xp_logs | Nathan and Saul, Friday evening

Nathan, in San Francisco, finds his father trying very hard to put him at ease.

"Nathan?"

Sitting on the stone bench and staring out at the Bay, more than a little mesmerizing by the shifting patterns of the light on the water, Nathan blinked and looked around at the sound of Saul's voice. When he concentrated, he could sense him, but only as an oddly faint and shifting presence, nothing at all distinguishable in his thoughts. Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to... Even as the thought formed, the intricately carved wooden gate opened and Saul stepped into the garden, smiling.

"I thought I might find you out here," his father said, walking down the flower-lined path to join him. "Call it a hunch."

"I get restless after flying. Fresh air usually helps. And the garden's beautiful," Nathan said quietly. He'd been surprised by the size of it and the obvious care that had gone into tending it. It wasn't like it was visible from the street, not with the high wall surrounding the backyard, so it wasn't a question of having it simply for the sake of appearances. That said something about his father, he suspected. Just not sure what.

"Thank you." Saul sat down on the other end of the bench, giving his suit jacket a quick tug to smooth it out. "I have a very good gardener. Although I do lend a hand occasionally. I find a little hands-on work out here focuses the mind wonderfully."

"I usually go find a punching bag when I need to do that," Nathan said, shifting a little on the bench. Saul just smiled at him. "Old habits," he said, trying for a bantering tone.

"Similar sort of impulse at work, though, I'd wager. Although I would imagine tending roses is a little easier on the hands." Saul turned his attention to the Bay, stretched out before them. "You settled in all right this afternoon, I hope? Gwen didn't nag you too much?" He sighed a little, almost wryly. "She hasn't known quite how to react, since I told her about you."

"Umm... she didn't nag. More or less left me alone." Nathan shrugged a little. "I took advantage of your library for a few hours." You could tell a lot about a person from his books. And Saul's collection, several hundred titles, had been interesting - a respectable selection of science works and classical literature, but heavier on the philosophy and political science, including some very esoteric titles. Not precisely what he'd expected.

"Oh, good. I didn't mean to run off as quickly as I did this afternoon, but I really couldn't avoid that conference call. Some very complicated projects on the go at work just now." Saul looked very slightly sheepish for a moment. "But you don't need to hear me going on about that. I'm glad that Gwen didn't make herself a nuisance - she can fuss, when you let her." Saul glanced down at his watch thoughtfully. "Would you like to go out somewhere for dinner?" he asked. "There's a number of good places right here in the neighborhood."

"All right," Nathan said after a moment, finding a certain amount of appeal in the idea. Eating in a public place meant not having to delve into certain awkward topics in the course of dinner conversation. "I mean, that would be nice," he corrected himself a bit awkwardly. "Thank you."

There was something ever so slightly knowing about the way Saul was watching him. "I want you to feel comfortable here, Nathan," he said quietly. "It bothered me, how anxious you were when I was at the school. Not precisely conducive to you and I getting to know each other again, if you're a bundle of nerves."

Nathan gave a half-hearted laugh. "No, I guess it's not." Saul rose, and he did too, glancing down at himself. "I should... change or something, I guess." He'd been moving around the house and the garden in a bit of a daze so far, trying to take it all in. Consequently, he was still wearing the clothes he'd flown in. "And I told Moira I'd call her..."

"Why don't you go do that?" Saul suggested. "I'll make reservations somewhere. There's certainly no rush." He smiled, turning back towards the gate. "Remember what I said, son."

"Right," Nathan murmured, glancing back at the Bay for a moment before he followed his father back inside.