Esme leaned forward in her chair and stretched her back tiredly. She'd been in the staffroom since after dinner, and still had essays to finish grading. It wasn't entirely necessary for her to finish them tonight, but she didn't want to put them off for over the holiday, either. She glanced at the clock - nearly eleven.

She'd shed her clunky outer robe, it being too warm in the room already, and she reclined to stare out the window. Maybe it would snow soon.

Christmas is coming, she reminded herself, at which Esme frowned. She led a solitary lifestyle, and she preferred it that way, but that didn't change that the holidays were meant to be shared with someone... family, or someone closer, possibly. But it would be another Christmas spent alone in a dingy apartment with a mug of cider, probably reading, by herself.

Esme heard the door open, and she sat a little straighter in her seat. No need to look so worn-down in front of a co-worker; she didn't need anyone asking questions.

"Evening," she said absently, before looking up. When she did, she felt her stomach twist nervously - @ecorbitt21 stood in the doorway.

They hadn't spoken since the night of Persephone's party, and though it had been light enough, Esme had found herself thinking about him. She couldn't place the emotion she felt at seeing him... at least, she couldn't place any feeling other than a silly, immature wanting. She pushed it away.

"It's good to see you, James," she said coolly.

James didn't normally frequent the staffroom. In fact, this would only make the second time coming to the room. He didn't have much grading left, but his eyes had begun to cross and he decided the remedy was a change of scenery. He wanted to get through the stack before the holiday break came. 'Soon,' he thought.

True to his usual self James was both eagerly awaiting and dreading the break. Most of it would be spent alone in his apartment. Christmas Day would be spent being drilled by his family as to why he never seemed to bring a girl with him. Last year they had gone so far as to ask if he was gay.

Upon arriving at the small room the man froze in the doorway. Esme was already in there and he wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with him. They hadn't spoken since the party, but his thoughts had definitely been on the witch. "Good evening," James said attempting to sound more confident than he felt. "It is great to see you. Mind if I join you?"

Outfit

"Please do," Esme answered, motioning to a nearby chair.

Her thoughts had wandered to James frequently in the last few weeks, though Esme would never let on. She'd never been one to get attached to men, and she usually didn't bother with them unless she needed something... James, though, had the look of an honest, caring person. Not the kind of person she could be anything less than serious with.

Rubbing her eyes - and hoping she didn't smear her makeup - Esme tried not to think about it. In all honesty, she'd never been serious with someone, and these days she had to wonder if she ever would be.

She needed to relax and stop thinking about it.

"I hope you've been well, since..." Esme paused. "Since Halloween." She meant since the disastrous feast at Hogwarts, but after speaking Esme wondered how he'd interpret it. Since the fire, or since she'd kissed him? Not that a petty kiss on the cheek meant anything, of course.

James had spent a lot of time the past few weeks thinking about the woman he was now sharing the staff room with. It wasn't as though he expected anything from her. They hardly knew each other, but he couldn't deny the fact that her kiss at the Halloween party had been pleasant. But what did it mean?

"I have," James said simply taking a seat on one of the chairs. He doubted he would get to grading tonight, but the wizard was perfectly content with that. It was always pleasant to have someone to talk to rather than surround himself with work all the time. "I hope you have been well."

James wasn't sure why he was sounding so formal. It wasn't like him, but he supposed it was a way to keep his thoughts on track. It wouldn't do to let his mind wander somewhere below the belt right now. Though his thoughts were still on that kiss.

Esme smiled at the formality to James's tone. He had a way of feeling upright, always a bit professional. She wondered, fleetingly, what he would be like if he'd finally wind down and relax. She also wondered what kind of conversation they might have had if she'd stayed at Persephone's party on Halloween... not that it mattered now.

"I've been... fine," she answered slowly. "The students gave me a run for my money the other day. I thought... you know, I'd hoped that if I let them talk about what happened, it might help them." Esme raised an eyebrow at herself. In hindsight, it probably wasn't her wisest decision. She turned to James and leaned in a little, speaking with good-natured chagrin. "It didn't go well."

True, it hadn't. Having Trey Rudolphi berate her liike that, in front of her own class no less, still made Esme's blood boil.

She glanced up, trying not to let herself get wrapped back up in it.

Esme looked to the papers James had brought in. "Looks like we had the same idea." Then she became aware of her proximity to him - not that she disliked it, at all - and leaned back into her seat again. It had been too long since she'd had any kind of intimate company, but this was no time to let her hormones get the best of her.

James hated to hear that she had had a rough day. For whatever reason he was intrigued by the witch and wanted nothing but the best for her. Of course, that wasn't reality, and the man new that. "I am sorry to hear it went badly. If you want to talk about it, I'm here," he said. It sounded cliche coming out of his mouth, but it was the truth. In reality it was nice to just have someone listen for a while.

Glancing down to the stack of papers he had brought with him he couldn't help but smile. That was his plan when he first thought to come down here, but now he found himself enjoying to distraction. The grading didn't have to get done tonight, but Esme was probably more interested in her grading. "I did, but I am finding that I lack the motivation to work on it. I thought a change of scenery would help, but so far it has only provided me with more distractions," James said, trying to sound flirtatious. In truth he much preferred the company.

Despite Esme's cold demeanor, she listened as James offered his ear, and she had to smile. She felt... warm. It was sweet of the man to say as much, and though Esme would usually respond with assurance that she was fine without help, she felt inclined to do the opposite.

Instead of diving into the class conversation she'd had, Esme appraised James, her expression softening only a touch. "It's kind of you to say that," Esme said. "I like that about you, James. You're kind."

She'd never been one to shy away from the truth, and she didn't like to play the game of hinting vaguely when a clear message would do. Of course, certain endeavours required vagueness... many of Esme's personal endeavours, in fact. It was wearing on her, she realized, to be so purposeful and composed all the time. Maybe, with James...

But he'd continued speaking, interrupting that train of thought.

"Am I a distraction, now?" Esme asked, rather enjoying herself. She hadn't heard him use that tone of voice before - but surely, he was just blowing off steam and being playful. Still, that wouldn't keep Esme from testing the waters. She tilted her head, looking James in the eye. "I can't say I'm sorry for that."

Now, she'd see what he had to say about it. Esme bit her lip, feeling ridiculous, but she tried to ignore that for now. She just needed to relax, for once.

James smiled. He could tell that Esme wasn't quite used to smiling. He had heard the students rumors of her demeanor in class, which is partially why he had been shocked to hear she had had problems, though he definitely knew there were those that could cause it. "Well, I try," he said playfully. For whatever reason, he felt comfortable enough to let some steam out around the woman. It wasn't shocking to him that he was tired of being alone, but the man also wasn't quite ready to rush into anything.

The wizard was happy to hear the witch take his bait. James wasn't quite sure what he wanted to come of it, but for now he wanted to test boundaries and that meant continuing with the conversation. "Oh, I didn't say it was a bad thing. I am finding that I quite enjoy this distraction," he said coyly, a smile playing across his face. He wasn't quite sure what had gotten into him, but he was enjoying himself.

"Do you, now?" Esme asked, propping her chin in her hand. So he was definitely flirting... The question was, what did he want? James didn't seem like the kind of man to seek one-night-stands or friends with benefits, he seemed like a man who enjoyed wholesome, long-term relationships. But then, what did Esme actually know about him? He could have just as much hiding as she did.

But was it worth the risk?

Esme hadn't looked for a true relationship since... Well, not since him. And that was nearly a decade ago. No way she'd start looking to settle down now, not when she was finally so close to realizing her dreams of vengeance against the Death Eaters. She had to keep her distance.

She gazed at James, not afraid to be bold, but beginning to feel afraid that she'd hurt him somehow. And that she'd actually care.

"What are your plans for Christmas, James?" Esme asked. She held herself back from flirting, but couldn't help the way her words sounded soft and intrigued.

Perhaps flirting had been a bad idea. James hardly knew the woman and he wasn't exactly the type to be interested in a one night stand. While he was tired of being single, he wanted to know someone more than just in passing before he made that step. It wasn't how his mind worked, but he also hadn't had anyone in a long time and he was feeling the effects of that. All he could do was nod.

When Esme asked about his holiday plans he couldn't help but frown. It wasn't something he had thought about. Traditionally he would spend the day with his family, but aside from that most of his time would be spent alone in his apartment. "Most of my holiday will probably be spent alone in my apartment. Usually we all go over to my parent's house for Christmas day," James answered honestly. He wasn't sure why she had asked, but he wasn't upset about it. "What about yourself? Anything exciting planned?"