by the time the bar closes (rose) // august 2023

[Seth Wishart]

It had been a good night. Seth hadn't as much to drink as he often did, mainly because he was with Rose and getting so hammered he could neither talk nor walk and possibly passing out on her, didn't seem like the most effective way to impress her. He'd had a fair bit though, and so had she, and both were happily tipsy (or slightly beyond tipsy, on Seth's part at least), without being in such a state that they wouldn't remember it tomorrow. There had been a party on at one of the festival bars, which the whole of Seth's company had been at. There had been kareoke, which he had taken part in (fortunately, he could actually sing, even when drunk, although he probably wouldn't have been quite as happy to get up and serenade her if he hadn't had as much to drink as he had).

They were the first to leave, and Seth was trying not to think of what might happen when they got back to the flat they were staying in. There had been a fair amount of kissing already, and he wasn't entirely sure where she was going to want to sleep... This was her first night here, and when his flatmates had heard he was having a girl to stay, they had promptly rearranged the sleeping arrangements so that he and Rose would have a bedroom together. Seth had protested that they weren't sleeping together, to which the response had been 'well, it's there if you want, and nobody'll interrupt you so long as you close the door.' He had found a couple of the others before leaving, to tell them he was heading home, and had been rewarded with a knowing grin and a lewd wink, which he had refused to respond to. He couldn't deny that if she was up for it, he definitely would be too, but if she wasn't then that was equally okay.

There were still a few people about on the streets, party goers going home (or moving on to the next party), although it was already into the early hours. Edinburgh never slept during the festival. Advertisement flyers from the day were scattered on the pavements, and every free surface was covered with posters for this show or that. Seth's gait was slightly unsteady, but not so much that he couldn't easily have controlled the stagger that took him up very close to her as they walked down the street, his arm going round her waist in a gesture that might have simply been to steady himself slightly. He looked down at her, alcohol and the buzz of the festival, and his proximity to Rose Weasley, making his eyes sparkle and his grin almost involuntary.

"Good night?" he asked her, not removing his arm.

[Rose Weasley]

Rose was equally more than a little sloshed, cheap beer and cocktails and the excitement of being in Edinburgh during festival season combining to make her feel rather intoxicated in a very delicious way, a feeling egged along by the feel of Seth Wishart's hand slipping around her waist.

She'd arrived first thing that morning, apparating in somewhat of a slightly wobbly fashion - and falling over upon arriving, as usual - to the address Seth had given her, and she felt like they hadn't stopped since. She'd met his boss, the actors, the director, their friends, people passing by... everyone she felt she possibly could've. A fair few had given her the sort of knowing look that was enough to make her blush, although admittedly, it didn't generally take much, especially not if Seth was involved.

They'd been out to do the show, and she'd watched - it had been wonderful, and she could see why he was so completely taken with this lifestyle. The party at the bar afterwards had been equally brilliant, if not purely for the fact that they'd snuck in a couple of prolonged kisses in private corners. Somewhere between that sunny afternoon on her lawn and now, Rose had realised that she well and truly was falling for Seth, and although that scared her half-witless, it was also exhilarating and exciting and all the things it should be, and that she hadn't really felt since Kaycee. She still felt with some part of her conscience that Seth deserved much better than she could give, but she felt too selfish to give him up entirely now.

She had no idea precisely where she was stopping tonight, but if Seth was there, she wouldn't care much at all. She wasn't sure who'd first suggested they go, or why precisely (though she knew precisely what she wanted to do to him...), but at the minute, walking down the Fringe with Seth's arm around her hips, the remnants of partiers and festival-goers spilling out into the street felt a little bit like perfection.

"Brilliant," she pronounced happily, tilting her head onto his shoulder as she looked up at him, her own arm sliding around his waist in return - and not only for purposes of improved balancing whilst drunk. Seth was gooooorgeous. "I loved your show, and your friends are nice, even if the girl with the mohican is a bit scary, and I love Edinburgh, and I've had an amazing day, so thank-you for being so lovely." She sounded merry, and more effusive than she would have normally, but the sentiment was real and sincere.

[Seth Wishart]

Seth laughed happily as she rambled about the day. He had also had a good day, everything brightened by her presence. And yes, he had been showing off slightly, but she didn't seem to mind... He'd been a bit worried about the fact that she was officially underage in the Muggle world, but there had been nobody on the door of the bar thank goodness, and the guys serving drinks knew him, and hadn't even questioned who the other drink he was buying every time was for.

He still felt slightly like he was holding onto something that could slip through his fingers at any moment with Rose, but he was beginning to be able to feel a little more secure with it. He still didn't really know what she felt for him, or what it was that they had between them, but after all she'd come to stay with him... it couldn't mean nothing, could it? It was nice to feel her arm go round him though, another little bit of reassurance that it did all mean something to her after all.

"They are nice," he agreed, on the subject of his friends, "So are you. I'm glad you came." He turned his head to press a kiss against the side of hers. Right now, with the alcohol taking the edge off everything, the world felt like a wonderful place. "What d'you want to do tomorrow?" he went on, "Today, I mean; it's already tomorrow. I don't have to run the show, so we can do whatever you want... See shows, wander round, climb Arthur's Seat..."

They arrived outside the Raddison, and Seth paused, then veered off towards the taxi rank, his arm still round her. "Come on," he said cheerfully, "Let's do it the Muggle way. I'd splinch myself if I try and Apparate like this," he confessed, then grinned, "Plus, I can't kiss you in the back of an Apparition..."

[Rose Weasley]

"I'm glad I came too," Rose agreed, wrapping her other arm around him as well as she did so. The evening wasn't cold - it was August - but there was a bit of a night-time snap around, and the warmth of Seth's body against hers made her feel secure and brazen all in one go. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Seth's cheek in return, but alcohol had befuddled her aim somewhat, and she just caught the corner of his mouth instead.

"All of it!" she grinned beatifically at him, releasing one of her arms to better aid their wonky progress towards the row of taxis. She wanted to do as much these couple of days as she possibly could, and to make the most of every minute of it, however that was spent. Looking back over her shoulder at the Radisson, her eyes widened, "It's a castle-hotel, like Hogwarts, but forever!" Whatever she'd been drinking evidently heightened her capacity to say daft things, as well as her ambition. She hadn't really thought through the point that she was still underage in the Muggle world, but Seth had bought her drinks, and several of his mates had also offered her sips of their drinks and so on, and she hadn't wanted to refuse. She wasn't sure if Seth actually knew what his friends had been doing though.

"You could kiss me in a taxi, though," Rose said, somewhat obviously continuing his point, and then stopping so that he turned to face her, arms still intertwined around each other. "You could kiss me here as well."

[Seth Wishart]

Seth wasn’t sure if she’d meant to kiss him on the lips and missed slightly, or on the cheek and... also missed slightly, but he didn’t really care, because she was here and he was here, and they had the next couple of days to do as much kissing as they wanted, without fear of interruption, which was all that really mattered in the world at the moment.

“Sounds good to me,” he agreed cheerfully, before glancing back at the hotel with some bemusement, “Ok, you really are drunk,” he commented with a grin, “It was built in about the 1980s, I think, sweetheart. If you want a castle, look up there...” he gestured back up the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle. He couldn’t really talk about her being drunk though – his words might make more sense than hers, but he was struggling to form them properly, and his vowels seemed to be getting mixed up with his consonants.

He widened his eyes at her in pretended surprise at her suggestion. “Hey, you’re right, I never thought of that! Always wondered what the important difference was between taxis and Apparition and there you go, we’ve found it!” he broke off grinning as she stopped them and he found himself looking down at her, “Well, I could,” he agreed thoughtfully, his other arm sneaking round her, “If you wanted me to...” He tilted his head questioningly at her. He hoped he knew the answer, but he waited for her to give it, more to tease than because he thought she might not.

[Rose Weasley]

"It does have a turret, though," Rose rationalised cheerfully, raising her eyebrows at him as he called her 'sweetheart'. It wasn't that she minded, in fact, she thought she might like to get to a soppy-nickname-calling stage with Seth, but rather that the basis of whatever this was - the odd snatched snog at school if they'd been bored or drunk at a party or just there, a friendship between them developing in its own right, the prospect of a little bit of a summer fling - hadn't exactly been conducive to, well, relationshippy stuff so far, or at all even. She looked up at him, wrinkling up her nose playfully, "Sweetheart?" she teased, "You've definitely been round theatre types too much recently, darling!"

She stuck her tongue out at him in reply to his accusations of her drunkenness, which probably did little to ascertain her sobriety. "You are too," she retorted happily, squeezing the arm around his waist a little, "And it was your fault and your friends' fault that I'm tipsy - not drunk!" She looked in the direction of his gesture, and saw something that was definitely a better castle. "Could we go there tomorrow, maybe?"

Rose shoved him a little as he made fun of her, but then wobbled herself. She hadn't realised quite how much she'd been leaning on him for balance. Righting herself, she stepped a little closer to Seth, and leant in, lips parted-

"You're right," she announced, "If I kiss you, I'll get boy germs. Ew." Trying not to laugh at herself - because that wasn't cool, no matter how much she'd drunk - she hooked her arms around Seth's neck so that she could draw him a little closer, and actually did kiss him this time. It was as good as it had been at the bar, and that time before in the bar, and just before they went in, and the interval, and... she stopped trying to make a mental list of Times Rose Weasley Kissed Seth Wishart.

Tilting her head back a little to catch a breath, she smiled at him, "Definite reason people get taxis instead of apparating."

[Seth Wishart]

OOC - I'm not sure how well you can actually see the castle from the Radisson, at least in the dark... but artistic license and all that, I suppose...

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"It does," Seth acknowledged that undeniable truth, "Though I still think Hogwarts towers are better..." He grinned sheepishly as she picked up on his phrasing, going a bit red. "I know I have," he acknowledged, "Sorry..." He hoped she didn't read too much into it - it had just slipped out, because if he was honest, it was the sort of language a lot of his colleagues used in normal speech. It didn't mean anything romantic. Well, it sort of did, in that he did, in fact, fancy her quite a lot, but that fact wasn't really related to what he'd just called her.

"Yep, I am," he grinned at her, "Not as drunk as I could be though... and I'm not going to say sorry for getting you drunk, not when I'm at least as drunk as you... Anyway, it's part of the Edinburgh experience. And I think it's expensive," he added vaguely, "I've never been... but I'm up for it if you are..." he staggered a little as she pushed him, his balance not quite what it might be, but laughed as she nearly overbalanced too. "You'll have us both on the floor if you do that," he told her, "And we'll look like two drunks..."

He was still laughing as she talked about boy germs, but she was kissing him before he had a chance to respond. Seth tried - without much success - not to think about how fucking brilliant kissing her actually felt, and how much he'd missed it - and her - since he'd last seen her. He was breathless when she pulled back, and looked down at her, his eyes slightly widened. "Shit..." he breathed, "I think you just caught boy germs, for sure.... What are you going to do about it?" A taxi pulled up beside them at this point, and Seth turned enough to pull the door open and hold it for her. "I think the ambulance is here... Get in, and I'll play doctor," he told her ridiculously," he gave the unimpressed taxi driver a cheerful grin, and called the address to him as he prepared to climb in himself.

[Rose Weasley]

it's alright, i've no idea -- my family's glaswegian, i've never been to edinburgh!
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You want me on the floor," Rose pulled a face, then crinkled her nose up, her expression puzzled, "That didn't even make sense, did it, not even a little bit?" She shook her head ruefully. "Hogwarts is the bestest place ever, except The Burrow, and I'm doing this weekend on the cheap, so maybe we could go somewhere free instead?" she suggested.

"Damn," Rose's face was grave, but her lips were still slightly parted and her eyes were sparkling in the light spilling out from the street lights and nearby buildings. She giggled at his dramatic rendering of the situation, scrambling in to the back of the taxi and taking Seth's hand as he slid in after her. She waited whilst Seth spoke to the somewhat brusque driver, sliding her hand up his thigh as he gave him the address. They'd ended up practically sat in one another's laps, such was their proximity, and so she only had to turn her head to whisper a little huskily into his ear, "So, tell me about your 'medical qualifications', Wishart..."

As far as chat-up lines went, it probably wouldn't win any awards for finesse, but she was drunk (drunk enough to be doing this in the first place, for a start), and reeling slightly still from that last kiss, which she was sure probably wasn't normal, and she just didn't care.

[Seth Wishart]

"Well, I won't deny that," Seth grinned at her, the alcohol meaning that he was saying things that he would definitely at least have hesitated over when he was sober, "Though maybe not here... The ground looks a bit hard and cold." He raised his eyebrows quizzically at her. "Where's the Burrow? And yeah," he added witha grin, "Well, I'm a poor theatre type, so I don't mind cheap... Though y'know," he went on hastily, "I'm hosting this weekend so I don't mind paying for some things... so long as you don't decide that means dinner at the most expensive restaurant in Edinburgh, followed by the opera..."

He found himself in the taxi, unsure quite how they'd ended up so close, but definitely not minding too much. Her hand was in a slightly dangerous place, he registered dimly, as her voice in his ear made him shudder a little, even as he grinned.

"That'll be Doctor Wishart to you!" he quipped back, doing no better than her in terms of chat up lines, but not caring any more than she did either. He shifted his body to face her slightly as the taxi moved off, one hand creeping to her waist, "Hm... well, I've heard this disease is a bit like smallpox..." he grinned at her in the darkness, drunkenly following whatever thread they'd started, because it seemed to be going somewhere positive, "The only cure involves more exposure..."

He couldn't help being aware that this was the sort of situation - heading back to his place in a taxi, with a girl he'd spent the evening (and most of the afternoon) snogging - that generally only led to one thing. And although he wasn't assuming anything at all, he'd be a liar if he said that the idea of having sex with her this weekend hadn't crossed his mind the odd time. He wondered when the right time was to bring up where exactly she was going to sleep...

[Rose Weasley]

"Oh!" Rose grinned before she'd even realised what Seth had actually said, "It did make sense then!" Oddly, she registered the fact that Seth even had nice eyebrows, although - probably luckily - the tiny part of her brain still sober enough to function correctly managed to filter that part out before she said it, and so her only further reaction was for her smile to turn a little less innocent as she worked out that Seth was on about shagging her. Drunk she may be, but that was something she thought she'd appreciate even when not drunk.

"The Burrow is Granny's house," she explained, "Like... Weasley HQ. It's fab." She frowned a little, poking him in the ribs. "It's the twenty-first century, guests in places that aren't really the host's can pay their own way, don't you worry!"

The slightly fierce (not very, at all) look on her face dissipated as she giggled, "Doctor Wishart?" The idea of Seth being a Healer, or a muggle doctor or whatever was just mind-boggling. He was beautiful and dramatic and musical - even at Hogwarts, she'd never seen him fit in so perfectly as he did here in Edinburgh. "Nice anag- analogy though," she said approvingly, after she'd worked out that he probably meant that she needed more exposure to the 'dreaded' 'boy-germs', rather than wanting her to take her top off - not that she'd object, but possibly not in the back of this particular taxi. "Define 'more exposure'," she demanded gently, her spare hand reaching up to cup the side of his face. It really was a lovely, lovely face.

[Seth Wishart]

"Well, it did to me," Seth assured her, with a grin, "But maybe I just took it the wrong way." The mood he was in, there was really only one way he was going to take anything, and that was the 'wrong' one.

"Oh right," he nodded his understanding, "Yeah, my grandparents' house is kind of like that, except we haven't got half a million cousins," he laughed, "And their house probably isn't as interesting as the the what-d'you-call-it, the Burrow. More horses though. At least I expect so. Unless your Gran and Grandad have horses... " he rambled, slightly nonsensically. His grandparents' house was a large Georgian mansion, but as he'd grown up visiting it, it didn't seem like anything very special. A completely magical house seemed a lot more exotic - and now he came to think of it, he seemed to remember Fred and James talking about the place, and some of their stories were definitely interesting. "Well, fine then," he told her, grabbing the hand that had poked him in the ribs and not letting go, "But don't say I didn't offer..."

He pulled a face at her. "No need to sound so disbelieving - I'd make a bloody good doctor, ok?" She was very close, and in the darkness it seemed very intimate - he could smell whatever perfume she was wearing and feel the warmth of her body, and it made his head spin with a lot more than alcohol. "Define it..." he repeated distractedly, "I don't know... Don't think my vocalbu... vocablary's up to it," he garbled his attempt to use a long word in his current state, "How about I show you instead?" He gently lifted her hand away from his face and pressed a kiss to it before leaning forwards to snare her lips again. He kissed her deeply, losing himself in the feel of her and the taste of her, almost forgetting where they were until a loud "Oi" broke in on them, and he realised that the taxi had stopped outside the house they were staying in.

[Rose Weasley]

OOC-- I'd forgotten Seth was presumptive heir to some barony that Rosie has no knowledge of...
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"But maybe," Rose's other hand crept to Seth's chest, "The wrong way is actually the right way, so we should just carry on doing whatever we're going to do, because you are lovely."

She grinned at his scant description of his grandparents' house - maybe all grandparents' houses were wonderful, she thought for a moment, before she remembered Scorpius for a moment. The slightly sombre reflection on her friend's - he was her friend, sort of, it still seemed weird to think that - home life was only brief though, because Seth took her hand, and she was lacing her fingers through his, amazed at the way everything seemed to fit just right, a little bit like magic. "No, no horses," she said, faux-dolefully, "But I'd like it if there were - Seb and Chloe showed me how to ride." She brightened up a little, "Offer noted, Doctor Wishart, don't you worry!"

"Okay," she nodded her agreement cheerfully, resisting the urge to kiss the funny face he was apparently intent on pulling. Seth wasn't the only one feeling the effects of their proximity, and as he kissed her hand and then kissed her properly, Rose felt like she practically melted against him, her entire body yielding. A fortuitously sharp corner made her slide even closer to him, and she tucked her leg over one of his, moving ever-so-slightly over him, or, at least as much as kissing in the back of a taxi cab would allow. She could feel his hands and his mouth, and see his face, lit up in regular flashes by the yellow street lamps they passed, and nothing else in the whole world mattered any more. It hadn't all day, if she was honest with herself, not since she'd got here.

She started guiltily at the taxi driver's gruff interruption, and then giggled, unable to help herself although she tried her best to muffle it. Sliding bumpily over Seth and out of the door, she only wobbled slightly as she found her feet, waiting for Seth to pay the taxi driver - she'd let him have that one, she needed to be sober to work Muggle money properly - as she still kept a hold of his hand.

[Seth Wishart]

ooc - Haha, well it's a very small baronetcy and he finds it quite embarrassing because he actually grew up in left wing theatre circles. Didn't we have a conversation with Becca where we realised that you have two characters seeing secret millionaires?

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Seth stared at her for a moment, his mouth slightly open as he tried to work out exactly what she meant there. Because what it sounded like was something very promising indeed... "You're kind of lovely yourself," he murmured, choosing not to answer her first words because he wasn't sure what she meant by them, and he wasn't quite sure how to ask either, "And gorgeous, and fun..." he broke off, though he could have thought of a dozen more adjectives for her, but he was in danger of telling her exactly how much he liked her, and they hadn't gone there yet, and he wasn't sure that drunk in the back of a taxi was the right moment.

"You'll have to come out and meet my grandparents' horses," he went on, not even realising that coming to meet his grandparents might be a step too far for her at this stage, "My Grandma'll love you if you can ride... Just don't ask her questions about her own riding or you'll be hearing all about how she was County Dressage Champion back in the day, and how disappointing it is that we're all more interested in theatre and music..." he said, completely good-naturedly.

There had been pent up tension in him all day. Spending so much time with her had been great; one of the best days he could remember. But he'd also found himself wanting to touch her all the time - just little touches mostly, like a brush of fingers over hers, a hand on the small of her back as they exited a room, a nudge of his leg against hers when they sat down together. Touches that left him wanting more and more of her, and now, the alcohol lifting his inhibitions, it felt as if he couldn't get enough - She went to his head as quickly and easily as the shots they'd drunk in the bar, and the interruption was probably a good thing, he thought as scrambled out past him, allowing his head to clear a little, because he hadn't been very aware at all of where they were...

Swallowing back his own laughter, he paid the driver as quickly as he could (managing not to drop any coins) and then fumbled for his keys as the taxi pulled away. He opened the door, and then turned towards her, pulling her in for another kiss before they stepped inside. "I don't think that taxi driver was too impressed..." he murmured, laughter in his voice, then pulled back far enough to look at her, unable to see her face properly in the darkness, which was lit only by a street light a few yards down. The moment couldn't be put off much longer. "Rose..." he began slowly, remembering her words from earlier, about carrying on doing whatever they were going to do. Part of him was actually scared by what they might mean, because he wasn't really sure he knew how to carry on without messing things up. "Rose, I don't know where you want to sleep..." he said quietly, "I've got a room to myself, and you can have it if you want and I'll sleep somewhere else... Or, y'know, we could share, which would be kind of nice, and we wouldn't have to do anything, unless you wanted to I mean..." he trailed off, aware that he was rambling, and looking at her hopefully, for some guidance on this issue that had been occupying his mind quite a bit.

[Rose Weasley]

yup, that'd be me. well, my characters at least...
------------------

"Gorgeous and fun, huh?" Rose beamed at him tipsily, for once taking the compliment, and she patted his cheek fondly, "Not so bad yourself, mister!" She was also dangerously close to spilling out more than she'd intended to, but then Seth was on about horses, and that was possibly more interesting than feelings, and definitely much safer. She pulled a funny face, "I can't do dressage, just riding bareback over fields, really. Sometimes even with a saddle! So she might not like me either, really, even though I've never been on a theatre stage thing."

She followed him the short distance to the door, willing acquiescing as he pulled her in for another kiss. It was easier than in the back of the taxi, and her hands slid down to her waist as she pulled him even closer, and then he pulled away, and she laughed at his feeble quip, nodding as she agreed - the taxi driver had definitely been less than chuffed with their (relatively) unusual public snogging session.

And then he spoke again, and she felt ridiculous. "Um," Rose hesitated, shuffling her feet on the ground as she suddenly felt very stupid. Had all that stuff about 'wrong time, wrong place' at her house over the summer actually been 'wrong girl'? Maybe she'd been reading wrong all the signs she thought she'd been reading, perhaps blind hope and the fact that she really bloody fancied Seth were making her see things that weren't there. Because she wanted to find out where this was going, and enjoy every minute of it, but it seemed he'd rather they stopped with a snog in a taxi and a kiss at the door, which she supposed was gentlemanly, but definitely not what she wanted at all. She looked at her feet, before forcing herself to look up and see what she could of his face in the dim light - it wasn't his fault she'd deluded herself into this after all. "I, um," she said awkwardly, "I did think you, er, wanted to... y'know. But, erm, I was evidently wrong, I think, so I can sleep somewhere else so I don't make you feel uncomfortable."

[Seth Wishart]

"I can't do dressage either," Seth said, rather pointlessly, moving away from dangerous ground, "And she won't care, you like horses, that's enough for her. Though, she doesn't know about the whole magic thing, so you might want to keep quiet on that one..."

As she talked, Seth realised that he'd been incredibly unclear as to what he actually meant, and she'd got entirely the wrong idea. He'd been trying to be tactful and non-pushy, and she now apparently thought he wasn't interested, whereas in reality, he was - very interested. He wanted her so much that every time he kissed her it felt like things were about to slip out of control.

"No... Rose..." he began quickly, and as firmly as he could, as she stopped talking, "Rose, I... I do want to. I mean, I really want to," he said, the truth evident in his face and voice, "I just wasn't sure if, if you did. But if you do, then that's great," he stumbled on, unable to keep the eagerness and excitement out of his voice, though there were nerves too. He didn't even know how experienced Rose was - whether it was more or less than him. It could quite easily be more, since he'd only ever had sex once, though he didn't really want to have to admit that. Maybe it would actually be a good thing if she knew what she was doing... Unable to think of any more words to tell her just how badly he wanted to carry on along the way they'd started, instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in through the door, shoving it shut behind them before turning to face her again.

"Don't know how to convince you any more," he muttered, pulling her close to him once more, "But I'd really like you in my bed..." He kissed her again, this time wrapping his arms round her waist and holding nothing back, now there was nobody to see them, his tongue pressing into her mouth and against hers, pulling her as close as was physically possible.