[frida's] it's all about perspective || danny

“We were friends in school,” Eleanora explained, wondering if he was still suspicious of her connection to Janae and was trying to find inconsistencies in her story so that he could catch her in some sort of life. The witch had been honest the entire time, though, and wondered what sort of realization face he’d put on when he figured that out. “She helped me get the job,” she added, another truth. “Why thank you, I’ve been practicing,” she responded with a smile, reveling in the compliment just a little before the conversation moved on. Janae would be proud of her, she thought, if he gave her the same report that Eleanora was beginning to piece together on their date so far.

“A dreamboat, hm—I’ll have to write that in my memos,” she said as her tone became pretend serious one more time, making a mental note to recount all of these silly details to her friend. Eleanora liked his confidence, even if it was covered by a playful tone and a silly smile. She wondered if deep down this was the real Danny or if he was concealing his self-confidence with a little humor to feel more comfortable expressing it. “Let’s just say that Kitchen Floor Ellie comes with a lot of regrets and many extremely embarrassing drunk owls to people I had no business owling in the first place,” she explained bashfully, a nervous smile on her face as she recalled how awful the responses had been when she started receiving them. “Apparently, I’ve also cried about how hard trolls have it living with only one eye,” she added, laughing at herself for that one.

There were many drunk stories she could share, but the last thing she needed was to spoke him away with her after hours craziness, which, for the record, only happened occasionally. But Danny looked like he had some stories of his own, some she definitely was curious to verify with Janae or even this Jeremy if she ever had a chance to meet him. She smiled, paused for a moment at his words before she nodded in agreement, “I won’t disappoint, I’ve got a few places in mind,” she replied.

“I would’ve chosen something pink and fluffy like the Quafflepunchers,” she said, suddenly remembering coming across the name and the logo at some point. It wasn’t the Quidditch she had been interested in but rather how silly the name sounded, “but I suppose Puddlemere is alright too,” she shrugged playfully. Eleanora could only hope that he wasn’t into the Quafflepunchers too because apart from their name and team color, she knew absolutely nothing about them.

“You’re not doing too badly yourself, but I can see past all that charm now,” she replied, not being able to help as she burst out in laughter at his question, then his follow up question. “I’m alright, I hear they’ve got plenty of better options though,” she teased as she leaned forward as she whispered for effect. “I’ll put in a good word for you and let’s hope you get the one with supermodel legs next time,” she added. Leaning back she looked over the food,  there was much that had been uneaten but Eleanora was too entertained with Danny to keep eating. “Are we splitting the doggy bags, too? Or is that too forward for the first date?” she added.

"Huh," he mused. "Janae and I were friends in school. Surprised we didn't really know each other, all things considered," he said. There were some people like Jere and Freya and Greg who he had known since he was a first year at Hogwarts, but there were some people that he worked with now that went to Hogwarts that he hadn't really gotten to know until they had left school. He guessed sometimes it was just like that. "Hey, speaking of Janae, did you hear she's having a birthday party this weekend? Should be fun right? I hear there'll be karaoke!" His eyes lit up at the idea. He was already trying to decide on the best song that would show off his frontman singing skills and his flair for the dramatics.

Danny grinned at all the little notes she was writing down in 'his file' and he was pretty sure that this was his best date performance ever. He hadn't even managed to spill anything on his shirt and she had said liked him. She was fun and could match his playfulness with a humor all her own and she could eat. He watched her take another bite, smiling, shrugging a little. "I think everyone's Kitchen Floor Self comes with regrets and embarrassment," he told her, trying to make her feel more comfortable about the drunken night mishaps she must have had in the past. Merlin knew he had plenty of those moments himself. "Drunk owls? I'm the king of those. Once owled a professor I had a crush on. Luckily she didn't owl back because that would've been weird. Trolls with only one eye is a pretty bad deal though. I could see KF Danny crying over that." He laughed with her, feeling warm and a little fuzzy from the drinks. This had been the best meal ever. He was going to tell Jere about the nachos and demand they go at least once a week, probably more than that.

Her pause made him squirm a bit, hoping this wasn't the part where she told him it all had been a joke and he was crazy if he thought he was lucky enough to go on a second date. He breathed a little sigh of relief as she mentioned a few places they could go. He raised his brows and looked over at him, smiling. "Yeah? This place was great so I trust your judgement," Danny said warmly.

"Quafflepunchers..?" he asked, glancing up as he tried to place the name. He snapped and then pointed as the thought came to him. "French team? Obnoxious pink robes? Wait.. you don't like them just because they wear pink, right?" he clarified with a chuckle. If so, he was going to have to school her on the mighty Puddlemere team and all 176 reasons why they were the best team. Sneak peek, reason #9 was the elegantly said 'They are the best team because I said so.'

Better than her? He couldn't quite imagine it. She was already like the best thing he could have imagined. He hadn't been joking when he first saw her. She looked like an actress/model/singer triple threat. Danny leaned in though as she did though, eager to listen to whatever whispered secret she was about to share. "I'm good with the option I have," he told her honestly before he sat back and surveyed the food. "Take whatever you want and I'll inhale the rest for a midnight snack," Danny added with a laugh. "I wouldn't dream of standing in your way if you wanted to take home the creciche or whatever it's called." Plus, he'd probably be coming back tomorrow for more food. Especially the nachos.

“She was in a higher year when we started hanging out, maybe that’s why?” she suggested, agreeing that it was weird that they had never met in school but not putting much weight on it—there were plenty of people that Eleanora had never really spent time with at Hogwarts and with the way she had weaved in and out throughout the years, it was no surprise that not everyone knew (or cared to know) who she was. “I did!” she said excitedly, Eleanora had been planning her playlist of songs to sing at her party all week. She’d even try her hand at a couple of Banshee ones just for fun. She wasn’t much of a singer but like most things, that often changed with a couple of drinks and the right mood. “I’ll be there, will you?” she asked eagerly, feeling a little more confident about the idea of expressing that she wanted to see him again. It seemed like the feeling was mutual. “I’m still trying to figure out what to get Janae and Jam for their birthday bash but I think something music related ought to do the trick?” she asked, his opinion as good as any if he knew the twins as well.

“A professor!?” she asked incredulously, her voice rising just slightly at the second-hand embarrassment. “If I did that, I’d probably crawl under and rock and never come back again,” she joked. Eleanora had found a couple of her professors to be attractive enough to gossip to her friends about once in a while but sending an owl like that, now that was something that she could never live down. “Maybe KF Danny will make an appearance at Janae’s birthday? I could laugh at some embarrassing moments,” she suggested, pretty sure that if Janae was involved, there would be fancy cocktails that no one could get enough of. Janae had a talent for making drinks and Eleanora made sure to indulge herself every time she went over to visit the older girl.

If Danny was into nachos so much, she wondered, what sort of places would he like? More casual spots or something a little more uppity on her side of town? It was a question she’d had to pose to Janae or maybe even Andy later, he seemed to be an expert on the dating game lately, much to her chagrin. “Quidditch robe colors are a deal maker or breaker for me, Danny, if the fashion isn’t right, how can I even trust them on the pitch?” she joked, the expression on his face making it all the worthwhile. Teasing him like this with her off comments was starting to become extremely entertaining, she’d have to keep this up the next time they met.

“Well in that case, I’ll make sure to give you a raving review,” she said with a wink, nodding as she took another glance at the food with a smile, “Then I’ll be generous and give you the nachos,” she said after a moment, “And I’ll take the ceviche and quesadillas,” she suggested, “Sound fair to you?” she asked him, never imagining that she’d be having a date where they spoke so seriously about food. A guy that had great taste in food sounded just like her type. "Make sure you take some back for your roommate too, thank him for such a fantastic date," she teased.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Danny said as she mentioned the age difference between her and Janae. He grinned a bit, remembering his little freak out about it. All good now though. "Sounds like it's going to be wicked fun," he agreed as he thought about their upcoming birthday party. He and Jere had done some karaoke before so it was always a good time. They were just two hams on stage, trying to get the most love from the crowd they could. They weren't out to prove their vocal skills (they didn't have any to begin with), it was all about the entertainment factor. "Yeah, I'm going. You'll finally get to meet my girlfriend Jeremy," he added with heavy sarcasm and a roll of his eyes. He shrugged lightly at the idea of a birthday gift for them. "I was just gonna give them an envelope with some money probably and buy them some shots?" It was his go-to birthday gift and he hadn't gotten any complaints yet.

He nodded sagely, shaking his head, as he thought about the professor owling he had drunkenly did. "Yeah, I don't recommend it. KF Danny has a mind of his own though. Sounds like you're eager to meet him though. Just need to load up on some shots and he might make an appearance," he added with a laugh. Embarrassing moments were always a little cringe-worthy, always made his palms a little sweaty, but he made so many mistakes that the feeling wasn't as foreign to him as it had once been. And it made for great storytelling later. "Will I get to see KF Ellie though?" he asked with a brow quirked.

Danny knew she was joking about the quidditch robes, but he just blinked at her. And then blinked again before sighing heavily and shaking his head slowly. "There is just so much you need to learn, grasshopper," he said. "Stick with me though. I'll set you straight. You'll be shouting 'P U' in no time." It wasn't a rare occasion for him and his brother Edmund to go to a Puddlemere game with PU painted on their chests. It was usually quite chilly though so heating charms were key!

"Oh goodie! My first five start review? Thank goodness," he joked, grinning at the little cute wink she gave him. So playful, so pretty. Plus, she loved nachos. What more could he ask for. "Really? Yes!" he celebrated with a fist pump as he slide the nachos toward him, the waiter having dropped off little to go containers to slide their food into. Then he second guessed himself and glanced up at her. "I mean, unless you want them?" he asked, trying to be all gentlemanly or whatever. He really did want those nachos though. They were so good. He might even let Jere have a little taste, but only so that he could convince his roommate to stop by here tomorrow for some more nachos. Hell, who was he kidding. All he had to do was say nachos and Jere was there. He did give her a couple of the to-go containers though, helping back up everything, even the chips and guac they had gotten as a side.

"I don't even know if I can share with him," he replied, glancing up at her with an amused expression. "Fake date or not, he will eat all of the leftovers  if I tell him it's nachos," he told her, rethinking his earlier thoughts.

“So Jeremy is not your ex, after all, this is getting more scandalous by the moment,” she gasped, her tone full of sarcasm as she gave him a look of pretend surprise, the idea of meeting Jeremy in person and seeing the way the two interacted with each other a very interesting concept indeed. Eleanora nodded in agreement to his idea, feeling a little odd about giving Jam and Janae money as she had no idea what the appropriate amount of money would be. Furthermore, she felt it a little impersonal, and not wanting to offend Janae should she think that she was giving her money to put off buying a gift for her and her twin, Eleanora considered asking Andy, as the boy had way more insight on gift buying than the young witch had ever had. “If money and shots are involved, I better invite you to my birthday bash next month as well,” she said enthusiastically. The witch had no special plans for her birthday, she felt like she had stopped celebrating them a couple of years ago.

“I’ll make sure to keep the shots coming,” she promised him, smiling a little at the thought of how he might change with enough alcohol and how she might change should she dare to drink too much as well. “You’ll have to see for yourself, but you’ll have to get through all the other stages of Drunk Ellie first,” she offered, her words vague. Her friends had often told her that her level of drunkenness dictated her personality and though Eleanora obviously didn’t know the difference herself, she found the idea extremely entertaining. It didn’t help that no matter how much the witch engaged in drinking activities with her friends, it never quite seemed to build her tolerance.

“Sure I’ll go to a game or two if you’re buying, I’ll read up on all my PU history too,” Eleanora added. She wasn’t sure if she’d fully getting into Quidditch mode, she only seemed to do that when Andy was playing on the pitch but she wouldn’t mind it too much if it meant getting to know Danny better. The night had proved much more entertaining than she had anticipated, after all. “And there are definitely more start reviews possible, depending on how well you do from here on out!” she offered, nodding in agreement at his question. Eleanora could always come here for nachos, after all, or she could make them herself but the latter thought seemed a little daunting considering how terrible she was in the kitchen. She’d send Andy on a nachos mission the next time he stayed over.

“Well you can bribe him with nachos to tell you the truth,” she offered, “Nachos are better than veritaserum, no one can resist the power of cheese,” Eleanora responded with a laugh, gathering her food into the little containers before she put hers into the plastic bag she was offered. “You live ‘round here?” she asked, rising to her feet as she gathered her stuff, reaching into her purse to drop a few galleons on the table for the waiter, probably a little more than necessary but feeling the need to do so regardless.

"My love life is full of drama and scandal, what can I say?" Danny told her with melodrama, adding in another smile. If only she knew that was further than the truth. The only drama was that he thought he was a catch and most girls didn't. Someone had told him and Jere that they make a cute couple when they had visited this indie boutique shop that sold gourmet cheese and fancy salamis. They had gone in because there had been a sign that said 'free samples' in the window and had walked out with goat cheese that they weren't exactly sure what to eat with. He threw a speculative glance at Ellie. She'd probably know what to do with goat cheese.

He laughed and his brows went up. "Your birthday's coming up soon? I'll buy you as many shots as you want. Need to meet KF Ellie, after all," he told her with a laugh. Summer birthdays had to be great though. He was stuck with a winter one. Dreary, winter birthday. "There's other stages? Like what?" he asked immediately, curious. He wanted to know more about her, any little detail she was willing to share. There was something about her that kept surprising him. He liked that.

"I'll give you all the info you need, don't you worry about that," he said confidently. He could rattle off Puddlemere stats at the drop of a hat and if she was looking of a team to slot in as her favorite, he could definitely steer her in the right direction. But her idea about bribing Jeremy was a good one. He nodded, thinking it over. "It's not a bad idea," he told her. "Jere would do anything for some nachos." Danny held open the bag for her as she placed the containers inside before settling up on the bill and giving her a little smile as she left a tip. A really good tip. Damn, he really needed to consider switching careers. The Ministry did not have nachos this good in the cafeteria.

"Nah, I'm on the other side of town, I'll probably just apparate home," he told her with a shake of his head. He shoved his wallet into his back pocket and grabbed his doggy bag before starting to walk toward the door before remembering his manners and giving her a sheepish smile, gesturing for her to go first. "What about you?" he asked.

“Well it’s certainly much more exciting than mine,” she offered in return, wondering how close to the truth that statement had to be. Eleanora did not believe that his love life wasn’t full of drama at least, pretty boys always sort of found ways to surround themselves with it, even if they did so subconsciously. But she would take his word for it, at least until she knew a little more about it. “July 20th,” she offered with a grin, if he was interested in buying her drinks she definitely wasn’t going to stop him.

She smiled sheepishly at his question but figured she ought to reveal more information, considering that at least when her friends told her about it, she sounded much more entertaining that she usually did. “Well there’s dancing machine Ellie,” she offered, normally it only took about two shots of something relatively strong to get to that bit, “And then there’s existential Ellie that asks all the deep questions,” she continued, that one took a little longer to make an appearance but apparently had some very deep, introspective answers to life’s most complicated problems. “But I think everyone prefers lovey-dovey Ellie the best,” she added with a smile. According to her closest friends, this Ellie made it a point to tell everyone that she loved them, giving them words of encouragement and giving information about why she found them so special. “Pervert Ellie is in there somewhere but let’s hope she doesn’t come out and give you a right scare,” she laughed.

“All my ideas are fantastic, you remember that,” she quipped in playfully, wondering what exactly Jeremy would say and how that conversation would go. Maybe Jeremy would lie about it to get to the nachos or possibly tell him that he had no idea what Danny was going on about. What Eleanora wouldn’t give to see the expression on his face once he figured out that it had been a proper date all along. At least she liked to think that she had done a great job.

Eleanora thanked him quietly as he allowed her to go through the door first, wondering what exactly the other side of town meant but figuring it wasn’t really polite to ask about it. “I live quite close actually, probably why I’m always around here,” she said with a grin, pointing in the general direction of her townhouse. “So, see you again soon…maybe?” she asked slowly, not wanting to rush him into a response right away but feeling a little confident about how things had gone onward. “At least at Janae’s party?” she continued, hoping that it was enough that he wouldn’t feel trapped or anything silly like that. “I had a lot of fun Danny, even if you thought the whole thing was a fake date,” she said jokingly.

"July 20th, writing it in my diary," he said with a smile, hoping he wouldn't forget. He probably would though. Especially because he never wrote anything down. His smile grew wider as she name dropped each drunk version of herself and he was laughing by the end. "Damn, I hope I can keep up. I'm not nearly as entertaining, but I heard there might be karaoke so save a song for me." Pervert Ellie? Damn, he wondered if she would get along well with Pervert Danny. He tried to keep him at bay even if he wasn't drunk. He didn't have a great success rate.

"Oh right. Yes. Fantastic. Glorious even. Mystical?" he said correcting his former statement at her notion and then trying to list fancy words but failing quite quickly. It was a good thing that she was so playful and understood his type of humor. He had been on a couple of dates where girls had just stared at him in disgust..(?) and he had had to repeat his jokes back to Jeremy later to check himself.

He nodded at her thanks, almost thanking himself for somehow remembering his manners before stepping back outside, greeted by the balmy June evening air. "Well damn. If you aren't a model slash actress slash secret spy, you should be," he joked, intent on grilling Jere and owling Janae as soon as he got home to see if he had guessed the truth behind this little rendezvous or if he had just made the biggest fool of himself. He usually erred on the latter, but as she joked about it, he maybe thought that he didn't blow it completely.

"Do you.. uhh.. want me to walk you home?" he asked, a bit hesitantly, unsure and guessing if she had mentioned that she didn't live far because she was hoping he would offer? Or would it be weird to be like 'show me where you live'? He wasn't much of a stalker, but she didn't know that. "But yeah, Janae's party. I'll be there. Looking forward to meeting Pervert Ellie," he said with a laugh, hoping to make her smile again.

“Definitely,” she agreed, the thought of the two of them doing a karaoke duet sounded fun, she’d have to do her research and find the most ridiculous song she could, the point was to make Janae laugh at them of course, unless Danny came in with an impressive set of vocal chords and completely blew the entire performance out of the water. She’d have to practice a little bit, just in case. “With the right type of alcohol, everyone is entertaining,” she reassured him, though Eleanora was a lightweight and had never had the pleasure of seeing some of her more heavy drinking friends drunk more than the occasional types she chose not to indulge herself.

“Mystical, too? You’ve got the entire dictionary memorized, haven’t you?” she quipped, amused by the list of words that he had listed and how completely different the sentence became when those words replaced the one she had chosen. Stepping outside, Eleanora was surprised that it was still so warm out, complimenting herself mentally for leaving the sweater behind at home, but she suspected it would only become cooler as the night approached. “Thanks, if you find any model slash actress slash spy agencies that are hiring put in a good word for me, would you? I’d hate to work at Coven until I’m a granny, might have a hard time getting extra tips then,” she added with a smile, the thought of a granny working the tables at Coven sounding extremely amusing.

“If you’d like?” she offered, unsure if his question was asked due to genuine interest or because he felt obligated to take her home. “But if you’ve got plans or something, don’t worry, it’s rather safe and we wouldn’t want to keep your girlfriend Jeremy waiting and asking all sorts of questions when you get home,” she added as an afterthought, giving him a reason to get out of it if he preferred, but also to give him one last jab in regards to Jeremy. He had been part of the highlights: spies, pranks, Jeremy, and nachos. She laughed at his next statement, “I’m sure she might make a special appearance if properly inspired,” she offered, “and is there a Perverted Danny I ought to look forward to meeting at Janae’s party as well?”

"With the right type of alcohol, anything is entertaining," he repeated, correcting one little word with a smile. Between the blind date today, trivia with Tricky and Jere on Friday, and Janae's party, his social calendar was filling up and he couldn't wait to do a little karaoke. Too bad he couldn't make a career out of hanging out with friends. Ministry work was so dull.

He shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Oh, just about," in reply to her memorized dictionary comment. Sure, he could pretend like he was smart, but that illusion usually wore off pretty quickly. He was glad at all that she hadn't announced him a dunce and spirited away with the rest of the nachos never to be heard from a gain. But he nodded along at putting in a good word for her and chuckled under his breath. "Sure, of course. But you never know, some guys are into grannies. The appeal of older women and all," he added with a waggle of his brows, falling into his normal humor, the three drinks he had had at dinner urging him on. But then he slid his gaze quickly to Ellie, wondering if his naughty humor was off-putting to her. "Just kidding.." he tried to cover it with and a little nervous smile.

"Only if you want?" he responded. "Don't want you to think I'm out to stalk you if you show me where you live or anything," he tried to reassure her, even though as he said the words, it came out creepier than he intended. He flapped at hand at her concern over Jeremy. "I can buy Jeremy off with leftover nachos, although I am reluctant to share." He laughed with her and shrugged innocently. "Perverted Danny is never too far away in any conversation," he told her with a grin that he hoped was playful and not creepy. Who knew though.

“Are you trying to tell me something, Danny? That you’re into grannies?” she teased in return, finding the idea of anybody that attractive going out with someone as old as his own grandmother a sight for sore eyes. “It’s alright, I don’t judge,” she added jokingly, just to ensure that he didn’t feel offended if he was, indeed into grannies. Eleanora had never been the type to date people based on their age but she understood how that could be a thing, she still wasn’t entirely sure how much older Danny was but based on the group he spent time with, she could only assume that he was at least one or two years older than her. Either way, he wasn’t the serious, brooding type and she found that to be reassuring. It was nice to spend time with someone that was so light-hearted.

“Well I didn’t think much of it but now that you mention it—” she said, eyeing him suspiciously but only for a moment before she turned to him, “Should I be worried?” she smiled. “This conversations seems to have suddenly taken a very sinister turn, now you’re making me question if this was a real date or some plot to get some really good nachos,” she continued, tucking some loose strands of hair neatly behind her ears as they stood outside of the restaurant. Eleanora might have been too trusting for her own good but if Janae had recommended him, she was certain that her friend wouldn’t put her in harm’s way. Anyway, Danny didn’t look like the serial killer type. But no one really knew, they never did.

“No but really, I wasn’t giving it that much thought, I don’t live that far off anyway, just come along then,” she insisted, taking a step forward to walk in the direction of her house, hoping that he wasn't been too pushy and would just say no if he preferred not to. “It’s only down the way, you can make sure I don’t run into any creeps.”

He laughed, throwing his head back a little, even as he swung his arms, his hands crossing each other, his nacho bag swinging. "No, no, I swear, no. That's now what I meant, Ellie," he told her, trying to stop laughing so she knew he was serious, but he couldn't stop laughing. He kept thinking about how Jere had dated a cougar and how he made fun of him for it all the time. "But, if you do ever meet the girlfriend Jeremy, you should ask him about the cougar he dated," he told her with a sly grin.

He started walking with her though, glad that she didn't think him too creepy to walk her home, falling into step beside her. "Yeah, my creepiness will ward off other creeps, you're welcome," he told her, laughing again. But then he thought back to her other concerns. "It would make for a great detective mystery storyline though, right?" He swung his hand up as if he were writing the headline in the air. "'Blind date turns gruesome when each party realizes the others' ulterior motives. She, a spy playing a prank. He, a stalker just trying to get some free nachos.'" He slid a glance to her with a grin. "I would read it," he added even though he wouldn't. He wasn't exactly a big reader unless it was comics.

At least he had found the comment funny, which made her laugh in return, glad that her sense of humor had not weirded him out, at least not externally. “He dated a cougar now that is interesting, we’ll have to have a proper chat over nachos and drinks then, but cougars are sexy, not grannies,” Eleanora offered, the more she heard about Jeremy the more interesting the guy sounded, and if he and Danny were close, he was probably just as funny and easygoing as Danny was.

“But you see—” she poked his side playfully, “you keep talking about him being your girlfriend, I’m starting to feel like I don’t stand a chance here,” she added with a grin, wondering if walking home with a guy would somehow spike the interest of her neighbors and if they would start poking their noses in her business when her mother came around to visit. Eleanora suspected some of the neighbors were spies to but having someone walk you home was hardly anything to start a scandal over, it just showed that Danny was a gentleman and had manners. Those were definitely things that her mother would, or at least should, be appreciative of.

She gave him a pretend nervous look as he heard him talk, smiling wrily at his storyline idea, “But does that work considering I don’t even work at a nachos’ place? Maybe in the storyline the girl should be a waitress at Frida’s,” she suggested, “or better yet, the chef. But for all that stalking, sounds like he just ought to buy a cookbook,” she continued with a smile. “Ever tried making Mexican food at home?”

He shrugged and gave her a look. "I wouldn't know, I'm not into grannies or cougars," Danny said on a laugh. "That's all Jeremy's game." Although, it was interesting that she was curious more than appalled at Jere's antics. He hoped that was a good sign considering they were pretty much attached at the hip.

Danny jumped as she poked him, surprised but laughing as he hopped a step away before coming back and bumping her with his hip. "Ehh. Don't worry. He's got nothing on you. For starters, you've got much better hair. Just don't tell him that. He thinks his 'fro is his pet," he stage whispered to her dramatically with an eye roll.

He glanced at Ellie as he mentioned his great headline and saw her look. It almost gave him pause before he realized she was playing along. Whew. He might have slapped himself in the face if they whole date had gone well only for him to ruin it with a creepy stalker joke at the tail end. "Hmm, I guess you're right. Waitress or chef, either works." But he was shaking his head at the cookbook. "Half the fun of nachos is having someone else make them, duh," he told her matter-of-factly without censure.

Her making food at home question had him laughing though. "Sadly, I don't think I'd qualify as a home chef by any means." And that was putting it lightly. The most meal-like food he made in his flat was cereal in a frisbee. Not exactly high class. "What about you?"

That was good to know, Eleanora figured, at least it seemed that being younger would play in her favor this time. “Why thank you, I work very hard to maintain it,” she said to him with a smile, bringing a hand up to flip her long, dark hair over her shoulder for effect. Naturally, Eleanora had spent considerable time on her hair and makeup for the sake of the date, she certainly didn’t wake up with these sorts of tousled, carefree waves in the morning but he didn’t need to know that. No matter how much Eleanora hated her family’s beliefs, it was hard to argue with their mastery of cosmetic potions, something that she took advantage of as it was one of the very few perks of being a part of her family.

But from the way that Danny had described it, Eleanora could only imagine that Jeremy had massively long hair, especially if he thought about it as a pet. The idea was amusing, the Lovecrafts had good potions for unruly hair. “My lips are sealed,” she promised.

“Food only tastes good when someone else is making it,” she said, modifying his statement to agree better with her own beliefs. Eleanora was in no way a cook and the few times she had attempted to make something on her own, she had failed miserably. It was a combination of her laziness and her inexperience that had  lead her to believe that no matter how hard she tried, food couldn’t taste as good when she made it for herself. It wasn’t like the family lacked the means or the staff to make the food, either.

She shook her head, “With guidance, I can make easy stuff, but I blame my parents,” she said with a smile, “They’ve never made a meal for us in their lives, well there was one time when mum tried to make a cake, it was a disaster. But I admire the house elves, learned how to make cookies from them, totally forgot,” she added with a smile, turning at the corner into the street that lead to her townhouse. The neighborhood was more residential back here, but she liked it. “I’m just over there,” she pointed own the street in the general direction of her home.