I was in no such way, forced to create this rp, and certainly not by Eirina <3 (Open as the great outdoors!)

Eleonora watched, transfixed, as the young man at the bar who had slammed his empty glass down started on another one. She would never understand how people could do that.  One drink was usually plenty for her but she knew most people had much higher tolerances for alcohol than she did. Judging by his size he no doubt could drink her under the table and still be able to carry her home when she inevitably passed out.

Only when the man looked around again did she realize she was staring at him. Flustered, she tried to hide her embarrassed blush by burying her face back into her book.

Phoenix saw the woman looking at him but he brushed it off. Ever since he had started working out he realized he got more stares, or maybe it was because of the way he put his cup down... After thinking a moment, Phoenix raised the glass to his lips and took another sip, covering his mouth with his free hand to burp quietly.

Setting the glass down lighter this time, Phoenix hunched over the bar with his elbows rested on the wooden top, and looked up and down the large racks of alcohol that adorned the wall behind the bartender

A few moments passed and Eleonora regained her composure. She gently closed her book and took the last sip of her drink. It was still cozy and relatively quiet in the room and she didn't feel ready to leave yet. Glancing back at the bar she debated ordering another drink. It would be impolite to sit at her table much longer without first buying something else, so she resolved to order something a little weaker to drink.

Unfortunately to do so she would have to walk up to the bar next to the man she had been watching earlier. Eleonora was always a bit nervous around people who were so much bigger than she was. Giver her a dragon and she could stare it down without flinching, but a man twice her size with a drink in his hand...that was something different altogether.

Don't be silly, just walk over and order a drink. Stop acting like such a scared kid, she reprimanded herself.  And so she stood up, leaving her book behind, and walked up to the counter, trying to get the barkeeps attention.

While Eleonora was walking up to the bar, Phoenix paid no attention to her, until she was already there. Turning his head to her, he smiled softly, "'Ello ma'am" he said. Phoenix took another sip and grimaced as it seared down his throat, at this point he was deciding if he wanted to have another drink, or call it quits after this second one was done.

Phoenix shifted his left arm and picked up the toy car he had transfigured earlier, he put it back after examining the doors and pushed it slowly around the table in front of him.

Eleonora smiled shyly back at the man, a little taken back. No one had ever called her ma'am before. Did she really look that old? She knew she was older than him but did she really look like a ma'am? Her face clouded over briefly as she wondered where the time had went so fast.

Maybe it was because of this thought, that her life was slowly passing her by, that she turned back to the man after she ordered another drink. He was slowly moving something around the table...what, a toy car? Eleonora dismissed his behavior as just another thing she would never understand about people.

“Not something you see everyday...a wizard with a car.” She tried, hoping it was a least a little humorous and not just a line that would make her look stupid.

Phoenix chuckled, "Yeah, it's not everyday you see something as awesome as this" he joked, sliding the car over to the bar in front of her. Reaching to his right side with his left hand, Phoenix lifted the arm of his t-shirt up a few inches to scratch his arm, revealing a tattoo and a toned bicep.  A few moments later the bartender walked over and stood in front of them.

"Can I get either one of you something to drink?" The man asked, wiping a glass off with a rag while he waited for a reply.

"I'll take some fries, if you've got any" Phoenix replied, taking another sip of his drink and setting it back down on the table

Caught of guard Eleonora almost let the car slide off the counter as it passed in front of her. She stopped it at the last minute and left it stationary. It had been a long time she she had thought about cars, of course growing up in a muggle family she was used to them, but hardly had anything to do with them now she was on her own. Maybe this man was muggle born as well, why else would he even think of cars?

She watched as he scratched his arm, showing off some tattoos and nicely toned muscles. Was he doing that on purpose? Eleonora was never sure what motives people had even for little actions like that.

Not wanting to be caught staring again, she brought her attention back to the car and playfully held it out to the man. “I'm a little hesitant to give you back your car, you know it's not safe to drink and drive.” The drinks were making Eleonora bolder than usual, in under normal circumstances she would have avoided a meaningless conversation like this.

"As long as I can't find the keys, I think I'll be fine" Phoenix laughed, reaching out to take the car back again. Reaching over, he took another large sip of his drink, and shook his head, starting to feel it a little bit more now. "Čovjek, koji je žestoko piće" he muttered quietly. Lately, Phoenix had been trying to stick with English as much as possible but sometimes he just couldn't help but speak in some language he was comfortable with.

Phoenix was looking at the car when he realized he hadn't even introduced himself yet, so he held out his hand. "My name is Phoenix, Phoenix Callahan" he said with a smile, wondering if the woman was raised with muggles, seeing as how she knew about cars and such.

The man laughed at her jest and Eleonora felt a spark of confidence. She had successfully said something slightly funny without it being a joke on her. That was a rare occurrence.

She took another sip of her new drink as the man did the same. He muttered something in a language she couldn't quite place and Eleonora wondered where he could be from. His english seemed fine, and she couldn't detect any accent when he spoke next and introduced himself.

She took a moment before responding, weighing the words she could choose in her head. It was a habit many people found annoying, as it stretched out the natural pauses in conversation. Not everyone was as comfortable with silence as her.

“It's nice to meet you, Phoenix. I'm Nora...well, Eleonora really.” She felt her cheeks redden as she spoke. “Are you from around here?” Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Nice to meet you too, Nora" Phoenix started, watching her face get even more red, and he started to wonder if it was something he said, "I was born in England, but throughout my childhood I was moved all around the world until I was 16 when I came back home and started at Hogwarts" he finished. "What about you, where are you from?" Phoenix asked, pushing the last tiny bit of his drink away from him, finished with the alcohol.

A moment after he asked Nora where she was from, Phoenix heard a noise from a corner of the barroom, and his eyes darted towards it.... But it was too dark to see anything right now, especially with the drinks affecting his brain like they were.

Phoenix's openness  was refreshing. Most people would probably only say yes or no, a short answer. At least, that was the kind of conversations Eleonora was used to having. But maybe that was more her fault than others, maybe she was the one who set the tone for most of her short interactions. Determined to change that, she again thought about her answer before replying.

“Mostly,” here is where she would have usually stopped, “I've been in London for a few years working for the Ministry, but I just got moved to Hogwarts to teach.” Looking at Phoenix she judged he would be out of Hogwarts by now, but it couldn't have been long since he was there.

Eleonora watched as his eyes darted to a shadowed corner of room. She glanced that way but couldn't figure out what he was looking at and promptly disregarded it.

"You worked in the ministry? What were you doing there?" Phoenix asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise, "And now you're going to teach at Hogwarts? That's a pretty good opportunity you've got going there" he finished, moving his eyes from the corner to Eleonora and smiling. "I was thinking about applying back at Hogwarts in a few years to be the Quidditch referee and flying coach" he said. Talking about his future plans was not something that Phoenix usually did but the alcohol was pushing him to say things he would not normally be saying.

Phoenix leaned his head to each side to crack his neck, and then cracked his knuckles, looking back at Eleonora after he was finished.

The sound of Phoenix's knuckles cracking sent a shiver running through Eleonora. It was something that had always unsettled her. It was also a completely unnecessary action in her mind.

Thinking back to her work at the Ministry Eleonora again twirled her hair between her fingers. Would Phoenix believe she worked with dangerous magical creatures? Most people she told didn't. They took one look at her, taking in her small frame and nervous habits, and scoffed at the notion of her taming wild beasts. Eleonora was fine with that, though. Let them underestimate her, it was easier to avoid notice that way.

“I worked in the Beast Department. I helped to relocate and study magical creatures that posed problems for muggle and magical communities.” She hadn't looked back at him yet, her eyes still roaming around. “I can imagine you would be a good flier,” she started, barely holding eye contact. “You look like you could withstand a few bludgers.”

Phoenix laughed and nodded "That's pretty amazing, I would love to work with creatures like that, but they don't usually co-operate for me, I've got a few scars from animals gone wild" he said, smirking still.

When he heard her comment about his looks, Phoenix couldn't help but smile, "Yes, I've played Quidditch my entire life, and funnily enough I'm a beater" he explained, looking from his arms back down to the table.  Phoenix started thinking about Quidditch and how much he missed it not being at school anymore, he would have to go to a game some time, or maybe even try out to join a professional team.

((Just going to go for a shower, back in a few minutes))

Eleonora just smiled and listened to Phoenix as he mentioned his time playing Qudditch. She had never been that interested in it, herself. The only thing that had caught her attention about it was the snitch's origins. She wondered if he knew about that, though. She wasn't sure how much history of the sport people who played it read about.

When he mentioned scars, though, she looked up and gave a small laugh. “I know all about that. You couldn't even guess how many I have all over my body.” They were something Eleonora was more than a little self-conscious about. In her line of work they couldn't be avoided though. She looked away again, this time to her hands, studying the pale lines that ran across them like runways. Some were fresher than others, but most were old and faint. Embarrassed, she hid them behind her back hoping Phoenix hadn't seen them.

Unsure of what to say next, Eleonora took the chance to look around the room again to see if anyone new had arrived.