July 31st, 1888 - Pennyworth, Woodcroft Household

He's out his head, I'm out my mind
We got that love; the crazy kind
I am his, and he is mine
In the end, it's him and I
-G-Eazy & Halsey

Emmeline had been in a bit of a daze since the last meeting with Charlie. It had been.. emotional. That was perhaps the best way of putting it. But, despite how awful it had been, she was looking to the brighter side of things. Of course, the fog made looking at anything in such a way a bit hard but she was determined to be optimistic of what it was she shared with the hit wizard. Charlie had, quite frankly, changed Emmeline. He'd showed her things she had been wary and hesitant of for so many years. And though she was still nervous to have to wait for a whole year, she knew it would all be worth it.

She'd been running about the house in a bit of a frenzy, seeing to it that it was clean and welcoming even if he'd likely only see the small kitchen and dining area. After she'd finished seeing to Emma and switching into one of her nicest dresses, she meandered into the kitchen to see if she could be of any help. Her mother was quick to put her to work finishing the last of the meal. It was nearly a quarter to six by then but her mother seemed to suddenly remember that she'd forgotten something. Normally, Emmeline would have been a bit suspicious of her mother but her mind was decidedly elsewhere. She simply nodded at her mother and smiled as the Mrs. Woodcroft kissed her quickly on the cheek.

She was so lost in her thoughts and stirring the sauteed meats and vegetables that she hadn't heard her mother speaking to someone while on her way out of the house. Her gaze fell to the counter near her, smiling sweetly as she looked at the basket that had been forgotten the other evening. She'd gone back and retrieved it after hearing Charlie's mother had been cross with him. She'd cleaned it out and disposed of the food but she'd set the bottle of wine and glasses, as well as a corkscrew, next to the basket. Hopefully Charlie would appreciate it and not be too cross with her for going back to retrieve it.

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#LovelyLadySet

Thoughts of anxiety and apprehension had been washing through his body since he'd woken up. Slinking of out of his bed, Charles peered over to the unrolled parchment on his desk and smiled. He was excited to be seeing Emmeline once again though the voice at the back of his mind had been shouting, screaming, shrieking at him, telling him that it was going to all go wrong.

He had no reason to think this, of course. He had come to the realisation that she meant a lot more to him than he was allowing himself to admit though the feeling was still there. Anything could happen.

Shrugging his nervousness off, Charles went to work and headed home. He pulled on the best shirt he had, buttoned up his overcoat and pulled his top hat onto his head. He wanted to make a good impression. Whatever this dinner was, it seemed to have meant a lot. At least to him. It was the first time he was going to see her truthfully since they'd met the first time. She knew him now and there was no turning back from that however much his gut pulled him in the other direction.

Upon approaching the door, Charles was greeted by Mrs Woodcroft and they exchanged a few words. She had said she was going out on a quick errand and would be back shortly; Charles had no reason to believe she was lying.

Once he entered the dining area, Charles entire body was filled with euphoria. Emmeline looked... phenomenal. There were no other words. He didn't notice much else, not really. His nose wrinkled at the pleasant smells though his sole focus was on her. His Emmeline.

Pulling the hat from his head, he held it awkwardly against his chest with a soft smile drawn on his lips.

"Hey, Ems," He said quietly and gestured toward the door, "Your... mother said she'd be back soon."

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Emmeline hadn't heard Charlie come in. Truth be told, she hadn't heard much of anything as she'd stood by the oven stirring the food her mother had instructed her to focus on. Lost in her thoughts and the smells coming from the pan, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Charlies voice. She even squeaked in surprise before she dropped the spoon that clattered to the ground as she spun around to see him.

Her cheeks were flush from the shock but her smile was wide as she took him in with big brown eyes. "You've a nasty habit of startling me, Mr. Caulfield," she said in a playful tone. There was no way it could be mistaken as a true reprimand though, not with the smile on her face of the bright glistening of her eyes.

"Recognize anything?" she asked quickly, but her eyes didn't leave him even if she was tempted to glance in the direction of the picnic basket on the counter.

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#LovelyLadySet

Chuckling a little, Charles took a step toward Emmeline, placing the hat on the table as he passed it.

Once he'd stood in front of her, Charles planted a soft kiss on Emmeline's left cheek, "Sorry. I suppose I'll have to work on that," He said equally as playfully when he pulled from the kiss.

He took note of her reddened features and made a mental reminder to pull her up on it during the dinner; it would certainly make for riveting conversation with their parents as the evening progressed.

Her next words had him a little stumped and so he turned around with a confused expressed, moving to lean against the table; the basket in full view.

He exhaled then once he'd realised what she'd done.

"Is this what you meant by having seen to it? Ems, I hope you were careful," He sighed a little and turned to look her in the eye, "I'd hate for you to be in danger because of me. But thank you."

Picking up the wine bottle, Charles examined the label and let out a silent laugh, "And I see you've set out two glasses for us and cleaned the bottle."

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Emmeline's smile widened some as he came toward her and kissed her on the cheek. "You better," she said in that same playful tone as she bent over to puck up the dropped spoon and tossed it into the sink then grabbed another. "This shouldn't need too much longer and I imagine my parents should be back soon," she added as she watched him look about to figure out what it was she was talking about.

It didn't take him long but he didn't seem terribly happy with her for going after it but he was at least thanking her for it. "If it makes you feel better, mum was with me," she said simply with a shrug. Her mom hadn't asked any questions but she had given Emmeline quite the look. She was sure her mother already had ideas about her relationship with Charlie anyways.

"And a corkscrew," she said with a smirk, "Couldn't very well let a good bottle go to waste, could I?" Not that she had any clue what was considered good and what wasn't.

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#LovelyLadySet

"I wouldn't mind if they didn't," Charles teased before moving to the table.

Her little smirk at his remark had him grinning. So she was wanting to try the wine. Grabbing the corkscrew, Charles opened the wine and poured two decent glasses worth. Picking up the glasses, he moved over to hand her one and smiled politely.

"There you go," He said, passing her the wine before he leaned over to smell what was cooking, "It smells good. You would make a good wife!" Charles teased.

Seeing her like this had feelings stir inside of him that were very different to most he'd experienced. They were feelings of comfort and happiness. Of absolute contentedness.

Sitting on one of the dining room chairs, Charles took a sip of his wine as he watched her cook. This was... nice.

"Listen, Ems," His tone suddenly turned serious, "I am sorry about the other day. It.. wasn't meant to go that way."

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Emmeline's cheeks were quick to blush again as he mentioned not minding if they didn't return. But she only did so because she'd been thinking the very same thing. She just couldn't quite voice such thoughts out loud despite all they'd been through.

She accepted the glass of wine gratefully and took a small sip, not sure what she'd think of it. She pulled a slight face at first at the dryness of the burgundy liquid. She was blushing at his remark though. "Well my mum put it altogether," she admitted, "She just asked me to finish it up. And it's ready now." She glanced over her shoulder to see the serving platter on the other counter. "Can you bring that here?" she asked as she motioned to the dish in question.

Once he'd brought it over, she lifted the pan and carefully poured the meats and veggies onto it. "I suppose we can just finish setting the table and wait for them," she added with a shrug before wiping her hands on the little apron tied around her waist.

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#LovelyLadySet

Glancing over to where she was looking, Charles nodded and stood up. He didn't mind helping; it was nice. Helping her.

Though when he grabbed the platter, he noticed there was most definitely not enough for a whole family. In fact, there was just about enough for two. Raising a brow, Charles turned to Emmeline with a quizzical look.

"So... does your family like really small portions, or?" He glanced toward the platter before moving to place it on the table.

Suddenly, something seemed very off and so he ignored her comment about them joining them, "And where is the rest of your family? I feel like someone is setting us up, my- er, Ems."

He didn't even think to comment on her view of the wine though he did spend a good half hour looking for a good bottle. He didn't often drink wine. He just knew his mother did and so that was what he went by.

His main concern was why there was so little food for a family.

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It was clear Emmeline hadn't noticed the small portion of food on the platter as she'd poured out of the pan. "Hmm?" she hummed in response, not quite getting the question as she busied herself with getting the rest of the dinner prepared. Some basic rolls and butter. But her own brow furrowed when she realized there were only a few rolls. She knew her father alone could eat what was there on his own.

It wasn't until he mentioned a set up that her eyes widened as she settled in a seat with her glass of wine. "My mother is clearly quite sneaky," she mused with a smile but blushed cheeks, "I told you she's had her eyes set on you." Though she'd always joked that her mother had wanted Charlie for herself. Clearly she just wanted Charlie in the family.

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#LovelyLadySet

"Evidently," Charles joked as he helped finish setting up the table, "I suppose fortunately for her then, I have my eyes set on you."

Once the dinner was set up and plated, Charles moved to sit on the chair closest to her with her own chair at the head of the table. Though he was the man, it was still her house and he would respect that as much as he could.

He picked up his wine and tilted it toward her, "To our dinner, I guess." He chuckled before taking a sip.

Once they'd both settled, Charles set his glass on the table and reached over to grab a bread roll, "How long do you think she has been planning this?"

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Emmeline had averted her gaze at his comment. It was silly, really, to be embarrassed by it considering all that had been said between them. She dipped her glass to his when he did so And took another sip without saying anything.

"Who knows with her," she said with a shrug as she buttered a roll of her own, "But I imagine going to get the basket was what settled it."

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#LovelyLadySet

"My mother's basket?" He said with an arched brow, "Why would that make any difference?"

He didn't truly know what influence a picnic basket had on anything though the minds of women baffled him to no end. What were they ever thinking? He would never know.

Taking a bite of the bread, Charles placed it on his plate and smiled toward his Emmeline. He was rather enjoying this. It was different to other nights they'd had. It was just... peaceful. Truly peaceful.

"How much time do you think we have then, Ems?" He asked with a small grin. If they would never come back, he would be happy.

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Emmeline nodded simply as she said, "She went with me to get it. I imagine she's drawn her own assumptions as to the extent of our relationship." She wouldn't put it passed her mother to pull something like what had happened. Though, why she was so focused to see Emmeline settled with someone was beyond her. She had two older siblings, after all.

A calm quiet fell over them as they both worked on their dinner though and Emmeline found herself quite enjoying. It was sweet and simple, really. She could picture it being something for them in the future. After she'd finished school and had a job and he'd gotten his promotion. It would be perfect.

"There's really no knowing with her," she answered with a blush as she looked up to him. She sipped on her wine then, eyes settling on him over the glass.

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#LovelyLadySet

"Mhm," Charles mumbled assuringly as he swallowed some food and grabbed the wine to take a sip, "And what of you? What are your... assumptions?" Charles asked almost playfully.

Eating dinner with Emmeline was nice. There were no awkward silences, no lapse in conversation and the conversation in and of itself didn't feel forced. It was natural. Organic. Ultimately, everything he felt and did when it came to Miss Woodcroft was organic and that wasn't always a good thing.

This time it was, however and he found himself admiring her as they spoke. There wasn't much else he'd rather be doing in that moment.

"The food is fantastic, Ems. Even if your mother started it, you finished it. So you're getting credit."

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Still blushing faintly, Emmeline simply smiled and shrugged. "That you're likely stuck with me for the duration of your life," she said, perhaps a bit too bluntly. But truthfully, she didn't really want to not be stuck with him. Though that was perhaps a bad way of phrasing it. She quite enjoyed his company. The way their dinner progressed only seemed to further that point.

There was no awkward tension between them despite the way they'd ended things the last time they'd seen one another. Conversation was free flowing, much as was the bottle of wine. The last two glasses of wine were poured, the empty bottle set aside. Emmeline had just finished the last of her dinner and settled back comfortable in her chair as he complimented her on the dinner.

"Thank you," she responded before sipping on her wine, "It wasn't awfully hard. And I do like to learn new things. Perhaps cooking should be the next challenge I tackle."

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#LovelyLadySet

"I wouldn't say I am stuck with you. I can't be stuck if I'm willing to be with you for the rest of my life," The Hit Wizard smirked.

As they finished the food - and wine - Charles picked up the plates and moved to the sink, rinsing down the plates and placing them in the water basin. He wanted to make sure he helped given how welcoming she had been.

"I find it difficult that you'd find cooking a challenge," He mused before turning back around.

Once he was seated back down, Charles took her hand and wrapped his own around it. His eyes met with hers and a soft smile worked it's way to his lips. This was... pleasant.

"You truly are beautiful, Ems. You know that?"

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