| Field Report
Location: Pacific Bar, Covent Garden
22 May, 2009
Wingmen: Attual, Keon
Keon and I had been out sarging the day before in Leicester square and I think it’s fair to say he’s developed a little bit of a taste for it. Now I just need to cultivate that to get a strong wingman out of him, I reckon his potential is astounding! We had been faffing about not opening the next day walking around covent garden and both coming up with big bullshit excuses about how there were no sets or no sets not worth opening – bollox of course, there were loads but Keon didn’t want to open mixed sets and I was in a ball-less mood. to try and counter this we both hit the streets and began opening practice sets “Excuse me, I’m looking for the South African bar, do you know where it is?” Ajttual came to meet us at covent garden station and I knew it was time to actually start opening or else I’d hate myself on the way home for acting like a spineless AFC. We entered Pacific Bar with Attual leading and I focused – smile, alpha body language, we own the room, but again few sets and we walk the bar before I realise what this must be doing for our status and ground us at a location near the bar.
Nobody’s opening. “Fuck, man” I think, “you can’t go home without even trying after such a good day yesterday!” I turn and there’s an HB8 sitting alone behind us, she’s older than I’d usually go for but fuck it, if I don’t fancy them then they’re only practice. I turn to the guys and begin upping my gestures and raise my voice “No way, man” I intone “You’re totally wrong!”. Keon looks at me like I’m nuts but realises as I pivot on my right foot and talk over my left shoulder to open the girl behind me.
Smile, open with pink shirt, keep voice low and slow, rock back once you’ve said the lines, wait. I like to think that this is mostly auto pilot for me now but in actual fact I’m still conscious of all these points as she smiles and begins to tell me her opinion on pink shirts on men and their impact on first dates.
In the corner of my eye I see Keon leave to the other room. Good – he’s finally opening. I reach hook point - it’s time to stack but just then the obstacle arrives, a girl who looks even more her age, short, and heavy set. “Well, I guess that sorts out who my target is” I think. “Hey!” I say “How’s it going?! This is great now we can get your opinion on this too!” I kino the obstacle and we end up debating the merits of salmon verses hot pink. Great, hooked them both – now to conquer the first of my regular sticking points – stacking.
*click* A switch in my head flips. “You guys have known each other how long?” I ask. “Oh we’re good friends” purrs the obstacle. “I can totally tell” gesture to them both and kino “you’ve got the same facial expressions”. In surprise they both break into smiles and turn to look at each other. “See!” I laugh “Even now you’re looking at each other and thinking – Do we?! Has it got to the point where you both use the same shampoo?” They look at each other again. “LOL! See you did it again!” We’re all laughing and having a good time. I DHV using the reason why I asked about the pink shirt to elicit spikes for protector of friends, leader of men, and pre-selection.
Now we fluff talk. “What do you do?” “How did you guys meet?” “Me? I put jam in donuts..” From my left enters Attual and I turn to him to demonstrate sociability. “Hey guys I want you to meet a friend of mine. This Attual, he’s going to be an engineer.” This is perfectly timed, I want to DHV using an ESP routine and then have Attual distract the obstacle so I can isolate. The IOIs are there: smiling and nodding, asking questions, her posture has improved. I tell Attual that I’m going to show them the ESP trick and ask him if he wants to do it instead, he says no. I turn to the target “Give me your hands”, she complies, and I run the number guessing game. it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter she’s bated. I made the mistake of not locking into the girl’s chair with a spin move but this could have been solved if I can still isolate her and build up more kino. Attual suddenly turns to me ‘I’ll see you later, man’ and walks off. “!!!!” This is bad. I quickly loose momentum, struggle and within five minutes I’m out of conversation and asking AFC questions with the girls answering me and then looking up expectantly. I have them, I just can’t think of what to do. GAR!!!!
Finally I tell them I have to go and that I’ll catch them later. I bombed the set through my own lack preparation. Attual would have been great to have around a little longer but I should have recovered. thinking back on it I could have bounced them both to the bar where Attual and Keon were standing by putting them on each arm and walking thru the bar. Here it would have been easy to let the guys DHV me while I grabbed a drink (willingness to walk away) and return to isolate the target with the other guys keeping the obstacle busy. I could have also number closed when I bailed out earlier.
Learning Points
1. Always have something to say
2. Be prepared to split a two set up by yourself
3. Always close if you pass hook point.
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