Meeting of two minds (Andrei)

When Andrei had mentioned Finland, he probably meant it as a professional curtesy. No normal person would just accept an invitation to go international with someone they had just met on some odd work experience. Of course this was what had to be going through the older wizards mind, and in the parameters of the norm the professional curtesy would have been met with a kind and regretful declination of the invitation.

All these things were the norm, yet he had asked Quinn. "I'd love to!" The younger man would say, his smile wide and beaming. He had truthfully only met a handful of people he had been able to tolerate here. Making friends, well it wasn't his chief forte, not that it normally bothered him. Here though was an opportunity to do more, to see more, and he'll why not they would be working together, might as well be chums.

"I don't have a lot of thing..." he would say still smiling. "So I'd love to go and could be ready whenever you need. Just let me know!" He would finish sticking his hand out to shake the older man's as if some kind of deal was struck.

Of course his innocence in the situations caused his mind to trace through a crypt littered with riches and magics man hadn't seen in hundreds of years. The dust and disappointment of what could actually happened far from his mind. "I think we will have a good partnership". He would say if Andrei shook his hand, clearly jumping the gun, though with such genuine enthusiasm how could anyway burst that bubble. It had been awhile since he'd had something exciting to look forward to.

King and Kessler were clearly two very different people. The older man had not expected to be taken up on the offer, but now common courtesy prevented him from withdrawing it. Strange how that worked. King was a man who lived outside the system and Andrei one who lived within it. It all felt oh so very strange.

Of course, it went without saying that he took the younger man's hand and gave it a firm shake. In Andrei's experience, Americans had a love affair with the handshake that he would never understand. Americans, in general, were strange people; everything around Professor King seemed strange. Maybe he was just a strange young man?

"Well then," he pulled his hand from the shake and rose his glass of water. "Here's to a partnership."

He then gulped down the rest of his drink rather quickly. He had some planning to do. Well, planning wasn't the right word. No, rather he had some explaining to do to Marie; she would be none too happy about having someone she hardly knew tagging along. She'd be mad at first, but she'd come around—she always did.

"I'll get in touch with you about the particulars later," he stood up taking special care to keep from smashing his knees on the desk. "Until then there are still a few finishing touches I need to put on my classroom. It was nice meeting you."

Offering a good natured wave, the older man went on his way. Yeah, Marie would come around...no worries.

None.
At.
All.

Not a single one.

[Exit]