The Gift That Keeps On Giving

[Claire Ihi]

Claire rolled her eyes. Adam was more or less right, of course. More or less any pamphlet, or guidebook, or website about New Zealand stressed the importance of rugby union as their national sport, and the status of the All Blacks as being as close to living gods as it was possible to be. However, Adam's strange description of why he favoured light chainmail piqued her interest again, and she filed it away for future reference. It definitely felt as though his interest was more than just a hobby. "And would that be a practical hobby, or more theoretical?" She wasn't sure which answer she was expecting.

Claire couldn't help but laugh at Adam's reasoning around why she was a woman "who does". "I'd like to think so," she said, a light smile and twinkle in her eyes returning the flirt. No matter what she did, Claire didn't seem to be able to not flirt with this man. Maybe it was his good looks, or his easy charm, but she didn't think so. There was something unusual about Adam Pierson that set him apart.

"Will I, now?" Claire's voice held a challenge, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. She liked steak as much as the next person, but would rather eat chicken, given the choice. A dark sadness flickered across her face as Adam seemed to recognise and understand how she had felt at that time. Going to Brisbane on her own would have been preferable to going with Hahona, in the end.

Shaking her head, Claire grinned. "So you're the proverbial bad penny," she chuckled. "Well, you can keep turning up as far as I'm concerned." He had brightened her day somewhat, and not because of the x-ray machine. He was easy and fun to talk to, even if he did seem a little eccentric, but she could deal with that. She'd enjoyed the little distraction over the last half hour or so, and, surprisingly, wished that it could carry on.

Claire noticed the threat of an apology over Adam's face, although she wasn't quite sure why, and then he pulled the rug out from underneath her. "A date," she asked, her voice laced with surprise. This was the last thing she had expected, especially from a bloke so much younger than she was. Conflicting emotions raced through her: was he too young to go out with? Could she really go on a date with someone she'd just met? He's so young...

"I'd love to."

Claire shocked herself with her answer, the words just tumbling out unbidden, to quickly to stop herself. "I'd love to," she repeated, her tone softer. "When were you thinking?"

[Methos]

Adam seemed to give the question of practical vs theoretical a few moments thought. In all reality, it wasn't a bad question. Armor was an impracticality these days, though he always like to maintain options rather than let them fall away. One never knew when it would become important again. He had no intention of ever hunting Duncan McLeod, for instance, but he was fairly certain his best bet for putting the man down would be to take a shield with him. Assuming he didn't just shoot the man and call it win. "A bit of both, I suppose. All well and good to read about riding a bike but there's nothing like feeling the wind in your hair when you actually do so, if you'll pardon the comparison."

He simply made a gesture of acceptance when she took his investigation of her as confirmation that she was a doer. He had no argument against it. Then he nodded when she asked her challenging question, quiet certainty rather than overblown bragging. "You ever been adopted by a stray cat?" He asked in return to the bad penny comment. "It's kinda like that."

Adam visibly brightened when she agreed to the conceptual shift that made it a date. "Oh, jolly. Whenever would be good for you. I'm... not prone to schedules and you are employed in a way that very much is, and then some. So, we can try to put something on the books or you can just call me when you have an evening free that doesn't have to be spent on sleep. If you'd like, I could donate another doctor to get you a night off." He chuckled at that, knowing New Zealand actually had a market for that sort of thing.

[Claire Ihi]

Although the smile remained fully on Claire's face, her eyes narrowed the tiniest amount as Adam gave something of a non-committal answer to her question. "Christ, you're not one of those weekend re-enactors, are you," she joked, making it clear that she was only teasing. A hobby was a hobby, and, as long as it didn't hurt anyone, and wasn't illegal, she couldn't care less what other people got up to in their spare time. Hell, some people might think she was nuts - especially as a doctor - for enjoying things like bungee jumping and other extreme sports, but it was how her more adventurous side manifested itself. Whenever she got the chance, she'd head down to Queenstown for a few days, and hurl herself off bridges, snowboard down a glacier, and any manner of extreme sports. It was her release.

Claire laughed as Adam compared himself to a stray cat who had adopted her. "Can't say I've had that dubious pleasure," she grinned. "I'm more of a dog person, you know. If it's more of a stray dog thing, then you've got a friend for life." Her eyes sparkled with merriment. She couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed just talking with someone like this, no expectations on either side.

Her smile growing as Adam left the timetabling of the date to her, Claire didn't have to think for very long. Just as when she had agreed to the date in the first place, the answer came out of its own accord, no hesitation. "Actually... I'm off for the weekend," she said. "So I finish at 6 tonight, then back in for night shifts next week. Tonight or tomorrow, maybe? Or is that too soon?" Was she appearing too keen? She hoped not. She just hadn't felt the little flutter that was resting in her belly for such a long time, that she didn't want to miss out.

[Methos]

"Tonight then, I'll be waiting with bells on." It'll also give you less time to worry yourself out of it, he thought. He was a student of human nature, he had witnessed the confusion and struggle around her yes. Last thing he wanted was to lose a date because she talked herself out of it while he wasn't watching. Besides, he had eternity but she didn't so no point in wasting time. "I think I hear your next patient coming, so I'll pop off to the childrens ward, do some magic tricks, and then go freshen up for this evening. Remember the name, Joe's Place." He gave her a wink and stood, happy wave, and sweeping bow as he exited.

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Adam was by the front door, sitting on a stool and watching the traffic pass by. Jeans, trainers, and a sweater over a t-shirt but none of it mattered compared to the happy-go-lucky smile he kept on his face. Every time somebody paused, thinking him a doorman taking a cover charge, he'd say he'd waive it so long as they asked old fellow with a limp if he would play Freebird. Joe was gonna hate every moment of it....

[Claire Ihi]

"With bells on, huh? How could I ever miss that?" Claire chuckled as all sorts of images danced through her head unbidden. "Tonight it is." She'd have to race home straight after work and get changed, but she couldn't deny the frisson of excitement building in her stomach at the prospect of spending the evening with Adam Pierson. Claire felt almost disappointed as Adam went to take his leave, and she stood along with him, laughing as he left with an old-fashioned, sweeping bow. He was a character alright, and she could only hope that she was doing the right thing in going out with him. If not, at least the evening should be fun.

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Giving the signage a quick double check, Claire gave the lightest of frowns as she arrived at Joe's Place. It was unprepossessing and almost hidden on the outside, tucked down a side street not too far from Starship. Claire had made record time getting home, showered, changed, and back into the city, taking advantage of her parking space at Starship, and walking from there. She glanced down at her clothes - red t-shirt in a soft, draping fabric, dark jeans, low heeled brown boots - and hoped she was neither over- nor underdressed.

Giving her subconscious a quick talking to, as well as a swift kick up the arse, Claire plastered on a smile and stepped inside... almost right into Adam Pierson. Slightly flustered, she blushed. "Uh... hi," she said, her voice soft and nervous. "Hope I'm not too late?"

[Methos]

"No, not late. And even if you had been I don't think a few extra minutes in a day will kill me." Nor would most other things, but time was especially something he didn't often worry about. It went well with the Adam persona, rich to the point of lackadaisacle. "Nice outfit." He'd have preferred light colored jeans but only because it would have given him a much more detailed view of her lines in the dim lighting of the bar. "Come, I want to introduce you to the titular Joe. It'll give me a chance to see the results of my evening's work so far."

He stood up off the stool and held out his hand for hers, ostensibly using the excuse of guiding her through the crowd to justify it. Once she was securely in tow he guided them more or less directly to the back end of the bar where an older man was cleaning a glass and obviously muttering to himself. "Joe! I want you to meet my date for the evening, the good Dr. Ihi. From Starship."

The man named Joe looked up, appearing fit to be tied, but was distracted by the introduction to a lady. His gravitas immediately changed and it would be no shock to anyone if he'd been a bit of a lady killer back in his day. "It's a pleasure to meet you miss, but run. Run far away from this one. He's nothing but trouble. He's apparently spent all evening telling people coming in that he'd waive the cover charge, of which there isn't one, if they'd come over here and request I play Freebird during my set. I don't even play Rock music, Adam!" Adam, of course, grinned right through it.

[Claire Ihi]

Claire shot Adam a radiant, almost grateful smile. She hated being late, and, even if she had been a few minutes behind time, it was nice to have someone reassure her that it didn't matter. In her profession, timing was everything, and that, naturally, carried over into the rest of her life. Her cheeks pinked a touch at Adam's compliment, and she shrugged, taking in his own attire, the faded jeans and cream coloured sweater showing off the lean, athletic form she had noticed in her office. Clearly the body of a man who kept himself in shape, although not someone who was your typical gym bunny, that was for certain. "Thanks," she replied, her voice sincere. "Not looking so bad yourself."

Mere moments later, Claire found her hand grasped in his, and she didn't even have a chance to protest as she was towed across the busy, noisy bar. Again, she noticed the calluses on his fingers, and wondered how he had developed them. They definitely weren't the hands of your standard rich bloke. The older man behind the bar looked a little pissed off, and looked even more pissed off as he looked up and saw Adam.

Claire gave Joe a tiny wave with her free hand, giving him a nervous laugh as he told her to run away from Adam. The smile, though, was less nervous. "It's Claire, please," she said, her voice warm and slightly husky. "And I'd figured out he was trouble from the moment he walked into my department today!" She tossed Adam a grin, letting him know she was teasing. Her hand still rested in his, and she didn't think about removing it. Claire chuckled, and arched an eyebrow at Adam. "Why Freebird? Your favourite, or just something you know would piss Joe off?" She shot the older man a sympathetic grin.

[Methos]

He just returned that soft, easy smile that always seemed to be playing about his lips. Like he constantly knew something that no one else was aware of. As if there was some grand amusement hidden in the bigger picture, and he was waiting for everybody else to notice it. When she complimented him in return he glanced down at his outfit as if noticing it for the first time. It was comfortable, fit well, he could move and fight in it, and it didn't give Rupert a heart attack if he tried to go outside. It was 'sufficient'. "Well, didn't want to under dress for our first date."

"It doesn't take long, does it. Just let me know when you want to slip out the back door and I'll keep him distracted." Joe gave Methos a victorious look and got a cheeky wink back. "Now you've gone and done it. I'm gonna have to tell her about the time you got sick and sounded like Mickey Mouse after two packs a day." The victorious look turned into one that said Joe wanted to negotiate his friend down from that threat but Adam was already pulling Claire toward a vacant table for two. "It's a popular American... thing. It annoys almost every musician at some point, especially the guitarists since the opening measure is a guitar solo. It bother's Joe specifically because he thinks Rock the bastard child of the Blues, and an insufficient one at that."

[Claire Ihi]

That look of faint amusement still played across Adam's lips, as though nothing would faze him, nothing could bother him, and he was just about ready to let the world in on a joke that only he knew. It was almost unsettling, the absolute certainty about this bloke. For someone so young, it was definitely out of the ordinary. Claire didn't miss Adam glancing down at his own clothes, almost as though he hadn't consider that what he was wearing might be notice. She shot him a smile at his comment. "That makes two of us, then," she replied. It appeared as though they had similar opinions on the relative lack of importance of clothes. As long as she was comfortable, Claire generally didn't give a flying fuck what anyone else thought.

She laughed as Joe denigrated his friend in the nicest of manners, and Claire shook her head as the banter started between the two men. "Sounds like both of you have a few stories that I need to hear," she remarked, her smile sweet, although her eyes were sparkling with mischief. At least it looked as though the evening was going to be fun. Feeling a tug on her hand, Claire followed Adam to an empty table, and arched an eyebrow upwards at his explanation about the whole Freebird thing. "And I take it you disagree," she asked, her voice low and teasing as she took a seat. Personally, she preferred rock to blues, but got the feeling that was something best not admitted in front of Joe.

[Methos]

"Joe can't remember most of his stories, I'll tell them for him." Adam grinned as he led her to the table and got them seated, by pulling out her chair for her. Once she was seated he took the next chair over and got himself situated casually, leaning forward on the table so he could see and hear her easily in the dim and busy room. "Like any genre short of the pre-brewed pop stuff delivered to the most popular pretty face of the moment there's not really a genre that doesn't have some redeeming quality."

"Rock has more to recommend it than most, if for nothing else the sheer breadth of the genre alone ensures somebody is making art somewhere under the heading." Which was it's own glowing endorsement as far as he was concerned. "As long as it's coming from a genuine place I can listen to just about anything... except Opera." It made him feel down and that was the kind of thing that was dangerous for older Immortals. The moment, the very moment you wondered if it was worth going on, was when another Immortal walked in and had themselves a real good day. Methos' Quickening would be quite the show, though likely a burnt out lighbulb compared to what would happen if somebody managed to draw Sun Tzu off holy ground. "What about you? What do you listen to?"