'punishment' at the kitten club

who: ki and danny
where: the kitten club
when: evening

Part of Ki's 'punishment' for coming home the other night 'damaged' and not saying what had happened to her was that she had to pick up extra shifts around the establishments. Really, it was cursory at best, it wasn't even a real slap on the wrist, considering she liked the Kitten Club and they knew she did. But, something had to be done. She just wasn't going to come out and tell her owners that she had had an encounter with Johnny and it hadn't gone swimmingly. She was told in no uncertain terms to behave and keep herself healthier from here out, and she had more work to do than usual for a bit.

Ki wouldn't have minded at all, if it wasn't for the fact that her right cheek was lightly bruised from the knock Johnny had given her, she had some impressive goose eggs on the back of her head from the hits to the building, and even if she tried to find a higher collared shirt to wear, the heavy bruising around her neck from being choked was hard to miss. About the only benefit that it had was that she had been given a lot less shit tonight than she usually got. The stares were unpleasant, though, and so was the fact that she still sounded like she had an abysmal cold. Really it felt like that, only without the sniffling and sneezing. She'd taken about halfway through the evening to being silent, so she didn't have to try and croak at people like a dying frog. Turning to the latest customer who had just sat down at the bar, she turned to them and smiled her usual brilliant smile, and she bowed, standing straight and looking expectant, hoping they just automatically filled in the blank of what they wanted without her having to put out the obligatory 'What can I get you, Sir?'

Danny's first day back on the job had been uneventful which was nerve wracking because it meant he had to make a conscious effort to avoid Jackson. He wasn't on call so he hadn't had a hand in the O'Malley killings, even though he'd wanted to, and sadly he found himself mostly being used as extra muscle at the station, helping wrestle guys brought in for questioning and standing guard at doors. Boring stuff. Now, after his shift had ended, he considered that he should be out looking for Cheyenne but that had gone so horribly wrong the night before he couldn't bother. Thus he found himself walking up to the bar at the Kitten Club. A few of the girls had looked at him with sad eyes on his way in but he'd waved them off.

Sitting down in his stool he almost didn't recognize Ki when she came up to take his order. When it did register who it was, he had to stop himself from climbing over the bar to her. "Jesus Christ Ki, what happened to you?" Instantly he was glaring up and down the bar, ready to hit whoever had hurt her.

Ki blinked, not at all used to that kind of reaction. Sure, the men here had been much nicer to her than usual today, but no one had asked her what happened, and while her 'employer' had, it had only been because he wanted to know who'd been rough with his asset, not because he was concerned about her wellbeing--or that was how Ki had viewed it. But Danny looked concerned, and she immediately put her hands up, shaking her head as she got closer. "I'm okay, Sir, it wasn't anyone here!" she told him, voice all raspy and she internally winced, thinking that wasn't going to help Danny's peace of mind at all.

Danny eased off slightly, but not enough to really count as calming down. If it wasn't anyone here there wasn't a skull he could bash in, as good as that might feel. Being a cop, Danny had seen his fair share of bruising on victims and suspects and was able to recognize that she'd been choked pretty hard and that her voice all raspy meant that her nose had been done in pretty good as well. The look on his face shifted from anger towards the other patrons to concern for Ki. "What happened? Who did this?" He'd arrest them and hope they resisted along the way. Hell even if they didn't he might just say they did.

"Sorry, sir, but I can't say." she told him, giving what was meant to be a reassuring sort of smile. "It's alright now. I'm fine." she assured him. She hoped he'd stop asking, she really couldn't say. Not unless she wanted to get herself killed, Danny too, probably start a huge thing with the cops and the Lotus...it would be a mess. "I promise." she said, coughing a little, but she reigned it in well enough. "Would you like your usual, sir?"

"Ki, you can tell me," Danny said, leaning in closer to whisper the next part. "I'm a cop." Sure it was pretty much common knowledge but sometimes the general public didn't like the reminder that the guy sitting next to them at the bar was one of the city's overworked, underpaid and extremely disliked police force. "I can help you, arrest him or something. It wasn't you boyfriend was it?" Domestic violence really rubbed a raw nerve with Danny considering he grew up with it.

She had actually known he was an officer, something that she'd picked up from the girls who talked about he and Stella. At the suggestion it was her boyfriend, Ki shook her head furiously. "No, sir! I don't have one of those!" she said. And never had, and from the looks of where her life was headed, never would. But she didn't so much mind. It seemed to be a bit of a rough thing, relationships. "But I'm still sorry, sir...I can't say." she said, looking down.

Danny's frustration was building although he refused to take it out on her. She was the victim and she didn't need his temper. So he tried another method. "Why can't you say Ki? Did he tell you he'd hurt you?"

The manager looked over at the two of them, then waved Ki over. She was spoken to for a moment, and she nodded, bowing, and she headed around the bar. "I've been told that it's my break now, sir, and if you want to speak to me about this, it had best not be in the club." she told him quietly, coughing again a bit from the soreness of her throat. She wished her voice would go back to normal already.

"Not a problem," Danny was already off the stool and headed around the the edge of the bar to escort her out. They'd talk outside and he'd get to the bottom of this and then he'd get to arrest someone and at least hold them over night.

Ki walked out of the place and out onto the sidewalk, knowing there was a bench not that far away, and she headed for it. "I believe you should drop this, sir." she said, hoping that he did so. "Nothing good will come of it, and I'll get into trouble." hopefully he'd just accept that, and decide she wasn't worth said trouble.

Danny tagged along behind her, not wanting to let the subject drop. "If I can get him off the streets Ki, he won't hurt you again." Why did victims not understand that? That if they came forward he could protect them, he could protect her. "Please let me help."

She sat down on the bench, and clasped her hands together, looking over at him again. "I don't believe that would happen. Not because you wouldn't try! But because he's...got some connections." she said, trying to be diplomatic. "It would cause all sorts of problems, sir, and they'd know it was me. I'm pretty sure that it would mean very bad things for me, I'm afraid."

Danny dropped onto the bench next to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I've got a few connections of my own, Ki. I'd protect you." Not we, as in the police force, he, as in Danny. He'd lost one and he would not lose another, not on his life. "What kind of bad things? How did you get into the situation if he wasn't your boyfriend?"

"Sir..." Ki started, sighing, which hurt her throat, and she looked pained, though not at her physical pain. More at the situation she found herself in. "Sometimes things happen, and there isn't anything you can do about it. This is one of those times." she said. "I'm okay. I will heal, and I don't think I'll be bothered again." Especially if Johnny wanted to keep his penis.

Danny didn't want to hear that answer. There were things out there he could do something about and he didn't need to hear he couldn't. "I can do something Ki, I don't have to get the cops involved, I'll just do it on my own." The hand not on her arm clenched into a fist as anger bubbled through him.

Ki wasn't used to people touching her. Unless it was like Johnny, with that arm he liked to throw around her while threatening to do terrible things to her as he smiled. So it was strange, but she didn't try and shrug him off at all. She mostly was now wondering what Danny knew. Clearly, as a police officer, he had to know who owned the Kitten Club. And by extension, who they worked with. Maybe it was too convoluted a web, though. "I wouldn't want you hurt, sir. And they'd probably make me disappear." she told him. Which was the truth, even if it wasn't specific, one way or another. It wasn't like she could tell him who she worked for and how they didn't take things like this well.

Danny frowned because he knew he'd hit a wall. If she was worried the people involved would make her disappear, then she was probably right. The web of the city's underworld was complicated, but Danny knew enough. He'd found out from Stella who ran the Kitten Club, and of course, he'd been pulled into the mess on his own. They were good at that, making pretty young girls disappear. "I don't want to see you hurt. It's not right," he tried, but it lacked the force behind it the rest of his arguments had.

She gave him a light, soft edged smile. "It's alright, sir." she told him. "I can take care of myself." And she had, really. She still thought Johnny would avoid her for a good long while and when he saw her again, he may just decide the party needed to be brought elsewhere. Men sure didn't like it when their genitals were threatened. And she wasn't even talking just kicking parts in, she was talking about exploding parts off. There was a huge difference. "Thank you, though, for your concern. No one's ever been worried for me before."

"You shouldn't have to take care of yourself," Danny told her with a gruff edge to his voice. "Someone should be out there to protect you." It wasn't intended as a chauvinistic comment, just meant to convey that he was concerned for her well being. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who worry about you Ki," he told her. "But in return, no one's worried about my overall happiness before." Danny gave her a smile, remembering her cranes she'd made him last time they met.

Ki, as a girl from a culture that largely viewed things in certain ways didn't take offense and it didn't even occur to her either. She was an owned person. Standing up for her 'rights' really didn't at all enter into her mind. Nor did independence. "No one? Aww, sir, that's no good!" she said, immediately latching onto that. She didn't see how the parallels didn't work, how she should have the idea that her life should be just as worthwhile as Danny's. "No one at all? What about your family? Or your fellow officers?" she asked, truly now worried about Danny's unhappiness, and skipping over her own. That and all she'd be able to do would be to argue that no, no ne really did worry about her.

"Well I imagine my wife does care some," Danny answered, not wanting to speak ill of Janey, even if things were difficult with her sometimes. She wanted him to be happy, but he wasn't sure if she really noticed he was unhappy. "But no, not that many."

Ki put together in that moment that Danny was married, and had had a mistress. She didn't react to that knowledge, though, it was pretty common, after all. And, it seemed like he had a proper mistress, not a series of prostitutes. "I know Stella cared for you." she said. She didn't know if Stella had so much been concerned about his happiness, but she knew Stella had talked about Danny sometimes. "I'm sorry more people aren't concerend with such things. I am, though!" she assured him, as if that might help matters.

The mention of Stella caring about him brought a sad expression to his face. Not only did he miss her, he'd failed her. He'd loved her and he'd let her get hurt. He was an utter failure. Trying to fight the depression he gave her a faked smile. "And I worry about you."

"You shouldn't, sir. I'll be alright. Plus, I'm just a bargirl." Really she was more than that, but he didn't know that, and she didn't consider what else she was to be any more 'important' per se. Just more specialized. She could just do things other people couldn't, and they weren't anything he'd appreciate. "I'm no one special."

"You're more than just a bar girl, Ki," Danny told her with sincerity in his voice. He even gave her shoulder a little squeeze for good measure. "And you're bound to be special to someone. Everyone is. Don't sell yourself short." Rarely was Danny this reassuring, or kind, so the gesture seemed awkward because his facial expression and tone didn't quite match his words.

You don't understand where I'm from at all, do you, sir. went through her mind. "Thank you for saying so, sir." she said. Which wasn't her accepting the sentiment, really, it was just said so he'd think she'd accepted it, and not continue on about it. Because she most certainly knew the score. She did. Hell she was owned. Literally. Owned people weren't special, they were assets. Objects. People who served a purpose and when they didn't anymore...well. It's not like they were carefully placed in a box and put in the closet. They were tossed. Usually in a nicely fatal way so they couldn't go selling anyone out.

Danny took her thank you as good enough because he knew full well he didn't do reassuring. Intimidating and angry, yes, but kind was a little beyond him. If she believed him he wasn't sure, but he didn't dwell on it because it would mean she'd expect more from that side of him that had mostly been used up already. "You can come to me if you need protection ok? From anyone." The harder cop tone was back in Danny's voice and though it made him seem less approachable he seemed more comfortable.

"Thank you, sir, I'll keep that in mind." she said. Not that she'd ever actually use said knowledge. It wasn't as if he'd actually be able to do anything that wasn't suicide for everyone involved. It would be one hell of a mess, end of story. "I'm sure it'll all work out how it's meant to." she told him. "Do you want that drink now?" she asked, wanting to be helpful, and that was clear in her own demeanor. It was what she did.

"Do." Digging in his pocket he dug out a card with his name and a couple phone numbers on it. "Call me if you need something, even if it's just a ride to work." It was the least he could offer right? When she asked about the drink though he shook his head. It was unlike him to not drink, but worrying about Ki stirred up his thoughts about Cheyenne. He'd done a horrible job and was almost ready to give up when he went out tonight. Giving up didn't just mean trouble for him, it meant trouble for her. His trouble was one thing, but putting Cheyenne in a dangerous situation, he couldn't have that on his conscious. "No, I'll have to pass on the drink. I should be getting somewhere." Sure he wanted the drink, but Cheyenne wasn't at the Kitten Club, and he was wasting time not trying to find her.

Ki looked at the card, and smiled as she looked up at him. "Thank you, sir." she said, sounding grateful--or as much as her raspy voice could emote. "I really appreciate this." Even if she'd never call, the thought actually meant something to Ki. Quite a bit, really. "You have a better night, alright? Be careful and I hope something makes you smile." she told him.

Danny nodded, standing up as well. "I will do my best," he told her. "Try to stay safe. And put some ice on your bruises when you get home even if you did before, it will help with the swelling." It was lame, but he felt like he had to do something.

"I will, sir." she said. She also had been since there was ice behind the bar, and she had a few minutes to herself. "I'll stay safe. You too!" She stood up, and glanced back towards the club, thinking her break was likely up. Especially since it had only been given because Danny had been stirring things up, and that was bad for business.

"I'll do my best," he told her, and gestured back towards the club. "I'll wait here until you're inside." And I know you're safe. "Have a good rest of the night Ki, call me if you need something." He turned his collar up against the wind and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I look forward to seeing you again sometime, sir." Ki said, pocketing the card he'd given her, and she headed off towards the club. She turned and waved just before she went inside.

Danny watched her go, not content that she hadn't told him who hurt her, but pleased she was inside where she'd be somewhat safer than out on the streets alone. After the door to club closed, he turned about and headed back down the street. There were quite a few stops on the list of places Cheyenne might be, and he wouldn't be able to drink at any of them until he found her. Lucky for him though, his mostly full flask was still on the inside pocket of his jacket. Hopefully the night wouldn't be a complete waste.