"Matthew, honey! Please come back!" Eloise curses under her breath as she quickly places the child that was on her back on the ground. It takes a second before she has successfully peeled the sticky hands from some of the children off her legs. She hurries towards Matthew, who was looking up at a stranger with interest.

The stranger in question looks amused at the boy, who had started to blabber about a car. His attention is drawn to the woman that was running towards them. The woman was slightly flushed and her heartbeat was racing. He takes a brief moment to take in her appearance. The woman was young, younger than him, but certainly no longer a teenager. Though she seemed grown up with her updo and neat skirt, her youthfulness shone in the way she held herself, not to mention the fact she was currently barefooted. There was something mischievous about her eyes, a characteristic he often saw in his younger siblings as well.

"I believe this one is yours?" The man gives a slight nod to the young boy, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I'm so sorry, Matthew- he's very... social." Eloise apologizes while running her hand through Matthew's hair, who in turn was happily gurgling something incoherent while looking up at the sky, already bored with the stranger.

"That's quite alright, this is your... class?" The man asks a slight hesitation in his voice while he gestures airily to the multitude of children that were running around on the playground. It was of course possible she was a mother or a relative to the children, after all, he himself came from a larger family.

When walking by the playground he had chuckled softly at the silly things the woman was saying to the children to get them hyped up, not that it was really necessary seeing as the children already seemed like they had a limitless amount of energy. He had watched in amusement as the woman jumped around and ran from the children, getting all caught up in their game.

"Yes, I am their teacher, for today at least." Eloise laughs lightly while waving at Jenny who was also waving at them. Jenny always liked to make sure Eloise noticed her.

"For today?" The man smiles kindly at the woman in front of him. He didn't want to sound too nosy but was interested nonetheless and he liked to keep tabs on people that interested him. Even though this woman couldn't exactly be of use to him like other associates, he was intrigued enough to learn more about her.

"I normally teach at the high school but there was a slight emergency and people feel more comfortable with sending teenagers home than a bunch of five-year-olds." Eloise replies, turning her head to see the other children.

Eloise smiles when she sees Alex waving at her, letting her know everything was under control. "That's my friend, Alex. She's helping me chaperone these little hell-raisers." Eloise wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain Alex's presence to this stranger, but he simply nods to Alex in greeting before focussing his attention back on her.

"A high school teacher... that's quite a noble profession." The man comments thoughtfully, wondering how odd it was to him to have a normal conversation for once without the other participant trembling with fear, he quite enjoyed it.

"You think? It's mostly asking teenagers to put their cellphones away while trying to get them excited for the works of dead writers." Eloise laughs, looking down she remembers she wasn't wearing any shoes. Once they got to the park she had taken her heels off, not able to play with the kids while wearing them. She blushes slightly, she must look extremely shabby next to the man in the pristine suit.

"I think it is, you are shaping the future generation. A very important profession indeed." The man offers, holding back a grin upon seeing the woman's blush. He was no stranger to the effect he could have on women and it was a stroke to his ego to see that this woman wasn't unaffected either.

Eloise blinks, not having thought of her own profession like that. She mostly saw her job as something she had to do to make a living. Don't get her wrong she loved the subject she teaches, but let's be honest, teenagers could be assholes, especially to teachers who were only a few years older and radiated little to no authority. "Why thank you."

"No thanks necessary."

Eloise smiles at him before remembering her manners. "My name is Eloise Sinclair, but you can call me Ellie." She sticks her hand out which is answered with his.

"Elijah Mikaelson." Elijah offers, shaking her hand gently, resisting the urge to hold on to it longer than necessary. Elijah wasn't sure what he was doing, but this accidental meeting and conversation was the most pleasant interaction he had in a few decades. It had been so long since he had a nice conversation with someone who wasn't sucking up to him for status, power, or forgiveness.

"Could I interest you in a cup of coffee sometime soon? I would love to continue our conversation about the significance of your job and all these dead writers you're hanging out with." Elijah asks with an amused smile on his face

The number of innocent children that were dwindling around them made him feel a little uneasy. Eloise didn't seem to notice it, which was to be expected after centuries of masking his emotions. He felt a twinge of apprehension as he awaited her answer, actually dreading rejection. Elijah could of course compel the lady to take him up on his offer, but that would feel like cheating on his behalf, he liked his conquests to be true.

Eloise nods after letting his offer sink in. It had been a while since she had gone on a date, even if it was a mere coffee date. She didn't exactly have an abundance of admirers nor time with the preparing of classes and grading papers.

"I would love to, maybe you can tell me what profession you practice and determine the importance of it together." Eloise hums an excited feeling settling itself in her stomach. She had almost been inclined to reject him, if only because he was too handsome. Eloise had used dating apps before and never bothered to contact the modelesque men, knowing she didn't stand a chance. But this was different, here the handsome man took the initiative and she would kick herself if she didn't seize the opportunity. When he eventually turns her down for a prettier woman, it would at least be a fun story for the pub.

Elijah swiftly takes a business card from his suit pocket and hands it to Eloise. He felt oddly pleased with this seemingly insignificant victory. With a last smile and an encouraging nod to the card she was holding, to indicate for her to call him, he walks off.

Eloise walks down the road, back to Alex and the children. She lets out a small huff, dissatisfied with the little information that was on the card. It held his name and number, no company name, and no job title.

"Who was Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome?" Alex asks as soon as Eloise and Matthew have returned.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Jenny asks in a sing-song voice, looking up at Eloise with curious eyes.

"No, not yet." Eloise jokes, poking Jenny's side, who proceeds to run off, giggling.

"Future boyfriend?" Alex shoots Eloise a look.

"Just a coffee date." Eloise corrects, giving Alex a knowing smile, before walking off to round up the kids.

• • •

Eloise lets out a sigh as she flops herself on her couch, she kicks her heels off, not bothering to see where they land. Teenagers might be a pain, but they were a lot less draining than five-year-olds with limitless energy. Every time she got asked to substitute, she tended to refuse, but she secretly enjoyed the enthusiastic children. Mrs. Jennings, the real kindergarten teacher, called in sick about once or twice a month. Looking back on her eventful day, she fully understood why the woman needed a day off now and then.

Hearing the grumble of her stomach, Eloise forces herself off of the couch. She quickly checks on Bowie, who was sleeping soundly in his dog basket. She fondly pets his head before making her way to the kitchen, groaning when she discovers the near-empty cupboards.

Being a teacher didn't exactly earn her an exalted salary. She was pretty much living from paycheck to paycheck. She did have some savings which would allow her to live a bit more comfortably, but she refused to touch those. It was her emergency fund.

Alex had offered in the past to take Bowie from her, care for him, but Eloise had always kindly declined.

While cooking the rice she had found in the back of one of her cupboards she realizes she hadn't contacted the handsome man from the park. Eloise wasn't up to date on the appropriate time to wait to send someone a text but decided five hours would suffice.

"Shit." Eloise groans, rubbing her forehead in frustration as she couldn't locate the business card. At times like this, she wished for a photographic memory. There was no point in getting heated about this, maybe she would run into him again seeing as Mystic Falls wasn't as big as some of its inhabitants liked to think.