Punctual, Sexy, and Ready to Rock

[Abe Cohen]

It was 7:55 just outside the castle gates of Hogwarts School and Abe Cohen was standing, ready and waiting for his gorgeous date to arrive. He'd cleaned up significantly since he last met Amelia only hours ago. Though he was a scrappy Gameskeeper by day, by night Abe could pass for any one of the fancy, model-like men that people of Amelia's status probably married and divorced every day of the week. He'd taken a nice, long shower, shaved his face, leaving only stubble in the right places, brushed his hair and messed it up just a little bit, and slapped on the most appropriate outfit he could find for the outing he had planned. A nice, casual black suit. Fashionable and hip but more than suitable for the restaurant he was taking Ms. Decessum to, and modifiable for the salsa dancing he had planned afterward. Oh, yeah, Abe was good at dressing for success, especially when it came to dates. After applying just a sheen of expensive cologne and peeking at himself in the mirror, he knew this was going to be a success. What sort of woman could resist a handsome face like this?

Adjusting his silk tie, Abe cleared his throat and looked up at the castle's clock tower, checking the time. 7:58. He'd expect her here any second now. Amelia did not strike him as the type of girl to be late. If anything, he'd expected her five minutes ago. The sooner she got here, however, the better. Abe had to call in reservations for this restaurant and they were always very hard to secure. It took a little wrangling over the phone and more than a few name drops to secure their table at precisely 8:05. Humming softly to himself, Abe looked up the lane, waiting for the beautiful woman to come into sight.

[Amelia Decessum]

And as the clock chimed eight o'clock, Amelia Decessum appeared by a lonely oak tree within safe apparition-distance of the Hogwarts gates. She never said she wouldn't be late, but she wasn't late -- she had arrived at eight o'clock, and that was the designated time, so the man who had asked her to meet him here could get over it. She could have chosen not to show up at all -- she'd had enough of a social meeting earlier that day, so she didn't think she'd necessarily have to show up. But that would be particularly un-classy, and that just wasn't the woman's style.

Amelia had dressed in a simple outfit, though it wasn't entirely casual: she wore a silk black, strapless minidress, the same shade as her hair; a silk emerald green sash was tied around her waist, the same shade as the several bracelets wrapped around her wrists; and a simple pair of black dance shoes were on her feet, clean and shiny as if brand new. Her straight, raven hair fell loosely behind her, a single strand of hair braided with emerald braids. As per usual, the green of her lipstick was the only makeup she wore, and she never planned on changing that -- green was, of course, her favourite colour, and she didn't expect that to change anytime soon.

"Did I mention I'm a vegetarian?" the thirty-one-year-old asked, moving toward the figure of Abram Cohen. "My, oh my, don't we look spiffy? Congratulations, Mister Cohen!" When she was standing in front of him, Amelia reached for his tie to feel the silk, admiring it for a moment. Maybe this stranger before her was capable of some style, but she couldn't make any final judgments until they arrived at this mysteriously little place he invited her to.

"Let's not waste time, now, shall we?"

[Abe Cohen]

Abe turned when he heard her voice, relieved that Amelia had decided to show up now that 8pm was upon them and they didn't have much time to get to the restaurant. Though he was originally going to tell her to hurry along, valuing punctuality so much, Abe's train of thought was derailed by the very sight of her. Oh, my. In only a few hours he'd forgotten how beautiful she was. Grinning like an idiot, he adjusted the knot of his tie and swept her body from top to bottom with his eyes. She looked good in a dress. Really good. Abe loved a woman wearing next to nothing but he loved a woman wearing something classy and beautiful even more. She looked like a painting with her long raven hair and subtle touches of colour.

"A vegetarian, eh? Animal lover?" Abe leveled out his smile, focusing on her soft green lips and her pretty eyes. "That's fine, excellent really... and thank you... but you, Amelia, you look beautiful."

Not even a joke or a jab at her sex appeal, just stunned appreciation. Abe nodded to affirm what he'd just said, grinning as Amelia fingered the expensive silk of his tie. He was glad that she was impressed. Hopefully her appreciation would extend on into the night and the other activities he had planned would have the same effect. Abe could only hope so because he was about to blow a heavy chunk of change on this beautiful woman and if he came out without so much as a kiss on the cheek he would be very disappointed.

"Yes, yes," Abe glanced at the clock tower, coming out of his reverie. 8:01. They had 4 minutes to make it to the restaurant. "I'll lead the way if that's alright with you. Ready?"

He smiled kindly at Amelia and took her arm, trying not to linger on how soft her skin felt, or how nice it was to be standing next to her. Taking a deep breath, Abe gripped her arm and closed her eyes, apparating the both of them away with a small 'pop!'

Less than a second later they reappeared on a clean marble stoop in London. It was the covered entrance of an opulent hotel, and yet no one seemed to be going in and out. The only person nearby was a friendly-looking bell hop in a crisp red uniform. He seemed less than disturbed by their appearance and tipped his hat at the pair, smiling kindly. A fellow wizard posted to guard the access point.

Giving the gentleman a smile in return, Abe pressed a coin into his hand and released Amelia's elbow.

"Please, are you hungry?" Turning and smiling at her, Abe offered her one of his hands to hold so she could follow him. Of course, she could follow him with or without holding onto him, but Abe was trying his best to be a gentleman tonight. Whether she took it or not, Abe helped her down the stairs and led Amelia a few short meters down the posh London street. It was a very nice district of the town, peppered with expensive automobiles, women wearing Gucci evening gowns, and the exotic smells of every kind of gourmet restaurant you'd like to visit. It was a great contrast to the place Abe intended to take them to later but Amelia would have to find about that when they got there. After a short walk, Abe stopped in front of a particular restaurant whose name was written entirely in glowing Japanese characters with an English subtitle underneath.

"Japanese cuisine," Abe explained to Amelia, "And one of the most sought-after reservations in all of London. The sushi here is to die for. I probably couldn't have picked a better vegetarian restaurant if you'd told me beforehand... what luck I have, huh? Let's go in, get a bite to eat, and go enjoy the rest of our evening..."

Grinning, Abe held the door for his beautiful date and followed Amelia inside. The decor was very modern but clearly had Asian influences. There was a great deal of bamboo and beautifully painted screens and all of the diners seemed to be seated on low tables and cushions, enjoying their meals to the sound of airy Japanese music. If there ever was a place to impress a woman, Abe thought, this was it.

"Michael! Hey." Spotting the Maitre'd, Abe waved to his friend and approached the podium. The other man, dressed in a formal tuxedo, seemed to know Abe and had the same goofy grin.

"Hi, Abram. This is Amelia, huh? Please to meet you, my name's Michael. Why don't I show you to your seat." The maitre'd came around the podium and greeted Amelia with a gentle kiss on the knuckles, much like Abe had greeted her earlier that day. Abe blushed right up to his ears when Michael revealed that he knew about Amelia but he quickly laughed it off, placing a hand gently on Amelia's back and guiding her to follow Michael.

"Yeah... he's a bit of a blabber mouth... let's just get our seat." Smiling bashfully, Abe followed the maitre'd through the restaurant until they reached their table. It was low and wide and placed away from the rest in a dimly-lit corner of the restaurant, garnished with flowers and decor.

"Thanks, man." Waiting for Amelia to take her seat on the cushions, Abe helped her down politely and then took his own, grinning at his date across the table. "I don't know about you, but I could eat a horse... no offense intended."

[Amelia Decessum]

Amelia merely watched Abe, wondering whether he'd act the same way he had earlier that day, but so far, Amelia was wrong -- perhaps he wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. First impressions were a pretty big thing to her, though, so it would take this man awhile to redeem himself. And damn him, he'd gotten off to a pretty good start, but there was still a long night ahead of them, she was sure. Free meals, free entertainment, and a man at the palm of her hand... perhaps it wouldn't be as long a night as she would think.

Wasting no time to reject his leading the way (she was a hungry woman, and she didn't know where this fancy restaurant was), Amelia closed her jade eyes tight and waited for him to apparate into London. Reeling through the familiar feeling of pressure and wind, her eyes opened only moments later. She looked down at the ground, casually moving her arm away from Abram, and then she looked around. It didn't appear that busy today -- was that a hotel? She shook her head slightly, but then her eyes lingered on the man waiting outside. Well, it made since, she supposed, but she hoped he didn't plan on bringing her to a hotel at the end of the day. That would end in nothing but disaster.

"Please, are you hungry?"

Indeed she was, and Amelia didn't waste time as she grabbed his hand, somewhat in a reluctant manner, and followed him wherever he was leading her. She didn't trust him, persay, but she could protect herself; there was no doubt about that. She particularly despised the Muggle world, though -- it wasn't the Muggles themselves, but the Muggle world had become so disgusting! Muggles seemed to love war and abuse, and that was just something Amelia never liked about them; their entire society was built on it, apparently.

She relieved herself of her thoughts, and the next thing she knew, several Asian symbols were jumping out at her. She had spent some time in a few Asian countries, but she didn't understand their writing quite yet; she would need to look into that. This, apparently, was Japanese cuisine, unless Abram was lying to her. "Yes," she replied simply, walking inside after he held the door open for her, but she paused a few steps in to admire the scenery. Interesting.

"Michael! Hey."

Amelia faced the podium and stared blankly at the man, instinctively holding her hand out as he moved toward her. She smirked gently as she glanced toward Abram, just in time to see him blush. It didn't really matter, did it? Unless Abram told this man something else, which she would probably be annoyed (or creeped out) about. She followed Michael to the designated spot, isolated from the rest of the Japanese-influenced restaurant, and lingered on the spot for a moment. It actually smelled rather delicious in the place, and the style wasn't so terrible, either.

Good choice of a restaurant, Amelia thought, settling herself on the cushions -- kneeling on her knees, of course. "Of course," she remarked, raising an eyebrow at Abram. "And I'll have some sake, if they have it -- rice wine." She almost winked at him, for added effect. Almost.

[Abe Cohen]

Abe chuckled as a waiter approached, catching Amelia's near-wink. It sort of looked like her eye was twitching, but he wouldn't have noticed if she had such a problem before... silly woman. What a beautiful, sexy, silly woman. With any luck that wink might come out a little more over the course of the evening.

"I know what Sake is, Amelia, but thank you for refreshing my memory." Abe winked at her, for real, not like her half-wink, and watched a waiter approach. He quickly ordered a bottle of Sake for the table, accepted the menus, and handed Amelia one while the waiter withdrew to get their drink.

"So, what do you like to eat in these sort of establishments? I'm a sushi man myself and they have an excellent selection here, hmmm... then again, have you ever had blowfish?" Abe looked up from his menu and grinned at Amelia. The fish was lethal if the chef preparing it did not cut the meat correctly. It was a risk that few people took, and yet Abe had tried it many times, all successfully thus far. "This is one of the few restaurants in London to offer the delicacy... some vegetarians also eat fish. If you're partial to it, and up for the risk, I might suggest that here. It's divine. Otherwise, there are many excellent options. You really can't go wrong with anything served in this restaurant. Thank you very much."

Abe thanked the waiter that delivered their Sake with a smile and a nod. He placed two glasses on the table and poured one each for Abe and Amelia before nodding his head and bowing away once again.

"So, to new friendships, eh?" Abe held his glass up against Amelia's, intending to initiate a toast, and grinned.

[Amelia Decessum]

Amelia rested her hands on her thighs, the only place she really could rest them and stay comfortable. She would hate to sit Indian-style, so she would just have to make herself comfortable the way she was and get over it. She watched Abe for a moment, contemplating whether saying anything was necessary. She just wanted some food and a reason to get out of the house, though, so she decided that talking wasn't necessary unless he asked her a question, or something -- and she doubted he wouldn't. She accepted her menu and glanced through it, holding back a sigh. So much sushi!

"No, I can't say I have," she replied, glancing up from her menu. "Fish is still meat, after all -- and even if it's not considered meat, it was still a living animal at one point, or another." It was true, sadly enough; Amelia had only been a vegetarian since she was about thirteen, so she had had several meats in her life -- delicious, mouth-water meats. Shrugging the thought from her mind, she looked for a less-sushi-filled section of the menu.

As the drinks arrived, Amelia set down her menu long enough for the toast. Though she wasn't much for toasts, she decided not to be rude. This time. Lifting her glass, now with Sake, she put it up to Abram's, nodding. "That's one way to put it," she said, rotating the glass in her fingers before taking a sip. "Ah, perfect!"

[Abe Cohen]

Abe smiled, clinking glasses with Amelia and taking a slow sip. He made a soft 'mm'ing noise to himself upon removing the glass and savoured the taste, letting it slip slowly down into his throat. Excellent stuff. Sake was the sort of drink that Abe never brought home, even a nice wine was unlikely to make the cut, so this was an especially enjoyable treat for him.

"Perfect indeed. It's been a while since I had any of that... I'm glad you're enjoying yourself thus far. I apologize that there's so much fish, but they have excellent vegetarian sushi as well, and the noodles here are to die for... please, treat yourself to whatever you'd like."

Smiling like a gentleman, Abe raised his menu and buried his nose inside of it for a moment to hide his sudden grimace. Actually, he'd prefer it if he'd just taken the damn woman to a McDonald's so their meal would cost 10 pounds all together and then they could get out to the dancing without any of these formalities. But noooo, women were like this. Expensive and complicated. It wasn't that Abe didn't enjoy a nice meal like this, but his Gameskeeper salary didn't pay as much as he'd like. Still, he painted that pleasant smile on again and thought of how beautiful his date was instead. Peeking over the menu, Abe's eyes glanced over her milky skin and the honey-like tone it took on in the candle light. The smile reached all the way up to his dark eyes as they coasted over her face next and lingered on her plump lips. Perhaps Abe would get a little bit closer to those tonight if he played his cards right.

"Sir, madam?"

Abe glanced up where a waiter had materialized.

"Are you ready to make your order?"

"Yes, yes, I am at least. Amelia?" Abe reached across to his date to fetch her attention, leaving his hand on the table's surface rather than touching her. Something told him she would react adversely to that. Something being.... her hostile attitude. Though she was strangely complacent right now. "Are you ready to order?"

Waiting for Amelia to order, Abe smiled and gave his own to the waiter.

"I'll have the fugu, please, the blowfish? With the rice and vegetables... thank you." Collecting their menus, Abe handed them to the waiter who nodded his head and bowed off to put their orders in.

"So, Amelia, did I tell you how beautiful you look this evening?" Abe smiled genuinely across the table. He knew he was a bit of a sap but he'd never been one to hold things back. Chuckling to himself, Abe reached for the sake bottle and topped his glass off, picking it up and pressing it to his lips. "I think I did. I'm sorry... it's just not so often that I have the pleasure of treating a woman as radiant as yourself."

Well, formally anyway. Abe sipped his sake briefly before replacing the glass on the table, sliding it perfectly into place amongst the dining arrangement they'd set out. He loved everything to be perfectly in line, perfectly center, and had to confess some suffering of OCD. But as long as it kept things clean and in order Abe didn't feel like he was truly suffering. After all, everyone liked a clean space, didn't they?

"Did you enjoy the rest of your day today, after our little run in?"

[Amelia Decessum]

Amelia balanced the glass in the palm of her hand for a moment, rotating it every so often. Her mother used to let her have Sake on holidays -- a little sip on Christmas, New Year's, someone's birthday... Just enough for her to taste it and get used to it. Wine was never a particularly disgraceful thing for the woman's children, and Amelia was always happy to try some every now and then. It was amazing how much memory could be put somewhere...

Daringly, she moved her hand from under the glass and caught it around the top before it could tumble to its death on the table -- only one drop out of place. With a satisfied smirk at her simple little feat, Amelia took a small sip and placed the glass on the table. "If you're suggesting a I run you out of money, you might wish to reconsider that offer," she replied, glancing upward at the man seated opposite her. "I may be a relatively... thin woman, but I make up for that with a high metabolism."

She couldn't help questioning Abram, though; why would he take her here? It was a pretty big impression to throw on her on their first date - though she used such a word loosely - and if Gameskeeper was all he did, he must have saved up a lot of money for this. But we wasn't going to question his generosity - or his apparent need to impress her - and instead decided to focus on the food. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast because she was awaiting the meal Abram had "invited" her to, and she really did want something on her stomach.

"Sir, madam?"

Having decided what she wanted the moment the waiter appeared, Amelia glanced upwards at the waiter and handed him the menu (that was what you did in this kind of restaurant, right?) and gave him a pleasant, fake smile -- but to him, it probably looked genuine and sincere. "I'll have Edamame soup," she replied, clearing her throat in an "and-I-want-it-prepared-properly" sort of manner. "A large order, if you happen to have it... And a side of rice and vegetables. Make sure I see not a single trace of meat on my plate, would you? And by see, that doesn't mean stuff it inside of my meal..." Her voice was so calm and so daring, she dropped her smile to avoid intimidating the man.

"So, Amelia, did I tell you how beautiful you look this evening?"

Amelia drained the rest of her glass, reaching for the Sake bottle after Abram was finished with it and filling her own glass to the brim. "You may have mentioned it," she replied, downing half her glass in a single sip and holding the glass in front of her. She didn't have to be a lady right now, did she? The wine was so delicious, and Abram told her to help herself! Controlling her urges, though, she set the glass down and gave it a little push away from her -- not too much to draw attention and make him think she didn't like it, she hoped, but enough to tell herself not to drink too much more. "Do I come off that strongly?" she remarked, raising a playful eyebrow. "Certainly, I didn't mean to impose."

You silly girl, you, she mused, suppressing a simple-minded giggle. She pushed a stray strand of clumsy hair behind her ear before replacing her hands on her thighs again, her green eyes watching Abram for a moment. Was he going to say something else, or was she actually going to have to start a conversation? The silence, she had decided, was much to her disliking, and she hoped it would change shortly.

"Did you enjoy the rest of your day today, after our little run in?"

Had she enjoyed her day? In a manner of speaking, yes, but it wasn't entirely fun. Amelia put a hand to her cheek and let her head tilt slightly, as though she were thinking. "Well, let's see..." she said in an airy manner, tapping a finger against her cheek. "I glanced through my roster, made some last minute changes, fed the dogs, searched through the closet for a suitable dress, went to the store to replace some things... Oh yes, my day was so exciting!" Naturally, she left out the major details, but summaries had gotten her thus far, and he wouldn't care, would he? Nor would he even know.

Pretending to care, she took a minuscule sip of her wine and asked, simply and as pleasantly as she could muster, "And was your day pleasant?"

[Abe Cohen]

"A beautiful lady with a hearty appetite. I whole-heartedly approve." Abe grinned when Amelia remarked about her metabolism. He was never a fan of the "Girly Girl" - the sort of woman with pink-painted nails and a high, brainless voice. Though they were often good to look at, and exciting to love, Abe didn't enjoy their company for long. They got on his nerves with their little handbags, minuscule salads, and constant whining. His dream woman was sexy but tough - the kind of girl who could change her own tire in high heels in the rain and then meet him for a nice greasy burger. Abe didn't usually find that sort of girl, it was hard to meet both qualities in one person. But at least Amelia had an attitude and wasn't afraid to chow down. That definitely gave her some brownie points... as if she was the one who needed to earn them. It was clear to Abe that he was the one who needed to prove himself. Not that he was going to try.

"Impose?" Abe asked after they had finished ordering and Amelia drowned her first glass. Wow, she was fast. Abe had only taken a few sips from his own by the time she'd finished the first. He grinned to himself and continued to drink, admiring her speed. Feeling challenged, Abe finished off his glass and filled it up, topping Amelia's half-full glass off even though she'd pushed it away. Drink, he told her with his eyes. It would make their evening just so much better. No, Abe didn't intend to get her drunk and rape her in a back alley, but they had some very exciting dancing up ahead and it was always best to let loose and have a good time. He found that having a few drinks in him helped very much. "Never. You're my guest, and I'm so happy that you decided to come along with me. I've been needing a night of relaxation like this. I have a bad habit of locking myself up and working all evening lately. Your charming company is a welcome change."

Abe grinned and sipped his sake, savouring the exotic taste while Amelia told him about her day.

"Mm," he murmured when she mentioned dogs. Abe pulled the glass away from his lips with suddenly bright and interested eyes. "You have dogs? What breeds, and how many? As you may have guessed, I love animals. I wish I had a dog of my own but I only have one pet aside from the creatures I watch over for the school -- a cat. A tortoise-shell tabby named Ford. Not very manly, but what can I say... I love all animals. What are your dogs' names?"

"My day?" Abe could tell that she didn't truly care, but he smiled and told her anyway. "My day was excellent. They usually are. I love my job, especially on days like today. That Willow was quite a handful but I finished pruning it after you'd left, then I went into the forest to collect some specimens for the Care of Magical Creatures class and delivered some correspondence to the centaurs... the tree was the most exciting part of the day, I suppose. But the woods are beautiful to walk through so it was very relaxing. Do you like to hike, Amelia?"

After his words dropped off their waiter suddenly reappeared with a large steaming tray of their food. Placing each dish carefully down in front of Abe and Amelia, they bowed off again with a few short words that sounded like whatever "bon appetit" was in Japanese and disappeared. Abe scrutinized his fugu - if the fish was prepared improperly then he would be dead within the hour - and picked up his chop sticks, digging in with a wry grin on his face. After the first bite he still seemed to be breathing, though his lips tingled slightly with the poison's remnants. Exciting.

"How do you like your food?"