Jenny couldn't resist smiling even if she wanted to, just at the very sight of him, though it isn't like she'd have expected him to stand her up or be late. He's not the type for either, not in her mind. It's just that it's good to see him, maybe even more so now than it would be on any other occasion, no matter if this is meant to be something completely normal (it's what friends do, she tells herself, they go out and have meals like this. She's not anything special, even if just being in his company has a tendency to sometimes make her feel as if she is). For that fact alone, she can even appreciate it, caring about him enough to ignore the rapidfire beating of her heart like it wants to get out but is being restrained by the cage of her ribs. It's not a date, and she doesn't have to let the fact of that get in the way.
"Thank you," she says warmly, though she takes careful note of the wording, the fact that the object of the compliment is the dress, not her. It's no matter. Taking the seat across from him, she crosses one leg over the other once they're under the table. "I was worried that I might've been overdressed, but fortunately, I don't seem to be. You look nice."
"Oh, thank you," Cameron says, mostly inclined to wave it off, but too polite not to at least acknowledge the compliment. She hardly has to worry about overdressing, and it looks good on her, she looks good, but he doesn't want to go on circles on that or risk saying something he shouldn't. It wouldn't be fair to her, he reminds himself. For himself, he doesn't care, but he has to be considerate of her.
"The, uh, the waitress should be around in a minute or two," he adds, sliding a menu towards her. "This is a nice little place."
"It is, isn't it?" Jenny says, casting a glance around the room with a crooked, almost curious little smile. It's much smaller, plainer, than the restaurants she'd grown accustomed to frequenting back home, but that's probably a good thing, especially here with him; anyway, it really does have its own quaint charm. That no one pays for anything remains a mystery to her, but hardly what she wants to lead into conversation with right now. Interested in the overall subject as she knows he is, this isn't the time for that. Turning back towards Cameron again, she opens the menu, though she barely skims over it. He says a minute or two, but there's no real rush. "Surprisingly so, given where we all are. A lot of work must have gone into it, I'd imagine."
"From what I hear, part of it arrived here with someone," Cameron says. He likes to ask about these things, in part out of sheer curiosity and in part because he still doesn't really understand how all this even works. There are possible explanations, but all of them are flimsy to his way of thinking, unsubstantial, incapable of holding up to close examination. Mostly it all seems built on wishful thinking. "And then they rebuilt the rest, so yeah, a lot of work and community contributions, that kind of thing. It's charming in its way."
"Yes, it is," Jenny agrees, easy but warm. "I didn't know all that, about how it was built. It's - interesting." She's not sure that's precisely the right word, but it more than holds her attention, and anyway, she likes the idea of it and she likes that he knows, though she isn't sure what one would even have to look at or whom they'd have to talk to to learn something like that. In its way, that makes it all the more enjoyable now. She doesn't even think it's just a bias speaking; she's too careful about that now, deliberately not letting herself get in over her head. People have flaws; she just has yet to see any of his. "I don't know why I never even thought to ask."
Cameron shrugs, privately pleased, though he's learned by now that Jenny is indulgent of his little preoccupations with random trivia or subjects that aren't of special interest to her. She likes knowledge for the sake of it and she's kind enough to listen, and each is charming in its own way, more so than any building could be. Accustomed though he might be to catching the attention of girls, being able to hold it is something else, and she's not just any girl. To keep her focus is a triumph in itself.
"Oh, good," he says. "You've saved me from feeling ridiculous for knowing that. You know, it's just a way of staving off boredom, finding things out. If you haven't stooped to that level, it's probably a good sign."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Jenny replies quickly, shaking her head. More than anything else, it's probably just a sign of wanting to know as little about this place as possible, but she refrains from saying so, just in case he'd get the wrong idea and think she wished he hadn't told her or something. It isn't like that at all. Hearing it from him is one thing; it would just be another entirely to go seeking out that kind of knowledge herself, like surrendering in a way she's thus far remained resistant to. "You certainly shouldn't feel ridiculous for it. There are far worse ways to combat boredom."
"And more interesting, too," Cameron points out, though he's not entirely sure what most of those would be. He can work on fixing up boats, he can seek out a new team, but even that wouldn't be the same as home, wouldn't fill his time when he can't expect anyone here to give crew a hundred percent the way they ought to, the way the sport practically requires, when there's no way to compete and it could only ever be a hobby for them. When it comes to other things, though, like dating, he's worked to rule that out, tough as it is at times like this. "Maybe you can give me a few tips."
There are one or two that come immediately to mind, but that's a dangerous road to go down. Jenny has seen the consequences of trying too hard to avoid boredom, of getting caught up in fun and ignoring that which is actually far more important, and she wants neither to encourage that nor to make the same mistakes again. That doesn't mean, though, that she intends to go in the complete opposite direction. She just wouldn't want to fall into the same thing with Cameron that she did before, difficult as it is to look at him and know that she'll never be able to go there. "Well, classes starting ought to help," she says instead, aware of how stupid, how young she probably sounds, trying to hide a wince. "Beyond that, I'd have to think, get back to you with suggestions."
"Well, I'd appreciate whatever you come up with," Cameron assures her, grinning. The class load he's opted for isn't much, and he's well-aware of how light it is compared to Harvard or Oxford, how little it does to fill his time, but it's still better than nothing. At least he has something to keep his mind and his body alike sharp. The conditioning class is rough, but he's thankful for that, odd as it would be to express aloud. "Speaking of classes, I'm glad we're in one together. It's weird being new in school again."
"It is, isn't it?" Jenny agrees, beginning to frown for all of a moment before she pushes that idea away. For her, given everything surrounding her dropping out, it's strange to be back in school again at all, but she doesn't actually mind it and she isn't going to let tonight be ruined with such thoughts. There are much better things to be thinking about, anyway. "And I'm glad, as well. It looks to be a bit of an... odd... class, but a good one." That he's in it too only makes it even better. She didn't even know when she signed up that he would be there, but it's certainly a bonus, and, like so many other things about Cameron, a perfect way of combining that which she should value and the interests she hasn't yet let go of.
"It's certainly one way of doing things." If he's honest, while his classes have always tended to be more structured, less wild, it reminds Cameron more of high school than not, a feeling not aided by the subject material, much of which he's covered even being an Economic major. It's more of a refresher than anything else and he's not sure what to make of Castle's eccentricities. If he's even more honest, while he had no confirmation she would be in the class, suspecting she would be tipped the scales on which one he would take. "And I know who to come to if I need help from the resident English expert."
"As if you'd need it," Jenny says with a short laugh, nose wrinkling. It's complimentary - flattering, even - that he would say so, but while it may not have been his focus in school, he still went to Harvard and was going to go to Oxford. There's no way he could need help from her for a thing. Still, he has a way of making her good, better than she is, even special with just a few words, and if there's nothing strategic about it, as she believes to be the case, then that in itself means a great deal. "I'm sure you wouldn't."
"You'd be surprised how much of it goes right over my head," laughs Cameron. "I have no head for metaphor and simile and symbolism." He's not so terrible as all that, but it's important to recognize both strengths and weaknesses and what it's possible to do about them. Besides, an ineptitude with figurative language has never cost him a race. It's easier to be lenient on himself in this regard, and she is so clever and kind. "Numbers are much more my strong suit. But it's kind of you to believe otherwise."
"Well, I've had no reason to do anything else," Jenny says, and for a moment, it skirts too close to a dangerous truth. Everything she thinks about him is wonderful, and she's maybe, therefore, inclined to believe the best of him because of that; he doesn't need to know the extent of how highly she regards him, that as far as she can see, he's everything a girl could or should want. "But in the event that you wind up needing help, you know I'd be glad to."
Cameron smiles and shakes his head. "When I do," he corrects her, "and good. I'm glad I've managed not to bungle the language completely in your presence." Sometimes he thinks a lifetime of approval has conditioned him only to want more of it, to keep from letting people down by being anything less than the shining beacon of this or that they somehow imagine him to be. He doesn't always get it, but he wants to be it. He wants to be someone who can impress her.
"Thank you," she says warmly, though she takes careful note of the wording, the fact that the object of the compliment is the dress, not her. It's no matter. Taking the seat across from him, she crosses one leg over the other once they're under the table. "I was worried that I might've been overdressed, but fortunately, I don't seem to be. You look nice."
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"The, uh, the waitress should be around in a minute or two," he adds, sliding a menu towards her. "This is a nice little place."
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"Oh, good," he says. "You've saved me from feeling ridiculous for knowing that. You know, it's just a way of staving off boredom, finding things out. If you haven't stooped to that level, it's probably a good sign."
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