And Four Years No Call, Now I'm Lookin Pretty in a Hotel Bar

[Vaidya]

Thoughtful eyes gazed out of the thick panel of glass, a ceiling to floor sized window that looked out onto the busy street outside. The residents here didn't mind the cold quite obviously, wrapped up in coats and scarves and smiles as they all strolled and passed one another. She never heard any complaints, like the ones that she screamed inside her head when daring to venture out there. Only perhaps the words "it's a bit fresh". Yeah, a fresh dip in solid ice. The little woman had her bare elbows and forearms resting against the bar and was ridiculously content to be inside a heated building, and a couple of drinks in her belly to warm the rest of her. Her long wavy blonde hair was all twisted and pinned up in neat glamorous bun, and her makeup was flawless and layered. She detested the stuff you smeared over your face normally but her friend who was rather talented at drawing on winged eyeliner had talked her in to it. It was a conference ball after all. Nadia's small frame was held tightly in a black fitted strapless dress. One that plunged down her back to expose naturally sun bronzed flesh and the dark material then blossoming together into thick floor lengthed layers of a ball dress, making her waist look smaller than was usual. Her sparkling black heels were already killing her even though it was only around 10pm and she began to run fantasies through her head of escaping the business funtion all together, skipping back to her room to pry the things off her little feet.

"Can I get you something ma'am?" the polite words caught her off guard in her day dream, tearing her unfocused dark blue eyes away from a random woman walking down the street in what appeared to be an actual fur coat. Was that even a thing these days?
"Oh. Nah thanks, you're right mate," came the hasty and dismissive tone of her twanging accent, "I gotta friend grabbing me somethin'. Cheers though."
She gave a bright sheepish smile and in turn was given a mildly amused one in return by the barman before he left. Nadia deflated with a big sigh when he was far enough away and ran her hands lightly over her bare shoulders in thought. She'd only been in the States for a week, touring with the surfing conventions, meeting with potential sponsors, aswell as promoting her own line of surf gear. It felt like she'd been here a month with all the effort she'd put in and now she was finding it hard to relax during her one chance to. She used to be more fun than this, didn't she? Not lately perhaps. Where was that dude with her drink dammit. Her eyes began to scan about the room. It was a classy establishment for sure. A light tinkle of a piano playing in the background, the low hum of conversation and laughter mingling with it. The lighting was warm, the carpets luxurious and that chandelier looked like it cost more than what she made in a year. Her body had made a full circle where she was standing and still no sign of her drink bearer. Perhaps he had gone back to the function ballroom. Gone back to the free alcohol that hadn't suited her tastebuds. Maybe she should-...

Her brain actually locked up. It felt as if even her heart... perhaps every cell in her body paused in that micro second. In that moment she laid eyes on him. Broad frame, red hair, those tattoos sneaking out from the cuffs and collar of his clothes.
"Holy shit," she mouthed the words soundlessly as she stared with shocked parted lips at the tall man entering the hotel bar. He looked exactly the same. As good as the first day she'd met him. For a moment she wondered if she was hallucinating, her eyes snapping away with a spike of anxiety and staring pointlessly at the spirit bottles behind the bar for a few seconds, fingers clutching tightly to the edge of the polished wood bar top. Barely giving herself a moment to collect herself before taking a second look. Nope. He was real. He was right there and her heart felt like it was being pulled at aggressively. Tearing at an old scar.
Riley Talbot.

[Zeko]

So far in his time adjusting to this new place, Riley had spent quite a bit of it convincing himself that it was okay. Just as good as home…

For as exciting as the life he led was, the most boring fact about him was he had grown up and lived in the same place for his entire life. That was a luxury not a lot of people got in life… He’d never had to be the new kid, or have to deal with constant hassling for it. If anything he was the hassler. In a good-natured way, of course…

In a way, he was glad to leave it behind him. He’d done what he’d wanted to do in the first place. He’d cleared his town up of the corrupted, thirsty vampires that had harassed the town for centuries, and left the now basic protection up to the green slayers that had jumped in to take his place. It was just as well… He was ready to move along. Once Phelan had gotten that letter… which, had turned him a little weird for a couple of weeks… It was just a matter of planning. Whatever the mutt was doing was worth helping, as far as he was concerned, so he’d sold his car, packed his things, and followed along for the ride.
Phelan was still acting weird. While the wolf had assured him (repeatedly) that business would pick up as it had been back home… Well, they still had barely any work, and were hanging around in this hotel for the fourth week in a row. It had gotten old, quickly. Riley slept during the day and that left him restless at night. It didn’t leave for terribly many hobbies… He wasn’t about to go out dancing or clubbing. But drinking without all that migraine inducing music… that was an idea.

He had grown tired of their hotel room and had opted to leave Phelan napping on his cushy hotel bed with the TV going, while he took a walk to clear his head and take in the crisp, freezing air, explore the area a little more… maybe scope out some neighborhoods to live in. But after a half hour walk had turned into two and a half hours, he had reluctantly decided to return to the hotel, and as he stepped through the large, overly decorative entrance, he also decided a drink sounded like the perfect way to top his evening before he crashed into his own cushy hotel bed.

The cold in the air was sharp and a little wet, which he was perfectly prepared for and didn’t seem phased by in the least, despite the red in his cheeks and the occasional heavy sigh that brought a cloud of fog behind it. A slate gray beanie perched on his head, warming his ears, and making the red of his hair snap more noticeably from beneath the darker fabric. He wore a black sweater, and a weathered, black leather jacket that had likely seen better days. Years of slaying vampires (unsurprisingly) did a number on your clothes long term. His jeans were well worn in and even fraying a bit at the back of the cuffs at the bottom, where they had clearly been caught repeatedly by the heels of his combat boots. And as soon as he wandered into the hotel bar, he cringed to himself. For one he’d had to duck slightly under the doorway, due to his height… but also he was ridiculously underdressed, compared to. Well, pretty much everybody here…

He contemplated leaving and finding another bar (not like there weren’t at least five in the next two blocks), but finally forced himself into a stool. He didn’t want to have to stumble home when he could stumble into the elevator when he finished and get to his room even faster.
The polite bartender made his way over to Riley as he settled down, and the redheaded man flashed him a friendly smile in return and reached for his wallet, ordering his whiskey and leaning his elbows a little into the bar. He was purposely avoiding all prying eyes around him, trying not to notice any attention he’d garnered from being so clearly out of place on the night of this little… function. He stole several pretzels from a nearby bowl and nodded his appreciation to the barman as he slid him his glass, pulling it closer and letting the amber liquid slosh around the glass.

Maybe it wasn’t home but something told him this was where he was supposed to be. Anyway the alcohol seemed to be just as good.

The pretzel was dry and caught in his throat, pulling a brief grimace from him as he let out a cough and finally lifted the glass to take a large swig. And that was when ocean blue caught his attention and made his eyes widen in immediate recognition. He took on far more from his glass than he’d intended and immediately held down a cough as he swallowed again harder and slammed his glass down, giving a short cough and again ignoring any attention he was currently gathering. Well that was a ridiculous display for nothing. For a second he thought he’d seen…
Past the stinging in the back of his nose and throat and his suddenly tear blurred vision, he could also see blonde hair and tan skin and a tiny frame. He was forced to rub his eyes and found himself staring unconsciously as the same pulling and tugging started in on that old wound he had only just convinced himself was completely healed over and easily forgotten.

Nadia Jones.

[Vaidya]

Her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes locked with hers, the perhaps panicked energy now amplified between the pair. What the hell was he doing here? As the thought passed through her, she watched with a few quick blinks as the Irishman had to slam his glass down fast and compose himself from choking on his drink. The blonde's face wavered inbetween her plastic look of shock and a quivering smirk of amusement at the clumsy reaction. Her eyes only left his odd display when she noticed a few people between them had thrown a rather snooty or wary look his way. He wasn't dressed like everyone else attending the function inside the ball room but that didn't mean he was some homeless man. Or was he? They had cut complete contact with one another. It was... easier that way. She'd tried remaining friends and keeping tabs on him... but it only led to dragging out her heart ache. A stab of jealousy here. A swell of concern if he didn't contact her there. A flourish of her fading love for him reborn with a single message. It was better just to forget... something she'd perhaps managed to do as of late. And now here he was. The universe had plonked him right infront of her. Both out of their home countries and in the same bloody hotel bar no less. Her mind was still whiplashed and it took her a moment to collect herself.

Nadia hesitated, rooted to her spot, unsure of what to even say to him, but as his eyes returned to hers after his tiny choking episode, her body was moving forward on her own. Finger tips left their perch on the bar and she weaved between other patrons as she walked down to the other end of the bar, her fingers now fiddling and pulling at one another in a show of anxiety by the time she did reach his side. The sound of her heels were muffled by the rich carpet as she approached, still doing nothing as a height advantage really. Was it possible to forget how big the guy was? Even sitting down? Or had he potentially gotten taller? She stood there awkwardly just staring with her lips parted, trying to summon a word... anything!
"Hey..." that was all her brain was allocating her, too stuck on taking in his handsome, familiar face. Her heart was split in two at this point, one half pulling her forward in a thought to embrace him so tightly and feel the nostalgia flood her, and the other half had ran out the door in retreat for self preservation. She was stuck in the middle somewhere and all that could run through her mind finally tumbled out of her mouth.
"What are ya doin' here Irish?"

[Zeko]

Riley finally managed to control himself and get himself past the stinging in his throat. He lifted his glass and swallowed down the rest of his drink with a deep breath, not at all failing to notice that she was now currently walking toward him now that his vision had finally cleared. He felt himself stiffen up a little; this was actually happening. It was actually her, and it wasn’t his imagination. The odds of them ending up in the same city, same hotel, at the same time without making plans was ridiculously unlikely… Yet here he was, turning in his seat to meet her as she sidled in beside him, looking exactly as bewildered as he was currently feeling.
The Irishman glanced to the barman from the corner of his eye, desperate for an opportunity to look away from her to distract himself and collect his thoughts quickly, nodding his acceptance of a second drink as it was offered before he forced himself to look back to her again. Silence. He could always easily read her, and even after so long, he could practically see her grasping for words to say, the perfect words. It took everything in him not to let the fondness he was denying slip through. Finally she managed to speak up... Hey. He shifted a little nervously and he gave her a small nod. That wasn’t a lot to work with but he could manage.
“… Hey.” Perfect.

He sipped at his drink again, feeling the walls going up around him and he hated himself for it. He’d spent a long time getting over her, but seeing her now made him realize he never really had, not matter how sure he was that he’d succeeded in getting past this. And now it was going to start over and he had to do… something to stop it. That just made sense didn’t it?
“… Well, uhm…” His fingers traced the rim of his drink slowly as he fought to gather his thoughts. And not focus in on just how stunning she looked, and that she was wearing makeup. And exposing her sun darkened back and arms and shoulders entirely in that black dress. The familiar self-consciousness he felt when she was around snuck up on him… It was only amplified now that he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in years. He felt a wave of irritation at himself. Why was he letting this happen? Couldn’t normally care less what people thought of him. Much less the people hanging around him now, staring and sneering. Nadia was nothing like them though… The look she was giving him comparatively made his heart ache more deeply. Finally, he was able to find his own words.
“Work.” Perfect, again.

He shifted in his barstool and he brought his glass back to his lips. Getting a buzz going might help loosen him up to speak a little more. He hated being so closed off from her, he didn’t want to be. But it was for the best. They were both too focused on their work and it was too hard from a distance and all he could remember right now was heartache…
He finally relaxed his mind enough to let his eyes turn to settle on hers, cocking his head a little and offering a small smile. There. He could be friendly… Whatever had happened between them, it was a mutual breakup after all, and he had no good reason to be a jerk to her. He cared about her… Obviously something in the universe had put them here at the same time together. He was so used to expecting the worst, but did this really have to be a bad thing?

“… Eh, Phelan had t’be here on business.” He paused and he flashed her a smirk. “Now y’know as much as I do. I jus’ came along t’help. He kept sayin’ work here woul’ be, y’know. More like, the ol’ days...” His eyes darted around briefly. Wasn’t the sort of company to be talking “business” with her in…
“… But uh, what about you, eh? Work fer you too, I assume…”

[Vaidya]

For a quick moment, she was stuck on the sound of that deep, lilting accent. One she had resigned herself to never hearing again. It was so bizarre and bittersweet. Her large sapphire eyes might have been staring for a long while, watching his mouth take in the last of his drink before his words actually sunk in. Before she even registered that he was acting guarded at first. Her lips that had been parted in honest surprise were now slowly pressed together, her fiddling nervous fingers growing still at her sides as she watched him sat on the stool, not facing her. Perhaps she... shouldn't have come over. And just as she felt the surprise and panic begin to subside into melancholy, he smiled a genuine smile down to her. It was small but it reignited something deep inside her chest. Wait, he'd said work? The good feeling was replaced partly by a grimness, her eyes darting either side of her along with his wary gaze at the people around them.
"Oh really?" Well she couldn't be that surprised. It was what he lived for after all. Before she could ask the suspicious question of if he was... working right at this very second and if she should be watching her back, he spoke up about Phelan, the young woman perking noticeably and a small smile finally curving in the corners of her own plump lips. She got more than two words out of the red head aswell, her smile slowly morphing into a brighter one despite the topic of his elusive job. That just happened to be in the same bloody city she was in.

"I just... wow. That's great! Uh I think... if you figure out. What it is you're doing. Umm yeah I'm working. Well, not exactly. Work related stuff I guess," her hands gently smacked at the poofy material of the layered skirt of her dress. She felt like a bumbling idiot trying to gather her train of thought, wanting to ask him a million questions and just listen to anything he had to say at the same time. She took in a deep breath and exhaled a small laugh over to him, shaking her head at her own behaviour. The blonde centered herself before turning to rest her forearms against the bar and mirror his own semi-withdrawn body language.
"I'd much rather be at work in the water but, yeah I'm promoting my own surf gear over her. Wetsuits and hardware mostly. Gunna try and do some networking with touring the conventions and conferences so I can hopefully get into board manufacturing but that'll be a year down the track I think. And I got a heap of comps to worry about in the mean time and..."
She realised she was rabbiting on excitedly. Perhaps partly in a rush because he could just walk out of her life again. Her eyes flashed back over to his face before she cleared her throat.
"Sorry, bit boring probably but uh. You said Phelan was here? Where is he?" She turned her body once more and raised even further onto the balls of her feet that her heels would allow, scanning over and through the tops of people's heads to see if she could catch a glimpse of the friend who barely left Riley's side. The Irishman answered quickly for her however. Sleeping.
"...shocking," she then laughed at the familiar stab at the often dozing werewolf.
"You looking for me Babe? I got that champagne you asked for. Who's your uh friend?" And just like that, Nadia's bubbling high smashed into a million pieces on the floor. That's right. She'd asked her date for a drink. And here he was with a kind smile and gentle tone. Even if the pet name of 'babe' was a bit advanced for what she was even classifying as a loose relationship.

"Oh. Y- ..." she couldn't catch her tongue as her chest felt incredibly tight standing right beside Riley and having to suddenly have to do this sort of awkward interaction.
"Yeah thanks," she took the offered flute glass and gave a polite smile toward the young man. He stood shyer than 6 foot, had kind green eyes and dark hair tied up into a top knot. He wore a sharp deep blue suit. She felt sick all of a sudden but took in a deep breath and forced herself into the pleasantries of being a bloody grown up. Guh.
"Brendan this is Riley. We uh, used to date for a while years ago. Just kinda ran into each other by chance, how crazy is that right? And ...Riley, this is Brandon. We correspond through his company that produces some of my merchandise. And he was nice enough to take me to the conference ball tonight. And get me a drink!" She forced a terrible smile and an even stiffer laugh. They had been broken up for years. Years! But why did she feel like she was commiting adultery? Luckily Brandon was observant enough to realise this was something he had walked in on.
"Uh nice t'meet you... you want me to come back or-"
"No no. It's fine. You don't need to do that," Oh god what was she even doing, her mind being torn between soaking in the rare moment with Riley, and saving Brandon from any ill feelings. Her eyes finally dragged themselves back over to Riley, withdrawn and apologetic. This was... how it was going to be she supposed.

[Zeko]

Riley couldn’t fight a small smirk as he watched her fumble for her words, holding down the urge to chuckle. Some things never changed… She always rambled when she was nervous. Words just tumbled out of her, and he found himself waiting patiently for her to finish. He nodded his head when he could and kept his small smile as he listened to her explanation.
“… Well then, congrats hey? Tha’s a big deal…” It certainly seemed to be a big deal. He was hit with a wave of pride for her and what she was doing; following her dream, traveling, living the life. Even if it meant he had to let her go… At least she was happy.
He swirled his drink in his glass again and smirked again sarcastically when she asked where Phelan was. The answer was easy enough… Laziest damn wolf he’d ever met. Definitely the most introverted wolf he’d ever met…

He watched her lean into the bar and his smile widened a little for her. She was settling in, and that was fine, just, unexpected. His heart skipped a little at the thought of spending more time with her, taking an opportunity he never thought he’d have again. And suddenly the hypothetical rug was yanked out from under his feet and he was left sprawling. Another voice joined them, and Riley was forced to turn to see where such a friendly tone was coming from. Babe?

His heart sank suddenly and he felt his fingers grip around his glass as the other man approached. Nadia stiffened out of the corner of his eye, and he did his best to appear unaffected… Though his tight lipped smile screamed loud and clear how he was feeling about all of this. Nadia introduced them and Riley arched a brow slightly, immediately noticing her unconscious habit yet again as she began to spill words to fill silence, and he let his eyes meet hers. His heart sank again slightly. This was… how it was going to be.

“… Nah, mate,” Riley said, making a point to stand, back straight to emphasize the few inches he still had on the other man. “No worries, I was jus’ leavin’ anyway.” He lifted his glass to quickly swallow down what alcohol he had left, shuddering a little and setting his glass down with a heavy sigh before he sidled by the other man. He and Nadia had been broken up for years and he was trying so hard to pretend he wasn’t hurt by all of this. Why in the world was he hurt by all of this? This was absolutely ridiculous… Of course she’d moved on. Of course she’d found someone else… She was gorgeous and smart and…

“Goodta meetcha, Brian…”
“Oh, uh… Brandon…”
“Right,” Riley said, nodding apologetically and patting his shoulder. “Sorry Greg…”
Before he could be corrected again he glanced back to Nadia and gave her a final smile. “Nadi. Goodta seeya…” He turned quickly to head for the door, almost turning toward the elevators… but changing course rather quickly toward the outside doors instead, reaching into his jacket pocket for his cigarettes and lighter, pulling one free and ignoring everything and everyone around him as he stepped into the dead cold of the night. He didn’t even feel it settle deep into his bones as the flame illuminated his face when he lit his cigarette. He walked as quickly as he could down the block, simply wishing to avoid the tiny Australian woman now; there was no way she was going to follow him out into this cold in a dress like that, and if she did, he didn’t want her to catch up to him. He had to be done with her to save him from himself, and sticking around for one last bit of enjoyment was only going to cause way more damage than he needed...

[Vaidya]

There was truthfully a part of Nadia that thought no matter how painful this was, and how much she was wishing she could just poof away into a plume of mysterious smoke... this was the adult world. She knew she had done some growing up since the era of she and Riley, and no doubt the Irishman had aswell. But as civil as she was being in the scenario, her inner child was tantruming for Brandon to go the hell away! She was just... having a moment? With her ex? That didn't sound right either. Sure the flood of familiarity and emotions had returned the instant she set eyes on his handsome face. But it didn't mean anything. It wouldn't fix what they had before. They had held on to that passion and pure emotional connection for as long as they could, until it wasn't enough. It was probably best that they part ways anyway... but a louder part of her said not like this.

Nadia's eyes fell shut in a heavy grimace as she stood between the two men with Riley announcing he would leave, Brandon just appearing genuinely surprised he'd stumbled in on all of this and Riley... a blind man could have seen the way he graciously presented his full height and muscle before he shot down the rest of his drink. Her eyes were open and watching the nightmare in slow motion with sadness almost drooping her large eyes.
"... Ri-"
But she was cut off by the Irishman who exchanged... 'polite farewells with her date. The blonde's hand shot up to press her fingertips firmly against her forehead and repressed a growl in the red head's direction. Really? Really?! He wanted to be petty? Now?She was trying and... the sudden surge of irritation faultered however when a sad smile of goodbye was directed over to her before his broad back was turned and he walked quickly toward the exit, her mourning eyes following him.

"Well... that was awkward," Brandon said in a less than amused tone and swallowed what he really wanted to say about the tall man that had shamelessly gotten his name wrong on purpose. Asshole.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! He was being a jerk. I just..." Nadia couldn't find herself putting all her heart into the apology on Riley's behalf however. Her eyes darting from her clean, kind... safe looking date and back to the retreating figure of a long lost love...
"Can you. Just hold my drink for oooone minute? I'll be -right- back," her untouched champagne was returned to the dark haired man who looked a little unprepared for her spontaneous decision to not let things end like they had.
"I'll be back, I promise," she called back over her bare shoulder with a forced smile, but the anxiety was clear as day in her eyes. Brandon could only nod back to her with a crestfallen expression, eyes darting between the beverages he was holding and staying rooted to the floor. She'd be back... right?

Nadia exited the hotel bar, her heels clicking immediately on the marble floors of the lobby and causing the young woman to slow her pace lest she end up skidding like a newborn foal across the expensive floor. She weaved around a few people entering the establishment, craning and turning her neck sharply to try and recapture the image of the leather jacket clad back that would walk out of her life forever. Again.
"Shit..." she hissed under her breath as she ceased her skittering to settle uncomfortably in the centre of the lobby, the high ceiling surrounding her with glass window elevators and tall, warm lighting. She scanned guests heads but no hint of firey red leapt back at her. A sharp gust of cool air turned her in the opposite direction however, the doors exiting the hotel swinging closed with a heavy swooping sound and the pale features of Riley's face were briefly illuminated in the flickering of a lighter's flame as the tall man walked off into the night air. She stared, head slowly turning to watch his brisk escape and feeling that sinking feeling return. Oh God why. Her feet were moving before she could think any of this through. All she wanted was for this horrible, sickening feeling to go away, and that meant talking it out with Riley. Who just happened to be getting away from her in the Wintery atmosphere outside. She didn't have a coat, and even if she did there was no time to go back and grab one. Her heels clipped and clopped across the smooth surface of the floor before her bare arms were shoving the clear doors open once more.
"Ffffffffar out!" She instantly felt a chill hack into her bones, her tongue holding itself and morphing a loud curse into a safer alternative as she trotted past a pair of elderly patrons. This... bloody Irish dickhead! This was all his fault! The small woman's hands were clutching and rubbing at her naked arms instantly, only pausing from the action to grab the handrail and awkwardly teeter down the stairs. And break into the awkward, stiff jog that only wearing heels could conjure up.
"R-Riley!" She called out between gritted teeth and a tight jaw. It was so FUCKING freezing.
"Riley! Slow down dammit!" She called ahead louder, knowing her could hear her. The temptation to run back inside to the warmth of the hotel was pretty strong, but the need to consolidate with Riley was stronger. Her clumsy, trotting, shameful excuse for a run stuttered for a moment when she slipped on a wet part of the pavement, a high squeak escaping her throat before she steadied herself.
"Hey, stop! I'm gunna go ass over tit out here and it's gunna to be -really- embarrassing!" Her eyes ever set on the back of his grey beanie half way down the street now with a thin stream of smoke trailing behind him.

[Zeko]

Riley only realized as he walked a little faster down the street that he really didn’t have anywhere to go but the hotel. Where else would he go? Wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, or social. He sighed heavily and dragged on his cigarette as he kept his brisk pace despite knowing that he wasn’t headed any particular direction. Just. Away. He was trying to clear his head a little, even slowing his pace a bit. And that was when he first heard the telltale ‘click’ of heels on pavement behind him, and narrowed his eyes into the street, lit dimly by lamps and lit business signs. No… She wouldn’t have…

Panting and cursing entered his ears as well and he sighed heavily as he exhaled smoke into the air, dropping his arm heavily at his side. Of course she would have.

He grimaced to himself as he heard her voice twang and echo through buildings as she fought to catch up to him. And the words that rang back to him made him finally stop in his tracks. Her voice was shaking from the cold… and desperate for him to come back to her. He closed his eyes and lifted his head a little, bringing his cigarette back to his lips before he finally turned around to look back at her.

“Didn’ hafta face anythin’, y’know. Coulda jus’ stayed back there with. Brandon.” He grimaced again, this time more at himself. He was reacting bitterly and he could practically taste it on the back of his tongue. He shouldn’t be so defensive. She had the right to her life and could see whoever she pleased. She wasn’t with him and hadn’t been in so long that it was probably a little… weird and clingy that he was feeling the way he was feeling.

He tried to lower his gaze, pretending he was distracted by the end of his cigarette as he flicked his finger to ash it. The truth was he was avoiding her gaze at all costs. For as well as he could read her… She could read him right back, and he didn’t want her to see what was raging around inside of him.

“What then?” He asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He didn’t honestly know what to say, or how to respond. He knew what he wanted to say… And he knew it would make her leave. But he didn’t want her to leave and that was the difficult truth. “… Jus’ came out t’freeze t’death?” He mumbled lowly, just to take a glance to the side as he flicked the end of his cigarette away before he shrugged the leather jacket on his shoulders off to wrap around hers in silence. Cared enough to follow him… He should at least try to listen to what she had to say, he supposed…

[Vaidya]

He was... going to stop right? She knew they'd been alienated from one another for a long time, but had it been long enough for him to reach a new level of being an asshole? At least the cold was working fast to kill any sensation in her aching feet, the blonde woman still trotting along over the damp pavement in a dangerous game of 'stepping roulette'. Clouds of fog were swirling about her face as she clutched the cooling skin of her upper arms, her fingers digging in deeper to her bare flesh when her target suddenly stopped and turned with quite an impressive yet irritable expression. Whether he was annoyed at her as a whole or at the fact he couldn't run as easily as he'd hoped; well maybe she would figure that out one day.
"Oh thank God," she spoke to the sky more than the red head before her as she took several shorter, clumsy steps to slow her momentum before stopping infront of him and managed not to fall in a heap on the floor, but remained panting all the same.

"You!" she thrust a finger up toward the Irishman with a particularly distinct height advantage, "You Sir. Are a dickhead! "
She paused to catch her breath and lower her raised hand to return to clutching and rubbing at her exposed skin, teeth beginning to chatter and her muscles tensing uncontrollably due to the freezing temperature. Her brain must have slowed down a little aswell because it took an extra second for her to realise Riley had actually used her date's real name in defeat.
"See! You know his fucking name. Why did you have to do that? Way to be the bigger man," she found a pit of aggression when normally there was none and it sent a scary jolt through her, taking in a deep breath to bite down any other words she wanted to spew out at him. Which was quite easy as she shivered and clenched her jaw. She blew a few stray strands of long golden hair that had escaped the restraints from the high twisted bun, her gaze diverting slightly away from his face when she saw the soft frown that had settled there. It had left a few lines in his face that she didn't recognise, so perhaps he had worn that face alot lately.

'What then?'
Well. She wasn't exactly sure what she... wanted out of this. Just for their one chance encounter not to end in a brief and bitter memory?

"...he's a nice guy Riley. Nicer than most anyway. He didn't deserve to be spoken to like that... Look, I know this is... really weird. But ya can't just... wait, no don't-"
And that was it. Her rare strike of self assertiveness and abrasive nerve disappeared into the warmth of the thick leather jacket that was hastily draped around her bare shoulders. Her forearms raised in a weak effort to reject the offer but... oh man. So warm. Her hands were grabbing the seams of the jacket like a vice after the material cloaked her skin and brought it around tighter to wrap around her small frame. It took all her strength not to make a high and satisfied sound at the sudden temperature change as she absorbed his former body heat. No doubt she might look quite silly however as the piece of now treasured clothing swamped her short form. She stood silently for a moment, huddled under her little salvation of warmth and took a second to feel her skin thaw a fraction. Eyes of dark sapphire finally pulled back to watch his stormy face after following his quickly discarded cigarette butt, her own mouth pressing into a thin line before releasing a long breath of frustration.

"Ya know... ya make it really hard to be angry with you."
Especially as the words left her mouth, the hint of his scent came creeping into her nostalgic brain from his jacket along with the notes of cigarette smoke. She rose a finger to rub at her cold tipped nose almost in self defence to ward the memories away. She was still watching his face as she thought of what to say while the silence fell around them, the random citizens that had watched her obnoxious display now carrying on with their night as no drama seemed to unfold. What... had she expected to happen?

"...I don't want tonight to end like that. I mean, what are the bloody odds we would ever run into each other... I just didn't want to... leave it like that. Ya know? I dunno..." she was just feeling sheepish now. Maybe she should have just let him walk away. Would have been a hell of alot easier in avoiding all these mixed emotions. Would have been half way through a champagne too. They had both moved on with their lives. 'It was natural', she told herself. Nadia was sure if their roles had been reversed and she had been forced to interact with another woman at Riley's side then she... A dark twisting tightened her guts at the awful thought and she hurried her mind away from it. Alright then it wouldn't have been easy. But she still would have been polite. Her strong gaze faultered as her words fizzled out, a saddened expression finally meeting the ground right infront of her.
"...I don't expect you to go back and... say sorry or anything. I'm not ya bloody Mum. But... " she shrugged with a small, sad smile twitching at her mouth before her large eyes finally returned to his familiar blue green ones, "If you're gunna go. Then I wanna say goodbye as friends."

[Zeko]

Riley blinked a few times as her tiny hand thrusted up toward his face, tilting his head up slightly to avoid any touch and frowning a little harder. If he’d wanted any sort of scolding about being an asshole in a public setting he would have stayed home and gone to mass with Gran. He unconsciously clenched his left fist and cracked his knuckles at his side as he fought to avoid her face with his gaze. Still… It was amazing how quickly he smothered the fire by wrapping her in the warmth of his jacket. He saw all of the aggression melting with the ice out of her body, reading her body language instead of her eyes.
“O’course I knew his name. M’not deaf, m’a fuckin’ dickhead.” He crossed his arms stubbornly and tried hard to smother his own fire. Shooting back and getting aggressive wasn’t what he –actually- wanted to do. It was just. Easy…

He couldn’t help wishing deep down that she had just let him walk. He could have been halfway to plastered and forgotten all about this by now… yet here he was in the cold, listening to her familiar, twanging accent and fighting to ignore his own memories of her as they began to flood the front of his brain. This just wasn’t fair…
Her words washed over him in waves and he felt his heart ache a little bit. She was on the same page as he was, to a degree… What were the odds they were ever going to be in the same place at the same time? They were pretty much nothing. Why leave it like. This? Why let his hurt and bitterness destroy something he’d once held so close, and so dear?
“… Well I ain’ goin’ back t’apologize,” he mumbled stubbornly, still avoiding her eyes. Why should he? … This was probably the only time they were going to cross paths in their lives. Then again, here was Nadia, standing in Boston…

“… But uhm. I can at least… Say g’bye t’you proper…” He heard the words leave his mouth, but. He didn’t really feel them.. He’d already decided before that he wasn’t going to go back with her. It just wasn’t a good idea. He knew he would get attached and be forced to relive this nightmare all over again, and he was fairly certain he couldn’t handle that. He still stepped forward and he let his arms lift to hook around her slowly, trying not to think about their height difference like he used to, or how stiff the hug felt, comparatively from other hugs before…
Still, he stayed for a long moment before he finally pulled away, slowly, letting his eyes roll up and catch hers, only briefly, quickly distracting his gaze elsewhere before he could fall too far to catch himself again.

“Was actually real goodta seeya.” He nodded his head slowly. “… M’happy things are goin’ well for ya.” Those words he did mean honestly. She did deserve it, she’d worked hard for it, she’d earned it…
“… An’ I’m sure he’s a real nice guy so. Y’better get back t’him.” Ugh.
As much as he wanted to keep talking to her all of a sudden, he also felt the urge to run gripping him tighter the longer he stood in place before her. He reached out to grab the jacket she was swimming in, but rather than take it back from her… he slid his cigarettes and lighter out of the inner pocket, and took a few steps back with a small smile. “… You’ll prolly. Need tha’ more’n I do t’night.”

There was more he wanted to say. He wanted so badly to tell her he loved her, and he deeply regretted being unable to make it work, and he’d do anything to try again. But that was a little too… sentimental for him. It was unspoken between them. And while he could say it out loud… Remaining silent and being able to move on later was far more appealing for him… If this wasn’t meant to be, then, it wasn’t meant to be.
“… Hope you an’ Brandon enjoy th’rest o’ y’night.” He pursed his lips and pulled another cigarette free and slid the pack into his back pocket. He took a last, lingering look before he flicked the lighter, lit the end of the cigarette and turned to continue walking down the damp sidewalk. He felt something like a magnet trying desperately to pull him back to her, and he ignored every instinct to turn around, starting to walk faster in the opposite direction instead. The first bar he could find, he would go into, he decided… And it didn’t take him too long, either, swinging a right and finding his destination a few blocks away. It was busier but at least he wasn’t out of place and getting stares here…

-----------

Phelan yawned and stretched out, in his wolf form as he was a lot of the time he wasn’t in the public eye, or happened to have guests. His tail swished out and his ears perked up, brows furrowed as his gray eyes flicked around briefly. Something had woken him up… what was it?
His question was answered quickly as he heard a knock at the door and he sighed heavily to himself, rolling his eyes and hopping off of the bed, standing up again human, pulling his pants up and buckling his belt before pulling on a shirt and ruffling his hair a little.

“… Yeah, yeah I’m comin’,” he mumbled to himself as he came to the door, hesitating briefly before he cracked the door open. As soon as he did he was shoved back as Brandon made his way through, furrowing his brows and looking down on the smaller wolf before flashing a small smirk.
“I knew I smelt someone else on that jacket.” Phelan’s eyes widened as Brandon reached out and caught Phelan’s shirt, shutting and locking the door before pushing him back and into the nearest chair. Phelan fell without much choice and stiffened immediately, frowning hard as he was shoved but not really doing much to fight back; he was an omega, and a loner. He didn’t really have much say in how this went.

“Where is he?”
“… I dunno…”
“C’mon…”
“I don’t! I’m not his father, I can’t just keep constant tabs on him. Anyway… he’s probably out drinking somewhere.” He paused. “I’m surprised he’s not downstairs.”

“Oh, he was,” Brandon mumbled and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Chased away my prize for the night, too…”
Phelan had to pause for a second at that. There was another familiar scent on Brandon, too...
The larger wolf picked up the remote control for the hotel television and began to flip through channels, sighing and leaning back on the bed.
“We’re just gonna wait for him then. He’ll be back…” He glanced to Phelan then slowly. “Morrigan’s got questions for you. Like…” He continued to channel surf as he spoke casually. “Why you’ve been in town for a month and haven’t checked in at all?”

Phelan winced a little and closed his eyes. Yeah he knew this was going to turn into an issue. There was no hiding from the Greybacks…
“… I wasn’t sure if Riley would cooperate…” Brandon stiffened then and sat up a bit.
“He doesn’t even know?”
“… No.”

Phelan breathed out slowly and shrugged, looking up at the other wolf with a flat stare.
“… He came because he actually wanted to.” Even without knowing exactly what was happening Riley wanted to help. He was a good friend, and, now… He’d unintentionally trapped and ambushed him.

-----------

The music wasn’t so bad here. Riley found a new seat at this new bar as far from anybody else as he could manage, and as soon as he had the barman’s attention he slipped him a good tip to keep him coming back. And he did… quite a few times in a few hours, before Riley swallowed the last of what he could hold anymore. Everything was good and blurry and he wasn’t quite at the dizziness end of it yet. He smiled at his new friend, before he slid the last of the money to pay his bill across the bar, and managed to find the door to slip out and back into the cold. The street was a lot less busy now that it was later, and that was good for him, fumbling with the cigarettes in his pocket now but managing to get a new one lit as he walked back in the direction of the hotel, his vision criss crossing a lot more often for this trip. Should have just stayed and drank at the hotel…

Still, the ache in his chest was gone temporarily, and he grumbled as he had to stomp out the cigarette before he walked toward the lobby of the hotel, noting a few extra people still mulling around from the… fancy business party, and walking a little faster (as fast as he could manage anyway) to get to the elevator, sinking into the corner after he’d pressed the button for his floor. His head tilted back and he swore he doze off before the loud ‘ding’ startled him awake, and he stumbled out quickly, digging around his pocket for his room key. He clumsily scanned the card and pushed the door open, expecting to see Phelan curled up and passed out like normal. When he wasn’t where Riley had left him, the redhead furrowed his brows… and he blinked in his drunken confusion as he turned sharply to see Phelan settled in a chair, looking quite down… and standing beside him…

“… Greg?” Riley mumbled and furrowed his brows. Before he knew it he felt a fist in his face and suddenly his world was black and he was on the floor, as Brandon stood over him with a dark scowl on his face.

“It’s Brandon, you fucking twat…”

[Vaidya]

Her breathing was still heavy from her clumsy pursuit, puffs of condensation heavy in the air between them as the small woman waited for a reaction. It actually physically hurt to see his face brewing in anguish, when just moments before she'd been lucky enough to grasp at a smile at the bar. That warm, fond smile that was going to be burning in the back of her head for weeks. Before everything had unravelled so quickly. She felt foolish standing there. Asking to be friends like a kid on the playground. Had she matured at all truthfully? The foolishness was evenly balanced with that naive hope however, the tiny smile on her face that was trying so hard to disperse the negative energy that had them sinking fast with one another. It was safe to say her anger was non existent now at least, the grumbling acknowledgement from the Irishman of his misdemeanors letting any remaining hot air fizzle out of her. Good. She was shit at being mad and he was terrible at being a jerk to her for long. But no matter how she tried to weasel that hint of smile in her eyes up to the red head to take away the tension, it wasn't working when he refused to look at her, Nadia's spark that called out to him fading quickly.

Her breath hitched sharply in her chest as he grumbled weakly about a proper farewell, and before she could process what he meant, the tall man had stepped close to wrap stiff arms around her. Nadia's eyes widened as her back stiffened beneath the man's donated coat, her head gently making contact with his chest as they stood perfectly still in the frozen moment. She couldn't breath and it was as if all her thoughts had merged together in a disorganised jam, unable to focus on one single thought. The familiar smell hit her like a tonne of bricks. The urge to close her eyes and lean heavily into him was incredible. And by the time she willed her body to respond and poke a hand out from being huddled beneath the thick material, barely hooking her arm around his waist before her was pulling away, her hand gripping at the material of his shirt in a sudden panic but it slipped out of her grasp with ease. This was too much. She felt the tightness in her throat become overbearing, forcing a slow swallow and tucked her hand back inside her cloak of warmth as their eyed locked while taking a step back. The warm moisture rising up to her eyes made them sting in the cold air, lowering her gaze from trying to find his face again. The memories and emotions were like a broken down old dam now that had crumbled. She thought this had been the right, moral and mature thing to do. But now she just wanted to run in the opposite direction.

"Me too..." she managed to speak simply and sincerely through the grappling of her sudden melancholy. It was good to know that he was alive at least... still doing what he was doing. She still couldn't bring her eyes up to meet his, the resignation in his voice suddenly far harder to take in than his jealous name 'mistaking'. He wanted her to be happy. With someone else. Her bottom lip began to quiver apart from her conscious efforts to stop from doing so. The distraction of his hands taking the front of the jacket, jolted her out of the numb hole she was falling into however, moving to shrug the material from her slim shoulders, feeling the icy air hit her tanned skin but pausing mid motion as she watched his tattooed knuckles pluck out his cigarettes and lighter. She couldn't even find the polite fight in her to return the jacket now that she had cocooned herself in it's warmth. His gesture to leave her with his jacket pulled her heavy gaze back to his face finally, unable to hide the unspoken longing that shined in her unshed tears. And there was that smile. That soft smile he always used to have tucked away for her. For the life of her she couldn't put on a brave smile back for him. A cigarette perched inbetween his lips and last lingering look. He turned and walked away, and the small woman felt smaller.

She began fiddling with a hem on the jacket to distract her... stop the tears from rising further. It worked for the remaining seconds. Those sinking slow motion seconds that she wasn't sure if she wanted it to last longer or to have never happened at all. Sapphire eyes stayed unblinking to watch his broad back walking away, his deep lilting voice leaving her without any malice.
"Ri-..." but she couldn't get his name out, her throat choking closed as her heart finally took over and simply hurt. It was a crushing feeling that pushed her air out of her chest, as she finally lifted the back of her fingers to her mouth and began to cry quietly in the street.

*     *     *

She'd blindly attempted to fix her face before setting foot back into the hotel bar, dabbing at tears instead of wiping incase it smeared the canvas that masked her features. She must have done a terrible job at it however as Brandon's expression didn't hide the fact that she looked a mess. She stood over him, looking a little lost, like she'd never been here before. And feeling a whole new wave of awfulness to see her date sitting slouched in a lounge chair with a bored expression and swiping away at his phone, both of their drinks untouched on the coffee table infront of him. That was before his eyes rose to meet hers as she tentatively returned infront of him, wincing guilt plastered all over her face. She had not been 'one minute'.
"I'm so sorry Brandon. I can't believe you're still waiting for me... "
"Uh. Did something... happen?" He looked a little distracted, looking at Riley's thick leather jacket draped over her shoulders as if it was an alien object. He wasn't berating her at least.

"Oh this... I. Just kind of ran outside after him. I dunno what I was thinking... I'm gunna go give it back to the main reception and-"
"...he's staying here?"
"...yeah."
"Okay well..." his eyebrows raised and his hands clasped together infront of him, forearms resting on his knees as he studied their drinks.
"I'm sorry. Honestly I am. I didn't know that was all going to happen like that. Brandon, there's nothing... I mean, nothing is going on there. It was such a long time ago. I just... really want to forget about it."
He seemed to be stuck in his own thoughts however, eyes darted back and forth minutely as she stood before him. Feeling like a terrible person. This wasn't her. She didn't make people feel like shit. Nadia took a few side steps before sitting beside him on the couch.

"I'll make it up to you? Can I get you a coffee in the morning?" Her head tilted in the question, trying to catch his green eyes that still seemed locked away in thought.
"Hmm?" He finally looked to her, "I... Yeah sure. You... wanna go somewhere?"
Nadia had to blink and attempt to subdue a surprised expression. She had thought.
"I... I was just gunna head back to my room on my own I think. Call it an early night, ya know? Just... still tryin' t'wrap my head around this all."
"Oh. I just thought... when you said coffee in the morning."
A bashful and slightly nervous laugh bounced from her, her smile bright and forgiving but also bordering on morphing into a grimace. Her emotions were absolutely stretched thin, having to jump around from one to the other this evening.
"Yeah I'm... not that kind girl."
It wasn't said in a judgemental or sneering way. More perhaps in a gentle explanation and a small shake of her head, allowing the jacket to slide down from her shoulders as they sat in the warmth now. But stopped with an almost jolt as she felt something dig into her side from the innards of the material. Luckily Brandon's gaze was back to staring at their abandoned drinks and didn't notice her awkward, mildly panicked wide eyed before she raised the jacket back up securely around her body.

"I didn't mean to say you were... you know what. I'm gunna have an early one too. A new promotion opportunity just presented itself this evening and well. I'd be an idiot not to get ahead of it. So I'll see you tomorrow if it all works out...?"
"Sure," she forced a broad smile, trying to act like like there wasn't a stake and hammer jutting her in the back, "Sounds great. Tomorrow then."

*    *    *

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. Had she just been dozing even? Nadia's brain had been too wired to shut off entirely after her particular evening, but it still took the young woman a few moments sitting up on the hotel bed, pushing her long messy hair out of her face and blinking around in the darkness, wondering if she had dreamed the knock at her door. She peered toward the door like a puzzled, far sighted child, sitting only in some loose pajama pants and a sports bra. She'd taken a blissful shower upon returning to her temporary home, washing away the prolonged heartache, the makeup and hopefully any pleasant lingering odour from the owner of the jacket that lay draped over the chair beside her bed. By the time she'd wandered back to her room, head a little clouded and numb, the blonde had realised she hadn't returned the jacket like she said she would. Or had she held on to it a little longer just to drag out her nostalgic anguish?

A hard three knocks at her door made her jump, a tiny squeak slipping out as her heart leapt into her throat and grabbed the blankets subconsciously up to her chest. As if the door was transparent? Who the bloody hell was coming to her room at this hour? Maybe they had the wrong room?
"...hang on!" She called out a little warily, sliding out of the sheets and pulling on a loose singlet with a surf logo on it, the material swimming around her small frame. The short woman had to rise to the bare balls of her feet to look through the tiny viewing hole in the door, the side of a man's stern face filling her vision and maintaining her heart's quick pace.
"Can I help ya mate?" She called through the door, trying to sound casual but making a solid decision to not open this door.

"Is this the accomodation of Miss Nadia Jones?" A rather bland sounding voice droned through the door from the man in the suit.
"It is."
"Miss Jones, I apologise for waking you at such an hour but I have some questions for you relating to a certain individual. A Mr. Riley Talbot? We're conducting an urgent investigation with the cooperation of the hotel ma'am. Would you mind letting us in?" All her brain heard was Riley's name, fixating on that as she leant back from the door with a concerned frown falling over her.
"He seems to be in a bit of trouble Miss Jones. If you could help us out then he might be able to avoid any more dramas."
Her heart acted out of turn, spurring on a hasty decision to open the door without needing any more convincing. After all. It was Riley in question.

"Hi," she greeted simply as her dark blue eyes blinked up at the tall man now infront of her, "Is he okay? He's not hurt is 'e?"
"Well... that's yet to be decided," and her stomach sank as a wickedly crooked grin peeled it's way across the man's face. Nadia's face fell immediately and on instinct she began to shove the door closed. A hand stopped it slamming however, another man who had been standing to the side in the hallway, pushing the door open and causing Nadia to take a few skittish steps backwards.
".... who are you?"
"It doesn't matter Miss Jones. Like I said. We only want to ask you a few questions. At our Headquarters of course, if you would be so kind in not resisting. There's no need for force I'm sure," his eyes gave her tiny form a rather unimpressed once over as the woman was trying to process this information and how it linked to Riley at all. How did they even know she was linked to Riley? She hadn't known he was here. They'd only spoken briefly really. And who were these guys affiliated with? If this was tied to his supernatural connections she swore to God that-

Her racing brain was shut off as the man who had forced the door open grabbed her wrist with a firm hand. Her eyes widened, snapping to the point of contact and without another breath of hesitation, the small woman was a blur, ducking and spinning under the man's arm to twist herself free from the weak point where his thumb and fingers overlapped, her other hand snatching his hand and manipulating his arm behind his back, pressing her thumb on the back of his hand and twisting into a locked position. Her foot came down at the back of his knee sharply, forcing his leg to give out under him and his chest to become pressed to the wall. The man who had done the talking only stared, his mouth falling open a little. That was unexpected.

She might have been small, but she was quick. And the training that Riley had started all those years ago had been continued through her brother who shared the same hobby as the Irishman. Plus Nadia prided herself in knowing how to deal out some self defense. The man she had in her grasp tried to stand, her other hand joining the first to press down on the back of his hand and force a pained groan out of the man. That was until the suited man decided he would have to get involved, a pair of arms closing in around from behind her to bear hug her arms to her side, pulling her up and back off his comrade.
"Okay. We need to calm down. There's no need for-ARRRRGH!" the sharpest little elbow was jabbed right into his ribs causing the man to drop the blonde, the Australian scrambling out of the way of both of them, rolling across her bed and hands diving into Riley's jacket to produce the stake and little hammer, standing in a readied stance for them to come at her.

She was only met with laughter from both men, even though they were just straightening themselves out from her quick little maneuvers. To be honest there wasn't many more tricks up her sleeve for such close proximity and the spike in adrenalin and anxiety was written all over her face as they laughed at her.
"You're gunna stake us like a couple of vamps?" The suited one spat out in distaste and confusion settled thick around Nadia. They weren't vampires... then who. What were they?
"Hmm. The boss didn't say this one was trained aswell. Might have earned ourselves a little pay bonus this month 'ey?"
Large eyes darted between the men, that sinking feeling ever present and she just knew. She had to get out. Nadia nimbly jumped up onto the bed, hammer raised high which caused the men to stop their jeers and comments, sinking back a step and watching her cautiously.
"Now come on. Get down. That's not going to help you. We said we just want to talk."
But while one was talking, the other made a leap to grab her around the middle, her arm swinging down with no restraint of strength and striking the larger man in the back of the head, causing any fumbling grip on her to retreat to nursing his head as he fell in a heap to the side of the bed.
"I dunno. Seems to work just fine t'me," her voice twanged out with a focused but anxious air about her. She raised her primitive weapons to the face of the other man who was less enthusiastic to be grabbing her a second time, Nadia using the brief paused moment to dash past him. She ran out the door and into the corridor. She was an athlete and confident in her physical ability. She could make a fair dash for it and get help. Her thighs pumped hard as she felt the man dash those first few steps after her before he stopped. The little blonde bolted.

"Help! Someone help me!" She screamed out as loud as she could. Surely someone on this damn floor would wake up and hear her. What she managed to hear over her pounding footsteps and frightened heart was the odd tearing sound of clothing, a scraping of something hard across the carpet and mixed throughout was an odd grumbling, growling sound. Nadia slowed her run and dared to look back, and she almost fell over her own feet when she did. The man's suit was in shreds and his body was constricting and writhing in absolute discomfort as his transformation became close to complete. An enormous grey wolf standing on all fours, staring her down with yellow eyes in the middle of the corridor.
"Holy shit," the words slipped from her, terror warping her face as it became crystal clear what she was getting mixed up in now, "Werewolves?!"
Phelan's kind.

The grey wolf gave what almost looked like a leering snarl before he began to lope toward her, the other man she had hit with the hammer stumbling out behind the mess of claw marks on the carpet. Nadia didn't need any more clues that told her to fucking run for the hills, her heart hammering as she picked up her feet and slammed her hand on the elevator button when she reached it. The doors didn't open. Only the little neon numbers above the door began to scroll lazily from it's position on the ground floor.
"Come on," she pleaded desperately at the contraption as if that would speed up the process and she threw that hope out the window as that lazy loping turned into a huffing, growling gallop down the hotel corridor.
"Fuckin'... " she cursed, a high and stressed sound as her eyes caught sight of the mundane door beside the elevator, dashing forward quickly without second thought to open the stairwell. Her body slipped through in a fast lunge before slamming it closed behind her, a small moment of looking for something to hold the door closed with which resulted in bloody nothing, heavy panting echoing off the cement walls before she made the mad dash down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Her footing and balance was on the brink with the desperate tactic to escape down the stairs but the short woman made good distance, her golden hair whipping out behind her.

 A small feeling of confidence began to return inside her, steeling her core and setting her focus on what her body was doing. It was an empowering short lived experience, the deafening slam of the door being forced off his hinges causing her to almost lose her footing and tumble down the next flight. Her frightened breathing came out louder as she gripped at the hand rail to guide herself down faster. Oh god she didn't want to die. Where was Riley? She wanted Riley. 'Just five or so more flights, keep going' she told her scattered thoughts, pulling them together but unable to suppress the scared scream that leapt out from a place deep inside her as a large grey wolf gave brilliant pursuit down the winding stairwell, leaping down alot faster than she was managing despite the cramped conditions. Wide eyes kept looking back, her fear undoing her. Another set of stairs down and the blur of fur and muscle leapt with another thundering roaring snarl beside her as she turned. Another shriek escaped her at the sound and frightened tears began to rise in the corners of her eyes. The last flight of stairs and she could basically feel his hot breath down her back, reaching out a hand for the door that led into the lobby. Safety. The sanctity of being out in the open; in public. Just on the other side of the door. The door that suddenly opened with an alarming speed inward toward her. Her head happening to be in the pathway of the edge of the door, thick wood slamming into her forehead, splitting the skin over her right eyebrow but what was more pressing was the literal flurry of stars she was seeing. The pain seared through her skull and vibrated down her back. And then she just couldn't stand anymore. Her consciousness held on for a moment longer to see the man she had striked in the head poking his face through with a smug expression. A huge clawed hand extended just in time to catch the back of her blonde head before it could fall back onto the bottom step.
Werewolves... She hadn't seen that coming...

[Zeko]

He was asleep? No he was just waking up. Still, he wasn’t ready to open his eyes, not even ready to really wake up. But consciousness was slowly forcing itself upon him, along with the effects of the whiskey. Now the spinny part was beginning to take him and he swallowed a few times to steady himself. Okay. So the last thing he remembered… Well the last he remembered he was leaving the bar honestly. What had happened between then and now?

Slowly, he let his eyes crack open, and blink a few times. It was… a hotel room? … But not his hotel room. He frowned and opened his eyes a little more, wincing as the light hit him and stung the front of his brain. Oh god he had missed the full drunk and pass out and skipped straight to the hangover. Joy.
He grumbled and rubbed his face and his eyes, pushing himself further up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He glanced to his hands and noted flecks of blood along his palm, furrowing his brows and wiping at his nose. More dried blood.

‘Greg…?’

“Brandon,” he mumbled and closed his eyes again, pushing his fingers through his hair and growling again. Brandon had bloodied his nose and just let his beanie just drop on the ride over, he assumed. Dick.
He’d gotten punched and dragged to. Wherever this was. He reached onto the bedside table for a napkin to finish wiping up his nose, standing slowly to begin exploring around the room while it spun around him. He frowned and opened the drawer on the bedside table. Well no Bible to speak of… But a relatively nice, small TV… window…
He took a few steps forward and pulled back the curtains to glance around outside… and rolled his eyes at himself. Looking outside wasn’t going to help him place where he was, he didn’t know this damn city… And he leaned into the edge of the window as he stared out, eventually opening it up to let in some air with a heavy grunt. He was still trying to place events as they’d happened before he’d been knocked out. And suddenly he remembered that Phelan had been there, too. Looking almost… distraught?
He stood in the open window and simply let the air hit him for the moment, breathing out with relief when the room finally stopped moving and his stomach seemed to settle. He wanted to be at least… somewhat aware, before he left the room or-

He heard the doorknob turning and instinctively reached for the inner pocket on his coat… which. He wasn’t wearing anymore. Naturally… And all he could do was stare in stiff silence as the door creaked open, just to see... Phelan walking in…
Riley relaxed and breathed out heavily, only to pause as the air around him didn’t ease too. Phelan looked uncomfortable and withdrawn and it was definitely still tense in here… and the redhead furrowed his brows together again.

“… Wha’s goin’ on?” He mumbled as he stared down at the shorter, more scraggly man. Phelan rubbed an arm weakly and closed his eyes.
“… It’s complicated.”
“Y’damn righ’ s’complicated… How d’you know tha’ douchebag? Why’d you let’im knock me ou’ an’ drag me t’God knows where?”

Phelan breathed in slowly.
“… It’s compli-“
“Don’… don’ feed me tha’…” He stepped forward then and caught Phelan by the collar of his shirt, watching the wolf try to melt into the floor as he avoided his eyes. “Wha’s goin’ on?!”

[Vaidya]

She'd been awake since the first rays of sunlight had peaked above the horizon. The Alpha had managed a few hours sleep anyway after her brain had been buzzing since receiving a call from one of her many Gammas. The elusive Red Slayer who had been in the Greybacks sights for quite some time due to his companion, was now in their custody. She'd instructed for dealings to be orchestrated civilly, but it would not surprise the leader if it had not. The silverhaired woman shot back the rest of her double espresso before shrugging on her business jacket, doing up the buttons to shape the clothing at her waist. She ran her fingers through her gelled back short hair, glancing in the mirror of her bedroom and choosing to ignore the dark circles under her olive green eyes. She'd had to deal with more phone calls from her father aswell through the night and was beginning to crave a holiday. Away from this teetering balancing act. But she would have to attend to this rare chance they'd been gifted with herself. It would be foolish to throw such an opportunity away when they needed to think outside of the box with all of this. If they wanted to win this territory push. In her eyes anyway... perhaps her father would not agree with all her interspecies involvements, but she would cross that bridge when she lead them all to victory.

She stepped into her private elevator with a soft sigh and a roll of her head to stretch out her neck with a crack. Only a few floors down and she was at her destination. From home to work within the same building. Some could think of nothing worse, but when she lived and breathed this Alphaship then it was a logical strategy. Her low grey heels softly clopped down the hallway, a young woman darting over immediately to hand her boss another double espresso.
"Do you need anything else Alpha Morrigan?" She asked with a timid air, unsure of the woman's mood this morning.
"Yes. Instruct Brandon to collect his trump card and bring her to me," her silky voice hummed lazily as she returned the coffee shot glass to the secretary's outstretched hand without looking at her, continuing down the hallway toward the end suite.

This floor was designed around visitors and foreign business partners who were granted the honour of staying in the Greyback Headquarters. A perhaps more subdued and polite setting to bring the Red Slayer in to rather than have him dragged infront of her desk. Dealings with non-werewolves were always a challenge to the Alpha. She had no influence. No dominating power over these people, other than her aura, reputation and actions. Her shoulders straightened as she approached the room their 'visitor' was staying in, Sai rounding another corner with a tray of coffees in his hands.
"Mornin' Boss," he greeted cheerfully, a toothy grin presenting itself.
"Morning," came the flat reply and neutral expression in return.
"I had Phelan pop in before us. See if he can soften up the guy first since Brendan got a bit... heavy handed," he attempted to dodge around the fact that the vampire slayer they potentially wanted to befriend and employ had been brought in unconscious. Morrigan's irritation was instant with a soft growl grating her throat.

"I bet that fucking Gamma wants me to scratch his belly for it too," she grumbled, Sai snorting a short laugh in agreement. She was in a good mood this morning! The Beta took it in his stride to deliver a quiet knock on the guest suite door before opening it to... a rather enormously built and heavily tattooed human with their ragged omega in his grip. Not warming the human up very well. Sai stood in the doorway for a moment, taking a couple of blinks before giving the scene a once over.

"Wow... Phelan. Hot damn, it's not even my birthday man. Thankyou very much," he chuckled softly to himself before strolling in with a flashing and charming grin toward the roughed up and rather grumpy looking red head. Morrigan couldn't restrain the natural roll of her eyes behind the Beta before walking in behind him and closing the door behind her.
"Hey there big guy. Save ya flexing for another time," the tall dark haired man strolled over toward the double lounge suit with a coffee table situated inbetween them, placing the coffees down and waving a hand over them in offering.
"Get one of those in ya. The Boss will tell you both what's going on."
Sai stepped back to flank Morrigan as she walked over to the pair, her eyes sharp and focused, the air about her tense and icy. She stood shorter than all the men in the room, but she felt the largest in her own powerful bubble. Her olive green eyes stared down the well built human for a silent moment, analysing and thinking about how much information she wished to divulge. At the end of the day Morrigan was not one for talking far beyond the minimal need to. No bullshitting or sugar coating in any part if her dealings.

"Omega. Sit down," her silky voice purred quietly but held a firm instruction that she knew that Phelan would follow. She didn't watch the werewolf move to the couch but kept her eyes trained on this infamous vampire slayer.
"You are welcome to aswell while I explain your presence here," she spoke almost as if the entire world was boring her before turning and sitting herself down slowly across from Phelan, scanning over the multiple coffees her Beta had delivered before plucking up her desired one. Having a high, supernatural metabolism meant one required higher doses for certain substances to have any effect. Sai remained silent (for once) and stood to attention behind the couch, looking alert and mildly curious.

Morrigan sighed and reclined back into the cushions, crossing one leg over the other before finally looking over to the omega. The one who had ran all those years ago under her father's rule.
"We've been monitoring your activities some time," she addressed both of them but kept her attention on the omega so he knew this was all boiling down to his past actions, "When pack members make a choice to defect from their pack, it can be seen as quite the insult."

She finally tore her eyes away from the scraggly haired man to watch over at this brooding red head. Best to lay the cards on the table and let him know how things were going to be. She was growing shorter on time every day.
"My name is Morrigan Bennett. I am the Alpha of the Greyback pack who inhabit the entire territory of the Boston county area. Your friend was once a faithful omega under my Father's rule and decided to leave the territory without saying where he was going. This can be a death sentence to some more primitive packs. But we pride ourselves in modern day assimilation. We don't live in the dark ages anymore, and if we expect our kind to survive and flourish in the professional world then we must adjust our past standings on such things."
She paused for a moment to swallow some more strong, black coffee before closing her eyes in thought.

"Under my Father's previous rule, Phelan would be in an incredible amount of debt in service to the Greybacks. But under my new... management I am prepared to waver that. The conditions for his return were that he bring you with him Mr. Talbot. You see... we have a little vampire problem," she opened her eyes back up with a dark smirk.

[Zeko]

This wasn’t going nearly as smoothly as he had anticipated and hoped for. Phelan’s brows knit together and he finally reached up to push Riley’s hand away from his shirt, standing a little taller and frowning up at the still much taller man in front of him. He had been avoiding all of this since day one, and now he was going to have to face it head on.
“… Look, there’s just a lot you don’t know about me and what I was doing before I met you. I wasn’t always on my own, I was born into a pack, and I grew up under the lowest ranking. And… that means I still have. Certain rules I have to follow.” He toyed with his fingers in front of him, still avoiding Riley’s eyes and staring down at the carpet between their feet. “… I didn’t want to do this but I had no choice…”
Riley let out a slow breath and lifted a hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly. His thoughts were still hazy and his mouth was numb and dry. This was all a bunch of babble to him right now… But it was that last sentence that caught his attention, making his head lift slowly and his eyes squint as he studied the other man over intently.
“… Wai’, wha’ does tha’ mea-“

But before they had a chance, the door creaked open, and in walked two new people Riley knew he had never seen before, and the man who lead the charge was clearly giving him a (more than) once over, the female seeming exasperated by her companion as he spoke up. Riley shifted uncomfortably, and tensed a little as he felt an unexplainable edge fill him at the sight of the two of them, trying to pay attention to himself and not to make his thoughts too obvious. He was reading them both intently as well.
Tiny though the silver haired woman was, she was clearly the one in charge… especially as the single-worded command rolled off of her tongue, and Phelan stiffened, immediately turning most of his attention onto her but still managing the nervous peek at Riley out of the corner of his eye. The redhead’s jaw set slightly as the dark-haired man offered him a coffee, and immediately felt his stomach turn. Not for the thought of caffeine entering his fuzzy body, but the way this entire situation was playing out. He was past ready to get out of here. But… curiosity held him anchored to his spot on the floor as the silver haired woman began talking.

Riley listened intently with pursed lips, and his eyes flicked to watch as Phelan did exactly as he was told, moving quickly to find a seat across from the alpha. Riley’s brows arched, and he turned back to the small woman… watching as she so fluidly settled into the other couch and crossed one leg over the other, sipping almost bored at her coffee as she watched the both of them. Her eyes met his, and rather than cower and step away as he sensed he should… he could only stare defiantly back as she offered him a seat. He did not respond to her, nor did he sit, only shifted on his heels and crossed his tattooed arms over his broad chest slowly. He had no affiliation with these people outside of Phelan, and outside of today… He had no idea who she was. So far he wasn’t impressed with their level of hospitality... If they wanted to threaten to kill him, well… At least he wouldn’t have to suffer through a hangover…

He caught the last of her words as they rolled off of her tongue, a smile finally cracking through that icy marble layer she purposely settled over herself as the Alpha and fearless leader of her pack. And finally Riley turned to Phelan again, brows furrowed all over as he saw Phelan’s head lowered purposely to avoid him.
Phelan had insisted he stay in Ireland… that Riley wouldn’t need him and he wouldn’t miss him if he just went home to tend to business. But, because Phelan had stuck with him so faithfully over the years… It hadn’t even taken any thought for Riley to sell his entire life and tag along at his friend’s side. He’d needed him, even if he couldn’t exactly tell him everything that was happening.
And now all of that just seemed. So played out. So fake. He felt incredibly used… he hated being manipulated.
He felt his body tensing as he considered Morrigan’s words and eventually let out a sharp breath, shaking his head a little in disbelief. All of this was one huge play of manipulation and his temper was beginning to boil over inside of him. He’d been used and now he was simply expected to follow through.

“… So then, you send a minion t’bloody me up an’ drag me t’y’evil headquarters to force me into y’little bullshit territory drama?” He scoffed and he lifted his hands, waving them off and shaking his head. “I ain’ havin’ anythin’ t’do with this. If y’pack is so sophisticated y’ain’ gonna kill m’friend outta th’goodness of y’hearts then, fuck off, wha’ d’you need me for?” He took a few slow steps back and away from the group of wolves, feeling his heart pumping as sharp, hot anger made his adrenaline begin to rush through his burning veins.
“Fuck all this, I’m catchin’ th’firs’ plane home…”

[Vaidya]

When the young man wordlessly refused her offer of a seated, calm conversation it was quite obvious to the others in the room that this was not going to run smoothly. Sai shifted closer behind his Alpha in a subtle manner but kept his softer expression. Morrigan could certainly handle herself but this experienced slayer was not to be underestimated either. They'd been keeping tabs on his underground achievements after all. The silver haired woman's smirk slowly dulled into an expression of exasperated apathy and a gentle frown as the tall human began to rant back at her. She couldn't deny that his rough treatment had been a mistake in all of this, but in the same breath she couldn't afford a polite invitation to be refused. Still, she had to be held accountable for her packmates blunders.

A small, tense quietness filled the air between them as Riley finally metaphorically threw her vague explanations out of the semi opened window. Her hand was raised, dangling her coffee as if she were thinking, that same unimpressed and bored look on her face as she watched him pace backwards. She lifted her coffee to her mouth finally before leaning forward and placing it with a soft tap on the coffee table, irritation twisting her face noticeably as she sat back in the lounge with an audible sigh. The lead up to an... apology. Guh.

"I... apologise..." the word came out with difficulty and a clenched jaw, "... for the heavy handed methods of my Gammas. They were clearly instructed to use every method other than violence to bring you to me."
It was not a regular practise for her to hand out 'sorrys' and her eyebrow might have twitched a little.
"It appears you might have done a good job in pissing him off in other ways? ...either way, I don't care about that," she waved off the two mens interpersonal conflict, "But I do care about other people in your life."
She paused once more, folding her arms loosely, still holding her resting frown as her sharp eyes slid over to Phelan.

"The Greybacks can offer you both a healthy salary for this... private extermination," she said bluntly, "And the job is large, so... the pay would be aswell. This is not a simple 'drama' Mr. Talbot. This is about to escalate into a full scale war if I don't get proactive on this."
Her eyes fell closed and she waited for a less than enthused answer from the Red Slayer. So disappointing. Morrigan sat quietly. She really did hate talking so much. Her nose gave an audible, sharp sniff all of a sudden. Her eyes opened but only in narrow slits that glared at the doorway, an almost inhuman growl slipping quietly past her throat.
"You are giving me limited means in convincing you to do this Slayer," she grumbled before straightening her posture and turning her head toward the door.

"I can smell her blood from in here you incompetent idiot," her voice rang silky and displeased in a louder volume, "...come in."
How her orders had been disregarded so easily with two of her 'guests' now was certainly aggravating the silver haired woman. But she wasn't about to abandon this.

Brandon had only just arrived at the door, standing with hesitation and a timid flare in  his green eyes when he'd jumped at his Alpha's booming voice.
"Shit..." his voice released barely above a whisper. And the short woman beside him couldn't help but give an uncharacteristic dark smirk up at him.
"Aww shame," she said in a mock sweetness before he all but snorted down at her, grabbing her by the bicep and opening the door to drag her in. Her face quickly dropped to one of anxiety as she was lead forcefully into an unknown area. Nadia could only stare in disbelief at the scene before her though. Oh... oh okay. She was slowly piecing things together after being abducted to this place. She had not been unconscious for long during the ordeal and had woken scared for her life in the back seat of a car with a bag over her head to obscure her senses. And now it was all beginning to tie back in with.... these two.

"Uh. Hi guys," she said quietly, an awkward expression falling over her face. Nadia couldn't help the giant amount of relief that flooded through her to see Riley standing alive and well. The way he was holding himself told her he was not in the least bit pleased or prepared to see her again. So it hadn't been a tactic to get her to open the door of her hotel room. Riley truly was in the shit. And Phelan was a shadow of the man... or wolf that she remembered, her deep blue eyes trying to make hopeful contact with his at being reunited but he seemed to be almost cowering. Infront of this grumpy looking woman who had barked at them through the door.

"...what do you call this Brandon?" Morrigan's irritation was palpable as she gave the tiny woman an unimpressed once over, ending at the slit of a wound above her eyebrow that had a couple of lazy steri strips holding it together. The way Morrigan looked down on her was just like the other werewolf had done before attempting to grab her.
"Uh... I... " Brandon failed to get his words out.
Nadia's aura adjusted accordingly however. This was bullshit.
"Your guys are a little grabby," she piped up toward Morrigan, eyebrows raised and subconsciously puffing her chest a little to try and add her presence here. Her head snapped back to the man she knew. She had known should she say. One she had liked... and trusted. The blonde snatched her arm out of his grip sharply as Brandon stood there unsure of whether it was wiser to explain himself or stay quiet. He merely grunted as Nadia freed herself from his grip and delivered a glare his way.

"I dunno what's going on here but. You just... can't do this sorta thing!" Nadia's attempt at appearing tough quickly blundered, her voice raising to one of mild hysteria at the ludicrous situation. Her large eyes darted between her business associate and these strangers.
"I have nothing to do with... This," her arm rose to wave about at all the people in the room, trying to avoid Riley's vulnerable eyes, "And can I just point out the obvious point. That it is bloody illegal to kidnap someone?! Hmm?!"
A beat of silence was soon replaced by an even more tense sound. A short snorting laughter from the Alpha who sat attempting to host the odd scenario.
"Yes. Quite illegal," her silky voice purred as if the word held no meaning to her, olive green eyes returning to the face of the Irishman now. Studying him for signs of either rising anger or accepting submission.
"Are you ready to hear me out now?"