after hours [athena]

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

The original draw of Manuka had been the fact that not only did it have a teaching position available at the college, but all his research had pointed to it being something of a 'supernatural haven' or drawing in mythological creatures that really weren't all that mythical. That was the main reason why Adam had come there, but after he'd gotten caught up in the whirlwind that was women and working, he had lost sight of his original purpose, and knew that eventually, he'd have to come back to his research instead of putting it on hold. Through a few interactions with 'other' species – a one-night stand with a demon, a relationship (sort of) with a shapeshifter, and being in with a very old family of werewolves – the Way family – Adam had collected some interesting information that gave him a better idea about not only how supernaturals worked, physiologically, but how so many of them were just trying to live the same daily grind, day in and day out living that most 'normal' people were trying to accomplish. It was almost laughable because even though he was trying to manage his shifting and control it with Vaeda's help, he still had to shift every full moon, and had seen several of them during his time in Manuka, yet the things that hung him up most were things like grading papers and wondering what the hell he was doing with Chloe, the woman he couldn't seem to ignore.

It all seemed pretty normal, right? To someone that wasn't in his life, in his shoes, they might even think it was... boring. It wasn't like in the movies where there was some giant sort of conflict between werewolves and vampires, or some ancient underground world that acted like a secret society. At least, not that he knew about. Adam had heard of hunters, and he mostly tried to stay away from them because most of what he'd heard wasn't positive. Apparently, a lot of them took the stance that 'all creatures are monsters,' and no matter if they fought to preserve humanity, or stayed neutral as he was, they still would consider him a target.

After picking a quiet table near the back of the library, Adam pulled the files and notes he'd taken out of a briefcase, setting aside the papers he'd need to grade for his class until later, and set a few books that he'd checked out off to the side. These books contained information that he already knew, because his major was in Ancient History and Mythology, and he had studied many of the different 'creatures' that actually turned out to exist, but there still were intricate details that he needed to know. He turned the page, and started researching a topic that interested him for a lot of reasons: shapeshifters. He'd seen the shifting in action, and his woman – ugh, except he couldn't call her that – was talented enough to 'half shift,' so he took notes about that down in his tidy handwriting, and then he heard a rustling in the bookshelves. If someone asked, he was a smooth enough liar to say that he was doing research for a new lesson, but he really didn't want anyone poking their nose around in his business unless they were an interview subject. For the moment, his research was still pretty much of a secret. Since Chloe pretty much hated all humans, she'd consider what he was doing to be extremely harmful to the supernatural community, but he kept doing it anyway. This was the exposure he needed to make something of himself, and prove his mother wrong.

Adam's green eyes moved up and caught sight of a blonde who was standing near his table. He tried to place her for a moment, wondering if she was one of his students, but he didn't make any immediate recognition. Still, if she was going to just stand there, he should say something. The wolf was a friendly sort of guy, especially to a lovely lady. ”Anything in particular you're looking for, or are you content just to stand there and distract me from my research?” Adam gave a slow, sexy smile in her direction, and leaned back in his chair a little, wondering how she might respond.

OUTFIT:

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[ATHENA PENELOPE STRYKER]

Nothing was more different from her home in Russia than Manuka. The people, the scenery, the pace of life in the town... everything had been so unfamiliar when she first arrived. Forced to cope with loss, a new language and a completely different environment, Athena began her adventure in the United States and had managed, in six years, to make a comfortable home for herself. She spent most of her time in Manuka hunting, drinking, and reading books in her loft. Other than bartending a few nights a week, Athena pretty much lived and breathed hunting. Born into a hardcore hunting family, it was practically bred into her. She woke up thinking about restoring her father's honor and went to bed to dreams of killing vampires. Lately she'd had trouble sleeping and so had taken up reading old mythology and legends of the supernatural. You could say it was an obsession at this point, just as it was for any hunter. Now she was scouring the library for any of the books she hadn't read yet, which left a very finite list. Pushing her lustrous hair out of her eyes, she pursed her lips and sighed as her eyes scanned the book spines listlessly. She had already bugged the librarian twice about any editions she hadn't already devoured, but had received little help. She had already looked in the Ancient History section and soon found herself in the Mythology section. This section was in the very back of the library, secluded from the rest of the building by shelves and shelves of books.

Athena ran her finger along the spine of an old, leather-bound book with gold lettering. It looked ancient but the title didn't intrigue her enough to look at it - she had a few very specific books in mind, but she wouldn't know what they were until she had seen the title or the binding of the book. Typical Athena, always looking for the perfect thing when she only had a visible picture in her mind and no facts to go off of. Athena knew exactly what the books looked like - she just couldn't remember the exact titles or authors. She figured if it became too much of a goose chase she could just rely on Google like the rest of the free world and call it a night. She bit the bottom of her lip in concentration, squinting as she turned to look around the library, searching for a miracle. And there it was, practically in her lap. She knew it was the book immediately - but it seemed to be in use by the handsome gentleman occupying the table in front of her. It wasn't the one he was reading, but the thick book pushed to the corner of the table, it's title practically screaming at her. Just the mythology book she needed. Athena hadn't even realized that she had been standing there staring at him until he looked up suddenly and made eye contact with her. ”Anything in particular you're looking for, or are you content just to stand there and distract me from my research?”

She had the thought to blush, but controlled her embarrassment quickly. Perhaps he could be of use to her - someone researching the same thing might have caught something she didn't. Of course, she literally had no idea who was, although his face wasn't exactly insulting to the eyes. She blinked at him innocently and let a smile tug at the corner of her mouth before replying in a slightly-accented voice. " We seem to be conducting the same research, sir. So sorry to distract... " She smiled for a moment more before becoming a little more serious and flicking her eyes pointedly at the book in his possession. " you beat me to the best information, clearly. guess i'll have to be a little more savvy next time. " She kept her tone playful - perhaps a little flirting would coerce him into sharing or better yet just relieving the book to her. She recognized his face very vaguely, but didn't have any memories of a past encounter. Perhaps she had just seen his passing face once; he was hot enough that she would have remembered him. She tilted her head to the side demurely and didn't bother to hide that fact that she was watching him, taking in details as she waited for his reply.

TAG: ADAM/CJ , NOTES: YAY FIRST POST , WORDS: 746 .

[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Of course he wasn't dense enough to think that nobody else would need the books he'd taken for his research couldn't possibly be needed by someone else. The more important detail and fact of the matter was that he didn't care. Adam could be a bit stuck on himself, and a bit selfish at times, and had a tendency to look out for himself and his best interests. That was probably part of why he even continued to research the supernaturals beings that actually existed, and planned to get his research published in many, many different large publications around the world. He wanted to be something, and be something better than his mother's wildest hopes for him could ever have fathomed. Some people might wonder why a grown man with a successful career and more notches on his bedpost than most would achieve in several lifetimes would be so hung up on his mother's pride or thoughts of her son, but there was a distinct reason, and that was what kept him going. The woman was, plain and simply, a thorn in his side.

Ever since he was a boy, she had told him that he'd never measure up to her academic prowess, and he'd end up in some abysmal, 'blue collar' career building things or lifting heavy objects like his father, who had decided that he wasn't worth sticking around for and bailed on his responsibilities when Adam was very young. Adam went into the same career as his mother first to earn her respect, because she knew the work it would take to get anywhere, especially to a prominent teaching position at a university. Then, he became genuinely interested in the subject, and not only wanted to be good at his career, he wanted to be the best. One of the main authorities on the subjects that he tirelessly studied who would be asked to curate at museums and had globally recognized dissertations and works on a variety of subject. Adam realized that he didn't want to just follow in his mother's footsteps, he wanted to surpass them. He wanted to replace her, and do a better job than anything she'd accomplished in her lifetime. This research would be his ticket, and even though he knew it could potentially cause a lot of damage for the groups of people he was writing about, it would be enough to boost his position as an academic force to be reckoned with, an insightful professor with inside information, and that was invaluable.

But there were always distractions, and even though he knew that he should have been focusing on his work, a gorgeous blonde caught his attention. Of course, it would be a pretty woman that would get his attention, because he had a weakness. Even though he was a professional man and was kind of involved with Chloe, he still had weaknesses, and she was sleeping with other people, anyway. As far as he was concerned, he was a free man. And even though research was his priority, there was no reason why he couldn't have a little bit of fun. ”I don't know that you could avoid being distracting even if you tried, and there's no reason I can think of for which a beautiful woman should apologize for her looks.” Adam gave her another slow-burning smile and sat back in his chair a little, intrigued by the fact that she was looking for the same books as he held in his possession. Adam supposed that the supernatural was an interesting topic, and tried to rack his brain a second time as to whether or not she had been in any of his classes. She seemed to be college age, and he had a strict policy about not sleeping with his students. Even though he was a player, he still held to a tight moral code... most of the time. Maybe she was expecting him to just hand the books over to her because she was pretty and... yeah, legs for days, but not a chance. Adam was way more in control than that, and wasn't a stranger to playing the game.

”I know where to look. Comes with the territory of being a professor; always research to do and a good book to read.” Normally, he wouldn't drop information about his career to a woman that he only had interest in sleeping with, but since she likely wanted his research material, he had to let her know that he wouldn't give it up so easily. Okay, he wasn't needing it for a class or a lecture, but it was still important to him. ”Once I'm done with them, they'll go back on the shelf with all their friends, not a worry.” Then, an idea struck him. Kill two birds sort of thing, he supposed. ”You're welcome to take a seat, though. Perhaps I could be of assistance in some way or another.” Was he talking about the fact that he knew mythology like the back of his hand? Only slightly.

”My name is Adam, by the way. And don't worry, I don't bite... much.”

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