"Nah, sorry," you say with a shrug. "No punching bag for you tonight." "Oh, come on." Elizabeth frowns, soft but insistent. "Why?" "Got work to do." "Work? At night? Who are you, secret service?" You force a laugh. "Don't expose me like that. I've got a reputation to maintain." Your phone vibrates. Dane: *"Mango's asking where you are. Don't keep him waiting."* She studies you, then leans in. "What kind of work?" You shrug, deliberately vague. "Just something I need to finish." "That sounds suspiciously like you're making it up." "I'm not," you say, making no real effort to sound convincing. She watches you another second, then exhales through a small smile. "You're impossible." "I've been told." She taps her fork against the plate, considering whether to push, then lets it go. "Fine. But next time, you don't get an excuse." "Next time," you echo. "You're actually going to come." "We'll see." She shakes her head, smiling properly now. The talk drifts after that, work, people, a call from earlier neither of you cared about, and it carries easily enough, the earlier moment settling into a small unfinished joke. It feels normal, just for a while. [[Cybercrime/The_Phisherman/Return to Work|Return to work]]