It had been quite a while since the last time Lance looked forward to an evening spent with agreeable feminine company, and he might've just gone a bit overboard with his preparations. There was, of course, the obligatory suit, a bit of a shave and a new haircut, and he'd even procured a brand new, if albeit rented, Dodge Charger for the occasion. Naturally, he couldn't resist playing up the knight-in-shining-armour persona he'd received so much grief over. And, a knight simply wasn't complete without a white charger.

After programming the address given to him by Helen into the GPS, Lance then stopped by a local florist for a bouquet of pale peach roses. Traffic was fairly light, for New York, and he arrived at her building right at the agreed-upon seven o'clock. Lance even managed to find a parking spot practically in front of the door. Whistling a jaunty tune, he straightened his tie, left the car and walked to the front door. He noticed a brass-plated speaker box to one side and pressed the button.

"Yes...?" a tinny voice replied.

"Lance Arturo to see Dr. Helen Magnus, please."

There was a buzzing noise followed by the click of a lock and he assumed that the door had been opened from elsewhere in the building. Lance pushed open the glass-and-brass door and found himself in a lobby with detailing that hearkened back at least a century-and-a-half. A wide grin crossed his face as he inspected the workmanship.