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There is something about a snowy Sunday in Calaveras. Everything slows down, people only come out when they have to, and the world seems to be asleep. Kate doesn't stay home, ever, because there is far too much to be done. She is carrying two containers with her, lunch for Esme and some French pastries, as she walks into the library. She sets down her bounty and begins to unwrap herself from her weather gear. Once that's done, she pokes around for Esme, booting up one of the library computers to look up some things.
Given that he can really work anywhere one would think Sam would be huddled up in his room away from the weather on this sleepy Sunday. But, he doesn't really pay much attention to days of the week and was up and out early that morning. He spent some time at the coffee shop, but after the library was opened he migrated over. Now he finds himself arranged at one of the large tables - a notebook directly in front of him and books fanned out in all directions on the table around him. Some of them are open, others closed.
The library is quiet. That's the nature of the place, but during the week it often has a buzz - but it's really quiet this morning. Still, he doesn't seem to pay much mind to the cold air that follows Kate in. His brows is furrowed and he's biting down on his bottom lip while staring at one of the open pages in a book just above his notebook.
Kate notices everything, so she spotted Sam when she pushed in the door. He looked so serious that she couldn't find it in her to disturb him right away. So instead she does Kate things, putting the lunch in the small fridge in Esme's office, doing a light bit of dusting while she's in there. She comes back out, picks up the container and makes her way to Sam's table. She sets down the container next to him and leans in slightly. "Boo." She says, an impish smile on her face. "I hope I didn't just interrupt your work, if I did, I'm going to feel absolutely terrible."
"I'll never finish my master piece now." Sam declares in mock complaint, grinning when he turns to see Kate materialize beside him. He was aware enough that he wasn't startled when she approached, just not so much that he'd realized it was her. "You're never interrupting. If I'm ever doing something where I can't stand for interruption I'm wise enough to do it behind a closed door. It's good to see you." He gestures toward the half dozen chairs available at his table. "Join me if you can find space?"
Kate looks choosy about which chair to take, settling down on the one directly across from Sam. "Don't say never, because the one day you don't want to be interrupted is the day I'm going to knock on your door, walk into your personal bubble or step out into an intersection as you walk past." She has a cheerful look about her, her cheeks rosy from the cold. She's wearing a pair of dark denim leggings and a sweater that is far too big to belong to her. "So, still enjoying the weather here?" She asks, glancing out to watch the flurries drift past. "It's going to slow down on the snow through the next week, thankfully."
"You're welcome to my door and bubble. But, try to keep yourself out of intersections." Sam says with a quick smile, his mood seeming to improve because of his friend's aura of cheerfulness. He glances down at himself, wearing a simple red v-neck sweater with a white cotton t-shirt beneath it, lips twisting at her question. "I had to buy a few more sweaters. I did a pretty heavy purge of clothing before I moved out here and didn't keep quite enough winter stuff." He looks back across the table - "I don't think I really enjoy the weather, but it usually doesn't bother me too much. I'll enjoy the warmer temperatures when they come. I want to get out running again, and while I know some do run in the cold, it's really not for me. Frozen lungs? Nope."
Kate levels a look at Sam, trying very hard not to grin, and failing. "Sam." She says, shaking her head back and forth as she quietly tsks him. "You don't enjoy the weather? I can't.. that's just.." She slumps back in her seat, pulling her feet up as she mulls that over. "What you need, really, is to get into a nice snowball fight. You square up with someone, make your peace, and then just go at it until you're either exhausted or you want to actually murder the other person." She tilts her head, leaning forward slightly to open the container of pastries. She snags a chocolate croissant and grins. "Then, you go inside, have hot chocolate and a hot shower, and you feel completely new again. It's almost like a purge of sorts." She takes a bite of her croissant and then quirks a brow. "Do you like birthday cake?"
"Be careful what you wish for, Kate. If I see you outside one of these days I may decided that's just the kind of relief that I need. Now, it's likely been fifteen years since I threw a snowball, but I played some baseball when I was in high school. I could likely figure it out." Sam's eyes dance with mirth, clearly the vision of Kate being driven to cover by a flurry of snowballs is something worth thinking about. "Honestly, the hot chocolate and shower sound like the best part of it. And I wanted to try to ski while I was here. Seems a shame to come to a mountain resort town and not try it." He still had his pen in his fingers and he carefully puts it atop his notebook. "Birthday cake? Yes? I mean, there is such thing as bad cake. But, if it's something you approve of, I think I'd like it."
"Sam, that sounds like a threat and a lot of fun. Now that I know what kind of man you are, I might just toss one at you when you're not looking." Kate takes another bite of croissant, licking the chocolate from inside of it. "The resort is lovely. I was taken to a chalet around Thanksgiving last year and it was very delightful. Stupidly expensive, and not something I would do on my own, but.." She trails off, her expression shifting to something slightly more closed off as she speaks of the resort. She chortles softly as he speaks about birthday cake. "I just recently had a birthday, and there was some cake at the house. I was going to make another one, and just kinda put it out for people, if you think you'd like some?"
"Is that what defines me as a man? I suppose I could think of a lot worse ways." Sam replies, grinning and leaning back into his seat. He keeps his voice pitched a bit lower than usual since they're in the library, but no one else is really all that close to be distracted by their banter. "Right as you were leaving for Paris, right? I think I said happy birthday before you left, but if I forgot - happy birthday. I try to focus day by day than year by year, but I hope this one is the best yet. And I'll wish that every year. As for cake? If you put cake out it's going to get eaten. I don't have the willpower to look cake in the eye and come away from that confrontation the better man." He pauses a moment before asking - "Everything has been good since getting back?"
"Well that observation of your man-ness is from several encounters." Kate admits, looking a little abashed about her words, her fingers fidgeting by brushing her hair back from her face. "The day I left, and I was in such a state…I don't remember much about those first nights overseas, except that I got a little smashed on tequila and probably made bad decisions." She laughs about the cake, leaning in to rest her chin on her knees before she finishes her croissant. "I'll remember that, the cake bit. I got a recipe for a dulce de leche cake in France that I'm keen to make." She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before she responds. "Being away for a few days brought a few things into focus, and being back has been quite lovely." She makes eye contact with Sam, her smile a little frayed. "How about you? Have you been getting a lot of work done?"
"I may have said this before - but what would life be without some bad decisions? It's likely best if they don't define us, but they're certainly a bit part of our flavour." Sam replies, his smile not quite reaching his eyes and his slightly distracted tone makes it seem like he's not really talking about Kate's night of too much tequila. It passes quickly and the smile appears in his eyes. "I'm glad things are going well. I know you had a lot going on the day you were leaving - and I doubt I know the half of it. But, it was pretty clear. Sometimes getting away for a few days is just the answer." He meets Kate's eyes, watching her quietly a moment before he shifts them down to his book and nods. "Work is going well. Starting to make some real progress now. It makes a big difference when I can focus on writing for several hours every day. Trying to write while I was traveling so much was hard. I'm not stressed now, I can put the time and effort into the work that it deserves. Exactly what I was hoping when I came here."
Kate slants a look at Sam, and watches him for a few quiet moments under her lashes before she speaks. "What happens if you make bad decisions a lot? What happens if you always think that you're doing things for the best of reasons, but really? You just don't like to give up? Life is so complicated and .." She trails off and frowns, reaching for another croissant. Her face clears as she takes a bite of the pastry, her free hand prodding the container toward Sam. "I'm looking forward to filming. I just need to get a few things together, and then I'll text you a date, if you're still open to appearing." She looks at her croissant as she speaks, a slight grin on her face. "I'm glad work is going well for you, Sam. When I need to think, peace is essential, and I usually find that by walking into town. Especially on a day like today. Snow makes everything so quiet that it's almost spooky, but it also is..peaceful, and it's one of the reasons I love living here. We get a lot of that quiet."
"Extremely complicated. Life, I mean. I usually take heart in knowing that I'm not alone. Everyone is fucking up. If you see someone who has shit together? They're likely just better at faking it than the rest of us." Sam reaches out to take one of the treats from the container, figuring that if he gets in trouble for eating in the library he can blame Kate. He takes a careful bite of the croissant, using his free hand to catch the flakey crumbs from it and closing his eyes briefly at the taste. "We should all likely be a little less hard on ourselves. But, that's easier said than done." He flashes that easy smile across at Kate again and shifts to the safer subject. "It is beautiful. I walked down early this morning. The snow was untouched on the ground and the trees. Sound was muffled. Everyone was huddled inside. I have to admit that I wanted to laying the middle of the street and make a snow angel." He takes another bite, covering his mouth while adding - "Didn't though. I don't want to be that headline in the newspaper."
Kate finishes her second croissant and she doesn't reach for another, settling comfortably into her chair. "I am horrible at forgiving myself, which is funny, because when people get upset at me about something, they have no idea that I'm already beating myself up over it." She rests her head against the chair, smiling over at Sam. "You should have made a snow angel. How often is everything quiet enough for you to get away with it? Not that often." She takes a deep breath and schools her expression to neutrality. "Sam? Sometimes I feel like you walk very softly around me, and that makes me nervous. You should just say what you're thinking."
Sam's brow crinkles at Kate's last words and he doesn't answer right away, instead taking another bite of his croissant and carefully chewing it before bringing his gaze back up to meet hers. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to make you nervous. I don't think I'm really aware that I'm doing it. Sometimes - well, I think I end up treading more carefully than I should around people I like. That if I open up too quickly or push my opinions out too forcefully it will break something before it really gets a chance to take root." He shrugs before adding - "Most of the time if I see like I'm holding back, I feel like I'm going to be prying into business that isn't mine. You hint at a lot of things, Kate. And your expression tells a thousand stories. I want to know more, but also feel like you'll reveal things when you're comfortable."
Kate blinks a few times, rubbing a hand gently over her face. "I'm sorry, Sam. I've never been good at deception or anything like that. My face tells stories that I might not always want to tell." She grimaces, but the expression softens into a smile after a few moments. "I repress everything, push it down into a small ball in here." She taps her chest with her fingers, smirking slightly. "It's not that I don't want to open up and talk to people that I trust, it's just…that's my default, and part of the reason why I keep having panic attacks." She wrinkles her nose at that, her gaze shifting to her lap. "There isn't much you could do that would make me dislike you, or distrust you. So..poke a little if you need to, because I probably won't speak up otherwise."
"It makes us quite the pair." Sam says with a quick smile, taking the last bite of his treat to give himself a moment to process what Kate just said. He looks across the table toward her before continuing. "I'll try to not step so softly. However, if I ask about your business and you don't want to talk about it, just tell me you don't want to talk about it. It doesn't bother me to back off a topic. And I'm sure I'll get a little bit better at this. It's funny, I have a harder time reading people who I like than those I'm somewhat indifferent to." Sam takes a slow breath before adding in a slight topic change - "And, yes, I'm still on board for your show. Tell me what you need from me and I'll be there."
"Lately I'm used to people who are very much to the point and not shy about either making that point or pushing a subject." Kate laughs out loud and shakes her head, clearly amused by this. "It..is so much easier to deal with someone who will stomp into my personal bubble than it is with people who gently poke around the edges of it." She leans to the side, pulling a small thermos out of the bag she came in with. "Coffee?" She asks, setting it down between them. "Well we'll be filming soon, I'll send you an invite to the studio. You should come with opinions ready to be flung about, be ready to laugh, and be ready to drink a little bit. We're having some shots at the beginning. They're going to be delicious."
"Don't you like a bit of variety in your day?" Sam asks, laughing along with Katherine and giving a small helpless shrug when he's done. "I'm never going to be much for stomping into personal bubbles. It's just not my style. But, I'll try to not peek around the edges so much either. I'm not in the business of making your life more difficult." He smiles when Kate pulls out the coffee - "Are you ever not prepared?" He wonders, nodding that he'd certainly like some. Especially after that croissant. "I'll be there with my opinions ready, Kate. I'll try one of the delicious shots, but if it's not absolutely necessary, I should likely stick with that."
"Sometimes? I'm very much a creature of habit, and I enjoy my habits a lot." Kate fingerguns at Sam a few times while she tries hard not to laugh. "Well that's a good thing, Sam, because if you were a personal bubble type of person, that would be a whole other thing, wouldn't it?" She pulls out a small cup and pours some into it. "I'm always prepared. I wanted to be a girl scout, but if I had gone, my mother would have had to send my little sisters. We weren't really allowed to go off and do our own thing, we had to think of our siblings, or at least try to include them?" She blinks a few times and aims a mild look at Sam. "Do you not drink? I should have asked about that." Kate and Sam are sitting at one of the library tables, a container of pastries and a thermos of coffee between them. "There are going to be a few shows where we're going to be not drinking. We could do that for you too."
"Everything is different with a larger family. I don't have any siblings - but I had enough friends who did that I've seen how different the dynamics were in those households. Even seeing that, I'm sure I don't really get it. Doubt you can without living that life." Sam watches Kate's face while he speaks, well aware that her family isn't an easy topic. "I think I would have liked to have siblings, despite all the challenges that may have brought." He takes the cup of coffee that Kate poured with a smile and a quiet 'thank you' before shaking his head. "I do drink. Just pretty lightly. A few years ago I had a lot of problems with self medicating to deal with issues in my life. A still like to have a drink socially, but don't do it so much that I can feel it these days." He says this plainly enough, not seeming all that concerned that Kate knows of whatever issues he was dealing with.
Sevin is a fairly common sight around these parts. Enough so that when he strolls in, one of the librarians at the front desk greets him with a cheerful, "Good afternoon, Dr. Khan." A slight smile is offered by the older man, and he even stops briefly to ask about some books he has on hold. Yes, they're in, and he can pick them up any time. Spotting Kate and Sam seated across the way, he departs to make his way over at an easy pace. Hands in the pockets of his coat; he's dressed in a crisp shirt tucked into dark pants, heeled boots that put him just a hair over six feet today.
"I used to dream about being an only child, but then I was always woken up early by Sarah stepping on me when she'd climb over my bed to get to the pancakes quicker." Kate deadpans, capping the thermos and pushing it aside. "The best part about siblings was that I never got in trouble right away. You can always shuffle the blame, and sometimes they might also take the blame for a decent bribe." She nods, picking up her phone to make a note of something. "It will just be one shot, I'll make sure it's nothing crazy." She spots Sevin over Sam's shoulder and grins, leaning over to pull another cup from her bag. She'll wait to pour the coffee until he gets to the table, at least.
Sam grins at the deadpanned joke and nods to the rest of the comments. He takes up his coffee cup and has a sip from it, nodding - "That's great. And if others wish to have more, that's fine. I can be plenty loud when I'm sober. Just give me a good topic." He's chuckling at that when he turns in his seat to see who just brightened Kate's expression, raising his cup toward the approaching man. "Hello, Sevin." He has the pronunciation pretty well executed by this point. Maybe he practices?
"Hello." A flicker of his pale gaze over Sam, and then it roves back to Kate, and warms by a fraction. "I hope I'm not interrupting." He's quite certain that he is, but Kate did leave him a note about meeting her here. So here he is. He might even have noticed the flawless pronunciation of his name, as Sam gains a small smile. He'll not, however, take a seat until invited to do so. Not so much manners as habit; cultural or some relic of the military, take your pick.
Kate pulls out the chair next to her, smiling up at Sevin. "I was hoping you'd find the note, so no, you're not interrupting." She pours a cup of coffee and sets it where she expects he'll sit before she smiles over at Sam again. "I'm working on the topics still. I want something a bit loud, mostly because it's our first impression. I want it to be a strong one. Heather might sit in on the first taping, and if Katya can't make it because of..personal reasons, she might sit in with us. I suppose we'll see." She makes a face, pouring herself some coffee. "I hope Heather isn't joining us, if I'm being honest. She'll ask about Paris. She'll ask about her gift, and I will try to hide under the table."
"She'd ask about that on air? I really think that if she did you'd have to fire back with everything you've got rather than try to take refuge under the table. I don't know how many important subjects would get discussed, but it would be a hell of a first episode." Sam laughs quietly while reaching out to tug some of the books that were spread on the table into a neater stack to make more room for Sevin and the coffee that has been poured for everyone. "I don't know Katya, but I hope she's able to join. I know that's what you had in mind." He waits until Sevin joins before looking to the man - "No interruption. It sounds like maybe I'm the interruption if you were supposed to meet Kate here."
"No." That's to Sam, when he suggests he may be the interruption, and there's absolutely no room for argument there. Sevin begins shrugging out of his coat, and lingers near the chair that Sam makes room at, but still doesn't quite sit. A glance goes to Kate, one eyebrow slightly raised. Not a word.
"I wanted a ride back up the hill, Sam. I don't mind the cold, but.." Kate coughs to cover a brief spate of laughter, gesturing to the chair. "Please sit with us, Sevin." She nudges the coffee in his direction and leans in, patting him gently on the leg as she speaks something for his ears alone. She turns back to Sam then and rolls her eyes. "Heather would ask about that on the air. She'd also bring up fuckbuddies, she might decide to be worse than that, but it depends on her mood. Probably." She shrugs and takes a drink of her own coffee. "She's like a shark, if she scents blood on the water, she'll swim right in."
Katherine leans in toward Sevin, voice very quiet. "Please be nice."
Sam nods in agreement to the invitation for Sevin to sit, looking up to watch the man a moment when he stands there. His attention is tugged back to Kate at the further comments about Heather, giving a low laugh. "I still think you'd have to go head to head with her if she goes that direction. If you give up ground it sounds like she'd just keep pushing until it gets really messy." He takes up his cup and has a small sip. "It will be fun regardless. I had fun with the screen test, I'm sure the real thing will be even better."
Sevin claims the seat at long last, his coat folded over the back, and a little nudge to bring it closer to the table. His gaze flicks to Kate when she leans in to murmur to him, and his lips twitch in a not-quite-smile. "Bialtabe bikuli takid," is murmured as he brings his coffee to his lips. To Sam, "Will you be joining the set for this.. show?" He doesn't really know the terminology for what Kate does, so wades into the conversation cautiously.
"Some song says you have to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them." Katherine says to Sam, a brief look paid to Sevin as he murmurs in her direction. She gestures toward Sam and answers for him, kind of. "He'll be one of our guests, and unless something dire comes up I want to have him for the first show." She sets her coffee down and her nose wrinkles. "I'm trying to arrange schedules so Katya can make it and I don't have to snipe back and forth with Heather. It's not great for stress, though I do adore the woman. I just don't think that the first show is the proper place to discuss an overabundance of lube, and the importance of flaunting your sexuality.." A beat. "We can discuss that a little down the line, or something."
"No such thing as too much lube." Sam remarks, lips not even twitching into a smile at the comment. But, he nods along in agreement with what Kate said, turning his full attention to Sevin for a moment. "As she says, just as a guest for an episode. I'm a bit nervous that I'm lined up for the first one, but I'll try to set the bar low for guests on future shows. I've never really done television aside from being directly interviewed, so I think it will be fun."
Sevin eases back in his chair, shifting slightly so as not to be playing footsie with Sam under the table; the furniture in here seems to be made for littler people. His pale gaze lingers a moment on Kate, then shifts back to Sam, and remains there. Intent and thoughtful, despite the fact that he doesn't quite make eye contact. "I'm inclined to agree," he offers. On the subject of lube, perhaps. Then with a flicker of amusement as he sips, "I think you're being overly modest. You'll do fine. And Heather's not all that bad."
Kate sighs, reaching for her coffee. "Am I the only person who thought it was weird that she sent me all that lube? Everyone is like, bring it home! It can go to good use!" She rolls her eyes and takes a drink. "Airport security looked at me like I was insane, and Esme laughed so hard that she almost peed herself." She hikes her shoulders up to shrug briefly, setting her cup aside. "Heather really isn't all that bad, she just asks a lot of questions and if she spots a weak point, she'll just poke into it like there might be cookies hidden there. Since she tries to stick up for me, it usually works in my favor. Until it doesn't. Perhaps if we get to see the books in the garage suite, you can ask August how it went when they met. Now that is a story."
"By the time I actually meet Heather I'm going to have a fully formed opinion of her and she's not going to have much chance at changing it. It's almost not fair." Sam says, though he doesn't seem all that upset about it. "And I really don't see August as the type to back off if she's challenged. I'm saying that on pretty limited meetings with her, but, yeah. That's the first impression at least." He takes up his coffee cup again, eyes moving to Sevin and then back to Kate, finally shrugging. "It's super weird that she sent the lube. But, clearly she thought it was funny. I can see it - arriving in Paris, the city of love - chocolate on your pillow and a few gallons of lube?" He grins. "What I can't believe is you actually tried to bring it back with you."
Sevin mms, and favours Kate with a brief smile. "She does." Care for her. Heather, that is. "I'm sure she thought she was being helpful." Heather again. With the lube. He seems equal parts amused and mystified by that. And mostly content to let their conversation filter past him while he continues to study Sam. It might be a little disconcerting to be watched so closely, or it might not. Either way, the older man doesn't seem much inclined toward small talk.
"I should behave then, she deserves a fair shot." Kate gets to her feet, pointing towards a series of shelves. "I'm going to go grab the book I also stopped down here for. I'll only be a moment." She gently pushes her chair in, leaning in to finish her small cup of coffee. "Sevin, have a chocolate croissant. I made them, they're delicious." She walks off towards the history books, stepping behind a second shelf where she starts running her fingers over the spines of the books, looking for something in particular.
"I've traveled a lot and never had a friend send anything to my hotel room." Sam remarks when Kate excuses herself for a moment, shifting a bit in his seat - clearly not unaware of the level of scrutiny that seems to come from across the table. Not that he and Sevin had spent a lot of time in the same space. Maybe he does that all the time. He looks out to try to seek out the other man's eyes, clearing this throat. "The croissants are very good. I hope things have been going well for you? We haven't really crossed paths since dinner at Kate's place. It seems like a long time ago. The semester must be in full swing."
Maybe he does that all the time. Or maybe Sam's just special. "All right," is offered to Kate as she pushes to her feet, and goes off in search of her book. Sevin's gaze tracks after her for a few paces, then shifts back to the younger man across the table from him. Tiny smile at the throat clearing. Or perhaps at the hope that things have been well. "We haven't, have we." He sets his coffee down, and does reach for a croissant. As to the semester, "I've had to take a few days off, so I'm a little behind in grading. Almost caught up, though." He takes a bite, dusts off some crumbs that catch in his beard. "And you? How's your, ah, writing coming?" Small talk really is not his forte. But he's trying.
"I'm making progress. Good progress, really. I was just telling Kate that it makes a real difference to be able to focus on work for several hours every day and not having to squeeze in the writing around a travel schedule. I think the end result will be a lot better. At least, I hope it will be." Sam reaches out a hand to brush his finger tips over the notebook and the small stack of library books he was working with, deciding that watching those is a bit less intense than watching Sevin. "I hope you dealt with whatever pulled you away and you get caught up soon. Mid term break must be fast approaching. The ultimate time to catch up on everything." Sam's pretty happy to small talk about nearly anything, but it's not easy when your tennis partner doesn't have a racket.
Kate returns, three books in her arms. She sets them down with a dull thud and glances between Sam and Sevin for a few moments before she settles back down in her seat. "What are you two talking about?" She asks, curling up in the chair as she opens one of her books. "Hon?" She glances at Sevin, closing and setting down the book. "I have to run some errands, can you give me a ride? Or..are you going to be busy and I should call August to take advantage of her heated seats?" She notices that he's eating a croissant. "Is it good?"
There's a pause of perhaps six seconds before Sevin replies. Which, presumably, is so he can chew and swallow the bite of croissant he just took. "It's been handled," is his easy response. A smile surfaces after a beat, creasing one side of his mouth but not quite reaching his eyes. "So when are you going to have a draft of your manuscript for us?" Sam may be eschewing watching him, but it doesn't stop the foreigner from continuing to drink him in steadily. A glance to the notebook that's touched, then back to the younger man. His lips part like he's about to say something else, but then they're saved by the bell. Or Kate, as the case may be. "No, I'm happy to." Give her a ride. "And it's wonderful." He takes another bite, still watching Sam.
"Just work." Sam offers up to Kate when she returns, the author re-positioning himself in his seat after realizing he may have inadvertently slunk down a couple inches. "I should have a first draft done by the end of next month. That will include all of the writing as well as pretty rough sketches of most of the panels. Then I'll have a lot of back and forth with Lisa - my editor - to try to get it to a place where we're happy enough with the flow to start drawing the real panels. I need to have it entirely done by September, but I should be well ahead of that deadline for a change."
"Oh, is work going that fast for you? I thought the process might drag on a little more. That's great." Kate pushes the books toward Sevin, he can carry them for her, while she leans over to gather some of her things. "If you're going to be home for dinner, Sam, there will be ceviche or sandwiches. Not going all out tonight." She gets to her feet and picks up her coat, pulling it on. "Oh, I should leave a note for Esme. She pulls out some paper, leans in, and writes in careful script. 'Left you lunch in your fridge, call me later. - Kate' before she walks into her office to drop it on her desk. She bundles up the rest of the way, pulling her hat down over her head, last. "That thing I mentioned earlier Sam? Watch your back."
"I'm glad to hear it," Sevin offers in a low voice, in regards to being on schedule. And maybe he is, or maybe he really doesn't give a shit and is being polite for Kate's sake. Who the hell knows with him. The croissant is finished off, chocolate licked off his thumb, flick of knuckles to make sure he isn't wearing any pastry in his beard. And then he pushes his chair away from the table. "It was nice to see you again, Sam." A little brow raise at the 'watch your back' as he pulls to his feet, but he doesn't comment.
"The writing always goes quite quickly. The re-writing is where all the time goes. I feel like Lisa should get her name as a co-author more than an editor sometimes for the amount that she puts in. But, if the pace keeps steady maybe I'll have a chance to write something a bit different this year." Sam sounds hopeful. He smiles up at both Kate and Sevin while they prepare to head back out into the cold. "Thanks for the company and the treats. I hope you both enjoy the rest of the day." He finds Kate's eyes, mischief bright in his own - "I'm not the only one who should have their guard up, Kate."
"Been doing it since I was a kid, so..I've got the high ground." Kate says as she tugs on Sevin's arm, looping hers through it. "C'mon you. Food4Less first, and then the studio?" She turns to offer Sam a cheery wave before they hit the door.
It all sounds awfully domestic, but the professor is drawn along amiably enough. "You as well," is offered to Sam in parting, and then his attention's on the tall brunette accompanying him. He'll even touch two fingers to Kate's jaw, to turn her toward him for a kiss on their way out, and murmur something soft as he fetches the door for her.