{Nov MP}This Will Be Fun(Delaney)

Donn was just smoothing down his coat sleeve after checking his watch for the third time when he felt the air change in the center of the hotel lobby. A smile bloomed on his face as the person he was hoping to see appeared before him. Delaney Mullen arrived with an elderly but well-dressed wizard couple and a whimsical reindeer lawn ornament portkey. The wizard bellhop wand the velvet rope open and tended to the couple first, which allowed Donn to step forward and greet the witch with a short hug and a light kiss on the cheek. The interaction was slightly more reserved than how they left each other after their first night together, but the day was young, and they hadn’t started their taste testing of any brews or whisky yet. The last time they were with each other he remembered how she had explained that she wanted to keep this ‘light and airy,’ because the Burning Beard required an extreme amount of her attention. He had agreed and gave a slight lie by saying he was in a similar boat for his work kept his social life time limited. In truth, he would have loved to spend the night with her. Yet he knew he liked her more than his typical a one night adventure and was willing to be more reserved for now until she showed him just what 'this' was.

“You look stylishly warm.” He teased, while thinking she looked more radiant then he remembered. Thinking if she was having any adverse effects form the portkey she must not be showing it. Donn peeled his eyes from her long enough to slip a galleon to the returning bellhop, who thanked him and then floated away her luggage to the appropriate room. “It is good, because I already checked you in and have arrange for a picnic on the field with the reindeer.”

He tossed her, her room key, before displaying his own room’s key in case she felt uncomfortable. He then explained with a nod back at the Swedish witches working the check-in counter.  “They said they are the most docile while they are feeding in midday to early afternoon, so I figured that we would want to get out there as soon as we could. Just head this way, I got a car waiting for us. I remembered that you don’t like flying.”

Donn gave the last statement with a wink and a smirk as he motioned out through the Hotels door. He wondered if she did not remember that she told him that. Either way he was glad he knew now. If he booked brooms it would have been a disaster. It was not like they were going to be able to apparate there if they don't know where they were going. Donn had thought this through and it seemed the magically adapted muggle car was going to be the best bet. Still he felt a little nervous over his choice. 

Once outside they only had to brave the crisp air a moment before they could slip into the vehicle's door who was held open by the driver. Donn noted a little disheartedly that the driver looked like he could be the Bellhops uncle or father. He hoped the man was in fact a professional operator of this contraption and not just some random hired family member.

Donn was distracted from his qualms when he noticed the lunch basket radiating with warmth on the seat between them. Donn had a chance to explain that he ordered some soups and local brews before the vehicle fired up and Donn’s voice trailed off. He felt a small jerk as the muggle machine pulled forward. Donn’s hands curled and whitened under his gloves, as his fears began to rise. He had been in a muggle vehicle before, just never one that was moving. He looked over to Delany to see if she had the same trepidations. She did not seem as affected by the lack of control of the situation as Donn felt. Worried she might notice a change in his demeanor Donn tried to explain as a light wave a nausea rolled through him.  “It is actually my first time taking one of these…”

He caught the drivers raised eyebrow in the weird rectangular mirror hanging on the glass. Donn did not appreciate the look, so he took a deep breath and tried to look relaxed and sound convincing. “I am sure this will be fun.”


(OOC: This is a @Kelly approved post.)

Delaney and Donn’s evening out in London had been successful enough in her eyes.  The night hadn’t ended in bed, at least.  If it had, the evening would have been even more successful, though she would never have considered a second “meeting”.  At no fault of Donn’s, of course- it was simply easier to have fun for a night and then move on, no strings attached.  Donn had been nothing less of a gentlemen during their evening out, for which the blonde witch was grateful.  She’d ended up in a rough state with the sheer number of firewhiskey’s she’d consumed, and his generous offer to accompany her back to her place by side-along-apparition to make sure she got home okay did not go unnoticed.  Delaney had thanked him as best as she could in her drunken state before retreating inside her flat and proceeding to pass out.  The following day had been rough, spent alone in bed nursing her self-inflicted headache.  Thankfully there was no need for her to go into work as the bustling Oktoberfest weekend at The Burning Beard was now behind her and it was business as usual.

Initially, Delaney had declined Donn’s offer to attend the reindeer festival in Sweden.  Donn had asked Del if she’d like to accompany him before they bid each other goodnight after their first meeting.  Without really considering it (due mostly to the alcohol clouding her judgement), the blonde had turned him down.  She only ever focussed on her work, and the thought of taking time off to go to a foreign country with someone she barely knew sounded reckless.  However, after spending an entire week training a new server that was turning out to be a disaster- she reconsidered his proposal.  Delaney first ensured that the bar would be well looked after during the time she’d be abroad; the last thing she needed was to go on a vacation and come home to find the place in shambles.  Most of her employees were extremely trustworthy, and when she suggested this unplanned trip to her head chef- he jumped at the opportunity to step up to the plate while she was away.  Delaney knew she could count on him, and she also had a sneaking suspicion he was looking for a pay rise.  He was worth the pay rise, and would be especially worth it if all went well in her absence.

Once she had fully finalized her absence at The Burning Beard, Delaney sent an owl to Donn asking if the offer was still open.  The two planned their arrival and their accommodations, and it was only whilst talking to one of her customers shortly before she left that she found out there was no alcohol served on the premises of the reindeer reservation.  She wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing.  Luckily, Del had hardly any time to consider it as she was working round the clock until her departure.  Maybe it would be a good thing as the last time she’d laid eyes on Donn she was almost incoherent from the alcohol.  No doubt he’d appreciate a sober meeting this time around.

—-

Delaney stood waiting with an elderly couple, each of them with a hand touching the reindeer lawn ornament that was to be their portkey to the festival grounds in Sweden.  She was nervous, more nervous than she’d been in a long time.  Most of her nerves she chalked up to the stability of her establishment while she was away, however she couldn’t deny that meeting Donn in Sweden accounted for some of her unease.  It was so unlike her to do something this out of character.  Iago would be proud.  She hoped this didn’t turn out to be a complete flop.  She felt the horrible sensation at her navel as the time came for the portkey to jump into action, spinning and spinning with her eyes held firmly closed until she finally felt as though she could open them without throwing up.  Her feet landed firmly on the ground in a beautiful hotel lobby.  Delaney’s eyes took in her surroundings for only a moment before they fell upon Donn who wandered forward to greet her.  She returned his welcome with a squeeze of his upper arm and a warm smile.  Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.  He was thankfully just as attractive as she’d remembered, albeit young.  Any weakness she’d felt from the portkey journey was quickly washed away.  “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that,” Del commented at Donn’s mention of already checking her into her room.  She didn’t notice when he slipped the bellhop a galleon, which was probably for the best as she would have had to give Donn a galleon if her own in return.  Technically this wasn’t a date, was it?  She gracefully took the room key he offered and was happy to see that he had his own, different room key in hand.  It was better to be over prepared.

Delaney was immediately impressed with Donn’s organizational skills, and was reminded of herself.  If she’d been on this trip alone there was no doubt she’d have been just as organized as the Ministry wizard standing before her.  “Lead the way,” she said with a smile, very glad that Donn remembered her hatred of flying and decided on a car.  She wasn’t sure how much better that would be as it had been ages since she’d been in a muggle car, but she was willing to give it a go.  She wondered if he’d hired a chauffeur.  As the pair walked outside, Delaney felt the crisp air hit her face and she was happy that she’d overdressed for the occasion.  Her long tan overcoat and jeans would keep her warm.  She’d tried to properly research the weather in Sweden at this time of year and had luckily arrived in the right outfit.  It was becoming more and more clear that the other outfits she packed may not be as suitable unless they were staying indoors.  Delaney had even bought a new dress for the trip, but the fact that it was sleeveless would mean it wouldn’t be appropriate outside the hotel.

When the pair climbed into the car, she could smell what seemed like warm soup in a basket on the seat between them.  Delaney looked up at Donn with a smile and he began explaining that he ordered soups and some brews for the picnic.  Delaney was just about to comment on the fact that she didn’t think alcohol was served at this reservation before the engine revved and the car took off.  It wasn’t too bad, she thought inwardly.  Her eyes glanced towards Donn and when he admitted it was his first time in a car, Delaney instantly reached her gloved hand over to pat the top of his leg in what she hoped was a calming gesture.  Empathy didn’t come easily to the blonde, but she’d been working on it.  “This will be fun!” Del repeated his statement, giving the top of his leg a light squeeze.  In an attempt to lighten the situation, she decided to quiz the man sitting next to her.  “Where did you get the alcoholic drinks from?  One of my customers told me the other day that there were no alcoholic beverages served in the establishments here...” her voice trailed off, unable to hide her suspicion but also unable to hide her pleasure.  As much as she thought this trip would have been a success without alcohol...  There was no doubt in her mind that the addition of it would make it any less of a success.

They sat in silence for a few moments as she let her eyes trace the scenery outside the car windows.  It was nothing she’d ever experienced before.  Massive trees lined both sides of the narrow roadway, broken up by views of meadows of varying sizes every so often.  It was more relaxing than she thought it would be, even whilst driving in a moving muggle vehicle with an unknown driver behind the wheel.  Delaney inwardly hoped this guy knew what he was doing.

“How far is it to the field we’re stopping at?” Delaney asked curiously, not taking her eyes off the beautiful scenery that was flashing past.  She felt herself relax into the comfortable back seat of the car, all of her senses feeling extremely full and satisfied for the moment.

When the witch patted his leg like one would a child, the young wizard was concerned that he seems to nervous. He tried to physically relax and he was about to say something dismissively about the car ride. Yet nothing came to his mind for he was distracted when her hand did not move but stayed on his knee. The light squeeze pushed his thoughts over the edge and he forgot his worries regarding the moving vehicle which suddenly did not seem much worse then riding on the back of someones broom.

When she mentioned the alcohol moratorium, he was eager to boast, "Yeah they were a little hard to get, but I thought you would like to mix some business in with the trip. I sourced them from local breweries near Stockholm. I figure you wanted to taste test a few while you were here so that you could compare it to your own brews. When I heard that none will be made available on the reservation I felt compelled to smuggle some in for you."

He placed his hand on top of hers and leaned in so only the two of them could hear, "I am not sure why, but I was warned to not give any the the reindeer. I assured them it was for professional taste testing only."

He quite enjoyed holding her hand, but he did not want to appear too forward so he slowly slipped his hand form hers with a bit of a caress. Releasing her to do what she wanted... He wouldn't mind she explore more but He reminded himself she was a pureblood and not one of the half bloods he typically chased for simple pleasure. Instead his mother taught him other pureblood were always to be treated with a bit more respect than other wizards in the wizarding world. Although, his mother passed before securing an arrange marriage for Donn, it had not bothered him. It kept his options open, and only being 21 years old, he felt like he had plenty of time. Time he desire to spend building up his fortune and reputation while he courted the prettiest pureblood witches, the wizarding world had to offer. In his opinion Delaney was one of them. Although he did adduse over the course of a previous month evening that the blonde witch, who sat next to him was just over a handful of years older than him. She was not to old, in his opinion to still had marriage potential. His own parents in fact had had a larger gap in age. Evenbetter, with her stature and youthful appearance she could certainly pass for younger then Donn.

Donn stomach was just getting used to the gentle swaying of the car as it winds its way through the forest. When the forest opened up, the landscape reminded Donn of his parents home in scotland. With Delaney's question, the driver answered that they were just about there. A Moment later Donn spotted brown specks dotting a hill. He pointed it to his date as the car turned on to a dirt road. Muggle vehicle and multiple magical transportation devices littered the side of the road supposedly belonging to the small throng of scattered wizards mingling with the herd just viewable over the rize. Picnic tables and outhouses were near along with a few vender catering to the crowd.

The wizard driver pulled over the car, jumped out quickly and walked around to let out Delaney first, like he should. Donn readyed and then slip him a tip as he got out his own side. Initially he thought they would eat before they would have visited the reindeer but now he felt the excitement of seeing the magical beast and knew it was nearly impossible.

So he said,"We could put the basket on the table and eat it after we checked out the reindeer." Donn offered just before he realized he forgotten carrots and reindeer feed. He glanced around a little frantically and saw a blond local witch with a basket of greens carrot tops protruding from it. "Let me go pick up some carrots."