N O W; don't just walk away, ;Are You Happy Now?

[Andrea Martin]

There was a certain time of day that Andy couldn't help but wander around town at. It was usually at about high noon, but sometimes if she got caught up with something at home she'd get there a little bit later. She never really did much more than browse through shops and look in their windows; she was sort of running on a tight budget.

It was hard to write for a living, sure the books brought in a decent amount of cash, but in between books she was usually more or less broke. She found that, being an author was a good way to skim through life without having to make too many stops along the way and the sooner she was old and grey and writing corny love stories from her creaky, wooden, rocker, the better.

Not that Andrea didn't love living, in fact she was relatively content with her lonely existance! She just thought that there was so much pressure on her to be something she just... wasn't. She had to be a skinny little bitch to everyone she met, with big hair and thick eye make up, and she was expected to go out and have fun with friends, and go to bed at eleven and be home by dawn and all that. Was their any demand on the elderly? No. Definitely not. You didn't see lingerie adds with wrinkly old women on the front of them; they didn't have to be seen partying 'til dawn. In fact it was usually frowned upon if they did! And not only that but they were always so smart!

Having gotten herself a little caught up in her thoughts, Andy groaned as her pocket began to sing some annoying song she'd accidentally downloaded for her phone. She really needed to change that.

Only two people ever called; her Mother and her agent. Now it was her agent. Answering, she was given an earful of how she was supposed to be at home writing out some tragic end to her tragically new tragedy, "Seamstress". It was a book about a crazy old widow dress maker who lured young girls into her dress shop and flayed them alive to make dresses out of their skins. She had ironically named the heroine, who ended up not being turned into a nice cream colored shawl, Lace.

"Goodbye," she muttered once the wrath of her agent had been released. She hung up and shoved the little abomination with unlimited texting into her pocket and started walking non chalantly down the street.

I have no life. She thought finally with a grim smile. My life was over before it started.

[Adrian Vega]

Adrian loved to walk, did he ever bother with any other kind of stress reliever? Never, it was the walking that made it all worth it. He continued down the street, he wasn't breaking any borders today like he had been the last few times he'd come out, he easily towered over a few of the random bystanders that passed by. The sun was occasionally nice to bask in but for the most part he hated it really, the street was loud. Yeah, the sun was horrible, he only enjoyed his curse because it meant he was of the night, the cool, serene night.

The scents of all the resturants and they're frozen food filled his nostrils, his nose wrinkled slightly of the smells. He'd be sure to go out tonight to hunt. He loved the sounds of the city though, nothing like peoples incoherent chatter on the phone and cars honking, siren wailing as they chased down some theif or criminal of some kind.
It was a bit exhilirating for him but he didn't really think much of it, it was just the noise that brought an odd calm to his senses.

He began to cross the street, a screech of tires tearing against the pavement, he looked over and just manged to jump back. It was the 2nd time this week he'd almost been ran over. Maybe it was a sign? He wasn't much liked in the underworld community he brought a lot of trouble to a lot of gangs and he'd not made too many friends.

Adrian looked up to the blue sky, it was always beautiful. No matter what time of day it was, it was un-touched. The world was an easy place to cherish his mind was lo..., "Ugh." He spat. He bumped into a young women, a very pretty young women, "I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't looking where I was..." His words faded away. She had very pretty eyes. Blue, like the sky, "I wasn't looking where I was going I'm sorry," He paused, "My name is Adiran." He introduced himself with a polite smile.

[Andrea Martin]

Andrea let out a little 'oomph' as she was run over by yet another giant man! She seemed to be seeing a lot of those lately. And did they all have to be abnormally good looking? She took another severe hit to her self-esteem. As she bumped into him, she also dropped her cell phone from her sweater pocket and watched it crash to the concrete. The back popped open and she watched as the battery bounced away beneath people's feet.

"Aw shit... Hold this?" She bent down and picked up her cell phone and shoved it at him before hurrying away to fetch her battery. She ended up cussing out a group of kids for when she'd reached down to pick the cartridge up, one of the little punks had stepped on her hand. Getting a stern look from some old biddy, probably the kids' mom, she rolled her eyes and returned to where she'd left Adrian with her phone.

"Thanks," she muttered snatching the phone away from him and replacing the battery. "Andy," she added, eyes turned downwards as her phone came to life. "Do you always introduce yourself to people you accidently run into in the street? Or maybe did you bump into me purposely just to give me your name and get mine?" she inquired, shoving her cell back into place and putting her hands into her pockets. It wouldn't have been the first time. She was used to attempts at flirting from random strangers! Sarcasm. Very heavy use of sarcasm too. Usually, she had her head down too much to really catch the eye of anyone... so how this guy had pulled it off she had no idea. Maybe he was a magician? She grinned a little at the thought. Oh yes; he was a magician who had the ability to make eye contact.

[Adrian Vega]

He'd managed to bump into the fraile young women and drop her phone. Today was his day, she shoved something into his hand. It was her phone? That was a first he'd normally think that maybe getting her number would be more helpful but that wasn't his intentions. Well not at the moment any ways, she went to grab her battery, some kid stepped on her hand and she... cussed at him.

He'd never seen that done before but then again what was he going to say? Don't do that? It was a bit ridiculous but I guess to each their own. She manged to blurt her name as her dainty hand snatched the phone back, "Oh yeah, this is how I meet all the women I've ever dated by bumping into them," He retorted with heavy sarcasm, "Although if I were to bump into a random gir... woman I can't see a better choice." He said with a wide grin, showing his pearly whites.

Adrian realized they were getting in the way of people and not wanting to be rude or anything like that he'd maybe figure to ask her to coffee or maybe a soda. He wasn't a big fan of coffee or anything that tasted like dirt for that matter, "Umm, since you belive my intentions to be to get your name," He sighed, "would you like to go for a soda or something?" Asked Adrian with that same toothy grin.
He wasn't much of a talker but apparently that smile hasn't gotten him places he'd never really thought he'd be at...

[Andrea Martin]

Andy looked up at him skeptically, "A soda? What are we? Teenagers? You want to buy me a drink... you buy me a vodka and tonic or a strawberry cooler." She was about to wave him away when she caught sight of his smile. It was so perfect... and really it was his smile that saved him. His charm, his face, and just his tidy perfection.

Running a hand through her hair she sighed, "Alright. Sorry for bitching at you, it's just my agent is on my ass, and has been, for the past week or so and she says that if I don't get the next chapter into her by Monday she's going to go over to my house and beat me senseless. Don't blame her though, I sort of have been procrastinating a bit... a lot... So I have like four lines? What she doesn't know can't hurt her. And as if she'd have the balls to come over to my house and actually tie me to a chair in front of my lap top." There was an array of colorful language snaked into her phrases, but it she didn't really seem to care. She was vulgar and profane; it was just the way she was. In fact it had always been like that. She started walking forward a bit and when he didn't follow she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Well you coming or not?" She really hoped not. She never let random strangers buy her drinks. In fact, she never usually let random strangers even talk to her! He'd somehow been some sort of exception. How he'd even managed that, she was still unsure, but she'd figure it out eventually... if she didn't forget.

[Adrian Vega]

She gave him a look as if he were joking. He wasn't a drinker and so much for expecting any less then what she'd just thrown at him but her facial expression changed it seemed the smile gave him a victory. His body did produce pharmones that made him a bit more attractive then what he was made out to be, "Um, I don't drink but I have no problem getting you one." He winked at her. Adrian thought she was a bit fiesty, he liked that. He was surpirsed by his clamness for most of his kind were a bit... Fierce, for a lack of a better word.

Adrian watched her carefully his eyes keeping stride with every movement. He liked to be observant, she ran her hand through hair. She bursted out with.... a rant? He hadn't expected that so much, he was waiting for more of a, "fat chance" But it wasn't like that, "It's quite alright. I never really did like agents. Mine is always bugging me about playing at random gigs. I'm not much for run-down, sleazy "resturants" but it's money," He paused, "You have a colorful vocabulary, ya know that?" He said sweetly, throwing that charming smile.

'Crap' she was walking away, he'd probably had offended her but she turned around and looked at him.

"Well you coming or not?"

He walked after her. He jumped quickly to the side of the sidewalk where the traffic was, it was always polite to make sure the lady was safe, he turned to her with a crooked smile, "I know the place with the best burgers you'll ever have," He grabbed her by her hand, "they also have a wide variety of liqour for you..." He struggled for the word, "enjoyment." He added pulling her in the opposite direction.

[Andrea Martin]

The feeling of walking in one direction and then being yanked in the opposite wasn't one of her favorite feelings but she didn't complain.

"You have a colorful vocabulary, ya know that?"

"Yeah. Like a rainbow, and my mother never lets me forget it. I don't really give a damn though. I mean if you think about it? They're only words and words don't really convey much more than how you feel. Personally? I'm often pissed off and angry at the world, so I just shower it with praise." Wasn't she the little hellfire sadist? But it was true. She had no good reason to be happy with the life she lead or the world she lived in. So far? All's it had really done was screw her over.

"And how the hell do you not drink?! What are you, a saint or something?" she smirked at him and then looked at the sidewalk. She was surprised he hadn't turned running in the opposite direction yet! She was about as soft on the outside as a porcupine and her tongue was about as sharp as one too. Good news was that he wasn't an ass hole. If he had been, he would have waved her off and plagued some other girl with his presence; she just wasn't worth it.

"So you're a musician then?" That was one way anyone could interest her, she was always intrigued by music... no matter what it was. Her music tastes were different to say the least. Some days she could be listening to Beethoven beating out a mean Moonlight Sonata on the Forte Piano and other days she was dancing around her house in her underwear, or naked, screaming Oops I Did It Again at the top of her lungs. She wasn't a good singer and more than once the neighbors had called the police to report that someone or something was dying. By the third time they knew that it was just their insane author neighbor drunk, alone, and often times a mess of tears.

[Adrian Vega]

She struggled as he pulled her the other way around but it was a bit futile his strength was greater then her and even though she used her entire body and he just nudged he managed to get her going the other way. Adrian wasn't one for random behavior but he had to do what he had to do. He let go of her wrist as their pace slowed a bit and he turned in her direction, she walked with very little confidence her body was slouched, and her hair kind of covered her face. She was much to pretty for that, "You make a good point. Words are nothing more then an expression but hey sometimes people don't like the way it sounds ya know?" He replied to her thought.

He put his hand against her back slightly nudging her forward her body moved up straight and he sweeped back a lock of hair behind her ear, "Not to be cheesy or anything but you're much too beautiful to stand like that." He said keeping his eyes in front of him. Adrian wasn't much for the bitter type of people so he thought he'd lighten her up a bit without the use of alcohol if he could.

"And how the hell do you not drink?! What are you, a saint or something?"

"Umm, no I don't," He replied, " and let's go with "or something" shall we?" He added with a smooth tone. He was never really any kind of drinker, tried it once when he was a kid and woke up with a major headache, it wasn't something he'd look forward to doing again. He looked over to her with that same smile her blue eyes still quite breath-taking.

They took a few more steps when she gave him a preplexed look, "Actually I am a musician. I play the piano. Anything genre you could possibly think of I can play it Jazz, Classical, Rag-time, anything," he boasted, " I try to be modest though." He added at the end after his not so modest rant.

[Andrea Martin]

"I can see that," she replied, blushing violently not only from his touch but from his words. Beautiful huh? I've been sexy, hot, attractive even... Never beautiful though. That's strange. What's with this guy? Guys just didn't say things like that any more. It was always, "Hey sexy" or "Nice ass" both of which she rather resented.

"Alright so, stop me if I'm wrong... You're a musician, a modest one, and you don't drink. You think it's okay to dazzle women in the street with your perfect smile, when really it causes breaches on safety, and I know this because I think my heart near jumped up out of my throat. You aren't a saint, but something else like one, you're a smooth operator, and you're extremely good looking. Not to mention you take pity on the less fortunate, me, and think it's fun to take them out on dates. Am I right? And don't argue with that bit on the less fortunate. I'm a mess," she said with a small laugh.

((Sorry it's short!))

[Adrian Vega]

Adrian pursed his lips together into a smile that exposed his dimples, he turned over to her, she was blushing maybe it was a bit too much to be sincere to strangers after all that's not how the world worked anymore. It was all buy drinks, sleep with strangers and forget your married but he was born in a different time and being sincere was just something he thought was something everyone should do so he was about as honest as he could be.

He nudged her again so that they turned the corner, he wanted to take her through a small park just a block or so out of the way but they'd still make it there in 5 or 10 minutes. It wasn't any "Alden Park" but it was nice and he liked it. He was a real odd-ball in his own pack but that's what got him beta after being with them for only a short time.

The walk had been kind quite but it wasn't akward or anything it was actually kind of refreshing, she turned to him looking like she had just solved a puzzle.

"Alright so, stop me if I'm wrong... You're a musician, a modest one, and you don't drink. You think it's okay to dazzle women in the street with your perfect smile, when really it causes breaches on safety, and I know this because I think my heart nearly jumped up out of my throat. You aren't a saint, but something else like one, you're a smooth operator, and you're extremely good looking. Not to mention you take pity on the less fortunate, me, and think it's fun to take them out on dates. Am I right? And don't argue with that bit on the less fortunate. I'm a mess."

"I could be a little more modest but hey, if you can play why not show off a little, right?" he was quick to reply, "I've never liked alcohol. I don't dazzle anyone, do I?" He said with mock surpise, "I apologize for catching you off gaurd like that. I'm far from a saint, it's why I prefer "or something", I'm just human," he continued, accenting the last word, "I don't think I'm taking pity on you and I certainly don't see you as less fortunate, plus I'm not as composed as I seem," he paused again just to egg her on, "I just want to impress you." he looked forward again fighting back a smile that managed to break through his composed face. He thought he'd ignore those compliments she shot at him, he wasn't any kind of good-looking just a nice guy.

[Andrea Martin]

"Impress me? Adrian, no man has ever been able to impress me in any way, shape, or form. You really think you'll be any different?" she asked skeptically. "I tend to be a bit of a handful. I'm loud, cynic, and at the moment I'm more or less broke. You might not want to go out of your way to try to impress someone like me." She broke off into a carefree laugh and stretched, basking in the warm sun. It felt as if she hadn't seen nice weather for months, maybe she would go back home and sit in her front yard to write. Her cat Buttons sure loved to roll around in the grass... maybe she'd put him outside as well.

"And hey, you do dazzle. Quite well I might add and I'd say by the look on your face you already knew that," she stated, glancing up at him. "So what do you do for a living, Adrian? Are you just a Musician? Or do you work as something else? You already know I'm an Author... but uh... pretty much if you just go rent a movie like I dunno, Hostel or something? It's about the same thing as reading one of my books. I like to kill people. Charming right?" she said dryly, examining the park around her. It was a fairly nice place, she'd never even noticed it before. Then again, she wasn't really an observant person unless she had to be. It was at that moment that her phone started buzzing and she groaned, taking it out of her pocket and staring at the screen. "I gotta take this, sorry." She put the phone to her ear and listened for a moment before she seemed to explode.

"Piss off ya prick! I'll get it done tonight! Now for Christ sakes stop calling me you slime ball!" Her rant got a few skeptic looks and she hung up without a care in the world.

"And you live in the Suburbs right?" She was so unphased by her actions... it was rather startling.

[Adrian Vega]

He had walked her through the small park, it was a little more serene then most places and no one ever bothered with this park, as to leave any bodies or commit any crimes it was like a paradise in hell, and sometimes this place might as well be, "Well I like to think that I'm much more capable then your average man." He replied with a smile.
Adrian continued to walk down through the park he turned to her again, as if he had just heard what she said earlier, "I like handful. I'm not much for the pampered princess type anyways. I'm occasionally broke too. Impressing you would be a challenge then?" He looked over with a sly smile.


His eyes widened a bit I guess he could dazzle not that he was totally dunbfounded by this he was occasionally known to dazzle but it never really wasn't his looks as it was his charm, "I mean I guess I could dazzle someone with the right amount of effort." He smiled that same smile, and in her direction.
Letting her know he was attempting to dazzle her, "Yup, just a musician. Not that I couldn't do something else I assure you but music is more," He paused to think of what his life previous to a werewolf was, "liberating then I could ever hope for." He closed his eyes as he began to hum a melody. He forgot for a moment she was there, "So you're a gore and blood kind of author?" He smiled at her. Adrian did kind of find charming in this odd kind of serial killer way, "Actually it is a bit charming in that... Psycho kind of way." He added with a goofy laugh.

He watched her as she looked around at the park as if it was some lost wonder in the city but really it was about as plain as the buildings that towered the city or the smokers that walked down the streets. She irked and grabbed her side, looking over to him she apologized and picked up her phone, she was listening to some lady shouting at her - Werewolf hearing always came in handy - and demanding a chapter or something completed by the end of the day. She sounded like a nice lady, if you considered nice threatening someone to strapping someone to a computer for the next year without anything to eat. His eye widened, "Oooo." He muttered under his breath.

Adrians eyes widened even more at Andrea's reply to the lady on the phone. She quickly hung up and turned over to him and asked in what area he lived, "Umm, ye-yeah I.. wait, huh?" He wasn't sure he'd heard her right, the calm she had after being so vivid and upset, but he regained his composure, "Ummm, yeah around there." He said. She was a very bold woman and didn't care for being so loud or animated in such an angry manner, "You live where? Downtown or something? A nice little apartment around there?" he'd figure to guess where she lived.

[Andrea Martin]

She looked at his smile and felt herself melt a little bit inside... she wasn't sure if she liked that at all. If he kept this up, he'd have to mop her up off the street; she would definitely turn to Jell-o.

"Charming? Me? Hardly! If anyone is charming; it's you! And as I said before I'm a handful... but seeing as that doesn't seem to bother you all that much, I guess that's not a bad thing!" She shook her head and genuinely smiled over at him; an accomplisment for him, in her colorful opinion. "No, I live in the Suburbs. If I lived in the city, it'd be as a hobo. I couldn't afford to pay rent on a good apartment. And the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of people doing only God knows what in their apartment, it sort of creeps me out... says the girl who writes about people chewing out other people's eyeballs." She laughed nervously and for about the fourth time, ran a hand through her hair; it was definitely a nervous habit.

And she most definitely had reason to be nervous. The last, first, and only time she had ever actually gone out with somebody had been so long ago... and she had ended up getting, not only screwed over, but crushed and obliterated. It had hurt. No that was an understatement, it had been the single most painful experience in her entire life; her heart was still in pieces over it and every time she thought about it...

Andy flinched suddenly and let out a small, pained, squeak and then blushed, embarrassed at having done so. It didn't take much to trigger the flow of bad memories, the pain they had inflicted... Not to mention how she'd been tricked in the worst possible way. She had really cared about that guy... he'd been looking for sex. Well she wasn't about to put out so easily again. She'd make every single guy work for that. The ones who weren't willing to put up with her and her... ways, they just weren't worth the time of day! Let alone any time at all.

[Adrian Vega]

He listened to her talk, he liked to listen to her talk, she was a real character and you hardly meet any of those anymore just seedy people who have alternate intentions although they come off as nice people or human.
Her smile was a bit breath taking, he kind of gasped and made a coughing noise, "I'm not charming," his voice was kind of hoarse, he composed himself, "you... are a bit of a handful but it's hardly a bad thing. Makes for an interesting date," He blushed, "I meant that, well umm... Yeah, I meant date." His cheeks still a violent red. Adrian was probably being a bit to open right now.

They were still walking, she happened to live in the suburbs, he'd never have guessed that. She spoke like a sailor and seemed to be one of those people who suffereed from severe road rage but he started to think it was just a act, "Oh you do?" he tried to fight back his laughter from the hobo statement, "That is a problem in this city isn't it? People doing only God knows what," Adrian kept his eyes focused on her, "yeah but you just write about it, it's not like you go around doing it," he raised an eyebrow, "do you?" he asked her suspiciously. Of course it was a joke.

She was thinking, her brow was creased like she was contemplating whether or not to blow up the entire city, "Oh!" he shouted. Adrian put his hands over her eyes and lead her to the left deeper in the park but it wasn't too far that they couldn't get back on course, "I'm going to show you this great lit... It's a surpirse actually." He smiled, leading her to a pond with a stone water-fall, there was a couple of ducks floating around. He lifted his hands, to show her the pond. Yeah, it was small but it had this beautiful un-touched feel about it.

He began to think about her. His would be wife, she was beautiful. That time was fuzzy though, her image was clearer then picture, that never had faded away but he couldn't live devoted to someone who wasn't here anymore. This girl he was with was different. He liked her, he didn't know her all that well but he did like her company she was colorful, cute, smart(she was an author after all), and didn't care much for what anyone thought of her, "Okay let's go." he said grabbing her hand, and tugging her in the directions leading out of the park. He almost forgot about the drink he'd promised her.

[Andrea Martin]

Trying to walk with, or after, Adrian, was a lot like chasing after a small child in a very large, very complicated toy store. He kept moving and towing her along as if she were nothing but a rag doll. Not that she minded that though. In fact at he dragged her along after him, she felt a little bit of a smile creeping to her lips. She didn't really have to worry about walking into things or going the wrong way. No all she had to worry about was not tripping over her own two feet which in her case was usually unavoidable.

She could tell by the way he held her hand that he was a strong man. He had authority and strength and she found herself red in the face even thinking about it in that way. Suddenly though, her thoughts were cut short as they passed by a pond.

Andy had never really had much of an eye for beauty or anything picturesque and she wasn't the type of person who could stare at a breath taking lake or a flowing stream for any long period of time; she got bored far too easily and maybe didn't appreciate nature as much as she probably should have.

She looked up at him thoughtfully, dark blue eyes inquisitive as ever and maybe a little curious. Something about the way Adrian moved, spoke, and acted made her believe that there was more than a hopeless romantic skin deep. There was so much more... and it wasn't like she was seeking to start any type of relationship with a him, a complete stranger, but she certainly did want to see more of him... and that made her wrinkle her nose in shock. It was strange... most men didn't even make it past hello, let alone take her out on a date and make her want to know more...

"How do you know that I don't have a torture chamber in my basement and I'm just letting you take me out so I can play Operation with you for real later?" she asked with a small laugh.