(no subject)

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

Date: December 31, 2000, 9:00 PM
Status: Public
Setting: Bar
Summary: Free Alcohol!


Wensley walked from his kitchen to the entrance to the bar, sign under his arm. No one had planned any sort of Manor event for the evening, so he took it upon himself to give people who hadn't any plans something to do.

Pulling the sign out from under his arm, he propped the doors open and leaned the sign against one. "Open Bar, 9:00 PM- 1:00 AM," it proclaimed in large letters, then underneath, much smaller, "Entertainment Provided". He didn't actually have anyone lined up, but he was sure something entertaining would end up happening.

Comments

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

With preternatural awareness, Adam arrived just as Wensley finished setting out the sign. Clearly happy to see his friend, he beamed.

"Hey, Wens! What's goin' on?"

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

Wensley smiled just as wide when he heard Adam's voice. They'd all been so busy over the holidays visiting relatives and such that the Them hadn't had much time together. He'd missed Adam's presence.

"I thought I might set up a place for people to gather, in case they didn't have anywhere to spend the New Year," he explained, gesturing towards his sign.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"What a great idea!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. Adam was long past that phase of being jealous when someone else came up with a good idea first. "Thanks for thinkin' of it." With a laugh and a wink, he added, "Do you have any recommendations 'bout what I should drink at your free bar?"

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Pepper chimed in, coming up behind Adam. She had been planning on going out and seeing what was happening in Tadfield, but this would be better. "What should I drink, and what's the entertainment, Wens?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and an awful smirk. "You gonna get up on the bar and strip for us before the new year's in?"

[muddy-blues.livejournal.com]

"I'd watch that," Brian said, grinning. Trotting aimlessly down the hall, he'd spotted the sign and everyone and stopped. He was intrigued. Beer! And entertainment! "Hi Adam, Pep," he added, poking her.

[radishesncorks.livejournal.com]

Well, Luna thought that anyone would be mad to pass up the chance of free alcohol in any shape or form. In addition to that, there really hadn't been much news from anybody at all. (In fact, she was getting a tad worried about her father. She hadn't heard from him in over five months.) There were no Quibbler leads to chase, and most of the creatures that she had set out to document had long since hunkered down for the winter. In fact, her days, and especially her evenings, yawned at her like the long dark corridor that had led to the Department of Mysteries. Luna, to put it simply, was bored.

Finding a seat at the counter, Luna said, "Do you make Pineapple Daiquiris?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Sirius grinned widely at the sign, and took a seat at the bar. "Free drinks, eh? Thanks, mate!" he told Wensleydale enthusiastically. Then, he glanced at the girl sitting next to him. She was a very familiar looking girl, and not just from having seen her around the manor-- was his memory playing tricks on him, or had she been in the Department of Mysteries that day?

"You're Harry's friend, aren't you?" he said casually, and then added gallantly "Put the lady's daiquiri on my tab, if you don't mind, and I'll have a scotch." He may not have had much money, but he could still afford to buy a round of free drinks.

[radishesncorks.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I am," said Luna. "And you're Stubby Boardman, alias Sirius Black. Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Boardman. I grew up rather familiar with your music. My mother was a fan."

"How kind of you, Mr. Boardman," giggled Luna. "My name's Luna, by the way," she said, offering a handshake.

"Are you doing the entertainment for tonight, then?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Charmed, Luna," he said, not allowing himself a snicker. Well, she was a bit odd, but to think she was mad would be a bit like the pot calling the cauldron pewter. "It's always nice to meet a fan. I take it you read the Quibbler, then?"

He accepted the handshake, and then smiled at the question. "Nah, I'm afraid I'm trying to keep a low profile around here."

[radishesncorks.livejournal.com]

"The Quibbler? Do you read it? My father's the editor," beamed Luna enthusiastically. "I'm working for him now, of course. We came here - that is, my father and I, were supposed to come here together to do a story on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, but he was called away on other business, so I guess that means that it should be 'I came here' - to, well, do a story on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. It's been slow, though," said Luna a little despondently. "They can be rather difficult to spot, with their colouration. In addition, I think they should have all gone into hibernation for the winter."

"A low profile? Does that mean that there'll be no chance of an interview then? How about an autograph? I could bring down my camera and we could take a picture and you could sign it? Please?" Luna looked beseechingly at Sirius. There might or might not have been an element of puppy dog eyes being thrown in.

[muddy-blues.livejournal.com]

Brian looked right and then left, then crept down the stairs and snuck behind the bar (which is quite difficult to do when carrying a guitar case and an amplifier). Crouching down behind one of the taps, he poked Wensley on the shoulder and whispered, "Psst! Wens! D'you have entertainment yet, or is it okay if I play a bit?"

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

Engrossed in Luna and Stubby Boardman's conversation, he didn't hear Brian until he started talking. Jumping a bit, he grinned when he actually heard what his friend was saying.

"You're a genius, Brian!" Music always went over well. "Yes, it'd be great if you could play."

[muddy-blues.livejournal.com]

Brian grinned at Wensley's interest in the conversation. Wens was a true bartender: polite, prompt, and nosy as hell.

"I know I'm a genius," he said. "Where shall I put my junk, then? And have you a preference for what I should start with?"

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"Here." Wensley, feeling it was safe to come out from behind the bar at the moment, lead Brian to a platform that was raised about a foot off the floor - the perfect place to perform. "As for what to perform, just do whatever you feel comfortable doing to start, yeah? Then maybe you could start taking requests, if anyone asks." He wanted to linger, sit as close to the "stage" as he could and watch Brian play, but just then Luna called him back to the bar.

"I'll come back after you've set up, yeah?"

[muddy-blues.livejournal.com]

"Great. Thanks, Wens!" said Brian, hopping up on the little platform. As Wensley turned to go, he said quickly, "Oh, and, er . . . sorry about earlier . . . you know, what I said . . ." He trailed off. He wasn't sure if he had been heard, but at least he'd said it.

Now then . . . he unpacked his gear and, after a brief wrestle with the various cords and the usual search for an electric outlet, sat himself down on the edge of the platform and tuned up. He regarded his guitar fondly; he'd had it for a couple of years, and he always meant to keep it clean, but it somehow permanently retained a coating of arm smudges.

After a moment's thought, Brian grinned to himself and started into 'Down On The Corner'. (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/creedence+clearwater+revival/down+on+the+corner_20034359.html)
Early in the evening, just about suppertime
Over by the courthouse, they're startin' to unwind. . . .
He was a bit out of practice, it was true, but he was enthusiastic and tended to hit the correct notes. He liked to play, and his singing was . . . decent, anyway. It could have been a lot worse.
Over on the corner, there is a happy noise
People come from all around to watch the magic boy.

He finished with a grin and a flourish, and looked up to see Pepper and Adam at the bar with John. This reminded him of something very important. He twisted around, reached into his guitar case, and pulled out a blue and yellow jester hat with bells on. He put it on, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, "OI! PEP! LOOKIT MY HAT!"

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

More out of morbid curiosity than any genuine desire to experience this "entertainment" of which the sign spoke (though free booze was never to be turned down,) John wandered in and was impressed to find the place occupied entirely by humans, or reasonable approximations thereof. And one with a guitar, even. He wondered if the boy knew anything that predated 1980.

Pepper was there, too, but she was busy trading jabs with Adam (literally and figuratively,) so he didn't interrupt, taking a seat at the bar not far off and waiting to see whether the guitar-toting kid was any good. Nearby, the knucklehead who'd put the enchantment on that sodding mistletoe, charred bits of which still clung stubbornly to the doorframe, was chatting up yet another pretty lady (starting to look like a bit of a pattern, that.) He'd need to have a word with the bloke about that at some point...

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Following Adam's lead (http://community.livejournal.com/neutral_omens/121311.html?thread=2450399#t2450399), Pepper waved to John as well, smiling. "Oi, John? Tell 'im he's a right baby that can't take a beatin', would you?"

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"What, from you?" John grinned. "No shame in getting clobbered by a student of War herself, is there? Or do you mean just beatings in general?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam looked highly self-conscious. "She already hit me once. I just said I thought that was enough."

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

"Beatings in general. Then again, I'm the one who beats 'im most the time, so I guess just me," Pepper admitted. She turned on Adam with a wicked smirk. "'M sorry, did I hurt your fragile musculature?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

With a glance at his watch, Sirius motioned for the bartender. "Hey, er, you?" He'd thought he'd heard Wensleydale, or something like it, but it didn't sound like anyone's name. Luna had called him Jeremy, but then again, she seemed to think he was Stubby Boardman.

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"What can I do for you, sir?" He hadn't really met this man before. He had heard Luna call him 'Stubby Boardman,' but then again, she called him Jeremy.

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Sirius grinned, hopefully managing to hide the fact that he was already a little tipsy at this point. "Now, tell me. Would it be completely taking advantage of your free drinks policy to ask you for a bottle of champagne? Only my mate's working tonight and I thought it might cheer him up."

He gave Wensleydale his most winning smile.

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

Wensley smiled; he knew what it was like to work late on holidays. Rummaging under the counter for a moment, he came back up with a bottle of champagne. Nothing really fancy, but good enough.

"My friend's working tonight, too," he said as he handed the man the bottle, nodding in the direction of Brian.

[radishesncorks.livejournal.com]

Luna nursed her pineapple daiquiri, studying the rest of the bar patrons. She vaguely knew Pepper, and that scruffy boy - what was his name? Oh yes, Brian, and of course everyone seemed to know Adam. Only the blonde man was a stranger - if you could call someone who you'd seen more times in the last six months than your own father a stranger.

Brian was suitably entertaining as the entertainment, but Luna was itching for something a bit more exciting. What this place needed, she thought, was a more festive look. A countdown clock wouldn't be out of place either.