4:45 PM: Nina and Luc
“I’m glad you’re having a nice time,” he said warmly. Luc was well aware of the sort of pressure and responsibility that fell on Nina’s shoulders on a daily basis and he often worried that she didn’t have enough opportunities to let her hair down and simply live. He knew that a lot of it was unavoidable, part and parcel with the job, but when it came down to it, Nina wasn’t the type to parade her personal life around for all to see. Watching her laugh and smile out at The Bar made Luc feel good; he was glad for her.
“Do you have any grand plans for the evening?” It was an innocuous enough question and far more subtle and polite than Luc would normally be if he were talking to anyone else. What he really wanted to know was if she and Amanda arrived together and if they were being upfront about their relationship. Not that he knew they were in a relationship per say but he’d had his suspicions for awhile. They were very good at hiding things while at work but part of Luc’s job was to be hyper observant...to say nothing about the time he picked Nina up at Amanda’s house wearing the clothes from the day before. But even while out on the town, Nina was his boss, and a private person at that. Still, Luc longed to be a real friend to Nina.
"No, not that I'm aware of, besides this party." It was grand enough for Nina's tastes, though it skewed towards debaucherous -- like all the parties at The Bar. It was enjoyable all the same, though, and she was beginning to see there was a point in relaxing every once in awhile. For a few moments per party, she could almost feel as though she was just another partygoer and not the Mayor of the city.
She was sure she knew why, exactly, Luc was asking such a question that evening, but it never helped to assume. "Why do you ask?" she added then, putting on a placid smile.
Luc sighed dramatically, though the corners of his mouth tugged up in a smile. He should have known Nina would make him work for the validation he was looking for.
“Because you seem happy,” he replied, looking at her fondly. “And Amanda seems happy. And I’m happy for you, though I’d be happier if you stopped making me reach for confirmation that you two are a couple now.”
It was heartfelt as it was blunt; Luc loved Nina but he could only beat around the bush for so long.
"I am happy," Nina replied. Admitting that much was safe enough, and it was too easy to default to deflection despite her intent to begin doing less of such a thing.
"I don't see how any of that technically relates to whether I have grand plans for the evening," she began, though with a bit of effort she managed to pause and pivot. Luc shrugged amiably. It had mostly been small talk to warm her up into spilling the beans. The path might have been a bit circuitous but it had worked out well in the end. "But yes. We are a couple." Perhaps it wasn't said with as much excitement as Luc was hoping for, Nina was sure, but saying such a thing aloud was still a positive step. "I appreciate your asking." Really, she did, even if it didn't seem like it.