bluebird -adam-

[shae]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) ENOUGH <3 ( TAGGED ) CJ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Shae was wandering through the woods, just carrying a bow in her hand, having learned archery earlier in her life. Despite being able to manipulate and control things through her own powers, she found it somewhat more interesting to use simple weapons like a bow and an arrow. Aside from that, since she had been home, she had been making dinner, therefore she wanted to do some hunting considering she did not have money and she did not want them to have to spend much more on her. She had missed them too much though since she had been gone. They were the last of her family, despite not really being blood related at all. Then again, your family did not have to be the biological of sorts. People could be so very close and not be biologically related at all. They were the only two right now. She would not lose them again though. She continued to walk through the forest, alone, listening to the silence, the slight flutter of wings as she disrupted its concentration and home. A bit of snow fell from the sudden jerk of that bird, some of the snow falling on her head and she simply wrinkled her nose slightly. She kept going though, being as quiet as she could despite the slight crunch of the snow beneath her boots. That was when she saw the smallest fraction of movement out of the right corner of her eye. She looked at a deer, immediately drawing her bow back, lining up the deer in her sights, bow at hand. With that, she released, it hitting the deer in it’s right shoulder, a pitiful sound echoing through the words as the animal stumbled to the cold forest floor. She simply wandered over, drawing a knife out and relieving the deer from pain as the knife slit through its heart. She pulled the arrow out, sliding it back into the quiver strapped to her back, crouching a bit more, the end of her petticoat dragging across the top of the snow as she simply ceased movement, hearing someone else walking through. Her eyes adjusted as she looked over her shoulder immediately, a few strands of blond hair falling in her face. Her hand still clutched the hilt of the knife, quietly pulling it out, standing up, hoping it was not a hunter. She was not afraid of them though, not one bit. For my dearest CJ....here you go <3 Hope it is alright. Random muse haha.

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Shifting. It was extremely difficult, and he was trying to practice it the way Vaeda had taught him. She was so calm about it, and it came so naturally to her that it barely even looked like the transformation hurt anymore. It was impressive, to say the very least. Adam was still so very new to it that it hurt like hell, and when he was in his full wolf form, he could barely control anything. The animal just took over, and he had all these instincts, and nothing inside of him could grasp the human thoughts that were there mere moments ago. It was part of why he had chosen to practice in the woods, because he'd be safe. Granted, the people who roamed the forest might not be so safe, but Vaeda had also taught him a few things about the town of Manuka, and had explained that these particular woods were more secure for beings like them; people didn't wander into these woods willy-nilly unless they knew the risks, so to speak. He was sure that random humans stumbled upon it, and those ones were certainly in danger, but the ones who did wander either knew of werewolves, or were hunting them, which almost put him at a higher risk than the random humans. Either way, he had been safe about it. He had gone deep into the woods, and left a pile of clothes in a safe location, tucked in a burlap sack underneath a large oak tree, where he could smell out his own scent after he turned back into a man. Naturally, once he got back into his human form, he'd need clothing, because he couldn't just wander around naked, even though many had told him it was a glorious sight.

During the full moon, he could never remember anything, and he knew he'd have to talk to Vaeda about a way to plan ahead for it, so he could be prepared with clothes or whatever else he'd need. During at-will shifts, he could remember most of what went on during the shift, but during the full moon, he remembered nothing. And the most unsettling part about his at-will shifts was that even though he could remember most of what went on, he couldn't necessarily control himself. The last time, he had caught a fox and torn it to shreds. He didn't remember that it tasted particularly good; he just wanted to hunt something. Wolf-Adam wanted the thrill of a good kill, to satisfy the blood lust that he had never really had before he became a werewolf. Lust, absolutely, but that was more for carnal pleasure than flesh between one's teeth. Adam shuddered, and grabbed the burlap sack. His nudity was very apparent, but he was trying to hide himself in the most dense parts of the forest, so in case someone came across his path, he'd have somewhere to hide.

Adam slid his boxers on, then his jeans, and leaned down to get his shirt when he heard movement. A twig snapping, and a dull thud, like something large and heavy had fallen. An odd whining sound was audible, too, and Adam's excellent hearing allowed him to discern that it was some sort of dying animal, probably larger game, like a deer or other prey animal. The sounds stopped, and Adam figured that the hunter, or whatever had been after the deer, had put the thing out of its misery. Adam went around the side of the oak tree, pants still unbuttoned and hanging loosely around his waist and held his tee shirt in his large hand. Deciding that he was too curious to pass this up, he shoved the tee shirt back into the burlap sack with the rest of his clothing and slung it over his shoulder. He walked, still half-dressed and barefoot, toward the sound of the noise, keeping behind trees along the way, so not to be seen or startle someone who was out there armed and hunting. Adam was a very large man, standing at almost six feet and five inches, and weighing well over two hundred pounds.

He had always been larger than the other guys he knew; even before he became a wolf. Although he had never known his father, apparently his stature came from him, and his father had always used it to his advantage, doing jobs that required a great level of physical labor, because he was strong and big. Adam knew that he was physically quite intimidating, and didn't want to scare anyone, but he couldn't curb his need to see what was going on. When he saw a woman crouched over a dead deer, he looked a little closer and realized that he recognized that woman. Peeking around from the tree, he called to her gently. "Shae, put the knife down. It's Adam."

[/justify]

[shae]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) ENOUGH <3 ( TAGGED ) CJ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Shae was completely quiet, the movement having stopped as she clutched the knife, a slight fear built up in her, a fear that could no longer be seen on her face. She hated the idea of her kidnapper coming back and yet part of her was hoping he would. The situation was far more complicated than it would ever appear to other people, but she was also afraid of herself that if he did return, she would give herself over to him again and again and again. Everything about that was frightening since she had wasted five years of her life. She had always wondered why she would ever let someone so messed up somehow attain her love, to somehow make her miss him. How could she ever love someone who had done something like that to her? Maybe she was just that messed up too, but she just dealt with herself despite how different she was. She was not a normal girl, or well no one was normal, but maybe she wasn’t healthy. She did not want to step into a psychologist’s office in fear of what they would tell her. "Shae, put the knife down. It's Adam." She simply heard the voice, taking in his face and smiled, ”Oh hey! What are you doing in the forest?” She always smiled or at least tried to. It was the best she could do with what she struggled with deep down. She could see he wasn’t clothed and just looked away, tucking her knife away and simply tied a rope around the deer’s neck. She just simply stood up then, not really wanting to see another man naked for a while, at least that’s the feeling she first got from this situation. For my dearest CJ....here you go <3 Hope it is alright. Random muse haha.

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Adam could sense her trepidation about his semi-clothed form, and even though he wasn't at all embarrassed of his body; quite the opposite, he knew he was in fantastic shape, and worked hard on his physique, he respected Shae enough to be polite. "Excuse me a sec," Adam said, then disappeared behind a tree for a moment and buttoned his pants, then pulled his tee shirt out of the burlap sack and threw it over his head. Quickly, he put on socks and shoes, then emerged, sack still slung over his shoulder. Immediately, she looked more comfortable, and Adam knew that a response on why he was half-clothed would also double as an answer to her asking what he was doing in the forest in the first place.

He had been friends with Shae for a while, and once he had given up on trying to sleep with her, he had learned some rather interesting things. She had discovered that he was a werewolf by some strange sixth sense that led him to believe she was more than human, although they hadn't discussed her lineage in depth, yet. Adam was always interested whenever he came across other supernaturals, because they would be the material to fuel his research, and one day, he'd be able to get his findings published. That would prove his mother wrong. "Sorry about not being, well, decent. I was practicing." Adam said, then decided that he needed to clarify. The woods were vacant, as far as he knew; Shae's had been the only presence he'd been able to pick up in a while. "Shifting isn't easy, at all, and I want to get better at it before the next full moon. Call me a perfectionist, I guess, but it's just personal goals."

He saw the deer on the rope and looked at her, then saw the deer on the rope and the bow in her hand. "Target practice? Or are you planning on whipping up something delicious? If it's the second, I'm cordially inviting myself to dinner, because I'm starving." Something about shifting always made him hungry. Granted, he had a fast metabolism to begin with, but he supposed the animal instincts and the change from man to beast probably caused a spike in appetite. "Either way, it's good to see you. We haven't caught up in a while. Anything new?" Adam asked. He genuinely liked Shae, and even though he was disappointed that she didn't want to experience a roll in the hay with him, he was pleased with their friendship.

[/justify]

[shae]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) ENOUGH <3 ( TAGGED ) CJ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Shae simply was respectful as far as it was for nudity. She honestly did not like being exposed to anyone nor did she feel comfortable with seeing anyone else’s naked bodies. Even her brothers, despite seeing them on a number of occasions well because she grew up with them. Then again they were just getting to know each other again, although it was different. She was still very pleased to have them back in her life and not be in the hands of her kidnapper. Then again, he had been the only one she was comfortable with like that. She knew maybe that feeling was wrong, something that she should try to go against, to be afraid of him, but part of her would just go back and fall into his trap all over again. She heard him apologize and just smiled as she looked at him, fully decent now, ”It’s perfectly fine. I understand. Well kind of.” She smirked softly, then listening to him talking about shifting. ”I can’t imagine it would be easy. I mean your whole body structure changes. It seems quite painful,” She said simply as if it was a fact, her face contorting to show some sort of wince on his behalf. She could not imagine her bones snapping into different positions and the muscles slowly deforming to become that of a wolf. Everything was different, well most things were different. Some part of her wondered what it was like to become a werewolf, to have two different forms. She simply was stuck with her powers, not that she tended to use them often, in fact she rarely used them, only if she found herself in an uncanny position. She simply stretched softly and heard is question. ”This is dinner. Oh well, my brothers will be there, so I hope you don’t mind, but you are definitely invited. I might need help with this guy though,” Her gaze fell to the deer as she said that and began to drag it a bit farther. She was a different sort of female that was for sure. She felt not at all weird about gutting a dear where most seemed to be a bit queasy about it. She just simply continued on. ”It’s great to see you too. Oh nothing really, I mean, I’m with my brothers now because I haven’t seen them since I was little,” She said those words softly, not really going into why. As far as her past went, she’s always been partially distant to it as if she had never really been a part of it. She never told Adam yet, but she thought maybe one day she could. Part of her was afraid to tell anyone, even her brothers. She had told them a bit of a different story. For my dearest CJ....here you go <3 Hope it is alright. Random muse haha.

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Adam felt more comfortable when his friend was comfortable, and their conversation went along quite smoothly, as it so often did with Shae. They walked, side by side, in the woods, and just chatted with one another. First, about his shifting, which she commented on by saying that it sounded painful. For him, it really was, but he wasn't about to admit that to a girl, because he wanted to seem tough. Adam was tough, of course, and very strong, but his body still wasn't used to the shifting, twisting, contorting pain that came with turning from man to wolf. Also, because he was a larger guy in his natural, "human" form, his wolf was also much bigger than most, and because of this, there was more sinew, muscle, tissue, and fur to sprout. Sometimes, he wished he was more average sized, because then he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb, being large and muscular along with almost being six and a half feet tall. But, he'd never expected to become a werewolf, either. Sometimes, plans changed.

Speaking of plans changing, his initial plan to crash what he expected to be a one-on-one dinner with Shae turned into an invitation to join her brothers, who he'd never met before. He'd heard her talk about Archer and August, but nothing in-depth, so he didn't know much about them. And didn't know if they knew much about him, or if they'd like him if he suddenly popped in for dinner. Even though his sister was one of few women in Manuka he hadn't bedded (although he'd tried), he still wasn't the kind of guy that brothers or fathers liked around their sisters and daughters, respectively.

"Archer and August; I remember. You think they'd hate it if I crashed the Noble family feast?" Adam added, "I'm pretty decent as a cook, but I might drink up all your beer." When she asked him for help with the deer, he agreed. While he didn't have much experience with hunting, one of the villages he'd lived in while he was traveling Europe enlisted his help at a small butcher's shop where he'd learned to be efficient at basic butchery. And while he hadn't butchered a lot of deer (he worked more in butchering fish, cows, pigs, and sheep), he figured that it was around the same basic concept. Also, he was impressed that she wasn't squeamish, although he kind of figured Shae wouldn't be. Someone who hunted as well as she did wasn't shy about a lot of things.

"Are you having fun with your brothers?" Adam asked. Family was something that he'd valued, even though his home life had been screwed up. His father left when he was little, likely because he was chased off by his control freak mother, and he was an only child, so he got the full brunt of her crazy and whimsy. "I bet they're happy to have you back. I mean, you cook for them. And you know what they say about a quickest way to a man's heart." Adam gave a playful little wink, knowing that this would really go nowhere, but he couldn't help his nature. Then, he turned more serious, back to the task with which she'd requested his assistance.

"Where did you want to go about butchering Bambi's mother?" By now, Shae had to be used to his crude humor that came in sudden, unpredictable spurts. Adam could play the gentleman role very well when he needed to, but he certainly wasn't a gentleman. But, she was friends with him for a reason, and he was happy for their friendship, even if he was disappointed that they couldn't attach some benefits to said friendship.

[/justify]

[shae]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) ENOUGH <3 ( TAGGED ) CJ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Shae understood what it was like to want to be tough. There was the demon part of her that allowed her to seem tougher, to turn off the emotions which included all the pain and anger and just kept her going through whatever ailed her at that moment. That’s why she tended to like hanging out with boys more than girls because girls tended to be weaker about things than most men, but that was partially stereotypical. She just had grown up with two brothers, that was her excuse for being more of a tom boy than anything else. Her brothers had never really let her grow up softly, although Archer had always watched out for her and been more of a comforter, aside from her mother anyways. She missed her parents, she really did deep down. She wondered how things would have been so different if they had lived, she wondered how they could have let themselves die. Part of her also wished she had known she had her powers earlier on to protect them, but something told her she would have died with them. Shae never really spoke of her family too much, avoiding the pain, and avoiding exhaustion too because using her powers didn’t exactly go without a price. She could feel it wear on her more and more she used them to either shut out her emotions or possess someone, although she had only ever possessed someone once, well now twice. If Archer and August had simply tried to believe she was a demon, things would have been different. She wondered if she should have possessed Archer though, it really had freaked him out, but what else was she supposed to do? Being a demon, there weren’t any powers outside of possession and suppressing emotions really. ”Oh not at all, but you might have to crash in my room, if you’re okay with that?” She said softly as she looked at him and nodded, ”Well they already are, so it’s not a big deal. I could use your help with the cooking part though.” She smiled softly and wondered if he might help her, ”Would you help me skin and gut the deer though? It will help me a bit, I mean if you’re up for that.” She smirked, teasing him, wondering if he’d be squeamish about such things. She definitely was not at all. She had seen her own blood among quite a few others, not exactly under circumstances she wanted. She tried not to think about Zachary though as she dragged the deer behind her idly. ”Yeah definitely, although I scared Archer a bit, but hey, I haven’t seen him in forever, gotta do something,” she joked softly as she continued to walk with him. She laughed at his words and saw the wink, blushing ever so softly, ”Yeah well, I’m happy to have them too. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them.” She simply heard his next question, hearing the part about Bambi’s mother and laughed, ”In my back yard.” She shrugged softly, not really wanting to go to get it done anywhere else because she could do it herself, it would just take a bit of time and effort. She had not been watching exactly where she was walking and tripped over a tree root and just bumped into Adam, ”Oops, sorry.” She murmured as she found her brother’s truck where she parked at the edge of the forest and just simply looked at him, ”Can you help me lift Bambi’s mom for a second?” She smirked and grabbed one end of the deer, waiting for him, yet still playing some of his own humor back at him. For my dearest CJ....here you go <3 Hope it is alright. Random muse haha.

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Not only was he being invited to the Noble family dinner, but also a sleepover? Was that what this was? Adam tried his best not to chuckle when Shae said that he'd have to crash in her room, because he wasn't originally planning on this being an overnight thing, especially since the woman had made it clear that he wasn't going to get into her pants. It was frustrating, and part of Adam just wanted to try harder, but not in an aggressive way, and see if she wouldn't cave in a little if he put on the charm. He was very good at putting on the charm, and he liked Shae. She was fun, and maybe a little closed-off, but so was he, so he couldn't hold that against her at all. It would be hard for him to be charming with her brothers around, and he knew that he'd have to be on his best behavior, but didn't see a reason to decline right away. First, he needed a bit of clarification. ”Crash in your room, huh? Where will you sleep?” He wasn't opposed to taking the floor, but he was hoping that she'd know he was teasing. He certainly wasn't in the mood for taking her bed and leaving her on the floor, and wasn't going to put himself in a situation where he could potentially get his ass kicked by her two brothers.

Adam had never had siblings; his mother saw even him as an inconvenience until she realized that she was smart like her and not “average” like his father. Before then, she was probably expecting him to be useless, and even once she realized that he would serve some purpose to her vain streak, she wasn't warm and comforting like most mothers (or at least, the few he'd met) were. Adam's mother was all business, and cared more about her work than his interests, and tried to mold him into becoming a sort of carbon copy of her, but not as successful. The wolf wondered if it would truly kill his mother if he got on the road to being more successful than she was. It was part of why he'd come to Manuka, to try and research supernaturals and their lives, along with their existence, and try to get worldwide recognition for what he'd done. His mother would never be able to top that.

”I do like to cook, so I don't mind helping.” Adam wasn't anywhere near a professional chef, but he knew his way around the kitchen, and had perfected a few recipes just in case he ever needed to have a woman over to entertain instead of going out for the seduction. That wasn't usually his style, bringing a woman home before they were ready to head into the bedroom, but some women felt more comfortable about a date if they knew the man would be cooking a romantic meal in his own home, and then felt more enthusiastic about getting in his bed. It was a win-win situation, and he knew enough about cooking to achieve the 'romantic home-cooked meal' date with success every time. ”And if you show me around how to accomplishing skinning and taking care of this beast, I'd be happy to pitch in with that, too.” But first, he knew they had to get the deer to where it would ultimately be butchered, which was apparently going to be her back yard. ”Do you live far from here?” Adam asked, then watched as she drug the deer behind her. Strong little thing...

[/color] Going back to small-talk, Adam asked: ”So, where'd you learn how to get so good at hunting? Brothers, too?”

It was kind of obvious to him that she was close with them, even if they had been separated for a while. Adam hoped they were nice guys, and not the scrutinizing type that would rip him to shreds the first minute they saw him. If he'd had sisters, he might be the same way, so because he wasn't, he couldn't completely understand the compulsion to protect one's sibling from any man. Maybe the ones that were complete strangers, but not a well-dressed man with a steady job who had been courteous of her needs and wants so far.

They made it to her truck, and Shae asked for his help lifting, and Adam took the beast by himself, barely even exerting any excess strength in doing so. He'd always been incredibly strong, but since being a wolf had bolstered that, Adam was strong enough to lift a small car without shifting, and a truck when he was in his fully transformed side. The deer was securely in the back, and Adam looked at Shae again, moving to get into the passenger seat. ”You live far from here?”[/blockquote][/justify]

[shae]

Shae honestly was not sure how they were going to work out the sleeping arrangements, she just knew her brothers and they would assume she was having a boyfriend over. She hated the teasing that would come from it because Adam was nothing more than a friend and she honestly felt slightly uncomfortable having him be anything else. Crash in your room, huh? Where will you sleep? She felt the slight awkwardness about the words and shrugged softly, "In my room, I can sleep on the floor...we'll figure it out later, don't worry." She wanted to just get home and figure it out later so she simply shook the thought away for the moment. He had already simply hinted and done other things to hint that he wanted to have sex but she was not at all comfortable with that. Well, she was pretty sure, there was some discomfort at the thought of someone touching her besides Zachary because she had been used to it. She was not sure how she would be with a whole another person starting with her. She'd need to go slower, and for some people, that could be annoying. She had a feeling it would anyways. She had no idea what it was like to have a relationship or really be able to sleep around often.

Shae heard him say that he would not mind cooking and she simply smiled. "Alright thank you, I'll definitely need it," she said softly as she remembered cooking with her parents every so often, although her version of cooking in this situation was simply helping them put in ingredients or grabbing them for her parents then actually doing the cooking. Then again, as she got older, she was able to do more and more, just not fully cook. She had never cooked for Zachary really because he was probably skeptical of her plotting something or hurting herself purposely. He had learned not to put that past her. She really had tried everything to avoid staying in his house, but part of her wanted to go back and yet she had no idea why she would logically want to go back. She just missed him.

And if you show mearound how to accomplishing skinning and taking care of this beast, I'd be hapy to pitch in with that, too. Shae nodded then as she looked at him, "Of course I can. It won't be hard at all. As far as how far I live, just five minutes away. It's not too far from here." She continued to watch her step then as she heard his next question, not having really been asked that but she simply shrugged, "My father before he died. He took me on a hunting trip because I begged him and wouldn't relent. I didn't really learn how to skin and to gut a dear until later though, that I learned more on my own because I had to." She said because she literally had to when she had no other way of surviving at one point. She had run from Zachary's place but she had to find food and shelter and she had no money really so for a while she was homeless until she met a few people. "Do you go hunting at all?" She asked a bit curious about his hobbies outside of now knowing he had been practicing shifting.

After he simply set the deer in the back, she closed the back and simply got into the truck and waited for him to follow suit before she took off driving to the house.

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

The sleeping arrangements seemed a little bit of a strange discussion. Even though Adam wasn't always the nicest to women, that was probably just because he had an inability to commit. It had nothing to do with him respecting women, because growing up with an overbearing mother that commanded respect practically drilled that into his brain. Adam believed that men should be respectful of women, and even though he was a playboy, he always made sure that the women knew what he was before things got heated. Adam wasn't the kind for sleepovers, and once his night with a particular woman was over, he preferred that they part ways and not see one another again. But that wasn't because he didn't respect women: he'd never force himself on a woman, and could certainly take 'no' for an answer. The wolf secretly feared rejection, and wouldn't put himself in situations where he didn't think he'd succeed. Winning and aiming to achieve were also drilled into his brain from a very young age.

”You're not going to sleep on the floor, Shae. Don't be silly – I'm more than happy to take the floor.” Adam would have preferred they share the bed, but he was starting to really understand that Shae wasn't interested in sleeping with him, so he was preparing to back off somewhat. He'd experienced this once before in Manuka, with Vaeda, because her love life was too emotionally tangled for him to get involved, and in distancing himself from wanting to sleep with her, he discovered that she was actually quite a good friend, and had been very helpful with his learning to shift, even arranging special meetings for shifting “practice.” In time, maybe he'd feel the same way about Shae, but he was skeptical about befriending women. Women could be cruel, and manipulative, and with friendships sometimes came the expectation of more, so he tried to avoid them across the board. But, here he was, planning to spend the night with his “friend” (kind of) that was a girl, and planning on helping cook the freshly-killed deer for her and her brothers. Or at least help do so. ”You're not a picky eater, right?” Adam said, because he loved all sorts of different vegetables and cultures blending in his food, enjoying to showcase some of his world travels in his cooking. ”I learned this excellent recipe for grilled venison with a mole-style sauce in Costa Rica, I could whip that up when we get back to your place.”

After the deer was loaded in the back, Adam listened to Shae talk about hunting with her father before he died, and Adam nodded softly. He'd lost his father, too, but not in a permanent sense; at least, not as far as he knew. For all he knew, his father was alive and well, just not anywhere near him or in his life. Adam wouldn't even know who his father was if they were standing face-to-face as strangers, unless he resembled the man very closely. Adam had his mother's eyes, but the rest was foreign to him.

”At least you had a father, but I'm very sorry that he's not... well, that you don't anymore.” Adam wasn't good at the emotional stuff, but he didn't want to say nothing, because that was a heavy subject to bring up, and he knew that Shae was one of those people who kept her cards close to her chest. He appreciated the sign that she trusted him, and didn't want it to go to waste and be meaningless by not dignifying it with a response. ”I've never really been hunting, truth be told. I do like outdoor activities, though. Rock climbing, hiking, kayaking...” Adam tried to stay physically active, because while he enjoyed to the gym, it got monotonous after a while, and doing outdoor sports made life a little more fun. ”Do you do any of that? We could go sometime, if you're interested. I haven't been rock climbing in a while, don't wanna get rusty.”

The only hunting he did now was what he couldn't control during the full moon, but he didn't like to go into that very much, because he didn't like not having control over everything in his life, as he used to have before being bitten. Adam got in the truck with Shae, and smiled brightly at her. ”Thanks for inviting me over, Shae. Gotta say, though, little nervous about meeting your brothers. Don't worry, I'll set them straight that I'm not your boyfriend. I'm totally not the boyfriend type.” He hoped that the joke would make her smile a little, because she seemed so serious all the time, and Adam had a feeling that she'd be even prettier with a smile on her face and her mind off whatever seemed to always be hidden just beneath the surface, dark and deep. He wondered what it was that troubled her so, but would never ask and trouble her further.

[/justify]

[shae]

Shae simply had not found too many things weird in her lifetime, but then again she had been exposed to quite a bit earlier on in her life. Therefore, sleeping arrangements were not a big deal, not even in the slightest. The things she would not really tolerate from any person on the side of the street is disrespect to her, especially if they tried to touch her. She cannot handle it from other people. Maybe she could from her brothers, but she knew they would never hurt her on purpose. ”You’re not going to sleep on the floor, Shae. Don’t be silly – I’m more than happy to take the floor.” She glared at him now as she really wished he would take her offer, ”Then you’ll have to stay in my bed with me. I’m not going to make my guest sleep on the floor, Adam.” She would not take no for an answer, of course eventually if he simply gave up and laid down on the floor, she couldn’t exactly lift him.

You’re not a picky eater, right? She shook her head, honestly one of the least picky eaters there were. I learned this excellent recipe for grilled venison with a mole-style sauce in Costa Rica, I could whip that up when we get back to your place. She smiled then and said, ”That would be excellent. I’m sure my brothers would definitely get around with you, especially if you cook.” She smirked and nudged him playfully as she hoped they would get along. Of course, she could not blame her brothers for being a bit on the hesitant side because of what had happened with her. She had not told Adam quite exactly what happened though so they hoped they would not ruin that for her. Sometimes she liked people being more naïve. Then again, she was beginning to trust Adam which took a while for her. She just hoped that this would stay the way it was and maybe she could get up the courage to tell him, but she wasn’t going to rush anything with people in general really, unless they gave her a reason to trust them.

At least you had a father, but I’m very sorry that he’s not… well, that you don’t anymore. She nodded softly and simply said, ”I’m sorry you don’t either.” She looked at him, knowing he was trying and she greatly appreciated him doing that. I’ve never really been hunting, truth be told. I do like outdoor activities, though. Rock climbing, hiking, kayaking. Do you do any of that? We could go sometime, if you’re interested. I haven’t been rock climbing in a while, don’t wanna get rusty. She raised an eyebrow thinking about which one of those she had done.

”I do quite a bit of hiking and rock climbing, never kayaking yet though. I’d love to go with sometime though,” she said, smiling wide, liking the idea of hanging out with him. Thanks for inviting me over, Shae. Gotta say, though, little nervous about meeting your brothers. Don’t worry. I’ll set them straight that I’m not your boyfriend. I’m totally not the boyfriend type. She simply raised an eyebrow, smirking softly and mutters, ”Tell them that and they’ll never let you into my room.” She teased him and continued on and drove off, as soon as they had gotten to the apartment, she let the car turn off and just sat there for a moment, ”Ready?” she asked softly as she looked at him.

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

As nervous as he was about being around her brothers, who he'd never met, and in a place that was strange to him, Adam found himself in the truck with Shae. He liked Shae, truly he did, or else he probably wouldn't have gone with her. Most women, once Adam found out they were off-limits to him sexually, regardless of the reason, he tended to scatter and become distant, then remove himself from the equation entirely. It wasn't that he thought that was all women were good for; definitely, he believed the opposite of that. Adam knew first hand how strong women could be: his mother was independent, self-absorbed, and never failed to tell him how men, especially his father, were inferior to women in every way. When Adam realized that he had somewhat of a magnetic pull to women, he also learned that he wasn't inferior. Sure, women were lovely, strong, smart, and completely capable creatures, but he could handle his own in the lioness' den. Women didn't have to be man-eaters, and he could appreciate the beauty of women without stifling what made them inherently wonderful, and without giving up some of himself in the process. Adam refused to let himself become a weaker man because some overbearing women like his mother crushed him underneath her thumb. So, instead, he had a good time. He made women feel wonderful, beautiful, desired... but he left it at that. Sometimes he knew that women hated him after, because they were hoping he'd be the kind to stick around, but he knew that it was mostly just emotions that led them to read into things that were never there in the first place. He was a very honest, almost to the point of being able to classify himself as brutally so, when it came to the boundary lines with women. Adam never lied to them about what the nature of their 'relationship' would be, and he never led them on. No, he much preferred things be quick and painless.

But, since he was the honest type, he also feared the questions people might ask, and how he'd have to respond. Like Shae's brothers: would they grill him for being a man she brought home, even if now he had no intention to try to sleep with her? Well, unless she gives me some sort of green light...

[/color] Adam thought for a moment when Shae started up the engine. He glanced over at the blonde and looked at her, how she seemed to always be lost in thought somehow, thinking about something that she could never bring to words. Sometimes, Adam noticed that the thoughts seemed to leave her with a sort of scowl on her face, or a sort of lost wistfulness that he wasn't sure equated to good thoughts. So, since he was trying to be a good friend, he attempted to break her out of them. ”So, tell me more about your brothers before I go in with a target on my back.”

He continued, knowing that sometimes it took a bit of talking to get Shae to open up to the conversation. ”Do they like outdoorsy things, too? Hunting and whatnot... maybe they could go with us kayaking or something sometime,” Adam said, then added with a cheeky grin, ”Unless, you know, you're so intent to spend time alone with me. Which I wouldn't say no to.” His nature was always a little flirtatious, and Shae was still a beautiful woman, even if she was very unattainable. Couldn't blame a guy for trying, right?

Adam waggled his eyebrows once more for good measure, then looked out the windows. He really did love the forest, and the countryside beyond the city limits of Manuka really were a sight to behold. ”It's beautiful out here. Really. Have you lived here your whole life?” Adam asked, curious about whether or not he'd be going to where she grew up, or just where she lived now. ”You know, in all my travels, I have to say... Maine is one of the prettiest places I've been.” Adam smiled at her, hoping that his change in topic would somehow redeem his trespasses before, with the flirty comments. Because he wanted to keep Shae around, and didn't want to be too much of a pest.[/blockquote][/justify]

[shae]

Shae laughed at his words as she simply looked at him, figuring her brother's would not really know much about her life with men quite yet. She had not told them about Zachary yet and part of her was afraid to, to see their reactions. The pressure of just knowing that they would react horribly was not exactly comforting to begin with. At least they did not know before they met Adam though considering how apprehensive they would be to any man around her from there after. "They won't be too bad, but they are both hunters. Yet I think after finding me, they sort of calmed down. Anyways, any friend of mine will be welcome. As far as guys go, I don't really know. I've never brought home a man before. I think their demeanor will probably still be to threaten you. Don't worry, I'll set them straight if it comes up," she said with a soft smile, feeling like this whole situation might be innocently amusing in some ways.

"Yeah, they really do. Where do you think I got most of my stuff from?" She teased a bit, although a small percentage had actually come from them because she had been separated for so long. She had learned quite a bit on her own, not that she had a choice about that exactly. "That would be awesome though if we could all go, that is if they take to you well," Shae said, teasing softly as she poked him in the leg softly. She blushed softly at his next words, "Mmm only in your dreams, Adam." She patted his leg then softly and simply relaxed.

Shae simply listened to him, "Sort of. My living arrangements were more complicated to be honest. Maine sounds wonderful though. I wish I could have seen it too." She was trying not to tell him everything about her past, then again she never really opened up about it. She did not lie to him though that her past was complicated, she just did not exactly tell him everything. She knew she needed to tell someone because bottling everything up made her only that much more emotional and traumatized.

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

When Shae said 'hunters,' Adam couldn't help but get a little worried. The wolf had heard her mention it before, but after spending time with Vaeda, he was starting to piece together what that word actually meant, at least, in relation to this town. The type of hunters that Shae was speaking of didn't just go after big game and other animals in the forest... no, they were trained to track a different kind of beast. Beasts like him, and like Vaeda, although she really was one of the sweetest people that he'd ever met. How someone could look at her and see something evil was just beyond him. However, there was a part of Adam that still thought and acted with his 'human mind,' as he liked to call it. For twenty-seven years of his life, he had been a normal, human guy. Nothing special except his brain, his looks, and his lineage. His mother, she was special and she had made something of herself, and never wasted a moment telling Adam all about her accomplishments while he was growing up. That was partially why Adam went to seek out adventures and meaning on his own, and finally it led to him being turned into a werewolf. And now, he was on his way to publishing research that would blow everything his mother had ever done out of the water... it was almost poignant.

”I appreciate that you'd look after me if they got too... feisty, but I'm not a damsel in distress,” Adam teased. There was a part of him that didn't want anyone to fight his battles, and while he was a little nervous about being around two hunters, who were probably skilled if Shae's abilities were any testament to what the family could do, Adam still had severe confidence that told him he could win just about anybody over. Nobody in the world could possibly be more difficult than his mother, and she had essentially raised him. Or did what she thought was raising him, and tried to keep her presence strong enough to rub off on him and lead him to greatness.

”It's kind of cool that you guys have so much in common,” Adam said, then shrugged. ”I'm an only child, so all the things I was interested in, I had to do alone. I got good at being alone, though, got to do a lot without other people holding me back.” His idea for them all going on a kayaking trip or something together had gone over well with the pretty blonde, but his teasing statement about them being alone together had sank like a rock. What a shame.

Adam could tell that Shae didn't like talking about her past very often, so normally he didn't try to push, but when she did offer up information about her origins, Adam couldn't help but be curious. ”Difficult? You move around a lot as a kid or something?” That was something he could certainly relate to, what with his mother always shuffling them around for her different jobs at universities. It was a hard way to grow up, and made it so he couldn't ever stay in one place for very long.

[/justify]

[shae]

Shae heard his response and simply knew he was teasing, but that he was also serious. She rolled her eyes slightly, “Fine, be on your own tough guy. Good luck with my brothers then.” Her words came out in a tease as she looked at him with a smirk. They always did this sort of back and forth teasing, but that was just the sort of friendship they had. Shae had never really seen her brother’s fight before, but they had definitely survived all this time, therefore they were tough like she was. She had been through too much that she should have died in some instances. She almost killed herself, well more or less came so close, but she had a feeling that Zachary would find a way to make her live. Plus, she would most likely only have one shot at killing herself considering that killing a demon was incredibly hard to do. She wasn’t even entirely sure if she could kill herself, but she had heard rumors that you needed an angel to kill a demon, or perhaps by the hands of a hunter. Hunters always had way of destroying people, so she could always try to convince her brothers but she did not know if she could make them kill her if they needed to.

Shae listened to him and simply shrugged, “Mmm I know what you mean, I sort of experienced what it is like to be an only child. With one ‘parent’ even. I am a bit surprised that we all have so much in common even now, but we did grow up pretty close together.” The words came out softly as she thought about it. Zachary was not a parent, that was for sure, but it was the easiest fake explanation for him, but the more and more she learned about Adam, the more and more they became closer, she wondered if she should tell him. Then he inquired about her moving around so much and she was confronted with the urge to simply tell him.

“Listen, if I tell you something, will you always look at me the same way? I trust you enough that I want to tell you, but I don’t want it to change. I don’t want to be babied. I don’t want you to be upset. I’ve already told my brothers and they practically wanted to destroy everything in sight after I told them,” she said, looking at him, not feeling as emotional as when she told her brothers, but Adam was not all that close, but she still saw him as a brother almost. He had never given her a reason not to trust him.

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

His friendship with Shae certainly was an interesting one. There was trust there, and fondness, but they were still learning about one another, in a sense. Adam hadn't told her everything about his past with his mother, and he figured that there was probably a lot that he didn't know about Shae. As it was, her brothers were two of the most important people in her life, at least from what he understood, and he was just about to meet them for the first time that day. It was a bit nerve-wracking, because Adam always did like to make a good impression, but it wasn't like he was her boyfriend or anything. ”It might not work on you, but I promise you, I can be pretty damn charming when I want to be. I'll just try to find some common ground with your brothers so they don't feel inclined to want to kick my ass,” Adam said with a small smile. It really was nice that Shae cared enough about him to want to defend him, but Adam had grown up in a hostile environment where he was never good enough, so now as an adult, he found it really difficult to let other people in, and let them help him. Most of the time, he liked to go about things alone, sink or swim.

Adam nodded when Shae started talking about her single 'parent.' The werewolf wondered if this 'parent' had actually been good to Shae, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he or she wasn't, and he knew how that felt. ”Well, I had a dad once... but my mom pretty much made him feel awful about himself and ran him off, and she was always way too interested in her own stuff to even deal with me,” Adam explained. Very few people got to know the extent of what he'd experienced with his mother, but he didn't mind telling Shae a little. ”She was a professor, too, and that's why we moved around a lot; she was always dragging me around so she could teach at different schools and brag about how good she was at everything. Practically made her students be my nanny for extra credit, isn't that fucked up?” Adam laughed, and could laugh about it now, because he'd grown from it. He'd risen from the ashes, like the phoenix in mythology, which was a story he'd always enjoyed. ”But I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me. I'm gonna knock her off her pedestal one day.” His research on supernaturals and the supernatural world would be sure to give him a leg up, as it was something she didn't even know existed.

His story must have sparked something in Shae, because her entire demeanor changed, and she was offering up information about her own past, she assumed, but with a price. Adam got the feeling that it was serious, and something that she was trusting him with, but he never made promises that he didn't know how to keep. So, he tried to find some middle ground. ”Listen, Shae – I do care about you. You're my friend,” Adam said. ”You can tell me anything you want, and I'll listen, but I'm not going to promise not to freak out if someone... hurt you or is hurting you, or something like that. I would never think less of you, though. You're still you, and I think you're pretty great.” Adam hoped that his answer would be enough, because it was the best he could do.

[/justify]