Katrinka's Dating Service

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Adare grinned broadly, nodding as he eyed the room. Tragic, really, if he couldn't find any steamy men in the room willing to give him the opportunity they wouldn't forget - once you go Irish, it's hard to go back. Adare winked at the woman that the girl had asked for coffee, before turning back to the girl. "Don't think I've properly introduced myself. My name's Adare. And yours pretty lady, before I can't remember a word you say?"

Adare thought, fleetingly, the room was a bit too somber, too focused. How was anyone to get a date like that? More music. Yes, more music. "Say, can you sing?"
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April watched Adare's movements like a hawk, she was trying to determine what kind of guy he would like, or if their taste was similar. It was a passing curiosity.

She stretched out her hand and smiled to him, "April, April Harvard, like that fancy college where all the smart but ugly people go you know?" April chuckled before he asked her if she could sing. "No, I'm not a very good singer, I like, only do that in the shower, But if the DJ from last night shows up I'm sure we could use my mix cd that I brought, lots of good songs." She looked around, waiting for their coffees so she could pour her drink.
 
Drake didn't reply, anthropophobia had its grips on him and he only saved himself from a nervous fit by burring his face in his hands shutting out the room around him.

"Job.... here... no.... not my thing." he mumbled just loud enough to hear. It was suddenly cold and stuffy at the same time and peering through his finger looked for an escape rout. "I need some air." he said quickly and fled the room looking for a window or dark hole.
 
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"You mean.. I missed the music night that they had? A tragedy, I'm not sure how I can live with myself now!" and with this he threw his hand dramatically over his face, laughing as he did so. "Perhaps then the head lass would not be too keen on me rousing the place up with some good old Irish drinking songs, hmm?" Adare was getting bored, this scene was all so stiff he felt like doing cartwheels just to liven everyone up. With a scowl, he weighed the pros of cartwheeling against the cons...

Finding, or rather pushing people away from, a clear spot in the room, Adare pulled April into dancing, his legs seeming to flail out in a way that should have been ungainly but managed, in some way, to resemble a smooth and civilized motion. Some sort of waltz, he decided, but he was going much too fast for a waltz, the music in his head careening away from a proper waltz tempo.

"Anyone want to dance?"
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Katrinka was indeed grinning. There was a lot you could learn about a men by the way he talked to his mother. Obviously his mom was very interested in his dating habits. She was close enough to hear the woman's questions over the phone.


Meanwhile, Paris watched Drake's sudden exist with a bewildered look on her face. What the hell? Was she supposed to go after him and do some kind of employee magic or something? These people probably needed psychologists more than dating specialists. She was feeling under-qualified.

Shaking her head at the man who was now at the center of the dance floor asking if anyone wanted to dance, she headed quickly for the back looking for the new boss lady. What she found was some guy mixing up dough in the kitchen and Ms. Carrel holding up a phone to his ear behind him. Paris felt like she was intruding, but cleared her throat to get their attention anyway.

"Uh, Ms. Carrel." she whispered loudly, "Someone just kinda freaked out. Should we do something about that?"

A soft huff was Katrinka's reply. "I'll be right back, promise." she muttered softly to Brandon as she fussed with setting the phone just right on his shoulder so he could hold it and continue his conversation. Then she was following Paris out to figure out what the problem was.

"So, like, we were just chatting while I was lighting some candles and he said he needed some air and took off. But not calm-like, more freaking out like. I thought I should tell you, considering what happened last night?" Paris stopped when they entered the main room, then pointed at the direction Drake had fled to. There was one of the side doors there that led outside.

"Name?"

"Oh, uh Drake."

"Thank you, Paris! You're doing great. Don't worry, I'll care of it, okay? You get back to things. How about asking Deborah for some things to do?" Katrinka responded, directing Paris towards the woman who now looked really unpleased. Katrinka didn't wait for another response as she stepped outside the side door.

"Ahem! Helloo~! It's Katrinka! Are you still out here?"
 
Deborah huffed. Mother was going to pay for this. Mother's Day. Her birthday. Christmas and everything in between. But she finally manged to get Malcolm to sit, although now he was eying the man with that weird dog chick from last night. She looked up as someone else she recognized from last night approached. It was the young blonde chick but the name tag she wore said "Paris." She listened as Paris explained that Katrinka had pointed her out as the woman to go to and help set things up.

"You," she said to Malcom. "Sit. You move and I'll break your legs." She turned to Paris. "So. My name's Deborah." She threw a thumb over her shoulder at Malcolm. "A friend of my family's. Looks like you got the candles done ... Help me put the table cloths on the tables and then we can grab the utensils for the food from Charles. It's a coffee night so the menu is finger sandwiches and little snacks and treats. You get the deal."
 
Drake was sitting, holding his right wrist in his hand staring at his palm. He knew every line, every mark he had made. It was rare for it to hit him two nights in a row but it was rarer for him to be out two nights in a row. The voice came, soft, calling. He knew the voice and the name it called. That happy, yappy, prissy woman with the fake smile and trying to look 'professional' while throwing her her own customer. It would be nice his take her down a notch and make her see how helpless she was.

She hadn't seen him, sitting on the ground bent over as he was. Though she was in charge but her illusions would soon end. The mowed grass hid his footfalls and she was facing away from him. Before she could even turn he had her hair in his grip and pulling her scarf from her shoulders stuffed it into her mouth holding it tight from behind. This was the easy part, dragging her away from the light of her world, showing her her vulnerability. A sock replaced the scarf on her mouth a hand holding it in, she would scream but not until she could not be heard. The scarf went to blind her, the last thing she would see would be the torn and fluttering police tape marking where a body had been found. Then came the easier part, making her beg him to stop, then doing it anyway making her docile with the hope of keeping her throat intact . the only thing he didn't do was finish it, she felt metal against her throat them was left to cry, bound where the other had been found.
 
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Adare's ears perked up and his eyes scanned the room. Something had just unsettled him. Fate or something, wouldn't that be nice for a change. "Back in a minute, m'dear!" he assured April, turning around. It was as if someone were staring, like lasers piercing holes in his back. Adare spun and his eyes settled on a man, who surprisingly didn't break eye contact when Adare met his gaze.

With a grin, Adare sidled over to the table where he sat. "My name is Adare, and your table looked like it was missing the daily recommended dose of fun. I couldn't right myself with this deplorable state of affairs and so I came over to remedy it. My name is Adare, what's yours?" being cocky was not his intention, though he was fairly certain he seemed it. At least I didn't come over and tell him he looked like he needed a serving of vitamin stud, like I had originally intended!
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April felt something go amiss. She had seen Katrinka scoot off after some boy that had seemingly run off but she was still content with Adare. She had been dancing by herself, a bit out of the spotlight because she really didn't know how to formally dance like he was anticipating. Then he had stepped away, "Back in a minute m'dear." He said, and of course April swooned, he was charming and she really wanted him to find a good guy!

Something still seemed off, Katrinka wouldn't be taking that long, plus April was feeling a bit feisty after last night and figured she'd try her luck at another kiss. Adjusting her purse and reaching in for a tube of lip gloss that she had left in there she stepped out to look for Katrinka. Something about the air felt wrong though, so April leaned back against the door and moved her hand from her lipstick to the small handgun she constantly kept in her purse, right next to the brick which was followed by her tazer. Can never be too prepared! She thought, brandishing the gun and holding it at the ready.
 
Malcolm smiled. He liked this guy. Not only was he cute but anyone brave enough to say something like that to a complete stranger ... That was a check in Adare's favor. "My name's Malcolm. Malcolm Thomas. I hope you didn't mind me watching you like I was." Most men quickly grew uncomfortable under Malcolm's intense gaze. He tried not to stare, he really had, but he was only human after all. His philosophy was that life was short and in the odd chance you were blinded tomorrow, you wanted to make sure you got an eyeful today.
 
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Adare winked, his smile firmly in place as he pulled himself out a chair and sat down. He tried not to stare, even as he formulated a dismissal for ... Malcom's? apology. While inviting more staring of course. "Mmm, you don't have to apologize, but if you keep staring you'll have to let me buy you a drink. As payment, of course. Adare propped his chin up with his hands, staring intently at the other man, as if drinking in every detail.

The man made Adare want to draw, paint, anything to preserve the intense look in his eye and the deliciously etched lines of his body. Adare's fingers twitched, thinking about running his hands over that smooth skin. Inwardly, he laughed. Has it really been that long? "Or maybe I'll just buy you a drink, so you can stare all you want to deserve that punishment".
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Malcolm laughed, a nice, rich genuine sound. He eyed Deborah smoothing out the table cloth with the blonde and leaned forward. He put one hand up as if sharing a secret. "An idea I can stand behind. But we might have to be sneaky about it if you were thinking of drinking something stronger than coffee. All I see are things for coffee and cappucino." He winked. "But I think between the two of us, we could find what we're looking for."

Deborah was never going to let him hear the end of it for sure! But ... that was only if she found out.
 
Drake returned through he hotel garden looking as neatly dressed as when he had left. There was no indication that anything had happened other that a pleasant stroll. Though he seemed to be in a good mood but that didn't stop him avoiding April's eye.

"Uhhh, hi, I saw you with.... yeah so I have to apologize to Paris I get claustrophobic around too many people." he moved past her through the door cursing himself for talking.
 
"WOAH! GET BACK HERE! Did you see Katrinka? I wanted to give her something..." April cried out, "Jerkface..." She added under her breath. But she had seen the direction he had come from, and it seemed odd. Like, if he just wanted air he didn't need to go that far...and poopie! I left my Bailey's inside at that table where I was sitting with Adare... She shook off the latter part as she began to walk down the way that the boy had come from. He was creepy, and something was seriously wrong with him.

I should have hit him with my purse... April thought as she walked down a small alley only to stumble upon Katrinka laying down. "Katrinka~ It's good to have found you! Why'd you leave..." She asked, leaning down to her. April let out a blood curdling scream but managed to keep her wits around her. Quickly she pulled off the scarf and pulled the sock out of Katrinka's mouth. She placed the scarf tightly around Katrinka's neck and tied it there to hold back blood loss. April would have tried to help her up but she wasn't strong enough.

"Don't die! I'll be right back!" April nodded, getting up and running away, back to the hotel a bit more disheveled then when she had left. She busted through the main doors. "SOMEONE HELP! KATRINKA'S BEEN ATTACKED! SHE'S BLEEDING AND I NEED SOMEONE STRONG TO HELP ME BRING HER BACK HERE!" She yelled, pulling out her cell phone and calling 911.
 
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Adare was going to ask who Katrinka was, but he remembered that she was the dapper lady in charge. Without another moment of hesitation, he kissed Malcom's hand and rushed to April. "Show me where, this ol' Irish back can be of good for something" he said, tugging April as she dialed emergency help on her cellular phone. Useful things, those were. If it weren't such a pain being tracked down every minute of the day, he might have one. Hell, he might go out and get one tomorrow - things were useful looking as of right now.

Adare tugged April along despite needing her to give him direction. Dropping to a kneel, he examined the woman to the best of his abilities, trying to recall his medical training from that one month when he thought he might make a decent soldier. Before he found out that they didn't appreciate him hitting on their captains. Adare checked her breathing - shallow but present. He examined her head for wounds and found none, she didn't even appear to have hit her head on the ground. "Miss Katrinka? Can you hear me? Did you hit your head in any way on anything?" he needed to know before he lifted her up to carry her. It would be simple to do, but he'd hate to cause more damage.

"April, did you see what happened?"
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Drake's blood went cold, they had found her fast, must have been that nosy bitch....

He acted fast and walked up to Paris who was busying herself with a bunch of mugs. "Hey, come quickly." he said quietly taking her hand and absconding a tray of snacks. He walked out the door into the lobby with Paris in tow and headed to the empty dining hall. It was closed but the door was only roped off and easily cleared so that he and Paris were in the darkened room alone. He pulled out a chair and sat her down laying the tray in front of her. "Um.. Paris I just want to say I'm sorry for running out on you. It was rude, it just I don't do well in, anything." He played the part of insecure interested party well, years of practice built on real experience. Every time she noticed him looking into her eyes he'd look away to the side. Then he slowly lifted a bite-sized flan and held it out in front of her mouth. "So, apology accepted?"
 
April frantically explained the situation to the emergency line as Adare pulled her along, her directing with her arm where to go. "Please come quickly, someone MIGHT, like DIE!" April shouted into her phone as Adare leaned down and began to inspect Katrinka.

"N-no, I didn't see anything, but I totally saw this creepy Gothic-emo looking kid who was at the party last night come in when I went outside, he's totally uncute and wears these gross outfits and I definitely don't think that he's like, washed, or clean or any...oh right, I think he did this to Katrinka! We should totally go and do something about him..." April put on her angry face and pulled out her tazer from her purse and pushed the button, making the electrical clicking noise that they make. She nodded seriously at Adare and put it back into her purse.

"You can lift her right?" April watched Adare intently, waiting for him to take the lead now.
 
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Adare nodded silently, his facial features drawn into a smooth line, worry and irritation making an unnatural appearance on his face. The nearly always present good humor was gone, replaced by stern anger like a cold flame. "You say that you've seen him before, here? Then Katrinka will know his name. She can identify him. Tell them the address if you would, April dear, and when they arrive, try to give them a less wordy description". After checking to make sure that the better of the two options was indeed to carry the woman, Adare lost no time.

Nudging his arm beneath Katrinka's shoulder blades and another at the crook of her knee, he picked her up as though she were nothing more than a ragdoll in a child's tender grasp. With an even pace, resisting the urge to run as it might jar her unnecessarily, Adare made his way back to where he had been having so much fun, now protectively guarding the frail seeming woman he held. The scent of blood was poignant and his stomach turned as the smell of iron and injury hit it. The blood loss had made her pale, she seemed cool and motionless, a freshly dead body. These were morbid thoughts, thoughts he pushed away as best he could.

The dull haze of focus descended on his mind and before he knew it, Adare was at the door. "April?" he questioned weakly, the exertion did not bother him but the stress and weight of being so upset was taking its toll.
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April followed quickly behind Adare, stopping at the door with him and pulling down the scarf she had tied around her neck to slow the bleeding, it looked like it was healing but not quickly enough. She turned back and opened the door to let Adare inside. April was worried, this wasn't normal. The realization of the murder that the cop had mentioned finally sank in. Like oh my...this is for real...where did that guy go to? April looked around but couldn't find him.

"Adare, that guy is missing...but let's get Katrinka onto the bar, that would, like work right?" April nodded, running over to the bar, her heels clicking on the tiled floor and clearing off the bar. "Over here..." A look of worry across her face.
 
Deborah had just returned from getting something else from the back, some of the special napkins Katrinka had wanted to use. So imagine her surprise to find her employer looking like she'd been through hell and Paris gone! Where the hell had that girl wandered off to? "Miss K!" She pushed her way to Katrinka's side. "Holy crap ..." She looked from Adare to April, at Miss Katrinka. "What the hell happened?"

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Malcolm was pleasantly surprised when Adare kissed his hand and stood as he went to help April. He stood by the door and kept to the side, just in case they needed some help. When they got Katrinka inside, he was taking his jacket off and using it as a pillow for her.
 
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