It's a date

Who: Doc and Eva
When: Eveningish
Where: Eva's place

It's a date. The words echoed in Doc's head as he drove, one hand gripping the suicide knob on his steering wheel as the other punched a tape into the tapedeck and plucked a smoke from his lips, tapping ash away. He'd spoken to Eva a handful of minutes earlier, a last confirmation before hopping in the car and hoping his duties would be mindful of his need for a social life. It was going to be casual, she'd said, which let Doc breathe easy over not having to buy another new shirt.

The one he'd had on was free of cigarette burns or logos of long-defunct rock acts, and most importantly it was clean. It passed as casual, right? Parking by the curb down from her house a ways, Doc hopped out and mindfully brushed a spot of ash from his shirt and started up the sidewalk, Second dates meant honesty, didn't they? If he wanted there to be a third, he'd do well to think that way and trust that Eva wouldn't react badly to the details of his life.

Eva never really did 100% casual; she wouldn't leave the house without at least a little mascara on and never in a pair of sweatpants unless she was jogging or they were all black and it was night time, but she was dressed casually enough in a pair of jeans and a longsleeved shirt bearing the logo of the university she'd attended in Florence, looking surprisingly collegiate with her hair pulled back in a high ponytail.

When she heard the knock at her door, she pulled it open and stepped back to let Doc inside. "That was a quick drive," she complimented with a warm smile. "How are you?"

"Feeling underdressed by comparison," he teased in response, looking to his faded jeans and steel-capped boots, "But good... glad you called." Moving inside, Doc couldn't help the smile that crept across his face as he breezed past her and took in the bearing she managed to give those plainclothes. "I was already out, doing a bit of shopping," Doc explained, bending over to settle his hands at the straps of one boot and begin unfastening it.

"It's just jeans and a t-shirt," Eva said with a laugh. "It would be hard to be underdressed when you're wearing the exact same thing." She closed the door behind him, resting a hand briefly on his back as she slipped past him in the hall to head into the kitchen. "I was thinking that Thai place you'd mentioned before," she said as she straightened up a bit. "What do you think, eat there or pick something up and come back here with a movie?"

"You make it look better than I could hope to," Doc complimented smoothly, winking at her to disarm the compliment with a joking edge. "They don't really do a dine-in service, so I'm guessing a movie," he went on, ceasing his work at a boot for the moment. "And I may just linger here, these things take a few minutes to get back on." But they were infinitely practical when tonight could hold battle in some form or another.

Doc looked towards the kitchen where she'd headed, hands tucking in his pockets as he chuckled. "You'll need to pick the movie, I'm not real up to date on cinema these days," he called after her.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Eva teased back, grinning as she rejoined him. "But we're in no rush; if you give me the name of the place, I could always call in an order while you get yourself strapped in. I haven't the faintest idea what sort of American cinema is recent, so I think you and I will just have to browse the shelves together. I don't often watch television or movies."

Nodding, Doc looked to her and patted the phone in his pocket. "I can do one better, I already have the number stored in my phone. But it's a place called the Rice Paddy, in case you're ever looking to order for yourself," he explained, a smile cracking his lips. "You'll do better than I would, every time I go in there the lady who runs the place calls me her 'big American boyfriend' and asks if I'm single." He laughed richly for a moment, eyes twinkling with humor as Doc reached a hand to get the door for Eva. "And a shared movie choice? This could be... revealing. About both of us."

Eva couldn't help laughing at his description, locking her front door behind them. "I'll take my chances, then," she said. "You order while I drive; I'll run in to pick it up and tell her I'm having dinner with my 'big American boyfriend.'" She winked at him, though she doubted two dates constituted a relationship, even with the lax standards of college students that she dealt with. "You can wave from the safety of the car. As for the movie... it might have been revealing, had you not given away your intent with that statement. Now I will choose something like 'Dude, where is my car?' just to throw you off." The title, formalized with the contraction she forgot to include and said in her accent, sounded mighty strange, indeed.

That was enough to earn a roll of laughter from Doc in kind, both at her choice and the grammatical change. Walking towards his car, he shook his head in time with slow chuckles and glancing back at her. "All that would accomplish would be a wasted evening for the both of us," he shot back with a smile, "And a few dollars wasted on a movie. If I promise not to analyze your choices, can we get something good?" He reached the passenger's door, unlocking it and leaning against the car for a moment. "It'd be the least I could do if you're covering me from being hit on..."

"I judge no one," Eva said magnanimously and with just the tiniest bit of feigned pompousness. "Unless their taste is poor." She'd automatically started towards her car, sitting in the drive, but when he moved towards his she assumed he preferred to drive. Smiling slightly to herself, she switched direction to join him at the passenger side. "In the interest of wasting neither time nor money," she said, "I promise not to analyze your choices either, and we can get something good. Provided, of course," she added with a faint grin, "that our ideas of 'good' do not diverge too drastically. I'll think of some adequate repayment for sacrificing myself to your ardent admirer later."

Doc did indeed prefer to drive; he knew the little surprises that could intrude on any given day, at any given time. When such things did occur, which was simply a case of inevitability, Doc liked to be squarely at the wheel and ready to react. "Sacrificing yourself? She's not going to ask you out in my place," he teased, popping Eva's door open for her and moving for his own. "You know, Eva," he went on as he circled the car and dragged a hand along it's hood, "I get the feeling our tastes overlap on quite a few areas. I don't think it'll be too herculean to pick out a movie." That said, Doc flashed a wink across the car's roof and clambered into the driver's seat.

"That's a little arrogant, don't you think?" Eva teased. "She may indeed ask me out once she sees me. You did." She slid into the car with a faintly triumphant grin; he couldn't very well refute that without risking insult, though she hoped he knew she wouldn't actually be insulted by their banter. She buckled her seatbelt and laughed slightly. "I would be surprised if it was all that difficult to find something mutually enjoyable," she agreed. "But if got down to it and neither of us was willing to budge, we could always flip a coin or rent two titles."

She had him with her first point, and once again Doc found himself amazed at just how much he could smile in her presence, and how much laughter spilled out because of their talks. "I'll concede that point," he said through a peal of laughter, waiting before starting the car up. "Pressing on would only get me a Phyrric victory, if I won at all." Not that he felt like it was a competition of any sort, far from it. Doc simply didn't meet women quite like Eva, ever, and was amazed how comfortable he felt in these moments together. "But I'm willing to wager the pickup food's going to smell so good neither of us'll feel like arguing over movies," he joked, revving the engine to life and pulling away from the curb.

"Such a shame that Pyrrhus didn't come back for seconds," Eva said, faking a mournful tone. The Romans, after all, had been her ancestors and it wasn't in their makeup to admit defeat. She laughed then, giving up the game. "We'll have to leave it in the car while we choose," she pointed out, "for fear that the video store clerks wouldn't let us leave without a sacrifice, so to speak. You'll have to recommend something for me; Thai food isn't something I've had the opportunity to try very often."

"How much heat do you like?" Doc asked curiously, a sidelong grin aimed towards Eva as he quickly clicked the radio off and steered. It could've been a double-edged question if she took it that way, and if she did? So much the better. Doc was ready and willing to learn every detail he could about the woman sitting across from him.

Since when was Eva one to turn down a potential double entendre, particularly when she was being given such a fantastic opportunity? She wasn't fooled for a second that Doc didn't know what he was doing. So she just gave him a serene smile. "There's no such thing as too much heat," she answered smoothly.

Doc chuckled emphatically, fishing his cigarettes out and popping one to his lips. "You really don't know Thai food," he replied, "But now's what I think of as a prime chance for experience." Tucking the cigarette in one corner of his mouth, he fished his phone free while the other hand kept that suicide knob on course. Quickly scrolling through the numbers, Doc raised the phone to his ear and listened for a moment. The greeting on the other end was enough to click the reflexive switch in his brain, and Doc began to rattle off a steady stream of Thai as he propelled the car towards a video store. Leaving Eva's name for a pickup, he hung up and kept his gaze on the road, smiling a little over the edges his station gave. "I think I ordered us a good spread, and we have time to pick something up before it's ready."

"Oh, you were talking about the food?" Eva questioned politely, cocking an eyebrow. She fell quiet then, listening to him speak what seemed to be effortless Thai, quietly impressed. "Sounds like a good plan," she agreed when he hung up. Then, after a moment, "You speak Thai as well as Italian?" she asked, interested. "That's quite the combination. Any other languages?"

"Quite a few," he explained with a nod, "The benefits of a classical education, if you remember me saying. My uncle put quite a bit of money into my schooling, and I didn't really have much else to do... so I just kept studying. Anything that held my interest, I'd read up on. And really, my Thai's kinda spotty outside of ordering dinner," he finished with a quick grin over at her.

"Thai is a difficult language, from what I understand," Eva said. It was tonal, difficult for a speaker of a Western language to learn. "That's very impressive, whether or not your skill ends only with dinner." She smiled. "I made an attempt at Japanese a few years ago, but I didn't have the time to practice as much as I should. When I stop teaching, I think I'll take a year and do nothing but study languages before taking on any other projects. Give myself a good head start to build on."

"I learned Japanese in college, actually," Doc commented, and it was actually true. He knew a handful of languages independent of his demonic side, and Japanese had been one of the first Doc had ever learned. "If you're interested, maybe I could teach more than the joy of gravity," he offered, slowing at a red light and glancing up the road towards the video store.

"Very interested," Eva said, suppressing another smile - she doubted he realized what he'd said could be taken another way, but her mind seemed to be stuck firmly in the double entendre track. In this, though, she meant it in the same way he had. "Languages have always fascinated me."

Doc nodded in agreement as the car started forward again after a moment, snapping the blinker on to catch the parking lot entrance. "They're amazingly mutable, English especially... it makes me wonder what the world would be like without communication barriers." He missed the inadvertent play on words entirely as he tucked the car into a parking spot, stubbing his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Harder to get a word in edgewise," Eva drawled, teasing. "Though I find the culture just as interesting as the language - it's interesting to see which words influence the customs, and which customs influence the language chosen. Sometimes I wonder if I should go back to school to study it."

"Never too late to stop learning, is it?" he suggested thoughtfully, popping his seatbelt open. "I've found, in my golden years, that having the degree itself isn't quite vital. Learn the material just as rigorously as you would in a class, and there's no difference." Chuckling quietly, Doc cut the engine and hopped from the car, his own thoughts concurrent with hers. Not for the first time, Doc wished there was more time in the day so he might indulge the scholarly side that had existed in him since even before War marked his life. "You're situated right next to a nice big library, after all," he suggested as he hopped onto the sidewalk.

"And I'm a frequent visitor," Eva said, pushing open her door and sliding out. "But there's something still alluring about taking classes and listening to lectures by experts. I'll likely be auditing classes until the day I die. And beyond, if I can find a way to figure that." She grinned, joining him on the sidewalk. "I don't need streets of gold or a choir of angels as long as I have full access to the library of Heaven," she joked.

"Heaven?" Doc asked curiously, fixing a mock-skeptical gaze on Eva. "So sure you're on the list?" Not that he'd be getting in any time soon, himself. Unrepentant killing did that to a guy. "I bet Hell would have a good library too. You know they have Voltaire, Nietzsche, Sartre, Sappho... should I keep going?" he asked with a wide, easy grin as he tugged open the door and held it for her.

"I like to think that God would recognize the difference between reading for knowledge and reading for belief," Eva teased back, "so long as there are no apples around." She didn't consider herself overly religious, but it was hard to buck the teachings of one's childhood. "Perhaps God carries those titles as well," she said with a laugh as she entered the store, turning to wink at him. "Know thy enemy?"

"Touche'," Doc replied, following her inside with a faint chuckle. "I like to think that if there's a God, they're open to every perspective man can dream of, or it wouldn't exist. It's their followers who can make things confusing." Especially in his line of work. Even before days when holy objects flat out burned him; zealous and faith-driven hunters could be almost as much of a problem as his prey itself. "So... where to begin?" he asked curiously, moving up to walk alongside Eva as the breezed along a row of new releases.

"Man was not meant to attempt interpreting the word of God, I don't think," Eva said in agreement. She glanced briefly at the new titles, but didn't really see anything that caught her eye. "One can never go wrong with the classics, I don't think," she said. "But I think I'll let you take the lead this time."

"Careful, you might just get to discover the joys of 'Die Hard' that way," Doc warned with a grin, shaking his head at some of the titles and delving into the bulk of the video store. "It's the best Christmas movie ever made, you realize." He laughed quietly, hands tucking in his pockets as Doc strolled into an aisle of videos, pace slowing to let him study titles.

"I take it this 'Die Hard' was set during the holiday," Eva said dryly, having never seen the film before. "I can only imagine." She trailed along behind him, eyes scanning the titles thoroughly so as not to pass up something potentially good. She was more familiar with Italian cinema and not so much with the American variety, so most of the titles were unfamiliar. "Though I'd always thought 'It's a Wonderful Life' was the best Christmas movie ever made." She shot him a grin.

"Maybe if Jimmy Stewart ran barefoot over broken glass to save his wife," Doc countered with a wink, lips pursing as he weighed possibilities. He very rarely got time to watch movies, and now that it was the plan he had no idea where to start choosing. "I heard good things about 'Pollack'," he ventured, grabbing the case to let Eva have a look. It seemed like a good venture; she loved art, and he liked Ed Harris.

"Interesting," Eva mused as she read the synopsis on the case. "I'm not terribly familiar with Jackson Pollock; abstract expressionism isn't usually something I enjoy. It would be interesting to learn a little more of his life."

"He wasn't a very nice guy, from what I heard out East, back in the day. But that was all just second-hand stories, and this is just option number one." Tucking the movie under his arm, Doc resumed browsing with an idle pace. His eyes weren't on the titles though, they were straying to Eva as his intentions to help her understand his situation rose to the surface again. "So... there's something I was wanting to tell you, probably should've told you over dinner, really."

"Oh?" Eva asked, idly picking out 'Singin' in the Rain' as they passed. Old musicals never went out of style. "I have to tell you, Doc, if you're about to reveal another woman and hope I can share, I may have to leave right now." She flashed him a smile, hoping to set him at ease; she sensed a tiny bit of tension in the set of his jaw - she didn't honestly think he was the type to date more than one woman at once. After all, he'd dropped enough hints about being out of practice, and she just didn't get the sense that he liked to play games. Quite the opposite, in fact. "What is it?"

Glancing past her, Doc bit his tongue for a moment as another customer passed them. "I, um... have kids. Teenagers. Two of them." He wasn't sure what to expect, Doc had never dealt with these particular two scenarios overlapping. "And I don't know if that makes anything weird for you or not, but I figured not mentioning it would." Plus Syn wants to interrogate you, I'm sure. Though now that he'd said it, he couldn't see why he'd been worried before. Sharing a house with two largely independent kids was more like room mates, most of the time.

Of all the things he could have said, having children was really the last thing Eva would have expected. She looked faintly surprised for a moment, then thoughtful. She'd never been overly fond of children - which is why she'd taught young adults, had never had any of her own - but it wasn't as if he was asking her to be a mother. After all, it was only their second date. She could understand his reasoning for telling her now; that wasn't really the sort of thing one mentioned on the first date, nor was it something one left for the last minute. "From a previous relationship?" she asked, finding herself surprisingly interested in this look into his past. "I don't think I have anything to be particularly 'weird' about, do you? How old are they?"

That was a good sign, for sure. She was curious but not defensive, and his fear of her reading it wrong had apparently been baseless. "Adopted, actually," Doc explained in a quiet voice, mindful of their surroundings. "Their mother was like family with me for a long time, and I promised her I'd be there if anything ever happened." Then something did. "Don't get me wrong, they're great kids... love 'em like they were mine. They're both nineteen, twins actually. You might get one or both in a class, I'm not sure what classes they're taking yet."

"Ah," Eva said, sympathy clear in her voice. "I'm sorry for their - and your - loss. They're very lucky children, to have someone like you to care for them." Technically they were teenagers, though Eva didn't know if she really counted them that - they were fairly grown, after all, and teenager had a younger connotation. "What are their names?" she asked, then couldn't resist teasing a bit. "Not that I'd go easy on them, should I have them in a class..."

"Synnove and... Eric, actually," Doc answered, eyes dipping to another movie with the small admission. Adopting the son of a close friend who could very well be his namesake? It gave away some glimpse of his reasons for such commitment, and Doc managed a small nod at her consolation. "Syn's pretty avid with a camera, Eric's still trying to find his passion, I think. But he's a bright kid, for sure. They said that, uh... if you decide to not get sick of me, they'd like to meet you eventually. That was the bit I thought might be weird."

The way he looked down at that confession was beyond endearing, and Eva bit back a smile, reaching out to thread her fingers through his. "A photographer?" she said, curious. "I'd like to see some of her work sometime." She didn't bother to hide her smile this time, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "So far I am not sick of you," she teased him. "I do not think it's weird. I'd like to meet them, too. How could I not, when they seem to be such an important part of your life?"

She was good, supportive in subtle ways that didn't draw attention to her efforts, and Doc was surprised at just how great that felt as he squeezed Eva's hand lightly in response. "It's an adjustment... but they are. And I'm not so sure how good I am at it, but I wouldn't stop now if I could," he asserted with a gentle grin, nodding to the shelves and grabbing a copy of 'The Quiet Man'.

"I don't know personally," Eva said, amused, "but I doubt any parent goes into it knowing how to do everything - or anything, for that matter. You, however, have always struck me as a very capable man. Somehow I doubt you'll do any critical damage." Catching a title on the shelf out of the corner of her eye, Eva snagged 'North by Northwest'.

"Hitchcock? I think we have a winner," Doc commented as he saw her selection, helpless against the flattered smile Eva's assessment earned. "Thanks though, Eva, I really hope so. I think..." they're gonna like you "that the one movie should do us, unless you felt up to a double feature tonight."

"You choose a second," Eva said, setting the musical back on the shelf, "and if we feel like watching it, we shall. If not, that will merely be our first choice for next time." She glanced at her watch. "We should hurry, anyway; our food will get cold if we don't pick it up soon."

Doc nodded in agreement, hanging on to 'Pollack' and holding out his other hand to take the second movie from Eva. "I'll cover these, then," he said as he nodded for her to follow and headed for the counter. "You get dinner, I'll get the show." He was looking forward to some good Thai, to boot. The twins never liked it as spicy as Doc preferred, and while he doubted Eva would either, he was still excited to indulge while he could.

"It's a deal," Eva said, handing over 'North by Northwest'. "And to expedite things, as well as to make sure you can stay far, far away from the poor woman on whom you've had such devastating effect, I'll go pick up dinner while you stand in line." She grinned, edging her way neatly out of line with a playful little curtsy. "I'll meet you back at the car."

"Forward-thinking, I like that," he replied, watching her go with a fond smile. His own personal quirks and hangups aside, he was loving every minute of their time together yet again. Never once had he felt like she was just humoring him, or throwing up a false front to keep things going well. Wish I could say as much. Not that he'd considered outright telling her the truth yet, how could he? With a sigh at where she'd been a moment earlier, Doc stepped up to the counter and dug out his wallet.
Eva, for her part, made the quick trip to the Thai place, the intriguing and exotic smells detectable from beyond the front door. She put in her name and picked up their order, paying quickly. Soon enough she was making her way back to Doc's car, looking around to see if he'd finished in the video store or if she'd beaten him out.

He'd been telling the truth when he said he didn't do this often; Doc had to set up an account. Thankfully the identification he already had was forged, meaning this electronic trail wouldn't add up to anything against him. But that also meant Eva'd managed to get to the car a handful of seconds ahead of Doc, and as he strolled over he flashed her a grin. "Kim didn't give you any grief in there, did she?" he asked with a grin, "I think she knows my car."

"She wanted to know why I was picking up the order instead of the man with the sexy legs," Eva said, raising an eyebrow at Doc and hiding a smile. "Perhaps there is something else you wanted to share with me before we settle in?" she asked, unable to refrain from teasing him a bit. "Some arrangement for free food, perhaps?"

Doc stopped, dumbfounded for a moment with a look of shock on his face before he grumbled sourly and smirked. "I wore shorts in there once like... two years ago, and she's never let up. If she didn't do a gaeng phed that brought tears to my eyes, I'd stop going entirely," he groused, moving to climb into the car and shooting Eva a wounded look that was edged with a smirk.

Eva had burst into a set of surprisingly girlish giggles at the look on his face. It was rude to laugh, certainly, but it had been priceless. "Lucky woman," she managed, trying with marginal success to bite back her laughter as she climbed into the car opposite him, setting the food down on the floorboards at her feet. "When do I get to see you in shorts?" she teased further, buckling up. "If your legs are sexier than mine, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you again."

"If you're lucky? Never," Doc answered, shaking his head in amusement as he buckled up and started the car. "My legs are horrifying, trust me. I wouldn't go basing my hopes on a sixty year old Thai woman's opinion of 'sexy'," he cautioned playfully, backing away from the video store slowly. "And shorts are a rare occasion. Like, my pants are in the laundry and I'm out of cigarettes..."

"And I had such high hopes," Eva said, sighing mournfully. Her act lasted all of thirty seconds before she was chuckling again. "It is precisely a reason like that why I keep extras at home," she said, amused. "God save me from the day I have to leave the house in my laundry clothes."

"Suffice to say I learned my lesson," Doc agreed, glancing over at Eva with a warm smile as he drove. "One time being ogled is enough to keep it from ever happening again." He sighed in quiet amusement, drinking in the aromas coming from their carryout order as Doc focused on the road. "You know..." he began belatedly, "I'd have to see your legs to know if mine were better, in this hypothetical scenario. So when do I get to see you in shorts?"

"I don't do shorts," Eva said dryly, though she did, just only when it was warmer and she went running, or to the beach, or had no clean laundry. Which was almost never. She glanced over at him, one eyebrow firmly raised. "And if you think that line was anything approaching subtle, I'm afraid you'll have to re-evaluate your definition of the word." She hid a smile. "But if you play your cards right, you may yet get a glimpse."

"I really hope you didn't think that was me being subtle," Doc chuckled, shaking his head, "Because if so I think you set the bar a little low." He did his best to wrestle down a smile at her second comment though, fishing out his cigarettes. "Promises, promises... I think I know how Kim at the restaurant feels now," he said with a laugh, slowing as he swung the car around a corner and onto Eva's street.

"Thankfully, I do not think that was your attempt at subtlety," Eva said, chuckling. In the next moment, she was faking haughty disdain. "I don't tease the way you do in your short shorts," she said, fighting the laugh she could feel building. "I tantalize. It makes all the difference in the world."

He believed every word of it, but Doc was having too much fun to just agree passively. "You're arguing semantics, lady," he pointed out wryly, slowing to park his car. "Good semantics, mind you, but still semantics... you could get away calling it whatever you liked, Eva." Where Doc's body was unsettling to some people, he had no illusions that Eva's was practically designed from on high to, as she put it, tantalize.

Eva preened a bit at the compliment, but couldn't resist going for the win. "You say semantics," she said loftily, "I say subtle yet considerable differences. However," she continued, "I have sworn never to use my powers for evil." Grinning at him, she slid sinuously out of the car, food in one hand and house keys in the other. Preceding him to the door, she unlocked it and toed off her shoes while she waited for him to enter.

If she was trying to give an example now, it was working. Doc was distracted and half-there as he followed her up to the house, chuckling at himself as he entered and setting the movies aside long enough to shirk his boots. "Pretty sure I've made a promise or two like that somewhere along the line, myself," he said, looking up at her with a grin as he stepped from his boots.

"Really?" Eva asked as she headed into the kitchen to start setting out the food. "How is that working for you? And what sort of mystifying powers do you have at your beck and call?" The question was a little more honest than he'd have realized; Eva didn't hold any hope that he'd be talented in the same vein she was, but it would be interesting to feel him out a little and guage his reaction to the possibility before outing herself. She glanced over her wine collection, picking out a light vintage that she thought might go well with spicy food - though it was a risk, as she'd never tried to pair anything with Thai food. But it was mild, sweet and fruity and should contrast well.

"Oh, real 'fate of the world' stuff," Doc answered after a moment. He didn't like outright lying, and vagaries made with a joking edge would be enough of a buffer to keep him from doing so. "I can drink more coffee in one sitting than anyone... I can constantly smell like a machine shop, even after showering... and I can recite all the lyrics to 'It's the End of the World As We Know It'," he went on, a challenging little grin in place as he nodded back. "You? Besides bending the wills of men, of course."

"Oh, that's the big one," Eva said, not sure whether to be encouraged or disheartened by his joking tone, wondering if he'd be scared away if he ever found out what else she could bend, and not with her hands. "I can bend time, making what I swear was supposed to be a five minute shower and twenty-five minute shower. I can organize a CD collection by genre and artist name in ten minutes or less and I can sharpen every pencil in a box to the same precise length without counting revolutions." She chuckled, because it wasn't really a joke. She was that organized.

He chuckled with her, shrugging off his coat and draping it in one arm for the moment. Doc took a mindful glance at one sleeve, checking the tattoos that threatened to peer out from under and wondering how many more he'd get to add before he couldn't hide them. "I can reshape reality just by thinking about it," he added in light of her own, his crooked grin robbing the truth from the confession, "And I can organize a dinner of delicious Thai foods." Extending his hand for the bag, Doc winked at Eva briefly, internally wondering when he might have to show how truthful he was.

"A reality landscaper?" Eva said, raising an eyebrow at him with a smile. "I'd like to see that sometime. I wouldn't mind adding a bigger workroom onto the back of the house. Still," she said, "you're no spoon-bender. I really thought you'd be more talented, Doc." Winking, she handed over the food while she poured the wine, letting him arrange it as he wished. "Perhaps you've been out of school too long. Time to brush up on your metaphysical studies?"

"And a spoon is separate from reality?" Doc asked with a curious smile, settling the bag on a countertop and plucking cartons of food free. "Metaphysics and I are probably too familiar with each other, honestly..." No telling too much... dunno when she might believe you. He shook his head as if to disregard his own words, popping open cartons to check their contents, then moving to Eva's cabinets in search of plates.

"Touché," Eva said, conceding the point. "Are you telling me, then, that you could indeed bend this spoon?" And she held up the spoon in her hand, an ordinary sterling teaspoon pulled from her silverware drawer. Her tone was still light, joking, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was treading a thin line, on the border of something larger - she knew she was hinting, but she couldn't read him well enough to decide where he was coming from, save that there seemed to be that same sort of wariness in him.

Turning to glance over one shoulder, Doc glanced at the spoon Eva held up to show him. He grinned earnestly, hands hidden to one side as they left the cartons of food and curled together. "I'm telling you I don't need to," he explained, will pooling even as his pragmatic side screamed at him for even thinking of this little display. "Because I already have one."

Turning to lean against the counter's edge for a moment, Doc's hands opened to reveal a twin to the spoon she had, pulled from it's spot in the drawer to Doc's hands on the current of his will alone. It was a small trick, easily explained as sleight of hand, but she seemed genuinely curious. He winked again, setting the spoon aside to pull down a set of plates. "We've got some yum mamuang to start with," he said in a random topic change, beginning to dish out a chilled salad of fresh fruits and chicken.

Eva laughed in astonished delight at his trick, noting his distance from the cutlery drawer, not quite about to drop the subject yet. "That's impressive," she complimented, reaching out to pick up the spoon he'd produced and inspect it. She'd swear that he hadn't been close enough to finagle it from the drawer, but was hesitant of showing her hand if he was just excessively talented at sleight of hand. "You'll have to teach me your secrets."

"Show me yours and I'll show you mine," Doc murmured from his spot in front of the plates, fighting and losing to his grin. He should've backed off now, fallen back to safe rationale and no more shows of power... but there was something about Eva's insistence, some extra edge to her questioning. Doc hadn't ever considered before this moment, but could she be like him? He'd always assumed thusfar that she was simply an excellent specimen among the waking world, but that thought smacked of foolishness now. "Or we can just talk about Thai food," he offered instead, slipping a few bowls from her shelves and pouring a sweet-smelling soup into both.

Eva's grin faltered just a bit as she pondered his innocent-sounding request, though no hint of her nerves showed on her face. Should she? It wouldn't be difficult to just disappear if he didn't take it well; she'd be breaking her contract with the university and it would put a mark on her professional reputation, but her anonymity would be safe. "Perhaps I might," she said then, watching him for a moment. It would perhaps be best to start small, she thought, rather than risk frightening him with something larger. Not that she'd tried to do anything very large in a while; she was more suited to small things like her work. "Wine?" she asked him casually, picking up one glass with her hand... and one with her mind, holding it hovering a few inches away from his left hand.

Doc's expression flickered to awe for a moment as a slow smile curled over his lips, matching the heat in his gut as he looked to her. A psychic? Doc wasn't overly fond of some psychics, always paranoid around people who could feasibly read minds or control others, but he'd never felt that Eva was the sort who might, even if she could "Please," he answered quietly after a moment, nodding in assent to her. "I'll pour." Doc's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, will snapping like a coiled spring before he opened his hand again to show the cork that had been in the bottle a moment ago. He raised his other hand, fingers gesturing lightly as Doc focused on mimicking Eva's trick with his own talents and the wine bottle lifted from the counter where she'd settled it. He set the cork aside and claimed the glass she'd levitated, eyes never leaving hers as Doc's careful focus tilted the bottle to pour a splash into Eva's glass.

To say Eva was surprised was a little bit of understatement, mixed with the satisfaction that her initial hunch - that it hadn't been just a very good trick with the spoon - had been correct. She laughed softly as she made sure not to spill the wine he'd poured or drop the glass she was holding, watching with a mixture of wonder and delight. "I've never met anyone else who could do what I can," she said, eyes warm as she met his gaze. "I was half afraid you'd run screaming if I told you. It seems that I've sadly underestimated your considerable talents." He was better than she was, certainly - she couldn't manage that trick with the cork.

"Never?" Doc asked, closing his hand snugly around his glass and floating the bottle towards him. He took steps away from the counter to meet it halfway, plucking it from the air and pouring himself some wine. "You developed the control on your own? Why am I not surprised?" Doc raised his glass to drink and hesitated, breathing in the wine for a moment. "But I know how you feel... I honestly wasn't sure I'd ever bring this up on my own. It's the sort of thing that keeps people at a distance." That and the wings. He had plenty of questions for her, her history of the power and what else she could do, but this revelation between them demanded time of it's own.

"I believe I mentioned having a temper as a child?" Eva asked wryly, the cutlery drawer opening again behind her - this time without use of her hands - and forks emerged. She'd attempt chopsticks but not to the extent of staining her shirt if it came to that. "I had to learn restraint very quickly when things went flying during tantrums. Am I to take it that you had a teacher?" She wondered what else she'd be able to do if she'd had instruction, and wondered briefly whether she was too old to learn new tricks. "If you hadn't done that little trick with the spoon," she confessed, "I doubt I'd have mentioned it this soon. Or at all."

He smirked over the edge of his glass, swirling it slowly without indulging his thirst yet. "The spoon trick might've backfired on you, there's misdirection so good it may as well be magic. Houdini could take a man's suspenders off without him ever knowing... but yeah, I had a teacher. I had a lot to learn, a lot of control to master. Hell, I'm still trying." He set his glass down for a moment, looking back to the plates long enough to dish out generous servings of steamy tiger shrimps with vegetables, as well as a dollop of vibrantly red curry on each plate. Doc, however, was using his hands the entire time. Sure, he could surpass Eva in terms of powers, but his came with a price for too much use, or too flagrant a display.

"It was a risk," Eva agreed, putting away the mind tricks in favor of using her hands as well. She didn't think those two little things would cause a reaction, but she wisely judged that a migraine or vertigo attack would well ruin the evening and it was always best to quit while one was ahead. She'd been working on a small piece earlier in the day, but it had been a number of hours prior, she should be fine. "I envy your opportunity," she said. "I slip now and again myself, though it's been a long time since that's happened. Still, best not to grow complacent." Part of the reason she hadn't been intimate with anyone in a while; it tended to scare off bedmates when lamps topped inexplicably or blankets started flying.

"Well, maybe that's just one more thing for us to go over when we get together," Doc suggested, setting both plates up and nodding in satisfaction, then reclaiming his wine and moving towards Eva. "I've been at this a long time now, I'm sure I've got a worthwhile trick or two to pass on, hm?" he asked, resting against the counter near her and holding his glass up. "I'm not a guy who does this often, but I think this does deserve a toast... to sharing, maybe?"

"To... mutually intriguing discoveries," Eva proposed in turn, raising her glass and lightly tapping it to his. She ignored the faint twinge that was her conscience, reminding her that she hadn't shared everything with him, but unless he moonlighted as a thief as well she doubted she'd be forthcoming with that knowledge. "Everything smells delicious," she said, turning her attention to the food. "Perhaps I'll hold off on all my questions until after we've eaten." She smiled, teasing faintly.

Doc was ignoring similar guilt pangs as he sipped from his glass, knowing that he'd hardly shared with her at all. There was so much to tell, though, and Eva had nailed it with her words. "Sounds like a plan, but I'm getting the feeling we may not even get started on our movies in light of this. Not that I mind for a moment, I knew there was a lot to factor into you being so fascinating." Oh yes, outright flattery. BUt it was true, and Doc's smile was as genuine as he could get it as he handed a plate to Eva.

"The movies can wait," Eva said, unbothered. "Though we can always use them as an excuse to break from questions, should those get too tiring," she joked. She took the plate from him, carrying it to the kitchen table. Casual dining demanded a casual setting, and her dining room was a little too formal for takeaway Thai. Her smile grew at the blatant flattery, always pleased at that. "I had the same feeling about you," she said, "though I'd never have guessed that one of those factors was an ability like my own."

Following after, Doc slipped into a seat at the table and settled his plate in front of him. "They're similar on some level, yes..." he agreed, sipping his wine, "which was an incredible surprise for me, too. I haven't encountered someone else like either of us in a while now." Doc knew people of his personal ilk were indeed a dying breed, their numbers thin for reasons he couldn't grasp, but he'd expected to encounter others sooner. He wouldn't complain about Eva being one of them though; it was a connection too great to ignore.

"Ah," said Eva, aware now that he knew much more than she did. "Similar, but two distinct talents," she said musingly. "I'd thought you were just more skilled than I am. A pity; I'd hoped you could teach me that little trick with the cork." She supposed it was rather narrow-minded to assume all mental talents would be the same; for all she knew, they were as widely varied as physical appearance. She took a bite of a colorful dish, chewing thoughtfully as she catalogued the flavors. "Goodness," she said after a moment in tones of mild surprise. "They don't spare the spice, do they?" Still, she showed no signs of discomfort.

"Well, they seem want things to be as authentic as possible," Doc explained, wolfing down a shrimp and chewing, "So no, no sparing the spice." He lingered on the mouthful, savoring the burn rising up into his sinuses before tamping it down with a swallow of wine. "I might be able to teach you that trick if you really like it... you may have talents you never knew, Eva." In truth, Doc wasn't sure. If she was a psychic? In theory there was a world of potential out there for her, but at the same time she wouldn't know without repeated attempts and failures. He always found it funny though, how nonchalant a conversation like this could really be for two people.

"It's been a while since I investigated my limits," Eva admitted. "I was usually more concerned about keeping control of what I have more than seeking to grow; I don't use it that often save for my smallest pieces. It's useful for shaping the wire where my tools would just bungle the job. I try to avoid pushing too hard; it can get painful." She gave in and took a sip of wine to cool the fire on her tongue, though she was thoroughly enjoying the food. She'd have to keep a list of what he'd ordered for other nights.

A rich roll of laughter spilled past Doc's lips as he saw a flush of color come to Eva's cheeks with the heat of the food, and he eagerly followed suit with another bite and a wedge of pineapple to curb it's spice. "You should work on that," he urged her, "The man who trained me taught me that anyone like us, regardless of their actual ability, is blessed. We're given a glimpse of something the rest of the world can only tell stories about, so we owe it to ourselves to embrace that gift." He kept out the somber parts of his own lessons though, the tempering thoughts of suffering and endurance; this was too welcome for him to spoil.

"Perhaps I will," Eva said, giving him a mock-scowl as he laughed at her and shaking a stern finger in return. "It is occasionally difficult, however, to gauge the line where 'far enough' becomes 'too far.' Gift or no, I'd like to avoid that if at all possible." Especially once the semester started; she wouldn't have time in her schedule to be laid up for three days with a skull-splitting migraine and vertigo that kept the room spinning wildly even when she was flat on her back in bed. "Don't get me wrong," she continued, "I enjoy my ability. But I believe in moderation in all things, telekinesis included." That was the name she'd decided on for it, anyway; it was the only thing she'd been able to do with it, so that's what fit best.

"Absolutely," Doc agreed, nodding vigorously as he set his fork aside and claimed a spoon to dip into his soup. "Overdoing anything can be bad, but doubly so in these... unique circumstances." One time I turned into a statue. "It's just important to always recognize where progress can be made, and where things become too much." He'd had to deal with people like that in the past, individuals who had lost themselves in their powers and become a threat to the world around him. Doc never liked it, the idea that any of them could've been just like the people he cared about, or even himself. "Always a balancing act, I like to think. I'm just glad I've got steady hands," he said, aiming a disarming grin across the table at her and taking a swallow of wine.

"Or fast juggling skills," Eva teased him with a smile, trying a new dish. "So tell me," she said then, curious. "How did you first realize what you were able to do?" She wondered if it was something that ran in his family, but considering his upbringing, she wasn't going to ask outright if he'd gotten it from his parents. "Or when, if that's more appropriate?" She remembered the years dealing with her ability as a child; it was obvious that neither of her parents had the talent and she'd spent a lonely time in her youth wondering what sort of freak she was.

Doc worked at his soup for a quiet moment, savoring it before answering her question. "Well, I was about sixteen, I was away at school living on-campus, and I ran into a spot of trouble... my gifts kicked in," he said quietly before another mouthful. "But they kicked in scary-strong, and I thought I'd gone mad. I didn't even try and use them for months, not until I was found by my teacher." The whole story was far understated from the truth; the collapse of an entire parking garage in Boston that had killed four men, and that was quite deliberate on Doc's part.

Eva's expression softened in sympathy; while her discovery hadn't been as frightening as it had been curious to her always-questing mind, there had been times when she'd wondered just what she was. "That must have been terrifying indeed for a teenager," she said. "I'm glad you were able to find someone to teach you." With reality-bending powers just discovered and not under control, the risk of insanity had likely been very high.

"Finest man I've ever known," Doc agreed, nodding and smiling for her sake. It had been a hard time, yes, but it was so far behind him that he'd come to terms with it all long ago. "Brilliant in a way this world won't ever see again, too. But he taught me fast, showed me the basics to keep from overloading myself... then we spent the next clump of years refining, over and over. What about you?" he asked, turning the tables and scooping up another mouthful of food.

"Nothing quite so drastic," Eva said as she ate. "Ever since I was a toddler, things had a way of going flying when I was upset or scared. My parents didn't make much more of a connection than that, and so started me learning arts and other lessons. It helped keep me calm, you see, and spared their porcelain collection." She smiled a bit at the memory. "I would say I was about... ten or eleven, perhaps, when I noticed that things tended to move around me. A tool I'd set down would be closer to hand than it should be, or a difficult setting or detailed beading would fall into place if I got frustrated enough. I started experimenting from there and the rest, as they say, is history."

"What sort of drawbacks does it have?" he asked curiously, turning back to the food on his plate. He was somewhat amazed that no one, no faction or organization had ever picked up on her talents. She was good, a fact Doc was learning time and again where Eva was concerned. "Have you ever figured out a size limit to your focus?"

"Migraines," Eva revealed, grimacing at the memory, "and vertigo. Usually when I'm working on a small scale rather than moving larger items, though prolonged use will bring about both, regardless. Small, detailed work will bring it about faster, however." Probably because when Eva said 'small' she usually meant 'micro', producing the detailed sorts of designs for which she was reknown. "It can last anywhere from hours to days, and no drug I've ever tried has eased the symptoms. I just have to wait it out." She took another bite, feeling the heat radiate from the pit of her stomach to the tips of her fingers and toes. "As for limits... a large, full moving box is about the maximum - between sixty and seventy pounds, I'd say," she estimated, doing the conversion from metric in her head. "I couldn't lift a person. Yourself?"

"Well, it sounds like you got precision in place of my endurance," Doc replied, "Because I've got a bit of weight when I need it. A person, definitely... never tried any really heavy targets." He could probably do them, if it came to it, but Doc hadn't been in a position to throw down true power in some time now, and he hoped to keep it that way. "But I also have to concentrate pretty intently, you seem to be rather effortless about it." Which was how it went when the telekinesis was a natural gift, instead of a mimicry via his schools of understanding.

"Likely because I've grown up with it," Eva said. "I was young when I first started experimenting and learning; I've had years - and no, I will not confess to the exact number - to learn control. Which, again, was always more important to me than figuring out my limits, considering my primary use for it is on a very small scale and was the first, unconscious use of it I managed. My control grew as I learned to focus in other ways, as well. Studying for school, for example. Focusing my mind on my studies could be directly translated to focusing my talent. And, of course, focusing to make sure I didn't exceed my limits."

Doc set his fork on a nearly cleared plate, washing his palate clean with a drink of wine. He was silently musing over how different their lives could be for all the similarities. He didn't often meet gifted people who'd somehow managed to avoid the unseen battles out there, and was jealous on some level. Get to have your cake and everything... "So you have the ideal set-up, by the sound of it," he wagered, "Privacy to practice in and a direct subject to apply it all to. Must be nice." Doc's own lessons were decidedly more hands-on much of the time, field-lessons with a harsh penalty if one got distracted. "You realize that, in light of this, I'm really not going to stop bothering you."

"I'll have to learn how to move heavier objects, then," Eva said with a perfectly straight face. "So I'll be able to throw you out when you've overstayed your welcome." She broke the act with a smile to show she was joking, setting her fork aside after one last bite, deciding she'd eaten all she could manage. She sat back with her wine, raising an eyebrow. "I take it you don't have a similar setup?" she queried delicately, wondering what he used his abilities for. "But yes, I am thankful that I have a field in which I'm able to make use of it."

"It's difficult to explain," Doc replied, wiping his mouth on his napkin before continuing. "But I think I've reached the top of the proverbial mountain; I don't know that there's much more I can learn to do that I couldn't before. At that point, the new lesson isn't what you can do, but when you should, and what implications it might have. That's not something you can practice, I've found. You can only drop into those moments of decisiveness and follow where they take you." Sometimes it still pained him, knowing that his demonic nature had bound his other gifts tight, but Doc was strong. The thing inside that edged his will into a weapon was more powerful in him than it had been for several lifetimes, wishing for more would only be greed.

"It's curious," Eva said lightly, reaching out to lightly brush her fingertips over his forehead, curving over his cheek before dropping back to the table. "Sometimes it sounds as if you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders." It was intriguing, wondering what sorts of decisions he had to make in that vein. She'd thought of several ways she could use her power against potential attackers or even assassinations; a telekinetic grip around one's heart or throat could kill as surely as a knife or gun and leave no mark or trace. Her morals, though flexible in some respects (like breaking and entering), ensured she would never use her ability in that way.

He froze at the contact, grey eyes disappearing under lids as Doc's breath caught in his throat. Her touch was almost imperceptible, a gentle brush across skin that ended before it could be savored, and Doc smiled faintly as he looked to Eva after a moment. "Sometimes it feels like it," he murmured in response, reaching for her hand on the table, "That's what I like about this..." Would her opinion of him change if she knew the full story? Doc didn't want to think so, not in light of their startling connection thus far, and his hand squeezed her own as he silently hoped against it. "... it's the definition of 'weightless'."

She felt a small thrill at his reaction to her touch, smiling fondly as she squeezed his hand gently in return. It was comfortable, her hand in his, and she was content to leave it there as she sipped her wine with the other hand. "'The human heart,'" she quoted, "'finds nowhere shelter but in human kind.' But do go on," she continued with a wink. "I could listen to your flattery all night."

"I think you probably would, too," he teased in a soft voice, reaching his other hand for the bottle of wine and pouring each of them another splash without releasing Eva's hand. Doc tilted his glass back for a sip, comfortably full and with a lingering heat in his mouth from dinner. "It might cost you, though... I'm normally only good for small doses before this old brain turns soft," he said, winking and gently extracting his hand to gather her plate with his. "You bought dinner, I'll do the domestics."

"What woman wouldn't?" Eva challenged with a quiet laugh. "The day your brain turns soft is the day pigs fly, caro, and I mean on their own - not with your help!" She let him pull his hand away, looking both impressed and satisfied at his offer to clean up. "Smart, handsome, and unafraid of the kitchen?" she asked whimsically, winking teasingly. "I think I'll keep you."

It was good that Doc was standing up; turning and moving for the sink was the perfect cover for the blush that crept into his weathered cheeks as Doc grinned, tattoo crinkling up under one eye. "The kitchen's afraid of me," he called back, setting the plates down. "Things go badly if they're more than dishes." He chuckled quietly, glancing over to her and rinsing the plates quickly, then moving for the bowls that remained on the table. "You're going to have some leftovers to whittle down," he said as he returned, "Color me jealous, there's not much better than cold pad phri in the morning."

"Please," Eva said, "feel free to take whatever you like with you. There's plenty enough to share and I've been working such late hours lately that I generally eat while still at the office. I'd hate to see good food go to waste." She picked up the remaining detritus on the table, leaving the bottle of wine and their glasses as she joined him to finish cleaning up, packing away the leftovers and putting them in the refrigerator. "At least dishes are safe around you," she teased. "I'd hate to have to buy a new set. I'm rather fond of these." They were square, cream-colored stoneware with a delicate branch painted in brown, vaguely reminiscent of Eastern decor.

Working the dishes under the tap with a dish towel, Doc nodded agreeably there. He could feel the craftsmanship of them down to a subtle level, and it'd take a heavy blunder to wreck one. "I'll do that, for sure. Leftovers are a man's best friend." Setting the plates aside to dry, Doc turned to rinsing the bowls of any remaining soup, settling against the sink's edge and watching Eva at the fridge. "I'm guessing those plates came from somewhere far, far away from here?" he asked, reaching back to shut the tap off.

"I got them at Coin," Eva said, amused. "Your average department store in Florence. Nothing all that terribly exotic, I'm afraid, though far, yes. I was never one to count the miles, however." Her smile grew. "I'll take a vase I bought here back home and all my visitors there will marvel at my American glassware. It's just a matter of perspective, after all." She finished putting food away and joined him at the sink, leaning against the counter beside him.

"It really is," he agreed, always a fan of how multi-faceted the world could be. Doc smiled for an awkward moment as she joined him, turning briefly at the hip to finish rinsing the bowls, then looking over to her. "I'll have to see if I can't find something curious for you to dazzle your friends back home with," he went on, taking a nervy moment to slip an arm across the counter's edge behind her. Doc hadn't been in this spot in some time (aside from December, which was different and complicated), and now that he was? He felt simultaneously liberated and nervous, a strange combination he was actually enjoying as he settled his arm around the small of her back and drew Eva a bit closer.

"I'll make you go shopping with me one afternoon," Eva agreed, nerves tingling when he first entered her personal space, then drew her nearer. She went willingly, turning to face him more fully, one hand raising to rest lightly just above his elbow. "I imagine you have good taste; I doubt you'll let me down." She smiled up at him, though the distance wasn't terribly great. She was happy that he was taller; most men of her acquaintance were her height if not shorter. But then, Eva was quite tall for a woman, just two inches under six feet.

Doc chuckled softly, looking down at Eva for a contemplative moment. "What was it you were saying about flattery?" he murmured with a wry grin. "Because I must agree, it's pretty compelling stuff to hear..." His gut knotted into a fist in this moment though, fingers gently pressing into Eva's side as Doc leaned into the scant distance between them. He was battling his own eagerness and doubt at the same time, lips settling against Eva's with an aching slowness to the gesture.

Whatever Eva had been about to say was silenced when he leaned in and kissed her; her breath caught slightly as her head tilted back to accommodate him better. Her hand slid slowly up his arm and she successfully pushed back a brief jab of nerves. It had been a while since she'd been in a position to kiss anyone; she was afraid for a moment that she'd forgotten how. Kissing was rather like riding a bicycle, however, and theirs was so deliciously slow that she had plenty of time just to savor the sensations.

Doc had never been one to rush through things like this, even in his fits of passion in younger days he'd been the sort to savor every moment of contact, which was exactly what he did now. Eva's lips were softer than anything he could've imagined, and seemed to smolder against his as his arm tightened around her waist slightly. Of course the urge was there to give in to the rush of heat he felt, to boost her up on the counter, but Doc's pragmatic side spoke up again and reminded him of just how early into it all they were, and he listened. It wasn't as if he would've complained about the heavenly brush of her lips against his in any case.

Eva was delighted to discover that Doc was apparently as much of a sensualist as she was, though it didn't come as a huge surprise. She was perfectly content to take her time and enjoy the slow build of warmth that spread slowly from the pit of her stomach outward, to let her fingers discover the surprisingly soft texture of his hair, to learn the shape and feel of his mouth and all the delightful ways it moved against hers. Her thoughts ran a surprisingly parallel track to his, wanting to give in to instinct but taking the more prudent option instead.

He could feel, below the sublime texture of Eva's lips and the hint of wine on her breath, the impending need to breathe. Doc was loathe to even acknowledge it though, his hand running along her side and up her back as he strove to commit every detail of this to memory. But he couldn't hold out forever though, and before long Doc's lips broke from Eva's, his grey eyes flicking open to study her in the immediate aftermath. "...hey," he murmured after a long moment of watching her expression, fingers moving up to brush Eva's cheek.

Eva's eyes opened a second or two after his, rich brown gaze meeting his lighter ones as she smiled just faintly while catching up on her delayed breathing. She licked her lips quickly, fingertips absently stroking the back of his neck as she studied him in turn before a slightly impish look stole into her eyes. "Keep that up," she murmured softly, voice warm with humor, "and I'll flatter you as much as you like." His hand on her back was warm, little tingles of awareness radiating through her from each of their points of contact.

"Don't think you'll need to do much flattering," he replied, keeping Eva in close in his arms with a wordless sort of marvel shining in his expression. "You do just fine on your half of things, I'd say." Doc smiled easily at Eva, relishing her touch along his neck for a long moment and winking at her. "Can't say even Hitchcock holds much allure for me at this moment."

"Just fine?" Eva echoed, smile widening a bit as she pretended affront. "Only 'just fine'? Goodness, you certainly know how to keep the ladies coming back for more, don't you?" She'd forgotten how nice it felt to be held, even more so when it was someone with whom she felt such a surprising connection. "I suppose you weren't bad," she conceded, eyes sparkling with suppressed mirth. "For being so out of practice, after all."

Doc gaped incredulously for a moment as she baited him, realizing just how his words sounded as he laughed helplessly. "Out of practice?" he balked jokingly, "Well... I suppose I am, but I'm glad to know I measured up to 'not bad'." Leaning in again, Doc pressed his lips to Eva's to still any more teasing, this time a bit more eager and heated. He couldn't quite believe he was where he was in the moment; holding a beautiful woman who seemed as hooked on him as he was on her, but Doc wouldn't question his luck. He broke the kiss, lingering close as he chuckled in a soft, gravelly tone. "You're a wonder, Eva... and I'm amazed by every aspect of you I'm lucky enough to see."

Eva laughed softly with him, the sound fading as she matched the heat of his kiss. Her arms curled over his shoulders, resting her head against his with a smile. "Keep that up," she murmured, "and I might have to up your rating from 'not bad.'" To what, however, she didn't specify. Her smile turned warmer at the compliment, touched by his words. "I'm afraid I'm only trying to match what you have to offer, caro," she said, brushing a thumb over the tattoo on his cheek.

"Dissecting the last minute or so of conversation," Doc murmured, "Minus heavenly interludes, I'd say the prevalent theme you have is 'keep it up'." He chuckled softly once again, eyes straying to the passage of her hand along his cheek as Doc repressed a little shudder from the touch. "A guy can't help but wonder, though... if you're only trying to match me? How much more am I possibly missing?" His tone was gentle and subdued, plainly comfortable in the proximity they shared even if it meant ignoring his impulses.

Eva paused a moment to review the conversation in her mind before chuckling, conceding the little poke with a nod and a smile. "I suppose that is my subconscious passing along a not-so-subtle message," she teased, because she really wouldn't mind if he kept it up. She raised an eyebrow slightly at his last question, a mysterious little smile spreading across her lips. "I suppose you'll just have to wait and find out," she murmured in a low voice. "It wouldn't do to show my entire hand at once, now would it?"

"No it wouldn't," he agreed with a twinkle in his eye, hands smoothing along Eva's sides and back. "I'm actually a fan of the theory myself, some secrets are worth waiting on." But some things just weren't, not when temptation was a literal inch away with a divine flush to her cheeks and a sultry smile driving him mad. Doc couldn't help himself, brushing the tip of his nose against Eva's for a moment before he kissed her and settled his hands at her waist. Sure, some part of this was the undeniable rush of endorphins he'd been so long without, but so much more of it was her. Knowing what he knew about Eva now, and the understanding they had, Doc would've had to have been dead inside to not be compelled to be close to her.

His little eskimo kiss was utterly charming, and Eva found herself making a soft purr of contentment as she readily returned his kiss. Her hands slid slowly down his shoulders and over his chest as she leaned back against the countertop, hooking her fingers into his belt loops to tug him a bit closer. She was astonished when she thought about how a chance meeting at a jazz club could have led to such an engaging meeting of the minds, and now an equally engaging meeting of the lips. If she'd known Marquette would have this to offer, she thought with faint amusement, she'd have moved to America much sooner. That thought was put to the side, however, as there were much more interesting things going on outside the confines of her mind.

The feel of those delicate fingertips trailing over his chest raised a wave of goose flesh on Doc's neck as he murred softly against Eva's lips, moving closer at her gentle tug. He pressed deeper into the kiss, lips parting slightly against hers to taste the hint of wine on her breath more fully even as he lifted Eva up into the kiss. There was, somewhere in the back of Doc's mind, a faint voice of panic about things going much farther than this. His body was a sprawling mosaic of scar tissue and tattoos set in hard-packed muscle, and while Doc didn't regret a single one of them, he always felt aware of the scrutiny of others. But they hadn't reached that point yet, so he wouldn't waste his time worrying about it until they did. Stealing a faint inhale of breath from Eva's lungs, Doc twisted a foot to step more fully in front of her as he eased Eva slightly onto the countertop.

Eva wasn't used to being lifted around; her height usually dissuaded anyone from trying, and her breath caught slightly in surprise when she found herself on her countertop. A soft, pleased sound escaped as she curled a hand around the back of his head, teeth gently grazing his lower lip. She had a faint worry in the back of her mind, unsure if this was too fast or merely a result of their startlingly strong connection, but pushed it aside with a shiver. She would much rather explore the feel of his skin as her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt than think about that for very much longer.

He couldn't have said for sure if his ensuing gasp came from her teeth teasing his lip or the sudden feel of her hand along his waistline, but either way Doc exhaled softly, almost but not quite silently. He was pointedly aware of the contact though, of the slow exploratory passage of her hand along the edge of a winding scar that started on one hip and led across his side. Iron resolve mixed with a heady desire to not ruin this, to keep from backing away from this moment of heat that had built between them and finally come to a head. Don't let her freak out, please don't... he thought, one hand moving to Eva's wrist to guide her own hand higher along Doc's skin even as he reciprocated. His head canted back slightly, and he savored the divine tingle of his lip being drawn across her teeth before returning the gesture delicately and drawing the tip of his tongue along Eva's lip.

It wasn't hard to figure out that he must be sensitive about the scar that Eva had brushed the edge of; the hand on her wrist guiding her away was indication enough. It didn't bother her in the slightest, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable and so let her hand be diverted. Time enough for that hurdle later. Her thumb brushed in a soft arc over his skin and she gasped softly when he reciprocated, both hand and mouth. The thought intruded that the two of them must make an interesting sight, necking in her kitchen like teenagers, and she couldn't help the smile that spread even as she fought it, lips pursing as she tilted her head slightly, changing the angle so she could better explore his delightful mouth. It was an exploration she didn't mind taking her time with.

There was another thing they had in common; Doc wouldn't have rushed through this at gunpoint. He was excruciatingly slow, committing the contours of Eva's lips to memory right down to the subtle curve they gained as she smiled against his own mouth and deepened their kiss. A sharp inhale was sucked through his nose at that, toes curling on the kitchen floor as Doc gladly met her halfway, suppressing the shiver she earned with slow sweeps of her thumb along his skin. Perhaps they were even sharing thoughts, bouncing surface ideas back and forth without realizing, because Doc could almost imagine the shocked cries of countless people he knew, if they were to see him in this moment. Not that he would've paid them much attention, as there was far more engrossing matters to tend to snugly tucked in his arms and slowly driving him mad.

His slow, thorough kiss was swiftly proving to be Eva's undoing; she moaned softly, senses nearly overwhelmed by his smell, his touch, his taste. With one last, lingering kiss, she tilted her head just enough to break contact, resting her forehead against his neck. Her breath blew softly across his skin in warm, quick bursts as she found herself nearly panting, her normally unflappable demeanor definitely upset. "North by Northwest," she gasped softly, amusement plain in her tone. Unusual connection aside, it was only their second date. She was a prudent woman and wanted to be sure they wouldn't be rushing into anything that neither of them were ready for at this point. "It would be a shame to waste a rental." If only to keep them off each other for a few minutes.

Doc was a strong man, one of the strongest alive depending on who you talked to, but he was glad she'd broken away, as he wasn't sure he would've been able to. Breath was drawn in quick, if grudgingly as he slid his arms snugly around Eva and shivered at the wash of warm breath on his neck. "Absolutely," he murmured, "I'm not normally... like that, I blame you." Doc leaned back to smile down at Eva, unable to rid his face of the flush she'd sent through him after it all. "First step's letting you off the counter, I think," he went on, grudgingly bringing a foot back to let her hop down at her leisure.

"I'll take that as the compliment I'm sure it was meant to be instead of any other possible interpretation," Eva said with a grin. She pressed her palms to her cheeks for a moment, feeling the flush there and willing herself to regain some of her composure. "I, however, must insist that at least equal share of the blame be laid on you, as I am not normally like that, either." She smiled up at him, planting her hands on the counter top to slide gracefully off and land softly and silently on bare feet. She couldn't help it; years of training had the instinct bred into her so that it was automatic.

Some part of him registered the silence of Eva's movements, but Doc was willing to chalk natural grace up among the seemingly endless qualities to admire about her. "I think I can live with that on my conscience," he replied, drawing a hand across her back and starting out for what he'd assumed was Eva's living room. "As long as I'm not getting the lion's share dumped on me, at least." He had a feeling he'd still be grinning tomorrow, and hoped he wouldn't have to explain that to the twins too soon. Both seemed supportive of this, of course, but it just struck Doc as an entirely odd concept.

Eva shivered slightly at the touch of his hand on her back. She flicked off the kitchen light as they left, following him into the living room after pausing to grab the bag with the DVDs. "I'd say we could manage a fifty-fifty split," she said with a laugh, striving for some measure of composure despite the bubbling, effervescent feeling left after their kiss. Kisses, she reminded herself. Fantastic kisses, and there'd definitely been more than one. Putting the DVD in the player, she used the dimmer switch on the wall to lower the track lighting until only the barest hint of color showed in the bulbs, then took a seat on the couch, motioning for him to join her. "All in the name of being fair, of course," she added, only a touch belatedly.

Doc didn't need to be told twice, moving to settle next to Eva on the sofa and sliding an arm around her shoulders easily. Maybe it was a little too familiar, but she seemed as moved by the exchange between them as he felt, and to Doc nothing about the gesture seemed rushed. The dim lights were soothing, the house was quiet, so why not indulge some simple comforts? "Good call, I'm big on things balancing out," he teased, getting settled next to Eva.

"We'll make sure to keep the scales even, then," Eva said with a smile. She didn't mind the arm around her shoulders at all; on the contrary, it felt warm and familiar. Comforting, as though she'd known him for much longer than the reality. Pulling the gold chenille afghan off the back of her couch, she spread the blanket over the two of them, the yarn so soft it spilled like silk through the fingers. Getting comfortable, she reached out to press 'play' on the remote, then sat back to rest her head on his shoulder as the opening credits began.

And once again, Doc found himself in somewhat foreign lands. He hadn't taken time to just sit and watch a movie in... who knew? Doc wasn't sure he could answer accurately; even his time not spent as War was divvied between the twins, his friends in town, and the training regimen that'd likely be a constant until he ran out of days. "Haven't seen this one in years," Doc mentioned, stretching his legs out on the sofa to make room for Eva to do likewise and smoothing the afghan. "My uncle's butler took me to a Hitchcock double header when I was about eleven," he went on in a low tone as the movie began, "A reshowing of this and 'The Birds'... absolutely great stuff, even if "The Birds' terrified me."

"Nor have I," Eva agreed, "though when I saw it as a girl I had the biggest infatuation with James Mason." She shot him a teasing grin. "He reminds me of you, actually." She stretched out beside him, slowly relaxing as comfort set into her. It had been a long time since she'd been able to relax to this degree; there were usually seven things all seeking her attention or in the back of her mind, even when she was trying to avoid thinking of them. "'Psycho' gave me nightmares for weeks. My favorite has to be 'To Catch A Thief,'" she said, hiding amusement at the irony of that. "I think I have a copy of it around here somewhere."

Irony indeed. "I was always partial to 'The Man Who Knew Too Much', myself. That and 'Rope'," Doc replied, tucking his grin down and aiming it at the blanket covering them both as Eva made her comparison. "Oh, I see... I'm just wish fulfillment for James Mason, am I?" he joked, smoothing a hand along her arm and letting his gaze drift back and forth between Eva and the screen. "And I'm not sure I've ever seen 'To Catch a Thief'," he added belatedly, frowning in thought.

"I said he reminded me of you," Eva pointed out with a smile, "not that you remind me of him. I just like to think that I had as good taste when young as I do now." It was blatant flattery, but she got a little fuzzy-headed when he kept touching her like that. "I'll have to loan it to you, if I ever find it," she said. "It has it all - intrigue, humor, romance. It's very engaging." She fell quiet then, relaxed and at peace as the movie played, Doc warm beside her.

Sure it was blatant flattery, but it hit good notes with Doc. Before Eva, he wasn't a man who'd gotten much of the sort for years now, and it made it a bit trickier to avoid. "All apologies then," he murmured, settling his forearm against hers as Doc twined fingers with Eva and started a slow stroke across the heel of her hand. "Sounds like my sort of movie, but that's no surprise. You seem pretty in tune with me, or vice versa..." Which might've been flattery, but Doc was just comfortable. Even though he wasn't tired, he was actually close to feeling like he could sleep for the first time in months.

"Perhaps we were friends in a past life," Eva said, amused at the notion even as she fought shivers from the touch on her hand. She didn't know if he was doing that on purpose, but goodness was it distracting. It was good Eva was already familiar with the movie they were watching; if she'd had to give a rundown of the plot, she wouldn't have been able to do it with lack of attention she was currently giving it. "Though if you tell me that you also enjoy going to the salon on Saturdays, I may have to immediately call the authorities and report a stalker."

Doc shook his head, smirking a touch and letting his thumb stray to her wrist. It was harmless contact, right? Why not enjoy the closeness and the little details he'd been without, in place of weightier things? "The last time I even set foot near a salon, I got hit with a bucket of water and someone yelled for a cop... I'm just too manly," he rumbled in a low tone, giving her an exaggerated wink. "So long as I don't see you hanging around the Wooden Nickel or my Thai restaurant, no police will get involved," Doc finished promisingly, resting his head against the back of the couch to give her a wry grin.

"Oh, so it is your Thai restaurant now, is it?" Eva said, raising her eyebrow at him with a warm smile. "I wonder what your small Thai girlfriend would say about her eatery being purloined, hm?" Her breath caught slightly when he moved to the sensitive skin of her wrist and she forced a slightly deeper inhalation in an effort to keep her cool. "I am not familiar with the Wooden Nickel, but with an endorsement like that, perhaps I should make it a point to visit." She tried to look slightly menacing, though she wasn't really made to carry the look. "I may drag you to the salon with me next time. It might be worth dealing with the authorities to see your great manliness in action."

"Don't go to the Nickel," Doc assured her almost immediately, imagining the refined woman in his arms walking into the biggest dive bar in town and chuckling to himself, "The only bar in town with a reserved spot out front for the police to park, but the prices are cheap so if I want a quick drink I fill a barstool now and then." The bend to Eva's brow was supposed to be stern or glowering, Doc knew, but it was just adorably out of place. Reaching in, he smoothed a finger across her brow lightly and feigned the perfect appearance of agreeing. "Sounds fun, I've been dying for a good pedicure."

"My goodness," Eva said, feigning surprise. "If I'd known you were so much in need of a pedicure, I could have happily indulged you earlier. I have a lovely shade of rose polish that would look just delightful with your complexion." Mischief was alive and very apparent in her gaze. "Shall I just run and get my supplies?" she asked innocently. "We might as well spare you the dunking and police intervention. I hadn't realized you were so dedicated to your beauty regimen. Do you wax your eyebrows as well?" They weren't going to watch any of the movie, but she didn't care. She reached up to playfully catch the finger he drew over her brow and pretended to inspect the nail, tsking softly. "Disgraceful," she teased. "I need a nail file and moisturizing soak, stat."

He blinked in faint surprise as she seized his finger, gaze settling on Eva inspecting the nail, and Doc sighed in quiet amusement. "Wax my eyebrows? That's a new one," he rumbled softly, "You think I trust wax on a face like this? Gotta protect my assets," Doc joked wriggling his fingertip at her. He knew the toll a life like his would take, and even if the scars were hidden, he was a weathered man. Some women liked that, apparently Eva was one of them. "Really, I'm more of a blue guy when it comes to my toenails. Of course, it takes a brave woman to tackle these feet..."

"Indeed," Eva said dryly, glancing down at the feet that were currently covered by her afghan. "Then that is a task best left to a fresh day and a bucket of strong liquor," she said, face straight for all that she was joking. It was obvious he'd led a rough life, and she was guessing physically as well as emotionally, but she could see there was more to him than the hardened exterior. She wondered briefly if he realized that veneer wasn't as impenetrable to her as it likely was to others. "I consider myself to be a strong woman, but even I have my limits."

Much to his own chagrin, Doc knew the limitations of the composed man-of-ages front he used with so much of the world. He wasn't a good liar by nature, never liked doing it outright, and so his detached front always worked best with distance. Keeping clear of spots like this kept his guard up. But he was starting to realize how good it could feel to be out in the open like this, even if somehow it wouldn't become a regular occurrence. "I'd actually just recommend leaving it to the professionals," he advised, matching her poker face, "Your hands are your livelihood, after all." His eyes darted back to the television for a moment as Doc's legs shifted, feet working in with Eva's beneath the blanket.

"Wise thoughts," Eva said, nodding solemnly, "though what I cannot do with my hands, I can do with my mind." She grinned. "How else do you think I work with such small pieces?" It had been her little secret ever since she'd started working with her gift in wire jewelry, her trademark being the intricate detail she was able to instill in small, delicate pieces. She chuckled softly, leaving him room to make whatever adjustments he wanted, resting her head on his shoulder again. They were just the right heights to make that comfortable, and she wasted no time doing just that.

"Somehow I doubt that's a trade secret," Doc replied, "But you've got some amazing precision control if you can do that sort of work hands-free." His own thoughts went to the potential uses for such precision; hot-wiring, lock picking, all sorts of potential mayhem within electronics or machines... how much of that had she tried? Eva seemed quite tempered in her discipline, but Doc knew firsthand how easy it was to find creative uses for powers over the years. "You almost make it sound like you want to get my socks off," Doc teased, tilting his own head to rest against hers as he gave a fond smile.

"I have to guide it with my fingers," Eva confessed, "but most of it I can do without. It helps keep my curves smooth." She would have been amused at the turn his thoughts had taken, because she'd done exactly all of those in her extracurricular work. It still required a knowledge of doing those things with ones hands and she'd practiced that way first, but it was indeed much easier to do it with her mind - and it left no fingerprints. She chuckled, fingers curling warmly around his. "I think we have plenty of time before we start discussing removing clothing," she said archly. "I was merely pointing out that your disgusting feet wouldn't bother me."

"Disgusting?" Doc asked, feigning insult and giving Eva the faintest nudge beneath the blanket. "You're lucky I'm so comfortable or I might just storm out of here," he teased, squeezing Eva's hand and settling his arm over her side. Were either of them possessed of a different outlook, they'd make exemplary partners, but Doc knew he'd never want to see Eva in the side of life he was all too familiar with. Shouldn't be here if that's the case, said the joyless side of his mind, the voice that personified Duty to the elder man, but he ignored it as he focused in on the faint rhythm of Eva's heartbeat against his body. Slow, like his own; serene and even in her chest, and Doc didn't think it was ego telling him he was responsible for that.

"God forbid," Eva said, amused. "I'd be utterly inconsolable." She shot him a small smile, though she doubted he'd see it with their heads so close together. She gave him a faint nudge back, then stilled, shifting only once to get slightly more comfortable. She was lulled by the faint rise and fall of his shoulder as he breathed and her own unconsciously adjusted to match. Content, she focused on the film playing, relaxed enough she could have probably fallen asleep if she'd let herself.

There's worse ways to spend a night, he told himself, breathing in the smell of Eva's hair as the flickering television lights washed over the both of them. He was already wondering when the next time would be, and what the kids would think of her. Even past that, Doc's gears turned over the subjects of his own secrets; the things he didn't say to keep people safe, and unafraid of him. And some part of him wanted to tell her, to get it over with before he chanced burning them both, but it was only the second date. Worse ways to spend a night, he mused again, But not many better...