Things You See in a Newsroom (Russell)

[Russell Sands]

Idalia’s laugh was incredibly endearing and Russell smiled easily, warming to her as she chuckled about their huge, intimidating dogs being pathetically adorable and, well, sometimes just a bit pathetic. “The best was a few months ago, though, when Tia was still tiny. Stat was sleeping and dreaming with his tail twitching, and Tia pounced on it. He jumped so hard I thought he was going to hit the ceiling, poor beast.” Russell gave a warm smile, nodding when Ida mentioned about Ike being uncomfortable sometimes. “I imagine it is; he’s not exactly a Chihuahua, and it’s not even like he’s got much padding to help you out. He’s all pointy elbows and knees.”

Russell could understand why taking a dog, especially such a huge one, into work might prove to be a bit of a problem. He often took one or two of his to work, but they were his offices so he could make that ruling. If someone brought a mad out-of-control dog with them and it chewed everything or spent the whole day barking he would have to enforce something, but he usually tried his best to keep things there professional but relaxed. “I don’t see why they’d say no, as long as you could keep him under control. It’d be good for you both; give you more time together and hopefully help teach him a bit more discipline. Plus, you’re right. Doing paperwork does go much faster if you’ve got a pet there keeping you company.”

Russell’s smile was warm and he mentally shrugged as she enquired more about what he did. He didn’t want to bore her with the details but she seemed genuinely interested in finding out more about what it was he did, so he allowed himself to elaborate a little. “I follow bits of the stock market yes, but with the businesses it’s far more about assisting and advising with the more practical side of things. Employing staff, finances, project development, market research and, as you said, advertising.” As a motorbike went by he couldn’t help but follow its movement with his gaze. It wasn’t as pretty as any of his own bikes, of course, and his focus soon flicked right back to the conversation. “I also do a lot of work with graduates; kids who have the ideas but not the means. I help them get their feet through the right doors or, if their idea is solid enough, help them get their own businesses in motion.”

When Idalia asked about his siblings Russell gave a short shake of his head. “No, there’s three of us. Baxter’s only a year younger than me so I never got away with it with him, but Dean’s five years younger. He was all chubby cheeks and fingers and he never complained when I tried to stick a price tag on him.” Russell chuckled softly to himself. Sure he’d been a bit of a mean kid in that sense, but he’d soon had it scolded out of him. Of course then came his teenage years, but Ida didn’t need to know about them. Her reaction to his admittance of what he’d wanted to be when he was very young brought a bright grin to his lips, replaced by a playful mock-pout. “Hey, I could have been the best Boeing ever if I wanted!”

Russell hadn’t expected her to hold the door open for him, but he acknowledged the gesture with a warm smile as he stepped through. “Thank you.” Once they arrived at their table Russell stepped around to the side, sliding out a chair so that Ida could sit. Good manners deserved good manners, after all. “What would you recommend?”

[Idalia Tsavaris]

“Awe,” Idalia couldn’t help but coo, imagining the large dog jumping. She couldn’t stop smiling, goodness she hadn’t laughed this much in a while. “Poor guy,” she sympathized. She’d freak out too if she had a tail and someone jumped on it. Ida laughed and nodded emphatically. “Oh yes, even when he was a puppy he was body, but now, goodness, I swear he could kill someone with a well aimed elbow,” she joked. Ike was a huge and he was snuggly. She wasn’t going to lie, but nor would she admit that, with all of his bones and everything she had never had a better snuggle buddy. She was finding that the people she was getting most along with now were those people who dealt with her talking about her dog all the time.

Idalia nodded, that was actually part of the reason she didn’t bring him. She wasn’t completely sure she could keep her monster under control, and having a great dane get loose in a new room was quite possibly one of the worst things that could happen. She sighed wistfully, “I wish, but I think we need a little more obedience training before he’s ready for that,” she said, “It’s not just around other dogs and people that he’s crazy. There would be so much going on, I’m afraid he’d either get too excited or frightened.” She could definitely see him getting over stimulated by the fast moving people, the lights and noises and the manner of strange things that went on in the office. It hardly seemed fair to bring him all the way to work just to lock him in her office too. “Although,” she said suddenly considering, “I’ve been taking him out when I got reporting sometimes, so I think he’s getting used to a lot of activity around him.” She tapped her chin as she pondered the thought.

Sometimes it was nice to talk about something that wasn’t the weather. Hell, her profession of the definition of small talk, and she’d had friends who had jokingly warned others that weather was not small talk to Ida. It was true. It was very refreshing to talk about something else. Not only that but Russell’s warm smile warmed her heart and she could tell he enjoyed what he did, even if he claimed it was boring. “That’s quite a load you have,” she said raising a brow. That sounded like a lot of work, a lot of work that required a lot of time and effort. Ida could never do it, she couldn’t say that financing and economics were extremely exciting to her so it would have been a chore for certain. Her smile grew and she nodded. “That’s got to be great, I love working with students, they’re so full of ideas. Sometimes I wish I was more involved, but we really only have space for one or two interns at a time really.” Sometimes Ida felt like she’d missed out on something when she’d decided not to teach.

Ida was fascinated, not so much by the number as what it was like to have brothers. She had grown up with nine other sisters, but she somehow still felt like she’d missed out on having a brother. Though, god save the poor child that had to grow up with ten sisters! “Your poor parents,” Idalia joked, “Well a young businessman has to start somewhere.” Idalia laughed wanting to hold onto his expression forever. It was adorable and sweet and funny all at the same time. The Greek took on an expression of encouragement as she said, “I’m sure you would have.” She resisted the urge to pat his shoulder. How funny it was, that they were walking down the street, him in a business suit and herself dressed professionally with her heels clicking confidently along the sidewalk… and they were joking about childhood dreams of being airplanes. When did the imagination die?

She gave him a smile in return and simply nodded, glad he was gracious enough to thank her. Idalia for a moment had a look of annoyance as he crossed in front of her, if he’d just wanted that seat he could have said… oh… oh! Idalia stood there for a moment her face growing warm as it dawned on her he had pulled out her chair. How sweet, Ida touched her fingers to her lips in an attempt to hide her shock and pleasure. No one had ever slid her chair out for her before. Call her what you will, but she was touched and flattered. “Thank you,” she said in return, gracefully tucking her skirt under herself as she sat. Idalia grinned at him and flipped open the menu. “I’m sure you’ve had a gyro before,” she said pronouncing it ‘YEE-ros’ as was proper, “But you might also like souvlaki, that’s like shish kabob, mmm, but if you’re feeling brave, they have yiaprakia or pastichio.” She pointed to picture on the menu of stuffed grape leaves and a layered pasta looking dish.

[Russell Sands]

It was good to hear Ida joking about her dog and Russell laughed brightly. “That’s a good thing about mine, I guess. They’ve got all that padding. When one of them jumps on you it’s less like a giant pile of pointy angles and more like being flopped on by a seal.” Of course they were not that bad, but it was good to jest sometimes. The sheer muscle and size of his dogs did mean that getting pointy elbows accidentally slammed into your ribs was far less painful than it might be with a more elegantly built breed like a Dane.

Hearing Idalia speak about needing to do some more obedience training with Ike gave Russell an idea, and he waited for her to finish speaking before voicing it. “I’m part of an obedience training group that’s based just outside Burlington. We meet every other weekend, and you and Ike would be more than welcome to come along. It’d get him out and about and used to having to be more sensible around other dogs and people while other things are going on around him.” He gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “It’s just an idea; you’re welcome to dismiss it if you wish.”

Russell nodded in agreement as Idalia commented that his work was a large load. It was very true; it consumed most of his time to the point that his dog training was often fitted around other things that he had going on. However, it was also true that he did love his work and wouldn’t change it for anything. It kept him active and occupied, as well as allowing him to live a rather luxurious lifestyle, and for that he was incredibly grateful. “Yeah, that is one of the best perks of the job, I think. I run a drop-in clinic every Thursday at the school I used to go to, and it’s great being able to give back to it like that. I’m sure the interns that you can take in are always very grateful of the opportunity.”

Russell had never been one to be shy or embarrassed about revealing little snippets of some of the misadventures of his childhood, especially not when they produced such endearing reactions as Idalia’s amused surprise. It was a delight to see, and his smile was genuine and warm as they wandered down the street. It was good to relax fully, away from the pressures of having to act all grown up and professional in front of a camera. “How about you? Any fun childhood dreams of what the future might have held for you?”

Seeing her reaction to so simple a gesture as holding her chair out was a delight to witness. “You’re very welcome.” Russell smiled warmly as he carefully tucked the chair under her when she sat, before taking the seat opposite her. Russell listened intently as Idalia explained through some of the items on the menu, picking over them mentally to come to a decision. “I’m up for trying something new, I think. I might give the yiaprakia a try.” Russell did butcher the pronunciation slightly, but he hoped he would get some points for at least attempting to say it correctly. He chuckled softly. “Now, this I did not expect when I left the offices this morning. I think I’ll have to do interviews more often, if this is the result of them.”

[Idalia Tsavaris]

“I guess you get one or the other, death by being impaled by an elbow or smothered by a dense dog,” she laughed, it was easy to get her joking around about Ike, he was quite a character. Not to mention hearing more about Russell’s dogs too! She never imagined he had so many. She would have thought the two he had with him the first time they met would be enough of a handful for anyone. They’d been huge, not taller than Ike, but much thicker, they could probably have taken down Ike without a second thought. She didn’t know how he handled more than one much less the pack he said he had! “I know a lot of people are afraid of big dogs, but really they’re the sweetest,” she smiled, a lot sweeter than small dogs in her opinion. She was just a little bias, but god did she hate her neighbor’s Chihuahua.

Idalia listened with interest, she just might be able to swing that. She knew it would be great for Ike to get out and about besides their daily walks. And if it was outside of Burlington that might work out well, she could take her lunch break early or late, then she could bring Ike along to work and see how it went. She would have to keep him closed up in her office at first she was sure, but maybe in time… Idalia smiled and then realized she hadn’t said anything and quickly nodded. “No, no, that sounds wonderful! Maybe when we get back or something you can give me the contacts?” She asked raising a brow at him. Russell need not worry about her not dismissing something she didn’t want to do, it had been so long since she’d had a date with someone who actually mattered to her that she’d just taken to doing what she wanted. She flushed unexpectedly. Not that this was a date! Oh dear! Idalia, dear, can we not fall in love with every attractive man who is kind? She thought to herself.

She was just glad that Russell enjoyed his job, that was what made it. Really, if one didn’t love what they did then all of life was a waste. She understood there were some people who didn’t have much of a choice but she could never live with something she hated. “Oh that’s great! I’m sure that helps out a lot of people! Did you go to the University of Vermont then?” She asked curiously, assuming that since he was able to make it there once a week that it was probably the closest university. She sighed, “I hope so, it’s such hard industry to get into. I’m just glad that having a meteorology degree is starting to take so weight. Just by nature scientists aren’t always the best communicators, so I try to make that a focus. They know the meteorology, they need to learn the communication.” She mused, she loved what she did, she loved operational meteorology, but there was only so much that could be done when someone in communications or something came in and could read off of a screen.

Russell’s question pulled a nervous laugh out of her. It was nice, not having to act professional all the time. She looked at him for a moment and smiled shyly, he’d shared with her, she knew he wouldn’t judge her. “Oh dear,” she muttered and ran a hand through her hair, “I guess… well, see, I was a huge Disney fan so I wanted to be a princess. I had it all planned out too, I was going to have a winged horse for a friend and we would fly everywhere together.” She blushed crimson, that was such a girlie dream, but she’d loved horses and well, her boat was called the Pegasus. Once upon a time she’d dreamed she could be someone like Belle or Ariel. Brave, beautiful, independent.

Heat rose in her cheeks and she brushed her hair behind her ear shyly as she sat. His warm smile warmed her throughout. If she’d told herself a million time, she still fell too fast. She forced it down, he was probably just being a nice guy, she thought, a very sweet gorgeous guy. Oh no. She was glad to turn to the menu and kick her brain back into working order. Idalia tried her best not to giggle but it came out anyway. “Good choice. Yiaprakia,” she repeated, “Yi-ah prah key-ah,” she said more slowly allowing him to hear each syllable on its own. She smiled at him, tucking her ankles under her chair. He got brownie points for trying. Not that he needed many at this point, the whole chair thing had kind of taken him off of Idalia’s charts. Ida smiled softly and nodded. “You should, then we could eat together more often,” she said casually as she could, she had to at least try not to be too desperate. “You’re in for a treat, they make theirs warm, and mmm it makes all the difference.”

She rested her elbows on the table after the waiter came around and dropped off a few glasses of water. “So, I don’t think I remember you saying, is your office around here?” She looked at him, walking next to him was one thing but now facing him head on she couldn’t stop herself from admiring his features. How hadn’t she noticed how gorgeous he looked when they’d been at the dog walking group? Oh right, Ike was probably pulling out her shoulder.

[Russell Sands]

Anyone who loved dogs as much as he did was automatically a friend to Russell, and Idalia was certainly ticking great many boxes. “I don’t know which would be worse. The elbow would be quick, at least.” Russell chuckled brightly. Idalia clearly held a passion for canines that rivalled his own, and she was smart and funny and very easy to get along with. Granted Russell had always been a sucker for a pretty face, and that was certainly one box Idalia ticked tenfold, but looks without substance tended to very quickly become dull, he found. Somehow, she seemed to have managed to get a rather lovely blend of the two. “I agree with you there. I’d pick a huge, drooling, dense pile of elbows over a yappy little lap-dog any day.”

In truth, Russell would be delighted if Idalia could find the time in her manic schedule to join the obedience group. It was only a small gathering but he always loved going, and it was great to be able to catch up with people and spend a few hours well away from work. Having a friend there that he knew away from the dog world as well could only ever be a good thing and, well, it’d mean he would have the chance to get to know her a little better. “I’d be glad to! It’d be good to have another big dog there; at the moment the only one even close to mine is a Collie.”

The sudden flush that coloured Idalia’s cheeks was unexpected, but Russell just put it down to the fact that it was a little warm out and they were walking. He had to admit though, it was not at all an unpleasant sight. Endearing, even. As Idalia asked about which university he attended, Russell let out a slightly awkward laugh and ran a hand over his hair, clearly slightly anxious for the first time that day. His schooling history wasn't something he was overly proud of, even though he had done exceptionally well with his life regardless. “Ummm... Sort of. I dropped out of UVM in my second year. I don't know if you'll know the school where I run it; it's called The Hammel Institute.” If his suspicions about her power were right, though, he figured she would know about it. He gave a small nod as she explained about the importance of communications. “That makes sense. I mean, you could be the smartest and most well informed person in the state, but it means nothing if you can't get what you know across to someone else.”

Russell was indeed not judging Idalia as she explained about her childhood dream, but a bemused smile did curl the corner of his lips. Truth be told, it felt like a real privilege getting to hear that little snippet of her childhood and he gave a nod of understanding. “I don't think that's a bad dream to have wanted.” He chuckled softly. “I mean, both our dreams involve flying away in some way, right? And who knows, one day you just might get your pegasus buddy.”

After a long morning Russell really was ready for a decent lunch, but truth be told, he would probably have leapt at the chance to spend more time with Idalia even if he'd only just eaten a three course dinner. There would be room for another cabbage roll somewhere. “Yi-ah prah key-ah,” Russell repeated equally slowly, ensuring he got each syllable correct. He gave a smile as he figured he'd got it. “Yiaprakia. Awesome. Now I'm even more excited for them.” Idalia's little encouragement for him to come over and visit more often caught Russell a little off guard, more-so by the seeming genuineness of the tone rather than the invite itself. Perhaps he was reading a little too much into it, but for a moment it seemed like maybe there could be more to what she was saying than a simple polite invite. Likely it was just wishful thinking, but it was fun to imagine sometimes. He glanced up from the menu, blue eyes meeting hazel, and smiled warmly. “You know, I would really like that.”

The water arriving pulled Russell out of his momentary sideways thoughts and he pulled his eyes away from Idalia to glance up at the waiter and offer them a “thank you”. At Idalia's question he gave a small nod. “Sort of. It's just on the outskirts of Pilot Ridge, on the far side of the lake. It's not the biggest office in the world, but it's kind of become a home away from home.” Wow, he really had to stop making eye contact with her. Her gaze was rather distracting, to say the least.

[Idalia Tsavaris]

“True,” Idalia agreed with a giggle. Death by dog, now that was certainly a way to go, especially since it would be accidental death by dog. Poor Ike sometimes still forgot he wasn’t a puppy and decided to climb into her lap and well, Idalia ended up with bruises. He, of course, didn’t do it on purpose, but he was a big dog and he was starting to get muscle behind him as well. Not nearly as much as Russell’s tanks, but enough to do damage. Idalia laughed at the image and nodded her head. “Yes! And Ike is totally a lap dog,” she said and shook her head, laughing at her own joke. “But those little yippy ones! I’m so afraid I’d step on them!” It seemed like a legitimate concern. God, Idalia could not stand little yappy dogs, there were some sweethearts in those as well, but well nothing could beat her gentle giant.

“I think those group walks Cecil set up have been very good for him,” Idalia added in. Cecil was by far her dearest friend in Pilot Ridge and she was so happy he’d started that up. She definitely had been working on getting more things to get Ike socialized and trained. At the moment the big dog was having no problems in the social realm but in the training one he was as bad as they come. He was very easily distracted and when Idalia was trying to get him to do something he decided she needed kisses. She really couldn’t bring herself to scold him for doing that. “Ooh, Collies are so pretty,” she said with a bright smile, “Sure, I mean I’ll have to check on my schedule but I’d love to come.”

Idalia hid the surprise in her expression as he told her he’d dropped out. She bit her tongue unsure at first. Honestly, people who made it after dropping out had always annoyed her, she’d gone through four years of undergrad and five years of graduate school and here he was probably making more money than she was. But then again, she’d never known any of them personally and she couldn’t see Russell being anyone like what she’d always imagined people like Steve Jobs and that guy who made Facebook. Russell was a genuine guy and Idalia was suddenly very ashamed of her assumptions. “Oh,” she said at first and then smiled, “Well, no big deal obviously you’ve been very successful,” she said hoping it came off as happy for his success and not insulting. Then her mouth dropped open. “What?! Really? No way!” It was like a whole new door opened and Ida couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “Me too! When did you graduate?” She avoided the most enticing question, if he’d gone to Hammel he must be a meta human, but what was his power?

She couldn’t stop smiling, how could he be this perfect? He was understanding and intelligent and sweet. “Exactly,” she said waving a hand as he made perfect sense of her point. Idalia blushed and ducked her head, waving a hand dismissively at his comment. She giggled along with him, glad he wasn’t laughing at her, it was funny. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself, surprised by his statement but it was true. Very true and she didn’t even realize it when she’d said it. She smiled warmly, “You’re right.” She shrugged and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Who knows,” she echoed wistfully giving him a look out of the corner of her eye, meeting his gaze for just a moment before looking away shyly. She found herself filling with excitement. Butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach.

Idalia watched him and nodded along with every syllable. “That’s it!” She exclaimed, beaming at him. Greek pronunciations were not easy and not only had he tried but he’d gotten it very quickly too! She giggled brightly, she couldn’t stop smiling. She reminded herself gently not to get her hopes up, like she did every time. He was being friendly, she said and then lamented to herself that he probably already had a girlfriend, after all, he was so sweet there was no way he wasn’t taken. His eyes met hers and she was breathless for a moment when he smiled. The light in his eyes enhanced the blue, how had she never noticed his eyes were blue before? She melted and fumbled for words for a moment and finally had to swallow her nerves and nod her head, allowing her eyes to close as she did so to break his spell. “Me too,” she said as she opened her eyes and gave him another smile.

She pulled up a mental map, a little annoyed with herself that she could see exactly what he was talking about on a mental map. It was a little far, meaning he probably wouldn’t be able to make it all the way out here just for lunch. But then, she worked strange hours, maybe if she was on the shifts that got her off at one or two she could meet him somewhere. She shook her head a little, giving herself a mental slap. Stop that, she told herself. Idalia laughed, “Well you saw my office! I bet you have an amazing view! I love the lake, I take Ike there all the time. Oh!” She exclaimed, speaking of dogs, “You promised me puppy pictures!” She declared and crossed her arms as if daring him to refuse her.

[Russell Sands]

Russell laughed brightly. “I can imagine it; him trying to crawl onto your lap while you’re watching TV. You seem to have a real special bond with him.” It was a delight to see the closeness between Idalia and Ike, and Russell did kind of wish he could have that same intense bond with his dogs. He loved them all dearly and he knew they were very happy and probably liked him a great deal back, but at the end of the day they were workers. They were trained to such a high level and were so physically fit that they could so easily accidentally cause major harm while roughhousing. He’d had to train in barriers between them and humans, and while it did still allow play and cuddles, there was none of that intense closeness that Idalia seemed to share with Ike. “None of mine would try that, but Stat seems happiest when he gets to play at being a foot-stool.”

As Idalia mentioned about the walks being good for Ike, Russell nodded his head in agreement. “I know they’ve not been going on long, but I think I can already see a bit of a change in him. He doesn’t seem to be dragging youhalf as much as he was that first ti-.” Russell cut off mid-word, suddenly aware that maybe that sounded like he had been paying a bit too much attention to her and her dog. “I mean, yeah. It’s been good for mine too, getting to run and play with a group of others.” Idalia’s reaction to the mention of a Collie made Russell smile again. “They are, and this one is super-focussed. She’s staggering; she makes mine look like rank amateurs.” He chuckled softly, nodding when Idalia said she would be interested but would have to check her schedule. “Great. When I get back I’ll forward the details to you.”

It was perhaps a slightly strange situation. Yes Russell did regret not getting a degree, but at the same time he was thankful he left when he did because it gave him the push he needed to work as hard as he had to make something of himself. If he had graduated, he’d probably have ended up as yet another mid-level manager in a faceless multi-national corporate business-eater and jumping out of a window through boredom. If he’d have dropped out and floundered, he’d have ended up as a burger-flipper or something, getting fired from job after job because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut around the bosses. He’d made it so that failure had absolutely not been an option. He managed a small smile despite the fact he could sense something slightly… off with how Idalia phrased her opinion. “I have. I mean, it’s not been without its hardships, but I’m happy with where I have ended up.” However, when her mood visibly shifted when he mentioned which high school he had gone too, Russell beamed brightly. “No way, you went there too? Such a small world, huh? I actually did manage to graduate from there, in 1995, which I think was as much a surprise to the staff as it was to me. How about you?”

Other languages, and particularly their pronunciations, had never been Russell’s strong point. He could muddle along a little in French and Spanish but that was about his limit. However, he’d always prided himself on being a quick learner and having a reasonable memory, as long as it wasn’t about the location of things, and he grinned as Idalia confirmed he’d got the pronunciation right after repeating her. “Great! I’m excited to give them a whirl.” When Ida said that she would like the opportunity to perhaps meet up more often Russell smiled warmly but tried desperately not to get his hopes up; she was probably just being friendly, and besides, she was far too amazing a woman to not already be spoken for.

Russell gave a small nod of his head. “The view is pretty stunning, especially in fall when all the leaves are changing. It’s the reason I fought so hard to get those offices when they went up for sale. You can see all the boats on the lake so clearly, and with the mountains in the backdrop…” He gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “I enjoy being there more than I like to admit. Next time you’re in Pilot Ridge you’re more than welcome to stop in. Bring Ike too; he and the girls can go for a romp around the lake.” Not that Russell was trying to set up another time he’d get to see Idalia again. Not at all. Nope.

As Idalia changed the subject back to the dogs, Russell laughed softly and nodded in agreement. “I did promise, yeah.” He rummaged deep in one of his jacket pockets for a moment before pulling out a tablet computer that was definitely far too large to have ever actually fit into the pocket it was recovered from. He flipped open the plain black leather case and switched on the screen, flicking through the menu for a moment until he pulled up the folder with the puppy photos in it. He then leaned over the table slightly towards her, and tried to ignore the little thrill that ran through him at their closeness as he twisted the tablet so they could both see the screen while he went through the first few photos. “That is momma Nessie, who you know, and that is poppa Stat. That is the litter not long after they were born, and that one is baby Tia, the one I decided to keep." He then held the tablet out to Ida, so she could take it if she wanted. “Feel free to flick through, if you'd like. I got a bit camera happy with them.”

[Idalia Tsavaris]

A warm smile grew on Idalia’s face. She couldn’t deny it, somehow Ike seemed to know when her visions were coming and he stayed with her all the way through them. “He’s special,” she agreed, for once not sarcastic. “I’m glad he chose me.” She giggled and nodded at Russell. “Oh really? Well, you know it’s probably for the best, I shouldn’t let Ike on the couch but I love snuggling with him too.” She laughed and let out a small ‘aw’ at the idea of the puppy wiggling underfoot. “Sometimes they do the strangest things don’t they? Like Ike does this thing when I’m not home at night, he has to have his blanket and he has to have his bear. If I leave for work and he doesn’t have them, he goes ballistic.” She smiled sadly, she wished she didn’t have to leave him along so much.

Idalia kept silent and let her eyebrow raise at his surprisingly observant assessment. She had to admit she was flattered and preened a little knowing that she’d had his attention, though she belatedly wondered if it wasn’t because of her looks but because she had a hip high tank on stilts that was still too puppy to care about the rules. Idalia hid her smile with her hand as he seemed to catch himself and fumbled to fix it. “That’s good! It must be nice to get them all exercised too.” Ida laughed and shook her head, “Great!” She smiled, it was altogether possible that she might have to miss more than attend, but part of her honestly worried that if she did go people might judge her because she worked so much. Idalia always worried if she was a ‘bad parent’.

Ida breathed a sigh of relief, she always did that, she let her mind and mouth get away with her before she had a chance to wonder if she was offending anyone. She smiled warmly and hoped her blunder was overlooked. “That’s all you can ask for.” She was honestly a little jealous, he seemed to be sure of himself and know what he wanted and went for it. Idalia hadn’t actually figured out what she wanted to do until she got her Ph.D and then it was a decide now or perish kind of deal. She’d gone into broadcast because she’d enjoyed the internships she’d had and she did it because she wanted to help people and teach them. She didn’t think she’d cut it as a professor and honestly a postdoc wasn’t too appealing, not when she could do research still, but in more of an area she liked. Ida nodded enthusiastically, it wasn’t often someone met another meta human, in Pilot Ridge, sure they were everywhere, but in Burlington not so much. “Isn’t it? I graduated 2002,” she laughed a little, she wondered if he knew Rio or Isolade. “So forgive me, but I have to ask, what’s your power?”

“You won’t be disappointed.” She bobbed her head. She was finding herself getting increasingly jealous of his office. He’d seen her office, it had a window, but that was about the only perk. “Oh,” she just uttered closing her eyes and imagining the view. The mountains were truly breathtaking. “I will take you up on that, Russell,” she said with a grin and then her eyes flashed with interest, “You might see me sooner than you think actually, do you ever see the rowers out on the lake?” She was honestly excited to take Ike to the lake with more dogs, he really seemed to thrive in other’s company. It made her worry a little she wasn’t giving him enough attention, but Russell had given her an idea, if he could be good, she could have him in the office, there wasn’t actually any rules against it, not that she knew at least.

The meteorologist uttered a gasp of surprise, there was no way his pocket fit that! She found her voice after a moment and pointed a finger at him, “You did, Mary Poppins.” She flushed, she couldn’t believe she’d just said that. Please tell me I didn’t say that out loud! she thought. Luckily soon there were puppy pictures. Idalia thought her heart might explode with cute when she saw them. “Oh no,” she whispered cutely a few times, as if in belief that something was that cute. Especially when baby Tia came on, she was beyond precious. “I feel silly, but what kind of dogs are they? I’ve never seen them before you brought them along.” From a distance she’d thought they were bulldogs or pitbulls, but they were neither. They were dense and stout, but well muscled. Like miniature trains. She took him up on his offer and scrolled through pictures, her heart breaking with the cuteness of them all.

“Ah! Yassou Idalia, kalo apóyenma!” A woman’s voice said and called Idalia’s attention. Idalia rose to her feet and hugged the woman exchanging a kiss on the cheek with her. “Ti kánis?” The woman answered in Greek, complaining about her back pain and how her sons never helped her enough. “Ah, Panagiota, af̱tó eínai Russell.” She said gesturing to Russell. The woman held out her hand to Russell. “Russell, this is Panagiota, she owns the restaurant with her husband, she doesn’t speak English very well.” Idalia explained and then translated, “She says she’s pleased to meet you.” Panagiota laughed and said in a thick accent, “You have welcome…” The old woman turned back to Idalia, patted her cheek and laughed deeply as she walked back to the kitchen. Idalia blushed and sat back down. She knew that face. Her mother was going to hear about this and would immediately state assuming things. “Sorry,” she started then the waiter appeared, a new young woman, Ida didn’t know. “Can I take your order?”

[Russell Sands]

“He’s probably glad he chose you, too.” It was good to see that, despite Ike’s obvious behavioural quirks, Idalia did genuinely seem to care about him and want what was best for him. It was sadly so often the way that as soon as the dog got a bit too much to handle, the owner gave up on it and either just let it have its way because it’s ‘easier’, or resorted to just chaining the dog in the yard. That seemed to happen so much more with the bigger breeds, and tragically that lack of will to work through it and train the dogs led to the attacks which gave the big breeds the bad reputations. Idalia seemed like she wouldn’t give up on Ike so easily, and that was very reassuring and a joy to see. “That’s adorable. Mitten is the same; she’s normally so sound in everything, but if she doesn’t have her specific blanket in the crate when I take them in the car she brays the entire trip. Not pleasant.”

Russell sometimes found himself idly wondering if things would have worked out as equally well for him if he had finished his degree. Perhaps it would have been easier to sway certain minds if he had letters after his name; they certainly would have filled up a little of the blank space on his business card at any rate. At the end of the day though, he knew for certain that when it came to his line of work all the education and schooling in the world amounted to nothing if they didn't come paired with a good amount of business sense. That he knew he had, and he certainly didn’t need a piece of paper to tell him so. “How about you? Are you content with what you’re doing?”

Idalia’s question about his power did not come at all as a surprise, and Russell gave a quiet chuckle. “Fair question, no forgiveness needed. I create pocket dimensions. Quite literally; alternate dimensions in my pockets. It’s not as cool as flying or fire breathing or anything, but it comes in handy. Well, when I’m not loosing things in them, anyway. Yours?”

When Idalia confirmed that she would take him up on the offer to bring the dog over to his office sometime, Russell gave a bright and honest grin. “Great! I’m looking forward to it already. The address is on the business card, feel free to pop over any time.” Her question about the rowers on the lake brought a curious eyebrow quirk to his features, and he gave a small nod. “I do, yeah. I keep my boat down on the marina near there so I hang out with some of them sometimes. Why do you ask?”

The comparing of him to Mary Poppins brought a laugh to Russell’s lips, and he rolled his eyes in amusement. “The number of times I’ve been called that over the years; you have no idea. I promise you, I’m not about to pull out a ladder or anything. There is an umbrella in my other pocket though, just in case.” Watching Idalia flipping through the pictures was a pleasure, the faces and noises she was making positively endearing, and he found himself smiling more in this afternoon than he had done for weeks. “Don’t feel silly about that. I’d honestly be really surprised if you did know. They’re Presa Canarios, or Perro de Presa Canarios, to give them their full name. They’re pretty rare; there’s only a handful of people that keep and breed them.” Russell counted himself privileged to be among that number. He’d worked with many different dogs of many different breeds over the years, but he’d never worked with any with such a high work drive yet loving nature as the Presa’s.

As a woman arrived and Idalia stood to greet her Russell stood too, being careful to mind his manners. When the woman offered her hand to him Russell shook it warmly with a soft smile, which brightened when she welcomed him to the restaurant. He spoke normally but made sure to enunciate his words clearly so she might have a slightly easier time understanding him, (hopefully) without him seeming patronising. “The pleasure is all mine, and thank you so much. You have a very beautiful restaurant.” Russell sat when Idalia did, noticing her blush and curiously wondering just what was causing it. “No need to apologise. She seems really nice.” When the waitress came over Russell indicated to Idalia with a soft smile. “Ladies first.”

[Idalia Tsavaris]

“You know my parents thought I was crazy when I told them I was getting a dog, but you know I think it was the best decision I ever made.” She knew she had something special the first time she had a vision and he dragged her away from the lake edge when her vision prompted her to find that a dire need. It had been a scary moment for the both of them and Idalia knew that despite all his quirks Ike was her best friend. She’d never stop working with him to keep him happy. Idalia laughed and shook her head, “Awe poor thing, they’re so like people that way, you know?” She smiled warmly, she had taken a lot of time to keep Ike from jumping into the front seat of the car, he was just far too big now. He had a crate in her apartment but well, it wasn’t made for travel, it was his indoor house when she was gone. She was slowly working on letting him have run of different rooms when she was away. So far the kitchen and bedroom had both been safe.

Idalia smiled at Russell, he was a strong willed person and he was a hard worker, she was ashamed by her snap judgment and resolved to change that. “Hmm,” Idalia considered the question seriously and cocked her head as she considered how to answer. “Content? Yes and no… I love what I do, I love the weather, the mystery and the puzzle that is constantly being solved. I do wish that people would take my job seriously, though.” She tapped her chin and smiled at Russell, “I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve been in academia and well, I realized I wanted to help people, academia is so cutthroat and it is hard to think about how what you’re doing is going to help people. At my job I can do research and I can help people.”

A shocked giggle broke from Idalia’s lips, she didn’t mean to, it just slipped out. She covered her mouth with her hands, grinning. “That’s fabulous! You’ve got Link’s magic pockets,” she giggled then blushed realizing her nerd was showing. Gaining control over her features again she smiled. “I’ve got foresight, only a very specific branch of foresight. I can see the future of… wait for it,” she paused for dramatic effect, “The weather.” She laughed at herself, it really sounded rather ridiculous when she really thought about it. It was probably the most useless of powers, considering that she used it mostly to verify models and the like. She couldn’t necessarily use her power as a scientifically accurate account considering it couldn’t be documented very well.

“I’ll be there,” she promised making a mental note. Oh no, she was really starting to like him. Oh goodness, there was no way someone this smart and attractive wasn’t taken. Ida’s mouth dropped open, and he had a boat! Oh wow, she thought, mouthing ‘a boat!?’ in shock. Granted she had a boat as well, but there was a great deal of difference between a rowing single and the large boats she saw at the marina. “No way! Small world! I’m sad I’ve never caught you there. Just curious, I’m a rower,” she said showing him her hands like her calluses were proof. “I’ve got a single I keep out there.”

Idalia’s eyes widened when she realized now that she knew his power how much that made sense. She held a hand over her mouth and her shoulders shook with laughter and her eyes glittered with mirth. She he told her about the umbrella she burst out laughing, she couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry,” she struggled to say, “But don’t worry rain’s not coming until tomorrow morning.” She leaned forward, “So Russell, have you ever lost anything in your magic pockets?” Looking back at the puppies Idalia realized she wanted to steal them, they were so cute. “Oh really? I’ve never heard of them,” she said, “How did you come across them?” She played with the straw in her water, suddenly feeling very self conscious about her heavy TV makeup.

Russell rose to greet Panagiota, Idalia couldn’t help herself, she smiled. And he didn’t speak to her like she couldn’t understand, that was the most polite thing she’d ever seen. Most people when confronted with people who couldn’t speak English spoke to Idalia instead of the person. Panagiota understood most of it and nodded but the last sentence seemed to confuse her and she glanced at Idalia and Idalia translated “Léei, échete éna polý ómorfo estiatório.” The old woman smiled, clearly flattered and patted Russell on the cheek and said, “My thank you,” she said before taking her leave, giving Ida another suggestive look. Idalia smiled warmly, “She is, she’s been a good friend of my mother’s for years.” Idalia giggled, “Such a gentleman, um, I’ll have the souvlaki, lamb and chicken. Yes, thank you.” She said when the woman asked if she wanted pita. She looked toward Russell at the same time the waitress did.

[Russell Sands]

“That I can certainly relate to.” Russell's work did make it so hard sometimes to keep up with training and competing his dogs, but he never once regretted the decision to get them and work them the way he did. His life would be much simpler and more straight-forward without them, but it would also be much emptier and more lonely. They brought him such a great deal of happiness, and he would give up everything else before he could be forced to part with them.

Russell listened intently as Idalia explained about her relationship with her work, and how she loved it but disliked certain aspects of it. It made sense, and he supposed most people felt that way about their work, really. He adored his job but there was definitely some aspects of it he would change if he could. Working for himself did afford him a great deal of flexibility, but there were some things that were out of his control that never failed to darken his day. Like the endless amounts of paperwork. “In what way don't they take it seriously? I'd have thought it would be one of the more respected sciences, since it more obviously influences people every day.”

The sudden giggle that left Idalia's lips as he explained his power caught Russell a little by surprise, but he laughed lightly at her reaction and shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know who Link is, but you seem to like them so I'll take it.” When Idalia mentioned what her power was, a look of understanding crossed Russell's features, mixed with a slightly cheeky smile. “Ahhhh, so that's how you do it. You cheat!” His tone was light and teasing, hopefully making it very clear that he was just playing around.

When Idalia's jaw dropped at the mention of him having a boat, Russell was quick to wave it away. “Don't get excited; it's nothing big and flashy. I only ever really use it when I need to make a bit of an impression with a client. I wouldn't mind using it more, I guess, but I never really seem to have the time.” Russell did enjoy going out on his boat, but it was a real drain on his time and once he was out on the waves of the lake he always just found himself itching to be doing something again. As a general rule, he much preferred going out on one of his motorbikes. He gave a warm, easy smile. “Well, now I know to look out for you next time I'm there.”

The news that there would be no rain until tomorrow morning was welcome news indeed, and Russell gave a small nod. “That's good to know, thanks. I've kind of made a habit of always carrying an umbrella around with me; you know what it can get like here sometimes, with the sudden downpours, and I'd hate to mess up my hair.” Russell laughed easily, in truth only partly joking. He always took pride in his appearance, and he had become rather fond of his hair over the years. “I am forever losing things in my pockets. It's a miracle I can ever find anything in them when I need to!” The question about the dogs brought Russell back on track. “I went on vacation with my at-the-time girlfriend to Fuerteventura. Thanks to a translation hiccup we ended up on an excursion to a cattle farm, not the castle we'd planned on.” He chuckled and took a sip of his drink before continuing. “They had the dogs working there, and they were so impressive to watch. I mean, I'd been after a dog for a while and was going to go for a Rottweiler, but seeing those mastiffs working, so obedient with all that raw power and an odd elegance... As soon as I got back home I started researching them, and six months later I picked up Stat. What about you? What tempted you to get a Dane?”

It was nice to meet the restaurant owner, and Russell smiled warmly at the cheek pat. “You are very welcome, ma'am.” Settling back down into his seat, Russell shrugged out of his jacket and hung it over the back of the chair. He was relaxed enough and this was a casual meeting so he decided he might as well be comfortable. It would be nice having a meal with someone else without it involving business, for a change. Besides, he was feeling rather warm, and he doubted it had all that much to do with the heating in the room. Russell placed his order with the waitress once she had taken Idalia's, taking care to make sure he pronounced it correctly and glancing to Idalia for confirmation. “Yiaprakia, right?”

[Idalia Tsavaris]

“Right?” Idalia agreed with a bright smile. It was definitely a life better lived with a companion. She was glad she had her parents in town and she could drop Ike off with them if she was going to have a long day. Also, having him at home prevented her from being stuck at work much longer than she already was because she was thinking she had to go home to let him out and feed him and play with him. Looking across the table at Russell she wondered if they ever would have met without having their dogs at the same walking group. There were two loves in Idalia’s life, her work and her dog and well sometimes that made it hard to meet people.

Idalia shrugged and crossed her arms and leaning on the table. “It’s still not easy to be a woman in science, Russell,” she said gently, then added, “Not to mention the number of times I hear the words ‘I could forecast the weather, just look outside’ on the daily.” There were still some colleagues that judged her work based on her sex and not her content. Of course they would never say so outright but it showed in the condescending way they asked questions or the remarks they made on her forecasts. She had to stop herself before she went off on a rant about people and respecting science. Cecil might put up with it, but she wasn’t sure Russell was quite prepared to have an angry Greek woman railing on about how people needed to pay attention to the weather.

Idalia’s mouth dropped open and she looked at Russell like he’d just crawled out of a hole and asked if the sun still rose in the east. “You never played video games when you were a kid?” She asked bewildered, she didn’t know anyone who didn’t at least know what the Legend of Zelda was. Initially Ida stiffened, having heard those words more than once in a harsh and accusing manner. She forced herself to relax, Russell couldn’t know that would upset her and he sounded like he was teasing. So she smiled and laughed. “Perhaps,” she said slyly, letting him make of that what he would. She took a sip of her water, raising her brow at him.

“That’s a real waste of a boat,” she commented teasingly. She smiled to herself recalling a recent conversation she’d had with Cecil. “You should take it out for an adventure one of these days.” Maybe the Caribbean, she thought. “It’s so peaceful out on the water, isn’t it? You can forget about the rest of the world for a while.” She mused, sometimes when there was no one on the lake in the early morning Idalia would row herself out to the middle of the lake and lay back to watch the clouds roll in. She especially loved doing this ahead of a cold from to watch the clouds pop in and build over the course of a few hours. Idalia was called back from her daydreams when he spoke again. She smiled and gave a laugh. “I do know,” she said with mock seriousness, her smile never wavering as she joked as if he had forgotten he was speaking to a meteorologist. Poor Russell was completely unprepared for weather to not be a subject of small talk. She opened her mouth to explain, but was taken aback with giggles. She hadn’t expected that. She rested her chin in her hands and batted her eyes. She hadn’t meant to, it just happened! “It would be a shame, you do have such lovely hair.”

Idalia laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. “I can only imagine! Have you ever lost anything completely?” Ida couldn’t help it, she felt a twinge when he mentioned a girlfriend, she tried to analyze if that meant that he had one now or if he was single. Completely distracted by that she almost missed the story. Idalia made a mental note to look up Fuerteventura when she got back to work. “That’s a big change from a Rottweiler, it’s gotta be hard to have a working dog though, I can’t imagine they’re content lazing around on the couch?” Ida smiled, thinking back to the path that lead her to Ike. “I’ve always liked big dogs. I love the idea of having a giant and Great Danes fir that really well. When I was looking around I found that as regal as they were Great Danes could be just as silly. When I met Ike, I knew there was no way I could leave without him. Of course he hadn’t been weaned yet, so I had to but I couldn’t wait to bring him home.”

“She likes you,” Idalia informed Russell as they seated themselves again. Idalia gave a bright smile and nodded excitedly. Granted she would have done the same thing even if he’d gotten it wrong. Just for trying she was excited. “Perfect!” She exclaimed with excitement. “Russell, you’re practically Greek.” She teased and gave a smile as she took a drink. “So, do you get invited to a lot of interviews with news stations?” She asked genuinely curious. He had to be very successful to have gotten an interview and Idalia was impressed.

[Russell Sands]

Russell gave a small nod of understanding as Idalia explained about it not being easy to be a woman in the science field, as well as people’s general attitudes relating to forecasting. “Ahh, I see. I apologise if I seemed ignorant; I meant no offence. It’s still really hard for women in business too, which is a real shame because most women have better minds for it than most men, I’ve found. It’s difficult to convince some people that we’re not Neanderthals any more.” Russell did genuinely hope he hadn’t accidentally offended Idalia; he just struggled to understand that backwards mindset sometimes because to him a person’s gender was a non-issue. In the work environment, he only cared about whether they were a good person and if could do their job. “Again, apologies if I offended you.”

Giving a quiet and slightly awkward laugh at her bewilderment with regards to video games, Russell shook his head slightly. “Ahhh, no, sorry. That would have meant sitting around for a while, which I’ve never been much good at. Games like those were always more my brother’s thing.” Russell fidgeted idly with the water glass on the table in front of him, spinning it round gently in his fingers. “One of my partners owns a games store and keeps trying to convince me to try, but I dunno… Maybe one day I will.” He raised his eyes back up to Idalia. “Where do you recommend I start, if I ever do get round to it?”

Russell couldn’t help but nod in agreement as Idalia spoke about it being a waste of a boat. “Oh, I know. I keep considering just selling it and letting it go to a home where it will get more use, but I just can’t bring myself to part with it. Not yet, anyway.” He gave a laugh as she mentioned about it being peaceful out on the water. “I wish! Every time I’ve been out in the past two years or so, I’ve either had clients or the dogs out there. Neither is great on the ‘peace and quiet’ front.” The conversation was flowing easily and Russell was perfectly content and comfortable, but the way Idalia settled her chin on her hands and fluttered her eyes at him sent a small wave of butterflies through his stomach. That was something he hadn’t felt for a rather long time, and he faltered for a moment before he regained his composure enough to be able to answer without being completely enthralled. He just hoped she hadn’t noticed the momentary possibly quite dumbstruck look on his face. “Well, thank you. I’ll make sure to give my hairdresser a raise next time I’m there.”

The question about his pockets brought Russell back on track. “Sometimes I do, yeah. Normally I’ll end up finding them again weeks or even months down the line, when I put that jacket or those jeans back on again. Trust me; I learned the hard way not to keep food that goes off in them.” He gave a small shudder but there was a smile on his lips, and he nodded as Idalia asked about keeping working dogs. “It can be tough sometimes, yeah, but it’s worth it. They’re not as wired as collies, thank Christ, but I do have to keep them busy. Means there’s never a dull moment, though.” Russell smiled warmly as Idalia spoke about how she came to have Ike. “It’s good that you found him; you seem to get on really well together. What made you pick him out of the litter?”

The restaurant owner had been easy to like herself, and Russell gave a soft laugh at Idalia’s obvious happiness that he’d got the pronunciation right. “ I’m getting there, aren’t I? We’ll have to have more lunches like this so I can keep practicing. Maybe by the end of the year I’ll be able to pronounce everything on the menu.” Russell took a quick drink, shaking his head and settling his glass back down on the table as Idalia asked him about interviews. “Not too often, no. I think I have just about enough credentials to fill in five minutes if they have no-one else more interesting to talk to.” He gave a small shrug. “I enjoy it, though. It’s a nice change of pace, and I think… I think I’ll be far more likely to say yes to doing them in future, if I have something like this to look forward to after it.”

[Idalia Tsavaris]

Surprised by his apology, Idalia shook her head. She opened her mouth to tell him he didn’t need to but he surprised her even more. Her mouth slowly closed as she listened to him, her brows rising a little bit and a smile started to grow on her lips. She reached across the table and patted his hand. “No, no I’m no offended, Russell, thank you, it is very refreshing to hear your viewpoint.” She smiled and after a moment realized her hand was lingering and she pulled back. “The only way we’re ever going to change anything unless we do it together.” She smiled warmly at Russell and hoped she was conveying that she was not in the least offended. Contrary she was very pleased.

Idalia laughed and nodded her head. Somehow that just fit, he didn’t seem like the kind of person to sit for hours. “You should, you don’t have to be obsessed to enjoy it.” Ida giggled, she couldn’t help it, most of the guys her age didn’t think that women played video games and while Ida wasn’t a huge gamer she did enjoy them every now and again. Leaning forward, excitement glinting in her eyes. “So I really like those ones that are like quests. Like the Legend of Zelda and Fire Emblem. They require strategy. Of course when my sisters and I get together we always have Smash Brother’s tournaments. Though my nieces and nephews can beat any of us.” She laughed brightly.

Nodding, she could understand that. Having a boat was not an inexpensive endeavor. Even her Pegasus ate up a ton of money. Her mother liked to call it the reason she didn’t live in a house. Something nagged in the back of her mind and she had to cover her smile with her hand, a Caribbean cruise with a TV Exec. Oh well, Russell wasn’t a TV Exec… oh dear, Ida caught herself running away with her thoughts, she wasn’t really? Oh dear, not again, Idalia. At least date him before you start planning the rest of you lives together she scoldingly thought to herself. She laughed, “Well you’re just going to have to find better company,” she smiled, “Though dogs would definitely make it more fun. I know Ike loves the water, he always gets nervous when I go out in my single though, but I can’t really take him with me.” She cut herself off when she realized she was rambling, Russell probably didn’t want to hear about why Ike doesn’t like her being alone on the water…

She smiled blushing, barely believing her bold statement. Could he blame her, she was getting older and if it wasn’t her mother wondering when she was getting married her own brain was convincing her that she was running out of time. Ida giggled and shook her head. “Oh goodness, that had to be awful!” She couldn’t even imagine the smell that would happen when that happened. “That had to be a great excuse when you didn’t have your homework though,” she teased. “I bet, especially with so many of them. I’d guess they were a little like children, only they don’t really sit well in time out.” She smiled to herself and imagined the sulking puppies being told to go into the corner. Blinking she thought back and tapped her chin. “You know… I’m not sure, he was so cute. I guess you could say I saw him… I’m not sure, but I was certain that I had seen him before. Well, that’s silly, he was only just born. But anyways,” she waved a hand rambling again, “I just saw him and he jumped into my arms and it was just right.” She shrugged and felt a little bit corny about it. She couldn’t imagine her life without Ike. He had literally saved her life and stabilized her visions a great deal.

“You’re close,” she said with a grin. She started nodding before she even worried about looking too eager. “Absolutely! And there shall be a quiz at the end,” she teased. Ida laughed, “I doubt that, you’ve done a lot for the community and it is just as well you get interviewed.” She blushed and shifted in her seat, wondering how it was that a nice guy could make her feel just like a schoolgirl all over again. She was truly flattered. “Good, I’m glad, I would love to do this more often.” She coughed and added quickly, “I really like this station, they are very involved with their community and it’s not just a front. I know most of the reporters and they’re really genuine, it’s nice. You should give me a heads up the next time you’re around. So long as there’s no crisis, I’d love to get lunch again.” Idalia beamed at him her eyes narrowing in happiness as she smiled.

[Russell Sands]

Russell was relieved to see that Idalia did truly seem to be not offended by his accidental blunder, and he gave a warm smile at her reassurance. “I am glad. It's just a shame that it's a viewpoint that not everyone shares.” He glanced down at Idalia's hands as they lingered on his own but made absolutely no move to move them away, instead just letting his fingers shift comfortably beneath her own until she moved her hands away of her own accord. “I agree. The more understanding and promotion that women, especially young women, can get to join into typically male-dominated fields, the better. There's so many more opportunities now, which is great, but there's still too many fences, too.”

It wasn't that Russell was a complete stranger to the world of gaming. He'd picked up bits and pieces from his brothers growing up and studied a bit about the background to the gaming world when he'd been considering the proposal for a past client. He'd even tried playing a couple of times when he was a kid; he'd just never been very good at it. After ten or fifteen minutes he'd always tended to just give up and go and do something outside instead. Like try to sell his baby brother. “I might give them a go, one day. It might be nice to just sit down and relax a bit for a change, I don't know, I can't remember the last time I did that.” He made a mental note of Idalia's suggestions. It was nice to see her so animated about something she was clearly passionate about. “Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem. Got it. Do I need any particular type of machine to play them?” He chuckled softly to himself, giving a small shake of his head. “Sorry. I really am garbage when it comes to normal things.”

As they were talking about the boats something suddenly seemed to occur to Idalia, and Russell gave a bemused smile and head tilt as she hid her smile behind her hand for a moment. It was a deeply charming sight, and Russell had to remind himself after a moment that it was rude to stare and he glanced away, sipping his water and wondering to himself what had caused that reaction. “I definitely need better company out there, I agree, And I can imagine a dog Ike's size would be rather... awkward squashed into a single.”

Russell was finding that he was enjoying Idalia's company more and more each minute, and he nodded in agreement about her assessment of the drawbacks and apparent benefits of his particular ability. “It was horrific sometimes... The worst ever was a tuna sandwich. I ended up having to throw the coat away, it was so bad.” He smiled slightly shyly at the telling of that particular story, then gave a small shrug. “Losing homework like that worked the first few times, but then the teachers started getting savvy about it and said I should have just put it in my bag instead.” Russell had always been the sort of person who could sit for hours listening to other people talk about their dogs, and Idalia's story of how she met and bonded with Ike had him smiling warmly. “That's perfect; you chose each other. That's how it should be, I think.”

Idalia's eagerness about the potential for him to keep coming back enough to learn the whole menu was very encouraging to see, though Russell internally scolded himself for momentarily letting his thoughts run away with him despite the fact her reactions did seem to be genuine. She's possibly just saying it to be nice. Stop it. “The few reporters I've met have all seemed really decent. They clearly know their job well, and they really do seem to care.” At her comment about letting her know next time he got called over, Russell met her gaze again with a soft smile. “I promise, next time I'm in the area, you will be the first to know. I'm already looking forward to it.”