Firewhiskey on a Friday (OPEN! ♥)

[ outfit. ]

It wasn't uncalled for to find people on the Quidditch pitch at this time, especially during the weekend. But that didn't make it any less bothersome for Ana, whom was looking to have her own good time without anyone butting in. Or watching. Or tattling. She had sent a letter to a few friends* to join her on the pitch for a little fun. Ana's fun was summoning ghosts from haunted objects, in this case. The most quizzical part of discovering the magical world was discovering that ghosts were real. If anyone had told her ghosts were real prior to her letter to Hogwarts, she would have laughed in their face, even at that youthful age. Ana didn't believe in boogeymen or monsters, but there it was, in her face.

It proved a lot of what she knew as a kid completely false. It didn't scare her... It possibly was what made her into who she was. Nothing her parents ever told her was true, and therefore she could choose her own path. Her father would claim it was she who kicked in the family foundation, if he could even acknowledge that there was something wrong.

So there she was, bag stuffed with candles and dead flowers and an antique she spotted at an oddities shop. And there was someone sitting in the middle of the pitch, disrupting her night. And she would simply have to tell them to fuck off, or she'd make them fuck off.

"Firewhiskey?"

Ana paused in place, ready to kick up dirt and grass into their lap, when they decided to speak. She could hardly tell it was Bridgette Flynn in the dark, but she knew that voice well. Loser sitting in the dark drinking by herself on a Friday night. She was tempted to kick at her anyway, but instead lowered her foot back onto firm ground. "I don't drink," Ana replied, but she only somewhat judged those who did. Ana didn't drink for obvious reasons: She was a violent drunk, she didn't want to follow in her violent drunk father's footsteps. Other people weren't like that, she got that, but she held prejudice despite how much she tried not to. "What are you up to on this fine evening, Flynn," She added with a patronizing tone, pronouncing "Flynn" like it was distasteful. In the very least, through her layers of grime, Bridgette didn't seem the type to be a buzzkill.

[outfit]
The middle of the night was always a great time for some quidditch practice, or at least some fun time flying. The amount of sunlight during the winter here was unnatural or maybe it was the lack of sunlight up north that was really unnatural. Feeling the bite of the wind as he opened a window from the Gryffindor tower he smiled. Tobias had flown in weather so much worse than this. Merlin they'd had one of their competitions in a blizzard, and he'd still manage to find and catch the snitch. Although that was dismissed as luck. He laughed, he got lucky to often for it to just be luck.

The window being taller than he was, he simply stepped up on the windowsill, mounted the broom and jumped. Feeling the wind rushing through his hair he waited till the last possible second to pull up. Riding around for awhile, he practiced his rolls handless this time reaching out to the empty air below him. As he was about twenty feet of the ground while "practicing", he didn't expect to fall. Doing so would mean serious injury at this height, and he had no business in the hospital wing just yet.

Flying over to the Quidditch pitch he was surprised to see two students already there. Landing a bit away from them, he pulled the snitch he'd nicked from the school's supplies out before walking over. Noticing they were both girls he cut the swagger, no longer playing catch and release with the snitch to show off but for fun.

"I don't see brooms on either of you," he said once he was close enough to be heard, "what brings you to the Quidditch pitch?"

There was a long moment before a girl's voice responded "I don't drink." Bridgette giggled, "I don't think I've met a witch here who doesn't drink." She lay back and looked up to see who it was. It was too dark to make her out well at first, but it was definitely a thin pretty blonde. Ooh, this night might get good after all... 

"What are you up to on this fine evening, Flynn," The girl spat. Yup, now she recognized the pretentious Slytherin. Ana Gray, someone she had paid little attention to, but had taken many classes with. Bridgette had definitely mocked her in class before. She liked to be a show-off. And piss people off for fun. 

"Can't you see," Bridgette spread her arms out, spilling a little of the Firewhiskey in the process, "I'm drinking with all my friends," she grinned broadly up at the girl, giggling and staring straight at her face surrounded by white hair in the moonlight. Bridgette made a noise of approval, her eyes darkening a little, "but I guess gorgeous blondes are welcome too." She winked. Bridgette heard someone approaching and flipped onto her stomach, doing a little whoop when she didn't spill her drink.

"I don't see... to the Quidditch pitch?"  The approaching boy asked. Bridgette recognized him right away.

"Tobias you little shit, get over here!" Bridgette scrambled to a sitting position, reached into her bag, pulling out a second Firewhiskey and tossing it at him. He'd catch it, he was a damn seeker for god's sake. "I know we're on the pitch, but Ravenclaw doesn't play you anytime soon." She rocked back, trying to balance her glass bottle in her lap. In the past when Ravenclaw had played Gryffindor, she was always jealous of the boy's skill, but she was fast. He was a great player, and it gave her a great challenge. Even though she could never beat the damn kid. "I know you, but I don't like... know you." Bridgette scrunched her face up, hoping her logic made sense. She turned her face back to him, motioning for him to come closer. "Sit down, stay a while!"

He noticed Bridgette from her voice, he'd heard her talking around the school. The only reason he remembered who she was was because she was a chaser on the Ravenclaw team, and a damn good one at that. He'd been off trying to catch the snitch before the difference in points got too large. Anyone who make him step up his game was worth paying attention to.

As she tossed something at him he caught it with his left hand, while snagging the snitch with his right. Realizing he might want to actually focus on what was going on he stuck the pilfered ball in one of his pockets. He chuckled at her comment about not knowing him well. He'd never had many female friends back at Durmstrang, the few girls he did hang out with were terrifying with magic and tended to swing in the same direction he did: never straight. Letting his broomstick hover about a foot off the ground he sat down on the grass next to it. Finally checking what it was she'd thrown at him, he noticed the firewhiskey. Well, he could always practice flying another night, he thought as he opened it and took his first drink. He enjoyed the bite as it burned down his throat, this was familiar. He'd spent many nights drinking firewhiskey with his friends back at Durmstrang.

"No," he said, "You don't really know me and I don't really know you. But alcohol is the great equalizer. So what's on the discussion list tonight? The more inappropriate and taboo the better."

Of course, considering Hogwarts current policies very little was taboo anymore. They even started teaching dark magic. Something Tobias was happy to have an actual class on instead of just learning what he could on his own.

Bridgette eyed Tobias, wondering if he'd turn it down too. But when he opened the bottle and took a drink, she hung her head and pumped a fist in the air.

"... alcohol is the great equalizer... the more inappropriate and taboo the better." he said, and she grinned broadly. She snapped and pointed a finger at him, her tipsiness showing.

"Damn straight my man," Bridgette grinned at him. He was a pretty boy, not really her type. She decided to actually get to know him a little. They were in the same year, and he seemed like a good, dedicated kid. "You know I don't appreciate you stealing the snitch before I can score enough to beat you," She tipped her bottle at him before taking another long drink, "Although I have nothing to say about our current Seeker. It's like they're not even there!" She exclaimed angrily, throwing her arms up in a dramatic gesture. She spilled a little of the cinnamon drink on her hand and pulled her arm over to lick it off. Didn't want to waste it!

She tilted her head back, looking up at the clear sky. It really was a beautiful night. It reminded her of hot chocolate with marshmallows at her parents' house. "Well," she thought out loud, reminiscing still, "I guess you could say I'm just a small town girl," Bridgette turned her head to Ana with a mockingly tragic face on, "Living in such a lonely world."

Bridgette swirled her drink in her hand, even though it wasn't a mixed drink, it wouldn't separate. She sighed dramatically, "One day, I just took a train going anywhere." She stared off into the distance, trying not to break into a large grin. And failing miserably. She devolved into a fit of giggles, so proud of her joke, and not caring at all if they understood it or not. 

"But anyways," Bridgette looked up at Ana, "What are you about blondie? All I have on you is that you're my number one competition for Potions bottom bitch." She flipped her red mane out of her face and tilted her chin up, feeling sexy (though that was mostly fueled by the Firewhiskey). "Any dirty secrets?" She pouted her lips a little and blinked up at her. 

If Ana wasn't about to judge Bridgette before, she almost definitely was going to judge her straight into the ground now. It was different when someone drank themselves dumb for whatever reason, by the high and mighty "oh, everyone does it" attitude was pedestrian at best. "So, the same as usual then," Ana added to the girl's quip about being friendless. It was hilarious that she obviously always thought she had some sort of pseudo-upper hand by the way she spoke. Like she was the Antagonist or the Queen Bee, and Ana cared very little for her type. Likely because she was just the same, only it was a default for her rather than a stage production, featuring a sad performance of one.

"But I guess gorgeous blondes are welcome too."

Ana rolled her eyes deeply then. She would roll them into the back of her skull if she could. This gorgeous blonde has better things to do than humor pond scum. That's what she would have said if they weren't suddenly interrupted. She knew little about the new, Swedish boy, other than the fact that he was gross and hung around the Ohme boy sometimes, and she got the feeling that she wasn't supposed to like him. And that was fine, because she automatically didn't like him one bit. If she disliked Bridgette for that smug, sexualized demeanor of her's, she disliked Tobias at least ten times more for his. In the very least, Bridgette had the looks to back it, while Tobias... He looked a bit like a shaved rat, didn't he?

"Sacrifice." She answered his question, but they were already talking about other things. Quidditch and the like. Ana looked past him, to see if anyone else was approaching, so she could saunter off and leave the two to get drunk and play their ickle, little games. She only vaguely listened. There was a tap in her heel as she waited momentarily for her friend to show face, but for now it seemed it would be the three of them. Of course, she contemplated leaving instead.

"So what's on the discussion list tonight? The more inappropriate and taboo the better."

Her lip curled. In truth, she would have been able to stomach Bridgette's company. The slimy Swede, not so much. But, she squatted beside them, eyes still stuck on the horizon. She would stay, for now, until her friend appeared. While the Ravenclaw could claim all she wanted, Ana was the elephant on the field now; and lucky for the two of them, Ana had little issue being a killjoy. "Here," She murmured, procuring two of her candles from her bag then, placing them down in the middle of the triangle, where the flames rose softly from her touch. "A fire for The Circle of Sad Losers, lit by your's truly." It was then that she could properly see their faces, her own glowing deathly white above the flames. She decided to keep her intentions that night to herself.

"Please share what you consider inappropriate and taboo. Are your tastes as vanilla as you look?" She draped her arms over her knees, outstretched and fiddling with her thumb ring. And that was possibly the nicest thing she had to say to him. But, she continued, "We have the makeshift campfire going. Maybe 'spooky' stories are in order," She wiggled her fingers to emphasize the childishness of "spooky", "Or maybe, we have more interesting tales to tell."

"Any dirty secrets?"

"You fucking wish," Ana retorted. And it wasn't all that inaccurate, as Ana had no "dirty" secrets to tell. All her secrets were sad and pathetic. Everyone knew she and Llewellyn kissed at a party and she vomited on him, and that what few boyfriends she had amounted to nothing, as they loudly complained about it. But she was exactly as prudish as she led on.

Jogging down to the pitch, Lachlan was late. He'd been tempted to leave Ana to whatever her "fun" was, because he really wasn't in the mood for any kind of fun at all. But then, the idea of Ana having fun was so novel that curiosity had managed to break through his apathy.

He could see Ana wasn't alone and as he got closer and they lit candles, the other figures resolved themselves into Bridgette and... Toby. Lachlan seriously considered going back to the castle, but he was probably too close now to get away with that.

"Good evening," he greeted the group, after walking the rest of the way onto the pitch. They may not all be his favourite people, but he could just imagine how Ana would go off if he was rude to her friends. Despite the fact that she was barely civil to anyone herself.

[x]

Any opportunity to further distance himself from the god fearing boy he was deep down that arose, Llewellyn would take without so much as a second guess. So of course, when Ana had told him about her plans earlier that day, he had jumped at the opportunity to further immerse himself into a culture of sin and debauchery.

Just kidding. Llewellyn was not that introspective. In fact, he tried to avoid those kind of deliberate self-reflections entirely. He just really liked the idea of seances based entirely off of his immersion into the cult horror movie culture and the idea that things like the quidditch pitch would grow teeth and try to swallow them whole, Hausu style, putting him ultimately out of his misery. It was a morbid thought, but Llewellyn wasn't in the greatest of places at the moment. He tried not to think about that either.

Besides, Ana had invited him, and Ana was his new friend. He wouldn't label her as a best friend, not yet anyway, but they hand bonded in an unexpected way and made Llewellyn feel at least an ounce less lonely, and that was exactly what he needed right now. Distractions. 

So he booked it across the school grounds, reveling in the open freedom of the night, spreading out his arms and reaching towards the zigzag line that was the horizon like if he tried hard enough he could nestle his fingertips into the grooves of the trees. He was not the only one dashing across the field like a gazelle. In the distance he could see another boy running. Presumably, someone else Ana had invited. Llewellyn was curious. He hadn't thought Ana had many friends, but he wasn't surprised by the possibility that he was wrong. Llewellyn was wrong more often than not. 

He had dressed for the occasion, opting for a spooky mask he had made in potions earlier that week instead of doing actual work. He had made one for Ana too, which was stuffed in the book bag along with the candles she had told him to bring. The mess of curly brown hair was capped in the obnoxious beanie, and aside from the green eyes that peeked out from behind the round paper mache holes and the languid yet uncertain body movements, he was all but unrecognizable. 

So as he neared the dark figures that stopped in the middle of the field, his sprint tapered off into a light jog. He could see now that the boy in front of him had been Lachlan. He wasn't an altogether unwelcome face, but the same couldn't be said for the rest of the group that had accumulated. 

His stomach dropped as he halted a few feet away. It was a sensation that had become common place these days, every time he saw that fucker lurking in the Hufflepuff common room. It was... an unfortunate ramification of dorm rooms. Everyone knew everyones business, even if there were some things Llewellyn would have rather not known. He felt that same ache in his gut radiate up into his esophagus. Swallowing hard, he slid the mask off  and up onto his forehead, trying not to think about the afternoon he'd seen Kai and Tobias sneak not so inconspicuously off into the boys dorm while Llewellyn had been sitting by the fire, strumming away at his guitar, sinking deep into the cushions wishing he could disappear into nihility.

How could he. 

Sure, Kai had been with other people before. It was an open gaping wound that tore at his chest like a wet paper towel Every. Single. Fucking. Time. But usually, those people had the common decency to disappear. Not Tobias though. Like a cancer he flourished, eating away at whatever chance Llewellyn had at happiness.  

So he continued to bleed like it was a lifestyle choice. So what? Bleed him fucking dry like the gaping wound he was, because Llewellyn was so beyond giving a shit anymore, not that he really did to begin with.

He wasn't a violent person by nature, and Llewellyn had never hated a person in his life, but Tobias seemed to invoke a fury that was uncharacteristic of the badger, so as he approached the group he stiffened considerably. 

"Wow, you like, invited some of the coolest people in the school Nana," he said acerbically, staring daggers in Ana's direction as she sat in the grass. Tossing his book bag beside her and dropping onto the turf alongside, he took out two fake purple candles and dropped them in her lap. They weren't real candles, but they had been all he'd been able to find in his trunk.

Fuming, he considered the rest of the company, nodding towards Lachlan and Bridgette. "Hey guys."

He could just pretend Tobias didn't exist, right?

That Slytherin blonde girl, Ann or Ana something, was as pleasant as ever. He wasn't exactly sure what he had done to piss the girl off, or if this was just her default personality but she was a constant buzzkill. As she continued talking he was liking her less and less by the second. Really, why was she here again? She’d said something about sacrifice, so maybe she’d go sacrifice herself to whatever gods she believed in and be done with it. As she continued talking he took more and more heavy drinks from his fire whiskey to ignore her.

Bridgette on the other hand seemed like good fun, though clearly drunk, though with Ana’s presence he was well on his way to joining her. Bridgette seemed more interested in Ana than she was in him however and he found himself laughing. Of course she was. He never got along with girls who didn’t shoot at least slightly off center. He continued drinking his firewhiskey, about half of the way down the rather large bottle, as that asshole appeared. Strangways by the look of it... At least his sister wasn’t with him. What right did that asshole have to be so attractive? Whatever, he was having his fun. If only Kai was here… Maybe he’d go looking for him after this. It seemed like a very good idea. After finishing the firewhiskey, he’d go to the Hufflepuff common room and make someone let him in to see his boyfriend. He could even surprise him!

As Strangways let out a greeting he nodded at him, wondering what on earth had brought him to the pitch. Tobias had come out here to practice at this time quite often, and he’d never seen anyone else, let alone… one, two, three… THREE someone else's! He took another large drink, about three quarters of the way done now, in very little time. He wasn't so good on moderation.

“It’s night time though,” he replied, “though good night normally means good bye.”

He looked over at Bridgette to asked her what she though but then he stop. Her hair, it looked like her head was on fire. Looking at it in the candle light. It was very pretty. Like phoenix flames. Or the fur of a red fox!

“You have fire hair,” he said, reaching out to pet it, “It’s very nice fire hair."

:: outfit :: 

Bridgette watched Ana carefully light candles. "A fire for the circle of sad losers..."  Bridgette grinned broadly. Though Ana had teased her a moment ago, Bridgette didn't feel put off by Ana. She didn't really know enough about her to form an opinion other than pretentious bitch, which was a label she used for pretty much everyone at Hogwarts at this point. She frowned for a moment, remembering Ana's earlier comment.

"Wait... Did you say sacrifice?" she asked, wondering if she'd heard Ana correctly. Bridgette was too busy rambling on about nothing to pay attention to the conversations she was currently having.

"... Are your tastes as vanilla as you look?" Ana sneered. It was a cute look on her. Bridgette raised an eyebrow suggestively, even though she knew the comment wasn't for her. Bridgette did have some good stories... "You fucking wish," Ana replied to Bridgette's question. Bridgette let out a loud laugh. For some reason, she didn't expect that response.

"You know, I'm sure you'd be an interesting person if you weren't so busy being a..." She started, but trailed off as another person approached the group. Bridgette had seen Lachlan before, but didn't really know him either. She did notice his outfit choices, and she had to admit, he had made her like men in skirts almost as much as she liked women in shorts. She had never approached him though, just appreciated from afar. Now, she raised an eyebrow at him, openly checking him out. Damn, she always got horny when she was drinking. "Well hello there stranger." Tobias was saying something that barely made sense about saying goodnight. She laughed at him. Good kid, he was turning out to be.

As she spoke, another person approached the group. This was certainly turning out to be an eventful night. The newcomer seemed to have a deformed face, and Bridgette froze for a moment, reaching for her wand, but it as the person removed their face, she realized it was a mask. She let out a shaken laugh. "Shit dude, you scared me to death for a minute." Bridgette scratched the back of her head nervously. She recognized Llewellyn from some of her classes. Another person she hadn't talked to much. Once she got over herself, she felt an awkward energy in the group at the newcomer's entrance. He wasn't the awkward one, but there was obviously something going on that was over her head at the moment. She decided not to poke the beast. "Damn, it's a 6th Year party!" Bridgette forced an awkward laugh. "Umm... Firewhiskey anyone?" She fumbled in her bag, producing her last two bottles.

Suddenly she felt someone touching her hair. She let out a closed-mouth moan, leaning into the touch. Who didn't love when someone touched their hair? It took a moment for her to realize it was Tobias. He wasn't coming on to her was he? She considered it for a moment. It seemed more like a friendly, tipsy gesture than anything else. "Tobias, why have we never hung out?" She asked, taking another sip of Firewhiskey. She was towards the bottom of her drink now. For some reason the last few sips were always harder than the whole drink for her. She'd be holding the almost empty bottle for a while yet.

ooc: sorry for skipping! totally forgot my manners, have not done this in a long time. D: 

Bridgette seemed to have caught Ana's comment, and she faked a laugh. "A joke," She waved it off with her pale hand. But she still wasn't going to express her true intentions. It was a dark night, and Ana enjoyed picking fun. Would these type of people, witches and wizards, find the idea of a seance "spooky", when that was basically their every day lives? That wasn't really her concern, her concern was the questions or explanations. She was what she was, and she just wanted to get on with her night. But Tobias seemed to be ignoring her, anyway, and she was thankful for that. Made it easier to sit herself down properly in the grass, knees tucked to her chest, rather than aggravating the holes in her stockings that pin pricked around her thighs. If he were more sober, she'd be ready to leave at any moment.

And as the redhead began to dig into her, about how she was such an awful buzzkill surely, Ana's lips curled into a devilish smile. It was a shame that Lachlan had to finally show up and spoil the fun. "Theeeere you are," She hummed, eyebrows rising in question. She didn't care what took him so long, only that he actually managed to show up. That was dedication. She didn't tell him why they were meeting up, because he didn't seem the type that needed it. He was a fucking weirdo and he probably did weird things, and if he didn't like it, he could leave. But a seance was better with a circle, rather than just a couple of teenagers trying to get their kicks.

She wasn't sure if it was even going to happen, anyway. Not at this rate. It was turning into a party, and Ana, well... She wasn't the best at those.

But, while she would never admit it, her expression (and mood) brightened at the sight of a masked figure approaching, whose hobo-esque attire could only be donned by Llewellyn Ludlow himself. Black-rimmed eyes beamed up at her friend; he was an awful dipshit, but she grew fonder of him over time. And that moment soured as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I didn't fucking invite any of these people," She snapped at him as he met her side, voice hushed, "Except Lachlan, but he's weird, okay? He's good fun when he's not kicking puppies or whatever." Or weird metamorph boys that sniveled in the corner. Same thing, almost, at least in that case. But the idea that Ana would ever invite Tobias and Llewellyn to the same get together? She wasn't a moron. Even if she was ragingly bitchy, she wouldn't set up such a mess. She had little patience for boyish spats.

At this rate, she was tempted to accept Bridgette's offer to get drunk. But she knew better.

She took Llewellyn's candles in her hands, looking them over quietly. They were cute. She didn't expect him to be as invested as he was. She flicked one on idly and gave a gratuitous sigh, already feeling out of the moment. "We were going to summon ghosts," Ana finally told Bridgette (and finally informing Lachlan why he was even there), her eyes meeting the redhead's, "But maybe we should keep things... On your terms. Fun and light-hearted. Everyone getting along. Sharing stories. I have one, unless someone else wishes to start." While she was sincere, her words were a bit drenched in condescension. She placed the candle between her and Llewellyn, trying not to cringe at herself.

[PJs because why not?]

While the redhead's eyes raked over him in the candlelight, Lachlan fiddled with the tie of his dressing gown. He didn't exactly mind people checking him out, but like, a little discretion?

"Hey babe," he replied, as it seemed the safest option.

Lachlan didn't know Bridgette well enough to have an opinion on her, though she seemed the kind of girl who was up for just about everything, so he wasn't going to alienate her just yet. Toby, on the other hand, he already hated, so he simply ignored the guy's babbling about evenings and good nights.

And then Llewellyn was there, insinuating himself between Lachlan and Ana and making nasty remarks. Lachlan raised an eyebrow. Llewellyn was quite pretty, really. Not in the way people meant when they called Lachlan a "pretty-boy", either. Pretty like a doll. And though Lachlan could appreciate the juxtaposition, he was still surprised nobody had broken that pretty face yet.

"Hey, I don't kick puppies," Lachlan protested the overheard comment, "only fluffy bunny rabbits, right Ludlow?"

He laughed as Ana informed them why they were here. Not at her, but she'd actually been right. It did sound like fun. Also, he didn't want to share stories. That was a bad idea. Wherever teenagers got together and drank and told stories eventually there would be things like spin the bottle and truth or dare. Lachlan wanted to keep as far from those two games as possible, thank you very much.

"I'm up for summoning ghosts," he said. "Sounds like a lark."

As Bridgette let out what he assumed was a moan, he stopped petting her hair. Nope, not getting into that. But someone else besides Lachlan had appeared. Wearing a ridiculous mask of all things. He was pretty sure he knew the kid from somewhere. Maybe he was a Hufflepuff? If so the kid could possibly get him into see Kai. Or not. He seemed to already dislike him. For no reason, he might add. Then they started talking about summon ghosts. Really? Were they five or something?

“Why?” he asked.

He took another drink before putting down the alcohol, even he could tell he’d had enough. Especially around people like Strangway, he wanted to keep at least some semblance of sobriety. It wasn’t like he couldn’t duel drunk. It’s just that he’d be slower and more likely to cast extremely violate spells. He’d blown up a good portion of a mountain in a duel with his friend when they were both shit faced. While a good story, it wasn’t exactly something he wanted a repeat of.

“I mean, I guess we could but it’s not like we don’t see them everyday in school.”

He was debating leaving now. His was sobering up rather quickly in the cold air. Maybe he’d just ask that kid if the Hufflepuff password had changed and then go find Kai, that at least sounded like fun. Standing up and grabbing his broom, he looked over at the kid who’s name he still didn’t know.

“Mask kid,” he said, “you’re in Hufflepuff right? You know if the password’s changed since recently? I have a friend to see.”

The way he said friend, was so clearly provocative even he had to giggle. Well, maybe he wasn’t as sober as he thought he was. With a look at Lachlan, he slipped his hand into his right zipper pocket where his wand was. Never could be too careful with people who hate you, though the number of witnesses would hopefully keep them ignoring the other. Ignoring was better than dueling, at least when people were around to see.