(1938-07-05) Tipsy Turvy
Details for Tipsy Turvy
Summary: It is a hot summer night in the Cauldron. Phil meets Isobel and does some drinking. Others arrive and eventually she has to get escorted home.
Date: 1938-07-05
Location: Leaky Cauldron
Related:
Characters
IsobelPhilLaurenceGraham

Friday night in the Cauldron. It can be hopping if the right crowd are on or quiet as a church if a more sedate type fills its tables. Tonight it is bustling and lively with people drinking and laughing. Phil is waiting at the bar to be served and humming along with a song she has in her head.

"'Scuse me! Comin' through. Thank ya." Isobel moves her way to the bar to get herself a drink, having only just arrived at the Cauldron. "What's a lass got ta do ta get herself a drink 'round here at a time like this, eh?" She grins and glances sideways to Phil, the woman who she happened to get next to at the bar.

"Ask," says Phil with a smartarsed grin on her face. She looks at Isobel and then back at one of the bartenders. "Gin and tonic please." She says to the bartender and places a few coins on the bar. That done she looks back at Isobel. "I'm Phil."

"Ask? Well, tha' nae even crossed my mind ta do tha'!" Isobel is quick to respond, a smirk on her face. "Gimme a double whiskey, neat, with a dash o' lemon juice!" She nods to the bartender, putting down a few coins of her own. "Nice ta meet ya. M'name's Isobel." She holds out a hand in greeting to Phil.

With a laugh Phil reaches over and shakes the offered hand. "Nice to meet you too. I don't think I have seen you here before." She picks up her glass when her drink is set down before her. "Not that I am some sad lonely women hanging out in the Cauldron every Friday night. No, not at all."

Elly's dada, Mick chuckles and smirks as he serves the ladies up their ordered drinks. Phil is given hers first, because she said please. Meanwhile a big bellied wench takes a moment to lean on the bar and lift up her feet and give them a little twist. "Corr, if we evah runs out of pigs feet…got too more righ'ere." She says with a smile, even when Elly complains, she's good natured about it.

"Donnae discount the power o' bein' a lone lady at the Couldron on a Friday night. It's often them who see the most…an' them who can get paid for what they've seen." Isobel waggles an eyebrow and nods to Mick. "Thank ya, kind sir." Taking a sip, she looks back to Phil. "I'm afraid ta say I've nae been here in the evenin' in quite some time. I usually come here for lunch." She says with a smile. "Usually my night time adventures take place in Hogsmeade." Though she doesn't mention which of the pubs she finds herself at more.

Phil winks at Mick offering her thanks and then takes a sip of her drink. She releases a soft 'Ah' sound then looks at Isobel and chuckles. "That's usually why I am here, scouting for information or meeting people. I often end up here at night, though it is usually much later."

"Oh, you are here for information, hmm? Well, I hope you're nae lookin' for information 'bout the Ministry." Isobel take another sip of her drink. "Because, I'll tell ya righ' now, I know nothin' o' the Graffor-Troll Conspiracy o' Nineteen-Thirty-Five. There's absolutely no truth behind the theories tha' Trolls tried ta take o'er the Ministry!" She laughs and gives the woman a wink.

"Don't worry. I'm too tired to be on the job right now," says Phil as she takes another sip of her drink. "Besides everyone knows about the trolls." She grins at Isobel. "Your secrets are safe with me, don't worry. Unless Tim turns up and slaps me upside the head for saying that."

"Well, I'm glad ta hear it. I'd nae wanna fend off questions 'bout it." Isobel grins and shakes her head in amusement. "So, let me guess, you're jus' lookin' for a night out where ya don' have ta think 'bout nothin' but havin' fun? I know that's what I'm lookin' for. I'm startin' a bit of a vacation an' I'm wantin' ta jus' take a break from it all!"

Phil turns around and leans back, resting against the bar. "Vacation? Hmmm. I've not had one of those for a while. Maybe I should think about it." She raises her glass and holds it against her cheek, cooling her face with it. "Get out of the city for a while. Do some flying." She looks at Isobel, "If you're on vacation why are you in here?"

"Everyone needs ta have a vacation once in a while! Mine jus' so happens to usually correspond with the school year." Isobel responds. "Flyin', eh? Enjoy flyin' a bit? So do I. Which makes me think, maybe I should do a bit o' it." She ponders this for a moment before smiling again and looking at Phil once more. "Well, I've only just started my vacation, ya know? B'sides, I live in Hogsmeade normally. Though…I work in London, so it doesnae make sense ta spend my vacation here, does it? But I like the Couldron, so I figured I may as well come here. B'sides which, I donnae know if I want to stay within the United Kingdom, or if I want ta go ta the Ministry ta procure m'self a portkey ta go someone more distant."

With a laugh Phil says, "If I was on vacation I'd want to go somewhere exotic like…oh I don't know India or something." She sips her drink. "Then again things are a bit chaotic out there now." Phil puts her glass on the bar. "Flying is great, but you need a good broom to make it amazing. Luckily I have a fantastic broom."

"Oh, aye. India's be nice. So would a fair few places. I've always wanted ta go ta Wales." Although Isobel says this with a straight face at first, she can only hold the face for a few seconds before grinning. "Wales. Good place. But really, part o' me is thinkin' o' going ta someplace like Sweden or Germany or France or Turkey." She seems amused when she says 'Turkey', as if it's some sort of joke for her.

With a raised brow Phil looks at Isobel, "Something wrong with Turkey? I can't say I have ever been myself." She picks up her glass again and sips from it. "Other than it being full of Turks, I mean?"

"Hmm?" Isobel looks at the other women curiously as she sips her drink. "Ah! No. Nothin' wrong." She chuckles. "Nah. It's…well, almost an inside joke, it is." She wiggles her nose a little bit. "Tell ya what, have ya heard o' the Patronus Charm?"

"Of course," says Phil. "Everyone in our family tends to have the same one, rather oddly." She sips a bit more of her gin and tonic. "I knew a man once who's patronus was a hummingbird."

"So, the reason I was amused at the thought o' Turkey was tha' my own corporeal patronus is a turkey." Isobel says with a slight smile. "So, anyway, what's it ya do for a job tha' makes it so ya donnae get many vacations?"

That makes Phil laugh. "I'd say that beats the hummingbird." She salutes Isobel with her glass, "I am Philomena Rowle, crack reporter from the Daily Prophet and daughter of socialites, hider from matchmaking mothers and their chinless wonder sons."

"Maybe the hummin'bird person's good at flutterin' about!" Isobel grins and lifts her own glass to Phil. "Quite the title ya got there. Especially tha' last bit!" She laughs. "I'm merely Isobel Gwenhwyfar Strudwick, examiner for the Wizardin' Examinations Authority, daughter of innkeepers."

Phil chuckles quietly. "As it happens he is quite a flutterer." She half turns and motions to Mick for another drink for herself and for Isobel. "Innkeepers? Does that mean you're incredibly picky when you stay somewhere else?" She sips more of her gin.

"Well, there ya go! The flutterer has a flutterin' corporeal patronus!" Isobel chuckles. "Nae. I'm jus' happy ta have a bed most of the time ta be honest. Though, I suppose it makes me jus' a tiny bit pickier 'bout the service. But then, my father an' mother'd go outta their ways ta help customers." She grins.

When the drinks arrive Phil pays for them. She leans her elbow on the bar, sort of using it to prop herself up - though not literally at this point. "At least growing up in an inn hasn't ruined travelling for you. Sometimes you get so used to something you forget to enjoy it." She reaches up to brush her hair back from the back of her neck. "I don't think I have ever met an examiner before, aside from you know, when I had mine when I was at school."

Isobel starts to bring out some more money for her newly arrived drink. She tilts her head at Phil. "Let me pay ya back for tha'!" She says, holding out the appropriate coinage. "I insist on it!" She finishes off her current drink and places the glass to the side, picking up the newly arrived drink. "Oh, aye. But then, I lived in such a small place. Barely a village it felt like at times. So when I went elsewhere, which was rare until I started school, it was amazing and wonderous." She says with a small smile and a slight look of wonderment on her face.

The Cauldron is bustling on the hot summer night. With the sun finally down things outside have started to cool a little, but it is going to be a warm night. People are laughing, smoking and drinking - the usual things in pubs.

Phil and Isobel are standing at the bar, chatting and drinking. Phil tilts her head back and finishes off the last of her original gin and tonic then sets the empty glass on the bar. "So if you could go anywhere where would you go? I already said I fancied India so no copying," she says with a smirk.

"Well, if I'm nae allowed ta choose India, I'll have ta give this a hard think o'er!" Isobel says with a little laugh. "If I had ta choose jus' one place, where would it be." She lightly chews on her lower lip for a moment while she thinks about it. "I suppose I'd have ta say Italy. It jus' seems like such a fascinatin' place."

Night time? Yep. Fridayish? Yep. That means…Laurence has closed up shop and forced himself to stop working on things to get out and about, first stop is of course The Cauldron and he arrives wearing his light grey fedora at a jaunty angle, light grey blazer jacket worn in stead of his usual trenchcoat and he's quite the dapper gentleman this evening (although no tie..) he just makes his way towards the bar once he catches a glimpse of Isobel and Phil, a sparkle in those unnaturally light blue eyes and he sidles up behind Phil, leaning in to murmur softly. "'xuse me miss…I was looking for a couple of beautiful young women, and I heard you're good at finding people…' He winks to Isobel.

"Italia," says Phil with a passable accent. She laughs at herself and is still laughing when Laurence sidles up behind her. Her laugh turns into a chuckle and she turns her head, her gaze lifting to his face as she says, "Hello handsome." She sets her glass back on the bar and waves to get the attention of the bartender. "I am exceptionally good at finding people who want to be found and moderately good at finding people who think they want to be found, whereas I am working on improving my finding of people who are certain they do not want to be found."

"Beautiful young women? Well, maybe this lass with me could work, but otherwise, I'd nae know where ya could find any!" Isobel smirks at Laurence and raises her glass slightly to him, before taking a sip of it. "How'd ya do?"

If allowed, Laurence will steal a kiss on Phil's cheek before turning smoothing to lean against the bar, propped on his elbows as he arches an eyebrow as he studies Phil for a few moments with a soft smile. "Hello Philomena." Then he looks to Isobel. "I'm doing passably well miss…I think after a couple of pints I'll be doing fine as can be. Will you two be joining me?"

The kiss brings a smile to Phil's lips and she gently brushes her fingers against Laurence's hand before looking back and forth between him and Isobel and asking, "Do you both know each other? And of course we will join you. But finding a table might be hard, its rather busy in here tonight." She picks up a few coins from the bar, the ones Isobel gave her for paying for the drinks a few moments earlier.

"Ah. Beer's a might bit refreshin'. Though I needed a bit something stronger for m'self this evenin'." Isobel says, lifting up her whiskey. "Of course. Nothin' like a bit more o' company ta start the evenin' off well!" She grins. "An', I do believe we've met once or twice. Unless my memory is as horrible as a Dementor in winter."

"She has indeed come into the shop a couple of times, I actually have a broom on my project rack I was finishing up for this lovely lady." Laurence gestures towards Isobel before leaning back a bit to order his drink. Its whiskey, yep. Then he hmms softly. "I'm Laurence Toulson…and you are…Holly tempered with Fir, favorite color is blue and your favorite animal…is it still an Owl Miss Isobel Strudwick?”

"Aha!" exclaims Phil. She picks up her fresh gin and tonic and says with a grin, "So you too will have a fantastically amazing broom. Laurence made the broom I was telling you about." She turns her dark head and smiles winsomely at him, "You are a wizard extraordinaire when it comes to so many things but most especially brooms." Her gaze flits back to Isobel, "You should plan your vacation when you have your broom. Let it take you where it will."

"Yes. Yes indeed, tha' was certainly me. An' aye, the owl is still m'favourite. Though I admit ta havin' a slight soft spot for turkeys as well. A reason for which I was jus' explainin' ta Phil here. But owls shall win out every time." She grins. Looking to Phil, she nods. "Aye, perhaps I should wait until I have my broom ta take a vacation outside of the UK."

Laurence smiles slowly as he looks between the Women. "We may have to wait for a table, but with company like this…I do not believe I will mind." He chuckles softly to Phil, leaning in to steal another cheek kiss. "You're a flatterer my dear Philomena but I love every moment of it." He then gives Isobel a chin-up. "Stop by the shop sometime to get the final measurements done."

The door opens from the alley side of the building, though with the crowd it's likely unheard if not un-noticed. The young man who enters pauses as he gets his look of the place stepping off to the side. Graham takes a moment to see if he knows anyone as well as likely deciding on if he would like to stay to get a drink or a bite to eat.

"If your best girl can't flatter you who can?" Phil asks Laurence jokingly. Phil's eyes crinkle as she grins, "You should take your broom to Turkey, you could be a flying bird then," she says to Isobel. She sips a bit more of her drink and leans into Laurence a little, resting lightly against him.

"I'll do tha', right soon. M'time is a lot freer at the mo', bein' on vacation an' all!" Isobel says happily. She nods to Phil. "Aye. I may do tha'! Plus, I wonder if they've flyin' carpets there." She looks around and places a finger over her lips as if to say 'Shhh!' She smiles. "I've always wanted ta ride a flyin' carpet, since I read about 'em!"

"Mm…you have a point." Then Laurence is quiet, letting the two chit-chat about what they had been talking about as he receives his drink, taking a long sip and raising a hand to wave to Graham.

From her at the bar where she is half leaning against the deliciously dapperly dressed Laurence Phil waves over to Graham, waggling her fingers at him in greeting all the while nodding her head in agreement with Isobel. "A flying carpet would be quite fun. Maybe you can pick one up in a Turkish bazaar." She leans off to the side so that she can tilt her head and get a better view of Laurence's face. "If you could travel anywhere, and I know you have been to many places already, but anywhere new or old where would it be? That's what started our conversation of sorts, you see. I said India because, as you know I am quite fascinated by it."

Sipping on her drink, Isobel grins. "Somehow, I donnae think I'd be permitted ta bring one back. They're a lil too obvious as far as muggles go. Least for the British Ministry, I think." She grins. "But I'll see what I can do!" She laughs and then moves her head to see who the other two are waving at…presuming she can catch sight of said person.

Graham spots the hand wave and then recognizes the three here as well, and does recognize them he decides to make his way over though it might be slow going through the patrons. He pauses only when he is close enough to speak without being too loud he catches the wave from Phil as well. "Greetings all, quite a busy time in the cauldron." he says.

Laurence tilts his head to the side as he hears the conversation is about traveling and he's taken aback for a few moments at the question, rubbing a finger against the edge of his glass before he takes a deep breath and shrugs helplessly. "I suppose…I'd like to go back to Greece…its beautiful there." A small smile before he looks back to Graham and tips his hat politely. "Greetings."

"Hello Graham," Phil says. Her gaze flits around and then returns to his face, "No Sorcha?" She peers down into her glass and muses, "How did that get half empty?" With a shake of her head she pushes the thought aside. "Greece would be another lovely place to visit. Imagine flying over old ruins. Visiting the Temple of Athena." She sounds almost wistful.

"Good evenin' to ya, Graham. Good ta see ya again!" Isobel smiles widely. She nods to Laurence. "Oh aye? I hear it's lovely in Greece. I'd nay mind going there m'self. One o' these days!" She says with a firm nod. The door from the London side opens, permitting in another patron…and a flighty little bird. A tiny owl, in fact. Which no doubt the owners and operators of the Cauldron are not a fan of. This tiny owl swoops in and lands on Isobel's head. Barely seeming phsed by this, only emitting a little sigh, she holds out her hand, allowing the owl to drop an envelope into her hand. "What've ya got for me here, Arthur?" Once received, she opens it up and looks at the letter. "Ah, well, as much as I hate ta call it early, I've got ta be headin' out. I've been called away." She smiles widely and downs the rest of her drink in one big gulp. "I'll be catchin' up with all of ya soon, I hope. It was a pleasure meetin' ya, Phil." She smiles at the woman and then looks to Laurence. "I'll be seein' ya soon ta finish everythin' off." And with one last look to Graham, she says, "I'm sorry we couldnae get a visit in. Soon, though, hopefully!" And with that, she moving through the door toward the Diagon Alley exit, the owl named Arthur still perched upon her head, his wide eyes gazing about the room.

The young man catches only a bit of the conversation about travel though doesn't want to barge into it when he's only gotten half of what it was about. Graham gives Phil a chuckle at her words "Alas, I believe she's trapped at the shop tonight though maybe she'll be by." he turns as one has to leave "Indeed Miss Isobel, I still owe you a drink." he says as she flees he turns back to the other "How have you both been?" he asks after a moment's pause.

"Temple of Athena…Temples of Aphrodite…now that's a brilliantly fun place to visit…" Laurence purse before he shrugs a shoulder, looking between Phil and Isobel with a quirk of an eyebrow, enjoying watching the two women with a thoughtful expression. Then he has to bow his head politely as Isobel takes her leave and he sighs wistfully before nodding to Graham and listening carefully.

The departing Isobel and her owl are given a friendly wave but then they are gone and Phil's attention is on Laurence and Graham. "Haha," she says teasingly, "now the tables are turned. Two handsome men all to myself." She winks at Laurence and then turns somewhat more serious when she asks, "Should you like to take a holiday Laurence? I would be happy to travel with you. We could go soon or leave it until the autumn after the school order rush?"

Graham look between the two grinning a moment as if a plot is forming in his head though he wipes this clear quickly enough. "That does sound like a good destination. I am a history nut so most of my destination have that in mind." he says catching a passing server to order his usual cider. He is silent or the moment as the last question is something the other must answer.

Laurence turns slightly to set his Whiskey down as he hmms softly. "For me, being in London is a holiday my dear…you remember I've travelled eeeverywhere….however if you came with me, I do believe I could be convinced to take a holiday." He looks to Graham. "Where would you like to travel?"

"Ah yes, you are so much more world weary and…" Phil waggles her brows teasingly at Laurence, "older than me." She takes the sting out of her jibe by pressing a light kiss against his cheek only to have to brush a bit of lipstick off of him with her thumb afterwards. "No more art galleries then, Graham?" asks Phil. She takes a sip of her drink and listens, curious to hear where the ministry wizard might think of going on his holidays.

The auror nods listening to both, he accepts his cider and takes a drink before he answers. "I think Rome would be one of my first places to go, though to be honest I've been thinking about just taking a few days off and seeing things here in England which, I've not been able to maybe see if Sorcha will come with." Graham answers about where he'd go before turning back to Phil and chuckling "I'm sure there will be other art galleries at some point though not nearly as fun of course."
Laurence takes a long sip of his Whiskey before tilting his head to the side as he hears a soft whisper and he raises a hand for the bartender. "Can I get a bit of ice…yes, thank you." He looks back to Phil and just smirks gently. "I believe my advanced age has corrupted you…" He drawls softly before turning to look back to Graham. "Are you a fan of art then?"

Two large gin and tonics on an empty stomach may be starting to take their toll on our heroine or perhaps just loosened her tongue. Phil peers into her now nearly empty glass and nods as Graham discusses his holiday ideal. "And more uhm…of this," she waves her glass towards the bartender and smiles sweetly, "for me." Drink ordered she leans her head against Laurence's shoulder. "Graham and his girlfriend Sorcha - she's lovely all fairy…fiery hair - used some free tickets I had to an art show. The stuff was ghastly, utterly ghastly. Famous witches and wizards who had died in painful ways forever immortalised in larger than life bronzes."

"For my part I'm a fan, though more so of history." Graham answers the firsts question before he takes another drink of his cider and listens to Phil talk grinning at the thought "Indeed it was rather an odd selection of items." he says remembering the show well the description of Sorcha brings a smile to his face. "I will have to explain to her that you egg me on to speak about her all the time since she's been thus informed." he chuckles.

Laurence ahhs softly and drapes an arm over Phil's shoulders, kissing the side of her head with a fond smile and then he looks over to Graham, listening carefully as he processes what is being said.

"That statue of the man with his head stuck in the shrunken cauldron was…it burned into my brain for days afterwards," admits Phil. She looks at Mick as he brings over a glass of ice for Laurence and another gin and tonic for her. "You're a doll," she tells the bartender and puts down the coins Isobel had given her earlier. "I don't exactly egg" says Phil drawing out the last word, "you on Graham. I merely," she gestures with her free hand, "encouraged you to speak about her and might tease you a little."

Graham winces slightly "That was rather an awful thing even in sculpture form." he says about the shrunken cauldron though he does grin towards the end of the others words nodding "I will accept that and tease away my friend though turnabout is fair play remember." he grins taking another drink of his cider.

"Easy now, she's got a way with words, she'll have you ensnared before you can even spell what you're saying mate." Laurence's lips curve in a small smile as he finishes his glass of whiskey, tapping the bar and quickly ordering another.

Graham's teasing threat elicits laughter from Phil. "Those are fighting words my friend. But I have no fear." She takes a swig of her drink and sets the glass on the bar again. "At the moment I have the world at my feet. Two fine handsome gentlemen such as yourselves for company and a seemingly endless supply of intoxicating beverages." She grins broadly, "Now if only there were dancing it would be perfection."

"I am definitely out matched it's no secret." This is to Laurence and he seems to mean it no doubt, Graham takes another drink from his cider as he turns towards the other and grins "It's like to be the only good sort of war where both parties are doing well?" he agrees though another drink finishes his cider "I'm afraid dancing will be one thing i'm not often found doing."

Laurence just has to laugh softly. "If there were dancing we'd be left in the dust. You're a spirited young lassie-" A pause. "Lady that is, a spirited young lady…" He corrects as he catches his natural accent slipping out there. "So we could drink and you could dance or you could pull us both into a stumbling match."

The drink has gone a bit too much to Phil's head and she laughs and tries to move away from Laurence only to fall into him as he predicted. "I think you might be right," she says with another laugh. She drapes her arm around the back of his neck and says, "I think you'd better take me home." But just because she might as well she uses her other hand to pick up her glass and downs the rest of her drink before returning the glass to the bar. "Good night Graham," she says, slightly slurring her words.

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