The Flower in the Lion's Den(Katarine/Private)

[Christian Slade]

Zeltros

The Bright Star Cantina

It was uncommon for Christian to visit places like Cantinas and bars, at least it had been. He was young, and though he enjoyed drinking, he'd prefer to be doing it on the dance floor with the hottest woman in the club being fawned over by the other ladies who could only watch on and envy their friend. Lately, however, what with his business that needed constant tending to and his social life growing less and less interesting because of the Sith Council taking up most of his once free time, he didn't much care to go out to a sleazy strip club or a sweaty, drug ridden bar.

No, he'd been doing a bit of changing, which wasn't something that he very much embraced considering he was still a very young man. He didn't want to let himself get swept away into old age before he even began losing his looks. It was a ridiculous thought that such a young man simply had no time for anyone or anything else, which all things considered, it helped make sense of his coming to spend time in cantinas more and more often.

This particular night, however, he'd given himself the night off. He simply was too tired to go anywhere else, knowing that some young woman or some crew of party goers would sweep him up into a night of madness that he wasn't mentally or physically prepared for. That's why he sat down right there in his own booth in the far corner of a damp, dark cantina and laid his head down against the table. Long, brunette strands of hair scattered about the table as he slowly let his chest fall against it, his arms tucked into his lap, as he laid there, waiting for someone to come and take his drink order so that he could enjoy the soothing kiss of alcohol and leave his worries behind... if only for a short time.

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

It was always loud here and every time she walked through the back doors she was surprised at just how loud it was. Katarine was late so she slipped in and hoped she didn't meet her manager on the way there. Unfortunately just as Katarine was tying the serving apron around her waist her manager walked into the backroom to get some more brandy for the bar. The male glared at her.
He glared at her and left before she could mutter an apology and when she left the backroom and seen him standing near the bar, Kat headed to wait on the table as far away in the corner as she could. A man was there, slumped over with his head on the table which made Kat figure he had already started partying at some other joint which he must have gotten kicked out of.
"What can I get you?" Her eyes were on her datapad, where she keyed in the orders but her mind was a million other places. If she could just hold it together for a few more weeks she would have enough money to get off this rock. Staying in one place too long was never a good idea when you were in the girls situation.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian only rolled his head back and forth for a moment when a soft voice asked him, "What can I get you?" He thought about muttering some order to the young woman without even bothering to pick up his head, but he decided that it would be rude, and considering he didn't even know who was speaking to him he figured it wasn't fair to them. They hadn't done anything wrong and they certainly hadn't deserved the colder side of his personality.

Raising his head, Christian reached up with his right hand and rubbed the small red spot on his forehead that the table had created before turning and glancing over at what he assumed would be a simple your waitress that he'd hardly care for.

As soon as those amber eyes peered through those long, brunette ribbons of hair and took in the flawless image of the stunning young waitress who'd spoken to him, his mouth fell ever so slightly agape. He watched her for a moment, without saying a single word and just watched her there like she were the most finely etched statue he'd ever seen of the perfect female form. Once he realized what he was doing, however, he snapped back to himself and diverted his eyes, looking back down to the table as he pushed himself upright and composed himself.

"I... uhm...", he said, trying to figure out what exactly to say to her before he decided to order a drink and say nothing more to further condemn himself further in the awkward situation. "I'll have a honey whiskey of whatever brand you choose.", he said, sighing as he leaned back in his seat before finally looking back over at the woman and smiling lightly at her.

How in the seven hells was a woman like that working in a dump like the one they were in?

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine was still staring at her datapad, mentally calculating how many tips she needed that night to pay her rent when she realized her patron was not speaking. She glanced up and those deep green eyes beheld the amber ones staring at her. She froze instantly like some poor animal caught in speeder lights. The usual party goers here had little business in the affairs of galactic war and many wouldn't recognize a darksider if it hit them in the face. Katarine knew better however. She had endured a lifetime of torture by family whose eyes were tainted in the same way. She glanced towards the door, half considering running before she reminded herself that she did not know this man. There was no evidence to suggest that her family had warned their fellow Sith to be on the lookout for Katarine. He could literally be just an extremely handsome and thirsty person looking for a drink. If she played it cool he would have no reason to know she was a runaway Sith princess type person.

"You got it Tiger." She keyed the order in on her datapad and turned, her shoulders still tensed as she walked back towards the bar to fetch his drink. While she was behind the bar making his drink the bartender noticed her and let a low whistle out.

"You realize Thanz is going to murder you right?"

"I wasn't THAT late. Why did he say something?"

"No but he looks upset."

Katarine sighed and almost dropped the glass she was holding.

"Whats got you so shaken?"

"Do you know that guy sitting in the corner?"

Her coworker glanced in the dark strangers direction and shook his head. "Doesn't look familiar but I've only been here a short while. He's cute though." He kept staring at the guy in the corner with a grin on his face.

Katarine smiled and put the bottle she was pouring from back up on the shelf. "I'll give him your number."

"Don't you dare!" Kat grinned and slipped just out of her coworkers reach when he tried to grab her. She impishly stuck her tongue out at him and was heading back towards the table where the stranger sat.

"Here you are. Top shelf stuff. I hope you like it. Can I get you anything else?"

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian nodded to the woman after she took his order and hurried off. She noted her surprise and the slight blush of her cheek before she turned away, shoulders pulled up and tight as she walked away. He might have over thought the way the young woman was acting if he wasn't so very preoccupied by the way her body moved as she walked. Every inch of her was tight and toned, specifically her bottom, which was plump and supple.

He might have caught himself drooling had he not realized what an idiot he must have looked like and that he was about to rip holes in the leather of the seat he was squeezing. He relaxed, however, as the young woman glanced over at him while speaking with a young man behind the bar with her who also cast a few interested glances in his directions.

As she came back to his table he made sure to look away as to hide his all too obvious interest in the young woman. When she reached his table she sat down a glass for him, which he picked up and taste tested after she mentioned that it was the best they had. He sipped the sweet whiskey and gulped it down with a satisfied sigh before he finally looked at her again. He told himself he wouldn't get caught up again, but this woman was the most perfect thing he'd ever set eyes on and it was impossible not to stare.

"I... No, that will be all.", he said, smiling up at the young girl as he leaned back and made himself comfortable against his seat. "That is, unless you'd like to join me.", he said, holding out his hand to the booth seat across from him as his smile grew a little bigger.

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine watched him try the drink, which he seemed to enjoy. She was half torn with the notion of making conversation with him and staying as far away from his as she could. He seemed dangerous, which of course made him more appealing to someone like Katarine, but she also worried he might be here for her, something she would never know if she didn't find out more about him. When he asked her to join him she bit her lip, her eyes glancing around the bar one more time. There were no other amber eyes strangers in the place, and although her stomach was twisted into knots she wasn't getting any warning in the back of her mind. He may very well be alone.

Realizing that she would never know who he was or why he was here if she didn't sit down she nodded, still biting her bottom lip, and took the seat across from him. If nothing else then the conversation would hopefully lead to a better tip, which she desperately needed as her landlord had promised her he wasn't going to ask for her rent nicely again.

"So what brings you in tonight?" It was an innocent enough question she hoped.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian watched her carefully, taking another sip of his whiskey as he waited for her to respond to his offer to join him. As he did, he carefully noted her reaction, specifically the biting of her lower lip. He knew that it meant she was taken by him in some way, whether she was flattered, intrigued or even attracted to him, it gave him confidence all the same. He continued to smile, just a little bigger now as she slid into the booth opposite him. "Just trying to find a place to relax tonight.", he said, reaching out and taking his glass from the table.

"I've been hard at work for a while now and I haven't had much time to myself. I figured I'd go to a place I'd never been, order a drink I'd never had and try to enjoy my free time as much as I could.", he said, taking a sip from his drink and gulping it down before he lowered the glass back to the table.

Sitting there in the few moments of silence before he spoke again, Christian's eyes took in every satisfactory detail of Katarine's face, something that softened him to his core, although he didn't realize it at first. She was quite something, something unlike anything he'd ever known before, and he wanted her. How could he have her, though? He'd only just met the spitting image of perfection and he knew nothing about her. Why would she ever even bother wasting her time on him? Unless she thought him attractive as well.

"Why is flower like you blooming in a puddle of mud like this one?"

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

She listened to his explanation and could sense no lies coming from him, which either meant he was very good at lying or that he was telling the truth. He didn't seem to recognize her at all so maybe she was safe and her family hadn't put a hit out on her. Her shoulders sank a little as she visibly relaxed a very small amount.

His question to her made her raise an eyebrow and blush slightly as she surveyed the bar, too shy to look at his face while he complimented her. "A girl has to eat." It was a simple answer to a very complex problem. In reality she was hiding and couldn't think of anything better to do with her life.

She opened her mouth to ask his name, but suddenly a voice cut across hers. She glanced sideways to see her manager, Thanz, standing at the table in a towering temper. He was so angry the vein in his neck was throbbing. "THIS IS THE LAST STRAW! You are supposed to be working, not canoodling with the customers!"

He reached forward and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her up out of the booth before turning to the man in the booth. "I am so sorry Sir. She's been a problem ever since she started. Please have a round on the house for her intrusion."

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian was surprised by the yelling manager who barked at the young woman sitting across from him, and it had been right when their conversation had started to show some promise. That didn't make him very happy, but he tried to keep his composure. He turned and looked to the manager and was about to respond in a way that defended her actions as it had been his request that she join him in the first place, but before he could he grabbed her by the arm.

Amber eyes grew wide with surprise, yet soon after they narrowed on the manager and his brow rippled to show his frustration with the man. She was delicate woman, and she was to be handled with care and treated with respect, both things that she was not getting from this man.

Reaching out, Christian's hand latched onto the Manager's forearm and immediately applied intense pressure. The next second, the man crumbled to his knees, his chest and free arm thrown across the table in protest. "How dare you touch her without her permission?", Christian asked, slowly standing up from the booth as he increased the pressure enough to feel a pop under the man's skin, the cracking of a bone in his forearm. "Let her go right now.", he then said, coming to stand right next to the man who slammed on the table with his free hand.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!", he finally cried out as he released her. As he did, Christian raised the man's hand up dropped a credit card into it. He then took the man's hand and closed it around the card, pulling him up to his feet with his free hand and pushing him off towards the bar. He stumbled into the bar as he caught himself, turning and watching Christian over his shoulder as he listened to him say, "That should compensate for your losses ten fold. I warn you now, though. Don't ever raise a hand to her again."

"You don't treat women that way. Especially not this one."

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine wasn't really all that concerned with Thanz grabbing her. He tended to do it more times than not because he knew that the people who worked for him were desperate and unskilled. They needed rent money, drug money, food money, or whatever else and that meant they were willing to put up with a boss who angered easily. In his defense Katarine had not been doing the job she was being paid to do so Kat wasn't about to argue when he interrupted her time with the dark stranger. She was about to say her goodbyes when something very shocking happened. The dark man got angry and before Katarine had time to stop him he was quit literally snapping the bones of her manager. She heard the bones pop and her eyes went wide. She reached forward, as if she was going to pry the men apart but again she wasn't fast enough. Thanz was tossed backwards, bracing himself against the bar and holding his sore limb. The patrons in the area had gone silent to watch the scene and as Kat glanced around she realized several pairs of eyes were on her. This was terrifying to the woman whose whole purpose in life these days was to remain as invisible as possible.

Thanz was now screaming for the pair of them to get off his property, and a few of the security guards were making their way through the crowed. Katarine did not need her face plastered in some tabloid about disturbing the peace, or worse to be caught by authorities and locked somewhere she couldn't get out of if her family came to call. Zeltros wasn't exactly known as the most lawful place but she imagined even a planet like this had to have some type of law enforcement.

"Let's get out of here." She grabbed the strangers forearm and started to pull, as if she imagined she'd be strong enough to pull him out of the bar herself. She was breathing fast, her eyes darting around the crowed in a panic type of way as if any second she expected to see the large upper body of her twin making his way across the room. "Come on, please." She tugged harder, her eyes on the exit and her blood pounding in her ears as she tried to pull the man out of the bar before security guards could make their way to the scene.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian stopped and raised his hand to point across the bar at the Manager as he said, "You need to stop and think, you old fool." He'd been about to walk off towards the man again when his arm was grabbed and tugged. He didn't notice at first, not until his balance was thrown and he had to catch himself. When he realized he was being pulled in the opposite direction of the bar he looked down to his forearm and say the young woman holding him.

He smirked at her, but quickly he looked back towards the Manager and said, "You should thank her, because as of right now, there's no one else in this city that could protect you." Finally, though, he was pulled off balance and stumbled after the girl towards the exit.

When they were outside, Christian sluggishly meandered after the girl, wondering where she was taking him and why she was so anxious to get out of that cantina. Finally, when they'd made it about a block away, Christian waited until the turned the corner of the black and they were out of site. As soon as they did he planted his feet firmly in the ground and watched as the young woman was leashed by his outstretched arm, a smirk forming on his face as he watched her and said, "What are you running from?"

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

To her horror he acted like he wanted to go forward towards her manager again. Relief came however and he allowed himself to be pulled out of the cantina. They made it to the exit and slipped out of the door before the security guards could stop them. Once out on the street Katarine started untying the apron she was wearing with the logo of the cantina. She awkwardly removed it with one hand, the other still firmly clasped on the mans wrists as if she was scared to let it go for some reason. She tossed the apron aside and then picked up the pace, passing several other establishments and dancers all clogging up the streets.

They turned a corner and suddenly he stopped, putting resistance to her tugging. She was caught off guard and stumbled backwards slightly. Once she caught her balance she let him go just as he asked her what she was running from. "Those guards. I just didn't want to get you in trouble." She said unconvincingly as her eyes darted all around the street and she pulled the hood up on the small jacket she was wearing. She folded her arms around her tiny frame, pulling her clothes tightly to her as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible, and tugged on the hood to cover the sides of her face. Finally her deep green eyes met his again and she felt her stomach turn. He was a lot more attractive this close. Just thinking about it made her dizzy. She shook her head and looked around the street again but she could feel his eyes on her.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night of relaxation. Let me make it up to you. I can buy you another drink or something." She looked as if she wanted to get off the street as quickly as possible but her words were sincere and when she looked back at him her eyes were full of guilt. She really was sorry she ruined his night.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"You need to work on your Sabacc face.", Christian said, smirking as he raised both of his arms across his chest as he watched her. She diverted her eyes, which was something that he noticed immediately. It was a curious thing, and he found himself moving just a bit to try and position himself in front of her again. He even leaned down closer to her to try and draw her gaze as he asked, "Is something the matter?"

Finally she looked at him again and apologized for ruining his night, which hadn't been the case. Not in his opinion, anyway. She hadn't ruined his night. As a matter of fact, she'd been the best thing to happen to him in a long time. "You didn't ruin anything.", he said, raising his hand to her, reaching out and resting it on the nape of her neck without thinking about it. The next moment, he realized what he was doing and retracted his hand, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable in any way and glanced away for a moment.

Soon, however, those amber eyes circled around to her again as he was unable not to look into those beautiful emerald eyes. "I'm sorry.", he said, bowing his head ever so slightly and smirking.

"I'd love a drink, but, if you'd like to, we don't have to go to a bar or a club. We can just find something else to do."

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

She smirked at his comment about her Sabacc face and glanced back at him, only to find with some shock he had leaned closer to her. Her breath caught in her throat as if she had momentarily forgotten to breath. He asked her if something was wrong and she realized she must look like an idiot, clutching her chest, holding her breath and hiding inside her large hood. She shook her head no ever so slightly, though her eyes were now darting back up and down the crowded street again. She couldn't help but notice that this curious dark stranger drew eyes easily, no doubt owing to the fact that he was quit tall, seemed to radiate danger and mystery, and was fun to look at. Women were oggling him as they passed, some even catcalling as Zeltros wasn't exactly the type of place you came to practice virtue.

Katarine shifted slightly so she could peek around his torso, as if she was worried they were being followed. This stopped immediately however when she felt the back of his hand on her neck. Even through her hood the reaction was immediate. She felt a wave of dizziness flood her system and the breath she had been holding now came out in a gasp. She had felt something similar before around her twin which was a large part of the reason the girl had finally decided to run. She had her suspicions that it was the darkside that did it, and from what she'd guessed about her new companion she figured her suspicions must have been correct. She felt lightheaded, foolish... did he realize he had such lovely eyes... devious... he even smelled good... and most of all dizzy.. oh so dizzy. He seemed to notice because he withdrew his hand from her and said something, which she didn't quit catch as she was trying to blink until the sidewalk stopped moving around like she had vertigo.

Finally everything stopped moving and she caught the tail end of what he had said. She nodded, and glanced around the street again, eying the first bar she could find. It was some place called the "black dagger" and though the name sounded forbidding it would at least be dark and covered. "Come on Tiger." She lead the way, careful this time not to touch him. They entered and she picked the first booth she could find through the fog machine, half naked strippers, and people grinding against each other. The air smelled like sweat, sex and shame but it was enough to drive the scent of her new found friend out of her nostrils and clear her head. When the waitress came over to ask what they wanted Katarine gave her some credits and told her to open up a tab before ordering her drink. The waitress waited to hear his drink as well and bustled off to go fulfill the requests. Katarine watched her go, painfully aware that the woman was taking her rent payment along for the ride.

"Soo..." Her deep green eyes traveled to his. "Thank you for standing up for me back there. It was nice of you Mr....?" She trailed off, realizing she did not know his name.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"Slade...", Christian said, his beautiful amber eyes looking back and forth around the room taking in everything he could see. He noticed every single face there, taking a mental note of them in case worse came to worse. He also had the entirely layout of the club mapped out in his mind before they even got to their table just in case worse came to worse. "Christian Slade, but you can call me Christian, if you like.", he finally said, turning his attention back to his pretty companion who he'd been most proud to have accompanying him.

"You don't have to thank me.", Christian said, smiling softly at the girl as he reached out and took one of the glasses that the young woman brought them. He nodded at her, noting the young lady's bashful nature and red cheeks. It wasn't until then that Christian took another look around the room and noticed that many eyes had been watching him, many belonging to the young, have naked women running about the club, serving drinks, and some even in the middle of a routine on stage. It was a compliment to him, as it should have been to any man, but he was there for Katarine, not any of the young and most likely loose women elsewhere in the club. It made him a bit nervous, and he could even feel his own cheeks growing hot as he tried to ignore the fact that he'd been watched carefully by many ladies, and even some of the young men, since they'd left the cantina where they'd met.

He attempted to stifle his reaction to the attention by ignoring it, willing the redness in his face and the increase in his body temperature to subside as he turned his attention back on the young woman, who seemed to have turned into his date. "I'm sorry.", he said, taking the glass and taste testing it's contents as he raised those pretty amber eyes up to connect with her deep emerald ones. "I don't really... do this. Well, I don't want to assume this is a date. We only just met, so, I'll say it like this.", he said, taking another sip from his glass before he set it back down on the table. "I don't really go out much. I'm usually so caught up in my own business that I don't entertain the... prospects."

It was then that he noticed how uncertain and taken he seemed. She'd had him second guessing himself and worrying so much about what was coming out of his mouth that he hadn't realized what was happening. She was, perhaps, just as weak and helpless as every other girl he'd ever wasted his time with, except for a certain power he felt her resonating. It was curious, and he couldn't quite place it, but he felt a certain purity that was impressive about her. Something untainted and unattainable. He wanted it so. He needed it. Craved it.

"I just...", he said, holding his glass up and swirling the whiskey in it. "Your beauty is absolutely, without a doubt, unmatched by anyone I have ever met in my entire life... and... it's not even the best part about you."

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine was looking around the bar at all the patrons there. It was a rough crowed to say the least. Many of them wore eye patches, some had missing limbs and almost nobody but the servers and dancers seemed friendly. Even some of the dancers she noticed had daggers tied to their thighs, which might be a tribute to the clubs name or could just be a clever way to protect themselves and fit in with the theme of the place.

The waitress brought back the drinks, but Katarine did not reach for hers. She hadn't ever drank alcohol before and was too busy checking the crowed to really feel thirsty at the moment. He parents had given her wine a few times but only on ceremonial occasions. Finally she seemed to decide they were in no immediate danger because she took her hood down and started fussing with her hair in an offhand way to catch the strands that were now frizzy thanks to the hood. She stopped this fussing when he admitted he didn't go out much. Her eyes darted to his and she felt again overwhelming guilt. He must be thinking he had to treat her like his date since she'd basically forced her continued company on him. She opened her mouth to tell him this was not the case but his next words took her own right out of her mouth. She turned deep red and started fidgeting with her hair now in a nervous sort of way. Kat hadn't ever been on a date before. At home men were forbidden to talk to her because Daxium was an extremely possessive and jealous person and her family felt the villagers were foul and unworthy of their attention. The only time she had developed a crush on one of the boys who worked in their stable Dax had taken care of him. Isolating Katarine was a way to control her because at times she was so lonely that she didn't complain to her family's awful company. She had ran away only months ago and in that time a few of the patrons had flirted with her while she worked various jobs but it had never been a serious thing. Just drunk men having a good time and usually if she just smiled and nodded they would tip her well and no harm would come. This was extremely different and she didn't know how to react. She was still blushing as she tried to figure out how to both thank him and assure him he did not have to act like her date just because she was crazy and pulled him from his relaxing evening.

"Thank you... but if you... want to go or ... I mean... I didn't mean to force you into a date or something... I... I mean..." She shut up, her face going even more red. Stupid.... that was a stupid thing to say. She groaned inwardly and was about to reach for her drink when she heard a faint growl. She jumped and glanced behind her but nothing was there. A moment latter she realized it was coming from her own head, way back in the deep portion where she always felt a connection with her twin. She frowned and pushed the hair behind her ear. This was a new development. She hadn't been able to communicate with Dax ever since she left, no doubt because of the distance. Did this mean he was closer? Or was he getting stronger? Or was she just able to hear him when he was jealous of some handsome stranger at a bar? She felt her head spin again in a much different way than Christian caused and reached for her drink, which she didn't realize would burn her throat and immediately started coughing after the gulp she took.

She sat the glass back down, her eyes watering as she cleared her throat and tried not to cough. It was absolutely awful and she couldn't dream why people chose to pour it down their throats so readily. Her eyes focused back on Christian and she realized he probably thought she was insane or mentally ill or something like that. She certainly wasn't acting like a normal person. "My name is Katarine. It's nice to meet you Christian." There... that was normal right? She considered shaking his hand, even moved her hand a fraction of an inch like she wanted to but remembered the dizziness and instead placed her hands under the table.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian watched her carefully as she immediately turned a dark red, something that he noted was a good thing. It meant that his compliment to the woman carried weight to her, and that was all he wanted. He wanted what he said to her, what he said about her and what he thought about her to mean something. Not just that, though. He wanted his opinion of her to matter to her. He wanted her to care what he thought about her, and she very much seemed to by the way she was reacting.

It made him happy, to see her like that, not because he wanted to make her uncomfortable, but it truly meant a lot that she seemed to think rather highly of him too, as far as what she found appealing about men. "I apologize.", he finally said after she'd stumbled over the words she used to express her thanks and let him know that he didn't have to stay. What wasn't trying to waste his time or make him feel obligated to hang around because he'd very likely just helped her lose her own job. He did feel guilty, though, but that wasn't the reason he was there. He was there of his own free will, and the lack thereof.

When he thought about it, it was really odd, honestly. The thought of why he was there and what he wanted from the girl, if anything. It was perplexing, and he knew that he could be anywhere he wanted to be, doing whatever he wanted to do with whoever he wished to keep him company, but he was there. He could do whatever he wanted to do, yet all at the same time he was restricted and confined by the woman. Made to feel trapped and enthralled. What was worse, though, was that he liked it. The feeling of being completely helpless for her. It was nice.

"No need to apologize for anything. This was all my fault, not yours. The least I could do is see you to a safe place, although I'm not sure how truly safe this place is.", he said, reaching out and taking his glass. He smirked as the woman coughed on the stout drink she'd been given and took a sip from his own, which he gulped down without trouble. "It's not for everyone.", he said, reaching out and setting the glass on the table again.

Soon Christian's eyes circled the room during a brief silence they shared, but before long he found her deep green eyes again that he was beginning to realize he couldn't ignore for very long. "Katarine is a pretty name.", he said, breaking the silence again as he reached over and gently took her hand in his own, much larger one. He pulled it closer to him a bit, turning it over in his own hand, the back of his laying against the table while hers laid palm up in his. "If I wanted to be somewhere else right now, I would be."

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[Christian Slade]

double post

 

[KitKat]

She tried to smile at him, but it came out more of a happy wince when he took her hand. The room swam and she closed her eyes, wondering what in the name of the galaxy was going on with her. "I'm glad you are here." She was... but she was also extremely dizzy. She opened her deep green eyes and smiled at him, gently pulling her hand away in the hopes that the room would stay still if she did. After a second or two things seemed to even out to her relief.

"You said you are always working. What type of work do you do?" Katarine was worried about offending him by pulling her hand away but he was difficult to talk to when the room was spinning. She pushed her hair behind her ear and glanced around the bar again while she waited for his answer. Since they were talking about work she realized she was now unemployed. She wouldn't have the rent payment for her landlord and would probably have to try and sneak in tonight after he closed the office. That is if he hadn't thrown her stuff out onto the street yet. She supposed she had a few hours to kill and at least she had company for that time. Her deep green eyes wandered back to Christian, studying his chin line, down his neck, over his broad shoulders. She blinked and took to playing in her drink with her finger instead.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian smiled as she admitted that she was happy that he had come with her, but he was saddened a bit as she pulled her hand away. It was alright, however, because he knew that he was likely being too forward about things, his interest in her obvious and clear. So, instead of showing his disapproval with her retreat, Christian simply kept his mood positive, taking another sip from his glass of whiskey as he listened to Katarine ask what he did for a living. It would be a difficult question for him to answer in a way that wasn't a lie without giving out too much information about himself as a successful Casino owner.

She didn't need to know that he owned a half dozen casinos and even more Resorts and Nightclubs, but he wasn't about to lie to her either. "I'm... well, I'm in the entertainment industry...", he said, knowing that it sounded a little awkward. Taking another sip of his whiskey to think about how he could substitute a better answer for her, Christian placed the glass gently on the table and leaned up against the table, crossing his arms and planting his elbows firmly into the table in front of him.

Bracing himself against the table was going to help him relax a bit, although it showed poor posture and might have even come across as a bit rude to some, but he didn't care. In fact, the only thing he cared about at that moment was Katarine. The thought of him costing her job worried him, and he didn't want to ever hurt her or cause her hardship. That was why he got crafty with what he said next.

"If you tell me what your full name is, I'll tell you what I do for a living.", he said, smiling at the girl playfully as he awaited her answer.

@[member="Katarine Ryiah"]