Not only does Clementine get one day off, sometimes she gets two days off. One of them was spent at Southern and the next has been at Southern Barrier. It might be kind of weird to go to a really nice restaurant and eat by yourself, but she doesn't seem put off. It's probably nice to not have random people approaching you while you're trying to relax, asking where such and such order is and giving you a detailed list of everything wrong with their day. Her meal is almost finished, but she's started on another glass of wine and is content people watching at her little table of to the side.

M'noq has probably very little good excuse to be at the Hold, except after he got off duty he had to get out of the Weyr's crushing humidity. So he took the excuse to bring some fresh fruit up to the former Lord Warder, and he didn't even get to find out if the gift was appreciated because the assistant looking out for him just said Renalde was "indisposed." Whatever that means. So M'noq delays returning to the Weyr and its annoying weather by poking his nose around places he doesn't get to very often. The waiter here is trying to talk him into sitting down for a meal he probably can't afford, when he spots a familiar face. "Hey, Clementine. Sorry to interrupt if you're here on business." It doesn't look like business.

Clementine blinks in surprise, not having noticed M'noq's entrance. She isn't exactly expecting to run into anyone here, that much is clear. There's some throat clearing as she swallows the mouthful of wine and begins shaking her head. "Oh, no. It's fine. I was just having something to eat." And drink. But that goes without saying. She pushes the empty plate to the side and tips her head towards the empty seat across from her. "What are you doing here? On a visit?" A smile curls her lips and she leans forward. "Or are you getting a reservation for you and Keelie?"

M'noq accepts the offered seat, trying not to look as out-of-place as he feels. "Thanks. Yeah, I stopped by to try to see Renalde. It was a little impulsive, but I felt like getting out of the Weyr. If I try to sit down and do nothing around there, somehow work finds me." He shrugs, and the motion jostles an annoyed firelizard that had been napping on his shoulder. She nips at his ear, and he waves her off. She relocates to the table with a scolding squawk. M'noq shakes his head at her. "Rude."

M’noq releases Fancy Pete, who launches into the air.

"Isn't it amazing how that happens?" Clementine returns, wrapping her fingers around the stem of the glass. "Even if I'm in my weyr, someone manages to track me down for something else. The only thing that helps is having Nemekhath lay across the entrance, that dissuades visitors." She leans away when the firelizard begins acting up, eyeing it warily.

M'noq gives Clementine a wry grin. "Good to know. If I ever come visit you and Nemekhath is blocking the way, I'll take that as a do-not-disturb sign." As for the firelizard, she continues acting up. He leans in to scold in a whispered tone, "Listen, Pete, this is a respectable place. You shouldn't be acting up here the way you do at home." M'noq tries brushing her off the table and gets a nip to the finger for his trouble. "Ow! That one almost drew blood!" She looks like she doesn't care in the slightest. She also looks like she might be slightly shinier than usual. If you knew what usual was.

Clementine gives him a little thumbs up while continuing to just give that firelizard the eyeball. "Does she always behave like this?" She wonders, drawing her glass of wine away from the irritated creature so that it doesn't splash red fluid all over her. That would be unfortunate. There's some suspicion on her face and she makes a gesture at M'noq's pet. "Is she…?"

"No, not usually," M'noq answers. "I mean, she's always a little bossy, but lately she has been kind of crazy." Finally he succeeds in shooing her off the table, and she alights on the back of a chair nearby. At least Clementine's wine is most likely safe. "You're going to give riders everywhere a bad name, because I'm going to be blamed for your behavior," he scolds the little lizard. She ignores him, instead chewing on the back of the chair. He turns his attention back to Clem. "Um… sorry. What were we saying? Work sucks?" Something like that.

"I think they're going to make you pay for that chair if she destroys it." Clementine points out helpfully, watching in slight dismay as M'noq's firelizard begins eating the furniture. "Is she proddy, maybe? Just a suggestion." Not that she knows much about that, Nemekhath has only risen once. And when she did it was pretty much a big surprise. "Uh, we were talking about avoiding people trying to give us work?" She drags the conversation back around to there, taking another careful sip from her glass.

"What? No!" M'noq waves a hand dismissively. "That's like a myth or something. I mean, don't firelizards just fly off and lay a clutch on a beach or something when they feel like doing that?" For a dragonrider, he doesn't seem to have a great grasp on firelizard biology. Chewing on the chair seems to have calmed Pete down a bit, so she stops that and drapes herself over the chair back, giving the room a generally baneful glare. "Anyway, work." He shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about work. That's almost as bad as doing work." He leans in towards her. "So, you came here alone. Avoiding someone?"

"No, I don't think so." Clementine gives him a rather alarmed look before leaning forward. "Haven't you heard of those stories where two people end up… you know." Does he know? "Because they didn't realize their firelizards were about to.. and it caught them by surprise and they just thought it was a sudden attraction?" She doesn't want to talk about work either, so that's an easy enough topic to skip right over. "Me? Avoiding someone, like who? I just wanted some time alone without anyone prattling in my ear- Oops." She laughs and her head sinks. "See, I'm talking about work again." Apparently not that easy.

M'noq looks ceilingward, like he actually considers her firelizard comments for a moment. "See, that's what I mean. Those two people probably wanted to sleep together anyway, and the firelizards were just the excuse." Which is totally not what's happening here. "I mean, firelizards aren't dragons. They don't get in your head to that degree… I think." Or he just stopped noticing. "Right, no work talk. Did you ever manage to go on your vacation to the Benden vineyards?"

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep with someone in this room? You should be careful. I think the waitress was checking you out. And what if she has a firelizard that you just haven't seen yet?" This is getting really complicated, but that's okay. "I don't know. I just have the one and I'm not sure he's ever chased anything yet." Whiskey spends a lot of his time asleep in her weyr, the fat little thing. "No, we haven't gone yet. Iska is busy being a rider. In your wing-" Clementine frowns at him, thoughtful before smiling again. "You should give her a vacation."

M'noq rolls his eyes again. "Don't be ridiculous. There is absolutely no way I'm sleeping with someone accidentally because of a firelizard. She doesn't even look proddy." He waves a hand in the direction of the chewy thing, who definitely doesn't look not-proddy. Still, maybe he risks a sidelong glance in the direction of the waitress? No, you didn't see that. "Oh right, you were going with Iska. I could probably give her an afternoon off, but she'd have to talk to Myziri if she wanted a couple days. Or, better idea, you invite Myziri along with, and you'll all have a few days off." And the rest of Lynx might take a little time off too.

Mmhm. Clementine just sips from her wine glass and looks completely innocent when M'noq takes that covert glance at the waitress. No, it's fine. She didn't see anything at all there. There's some big eyes at him when he turns back. "I'll have to think about it. Myziri seems like a workaholic, if she brings paperwork with her I'd have to send her right back to you." And she wouldn't give the bluerider back in the meantime either. Tricksy woman. "But see, we're talking about work. There's no escape." With a resigned sigh, she drains the rest of her wine.

M'noq mock-growls and shakes a fist in the air. "You tricked me. One of these days we'll have a conversation where work is not mentioned, not once. I swear it." And she better not say that's the day when watch-whers fly Thread. As if on cue, the waitress approaches, to see if M'noq is going to order something or if he and his firelizard are just going to keep taking up seats in this place. Not-proddy Pete hops up onto M'noq's shoulder, apparently having forgiven him. "Anyway. We're going. No rumors, you," he adds, turning on the waitress and giving her a stern look, like she's the source of all gossip in Southern. "See you at work, Clem."

Clementine gives him a little wiggle of her fingers. "You should get back to Southern before…" There's a pointed look at his not-proddy firelizard before she laughs under her breath. He might not be terribly amused, but she seems to be. It's probably the glass (or two) of wine that she had. After he leaves, she'll get some dessert. Because if you're going to eat alone you might as well get some cheesecake.