As soon as the muggle got up to join the smoker's club, Raine looked at the other faces at the able and focused her attention on Sasha in particular. She had to wait until the three boys were out of earshot in the crowd of the restaurant before she leaned forward to catch Sasha's eye.

"Just so we're all clear, he's a muggle, right?" Raine raised her eyebrows pointedly. "What's the plan? Are we having a muggle day out?" she made a dismissive gesture at the bar and general area.

Growing up in a muggle area had been interesting, no doubt about it, but she wasn't sure how she felt about having to keep the charade up while most of them were drunk. Her own beer was only half full, worried as she was about the possibility of accidentally breaking the statute.

Raine put down her glass and leaned back on to her seat, one hand unconsciously resting on Xavier's thigh. "Does Figaro know?" she looked over her shoulder just in time to see him returning to their table. "He's just the sort to let the cat out of the bag."

His mouth broadened into a sweet smile as Anton opened the door that led on to the restaurant deck - a little sun peeked through the clouds, and the canal water gleamed in this rare winter light. Virgil resisted the urge to tell him exactly where Sasha had been hiding them all these years. In all fairness, Scotland was a good hiding place.

Nick joined them outside. None of the seats here were utilised, save for a couple of familiar waiters who were having their own cigarette break at the far side of the deck.

He drifted towards the other end and unclasped the brass case with a flick of his wrist. "Just some specialty tobacco," Virgil offered one of the wizarding cigarettes to Nick and another to Anton. "Tastes a bit like burnt honey and lavender," he added to the latter to explain its odd flavour.

The waiters finished their respite and began to head in. "Hey," he stepped towards one of them, the taller one with the red beard, holding up his own cigarette with a rueful blush. "Got a light?"

Couldn't even start a flame without his wand! Merlin help them if they all wake up squibs one morning. Virgil leaned in; the waiter produced a plastic lighter and a live flame, which they both delicately cupped on either side to protect from the breeze. He winked at the man as their eyes met over the fire before turning back to his friends.

Nick, he sent his voice into his flatmate's head, don't panic, I just need to test something.

"Here," he gestured for Anton to touch the tips of their cigarettes. The waiter's footsteps receded behind him, disappearing into the crowd inside. Virgil glanced up to meet the muggle in the eye, his smile carrying something playful in it. "So. Do you believe in things like magic, Anton?"

When Figaro returned, the table was missing a few people including Sasha's friend Anton.

"Do I -" cough-hack (he sipped again at the punishing concoction), "oh god why? Do I know what? I was gone for what, three seconds."

Gone for three seconds and Raine was talking shite. Figaro might have preferred they ignore each other for the next decade until they each cooled off, but nope. She just had to keep stirring the pot. But whatever. Figaro could be the bigger person. Besides, he hadn't done anything nasty to her in weeks.

"Are we talking about Anton, because no offense, he's a bit odd, in't he? Love him, totally, so happy to meet someone who knows embarrassing things about Sasha and is about double as horny as Bevans and nearly half as fashion as Virgil which I must respect. But."

Alright, maybe he answered his own question. He shook his head and waved his hand, cleared his throat and finished the last of the drink.

Xavier smirked at Fig, one hand on his own drink. As Raine made herself comfortable at his side, he let himself relax, putting his own arm around the back of her chair (not quite on her shoulders but close enough to feel some heat)

He was tempted to leave Figaro hanging but he didn't think the amusement they'd all get out of it would surpass the trouble they'd get into. They were all adults now and needed to be more careful about their shenanigans.

"Our dear friend Anton, is o' thee muggle vari'ty."

He glanced towards the door as well, trying to gauge how long was an acceptable time to take for a smoke break. He screwed up his mouth in thought, took a deep draw from his drink before plowing forward with something that was obviously bugging him, "So, ah know ah'm no' thee portrait o' broth'rly love 'ere but should I be worried 'bout Bevans. Ah'm not gonna watch 'im cheat on Peyt'n am I?"

Figaro's eyebrows shot up. A muggle. Then he sighed, sat back, and slid away his drink.

"Great. Now I can't drink at this thing."

There was zero chance he wouldn't absolutely demolish the Statute of Secrecy once he got smashed. He had nothing against muggles, and he'd meant what he said that Anton was a good guy. Figaro would just be stone cold sober for it. Maybe someone else would let the niffler out of the bag and he could return to his marking another year on the planet.

"Don't worry about Nick, Xav. He's fine. He's a flirt not an asshole."

"Specialty tobacco?"  Anton reached out to pluck one of the rolled papers out of the case before settling back in a chair. 

If one were to chart the intensity of Anton's enthusiasm for this specialty tobacco, it might have somewhat resembled what a heartbeat looked like on paper.  First, a moderate spike when his curiosity was piqued followed by a much spike when his curiosity turned to hope that the specialty tobacco was something other than tobacco.  Then, distinct sense of disappointment when he discovered it really was just fancy tobacco followed by subtle contentment. 

A fancy smoke was a fancy smoke, even if it wasn't legally dubious. 

"Do you have a habit of burning honey?" Anton asked, lifting himself slightly to touch the end of his smoke to Virgil's lit one, giving it a few puffs to catch a light.  "Sounds exciting," he added.  With a content sigh, he settled back into the chair, draping an arm comfortably over the back of his chair. 

Surprise, followed quickly by suspicion and then curiosity flickered across Anton's features at the other blonde's question.  Not long ago, he would have laughed off such a question as frivolity but his step-mother's recent revelation had complicated such topics.  Something he'd once dismissed as the fictional embellishments of nerds and Peter Jackson now, apparently, had a real place in the world.  He knew this; his step-mother had explained it and the very secret nature of it all.  Now he was left very well aware that he had no ability to separate reality from nerdom. 

But, he had picked up on the fact that the real, bonafide magic his step-mum talked about was rare, far between and so carefully hidden that he'd likely never actually run across it.  Besides, these two ... this whole crew looked like nerds.  And, they were friends of Sasha - so, this was very likely a case of Hickam and Occam meeting and agreeing on all accounts. 

So, instead of worrying too much about the question, he grinned broadly and hummed a few bars of that old Lovin' Spoonful's song as he wrapped his lips around the cigarette and took a slow drag. 

"Is that your way of saying your going to make all my secret fantasies come true?" he asked, after slowly exhaling the smoke.  "If that's the case, I'll believe in anything." 

"Do you have a habit of burning honey?"

Nicholas grinned, "I don't think he means to, it just happens."  He took the cigarette from Virgil recognizing the description of the distinctly non-muggle brand of tobacco.  Specialty was definitely a safe way to describe it, as long as Anton didn't decide he liked them.  He reached for his wand right as Virgil asked one of the waiters for a light.

When was the last time he'd even carried a lighter?  Years, surely.  Maybe during the summers home before he could use magic whenever, or nearly whenever, he wanted.

Nicholas opened his mouth to comment about the spark Virgil and the waiter shared when Virgil's voice rang out in his head. Not Cool. He thought loudly and probably futilely.

"So. Do you believe in things like magic, Anton?"

Nicholas glared at Virgil as hard as he'd ever glared before, echoing his previous thought as loudly as he could.  He turned from Virgil and watched Anton.  It seemed like he was giving way more thought to the question that Nicholas would have in his shoes.  Something he realized Virgil would be intimately aware of.  Was it crossing any more of a line to listen in to the thoughts of a defenseless muggle as it was to erase the memories of a muggle?  He understood the rules and need of the latter but the reasons didn't seem all that different for listening in.

Not something he'd considered earlier that month when he'd lost his cool with Virgil.

"Is that your way of saying your going to make all my secret fantasies come true? If that's the case, I'll believe in anything."

Nicholas barked out a laugh.  "I knew I liked you."  He held up his cigarette and leaned toward Anton, "I really don't understand how you are friends with Sasha, but feel free to tag along."  Then again, he might just invite Anton to a night of muggle bars and Sasha would be the one tagging along.

            "Do you have a habit of burning honey?"
 "I don't think he means to, it just happens."

Virgil laughed, smoke escaping him briefly while he leaned against the railing that overlooked the canal. Anton was sat down and comfortable - unguarded in manner, which always made it easier to glean thoughts. And, Merlin, what thoughts they were! Step-mother. So, step-sibling with a foot in the wizarding world? That was within the statute, wasn't it? Perhaps he shouldn't say anything to the others just yet.

He mulled this over in the same way he held in each breath for a bit, to taste the cigarette. Bitter and floral and an aftertaste of sweetness.

Somehow, Anton managed to pivot his answer into a flirtatious jab. Virgil was surprised to feel a flutter at the base of his chest and he looked away towards the water to hide a  blush while Nick chatted.

"Sasha attracts all manner of creatures, don't you know?" he commented when he turned back to the pair, taking another puff. "Secret fantasies are my speciality..." Virgil added with a thoughtful smile in Anton's direction. Why not? He was cute and fun and he looked like he would feel good pressed against his back. And he had nice lips.

Virgil tapped his cigarette and scattered some ash. "If you're not seeing double by the end of tonight, you should let me show you," he crossed one arm across his chest and gestured effeminately. "We can smoke something stronger. But we'd better get back to the table before someone comes hunting."

Slightly surprised and confused, and a little worried, Sasha's gaze tracked Anton as he joined Virgil and Nick out on the back patio for a smoke.  So far, this was all seeming to go exactly how he'd anticipated when he'd finally relented and let Anton invite himself. 

Apart from the rather obvious flirting between him and the other two.  That he had not anticipated. 

With a sigh, he turned back towards the table and took a sip off the top of the beer, grimacing slightly at the aftertaste of vodka as Raine caught his eye. 

"Yes.  He's a muggle," he said, leaning against the table, unnecessarily since Xavier had already beaten him to it.  "There isn't ... there wasn't a plan.  He heard about the party through social media and invited himself.  I tried to discourage him but ... he was persistent.  The worlds don't always separate as cleanly as we like to convince ourselves they do.  And- he's not double -" Sasha started to rebuke Figaro's list of descriptors.  "Whatever." 

"It's not a big deal - I've kept him in the dark for 8 years.  Blake knows he's here ... coming ... I think.  I'll text her if things start getting dicey." 

He supposed, at least for him, having a personal statue monitor was similar to having a personal attorney. 

With a blink, Sasha looked towards Xavier and shook his head.  "He's not going to do anything with Nick.  He's not even -"  Granted, that wasn't anything they'd really ever talked about. 

"You could always disapparate while he's in the loo or something.  It'd be easier to try and explain that you ditched him rather than he wasn't invited in the first place." 

Having confirmation on Anton being a muggle was good, though Moira had suspected after being asked about a school called 'Appenzell' and some other comments he had made since his arrival.

Moira glanced to Sasha at his suggestion on disapparating. Of all the people attending the crawl, Sasha and Fig were the only ones she'd consider as friends. "The only reason that's tempting is to avoid getting back in that... car. I'd rather not be rude to you or your friend, though."

Her first car ride had not been a pleasant experience. Shortly after starting she had focused all her will power on not vomiting. The movement, or lack of, was unnatural and did strange things to her stomach. Moira was also not fond of how crowded it was with all of them inside. If they were sticking to muggle pubs in the general area maybe they, or at least she, could just walk there instead.

She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing when Fig declared he couldn't drink. It was his birthday so she didn't want to outright cackle at misfortune. Anyway, she was distracted by how concerned Xavier was about Peyton and Nick - it was sweet that he cared, and nobody could blame him with the way Nick carried on like a Niffler in heat.

           "He's a flirt not an asshole." Figaro reassured.
"He's a flirt and an arsehole," Raine amended with a smile at Xav, touching his arm, "but he probably wouldn't do Peyton dirty."

Truthfully, she didn't think Nick was that stupid. He would be despised and hexed by everyone who mattered if he cheated on Peyton. Raine drank a bit more of her taster beer while Sasha tried to brainstorm them out of this situation. Maybe it would be nice if Fauna did come to help.

"Nevermind the car," she glanced at Moira and wrinkled her nose, "we're in London. It's a pub crawl, not a pub cruise. We'll take the tube like normal people." Who in Merlin's name drove in the city anyway? It took twice as long to get anywhere and everyone had to squeeze into a car.

Raine would take apparation any day of course, because she was an Almasy, but her mother was a muggleborn. They could manage. She shifted her gaze to Sasha and then Figaro. "Just keep away from the muggle. If we slip up, we'll say it's the drink. Or we could get him rather drunk and he won't remember a thing anyway."

"I knew I liked you.  I really don't understand how you are friends with Sasha, but feel free to tag along."

A broad, toothy grin stretched Anton's mouth and he nodded, the satisfaction he felt at the statement a little more obvious to the outsider than the intermingled slight touch of relief.  Sasha's collection of cohorts certainly hadn't been unfriendly but the feeling he'd was the intruding outsider had been just a tad bit more prominent and persistent than Anton was accustomed.  The confused side-glances and whispers among familiars were subtle, but present. 

It was justified; Anton was well aware he was precisely that, especially given how many times Sasha had insisted on reminding him of it.  So, in the end, Anton was grateful for any verification that his presence was welcome. 

"Oh come, now.  Everyone has a carefree and wild side - even Rudi.  I'm willing to put a wager on that fact."  Anton winked at Nicholas before shifting his attention back to Virgil, plenty willing to not have to worry too much about that whole real magic  business.  "A hidden rebel streak runs in that family, underneath all the pomp.  Did you ever meet his sister?  She was hot."  What were best friends for, if not for having entirely crush-able older sisters?  He took a puff off the cigarette and lingered with his lips around the paper for a moment before exhaling, shaking his head. 

The information his step-mother had divulged had been as curt and vague as she had been able to get away with but, even so, it had been enough to paint a picture of a rather stratified, harsh and critical society.  One where parents discarded children who didn't measure up without a second thought.  It had been a description that left no one in the Schäfer household in a rush to seek out that other society and even less eager to send poor Micha off into that world.   

In every way possible, jokes about his straighter-edged friend and scoring an apparent direct hit with the flirting was far more enjoyable than contemplating that whole mess. 

"Secret fantasies are my speciality...If you're not seeing double by the end of tonight, you should let me show you.  We can smoke something stronger. But we'd better get back to the table before someone comes hunting."

With a nod, Anton's grin stretched a little broader as he stubbed out the cigarette in the ash tray.  "I can get behind that.  We should go back in; I have a drink to casually nurse," he offered as he pushed himself to his feet and reached out to tug open and hold the door for the other two.   

Sasha attempted to be accommodating with a half-hearted suggestion they all ditch Anton if the muggliness made them squickly. Figaro agreed with Moira that no such thing would happen.

"No ways. Not missing seeing this play out for anything."

Raine was right. They can't have been the first crowd of bright young things to have a Special Visitor among them, can't have been the first to blow the lid off the whole cauldron. Besides, amongst them they had the entire Muggles Have Spotted Us Reversal Task Squad present. Sasha direct from Muggle Affairs, Raine with a license to curse, and Bevans was a literal Obliviator. Well covered. What could go wrong?

It was feeling to Figaro about time to change venues, so he stood from his seat at about the time Anton, Virgil, and Nicholas were heading back in. Upon seeing them, Figaro laughed loudly.

"Ah ha! Computers! Parliament! In-bloody-dispensible! I'll drink to that."

And he did, forgetting his 1-minute-old vow to stay sober for the sake of the Wizarding World's survival.

Interestingly enough, despite all of their incredulity and expressions of distress, none of his magical cohorts seemed keen on leaving Sasha to explain to Anton why everyone had ditched them.  Not that he was going to complain; he wouldn't take the gesture personally, though he appreciated Moira's concern, but he knew Anton would.  And Sasha still wouldn't have a reasonable explanation to offer his friend. 

So, he figured he could live with leaving the car where it was and taking the tube - though he did not share in the optimism that that would alleviate Moira of her queasiness.  Smaller crowds would just be traded for higher speeds, faster stops and strobing fluorescent lights. 

And drunk vagabonds. 

Either way.  It sounded like the crew was getting restless and it was time to head off to the next drinking venue. 

"Ah, yes.  Just like that, Fig.  You sound like a natural ... though maybe don't describe Parliament as  ... nevermind.  Just, avoid politics.  It's as touchy a subject in the muggle world as in ours," he offered as advice when the swinging backdoor heralded the other three's return.  He cast an uncertain and questioning glance from Anton to the other two before shaking his head and pushing himself to his feet. 

"There's some interest in moving on to the next stop.  Tube, though - so we're not crammed like matryoshka dolls.  And, I don't get pulled over for ... you know ... seatbelts."  He offered, catching the three up after whatever they'd been up to.  Sasha cast another suspicious glance towards Nicholas and then Virgil before looking to Anton.  "You're probably the best equipped to offer suggestions." 

Anton shrugged and grinned.  "You know most of them, too.  But, how about Burlock for some Cuba libres or ...," Anton pursed his lips in thought.  "NOLA should have live music tonight.[/i]  Whose birthday is it, actually.  They should decide."