I can be your Superman [Lorin]

Rain. Jam realized why it was necessary and all, but it always rained so much in England. Surely, this much couldn't possibly be needed? At least it looked like the sun was trying to make an appearance. Trying. At any rate, it was his lunch break at the shop, and so he'd stepped out with his umbrella in search of something good to eat. His stomach gave a slight rumble, and his honey-colored eyes searched the street for a restaurant with something that sounded appetizing. Jam loved all food, but sometimes only certain things sounded edible at certain times. He could honestly really use a little caffeine too, so someplace that served food and coffee would be ideal. Jam had helped his boss open the shop, that morning, and was dead tired. So, there he was, daydreaming about a hot, caramel cappuccino with whipped cream and a sandwich. Soup actually didn't sound bad either. His stomach gave another rumble.

"Bingo." He spotted a coffee shop just down the way, but there was something else. A woman that he recognized as an old schoolmate of his, and a cousin of his friend, was caught in the rain. Coffee and food could wait a moment, he supposed. A damsel was in distress. He had always fancied himself as the knight-in-shining-armor type. Maybe this was his chance? Merlin, she was pretty.

Walking up to her with a gentle smile, Jam offered his umbrella. "Hey, Lorin. Need an assist?" Merlin, she was pretty. He'd always thought so, but he was smart enough to realize that she was way out of his league. "I was just on my way to lunch... If you're not busy, you could join me? Get warmed up and out of the rain, yeah? My treat."

@Lorin Odell

Lorin hated the rain. That wasn’t true, really. She loved the rain when she was inside, quietly reading a good book while wrapped in a warm blanket. Or, perhaps, while she was taking a nap—not that she ever got to do that anymore. She hated the rain when she was stuck in it, like she was then. It wasn’t raining particularly hard, but it was enough to make her shoes wet, frizz up her hair, and  drip lines down her sheer blouse, making it see-through. She covered her blouse with her coat, but bits still peeked through. If only she’d worn the nude bra instead of the purple one, maybe no one would notice. As it was, she was practically obscene. She would need to cast a drying charm nearby, once she was out of the rain.
 
She was just leaving work, a bit early since it was Friday. She had skipped lunch at her desk to make sure she could leave a bit early and still get all her work done, and now she was hungry. She was planning on going straight home and reheating some lasagna and chocolate lava cake, but she was surprised when a man came over to her with an umbrella, despite appreciating it highly. She took a moment to recognize him, though he certainly recognized her. This was Jamison Tate, close friend of her cousin Circe. She had met him a few times. He was younger than her, but only by a few years, and he was very cute. She particularly liked his hair, and eyes, and mocha skin. Okay, maybe the whole package was nice. After-all, Lorin was particularly lonely lately, and looking for attention wherever she could get it.
 
She smiled. “My hero.” She teased, letting him hold the umbrella over her head. As he invited her to lunch, she smiled even wider. She could always eat the lava cake later, she decided. “You’re too sweet, Jam.” She laughed with a nod. “That would be nice, actually. I skipped lunch today, and I’m starving.” The last time she accepted a lunch date from an old friend she met on the street, she got a few jobs out of it. She didn’t see how this could go poorly. He was a sweet boy, really. She just needed to control herself a little. He was younger than her, and not an object to be lusted after, no matter how long it had been since she’d had someone to warm her bed. They were barely acquaintances, really, but maybe they could become friends? Lorin certainly needed more of those, but she was terrible at keeping male friends as just friends.

Jam was mostly a gentleman, and kept his eyes averted as best he could from his acquaintance's now see-through blouse. He grinned at her hero remark, and shrugged his shoulders a little bit. "I try." He was glad that she'd agreed to accompany him. Meals were always better with a pretty girl, after all. "There's a nice little coffee shop down that way." He nodded in the direction of the particular shop that he'd been thinking of. "They've got sandwiches, soups, all that." And it'd be somewhere not terribly far away where they could both cast a quick drying charm...

"Like I said, my treat. It's no sweat." With that, he offered her his arm before they began the short journey down the street. "So, how's life been? C mentioned that you were working in London, but I guess it slipped my mind. Work going okay?" London was actually pretty fantastic, in his opinion. Not that he didn't love Liverpool, but... well, it certainly wasn't as big. There wasn't as much to do. London had more, and better, restaurants. That was enough to win his heart over. Plus, the company was pretty nice right now. He'd only seen Lorin a few times, mostly while he was hanging out with her cousin who happened to be one of his best friends-- despite the fact that they'd been arguing quite a bit lately. He thought that the younger Slytherin could be making some better romantic choices, but he wasn't about to tell on her or anything. After all, she could have honestly said the same thing about him in the past. They both just cared too much. That's all. No harm. No foul.

Opening the door of the cafe for her, Jam stood far enough out of the way to allow her to walk in ahead of him before he closed his umbrella. "Merlin, it smells good in here." It wasn't a bad looking establishment either. Very well-kept, plenty of seating for the crowd that had gathered, he assumed, also getting out of the rain. He recognized a couple of his classmates, probably getting some school supplies for next term, and gave them a little wave before turning back to his companion. "What sounds good to you? I know I need that mocha cappuccino." He smiled, awaiting her reply.

Lorin let Jam lead her to the café and she smiled warmly at him as she entered and cast a quick drying spell on herself, and him, as a thank you. Her stomach growled at the smell of food and she blushed lightly. “Mmm, a mocha cappuccino sounds fantastic.” She said, moaning lightly at the mere thought of chocolate coffee. “But I need something with substance, too. Do you think they sell salads here? I’m trying to watch my figure…” She squinted at the menu, far away with tiny cursive writing. “Let’s move closer and find out.”
 
As she moved closer to the wall, she noticed that they did serve salads. Of course, the one she picked, the chef’s salad, was the lea healthy one on the menu. It had turkey and ham, cheddar, boiled egg, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and croutons. It was served with a honey mustard dressing, and Lorin would, of course, use it all. Still, so long as she thought she was making a better choice, she could feel good about herself. She couldn’t just eat plain vegetables with oil and vinegar and call it a meal. No matter how hard she tried. The same was true with exercise. She couldn’t force herself to run on a treadmill or sit on an exercise bike. No, she needed something that felt like a fun activity, like dancing or walking around the block, or taking a quick spin on a bicycle. Of course, she hated doing most of those things too—save dancing when she was quite flushed with wine, which defeated the purpose.
 
She looked over at him as she approached the register. “Do you know what you want?” She asked. “I think I know what I’m going to get.” She smiled at him warmly, happy for the company regardless of his intentions. She hadn’t quite figured out what they were yet, and she was taking this at face value. A friendly guy buying lunch for a damsel in distress. That label fit her better than anything. She was always in distress lately. She smoothed down her hair, a bit nervously. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Jamison.” She said, after a moment. “You’ve certainly grown up handsome.”