“I’m glad, Ems.” Charles said with a softness in his eyes that exhibited comfort and it was true: - being around Emmeline, as he often found his thoughts telling him, provided the Hit Wizard with a sense of comfort and peace one could only get with a very close friend or lover. The question was that he wasn’t sure which of those two Emmeline was. She was certainly not a lover – though he would consider her more than a friend at this point.

“I like you how you are, too. Just don’t be worried if you see me covered in dirt one day. My job is kind of messy,” Charles chuckled a little. He could remember once when he had to travel to the middle of England to catch a wizard and he ended up having to practically wrestle with the man in a marsh. The smell stuck for a solid week.

---

  

All Emmeline could do was smile when he said he was glad, using his own version of a nickname for her. She kind of liked it. It wasn't one that she'd heard used in regards to her before. It made everything seem more personal between them though and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. It was kind of a scary thought, but one she'd choose to ignore. It was just easier that way.

She did laugh about the dirt comment though. "Somehow, I don't know if I'd be quite used to seeing you completely pristine," she answered with a shrug as she reached for the glass to take another sip of the rum, "I didn't think your job would be anything but messy, honestly." It made sense after all. Dealing with criminals using means that didn't always allow for magic didn't sound easy. Or clean.

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#LovelyLadySet

Feigning a gasp, Charles shook his head as Emmeline spoke about his job. He was feeling kind of playful and so, as true as his nature was, Charles shuffled toward Emmeline and grinned, “So what I’m hearing, Miss Woodcroft, is you only see me as dirty?” He said, lulling his head to the left slightly with an inquisitive look.

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Emmeline's eyes widened in obvious shock at his question all while her cheeks flushed once again for perhaps the millionth time that evening. "I.. I.. no," she stuttered, clearly at a loss for how to respond to that, "I didn't mean it that way. You just had said your job wasn't easy so.. Oh you're just awful." She crossed her arms over her chest then and stuck her bottom lip out in what could only be described as a childish pout.

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#LovelyLadySet

Oh, this was priceless. Her sudden fluster at his words, her little child-like pout, and even the way she spoke. It did nothing but make him want to push her further. Suddenly, it seemed, Charles Caulfield had found something to truly entertain him.

That was, make Emmeline fluster over anything he was doing.

“So you agree that my job is hard?” He said, stifling a small laugh of his own – eyes glistening with enjoyment, “Would you prefer it if it was easy, then? Less chance for me to be dirty though, Ems. Could you live with that?”

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Emmeline continued to pout as he continued on himself with making his jabs at her. She was catching on that it was a game to him but she couldn't just let it all go. He was clearly having fun with it and she was actually quite enjoying it herself. Though, she wasn't about to admit that to him.

"I don't know if I could ever marry a man with soft hands from an easy job," she said without really thinking about what she was saying so her eyes only widened once she realized the words that had left her mouth. The pout vanished as she looked at him in a look that could only be described as surprise. Well.. she hadn't meant to actually say something like that. She finished the rum in the glass then because it was the only think she could think to do.

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#LovelyLadySet

Charles swallowed and looked around the room, not entirely sure what to do at what she’d just said.

There was messing around and having fun and then there was that.

And what that was, was something that had left him almost speechless. Almost. Not quite, though.

Grabbing the bottle of rum, Charles filled the glass back up – though it was almost to the rim at this point – and practically downed it. Exhaling as the burn flowed down his throat, grinned a little at her with a slightly playful tone, “So we are marrying then? Seeing as my hands are calloused and not soft at all.”

A smile played on his lips as he spoke, “Because that’s extremely forward of you, Ems.”

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Maybe it was all the rum Emmeline had sworn she wasn't going to drink but hearing him ask if they were marrying made her feel all sorts of giddy. It was surely the rum. It had to be. She wasn't the type of girl to fall for such things or have her head up in the clouds. No, she had her feet planted firmly on the ground thank you very much.

"I don't know, are you asking?" she ended up saying instead. Something that she shouldn't have asked. It was far too forward. It was very much unlike her. But there she was, asking absurd questions that they both already knew the answers to.

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#LovelyLadySet

Charles swallowed.

This was not what he was expecting at all. What kind of question was that? No. He wouldn’t allow it. His mind span for a second and he shuffled almost uncomfortably in the chair. This was not how he’d planned the evening to go.

In fact, he was certain nobody on earth ever planned for an evening dinner in the company of friends to end in some weird sort of marriage proposal.

Filling the glass up once again, Charles downed the rum in one and bit the corner of his lower lip. He wasn’t sure what to say or even do.

And so he did the only thing he thought of.

He took another shot and laughed a little, “Did- Did you want me to ask?”

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Well Emmeline had really gone and ruined the evening, hadn't she? She watched as he clearly fought for a way to answer her absurd question and took a couple more shots in quick succession. After the last one, she took the glass from him and pulled the bottle away as well.

"Not if the very thought of asking such a question is going to cause you to drown yourself in rum," she said, a hint of worry in her voice as she said it, "But honestly, no. We already know I'd not jeopardize my last year of school." But that didn't mean she wouldn't mind the question being asked after. But seeing him fret so much had seemed to have a sobering effect on her. At least a little bit. Enough to where she didn't dare open her mouth to say such a thing. He'd certainly leave that night and she'd never hear from him again.

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#LovelyLadySet

Charles frowned when she took away his drink. Not because she’d taken his drink away but moreso because of how it had looked to her and even he could admit that how it looked was not the best.

“You know that’s not- ugh. It doesn’t matter. You do need to finish your schooling first. And then we can think about my proposal-” Oh, shit, “Erm, if I were to propose.”

Charles shifted awkwardly in his seat and looked toward the rum, “Can I have the rum back, please?”

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Once again, Emmeline was blushing as she looked away from him. She hadn't meant to trap him into saying something like that and she surely wasn't going to hold him to something like that. Clearly they'd both been speaking in the heat of the moment and the rum wasn't helping either of them. At least, that's what she'd chose to believe. And though she didn't want to be the cause for him to drink, which she was very much feeling as if she were, she did slide the rum back to him.

"Any other interesting cases come up?" she asked, trying to get away from the hypothetical proposal and marriage though she could still fill her cheeks burning with her blushing.

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#LovelyLadySet

Picking up the rum, Charles took a swig directly from the bottle. This was touching too close to his emotions and he didn’t like it. He knew what he wanted and what he wanted was her more rum.

“Not really,” Charles said as he put the bottle down, “There was a hag causing a disturbance south of London but it’s nothing that isn’t easily fixed by a few spells. The fog is the Ministry’s main concern right now so I’ve mostly been placed on watch with aurors and some others. It’s a bit boring but what can I do? It pays my wage.” He shrugged and slid the bottle to her.

“And what about you? Has anything interesting happened since last we met?”

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Emmeline listened quietly as he spoke, watching him as he did so. The blush faded by the time he'd finished but she still felt a bit awkward. There was just.. a tension between them and she couldn't really put her finger on what it was exactly. Either way, it was frustrating.

She shook her head at his question though. "Nothing," she answered honestly, "Just busywork. Delivering things for my mother. Piano lessons aren't happening as often cause it's just too hard going about in the fog. I've reread through a few textbooks though since I'm not sure which books are going to be required next term." It all sounded rather boring when she said it out loud like that.

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#LovelyLadySet

"Good," Charles spoke softly, "About the reading. It's good to think ahead. Though I'm sorry about the lessons. I'm sure the fog will clear up soon. The ministry - the important people - are planning something, I'm sure."

Truth be told, Charles had absolutely no idea what the Ministry was planning - if anything - he just wanted to put Emmeline at ease a little. He could feel the tension and whatever it was, he put it down to her not being comfortable.

So of course he took another swig of rum as she spoke.

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Emmeline nodded. That was good to hear at least. The fog was a bit depressing when it really came down to it. It made everything so dreary and dark. Emmeline didn't like thinking in such terms, preferring to be more optimistic. The fog made it hard to look on the brighter side of things, literally.

She didn't really know what else to say though, not with the tension she still felt slightly so she nudged the empty glad toward him. He'd hopefully catch the hint and poor her a little bit of the rum before he finished off the bottle himself.

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#LovelyLadySet