Making Plans For A "Date" Who: Mai and Liz Where: LAGH When: Saturday Afternoon- August 28
Mai had shown up at the hospital inquiring about one Doctor Liz Todd. The woman had actually found a restaurant that served authentic English fare and was struck with a thought. Sure she hadn't quite gotten settled within the city, Mai had acquired an unfurnished loft and would be starting her job on Monday at the Natural History Museum as curator of the Anthropology Department. And what better way to celebrate it all then picking up lunch for her and the doctor. Besides, Mai was wanting to see the other woman again. They seemed to have sparked a friendship, but the Asian looking woman was wanting more. Had since she first met Elizabeth Todd. To Mai that was something worth pursuing at a slow pace.
After being paged to the front desk, Liz figured something had gone wrong. So, eyes in a steely gaze, the blonde got to the desk only to feel her face brighten when she saw Mai. "You have a visitor, Dr. Todd..." Said a young redheaded nurse with a cute smile. Liz nodded and walked out to see Mai. "Thank you Brianna" she said as she waved to her friend. "And what brings YOU here this afternoon, hm?"
"Well," Mai smiled back to the blond, "I thought maybe I could steal you away for lunch. That is if you're not overloaded with your work here at the hospital."
"Oh, how nice!" The blonde exclaimed, a cute little squeal almost coming out of her. "You're quite a friend to have, Mai!"
"You might wanna hold your thanks until you've experienced an English style meal of bangers and mash." Mai grinned a bit playfully lifting the sack that held the two meals she had stopped and picked up.
"Well, I'm nothing if not a woman willing to try new things..." Liz laughed with a raised eyebrow as she looked at the bag the other woman held. "Mind just eating in the caf upstairs? I need to be on-call."
"Not at all." Mai smiled with her reply. "I didn't think you'd be able to take actual time away from the hospital. So the cafeteria works will for me. Besides I didn't come completely prepared as I only brought food with me." Mai had figured that if Liz did take time for lunch it would be somewhere within the hospital, and hopefully a place where they could get something to drink to go with the lunch Mai had brought.
A few minutes later, in the cafeteria, Liz made her way over to the table her friend sat at, holding a Coke for Mai and a large can of Red Bull for herself. "Thanks again for this, Mai. Prolly the sweetest thing anyones done for me in a while."
"Hey," Mai started when she accepted the soda from the woman, "one good turn deserves another." She smiled to Liz before unfolding the paper sack to remove the two cartons that each contained a meal of bangers and mash, which included British style pork sausages, mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. She also had the forethought to make sure they had napkins and a set of plastic-ware for each of them.
"Mm. It certainly smells good... Far better than the food this place has." Liz rolled her eyes and giggled. "I swear the pizza is just cardboard with sauce smeared on it."
"Now is that a hint to me that I should bring you lunch on a regular basis, Liz?" Mai questioned jokingly when she cracked open her soda to take a drink.
"No, of course not." Liz said before joking, "just until I get another boyfriend. Maybe one who can cook this time." She snorted, taking a sip of her Red Bull.
Well, hopefully that wouldn't happen in the foreseeable future. The blond might think guys were totally her thing, but Mai's intuition was whispering to the woman that wasn't quite true. She at least wanted a try at Doctor Elizabeth Todd before a man would be able to insinuate himself into the blonde's life. "Good luck on that front. Finding a man who can cook." Most from Mai's experience couldn't. At least among the male friends she had.
"Yeah. Well. No rush here. I don't usually jump into things. Comes from having had to think of my sister as my main priority for so long." Then, without really thinking, she blurted out in a low tone, "...I miss her."
"Miss her or miss having a top priority in your life other then yourself?" Mai asked casually before starting in on her meal.
"Both, I think. It's.. a long story but... I kind of blame myself for some of her problems." She gave a sad smile. "And she's such a good, kind soul."
"That doesn't surprise me. Not with her having an older sister like you watching out for her." Mai could totally see Liz's younger sibling being a reflection of the doctor herself. "So, is she your only sibling?"
Liz reached into the pocket of her white coat and, sweetly, pulled out a picture of the girl: young, blonde, pale as a sheet, and with big, blue eyes. "My only sister. Selinda."
"I can see the resemblance," slight as it was between the two Todd sisters. Mai commented when she carefully took the photo to look at Liz's younger sister. "Where is she now?" The Watcher inquired offering the photo back to its owner. "If you don't mind me asking."
"England. She's... special, in a way. And they had a teacher for her who could better help her than the one she had here." Liz forced a smile. "Still wish she could be here again though."
"At least you'll be able to visit her as often as is permissible, right." Sure Liz worked long hours for days on end, something Mai herself could relate to, but surely she'd be allotted enough time off now and then where she could go visit her younger sibling.
"Yeah..." Liz said, before putting the picture away. How the hell could she tell this person 'oh hay, my sister is a slightly batty vampire slayer'? Exactly. "Thanks, Mai. Seriously. You're the first... GOOD friend I've had in quite a while, other than my coworkers."
"Hey," Mai reached over to give the other woman's hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Some people just click. And I'm lucky to have found a friend like you." The woman smiled warmly to the blond.
"Aw. You're gonna make me all blushy and stuff." Liz giggled, clapping the other woman's hand sweetly. "So I realized I know very little about YOU."
Mai smiled softly back. Elizabeth Todd was a lovely woman to start with, her giggle and sweet nature only seemed to add to that. And the way she held her hand within her own just felt like a natural fit to Mai. "So, what would you like to know." Mai asked. The Asian looking woman was pretty much an open book. There were, though, things that she wouldn't reveal. At least not to Liz at this stage of their relationship.
"What do you do? What do you like? All that good stuff." Plus, any chance Liz had to let OTHER people talk? Aces.
"Ahh," Mai smiled broadly, "speaking of which, you are looking at the new curator of the Anthropology Department of the Natural History Museum." The woman told her.
"Well dang... Check YOU out! Now THAT sounds like a cool job." Liz nodded with a grin. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"
Well it wasn't like she could openly say 'I work for an association that trains girls to be slayers and battle the forces of evil'. "Strange as it may sound, I'm quite the collector of swords and daggers. Guess I just have an appreciation for antiques of that sort. I also enjoy going to a spa when the time allows." Mai's point of view? A woman should pamper herself every once in a while. Not only is it good for the esteem, but the mind and body as well.
"So, what is it you do in your spare time for enjoyment and pleasure?"
"Can't say I allot much of that for myself anymore." She admitted with a wry smirk. "I like to read... Occasionally go dancing, maybe even hit a karaoke bar..."
"Well you should." Mai felt every woman should enjoy the pleasures of being pampered occasionally. "I can't remember the last time I went dancing."
"There's a rock club around here that I go to sometime when they're doing more techno/synth stuff. You should come let loose with me sometime." Liz said with a sweet smile. "Maybe find us some dating material."
"Now how can I decline such an invitation." Mai smiled to the blond. "We should call each other mid next week to try and make plans to do something." Mai suggested to the other woman.
"I'd love it. Possibly Wednesday? I'm off Tuesday and Wednesday next week... but honestly, Tuesday I'll likely not leave my bed all day. And seriously..." Oh Liz... if you only knew the real answer to your next statement. "You'd rather not see me sprawled out in bed all day in an over-sized tee-shirt. Quite boring, thank you."
Actually that was a sight Mai would love to see. Mai thought Liz sprawled out across her bed, dressed or undressed, would have been a view that would be anything but boring. "We can tentatively set a night out for Wednesday evening with the option to reschedule should something unexpected suddenly come up." Mai said that more for Liz's benefit. With the woman being a doctor with long and sometimes erratic hours her night off could very well turn into a night at the hospital due to an unexpected emergency.
"So thoughtful, too." Liz smiled brightly, honestly LOVING her new friend's company. "Somehow, I suspect this is truly the beginning of an AMAZING friendship..."
The start of something beautiful, yes. Mai thought but did not voice to the other woman. "Good, lasting friendships need to start someplace." The Watcher smiled softly to the blond. "So, now that we've got our 'date' planned, figuratively speaking. Maybe you'll actually eat something so I won't leave feeling bad that you'll be returning to work on an empty stomach." Mai smiled with a slight nod of her head toward Liz's container of food.
"Mmm. Sounds perfect. I haven't eaten in HOURS." The doctor said, grinning as she started to dig into the food gratefully.