Eve lifted her gaze to the waitress.  She had barely glanced at the menu, but she had been her a time or two before.  A wide smile touched her lips as she looked up at the girl, who seemed to recognize both of them immediately, as signaled by the slight line of confusion in her brow.<br/><br/>"I'll go with the filet mignon and I think a bottle of a good Tuscan red wine, if you have it."<br/><br/>The waitress took their menus with a slight nod and Eve was free to return to their conversation in progress.  She shifted a little, trying to relax.  Maybe he was not the horrible punishment her mother and sister thought he was.  This had all started over a situation like this, over a century ago.  Her great-great-grandmother spurning his grandfather's proposal in favor of a more wealthy, more established magical practitioner, Elijah Frost.  It had started the rivalry and both families had spent the better part of the last century fanning the flames.<br/><br/>"So basically, we need each other to get what we want."  The statement was made without malice or judgment.  It actually sounded more like she was relieved.  If he was willing to give up the chance at love and happiness with a woman of his choosing in order to get a seat on the council, perhaps they were more alike than she realized.<br/><br/>"And this is technically not supposed to be our first date, but I think I'm happy to let you foot the bill all the same."  She smiled at him.  Even though she had never been through anything like this, she knew how things were about to go.  Everything was about to happen very quickly, as soon as he proposed.  Neither one of them would have a good reason to wait to be married, so the engagement would be short.  The smile softened, pulled at by sudden thoughts in her head.  She was still looking at the situation as an unfortunate business arrangement, when he seemed to actually want to make something more out of the cards they were dealt.<br/><br/>"Then maybe we can look at it like that, we look at as us working together to achieve our goals.  I think if we can support each other in that, then you are right...There are harsher punishments than being forced to marry a talented, handsome and determined man like yourself.   I guess since we'll be skipping past the courtship, I should ask what you want and expect in a wife..."