Move Our Feet to an Introspective Beat

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius did not really care for politics. He had better things to worry about, generally. But he did care about meeting people who could qualify to be spectacular Ollivander's employees... and he had been spending far too much time in the shop lately.

He was having a hard time focusing on the event itself, though; instead, Gaius had become mentally rather absorbed in his project. The wand, not the immortality one - though he was also (maybe) making progress on that front, too.

He was contemplating the merits of a Phoenix feather core, rather than thestral hair, when someone's voice caught his attention. "What was that?" Gaius asked, snapping back to attention and putting a small smile on his face.

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

Oz was trying to pay attention to the election campaigns, but he didn't have much interest in most of the policies they were talking about. Now, if someone had wanted to make homosexuality legal ... but of course, no one would openly support that sort of perversion, even if they were secretly a mandrake themselves.

As uninterested as he was, trying had Ozias at Mr. Scamander's event; at Mr. Scamander's event, Oz spotted none other than Gaius Ollivander. He hadn't seen the wandmaker since their tryst, which the other man had been rather awkward after. Still, Oz had enjoyed their time together, and he thought that Gaius had ...

"Hello, Mr. Ollivander," he said, a touch too warmly. It wasn't enough for just anyone to pick up on, but Gaius himself should. "It's been some time since I had the pleasure of running into you."

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius started. He had been expecting a student, or some vague acquaintance from school - not the only other person on the planet who knew about his sexual inclinations. He had not seen Ozias since they had slept together, and Gaius hadn't really expected that to change - Hogsmeade was a small town, but it wasn't like he got out much.

He still didn't know if he actually wanted to avoid the other man, or if it was just continually happening.

"It has," Gaius said, with his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise, "Been a while, I mean. Since - November, I think?" He didn't know what to say.

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

"November," Ozias agreed. It had been the middle of November when they'd met in Oz's house in Irvingly and had one 'night' together, one which had ended rather awkwardly.

"You have been well?" Oz asked. It seemed like too weak of a sentiment, but at least it was a genuine one. Oz did care about Gaius's well being in a slightly more than casual fashion; he also wanted to know how Gaius had been after ... well, after. After he'd left.

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius nodded. "Yes," he said, "I've pretty much been the same as ever." That was (mostly) true. He was still dancing around the edges of something great - with wands, with dark magic - but he had not yet actually attempted either.

He would, though. Soon.

One could, of course, argue that part of his determination was some sort of attempt to keep his mind off of his self-loathing. That wasn't particularly accurate, though - Gaius had been interested in dark magic for years, and his imminent thirtieth birthday was more responsible for his devotion completing his projects than Ozias Lovegood was.

"And yourself?" he offered, with a slight smile.

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

"I have been well," Ozias said. Well, yes -- but hardly good. December had truly rattled him, and he still did not know why he had reacted so to that one woman.

He sometimes thought that maybe she had been a veela, although he found that idea laughable. A veela, wander into the Owl Emporium looking for a present for her brother?

"Are you enjoying the event?" It was hardly as spectacular as the operas and galas and fox hunts, or even the masquerade to be held that night ... but it was something.

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius made a quiet sound in the back of his throat. "Yes," he said, "The students are polite and the cause is noble, at least." He supported the advancement of promising poor children, and he supported the cause of getting smart employees for Ollivander's. It was a win-win.

"What do you think of it?" Gaius asked, tilting his head at Ozias.

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

"I find it dreadfully dull," Ozias confessed with a lopsided smile. "Frankly, I am glad I am not running -- coming up with events to try to win votes must be horribly difficult."

This wasn't the sort of conversation Oz wanted to have. What he really wanted to know was whether or not Gaius might still be interested ... and that was the one thing he couldn't ask.

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius laughed. "Events, a platform, all those reporters weaseling about - anyone who goes into politics has to be a little bit mad," he said.

This was not nearly as awkward as he had been expecting.

Though he really didn't know what he had expected. It wasn't as though he had much experience with this sort of thing.

"We could leave," Gaius said, after mulling over the words for a second. Even he wasn't sure what he wanted - but they couldn't really talk here, could they?

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

Oz perked up at the suggestion, but did his best not to let it show too much. "We could leave," he said. "I still have some very good alcohol ..."

And he wouldn't really mind if they actually drank it, and talked, and didn't wind up in bed ... but he was hoping that they would.

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius smirked. It was hard not to be amused - even as the old undercurrent of self loathing kicked in, he was interested to see where this could end up.

"Let's go, then," Gaius said, cheerfully, "Should we walk or should I side-along?"

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

"Side-along," Oz said a little too quickly. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he wanted to get close to the other man as quickly as possible, and that side-along apparation was a quick and socially acceptable excuse to do that.

Grabbing Gaius's hand and standing closer to the other man than he otherwise would be allowed in public, Ozias wasted no time in apparating to the house in Irvingly.

Once there, Oz turned and planted a kiss on Gaius's lips before releasing the other man's hand and backing off a half-step. "I suppose we should talk."

OOC: Hope you don't mind that. XD

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius swayed on his feet for a moment before steadying. He was somehow caught off guard by the kiss despite being the one who had proposed this in the first place - and he still wasn't sure what it was that he wanted from this.

It was entirely possible that he was still curious. He had, after all, been suppressing this for years.

"We should," Gaius said, twisting his watch around his wrist, twice. "Over the - very good alcohol you mentioned?"

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

"Of course," Oz agreed. They could get to other things later. "Any preference on what we have? I have whiskey, firewhiskey, gin, absinthe, rum ..." he trailed off with a shrug. He rather liked his alcohol.

  

[Gaius Ollivander]

Gaius shrugged. "Whichever's easiest, I suppose," he said. He neither had the drive nor the experiential evidence to choose - he drank what he drank, and he didn't drink often. Gaius' vices tended to be much more... shady.

  

[Ozias Lovegood]

Oz shrugged and grabbed a bottle of rum and two glasses. "Straight up or on the rocks?"