Okay Oliver hadn't actually expected Alysson to take his little hint and leave. He hadn't really been trying to get rid of her, he had just thought that she would like to be with William.

He did give her a huge grin as she walked passed him. He owed her big time and he was also going to talk to his BFF. This woman was a good one and he was going to make sure that William knew that and he was also going to make sure that his friend didn't stuff it up.






"Apparently our house was built on old gypsy land or something like that." Oliver chuckled a little when he thought about the first time he had met her ghost. "I think she was hoping to terrorise us. Unfortunately she picked the wrong brothers to try and scare. When that didn't work well she decided to talk about all the stuff she had been into. Fred, that's my brother, he wasn't interested so she used to come to me all the time." And why wouldn't she? He was awesome!

He laughed with her. "Well I am no Seer either. I know all about the theory side of Divination but a crystal ball is only used for a paper weight at my house." Didn't mean he couldn't still be interested in the subject.

Now he would love to wipe that look on her face, but unfortunately he couldn't. A grin did spread across his face though, "Are you trying to get me in trouble January? Merlin only knows what kind of hex they put in that parchment I signed." He tipped her a wink to let her know that he was only teasing.

Just water. That was nice and simple. Oliver smiled at her before stepping up to the table and picked up the pitcher of water and poured two glasses and then held out one to her. "Enough about me. Tell me about yourself. What are your interests, besides spirits?"

There were few moments when Lorelai looked more beautiful than usual - heck, people had eyes, but when she smiled at him like that... that definitely counted for more than a few. Along with when she first woke up in the morning, and when she got mushy and excited over baby stuff. Adam leant in slightly to her kiss, before smiling right back at her. "And done an amazing job of bringing up," he interjected, with a small laugh. "But you need to let them go at some point. If you don't, they'll try and escape. At least this way, you know they'll come back." Even when they were teenagers, and young adults - he didn't want his children smothered: he knew that Lor was just trying to protect them, and it tore at his heart too to see them grow up. The thought of the twins going to school in September.... no, practically unthinkable.

"Well, that's a good thing." Seeing as he was picking the food. Heh.

Paris, although beautiful, didn't compare to Lor, and their cottage in England. Nothing did, Adam mused, running his free hand through his hair, before detangling himself from his wife and ladening a plate high with food. "Like our secret hide-away, yeah?" Where the kids weren't, where there friends weren't, where his parents weren't. Them, alone. "Me, too," he said. And he was glad she was glad. It was going to be amazing.

"Lorelai Dakota Stemp," heh, he still grinned at hearing that aloud. "When am I ever not that hungry?"

Never was the right answer, by the way.

João watched the group silently. He would understand it if Professor (he was going to call him that, yes) chose to talk to them instead? Not that he wasn't proud when Professor Williamson focused on him.

Hehe. HEHE. He didn't know why, but he felt more important.

"I'm fine, thank you. And you?" He shook his hand as he smiled briefly. "Minister's Office." Which wasn't a department really in his opinion, but...

"And you, sir?"

"Yep. Her name was Esmerelda...I can't remember her surname. I'll ask my parents if she's still hanging around the house." He flashed her a smile. Oliver could tell that she was really interested in this kind of thing. He chuckled softly. She was correct in thinking that. Most kids would be scared of a ghost, but..."Fred and I are constantly pulling pranks on each other. I guess we just stopped being scared of things."

Oh so she would like to hear more, Ollie felt himself grinning like an idiot at her. "Well if she's still at the house I could take you over there so you could meet her if you like?" He might have to get his parents out of the house though because they would think that he was finally bringing a woman home to meet them. He was so not dealing with that embarrassment. "If not then I know a nice little café just around the corner."

He had the feeling that she was not going to drop the subject for long though. But he really could not talk about what he did there. He supposed that he might be able to give her some little hints. If she was to ask again.

As she went on to tell him a little bit about herself, Ollie knew that he was grinning again and he quickly took a sip of his water. She loved the outdoors too! They had stuff in common. Awesome!! "Fascinating. So what is your favourite historical era?" He glanced at the food and thought maybe they should get a plate or two and go sit down but decided he would leave that up to her. He didn't want to appear TOO pushy seeing he had already off loaded William and Alysson.

What else did he want to know?

The usual questions popped into his head, 'what's your favourite colour, food, etc, etc' but that was so boring. "If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be?"

Lori kept up her smile, and made sure not to frown. She'd only get a comment from her husband, and no doubt she'd just get annoyed with him and deny him any more kisses for the evening, and he was supposed to be showing her offff. "I just like doing things for them." Everything. "And making sure they're happy." Spoilt. "And loved." In truth, she just wanted to give her kids everything that she hadn't gotten herself, and even though she had been spoilt and a brat, they hadn't been gifts to make her happy. They had been gifts to buy her quiet over awful parenting and other things. She knew better now, and Lori just loved her babies. "They'd come back though. My cooking is the best."

When he tore himself away from her, Lori perused over the menu again and loitered by his side, occasionally tracing her fingers across his back out of habit.

"That and the play house." Merely escaping to their garden on some nights was like a holiday. But yes, Paris was definitely like their hide-away. So much so, that she was going to mention to him when they were there about making it a yearly thing around the same time. Winters were her favourite. She had her December babies, her January babies, and her others. She had her Winter and Spring babies, and she had her husband. Happy, she was.

.................Oh. Wow. Lori put the menu down, and smiled, leaning back against her husband and nudging him with her nose. "It sounds so much better when you say it." And she was much too in dreamville over her own name that she couldn't comment about his high hunger level.

The answer was never.

She smiled at the comment about him and his brother always pulling pranks. "Boys will be boys," she said teasingly. January felt like a total geek, being so excited about all this stuff he was saying, But she couldn't help it. Especially when he said he might be able to take her to meet this Esmerelda. "Oh, that would be great!" she told him with a grin. How cool would that be?

January assumed that his grinning was a good sign. Did that mean he shared some interests?

Oh, her favorite historical era? January laughed. "Oh, what a question. I don't have just one. Ancient Rome, the Elizabethan period, the Renaissance... It's hard to narrow it down. But I also have a thing for Greek mythology and the Egyptian Kingdoms..." January blushed slightly when she realized she was geeking out again. "Sorry, you've seemed to bring out the nerd in me." Heh. Whoops?

One word? She only got one word to describe herself? "Impossible," she said with a laugh. "Impossible to find just one word." Taking another sip of water, January glanced over to the seating area. Despite the cushioning charm she put on her shoes, these heels were still quite uncomfortable. "Do you want to go sit down?" she asked Oliver with a small smile. Those chairs looked much comfier than standing.

Denise, Lisa, Mel, Sarah... mhmmmmmm.
 

Yes that was certainly true and he had continued on that tradition of 'boys will be boys' when he had befriended William and Waylon. Oh the things he could tell January, but no point in scaring the woman especially when he had just met her. Annnnnd since she was wanting to come with him to his parents house. To meet Esmerelda of course. "Excellent. I will arrange it for the next couple of weeks." He would send his parents on a holiday or something.

Nerd? What was she talking about? Oliver didn't find it nerdy at all. In fact he found it quite interesting. While he wasn't quite into history as she seemed to be there were a few eras that he quite liked. "There is no need to apologise. And there is nothing nerdy about being interested in something." He his gaze flicked to William before returning to January and he grinned. "William finds the reproduction of flobber worm's exciting, but I don't hold that against him." Well...not as much as he used to. Hehe. "And I take it that you have done extra study on these eras?" He figured she had since they were her favourites. "I suppose I am showing my 'butch' side but I always liked the Viking Age." He tipped her a wink and chuckled again as he took another sip of his water.

Oh? Haha, for a second there he thought she was describing herself as impossible which would have been a bummer. Apparently though she had more than one word to describe herself and Oliver was just about to take her arm and steer her over to the seating area and find out what words she would use when his BFF appeared...


...and rather loudly too. Oliver raised his eyebrows at his friend and let him get out all he wanted to say, because apparently William had a bee in his bonnet about something. When he had finally finished with his little JEALOUS rant, he gave January an apologetic look. "I'll be with you in just one moment."

He turned to his friend, grasped him under the arm and gently but firmly pulled him to the end of the buffet table. "First off, I know exactly what you are doing William Williamson and if you weren't my best friend and we weren't at a work function I would punch you in the nose for that ridiculous display you just put on." Actually he would probably punch him because he was his best friend. "Second, are you and January a couple?" Oliver knew they were not so he had every right to talk to the woman and get to know her if he so desired.

"And thirdly, Wanda is just fine. No doubt she's hanging out with her University friends." He knew what William was trying to get at here and Oliver was going to put a stop to it right now. "Your sister and I know exactly where we stand William. We're not exclusive in any way. Unlike some people..." And here he gave his BFF a pointed look. "...I don't string women along. I tell them upfront where I think the relationship is going." He knew what he wanted, he went after it and made sure that his female counterpart was on the same page.

"Now. Can we go and enjoy the rest of the night before we scare those two women away?"

A little bit of João too...
 

................what?

Alysson blinked a couple of times in surprise, turning her whole body around to see where William was going. Which was back to where she had just come from. Didn't he understand the concept of 'alone time'? Also, what on Earth was his problem anyway? Why couldn't he just leave them be? There was clearly something she was missing there but she wasn't entirely sure what or if she even wanted to know.

Looking at Oliver for a moment who seemed very serious about the things he was saying (whatever they were), Alysson eventually turned back around. To the young man William had previously been talking to. Somehow she was too agitated to introduce herself however so all he got was a sort of nondescript look.

If anybody she knew passed by the Buffet Table she'd be gone in less than a second.

Charles excused himself first bidding them both a good evening and then Simon followed his lead apparently he was there to work not enjoy himself. Glancing over at Dorian she questioned cocking her head slightly to the side.

"You were hoping to run into Wes here?" Tasha hadn’t considered the possibility that Wesley could be showing up at the orientation ball considering that Izzy had already left for Australia with the kids she had assumed that Wesley had gone with her. Apparently not though since Dorian expected him to be at the event.

"Why is your mother sending me food recipes? She knows I can't cook." Tasha asked letting out a long exasperated sigh, accompanied by an eye roll. It was one of the things that got her worked up. No amount of recipes would magically make her into a five star chef over night. No matter what anyone said, she knew she had tried.

Feeling Dorian drape his suit jacket over her shoulders against the cold she gave his arm a thankful squeeze before they started to walk inside. Coming into the larger room her eyes went immediately to the buffet tables. "Let’s get some food before we try out the dance floor." Tasha decided. Dancing was always more fun when you weren't thinking about food.

Pulling Dorian over and in front of the buffet tables Tasha pointed towards the meatballs. "Do you think those are edible?" She had her suspicions.

"Perfect," January said, trying not to sound TOO excited. She was going to go meet a gypsy ghost at Oliver's parent's house. That was pretty cool in her book. She was smiling when he said there wasn't anything nerdy about being interested in something. She supposed that was true and was glad that he didn't find her a complete dork. January laughed and glanced at William. The reproduction of flobberworms, really? "How fascinating," she said jokingly. Aww, William. He was so easy to tease fuuuuunn.

"I did study history in college, but not as much as I would have liked. My, err... ex was big into history and it sorta rubbed off onto me. These days I just do a lot of personal study. I read a lot." And all those books were a pain to pack up and lug all the way back to the UK, for sure. January grinned a little bit at that wink Viking mention. "Also a good era," she said fairly.

And then, out of the blue... along came William. January was slightly startled by his rather loud voice. At first, January was slightly confused, but she caught along quickly. Honestly, January and Oliver were just talking and she didn't quite understand why William seemed bothered by it.

Oh... Wanda? That was William's sister, she remembered. Well, it shouldn't matter to her. They were just talking.

January sipped her water awkwardly and nodded to Oliver when he spoke and let the two boys go off and... discuss things. She did her best not to eavesdrop, despite her curiosity on the matter, but that would be rude. January glanced over at Alysson, who... didn't seem quite pleased with the situation either, but possibly just as confused as she was.

Welp.

Oi you all
 

Alysson continued to look around at the people nearby, trying hard not to look lost or without anyone to talk to. Even though strictly speaking she was. And she hated that. There was an uncharacteristical frown on her face as she looked at the offered appetizers again. To be honest, she wasn't hungry. At all.

So, why was she still at the Buffet Table?

Oh, look, William was back. Do YOU? That was the reply on the tip of her tongue but she bit it back and simply looked at him for a moment. Really, she probably had to no reason to be irritated with him. They hadn't exactly come here together after all. Still. "Only if you tell me what that was about." She nodded to where Oliver and January still were.

The possibility that he might have confused Natasha hadn’t entirely crossed Dorian’s mind, even as he’d momentarily gone back to glancing over the crowds after Charles’ and Simon’s departures. If people were there, they were, and otherwise, he’d just have to think of other ways to make sure they were aware of things. Even that little teasing moment regarding Lorelai had mostly been forgotten, and he’d returned his gaze to his fiancée as she’d spoken. “I can’t see him turning over the reins to the department without making absolutely certain everything goes off without a hitch,” he answered, shrugging a shoulder. His old housemate and former boss was a bit too paranoid for that, so he imagined he was around somewhere.

It was just a matter of time, and the idea of checking out the food only gave him a better idea that he may locate him anyway. He’d cracked a smile at the exasperated question, however. Apparently his mother had been sending messages to more than just his flat lately, but that only proved that Natasha had been accepted into the family already. “I’d imagine she’s hoping otherwise,” he said wryly. “She’s abandoned hope that I’ll ever be more than just a passable cook, so it’s transferred to you.” Unfortunately, he was almost certain that neither one of them would suddenly and miraculously become a chef. As long as he had his espresso maker, he was fine.

It was sweet, though, as was the little grateful squeeze he’d gotten from Natasha in response to his offer of his coat, and he’d wordlessly shifted to direct her toward the buffet tables as she had suggested it. As far as he had decided, that had been where they were headed anyway, even if he had a healthy suspicion of any food at Ministry events. There was a basis for that, at least, but he also had no reason to believe that there would be a return of the earlier pandemic. There were other situations to apply his concern to, and therefore, he’d shifted to lean over to retrieve one of the meatballs in question. Popping it into his mouth, he’d tested it just to make sure. “I’d hope so, but if I start acting strange any time soon, we know the culprit,” he finally replied, returning to his standing position. So far nothing seemed suspicious.

Ro and Sarah
 

Pfft...Oliver would just like to see William try and punch him. His friend was a klutz. He was likely to punch himself before he landed a fist on Ollie, not to mention that he used to play Quidditch and a bunch of muggle sports so his reflexes were still lightening fast. But he didn't say anything, he would let his friend have his fantasy.

He also had no idea where there was coming from either. Was he not allowed to talk to anyone? "Wanda is always going to be obsessed." That didn't mean he couldn't talk to people. Regardless of what William thought, Oliver had never made any sort of commitment to Wanda. That woman was just as good at playing games as he was.

Oliver shook his head at his friend while taking a deep breath because he was starting to get very annoyed with his BFF. "Who said I was stringing her along? I'm merely talking to the woman." Geez, as far as he could tell, he was doing the guy a favour. He could see what his oblivious friend couldn't and that was that Alysson didn't want January hanging around the two of them.

"Yeah whatever yourself dude. How about paying attention to one girl at a time." He shook his head again when William walked away and he waited a moment or two before slowly making his way back over to January and plastering a smile on his face.

"Sorry about that." There was a lot of things he wanted to say about his friend right now and none of it was good and there probably would have been quite a few curse words there in also. But whatever William thought of him right now, he was loyal and would not speak ill of the man. "Even best friends have their moments."

He watched as William led Alysson over to the seating area and that was the last place he felt like going to now but he couldn't expect January to stand up all night. They didn't have to sit at the same table but he would leave that up to the redhead. "Did you still want to get a seat?"

"Yes Wesley has always been a stickler for making sure his plans go off without hitches." Tasha mused in agreement. Gazing around the buffet area for her brother-in-law and not catching a sight of him anywhere she turned to look up at Dorian. "If you don't run into Wesley here can’t you owl him and set up a meeting? I’m sure he won't leave for Australia until he has talked to you." Even if the same case hadn’t exactly applied to her and Izzy since they had only exchanged letters. Tasha wanted to tell her sister the good news in person. Letters she felt were so impersonal, not like face-to-face where you could immediately see how someone reacted to news good or bad.

Grimacing Tasha sighed. "I really wish your mother would stop, but if it means so much to her I'll try. I can't promise I won't burn up several more dishes along the way though." Like she had that pizza she had tried to make the other night. It had tasted so horrible that they had had to order takeout.

Turning to the food display again as Dorian picked up a meatball and popped it into his mouth she watched him closely. When nothing happened Tasha relaxed slightly and retrieved her own meatball. Popping it into her mouth she murmured. "It tastes nice." She helped herself to a few more before she asked. "Want to bring some food over to the seating or do you want go practice some dancing in preparation for our wedding?" Yes, she had said wedding Tasha couldn't help but drop her gaze to the ring on her finger.