Lunch break!

His studies at the lab had gone fantastically...and by his studies he of course meant learning the ropes of the company and running errands for those that actually got to work on experiments, rarely one of his superiors would deign to let him add input, but Ms. Leaner valued his opinion.

Aedus was still trying to get used to his sleek new look, not a hair on him anywhere, stubble was growing back but for the most part he would be needing a good bit of time before he could even call it a boot camp cut. He had brought lunch for Two, Noel seemed to enjoy home cooking and he would keep it up to bring a smile to the woman’s face anytime he could.

Their friendship had for the most part thrived on text and phone calls, with the occasional visit, something had changed with her, and he thought he liked it, for the most part. Some of the shyness seemed to be stricken from her, some of the nervous hesitance, perhaps it had to do with the fact that she wore a sword at her hip. Either way, he wouldn’t abandon a friend for changing. It’s what people did.

Aedus put the cooler on the table and waited for his companion to arrive, the front desk better not be keeping her on purpose again. He didn’t think the lack of hair was flattering, but the front desk girls seemed to think it was charming, though he didn’t think a single one had it in them t confront her directly, He was pretty sure, they might be attempting to make her life harder because of their friendship…Aedus didn’t however believe that Noel had noticed, if she had, He was pretty sure he would of heard about the disagreement.

He had picked a small table with two chairs purposefully, if they were only going to see each other at work. He was going to make sure to value their time together.

Tired again, Noel plopped down hard into what had become their usual spot. It was just too tempting to keep up the game when no one was the definitive victor. Her arms felt like lead as she squinted at Aedus' hair. Or lack of hair.

"I think it's longer today. More sandpaper like and less bald." Having dark hair helped, she guessed. Dark hair and a pale scalp unused to seeing the light of day. "You're gonna need a hat before too much longer."

Maybe he would let her bring him a hat. So far he'd hardly let her slip him a check to cover her portion of the food he brought. And, really, nothing could make her more grateful. Ever since Sebastian had moved in, her energy level was kaput, all spent on practice, practice, practice.

"What's on the menu today?" Maybe something with a straw so she didn't have to use her arms too much? It was a good thing the security gig was so quiet. If she actually had to lift her taser or sword right now, well... she would do it. But she wouldn't be happy about it.

His normal smile popped onto his face. “ Only another few months and I might have my old hair back, that is if I keep my nose out of trouble and don’t try to figure out how to make it happen all over again. I’m thinking about going hat shopping…I like toboggans, but I don’t know what else would look good.”

He tried to cook food that weathered refrigerating and reheating well. He hopped up and laid claim to a microwave. “Salmon paired with spinach, in a light lemon, garlic, and butter sauce, with rosemary roasted potatoes.”
He heated up her container first and turned his back to the microwave so they could converse while the food came to life again. He could tell that people hated when he was in here with his real food, making their machine bought food, or microwavable meals seem all the more drab.
He served Noel’s dish to her and returned to the microwave and heated up hers. “So , I’ve got to ask, I tried to wait until you brought it up, but what is up with the sword? Don’t get me wrong it is awesome and I must say a bit on the sexy side. I’m just wondering if you intend on using it?”

Salmon. Spinach. Potatoes. A nutritionist couldn't have planned a better meal. Noel looked forward to seeing Aedus in his little apron. And she always looked forward to whatever little nugget he decided to slip in just to see if she was watching. Last time it'd been a silly mismatched pair of socks. It had taken her most of the salad to notice.

"I already do use it." A fact that was all too clear when she wanted to catch the sliding microwave meal in font of her and couldn't get her sore arms up in time. The container slid across the laminate table top and bumped against her chest before she got her hands in the way to stop it from spilling to her lap. Now that would have been a real shame.

"Every night at the gym Sebastian's been teaching me swordplay. He's trying to get back into shape 'cause his last wife made him fat and lazy." Whatever. He obviously didn't have that wife now since he was living with her. That could have been decades ago, though the clothes were too recent for anything too crazy. "He's lived for like ever so learning things from him is awesome. The costumes alone are well worth it." She speared some salmon. If Aedus kept this up, she was seriously going to have to propose.

“I realize you practice with it, but are you going to use it up here? I don’t know, I just don’t want it affecting your job, I mean is management cool with it, or are they too nervous to ask about it? I’ll I’m saying is eating lunch with you is too much of a perk to lose Ya.”

He raised an eyebrow at that, his last wife…. Did that make Noel his current wife, but she clarified with something that answered the question and brought up more questions.

Hmmm learning stuff from him was awesome… costumes? He so didn’t have a right to be jealous, she hadn’t led him to believe that he had, but he was.

“Yeah, Da says marriage will do that to Ya, getting comfortable and losing your need to stay in shape. Though I think that he is just trying to pin that beer belly on Ma, She says Hi back by the way.” Why was he talking about his parents? “Any way, I’d like to meet Sebastian sometime, sounds like an interesting guy; I’d probably have to stop myself from interrogating him about historic stuff.”

Then she was giving him a look that his cooking brought out in her. He smiled a toothy grin. He popped the food out of the microwave and sat down across from her, He’d been waiting for it since he cooked it this morning. His knuckles had the words Miss Gage written across them. He glanced around the room to see if anyone was paying attention. “What are you thinking about when you give me that look?” he thought it was fair to ask what was on her mind, he literally let her read his after all.

"Sebastian said to never leave home without it." Noel shrugged. He was the teacher. He made the rules, not her. "Nobody's here has said anything that's a direct yes or no. I mean, security seems to think it's related to my mutation somehow which, I guess it is and they're all about using abilities to be better at your job."

She had to think on the comment that people might be afraid of her. It seemed absolutely ridiculous. Noel didn't feel dangerous. "You don't really think they're afraid of me, do you?" She had to clarify because she didn't always get sarcasm.

The brunette started on her meal as she always did, with a smell test. The odor of the salmon had put her off a little, but with the lemon and the spinach and the butter… everything was just "Mmmm." She melted and forgot all about being sore. Aedus seemed to take sincere pleasure in the faces she was making over his lunch.

"I don't think he'd mind you asking questions." He seemed nice enough to most people. Maybe a little rough toward MacMillan, but it seemed like MacMillan's sole goal in life to break Sebastian somehow. Only, the unicorn man's black eyes healed.

The salmon had lived in the ocean. He ate bugs and was afraid of thunder. The spinach grew in a greenhouse. Not as good as the stuff grown outside where she could almost feel the sun on her skin… Aedus had been humming La Cucaracha as he sautéed. She just couldn't help but grin.

"Huh?" Some memories were hard to break out of, but Noel felt like she was getting better at it all the time. "Was I giving you a look?" A bad one? It had been a good memory. But, before the memories she'd actually had a thought all on her own…

"I was thinking that I should steal you away before anybody else." She grinned. "Also that I think your apron is adorable." And the fact that he wore it.

“I can’t say he is wrong about it, I am sure a mugger would think twice on seeing it. And in that light it makes sense, I keep forgetting how progressive this place is. I would think security would stop you at the door in a lot of places. I don’t think they are afraid of you, but if you cut someone down they just might get that way.”

Happiness poured over his face as she caught him watching her eat. He looked down and concentrated on the food. He couldn’t help but wonder how much she was enjoying eating the fish, or experience what the fish did. That had to be a catch twenty two, since he ended up an plate, he could guess how the story ended.

“Sounds fun, but I might have to brush up on my Kendo if I am going to get any respect from a swordsmen.”

“Maybe.” He teased. “Oh were you now? I might just let you.” She wouldn’t need her diet coke for that statement. That was a little unexpected, maybe he misread her relationship with Sebastian. “Though I have to say, my new look has been getting some attention.” The bad kind, he was still too shiny for people to have thought he did it on purpose, how many times would he have to hear about loosing a bet? A laugh escaped his lips, sometimes he forgot she could see everything, not just the things he did as easter eggs.“ I’d rather wear it than, have to change again when I inevitably make a mess. Plus it gives me a good idea how I would look in a kilt.”

Huh. Muggers. She hadn't thought of that. Noel didn't think she'd ever seen one. As far as she could remember, the most actual violence she'd seen was in sparring with Sebastian. None of it was meant to slice anyone in half for real or anything. The security guard munched her greenhouse spinach because it was the vegetable. If she ate it first, then she could end on a high note like a bite of salmon.

"I don't think he expects most people to know much of anything about swords. So just knowing something's prolly a bonus."

Aedus complained about his "new look" and Noel sighed. "I do miss your hair." Not that she and it had gotten to know each other very well, but her fingers had been through it at least once while she was learning something new.

Abruptly Noel snatched up Aedus' hands and inspected his knuckles. Her arms protested the whole way. Miss Gage. He'd washed it off, but she could juuuuust make out a little bit of "e" left on the outside of his pinky. She let out a little 'hn' noise and let his hands go in favor of returning to her meal. "Found it."

Now back to the real issue, his lack of hair? "Maybe you'll grow lava hair or something." Okay. That was a lame guess. But it sounded better than suggesting a toupee.

Aedus smiled, “Well, it isn’t just that, but I don’t know if I could resist dueling with him, not too often you get a chance to get owned by an ancient swordsman. While I acknowledge the fact that I am sure he would be able to handle me with relative ease, I wouldn’t mind being a challenge.” was it crazy that he just accepted someone that thought it was a must to carry a sword on you always? A sword would have come in handy on Halloween.

"It could be worse, at least it is trying to grow back, and maybe it will make me think twice before going all hellfire and brimstone. The whole being obsidian thing is pretty cool. And at a few days a t a time, pretty awesome, I wonder if I am going to be able to tame it.” Aedus lost his train of thought as Noel grabbed his hand, was she proposing? He had been joking but what would he say if she did?
As she searched his fingers his initial surprise turned to understanding. “ I swear one of these days I am going to have to do something outrageous just to see the look on your face.”

“I’ll be alright with hats and the boot camp bald, It isn’t so bad to the touch and I don’t have to feel goofy about trying to mess my hair up just right.” He wiggled the area where his eyebrows were attempting to grow back. “are you telling me you aren’t tempted to touch it?”

He wanted to duel an ancient swordsman? Noel leaned forward over her tupperware. "You do realize that you're sitting across from an ancient swordsman equivalent, right?" She hadn't been practicing like nuts for nothing. If he wanted to duel one, he didn't have to go all the way to Sebastian. "Besides, he would probably have you fight me first anyway. Unless you insisted otherwise or something." And really, why would he insist?

Noel scooped up the last bits of her potatoes with her fingers. She never got anything from her own fingers. Maybe she should just eat with her hands all the time...

She looked between her greasy fingers and his shiny head. "Not even tempted." Could they draw him some eyebrows maybe? Or would that be worse? "You want me to touch it?" She wiggled her fingers at him and a little morsel of potato she missed flicked his way. If he did, his new nickname would be Mr. Potatohead.

He tilted his head at her. “ I guess I didn’t. Maybe you’d like to take on a student then, I doubt I’ll learn as quick, but I’m no slacker either. I’d be happy to put my skills or lack thereof up against an ancient swordswoman.” He took that to mean she had been employing their learning method to other sources of education…He refused to be jealous of the fact. It was a way to level the playing field for her, if she forgot a lot then it was only fair she get to use the ability to gain things too.

“Mhmmm. Nice try though, I can tell you can hardly resist, I respect your self control though."
He laughed at her wiggling finger threat. He pointed to his head.“ Easiest clean up ever. I don’t even care.” He wiped the potato off his cheek and popped it into his mouth.

Something obvious smacked him in the face…His name was Sebastian. Could he have come across them both in so little time? Maybe he would need training.

A student? She quit her teasing and licked her fingers again since they obviously weren't clean yet. "I don't think I could take on a student. I'm no master. I'm still the apprentice." Just an ancient equivalent. A little shadow copy of the real deal. Where would she even start to teach him?

At the beginning. She remembered Sebastian showing her how to hold a weapon. And someone else showing him. Hmm. A student, huh? "Besides, I still owe you lessons at the shooting range. That's something I'm a little more comfortable teaching." Unless he thought swords were nobler or something... hm. She did miss her gun.

A glance at the clock told her that lunch time was going fast. Good company could do that. "Well, if you want to meet him, come home with me tonight. He'll be at the gym either way." Aedus looked a little jangled as she snapped the lid back onto her tupperware and passed it back to him. Did he really have his heart set on learning swords? Sebastian might teach him... maybe...

Aedus tried not to watch Noel too closely, why was she so inadvertently attractive, she wasn’t trying to be seductive, but she was. Was it the fact that she just did what she wanted to? He thought so.

“Guns, work. And I have one, so that’s probably the better route.”

“Yeah, sounds good! I’ll see what I can do about a blade.” He needed to get a hold of Jude. He could at least tell him that he knew Ghost was safe and he knew where Sebastian might be…would a unicorn be immortal?

You know the first time a lady says ‘come home with me tonight’ you don’t want meeting him and he’ll be there surrounding it. But there was definitely a lot more to it than what he wanted. If this guy was dangerous enough to go crazy when he found out that his wife Ghost was pregnant, then a mere acquaintance like Noel was in danger.

He wished he could do more than speculate.

Aedus spent his remaining break on the internet finding a NYC based sword making company, battle ready swords. He found an expensive but amazing looking blade; it had a life time guarantee. He wondered how long that life would last.

Before work finished a friend from Quicktrack dropped off his new sword.

At the front desk, Noel intercepted a long package addressed to Aedus. (She could totally read his name from the label. All by herself!) Susan phoned up to wherever Aedus was sucking up to interning with people today. The package got stashed under the desk until the end o the day when he could retrieve it.

There was a sword in there. That bothered her for some reason. Hadn't she convinced him to go with guns?

Plus, what if he bought a stupid one? Augh! What if it was a replica from a movie where more of the thing was plastic, screws and poor balance than anything else? Or, even worse, one of those scandanavian monstrosities with fake letters scratched into the blade that hurt the integrity of the blade?

Noel stewed until 5 about the various ways that Aedus could have wasted his money. Then she went to the locker room and changed back to her street clothes super fast so that she could nab the package and be ready for him by the time he came to the front desk to claim it.

Aedus got to the locker room and changed into Jeans and a chocolate brown tee. He slipped on pair of matching brown sneakers and grabbed the cooler and junk he needed for home. With the money he was starting to make now, He was considering buying a motorcycle…but it came with all of the terrible trappings of parking and insurance and maintenance. His bike only required an air pump.

Besides He would be paying for that sword for a little bit. The sword should be there. Antoine text-ed that he dropped it off, hours ago. He walked into the lobby to find a nice sight, Noel hanging onto his package, it was nice that he wasn’t going to have to bother with the front desk and chat about what was in it.

He grinned at her not understanding the pout on her face at all. When he got close enough to not be overheard by anyone else. He quirked his lack of an eyebrow and asked. “What happened? Is everything ok?”

The blade they would find was true to the sites promise, it was forge made steel sharpened and battle ready, the place was called Angel Blades, they worked out of Texas and opened a second shop in NY. His cousin had recommended the place to him.