And skies are only empty if you don't got time
Might as well lie down and find yourself some road

June 2nd, 1888 - The Augurey Beak Cafe

"I'm just saying that I think Divination is completely made up," Kieran said mildly. Eileen and Kieran were in the middle of an extended discussion re: the morning's newspaper. He doubted that they were actually in disagreement - they were usually in sync on most things, although Kieran was arguably more of a nihilist - but Miss Valentine's supposed talents were more fascinating than arguing over different ales again.

They probably would have moved on to something else sooner or later, but the bell above the door jangled. Kieran looked up from the newspaper to spot the woman who had just walked in. "You!" he called, "Pretty blonde, you were at May Day!"

He had a good memory for faces - especially for people who talked to Jude, hm - but not for names. Kieran gestured for pretty blonde to come over, and then pointed at the newspaper.

"Want to talk Divination? We'll buy you a drink," he said. It was mid-afternoon, so it was even a decent time to buy a drink!

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The May Day festivities were a mere memory now but the young men she had met that day had made quite the impression and it was for them she had made her way first to London and then to the Augurey Beak Café. To say she was surprised was quite the understatement. Jude Wright had been like sunshine that day so to think that he spent time in this positively dreary place didn’t quite gel in Betsy’s mind.

But it didn’t deter her. It wasn’t as though there was anything to be frightened of after all and she was quite accustomed to looking after herself. And she wasn’t the only girl in the place either, which was reassuring and she watched the young woman for a long, slightly hypnotic moment before a voice called her over and, like a puppet on a string, she immediately obliged.

“Divination?” She frowned bemusedly as she realised what he had said to her. “I don’t know a thing. Isn’t it all just rubbish?”

  

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MJ is a beautiful wizard

After a shift at the Cauldron, Eileen was very much done with her day. Fortunately it was only mid-afternoon and she actually had time to kill at the cafe. She didn't hang around often without the rest of the crew, but Kieran had been determined to get a drink and so Leeny had tagged along.

With her feet up on the table, as usual, and the bartender shooting her dirty looks about it, Eileen turned her attention on Kieran again as he continued to ramble on about some seer in the Prophet. "It's bollocks Key the lot of it, please don't make me say it again." Divination was useless and ridiculous and anybody who put any stock into it was just as foolish.

Apparently her opinion wasn't enough however, as her roommate hollered at a pretty blonde who had just walked in. On a sigh, Leeny let her feet fall from the table; being rude to annoy the bartender was fun, being rude to some poor girl that just wandered into the cafe was unnecessary. "Ha! See! A bunch a bullshit." Eileen laughed, swearing without meaning to considering new company. She cast Kieran that know-it-all grin of hers when the girl agreed with her. Well at least there was that.

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Kieran grinned at Pretty Blonde, and gestured for her to sit down between him and Eileen. "I didn't say it wasn't bullshit," he said, "I said that it sounds like she really has gotten people together. Inner Eye or not, something's working." Perhaps Miss Valentine was just particularly good at cutting through the bullshit that people surrounded themselves with; that was a talent deserving of some level of awe.

"Drink of choice?" Kieran asked their new friend. And they were going to be friends; he'd already decided that as soon as she walked in the door.

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The friendliness was slightly unexpected given the settings but from the young man’s demeanour – and the fact that he had another girl with him – she was only mildly concerned about being murdered. Not enough that she didn’t take the seat that was offered to her with a smile, looking between the two as she tried to think of what she usually drank.

Not much. Her job saw her up with the larks so being a regular attendee of the alehouse was not on the cards. Still, when in Rome.

“Erm…I’ll have whatever she’s having,” she replied, nodding towards the mysterious, dark-haired girl.

  

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MJ is a beautiful wizard

"I really don't see the big deal. She's probably just scamming people out of money." Honestly anyone who fell for that was an utter fool and deserved to lose their money.

Wrapping her fingers around her glass, Eileen looked at the Pretty Blonde with a quirked eyebrow, amused. "It's whiskey, do yeh drink whiskey?" She may have been petite, but she could keep up with her friends when she wanted to and cheap whiskey was the way to go. It really was an acquired taste though and their new friend looked far more proper than Eileen had ever been in her entire life.

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"It's alright if you don't," Kieran said with a grin, "Whiskey can be kind of repulsive." Especially cheap whiskey that the Augurey sold, which was an acquired taste-slash-habit. Pretty Blonde didn't look the whiskey type, Kieran reflected, as he took a sip of his whiskey.

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It had never been her drunk in truth, but really Betsy had never had a drink at all, just sips of various things. And they seemed to be knocking it back so how hard could it possibly be to drink! Plus, and it was as irritating as it was plain to Betsy, she wanted to impress them.

Especially…well…

“I’m sure I can manage it,” she said with a grin, knocking it back and finding, peculiarly, that though rough it didn’t burn quite as much as she thought it might. “See. I’m a natural.”

  

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MJ is a beautiful wizard

Eileen was pleasantly surprised to watch the Pretty Blonde tip back a measure of whiskey with minimal difficulty. It was kind of impressive really. "Look at you go. I'm Eileen by the way, this is Kieran." She nudged her best friend and roommate with her elbow affectionately and took a sip of her own whiskey.

"Don't think I've seen yeh around here before?" Not that Eileen spent as much time here as everyone else, but their new friend didn't even look vaguely familiar.

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Kieran was dead pleased to see Pretty Blonde drink the whiskey successfully, and grinned to show it. Sure, his grin was a bit wide and mischievous, but it was a grin nonetheless. "She met Jude at May Day," Kieran supplied, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. (This was going to be rather awkward if he'd gotten the wrong blonde.)

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She smiled dreamily at the thought of the young man she had essentially followed to this drinking establishment, hoping it wasn't too blatant that she had come for him and found herself with others. Not that they weren't quite intriguing themselves, but the bright sunshine from Jude's hair still blinded her a little.

"Betsy. He showed me his pamphlets."

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   Eileen Buchanan

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MJ is a beautiful wizard

Eileen snorted. She couldn't help herself. It was in response to both of their statements, of course Kieran said something about Jude and Betsy didn't help at all. Then again, maybe Leeny just had a dirty mind.

"I'll bet he did," She mumbled over her whiskey, smirking the whole time. "And is that what enticed you down to our little slice of heaven?" Leeny could see somebody following Jude around (coughKierancoughcough), he was rather magnetic that way, but it amused her nevertheless.

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   Elias Grimstone, Elladora Black

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"Oh, his pamphlets," Kieran echoed cheerfully. He couldn't blame her - he had started coming here just to fling himself up against the rocks of Jude's idealism and see if he could get a reaction. Betsy seemed to be here for more wholesome reasons, though.

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The tone of the girl's voice left Betsy under no illusion that she had been rumbled and her intentions towards Jude Wright were as plain as day. On the other hand she had never exactly strived to be a subtle young woman and so she smiled back sweetly, eyes dancing with mischief, fully prepared to match anyone at their own game.

"He has a beautiful turn of phrase," she retorted, smiling from one to the other before her smile began to falter and she turned back to the girl, suddenly a little on edge. "Unless...I'm not treading on anybody's toes am I?"

  

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MJ is a beautiful wizard

Eileen cast a quick look at Kieran before bursting out into a full on, knee slapping, fit of laughter that most likely had a lot of people looking at her like she'd lost her mind. "No-" She laughed again, shaking her head. "Nope." It was all she could manage after nearly snorting her whiskey.

In retrospect, she should have considered how that would make Key feel, but her immediate reaction to anyone thinking she fancied Jude was purely incredulous. Wiping away a tear of mirth, Eileen straightened up and somehow recuperated her composure, mostly. "Love him, but not like that." He was a good guy and truthfully they weren't even that close, but she held a great deal of affection for all of the members of their little friend group.

It was Kieran who held a candle for Jude, but according to most people in society that was even more absurd than Leeny fancying him, so she couldn't exactly say that.

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Kieran would have felt awkward at Betsy's question, but Eileen's contagious laughter had him chuckling, too. Lucky. "Like Eileen said," he said, when he was done, "No toes to step on there."

"We have meetings, if you want to see him in full form," he added. Merlin, what had Jude done to him, that he'd descended into advertising their meetings personally? Kieran gestured behind him, at a poster that someone else had designed. "They're weekly." Even though members of the group could be found in the ABC at pretty much any time, the meetings were the only time all of them were in full swing. Maybe he'd try to provoke Jude a little extra at her first meeting, just so that Betsy got to see the full extent of his phrase.

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