[Speed Dating, Round One]

[callofkaren]

This wasn't the first time Karen had run speed dating, and she had everything down to practically a science by now. She was going to miss watching what sorts of trouble Tony could get himself in, but there were a decent amount of people signed up, enough so that she had to split them down the middle so nobody would be overwhelmed

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[shewaswarned]

She hasn't been in a serious relationship since David. Even Wes was something more of casual, someone she never allowed herself to get too close to beyond the physical. It's difficult for her even now to comprehend a close relationship with anyone, especially after the mantra she reminds herself of every day, the one Patty seems to have indirectly ingrained in her being: trust no one.

Tonight is harmless, though. Ellen can handle this much, and she doesn't want to become a recluse. She doesn't have her job to distract her, to tie her down, to overwhelm her with commitment and to detract from her personal life. She unconsciously straightens her posture and shifts in her chair, smiling as her first date sits and holding out a hand with a smile. "Hi."

[theblondsheep]

The handshake throws him off, at first, but he forces himself to recover quickly enough. One would think that the more times he does this, the easier it gets, but that isn't the case at all. It's different with each date, and for whatever reason, he expects that it will be particularly challenging with this one. It makes him grin wider, but he remains in control, careful not to seem insincere. "I'm Silas. How are you tonight?"

[shewaswarned]

"All things considered? Surprisingly good. And I'm Ellen, by the way," Ellen says, smiling warmly before she can even think to make it look convincing enough. The fact that she can manage it is something of a surprise, but not completely; she's learned from the best, after all, and part of what often made Patty so appealing was her ability to kill you with kindness - quite literally, in fact. She pulls her hand back and clasps it with her other, resting both in her lap. "What about you? Found anyone who qualifies for a place on that card yet?"

[theblondsheep]

Actually, Silas may indeed have a hard time narrowing down just a few names to list on his own card, having found himself charmed by most everyone he has met tonight, albeit in different ways for each date. But then, he's never been especially choosy, except perhaps for some unconscious criteria he must have to confirm anyone he develops an interest in will delight in sucking out his soul and devouring it for breakfast. (Or, of course, simply breaking up with him.) "How about you ask me again in five minutes?" he said, hoping that it was, as he thought, the best possible answer that didn't involve potentially upsetting her with the sheer size of his mental list. "Five minutes in which I... try to learn as much as possible about you, right? Though I'd settle for not boring you completely."

[hasnobullets]

"Hello," I offer in return, voice warm. By my count, she's the last woman I'm to 'date' tonight, and I can only hope for a memorable end to the evening. Reaching out to give her my hand, I find, by luck of chance, that she's already done the same. A slightly startled laugh bubbles out from me, and I close my fingers around her palm, shaking it.

"I'm Matt. Matt Murdock."

[shewaswarned]

"Ellen Parsons," she replies, clasping his hand firmly. There's nothing more important than that first impression. Ruin that and you're likely to spend the rest of your time trying to prove that preconceived judgment wrong. A handshake is quick, to-the-point, but it speaks volumes.

"You're teaching that law class, aren't you?" she adds, her voice soft. She doesn't need the knowledge, not really, but she'd signed up out of curiosity, planning on sticking to the back and absorbing everything all over again.

[hasnobullets]

I've honed my senses to the best of my ability, but no amount of meditation will make up for the loss of my powers. Mistakes happen, things slip me by. I comfort myself with the fact that it's something anyone could have failed to remember, but I don't hold myself to the same standards as I do everyone else. I'm capable of better. Still, I smile, affecting an effortless surprise.

"I am," I say. "I managed to wheedle the position out of a fellow shyster who taught it the last term. What's your interest in law? I recognize your name from the roster."

[theblindguy]

It seems he'd come to the end of the list, if the amount is what he remembers he's been told is right. Seating himself across from the woman, he misses the outstretched hand completely - for obvious reasons. What he does do is smile at her greeting, though.

"Hello," he replies, putting aside his cane as he speaks. And because he notes she doesn't sound familiar, he makes sure to add, "My name's Auggie Anderson. It's nice to meet you."

[shewaswarned]

She pulls her hand back with only a modicum of embarrassment at her fumble, but the propriety is ingrained within her. It'd be difficult to turn that off, and sometimes reflex just takes over. Just the same, she smiles at him. He's got this infectious sort of optimism in his face, and maybe these are the kinds of people she needs to be around.

"Ellen Parsons," she adds, making sure she speaks up enough for him to hear her. "And you. So you made it all the way to me without leaving first, huh?"

[theblindguy]

"And without getting any kind of food or drink thrown at me on purpose, so I'm calling tonight a premature success," he jokes. Actually, he's had a pretty good time, and he can appreciate the fact he's met a couple of interesting people. That's all he was looking for, in the end. "So I'm just going to get the really boring question out of the way first, if you don't mind. Where are you from originally?"

[shewaswarned]

"Mmm. New York," Ellen answers, after taking a sip of her drink (water, this time around, she doesn't want to get sloppy and say too much in front of the wrong person, potentially). "Which kind of makes this exactly like an island vacation, when you really think about it. It's probably the first real vacation I've had in about two years," she admits, before glancing up to him. "And you?"

[theblindguy]

"Busy job? Me too," he says, and that's a pretty big understatement. Not that anyone but Annie would know that. "I'm from D.C. Been here about a month and a half now, so I'm still in the vacation stage too. I'm hoping it lasts a while."

Because he's not sure how he's going to deal with things once it wears off. There's only so much vacation even he can take.

[shewaswarned]

"The busiest," Ellen says, and decides on expanding after a beat. "I was a lawyer. And trust me, that doesn't give you a lot of free time. You're lucky if you manage to get even a weekend to yourself without your phone ringing constantly."

She isn't going to spend the whole five minutes talking about herself, though, and bridges the gap towards the next subject. "What did you do in D.C.?"

[theblindguy]

"Wow, must be weird for you to have that all stop suddenly," he says with a quick grin. He knows it is for him, though his cover isn't quite as busy as his actual work. "I worked at the Smithsonian, actually, in the IT part of it. Computer work all day every day, basically, helping keep things running."

[shewaswarned]

"I was taking a bit of a break from it, actually," Ellen admits, looking down at her hands. So much for not talking about herself. She doesn't think Auggie's intentionally trying to find more out about her - no more than beyond the normal rules of speed dating - but it's hard not to feel as though she's being scrutinized somehow.

"So, really, it wasn't as jarring a transition as you might think."

[wingerguarantee]

Another welcome familiar face. He'd only met Ellen recently, but she interested him in a way a lot of people didn't. Whether or not it was the fact she was also a lawyer factored into that, he didn't know. Or care, actually.

"Very good to see you again," he replied with a grin, shaking her hand. He took his seat, giving her a quick glance over, not really bothering to hide it. "How's your night going?"