ain't gonna hang around 'til there's nobody dancing

[symmachy]

Who: Scathach & Bruce.
When: Friday evening.
Where: His place.
Summary: Date night.
Warnings: WHO KNOWS.

[It wasn't a date.

Well, maybe it was. Mostly, it was dinner between friends. That was what she preferred, even though she had dressed up a bit, as befitted a semi-formal occasion. Not unarmed, of course, knife strapped high on her thigh, invisible to anyone watching. She was just a young woman walking alone just before sirens went off, looking far too casual to not be up to something.

At least, that was how she imagined she looked. Most people were already locked up in their houses, safe from the nighttime monsters. She considered lingering, but didn't want to show up covered in blood again. It would be rude. His shirt was folded neatly over her arm, washed and ready to be returned. Scathach ran a hand through her cropped red hair as she arrived, and gave a cursory knock at the door. She wondered where this would go, if she'd really get to meet this mysterious "Other Guy," but knew it was rude to ask.

Sadly, that had hardly ever stopped Scatty before.]

Comments

[symmachy]

[Clearly cultural context is overrated. But a smirk does find its way to her face.]

As they should. Sometimes there's room for change. Old just gets... old.

[hulkbusted]

[A smirk is still an improvement, although he does prefer that rare real smile he's seen.]

I guess most things I'd consider traditional would just seem like a flash in the pan to you.

[symmachy]

[He's gonna have to bust his ass to get it back. She shakes her head, still smirking a bit.]

There are some laws, some stories, that are older than even me. If you can believe it.

["If he can believe it" because she still doesn't look any older than twenty. Who knows why.]

[hulkbusted]

[He can believe it. Mostly. Sometimes, like when she walked into his apartment in that little sundress, it's much harder to believe and mostly he just feels like an old man lusting way out of his league.

At the moment he mostly believes he's a jackass.]

Why not? You're talking to a physicist. I believe in laws that have been in existence from the beginning of time.

[symmachy]

[He's only proven to be a slight jackass. But then, who wasn't? Her head dips contemplatively for a moment, and she twirls her fork between her fingers. It was so hard not to tell him that the "laws" of physics he knew had been changed time and again since the beginning, usually at the whim of some bored immortal.]

I suppose that's true. And suddenly, brushing up on what little physics I know seems like it would've been a good idea.

[hulkbusted]

[He'll believe she's ten thousand years old and feeds on emotions, but don't mess with the laws of physics!]

Would have been?

[symmachy]

[He's doing better than most people she meets, to be honest.]

Excuse me. Will be in the future.

[hulkbusted]

[Nothing like turning into a giant green rage machine to let your credulity gain some elasticity.]

Conveniently enough, I know a physicist who's available for one-on-one study sessions. Maybe in trade for aikido?

[symmachy]

[And apparently attract red-haired warrior goddesses. Scatty grins a bit, and leans across the table just slightly.]

I think I could handle that arrangement. Who is this physicist, and how can I contact him or her?

[hulkbusted]

[Is that the light at the end of the tunnel or just the train?]

He's a little reclusive, but I hear he has a weakness for older women. You should ask for Dr. Banner.

[symmachy]

[He'll probably never know. And oh my God he called her older. She has mixed feelings on this, shown by the slight pout on her face.]

I'll see if I can make time for him.

[hulkbusted]

[Why was she pouting? Wasn't she pretty much the definition of older?

Genius that he is, the light does start to dawn on him that while she might be older, almost no woman wants to be characterized that way. See the genius attempt to salvage the moment.]

I don't know. He's going to take one look at you and he isn't going to believe you fit the bill. [A bare laugh] He's going to chastise himself for being a dirty old man, especially if you wear that dress.

[symmachy]

[Bruce what are you doing. This hole is already almost all the way to the earth's magma core. And all you're doing is pouring fuel on this fire. It's going to blow up in your face. She raises an eyebrow.]

I suppose I'll just have to get rid of the dress, then. It might distract from our one-on-one.

[hulkbusted]

[He takes a long swallow from his glass to wet his suddenly parched mouth.]

Take my word for it, losing the dress will distract from the physics lesson. [No, he's not thinking about mass, momentum, or friction, or relevant kinds of one-on-ones.

Yes he is.]

[symmachy]

[Gosh she can't get over how easy he is to fluster. Why aren't there more people like this in her life. Oh right, because she never had a chance to meet any. Scatty is kind of a workaholic on a good day. She goes back to pecking at her food.]

I'll only do it as a last resort, then.

[hulkbusted]

[He regretfully leaves thoughts of friction for another time and gives her a strained smile.]

Do you often look for wayward professors to teach you random new skills or sciences?

[symmachy]

[She gives him a small smile.]

I know I don't look it but I'm a teacher, and have been for for upwards of nine thousand years. I appreciate every being's capacity to learn.

[hulkbusted]

You don't look like a lot of things. [His smile loses some of its tension.] I'm trying to keep an open mind. [Barring occasional moments where he fails.]

[symmachy]

[Good. An open mind is important, especially when it comes to her.] Now that that's established, I must say that this is all delicious. [This is an honest sentiment.]

[hulkbusted]

[Bruce actually beams at her.] I'm glad you like it. If you only do this to fit in - am I guessing right? You eat among humans for camouflage? If you only do it for that, at least the flavors should be enjoyable.

[symmachy]

[Saying she did it for "camouflage" made her feel like an insect being studied, but she lets it pass. He wasn't trying to offend her, that much was clear. And it was a small thing, anyway.]

I do. And yes, I agree. I usually stick to raw fruits, but cooked food is nice, too.

[hulkbusted]

[It's an occupational hazard; he'd also hazard a guess that Betty felt like he was studying her like an alien species, too. At least xenobiology isn't a field of study in his world.]

Next time [my that's bold, Bruce] you choose something to do.

[symmachy]

[She raises an eyebrow oh-so-slowly. But only says:]

I'll start thinking, then.

[hulkbusted]

[If she wants a next time after what he proposes next. He's hopeful that she will, but her reactions leave him uncertain more often than not.]

For next time. Tonight... dessert is out in the Darkness. Or at least I thought it was until I saw that dress. It would be a shame to get it bloody.

[He's thinking of offering her... a t-shirt because she makes his t-shirts so much more appealing than they are on her, but he's also thinking of what she said earlier about taking it off. When did he revert to adolescent hormonal thinking?]

[symmachy]

[She smiles.]

I can always run home and change. [She was only considering taking the dress off.]