Look Your Best. Be Your Best.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's lips curved into an unconsciously flirtatious grin as he caught a lock of hair again. "The world needs more exhibitionists," he said. "People like us keep the others on their toes." It was part of why he loved clubbing so much. He owned the spotlight when he went out. "If you don't mind getting hexed by the Slytherins go ahead and offer to pierce some ears. Otherwise, do you own thing and make sure your shield spell works and you'll be fine." He was fine.

[Ocean Abbott]

Ocean shrugged. “Why walk around with armor on. I don't even give as good as I get. Not Christian and all. No. I figure if I get hexed. That's what the nurse is for.” After a few hexes. A few smiles at the hexors. They generally gave up on the target. It wasn't fun if you didn't scream. “Anyways, I'm more likely to offer them dance lesson.” His brow furrowed for a moment. Thinking about Jory's not wanting to try. Then his face cleared into a big grin. Ah well. He'd get the guy dancing.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's eyes lit up. "You dance?" he asked. "I love dancing, I used to go out every Friday night." His smile faded into a pout at the thought, but it was short-lived. He didn't feel like being miserable right now, he felt like enjoying himself. "I taught a friend to dance once. She said she'd never danced before, so I took her to the Bloody Mary. That's the club at the end of the street."

[Ocean Abbott]

"Since I was three. Jory told me about the club in Hogsmeade." Ocean lifted an eyebrow. "He seemed apathetic about it. Sounded more like a mingling club. Less like a dance club." Ocean was interested in what Markise was saying. "Are you interested in resuming Fridays?" He wanted to resume Fridays. He could use friends that were willing to go dancing.

[Markise Sterling]

"Oh my God, yes!" Markise said. Just the idea got him going and his mind was swimming with thoughts before he caught himself. His pout returned. "I can't though. It's too easy to get in trouble." Tell him you have a boyfriend! a little voice insisted. He snapped back at it. We're just talking!

"It's fine if you just want to dance," he said. "The music's good, everyone's nice. It's an all-ages club." Which meant there was no alcohol, and groups of teenagers already coupled up and in hordes with their friends. There wasn't anything wrong with the Bloody Mary, Markise was just an adrenaline junky.

[Ocean Abbott]

Ocean shook his head. "It's not to easy if you have a friend. And an all ages club just isn't the same." All ages meant a loss. Of the excitement the thrill. He might be fifteen. But fake ids were easy to craft magically. "Dancing should be about no attachments and no chance of one. No holds barred. Everything left on the kitchen table. To be picked up on return home. No chance of hook-ups." Hook-ups were a bad idea at clubs.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's lips quirked back into a teasing smile. "The chance is always fun," he said. "And getting away's a victory." He wished he could do that, just set everything down and throw himself into clubbing for a night, come back and pick it all up again. It would be hypocritical, though. There wasn't a chance in hell he'd let Ariel do the same. "Oh, I miss it!" Markise said, both hands rising now to run through his artfully-tousled curls. His eyes glowed with the memories, as vague as some of them were.

[Ocean Abbott]

"Don't miss it. Don't let it miss you. Take the offer. Come out with me on Friday. I don't know which clubs to hit. I could use an advisor. Heck we could club crawl." That sounded fun. That sounded like a plan. Anything. Anything to try to normalize his life. Get something familiar going in it. He didn't say he could use a date. Clubbing was about dates. But he wouldn't mind a date with Markise.

[Markise Sterling]

"Ooh, yes!" Markise said, jumping on it before his mind had a chance to catch up with his excitement. He caught himself again, though. "I've got a boyfriend," he said. He dragged his hands out of his hair, but nothing could stem the eager hope that still bubbled up, shining through his pale eyes. "I want to, but I can't." Unless Ariel could come too, but there was turning someone down, and there was rubbing it in.

[Ocean Abbott]

"Why does having a boyfriend stop you?" Ocean had had a couple boyfriends. Never stopped him from clubbing. "It doesn't make you incapable of going. Bring him with you." Don't let a boyfriend dictate your life. Ocean thought guys that clung were not worth time. But some guys liked them. It was a bit disappointing that he was taken. Then again. He didn't look that old. It might be a phase.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's eyes brightened again, and any memory that Ocean had come in to buy clothes was entirely forgotten. "We were going soon anyway. I'll get some friends together and we can all go!" There was no way he could imagine justifying bringing a cute, friendly single guy along with him and Ariel. But him and Ariel and... whoever he could think of before Ariel got here might work. Was it bad that he didn't want to invite Jory just because of the competition?

[Ocean Abbott]

"The more the merrier. Are there more people? I mean. I haven't been here more than a day. So. I haven't gotten the lay of the land." Ocean tossed his hair out of his eyes. A satisfied smile on his face. "Is it bad to say that I'm already missing the city?" The ability to just go to a club. Make a few phone calls. He could tell Markise's accent. Wondered why he was in England.

[Markise Sterling]

Missing the city. Markise was half in love already. Not really, he told himself. It was just impossible not to be excited by someone he actually had something in common with. "Yeah, there are more. There's my friends Dare and Michael, my boyfriend, and I guess we could get Jory to come along," Markise said, as though they went out as a group all the time. He wanted to impress Ocean, though. It was a reflex to do so. "We've just been deciding where to go."

[Ocean Abbott]

"Well. It's sounds like Londons the place to be. Club crawling really does sound fun." Better than just sitting in his room thinking about school all day. He had a reputation to maintain. If his parents decided he could make good grades that would be the end of him. Better they think he was average. And he get some fun out of it.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's brows drew together. "It sounds awesome," he agreed, "but I don't know." His fingers found a soft lavender curl and began to toy with it as he thought. "There's been trouble at a couple of the clubs, and I love them, but I don't know if they're worth it." He looked up at Ocean, his eyes catching on the startling green there. It was all he could do to keep talking for a moment. "Believe me, you don't want to hear about the drama," he said.