Dinner for hungry Order Members

((Continued straight from the meeting thread, don't reply there, but come straight here.))
Jess then clapped his hands together and gestured for everyone to follow him out of the Kitchen, and head upstairs to the drawing room, for them all to sit around and wait till dinner was ready.

When they all arrived in the room he smiled and looked around them, "Please, relax and make yourselves at home, Berty shall be up in a moment to see what we all want for dinner, but for now I suggest that we all just prepare ourselves for dinner," he told them all, before walking to the bookshelf and selecting a book to read while he waited for the Elf to come and make the dinner arangements.

Khaat watched Michael stand to his feet and offer her his hand. "I so rarely see you these days," he said. "May I?"

"I'd like that," She smiled. She stood and took his hand. She watched Brian move to take their mugs to the sink and rinse them out. Michael led her upstairs to the drawing room and he saw a game table with a backgammon board. He looked at her and grinned. "Feel like a challenge?"

"I'll just beat you again," she shrugged, "but alright." She took a seat and he took the other. "Red or black?" she asked him.

"Black," he said. "Red just isn't my color."

Khaat watched her parents come in, followed by Brian. Robert sighed.

"Really, Michael? You never got past being a glutton for punishment. She will beat your ass at that, you know that," Robert said.

"No she won't. I have mad skills now," Michael said. Kate laughed out loud.

"Your mad skills, Michael, are in the kitchen. The legal skills anyway," she said.

"I am not a one note johnny if that's what you're implying."

"I am not," she said. "Clearly not. I'm just thinking that there are a lot of people who do not know you here very well."

"And that is as it should be," Michael defended, sorting out his black pieces as Khaat sorted her red ones.

Jess chuckled as Michael and Khaat's family bickered friendlily amongst each other over a game of backgammon, it looked as though it was an argument which had been fought several times in the past, and it looked as though Michael used the same excuse every time. "Michael, I've gotta side with the Lupin clan on this one," Jess said, looking up from his book to involve himself in their conversation, grinning slyly at the man, knowing he'd be outraged (In a good way of course)

"Yes, they definitely have the upper hand on this one Michael, the only 'Mad skills' I've seen you showing are detecting the age of a bottle of whiskey by smell alone," He said, pausing to chuckle a little, "A skill which I imagine, while it would certainly make the game more interesting if you tried to show us, it mightn't help your play," He said, knowing that Michael'd hardly be able to resist responding to his baiting. With a cheeky smile he looked back at his book.

"As it happens," Khaat looked at Jess, "Michael is one of the finest cooks I've ever known. He just doesn't do much of it now except if we give him good reason to do it. But mad backgammon skills? No."

"He also does not have mad skills with women either," Robert said, knowing his old friend too well.

"Women?" Michael looked at Robert blankly. "Why would I need skill with that? On the other hand, Sirius has posed an interesting possibility. I'm betting I can tell whatever you think is top shelf from that cheap swill that I have found a couple of bartenders try to pawn off once in a blue moon."

He wasn't going to tell Jess that he had sent one of the Leaky's bartenders off scurrying into a mousehole, transfigured into a small brown housemouse, after he'd sold Michael cheap firewhiskey, telling him it was top shelf. Michael had paid for the drink--at its value, not at top shelf price, and then had flicked his wand at the bartender. He frowned slightly, wondering what had ever become to that mouse.

"Hm. Maybe I should bet you to find that bartender you lost two months ago, Sirius. If I win, I don't have to look for him. If I lose, I hunt him down and get him back for you," he smiled at Jess.

Jack watched a lot of them get up and leave for the room everyone was gathering in. She watched them for a second, thinking. So this was the Order, the Order that all the PAers thought would help solve their problems. The Order did not have any answers, just more and more problems. And they did not even talk about the problems. She just talked about the political problems concerning the problems..

At this rate, Jack would have to help the wizarding world single-handedly. Or she could become a hermit. The latter was much more appealing.

She let out a sigh and stood, her chair scraping against the floor loudly, causing her to grimace. She scratched her head and moved into the kitchen, seeing that a group had already congregated. Jack assumed these people to be the golden group, the faces of the Order. She went and sat at the kitchen, not in the mood to join their jovial talk. Instead, she waited for dinner. A much greater necessity to her than small talk.

"You take the first move, my darling," Michael said to Khaat, and then he looked up seeing Jack. He frowned. "Jack, my dear, you could not look more sour and unhappy than if I had given you a mouthful of lemons. Whatever is on your mind, you'd be far better off to just say it. We don't always agree at the meeting table, but the food is generally very good. And for that matter, it sometimes helps clear our heads a bit. We could go for a short walk before dinner if you trust a walk down the block alone with me."

He knew better. He knew Jack trusted him at least that far, but he wanted to give her a graceful out. He caught Khaat making an opening move of two of her backgammon pieces. She was a wise player. She did not choose to leave either of them unguarded. Robert sat on the arm of Khaat's chair, and Kate sat on the arm of Michael's chair, both of them taking places to watch the match.

"The last time they played, it took them 7 months to finish," Kate said.

Jack shook her head at Michael's questions and suggestions. She appreciated it, but Jack did not voice her feelings because she spent so long trying to dispel the rumors of even having them. "Nah, I always look sour and unhappy. It's a god sign. If I look at peace or,dare I say it, happy, then you definitely have room to worry." She smirked.

She sighed and her stomach conveniently took this time to grumble loudly, further deciding for everyone that her unhappiness was not incurable. "I'm just hungry, I think. Thanks for the offer, but I'll be just fine. I'll eat, we'll chat, and I'll return to the castle, fine and dandy."

Jacob followed the group to the drawing room he looked around a second and sat in the corner he took out a cigarette and lit it while he took a drag he thought back on the discussion the group had he felt not a lot had been accomplished except for some arguing but he guessed thats how most of the meetings went and progress would be made eventually. He zoned back in and found that his cigarette had gone out and hadn't burned much at all he sighed and relight it.

((Jack, you said that you were in the kitchen but then replied to Michael who's in the Drawing Room, may I assume that you're in the Drawing Room? For my own selfish purposes of course.))

Jess closed his book and listened keenly to the banter going on around Michael, laughing at most of what was said, at least Michael was able to take a sting without feeling its bite, a very valuable resource when with friends, and it was a trait they shared, Michael and Jess, in that they could both stand to make fun of themselves without fearing some nasty repercussion.

"That Bartender? I assumed he'd just left are you telling me... oh lord. Thank god spells like that expire over time, if the force against it is strong enough, I do hope he's still in the country though," Jess commented, a frown crossing his face, he cared little for his own reputation and safety, but the safety of others was incredibly important to him.

"Some other time," he then muttered, waving off the offer of a wager as something distracted him from their conversation. Jack seemed to have met his fears, and was having second thoughts, or so it seemed. The distracted look, the hint of annoyance and disappointment, she said it was the usual, but when she had first entered the house she had seemed so Enthusiastic and hopeful, it crushed Jess to see her like this, acting the way he felt, almost perfectly the same.

"Jack," he said, standing up and walking back over to the bookshelf and putting his novel away, "Would you mind coming upstairs to my study?" He asked, walking towards the door of the drawing room, gesturing to the upstairs section of the house. "I would like to have a word with you," he said, smiling to show that he meant no negativity to come of this. "The rest of you," he said, turning to face the room, "Berty is here to take your orders, he normally overprepares, so I have little doubt that he'll not be able to prepare what you like," he told them, before turning and walking out the door and upstairs, waiting for Jack to join him in his study.

"Good evening," came a voice from the darkness of the landing. "Welcome to Grimauld Place, I am the master's house elf, Berty, and I come from a long line of House Elves who have served here in the ancient house of Black. "I see a more than a few new faces, and only one or two old," he told them, peering around the room. He wasn't a young elf, but following the Death of Kreacher he'd been recalled to his house of birth, to fulfill his birthright. "Please, give me your orders and I shall see to it that the best of efforts is made to have your meal ready for you." he told them, clicking his fingers and making a sheet of paper and a quill appear in his hands.

((Feel free to control Berty btw))

(nrgh, m'bad. My mom was telling me to clean the kitchen. Haha. I edited)

Jack looked up and met the gaze of Jess who was addressing her. She would think this would not be so unusual, considering everything. She had fought in a battle with him, he had invited her today, he was supposedly trying to get PA and Order more cooperative, but it was still a strange circumstance being addressed and asked to speak privately with the leader of the Order.

"Uh, sure," she said, shrugging. She stood up, again, scraping her chair loudly against the ancient wooden floor, making most people wince she was sure. She could not enter nor exit a room in a normal fashion. She followed Jess, slowing on the way to glance about. She had only been there once before, and she had been to involved in the battle to really get a look.

She walked into the study and closed the door, assuming Jess wanted to keep the conversation private. She glanced around and then crossed her arms, looking at Jess. "What do you need?"