A Pub, Cambridge, England, Wednesday Night

Apparently, when one was at university, one was supposed to do things like study and write essays. Jenny thought she'd gotten out of this by reading philosophy, but noooooo. But bugger all that, there were pubs and they had alcohol. You weren't supposed to smoke in them now, but Jenny had never been much of one for 'rules' or even 'laws.'

"Hello," a boy said, leaning up next to her at the bar.

"Not interested," she told him, and he cursed and went back to his friends. Kids these days.

"The great Jennifer Sparks," the next person to lean on the bar said, and she sighed.

"Not interested."

"You haven't even heard what I had to say."

"Didn't have to. No one ever starts a proposal I'm interested in like that."

"You've come down a long way in the world."

Oh, it was going to be that kind of proposal. "Not particularly. I've always spent a bulk of my time in pubs. And really not interested." She actually turned to look at him. Tall. Handsome in a greasy sort of way. Probably superpowered. "Now get out before I put you out." He got out. At least maybe they were getting smarter. It would mean more of a challenge to the sort of people who dealt with that sort of thing these days. She signaled the barkeeper to pour her another scotch.