“Only the ones with the looks to earn it.” Eric returned easily, smiling faintly at his own double entendre as he drew his coat closer against the growing winds. He never knew how the women did it, standing outside in dresses and heels when the world was so inconvenient most days. The price of beauty he supposed, though perhaps there will one day be a time where such matters are considered trivial for both sexes.
“You didn’t answer though.” He pointed out, taking another drag and blowing out an artful swirl of smoke. He’d been smoking ever since his divorce and while he was fully aware he was killing himself, it didn’t really seem much of an issue. Suicidal wasn’t the term Eric would use, but it wasn’t exactly like he had dependents. When he dropped down dead was really immaterial, he was focused on just enjoying the time he had. Though then again, his mind wandered to all the work he did and for a second, he noted his own hypocrisy. Can’t even follow my own ethos, eh?
The lawyer blinked at the beign question. Most of the time political operators were a little more…intense with their questioning, Celia’s innocence rather compelling in its sincerity. He takes a moment to answer, glancing up at the passing clouds. “Don’t think I’ve been asked that in a long while. It’s…eventful, long…filled with things to do that don’t always matter a whole lot.”
“Pretty badly, but that’s most days, the white house doesn’t leave many prisoners.” His blue eyes slid over to consider the youngster again, raising a single brow.
Celia felt strangely flattered at his compliment, mainly because she didn’t expect it. It was only also at that moment that she stopped to think about them, sat here together just the two of them. Before it felt no stranger but suddenly the moment and setting of the garden felt slightly more intimate. She didn’t let her thoughts get any further than that as she wiggled her toes in her pointed heels. Closing her eyes for a second, Celia enjoyed a few rays of the sun as she let her thoughts slip away. A secretive smile still managed to slip on her lips while she did just so.
“Maybe I didn’t want to,” She answered back, just as quickly. Opening an eye, she cast a glance towards him. Her cigarette was burning away while they talked and she was getting to her final few drags. Celia was continuously considering to stop so she decided that this would be her last one for the rest of the day, trying to make sure she wouldn’t smoke one in the evening. Sacrifices had to be made if she wanted to increase her fertility rate. Or so that’s what her mom kept telling her as she wafted the smoke away from around her, making Celia laugh.
His honesty was quite unusual and also his bluntness to her question. It made her smile and feel at ease as well. She could easily tell why he made such a good lawyer. Somehow he managed to pull off his own self and his character in an unapologetic way that made one feel at ease, wanting to open up as well. “Well, you must work with miserable old sods then.” She replied, a chuckle escaping her lips. “I can’t believe that’s true. You seem to do the kind of work that helps small things and then right at the end they’re the most vital parts.”
“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Celia replied, honestly. At his question, she already knew her answer before she had even opened her mouth. “Meetings, meetings, meetings. That’s pretty much what my day consists of unless Elise has other appointments in her diary. Mostly that I have arranged.”
