[ there's a breath of a pause and peter eyes allie for one second, then two, and then he laughs — it's good-natured and not directed as her so much as all of it: the explanation about the tea, the slight hesitance and then the clarification that they're basically neighbours.

(what're the odds?)

he stops and runs a hand through his hair — it errs on the naturally messy side, something he'd, as a teenager, tried to combat with a little too much vigorous styling before eventually giving up on that venture. (there was no winning against mask hair.) ] Right. That makes sense. [ a beat and a quirk of a smile, and he shifts his weight to lean against the doorframe, expression shifting into something that manages to sit between self-awareness and mild consideration. ] I'm a scientist, I probably should've been able to figure that out — but maybe that's why I'm minus a doctorate and gainful employment.

[ another pause, and he looks almost sheepish, before: ] So, hey, I guess. I'm Peter. It's good to meet you in person. I think this is where I'm supposed to invite you for tea, but I'm going to guess you're well-acquainted with the offerings, so I don't know if it's an offer you're going to want to take me up on. Instead, I'll just segue into admitting I mostly drink the coffee because if I don't, I get grouchy.