Nothing Ever Goes right (Adriana)

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick sat anxiously at the edge of Fallen territory closest to the Retros' lands, fidgeting with one of his tomahawks. Every few minutes he would turn around to look around him, as if he was looking for something, then he would go back to fidgeting with his tomahawk. Every now and then, he'd climb to his feet and pace around some before returning to his tomahawk on the ground.

He was, in fact, waiting for someone. Someone he honestly shouldn't have, in all honesty. Adriana Reyes was her name. She was a Carnaring scout and the girl that invaded his dreams every night for the past few weeks, ever since the night she'd saved him in his railcar at the Switchstone. They hadn't seen each other since she had left the morning afterward, and now finally he'd get to see her again.

For someone like him, who had never had any girls reciprocate feelings for him, it was hard to hold back his excitement. He didn't want to get too excited and risk running her off. No, he wanted to do this right, so he held the excitement in check. There was, however, a very real worry of her being found by Fallen scouts on here way here. She had insisted on meeting here in their correspondence, rather than on the Fallen/Carna border because it was quicker and didn't yhink she'd get caught. The Fallen Beta had to admit, she was pretty good at remaining hidden when she didn't want to be seen. Still, though, he couldn't help but worry about her, with all the tensions between their two rings rising lately.

His thought were interrupted by the presence of a mind nearby. They had just entered the range of the mental 'scan' he always did to make sure nobody snuck up on him. He reached out towards the person's mind a little more to see who it was. He recognized the feel of her mind almost instantly. He felt a small grin cross his face as he thought he should have known better than to worry about her. If anyone in this dome could take care of themself, it aas Adri.

He stood up and dusted the dirt off of his pants, replaced his tomahawk on his belt, and leaned against a nearby rock. He stugfed his hands in his pockets and looked off in the direction he felt her mind, waiting for her to get closer....

[Adriana Reyes]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 475px; height: 566px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/ct6xd.png)] It felt like she'd been walking only five minutes, yet the city had already faded away into the distance, and all there was around her was pure wilderness. If only for a moment, it honestly seemed like they were free - out in the middle of nowhere. No shifters, no humans, no wall. That's the world she wanted to live in, and the one she'd continue to pretend to be in. There were no borders, no territories, no one who could tell her what to do - starting with the Carna. Sure, they were family, they were dangerous.. but somewhere along the way, the piece of her mind that regulated fear and threats had gotten severely damaged. That made her current situation seem a lot more reasonable. Walking through the foothils, pretty much on the edge of the world, somewhere in the lands on the border of the Analoya and the Fallen. Completely out of place, and pretty far from home - but she didn't stop. She couldn't wait to see him. It was weird, wasn't it? It didn't seem natural to her at all to care about someone. Safe to say that it had been a few years since anyone had consistently crossed her mind like he did, specially someone that she considered anything more than an acquaintance. But somewhere in the middle of the chaos that ensued between the unlikely friends, something sparked - and that was all the reason for her trespassing. Her boots made soft, muted thuds on the dirt as she went along, walking through the edge of the foothills and keeping to the edge of the woods. All that was on her mind was curiosity and anticipation of the night to come. Reckless would be an understatement. Anytime the two came together, something always seemed to whirl off in a different direction. She kept her hands by her sides, thumbs tucked into her jean pockets as she slipped into the woods for the last leg of the walk. The ground was relatively clear towards the outskirts of the forest, so it didn't give her much trouble as she flanked around the area. Quick's scent was lingering in the air, but walking right up to him had never been her preferred greeting. She liked sneaking up on him, and even if he could read her mind, she could obscure just enough of it to gain some kind of element of surprise. Before giving away her position, a smirk crawled back on her face, eyes darkening with telltale mischief as she bolted out of the woods. Creeping up behind him, she leapt up just seconds before impact, arms wrapping carefully around his shoulders so as to hang on, yet not choke him. A childish grin spread on her face then, taking the edge off of her usual guard. It'd been an attempt at a piggyback ride, though it would probably end up failing horribly.

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick kept his mind touched lightly to Adriana's for a short while before withdrawing it. With just about everyone else, he had no qualms about reading their thoughts. With Adri, though, it was different. He didn't want to read her mind past just knowing she was there.

Without warning, he felt someone jump on his back. Instinctually, his mind went to survival, assuming he was being attacked. He reached up and grabbed his attacker's arms before realizing it was Adri, identifying her with a brush of his mind against hers. He stood there for a moment with his heart pounding in his chest. Then, he laughed softly and lifted her further off the ground on his back, reaching around behind him to grab her legs.

"You've really got to stop sneaking up on me like that," he said, grinning and looking back at her as best he could over his shoulder,"It's good to see you again."

[Adriana Reyes]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 475px; height: 566px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/ct6xd.png)] His reaction was entertaining, as always. First came the adrenaline, she felt his heart beating just under his chest, speeding up as a result of her surprise. And then it slowed, calming down enough that he didn't try to send her flying off. She couldn't help but laugh, getting a better hold on him as he lifted her up further, and she found comfort where she was for a second, craining her neck just enough to nip his own. "But I like sneaking up on you," she protested, loosening her grip slightly and letting her head rest on his shoulder. For that moment, everything was perfect. No Analoya or Fallen on the horizon, no Carna tagging along to spy on her, and no responsibilities. There was nothing left but freedom to do whatever she wanted, and the only thing on her mind was the memory of the jaguar that she'd scared into jumping ten feet - all because of an irrational fear of snakes. What a strange fear that was.. and there he was, carrying one on his back and calling it a friend. The playful malice crept back into her heart again for a moment as she let her head rest on his shoulder. "It's good to see you too," she whispered, letting the words linger by his ear as she let out a sigh. And then, almost as if she'd been holding back the devilish side of her for far too long, she lifted herself just slightly, shifting back into the rattlesnake with her arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders. If he was terrified of snakes, he was now practically wearing one dangerously close to his throat. She held on tight enough to secure her location, tail rattling and giving off the nerve-wrenching hiss as if she was seconds from biting him. It as all in good fun.. for her, at least.

["Quick" Taylor]

She laughed as he lifted her up higher on his back, and he joined her. At that moment, he was no longer Quick, the Shifter imprisoned in the dome. No, he was finally Maxwell Taylor again for the first time since his parents' deaths. He couldn't rationalize it, but Adriana just made him forget about everything around them, something he didn't do often.

"But I like sneaking up on you," she said, nipping Quick in the neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I guess at least you weren't in your shift form," he said, laughing quietly. In that moment, he felt happier than he could remember ever being. After eight years of pain and regret and struggling to survive, it was a strange and foreign feeling. He welcomed it, though. It was relieving to not feel anger or fear for once. He could even if only for a few moments, forget where he was and just enjoy time with her.

He suddenly noticed something change though. He noticed the weight on his back decrease, and suddenly he was no longer holding her legs. She'd shifted into her rattlesnake form, and was rattling her tail as she let out a hiss right into his ear. He swallowed hard as he felt his heart beat faster again and his body begin to shake from the adrenaline starting to course through it.

"Adri...would you mind.....not shifting while you're on me?" he said, unsure of why he hadn't thrown her off of him like he normally would have done instinctively.