Eric shook his head at her for a moment a giggle threatening to come out of his lips.<span style="font-style: italic">She sure is serious</span>. He thought as he listened to his new partner. So he wouldnâ€™t seem rude he smiled warmly at her  as well letting the jab at him to slide off. He liked teasing; he figured if anyone couldnâ€™t handle a bit of teasing they werenâ€™t human. â€œWell my dear partner I will have to take your kind consideration for my sanity under advisement, though I think that I would be just fine being your partner,â€ he paused for dramatic effect, â€œthat is if you can handle me.â€<br/><br/>Even though she hadnâ€™t mentioned anything about sanity he just had to put that in there. People he had been partnered with before had said that he drove them into insanity and sometimes he felt like they did the same to them. They never quite got him. He was someone who liked to work but he could also have his moments of procrastination. When it went down to it he got the job done, especially with a partner. Throughout his life he had always felt, and been told, that he had to do his share of the work.<br/><br/>Thinking back he remembered his father, his mother had passed at birth, and how much he had pointed his finger at him and told him to buckle down and get to work. Even his stepmother got on his case from time to time. Growing up she was the one who dealt out punishments and he had the scars on his back to prove it.<span style="font-style: italic">I canâ€™t think about that right now</span>. Removing himself from the thoughts he brought himself back to the present.<br/><br/>â€œWell if you would follow me I know of a little place on the first deck.â€ He said turning on his heal. â€œI hope you donâ€™t mind eating faster food. It is still nice and there are drinks to be had but it is all that I can afford right now.â€ He chuckled guiltily and gave her an apologetic look over his shoulder. â€œIâ€™m sorry if I seem to be a bit selfish about the eating area.â€  There was a small part of him that hoped she already knew where the place he was talking about was otherwise if there was somewhere else she would like to go he would follow her. â€œOn the other hand if thereâ€™s somewhere you can think of we could go there.â€ Taking a deep breath he said, â€œafter all, you are my superior at the moment.â€ He was teasing her a little bit with that last sentence but he had to do something to break himself out of the awkward feeling he had.