The night of the ball had been wonderful. Ethan felt as though he had been walking on air all day. Maeve had put him in a great mood and it carried over into how he carried himself. Thinking he?d stop by the inn to chat up some folks before going home, Ethan slipped down the back alley and used the back entrance. Hands were stuffed into his jeans pockets as dark eyes glanced around the room.

?Hey there, Ethan.? From across the room, Ethan spotted a familiar, yet new friend.

?Oh, Hey Cait.? Slowly, he ambled towards her, a silly smile still upon his face. ?What?s up??

She shrugged as the bookmark was taken from the front of the book and placed to mark her spot. "Oh nothing, just catching up on a bit of reading. But you, now you look rather happy." She smiled to him and kicked out the chair across from her.

Smiling impishly, Ethan shrugged, hands still in his pockets. "I had fun at the Masquerade ball last night. That's all." He brushed it off rather quickly, though. As he moved to sit at her table, he grabbed a chair and swung it around to sit in it backwards. Chase was noted on the way, a smile and upnod for the Gypsy before crossing his arms along the back of the chair, chin to rest on them. "What're you reading?"

"Persuasion by Jane Austen." she nodded happily and held it up for him to read the title. ?Mr. Falcon gave me a box to look through of lost and found books, lucky me there were several good finds." another giddy little nod from her before she looked pensive, which lasted only a moment.

"Jane Austen. Nice. My mom loved reading her books." He chuckles, reminiscing. "She got me to read Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice." He tipped forward so he could whisper. "I never told anyone." Laughing then, he leans back and grins at her.

"Really?" Her hands clapped together as she got excited. "Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book of all time and Mansfield Park is the next book on my list. I'm sort of on a Jane Austen frenzy." another giggle from her as she nodded. "And I was at the ball. I didn't see you. I was hoping," she shrugged slightly, "to see people I would know there. I only stayed for about a half and hour though."

"I didn't show up until after midnight. It's too bad you didn't stay longer. I only danced with one person and I had to teach her how."

"Yeah, it?s a shame I didn't stay, I would have liked to dance more, although I think I am terrible. Mr. Silver did invite me to dance, although I think he was just being polite to all the girls who were wallflowers. I'm not a mind clouding sort of girl." She wrinkled her nose at the term she used, reminding her of her conversation with Mr. Falcon about how she wanted to be mind clouding according to his definition.

Ethan sat up, blinking at her in surprise. "You're no wallflower, Cait?. But, what do you mean by 'a mind clouding girl'?"

"Oh no I was being a wallflower. I felt funny all dressed up like that, so formal and not knowing anyone. I have to admit I let my shy side take over." She blushed to that and ran a hand over her cheek. " Mind clouding; it is a term Mr. Falcon taught me. He called a girl that. He says it?s a girl that, to him, can stop all thoughts in a man's head the moment she enters a room. That it is her natural beauty and the way she carries herself, but there may be more involved. I want to be like that." She nodded again. "He says he thinks I have potential. I sure hope so." her eyes lit up as she spoke excitedly about the matter.

Ethan nodded. "I think every woman has that potential. Just... not all choose to use it wisely. Personally? I like a woman who puts herself out there. Not easy, mind you, but someone confident. Outgoing. Flirtatious." Why is it that none of these things describe the one woman he was attempting to pursue? "Confidence is sexy." He smiled wolfishly.

"It?s hard though, Ethan, to be confident. It just seems that confidence is taken the wrong way often times and a girl can come off as being a bit of a twit or something. It just seems that people have a hard time taking a genuine person for what they are. If I'm outgoing, well then I must be wanting attention, if I am shy well then I must be rude and closed-minded. You know? And its not that I care what everyone thinks, I just think that?s why many women do hold back. I just want to be a woman who has it all. I want to cloud a mans mind with my words, my thoughts, my actions and maybe appeal to his physical likings as well." biting her lip she nodded. ?We?ll see."


"Well, I'm not one to claim that there is one single person out there for each of us... but when the right person comes along?" Canting his head, dark eyes looking over at Caitlin intently. "You'll cloud his mind in every single one of those ways. There could be several "Mr. Right?s?, but one thing I warn? Don't settle. Don't settle just because you're lonely. If your guy can't be into you for each of those reasons, then he doesn't deserve you."

"I'm not lonely. Who said I'm lonely?" that quizzical brow of hers shot up and she blinked at him, her mouthed gaped open slightly as she shook her head. "And I wouldn't settle. I refuse." She was staring down at her hands now. "So all this talk of relationships and confidence, Ethan, and yet you seem to go against your own advice. What about your penguin friend?" she looked back up to him, her cheek bones looking a bit sharp with the way she was studying him.

If her words surprised him, which they did, he didn't show it. Ethan maintained the expression he'd held throughout the conversation, even after Cait called him out. Though his breathing a little unsteady, he answered her smoothly and recalled a certain woman who?d, come into the inn a few days earlier dressed in a penguin suit. "Who, Maeve? Right now all she is is a friend." And sadly, it was the truth. Whatever the amount of attraction between the two, there had been no advances made, nor were there plans to make any.

"And why is that? Lack of confidence?" she rolled her eyes then. "Ethan lets be honest here. The moment you walked in, at least a hand full of girls straightened up and put on their best smiles. You don't notice any of them because you've got your eyes set on Ms. Maeve, yet you lack the cojones to tell her what you know you want? Either tell her or start shopping around because right now you're just breaking many a girl's hearts and still not satisfying your own." She crossed her arms.

A few feet away, the Gypsy continued striking notes on her guitar, closing her eyes to certain lyrics while reopening them to sing others. Yet, she couldn't help but overhear someone totally call Ethan out. She looked away, whistling as she paused a song in disbelief. She suppressed a chuckling, cursing under her breath in disbelief. She glanced Ethan and Caitlin's way, eyes wide and smile even wider.

When Cait called a person out, she called them out good. Ethan stared at Caitlin, unable to answer her right away. She'd smacked him across the face with her words--and it was something he needed badly. He wasn't embarrassed that she'd done it in front of a crowd of people, but more so embarrassed that he'd ignored his jaded hearts warnings. If he'd only listened, none of this would have mattered. "And you think you know what I want?" He wasn't angry, but the lilt in his voice (though he tried to keep it level) belied the hurt he'd been so careful to hide all these years. No one's called him on it until now. It's about damn time.

?Ethan when a man begins to act in a foolish manner at the simple sight of a woman... when he stutters and suddenly has to go... or can focus on nothing but that woman despite the fact that he had been talking to someone else before she arrived." she pointed to herself in reference to the other day. "Yes I'd say I know what it is he wants. The fact that you didn't deny it shows that you do care for her. She was wearing a clownish penguin costume and you still looked completely mad for her. You've got it, Ethan, and you've got it bad. So, if you'd like to deny it, go ahead, but I won't believe you. Don't be a coward, I'm sure Ms. Maeve wants to be a "head clouding" sort of woman and would enjoy hearing a man tell her how he feels. She is your friend, don't you trust her?"

He waited again for her to finish the second speech. "I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but no one knows what I want." The jaded organ that beat in his chest won in the end. He'd successfully been able to hide his true emotions once again; pain winning.

"Okay fine. Fine. You know what you want Ethan." she tossed up her hands. "Obviously." She shook her head, stood up, and walked closer to him. Leaning down she kissed him right square on his mouth and not just a peck, she kissed him. Then, Caitlin stood up with her brow raised.

There were many things Ethan expected from Caitlin, but a kiss was not one of them. That is why he didn't kiss her back. What sane, single male wouldn't? Caitlin was an attractive young woman.

"You didn't kiss me back Ethan. There are two kinds of men who wouldn't kiss a willing woman back. A gay man and a man whose heart is truly taken. Which are you?" She sat back down in her chair smirking at him. "Now try to tell me you and I both don't know what it is you want." Shock rippled across Ethan?s features as Caitlin sat back down.

Ethan was spared having to answer her as Chase had come onto the scene, standing protectively between the two. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's only so much a man can take. I think the poor bloke's got enough on his mind for tonight. He got the message. Well done, I agree with you fully, but I'm going to have to steal him so he can collect himself." She had no snide cut-in attempt, so simply said things that came to her head and tugged Ethan by the arm to stand. She had more strength than one would think. She then dragged him towards the far, exclusive end of the bartop. She virtually pushed him to a stool behind him and sat next to him.