Aileen paused, pushing back the thought that the wine seemed like such a silly gesture now. A thought that hadn't occurred to her until after the Howler wrecked the tower.

"Might as well," she said simply, lifting one shoulder. She'd probably need to be a bit tipsy to go yell at her mother later.

Waving her wand, she cleaned up more of the debris, assuming that Tapendra wouldn't mind. Perhaps he could sit in the middle of a mess - in fact, she'd seen it before, but she was just the opposite. Kneph nudged his nose up underneath her other hand as if he'd find the chocolate still there. No such luck.

"And yes, the kid's books would likely be more accessible," Aileen commented in a very dry tone. "You should warn people, Tapendra," she shot him a look as if it were his fault she had to look up every other word he wrote.

"Don't just say 'if you lack basic knowledge of scientific concepts, start elsewhere...'. No," she shook her head. "You should say 'if you're a pureblood, begin with: A Child's Guide to the Universe. It has lots of pictures'."

Aileen’s dry tone just unpinned her words perfectly. Tapendra couldn’t help it – still holding the bottle and one of the wine glasses, he laughed brightly, shaking his head. Somehow that disclaimer would...well, it wouldn’t help, but by Merlin was it applicable. Trying to picture a Malfoy or Goyle staring at the pictures in confusion really sold it.

“Moving pictures with beautifully penned labels,” he said, with a mirthful grin. “Somehow I don’t think it’d go over well with pureblood audiences, unfortunately.” He poured himself a glass, and then poured her one too, setting the bottle on a nearby desk. He handed her the glass, raising his own.

“Cheers,” he said, and took rather a larger gulp of wine than one was supposed to. He swallowed – with a bit of effort as the taste kicked in – and shook his head.

“Mm!” He said, the sound one of surprise as, the adrenalin now drained, his mind kicked into gear. Declan’s bloody party. Or not-party where he desperately needed a pair of wheels so Tapendra wasn’t an obviously tacked on 3rd wheel. Party. Thing…

“Are you doing anything on Valentine’s Day?” He asked, sipping his wine again.

Aileen smiled over the rim of her glass as he laughed, not surprised that he found such amusement in poking fun at purebloods. Yes, laugh at her pain! Abby certainly did every time she walked by the library at home and caught her muttering over muggle reference books.

She lifted her glass at his 'cheers', slanting him a curious look at his rather abrupt question. Valentine's Day. But she supposed that was one of the reasons she brought up the wine - so they could commiserate over their singledom. Or at least, that's what she'd expected.

"I was considering going to that Clockwork show," she admitted. "But I hear it's at the opera house. I'm not sure I want to tempt fate a second time."

Hanging corpses and panicking mobs weren't quite her thing.

"Other than that, no," Aileen held back a sigh and took a sip. "You?"

“Clockwork – oh, that. The flier with the red lady, right? Seemed a decent enough idea, even if the location is a little…” He trailed off, but the twist to his features said quite simply that he agreed with her hesitation.

Hanging corpses and panicking crowds – and having to all but swim through those crowds to find Sasha and Abby – had not been fun. It had been the opposite of that, in fact, and he’d found the images coming into his dreams more often than he’d admit.

“Well – no,” he agreed finally, sipping his wine. He considered how to explain Declan’s predicament.

“Declan O Morain – you remember him, short chap who taught Creatures? – is having a small get together of sorts, so I’m going to that. Just three to four people. He asked if I’d see if anyone else was interested, so I figured I’d mention it.” He shrugged, his manner entirely too loose and comfortable to be Tapendra trying not to be embarrassed – even though he was aware she could take it as a cover.

Somehow, though, he didn’t really get that strange embarrassed vibe as he might have before. He didn’t have time to ponder what that might mean – and, for once, he didn’t consider he might need to. It felt natural.

“From what he’s said, it’s going to be dinner, drinks and small talk. Poor bastard’s son is still in St. Mungos with the Pox, unfortunately - figure he could do with the company.”

Explaining Declan had apparently gotten himself a crush on the cheerful Transfiguration professor seemed a bit like spreading the rather private man’s embarrassment about, and so he kept his lips sealed.

Aileen raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised by his offer, and the fact that Declan O Morain had invited him - she hadn't realized they'd become friends.

"Dragon pox," she shook her head, giving her a moment to sort out her thoughts about the invite. "The child must be miserable."

Tapping her fingers against the glass once, she nodded. "I'd be happy to go," she spoke with the same casual air. "I would rather endure small talk with intelligent people than the myriad sorts attending the clockwork party," she smirked.

Aileen was glad he thought of her, though she studied his face for a second too long, just to make sure it was indeed a casual get-together. It certainly seemed to be. There was a curious lack of Awkward hanging in the air between them.

"You've smoothed over that spat about the tea, then?" Aileen was only half-joking. She remembered talk of the staff room wand-measuring contest, but considering that O Morain had invited 'Tapendra of tainted blood', she could hope he shared little in common with his sister.

"Did he say who else was coming?"

“Still bright green, from what his father says. Poor little bugger.” Tapendra sipped the wine again, draining his glass as Aileen considered the sort-of-offer. He did rather hope she’d say yes – despite the apparent Valles Marineris sized divide between Aileen and Declan’s sister, the man himself was perfectly tolerable once outside of his haughty shell. The fact had surprised Tapendra as much as anyone else. Even so, he didn’t really want to spend the evening as a 3rd wheel, and intelligent company was the best kind.

One could do little better than the Runes professor, in that regard.

When she said she’d go, he grinned, sitting on top of the desk he’d been standing near. “I understand that sentiment. It’ll be nice to have you there,” he said, as he poured himself another glass – the initial gulp having drained most of his first. The second he seemed rather calmer about.

Trying to explain the strange bonding he and Declan had done was…well, difficult. He thought a moment, and shrugged. “More or less, yes. We found we had more in common than we’d thought, and…well, he doesn’t seem so hung up on matters of purity anymore. He’s still as proper as ever, though. Just to warn you.” His eyes shone with amusement for a moment. Declan’s house was a t-shirt free zone – but that was a warning Aileen didn’t need.

 “Other than Finnigan? I’m not sure. His social circle is…well, not a very large one. No one too objectionable, as far as I know.” He shrugged. “Mister Ó Móráin, in his own words, is not the best at making friends.”

Aileen nodded, her mood lighter. She leaned against one of the small desks across from him, a smile flickering across her face at Tapendra's unnecessary warning.

"Proper?" She widened her eyes ever so slightly. "Better leave my jeans at home."

He knew well she'd never own a pair of jeans.

Finnigan - it took her a moment to remember a Miss Finnigan was the new Transfiguration professor. Aileen had already mistaken her for a student in the corridors, but she didn't seem the type to hold it against her. She had that warm, cheerful air that the younger students were sure to appreciate - could be a good or bad thing, considering the batch of hellions in Gryffindor.

She could easily relate to Tapendra's description of O Morain, and knew of his family history. Traditional, elitist upbringings didn't usually lend themselves to 'getting along with others'.

"At least he admits it," she raised her glass to her mouth.

"As for myself," she met his eyes. "Well, I prefer to say I'm particular."

Aileen quirked an eyebrow, almost daring him to challenge her there.

"You, on the other hand. I'm not sure how you do it," she paused, thinking of Storm, Dolly St. James, and any number of people he regularly referenced. "Unless you have a habit of pushing proper professors into pools?"

Amusement gleamed in her eyes this time. She still needed to get him back for that.

He laughed – mostly at the quip and somewhat at the idea of Aileen Reid being seen anywhere in jeans. Or even trousers, for that matter. Skirts seemed to be her weapon of choice, so to speak.

Tapendra couldn’t help the easy smile that stayed firmly on his face at this point, even as he stood in a classroom decorated with papers he’d have to spend hours organizing. Had he been alone for that slip up, he’d probably have been fuming. Now it rather felt as though the fuming was being taken up by Aileen, and it was easy to relax and worry about it later. The fact Aileen seemed relaxed and open helped quite a bit, too.

He met her eyes and raised his eyebrows at her mock challenge, grinning. “Incredibly so,” he said, shaking his head – the grin wry and knowing.

The wine was good, though not the most powerful stuff. That was probably for the best; he could feel a bit of an effect on him already, but as he sipped at it, it was hardly anything he’d have difficulty with, he was sure.

Her comment about the pools – joking though it was – made him flush a bit. It wasn’t awkward, oddly, so much as it made him flinch with some level of guilt…even if it had been funny at the time. Tapendra raised his eyebrows, playing up the guilty look a bit – making it joking, innocent. “Drat. I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.” He sniffed.

“No bloody clue how I “do it”, though,” he said, naturally making airquotes. “’ere,” he added, blinking and looking at her in sudden interest, “If you’re so particular, does that mean I’m kind of acceptable?”

It came as a sudden question, one said completely jokingly and in that mock-philosophical tone only achievable by those holding alcohol.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Aileen mock-chided him. She wasn't going to forget the pool incident anytime soon. His reaction was too amusing, and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd blush every time she brought it up.

The laughing, the smiling, made it easy for her to relax, and she could nearly forget why his desk was in shambles. Normally her sour moods - as Tapendra could likely attest to - lasted for hours, but now, as long as she didn't dwell on it, she could focus on the moment.

Perhaps that was why she said what she said next.

Aileen blinked at his sudden question in surprise, cradling the near-empty glass in her hands.

"Acceptable is only passing, you know," she raised her eyebrows, adopting a similar philosophical tone. "So no, I wouldn't call you acceptable in the slightest."

She slid him a teasing smile - until she realized how that sounded. Then she glanced down at her wine glass. The wine's fault, clearly!

Tapendra just looked at her in open and through confusion, his eyebrows knitting together after a moment. That could either mean she was yanking his chain with this nicety thing, or – well – but she’d seemed ever so genuine in her anger and in her casual manner. Or –

He looked at her again, and the teasing glint in her eye made him decide to gamble that she was just kidding. Tapendra smiled, shaking his head.

“Not even in the slightest? My lady, you wound me,” he said, hand pressed to his chest dramatically. “I – oop-“ His was cut off as Kneph shoved his cold nose against his leg, the dog staring up at him with a steady, serious expression. Tapendra frowned down at him.

“You want that candy bar? You can’t have it, you know. It’s mine.” He sipped his wine without taking his gaze off the dog, who didn’t blink. “And also bad for you,” he added, as if that’d help. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t. Eventually he just reached down and petted the black dog’s head, and Kneph’s forked tail wagged a bit in response.

He sipped from his glass again, looking back up and considering her words some more, even as Kneph continued to sniff his leg and around the desk. It was certainly a strange way to put…whatever she’d meant. “Nope!” He said cheerfully, after a long moment. “I’m entirely too frazzled to understand what you just said.”

Somehow, Tapendra’s utter confusion did not surprise her, though it only made her feel more foolish. Before she could facepalm at his mock-wounded expression, the Sha interrupted, staring at Tapendra with his eerie gaze.

Aileen blinked at Kneph. Could it-? No. Nooooo. He wagged his tail. Yes, the creature just wanted food. That made sense.

“Nope!” He said cheerfully, after a long moment. “I’m entirely too frazzled to understand what you just said.”

At this, Aileen drained the last bit of wine left in her glass and set it down on the desk beside her – a good enough distance that she wouldn’t be tempted to have more.

“Well, don’t tax the last of your brainpower,” she said lightly, keeping up the teasing tone. “I meant it as a compliment. It just sounded-" she paused. "Not the way I had intended."

Exactly! What else could it be? In the background, Kneph sighed and draped one paw over his face.

“Which I suppose isn’t that bad, considering,” she smirked, giving him an amused look as she remembered something. “My lady, Tapendra?”

And her mother thought he had no chivalry.

Tapendra shook his head, suspecting that thinking too hard might send smoke out his ears. At least he didn't have a class tonight - if he did, the mess would have been an even worse addition to his evening. Still, he did have to clean it up, didn't he? He looked at the piles of paper and sighed, following Aileen's lead and setting the wine aside.

"Oh. Well. Er - Thank you," he said, tilting his head. So that meant her approval of him was...not a passing thing? It was here to stay? For whatever reason that was something he was quite glad to hear, and he wasn't sure how to tell himself that - somehow the idea of going back to that miserable relationship they'd had in school was even more unwelcome now that he'd experienced the alternate.

Tapendra couldn't help but smirk. "In that case, I can't say I approve of you in the slightest, either."

He looked at her with an expression of guilt and confusion when she questioned his wording, blinking before he tilted his head. "Is it my lady? Or is it my liege? I can never remember."

"Why thank you. Now I can sleep soundly at night," she smirked back. She was still glad to hear the approval was mutual.

When he questioned whether he'd used the wrong term, looking honestly confused, Aileen glanced at Tapendra and burst out laughing - probably not a sound he heard too often.

"Don't worry about it; it's not important," she waved her hand in the air.

Aileen moved away from the desk, surveying what was left of the debris with a resigned, nearly apologetic air. She'd caught his sigh earlier.

"I'm going to let you clean up - I need to pay someone a visit before it gets too late," she checked her watch. Her parents should be awake; likely plotting ways to make her miserable.

"I am glad you were here to share the wine with," she met his eyes and smiled slightly. "Even if the soundtrack left much to be desired," she gestured at the mess the Howler had left behind.

At her movement, the Sha shadowed her legs once more. "What, you want to come with me?" Aileen spoke to the creature, glancing at Tapendra again as if she expected him to find amusement in this.

"Did Mr. O Morain give you a time for Sunday?"

Blinking in surprise at the bright and natural quality of her laughter, Tapendra quickly looked down and nudged some of the debris with his foot. It was going to take most of his evening, wasn't it -

"Hah! You wouldn't like the normal soundtrack, either," he said, echoing her  laughter. Then he shrugged, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Well, thank you for the wine and the company. They...well, helped." It really shouldn't have been strange to say thank you so easily, and yet it rolled off his tongue without hesitation in a way that, until now, had not come with Aileen around.

It was strange enough it didn't really occur to him to ask who she was visiting.

"Around 5 o' clock, I think. It's a dinner - I'll find out if we're supposed to bring anything other than conversation." Wine was customary, certainly, but somehow he wasn't sure he wanted to leave arranging food to Declan. Poor sod seemed confused as it was.

"Actually - could you take him with you? That candy bar wasn't the only one in the desk and I've got a kneazle in this mess somewhere, too. Silly little bugger is going to be underfoot, I'm afraid."

Kneph shot him a look that said the Sha was not in agreement on that point, and then stuck his nose into the air.

The normal soundtrack. Aileen could certainly imagine him listening to obnoxious music and dancing terribly when no one else was around.

"Of course," she nodded at the thank you, less aware of the strangeness of his gratitude, but all too aware of how well they were getting along lately.

When Tapendra asked if she could take the Sha with her, she opened her mouth to agree, and then glanced down to find the dog's nose in the air at being called 'a silly bugger'.

"Oh, he doesn't mean you," she lied to Kneph in a hushed voice, pursing her lips to keep from snickering at the dog's haughty pose. No, it wasn't the perfect pet for her at all...

"I'll see you Sunday. Do let me know about the food situation," she looked back at him with a smile as she left the tower, urging the offended Sha forward.