RP: Out on the Town

[shh_rita]

Date: 22 August 2005
Characters: Rita Skeeter, Irma pince, anyone else?
Location: Five Alarm
Status: Public-ish
Summary: Rita and Irma catch up over drinks
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_irma]

Irma's day had been long, as usual. She had managed to get home to freshen up before heading out to meet Rita.

Heading up to the bar, she smiled a bit when she saw her friend. "Hello Rita. You're looking well. What is it you're drinking?"

[shh_rita]

Rita smiled and lifted her glass as Irma approached. "Hello, darling. Thankyou. You're looking rather well yourself." She glanced at the drink in her hand. "It's a martini. I find I'm rather in the mood." She laid it down on the bar. "I don't know if you'll like it, if you've never had one - not with your sweet tooth - but you can try it if you like."

She tossed a curl from her eyes, let her eyes roam the bar for a moment, then looked back at Irma. "Long day, or reasonable one?"

[shh_irma]

"I'll just have a sherry," Irma said. "I'm not up for experimenting tonight."

She nodded. "I suppose it could be termed as long, yes. But there's something satisfying about it, as well. I feel useful. Satisfying. When I'm done with it, for the day, that is. But how have you been?"

[shh_rita]

"What a shame," Rita replied with a sly little smile, then cleared her throat.

Right. Moving on.

She nodded. "There is something satisfying about a productive day. I'll be glad when I get this Prophet out. I'll be even gladder when I have some staff to be getting it done on a daily basis."

At the question, her smile broadened. "Oh, I've had a fascinating few days. You'll never guess." She leaned forward and laid a hand on Irma's arm as though sharing a confession. "I'm pregnant, darling." Then laughed. "According to local gossip, anyway."

[shh_irma]

"Oh," Irma raised an eyebrow. "And who's the father?"

[shh_rita]

"Ollivander," Rita replied. "It's twins, too, apparently. How wonderfully exciting." She sipped her drink and waited for Irma to order hers. "The best part - or worst, depending on your view - is that people have been congratulating me all over town. I thought they were talking about the Prophet, so I just thanked them. They probably took that as confirmation. Merlin, cand you even imagine? Apparently the rumour was spread by some silly old bitch who makes a nuisance of herself in the stores around here. But... what do you say? Would you like to be godmother to my imaginary offspring?"

[shh_irma]

"I'd be delighted, darling," Irma said dryly. "I'll get straight on knitting imaginary blankets when I get home. Don't people have better things to do than to make up stories of what goes on in other people's lives?"

She paused. "I suppose that explains the odd behaviour of the young girl I saw Ollivander, Caradoc and yourself chatting with the other day."

She took a sip of her drink and smiled. Some things were probably difficult for other people to difficult to imagine Irma Pince getting up to, she mused. It would be difficult to imagine the same sort of rumours heading around town about her life that Rita was currently complaining about.

[shh_rita]

Rita laughed. "Ah, well... there's a certain pleasure in gossip, I know. Getting righteous and angry about it would be slightly hypocritical, given my history. Still, the old bat needs a biology lesson, I think, since the worst she could have seen was me wrapping an arm around Ollivander to apparate him."

For a moment, Rita was confused by Irma's words. "The young girl...? Oh, you saw us? You should have come and said hello. Or were we gone by then? It was Daphne who told me, actually, or asked if it was true. She must have..." Rita chuckled. "Merlin, she must have thought I was terrible that afternoon. Thinking me pregnant to Ollivander, and watching me walk away with Caradoc to go and 'meet his snake'." For a moment she worried that Irma might take that the wrong way as well, but no - surely Irma would realise she didn't have any designs on Caradoc. Still... "Have you met it, by the way? It's beautiful."

[shh_irma]

Irma winced as Rita mentioned her history with gossip. She should have remembered that Rita had a less than sterling reputation with the truth in the past. "You never know," she said carefully. "Maybe she's getting her gossip elsewhere from as well. Wouldn't surprise me."

"I only spotted you from a while away, and you were off before I could get closer. I had a nice chat with Daphne and I had a pleasant trip to France with Caradoc, so it was truly only you I missed."

Irma smiled. "His snake... oh, you mean the pet... no I haven't. I'm not really a pet person."

[shh_rita]

"Trip to France, eh?" Rita's smile was cheeky, but then Irma smiled one of her own - secret and knowing, along with that coy little 'oh, the pet' remark - and Rita's eyebrows went up.

She laughed. "Oh, look at you - all coy and mysterious. Caradoc's snake, indeed. You slept with him, didn't you?"

As she broke off, Rita became aware of a curious thing. As will sometimes happen, whether by chance or by the will of some mischievous higher power, the throng of patrons in the bar seemed to have chosen that precise moment to pause in their conversation, or sip their beer, and Rita's voice, pitched to carry over the sound of several conversations at once, seemed to carry and hang in the air in the moment of silence.

Rita looked left and right, then back at Irma.

[shh_irma]

Irma looked around at all the staring people. "Rita," she said, and gritted her teeth . "I do think it's a rather public venue for such a discussion."

She took another look around. Raising her glass, she murmured: "But yes, I did sleep with him." She took a large gulp of her sherry, and put the glass firmly down. Swallowing, she looked defiantly around, daring anyone to say a word.