"You wouldn't know ice if I put it in your drink."
"I'm telling you - check my passport, I've been all over the place. Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Nepal -"
"What has Nepal to do with anyting?"
"Big mountains? Loads of ice."
"Fair enough."
"Mhmm."

"Why bring it up, though?"
"I bring it up mostly because I fly out tomorrow."
"Where?"
"South Pole. Six months, maybe more."
"Why, what do you do?"
"It's a meteorological study. Measuring methane, CO₂ and noble gas levels in ice. Among other things. But I doubt you're interested in any of that..."

"On the contrary! I lecture in Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College, London!"
"Get out of here."
"No, really!" Whose crew are you in?"
"Now can I stop you right there - I'm going to come clean at this point. This is an elaborate ploy, based on a bet I have standing with that man - " he pointed to a waving man two booths over " -brought on when he found out my middle name is Shackleton."
"Shackleton?"
"Shackleton."
"Cruel."
"I don't think so, not especially. One of my parents' heroes. My brother's middle name is Scott. I've seen worse."

He finished his drink.

"So.." He made to stand.
She grinned sheepishly.
"I may as well come clean. This is also based on a bet proposed by that lady over there - " she pointed to a brunette who waved from beside the juke box " - who was fool enough to put money on my getting fifteen drinks from consecutive men. You're number five. I was eyeing up six behind you."

"So what, do you want to win?"
"Now I'm starting not to mind."
"Well I wouldn't want you to..."
"No, not at all!"
"No, I couldn't possibly..."
"Alright, then."

She took out her phone and brought her number up.

"Let's continue this tomorrow. Although not in the morning. I'll start palming these drinks off to Miss Plank over there in a second, but it may be a late one all the same."

He winked, turned, and left her to it.