From the charming prompt: "Spending the day with you is always my favorite day." (This was submitted to jassandratrash after they reblogged my call for prompts, and forwarded to me by justlook3 under the assumption it was meant for me!)
Sorry I'm posting in the middle of the dang night lmao
Also: I got enough prompts that this is gonna keep going for an extra couple days! Hope that's all right with everyone ;)
"I just got a text from Ezekiel," Cassandra said as she climbed into the passenger side of the truck they'd rented for the day. "He and Eve haven't had any luck yet. They're gonna keep at it, and recommend we just follow up on whatever leads we can on our end. Otherwise, he said, we have express permission from Eve to just do whatever all day. They need to keep the Back Door open, so they'll let us know when Jenkins can open it up for us again."
Jake nodded. "Okay, sounds good. What've we got?"
"Not much, really," she admitted, switching to her notes app and scrolling through it for a moment. "We've got one more art gallery we can check out, but if we don't find anything there, we're done unless we get something new from Ezekiel or Jenkins."
"Well," he said with a grin. "No complaints there. Point me in the right direction." Cassandra laughed and pulled up a map.
x
They wandered the gallery for a couple of hours, taking their time. It was a small one, but they had to check everything thoroughly. Or that was the idea, anyway. Jake was more interested in the art, and Cassandra was more interested in listening to him talk about the art. He had so much insight on the older pieces, no matter who made them or where they came from – he could tell her the traditions the art emerged from, the artist's influences, even the processes by which the piece was made. And with contemporary art, she got to watch and listen as he analysed it in real time, breaking down what he saw into everything that went into making it. Pausing to read the about-the-artist plaque on the wall and then letting that knowledge inform his understanding of the piece, he could tell her so much about it. Where she saw an unusual sculpture or a strange installation, something that could catch her eye and make her stop to puzzle over it, rarely ever reaching a conclusion, he saw the entire history of art and culture building forward to result in something new and beautiful. She never got tired of listening to him explain it, not least of all because of the smile on his face and the passion in his eyes when he did.
Eventually they exhausted the gallery's contents. If what they were looking for was in this city somewhere, it wasn't on display anywhere. They'd have to wait on more information from someone else before they could move forward – despite Ezekiel's enthusiasm at the possibility, breaking into every single gallery and inspecting their archives in detail was not an efficient method of investigation.
"You wanna grab dinner?" Jake asked as they stepped out into what was now the early evening. The sky was slowly darkening, and the air was cool, but still pleasant.
"Yeah, that sounds great," Cassandra answered. "I'm starving, actually."
"There was a little shawarma joint 'round the corner we could try," he suggested, pointing.
"Perfect," she said with a nod. "Lead the way."
They found their way into the tiny restaurant and ordered dinner, sharing a plate of pitas and hummus while they waited for their entrees. "How ya doin'?" Jake asked conversationally, glancing up at her.
"Pretty good," Cassandra answered with a smile. "Been a good day."
"Yeah?" He chuckled. "I thought you'd be frustrated we hadn't found anythin'. Been a lot of runaround for no results yet."
She shrugged. "We found stuff," she said, looking down at her pita as she tore it in half. "Not case-related, but we found lots of stuff, and I got to listen to you talk about it all day."
This time he outright laughed. "You're a saint, for not gettin' tired of all that," he told her.
"Nah," she answered. "I love it. You know so much, and it's so different from everything I know. And you're so excited to share it. Who wouldn't enjoy that?"
"Ezekiel," Jake joked. "But really. You soak it all up so well. Eventually I'm sure you'll absorb everything I have to offer and then you'll have no need o' me anymore."
"I highly doubt that," she argued, looking up into his face again. "You're always learning, and always thinking. You'll always have no things to say. Besides, it's not just about facts. You interpret art in a way I can't, and it's wonderful to get to see that."
His smile softened a bit. "Well, that's just outright flattery," he told her.
"Is not!" Cassandra laughed. "I mean it. I love everything about this."
"This?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
"I just - really like working with you. I really like spending the day with you. Those always turn out to be my favourite days," she told him, glancing down at her food again when she was done. His smile grew as he saw her cheeks redden a little.
"Yeah. I'm pretty fond of those days myself," he told her gently.
She met his eye again. "So… can we do this more often, maybe?" she asked hopefully.
He knew what she was talking about. But still… "Go out for dinner? Sure, Cassie. I'd like that."
