Short and Long [open]

"I'd think if it was political savvy he'd have tried to sell you on himself more. Send you away filled with his opinions on things." At least that would make sense to her. "I also doubt political savvy would have coming back giggling." She punctuated that thought with something of a pointed look. "Especially after your opinion of the sites last night..."

"I meant on keeping personal details hidden, but he wasn't being political at all. Not that I asked...but politics never came into it. He does have a wicked sense of humor though, and I'll say this much - don't drink during his speech."

Kate turned and stared at Teresa. "Giggling? You must be joking. I don't giggle. Ever." Giggling...she wasn't that giddy about having gotten a sideways 'in' with their project's final subject, was she?

"You giggled." The serious tone with which she confirmed the fact for Kate made the juxtaposition almost humorous. "Barely believed my ears, but you did." Whether she believed it or not. This important topic out of the way, she turned to the rest of it.

"I'll make sure to pay attention." She thought for a moment. "No real way to be sure what it was, short of finding others who've spoken to him." Which she planned to do. Definitely.

Teri wouldn't have made the claim if it didn't happen, but still. Giggling...what did she do, regress to twelve? "Best keep an eye on me for a bit, in case I giggle again." Kate continued to frown as Teri went on, and began to pace a bit. "Wait...you think he's exerting undue influence? Isn't it possible he's simply just that charming?

Teresa nodded. She definitely would be keeping an eye on her, and on him for that matter. As best she could. "I don't know what I think. But even if he is 'just that charming' isn't that dangerous on it's own?" Kate had made her think though. If he was exerting an influence...she'd mentioned they'd talked about technology...

"I suppose it could be dangerous. He's very...well, it's hard to explain. You'd have to meet him to understand it, I think." Kate hadn't yet made the same connections Teri had, though she was thinking along similar lines. "...it could be pheromones. They do more than make one hot and bothered, I believe. Pity I was never into biology..."

"Then I'll see for myself later, with any luck." Hopefully with the chance to do a good amount of watching from afar first and gauge things. If he seemed to garner the same reaction from everyone... "That's a possibility. How long ago, actually, did you leave him? And how long were you talking with him? Biology no, but to get an idea how long the effect lasts, it should just take mathematics."

"I think you'll wind up watching him from afar. But it would be good for one of us to be capable of being properly wary of that man." Kate checked her watch, but it only gave her how long it had been since she'd left James' compan. She had completely forgotten exactly how long she'd beeen in his company, and that was ringing a few warning bells. "I don't rightly remember how long I was talking with him, but it's been about an hour now since I left to come here. And it could as easily be a field effect, though I could swear we were the only ones working on anything similar."

"I'll see what I can do as far as that goes, then." For the moment it was easy enough, she imagined if there was something going on it would be a little harder in person. "That's something at least. If it wears off gradually instead of all at once I'm not sure I want to see what you were like then." She was joking, but just slightly. "If he is, he'd hardly broadcast it, especially given the politics. He could use overseas suppliers for his materials, and be keeping it a secret."

"I think, given my reactions to him both during and after meeting him, that I'll have to trust your judgement. Mine's obviously shot to hell." And it probably didn't help that he was intelligent and attractive as well. But she couldn't lay her distraction regarding James Stoker entirely to that...not with the giggling.

"Oh, I was quite sensible during the conversation. If I wasn't, he'd likely know everything now. But wouldn't it be a little more obvious, given his political visibility, if he was using overseas suppliers?" She tilted her head, remembering one part that had stuck in her mind at the time, but only come back to light just now. "Teri, I could swear he'd gotten annoyed about my interest in extra things one could make an electric screwdriver do. Very odd, yes? Especially since he claimed it was an old discarded project."

"I suppose I'll even get an excuse if I need to step in during a conversation tonight. Make use of my 'assistant'hood." Teresa noted thoughtfully. For all that she'd be paying attention to them in any case. As long as she didn't make herself look especially suspicious it would be alright.

"Not if he was using an agent of some sort to get ahold of the parts. Though seeing as he is based in London he'd use those shops, and be outside our radar anyway." She listened raptly to that last tidbit of information. It was definitely something that seemed fairly important. "That's weird... Especially if he told you about it in the first place... He'd have to expect you to ask about it some, wouldn't he? Unless it slipped... If it was a discarded project, maybe it wasn't his choice to discard it? A screwdriver..." Teresa trailed off, very much in her think out loud and mutter stage.

"A benefit we hadn't thought of last night, I'll admit. I'll do my best to not need rescuing though." Teri should be able to be inconspicuous about it though, she was usually good at that.

"I suppose, though it seems to me that it would be a bit roundabout. Unless there were things he needed that just weren't available here. Kate nodded and began pacing again. "That is why it was so strange. He mentioned it, and then when I'd been appropriately curious he had a bit of a...well, not a snit, but he certainly wasn't the affable man he'd been. The timing was...off though, as though my interest had to sink in. Because he didn't seem to have a problem until after I'd summarized the cameras."

"Good, that'd be for the better." She replied, somewhat distracted as she thought. It wouldn't make much sense for him to put her in a position requiring rescuing at a public function anyway.

"Could be...Though it'd also mean covering his tracks. That way, if no one sees him in the stores even, he wouldn't have to answer any questions from the public eye as to what he was building. Who's to say he isn't a roundabout person when it suits him?" If nothing else, he at least seemed to be a puzzle. "Curiouser and curiouser. Maybe he'd underestimated you prior to your explanation, and then afterwards his outlook changed? Possibly he didn't realize what he was saying entirely until after..."

"I doubt I'll need rescuing in such a public place, but I do feel better knowing that you'll be watching."

Kate shrugged as she kept pacing. "I've never tried to cover my tracks, but it would work well enough, I suppose. Provided he kept the deliveries discrete as well. And if he's active, and not left it behind him as he claimed, that would explain the change in tone. Pity I couldn't coax him out further, but very shortly thereafter is when we parted ways." She paused by one of the tables and scrawled a note to herself.

"Then you can be sure I will be."

Teresa sat back down now, looking at the table intently she tried to focus her thoughts. "Activity would be a good reason... Especially if what he was active in had been been stopped not by his own choice." She played with her hair absently as she thought. "You can try again, if it wasn't the reason for parting ways. Perhaps you'll have some better luck, in one way or another. Though if the same thing happens I suppose it's possible that you wouldn't..."

"Well, that would go a little ways toward explaining his techiness at the end. Though...what, other than his political career, would be able to make him stop? Curious." Kate smiled wryly and shrugged. "I suppose I could try again, though I'll have to come up with a different approach..."

"That is a question...afterwards I'll have to spend some time looking him up, see if there's anything on him prior to his political career..." It was a possibility he'd have tried to have anything wiped, but it was worth a shot. If there was a lack of information, the fact that something was wiped might be worth some interest.

"Should be interesting, that search result - if there is data, we'll learn more about him, and if there isn't, we'll know he's got something to hide." Kate glanced at her watch again and nearly cursed. "Dammit. We're running out of time to get ready for the banquet."

"Are we? I should go then. The suit's find but I've got to pick up some shoes for it, if I like my toes." She made no attempt to look at a clock and verify this for herself, though, and instead stood up, grabbing her book. "I'll meet you there, alright?" Teresa called over her shoulder as she made her way out of the warehouse and to her car.