The First Date

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart sat subdued in the cab with Nicky as it jostled its way through the streets of Cat's Claw, only speaking to answer whatever questions she asked of him. It was early Friday evening and they were out on their first date. He didn't have any great plans. Just to Rory Fallon's for dinner and then probably back to the St. James house. He was also as nervous as hell.
 
It had been years since Stuart had been out on an official date. He kept telling himself that this was just Nicky and they were just hanging out like always, but he couldn't fool himself on this one. This was A Date. He knew it and he was sure she knew it, and right now he was wondering if he would be able to get through the evening without making a complete fool of himself. He'd gotten a haircut after work and dressed in a light green button down shirt that brought out the green in his eyes and light tan pants. He rode Lucy to Nicky's and arranged for a cab from there.
 
He'd had all week to think about what had happened on Sunday. He had arrived at Holly's house miserable, suicidal and drunk and left there with a date. How did that happen? As unexpected as that was, though, Stuart did feel bad for misleading Nicky. He had made it seem like he was in that state because he missed his wife, and while that was certainly true it wasn't the whole story. There wasn't just one single reason why he had spent last week in a bottle -- it was everything piled on top of everything else. Ainne's and their unborn child's tragic deaths, the months he had spent in solitude, his arrival in a strange country with laws that hated him, his rocky relationship with Hannah, her imprisonment and finally her heart-rending death, all of which had occured in the span of exactly six months, had broken him. Hannah's death was the final straw. He'd had so much heartache piled on top of heartache that he had begun to wonder if maybe it was him.
 
Stuart could only allow Nicky to see a small part of this. She could only know about Ainne's and the baby's deaths. She couldn't know about Hannah, his immigration status or his lycanthropy, at least for now. What she knew was the tip of the iceberg.
 
He also wondered if Nicky really was the rebound girl. She had always been around when he needed her. She helped him in the garden, taught him how to ride, provided the books on magical beasts, and she had been a sounding board, a companion and a friend. Stuart wondered if he was turning to her again to pull him out of this hole of despair. He liked to think he wasn't simply using her. He really did like Nicky and enjoyed being with her. The crazy passion wasn't there and never had been, but he'd wanted to kiss her in the kitchen and he had no trouble envisioning the two of them in bed together. There was more to a relationship than crazy passion, anyway.
 
Whatever the case might be, for the first time in weeks -- months -- he felt hope. He'd wanted Hannah to leave Jarek to be with him, but he never really had hope that she would. This with Nicky felt different. It helped him out of the bottle and set him on his feet. He was able to return to work and go about his daily life this past week -- still broken, but with the feeling that maybe something just might work out for him.
 
Right now, however, the only thing he was feeling was anxiety. Stuart's usual reaction to nervousness was to clam up, and this time was no different. His heart was pounding a mile a minute as the cab pulled up outside of the restaurant. He looked up at Nicky and unsmilingly said, "Ready?" as he opened the door.

[Nicolette St. James]

Nicky was her normal self as they traveled the streets of Cat's Claw.  The evening crowd was out, familiar as it was.  People getting in their last minute shopping before the little shops closed, and people were now moving into and out of the local hot spots for dinner and perhaps a bit of misbehavior.  Nicky did not care that they were going to Rory Fallon's.  She had questioned him upon entering the cab where they were headed and was not put off by it at all.  It was a lively pub with drinking, music, and pretty good food.  It was a place to just unwind and looking over at Stuart, she bet that was exactly what he needed.

Upon the ride Nicky had asked about Zippy and if she had found a job yet, she had also asked about his job and how things were going at the campsite.  She had continued her one sided conversation to talk about things at the coffee house, including the most recent wedding announcements, engagements, and pregnancies.  It was the local hot spot for anything juicy and Nicky was in the thick of it.  She loved to throw in her own controversal spin on things and had most enjoyed as she always enjoyed taking opposing sides and mixing the pot some.  It got people into talking and her tips always that much bigger.

Tonight Nicky was relaxed as she had not a care in the world.  To her this was any other outing with Stuart.  She was not thinking about being the potential rebound girl, because she did not know if the thing with Hannah had ever been true or not.  Surely if she had known the whole truth and the entire truth about everything in Stuart's life, things could and probably would be different.  But perhaps at this setting, ignorance really was bliss.

The two had said if something more happened, then so be it, and if it didn't they didn't want their friendship to end, and Nicky planned on not allowing the friendship to die out.  Nicky had chosen one of her peasant skirts.  The skirt faded into different colors.  It started in a chocolate brown, faded into a lighter khaki brown, then to a cream and ended in a salmon pink color.  Her shirt was the same salmon pink.  She had made sure to style her hair in light curls and faintest of make up.  She just didn't do well in the heavy make up department.

As the cart came to a stop, Stuart looked almost grave.  Nicky could only smile and slip past, exiting the cab.  "Oh come on now.  You look like I'm taking you to your grave.  Lighten up, its just me."  She said poking him lightly on the shoulder and heading into the pub. 

As usual the place was rather busy.  After work buddies sitting at small tables.  The entire bar was packed elbow, to elbow.  And there in the corner was an open table.  Immediately Nicky headed in that direction, thinking that this might just be as good as it got tonight.  The place had filled and fast.

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart exited the cab after Nicky and paid the driver. He turned to look at her for a moment, taking in her hair and make-up. He remembered the night of the storm when Professor Phontleroy was over, how Nicky had dressed nicely and put on make-up and how he noticed how pretty she looked as she stood next to him in the living room. She looked just as lovely this evening but he couldn't do anything but stare at her. He needed a drink.

Nicky must have noticed Stuart's odd behaviour because she poked him in the shoulder and told him to lighten up. She was right, he did need to lighten up. It was just Nicky. Just his good time pal. They were hanging out like they always did, right?

Stuart tried to swallow his anxiety. When they were going out as just friends he didn't go out and get a haircut nor did she put on make-up and curl her hair. All he could do was follow her into the pub as he scolded himself for turning into a neurotic mess.

The place was packed but not so much that there wasn't a table available, much to Stuart's relief. It was no surprise the place was so crowded on a Friday night after work. He had hoped they wouldn't have to stand around for an hour until a table cleared. Fortunately that didn't seem to be the case, and he followed Nicky as she sailed across the room to nab the table. She reached it before he did and sat, thereby eliminating the need for him to wonder if he should have held the chair out for her. Menus were already on the table and he picked one up and looked at it as he tried to think about what on earth he was going to say.

"So... uh..." Stuart fumfered around. "Work was busy this week?"

[Nicolette St. James]

Sure, Nicky was a little more dressed up then normal.  Even though she wanted to believe it was the same old, same old, she had gotten herself to look nice for the occasion, she had not wanted to look like a bum he found on the side of the road.  She just felt she cleaned up nicely and it wasn't like it was that difficult to style her hair and put on a little make up. 

Nicky had moved quickly in the pub.  Weaving around different tables and making her way to the back corner before any other vulture eyed the spot and tried to steal it from her.  She had taken a seat, gliding into one of the old chairs before Stuart even joined her.  But soon enough he had sat across form her and Nicky too had picked up a menu going over the different choices for the evening in her mind.

Eyes lifted from the menu, filled with amusement as he fumbled over his words.  "Yeap, it was real busy."

Nicky did not have a chance to continue, just then a waitress had joined them and asked for their drink order.  "He will have a double shot of whiskey, and I'll have a glass of Bailey's please."  The waitress left before Stuart could even open his mouth.

"I just thought you needed to really relax.  I promise."  She held up her hand.  "I won't try to kill you.  I won't push you.  And I won't try to embarrass you."  She of course said try.  Too many drinks and she had a tendency to embarrass herself as well as those around her.  Like kissing Tristan at the dance.  It had been something she hadn't even thought about, and it just happened.  She had had one too much to drink, though luckily had not been smashed just overly affectionate.  Tristan was a good sorted guy and at the time it had been amusing, but now just something she forgot about.

"Now then, I have made my vow.  Knock it out and just have fun.  This isn't life or death.  If it doesn't work out, who the hell cares?  Some people work as friends and some people do well as more.  We said we were doing this to figure out which sort we were.  But can't do that if you are going to sit over there like a board, stiff and lifeless."  She laughed at her own metaphor, or was it a foreshadow?  She had always been horrid at that stuff.

"Since you've been here, how have you liked it?  I mean this isn't America, and it isn't France either.  We are, well we are on our own, and some say a little out there.  But we aren't all that bad.  So, now that you know where family is located are you making this permanent?"  This had been a question she had been highly curious about the entire time.  She wondered if he ever planned to book it out of here in the middle of the night and get back to his home land.

[Stuart LaRoche]

She knew. She knew he was floundering and she was laughing at him for it. Stuart was just about to reply when the waitress came over. He didn't know whether he should be angry or relieved that Nicky had ordered a double whiskey for him. He was leaning more towards angry and waited until the waitress left before he shot Nicky a look. He was surprised that Nicky had ordered whiskey for him since he'd been drinking so heavily lately, but she had only seen him drunk the one day. She didn't know that he had been drinking every night last week.

Stuart sat with a slightly grumpy look on his face until he realized that she was right and he did need to relax. He would ruin the entire evening if he didn't stop it. Nicky spoke and laid it all out for him, how he needed to lighten up and they were just doing this to see if they were simply friends or if there was something more. Stuart could have told her already that there was something more. If they were just friends he wouldn't be as nervous as he was. The fact that he was anxious was a testament to just how much he had moved away from thinking of her as a mere friend, but he wouldn't say anything about it right now. He straightened up and took a breath. "I know, you're right. I'll try to relax. Am I stiff and lifeless?" He frowned. "I had no idea I was so boring."

No time to worry about that, though, because Nicky had smoothly moved into finding out more about him. He waited until she was finished and sat silently for a few seconds, considering what she had asked him. "I guess I like it okay enough here. The laws seem really restrictive, though." He stopped, and then quickly added, "Not that any of them really affect me. And I've never been to France. Before I got here I'd never been out of the United States." He glanced up at the waitress as she brought their drinks, smiling his thanks and taking a big sip of the whiskey. They ordered, Stuart ordering the lamb stew for himself, and he took another large sip before continuing. He could feel the blessed whiskey coursing through his system, calming him and boosting his confidence. "I don't know whether I'm staying, Nick. I don't know what's going to happen from one day to the next. I'd like to stay. I like living and working here, but I've got this accent that makes me a target. It worries me."

One more gulp and he would be there, right at the place where the buzz would begin working. He leaned on the table and sipped at the whiskey again. He couldn't tell Nicky the truth about the papers, or that he couldn't leave the country for fear of being jailed for having false documents. He hoped that she wouldn't press it, and he cast about to change the subject. "Have you ever been out of the country?" he asked as he looked up into her eyes.

[Nicolette St. James]

Nicky had not exactly laughed at him.  She just wanted him to be aware that things were not so bad.  He did not have to feel like he had to be perfect at everything, things just didn't happen that way.  Nicky did not want him to be angry or grumpy.  They were here to have a pleasant evening and she had thought a shot would do him some good.  She had no idea that Stuart had been in a stupor for most of the week prior or the fact that there was more on his plate then the death of his wife.  With the heavy circumstances it was bound to get to everyone, but Nicky was unaware.

However, she was glad to see Stuart take the drink and sip it down.  "No, of course you are not lifeless"  She said reaching over and placing a hand on his.  She did not want to talk about the fact that she agreed with him.  That this was a step past mere friendship, that perhaps this was more, but right now she was trying to keep things calm and easy going for the both of them, or well, at least for Stuart.  "You aren't boring either."  She added quickly, before she decided it would be best to just change the subject.

She did not want to have him thinking anymore about him being lifeless or boring, he wasn't.  She enjoyed her time with him, she was just trying to get him to loosen up, like he usually was.  Easy going, talkative when he wanted to be, but now he was wound tighter then a spring and she just thought it better for him to relax.  And she could see that he was relaxing, at least somewhat.  She listened silently as he explained that he liked it here.  That he enjoyed being here but he was worried.  Nicky could understand his fear, she could see why he might be nervous about it all.  "Well, I think with time people will get used to you, and the accent.  Just like anything else you will become old news, and that is what you want.  Then you will be just like everyone else around here, well sort of." 

She at least hoped for him that it was true, that he would be able to live here without the ever watchful eyes and the gossip.  She knew that some of the government, those royalists, believed in the leaving of redcaps and even if he had family here, he was a red cap and would not be as liked as others.  So it was obvious to have that fear, she just wanted to see all the nonesense and problems with red caps disappear. 

When the question was thrown back to her she quickly shook her head.  "Nope.  I've never been anywhere other then Ireland.  And I've only really traveled between Meadowsweet and here.  Sure I've stopped and cities and villages in between but nothing major.  I've never really been to the northern states.  Just around here is all."  She took another sip of her bailey's.

Nicky had ordered herself the lamb stew as well, not up for anything more than that.  Sitting back in her seat she looked around the pub and then settled her eyes back on him.  Calm and at ease.  "Well your French speaking skills could have fooled me.  It is very exotic"  She added in her own Irish slur which was so different then even his American accent that she had always found amusing and interesting.  "So do you like your job more or less?"  She asked, knowing that at first he had thought himself to only be a garbage man and to clean up the place.  She wondered if he had more responsibility now that he had been working there a while.

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart had been startled when Nicky reached over and placed her hand on his, but he tried not to show much reaction. Instead he simply turned his hand over and held hers in his, and stayed like that as he answered her questions. He could follow up, it was taking the first step that was weirding him out. The alcohol was loosening him up and he felt more like his normal self with her now. Except that he was holding her hand. He tried not to think about that too much as they continued to talk.

He listened quietly as she told him that eventually he would fit in, accent and everything. Stuart wasn't so sure about that. He and Zippy completely stood out here; he couldn't imagine them ever blending in amongst the native Irish. And yet here he was, in an Irish pub, holding hands with a girl so Irish she hadn't even been out of the country. What was he doing, if not trying to fit in? His brows knit in confusion, though, when she mentioned Meadowsweet. He couldn't remember if he'd heard of the place before. "Where's that?" he asked.

Stuart smiled as she mentioned his French. "It's not all that exotic. My French is pretty bad, actually. I understand it easily but it's hard for me to actually speak it. I have to get a running start. I could probably say a lot of things that would sound exotic to you but aren't at all." He stopped, looking around to see if anyone was watching them. He was actually glad now that they had gotten a table in the corner. He was sick of being watched at every turn and happy to be out of the view of everyone else.

He had never touched Nicky's hand before. It felt soft and warm in his own, and Stuart looked down at their hands clasped together as he lightly rubbed his thumb over top of her fingers. Her hand was a little larger than Hannah's; she'd had small hands with longer nails. He felt a pang of sadness as he thought of Hannah's hand in his own as she lead him through her store, and he quickly shook it off, hoping that Nicky hadn't noticed. She was asking him about his job and he looked up at her, blinking for a moment before answering. "I do like it. I do a little more than pick up garbage now but even if I didn't I like being outdoors and working with my hands. I'd rather do that than sit in an office. I don't know how your grandmother does it."

[Nicolette St. James]

Nicky had placed her hand atop of his to calm him, as a means to let her know that she was there and she did truly want for him to be safe and to blend in like they too wanted, at least she hoped they wanted to blend in.  She had been about to pull her hand back when Stuart turned his hand over and the two hands collided.  Her fingers glided up and down his palm while his thumb rubbed the back of her hand.  She had long, thin, fingers that went with the rest of her long, thin body.  She had nails, that were rounded and almost dainty looking, but they weren't very long.  She had kept them short always but now she had a reason, she was baking, and she didn't like the stuff under her nails.  Plus, gardening in the dirt outside, it was much easier to clean shorter nails compared to longer ones.

"It is in the state Moytirra.  Ok lets see."  She fumbled with her free hand grabbing the pepper and the salt.  "Alright, this is Cat's Claw and this is New Grange"  Cat's Claw was on her right and Newgrange on her left.  She had them relatively close together even if they were a train ride apart.  She then grabbed her drink and put it a great distance away from the salt.  "This is Tangled Paths.  This is the next big city to Cat's Claw."  She said and then reaching over she took his glass, steered it over to the right side and almost at the edge of the table.  "That is Meadowsweet.  Cat's Claw, Tangled Paths and Meadowsweet are all coastal cities.  And you run through Tangled Path's to get to Cat's Claw.  Its a two weeker, possibly a weeker trip.  But it is a trip.  Sometimes what we do is travel floo powder from Meadowsweet to Newgrange"  She pointed to the pepper on her left side.  "That is only about a half hour trip, and then take the train to here.  But dad wanted me to get the scenic trip when I first arrived."   She rolled her eyes.  "So Meadowsweet is like in the Center of Ireland, just on the far right side, and Glenroan is on the immediate opposite coast line.  Their waters are a bit choppy.  Meadowsweet is just beneath Mullyknock where a lot of fisherman are located.  I've never been up there.  In fact Glenroan and Meadowsweet is the furthest I've ever been.  North of that, is all a mystery."

The topic had turned back to Stuart and his French.  She could only smile as he tried to downplay the fact that he knew French even if it was bad French.  "Well I thought you did a very good job.  I mean don't get me wrong, I love Gaelic, but that is the only other language I speak, and it doesn't really count.  Gaelic is the Irish language other then English."  Most of their spells were performed in Gaelic, as taught at Whispers Academy.  Plus, as a child you were taught the Gaelic language to better prepare you for the schooling.  You got the alphabet down and you learned words just like learning English, they went hand in hand.

"Well good.  I am glad you like your job so much."  She nodded suddenly and let out a small laugh.  "I don't know how she does it either.  Well, I sort of do.  She doesn't spend hours upon hours inside the office.  She makes a lot of house calls and has a lot of outtings.  But when in the office.  I don't know.  Especially with all those stuffed shirts."  She rolled her eyes.  Royalists, she'd love to wipe out the lot of them starting with those blasted Brennan's.  But things like that got you arrested and she knew better then to say anything.  Especially with Stuart around.  The fact was, Stuart was not out of the woods yet when it came to him being a red cap.  People were still going to judge him for a while and Nicky certainly didn't want to make it worse for him.  She would plan to have her outbursts in front of other people, not the American.

"I certainly know I couldn't work their.  I'd end up popping my mouth off or hexing someone and I'd be hauled out the front door on my first day.  They are like peacocks strutting around parading their power."  She again rolled her eyes.  She had a large dislike for the royalists and anyone that was going to work for them to enstill the rules.  Like the Carrick Guard.  She was ready to zap a couple of those suckers.  She hated them.  They just liked to bully people, that is what she thought.

Stew being one of the meals in the back already cooked and prepared, the waitress returned with two large bowls of soup, and a small basket of dark brown rolls, perfect for tearing apart and dipping into the stew.  Nodding to the waitress the woman waited asking if either would like something else to drink.  Nicky ordered herself another bailey's as well as a water to go with the meal.  She couldn't take the sweet Irish drink and the heavy stew together, it was too much.  She'd save the next ordered drink as an after dinner drink.

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart was surprised that Nicky didn't pull her hand away, especially when she began moving things around to show him where the different cities in Magical Ireland were. He watched intently, interested to know exactly where everything was. His thinking was that if he was going to be staying here for a while he should find out more about this world into which he'd been planted. He had been meaning to get to the library to look at a map but the library was only open during weekdays and he didn't want to take time off from work just to go to the library to look at a map. He listened as Nicky told him where everything was, narrowing his eyes at the shakers and the glasses on the table as he tried to picture it in his head. "Okay, so which way is up? Here?" he asked, pointing to his glass that was representing Meadowsweet. "You're saying that's north of us, right? Is there anything below us? Where does Broken Wand fit into this?" He'd heard of Mulleyknock, of course. That was where Jarek had gone to take a fishing job for the summer; Hannah told him the day he found her wandering around town, wide-eyed and frightened. He had, however, never heard of something called floo powder, but he kept quiet as he listened to her explain further about Magical Ireland.

Nicky mentioned his French again, and he gave a short laugh. "Well, I can order in a restaurant. And I can tell you to stop hitting your sister and call you in for dinner. Rentrer ici et prendre votre manteau! I heard that sort of thing a lot," he said as he grinned at her. "I don't think I've ever heard Gaelic being spoken. Can you have a conversation in it?"

The topic changed to work, and as Nicky spoke he happened to think that they were both in job for which they were well-suited. Stuart couldn't imagine working in a coffee shop. He'd have to help people and talk to them, when really his first inclination would be to tell them to get their own damn coffee. Nicky obviously loved it and he could understand why. He could see her there in the thick of it, chatting up the customers, finding out about the latest gossip (hopefully not about him), doling out the pastries and coffee with a smile and a clever remark. She always knew just what to say, and he admired that in her. One of the most trying aspects of his job was that he had to deal with people at the campground every day. If he could just go about his work alone that would be one thing, but he'd always had a difficult time when people asked him questions. He did his best, but he would have been happy to have been left alone. Nicky had begun talking about the An Taoisigh and her grandmother working there, and that reminded Stuart of something he'd wanted to ask her. "By the way, did you ever say anything to your grandmother about us going out tonight? Did Anne say anything to her?"

The food arrived and Stuart let go of Nicky's hand. Nicky asked for water and Stuart asked for a stout. He realized that he'd forgotten to wash his hands when they got here and as soon as the waitress had left he stood, making his apologies. "Hang on, Nicky," he said, placing his napkin on the table. "I'll be right back."

[Nicolette St. James]

"Yeap, Meadowsweet is North of us."  She nodded looking at her own little map.  Meadowsweet was the northern point to the furthest right on the table.  While Cat's claw was more in the center of the table but directly towards her.  "Alright, Ireland sort of curls.  See we are the Most southern tip.  We also happen to be on the East coast.  But we are the most southern tip.  To the west of us is Newgrange and then Dovinia that is north west of us.  North of Meadowsweet is Mullyknock, west and a little north of that is Bent wand."  She was not sure where he got Broken wand, but there was no Broken wand anywhere.  There was only Bent wand.  "I don't know anything about Broken Wand, I think someone was trying to fool you.  Alright so north of Mullyknock is Cloonmorris, and they are on the most North Eastern tip, finishing off Ireland.  Directly west, on the most northern Western tip is Lissard.  And as for your Bentwand, that is located in the northern part, in the center.  Right next to Mullyknock.  But they aren't on the coast."  She looked down at the map, clearly they had no more room for this so she was just pointing to the air and on Stuart as if drying imaginary lines with her finger.

"I'll get you a map."  She said finally realizing how difficult this must be for him.  She had gotten him several books on different animals and beasts in Ireland and had most recently added plants to the pile.  She had wanted him to be very aware especially since some of the local vines were poisonous.  Made  you break out in horrid rashes. 

Finalizing Ireland with the idea of a map she was turned back to French and Gaelic.  Listening as he threw out the French wording for 'stop hitting your sister'.  She laughed softly, it sounded beautiful even though it was more of a demand to stop hurting someone.  "Still sounds exotic."  She said and then the question came to her.  "No, oh I'm sure you have heard it.  Just never knew you were listening to it."  She stopped a moment and nodded.  "Oh yes, you can have a conversation in it, but it can be difficult for those that don't use it all the time.  Different conotations for different words and such.  But like you go to Glenroan and they very rarely speak English.  And the same with Lissard, well at least that is what I've been told, I haven't been there myself.  There are many smaller areas like little villages that prefer the ancient language."  She shrugged.

"I bet you have heard this before."  she said.  "Scoir den obair."  She had said the words rather loud, and immediately the room cheered.  She laughed softly.  "All I said was knocked off.  Or rather that is what I'd have said to you.  Though in Gaelic it means I finished, or I knocked off, and in a pub that usually means my stout or ale or drink.  So they of course cheer and will get another round."  She shook her head.  "So yes, we can use it to hold conversations, but it is a very different language to English so many people just use it privately or with their spells."  She nodded.

Glad to be off the subject as though Nicky knew Gaelic it was hard for her to visualize what she was saying, to be put on the spot was hard.  She stuck with English because it had been the first language taught and came much easier to her.  Though Gaelic was used plenty of times, to yell at the kids or to say things that wanted more emphasis then what the English language would provide.

At the mention of her grandmother Nicky shook her head.  "I didn't want the added pressure of Bama, for either of us.  I wouldn't be surprised if she had showed up here to see how we were doing.  So no, I left her out of it and Anne had kept her mouth shut as well, per my request.  So for now we are keeping a lid on it.  I figured there was no need to tell her anything until we know what we both want."  She nodded.  "She is already trying to push us together, why make it that much easier on her?"  She laughed softly.  She liked her decision to not tell her grandmother.  Of course after tonight she was certain someone would say something.  It just happened that way. 

She nodded to Stuart as he left and she returned her hands to her lap.  Taking a sip of the water that had arrived right after Stuart had left.  Now suddenly alone, she was able to reflect.  She was hoping he was enjoying himself and that the two were getting on just fine.  In her mind things were like they always were except for a few minor differences.  They had held hands, they were talking about more then just the weather and the town.  They were talking about other things.  Sure the topics were still safe, but they were talking, and it flowed easily which was another good thing.  She felt comfortable, no problems and though just maybe this was going to work out.  For now, at least.

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart sat back, confused. "Bent Wand? No, it's Broken Wand, right?" Was she wrong, or had he heard Ryan Avery wrong when he told him to tell people where he was from? He was going to have to check his papers to see exactly where he was supposed to be from. God, had he been going around telling people the wrong name for his supposed home town all of this time? For as stupid as he was being about all of this, he was surprised that he had managed to avoid jail this long. So the town where he was supposed to be from was in the north. He wondered how long it would take to get there. He was sitting there turning all of this over in his mind when Nicky came to his rescue again by offering to get him a map. "Okay, thanks," was all he said.

Their discussion of languages changed from French to Gaelic as Nicky shouted out some Gaelic words. He had heard it once before in this very pub but hadn't really thought anything of it. Things happened around him all the time that didn't make sense, and he learned to just ignore them. Now, though, he knew what it meant because Nicky explained it to him. He was impressed that she knew a second language, although he guessed it was in a situation very similar to his.

Stuart nodded as Nicky said she hadn't told her grandmother about them being out tonight. "Probably makes it easier on you if you don't," he said, finishing off his whiskey. He was feeling pretty good now and realized that it was time to cut back on the hard liquor or he would get drunk. His plan was to order a nice beer to keep the mellow feeling going but no more whiskey. "I really expected Holly to make sure you were all dolled up like a princess when I picked you up." He stopped, coloring. "I mean, not that you don't look very pretty now. You look great. I mean..." He trailed off, completely embarrassed. "You know what I mean," he finished.

The food had arrived and he had stood and made his way to the men's room to wash his hands. He thought about the evening so far as he soaped up his hands, wondering if Nicky was regretting her decision to go out with him tonight. She seemed to be okay, but he had seen her bite her tongue and cover up her true feelings before. Maybe she was just being polite. For his part, he thought it was going well. He hadn't made any huge blunders. The most forward thing he had done was to hold her hand, but she was the one who put her hand on his first. He wondered if she had realized yet how much her touch affected him. She didn't seem to know just how difficult it was for him to deal with. It was added pressure for him this evening, but he was glad she had put her hand on his. He liked the casual way Nicky touched him, like it wasn't even something she thought about. It seemed that she apparently was an affectionate and physical person, and she attached no weight to placing her hands on someone else. Stuart was also an affectionate and physical person, but touching and being touched meant something far greater to him than it evidently did for Nicky.

Stuart dried his hands and made his way back to the table. He smiled at Nicky as he sat down, his stout having arrived while he was away, and he picked up a piece of bread and tore off a piece. "Have you had any yet? Is it any good?"

[Nicolette St. James]

Nicky had started laughing about her grandmother.  He was probably right.  She would have probably had Nicky wearing a dress that was completely uncomfortable right with heels and a bow for good measure.  Her make up would have been over the top and you'd have probably smelled her a mile away with some sort of perfume.  All in all she was happy that she hadn't told her Bama.  "I know what you mean.  She'd probably had me made up like some doll.  You could you see it?  She'd have picked out the most private and romantic spot for us to go and had a spotlight on us the entire night."  She laughed again.  "I just thought for our first date we should keep it casual.  I like the choice.  I would hate to be someplace where we were uncomfortable." 

Nicky had not worried about the fumbling of his words.  She had known what he had meant all along and did not understand why he had gotten so embarrassed about it.  He had been absolutely right, she would have probably looked like an overstuffed princess if her grandmother had had her way.  As he excused himself she waited patiently.  She did not plan on starting her meal without him, something she had in fact picked up from her father.  One of the only things she had picked up from him.  Once Stuart had returned Nicky smiled and took a roll herself and ripped it open, putting it on the plate next to the bowl.  "Nope, hadn't tried any yet.  Was waiting on you.  But I've had it before and it always hits the spot."  She added. 

Now that Stuart was back, Nicky actually quieted down and tucked into her meal.  The one problem with stew was that it had the potential to be messy, and spill.  So her concentration was on the spoon and the stew.  Her back and forth method very sturdy indeed, not wanting a potential disaster to strike.  Sipping on the stew she put down the spoon and tore into the bread smearing it into the thick brown gravy and pushing it through to pick up bits of carrot, celery and lamb.  Pushing the small piece in her mouth she found this method to be easier and actually much more tasty. 

Swallowing hard her eyes looked back to him.  "Did I ever mention I like the beard?  It makes you look much more rugged, like a manly man."  Nicky nodded with enthusiasm.  "Very sharp, well at least I think so."  She added the last part and then returned to her meal.  It was true, she liked the bearded look far better then his clean shaven face.  There was something about his rugged looks that made him fit the part of his woodsman job.  Plus, she found that he looked more attractive with the short beard.

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart dug into the stew. He'd never really had lamb before coming to Ireland. Where he grew up, the hog was king. People in North Carolina and Tennessee had more delicious ways of preparing a pig than there were stars in the sky, but lamb was just not something they'd had all that often. The stew tasted great, however. He wasn't going to complain.

He watched Nicky eat like a pro with precision and grace. It was a messy meal, as evidenced by the bread crumbs all around his dish, but Nicky wasn't making a mess at all. Even though they had talked about it before he excused himself, Stuart was thinking about her grandmother arranging a date for them. He found the scenario entirely amusing and couldn't stop laughing to himself about it. He tore off a small piece of bread and chewed it. "You know, I'm surprised Holly hasn't set us up before now. Forced us to go out some place together or something. She would have dressed me up, too, put me in a kilt or a suit." He brought his eyes up to Nicky's and laughed. "We'd look like we were going to the prom." He was quietly pleased that she liked the place he chose to go. He hoped she wouldn't find it boring -- his aim was to find a casual, non-romantic place for their first date.

Stuart was in the middle of trying to get a piece of potato to balance on his spoon when Nicky told him she liked his beard and that she thought it made him look rugged and manly and sharp. Stuart nearly dropped his spoon. He ate up her compliment like he was eating up the stew, and he felt his heart begin to thud. He swallowed hard and lifted his eyes to hers, holding them for just a second before speaking. "No, you didn't. Thanks." That was all he could manage, and he went back to eating his stew. He didn't know if she meant it like she was giving him a signal or if she was just saying it like his sister or Holly would have said it. He couldn't tell exactly if he was getting mixed signals from Nicky tonight or if it was just his inference. Maybe she really did just want to be here as friends. Maybe touching his hand and complimenting his beard were just random things to make him feel more at ease, and that she hadn't meant anything romantic by any of it. Maybe he was so starved for female companionship that he was reading inferences where there were none. He just didn't know, and he didn't want to push himself on Nicky. For his part, there was more than mere friendship, but this was their first date. He hadn't expected anything other than what they'd always had with each other, and he decided that his best bet was to stop looking for romantic signals where there were probably none to be had.

Stuart took a sip of his beer as he considered the woman sitting opposite from him. He couldn't believe that they'd known each other for months and yet really didn't know any basic information about each other. Like their families. She knew about his sister and he knew about her grandmother and that was about it. He decided to learn more. "Okay, so I know all about your Bama, but I don't know anything else about your family. You have a brother, right? No sisters?"

[Nicolette St. James]

Nicky again took to laughing, being sure to cover her mouth so no sparse bits of bread or stew came flying out as he spoke of her grandmother yet again.  "One day we will get you into a kilt Stuart.  You are in Ireland, manly men do not wear suits.  They wear kilts.  They like the feel of a breeze blowing between their legs."  She laughed again, covering her mouth as she couldn't stop thinking of it.  It was what all men had always said whenever they got together in their kilts.  The breeze between their legs.  It was like them talking about the weather.  The older men especially loved to go on and on about the wind up their kilts, as if it were a right of passage to let their genitals breathe.  "But I think Bama was just letting us figure it out on our own.  She knew we had become friends, I guess she figured it was only a matter of time, either that or she figured you and I were off finding others."  Nicky shrugged and returned to eating her meal.

Poor Stuart and his mixed messages.  Nicky liked him, but she never usually gushed out her emotion on liking a fellow.  She preferred to allow things to happen.  She boldly kissed many men and touched them, she was not so back in the stone ages that she waited for men to make the first move.  But she also wasn't one of those prissy little females that would gush about their emotions.  The only real emotion that Nicky showed was her temper, and her ambition to help those in need.  She could chatter on and on about other things of the nature but when it came to gushing and sparkling and fluttering her eyes, she just hadn't learned those prissy skills.

Again Nicky went to smearing the bread into the bowl and pulling up more stew and taking bites.  It was filling her quickly, along with the frequent sips of water to help restore her palate and not dry her out completely.  His question stopped her eating momentarily and she wiped her mouth with the napkin thinking of how best to go about this, and decided it was easiest to just dive in.  "Logan.  He is my brother, the eldest and just like my father.  An up tight horses arse.   He has been courting a girl back in Meadowsweet by the name Renee Sinclaire.  The woman is just like my mother.  Prim and proper and never speaks out of term and is always so forthright to protect my brothers interest."  She rolled her eyes dramatically.  "In short she is boring.  I love my parents and brother, don't get me wrong.  But they hate rocking the boat, they hate voicing their opinions, and their idea of a fight is a very stern discussion.  They lack passion and drive"  She said with much animation.  "My brother, is very fitting for his job, he is an accountant up at Meadowsweet, and my father has gone into his own practice of teaching younger children the basics of Gaelic.  He does that in Meadowsweet.  Teachers ages seven through ten.  My mother is a house wife, never has worked and never wants to work.  She thinks I should find myself a husband and raise a family."

Nicky suddenly laughed.  "Ma sent me an owl just last week thinking that Bama is a bad influence on me.  She was shocked to hear I was working at the coffee shop.  Coffee is a sign of bad things.  It gets the blood pumping."  She laughed again.  "So behind on the times.  But I do love them, even if they drive me crazy.  I think that is why I like it here so much.  Bama hardly minds what I do and I have the freedom to do as I please without my mother's watchful eye and my father's constant disappointment that I couldn't be more like my brother."  

Nicky popped the last bit of bread into her mouth and savored the last bit of her stew that had sufficed in filling her completely.  "What about you?  I know Zippy.  But Bama had said when you first arrived that you had another brother.  I haven't heard you ever talk about him.  What is your family like back home?  What is it like over there?"  She asked, always curious to have known about America but it never seemed like the appropriate time.  Now that they were on the path of getting to know each other she felt it was the perfect time to dig in his past about this Tennessee place he had mentioned.

[Stuart LaRoche]

Stuart had made the mistake of bringing up kilts, and now Nicky swore that they would get him in one. There was no way in hell that was going to happen. He refused to go out in public wearing a dress, especially a dress with nothing underneath. He looked Nicky straight in the eye and in all seriousness said, "You will never get me in a kilt, I don't care how great the breeze feels blowing between my legs. Jesus." He couldn't believe he just said that about the breeze blowing between his legs in front of her, and turned pink. Him in a kilt. What a train wreck that would be. He was an American, goddammit, and American men didn't go around wearing skirts.

He had switched the subject to her family, and listened as she told him about them. "So, wait," Stuart said, sitting back in his seat. "If your father is an uptight horse's ass and your mother is prim and proper and your brother is like them, then where did you...." He trailed off, suddenly realizing the answer to his unfinished question. He laughed. "Oh, right. Your grandmother. You got your charming personality from your grandmother. It must skip generations." He laughed again when he heard her mother's assessment of coffee. "Are you kidding me? Isn't getting your blood pumping a good thing? Honestly, Nick, you don't sound anything like the rest of your family at all. Good thing, too. I'm sure you're more fun."

Nicky had polished off her stew and turned the tables by asking him about his family, and he finished the rest of his stew before replying. "You probably won't ever hear me talk about my brother. We don't get along because he's a jackass who thinks he's God's gift to the world." Stuart sat for a moment, bitterly thinking about how Philippe had abandoned him and Zippy here in Cat's Claw with barely enough money to get by. "He was here briefly but he left for France or something. I don't know, I don't care. Anyway." Stuart let out a breath, angry now and trying to forget about his brother. "It's just the three of us in my family, me, Zippy and Philippe. My family back home is normal. Boring. My dad is from a town outside of Quebec in Canada and my mom's family has been in the United States for generations." He looked at her, wondering if she was guessing what he was telling her. He wasn't going to spell anything out for her, figuring he'd just leave her to guess it on her own. "My dad's family settled in Tennessee but we lived in North Carolina. It's beautiful there. Lots of woods and mountains and waterfalls. I used to camp outside all the time." He took another swallow of his beer, nearly finishing the glass. "I miss it sometimes. I miss my parents, too. I haven't heard from them since we arrived."