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Tweak says, "IT'S ALMOST OVER!"

Melinda Bobbin (_melinda_) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-09-13 23:52:00

Entry tags:

character: ben stebbins, character: bryn cadwallader, character: cho chang, character: marietta edgecombe, character: melinda bobbin, character: oliver wood, character: richard summerby, character: roger davies

RP: Ben's Birthday
Who: Ben, Bryn, Cho, Marietta, Melinda, Oliver, Richard(?), and Roger + any other plus ones that might be included
What: Celebrating Ben’s birthday
Where: The Muggle side of The Leaky Cauldron, the Indian restaurant down the street, and Wingbeat
When: 13. September - evening
Rating: NSFW – Language (perhaps)

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	The Muggle side of The Leaky Cauldron _melinda_ 2014-09-13 09:57 pm UTC (link)
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Melinda + OPEN

_melinda_
2014-09-13 11:48 pm UTC (link)

It was a mild evening, though with the very likely risk of the temperature dropping later on, Melinda had pulled a light coat over her sleeveless red top. Checking to make sure that her wand was safely tucked away in her purse, she gave Oliver’s hand a gentle squeeze before they left The Leaky Cauldron on the Muggle side. It was one thing to tell Cho about Oliver – and Roger to some extent, though he had guessed based on assumptions – and quite another thing to have him actually meet her friends, and that at a party where there had been grumblings about the encouragement of plus ones. Granted, Oliver probably knew most, if not all, of the other people in the group, but still.

Out on the street, Melinda smiled when she saw that they weren’t the first ones there. “Hey,” she smiled in greeting as she came up to them.

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Re: Melinda + OPEN

zenben
2014-09-14 12:36 am UTC (link)

Ben was on time for once, which was something of a miracle in and of itself. That he was the first to arrive was even more surprising, but he didn't think he'd be kept waiting long. Dressed in his usual club wear, tight jeans and a black t-shirt, he'd added a plaid button-up for dinner.

He was proven right on the not waiting long when he saw Melinda and Oliver walk up. "Hi, thanks for arranging this," he said, giving her a warm squeeze and smiling at Oliver. "Glad you could make it, Oliver. I hope you know what you're getting into with this group. I can't promise there won't be dancing on tables later." Once the alcohol started flowing, it was anything goes.

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Re: Melinda + OPEN

rogeringdavies
2014-09-14 05:09 am UTC (link)

Roger was running slightly late. He'd had a checkup with his Healer, and had only managed to escape by promising to have another check up in the morning. Walking up, he saw Ben, Melinda, and Oliver standing around talking.

"Heya guys," he called out as he walked up. "Sorry for being late!" Smiling, he pulled Ben into a huge bear hug and ruffled his hair. "Left the hound at home tonight I see?"

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	Re: The Group zenben 2014-09-14 03:58 pm UTC (link)
	Ben wrapped himself around Roger, and laughed. "You know what a sloppy drunk he is, I thought it best to leave him home." He gave Roger a smacking kiss on the lips, then hopped down. "So, where are my presents?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	nowinaminute 2014-09-14 05:54 pm UTC (link)
	"Who's a sloppy drunk?" Bryn asked, even as he wrapped his arms around Ben from behind in a vice-like hug. He was late, but if anyone in the group had actually expected him to be bang on time, they obviously didn't know him well enough at all. "Presents? Why do you need presents when you have our presence, cupcake?" he teased. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	rogeringdavies 2014-09-15 02:02 am UTC (link)
	Roger snorted, wrapping his arms around the two of them. "Now if this isn't a threesome waiting to happen, I don't know what is," he joked. He nodded in agreement, poking his tongue out at Bryn over Ben's head. "I agree, the glory of our presence should be enough for you, shouldn't it studmuffin?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

marrededge
2014-09-15 02:32 am UTC (link)

Marietta walked up to the small group and shook her head as she caught the tail end of the interaction between Ben, Bryn and Roger. "Looks as if I've arrived just in time. Can't let your ego overshadow our brilliant Ben."

If there was anything Mari was good at it was pulling everyone back to reality. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy a good joke, she simply never quite felt as if she fit in to the teasing. She'd never been able to decipher between a sarcastic teasing statement and the passive aggressive attack.

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zenben
2014-09-16 12:52 am UTC (link)

"Don't promise things you're not willing to see through," Ben teased Roger. "A threesome for my birthday could be just the thing." Though Bryn was entirely straight, so he didn't think he'd go for it.

Ben extracted himself from the lads to give Mari a hug too. "Roger gives it a good try, but my ego's healthy enough to take his," he grinned. "Glad you made it." This last was addressed to the whole group, and rather rhetorical in nature.

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	nowinaminute 2014-09-16 01:34 pm UTC (link)
	"I couldn't keep up with you two anyway," Bryn said, managing to keep a straight face. It was good to see Ben happy and not moping about turning another year older. "Glad to be here." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rogeringdavies
2014-09-16 03:51 pm UTC (link)

"Oh now c'mon darling," Roger said, smiling cheekily at Marietta and putting an arm over Bryn easily. "We were just having a bit of fun at Ben's expense. Rowena knows it's not like he doesn't do the same for us. If we were a band, we'd be the Ego Deflators. Perhaps that's how we'll make our millions."

He looked at Bryn and poked his tongue out. "You so could, dearie. But enough of that, how've you been anyway?"

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	marrededge 2014-09-19 01:26 am UTC (link)
	Marietta simply shook her head in resignation. She'd basically grown up with these guys but that didn't mean she'd ever really understand them. It was still tough trying to navigate the nuances of some of their interactions. The boys continued their banter and she slowly stepped back to watch the interaction and wait for the group to make their way toward the restaurant. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	The Indian Restaurant _melinda_ 2014-09-13 09:58 pm UTC (link)
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Marietta and OPEN

marrededge
2014-09-15 02:46 am UTC (link)

Once the group had settled at their table Marietta picked up a menu and flipped through the pages. She wasn't quite sure what she felt like that night. Most evenings she prepared a small meal for herself at home with recipes passed down from her grandmother. Rarely did she go out to dinner unless she was invited to join her friends on an outing such as this one.

"The decor is lovely," she said glancing up to see who else had begun to browse the offerings. "Who's idea was this again? I don't recall ever having found my way here before."

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Marietta, Melinda and OPEN

_melinda_
2014-09-17 05:00 pm UTC (link)

Melinda looked up from her menu to take a look at what Marietta was referring to. “It is,” she smiled, though she had known that before. This was one of the places that she liked, but didn’t go to all that often, for the simple reason that they didn’t deliver to Monument Alley and it wasn’t all that often that she felt like going to an actual restaurant to eat after a long day at work.

Leaning closer to Marietta, Melinda lowered her voice. “Cho’s,” she answered her friend’s question, “but that’s a secret, because she’s supposed to take time off from time to time. Ooh, chicken tikka pakora.”

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Marietta, Melinda and OPEN

marrededge
2014-09-19 01:44 am UTC (link)

Marietta nodded. She should have known that Cho knew all the best places. In fact she wouldn't have been surprised if this was a place Cho had contracted catering with in the past for one of the many occasions she handled.

"It's safe with me," she whispered back just as Melinda turned her focus back to the menu. With a sigh she too focused on what she ought to order. It was odd really, one on one she had no problem speaking. When they got together at someone's home she generally felt comfortable. Out in public though was something completely different. It was quite possible, however, that her uneasiness with being out in public came from the months she'd spent focused on making sure she went straight home after work while ensuring no one else came over or followed.

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Marietta, Melinda and OPEN

_melinda_
2014-09-20 11:40 am UTC (link)

“I know,” Melinda whispered with a smile. She quickly reached the bottom of the menu before she turned back to her. “Do you want to share one of these,” she pointed to the chicken tikka pakora, “and something else with me?” she asked her looking back up to meet her eyes with a small almost sheepish smirk. “There’s so much delicious food, but two starters before the main course? That’s too much, even for me.”

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Re: Marietta, Melinda and OPEN

marrededge
2014-09-25 04:18 pm UTC (link)

Marietta nodded at the choice. She was particularly in the mood for anything specific so she would concede to whatever others wanted this evening. "I tend to enjoy my heavier meal in the middle of the day," she stated for no reason in particular. She had just found that she often didn't need more than a cup of coffee or tea first thing in the morning and hated to have too much in her stomach when she worked or played in the evenings.

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	Wingbeat _melinda_ 2014-09-13 09:59 pm UTC (link)
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Richard + Open

the_richard
2014-09-14 12:23 am UTC (link)

Richard had skipped the initial meet up and Indian food, getting takeaway so he could work late at the office. Paperwork seemed to accumulate in direct proportion to the size of the contract, and the last one had been a big one. He told himself for the thousandth time he needed an office manager of some sort to help keep the piles of paper from spilling out the door. Especially because the senior partners still didn't believe in computers - even typewriters were too new-fangled for some of them.

Finally he was finished. A quick shower and shave in the tiny washroom attached to his office, a splash of bay rum aftershave, a clean shirt and a fresh suit, and he was ready to go.

It had been a little... difficult, the first time he'd gone into Wingbeats. Charlie had sort of been his inspiration in school. But Charlie seemed well enough adjusted to his new life, so Rich made it a point to not comment on what had happened. It could have happened to any of them on any of the Reservations.

He hadn't really been based back in London long enough to line up any convenient 'plus ones', so he was alone as he made his way to the bar and ordered a double bourbon, neat. Leaning back against the bar, he looked around to see who else was there.

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Re: Richard + Ben + Open

zenben
2014-09-14 12:41 am UTC (link)

Dinner had been fabulous, and by the time they arrived at the club Ben was already half lit. He'd paced himself through the beginning of dinner, but as the time drew near to head to the club he hadn't been as careful. It was his birthday celebration, and as uneasy he'd been about turning twenty-seven he was ready to prove he could keep up with the younger set still.

He headed to the bar as soon as they got there, wanting to get a round for the group as thanks for coming out. He spotted Richard immediately, and launched himself at his friend. "You made it! I was afraid you wouldn't when you didn't make dinner. It's good to see you." He gave Rich a smacking kiss on the cheek; Ben had always been affectionate and alcohol only exaggerated that aspect of his personality. "What are you drinking?"

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Richard + Ben + Open

the_richard
2014-09-14 12:56 am UTC (link)

Shaking his head in amusement at the affectionate greeting, Rich took advantage of his almost six inch height advantage to pat Ben paternally on top of his head. "Well look at the birthday boy. Almost all grown up."

"It was a perilous journey through mountains of paperwork, but of course I made it. Now that I'm based in London again, I hope to make more of these things."

He lifted his glass to his friend. "Bourbon. Cheers and many more, young fellow."

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Re: Richard + Ben + Open

zenben
2014-09-14 04:12 pm UTC (link)

Ben didn't mind the head pat, and in fact enjoyed having his head scratched and rubbed. So he just grinned and enjoyed it. "I'm still older than you, Summerby." Twenty-seven, a groaning voice said in his head, but he ignored it.

Ben's nose scrunched up at the thought of paperwork. "I was an office aide for a few weeks several years ago. Only job I'd never go back to. I don't know how you can stand so much paperwork all the time." Ben needed to be moving for most of the day. He and paperwork did not agree.

Bourbon was not Ben's drink of choice. He preferred colorful, fruity drinks that would knock you on your ass while tasting delicious. He ordered such a thing, and several others for the rest, and when it came he held it up to Richard. "Thanks. Come and join the group? I think we're over there." He waved absently in the direction of the back of the club.

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Re: Richard + Ben + Open

the_richard
2014-09-14 05:05 pm UTC (link)

Richard chuckled and held a finger to his lips. "Shhh. September thirtieth. I was in Hong Kong so I never said anything. Got you by a couple of weeks. Never much for birthday celebrations - my own anyway - so don't mention it. Rather not have a fuss."

"The pay, son. Only the pay. Truth be told," he shrugged, "I'm thinking seriously about hiring an office minion to deal with all that stuff. I swear we could heat the hole building all winter with the paperwork we generate in a week. You run across anybody looking for that sort of gig - who might actually be good at the job - send them my way. Long hours, workaholic boss, piles of galleons."

Rich tossed down the rest of his drink, grabbed the new one, and nodded to Ben. Sounds like a plan. Lead the way and protect me from all the manic huggers."

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

_melinda_
2014-09-14 10:12 pm UTC (link)

After an evening with good food, loads of wine and good company, not to mention being able to be out publicly with Oliver, Melinda’s spirits were high. No, she wasn’t dancing on the table as Ben had warned Oliver, but she had been dancing- they had been dancing. Everybody had been dancing and hugging – oh, so much hugging – talking and… it had been a great evening. It still was a great evening even though her feet were getting tired. Those heels did wonders for her legs, but they were far from practical.

Running her fingers along the warm skin on Oliver’s neck as a way to greet him, she smiled at him as she sat down in his lap. “Good evening?” she asked him, her gaze briefly held by his.

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

oliverwoodwould
2014-09-17 06:13 am UTC (link)

Oliver wouldn't have wanted to admit it, because it belied his carefully crafted Quidditch Cool Guy easiness, but Oliver was a bit nervous about this night. This was the first time that he was out with Mel in public as her boyfriend, and a bit of him worried that he wouldn't fit as easily in with them as he knew she would with his friends. But Oliver was nothing if not aggressively friendly and damned near determined to make them love him. He would treat Mel well, he would show them that tonight, and what would they have to dislike him with? Nothing, that's what. He danced, he hugged, he smiled, and he adored Mel, the look plainly obvious on his face every time he looked at her. He thought it was going swimmingly.

He leaned into her touch, wrapping his arms around her as she sat in his lap, kissing the side of her head. "Great evening," he countered, soppy look still evident. "You don't think they hate me, do you? I know I danced awfully close to Roger, but that's just our way. You're the only one for me." He laughed, knowing she wouldn't think him actually flirting with his friend. Much as Oliver and Roger liked to tease about Roger turning him, he had no attraction to males in general or Roger in particular.

"I'm just glad to be out with you."

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

_melinda_
2014-09-17 03:43 pm UTC (link)

Melinda purred and only just managed to swallow down a giggle when Oliver kissed her. She could practically feel the slushy settle into her smile and her eyes taking on that doe like quality that she just couldn’t help when she looked at Oliver; she was well aware that right now they were one of those couples that she used to smirk at and claim never to become when out with Mari and Cho, but she just didn’t care. For all of the few concerns she had had about Oliver meeting her friends, he had put every single one of them to shame, which… didn’t really surprise her. Oliver, it seemed, had a way of charming people without any apparent effort.

With a grin, happy to hear that he was enjoying himself, Melinda leaned in and brushed a kiss to his lips. “Hate you?” she laughed, nudging his nose with her own before she pulled back just enough to look at him before she gestured to the people around them. “What makes you think that?” The she nodded towards Roger, because while it still made her feel warm and gooey hearing Oliver say that she was the only one for him – and even though he and Roger obviously had some sort of inside joke going – there was something about it that Oliver obviously didn’t know. “Dancing too closely with Roger is, uhm…” still smiling at him, she bit her lip. “Well, it’s not just something you two do, it’s become a sign of acceptance over the years.” Sure, she might tease with Roger and scold him for wanting to turn her boyfriend, but unlike with anybody else, she had no concerns when it came to him flirting with Oliver.

“Me, too,” she smiled. “So, this is our official first public date?”

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

oliverwoodwould
2014-09-17 04:19 pm UTC (link)

While he was worried he'd come off as deceptively concerned about how others perceived him, there was no way Oliver would be worried about showing affection or being thought soppy in public. He did that well enough on his own with his friends, he certainly had no qualms about doing it with his girlfriend, and if anyone had a problem with it, they could fuck right off, as far as he was concerned.

"Nothing," he said, kissing her cheek again. "So long as they don't then I am happy as a clam. Naturally I think everyone adores me, so I leave the judgement in your capable hands of knowing for sure." He laughed at her finding his dancing with Roger a sign of his being part of the group. "Well good, because it makes him feel wanted and Merlin knows he needs a bigger ego," Oliver joked.

He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her shoulder. "It is. How do you think it's going so far?"

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

_melinda_
2014-09-17 10:23 pm UTC (link)

“Mm, well I adore you, so obviously everyone else do, too,” Melinda grinned, chasing his kiss a little, and her fingers caressing against the warm skin on his neck. Though she had always felt confident about herself, Oliver’s spur-of-the-moment way of thinking and his simply not giving too much of a damn about what people thought about him being affectionate in public had proven that maybe she had had a few reservations, although any and all of those were currently not present. How could she even consider wanting to hide this? The way Oliver was looking at her made her want the whole world to know how he made her feel.

“You know that the only ego I want to make bigger is yours, right?” Melinda chuckled. “Roger mmmay have danced too closely with every boyfriend I’ve had since school, which I might add isn’t nearly as many as it sounds like, but that’s not important. It’s either chased them away or proved them accepted by him.” It may have been a cheap trick, but it had worked wonders in the cases where she hadn’t been completely sure. That wasn’t the case with Oliver, though. Melinda knew and was beginning to think that even if he hadn’t been comfortable with Roger’s flirtiness, she would have wanted to make it work anyway.

Even with the heat of the club surrounding them, Melinda shivered under Oliver’s kiss. “I think it’s going splendidly so far,” she murmured to him. “I don’t think it’s the last time we do this. No, I hope this isn’t the last time we do this, and as much as I love being out with you,” she leaned in closer to him, a quick peck to his lips, “I also love the idea that I get to go home with you.”

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

oliverwoodwould
2014-09-18 01:20 am UTC (link)

"You're the important one," he added, squeezing her. He leaned his head into her caresses and sighed in contentment. Yes, this was supposed to be a party, and he rather liked Ben of course, but more than that, he liked this feeling. It just felt comfortable and right. He grinned at the comment about Roger chasing suitors away. "Then sounds like any of them that were frightened off didn't deserve you one bit. Plus Roger is a fun lad, he knows how much I like him. But he'll have to live in jealousy since I'm all yours." He looked over at the Ravenclaw and shook his head. "Besides, I think he has other people on his brain."

He gave her a wicked grin and then pulled something out of his pocket. "By the by," he said, slipping the parchment into her pocket. "Had a little something done for you. Take a look at your leisure. The Puddlemere healers are all too happy to provide clean bills of health. Thought you might like that," he added, sheepish grin in place. He lowered his voice and brought his mouth to her ear. "Not that that means we have to...not use them anymore. But...well, one step closer if we don't. Want to. Or you don't, I mean."

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Melinda and Oliver (and Open?)

_melinda_
2014-09-18 07:45 am UTC (link)

“Charmer,” Melinda smiled with a slight shake of her head and grinned when he squeezed her. She wasn’t the important one, they were, she and Oliver, though she loved the sentiment behind it, and yes, she was well aware that she was being charmed. Maybe it was because she knew there was so much more to Oliver than the soppy comments – that really weren’t all that soppy, rather amazingly sweet and touching – and the flirting and the good looks. “To be honest,” she began admitting, “if I’d thought they were special I probably wouldn’t have let their reactions to Roger influence me, and I’m sure that if you’d run away screaming I would have run right after you and told Roger to stop being a git.” Following Oliver’s gaze, she grinned at Roger, before she looked back to Oliver. “Oh, you think?” she laughed. “He’s told you about those other people, too?” For some reason that didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her, was that with how many people knew about his feelings for Marcus, Marcus didn’t seem to get it.

Intrigued by his grin, Melinda looked to the folded piece of parchment, her own smile turning into an “Ohh,” of comprehension as Oliver slipped it into her pocket. She wanted to kiss away that awkwardness in his grin, it didn’t belong there, not when he had somehow managed to turn something as unromantic as a clean bill of health into a gesture that made her heart swell a little for him. Instead she leaned into him as he put his mouth by her ear. She closed her eyes and breathed in the warm, familiar scent of him, smiling when she felt his breath ghost over the shell of her ear. “I love it, thank you,” she said softly, kissing the spot just below his ear. “Mine is in the nightstand right by the bed.” She kissed his jaw, nuzzling the lobe of his ear. “We don’t have to not use them anymore, but now there won’t be any concerns or panic if things get…” Melinda smirked and dealt a gently nip to the lobe she had just nuzzled, “urgent.”

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