Mickey has, as promised, swung by the Alderman. Looking for Hugh and some museum passes. It's a busy Sunday afternoon, and there are rather a lot of people. Screaming summer camp groups and mothers with way too many children and young couples holding hands and pretending they're interested in displays when really they want to kiss. Mickey is not jealous of them. She glances around, trying to get her bearings. She knows her way around all of the public parts of the museum. Especially the dinosaur exhibit. But that's not going to help her find Hugh.

She heads over to the information desk, bearing down on the rather harassed looking young man currently manning it. He'll doubtless prove very helpful. Boys tend to be very helpful when it comes to pretty girls in impressively tight jeans and lace camisoles. Unless of course it's Stephen. Mickey's got her hair yanked back in a ponytail, with little tendrils escaping, and there's a bit of kohl melting on her eyelids. She looks cute. Her purse is slung over one arm.

"Hey, excuse me. I'm looking for..." shit what is his name? Hugh... what? Hugh something. "the director," she finishes off. Bugger. "I told him I'd come by about some promotional passes."

The harried looking young man is in fact Stephen. "I'll page for him. I'm not sure he's here." Stephen has lost track of time and doesn't know if Hugh's done with church functions or not.

So he does that and gets an answer from Hugh's office to his page. Stephen tells her where the office is and politely informs her, "It's Dr. McKnight." In Stephen's case the nearly unwavering use in this title is half crush half hero worship.

"Thanks," Mickey flashes him a nearly blinding smile. Her gaydar is dysfunctional.

She sets off in the direction of Dr McKnight's office, faux leather thongs clicking on the marble floor. She's good with directions, and manages to navigate straight to Hugh's office without getting lost or anything on the way there. He's got a shiny name plaque and everything, would you just look at that.

"Hi," she smiles at Ms Hicks. "I'm here to see Dr McKnight, when he's got a moment. Name's Mickey Nakaibito."

Miss Hicks says she can go in. The door is cracked a bit. Sunday she isn't usually here at all but she had to help with tour groups. It's her volunteer day. Everyone takes on Sunday a month.

Hugh is looking over the monthly calender and frowning. There are two groups here today that are absolutely not anywhere on the schedule.

He looks up when the door moves though, and smiles when he realizes who it is. "Hello you. Made it through all the pandemomium up front?"

"Hi," if the grin that Stephen got was blinding, well, this one may in fact burn Dr McKnight's eyes out. Mickey leans against his door frame. She looks a little better rested than usual, or perhaps it's just the kohl.

"I made it past. Your front desk boy was very obliging. Told me your name and everything. How you doin' hun?"

"Well today we have our work cut out for us. Two of these gigantic groups wandering in here are supposed to be here next Sunday and not today." He opens his desk and slides out a folder. "I've got you passes for here, the children's museum, the science museum, the zoo, and free pottery day at one of the local galleries." He says holding it out. Hugh knows everyone.

“You're beyond an angel,” Mickey tells him, taking it from Hugh and slipping it into her bag. “And your doctor that you sent was quite sweet as well. Sorted things out for us. But I don't want to keep you from your tour groups.” Of course she wants to, but she won't. “Unless there's something I can do for you?” She probably could give one of his tours, mind. She knows his blasted musuem like the back of her hand.

"It's rare I give tours on Sunday. And I already did the one I signed up for. lucky me they only wanted to see the Egyptian stuff. I'm on my way out of here. You need a ride?" The bus schedule isn't as beefed up on Sunday, which is stupid, more people are out and about.

Mickey smiles.

“Do you get a kick out of driving me places or what?” she teases. “I'm not doing anything right now. But I could pretend I needed a ride if you make you happy.”

"I'm trying to be nice. You want lunch instead? I won't even take you to Monroes."

"You are very nice," Mickey assures him. He really is. Nicest guy she knows. "I'll take lunch," she agrees, with a smile.

"Italian or Thai?" he asks, getting up from his desk.

"Ooh, hmm, Italian."

Because they had Thai take-out two days previously. Mickey is not much of a cook and she was getting particularly sick of diner food.

He nods. "Sounds good." They head out to his car.

Mickey is getting to be quite familiar with Hugh's car.

"So how did you manage to get that many people in the wrong week?"

"Both groups insist they booked for today. They both wanted to, but it was already overbooked. Guess they decided to hell with us knowing how busy we'd be. They told Stephen they were booked for today and he didn't check. He probably remembered them being on the calender and didn't think they had their dates wrong. He's still rather wet behind the ears, poor kid. They took advantage of him taking them at their word. No doubt because they just had to do it this weekend." Hugh sounds annoyed.

"Well that's a right mess," Mickey clucks sympathetically. "Everything get sorted okay?"

"Dealt with sure, but these two groups want their money back because it was over crowded. I've said the board will review the matter. I'll tell them no and why in a few days."

"Poor man. You should try waitressing, nothing complicated like this ever happens at the diner," she teases.

"No, of coarse not. We all know that's where the easy money is." It's not long before he's parking in front of a nicer Italian place. His favorite Cafe is closed on Sundays, still this place has tasty eggplant parmasean.

The easy money, well that might just be prostitution. Or not. It gets tricky sometimes. Sleeping with Hugh and getting museum passes is much more pleasant and less troublesome. Mickey unclips her seatbelt and gets out of the car.

He opens the door to the restaurant for her and the host seats them in a private corner booth.

"Thanks," she smiles, he's just the cutest thing. She remembers going to this place with one of her nicer punters once, a long time ago.

They ease into the booth and the waiter brings them menus.

"So how come you wanted to go into suffering and ancient artifacts when you could have had such an easy life busing tables?" Serious question, teasing tone. She picks up the menu.

"Too much Indiana Jones and looking for fossils in the sandbox." Hugh says. "Besides ever watch Stargate? All the hot aliens want the archeology anthropology types." He teases.

"How's that working out for you?" Mickey wants to know, smiling. "You got hot aliens crawlin' all over you?"

Or just the faeries, constructs, and wild mages?

"Well there's no such thing as aliens now, is there. You've seen my wife though. I'm doing okay."

"Oh yeah," Mickey grins. Hugh's wife is smoking. Just the kind of girl Mickey likes to lust after. Mickey's not really into girls but she likes to think about them sometimes. More so before she realised that men could actually be something other than assholes. "You're doin' okay. How are they?"

The lesbians and their baby, that is. You know. Hugh's family.

"Good lately, the pregnancy hormones seem to agree with Diane. Viv barely even goes to work anymore, she just stays home babying Diane and taking care of the rent boy they adopted. Well really he's a street artist but that doesn't pay." Hugh says.

Hugh really does have the most interesting family. Lesbians and rent boys.

"Aww, that's great," Mickey does seem to think it is. "My first two pregnancies were pie," she tells him, "then the whole hybridisation thing with my youngest was crazy. That was not the greatest year of my life. Thank gods that's done with," she shakes her head.

"Hybrid? Er what exactly if you don't mind me asking?"

"Henri - she's my youngest - her father was... well, fae, but there's a lot of scope with faeries you know? Some of them are part time seals. Henri's dad was barely humanoid. All the hormones and things were just completely out of whack, it was miserable. She's a cutie though. Looks like me."

All Mickey's kids do, thank gods. Which is good when there isn't a single father in evidence.

"I was afraid that might be what you were meaning. Not all the fair folk are wholly compatible. Still if it turned out alright, that's what matters."

"Well, it almost didn't a few times," Mickey makes a face. She's never doing that again, never. And now she's got a kid with no ears, go figure. "But all's well as ends well, as you say."

"Of coarse. Joshua helped you sort everything out you said?"

"Yeah, he was great. He's trying to set me up with an innish social worker too, which would be fabulous."

"Oh Darcy probably. She's nice, I don't know her well though. Some sort of elemental of water I'm told."

"You do get around don't you?" Mickey teases him. The waitress comes back to see if she can get them drinks. And for once she's not Mickey. That's always nice. Mickey orders a Coke.

"Nah, Josh and Viv know her, it's more of a peripherial association."