[Backdated] RP: Lunch with a Colleague seems innocent enough Who: Daani Johal, Dante (NPC) What: Lunch (well that seems pleasant enough) When: [Backdated] 25th March Where: Ministry Canteen Warnings: Creepy creepy stalker Completion Status: Complete
Daani was only half paying attention to where she was going, her head mostly focussed on her phone as she had an emphatic argument with her brother via text. She loved him but sometimes he was being an idiot who needed correcting and this was one of those times.
She was on her way to the Ministry canteen for lunch, as was her custom by the end of the week. She was in the habit of bringing in her own lunch at least three days a week. She tended to overcook and meal prep at the weekends on purpose, but by Thursday or Friday it had generally run out and she treated herself to food she hadn’t cooked.
Navigation without running into people was easy enough and just as she was joining the queue she huffed a final laugh and slipped her phone in her pocket, shaking her head. She knew exactly what she was bringing up if he tried to gain favour with their parents at her expense at the next family meal.
Looking around the canteen she nodded to a few familiar faces and waved briefly at one of the romance language translators who was just leaving the room. Unlike his international colleagues she knew he wasn’t completing his lunch with a siesta.
—------
A woman with reliable routines was one he could appreciate, and Dante had been watching Daani long enough to have picked up on this particular habit. He had a particular fondness for finding inobtrusive ways of bumping into her around the Ministry, and the canteen was a perfectly ordinary place for such a thing.
For months, he had tried to endear himself to her. He had sent her little things only a couple of times, watching from afar and thrilling in the way her expression lit up at being thought of. And think of her, he did. She had completely invaded his thoughts increasingly, and he was beginning to wonder if there was room for any thoughts but those of her. He wanted her. He deserved her. And he would ensure she understood she was his.
In time.
When he saw her join the queue, Dante slipped in behind her, letting his lips curve up in a warm, charming smile as he moved in a bit closer than was appropriate for coworkers, bringing his face over the far side of her shoulder. "Fancy seeing you here," he said, as though he hadn't planned it at all. Not having been paying attention to who was behind her in the queue, Daani jumped slightly at the voice, particularly its proximity.
“Oh, Dante, hi,” she said as she recognised him. Her heart had automatically picked up speed at the surprise, and she brought her hand to her chest, trying to convince it to calm down.
She took a deep breath and smiled. He clearly hadn’t meant to startle her, she should pay a little more attention to her surroundings.
“How are you? Busy day?” she asked. It probably couldn’t be too busy if he was managing lunch at a reasonable hour, but that could easily be deceptive if he’d been sent to pick something up for his boss.
They shuffled up the requisite few steps as the queue moved up, as she leaned slightly more out of his personal space. She didn’t know him well enough to feel comfortable with him quite so close, and the witch in front of her was short enough she could make use of it with careful body language. Dante chuckled softly at her obvious surprise, as though it were a playful joke between old friends. He did, at least, bring his body back up to full height, edging just that little bit back out of her personal space, though he did not take a step back.
"Always busy, love. I got lucky today though. We've got some big early afternoon meetings, so lunch is at a more appropriate time today," he said with a wry note. Obviously big meetings didn't make for a quick, relaxed workday, but he was good at his job and didn't shy away from the hard work.
"And how have you been?" he asked, resisting the urge to rest his hand against that subtle dip of her lower back. All in good time. The collective timezone issues involved for anyone working for or with the ICW tended to both become commonplace and be a source of weird schedules. It was always nice when food breaks fell at an appropriate hour and she said so. "It's nice when they fall at the right time and early ones are on time isn't it?" Speed eating food was rarely her favourite thing.
One arm crossed her narrow waist and rested there in the imitation of half a hug, warming her against the random chill that had just struck her. Weird for an underground building to be drafty, but Merlin knew the maintenance team managed it sometimes.
"Always busy," she agreed. "Although I'm sure it would be worse if the World Cup was in India. I'm not envying that section of the office right now. The uptick of people wanting complex things ready to combine with in person meetings surrounding the matches is really starting to roll in though."
She glanced at the line, having partially turned to chat with Dante, and moved up again. They were nearly at the front. "It is, indeed," Dante agreed with a small nod of his head. She was so lovely, which was utterly distracting. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her, to show his claim on her to all who were around them. Patience, he reminded himself.
Instead, when her arm wrapped around herself, he rested his hand, soft and gentle, against her shoulder. "Are you quite all right, love?" he asked, concern infused in his tone. It was good to start integrating those casual touches, to help her understand that she was his. It wasn't as though he actually wanted to talk about work, anyway. The smile she gave was brief, but sincere. An acknowledgement of his concern. “Just a random draft and I left my shawl in the office,” she said. Today’s robes were leaning distinctly into the feeling of spring and the weather hadn’t quite held up to its promises. “Annoying, but not a big problem.”
She looked briefly at the options available when she got to the counter and nodded. “The veggie lasagne, please,” she said as she flashed a smile at the person serving the food. “And some of the Greek salad.” She had learned that the Ministry didn’t generally bother paying for pasta with egg in it so the veggie versions were okay for her.
She exchanged a few words with the server, but tried not to be a bother, before moving towards the sweets and desserts. She looked around but didn’t particularly want fruit salad at this time of year, and she wasn’t sure what else was egg-free.
“I saved you a little something,” she heard from behind the counter, brightening suddenly at the familiar hints of a Geordie accent.
“Henry! This is why you’re my favourite,” she enthused with a flirty smile. She had semi-flirted and sweet talked this particular man into admitting there was an additional slice of egg-free cherry and almond cake many months before and he’d taken to saving her one on a Friday if it was being served. It was entirely transactional, and they both knew it, but it was fun nonetheless.
She grabbed the offered plate of cake with a smile and set it on her tray, moving forwards to grab a mug of tea to go with her food. Tea from the canteen wasn’t as good as what she had in her office, but it was reasonable and necessary in Daani’s opinion. Dante wished he'd worn his cloak to the canteen, as it was the perfect opportunity to drape it over her shoulders gallantly. He would remember next time, to at least bring it folded over one arm, in case the opportunity presented itself again. He did give her upper arm another soft, brief stroke before retracting it.
Following after Daani, he put in his order, opting for a grilled chicken salad with hardboiled eggs. Even as he went down the line, he kept an eye and ear on what she was doing, and when he heard that casually flirtatious tone directed at a man behind the counter, he felt his blood begin to boil. That was the voice she should be using with him, not some random foodservice bloke.
It was probably for the best that he was distracted by her disgusting display of flirtation, as dessert wouldn't do him any good. "Care to join me at a table?" he asked her as casually as he could manage in the moment. Having anticipated the question Daani smiled and nodded. “I’d be delighted,” she said as she finished wrangling her tea onto her tray, bag still in place.
“So, how has your week been outside of work?” she asked as they slid onto a recently freed and cleaned table. He’d slipped a few things about his outside interests, but she still didn’t know him all that well yet.
She shifted slightly to sit at an angle so she could cross one leg over the other, dangling her foot for comfort. Her shoes absolutely didn’t dangle or fall off, they were spelled not to, but the front fastening of her robes did mean a little more ankle was accidentally on show. Delighted. That was more like it. It was good for her to remember that she should be eager to spend time with him, and he rewarded her with a charming smile before they went to an available table.
The question she posed was as frustrating as it was satisfying. Of course she should show interest in his life outside of work, but there was so much he couldn't tell her. Like the trip he'd made a few weeks back to Brighton. People often didn't realize how much they gave away in their social media posts. Interview the right people with a few subtle spells, and it was remarkable the information that could be gathered.
"It's been rather quiet on the personal front, to be honest," he answered as he tore open the foil packet with the dressing for his salad. "I'm quite eager for it to warm up again so I might go for a proper swim, though. The gray and clouds are starting to get to me, I think," he said, infusing a note of bashfulness into the words, as if it were an embarrassing thing to admit. "And yours?" Digging into her lasagne as he was talking was as satisfying as ever, it was different to the comfort foods she had grown up with but it definitely filled a very similar spot in her brain and stomach. Plus not having to make it herself was always her preference because it wasn’t the sort of faff she wanted to go to.
“Swimming is fun,” she affirmed, “But you absolutely can do it in the colder weather, although wetsuits are probably the way to go if you’re not used to it,” she said with the enthusiasm of the recently converted. Anticipating the sorts of looks she got when expounding on the topic she continued. “I took up wild swimming this past year and it’s a bit terrifyingly cold, but mostly really invigorating,” she said.
“Oh, not so bad, I’ve done a few bits and pieces with friends and family. Especially for Holi the other week, that was fun,” she said. There had definitely been a bittersweet note to a lot of her last few weeks, after she found out about Manny dating again, Holi in particular. But she didn’t know Dante anything like well enough to bring that up. And she’d had fun both at the event and with the tradition in her family of post-Holi crafting on their tops to make permanent designs before the powder got washed out. She’d taken to using them as sleepwear or messy-wear in more recent years since she still enjoyed the tradition. The enthusiasm with which she talked about swimming was charming, and he couldn't wait until she was talking about him with that light in her eyes. It was only a matter of time. "Perhaps I ought to give it a go. Probably not something one should attempt on their own, though. Did you? Or did you go with a group?" It would be better for her to invite him to join the group, but he would invite himself if she didn't play along.
"I've never attended a Holi celebration, but it's always looked like a fantastic time," he commented lightly. He couldn't be arsed about it, in all honesty, but she had an interest in it, and so he would feign interest as well. “Most of the people I tell just think I’m a bit mad, so yes if you like the idea you should definitely give it a go,” she said with enthusiasm. “You should see if there are groups near you because it’s probably not best on your own, especially not in the sea. All the groups I’ve heard of are muggle but there are some at the pools in one of the big parks in London and all around the coast, plus there are, like Lidos too. Outdoor pools and the like all over the place. Those are a bit safer.” Realising she was talking a lot, Daani stopped quite abruptly and flashed an apologetic smile. “I tried a nearby outdoor pool first and someone invited me to a wild water group,” she added slightly sheepishly.
She nodded slightly as she cut into her food. “It’s a lot of fun,” she confirmed. “I really managed to mash gulal into Pita’s beard so he wasn’t very pleased with me this year,” she said, amused. She enjoyed the free-for-all aspect of the colour part of Holi, with no requirement to respect normal age boundaries.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she slipped it out in time to see another message from her brother before it flashed away again. She huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Manjeet definitely doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does,” she commented casually. Not that she’d mentioned his name around Dante yet. Gods, she really was playing right into his hand, wasn't she? It was lovely to see. "Would it be terribly invasive to ask to join in next time you go? That way there's someone I know already?" he asked, his voice a mix of bashful and charming, as if he were just a little embarrassed at being shy about interacting with new people. What would he even talk about with Muggles? Definitely best if he went with her, and he'd get her to see that too.
Dante was not familiar with some of the words she'd used, but there was enough context for him to get the gist of it, and he chuckled. "I suppose taking you to task wouldn't have been in the spirit of the day?" he suggested teasingly, not quite flirting, though an edge of it could have been perceived.
His head tilted slightly as she pulled her phone out. "Manjeet?" he asked lightly, though anger shot through him that she might have an Indian man intimate enough to message her during the work day. Though, he supposed this man could be a relative. He hoped she would elaborate so he could decide whether or not to be angry. Just as Daani was about to automatically agree to his request, pleased that someone might share her new hobby, something pulled her back slightly. Instead she diverted to a slightly safer option since she didn’t know him all that well. “I mean, if you’re into early starts I’m joining the group on Brighton beach about 7.30 tomorrow or 8 on Sunday,” she suggested with a little shrug. She knew a lot of people didn’t keep such early hours at weekends, but she liked the quiet.
“Oh I was completely allowed to do it, he could have got away from me, but he didn’t appreciate having to get it clean again afterwards,” she said with a smile. “Holi kind of breaks down generational barriers that way, but the way gulal stains is universally annoying at the end of it. Washing my hair is always a pain too,” she explained.
“Little brother,” she said with another eyeroll and a little shake of her head. “He has his own areas of being right, of course, but this isn’t one of them.” Having been watching her closely, Dante was certain she was going to agree, but then she hesitated, and he almost laughed at what she suggested. It was what he'd been asking in the first place, certain that suggesting a one-on-one excursion would be too much for her at this point in their courtship. "I don't mind an early start. Tomorrow, then," he replied. Even though wetsuits would likely be involved, he knew he would enjoy seeing her all wet, flushed from the cold water.
It was beyond him culturally, but he feigned a chuckle that came off sincere. "I'm sure that sort of levity is refreshing," he commented lightly.
That it was her little brother was good. It would have added a layer of complication he simply didn't want to deal with if it were a man she were romantically entangled with. "Little brothers are rarely right, from what I've heard. Makes me glad I haven't got one." He'd been an only child, and he'd never resented that. “Are you familiar with Brighton at all?” she asked. She didn’t know where he lived, although his accent suggested origins further north. Working in London meant he might live on the south coast now, or have visited at least. “I know a few useful apparition spots near where the swimming group meets, unless you have muggle transport of course.” She sipped her drink and pondered for a moment. “Actually let me give you my number and you can text me to let me know you’re still coming,” she offered, picking up her phone in anticipation of both pulling up a map for him to see and handing her number over.
She chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Your info is entirely correct. He has many excellent qualities, but admitting defeat isn’t always one of them either,” she said rather haughtily and then broke into a wider smile. She loved her brother dearly, even if he did infuriate her from time to time. "Vaguely," he answered, though it wasn't entirely true. He'd done some research since sorting out that she likely lived near there. "Oh, that will be great. I haven't got muggle transport, so a good floo or apparition point would be handy." And a shiver of pride went through him that getting her phone number would be so easy.
Dante got his own phone out, unlocking it and navigating to the contacts to create a new entry for her. And when, a moment later, she actually handed him her phone, it took every ounce of his self-control to keep from smirking. A few taps, as if he were looking around the map she'd pulled up to familiarize himself with the area, and he had her address.
Throughout the rest of their lunch, Dante was particularly chipper, which he hoped she would attribute to the thought of a new hobby. But truly, there was so much one could do with an address and phone number. Things were moving along swimmingly.