Preparing for the big game, OPEN

[Murphy Teagan]

Saturday, October 18th (6:34 P.M.)

Unlike most men on a Saturday night, Murphy was not out drinking or picking up women. Instead he was walking around for hours, gathering his thoughts. He always did this the night before a big game. Being alone was the best way to mentally prepare himself for a game. Tomorrow, the Sidhe played the team from Japan. They had played the team many times before, and the outcome was never the same. After a few hours of walking his stomach was wracked with hunger pains. He knew most taverns and pubs would be filled with obnoxious Irish drunks, spilling beer and dancing jigs.

He also knew he was starving, and he didn't care at this point where he went. He pushed open the door to the Foggy Dew Pub, the first place he recognized. It was still early in the night so the place wasn't too packed. He was greeted with a few smiles and waves; fans most likely. He politely smiled back and headed over to a one person table. Even though all the fans who just greeted him were beautiful women, he would never admit to himself that he was desired. He especially looked dashing this evening, with his long sleeved black and white stripped button up, dark jeans and black rimmed glasses. His hair fell over his eyes in a messy fashion, and everytime he tried to fix it, it just made it worse.

A women came over to take his order and he simply told her he wanted a glass of water and a big plate of Shepards pie. She looked at him strangely but wrote down the order and was back in a instant with the ice water. He sipped on it gingerly as he watched the muggle television hanging above the bar. It was playing a wizards channel, starngely enough, and was showing the highlights from the Quidditch match played last Sunday. The two teams, The USA Foundry and the Spanish Snidgets, both looked like they were in excellent form. He couldn't wait to play them both again.

[Aisling Kenan]

Partying the night before a game was never high on Aisling’s list of things to do, but she was usually at least slightly more social than she was at that moment. She had gotten a few different invitations to varying ranges of get togethers, including a family dinner with her sister, but she had ended up blowing them all off. As a result, she was now wandering around the city alone, trying to convince herself that she needed to eat something.

She rarely ever became really nervous, but the first game of the season usually did it for her. Was she still good enough? Had she completely forgotten how to play in a proper game situation since the last season? She knew that she would be fine once she played the first game. She always was. I just have to get through tonight and tomorrow without making myself ill. She thought to herself as she stopped in front of the Foggy Dew Pub, a familiar place that she’d been to a few times before.

She really had no desire to go back home where she was by herself without any distractions to stop her from getting herself worked up, but the last thing she want to do was talk to any fans who recognised her from the team. She slipped through the door as some others left and looked around. A few people watched her curiously and she ducked her head. She really didn’t look much like herself at all; she was unusually pale, her hair pulled back and tied at the back of her head. She wore jeans as she ordinarily did, but they were covered by an over-sized, exceedingly comfortable sweater that she usually left at home. She hoped that the change in her presentation would keep anyone from recognising her at first glance, though she doubted that it would work for long.

As she took a step further into the pub her eyes alighted on a familiar face. She slowly made her way over to Murphy, grateful for the possibility of company, one that hopefully wouldn’t ask too many questions. To say that Aisling wasn’t feeling her usual, talkative self was a bit of an understatement. “Hi,” she said softly. “Mind if I join you?”

[Murphy Teagan]

Murphy was about to tell the women who approached him 'No', when he realized that it was Aisling. The two weren't close friends in the least, but she was always nice to him, much nicer than some of the guys on the team. He noticed she wasn't very dressed up, though her natural beauty was enough.

He gave her a smile and nodded, pushing the chair across from him out with his foot. It was easy for him to do so since he was so tall. "'Ello Aisling. Nice to see a friendly face." He noticed a few women looking at Aisling with piercing looks that could kill. Perhaps they didn't recognize her, or they believed that their beloved Murphy Teagan was dating a teammate. He could see the tabloids now! Thinking that thought he sighed and sipped his water.

"Trying to avoid the fans?" He inquired at her appearance, hoping she wouldn't think he was insulting it.

[Aisling Kenan]

Aisling took the seat that Murphy offered with a smile, tucking one leg underneath her body and letting the other rest on the ground. “Yeah, it is a bit of a relief to run into someone familiar.” She replied truthfully before waving a waitress over to take her order of mineral water and hot chips. If there was food in front of her, she’d be more likely to eat it, or at least that was what she was hoping. Hot chips had always been a source of great comfort whenever Aisling was feeling a bit off.

Murphy’s question made her grimace and she turned her head, discreetly checking for people watching them. Seeing quite a few glares and curious glances, she sighed, turning back to her teammate. “No, not really. I wasn’t particularly planning on going out, but luckily my…outfit turned out to double a type of disguise.” She looked down at her attire and rolled her eyes. “Mind you, if I’d really wanted to keep out of the public eye that much, I doubt I would have joined you.” Smiling to let him know that she was just joking, Ailing raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re not exactly dressed for discretion.”

[Murphy Teagan]

Murphy chuckled, pleased she hadn't been offended. He tapped his fingers on the side of the glass, and blushed slightly at her comment. He looked down at his attire, pushing his glassed up is nose just slightly.

"I suppose I'm not. I sort of just felt like dressin' up tonight! I mean I might as well try and look good before tomorrow when I'll probably get me face smashed in by a Bludger." He joked, trying to stretch out his legs without bumping her chair. His attempt was unsuccessful, and he felt her chair move back slightly after hitting it with his foot.

"Sorry! I can't control these things!" He motioned to his legs, laugher in his eyes. For some reason he was feeling real friendly tonight.

[Aisling Kenan]

Aisling winced. She knew from experience that a bludger to the face was a very real possibility in any quidditch game. If it wasn’t for wizarding medicine, she would probably have numerous disfiguring scars already, but the health risks were just part of the game. Part of the lifestyle.

“I wouldn’t jinx it if I were you.” She cautioned with mock seriousness. “You know, unless you want this to be your last night with a straight nose.” Aisling wasn’t really suspicious, but Murphy didn’t really know that and it was always better not to tempt to quidditch gods. Over the years she’d found that it always came back to bite you in the arse.

She as jolted as Murphy knocked her chair, but mealy laughed it off. “It’s fine,” she said, looking from his long legs, sticking out from under the table, to her on, curled up underneath her. “I can only imagine.” Tall as something that she could hardly be described as and her limbs were in proportion. She had never had a problem with controlling her legs, but she could always be a bit on the short side.

[Murphy Teagan]

Murphy just gave her a smile and looked up as the waitress came over and brought him his pie and Aisling her hot chips. She asked them if they needed anything else and Murphy shook his head, quite ready to dig in. After the waitress left he grabbed a fork and dug in, eating as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. Midway through his tenth bite, he looked up, his mouth full, and realized he still had company.

Immediately he dropped his fork, chewed the bite slowly, and swallowed it. Smiling sheepishly, his cheeks turned a bit pink. "Sorry...." He muttered, looking at the table as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "I have a 'igh metabolism." That was obvious, since he was so long and thing.

"Ummmm anyways." He wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and tried to come up with things to talk about. Why was he so bad at this?

[Aisling Kenan]

Aisling smiled at the waitress when she brought her chips and quickly took a small one off of the top to pop into her mouth. Hot chips had defiantly been a good choice, she was eating. Slower than before, she picked up another chip and started to nibble at it, watching, amused, as Murphy ploughed through his food. It was the same with all of her guy friends. It almost seemed as though they could inhale their meals.

She chuckled to herself as he realised that she was still there. Why was it that it was always the boys that got fast metabolisms? She wondered, propping her chin on her fist as she gazed around the room. Her eyes locked on the television across the room showing the game from last week and she shuddered, the good mood that she had managed to work up vanishing as she remembered the game tomorrow.

With her good spirits vanished her conversational skills, so the only response that she had for Murphy’s awkward attempt to start up a conversation and an uncommitted and unhelpful: “Yeah…”