a dish best served cold, Open

[Abra Judd]

Abra nodded. She had had to take a few of those 'just pay the bills' jobs back at Shiz to ensure that she could afford to stay at the school. She hadn't wanted to rely on home for her living, she hadn't wanted to rely on home for anything. So she had taken jobs she had despised, and it had taught her to suffer through things she didn't particularly enjoy for the better of herself, and it had been a valuable lesson. She was a better person, a better lawyer for it now. "Well, sometimes things you don't want to have to deal with at the moment can actually turn out to be an advantage." She didn't want to lecture Jamie, so she let it go at that.

She nodded. "Likewise." She hadn't had anyone over, or gone to anyone's apartment for tea in a long while as well, though that probably had something to do with the fact that she didn't have that many friends outside her job, and the ones she had there were rarely in the mood for something as trivial as tea. They had to push themselves as hard as she did, and as a result, they were all at least somewhat overworked. She understood or tried to understand balance. Her comrades? Not so much.

She didn't miss his glance at the window. She would have to walk home alone, no matter the time. It was something she had to do for herself, for her own state of mind, a get back on the horse type of thing. That particular philosphy was immensely important in a profession where your ego had to be relatively healthy, but at the same time, every loss dealt said ego a blow. It was an important and tricky balance. She laughed at his comment about the library. "I can't say I blame you, I wish I had more time to read," she said truthfully, taking a drink of tea.

[Jamie Spiren]

He gave her a small smile, blinking and scratching the top of his head. "I think I read too much." This was probably true, he had discovered a penchant for literature, and he read as much of it as he could. He liked to know what was going on in the world, and so he read the papers. But he also liked to escape into another world, and the best place to leave Oz and go elsewhere, he believed, was by reading a book. Wander in at any time of the day and Jamie would most likely have a book or a newspaper in his lap. It was now becoming more of a habit than a hobby, although he still enjoyed it. It was not yet a chore to read. He had vowed to leave books for a while though, because reading was not everything. Jamie had to see the world, and he had to come out of his shell. And the way to do this was to put the books down. Not everything, of course, but just a few. Free up the time to do other things.

"It's uh..are you alright getting home?" He addressed the situation, reading the slight twinge of fear behind her eyes. It was better to get it out in the open, rather than be awkward and keep silent. And afterall, he was a little worried about her still. She seemed perfectly fine now, but who knew what she'd be like once her feet were out of the door. He wanted to make sure she'd feel safe. Not that aything was every a hundred percent safe, but he wanted her to feel less..less anxious about the whole situation.

"I mean, I'm sure you will be..but I had to ask." He added, a quick afterthought.

[Abra Judd]

"Reading is never a bad thing," Abra said with conviction and a hint of enjoyment. She was hardly a impartial source. She loved to read almost as much as she loved practicing law. Almost. "I don't think it's possible to read too much," she added as an afterthought. Reading was how she had become interested in law in the first place. Detective stories had always interested her. Not only for the mystery, but for the fact that justice was almost always served and fair. There were no anomalies in that world. The world was fair, and painted in black and white, unlike the real world, which was far too random, far too unfair for her taste, her own story evidence of that.

She listened to Jamie's inquiry quietly, almost becoming angry. Almost. What was she? Too weak to be able to get herself home? She had been attacked, yes, but she was not completely incapable because of it. No, she could get herself home. To be fair, though, Jamie was only asking out of genuine concern, or what appeared to be genuine concern. Se had no business being angry with him, honestly. He had only asked out of care. So she wasn't angry. Or at least, not much. "No, I'll be fine. I can't cower forever. I have to stand on my own two feet, better sooner than later, right?" she asked, more for his benefit than hers.

[Jamie Spiren]

He nodded, glad she seemed to be better now, less afraid. "I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I just thought it was best to ask. I know that soundsi ncredibly stupid, but I hope you know my meanings behind why I asked." He smiled, he meant no harm. He genuinely did care about her, and he didn't want her to be afraid on the way home. Jamie looked at his hands for a moment, having run out of things to say. He had a small fear inside him that he had offended her with that comment, and he remembered why, on some occasions, it was best for him to keep his mouth shut. No more stupid questions. He'd go back to letting Abra do the talking, that seemed like something that would avoid him feeling embarrased again.

A usual habit, rubbing the back of the neck. Jamie did it again. He did it in times of awkwardness, and also whenever he felt he had nothing to say. He couldn't help this habit, it was just something he'd always done. He looked up and smiled a little at Abra, putting his hand back down. He sort of wished he hadn't finished his tea, because then at least he'd be able to hold onto his cup. Now he had nothing constructive to do with his hands, and nor did he have anything to say. This was not a particularly good moment.

[Abra Judd]

She felt guilty for the short clipped tone of the words as soon as she said them. She knew why Jamie was asking, and she appreciated it, she simply wasn't in the mood for any uneeded doting or worrying over her at the moment. Any such attention was unwelcome. Much easier to keep to small talk, to subjects that for some inexplicable reason weren't going to make her strangle someone. At the moment that was easier said then done, as she hadn't yet figured out what those subjects were, as she hadn't been in this situation long enough to figure it out.

She of course noticed the rather awkward situation she had placed them in. Jamie looked completely put off by the whole thing, not that she could blame him. She had been a bit bitchy about the whole thing, which wasn't something he deserved, not after how he'd taken care of her. It wasn't fair, and for someone who placed so much stock in playing fair, it wasn't nice of her to betray her own rules. "I'm sorry Jamie, I shouldn't have snapped." She didn't feel that it was an adequate apology, after all, the man had been nothing but good to her, and she wasn't exactly paying him back fairly. "I just think that this whole day has pressed a few more buttons then I'm used to or comfortable with," she concluded honestly and logically.

[Jamie Spiren]

He glanced up at her, listening. "It doesn't matter, I understand that, well..you know. I'm a bit stupid when it comes to stringing words together sometimes, you see." He said, feeling slightly less awkward now. This was better, clearing the air a little. Not that there was much to clear, but the feelings of awkwardness had gone a little and he felt more at ease with her. He hadn't meant to upset her afterall, and at least she seemed to recognise that he felt a little awkward about which areas to talk about and which not to. Jamie sat back again a little, feeling more at ease. He fiddled with the cuff of his shirt, which had rolled down his arm a little and was bothering him.

He looked back up after a while, fiving her a small smile. "So have you any interesting news lately?" He asked, wondering if she'd anything interestin they could talk about. He wondered what was happening in the palace currently, since he was out of the loop with what Glinda was up to. He wasn't snooping though, he was just generally insterested on anything she had to say, a sort of route back into steady conversation rather than awkward silence.

[Abra Judd]

She nodded, not providing any response beyond that. She hadn't meant to make Jamie unhappy, but she had and it was too late to change that now. She had made this entire interaction stall, and she was sorry for it, but not surprised. She was quite skilled at making people feel awkward, after all, it was part of her job. If she wasn't making someone uncomfortable most of the time that meant that she wasn't doing her job correctly. She was glad that clearing the air had been able to ease some of the tension, even if it couldn't eliminate all of it. She had not meant to snap, she just had. She'd have to watch that response in the future. It wouldn't be very becoming for her to snap at someone in court, would it?

She shook her head at his inquiry. "No, not particularly." Her life had been rather boring of late, not including tonight, of course. She had no problem with boring. Boring was good. The more mind boggingly dull something was the better, as it usually meant things were less dangerous, less likely to get nasty, and that she was fine with. The less chance of something being dangerously close to making her crack (emotionally, anyway) the better. Her first few weeks on the job had been brutal, with each case a new emotional disaster, but she was getting better now, learned to distance herself from the emotions. Boring was good. Boring meant no more tears. "What about you?" she asked, her eyes shining with genuine interest. She had been dominating a lot of the conversation.

[Jamie Spiren]

He nodded as she said she didn't have any news, not that he expected her to say something juicy anyways..he was just generally intrigued. "Oh, nothing really. There seems to be no new news coming out of the palace these days. Makes it all seem a bit hush hush, don't you think?" He smiled at her, catching the small hint of interest in her eyes. At least he wasn't completely boring. Jamie didn't want her to be sat there wishing she could go home, or at least he didn't want to make himself seem completely odd. "Anywho, it doesn't bother me so much. I used to read the papers religiously, but I've sort of grown out of that now." This was true. A man couldn't live on papers, which was why he had moved onto literature rather than rubbish gossip and scandal.

"Don't let me keep you too late, if you have to go." He didn't want her to be late for anything, but more importantly, he didn't want to bore her. He wasn't particularly interesting at the best of times, and he'd rather not subject Abra to his random ramblings on. He gave her a smile, picking his empty cup of tea up and standing up with it. "I'll be back in a moment." Jamie shuffled over to the kitchen and put his cup down, pouring himself a glass of water to take the dry taste from his mouth. He sipped at it and returned, hands in his pockets as he moved back over to the couch. He didn't sit down just yet, instead he stood for a moment, thinking.

[Abra Judd]

She nodded in agreement. Things had been awfully quiet lately, which she wasn't entirely comfortable. Better, she supposed, than having a raving madman on the lose, but at the same time, not entirely comforting. She was used to the news being out their for everyone to see, after all, it wasn't as though the Wizard had been able to keep the Wicked Witch under raps, but lately Glinda seemed to be playing things awfully close to the chest, which she wasn't that pleased about. "It makes me a bit nervous, you know," she said finally. "I wish there wasn't so many secrets. I don't like the idea of the government hiding things from the people." She nodded at his statemnet about the papers. "I read the papers every day. Sometimes there is interesting articles." She smirked. "Sometimes not."

She glanced at her watch, reluctant to do so. It was getting late, and besides, she felt as though she was intruding. She did have work to do, and she didn't want to keep Jamie. "I do have to go, actually. Cases to prepare for tomorrow." She glanced at her bandaged arm and supressed a shiver of revulsion. "Thank you for everything. We should do this again. I could buy you dinner as a sort of 'thanks for saving my life' peace offering," she suggested, calling out to him in the kitchen before he moved back into the room. "I don't have a trial next Monday. What do you say?" she said casually.

[Jamie Spiren]

He listened as she spoke, smiling at her words, and frowning a little to himself when she had to go. When he was back in the room, the suggestion of dinner sounded wonderful. A great idea, and plus it would get him out of the flat for a while. "That sounds nice." Jamie gave her an enthusiastic smile and a nod. "Monday's good for me..hell, anyday is good. Give me a ring if you can't make it." He mumbled, searching for a pen. He knelt down and scribbled out his phone number, adding a smiley face to it and handing it over to her. He wasn't attempting to pull..but he'd rather Abra have his number just incase she couldn't make it. He had been stood up many a time before and he didn't want to look the fool.

"It'been nice seeing you again, Abra." He smiled genuinely, sticking his hands in his pockets. "It'll be nice to have dinner with you too..I'm sure we can get properly caught up with each other then."

[Abra Judd]

She nodded. "How about Callipari's, down on Cabot street at about seven o'clock?" she asked, fulling expecting an affirmative answer, preemptively committing the information to her memory. The least she could do was treat him to a nice dinner if he was going to go to all the trouble of saving her life and all. A nice dinner seemed to be a somewhat admissible payment for his help. She took the slip of paper from him, slipping it in her pocket. She took a piece of paper and the pen from him, scribbling down her own phone number in her barely legible handwriting. "Sorry if you can't read it," she said with a self-deprecating smile. "I don't have the neatest handwriting. But here is my number in case something comes up," she said, handing him the slip of paper. She hadn't drawn any smiley faces on hers, it just wasn't her style.

"It's been really nice seeing you too," she said, pulling on her suit jacket, conveniently ignoring the neat slice in the fabric. She would have to get rid of this suit when she got home. Or maybe she could sew up the slice in the fabric, leave the stitches less than perfect, a reminder of how strong she could be when she needed to be. Yes, she liked that idea much better. that was her plan. "It'll be nice to have dinner," she agreed, buttoning up her suit jacket neatly. Aside from the cut in the sleeve, she looked neat and composed as always. "It would be nice to catch up in whole rather than these little snippets," she agreed with a small smile.

[Jamie Spiren]

"That's a nice place. It sounds good to me." He replied, glad she had picked a place he knew of. He had been to Callipari's before, although it was a few years back now, and with a different girl entirely. "I'm buying the drinks though. I can't let you pay for everything." He smiled and took the paper from her glancing over at her handwriting. Messy, slightly ineligible but he could make the numbers out. He supposed a person such as a lawyer had to have messy handwriting, since notes and such had to be taken quickly, if at all. "I think I can just about make it out. I'm sure there won't be any need to phone you..unless some freak accident occurs." He laughed a little, slipping the paper into his pocket. He would put the number into his phone later before he lost the slip.

"On the whole. That'll be good." He agreed, watching her slip on her jacket, and get ready. She didn't look any different now. Only the slit in the jacket revealed the incident she had been through, Jamie couldn't tell from her expression or her composure that she had been attacked at all. "Take care of that arm, won't you?" He asked and stepped over to her a little, further towards the door. "Wouldn't want it to get infected or anything."

[Abra Judd]

She nodded. She had expected an affirmative answer, and she had gotten what she expected. She smiled at his offer. "Well, I might have to take you up on that offer," she agreed. She glanced at the piece of paper in his hand, astounded by how terrible her hand writing always managed to be. Luckily Jamie seemed to be able to read it, which is more then she could say for some other members of the legal staff. She laughed at his comment about just barely being able to make it out. "Penmanship was never my strong suit," she said truthfully. She usually was scribbling out notes to say and her writing suffered for it, but at least she could read it. Well, most of the time. "I hope there are no freak accidents, then. We've had enough of those lately."

"Yes, it will be. I like getting the whole story. Not just pieces of it," she said finally, which was true enough. She always got the whole story, even if she had to wrangle it out of a witness piece by piece. She always got it. She was confident that if need be she could do the same to Jamie. If she ever had kids they would never get away with anything with the way she could get people to admit things they could hardly admit to themselves. She noticed his glance at her sleeve but didn't say anything. For now she had pushed the whole incident away, made it completely irrelevant. She could confront it later. It had no place here. She nodded at Jamie's request. "Don't worry, I will. Infection is generally something good to avoid," she concluded firmly, following his lead and heading towards the door. Oddly enough, she wasn't that nervous. She was ready to take the world head on once more. After all, as nice as Jamie was, she couldn't cower in his apartment forever, nor did she want to.