OPEN THREAD Will take any wild and wonderful ties or even people who can't think of a tie and just want to assume they all know each other. Even if you just were having a drink in the Leaky Cauldron.

Don't bring a birthday present, let's make it easy. Anything pretty much goes, and its anything but formal. If people don't start singing rude songs, then it'll happen.

Please throw your characters in!

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It might be a Thursday, and he might have spent the whole damned day in Russia with an idiot ex-pat who elected to call the jury rotting squid brains, but it was his thirty-fourth birthday, and he was going to the Leaky Cauldron by hook or by crook. People would be there, not because he'd kept it quiet, but quite the opposite. Despite himself, this year, Johann was rather excited to grow a year older, even if it wasn't a significant one.

The pub was busier than a usual Thursday owing to their group and there was food on and the weird and wonderful from the wizarding community had turned out. It wasn't like the St Mungo's ball or the Yule Ball - this was the pub, and Johann's birthday. The fact he spoke to anyone reflected in the friends, whether they were the two vampires lurking in a corner, or the wizard sporting a parrot on his head.

Not everyone was here though, some were a little too shy to come to such noisy gatherings. But most importantly, it wasn't a full moon, so his two best friends who hated each other could be there, Colin and Hannah.

"That glass is almost empty!" Johann exclaimed merrily, throwing his arms around shoulders of yet more people he'd not managed to catch up with, "or are you saving room for the Yard of Ale?" Towards the bar a long slender glass was poised in midair as yet another goaded on member of the motley group tried their luck to not only drink the yard, but also in the shortest time.

The Leaky Cauldron had become her favourite place to be on an evening as it was, but adding Johann and his crazy network of colleagues, friends and random acquaintances he'd managed to invite along, and past that, drinkers who had decided to invite themselves, she was rather happy indeed.

A rendition of Happy Birthday for Johann when he'd finally made it in, a mountain of food that didn't seem to be reducing, and a cake that she'd had a hand in organising and leaned at a most precarious angle, were keeping everyone in high spirits, well fed and the bar was then keeping them all well lubricated.

Her attempts to woo the rather lovely Arcturus Hollingbury at St Mungo's had not been going well at all, and given he didn't seem to be in the group tonight, Elixa had resigned herself to surveying the rest of the market - albeit the more unhinged end. She wasn't overly picky about gender, neither...

"Let me get that for you," She offered a figure that sang some potential at the bar, leaning over to get their attention by placing her hand on their arm and smiling.

When Adrianna finally managed to duck into the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron in relief from the heavy rain splashing on the ground, she was a little surprised to see the place far more full of activity than she normally recognised on a Thursday night. She stood at the doorway as she blinked in surprise at the crowd, water dripping off her dragonhide boots and the door still open enough to let in draughts of humid wind, until someone shouted at her to shut the door behind her.

Hastily she did so and wiped her boots on the threadbare doormat attempting to look like a proper doormat. She was wearing a thick denim coat with a furred hood; hopefully it didn't make her look too out of place here. The Cauldron's regular patronage tended to be a bit varied. Though for some reason men tended to take one look at her and back off. Probably the scars on her face. She would be surprised if this wasn't the case.

The auror went to the bar and leaned against it. "Lemonade with vodka." She would at least start small; she'd forgotten to do a bit of pre-drinking since she hadn't replenished her supply of rum in a guilty attempt to stop herself from indulging. But that was the hard part. Ever since she had arrived in Britain she hadn't been able to stop herself. The drinking culture was so much more different than in China.

After money and glass exchanged hands, she turned around to find a solitary spot to drink - and to her dismay, found no refuge from the rabble. She stood there with a half-annoyed expression on her face and her glass in one hand, her eyes surveying the place. Dear gods.

"Dreadful isn't it?" He addressed one of the people in the pub who looked to be slightly less than caught up in the hijinks. He'd promised to visit the pub, albeit briefly, using the floo and had taken the evening off from Hogwarts to do so.

"You were probably looking for a nice quiet drink this evening, and he had to invite half the wizarding world to drinking games."

Ordinarily Ignan wasn't one for striking up conversation with entire strangers, but he knew precious little of the actual party attendees, and his conscience had decided he had to stay for one, or perhaps two drinks to justify having attended and congratulated his younger relative on surviving another year. To have turned around on the spot to face a witch adopting almost exactly the same facial expression as he felt, he'd suddenly felt obliged to speak to her.

That and he had the slightest feeling that he recognised her from somewhere, but he couldn't work out where.

She wasn't expecting the voice to come from next to her. She hadn't been expecting a voice at all. Adrianna turned on her heel to look at the owner of the voice; as her eyes quickly took in his appearance and took in the details, she blinked so that it didn't seem apparent.

"You were probably looking for a nice quiet drink this evening, and he had to invite half the wizarding world to drinking games."

"Uhh...pardon me, but who?" Her Beijing accent stood out a little strongly over the British-flavoured voices around them. Usually she didn't speak since it drew attention to her, but she felt that she couldn't not reply this upright-looking, stately old man next to her out of respect. "Is there some sort of party going on right now? Odd night for a party, I think."

Her Auror senses clamoured a bit. "Do you know who...he is? Because it sounds like you do." And where have I seen YOU before? she added in the privacy of her mind.

The things friends forced you to take part in. Like venturing carefully into a pub full of a drunken and loud rabble. Hannah warily closed the door shut behind her, standing for a moment to debate her next move. Her alert gaze swept over the crowd. Surely all of these people were not here for Johann’s birthday. He certainly didn’t have that many friends. Or did she just presume that he was similar to her? She had anticipated an awkward quiet table with her, Johann and Colin with the German eagerly trying to make conversation between his two best friends.

But instead it appeared Hannah may have been able to slip in, say hello and slip back just as easily. Wouldn’t that be excellent? Work had been long, she’d been surrounded by screaming people and commotion that she’d tried hard to calm. But now all she needed was a bath and to relax in her barbequed flat.

Yet she couldn’t see Johann. The noise was what drew her eyes to the hubbub near the bar. An idiot proceeded to partake of a long yard glass at as Hannah’s lips pursed in disapproval her bright gaze found the birthday boy, merrily hooking his arms around strangers, eyes glazed with alcohol consumption. Hannah started towards him.

“You look like you’re having a good time.” She eyed her friend carefully before offering a small smile. “Happy Birthday Your Ham.”

Much to the eternal exasperation of his sister, Rick still couldn't shake off the sour gloom that clung to him ever since she had dragged him over here.

With Ben. Christ.

“You,” CeeCee roughly stabbed a finger at him, completely uncaring it lost the last of his beer to the floor, narrowly missing the seat of his pants. “are seriously harshing my groove. Can’t you at least pretend you don’t mind being here? Seriously, Rick.”

“I told you I have work to do,” Rick replied irritably, pulling out his wand. “You didn’t have to bring me. Seriously.” On the last word, his voice pitched high, mocking. He aimed at the spill. “Scourgify,” he muttered, and as it dissipated he shot the man standing dutifully beside her a pointed look. “Some of us live by deadlines, you know.”

Ben, the smug prat, only smirked back at him. CeeCee, though, glared at him warningly. Oh right—they were in public. Whoops. “Rick-”

He sighed. Curling a hand around her wrist, Rick tugged her close. “Just go,” he said, pecking her on the forehead. Most days her nagging was unwelcome, but every once in a while he could bring himself to appreciate it. “Tomorrow’s the last day of Benedick’s-” He cracked a grin at her squawk of indignation. “-vacation. Go, idiot.”

“Fine,” CeeCee relented, pouting—and socked him in the shoulder. Hard. “But next time, though!” And then she flounced away – probably for whomever was celebrating his birthday tonight – Ben dutifully trailing after her.

Dutifully. Watching them go, Rick shook his head, grinning. If that was what married (-or, in his sister’s case, practically married) life was like, then yeah, no. That wasn’t for him.

Just as he was about to order a refill, he turned at the light touch on his arm… and smiled, offering Elixa a faint grin that showed only a hint of teeth—and mischief. “If you’re offering,” Rick replied, turning slightly in his seat in invitation, “then I should return the favor.”

His gaze flickered toward the knot of people surrounding Johann, and the grin took on an amused curl. “You part of that mess?” he asked, pointing them out with a nod.

"See if I stick around for the next round," The apothecary smiled, mirroring his mischievous expression. The accent and the voice were just the icing on the cake here, definitely potential.

"Yes, I am, you not?" She asked, following his nod to observe the assortment of characters milling around in the space behind them. "Its his birthday, decided he'd celebrate it with the weird and wonderful of the British wizarding world." Her statement and her accent differentiating her from that classification. "Sums up most of the regulars here."

She scooted closer, maintaining eye contact and letting her arm brush his momentarily before she settled her weight on the foot furthest from him to regard him at a better distance.
"Must have missed you from the guest list, neglectful." Her hand extended in formal greeting, "Elixa,"

"Hannah!" Johann greeted and flung his arms around his friend, already at a point of happy alcohol consumption and high spirits to forget this was the incorrect way to greet Hannah Bombay. However, to the rest of the room, there was still their questionable, not quite answered engagement, and that action had just confirmed that at least one of them felt obliged to engage in physical contact.

He remembered himself when he caught sight of the surprised expressions of nearby people and flung his arms from her, blushing.
"Don't kill me, I've had a drink, perhaps two, possibly…" He explained, leaving one arm around her shoulders and leaning close to tell her. "S'okay you don't have to talk to Colin, all these people turned up who I know, and there's food, and drink, and Elixa's flirting with a guy, and Ignan's chatting up an auror, there's a guy with a big bird on his head. Its great, and now you're here! Even better." He grinned broadly.

"Come meet them all!" He beckoned nearby people so he could introduce them to the most intelligent healer witch they'd ever have the chance to meet.

"Johann." Ignan gestured in the direction of his younger relative. "Its his birthday. You're not familiar then?" The older wizard asked, a little rhetorically, it was clear enough from the woman's confusion.

"I regret he's taken over a corner of the pub, or has attracted it, not sure which. I'm not normally down this way during term time." He raised the pint to his lips, figuring it would last longer due to volume, and therefore prevent him being bought another until he could see an escape chance.

"Forgive me, have we met before?"

"No, I'm not familiar. I've only been here since March '09, I don't think I know everyone yet." Odd question to ask someone he'd...just met? Uh. Maybe. She looked over back to where the man named Johann was sitting. "How do you know him? Though by how he's practically yanking anyone nearby over to where he is, I don't doubt you'd already got your fair share."

"Forgive me, have we met before?"

She took a step back unconsciously and looked at him properly this time. His aged face, the white hair...he was familiar. Very. Her memory finally threw up a card from its internal filing, and it clicked.

"You're the professor who brought that group of children into Level Two on the twenty-first, aren't you?" she said. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I was the magpie. Literally."

His smile deepening, Rick took her hand and gave it a firm shake. “Rick,” he returned, playfully tipping an invisible hat before letting go. Taking in the directness of her stare and the impish lift to her lips – as well as notes of his own – he put the name to the face and let it stay, his interest securely piqued. “I run a shop over at South.”

One met all sorts at a bar – the Leaky Cauldron especially – but the way Elixa said that bit, pinged. If she was a regular herself, Rick was sorry he hadn’t met her before. “I know it’s a birthday, but I don’t know whose,” he admitted with a faint scowl, relaxing against the bar. As he looked on at the crowd again, the wizard looked equal parts sheepish and annoyed about it. “I was just gonna grab a drink, until family caught wind of this,” and he shrugged the shrug of the resigned. “It’s hard to say no to them.”

He wasn’t torn up over it, though—this wasn’t the first time he’d been dragged along, and he doubted it’d be the last. Expression clearing, irritation gave way to curiosity. “ ‘Most,’ huh?” Rick murmured, idly scratched at his chin. When Elixa got that second onceover, it was just as interested as the first, but for slightly different reasons. (Which wasn’t to say he didn’t take advantage of that time too, of course, because he totally did.) He hadn’t shied away from her touch. “Not a local yourself?” he teased, more than aware of his own roots.

"Yes, yes I was." Ignan replied and managed the hint of a polite smile.
"Good to meet you properly, Ignan Storm." He extended his free hand to shake in introduction.

"We're cousins, though he's about half my age. Apart from the surname and the accents, there's not much similarity." His gaze had turned to the crowd and then glanced back.
"Thankfully."

He raised his drink to her.
"You don't know him then? I'd assumed half the Ministry were here as it was."

Ignan cleared his throat, feeling a little self conscious for striking up conversation.
"Its been many decades since I served. Did you train here?"

"Not until recently." Elixa explained, settling back down properly on two feet in a close proximity to Rick, smiling and retaining her gaze. My, he was a pretty picture.

"I came to visit a year or so ago on business, decided I liked it, and my father's from here, though I was brought up in Sweden, if you couldn't tell from the accent." She raised and eyebrow and smiled.

"Though your accent isn't from here either, which makes us both foreigners in Britain. What attracted a handsome wizard like yourself here?"

She'd forgotten his earlier questions about whose birthday it was, it didn't matter. It was the vehicle for talking to chiseled, fit looking American wizards who owned shops and came to drink with friends but were now alone.

The compliment drew a full grin, one that dimpled a stubbled cheek. If he'd had a tail, it would have stirred into a slow - interested - wag. “Work,” the answer– not a lie, though it wasn’t exactly true, either –came easily, accompanied by a shrug of those broad shoulders. Without even a lick of shame, Rick tracked the lift of those smiling lips—for that Swedish accent, you know. “I got an offer to expand,” he said, nodding in thanks when a beer was slid his way. “A new place, more customers…”

He laughed, the sound quiet and a little self-deprecating. “Got a little homesick, actually,” he admitted, before shrugging it off, “but there’s so many of us abroad, it didn’t last long.” It was pretty much impossible, with how often there were visits. Usually it was one of his sisters, but it was often a cousin or an uncle, too– even a great-aunt, if he was unlucky (because as much as he was a sucker for cake, no amount of it could make the nagging it cost him okay). Point was, as soon as things had calmed down at home and people began dropping by, Rick had found himself more relieved after they’d gone than not.

Hermits, Rick was pretty sure, were onto something good.

But… “The people here aren’t too bad, either,” he added, with a curve to his grin that made it just this shy of wolfish—though knowing him, it probably already was. Nor was there anything shy about the way he slid out of his seat – the movement soundless but for the rustling of tight denim – and stepped right into Elixa’s space, one brow cocked like a dare.