| Details for Making Peace with Long Sticks |
| Summary: | Gilbert tries to convince Edwarlinda he doesn't have to be an enemy all the time by teching her to play billiards. |
| Date: | 1937-10-15 |
| Location: | Blackfriars Pub |
| Related: | Repealment Rally, The Ranger and the Thespian |
| Characters |
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Blackfriars Pub London
It is a fall morning. The weather is cool and clear.
Decorated in the Arts and Crafts style so common among Victorian era churches, this pub and bar looks more like a place of worship than a place where wharf workers come to enjoy a pint after a shift. The walls are decorated, in both the dining room and bar areas, with sculptures, mosaics, and reliefs of jolly-looking friars, and beautiful stonework around the bar and fireplace. In the dining area, the ceiling is done in small tiles and wood carved signs read sayings like, 'WISDOM IS RARE' and 'HASTE IS SLOW'.
Gilbert is in the back of the pub playing pool by himself. A few empty glasses and one half full one sit on a tall, very small table near the pool table, clearly showing he has been here for some time already.
Despite her brother's not entire love of Muggles, Eddie does enjoy the Muggle community. She lives in a townhouse in Muggle London, has learned enough about their money to mostly get by, and likes their pubs better than the Cauldron some nights. This night being one of them. Having passed the pub on her way home, she quickly apparated her robes back home so she's now just slipping in wearing her tan, elegant suit with the matching top-hat like cap… It's a bit strange, but not overly head turning and she's beautiful enough most people forgive. She waltzes into the place, moving straight up to the bar.
Gilbert sees Eddie walk in. Waving a waitress over he says something to her that send her walking towards the bar. Once she gets there Eddie feels a tap on her shoulder and hears the waitress saying,"The gentleman at the pool table says he owes you a few drinks and that what you are ordering should go on his table. He also asked if you would join him."
The tap on her shoulder draws a look from Eddie and an arched brow. She then double takes as she realizes who it is and pauses, a slight sigh escaping her lips. "…Gin martini. Dusty." Eddie states simply, not bothering to wait and see if the bartender knows what she means. He'll figure it out. She then stalks across the room, the relaxation out of her step rather clearly now. She stands across from him, not sitting. "Sullivan."
Gilbert rolls his eyes a bit and smiles and gives Eddie a perfectly normal greeting. No mocking bows just a, "Good evening Ms. Malfoy. Thank you for joining me. My practice was getting a little boring and I could use some conversation. Preferably civil, friendly conversation, yes?" Waving a hand at the table he asks,"Do you play?"
Edwarlinda looks slightly warily over at the pool table, a brow arched. "I've… tried? But not really, and I cannot say that I entirely understand the rules…" Eddie explains honestly, careful not to say any strange words or make it clear why she'd not understand the rules. "And I can do civil conversation. Though I will admit I do not understand why you are constantly courting my conversation."
Gilbert chuckles a bit and takes a swallow from his glass before walking back to the rack of cues and grabbing one to offer Eddie,"I would be happy to teach you if you would like. I have to practice my teaching for tomorrow anyway." He stops there for a moment, as if he's said more than he wanted to. Instead of continuing with that topic he answers her other question,"Easy enough to explain. Like I said last time we talked I truly believe that we can have differing opinions on certain topics yet still be friendly. Conversation with an intelligent woman is not easy to come by for me, considering the kind of women my day-today profession attracts. And then on the other hand the women associated with the scholarly side of things tend to be rather one tack minded by and large. Is it so difficult to understand that I would be loath to let a simple difference of opinion in /one/ area ruin a possible friendship before its begun?"
"You have to forgive me for paranoia being… a way of life for me. Most people in my life, in one way or another, have a subversive goal. At least, people I met the way we met." But Eddie doesn't turn him down, even if that line of tension seems to linger in her body even as her martini is dropped off, completely with proper olives. She makes a small, satisfied sound in her throat at it. "…And what are you teaching tomorrow?"
Gilbert thinks for a moment with a small smile on his face then nods as he makes a decision. Waving to the pool table again he says,"Well, they do say you have to give trust before receiving it so I will trust you with a small tidbit. Nothing terribly important to anyone but myself you understand." Coming to stand at the small table he says,"Do you remember the enchanting Ms. O'Dwyer?"
The woman's hand elegantly scoops her glass up from where it was dropped and she follows him towards the pool table, brows arching as she looks over the balls. The numbers. Everything. She takes a sip of the martini like she was born drinking them. "Yes… Kaylee, right? The lovely lady we sat at the bar with when Valencia was there, who dared speak back to you. She seems ot have fire to her…"
Gilbert laughs,"She does. Which is just one of the features that make her so… attractive. And I will be bringing her here tomorrow to teach her how to play billiards. I am quite… taken with her. So there's my little token of trust." Motioning at the table he gives a quick explanation of how the game is played and offers the cue stick again,"So, are you willing to try it?"
The admission of his taken heart draws another look from Eddie, arched brow to match, and she allows a little grin to betray her amusement. "I see. Well… Best of luck to you and her. It is… good to find someone to challenge you… and give you company. She sees a very interesting woman." Eddie admits warmly, stepping around the edge of the table and giving a little nod. She takes another sip of her drink and sets it aside before taking that cue from him. "I'll try anything once."
Gilbert racks the balls up setting the table for a game of 8-ball then explains how to properly hold the cue through some detailed verbal directions. When he's finished explaining and demonstrating with his own cue he vacates the table,"Ladies fist Ms. Malfoy."
"…What is the… object of this game? Other than leaning indecently over a table with a very long, hard stick in your hand?" Eddie asks, realizing all too well what the motions could look like and her body takes them very well. She's a quick learner, and clearly agile for the fact she is not in her 20s any more.
Gilbert releases a pleased laugh at her veiled comparison then explains,"You will notice there are three kind of balls. Solid colored, stripped, and the black eight. Once you break the set up we have now then the white ball must be used to hit then rest of the balls into the pockets, leaving the 8 for last. The first kind of ball you sink dictates which pattern you will be aiming at, stripes or solids. I will be aiming at the opposite. Does that make sense?"
"Mm… Yes. And we wish to get all of our color ball into the pocket? Easy enough…" Eddie does her very best to look like she's smooth as silk, leaning over the table and setting her sights on that positioned white ball… Which she abruptly takes a stab at with the cue, jumps over the table enough it bounces, hits one ball and pretty much bounces straight off the table. She blinks. "…That… was not supposed to happen."
Gilbert tries to catch the ball as it flies off the table but he's too far and ends up having to chase after it. Coming back he smiles,"Not a bad first try. Let me rack them up again and you can try once more." As he says he does then he asks,"If you relax your arm I can hold the back of your cue and give you a better idea of the rhythm you should us…" He waits for permission before doing so.
"…Uh… Sure. Hold what you need. I think I can get it." Eddie admits, but she is a bit ruffled that she didn't step into something as a total natural from the moment she tried. She's used to being imminently capable of doing anything she sets her mind to doing. She then leans over, lets out another breath, and snaps the pool cue against the cue ball, jerking the ball across the table.
Gilbert stands to one side of Eddie and holds the back of her stick,"Ok, relax your arms and do not fight the movement. You want to build some momentum by moving the stick back and forth a few times before hitting the cue ball. And mot importantly, do not pull up at the moment of impact." Then he steps back and lets her have another try at a break.
The lack of intimate contact over a pool cue probably means that Gilbert is still possessing all his manly bits, and he's chosen wisely to stay back from Eddie even as he teaches her a fairly intimate action. The second time around, she's far better at smacking that ball across the table. The triangled balls scatter and Eddie's brows arch as two go on. Of course, one of each pattern, but it's a start. "…Interesting. Alright. I… I think I see this now. And the mug-… there are people who find this enjoyable?"
Gilbert nods,"Its a game of skill and takes quite an amount of finesse." Pointing at the table he shows he the stripped ball that she put into the corner pocket at the break,"See, from this point on your goal is to put all the stripped balls into a pocket before I can do the same with the solids. You turn will end when you either miss a shot or sink the white ball. Stay away from the black ball until all your other balls are in. I will explain about that when the time comes. Go ahead and try another shot." Stepping back again he takes a drink from his mug as he waits for her shot.
Striped balls. Eddie looks across the table, brows arching high as she studies the positioning of most of the striped balls laying before her and all the new obstacles in the way. "…It's strange how people find their distractions. See, I consider this game distracting me from my distraction of drinking, but… it's worth giving a go." And with that, Eddie leans down and across the table, still a bit uncertain with the pool cue but doing better with each shot as she gets the feel for it in her fingertips. She and Gilbert are at the back of the room, standing around the pool table, each with a drink to the side as they poke at the Muggle game.
Gilbert chuckles,"Well, traditionally… people combine the two. You have probably noticed I am partaking from my drink as I wait for my turn to come. Ah, which apparently is now." Putting down his mug he takes up his cue and approaches the table,"And I would not worry, I am far from being a master of the game so not that you are getting used to the basics it should be a fairly even contest." As he speaks he walks around the table, looking at his shot options.
Not usually one to frequent the Artsier fares in London, Sloan didn't feel like heading for the Cauldron today, the Drum was closed for renovations after someone slipped Nasty Nick Bardle a Mickey and he tore half the place down, and the Fish was just closed until they could find a new bartender, and they could figure out how to extract the old one's head from thatch without making a larger hole and without the added leverage a body attached to said head would provide in aiding the removal. Looking around as he steps in the door, the Irish Auror nods slightly, blinking once as he sees Eddie in the bar. His course altering towards her and her friend.
Fortunately, Eddie completely misses the fact that Gilbert's shot is about as unsmooth as her own by the fact a face she did not expect to see come through the door makes his way into the room. The blonde smiles brilliantly, looking immediately relaxed and happy in a way Gilbert has never seen her before. The paranoia drains away, the exhaustion, the wariness. The sight of Sloan transforms her, almost literally, into something lovely and relaxed. She then looks back to the table and chuckles, realizing his error. "You don't play much, do you?" She asks flatly, her voice teasing and amused before she steps fast in Sloan's direction, "…Do you play this game, Sloan, dear? Sullivan there is teaching me. Or practicing on me so he can teach his current prey tomorrow."
Gilbert laughs and shakes his head at his clumsiness,"Oh, I play enough to know the game. Put like I said, I am by no means an expert." He deserves the ribbing and clearly doesn't mind it. Replacing the cue ball on the table he stands by curiously, waiting for an introduction after saying,"Oh,she is more than simple prey, believe you me."
Nodding to Gilbert, Sloan looks at the pool table for a moment then shrugs. "Know Snooker better. but Aye. I've played a few times. made it through a couple games with th' cue intact in th' end, aye?" Looking at Sullivan, he grunts and nods in greeting. "Sloan." Though it was pronounced 'Slo-an'
"Sloan, this is… Gilbert Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan, my tougher half, Sloan." But Eddie says 'tougher' with absolute fondness and even a bit of love. It's strange to see the difference in the woman she's become among the black Irish thug who stands a good bit taller than her and dresses far, far lower class. She steals a kiss to the corner of Sloan's mouth then lets go, leaning over to take another shot. "…More than prey? And what called you to this one, Sullivan?"
Gilbert smiles at the change in Eddie as he shakes Sloan's hand,"A pleasure Mr. Sloan. And to answer your question Ms. Malfoy, there is a variety of reasons. She is obviously easy on the eyes but there is a… fire to her personality that I find quite attractive. And there are brains to support the beauty as well." Taking Eddie's place at the table as she misses he takes his own shot.
<FS3> Gilbert rolls Reaction+body: Success.
Watching the pair play, Sloan tilts his head slightly. "Tis not so much a game about knockin balls around. Ye got tae learn yer angles, aye?" Returning Eddie's kiss, he leans on a nearby table and begins rolling a cigarette from a pouch pulled from his pants pocket.
"Oh, dear Sloan, I know my angles very well." Eddie states simply, stepping around the table and leaning over so Sloan can see, well… Some very nice angles as she stretches out for the next shot. She's getting better with every go, though she'll never be brilliant at banking, she's at least got the basics down and has some terrific hand-eye coordination. She winks up to Gilbert, "And this seems a very good game to help your lady with her… Angles."
Gilbert chuckles at Sloans comment then hands him his cue stick, smiling a little bigger,"Mr. Sloan. Please take my place. I think Ms. Malfoy will enjoy the game much more with you and I have been here for a long while now. I should really be going as I do have some incomplete errands that still need to be attended to." Perfectly reasonable explanation but given his expression maybe he's thinking about what he would like a man in his position to do if the positions were reversed.
Chuckling under his breath, Sloan baptizes his cigarette and places it between his lips before he nods. "Aye very good for teaching a young lady about angles. In fact there are some clubs that dinnae allow th' ladies tae play due to the complexity of 'angles.'" Taking the cue from Gilbert, he nods quietly. "Aye. Good tae meet ye then."