[backdated to Sept 3]

[eggman_henry]

Henry had dressed conscientiously for his date with Sally; casual, but not too casual, selecting a decent pair of jeans and a polo shirt. It wasn't necessarily what he would have normally worn, but he wasn't about to wear a Scooby-Doo shirt on a date, and the clothes box still seemed to get a fuckin kick out of providing him with millions of the

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[dinnerfor1_girl]

Sally was outside her room immediately because there was absolutely no way on earth that she was going to let her idiot roommate of a man scare away a decent one -- not yet, at least, not until she figured out what deep dark secret was hiding away as there was always a deep dark secret. She was in a slimming black dress because it hid her hideous hips and made sure that her hair wasn't attempting to mimic a clown before readying herself for him.

And trying to tell herself to calm down. It's just a man and it's just a date. You can do this. "Are those flowers for me?" she asked, strangely pleased at the very sight of them.

[eggman_henry]

"You look beautiful," Henry said in greeting, smiling when he saw her. "And yes, they are. I hope you like them, it was the closest I could get to 1-800-Flowers."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Well," she said, trying not to preen too much at a single compliment. There was plenty of time for the date to go awry if she let it and she was being very careful not to get ahead of herself. "I do try." She tried for more hours than she'd like to say. "So where are we going!" she asked brightly.

[eggman_henry]

"I thought we'd start out with dinner at The Winchester," Henry replied. It seemed like the nicest of the establishments they had to choose from. "Lemme just get these in some water for you first."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Oh, well, we can take them," she insisted, slightly blustering because she wasn't precisely sure what her male roommate was going to do with beautiful flowers. And besides..."I can give them to the restaurant. Flowers and me are...well, I only know flowers as apology. The bigger the bouquet, the bigger the fuck-up."

[eggman_henry]

Henry chuckled at that, softly. "I'll keep that in mind in case I ever fuck up," he said. "Giving them to the restaurant, that's a good idea." He figured they could brighten one of their tables or the bar for at least a few days.

Henry offered Sally his arm with a smile. "Shall we?"

[dinnerfor1_girl]

She really did like a man who was forward-planning, especially when it came to how to please a woman. "We shall," she agreed, sounding almost mystified as she took hold of his arm and began the walk. "So, I have to know. You're a good looking sane man. You haven't had any inklings or desires to go chasing after another man's arse?"

[eggman_henry]

"Not a one," Henry replied, chuckling just a little because he knew what she meant. It seemed to be common on the island, from what he'd seen. "I have absolutely zero interest in chasing another man's...'arse' and I don't see that changing anytime - well, ever."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

Sally really couldn't help the fact that her smile actually lightened at that. It was simply that she'd grown to expect it that she was so pleased when it didn't happen. "I think that's one of the best arguments for me dating you that I've heard. You're not into men."

[eggman_henry]

Henry glanced over at Sally with a grin. "Interesting criteria," he said, "though I do hope you discover I've got more redeeming qualities than just being the correct sexual orientation."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Well, the handsome part helps," she admitted, unable to hide her bemused grin as she regarded Henry. "And the fact that you're intelligent goes for a point in your corner. We've not yet hit political stance and opinions, but we will get there."

[eggman_henry]

He ducked his head on a smile and tried not to think too hard about the last time he'd cared about a woman calling him handsome, let alone when it had actually happened. "I've gotta admit, I don't know all that much about the political system in England, other than the basics," said Henry. "Maybe you can educate me."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Well," she said, getting rather invested and cheerful very quickly, "the biggest thing you have to know is that Tories are very evil people. Well, mostly the men. Mostly the men who look to Thatcher as a terrifying mother figure. That's who is most terrifying and typically want to run the country into the ground. In my humble opinion," she added, modest as she could get.

[eggman_henry]

"See, I didn't know any of that," Henry commented with a wave of one finger. "When I'm from, the prime minister isn't Thatcher any more, it's a guy named Tony Blair."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

Sally smiled with great pleasure at that, as though that was enough for her to take that as a mark of pride. "And the country has been better for it," she announced with great firmness. "Maggie was a crippling disgrace to our social programs and our progress."

[eggman_henry]

They continued to chat as they walked, and by the time they reached The Winchester Henry definitely felt more educated about the English political system. He had been so engrossed in the conversation that it was almost a surprise to see they had arrived. He held the door open for Sally to go in first.