I was out in Camden, London tonight. It was meant to be just me and one wing, but the texts started pouring in just after I finished work, so there ended up being 6 of us out, all wannabe PUAs with a mix of skill levels. Tonight this was a bad thing. A mixture of the world cup being on and fantastic weather (rare for London) meant that the bars were at maybe 1/3rd their usual capacity.

We're in one of my favourite bars, and I've just done a quicky warm up set. The bar (as in the bit the drinks are served from) is right in the centre of the venue, and is one of those 'island' style rectangular bars, where people sit / stand all the way around the edge.

All six of us are stood there shooting the shit, and one of the guys mentions that someone should open a two set of hot blondes at the other side of the rectangle. I think about it for a second then walk off. I don't tell the lads I'm about to open, as I find it's best just to switch my brain off before opening.

I go in using pretty standard 'open over your shoulder as you pass by' Mystery Method style, but forget to use an FTC. It's my standard is kissing cheating (with background story to route it) opener. One girl is HB9, the other HB8.

Me: Hi guys, I just need to quickly get a female opinion on something.

HB8: Only if you buy us a drink first (she didn't say this like she was joking)

Ok. This is the second time in two weeks I've been shit tested before I've even made it through the opener. WTF is going on. I was confident in this approach, guess it's just because they were hot?

Me: I can't do that. I never buy girls drinks in bars, it's a rule of mine

HB8: Then you can't get your female opinion

HB8 seemed very confident when she first asked for the drink, but she seems less sure of herself now. I start to move backwards like I'm going to walk off.

Me: You can't be that mean! Are you really just going to let me walk off? That's awful!

Looking back, this sounds a bit needy, but it was well delivered, with a smile. How could I have handled this better, or did I do ok?

I was starting to walk off as I said this, and would have gone if HB8 hadn't relented.

HB8: Ok, go on then

I do my standard Chris GF kissed a guy last weekend when in a club, but she says it isn't cheating.

HB9: It isn't cheating. I'd kiss a guy in a club even if I had a bf. it wouldn't be OK if my bf kissed a girl though!

Me: That's a bit of a double standard!

HB8: There's no way it's cheating, it's just a kiss

Me: So where do you draw the line? A fuck's surely cheating.

HB9: Well it depends...

Me: On what?

HB9: How drunk she was, how horny she was

Me: So Chris should go through some kind of checklist to tell if it was cheating? How drunk were you? How horny were you?

HB8: And when she last got laid

Me: Well Chris is a red blooded guy, I'm sure she get laid a lot

HB9: Have you asked him if he's fucking her regularly?

Me: No, not the sort of thing I'd tend to ask a mate. So what are your names?

HB9 tells me her name, i ask her to spell it. it's a simple three letter name so I'm like "Oh, should have known that" when she tells me. I shake her hand.

People don't usually put names in field reports, but HB8's name was her stage name, and is relevant to the conversation so I'll put it.

I shake HB8's hand.

HB8: Apple

Me: Apple? We're you're parent's Hippies?

HB8: No

Me: LOL, Apple's not your real name

HB8: No, it's my stage name. We're both burlesque dancers. I'm Miss Apple Tart.

Me: LOL

This wasn't a piss take. HB9's face and hair were 1920's Burlesque dancer style, and they both had smallish 1920's style luggage containers (the old ones which look sort of box like) on the bar. Presumably this has their costumes in.

All through this exchange about her name (about 10 seconds) and HB8 still has hold of my hand as we chat after shaking it. The touch is only broken when I pull my hand back. Don't know if this is relevant.

Me: Oh, do you dance at Proud (a nightclub just up the road which has burlesque dancers on the stage by the dancefloor)?

HB8: Yeah, we do

Me: I haven't seen you there before I don't think. Anyway, bye now.

Another premature ejeculation. HB9 was starting to look a bit bored, and that's how I rationalized walking off. I think I had so much to work with here. Like mentioning the 1920s luggage, asking about Burlesque (but that seems like rapport building?), mentioning how I'm starting to learn to dance, C vs U shaped smiles would be a great tie in to the burlesque theme, but I often forget to use routines mid set.

I wanted to use planting here, as per DeliciousWolf's post, but they were both say in high chairs facing each other at the bar. Couldn't really go between them, and if I went to one of the sides then a girl would have her back to me.

Would have been great if a wing came in just at this point. Five of the fuckers across the bar and no backup in a two set. Probably should have given them the heads up before opening. I need to do this, and explain to them what I want, as I've never had a wing come in into a 2 set I've opened, and this is pretty vital to making any real progress with the set.

How could I have done better? What do you think about the shit test and how I handled it?

Doing another report from the same night tomorrow.