A trill of uneasy laughter fell from Pandora's lips after she visibly jumped at the soft voice near her ear. The witch's cheeks brightened as she took a look at the gentleman standing beside her - not only was he not a vampire, he was quite handsome - Dora had to admit. The Head of the Being Division stood out among others and the owner of Puddifoot's - well known for romance - had heard quite a few people all atwitter about his appearance. She closed her grinning maw and returned her attention to the rest of the room, her smile turning awkward once again.

Gamp was only in her establishment because there were also several vampires there. That was important to remember. Dora had been assured everything would be completely safe - for her and her business, but Dora still worried. This was a huge jump in closing the gap in equality - hopefully the repercussions weren't just as large.

"Does it?" She asked honestly, really taking in the vibes of the room. Sure, most of the crowd looked like they were having fun, but not all. There were others around the cafe that looked just as awkward in their situation as Dora herself did. "Well, that's the goal anyway," She continued, turning to offer her hand to Cepheus and replying to his original statement, "and it was my pleasure, my business and I are at your service, as always,"

"It is not a usual case." Sandy said. That was awkward. "Allergies. People allergic to onions too. I work in spell damage. So I do not see much about garlic." He shrugged. "Mr Vaillancourt thank you for your invitation tonight." He spoke politely. The magazine got a invitation. "I put on my other hat." Sandy pretended to switch hats. He did not wear one indoors. "Our readers have lots of questions. The vampire community has made quite the stir. You were invisible. Hogwarts students wrote essays on you. B-But now you hold tea parties." Sandy toasted his cup of tea. "Why now?"

“I listen to you when I come back from the pub.”

This single sentence clarified much of the calls or owls Cass received during the hours she was on air in the wee hours of the morning. Inebriation, insomnia, deadlines, small children teething, shift work - they all brought their own breed of unhinged fans.

“You have good taste in music!”
“Aw, thank you.” Cass replied sincerely, touched at this. She played a diverse set of records in the middle of the night, including the odd new record sent to her by aspiring musicians - which were not quite finished or polished at times.

“… I am being such a fan girl. I am sorry.”
“Don’t be, don’t be sorry I mean,” Cass clarified, smiling more openly now, and inclining forward to admire Josie’s rosy red cheeks. Like shiny apples in autumn, so full of blood…

“… full disclosure, I am writing about tonight. Can I ask you questions?”

Cass snapped back to the present and tried not to make it obvious she had been considering how rosy Josie’s complexion was. The girl had continued to talk and Cass wasn’t sure it had really gone in. Something about journalism, Pandora…

“Questions?” Cass asked with a suggestive tone, “What sort of questions, Josie?” The vampire flexed an eyebrow, and gestured for her to go on.

“Well, that’s the goal anyway,” Dora seemed to agree that at least some of the attendees seemed to be getting comfortable. He returned a little nod in acknowledgement that his statement had been optimistic.
“Yes...”

“… my business and I are at your service, as always.” Cepheus looked up, his expression changing to something softer.
“Oh, that is very generous of you, though I will see you are reimbursed for expenses of course, and your time.” Good people who supported equality did not need to be taken advantage of for the purposes of pushing a more equalitarian society. “Thank you, once again. I shall have to see about something a little more regular here, encourage us up from London. After all, it is only a spell away, for the most of us.” Given apparition, wizards were still the laziest of all humans. A turn on the spot and they could be anywhere in the country, but certainly the London office tended to frequent nearby places to visit for lunch, particularly Diagon.

“Your service to minorities has not gone unnoticed, Dora.” Cepheus added, keeping his voice low so as not to embarrass her with the unexpected praise. “How are your other endeavours going? Is there anything I can do in London to oil the gears - in return for your accommodation?” Cepheus was well aware he might look like a weedy pushover, but it just meant his tactics were not quite as brusque as louder, broader wizards in his Department.

             "Our readers have lots of questions. The vampire community has made quite the stir. You were invisible. Hogwarts students wrote essays on you. B-But now you hold tea parties. Why now?"

Tristan mirrored Sandy's toast with his own tea cup, although he did not drink - he instead quelled his general loathing for members of the media. The vampire did not personally enjoy reading about his kind in the papers but he was making an effort as part of his new position, as part of realising that he could not remain hidden behind the covers of academic journals for the rest of near-eternity.

"There are many misconceptions about us, Mister Misslethorpe." Tristan played with the handle of his tea cup and affected a thoughtful expression, "They have come to head, especially in light of the murders in March. We have no desire for the wizarding community to fear us, and fear is often a result of ignorance."

He briefly glanced at Nadine Pinn but did not let the look linger, gaze shifting cordially to the others at their table. "Therefore... tea parties. A step towards camaraderie and mutual dependency." Tristan smiled and finally took a sip of blood. "It is better to be friends, don't you agree?" he asked the Healer, licking the red off his lips.

"Friends." Sandy said. "I think it m-maybe d-depends on your definition of friends." There were lots of friends in the press. Friends who wanted things from you but never paid back. Friends who wanted free things or cheap things who were not really friends. Friends who did not know you but claimed to. Friends who would stab you in the back. Friends who expected you never to let a reporter publish a word about you. Friends who believed in censorship. Friends who wanted you to write nice things about them even if they were not true. "Are we popping round f-for tea friends? Or p-promising not to break laws and bite friends?" Sandy asked. 

"What do you think about tonight?" Josie asked. She got to the point. "Do you think tonight is going to make a difference? Do you think Puddifoots will have support? Do you think they risk attacks like Malkins? Do you think this is enough?"

To his credit, Healer Misslethorpe answered her question about garlic, but posed questions of his own. Nadine thought for a moment they might be rather mundane, but then remembered Misslethorpe did own a magazine, and he quite literally changed his hat at the table.

“… you were invisible… b-but now you hold tea parties… why now?”
“… misconceptions about us… fear is often a result of ignorance.”

He was looking at her, suggesting she was ignorant. Nadine didn’t fear the toothy git across the table, she just had to deal with the consequences of their lack of control.

“It is better to be friends, don’t you agree?”
“Hrmf.” Nadine made an incomprehensible noise which perhaps suggested disdain for that suggestion.
“… m-maybe d-depends on your definition of friends.” Misslethorpe continued his line of inquiry as the auror pretended to be more interested in observing her former brother in law converse with the Puddifoots proprietor. One definitely seemed more at ease with the situation than she. ”Are we popping round f-for tea friends? Or p-promising not to break laws and bite friends?”

The response about biting brought Nadine back to the conversation with a bright-eyed interest. There was a new edge to the healer she hadn’t anticipated fully, and now wanted to appreciate. He was putting Tristan on the spot, but in the most polite and English way.
“I’m sure Tristan would prefer we took tea and a bite to eat.” Nadine replied lowly, recrossing her legs. She lifted a hand to her mouth as if she had misspoken, and added, “pardon the pun.”

Well, Josie didn’t pussyfoot around long, did she? Cass put her pale hand to her equally pale chin and gave it some consideration.
“I think tonight is progress, in a little step,” the radio presenter suggested. “I think before now social gatherings of witches, wizards and vampires were probably just done on an individual social level, or through designated spaces where the two can mix at night. This is supported visibly by the Ministry - endorsed.” Cass gestured with her other hand to a few visibly Ministry-types. “I think it will be a talking point, it may ease worries amongst those who feel a little uncomfortable tonight, and it will get people discussing. If nothing else but to say the Ministry shouldn’t invest in tea-parties!” She grinned, and flashed Josie a view of her long teeth.

“But I do hope this is nothing untoward for Malkins. Even if need to rally Pandora a vampire patrol to chase away those with less than half a brain who target her. We need more Pandoras!” Cass nodded. “And what about you, are you only here chasing a story, Josie? Would you have met a vampire by choice?”

            "Are we popping round f-for tea friends? Or p-promising not to break laws and bite friends?" queried Sandy.
"I’m sure Tristan would prefer we took tea and a bite to eat....pardon the pun.” Nadine answered on the vampire's behalf.

Tristan laughed, pushing his cup away and leaning forward to rest his crossed arms on the table. Those were interesting categories of friends indeed - he wondered what kind of other friends their Healer-Journalist kept, and if he was as eager to question them on Being relations.

"Friends that respect the boundaries of consent," he said softly with only the slight drop of his gaze to the wizard's neck, "And who won't make generalisation about one another. But of course, that would only make us allies. Auror Pinn is correct."

He lifted an arm, resting his chin in his hand and smiling with all his wonderfully sharpened teeth. "Tea and a bite to eat. It is the niceties and generosities that will make us friends, non?"

"Not only." Josie said. "But I am always chasing a story." It was how she made her money. "I would not know where to find one." She was red faced. "I would not know if I could trust a vampire I did not know. I think a lot of people like me think that. But I grew up in Whitby." She shrugged her shoulders.

“I am always chasing a story.”
“Aren’t we all?” Cass remarked, grinning. She liked a good story too, but she just had to chat about it on the radio.

“… I would not know if I could trust a vampire I did not know…” Cass weighed up the opinion and nodded thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I guess we’re not like hippogriffs - you can’t just bow to us. Or maybe you could treat us like anyone else in your life. We were human, still are.” She rubbed the point of her pale chin as she considered how best to advise Josie. “We have covens, like, but not places to go alone. Some are friendly enough, but often on their guard. We do tend to keep to ourselves. But hey, you know at least one vampire now, me! And my housemate Tristan. He’s over there,” Cass waved, “heeeey Tristan!” she called but too softly to intrude, just illustrating her little wave. “He’s the best, teaching me the ropes and such. The turning into a bat thing is kind of harder than I expected.”

Josie turned around. She saw maybe the most beautiful vampire she had ever seen. It was not the point that she had not met any vampires before. He was beautiful. Josie could not be sure but he could have sparkled. Josie had to remember not to stare.
"You can turn into a bat?" Josie asked. It was a long time since Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. "Is that like vampire animagus?"

"Oui peut-être." Sandy said. "I am honured to be invited today." He gestured about them. He smiled at Nadine. "I like to believe it is because I am Deputy-Head Healer." Sandy said. Josie would write something for the magazine. His best writer Koko was busy today. Being Andy's deputy opened new doors. It also meant more work. But Sandy was not afraid of hard work.

"Mr Vaillancourt what do you think of the service the hospital provides to vampires?"

“You can turn into a bat? Is that like vampire animagus?”

“Kiiiiiiiinda, I guess.” Cass replied, “we can, but I’ve not really figured it out yet.” She shrugged, “I still catch myself trying to check my face in the mirror.” Cass laughed at how easily she could forget she was no longer in the living. “Tristan can do it, though. I’m still learning.” She reached for her blood-infused tea. “I’m a young vampire, by vampire terms, I was only turned five years ago.”