Jul 03 12:53:30 105 PA

From Chronicles

The current game time is: Fri Jul 03 12:53:30 105 PA.

The small Inuit woman shifts slightly, not entirely used to spending too much time in a chair at this point. Her dark eyes hold a sparkle within them as she watches him across the table. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she's used the carrots to taste two of the dressings, so far. The italian dressing didn't really seem to be one she liked much at all, likely being unused to the combination of oil and vinegar. At his suggestion that she should try the lettuce, she tilts her head slightly to one side before giving a small nod. The fork next to her plate is remembered, then, though she's unfamiliar with using much in the way of utensils. So it is that she ends up holding the fork more like a weapon, and she spears a piece of the lettuce before taking a small bite of it, chewing on it thoughtfully. Her brow furrows slightly as she considers the lack of flavour in the lettuce, and then she dips it a little into the french dressing before eating the rest of the piece. Her attention perks a little at the flavour of it then, and only after swallowing the mouthful does she give a small nod. "I like this one, better than the other two so far," she says softly, her tone thoughtful. She hasn't ruled out the possibility of liking the ranch, though, since she hasn't tried it yet. "You said, after the salads were brought, that there are other types?" she asks curiously, studying him with that certain intensity that often comes with her questions.

"Yes, Monique, now comes the next course. And just so you know, you're supposed to hold a fork like this - " he demonstrates " - it's not so much a weapon as it is an eating implement." He smiles at his beau, his asik, across the table, the newness of it all giving her an air of wide-eyed innocence. Next they're deliver the prime rib, which I believe we both ordered. Or did you have the chicken? I've gone and forgotten! In any case, I'm sure that you know what a chicken is, it's a kind of bird that walks on the ground instead of flying. I'm getting the prime rib, which is part of a cow, which is sort of like a buffalo, or a bison?" Seeing the blank look in her eyes, he continues, "I'll show you a picture of it when we get back home, just like I did for the walrus." He looks at her with a wide grin. "Incidentally, the knife isn't a weapon, either, not in this setting. You hold it like this - " he demonstrates again - "and cut like this. Now, there's going to be something called au jus with it - it's the juices of the meat. You can dunk your pieces of cow into the au jus, and it tastes very good." He leans back as the waitress approaches. "Ah, here we go."

+WATCH REPORTS: Kesslan has connected. Monique innocently blinks across the table at him, her dark eyes meeting his for a moment before lowering to study the way that he's holding the fork. Aroo? Now how's that supposed to work? Chewing a little at the inside of her lower lip, she takes a moment to study how he holds, then tries to replicate it herself, finding that it feels uncomfortable, and she wrinkles her nose a little. "It feels... strange," she says softly. Yet she keeps holding it that way, trying to get it to feel more comfortable. In time, she suspects, it will. After all, her first time holding a weapon felt strange, so this isn't much different. Eating a little bit more of her salad, she doesn't yet try the ranch, but she does return to the french dressing. "Mmm... I have not seen, as you call it... a chicken," she says, ducking her chin a little. She's rather unfamiliar with the names that belong to the animals that she's seen. "You ordered me duck," she reminds him, her dark eyes showing a sparkle in them. "Have I distracted you?" she teases, winking at him. She doesn't yet move to pick up the knife, still trying to get used to the way the fork feels amongst her fingers. As the waitress returns, she moves aside her salad a little, just to make room for the plate to be put.

"You *always* distract me, Monique," Kelley says with a sly grin. "You're doing a pretty good job holding your fork. And yes, I did forget there for a minute. I knew that I got you a bird, but didn't remember what it was. A duck is a big bird - " he holds his arms and hands out approximating the size of a duck. "You must have seen birds before, no? Go ahead, take a bite." He carefully cuts a piece of his prime rib and tries to demonstrate the act of cutting to Monique. "Now cut it carefully, because if you push to hard, the meat will go flying across the room." He carefully watches as his asik takes a stab at it.

Which, if she were up in her native homeland, could quite literally be 'taking a stab at it'. She giggles softly at him, ducking her chin a little and peeking to him through the veil of her lashes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I do not mean to? Mostly," she comments, then winks at him again. Raising an eyebrow slightly, she gives a small nod. "Yes, I have seen birds. When we wold travel to the south, we wouuld sometimes hunt them. Not often, but sometimes. They were not always easy to hunt," she says softly, her tone thoughtful. Shifting her hold on the fork, she stabs the duck with her fork, then takes up the knife. At first, she does hold it like a weapon, but she remembers then that he mentioned it's not one. Even though it is. And she tries, hard, to be careful with cutting the meat. She manages to succeed, up to the point of the knife's blade screeching on the glass of the plate. Not used to that kind of sound, the knife is dropped with a bit of a clatter, and she gives a quiet little eep, startled and a bit wide-eyed.

Kelley chuckles a bit at his beau, and says, "No, sweetie, let the blade lay across the food and just press down gently, let the knife do most of the work for you." He smiles as he awaits Monique's second attempt. In the meantime, he attacks his own meal and cuts off a piece, dunks it in the au jus, and chomps on it happily. Good food. Silver Fork actually lives up to its name, surprisingly. "I wonder why there's only this one nice restaurant in Kingsdale," he asks no one in particular after he's politely swallowed his food. "What kind of food did you usually eat, up north? Just walrus and seal? I can't imagine that you went hunting polar bears - did you?"

Monique tilts her head slightly to one side as she looks across the table at him, still a little wary by the sound the knife had made on the plate. To his instruction, she gives a small nod, then scoots her chair a bit closer to the table. The knife is taken up, a little hesitantly, and then she lifts the fork with the bite of duck on it, to bite it off and chew on the meat. Thoughtful, as though considering what's been done to the meat before it was cooking. Only after she's chewed and swallowed does she give a small nod, her dark eyes lifting to look to him across the table. "Mmm... we eat many things. More, I think, than most would think. Seals, and walruses... and before Tornaq came, we would hunt polar bears. We ate whales, and fish... and caribou, and musk ox. We ate small animals as well... hares, ptarmigan and their eggs. Sometimes, wolves or foxes, beaver if we could find them. There were different plants we ate, as well," she says softly, her tone thoughtful in nature. Only then does she decide to try to cut another piece of duck. Stabbing a part of the duck, she wields the knife a little more hesitantly, more carefully, this time doing as he'd advised and letting the knife do more of the work. No screeching this time, and she visibly relaxes when that doesn't happen, smiling brightly at him in the wake of it.

Kelley laughs and gives Monique a thumbs-up when she successfully cuts the meat. With a wink, he says, "A musk ox. That's sort of like a cow. They're different, but that's basically what it looks like. Of course, I'll show you a better picture when we get home, but for now, that's essentially what it looks like. I forgot that you traveled so far south during the year. Was that the summer, or the winter," he wonders aloud. "How do you like the duck?" he asks with an excited look on his face. "Should I get it to have around the house, or not so much?" Kelley eats strangely quickly. He's already halfway through his prime rib, like he hasn't eaten in days, when, clearly, he has not only eaten, but he's well fed, as well. "How did you cut your meet up North? To eat, I mean." Kelley asks.

"In the summer, we would travel a little bit south. Not far enough to cross the paths of others. Not that far," she says softly, her tone thoughtful in nature. A clarification, lest he think her clan would travel too far south. "We would harvest seaweed, too," Monique mentions, quirking a smile as she watches him across the table, her dark eyes showing a sparkle to them. "It is good duck, I like it. And I would like it again," she says softly, giving a small nod, her dark eyes sparkling. One of her eyebrows quirks at his question, and then she giggles a little, her eyes shining. "I use a knife, up North. But, what holds the meat... is not the same," she adds, giving a light shake of her head. They don't have glass plates there, after all -- using what they have means that plates are either bone or rock. She starts to eat a little more as well, hungry herself.

Kelley furrows his brow. "Seaweed? But seaweed only grows in the temperate zones." The man looks very perplexed. "I've never heard of seaweed growing so far to the North. I mean, if you say so, it must be so, but. How odd." He shakes his head from side to side as if to clear it. He takes another bite of prime rib, his own final piece, the dabs at his mouth with the fabric napkin - which he notices he forgot to tell Monique about. Sure, he fluffed it for her, but she might not always have someone there to fluff it for her. "You know, whenever you eat at a restaurant like this, that napkin in your lap - the cloth - always goes in your lap. Just thought that I should mention that." The waitress comes by again and takes his plate. "I'll have a vanilla sundae, and the lady will have a chocolate sundae with hot chocolate sauce and whipped cream; no cherry or nuts, thanks." He smiles at his beloved beau and wonders how he got so lucky as to be with her. Just because he was kind to her and her Tornaq? He smiles, glad that he's a nice guy. "I'm glad that I'm a nice guy, sweetie, or else we may never have hooked up. Err.. become involved with one another.

Monique tilts her head slightly to one side, and then she laughs lightly before softly shaking her head. "It grows in the North, as well. We harvest it, and use it in our cooking... and we dry it, too," she says softly, her tone thoughtful in nature. "I will have to show you, if we go there together," she adds, giving a small nod. A glance is cast towards the napkin resting in her lap, and then she looks across the table to Kelley, her dark eyes showing a sparkle to them yet also holding a bit of curiosity. "I will try to remember that. What is it there for?" she asks softly, her tone thoughtful and a little puzzled. She finishes, then, the rest of her duck and the accompanying vegetables, then reaches out to push the plate a little to the side. "Mmm... I believe that the Earth Mother would have brought us together," she says softly, smiling warmly at him. She reaches out a hand to brush her fingers over his there on the table, her tone soft and warm.

Kelley smiles at the thought of traveling to the North with her. "I would *love* to travel to the North with you, Monique. Maybe someday when peace has come to Kingsdale, we can return to your homeland. And then continue my quest to free my homeland, if you are willing. As for the napkin, it's there for you to wipe your hands and mouth on, so that you don't have to use your sleeve." He smiles again. "The Earth Mother, huh? I will have to remember to send her a greeting card. I really didn't think that seaweed grew that far north, I was sure that it needed more light. But, if you say so, it must be true." His warm brown eyes search out hers, touching her fingers with his as she approaches mid-table.

The small Inuit woman blinks a little as she looks to him, a warm blush rising to her cheeks, and her dark eyes studying him. "I hoped you would say that," she says softly, a sparkle rising in her eyes. "I did not know that there was not peace here. Things do not seem otherwise," she muses, her brow furrowing slightly. Her gaze falls to the napkin, at the further explanation given for it, and then she almost idly wipes the fingers of her yet-free hand upon it before lifting it from her lap and lightly brushing her lips with the cloth. Weird. She wriggles her nose a little, then gives a little sneeze. "It really only grows in the summer," she says softly, quirking a bit of a smile. "I will show you, when we are there, how to make an offering to the Earth Mother," she adds, giving a small nod. Over the course of eating the rest of her main course, more of the salad was eaten by her, but she hadn't been able to finish it all. Though it seemed to be the cabbage which was the majority of what was left behind, interestingly enough.

Kelley nods sadly. "No, Kingsdale is not at peace. Just a few things off the top of my head that threaten the city - giant robots, which I am combating; demonosaurs, which I am beginning to examine, and the invasion slash takeover of Whykin by the Coalition States. So you see, you have not arrived in a city at peace. Oh, and people have been disappearing in the Dregs, so something is happening there, too." He shrugs. "I don't think that anywhere is free of strife these days. I'm surprised that the North has not yet been seeing demons from the rifts. After all, that's what happened to my homeland. Demons and alien intelligences came through the rifts and decimated us. We were a peaceful people, not inclined to fight, so we were unprepared for the invasion. But," he says quietly, "I have been over this before, and I doubt that you want me to go over it again." A sparkle comes to his eyes as he overlooks his beau, puzzled by the napkin, and her dainty little sneeze. About that time, Kelley's vanilla and Monique's chocolate-loaded sundae is delivered.

"Oh... for a city not at peace, it seems... very much at peace," Monique says thoughtfully, clearly puzzled by this. Her expression only becomes more puzzled at the mention of demonosaurs, and then she lightly shakes her head. "I do not understand these... things... which threaten," she adds, frowning slightly. She is quiet for a lingering moment, chewing a bit at the inside of her lower lip, and then she lifts one of her shoulders in a bit of a shrug. "Perhaps in some part of the North. Or perhaps, they do not like the cold, so they do not go there," she says softly, her tone giving the indication that she hopes for the latter option. Shifting her position slightly, she keeps her hand matched to his as their sundaes arrive, herself casting a glance to the waitress before looking to the chocolatey concoction before her. Chocolate is something that she's only experienced in the form of hot chocolate, and so she looks on this with an almost childish curiosity. It takes her a moment of study before she reaches for her spoon, taking it up and nudging the sauce a bit with it before scooping a bit of the chocolate ice cream into it, which she eats. And savours, and marvels at.

The Atlanean smiles widely. "Good stuff, huh? I love chocolate, personally, but I like mine as hot sauce on vanilla. But I thought that you should experience the whole thing so that you could make an informed decision." He grins like a happy shark. "Yes, Kingsdale seems like it is at peace, because many of its problems are external, that is to say, take place outside of the city. But I've fought giant robots three times before I met you, and was almost killed once. It shattered my armor and broke my ribs. Believe me, they're very, very dangerous. I wouldn't want you and Tornaq out there where you could get hurt. It's so dangerous that when I leave the city walls, I go in armor, so if anything jumps me, at least I have some kind of defense." He tugs at his shirt and leans forward to say quietly, "Even here, in the city, I wear this clothing, which is a form of very light armor. It is the way that it is." He finishes up by repeating, "So how's the chocolate? Good, huh?"

Monique tilts her head slightly to one side as she looks across the table to him, and then she smiles brightly before giving a bit of a nod. "I like it, at least the ice cream part. I have not tried the rest of it, yet," she says softly, her tone light and warm. She's quiet for a moment, and a certain shadowy look touches her eyes when he mentions that he was almost killed, and she gives a slight shiver. "You must be careful, asik... promise me, please? I do not want you to be brought such harm, especially if you will not allow me to be there to be able to try to prevent it or at least help you if it does happen," she says softly, her voice holding a serious intensity to it. She takes a spoonful of ice cream with a little of the fudge sauce, then eats that, her brow furrowing a little at the sweetness of the sauce. She's not used to that much sweet all at once.

"No, I would never let you go out into the danger zones with me. The robots are much too dangerous, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." Kelley looks sadly at his beau and promises, "I will be as careful as I can, and do my best not to let anything become of me - I don't want to get hurt, either." He smiles as she turns her nose up slightly at the chocolate. "Good stuff, huh?" he misunderstands. "I love the triple chocolate. Try it with the whipped cream, it's *fantastic*. I would, of course, like to have you along with the robots to help heal me if something happened, but as I said, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." He looks at Monique with loving eyes, digging into his own vanilla sundae and chocolate sauce with his spoon, as the waitress comes and takes their other plates away. Kelley, however, takes a moment to take a bun from the basket at the center of the table and butters it up. Apparently the man has a decent metabolism.

It's not so much that she's turning her nose up at the chocolate as that she's not used to the sweet of it. Taking another spoonful of it, she munches it, letting the flavours swirl over her tongue before she gives a little nod, her dark eyes showing a bit of a sparkle. "It is good... but... very sweet. More sweet in the sauce, than in the ice cream, though," she says softly, her tone thoughtful in nature. This time, when she lowers her spoon to the bowl, she nudges the whipped cream a little before taking just a bit of that on the spoon to taste it. "Then, you will have to be sure that I know when you are going to be fighting, so that I will be able to be there... not a part of the fighting, but still there," she says softly, one of her eyebrows raising slightly as she watches him. A smile tugs at the corners of her lips, and she starts to munch a little more on her sundae, apparently having decided that chocolate isn't a bad thing after all.

Kelley nods sagely. "I will do my best to let you know when I will be in a fight - but fights have a tendencies to break out when you aren't expecting them. If they were any other way, they'd be called 'duels' not fights, I think." He takes a bite of sundae and mixes it with bread, then idly wonders if Monique has a high metabolism too, to have avoided getting fat on her high-fat diet. He asks as much. "Monique, do you have a high metabolism, or do you not eat a high-fat died in the North? Because if I must say, you cut a fine figure. That is, I find you very attractive in your body as well as your mind." The Atlantean smiles at the small Inuit, knowing that he'll probably embarrass her, but feeling that it's okay, because sometimes he just likes to say it to her.

The small woman tilts her head slightly to one side as she considers that, and then she gives a small nod. "I suppose that is how they work. Although... I do know of one way to be able to be sure that sch a thing would not happen. But it would mean not letting you out of my sight," she teases, winking at him, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. When he asks her about her metabolism, she just blinks a little at him, puzzled by the word, her brow furrowing a little. "A high... which?" she asks, not trying to sound out that word just yet. "Mmm... yes. We eat much fat in the North. Whatever we hunt and kill, we use all of. Whether eating, or for other things," she replies. His compliment does what they always do -- the small Inuit woman blushes, ducking her chin a little and giving a little murmur as she looks across the table at Kelley. The two of them are seated at a table rather near to the door, since outside the door is seated Tornaq who is looking... grumpy, at this point. They've almost finished their dinner, currently working their way through a dessert of ice cream.

The tall man, Dr. Kelley, smiles across the table at his beau as she chews on the word "metabolism." Since he can't figure out a way to explain it right off the cuff in a way that the small Inuit would understand, he just lets it lay on the table. He spots Etienne enter the restaurant past Tornaq, recognizing the man from the library the other night. He finishes off his sundae with a final scoop of ice cream and watches his asik finish hers. He takes a stab; "A metabolism is like, how your body burns fat inside. You've seen fat people here in Kingsdale, right? They either eat too much, or have low metabolisms - or usually both. Actually, usually they just eat too much," Kelley puzzles for a moment. "But in any case, you're not fat; you're thin, so since you do eat a lot, you must have a high metabolism." He furrows his brow. "Does that make any sense at all, sweetheart?" He looks up at Etienne again, wondering what the scout is doing here alone in the Silver Fork.

Etienne wanders, or seems to wander, into the dining area of the inn, glancing at the bear as he walks past it. He looks a tad bit uncomfortable, but that could be because his sword is nowhere in sight. That's enough to make any man uncomfortable. At least, when they're used to swords it is. He pauses to one side of the doorway and looks around, looking for a table to sit. And the first person, or people rather, he sees are Doctor Kelley and Monique. Not surprising, really. He glances back toward the door and the bear, and then shakes his head and makes his way toward a small table for two that's open near to the pair of people he at least recognizes. He offers nods to both of them as he makes his way past.

Monique watches Kelley for a lingering moment as he finishes his ice cream, and she quirks a smile, her dark eyes reflecting a sparkle within them. Yet after that moment has passed, her gaze returns to her ice cream, and it only takes her a few bites more before she's finished her own sundae of chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Since she finished it, it could be presumed that she got used to the sweet flavour of the chocolate, though once it's finished, she nudges her bowl a little to one side, so that it's not directly in front of her. "Ah... yes, I have seen people like that. Food is good, it is hard to not eat too much," she comments, her tone thoughtful in nature. She can understand how it happens, though it's not something which happens very often up North. "I have never thought much on it, before. It makes sense, I think. I just... eat when I am hungry, until I am not hungry any more, but not so much that I feel too full," she says, raising one of her eyebrows slightly. Tornaq, as Etienne enters, whuffs and rumbles but stays in the lobby where he agreed to remain, impatient as any protective creature who has to be away from what he's protecting. Monique shifts slightly on the chair, then blinks a moment as she looks up at Etienne, and she gives a small nod of greeting to him as well, watching him as he makes his way past.

Watching the wandering man enter the dining area, Kelley still wonders why a single person would come to the Fork. It's not really a place for singles. That's across the way at the Nightingale. However, as it's really none of his business, he dismisses it with a mental wave of his hand. "That's good that you only eat as much as you need, Monique. People who eat more than they need are called 'gluttons.' Some people don't think it's any problem to be fat, but truth is, it's very unhealthy for your body, as I'm sure that you can imagine." He quirks his head to the right, admiring Monique's fine form. As he observes his asik seemingly know the wandering scout, a brief wave of jealousy passes over him - but passes - and he asks simply, "Do you know him, sweetie?"

Ah, but single people eat at restaurants meant for couples all the time. Afterall, not everyone is 'attached'. Or wants to be. He pauses just past the table, and then turns to go back, offering a nod to Monique again before turning his attention to the other person sitting at the table. "Doctor Kelley," he says, by way of greeting the other man, "Would ye mind if I 'ad a word with ye? 'tis a tad on th' importan' side, I think," he says, after a moment of thought. His expression is serious, easily as serious as it was in the library the other day, perhaps a bit more. For Monique, there seems to be no interest or any such thing where Etienne is concerned. A passing aquaintance, is the look of things, and no more.

The small Inuit woman brings her dark-eyed gaze back to Kelley, a warm smile touching her lips, and she reaches out across the table to brush her fingers lightly over the back of his hand there. "Eating more than you need is almost wasteful," she says softly, then lifts one of her shoulders in a slight shrug. A glance is cast to Etienne as he seems to have come back to their table, and one of her eyebrows quirks slightly. Yet her attention turns again to Kelley, and she gives a nod. "I met him, once... in the place with books," Monique replies. If she notices that moment of jealousy in her beloved, she chooses not to make mention of it.

"Mister.. Navarre, was it? Can you join us, or do I need to get up and hide in the corner with you?" Kelley asks, adding, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so grating, this is just our first meal out," he explains. "Seriously, can you speak in front of Monique, or do we need to go elsewhere? I'm happy to help you with anything lawful," he specifies. Then, considering, he begins to stand. "Monique, please excuse me, this gentleman says that he has some important business. I'll hurry back, I promise." He gives Monique a soulful grin and pats her hand. "Where shall we go, Etienne?"

"Aye, th' name's Navarre," says Etienne. He shakes his head, "Nay, nay. Dinna be sorry, 'n aye, I can join ye, if ye don' mind my bein' here." He waves a hand at the Doctor as he starts to rise, "'tis abou' a Doctor Kalvin. If ye're okay with speakin' in fron' o' Monique, then by all means, we can stay here." He looks a bit more on the uncomfortable side. He really doesn't like interrupting people at their dinner, afterall.

Monique lifts her gaze to Etienne, to study him for a brief moment, yet then she brings her attention back to Kelley. For the moment, she's quiet, though she does shift her position a little, drawing her feet up to sit cross-legged on the chair. It's not conventional, but it's comfortable fo her. One of her eyebrows quirks slightly at mention of another doctor, finding the name to be rather unfamiliar. "We had finished eating... please, you can bring a chair up," she says softly, lifting one of her hands to gesture slightly, for him to do so. It draws less attention if he sits at their table, after all.

The big doctor Kelley sits back down, smiling at his beau's hospitality, and the cute little Inuit way that she's seated. "Yes, please, pull up a chair, Mr. Navarre. I know doctor Kalvin, though admittedly not very well. He lives next door to me. We're currently working on... a project... together, though I don't feel that I can really say more about it at this time. Perhaps after I've made a few inquiries. But here I am talking over you. I know that Kalvin in missing. What else can I help you with?"

Etienne casts a glance to Monique as the woman speaks, and nods to her suggestion and the doctor's agreement of it. He moves to the closest unoccupied table and snags a chair, pulling it over to the couple's table. He settles to it and considers his words. "Aye, tha's fine. I've been... hired by Cali and Atticus to try and find him. Anythin' ye can tell me would be helpful." His eyes go a little distant as he thinks about something or other. Then he asks a question, "Do ye know anyone who'd wan' ta take him? 'n why they'd wan' ta take him?"

For her part, the small Inuit woman falls quiet at this point. Settled in her chair, she's comfortable and at ease, and she brings her hands to lightly rest in her lap. Leaning back against her chair, she just relaxes, feeling comfortably full of food. Though she starts to feel a little thirsty, yet chooses not to mention it. Yet. Etienne's words bring her some measure of confusion, and she lightly shakes her head. "Why would someone take another person?" Monique asks quietly, not really understanding the logic behind it.

Kelley ponders for a long minute. "I can't think of any enemies of Kalvin's. I'm only aware of the current project that we're working on, and I doubt that any of that would come into play unless Sev Arris for some reason wanted to take him. But I can't think of any reason why that guy - creepy though he is - would want to take him, either." He shrugs. "But that's all that I know. He and I are working on a project together and that's the only connection that I can think of that he would have to go missing. Sev Arris is, I don't know, maybe fifty years old, or so. Wilderness scout. I don't think that he *could* have taken Kalvin unless he's somehow knocked the doctor out when he wasn't looking." He adds, for Monique's benefit, "Some people think that they can get something from or because of taking someone. Like making their family give them objects to ensure their safe return."

Etienne looks to Monique for a moment, and then listens as the doctor speaks. He doesn't say anything until both are done speaking. Then he thinks for a few minutes. "This projec'," he says, and holds up a hand to forestall any interruptions, "No' th' projec' i'self, bu' are there any who migh' be opposed ta i'?" he asks. "'n who's to say tha' this Sev Arris dinna hire 'r bargain with others ta have Kalvin taken?" He looks to Monique, but refrains from adding anything.

This is a strange concept for Monique to try to understand. That people would actually take other people for the purposes of gaining things from other people. Her brow furrows slightly, and then she lightly shakes her head, not really understanding the concept of it just yet. Yet for the sake of the conversation which flows between the two men, the small woman stays quiet, though she does give a bit of a nod to Kelley, to acknowledge the explanation that she was given. A glance is cast to Etienne, simply to study him for a moment, yet her attention returns to Kelley, watching him again now.

"The only situation that I see that happening is if there's some kind of Cult of the Manhunter or something that knew what the specific project is that Kalvin and I were working on and wanted him taken out of it. Other than that, I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt the doctor. He was a nice enough guy, if a little stiff and uptight. Very competent." Kelley shrugs elaborately an apologizes. "I'm sorry, I really can't help you out any more than that. We're only working on one very specific part of the project together, and even then, it was largely his pet project, not mine."

A moment of consideration, and Etienne nods, "Thank ye fer yer time. A' leas' I have a little more ta go on." He rises, and offers nods to both the doctor and Monique. He takes the chair in hand and turns away, only to pause and look back to Kelley. "I am told this doctor Kalvin is blue. Perhaps he wasna taken because o' his projec'. Or because he made an enemy somewhere. He's differen'. Ta some people, tha' would be enough." He nods again to both, and then moves off, toward the table he'd been heading to before. He's here, he came to eat, he might as well eat.

The tall Atlantean watches Etienne go. "Strange conversation," he opines. "Have you seen Dr. Kalvin?" he asks Monique. "Nice guy, a bit stuffy. Lives next door to me - to us." He grins at his beau. "I don't know why people feel the need to abduct other people, Monique. But they do it for either money, revenge, or extortion. It's not a nice thing to do, and I will never let it happen to you," he says, for the moment completely ignoring Tornaq's protection and trusting in his own. Yes, the great bear must have great powers, but he is not helpless. "I would never let anything happen to you, Monique," he finishes with a smile.

Monique listens attentively to the conversation between the menfolk, and she draws her feet a little closer beneath her, just to be... well, a little more snug and comfortable there on the chair. Her attention turns to Etienne as he rises, and her brow furrows at the words spoken as she tries to understand the meaning behind. It seems a very strange way to have put things, but then, the concept of kidnapping is completely alien to her. Glancing from one to the other of the men, she lightly shakes her head. Not understanding, really. "Enjoy your dinner," she offers, speaking rather softly. Her gaze turns then to Kelley, and she leans towards the table again, resting her arms on it. The question of if she's seen Dr. Kalvin before brings her to lightly shake her head. "I have not seen him, no... at least, not that I know of," she says softly, her tone thoughtful. "I know, that you would protect me. As I would protect you," she says, giving a small nod to him, her dark eyes showing a sparkle to them.

Kelley smiles and brings his mind away from abductions and back to the happier present. "So, what did you think of your first dinner out? Would you want to do it again sometime, or should we just eat in?" A grin graces his face as he asks the question. The waitress swings by at that moment to deliver the bill, and he fills out a short form extracting credits directly from his bank account. He leans forward then, clasping his hands before himself on the table. "I think that you would have recognized Kalvin - his skin is dark blue, like dark ice. How many words do the Inuit have for ice, Monique?" He looks genuinely interested, not just making idle conversation.

Abduction is, to her at least, still a confusing concept, and one that she may well have questions about later, after having a chance to think on it a bit more. To the question of dinner, her attention perks a little, and she smiles warmly at him. "I enjoyed it, it was very good," she affirms, giving a little nod.d like to do it again her spoken answer. "I would like to do it again sometime. Though I do like eating in, too," she muses, her tone thoughtful in nature. She listens to the description offered of Kalvin, mentally tucking it aside for when she might happen to cross paths with the other man, and she gives a slight nod, before giggling a little. "There are many words for ice... and many for snow. Many many," she says lightly. She doesn't know numbers or she might use one of them to convey how many, though she's sure he'll get the idea.

"Well, what would you care to do now, Monique? Sit and talk for a while? Visit the museum? Just take another walk in the park? I'm happy enough to sit here with you, though we could go back to the apartment and snuggle," he winks at Monique and chuckles, bending his head down so as to break eye contact temporarily with Monique, then raises it up again and reacquires her eyes. He decides to take the opportunity to explain some simple numbers to his little Inuit. "Okay, so here are some simple numbers, Monique. Hold out your index finger." He awaits his newest student's move.

"Mmm... a good question, I think," she says, her dark eyes showing a sparkle to them as she gazes at him. Monique is quiet for a moment as she considers her options, her expression thoughtful. "I think... maybe... going back to the apartment would be good," she suggests. Of course, getting to snuggle once there is something that she's almost coming to take for granted as happening and something that she rather enjoys. At his mention of numbers, she gives him an innocent look which manages to also convey a certain naivety on her part as well. Scooting a little closer to the table by leaning a little on the edge and using her feet to scoot the chair closer, she extends her left hand while keeping her elbow on the table and wiggles her fingers briefly before turning her hand so that her palm faces him, herself gazing at him through her fingers. "Which one is... index finger?" she asks, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Kelley chuckles slightly and gently takes Monique's index finger in two fingers of his own. "This one is your index finger, sweetie." He holds it up and says, "'One' is a number. This is 'one' finger." He picks up her middle finger. "This is also 'one' finger." And finally to her pinkie finger. "This, too, is 'one' finger. Each one of those fingers, individually, is 'one' finger, the number one." He demonstrates with buns from the basket. "This is 'one' bun. And so is this. And this." He goes through various items on the table, just to make sure that she doesn't associate "one" with the object, but rather with the number, instead. At Monique's words, though, he smiles and says, "Wonderful, sweetheart, let's go back to the condo and maybe we can continue our lesson there."

The small woman blinks a little as she looks at him, and she looks to her finger for a brief moment before lifting her gaze back to him. "So... each finger, is one finger?" she muses, considering that. It seems odd, but as she thinks about it, she does eventually give a small nod, understanding. Or at least, thinking that she understands. So many different things, it seems, can be one. Her brow furrows a little, as she thinks it over, mulling over the notion, and then she gives a small nod. "Each thing... alone... is one," she says quietly, seeming to have grasped at least the concept of it. Though numbers... well, those she doesn't understand. "Continuing the lesson at the condominium would be good," she says softly, smiling warmly at him, her dark eyes sparkling.Tags:etienne, kelley, monique