Merriman-Sallie, at the nightclub

[merrimanlyon]

In all his time at Milliways, Merriman had never actually expected to set foot in Madame Lilly's nightclub -- to say nothing of the other business she runs. But a favour is a favour, and a worthwhile favour at that. And now that his schedule elsewhere is starting to clear, setting up a free evening is markedly easier to arrange than it would have

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[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie, for her part, arrives precisely on time. This took a rather considerable amount of effort, wanting to flee the ranch before Jack saw her more dressed up than even a trip to church usually warrants, but Sallie restrains herself.

The older woman has visited Lilly's place of business a handful of times, but usually only to visit Lilly or Inara someplace a bit quieter than the confines of the bar. She finds the table immediately, smiling at the man waiting for her.

"Merriman. It's nice to finally meet you."

[merrimanlyon]

He stands as soon as he catches sight of her approaching the table, returning her smile with a quiet one of his own. He doesn't exactly bow, so to speak, but he inclines his head to her in a courtly manner.

(This is a practice date, he reminds himself firmly. The use of first names is not merely appropriate -- it is expected.)

'Good evening, Sallie.' Before he moves round the table to pull out her chair, he picks up the orchids and presents her with the lightly scented bouquet. 'It is a pleasure to finally meet you as well.'

[realmrsreynolds]

There was definitely not an expectation of flowers on Sallie's end, whatever Lilly might have suggested to Merriman.

"Thank you very much!" This is a nice start to be sure. "What kind are they? I'm not sure I've seen the like before."

[merrimanlyon]

'They are called cattleya orchids,' he replies, quite pleased to see that his selection meets with approval. 'I thought that a bouquet of roses would seem a trifle forward of me, but orchids are by no means a second-best choice. They are quite a popular flower where I come from, both for flower-growers in general and as gifts for ladies.'

His hand is on the back of her chair, prepared to pull it out for her.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie sits down at noticing this, arranging the flowers to one side, fidgeting with a stem or two to make sure they lay and are not damaged in the process.

"They're very attractive -- I'm not much for keeping a flower-garden at home; most of the things we end up growing are considered more practical by most folk, though I'd argue that point some."

There's nothing wrong with having flowers around, after all.

Sallie takes a moment to eye around the table to the nightclub at large. "I feel as though Lilly's going to pop out at any minute, checkin' up on us," she admits, chuckling slightly.

[awesome_lilly]

TOTALLY COINCIDENTALLY, Lilly pops out and approaches the table, beaming.

"Merriman! Sallie! How nice to see you both."

She's carrying menus. They should be glad that's all she's got in her hands.

"I'll leave these with you, no rush. Our tables work similarly to Bar when we don't have anyone serving, just order what you want and it'll pop up here a few minutes later. I'd be happy to start you with drinks, though!"

[realmrsreynolds]

"I'll have a glass of rice wine, xiexie," Sallie starts off, laughing behind one hand over her mouth. To Merriman: "You?"

With a side order look of 'Told you.'

[merrimanlyon]

'Red wine, if you'd be so kind,' Merriman says to Lilly, glancing up at her with a brief nod of greeting before he turns his attention to the menu. 'Claret would be fine.'

Over the top of the menu, he meets Sallie's look with one of his own: Best not to encourage her.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly scribbles extravagantly on a notepad and then tops it with a bow. Sadly, she needs no encouragement.

"Coming right up!"

She backs away to the bar, pouring their drinks while keeping a totally subtle eye on the proceedings.

[merrimanlyon]

Even without using magic, Merriman is quite good at pitching his voice for the ears of the person closest to him. So as he examines the menu, he murmurs to Sallie:

'It seems that our attentive chaperone will ensure that not the slightest hint of scandal tarnishes our reputations.'

Then, in a slightly louder voice, he adds, 'Would you care to split a starting course? The artichokes French look excellent, but I doubt I could finish an entire serving by myself.'

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie doesn't reply to the first with a quiet 'Or she'll encourage it, one way or the other', though she debates it.

"That sounds perfect, actually," Sallie looks up over her menu. She decides on pizzoccheri for later, and sets off the menu to one side.

A moment passes. Great, now time for the small talk. Do I remember how this goes again?

"Lilly told me you're from Earth -- whereabouts, precisely?"

[merrimanlyon]

Merriman considers the selections on offer, selecting grilled salmon and mixed vegetables before he too puts his menu to one side.

Small talk indeed. But this, too, is both appropriate and expected.

'Most recently from a fairly small city called Oxford, in England,' he says. Further explanation on the "most recently" aspect can come later. 'I taught at the university there for quite some time -- archaeology, mostly. Studying human cultures and civilisations by looking at the things that people left behind a long time ago.' His mouth quirks slightly, with a touch of humour. 'I find it fascinating, though some of my students would doubtless say that it is only because I am old enough to look at archaeology as a means of finding where I mislaid my glasses once upon a time.'

[realmrsreynolds]

"Most young people I know of tend to have that perception, I think. I get it somewhat less only because I'm in charge of making sure folk get their paychecks."

The topic of archeology piques Sallie's interest however, with, "The sense o' history on Shadow is probably different than what you'll find on Earth-that-Was. Terraforming bein' a manmade process doesn't leave much in the way of development from nothing." Beat. "I take that back -- some folk haven't ever come out of post-terraform stages, but there's nothing in the way of thousands o' years like you've got most like. Not after the exodus."

[awesome_lilly]

Ha! Lilly knew this was going to go well. They're totally talking and everything.

Too pleased with this progress to mess it up, she manages to subtly deposit drinks without interrupting them and she only steals one backward glance before slipping out of the room.

[merrimanlyon]

'I might suggest that the length of time often has relatively little to do with the practice,' Merriman replies as Lilly makes her unobtrusive exit. 'An exodus, especially one as dramatic as the one in your history, produces its own kind of archaeology. People would certainly have had to leave many things behind when they departed the planet Earth, but they also brought the things they thought might be most important to them in their new lives. Not only tangible things like furniture and clothing -- something as simple as a child's nursery rhyme is part of archaeology, in its own right.'

And as he picks up his glass of claret, he adds:

'Or even a toast over dinner, come to think of it.'

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie doesn't reply immediately - she was checking to see if Lilly actually was leaving.

"yŏngbù wàng jì," she offers finally, raising her own glass to Merriman's. "'Never forget'. My end of the 'verse has a pretty long memory."