Tonight has got me lovesprung (Marlon)

[Deleted]

After a week, everything was finally in order. Rosalyn was impressed that things had taken such a short amount of time to process. Then again, with the state that the Austrian Ministry was in, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Things weren’t terrible. On the contrary, she was interested to see that things looked fairly stable. However, the amount of Aurors doing triple overtimes had been enough to make her head hurt. The place was short-staffed to say the very least. She had seen that the moment she poked her head into Tristan and Ashton’s office and saw Tristan with towers of papers all over the top of his desk. Not to mention, Ashton had mentioned it to her during her registration. Hence the main reason Rosalyn had been lured to the country in the beginning. They needed people. And they needed them bad. She knew that she was still an important asset to the Ministry so it wasn’t like she was one of those only-being-hired-because-we’re-desperate cases. To her understanding, her ability made her an essential part to the Austrian Auror team since she was the only one that could change their appearance without having to choke down Polyjuice Potion. She wouldn’t have been mad if there was another one. However, Rosalyn was a bit selfish when it came to other people like her. She liked being the center of attention. She liked showing off and never having people get bored of observing her because someone else had already done what she had. Mostly, she just liked feeling special, being someone people actually needed and relied on. Being able to put a smile on someone’s face was enough of reward for her.

All that was still to come though. For now, Rosalyn still had to make her mark in her new home. A week wasn’t nearly enough time to do that, especially when there had been no reports of serious DeathEater activity throughout the country. The tips that came in were given to the veterans. It was frustrating, but she understood that she still had to be instructed in regards to protocol and the way things were properly conducted. She had been told her training wouldn’t last very long. All she was going to need was a thorough understanding of how the Austrian Ministry was approaching the Dark Lord and his followers. Unfortunately, from what she had learned so far, Rosalyn was a bit bewildered. To her, it seemed like they waited a lot when not actively pursuing supposed leads. Instead of scouring the countryside or setting up new security measures all day and every night, they half-assed things. That didn’t go to say that no effort whatsoever was being made to strengthen their defense against Darren Morgan. It seemed that they were more often clueless than not. There were a few people, like the two men she had encountered the other day, who broke the mold and worked tirelessly to protect and serve. A majority of them, however, didn’t. They looked like chickens running around with their heads cut off. There was a good chance that Rosalyn was just being judgmental though. To be fair, she hadn’t had much of a chance to observe the work her fellow Aurors were doing. The most she had gotten was a tour of the two floors of magical law enforcement. In the time she had been able to walk around though, she did see a lot of talking and laughing and solitaire playing. Maybe she just caught them on bad days.

Until then, Rosalyn had been instructed to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. Her new boss Rutherford wanted her to walk the areas that she would be patrolling or responding to if she was called out on a tip. It wasn’t too terrible. She agreed that she needed to know where important places were, like the clothing shops and bars. Back home, the two places were what she always spent her paychecks on. She had been happy to see that she hadn’t needed to look for. The strip outside of the Ministry office, Alzubra Alley, had everything she wanted and then some. Shops, bars, clubs and the infamous Gringotts that had been the scene of Darren Morgan’s last attack against the country. Rosalyn had taken a lot of interest in visiting the bank. When she had gone, everything had been remodeled to pristine condition as if nothing had ever happened. Walking through the large entrance though, the effects of the battle lingered in the air. There was a sense of sorrow, pain. Being in the bank made her feel for the victims of the devastating attack. She could feel their grief and anger. She wasn’t sure what exactly drew her to it, but she had visited Gringotts four times since being dismissed to run amuck throughout wizarding Vienna. The goblins probably thought she was up to no good with her constant visiting but not doing anything. Actually, Rosalyn was surprised nothing had been said to her yet. She always made sure to have her holographic Auror badge in plain view for all to see to try and not look as suspicious. Looking at the faces of the now familiar goblins proved that it didn’t do much good. They looked at everyone as if they were waiting for the right moment to strike. Truthfully, she couldn’t blame them after how sudden things must have happened that day.

Her fourth visit was coming to an end as the bank was closing for the day. Quickly walking out to avoid being led out by one of the security goblins, Rosalyn tightened her jacket to her chest and she was hit by the cold air of the night. The sun had nearly set completely and hoards of witches and wizards were walking every which way on the strip to wherever their destinations were. She knew most had to be going home. It was common knowledge that many people still feared being out by themselves at dusk regardless of the Dark Lord attacking during the day. She enjoyed staying out later though. Alzubra Alley presented itself to her in a newer manner when she was by herself. Doing her best to avoid being knocked over by the herds, Rosalyn’s eyes wandered from left to right to look for the next target. There were still a few places that had later hours. She just needed to find the neon signs to indicate that they were open. She hadn’t walked too far before seeing a blue one. “Haus de Musik,” she said to herself, speeding up her pace. She didn’t need to be fluent in German to understand what that meant. Back in America, she loved going to concerts at small venues. The performances were much personal that way. She didn’t need to go to a sold out show to enjoy listening to music. Rosalyn was frustrated she hadn’t seen this place sooner. Then again, most music clubs weren’t open in the afternoons since people were less likely to be in attendance. Reaching the building, she stopped and examined the event calendar posted close to the door. It was Friday and by the looks of it there would be a band tonight. Smiling to herself, she knew exactly what she would be doing. Taking a few steps to the door, her smile widened as the bouncer nodded once seeing her Auror badge and stepped aside. Upon entering the building, a man at a cash register nodded again to her. No ID and free entry? Tonight could certainly work out in her favor. Now Rosalyn just needed to see if her fancy badge would get her a free drink or two.

TAGGED: Marlon!
OUTFIT: HERE
WORDS: 1,281
LYRICS: Last Friday Night-Katy Perry
NOTES: N/A

[Marlon Wagner]

There was a certain way that Marlon liked to conduct his business, he liked things to be done the proper way. Business meetings and handshakes, he liked that he needed to wear a tie to work. Not because he liked ties, or the cinching feeling that he got whenever they were around his neck but rather what they represented. He liked that his cloths had to be dry cleaned and that it cost him just a little bit more money to get the right kind of vapor pressing done in order to have that fresh pressed feeling last all the way until his lunch break at the earliest. He didn't like meeting after hours whenever he could have been at home, and he certainly didn't like meeting in places that served alcohol. It wasn't that he didn't like to drink. Given the right circumstances, he was happy to down a pint or two and watch the latest Quidditch match or have a good conversation. Marlon just felt like by going into an establishment that served alcohol so freely was an unprofessional setting to have a meeting in. It sent the wrong impression to both sides. Yet, this was one client that he couldn't afford to not speak with. The work that he had spent the better part of this last month working on was time sensitive and very dear to his heart. Well, not the case in particular, rather what would happen to his sister if he were to fail in his task. He was given the impossible task of reuniting father and son, or the price was going to be the one family member that he had left behind bars forever. This particular meeting had take a lot of favors to be called in on his part. Favors that he had been accumulating over the years since his fathers death since all of those bridges to his business contacts needed to be up-kept. There were some very powerful men on that list, not something to be taken lightly.

Marlon's father wasn't good at a lot of things, he certainly wasn't good at being a father. Yet, for some reason, numbers had always managed to speak to the bastard, he was a master whenever it came to taxes and stock portfolios. Their family had never wanted for much other than love, as cliché as that no doubt sounded. Daniel had been very well respected and even liked by those who didn't know about his secret life. Not that Marlon could blame him, after awhile it was hard to tell a lie from the truth whenever a person wore a mask all hours of the day and night. No, Marlon knew the truth. Which is why it was up to him to keep the door open to all of the contacts, and everybodies dirty laundry kept firmly swept underneath the rug. For most people, that would be a fairly stressful situation but not for Marlon, for him it was just another thing that he had to deal with. This meeting had him in a fit all day long, distracted. Which for him was disastrous. It had been a very long time, years in fact since he had seen this gentleman. Since his father's funeral back home, and the man almost never left Irish soil so it was very lucky indeed that he was coming all the way over here, the least Marlon could do would be to have a drink with the man. Mr. Winslow was a music producer, and it just so happened that he was coming into town to evaluate some of the local talent and was going to be available for the short window right before the band went on stage, which meant that if Marlon timed it just right, he would be able to leave work on his lunch, go down there and meet with the man, maybe stay for a little dinner or pick something up on the way back, and camp out behind his desk for the remainder of the night and catch up on the mountain of paperwork that he had been keeping on the back burner all month since he had taken on this extra burden of a case.

Lifting his coat from over the back of the chair that sat in front of his desk he twisted the key lock on his filing cabinet and headed toward the door. Doing a quick scan of his body to make sure that he had all of the things that he was going to need. He didn't need to bring the file because he had read the thing so many times he had memories every public detail of Mr. Hanley's life. He was over-prepared for this meeting. Making sure there was a decent heft of coin in his pocket, and his wand in the other he could be on his way. Smoothing down the front of his Sweater and adjusting the hem that way it fell over the waist of his pants he closed the door behind him, jacket still folded over his arm just in case he were to need it whenever he was outside. Smiling to Margot he locked the door behind him. “I'll be taking my lunch now Margot, please hold my calls and memo's if I am late, although I shouldn't be” the slight woman nodded at him in response before turning back to whatever letter she was writing at the moment. It was a short distance to the lift that would take him to the lobby, so he didn't have very much time to dwell on how strange it was that he was walking this path without the mountain of cases that he took home on a daily basis. They were an almost permanent fixture to his arm these days it seemed. He felt a good fifty pounds lighter with just his own body to carry. Luckily, his destination was only a few blocks away from his office so he shouldn't be pressed for time. Stealing one last glance at his watch as the lift doors closed and he started to move to the ground floor he concluded that he should be fine on his break. Besides, this was the first lunch he had taken all week long, so he didn't think the powers that be could really hold it against him if it carried a little over.

It was a nice enough night, and the streets were steadily emptying themselves as the patrons were heading to their homes or places of rest. Of course, there were some stragglers that didn't seem to care much about the curfew, but tonight those were of no interest to the blonde haired man with a mission. He headed straight toward the glowing blue sign that would no doubt lead him into a building with music that was far too loud to carry on a normal conversation. He could only hope that they had some sort of private seating somewhere. He should have come here earlier in the day and scoped the place out, now he was second guessing himself. Something that he had only done twice in his entire life...so it was more than a little unsettling. Moving straight to the front of the line, he was glad that he had at least had the foresight to reserve a table, even if he didn't know where that was going to be. Clapping the doorman on the shoulder and flashing his badge with a smile he was shown right in. As he had expected it was far too loud and there wasn't proper lighting, so even if he had brought the folder nobody would be able to read it in the first place. Heaving a sigh he looked around the room for any hint of a table with a reserved card on it anywhere but he couldn't see one from where he was standing in the doorway. Running a hand through his hair he exhaled very slowly. This was going to take a while. Might as well get a drink and get the ball rolling.

[Deleted]

Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest idea to drink with a Ministry badge on. From what Rosalyn had been told, and from what she had seen personally, the citizens of Austria were skeptical of their Ministry. With the exception of the capture of two or three known DeathEaters, the government really hadn’t done much to assure the public that they were keeping them out of harm’s way. Practically every official was thought to be ill-suited for their positions. Unless they were one of the Aurors standing guard outside and all around the country, it was probably better for them to pocket their badges unless they were at work or needing it for entry somewhere. Or the ones who really used it for the perks of discounts around town, if the shops even did that anymore. Rosalyn was just fortunate she had found one that had. No doubt Rutherford would be busting her chops now if he could see her. She didn’t even have a drink in her hand yet but that portly face of his would be as red as a tomato. He would make it seem like she had committed treason or something. It wasn’t that the man was a bad guy. He was actually very pleasant. A bit talkative but so was she so they had got along splendidly from the beginning. However, there wasn’t a single doubt in Rosalyn’s mind that he couldn’t lay down the law if needed. The Ministry couldn’t afford any different from that position in particular. He was the head of the entire magical law enforcement department. It was the most scrutinized floor in the entire Ministry. They needed someone who could rule with an iron fist.

Then again, maybe he wouldn’t be so hard on her. He seemed to have a knack for turning a blind eye when problems were smack dab in front of his face. In the week that she had been in and out of the offices of her floor, Rosalyn had seen Ashton and Tristan go at it twice already. Once verbally, the second time physically. On both instances, Rutherford had merely chuckled while lightly punching the two on the shoulder and saying, “Boys will be boys.” Most offices would have fired the two on the spot for such unprofessional behavior. But he put those two on a pedestal. She found it incredibly amusing. It was difficult not to. Two grown men fighting like hormonal teenage boys every chance they got and they were never formally scolded. Rosalyn supposed that was why they fought so much, knowing they’d basically get away with it. Well, if they could get away with such behavior, then she saw no reason why she couldn’t have a drink or two out in public. She saw no reason in being ashamed for where she worked or what she did. She was damn good at her job. Why shouldn’t people see that not only was she an Auror who took her job very seriously when it came down to it, but that she was also a blast in a glass? Rosalyn was willing to bet that if the occasion ever called for it, she could manage to successfully endure battle with a drink or eight running through her veins. Having a wand in her hand came natural to her. Sometimes it felt like her hand had a mind of its own, knowing exactly what spell to conjure without her brain catching up until it had already been cast. If there were doubters in the room, let them doubt. If she got drunk enough, she’d be more than willing to show off.

For now, it was too early to decide whether or not Rosalyn would get into any mischief tonight. She really just wanted to get herself a drink, find a seat in the comfortable-looking lounge area away from the stage and relax while listening to some good tunes. Nothing to cause any real trouble or have a Howler at her door tomorrow morning. All she needed to do now was head to the bar and pick her poison for the night. Raising her clutch up to her face, she began to dig through it as she walked. The room was dimly lit, making it near impossible for her to see the bag if it wasn’t up close. She was curious to see how much darker, if at all, the place would get when the bands started playing. The sound of jingling coins was reassuring. Although free drinks would have been nice, Rosalyn wasn’t going to pitch a fit if she wasn’t able to get any. She was more than capable of paying for her own and being happy about it. After arriving at Gringotts earlier in the day, she had transferred her old vault to the one in Alzubra Alley. This had allowed her to replenish her funds to get her through the next couple of days. At least, she hoped it would. Knowing how she could get when she was having a good time, the money in her clutch might not be enough. She had to force herself to be good tonight. She was still new to the area. Still had people to impress. Who knew who might have been in the building tonight that worked at the Ministry? Even if they weren’t an Auror, they could still report to Rutherford about her. Rosalyn hated snitches. She hated them ever since that girl in fourth grade had told the teacher on her for coloring the class hamster purple with a marker.

Her head was still buried in her clutch when her body collided with something. Gripping tightly onto the bag, Rosalyn looked up, not at all surprised by what had happened. As so often happened with her job, she was tended to be a bit too oblivious to the outside world when she was focused on something. Her eyes landed on the chiseled face of a handsome blond mass of muscle, similar to Tristan but older. It was hard to get a good look at him with the dim lighting, but she had enough to tell that he was a dreamboat. What was it with all of the men in Austria? It was like she had landed in a city full of male supermodels, which was fine with her but did require a lot of upkeeping on her part. It made her more tempted to change her looks more often than not, just to see how they reacted to her different personas. Shrugging her shoulders, she gave him a half-smile. “Sorry,” she casually said, before realizing she had used English. "I mean, Entschuldigung." She was going to have to get used to speaking German. Continuing on her way, Rosalyn hoped it hadn’t come off rude, but she really wanted a drink. Closing the distance between herself and the bar, she slid up to the bar top and waited to be greeted. Fortunately, it didn’t take long. “What’ll it be beautiful?” She grinned, leaning in closer to the man. “Double Manhattan with extra vermouth. And throw in an extra cherry or two as well.” Not typically a girly drink but she could handle her own when it came to liquor. She attributed that to the guys she always surrounded herself with. Rosalyn had always gotten along better with the opposite sex than her own. Not that hated girls, but she had been teased relentlessly by them growing up since she was different. Guys found her more interesting and she supposed that wasn’t a bad thing.

Turning his back, the man quickly got to work making her drink. As he shifted himself back around, he placed a beverage napkin on the bar before gingerly setting the martini glass on top. Dropping four cherries in the glass, he slowly pushed it to her. ”Five sickles miss.” Money. Rosalyn still hadn’t gotten it from her clutch. “Shoot,” she said to herself, setting the bag on the counter. “Just a second.” Unzipping the top, she began to look through it again.

TAGGED: Marlon!
OUTFIT: HERE
WORDS: 1,322
LYRICS: Last Friday Night-Katy Perry
NOTES: N/A

[Marlon Wagner]

Hopefully, there would be some sort of roped off section toward the back where his little table would be waiting for him. To hold a business meeting, while standing compressed against so many other people was highly unprofessional. Not that he made a habit of making shady business feel professional. This was what the grand Marlon Wagner had been reduced to, making snap judgments about an establishment that he would have once been happy just to get into. He had grown so pompous in his old age. He really needed to step off of his pedestal and realize that this business he was conducting wasn't reputable so he needed to take it into consideration. Rubbing his hands together he tried his very best to push the fact that he wished he was wearing gloves into the back of his mind. Make the best of it he repeated the mantra over and over again in his mind. There didn't even seem to be anybody that he could speak to about his table, or if Mr. Winslow was in the building. Places like this always liked to keep track on people of importance like his business associate. Marlon's blue eyes scanned over the numerous people in front of him, and ending up on the small stage at the front where stage techs were setting up the drum set and tuning a guitar or two. Swallowing his pride, he moved into the throng that was headed in the direction of the bar, might as well get this over and done with. The part of him that wasn't appalled at being in here was mocking himself for being so snooty. His eyes were on the bar, he was going to have to squeeze in beside strangers which shouldn't make him as uncomfortable as it was. He really needed to get out more. Hugging his coat closer to his body he pushed his body between the nearest gap between bodies and had something warm run smack dab into his chest.

Looking down he didn't even have time to brace himself or steady the body that had pressed into him before she had moved again. It was hard to see her in the lighting but her eyes...he couldn't look away. He managed a stupid grin as an apology, what was the matter with him? It was like he had lost all of his couth at the door. “Sorry,” His eyebrows rose toward his hairline. That was certainly different, he shouldn't have been surprised since he encountered handfuls of different languages on a daily basis, given what he did for a living but out on the town as it were, he usually only encountered the same guttural tongue. “I mean, Entschuldigung.” His brows furrowed, surprised that she had even caught herself. At least she had manners “Quite alright ma'am” he answered her in English, in an attempt to make her feel alright even though his odd accent might have slurred the words a little. He watched her for a moment, her sweet smelling chestnut hair as it wandered away but then he blinked and she was gone. Shaking the image of her eyes out of his head he went on his way. If only we were smaller, then this process would have been made a lot easier. Pushing his arms together in front of his body he squeezed and pushed his way in until he could feel the lip of the bar top pressing into the muscles of his stomach. Whatever band was going to be playing here tonight was bound to be a very good one. If not then he didn't have an excuse for the hand that he just felt on his backside. It better have been on accident since he couldn't see anybody that the hand could have belonged to. Either way, he felt a little flattered and much more violated.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand, he just wanted to get a drink and find his table. At the very least the alcohol content in the drink would sterilize his insides since he had a feeling that he might be needing a chemical shower once he left here tonight. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the arrogant thoughts that were coming to his mind. It was shameful. His neck craned in an attempt to catch the attention of the man working hard behind the bar. With all of the attractive women on either side of Marlon's body he doubted that he would be high up on the list of priority patrons. “Shoot,” Well now, this was some form of luck. The woman that he had ran into him earlier was positioned so near to him. At least he would have the chance to repay her for his oafishness. His eyes went from her digging in her purse to the drink on the counter to the bar keep who seemed to want to be moving on to other patrons and back again. “Just a second.” Smiling to himself, he would at least get a chance to do some good here. His hand dipped into his pocket and fished out a coin and held it out in between the woman and the bartender. “And a scotch please. Neat” he offered up. Some women were offended whenever a man bought their drink for them, something about feminism, but he just wanted to be kind. “I hope you don't think me impertinent.” he smiled while waiting on his own drink “it's the least I could do for nearly losing you to the stampede earlier” he shrugged, not wanting to pressure her into thinking that she owed him any form of thanks or conversation. It might have been her fault that they had collided earlier but since he was larger than she was he just assumed he would take the blame for the impact. Shrugging noncommittally he turned back and accepted the rocks glass and small square napkin whenever it was placed in front of him.

[Deleted]

Well if this wasn’t embarrassing. Huffing to herself, Rosalyn continued to search through her clutch. Curse her for magically modifying this thing to hold more than it needed to. She wasn’t usually so girly when it came to purses. She was often too busy working to keep one. After all, how effective could she really be in battle if a purse was hanging from her shoulder? Sure, it’d be convenient to keep her wand and any other magical tricks she had up her sleeve but she’d be more discredited than anything else. When she went shopping, she liked to keep something close to her to store her money hence the reason why she was buried deep within her clutch looking for money. Rosalyn was sure she must have looked like some overconfident broad who was about to make an ass out of herself for not having the money to pay for her drink. She never boasted about the money she made. All in all, her salary was more than decent. It allowed her to buy things she may not have normally been able to. So it wasn’t like she was about to start insisting that she did have the money and more on top of it. That would have just been completely unclassy. Nor was she embarrassed when she didn’t have as many coins on her as she thought. It was the simple fact of having such difficulty looking for something so simple when the man clearly had impatience written all over his face. Looking up briefly, Rosalyn offered him a small smile as best as she could in the darkness. “I’m so sorry. It’s just right here. I’m sure of it.”

She hoped he wouldn’t pull her drink away to add even more humiliation to the situation. Noticing his hand inch closer to the rim of the glass, Rosalyn began to dig faster. Finally, she felt the cool bronze, silver or gold of coins and reached in to grab them. “And a scotch please. Neat.” The deep male voice that had suddenly come from the side of her sounded familiar. Looking up, her gaze landed on the face of the man from a few minutes earlier. The one she had so carelessly bumped into in search of the very same thing she was looking for now. Had he followed her? Maybe. Just because he was good looking didn’t mean he had a screw loose. Back when she had just graduated from the academy, she had garnered the attention of a former classmate who had chosen the same career path. A very handsome one at that. All had been good and well for the first couple of weeks of their Auror training when he started appearing more, leaving little notes on her door at the dormitories and standing behind statues and bushes to watch her as she sat outside studying. Since then, Rosalyn couldn’t help but to be suspicious of strangers who she ran into more than once. It was a bit extreme now considering her surroundings. At a music club, she would have no choice but to run into the same people at various times whether it was to go to the bathroom, get a drink or just walking to get a new viewpoint. Shaking her head lightly, she smirked as the man smiled at her. Merlin he was handsome. “I hope you don't think me impertinent.” And he knew big words. She wasn’t a walking dictionary by any means but what girl couldn’t be impressed by a man with huge arms and good pronunciation.

“It's the least I could do for nearly losing you to the stampede earlier.” Cocking her head to the left, Rosalyn made a face. He was sweet too. Though it was hard to tell what she found more attractive. His good looks or the fact that she had found the only person who could speak English. His accent slurred his words a little, but it was cute. As the man’s drink was set down on the bar, she finally forced her head forward. While she did appreciate his intentions, she had done nothing to deserve him paying for her drink. If anything, she should have been the one paying for his drink. She had been the one to bump into him after all. Her hand dug back into her clutch, this time coming back to the surface with the coins she needed to pay for her drink. Counting them out, as well as the tip, she placed them on the counter and slid them in the direction of the bartender. “Thanks,” she replied, picking up her drink and turning to face the man. “But that’s not necessary. I don’t allow men to pay for my carelessness.” Rosalyn’s words weren’t rude but earnest. She wasn’t one of those girls that needed to be taken care of. Bringing the glass to her lips, she wrapped them around the straw and gave him a wink before walking off. It was probably a foolish thing to do, leaving such an attractive man behind. But she wasn’t expecting anything more than a drink. She was more interested in conversation and he hadn’t made any indication that he wanted it. Then again, she hadn’t allowed the opportunity to arise. Oh well. It was best if she’d spend the night with herself. She needed to get a feel for the nightlife of Vienna, to see how different it was, if at all, from the day. Most importantly, seeing if there were any suspicious characters lurking around.

Walking over to the lounge area, Rosalyn took a seat on a black leather armchair. A few other people were in the space, but all had friends they were speaking to. Setting her clutch to the side of her, she crossed her legs and raised her glass up for another sip. Within a few minutes, a voice from the front of the club came over the speakers to announce the first band to take the stage. The band consisted of three members: a lead vocalist with a guitar, a bassist and a drummer. They took another minute or two for their sound check before the bassist began to strum some deep chords. Bouncing her head in tune with the music, she smiled as the song fully began to kick in. Now this, this was her scene.

TAGGED: Marlon!
OUTFIT: HERE
WORDS: 1,061
LYRICS: Last Friday Night-Katy Perry
NOTES: N/A

[Marlon Wagner]

For a moment, the way that she was looking at him was confusing. Had he been mistaken earlier whenever he had heard her speak english? If so, he was going to make a real heel out of himself by speaking english to her now. Perhaps she didn't understand him...if not then she was just ignoring him? Marlon found himself waiting, wanting to know what she was going to be saying next, if anything. Whenever the coins came out of her purse, he pulled back his own, much to the frustration of the bartender. Obviously, he was going to be paying for his own drink. This was just so unexpected, smiling at her a little disheartened he shrugged. He had tried at least. His eyes were glued to the coins in her hand as they were finally passed to the bar keep, who snatched them up and hastily put them away. No doubt he was eager to get moving on to the next patron, but he just couldn't think of the other man right now. “Thanks, But that’s not necessary. I don’t allow men to pay for my carelessness.”It might be true, perhaps she had been the one to run into him in the first place. It just wasn't how he remembered it, even if it was true it took a confidant woman to own up to it like she had. She didn't say another word, all he had gotten was one smile. It was arrogant but he had been expecting...more. What he didn't know, but he had taken the time to speak to her he didn't feel like he deserved to be brushed off like that. Shake it off Marlon, shake it off While that would be the smart thing to do, he couldn't help his eyes from following her.

Well that was more than a little off putting. To say that Marlon was used to getting his way was a little more than half true. In his youth, he was given the best of everything that he was able to dream of, but it had always been bittersweet. He had known that he was privledged and was also able to see first had an example of somebody that he loved that had nothing. As much as he hated it, it made him appriciate what he had even more. Even throughout his teenaged years he had seen it by the people he had surrounded himself with, all of his friends and of course he had a wonderful woman constantly by his side to keep him grounded. He was always there to keep his ego in check and always keep him guessing. Marlon supposed that he was able to credit his job with his elevated ego. All of the people that were in his life (the most recent of additions excluded of course) were business contacts, family that adored him or just generally people that were working very hard to be on his good side. The suck ups, the kiss asses people that did nothing but make him feel better. Being rejected at this point in his life...felt like a challenge. Turning to watch her retreating back he considered following her, if she was offended by him paying for her drink she could have just said so or just taken it and left. The way that she choose to make her exit amused him. Sliding the coin across the bar top anyway regardless that it was a large tip he grabbed his drink and moved outward in the general direction that she had left.

Why? He didn't really know, he had no intentions of following her and given her brush off he didn't have any grounds with which to start up a real conversation. He just wanted to have another look at her he supposed. It was best to get to his meeting, he knew that. This wasn't his night to be mingling with anybody he had more important things to think about, he had his family to think about. He needed to meet this man and he needed the information that he could provide, he needed to not be thinking about the way that the strange woman's hip sashayed whenever she walked. Smiling to himself he took a head clearing drink from his glass, the smooth flavor rolling down the back of his throat filling him with a nice warm sensations. A satisfied sound left his lips as he lifted his glass just high enough that it wouldn't be jostled while he weaved his way in between people. He could hear the sounds of a band warming up but didn't have a clear view of the stage. Glancing in the direction he had seen her hair dissapear to, a smile washed over his face as the events of only a few moments ago replayed for the third time in his mind. NO doubt he would forget about it tomorrow, but for tonight it certainly made his business meeting start off with an interesting twist. After what seemed like an hour he finally pushed his way through the throng to what he guessed was the area he had reserved. Now that he was seeing it in person, this must have been the kind of place that only said that they reserved places to humor the poor sap on the phone, but didn't actually do anything. With a sigh he pushed what appeared to be peanut husks from the table top with the side of his hand until they fell to the somewhat gritty looking floor. Pushing himself up onto the stool he reluctantly placed his folded jacket onto the tabletop. Hopefully, whenever Mr. Winslow showed up he would be able to spot Marlon's hair at the very least.

Try as he might, he just couldn't think of a single time in his life whenever he would have come into here on his own. Perhaps during his years at school after his team had won a Quidditch match...but even then he would have had to of already been drunk. No, that was a lie. During his time at school he would have loved this place and it's dark corners. He could see bringing Autumn here and listening to some singer belt her heart out while they took turns drinking underage, relishing in the thrill of it all. Back then at least. Now, he couldn't imagine it...the Autumn that he was getting to know again in present day he just couldn't see her coming here. NOt that she was above it, no she would always make the best out of any situation but would she really want to get off of one of her eightteen hour shifts and come listen to some person not good enough to play in the big leauges wail into a guitar? He didn't think so. The realization saddened him a little more than he was expecting, he knew that he had changed over the years but he didn't think that he had changed this much. Letting his index finger trace the rim of the glass in circles, he had to wait now. He should have been here by now and the band was setting up. Any second now the curtain would be lifting and then what was he going to do? WHenever the house lights dimmed he was going to be out of luck, he might be able to make it back to the bar since that was bound to be lit...but finding Mr. Winslow? Hopeless. Rotating his torso to look in the direction of the door the house lights dimmed, and he heard somebody come out over the loudspeaker announcing the first act.

Whenever the song started, the bass was deep and filled with rich tones but it was lost on Marlon's ears. He hadn't ever been stood up before. This was a night of firsts for him it would seem. He shot a glance at the stage, but he wanted to keep his eye trained on the door even though it was hard to see in the dark. He was starting to grow a little worried, had he gotten the meeting place wrong? Had he misunderstood the plan or was the man really so rude that he wouldn't even call and reschedule? To be cast aside without so much as the courtesy of an owl...just made this case that much more difficult. The reprecussions of not meeting with this man, were something that he just couldn't accept.

[Deleted]

This Manhattan was delicious. It was all Rosalyn could do to refrain from chugging the whole thing just to go back for another. It was pointless now anyway. The lights had dimmed enough to make navigating through the wave of people more trouble than it was worth. She wasn’t against elbowing a few people out of the way if necessary, but she was in too peaceful of a mood to want cause herself any avoidable stress. She could make do with her drink for now. If not, she’d force herself to sit down and enjoy the music until the lights went back up in between sets. She would have the ability to restrain herself if the music was good, which it was sounding to be. Not even her ADD would cause her distraction. It seemed like the only real handle she got on it was when she was doing something that she truly enjoyed. Listening to local music was something Rosalyn truly enjoyed. She found it fascinating that the music here in Austria wasn’t too different than the type she listened to at home. It only made her like the country more actually. Though she would be lying if she said she didn’t want to hear samples of music around the world. Austria surely had its own interpretation to contribute to the international music scene. For now, however, she would take what was given to her. As the second song started, she began humming along with the beat once she had become familiarized with it. The band was pretty catchy. Simple, but catchy. It wasn’t like Rosalyn’s tastes were anything extraordinary. As long as it had a good beat, lyrics that were intelligible and a hot guitarist, she was hooked.

The longer the set went on, the bigger fan Rosalyn started to become. She could easily see herself jumping on stage to sing along after a few too many Manhattans, which was starting to look pretty promising about now. Her drink had been gone for fifteen minutes now, but she hadn’t even noticed until the band announced it was taking its first break. Protruding her bottom lip in a childlike manner, she pushed herself up from her seat and started to follow behind the people in the lounge area who also appeared to have the same intentions as her. She wasn’t quite sure what made her look off to the right at an area where bar stools and tables were stationed, but as soon as she did, her eyes landed on a familiar face. It was that man from the bar. Furrowing her brow, Rosalyn wondered why she had seen him so many times already. She hadn’t been here for more than an hour and she had already bumped into him twice, three times now despite not making contact with him. For some reason, she found herself incredibly annoyed. The lounge area she was in was in perfect view of the tables. As a matter of fact, the very chair she had been sitting in was almost a direct beeline from the man’s table. Had he been watching her? While she liked receiving attention from men, she drew a line when it came to feeling like there was deliberate constant contact. An old relationship had done that to her. What had appeared to be the perfect man had turned into an overly obsessed one that Rosalyn would have killed had he not gotten away. The idea of being stalked didn’t settle well with her. Perhaps it was being in a strange location that was making her so hot-headed. Either way, she wasn’t about to pretend like it wasn’t happening, even if it wasn’t, and let him get away with making her the object of his affection.

It took a bit of skillful maneuvering on Rosalyn’s part. After breaking through the ropes of the lounge, she had to push past the crowds heading to the bar for refills. It was made even more difficult by the presence of three bars in different positions through the club, which gave the people no clear direction in which they were walking. It also resulted in her getting elbowed and pushed in every which direction. All it took though was the first gap she had been given. Sliding into it, she then proceeded to snake her way through the throng until she finally reached the area that the man was sitting in. As to be expected, he was still there though his head was turned towards a bar as if contemplating whether to brave the masses for himself. “Probably just pretending not to notice me,” she muttered to herself. Approaching his table a few seconds later, Rosalyn took the liberty of pulling out the empty chair in front of him and taking a seat. Resting her arms on the table, she folded her hands together and looked at him silently with a serious expression on her face. He had yet to look back at her, obviously not hearing the sound of the chair being pulled out because of the loud voices, that or still pretending, but she would be waiting when he turned. And as soon as he did, she arched an eyebrow towards his surprised face. “You’ve got a nice view,” she commented, watching as his surprise turned into confusion. “Towards the lounge area, right over there.” She pointed backwards. “So I’ll go ahead and ask you. Are you stalking me? I’m only curious because you have a very good view of where I was sitting a few minutes ago. And I just find it funny that this is the third time-“ She held up three fingers. “that I’ve seen you.” Rosalyn interlocked her fingers back together. “So what gives?”

TAGGED: Marlon!
OUTFIT: HERE
WORDS: 956
LYRICS: Last Friday Night-Katy Perry
NOTES: N/A

[Marlon Wagner]

The longer that he listened to the band play, the more they seemed to annoy him. Their overly loud sounds were drowning out all of the people around him, he wouldn't have been able to ask anybody if they had seen the man that he was looking for even if he had wanted to. He still couldn't bring his eyes to focus on the stage for any longer than thirty seconds because he was becoming paranoid, for the first time in his life. He had needed this meeting, as seedy and underhanded as it had been to schedule in the first place, he needed it. He didn't have another contact quite like Mr. Winslow, much less somebody that owed him a favor of this nature. Whenever he had entered into this...ugly arrangement with that Irish bastard a few weeks ago he hadn't imagined that it was going to cause him this much strife. Marlon's thumb absently tapped at the clear edge of his glass, the condensation that had formed there transferring from the wall of the glass to his hand but he didn't care. Should he leave? Check the outside of the establishment and search to see if the man had somehow gotten hung up outside? Yet, in his heart of hearts he knew that the man had led him on. Mr. Winslow had never had any intention of coming here, much less outside of business hours. No doubt he was mocking Marlon's very existence . His mouth tilted downward into a very deep scowl, he hated being mocked. He didn't take lightly to people wasting his time either, much less at a place that he hated. No doubt the whole meeting had been orchestrated as a very cruel joke on his behalf. Lifting the glass to his lips slowly, he took a long, deliberate drink from its contents, still scowling.

It wasn't that Marlon didn't like music, in fact he very much enjoyed it whenever the timing and setting was right. He just didn't have much time for music in his life lately, or even in the past few years. The time off that he had been given, had been spent either sleeping, drinking, or some combination of the both. He had always been a fan of pub music, the more down home gritty kind with the chants that accompany the lyrics if one knew what they were doing. He could remember in his childhood, before his sister had ever been born his father had sang in one of those bands, his mother the slight woman that she had had always danced jigs at the foot of the stage, her impossibly bright blonde hair bouncing as she jumped and twirled. She had been ever smiling, back in the very few good times that he could remember from his childhood. Didn't matter that he was four or younger, he had always been welcome in the bars that his father played at. They would serve him frothy mugs of apple juice so that he could pretend, and he would munch away on pretzles, shouting along with his father since he had never quite learned how to dance like his mother. Oh, he had the hopping down but that was just about as far as it had ever gone, his feet never had the grace or the coordination to move the way that was required of the better Irish dancers. The setting that he was in now, was nothing like those happy memories, and dwelling on just how vastly different the two experiences were bound to make him even more surly. If that didn't do it, just thinking on his mother, and the memories that never were going to be formed with her would. It was too dark in here for him to find his way out, the cloud of smoke that was rising toward the ceiling from the many patrons was making the exit sign nothing more than a green blur. No, he was going to be stuck here until the set was over. So he sat, and sipped on his drink.

Whenever the band finally stopped their caterwauling, Marlon had been staring down into his empty glass, watching the ice melt whenever the lights from their show flashed in his direction, he was utterly miserable, and would much rather be sleeping or doing anything but sitting here, thinking on how much of a fool he was. Yet, it was still better than the alternative, thinking about how absolutely screwed he was. He didn't know if there was going to be somebody that came around and topped off his drink, but he certainly hoped so. Even just a woman wandering around with shots would make him happy right about now. Perhaps drinking copious amounts of cheap liquor would lift his own spirits some. Yet, he still didn't see anybody coming his way. What he did see, was the impossibly large throng of people crowded around the bar, no doubt each and every one of them was wanting to refill their glasses before the horrible band started to play again. Well. He was just going to have to memorize the path there so that he could navigate it in the dark, then he could have just one last drink...and leave. Yes, in fact he could even head back to the office and attempt to salvage this miserable day by doing something productive, perhaps even finding some way to circumvent Mr. Winslow and head straight to the man's own contacts without having to use him at all. That would certainly show him that Marlon Wagner was not a man to be trifled with. The thought brought a smile to his face, and his eyes trained on the floor now that he could see it in the dim lighting, attempting to memorize where each chair was so that he didn't twist his ankles while making his getaway.

He didn't even notice that he was no longer alone until an oddly familiar voice rang clearly into his ears. It was nice not to have to scream to be heard, as he would no doubt have to do whenever ordering his drink shortly. He hoped that it was somebody who was going to offer him a drink, or at least explain to him why he was still sitting here, since he couldn't figure it out for himself. “You’ve got a nice view,” His head turned toward her quickly, surprised at who it was. The very last person that he had been expecting to run into, again, was the lady from earlier. He couldn't exactly claim that it was a pleasant surprise either, given her cold brush off whenever he had tried to be kind to her earlier. “beg your pardon?” he inquired, wanting to know why now, of all times, he warranted her attention. He looked out at the view in question, it was alright, but not nice by his definition of the word. “Towards the lounge area, right over there.” His eyes followed where she was pointing out of courtesy alone, he was ignorant as to whatever point she was attempting to make. He didn't see anything spectacular over there, just a bunch of chairs. He honestly hadn't even given them a second glance before this moment, he had been far too wrapped up in his own thoughts. “So I’ll go ahead and ask you. Are you stalking me? I’m only curious because you have a very good view of where I was sitting a few minutes ago. And I just find it funny that this is the third time-that I’ve seen you.” He must have looked baffled, her irritated, he didn't care which because he was both. Irritated that she would assume so much of herself, or think so very little of him. Stalking? Was so far beneath him. He was a man of honor, strict rules of courting, he wouldn't ever condescend so low. If this was her attempt at a 'pick up' line, she was horrible at it. Clearly, she was either an egomaniac, or a psychopath. He wanted nothing to do with either. “So what gives?” Merlin he needed another drink. And quickly.

Clearing his throat he shook his head, attempting to regain some form of composure. “Nothing 'gives'” he said, mocking her tone. “And with all due respect, I do believe that you are the one sitting at my table. So it's far more likely that you, ma'am, are stalking me.” it was sound enough in his mind, and as luck would have it, the lady with the tray full of various shots in what looked like multicolored test tubes were being passed out for a sickle a piece. Plucking a coin out of his pocket he placed it on the tray, picking a lime green tube and downing it without another thought. He didnt' care whatever impression she got from that, he needed to calm down or he was going to be impossibly rude to this stranger, who as far as he knew, just was taking an interest in him. She didn't deserve his wrath. Glancing back over at his new table mate he fished out another few coins and put them on the tray, plucking more tubes for the both of them if she wished, and just for him if she didn't. Whatever was in them wasn't unpleasant to drink, since he didn't really taste it whenever he threw his head back. Extending one of the four tubes that had been balanced carefully between his fingers toward her he attempted a smile. “I'm Marlon”