With her practice bag slung over her shoulder, Katarina weaved through the people in the Marketplace with Johnny's home in mind. It had been some time since she had gone to visit him, and with the opening night approaching, she knew that he would calm her nerves without even knowing it. With other things on her mind, she fidgeted with the locket around her neck along the way. Approaching the door, she smoothed her hair absently before knocking on the door.

At the knock on the door, Johnny took the last of the stairs three at a time; he had just finished bringing the laundry upstairs. Despite Sianna?s insistence that she was still well-capable of such things, he didn?t want her straining too much. Looking through one of the windows onto the porch revealed the slim dancer?s figure of his cousin, and threw open the door with no hesitation. ?Katie-kat!?

"Hey Johnny!" Her smile was dazzling and genuine in every way. Stepping in to give him a swift hug, her smile turn apologetic, "I hope ta dun min' mah improm'tu visit. Jist finished wit dress fittin' an' though' tha' I'd come an' visit."

?Don? min? at all ? ya c?mon in an? I?ll ge? ya somethin? ta drink ?r somethin?.? When he returned the hug it was just as enthusiastic as his greeting had been. Once he released her, he stepped back to clear the doorway. ?Dress fittin? ? tha? fer yer show?r fer somethin? more fun?? Mischief lit and sparkled in emerald eyes at the question.

"It was fer th' show." She walked in and shut the door behind her. "Dunno wha' 'm wearin' fer th' after party yet, which prolly ain' very good a' all." She followed him into the kitchen, setting her bag down in the doorway. Feeling right at home, she sat at the table.

?Fer ya? Tha?s unheard?a! Wha?s been distractin? ya tha? ya aren? even thinkin? abou? th? after party? There ain? even a week ta go. I think I?m all set ? bu? then, ain? much dressin? up tha? it takes fer a guy. Wha? d?ya wan? ta drink?? Johnny asked the last question over his shoulder while he pulled down a pair of glasses from the cupboard. For himself he pulled out a pitcher of cider ? one of the new ciders of the year, with apple season just begun.

"Whateva ya ar' havin's fine wit' me." An absent wave of her hand with the question. "I dunno! Guess I kin't make up mah mind er anythin'. Well..." and then she shifted in the chair, "An' I guess I kinda was waitin' ta see if someone was gonna come wit' me, yanno? But I kinda forgo' ta mention th' after party... " With a slight frown, she then shrugged and relaxed her expression, "I'm sure I'll find somethin' tomorra."

Two glasses of cider landed on the table and Johnny returned the pitcher to the icebox. With that done, he swung around an empty chair and straddled it with his arms crossed over the ladder-back. ?Mention th? after party t?who? I know ya tol? Si an? me, an? I ain? sure who-all ya gave tickets ta b?sides us an? Locke.? Baritone voice was thoughtful as he picked up his glass.

"The weirdest thin' happened." Exaggeration coming to play, it seemed as though Johnny just needed to ask the right question before she was off to explain, "I didn' give anymore ou'. Anyway, I gave Locke those tickets almost week 'go, yeah? An' so then a few days 'go he came ta th' inn an' was looking fer someone ta take wit' him ta th' show. An' then..." she shifted again in her chair and paused to get in a sip of the cider, "I somehow sugges'ed tha' he go 'lone 'n exchange fer somethin' on Sunday. But," she quickly kept talking, "I kinda forgot ta mention th' afta party."

There was a definite look of surprise that came over Johnny?s face at that rush of information. Mid-sip, he coughed and hastily put down the glass. ?He din? mention tha? par? ? or at leas?, din? soun? like was anythin? more?n a joke, so I din? think he mean? it serious. An? he din? say anythin? abou? Sunday at all!? Floored would probably be a good word for his expression at the moment. He hadn?t even gotten to the after party dilemma yet.

Her eyes rounded as she watched his reaction. It was not common for Katarina to talk about anything remotely related to dates. No stage of her life was she vocal about anything. "When didcha talk ta him? Oh, mahbe it was jist a joke.." she frowned then, all the anxiety switching from the nerves to the embarrassment, "I mean, I did tell 'im if he found someone tha' he wanted ta bring, he could." Her face flushed then, "I shouldn' said anythin' 'n th' first place." Finding herself becoming worked up just talking about it, not from anger but a bundle of nerves, she tried to cover it with another drink.

One mesh-laced hand waved carelessly in the air while he explained. ?Oh, he came by yesterday an we go? ta talkin?. He was sayin? tha? he wen? in lookin? fer someone ta go with an? ended up talkin? ta ya most?a th? time anyway. Don? know as he?s lookin? fer anyone ta go with, bu? he said tha? ya tol? him tha? it was all sweaty people an? all from backstage, so I guess I jus? figgered tha? ya hadn? asked him.? There was another wave in the air before he grinned at her. ?Should?a known better ? yer Smith through an? through. Wha?d?ya mean ya shouldn? have said anythin?, though? Who else?re ya goin? ta tell??

She took that hug for all that it was worth, but her face held a smile and she made a quick tug of showing her emotions. She did not want to hide anything from Johnny, but she didn't want unnecessary concern. "I dunno, I thin' i's yer fault. Goin' and gittin' married an' now havin' kids.." With a soft sigh, she released her hold on him, "Bu' I dun think that's all fer me, yanno?" Her smile was one of acceptance, "Dun hav' time fer those kinda thin's. An'... 'm happy th' way I am."

When she released her hold and pulled away, Johnny let out a quiet exhale, not quite a sigh. He raked his fingers back through his hair while he considered his next words carefully. Eventually he spoke quietly. ?Was a time ya were thinkin? abou? all tha? kinda thin?, Katie-kat, plannin? fer th? future an? all. Makin? th? time fer more?n jus? yer dancin?. Ya tell me yer happy now an? I?m goin? ta be happy with ya, bu?? worry abou? ya, Snowflake.

Very slowly, her eyes narrowed on him. "An' wha' time was tha'? When I couldn' yet make dancin' mah career an' I was surrounded wit' mah best o' friends? I's a long time ago, an' I ain' mad er nothin' 'bout ya leavin', Jo." Hoping to clarify that for him before she continued, "I's jist th' way thin's went. 'Sides, I've neva had much o' an interest fer anythin' else, ya know tha'." This being that Katie never had shown interest for a serious relationship, "Mahbe i's jist th' nerves o' th' show gettin' ta me."

?Bes? frien?s an? Cal.? Johnny crossed his arms on the back of his chair and looked across at his cousin levelly. ?Ain? no use talkin? abou? wha?s botherin? ya if?n ya ain? goin? ta be square wi? me, Snowflake. Th? show ain? nothin? tha? ya ain? done b?fore, an? yer goin? ta shine at it. No? a doubt in my min? on tha? one.? Again there was the rake of long fingers through tousled hair as Johnny did actually and fully sigh.

"Yeah, bu' Cal didn' decide ta git trampled one day. Tha's nah his faul'." While his hand went to his hair, her hand went to the locket around her neck. "If ya thin' tha' I knew wha' was gittin' ta me tha' I would need ta talk 'bout it? Usually ventin' ta Patches work 'nough fer me." Of course, it didn't cross her mind that Johnny would find it odd for her to vent to her feline roommate.

Blonde brows pulled down at the last statement. ?Snowflake, I know I call ya Katie-kat, bu? th? problem wi? ventin? ta Patches is tha? he ain? goin? ta answer ya back anytime soon. Look ya, I wasn? sayin? tha? Cal lef? ya th? way I did out?a choice, an? ya know tha?. Sayin? tha? yer still holdin? on an? ain? lettin? yerself reach ou? and try again since then.? Johnny bent his head and rested it against his arms for a moment before he looked back at Katie. ?Ya trus? me ?r no?, Snowflake??

She let the silence grow and fill the room as she stared at him. There was no way that he understood the truth in his own statement. She did not want to go out of her way to point out that she had no idea what he was talking about. However, she was not going to show that she understood either. So instead, she let the first issue slide by and gave him a quizzical look, "Ya know I do Johnny." Whatever heat had started in her words was gone.

Avoidance spoke more clearly than words could have; Johnny nodded and swung to his feet. ?Then there?s somethin? tha? I should give ya, mebbe. Sit tigh? now.? In passing he touched his hand to her shoulder, and then went two at a time up the stairs to the second floor.

That caught her by surprise, "Ya've been holdin' out on me, cuz?" A quirky smile as he past, but the hand touched to her shoulder diminished the smile instantly. Seeing that she was going to have to wait now, she stood and grabbed both empty glasses. Moving to refill the cider, her mind drifted to just exactly how this conversation had started in the first place.