No Harm in Dinner : Sept 23rd - Elliot

[Teagan Edwards]

There was something special about getting ready for a first date, especially this one. Whatever was different about Elliot Thomas, Teagan was determined to learn. Checking her reflection in the mirror one last time, she scooped up her bag and Elliot's scarf, heading out of her flat. She had been quite pleased at his phone call this morning, having fully braced herself to not hear from him for quite some time, if ever. But he had called, and he had asked her to dinner tonight. Locking her door, she took a few breathes before heading down the stairs and out of the building. She knew her nosy neighbor was going to be asking questions, and she could already hear K9 barking up a storm since she had left. She hoped he would calm down soon, she couldn't deal with another talk from her landlord about the small dog. 

Glancing up at the evening sky, she let herself smile. The weather in London was really quite wonderful sometimes, even though she did miss the open landscape of her home. The big city still had it's charm, if you knew where to look for it. Like the cafe she had met Elliot at, a simple place that most people would have simply passed by. And she was sure there were more places like that in London to discover, and she certainly wouldn't mind discovering them with someone else. Tris, her best friend here, had certainly opened her eyes to the fashion scene. But there was more to this world than that, and she was determined to try and see all aspects of it.

Arriving at the cafe, she took a moment to straighten her skirt and check her reflection in the mirror. She hadn't a clue where they were going, so she could only hope that she had dressed appropriately. 

[Elliott Thomas]

When Elliott had woken up this morning, the first thing he'd done was make more people-centric list than he usually did on Saturdays.

1. Owl Liam - no Quidditch
2. Pay phone - Teagan
    If yes
3a. Oliver - clothes, restaurant
4. Gringott's - muggle money
5. Meet Teagan - cafe
    If no
3b. Owl Liam - yes Quidditch

That should do it.

He hated to involve one of his brothers in this, seeing as it had to be a one-time thing, but Liam was just as naive about dates as he was. If this evening was to go well, he needed advice from someone experienced, and Oliver was his best option from that perspective. He was also the worst option as he had such difficulty keeping his mouth shut about personal matters, and Elliott wasn't keen on their parents knowing he had taken a girl out for dinner. It would lead to a line of questioning that they wouldn't appreciate the end of, seeing as there was no way he could continue to see Teagan. It made no sort of sense for him to pursue anything more than this dinner with her, for both of their sakes. He couldn't be selfish enough to involve her further into his life. You're not selfish enough for that, right?

Although he wanted to immediately confirm the thought, Elliott wasn't feeling affirmative on that just yet. He couldn't knowingly endanger this girl - a stranger - or himself. Then why didn't you turn her down?

The main goal he was telling himself about this evening was that he would have successfully been on a date. Held conversation with a pretty girl. Done the gentlemanly things that he'd been trained to as a young pureblood. And then he could move forward and pursue a girl his parents approved of with more confidence than he currently had...

You'll just have to find a new place for lunch.

He knew it was cold to cut her off, but it was for the best, and who was to say she'd even want to see him again after tonight? She was probably regretting giving him her number already, actually, and maybe she'd deny him when he called. But after owling Liam to briefly explain his situation and apologize for needing to miss time with him today, he'd left his family home with yesterday's newspaper to find a muggle payphone. And while he'd felt ridiculous talking on the thing - you had to speak so loudly - Teagan had given him an affirmation, and they arranged to meet at the cafe. He'd hung up the phone with an incredible amount of nerves coursing through him, which further solidified how much he needed this. You're never going to not embarrass yourself with a girl if you can't get over this. You need the practice.

He apparated from a hidden spot to his brother's flat, where among the jokes thrown his way after explaining what was going on, Oliver did give him some pointers. This was how he found himself dressed so casually, versus showing up in a suit as they'd always been told. But Oliver had dated a few muggle girls, so he knew better than Elliott what they would expect. After doing all he could to ensure his brother's silence, Elliott completed Task #4, scoped out the restaurant Oliver suggested, and tried not to lose his breakfast or overthink the evening more than he already had.

(He didn't get ill, but he did overthink.)

And so it was that he Elliott came to find his date at the cafe they'd eaten at the day prior. Teagan looked beautiful, blue complimenting her incredibly well, and instead of the slightly aloof entrance he'd practiced with Oliver...

He came up to her with a wave, his large grin automatic at seeing her. "H-h-hey, Teagan, you made it."

Shite, you're such a dork.

[Teagan Edwards]

As she walked to the cafe, she caught herself fiddling with Elliot's scarf in her hands, a habit she had thought she had broken. She hadn't been nervous for a date in so long, at least not in this way. She wanted to impress him, show him that she could keep up with him intellectually. Which was bonkers, because hadn't she already done so? Stop fiddling with the scarf. She paused for a moment to fold it nicely, holding it up to her face to smell it once last time. It thankfully didn't smell like coffee anymore - but it didn't smell like him either. Which was disappointing.

And she knew she had to look mad, looking at her reflection in the cafe windows. But she had been through her entire closet trying to pick something to wear. Without knowing where they were going, it was hard to dress. She didn't want to be too fancy, but there was also harm in being too casual. She could almost hear her mother's voice in her head as she waited, nitpicking at the outfit she had finally decided on.

Thankfully when he came into view, he was dressed casually and looked incredibly good, so all worries about her outfit were diminished. She matched his grin and wave, closing the distance between them as he walked towards her. "Hey Elliot, thanks for inviting me. Here, I washed your scarf so it doesn't smell like coffee," she replied as she held it out to him. "How has your day been so far?"

[Elliott Thomas]

"Oh - ah - thanks, good thinking," he said, taken aback at the gesture and her oozing of absolute willingness to be here with him. Whatever Teagan had said yesterday, it still baffled him that she didn't often go out with blokes. She was smart, sharp, and beautiful - what was keeping the boys of London away? Elliott took the scarf, folding it as small as he could make it in the hopes it'd fit into a pocket of his brother's coat. It nearly did, a flap of it falling out when he tried, and now he'd lost a safe place for his hand. His other one found his free pocket while he thought. An unnecessary amount. About what to do with his limp hand. You are on a date. You could hold her hand now that you don't have a place to keep that one.

"Day's been pretty good," he said belatedly, still not entirely sure about how he was going to pull this whole thing off, even with Oliver's coaching. "The restaurant's over this way," he continued, his gesturing motion ending with a little swoop to lightly hold her surprisingly small hand before starting his feet in the right direction. "I spent some time with one of my brothers, Oliver." He couldn't believe I'd actually asked out a girl and she said yes. "I had to do some convincing to make him believe you existed," he admitted with a shaky laugh, eyes darting down to her for a moment before looking straight ahead again. "Worked it out in the end, he knows I'm a terrible liar anyway." Which is why we aren't going to be able to date. The nervous young man cleared his throat before continuing, "You've been all right, though? It's been some thirty-odd hours since I've seen you, hope they've been decent ones." You just hope things are going decently for her? Lofty goals, indeed.

[Teagan Edwards]

Teagan felt bad as she watched Elliot attempt to fold the scarf as small as possible to put it into his pocket. She could have held on to it in her purse for him, but it simply didn't cross her mind. She did notice that he didn't stutter as much as the conversation continued, and she couldn't stop the smile. It was nice to think that perhaps he was comfortable with her.

Before she realized, he had taken her hand and was leading them toward the restaurant, and the gesture only made her smile bigger. She had been so unsure about asking him out, so unsure if he would even call. But here they were, walking hand in hand down the street going on a date. And while there was still something strange about Elliot she couldn't place, she was happy to be here.

She watched him curiously as they walked, nodding along as he mentioned his brother. And a small giggle came out as he talked about convincing his brother she was real. "Oh, I've been good. The rest of work yesterday went smoothly, and had a nice relaxing night." A night in with a bottle of wine and talking to her mother on the phone about the how she had finally talked to the guy she kept seeing. And she was sure she'd be having another long phone conversation tonight.

"It must be grand having siblings to hang out with that live near you."

[Elliott Thomas]

Evidently, gauging from the wide smile covering the lower half of his date's face, Elliot had made the right call in holding her hand. Now he only had to worry about keeping a pace they could both enjoy, and hope that his hand wasn't accumulating perspiration. Flattering, that would be. But apparently he was continuing to please her, as she let out a joyful little laugh at his commentary about proving her existence to his brother. That had been a conversation for the books - as aggravating as it had been fruitful, to say the least. He nodded, eyes ahead to make sure they weren't going to miss the turn, as he listened to her speak, but had to give her a look at her last, a nervous tick of playing with his hair cropping up.

"I-I-It has its merits, I suppose," Elliott began uncertainly, for he wasn't really quite sure where to begin. (Also there was the fact that, being a wizard, it didn't much matter where his family lived, seeing as they were just a few seconds of Apparition away regardless.) Being part of pureblooded society had meant that whenever he was out with his family, people knew who he was, and even when he wasn't with them all he had to do was drop his last name into conversation for others to "know" him. This had transferred to Hogwarts, of course - his eldest brother was also a Ravenclaw, whereas the middle one was their resident lion - where professors and older students appeared to know him by association with the other Thomas boys. He'd never had to explain to anyone what a bore living with Joel had been - the Gringotts banker didn't even have any good stories about work, seeing as the most exciting thing he encountered was an accounting error - or the terror it was with Oliver - who, for all of his bluster, did have a decent head on his shoulders that he oftentimes, frustratingly, refused to employ. But now...how am I supposed to explain all of this? I should, leads into some more conversation...

"There's Oliver, who I saw earlier," he continued, nodding to the left, where the pair joined the queue of pedestrians waiting for the light to change. Muggle Studies coming in handy at last. "He's a bit of a wildcard, never know which excitable version you're going to get. He's a writer - aspiring," he clarified untruthfully, lest she want to see some of his work. They walked forward with the crowd, and once out of it a bit, he went on. "Older than the both of us is Joel, been out of school for a while, has a solid job at a bank. Bit more of a sedentary fellow. But we're all near the city, so it's never too much of an inconvenience to get together. Once schedules have been worked out, that is." The bloke chanced a look down at her, hoping he wasn't boring her to death already. "Do you have any siblings?"

[Teagan Edwards]

Teagan was, above all else, someone who enjoyed watching people. she liked the little bits of conversation you could pick up on when you were sitting on a park bench walking people walk by. Especially conversations like this one they were having now. Sharing little details about their lives, getting to know each other. Those were always the favorite conversations she liked to hear when she was walking down the street. And having been on many dates were there was no conversation - it was absolutely wonderful.

Because she felt, as they walked hand in hand, that they looked like a couple. A couple that she would watch with small joy from a park bench and hope that they made it, because they just looked like they belonged together. And it felt right, just standing with him as they walked through the city to get dinner. It was natural and that was new and exciting.

She chuckled as he talked about his brother Olivier, the aspiring writer. She knew what that was like, seeing as she was an aspiring fashion designer and artist. And Joel sounded like he had a good stable job, which was always a nice thing to be able to say. She looked to meet his gaze as he asked her a question, shaking her head with a grin. "Oh no, it was just me and my books growing up. I had friends of course, but that's nothing like having an actual sibling." She wasn't sure if she had missed out or not, seeing as most people she knew that had siblings sometimes wish they didn't. "They sound like lovely people, your brothers."

[Elliott Thomas]

Elliott had rarely been so aware of his body.

This being the first time he was walking hand-in-hand with someone since he'd been a child, he was trying to make sure his steps weren't too long, that his pace wasn't too slow or too fast, and for as bumbling as it felt for him, he knew Teagan had to notice. But even with the heels she was wearing, he was enough taller than her for him to need to be cognizant of this, right?

"You've got to relax, Ellie," Oliver had teased him earlier in giving date advice, dragging out that horrid nickname from childhood in his sincerity. "Can't go walking around with a girl like you've got a wand up your bum."

Beyond the whole walking-while-attached aspect of the evening, there was the aspect of holding-of-hands.

Seeing as he hadn't done this since his mother had insisted on holding hands on outings and such many years ago, and back then he'd been the one with the tiny hand, Elliott wasn't certain he was doing it properly. But her fingers seemed to fit between his quite snugly, and he was comfortable - as comfortable as he could be, anyway - so hopefully she was too.

"Right, yeah - the overthinking thing you've got going on?" He could hear Oliver berating him. "Not likely to help. Re-lax."

But it was difficult to "relax" when the whole thing was an experiment. A Trial 1. Like you'll get a shot at a Trial 2.

However...she thinks I'm entertaining? Or perhaps she was just being polite - but whatever the cause, Teagan was lightly laughing as he spoke about his brothers. And when he finally got back to looking at the striking girl her? Teagan was beaming up at him, and speaking of how she'd grown up with books and friends in lieu of flesh-and-blood siblings.

"They bring a lot to the table," Elliott said fairly, although his curiosity had been piqued by what she'd said. It was rare for him to meet someone without any siblings - so many large families in his world, after all, families striving to pass on purity and all that nonsense - but the way she'd almost lovingly addressed books... "Not just interested in Doctor Who, then?" he joked , or at least attempted. Rude. He cleared his throat to try again, while they progressed towards the restaurant. "It's just down there, I called ahead so we should be good to go  - what did you read growing up?" Not like I'll have anything in common...

[Teagan Edwards]

It was far too easy to let her mind race as they walked together. Because yes, she had managed to land herself a real date with the mysterious guy who was always at the cafe. He was everything she had expected he would be. Shy, cute, and so polite that she did have to question if he was a real human being. She knew she needed to keep her mind from wandering, especially if she wanted to be able to remember enough to report back to Tris later tonight. She hadn't told her friend about the date just yet, but she had mentioned the cute guy at the cafe plenty of times. And she was sure that Tris would be ecstatic to hear about this date, but that meant she needed to not get lost in her own head. Because it was juts one date, no matter how perfect it all already felt.

Chill out girl, or you're going to scare him off.

She smiled to his reply, sure that he had his qualms with his siblings like everyone else she knew. And she couldn't help but grin wider at his joke, letting her laugh trickle through the evening air. Plus he had called ahead to the restaurant? It was fantastic to not be going to a crowded pub where she would have to shout over music at him. "Well, while Doctor Who is fascinating, I can't help but try and understand everything there is out there. My father is a doctor, so I read a lot of medical journals growing up. It was always neat to read them when he was published as well. Mum would help me cut them out and put them on the fridge." She stopped for a moment to dwell on the memory, before giving a slight laugh. "Sorry, I'm probably boring you. As for books, well. I enjoyed The Diary of a Young Girl, it was hard to read but well worth it. There's Animal Farm, For Whom the Bell Tolls. To Kill a Mockingbird was a lovely read as well. I could probably ramble on all night about books if you let me."

[Elliott Thomas]

While Teagan was smiling and laughing along to essentially everything he did or said, Elliott didn't know what to make of it. Surely he was not that amusing, no one ever thought he was. Could this Muggle girl really actually appreciate his humor? Without him explaining himself? Unused to telling jokes, he had worried his last one would not come off as such...but if his date's laugh was any indication, she'd understood him perfectly. Unusual. Generally, Elliott strayed from one-on-one conversations with new people; generally, he didn't even feel the inclination to meet new people.

But here was this, for all intents and purposes, random girl from a parallel world, who just - as he'd heard his classmates say - "got" him.

Impossible for that to last.

As an added bonus, Teagan seemed pleased that he'd arranged space for them at the restaurant. Oliver had cautioned that that may come off as too serious, but engaging in more small talk as they waited for a table had seemed the greater of those two evils to the bloke actually out on the date. However, as they neared the busy-enough-to-show-it-was-good Italian spot, Teagan spoke of her parents and favorite books, beginning to get them out of the realm of small talk. At her worry about boring him Elliott gave a quick shake of the head, nodding for her to continue. It was interesting to hear of her life, especially as he never had really spent such time with any non-magical individual.

Doctor...healer. Yes.

That was the most sense he could make of what she'd said, the books entirely unfamiliar to him. But he gave a small smile regardless. "I wouldn't mind that," he said, easing his hand out of hers to get the door. He eyed the slight crowd within the foyer, glad of not taking his brother's advice, and gingerly made his way through to the hostess, not wanting to jostle anyone. With a tight smile, he said, "R-r-reser - " Merlin's sake of all the times to sound like a dimwit. "Reservation under Thomas." The pair was shortly seated across from each other at a small table even with many others in the low-lit space. Couples new and old surrounded them, and Elliott felt himself extraordinarily and exquisitely out of place among them.

After their waiter introduced himself and the specials, asking about drinks, Elliott was all too eager to pipe up after shouldering out of his jacket. He wasn't a heavy drinker by any means, but now that they weren't just walking around, now that they were sitting together, now that they'd be committing to spending the evening together...the stress of this newness was definitely getting to him. Not knowing the differences of the various drinks to those in the Wizarding world, he pointed out a wine he hoped would be red. "Anything for you?" he asked, feeling his nerves were absolutely apparent.

[Teagan Edwards]

It was strange how just walking and talking was so much fun. Especially as they entered topics of conversation that weren't reserved for idle chit-chat. She spent plenty of hours in the day making small talk at work, so it wasn't as if she was incapable of such things. But on a date it was far more exciting to learn things about the other person, and that generally required much more than social pleasantries. Besides, it was clear that she could actually having meaningful and in depth conversations with Elliot. A nice change of pace from pretending to be interested in football and rugby.

He opened the door for her, a gentlemen in all aspects it would seem. She paused inside, waiting for him to enter before she took his hand again gently, testing the waters. There was this feeling pulling at the back of her mind, causing her to worry endlessly. Other than the fact Elliot was completely different than most guys she ended out with, there was something else. Something she couldn't put her finger on, and while she wanted to ask an endless list of questions, she also wanted a second date out of this. And perhaps prying too much could have a negative effect.

They were shortly seated, and Teagan took a moment to glance around at the other couples. In a normal situation she would have resigned herself to eavesdropping on conversations, but she found she didn't particularly care about anyone else in the moment. She listened to the waiter, making a mental notes about what he said before he asked about drinks. She had been taught about wine pairings with food, something her mother loved. It was possibly one of the more boring things she had filed away in her memory.

"I'll have the same," she said to the waiter, pleased as he finally excused himself. There was a time and a place for nonsense sophistication, and first dates were simply not one of them. Besides, her mother would lose it if she knew about wine Teagan kept at her flat. Certainly not the best sort of wine by any means. "What's it like, working on at the Ministry? There's been so much backlash since James Callaghan announced he isn't holding an election. And then Georgi Markov being stabbed? It's been a mess," she said, smiling across the table. "Although, I can understand if you don't want to discuss work! I'm sure hearing about it all the time is enough."

(here is a link to muggle happenings in the UK in September of 1978)

[Elliott Thomas]

Once they were inside the restaurant, Teagan was taking up his hand in her little one again. Elliott looked down at her with a look of surprise, not having anticipated the hand-holding to continue. This was the difference with working with people rather than numbers or other objective variables - you could never truly predict what someone was going to do. And when they needed to let go of each other to take their seats? The absence felt odd; it had been reassuring in a way, a physical means of communicating we're-in-this-together, and now the young man hadn't a clue what he was supposed to do with his hands. He settled for clasping them in his lap after adjusting the collar of his plaid button-up, giving his date a small smile as she ordered a duplicate of his drink. Wasn't a bad choice, then?

As she went on, however, Elliott became immensely grateful for his past coursework in Muggle Studies, and his continued keeping up with goings-on through reading muggle newspapers just about daily. He'd elected to take the course through seventh year out of interest for the world outside of the one he'd always known; admittedly, he'd reviewed some notes he thought may come in handy tonight after getting home the evening before. Wouldn't be good to be caught for what he was, after all. And so he chuckled lightly, shaking his head at her last. "You're right, those have been the buzzes around the water coolers. I don't mind though." Those names have been in headlines enough for this to work. "Markov especially looked really bad on our department, even though he didn't do much to make himself a small target," he "admitted" with a slight grimace, figuring that what he'd told her yesterday would hopefully have led her to the assumption he worked for the Ministry of Defence. Funding for scientific research and development - the alibi he'd come up with on-the-spot at the cafe - could always be counted on to come from something militaristic in nature, after all.

"The Ministry itself is fine, though," Elliott continued, forcing himself - at an internal reminder sounding like his brother - to meet her eye across the candlelit table. He dearly hoped that the muggle Ministry was similar enough to his that she wouldn't catch on to any discrepancies there may be...Different being politically literate and knowing the day-to-day of a governing body though, isn't it? "People generally keep to themselves, I guess. Like I said yesterday, mainly doing bookkeeping until a more interesting position opens up. You've got to get your foot in the door somehow, but I don't know how many more months of humdrum I can take, if I'm being honest. I've got to be intellectually stimulated by the work if I'm going to give a damn, you know?" That's probably too honest. "But - er - tell me more about you," Elliott fumbled baldly. Turn the conversation back to her if you're in trouble. Remember the questions... "What do you like to do when you're not working?"

[Teagan Edwards]

It was refreshing to have a conversation that didn’t revolve around football and other simple topics. If she had even tried to discuss the ministry with her last date, his head might have exploded. But Elliot had such a sophistication about him, the way he talked about the Ministry with such an honest voice. It was interesting to learn what section of the Ministry he worked in, not a complete surprise given what she little she knew about the inner military workings of their government.

His frustrations with his job were voiced, but he seemed embarrassed by it. She gave a smile, looking down at the table before she met his eyes once more. “I understand what you mean, about not giving a damn without being intellectually stimulated. Being a secretary isn’t exactly the dream.” Maybe for someone who wanted to be a housewife, but not for her. But neither one of them wanted a pity party - starting at the bottom was simply part of society. It was still nice to know that neither of them were alone with their struggles. “Well, I take my dog down to the park, poor thing really doesn’t have a lot of room in my flat. But since I moved here I’ve been attending fashion shows, checking out Universities, nothing too exciting.”

Their water was back with the wine, and Teagan took a moment to take a sip as he waited to see it they were ready to order. “Just a few more minutes, thank you.” As he left, Teagan fiddled with the menu, directing her full attention back to Elliot. “What about you? What do you do for fun?”

[Elliott Thomas]

Thankfully, oddly, wonderfully - his date didn't seem put off by his bluntness. Teagan was smiling in a sweet manner before finding his gaze again, her smile reflected in the unusual green of her eyes. And when she spoke? Elliott's shoulders relaxed - When did they get tense? - and he leaned forward inquisitively. "If you don't mind me asking, what is the dream?" Elliott hoped that it would not be considered a question "too personal" for a first date. There seemed to be so many rules about this side of life; such a high amount of which had been pelted at him within the last twenty-four hours that, honestly, he hadn't taken them all in. But first dates boiled down to two important aspects, if his memory was right: chemistry and conversation. Elliott didn't know a lick about chemistry from personal experience; all he had were his brother's anecdotes to see if he and Teagan were on that track. But Oliver's aggravated insistence - when pressed about what he meant - about "just feels like you want to take her" hardly seemed appropriate. It was good, though, that she had sought out his hand multiple times so far, and that he had enjoyed the feeling. And as for conversation, it didn't matter as much what you spoke about as how you spoke. Could you carry on a conversation together? Were there awkward searches for topics, or just as awkward disagreements? Surprisingly enough, to him, the conversation...wasn't as forced as he'd anticipated it would get. How could two strangers find enough to discuss to last a number of hours?

Time would tell.

But he was admittedly curious about this muggle girl. What did she want in life? He knew that, for statistic's sake, he would need a much larger pool of candidates and answers to get an appropriate image of what non-magical people aspired for...but this was a start. Elliott nodded along as Teagan spoke of her dog and the activities she was involved in, not quite knowing how to continue this thread of conversation. He knew not a thing about fashion, nor muggle universities, nor dogs. He took a drink of water to buy himself a moment, and gave a small smile as he lowered his glass. "It sounds exciting," he said politely, deciding to focus more on academia. Surely he could catch on to that aspect. "Have you seen any universities that interest you?"

The waiter's interruption was fine, allowing Elliott a moment to watch the brunette interact with someone other than himself. She didn't appear altogether concerned about ordering, and he nodded his agreement before the waiter left them. Unfortunately, Teagan was turning the conversation back onto him. He gave a light chuckle, picking up the other menu. "Truly nothing exciting," Elliott said - Was that a tease? - as he smirked slightly into his menu. "I generally am content staying in, unless it's to go to a museum. Occupy evenings with books and various puzzles." By Merlin, you're a bore. "What do you think you'll order?"

[Teagan Edwards]

What was the dream?

The dream was far from the dull aspects of her life in the office. Answering phones, greeting patients, filing forms. She was at least lucky that she had coworkers to talk to during the day. Coworkers who want to know every single detail of her date, because gossip was everyone’s favorite. That sort of thing could be found in any sort of work environment. She had once considered being a model, but her desires for fashion were aimed more than being behind the scenes than walking the catwalk. Her father had wanted her to follow him into medicine, she knew that much by the fact he’d helped her secure a job at a doctor’s office. “Well the extravagant dream would be to have my own fashion line - my friend Tris has been encouraging that one. But on a more realistic level - I’d like to do something with science.” She wasn’t nearly bright enough to be a physicist, no matter how much she did reading about those sorts of things.

It was easier to talk about her hobbies, the things she was actively doing in her life. Ever since she had moved here she’d be telling stories about K9 and the antics he got up to, the dog an easy topic for people to latch on to. She’d even come prepared with one of her favorite stories about him, when Elliot latched onto a different topic. No one else was interested in hearing about school - besides her father - and she hoped she didn’t looked as surprised as she felt. “I’ve looked at both Queen Mary and King’s College, but I haven’t done any applications yet. I’m leaning more towards King’s College because of its excellent reputation for science,” she remarked with a smile, “Did you attend university? You mentioned you didn’t get out much during school yesterday.” And while Elliot had been the first person she’d ever met to not know what Doctor Who was, she wasn’t about to judge him simply because he wasn’t in tune with television. Still, it was curious that the reason he’d never heard of it was because of the school he attended.

After the waiter had excused himself to give them more time, she had to laugh as teased her. She doubted the man across from her had nothing interesting going on in his life. While museums, books, and puzzles were all things she enjoyed - there had to be something else he liked to do. She knew his work was top secret, but had he mentioned something about a match? Before she could inquire he was directing the conversation to the menu, and she looked down at it with a smile. “I was thinking about the Pasta Al Salmone, that always seems to be a safe choice.”