A lunch break is two hours at minimum

[Veritas]

Henri said nothing, tapping on his cigarette as he gingerly removed the char-flecked and shriveled peppers from the bag, easily slipping the stems and seeds from them as he tossed the tender flesh into a waiting food processor.

At last, he looked up.

"I was thinking west, yes. Seattle, you say?"

[Evelyn Cato]

She gave an almost flippant wave of her hand.

"Merely a suggestion. I've never been there, but I hear that it is a very beautiful city."

Leaning back on the counter, she watched his back as he began to blend the peppers.

"Of course, that is only one possible destination out of so many. Where you choose to spend your time is up to you."

A few moments of pause as she gave a quirk of her head, taking another drink.

"Though if you wish, you are always welcome to travel with me."

[Veritas]

"I was thinking of driving the Pacific highway. Stay on the move, stop when I'm interested."

He casually plucked needle-like leaves from a sprig of rosemary and pitched other accompaniments into the processor.

"Seattle, I think, would be a good place to start."

[Evelyn Cato]

Though he could not see her expression, the satisfied smile that she wore conveyed her satisfaction at his wandering thoughts.

"It is always good to not limit yourself to one place of interest. See all that you can and never for a moment think that you've found the end of your journeys."

Another sip, and she rocked forward to stand up straight, one hand going out to lightly give his shoulder a pat as she moved to step by him.

"It isn't healthy."

[Veritas]

"I have had every incentive to slow down."

Henri looked disdainfully at the cane he had propped against the living room wall, which he typically used for extended walking.

"I refuse. A habit from the Gendarmerie perhaps."

The lull of conversation was used to add olive oil, some sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper to the processor, and to zip it up to pulverize the contents. Two cloves of garlic were added as an afterthought and the blades kept turning. Walking towards the threshold of the kitchen with his pronounced limp, Henri gestured to the Pinot Noir.

"Will you be so kind?"

[Evelyn Cato]

"I always am."

With little effort she plucked both the wine and the empty glass up, careful to balance the full one she already held.

Following after him, Evelyn went on.

"Your persistence was not from the Gendarmerie I do not think. Aided by, perhaps, but I recall you carrying that particular 'habit' long before then."

[Veritas]

"I was young and had no money. It was pragmatic then."

Henri returned to the food processor and shut it down, spooning the thick sauce into a crock and finishing it with pine nuts. He passed it to Evelyn with the unsaid request to set it on the dining table while he continued to finish up in the kitchen. The asparagus and prosciutto would be nearly finished in a few minutes, and everything else was essentially done. He allowed himself some wine at this point.

"I have had numerous opportunities to rest on my laurels, especially since the shooting. The incentives to do so are tempting, but I fear that if I take them, I will be unable to do anything else anymore."

[Evelyn Cato]

Her task of placing the red pepper sauce on the table was easily done, and she returned to the kitchen - she'd left her wine beside her plate, knowing that Henri would rather she have two hands able to receive dishes to set out.

"And when you do take them? What will you do?"

[Veritas]

Bread was passed along to Evelyn, along with some prepared egg noodles for the main dish. Likewise, the salmon ceviche and brie were dispensed, and at last, the coq au vin. The final touch was to remove the asparagus, and at last, lunch could be served.

Henri could at last sit, and heavily contemplate Evelyn's words.

"How casual it must seem, you to ask me this?"

[Evelyn Cato]

"I see nothing 'casual' about what I ask."

She pursed her lips, and there was a hint of the slightest rebuke in her tone.

"I am curious to know your answer, that is all."

[Veritas]

He took on a slightly incredulous expression.

"I cannot say. Is it existentialist of me to have simply neglected to tend to the inevitable?"

He sipped at his wine and reached for a slice of baguette and the tripel crêmé.

"I am afraid of this terribly."

[Evelyn Cato]

For her part, Evelyn plucked two stalks of the wrapped asparagus, setting them on her plate before taking a piece of the baguette as well, content to wait until Henri was finished with the brie.

"... do you feel your life unfulfilled then, to have this fear?"

[Veritas]

"Not particularly. But it is my life. I have only this finite time. One shot and only one."

The frenchman spread some brie over a slice of baguette and had a bite of it. Pausing, he sipped his wine and shook his head.

"I have regrets, but I think few for a man my age. But even if I had none, I think I would still have trouble accepting a day I no longer draw breath."

[Evelyn Cato]

She pulled the brie closer to her plate, and with the knife provided, began to spread a small bit over the top of her baguette. A few silent bites, and Evelyn leaned back in her seat to look at Henri.

"I would be concerned if you did not have any regrets."

She took up her glass, sipping.

"Very few men are accepting enough to be ready when their time comes; even those who have lived nearly a century. There is always something else to be done."

A smile.

"To pull your last breath while in the pursuit of something you wish to see and experience is not a bad thing."

[Veritas]

The salmon ceviche was soon dispensed onto another slice of bread, and pressed a stray caper to his finger, bringing it to his lips. Pausing, he shrugged.

"I think any regrets I have kept by this point would be irreconcilable to begin with. Ideally, my death will be chance and unseen. I have no interest in languishing in its expectation."

[Evelyn Cato]

A smile, and Evelyn plucked one of the asparagus stalks from her plate, biting off a small bit from the very tip. She watched Henri as she chewed slowly, a smile creeping onto her face.

"That is a good outlook to have," she finally offered.

"But enough talk of endings - let us speak of beginnings and any other manner of less downward talk."

[Veritas]

"Beginnings, hmm."

Henri nodded, glad to be cleared of the morose.

"I think a trip out west would also be a good opportunity to look for new potential students. Perhaps what I'd be interested in is rather a working holiday I suppose."

[Evelyn Cato]

The concept was one that gave her pause, and swallowing, Evelyn gave him a sidelong, appraising look.

"Is that so?"

A coy smile as she popped the last of her asparagus into her mouth, chewed, and washed it down with another sip of wine.

"I suppose I should not be surprised. Even so long ago you were never one to be still for long."

[Veritas]

Henri looked somewhat surprised.

"Is that not what we are doing?"

He knew what she meant, but he had some enjoyment at teasing at her paradigm. Reaching forward, he procured a pair of asparagus stalks of his own, cutting them into neat sections with his knife.

"Even leisure has a, shall we say, pragmatic reason. Things you neglect for want of the time to think of them, you now have time to think about. That is why this is important. We talk, you see. Some would consider this to be time wasted."

[Evelyn Cato]

Evelyn made a face as she took another piece of bread, spreading a small amount of the red pepper pesto along its' top.

"It is sad, but for some people, they would look at what we are doing right now and believe with all of their heart and soul that we are sitting idle, doing nothing."