Dinner discussion

[ghargreaves]

The restaurant in the hotel was relatively busy, patrons from both the hotel, and outside, enjoying the cuisine. Gerald had booked a table after confirming a time with Julianna, and was, as usual, early. He had ordered a gin and tonic, and was just finishing it when the sommelier, or at least what Americans thought passed as one, appeared with the bottle of wine Gerald had ordered.

"Yes, that's the one," he confirmed when shown the label, nodding when asked if he would like it opened. "Yes, it needs to breath," he told the young man, figuring that if nothing else, at least the chap would have a better understanding of the role he was employed to fulfill. "And another gin and tonic, if you would be so kind," he told him, pleased he hadn't had to tell the chap that the bottle should be opened in front of him and left to breath on the table. At some ghastly restaurant in New York they'd tried to take the bottle away, and tried to act offended when he clearly pointed out that he wasn't about to give them the opportunity to decant the wine in the bottle and replace it with a cheaper variety.

He nodded his approval of the linen napkin that was correctly draped around the neck of the bottle, as he had instructed, and settled back in his chair, returning to observing the tide of humanity that was dining in the Golden Nugget that evening.

Comments

Re: Dinner discussion

[ghargreaves]

He could see it in her again. That need to be accepted, to be important in the life of one of these Slayers. She had put them before the proposal of marriage from Edmund, something that although she had explained all those years ago, he had secretly never understood.

"A good soldier can die just as quickly as a bad one if they face an opponent who is more than they can defeat," he said matter-of-factly, his glass waving in a generalised motion. "My one piece of advice to you is don't leave yourself open to more heart ache, Julianna." The last was said with a tinge of genuine feeling. He drained his glass and studied the four cubes of ice that remained in the bottom, clustered around the thin slice of lemon. "Their is a calling, something pressed upon them by the fates, and the Powers Than Be. Nothing you or I can do will ever change that." He looked back up at her. "Don't take on the responsibility of things that are far beyond our control. No good comes of it."

Re: Dinner discussion

[st_clare]

It was probably very good advice, but Julianna couldn't bring herself to heed it. If she didn't take a risk, nothing would change. The worst thing a person could ever have was regrets. As much as losing Allison had hurt, she didn't - couldn't - regret befriending her. Possibly that was part of the reason she hadn't put it behind her after all this time.

"I appreciate your concern, Gerald," she said with a warm smile. "And I'm not planning to be foolish about this. Someone told me that it's not my place to make decisions for other people, and I'm trying to take that to heart."

The food arrived, brought to the table on a wheeled cart, and the Watcher unwrapped her cutlery and put the cloth napkin in her lap. She'd ordered the fettucine alfredo with shrimp, but only because they couldn't serve a rare enough steak for her liking. But pasta was a fine substitute.

"So." The waiter had departed, leaving them to their dinners. "Enough about me. I'd like to hear about you. How are things on your end?"

Re: Dinner discussion

[ghargreaves]

The change of subject made him smile. It was still a subject she didn't want to discuss, which told him more than she could have. He picked up the wine that had just been poured and took a sip, rolling the French red around his tongue. There was something about the way the flavour changed in the warmth of the mouth and he nodded his appreciation before lowering his glass to the table again.

"Things are interesting," he answered, picking up his utensils and studying the piece of eye fillet presented on his plate. "My trip here was a little rushed, but has already proven to be fruitful." He started to carve a small piece of meat as he continued to tell Julianna of his meeting with the multi-appendaged entertainment manager of the bar Ragnarok. "Rather a handy place to keep tabs on, from all appearances," he added as he picked up is wine and took another sip.

Re: Dinner discussion

[st_clare]

She listened with interest while Gerald described his encounter at Ragnarok, made a note that she should possibly visit the place herself. The Seventh Circle didn't appeal to her, but a less combat-oriented establishment might. It didn't escape her attention that the other Watcher didn't mention anything about his personal life, but he'd always been reserved on the subject. She didn't even know if he'd tried to start seeing someone in the wake of Elisabeth's death.

"You'll find the area a bit lacking in culture at first, at least compared to London," Julianna said as she twirled some noodles onto her fork. "But there are programs hosted by the university, and there's Cottonwood Cove, which is only a few miles away. I was on one of their day cruises not that long ago."

Re: Dinner discussion

[ghargreaves]

"Cottonwood Cove? How quaint," Gerald replied. "It sounds more suited to somewhere on the Mississippi. And a cruise? Was this somewhere up in the mountains, on that Lake Tahoe?" he asked, reminding himself he really did need to take a look at the maps he'd collected, and familiarise himself with the locations for their names, and not just the deserts and mountains for their historical, geological, and archeological value.

Re: Dinner discussion

[st_clare]

"It's a resort and marina on Lake Mohave," Julianna answered. "A woman in my department organized an outing, but because it was the off-season for tourists the place was rather deserted. It is quaint, though. A good place for privacy if you want to get out of the city for a weekend."

The shrimp were a little tough, but there were plenty of them. The Watcher had cut herself off after two gimlets since she was driving, but the wine was very good for a relatively new vintage. "Will you be taking an apartment, or do you intend to keep residing here?"

Re: Dinner discussion

[ghargreaves]

"I don't know how long I will be staying at the moment, so I will remain here for the meanwhile." Gerald dissected his meat with the same delicate precision he would employ when revealing the secrets of the ancient world from it's entombment in millenia of soil and compaction. The vegetables on his plate were cut into equal sizes and a combination of them forked together before being placed in his mouth for consumption.

"Lake Mohave, this is somewhere to the west, southwest?" he added, wondering if Julianna had heard of this town, Searchlight, that he had been directed to.

Re: Dinner discussion

[st_clare]

"It's to the south, about an hour from Las Vegas," she answered. "I didn't expect to find somewhere for recreational swimming outside of a hotel pool in an arid place like this, but I intend to go back in the summer when the weather is more typical of the state."

It piqued her curiosity that Gerald might not remain in Nevada permanently, but in his line of work travel was imperative because the next treasure trove could be found anywhere. Was he looking for something in particular?

"Is there to be a dig in the vicinity?"

Re: Dinner discussion

[ghargreaves]

"A long drive for somewhere to swim," he joked, "but you say they have cruises? A day beneath sail was always a good salve to the soul," he mused, "and something I haven't had the opportunity to do since my last visit to Cairo. Even that wasn't the most pleasant as the weather wasn't particularly pleasant and the pollution in the air made it even less enjoyable. I would hazard that there is little of that problem at this Lake Mohave, given the lack of population and industry? And no, sadly no dig, as there is little to no evidence of anything buried beneath the sands, other than more sands. The natives of this land were seemingly more nomadic, so just as it is in the greater part of many desert regions, there is little to justify any sort of archeological search." He paused for a moment, before adding, in a slightly quieter tone, "which of course means there could be things going undiscovered that were not necessarily architectural in nature, yet still of archeological interest."