(1937-09-15) Kicking Kittens
Details for Kicking Kittens
Summary: Carmichael brings his bad mood into the Leaky Cauldron and the female occupants won't have it!
Date: September 15th, 1937
Location: Leaky Cauldron
Related: The Meddling Wench p.1 The Meddling Wench p.2
Characters
EllyAudreyEdwarlindaHadrianCarmichael

From Charing Cross, two figures appear in the Leaky Cauldron's doorway. A mildly rotund man follows a sunshine-haired woman wrapped in a fur coat. "I don't care, Edwin. It's the Natrix this weekend or nothing. I don't owe those bloodsuckers a thing." Clearly seeing that he's lost whatever argument they were having, the man throws his hands up and turns to step back outside, muttering a promise to call her in the morning. Audrey pretends not to hear, and strides directly toward Elly, a little pout on her lips.

Elly actually spills a bit of the firewhiskey as she chokes at Eddie's 'Broomstick' suggestion. Chuckling and blushing and trying to put out the blue flames that look to be engulfing the ruffled cuff of her sleeve. She's laughing…or is that crying out in panic? But she doesn't let being on fire hinder her service and it's with an ignited sleeve that she serves Eddie her shot and a nice glass of water that's been chilled down with a tap of her wand so ice has formed in the center but not spread too much. Elly lifts her flaming sleeved hand to beam and wave to Audrey before she finally wraps it in a towel to put out the flames.

Another husky voiced laugh escapes from the Auror, as she leans against the bar a touch more and scoops up her firewhiskey. "No, no… not nearly that easy. At least, not if you want a lady of quality. You might try asking her out for a dinner first. Or perhaps even a few drinks somewhere a bit more high class. Just some tips for the future." Eddie tosses another wink at Hadrian, but with those sage words of advice she finally shifts her frame to fully come to sit on a barstool. She will get to actually savour at least one drink tonight, and it's the one in front of her! The interchange between the bar mistress and the newly entered woman gets a brief look, but she doesn't intrude. She simply watches.

"Lady bar keep?…Are you… injured? I am not much in the way of a healer, but I know a few small things, and since you did so nobly sacrifice your sleeve for my drink…" The husky voiced Eddie offers with a mix of amusement and actual concern. It seems the woman might actually care for people.

Audrey blinks, bemused and shaken that her pouting was interrupted by conflagration. "Elly…you're on f-…are you alright?" She manages to shake out of her own thoughts, concerned for her friend who seems less than worried about her arm being aflame.

Elly giggles and seems to be fine, if the big friendly smile so happy to see Audrey can show. "Aye, fine, fine. The stuff is all show, the brew has more burn and bite than the fire on it." The towel is removed to show that besides the wet stain, there's no damage to her sleeve. "Ta-da!" More giggles and she starts to serve up a half glass of whisky, single-malt before the space Audrey looks about to occupy. "What what that all about? He wantin' ye to work for a crowd of Vampires?"

Oh, what a nice, lovely time at the Leaky Cauldron. Oh…Carmichael's here. The Scot barges in through the door. He doesn't look particularly mad about anything at the moment, that's just how he enters a room. The old Scot grunts as he sits down at the bar, smacking it soundly with his hand.

If she wasn't awake before, Eddie's certainly awake now! She jumps a bit as that bean pole of a Scotsman slams the bar like that, even if her entrance wasn't any quieter, she still looks vaguely annoyed. "The lady is a barkeep, not some dog to be clapped at, dear sir!" The Malfoy's proper accent offers in the tall man's direction. She then flashes a reasuring smile back towards Elly as she takes what is left of her drink, "Thank you, dearie." Otherwise, she doesn't cut in. She does listen, though, curiosity through her pale eyes as the vampires are discussed.

Audrey rolls her eyes. "I wish it were vampires. At least they appreciate art. No…it's bankers. He wants me to play the annual Gringotts executive ball again." The sound of Carmichael's entrance draws her attention, and elicits a frustrated sigh. "Of course," she mutters, "goblins and moneylenders are suddenly starting to seem like pleasant company."

Elly whispers, "Ye can say that again." But then she's all beaming sunshine at Carmichael and she lofts up her brows expectantly. But nothing like her usual warm greeting and bidding for an order for him. The talk of Hadrian taking a girl to a 'more higher class place' by Eddie did hurt Elly's feelings a little, but the way the Auror handles Carmichael in the first moments of meeting him has Elly warming more to the Malfoy.

Wait…someone dared address the almighty Carmichael!? His bushy brow rises as he looks over to give her a once-over, but surprisingly he doesn't say anything to her. "Seems I've come to play the villain, hmm?" He looks between the women, grumbling as his eyes turn from them to the bar's surface.

Edwarlinda straightens herself up just a little bit more, practically screaming pure blooded propriety for a few moments. But there is a professionalism there as well, despite the firewhiskey in front of her. She's no where near sauced and more than accustomed to being sized up by men twice her weight. She clears her throat. "You do not have to. You could apologize to the lady and place your order politely. And tip her well, of course. But that is your choice, sir, not theirs." The Malfoy's voice is not exactly condescending, but it's close. It's instructive, at least. A woman laying out clear, factual options. She tosses a momentary, warm wink in Elly and Audrey's direction.

Audrey floats down to a bench, giving Elly a grateful smile for the drink, her usual. Taking a sip (for courage, perhaps), she gives Carmichael a haughty tone. "You hardly seem to have need to 'play' it at all." She shakes her head at Elly. "You don't have to serve him Elly. Don't take his disrespect."

Elly puts her hands on her hips. "Aye, well if it acts like a villian, smells like a villain, an' quacks like a villain! What do ye want Mr. Carmichael?" She asks the last part very gently. She simply can't turn him away as Audrey suggests. Soft hearted to the extreme. Elly would save a fly from a soup, and pour the soup out and make more soup after nursing the fly back to health. Seems Carmichael is simply that fly in her eyes, his attitude the ruined soup.

Carmichael rubs at his temple and says, "Aye. I see how it is. I come in here in a bit of a pissy mood after a bad day and I get picked apart. Despite not saying a single cross word! I suppose it'd be different if I were one of ye cutesy little girlfriends. Hrmm? Ye'd probably run me a bath and rub my feet while I drowned ma sorrows in ice cream. Bah." Deeeeeep down inside, Carmichael really is just a gentle, kind-hearted hero…but that's not what's on display right now.

Edwarlinda gives a short laugh, "Well, ladies, you are on your own. I, as usual, out drank all of my co-workers, so I needs must make it to my bed alone and mostly in a straight line." Eddie scoops up her glass of firewhiskey, knocking back the last gulp of it with barely a wince this time. She really does have a tolerance for the stuff, especially this late in the night. She adds another silver piece to the stack on the bar that paid for her drink, tip, and the headaches she may cause. With that, she gives a casual salute to the room and heads for the door. She only pauses one moment to grab her gray Auror's robes off the hook near the door, shrug them onto her shoulders, then she's out into the night.

Audrey huffs, "Oh, and I suppose the last time I saw you in here, you were just having a bad day, and we should have been more sympathetic to your gruff and insulting demeanor? Tsk. A gentleman does not barge about, and bark and growl. That, my dear man, is the behavior of a dog, and when dogs are bad, they are chastised."

Elly bustles into the kitchen, she comes out only a few short minutes later with a plate covered in a silver dome. She puts the plate down and reveals a bowl of vanilla ice cream, a mini-pitcher of hot fudge, hot caramel, and some chunky strawberry compote. Then with a wave of her wand his shoes and socks vanish just as a tub of pleasantly warm water basically manifests around his feed and within the water are crystal globes that whirl about, rubbing against his feet in a massage. "There ye go. Anything else?"

Carmichael looks over at Audrey, "Is it so hard to believe that someone could have more than one bad day?" He's about to continue on a tirade, but then sweet Elly is nice to him. He just grumbles a quiet 'thank you' and goes about eating his ice-cream.

"Is it so hard to be civil in spite of your troubles? I think not." Audrey shakes her head at Elly. "You'll only encourage him, Elly." But she leaves it at that, turning to her drink to soothe her raised hackles.

Elly leans forward to give Carmichael's cheek a soft little peck. Like a sister soothing her little petulant brother after he's skinned his knee. "Ye are welcome." Then she bustles over to Audrey and gives her back a gentle rub and then tenderly she plays with Audrey's curls, making sure they are all in place like some long lost sister. "I hope to encourage him Audrey, encourage him in being a more pleasant person. Show him what it means to be kind to someone. Lead by example, all that."

Carmichael doesn't respond to Audrey, as he has no kind words to say. He decides to just sit there in silence, eating his ice cream. He grumbles a bit at the peck on his cheek, but doesn't comment. Right now he's content with his pampering.

Audrey reaches a hand back to hold Elly's hand. "I tried to be very kind to him when last we met, and he was an absolute boor. There are too many good people in the world to waste energy on the rotten ones, darling."

Elly takes Audrey's hand and lifts it up to give her knuckles a kiss before she tries to lift the Starlet up in an attempt to lead her over to the bar and sit her down close to not next to Carmichael. "I think everyone could do with some apologizing all around."

Carmichael swallows some ice cream and looks over at Elly, saying, "I believe somewhere in the good book is talks about how the healthy people aren't the ones who need the doctors." Little bit of wisdom. He raises his eyebrow at Elly as she leads the other woman over towards him.

Audrey obliges Elly — because she's Elly — but Carmichael simply earns a derisive laugh. "Do not compare your poor manners to illness and injury. Infirmity is not something one can cure simply by holding one's tongue or offering a friendly smile. You don't need a doctor. You need a mother's spanking."

Elly gives them both pleading pretty sky blue eyes. Like if they say one more mean thing to each other it will be kicking a new born kitten. With Elly being that new born kitten. She just looks back and forth between the pair. All adorable and sweet and expecting.

Carmichael just looks at Audrey and says, "I believe I'm being quite civil right now. If I were to bite my tongue anymore, it'd come slap off. You're the one who should try it." He stands up from his stool and looks at Elly, "Can I have my shoes, please?"

Audrey shakes her head, frowning. "Civility cannot begin without an acknowledgement of prior mistreatment, lest it show itself to be insincere. In short, sir, you own Elly and I an apology." She lifts her brows expectantly at Carmichael.

Elly crosses her arms, staring at Carmichael still looking very expectantly at him. No one is getting shoes or whiskey refills until everything is rainbows and kittens DAMMIT! "I believe I did say that we /all/ should have a round of apologies and olive branches extended. However…Mr. Carmichael it would be dear and a show of wonderous civility if ye would begin this peace making sit down? Please."

Carmichael just looks between the two of them and chuckles to himself. "I don't think so." He'll abandon his shoes if it means having to apologize for them. He just shakes his head, laughing softly as he walks out.

Audrey sighs as Carmichael goes, shaking her head disapprovingly. She casts her eyes sadly to Elly. "What did I tell you? Rotten to the core. He'll happily take whatever he can from you, but the moment you ask for even a touch of consideration in return, it's a slap to your face. Every moment you waste on him is a moment stolen from someone that deserves your love and attention."

Elly sighs sadly and shakes her head, "He deserves a moment, every creature, great or small, human, goblin, house-elf, deserves but a moment. If more people gave more moments than he might not have turned out so sour." (There's still good in him, I can sense it.) But then she looks around the empty pub, waves her wand to get the chairs turning up on end to rest upside down on the tables symbolizing the pub service portion of the Pub and Boarding house is closed. Then with a beaming smile and a little scamper she goes into the kitchen and returns very soon after with the tub of ice cream and she sits down offering Audrey the second spoon she brought. She takes a scoop for herself and drizzles some of the chocolate sauce Carmichael didn't use after sliding the condiments between the two women.

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