Why was she here? Why was she alone? And why did she wear a dress like this?

These three questions had been plaguing the sensible part of her brain for at least half an hour now. The 'here' was Signature nightclub, which she hadn't visited in months and for good reason. The club owner was an 'old friend' as in 'guy who used to make her life hell in Hogwarts'. There was also the fact that it simply wasn't her type of place. Too loud, too crowded and full of too many people that would have mocked her those years ago. They weren't mocking her now, which she felt was in part (If not mostly) because of the dress she had picked up earlier that day. It wasn't an ugly dress by any means. It fit her like a glove in all the right ways and the red brought out her eyes in such a way that her gaze was fiercer then before, if that was possible. She felt stronger and more elegant in it, like she was different somehow, but perhaps that was the problem. She felt like someone else.

Ah, that was why she came, wasn't it? To escape? She felt her sensible conscious nagging her, reminding her that pretending to be someone she wasn't was hardly the best way to go about gaining confidence. It just made you confident in a nonexistent person. The other part of her, the one with all the passion and desires, insisted rather vehemently that she was this girl and that the sensible bit should go and stick its head in a freezer. She was a graceful, powerful goddess with her eye-catching dress, towering heels and ruby red lips. That was the real Kia.

She didn't know which one was right, but she was willing to try the 'exciting thrill seeker' side of her personality for once. After meeting with one of her coworkers, Michael Styx, at the Old Saxophone a week or so ago, she had been really considering her hermit lifestyle. He had given her some confidence to break down a few walls that she had built up around herself. Now, a week later, she was off at a crowded nightclub dressed like a whore. Oh lord, there was the doubt again!

Kia, realizing her mistake, decided to try and make a beeline to the exit. She got part of the way to the stairs when a broad chest in an expensive, but gaudy, shirt cut her off. Her eyes traveled over the muscled chest to the broad shoulders and up into what had to be the skeeziest grin she had ever seen on such a douchey face. It was the kind of grin that was often called a 'Panty-dropper' by other guys who wore it, but just made Kia want to punch in him the smug face. Unfortunately, the jostling bodies kept her from getting enough arm room for a good haymaker. "Heeeeey, beautiful.... Leaving so soon?" He slurred, his breath containing enough alcohol to leave her a bit dizzy. "... The party just arrived". He obviously meant himself, which made her want to punch him harder. Just a little bit harder, perhaps enough to break something.

"If that is the case, I'm leaving..." She said flatly, trying to push past him. A beefy hand wrapped around her bicep with a light but firm grip and the shaved gorilla growled in what he probably assumed was a sexy purr "Don't be like that baby... I--" He was cut off when Kia's free arm shot out and her tightly balled fist buried itself into his already well abused kidney. He let out a weird groan as he started to double over, his grip loosening enough on her to slip free. Just to make sure he was incapacitated, she buried her heel into the top of his foot with enough force to cause him to stumble back into the crowd, snarling in pain. "Asshole." She muttered, turning and quickly pushing her way through the dancers.

When she got to the stairs leading down to the entrance area, she thought she was safe. But then she heard a 'Hey you!" and glanced back to see the unfortunately still standing git pushing his way towards her. "Shite." She groaned and started to jog down the steps as fast as her heels could take her. Stumbling into the entrance hall, his footfalls not far behind, Kia looked around frantically for something to hide her. Nothing, no drapes, no doorways, not even a large plant. It was then that she saw the only patron in the room, sitting alone on one of the benches.

With the foot steps on the stairs behind her growing louder, Kia didn't have time to think about what she was doing. Striding over to the young man, who seemed to be studying (She didn't have time to even wonder WHY someone would choose such a place to study), Kia sat down abruptly. "Look, I don't know you and you don't know me... but I really need you to pretend you do and... uh... please forgive me for this..." She said, breathlessly, as she grabbed the coat he had sitting next to him and draped it over her shoulders. Without giving him a chance to retort, or even ask why she was stealing his jacket, Kia grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

Eamonn was not what you might call a 'party animal'.  He'd only come to Signature tonight to have the din of other people around him for a while; that was one thing missing from his hermetic home life, after all.  Sure, it could get a bit busy around Kronos Malvivicus, with people chatting and making noise around the common areas of his castles and palaces, but after a while you just started losing it being steeped in that strange environment.  Living alongside the eccentric crimelord could get to be rather surreal.  It was a good idea to get out for a reality check every once in a while. 

Eamonn had taken up a booth in the bar earlier, hovering over an old text on Ancient Runes and scribbling notes in his personal journal (shooting daggers at anyone who looked like they might approach).  He avoided getting in any way involved in the nightlife surrounding him as it started early in the evening, but half-welcomed the white noise of the (albeit stupid) happy people and their clinking glasses and steins.  He was the kind of person who could study in any atmosphere, and he almost thrived on the music of their swears and laughter.  Nursing a glass of dark Elven wine, Eamonn ignored everything outside of the comforting noise and his pages of parchment. 

At a certain point in the night, however, he'd decided to relocate to get away from the growing crowds of increasingly inebriated people and finish his chapter in peace.  He rolled his eyes at a group of imbeciles as he gathered his jacket and wrapped up his journal ceremoniously in a fine cloth, dropping it into his satchel.  Predictably enough, it had taken only so long to grow weary of humanity once more.

One of his favourite spots in Signature was the small waiting area outside of the theater entrance.  It had its own bar and was beautiful with its black obsidian walls and many lit, white candles.  There wasn't any show tonight, which left the space completely vacant for his comfort.  Eamonn smugly ordered another wine and nestled into the black leather benches with his book, tossing his jacket and satchel aside.  He dug into his text readily, midway through a thick chapter on the Runic lore of the Poetic Edda.  He was keenly aware of the frantic clacking of a Witch's heels as they entered the lobby, and he didn't look up.  He noted it, tracking his environment vaguely as he continued on reading.

But when she sat down directly next to him, Eamonn had no choice other than to pay her some attention.  A little startled, he stared at the young Witch, his brows growing heavier the more she spoke.  In those short moments, he watched her closely, wondering what on earth she could be apologizing in advance for, if she was going to take off with his jacket, or...?  His eyes flitted toward the stairwell where another pair of footsteps were growing louder.  With her hands actually landing squarely on his shoulders, his gaze flicked back to her.  All of this had happened in a matter of seconds, and all of a sudden she had pulled him forward into a warm, frenetic kiss. 

Eamonn was still stunned to be having any small kind of interaction with this stranger, let alone to be thrown into such an intimate position with her.  What was strangest to him, perhaps, was how easily he was able to just kiss her back, to play the part on a whim and to actually enjoy it enough to keep kissing a moment longer than they needed to.  The fool who had come bumbling after her had stumbled out the front and to the streets outside.  Their kiss slowed suddenly, in an awkward way that seemed almost eager to delay the embarrassing aftermath.  Eamonn pulled back to gently disengage himself from her lips, and he stared at her in a bit of shock.

"Are you alright?" he asked after a moment.  He could imagine, suddenly, how desperate she must have been to take up with a total stranger as a viable means of distraction.  He looked concerned, and he could also not stop staring at her - half wary, half attracted.  She was undeniably beautiful.

The first few seconds of the kiss were uneventful. Not because it was a bad kiss, just that she was more interested in making sure the man chasing her was successfully fooled. The moment he passed them, apparently dim enough to be deceived by a jacket, Kia's mind finally focused on what was going on with her lips. To her surprise, instead of obeying her first instinct, which would be to pull away then and there, Kia found herself pressing inward into the kiss.

To the contrary of what people might think of her, especially while wearing that dress, Kia had kissed only a few men in her life[1] and those kisses had all been dry, stiff and horribly clumsy. Despite the fact there was no romantic attachment behind this one, his lips were pleasantly warm and soft, and Kia found herself reluctant to pull away so quickly. Her pursuer was already well out the door before she finally separated from him slowly, their lips lingering close for a moment, breath mingling, before she turned away. She could feel her face burning, though she honestly couldn't decide whether it was from embarrassment or pleasure, and she tilted her head so her dark waves could fall over her cheeks like a curtain to hide behind.

"Are you alright?"

He was the first to speak and for once Kia was grateful that someone broke the silence. What did you say after something like that? 'Oh yeah, thanks for pretending to be passionately in love with me, a perfect stranger. Great lips by the way, we should do that again'? Probably not. Instead, Kia just nodded lightly as she chewed on the inside of her lip nervously, uncertain what to do at this point. Should she just get up and leave? It would be incredibly rude but at least she wouldn't have to face him and the inevitable humiliation that she was sure would follow. No, her conscious tutted in disappointment, you have to at least thank him for helping you. He could have easily given you up and then you would have had to cause a scene. That was certainly true and Kia was ashamed of herself for not considering his feelings. Surely he was as embarrassed as she was.

"Thank you... I app--" She found her voice as she finally looked up to meet his eyes, only to lose it the moment they met. He was attractive in that collected chaos sort of way, purposely messy hair and unshaven cheeks that, on another man, would normally look slovenly but on him, looked... right. She was sure that this 'effortlessly sexy' look made many women feel as funny as she did right now, but that wasn't what caused her to lose her train of thought. It was his eyes. They were probably deep brown, but in the candlelight, they were a pair of fathomless black holes that seemed to draw in everything without giving anything in return. Together with the heavy brow knitted in what seemed to be wary, if not a little bemused, concern[2], Kia felt like those eyes were absorbing her. She felt naked and vulnerable in his gaze and she instinctively clung tighter to the coat draped around her shoulders.

"--reciate it..." She finally managed to finish, her eyes still locked on his as though she were in a trance. It took a moment, but she was finally able to break free from his effect enough to look away, her face feeling even hotter than before as she murmured "Oh god I can't believe I just did that."

1.	Well, 'boys' would be better term for them, considering her age at the time
2.	Attraction was never an easy emotion for Kia to recognize. She usually mistook it for confusion

For the relatively antisocial Eamonn Mullen, the few moments that ticked by following his question felt naturally like a full five minutes.  He felt apprehensive as he watched her, her head turned and obscured behind her large, loose curls; he thought that she might bolt from the room at any moment, and he really wouldn't blame her if she did.  The kiss had been ostensibly faked, he told himself sensibly, and embarrassing for the both of them.  Still, it had been the first time in ages that he had ever been kissed like that, and even though it had come out of nowhere, it hadn't been wholly unwelcome.  It would be marginally disappointing, he had to admit to himself, if his first kiss in over two years turned out to horrify and humiliate the other party, who then ran from the room in tears.  Eamonn had snapped his oversized book shut when she'd first appeared next to him in the semicircular booth, but he still clutched it in his lap, fingers fiddling the edges slowly as he waited for something to happen. 

When she finally did look up, her eyes poured into him like water into a scrying bowl.  Everything had been intense since she had arrived, and it wasn't getting any more casual now.  The Witch in the red dress had transfixing eyes, he thought, a light, vibrant colour he hadn't even seen before.  His brow softened slightly, but he was beginning to feel even more nervous now.  What was it that compelled her to look so affectingly at him?  What was she seeing in him?  Was it another Seer, perhaps?  What were the odds of that happening, anyway?  Nothing could be without meaning, though, and he was sure he would find one if he just looked closely enough.  Why had the days and the incidents and the moments all lined up exactly the way they had to cause this odd moment of passion?  What was it that he'd been reading just previously to her arrival... oh, he couldn't even remember. 

They held moot to say who should shape
the Drighten of the dwarves
from Brim’s blood, from Blain’s bones?

"You're um, welcome," he said finally, a bit awkwardly given the circumstances.  What was he supposed to say?  He was glad to ... be of service?  Eamonn allowed himself to smile slightly, as if to bring some levity between them.  "To tell you the truth," he offered, "I'm better with kissing than I am with fighting, so... I can't complain with your decision not to throw me in front of the lush."  Eamonn didn't make a habit out of trying to be funny, neither did it come very naturally to him, but he was trying to console her; the poor girl had clearly not meant to go kissing strangers tonight, and seemed to have bitten off more than she could chew with her own 'bite me' outfit and dare he say dashing good looks.

Eamonn heaved a sigh and, with it, his book onto the glowing white table before them.  He rubbed his knees nervously, now that his hands were free, and he still eyed her, his gaze steady.  "What's your name?" he said.  "I'm Eamonn.  Eamonn Mullen."

"You're um, welcome,"

When he spoke again, there was a slight quaver in his voice that caught Kia's attention. She was, despite what outer appearances might portray, a very empathetic person as well as quite observational. Though his gaze was confident and steady, the rest of him was bustling with nervous energy. The way he paused when he spoke as well as the toying with the edge of the large book in his hands, told her that perhaps he was just as nervous and uncomfortable as she was. Somehow, this made her relax a little and peek out from behind her hair.

"To tell you the truth, I'm better with kissing than I am with fighting, so... I can't complain with your decision not to throw me in front of the lush."

He was trying to be funny and Kia found herself giving him a rare giggle, though it was mostly out of relief than amusement. His obvious discomfort and attempt to cheer her up despite it, made her feel suddenly more at ease. He obviously wasn't a threat to her, as much as that disconcerting gaze might imply, nor was he out to take advantage of her in her state. Reaching up, she paused for a moment before tucking her hair curtain behind her ear so she could get a better look at him. Her full lips curled at the corners into a small smile.

"What's your name? I'm Eamonn.  Eamonn Mullen."

It was a strange name, but Kia wasn't the type to criticize, especially considering the wizarding worlds love of old, archaic and sometimes silly monikers. It was also a beautiful name and she thought it fit him well, though she had no intention of telling him that either. "I'm Kiana Ferris... Kia mostly..." She replied, surprising herself with out readily she gave out her name. Perhaps it was because she had just engaged him in a passionate embrace that made giving her name out to a perfect stranger seem innocent by comparison. "... And I swear I have never done anything like that before. I am not that kind of g--Oh god..." She had glanced towards the door, the sound of someone entering loudly drawing her attention just long enough to see the wanker from before coming back, apparently having grown tired of his little goose chase. This time, his eyes met hers before she could grab and kiss Eamonn again. His stupid face stared blankly for a moment, giving her false hope that he didn't realize it was her, but that hope was quickly dashed as a look of furious revelation washed over him. "You!" He shouted.

"It was nice to meet you but I should go. So should you. Thanks again" Kia said as quickly as she could before pausing for a nanosecond and then leaning forward, pressing her lips lightly against his cheek. It seemed like the only thing to do, considering. I mean, a handshake... a high five... a slap on the back... how could you do something so boring after a kiss like that? Without another word, she bolted to her feet just as the man arrived at their table. He swung his arm out to... well it wasn't a punch, but more like her was trying to grab her before she could run off again. Kia easily ducked under the wild swing, slid behind him and kicked him as hard as she could in the back of the knee. With a shout, he stumbled and fell long enough for her to dash towards the door, her heels clicking frantically as she ran.

She got to the entrance and apparated away the moment the door shut behind her. It wasn't until she was safe within her apartment and leaning against the door to catch her breath, that she sensed she was feeling... heavier. Glancing down, she realized in horror that the dark wool jacket still slung around her shoulders was not hers. This caused her to moan and slide down the door until she was sitting on the floor, where she promptly buried her head in her arms. The sleeves had a warm, inviting scent and she found herself breathing it in before remembering how creepy that was. Leaning back and resting her head against the door, she smiled to herself. Well, one good thing, now she would have a reason to see him again,

Eamonn's smile deepened as she gave her name.  Kiana Ferris.  His fidgeting lessened somewhat in response.  He was rather relieved she didn't in some way hold it against him, what had happened.  It wasn't as if he'd really been given much choice but, then, the lingering they'd done hadn't been necessary. 

When suddenly the gowl barged in angrily to come back after her, Eamonn went immediately back to feeling uncomfortable.  Who was this arsehole?  Immediately he turned to Kia to discern what sort of move he might need to make, but she was one step ahead of him.  She kissed his cheek. 

She kissed his cheek.

Then she flew up and, in her red dress and four inch heels, kicked the man to the ground, disappearing in an instant.  What?

Eamonn blinked, then wasted no time in climbing atop the chancer before he had a chance to make for a fight, yelling for the bartender or somebody else in charge to help.  "Aye!" he called, digging his knee into the man's back with his arms held behind him.  It was a bit like trying to ride a hippogriff, to tell the truth.  Eamonn was not overly large, himself. 

When all was said and done, and the nuisance had been removed, Eamonn was left to sink back into the benches for a moment to catch his breath.  As he gathered his things lazily, it occurred to him that that Kiana Ferris had taken off wearing his jacket.  Well.  He'd wanted to get out of his usual element, and that was what he had gotten.  He smiled to himself as he thought of Kia in her red dress, kicking a man twice her size to the ground and dashing off like a startled cat.  She was something else.  Eamonn left Hogsmeade in a bit of a daze.