24th November, 2011
Thursday 9pm, Spellpunk

Nemo (called Sparrow sometimes), Virgil Carstairs (London’s Sleepy Son), and Abby Reid (Unicorn Friend) were crammed into the tiny iron gate elevator that clattered and clanged in all directions to take them down below Diagon Alley into a club. Abby assured Nemo it was tré enchanting and always exciting. All of Nemo’s clubbing experiences in the U.S. had involved inappropriate touching, but she trusted her friends that this place wasn’t skeevy. Anything to distract her from unwanted homesickness. It was Thanskgiving in the U.S. and it was hard not to let it weedle into her chest.

Despite the cold, Nemo wore a flowing hooded sleeveless vest wrap thing with the hood up, layered over a dark brown t-shirt that read “America Needs Lesbian Farmers”. She kept her shaggy blond hair loose.

“Descending into a pool of sound...,” she said with a smile to her companions as they lowered and the thumping music grew louder and louder. The light from the flickering bulbs in the shaft was replaced with soft neons.

As the lift descended, Abby hooked arms with her two friends. She'd given them both hugs in the line outside already, though she'd taken a moment to tease Virgil first, hugging him around his shoulders and asking if he was all healed up from the piercing adventure she'd heard about from Nemo[1]. She resolved to have fun tonight. Her life was still madness, but if she hid in her flat or at work any longer, she'd just make it worse.

"Dun dun dun," she said with the beat, stepping off the lift and into the crowded club. The stars were sparkling in the enchanted ceiling, sparkly drinks were being served at the bar, and as she took one more glance around, she noticed the photo booths lined up at the end of the dance floor. About a dozen of them, each with a red curtain entrance, each with a different constellation glowing on the floor in front of the curtains.

"Oh look, it's photo booth night!" Abby gestured.

"I've heard about this. You go in and dress up as characters from history and take ridiculous pictures. I hope you brought your duck face," she made a duck face at Virgil, which quickly turned into a grin. Then she leaned in close to Nemo's newly pierced ear and proceeded to tell her all about how she and Virgil had once trolled Witch Weekly with duck photos until Lil Snigger herself had shown up on Level Two.[2]

"Drinks first?" Abby glanced at the bar, looking for something on the milder side.

1.	Dangerous to go alone
2.	Not-So-Private Eye

He was feeling good tonight - work always left him in a good mood but he couldn't tell if this was because he genuinely enjoyed it or because having a social life outside of level nine flooded him with relief at the end of every shift. Either way, he was dressed for a fun time and ready to forget their darker concerns. Abby deserved it and who better than Nemo to help take it to the next level?

            "Drinks first?"

The Spellpunk crowd was unconsciously pushing them in the direction of the bar anyway. "Yes, but I'm a three-drink wizard tonight!" Virgil exclaimed, his red and sleepy mouth pulling into a smile at the two witches who had been exchanging their respective stories about him until now.

Nipple piercings and duck photos. What a reputation he was beginning to acquire!

"Three of your most popular drinks!" he called out to the bartender once the three of them, arms linked, were pushed against the counter. His three-drink rule was largely out of an antiquated sense of chivalry.

Virgil preferred to keep an eye on the minds around him when going out, so that his friends wouldn't have to worry about awful wixes looking to take advantage. This was Abby and Nemo, not the experienced hands of level four. Spellpunk was fairly safe, however. It wasn't The Closet and nothing too sordid ever occurred beneath its ceiling of glittering stars and amplified music.

"I hope you brought your duck face," commanded Abby and Nemo complied. She pulled her hood tight down around her face and flexed the corners of her mouth. "Stand back!"

The bartop itself glowed and underlit their happy faces in blue and violet. All the glasses on the bar looked like they contained Truth itself. Virgil sang out their order, and Nemo had to lunge over the bar and make a minor change.

"One virgin!" She'd drank a bit in high school but it never made things better and always gave her a headache.

She turned again to face her friends and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Look lively, kids. Hands please. I've got tokens of affection," said Nemo. "I tripped in Pandora's Attic, wasn't my fault."

She held out for Abby a long-chained necklace with a large embroidered eye, all done in metallic thread staring out from burgundy velvet. Then for Virgil a large signet ring. It was scratched and tarnished but heavy. The seal was a stag with tiny stars in its horns.

"One virgin!"

"Where?" Abby glanced around with a teasing glint in her eye.

"Next round is on me, V," she nudged Virgil, noticing he seemed extra upbeat tonight. It must be because he was working with Sasha on Level Nine now, and anyone would find a smile on their face after listening to Sasha's nerdy-talk all day. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe it was just her who greatly looked forward to sending Sasha inappropriate memos, and then waiting as he crafted adorably awkward responses with traces of Removio!Ink and thoughtful sketches to counter her hasty, messy doodles.

She let out a giggle, holding onto that thought. It was a much nicer thought than other, more serious thoughts about Level Nine.

Presents! Nemo had brought presents.

"You considerate, charming clownfish!" She declared, ignoring the admission that Nemo had apparently tripped in one of Abby's favorite stores.

Abby looked at the necklace in her hands and smiled at it, touched. She tucked the necklace she was currently wearing underneath her sparkly sweater dress, and put on the new necklace, holding the eye symbol up to her eyes.

"Constant vigilance," she pulled a straight face. She drew her eyebrows together and tried to look tough. It turned into a duck face.

"Or," Abby shifted the eye to hover over her forehead. "Mysterious mysteries!"

Yeah, she was excited about the photo booths.

"I love it, Nemo. When is your birthday? Or your favorite holiday?"

Very important information. She felt guilty that she'd missed Virgil's birthday[1], and she planned on sending him and Nicholas dozens of presents this December. Ari, too. And Nemo. And everyone lovely. That was the plan.

1.	Party for Mixed Company

He slipped on the ring, careful not to drop it as they were jostled on either side of the bar.

"It's lovely. I think I shall enchant it," Virgil told Nemo with a wink and then smiled fondly as Abby displayed her own gift in various poses - mysterious mysteries was right. The all-seeing eye, to say nothing of the sewn up lips. "What a glamorous trio we are tonight."

He was comforted by the fact that one of them would be sober - a designated wix - but he still kept his mind sensitive to the thoughts around him, somehow feeling responsible for the two of them. Virgil considered correcting Abby, as she hadn't missed his birthday at all, but he decided to leave the misconception.

The twenty-ninth was going to be a quiet affair anyway, nothing like what Fig or Nick liked. Stardust would be closed for a family dinner and dramatic readings of his favourite monologues. With music, of course. If nothing else there is always music. Speaking of which...

"Drinks are here, one virgin for Nemo!" Virgil slid her glass over and glanced at the dance floor with a mischievous smile. "Are we dancing after this? I want to dance, I like this DJ."

Nemo was bolstered to the heavens when Abby and Virgil appreciated the little gifts. She lifted her fingers, bowed her head, and danced gently from foot to foot. Soon a drink was in her hand, tall and pink - an ombre, really, from aubergine to glittering white.

"Yes! V! Dancing! Drinks, photographs, dancing, we must," she said, affirming Virgil's joie de vivre.

"We've missed them both," she said, giving Abby a squeeze. "October fourth, and Halloween. But hem hem, a spot of trivia: today's Thanksgiving. Was. Would be."

Her smile faltered a tiny bit. She didn't like missing home. She wanted to be here and be done and gone and be new and be Nemo. Last year, her first winter in London, the holidays had been complicated, but she had hoped that now she'd do better. She swallowed the lump in her through and put that smile back on, lifting her drink high and taking a sip.

"Mmm! Are we ready for our close-ups, children?"
 

"Born ready!"

Nemo's birthday was October 5th. A Libra! No wonder she had such good taste. Abby would have to make sure that Nemo was invited to Sasha's Halloween party next year, since she'd already decided for Sasha that the party should happen again. Such a fun time! Abby clinked glasses with her, having noticed her smile falter a bit. Thanksgiving. What was Thanksgiving? Oh right, an American thing. Involving turkeys and pumpkin spice pie.

Ok, time to pick the best, most humorous, most Thanksgiving photo booth!

They maneuvered through the dance crowd and away from the bar until they reached the row of photo booths. Abby stepped over the tree constellation in front of the first booth, deciding to save it for a little later, when she could make jokes about forest animals and Virgil's new starry stag ring. Abby sipped at her drink and paused at the constellation that looked like a fat, round bird.

Well then! Abby drew back the red curtain and gestured her friends inside.

"Prepare for Turkey Day," she told Nemo.

"Lost Boys allowed," she told Virgil.

Abby stepped into the booth last, and let the curtain fall behind her. The photo booth was, of course, bigger on the inside. They stood at the edge of a small Quidditch Pitch. One half of the pitch was mirrored, reflecting their three smiling faces and the image of a crowd in the stands. Someone held up a placard that read:

Quidditch Match, 1269.

A witch wearing medieval robes pointed at the sky.

Abby looked up and smiled at the sight of knights flying on brooms. The knights dropped brooms and costumes that floated gently to the ground. Abby donned a long vest with a unicorn emblazoned on the front that somehow matched well with her sparkly sweater.

Somewhere in the crowd, a golden bird flew out of a cage, flitting towards the pitch.[1]

1.	Golden Snidget