Mycroft looked at himself in the mirror for what seemed like the thousandth time. He didn't like looking at himself in the mirror, in fact he very much detested it, but it would be foolish not to properly present himself, it would avoid a world of problems if he managed to hide some hint that he'd been self harming or purging. There was nothing wrong with it and he wasn't ashamed, apart from being ashamed that he was such a horrible person that doing such things was necessary, it was just that a lot of people wouldn't understand.
Mycroft had dressed to impress, if only subtly. He pulled at his waistcoat. It was hanging slightly loose around his frame. Not loose enough for his liking, it was a very large size. But still, he didn't think there would be much space left after he returned home. He was going out for dinner with Alicia. Of course one good thing about expensive places in the style of the one they were going to was you could rely on the fact that there would be at least one tiny arse meal on offer and it wouldn't be as out of place as a salad.
Mycroft looked at his face. He looked tired and stressed and generally done with everything. That wouldn't do. Mycroft pulled on the mask he wore at work. That was better, his face was cold, a snark superiority in lips, intelligence in his eyes and a hint of softness in his face. That'd do just fine. He put a gentle layer of cream under his eyes to hide the bags, he had lots of means to reinvent ones face available for field work but the less he used the better because then there was less to hide.
Mycroft nodded at himself in the mirror before thankfully walking away from its reflection. It was odd but he was actually quite excited. Elizabeth was a lovely lady and an old friend, he had prized her company for a very long time. Whether this theoretical romantic entanglement went well or not didn't matter really, this evening should be fun either way. Mycroft liked to think that the pair of them where intelligent enough to be able to maintain a friendship even if this possible relationship failed which is statistically more likely…
Huffing to himself, Mycroft picked up his umbrella and started to walk away. Overthinking. He was overthinking again. He always did that and it never ended well because he didn't sufficiently understand normal people's emotions. The intelligence he was gifted with was a curse. But then Eurus was smarter and Sherlock was able to have plenty of friends. Mycroft sighed, he was stuck horribly in between. Surely if he wasn't smart enough he could understand people enough to have close friends but since he didn't then shouldn't he be smarter? Where was all of that spare brain space going?
Mycroft shook his head violently as if to physically shake off his thoughts. Overthinking AGAIN. If he could just stop himself from thinking and let the evening just take him in it's flow than he may actually theoretically not fuck this up. Mycroft tried to clear his mind of everything except manoeuvring his body the way it should go and thinking about each relevant step in his journey to his destination. That's all he needed to know anyway.
At the door Mycroft paused. He didn't really need much, he had his wallet, umbrella and keys. But there was something he didn't normally have with him, something he wanted to try having just to see if it went okay, something he had been thinking about the previous day. Mycroft quickly ran back into his house and grabbed a safety pin from his desk. He bent the pin sidewards so the sharp point was exposed properly. Yes, that would do just fine. He popped it into his trouser pocket and started heading off.
"Lady Smallwood." Mycroft greeted, as Elizabeth opened the door. He took in her appearance and she looked ravishing. "Please, Mycroft, call me Alicia or at least Elizabeth. We have known each other for years and this is not work, I think we can drop the formalities." Mycroft grinned "Very well, Alicia. You look immaculate if I dare be so bold." Elizabeth blushed softly with a smile "Thank you, Mycroft. But you look far more impressive than I ever could." Mycroft smiled and shook his head slightly "Shall we go?" He asked, opening the car door for her. "Yes, lets."
"Very fancy. If I didn't know you better I might say you where trying to impress me." Lady Smallwood teased as the pair walked into the restaurant together. "Hm… good thing you know me better." Mycroft countered which a smile as they confirmed their reservations with the waiter. The man took the pair away from the main dining area, into a private room. The walls and ceiling where made of glass, the wall of which's door they just walked through being the exception. Mycroft was thankful that it was a clear night so they had s view of the stars rather than clouds. The room had a good view of the Thames only meters bellow. The dining location had very much of the charm of nature but with the fires lining the walls it was cozily warm in oppose to the chilly evening outside.
"Oh, this is absolutely beautiful, Mycroft." Elizabeth said as she took in the scenery wide eyed. The pair sat down at the single two person, white clothed table in the centre of the room. The waiter handed the pair menus and lit the candle next to the Rose at the centre of their table "I will give you some time to decide." He said before leaving.
"Mycroft, how on earth did you find this place?" Lady Smallwood exclaimed in awe. Mycroft shrugged "What's the point in having money if you don't use it? I know this city exceedingly well and have fine dining here on several occasions. Normally I get my own room built if I particularly like a place but here they already had this amazing room. I don't normally take my friends here but I thought you would be able to appreciate the fine dining." Lady Smallwood smiled "Quite."