Rescue Mission

In a way, Kai remembered how he might have been flirting a bit with Audrey before. He didn't think Dom would hold it against him. But she didn't respond and Kai didn't pursue. He wasn't actively after her but remembering it as they sat all three together for a moment amused him. He had to focus on Beatrice this time however, and maybe it was what really amused him in the situation, how he tried to change both their minds on different occasions. He did feel like he might have been interrupting something with how jumpy Beatrice had been at his approach but he was also a bit used to this from her. She was too nervous, really.

"I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" he asked her. He moved close of her as he talked. Was it why she was nervous, because she had a private discussion with Audrey? Girls could be weird sometimes and nervous when someone they didn't mean to talk to could catch a glimpse of their conversation, even when there was nothing to be ashamed of in there. He thought she needed to go out and meet the others at some point but he understood that she was not like him. It would take her a bit more time to gather her courage and do just that. "Do you want me to get you soemthing to drink?" he suggested.

Kai gave the two girls a brief nod. At least he was not interrupting some girl talk, although he was the kind to just want and jump in on it with them. He was kind of curious what kind of conversations they could be having, but he somehow felt like the biggest gossip queen between them would be him. Or Dom. But he was not here right now. So him.

Without telling him what exactly, Beatrice still agreed to a drink. He was not dumb to go with something with lots of alcohol though. He felt like she might not be the kind to hold it very well. But he nodded again and got up on his feet to fetch her something. "How about you?" he asked Audrey, since she was still around with them. She might prefer to head back to her brother but she was here with Beatrice for now and he should ask her as well. Unless she decided to leave them alone now, but he still had to ask if she wanted a drink for him to get.

Kai was thankful to Audrey. She did have a calmer personality than her brother or himself, something that matched with Beatrice. Kai could try and follow the girl's rhythm, he would end up pushing her at one point, take her out of her comfort zone. It was already the case with her being here. He wondered how many pool parties she went to. And they were strangers to her, which would only make it harder on her no doubt. At least with Audrey, she didn't end up in a corner, all by herself. But Kai also didn't want to leave her alone to talk to others. He brought her here, he had to watch over her.

He laughed at the assumption that Dominic would get them drunk fast. "Some fruity cocktail with as little alcohol in it as possible, got it," he replied. He had almost been tempted to suggest coming back with strong liquor juste to see Beatrice's reaction. She had to have drunk alcohol before, but he realised he never paid attention to whether or not she ever did when given the chance. He was about to go when Audrey asked if she interrupted anything. Kai laughed. "I already have your brother turning her into my girlfriend, don't start too. You can stay for as long as you want." He did notice Bea shaking her head. She could have done so just to be polite, she was able of such foolishness, but he didn't think so. If that were the case, he would have to read the mood when he'd come back with the drinks.

He left to join Dominic again. "Hey bartender, what do you suggest for two fien young women? I don't know for one, but I would suspect the other to be a very light drinker," he told him jokingly, pointing in direction of Beatrice and his sister. Kai was fine with whatever he could get in Dom's bar but he wasn't as certain for the girls and could use the man's help in making something for everyone.

Beyond the fact that Beatrice was shy, Kai thought she might not have gone to a lot of partis because of her parents, who sounded quite controlling from what he saw and heard. Mayeb she hung out by a friend's pool but a party, they might have said no to that. Well, it would be a new experience for her, but he wouldn't force her to do anything if she was too shy to get a swim suit nd jump in the pool. Also, Audrey might be nice and everything, but he figured he would have to keep her around the whole time, as he suspected she might be too enrvous to talk to anyone else otherwise. He did tell Dom she was a princess he rescued, well, he would have to keep to his words and watch over her. He couldn't spend too much time with Dom while leaving her alone then.

"Yes. Your sister helepd her calmed down, she was not having a good day before that." Dominic would have intimidated her. Kai knew that his friend could understand. They both had big personalities that could have that effect on certain people. Audrey was a bit more subdued, more calm, it helped in that case. Dom seemed to know his way around cocktails. Kai watched as he prepared two, trusting that the man would have a better idea what his own sister would like. And then he made one for Kai also, who laughed at the joke. "I wish all bartenders were like that. Thanks," he replied, carefully grabbing the three drinks to bringing them back to where the women were.

"Sory for the wait. Here you go," he said, movign the drinks towards Audrey so she could grab one and then handing the other similar one to Beatrice. "I told Dom to go easy, so any complain, take them to him," he added as he sat back next to Beatrice with his own glass.

Dominic had mentioned before that he brought a few introverts to his party, hence why it was a smaller one today. It didn't stop Kai from chuckling. "The idea of you knowing introverts really weird me out," he teased. Dominic was such an extrovert. more than that, he was an attention seeker. The idea that he could get along well with introverts didn't sound right. Still, if it prevented Beatrice from feeling too intimidated... Kai could see her just clinging onto him in silence or finding a corner and sipping on the same glass for the duration of the party, avoiding eye contact with everyone. If she could not be like that, it was a good thing.

Audrey chose to stay with them and asked him how were things going. "Work as usual, I guess. You should come see the dogs, I think they doubled in size since you last saw them," he pointed out, remembering how they were mere puppies when she came to his place with her brother. "Oh, and it's not related to me, but my sister got a job for a video game she's really thrilled about. I think it's a franchise she loves and streamed a lot in the past and now she'll do some voice for it." It was funny how she kept acting like she was a streamer first. Kai would have thought she was a voice actress who did streaming on the side. But as long as she was happy, he supposed it was good. "What about you, are we going to see you on stage soon?" Did Beatrice realise who she was talking to, other than Dominic's sister? Maybe not, Kai had no way to tell. But he wanted to know, since Audrey decided to join her brother here and would need to resume her career eventually.

Maybe he shouldn't talk about 'knowing introverts'. There were probably a lot in the industry and not just amongst those working for the celebrities. But they were very sociable people, the two of them. Pure extroverts. The amount of introverts able to follow them had to be relatively low. Or at least, it was what their image would let people to believe. Still, Dominic was a wild animal, and so it was funny to Kai to imagine him with a bunch of quieter people. He thought the guy might end up going crazy, if he had to slow down for them.

He wondered how Bea would take having someone like Dom around. Oh, she dealt with people like that before, but they generally didn't interact much with her, other than to boss her around. He was tempted to push her towards him a bit, force her to come out of her shell and speak. "Even changed my car to accomodate them," he said. Then again, the easy with which he sold the sports car proved how little he cared for it, meaning he probably shouldn't have bothered paying this much for one in the first place.

He nodded. He might not share a bond of blood with his sister, unlike Dominic and Audrey, but she meant just as must to him. Same for his brother. They were a family. Not a regular one, but one nonetheless. "I think she gave them good enough publicity playing their games, they wanted to show it with her playing a part in the next installment. It's not like it's her first voice acting gig after all." While she was making a name for herself streaming video games and the like, she was also a voice actress, like their father.

With the conversation seemingly ignoring Bea, kai felt it was time to bring her back at the front of it. "You think you'll want a swimsuit?" he asked her. Besides the pool, there was also the spa, and this was a pool party. "Or you can just sit by the pool if you prefer." He refrained from adding 'I suppose'. He didn't get exactly what upset her so much, other than her parents. He doubted she'd want to talk of this with the others around. He didn't want to leave her alone as much as possible. He was willing to get to a lounge chair for most of the day if need be, but he was hoping he could get her to try socializing a little more as well.

Kai might have been a bit cruel to Beatrice bringing her here. She needed a way out from the trap that was a day with her parents and he threw her in another one. But he would be here is there was anything. Not that he didn't think there would be anything. And he didn't see why Beatrice couldn't handle it. Then again, he was so different in personality that it was often difficult for him to get how she could be such a ball of nerve and low self-esteem. Anyway, if there was anything, he figures she could just pretend falling asleep by the pool and not interact with them for a while.

Kai shrugged. "It's more that there are two huskies and it was a sports car. I know how big dogs like to pretend they are small puppies but my seat is clearly proving otherwise." If he wanted to bring his dogs around, he needed something a little bigger than that. Well, it was still more than a basic SUV model. And he did like that extra space in the end.

He smiled, glad that Beatrice was playing along. She sometimes needed a little push. Or more than a little one. He didn't get it because he didn't feel like Beatrice had that much of a problem with people. She was more softspoken, but he didn't think she was scared of being around people. Well, maybe her parents, but there weren't here.

They were now alone, at least until Audrey took her to get a swimsuit or something. "You doing alright?" he asked her. "Just relax. It's meant to be a regular pool party, no need to overthink it. Just do what you want." For a moment, he wondered if she ever have been to a pool party. Or a beach party. Or just any party. "We can also go if you're not comfortable..." he added. Dom might be a bit bummed at this, but Kai doubted the guy would be too upset at him for leaving. Kai didn't really think about how Beatrice would feel here. He knew she'd be shy but figured it would be fine with time. And he took her away from her parents, which was what she asked him to do.