Outfit


To say there were butterflies in Moira’s stomach would be an understatement.  Sure she had shared quite a few meals with Marcus over the past month, but dinner was a completely different situation.  This was not a casual lunch between friends…dinner in one of London’s best Italian restaurants would always be considered an official date.  If the pressure of a first official date wasn’t enough, she also knew it was his birthday.

His assistant, the very resourceful Claudia, had suggested Santini, one of the best known Italian restaurants in the Muggle part of London.  Moira had been a bit hesitant at first to venture to a Muggle business, but she had quickly pushed the thought aside, thinking little had gone wrong recently to warrant such silly fears.  It seemed the best idea really, given the fact that Marcus was in such a high profile position.  With any luck their first date would pass peacefully without major incident or interference and they could enjoy dining in the pleasant night air of June.

Stepping inside the restaurant, she didn’t see him yet.  She was a few minutes early, and so she took a moment to pull a small compact from her purse to check her reflection for the millionth time since she started getting ready.  Her brown locks framed her face, curling gently at the ends.  Snapping the compact shut again she tried to ignore her nerves.

Marcus doesn't date. He just doesn't. There is too much going on inn his life to make time for dating. Claudia is a great aide but she is just... wrong. Not to mention the skeletons in his closet. Is that something that Moira can handle? Hell, it's something that Marcus could barely handle! Why was he so nervous, damnit?! They had spent the last month or so trading visits to each other's respective hangouts and workspaces for meals and conversation. "How is this any different[/i]?" Marcus had to figuratively step outside himself to realize that he was acting like a child. A child on his first date.

At least in Muggle London there is less of a chance of a nosy reporter following him. It seemed that every time he so much as sneezed, there was someone around to create an article around it. "Marcus Has The Sniffles... Could It Get Worse?" he said to himself amusingly. Then he had to think back to see if there was an actual article based on that very premise. He shrugged it off, and focused on what was ahead of him; his date with Moira Randall.

Instead of going with any of his usual ensemble, Marcus decided to go with the suit he wore to the Remembering Day ceremony. Yes, that night was utterly drenched in bad memories... but it was a nice suit. As he walked to Santini, a very fine Italian restaurant from what Claudia had said, he felt something gently stab him. He reached into the pocket and pulled out several notecards. "Huh..." Marcus said, realizing that it was a Remembering Day speech, in Claudia's handwriting. Quite the surprise. It had nothing to do with the night's events, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Marcus entered the restaurant, and immediately saw the very stunning Ms. Randall, draped in what looked to Marcus to be the best dress in the world. Where does she keep her wand? Marcus thought to himself. He chuckled, and then started to think about it.

The Hostess must have known Marcus was coming, because she waved him on urgently. The look on the woman's face told him that Moira must have been memorable in her request that there was someone else joining her tonight. Very memorable, when one considers just how many people this woman sees in one evening. If Marcus takes this logic to it's basic component, Moira must be nervous or excited. Knowing this, or rather assuming this, definately took some of the edge off.

"It's good to see you tonight," Marcus said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder as he passed to sit across from her at the table. He sat down, and finally got a good look at the rest of her. "Wow, you look... amazing. Well, you always look amazing but tonight it's... I'm rambling, and sounding ridiculous." Marcus cleared his throat discreetly. "How are you doing this evening, Moira?"

One of those rare, true smiles crossed Moira’s features as Marcus’ hand touched her shoulder as he passed her.  She recognized his suite from Remembering Day, hoping that this evening might help ease some of the less then pleasant memories she was sure they both associated with it.  After all, she found she much preferred it to his usual ‘signature’ look.

She blushed slightly at his compliment and a bit further at his rambling.  The care she had taken in her appearance seemed to have the desired affect on him and it made her stomach flutter a bit.  She had sworn off dating when she returned home to London, but of course she hadn’t counted on enjoying her time with Marcus so much.  She was just glad he seemed to be a bit nervous as well.  It actually helped her relax a bit.

“Thank you and I’m doing well,” she said.  “And you?  Are you having an enjoyable birthday?”

She took a small sip of water while she waited for the response, feeling the butterflies settle a bit now that he was here and they were exchanging the standard pleasantries.  It seemed to be normal actually when planning to spend time with Marcus.  She always felt a bit nervous until their time together actually began.  The time they spent talking usually passed too quickly.

"I don't really get to enjoy my birthdays. Not since I was in school, anyway. Today it's been mostly paperwork, and me desperately trying to keep our Law Enforcement Department running smoothly. Alex is gone, and so his job is now completely vacant. I really don't want to talk about it. It's kind of a raw nerve still."

There was usually so much to talk about between Marcus and Moira. Each of their gatherings have been cut short by either work or life, but there was still conversation to be had. So why was it so difficult to talk with her? Small talk aside, which Marcus was notoriously horrible at, they had a lot in common. So why was Marcus so nervous?

"I'm very nervous right now," Marcus stupidly confessed. It was too late to give a rebuttal, so he decided to go along with it. "There's a lot of pressure here, if you've noticed. We've had lunches, and they've been great despite the fact that we always get cut short. This here is a Date, with a capital D. I don't do dates, and it's not because I'm a bad conversationalist. It's... it's not really my type of lifestyle."

"Then you came along, and over the course of our time spent I've started to re-evaluate the way I do things. I don't feel so much like a... a grown-up man-baby when you're around. I want to increase the expectations of myself so I can be a better person for you. I've never had this thought process before. Here's the strange thing: I enjoy it."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's no reason to be nervous, and we certainly don't need to avoid topics just because this get-together has a title stamped onto it." Marcus paused to give them some time to think about what he had just said. He knew she was nervous as well, but wasn't sure if it had done any good. "I guess this is where I say, 'open mouth, insert foot', right?" Marcus said, winking.

Moira still wasn’t quite sure what had happened with Alex.  Clearly it was not up for discussion and she let it drop.  Whatever had happened had clearly bothered Marcus and she didn’t want to press.  She was more concerned with the here and now, and she was sure she could help me at least the final few hours of his birthday more enjoyable.  She didn’t believe in allowing such a day to pass without some sort of amusement.

His next statement caught her a bit off guard and she felt her stomach give another flutter.  There weren’t many people who would actually admit to feeling nervous on a date…She nodded a bit in agreement as he continued, knowing it was pretty obvious they were both feeling the same way.  As he continued on she felt herself blush a bit.  She felt thrilled and terrified at the same time, and it was an interesting juxtaposition.

"I guess this is where I say, 'open mouth, insert foot', right?"

She laughed gently, feeling her nerves ease a bit as she relaxed.  There wasn’t always a certain amount of stumbling around that went with these sort of conversations, she knew that.  His admissions had put her at ease as well.  A few who were close to her knew of their date and she had gotten a few warnings regarding his reputation.  She had tried to ignore them, but being human had not been completely successful.

“Well, I don’t feel so foolish now knowing I’m not the only one who feels that way,” she said.  “I know it’s normal…It comes with anything that’s new I suppose.  Like actually putting a title to something.”

She couldn’t stop the small smile from playing on her lips as she continued, “To be honest, after everything that happened I had sort of sworn off the whole dating thing.  But, this just seemed…I don’t know, natural I guess.  I suppose one should never think in definite terms…things change so quickly sometimes.”

"Indeed they do," Marcus said, now browsing the menu off-handedly. "We're both adults, after all. There's no reason to be childish about what's on our minds. Besides, I'm not one to be bashful, and there's no reason why I need to start now." Without a glass of something in his hand, Marcus had a hard time transitioning between thoughts. It was his way of letting his mind take a break, and without that Marcus was prone to running off at the mouth.

"Which is probably why I like you so much. You've got this... I don't know, call it an aura if you must. You're so supremely confident in everything you do, even when you seem unsure. There's a motivation in you that I find attractive. It's not just your ability to move on in the face of adversity, but it's that look in your eyes that tells me you'd rather spit in adversity's face and tell it something incredibly unladylike. You may not think it, but subconsiously you know it's the truth."

"It's that fire, you know? That..." Marcus sighed, "I'm rambling, but you get my meaning. It's beautiful. Just... beautiful." Marcus rolled his mind's eyes and looked around desperately for one of the staff to come by. Marcus needed a drink.

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I don't actually eat out a lot." Marcus said, quickly changing subjects. "At the risk of sounding completely unmanly, I'm going to follow your lead here tonight, because I honestly don't know what to order." Marcus' face turned a bit red in embarrassment, but it quickly died down. After all, he really had no idea what to get.

She couldn’t help but blush as he spoke, and she was sure her eyes danced a bit as a true smile crossed her features.  The past few months her confidence had seemed to have fled back in January, but slowly she had noticed it returning as she eased into life back at home.  She had found a part of her that had been missing in America, a part she had certainly missed.

"At the risk of sounding completely unmanly, I'm going to follow your lead here tonight, because I honestly don't know what to order."

Moira smirked slightly, not knowing much about the restaurant then what a coworker had told her.  Yet, she had eaten enough Italian during her stays in Tuscany to know what one might suggest.  From the corner of her eyes, she noticed a waiter moving towards them slowly, seeming to give them a few more moments to decide before he reached their table.

“Well, I find that a good bottle of red wine goes well with anything Italian,” she told him, scanning the menu.  She was surprised and impressed that the fare was indeed more traditional Italian.  “I think the Tricolore would be a good start as well.”

That had been perhaps one of her favorite antipasti, the Italian equivalent of hors d'oeuvres.  When prepared with truly fresh ingredients the combination of the sliced tomato, mozzarella, and avocado the texture and subtle flavors were the perfect combination while sipping wine before a meal.

“Then, depending on what you might be in the mood for as far as a main course, I would say try either Risotto Di Mare* or Spaghetti Carbonara.**”


*Seafood Risotto
*Spaghetti with pancetta, cream and parmesan

A waiter had arrived at their table to take their order, and Marcus did his best not to sound like he had never done it before. He hadn't, actually. Very seldom did Marcus ever eat anywhere that offered free bread at the table. Bar food had become his staple, when he didn't cook something himself at home. Cooking, in this case, could be used loosely. If you needed pasta or soup made, Marcus was your guy. Wine was out of the question, as Marcus was more of a hard alcohol sort of a person. He did his best with the wine list, and ordered something not too expensive, nor too cheap. Goldilocks would be proud.

"Do you ever look back at your past and wonder how exactly you got to where you are?" Marcus said, looking a bit nostalgic. "If someone would have told me twenty years ago that I was going to be where I am now, I would have laughed in their face. How does one's past exactly prepare them for what lies ahead? Does everything we do fit into some preordained pattern? Our respective jobs and lives, is that what we were meant to do? Or is life... nature, preparing us for our next journey?"

Marcus paused, and prayed to someone non-specific to grant him his only wish: booze. At least then he wouldn't continue running off at the mouth like he's been doing since the start. Speaking the truth is one thing, but sometimes it can just get annoying. A complete buzzkill. "I apologize for... when I don't have... wow, can I make things more awkward?" Marcus paused to let himself think. "I'm not always like this, I promise. I was just thinking about the future, and what I want out of life. It used to scare me to think about it. Now, not so much. Is that what happens when you start to get older?"

With everything ordered, and a basket of bread and butter set out, it was time to enjoy the evening and wait for food and drink.  As Marcus spoke, Moira took a piece of bread from the basket, buttering it as she listened.  He seemed nervous still, despite their earlier acknowledgement that there was no reason to be.  It seemed natural to her, given the fact that 'dating' wasn't something he usually did.

"I guess I'm one of those old souls you hear about," she said with a shrug when he had finished, setting the buttered piece of bread down on the small bread dish.  "The future hasn't ever really scared me.  I knew pretty early on that I was going to pursue healing...Even when I settled in the States to do my internships, I knew someday I'd most likely end up back in London working at St. Mungo's."

She took a sip of water before continuing, "Of course there were always those fantasies of furthering my musical studies or some other performance art, but I'm just too practical for that.  My priorities never really matched up with that sort of lifestyle."

The waiter returned with the ordered wine a moment later, opening the bottle and going about the processes of pouring two glasses.  The earthy aroma of the full bodied red wine filled the air.  She had always preferred red wines.  They dryness and the full taste had always been her choice above the less flavorful whites.

As Marcus took a sip of his wine, he gave silent thanks to the alcohol gods for blessing him with such a beverage. It wasn't whisky, but it was something. "It's always hard to put aside time for something you enjoy. I really... don't have a hobby, now that I think about it. Hmm..." Marcus thought about all the things he used to do, and all the things he gave up when he became Minister. "When I have spare time I play the guitar, except I haven't had spare time in... it's going on four years now."

"That's the problem with priorities," Marcus said, replying to her statement, "They seem to always get in the way of the things you want to do. They begin as a means to an end, and then they end up taking over your entire life. It's easy going in to sit back and say, 'I'm not going to let it happen, not like they did,' and then we end up becoming them. I guess we get so caught up in wanting to be good at what we do, that we give up the collateral skills to specialize in what's required of us."

"That's how it is for me anyway. How do you handle your workload? Do you still want to pursue something different? I'm not talking about quitting your job to follow your dreams. Not necessarily anyway. Are you able to take the time out mentally and physically to pursue something you've dreamed of doing?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly when he mentioned the guitar and wasn't entirely surprised to hear that it had been some time since he had played.  She took a sip of her wine agreeing with is observation on how most people dealt with responsibilities.  It was indeed an easy trap to fall in to.

She had thrown herself almost completely into her studies in America and later her work.  Free time had always been a rare occurrence and when she had it she had been tempted by roommates and friends to spend it socializing and usually drinking.  She hadn't been particularly good at leaving her work at the hospital and the less then healthy past time had seemed a good way to ignore and forget about her patients for a short time.

"I’ve starting playing the piano a bit again," she told him.  "It's not something I'll ever be able to do be able to do for anything other then my own enjoyment, but it's something I love doing for me.  On occasion I sing too....but that's another thing that's really just for me."  With a slight shrug she added, "I don't know if music is something I really ever dreamed of doing, but it's something I love.  It helps me leave my work at the hospital and have a healthy way to pass the time."

She took another sip of wine before she said, "Obviously for you free time is hard to come by, and I know you said you don't get to play the guitar any more.  I can't help but wonder though if you have a way to actually leave your work at the office."

"Leave?" Marcus asked. He wasn't quite sure what she meant. He figured he'd take a shot and answer her. "I can't. I wouldn't, unless I was forced to. My work is all I've got to distract me from..." Marcus trailed off, not wishing to ruin a perfectly good evening with Nightmare Fuel. "I don't get a lot of sleep, so I end up spending a lot of time going over my paperwork. Sometimes it's something simple like transfer requests and scheduling, and sometimes it's decidedly more complex. It's work though, and it's got to get done."

Internally beating himself up over beating around another bush, Marcus threw out a question of his own. "Do you ever get to leave your work at the office? You seem like you could be the obsessive type when it comes to your work. I don't mean that in a bad way either. It makes you good, it sets you apart from the rest of them." The only problem is that you don't get to have time for much else, Marcus thought to himself.

Marcus took a sip of his wonderful alcohol. "Do you ever get time for anything you want to do? Your singing, piano... I mean serious time, to pursue them? Books don't count," Marcus said with a wink, "Books are kind enough to wait for you to get back into them. You never forget how to read, it is possible to forget how to read music."

When his voice trailed off, Moira couldn't help but find herself a bit curious as to what work distracted him from.  Based on what they had talked about on previous meets she could form a few assumptions of course.  She took a sip of her wine, nodding slightly in agreement about work having to get done.  Deciding to leave the topic of what he was distracting himself from for another night, she smirked as he turned the conversation to her own work habits.

"Well, most books are kind enough to wait," she answered.  "I have had a few volumes run off and hide on me, much like the texts I used in Hogwarts for Care of Magical Creatures."

She was making a joke of course, but one had done so just the other night, causing her ever so brave Wolfhound to practically crawl into her lap, as much as an overgrown puppy can, when it jumped off the table.  In hindsight she found it quite amusing, however she had been taking the name of every great witch and wizard in vane as she tried to get the dog off of her so she could go after the escaped book.

"I'm not much for sleep either," she said a bit more seriously.  "I've taken to playing later in the evening, with the help of a few charms of course so as not to disturb my neighbors.  It's actually quite relaxing...it helps me to remember that their is a life outside of my chosen profession."

"Yeah, having a hobby is essential at this point, or the witching hours would almost certainly drive me insane. Perhaps someday we can get together and combine our talents. We could be like those people that always seem to have a musical instrument nearby, ready to be used. I'd be fun for us at least." Marcus chuckled, as he took a sip of his wine. For Marcus, there was a threshold for wine and it's taste. After the fourth or fifth glass, he would end up being sick of the flavor. Luckily, the night was young.

He thought about her statement about not getting enough sleep? Why was she something of an insomniac? Marcus knew about the nightmares that kept him up, but what was bothering her? It must have been that Muggle that she had mentioned to him once. If he was indeed here in London, and if he was as crafty as she thought he was, then maybe she had plenty good reason to stay awake at night. That didn't sit well with Marcus. The Muggle was a coward, and Moira shouldn't have to worry about some prejudiced, self-righteous nutjob. It's one thing for Marcus to deal with his boogeymen, it's another for someone he cares about to have to settle with theirs.

Instead of dwelling on that thought, and bringing it out to talk about, Marcus decided to move on with the conversation. Before he could say anything, the waiter arrived to take their food orders. Marcus ordered for the both of them, with the assist from Moira in what actually sounded good to eat. As Marcus said before, this wasn't his usual environment.

"I hope that was sufficient," Marcus said in response to the order he gave to the waiter. "On our next date, I'm taking you to a place that's quite a bit different than this." Marcus suddenly felt like he was assuming way too much about this evening. "Not that I... I just... I'm not making myself very clear." Marcus took a hurried sip of his wine to take a breather and gather his thoughts. "We've got a great dynamic, and I like you. I want to do this again, and again, et cetera. I'm saying this with absolute confidence that you feel the same way."

Why was that so hard to say? What's wrong with you, Marcus?

Moira laughed at the image of having her piano handy at all times.  It would take an awful lot of magic to not only shrink it to travel size, but also keep it in tune.  Pianos tended to be a bit trickier then guitars, even for the magical community.  Yet, it was still found an idea she found intriguing.  The piano made her pretty self sufficient musically, it would be interesting to try to team up with someone....and it meant spending more time with Marcus.

She had a sense that he was as good at being vague about what was haunting him as she was...perhaps better as she always seemed to ware down over time with those she cared for.  Her mother had often mused she had been born with a talent for keeping her emotions and feelings carefully in check.  That combined with the idea that she was the healer and therefore should be the worrier had only built her walls a bit higher.

The waiter arrived then with their food before anymore was spoken on the subject and when the waiter had left she found herself caught a bit off guard by the next statement Marcus made.  On our next date, I'm taking you to a place that's quite a bit different than this.  When the idea of going on an official date had come up she hadn't been completely sure what to expect, but she had also hoped it wouldn't be a one time occurrence.

We've got a great dynamic, and I like you. I want to do this again, and again, et cetera. I'm saying this with absolute confidence that you feel the same way.

When he set the wine glass down again, Moira reached across the table to place her hand on his, giving him one of her few true smiles.  He seemed to have a knack for doing that, or perhaps it was because she knew he would be able to tell if she was faking so she reserved only true honest smiles for him. 

"I do feel the same way," she said, blushing a bit.  "I didn't expect to feel this way, and I wasn't really looking to either...it just sort of happened.  Sometimes the best things in life do, I guess.  And it seems neither one of us are in a big rush...so, I guess I'd like to see what else can just happen."