Elsbet stirs, snug in her bed, unaware of the storms brewing in the wizard she loves, and the wizard who loves him. She has wondered about this Lucius and if Severus would ever bring his friend along to meet her; she's so glad he finally did. He is very much like she imagined him...charming, regal, attractive and quite polite. She likes him.

Her alarm, which sounds like a tree full of songbirds, wakes her before the sun rises. She could have slept another hour or two, but she has to be at the coffehouse early today. Sitting up in bed, she wishes Severus had stayed...she enjoys fixing his breakfast in the morning. Well, she giggles, really, she likes the way he wakes her up...But breakfast after is always nice. She rises slowly and stretches, breathing deeply as she sheds her nightgown, then runs her hands over her body. She thinks of him, and of how much she loves him, and of her hopes for the future.

She dresses quickly and simply; she doesn't want to draw too much attention to herself this morning. A plain, cream colored peasant blouse, blue jeans and brown suede ankle boots. She braids her hair in a single plait and ties it with a black satin ribbon, then puts in her silver feather ear rings. Her necklace is a simple cluster of clay and stone beads on a thin leather cord, as is her bracelet, and her rings for the day are simple silver bands. She washes her face quickly and brushes her teeth, then moves just as quickly into the kitchen.

She decides not to grab anything to eat, she can get something at the coffehouse. She grabs her keys, her wallet and a small packet of seeds from the junk drawer, and goes out the door. She feel the tingle of the protective spells Severus cast as she turns the lock, then whispers the enchantment he taught her to say. She says it carefully, exactly as he instructed, then whispers her greetings to the day. She opens the packet and makes her offering of seeds, scattering them in the grass, stuffs the packet in her pocket, then makes her run into the city.

She reaches the coffeehouse just as the sun rises, barely winded. She calms herself as she pushes the door open and smiles at the girl behind the counter. "Your usual this morning?" Elsbet nods and heads to her favorite booth. She's there only a moment or two when she feels a hand on her shoulder. The hand is hot and slides almost seductively across her back as its owner moves past her then slides into the seat facing her. Her eyes flick from the menu to his, and she smiles faintly. "Good morning, Brother Sa'Bat," she bows just slightly to him, and he returns it respectfully.

No one in the coffehouse sees him as she does, to them he looks no different than the rest of the clientel. But to her, and to any Magical that happened in, they would see him as he is. Well, as he appears to be, and he appears to be a very Dark wizard. His robes are an elegant royal purple with gold trim, his hair is a mane of chocolate brown curls, his goatee expertly trimmed, his brows shaped to devilish perfection, and his hazel eyes gaze at her with undisguised lust. She works very hard not to look back up at him, but she can feel his eyes roving over her.

The barista brings her coffee and a tall glass of ice water for him, then tells them just to holler when they're ready to order food. The ice water is topped with a single cherry, and when Elsbet looks up, he is plucking it out by its stem with his bifrucated tongue. He winks at her wickedly, and suddenly, she laughs joyously. "Gods, Roycroft, why do you do this to me?" He laughs as well, but with much more restraint, and all tention between them is gone. "Because I like to make you squirm, that's why." She sits back in the seat and finally relaxes. "You'd never do this if I brought him with me," she says, and he sits up straight. "Ah, true. I wouldn't dream of it. I'd like to live a while longer, thank you."

She shakes her head, still laughing. "I have something for you, by the way," he says, and pushes a folded paper across the table to her. "You really need to see this."