Katrinka's Dating Service

Katrinka was barely conscious. Enough that she seemed to respond to voices, but she was in such bad shock that her breathing was still short and shallow and she was not opening her eyes. The cut across her neck wasn't deep, but all of the blood made it look so bad! With her clothes disheveled and ripped, and bruises marking all over her body, it was apparent she had struggled hard!



Meanwhile, Paris had been whisked away by Drake and was feeling a little unsettled but better now that he wasn't outside somewhere having a freak-out fest. She eyed the piece of flan suspiciously for a moment, before she sighed and took the peace offering.

"Yeah? I was kinda worried so I sent that woman out there to check on you. I might've gone myself but, uh, I don't think I'm all that qualified for that sort of stuff, you know?" Paris popped the bitesize flan in her mouth as she glanced around the dark and empty dining room. There was a little bit of light from a flew nightlights scattered here and there, but otherwise the place looked kind of spooky. Everyone was out in the main room preparing for the night.

"I'm glad you're okay, though. I should probably get back to work before someone notices I'm gone."
 
Drake looked down his face becoming partly hidden in shadow as his long hair fell around it. He had expected this, she wanted to go, she was not of his world.

"You don't like the dark, do you?" he half murmured. "I do, it evens everything out, makes us a part of it and we're all equal in it's embrace." he looked away "I didn't see anyone. I went up the fire escape on the side of the hotel. I wanted to see the moon it helps me calm down when it hits."

He knew what she had now, he knew her, he wanted her.

He had made a mistake, said too much, couldn't take the words back, weak.

No words could fix this....

His hand fell onto the table, right onto hers. A small gesture or physical contact to break the silence his face lifting back into the dim light his eyes on hers. He had come as close to baring his soul to her, in fact to all appearances he had. He stood to escort her back to the main room then changed his mind. The news of what had happened to Katrinka would do one of two things if he stayed, shed either run back to tell him or worry about him. Either was good, and Drake wasn't the type to admire his own handiwork, once it was done there was no need to dwell on it.

"You go ahead.. I'll stay here and finish these."
 
Something was wrong, as Sean's eyes slowly opened for the first time in what seemed like forever, at least that much was sure. His world was upside down...literally. His feet and legs were caught in a fire escape, he was dangling about 5 feet off the ground in a back ally. His head was pounding from all the blood that was rushing to it. He scanned his immediate surroundings, the ally was empty save for a few old news papers and some broken bottles. He started working his feet in a effort to get loose, first kicking out his left then his right and falling to the ground with a solid crash. He lay there for a minute, trying as hard as he could to recall the memories from last night. All he could remember was being at the dating service with April, after that everything was blank. Something told him he hadn't gone home alone. Was he with April last night? Had they hooked up? Sean thought that they had, but was still confused to as why he had woken up hanging from a fire escape. Maybe he had escaped Aprils apartment last night after the sexy time, but the mystery still remained; Why couldn't he remember?

After a brief period of laying on the ground, Sean stood up and began to walk slowly out onto the street. He passed by a shop window and looked in, noticing his reflection. His hair was a fluffy mess and his shirt was ripped in two places. His pants hung down on his waist, apparently his belt was missing. Then he spotted something that made his stop and do a double take, there was a small bite mark on his chest, visible right where his shirt was torn. Then he felt a few more little pains that told him he had several more of the bite marks on his body, must have been a wild party, thought Sean. After his inspection he came to the conclusion that he still looked pretty good, a little rugged, but nonetheless good.

Sean got his barrings straight and decided that the best plan of action would be to head back to Katrinkas, at least there maybe he could find out what the hell had happened to him. He walked a few more blocks, checking his reflection in every window he passed. Sean was the kind of guy that spent way too much time in front of mirrors, it annoyed the hell out of his friends. However He wasn't concerned with much of anything at the moment other than getting back to Katrinkas. Sean laughed out loud, he was blown away by the fact that the one time he had attempted to find a date through a dating service it had ended in amnesia and bite marks all over his body. Crazy. He rounded the last corner and came up to the ball room. What the hell? There were cops everywhere. HE entered the front doors as his jaw almost dropped to the floor. He saw a few new faces along with April, and Katrinka. Obviously she had been attacked, but by who? Something was going on and all Sean knew was that the craziness was not about to end anytime soon.
 
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[size=+1]Brandon[/size]

Having grown curious as to what was taking Katrinka so long to get back, Brandon had long since finished his phone call, and the food for that matter. Resting the plates on the counter, Brandon washed his hands, and began moving out of the kitchen towards the bar, and stopped as he heard some of the voices outside. There was worry, shock, and some anger in the tones, and that certainly wasn't a good sign. Someone must have gotten hurt.

It was when he actually got into the bar, Brandon saw Katrinka off to the side, and surrounded by people. She looked a mess with her clothes torn, dirty, and caked lightly with what appeared to be blood. Fear had then broken the soil, and proppeled Brandon with haste towards the gathering, where he got a few strange looks from being covered in flour, and other cooking ingredients.

"Katrinka, are you alright? What the hell happened to you?" he asked as he then noticed the cut along her neck. "Oh my god..." he said softly as he recognized the knife cut. The mark had a strange jagged pattern to it... one he knew all to well.[/dash]
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Fighting through the shock was the most difficult part. Being aware of the frightened voices around her, but unable to force herself to speak or move. Finally she was able to take a deep breath, the motion making her heart beat so hard against her chest she was sure it was going to burst out. Katrinka shifted, running the back of her hand over her eyes as she moved to a sitting position. There were so many questions!

"Just.. just a minute." she murmured softly, one hand curling around Deborah's wrist as she woman hovered next to her. Katrinka was so used to handling situations strange, but she wasn't used to be the center of one. She needed to get this under control.

"OKAY, EVERYONE GIVE SOME SPACE." Came the sudden stern voice of an EMT as she entered with a partner and medical supplies in hand. They were also accompanied by a couple cops. Called in by April, and now looking around at the people in the room with a critical eye. There was a great deal of interest in staring at Sean.

The female EMT shooed everyone out of the way, minus Deborah whom Katrinka just wasn't letting go of. While caring for the cut wound at her neck, the EMT asked some subtle questions. Most of which Katrinka shook her head to or gave a quiet reply. Rape was the one she winced and tense at when she nodded her head.

With the EMT finished it was one of the cop's turn to ask more specific questions! That was harder for her to get through. Talking about specifics. But she had Deborah's arm now with both hands, and answered what she could remember. No, she didn't seem them. She wasn't sure where she was taken. She might be able to recognize the voice, but it was so low.

When the cop was done questioning her and turn to start questioning the other people in the room, Katrinka let out a big sigh of relief. April was the first one they wanted to speak with, followed by Adere!




Meanwhile, Paris couldn't help but grin at Drake. The guy was totally awkward. Kind of dorky, but he had some balls to say stuff like that. He was trying hard not to sound stupid, and it wasn't like with most guys where you knew they were bullshitting.

She left the dining room to enter the main only to see a mess! Cops standing around questioning people, and her boss looking like she got mugged or something! Without saying a word or announcing her presence, she scooted back to the dining room, her hands on her stomach. She felt sick. It was bad enough some dude got murdered last night and now her new boss was all bloodied up too? This shit was crazy.

"Um," she pointed a finger over her shoulder at the door when Drake gave her a questioning look. "Oh god, I don't know what happen, but it's gotta be bad. Ms. Carrel is all covered in blood and shit.. Sorry, I don't know what to do about this stuff!" Paris was well on her way to freaking out.
 
Drake was sitting down again, seemingly looking at his shoes where under the table a serrated flickknife had newly been wiped clean of prints, the blood though remained. he slipped it away careful not to touch it wrapped in its sleeve. He had never liked that knife it, aside from the serrations, its only redeeming feature, it looked like something a girl would carry.

He stood and in a heartbeat was in front of Paris and his hand wrapped around hers gently. He looked into her face and saw her turmoil, he savored it, but had to do something to lessen it. "What happened?" he asked his voice an inquiring soft mask of concern. He placed a comforting hand on her back and drew her close. Emotional shock made things so much easier....

"Paris, what happened." the girl was too far gone to answer and enclosed in his arms he took her with him back to the conference room where the crowd was. Police were already on the scene and asking questions, bluntly as always, not waiting for her to get over the shock, real professional...

"Oh no...." he muttered making sure Paris could hear him as he tensed every muscle in his body for an instant in 'shock'. He moved along the edge of the rubbernecks and came to the person he was hoping to see, but not be seen by. In a fast movement he transferred the knife into the already well-armed purse belonging to April stepping away as it fell with a barely audible clunk onto the brick. A lesson to not be nosy you skanky whore. All this was done in under a minuet after arriving and he had already backed away from the crowed by the time the work 'rape' was uttered through it.
 
April was in shock over the whole situation and then to make things worse the cops wanted to talk to her! April was pulled aside, being jostled about didn't make her feel more comfortable. One of the cops although, looked familiar. Oh! Hey, it's gay cop! Things seemed to look up a little bit for the girl.

"So Miss Harvard. You were the one to find the victim, Katrinka. How did you know where to look for her?" The cop asked, his expression unreadable.

"I saw this guy go out and then, like, I went out after Miss Katrinka went out and they weren't out there but I saw where the creeper came from so I totally just went that way." She shrugged as she looked directly in the cop's eyes.

"And do you see this man here?" The cop retorted.

"No, I don't see him at all...he might have totally left!" April glanced around, searching the people standing around. He wasn't there. The dark clothing the gross hair.

"Looks like you'll have to come downtown for further questions Miss Harvard." The cop pulled her up by her arm and her purse fell to the floor, the contents spilling out, the handgun, the tazer and the brick. Among those things a blood covered knife the likes of which April had never seen before.

"Um, I think I'd like to have my attorney come too..." April grinned sheepishly as the cop bent down and pulled the handgun off the floor and gave a strange look to her, "Definitely want my attorney...and that's not mine."
 
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Adare became aloof in attitude as the cops approached him with questions. He balked and gave them all fierce looks, but many of the people present remarked on his presence until April came in hollering about Katrinka. Adare confirmed, in quiet monosyllables, that he had been merely the person to check on Katrinka and carry her back.

"It'll be fine, April" he assured her with an almost savage nod. His eyes roamed aimlessly, searching the crowd for Malcolm although he wasn't sure what that would matter in any way. "What do we do now?" he questioned, stroking Katrinka's hair until the paramedics wrested her from him to carry away without anyone accompanying her, since there didn't seem to be any family present and too many people volunteering.
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[size=+1]Brandon[/size]

"So you were in the kitchen the entire time? Do you have anyone that can verify your whereabouts?"

"Only Katrinka can, and that's when she was there. I'm sure a few of the other guests saw me leaving the kitchen when she arrived." Brandon answered one of the detectives, and lightly rubbed his head.

"Have a headache Mr. Bathis?"

"I don't see how that answer will help you find the culprit, and bring Miss. Carell any measure of peace.... Detective." Brandon answered immediately as he gazed back at the man with his notepad.

"No need to get snappish Mr. Bathis.... you're not on trial. Where were you when Miss. Carell returned to the common room?"

"I was still in the kitchen, and I came out after I heard a commotion outside in the room."

"You're certain that you were in the kitchen the entire time? You didn't leave at all?"

"No sir, I was in the kitchen the entire time. I was actually talking to my mother on my cell phone for quite a while while I was cooking."

"I see.... how long was this conversation?"

"Honestly, I don't know... you know how it is when you talk to the parents... time seems to stand still."

The detective stifled a laugh, and managed to keep a serious face as he continued scribbling notes into his notepad. "Well Mr. Bathis, you've been very helpful with your time, and I'd like to thank you for answering my questions. If there's anything else I can do to help you remember, or if you happne to remem-"

"Just find the bastard before someone else does..." Brandon cut the detective off in mid sentence.

"Mr. Bathis... we will do everything within out power to find the person who did this, I can assure you... now assure me that you won't do anything that you'll regret. I can tell that you're the kind of man who'd gladly take the law into his own hand, and that would be unwise for a civilian."

Hiding his smile, Brandon only nodded, and watched as the detective began questioning another guest. ~Oh I'll make sure the person's caught...~[/dash]
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Deborah stayed right by Katrinka's side through all of this. She was silent, she was pissed, she felt guilty, but she swallowed those feelings down so Katrinka wouldn't feel worst. Her employer sometimes displayed an innate ability to know how Deborah felt. The same questions she wanted to ask were the same questions the cops did and she wasn't surprised by the vague answers Katrinka ended up giving them. She had a bad feeling at the bottom of her gut that if Katrinka had known more, she would be dead by now. Better violated than dead, right? she told herself. But she didn't find herself agreeing with the voice in her head wholeheartedly.

***
By now Malcolm was more on the side than anything else. He was a bystander. The cops were more interested in April, the paramedics were hovering around Katrinka. And truth be told, he was more interested in the Irish man standing only a few yards away. Nursing a physical attraction, maybe. Or just the beginnings of a crush. It had been awhile since he'd looked at someone twice with something more on his mind than sex. And he wanted to go up to him and talk a little more. But he didn't want to come off as desperate or needy ... It felt like ages since he'd last had to wrestle with such choices!
 
Sean's head was still a little fuzzy. His mouth was dry, he needed some water. He stood for a moment trying to understand what had happened. It seemed that Katrinka had been attacked, there was so much commotion going on in the ball room that Sean hardly noticed as two police officers eyed him from across the room. They were looking at his torn cloths and ragged hair, after all, for all they knew he had just wandered in off the street. The two cops approached him and one got on his radio, giving a description of Sean to dispatch. Sean barley noticed until he heard the cop say "Blue jeans and a torn, light blue, polo shirt" Hey, thats me, thought Sean looking for the first time over at the officers.

They started questioning him instantly.

"Whats your name, where did you come from?"

Sean was more than a little confused "ummm, Sean....I came from.." He stammered as the cops continued questioning.

"Where were you last night."

Sean blinked, running a hand through his messy hair. "I was here....at the dating service, and then...." HE shot a quick look over to April, had he been her Romeo last night?

"Where were YOU last night." The police officer enforced his statement by placing a hand on his nightstick

"I can't remember." Said Sean, realizing that this would be the stupidest answer he could have possibly given.

Just then one of the cops looked to his partner and nodded.

"Alight then, You are coming downtown with us." Said on of the Cops, Grabbing Sean by the arm.

Sean panicked " Downtown? I can't go down town......I need some water!!" He said.

HE tried to jerk away, but was met instantly by a no nonsense blow to the head from a nightstick, everything went black as he was cuffed and taken to the awaiting car outside.
 
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Adare opened his mouth, a thin line by now, to defend April but words would not come to aid him in doing so and he felt ore lost than anything. This evening certainly felt like one in need of alcohol. He wasn't sure if he'd be allowed to leave, he was busy scanning the area for a cop who didn't look like he might taser him should he approach. As he discarded the idea of asking to exit quite yet, he saw the man from earlier, Malcolm, looking every bit as lost.

Worried in a deeply protective manner that perhaps the cops were attempting to question and potentially brutalize him also, Adare made his way to the man's side with only a few strides of his long legs, nearly bounding there with some grace that he wouldn't have allowed anyone to say he possessed.

"They've not done anything to you, right?"
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Malcolm was startled out of his thoughts with Adare's arrival. Was it a bad sign that the man's voice was sending shivers down his spine? Play it cool. Play it cool ... He blinked and then smiled a bit sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head. "N--no ... Right now, I'm the small fish, so to speak. I guess I should be grateful." The last thing he needed was to be thrown into jail. Debbie would probably let him simmer in there before she bailed him out. His sheepish smile disappeared and he studied Adare. "How are you holding up?"
 
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Adare shrugged before laughing a little. "I sort of gave the blokes a hard time. I don't take well to men coming in as though they own the place. I realize that it's important to figure out what happened, but like I say, like ol' da used to say as well, you'll get no where through slaughtering your peasants to find a rabble rouser so you can stop him from turning them all against you..." he seemed at the end to be rambling a little in his own mind, but in review he realized he had kept on topic well. Mostly.

"I'm aching for a drink, now I know that Katrinka's in no danger. Would you join me for a pint?"
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Without trying to raise any panic or alarm, the police were subtly making it clear that they were not taking no for an answer when they "escorted" both Sean and April out of the building. They were then cuffed and taken off to the local jail to be processed and interrogated in a much more official, and much less friendly environment.

The paramedics packed up and left. One of the remaining officers strongly encouraged Miss Carel to take it easy and go home. There was going to be a lot of bustling police activity around the two buildings for awhile.

Katrinka didn't want to go home, not when so much was at stake for her business, employees and clients. But... there was no way she would be able to function today the way people needed to her. She had given a resigned nod. Rubbing her head as she ran through her plan through her mind.

"I'm.. I'm gonna go ahead and go home today." she turned to tell Deborah, finally letting go of the woman's arm with a sheepish grin. "Can you take care of things for me, Deborah? Close everything up and make sure people are called and told that tonight's event is canceled. Um..." Katrinka turned to Brandon, uncertainty on her face.

"..um... Would you mind taking me home..? I don't think I can drive..." Her hands were still shaking, heaven forbid she ended her day with a car wreck too. And the thought of going home alone just didn't sit well...

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Deborah's face was impassive but she finally nodded. "Sure, I will. You get some rest and I'll call you in the morning, check up on you." Charlie would have a fit about having brought the silverware "for nothing" but for once, she'd try and calm him down. She studied Brandon who was standing there. She didn't think too highly of a lot of men and that wasn't likely to change, especially in light of tonight's events. But it wasn't like she could tell Katrinka to "forget it" and take her home herself. And ... damnit, she didn't want her boss upset. "You better be good to her," she said to Brandon before she gave Katrinka a hug and left to take care of things, not even bothering to listen to Brandon's reply, whatever that happened to be, if he even had one.

Deborah found Paris well on her way to panicking. "Paris. I need your help. I need to close up, make sure everyone goes home, and make phone calls letting the clients know we canceled Coffee Night ... On second thought, you should go home. You're looking a bit pale yourself."

***
Malcolm was coming to the conclusion that he could listen to Adare talk all day and all night, forever even. "A drink sounds great," he said with a smile. But then he remembered ... um, I don't have a car. You see, I just arrived here. I dropped in on Debbie over there." He nodded to Deborah talking to Paris.


 
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[size=+1]Brandon[/size]

"..um... Would you mind taking me home..? I don't think I can drive..."

"I... yeah, Katrinka. I can take you home. My truck is parked across the street outside." Brandon said as he fished his hand into his pocket to grab his keys. "You... you have everything you need before you leave?" He asked after stoping himself from asking if she was alright. It would hae been a stupid question, and he knew that asking her to go to the hospital would probably not happen, as Katrinka seemed set in just getting to her home. Brandon also grabbed a small business card reading 'Brandon Bathis 'Security Consultant' with his number on it, and rested it on the counter next to where Deborah had been standing as Katrinka gathered her things, and began towards the door.

Looking to Deborah a moment after her rather cold exchange to him, he then turned to walk Katrinka out to his truck. It had begun raining, and heavily at that. Taking his coat from the rack, Brandon draped it over her shoulders, and opened the door. "Wait here, and I'll pull it around so you don't get soaked."

Stepping outside, he looked up, and down the street before taking off to the truck, and climbing in... even in that short run he managed to get almost completely soaked... one had to thank Elswen for it's sunny days.

He pulled the black Cheverolet Silverado around, parked it, and pushed the door open, so Katrinka could hop in, and avoid the majority of the downpour.[/dash]
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April felt the cuffs tighten around her wrists behind her back and she had to hold back an audible groan. First of all, this sooooo doesn't go with my outfit and secondly why am I being taken in? I didn't put that knife in there, that guy that attacked Katrinka totally must've put it in there... She didn't like the entire situation but there wasn't any fighting it. As they sat April and Sean into the back of the police car and began to pull away April caught a glimpse of the man she was looking for through the glass door to the lobby.

"AH! THERE HE IS! THAT'S THE GUY! GO GET HIM!" April shouted, pounding on her window almost frantically. As the cops ignored her and continued to drive April knew what she had to do...right after her thoughtful big brother was there to spring her.

---

On the other side of town Jonathan had just finished getting ready to head to the Katrinka's Dating Service. His lime green button up shirt was complimented perfectly by his black dress pants. Checked the mirror again and sighed. He was never sure if it looked good, he always relied on April to tell him what to wear. Her advice had proved invaluable time and time again though, he was constantly complimented on his sense of style when in reality he couldn't care less. If April hadn't yelled at him for hours on the phone last night telling him to be ready to come out with her he probably would've just had on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He dressed up enough for work, but having to do it to go out too seemed a bit much. Of course that's why his parents hadn't ever cut him off from their money but April was cut off at least every other month.

He stopped at the door, thinking to himself, I should really just call and make sure that the coffee mixer was tonight, or that it even exists. Last time April dragged me out it was just her getting drunk at her apartment and she wanted company. He chuckled at the memory, remembering the next day was the day she found Mikey at the pound, the two of them becoming nigh inseparable since then.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number for Katrinka's, waiting patiently as it rang.
 
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Adare chuckled, a sound he had cultivated by accident in his many years of laughing off the world so that it seemed the essence of his amusement, melodic as a bell signaling the beginning of a happier day. "We can take my car, that is, if you're not too afraid to sit next to me, hmm? I have this awful tendency to bite" Adare winked, meeting Malcolm's eye invitingly.

"Tis better to spend money like there's no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there's no money!" Adare exited as calmly and as slowly as he could, taking care not to attract undue attention but as soon as he was out on the street, he began to sing. An omen for their drinking to be sure, he was a loud fellow, no one could deny.
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Pocket Jacks. King, Queen, 6 flop. The player before him starts out with a rather high bet. Straight possibility. But what could the guy, who has been folding every round that didn't have him as Big or Small blind, possbily have that would try to make him play so agressively? King Queen hand? Pocket Queens? Perhaps Pocket Kings? Hell, maybe even Pocket 6s. Could his pair of crimson twins beat the possibilities that stood before them?

Kenneth smiled as he clicked on the chip icon, matching the player's bet with no hesitation in his motion. He had no fear or doubt in putting the bet in as the other players bowed out, for he knew what the player before him was trying to do. Trying to be conservative, the player before him, Aces4ever, had been staying out of the rounds, only losing his chips when the bets around. In a deperate attempt at trying to keep in the game, most likely so that he could scrape on by to the final three, he was trying to lead the other players in a ruse so that he would take the pot, hoping that the transparent show of play style shift would be enough to scare off the others so that he may take their scraps. Kenneth had the round in the bag

Though it was no where near as exciting as the real table games, Kenneth found that these simple little Facebook games against other people were entertaining enough for him sink a couple of hours of down time into.

He casually stared out the window of his hotel room as blue and red lights below seemed to have disappered. He wasn't too sure of what was happening, but this was about the second time that it happened within the last two days.

He didn't paid much attention to it though, as he had his own things to take care of while he was up in the area. Though a quick curiosity slip snuck into his mind once in awhile as he continued his game. Did someone get hurt in the hotel? Maybe died? Why did they come around roughly the same time as they did the other night?

And as he ponder such thoughts, in the back of his mind a linger thought floated about, a thought about the cute woman that he kept seeing in the hallways. Was she okay? Did something happened to her? He really didn't know her that well, had a few awkward then semi-okayish conversations with her as they passed through while in the lobby, but it was nothing too personal. She did mention something about her grandfather and being lost, but he really didn't chalk it up with being too personal.

But despite that, that woman still lingered in his head, hovering there as he finished off the final player in the stakesless game. Thrist made itself present as Kenneth leaned back into his chair, pushing him to preform the rare action of leaving his room to go buy soda from the machine in the lobby. But he knew it was more because a part of him had hope to see the lobby woman, to get some indication that she was alright and had been spared from whatever those red and blue lights came here for. With high hopes for a seradipious reunion with the woman while going out to quench his thirst, Kenneth Lim made his way into the hotel hallway.
 
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