Sonata Form [Iris]

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Nathaniel smiled politely to the elderly lady who stood beside him as he waited for the elevator in his dark, pressed jeans and his light gray jacket. He remembered the time he’d come to Iris’s apartment to pick her up for their first date, toting a vase of green orchids submerged in water. He’d rushed to get the elevator, excited to get to her floor and he’d spilled some water on himself. He and Iris had laughed at the splotch on his gray vest, but it was hardly a ruined date and the ease and comfort he’d found in just the first casual meeting had set up the want to ask for another and another, date after date leading up to now. He didn’t count how many they’d been on, some more formal, some more casual, and sometimes they’d just meet after work to hang out at one another’s apartment, sharing food, television, and conversation. But he did remember that he’d asked her if they could be serious on their fourth date and she’d said yes.

No other person had ever made him feel so natural in his life. It wasn’t that he didn’t have to work to impress her, of course he did, but it never felt like a chore. It was always a fun challenge and they seemed to just fit into each other’s lives. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be around her a lot, he just never needed to tell her so.

“Those are beautiful flowers, what are they,” the woman asked as the door opened and both of them stepped inside. Nathaniel pressed Iris’s floor and what happened to be the other’s as well. He carefully cradled the vase of flowers he’d brought for Iris this time—it felt appropriate for this date. “Let’s see if I can remember all of them,” he gave a little laugh, “orchids, asters, dahlias, hydrangeas, and carnations.” He pointed to each flower. “She’s not a traditional rose-type, but I like that about her.”

The woman’s eyes wrinkled as she smiled, “First date?”

“No, we’ve been going out for a few months,” he said and the woman once again smiled, this time wider. “I know that look,” the door opened and he nodded for her to get out first. She looked at him. “You treat her right.” He nodded, “That’s a definite, ma’am.” He walked out of the elevator and waved to the woman until she turned around. He checked his gray jacket and white tee-shirt for water damage and sighed seeing none as he came to her doorway. Nathaniel ran over the plans.

Dinner at a small bistro owned by a man and his wife near Robinson Park, followed by a stroll in that same park. It was to be relaxed and personal and even better, within walking distance. Nathaniel enjoyed evening in Central Gotham, it was filled with people then and alive, but it had the youthful air of what a college center should have. It was the perfect place for Iris and him.

Perfect.

He knocked.

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Since Nathaniel unexpectedly came into her life, Iris has had to change her definition of the word 'happy'. You see, she'd thought that she'd been happy before, but as she allowed the bond between them to slowly grow she's discovering that no, she hadn't really been happy before. Now she is happy, and all signs point to further happiness to come.

But though that pleasant path to a blooming romance would seem to be an easy one between a pair that get along as well as they do, it hasn't exactly been an easy one for Iris. She's been hurt before, after all, and very deeply. Every step they take is a step toward the fear that it will all happen to her again.

But she wouldn't be Iris if she let a little thing like fear stop her. No, instead she is cautious. She forges ahead with her eyes wide open, reminding herself that there are so many differences from the last time. The last time she'd been blinded by love, ignored all the danger signs, and just plain allowed her emotions to take over instead of letting her logic examine the situation too. This time she's not letting her feelings get ahead of her. In fact, in spite of the growing bond, some of her feelings actually tell her that Nathaniel isn't... well... exciting like her ex-husband was. But that's where her logic points out that the unpredictability and constant turmoil was what made her previous relationship so 'exciting', and that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Instead, Nathaniel is steady. And steady is something that is, as she's learned from hard experience, a very good thing! It allows her to trust him with something as fragile as her heart.

And because of that trust, she's allowed him to become close to her. Very close. Close enough that the fact that she knew that they'd be going on another date this evening has kept her spirits up all day, never mind that one of her patients decided to bite her arm. None of the day's other events mattered since she knew that she'd be with him this evening and he'd be sure to make her forget all that's bad with the world. Unless the conversation turns to their plans to fix the bad in the world again.

Normally she's not one to be overly concerned about her appearance, aside from making sure she's clean and neat, but Nathaniel makes her want her to look her best for him so she actually makes an effort. A pair of faded skinny jeans, a ruched teal top, and a pair of yellow ballet flats do the trick. Well, except that there's that fresh bite mark on her arm... She adds a black blazer to the outfit, the sleeves of which just cover the mark. She doesn't necessarily feel like she needs to hide it, but then again she doesn't want their evening interrupted by making him all worried about it either - she's cleaned it and is current on her tetanus shots, so there's no point.

She's checking herself in the mirror again, just to make sure that there isn't an obvious flaw to her appearance, when a knock on the door informs her that Nathaniel has arrived. Because nobody but her has to know, she runs most of the way to the door like a teenager who is welcoming their first date ever. But she slows to a calmer pace once she's close enough to the door that she fears that Nate will hear her running feet.

When she opens the door, her eyes immediately find his and she can't help the gigantic smile that immediately spills across her face. "Hello!" she says, before her eyes go to the flowers he's holding. "Oh!" she says as she looks at them, instantly too overwhelmed by both how beautiful they are and the sheer thoughtfulness of it to know what to say. Which is pretty much her standard reaction when he brings her pretty flowers, which is probably why he keeps doing it. She takes the vase in her hand, both to take them from him and so that she can move them to one side where they'll be out of the way while she gives him a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you!"

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Nate does hear the quick patter of her feet against the floor, but chooses only to smile affectionately at that. He’d keep it to himself for the time being that knowing he was treating her to dinner tonight had him in similar spirits the entire length of the day. He’d smiled like a fool texting her while he was on his lunch break and when he’d dropped by her office that morning to be sure the plans were still on schedule, he’d known the way he looked at her. With excitement and adoration, and the very same look crosses his face when the door opens, though it’s less subdued this time.

He meets her eyes with a quirked smile. He runs a hand through his hair. “Hi!” He chirps in answer to her. His expression softens at her reaction to the flowers. She’s correct in thinking that he buys her flowers because of her reaction. He likes to see her face light up like that and so he tries to do or give her things that cause to her glow. He doesn’t overdo it because sometimes those actions are small. Grabbing her favorite tea at the café when it’s his day to bring his father doughnuts for example. It had become a tradition since he’d started at Arkham that every Tuesday morning one of them would buy doughnuts and they’d have “father-son” time. He makes fun of his Dad, he worries about him, and he sees that he’s going down a slippery slope, but he loves him. He loves him and he is a superb father. Isaiah is proof of that too. The child is the happiest kid Nathaniel has ever seen: warm, welcoming, and smart. But digression aside, Nathaniel could do little things to watch her light up in appreciation. He’s not trying to manipulate her. He’s simply trying to treat her right. How he thinks a woman should be, and that she’s responded so well to it? More incentive to continue the behavior. He can be awkward, he realizes at this romance thing and her age doesn’t worry him in terms of chemistry, but rather he can worry about how that changes her expectations. But he wouldn’t be Nathaniel if the worry didn’t excite him and clear his head with the energy it gives him and so worry? Another dose of incentive there.

He relinquishes the vase and leans into the sweet kiss, short kiss she gives him, but the moment she pulls away, his arm is around her waist and pulling her back in. He catches her in a longer kiss and when he pulls back, his grin is downright mischievous. “You’re welcome,” he tells her softly. “You look beautiful.” He takes her in appreciatively. There’s nothing absolutely lustful about his gaze. He knows he has a beautiful girlfriend and so his look is admiring as if he’s looking at a piece of art. Of course, he’d not deny lust; they have chemistry after all and she is very beautiful. It’s only natural.

He enters her apartment politely, letting the door close behind him. “There’s a new little bistro that opened just outside Robinson Park. I was thinking we could walk there and then afterwards maybe walk around the park if I don’t have to have you home too soon,” he joked. “It’s a weekday so the streets shouldn’t be too crowded with students.”

As he speaks he leans casually against her doorway. He’s ready to go whenever she is, but there is no rush. His body language doesn’t say that and neither does his voice. He can wait however long he needs for her and all the while relish in the still quite pleasant glow of her presence and their steady relationship.

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Truth be told, it's never really what Nathaniel gives her that Iris finds so touching, it's the obvious thought and effort. It's that he doesn't just go to the nearest florist and pick up some sad flower that's on sale. No, she can tell that he put some real thought and money into something simply because he wants to make her happy, and to say that she's touched by his thoughtfulness would be a real understatement. And while he's sometimes awkward in his efforts, she actually thinks that it's kind of adorable and just because she's a little older doesn't mean that she's immune to that herself.

Feeling him pulling her back in for another kiss, Iris laughs against his lips before returning it properly. No, she'd never object to giving him a better kiss - she'd only rushed the first one in her eagerness to get started on their evening together. Then again, the sweet sensations and related emotions that go along with such expressions of affection are certainly a part of what she'd been hoping to do during her time with him. When he pulls away she's smiling like a fool, as she's simply too happy to keep that feeling from pouring out all over her face. And it flares up when he compliments her appearance, though she immediately turns that around by saying, "I'm just trying to keep up with you." She knows that she's attractive, perhaps not a beauty queen but certainly not ugly, but then again so is Nathaniel. In fact, in her eyes his appearance is practically perfect - any 'flaws' she'd count as simply adding to his charm.

Stepping back out of the doorway, she deposits the flowers on an end table - she can decide if they should live there or elsewhere later - and she collects her purse and keys as Nathaniel says where they're going. She's smiling when she turns back to him (though it's difficult to determine if it's a new smile or a continuation of the old one). "That sounds wonderful! The weather's been nice today, but I was cooped up indoors all day so a walk would be perfect," she replies.

Purse in hand, there's a brief pause as she takes a moment to consider if she's forgotten anything, but though there's always something she can't think of it - probably nothing important, however, so though she feels no reason to rush it's only a moment before she rejoins Nathaniel by the doorway so that they can head out. "And my curfew isn't until 9am tomorrow," she jokes when she reaches him, referring to when she needs to be at work. The only thing she'd miss by staying out late is possibly a bit of sleep, but she's happy to sacrifice that for more time with Nathaniel.

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“Trying to keep up with me,” he comments, eyes scanning over her as she pulls back from him. He shakes his head as he takes her in again. “I think you’re beautiful no matter what you’re wearing. You have no need to keep up with me.” Instead he knows that does all he can to keep himself up for her. It’s not lying or acting, but he’s inspired by her. He does everything to make her happy and sometimes, yes that makes him awkward, but it’s worth it to make her happy. He puts thought into a lot of things and while he’ll not deny that he doesn’t treat every girl he meets right, he knows he’s not put this much effort into wanting to impress one. He is still twenty-four after all and he knows most of his colleagues are still out having flings or picking up dates at bars. He’s not sure whether it’s career-orientation or what exactly makes him want something more meaningful and long lasting. It’s not that he doesn’t want the fun of passionate love, but that he’s not rushing to find it. One look at Iris and he’s aware she could be just as amorous as he’d want her, but he loves her the way she is.

More appropriately, he’s comfortable following the ebbs and flows of this relationship. When it’s passionate it’s heady and he can lose himself, when its calm, it’s like the lulling tide on the beach: relaxing and he’s not feeling like he needs to run or impress her all the time. This relationship is coming to him naturally, just like their deeper kiss.

And he’s in no rush to leave, happy to take his time waiting on her, though his own smile brightens at her words and he sighs, “Tell me about it. I’ve been cooped up too, I really enjoyed walking from my apartment to the florist and then here. This weather is exactly the kind that should be enjoyed leisurely, no rush.” He returns her smile and he straightens, aware that she’s almost ready. She enjoys walks, just talking, and thus even if he’s working to impress her it doesn’t feel like it. He feels as if making her happy is a natural thing, one he should and does enjoy. She’s not a chore, but she’s just enough challenge that he stays interested and devout. She’s everything he wants and after months of seeing her, he’s no longer afraid to admit that. She’s perfect, flaws and all. She complements him and he her, he thinks as she comes to his side. He grins at her as he opens the door.

“9am,” he asks arm easily sliding around her waist, “you shouldn't tell me that. Now I'm tempted to keep you out that long,” he teases her. “Ladies first.” Yet he has to admit after their period of dating he feels right enough to know that his tease is also a bit serious. Both of their apartments are close. If the date goes well and both parties are in agreement he knows he has no qualms about keeping her until her curfew, but for now he leads her out of the apartment and towards the stairs. “How was work anyway? Anything interesting happen since I saw you after lunch?”

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Based on the smile, Iris is beyond flattered by not just his words but his appreciative looks. Then again, the way her eyes keep on drifting back to him whenever she doesn't need to look elsewhere shows that she's doing some appreciating of her own. "Oh, but I do!" she replies, "I think you get more attractive every time I see you." Perhaps not literally, but in her own eyes that may not be so much of an exaggeration. She knows that she has fallen for him, and keeps falling further, so it's not unexpected that her heart skips a beat when she sees him. She may be trying to take this logically, step by step, but that doesn't mean that she's immune to all the emotions their relationship stirs up.

Most of them are fun, though - the desire to look her best for him, the hallelujah chorus that goes off whenever he enters the room, the butterflies in her stomach when she catches him staring at her. There are also more negative ones, like the occasional bouts of suspiciousness that she knows that he doesn't really deserve, but he knows about that and is patient with it so she tries to be patient with herself as well. But on the whole, Nathaniel has been an overwhelmingly positive addition to her life since she first met him - whether a small, annoying part of her mind keeps insisting that he's too good to be true or not.

His teasing causes a small laugh, and her tone becomes jokingly skeptical as she teases him back, "I don't know... What if I get sick of you after the first eight hours?" Of course there's nothing serious about her reply, though she doesn't miss the slight hint of it in his own statement. It causes another flutter of butterflies in her stomach, though she hasn't failed to notice that their relationship seems to be slowly going in that direction. In fact, in her own head at least it's become a question of 'when' and not 'if', though she hasn't done anything to speed up the process. Partly because she's not in any real rush to take that step, but also because there's been little hints here and there that if she simply waits for him to ask it won't be much longer anyway. When, she can't really say, though she suspects it'll happen when it feels right.

Smiling as she steps through the doorway, she waits until he's stepped out to make sure it's securely closed and locked - including both deadbolts. This is Gotham, after all, and she's a single woman living alone who has met more than a few of the city's more questionable residents, even if most are 'safely locked up'. Once her keys are safely stored in her purse she follows Nathaniel to the stairs. Of course his question causes her to instantly think of the bite mark on her arm, but she doesn't want to bring that up. "Oh, nothing important: A couple more patient appointments, paperwork, a check-up from Dr. Leland..." she replies as they head down the stairs, "Slowly but surely the hours add up."

And she's told him repeatedly how happy she'll be once she's finished that final requirement to get her license - not only will it get Dr. Leland off her back, she can also expect a nice pay raise. At that point a psychologist is free to run off and start a private practice if they want to, so it's standard for institutions to pay more in hopes of hanging onto them. Iris doesn't think that she really wants to leave, but she'll be quite happy get more money for her work. Once they reach the bottom of the stairs she steps to his side and snags his hand with her own, now that walking in single file doesn't make things any easier.

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Nathaniel looks down at their hands and squeezed hers just slightly before moving his fingers to twine with hers as they walk through the lobby of the apartment building and out into the warm Gotham night. She perfectly close to him, both a comfortable distance if he needs to pull away just slightly or just a tug away from having her pressed against his side if he wants. For now, however, he’s just fine with her being where she is. He run his free hand through his hair and gives her a smile, “So your full licensure is getting ever closer, hm? You’ll have to tell me the minute you get so I can cook you something special. A private little dinner between you and me. Candles.” He brushes his shoulder to hers. “I have the perfect dish in mind.”

He gives her a wink and then his face is again forward, feeling the humid air against his skin as they walk down the sidewalks of Gotham Central. The sun has begun to dip in the horizon and soon enough it’ll be dark. They’ll be lucky to see the moon through the concrete jungle that is Gotham, but Robinson Park always had a nice view of the celestial body. There will be few stars, however, because the smog of the city, but Nathaniel doesn’t really worry about that. He listens to Iris, not the cars that rush by on the street the occasional thrumming bass of an automobile stereo blasting too loud. He muses about that night. He’d noticed her own stares that complimented his own. He knew approval when he saw it, and it’s not been clandestine knowledge that physically they are very attracted to one another, he find hers more and more beautiful the more he spends time with her because just as she is, he’s also floating down deeper and deeper into the sweet mire of love. He can’t help but smile every time he sees her. His heart jumps and his stomach flutters. He is at ease in this relationship, though ever cautious.

Despite how easy it all seems, Nathaniel knows and respects that Iris’s last meaningful one, the one her mind will always fall back to, evolved into a marriage torn by divorce. By this point he knows a lot about that past relationship and he works hard to be patient with her and never push, not at all. He takes no offense that she may be suspicious of him—he knows that trust broken like that is fixed only by degrees and example. All Nathaniel does is make sure that he keeps being encouraging, blows off any resentment he may feel when he suspects her suspicion and so far, it has been good.

“See I’m a good cook, you know you love talking to me…We even make work sound exciting to each other,” he says only moments after his first words upon making it outside. “I highly doubt you’ll find me boring or want me gone, besides…even when we’re both quiet I hardly ever since any undue tension.” He turns his head back to her and leans in. “I’m already convincing myself that inviting you over is a good idea. It sounds better and better.” He chuckles playfully and catches her lips in another quick kiss. “You know I love you, Iris. You really are the best thing that’s happened to me since coming back to Gotham,” he admits softly.

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There's something very powerful in the simple act of holding someone's hand. On the surface it's a simple gesture that any textbook would tell you signals a relatively low level of affection compared to other, similar forms of contact. But then again, it's also one that can be done continuously in most situations, and it's not impolite to do so wherever one pleases. It tells everyone who gives them so much as a casual glance that these two people are together and not simply in that they're heading in the same direction at the same time, especially as they're doing it when it's clearly optional.

"Careful - with an offer like that you're making me want to increase my caseload," she comments with a laugh. She's been at the asylum now for long enough to prove that she can handle her fair share of patients, so she has plenty and not all of them are easy. More would speed up how fast she's earning her required number of hours, but it would also mean more hours at work and possibly overburden her. It's therefore much better to earn her hours at a reasonable pace instead of risking burning herself out, even if the idea of getting her license faster is very appealing and she's tempted to convince herself that she could handle it.

But beyond that, it would also mean less spare time to spend with Nathaniel, and their regular interruptions of each other's workday is one of the things that really helps her tolerate all the little annoyances she must endure. Of course, it's also raised a few eyebrows around the office, though they've been careful to keep the true nature and depth of their relationship quiet. The last thing that they want is to become the subject of the office gossip at the asylum - that ends up getting passed around to everyone, including patients. It's better to keep it quiet, at least until they're far enough into their relationship that it becomes less interesting. A committed couple is, after all, far less interesting to talk about than one whose future is more open to speculation. At the moment she suspects that the majority of their coworkers only think that they're friends, not knowing that they steal kisses when nobody else is around.

Outside the office it's a different story, as the sheer odds that they'll just bump into a coworker is small. Though at this point, even if they did, Iris isn't so sure how long they need to keep quiet at this point anyway. Because she does feel herself becoming committed to Nathaniel, even though that scares her after what happened last time. She'd been fully in love with her ex-husband and didn't have a clue that there was anything wrong with their relationship when she'd discovered that he'd been having an affair. To make it worse, the woman was younger and prettier but clearly less intelligent - just the sort of woman she'd have thought that her man would be repulsed by in favor of someone with a fully functional brain. Only after that discovery did she learn just how shallow her ex-husband was and that it was only very shortly after their marriage began that he began to believe that he could 'do better' than her. And that this other woman counted as 'better' to him. You think you know someone... But she'd been young and in love and had mistakenly thought that she did.

His reaction to her teasing causes her smile to warm at his kind words, and especially what he says when he leans in causes the butterflies in her stomach to really become restless. Though the kiss right afterward causes them to relax and she laughs. He is so... smooth sometimes, and that always gets to her. Then again, sometimes he fumbles completely and it's hard to decide whether the sheer adorableness of those times is better or worse. "How can any woman resist loving you back when you say such flattering things?" she asks, laughing in sheer happiness, "And to think that I found you at the asylum, of all places!" She shakes her head. "It's like finding the one spot in a thundercloud where the sun can shine through - joy where it's least expected," she replies, laughing again as she comments, "And now I sound like I should work for Hallmark."

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Nathaniel’s fingers curl around hers as he laughs. For him, no matter what a textbook says, holding her hand is the best way to let her know in his own way that he’s attentive, caring, and all hers still. It’s reassurance for her, reassurance for him, and all of it unconscious really. He loves holding her hand, letting the world know that they are together and he’s proud of it. Very proud, he realizes as he doesn’t look away from Iris.

“If you worked for Hallmark, I’d buy your cards,” he says, “and forget any woman, you’re the only one I want to love me. We both found each other at Arkham, strange maybe but there’s two ways to look at that.” He stops walking as they come to an intersection and the crosswalk’s “Don’t Walk” symbol flashes across from them. Around them congregates a small crowd and Nathaniel slips his free hand into his jeans. “You can look at it and realize we’re probably both crazy, which isn’t all bad, you know? You know what they say about us crazies, right.” He grins and tilts his head. “We’re committed.” It’s so cheesy, but he feels the freedom to be a ham for her amusement, though when the sign announces they can walk again, he continues to talk, albeit a bit more seriously. “You could also say, that maybe in the midst of that storm, there needed to be a ray of sunshine and we both noticed it. Maybe I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to catch that sun.”

Sun indeed. It watched a person every day, but they were hardly ever afraid to be themselves and it’s no different with Iris. He doesn’t mind being himself in all his glory and flaws. Sometimes he is quite smooth and seems to know just how to turn a phrase, but other times he’s a complete goof and for better or worse she always laughs or accepts that. That’s why despite her joking nature when it comes to talking about increasing her caseload, he knows if she did he’d miss her completely, but that he’d stand behind her one-hundred percent. They could still find ways to see one another. It doesn’t frighten him. He wants her to follow her dreams, because he’s doing the same, even if they align with what his father had hoped he’d want. He squeezes her hand.

They are now in the commercial district near the college campus. Nathaniel realizes it not only because Gotham University is often at least a weekly stop for him for his Ph.D. work, but also because of he recognizes the bustle and appearance of the college students. He knows this part of town well and how close Robinson Park is. “If you did end up taking more on to get your license quicker, you know I’d be behind you. I’d miss the time lost, but I want you do to what you want, not simply make me happy. I love every moment I get to steal from you. You make my own research easier to handle, writing my thesis for Professor Pigeon is not always that fun. Right now I’m a bit stuck, actually, but I’m not worried. Progress is happening, slow, steady…and I wouldn’t trade a moment I have with you. As long as you’re happy, I am happy for you.”

There is no doubt he’s happy with Iris. It shows on his face whenever they’re together, though they do tend to keep that mostly private at Arkham. Safety is a big issue, but also privacy. Nathaniel feels that what he and Iris have isn’t meat for the gossip hungry. Until the moment it is needed he doesn’t feel the need for anyone to know. He suspects Jeremiah knows, but that’s because he’s his father and he knows his son well, but if he does know, he’s kept it to himself. For that Nathaniel is thankful. He imagines it answers so much for his father, though, and that makes him laugh softly.

“You know I have a small confession,” he glances at Iris, “the man and his wife that own this bistro…I know them. I went to high school with them and he was always talking about being a chef when we spoke. I ran into him actually on the university campus. He was handing out flyers for the place. From what he says he makes a great stuffed quail. I intend to find out and I told him as much,” he smiles.

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What else can Iris do but smile at Nathaniel's words? Though when he talks about how he only cares about her, it stirs up a whole mixture of feelings. On the positive side, it seems to confirm that here is a man she can trust - he is so devoted and if she believes his words then she'll never have to worry about him. But on the negative side, there's all the natural worries that this is just all too good to be true - once bitten twice shy, and all that. A part of her would actually be less paranoid if she found a man who was completely disloyal, but completely open about that fact - at least she wouldn't have to ever wonder. But no, she deserves better than that! She deserves Nathaniel - if her growing trust in him doesn't prove to be misplaced.

And his joke, however cheesy almost makes her wonder if he's reading her mind - she can't help but burst out laughing. Probably more than the punchline really deserves, but that's just because she's relaxed and so enjoying his company. Never mind that it causes a few of the others waiting for the light to glance in her direction - he's the only one whose opinion really matters to her right now anyway.

He seems to have a very real knack for helping her stay relaxed - probably without even realizing it - which is kind of strange because he's also the reason why staying relaxed is difficult. Normally, when he's not around, she's relaxed almost by default. It takes a lot to get her worked up, but Nathaniel does that easily - even beyond the paranoia she tries so hard to keep in check, there's all the normal butterflies and natural worries that comes along with any relationship that is quickly becoming serious. All of the relaxation techniques that she knows struggle to keep up with keeping her calm, but the right words or sometimes even the right look from Nathaniel is enough to banish all of it for awhile.

"Well, I'm an Arizona girl - the sun calls to me like a moth to an open flame," she says with a smile, "And while sanity may be highly overrated, I think that I'd lose it completely trying to live here if I didn't chase after it." Which is why, in spite of her worries, she couldn't help but give Nathaniel a chance when he first started showing interest. She could have easily thrown up an emotional wall, and kept him at arms length, trying to protect herself from a potential hurt. But it would also make her a colder and harder person if she did that - by trying too hard to keep herself 'safe', she'd end up hurting herself more.

She's not really paying too much attention to where they're walking - she doesn't know where exactly they're going and the company for this walk is far more important than the destination anyway. But she does recognize the general area though - she went to Gotham University for her doctorate, after all. Of course, she hasn't really set foot on campus since her graduation - she's seen no reason to. She feels about the same way about getting her degree as she will about getting her license when she has it - extremely happy to get the whole ridiculous process behind her.

But though she'll be happy to get her license, she's quick to say, "Ah, but my current caseload does make me happy. Heavy, but not too heavy - all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And the last thing that the world, and especially the asylum, needs is another burned-out psychologist." Nudging him playfully with her elbow, she adds, "And you keep on distracting me from thinking about how hard I'm working - I'm not giving that up!" No, she'll not rush herself too much. Her license will be earned in due time, and she just needs to be patient about it. "Do let me know if there's anything I can help you with on your thesis - if you need more time for yourself..." she adds trailing off with a smile. Of course she wouldn't mind doing anything to help speed Nathaniel's coursework - the moment he graduates he'll get quite a bit more free time, after all...

Of course, when he speaks of confessions she can't help but look up at him curiously. Her expression shifts into a smile as he talks about his friend - of course she's curious to meet the man if Nathaniel has known him for so long. And her eyes light up as he mentions the food. "You know, I don't think I've ever tried quail before - but it sounds delicious!" she comments, always ready to try something new. Well, so long as it isn't too new - she can't imagine that quail is that far of a stretch from chicken, after all.

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Nathaniel easily catches her elbow as it prods him with a laugh; he doesn’t restrict her, however, and his grip is gentle as he listens to her and continues speak. “Well, that’s the place just up there, so you’ll get your chance to taste it.” He points to a chalkboard sign that sits outside a building a few doors down. “And honestly I’ve never had quail either so…it’ll be a surprise for both of us. It does sound good, though doesn’t it?”

He moves his hand to cover the one he’s yet to let go of, “I’m happy that I’m helping in my own, though. I don’t want you to be burnt out either. Our job is important, people are important, but we shouldn’t even fathom helping people if we’re suffering too. That’s the problem…those doctors need vacations, need to get their heads out of theories and books and others’ business and find their passion again. They’ve lost it.” He muses all this as he leads her closer and closer to the bistro. “Of course, I’d miss you too, but that’s moot.” He smiles again and takes her in. In that moment he really believes that what makes her a desert girl from Arizona is why she’s so able to capable to cope here. Gotham City is like a desert. You could lose your way, the nights were always colder, and like the desert you could die of thirst. Thirst for yourself, for rest, and so many were lost. Yet Iris, Iris was his cactus blossom, able to withstand the gritty environment of Gotham and Arkham and yet so very beautiful. A splash of color in the sea of sands. Which is why, though he too was attracted to the sun like a moth, he prayed she wouldn’t get burned.

Mostly he worried about himself doing the burning. He was forever thankful that she showed him interest when he opened up to her, that she took a chance on him. So does he hope to be what she needs? Yes. But he feels that’s no trouble. He wants to treat this way, he loves to be there for her and to make her laugh. That he seems to help her relax and unwind is a bonus. But doesn’t he feel the same way about her.

“You already help me with my thesis, Iris,” he tells her softly. “You distract me from how hard it is. I can get so stuck sometimes and I have to step back and every time it seems you’re able to talk to. All I need sometimes is to see your smile and my mind is back on track. You help me to disengage and switch my thinking. You’re my muse and you give me all the time I need to myself. I’m not giving up a moment with you. I don’t have much more to do…soon I’ll have my doctorate too,” he squeezed her hand. “Thank you for being here and for letting me in. I’ll make sure nothing burns you. I’ll try my best.”

He wants to be worth her trust, because he does care about her and what she needs. There’s no rush for him and none to be added to her. She deserves to be free and to have what she wants. He wants to be deserving her, not vice versa.

He moves his hand off hers to open the door to the bistro. They’ve arrived in the midst of talking. He still doesn’t let go of her hand as he lets her enter first before following and then he’s forced to drop her hand.

The minute he enters, he’d pulling a hug by a man who’d walked from the kitchen, visible just over the bar when he’d noticed them coming in.

“You came, Nate, and you brought a guest,” he says, smiling at Iris.

Nathaniel hugs him back, “Of course I did. I told you I would. Iris this is Daryl…Daryl, this is Iris.”

Daryl releases Nathaniel and holds out his hand to Iris, “Oh, so you’re Iris. He’s told me a lot about you that I’m tempted to say just to embarrass you. But you let me know if he doesn’t treat you right, I’ll put sense back into him.” He smiles.

Daryl is tall man, a bit taller than Nathaniel with a goatee and dark, black hair that falls just a bit in bangs over his gray eyes. He’s a bit more muscled than Nathaniel with tattoos on both his arms revealed because his maroon shirt is tied up to his elbows.

“Why don’t you two pick a seat and I’ll make you an appetizer on the house. A surprise I was saving just for you,” Daryl points to Nathaniel who just smiles. “That’s really nice of you. You don’t have to-”

“I do. You know that.”

Nathaniel’s smile grows and he looks to Iris, “Where would you like to sit?”

And though there are people there, it’s not a big traffic night just yet. There’s room at the bar and there are tables that sit four arranged artfully across the floor, and then against the walls are the more private booths: those that sit only two.

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Nathaniel's small rant about the burned out staff members at the asylum causes Iris to nod easily in agreement. That's one of many problems facing the facility, but it's one of the more insidious ones because it's not as blatantly obvious of a problem as many of the others but probably has some of the biggest impact - if the people treating the patients were more effective in their work perhaps the patients would improve faster, and that would help with pretty much every other problem the facility faces. Though she laughs lightly as he adds on the fact that he'd miss her if she worked longer hours as if it was an afterthought, when she knows full well that it isn't.

Once again she finds herself smiling, whether she wants to or not, as he goes on to talk about how she already helps him with his thesis. But she's not really sure what to say to the sheer number and degree of his compliments - all of which mean more to her than they would from anyone else simply because it's Nathaniel who is saying them. She won't negate them by attempting to wave them off, but agreeing with them seems like too much too. But though his last words especially make her want to tell him that she trusts him, she's not ready to really mean it so she won't say it. Instead she simply says, "You're so good to me! If only I met you twelve years ago!" There's a pause, before she frowns and remembers, "No, wait - you would have been 12. Nevermind..." She laughs at that, shaking her head - it's so easy for her to forget their age difference sometimes.

By this time they've arrived at the bistro, and she's sadly forced to release Nathaniel's hand in the process of walking in. It's just as well, though, because it saves her from possibly getting caught in the middle when Nathaniel is suddenly attacked with a hug by a large man. She smiles at the man - Daryl - and shakes his hand once he lets Nathaniel go. "All good, I hope?" she asks with a laugh, though she suspects that it's probably literally true, "And if he doesn't treat me right, I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line behind me, my brothers, my father, and my mother." She laughs, though she's only half joking, really...

Smiling at the rest of the exchange between the two, she glances around at the rest of the bistro, taking in the atmosphere. She loves little places like this - always more homey than any sort of chain restaurant and not too pretentious like the more expensive places usually are. The best ones are those run by people who genuinely want to take care of their customers - whether they've met them before or not - and being on the receiving end of such care is another ray of sunshine peeking from the clouds to Iris. Coming to a place like this with Nathaniel seems to compound the feeling even further.

And it's all too easy for her to decide where to sit. "What about one of those booths?" she asks, glancing in that direction. If she'd come here alone or perhaps for a more casual reason she would have made a beeline right for the bar as there's no better place to be if you like to people watch and meet complete strangers - both strong hobbies of hers, given just how much interest she has in psychology even outside of work. But no, she and Nathaniel are here to spend time together - a precious thing for both of them since their respective schedules can get quite heavy. And a booth meant for two would certainly help them make the most of their time together.

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Daryl claps Nathaniel on the shoulder, “I don’t think I heard a single negative thing from him, save he’s afraid of distracting you from your work,” Nathaniel scoffs, but sure it’s true. He does worry about that, knowing that she takes time from her schedule just as much as him in order to spend time with him when she could be putting on more focus and hours to meeting the quota she’d need. Yet, they’d had this talk already and so he only offers a smile to Iris as he returns to her side. It’s true that their time between work, school, and their patients can be thin, but he doesn’t regret making time for her and remembering what she said about spending time with him once again fills him with happiness. The bistro only heightens it in the lighting and decoration. He once again takes Iris’s hand and takes her to a booth.

“I was hoping you’d suggest a booth,” he tells her as he picks on set away in a corner. It gives them an even better air of privacy that work and their walk hadn’t given them. At Arkham it was stolen moments and needing to always be on the lookout for someone. He’s not afraid of being caught, there was nothing in the professional conduct that dissuaded people from dating co-workers, though most avoided it for the reason that if a break-up were to happen it would awkward to have to see your ex every day, but Nathaniel doesn’t mind taking the risk. He’d rather be happy for the chance than regret never leaping at all. He takes a seat across from her and as he’d picking the menus from the table placement he’s glad to just be with her. Just him and her, no work or crowds.

He places a menu in front of her, “So first you’d come after me, then your brothers, then your father, and then your mother?” He chuckles. He’s not intimidated and with the way things are going thus far even if one or both of them came to the decision to separate he believes it would be as unmessy an affair as those could be. He wasn’t out to be a heartbreaker, his studying discipline and life had wizen him perhaps a bit over his years. His first few years at college had been enough of being a hedonist in his opinion and when he’d moved on to get his first graduate degree, he’d realized he didn’t need one night stands or wild parties to live. He found his own adventures.

“Did I thank you for accompanying me,” he asks her, “I’m really happy. I know you like places like this and when I heard he was opening it, I was hoping you’d enjoy it. What’s your judgment so far?” He asks and notices just out of his eye as Daryl steps from out of the kitchen with an oblong plate on a tray. There golden brown balls of some sort of covering and they’re sitting atop a red sauce. “Risotto Croquettes,” he supplies with smile, “it’s provolone cheese, put inside rice balls which are then fried to that lovely brown you see and they’re sitting on top of spicy red wine sauce. It’s my specialty.”

Nathaniel can smell them and looks at Iris and then Daryl, “Well it smells delicious. Thank you.” Daryl seems to preen a bit at that before chuckling, “So you ready to order or should I just take your drink orders for now and then let you enjoy the appetizer and peruse the menu?”

Nathaniel does in fact know what he wants, but he looks to Iris. “I’m ready, but are you ready to order?”

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As she sits and glances over the menu, Iris is quickly smirking as Nathaniel repeats the list of people she'd given. "And then Daryl, apparently," she says with a laugh, "I'm afraid that you're simply going to have to treat me right." It's clearly a joke, though - she just can't imagine that with their personalities that a breakup would be too nasty. More likely she thinks that it would just be... sad. Both of them simply disappointed that things weren't working. But she doesn't want to think about that - certainly not when things are going as well as she could hope for.

She can't help but smile as he thanks her for coming, and she's quick to reply with, "Well, thank you for inviting me. This place is..." Her voice trails off for a moment as she looks around extra carefully for a moment, even breathing more deeply as if to take it all in. "...Hmm - homey. I like it!" is her assessment. With Nathaniel, she can't help but pause to admire the croquettes - they do smell delicious!

In fact it's distracting enough that when she's asked if she's ready to order, she has to glance back at the menu to remember what she'd wanted. "Oh, yes! I think I want an Arnold Palmer, and you'd mentioned the quail before... but now I find myself wondering if those croquettes are as delicious as they smell..." she says with a smile, looking somewhat torn.

Of course, that's one of the things that she likes about these sorts of non-chain restaurants - rather than having offerings from some predefined menu dictated by someone else, each owner instead provides their own unique variety of offerings. Some are more successful at providing delicious food than others, but finding out which ones are the best is a part of the adventure. And when you do find a good one, it takes going to the place several times before you can try everything that you want to and then even more before you're anywhere near sick of your favorites.

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Nathaniel had joined in with her laughter. Of course he couldn’t forget old Daryl and when she jokes about how he’d have to treat her he can only agree, “I’m afraid you’re right. I have no other choice than to treat you like a gentleman should.” Yet it’s obvious he’d known it was a joke. And he doesn’t dwell on it because things are going extremely well to him. He doesn’t need to worry about them breaking up just yet. There’s been no signs that either of them are losing interest. It’s quite to the contrary in fact.

So he smiles as she too compliments him for bringing her, and nods in approval of her opinion. "I like the homey feel too. You feel like you’re being welcomed by family, not served as if you’re merely a consumer. It has that extra touch.”

Daryl nods, “Well those croquettes are for you and Nate here to share, and I’ll even make you an extra order if you like them so much. I’ll get you that quail, though if you’d like too and I think you,” he looks to Nate, “you were interested in it too.” Nathaniel smiled, “I told you I was going to try it. You still haven’t gotten my approval from it,” he teases. “But I do think I want to try something else.” He takes only a moment to glance at the menu as Daryl writes down two orders of quail—he can mark it out later if Iris decides to decline. Nathaniel looks back up just as he finishes. “I have a soft spot for fried calamari. So I’d like an order of that too please.” Nathaniel remembered it from his college days and he knew how to reheat it perfectly and it was one of his favorite comfort foods.

“I’d also like some of your wife’s blackberry lemonade.” With that Daryl takes their menus and waits for Iris’s final decision.

As for Nathaniel, had he known Iris’s thoughts, he’d have agreed with her. That’s why he’d wanted to come. There was reason beyond the fact that he knew the owner. He had lived near a bunch of restaurants such as this one and it had indeed been an adventure to sample all they offered and make his decisions as to what he liked and then eat them until he’d gotten so sick of them he’d have to take turns eating their other foods to regain the taste for his favorites, but it had taken him almost the entirety of his eight years to do so. So he’s looking forward to the same adventure here.