Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 1, 2006 2:15:08 GMT
Mara climbed the steps to the brick opening of the gallery, ignoring the feeling to turn around every other minute and check over her shoulder. It was paranoia leftover from her time in jail, and she hoped it would fade soon. Easing into the large gallery that she'd been alloted, she noted that the sign with her name had been put up already, and a list of food items had been left for her approval. With a grin she noticed the wines were all Australian - "Thanks mate." She said it quietly - only her home country knew how to make a Shiraz.
She went to the large boxes that would be housing her security equipment and began unpacking the cameras and microphones. For the next hour, she set up the cameras and microphones to record people coming in and out of the gallery. The cameras deterred theft, and the hidden mics she liked to place because it told her what people *really* thought of her work, rather than what they said to her face.
After all the security was taken care of, she placed all the photos around the gallery in the order she wanted them to be in.
There.
She looked around and checked her watch. The food was being brought in, as well as the tables for wine and the small corner where purchases would be made. Hopefully. It's all set - now I just have to get through the next 2 days without losing control. What frightened her was that she didn't know if she could.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 13, 2006 21:06:02 GMT
Standing off tot he side, Mara watched as the wine table was stocked. The last few days had gone smoothly, and the show was approved for opening and thankfully had been given high praise, so would probably make some money. Usually she would have had to wait for the paper to come out after the opening day to know that, but her security system had brought her the news early. It had been a great help in keeping her control.
Placing her battered leather camera bag under the table at the far end, she double checked the placement of her prints. Stop being so careful - you'll be fine... The closeness of the new moon was like a constant prickle down the back of her neck, and it was making her moody and irritable. She had plans to escape to the cabin tonight, as soon as the opening had finished.
She made sure the sleeve of her shirt covered the still unhealed cut on her arm, and began to pace the room slowly - ticking down the last minutes until she could run.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 13, 2006 23:34:08 GMT
Continued from: The Hyperion; The Lobby with Kyle etc.
Getting into the gallery hadn’t been a problem at all, thankfully. They had found a decent parking space, and been able to get inside the building without incident, immediately breaking into a less obvious group as soon as they were through the doors; subtlety was key.
The gallery was occupied, here and there, by random people of varying ages, occupations and intention; anyone from students to idle pensioners were dotted here and there. Standing in front of a particularly surreal painting, arms crossed loosely over his chest with one hand near his chin, was a man dressed more or less in black, with dark red detail on the shirt under his simple jacket. For all intents and purposes, he looked very normal; nothing extraordinary. Around the large hall were people with equally un-extravagant appearances and demeanours. About six or seven of them in total, counting the first man. But, he wasn’t just admiring the paintings… he was waiting; he would know her when he saw her.
Cole had, after all, seen her photograph before, thanks to Marion. He was just biding his time, until he caught sight of her. He didn’t want to make it too obvious he was looking for her after all, in case she noticed; it wouldn’t do to make her paranoid.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 13, 2006 23:50:45 GMT
Mara stood in the bathroom, splashing water on her face. She'd only been free from the jail for a short while, and being outside again seemed like it would be good - but she'd been getting more and more jumpy tonight as the minutes passed. She wiped her face with the towel and scowled at her reflection. "Snap out of it. You need the money." She squared her shoulders and walked back out onto the gallery floor, her boots making very little noise as she moved back out to observe her gallery. She retucked her black silk top into her pants as she moved, and noticed several more people had come in. Making her way over to the table, she picked up a glass of red, swirling the wine in the glass while she looked at her favorite black and white print.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 13, 2006 23:52:56 GMT
Not even seeing her at this point, he recognised the distinctive scent as it entered the room. He inclined his head to turn his eyes just slightly, and then gazed over to the far side of the hall. Meeting the eyes of one of his companions, he was silent as he moved over towards the food table himself; gathering a glass of wine as well, he moved to admire the same print as the woman. Closer proximity only confirmed what he already knew. She was a werewolf, much as Marion had told him; the newly turned one they had freed from jail. For the moment, he said nothing, waiting to see if she was yet aware of how finely tune her heightened senses could be, and the clues they might give her.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 13, 2006 23:57:53 GMT
Mara took a slow sip from her glass as she felt the back of her neck prickle. Her body grew uncomfortably hot, and she shifted from one leg to the other. She shook her head slightly, looking casually to her side. The man standing there bothered her. Why, she couldn't have begun to say. Her mind darted from one thought to the next – he feels curious - why is he curious - the painting's obvious enough - unless...it's me... Her upper lip curled back as she felt him to be TOO close suddenly. Tightening her fingers abruptly, her wine glass shattered.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 13, 2006 23:59:26 GMT
He winced slightly, hearing a few of the people in the room turn and mutter curiously as the glass hit the floor. He debated whether or not to say anything, one hand reaching in his pocket and pulling free a handkerchief he would never use, but seemed to have brought with him just this purpose. “Everything all right?” he asked of her quite calmly, eyes rarely leaving the painting. He knew she wouldn’t have hurt herself; the force of her shattering the glass would only drive slivers into her skin, if that… she probably wouldn’t even feel them.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 14, 2006 0:02:15 GMT
Mara looked at her fingers - the only red on them was the wine. "Perfectly fine, thank you." She ignored his offer of the handkerchief, and picked up two napkins from the buffet, swiftly cleaning up the glass pieces. She waved away the waiter who came over with a bandage, and calmly handed him the pieces. She selected another glass and drained it, walking two large, graceful steps to the next photograph over. She noted that the same set of people were in the gallery - a rather handsome blonde man and two other younger people were still there as well. Hang in there - the closing signal will sound shortly...
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 14, 2006 0:04:54 GMT
He smiled as she ignored his offer, and after eyeing the handkerchief only for a moment, slipped it silently back into his pocket. She was testy. He’d expected that. Age and experience had taught him the necessity of being aware of the cycle of the moon… it was less than a week until it was full, and she was feeling its pull; how it affected her moods and reactions. He waited until the shards of glass were swept up from near his feet, and then quietly moved along the same path she had taken, this time standing on the other side of her, so that if she went to the next painting, she would have to go around him.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 14, 2006 0:11:49 GMT
With relief, she heard the soft bell to indicate that the gallery was closing. She waited a few minutes, then turned her head, trying to ignore her heartbeat. Annoyed, she saw that the man had moved into her line of sight. The gallery was closing, but he wasn't moving. In fact, several of the people in the gallery weren't either. Quickly, she returned her face to the print infront of her. In the reflection of the glass frame she saw gold in her face. Oh shit. She took two deep breaths, bringing her shoulders in slow circles. She walked back to the refreshment table, realizing too late that it had gone, and that she'd cornered herself.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 14, 2006 0:13:11 GMT
Cole was well aware that the gallery was closing, but he did nothing to obey the soft bell. He followed, albeit slowly. The others in the room didn’t move either; simply remained in their places, ‘admiring’ the paintings and seemingly paying no attention to the people on the other side of the room. He still held his mostly untouched wine glass in his hand, and he watched her body language as he approached. She was uncomfortable… on edge. Like a cornered animal. He could hardly blame her; she had to feel trapped right about now, especially seeing as the gallery security were nowhere to be seen all of a sudden.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 14, 2006 0:15:52 GMT
She turned slowly and looked at him, straight in the eyes. "Can I help you?" She held herself to her full height, arms not crossed, but relaxed at her sides. She forced her hands not to turn to fists.
She was certainly tall; he had to give her that. But naturally, he wasn’t intimidated; he was too old and experienced for that, and he let his cool exterior do its work as he cocked his head slightly to one side. “Actually,” he began calmly, “it’s more a case of whether I can help you.”
Surprise spread over her face before she could school it. He's so calm. That just served to irritate her further. "And what makes you think you could help me? Or that you presume to know me?" She was beginning to get frightened, her eyes flicked to the exit - three people between her and the door - for the moment she was in control...Oh god I hope...
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 14, 2006 0:19:02 GMT
He saw the change of focus, and made mental note of it. She was weighing her options. “I don’t claim to know you all that well, Miss Harper,” he said, allowing her name to slip out of him as it were perfectly natural. “But I can guarantee I know something that no one else does… except maybe one other person, that is.” He wasn’t trying to test her limits, but rather get a feel for how much control she had. If she lashed out, he was ready, and he was confident nothing would happen.
"I don't enjoy riddles, whoever you are." She looked back at his face, counting to ten in Korean in her head to keep herself centered. Some of the rage calmed. Thinking of all life as a sparring ring is not going to work for long... She felt a measure of control returning, and relieved, allowed herself to gesture smoothly. "My name is all over this gallery. The other information - you will need to share that with me before I tell you if it's so."
Inclining his head slightly in recognition of the fact that her name would not have been hard to acquire, he lifted his wine glass halfway to drink from it. “Before I do that, would you happen to know if sound is recorded in this gallery? Cameras I can see for myself…”
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Feb 14, 2006 0:20:28 GMT
She decided that if he was going to play coy, she'd go along with it. "Cameras are recording, yes. I set up small microphones at certain sections of the gallery - I like to hear what people really are saying about my work - and it's an extra security measure. I know where they are, and I am the only one with access."
“If this is one of those sections,” he continued, lowering the glass again, “does anyone listen while they record?” Granted, she had just said she was the only one with access, but he wanted to make sure she meant that no one else ever saw or heard what was recorded.
She arched an eyebrow. "No one is there listening, no. If you have someone there you add human error. I prefer to make sure it's all fixed myself. So I can go back and erase you later if I want to."
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Feb 14, 2006 0:22:14 GMT
There’s something I’ve never heard before, he mused with an internal smile. “All right.” He nodded his head faintly up and down in acknowledgement of her assurance. “In that case… I know exactly why you’re uncomfortable around me.” He paused. “To me, it’s obvious in more than the way you behave; speech and movement.” Another pause. “And I know you can sense more about me than any normal person would too.”
She arched the eyebrow again, higher this time. "So you can tell how I react to strange men who make me feel cornered? Bully for you, mate." She was beginning to get uncomfortable again, and she adjusted her stance, trying to keep from showing how tense she felt.
He actually smiled this time. “You don’t like people being vague. I get that.” He nodded again, taking in a breath. “All right… let’s rephrase.” He actually closed the distance here, perhaps just to see how she would react. “I know what you are.”
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