Night Off (Etain)

Work had once again taken its toll on Kari's love life. At least this time it wasn't a direct destruction. Unfortunately it meant that she was very likely to be late. It was like the job never ended some days and even when it did there was always more paperwork. As she filled out another arrest report, this time a small holdup perp she'd caught, Kari found herself glancing at the clock. She forced herself not to rush, if the paperwork was too bad, she knew she'd just have to do it again. Finally she finished and turned everything in and clocked herself out. Officially off duty, she dashed into the lockers and rattled off a text apologizing for being late and saying she was on her way,even if it was a blatant lie.

She quickly showered and changed into her casual clothes, tossing her uniform into a gym back and ran out. She'd at least had the foresight to take her car rather than rely on the trains and buses. Kari glanced at her wristwatch and muttered something unpleasant. Already she was fifteen minutes late. As she started up her car, she debated for a moment whether to go back home for the special outfit she'd laid out before heading to work that morning. She looked at the clock and hit the steering wheel. There just wasn't time.

Maybe she could fake her way in if the restaurant had a dress code. She wasn't a complete mess, she could probably cannibalize the spare uniform in the trunk to look almost business casual. That would be something. Still, perhaps a fancy eatery was not the best choice given the circumstances. Of course the situation went from bad to worse and finally she arrived at the restaurant in her officer dress skirt and a white blouse over an hour late.

It looked like work was about to mess up her life again. The last time she'd been questioned and held over night, released on the morning of the anniversary of Noemi's death. This time, Etain had spent a couple of hours last night in hospital. She'd been tailing a bail jumper, not her usual job, but it was open. She'd managed to catch up to him and confronted him. There was a scuffle, and, as she'd taken him down, he landed a lucky hit. After she'd dumped him at the police HQ, she'd headed to the hospital as her eye was swollen almost shut.

Now, she sat at her, Noemi's, dressing table, in a towel after her shower. The swelling had gone almost completely, but the bruising was still there. She groaned and headbutted the top of the dressing table. 'How can I go on a date with a blackeye?' She groaned again, headbutting the tabletop. She lifted her head and looked at the collection of makeup laid out before her. She looked at the mirrors and frowned. 'Maybe...' She turned her head, this way and that, then focused on her blackeye. 'It's not too bad,' she said. 'If I use enough makeup, and can find the right shade of eyeshadow... maybe...' She nodded and stood, turned to the bed and began to dress.

She sat back at the dressing table, partly dressed, applying her makeup. She had managed to lessen the darkness of the blackeye using the makeup, and made it look like it was eyeshadow. Next she tried to find the right shade for her other eye. Putting the makeup down, she looked at her handiwork and sighed. She'd barely pulled it off. 'Now, just a little lipstick and blusher and done.'

Her phone went off then and panic began to rise in her gut. 'Oh, god! Please be okay!' she said as she fumbled for her phone. 'Don't cancel!' She managed to open the text, read it and sighed. It was Kari telling her she was going to be late. She sighed again, sent Kari a quick text telling her it was okay, then continued to get ready.

Etain was sitting at the dressing table again, dressed in a simple white blouse, a dark skirt which was shorter than the one she'd worn when she'd first met Kari, with tan tights. She was combing and brushing her hair. She paused, debating what, if anything, she should do to her hair. She knew the perfect style for the evening, but it required someone else to do it for you. She smiled and decided to simplify it.

She separated her hair into seven strands, three smaller ones on either side of the main one in the centre of the back of her head. She then began to braid the three strands on one side, then let it hang, before she braided the other side. She then braided the two braids together with the central strand of hair. When that was done she turned her head from one side to the other, checking her handiwork. She smiled and nodded. It would do. She stood, brushed her skirt down and, after picking up her bag and jacket, left her room. She walked to the door, picked up her special shoes, with the two inch heels and slipped them on. She picked up her keys and left.

She arrived at the restaurant, parked her car and got out. She brushed down her skirt again, picked up her bag and put it over her shoulder. She tugged down her dark jacket and walked to the entrance. She pushed the door open and looked over the restaurant. She couldn't see Kari, but then she had said she'd be late. Etain sighed, and, not knowing how Kari had reserved the table, decided to wait.

Kari walked in the restaurant and took a quick glance around, it was clean, it was mildly busy for a tuesday night, and Etain was sitting right at the entrance. "Oh, I kind of expected you to have a table already." She smiled sheepishly. "Hi Etain, sorry I'm late. Work really did a number on me today." Her eyes slid up and down Etain's body, "Looks like work did a number on your eye." The makeup was alright but no amount of makeup was going to hide it from a cop like her. "I hope you got some results in return for that free eyeshadow." She offered her hand to Etain. "I guess if it was something major I'd have heard about it though. Still, I'm glad to see you were able to make it, even if you had to wait."

Kari turned to the greeter. "We need a table for two, by the window if possible. "She smiled back at Etain as the man began looking through the seating arrangements. "I might have planned around a small delay in showing up and not made reservations. I figured going home to change, plus any issues at work, would put me about ten minutes late at most. So I kind of assumed you'd get the table by then. You strike me as the sort who likes to get to the action very quickly." She winked at Etain. "Of course, as you can see, I was not quick enough and didn't even have time to get the nice clothes I'd prepared. You'll just have to see them later tonight."

Fighting the urge to glance at her watch, or the clock on the wall, Etain waited in silence for Kari. The moment she saw Kari walking through the entrance, Etian's heart started beating faster as she blushed, a smile spreading across her lips. 'Well, I remember if you'd booked a table or not,' she said, her blush spreading. 'Hi Kari, and don't worry about it. I only arrived a few minutes ago.' It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. At the mention of her eye, Etain's hand reached up and lightly brushed it. 'Is it really that obvious?' she asked. 'Yep, got paid for this free eyeshadow.' She winked, using her good eye. 'Well, somethings are worth the wait.'

Returning the smile Kari gave her, Etain looked over the restaurant again, hoping they could be by the window. She turned to Kari, running her eyes over her. 'You look fine to me. And, while I like to get to the action quickly, some times though, it's fun to take your time.' She slowly ran her eyes over Kari as she spoke, before she winked at her again. 'Oh? Nice clothes? I'd like to see these nice clothes on you, although I'd prefer...' she let her sentence trail off with a playful smirk as she faced the greeter.

"Well it's not completely obvious but I've seen my share of war wounds so I recognize the signs." She smiled at Etain. "Looks nice on you, badge of a good day's work. Of course any extra badges earned tonight would be better if they were less visible." She winked. "Still, I hope you were compensated well for your pretty face. I'm sure it was a terrible sacrifice." She laughed and let her hand slide around Etain's back. "Well I'm sure it would have ended up there before the night was over anyway."

The maitre de finally spoke up to say that they had a space, luckily enough, and Kari offered her hand to help Etain to her feet before they followed him to their seats. It was, unfortunately, not next to a window but it was only a single table away. The man asked if it was alright and Kari said "It will do." She sat down and smiled at Etain. "I'm glad this worked out, I don't know what your schedule is but apparently we both had work today. Of course, let me assure you that my day tomorrow is completely free for whatever may come."

'Thanks, I think,' Etain said with a chuckle. 'I've collected my fair share of war wounds and good days work badges as well.' She smiled at Kari, her eyebrow arching. 'So, we're earning badges tonight? Well, I hope I get the badge for the best oration skills, and my fine finger work,' she said with a wink. 'I got some compensation,' she said, blushing slightly at the complement. 'Yes, it was such a terrible sacrifice.' She sighed melodramatically, before she gasped slightly as Kari's hand slid down her back. 'I know it would have,' Etain said, her voice slightly lower. God! If her fingers feel this good through clothes... she thought as a shiver ran through her body.

The thought of dragging Kari away from the restaurant, to somewhere more... private, flashed through Etain's mind. But she pushed that thought down. She'd had far too many flings, far too often had skipped the date part, since Noemi's death. She wanted to get past that, she wanted to get past flings. She wanted to do this right. With that thought, she smiled as the urge faded. There'll be time for that later, Her smile grew.

Taking Kari's hand, she allowed the taller woman to lead her to their table, which, unfortunately wasn't a window seat. But it was fine, it was a table in a restaurant, and Etain was there with her first date in such a long time. Sitting down, she returned Kari's smile as she removed her jacket, revealing the thin blouse she wore underneath. 'Well, my schedule was pretty empty today, as I was dealing with this,' she said pointing at her blackeye. 'It was pretty bad last night, almost swollen shut. Plenty of ice and the swelling went down, the bruising lessened over the day.' She smiled at Kari, her eyebrow arching. 'My day tomorrow is completely free for whatever may come as well.' She leaned forwards, elbows on the table, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers.

"I'm sure you'll pass the exams with flying colors." Kari said with a smile. "Though you can retake the test as many times as you want to get that perfect score." Kari winked, a small surge of energy filled her body. It was fun, building the anticipation, teasing again, especially after such a long day. Best of all, tonight was sure to pay off, unlike the previous meetings for work. She pushed that thought aside though, tonight there would be no work. Just passion, fun, and the nice kind of restraint.

"Oh, I thought it was more recent than that. Must have been a real good punch though. Still, you won so that just proves you're the top. At least until somebody rolls you over." Kari smirked and picked up her menu. As she looked it over, one of the dishes reminded her of something she'd seen once. "You know what I don't get, in movies sometimes you see someone holding a steak over a black eye. What's the point of that? Is the blood from raw meat supposed to disguise a cut or something? And it cannot be sanitary." She just shook her head and went back to scanning the menu. It was kind of pricy, but she figured she could handle the bill for both of them easily enough. After all, she'd instigated this date.

'I aim to get the perfect score first time,' Etain said with a smile and a slightly raised eyebrow. 'But I'm not adverse to retaking the test, just to see what different combinations of... answers bring different results.' She returned the playful wink as she felt herself fill with energy. She was having so much fun, teasing, flirting, letting the anticipation build. After the last couple of days she'd had, it was such a welcome feeling to be having fun, to relax. And what better way than having a wonderful meal with a beautiful woman? Of course, there was sure to be dessert tonight, made all the more satisfying by the building anticipation. Yes, tonight was going to be fun and oh so delicious.

'Yeah, it was a lucky hit. Not entirely sure how it happened, but he had really bony elbows!' Etain said with a chuckle. Her cheeks coloured slightly as she arched an eyebrow at what Kari had said. She smiled and picked up her own menu. 'It's fun at the top,' she began. 'But being at the bottom means you get to look at the beauty above you.' She smiled at Kari over the menu, before she continued to peruse through the menu. 'I'm not sure,' she said in response to Kari's question. 'I think it's supposed to be a frozen stake. The coldness brings out the bruising and helps with the swelling. Though, to be honest, I use a bag of frozen peas, wrapped in a towel. Does the same thing.' She looked up at Kari. 'But, yes, the stake is rather unhygienic.' She smiled, then returned to the job of scanning through the menu.

It was kind of pricey, but it was a date. Date's are supposed to be not entirely cheap. But still, Etain felt kind of guilty for letting Kari pay the bill, even though they had both agreed on the order. Kari for this date, and Etain would get the second date. So she pushed her guilt aside and narrowed down her choices to three.

"Well I suppose perfection is overrated. After all, it doesn't really last and we're always prowling around for the new perfect." Kari scanned the menu. "Any real imperfections are in the past, have to make the moment as perfect as we can. After all, I expect what you thought would be perfect yesterday while chasing your little elbow man was not what you're hoping will be perfect tonight." Kari leaned back in her chair a little. "Or maybe it is, I don't pretend to know what your interests are." She smiled behind the menu and finally decided on her choice.

"Frozen peas. Sounds miserable, I always used cold water in a towel or ice if we had it when I was a kid." She shrugged. "I suppose it makes more sense than steak though. Still, didn't have steak to waste when I was little anyway." she said as she set the menu down. "Which is why I think I'll have it tonight. What's the point of being an adult if you can't have the things you wanted as a kid, after all. And some nice red wine. That seems like a good choice. Now where's that waiter?" She said as she glanced around.

As she looked over the menu, Etain couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at what Kari was saying. 'That's true,' she said. 'Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the now. I believe the saying goes.' Etain couldn't help but chuckle at how Kari described the bail jumper. 'Little Elbow Man,' she said, chuckling again. 'Aye, that wasn't perfect at all, even after I'd gotten paid. But tonight,' she said, looking over the menu at Kari. 'Tonight will certainly be as near to perfect as we can make it.' She smiled, then glanced down at the menu, narrowing the choice to two.

'It's cleaner than using a stake, and a bag of frozen peas is cheaper than stake, that's for sure.' She shrugged, then sighed. 'Yeah, I didn't have much stake when I was younger either. Not that my parents would have trusted me with eating it myself even if we did,' she muttered the last part, her right hand lightly brushing her left upper arm. 'Stake sounds like a good idea. I think I'll have the same. Along with some wine.' She smiled as she set her menu down. She glanced around for the waiter, but couldn't find a free one near them. She sighed as she continued to look around.

Kari looked around and sighed. "I guess if I had made a reservation they'd be ready to serve us. Nothing to do but wait I suppose." She pushed the menu aside and smiled at Etain. "Still, at least you've had a day to recover. My lousy luck meant getting a call on my way back to the precinct to sign out and that took ages. Then the guy gets caught, not even by me but by my partner which means we both still have to do the paperwork. Easy bust but still, more work. So that's mostly the reason I'm late, and why I'm dressed like a six year old's barbie doll." She laughed a little. "Next time I'll be sure to dress up for you even if I have to keep an extra little cocktail dress in the boot of my car."

Finally the waiter arrived. "Ah, we're ready. I'd like the steak and salad here." Kari said, pulling out the menu and pointing at it. "Caesar salad," she said when prompted, "and we'll be sharing a bottle of the house red wine please." She turned to Etain. "What did you want, Etain? Any extra drinks or did you want to stick with just the wine?"

As Kari explained what had happened to her at work, Etain flinched in sympathy. 'Being call to a bust on your way to sign out? That's just unlucky.' She smiled at Kari, shook her head. 'You're not dressed like a six year olds Barbie doll. No doll I've seen could hold a candle to you.' She arched an eyebrow as she leaned on the table slightly. 'You'd carry around a little cocktail dress? For me?' She leaned back in her chair, smiling at Kari. 'I have a little black number that I could wear next time.'

Looking up as the waiter arrived, Etain waited until Kari had ordered, before she smiled at the waiter. 'I'd like the same, please.' She looked at Kari and nodded. 'I think just the wine will do for now,' she said with a nod. 'Thank you,' she said as the waiter wrote down their orders.

"Well you're certainly not wrong. I am pretty fantastic, and just pretty too." She smiled at Etain. "But I've had a lot of experience making what little I've got and making it stand out in a big way. You never know how much time you'll have for anything after all, gotta make every moment count. Kari waved away the waitress. "Of course, that doesn't mean rushing to the good parts. Things that sound good in the future don't always end well." She shrugged. "I know I'd love to rush right to dessert but if I do that, I'll probably feel all sick and regret it when we have a more private dessert." Kari gave Etain a little wink.

I want to see you in that little black dress, but once I've seen everything, the surprise tends to disappear. Why rush, sometimes it's just as fun to sit back and wallow in the" Kari licked her lips "anticipation." She laughed. "Of course I bet you've had your share of long and boring stakeouts in your car. Those I certainly wouldn't mind rushing through, Anything to make those boring lonely nights pass by."

'Oh, that you are, on both counts,' Etain said with a disarming smile. 'I know what you mean. I try to make what I have last as long as possible. Except alarm clocks. I go through them like they're going out of style.' She chuckled lightly. 'And I've learnt that you do have to make every moment count. Because you never know when those moments will stop.' She smiled at Kari and nodded. 'Oh yes, anticipation is all part of the fun. As the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait". And tonight will certainly be fun.' She leaned forwards slightly, looking into Kari's eyes with her own, partly lidded ones.

'Well, you may just see me in it at some time,' Etain said. 'And out of it,' she added with a wink. 'Oh, I'm through with rushing. I want to start taking my time and enjoying ever mouthful of the wonderful dessert coming tonight.' When Kari licked her lips a shiver ran through Etain, causing her to lick her own lips in anticipation. 'Oh, god yes!' Etain laughed, shook her head. 'I dislike stakeouts with a passion. They're so boring, but usually I have to do them on my own, which is even worse! No one to talk to, no one to take over so you can catch some kip. No one to keep you sane!' She laughed again. 'And no one to keep you warm on those cold, lonely nights,' she added with a wink.

"I've never had an issue with my alarms, I tend to wake up three minutes before the alarm goes off. Maybe if you made the few moments before your alarm goes off count, you'd save a few bits of plastic the danger of being on your bad side." Kari teased. "But at least you won't be needing one tomorrow, I'll happily share my gift with you tonight. It's one of many." Kari crossed her legs and smiled Etain.

"All this talk about dressing up, I think first we ought to find a place that deserves to have us arrive in full dress, without the addition of bruises and cuts. Some place well worth the effort of avoiding idiots with elbows and knife wielding psychopaths. But we can think of that tomorrow or whenever. Everything in its own time.

"We generally work them in pairs, at least on the rare occasion I'm paired with somebody to do one. Though I wouldn't recommend using your partner to keep warm on a stakeout, you tend to miss things. still, taking turns sleeping or using the restroom, even getting coffee and snacks is so valuable. You just can't plan ahead with that nonsense. You should get yourself a partner."

'I've always had sleep problems, you see,' Etain explained. 'Ever since I was a kid, me and sleep have had a difficult relationship. So I need an alarm clock to make sure I'm awake in time. In fact, I have two alarm clocks, one next to my bed, the other across the room. That way, I can't just turn the alarm off while still asleep. I have to get out of bed to turn the second one off. Which is quite annoying when I don't want to get out of bed.' She chuckled and shook her head. 'Aye, I feel sorry for the alarm clocks, but I at least give them a proper seeing off.' As Kari continued, Etain arched an eyebrow. 'That is a rather generous gift,' she said with a smile. 'And that's one of many? Well, I must find a way to thank you properly for all these gifts. How would you like me to thank you?' She leaned forwards slightly, her eyes half lidded.

'Oh definitely. While this is a nice place, I think we're plenty dressed up for here. I wonder if there is a place worth the effort of avoiding idiots with bony elbows and knife wielding psychopaths? I can think of a couple of places, where we wouldn't have to avoid psychopaths, and we could dress up if we wanted to. Though the dress code isn't that strict.' She winked at Kari, before she leant back. 'But, as you say, everything in its own time.'

'I've never worked with a partner before,' Etain admitted. 'Well, there was that one time. But it was more we were working on the same case, and decided to work together, before we went our separate ways.' She smiled slightly as she remembered Riko. 'But stakeouts would be slightly less boring if I could do them with someone else. And a lot more convenient. But being a PI is kind of a lonely line of work. We work together if and when our cases are the same, or a case requests more than one, but otherwise, we work alone.' She shrugged. 'Work is hard to come by as it is, without sharing in the pay.' She sighed. 'I kind of wish it wasn't like that, but that's the way it is,' she said with a shrug.

"If I were you, I'd do away with the two alarm clocks. One across the room might work and it would at least avoid the danger of me throwing an alarm clock at another alarm clock. I wouldn't trust my aim in the morning." Kari smiled leaned forward, her elbows perched on the table. "Well, I'm sure we can find some way." She lightly kissed a finger and put it to Etain's lips. "I'm not averse to playing dress up, only I think the best places for dressup are far more suited to more exciting activities." Kari winked and then laughed, leaning back into her chair. "But we'll have lots of time to explore those places later."

"A partnership of convenience, makes sense. When we're actually working we generally get a partner, or at least somebody close by. Back up is important." Sheheld her right elbow as her right hand made gesturing motions. "It's not just about convenience. It's important to know that you've got somebody behind you when the chips are down. Somebody to support you, to back you up. It's kind of a freeing force." She thought for a moment. "You know, what if you made a franchise kind of thing. People are less likely to stiff your bill if you're a company. Several people means you can have them all on one important case or a bunch of little cases." She shrugged. "Something to think about I guess."

'Well, my aim isn't the greatest to begin with. So the clock on the far side of the room is safe at the best of times,' Etain said with a slight chuckle. When Kari leant forwards, then kissed her finger and put it to her lips, Etain blushed slightly, though that didn't stop her from kissing Kari's finger in return. 'It's been awhile since I've played dress up. The last time I played dress up, well, let's just say it lead to a lot of interesting incidents.' Etain smiled at the wink, gave one of her own in return and laughed. 'I'm looking forwards to exploring with you later.'

'It makes sense, but it's not always the most convenient set up. It depends on if you know you can trust your partner not to double cross you, or just leave you hanging.' She shrugged. 'You'd think that they would want to prove how trustworthy they are by working together, and not backstabbing their partner. As their partner could send out how untrustworthy they are. But it seems that some don't think like that.' She sighed and shrugged again. She smiled as Kari began to make gestures with her hand, finding it kind of cute. 'That makes sense, but doesn't always work out that way. Again, you have to know you can trust your partner, which, in the PI business, isn't always easy.'

Etain thought about what Kari suggested, running the idea around in her head. 'I've already got a website and email address,' she said. 'And I know at least one other who might go in on the idea. But her boss, on the other hand, I don't know at all. I might have to see if I can talk to him.' She thought some more, rubbing her chin, tapping her cheek. 'It's something to think about,' she muttered. She blinked and looked at Kari, suddenly remembering where she was and with whom. 'Sorry,' she apologised, her cheeks colouring. 'I got carried away with ideas.' She smiled, her eyebrow arching slightly. 'I'll make it up to you later,' she said, with a wink.