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Dangerous Encounters (Elle-Mae and Miles) - COMPLETED

It’s the time of year when the nights are staying warmer, only just cooling off enough to be nice to be out in. It’s a nice change from the bitter cold of a couple of months ago, when Miles had to wear a couple layers just to tolerate going out for a walk. He prefers this time of year, being able to go out in a t-shirt and jeans instead of a couple layers of coats. He’d been inside most of the day at work, working an afternoon shift instead of a morning one, but when he’d gotten off he’d decided the night was warm enough to warrant walking home instead of grabbing a cab.

At this hour, the nightlife is really just starting to come alive. Neon signs are lighting up, people are starting to mill about in their clubbing clothes, and the general excited chatter from people out in groups or in pairs are reaching his ears and only growing louder. That’s one thing he can say about a city, is that it never really gets quiet. Back home nothing would be heard except the occasional car and the crickets at this time. Miles finds it’s not so bad either way though, both have their benefits and he’s not the type to get all caught up in which is better. He doesn’t have much purpose to his direction, somewhere along the way deciding the night was too nice to waste going straight home and taking a more meandering path that way so that he can spend more time in the fresh, for a city anyway, air.

As he walks, his feet taking him past a bar that’s been open for a while, he starts to notice something outside the usual din of people on the street. He pauses, head going up and he looks around, trying to find the source of what he was hearing. He catches sight of the disturbance a little bit up the road, a group of people herding someone away from the main road and into an alley, which is always a sign of people just enjoying their night. A frown taking over his previously content expression, Miles heads straight for them. He can hear them before he can see them, male voices jeering and bodies jostling and when he turns the corner he sees that they have a couple of young teenagers backed against the wall. They look like some low life gang, their faces covered, and at first he figured the group of about 9 were just being assholes, likely high on something. Then he sees the glint of a knife in one of their hands.

He doesn’t give them the benefit of a warning, instead immediately going after the person closest to him. He’s socked him in the jaw hard enough to knock him out before any of them even realize they’re being attacked, but at the sound of their buddy hitting the ground like a rag-doll, Miles officially has their attention. “Unless you want to end up in the hospital, I suggest you move on with your night.” As he looks them over, he comes to a very sobering realization. If this is a gang, then it’s not a human one. It looks like there’s a group of supernaturals facing him, a mix of valkyr, therians, and humans staring back angrily at him. Fortunately he’d managed to drop one of the valkyr, but since he hadn’t killed him that means the heap at his feet will be back up before too long. One of them curses at him, the rest joining in with shouts that echo down the alleyway and into the street, before they all rush at him. He’s thankful that his initial guess that most of them are on something seems to be true, because they’re tripping over each other in a way that anyone sober wouldn’t be doing. That’s to his benefit because otherwise he might end up hurt. The first couple that reach him Miles dodges out of the way of, returning their sloppy blows with quick and powerful strikes, not bothering to hold back his strength thanks to the sudden dangerous nature of this encounter. With most of them coming at him from the front though, he doesn’t see the one that managed to get around him.

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TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Elle-Mae Vivienne Lovett on May 8, 2020 at 20:22

Elle had a tendency to surprise a lot of people. Maybe it was because of how bad-ass, she could come across; that people are always more shocked by the intellectual and softer side to her. Whilst she was a friendly, loving person for the most; if someone got on her wrong side. Then they made a severe mistake. His reaction to her joke, made her laugh lightly. “Not at all, more like a thick skull for protection.” She was glad, he had a good sense of humor; or most might see the comment with some offense.”I am pretty sure, you’re likeable either way.” Who wouldn’t like an adorable goof like Miles?

Whilst the walk to the restaurant hadn’t been long, it was pleasant enough. “Yeah, true. I don’t have much use for discounts anyways.” It was usually just her going out on her own, and if she and one of her brothers were hanging out; they preferred to dine inside at home. Elle had been close to cracking a joke about his bloody shirt, but he beat her to it. “Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s the most charming look, especially for an Italian Restaurant.” Teasingly nudging his side, after the joke’s been said and done.

She could understand having a hectic schedule; few of her friends had jobs with long hours. Elle was lucky, she could work from home. As long as she got enough hours done during the week; she still had some free time for a social life, with her career. “Sounds like you need a bit of a break, from work.” Elle looked impressed and surprised as he mentioned forensics. “Wow, Forensics huh? Impressive.” No wonder, his job was demanding. “That indeed sounds like a bit of a tight schedule. But I suppose, if you love your job; then there’s not much reason to complain.” As he questioned her about the city, Elle pursed her lips in thought. “Mhh, Evermore is something else. I guess I've always liked the mystery around the city. But I do like it here. There’s plenty of beautiful spots about.....Suppose having two knuckle-heads of brothers helps keep me grounded in the city also.”

Elle almost shifted a bit closer too, as he leaned in; like he wanted to whisper a secret to her. Raising an eyebrow at his comment. Unable to stop the fit of giggles, from escaping. “An Alien huh?” Elle didn’t recall since someone made her laugh so much. “Dare I say, the cutest Alien in the city.” It was true, he was cute. Elle wasn’t sure, maybe it was that cute, warm smile, or the dazzlingly blue eyes, with a tint of purple that made him, that made him probably the most handsome male; she has come across in a long while.
She returned the soft smile. Her greeny-blue eyes, almost sparkling in the light. His comment about her french, was something a lot of people told her. “I suppose you can call me a bit of a language lover. I am quite fluent in Russian, Spanish, Italian, German too. Having traveled around a bit, helped with the language development. I haven’t spoken French in a while, in full conversation though.” So she might feel a bit rusty, if someone French tried to spark up a conversation. But it always came back to her quickly. Closing her menu, she set it aside. Letting the waiter take it, after getting their orders.

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Miles Evans on May 9, 2020 at 3:12

Most don’t realize just how cautious Miles actually is. Even now, in the midst of laughing and getting to know someone new, he’s also keeping an awareness for everything around them. He has no doubts that Elle would probably smell a threat before he could hear it but extra caution is never a bad idea, especially when one does what he does. Part of him always feels bad at having to hide his main job from people but he understands the necessity of it and so he pushes that feeling away and focuses on what she’s saying now. “Well that’s high praise. In that case, I think I’ll take your word about my skull.” He knows several people who can’t joke around like this, so he appreciates that Elle sends his jokes right back at him.

The night breeze makes the warmer night incredibly pleasant to him and for just a second he allows himself to close his eyes and just enjoy it, but he’s almost immediately paying complete attention again. Briefly it occurs to him that he needs to take some time off to actually relax but he dismisses it just as quickly as it comes to him. He chuckles when she lightly elbows his side, holding his shirt out enough that he can see the blood stains on it and wincing lightly. “Yeah, you might have a point there. Hard to pass that off as a tye-dye job I suppose. I could always try though.” He’s used to being bloody, which is why it doesn’t bother him and why he barely noticed the pain earlier. Work in his areas means a lot of blood, both your own and other’s. He’s just thankful for the days where the only blood he sees are in tubes and not on his clothes.

Her comment about his job actually seems to surprise him for a moment, blinking at her briefly before letting out a low laugh. “Ironically I was just thinking the same thing. They’re running me a bit ragged. I do enjoy it though, I’ve always preferred behind the scenes work. Leave the running around to the actual cops.” Which is a bit ironic considering the scene they just left behind, that doesn’t escape him, he just chooses to ignore that little contradiction. “Yeah, brothers are the worst aren’t they? At least that’s what my sister says,” whenever she’s messing with him at least, “I do hope I don’t have a reason to worry though. I know very well how protective brothers can be and anyone would be that way over someone as amazing as you.” Much like his earlier statement he says it in a very straightforward way, leaving no doubt that he means it as the compliment it is.

For a moment as she sits there in a state of giggles, Miles looks quite happy with himself. Then she manages to do something that is quite rare in his experience. She flusters him. For a second it appears as though he’s genuinely at a loss for how to react to being called cute. He’s used to being the one dealing out compliments, not really used to getting them back, at least not in any genuine sort of way. She probably doesn’t miss the light blush that rises to his face before he grins, a wide and genuine smile. “Well, coming from someone as lovely as you, that’s quite the compliment.” Behind her back he can see the waiter snickering at him but pointedly ignores his friend.

Having recovered a bit, her admission to speaking several languages raises his eyebrows. “Damn, that’s impressive. Here I am barely managing English and you can speak seven languages? Good to know I’m having dinner with a genius.” His grasp of other languages is pretty much limited to ordering food and ‘do you speak English?’ which he supposes is better than some, but is still unimpressive. After the waiter takes their menus away, he comes back with Elle’s glass of wine. “With that impressive repertoire I feel like I have to ask what it is you do? It’s not often you meet someone who can kick ass like you who also speaks so many languages so everything in me is leaning toward assassin.”

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Elle-Mae Vivienne Lovett on May 9, 2020 at 13:22

Elle honestly didn’t foresee tonight, going in the direction it was going. But she wasn’t complaining. The Therian liked the unexpected factor to it. She was always told that the unexpected things are the best ones. Hopefully that statement would ring true.

Clearly, she must have surprised him from the way he blinked. Smiling as he admitted he had the same thought. “Well, I don’t usually have mind reading skills, but, they do say that great minds think alike.” However she looked surprised, as he said he preferred being the scenes work, rather than on the actual front lines. “Mhh, really now? I wouldn’t have guessed that. Then again, if you didn’t mention working in forensics, I would have pegged you for a law-enforcement officer, on the front line and all.” Elle said honestly. In a way,it kind of was spot-on, close to his real job; that Elle had no idea about. But that would be a subject for another time. The Therian had to laugh lightly, as he quotes his little sister. “In my case, those words ring more true than false. My brothers just happen to fight worse than cats and dogs. I legit lost count, how many times I want to clank their heads together and knock sense into them. Being the middle sibling, I am always the buffer and the glue...keeping everything together. It’s like a full time job...exhausting.” As much as she loved her brothers, she felt like she needed a beak, from the family drama. Anytime, Justice and Phoenix were in the same room; family reunions turned chaos when one of them decided to start yelling.

Miles’ compliment was indeed very flattering; leaving the red-head with a very noticeable blush across her cheeks. A slight shy moment overcame her, as her red hair fell over her face. Elle wasn’t sure how to exactly beat that comment. But the soft, warm, genuine smile never left. Finding it sweet, that he seemed worried about her brothers scaring him off. “Well, that might be a bit complicated. My elder half brother doesn’t exactly get along with a lot of people. He’s got a complicated child-hood, especially in regards to my father. It takes him a while to warm up to people, so he’ll probably be the most over-protective, maybe a bit too much. The worst he might do is keep quizzing you and giving you the big brother speech. A lot of people can find him intimidating, as he does have a temper and well...he’s pretty much your height.” Elle was honest, so he’d know what to expect if/whenever he’d ever meet her elder half brother. “As for my younger one, he’ll probably be much more easier to approach and less...tense.” She gave him a gentle smile. “But you’re a good guy, I am sure they’ll see that soon enough, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Besides, Elle would have good words with Nik, if he tried to scare away Miles, for whatever reason. It always got a bit annoying, that her brother would treat her like a young child, when she was an adult.

She wasn’t entirely too sure, how she managed to compose herself, long enough to speak and make sense, let alone fire back with a sweet compliment of her own. She didn’t give out compliments, unless she meant them; and that one was honest as anything. “You’re welcome then.” Elle said with a soft smile.

As Miles commented on her knowledge of language, she laughed lightly. “You make me sound like the female version of Tony Stark., minus a few certain aspects.” she jested, as he called her a genius. “I wouldn’t worry too much about your own English, you’re doing good, all things considered you mentioning being from Mars.” she teased. The Alien Joke, probably wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon. More like a running joke between the pair. As he tried to guess her own career, she shook her head as he said assassin. “You’re not the first, nor the last person to say that to me.” Elle said in all honesty. “All things considered, like everyone else, this might leave you surprised. But I work for a publishing company, as a book editor. Even translated a few books into other languages, but that’s as far as my bi-lingual genius goes.” She bit her lip slightly, wondering what his reaction to that new revelation might be.

Elle could smell the delicious scent of the food, filling around the restaurant. It seemed like with them talking about themselves, time flew by quickly. Soon enough, a waiter was returning with their orders. “Wow, all this looks delicious.” Yep, the food in front of her, was making her more hungry. Looks like Miles made a right pick, taking her here.

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Miles Evans on May 10, 2020 at 2:57

“Perhaps, or it could be that you’re still a mind reader. It’s fine, we all have our secrets.” He’s joking of course, not that a mind reader would be too far outside his personal experience. After all, one of his bosses can mess with your memories, at this point not much can surprise him. Her comment about thinking he would be law enforcement draws a laugh from him and he shrugs. “You’re not the first person to say that, nor will you be the last. Nah, that was my dad. He was a detective, a lot of the department back home are nephilim actually..” Which is in large part due to the large community of nephilim that Miles grew up in. It seems like they have a natural pull toward professions that allow them to help people, which he’s pretty sure explains his sister’s chosen career. Of course it also explains his main job, but he can’t very well bring that up to someone he just met. He’ll cross that bridge if they get there.

He smiles down at Elle when she starts talking about her brothers. It’s pretty obvious she’s the middle sibling, and the only girl. In his experience they tend to do the majority of the heavy lifting in keeping the peace between the other siblings and the way she speaks of her brothers is incredibly familiar. “As an older brother, I can admit I can be a pain. I’m sure they’re both grateful to have you around to knock some sense into them, even if they don’t say it. Also speaking as a brother, feel free to knock their heads together sometimes, I’m sure they deserve it.” He’s not sure how exactly their family dynamics work, but he knows he deserved it sometimes and the way she talks about them it sounds like they could use it too. He finds her blush to his compliment quite cute, especially when she ducks her head, her hair covering her face from him for a second as she composes herself. He gives her that, falling silent until she speaks again and listening quietly as she explains about her brothers. They sound like a handful, but nothing she describes is something he wouldn’t do for his own sister. “I can understand where they’d be coming from, so I’m pretty prepared. I have no intention of fighting your brothers though…” Even if they do decide they want to fight him, Elle doesn’t seem the type to put up with that and frankly he’d feel worse for them in that instance than himself.

A big part of why her compliment surprised him so much is that it seemed honest. If there’s one thing Miles can handle it’s empty flirting, but from what he’s learned about her so far she’s not the type to do that, which left him with the startling realization that she was being genuine. That’s something he hasn’t experienced in a while. He’s really just glad he only floundered for a couple seconds before composing himself.

For some reason, the thought of Elle being Tony Stark doesn’t seem quite as out there as he thought it might. He’d probably put her in someone else’s shoes though, he’d have to think about that a bit more to decide whose. “Hey, there are worse characters to be compared to. You’re far prettier though.” Probably not as rich, but honestly there’s no competing with a fictional character’s riches. “Yeah, for being from mars, I suppose I do alright. Most people never guess. My Greek is far more rusty.” He gets the feeling that whole alien joke is going to stick more than he ever thought it would, which could prove entertaining. As much as his assassin comment was a joke, he’s still pretty sure she could be a spy or something. It wouldn’t surprise him. A book editor isn’t what he was expecting to hear from her, but he doesn’t look too surprised. “You say that like your job isn’t cool. It’s pretty unique, and besides what matters most is that you enjoy what you do. I admire anyone who has that sort of focus, I’d be out of my mind.” Miles has a history of finding it hard to sit still. That look on her face after she tells him what she does has him a bit worried though, it’s as though she was expecting him to be disappointed. He’s not, but that does suggest that someone might have been at one point.

Elle notices the food coming before Miles does and upon seeing the waiter coming with several dishes Miles leans back, breaking a bit out of the conversation. He’d completely lost track of the amount of time that had passed and has barely touched his coffee. Huh. Of course the food looks as good as it always does, which is why he suggested this place. He knows it will be good. “Dig in.” With all of the food in front of him, he realizes that he was actually hungrier than he thought. Likely due to the fight from earlier, which means Elle is probably hungry too.

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Elle-Mae Vivienne Lovett on May 10, 2020 at 11:02

His comment about her still being a mind reader; could count as being somewhat true. Although, it only worked between her and members of the pack she belonged to;as ways of communicating. In human form, it wasn’t possible. Unless she were to place a designated mark on the back of someone’s neck, as a form of communication. So she didn’t think of herself as a full fledged mind-reader.”Mhh not sure, if I’d like it all that much 24/7, people’s thoughts scrambling around in my own head. Might be a bit daunting after a while. Not to mention invasion of privacy.” Probably not the best super-power in the aspects of privacy, but it comes in handy at times she gathered. “I am sure you get that one a lot.” she nodded in agreement, but smiled softly as he mentioned it had been his father’s job. Noticing the was; Elle gathered that his father either retired, or something happened to him; but she didn’t press the matter. It’d feel rude of her to ask. “Mhh, well with Nephilim being light species; I am not surprised, everyone gravitates towards jobs like that.” She breathed out. Seems like he grew up around a strong Nephilim community. Elle didn’t really experience that on her half. Only becoming a part of a pack,when she moved here officially.

With Miles being an older brother, it was quite amusing; he would somewhat take her side on the sibling matter. But then again, he was a male; he knew how brothers worked and what a pain they could be. “If they are grateful for me, knocking sense into them; they sure are always whining about it.” If anyone would ask her to explain her family dynamics; complicated wouldn’t even begin to thinly cover it. But Miles was right, her brothers did deserve to get their heads knocked together, on more than several occasions. “Let’s just say, family dinners are a nightmare, with those two bickering.” No wonder it drove her up the wall, half of the time. Whilst Miles wasn’t the one, that would want to instigate a fight with her brothers; somehow her elder brother would, for whatever reasons. But Elle wasn’t one to put up with Phoenix trying to scare off, someone from her life. “I just hope it won't come down to a fight from their part either.” That’s what worried her more; even with Miles apparently having a knack for getting physical.

Elle hadn’t expected to fluster Miles,with her comment. It was the first time she had managed to fluster a male with a genuine compliment. But she gathered, he wasn’t used to compliments being dealt out to him; finding it sweet. His blush making him all the more adorable.

Smiling at his comment, Elle lightly laughed. “Mhh, suppose you’re right there.” It could have been worse. Her cheeks still feeling warm, as he slipped in another cute comment in there. “I am starting to think, you might be aiming to turn me into a strawberry by the end of the night.” She said teasingly. If he kept dolling out compliments; she’d look more red than her own hair. The Therian looked surprised as he mentioned Greek. Smiling at the Nephilim.”So, Cute, Funny, Forensics Scientist that also speaks Greek Huh? Any other Talents?” she asked curiously. But in all,Elle was impressed. There was just something attractive about a guy who had a genuine, sweet and funny personality and smarts like Miles. She also didn’t know many people that actually spoke Greek, unless they were born in the Greek Islands.

His reaction to her job, makes her lightly smile. “Just out of curiosity, what would you have guessed, if not assassin/spy?” she lightly laughed. It seemed a bit far too bloody job, if you asked her. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I suppose for me, by now it’s more of a norm, than unique.” But having been at it for a few years; she probably didn’t see it all that unique; like others would. “I admit, it can be frustrating; especially if your brain doesn’t want to work with you.” But Elle always had been creative, that the job somehow just fitted with her and her life-style.

Noticing his coffee was pretty much untouched. “You might want to either drink the coffee, or get it re-heated, I am sure it’s gotten cold by now.” Elle smiled softly at the Nephilim. The scent of the food made her stomach churn with hunger. Hoping, he didn’t hear her stomach growling silently.”Bon Appetit.” she flashed Miles, a cute smile. Picking up the cutlery by the side of her food;Elle took the first few bites of her food. Yep, she had been rather hungry, from the fight. “Mhh, Yumm, well I can see why you like coming here. The food tastes wonderful.” Elle spoke after finishing another bite. There was just something about French Cuisine that she had always loved.

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Miles Evans on May 11, 2020 at 16:09

Miles actually knows a couple therians, mostly thanks to his position as a Guard. None that are actually part of Evermore’s pack though, members of the Guard tend to stay separate from their respective communities which is why most nephilim around the city don’t know him well. But knowing their abilities is crucial in his line of work - both of them - so that he won’t be taken by surprise if it comes to a fight. Much like what happened tonight, he needs to be prepared for them. Not that he’s had any problems with the local community members, it always seems to be rogues. “That’s true. Could come in handy though if you needed to get up with someone and your cell phone was broken.” Which tends to happen with him. He’s probably gone through 5 in the last few years thanks to them getting bashed in fights. They’re not exactly made to stand up to supernatural strength. She is quite correct in her guess that something happened to his father, but he doesn’t clarify the statement. That’s not a conversation to have on a first meeting. “That does seem to be the case. Of course not all of us do. My mom worked as a librarian for years and then went into teaching.” Miles felt the pull towards helping people just as strongly as his father did, but after what happened he decided he’d rather do it in a different way.

“Well that’s what brothers do. We’re annoying but we love our sisters, even if we torment them sometimes.” He speaks from experience, though he always tried to be a good older brother that protective streak is strong. He laughs as she says family dinners are a nightmare and shakes his head a little. “Next time just threaten not to have a family dinner and watch them straighten up. Trust me, every brother knows better than to piss off their sister. I wouldn’t worry too much about them fighting me either, they try something I’ll just give you a call.” He grins down at her. “I have a feeling they’d find you far scarier than me.” He doesn’t doubt she could kick all their asses if she wanted to.

Now, Miles really isn’t aiming to embarrass her. However, making her blush is another matter entirely, and she doesn't miss his grin as her face warms. “Is that what you think? Well we’ll just have to see how that goes then, won’t we?” He winks at her and for once it’s hard to tell if he’s joking or not. Getting her face to match her hair would be quite the accomplishment. “Nope, other than those things I’m quite boring.” He matches her smile with one of his own. “I had to take a foreign language back in university and I decided I was going to be unique. It was fun to learn.” Well, he’s also a pretty good fighter but she pretty much knows that and he’s not really the type to talk himself up too much. Better to impress her later than hype himself up and then let her down after all.

He takes a moment to truly think about her question before he answers, looking her over and putting some things together. “Hmm… well you’re gorgeous, smart, athletic, you don’t like hurting people obviously, you’re talented, charming…” He looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles. “Catwoman.” Yes, as in the Batman character. Perfect fit. As she starts talking about her actual job though, Miles seems to be a bit more serious, giving a small nod. “That’s fair. When you do something every day it can lose some of it’s mystery. I still think it’s impressive though, I could use some of your focus.” One of the few sit still hobbies that Miles enjoys is actually reading, though recently he’s been more of a fan of audio books since they let him still do stuff while enjoying the stories. It’s a nice way to pass the time.

Her mention of his coffee gets him to look at the still mostly full cup and he gives a light shrug. He doesn’t really mind that it’s cooled down some and he picks it up to take a sip. “It’s fine. I drink coffee cold enough that I’m a bit of a connoisseur of it.” Which would be because everyone in his department makes coffee then forgets about it to run tests so it’s always drunk cold. The introduction of food seems to be enough to distract them both and Miles happily digs in once Elle does. For whatever reason there seems to be a bit more of it on their plates than he’s used to and he makes a silent note to thank the chef for that later. “I’m glad you think so, I’ll make sure to pass the word along.” While the place is small, he’s always appreciated the friendly atmosphere and good food. He tends to recommend it when he can, just to help his friend out.

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Elle-Mae Vivienne Lovett on May 11, 2020 at 17:22

Since moving to Evermore officially; Elle had met a few Therian’s; from the different packs in her faction. She knew her pack, a bit better than others of course, being a Lycanthrope. One Kitsune happened to be her closest girl friend/like a sister to her. Having known her since her first visit to Evermore. “Mhh true, although for that reason. I try not to have my cell phone on me, during dangerous situations...as it has more chances of breaking.” Replacing one’s phone constantly, could get annoying. But sometimes, you can’t predict when danger would strike. As Miles spoke about his mom, Elle smiled softly. “She must have good patience, dealing with kids if you picked the teacher route.” For a few moments, Elle couldn’t help but miss her own mother; Elle still felt the weight off her loss deeply every so often. Memories of her first college year haunting her; for more than one reason. But she pushed those thoughts away. The Therian was sure the two would discuss their parents at a later date.

As he drew on his own experience as being the elder brother; Elle nodded. “Oh, totally.” She supposed it was a bit different for him, only it being him and his sister. “Is your sister here in Evermore too?” she asked curiously. His suggestion, however, made her laugh. “Mhh, interesting solution, although I am not too sure, it’d work on them too well.” Most of the time, they ignored her threats and carried on arguing, till she started yelling over them. “Oh, mine still push my buttons, on occasions.” Elle smiled softly. “Well, nice to see you have faith in me, about kicking their back-sides, if they try something on you.”

Seeing the grin on his face; he just looked so proud of himself. “That’s what it seems like, yes.” she admitted. Elle’s lips slightly parted in surprise. Her cheeks still flushed, especially as he winked at her. For the first time that evening; she wasn’t sure if he was joking, or being serious. But with her luck, he might have been serious. ‘Oh boy, are you in trouble Elle, that boy’s got more charm than you’re prepared for.’ A voice rang inside of her own head. It took Elle a few moments to catch her breath, to try and form words. Looking at him, with a tilted head as he mentioned he was boring. “Oh come on, I am sure that’s not true. I think Greek’s pretty cool. I haven’t met many people that actually studied that language…” So far, the people Elle had met in Evermore all seemed to be something unique and different; so she was sure, he was too. And not boring, as he claimed to be.

Taking a sip of her wine. Elle wasn’t quite prepared for the oncoming set of compliments. Blinking a few times, in surprise. The Therian probably looked a bit floored at that string of compliments. ‘Damn, Mr Smooth.’ With how warm her face felt right now, she probably looked much redder in the face. “Oh wow, charming must be your middle name.” Elle breathed out, clearly flustered still. She wasn’t sure if it was the heat in her face, or what. But the room felt a bit hotter. “Although, I’d happily accept that idea of being Catwoman.” Catwoman was pretty cool, she had to admit that much; A good female role-model for sure. And in a way, would probably suit her well. “I still remember, someone once thought I was a contortionist. I know I am flexible...but not that bendy to pass for one of those.” With her combat/karate skills and generally keeping fit, Elle was pretty flexible. But Contortionists were something else. Smiling softly, at what he said about her work. “I’ll be sure to lend you some of my patience, from time to time.” Although she was sure, even his work required some; especially the scientific aspect of it all, when trying to get the right results, at the lab.

Whilst the Therian preferred a hot coffee; she didn’t mind an iced coffee during the hot summer days. “Fair enough, if you’re used to it.” she smiled softly. With food on the table, conversation had died down slightly; as they were both enjoying what was on their plate. It had been a while, since Elle had enjoyed fine French Cuisine. Elle would make sure to let a few of her friends know about this place; as some of them had been looking for new restaurants to dine at. The Therian had let out a few yummy noises, as she was enjoying her food. “Good thing, we came here...or we would have been starving.” In general, she’d prefer a much smaller place to dine at that like this; due to the atmosphere and warm feeling, then something too fancy, loud and not so friendly.

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Miles Evans on May 12, 2020 at 13:43

“Yeah, that’s probably something I should try to do…” But not carrying your phone when you need to allow people to get up with you at a moment’s notice is incredibly difficult. Maybe he should just allocate a different pocket to keep it in so it won’t be as likely to get busted. In his experience, danger just seems to love this city. Or maybe that’s his job in combination with his tendency to interfere in those situations. Either way, replacing his phone so often is definitely getting annoying. Her comment about his mom causes a small smile to come to his face and he thinks about her back home. He’s grateful his sister decided to stay in the area, knowing that she would get lonely without her there. “Patience of a saint. She had to put up with me and my sister, we got into everything.” More him than his sister, not that either were bad kids, they just had a lot of energy. “I still don’t know how she managed.” As much as his mother likes to claim that they weren’t difficult, Miles knows himself better than that.

He shakes his head as Elle asks about his sister. “No, she’s back home in Oklahoma. She works as a nurse and wanted to stay closer to home to be there for mom.” That had been his plan originally too, but needless to say things had changed for him. He couldn’t stay around his home town after everything that happened and he’s still grateful that they understood. However he’s determined not to let those thoughts drag him down. It’s amazing that even after so many years memories of that night can still completely sour his mood so he casts that out of his head before he can start dwelling on it. “Maybe not, but that’s when you carry through on the threats. Either way, it’s kind of our job to annoy our sisters… and your jobs to kick our asses when we do.”

He gets the exact reaction he wanted as he watches her face heat up at his comment. He’s not trying to hide his flirting anymore, though he’s obviously being careful not to cross over any lines. He also doesn’t seem inclined to clarify if he was joking or being serious, his small smile not changing as she looks at him and still leaving it open to going either way. Part of him is quite curious to know what’s running through her head and another part of him is suddenly glad that he’s not a mind reader like they discussed earlier. He does give her the time she needs to compose herself, watching with interest as she starts speaking again. “Oh the language and culture are incredibly interesting. It also makes reading the original epics in Greek easier, which is fun.” Of course modern Greek is different from ancient Greek, but they retain enough similarities that he can mostly decipher it. But the truth is, most of his life would seem quite boring to anyone who doesn’t know about his other hobbies.

Miles truly hadn’t intended for his compliments to floor her quite so much but even so her reaction to it is a bit funny. It takes a bit of work for him to school his face into a gentle smile instead of chuckling which would probably come across as offensive which he definitely doesn’t want. “Nope, my middle name is Alien.” The joke is intended as an out for her, something to let her laugh and hopefully recover from the flustered state. “Catwoman is cool. I’ve always been a Batman fan so I like Selina.” Those two have had a very strange relationship through the years but Miles always found the characters to be fun. Selina is also not as extreme as many Batman characters, being played more as an anti-hero than anything so she’s more relatable too. “A contortionist huh? That always looked painful to me but I guess it can’t be if they do it so much…” Don’t get him wrong, it’s super awesome that someone can make their body do that but it really doesn’t look comfortable in the least.

Miles has long since given up on drinking truly hot coffee, knowing his tendency for getting himself distracted. Much like when food is placed in front of him, which is apparently a great way to distract him considering the attention he gives to his plate. He does glance up as she speaks, letting out a chuckle because it’s very true. He’d been hoping his stomach wouldn’t grumble at the wait, considering her enhanced hearing means she definitely would hear it. “I’m almost always starving. Are you enjoying it?” He knows he is, but that’s no surprise. He loves French food. He’s also a bit of a black hole, his lifestyle causing him to burn off calories like a wildfire. On the plus side that does mean it’s easy for him to stay at a healthy weight.

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Elle-Mae Vivienne Lovett on May 12, 2020 at 14:24

As they spoke about his sister, Elle nodded in understanding, a soft smile on her lips. “A nurse huh? That sounds like quite an amazing field to work in.” The Therian always admired doctors and medical practitioners of any sort. “Seems like it’s the eldest ones that always leave home first.” Elle thought of the pattern in her own family. Phoenix had been the first to leave home, she had been the second when she moved away for College. “Mhh, that’s how the sister brother relationship usually works. Mind you...I got twice as much work cut out for me, dealing with 2 brothers, not 1.”

It’s been sometime since Elle had met someone so bold and yet charming in one. The Therian wasn’t entirely too sure, how to fire back flirty comments to match his; as his were quite flustering. But sweet at the same time. “Greece is beautiful, their food tastes much better, when in Greece. I don’t know, maybe it’s the whole authentic-ness of the dishes.” Elle had been to Greece on her travels; so she could agree with the whole culture being interesting. But that was one of the things she liked about foreign places. “I am sure, knowing another language is always a huge asset to anyone.” Elle offered with a soft smile.

If Miles hadn’t cracked that Alien joke, Elle wouldn’t have composed herself quick enough. Laughing lightly, at his comment about his middle name. “Wow, your parents must have had a day picking out that middle name.” she teased. Honestly, it probably saved her from looking like a flustered girly idiot. “Catwoman is definitely someone girls and women can relate to.” Selina was pretty much a normal woman by day, who wanted to help the innocent. “I guess growing up with two brothers, comics and movie heroes have always been one of my go to selections.” Elle admitted. She wasn’t entirely the most girly-girl all the time. That was one of the things, where people under-estimated her. She definitely had a feminine streak; but some of her hobbies certainly didn’t fall under that category. It’s one of the things that had helped her get tougher over the years.

A slight amused giggle escapes her lips, as he said he’s always starving. It reminded her of her brothers; more specifically, her younger one. Justice always seemed to be a bottomless pit, when it came to food. “Very much so, it’s been awhile since I tasted French food this good.” She smiled, before taking a sip of her drink. Before tucking back into her food. Looks like she had made a good choice, with the dish of the day. It isn’t two long, before Elle’s almost finished with her main dish. Knowing herself; she could probably squeeze in some dessert a bit later on.

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Miles Evans on May 13, 2020 at 14:32

Miles, always happy to talk about his family, grins as the conversation shifts toward his baby sister. Sure she’s only a few years his junior but she’ll always be his baby sister no matter how much she fusses about it. “It is. I’m super proud of her, but she was always the smart one so it’s really no surprise.” She was the responsible one too, probably due in part to her age when their father died. Miles had a short time where he’d really needed to get his shit together but thankfully he’d managed. “That’s true. I think they kind of expected it from me though so it probably wasn’t as hard on them… either way, I can’t even imagine the gray hair my mom would have if I had a little brother. Especially if he turned out anything like me, so props to your family for handling it.” He means that too, he was a handful as a kid. He’s lost count of the number of times his parents had to be called because he’d gotten into yet another fight, by now they all just seem to blend together. Having two brothers sounds like more of a handful than he’d want.

“Yeah, it’s hard to beat authentic dishes from the actual country. I’ve only been to Greece once but didn’t have much time to look around like I wanted. I’d love to go back some day, but… maybe after I’ve brushed up on my Greek.” He leaves out why he went, since it was Guard business. The islands were beautiful but when you’re somewhere on Guard duty it doesn’t leave much tourism time. Part of him kind of wants to put in for vacation from both jobs and just spend a little time traveling around but with the state of things in Evermore right now he knows he can’t do that. Maybe once all this mysteriousness is handled he’ll have enough vacation time built up. “Well you would know that better than most. Being a polyglot is incredibly useful, I’m sure it could secure you several jobs on it’s own.”

He seems glad that his joke managed to help her out of that flustered state, watching as she starts to laugh. “Oh yeah. Apparently they didn’t speak for an hour over it.” A joke obviously. Though from what he was told, his middle name was a matter of much debate. Namely over whether to name him after his maternal or paternal grandfather. “Catwoman was always my sister’s favorite. Since you grew up with superheroes, who was your favorite?” He’s come to discover you can tell a lot about someone by which hero was their favorite growing up, at least if they were into superheroes.

Considering he knows the quality of the food around here, he was pretty sure she was going to enjoy her meal but when ordering from somewhere new it can be hard to tell. Her confirmation seems all he needed to be satisfied with his choice. “That’s great. The owner will be elated to hear that.” Or he can mess with his old friend and just not tell him jack, but that seems a little mean to do. He’ll decide later. Good food always seems to go too fast and before long they’ve both managed to clear their plates. Noticing that they’re done the waiter comes back over to pick up their empty plates. “I hope you enjoyed it. Can I get you anything else? Maybe some dessert?” Miles looks over at Elle with a small smile, waiting to see what she’ll say before he does.

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Elle-Mae Vivienne Lovett on May 13, 2020 at 15:12

Elle couldn’t help the soft smile on her lips, as she listened to Miles talk about his baby sister. The Therian could tell that the two were close and it was clear how proud he was of her. “She sounds like a wonderful person, like I am sure your mom is too.” Elle said warmly. “Oh come on, you speak Greek, and are a forensic scientist...I can feel the intellect oozing from you Mr. You’re smart too and you know it.” Elle pointed out. She raised a slight eyebrow. “Oh come on, I bet you can’t have been that bad, as a young kid. Not worse than my brothers anyways. Those two...well...let’s just say, it’s a complicated mess, with some sibling resentment, since Phoenix is the elder half sibling. It caused a lot of issues. Dad always said, they gave him grey hair early on.” On top of that, both her brother’s had anger management issues and such. Making it more of a chaos.

The Therian could agree with that comment. “So true, there’s a lot of great places out there. I am sure, with how busy you are, it's a bit harder to get up and visit places you’d like to, unless you can afford the time away.” Elle was a bit more on the lucky side, that she could work from home and travel; as long as she got what she needed to do. The Therian shook her head, as he called her a polyglot, but smiled. “What can I say? I’ve always found other languages interesting. And I didn’t want to stick out as a sore-thumb any time, I went on holiday.” It helped to know the language, to get around. The locals appreciated people making an effort to speak their native language and not rely on English, all the time.

Elle shook her head, giggling. “Oh wow, who knew a middle name could cause such chaos. Then again, I think my parents were arguing for a week, over my middle name until they settled for Vivienne.” Even though it was a teasing moment, she added in a small fact about her own middle name and what chaos it caused between her parents. “Well, your sister has good taste.” Elle said with a smile, as Miles said Catwomen was his sister’s favorite. “Mhh, as for me, I would have to go with Wonderwoman. I always found her a major inspiration for us women.” Wonderwoman had been the first Superhero that Elle had come to like, that fought for the rights of other people and wasn’t afraid to fight. Being a woman, it was more empowering. “Growing up, I dressed up as Wonderwoman a few times on Halloween. I had to improvise at one point, as my outfit got smaller, as I grew older.” Elle laughed, at her own memories. It proved to get a few embarrassing photos with her small outfit when she was a bit older. Her mother certainly hadn’t been happy, when Elle revamped the wonder woman outfit.

After finishing her main course. Elle was feeling somewhat full already. The Dish had been worth the shot, of trying out a new place. So she was glad that Miles had brought her here. “Oooh...I got a major sweet-tooth, so I try to resist.” Elle admitted, mentally debating with herself if she should go for a dessert or not. “Okay, why not. You might have to recommend something though, everything looked too good to pick.” Since Miles knew the restaurant better than she did; she figured he might have a favorite or two; to recommend.

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Miles Evans on May 13, 2020 at 23:56

When his family gets brought up, Miles has to make a point of reminding himself not to keep gushing on about them. He can get a bit carried away when it comes to them. “They both are. Honestly, the whole family is.” Speaking of, he needs to call some of them, he hasn’t talked to some extended family in a while. He stays in regular contact with his mom and sister but the others deserve a call too. He lets out a laugh at her calling him smart, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “And I know it huh? Well I’ve always had a knack for science sure, but I wouldn’t call myself smart. At least not like that, it’s not like I graduated top of my class or anything.” Meanwhile his sister was valedictorian in high school and university. “Well, while I didn’t have a little brother, I was a handful. I got in a lot of fights back in school, my mom made the same comment about me that your dad did about your brothers.” Apparently many families are quite similar, at least if their shared experiences are anything to go by.

His life can be quite busy, the two demanding jobs certainly not helping matters. “Yeah, it can be hard to get away. Things in the city have been… messy lately so we’re working a lot of overtime trying to figure things out. I plan on taking a vacation once everything settles down and we can spare the hands.” That applies to both his jobs actually. As one of the only supernaturals in the forensics lab, one of Miles’s responsibilities is investigating the recent incidents that have been happening. People randomly attacking one another is strange and it’s been happening with increased frequency. “Ahh lucky. I’m stuck reading out of the translator and hoping one of my business partners speaks the language. I’m sure I get a lot of irritated people behind my back.” To his credit he does always try to be polite and learn at least a tiny bit of the language when he has to go somewhere. Even if it’s just a simple ‘I only speak English, sorry’. Greece was the notable exception to that.

The knowledge of her middle name causes him to smile a bit, dropping the joking facade for a minute as he answers. “That’s a pretty name. Latin origin, right? Mine is Carter, after my grandfather.” Honesty is on the table here and as funny as she found the alien joke, he figures she might actually like to know he can answer a question seriously. “That she does. Though Wonder Woman is a great choice too. Hard to go wrong with the best of the Amazons.” That does make sense to him. In his experience, Wonder Woman is one of the most beloved heroes out there. He laughs when she starts describing the costume at Halloween, smiling as the memories are obviously fond ones for her. “Did you do the invisible jet too? My favorite was Wolverine. He wasn’t exactly a good role model but he was a bad ass.” While he never dressed up as Wolverine for Halloween, he did always enjoy the character.

He’s waiting patiently for her to make up her mind about dessert, watching with a curious expression to see what she might decide. He seems a touch surprised when she asks for his recommendation but thankfully he has a couple favorites. He doesn’t order dessert much but hey, even he has a sweet tooth sometimes. “Well, the crème brûlée is always good. I also enjoy the palmiers, so I’d recommend either.” Both are suitably sweet and frankly fantastic. They’re sort of his go tos.