once upon a time (open/multi)

It was shortly after Jerome's birthday, but he hadn't really celebrated it. It seemed a shame, as he had more friends this year, so perhaps they'd felt let down by him not organising anything. Everyone knew that he wasn't the type to throw a party, as those always seemed to get out of hand - no matter how hard you tried to keep everything low-key and alcohol-free...

He'd read in the Prophet that the cinema was doing a showing of some animated classics, so he'd sent a crystal message last Thursday about meeting up at the weekend and seeing them together. Some of the invitees he didn't know extremely well, but he'd invited them anyway knowing they'd probably enjoy the films. It was just nice to get out and get lost in another story for once.

Jerome was in the lobby of the cinema, having purchased his tickets and was now considering which popcorn to get.

"Maybe we should just get a large one of each?" he suggested to someone who'd turned up.

"Get some toffee. Hits harder when ya chuck it."

Wade had his hands slouched inside his pockets, and was gazing around at the cinema lobby. It pretty much looked like any muggle cinema, except there was definitely magic being used to scoop out the popcorn and assemble the hotdogs.

"Floor is well sticky in the one near my house. When ya in the screen room, ya dunno if it's spaff or somethin' else."

"I-I-I only wuh-wuh-wuh-want buh-buh-butter... The chuh-chuh-cheesy powder muh-muh-makes me cuh-cah-cough..."

The lobby and concession stand of the cinema was a bit overwhelming from the Hogsmeade weekend traffic, but it was, thankfully, nowhere near as crowded as the muggle multiplexes he had been to with his dad's family.

"Huh-huh-happy buh-buh-birth-d-d-de-day, Jer-jer-jerome..! I-I-I duh-duh-didn't guh-guh-get y-y-you anything, suh-suh-sorry..."

He glanced between him and Wade, anxiously keeping track of the clock so they weren't late for the movie.

@Jerome Estrada

Instead of having ticket booths, they actually had ticket machines as well. They weren't an exact replica of a muggle ticket machine, but Tiernan wasn't to know that. It was more a wizard's crude interpretation of a machine, that operated by magic. Tiernan was laughing at it and jabbing repeatedly at the buttons.

"We're not chucking popcorn at people, MacKenna," he sighed. Then, when he didn't think his comments could get any worse, he was sorely mistaken. "Keep those sorts of things to yourself... we don't want to put people off."

He really was a plank sometimes.

Happy to turn away from MacKenna, Jerome smiled at Lazar. "That's okay! I wasn't expecting gifts or anything. The gift is getting to do this." Hmm... maybe everyone would have their own individual preferences when it came to popcorn after all. "Maybe it would just be better if we got some each. When it's just me and my Dad, we share."

@Lazar Tremlett

Sierra felt horrible that she didn't even know it was Jerome's birthday until it had already passed! Then again, they had only really started to be friends when they had been on the train at the beginning of this school year so maybe she had an excuse but she still wished she could have helped maybe plan a little party for his birthday or at least get him a gift. Either way, she was excited to attend the cinema when he had sent out the group message to her and who knows who else to go there.

When she got to the cinema, she saw a few students already there including Jerome. She walked up to them, a bright smile on her lips. "That sounds disgusting!" She said upon hearing Wade's statement as she reached him. "Do you know what all they're supposed to be showing?" He hadn't been really specific in his message and she was curious. She smiled in greeting to Lazar.

@Wade MacKenna  @Jerome Estrada @Lazar Tremlett

After stopping by a clothing store to pick up some new scrunchies for cheerleading and get her friend a last minute gift, Marilyn walked into the cinema when she saw Tiernan messing around with the ticket machine.

"Tiernan! What are you doing? Are you getting us tickets?"

@Tiernan McLaggen

"People used to spaff on those keypads an' all," he told McLaggen, and he immediately ceased doing it. Wade laughed loudly, slapping him hard on the back, which resulted in a boisterous shoving between them.

Until Marilyn appeared, and he stepped away from him.

"Yeah McLaggen. Get us some tickets, then."

He grinned at Marilyn from behind Tiernan.

@Marilyn Grayson

"Yeah but... do I just speak to it or something?" he asked her, clueless.

Wade roared with laughter behind him, and Tiernan stamped on his foot.

@Marilyn Grayson

"Wadey!!! Isn't this movie going to be fun! We have to sit together!!!" she exclaimed, instantly perking with excitement.

She's always wanted to see a movie with her Wadeykins; it was a muggle activity after all, and it was so cool that the opportunity was also available in Hogsmeade now! She only ever went there in the past to find gossip to report on after all.

Looking over at Tiernan, she replied, "I don't know! Just ask for tickets!"

The machine had to be easy to figure out! It was an odd contraption...

@Wade MacKenna @Tiernan McLaggen

Rose was super excited to have been invited to go to the cinema that weekend and get to watch all of the fairytales they were showing. She was also thrilled that Jerome had thought to invite her. Though, she remembered having conversations with him about the fairytales she loved to read. She walked into the theater and smiled seeing the others there. She hoped that Scorpius would come, she had messaged him asking him if he wanted to but she hadn't heard back from him yet. She walked over to the ticket machine to wait her turn.

"Don't listen to him, Sierra," he sighed, smiling as she joined them. "Or you, Lazar."

Lazar may have overreacted to the idea of stickiness itself, let alone believing it was that.

When she asked about what was showing, Jerome brightened. "You're going to love it. They're all animations of fairytales, and the first is going to be Cinderella, I think. Maybe Sleeping Beauty will be shown too." He smiled knowingly at her then, as she had confessed to that being her favourite before.

Briefly, he turned to the server. "Can we get regular sizes of every kind of popcorn. Times two. That should be enough... if we need any more, we'll get Wade to run an errand."

@Sierra Longbottom @Lazar Tremlett

"'Course I'm sittin' with ya. It goes us, then McLaggen on the other side, then his squeeze, then whatever after that."

Personally he wanted Jerome sat in front of him so he could kick his chair.

Heh heh.

"Ya gotta bash it with ya fist, McLaggen," he jested, smirking as he took Marilyn's hand.

@Marilyn Grayson

"Yeah... I'm not falling for that."

He sighed. Glancing at Rose behind him, waiting patiently, he turned and poked her arm.

"Come on, let's get our tickets at the booth. I can get Kenzie's too. Leave them to battle that thing."

@Rose Granger-Weasley

"Thank goodness the floors aren't sticky here anyway!" She said, scooting her sneakers across the shiny floors as if to prove it. Her smile brightened when he said what would be showing. She had nearly forgotten that she had told him that her favorite fairy tale was Sleeping Beauty but somehow he had remembered. "I hope so! And happy birthday, sorry I'm a little late." She said, truly meaning the apology and not just saying it to make conversation as a lot of people seemed to do.

"I'm sure he'll love being sent on errands." She said with a laugh as she readied herself to help Jerome carry some of the popcorn he had ordered.

@Jerome Estrada

Waving at Rose after buying her tickets and some strange confectionary she'd never tried before, Layla jumped the last step and landed just behind Lazar, prodding him lightly in the ribs.

"Hey Lazar! Isn't this great? I'm so excited, it's been so long since I'm watched these movies! And look at these!" She part way opened a paper bag, where there were multi-coloured hollow discs stuck together made out of rice paper. "They're so cute, aren't they? No clue what they are though!"

@Lazar Tremlett @Rose Granger-Weasley

Rose was trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation or anything but she just waited patiently. Then Tiernan turned to her and poked her arm. She smiled at him. "Sounds good to me! I wasn't sure how that thing was going to work anyway. At least I won't have to look silly standing there trying to figure it out." She said, practically bouncing beside him as they walked towards the ticket booth. "I asked Scorpius if he was coming but haven't heard back from him yet. I hope he does though!" She blushed a bit as she said it. Their dating was still very new to her as was the whole idea of having a boyfriend at all.

@Tiernan McLaggen

Was the floor sticky? Or not sticky? He hoped it wasn't sticky... What if it got on his shoes and nothing muggle or magical could get it off? What if the stickiness was urine? Like he had encountered a few times in various restrooms over the years?

His cheeks turned slightly green at the thought, even as Sierra moved her feet around the floor to reassure him of the cinema's cleanliness.

Then he felt a slight hit around his ribs, and Lazar nearly fainted from fright until he saw, and realized that it was Layla. She wasn't intending on hurting him! He cracked a small smile, the hints of green turning red.

"Huh-huh-hello, Luh-luh-Layla..."

He looked at what she was showing him and nodded. Those colors were really cute!

"They luh-luh-look like fuh-fuh-fuh-fish scales!"

@Layla Cartwright

Jerome grinned broadly at her, as the popcorn order started lining up on the counter in front of them.

"Thanks," he said, noting how she seemed troubled over a belated wish. "Don't worry - I just forgot to tell people, so how else were you to know?"

Looking beyond her to Layla, he peeked into her confectionary bag. "I haven't seen those in a while. They're flying saucers. You know, like the things aliens have?" Perhaps she didn't know. What did witches and wizards know of aliens, really? Now that he thought about it, there was probably a magical explanation for sightings and such.

He shook himself back to the present. "They've got sherbet in them," he explained, feeling that was a better way to describe them for now.

@Sierra Longbottom

"Oh yeah! They do!"

When Jerome approached, Layla felt herself turn scarlet. He was looking right at her when he spoke.

"Oh..." she murmured quietly, lowering her gaze. "Flying saucers... yeah. Um, thanks for inviting me, by the way, Jerome... I-I hope you had a good birthday..."

She peered at Sierra instead, and smiled kindly at her.

@Lazar Tremlett @Sierra Longbottom

"Unless his arm is hanging off in the hospital wing, he'll definitely come. Lads always show up when they're really into girls."

Not that he knew Scorpius very well, but he'd noticed he and Rose were a couple now.

"His arm isn't hanging off in the hospital wing, by the way," he added quickly, not wanting to scare her. Perhaps she was the type who took things literally...

He bought four tickets, and handed two to Rose.

"My treat," he confided, winking.

@Rose Granger-Weasley

"Shuh-shuh-shur-sherbet? I-I-I huh-huh-had a stuh-stuh-stick of it wuh-wuh-once, a-an-and it irr-irr-i-tated muh-muh-my thruh-thruh-throat..."

@Jerome Estrada @Layla Cartwright

Emery wanted to come and support Jerome. He was a good guy and she knew some people who she didn't care about, but she was here to support a friend. She had walked into the building, and texted Faolan to come and join her. "Happy birthday Jerome!" she said with a smile. "Can we not have a fight tonight?" she said glaring at Tiernan and Wade.

@Faolan Finnigan  @Layla Cartwright @Tiernan McLaggen

"I ain't fightin' no one, I wanna watch chicks singin' to animals and all that crap," he insisted to Emerald, punching into the ticket machine to give he and Marilyn their tickets. "If Jer's head becomes a landin' site for popcorn though, that's just 'cause he's a prick."

Shrugging, he turned back to face them all, kissing Marilyn's cheek.

@Emerald Cartwright

Smiling briefly at Layla, he waved to her sister joining them.

"Hi Emery. And thanks--"

Wade was practically shouting over him. Jerome rolled his eyes.

"MacKenna's just scared that he'll start crying at the happy endings."

@Emerald Cartwright