keeping up old acquaintance.

[maraanni]

Mara Androzzi is no stranger to invitations to dinner--as some women simply never are--but it's rare that she accepts one. Of course, she has some doubt that Mr Wilder extended it for a purpose she'd find (shall we say) unseemly. So, the lady of the house passes her plans along into the hands of Johann and Mr Tuscai to make the appropriate

Comments

[thimblerig]

A gentleman never keeps a lady waiting, although Felix is about five minutes late -- draw your own conclusions from that -- but he'll try to offset his faux pas with a smile. :D? See?

"Mara, it's good to see you again."

[maraanni]

Mara's lining up possibilities in her head over a glass of water when he arrives, and she smiles back briefly when he joins her. "Felix. Your invitation was a pleasant surprise." Probably. Sometimes she operates on 75% paranoia, which in Gotham at times almost seems too carefree.

[thimblerig]

"Well, you know me, never know what I'm doing until I'm done it." It's true. He meant to call for Thai take-away but pressed the wrong button and decided to go with it. Smooth.

"How've you been? You look good, don't tell me you haven't been good because that'll throw off the whole 'Sherlock clues people thing' I've tried so hard to cultivate."

[maraanni]

Very smooth. Mara quirks her lips (almost like smiling, but not quite) and gives a not entirely artless shrug. "I've been busy," she says; from anyone else it might be tart or coy, but that's a select sort of game. "Are we donning the deerstalker for work or play?"

[thimblerig]

"This is play, I don't work at eat at the same time." Time for the terrible faux-accent, "It's just not done, dah-ling." Felix, why are you such an embarrassment?

"Busy can be good. I've been busy as well." It's not been as good. Gotham is full of crazy-go-nuts people and they're a lone duo of sanity (sort of) in this hill of beans world.

[maraanni]

Mara laughs very slightly, because he may be an embarrassment but he's good company and that does tend to be in short supply. "So I noticed," she says, instead, tapping the (obscenely expensive if not outrageously ostentatious) watch at her wrist meaningfully.

[thimblerig]

"Mara, this is one that you wouldn't believe if I told you about it." Eye-rolling is a GO. "I swear, other than a few, notable exceptions, I get the weirdest clients in this town."

Where are the gorgeous bombshells women that...oh, yes, there, across the table. Hurf durf.

[maraanni]

"You know that doesn't make me any less curious." It's a little bit chiding, but she's not pushing it. (Not right now, anyway. Maybe she'll try again later. Mara loves all sorts of information.) "But you're not getting into too much trouble, I hope?"

[thimblerig]

"Depends on your definition." Topic change! "What are you planning on for dinner? Should we try something strange and piled into little towers of silly food combinations? I hear that the beef, beans, and Coke is to die for." You didn't hear that, you got it off Iron Chef reruns and this place doesn't serve it.

[maraanni]

"And to think," she says, blandly, "that you're not the strangest man I know. It's a marvelous world we live in, Felix, truly."

(She has a sense of humor, somewhere in there, hidden under really bizarre conversations about breeding cattle. Long story.)

"They have a nice sautéed sea bass."

[thimblerig]

"Don't tell me these things, I like to think that I'm best at something, even if it's strangeness." Yes, that's exactly what you want to be known for.

"Oh? It's been a while since I've had a nice bit of bass." Ba-dum-ching.

[maraanni]

Mara pauses, looking at him with raised eyebrows over the rim of her water glass like did you really just--? with a side order of I'm going to pretend you didn't.

"The grilled salmon isn't bad either," she says, primly.

[thimblerig]

"I think I'll go with that." Felix would never, which is to say that he totally did and somewhere there's a waiter trying not to laugh. "I was reading this article in Women's Weekly about salmon, and I decided I should have a little more."

[maraanni]

"What kind of article?" Mara asks, somewhere between genuine piqued interest and steadfastly ignoring the possibility of laughing waiters.

[thimblerig]

"Oh, you know, the usual thing about health and hearts and other odds and ends that I'll promptly ignore." Salba crackers, really? Should he be working out along with Doctor Phil?

[maraanni]

Mara chuckles faintly, while the (probably not laughing right now) waiter comes to take their order.

She manages to request the sautéed sea bass with a perfectly straight face.