9:00 a.m.
outfit

Bright and early, that's when Dame Dangerous liked to do her shopping. Well, to those who knew her personally, she was Gisella, but the wizarding media knew her as Dame Dangerous - the crazy, outspoken songstress who keeps tearing up the charts. Of course, she looked fashionably ridiculous, but it was her style and that's how she liked it. Today, though, she had decided to hit up the second-hand robes shoppe in Diagon Alley, because she knew she could grab a few items and make something marvelous out of it. Inside the shoppe, she greeted the owner and made her way to the more colorful location of the shoppe.

She figured not many people would be around and about at this time of the morning, so that was her best bet for not being seen. Though, she was famous, and her outfit was kind of a give-a-way of who she was. Actually, who was she kidding? She loved the attention. She craved it. But true to her nature, she was always up early, and always out the door faster than a chipmunk on an acorn. Maybe she'd see someone she knew. She was rather hoping to run into her old housemate, seeing as he was sort of famous himself. But she forgot, he never got up when she did.

He wasn't sure bright and early were the words he'd use to describe the current time frame.  Early wasn't really a word that commonly surfaced in his vocabulary and, in all truthfulness, it didn't really apply today.  Bright and late was more like it. 

He'd left Tilly's apartment a short while ago and had stopped by the Leaky Cauldron for a spot of breakfast before crawling back to the flat he let after the end of the last tour over the clothes store.  As far as he could currently remember in his groggy, sleep-deprived state, he had no obligations for the day.  If he was wrong, the Three Owl Standard's manager knew him well enough to know to wake him an hour before he was required to be anywhere. 

He recognized the young woman in the shop readily as he stepped through to the shop towards the back stairs and stopped, halfway through. 

Briefly, he considered his sleep-deprived and dark-circled-eyed appearance.  He was half-tempted to continue on through - he was hardly in a state to be catching up on old times. Though, how often was he really in a respectable state these days?  But, it had been a couple years since he'd last seen Gisella and, after a few steps, he reconsidered.  He moved towards Gisella.  "You're out early," he said.  "How you manage it, I have no clue."  Seeing as how he was just, now, on his way to bed.

Shuffling through some racks, she turned a corner and came face-to-face with a rather familiar face. His eyes were darker, with the appearance of having been out all night drinking and doing other miscellaneous  substances, and he looked unkempt, but for Gisella, the sight of Dennis Creevey was as gorgeous as ever. One reason she let him bunk with her was because she had such a crush on the fellow, and it still hadn't changed to this day. But now, she was face-to-face with him and was lost for words.

Catching her breath, she placed a hand on his chest, letting it rest there because the contact was something she needed. "Why hello, handsome." She smiled, a big toothy grin at him. "I could say he same for you, seeing as you are such a later night person yourself." She was thrilled to see him, happy he was here, and wanting him to come back with her. Her mission had changed now. At first she was here to find clothes for outfits, but now, now, she was determined to make Dennis Creevey come home with her, to be her's again.

Dennis offered Gisella an awkward grin as she approached him, reaching a hand up to pass his fingers through his hair.  The gesture would have been obvious to the blond; she'd always been taller than him - age had done little to change that.  In the end, it did little to tame the tousled mop on top of his head and when her hand settled on his chest, his own hand dropped to his side. 

Where Gisella's mind might have been clear as a bell - his own was a complete mass of confusion.  The previous night had, simply, not gone at all as he'd intended - or expected.  And, he still wasn't sure if he should be seeing it as a mistake.  This was exactly why he avoided anything serious in his life. 

"Hey," he offered in reply.  "Yeah, well, I'm a night owl through and through," he admitted, needlessly.  "I usually only see the morning from the front side these days."  In other words, if he wasn't still up, he rarely saw the morning.  Breakfast was, more often than not, Dennis' last meal of the day.  Dennis' life had been much more together when his just shy of fifteen-year-old self had taken refuge in her apartment for those two months following his separating from his older brother.  Three Owl Standard had already started to develop a following amongst those that tuned into the underground radio Potterwatch. 

But, their lives had crossed paths on several occasions in the years following the war.  "How long you been back in town?" he asked, taking a step back and leaning against a clothes stand. 

While he fumbled with himself, Gisella just watched, entertained by his confusion. Even when she housed him, he was a fumbling boy, never knew what was going on, and always stayed up later than most kids his age. However, seeing him now, though messy in some aspects, but more handsome than ever, it took her back to those years while the second war happened; when Dennis had lost his brother, Gisella had lost other things as well, and they practically needed each other.

As he stepped back, her hand fell to her hip, where she let it rest. "Well, darling, I just go back from a tour in America, where I played a few shows here and there for the American wizarding communities." She smiled and stepped closer to him, filling the gap he so cleverly put there. "I'm back for as long as I want, I suppose. I haven't written new material yet, which is why I need to get started on that. So, I can premiere something and start a world-wide craze all over again!" She smiled again, leaning into him.

"Where do you sleep these days?" She wondered, seeing as she held him up for two months, she wanted to know exactly how he made his living these days, besides his band life.

The minimal distance he'd gained a moment before didn't last very long.  Normally, Dennis wouldn't have bat an eye at the older woman's forwardness -  usually he would have found it exciting.  But, normally, Dennis wasn't stumbling home after he death of a friend's cousin had led to a grief-provoked night spent with a friend.  However, Dennis didn't retreat any further when Gisella stepped towards him, again.

"Touring America?" he said.  It didn't surprise him that Gisella's career had bloomed to such a far reaching and robust one.  Though they shared a common career, their approaches had been considerably different.  She had always been one of those highly motivated and driven artists who pursued their fame and success with a vengeance.  Much to their Manager's frustration, Dennis rarely had the motivation or dedication for such endeavors.  This last year had been the first time they'd toured outside the British Isles - and they had the addition of Trina to their band to thank for that.  "Yeah.  Maybe one day we'll get that far."  Chances were, they had the fan base and following for it - just not the motivation. 

"How were the States?  As crazy as they claim?  Any particular stops you'd recommend?"  He chuckled slightly as she leaned into him.  "World-wide craze.  My manager would be thrilled to have you - he keeps wondering when we'll be craze worthy." 

Again, Dennis scratched the back of his head before tilting a chin up to the ceiling overhead.  "Been letting a flat here since the tour ended.  But, it's a waste.  Most nights I crash on some bandmate's couch.  Or, with some fan."  He really didn't like lying awake, alone in his flat and would do just about anything - or stay with just about anyone - to avoid that scenario. 

At the thought of her friend sleeping with a fan, she gave a mild gasp. "Do tell about sleeping with fans, Dennis." Turning away from him to hide her displeasure of this knowledge, she started rummaging through the rakes again. Finding multiple outfits she could rip and tear and her advantage, she stayed mum for a few minutes, letting dennis soak in her distaste before returning her attention to him.

"Well, handsome, tell me how your band mates are? I've been wanting to talk to Trina about a collaboration soon, and possibly a duet at Hogwarts upcoming Halloween bash. You know they'll request live music and who better than Three Owl Standard and Gisella Darcy?" She didn't want to sound conceited in the least, but they were the two hottest music acts in the Wizarding world currently.

Dennis took a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably when Gisella gasped though he honestly wasn't sure why that news would come as a surprise to her.  He was sure the megastar standing in front of him had plenty of fans stumbling over their toes for her.  So what if she was more selective.  (Which didn't take much.)  She asked for details but Dennis couldn't tell if she was expecting an answer or was hoping he was smart enough to know not to answer (as women were so frequently mistakenly prone to assuming).  If only men were, really, as smart as women hoped, and usually expected, them to be. 

It was clear Gisella disapproved - whether or not he was supposed to answer, he felt obligated to defend himself in the face of the disapproval.  He grinned sheepishly, not unlike a teenage boy who'd gotten caught staring a little too long at a classmate.  "It's a place to crash - with a little bit of entertainment."  A form of entertainment that seemed a powerful drug to the emptiness that seemed to settle everytime he found himself laying in the dark, alone.  Clearly, he expected (or hoped) she'd find it hard to blame him.  "It doesn't mean much.  Usually."  Last night being a clear exception.

"Talk to Trina?"  Dennis repeated, lifting an eyebrow, blinking past the throb his mild annoyance prompted.  He wasn't sure if Gisella was implying that this collaborative show would just be a Trina and Gisella affair or if Gisella was viewing the band's sole (and recently hired) female member as the band's spokesperson.  Yes - women (especially compared to the blokes in the band) were more detail oriented and had better judgment (and were wiser and were yadda yadda yadda) but Trina was still the newcomer.  It had been Neal, their band manager's, idea to hire a female singer after Curt had ditched.  And it had been a smart move - Three Owl was enjoying a record following.  Still nothing like the woman in front of him - they were still considered a fairly Indy band in the Wrock world.  But, not everyone had approved of the change. 

"Jesse and Corby are doing alright.  Tommy's being a prick and thinking of going back to school."  In other words, everything was about the same.  "Neal still thinks we could achieve more."  He was probably right.