Monday: 10/15/07
Who: Sami and Adora Where: Adora's classroom When: After class What: Adora gets one hell of a surprise.
Of course Sami had known Adora was going to be teaching the Inner Demon Control class, he'd flipped through the course description manual when he showed up at the school. And he'd known she was a teacher because he had his ways of getting information. So he had been very pleased when he saw the look of shock on her face when he stepped into the classroom and took a seat. He was also glad he'd barely squeaked into the advanced class. Sure he still had things to learn but it made him feel better about himself that after 250 years he had managed to count as an advanced Demon.
He did his best to focus on Adora as she teached, but he couldn't help wondering what she was thinking. He spent the class leaning back in his chair, a little smirk on his face doodling in his notebook. It wasn't that he didn't care, he'd certainly give his best effort, and he did want to learn, just not on this day. He was glad when class finally ended, his torment over and he slung a book bag over his back and walked up to the front of the classroom to talk to his old fling.
"Adora, what a surprise to wind up here, being taught by you. I hope I didn't give you too much of a shock. Be you never thought you'd see me in a place like this" He pulled out a pack of smokes he had stored in his breast pocket and pulled one out, tossing it home and skillfully catching it in his mouth, then whipping out a zippo and lighting up the cigarette. "Hope you don't mind."
---
Surprise was probably the understatement of the century. Yeah, no, it was. Really, truly was. She never checked her class rosters until it was time to check attendance, so when Adora had happened to flip open her school laptop and open up the attendance log, hearing another student enter the room made her look up and... wow. She'd actually done a double-take when Sami entered the room because it was that much of a shock. She just couldn't quite figure out what exactly he was doing here. And in her class. Well, no, she logically knew that part, but it was one of those things that she couldn't help but entertain the thought of "Why me?" Why did it have to be her class, and why did it have to be Sami? He was one of those men in her life... one of the ones that she couldn't forget because she'd spent so much time with him. Those men in her life were the ones Blake would have argued she loved.
Ugh. Blake. Of all the people to think of, he was not the one that she wanted crossing her mind while she tried to teach her advanced demon control class with a brand new pupil front and center. It was hard to forget Sami's grey eyes, and equally hard to forget his very easy-going and playful attitude. The doodles didn't suprise her, but his eyes on her kept throwing her off. In fact, she even had to just end class a few minutes early, as she kept losing her train of thought and frankly, it was just unbecoming.
By the time Sami had started to walk over to her, though, Adora had turned her back on the classroom, gathering up papers to take to her office. She was wearing one of her black pencil skirts and a burgandy silk blouse, a black jacket over that, so she looked the picture of the professional teacher. Unfortunately, knowing that Sami was anywhere near her brought out that younger side of her, the side of her that had been with Sami for quite a few years while the two of them made mischief together. Oh, this was not going to be good.
Hearing his voice, Adora gave a smile that was more confident and nonchalant than she was actually feeling, and she held her folders of work against her chest as she brushed past Sami, trying to ignore just how good it was to hear his voice. This was not good. Not good at all. She avoided former liaisons like they had the Bubonic plague for one big reason - she knew she could get attached to them quite easily once more, and that wasn't healthy. She didn't want to get bored with them. "Ha, Sami, I wouldn't say I never expected you to go to a school, just..."
Adora glanced back at him, then kept walking towards her office, allowing him the choice of following her as she dumped the folders on her desk. "I didn't expect to see you here. I nmy class. In the middle of the room." Finally, though, Adora got the courage to look him in the eye, and she stood up straight, one hand propped on her hip as she looked him over once. It was becoming easier to act like herself again these days, and Sami was no stranger to her ways. "You grew up."
----
It was so funny to see her avoiding his eyes, as if he was dangerous or something. But he followed her and acted the role of a good student, despite the history between the two. He had the advantage of not being as lustful as he used to be. Though of course, he had always made an exception for her. As he puffed on the cigarette, he got glances from some of the students, but every time he exhaled the smoke it went right back in through his nostrils in the breaks between puffs, disappearing into him. Like popping M&M's with a bit more display.
"All this time and all you can say is "you grew up?" That's not quite the greeting I was expecting. You could at least give an old boyfriend a hug, it's not like I'm gonna bite. I mean, you grew up too, but you don't see me commenting on your age. Though I must say, it suits you well, the whole "responsible teacher" look." He walked over to her desk and propped himself on one hand on it, making himself comfortable and not asking for permission.
"Funny story really, how I wound up here. Lost my farm to a freak fire. Market was going down anyways with new legislation, and I happened to hear through the grapevine that there was an opening for a groundskeeper at a school for "gifted children." Checked it out, had an interview with the director, explained my situation and what should come out but that there happens to be a fantastic teacher for Demons. I just couldn't pass it up, so here I am. Now my question is how did you wind up here? I always figured you the type to never settle. You must have really reigned yourself in from the old days."
---
Adora didn't often avoid normal prey, the men she hadn't had, or if she was interested, she knew it was on her own terms. No, the problem was that Sami knew Adora from a time in her life radically different to the hardened woman she was now. The recession of the 1970s and 80s had taught her one thing, and that was survival on a more personal, emotional level. There was nothing like dropping from riches to poverty to teach you some humility of a fashion. So Sami knew more about her than most people in this school did. Including Nox. That made Sami a bit of a danger to her.
Adora couldn't help but chuckle a little as he plopped himself down right in front of her, and she sighed, walking away from him to close the door behind them so their converstion would be private. It wasn't that shocking, really. She did it all the time, although more often it was to give students... more personal lessons. And yet, for some reason, the idea of Sami and her in her office for private lessons was a little daunting, and she pushed it aside as fast as she could. She didn't know why, and she tried not to think of it, but even her subconscious knew there were good reasons for it. Sami was a hard guy to forget. He'd been exceptionally hard to leave.
"I wasn't saying it as an insult, you growing up looks good on you." Adora remarked as she turned to face him again. "I... came up here because I was offered a unique opportunity. It didn't seem like settling at the time. The, um, crop here is nice, as is the food supply." She gave him a little smile, a hopeful look that suggested he knew what she was talking about but didn't care. She was getting very sick of the judging. All of Go'al'enu's talk about men who truly loved her accepting her more promiscious side seemed like bullshit. And she didn't quite want to think of what Sami would think of her trolling the student population.
When he spoke about her as though she'd lost some of her fire, though, Adora could feel that very fire coming back again. She'd lost her appetite pretty badly the last week or so, given that she was so heart-broken over Blake - and that was what it truly was - that she hadn't even wanted to eat. She'd considered starving herself, and it was still an option. At least Sami was someone she didn't feel... too much stress over. Of course, right now, looking at him, she was trying to suppress that nagging sensation that she'd really done something wrong to him, that her choice hadn't been the right solution. Putting that aside, though, Adora walked over and took Sami's cigarette right out of his mouth and took a long drag, exhaling slowly. "And I haven't reined myself in, don't you worry about that."
----
Funny enough, Sami hadn't come to spread all her secrets to the school, and he had to admit the reception he was receiving was not as welcoming as he had hoped it would be. Especially considering how their time together had been. He really had been in love with her, though he'd come to find out she not so much with him. But that was something he had learned to live with, having given up on her long ago. The fact that she had kept popping up in his life made things interesting, but he knew her nature and not to get too invested. For him it had become no different than a cup of tea with an old friend to meet upand rekindle the old flame.
As she closed the door he flipped the hat that was sitting of his head, sending it onto her desk in a perfect movement. "If I didn't know you any better I'd think you were talking drugs, talking about crops, but food supply, now that's a term I wouldn't forget. I gotta admit, I never got used to that part, the being drained. But it's better to have loved and lost than to have been loved until you're a mummy huh? Goulish things, saw one once on a visit home."
He had to admit to being surprised by her fire reigniting. He had assumed to get a gig as a teacher she had to be the stereotypical prude, but when she exhaled snatched his cigarette and exhaled the smoke he let out a heartfelt laugh, twirling the whisps with her finger. "Well now, I stand corrected. In that case, tell me love, are you the fantasy of all the boys in school? I might be a little old to have the hots for teacher but you must make it hard for the younger kids to stay focused." He brought out his old British accent, adding to the nostalgia of the moment. He'd had so much practice that his original Arabic accent only appeared if he wanted to, and the same was true with his British accent. But he could still bring it out if necessary.
---
The accent had probably been what threw her off the most. A subtle chink in her armor that even Sami would have been able to pick up. He'd known her back when she was younger, even less in control of her emotions than she was now. For Sami, he easily could have seen the way her smile faltered as she heard an accent not necessarily like Blake's, but... well... it was hard to forget a British accent. And it was kind of a sore spot for her.
"Well..." Adora said, trying to get her bravado back with a deep breath and a renewed smile as she grabbed his hat and started to play with it in her hand idly. "It's not like I zapped you like a vampire. It's not like your performance ever suffered, if it makes you feel better." Adora was trying desperately to make up for the shock she'd had before of his entrance, but it didn't necessarily seem to be working. She'd just had too many things going on in the last few weeks to be able to act like her old carefree, mischevious and... uncaring self. She cared too much now.
Adora took another long drag of what was now her cigarette, then gave another smile, this one a little sad, mainly because it didn't seem to matter what she did, she couldn't get her mind back into a happy mood. Too much heartache, too much mistrust and confusion from the last week made it hard for her. "And yes, I would be the pinnacle of the student-teacher fantasy, if that's what you're asking. But, the boys manage to stay focused well enough. Most of the time." Adora would have used her powers a little right then, if her heart had been into it. Ugh, lately her heart was the problem. ----
Now that was something he hadn't expected, for his British accent to have such an affect on her. And he felt bad for seeing her falter. He dropped the accnt and got serious. He didn't want to upset her. "Hey now, I wasn't making accusations, love, you should know better than that. If I'd known you were this hung up on me I would have made a little less dramatic an entrance." Except she was hanging onto that cigarette and giving him a sad smile as well. Something wasn't right here
"All right, now I know this can't be my doing, because you barely batted an eye when we met in the past. So what's the rub, what's got you down, because the Adora I know would never be down in a situation like this. Young men lusting for you, a position of authority in a beautiful place like this, I would have thought you'd be losing your mind with happiness." With his own cigarette confiscated he pulled another one out, lighting it up, and he drew the smoke that Adora was blowing around him, creating a halo above his head. "Come on then, out with it, you know your secrets are safe with me."
Of course, for his concern he was also overjoyed inside to hear his performance had never suffered. It always helped to be reassured on matters like that. He also though maybe he should extend an offer to an old friend, so he leaned in close and dropped his voice to a whisper. "If you need a little pick me up, I've got a little something to brighten your day. That is if you still smoke things other than tobacco. Very hush, hush, mum's the word, but for an old friend, I see no problem. I'm not here to make your life difficult Adora." He pulled back and gave her a big smile trying to cheer her up as best he could. Course, he was never very good at things like that. If his own upbeat attitude couldn't help, he didn't know what would.
---
Being close to Sami wasn't making things easy for Adora. It was harder to focus when she knew how close he was, mainly because Adora's memory was very good, and it was rare that she forgot what any demon was like in bed. The best way to describe it was that while humans were more filling, demons tasted better. So she never spent long periods of time with humans. They were worn out far too easily and they began to fel like she was eating cardboard. That being said, she'd never forgotten Sami. Especially since he was from a time in her life when she was a little more than mischevious.
Adora didn't want to upset him, though, or really let him into what she was thinking. She didn't know how time may have changed him, although, honestly, it didn't seem like he had changed much. It was just her putting up the walls that Blake had been trying - successfully - to make her take down. Well, she'd seen where that had gotten her, and she wasn't interested in getting hurt again. So, best not to worry Sami about problems that were not his business.
"It's not you. It's really me." Adora said finally, smiling a little more genuinely as he even considered offering her some of what he had. Oh, that seemed like a good idea. Maybe she'd like the chance to just chill out and get baked. Could be nice. "And it was nice being here... for, like, the first five years. I just... maybe this place isn't settling well with me. I enjoy the adoration of the boys, even much of the staff, but," She smirked at Sami. "You know me. I have to cause some trouble, right?"
Adora flicked ash off onto the floor from her cigarette, then walked to her desk and sat next to Sami on it, almost as if she wasn't a teacher, but rather another student. "You'll hook me up, huh?" Sighing a little, Adora shook her head. "You know, Sami, if I cared a little more about the rules of this school, you'd really be out of luck. Students and teachers aren't really even supposed to be platonic." Adora slipped his hat onto her head playfully. "Good thing I left my responsibility in my other pants, huh?"
-----
He had to admit he was a little worried about what it sounded like she was saying. The carefree soul he once knew seemed to have been replaced by rules and antagonizing. She would have never worried so much about going for a change in the past, she would have just been gone. Hell, it had happened to him, and he was sure to many others. So he couldn't quite place his finger on why he thought something was wrong, but he knew she wasn't giving him the whole scoop. That was her call though. He didn't need to pry.
"I guess it's different for me, ya know. All I've ever really worked for was stability so it's nice for me. You, well, like you said, you have to cause some trouble." He had to admit she looked good in the hat, and the years had really suited her well. She was even more attractive now than she had been way back when they were young. Then again, he didn't know if he'd say the same back then.
But she was loosening up a bit, starting to act like an old friend, and not just another teacher. "Love, if there's one thing I know you'll never abide by, it's the rules. Cause if you think I'm gonna treat you like a teacher all the time, you're out of your mind. I may be in your class, but I'm not a student, I'm a bonafied paid member of the staff. Way I see it, that makes us on equal ground. But in class I'll give you the respect you deserve of course. Wouldn't want you to fail me." He winked and made a snatch for the hat, coming up short and accidentally leaning on her leg instead to catch himself. "But if you want me to leave you be, just tell me. When you get the responsibility out of your other pants of course."
---
"The stability is kind of a nice change," Adora said with a shrug, taking another long drag and watching the smoke as it left her lips as she spoke. "It's just... I've kind of had a few things get shoved in my face that I didn't appreciate. Making me think about a few things that I never wanted to dwell on, and then, well, let's just say it bit me in the ass." She glanced up at him from under the hat, the shade the brim provided just enough to make her eyes seem darker as the two talked.
This was so strange. After all the angst that she'd had to deal with because of Blake, having a carefree conversation with anyone seemed to be impossible, but at least Sami had encouraged her to relax and just... have a conversation. Of course, finding that he was actually a staff member and not just a student made her kind of smile again, but in a more excited kind of way. He was technically staff. Oh, god, maybe there were small favors. She could have someone to talk to who wasn't just Nox and, well, Sami knew her very well. And he knew a different part of her life. There was something calming about having him around again.
His hand on her leg made her smirk, and she could feel the thumping of her heart in her chest that told her she was very aware of him leaning. Very. Aware. In a very primal, very normal kind of way for her, and she smiled genuinely, glancing over at him. "I'd never tell you to leave me alone, Sami. I, um..." Adora took a deep breath as she realized that she did, in fact, owe him an apology for the hurt she knew, logically, she must have caused him. "I'm sorry I left." Adora snuffed out the cigarette in her hand in an ashtray on her desk. "not that... it's something you wanted me to think of, I'm sure."
----
He too took another long drag of his cigarette, exhaling smoke rings that wound together to form a chain that he settled around his neck before inhaling the smoke again, letting it disappear inside him. "So you're thinking of running cause you had a little run of bad luck? Some things happened that you didn't like? Wow, I never thought I'd see the day." He wanted to press his questioning, but he didn't want to make her feel uncomfrotable so soon after reuniting. So he just dropped it.
He shrugged his shoulders at his apology, removing his hand and backing off, feeling good that she at least reacted, and not in a freaking out sort of way. "When you first left, it hurt, I'll admit it. I mean, England in the 1800's wasn't exactly an accepting place, ya know, and I dealt in the drug trade. Not exactly a whole lot of women from the higher end of life looking to bunk beds with me. And then you came along and you were different, you didn't care about where I came from, in fact part of me always thought that was exactly why you went for me. But it didn't matter, cause you were the most amazing thing I'd ever met, something I never could have dreamt of in Egypt. So when you left, it hurt, but I toughened up. Relaized there were just women out there who weren't meant to be tamed, like the Nile Crocodiles, ya know. I moved on, I tried new things, even fell in love a couple of times. Ya gotta look out for number one, right love?"
He let out a laugh then and blew out a wisp of smoke that caressed her cheek, though being sneaky about it so it wasn't completely evident that he'd meant it. He assumed she'd catch it though, she was a demon teacher after all. "The fact that you care to apologize is beter news than I could have hoped for. Means I meant something to ya, cause believe me, I've had women do worse who felt less. You're one of a kind Adora, don't fret it." He was underexaggerating, but he didn't want her to know that. He'd moved to America to forget her, and though he had loved other women, it had never been as strong as with her. But he'd forced himself to give up on that. She was a free spirit, and chaining a free spirit would only kill it. He knew even as he had been hurting that it had been for the best.
---
"It wasn't just "some things," Sami, but don't you worry about it. Besides, I have you around, and a few people I would almost consider 'friends', as strange as that sounds coming from me..." Adora couldn't help but smile a bit at the little chain of smoke he'd put around his neck. No control over his powers her ass. It was yet another reason why she was wondering what the hell he was doing in her class, but she knew that Sami was a little impulsive in that "Oh, what the hell, something different to do today!" kind of way. It had made for quite a few interesting adventures with him in their younger days, that was for sure.
Hearing him talk about how he'd felt after she left was... different, though. A more humbling experience. Her smile may have seemed genuine, even flippant, but inwardly, she was taking in every word Sami was saying and storing it away. She'd never actually spoken to someone about how they felt... after she left. Granted, this was one reason why. She always left in the end, so if she'd gone back to ask and find out, well... it would mean thinking about... emotions. Feelings. Coming to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, if she could have loved Blake only after a month... how many of those men had she loved? Would listening to Sami make her think she'd loved him once? Oh, that was a scary thought. Not one she wanted yet.
"You have a good head on your shoulders, Sami. If there's anyone I knew could take care of himself, it would be you." Adora said by way of compliment, and she stood, taking his hat off and slowly reaching over, popping it back on his head. "I've had some time to actually think about this whole friendship concept, so, um, if you are curious, you are considered one of my friends. So don't worry bout me going too hard on you."
---
Again he shrugged, knowing that if he was meant to hear it, she'd tell him. But she was smiling and that was a plus, and it was fun using his powers. Though the reason he was in her class was because he knew there was more to them than just what he could do. He'd heard a story here or there, passed from word of mouth over and over, of things the Indians did with their smoke. Then again maybe there wasn't more he could do, but as long as he was here, it was worth a shot, getting some training from someone who had experience with that sort of thing.
"Hard on me love? Well there's a shocker, and here I thought I was finally going to get to be the one to give you a hard time. Silly me for thinking I had an advantage for once." He said it with honest jest and his laughter filled the room. It felt very good for him as well to be in a place with a friend who understood him as well as Adora. After all, he couldn't exactly go around showing off his powers to anyone and if you were hiding a secret, it just never felt real.
"So what's the rub here, fill me in. Who do I need to watch out for, and who're the good blokes who'll join me for a smoke? Gotta get to know who to avoid now before I start insinuating my less than legal hobbies." He took the moment to adjust the hat back to the angle he'd originally had it had, and realizing his cigarette was going out, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small metal tin that he opened and placed his dying cigarette butt in, sucking the last of the smoke out as he did, gulping it down.
---
"Sami, you never had the advantage. You think you'd get that by now." Adora shot off the sarcastic and playful remark before she was even able to catch herself, and she grinned. She'd just caught herself by surprise. Maybe her mood was changing for the better. If nothing else, it was nice to have someone to joke around with again. Nox was fun to joke with, but he always had the look of someone waiting for her to show a side that was sensitive and upset. Always. It was going to get frustrating pretty quickly. Adora didn't like the idea of rolling over and playing dead, even though... well, starvation had crossed her mind in a completely logical way.
"If you're looking for advice on the people in this school, though, I can't really help as much as I used to be able to. We have a lot of new faces this year," Adora said as she finished organizing her papers on her desk, since she was done for the day and wouldn't have to worry about anything until tomorrow. Standing straight, Adora tilted her head from side to side, trying to get the kink out of her neck that had been bothering her since before classes started that morning. This was ridiculous, given that she was a demon. She had always assumed there was some sort of "Get out of jail free" card for demons when it came to some things, like stress-related aches and pains. Apparently not. "But, I know quite a few of the professors smoke around here. I would leave Nox out of the loop when it comes to your, um... profession, though, Sami." She knew that they both were not talking about his formal position at the school. "He's a bit of a stickler for the rules. He doesn't particularly like some of the things I've done, but, then again, almost nobody does. It's the unfortunate problem with being a whore." Adora was prone to using that word to describe herself, even though she knew it wasn't necessarily true. Strangely enough, she liked hearing people tell her she wasn't one. She didn't say it all the time, though, as she knew it was something she did to bolster her own confidence, and well, she knew better.
----
"Hey now, a guy can dream can't he? After all I've got a few tricks of my own ya know." With that he turned himself into a puff of smoke, clothes and all. Which was lucky, since it would have been a pretty worthless power if he could only move between places where he had clothes stored. He drifted himself behind Adora, and poofed back with the same grin on his face he'd been holding throughout the conversation. He never grew tired of that, and hoped he never would. Then he reached out his hands to massage her neck since she'd been favoring it. What were friends for, after all.
"New faces huh? Well that's exciting then, get a mix of the new and the old eh?" He stored the name Nox in the back of his head as one to avoid, but he was glad to hear some of the rest of them weren't sticklers for the rules. Sami let his hands work a little bit harder, getting to the root of the problem. He had never thought of himself as having a get out of free card when it came to aches and pains, in fact he'd gone most of his life with them from a hard days work, so he knew well how to get rid of them. "One of these days you're gonna have to stop giving yourself hell for what you are, love. A whore you're not, last I checked they took payment. And besides, that'd be the day when you put someone elses pleasure before your own. Least you only deal with lust. You know how many times I've been called an agent of death for causing cancer and the like. I have to disagree, I've been smoking for almost 150 years now and still no cancer, so I think they just don't like the smell of smoke." He let out a laugh at that, despite it being a terrible joke. Couldn't win them all though.
---
Adora rolled her eyes a little as Sami started babbling about tricks, but that abruptly stopped when - Poof! - Sami was suddenly smoke, and even then, he wasn't really Sami-shaped or anything. Furrowing her brow and giving a bit of a sardonic look, Adora watched as the little trail of smoke began to make its way towards her. "Y'know, I may have to make sure I keep an eye on the girls' dormitory, or I'll be worried about you slipping into rooms under the cracks of the door at this rate." Adora rose an eyebrow, speaking aloud, as if she was speaking to herself. "Hmmm.. or maybe I shoudl just make sure to stuff a towel under my door at night."
Adora gave a slightly surprised gasp as Sami reappeared behind her, only because she didn't really know when he'd been planning to just make himself solid again. "Geez, that's going to be worris..." Adora trailed off, the word dying on her lips as Sami's fingers found her sore neck. She practically turned to putty in his hands, a very pleased and blissful expression on her face as she closed her eyes and hummed gently. "Mmmm... you're my savior..." Adora nearly purred, and a little smile remained on her lips as he kept massaging her neck. That felt like just the thing she needed and wanted.
It felt nice to hear from Sami that she was being too hard on herself, and she chuckled, her head dropped down as she simply enjoyed the motions of his fingers. "Mmmm... you know what, Sami? You keep doing that and I'll say whatever you want at this rate. That feels good. I needed this..." She laughed a little at his joke and rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't they be suing big tobacco and not you, the little guy? Hell, people were smoking far long before you or I were born. It's not like you went out there and went 'Hey, make death sticks with plenty of toxic additives in it so I can kill as many people as I want!'" Adora reached back and pet his side a little, in an affectionate way. "I have yet to meet another person who can get kinks out of my neck like this. Damn."
----
As he was working her neck he responded to her teasing. "Come now love, you really think I'm interested in peeking in on the little girls here? And if I snuck into your room, well, the consequences could be dire. I seem to recall you being very good at knowing the threshold between pleasure and pain, and I wouldn't want to push you to forget that threshold." He was overjoyed by the way she melted in his hands, his quickly and poorly thrown together plan succeeding marvelously.
"Years of experience. You learn a few tricks when you're dealing with Tobacco. One of the most finicky crops around you know, requires constant love and affection." He rolled his fingers further down her neck now, getting the base of her neck where it met her spine. "Lucky for you I'm not looking for anything or you'd be in trouble then, aye love? I'm just providing a valuable service, some well deserved relaxation for an old love who seems to have had a rough run of things as of late."
It may have been a lie, but only partially true. He was just playing things by ear, and he wouldn't let himself get his hopes up. After all, he'd played that game already and lost. Still, he couldn't help letting his fingers return the affectionate caress. Subtle, always subtle. "Peope always look for someone to blame their problems on. First the cigarette companies, and then when that didn't stop people from smoking, they went for the little guys. After all, I was my own operation. I grew the tobacco, hand rolled em for that real Chesapeak taste, and sold them to tobacco shops. Apparently that made me part of the problem, though they never succeeded at any sort of lawsuit. Too small, ya know, couldn't link my cigarettes with cancer cause people didn't smoke three packs a day. But that doesn't matter anymore, now I get to be a corruptor of the youth instead of a peddlar of death. I like the change, makes me feel more sophisticated.
He let out a laugh at that, finishing up the massage and slowly bringing his fingers away from her neck. "Anytime you need it, love, I'm happy to oblige. Gotta put these magic fingers to use somehow."
---
The idea of Sami trying to peek in on the girls at this school wasn't one that Adora really wanted to dwell on, given her lack of ability to really share. Even if Sami wasn't back in her clutches, and she wasn't exactly actively planning to do so, she didn't like the idea of him running around with some of the younger things at the school. If nothing else, she was already insecure about how attractive she was in comparison to the "nice girls" like Hope, she didn't want to suddenly find out even her former lovers were going after the barely legals. Not a good thought. Thankfully, Sami rebuffed it pretty soundly, and Adora couldn't help but chuckle as he mentioned sneaking into her room. "Mmm... don't know if I'd go over that line with you... not unless you asked." Adora grinned as he kept talking and basically keeping her attention on his hands, his voice, the comforting presence he had. Being around someone familiar like this was a change. Go'al'enu was familiar, sure, but, there really wasn't anything there between the two of them. Sami... now... well, he had been a little more personal.
Had Adora known that Sami was already starting to rekindle some of those feelings he had, she probably would have made him stop, pushed him away, more for himself than anyone else. At least, she told herself that. She wasn't really doing so well with trying to keep herself closed off, unfortunately, so part of this was for her own safety. She just didn't trust herself not to get attached, but with Sami, she figured he wasn't even thinking about it, so she could just enjoy the massage and listen to him talk.
Finally, his fingers pulled away from her skin, and she sighed, raising her head back up again and turning to look back at him. "Thank you so very much for that." Adora smirked and reached up to take one of his hands, lacing her fingers with his. "And insert comment about how magical your fingers are here." She giggled before beginning to pull her fingers away again.
----
It was a shame she, like all the other women he'd ever met, was so insecure. A curse of the gender, he assumed. Made it damned hard to pay them a compliment that they actually accepted. "Well I've always had the best safe-word around. Push comes to shove I just go "poof" and that's that." It didn't help that on some level it was still an unconscious reaction. Rarely did he find himself in that predicament, but that was how he'd first learned about his powers. And how he'd avoided a lynch mob or two as well.
Even if she'd put up the barriers it wasn't anything she had any control over. He'd been harboring the feelings for almost two centuries now, her stepping up and saying no wouldn't change that. Just as her getting up and leaving hadn't. His father had told him once, when he was a boy, a few things about love. That no matter how long you lived, you could never forget it once you'd felt it. It was why even when the village had been ready to string him up for being a demon, his father had held that love for his son, held it for his mother as well, despite finally coming to realize what she must have been. Didn't mean he was going to spend time worrying about it.
"Well love, you could make the comment, but you and I both know just how magical my fingers can be. Generally those types of jokes are only funny before you know what they can do. But it's been a while, so I can only say, learning how to play the guitar has only made my fingers more magic. Bit of the ole musicians charm one might say." He could never tell what those little touches and caresses meant, so he shrugged it off and pulled out another cigarette, a chain smoker with a reason to be. "But if you wanna thank me love, just don't avoid me in class cause you're afraid you might let slip about the amazing sami and your days of debauchery back in jolly old England. Just cause we have history doesn't mean I'm not here to learn. 'Sides, kids are smart. Ignoring someone's just as clear a sign as being in their face, you know?" He took a deep inhale and let the smoke out long and slow, masking his face. He loved smoke tricks.
--- Adora would have loved to just sit there and relax forever, and even though she had no more classes that day, she was... a little nervous at the idea of sticking around Sami for too long. She could easily blame it on Eli Eden. That damned man was more confusing than Blake in some ways, mainly because he was very hot and cold around her. One minute he seemed like he was going to sleep with her, the next he simply went "Eh, come sleep by me but no, we're not having sex." Adora could only take so much frustration for so long before she was going to somehow, some way, force those barriers back up. So far, it wasn't working out too well. The whole thing with Blake had torn open a huge hole in those walls, one that she didn't seem to know how to close off.
Case in point: Sami. Adora was quickly remembering how much she liked his smile, how she liked the way he spoke, and even the way he smoked. It was pathetic, at least, she said it was, but they were signs that he was endearing to her, a symbol of her past in a better way than some other figures in her life.
Adora chuckled a little and pulled her fingers away from his again as he went for a cigarette. She wasn't purposely trying to confuse him, or stir up any feelings, but she had to admit that a little part of her was hoping that it was working. As she'd told Eli, she needed to know that men wanted her, and just her. She didn't do well with competition, especially when it came to her heart and not her hormones. It was one thing to have a few nights of passion that were, in the end, nothing to do with the heart. It was another to take the effort to open herself up after not really knowing how and... well, finding out that it wasn't important apparently. Damage had been done and couldn't be undone. Just like Eli said. She couldn't just forget about it, be herself, because nothing was going to be the same anymore.
Which was why Sami needed to get out of this room before he caused even more confusion for her. "Don't worry, I won't be ignoring you. Just don't be surprised if I make you my new toy. I do tend to have favorite people to torture, and in class, you might just have to be one of them." Adora smirked, then grabbed her purse, ready to leave her office for the night. ---
Sami too was getting antsy, not sure how to react to her and not sure what she wanted. She was a confusing one, more so than other women, and he didn't want to kill his strategy before he'd even formulated one. So he stood up when she grabbed her purse and made himself ready as well. Not that it was that difficult, what with having come in with the clothes on his back. "Luckily I know how good you can torture people, love, and nothing appropriate in a classroom setting is gonna wear me down too much. 'Sides, I'll take a few blows to keep your aim away from the youngins round here. Who knows I might even make a friend or two."
He chuckled at that and strode ahead to hold the door for her, waving his hands in an extragent gestures as he gave a bow, all the while suppressing the laughter that wanted to burst from within him. It all seemed so strange, to be playing this game again, but he couldn't help himself, and he didn't want to anyways. After all, the worst that could happen was that she just wouldn't be interested and life would continue on as it had been.
"So this is where we part ways again, love. Is it going to be another couple decades before I see you again? Or will Wednesday do, since you'll be teaching me anyways." He meant it as a joke, but at the same time, with her talk of getting bored with the stationary life and his arrival, he couldn't be sure. "Kidding of course, but we'll have to catch a drink soon. Maybe you can introduce me to some of the other staff, give me a foot in the doorway so to speak. Hard to meet people when you're the groundskeeper ya know?"
---
"You can have fun playing knight in shining armor all you want, Sami," Adora purred as she passed him while he bowed and playfully escorted her out the door. That certainly had been an interesting personality trait he'd cultivated over the years. She hadn't really focused on how Sami acted when they were younger, mainly because she was incredibly impulsive and more focused on her own needs. And she was focused on her own needs most of the time back then. "I certainly am not planning on going easy on you or tolerating some of the young girls here fawning on you like the class hero." Adora turned to look at him and smirked. "I am fairly territorial, remember?"
Adora didn't really decide to think abou that statement too terribly much. It was kind of a dangerous line of thinking, and the fact of the matter was that she wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. Then again, Adora did get a little miffed when she knew that someone should have been wanting her and seemed to be interested in someone else. Hene why the entire situation with Blake had hurt so much... ugh, best not to think about him.
"Tell you what, Sami, we'll have a drink once my week quiets down and I'll make sure I give you all the dirt on the students and the teachers. Least I can do for such an old friend." Adora grinned and started down the hallway, glancing over in the direction of Eli Eden's office. That reminded her, she needed to make sure she'd talk to him later. Turning to Sami one last time, Adora motioned for him to follow out towards the dining area. "I'll talk to you soon, Sami. Take care of yourself. Don't get into too much trouble."
-----
Sami had definitely changed over the years, partly out of maturity, and partly out of necessity. He'd been the odd man out for so long that he had just learned to go with the punches and do what he thought was right. He definitely hadn't been that good in his youth though, so Adora wouldn't have remembered him that way anyways. "So I'm still within your territory am I? And what if I decide to step a foot out of that territory, love? I guess we'll just have to see if it happens aye?"
It seemed that while she thought nothing of the statement, he invested a little more into it than he should have. But he still wasn't keeping his options closed. And she could deal with that, he had decided. He hadn't gotten on in his years without learning when to hold em and when to fold em.
"A drink sounds lovely. I'll hold you up on that. But you're probably busy with teacher duties, and I've got a couple bits of rough grass I'd like to patch out. After all, I'm in charge of these grounds now. I've gotta get the school ready for when the spring comes eventually. Can't have everything all frumpy after only my first year on the job." When Adora motioned for him to follow out towards the dining room he stepped up and followed, still unfamiliar with the school grounds, and just a little bit lost. "Me, get into trouble? Never. After all, all it takes is a little poof and I'm gone. Speaking of which..." And with that he let himself poof and drifted away, always a favorite method of exiting for him. After all, what was the point in having such a cool power if you couldn't use it?