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Venue: Jerusalem Pub, Tottenham Court Road, London
Date: 5 Aug, 2010
Wings: TonyT (
Tony@rocksolidgame.co.uk)
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Yup, another one of the field reports that are few and far between until some good solid game is played. It had been ages and all I could do was watch Thursday approach with apprehension. I'd had a bad last few weeks. Aside from having to tell my quasi-gf that it was over and then having to deal with her needy phone calls, texts, fb messages, and war crys, I had just failed an exam and had had a confidence destroying last 2 weeks at work. So just to put it in a more clarifying perspective: Life was kind of shit.
However, I did have a lesson booked with my game-tutor TonyT and two tickets to one of London's more popular/successful dating nights: Meddlers of Honour (google this). So I put on my best clothes, put some product in my hair and suddenly found myself outside of Tottenham Court road tube station asking random people directions to a venue I already knew - just to do some pre-approach work.
Tony shows up and as usual is dressed emaculately and excited to get started after we eat. He'd just returned from a few weeks in Lithuania, where he was successfully setting up a new game based franchise and had really hit it off with a 9. So much so he'd prolonged his trip there.
Fucking hell, I thought to myself,
this IS serious...
As we ate our Chinese food to the resounding cries of 5 foreign language asking their friend if it was chicken they were eating, I outline what's been happening the last few months and his face falls as it dawns on him that I'm not up to scratch. Turns out some of his game pals are there and there's a little competition going on to see who's student will be the best.
Great! So... no pressure then...?
We get in the venue and walk down the stairs into the underground pub. The place is filled with people aged 25-35 and it's 3/4 busy. Still enough room to move about the place and open sets without being squashed into awkward positions next to them or in a crowd movement highway. I suddenly relax and feel my body calm as I make my way to the bar. Everybody here is single. Everybody here WANTS to be talked to. Besides. There's a Dark Brunnette HB 8.5 (DHB) standing next to me at the bar and I have nothing to loose.
She's pouring over the menu with her equally fit friend (Brunnete HB - BHB) and I just speak over my shoulder to them. "I'm picking out my next cocktail after this. What here's good?"
BANG. The set opens, and DHB takes a half step back so the three of us can chat. I lean on the bar and keep my body language neutral and project my voice to avoid leaning down to them. When I can't hear them I just point to my ear and pull them a little closer.
We talk about the venue, the night, and how awesome it is to find people just so open to talking. How do they know each other? They were SPAM for four years. "That's too bad. What did she say that finally made you move?"
DHB and BHB are both chatty and I'm counting IOIs and know that in theory I have a choice.
WTF, I think,
I'm going to try for the hottest (BHB).
The bartender arrives and starts taking the drinks order for the girls, which has DHB blocking the space between me and BHB. It's also a good excuse to move to the other side of the set, not to mention the gloriously ditsy barmaid has put my drinks infront of BHB. Perfect.
I move sides and continue the conversation with BHB and once she's ordered DHB turns and a flash of disappointment zips through her eyes when she sees us talking. I know this look. It says:
DAMN. Now I'm alone. I will soon be angry as well. Immediately I re-include her in the set. I can't risk her sweeping BHB away from me and into the arms of the now circling single men that are milling around the bar. This is an environment hss a double edged sword: it's easy to open, which means if you don't pay attention another guy will swoop.
I want to point out now that during this stage of the interaction, I'm focussing about 70% of my attention on DHB but every 2nd comment I make I glance at BHB. This is because DHB is the far side of the three group that's standing at the bar. By doing this I'm hinting towards a jealousy plot line. But more importantly, it means I can engage both girls without one of them feeling like they're neglected, then leaving and putting pressure on the remaining girl to end the interaction.
We're now fluff talking about where they're from because I can hear their accents are Aus/Kiwi (HOT!). They point to the maori carving that's my favourite necklace and say they're from there. BOOM. DHV about me carving this with a maori guy I met while travelling by myself through NZ.
We move onto the subject of the venue/evening again and I describe the roll of meddlers in the venue. People with giant M's around their neck, whose roll it is to set people up by introducing them. They ask if I am a meddler. I tell them that I'm not but that I'm always on the look out for cool girls to set up with friends.
I get them to tell me what kind of qualities they're looking for in men, and then elaborate on what they're saying back to them so that all those qualities are things that I have. I then point out that nobody else in the venue has those qualities. e.g. "So you like tall guys so you can wear your favourite high heels, the ones that make you feel sexy. *I scan the room and turn back to them*...wow... tough night! *we laugh*"
When their drinks come I pick up BHB's and then casually sip it. "That's amazing! What is it" She laughs and tells me. Sweet. I have compliance.
Now we're all chatting like old friends so I need to isolate BHB. This means it's time to introduce a wing. I scan for Tony and see him with some of his fellow tutors in a semi circle chatting with each other.
I turn back to the girls. "You know, I've got a good bunch of friends here tonight that you guys are going to love. Grab your drinks. Come meet them. It would be good if you hit it off." They agree easily and they begin to follow me through the crowd.
I'm nervous. I need to think straight. My energy is high, adrenaline spikes are making me think a thousand miles a second.
BANG! -
you're doing something wrong here. What is it? BANG! The crowd! There are too many guys. BANG! You need to take control. BANG! KINO her!
I turn and, transferring the drinks I'm carrying to one hand, I reach and take BHB's hand and gently take her through the crowd like an alpha. Strong body language. Good game. Every guy behinds me sees me staking a claim.
As I walk up I realise I know Tony's friends. They're tutors that were at Sarge School before it became Rock Solid Game. My first boot camp was with these guys. In fact, Jimmy Jambone was my goddam trainer. Fuck. Dammit. Again... No pressure.
They greet me like old friends and Tony immediately DHVs me to the girls as I introduce them to the crowd. Not surprised to find out that one of the guys is a student and has in fact opened the girls earlier. It dawns on me that I have successfully opened, DHVed and bounced the hottest girls in the room... No pressure...
I turn to BHB as a random guy from outside the group starts talking to DHB (the game guys instinctively turn their backs on us to create isolation) and we start to talk about her up bringing, what attracted her to London and I use any slim connection to myself to fire a DHV at her. When she mentions what bands she's into I use my favourite one (I actually got from a girl I used to date). Short summary: I did work for the make a wish foundation, principally because of the death of family member. I got a call randomly out of the blue and was told I had to be in birmingham randomly for that night. The lady said I was taking a family to see a concert and meet the band members. When I ask her what it was she says 'I think they're called Day Green?'. I met Billy Joe from Green Day that night.
We make plans to go to the zoo the next week and trade numbers.
By this point we're just nattering away and I'm using the increasing volume of the venue to start building up some touch and get in her space. She's now asking what other charity work I've done (Teaching in Africa, street collecting in Edinburgh - both true) and we talk about new things we've done. I bounce her again to a new location to perform the number guessing trick. I always fuck this up. I get maybe one number if I'm lucky but I just throw her hands away and tell her that she's no good at this mind reading thing and we smile. Besides, it was just to see how she complied and if she trusted me. Her hands moved where I directed them and lingered when I stopped. At one point our hands rest on the same point on the table we're standing near and our hands are intertwined for a couple minutes before I break the interaction to build tension.
We bounce to the bar (I lead her by the hand) and get a cocktail each. She's at the right buying temperature so I take her by the hand and walk her to the last side of the venue where there are empty couches, chairs and benches behind tables (this is the 3rd location I've taken her to. It's my kiss location).
We're completely alone and sit side by side on a bench. I immediately launch into a comfort gambit about me growing up with a fear of lightening in Malaysia. When I was 2 years old, my Mam cured it by sitting in a rocking chair with me and my brother: rocking back and forth as the storms wailed around us in the night. I now love to be in my flat with windows open as the weather churns outside and I sit in the turmoil and breath in the wet fresh night air - letting it run through and calm me as I relax. I ask what childhood memories she can remember. What stands out? (comfort building)
She's telling me about her climbing three peaks in three days in the summer, the festivals she's been to, and the marathon she's run all during this summer. She's also a Tax Account.
Holy shit, my mind screams,
this girl is amazingly hot, smart and is your perfect woman ...but hey... no pressure...
It's time. I've built up the tension, we've been making eye contact and glancing at each other's lips. She hasn't shied away with my arm over the back of the bench rest behind her. "So you're adventurous?" I say, pulling her a little closer. She smile's - yes. "Would you say that you can be spontaneous too?" I smile, staring directly into her eyes. She smiles back and maintain's eye contact - yes. "Good," I say and start to draw her in and she moves to meet me "Me too..."
*Kiss*
Result. First set I opened, the 2 hottest women in the room, and I've K-closed one of them less than an hour later. My ego boost cannot be described. The world isn't my oyster, it's my bitch. I see TonyT across the bar and he has an impressed look on his face. I'm pretty sure, he may have just won the competition.
It's only 21.30 though. Now what... we cruise the room, dance, our rhythms don't match up so I grab her pull her to a wall that I lean on and caveman her. Immediately she gives as good as she gets. We bump into her friend who is still with the other guy and is ok with staying with him. He ends up taking her home (well done) and at some point I'm thinking about going. How far do I push my luck?
This girl is special. She's girlfriend material. Do I chance a shag? Will it change my opinion of her so much that she'll loose my interest. Fuck it. Give it a go.
She asks me what my plans are for the night and I tell her that I'm thinking of going home "I have a great bottle of wine in the fridge. I promise to make sure you get home safe". OUr faces are centimeters apart her expression remains the same and her eyes search mine looking for some trace of deceit. I watch the cogs turn in her head and the seconds draw out. I'm about to cut it off when she says: "When are we meeting up again?". Friday. (8 days is a long time). I say "Let's meet up earlier in the week and also go to the zoo". She says 'Not tonight. I... not tonight...' We kiss and spend the whole night cuddling, making out, dancing and I walk her to the station and say goodbye. Before she goes I use a line I learnt from my friend Justin. "Give me a text when you get in to let me know you've made it back safe" She says she will have to charge her phone when she gets back but that she'll definately doit.
It's a way of testing her keeness. If she complies it tells me that she's very into me. 12.30 pm: 'Hi crazy text. Just to let you know I got home safe and looking forward to our next meeting..."
Sweet.
CHAT
