RP: Hen Night!

[shh_rita]

Date: June 2, 2005
Characters: Gilderoy Lockhart, Rita Skeeter, Madam Rosmerta, Daphne Greengrass, Hermione Granger, Romilda Vane, Su Li, Andromeda Tonks, anyone else who comes.
Location: Five Alarm
Status: Semi-private (any gal who was invited/can think of a reason to come is welcome)
Summary: The ladies of Stoatshead send Gilderoy off to married

Comments

[shh_rita]

Rita drained her cocktail and glanced at the clock on the wall. Merlin, it was almost time for the stripper to arrive. They'd worked out how this was going to happen. Rita crossed to the bar and grabbed herself another drink, then walked up to one of the tables and tapped a fork against her glass.

"Evening, everyone," she said when she had their attention. "Now that you're all here and hopefully having a good time -" a smile "-it's probably about time that I bore you with a speech. Now, as I presume you already know, our darling Gilderoy is taking the plunge into married life in a few days' time, and he needs all the advice he can get about being a husband, or a wife. I just wanted to say..."

Rita broke off when music interrupted her words, right on cue. She let her eyes travel over the guests as if searching, then turned to look behind her.

"What on earth could that be?"

[shh_wayne]

Oh bloody hell. Why had he agreed to do this? While Wayne didn't have any problem at all with nudity, the idea of actually dancing around and taking off his clothes in front of a group of people was rather fucking frightening. He wasn't overly tall or broad shouldered, nor was he at all pretty or handsome

[shh_gilderoy]

"CHICKEN HUNTER!" Gilderoy yelled when he noticed who had come into the room.

He had been sitting with Seti and Andromeda, chatting about various things when Rita came near them to begin her speech. She seemed genuinely surprised when his fellow vigilante came into the room in a Muggle suit. Of course, it wasn't sensible attire for chasing after chickens, but at least the young man had the sense to start removing the more constrictive of his clothing.

"I say," Gilderoy started, "what do you think that youn ma--"

[shh_rita]

Oh, FUCK. Gilderoy. He was... dear god do I have to explain EVERYTHING?Rita moved as quickly as she could, which probably wasn't her usual speed, considering she'd had a few cocktails. Gilderoy was already half out of his seat when she reached him

[shh_vector]

One former student-turned-stripper, a dirty game of "Pin-the-penis-on-the-wizard" and more cocktails than she could recall drinking later, Seti was ready to go home. She had taken leave of the few people remaining that she knew and turned to head out the door, when it struck her that perhaps she was just the tiniest bit too drunk to Apparate home. Or walk. Well, damn it, what was she supposed to do now?

While she stood there, frowning over the unexpected dilemma and vaguely wondering if perhaps she shouldn't just sit back down and order a coffee, her attention was caught by the click of heels on the floor. Right behind her. Even in her drunken state, she recognized that sound. After all, she'd been avoiding it all evening.

Oh hell.

[shh_rita]

All in all, Rita thought, it had been a fairly successful night. Gilderoy's 'hens' had persuaded him that there really wouldn't be any chickens, and through the night he'd divested of the silly costume he'd worn. The games had been fun, and Wayne's performance delicious.

Now people were departing, but there was one thing Rita still wanted to do. She'd spotted Septima Vector with Gilderoy and Andromeda Tonks earlier, but had avoided going over because she'd had no idea how the woman would receive her. If her opinion was anything like Julian's, it would have been a rather awkward conversation.

Now, however, she was standing by the door as if hesitating, and Rita saw her opportunity to find out if the attitude would indeed be the same. She glanced at the cocktail in her hand, and downed it before heading over.

She hadn't had too many - of course not, she was the hostess! - but she couldn't quite have said how many she had drunk

[shh_vector]

What capricious fate had conspired to bring this meeting about when she'd had far too much alcohol to think properly? Rita Skeeter wasn't the type with whom to bandy words around unless one had all their wits intact, and Seti was just sober enough to realize that she had no such thing.

She closed her eyes briefly in a (futile) attempt to rally her thoughts and turned with smile she hoped wasn't too cold.

"Ms. Skeeter. Yes, I've had a lovely time, thank you, this was certainly a" - rather tasteless sort of social function - "kind thing for you to do for Gilderoy. Poor man, he's so wanting to have family, and he certainly seems to be getting it in spades lately, doesn't he?"

Seti began to wonder how long Rita planned on keeping her here. Standing up straight was going to become an issue soon, and damned if she'd fall over in front of this woman. "That does leave the rest of us trying to figure out how to fit the various pieces together, though, I admit."

[shh_rita]

Rita noted the smile, and chuckled at the comment, hoping it didn't sound too fake. "Indeed. It was rather a surprise for both of us to find out. And even moreso when I received the wedding invitation." She wasn't sure if that sentence was perfectly constructed, but she couldn't really think how to fix it, right then.

Rita had known nothing of the wedding before getting the invitation, aside from Gilderoy calling Julian his 'fiance'. As a matter of fact, she'd had no idea Julian had even been aware he was engaged to Gilderoy. She didn't resent it of course - not in the least - but she was curious to know how much this woman had had to do with the plans.

"I do hope they're not making all the arrangements on their own. That would be a lot of work on Julian's shoulders, the poor thing. Although I suppose he does have the experience..."

What, bitchy? Never.