he asked, trying to go for casual. "Feel free to make something up. I'm pretty gullible."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 05:26 am UTC (link)

"What gave me away?" Dora said dryly. It usually was obvious, after talking to her, and she knew it. She was working on it, but she grew up exclusively in this world and that would never go away.

She snorted. "I've learned my lesson with tequila," she said. "So no thank you. I don't particularly like it anyway." She would taste it for days afterward. She'd much rather stick with whiskey and screw that. "Rum is a good, solid liquor that doesn't kill you for the week after. At least not as badly." And wow she sounded like a lush, and she really wasn't.

She downed the rest of her whiskey in another gulp, so she'd have room for the rum-and-coke he was ordering her. It made sense, hey. She leaned against the bar, at ease if only because it was something to do, talk to this guy before she danced. "My story, huh?" Her lips turned up faintly, giving her a faintly mysterious Mona-Lisa-esque look. "Daughter of tradition, disowned for being too adaptable, duelist, former queen of the world, and currently in want of a dance partner."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-19 05:58 am UTC (link)

Wayne's eyebrows didn't really shoot up, but they did rise. He hadn't expected something right out of a book he'd actually read, for once.

"Well, I could be that dance partner. If you don't mind me, of course," he told her. If she didn't want to know about him, he wasn't inclined to tell her much. Although, he thought, information traded in good faith helped build trust.

"I figure everyone's disowned by somebody at some point along the line." Not that that had happened to him, precisely, but he knew enough about his father to know he'd never come back to meet Wayne.

Dora was stunning, and quite out of his league, but what drew him to her was...unless he was mistaken, their ghosts were similar. Wayne finished off his drink (there'd been a lot of ice, he figured), and relished the warmth it gave him inside, like a comforting glowing fire.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 06:32 am UTC (link)

She gave him a bigger smile. "And what about you, before I dance with you, tell me your story. And I'm not terribly gullible, but you can pretend I am anyway."

Dora sipped at her new drink when it came. Tasty, indeed, though not with the same burn as the whiskey. Probably best that way, she mused, and sweeter tasting like this. "Hm. I don't know that I'm blasted off the tree, honestly. No one's bothered to tell me, you see. But yes. Disowning does happen." And why was she talking about it to a stranger, she didn't know, she never talked about it to anyone, not even Mils. She might with Tristan but... just.

Eh. She'd blame it on the alcohol. She took a large swallow of her drink just to make sure she had a good excuse.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-19 06:45 am UTC (link)

Wayne grinned and opened his mouth to start, but wasn't sure which version of his story he should use, or how specifically to spin it.

"How about," he began, "a rough-around-the-edges Hufflepuff dropout trying his damndest not to become the next in a long line of walking Welsh stereotypes?" That would do, he supposed. At the very least, it displayed for her how thoroughly out of his league she was...that is, unless she fancied a stroll in the proverbial gutter.

Wayne started his next rum and coke, observing her reaction to the drink that was obviously new to her. "Blasted off the tree, is that a real thing or just a beautifully crafted metaphor? Could go either way."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 06:57 am UTC (link)

She looked him over again a little, assessing once more. Not necessarily negatively, and it's not like she had a great story herself if she were to tell him the whole thing. "More than one person dropped out during those years," she said after a moment. There were many reasons, too, and it wasn't like she could judge too much. "Might want to get your NEWTs eventually, though."

And what was it with Hufflepuffs lately, anyway? She took another sip of her drink and decided to say it. "I'm surrounded by you 'puffs lately," she told him, grinning a bit. "You're everywhere, I swear."

Her brows lifted. "Muggleborn?" she asked. Complicated feelings swirled in her but he'd bought her alcohol so they came down on the side she prefered, plus she thought she'd made excellent progress considering how her uncles and aunt had fucked her up int hat regard. "It's a real thing, as well as a metaphor. My mother was blasted off her tree for reasons of 'extreme differences in morals.'" She drank more, because honestly you really couldn't taste the alcohol that much in this thing, so it wasn't that strong in her eyes. "Montgomeries don't usually blast the tree, but with mother, who knows."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-19 07:20 am UTC (link)

Wayne had no trouble imagining a pureblood mother hexing relatives off a family tree, whether it was a tapestry or an actual, you know, tree, or something else entirely.

He shook his head as he took a sip of his drink. "Half and half. Mum was Muggleborn, though, so she was just accustomed to living in the Muggle world." That, and that's where the jobs were. At least, until the hoover factory in Merthyr shut down.

"Still, less of a 'ancestral estate' and more of a 'council estate.' I always wondered what it'd've been like growing up in the magical world," he admitted, surprising himself at the admission. "I don't need an OWL in Divination to figure that NEWTs aren't in my future," he told her. "My talents lie outside the academic sphere." He smiled slyly, pure confidence.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 07:43 am UTC (link)

"It's a strange place to me. Even living in it now." She lifted a shoulder. It was only the truth. Though she rarely interacted with her Muggle neighbors, especially since she kept herself so very busy most of the time. She really could use with more to do, she thought tonight, though she didn't really realize that being tired from too much doing was part of her problem right now.

Her lips quirked, and she found herself interested in the sly confidence he suddenly presented. She didn't know if it was put upon or not. "Well, you don't have to get them all, and it's not all academics. It's practicals in a lot of cases. They're good to get if you want to do an apprenticeship or even work in some places."

She sipped again, nearly finished with her drink, and regarded him with a curious sort of look. "Do I dare ask you just where your talents lie?" she asked. "Or does that way lie more madness than my already nutty mind can handle?"

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-19 07:50 am UTC (link)

Wayne shrugged at the idea of going back for NEWTs. Too much time had passed, and he probably wouldn't have gotten a ton of them, even if he had stayed. And, you know, not gotten a girl pregnant at fifteen.

"I guess that depends on how much madness you're in for," he told her, grinning and knowing that he was doomed. But what a way to die.

"I can tell you that, at the very least, I know the basic steps for salsa. Because I saw them in a film once." He polished off the last of his drink and - well, he didn't slam the glass back down, but it landed with more force than he'd intended - he regarded her.

"What about you? What are your talents?

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 08:09 am UTC (link)

"And seeing them in a film totally counts, right?" she said dryly. She had seen a grand total of one so far. She didn't have much time to explore the muggle world or even her television yet, but she'd made time for one out of curiosity. It seemed like an interesting form of entertainment.

Her fingers flicked at the barkeep and she ordered another drink for herself since this one was finished. She immediately took a sip of it when it arrived. For a small person, she could hold a great deal of alcohol in relation to her size, something she would grudgingly admit came from practice.

"My talents. Why, darling, I'm charming, can't you tell?" she said with a bright, almost ironic, smile, rolling her wrist in an elegant gesture toward herself, letting a small wave of magic charm some shiny things along the hem of her dress. "And maybe a little dangerous if you cross me." Her smile was just a little sharp, but not threatening. "I was serious about the dueling thing."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-19 08:56 am UTC (link)

Well, if she was anything, she was definitely charming. There was no arguing about that. And, like the idea of Susan being a hit witch, Wayne found it a little scary.

"Totally counts," he told her. Films totally counted as lessons, probably.

"Well, then, I won't cross you. I'd rather have dangerous people on my side, thanks," he told her, grinning. "The dueling I grew up with was more like trying to smack other people with towels." True story.

It looked like she could keep up with him, drink-for-drink, and that in itself was rather telling. It told Wayne that the look he'd seen in her first probably matched his own more than he originally imagined.

"I'll do my best not to step on your feet, then."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-19 09:14 am UTC (link)

Pandora looked down at her hand and sighed. Healing charms helped but if you really looked, you could still see a few places where there were faint scars on the knuckles, most from her time as a Death Eater when sometimes punching someone out worked better than the alternative. "I have an unfortunate tendency to hit people, or so I've been told," she said with a sigh and a faint pout. "But it's less permanent than my hexes, usually." She smiled at him, propping her chin on her fist on the bar. "I competed for several years, dueling. You might enjoy it, it's quite fun. And you don't have to have NEWTs so long as you can send someone flying across the room." Of course, she was also told that her sense of fun was rather skewed, so.

"You want to give it a go?" she asked, tilting her head toward where there was dancing going on.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-21 12:40 am UTC (link)

Wayne blinked. Then he got it, and rolled his eyes with a grin, and put on a look of mock fear.

"Give what a go? Dueling? Punching? Sending each other flying across the room? Because I just thought we were going to dance. Not that I'm opposed to those things, though."

He liked this woman. Maybe he could take up dueling instead of boxing? Though you can't duel by yourself. Maybe he could get her to teach him a thing or two, and they could spar.

Or dance, but whatever.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-21 04:53 am UTC (link)

Dora laughed and held out her hand, feeling comfortably warm from the alcohol and a trifle forward for asking him to dance rather than waiting for an invitation. "Dancing first. Perhaps I can show off the other stuff another time," she said. "Besides, Seamus would be upset if blood got on the floor."

She tugged him out to the dance floor just as another salsa tune started, hands and arms going automatically into the correct positions.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-21 06:03 am UTC (link)

Wayne winced theatrically. "Yeah, blood on the dance floor. Sounds like either an awful indie band name or a genuine health hazard." He let her lead him out, and began, as usual with him, on the wrong foot.

"Sorry," he said, actually wincing as he sort of bumped into her. "I miscounted. Please let's don't try the dueling next?" Then, inexplicably, Wayne found himself biting his lower lip to keep from giggling.

"Mulligan?"

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-21 06:08 am UTC (link)

She snorted softly, perhaps a little more amused than she should be. "Band name. There you go, it's a good one,"she said, shaking her head and grinning. "Some hellacious music, that." She didn't wince, not quite, as he started out wrong. She wasn't that crass and besides she'd asked him to dance.

She giggled faintly, and with a deft, especially considering she'd had a couple of drinks, bumped him back just so to get him back on the correct foot. "Mulligan, yes. You can do this. Just so," she said, and started counting softly and leading a little more than a lady was supposed to.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-21 06:19 am UTC (link)

It only took her nudge to get Wayne's feet under him, so to speak, and he soon had the basic salsa steps down, with less hip motion than was displayed by the experts. What had they called it? Cuban motion? It'd been eons since he'd seen that film, anyway.

"Better?" he asked, after a moment. "I'm not going to incur your wrath, am I?" He winked, sure she wouldn't hex him for that, but it was a fun idea. Wait. What?

Maybe he needed more to drink.

"Did you know," he began, putting on his trying-to-impress-someone hat, "salsa is named just like the dip? Because it has lots of different ingredients from lots of different kinds of dance?" Wayne didn't remember where he'd picked that up, and it sounded like it could be true.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-21 09:44 am UTC (link)

Dora grinned a bit, proud that she'd managed to knock him into rhythm. As he got into it, she did more, with a natural hip movement that spoke of some dancing experience and a few foot flourishes to back it up. The hem of her dress swung pleasingly as she led him into guiding her into a twirl. It made her head spin just a bit, coupled with the alcohol she'd already hadn this would likely be the giddy portion of her night.

Her eyebrows raised. She didn't know if she bought that or not, but it was clever. "Really now?" She asked. "Are you having me on?" It was a reasonable explanation for salsa, anyway. "I've never really had much real Spanish or Mexican or whatever food. My parents preferred France."

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-22 03:53 am UTC (link)

"Totally underrated," Wayne told Dora. "Amazing food. Lots of different spices and seasonings. One of my favorites is a tamale - it's made and served in the husk of the corn it's made with. It's hard to explain. One of my mates back in Cardiff, his mum was Mexican." And they had nearly always eaten at her house, too.

"And tortilla soup. I bet Romeo here knows a recipe or two." It wouldn't surprise him, to be honest - it'd surprise him more if Romeo didn't. "That was actually my introduction to tequila, too." He pulled a face. "Why does everyone have a bad tequila experience story?" Wayne did his best to lead her into an ordinary, non-fancy spin. Rum always told him he could dance.

"Anyway. So your parents like French. What do you prefer?" he asked.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-22 05:13 am UTC (link)

"Seamus told me the other day it was good. Just never done it, really." Her travels had occasionally included Spain but she'd not done much there. "It sounds good though." She gave a little shiver at the mention of tequila.

"Because tequila is evil and should never be drunk by anyone. Evil. More evil than so so many things," she said with a definite nod. She spun again, laughing softly under her breath. Dancing and alcohol was fun. She'd forgotten that, probably because she usually fot too drunk to think when she really drank.

"Eastern European and middle eastern," she said after thinking for a moment. "It's most of where I've been, but good stuff there. Never turn down some good Indian food either."

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	Re: Pandora and Wayne waynecymraeg 2014-10-22 10:39 pm UTC (link)
	"There's this great curry place near where I live, in London," Wayne said. He wasn't asking her out, not really. It was just... It was nice. Talking to someone totally new, who he didn't have to lie to about magic. Or alcohol. "They stay open til two." He watched her as he sort-of-led, sort-of-followed. "What's your position on shots?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Pandora and Wayne

pandacharms
2014-10-22 11:13 pm UTC (link)

"Mmm. Curry," she said with the relish if someone who hadn't had any in a while and who enjoyed it quite a bit. She eyed him just a bit, knowing her decision making was already a little muddled. She had a guy she would admit to crushing on right now. But food and alcohol wasn't necessarily anything more to her. But ... her thoughts trailed off, distracted by dancing and alcohol.

"Hmm. So long as they aren't tequila shots are very nice," she said in a show of bad decision making that only happened when she drank seriously. "What do you have in mind?" Obviously he was no stranger to this descent into a bottle of something. Which shouldn't be reassuring and yet for some reason it kinda was, for once.

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Re: Pandora and Wayne

waynecymraeg
2014-10-23 12:02 am UTC (link)

"Well," Wayne began, "There's a host of shots that aren't tequila." And we seem like we can keep pace with each other. "And some of them are quite fun."

Wayne sized her up again, realizing for the ninetieth time that she was from another league - or another planet - than him.

He wasn't trying to get into her knickers. He wasn't. It was just...

...he hadn't had a drinking buddy in the magical world. Ever, now that he thought of it.

"At least, I only know of Muggle ones. Maybe there's a magical one or two you could introduce me to?"

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Re: Pandora and Wayne -

pandacharms, 2014-10-23 01:31 am UTC

Re: Pandora and Wayne -

waynecymraeg, 2014-10-23 01:54 am UTC

Re: Pandora and Wayne -

pandacharms, 2014-10-23 02:03 am UTC

Re: Pandora and Wayne -

waynecymraeg, 2014-10-23 02:11 am UTC

Re: Pandora and Wayne -

pandacharms, 2014-10-23 03:27 am UTC

Re: Pandora and Wayne -