Back at the bar.. (Open to Ravenclaw)

[sacredharpie]

There was a loud thump as Jordan slammed her door shut. In the length of time since the Secrets Board fiasco, she'd kept herself sequestered in her room with a stack of spellbooks and scared house elves brought her food. Whenever she wasn't studying, she was sleeping, eating, or bitching. Only so much time could be spent in seclusion, and she

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[estebanmd]

Stephen had paid very little attention to the Secrets Board this time around, having very few secrets of the kind he would discuss thereon. ('Guess what? I'm really a spy for the Admiralty!' would never appear on a Secrets Board.) So he had no idea what Jordan might or might not have gone through, and no hesitation at all about joining her when he came into the common room for his coffee and saw her sitting at the end of the bar. After all, he rather liked her. A sharp wit and an enmity against Cox -- what better qualifications did a person need for Stephen to find her likeable?

"Good evening, Miss Sullivan."

[sacredharpie]

She looked up from her drink to see Dr. Maturin, and smiled ever so slightly.

"Good evening. I must thank you for your book recommendations. I've been spending the past few days reading them, in an attempt to learn something. Plus, who wouldn't want the ability to hex their enemies?" Her tiny smile grew into a broad smirk.

"What brings you to the bar?"

[estebanmd]

"Why, nothing in particular. The company, one might say, or at the least a change of scenery." The idea that anything should need to bring a person to the bar seemed beside the point of having a bar. He grinned. "I do not recall recommending any books on hexes. Remind me to stay on your good side. That being said, what are you drinking?"

[sacredharpie]

She found his comment about staying on her good side amusing, and she laughed a little, looking down at her drink. "You didn't. I figured that it wouldn't be a good idea to try hexing anything unless I could figure out some of the basic stuff."

Raising the glass to her lips, she took a drink. "I just grabbed this from behind the bar." Mimicking her earlier action, she pulled up a bottle. "It seems to be Firewhisky. Would you care for a drink?"

[estebanmd]

He had planned on coffee, but why not? "Firewhisky is powerful stuff," he observed as he poured himself a tot. "One might wonder whether it has somewhat in common with uisce beatha, or else eau de vie. To what shall we drink, then? The health of the King is the usual; I understand however that there is no King but a Queen now, and in any case I should not expect an American to drink the King's health."

[sacredharpie]

Being unfamiliar with the foreign tongue in which Dr. Maturin was using, she simply smiled. "Yes, it is. I'm gonna sleep well tonight, that's for sure." Not that she had been plagued with foul sleep on the previous nights, not any more than usual.

"Let's drink to...." She pauses to consider an appropriate topic. "Oh, hell, let's drink to the Queen. Any woman who can run things as long as she has with her family deserves a toast."

[estebanmd]

Stephen thought it better not to ask what irregularities tarnished the Queen's family. As an Irishman he cared little about it anyhow. He raised his glass. "To the Queen, then." And downed the fiery stuff.

"So studying hexes is thirsty work, I take it. Have you any particular reason for studying these?"

[sacredharpie]

"I'm not actually up to the hexes yet. After a bit of consideration, I decided to start off simply. The book refers to a first-year, so I haven't made any major advances in magic yet."

"Particular reason? Besides the fact I'm the devil in disguise?" She gave an odd half-smile before finishing her drink. "Not really.."

[estebanmd]

Stephen did not like the look of that half-smile. Identification as a devil reminded him much of what Cox had attempted to do at Sullivan's Sorting: pass the poor girl off as a demon for true. "Now, I should doubt the Devil himself would have a need to study hexes. From time immemorial beautiful women have been liable to such accusations, the whiff of diabolism. Let us recognise such comparisons for what they are." He refilled both their glasses, perhaps unwisely, and took a seat beside her. "I am holding a class next week, should you like to learn more of potions. No hexes, more's the pity, but I flatter myself there is still somewhat to be learned."

[nopower_overme]

On approach, Sarah caught what Stephen had said and went on slight alert due to his companion and the discussion of beautiful women. To say Jordan was not her favorite person would not be an understatement and, rationally, she knew she should not be worried, but she was hardly rational in her sometimes quite active territoriality over Stephen.

"Hello," she said cheerfully when she reached them, kissing Stephen's cheek before she smiled at Jordan and then peered down at his glass, smile still sweet when she looked up at him even if her eyes betrayed something more possessive than sweet that only Stephen would likely recognize. "So, what's the special of the day?"

[estebanmd]

The special of the day was, apparently, being caught out by one's lady friend when one was sharing a convivial (and strong) drink with a woman one had just called beautiful. Stephen's manners did not falter or flag, but he did have the sense to put an arm around Sarah as if he had not had every intention of flattering Cox's ex-wife yet further. "We are drinking Firewhisky, something I had likened to the drink I had known in Ireland when I was young," he said. "Should you like some, my dear? You are acquainted with Miss Sullivan, I believe."

[nopower_overme]

"Sure, why not, I'll try anything once," Sarah said with a wider smile, sinking into his side more territorially than as those she were relaxing. Firewhiskey would definitely not be her normal drink of choice, but pointedly remarking about soda being more than fine as a social drink would be, to her, losing ground in front of Jordan, which she had no desire to do. Smiling now at Jordan, she spoke.

"And it's good to see you again, Jordan. I couldn't help but catch your conversation as I came over," she continued, looking to Stephen once more. Eyes narrowed just a fraction for a brief, telling moment before her expression lightened again. "I happen to agree there is much to learn in potions." 'Just not more than that from the professor, thank you very much.' "Hexes, though, I bet Lily could always help with if someone were interested. She managed to teach me a few that are useful."

[estebanmd]

Stephen read this well enough, though anyone who did not know Sarah closely would likely have missed it. Dutifully he poured her a shot of the Firewhisky and handed her the glass. Having already drunk the Queen's health, Stephen was at a loss as to what toast next to propose, and looked a question at Sarah.

[sacredharpie]

Wonderful, Dr. Maturin's girlfriend was here. Just because Jordan Sullivan was a vindictive bitch and a domineering slut didn't mean she threw herself at every male with a penis. For once, she hadn't been interested in sleeping with someone, but of course, no one would ever believe that of her. She nodded, taking another drink.

"I may need to sign up for that Potions class," she said, fixing Sarah with a look that said I have no interest in your man, but it's nice to see you're so insecure about it.

"Nice to see you too, Sarah."

[nopower_overme]

Sarah looked back at Stephen, not having caught what he toasted to prior to this but fully prepared to offer up her own toast. With a smile, she raised her glass. "To focus. May we never lose ours in learning or life

[estebanmd]

Stephen did indeed have a roving eye, which was the problem. Certainly he had no intention of making an attempt on Miss Sullivan's virtue (Cox having precious little credibility with him, Stephen did not think 'Jordan' and 'virtue' to be incompatible concepts; of course, he had no clue that she had known JD in the biblical sense), but there was quite a range of deportment between such an attempt and innocence, and he was not exactly behaving with complete decorum, at least by 19th-century standards. Considering Sarah had shown herself capable of jealousy regarding Homsar in the past, Stephen would have done well to keep to coffee and ease up on the flattery.

For that matter, he would have done well not to offer Homsar wine when the marshmallowy professor showed up for his office hours.

As faux pas went, being caught calling Cox's former wife beautiful was a long shot from falling off a ship, which Stephen had done rather too many times in his quasi-naval career. All the same, he was sensible of having committed an offense.