Welcome to Gaia! ::

Name: Jaelle Nicu Grastari
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Sexuality:
Species: Human
Any Children?: Two, now, non-biological. Male and Female. My sister is their main caretaker as I'm usually busy with work. However, I am the one listed on paper...
About Me: I'm a psychiatrist that is rather respected in her field, and also one of the Romani, gypsy, I suppose. I'm not a very emotional woman. I smoke cloves sometimes and I like a corona with lime after work. My work really is my life since I've given up the clan.

Hobbies: I work a lot. I also write regularly. I used to paint a lot.

Talents: Not many worth noting... I have good intuition.

Looking For: Well... If it comes to men, I really don't like them to be feminine or weak. I'm a take charge sort of woman and I like a secure man that's willing to... I don't know, be himself? But not too much himself. I hate vulgarity. Women, though... I can appreciate women. Real women, with curves and... Attitude. I suppose if I over think it, a woman with the temperment of my sister, Aishe would probably be good for me. Someone active.

Other I'm not interested in a nosy person, or someone who wants to get married right off the bat. My career is the first thing in my life.

Rawr, STUFF HERE

Tuari is a butthead.

The Phone Call

It had been a couple of days since their date, and Thomas figured that it had been the adequete amount of time one was supposed to wait before calling for a second date. He'd second guessed himself about it a bit- but then... He'd enjoyed himself, even despite the large part of himself that demanded he be a racist bigot. Still, he knew if he could just shut that part of himself up for awhile then it would be fine.

So there he was, leaning back on his couch as he dialed the first number on the card, already mulling over what he was going to say. Damnit, phone conversations were a lot harder than people thought they were...

"The Grastari Institution of Mental Health, this is Laeni, how may I help you?"

L-Laeni?

That... certainly was not what he'd been expecting. He paused on the other end of the phone, leaving an awkward silence to lapse before frowning, "Sorry, I think I have the wrong number,"

Yeah, that had to be it. He hung up the phone then, before he made things any worse- before dialing again, this time making sure of which numbers he punched.

Jaelle's secretary was definitely used to wrong numbers, and therefore simply hung up the phone, going back to her computer work, before answering again, calmly. "The Grastari Institution of Mental Health, this is Laeni, how may I help you?"

...Alright. Well. He certainly hadn't gotten the number wrong this time, and, glancing back down to the card he blinked. Why hadn't he read the rest of the card before? Damn. It was one mis-step after another today!

He cleared his throat, feeling awkward, and not quite sure what, or how to ask to speak with Jaelle- but figured that the best way... would be to just bite the damn bullet.

"I'm looking to speak with Jaelle," he asked, before adding as an after thought, "It's Thomas. Thomas Michaels,"

"Dr. Grastari? If you'll hold one moment, Mr. Michaels, I'll see if she's available." Barely waiting to hear his assent, Laeni put his call on hold, switching lines to buzz into Jae's office. Laeni's voice was noticably less professional, relaxed, even. "Jae, you busy?"

In her office, Jae didn't even glance up from the report she was reading, reaching over to his her intercom button. "Mmmn. Just catching up on a few things."

"Phone call for you. A Thomas Michaels."

An eyebrow shot up. So he had called then. Interesting that he chose the business line over the private one. She chewed her lip.

"Jaelle...?"

"Mmmn..?"

"Do you want to take the call? He's on hold."

"Oh! Yes, yeah, send it through."

Laeni shook her head with a chuckle before switching lines to talk to Thomas, her tone now coolly professional. "Thank you for holding Mr. Michaels, I'll connect you with Dr. Grastari now."

Less than a second later and a slightly more familiar female voice answered the phone. "This is Jaelle?"

Sitting on the other end of the phone he wondered, vaguley, if he should have chosen the other number. Too late now though, and he sat on his couch, slightly tense, waiting to find out what the outcome would be.

When the line switched back from whatever radio station it had been playing to Laeni, Thomas didn't even have a chance to interject a thank you before Jaelle's more familiar voice met his ear.

And he found that he was kicking himself for not coming up with something more to say in advance.

"Hello," was all he could manage, before shaking his head and groaning inwardly to himself, "Jaelle.. It's Thom," Again, an inward kick. she probably already knew that.... "Er. How are you?"

".... Hey, Thomas." A pause, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes a little bit at the awkwardness of it all, before laughing. "I'm alright. How are you?" Poor guy sounded a little unsure of himself.

Then again, Jae wasn't too sure either. Still, he was obviously not calling about something bad, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered. Therefore, things were probably more nervewracking on his end.

Thomas was not a smooth womanizer; he could not pick up a phone, and sweet talk his way into a date. He might have been able to do this in person- but over the phone he could not guage reactions as well, nor expressions, or body language. No, over the phone he felt as though he were something akin to useless; and he currently felt like a tongue tied fool.

Still, her laughing was a good thing- right?

"Can't complain- look. I'll jump right to the point," he sighed audibly on the other end, and Jae could practically see the way he leaned his head into his free hand and began to rub his temples, "I was wondering if you'd like to go out again sometime," A slight cringe formed on his face, and he slapped himself inwardly once more. He was somewhat glad she couldn't see him, or hear his teeth grinding, for that matter.

Another laugh, this one was lower and Jae leaned forward in her seat, an elbow on the maplewood desk as she held the phone to her ear with one hand and doodled on the pad in front of her with the other.

"Mmmn, a straight-shooter? I like that. Yes. I'd like to go out again." A pause. "Do you have something in mind?"

Slight relief flooded him at her response- but it was still only slight. He leaned back against his couch, trying vainly to relax even as she accepted his offer.

"I was thinking dinner and dancing," he sounded as though he was beginning to be a bit more sure of himself- but it was hard to tell. He might have just been pulling false confidence out of his a**, for all she knew.

Well, maybe there was some real confidence there too- but....

Damnit, Thom hated phone calls to beautiful women.

Jae was indeed a beautiful woman, despite not being Thom's type. In her large, newly remodeled office, she grinned, leaning back quickly to let her chair swirl in a slow circle and she listened to him talk. Dancing? She hadn't gone dancing with anyone but her sister in ages.

"That sounds great, Thom," the first time she'd used the shortened form of his name. "When and where?" She spun back to her desk, the sound of a keyboard faintly heard over the phone as she pulled up her schedule on her laptop.

Thom chewed his lip slightly; now came the hard part. Organizing around schedules could be a b***h at the best of times, but for a working woman like her, he wondered if that would make it ten times worse.

"How about Saturday night at seven thirty?" he offered. Saturdays were a day reserved at the studio for some other form of dance that he didn't have to teach, and so gave him some free time. But as for a place...

"There's this nice little place in east Durem; French cuisine mostly... But I'm open to suggestions if it's not your style," Wait. Should he have said that? Was it somehow inappropriate to assume she wouldn't like French cuisine? Augh, he should just shut up before he stuck his foot in any deeper...

A brief moment of quick keyhitting later and Jaelle had a reply for him. "Make it eight and you have a deal." She had an appointment with a client at five on saturday, as she also worked around their schedules for therapy.

Now she paused, thinking. How would they meet up? Would he pick her up? No, Jae would be cutting it a little close. "Should I meet you there...?"

"Eight is fine," he smiled faintly, a greater sense of relief coming to him now that a date and a time was set. Eight perhaps meant less time for dancing (so far as Thom knew anyway) but he could live with that. Hell, he could always take the keys he had to the studio and they could dance on their own--

But that was getting ahead of himself, and he wasn't sure that Jae would enjoy that. And, it might have been a little too forward for him, too.

"If that's what you'd prefer," he offered her the option; it seemed like the polite thing to do, and, he still hadn't gone to the trouble of getting himself a car. He made a mental note to take a look at the classefieds, and find something decent for him to get around with.

"That would be great. I have a meeting on Saturday night, and if I meet you there, I'll have time to stop by my place first." It was almost her admitting that she'd like to have time to get ready for him. After all, she didn't want to wear her dinner and dancing clothes to work, and a shower before hand might be nice... Eight was a good time to have an hour or two for dinner before hitting a dance spot or two.

A pause and she drew spirals in her book. "... Thank you for the call, Thom, I'm looking forward to Saturday."

Well, he supposed this call could have gone worse. He was certainly relieved that it was coming to a close though. He smiled a little to himself at the realization that she wanted to have a chance to dress up for him- but he didn't comment on it. Wouldn't comment on it; it was the kind of thing that women hit men for commenting on, after all.

"I'll see you then," he smiled, and figured now was probably an adequete time to hang up the phone-- but he'd wait for her to hang up, first.

"Mmn. Have a good day, Thomas." Jae had no problem hanging up first. With that done, she leaned back in her officechair, blowing her hair from her face. That had been a surprisingly stressful conversation.

Now it was time to get back to work.