Kai Flanagan

Ezra was glad to be back at work. He’d never expected New Years to go the way it had. The party had been fun but the end took a dark turn that left his outfit stained with blood. He wasn’t so bothered by getting stuck in the elevator, though watching a man lose his prosthetic to a door was a bit rough. He’d been able to offer first aid to a few people, including Hadley. He’d never been more concerned about making sure she lived, granted he rarely knew the people he worked on as a paramedic. Sure there were a few regulars that they’d be called out to but for the most part his job moved him all around the district. It made him more invested. 

Shaking his head from darker thoughts when a voice pipped up. He offered the younger man a smile and nodded motioning for him to sit down. Kai was a regular at Illusion, paid to dance so they’d gotten used to seeing each other around. “Take a seat, do you want a water or something stronger?” 

“Hey Ezra, how you doin’ tonight?” He asked, taking the seat and shifting to find a comfortable position. His muscles were starting to feel the fatigue of dancing and grinding for six hours. In the moment, the adrenaline and experience keeps him moving, but after the moving stops everything sets in. It’s nice, because he doesn’t have to work out as much to maintain his weight, just the regular muscle exercises to keep toned. That and the diet to keep fitting into the skimpy underwear they make him wear.

“A water would probably be good but I definitely want something stronger.” He glanced around to see what other patrons were entering. “Give me a rum and diet no ice, and a couple shots of,” he debated on what kind of shots for a moment. “Just surprise me with the shots, I trust you.” Ezra was an excellent bartender, Kai knew he wouldn’t give him something he wouldn’t like. He stretched his arms over his head to break up the tension in his shoulders. His bag of tips still sat on his lap, so he grabbed it and started to sort and straighten it out.

“Has the bar been busy?” It was a Sunday, but he hoped that Ezra was getting some good money tonight. Kai ended early so there was still time for the club to get busier. 

Charlie hadn’t really wanted to come out tonight. She’d had one too many designs to work on; one too many dresses to fix. But, a friend had dragged her to the local club and, after watching some dancing that even she had to admit was brilliant her friend ditched her for a private session. Since they rode together, Charlie didn’t exactly what to abandon her to the night, so she walked out to the front of the bar, sliding her way into a leather chair, further in the back, and started to doodle on the nearest napkin.

Pulled from her thoughts from a voice, Charlie couldn’t help but smile. He looked familiar, and with a start she realized he might’ve been a dancer, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she tilted her head, and patted the seat next to her.

“Always open,” she grinned, raising a glass to him. “The more company the merrier, or so they say. Especially since my friend ditched me for a hot stripper. I guess I can’t blame her, really. Girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

"Thanks," Kai answered, settling himself next to her and raised his glass in response to hers. "Cheers." He chuckled while he took a long pull from his drink. “Don’t be too mad at your friend, it happens a lot.” He looked around to try and spot which dancer was missing from the floor but he couldn’t place him. It was likely someone new or someone he didn’t know well. Kai didn’t make a huge habit of getting close to all of his co-workers, the job had a high turnover rate. Not many people wanted to make a career out of taking their clothes off for money.

“She must not be into gingers.” He laughed again. “It’s okay, I just got off. I’m Kai by the way. Have to say, love your outfit. Do you come here often?” Kai didn’t know much about clothes, especially women’s clothes. He did know that it was nice for women to hear though and everyone in the current climate of the world could use a few compliments. 

She was still recovering - happily staying put in her room, with no urge to get back to work or do anything outside of her doctor’s orders. Staying put within the confines of the hospital was fine with her, the wound in her stomach slowly healing. She had been told that she was lucky; that a few centimeters to either side would have hit more dire internal organs, but for now, she was on the mend. 

Noticing a presence in her doorway she grabbed her remote and turned the TV down, leaving Jeopardy! playing idly in the background as she managed a weak smile in their direction. “You can come in. I feel much better than I look, I promise.”

At the hospital, he double checked the scrap of paper in his hand for what room she was in and headed to that floor. He hated the smell of hospitals, it brought back too many memories of his younger years spent visiting or as a patient. Plus, everything was just so clean and white. It made his stomach do a flip. He made his way to the room and lingered in the door for a second to see if she was awake before entering. When she said something, he laughed and moved in. 

“Hey, nice place you got here.” He smiled looking around the room. “Sorry, I missed the party. How are you holding up Ms. Sinclair?” Kai set the flowers on her bedside table and took a seat nearby.