Jeremy smiled. "I want us to stay close friends ok?" he told her giving her hand a squeeze.

Cassandra's smile widdened a bit. She felt Jeremy give her hand a squeeze and returned it by squeezing it back, though she wasn't sure if he would feel it. "Of course, I would love it if we stay close friends." She told him. "Besides, this gives me a little more time to get my family to know you better, and well, for you to get to know them. You might've broken up with me once you met them." She laughed.

"No, but I'm sure I will." Irene said, smiling.

After a moment, she spoke again, "So, Tell me about yourself Mr. Wickford."

She set down her glass and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

Amelia opened the door and let the sun light into the dingy pub as she led the way with her colleagues behind her. She approached the bar and ordered drinks for everyone, wishing that they were off duty so they could induldge in something a bit stronger.

As she pocketed the money she received as change, she scanned the little pub, looking for seats available that weren't too conspicuous, and also looking for their nominal. Not having a picture of him sure didn't help, but she managed to deduce from the little description they had of Flooing that he wasn't yet in there. Hopefully he would put in an appearance.

She took a sip of her cool drink as she turned to Nathan, Nicoli and Dmitry and said, "So where would you like to sit?"

Nathan followed his colleagues into the tiny, dark pub. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the change in light after being outside in the sunlight. He was about to get the drinks in, but Amelia had already done it for him. “Thanks love.” he said with a wink. He’d have to make up for that later and get her a proper drink. It felt very wrong to him, being in here and only being able to drink pop. He glanced around at the current clientele – the odd witch or wizard who looked like they were ministry workers, and a few couples dotted about. He looked back at Amelia as she spoke.

“How about over there?” Nathan nodded towards a table towards the right hand side of the pub. It had a good view of the door, so they could see who was coming and going, but also the bar as well.

Stepping into the Raven's Claw, Susanna looked around her. As her dark blue eyes took in the pub she bit her lip. It looked like the sort of place her mother would have told her to stay out of, and the thought made her smile as she made her way up to the bar and ordered herself a drink. Not being one to have strong drinks, she took the juice to a table near the door and took a seat, sipping it carefully.

Her blonde curls danced in front of her as she bent her head down over the table for a moment, stretching her neck, before she looked back up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ndebic

Amelia opened the door and let the sun light into the dingy pub as she led the way with her colleagues behind her. She approached the bar and ordered drinks for everyone, wishing that they were off duty so they could induldge in something a bit stronger.

As she pocketed the money she received as change, she scanned the little pub, looking for seats available that weren't too conspicuous, and also looking for their nominal. Not having a picture of him sure didn't help, but she managed to deduce from the little description they had of Flooing that he wasn't yet in there. Hopefully he would put in an appearance.

She took a sip of her cool drink as she turned to Nathan, Nicoli and Dmitry and said, "So where would you like to sit?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amelie

Nathan followed his colleagues into the tiny, dark pub. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the change in light after being outside in the sunlight. He was about to get the drinks in, but Amelia had already done it for him. “Thanks love.” he said with a wink. He’d have to make up for that later and get her a proper drink. It felt very wrong to him, being in here and only being able to drink pop. He glanced around at the current clientele – the odd witch or wizard who looked like they were ministry workers, and a few couples dotted about. He looked back at Amelia as she spoke.

“How about over there?” Nathan nodded towards a table towards the right hand side of the pub. It had a good view of the door, so they could see who was coming and going, but also the bar as well.

Nicoli shuffled into the pub after the other two. He felt like a homeless man looking for a rat to eat. The place was too dark for his liking, but of course he had to be there. After he turned his hair and robes black, his face seemed to float around the bar, the pale skin illuminated by what little light came into the room. It made him look some what haunted. The perfect match for what he was feeling.

He managed a smile as Amelia handed him a tall glass of pop. It wasn't the drink that bothered him, truly it wasn't. It was a atmosphere. Made him feel like he was going to be killed any minute, it kept him on edge. A good drink would get rid of that, but he was on duty. Part of which was to kept his head, no matter how flustered it maybe.

"That's perfect," he said sounding better than he felt, and he led the way slowly and what he hoped was normally across the room to the table. "Right!" Nicoli slid into a seat and took a swig of his drink surreptitiously eying the inhabitants of the bar.

Walking into the Raven's Claw Esmeralda looked around. It was pretty full and there was no one in here she knew. "Only one thing to do" she thought to herself. Esmeralda walked up to the bar orderd heself a drink and walked over to a girl who looked kinda nice sitting on her own next to a door. "hey" Esmeralda said to her "mind if I sit with you?".

Susanna turned her head to the side as someone approached her. Smiling warmly at the woman, she nodded and gestured to the seat opposite her. 'Sure, take a seat,' she said, straightening herself up so her back was straight and not slouched.

It was the first time someone had approached her; she was determined to give off a good impression to this woman. Brushing the golden curls off her left shoulder, she wrapped her slender fingers around her drink and looked at the woman.

'I'm Susanna Samuels,' she introduced herself, her blue eyes sparkling.

'Thanks' she said smiling with her dark brown curls falling infront of her face. Esmeralda scooped them back and looked up at Susanna. She took a sip from her drink and began to introduce herself to Susanna. 'I'm Esmeralda Walker' she said smiling with her blue eyes sparkling. She began to go a little red - even though she always did when she met new people.

Susanna smiled and took a sip of her own drink. 'Esmeralda? That's a nice name,' she said, thinking for a moment. 'Doesn't it mean Emerald in Spanish?' she asked, using her knowledge of names from her siblings. They had, after all, spent hours and hours reading baby naming books when they were becoming parents. Her dark blue eyes looked at the sparkling blue ones Esmeralda had and she laughed softly seeing Esmeralda go red.

'Are you nervous or something?' she asked softly, her full, red lips turned up in a smile. 'Not many people go red when they're meeting others unless they're nervous.'

'Hmmm' she thought for a second. 'Yeah I think it does' She said smiling. Esmeralda noticed Susanna looking at her and realised she had seen her go red.

'I'm always a bit nervous when I meet new people' she said smiling going back to her colour. 'Doesn't your name mean something like Lily or Rose?' she asked.

Susanna nodded. 'I thought so,' she said, before taking another sip of her drink. She sighed as she put the drink down, wrapping her fingers around it again and looking at Esmeralda. 'Nervous meeting new people? Now, you're the fifth person I know like that. Four of my nieces are like that. Honestly, I don't know why at times.' She laughed softly, the sound almost musical as she thought about Lea, Jade, Jodie and Maria, all nervous when meeting new people.

Coughing, Susanna nodded at Esmeralda's last statement. 'Yeah. In Hebrew, it means lily and rose. If it had a "h" on the end, it would just be lily,' she told Esmeralda, with her eyes narrowed curiously, one eyebrow raised. 'How in the world did you know that? It's not very well known.'

'Four nieces thats alot.' Esmeralda laughed a little before carrying on the conversation. She picked up her drink and took another sip out of it.

'Well I like to do my reasearch on names I like to know what the mean, call me weird if you wish im just like that.' She said laughing to Susanna.

'You think four's a lot? I've got fifteen - fourteen, sorry,' Susanna corrected herself quickly, her voice quiet. She had once had fifteen nieces, but the number had gone to four now. 'And I've got one niece who I treat as a daughter. She doesn't like her family, so she lives with me when she's home from school. Then I've got nine nephews.' She laughed at the amount.

'You research them?' Susanna asked, her smile returning, though her blue eyes remained slightly troubled. 'Now, that is strange if you have no children. Do you have children? Or nieces and nephews?'

'I have 4 nieces and 3 nephews' Esmeralda told her 'but I have one thats a bit like you doesn't like her family so she lives with me so I treat her more like a daughter.'

'And yeah I research the names because I like to know what they mean' She said laughing at how weird she sounded.

'How old is the eldest of the seven?' Susanna asked, curious. 'Oh, Cully hates her sister Lyona and her mum. Destiny's got to be the best sister I could ask for, but Cul hates her for some reason. She adores me, apparantly. Always has done. Like she adores Lea.' She stopped, realising she was blabbering. 'Sorry. I didn't mean to go off like that.'

Nodding, she knew what Esmeralda meant when she said she liked to know what they meant. 'My siblings got me to help them find out what names meant when they were having their children. Of course, Jake, my brother, couldn't ask me when his eldest came along because I was only two, so she doesn't really have a known meaning. We've not bothered looking it up yet.'

Nathan had to use every inch of self-control in his body to keep himself from laughing hysterically at Nicoli. The poor man seemed a bit on edge: but what was with the hair and robes? Nate was just thankful that he hadn’t suggested they all dress in a similar way. Nathan may be a bit bedraggled looking himself, but he brought a certain je ne sais quoi to the term ‘scruff bag’ – at least he liked to think so.

He followed Nicoli over to the table, pleased that the man’s back was to him so that he wouldn’t see the smirk that was gracing now Nathan’s lips. He sat down and cleared his throat, forcing his face straight again - they were supposed to be blending after all – not giggling at their boss like naughty children.

The door opened, flooding the pub with sunlight as someone else came into the pub, causing Nathan to squint. When the door had closed he glanced casually in that direction only to see a blonde woman who looked like a ministry official meeting a friend. Normally this would be a welcome sight, but right now he had to concentrate on work. He just hoped the team wouldn’t end up waiting around here for hours and hours… with no chance of a few firewhiskies to help pass the time. He wondered what the next step would be if Flooing didn’t show – would they need to question the barman or any of the public currently in the bar for clues of the old man’s whereabouts?

'Well the eldest is 10' Esmeralda said thinking back 'its okay' she replied when Susanna apologised to her 'Rose for some reason loves me, I guess it was because of something that went off with her mum - my sister and I think its because of Rose thinks that I was the only one there for her.'

'You sound like you have a really big family' Esmeralda told Susanna.

'Sounds familiar,' Susanna smiled and sipped her drink again, looking around her. Her eyes rested on a group of people she assumed were from the ministry for a moment before returning to Esmeralda.

'Big? Well, I'm the youngest of five with about ten cousins, and I have twenty three nieces and nephews, with three ex-sisters-in-law, one deceased sister-in-law, two ex-brother-in-laws - Destiny and Jane divorced recently - and a deceased brother in law. So yeah, you could say big.'

She chuckled softly at the thought of a large family. 'And I never even met my dad's side.'

'Woah thats one big family' Esmeralda sounded shocked of how big her family was.

'So your saying if you had met your dad's side you'd have a bigger family, Woah how do you put up with it all?' She asked her

This is depressing. There weren't all that many people in the bar, and hardly anyone that would know much about Flooing at all. It might just end up a waiting game. Like everything usually is. Nicoli forced he's shoulders into a more relaxed position and leaned into his chair. What were they going to do if they couldn't get anything done? If any case they had to act like they weren't surveying everyone in the bar.

Something to say..."Wish this wasn't pop." His words were thankfully smothered somewhat by the voices of two young ministry workers, making it seem more like an under tone than anything else. "We've got to talk to people," he said the thought that maybe they should have come in separately dawning on him. At least then they wouldn't look odd just up and leaving to talk to some girl about something undoubtedly stupid.

Following her work colleagues over to a table to the right, Amelia took a sip of her drink before setting it down and sitting on one of the thread-bare chairs. She tried to hide a smirk that was itching to show on her face, looking at both Nicoli and Nate, like chalk and cheese.

As she glanced around her, she noticed two women talking to each other, seemingly innocent. This place certainly was dingy, but it was also a popular hang out for after work, so the group of them didn't look out of place. No sign of Flooing yet.

"Maybe we ought to leave it a minute and then go and speak to the bar tender? See whether the staff here know him?" she mentioned, waiting to see what Nicoli thought.

Knowing full well that in order to blend in properly, they would have to act like work colleagues unwinding, Amelia decided to strike up a random conversation. "So, what are you all up to after work?"

Nathan heard Nicoli mumble something but couldn’t quite work out what he was saying. Maybe the man was character acting here and mumbling away incoherently to himself like a madman. Nathan was impressed. He wished he had such dedication.

He looked at Amelia and noticed that she was also smirking. He had to look away before she made eye contact otherwise he wouldn’t be able to stop himself laughing, and once he started he knew he wouldn't be able to stop. This was certainly an interesting situation to be in.

He nodded, pleased when Amelia eventually broke the silence with good old common sense. Something with Nate lacked a bit. “Good thinking, batwoman.” He said echoing his words of their first conversation this morning.

He was glad when she started a random conversation. They were trying to look like this was a social visit after all. “Me? I may come here for a bit.” He’d already managed to meet a few interesting people in here. “And then home… to sleep.” he said with a shrug. Or probably just straight home to bed. “How about you, Miss Grey?” he asked with a boyish smirk.

Amelia laughed, "I think it'll be better to go over to the bar tender when we get a top up," she added, "looks a little less obvious."

"Sounds good, it's been a bit of a long day, more so for you with your bit of excitement in the other department. I'll probably pick up my dog, take her for a walk and then prop up the bar for a bit. I have a feeling we are really going to want to unwind after today. First days are always more exhausting aren't they?"

She smiled up at Nate as she took another sip from her glass, her eyes ocassionally glanced over at the door, in case someone else walked in.