[Serenata] tea and mumbled martyrdom [caliece]

The hustle and bustle of the week was over and now onto the weekend. The part of the week where there were no schedules or time tables, and a man could do as he pleased. Lennon, however, did not enjoy the weekend. He found it so empty, so difficult to construct productivity when there was nothing assigned. So, rolling out of bed at half past eleven was a normalcy that he wished wasn't so. He could barely open his eyes to stare at the clock that sat on his bed side table, it was covered behind books which he had been so interested in the night before which now were complete; but in this moment they were a mystery to what they had been about. He had been dreaming before he awoke, it was a pleasant one. He had been in Egypt, discovering ancient runes of the pyramids. What a silly dream, he thought, as he finally managed to get out of bed.

He had almost forgotten he had promised himself to tea with a young lady today, her name was Caliece and she was quite pretty. He had stopped in her shop the other day and the two had gotten to talking and before he knew it he had asked her to accompany him to a shop for tea in the afternoon on Saturday. Actually, not the afternoon, noon to be more precise. When he remembered though, that was when the panic set in. What had he been thinking? He had never had a lady join him for tea. Sure, he had mates join him but they discussed politics and moral dilemmas. What was he going to discuss with her? He quickly began running through topics of conversation as he began to brush his teeth, comb his hair, and pick out a fitting outfit for the day. He decided a nice grey sweater, black slacks, and a maroon scarf would do.

As he bent down to tie his leather shoes, he wondered if she would even show up. He then stood, put on some deodorant and a mist of cologne and headed towards the door. He needed to be quick if he were to get down to Serenata in time. It was a lovely establishment and not too far from where he lived. Though he would typically grudgingly use floo-powder, he decided he would actually give it an effort and walk there. So off he went to the shop, and as he got there he stared down at his watch. It struck five minutes until noon. With a morning such as this, he was going to need a strong drink.

Entering the shop, he noticed the girl he had been waiting for was already sitting at a corner table. He felt awkward, sweaty, and worn out already and he hadn't even said a word to her. He hoped she would like him, even if as a friend. Not that he would ever expect anything more. Casually, Lennon headed over towards her. "Oh hello." he said shyly. "Mind if I sit?" he asked her, hoping she would recognize him. Perhaps it had all been a joke - perhaps it was a set up. He didn't know, but he was going to find out soon enough.

Things had been rather odd for the young woman. She had love, she lost it, she wanted love she couldn't find it. There had been so much in her life that wasn't right, that hadn't been for a long time and she thought it was getting better. But as it were, things fell apart again. So when Lennon asked her to tea, she couldn't resist. When a door slammed shut a window was opened right? So maybe Lennon was her window. Although the man seemed rather nervous, she found it endearing. He was nervous around Caliece the way she was normally nervous around people. It made her feel better, maybe that had been her problem. She was always dating younger men. Maybe an older man was exactly what she needed.

That morning, she woke up at seven. She fed her dog and cat before taking a walk. She didn't have to meet Lennon until noon and she had plenty of time to take a shower and get ready to go. Was it a date? She should she dress as such? Either way, she wanted to look nice. So when it came to the time to get ready she picked out a dark navy dress that was slightly shorter than she was used to and a white pea coat to keep her warm. Her hair was done up with a spell she had learned from a friend. It sort of curled and ended in a braid. She thought it was cute, she just hoped he did too.

At last her feet carried her out of her home. She apparated to her destination. It wasn't that she hated walking, but walking in heels was killer sometimes. She rather save her energy for whatever they did after the tea that they shared. She walked into the little tea shop and took a seat at  a table waiting for him. Her hands were gloved and she as she sat she slid them off. Then the bell to the door rang and she looked up. He looked really nervous but he made his way across to her. She was so glad he didn't stand her up. She didn't want to be made a fool of. "I'm glad you could make it." She smiled brightly and nodded at the chair. "Of course, take a seat." She smiled again and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I was really sort of afraid you wouldn't show up....sort of a silly thought, I suppose." She shrugged her shoulders.

He immediately took a seat as she spoke, he didn't want to be standing there much longer for he was tall and automatically drew attention whether he liked it or not. Lennon gave her a smile as he settled in and hoped she wouldn't realize just how nervous he was. The fact that he woke up so late was probably a good thing so he hadn't had the morning to contemplate all the scenarios of what could go wrong over in his head. Personally, Lennon found it pathetic that he had never been out with a woman before but he supposed that was just something he would have to overcome now.


When she said she was afraid he wouldn't show up, he almost snorted. Was she inside his head already? The two obviously were both nervous which was a relief to him; he was glad because perhaps that meant she showed interest after all. "Silly - yes, well, I was actually afraid of the same thing." he said with a small laugh. "Glad that isn't the case, though." he added.

Now was when the nitty gritty conversation came in, and the proposal of the actual consumption of a drink. So he was lucky when the waitress came over to ask what they wanted. "I'll just have a - hot apple cider." he said, deciding against drinking alcohol at noon. Lennon then waited for Caliece to order and make the next move, as he watched her closely; hoping that at any moment she wouldn't run off.

Caliece watched as Lennon took the seat across from her. She really could look at him all day long. He was a very handsome man and he had a wonderful smile. He was such a gentleman as well. It was really sort of a miracle that he asked her out. Out, wait was this a date? She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked down at her hands that rested on the table. She didn't know if it was or not and it made her even more nervous to think about it. She bit down on her lip and felt the heat in her face before it started to show as a deep red blush. It was the first date sh had been on since Silas stopped meeting her. She wondered if something had happened to him. But more than likely he had just lost interest. After all he was a student still at Hogwarts and she was a newly twenty year old woman.

Lennon then told her that he had the same fear that she had. He was afraid that she wouldn't have showed up!? Why wouldn't she have showed up? She wasn't that social of person but when someone like Lennon asked her out for tea, she wasn't going to say no. She sort of smiled and shook her head. "Why wouldn't I show up? What I mean is, I don't get a lot of opportunities to go out. When a handsome man such as yourself asks a girl like me out, well You don't say no." 

Then the waitress walked over and she smiled up at her. Lennon ordered a hot apple cider, Caliece didn't know what she wanted yet. She took in a deep breath and looked over at Lennon. Then a smile spread across her face. "I would like a green tea, and can you bring that with some lemon and honey please." The woman nodded and Caliece looked back at Lennon. "So tell me, Lennon, what is you do for a living?" She remembered him saying something about runes but that was as far as it had went.

Lennon smiled at her as she placed her order, green tea. She obviously had exquisite tastes. Lennon's daily ritual involved consuming at least a quart of green tea a day, which probably was one of the reasons he didn't sleep so well at night. As soon as the waitress walked away they were able to continue the conversation. So, she thought he was handsome? That was a very bold statement indeed. Honestly, Lennon was a very average looking man in his opinion but he would not turn down a compliment.

"Oh! Well, I - er, good." he said. Though he was a properly educated young man, he often lost his track of thought when he was around women; especially now that he was out with one outside of work. He gave her another smile, and stared at her features. She truly was divine. She had the most enchanting eyes he had ever come across.

"I am a runes specialist at the Ministry. My job strictly entails Egyptian encryption. It's a very interesting job to me, though others find it boring and outdated." he grinned. "It's a lot of research. I spend my days poured over old books, trying to compare what has been discovered to what has not. I'm actually going through the steps to take on a different job on the committee which would allow me to go to Egypt and uncover some of the ruins." he explained.

"And you work in London, at the shop I met you at, right?" he asked her, sounding intrigued already. He loved animals and she got to spend all day with them. "Do you enjoy it?"

Caliece usually wasn't so bold, but for some reason she was feeling especially comfortable with Lennon. The words just sort of popped out of her mouth before she knew it, it was there. He was a handsome man though, so it wasn't like she was lying. She wouldn't lie about something like that. He was a good looking man, it was just odd that Cali was being so forward about it. She bit the edge of lip and hoped that he wouldn't feel out of place or extremely uncomfortable.

She laughed slightly at his awkward speech. Was she making him even more nervous? She couldn't imagine why he was so nervous around her. He should have all the confidence in the world. He was a good looking man, well educated, at leas from what she could tell, and he was a rare breed. A gentleman, they were hard to find nowadays.

"Oh! That sounds absolutely fantastic! I mean, that it all sounds so amazing. I wish I could get into something like that. I just don't have the education for it."She smiled and nodded her head. "So that job, the new job on the committee would require a lot more travel, I'm guessing." As she spoke the waitress brought back their drinks. She smiled at her and took her tea. She lifted the small cup and sipped on it before setting it back down.

"I do. And yes, that is my vet clinic. I was hoping that someday soon I could hire someone to help me out. It's hard doing all the work myself. Maybe an assistant or even a receptionist that can answer phone calls while I'm busy."The question was, could she afford it. "I got into the field after Hogwarts, but with the help of a professor from Hogwarts. I don't know, I've always loved animals and wanted away to make them better. You know to help them." She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at him.

As he sat there, he held his hands close to him; he didn't know what he should do with them to be quite honest. He knew that on a date, sometimes people held hands but was it a date or was it just a meeting? Two friends for conversation and tea? He didn't know, so he kept them close to him and looked down at them for a moment as if he were in a war with them. It just seemed natural that they might wander over to hers' but the waitress coming back with the drinks stopped his mind from wandering.

Lifting his drink to his lips slowly, he listened as Caliece spoke. So she found it interesting and not an absolute bore? That was a wonderful thing to hear, honestly. With most people - men and women alike, they usually snuffed the whole department altogether. He was truly thankful she was not one of them. "Oh, yes, a lot of travel which is not the part I am looking forward to. I don't much like travel, at least using magic. I'm always afraid my spleen will be left behind or something strange like that; but I'll get used to it I suppose." he said with a grin, and another sip of cider.

"Animals are fascinating creatures, they'd never hurt anyone and are grand listeners." he went on. "I have a rabbit myself, his name is Rodger." he smirked a little; she probably didn't understand the reference; most wizards didn't. "Perhaps if you got an assistant you could take a vacation, it must be difficult doing all the work yourself. Do you like to travel, Caliece?" he asked her.

She smiled at him and took another sip from her tea. He was so sweet and she couldn't believe that he had asked her out. It was different, normally she had to ask them out but he had actually asked her to tea. Now if it was a date was the next question but how did one go about asking such a thing? She looked up at him and sort of fiddled with her hands. Her eyes wandered from him to her tea.

Caliece had always found runes really interesting. What they all meant, how one would go about translating them, and even how to find them. There was a lot more involved them most people thought and she loved the idea of learning new things. She couldn't wait to pick his brain about somethings, just to learn more things. Besides, it was only polite to be interested in his job right? She smiled and nodded at him as he spoke of more travel. She laughed slightly when he spoke of his fear. "Don't worry, I've only heard of that happening once or twice." She grinned and her hands slid across the table to the middle of the table. "But the idea of finding your own Runes excites you, yes?" She could only imagine how exciting that would be.

"It's very true. Animals are great listeners, not only that but they love unconditionally. It's a sort of bond that I adore with all of my patients as well as my own animals." She smiled when he said he had a rabbit named Rodger. She got the reference, but only because she had quite a few muggle friends. It was after all, the reason she fought in the battle at Hogwarts. "Rodger Rabbit, that's cute." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I've been to a few places, I live in Ireland, I work in Diagon Alley, and I've been to Paris. I used to go to school there." She pondered for a moment before actually answering the question. "I wouldn't mind traveling. I mean, I have been interested in muggle travel. Maybe by the way of airplane or train?" She smiled at him and her tongue flicked across her lips.

The more comfortable he grew, the more hungry he became; not only to continue conversing but for food. He hadn't had time for breakfast this morning and the smell of pastries filled the air. He could really go for a cupcake or something. His eyes drifted over towards the table next to them, the woman was eating a raspberry filled cupcake. Feeling himself salivate, he would have to ask Caliece if she wanted to order something more than just tea when the waitress came around next.

"I'd hope so." he said as he watched her hands move closer towards his. He didn't want to look like a freak by grabbing them immediately, but he also didn't want to seem as if he were ignoring them. He put his own hands on the table, and would wait for the right moment to make a move.

"Oh, very much so." he finally said in response to her question of the runes. It was his dream to discover some that no one had heard of, perhaps he'd be famous, perhaps he'd even write his own book. The possibilities were endless with the subject. "The possibilities are truly endless." he said.

"Ah, yes. They are wonderful. I hope one day when I am not living in a small flat that I can have more pets, perhaps a dog. I think a golden retriever or a small yorkie would suit me." he half laughed. "Or perhaps I should get one for my mother -- " he began to think aloud.

"Well, that's a fair amount of travel. I've only been a few places myself. My mother lives in Cork, not too far from Dublin. I should show her a visit sometime soon. She always gets emotional when I'm gone for too long. Well, she's always emotional actually now that I think of it."

His hands remained on the table, though he began to attempt to play footsie, but soon began to wonder if he was playing footsie with the feet of the table, as opposed to her, and immediately blushed.

"Do you live alone then, in Dublin?" he asked quickly, in hopes she wouldn't notice.

As they sat sipping on tea and talking, Caliece felt her stomach start to protest. She had time to feed her dog and cat, but no time to grab a little snack for herself. She hadn't even thought to grab some food before her date with Lennon. But now that the butterflies were starting to calm down she was actually sort of hungry. She looked around to see if she could find the waitress, maybe she'd stop by soon to see if they needed anything. Maybe she could order a cookie or something sweet.

She sort of looked down at her hands awkwardly. She didn't want to just leave them there empty, it was sort of weird to leave them there and hope that he would hold them. He then placed his on the table, but they were too far away for her to reach across and hold onto. She bit down on her lip gently and her eyes wandered back up to the man's face.

"Dogs, yes, I have a dog. Her name is Anabella and she is a pitbull. A blue pitbull with blue eyes. I got her when she was a puppy. I think a dog would be good for you." She smiled and picked up her tea before taking a drink. "Does you mother like animals too?" That was when she noticed his feet, he was kicking at the table and she couldn't help but giggle slightly. His face turned slightly red and she thought it was rather endearing. She moved her foot forward and hooked her foot around his. She met his eyes before feeling her own reddening cheeks. Close contact was different when it was sort of secret.

Her eyes slipped down to her hands and she looked back at his. "I do. I have lived alone ever since my parents died almost two years ago now. It was shortly after the Hogwarts battle." She shrugged and finally she reached across the table further and grabbed his hand. She pulled it to her and looked down at it. "You're hands are soft." Just then the waitress walked up and she smiled at her. "I don't know about you Lennon, but I could go for a cupcake or perhaps a cookie." She smiled at her date and then looked at the waitress.