Should I stay or go? (Scott)

Janet sighed and ran one hand through her hair. She was currently annoyed with the world and pissed off at everything. There was not even one specific reason behind her current bad mood, just a general mix of bad things that had happened throughout the week. She had decided to try and turn her mood around, however, she figured a night out was the best way to lift her mood.

As she listened to the rock band playing she rubbed her temples, beginning to regret her decision as she sipped on her water, willing the headache to go away so she could enjoy the night. She shook it roughly, not helping at all but getting her out of her head as she reminded herself to stop feeling sorry for herself. She glanced around the room at the full tables, watching as drunk people made fools of themselves and their companions tried to keep them from hurting themselves. Janet sighed and began gathering her things, it may be best for her to just leave.

Kenny had successfully completed his first year of university, and, to be honest, he was getting a little bored. His classes were interesting and whatnot, but he hadn't met anyone truly entertaining so far, and he wasn't sure he could stick with just Scott for the next three years. The days were getting monotonous. He had to get out and change things up a bit.

He stepped into the crowded club and glanced around under half-lidded eyes. He'd gone for an edgier look today, a Black Sabbath t-shirt paired with dark jeans, with his hair charmed several shades darker and hanging over his right eye. He'd never been to Hogsmeade before, so he didn't see the point in going as Scott. He doubted he'd run into any college buddies here.

It was liberating getting out and going someplace new. He didn't really have much to do over the summer (although he had been searching for a job lately, to pay the bills), so exploring Wizarding Britain seemed like as good an idea as any. He always loved the anonymity that came with going somewhere new, and the freedom of changing characters.

Rock Blood had sounded like fun when he'd heard about it. Certainly different from the places he'd been hanging out as of late. He'd decided to give it a try. He didn't feel like planning today, so he thought he'd improvise his character as he went, dressing to fit in, but choosing nothing else about himself until asked. It was more fun when you made up your script as you went along--you had more freedom that way.

The place was packed. He didn't see any empty tables when he surveyed the area, but he did see one with just one person at it--a girl, younger than him, but independent enough to hang out in clubs by herself. Seeing no other choices that were more appealing, he made up his mind and strolled over to her table, nodding his head to the beat of the music. Just as he approached, she started to pack up. She looked a little...frustrated. Annoyed. Interesting. He had a secret appreciation for unhappy people. They were usually more fun to play with.

"You alright?" he asked, allowing his natural accent to shine through. It was just standard American, but probably noteworthy here in Britain. He didn't really feel like putting on a different voice today. "You look a little upset."

Janet had decided, there was nothing for her hear other than a larger headache and she was ready to go. She had her purse on her shoulder and was ready to pack up when a man stopped at her table. She blinked in surprise and studied him.

He sure fit in with the crowd, dark jeans, dark hair hiding part of his face, all pulled together by some random t-shirt of some band if she had to guess. He didn't seem like someone who would look to assist a random girl in a club, but appearances could be deceiving.

Besides, she supposed she looked the part at the moment as well. Heavy eyeliner, dark lipstick, a short skin-tight leather dress and her little purse she blushed, she must look like some sort of underaged stripper. Her parents would kill her if they knew she had bought the outfit, let alone wore it out of the house to some rock club, even if it was just in the village.

"I'm okay." She was aware of how red her face must look at the moment and took a sip of her drink, trying to calm her inflamed cheeks. Goodness, this was a mistake. She shouldn't have done this. "Rough week is all. You can have this table if you'd like, I was just leaving." She stood and gestured to the table, giving the man a polite smile as she pulled at and attempted to smooth her dress, suddenly wishing it was twice as long as it was.

Even in the dark club, Kenny could swear the girl's cheeks flushed as she self-consciously adjusted her outfit. It was hard to determine her age. Younger than him, probably, but if he had to guess, she was probably seventeen or eighteen. Mature enough to wear a tight dress to a club, but not experienced enough to flaunt it confidently.

He tilted his head, concern showing on his face. "You sure?" He glanced out the glass door, taking in the dark street outside. "It's pretty late. Do you want someone to walk with you?"

He ruffled his own hair nervously. "Sorry, maybe that's a little weird. I doubt you'd feel any safer walking with a stranger than you would by yourself...I've just, um, I've got a little sister who's around your age, and I really wouldn't want her walking alone at night." His explanation slipped out of his mouth at the same time as it occurred to him, and he made sure to remember it, adding this detail to his new character's background.

"Do you live near here?" He asked.

Janet listened to what he said and gave him a small smile as he talked. "I don't live too far from here, besides you probably want to get about your night." She paused however as he spoke of his little sister. Great, now the guy thought of her as some little girl who needed protecting.

She sighed and glanced at the table. "Well like I said, I don't live far from here but.." She looked back to the guy again as a smile slowly spread across her face. Maybe she could have some fun tonight after all. "How about this, you buy me a drink and I might let you walk me home?"

She tilted her head, partly flirting as her eyelashes fluttered, partly glad for the excuse not to have to go home yet. There was nothing but a lecture waiting for her there at the moment and she really wasn't in the mood. She slipped back into the chair, gesturing for the man to do the same. "I live in Hogsmeade, yes." She hung her purse on the back of her chair before turning her full attention to the man in front of her.

As she started to wave him off, he made sure the conflict was clear on his face, letting her know he was worried about her safety. He had nothing else to do, he didn't want to let her go that easily.

At her suggestion, he glanced up at the drink menu on the wall. "A drink drink, or like, a lemonade?" He asked, slipping into the seat across from her.

"Oh wait, I forgot," he said, "the drinking age is different here, you're probably legal. Sorry, I haven't been in the UK for very long," he chuckled. Internally he smirked, glad that she'd decided to stay and talk with him.

"So, uh, what's your name?" He asked, flagging one of the waitstaff over. "And what did you want to drink?"

To be honest, he was almost broke at the moment, but he figured he could spare some cash to buy a girl a drink. If push came to shove, he had ways of procuring money, should he need it. And to him, a little entertainment, even for a night, was worth the money--he really loathed being bored.

Janet made a small hum sound, squinting at the drink menu as well before lifting a shoulder in a half shrug. "I'll just have what you have I suppose." She hadn't actually had a drink drink before but this was a night of new things, and if that's what the man decided, that's what she would go with.

She tilted her head, studying him again as he asked her age. He looked to be several years older than her, but not enough that it would deter her from making friends, or be flirting with him. If he had been like 25 she would have been worried, but he seemed to be in his early twenties at the oldest.

"My name is Janet. And you are?" She raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her drink, enjoying the rare opportunity to seem (or so she believed) mysterious to some degree. Ha, listen to her, she couldn't even commit in her head to whether she believed herself to be mysterious or not. The girl mentally shook her head at herself but pushed the thought away, better to be in the moment for now.

When the girl was not very forthcoming with any particular choice, Kenny calculated in his head what would make the night most fun, and decided alcohol always spiced things up. He didn't really care about the law--he'd been drinking socially since he was fourteen--and if she wasn't saying no...well, why not?

His character hesitated for a split second before shrugging. "Two firewhiskeys, please," he told the waiter. The establishment didn't seem all that uptight about the rules either, as the waiter simply nodded and left to prepare their drinks, without so much as asking for identification. Not that it would have been a problem, he was above the legal age. It was just that his ID was under Scott's name, and he'd rather not flash it if he wasn't Scott.

Her name was Janet. And his name was?

"Marcus," he said, spouting off the first name that came to mind. Well, could be worse. Now he just had to remember to respond to it.

Janet seemed to be attempting some sort of vibe. He could tell she was probably going for cool or smooth, but to be honest, it just came off as sort of...cute. Like she was pretending to be older than she was. He relaxed a little and shot her a small smile. It was easy to take advantage of people who tried to be cool.

"You said you had a rough week?" He prompted, eyes full of interest and mild concern for her wellbeing.

Janet's eyes glittered with excitement. If her parents knew she was at a club with some guy drinking, she'd be grounded for life. But she didn't care at the moment and decided to just keep it up. She deserved some fun every now and then after all.

Janet nodded and grinned. "Well Markus, thanks for the drink." She took a sip of her nearly empty water as he showed concern for her week. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, not even really wanting to think about it. She handed her empty glass to a passing waiter who gave her a sarcastic smile to which she just bared her teeth in a slightly threatening, mostly I'm-stressed-don't-mess-with-me grin of some sort.

"It was just a mess. Everyone at home is breathing down my neck, and even when I get out of the house I can't seem to legitimately let go at all, on top of all the arguments I've been having with not only my family but one of my friends. On top of all that, I had a bottle of ink spill and ruin a good two chapters worth of work on this book I'm writing. For Merlin's sakes, I don't even want to think about it." She sighed and shook her head. "Let's just say I'm in need of a night like this."

"Marcus" gave a short, uncertain nod at Janet's thanks, as if he was slightly regretting his decision. But, she looked fine with it, if not downright happy, so he didn't dwell on it any longer.

He leaned his elbows on the table, listening intently to Janet's description of her week. Oh yes, unhappy people were certainly the most fun. All it took was a little prying, and they happily spilled all their problems to complete strangers.

"Ouch, I'm sorry, that sounds awful," he said sympathetically. "There must be some sort of spell that can salvage your book though. Tergeo maybe? I dunno, I was never that great at charms, though I did like them a lot in school."

"Do you want to be an author?" He asked. "I mean, professionally." If there was one thing that always got people talking, it was bringing up their hopes and dreams--anything they were passionate about. It always intrigued him how people could talk and talk about things that were really personal.

"Well, I'm glad to help in any way I can," he smiled softly. The waiter returned and set their drinks down in front of them.