Temperament
The system of tuning intervals in order to fit them for practicable
performance. The piano, organ and other fixed instruments are tuned to
equal temperament which means that each semitone is made an equal interval
(e.g. so that G sharp and A flat are the same) (b)
As Calleigh walked into the break room for coffee the next day, she was immediately intercepted by Eric and Speed, who were still talking about the volleyball game from the previous night. Eric was so bent on a rematch he started pestering Calleigh about her weekend plans. She just smiled and shook her head. "If you guys are going to turn this into some kind of competition, then count me out," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "I play for fun, not for bragging rights."
Speed jumped on her reply. "Fine with me," he said, "If it's not a tournament we can switch up players. Next time I'll make sure you're on my team; you've got game." Calleigh tried not to laugh as Eric immediately protested. She let the boys battle it out amongst themselves while she fixed her coffee and turned back to the sane world of ballistics.
In the hallway, she ran into Horatio. "You might want to think twice about going in there," she warned him with a teasing smile. "Eric and Speed are already talking about regular games and rotating players."
Calleigh reveled in the low rumble of Horatio's chuckle. She watched as Horatio looked between her and the break room, then at the cup of coffee in her hands and back at the room. Seeing his dilemma, she quickly offered a compromise. "Tell you what," she said in a surreptitious tone. "Let me hide from them in your office and I'll share my coffee with you."
Horatio took one last look at the door, then placed a hand on her elbow and led her quickly in the direction of the stairs. They laughed together as Calleigh said, "I'll take that as a yes."
Safely ensconced in Horatio's office, Calleigh and Horatio took seats across the desk from each other and shared a conversation as easily as the coffee they traded back and forth. The volleyball game was, of course, an eventual topic of conversation. Calleigh was surprised that in response to her question about playing more games, Horatio responded positively.
"I think playing regular games would be a great idea," he said. "It's a great way to relax, build more camaraderie among the team.besides, any activity that lets me see you the way you looked last night is a good one in my book."
Calleigh could only gape at him as he winked at her, completely forgetting the coffee in her hand. He had done it again, complimented her, flirted with her, and once again Calleigh felt herself hovering in unfamiliar territory. As she fought for a witty comeback, Horatio leaned across the desk and pulled the mug from her hands, their fingers coming into contact as he did so. He refused to drop his gaze or look contrite, an impudent grin firmly fixed on his face as he insolently drank the last of the coffee.
Calleigh eventually shrugged and conceded the conversation. She reached for the coffee, then glared at Horatio as she took note of the mug's emptiness. "For this I'm telling the guys you're hosting an after-game party next time," she groused. The next words that came out of her mouth took Calleigh completely by surprise. "In addition, I think my ice cream was just bumped up to a full-fledged dessert at the restaurant of my choosing."
"Hmmm." Horatio pondered her demand, taking in the way her eyes had widened as she realized what she had just said. This is exactly what he had been hoping for; he had finally pushed her into making a response, albeit an unintentional one. His heart rate shot up as he realized this was his chance to move forward with Calleigh. Horatio decided to keep the conversation light, allowing her to become comfortable with the new territory, but he had to make sure she did not back out at the first opportunity.
He narrowed his eyes slightly as though he were considering her demand. "As I recall, you were the one who blew me off last night," he said. "I think that gives me the right to choose the location."
Calleigh did not know which feeling was stronger - relief or an intoxicating headiness as she realized Horatio was serious. He was not playing some kind of game to mess with her head, he was not just talking to her as a colleague or friend, he was serious about moving their friendship in some new direction.
Suddenly, Calleigh realized what Horatio had been up to these past weeks. He had been pushing her on purpose, trying to instigate a conversation exactly like this. He had been playing with her, and from the look in his eyes, he had enjoyed every minute of it. Calleigh thought about every time he had made her blush or left her speechless and decided it was past time to get some of her own back. There was no way she was going to let Horatio get away with this.
Calleigh thought quickly about how to respond. She considered agreeing to let Horatio choose the location, but as she ran over several possible scenarios in her head, she realized giving him free reign might be dangerous. She could tell Horatio had been taking great pleasure in pushing her limits, and she did not want to give him the upper hand. It was time for Horatio to be uncomfortable. Calleigh decided to play into this a little. She leaned toward him, rising slightly in her chair and placing her hands on the desk.
"If I let your have you way, I might find myself at Tantra or some other equally . stimulating . restaurant, and I don't think I want to give you the pleasure of watching me squirm," she answered, keeping her voice steady and her eyes locked on Horatio.
There it was; he dropped his eyes, but not before Calleigh saw the look of sheepishness. He knew she was on to his little game. Calleigh also noted with pleasure the slight blush she had elicited from the normally composed Lieutenant at the mention of Tantra. She was now in control of the conversation. She took advantage of his silence and pushed ahead.
"I'll give you three options for dessert: you can get my approval on the restaurant, offer to make something yourself and have me come over to your place, or we can go grab a Klondike bar from the grocery store across the street and call it even."
Horatio considered the woman in front of him as closely as he did the options she had presented. He had been caught, and Horatio began to think it had not been fair of him to tease Calleigh like he had been doing. It certainly was not as much fun when you were on the other side of it. He just could not help the impulse he had to throw the amazing woman in front of him off-balance at any given opportunity, and she was down right tantalizing when she was out of her comfort zone. Then again, Calleigh's exhibition of confidence and control was even better.
She had figured out exactly what he had been doing, and not only had she decided to play along, she had raised the stakes. Calleigh had made him start when she brought up Tantra, a rather infamous restaurant that prided itself on catering to the senses and serving foods widely held to be aphrodisiacs.
After a few moments' thought, he answered. "I'll go with option number two," he said, pleased when Calleigh's expression showed surprise.
Calleigh nodded mutely, acknowledging her agreement and his victory. She had not expected him to agree to a homemade dessert, and she had just handed him the home field advantage for whenever it was they decided to do this. She should have known better than to challenge him, but all in all the playing field was a lot more level now, and Calleigh was looking forward to a rematch. She noted the roguish gleam in his eye and wondered exactly what she had maneuvered herself into, then decided to not worry about it. She was enjoying this new element to their repartee, quickly finding her place in its subtle nuances and reveling in the heightened awareness between them.
They continued the conversation even though the coffee had long since been consumed, and Calleigh could not help but notice Horatio kept pushing the envelope of their regular routine, making comments that she could now see were intentionally designed to keep her off-balance. This time, though, Calleigh reciprocated without hesitation, playing a tantalizing game of word and gesture with the man across from her.
As Calleigh walked into the break room for coffee the next day, she was immediately intercepted by Eric and Speed, who were still talking about the volleyball game from the previous night. Eric was so bent on a rematch he started pestering Calleigh about her weekend plans. She just smiled and shook her head. "If you guys are going to turn this into some kind of competition, then count me out," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "I play for fun, not for bragging rights."
Speed jumped on her reply. "Fine with me," he said, "If it's not a tournament we can switch up players. Next time I'll make sure you're on my team; you've got game." Calleigh tried not to laugh as Eric immediately protested. She let the boys battle it out amongst themselves while she fixed her coffee and turned back to the sane world of ballistics.
In the hallway, she ran into Horatio. "You might want to think twice about going in there," she warned him with a teasing smile. "Eric and Speed are already talking about regular games and rotating players."
Calleigh reveled in the low rumble of Horatio's chuckle. She watched as Horatio looked between her and the break room, then at the cup of coffee in her hands and back at the room. Seeing his dilemma, she quickly offered a compromise. "Tell you what," she said in a surreptitious tone. "Let me hide from them in your office and I'll share my coffee with you."
Horatio took one last look at the door, then placed a hand on her elbow and led her quickly in the direction of the stairs. They laughed together as Calleigh said, "I'll take that as a yes."
Safely ensconced in Horatio's office, Calleigh and Horatio took seats across the desk from each other and shared a conversation as easily as the coffee they traded back and forth. The volleyball game was, of course, an eventual topic of conversation. Calleigh was surprised that in response to her question about playing more games, Horatio responded positively.
"I think playing regular games would be a great idea," he said. "It's a great way to relax, build more camaraderie among the team.besides, any activity that lets me see you the way you looked last night is a good one in my book."
Calleigh could only gape at him as he winked at her, completely forgetting the coffee in her hand. He had done it again, complimented her, flirted with her, and once again Calleigh felt herself hovering in unfamiliar territory. As she fought for a witty comeback, Horatio leaned across the desk and pulled the mug from her hands, their fingers coming into contact as he did so. He refused to drop his gaze or look contrite, an impudent grin firmly fixed on his face as he insolently drank the last of the coffee.
Calleigh eventually shrugged and conceded the conversation. She reached for the coffee, then glared at Horatio as she took note of the mug's emptiness. "For this I'm telling the guys you're hosting an after-game party next time," she groused. The next words that came out of her mouth took Calleigh completely by surprise. "In addition, I think my ice cream was just bumped up to a full-fledged dessert at the restaurant of my choosing."
"Hmmm." Horatio pondered her demand, taking in the way her eyes had widened as she realized what she had just said. This is exactly what he had been hoping for; he had finally pushed her into making a response, albeit an unintentional one. His heart rate shot up as he realized this was his chance to move forward with Calleigh. Horatio decided to keep the conversation light, allowing her to become comfortable with the new territory, but he had to make sure she did not back out at the first opportunity.
He narrowed his eyes slightly as though he were considering her demand. "As I recall, you were the one who blew me off last night," he said. "I think that gives me the right to choose the location."
Calleigh did not know which feeling was stronger - relief or an intoxicating headiness as she realized Horatio was serious. He was not playing some kind of game to mess with her head, he was not just talking to her as a colleague or friend, he was serious about moving their friendship in some new direction.
Suddenly, Calleigh realized what Horatio had been up to these past weeks. He had been pushing her on purpose, trying to instigate a conversation exactly like this. He had been playing with her, and from the look in his eyes, he had enjoyed every minute of it. Calleigh thought about every time he had made her blush or left her speechless and decided it was past time to get some of her own back. There was no way she was going to let Horatio get away with this.
Calleigh thought quickly about how to respond. She considered agreeing to let Horatio choose the location, but as she ran over several possible scenarios in her head, she realized giving him free reign might be dangerous. She could tell Horatio had been taking great pleasure in pushing her limits, and she did not want to give him the upper hand. It was time for Horatio to be uncomfortable. Calleigh decided to play into this a little. She leaned toward him, rising slightly in her chair and placing her hands on the desk.
"If I let your have you way, I might find myself at Tantra or some other equally . stimulating . restaurant, and I don't think I want to give you the pleasure of watching me squirm," she answered, keeping her voice steady and her eyes locked on Horatio.
There it was; he dropped his eyes, but not before Calleigh saw the look of sheepishness. He knew she was on to his little game. Calleigh also noted with pleasure the slight blush she had elicited from the normally composed Lieutenant at the mention of Tantra. She was now in control of the conversation. She took advantage of his silence and pushed ahead.
"I'll give you three options for dessert: you can get my approval on the restaurant, offer to make something yourself and have me come over to your place, or we can go grab a Klondike bar from the grocery store across the street and call it even."
Horatio considered the woman in front of him as closely as he did the options she had presented. He had been caught, and Horatio began to think it had not been fair of him to tease Calleigh like he had been doing. It certainly was not as much fun when you were on the other side of it. He just could not help the impulse he had to throw the amazing woman in front of him off-balance at any given opportunity, and she was down right tantalizing when she was out of her comfort zone. Then again, Calleigh's exhibition of confidence and control was even better.
She had figured out exactly what he had been doing, and not only had she decided to play along, she had raised the stakes. Calleigh had made him start when she brought up Tantra, a rather infamous restaurant that prided itself on catering to the senses and serving foods widely held to be aphrodisiacs.
After a few moments' thought, he answered. "I'll go with option number two," he said, pleased when Calleigh's expression showed surprise.
Calleigh nodded mutely, acknowledging her agreement and his victory. She had not expected him to agree to a homemade dessert, and she had just handed him the home field advantage for whenever it was they decided to do this. She should have known better than to challenge him, but all in all the playing field was a lot more level now, and Calleigh was looking forward to a rematch. She noted the roguish gleam in his eye and wondered exactly what she had maneuvered herself into, then decided to not worry about it. She was enjoying this new element to their repartee, quickly finding her place in its subtle nuances and reveling in the heightened awareness between them.
They continued the conversation even though the coffee had long since been consumed, and Calleigh could not help but notice Horatio kept pushing the envelope of their regular routine, making comments that she could now see were intentionally designed to keep her off-balance. This time, though, Calleigh reciprocated without hesitation, playing a tantalizing game of word and gesture with the man across from her.