New Faces (Open)

Kenny's move to England was going smoothly. He was doing well enough in his studies, familiarizing himself with the area, and slowly adding depth to his new character. So far, he was quite pleased with himself. But Scott didn't feel quite "lived in" enough. Not as natural as he should be. Kenny was still getting used to him.

Of course, the best way to develop a character was to put him in new situations--and where better to do that than in a muggle bar? He loved places like these, they were the best and most convenient places to people watch and explore new characters. He'd been to his fair share of American bars, though he was only nineteen. Fake ID's were second nature to him. But here in England, he was actually there legally, for once in his life. Of course, his ID was still technically fake, but hey.

It was an easy decision, coming here. Low stakes, as he'd most likely never see any of these people again, plus a chance to get a feel for London, as he hadn't really explored the city yet, and one of the easiest ways to meet all sorts of new people. He swung open the door, confidently striding to the bar, and nimbly whipping off his scarf, draping it loosely over his shoulders for a more laid-back look as he took a seat. He crossed his legs casually and leaned forward with his elbows on the bar, discreetly glancing around the room and taking stock of the area.

The room was fairly busy--it was a Saturday night, after all--and it had a cheery vibe. Nothing too upscale, but certainly not a dump either. Perfect. A bartender approached him.

"What can I do for you, mate?" the man said jovially. He looked to be in his early thirties. Scott shot him a friendly grin and considered for a moment.

"You wouldn't happen to serve Long Island Ice Tea, would you? I've always wanted to try that."

The bartender gave him a light-hearted but suspicious look, and asked to see his identification.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said with a relaxed smile, digging out his wallet. The man seemed satisfied, and he returned it to the pocket of his fashionable new coat, which he'd bought on a whim three hours ago. As the bartender got to work on his drink, he leaned back in his seat and observed the other patrons with some interest.

As Kenny surveyed the room, a waitress caught his eye. She'd paused while wiping down a table and bent down, magicking the heels off of her shoes. His eyebrows shot up at the sight. A witch waiting tables in a muggle bar? That was unexpected, and fascinating enough to grab his attention. So far, he'd seen no better candidates for conversation, so after he paid for his drink, he stood and ambled across the room, slowly winding his way through people, occasionally sending a friendly greeting as he passed. He did not move purposefully, but he eventually approached the young woman and glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

Casually leaning against a nearby empty table, he took a sip of his drink. He coughed and grimaced slightly. He hated vodka.

"Lucky how people tend to explain away things that they don't understand," he started, looking out at the floor, his glass hovering near his lips, which curled upward in an amused half-smile. "Heels to flats? Must be a trick of the eyes."

He turned to face the waitress and whispered conspiratorially. "Never hurts to be more careful though. I imagine a lot of people are looking at you." His eyes sparkled playfully, his relaxed posture conveying that he wasn't entirely serious. "Wish guys would look at me like that," he sighed wistfully, nodding toward a twenty-something across the room who quickly averted his gaze.

Kenny laughed easily at the woman's comment, and shrugged when she called him observant. "I've only been in England for a few weeks, I spend a lot of time trying to take everything in. And it helps that I'm not drunk yet," he grinned.

He nodded at her final statement. "It is kinda creepy. And probably a little dehumanizing. To be honest, I think I'd just appreciate it because it's a rare experience for me, and I could always use the ego boost. But you probably don't need one, since I'm sure you get this a lot. Once the novelty wears off, I see how it could get tiring."

He wasn't flirting. Though Kenny could see she really was quite pretty, Scott just wanted a friendly chat. He couldn't help but think of what his previous personas would have done in this situation. Todd would be laying it on thick by this point. Daniel would be a little more subtle. Drew would quietly ogle before awkwardly introducing himself. But Scott couldn't care less about the attractive young witch, so Kenny turned his attention elsewhere.

He took another small sip from his glass. He pulled a face, but he was getting used to it, so it wasn't as bad as the first taste. He swirled the light brown liquid around in his cup a little bit. "So, how'd you end up here? I thought wizards and No-Maj's--sorry, muggles--tended to keep separate. Statute of Secrecy and all that."

As she commented on how he didn't seem drunk, Kenny winked and shot the woman a silly grin, then took a big gulp of his Long Island Iced Tea. It burned going down, and his eyes watered. He doubled over, spluttering and coughing. It was a bad idea, but something Scott would do, so he made a show of righting himself, lightly pounding his chest and making a face as he gagged.

"Ugh," he said as he recovered, wiping his teary eyes on his sleeve. "That was a mistake. I'll stick with not being drunk for now."

He nodded his understanding at the waitress's clarification. "I don't really know you, but I have a feeling I wouldn't want to get on your bad side."

He listened intently to the woman's story, filing it away. It revealed quite a bit about her--her motivations, her background. She came from a wealthy family. She was French. She had a bad relationship with her mother, but a decent one with her father and at least one of her brothers, of which she had two, possibly three--she said her inheritance was split in quarters, so she had three siblings, and she had to specify "oldest" brother, which meant there was at least one other brother. She didn't want to settle down, looked down a bit on high society, and had a feminist view of the world.

Those were the kinds of things he liked to know, that helped him understand how people worked. The kinds of things he could use to manipulate people, subtly, if he needed to. Not that he often went in with that intention, but sometimes it was just fun to see what he could get away with making people do or believe. The witch before him seemed strong-willed and shrewd--definitely willing to stand up for herself, and therefore, not easily manipulated. He briefly considered rising to the challenge, but decided he wasn't close enough to her to have much effect. Still, if he saw a good opportunity, he'd consider it.

For the moment, he contented himself with getting to know her, and building trust. She had shared with him, now it was his turn--or Scott's, anyway.

He confirmed her observation with a smile and a nod. "Yup. Jersey, born and raised. I came here to study at UEWW. Transfiguration Major, though I have no idea what I'll do with it," he chuckled. "Teach, maybe. You wouldn't happen to know of any high-paying jobs that require a Transfiguration degree, would you?"

"Ah, well," he shrugged bashfully, brushing off the compliment with a modest smile. "They probably have low standards for dumb Americans. Transfiguration's all I've got, really, I'm kind of shit at most other things."

"Really?" He perked up at her answer. "Hm...that sounds promising, actually. I'll look into it, if the post is still open in three years." It was probably unlikely, but if it was...he actually might consider it. He hadn't given much thought to his plan after university, but he did need some way of making a living.

Teaching would certainly have its perks--he'd have the freedom and power to mix things up if he got bored with what he was doing, and he'd be able to interact with quite a few different people every day. It would be a new experience, interacting with students from that point of view--and he was all for new points of view. He'd never been an authority figure before. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more fun it seemed. He wondered if he would do it as Scott, or create a different character--a new identity would probably be easy enough at a British wizarding school that he'd never been to. They wouldn't have heard of him. But then again, he was getting his degree under the name Scott Morrison, and they'd probably do a background check. He could always keep the name and change the character if he wanted to...

He shook himself from his thoughts. It was too early to plan for a future that may or may not even be possible. But he did file it away for future reference.

"How about you? Any big plans for the future? I don't imagine you'd want to work in a bar for the rest of your life."