[OOC note: Backdating this as we've had this planned for a while but haven't had the chance to play it out, and putting it in the current timeline would interfere with the Imperius plot. Hope that's okay!]

It was Friday, it was late, Aberdeen was tired and, what's more, she was actually showing it for once. Though she usually held herself in a comfortable slouch (meaning she rarely looked her full height unless she was trying), today her shoulders seemed to be sagging a bit more noticeably.

She seemed to be hitting a lot of road blocks and dead ends for her cases recently, most notably the runespoor smuggling, and this possible new development involving the attempted assassination of Colonel Kabir Ahmed, the Ministry's Indian law enforcement liason. Of course the latter investigation Adon Eleor was heading up, all by himself with only Aberdeen as backup support. He wasn't to know that Raynor had given him this case as a kind of final test before he became a fully-fledged auror, nor was he to know the Head Auror was keeping tabs on him via Aberdeen, as long as they were both surreptitious enough about it.

Between all this going on at work, and Akiva's ongoing recovery after the kidnapping (and Aberdeen's subsequent agonising over whether she should be checking up on her more or less often), and Robin's on-and-off tummy bug, Aberdeen was, physically, mentally and emotionally, quite exhausted. But, that would stop being an issue as soon as she left the building. She was going to make herself leave her work at work, get a good night's sleep, and make the most of her day off on Saturday by taking Robin to the zoo. Luke had a lot of planning to do for an upcoming meeting so he would appreciate the peace and quiet of getting the house to himself, and what with how poorly their son had been feeling recently, Aberdeen felt the little toddler could do with some cheering up, and going to see the animals had been something he'd enjoyed in the past.

Yes, she'd just drop in to say goodnight to her partner, and then she wouldn't have to think about anything to do with the Ministry for a whole twenty-four hours. 'Hey Adon,' she said, leaning around the side of his cubicle as she shrugged her cloak on. 'That's me off now. How are you doing?' she added, nodding towards the paperwork currently on his desk. She hoped work wouldn't be keeping him much longer; despite their being nearly the same age, the slight rank difference made Aberdeen feel slightly responsible for looking out for him, even though at this stage she knew she didn't have to. Still, it'd be unfortunate if Adon's workload caused him to have to work later than a woman who would possibly forget to go home if she didn't have a family to think about.

Adon swiveled in his chair and craned his neck to look up at his partner, giving a toothy grin. "But Deen," he protested, "it's almost still light outside!" They'd been putting in extra hours. Kabir's piking off wasn't necessarily helping things. Press was curious.

And Adon didn't have many leads, but at least he was making progress on who might not be culpable. "I'm doing alright," he said, looking down at his desk, organized in at least nine piles, words highlighted with different colours; photos pinned on the sides of his cubicle. "Toxicologist's account checks out. We know at least that Mungo's is not purchasing the venom for medicinal usage." And that was quite the 'at least.'

He frowned deeply. "The Indian Ministry is not cooperating, which puts us, to a degree, at an impasse. As Kabir is our liason for them. Dreogan will do what he can --" he was the next region West, "but, well." A shrug and Adon cracked his neck as he shifted in his seat. "But, there's something they said --," he said, pointing to a file, "it brings me back to Bernier." The Jordanian transnational trade diplomat. If hunches were anything to go by, India had become a new hub for Runespoor trade. Though  Kabir had stated that there had been no Runespoor sightings in India. That was, of course, if Kabir was privy to enough information to speak candidly there.

"I'm going to get Kabir in here Monday." If it killed him. Because he was about to kill someone. And he knew it couldn't be Kabir; he needed him for this case. "We'll get his answers, what he knows, run it with Dreogan's interview with Bernier in April . . ."

Likely he'd spend all Sunday on this, as well. Preparing questions, researching, background investigation, appeals, cornering Kabir. . . Such a mess. Adon liked messy. It was a puzzle and there were definite connections. Things had not simply fallen into place. He had hunches. It was now only finding evidence to substantiate. Or redirect.

"And you? How is Robin, by the way?" Deen had a funny way of shrugging off responses about her son. Which if course made Adon all the more persistent to get her talking about him. Partners did not keep secrets, after all. Adon certainly didn't. Not of his own life. "Have any plans for this weekend?" He gave a slight frown of disapproval. "Rest. You look like you need it." He considered further. "And fun. You could use that, too, I think." Adon had some ideas on that last one.

'That's your prescription, is it, Dr Eleor?' Aberdeen quipped with a wry smile. 'Well I think I can actually surprise you for once. Early night tonight, Robin approving anyway, and then we're going to have a fun day at London Zoo.' She grinned widely; it put her in a good mood to think about spending some nice quality time out and about with the little tyke. It was also somewhat satisfying to prove wrong the opinion she had probably given Adon about herself. She was driven, conscientious and meticulous, and she made a habit of only showing her playful side in as dry-witted a way as possible. She liked to think it might be something of a surprise that she actually left the house for places other than work.

'Robin's had a bit of a bug recently,' she explained; given Adon had inquired after her son, she reasoned she could be polite enough to at least give a cursory update. 'We think he's on the mend now-- check up scheduled for Monday just in case, mind-- but he's still pretty down in the dumps about it. Thought a day out might cheer him up.

'And what about you then?' She lifted her eyebrows loftily, decided to put the shoe on the other foot. Even if her idea of fun was only going to see lemurs and otters. 'What'll your weekend be consisting of? Quidditch? Firewhiskeys with the lads? Runespoors?' She wrinkled her nose slightly at this last one, more in sympathy than disdain. Aberdeen was getting more than her fill of runespoor smuggling, and that was without the added pressure of heading up the investigation into Kabir's attempted assassination. Aberdeen knew Adon was being closely monitored in that, but as far as she was concerned, he was proving that he didn't need to be kept under a watchful eye. He was diligent, quick-thinking, and seemed to work well under pressure. Not that she'd ever admit thinking any of this to him. She still had her emotionally-distant reputation to maintain around the office. (Hopefully.)

"Ah," Adon said, pleasant surprise showing on his face. "Gonna spend some time wi' the 'wee bairn,' ah?" he asked, mischievously adopting her Scottish accent. Adon had always been fond of affecting accents and mannerisms of others; his accented English was, as his elder brother had complained many times before, a conscious decision. Dreogan sounded not a touch foreign. Adon, however, chose quite willingly to be.

It made one exotic and, when possible, comedic. In his own particular accent, he continued. "I'm sorry to hear about the bug. Have you tried any potions to settle his stomach?" Adon and Dreogan had never gone to the doctor much as children -- thank God on that! -- Their mother had been quite skilled at brewing potions, setting bones. . . "I'd be down if I had to go to the doctor's too, you know," Adon said with a bit of a smirk. After their visit to Mungo's, Aberdeen surely knew Adon's exact sentiments on doctors and healers. It hovered somewhere between loathing and dread.

He frowned as her prophetic forecast of his weekend hit a little bit too close to the mark. Moloch -- so predictable.

"Actually, no," Adon said smoothly as he moved a stack of paper to join another and scrawled a note to the side of one of the memos. He was not about to let her know that he was entirely shifting around his weekend's plans as well. "Actually, yes to the Runespoors. They've been my constant companion the past year. I'm not sure what I'd do without them," he said dryly.  "I was thinking of spending some time with my mum and brother this weekend -- a little family time as well. And the zoo sounds fantastic," he added with a subdued smile. He could use some more time with Deen, he decided. Warm her up a little. And how better to do this than to intrude on the most personal aspect of her life? It hadn't been an invite, but he was about to make it one. "What time?"

Aberdeen rolled her eyes good-humouredly at Adon's take on her accent. She was, for the most part, quite unconscious of it; having lived in London so long, she knew her 'Scots' brogue' had become much milder than it had been in her youth. All the same, it was nice to know it hadn't faded away entirely; Aberdeen liked having the small auditory token of where she grew up. She figured Adon could appreciate that, given how he held on to his own accent.

'I did try a fairly mild potion,' she admitted, 'but it had no effect. Potions have never really been my strongest point and I didn't want to risk making things worse. I thought we might end up needing to go to St. Mungo's, but the medicine the muggle pediatrician gave us at his last appointment seems to help, so we'll keep going that road for now.' Aberdeen much preferred it that way. She didn't like the thought of Robin being in the view of wizarding society any more than he absolutely had to; he was much less likely to attract his biological father's attention if he was kept to the muggle side of things.

'Wa-What?' Aberdeen lost her composure for a moment, thrown off by Adon's last question. What did he mean, what time? He wasn't expecting to go too, was he? No, of course not. He was just trying to rattle her, she was sure. She tended to get the feeling around Adon that he wanted to provoke a reaction in her other than dry wit; to get her to open up and emote a little. It was a lost cause as far as Aberdeen was concerned, but still, an interesting exercise in socialisation. Well, she wouldn't let him know he'd surprised her; she'd play along.

'Oh, what time,' she recovered smoothly (or so she hoped), expression casual and dettached once more. 'I figured we'd leave about ten, so get there maybe about half past, depending on traffic. Apparition not being much of an option with a toddler and all that. Could give you a lift in the car if you'd like,' she added lightly. Aberdeen knew a number of pureblooded wizards and witches who were quite unfamiliar with muggle transportation, cars in particular, and their reactions to the idea of them were occasionally amusing.

At the mention of Muggle doctors, Adon shook his head emphatically. That was about the only thing worse than a healer.

Doctors. Healers. Shrinks. Apothecaries. Chemists. Down with the lot of them.

"If you need a potion, I might have one of my mum's that's not reached its shelf life yet." Adon was not the sort to get sick and did not usually keep those things around, but he had a particularly involved and doting mother who made sure to stock his medicine cabinets regardless. "She's quite good at potions." Adon was, too; nothing to his mother who could make nearly any in the book with some success; being a pedant and having an eye for detail ensured at least minimal success at nearly every attempt where potions were concerned. Adon -- though having an eye for detail -- did not always have the patience to make good on it.

He could not help, however, a slight feeling of satisfaction at her admission that it was not her strong suit. Well, an admission -- to him, no less -- of shortcoming. Well, it was forthright, which suited her personality. And it wasn't exactly a shortcoming. But still.

And as she stumbled over her words, Adon was practically glowing and most certainly grinning. It had been easier than he'd thought, to catch her off-guard.

"Could give you a life in the car if oyu'd like," she said lightly and Adon rolled his eyes.

"Since you know how fond I am of those," he said, looking up at her from beneath lowered brows. Muggle transportation, Adon had learned through the aggravating Kabir shenanigans, was right up there on the loathe list. Just beneath "doctors." Adon didn't want to get in Muggle vehicles to take people places and he did not want people who were not expendable getting into Muggle transport any more. "The zoo is actually a walkable distance from my mother's house. I think I can manage. Ten-thirty, you say? Anything I should bring?" He paused only a moment before saying, "How about brown bag lunches? We can eat them right in front of the Hall of Apes. Robin have any food allergies or favourite foods?" He smirked. "I could use all the suggestions you might have, if I'm to win him over. Gummies?"

He was golden, now. She'd not find a way to diplomatically turn him down. He was bringing food.

Aberdeen couldn't help but roll her eyes a little at Adon's reaction to her preference for a doctor in favour of a potion. Ordinarily she'd file this under 'wizards who think they know better than muggles', however she was aware Adon didn't much care for magical healers either, so it was more a case of 'someone can't stand health professionals'. She'd only really noticed it since the events that opened up the Kabir case, and couldn't help wonder slightly if this had always been the case with Adon or whether the mystery of the attempted assassination was just that frustrating. Unlike Adon, however, Aberdeen didn't like to show too much of an interest in the lives of her colleagues. A polite interest, certainly, but nothing pushing past the boundaries of 'casual acquaintance'.

Casual acquaintances did not go to the zoo together. Aberdeen's smile became ever so slightly fixed as Adon started talking about bringing food. Oh hell... He wasn't joking. Aberdeen wondered briefly, if she wasn't her, or maybe just if she wasn't British, she'd be able to diffuse the situation that was currently slipping out of her control. But cultural politeness, and her own desire to appear to be in control, won out. She could at least make sure he wouldn't bring too many sweets for Robin before Adon got the wrong idea about that.

'Hmm, I'd prefer we go easy on the sweeties,' she said, trying to give her rendition of a winning smile. (It was more of a third-place smile.) 'We don't let him have too many, we're afraid he'll start wanting them all the time, plus the sugar has him bouncing off the walls... We sometimes go nuts with the occasional plain biscuit though,' she added in a tone of affected brightness.

'Speaking of nuts, Robin's not particularly fond of those-- not allergic or anything though. He doesn't have any allergies, that we know of at the moment, at least.' Though Aberdeen was just waiting for one to manifest at the most inopportune time, and had a counteractive spell specifically memorised, just in case. This wasn't one of the things she tended to include in casual conversation. 'I was going to pack him a wee lunch anyway, but if you want to bring along some tidbits, go for it. He's particularly fond of grapes at the moment.'

Aberdeen seemed to dither a bit, wondering whether to further pursue the 'Robin' topic of conversation. She didn't make a habit of talking about her son indepth, unless it was with close friends or family members. But Adon did seem keen on getting along with her son. She didn't want him to end up being disheartened. 'Only, if he seems not to take to you or anything-- don't worry about it, yeah? It wouldn't be anything personal, he's just such a shy little tyke sometimes.'

Adon watched the shift take place in Deen's face. And, considering it was almost made of stone at times, Adon flattered himself that it was a rather remarkable feat. It shifted from amused to forced. She'd used it in an questioning once. Adon'd bring it back to genuine tomorrow. He had few concerns on that.

He was far too pleasant to be around for her not to enjoy herself around him.

At the mention that Robin wasn't fond of gummies, that they were denying him sweeties, he looked skeptical. "Well. . ." he hesitated, pulling a grave face, "I won't write you up this time. But just this once I'll play by your rules. Pretzels and grapes?" That was probably pushing it. How dull. The boy probably ate rabbit food: lettuce, carrots, and low-hanging, leafy shrubs. "I'll err on the side of 'wee,' though, if you'd like," he continued, teasingly.

As she faltered a moment, about to plunge over a precipice in conversation, Adon couldn't help but tense and edge forward in his chair. 'Only, if he seems not to take to you or anything-- don't worry about it, yeah? It wouldn't be anything personal, he's just such a shy little tyke sometimes.'

"Oh'v course," Adon reassured quickly, very much doubting this would be a concern. It was a gift, getting along with children. He might have called himself a child-whisperer if that didn't sound like grounds for serious action against him. "We'll see how he does, hmn?" he said, smiling up at his partner. "So ten-thirty. See you then." He swiveled in his chair, back so that he was once more facing his papers and diagrams before craning his neck back at Deen with a cheeky smile. "Unless there's anything else?"

'You go as wild as you like with your wee picnic, Adon,' Aberdeen chuckled lightly. 'Anything I don't approve of, I'll just mercilessly supress your freedom of snackage. Seriously,' she continued, though she belied her words with her crooked smile, 'I'll be watching what you feed to Robin like a hawk. I'm one of those mothers.' She had never wanted to become an overprotective mother, and she still tried not to be in a lot of the small ways (not feeding too much sugar to a two-year old wasn't over protective, after all, it was practical!), but in all the ways that really counted, she knew she was. And somewhere deep inside she couldn't help but wonder, even if the murderer of Robin's biological mother had been caught and brought to justice, put away where he could never hurt Robin, if she would still be the mother who always held her son as if afraid someone would take him away from her. She looked intently at Adon for just a moment, as if hoping to discern how much he'd already figured out about her. What kind of a mother she really was, and why. Was there any way for him to know what she was hiding?

'No, no, I think that's everything,' Aberdeen said, her tone of voice taking the scenic route through bemused before arriving back at the usual wryly dettached. Leave it to Adon to seem so confident about meeting his coworker's son for the first time. If Aberdeen ever had cause to meet up with Adon's family; well, apart from Dreogan anyway, but that was different, seeing as Dreogan was also both a fellow Ministry employee and dating her best friend (and it was perhaps a mark of Aberdeen's affected disaffectation from most of society that she actually didn't know the man very well at all); she knew she could never be so laidback about involving herself with a colleague's private life. That was why she would never express such interests in people as Adon did. Aberdeen managed to keep herself easy-going in social situations because she actively avoided the situations she knew would make her uneasy. And now she got herself shanghaied into just such a situation. Dammit, Adon. It just wasn't fair that someone that smugly self-assured was allowed to be that charming.

The most annoying part of it was that Adon's confidence probably wasn't misplaced at all. Robin would probably take to him straight away, just to prove her wrong. Waving a hand to indicate she was really leaving this time and that her partner could get back to his work, she smiled a little and said, 'Ten-thirty. See you at the entrance.' As she strolled away, she wondered if she should have put some actual effort into repelling Adon, rather than attempting to save face by playing along. On some level though, she was curious as to what it would be like to spend time with the auror-in-training outside of work. Hell, maybe she'd even enjoy it.

Adon arrived a bit early -- a rare occurrence, as Adon typically and perpectually ran no more or no less than 2-5 minutes late  to everything. It was his first non-professional outing with Deen and he wanted to, more than make an impression, beat her to the place. Stake out the land. Make it his turf.

He was examining a map of the London Zoo at the entrance gate, deciding already that perhaps it would be best to start with the giraffes or apes. One wouldn't know if the tyke was skittish around, say, lions. Adon had very little doubt that he would be just fine around himself. He had, as a last-ditch effort, brought some vampire gummies, should they be necessary. But Adon fully intended on eating them himself rather than risking a direct disregard for Deen's stern parental orders.

Looking up, his eyes grazed the crowd, noting mostly families. He observed a father pushing a stroller containing a red-nosed, toe-headed kid as he and simultaneously tried to keep his two daughters from running in opposite directions. He saw no mother.

A brave man. Adon wasn't sure he'd be so brave. But then, in his current life, he didn't need to be. Today was just fun.