"I think he's hired"
"No, Penelope, you think he's good looking"
"Not at all Patience…his bar skills are clearly exemplary…"
"Clearly" Patience turned to face her eldest cousin head-on. "Penelope we are not hiring a bar man merely on how exceptionally good he looks in that suit"
"Hypocrite" Penelope murmured so low it was barely audible but Patience heard her.
"Excuse me?"
"You my dear cousin are a hypocrite," She repeated and Patience was shocked.
"What? I am not" Penelope just continued to stare at her "Well, why on earth would I be a hypocrite? Do tell." She prompted.
"Well you have your piece of…" she smiled cheesily "meat. And now you won't let me have mine!" She whined.
"W-w-what?" Patience stuttered through laughter at Penelope's turn of phrase, "What piece of meat?"
"Gordon" Penelope sing-songed.
"Gordon is not my…'piece of meat,'" Patience denied but the blush that rushed to her cheeks told a different story.
"Don't be ashamed Patience. You deserve somebody. You can't mourn over Bert all your life" Penelope told her warmly, referring to Patience's ex-lover who had been killed in the war.
"I know, you're right" She admitted, "But Gordon isn't my piece of meat," She denied.
"Oh please, stop being so coy. You're all over him," Penelope acknowledged with a slight smile. "It's been driving dear Phoebe crazy"
"Phoebe's married" Patience stated.
"Aha!" Penelope exclaimed, pointing at her cousin with conviction. "He is your piece of meat!"
"Okay, fine, I'll admit it. Just as long as you stop using the phrase 'piece of meat'."
"Agreed" Penelope shook hands on it triumphantly.
"So driving Phoebe crazy is it?" Patience prodded
"Completely"
"Well, she shouldn't be going after Gordon anyway. I mean she is married"
"Not for long by the sound of it" Penelope said knowingly.
"You really think they're going to get divorced?" Patience asked concerned.
"If things don't change between them" her cousin answered, equally concerned, "and it doesn't look like they're going to anytime soon"
Suddenly music burst through the speakeasy as the first notes of a song were played on a piano followed by other instruments joining in. People who moments ago had been lazing on sofas, pillows on floors or drifting aimlessly and talking in the rooms suddenly gained direction as they grabbed a partner and ran to the dance floor. Once the dance floor filled up people used other dance space and began to dance. As the singer on the stage burst out courageously into song Penelope turned to her cousin.
"Well, since both our meats are busy want to dance?" She asked
"I thought you promised not to use that phrase anymore" Patience pointed out, but Penelope ignored her and just grabbed her hand.
"Come and dance cousin," She laughed, dragging Patience onto clear dancing space
"Only one thing stops you dear, you're too good, we're too good" The singer belted out and losing themselves in the music Patience and Penelope began to dance. However, half way through the song they were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. The two turned around to see their other cousin Phoebe.
"Where's the warlock blinding potion?" She asked them.
"What? Why?" Patience asked, immediately stopping dancing.
"To feed next door's cat," she replied sarcastically. "Because warlocks keep blinking in and I can't frost them long enough to say the vanquishing spell," She informed them.
"It's in the kitchen. The cupboard above the sink" Patience told her.
"We'll fend them off till you get it" Penelope said before running off to the attic with Patience.
Patience and Penelope entered the attic to see three frost covered, immobile warlocks and two that were not so mobile. One of which threw an athame at Penelope, which she dodged excellently, and the athame flew past and embedded itself in the wall. She ran over to it and pulled it out of the wall and threw it back at its owner with fantastic aim and he burst into flame. He was immediately replaced by another blinking in and a miniature battle ensued between the warlocks and witches.
"Got the potion!" Phoebe announced as she came back into the room a few moments later. She briefly took in the fact that both her cousins were in deep hand-to-hand combat with the warlocks before she threw the potion down. A blinding flash went off and the warlocks stumbled around putting their hands to their eyes. The two cousins backed up to join hands with Phoebe. Phoebe held a piece of paper with scribbled writing on it, in front of them. "Say this spell" She told them.
"Take this spell blessed be
And multiply its power by three
And these words shall vanquish thee!"
The warlocks, one by one, exploded until there were none left. In the silence, the three cousins could slightly hear the music downstairs come to an end.
"Nice work cousins" Penelope told them, patting each of them supportively on the shoulder before heading to the attic door. As she stood in the doorway she turned to face her cousins "I'm going to seduce the barman" She said breathily, striking an over-the-top pose in the doorway and Patience and Phoebe burst into laughter. "Laugh you may" She smiled "But you have to admit-Jake Larson and Penelope Russell-it has a ring to it" She walked down the attic stairs leaving her cousins laughing hysterically at her in the attic.
"Does she know he's married with a daughter?" Phoebe asked.
"Best not to burst her bubble" Patience laughed back.
