Take Me By The Tongue and I'll Show You {Kateri}

[Tim Lyne]

So Tim was pretty sure he'd forgotten how to date.

That needs some explanation. Mostly he'd forgotten how to date. See, now you perfectly understand, no? It was the dating that Tim had forgotten. He'd gotten so used to random hookups, getting slapped, and generally just showing up and using corny one liners that he'd forgotten about the whole building a relationship part of a relationship. Though, given the way this was going, he was pretty sure that calling whatever was going on here a relationship was roughly akin to saying that ninjas had a relationship with samurai, in that it was probably true, but more likely involving lots of messy cleanup.

Let's do a quick run down of so far:

1) caught daydreaming about seeing Kateri naked.... thrice.
2) showed up late for the date.
3) forgot to shave
4) accidentally caught staring at other girl
5) seriously considered stealing a sip of Kateri's coffee.
6) spaced off during the conversation.

So, really, he was surprised that she hadn't wandered off.

What made it worse, by far, was that he was actually trying. He genuinely liked this woman, and he'd been trying to hold a decent, intelligent conversation, been trying to keep his raging hormones in check, trying to pretend like he wasn't a schlub who'd only ended up with this job because his head tingled.

Then again, maybe he should relax. He'd promised that he was better during a date, not actually some suave player. Nope, apparently that was reserved for when he actually wasn't concerned about how he looked or whether the girl liked him.

Tim shifted in his seat, tapping his fingers along the coffee cup as he desperately tried to think of something new and charming to say. "So I picked up a kid who'd been drinking the other night. Yep, that's me. Doing my job."

Wow, he sounded like a retard. What the hell was wrong with him?

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri was pretty sure Tim was trying too hard. Which was funny, because in any other guy she probably would have said the opposite. The showing up late, the unshaven features, the way he’d spaced, or the ogling of the other woman should have had her walking out the door in a huff. Or hitting him, and she had a mean left hook. But that was when she was younger and more serious about dating. So luckily for Tim, neither of those things were in the cards.

Not that she was pleased by the whole situation. C’mon, no girl liked to catch her date daydreaming (even if it was about her), spacing out in a conversation, or seeming not to take the date seriously. But in spite of herself, her lips kept curving upwards into a faint smile.

It was that he was so awkward about it that made her think that he was trying too hard. Back in the lingerie store—and she still couldn’t believe that she’d agreed, no, suggested to go on a date with a guy she’d met in a lingerie shop—he hadn’t exactly been smooth, but he’d been a hell of a lot more entertaining than this. And from what she’d heard of his suggestions when they’d been IN the store, his dates all involved drinking. So the guy didn’t know what to do. It was sweet.

In a totally exasperating, why-am-I-putting-myself-through-this way.

Except that he was awfully good-looking. And Kateri knew herself well enough to admit that definitely helped. Besides. He was kind of amusing. Hence, why she was smiling instead of hitting him.

“Was the ‘kid’ already picked up at Hammel, or was it just you recruited him while drinking?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and taking a sip from her own mug. Had she known that Tim had been interested in drinking hers, she would have laughed. She’d ordered an Irish coffee, which could loosely be called coffee, sure, but mostly had a hell of a lot of Irish whiskey and cream. At the rate this date was going, she’d thought she’d need the pick-me-up.

“See,” she added, “I’m not all that familiar with recruiter’s duties—do you have to keep an eye on them while off-campus, too? I’d think that would be kind of tricky. I know in my student days I got into a lot more trouble than I should have because no one was there to find out.” Then again, maybe it was better not to get onto that range of topics. If Tim found out what she’d done as a teenager, she might lose him permanently. She hid her grin at the thought behind the mug, then put it down, managing to look somewhat composed. “Besides, who do you tell who’s a Hammel student and not? And, uh.” She eyed him. “Should I ask how you found him drinking, or is that one of those things that’s better skimmed over?”

She was trying to be somewhat nice, after all. Otherwise she would have just asked outright if he’d caught the kid before or after he started drinking with he/she. Probably she. No, that was mean. Focus…

[Tim Lyne]

"Already a student, which probably explains why he was drinking," said Tim grinning. He chuckled then, shaking his head slowly, "Though you'd be surprised how many times I've found someone at a club or something. People don't want to admit that they're different, at least not like this. Special, sure, but not, you know, crazy special."

Tim waved his hand around his head as he hit the crazy part, then followed up by taking a sip of his drink. He still eyed Kateri's, more specifically the part where her lips had been touching. At this point, Tim was pretty well convinced that a second date was about as likely as the Martians attacking Earth for Justin Bieber, so he was near the "take what I can get" phase. Because things weren't already awkward enough.

"We're all supposed to watch out for the kids though," said Tim, picking up the conversation again. "Which kind of sucks, really. If I'd known that my job would mean I have to look out for horny teenagers, I'd probably have never signed up."

Again, leaving off the part where Tim would hardly have been good at anything else. The whole meta-buzzing thing really only had one practical use, and Tim was using it. Didn't mean that a man couldn't dream. That was pretty much all Tim had left at this point.

"But, yeah, he was drinking and relaxing, probably forgetting something, because man, did this kid look like he was carrying too much. Anyway, I felt him," again a hand waved near his head, "and I knew that I should probably check. The last thing we need is a kid who doesn't know they can blow people up. Or, in this guy's case, that he can sober himself up instantly. But, yeah, I was trying to help him out. I think I got him in more trouble though. Stupid job."

Tim shrugged and leaned back, trying to think of what he was supposed to say now. Wasn't this the "and how was your day, honey?" part of the conversation? "What about you? Any amazing issues in math? I'm betting it's gotta be hard, teaching the little supes."

[Kateri Rivera]

In spite of herself, she grinned at Tim’s statement. Remembering her days at Kocher, she couldn’t disagree with the assessment that the school drove the students to disagree. And he did have a pretty good sense of humor. He had good timing and he knew how to make light of a situation that everyone else would have taken seriously. Kateri always appreciated that. However, she didn’t like how his eyes lingered where she’d just taken a sip from her cup, and gave him a look that said, “Don’t try anything or I’ll zap you.”

Not that she’d told him she could zap him yet. Even though this was a horrible first date, she hadn’t gotten annoyed enough to scare him off. She’d kind of said vaguely, “Oh this and that” when the topic had come up and had left it at that.

Then again, maybe she should rethink this—it might have been the wrong strategy. Maybe then he would have stopped ogling her. And other girls. Hm.

“I’m convinced that all people have to look out for horny teenagers at some point,” she admitted. “Then again, I can’t say anything. I’m a high school teacher for pity’s sake.” She rolled her eyes, then laughed. “But I’m sorry. That doesn’t sound like too much fun. I hope he didn’t get into trouble. Enough kids go clubbing—he shouldn’t get into trouble for it.”

It was also good that Tim hadn’t called her “honey.” Kat liked pet names when she said them and no other time. She tilted her head as he asked the question, then thought. “Supes?” she asked, then shrugged. “Well, not any amazing issues. I’m trying something new and having the more advanced students doing more complicated math in the back. So far, it seems to be working. We’ll see how it goes. Or, if I get caught. I hear the new headmistress is tough.” She paused, eyeing him thoughtfully. Then, she smiled and spoke. “So. Tim, I’ve got a question. Are you trying to get me to storm out as some elaborate attempt to gain a reputation, or are you just that awkward? Back in the lingerie, uh, store—“ she had enough decency to blush a bit, because saying that in public probably wasn’t the best idea “—you seemed to have some game. And love, you’re funny, but you definitely don’t have it now. If you don’t want to do this, you can just say so. I haven’t had a date this bad since I asked out the boy back in Kocher.”

Blunt? Yes. Yes she is.

[Tim Lyne]

Don't try anything, or I'll zap you. Awesome. Because Tim still wasn't sure what exactly Kateri could actually do, and for all he knew, there was a vaporization in store if he crossed some kind of invisible line. It was enough to make him start shifting anxiously in his seat, fervently wishing that there his mojo would magically be restored to him at some point. Turns out that just flirting in a lingerie shop was a lot easier than actually trying to impress a girl.

Go figure.

"I don't think he got in much trouble," said Tim, in a way that fully indicated that he didn't much care one way or another. Sure, the kid hadn't exactly done much to really deserve it, and Campbell had looked about ready to start shooting lasers from his eyes, but that didn't mean Tim was about to go out of his way for him. He did that enough for his real job, let alone the fake parts.

Speaking of fake parts. Tim nodded along, pretending that he was mostly listening to Kateri and not fantasizing instead. Years of pretend listening lent him great skills in this, meaning he could effectively shut off his brain and still catch significant details. Advanced kids doing more advanced stuff; more teaching; hardass headmistress (like Tim didn't already know that one); trying to storm out and--

"Wait, what?" said Tim. He blinked, suddenly coming out of his stupor (and quite possibly a dream involving chocolate syrup). "Is storming out a good thing? Because if that storming's leading to something good, then yeah, that's the plan," he took a deep breath, leaning back and chuckling. One hand went up to rub at his face while he tried to figure out how to respond.

"I'm not good at this part," he said. He lowered the hand, then waved it between them. "You know, the actual date part. Okay, I would be if I was supposed to pick you up to go clubbing. You know, with alcohol involved. And dancing. I'd make you want to take it all off by the end of the night. The mature stuff?" Tim shrugged. What else could he say, really? That he really hadn't grown up yet, and this was his lame-ass attempt at trying.

"I could try serenading you. Or if you're willing to wait, I've got this totally sexy faerie costume in my room for some reason. You'll be wanting to lick me by the end of the day," somehow, Tim had the strangest image of that actually happening. Shame that it hadn't. Yet. Or something.

[Kateri Rivera]

Huh. Well, some of her respect for seeming somewhat good—or at least interested—in his job faded with him not seeming to care about the students. But that really wasn’t fair. It wasn’t any of his business after they got here, not really. She supposed she should just be happy that he’d looked into the situation at all. “Right,” she sighed instead, staring down at her “coffee” as if she wished more would materialize.

Any respect she had left for him completely drained as it occurred to her that he really hadn’t been listening. Okay, so it was to be somewhat expected. But that didn’t mean any woman liked her date tuning her out completely. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d ranted on and on about it—never mind. But he hadn’t caught even the gist of what she had been trying to say. Which was probably why her look was saying that lightning bolts might be in store again. And also why she was wondering what Tim would smell like crisped to a cinder.

And who said boys were the only one who fantasized?

“No.” Her voice was flat. “Storming out does not lead to something good.” Better nip that one right in the bud. But she tilted her head as he actually got serious, and watched him with narrowed eyes, wondering if he meant it. She thought he did. And that surprised her.

She waited until he was done and was rewarded by the idea of Tim in a fairy costume, which made a reluctant smile curve her lips upwards, in spite of herself. She eyed him thoughtfully, then shook her head.

“Some people would call that the mature stuff,” she pointed out. “But I get your point. Thanks for being honest. Now that I don’t like, uh, ‘clubbing’ all that much—” definitely not an Irish word, that “—but this is supposed to make us both at ease, right? So how about some light alcohol…” And she nudged her coffee cup toward him (since he’d been eyeing it all night, she thought she might as well), “to start with? Or a beer if whiskey doesn’t tickle your fancy. And if you’re any good at singing, I might let you serenade me if you’re a good boy. Maybe we can even find a place to dance if you’d like that. But please,” she added ruefully, “no fairy costumes. The only time I want to hear ‘sexy’ and ‘fairy costume’ in the same sentence is if I’m wearing it.”

[Tim Lyne]

Fix. Your. Brain. Tim. Remember what Ella told you, those bits of advice that were actually supposed to be useful or something. Stop acting like an idiot who didn't know what he was doing.

Yeah, that was gonna happen.

"Gotcha, storming bad. Though, actually," he smiled a little, the relaxation starting to leak slightly, for some reason, "I'm betting you look hot when angry. It's the redhead thing."

Who said he couldn't put his foot in his mouth? The little spiel that followed seemed to follow that same idea, though, thankfully, Kateri seemed to notice it. Apparently one of the two of them actually had some maturity and grace. Go figure. Not like Tim hadn't already noticed that. A quick swig of the drink (he so knew it was alcohol) and that familiar burn hit, mixing with the caffeine he'd already started ingesting.

"That'll help," he said. Nothing like a little social lubricate. "As for my singing, these pipes are gold. I gotta be drunk till I actually sing though. Stage fright and all," Tim laughed. He'd sung before to attract girls; that was what it was for, really. He'd even thought about maybe getting a career in it, but that required work, and Tim kinda sucked at any kind of work that didn't involve flirting.

"Sexy Irish fairy," said Tim. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes squinting. "Sounds awesome. Seriously, you should see the thing I've got stashed in my room. I must've been super high to buy something like that. Or drunk. Or both."

Tim shrugged, then signaled for a server (they had those, right?) to get him what Kateri had. Something told him that alcohol plus caffeine was exactly what he needed. Moves like Jagger, actually, sounded about right.

"So if you don't club, what do you do? Are you one of those reading types?" asked Tim, his full attention back on Kateri, on her eyes even. "Because that would explain why I get this feeling that you're about ten times as smart as I'll ever be."

[Kateri Rivera]

That was not the response she’d been expecting, but in spite of herself, she was grinning again. C’mon, being told you looked hot at thirty-one was definitely a compliment. “See, that’s not bad,” she admitted. “When I was a kid, I was told I just looked cute. It’s the height.”

She was not surprised that he took a drink after all, and rolled her eyes at his statement and resisted the urge to say, I hope so. Instead, she just shrugged. “Well, maybe we’ll work on the singing later then. It’s a little too early to get drunk.” She also didn’t say, maybe later because that would have been encouraging him, and although Kat thought this might not end up being a bad date, she was far from convinced it would end up good enough to want another one.

She laughed outright as he picked up smoothly on the “hint”, and shook her head. “Like a trooping fairy, you mean? Hey, I’ll take that over a leprechaun. What made you buy it, and since I am now morbidly curious…” She eyed him. “What does it look like? It certainly sounds interesting.”

“What makes you think I’m smarter than you?” she looked amused by the idea. “Maybe we just took different paths. You don’t strike me as dumb, Tim.” Just a bit clueless. “But no, I’m not one of those reading types. Can’t stand it,—I’d rather do taxes. I like going to bars. Jogging. Tormenting boys.” Best not to mention the days spent at the practice range, too, with her husband’s handgun. Maybe she should start compiling a list of Things Not To Tell Men. It would probably be pretty long. “What about you? What do you do, other than ‘clubbing’, picking up girls in lingerie stores and buying strange—oh, sorry, I mean sexy—fairy costumes?”

[Tim Lyne]

"Pfft, you clearly had the wrong people looking at you," insisted Tim, waving his hand. He knew he had to lay on the charm, and lay it on thick, if he actually wanted this to go anywhere. The problem was that he was pretty sure this date was already going down, the whole thing on fire, and he was just hoping to minimize the causalities. Not exactly what he wanted to be thinking, but there it was.

Too early to get drunk. Then a comment about leprechauns, which had Tim smirked. "Must've been one helluva sexy little person."

No, his mind certainly wasn't providing the obvious mental image; why do you ask? Because thinking up a sexy leprechaun outfit was just too far beyond anything that Tim was capable of. Clearly he didn't have the prowess. Obviously.

But he had more important things to protest: "No, trust me. I'm slick, maybe, but I'm not smart. You, you're smart, and it kind of shows. You got a degree, you teach people. I just use my superpower to point at people," Tim held up both hands, as if comparing weights, smiling slightly. As far as he was concerned, there was no comparison here. What he couldn't quite figure out, however, was he was talking himself down on a first date. Clearly his brain had crashed and burned too.

Somehow though, he was paying attention, and not just to what was going on below Kateri's neck. "Tormenting boys? That's like, your students, right? Or am I just all kinds of not-the-right-kind-of-screwed?"

A shift. Thankfully, another Irish coffee had arrived, and Tim took a fairly hefty swig. No drunkness, no jitter, not quite yet, but there was definitely more than was probably necessary.

"That sounds pretty much like it. I do my job. I spend time with some friends," Tim shrugged, then leaned back, licking his lips as he thought. "I fish, sometimes. It's the quiet and alone and stuff. I'm not very good at it though."

See, why did he mention that? No woman wants to hear "I like to fish" on the first date. Tim was failing. Miserably. Flames everywhere. Nasty ones. With burns.

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri laughed at that. She really did like flattery—what girl didn’t? And he was good at it when he stopped staring below her neck or, worse yet, below other girl’s necks. “Well thank you. I always thought so, but no one else would agree with me. But then, they were all family.” And Chris. She really ought to tell him about Chris, even if this date was already charred around the edges. She winked to show she was kidding, because she wasn’t really that vain. Okay, maybe a little. “Clearly I wasn’t talking to the right people,” she added.

Had he really just called a leprechaun sexy? She nearly choked on the coffee at the idea. His mind might have failed, but hers had provided portly little Irish gentlemen she’d grown up with in skimpy outfits and garters and promptly rebelled. Ew. Once she’d regained her breath and had stopped coughing, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the conversation.

“Who says slick isn’t the same as smart?” she asked. “Slick requires smart, I think. C’mon, you should have more confidence in yourself. You’re not bad on the eyes and have enough charm to walk through a lingerie store without getting slapped. That has to show you something. Besides.” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Some people would say you’re smarter for not teaching and finding a career that suits you. But just curious—did you ever want something else?”

Her smile turned into a grin at his other statement. “Uh, no. I try to be nice to my students. Mostly. But you’re definitely all-the-wrong-kinds-of-screwed. Sorry.”

What was wrong with fishing? Had Kateri known all the thoughts going through his head, she would have wondered why he was so worried about saying that he fished. It was one of the few tame things he’d said all night. “That sounds nice,” she said. “I like fishing. I’m no good, but I like it. I used to do it with…” Good opportunity there, right? Time to just go for it. “My father. And my husband.” There. She sipped her drink, then added, “I didn’t peg you as the type to fish, though. What made you get into it?”

[Tim Lyne]

"Family never knows what its talking about," insisted Tim, waving a hand. "Trust me, you've been with all the wrong people. 'Cuz from where I'm sitting, you're the prettiest woman in the woman. Beautiful, even. But I'm probably biased and approaching buzzed."

Ah, yes, for the delight of the coffee. It was definitely helping Tim to relax, as had the complete casualness of the conversation. It had very much become a "talk about whatever you want" type of conversation, not unlike the ones he'd had with Ella. Ella, just thinking about her brought to Tim's mind loads of advice and such, most of which amounted to obvious things like "be yourself."

"This guy," said Tim, pointing both thumbs at himself. Hey, if he was unloading, why not? "Well, that and just about anyone through most of my life. I got plenty of confidence, but it's in my awe-inspiring good looks, charm, and bedroom moves."

Another sip, while a hard question was dropped. Tim lowered the coffee, staring at it, trying to think of a decent answer. Had he? Did he? He never really thought about it. He'd failed so much at anything else he'd put his mind to doing that there really hadn't seemed to be much of a choice. Definitely not what he wanted to think about right now.

Wrong screwed. "Well, there goes that hope," muttered Tim. He grinned as he said it though, looking back at Kateri's eyes and saluting her jauntily. Hardly any reason to be too worked up now. He'd already failed the mission; now he was just getting through the rest of the night.

Oh, wow, talk about failing. Tim's eyes bulged slightly, and he shifted. "I thought it was relaxing, and something I could sleep through, and did you just say 'husband'? I know I'm having trouble focusing because of, well," he waved his hand at Kateri, trying to get her face, though honesty made the hand waver a little lower, "that. But uh, I didn't think you were married or something. He's not going to kick my ass or something, is he? Because I'm more of a lover than a fighter, and, uh," Tim swallowed. He wasn't that big on stealing wives from husbands. If they were unhappy, sure, that was there problem. But there was just something about it that didn't sit quite well with Tim, for some reason.

[Kateri Rivera]

“You’ve only had one drink!” She was coaxed into a laugh again, damn him. She did like his sense of humor, if nothing else. He was definitely entertaining to be around. “But thank you for the compliment.” She raised her own cup, nearly empty, in a silent toast, then knocked it back. By all rights, she was the one who was supposed to be buzzed. But maybe she was. She had gotten a cab here—she didn’t have to care. But she didn’t see how he, who had started later and was taller than her, could possibly be buzzed.

“Well I disagree with you, and everyone else in your life. You can’t have charm and bedroom moves without some intelligence. Mind.” She had to pause for a moment. “I don’t know if you do have any bedroom moves, so I suppose I can’t really tell. But fine. I’ll let it drop.” She waved it off and leaned back in her seat and returned his grin, and even the salute, a little wryly and a little more professionally too. She’d been so insistent on saluting Chris back that he’d laughingly taught her to do it “properly.”

He hadn’t answered her question, though. Oh well. She couldn’t play guidance counselor to him. He was a grown man, and unlike her students, she really had no business interfering. She just wanted to play fixer again. Down, girl. He’s old enough to make up his own mind.

Maybe she should have done some more lead up to that question, though. He hadn’t spluttered out any drink, as she’d half been expecting him too, but she watched glumly as his eyes bulged and shook her head.

“Breathe, love,” she said. “Do I have a ring? I’ve been a widow for nine years, and not the murderous kind either, I promise.” Her lips twitched into a smile. “Never figured out how to successfully put that into a conversation, so I’m sorry for that. Would you like another drink?” Poor fellow looked like he needed it. “Maybe you’re making me have trouble focusing too, who knows? Stranger things have happened. But good to know you don’t steal wives. I’ll keep that in mind."

[Tim Lyne]

"Buzzed in the head," said Tim, pointing to said portion of anatomy. "It's a state of mind thing. Comes from being around beautiful women for an extended period of time and not sucking horribly. Plus, my head's always buzzing, at least in Pilot Ridge. That's what we call 'side effects.'"

Tim nodded, though he was already trying not to think about what he'd just said. That constant buzzing, the ringing in the back of his mind, that never left him, and it wasn't exactly the most pleasant sensation in the world. Always feeling like things were crawling in your head, knowing where people were standing at all times. It gave Tim the creeps. Hence the drugs, alcohol, and all that. Not that we're stopping in the middle of a post to analyze or anything like that. That would just be silly.

Read from here:
_________________________________

"Oh, I got moves," said Tim. He grinned, wiggling slightly. "Moves you ain't ever seen. Moves like f**kin' Jagger."

If he had a little more in him, or was desperate to impress, he'd have launched into song right then and there. Years of standing in choir had come in handy. Hey, he'd had to do some kind of extracurricular, and singing beat doing real work.

Breathing. Widow, for "Nine years? Were you a child bride or something?" said Tim. He shook his head. "Sorry, that's gotta be rough. I'm just; I gotta admit, widow's a new one for me. Divorcee," Tim shrugged. There seemed little reason to hide or pretend. Kateri had met him in a lingerie shop; she had to figure there was some history there.

"But yeah, no wife stealing, not here. Now, if somebody wants to give one away," Tim shrugged, "but, yeah, seems stupid to try and break up one of those long-lasting loving relationship things. Did you say another drink? Only if you're having one."

He winked and motioned for more drinks to come. He was so getting into his element now. "Pretty sure the only thing I've got to hide is that I'm a Jr.," Tim shuddered; wasn't often that came up. "Well, and the massive collection of illegal porn, but hey, who doesn't, right?"

He smiled, then nodded. "So, you're a teacher, a widow, a sexy leprechaun," yeah, he remembered that one, "and a meta. That's a lotta hats."

Especially from someone who pretty much alternated between "Bum," "Flirt," and "Layabout."

[Kateri Rivera]

“Ah.” Kat nodded in understanding, completely ignoring the “around beautiful women” part as the extended flattery that she didn’t need. “I can understand that. I get frequent migraines. Buzzing is a new one, though. And you still stuck around? You’re a brave man.” Or stupid. Or just stubborn. As she was one who was known for both, she could hardly accuse him of any of that.

“Easy there!” she laughed. “Language, Tim. We’ll see about that. Moves Like Jagger? You’re an odd one.”

She wouldn’t have known what to do if he had burst into song. Probably laughed her head off or shaken her head and walked out the door, because she didn’t believe that people really did that, like they did in musicals. If they did, she could actually sing instead of croaking like she did.

Her smile vanished in an instant as he said “child bride,” and she eyed her cup mournfully, wishing there was more alcohol in it. Or just something that she could focus on again. “It’s fine,” she said. “I was eighteen when I married him. So I guess you could say that. Divorcee, huh?” Another smile, faint this time, curving up the corner of her mouth. “I think that’s rougher. At least I don’t worry about what my husband is doing now. And yes, I’ll be having one too.” Child bride…right.

“But this is the last one,” she added. “Because it’s noon and I don’t want you to get a second buzz besides the one in your head, and I’d like to make it back to my roommate sober, thank you.” But then, much to her surprise, she smiled again. “You’re a junior? And you have porn? Is this common for men on this side of the pond? I don’t have any.”
She wasn’t sure what she thought of someone so comfortable with admitting it. She wasn’t sure it was a positive thing. On the one hand, he seemed comfortable with who and what he was. On the other…well, she just didn’t know.

“It’s not a lot of hats,” she said. “Not really. It’s just all different parts of one person. Besides, you’ve got a few too.” She ticked them off on her fingers as the drinks arrived. “Recruiter, meta, singer, drinker—“ Oh yes, she had definitely noticed that one “—and a flirt. Who’s got more titles attached to them, hm? But I’m really not a sexy leprechaun. I don’t even own a costume. Which reminds me.” She smiled. “You still haven’t explained the fairy costume you mentioned.”

[Tim Lyne]

"I don't have much choice. It's a job, and the power thing works great for it," said Tim. He really didn't want to think about how his power essentially turned him into the perfect recruiter. You literally couldn't hide from someone like him. There were times... well, it's really just more background on why Tim drinks, really.

Eighteen: "Kinda young, but I'm betting you weren't a kid," said Tim. More surprisingly, he found himself meaning it. He was fully aware that he'd ventured into strange territory with Kateri. It sounded almost painful. He was also equally aware that she was here, now, on a date with him. More alcohol was needed. No, scratch that, more relaxation.

"Sober's overrated," said Tim. Gut reaction, instant response, really. "If you ever want to have fun though, just, let loose or something, let me know. I guess that's something else I'm good for," a smile and a wink. Then he leaned forward. "It'll be even better next time we meet, because the whole horribly awkward thing will be over."

This was all acting under the assumption that Kateri would ever, ever want to be near Tim again. The joking was back though, with the Junior and the porn.

"I'm sure the European dudes, I mean, chaps, have their porn too. They're just probably not as open about it," said Tim. He grinned, then leaned back, considering. Mostly because the idea of porn set his mind on the path that porn always set minds on. Weird, but he started to realize that he hadn't been thinking that way for a while. His brain must be broken.

"We'll see about that costume," insisted Tim. Though he knew full well he'd forget about it the moment he walked out the door. He wasn't exactly good at remembering to do something he'd talked about, even if it did involve a sexy redhead. Another sip, one that Tim nearly coughed up. "Dunno," he said. Set the glass down, look over at Kateri. "Would you believe it just showed up there? I'm thinking there's mice in my apartment or something. Like a freaky Disney movie. Or like that one with the singing cockroaches."

A pause, while Tim considered, then shook his head. "Let's stick with singing animals. Much cooler."