Gavin was slowly reading a newspaper behind the Employment Agency when April came out to tell him Isabella had requested his presence inside. Somewhere to share a drink with? Being a diplomat was hard work. 

With a grin, he folded the paper and stood, straightening his jacket. He was wearing a black suit with a light blue shirt that matched nicely with his greying hair and tanned skin. He was confident and even slightly bored as he strolled to the waiting room of the South Philadelphia Employment Agency to find a young woman waiting for him there.

"Nice to meet you, Miss. Gavin Byrne. My wife asked me to keep you company while you waited for her. Can I offer you something to drink?"

Katherine had arrived at the Employment Agency just as promptly in the morning as she thought was appropriate.  She had been up quite early as she found herself anxious and yet excited to meet Mrs. Byrne again.  But as she came into the office, she was very confused when another young woman came in right behind her.  April was very nice as she had been the first time, and said she'd let Mrs. Byrne know she was here.  Katherine carefully hoisted her backpack a little higher on her shoulder almost protectively.  She wasn't certain she liked running around with someone else's money...  Especially this amount.  But she had come here to take on a job and that was the job given her.  So you could bet your sweet...  Well whatever it is that people bet...  That she would successfully complete it or die trying.

In any case, it wasn't but a few moments before Mrs. Byrne made her presence known.  Kat's heart sped up a tad as she saw the woman that she had met before.  She liked her smile she found...  Somehow it put her it at ease.  She was excited to show Mrs. Byrne the finished job as well as the extra she had earned and may or may not have added to the pile of cash, as well as sorted the bills by type and organized them so that all the bills faced the same way.  Alright so there was something wrong with her, but hey.  She'd own it.

But!  It seemed it was not time to hand it over as Mrs. Byrne spoke of her meeting with her husband beforehand while she spoke with the other lovely one who had made her way into the office.  Kat's heart hammered as the implications became apparent.  The man she sought after was a Gavin Byrne.  Isabella shared a last name which meant either it was a brother, uncle, cousin, or somehow related to her, or...  Husband.  After all, Byrne wasn't all too common a last name, was it?  Katherine kept a calm facade before nodding politely to Isabella as she disappeared with the other young lady.

So it was that Kat found herself quietly wandering the lobby, trying hard to keep down her racing heart...  As well as her breakfast.  Goodness shew as thankful that she had eaten light that morning.  Gazing up at some stray spot on the wall, she tried to gather herself.  "Come on Kitty...  It could all be a coincidence.  Honestly...  His name could be Jerry, or Steve, or Travis..."  She bit her lip softly and totally managed to miss the sound of approaching footsteps until they had stopped close by.  Those warm brown eyes blinked wide as he spoke, causing her to turn rapidly to face him.  His warm voice rumbled forth as those eyes found her own.  They were a striking blue and she felt drawn into them immediately.  

Her own eyes, a warm chocolate brown, blinked a couple of times as she found herself struck dumb.  Gavin Byrne...  His name drifted to her ears like the sweetest music on a summer's breeze.  There he was standing before her.  The man that she only imagined all her life.  A phantom that her mother refused to speak of.  One that she could only guess at the features of both a physical nature and emotional.  Honestly she had begun to think he was only a figment of her imagination, but immaculate conception didn't seem like a viable likelihood...  So she had to have a father out there somewhere didn't she?  Her mother had left her with a name and not much more...  He had spoken that name and here he stood before her...  Get yourself together Katherine!  

It could still be a coincidence. 

Either way her heart hammered in her chest as her mind went absolutely blank.  Isabella had asked him to come have a drink with her while she waited...  But her mind was still stuck on his name.  Finally she figured it would be better to speak rather than look like a fish with her mouth agape.  So straightening her petite form, she looked the man in the eye putting forth all the confidence that she could muster.  "Katherine Pryde if it pleases you sir.  It's a pleasure to meet you."  Well spoken, that was a lesson that her mother hounded again and again.  Always be well spoken and polite.  It could save your hide.  "Thank you sir, a drink would be lovely.  Is there iced tea?"  Given her age, she wasn't typically offered anything stronger so she had taken a fondness to the drink.  But as she spoke, her eyes took up a light of mischief in them and a bit of a grin lit up her face right up to those expressive eyes.  A grin that she wore with pride despite how her mother would purse her lips every time she wore it.  Now Kat never knew why but she never elaborated.  "Unless of course you don't mind sharing something stronger with me unlike most every other person I've met so far.  I've been dying to try that which they call a Shandy."  She chuckled softly as she tilted her head to the other side and shifted the backpack again.  Honestly she was just simply still trying to get hold of her racing pulse before she passed out from it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Kat? Katie? Katherine? Any preference?"

He indicated a small table with a pair of comfortable chairs where they could sit and wait. He grinned at her when she mentioned her drink preferences.

"I don't see why not. You're an adult, yes?"

Receiving a nod, Gavin requested a whisky and a shandy from one of the bodyguards standing by. 

"So tell me, what sort of work have you been doing for my wife? What brings you here to South Philly?"

"Whichever you like.  Most call me Kat, but I don't have a preference."  She may not have a preference, but one could see the way she stiffened when he said Katherine.  Her movements carried her with a carefree nature toward the table.  But as if remembering what she was supposed to be doing, her posture lifted again as she seated herself with a small smile.  'Mind your posture Katherine.'  Her mother's words floated to her mind as she sat and she stiffened her spine to sit up straight.  She looked over to the man watching as he made his approach, her eyes searching for...  Something.  But as soon as his eyes met hers again, she glanced to the table before back up again.

His words brought a quick nod and a spark to her eyes as she smiled in response.  Oh yes she was an adult!  Heck, she was rising in the ranks even faster than her mother, she would say that she was an adult.  She had to contain herself as a wiggle of delight threatened to overtake her small form.  She smiled warmly to the bodyguard who didn't even so much as hesitate to go and get the drinks.  Brilliant!  She looked back to the man with a new light in those eyes although it was carefully shrouded by the control she sought to portray.  

"I met your wife very recently upon my visit to Philadelphia.  Finding myself in some need of fluid funds, she offered me employment.  I was to go take a sum of money to a casino, purchase chips, wait for a time and then sell the chips back."  She furrowed her brows a little, once again her control over her expressions slipping a tad.  "If I'm honest I didn't know why..."  She quickly wished she hadn't said that.  To admit uncertainty could be met with death...  But she straightened her form once again as her hand subconsciously went to the backpack.  "The task is done however."

"Kat it is, then."

He thanked the bodyguard as he returned with a whisky and a shandy, and he handed the drink to the young woman sitting across from him. He smirked as she told her story.

"I don't know why I do half the things I do either. But it seems like you were successful, which is certainly a good start. Are you new here in Philadelphia? Or just visiting?"

A small smile drifted to her lips as she dipped her head in silent thanks to the bodyguard as he delivered their drinks.  She took her drink in her hand with a slightly broader smile to Gavin.  She liked this man.  Her eyes bespoke a fairly clear 'thank you' or perhaps a 'thank goodness' that he didn't choose to call her Katherine.  

Moving to take a sip, she paused as his question was asked.  She lowered her drink before taking her first sip before giving a small smile.  "Honestly I've found myself settled in Los Angeles, but my wandering heart longs to see more of the world even if that's where I've chosen to call my home."  Her gaze moved back up to search his face in silence.  There was certainly more that she wasn't letting on and yet how could she blurt out that she was also searching for her father and she thought he might be him?  Yea...  The loony bin for her for sure. "Philadelphia is such a beautiful place...  Have you lived here long?"

Gavin sampled his whisky, but paced himself since it was still earlier in the day.

"Most of my life. I bounced around the country for a while in my 20s, but I settled here permanently a couple decades ago. Where else are you hoping to visit?"

Kat gazed down at her shandy for a moment and as he sipped his whiskey and then began to speak, she finally allowed herself to try her own drink.  She sipped it and her eyes widened a touch as she swirled the liquid around her mouth.  What a curious flavor!  And as it slid down into her belly it warmed her from the inside out just a little...  Oh yes.  She liked this one.  She liked it a lot!

She listened intently as Gavin spoke and she nodded a little her eyes glued upon him as she drank in every detail.  What if it was no coincidence...  Could this man be...  Be who she was seeking?  And had she found him so quickly in her search?  Did fate have a kind streak?  But she grinned a little and nodded.  She had lived in one place the majority of her life.  Only recently had she taken to traveling all across the US in her ventures.  She merely grinned at him taking another healthy sip of her drink before setting it down.  

His questions made her eyes light up and she beamed at him.  "Well...  To be honest, I've already seen so much of the states...  I want to see the world...  Paris...  Sicily...  Germany Rome Russia!"  She gave a slightly giddy giggle before she suddenly seemed to realize her silly state and she once again withdrew within herself again with another sip of her drink.  "Anywhere and everywhere really..."  She murmured softly in closing to her enthusiasm.  "At least until I find...  What this world has for me."  She was lost, and yet even now she wouldn't completely admit it to herself.

Gavin leaned back in his chair, resting one of his ankles on the other knee as he relaxed and allowed himself to reminiscence.

"I've been to all those places, actually. Russia was more of a... direct business trip... where I didn't have much time for sightseeing. But I spent a few weeks in Sicily, and I actually got married outside of Paris."

He grinned.

"And that's good. You should bounce around as a young person. Just don't wait for things to happen to you. Go off on your adventures and go chase them down. Then, when you're old, at least you know you gave it your best shot, right?"

Gavin winked as he finished his drink, but waved off the bodyguard when he moved to get him another. He had to pace himself today.

Katherine sat up straight as a rod as she interacted with the man before her.  The stark differences in posture were almost comical.  Her mother's voice kept ringing in her head.  But one could easily see that she was absolutely hanging on the man's every word, her eyes gazing hungrily into his.  But seeking what?  Who honestly knew?  As he spoke of having been to three of the top places on her list of places to see in this world, she let out a delighted giggle.  "Have any plans to visit again?"  She laughed lightly simply beaming over at him even as she began to relax her posture just a little as she took yet another draw from her glass.  She was not being nearly as mindful as he in how fast she inhaled the drink.  Already she sat at just past the two third mark.  

"Married outside of Paris...  Oh that must have been just...  Amazing!"  She enthused softly as she leaned forward a bit.  She nodded gently at his affirmation, but a few of his words rang out strong in her mind.  She latched onto those emotionally with both hands.  Don't wait for things to happen to you...  Now Kat knew very well that he was talking about travel...  Especially with his followup statement but there was something else on her mind that this statement also applied to.  She nodded softly as if affirming something silently to herself.  She would once again take a long drink from her glass, finishing it off before daintily setting it down again.  Feeling a tad unsteady, she enjoyed the way it warmed her all the way into the pit of her belly.  But she drew a deep breath, gently worrying her lip with a canine tooth as she thought briefly how to say what she wished.  

"Mr. Byrne...  This may seem...  A strange question.  But do you know a Valerie Pryde?"  As she spoke in a soft timber, her gaze remained down upon the table between them right up until she uttered the name of her beloved mother.  At this name, her gaze snapped to Gavin's, her warm gentle brown eyes suddenly severe and almost frantic.  That was the question that plagued her since the letter she had received.  The letter that lay folded in her purse...  It lay there like a dagger to her heart as well as a hope for tomorrow...  She hated it and loved it all at the same time...  She had wanted to burn it, but read it so many times that she had every word memorized...  And it was the only clue she had to any family she had possibly left...  And the man before her...  At least shared a name with the man on the page.  

And it terrified her...  But she wasn't going to wait for things to happen to her.  Not if she could help it.  Oh she only wished she were better at this tact thing.

"Mr. Byrne...  This may seem...  A strange question.  But do you know a Valerie Pryde?"

Gavin paused and grew thoughtful. It was a name that he knew he knew... and Valerie was...

Biting his lip slightly as he recollected, Gavin faded away for a moment into his memory.

***

It was the heat that he remembered first. A dry heat, sure. But when the temperature hit 110 degrees in Phoenix you didn't stand outside thinking "well, at least it's a dry heat"; you just fucking melted. Tara had sent him here to make some local contacts and organize some importing of product, but Gavin had largely wrapped up his business. Lately, he'd been focusing more on pleasure. And tonight was no different.

Gavin, like many predators in the desert, had taken to sleeping during the day. As dusk hit, he emerged from sleep and went on the prowl. Tonight, he was visiting a new club. The sun had long since disappeared below the horizon, and the party was just getting started. The band was loud, and the people dancing had shed most of their unnecessary clothing- some because they were too warm and others who were simply looking for an excuse to show off their physique. 

Gavin was in the latter group, wearing light grey pants and a loose white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top few buttons undone. The scars on his chest were visible through the neck of the shirt, but the light was low in the club. Besides, if anyone asked about him, he'd be happy to spin a story.

He sipped his rum and coke, having lost count of how many he'd had that night and not particularly caring. He scanned the crowd, looking for...

There she was. A true beauty: long chestnut hair; warm, intelligent brown eyes scanning the crowd; a face that looked like it'd been chiseled out of marble. Whoever she was, she was sitting alone at the bar... and she needed more Gavin in her life.

With a cocksure grin, Gavin made his way over to her and leaned against the bar next to her. He spoke loudly so he could be heard clearly over the band.

"Hi! What're you drinking?"

Sighing softly, she watched as those she had arrived with were making complete idiots of themselves.  "Honestly..."  She murmured softly as she swirled the remnants of her drink around in an irritated fashion.  She gazed down into it before taking a small sip of the dark liquid and enjoying the way it slid warmly down her throat.  Now this piece of the evening she loved.   One of her friends was picking up the tab.  She was highly considering another already.  Why in the world did she allow herself to be talked into this...  Valerie sighed softly as she reclined a tad against the bar behind her as she simply watched the interactions around the bar.  She wouldn't allow herself to let loose nearly as much as those crazy fools she called friends, even if she was already slightly intoxicated.  She knew very well that one who let their guard go completely to pieces typically ended up in pieces themselves.  That wasn't going to be her.  Nothing happened without her knowing.  Nothing.  

Perhaps that was why it was such a surprise when a young man suddenly leaned against the bar top beside her, shocking her out of her reverie while she was observing those dancing and just enjoying themselves.  She didn't allow the surprise to show much more than a raise of her eyebrows, but she didn't so much as turn that gaze upon him just yet as she lifted her drink to her lips, allowing the rest of the drink to disappear.  "Rum and coke, but I'm highly tempted to request a lack of coke in the next one."  She admitted softly with a wry smile before finally turning that warm chocolate gaze upon him.  Habitually she reached down to smooth the edge of her casual knee length scarlet summer dress.  She always did like wearing red...  A belt was tied neatly at her midriff and she wore dark heels on her feet, even if it wasn't the most practical.  

She finally gave a smaller more comfortable smile.  She didn't know this man, but it was clear he was just being nice.  He didn't deserve her shrew-like attitude, even if she did wish she were miles away from here.  She had work to do...  But she had been convinced that some relaxation was in order but here she was at the bar while those that brought her went insane...  But that simply wasn't something that she could do...  Or at least wasn't what she was willing to do.  "New around here?  Can't say I've seen you around..." 

Gavin turned the wattage of his grin up to 11 as he moved closer to the woman. She seemed slightly detached from the party, whereas most other people were throwing themselves into it. She sat with a straightness in her back that seemed out of place amidst the dancing and debauchery.

"Rum and coke, but I'm highly tempted to request a lack of coke in the next one." 

Gavin flagged down the bartender.

"Two glasses of rum. The good stuff. And no ice; it'd turn to water in thirty seconds anyways."

As the bartender hurried off, Gavin focused his attention on the woman in front of him. Her eyes were more intoxicating than anything on the shelf behind the bar, and Gavin found himself moving incrementally closer to her as they continued to speak.

"New around here?  Can't say I've seen you around..." 

"I can assure you you'd remember me if you had. And even if I'm overestimating myself there, I would have remembered seeing you before."

The bartender placed the two glasses of straight rum on the bar and Gavin dug into his pocket for a handful of bills. He went through money like breathing, without ever knowing his own finances. Having a sister talented with numbers had its perks.

"Here's to you, Miss..."

Gavin raised a glass, fishing for the woman's name. 

Valerie carefully schooled her expression into one of casual indifference and yet it was an expression she had to fight to hold.  Something about the way the young man before her just grinned at her was infectious.  It made those traitorous corners of her lips want to lift but she forced herself to look away.  But her distraction and efforts to look indifferent were made quite plain as she made an attempt to sip at an empty glass.  Blinking a couple times she set the glass back down before folding her hands neatly in front of her as she sat up a bit straighter if possible. She glanced out into the crowd to see if she could spot those she came with.  Yup...  Right about in the same place they were at the last time.  She subconsciously rolled her eyes a little.  She didn't understand how one could let them go so much that they engaged in the activities that many here in the club were.  She sighed gently and pulled her gaze away as the first and likely only flash of uncertainty made it's way into those heavily guarded eyes.

Her attention was drawn back to the nice looking man beside her even as he moved a tad closer than was comfortable.  But then again her comfort zone was quite large so she didn't object too strongly for the moment.  She felt her lips twitch a tad again in the threat of a smile as he ordered two glasses of rum.  Perfect...  That sounded beautiful.  Honestly she wanted to find that line that she had found a number of times before this.  She found a line just there between finding she didn't care anymore and completely losing herself.  She wasn't sure she ever wanted to step off on the side of losing herself...  She held herself far more in check than that.  

Her eagle eyes missed nothing...  She caught him moving just a bit closer, even as they spoke.  She edged just a tad away, shrouding the movement in just simple shifting rather than the intentional moving away that it was.  She didn't know this man...  And this fact made her wary.  Even so, as the liquid fire coursed through her veins, she began to feel a tad emboldened...  As well as a tad foggy.  So finally she proverbially threw caution to the side and shifted closer to him this time.

As he spoke in response to her question, she couldn't help the quirk of her brow.  His words started out fairly typical for the young men she tended to run into...  And yet as he continued...  Those words caught her attention.  A  young man who could admit that he wasn't the center of the universe?  That was rare in the circles she ran in.  Perhaps it wasn't as rare a trait as she once figured though...  Yet once again before she could properly respond with more than a small nod in acknowledgement, distraction came...  This time in the form of the rum being placed before them.  She smiled almost warmly to the bartender, although oddly enough, that smile did not reach her eyes.  But at the same time, she murmured her thanks before sipping the rum  Oh yes.  She enjoyed this very much.  "Doubtful.  I'm sure I'd blend right in with the kaleidoscope of lovely women that you interact with on a daily basis."  Finally...  A slight snap and a playful half smile was given from the young woman before him as she raised her glass to him in response.   "Pryde...  Valerie Pryde."  She stated softly as her glass was raised and she returned his gesture with one of her own.  "And what may I call you?"  

"No more than I blend in with the dozens of men knocking on your door, Valerie. My name is Gavin Byrne. Here's to new acquaintances."

He clinked his glass against hers with a smirk as he quickly starting making a dent on his glass of rum. With his situational awareness, he noticed her eyes repeatedly flicking over to a group of women dancing and laughing in the thick of the dance floor.

"Keeping an eye on some friends?"

A soft yelp of laughter came from her as the young man countered her jab with such ease and grace that it made her eyes spark in amusement.  Honest amusement, and not just that silly emotion that she put on every so often to make others happy.  She dipped her head a little as she lifted her glass to him.  "Touche...  Although I should be only so lucky."  Her words were dry speaking of a wry humor in sarcasm, it was clear that she found that to be a disdainful idea and would internally scoff at the notion.  But for now she'd humor the man before her with a bit of true amusement.  Keeping her poise straight and with little room for nonsense, she lifted her glass in a response to his toast.  "Sometimes they're some of the best kind."  Smiling lightly at this, in a near wistful manner, one might wonder if there was more to that simple statement.  Once said, she would take a draw of her drink slipping her eyes closed as she enjoyed the burn.  "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Byrne."  

Once again those eyes would travel off to the dance floor and she would sit a little straighter once more taking another sip, smaller this time.  His words brought a light nod as she indicated to a group of four girls moving to the music wearing hardly anything at all.  They certainly held the attention of a number of young men as they danced.  The look in her eyes was conflicted.  She was here to enjoy the night with them, but she couldn't so much as bring herself to remove her overshirt.  Her clothes were a light fabric but still she wore enough clothes to properly cover herself leaving everything to the imagination.  "My friends."  She stated softly as she idly tugged at a sleeve, straightening it before smoothing a hand over her skirt. "How about you?  Are you here with anyone?"  She could hardly imagine a handsome rogue such as him without a lady somewhere.  But as her gaze scanned, she didn't see any that were obvious.

Gavin sipped his rum slowly; he was in no particular rush. Some were better if they were drawn out, after all. The woman in front of him seemed conflicted as she looked at her friends.

"I'm here alone- just a lost soul looking for companionship."

He indicated her friends with his glass of rum.

"Sometimes you look at them like you want to be out there with them, but other times you seem to disapprove. Boyfriend holding you back?"

Valerie licked her lips quietly as she enjoyed her drink and it's lovely numbing effect.  But she was paying quite a bit of attention to that certain gaggle of girls, but the further into her drink she got, the less often she checked in on them.  Besides...  She did have a lovely distraction here beside her.  The further she got into her drink, the more she enjoyed the sight of him.  Hit words brought a slight headtilt from the young woman and she nodded thoughtfully.  Honestly if she'd be willing to be honest with herself she was here for the same thing.  But she'd never say that out loud, not even after he had. She couldn't very well admit that she was a lost soul now could she?  

His observation brought a light chuckle from the woman as she tipped her drink once more before swirling it thoughtfully for a moment.  "You're quite the observant one aren't you?"  She quipped softly before sighing gently and shaking her head a tad.  "No boyfriend...  Just too many inhibitions I suppose..."  She smiled with the closest manner of sheepishness that she likely ever got.  She would not allow her to hit that point of reckless abandon that her other girls had, which was why she sat here observing at the bar instead of in the midst of the moving forms there upon the dance floor.  And yet as Gavin had hit right on the head, there was a longing shrouded between layers of well mannered shielding.  

"In my line of work, it pays to be observant. I'm a gambler, among other things."

No boyfriend. Gavin smirked.

"Would it be so bad to lose those inhibitions for one night? Consider it... research. If you try it and don't like it, you'll at least understand your friends a little bit more. And who knows? You might actually have fun. I'll make a deal with you. Let's finish our drinks, and let me take you out there for a couple spins around the dance floor- somewhere where you can't see your friends and you can just focus on yourself. If you're not enjoying yourself by the end of the third dance, I'll admit defeat. What do you say, Val?"

Gavin flashed his best smile before raising his glass to his lips. 

"A gambler hmm?"  A tilt of her head was given, but she wiped that expression to a merely curious one.  It was uncertain whether the woman approved or not.  She nodded a little in understanding.  "You must be quite good if your powers of observation are so high."  Again there was a line between approval and disapproval that she shrouded to herself.  One might wonder if Miss Valerie herself was a gambler.  

Valerie would covertly watch out of the corner of her eye for any response to her lack of boyfriend.  This man was on the prowl...  And his response was one she predicted.  And yet unlike a number of the other men who approached her on manners such as these, she couldn't bring herself to mind...  And she was to be counted the first among those that were surprised.  Again it was something she would keep to herself.  Honestly she made it a habit to be as boring as possible with these things...  But as the drink took hold, more and more showed in those eyes...  The way they flickered more often to the man beside her than to the girls on the dance floor, the way they twinkled and then averted when his met her own.  What the heck...  What was she? Some lovestruck school girl?  Ugh.  Get a grip Valerie.

But there he was...  His warm voice washing over her again.  This time he was proposing an...  Interesting proposal.  She cocked her head to the side as she listened intently just after the word 'Research' was brought forth.  Oh yes, he was an observant one.  Two minutes with her and already he knew how to snag her attention.  Or was that the drink flowing in her veins talking?  Honestly who knows how many she had already gotten in her before he had gotten to her?  As he finished his idea, her shoulders and spine straightened once again as her chin lifted at the nickname that was uttered so casually.  "M-"  She quickly bit back the retort that usually flew every time someone shortened her name.  But one look into those icy cool depths whisked such thoughts far from her mind and the shrew's shoulders released their tension just a little.  Only a little...  But at the same time a mischievous glint took up in her eyes.  Those same eyes moved to check on the girls one last time before she lifted her glass and tipped the bottom toward the ceiling, the last little bit of her run sliding effortlessly down to fuel her attempt at being spontaneous.  She'd show them.  "Let's experiment..."