[Vino e Vita] vino, vita e verita (Sofia)

A dinner jacket, Nolan chuckled. Somehow he found it amusing that it was obligatory to dress in a dinner jacket. The elemental wondered if the dinner jacket had to come from the current epoch or if he was welcome to wear the old velvet dress robes he still had from his grandfather. He was tempted to wear that one just to spite the owners of the bar but decided against it in the end. Provoking was nice but he was going to see his old or rather not so old friend Sofia again and he wanted to impress the younger witch not with his own age and vintage wardrobe but with his still comparably youthful looks.

While he could have easily asked Sofia to meet him in Britain, he had felt a strange desire to visit Neroli again. The wizarding town was somehow a place he felt comfortable at and it was far away from the Council which was a fact that made it even more appealing. After all, he wanted to have a relaxed evening with his friend and not let it be overshadowed by politics. Fortunately Sofia was not a law abiding woman who would judge him for his rebellious ideas anyway. Sometimes Nolan thought that she would have made a great elemental whom he would have loved at his side.

When he entered the pub, he looked rather posh in his expensive design jacket made of stiff dark grey textile. His hair was styled, not a single strand would move even if a hurricane broke lose. He took a seat at the bar and took the wine list to busy himself until his date would arrive. He had sent a message to Sofia with one of these horrible feathery creatures, letting her know place and time of their meeting. Checking his pocket watch, he realised that he still had some time until Sofia would arrive (unless she was early like himself).

He looked at the young bartender and asked him to come to him. "How many bottles of the 1996 Barolo Riserva do you have in store?" He watched with quite some pleasure as the young man blushed and struggled to give a satisfactory reply. When he responded that he'd have to check, Nolan gave a mocking exasperated sigh. "Oh leave it! I always knew that his place was no good. I mean, seriously, you demand proper attire here but the staff is not even able to answer the easiest questions?" His gaze was hard, not showing even the slightest sign of sympathy with the poor humiliated bartender. Nolan enjoyed this little game. In fact, he didn't give a damn about how many bottles were available. He just enjoyed ruining the mood of the youngster who looked like he was barely out of school.

"You know what, just bring me one bottle of the wine for now. I would ask if there are others you can recommend but quite obviously that would be in vain. I'm lucky that I can make my own choice..." his voice trailed off as he heard steps behind him. Although anyone could approach him, Nolan felt certain that it was her. His gaze softened and he forgot about the poor fellow standing just across the bar who was still staring at him, looking rather petrified. However, he didn't turn to face her yet. She shouldn't get the impression that he was so eager to see her that he had come early and was impatiently waiting for her to join him.

It wasn't her fault that she was running late.

A tall brunette stood in a sumptuous bathroom, deftly pinning up her long dark curls. The letter from Nolan came as a surprise but a nice one. She'd not seen him in a few months. Their correspondence was infrequent but regardless, they'd always made time to see one another. She liked him a lot. There was an air of mystery and danger that clung to him and she had to admit, she was interested.

Plus, she did love a dress code.

Zipping up her dress with a decidedly immodestly plunging neckline, she expertly applied a slick of deeply red lipstick before slipping her diamond earrings into her lobe and admiring the way they caught the light. Sofia was never in a rush. So far, she'd enjoyed a long and leisurely bubble bath whilst she absently flicked through a book before finally hauling herself out of the tub and squeezing into a dress. It fit her like a glove, like it had been painted on. With a deep V-neck and sheer panelling, it was wholly inappropriate for a wine bar.

Throwing her keys and a tube of lipstick (which folded out to become a handy little penknife) into her bag, she apparated into the Italian city. Sofia hadn't spent a lot of time in the town since graduating but like most towns, things hadn't changed. Her sky-high heels clacked against the ground as she expertly walked the cobbles, efficiently avoiding the cracks that threatened to twist her ankle. She meandered past the bakery, the chocolatier, the florist with the same elderly man who made up wonderfully aromatic bouquets.

Taking a left, Sofia stepped over the threshold and the first thing she saw was a very worried looking teenager. Her large chocolate coloured eyes blinked, tilting her head before she realised that he must have had a run in with her companion. Nolan tended to have that effect on people.

She offered the boy a smile as she stepped in, the scent of leather seats and wine washing over her. Sofia's family were in the wine business but this place didn't stock it. Not that she was surprised. Her eyes flicked across the bottles, reading the labels and making mental notes on the years the wines were  made. She tended to exclusively drink red wine, just out of how she was raised. Her attention was caught by a particularly rare and expensive vintage and as she walked, she tried thinking of ways to coerce Nolan into buying a bottle for her.

She approached from behind, a click of heels and a cloud of expensive jasmine scented perfume announcing her arrival. Sofia placed a warm and on Nolan's shoulder, slowly trailing her lithe fingers over towards his collarbone delicately. "Just what have you done to that poor boy?" She asked, humour clear in her voice as she stepped around to kiss him once on each cheek.

She cracked a grin, her eyes glittering as she sat down, swiftly crossing her long legs at the knee. She tilted her head, her large eyes trailing over his face absently. "Are you always so rude to staff?" She asked softly, placing an elbow on the table and resting her chin in an upturned palm. She was aware of the young man nervously hovering, undoubtedly terrified of getting a further backlashing from the older man sitting across from him.

She tutted darkly, playfully shaking her head so her long and glossy dark curls bounced cheerily. "How have you been?" She asked casually. "It's been a while."

Sofia laughed, high and tinkling. "Oh I'd move Heaven and Earth to make time to see you, you know that," she told him gently, giving his upper arm an affectionate squeeze. Pleased and flattered by his old world values, she gave him another smile and dropped into her seat, crossing her long bare legs at the knee. To be honest, seeing a man with old fashioned values was a rare and beautiful thing. The men she found herself entangled with recently would let a door slam in her face rather than hold it open for her.

"A little chat," Sofia responded with her finely groomed eyebrows arched. "Well he's only young," she told Nolan gently, her eyes straying from her friend's face to the young man's figure. "Proper knowledge takes years." With that, she plucked the menu from the table and turned it over in her slim fingers. She would be happy to let Nolan decide on what vintage they drank. She assumed he had some sort of point to prove.

"Thank you," the Italian replied demurely to Nolan's compliment, trailing her fingers over her well defined collarbones. Sofia didn't deny or refute the fact that her body looked slammin' in the dress. Why? Because she'd taken the time and the effort to look nice. Her mother had raised her to always accept a compliment. Only silly girls knocked them back into the face of their admirer.

Sofia did take a small, sick delight in watching the way she could play Nolan's emotions like a violin. They'd never crossed that line into lovers. Had she been tempted? Yes. Numerous times but Nolan was useful and the last thing she needed was for him to fall in love with her and she was certain that he would. Sofia wasn't stupid. She was skilled in emotional warfare after all. She could be the girl he'd always wanted and she could play the character well.

Her interest piqued suddenly. "Well I do love a good scheme," she purred as she looked down the wine list, her chocolate brown eyes wide and attentive as she toyed with the idea of ordering what seemed to be a particularly lovely Beaujolais. If she was going to be honest, she was partial to the wines of Italy or the more robust California grape but beggars couldn't be choosers and all that.

"I can put you in touch with a wonderful interior designer," she told Nolan with a smile as he met her eye. Their tastes differed. He preferred sleek, clean lines and she rather liked the dark, theatrical spires of Gothic architecture. "I remember," she said absently, trailing a finger tip gently around the rim of her empty wine glass. "Is it still abhorrently cold there?" She asked as she wrinkled her nose. The only thing she remembered from the brief visit to Nolan's home was the overpowering wind and lashings of rain that seemed to be relentless. Sofia was built for beaches, not cliff edges.

She stifled a giggle. "Interesting" was such an apt word. What had she done since their last meeting? "Oh the usual," she said flippantly, waving a hand through the air nonchalantly. "Took on a Chinese Triad, drowned someone, had a manicure, got punched in the face, angered an entire German family with a terrifying matriarch, made a lot of money, ran into an ex-boyfriend and upholstered my chaise longue."

That was the absolute, honest truth.

Turning slightly, she placed a warm hand on the arm of the still twitchy young man. "Buona sera," Sofia began. "I'd like to apologise for my friend's behaviour previously," she said, gesturing to Nolan. "He can be somewhat cave man-ish when he's hungry. Could we possibly get a bottle of the Mendoza malbec and a plate of nibbles?" When assured that she could, she leaned back in her chair, twirling a glossy dark lock of hair around her finger absently.

"Oh I almost forgot to mention," Sofia said suddenly, leaning across the table and placing her hand atop of his gently. "There's a jazz festival on next weekend in Buenos Aires. Tickets are sold out but I managed to snag a pair." She tilted her head. "Come with me?"

Sofia smiled. "The Devil makes work for idle hands," she said brightly as she sipped at her ruby red wine. She and Nolan were friends but she kept her friends at arm's length usually. She was sure he did the same and she felt no offence by it whatsoever. Only fools trusted so deeply. Both adults fell into this flirty relationship with ease. Had she been tempted to cross the line? Oh, most certainly. Sofia never had relations with anyone her own age, much preferring older man. Young men these days had no manners.

"Excellent!" Sofia was quick to reply, her eyes lighting up as she clapped her hands excitedly, leaning over the table a little. "I remember everything you tell me," she said with a smile and a tilt of her head. That much was true. It seemed like Nolan had some sort of special filing cabinet in her brain that stored up information he'd shared.

She laughed again, swirling her wine around and admiring the legs it left on the glass absently. "Ah," she said with a knowing smile. "You'll be overrun with beautiful young women when you get there," she said with a nod and she refused to acknowledge the brief but sharp lick of jealousy that flared up inside her. "You're not that out of touch surely?" Sofia joked, the soft candlelight picking up the occasional russet highlight in her chocolate brown hair as a tendril curled softly against the nape of her neck.

"You'll love it," she said brightly and truthfully. She often joked about Nolan's age but physically, there was nothing wrong with him. Buenos Aires was hot, humid and overcrowded. It was busy and the air was often oppressive, contrary to the literal translation of the name but she was sure that she wouldn't run rings around him.

"I've booked a hotel room and you're welcome to share if you don't fancy the long trip back," she said gently. Sofia was just being kind. She'd booked a suite in one of the best hotels in the city. Situated right in the heart of Buenos Aires in a sprawling manor house with a pool and a spa, it seemed a shame not to let Nolan enjoy it too. Being kind was one thing but, as always, she had an ulterior motive. Often sexual, she just didn't want to drink in the hotel bar all alone like some sort of sad sack.

"Sightseeing might be fun," Sofia added as she sipped at her wine again with a casual shrug. "The cathedral looks beautiful but I have been reliably informed that I'll burst into flames if I'd stepped into such a hallowed space," she said with a wry smile and a roll of her large and expressive eyes. She'd been called "devil woman" more than once. Her soul, if she had one, certainly wasn't sparkly clean.

"So you'll come?" She pressed Nolan, her eyes wide and imploring. "My treat?" She cajoled him gently, popping an olive from the plate into her mouth and chewing. "I'll bring my best Argentinean tango dress, promise."