daemonized | RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

[He waves a hand, shaking his head.]

I'm perpetually prepping for the upcoming semester. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy an outing or two in the meanwhile. Especially if my help is needed.

[Ardyn picks up his menu as well, scanning it over. He already has an idea of what he wants, and it shouldn't be long before the waiter comes up for at least their drink order.]

Did you have something particularly pressing that you needed my help with?

Appreciate it either way.

[ He smiles at Ardyn, looking back to scan the menu. Everything looks good, to be honest. ]

And yeah, I'm writing up my first contract myself. I'd use a template of contracts my dad's written in the past, but since this service is occurring overseas by me, there are a few sections that don't work.

[ The waiter comes along, and Noctis takes a second to greet them politely. Ordering a soda. ]

Edited 2017-07-26 18:57 (UTC)

[Ardyn just opts for a water this time, and the waiter nods, walking off for now. The professor looks at Noctis from over the brim of his menu.]

Your very first contract? Well, congratulations.

[And setting the menu down now.]

Templates will only get you so far. Good for practice, or for examples regarding structure, but rather useless when they don't fit your specific needs. What's the service, and have you started anything yet? I can look over it if you like.

[ A bit nerve-wracking, but Noctis exhales the most casual chuckle there. He reaches over, grabbing the folder from his bag and placing it in front of Ardyn. It's a halfway-written contract, not entirely complete. Which is pretty obvious in the blank spaces with only a bracket indicating what the section is for. ]

Actually, it's for Dr. Lutece. I'm setting up some of our services out here for her.

Can't really disclose this with just anyone, but I kinda figured you'd understand more than most. Otherwise, I'd be on my own here, and my dad's got enough on his plate.

So, er.

Discretion and all that.

For Rosalind?

[He says, which indicates that Dr. Lutece is of course a close friend of his. Ardyn lifts his brows, but says nothing else until he glances over the contract that Noctis has slid his way.

It's incomplete, but even Ardyn will admit that it's a solid start. He nods, eyes not leaving the documents as he reads it over.]

And yes, of course. I'll be discreet, no need to worry about that. [He wouldn't do either of them a disservice by being otherwise.] At least you have an idea of what you want to write, and where to put it. The hard part is actually finished, Noctis.

Ah, yeah. You know her?

[ It's no surprise, actually. She works at the University, after all. It would make sense, since they're coworkers.

Noctis raises his eyes at the last part of Ardyn's observation, though. It's kind of relieving to know that he's going in the right direction here. Still, he leans forward, bringing his finger to the first section. ]

You think that part's solid? There are still holes, but I wasn't too sure if this part was clear.

She's a co-worker, of course, a fellow member of the faculty. But she's also a very close friend of mine.

[No pressure or anything to get this right, Noctis. Or maybe this adds some relief to the situation, since if Ardyn is helping a friend as well, one can make sure that he'll double-check Noctis' work even more so than usual.

He eyes the part that Noctis is pointing at, skimming over it with his eyes once more.]

I think we need to consider changing the wording. For instance-

[insert here some legal advice, thorough enough to the point where Noctis better be taking a few mental notes before their waiter comes back over.]

Small world.

Dr. Lutece is an old friend of the family. She's worked for my dad off and on over the last few years.

[ Strange how it works out that way. But in knowing this mutual friend makes the process a lot easier. Noctis leans over as Ardyn points out what portions of the contract can be improved upon, taking a second to reach over into his bag and grab a notepad. He jots down the wording recommendations, nodding while he listens.

The waiter comes back around and Noctis makes his order: baked ziti and extra garlic bread. Like a child. No vegetables, which is why this was a totally safe option. ]

[Ardyn gives his order as well, managing to not judge Noctis too harshly for his own choices. He's already aware that the boy doesn't much like his vegetables, so this doesn't come as a shock. His own tastes today are rather simple; chicken alfredo. Which, ironically, also has no vegetables.

In any case, he'll finish giving his advice, letting Noctis write down everything with plenty of patience, before he remarks on Rosalind again.]

Small world, indeed. It seems you and I are connected by proxy, if nothing else.

[If only they really knew.]

You'll be seeing her more often, I imagine, when the semester starts. You'll certainly run across her more than once while on campus.

[ Noctis is very diligent in his note-taking, marking a few areas on the rough draft of his contract with some sticky-tabs for later. Once he's finished, he neatly puts everything back in his bag. ]

That cleared a lot of questions up. I think I know we're I'm going from here.

[ He sits back, smiling. ]

Looks like we are, huh?

[ Connected. In a way. ]

I've known Dr. Lutece since I was a kid. It's been a few years, so it's nice to see her.

She used to teach me Quantum Physics in her down time. I've still got the books she gave me.

[He's glad to have helped, and just offers him a grin after Noctis puts all of his things away. He's obviously interested to hear this story, or at least bits and pieces of this background that had been completely unaware of.]

I never took you as a quantum physics sort of young man. [A wave of a hand.] Not in a bad way, mind you. Merely that you give the impression of your interests lying elsewhere.

[ Noctis offers a casual shrug. ]

I wasn't, until I met Dr. Lutece. She talked about it often when she worked with my dad, and I got curious.

[ Which doesn't really serve much of a purpose career-wise, but he's found it a strange sort of hobby. He chuckles. ]

I'm not good at it or anything. Just understand the concepts.

Understanding complicated concepts like that is still one step above everyone else.

[He takes a sip of his drink, looking amused.]

Give yourself credit where credit is due.

[ Noctis leans back in his chair, chuckling a bit. ]

Guess so.

[ It's around that time that the food arrives, and Noctis takes a few moments to get his napkin on his lap and his silverware out. He idly talks as his focus is on the food. ]

So what got you into law, exactly?

[The food is obviously a focus for Noctis, but once again, at this point this does not surprise Ardyn in even the slightest. He answers quickly enough, not quite digging in as quickly as Noctis is.]

Familial obligations, believe it or not.

[ While Ardyn doesn't quite dig in, Noctis is ravenous. So he's of course munching away. He covers his mouth as he perks a brow, mouth slightly full when he speaks. ]

Familial obligations?

Like what?

My family is very rich and therefore expectations seem to be set rather high for any child of my mother and father. The road to politics is the one I was expected to tread, and the stepping stone would be my entrance into law school.

[He's skipping the details, really, about how suffocating it was to grow up in that particular environment, and how he was treated by his older siblings, but that doesn't matter. It's neither here nor there, and he'll answer the question in the most direct way possible.]

And so my path was set. I chose the route to teach instead, but I'm in law regardless.

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