Fish out of Water

[Sebastian Rossi]

Suit-wearing was still new to Sebastian, though he had been finding himself in situations where he needed to wear a suit more and more. Tonight, it was wine tasting that had the man making sure that his tattoos were covered. Satisfied, Sebastian worked on his tie, wishing that Kathryn were around to do it for him. With a sigh, the man made a third attempt at putting on his blue tie. He was glad that it looked decent because he had already decided that three tries was plenty enough. Rubbing a hand over his scalp, the man glanced around his living room for the piece of paper that he’d scrawled the address on. “Is that a 3 or an 8?” he mumbled to himself as he pocketed the paper and left his apartment, taking the steps down two at a time. Once outside, Sebastian quickly apparated away, hoping that the place he was apparating too was sufficiently cloaked. Freddie usually didn’t steer him wrong, and as he landed with a crack, he realized that the man hadn’t tonight either.

Brushing down his suit jacket, Sebastian stepped out from behind a huge dumpster and headed out of the alley. He joined a throng of people walking down a narrow street, his eyes drifting upwards to find the name of the place he was looking for. It was only after he’d nearly banged into his third person that he realized that this perhaps wasn’t the best of ideas. He determined to keep his eyes straight ahead, hoping that he’d just spot Freddie when he was at the right place. It was a good plan if the man was waiting outside for him. They’d agreed to meet up, but as usual, they’d been pretty scant on the details. It was just their way and had worked for them for years, so Bas had never had the thought to change things.

 

[Freddie Raska]

Freddie Raska was eager to get out. The man was practically dancing as he got ready to go. He and Bobby had parted ways as roommates a year ago. The two did not get along like they used to, and Bobby was acting insane. His job as a beater was clearly not getting all of his anger out. Bobby knew better than to pick a fight with Freddie. He would always win. He was going to taste wine with another friend of his today. Freddie just loved wine. It was his favorite for of medicine. He had kept his drinking to only the weekends, for he still feared becoming an alcoholic like his mother. It gave him a relaxation. Nadia had left, and he did not know if she was back or not. But, he couldn't sit around waiting. He missed the woman a lot, and he wanted to hear everything when she got back.

After putting on his best suit, he apparated to his destination. He never saw why people did not want to apparate from inside the house. It had always been weird to Freddie. He did not have many expensive belongings, and he could always buy more shoes. He did not think any thief would want incense, tea, or Divination tools either. If they did, they were special in ways he was not curious about. He spotted Sebastian and walked over to the man. He gave him a hard pat on the back. "Ready to have some fun?" he laughed. This was not the kind of stuff his friend was into. This was Freddie's show. He loved wine. He would gladly be Sebastian's guide in the vast world of wines.
​

 

[Sebastian Rossi]

With a smile on his face, Sebastian turned to the familiar voice of Freddie. The two had started off as acquaintances but grown to become good friends over the years since they'd finished wizarding school. "Hey" Bas greeted in a friendly tone. It was good to see the man. They didn't get to spend a lot of time with each other these days. Both men were quite busy, Freddie with his career as a Healer and Sebastian with starting up his music career again and working in a Potions shop. He'd recently been named manager of the Potions shop that he had worked in on and off since graduation. The owner was a good friend of his grandmother and was indulgent in giving him time off and taking him back when he was not on the road. It was good honest work, and Bas was glad to earn galleons to pay his bills and cover his studio costs.

The two guys looked dressed for the part of what they were going to be doing to entertain themselves this evening. But, only one of them knew anything about it. Bas had been surprised by Freddie's suggestion when he'd asked to hang out, but he was willing to go with it. "Always. Look who you're talking to" Bas replied with a chuckle. The guys had been known to get into spots of trouble together on occasion, and he had the feeling that was going to happen again, especially once he had some liquor in him. Sebastian had never been particularly good at holding his liquor. "The real question is...is this place ready for us?" he stated with a smirk. He'd forgotten to take out his earrings and eyebrow ring, but he doubted that would matter. It seemed that Freddie had gotten a couple of new tattoos since they'd last seen each other. "This is the place, right?" he asked, gesturing over his shoulder. He still wasn't sure if the address he'd written was right. That's why he was glad that Freddie had caught up to him.

 

[Freddie Raska]

Freddie had done a lot with himself in the past years. He got several new tattoos. They had been expensive, but he was a healer. He felt he deserved everything he wanted. His face had become a canvas. He'd reluctantly gotten an eyebrow piercing. Mason had talked him into getting that one. His appearance was not as friendly as his personality, but he liked it. It was him. He was a walking masterpiece. However, very few people shared his thoughts. He wanted to start drinking already. He and Bas were kind of know for the trouble they caused. It was a good thing they it was only occasional trouble. Freddie still had a reputation to keep up. He was remembered as the intelligent gentleman that graduated as Heady Boy. But, even the best people had their mischievous times.

Freddie rolled his eyes and shrugged. He had heard there would be wine tasting, and he knew that he had to go. "Does it really matter? We are completely bad ass." he stated with a wink. At the moment. They were in front of a huge brick wall. It did not look like much. It was a very plain and strange looking place. Freddie nodded and he pointed to a place on the wall where there was a sign with a few numbers. "We just walk under that sign, and we are in." he smirked, and he walked under the sign and threw the wall. He felt like he was going to school again. He always had to walk through the portal to get the school transportation. He had honestly missed the feeling. He had entered into a very formal party. Magical events were always fun. He was hit with the sweet smell of wine and champagne. He was giddy with excitement, but he tried to contain himself for Sebastian's sake.
​

 

[Sebastian Rossi]

Bas smirked in agreement. Years ago, Bas would have doubted that statement coming from Freddie, the Head Boy of his school. But, now he knew better. The two had been through many a fun time together, nights that had ended with them walking down the street declaring the night a success. Sebastian had many a fond memory of those nights. Glad that Freddie was with him to give him instructions on how to get inside, the blond nodded his head to indicate that he understood. Still, he would let Freddie go first. Just in case.

Waiting a beat, Sebastian headed straight for the wall, determination to get through filling him. Instantly, the atmosphere changed and he knew he was in. Light music, jazz of some kind played in the background. The chatter of many conversations going on at once filled the room. Sebastian recognized noone and was glad for Freddie's presence. Most of the other people looked too stuffy to have a good time. With a smile as a tray of wine floated by, Sebastian grinned to his friend. "Don't mind if I do" he smirked as he grabbed for himself and Freddie. With it in hand and passing the other to his friend, Sebastian made sure his pinky was sticking out before he began to speak again. "What fine wine this seems to be. Do tell me what I'm about to be drinking" he said in the snobbiest tone he could muster. He lifted the glass to his nose, swirling it a bit so he could smell it. He'd seen people in movies do that before.

 

[Freddie Raska]

During his time at Durmstrang, Freddie had been a role model. All of his professors said his name when they were telling a student who to look up to. However, he was far from being a goody goody. He had a social life as well as a good academic standing. Yeah, both were very hard to keep up with, but Freddie knew how to handle such situations. Bas had been one of main men since school. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had good relations with each other. Otherwise, he would not have met Bas. "Did I ever introduce you to Bobby?" he asked. He could not remember if Sebastian had met his best friend during schooling. Bobby had been the exact opposite of Freddie. He was forever slacking off. The two had balanced each other out perfectly until recently.

Freddie gladly took the glass Sebastian offered him. He had a difficult time holding back a laugh. It was a white wine. He swirled it gently to get the smell. It's name popped up immediately. Torre de Azevedo Vinho Verde." he said in a perfect Spanish accent. It was a 2010 wine. "This is a type of wine you eat with fish. It has a tang." he continued and took a sip. Freddie nodded his head in appreciation. This was a good one, especially for the holidays.
​

 

[Sebastian Rossi]

Sebastian thought for a moment. Over the course of his friendship with Freddie, the two had introduced each other to countless people –girlfriends, friends, mutual connects. It wasn’t odd for one of them to have someone tag along when they met up with each other. Sebastian had never minded that. He liked meeting people and speaking with them. The name did ring a bell though, and Sebastian slowly nodded his head. If he was remembering correctly, Bobby had gone to his school though he and Bas hadn’t been friends since they were a few years apart. “Sanchez, right? Yea, you introduced us at that party a couple of years back. Remember the one right after I left Ares Moon?” he asked, hoping his recollection was indeed correct. Sebastian only remembered bits and pieces from that party, mostly because he’d been going through some serious emotional turmoil over his decision to leave the band. In the end, it had been the right decision for Bas, but in the moment, Bas hadn’t thought so. It hadn’t helped that almost everyone around him was telling him that he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

“What about him?” Sebastian asked as he took a sip of the drink that Freddie had just identified for him. Freddie was right on the money about the tang. He could feel the inside of his cheeks pucker slightly as he swallowed the drink. It was good though and he followed that sip up with another. “Yea, I won’t even try to say that. It is good though” he added with a good-natured chuckle. Spanish was not one of the languages that Sebastian was fluent in, though he could understand the occasional word.

 

[Freddie Raska]

Freddie had thought that this was going to be fun, but it wasn't. He just was not drunk enough yet. How did these people survive? The music was basic. There was no dancing, and he felt uncomfortable that he did not see anyone with any illegal substances. He had never tried any, nor will he ever. People that were high off their *sses was extremely funny to watch. Freddie chuckled. He remembered how he could hardly remember that night. "Yeah. I remember some of it, but Bobby and I got pretty messed up." he admitted. He had achieved the glorified social life and the stable academic standing every student aimed for.

Freddie shrugged and shook his head. He did not know why he asked about Bobby. The two had fell out, and he was too angry at the man to mention him a majority of the time. Freddie downed the rest of his glass, and he grabbed another. He stood with a hand in his pocket. He had a way to make this interesting, but he decided to wait before he revealed his plan. It was a juvenile one too. "I'm disappointed. I didn't think this would be so dull, Bas." he said as he glanced around as if to give the party another chance to turn itself upside down.
​

 

[Sebastian Rossi]

It was obvious to Sebastian that something had gone down between Freddie and Bobby. Freddie’s body language said it all, and though he was curious to find out what had happened between the two guys, Sebastian didn’t push the topic. Instead, he followed Freddie’s example and downed the rest of his drink. The action brought looks to the two men who had finished their drinks much faster than most of the other people milling around. Bas didn’t care much though. He’d already noted that he and Freddie were clearly outcasts in this crowd. The crowd was slightly older than they were and much snootier, and it made Bas itch to do something to liven up the party.

As Freddie spoke exactly what he’d been thinking, Sebastian raised his eyebrows. He knew that tone. It was one that Freddie used when he was going to get Bas into some sort of trouble. With a grin, Sebastian realized that he wouldn’t mind that tonight. He’d been on good behavior for a while, trying to straighten up for Kathryn’s sake. Tonight was all about having fun though, and that sure wasn’t going to happen with this crowd. “Well, you picked the spot, Freddie. Maybe you should do something to change that” he said in a low voice so he wouldn’t be overheard by anyone else.