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.Daire turned toward him."Ah, Doctor Faulkner, I have come to speak with you.""Oh, yes?" Cyras drew up short in front of Daire.Daire pinned him with an intense look."What can I do for you?""I have found myself interested in your research." Daire toyed with the cane between his fingertips.Cyras struggled not to frown.Something about the statement didn't ring quite right."I was wondering if you might humor me with a tour of your laboratory.""If you want." No one had ever asked before; most normal doctors weren't interested because too much of what Cyras did was alchemy, and most alchemists weren't interested because too much of what Cyras did was medicine."Excellent." Daire smiled at him, and Cyras felt caught off guard by the way it softened Daire's features and made small lines appear at the corners of his eyes."But not right now," Cyras added, fishing out his pocket watch to check the time."I have a lecture, I'm afraid.Later this evening, though.""We can dine together beforehand." Daire was still smiling, and Cyras felt a fluttering of excitement mixed with a deeper sense of unease."All right.""Then, I will see you this evening.I will meet you here, so you will not need to worry about finding the restaurant on your own.""But." Cyras started thinking of the cost of dining out and how much he'd already spent on coffee and drinks this week.Unlike some members of the faculty, his work was not well funded."The cost of eating at a restaurant." He felt himself color a little in shame.Daire waved a hand."Don't trouble yourself.I was planning on paying for the both of us."Cyras opened his mouth to tell Daire that wasn't necessary, but he was already heading toward the front entrance.Cyras stepped outside and descended the stairs.The sun had just started to set low on the horizon, painting the sky just above the city a dark red and orange partly obscured by clouds that promised snow at some point that evening.Cyras took a firmer grip on the handle of his satchel and looked around the main courtyard.Daire was standing just inside the gate that divided the university from the city street.Cyras couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he saw him.Daire was dressed in black boots and black trousers tight enough to show off the shape of his legs.His jacket was also black, but his waistcoat and necktie were a deep purple.It was nothing even remotely approaching socially acceptable, but Cyras had to admit that Daire looked good.Cyras would have said he looked almost foppish if the colors he'd chosen hadn't been quite so severe.He wondered where they were going that Daire would be allowed to be dressed like that."Doctor Faulkner." Daire turned toward him with a smile, and Cyras caught the glint of silver from the head of Daire's cane.Cyras felt suddenly very conscious of his own rumpled attire.He had a chemical stain on his jacket and a streak of God-only-knew-what fluid on the hem of his trousers.Cyras couldn't see himself, but he was willing to guess that he needed a shave.He was wearing his oldest overcoat, too, the one which was going threadbare and would need patching sooner rather than later.Maybe it was for the best that they were obviously not going to any of the high end restaurants Cyras had been envisioning."I have a cab waiting." Daire held out one arm, and after some hesitation, Cyras took it."Shall we?""All right." Cyras let Daire guide him to the waiting carriage."So where is this place?""I don't often go out to eat." Daire crossed one leg over the other."But I've been to this restaurant and enjoyed the experience."The cab stopped, Daire pushed the door open, and Cyras looked up and down the street.Daire headed straight for the stairs which led down from the street level.Daire knocked on the door at the bottom.A young man in a surprisingly bright yellow waistcoat, shirt-sleeves rolled up to the elbows, opened the door."Welcome." He smiled and ushered them in.The inside of the space was dark and windowless, but Cyras was surprised to find it was set up like the other fine dining restaurants he'd been in.There were tables set up around the room with lamps attached to the walls, lighting the space.The walls were decorated in mirrors of all different shapes and sizes, with frames that ranged from the heavily ornate and gilded to plainly cut wood.The young man took their overcoats, hats, and Daire's cane as they stepped into the body of the dining room.There was nice linen and good silver on the table they were ushered to.Most of the other tables Cyras saw were full of people.The space was loud with the noise of talking and laughing."Please have a seat, and one of your servers will bring you two a menu and wine list."Cyras studied their surroundings.Most of the other patrons were dressed in more flamboyant colors than was considered acceptable in polite society.Cyras spotted more than a few Chinese men in a combination of western and traditional Chinese garb.The two women beside them were both dressed in men's suits.The darker-skinned of the two was studying a wine list through her monocle.Another young man, this time with red curls and a dusting of freckles across his nose approached.He placed a menu and wine list onto their table."I'll be your server for tonight, gentleman." He smiled at them both.Daire smiled back before reaching for the menu."This is lovely." Cyras fidgeted with his napkin."I'm not quite sure how to thank you."Daire gave him another smile, which Cyras had to concede was lovely.He was beginning to wonder why he'd thought of Daire as ill-tempered and hard to deal with."There is no need," Daire said."I simply want the opportunity to know you better."Cyras busied himself with the menu, attempting to hide how flustered he felt."So have you always lived in the city?" Daire asked.Cyras shook his head, surprised his soft accent hadn't already alerted Daire to the answer.Or perhaps Daire was just trying to make conversation."No.I was raised in Virginia, right outside of Richmond.I got my medical degree from the University of Virginia.I came to New York to study alchemy and teach at the university."Daire cocked his head to the side."I've never been to Virginia.""It's a beautiful part of the country." Cyras felt himself relax as he warmed to one of his favorite topics of conversation."So much softer and greener than even the more rural parts of New York.It can be so stark here, and the winters are so long.It is much milder where I grew up.The spring was always my favorite time of year, so beautiful, rich, and green.There were magnolias around my mother's house, and in the evenings, they would make the air smell sweet." He looked up to find Daire studying him and fought the urge to duck his head."I'm sorry going on about it; I just miss my home sometimes.""I understand." It was Daire turn to break eye contact and look away."I do as well, sometimes."Cyras wanted to ask about Daire's home, but Daire seemed so hostile toward any kind of questions about himself or his past.Yet, there was so much he wanted to know about Daire, what kind of human lovers he'd taken in the past, and where his deep seated hatred of alchemy came from."I miss my sisters and my mother," Cyras admitted."Although, my first serious lover was just appointed sheriff, so maybe it's best if I wasn't in town for a while.""Did you not part on good terms?" Daire raised both eyebrows."I
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