(Untitled)

[erikcohen]

Week Name/Date/Time: 'The Minister Is Elected'/Tues Nov. 8/8:00 PM
Location: Kitchens
Open To: Brenden, Phillip, Dustin
Currently Involving: ERIK COHEN

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[p_davenport]

Phillip was eager to get into the kitchens tonight. Seemed it had been an age since he'd seen all his mates in one place. And tonight was something special. A Bertie Bott's contest at last! They'd not had one in forever and he had missed them. Admittedly, he was a bit surprised that Erik had told him it would be in the kitchens, but then, it was Erik and Dustin. They sure did love those house elves; which, wasn't that surprising as the elves were really quite obliging about everything.

He made his way to the portrait of fruit and tickled the pear. He always thought it was a rather fitting trick to get into the kitchens of all places, but had never bothered to tell anyone. That was the sort of thing he left to Dustin, really.

He looked around as he stepped inside, quickly spotting Erik with that Daisy elf friend of his. He made his way over, calling out, "Hallo, Erik! Ready to be beaten, then?" he winked, chuckling. This was one competition he didn't much care about the outcome of. This was more about being goofy and ridiculous with his mates, and he was sure they could all use it.

[dustin_alden]

Dustin was dying with anticipation. He'd not seen his best mates in ages, aside from Brenden, and was getting a bit tired of not being asked to do anything. He had to be invited to Bertie Bott's contests, as he was the champion 15 games running! Aside from that one time Erik had won, but that he considered an off day. And now Phillip was joining in as well! Even better. A bunch of fifth years in one place, with one purpose. Pushing their limits until someone fell over or vomited. Perfectly disgusting, and one of the only times he was willing to take risks.

He tickled the pear, something he always found humorous, and clapped his hands excitedly when Daisy appeared before him.

"Good night for a contest, Daisy! I can feel it," Dustin told her with a grin, but she only nodded and pointed to where Phil and Erik were already seated. Shuffling a bit, but still smiling, Dustin joined them.

"I hope you are ready for the contest to end all contests!" Dustin stated and placed a few boxes on the table, though he said that every time. Even though they really only needed one box, it had been agreed previously that you could never have enough. Not really. Not with Bertie.

[brenden_elliot]

Brenden was ready. It was his night, he could practically feel it in his bones! Except, maybe not. He wasn't sure if you could feel things like this in your bones or not. Of course, if you could, he was feeling them now! He'd not had much of a chance to just be goofy with his mates in ages. All of them together, what a joy! The smile on his face was rather goofy, so it was a good thing the only ones who would be seeing him were as goofy as he was.

He made it to the portrait of the enourmous pear, and reached out in tickled it. He'd often wondered why it was a pear, but didn't question it. After all, somethings were better left unanswered, weren't they?

He steped in and smiled at Daisy, who, apparently was the elf-in-charge. "Wotcher, Daisy!" He grinned and then walked in the direction she pointed him in, a broad grin on his face.

"Well, now! Who's ready to be beaten, then?" Not that he cared much, but, he'd not let them in on that, now would he? He noticed the amount of boxes on the table and decided that they didn't need his. Good, as Bertie was precious, and needed not to be wasted.

[erikcohen]

Erik gasped when Phillip arrived, implying that Erik would not be the winner of the evening's contest. Now, Phil knew as well as he did that it was all in the luck of the draw! He raised an eyebrow at his best mate and tapped his chin in thought.

"That sounds like a challenge. Care to place a wager on the outcome? I'll bet you two sherbet lemons that Dustin's first bean is a good flavour!" Erik stated, chuckling as just the person he was talking about came walking into the room.

His eyes widened at the number of boxes that spilled out onto the table, but he quickly replaced his look of surprise with a mischievous grin.

"You always say that, and yet the tradition continues!" Erik pointed out, and rolled his eyes as Brenden entered in a way similar to Phil.

HE WAS NOT GOING TO BE BEATEN! NOT TONIGHT!

"Wotcher, Brenden. Welcome to the madness!"

[p_davenport]

Phillip chuckled, "Challenge? Me, cor not! But all right, I'll take your bet. Why not?"

He turned to wave as Dustin approached and laughed aloud at the exchange about the contest to end all contests. "Good thing, too! What else'd we do with our time?" he grinned at the both of them, thinking that only two such nutters as Erik and Dustin could ever have come up with such a tradition in the first place.

He smirked at Brenden's greeting, "Oh, I think Erik and Dustin are, for sure. What about you, mate?" always cocky and self-assured, that Phillip, but even he knew that contests like these really came down to luck and a strong stomach.

[dustin_alden]

Dustin grinned sheepishly at Erik and took a seat at the table, nudging Phil as a response to his comment.

"Well, we could play Quidditch, but Erik's a pansy on a broom," Dustin suggested, insulting his best mate at the same time and laughing. He didn't mean it, really, but Erik was the only one out of the four of them that didn't play Quidditch. Dustin suspected he was a bit too distracted for things like sports.

Dustin waved as Brenden entered the room and frowned a bit at Phil's reply to Brenden. When had he declared himself ready to be beaten? Not within the last few minutes, that was for sure.

"I hope you both can put your words where your stomachs are!" Dustin said finally and fiddled with the box of beans in his hands.

[brenden_elliot]

Brenden laughed and looked around. "Hello all!"

He eyed Phillip and snorted when he asked him if he was ready to be beaten. "Well, I dunno. All depends on the luck of the draw!" Brenden wasn't the cocky type. Found it better to be that way. Failing was much easier that way.

He smiled. "I'm ready when you lot are."

[erikcohen]

Erik shook his head as Phil said he was ready to be beaten. Now, honestly, that would just be ridiculous! He raised an eyebrow at his best mate and made a 'tsk tsk' noise before glaring at Dustin.

"I prefer aerodynamically challenged!" Erik warned him with a shake of his finger and sighed.

Well, if Brenden was ready, and Phil and Dustin had insulted him enough, then it was time to get the show on the road! He hummed an odd sort of dramatic theme as he opened the first box. He wiggled his eyebrows for a moment before continuing into a drum roll with his hands on the table top. The first bean was a very important sort of moment.

He took one out of the box carefully and examined it. A strange tan-ish colour with brown streaks. There was a very high probability of it being absolutely nauseating with that sort of colour! But he grinned as he popped the bean into his mouth. So far, so good.

"Pancakes in maple syrup! Who's next then? Order of arrival?"

[p_davenport]

Phillip laughed loudly at Dustin's comment about Erik being a pansy on a broom, "Oi, right you are, Dustin, mate. No use even trying it if we have to have Erik around, yeah?" his gaze wandered over to the other Gryffindor, "Aerodynamics or just plain laziness, is beside the point," he shoved his best mate jovially in the shoulder. It wasn't exactly true, of course, but everyone had to admit that Erik was the oddball in the group when it came to Quidditch and flying.

He chuckled as Brenden eyed him. Didn't he know he was only kidding around? Well, mostly. "Luck of the draw, sure. But a strong stomach makes for an easier victory, I'd say."

"You can count on it, Dustin! My stomach is more than ready for this. They're only Bertie Bott's after all," he smirked. He wasn't about to be defeated by a few pieces of candy; he had a reputation to uphold, after all. He wasn't about to be shown up by this lot, even if they were his best mates.

Phillip watched as Erik opened the first box, making a dramatic event of it. He shook his head slightly. Same old Erik, dramatising every detail in life. But even Phillip had to admit it added a certain bit of excitement to the whole thing.

When Erik had eaten the first bean and gotten lucky with it, Phillip smirked, "All right, fine by me," he reached for the box and removed a bean. This one was orange with small white specks. An odd colour that revealed nothing. He dropped it in his mouth, not to be out down in the dramatics.

"Cheese and crackers, I think. Not too bad. Dustin?" he handed the box still in his hand over to the Hufflepuff with a lazy grin.

[dustin_alden]

"Laziness! I'd not say he's lazy. He's too busy getting himself bloodied up," Dustin said, with a hint of seriousness in his voice, but relaxed when Brenden mentioned the 'luck of the draw'. That's exactly what it was! You just had to be either really lucky, or really weird... you know, enjoy the disgusting flavours. Which, he didn't, but he'd say he did if it meant he'd WIN! Oh yes, there was a competitive side to Dustin Alden.

"Be careful, Phillip, Bertie might hear you," Dustin joked, waiting for Erik to go off the deep end or something. Very dangerous comment to make, on Phil's part. But the thing about the stomach? Dustin didn't doubt that, which was why he was TWICE as ready!

Pancakes in maple syrup and cheese and crackers both gone!? Unfortunate. Not for them obviously, but for Dustin. He loved pancakes! And cheese. And sometimes crackers.

He picked out a bean and stared at it for a moment. A weird sort of red colour. As long as it wasn't blood or something, he'd be fine.

"Cough syrup! Perhaps syrup is a theme..." Dustin said with a shrug of his shoulders, handing the box to Brenden.

[brenden_elliot]

Brenden sighed. Yes, it was all very well for them, getting good flavours like Pancakes in syrup and cheese in crackers were pulled out first. Knowing his luck, he'd get something awful. But, he'd not give up! He was a fighter! He was in this for the long haul.

He laughed as Dustin took the cough syrup one and said that it might be some sort of trend. "Lets hope, eh?" He took the box and pulled out a bean. It was a sort of off white color.

He popped it in his mouth and chewed. Swallowing it he coughed. "I..think that was plaster.

[erikcohen]

"I'll have the two of you know that when I'm not getting bloodied up, I am snogging my girlfriend. Takes energy, you know..." Erik said purposely, knowing it would make Phil flinch, and grinned.

"Oh, and also... ONLY BEANS!? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF ME!? Any more rude comments by you, mate, and I'll have the house elves see you out," Erik warned Phil, and pouted when the boy got cheese and crackers.

He didn't deserve a good bean until he apologized to Bertie, in Erik's opinion. But all that was forgotten, Erik watching Dustin intently. COUGH SYRUP!? That had to be considered neutral.

He leaned in to whisper to Phil about each of them keeping their sherbet lemons, and cough syrup being a good or bad flavour was controversial, and then laughed as Brenden ended up with plaster.

He grabbed another bean for himself, surprised at its shiny colour, and took a bite.

"METAL!?" he said in surprise, but swallowed the bean. He wouldn't lose on an odd flavour like that!

[p_davenport]

Phillip bristled at Dustin's comment about how Erik spent his time. He knew it was a joke, but it was much too true for Phillip to feel like laughing about it. He was none too pleased with the way his mate kept having run-ins with certain Slytherins he ought to be working very hard at avoiding. Then Erik mentioned snogging his girlfriend and Phillip, as expected, flinched. He didn't want mental images of Juhi snogging anyone. Nor did he want anyone to ask him about any time he might be spending snogging. He felt rather uncomfortable, but luckily, they had the contest to distract them all.

He burst out laughing at Erik's shout and threat. He didn't take it seriously, of course. "Oi, mate, but that'd be cheating now that we've started! Throwing out one of the competitors in the middle of a contest, what kind of Gryffindor are you?" his mouth curved into a smirk. There was little arguing Erik could do against that logic, he was certain.

As Dustin took a bite out of the cough syrup and Erik leaned over to him, Phillip chuckled, but nodded. That was definitely a neutral flavor. He chortled as Brenden choked down the plaster bean. Next, Erik was stuck with metal and Phillip nearly fell of his chair as he laughed at the look of surprise on Erik's face.

Reaching for his own next bean, he pulled out a very green one. He eyed it suspiciously for a long moment. Green was not a very promising colour at all. He tossed it in his mouth and his eyes went wide. He swallowed it as quickly as he could, shock on his face. He stared at his mates for a minute. "I think... I think that was the felt from a billiards table," he blinked, not quite sure what to make of that. What in the world was that Bertie thinking?

[dustin_alden]

Dustin wasn't sure if Phil was correct in his statement or not. He had disrespected the beans after all. But Erik had gone berserk, just as Dustin had expected, and so he shook his head slightly and grinned at the two of them. He wasn't sure why they were whispering to each other, but he assumed that he didn't want to know.

"Tough one, that," Dustin said simply as Brenden ended up with plaster. It was never fun to be stuck with an odd flavour right at the beginning of the game. You wanted to get your taste buds ready first!

Dustin's eyes were wide with surprise as Erik's nearly bugged out of his head. Well, metal wasn't as bad as rusted metal, which Dustin was positive he'd gotten before. He'd won anyway. Dustin had a fairly strong stomach. He blamed his dad's cooking.

"Felt? Well, congrats Phillip! I'm certain that's one we've not had before," Dustin said with a chuckle and grabbed a bean for himself. It was one of the oddest looking beans he'd ever seen, and that was saying something. Nearly every colour was represented. Green, black, blue, purple, yellow, orange, brown, white, etc. Tiny specks all over.

That was a bit worrisome, and he cringed when he finally swallowed it down.

"Crayons!"

[brenden_elliot]

Metal? Brenden had NEVER heard of a metal flavoured bean. But, then again, Bertie was one weird duckling, and they were EVERY flavoured, after all. He laughed. "That's a strange one. Metal."

And then Phillip got Felt. From a billiards table. That was even more odd then metal. He laughed out loud, and eyed Dustin as he took his next bean, which turned out to be Crayons. "Aye, at least your tastebuds are a little bit more colorful, then." He chuckled, and took the box.

He reached down and pulled out...a black bean. Well now. Black was a common color. It could be anything, really. Black licorice or rotten wood, one never could tell. He popped it in his mouth, and scruntched up his face. It was....ashy tasting?

"I think it was coal?"

[erikcohen]

Erik simply raised an eyebrow at Phillip's remark. In his opinion, it wasn't cheating. Couldn't have a real Bertie's contest unless everyone showed respect for the GENIUS that went into the product. Obviously. But he grinned as Phil's eyes went wide, and gave his best mate a pat on the back.

"Oh, I won't throw you out now! Bertie's taken his revenge," Erik assured him, pretending as if he were comforting poor Phillip's nerves.

"You're absolutely correct, Dusty. Never had a felt bean. OY DAISY MY LOVE!" Erik said a bit distractedly and beamed as the house elf poured them all some pumpkin juice.

Dustin would know that it was to get the mouth fresh between beans. They always did that after a round or two. If Phil and Brenden had questions about it, he'd not mind answering them, but for now he was busy laughing at the whole 'crayons' thing. Not to mention the coal. Good beans this time around, most definitely.

He stared intently at the box as he pulled out another bean, purposely shaking his hand as if under extreme pressure. It was an odd shade of blue and green.

"Salt water," he said, wrinkling up his nose and passing the box on.