"Seems so."

Giggle.

"We're not doing any weapons testing," she says lightly.

"I didn't bring any weapons," he points out, grinning. "Although if you harbour an intense desire to watch me make things explode, I could take this opportunity to find out if I can teach myself combat casting."

"Well, I wouldn't call it an intense desire, but the mental image of you throwing power around is somewhat attractive." Pause. "Just maybe not in a public park."

"Do you have a non-public venue in mind?"

"A private venue might not be ideal either! People tend to be upset when you explode things." Another pause. "However, I could possibly conjure things for you to explode..."

"That works out all right, then."

"The only spots remote enough for that are not terribly safe at night, though."

"Hmm, point."

"I guess that means we'll have to go on another date to explode things. Better armed."

"That could happen. I don't have to worry about a secret identity." He swishes his tail, demonstratively.

"Well, I can conjure my costume any time, but I'd rather not have to do it after whoever-it-is that's gonna attack us has gotten a good faceful of me without it."

"Oh, you have a costume already? What's it look like?"

"White. Everywhere. With a smooth glass mask that has smiley faces on it."

He pictures this. "That... sounds really weird in theory but I suspect it might turn out to be adorable in practice."

Giggle. "It's supposed to look weird! And funny. That's the character, whimsical and stuff."

"My mental image is less whimsical, more unsettling, the face part at least. The white-everywhere is a pretty nice aesthetic trick. Simple."

"Oh, no, definitely not unsettling. I think. Um. I'll show you, but I don't trust all those shadows not to contain evil hidden people who will know my secret identity."

"Sure," Ashras says agreeably. "Should we go somewhere less, mm, lurkable, or would you rather save showing off the costume for a - later date?"

"Indifferent, your pick."

"I'm curious about this face thing now, let's find somewhere you can show it to me."

"Okay! ...the only places I can think of is my place or yours, and mine's tiny and yours is the PHQ—at least I presume? Are you living elsewhere?"

"No, I live in the PHQ. And spend all my Ward money developing and testing magic weapons," he laughs.