[ota] out of the office

[elani_songbird]

There might be three feet of snow on the ground, but that doesn't mean dogs don't need to be walked still and taking care of Cordelia is not something Elani wants to pawn off on a lower Number, even though she could if she wanted to

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[dreamsofwords]

How about coffee? Is coffee acceptable? Because Alasdair isn't facing this amount of snow without proper fortification in the way of piping hot caffeine. He's even been good and not laced it with alcohol.

He kind of wanted to, though.

"You know, I'd been hoping that we'd gotten crazy amounts of snow out of the way back in October," he says as he dusts off the bench and sits down next to her as she watches Cordelia chase snow. "But no, here we are with sadly typical January weather."

[elani_songbird]

Coffee is eminently acceptable and she'll smile at him as he sits down beside her. "Me, too. Is it so much to ask for an early spring?" But with this much snow on the ground, spring appeared to be a long way off.

"How are classes going?" She asks, scootching over a bit closer to share body warmth, okay. "Getting back into the swing of things?"

She has, at least, still managed to not break off lessons with Eileen, but then...she's promised to always make time for the young Ace and she wasn't about to break that without an actual catastrophe happening.

[dreamsofwords]

"January's always tough," he tells her with a shrug as he loops an arm around her shoulders. "None of them really want to be there yet, and they're not worrying about midterms and finals yet." Which meant only the ones who were really into literature were the ones paying attention now.

And even Teddy was distracted, between his job and his mother. But there was only so much Alasdair could do about any of that.

"Otherwise it's good, though. The fifteen year olds are doing Jane Austen, you know."

[elani_songbird]

"Are you having them use the books they have with the covers that make them look like modern teen-books?" She'd seen that somewhere and thought it was hilarious. "Does it make them more palatable that way?"

If he's going to loop an arm around her, then she'll lean against him, just a bit, and eventually Cordelia will come over to check out what they're doing and if there are cookies involved, but for now it can be just the two of them.

"I think you're right, though. Pretty sure I was pretty distracted around this time in school, too." Waiting for things to turn green again.

[dreamsofwords]

"Hell, no. They have to deal with Persuasian in the Penguin classic cover, just like their forebears." He plays with a strand of blond hair and he's a bit quiet for a moment. Mostly because, yes, Elani was distracted around this time. She'd been in his first class.

And that just made him feel old.

"It'll get better after Valentines. I should have timed the poetry unit for around then; that's always hilarious." They should do something for that, he thinks. It's been a while, but he's pretty sure that's how it's supposed to go.

[elani_songbird]

That has her laughing. "I'm sure they'll manage, somehow." At least age differences weren't quite too scandalous in the Deck? Then again, there were likely still families that practice arranged marriages so you know, grain of salt. And if he voiced that, she'd have to say he doesn't look old.

"Lots of sappy romantic poems? I can only imagine." Well, she'd probably written a few, herself, in her time. So she could imagine quite clearly.

And then she'll remember something, "oh! Would you really toss me over your shoulder?"

[dreamsofwords]

One or two. His grandmother Caroline has stories about her 'elopement.'

"With terrible, terrible rhyme schemes," he says, and he might be about to expound when he chokes on his coffee instead.

"What?"

[elani_songbird]

She'll laugh again, a little, pat his back.

"It was suggested to me if I didn't get out more, you might toss me over your shoulder. I couldn't decide if it sounded terribly chauvinistic or kind of romantic."

Oh, so much teasing of you, Alasdair.

[dreamsofwords]

Ah. It's all flooding back. Visiting Elisha Kagan with the excuse of going over Eileen's English curriculum, the conversation about Elani's workload that had gotten a little...ranty, he supposed. He might have said something along those lines.

"Well, um. Possibly." He's blushing, but still manages to slant her a look. "Are you planning another twelve hour day this week?"

[elani_songbird]

"Well," she says, tapping her chin thoughtfully before stealing the coffee back from him. "I don't know...I might want to see what happens."

And to save him from further embarrassment, that can be Cordelia's cue to come jump on them both and say hi.

[dreamsofwords]

"Is that right?" She might be surprised. He might be a nice guy, but he was still a guy, and they all had their moments.

He scratches Cordelia's chin, looking a little thoughtful. Maybe it was the thought of gestures that reminded him, but... "Have you had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Fox lately?" His tone's light and casual. He doesn't plan to give up any indication of how that conversation went.

[elani_songbird]

She might not mind being surprised like that. So she'll smile in sunny fashion at him.

But she's not sure where the jump from that to Victor came from so it prompts a curious look. "Victor?" Sorry, Alasair, the way his name rolls so easily off her tongue. You might always have to deal with him while you're also involved with Elani McCartney. "A little, mostly about the Artifacts. He was putting the Sword back where it was found for me. Why?"

[dreamsofwords]

He doesn't wince, but he kind of wants to. He's already been obliquely threatened with probably-death, and when he rashly challenged Victor to double-dating, he neglected to recall that his last serious relationship was with with Evangeline Huntly, Zoë's first cousin.

So much fun.

"We thought that since the two of you are such close friends, a double-date isn't the worst thing." Except it is totally, totally the worst thing. "I didn't bring it up because you've been so busy."

[elani_songbird]

She blinks.

She may be trying to imagine Victor suggesting a double-date.

She's having a hard time with it, actually.

But after a moment, she will smile. "That could be fun!"

Sorry, Alasdair.

[dreamsofwords]

Probably because it'd been Alasdair's terrible, terrible idea.

Oh, well. Onward. He probably wouldn't actually die. So he manages a realistic enough smile. "Dinner or something," he says. He'd thought a movie, but he doesn't want to be stuck in a dark room that long with Victor Fox.

"You'll probably see him or Zoe before me, though."

[elani_songbird]

We're sure it seemed like a good one for half a second at the time, Alasdair.

And come on, even Elani would frown on Victor killing her boyfriend.

"Dinner's probably easiest. And I'm sure I can mention it to one of them when I see them again." Zoe will likely be as surprised as Elani was. Not that Elani necessarily realizes that. But she will when she brings it up, certainly.

Reach down to scritch behind Cordelia's ears, she'll look back up at Alasdair to smile again. "We should probably get back inside."