Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
November 1st
John
At the mention of his message again, John can feel something cold creep into him from their hands. Emi notices her mistake and the feeling of dread and fear quickly dissipates.

The picnic basket opens a little, and a small paring knife floats out and begins to cut the apple and the pear as Emi finishes off her cracker and takes another small drink of wine.

“If you have access to a real dragon, I would ask him over trying to research it yourself. You’ve already seemed to have learned a lot just in one conversation. I’ll think about some other questions that I have, but I’m sure you’ll probably have covered them.”

Slim cut slices of fruit settle on the charcuterie board and Emi glances down at it. “Aren’t you going to eat any John?” she asks as she takes a piece of apple to cleanse her palette.
John blinked, only realizing he had not eaten anything yet—just as he had eaten little on their first date. He had reasons to have not, of course. He was doing a fair bit of the talking and the moment she took his hand, he was somewhat limited in his ability to assemble the food.

“Sorry,” he explained with a hint of self mockery. “Perhaps Cassandra Lovelace, the Unbreakable’s critique of me liking to hear myself talk was more true than I would like to admit.”

It was mostly how he got when she looked at him—really looked at him. The world seemed to stop for a moment and pushed him out of sync with things, leaving only that connection important.

He reached for a piece of cheese, wondering if it would make things more or less difficult if she could talk with Jaal as well. While he was sure he and his mistress wouldn’t mind if Emi came by to chat, it might be more difficult for her to hear things from that specific dragon’s mouth, as it were. Jaal could be a little prickly if he felt his pride offended and his assessment had been the most grim.

“She’s one of the cell leaders of the Dark Watch,” he explained, continuing the brief aside, “the one who has caused problems for us on two occasions now.”

Of course, that was, in part, his viewing things through the lens of his own magnificence—as dragons were traditionally want to do. But having Emi listen to his assessment of events leading from his own death (because a petty human magician could not possibly best a dragon) through Grayson/Valèdeir‘s death at his hands (well, talons) because he was the more splendid being would not do much for Emi’s morale.

Even in this conversation, it was flagging. Of course, that could be because she trusted in them enough to let down some of that Shaw unflappability with him. She needed that, as she had told him when he walked up with the picnic basket.

He bit into the cheese. It was the Cheddar rather than the Dubliner. It served him right for putting them so close together. Not that the Cheddar was bad, mind you. It was just that he was expecting the Dubliner.

“I’ll speak with Jaal again,” he decided on, going with vagueness rather than an explicit choice. “I am sure he would be willing to answer any questions you would like to have answered.

“But I do sense that the topic is one that distresses you,” John observed, this time being more careful with his cheese selection. It was remarkable how distracting she was for him. “Sometimes, it helps to talk about it. At other times, one might want a distraction.”

His voice gentled, his care apparent. “What would you like, Emi? A chance to talk some more about it or to talk about almost anything else? Since I will be getting to talk with you, either will be a pleasure for me.”