Without a Cause. (deidre/smash!)

[liam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border: #222222 8px solid; background-color: #1f0000; background-image: url(http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx40/tippykazoo/Caution/light.jpg);] [atrb=width,450] There wasn't anything quite like having one's ass handed to them, to make them appear as though they were the laughing stock of the entire century. Thinking back on it, he probably should not have gone there. Hell, he probably knew he should not have gone there, before, you know, actually going there. He had been told that it was a bad part of the city to be caught in, and that hot blooded hot shots wouldn't last more than five minutes without getting themselves confronted by someone far worse than themselves. Liam, of course, refused to listen - and his inability to follow some well meaning, if not a bit deserving, advice - earned him an unsteady confrontation with not one, but two, guys who were a good deal larger than him. Liam got a good amount of hits in before the situation quickly spiraled downward on his part. One man had wrenched his arms behind his back, locking them across each other, while the other went to town, shoving his fists into Liam's gut. Why wasn't he fighting back? Now, that was most certainly an excellent question. Liam, well, Liam relied pretty heavily on the use of his arms whenever he got into fights, and with his currently indisposed and held behind his back, that feat was a pretty damn near difficult one to accomplish. And whoever he was fighting quickly caught wind of this. And it was only after he got a good good punches in, both to his stomach and his jaw, that the man shoved him towards the ground. And he didn't know if it was endurance, or just adrenaline, that fueled his spontaneous retreat, but Liam took off running, coughing and sputtering the entire time. And didn't he look like a hot mess; one arm coiled against his abdomen while the other swung wide to shoulder and shove people out of his way. It was a pretty good thing that his pseudo attackers lacked the endurance that he appeared to have; and they lacked the finesse required to weave in and out of the crowd, so it did not come as much of a surprise to him when they lagged behind a few good paces. But his stamina certainly couldn't keep up that long, not long enough to put a good league between him and the pursuers. But nevertheless, he ran, staggering and and sputtering more whenever he ran into anyone. But perhaps on this particular turn, that he took too fast, perhaps it was now that he'd finally be knocked off his feet. And quite literally, for that matter. But as he rounded the last corner, and when the shouts and cursing from the attackers were heard mingling in with casual conversation of those that wandered the sidewalks, one arm shot out to grip the corner of the building, swinging him around the corner. And straight into someone else. "Shit!" His arms stretched out, pulled from their position curled against his stomach as he collided with her, his entire upper body twisting around as he was forcefully descending. But when he landed, and he assumed she went down with him, his face twisted into a recognizable grimace as a low key groan ebbed from his mouth, and he quickly dragged himself to lean against the brick wall. He couldn't exactly tell if the two guys were still chasing after him, or if they had lost him in the crowd when he collided with whoever this was - and he wasn't too keen on possibly finding out. But right now, as he sat huddled against the wall, he used the back of his hand to wipe the blood away from his mouth. "Oh shit. You okay?" His head shook, before he ventured to look around - it didn't seem like too many people were paying attention to him, which caused him to think that running into people, and people getting in trouble was a borderline everyday occurrence in Manuka. ------------------------- WORDS: 670 TAGGED: deidre/smash! NOTES: NO SORRY. i got so distracted. hope this post works for you <3

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[DEIDRE NATALYA AVERIN]

Gathering information about a target was not the most fun adventure a girl could have on a day like today. But that’s what Drey was doing, up here on the roof. She had her camera- a recent investment, the thing was beautiful and had a spectacular zoom feature- her phone, and her iPod. She listened to music, she snapped pictures, and took notes. The demon had been following Kerry Mathers all day. He was a big man, tall and strapping and dark, and he was rolling through a variety of ‘errands’ this afternoon with his associate Patrick. Yeah. The two of them were a blast. Couple of meat-head gangsters, not good for much but picking fights and enforcing rules. And their boss, well, he had a few things coming to him soon that he probably wasn’t counting on. Deidre had plans for that one. First though, she had to eliminate the big, muscled walls surrounding him. She could have chosen a variety of methods- murder, intimidation, jail-time- but first she needed more information than she had. Okay yes, she knew their names, nicknames, social security numbers, phone numbers, parentage, high schools, and other such details of that nature, but to know what their day to day routine was, she had to actually follow them around, with her lens in hand, and ‘get to know’ them, in a sense. Kerry was first, of course. He was the right hand, the more ‘responsible’ of the two, the one who got tasked with the jobs. He was a boring individual, and she longed to aim a high-powered rifle at his skull, pull the trigger, and be done with it, but getting her own hands dirty was not part of the deal this time. The contract didn’t call for that. ‘Ruin them, but don’t kill them.’ That was the order. Well, the request. So here she was, climbing the roof like Spider-Man, camera and all.

The stopped at a bakery, menace in their eyes and threats on their lips and in their fists, beating the snot out of… somebody. Some poor shopkeeper who owed them money. Drey sighed heavily and turned up ‘Excision,’ the bass cannon thumping through her whole body, making her want to groove, but not daring just yet. More things yet to do. Maybe tonight, maybe she’d go dancing. Her spine crackled, pleased with the thought. She wasn’t a conventional dancer, but what she did, she did well. The music would bow her spine and raise her hands and sway her hips in a way that she loved. She glanced down at the men, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head, blowing a bubble with the gum she was chewing. They’d left the bakery. She snapped a few pictures, sliding the strap around her back as she continued to watch. Hmm. What were they up to now? She took a running leap, and popped herself over to the next building, quick and quiet. Oh wonderful. Some guy- cocky and stupid, it seemed- was getting or doing some antagonization of Kerry and Patrick. Drey swung her camera back up and zoomed in. He was beautiful. Stop-your-heart, catch-your-breath, and thank-your-lucky-stars beautiful. But he was dumb. She didn’t catch who swung first, but the guy ended up on the receiving end of an ass-whooping he wouldn’t soon forget. She wanted to go down and help him, really she did, but that- she couldn’t do that. Her instincts wanted her to go down there and just stomp a… Well, beat the shit out of the gangsters. It wasn’t how this one worked. Torn, she snapped some pictures. Maybe she’d make a little anonymous phone call and drop these off, they’d at least have to pay for the poor guys medical bills…

They pushed him to the ground, and she lost interest in watching anymore. At least until they were done. She could always catch them later, and she had a few projects at home that could use her attention anyways. Maybe one of her boys would be there… Her cousins weren’t always social, but they livened up her life a bit. Deidre’s strong hands gripped the fire escape and climbed down, a touch quickly, and hit the ground solidly. Her camera got tucked into her bag and her shades popped back down onto the bridge of her nose as she walked around the corner of the building. And had the wind knocked out of her faster than she could say ‘wind.’

Her ass hit the ground in half a second flat, followed by elbows and shoulders. The impact hurt, and she was definitely scraped up, but she’d had worse. Hell, a lot worse. The guy- after her own heart- cussed, clearly not happy about the crash either. She sat up after a moment, and since she’d managed to avoid cracking her head on the pavement, she was pretty much fine. Her sunglasses were nowhere to be found though… The guy’s question caught her attention, and she looked at him, leaning back against the wall, and her heart thudded a touch, surprised. It was the guy. The one Kerry had beaten the shit out of. The gorgeous one with the pretty mouth and beautiful eyes. And the speed like a demon. Damn, but he’d hit her with some force.

’I’m fine. Um. Thanks for asking? Are you okay? I mean, I hope all of that,’ she said- her gentle Russian lilt evident with every word- with a gesture to the blood on his mouth and the developing swollen lip, ’isn’t from your little encounter with me…?’ She couldn’t tell him she knew very well what it was from, could she? No, ‘cause that would mean she’d seen him get the tar beaten out of him and hadn’t done anything. But she could get him up and away from here. Try to help him out more than she had earlier. She stood up and then leaned down to offer him a hand, to help him off the ground, and caught sight of those eyes again. Wow. ’Here. Let’s get us both off the sidewalk, shall we?’ When he was finally up off the ground- and considerably taller than her- she grinned at him. ’I’m Drey, by the way. Fellow crash-ee. I’m gonna go inside and get a soda, come join me? Get the blood off your mouth, maybe the dirt off your hands?’

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clicketh for clothes!

[liam]

I'm experimenting with templates, if you haven't noticed. xD

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://twilightguide.com/tg/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0001.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] he was a beautiful disaster words: 850. tagged: smash/drey. outfit: here! notes: eeee. so excited ok. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This was, perhaps, the first fight he had no intention of starting. It had started off as a mugging gone sour when, much to the two men's dismay, escalated to physical violence when it seemed that Liam had nothing of value for them to steal. So what did they do? They took out their frustration on him. If he were someone on the outside looking in, he probably wouldn't be able to blame them for assaulting him - he had every look of a guy who had less sense than a loaf of bread, and nothing to show for it. And while the beginning of the brawl showed promise, there was no chance in hell that Liam was going to be able to take down both of them. Now, Liam was not a small guy, but these two, well, they seemed to exceed the average level of huskiness. Ten fold. So after 'playing dead' for a pregnant moment or two, allowing the two guy's air of confidence to nurture and grow, he bolted. And fortunately for him, he had the speed his two opponents lacked, especially when it came to quickly navigating the crowd of people that had been traveling in the opposite direction that they had been. But he didn't mean to run into her, honest. In fact, he tried to alleviate the fall, arms quickly shooting out to grab her while he struggled to make it so he fell against the wall, and he'd be playing the role of a cushion. That, however, didn't work out, as both had hit the ground with a sickening thud, though the woman seemed a lot more graceful about it than he had. But he lay there, one arm curled against his stomach while the other covered his face. His head was absolutely throbbing; and his jaw probably wasn't too much better, either. But it wasn't the injuries that had him reeling. He was used to those - he had always been the one to take the punch while others ran away, but that was always because he seemed to be the one that could handle being injured all the time, and it had gotten to be something he started to expect. But no, it was the humiliation, the collision brought, that had him so worked up. He had always managed to make clean getaways, a clean escape from each and every dirty situation. Until now, of course. But when she spoke, he immediately looked up, probably too fast, because the sudden movement and sudden stop was enough to bring back the headache for another hefty round. She had asked him if he was okay. No one asked him that. Everyone seemed to believe that he deserved every single bit of what he got handed to him. And in all honesty, the sense of foreign unfamiliarity that this woman gave off just with that question, was enough to put Liam on high alert. Was this a joke? Or was this some sort of trick for the benefit and humor for those around him? His eyes narrowed slightly as he shrunk back, fingers digging into his abdomen, hoping to use the resulting pain to distract himself. It didn't seem to work, though. Because just moments after, his attention was right back where it had started. On her. "I'm fine." Perhaps his response came out a little more begrudging and harsh than he had intended, but he hoped to mend that little muck up when he offered her a slight, crooked little smile. It really was the best he could do, then, especially since he was so out of practice when it came to conversing with others, even when it was a fractured conversation, and it came at the behalf of a random collision. But when she spoke in regards to his injuries, he grunted. "Not from you, or," And he waved in the general direction of him sitting on the ground. "This." It certainly wasn't her fault that he couldn't pay attention to where he was going, was it? Of course not. But when she held out her hand to him, at first he was hesitant to oblige her. And he kept staring at her, which was just plain rude, so after a moment he did comply, taking her hand and using his other hand to push off from the ground, shoving his side against the brick wall in an effort to keep from suspending most of his weight by her hand and arm. "Uh....." His brow furrowed slightly as he moved to brush himself off, though it did little besides move dirt around. And brushing himself off certainly wasn't going to clean off the collar of his shirt, which was already dotted with blood. "Thanks.." He nodded slowly, but when she asked him to join her, his eyes widened. "I, uh." He really shouldn't - especially if the two guys were still chasing him. As much as an asshole as he could be, dragging her into his problems wasn't on his to-do list for the day. "Okay." Bad choice, Romeo. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[DEIDRE NATALYA AVERIN]

She was unsure what this man had done to be the owner of such a spectacular ass-kicking. Okay, okay, it wasn’t that spectacular. He’d managed to get away, and intact. Right into her, actually. That was far more of a full-circle surprise than she’d been anticipating. Really, who would have expected the guy she’d been, well, more or less spying on a few moments ago to slam into her life at that particular moment? Not Drey. She also hadn’t been expecting him to try and catch her. He did try, and the gesture- instinctive though it might have been- made her heart flip over in her chest. How many guys nowadays were that sweet? That thoughtful? Not many. In his case though, it really was the thought that counted, since she’d ended up on the ground anyway. Maybe it was because he had all the original momentum, but he fell a whole heck of a lot harder than she did. When she heard his skull crack against the brick wall behind him, her own body cringed with sympathy. She wasn’t sure what caused her to want to help him afterwards. Well, no, that wasn’t entirely true. It was a combination of things: it was because he seemed the victim in the fight, it was because he made her protective instincts rise like goosebumps- instinctively- and because even when her body wanted to protect him, he had tried to do the same for her.

That’s why she got up and offered him her hand and her help. She watched his eyes wobble a little when he met her gaze with his own. Her heart tensed again, caught like a bear in a trap. His eyes were beautiful, damn. He didn’t look so good… She could see the bruises developing on his face, and the delicate way he was holding his arm against his chest, like they’d wrenched it too hard while they were holding him hostage, and the tense way the corners of his eyes wrinkled slightly, like it hurt to hold them open. Bednyy rebenok.Poor baby. Drey softened even more. He could’ve been a supreme asshole who had that beating coming to him, he could’ve been a serial killer or convicted felon, he could’ve been a lot of things. But she was pretty sure he wasn’t. Heck, even if he was, he hadn’t been mean to her, and that made him more than worthy of a little of her kindness, which she had in spades. Even when his response was a bit more harsh than she cared for. Her brain fogged over, just a touch, with the urge to be short with him right back. The kinder, more logical side of her took over though, and realized that he was probably brusque because in pain. And some of that pain was a little bit her fault. So instead of snapping, she sweetened, making sure he really was fine, and that he didn’t blame her. He didn’t, as it turned out. Lucky Deidre.

She crouched then, trying again. He looked wary, like he wasn’t sure that she was sincere. Like a dog that had been kicked one too many times. Despite that, he took her hand, his warm callused fingers coming into contact with her softer, paler ones. That wasn’t to say she didn’t have calluses- years of fighting and shooting had made sure that she did- but she cared to pay enough attention so that they didn’t completely harden up like his had. Her grip was firm and secure, and a good bracing point in contrast to hand on the wall behind him. He was up in mere moments, attempting to rid himself of some of the dirt he’d acquired during his sprint from danger. Ugh. Honestly, she wanted to do it herself. All he did was fluff it around some, not really accomplishing much of anything. That wasn’t her place though… But she could try to give herself a better chance of getting him cleaned up. Hence the invitation to join her. His acceptance was a surprise, even though she’d been hoping he’d say yes. All she got was a reluctant ‘okay,’ but it was enough. Her answering smile was warm and inviting.

’Perfect. It’s only a block or so this way, come on.’ Satisfied that he’d follow her, she starting walking, and soon arrived at a cute little store that had books and an attached café. Sometimes, Drey sat here for hours on her laptop, using their Wi-Fi and sipping soda, doing her work in a place that wasn’t her apartment. She opened the door, jingling ushering him in ahead of her, and listening to the gentle jingling of the bells that indicated their arrival. ’I don’t suppose you’ll want help with… this, so their bathroom is just around that corner. Can I get you something? I mean, I invited you for soda, but you can have anything else on the menu you want.’ After hearing his request, she got in line and retrieved their things, then moved to sit at a table and wait for him. She could only hope that he would actually emerge from the back and join her. It seemed a touch unlikely, since she didn’t even know his name, but she held out hope anyways. The demon wanted to talk to the beautiful beat-up man, for some reason she couldn’t quite explain, but she wasn’t shallow enough that it was just because he was spectacular to look at; he had something… something extra that sort of drew her in like a moth to flame. She sincerely wished that she wouldn’t get burned.

[liam]

I'm experimenting with templates, if you haven't noticed. xD

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://twilightguide.com/tg/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0001.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] he was a beautiful disaster words: 575. tagged: smash/drey. outfit: here! notes: shoooooorrrrttttt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- He had certainly been through worse than that. He's had his arm broken right in front of him, so what happened today was nothing, especially since it didn't feel as though anything was broken. But his head would probably hurt like a son of a bitch for the next few days, if not for the rest of the week, entirely. But now, now his entire face seemed to throb - and he could feel the pressure building up behind his eyes. It felt something akin to a sinus infection, but he knew it was just the pressure from being hit one too many times, finally rearing it's ugly as hell head. Had she voiced her concerns over what he could have been out loud, he would have laughed. He also would have laughed if it did not hurt so damn much to do such a thing. He was an asshole to a lot of people, but her certainly was not a convict. Not anymore, at least. No, he had served more than enough of his time when he was still a teenager, and while he certainly didn't stray from conflict now - obviously - he had become significantly better at not being caught. But he did regret being so harsh to her, especially since she seemed to do nothing but want to help him, even after he ran into her, and knocked her to the ground. But what little pride he had left refused to give way, and would not let him apologize for it. But when she helped him up, he stifled a groan as he set to brush himself off. He knew he was piss poor at it, he certainly would not deny that - but he was significantly more distracted by the throbbing in his head than he was with making himself look presentable. Looking presentable was right nearly impossible for him, at this point in time. So after a moment or two of attempting, and failing, to brush and clean himself off, he abandoned his futile effort with a snort and a deep set scowl. A dog who had been kicked one too many times; that was an analogy that seemed to fit Liam oh so perfectly. It would have brought a twisted smile to his face if he had heard her say that, if she had spoken it out loud. He didn't mind being the way he was, though, perhaps it was strange for him to enjoy being kicked around, but it had been something that he had gotten used to, by that point. But when she spoke and moved off, he followed close behind her, his torso hunched forward with one arm against his stomach and the other arm lifted so he could press the palm of his hand against the back of his head - it hurt, it really, really hurt. But like most other times, he didn't say much about it, though he had to stifle a few uncharacteristic whimpers. When they arrived at the small corner store, and he was guided inside, he made a bee line for the bathroom, leaning over and dunking his entire face under the water than ran from the faucet. And after he managed to make himself look less horrible, he emerged, looking around; but when he finally located her, he slowly ventured towards where she was sitting. He sat down opposite of her, eyes narrowing slightly. "Name's Liam." there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[DEIDRE NATALYA AVERIN]

Oh, but he was reluctant. Drey smiled, used to dealing with the reluctant, trouble-inclined type. She knew a good way to gentle them was to feed them, and since she couldn’t do it herself at the moment, she’d settle for buying him something at the store on the corner. The demon had the funds, and really, he looked like he could use the kindness. Besides, it was the least she could do, since she hadn’t actually helped him during his run-in with the assholes… She couldn’t have though, really. Not and kept her contract work intact. This though, this she could do. The fight-and-crash victim headed to the bathroom when they arrived, and she went to the counter to buy a couple things. First, some Advil, a sandwich and a Coke for him, then a cup of soup and a Sprite for herself. Broccoli cheddar, one of her favorites. Her ass hit the seat, and she waited patiently for him to emerge, and eventually, her patience was rewarded.

He came out of the bathroom and those eyes glanced around before settling on her at the table and slowly approaching her, like he thought she was going to bite or something. Poor pretty thing looked ready to bolt at the slightest sign of quick movement. So Drey just leaned her elbow on the table and scooted the provisions toward him. ’I took the liberty of retrieving you a snack. Figured all that running had to have burned enough calories that you’ve earned some food to replace it. Oh, and some little pain relievers.’ Her pale hand nudged the sandwich and the other things closer as he sat down, giving her his name: Liam. It was like he was psychic, as she’d just been wondering that very thing. Maybe though, it was just his manners kicking in. Whatever the case, it fit him. Simple, but still fairly uncommon. ’It is a pleasure to meet you, Liam,’ she said, finally slipping her spoon into her soup after she was certain he would be okay. He still looked a little questionable health-wise, but he would mend nicely, if she had any eye for the injured (which, of course, she did). Drey had treated the injuries of comrades and cousins alike, both from battle and from the course of daily life. It was a good skill to have, though having it had not come from pleasant occurrences. Still, she found it both valuable and useful, as did her papa and her companions. ’Eat Liam, please. It’s not a big deal, and you look ready to fall over.’

Her grey eyes softened as she looked at him, torn. She wanted to touch his hand and encourage him, but that was neither her place nor her job. It was also a highly-inappropriate thought to be having about a stranger. Actually, she thought, as a very light blush rose in her cheeks, she was having more than a couple inappropriate thoughts about the gorgeous man across from her. Drey! she admonished herself, Stop that right now. Your lusty looks are the last thing he needs right now. The raven-haired woman swallowed hard and refocused on her soup, appreciating the slightly-crunchy broccoli chunks in the orange-y liquid. She cleared her throat and collected herself before looking at him again. ’If you don’t mind my asking, what is it you were running from in such a hurry? Also… were you some kind of Olympic sprinter? ‘Cause the speed you had going was incredible, I gotta mention.’ It was true, the man was fast. If not for his quick thinking in trying to grab her, she probably would’ve flown back a good three feet, instead of just plopping her ass onto the concrete. Made her wonder… Just what was the guy across from her? She didn’t much care, but she was nosy enough to be interested.

[liam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://twilightguide.com/tg/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0001.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] he was a beautiful disaster words: 585. tagged: smash/drey. outfit: here! notes: fsdgdg SORRRRRYYYY SMASH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To say Liam was unused to this sort of kindness being shown to him would have been the understatement of the century, if it didn't rank for the millennium entirely. And it obviously showed, in the way he carried himself. Almost completely hunched over, constantly staring out of the corner of his eyes - he looked almost feral, it was astonishing. But regardless of his misgivings and hesitancy towards the woman who seemed to so eagerly help him, she had food, and food was definitely something he was in pretty short supply of. As he emerged from the bathroom, and quickly scanned the growing crowd for the woman, he was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of fear he had not felt in a very long while - and the instinct to bolt was overwhelmingly strong. But once he caught sight of her, and when he took notice of the food that rested on the table in front of her - he adopted the look of a stray dog being coaxed forward. Eyes narrowed and each step hesitant and calculating. Though, needless to say, eventually he did sit down, gawking wordlessly at the offered food before quickly reaching forward to retrieve it. He still did not understand why she had gone out of her way to help him - especially since he had been the one to knock her onto the ground, even if it happened to be accidental. It certainly did not make up for the fact that he had, in fact, caused her to fall. And he still could not tell if she had been injured or not, though she appeared the latter. His finger tips drummed lightly on the table's rough surface, lower jaw shifting side to side, creaking and cracking in a way that wasn't unlike him. He was about halfway through stuffing his face with the proffered sandwich before he quickly caught himself, dropping the half on the plate and quickly and quietly retracting his hands. He stubbornly swallowed, nose wrinkling as he braved a quick glance in her direction. "Thanks.." Alright, so Liam was obviously that kid who really hated to apologize for something that he may or may not have done wrong, and he sure as shit did not like saying thank you to people, let alone people he had just met - but somehow, it didn't seem all that bad with her. She certainly did not appear as though she was waiting for the opportune time to drive a knife through his heart, or any other part of him - so that was definitely something Liam was undoubtedly grateful for. But even through all of this dramatic nonsense; Liam had to catch himself time and time again, silently admonishing himself for staring and stealing glances that definitely should not have been up for him to grab. When she commented on the speed in which he ran, though, he coughed, struggling to keep the food from rising back. His face would have gotten noticeably red, too, had it not been for the welts and bruises that already lined the edges of his jaw, and around his eyes, lingering on the curve of his cheek. An olympic sprinter, that was certainly a new way to put it. "No, I... I uh." He couldn't very well spill the proverbial beans, could he? Oh, I run that fast because every now and then, I shift into a giant black horse. No big deal! "I run a lot." Hey, it worked. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[DEIDRE NATALYA AVERIN]

Drey was uncertain what pulled her to offer her help to Liam, as she eventually learned his name was, but she couldn’t help herself. She knew that the most logical reason was that she hadn’t helped him during his little episode with the brutes, which went against her instincts to start with. And he was beautiful, but that wasn’t a motivator for her. The demon just… she didn’t know, but something about him pulled on her strings and called her body to action. That was part of why when he came out of the bathroom looking scared- of what, she wasn’t sure, but perhaps he’d thought she left him, or something?- all she wanted to do was pull him to her and make it better. It was the strangest feeling, because she hadn’t ever felt the desire to do something so, so loving for somebody other than her boys, her cousins. And this was an entirely different kind of loving, because she was not feeling particularly platonic at the moment. No way she would let on to that though, because it was clearly the last thing he wanted or needed from her. Food though, that she could do.

And it worked, pulling him from that hyper-aware fearful place and toward her again, and her warm smile. He scarfed down half the sandwich like nobody had fed him in a very long time, making her grimace internally, wishing she could cook for him sometime. She truly did enjoy it, and the reactions people had to her food were well worth whatever effort she had to exert to create the meals. He thanked her, looking up briefly from his food and the fidgeting he was doing- she had noticed the nervous ticking- and she couldn’t help her grin. He had obviously loathed letting out the single word of appreciation, but she liked it, maybe more because it wasn’t something he liked.

’You’re more than welcome vazliublennyj,’ she said, the Russian endearment slipping easily into her speech, as though she’d known him for much longer than the span of a few minutes. It was strange that she'd done such a thing, but it had felt so natural. Hopefully he didn't mind, or think that she was calling him something terrible... Her dark head cocked gently as she looked at him, still eating, but slower this time. ’What can I say, I know a couple guys who love food, so I like to think it’s universal. I must… profess? No, um, confess. Yes, confess, that I’m positive that my cooking is better than this stuff.’ She tried to lightly laugh off the little word fumble as she sipped on her drink, and quickly switched the topic to just how fast the man had been running before they’d crashed together. He seemed hesitant to explain just why that was, and Drey’s curiosity piqued, but she couldn’t very well pry, now could she? Especially when he was so reluctant to talk to her as it was. Still, it wasn’t too nosy to perhaps try and continue the conversation, was it? Certainly not. Her grey eyes took him in, still uncomfortable-looking and mentally sighed. There was no way he was going to relax around her, was there? She should just let him go back to… well, whatever it was he was doing, but despite the mental berating, she just couldn’t quite manage it, so she talked, gently, instead.

’Oh, I see. As a hobby, perhaps? Or just for exercise. I much prefer dancing, as far as exercising goes… Do you enjoy dancing, Liam?’ She was attempting to ask a neutral question, so as not to spook him. Especially since he had nicely dodged her question about what he was running from. Clearly, he thought that was none of her business. She was trying to get him to talk about it though, so that she could assure him that they weren’t going to get him now. He was safe. But if he wouldn’t spill that he’d been in danger, she couldn’t very well say that, now could she? Instead, she would try to get him to relax a bit more, put some more food in him, and hoped that he settled on his own.

[liam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://twilightguide.com/tg/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0001.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] he was a beautiful disaster words: 572 tagged: smash/drey. outfit: here! notes: fffft. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It wasn't that he hadn't been fed. That definitely was not the case, but his metabolism worked fast enough that he felt as though he ate a whole shit load more than the average guy. Then again, he wasn't exactly average, either. Unless it was normal to shift into a god damned prancing pony whenever one felt like it - and in his case, whenever he got too worked up. For him, being a shifter had been both a blessing and a curse, both under the same clever disguise of something normal. His form gave him speed, sturdiness. But it also made it awkward as all hell whenever it happened to come up in conversation. He wasn't afraid though, he never frightened - or at least... he didn't think he did, he'd like to think he didn't, in fact. Then again, he was a guy and they weren't exactly well known for admitting when something was wrong, especially when it could have been something to make them come across as weak. He made a conscious effort not to wolf down his meal, though it did take a great deal of it. His jaw locked, though, once he had finished. He slowly scooted the plate away before leaning to the side with his shoulder pressed up against the inside of the small store's window, occasionally stealing glances towards her - glances that he had to religiously remind himself that he definitely should not be taking. Especially in that context. But when she spoke, and when she called him... something, he wasn't sure what; he could barely speak his own language, let alone a foreign one. His head canted off to the side as his brow furrowed slightly. He dropped it though, but whether it was because he genuinely did not care what she called him, so long as she spoke to him, or because it didn't interest him was far beyond his realm of knowledge. "I'm sure it is, miss." And he braved a smile, even if it might have appeared more along the lines of a crooked and sheepish grimace than anything remotely friendly - he was trying! Socializing had never been an easy activity for him to breach - at least, socializing with someone who did not appear to want to harm him was. As she spoke of food and it being a universally loved thing, his smile - there it was again, though he really couldn't tell you where he was pulling it from - spread across his mouth. "I s'pose it is, yeah." A brief nod accompanied his words as a low laugh awkwardly ebbed from his mouth. This was entirely new territory for him, and while he was not all entirely sure he would be enjoying it for very much longer, for some reason, he did not quite wants it to end, either. The dancing bit threw him off, though. "I... don't know how.. to dance, I mean." He did know how, he just didn't like to do it. No, he had seen a video a long while back of one of his form dancing or prancing or whatever it was that horses did, and he was dead set intent on avoiding that. It was bad enough that he stumbled into being a horse shifter, he wasn't going to be a prancer, too! "I never had much of an opportunity to learn, I guess." Lie. All of it. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[DEIDRE NATALYA AVERIN]

He had, without a doubt, some really lovely manners. Drey thought that a bit surprising for an American, given the ones she had interacted with in her time there. It was nice, refreshing, almost. He called her ‘miss’ instead of ‘ma’am,’ which she really appreciated. When she was learning English, ‘ma’am’ had had an ‘old, married lady’ context that had been offensive to the demon’s sensibilities. Granted, she was an old lady, technically, but she didn’t look it, and she certainly didn’t act like it, so she didn’t want to be treated, or referred to, as one. So the ‘miss’ he tacked onto the end of his sentence was sweet, and made her want to… well, something nice to express her gratitude. But she didn’t know him like that, so she settled for a gentle chuckle, and shaking her head.

’And how, pray tell, do you know that when you don’t know me?’ Her eyes lit up as she teased him, the grey almost lightening to silver in her mirth. She didn’t know if it was her comment or her smile or the food or the atmosphere that had finally relaxed him a bit, but she was grateful for it, especially when he smiled at her. The man had a lovely smile, even though she was certain that that wasn’t his full smile, and briefly wondered what one would look like on him, imagining it would be something close to breathtaking. As it was, the grin warmed her insides, repaying her for this morning’s crash better than almost anything else. ’I am glad that you agree about the food though, as I don’t like to be proven incorrect. Besides, it really is one of the few ways I can get my boys- my cousins- to relax their guard enough to talk to me. I was hoping it might have a similar effect here. I am glad that it seems to be kind of working… I mean to say, you look less, um, tense?’ Sometimes, the English words got jumbled with the Russian ones in her head, even though she was fluent in both now. Deidre really hoped that nothing she said would offend him, and send him away from her. That… the very idea was repugnant to her, mysteriously. She did not dwell on it, choosing instead to turn the conversation to something lighter, but a touch more personal.

At the mention of him not knowing to dance, Drey tilted her head in confusion. ’Silly meelyj, all people know how to dance. They just must choose to do so. And be moved by the correct music. I bet you would enjoy dancing with me, unreserved as I am. I mean-‘ Well, what the hell did she mean? Problem was, she’d meant exactly what she’d said, but it was a stupid thing to say to a stranger, and now she was regretting it. Drey swallowed lightly before trying again. ’I meant to say, perhaps, um, dancing with someone with no shame would help you try.’ She was probably a lovely shade of red, and now felt like a complete fool. Way to go Deidre, say something else dumb. Her chest moved lightly as she sighed and looked down into her soup, flustered. Fantastic. There was a mildly awkward pause as she attempted to think of something, anything else to say. And the demon was usually so smooth and funny with new people… But this one was different, throwing her off her game. ’I don’t mean to sound so ridiculous Liam, honest. But I am, for some reason, very worried about you, and offending you. Forgive me.’ Quickly, she closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, and tried once more for a neutral question that would inspire him to talk, instead of making her look like a blabbermouth. ’So what is it that you actually do for fun, since it is clearly not dancing?’

[liam]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://twilightguide.com/tg/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0001.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #ffffff;] he was a beautiful disaster words: 635 tagged: smash/drey. outfit: here! notes: yay. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If he had, in any way shape, or form, offended her, then he was far too dense to take any good notice of it. That was a fault he had always had. He was never that bad when it came to deciphering his own emotions, but when it came to everyone else, that was something he never did quite understand. And he had never really had a genuine incentive to change anything about it. Eventually though, he figured he would have to find a way to remedy that, if he expected to get more than twenty feet without earning the probably well deserved ire of someone around him. But when she spoke, spoke of how he could possibly know something, especially when he did not know her yet, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack. He had no idea if she was joking, or teasing, or if she was otherwise as serious as an unspoken heart attack. Even if it might appear as plain as day to the people around him, Liam reminded helplessly blind to it. "I.. I did not mean anything by it, really." He bit down on the inside of his lower lip, teeth sawing against the tendered area as he leaned back, pressing the center of his back against the back of the booth. That was definitely something he would have to work on, deciphering when someone was speaking in jest, or when they were being serious, especially whenever he was concerned. "I'm sorry." A brief nod accompanied his apologetic concession as he shifted his gaze to the marbled look of the table, picking idly at the edge of the table. He tended to do that a lot, fidget whenever he got excitable or nervous, and he was not always certain if it was a good thing or not. When she appeared to drop the subject, or maybe he just neglected to pick up on her responding to it (either way, he was most certainly relieved), he focused in on her next set of words. She was right; he did dance - just not anything remotely close to something that could ever be considered good. It was one of the reasons he enjoyed being shifted. As a horse, no one expected him to be the absolute most graceful thing to walk the planet, which was definitely a good thing, because he was far from it. "There's an exception to every rule, both unspoken and otherwise, I suppose. You have not seen me dance yet, I assure you, I'm pretty terrible." He was caught off guard though, by the latter of her statement, and the shock definitely wore well upon his face. He swallowed wordlessly, a nervous and crooked smile evident upon his face as he set his arms atop the table. "Maybe you're right." His shoulders rolled in an awkward shrug; it certainly hadn't been an intention of his to make her uncomfortable, and while he normally would not care, with her... with her, it just seemed different. When she begin apologizing, he sat a little straighter, shoulders jerking backwards in an involuntary manner, as his nose wrinkled slightly. "Forgive you? You need to do something worth forgiving before I could do that.." She hadn't wronged him yet, at least, she hadn't done anything that he had managed to pick up on. But then again, he supposed he had already proven well enough that he certainly was not the best at picking up on things, least of all with her (or anyone else, but to spare his pride another fatal blow..). But what did he like to do? "I like to run, honestly." He sounded like a broken disc, stuck on endless repeat, but running was something he was good at. He didn't know anything else. Not yet, at least. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[DEIDRE NATALYA AVERIN]

He was shutting down, Drey could tell. He was… well, he wasn’t afraid of her per se, but he was certainly afraid of something involving her. She wanted to sigh and shake him. Tell him it was okay, that she wasn’t going to do anything bad to him. Maybe she’d leer a little, but she was trying to refrain from that, honestly! The demon hoped that that wasn’t what was making him so uncomfortable. If that was the case, she’d let him be… Probably, right? It was sad that she had to question her own willpower just because she liked his presence so much. What was it about Liam that made her want to sit there until he smiled at her, for real? It didn’t seem like she was on the right track for that one though, as her teasing comment made his face alter into something far less happy, and much more apologetic. Deidre felt her heart clench with regret for even saying it. Too late to take it back now though. Perhaps she could fix it though.

’I was merely teasing meelyj. Perhaps you have a greater gift for perception than myself. Or you’re taking me at my word, which is actually a good idea, believe it or not.’ She smiled at him, as she was quickly becoming fond of doing, hoping to put him at ease. She’d no idea if it worked, but he didn’t get up and leave, which was something positive, at least.’You don’t have to feel a need to apologize with me, ever. Honestly.’ A light hand pat wanted to accompany her words, but she refrained, worried that a touch might send him scampering away. Instead, she leaned her chin on her fist and just looked at him, sipping her soda every now and again as their quiet conversation progressed. And she made a complete fool of herself. She could tell, from the look on his face, that it wasn’t something he’d been expecting her to say. Hell, it wasn’t something she’d expected herself to say. Part of her wished she could curl into herself and fade away, the other part was curious as to what he’d say. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make her feel less ridiculous.

And then he looked positively injured when she apologized for making an ass of herself. She chuckled lightly then, at his words, hoping to dispel some of the tension she could feel coiling in her stomach. ’Well, thank you then, for not finding me too silly.’ She tried again, then, to continue talking to him in a more forward direction. To move their conversation to somewhere easier for him to talk about. ’Sticking with something you’re good at is fun, I agree. Did you pick up running as a hobby or sport first?’ She nibbled her lip, in an attempt to find a better way to word her question. ’I mean, was it like a school thing, or a childhood game that you were just really good at?’ She didn’t want to ask him if he’d gotten so good at running as a necessary life skill, although that seemed likely, given the afternoon’s events… It was too bad, really, because she’d bet he would make a great track athlete… She forced herself not to pull out her phone and look him up, learn his life history. That was rude, and invasive to somebody who didn’t deserve it. And though she’d been almost-burned before by not looking into someone, Liam didn’t seem the type that would harm her if she didn’t make a point of learning his background beforehand. She could only hope for the best. And that was when she realized her brain was making further plans for them to interact, and she wondered at the audacity of her mind, but didn’t stop it. Not like she could…