It was particularly loud in the Bronze. Probably because the band playing,
Revels in Apathy, was especially popular. It was a shame that Willow had
decided to stay in tonight, Buffy thought, as she slid into her chair at
the table where Xander and Anya sat.
"Hey, Buff," Xander smiled. "How went the slayage?"
Taking a sip of her soda Buffy shook her head. "Kind of dead tonight. A couple of vamps lurking in the alleyway on my way here, but that's it."
"Oh well, good." Anya said. "Xander and I are going to dance now. I still think he has a crush on you and I don't--"
"An," Xander interrupted. "Lets just dance, okay? I'm sure Buffy will understand without a detailed explanation."
Buffy nodded as her friends headed to the dance floor and then stared into her drink. Originally, she had intended to be here with Riley tonight, but then a few days ago the bottom had fallen out of that relationship. Though she didn't want to admit it at first the guy was just too ordinary for her. She wanted something, well, she wasn't sure what, but it hadn't been Riley. So, now she was sitting her alone contemplating the mysticism of a slightly flat Coke. Maybe she should have crashed Willow's studyfest instead.
Cause that would have been a load of laughs. Sure.
Well, since she was here, Buffy decided, she might as well make the best of it. After all, the night was young, the vamps were dead, and she had nothing but time at the moment.
She broke her staring contest with her soda and scanned the room. There had to be some unattached guy she could ask to dance.
***
Severus frowned as they entered the loud building. There were lots of muggles, all apparently having some sort of upright seizures brought on by the pulsating noise bouncing around the room. No one seemed to be panicking, and there were a few people just watching on the sidelines. Apparently this was a form of relaxation. This just kept on getting better.
At least Sirius seemed a bit deflated. This was obviously not what he had in mind either. Perhaps he had been looking for a quieter place, like a tavern, a place perhaps where the average age of the patrons was above that of a sixth year even?
"Um, well, there are a lot of people. And there's music. That is music, right?"
Severus quirked a brow at him. "I would hardly describe it as such. Still, it does sound like something the Granger girl had playing when she demonstrated the device."
"Which device?" Sirius asked, caught up in looking around at all of the people.
Snape scowled trying to remember the name of the contraption. "I don't quite recall what she called it, but it was the one we were supposed to use to keep track of muggle news. It also played some jumble of sounds similar to this Granger insisted was music."
"Oh, right. Do you think all muggles wear so little clothing? Some of these girls are positively indecent. Which means, of course, there's one redeeming quality to this place." Sirius grinned.
"Why don't we find a table, Black, before you fall over your jaw or drool all over the floor." Snape snapped. The pounding of the beat in this place was giving him a headache and the light hurt his eyes. He just wanted Black to go home so he could as well. Perhaps a few drinks would help.
"You know, Snape, just because a pretty girl wouldn't willingly give you directions, much less spend time with you, is no reason to spoil my fun. I don't know why you insisted on coming anyway. You're just going to sit there with your bloody scowl and scare everyone away, thereby completely ruining my fun."
"If I'm fortunate." Snape waited until Black slid into one of the chairs at the small table they'd found. There was a half-empty glass on it, but appeared to be no one with a claim to the spot. Once his charge had returned to gawking like a teenager he headed to the bar.
The bartender was a slender man with disproportionately large hands and hair the color of straw. He looked up as Snape approached and smiled.
"Haven't seen you here before. What can I get you?"
Snape just stared at the man, glowering. Really, he wasn't sure how to answer the question. He was sure this place had nothing of the quality of firewhiskey, and he was unfamiliar with muggle beverages. However, when the man swallowed and started to turn away Severus spoke.
"Surprise me."
The bartender nodded and poured an amber liquid into a small glass. "Double shot of scotch, no ice." The man swallowed again and Severus took the drink and scowled more deeply. "And, hey, this one's on the house."
"Thank you." He drank the shot in one swallow and returned to the table with an empty glass. It didn't help.
***
Buffy grabbed a fresh soda from the bar as she headed back to her table. She'd found someone to dance with, and things had been fun for a while. She'd even flirted a bit. Then the guy had grabbed her ass and tried to shove his tongue down her throat. She hadn't meant to react as violently as she had, but the guy was a jerk. Still, she hoped she hadn't actually dislocated his shoulder.
This night was really turning out to suck. Especially since Xander and Anya had apparently snuck off while she was dancing.
And great, now it looked like someone had snatched her table she realized as she made her way through the crowd. Two someone's actually. Both male, both older, and one decidedly worth watching. He had dark hair, actually they both did. Maybe they were related? If so, Buffy could see why one was all cranky. He wasn't bad to look at but his nose was kind of on the big side, and his face looked like it would crack if he even thought about smiling. Still, his companion was a super hottie, and if they were related then cranky must get passed over a whole lot.
And while she felt bad about that, it even sort of reminded her of how Willow had said she felt when Xander was interested in, well everyone that wasn't Willow, she was still going to flirt with the hottie. So she was shallow. Tonight was about fun, and she intended to have some.
With that in mind she adjusted her black leather miniskirt and sashayed up to the table with her best flirtatious smile in place. "Gentlemen, I think you're in my seat.
She smiled when both men looked at her and hottie's jaw dropped. The night was looking up after all.
"Hey, Buff," Xander smiled. "How went the slayage?"
Taking a sip of her soda Buffy shook her head. "Kind of dead tonight. A couple of vamps lurking in the alleyway on my way here, but that's it."
"Oh well, good." Anya said. "Xander and I are going to dance now. I still think he has a crush on you and I don't--"
"An," Xander interrupted. "Lets just dance, okay? I'm sure Buffy will understand without a detailed explanation."
Buffy nodded as her friends headed to the dance floor and then stared into her drink. Originally, she had intended to be here with Riley tonight, but then a few days ago the bottom had fallen out of that relationship. Though she didn't want to admit it at first the guy was just too ordinary for her. She wanted something, well, she wasn't sure what, but it hadn't been Riley. So, now she was sitting her alone contemplating the mysticism of a slightly flat Coke. Maybe she should have crashed Willow's studyfest instead.
Cause that would have been a load of laughs. Sure.
Well, since she was here, Buffy decided, she might as well make the best of it. After all, the night was young, the vamps were dead, and she had nothing but time at the moment.
She broke her staring contest with her soda and scanned the room. There had to be some unattached guy she could ask to dance.
***
Severus frowned as they entered the loud building. There were lots of muggles, all apparently having some sort of upright seizures brought on by the pulsating noise bouncing around the room. No one seemed to be panicking, and there were a few people just watching on the sidelines. Apparently this was a form of relaxation. This just kept on getting better.
At least Sirius seemed a bit deflated. This was obviously not what he had in mind either. Perhaps he had been looking for a quieter place, like a tavern, a place perhaps where the average age of the patrons was above that of a sixth year even?
"Um, well, there are a lot of people. And there's music. That is music, right?"
Severus quirked a brow at him. "I would hardly describe it as such. Still, it does sound like something the Granger girl had playing when she demonstrated the device."
"Which device?" Sirius asked, caught up in looking around at all of the people.
Snape scowled trying to remember the name of the contraption. "I don't quite recall what she called it, but it was the one we were supposed to use to keep track of muggle news. It also played some jumble of sounds similar to this Granger insisted was music."
"Oh, right. Do you think all muggles wear so little clothing? Some of these girls are positively indecent. Which means, of course, there's one redeeming quality to this place." Sirius grinned.
"Why don't we find a table, Black, before you fall over your jaw or drool all over the floor." Snape snapped. The pounding of the beat in this place was giving him a headache and the light hurt his eyes. He just wanted Black to go home so he could as well. Perhaps a few drinks would help.
"You know, Snape, just because a pretty girl wouldn't willingly give you directions, much less spend time with you, is no reason to spoil my fun. I don't know why you insisted on coming anyway. You're just going to sit there with your bloody scowl and scare everyone away, thereby completely ruining my fun."
"If I'm fortunate." Snape waited until Black slid into one of the chairs at the small table they'd found. There was a half-empty glass on it, but appeared to be no one with a claim to the spot. Once his charge had returned to gawking like a teenager he headed to the bar.
The bartender was a slender man with disproportionately large hands and hair the color of straw. He looked up as Snape approached and smiled.
"Haven't seen you here before. What can I get you?"
Snape just stared at the man, glowering. Really, he wasn't sure how to answer the question. He was sure this place had nothing of the quality of firewhiskey, and he was unfamiliar with muggle beverages. However, when the man swallowed and started to turn away Severus spoke.
"Surprise me."
The bartender nodded and poured an amber liquid into a small glass. "Double shot of scotch, no ice." The man swallowed again and Severus took the drink and scowled more deeply. "And, hey, this one's on the house."
"Thank you." He drank the shot in one swallow and returned to the table with an empty glass. It didn't help.
***
Buffy grabbed a fresh soda from the bar as she headed back to her table. She'd found someone to dance with, and things had been fun for a while. She'd even flirted a bit. Then the guy had grabbed her ass and tried to shove his tongue down her throat. She hadn't meant to react as violently as she had, but the guy was a jerk. Still, she hoped she hadn't actually dislocated his shoulder.
This night was really turning out to suck. Especially since Xander and Anya had apparently snuck off while she was dancing.
And great, now it looked like someone had snatched her table she realized as she made her way through the crowd. Two someone's actually. Both male, both older, and one decidedly worth watching. He had dark hair, actually they both did. Maybe they were related? If so, Buffy could see why one was all cranky. He wasn't bad to look at but his nose was kind of on the big side, and his face looked like it would crack if he even thought about smiling. Still, his companion was a super hottie, and if they were related then cranky must get passed over a whole lot.
And while she felt bad about that, it even sort of reminded her of how Willow had said she felt when Xander was interested in, well everyone that wasn't Willow, she was still going to flirt with the hottie. So she was shallow. Tonight was about fun, and she intended to have some.
With that in mind she adjusted her black leather miniskirt and sashayed up to the table with her best flirtatious smile in place. "Gentlemen, I think you're in my seat.
She smiled when both men looked at her and hottie's jaw dropped. The night was looking up after all.
