Who: Kayla Hart and Kai Keahi Where: The Fish Market When: December 19, 2048 Rating: It's Kayla, so PG-13 for swearing Summary: Kayla needs fish for sushi and Kai happens to come along to help.
When Kayla applied for an assistant position during the summer, she assumed she would need to learn how to be organized and how to take detailed notes from people calling in. Fetching coffee didn't require as much talent, but the job went without saying. When she applied and was accepted for being River Fan's assistant, she knew she had what it took to keep her boss happy. What she hadn't counted on were the extra tasks she'd be assigned, like attending social events or waking up at three in the morning by a panicked River attacking her.
Yes, every job had their perks and their downfalls, but Kayla couldn't think of any of those perks in regards to her job. Who cared about how much money she could make when she had to go to a <i>fish market</i> to order fresh fish for sushi. What the hell. The only thing about fish that she knew was that they were slimy and tasted good in a can or breaded with french fries.
So, here she was at the fish market, a confused look on her face with a wrinkled nose from the smell. Christ, she didn't get paid enough for this. There were big, scary looking men shouting all over the place and throwing fish every which way. Thank god she was wearing her ratty black and white Converse sneakers and not the newer pair. She'd have to burn them after she got home, as well as her clothes. Damn. She loved her 'Meh' shirt, too.
Kai did not like being on land. It was an opinion so ingrained into his being that he thought it might be written on his genetic code. Every morning and every evening he was on land, mornings for the fish market and evenings with his family. It was morning, and thus his least favorite venture of the day. They were running unusually late this morning and needed all the help they could get to set up for both the professional auction and the personal sales. Kai handed off the last of the catch to his mother as the auction started. Knowing that he was not needed for the next few hours, he wandered off to see what else was going for sale.
He nodded to those that he recognized, and received many nods in return. While he was not the most observant of people, even he could not fail to notice someone as horribly out of place as this girl was. Those around her were either looking at her in annoyance, when she was in their way, or appreciation, when they did not mind the view. She looked much too young to be out here, and definitely too young for him to be checking her out. He tried to keep his eyes fixed firmly on her pleasant face as he approached her, he was an engaged man after all. He walked up to her and asked, "Can I help you?" He did not speak too low so as to not be heard over the surrounding ruckus but could not bring himself to shout as was customary. It would not do to spook the young girl after all.
Kayla jumped when she heard a (very) masculine voice behind her. She had been wandering around like an idiot for the last half an hour. Only one other person had offered to help her, but that man appeared more interested in her figure than helping her find the right type of fish. She'd rather find the fucking thing on her own than have some creepy old man staring at her. After a while, all the fish began looking the same. Big and slimy.
Before turning around, she sent out a silent request for the man behind her to be more helpful than creepy. "Yeah, actually you c-," she faltered as she faced the man. More like a giant, buff scary man. Her voice failed her as she continued to stare up at him. After an awkward pause, she stuttered out, "Ho-oly fu-fucking cra-crap." Maybe asking him for help wasn't the best idea. At least he wasn't staring at other places that wasn't her face. Gathering her thoughts to say something more intelligent, she could only settle on, "They don't make them li-like you, anymore."
Kayla thought her heart was going to fail her. She could honestly say that she had never seen a man as big as the one before her. He looked as if he had stepped out directly from a history book. Christ, his arm was bigger around than her waist.
Kai was taken aback by her reaction. As she stuttered out a curse, his polite smile gave way to mild surprise and then a puzzled frown. Looking down at her, being that there was about a foot in the height difference, he was amused by her shocked expression. Her eyes looked overly large on her small face and her jaw was slack in what he hoped was amazement, rather than fear. Over the years he had scared more than a few people into gibbering incoherency, every time but once being accidental. Mentally, he was already adding another tally to his list.
He was about to excuse himself from her presence when she finally came out of her shocked stupor. At her words, he raised an eyebrow even as his frown widened into a pleased grin. It was unusual praise, but not unwelcome. He laughed gently, more a rumbling chuckle than his usual carefree way. He crossed his arms across his chest and regarded her with his amusement clear in his half-mast, laughing eyes. "And how am I made, exactly?" He asked.
Kayla took a step away from the man and glanced around at the fish stalls, the ground, and her shoes to keep from looking at his face again. Even though she couldn't feel it, she knew that her cheeks were pink from embarrassment. Christ, she just told a stranger that people weren't built like him anymore. This wasn't some bad romance novel. Who <i>honestly</i> said things like that anymore? He was a man. Not even a cute one at that. Adam was cute. This man looked big and goonish. However, she dealt with big men on a daily basis. After all, Rafe was tall, and she never minded his size.
Gathering her courage, she determinedly tried to meet his gaze, but as her eyes kept traveling up and up...she took an involuntary step back again. "I-I-I d-on't know." Christ. Now he'd think she stuttered frequently. She couldn't let all her progress from the party be ruined by one lousy morning at the fish market. "Big," she finished, still not looking at his face.
Kai was afraid that he could sum up her behavior in one word, and that bothered him. Were that word any other besides 'cute' he would be fine. He mentally reminded himself again that he was an engaged man. That sinister corner of his mind told him, 'not for long!' before he firmly squashed that wayward thought down. His inner turmoil did not stop him from smiling kindly at her.
He could not deny that her accusation was correct, he certainly qualified as 'big'. It was a benefit to his job but a hindrance in his life. He was used to people watching him carefully, as if he was likely hiding wicked looking knives on his person and liable to pull them out at any minute. While he did have a knife on him, it was not particularly wicked looking nor would he ever pull it on someone unless in defense of another. After mulling over his words for a second, as was his usual careful way, he said, "Big? I don't suppose that's a bad thing. It has its uses, don't you think?"
What the hell was he talking about? As if she knew what it was like to be tall. She frowned for a moment, forcing herself to take deep breaths to get her heartbeat under control. If only she could keep her palms from sweating, she'd be closer to her normal self, instead of this jittery little twit. "S-sure." She looked past him for an escape. Christ, this was ridiculous. What she needed was to find tuna that wasn't in a can, not stare like an idiot at some hulk of a man. "I-I-I've got to g-go. Uhhh....That way," she said, pointing to make her excuse sound more credible.
Kai cocked his head to one side in confusion as he followed her pointed finger to the wide open expanse of the ocean. "Are you going for a trip then?" If she was, then she was certainly approaching the docks in a strange way. Although some of the marine biology students of IU came out on the fishing boats, rather than the chartered vessels. As much as he was not one to stereotype, he could not picture the slip of a girl in front of him as marine biologist. It was probably an idea that he had cottoned on to from the bewildered way that she had been examining the fish earlier. Come to think of it, he could not see her as a university student either. Although he had not attended the school himself and thus had little clue of what university students looked like, surely she was much too young to be out of high school. He looked back at her in askance.
Kayla realized she was pointing toward the ocean too late and she could either tell him that yes, she was going on a trip or else admit to her mistake. She hated feeling flustered. "Not <i>there</i>," she huffed, glad that her speech was returning to normal. "O-over there." She motioned toward more fish stalls. Forcing herself to move, she began walking in the direction, stepping well away from him as she passed.
"Christ," she began muttering to herself when she assumed she was out of his hearing range. "A new person shows up and you fucking choke. God dammit, I should just fucking tell Rafe to go fuck himself and do this himself. I'm not some...some...fish woman person! Disgusting."
Kai was more amused by her walking in a wide circle around him than he had any right to be. He did manage to stop himself from scrutinizing her backside, again with the memory that he was engaged. While it had been less than a month since he had been married, he had managed to keep Meredith out of his thoughts by shear force of will. It did not keep her out of his dreams. He was slightly disheartened by the fact that he could be just coming out a marriage, was already engaged but still managed to check out someone suspiciously underage. It rather made him feel like a perverted old man.
His ears, trained by years of living on the docks, heard her plain as day. It was disconcerting to hear someone as young as her swear worse than some on his crew. After wincing at her language he belatedly walked after her. His long strides brought him up next to her quickly. "Pardon, but you never did answer my first question." He looked down at her curiously as he kept careful pace with her.
"Which was?" She asked, scowling. Clearly, this guy couldn't take a hint. She didn't want to talk to him and now he was following her. Great. She went from one creepy man to another. With her luck, she'd find him sitting outside her door the next day. Who could she call if he did show up on her doorstep? Adam and Rafe were no match for this guy. Christ, he probably had killed someone before. People didn't grow up looking like him without causing someone else great pain. As far as she knew, he had spent time in jail. Maybe even years in jail for killing someone.
Not deterred in the least, Kai continued following her. He was intent to make sure she was safe for the rest of her time at the market. Likely he was not the first man to lay eyes on her this day but he felt she was his responsibility. Either that or he was making excuses to stay with her. "I asked if you needed help." He offered her his usual lazy smile.
Kayla bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping at him. What if he wasn't a murderer, but some sort of rich fish tycoon who owned Chicken of the Sea tuna? He could be trying to blend into his surroundings so as not to alert the local people of his presence. Or Kayla just had an overactive imagination and the fish smell was getting to her head. More than likely, he was some poor fisherman who liked to bother people. Why couldn't a nice, older man offer to help her? "No-not from you," she replied, hating herself for her continued stutter. After nineteen years, she should be over her stupid social issues. "I-I am fine on my o-own."
Kai knew when to admit defeat. With a shrug of his shoulders and a toss of a wave, he turned away. Before he could step away, he was plagued by sudden guilt. For all her attitude, she was still someone's sister or daughter. He would not want someone leaving his sisters in an unfamiliar place. And should he ever have a daughter, he might actually have to hurt someone should they abandon her such.
Still, he was in a bit of a situation. He wanted to help her but she did not want to be helped. He could not force her to accept his help without running into some legal problems. It was rather obvious that she needed help. He deliberated mentally as he stood with his back to her, but found no solution. No solution except to leave, and hope that she found someone else to her liking that could help. He resolved to send one of his crew that spoke clear English her way. Perhaps they would catch her fancy.
Kayla continued to walk toward the other fish stalls, but she still had no idea where she needed to be. A fish was still a fish, even if it was big, small, grey or pink. More than anything, she wished she could go back to the office and answer phones for the rest of the day. The major hotel grand opening was happening in a week and there was still plenty for her to do to help get it up and running. She didn't need to be at a fishing market wasting time on a wild fish chase! Really, it was this type of situation that made her miss college. Who in their right mind would leave a nice, cozy life for one with a boss who made crazy demands?
God, this was ridiculous. Judging by the look of all the men she'd seen, a big scary one would be her best bet. At least he had all his teeth, from what she'd gathered during the brief moment she had looked at his face. She also didn't think he had stared at her more feminine traits, which could only be a point in his favor. He had also offered to help when no one else had. What kind of town did she live in that her best option for help came in the form of some sort of goon?
If he did end up killing her, then at least she might die quickly and without much pain. Unless he was the sort to prolong the torture, in which case, she regretted not carrying some sort of weapon on her. A phaser would have really come in handy in this type of situation. She couldn't count on any of the other creepy men to come to her rescue.
Without any delay, she turned and began walking back toward the man before she could change her mind. She needed help and she wouldn't gain any more knowledge about sushi fish in another half an hour if she didn't have a guide. At least he was big enough that she could easily find him again. Taking a deep breath, she tapped him on the back, awkwardly. "Erm...."
Kai was still racking his mind for someone suitable to lead the young girl that he had found around the harbor when he felt someone tap him on the back. The touch was so light that he did not believe that he had felt it at first. At first he thought it an accidental brush of a stranger passing by, unexcused as usual, until he heard someone speak up behind him. He turned around, but never expected to see that girl standing there. It was enough to leave him at a lost for words.
When he did speak, he found himself afflicted with the same stutter that she had, "He-hello, again. Can I help you?" He asked, mindless of the fact that he had asked the same thing earlier. The fact that she had sought him out both pleased and confused him. What man would not want a hot young woman to seek him out? The fact that it was this young woman was the confusing part. He crossed his arms across his chest, needing something to do with them as he organized his racing thoughts.
She could do this. Really, she <i>had</i> to do this. Kayla stuck out her chin stubbornly and stared at his nose, still unable to look him in the eye. "C-could you tell me where I can find fish for sushi?" Oh, Christ, her courage was quickly leaving her. She began to bounce on the balls of her feet nervously, wondering which way would be the quickest exit.
Back in familiar territory now, he regained his usual social ease with a relieved smile. "Gladly." He said, chuckling at the fact it had taken them this long to get so little done. He uncrossed his arms to point further along down the pier. "Sushi requires the highest quality of fish, better then those you would use to cook with, they sell that sort along up there." He cast her a sidelong look, "Shall we go?" Had she been Meredith, he would have gallantly offered her his arm in an overly showy gesture. She in turn would have acted the coquette and accepted with a mock simpering attitude. She was not Mer, so he kept his arms to himself.
Kayla would rather not go but, at this point, she didn't have much of a choice. Her schedule was quickly becoming shot for the day and the sooner she could get this errand done, the sooner she could start getting her other assignments done. She still needed to call about the entertainment for the hotel's grand opening on the thirty first, make about fifty other calls to reporters, news stations, and various important people and, more importantly, she needed to find some sort of nice dress. Sigh. To think that she had applied for the job of assistant....
"Fine," she said quickly, as she began going in the other direction. Oh, great. She went from looking like an idiot by herself to walking next to a giant. Perfect.
Kai smiled to himself, caught somewhere between smug and content. Glancing down at the girl along side him, he asked, "How much do you need?" From this angle, with the glancing morning light, her hair gleamed and her skin glowed with health. Kai glanced away quickly, frustrated with himself. Not only was he engaged, but one second he was thinking of Meredith and the next he found himself watching the diminutive girl. He had not been this confused since he was a teenager, nor had he been this sexually frustrated. He shook his head, preferring to shelve those thoughts for later.
Kayla shrugged, keeping her face forward. As long as she didn't have to look at him, she figured that she'd be fine. She could pretend he was a small, weak little man who posed no threat at all to her. Of course with his voice coming from a foot above her, her imagination needed a little work. "There's going to be ten people altogether. I don't know how much fish I need for that. I don't even eat fish. When I do, I stick to the canned stuff."
She glanced at him for a moment before turning her head fully when she noticed his walk. "What the hell is your problem?" Oh, good lord. Not only was she forced into a situation which was completely out of her comfort zone, but the man who offered to help her was a drunk.
Kai was going over numbers in his head when her second comment brought him up short. It took him a moment to drag his mind away from the price of Ahi tuna versus salmon. When he did, he blinked at her in confusion. Remembering his manners, he asked, "I'm sorry?" Just when he thought they were on the same wavelength, she zagged when she was supposed to zig. The day had barely begun but he had already more than had his allotment of confusion for the day.
Her comment could be referring to any number of things, so he began looking around for a possible reason for her outburst. He glared at someone who might have been bothering her but otherwise noticed nothing strange. "Is something the matter?" He asked, turning back to her.
"Are you drunk or something?" Kayla asked crossly, staring at his chin. He didn't sound drunk, but she didn't really know what 'sounding drunk' would entail. In high school, she wasn't the type who got invited to house parties or the like, so her experience around drunk people was limited to the one time her brother came home drunk. The man in front of her didn't seem nearly that bad, but the walks were similar. "Do you even know what you're fucking doing, anyway?"
"Drunk?" Kai knew it did not sound competent of him to simply repeat everything she said but he still had yet to understand what she was saying. He somewhat hoped that hearing it again would clear everything up and then they could move on past this moment. Hearing it the second time did him no good. When he plied his mind to the subject, he was finally able to understand what she was referring to. Being on the docks as he was, he had not had to think about his strange gait. Nearly everyone walked like he did here. It was only when he was in unfamiliar places that he was challenged over it. To have her mention it while he was at the docks seemed incongruous to him. Now that he understood what she was talking about, he offered a placating smile and said, "No I'm not drunk and yes I do know what I am doing." Being a man of few words, he failed to explain <i>why</i> exactly he was walking as such. He really did not think it was relevant. Continuing on with their earlier discussion he said, "It'd be best to buy a large variety of fish...if you have the money for it." The look he gave her was clearly asking, 'Do you have the money for it?'
Oh, yes, now she was reassured. Kayla had the word of some barbaric homeless fish guy that he wasn't drunk <i>and</i> that he knew what he was doing. God, this entire afternoon had been insane. "Money isn't a problem since I'm not the one who has to buy all this crap. I was sent out here by my boss...who will come looking for me if I'm not back on time," she added for good measure. She might as well let him know that someone would be looking for her if she went mysteriously missing, though in reality, she wasn't sure if River or Rafe <i>would</i> come looking for her. They weren't the most dependable sorts.
Adam might come looking for her, but that didn't reassure her at all. Knowing him, he'd get distracted by something shiny and be occupied for hours. Her dad was also out of the country, so he couldn't be depended on, either. She really was on her own, but as long as the big man didn't know that, she assumed she'd be fine.
Kai hummed thoughtfully at her pointed comment, but disregarded her clear meaning. He was not the sort that needed to be warned in that way. "In that case..." He looked over the fish out and began selecting the best that he could find. He asked for those working the stall to wrap up the meat and they both turned to look expectantly at the girl for money. With some surprise, he realized that he did not know her name. It was something that he had to correct immediately. "I'm sorry, but I didn't happen to catch your name."
"My name is Stephanie," she replied easily, not even blinking as she said it. God knows what he would do with her real name. Scanning her ring to pay, she wrinkled her nose at the fish. If the order was messed up at all, she would be the one to pay for it later. Hopefully she wouldn't have to make another trip to this god awful place.
Taking a bag out of her backpack, she handed it to the man behind the stall to pack it with the dead fish. Oh, god. She really would have to burn everything she was wearing. Even if her clothes didn't smell like fish anymore, she would forever be reminded of this terrible day.
Kai had no reason to disbelieve her so he replied, "I'm Kai, pleased to meet you, Stephanie." She did not seem to be a hand shaking sort but he offered his own anyway. He did notice the stall keeper was looking confusedly at the girl but could not connect any reason why. Mostly he hoped that her bill had gone through. For as cute as she was, he was still not willing to buy all this fish for her. Sushi was expensive, and he was not even going to be the one to eat it.
Kayla looked down at his hand in mild disgust. Not only was she unsure of where his hand had even been, she hated touching people she didn't know. "Er...yeah. Whatever," she said reaching out and briefly shaking his hand. At least she was already going to spend two hours in the shower scrubbing the fish smell off of her skin, so fifteen more minutes of unknown germs on her hand wouldn't hurt anything.
She took her bag back from the man behind the stall, giving him a blank look. Alright, so lying about her name as she was paying might not have been the smartest move, but as long as this Kai person didn't know the truth, she'd be fine. "Oh, uhhh...thanks? I guess...yeah...'bye." She looked around her briefly, trying to determine her location. Finding where the exit was, she headed toward it, wanting to get far and away from this place. If Rafe complained about the fish choice, she'd kill him. Preferably by strangulation.
Kai was a bit befuddled by the perfunctory goodbye but felt he should not complain. He had the sinking feeling that he was lucky to get that at all. Perhaps his mother was right when she complained about the lack of respect and common curtsey in the youngest ones. She was not one to rant or complain often but in one memorable moment had despaired at how spoiled the last children were. Kai could tell that the girl was young, of course no younger than eighteen, but she had all the earmarks of one such spoiled kid.
Feeling slightly gypped, he stuck his hands into his trouser pockets and walked off. With his back turned, he could not see the stall worker trying to catch his attention.