mad woman, bad woman; daryl (![]() ![]() @ 2008-12-28 13:46:00 |
![]() |
|||
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Entry tags: | character: rowan redfern, character: samuel lanner, location: las vegas |
log
Who: Samuel and Rowan
Where: Rowan's balcony
When: sometime after Samuel meets with Nilsson
What: We learn that Rowan hates petnames, they're both sluts, but Samuel can be responsible sometimes. The important lesson of patience is learned.
Rating: PG-15. Now I'm making up ratings. Adult situations. Some language because it's Samuel.
Status: complete
Nilsson freaked Samuel right the fuck out. He wasn’t going to last long under that scrutiny, and that was fine, actually. He didn’t want to stay there himself. Nothing keeping him there, really.
And then, inevitably, he’d start to think about Rowan.
He hadn’t seen her since the library, but he wanted to. And if Nilsson or the other Daybreakers found out the truth about him, she’d never talk to him again. He told himself he was okay with that. He didn’t want a relationship with her anyway. It really wouldn’t work out. So he had no idea why he started trying to track her down. Maybe he thought he might as well have some fun as long as he was here, and there was no one was interesting as her. Maybe he just wanted to mess with her. Either way, he found out what room she was staying in—no thanks to Nilsson. He hesitated over his next move, and he went outside to walk the mansion grounds before he could come to any decision.
This shouldn’t be so hard. He didn’t care what some “Old Power” thought he should do. So why was he so hung up about Rowan? He wasn’t going to let a principle decide his life. But ignoring the principle didn’t mean he had to ignore her completely, did it?
He paced outside, stopping to give a sigh. He looked up to the balcony above absently, of course unable to see into the room on the second floor. But…that was Rowan’s room, wasn’t it? He could just go up and drop by. Would she want him to do that? It was hard to say. But with a ‘fuck’ mumbled underneath his breath, Samuel changed into a falcon and flew to the balcony. Shifting back effortlessly, he knocked on the door. Giving a sigh as he waited, Samuel went to lean against the balcony railing.
If Rowan had been human, she would have jumped about a foot in the air. She'd been brushing her hair and hadn't expected to hear anybody knocking at the door out to the balcony. As it was, she went to the door and frowned when she saw Samuel standing out there.
"What are you doing on my balcony?" she asked as she opened the door. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." The brush was still clutched in her hand, as if she might clobber him with it.
Well, she didn’t look happy to see him at all. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I can leave if you want,” he said, eyeing that hairbrush. She looked ready to throw it at him. At least it wasn’t silver.
“I was just, um...” Say it, the little voice in him dared him. He shifted on his feet slightly. “I just thought it was pretty stupid. What went down, that is. I don’t know about this whole soulmate thing, but the thing is, I was going to ask you out anyway before, so it doesn’t make any sense for me not to ask you out when that is what I already wanted to do, damn the Old Powers. So. I guess what I’m asking is if you want to go out. With me.” Wow, he felt awkward. Probably because he was trying to approach her like she was any other woman, and that just didn’t feel right.
Rowan watched him as he spoke, and her eyebrows rose fractionally. "Out?" Like she was speaking a foreign language. "What, on a date?" Her lips moved into something between a smirk and a smile. "Don't you think that's a little backwards, considering the circumstances?" Considering that she could see right inside his head, and that she felt like all the nerves in her body were pulling her towards him. Things like that.
“Um, no.” Now he looked at her like she was crazy. That whole soulmate thing was crazy, after all. But really, what were they supposed to do if they didn’t date? Samuel might like his relationships physical, intense, and meaningless, but he took them out on dates. Soulmates weren’t that weird, were they? “Why, what did you think we’d do?” Since she was so gung-ho about them.
"I hadn't really thought about it," Rowan replied. She looked at him seriously, adding mentally, I was hoping you'd let me in. Maybe this time he'd jump off the balcony to get away from her. "Of course, if you'd prefer that we do things in a more mundane way, we.. could, I suppose."
“No,” he said, a little too quickly and a little too bluntly, even to his ears. He did move away slightly, thankfully not off the balcony, but he was hoping the distance would make sure she didn’t get any ideas about going into his head. He tried to soften the reply (who knows why) with a little smile. “Surely you owe me at least a date before you get into my mind or my pants, right?” Really, the whole seeing his thoughts thing was way more intimate than sex, and didn’t girls usually want at least dinner or something before that?
That earned a laugh, bubbling up before she quite knew what she was doing. "Well, when you put it that way." Her expression softened and she took a step towards him. "I am sorry, you know. I grew up surrounded by lamia and made vampires, so it's a little strange for me to think of a Night person who finds this sort of contact invasive." Rowan hadn't used her powers often for the past couple of years, but being surrounded by humans was a little different than hanging around Thierry's mansion.
Samuel found himself smiling when he heard her laugh before he knew what he was doing. From the scarce contact they had, Samuel imagined her as a very severe woman, in an elegant sort of way. It was good to see her laugh. It was even better to know he caused it. “Ah. Well, I grew up with humans. Humans and ‘shifters, and so there wasn’t really any telepathy...thing going on.” It was a good reason, and completely true. Not the whole truth, because he wasn’t going to bother getting into the whole issue of him not getting close to people. Or the whole him working for the Council. He’d get to that when it was the right time to get to that. “So. A date. What could I interest you in, Rowan? A club? A movie? Museum...” He wasn’t going to bother offering dinner because...that’d just be dumb.
Elegant and severe were probably very good choices. Rowan was rarely unruffled and almost always reserved, but Samuel was getting past that. Must have been part of the soulmate thing. "I see. That must have been... interesting." Fascinating, she meant, because it sounded so completely alien to her. Jade had grilled Mark on all the mundane details of growing up in the human world, and Rowan had listened in. Samuel's suggestions earned another smile. "Are there any museums in Las Vegas? I'd like that, if there are." Movies don't really count as dates, sitting in the dark and not talking. And clubbing? She's never been in a club.
“Or something,” he shrugged nonchalantly about the whole being raised human thing. He never really cared for it, and didn’t feel like talking about it. But he smirked back at her reply. How did Samuel know she was going to choose the museum? Oh, right, elegant and severe. “I’m sure there are, right? It’s Las Vegas.” Clearly he’s never been to any, though. “I do know where some state parks are, too, if you’re into that. Otherwise...what, art museum? History? This city does have everything, or so I’ve been led to believe.”
He didn’t want to admit it, but he liked this. This chatting and planning a date with her. He hopped up to sit on the balcony railing, swinging his legs absently. They were still a little sore, but much improved.
Rowan wants to find out more about his upbringing, but she won't press him now. "The parks sound lovely, but I'd prefer the museum to start with. I'd enjoy anything, really." Give her a nice quiet gallery to stroll in and she'll be perfectly happy. She watched Samuel perch on the railing and raised an eyebrow. "I take it you're feeling better?"
Rowan very much has the right idea on not pressing him. Especially when he’s balancing on the railing. “Okay. I’ll, um, get on that. When would you like to go?” He actually didn’t know if she worked or anything. He used to, all through high school and for a little while here in Las Vegas. But he was taking a break from work right now. He grinned and patted his leg. “Better. Not 100% yet, but better.”
"We'll go as soon as you're a hundred percent, then," Rowan says, smiling a little. "After all, it wouldn't make sense to go when you're still limping." Now she's leaning against the railing, closer than ever to him. She sets the hairbrush down on the flat railing as she watches him. So far, so good.
“Asking a man to be patient? That’s almost cruel of you.” He smiles, carefully watching her move. He wants to put his arm around her, maybe just sit and watch the skies for a while. But that is probably not a good thing, because it would leave him wanting other things. Not a patient or controlled man was he.
"I believe that patience is a great virtue to possess," Rowan says, meeting his gaze. She's the very model of patience; it was waiting and watching and planning that got her and her sisters away from the enclave and all the way to Briar Creek, after all. "I'm sure you'll impress me." Actually she thinks he'll find many new ways to startle her. It seems to be how things work for them.
“Oh, I have no doubt it is.” She exuded patience. He, on the other hand, got bored within a minute. That would definitely lead to interesting situations. Samuel almost felt a little guilty knowing this wasn’t going to last. He leaned forward just to brush his lips against her cheek. “Well, then I guess I’ll see you later...” he whispered, lingering near her ear. Absolutely gorgeous. Did she just shower? She smelled really nice. Hopefully all this excitement was all she could pick up from him.
"You don't have to leave," she murmured, turning her face and pressing her cheek against his. That sensation of golden fire rushing through her veins returned and Rowan could feel all her senses extending. Could he feel the slight dampness in her hair or the way her heart seemed to skip a beat? She wasn't pushing anything at all, neither the physical contact nor the mental connection. It was all up to him now.
Thinking was rather hard with just this slight amount of contact. He couldn’t decide if he liked it or not. The feeling was simply amazing. He knew, without a doubt, he couldn’t be with another woman after this. No one else could live up to that. But then that mental connection...even without pushing, he was pretty sure his emotions were being sent loud and clear, same as he could feel her heart skip. He was nervous, mostly. Nervous about taking things too quickly. Nervous about her pushing him away. “Maybe, but I probably should..” She shouldn’t leave things up to him. That could only end badly, but he was more amused than troubled by that thought.
"Very well, then." Rowan pulled back enough to see his eyes, one hand lifting to touch the side of his face and stroke his hair gently. Just the tips of her fingers, but still enough to send a thrill through her. How could she feel so much for someone she'd spent less than an hour with? Maybe his nerves were rubbing off on her. Rowan didn't normally get nervous. She considered and then she chose a path of action, simple as that. Like the way she moved forward and kissed him.
Samuel gave her a warm grin, blue eyes shining. Crisis adverted, he would leave and regroup, and all would be fine. And then she kissed him, and he was pretty sure his life was going to be over if she kept kissing him like this. He had trouble thinking about anything but her like this, but maybe that would be good for keeping those secrets of his secret. But that meant he also completely forgot about something called balance, and when he leaned into the kiss, he sort of lost that and maybe he was flailing a bit to regain some balance before he either fell backwards off the balcony or forward into her. Although the latter wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
Oh gods, that smile. It was enough to make her feel like all the terrible cliches in the music Jade listened to. But not unaware enough to miss when Samuel's weight shifted, and her hands moved to hold him firmly around the waist. "What, throwing yourself on the floor wasn't enough? Now you have to try throwing yourself from a second-story balcony?" Her tone was light and teasing, warm even as she mocked him. For a flying creature she'd have expected better balance from him.
He expected better from himself, too. He was having a bad week, clearly. “There’d be worse ways to go...” That was supposed to sound somewhat sweet. You know, since at least he’d die from kissing her, basically. Sliding carefully off the railing to actually stand firmly on his feet now, he leaned forward to go back to where they’d left off. The sparks that ran through him when they kissed were dazzling, and Samuel was so giddy from it. He wasn’t sure he could ever get enough.
One eyebrow lifted, a touch of disbelief in her expression. "And you'd know, what with falling from a building... sorry, being thrown." Had she heard that? Or picked it up from him? Even if she wasn't doing it on purpose Rowan still had fairly powerful empathic powers. But she didn't particularly want to think about that, her hands on his waist and his lips coming down to land on hers for another one of those amazing kisses.
He certainly hadn’t told her about it, but he didn’t think much about her knowing. He assumed whatever he told Nilsson and the witches who healed him was pretty common knowledge. “I meant the kissing part,” he explained, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. He had the barest hint of a smile. “Kissing you would be worth falling two-stories...” How ironic that being chucked off a building by Thane was, in a roundabout sort of way, what he had to pay to meet Rowan.
"Only two? At least I know where I stand." Not that she particularly wanted him to fall off any more buildings. This soulmate business was dangerous. The very thought of him coming to harm made her feel the sort of rage that rarely came up. "You don't have to earn them, though. I'll kiss you without any bodily harm required."
Samuel just laughed for a moment, momentarily torn on if he should say something dirty or not. He decided to err on the side of ‘no’. “Oh, Rowan...” She was absolutely adorable. Did she know how precious she was? God, he sounded ridiculous to his own ears. “Good, because I don’t think I can take another slap, baby.” That had hurt last time. Vampires? Really strong.
"Call me baby again and I will slap you." And she was completely serious, too. Rowan might be new at this whole relationship thing, and having a soulmate was sort of being thrown in the deep end with an entire school of hungry sharks, but there were certain things for which she would not stand.
Samuel looked a little startled and threw his hands up innocently. “Whoa, okay, then. Off the list. Pet names in general a no, then? No various sorts of young creatures? No pastries?” There would be enough things he’d do to piss her off without adding to it. Better to get this straight.
Oh, dear. Rowan looked at him blankly for a moment, not sure what to say. "I have a name and I rather like it," she said. The rowan tree, proof against witchcraft and evil magic, the wood suitable for wands and staves. "I suppose if you feel the need we could experiment." It could prove interesting, after all.
This conversation really amused Samuel. He didn’t entirely blame her...he actually didn’t like when people shortened his name to make nicknames, either. But pet names and nicknames were different. But he just laughed and shook his head. “You’re quite something, you know that?” Hopefully he didn’t sound too patronizing. “Experimenting could be fun...” He gave her a wicked grin.
That grin shot straight to somewhere in her belly, and Rowan caught one of Samuel's hands in hers. "I'd hope so." It was clear what he was insinuating. And her bed was right there. She'd never been this bold before.
To be fair, she’d never had a soulmate before. Samuel didn’t know where this was going, but he knew quite clearly where he wanted this to go. Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate at all. But he was still worried—worried she’d see too much in his mind, worried about opening up to the one person he couldn’t help but open up to. It was terrifying to need someone this much. But fuck it. Why’d he come all the way to see her, after all? Because he was miserable without her, and he wanted to enjoy himself before he got himself killed one way or another. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the knuckles gently. “If you want, maybe we can go inside and try to think something appropriate up.” You know, while having sex. If kissing her made him feel this good...yeah, the sex was totally going to be worth any consequences.
"That is perhaps the best idea you've had." Rowan smiled, willing her heart to stop trying to beat its way out of her chest. There was no reason to be nervous. They were soulmates. This was what was supposed to happen. They could worry afterwards.
If she thought sex was a great idea, then he had a lot of good ones. This soulmate thing might not be so bad. He walked with her inside, placing kisses on her neck and savoring every one. He gave a pleased sound before he pulled back with a “Fuck.” Condom. He didn’t have one, and he had a guess that Rowan didn’t keep protection in her room. Just a thought.
Rowan drew back, bemused. "Yes, that was the general idea." Of course she didn't. It wasn't like she was promiscuous, and she hadn't planned on meeting her soulmate when she'd last gone out shopping. She stroked the inside of his wrist with her thumb, watching his expression.
Despite his frustration, he gave an amused snort. “Yes, well, we might need to try out that patience virtue thing you like so much. I, um, don’t have any protection on me.” Of course he remembered that. He had sex enough that he was careful about this sort of thing. If they were at his apartment, it wouldn’t be a problem. But they weren’t, and he didn’t exactly take everything with him here.
"Oh. Damn." Rowan didn't seem particularly perturbed, but she definitely was. On the inside, where it counted. "Then I suppose we have no choice but to be patient," she sighed. "If you think you can control yourself, that is."
“Control, me? Absolutely not.” Didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. That’s why he was planning to leave and maybe hunt or something. Anything to work off his frustration. “But I’ll be seeing you soon. When I’m 100%, right?” They would go to a museum, have some sex, and it would be a really good day. He was very much forcing himself to step away from her and move back onto the balcony.
"Sooner than that, I hope." Rowan lingered at the door, making herself stay there rather than drag him back in and damn the consequences. It was very hard to be patient when he was right there.
Oh, fuck it. No, no, be strong. Samuel really was going to have to toss himself off the balcony just to control himself. That probably looked like what he was doing, too, but once he got back to the railing he flashed her another grin. “I’ll make it worth the wait.” And then he was shifting into his falcon form as he moved over the railing, actually managing to look balanced and coordinated as he took off into the air.