Mr. Beaker quiets and stills, relaxing in her arms and then wiggles again as he wants to be let free. Pippa obliges the dog without taking her eyes off Rory, setting the little Doberman on the floor and not paying him any mind as he flops over the puca's feet once more.

This isn't what she wants. This isn't what she wants, not at all. It's not what she had envisioned the evening to be, nowhere close. And it saddens her as much as his revelations scare her.

It's not until he speaks, offers to leave, that Pippa lowers her gaze. What is she doing? What is she doing? She's trying to make logical sense out of the insanity he's told her about, the amazing and surreal (yet concrete) fact that he isn't a normal person...but--

Very softly and without looking at him just yet, "Please stay. I don't want you to leave, Ro." She chews her bottom lip, marshaling her nerve before getting up from the floor while trying to look dignified about it.

Pippa remains standing but she doesn't move away from him again and if her hand is shaking slightly as she places it against the side of his face, it's not because she's afraid of him but that she's frightened of what she's doing. "Can I ask you a question?"