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Kian had sent her out shopping as a distraction, of that much she was certain. She had thought to protest-- thought to insist that she be permitted to spend the day however she liked, it being her birthday and all-- but in the end thought better of it. If he was sending her out as a distraction it was most likely due to the fact that he had planned something for later on that evening; something she couldn't really be cross about.

Lauri would abhor shopping, but he would have gone with her if she'd asked. Archer was a hard 'no'. If she was at all interested in getting to know Nitratine on the outside world, maybe.... But if she wanted to spend her birthday with a diva he wouldn't have been her first choice. A pinkette with a knack for spending money on frivolous and wonderful things would have been.

In the end she'd gone to the mall on her own, finding a comfortable seat in a booth at the food court to people watch. She returned to her roots, jotting down little notes here and there on those she observed; guessing at their stories, nothing little things about their lives. How many of them did she know in another life? Senshi of Order, agents of Chaos...

Katrina was grateful for the distraction provided by the chime of her phone in the end. She sent a quick text in return to Otto, requesting he meet her for lunch on the opposite side of town. There were better shops there; things that she had developed a better taste for. Otto knew his way around those shops well enough that he could help her find something for later on that evening.

A second text while they were shopping let her know that she was to pick up something from the drycleaners before making her way back to Kian's house. A year ago she would have told him to pick up his own drycleaning before disappearing for the evening, cross. This time she wondered if he asked because he'd dropped off something for her as opposed to something for himself.

Thanking Otto for his time, Katrina went to make that last stop before heading back to the house to see what Kian had planned.

She tipped the cleaner a bit extra from her own pocket, thanking the young man at the counter before taking the dress and the bag and heading out. She'd swing by her own apartment first to clean up-- he wanted her back at the house in the dress and she wasn't just going to put it on without a shower, no matter how much she might have enjoyed soaking in the tub at the house first.

Katrina cleaned up quickly, slipping into the dress after drying and styling her hair. It was starting to get longer again, growing back to the point where she'd either have to start doing more with it or she'd have to cut it again. The color was growing out, she kept touching it up, but maybe it was time for a change...

She bit down on her lip as she looked to herself in the mirror before sitting down at her vanity to do her makeup. She saved the bright and vibrant for her lips, selecting a favorite shade of pink for her lips while keeping everything else simple, smokey and natural. It went well with the jewelry she selected; a simple rhinestone collar that matched the decorative belt of the dress and a pair of black agate plugs.

Arrangements were made for a car to take her to Kian's as she put the final touches on her ensemble, tucking the lingerie into her purse for later. The shoes were last thing she put on, sliding her feet into the heels on her way out the door. Her small apartment might have been a mess, but at least she looked fabulous.

Picking up the dress at the dry cleaners had changed what she thought he might have planned for the evening. They didn't often dress up to stay home, but she wouldn't have put anything past Kian. The thought of whatever he might have in mind set her on edge the way revving her bike's engine before a race might have; a promise of perfect things to come.

Payment for her ride was taken care of through an ap on her phone, gratuity added on once she'd made it safely to her destination. She thanked the driver as she slid out of the car and out onto the walk leading up to Kian's front door, pondering ringing the bell versus simply letting herself in.

The driver had lingered, probably waiting to see who was on the other side... Or maybe he wanted to know if she was an escort. Katrina snorted softly at that thought as she reached into her purse for the key to let herself inside. If she was going to feed into anyone's fantasies it would be her own and not the driver's.

As she stepped inside she was met with the delightful aroma of dinner, pleasantly surprised by that. "Smells like you've been busy in here, Sugar."

"I did. Otto met me for lunch and we browsed through a few shops... Spent a bit of time people watching before that. It was quiet, mostly uneventful." Her hand slid into his as she stepped closer to him, turning around slowly to give him a full view of everything.

"The heels are wonderful and the dress has a very good fit." It didn't seem as though the dress had been altered, yet it hugged all of the right places and the fit hadn't been awkward at all around the bust area, even with the mesh 'window' in the front. "You have good taste, Kian."

The brush of his lips against her knuckles made her heart skip a beat. Her eyes were wide and bright as she watched him, momentarily unable to think of anything other than just how good he was-- good for her, good to her. She didn't deserve him, yet he was all she wanted.

She lifted herself up just enough to brush a gentle kiss to his cheek before he pulled away. Her eyes lingered on him as she watched him head back down the hall to the kitchen, giving her a moment to collect her senses before heading to the dining room.

Kian really had thought of everything. He'd taken time to set the table for a fancy dinner, similar to the way the table would have been arranged at a restaurant. A bottle was chilling and two glasses had already been filled, one sitting close to a plate with a single rose lying across it. She plucked it up, brushing the petals against her lips as she paced around the table to take in everything before slowly sinking into a seat.

"Everything is perfect, Kian," she murmured softly as she looked up to her lover. She tried to think of ways for the moment to be more perfect but she couldn't. He had gone out of his way to do this for her and that meant the world.

"Sit down, please." She settled in a bit more herself once he had done so, reaching over to rest her hand on his for a brief moment before drawing back to pick up her napkin. She unrolled it from around her silverware, laying ot flat on her lap as she might were they out at a restaurant. No sense in wasting the effort he'd put into things, or the atmosphere.

"It looks like you thought of everything, love."

Her fingertips brushed against his as she took the bread. With the low light of the candles anyone else might have missed the light rose color creeping over her face. Kian wouldn't. Kian noticed everything about her; made a point of knowing all of her favorite things for moments just like this.

"Did she send you home with an extra one for french toast in the morning? Or did you bring pastries back with you?" Her smile was light, green eyes gleaming with amusement and maybe a trace of something else. Love. That was certainly there, along with a sense of peaceful belonging. At some point this had become her life and she no longer felt out of place in her own skin while taking part of it.

"I'm glad we kept lunch light. Everything smells incredible, Kian. Thank you."

Despite whatever worries he might have had about the dinner preparation, Katrina found no fault in the meal. The vegetables were cooked to perfection, the scallops delicious and the mushrooms so good she would have eaten more had they been placed in front of her. It inspired the thought that maybe they should make time to eat in more often-- as fun as it could be to go out and show off, there were just as many things they could do together in.

When she finished her meal she sat back to nurse the rest of her wine, idly sipping on the last of her first glass. It was easy to cut back on binging when he was around, finding that anchor in Kian instead of at the bottom of a bottle. "That was incredible, Kian. I may have to coax you out of the lab and into the kitchen more often."