"Oh, wow" Phillip said as he took a mouthful of meat and mashed potato. "This is the stuff. Really, this is what it's all about. This is amazing." He shook his head in disbelief. "I've gotta thank Rona for talking me into this. How's yours?" He looked up at Sacha.

"It's good" she said matter-of-factly.

"Just good?" Phillip prompted her.

Sacha sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's very nice" she said. "All right?"

"What did you get again?" Phillip asked. "The fish?"

"Yes. Off the specials board."

"Maybe that's why it's not so good" Phillip suggested. "Fish, you know." He shuddered.

"There's nothing wrong with the fish" Sacha said.

"Oh, that's right" Phillip replied. "I remember now. You're just one of those people who doesn't get excited about stuff."

"I get excited by stuff!" Sacha protested. "Not as much as you, maybe. I'm not going to go around saying it's the best meal ever when it's not."

"I never said it -"

"One of us has to keep our head" Sacha continued. "Otherwise the night's liable to turn into chaos."

"Oh, it's going all right at the moment then?" Phillip said. He'd decided to remain up-beat, no matter what.

"Like I said, the food's good."

"Well that's humbling" Phillip joked. "Knowing you're enjoying the fish more than you're enjoying my company."

Sacha shot him a look. He was smiling at her. "Are you trying to be winning?" she said. "I've dealt before with guys who tried to be winning."

"Yeah?" Phillip asked. "What happened to them?"

"They lost."

"You know, you say you're indifferent to me, but from this end it seems a lot like hostility."

"A girl's got a right to change her mind" Sacha replied.

"Well that's nice to know" said Phillip. "Means I've still got some hope."

Sacha took another mouthful of her fish, and savoured it. She swallowed it, and held up her thumb and forefinger a couple of centimetres apart. "Some" she said.