She spoke words that would melt in your hands ~ [Elaine, Theoren]

It wasn’t too long after midday. The sky was unusually clear (bright blue!) and the temperature was just cool enough to keep the winter-lovers happy, but warm enough in the sunlight to be considered warm. A perfect day for espionage. Eva drew a deep breath through her cigarette and held the thing to the side casually between two fingers. The Bulgarian straightened up off of the brick wall she’d been leaning on. Her favourite brunette was going over today’s plans involving a certain young man who happened to be a friend of Eva’s. “Did I tell you that we first met when he arrested me?” Eva interrupted, tilting her head to the side to blow out a thin stream of smoke away from her friend. A slight smirk appeared on her face.

“A young guy was hassling me outside a bar one night… I told him to piss off, but he wouldn’t listen. And he started touching me, so I shoved him off and bolted – trying to grab out my wand so I could apparate outta there – but he chased me.” The girl hesitated, remembering the night. She hadn’t lied when she’d told the officials that he’d assaulted her. Or tried to, at least. And she had panicked at the time. All of that was true. It would have been a lie if she’d said she hadn’t enjoyed her next move, though, as Elaine was about to find out. “He grabbed my waist. So… I hexed his hands inside out.” Eva raised her eyebrows and gave her friend a mock-incredulous look, like even she couldn’t believe she’d done it. Really, she didn’t regret it at all. Looking back, the rainbow-haired girl found the whole thing quite amusing.

The witch looked at her cigarette for a moment. With a cheeky smile, she added, “Apparently he was a muggle.” They’d questioned the guy, found out that she was telling the truth, wiped his mind and let her go with a warning. No problemo! The interesting part had been when Eva discovered that she had quite a few mutual friends with the wizard who'd appeared to clean up the mess. She’d seen him again. The girl shook her head, thinking over their plans for today. A little unorthodox, sure, but Eva would never turn down an adventure like this. It was a new experience. Maybe even a little dangerous. She rolled her shoulders back and stepped off of the wall, chuckling a little. “Anyway, I’ll go first.” Assuring her friend that she totally had the plan memorised and knew what she was doing, Eva put out her cigarette with her left boot and stepped out of the sneaky little alleyway they’d been lurking in. The rainbow haired girl made her way across the street, to a nice little sandwich shop that their mark ate at.

For Elaine, it was about politics. It made sense; Elaine was into all of that stuff. Eva… well she’d probably be lying if she said she cared too much. It was important to her because it was important to Elaine. The Bulgarian often suspected that her reliance on the shorter witch was a little unhealthy, but she didn’t really care. There were a lot of unhealthy things that she did, and her friendship with Elaine was certainly not the worst of it. The woman stepped through the shop’s door with a tinkly ring of the bell. He was there, ordering lunch, just like she knew he would be. The girl didn’t bother hiding her smirk as he took his number and moved to sit down. He hadn’t seen her yet. Eva ran a hand through her hair and straightened her white top before going over to him.

“Theoren!” she exclaimed, like she’d only just realised he was there. “I knew it was you!” The girl feigned hesitation before dragging a seat over to his side of the table and giving him a quick hug and a sneaky kiss on the neck. She sat. Her whole body was facing him, like he had her full attention. The girl was enjoying this already… Theoren had no idea what was coming. “Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit?” a brief flicker of concern crossed her features and she tilted her head to the side, “I’m waiting for a friend.”

Preferring always to be in the company of others, Theoren didn’t much like having to take his lunch break on his own.  It made him feel displaced and lonesome.  But when the day was especially busy – like it had been today – all of the Squad’s breaks were assigned and staggered so as to always have someone available to respond to a summon, if needed.  Really, it was only on rare and extraordinary occasions that they were able to take their meals at the same time.  Those were always his favorite days, with the whole Squad gathered together in their lounge to eat like one big family.  It gave them a sense of unity and solidarity, and Theoren wished they could do that every day.  But it just wasn’t realistic.  At the very least, however, Theoren was accustomed taking his lunch at the same time as his partner, but Havens had been given a separate assignment this afternoon.  Theoren had had half a mind to just Apparate home to eat, but he wasn’t much of a cook, and he was absolutely famished.

The small delicatessen was one of his favorite places to eat in the city, and he and Havens frequented it on an almost-daily basis, as it was always quick and delicious.  But the small shop seemed more crowded than usual today, and, upon placing his order, Theoren was told that there would be a wait.  Good natured as always, Theoren thanked the cashier and took a seat at one of the empty tables in the center of the room.  He didn’t want to wait, though.  He didn’t like waiting.

Leaning back in his chair, Theoren tapped his foot anxiously and peered out the window.  The clear blue sky was bright and happy, and made him glad that summer was here at last.  His thoughts drifted to Lorin briefly, and of having her at the cottage, when a familiar voice spoke his name.  Turning, Theoren’s gaze fell onto a familiar face.  “Hello, Eva!” he said cheerfully as she took a seat beside him, and returned her hug with one arm.  His cheeks flushed slightly as her lips unexpectedly grazed his neck.  He quirked a brow at her and then and glanced around to see if any of the other patrons had noticed.  It didn’t seem anybody had.  He cleared his throat.  “’Course I don’t mind.  How’ve you been?”

It was funny, how they’d met.  Theoren thought back to the incident as his eyes danced over her features and the violet colour of her hair.  He’d been on-call that night.  It was late when he and Havens had been summoned to respond to a Statute of Secrecy breach.  As it turned out, Eva had only been defending herself, but even so, she hadn’t exactly been the most cooperative witch he’d ever questioned.  He still laughed at the memory of asking her for her surname, and her eyes scanning his badge and telling him it was Odell.

Eva’s face broke into a relieved smile when he said that it was fine for her to sit with him. Ohoho. Eva chuckled internally to herself. She’d known that this was probably going to be easy, but it had already become increasingly apparent that today’s little mission was going to be a walk in the park. “I’ve been good,” she answered, noting the way his gaze lingered on her hair. Eva had been told by a few people in her past that she was electric. The girl quite liked the adjective. She knew that she was usually pretty good with people, and Elaine always said that it was because she was so charismatic and sparky. Time to put that to the test. She gave him her most dazzling smile. “Excellent, actually. I have to say though…” the witch leant forward in her seat like she was about to tell him something a little more private. Eva feigned hesitation and dropped her gaze for a moment before flicking it up slowly to meet his. “I’ve missed you.”

The girl held his gaze for a moment before leaning back again with a faintly cheeky smirk. This was how she was going to do it, she decided. Apply pressure, then release. Up the tension, then give him a moment to breathe. There was no use pretending that she wasn’t flirting with him. That was the whole point, wasn’t it? The rainbow-haired girl didn’t have long to butter him up before Elaine came in, so she figured that she’d better cut to the chase. Eva crossed her long legs where he could see them and moved to lean one elbow on the table in front of him. “But how are you?” she asked silkily in a soft voice, emphasising the last word slightly to imply that he was much more interesting than silly old she. Her spare right hand found his knee under the table and she traced tiny circles there absentmindedly.

The girl tilted her head to the side, letting some of her purple hair fall in front of her face and slender collarbone. She watched him curiously. Her confident little smirk didn’t drop one bit. He was so sweet. Theoren seemed like a genuinely nice guy. She assumed that that would do nothing but help them. “You’re much more exciting than me,” she told him smoothly, as if it were a well-known fact, leaning in ever so slightly again. “With an exciting job. Have you arrested any crazy girls lately?” she asked in a low voice, alluding to their very first meeting. Eva was totally focussed on him. Everyone liked attention from people that they liked, and so far he’d given no indication that he didn’t like her or her attention. Mentally, the girl counted the time. Elaine would be here any second.

Well.  This was all rather unexpected.  “Me?” Theoren said with a grin, leaning back in his chair and quirking an eyebrow playfully.  Really, though, he didn’t quite know how to respond to that confession.  Eva was always something of a flirt, of course, but there had never been anything serious between them.  Or anything at all, really.  And he’d never pursued anything with her because, well… he didn’t need to sleep with every single one of his female friends.  And she didn’t seem interested.  Until now.  Yes, there was certainly something different about the way she was behaving today.  It was more… direct?  Perhaps that wasn’t the right word, but nevertheless, when it came to Eva, that would be saying something.

Theoren was helpless to her subtle movements, to the suggestive but seemingly unintended revealing of skin – his eyes drifted exactly where she wanted, as if she had laid down a trail for him to follow.  He was entirely unaware that he was so completely under her influence; that he was behaving exactly how she wanted him to.  He felt her hand rest on his knee under the table, and studied her expression with admiration.  There was a feeling of apprehension there, as well, which he couldn’t identify for himself, but that had to do with such forward behavior feeling out-of-place in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowded shop.  Still, he loved the attention.

He chuckled at her reference to their first meeting.  “No, actually,” he answered.  “It’s been a while.  But the job still manages to be exciting.”  Leaning closer to her, he rested an elbow on the table.  “We’ve been quite busy lately, as a matter of fact.  But no, no more crazy girls.”  He smiled at her, searching her eyes. 

“You,” she echoed confidently in a soft voice. Yes, it was all about him today. The girl was probably having much more fun than she was supposed to, but hey, at least it was working. She watched him carefully, looking for little hints and clues. He was easy to read, and not really too subtle about the way his gaze wandered down her long legs. It was confidence boosting, for sure. She tossed some of her purple hair back over her shoulder with a flick of her head. This would probably all work a little better if they were in some bar or nightclub or, even better, someone’s house. He wasn’t reacting coyly by any means, but seduction was a little less… sexy… in a sandwich shop in the middle of the day.

Still, he was right there. Leaning in now, staring into her eyes. It was kind of hilarious. A part of her felt like it would be cruel to tease him like this and give him nothing at the end, but she’d see where things went. Eva wasn’t even completely sure they’d be able to get him to do what they wanted. She was distracted by this part of it, because really she was only here because Elaine wanted her to be. Eva was definitely not politically motivated. She was here for entertainment. “That’s a shame,” she told him softly with a small, flirty smirk. The hand at his knee moved up his thigh, just a little. It could have been an accident. “crazy girls are usually the most fun.” The rainbow haired girl gave him a look that she hoped implied the exact kind of fun she was talking about.

The tinkly bell above the door rang somewhere in the background, and Eva knew who it would be before she heard her name called out. She made sure to feign surprise though, as if Elaine’s voice had interrupted something. The girl retracted her hand from her friend’s leg and stood to greet the small brunette. Blue eyes found brown ones and she attempted to let the other girl read her mind. Yes, it was working. The shop wasn’t the ideal place to pull this off, but no, they didn’t have anything to worry about. She reached out and took Elaine into a quick hug.

When they pulled back, Eva didn’t drop her hands. Instead, the rainbow-haired girl reached up and tucked some of her friend’s brown hair behind her ear and off her face. “It’s good to see you,” she said softly, as if she hadn’t seen her friend for some time. The girl’s gaze flicked down to Elaine’s soft lips and she leant in for a quick, sweet kiss. It was just a peck, really, but they’d lingered in the anticipatory moments before the kiss for a few seconds too long for it to be sisterly. She pulled back with a smirk. “This is Theoren,” she told her, finally stepping back and bringing the man back into the conversation. “I think you might have met at my… birthday thing.” She hesitated for a moment and moved to take her seat again. “Or maybe you guys went to school together?”

This just had to work. During the past few weeks Elaine had been collecting information on a certain topic concerning the ministry and she was determined to find the last piece of the puzzle. Something was wrong in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she just didn't know what exactly it was. She would find out soon, though. That was why she was here, after all. Why they were here. The former Ravenclaw knew that her best friend wasn't interested in her political activities but she also knew that Eva would do everything for her, which included helping her getting the information she needed.

"Nope, you didn't." The brunette tilted her head to one side, eyeing the Bulgarian curiously. She felt anger building up inside her at the thought of some idiot touching and scaring her friend but it mostly faded away again when Eva continued. "Rightly so. You should also have kicked him right between his legs." Men were so idiotic from time to time which had been one of the reasons why she'd started to date girls at school. They were just much more considerate. "Well, at least it makes for an interesting story?" The girl replied and chuckled softly.

Eva finished her cigarette and prepared to enter the sandwich shop. They had talked about this over and over again and Elaine was sure that her friend wouldn't make any mistakes. And if she did… Well, the girl was charming enough to just find a way out. Moreover she would follow her soon and then nothing would be able to stop them anyway. They made quite a team, that was for sure.

The witch leaned against the shop's wall, checking her watch every now and then. They had decided she would wait a few minutes before she would follow the currently purple-haired Bulgarian. Elaine went through their plan one more time but of course she had it all memorized. A few more minutes passed and the young woman took a deep breath before she entered the shop.

Elaine spotted her best friend immediately. With a wide, open smile the girl went straight towards them, scanning the young man who would be their… victim today. He was handsome, Eva definitely hadn't promised too much, and indeed he looked like someone who could be persuaded to do stuff he normally wouldn't do. His eyes were fixed on the colourful girl and it seemed as if the she was already using all her charm. Perfect. "Eva, hey!" she called out as if she had just seen her for the first time in days. The other witch stood up and one look at her face told her that their plan was working. This would be way too easy.

They hugged but instead of sitting down after the hug was over, Eva brushed a strand of hair out of her face and moved closer. The former Ravenclaw was surprised for a millisecond but then she immediately played along. So Eva wanted the full program me already. Okay. The poor guy. He wouldn't know what hit him when they were finished with him. Elaine kissed her friend back, feeling her soft lips on hers.

She pulled back at the same time Eva did, just as if they were doing this all the time. "Hi Theoren," the girl said with a friendly smile. "I'm Elaine, nice to meet you. Eva, you didn't exaggerate when you told me he was handsome." She winked and took a closer look at him, suddenly recognising his face. Gryffindor. One year below her. A friend of Aline's. "We went to school together. I think you were one year below me. Same house and year as Aline Stanton, right?" She gave him another smile before she turned her attention back on her friend. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

The person Eva had been waiting for arrived at last.  The two girls greeted each other like old friends – really close old friends.  Without it even crossing his mind that it might have been impolite to do so, Theoren stared at their exchange with open wonder.  Was he imagining it, or had the kiss been a little too… intimate to be entirely platonic?  That was an exciting thought – especially because they were both so gorgeous.  But with women, you could never be certain.  As Eva turned her attention back to him, introducing him to her friend, he greeted her with a warm smile.  “Ah,” he said with over exaggerated humility, waving his hand with jovial dismissal at the pair of them in response to Elaine’s compliment.  Had Eva really told her he was handsome?

“That’s right, yeah,” he said happily.  “You know Aline?”  As it turned out, he realized knew exactly who Elaine was.  But only because of the rumour that circulated in his sixth year that suggested that she had dated Ruby Woodward.  It had been an extremely popular topic of conversation with his group of dorm mates, who were all excessively fond of the idea.  But he hadn’t managed to make the connection that she was that girl until she gave him her name.  Suddenly, his conjecture as to the true nature of her relationship with Eva seemed much more likely.  Maybe they were involved.  He was almost disappointed.  Almost.  He’d been enjoying flirting with Eva before, but the idea of the two of them together would have been more than enough to assuage him.

“Not at all.  Have a seat, please,” he urged, gesturing to the empty one across from him, next to Eva.  He leaned back in his chair, glancing back and forth between the pair.  “So, how did you two meet?” he asked, casting out for clues to sate his curiosity once and for all.

Eva raised a teasing thumb to her lips as if it had been a while since she’d been kissed, and didn’t take her eyes off of Elaine as the brunette moved to join them at the table. She might have been overplaying it a little, but the Bulgarian seriously doubted that Theoren would notice. She figured he’d only see what they wanted him to see. It wasn’t too different from what he wanted to see, in her estimation, anyway. “Of course not,” she told her friend, after Theoren had asked her to sit. Just as she’d predicted, Elaine took the seat opposite her, next to Theoren, instead of the one next to her that she’d indicated.

Her hand found Theo’s knee under the table, and the purple-haired girl started up drawing circles with her index finger again. Her eyes demanded attention from his. A cheeky smile appeared on her lips as if she was making sure that he felt her hand on his leg. The girl resumed her position, crossing her long legs in his line of sight and sweeping her hair to one side to reveal her slender shoulders, neck and collarbone. “How did we meet?” The girl leant an elbow on the table, a little less close than before so that she could include Elaine in the conversation.

She glanced at her brunette friend. They hadn’t really decided on a story that they could tell for this kind of moment, but she quirked an eyebrow now, asking Elaine if she wanted to come up with something more interesting than telling him that they were pen-pals. “Would you like to tell the story?” she asked, justifying her curious look for Theoren. “It’s a good one,” she added, glancing at the tall man for a moment. It occurred to her that Elaine was almost a foot shorter than him. Huh. Her eyes returned to Elaine’s and she willed the brunette to read her mind. Eva would come up with a story if Elaine didn’t want to.

"Mhmm, I dated her brother Max for a while and we've been friends at school. I haven't seen her lately, though. I hope she's okay." He offered her a seat and Elaine sat down, smiling cheerfully. It was evident that he had noticed that their kiss had been a little more than just a quick kiss between friends and she had to hide a grin. This would be too easy; way too easy. Men were just so predictable and it seemed that Theoren Odell was no exception. Maybe that was why she preferred the company of a woman every now and then. They were just so different and not as… hormone-driven.

Elaine noticed the looks Eva was giving her and nodded slightly to signalise her best friend that she understood. He wouldn't get the whole truth then. Fine. "Indeed. It is a good one." She winked at the Bulgarian before she turned her attention back on Theoren. "You know… About two years ago I was on the run and I moved to Asia for a while. I never stayed too long in one place but travelled around instead. It's a beautiful place, by the way." She ran a hand though her soft brown hair before she continued with a smile. "One day I was visiting a club in Shanghai and there she was in all her rainbow haired glory." The former Ravenclaw laughed softly as if she was just remembering the exact night.

They had been in that club together but Theoren didn't have to know that they'd been friends for years already. "We got along well immediately and after a very crazy night," here she looked at Eva again, a mischievous smile on her face, "we decided to travel together. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship, don't you agree?" The way she emphasised the word was more than a little suggestive but that was exactly what they were going for. The whole thing just had to work and Elaine really doubted that they would fail. Theoren would be easy to manipulate; that was a given.

Theoren was confused.  Under the table, Eva’s hand found his knee once more and she grinned mischievously at him.  The glance felt significant, and yet he wasn’t sure of its meaning.  He returned it with a hesitant smile of his own, his eyes questioning.  Theoren hadn’t expected her to continue to behave so forwardly with him, now that Elaine was here.  He also wasn’t sure why Elaine had chosen the seat beside him, an almost complete stranger, rather than the one next to her friend, who she was obviously very close with.  A bit nervous of what the young woman might think if she knew what was going on under the table, Theoren turned to face Elaine as she offered to tell the story. 

On the run, she had said.  In times like these, Theoren was sure he could guess exactly what that meant.  She was a Muggleborn.  And rather than having her freedom stolen from her, she had fled the country.  He instantly sympathized with her, and wanted her to know whose side he had been on; that he had never condoned what had happened, and had actually left his post because of it.  He certainly wouldn’t mention his involvement with the Order, but he and his parents had actually harboured many of those fleeing from the Ministry’s tyranny during that year – in the very cottage he was now living in, in fact.  She had only mentioned it in passing, however – a background detail to set up her story – and it didn’t feel right to comment on it.  Likely she was ready to move on from it, anyway.  It had been a terrible tragedy, but, if it had happened to him, Theoren wouldn’t have wanted something like that to define the rest of his life.

When she mentioned seeing Eva for the first time, ‘in all her rainbow-haired glory,’ Theoren chuckled softly and glanced back at Eva.  He definitely understood Elaine’s fondness for the girl.  Theoren turned back to Elaine, listening raptly as she continued.  Little did he know, he was falling helplessly under their power.  She mentioned something about having a crazy night before deciding to travel together.  If that meant what he thought it meant… well, he would go ahead and assume that it did.  He smirked slightly.  “That’s a wonderful story, actually.”  He loved the idea of meeting someone randomly and deciding to travel with them, and ultimately becoming very good friends.  Or whatever they called themselves.  “Where did you go?  How long did you travel together?”  He was very interested to know.

The rainbow-haired girl could tell that Theoren was a little unsure about what was happening. His eyes were full of questions, but she wasn’t giving anything away just yet. Eva raised her eyebrows a little when Elaine mentioned having dated Max Stanton. She supposed that it would be a strange time to bring up the fact that she’d also dated a Stanton for a while. Eva had barely seen Elaine the whole time she’d been with him… but that was ancient history now. She dismissed it from her mind. The Bulgarian watched Elaine closely while she told their “story”, like she was remembering all of those things with affection. Their eyes met and she didn’t break eye contact, even when she noticed Theo have a little chuckle and glance over to her. Elaine’s words were bringing back actual memories of their year in Asia, and Eva’s smirk eventually turned into a smile of genuine fondness. It had probably been the best year of her life.

She nodded. Under the table, her hand moved up Theoren’s leg a little, her fingertips resting lightly on the inside of his thigh. “We were together for about a year,” she answered gently, finally turning her attention back to Theoren as she rested her cheek in her palm. “Though we still spend a lot of time with each other.” Eva’s words were intentionally ambiguous and delivered along with an easy smile. This part wasn't even acting. Her relationship with Elaine was completely unique. She didn't have any other friends that she cared so much about constantly... the brunette was like family. "We went all over Asia... spent quite a bit of time in Cambodia... When I knew why she was there, I did my best to make it into an adventure, rather than an escape." The rainbow-haired girl smiled at her friend, her expression full of affection. None of this was acting, either. She'd spent months trying to make Elaine feel like they were on some kind of wacky extended holiday, rather than on the run. Obviously Elaine had feared for her friends - especially other muggleborns - but if Eva was good at anything, it was distracting. They'd managed to fall into a comfortable rhythm. Asia was huge, but Eva preferred almost every place they'd visited to London. London was grey and rainy and constant in a way that Eva wasn't too interested in.

"This one started doing charity work," she added fondly, "I mean... I did too, but it was mostly Elaine." Eva had done it because Elaine had been interested in doing it, not because it made her feel good. She liked making other people happy, but she wouldn't normally go out of her way to help. Her short friend had also dragged her around to just about every historical site that they could find, magical or not. Eva didn't really want to see another temple in her life. "We drifted through muggle and magical parts of the world. Eye opening for me.... Are you hungry, Elaine?” she asked after a momentary pause, glancing at her brunette friend. "I know we were meeting for lunch but I'm actually not that hungry. I wouldn't mind sharing something?" The Bulgarian girl gave the busy counter a quick glance. "I wish we could go somewhere a little less crowded," she added as an afterthought, a mischievous smirk appearing on her lips. She couldn't help herself. The girl's blue eye's found Theo's for a moment before she quickly dropped her gaze to the table. This was too much fun. A part of her felt a little sorry for Theo, but then again... She wasn't adverse to actually giving him what he (clearly) wanted, either. The witch supposed she'd have to see where Elaine was at on that side of things. Vaguely, she wondered when they'd start steering the conversation away from idle chatter. Eva wasn't about to do it though, she figured she'd leave it up to Elaine.

"I know," the brunette chuckled softly at his words. A wonderful story, indeed. "I think meeting her was the best thing that has ever happened in my life." Elaine looked fondly at her best friend, meaning every single word she had just said. Theoren started to ask some more questions and it was definitely a good sign. The former Ravenclaw could see that he was intrigued by them and their relationship and it was the first step in the right direction.

Eva took over from her and continued to tell their story, mentioning all the important things. She was till absolutely grateful for everything the Bulgarian had done. Sure, she'd thought a lot about her other muggleborn friends back at home and she had constantly worried about their safety but somehow Eva had still managed to distract her most of the time. Elaine probably wouldn't have gone to Asia without her friend, instead she would have done the same as Emily, pretending to be a halfblood. Going away had definitely been less risky, though. For her and for her family.

"I just like children," she interjected, shrugging slightly. It was just so rewarding to see their happy smiles after telling them a story or playing with them. Elaine still loved her part time job as a teacher and she was sure she'd still do it if she was all old and wrinkly. "What Eva forgot to mention was that I dragged her to all kinds of historical places and temples. I doubt she ever wants to see one again." At that she laughed, looking apologetically at her rainbow-haired friend. It would have been a shame though if they hadn't gone there. The temples were beautiful and she had learned so much about the foreign culture there.

There were indeed quite a few people here and Elaine knew which plan Eva was following. "I'm not really hungry, no. Sharing sounds actually quite good. And… my flat is less crowded? I should have enough food at home so that I can cook us something?" She turned her head a little so that he big brown eyes were fixed on Theoren. "What about you? Are you hungry? I wouldn't mind cooking for the three of us." The invitation might surprise him but Elaine was always that open, not matter if she wanted to achieve something with it or not.

Theoren might not have taken much meaning from Eva’s suggestion that they go elsewhere, until she gave him a significant glance.  He didn’t know what to make of it.  He assumed “we” didn’t include him, as she had only intended to meet Elaine for lunch in the first place.  But he didn’t think he was imagining the underlying hint to her words.  Elaine spoke up, agreeing with Eva, and inviting the both of them back to her flat.  Startled, but nevertheless intrigued by the offer, Theoren looked back at Eva and then at Elaine again.  “I… well, yes, thank you,” he replied.  “That would be great.”

Though he didn’t want to assume that they meant anything by it, it was hard to ignore the way Eva had been hanging off of him this whole time, her hand slowly siding further and distractingly further up his thigh.  At any rate, he didn’t expect anything.  He would have been content just to hang out with them, to listen to more of their stories.  But then he remembered something that might hinder the likelihood of even that possibility.  Theoren gave a reluctant sigh.  “Except… ah, well, I’ve actually got to go back to work,” he explained.  “I’ve only got the hour.”  He didn’t have to politely force a look of regret on his features – it found its way there on its own.

It could be that Eva wasn’t acting any differently than normal, and that the unusual setting simply made her behavior seem extreme.  But Elaine inviting him back to her place… it was hard to deny the significance of that.  Unfortunately, his ability to reason was always largely influenced by whatever he was feeling at the moment, and, charmed by the two girls as he was, Theoren was having a hard time evaluating the situation from a neutral perspective.  Then, the clerk called his number and saved him the trouble.

“Oh, that’s mine,” he realized.  Hoping to subtly disentangle himself from the rainbow-haired girl’s grasp, Theoren slowly slid his chair out from under the table.  He stood and excused himself, stepped up to the counter to collect his order – packaged in its usual white paper sack – thanked the shopworker, and turned to face his dilemma once more. 

Eva gave her friend a genuine smile. She loved the amount of non-verbal communication that was going on here. The girls shared a glance and Theoren might as well have been sitting at another table. “For me too,” she replied simply, knowing that Elaine would understand the full scope of conviction behind those three words. 

“No,” she contradicted, holding a finger up warningly at the other girl, “You just like doing good.” Eva nodded decisively, dropping her hand back to the table. The Bulgarian snorted at her friend’s mention of the temples. “I was just thinking about that,” she said, shaking her head and smiling, “It wasn’t that bad.” The temples had been interesting in the beginning, when Elaine had been telling her about their histories and the architecture had been completely new and refreshing. She enjoyed the aesthetic aspect of it, for a short period of time. The appeal hadn’t lasted very long though; Eva didn’t do well with repetition. “Probably not the highlight of the trip for me, though,” Eva laughed lightly at the thought.

When Theoren mentioned that he needed to go back to work, Eva frowned slightly and turned her blue eyes back to Elaine. The Bulgarian wasn’t even sure what it was exactly that they were planning on convincing him of, but an hour seemed long enough to butter him up, didn’t it? He slid back in his chair and the girl let her fingers trail along his thigh towards his knee as he did so. He left them alone for a moment and Eva stood, following his lead. The girl raised her eyebrows at Elaine and flicked her blue eyes to Theoren and back, asking nonverbally about how the brunette thought that they were going. The girls made their way over to meet him halfway.

She turned her attention back to her tall friend with a teasing smirk. “We’re not planning a trip to Australia,” she mocked jovially, raising her eyebrows, “We’re just proposing that you have lunch with us at our place instead of here, alone.” She smiled, tilting her head to the side slightly, barely aware of the way that she’d claimed Elaine’s house as her own in her sentence. Eva stayed there almost every time that she was in London, so it really wasn’t too much of a stretch. "That's what apparating is for," she added.