#anywhere

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"Mom, Dad, this is Karen." Symon says, a touch nervously, as he and his petite redheaded girlfriend reach the table where they are meeting Dr. and Mrs. Lee for dinner. The Gilded Truffle is a fancy, one might even say schmancy affair, with high reviews. The perfect place for a fellow to introduce his new paramour to his parents.

Of course they've seen her in passing, and Ann Marie has undoubtedly caught glimpses of the clurichaun at fae events, but this is official-like!

"Karen, lovely to meet you," Anne Marie says with a smile. SHe IS startled. SHe had accepted her son was an Ace, and while she knew that assuming Aces were NOT interested in romance or at least companionship was a fallacy, it still had caught her off guard. Not unpleasantly.

"Indeed," Dr. Lee nods as his wife offers her hand to the young woman, "Symon rarely introduces us to people"

Cairrean - that is, Karen - smiles prettily and shakes Anne Marie's hand. "I've heard so much about you. Symon tells me you did your residence in Harvard? That's so impressive! And your work with the communities in need, well, that can't be understated either." To Bruce and then to Anne Marie in turn.

Symon blushes a little, green on his grey for those who can see it, and pulls out a chair for her so they can sit at the table.

"I did, it was grueling but rewarding," Dr. Lee notes she studied up on them, and approves. It denotes a disciplined mind, "You're attending Rutgers, obviously. May I ask your choice of major?"

Anne Marie tuts "Oh, I enjoy helping people but I have some help. Symon maybe over playing my work ethic." He was, in fact, not.

"I'm currently doing my residency in nursing, though I haven't really decided on where I will major. - I might look into psychology or therapy." She demurs, "Not quite sure yet which path is right for me. But it's been worth it even if I end up switching, because I met Symon."

"Indeed," Anne Marie says, "how did you two meet?" She's curious, but also, well, boggans like to get a feel for folks and how they get together It's not instant and it helps to talk to them.

Bruce was considering suggesting some of the more in demand options are for Karen, but lets his wife take the social lead

Symon clears his throat a bit, and adds, "Well, you know, just around campus. We shared a class for one of the residency requirements too." He gives a thin lipped smile over to Karen.

"I wanted to make sure you got a chance to meet her before she's away for summer vacation."

"I'm very glad we did" She assures, "Where are you going for Summer, Karen, back to your family?"

Bruce looks at his wife "Dear, don't pester the young lady too much." He knows she's curious where Karen is from, and eh does add "Though we both agree family IS important"

"Oh, it's marvelous - I'm going on a cruise. I thought that maybe Symon might come along, but you know, the threat of sun and socializing just turned him right off."

Symon shakes his head in agreement. "Not even for you, Kare-bear." Fondness in his soft voice. "That's okay though, she has one of her girlfriends going along."

Karen adds, "My family is in NYC, but the best scholarship I had available was for Rutgers. I love the Big Apple, but summer vacation is for fun, right?"

Bruce arches a brow at the Kare Bear comment. Of course, if he brought it up to his wife, she would remind them of some of THEIR pet names for each other. He also finds this a bit frivolous. But the young often will be.

"Well I'm glad you won't be alone," Anne Marie says while thinking of Dagmar "Good to stay in touch with friends after all"

"Oh, totally. Symon needs time to reconnect with his high school pals, after all. I've met Sam, Sylvia, and... " A pause, trying to recollect, then she nods, finding the name. "Vinny." Naming the Piskie pal.

"I thought it was Timmy" Bruce admits "Though perhaps it was Vinny."

"Something like that" Anne Marie says, even as she tries to get a feel between her son and Karen.

Meanwhile, they are looking over the menus. Symon rests a hand lightly on Karen's arm, "They have lobster ravioli, your favorite. And I can get the mushroom with blue cheese."

Her nose wrinkles a touch. "Ew, blue cheese." But she gives a small smile, "Just keep it away from me, I hate that moldy stuff."

Symon nods to his parents, "Dinner is on me tonight, since I invited us out. Please get whatever you like."

The prices are not cheap, but the menu looks delicious.

"Are you sure, son?" Bruce offers "I don't mind paying for your mother and I" Preserving some of the young man's dignity

Symon looks to Karen, and she gives him a little nod, then he nods in turn back to his father. "Thank you - that's really generous, appa."

"Quite all right, " he says "I appreciate the offer from you. " He wonders how often his son is extravagant with this girl, but does not press. She clearly has interests in the medical field, and that wins her some points with him.

Anne Marie's own order is somewhere in the modest middle, well, as modest middle as such a place gets even as she continues to observe the interplay between the wilders, "How long have you known your cruise friend, Karen?"

"Oh, Juno? Not very long, she's a member of the local trag..." She coughs a second, then sips her water, and continues, "track and field team, she also goes to Rutgers." A smooth catch. "I've only known her for a couple semesters, but she's really nice, and when Symon said he wouldn't come with me on the cruise, well, who's going to turn down a ticket?"

"Now that's nice of you to offer" Anne Marie admits

Symon fidgets a bit. "Well, I thought about it, but... the sunbathing.. and live music... scuba..." He looks slightly ill at the prospect, "Karen was right, I'd be miserable. Though I'll miss her." This last a bit wistful.

Anne Marie nods at this. She can feel Symon wanting his father's approval, nothing new there. And she's touched he still wants her pride as well, as if she ever could not be. Karen is harder to know, new as she is. And he wants them to like Karen. Her son seems to ..yearn for the Clurichaun. Not exactly sexual but then, that confirms what she knows of her son. Sadly, it seems a bit lopsided. Cairrean seems fond but ... it's almost employer to favored employee. It's not atypical for one to fall faster in love than another, she supposes. But this all seems slightly transactional. And she decides to test it out, "May I ask how much the tickets cost you, Symon?" Assuming he bought them, and waiting to be corrected, "I don't know what the going rate is these days"

Bruce is surprised, but reads it as interest in his wife going a cruise one day. It is clear this next anniversery he may have to up his game.

Symon looks a bit surprised, and then he admits, a touch reluctantly, "Leaving from Port Liberty... only about $800 p-plus tax for the basic cabins. But I upgraded to the balcony suite, which is a bit more." He adds, "But I did get a discount on them."

That confirms that, but Anne Marie nods "Taught you how to bargain shop, didn't I?" She looks proud, and a large part of her is.

Bruce is less pleased to find out his son is paying for a cruise he is not even sharing but for now lets it slide. He won't cause the boy to lose face by raising it up. Rather he says "You say you are from New York City, Karen? May I ask which Borough?"

There was a pause as they ordered, then Karen pokes at her ravioli for a moment, a trace of hesitation before she responds, "Woodlawn." There is a touch of spark to her eyes as if to say, you wanna make something of it?

"Ah, while I never spent much time in the Bronx, I had the pleasure of working with a Dr. O'Niel from Woodlawn. Given the population and age difference I won't ask if you knew him" He waves it off, "Excellent surgeon though."

"Ah, so you think all Irish know each other?" She says, half joking, but a little prickly - but a cold (dare we say, clammy?) hand rested on the back of her neck brings her back to herself, and she blushes just a bit.

"Apologies, Dr. Lee. I DO know quite a few O'Neills... and O'Reillys, and O'Sullivans, and O'Briens, o'course." Turning it into a bit of a joke, humor to diffuse any tension.

He concedes the point "While My interest was in your upbringing, I phrased that insensitively. Allow me to apologize, please. "

Symon explains, "Even in 2024, there's still some folk who think red heads are a fair target for poking fun at. We know you didn't mean it like that, appa."

He eats a bit of his food. Mushrooms, mmm fungus, and with rotten blue cheese on it. Not as good as it would be in a week or so under the counter, but it's decent. "How's your dinner?"

Anne Marie nods "one of my clients has a little boy who gets teased for being a ginger. Children sometimes latch onto cruelty with a strong grip"

Lee frowns "Then I definitely apologize. No one should have to put up with that." He had his own challenges. Being an Asian American named 'Bruce Lee' had its moments

Anne Marie enjoys her minor pasta "The food here is quite good." OF course, it should be for the price

This soothes ruffled feathers, as does the waiter offering samples of the house wine.

"It's not really so bad here, but you still hear the old insults trotted out back home. My dad got quite ticked off once when he realized my little brother thought his name was actually 'Mick' because he'd been called it so many times."

Sipping her glass, "But that's why I'm here, not there, and going to college - prove those who call us things like 'paddy', 'mick', 'narrow back', 'bogtrotter', wrong."

A bit of a wry smile, "Those last two are generally used by other Irish. Figures, eh?"

Anne Marie nods "A shame, but not a surprise. The marginilized often are encouraged to internalize."

"Education is a ladder not to be ignored" Dr. Lee approves of her drive

Karen grins, "I know what I want out of life, and I'm going to reach out and take it!"

"Just don't end up stepping on the little guy, my dear, while you climb" Anne Marie suggests "All too easy to do I'm afraid"

Dr. Lee however smiles at the girl's gusto, "If you're teaching Symon some of that drive, I should thank you. He's a brilliant boy, mind you. As you know, but he does sometimes underestimate himself"

"Don't worry, Dr. Lee, I can see his worth." Fondly.

Dr. Lee nods "Good."