Rickie Connery
Adult
Scores Bartender
Pfft me crazy? No way.
Posts: 51
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Post by Rickie Connery on Feb 24, 2009 12:37:28 GMT 1
Nervously Rickie Connery paced back and forth outside Scores. Family day at the Three Broomsticks had forced the man out of the pub and he had nowhere else to go. He wasn’t up to risking the Hog’s Head. That was where Adrian would be if he was around and a confrontation with his older brother he was not ready for. But was he ready for Scores? Although hardened by war, it still felt awkward to think about venturing into a strip club.
And since when was there even a strip club in Hogsmeade? Four years and everything had changed. So many new faces and some of the familiar ones Rickie felt like he didn’t even know anymore. The world he’d grown up in had moved on without him, it had forgotten about the boy who grew up to be a soldier.
Still undecided whether he wanted to go in or not, eventually the cold made up his mind for him. Rickie was getting soft now he was back in civilisation. The man walked past an older man dressed in fine robes and straight to the bar, throwing not one glance at the dancing girls. To anyone who had watched him, not looking at the girls at all must have appeared odd. In fact the man’s demeanour would have looked odd. He was jumpy at the music and flashing lights and was drinking water. Very strange for Scores indeed.
The pounding of the music did little for Rickie’s headache and, in vain, he tried to ignore it. It didn’t help that sometimes it sounded like a shell going over head and that some of the lights looked like the flash of a blast. Trying to escape, he buried his head in his hands. He shouldn’t have come here, it had been a bad idea.
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Post by Silas Rosier on Feb 24, 2009 14:19:27 GMT 1
Ouch. Just... ouch.
Strip Clubs were no less prone to workplace accidents than any other establishments that sold alcohol to complete and utter morons. Unfortunately, when you combined morons that spilled their drinks on the floor without telling anyone and dancers in seven inch stiletto heels the results were inevitably problematic. One of the girls had taken a pretty serious fall and likely fractured something in her ankle. Silas had wandered out of his office merely for a distraction and to ensure he wasn’t going to get slapped with a Workplace Safety suit.
By the time Rickie arrived most of the scene was over. The girl had gotten one of her friends working at the club to take her by Floo Powder to St. Mungo’s to ensure the healing job wasn’t blotched (she needed a good ankle to work, after all) and Silas had just finished ordering the closest person to get the spill cleaned, because, you know, vanishing the mess himself was clearly too much effort. Everything had gone back to its regular swing.
Heading back to paperwork was somewhat anti-climatic now. Not looking forward to it. At all. With a hint of desperation Silas took a look around to see if there was anything else that could possibly need interfering in to delay the inevitable. Everything was in order except for one particular anomaly; a man sitting on his own and ignoring everything else. Ah, the displaced customer who should have walked into a regular bar instead, a peeve of strippers everywhere because they tended to snatch glances but refuse to tip, claiming they were ‘just there for the booze’.
This man however looked more like he was contemplating suicide than trying to get a free perve. What, did Ed throw him out of the Hogs Head or something? He had a look of familiarity about him too. The clincher came when a very confused bartender filled up a glass of bottled water and left it at that. If he wasn’t there for the alcohol or the peep show what was it? Most likely been dumped, fired or something equally pathetic, these stories were rarely interesting. The majority of people’s lives seemed to be lacklustre at best.
But still, if false curiosity could get him out of reordering employment records into the new filing system Jacaranda Mulciber was insisting on, fine by him. Until the owls came back with more information on Christopher Newell, Cain Heath and Jacob Abel he was stuck with legitimate work and as a general rule the more on the level something was the more grindingly irritatingly boring it became until there was a high likelihood he would just stab himself (or Ed) in the eye for something different.
Affixing on a practiced air of sociability Silas wandered over, hands behind his back just for something to do with them. ”You know, I’ve seen a lot of people walk in and out of this place for a lot of different reasons, but you’re the first one that’s come for the water,” he said, the corners mouth lifting automatically into a rehearsed smile.
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Rickie Connery
Adult
Scores Bartender
Pfft me crazy? No way.
Posts: 51
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Post by Rickie Connery on Feb 24, 2009 23:05:23 GMT 1
Looking thoroughly miserable, Rickie drained his glass. He didn’t feel like anymore water, sitting and moping was looking like a better idea. Sitting and moping, moping and sitting, that’s all he ever did anymore. He had to smile, he needed it. He sat at the bar and forced himself to smile at the girl behind it. It looked fake and it didn’t make him feel any better. The girl gave him an incredulous look and walked off.
Well that had gone well.
Again, agitation began to set in and Rickie tapped his fingers on the bar out of restlessness. He wished he had Muck; the kitten always calmed him down and cheered him up. He was also starting to get hot in his thick jacket and, without thinking, took it off and exposed several scars on his neck. The jumper he’d put on under the jacket didn’t cover them up and by the time Rickie realised this, it was too late. Someone was coming over to him and the man froze.
Why was the stranger talking to him? It was welcome, Rickie loved having people around him, but it meant he had to talk. Again he forced a smile at the man. “First time for everything I guess,” he mumbled. His voice was friendly but his demeanour said that he would be better off left alone.
Unsure of what to do next, Rickie looked at the man for a moment. He would be ok if he stuck to his usual social protocols. “I’m Rickie Connery,” he introduced himself automatically, holding out his hand. He hoped that this guy wouldn’t recognise his last name, a strip club would be the last place Adrian would ever got to, the man was a fucking saint.
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Post by Silas Rosier on Feb 25, 2009 2:23:21 GMT 1
As Rickie brought up his name the corner of Silas’s mouth twitched unpleasantly. It was difficult for Rickie to miss seeing it as he was staring right at him. ”Connery,” he repeated matter-of-factly with a hint of distaste. The name had bad associations. That explained why the man looked so familiar then, on a closer inspection Adrian and the man he could only guess was his brother shared a similar face shape and brow, although Rickie had a slimmer chin in comparison. Insane stature evidently ran in the family as well.
Still, he accepted the hand and shook it firmly. ”Silas Rosier. Nice to meet you,” he replied automatically, eyes flicking momentarily to the scars on Rickie’s neck. Okay, those looked unusual, but it was not generally considered good conversation to ask about such things within seconds of meeting someone. He could bring that up later if an opportunity came up for it not to sound like an interrogation.
Silas had as yet not sat down if only because meeting Adrian’s brother wasn’t high on his to-do list. Family members had a nasty habit, of, you know, liking each other, and somehow he didn’t see himself and the ex-auror kissing and making up any time soon. But, none the less, if there was one way to annoy Adrian it had to be to get on the right side of his brother, he reasoned.
Rickie was clearly not the most enthused in conversation despite his best efforts to appear otherwise; he had the deadened sort of look Silas come to associate with death, although time it wasn’t his fault. It was strange how much easier it was to read emotion in others when you didn’t possess any yourself to distract you.
”No relationship to one Adrian Connery I hope?”
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Rickie Connery
Adult
Scores Bartender
Pfft me crazy? No way.
Posts: 51
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Post by Rickie Connery on Feb 25, 2009 7:07:09 GMT 1
God did everyone in this stupid village know his brother? He must have changed if even a strip club owner knew him. Rickie watched the man’s face as he repeated his last name. He’d caught the small twitch before and was now thoroughly curious as to what the man’s relationship with his brother was. There was definitely loathing in his voice and the look on his face only confirmed it. So he wasn’t an Adrian fan.
Good.
Instantly, Rickie’s body language changed to a little less unwelcoming, his curiosity thoroughly piqued. It was good to meet someone who didn’t like his older brother. Too many people around the village knew him and held him in high regards, except for the vampire that frequented an Australian girl’s room next door at the Three Broomsticks.
“No, no relation,” desperately he tried to keep up his lie but the look on his face only betrayed him. It was a look of utter disgust and contempt. Oh how he wished he wasn’t related to Adrian the big fucking hero. What did he know of being a hero? Rickie had seen real heroes in action, had even been called one himself once even if he didn’t believe it. Adrian was no hero, or if he was, he was a lame excuse for one.
“What did you mean by the ‘I hope’ at the end? Don’t you like the prick?” the last bit slipped out, all but giving away his charade. Flushing bright red, Rickie looked away and reached for the smokes in his pocket. They were the only things that would get rid of his agitation, he didn’t even think that Silas might object to him smoking in the joint.
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Post by Silas Rosier on Feb 25, 2009 10:11:47 GMT 1
”If you say so.” Lies. Spout them often enough and you start learning when they’re employed against you, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out Rickie was bullshitting about his family through his teeth. Silas had already done background checks on Adrian, but it wasn’t until now he remembered that Rickie’s name had come up on a list of the man’s relatives. Run off to war, apparently, which went a way as to explain the scars. If he had of known Adrian’s family was hanging around he might have bothered to learn more about them. Really, the dislike Rickie seemed to harbour just made it better. What had Adrian gone and done to drive his own brother against him, eh?
”I can’t say me and Connery get on all that well, no,” he admitted, sitting down on the stool to Rickie’s left and putting his right elbow on the bar. A night of ‘let’s verbally abuse Adrian’ was absolutely fine by him. He still needed to owl Adrian about money owed actually, but that was going to have to wait until Vivian’s killer was located. Extra points if it caused Adrian to have to declare bankruptcy.
”I imagine he’d have a shitfit if he saw me talking to you actually,” he added with a right sided grin to scope out Rickie’s reaction, eyes darting to the cigarettes as they were pulled out. He wasn’t a religious smoker unlike a number of people he knew. Evidently the wizarding community hadn’t gotten the smoking-causes-cancer memo quite as well as the muggle world had. Despite that Silas’s cravings were more alcohol than nicotine related, but who was he to say no when the opportunity arose? Vanishing charms were always there for the smoke. ”Got a spare of those?”
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Rickie Connery
Adult
Scores Bartender
Pfft me crazy? No way.
Posts: 51
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Post by Rickie Connery on Feb 26, 2009 9:58:01 GMT 1
Silas was interesting to say the least. Intently Rickie watched him, waiting for what he would say next. What he did say next did not disappoint. He definitely wasn’t an Adrian fan. Automatically Rickie lit up his smoke and instantly relaxed. He was now starting to wonder what Adrian had done to piss off a strip club owner. Probably petitioned to get the place closed down or something along those lines. Only Adrian would ruin the enjoyment of the men of the village.
“Yeah he would, if he knew I was in Hogsmeade that is,” Rickie agreed. If Adrian caught him talking to someone like Silas he would probably spontaneously combust. All his childhood, his older brother had been picking and choosing who he could hang out with, who he could talk to and who he could go out with. There was a part of Rickie that wanted Adrian to find out just so he could have the satisfaction of seeing his reaction but a bigger part of him never, ever wanted to see the older man.
“He has a habit of making more enemies than friends, fucking asshole,” Rickie implied about Adrian, refusing to actually say his name aloud. When Silas asked for a smoke, the younger man was all too happy to oblige. He missed sharing his smokes. It sounded funny but where he’d come from it was a way of bonding.
He inhaled a deep breath of smoke and relaxed a little more. Although he had relaxed a little, Rickie refused to let himself get completely comfortable. He still jumped and ducked his head a little at every overly loud noise and was ready to kick himself into action. Someone might need a medic any minute.
Eyes darting two and fro, Rickie Connery fought to keep himself from slipping into a flashback. The last thing he wanted to do was appear completely and utterly crazy in front of Silas.
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Post by Silas Rosier on Feb 26, 2009 10:59:17 GMT 1
Oh yes, he and Rickie were going to get along just fine at the current rate. There had to be a way to turn being on good terms with Adrian’s brother as a weapon, but that really came down to how well Adrian got along with Rickie. In a one-sided situation he could use Rickie as a shield against any more pesky blackmail attempts, but if the loathing was mutual it didn’t work nearly as well. In that case he could just experiment to see how far you could drive two brothers apart. The bonds of family could only stretch so far, no? Consider it a ‘social experiment’.
Accepting the cigarette, Silas put it in his mouth and touched the tip of his wand to the end to light it. It had been a while since he last smoked, he’d have to remember to do it more often if he could find a good place to buy cigarettes. His lungs were clearly not as well trained to coping with smoke as his liver was to booze, but oh well. As Rickie exhaled he made a casual flicking motion with the wand to reactivate the anti-smoke charms and the tiny cloud dissipated into nothing.
”That doesn’t surprise me in the least,” Silas agreed, signalling the bartender for a drink. Might as well knock out two important organs in one go. ”From what I’ve seen he’s an obstinate, sanctimonious fuckwit oblivious to his own bullshit. Pardon the language,” he said, adding the last bit on merely as a formality as he couldn't care less if Rickie was offended. For all of Adrian’s holier-than-thou garbage, lying, blackmailing, cheating (totally what tricking him into setting off the anti-dark wizard charm had been, yup) and association with and the aiding of batshit-insane homicidal vampires with a criminal record a mile long was hardly what you’d consider to be noble traits. ”Standards for accepting Aurors must have dropped since I was younger,” he muttered more to himself than Rickie, his own failed attempt in that field coming to mind. "I take it Adrian doesn't like you either then?" he dropped experimentally.
Rickie’s manner was starting to get a little distracting. Was it physically impossible for the fellow to sit still? It was like he was expecting someone to walk in and snuff him. ”Sorry, you waiting for someone? You seem a little fidgety.” he asked, eyeing the way Rickie seemed to be trying to pay attention to everything at once. Admittedly Silas didn’t have much experience with war veterans.
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Rickie Connery
Adult
Scores Bartender
Pfft me crazy? No way.
Posts: 51
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Post by Rickie Connery on Feb 26, 2009 13:12:31 GMT 1
Everything Silas said described Adrian perfectly in Rickie’s eyes. The man couldn’t help but let a small snort of amusement escape. Already he liked Silas but still he couldn’t help but eye the older man suspiciously as he took out his wand. He became tense at once, Rickie had a thing about all types of weapons and a wand was most definitely classed as a weapon in his book. There was an audible sigh of relief once Silas had finished using it to light his cigarette but still Rickie did not fully relax.
He could never fully relax; he had to be on his guard, ready for when the enemy would strike. Visibly Rickie began to look more and more wound up, like a guy who had had one too many coffees this morning. Once again he snorted with what could almost be described as laughter at Silas. Adrian had always talked of being an Auror. “Hah, lowered and then some, Aurors aren’t true heroes anyway,” he said suddenly, mumbling at the end of his sentence. Embarrassed at what he’d said, the younger man began to tap his fingers quicker on the bar and bounce his knee.
For a moment he thought on what Silas had said about Adrian not liking him. “No, he liked me, just a little too much. He was a very controlling and protective brother,” Rickie answered truthfully but unwilling to give away too much. Little did he know Silas would probably go and uncover his entire history, even the parts he wanted to stay covered.
So his agitation and flightiness was noticeable. Rickie flushed bright red but still couldn’t stop moving as much as he wanted to. “Sorry, nervous habit,” he ran a hand over his neck, feeling the indents of the scars as he did so. The memory of the shell burst that had given him them came flooding back and Rickie began to breath heavily in mild panic. The bass of the music only intesified his feeling of panic. He could feel the shrapnel tearing into his side again, feel the warmth of fresh blood through his clothes. He was going to die here in some Godforsaken forest.
Resurfacing from his memory with a gasp, breathing hard he wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead. In the memory's place now sat a major headache and Rickie couldn't help but put his head back in his hands.
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Post by Silas Rosier on Feb 27, 2009 3:41:48 GMT 1
It was strange having so many points of agreement with someone. This was unusual for Hogsmeade and it was actually putting Silas on edge more than anything. Since coming here it had just been nothing but arguments with the goody-two-shoes populace and he was far more used to fighting than nodding along in agreement. It was a man far and few between who thought Aurors were overrated. Ever since Voldemort they had been elevated to something resembling God-status which drove Silas insane. Of course, he and Rickie had very different reasons for their opinion; Silas was just aggravated by how much they got in the way. They weren’t heroes, just pests. ”You and I agree on something else then,” he nodded, taking the cigarette out of his mouth to drink some of the black absinthe that had just arrived in front of him.
So, Connery was obsessively protective was he? Oh, epic levels of perfection right there. Silas had to pretend to be glancing at one of the dancers to his left to hide the momentary smirk. One point to him then. It might be better not to bring up anything to Adrian to keep the ball in his court; in any case it wasn’t the type of thing you said in a letter. No, that type of message required some dark hints about leading Rickie in the wrong direction and a face to face to fully appreciate the resulting facial expressions and ‘stay away from my family’ speeches.
It didn’t take him long to notice Rickie seemed to be flinching in time to the music. ”Don’t like bass do you?” Silas asked rhetorically, leaning back to get a look at the girl on stage. The music played at the club was one of the few things in the establishment he had no control over. That was under the dancer’s dominion, as they chose their own songs to dance to before going up to do their stage round. If he wasn’t much mistaken that was Kestrel hanging there upside down on the centre pole, and it was almost her turn to swap with Godiva, who favoured a different style of music. ”Give it a second and there should be something classier coming.”
If Silas had of actually cared he may have suggested they go outside or somewhere quieter. As it stood there was actually something quite entertaining to watch in the way Rickie was squirming about in obvious discomfort. It was still distracting, but in a good way. What was going on in that little brain of his?
”What brings you out here then?” Silas asked, taking a deep breath of the cigarette and exhaling slowly, watching the smoke instantly evaporate rather than create a nice swirling cloud like it was supposed to. He left the question intentionally open as to whether he meant Scores or just Hogsmeade in general.
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