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Post by alsa on Oct 4, 2008 14:16:07 GMT 1
It had been a hell of a day, and this was the reason Idris had turned up at the Hogs Head an hour prior to the time he'd arranged with Abraham, determined he would at least be tipsy enough to tolerate any of the man's taunting without resorting to snapping at him. He'd had both of his first year classes, as well as a notoriously lousy theory lesson with the Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth years - never fun, and both houses always left with significantly fewer house points - and everyone had generally been lucky that he hadn't taken a head off or at least filled their pockets with hotdogs and let Tenebrus chase them about.
It was a tantalizing idea, though.
As such, as soon as his final lesson was over, he'd headed out of Hogwarts, muttering threats at anyone who dared obstruct his way, and practically charged into his usual pub, sitting at the bar with only his glass and the bartender for occasional company. Of course, he knew better than to make small talk with an irate Idris - he'd been barred for a while but was let back in for the simple fact he made things worse at the Three Broomsticks and everyone went there for the entertainment of seeing the fights - and he mostly just asked when Idris wanted a refill.
As such, he was quite happily tipsy right now and was even sort of looking forward to Abraham's arrival, provided the man had forgotten that he wanted to hex Idris into next week. That would just be plain mean and then Idris would never let him have Australia when he took over the world with his thestral army.
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Abraham Grey
Adult (A) 
Hufflepuff Head of House
Arithmancy Professor
Posts: 152
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Post by Abraham Grey on Oct 5, 2008 13:29:17 GMT 1
Abe was feeling rather relaxed. It was Friday afternoon, all his classes were done for the day and he knew that pretty soon he was going to have enough alcohol in his system to wash away all the stress that teaching in a magical school brought him. Of course there was the small downside that his company would be Idris Argall, who had to be the most disagreeable man in all of Hogsmeade (and there were some pretty grumpy patrons in the Hog's Head), but Abe had long ago become immune to the man's snarky nature. To the point where he actively tried to irritate Idris just for fun.
His last class had been seventh years, which was always a treat as they were often more mature than the other years (although not always) and he really felt he could push debates to a higher level. He'd left the classroom thoroughly pleased with himself and decided to take his time getting to the pub. Abe didn't apparate as soon as he left the school gates like he normally chose to, instead he set a leisurely pace and walked the distance to Hogsmeade. The air was cold and even with his new (and not nearly so nice as the last one) scarf wrapped several times around his neck he could still feel the biting chill in the air.
By the time he got to the Hog's Head the tips of his ears and his nose had gone quite pink from the cold. Abe caught sight of Idris at the bar, looking like he was already several drinks in the lead, and grinned despite himself. Usually he tried to give his colleague no clue that Abe actually rather enjoyed his irritable company. "Idris you miserable bastard, you started without me!" He bellowed across the pub, which didn't even raise any looks from the other patrons. When he got to the bar the bartender already had a firewhiskey ready for him, one of the perks of being a regular.
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Post by alsa on Oct 5, 2008 23:01:45 GMT 1
Idris was quite happily staring into the bottom of his unfortunately drained glass (well, not happily, rather more despairing and wondering why it hadn't magically refilled itself) when he heard a familiar voice shout at him. He span round on his chair in a rather wobbly manner and blinked to clear his vision, finding Abe approaching him. Thankfully for Abe, he was already in such a state that he missed the grin but did notice the scarf he was wearing wasn't ruined. Funny the things you notice when you're drunk.
"You didn't get here bloody fast enough," he replied, turning back round to face the bar carefully and pleased to find his glass was suddenly full again. Ah, the wonders of magic (and of bartenders working when your back was turned). He lifted his glass and downed it quite merrily, looking at the glass once more in a pleading manner to refill again before turning to face his companion. "I see you managed to replace your scarf. It's as horrible as the last one, if not worse. Really, why do you feel the need to wear them?" he asked, genuinely curious. He didn't understand it - was it a sort of safety blanket?
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Abraham Grey
Adult (A)
Hufflepuff Head of House
Arithmancy Professor
Posts: 152
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Post by Abraham Grey on Oct 5, 2008 23:42:19 GMT 1
Abe sat himself down and knocked back the contents of the tumbler in two large gulps, ignoring the way the almost peppery liquid burned at his throat on the way down. It settled easily in his stomach and Abe could swear he felt the fiery drink helping to dispel the cold that had seeped into his bones on the walk here. Now that he'd arrived he couldn't quite understand why he'd prolonged the journey in the first place, especially in such miserably cold, British weather.
He tipped his glass at the bartender, signalling he wanted a refill (and from the looks of it Idris did too), who just rolled his eyes and set the almost full bottle of firewhiskey between them so they could pour their own drinks from now on. Abe wasted no time pouring himself another and neglected to do the same for Idris. "In that case you'll have to wait until I catch up." This time when he knocked back the firewhiskey it didn't burn nearly so much and instead he felt a pleasant fuzziness beginning to permeate his thoughts as the alcohol was absorbed into his bloodstream.
He wasn't drunk, yet, but it didn't take much to make him merry. "This thing?" Abe asked, plucking at the material of the scarf slightly despondently. "The only thing I could find, it's not even custom tailored." He let go of the whiskey bottle, momentarily forgetting his quest to prevent Idris from refilling in favour of unwinding the material from about his neck. "Here," Abe looped the scarf over Idris' neck instead, his smug smile revealing he knew his actions would irritate the other professor and topped it off by mocking him. "I wear them because it's cold, you imbecile. People generally do in winter."
(OOC: Yeah Abe gets custom tailored scarves... the loser. Also I got the absurd mental image that he started wearing them as a style statement when he was younger to hide the hickeys. ^_^;; )
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Post by alsa on Oct 11, 2008 22:52:15 GMT 1
Abe was his usual self then, grabbing hold of the bottle and keeping it to himself to stop Idris from drinking his way happily to oblivion for another day. The magical refilling glass didn't seem to be responding to his pleas, so he was going to have to wait until Abe was feeling friendly enough to share the alcohol again. The thought of asking the bartender for another bottle hadn't even crossed his mind, probably a good sign that he'd already had enough to drink.
Idris laughed at Abe when he grumbled about his scarf not being custom made. "You have someone tailor your scarves?" he asked, amused. He'd only ever had one scarf, a present from Cait that she'd gotten from some Muggle store, and he'd worn it once to please her. He just never seemed to feel the cold. He noticed his chance to steal the bottle back from Abe and did so, nearly falling off his perch as he did so but grinning in triumph, a genuine smile he only wore when out of it.
His triumph was ruined by Abe wrapping his scarf round Idris' neck, almost as if he was a coathanger or something. He frowned and took a swig from the bottle, glaring at his companion as he did so. Hopefully that would irritate the man, and maybe make him get his own bottle. "You get cold too easily," he replied, unwinding the scarf and dropping it back in Abe's lap as if it were something foul to hold. "You're going to die from frostbite come December, aren't you?"
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Abraham Grey
Adult (A)
Hufflepuff Head of House
Arithmancy Professor
Posts: 152
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Post by Abraham Grey on Oct 16, 2008 2:15:12 GMT 1
Having released hold of the bottle and allowing it into Idris's grasp, Abe busied himself trying to get at the last drop of firewhiskey in his glass instead. He tilted his head back, swaying only the slightest amount at the sudden movement, and stuck his tongue out to lick at the inside of the tumbler as the drop of amber liquid trickled towards his mouth. "Hmm?" He hummed in question, setting the glass back down on the bar with a pout and looking at Idris with slight disbelief. Doesn't everyone?" Abe's words were slightly scathing, but Idris probably wouldn't take him seriously, he never did.
He paused their most serious talk on scarves to make grabbing motions at the bottle Idris currently had possession of. "Gimme back the whiskey Idris." Abe whined, wondering if complaining to the bartender would make any difference. Probably not. "Be fair, you're already ahead and I'm not even seeing double yet." He grouched. Abe leaned forwards and succeeded in tugging the bottle from the other professor's grasp, sloppily pouring himself another glass and probably spilling as much over the edges onto the counter as actually in the glass.
Later, when he was drunk enough, he probably wouldn't be above trying to lick that spilt drink up off the surface, not even considering how grimey the Hog's Head actually was. "Scotland is bloody freezing." Abe complained, picking up with the conversation where he left off and deciding to go a little slower with this glass. "You're just too drunk to notice half the time." Picking up the scarf Idris had so rudely rejected he put it back on, rolling his eyes with an expression that suggested the Slytherin Head of House just didn't know taste when he saw it. He snorted as Idris teased him about feeling the cold. "You'd like that, wouldn't you."
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Post by alsa on Nov 14, 2008 17:53:17 GMT 1
Idris was quite happy to ignore the man as he tried to drain the last remnants of his drink from the glass and busied himself with his own. He rolled his eyes at Abe's words, though. No, no one else on the planet probably had custom made scarves – no one was quite that pretentious. He thought about it for a moment, and then said the exact same thing to Abe aloud. He grinned, pleased with his observation, and rewarded himself with another swig from the bottle.
”And?” he asked, finding the bottle yanked out of his hands and now feeling distinctly grouchy about it. Abe never had been all that good at sharing, and it was definitely not a nice trait in the other man. ”I'll share when you start sharing,” he groused, playing with the empty glass that he hadn't bothered to refill. Apparently drinking from the bottle hadn't been enough to put the other man off. Maybe if he'd backwashed it...
Idris sighed in mild annoyance. It wasn't that cold in Scotland, and Abe had been there for long enough that he should bloody well be used to it by now. He took the bottle back from the other professor and poured himself another glass, managing to not spill a drop and he felt rather smug about this triumph. ”It's not even December yet,” he reminded the other man. Then it would start getting truly frosty. He shrugged. ”If it stops me being cold, why not?” He completely missed Abe rolling his eyes at him and instead grinned widely at Abe's words. ”Nothing would make me happier. You're on my list, you know,” he nodded vigorously as he finished his sentence. A mental list, but a list all the same.
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Abraham Grey
Adult (A)
Hufflepuff Head of House
Arithmancy Professor
Posts: 152
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Post by Abraham Grey on Nov 16, 2008 19:42:39 GMT 1
"I am not pretentious!" He denied hotly, rather more loudly than was really necessary, deciding that volume was a valid substitute for pronunciation which had gone right out the window somewhere around his second glass. It got a few less than friendly glares from the other patrons, who didn't take kindly to people behaving boisterously in a pub notorious for it's sinister atmosphere. "I'm..." Abe paused, waving a hand about vaguely as he tried to think of a way to describe himself in a positive light. "Well groomed." The way he said it suggested he thought Idris was as far from well groomed as a person could possibly get, so he wouldn't understand these things.
"I am sharing." He protested, ignoring the fact that he'd been hogging the bottle pretty much since he arrived. As far as he was concerned he'd been plenty generous by letting Idris get hold of the whiskey a few moments earlier, that he hadn't used that time to pour himself a glass was his own fault. Then, rather childishly, he flaunted his advantage by taking a large swallow from his glass and topping up the amber liquid once more with the bottle he was possessively clinging to. It probably wouldn't take long for them to start truly squabbling over the drink, then Ed would have to intervene. Hopefully he wouldn't use his shotgun to do it this time.
December. Abe visibly shuddered at the thought. The winter months in Scotland were dreadful, he'd probably have to start wearing his overcoat in the classroom again. How Idris spent so much time teaching outside he would never understand. "You," He jabbed a finger accusingly in Idris's direction, unfortunately leaving the bottle wide open for Idris to steal it once more. "Are a hopeless drunk, Argall." His own progression to a state of inebriation remained forgotten. Abe laughed, the impish grin appearing on his face signifying he'd thought of another way to torment his long suffering colleague. "The list of people you'd be allowed to sleep with without consequences from your significant other? Understandable, I am dashingly handsome."
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Post by alsa on Nov 21, 2008 20:54:54 GMT 1
”Are too,” Idris replied rather childishly, sticking his tongue out and grinning. Ooh, Abe was being loud! Maybe he could try and get him kicked out or something, that would be fun wouldn't it? With this plan now firmly settled in his mind, Idris nodded to himself physically, which probably looked a little bit random but he was likely to be excused. He was completely oblivious to the other patrons already; why did they matter? If they wanted some peace and quiet, they wouldn't come to this pub. ”Well groomed my arse,” Idris scoffed, shaking his head. He leaned forward and poked Abe in the chest rather more harshly than was necessary. ”You are a woman, aren't you?”
”Bastard,” Idris muttered as Abe flaunted his control over the bottle. It was probably the most ridiculous thing on the planet to be arguing over, but who cared? They weren't talking about work or anything like that, and they didn't have anything really in common, and besides – it was fun! He really wasn't affected by the cold in the same way as Abe was, though – his home in Wales, his ancestral home, got fairly cold in the winter months and he was used to spending time in the heat and the rain due to his job. Even if he spent his time teaching inside, he would still have to go out to feed the Thestrals and look after the other animals that fell under the jurisdiction of his care. At any rate, he liked it outside and he liked to see how long until the students complained to another teacher about being cold during his lessons. Always entertaining to push the little shits.
Idris shrugged. He knew he was perfectly drunk, what did being hopeless have to do with anything? If he'd been sober, he might have protested or taken offence. Unfortunately, he wasn't thinking entirely straight. He did sober up ever such a little bit as Abe brought up the concept of sleeping together. ”Oh, God no!” he cried a bit louder than was necessary, leaning forward to swipe the bottle and taking a long drink from it, as if it would wipe the mental image he'd suddenly gotten of a naked Abe out of his head. He closed his eyes, bringing his empty hand to his forehead and rubbing slightly. If he wasn't sure he'd be shot, he'd throw the bottle at his colleague right then – he wasn't quite far enough gone to risk his life to harm the man. ”That is the single most disturbing thing you've ever said to me. You better watch your breakfast from now on, Grey.” He suspected murder would be the only way to reassure himself that such a horrific thing would never happen.
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