Home Away From Home (OPEN)

[Cadence]

It was after work and Cadence was walking through the woods on the outskirts of London. She’d never been the outdoorsy type before she’d become a werewolf but now it felt so good just to walk amongst the trees, grass and wildflowers. She was a part of all this now, a part of nature, she belonged here. She could hear the wind rustling the leaves of the trees over head, could feel the grass bend beneath her bare feet, could smell the sweet musk of the critters that dashed into their hiding places when she got to close. It was beautiful, like a symphony that touched each of the senses, and it all seemed to say simply, welcome.

Cadence took off her jacket, letting the playful breeze blow against her arms where the tank top left them bare. It tossed the locks of her hair about, though it was too short to get in her face. Cadence found a clear spot on the ground and stretched out with her hands forming a pillow behind her head. She laid there and just let the incredible peace of the forest wash over her. It felt so good to have a place where she belonged, an escape from the prying eyes and ears of the human world. Humans didn’t understand, how could they? Cadence doubted anyone would believe her even if she told them. After all, werewolves weren’t real, they were just a thing out of scary stories and superstitions, right? No, humans didn’t understand, but the forest did.

After awhile she folded up her jacket and shoved it under her head, it was more comfortable than her arms. Cadence closed her eyes and just breathed in the scents of everything around her. It wasn't long before she'd started to drift off.

[Vincent Reed]

Vincent had decided that it was about time for his yearly reminiscent walk. He wandered aimlessly through the streets of London, remembering what each storefront and apartment building was before, when he was younger. It was that same reminiscent walk that led him to the forest, a place that had changed so much but remained unchanged at the same time. He remembered how when he was a young lad, just back from the war, that the forest was about three times as large as it was now. But even so it was still the home of so many animals, home to the same trees and the only place that mattered anymore.

He was silently walking through the forest looking at spots as memories flooded back to him. That tree was where he first saw his sweetheart, Clara. That stump used to be the tree they had written their names into. That tree was the one he climbed with his sister when they were younger. That field was the one he escaped to every night after the change.

That field had a young woman laying in it. His flood of memories stopped almost instantaneously when he set eyes on the woman. Vincent knew it was rude, but he couldn't help himself, he pried through her layers to find out why she was in his forest. After all, werewolves weren’t real, they were just a thing out of scary stories and superstitions, right? No, humans didn’t understand, but the forest did.

So she was a werewolf, intriguing. It had been so long since Vincent had last come across one of those. He took in a sharp intake of breath as she moved and then he realized he couldn't be a creeper. He moved from his spot behind the trees and walked to her. He bent over and leaned over her head looking her in the eyes. "Lovely night, is it not?"

Bad line, really bad line. But it's better than 'I couldn't help but notice you thinking that you're a werewolf and that I just wanted to let you know, I have a lot in common with this forest. I'd understand you.' So much better than that line. With a line like that, Vincent's creeper points would go up exponentially.

[Cadence]

The sound of footsteps in the distance normally would have had some effect on her. But here she dismissed them as one of the various creatures that called this forest home. What did she have to fear in the forest? The animals never came near her, she didn't know why, they just didn't. Maybe they smelled the predator that hid inside of her, or maybe it was that she was just all to human and it was against their better judgment to approach anything that walked on two legs and wasn't covered in feathers.

It wasn't until a shadow fell across her face that she realized that no animal was that tall. She opened her eyes, adrenaline caused by the knowledge that someone she didn't know was hovering over her chasing away the last of her drowsiness. Cadence stared up to find a set of deep brown eyes set in a classically handsome face.

She used her arms to scoot herself up into a sitting position, knowing her hair was probably a tumbled mess from lying down in the grass and leaves. She found herself wishing, not for the first time, that embarrassing things would happen at more opportune moments. But she supposed then they wouldn't be embarrassing. Cadence ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to subtly straighten her brown locks.

"Um, I guess that depends on your definition of lovely. The weather's nice, that's one definition I suppose. The sky is clear enough so that you can see the stars, so that's always good." She paused here to smile impishly. "Now, being woke up by an unknown, mysterious man in the middle of the forest....well, I'll get back to you on that one."

[Vincent Reed]

Vincent sat down next to the woman as she sat up, he didn't really care whether or not she was happy with it, besides she was the one in his special spot, was she not? He tried to fight back the smile that threatened to spill across his face as the girl fussed with her hair, she wasn't aware of the twig that was stuck in her hair that she just didn't seem to catch with her hand.

Vincent couldn't help but reply to her question of being walked up upon by a mysterious man, "Most women would love it, especially if that man were tall, dark and handsome," Vincent reached towards the stick and pulled it delicately out of her hair.

He played with it in his hand for awhile, this woman was an interesting creature. She hadn't been awestricken by his looks yet, like most women would have. Perhaps she was a sucker for a gentleman rather than a pretty face, but who knew?

"My name's Vincent," he said, he offered her the twig from her hair. It was better to give it back than hold onto it and further peg himself as a creeper. That was truly the last thing Vincent wanted that night.

[Cadence]

Cadence pulled her jacket/pillow into her lap when the man moved to sit down next to her. She didn't mind, not really. The guy was still a stranger but it was better than him looming over her, even if he'd only been making idle conversation.

She couldn't help but smile at his response. True, most women would love being found by a good looking guy in the middle of the forest. Alright, so he was more than a good looking guy, he was gorgeous. But she'd been fooled by a pretty face before and now because of that, she grew fur once a month and hunted down deer. She was more cautious of spectacular looks now...but still....this guy was really easy on the eyes. She refused to let herself stare.

"True. Very true." She mused. "But how do you know that I'm like most women? Startling a person out of sleep like that might earn you a fist to the face some day instead of interesting conversation." Cadence followed his hand as it reached to pluck something out of her hair. To her horror, it was a stick. It had probably been standing up like a flag pole this whole time. She hid her face in her hand for a second before letting it drop back down into her lap. She just couldn't catch a break today could she?!

She laughed and took the stick from him as he introduced himself, twirling it between her fingers. "Thanks. Nice to meet you Vincent, I'm Cadence." She started to offer her hand in greeting only to realize that pieces of leaves and mud clung to her palm. Of course. She thought, dusting it off on her jeans before holding it out to Vincent again.

[Vincent Reed]

Vincent chuckled, "I hadn't made the assumption that you were like most women, you're most obviously not like them seeing as how you are spending time in the forest, something very unlike other women of your time. And I'll make sure I don't startle another person out of sleep. This is the cautionary tale."

So unlike other women, but that's the least he could expect from his little wolf. He couldn't help but chuckle as she was embarassed by the stick in her hair, he couldn't help himself, he had to know what she was thinking. Flagpole, huh? Not in the least darling, he thought, as he smiled kindly at her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Cadence," Vincent said with a tip of his head. He took her hand in his, after she went through an ordeal of cleaning in off, and pressed his lips lightly to the back of her hand. It was something he had grown up with, a habit he couldn't kill.

"May I ask what brings you here. As much as you'd like to think it, even the forest isn't safe enough for a woman to let down all of her guards. In today's world, danger lurks around every corner. This isn't our grandparent's time," my time. Vincent was actually a little concerned about this girl, this strange little woman was going to sleep in the forest, no defenses whatsoever. She was lucky it was a Nephilim that walked up on her, rather than any other creature in this world.

[Cadence]

She smiled. His laugh, or chuckle rather, was contagious even if she did suspect that it was aimed at her. He seemed very amused by her for some reason. It wasn’t obnoxious, just strange, and the more curious part of her brain wanted to know what he found so funny. It was probably the fact that she’d fallen asleep in the middle of the forest. Didn’t most people think that was dangerous? Something about wild animals. He probably thought she was at best reckless, or at worst stupid.

There was something different about this Vincent, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. It wasn’t the way he smelled, or looked. It was the way he, well for lack of a better word, felt. Not physical touch. It was similar to the feeling you got when someone was watching you, that kind of feel. Vincent reminded her somewhat of the woman she’d met at the church, Adina. But he wasn’t like her exactly. She couldn’t explain the differences or similarities, she only knew that they were there.

Cadence smiled when he nodded his head in greeting. For an absurd moment she imagined him in a suit and top hat, tipping his hat to a gallantly dressed noblewoman. The fact that he kissed her hand rather than shook it did nothing to discourage the image. It was so different from the reality of things, where they both were dressed in modern day clothing, for her jeans and a faded tank top with the denim jacket in her lap, in the middle of the forest, that she had to laugh. Although underneath her amusement, she had to admit that she was impressed. The guy had the gentleman act down. It also made her automatically wary of him, guys didn’t act like that anymore. They should, but they didn’t. Hadn’t people had said Ted Bundy was one of the nicest men they’d ever met?

Don’t I know it. She thought when he said that today danger lurked around every corner. Of course, this man was probably referring to murderers and rapists which were dangerous of course, just not particularly to her unless they, by some cruel twist of fate, had something silver. “I like the forest.” She said with a shrug. “I feel claustrophobic in the city, it’s a lot bigger than the place where I grew up.” That was an understatement, London was about five times the size of Cheney but no need to tell him that she was some small town girl. She wasn’t ignorant and she wasn’t confused, she’d been in London for two years and on her own for longer than that, she knew how to look after herself. “And thank you, Vincent, really I’m flattered but I can look after myself. Appearances are deceiving.” She felt like some tribal wisewoman with all the life lessons she was quoting at this guy. She was probably starting to annoy him.

[Vincent Reed]

She used to live in a town smaller than London? Hmm, how intriguing. In a way Vincent could sympathize with her. Not that he had lived in a smaller city, but that when he grew up London was a smaller city. It was still a big city, but now it was much larger, time had supersized everything. He wanted to tell her he knew what it felt like to have the buildings come in on you, that he had suffered through years of claustrophobia until he had gotten used to how the times changed, but saying that would give her hints to him not being human. Telling her that would make him a monster, one of the things in this world that one must be wary of... something that shouldn't exist.

Instead he settled to taking his jacket off, showing he was planning on staying a while, revealing a tightly fit t-shirt that showed off how his muscles moved with every stretch of an arm. "You come from smaller city? What's it like? I haven't been outside of London for such a long time," he asked. And it wasn't a lie, he hadn't been outside of London for decades, other than occasional trips to the countryside, he had been stuck in this large city, he wished he knew what the other cities of the time looked like, but he couldn't get the confidence to leave the city.

"I wasn't saying that you couldn't protect yourself, I have a feeling you could if need be. I'm merely saying just what you did, that looks can be decieving, you never know what you're talking to until it's too late," Vincent said, how he wanted her to know that in a way he came from the same world as her, but he didn't want her to dislike him at the same time. Because of that he remained silent about his identity, concealed his hidden message with something else, "As far as you know, I could be a mass murderer or a serial rapist, and you wouldn't know it until I made an advancement, not that I am, I'm just trying to help you stay aware of your surroundings."

He smiled, in a way she was so confident she knew everything there was for her to know, but there were still a few things that she was blind of. She wasn't as quick to figure out what he was, like Autumn had been, but she was, in no way, ignorant of the fact that there were others in the world, things much unlike herself. Vincent coudn't see that darling face be harmed, so perhaps he could raise her awareness without her becoming aware of what he was.... hopefully.

[Cadence]

Cadence watched him take off his jacket. She couldn't help it! There was something off about Vincent but that didn't mean he wasn't attractive and it certainly didn't change the fact that the t-shirt fit him very well. She tried to glance without letting him know what she was looking at. In her experience, not that she had much, most guys never needed a boost to their egos, they were big enough already. Surely a guy this good looking wouldn't be an exception to that rule. She was sure that he was used to women falling all over him. She couldn't help looking but you wouldn't catch her drooling at least.

She laughed when he asked about small town life. "It's..different. Not worse or better exactly, there are ups and downs to both, but moving from the country to a city like London takes some getting used to. Cheney was the kind of town where there were no strangers and no secrets. I don't miss being referred to as the Williams' kid but the acreage we had at home was nice." Cadence shrugged. It was something she was asked often and hard to describe to someone who hadn't experienced the difference for themselves. The movies all portrayed it as some big adventure, it wasn't, not really.

Cadence nodded. "Fair enough." She couldn't argue with a warning she'd just given him a few moments before. Though she really did think the guy underestimated her. But of course there was no way that this guy could know that she could bench press a truck, that was the whole point of staying hidden. Still, there was something about the way he talked that made her wonder if he hadn't guessed what she was. It was impossible of course...wasn't it? Impossible, unless the off feeling about him was something supernatural. She could smell other wolves and vampires, did Vincent have some sort of sixth sense that spotted out the supernatural for him? Probably not, but still...that wasn't impossible.

"I, well, usually I am." She said when he mentioned being aware of her surroundings. It sounded pathetic, even to her. Like an excuse a kid would give an upset parent. But still, it was the truth. Vincent had caught her on one of those rare moments when she just let her guard down and relaxed. It didn't make it any less of a mistake but if she was always on guard...well, it would drive her insane. "But that's true. How do you know I'm not some psycho? I was in the woods after all, very unusual." She said with a grin, blocking out the memories. Blocking out the fact that she had killed, probably more than once, she wouldn't think about that now and ruin the pleasant teasing between Vincent and her. It was nice, normal...kind of...she needed more normal in her life.

[Vincent Reed]

Vincent nodded, although he didn't know what it was like to live in a small town and move to a large city, he did know what it felt like to miss parts of your old life and not others. Like Cadence, he missed his childhood home, but he didn't seem to miss some of the people who went along with it. Of course he would constantly miss his sister, and even sometimes his mother, there were other aspects of that life he could live with forgetting.

This woman seemed interested in Vincent, not the way that most women were interested during this time, but she was wary. She seemed all too aware of how he read into what she said, attempted to hide the true meaning of his words. She seemed to suspect that he knew more than he let on, but she didn't seem to want to let it show too much. At times he could see it in her eyes, her brain trying to figure out who he was, what he was. He didn't need to read her thoughts to figure that much out.

Vincent couldn't help but smile when she came back with her own quip. "Not often do I stumble upon a psycho who lures in her prey by almost falling asleep in the forest. Perhaps you play upon the instincts of man; I stumbled upon a beautiful woman who could be preyed upon by any number of things and I couldn't help but want to stop and help her. But at times I think you may not be that psycho, unless you like playing with your prey beforehand," Vincent smirked, he hoped he wouldn't anger her with his little joke. Maybe she would still see him as a human who had no idea what she was, she would think it funny and they could continue to joke.