Making A Name

[Faolan (DELETED 7796)]

Backdated to January 21st

* Faolan stood next to the bookshelves, a copy of 'To Ride a Silver Broomstick' in his hand. Faolan was lost in the works of the witch that had written the book, so lost that he didn't see the pretty blonde that had walked in the door.

* Aine had slipped into the shop, smoothing her shirt over the top of her jeans with one hand, the other clinging to a large purse, the contents of which were one combat pistol and a wallet full of cash. The wallet was her own - the cash, not so much. But if she spent it on books, no one would know. Besides, there were things she wanted to research. She made her way past the tall man carefully, not interrupting his reading, to peruse the books herself. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she was fresh-faced - not a hint of makeup

* Faolan felt her brush by him, his green eyes glanced up to stare at the bun on her head, he then looked her up and down. He smiled and tilted his head. "You into wicca too?" He asked in a gruff voice; green eyes playful.

* Aine glanced up at the sound of the man speaking, then looked back at the books. "Mild interest, currently. You?" Blue eyes skimmed his figure idly, one eyebrow quirking up at the title. "Wouldn't silver weigh too much?"

* Faolan gave a slight smirk and shook his head. "Its meant to be ironic or some ****. Why the current mild interest Miss?"

* Aine laughed softly, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Trying to find some peace in my life." She didn't even mention the itch to steal, to reach into pockets and handbags and take the first thing her fingers found. "You didn't answer my other question."

* Faolan let that smirk grow wider. "I practice regularly, me mum was a witch; Gran too." If she listened closely to his voice, she could hear his lilt, old scots finding its way through him.

* Aine let her smirk turn into a wicked grin. "My da's Catholic," she said simply. "I left home, literally, this week. How long've you been out here?"

* Faolan licked his lip, "Hereabouts a month..." The lie slid from his mouth easily; his eyes flickering to the left. "A week eh? Tha' isn't tha' long." He smiled and held out his hand. "Name's Faolan."

* Aine nodded her head, extending her own hand and taking his. "Aine. It's a pleasure. Any recommended reading for a novice?" Her blue eyes returned momentarily to the books, before returning to look up into his green eyes. One blonde brow quirking up.

* Faolan studied her face, then looked at the selection and tilted his head. He grabbed a large book and thumbed through it; then offered it to her as he dropped their hands. He could hear her pulse then; his eyes roaming over her face. "A year and a day. It's like... Wicca 101." He told her, watching that brow raise again.

* Aine took a deep, slightly shuddering breath as he dropped from the handshake. Her pulse was fast, but perhaps not fear. Intrigue, maybe. Perhaps the nerves of being near someone so attractive? No. None of the above. Her thoughts raced, and she was a touch dizzy, from the proximity of his pockets. Her fingers twitched momentarily, before she accepted the book and thumbed the spine. "Thanks," was all she could muster.

* Faolan struggled with his fangs as he listened to the pounding of her heart. Sure, he'd fed already, but he could eat again, and again. Instead, he smiled without showing teeth and nodded. "Nae a problem luv. Maybe... If you're interested. We could grab a cup of coffee, I could quiz you on what you know." He knew the line was terrible, but it was worth a shot since she seemed to think him attractive.

* Aine smiled faintly. "I'd like that," she commented. "Let me go pay for this, and I'll join you, all right?" With that, she slipped past him, towards the counter, where she exchanged quick pleasantries with the clerk and handed over an appropriate amount of money. Canadian money looked so strange to her..

* Faolan nodded and settled the book back onto the shelf, watching her sway. He waited a beat, two, then followed her to the counter and leaned on it. Watching the money passed back and forth, he'd become accustomed to strange money in his travels, so it wasn't a big deal to him. What was a big deal, was her hands, they were so beautiful, he followed her arms to her face and settled his green gaze there.

* Aine was very, very delicate about slipping the book into her bag. If he or the clerk paid attention, the muzzle of a handgun would be noticeable as she slipped the book under it. The safety was on, and the clips were in a side pocket, zippered safely away. She was all about gun safety, and mostly had it for personal protection. Granted, it was a bit higher power than she needed, but it worked. Finally, she looked up. "Ready when you are."

* Faolan didn't notice the gun, or the book really. He was focused on her face, when she turned to him, a smile lit his lips. He then nodded and moved toward the door, holding out his arm to her. "Shall we then?"

* Aine accepted his arm like a true lady, inclining her head ever so slightly. "I believe we shall," she said sweetly.

* Faolan held the door open for her and led her out. Then turned them toward the foodcourt of the mall. "So, Aine, tell me about yourself?" He asked, strolling more than walking, he wanted everyone to see the beauty on his arm.

* Aine laughed as she realized he was directing them towards the food court. Not to be mean, but more out of sheer hilarity. Then his question registered. "Well. I'm from Limerick, younger of two siblings. I have a little niece, Regan, who's absolutely adorable. My ma...she..." The slender blonde took a deep breath. "She passed when I was a newborn."

* Faolan listened to her laugh and smiled, he liked her laugh. He stopped and looked at her, "Limerick? Are ye serious? I'm from Kilkenny." He stared at her, a dumbfounded look on his face.

* Aine stopped and laughed again, a shorter sound. "No way," she said softly, blue eyes widening as she looked him over all over again. "That's...that's crazy. We probably walked some of the same streets - my ma's parents live there."

* Faolan snorted and nodded, "Aye, that we did. Wow, that's... wow." He moved to start strolling again, eyes on her more than what was in front of him. "My whole family lived there, my whole life. Until a few months ago."

* Aine was relatively more observant of their surroundings as she walked, gently weaving them past person after person until she spied a coffee place. "That's insanity," she commented. "We grew up that close by, but never met. And trust me, I would remember meeting you."

* Faolan glanced at the coffee place and steered her to the door, "Would ye?" He asked gently, "Why's tha'?" He was genuinely curious about that, because no one had really noticed him before.

* Aine quirked an eyebrow as they approached the door. "You're tall, inked...attractive." She bit her lip, grabbing the door handle and pulling it open - her heart skipping half a beat.

* Faolan heard her heart and smirked, "Attractive eh? You ain't bad looking yerself luv." He muttered, leaning to be quiet in the doorway of the cafe. He held the door for her, letting her lead him.

* Aine made her way immediately to the counter, ordering, of all things, a blended mocha. "You want anything?" she asked, glancing at him.

* Faolan listened to her order a Mocha, then nodded and ordered an iced vanilla coffee with three shots of expresso. Then looked at her, "Want to find a seat while I wait on the drinks?" He asked her, smiling a bit.

* Aine smiled back and nodded, moving to take a seat at a window booth, smoothing the legs of her jeans as she set her purse gently on the chair beside her, keeping a protective hand on it as she watched him.

* Faolan watched her move away, then turned back to the counter and lounged against it. His body was doubled over and he stared at the barista. His eyes bled black for a fraction of a second while the barista had his back turned, when the male set the cups in front of Faolan, his eyes were normal again. "Thanks." He muttered, then moved with the two cups to the seat and settled her drink before her.

* Aine accepted the cup carefully, taking a sip of the chilled drink with a sigh. "So, tell me some more about yourself," she said simply, a faint smirk playing on her features.

* Faolan smiled, then shrugged. "Not much to tell, I came here looking for something, didn't find it. Decided to stay, I like it here, I feel at home here." He said, green eyes jubilant as he watched her sip. He lifted his own cup and let the liquid touch his lips, but he didn't swallow.

* Aine inclined her head some. "Understandable. I came here looking for a better place to be." Blue eyes flicked from patron to other patron idly for a moment, as her left hand gently tapped on the book's cover through her purse. The itch was running strong. "Get away from my parents' friends who look at me with blame in their eyes."

* Faolan furrowed his brows then, "Blame, for killing yer mum?" He asked gently, resisting the urge to take her hand in sympathy. He'd been looked at like that, but he'd been guilty every time. Instead, he faked another drink and shook his head, "No child should have to go through that, nay."

* Aine sighed, taking a deep drink of blended mocha and setting it aside, setting her hand in that open no-man's-land between them. Her eyes flicking across the room again. "I suppose it's what made my...my problem worse, knowing they hated me, pretended to fawn over me while sneering behind my family's backs."

[Aine (DELETED 7786)]

* Faolan looked from her face to her hand then back again. He cautiously reached out and linked his inked fingers in hers, "Like I said, no child should have to go through that." He said, then shook his head again, "Yer life will be better here, I can make sure of that, aye?"

* Aine gave him a gentle smile, before closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She shook gently for a moment, before settling. "After we finish our coffee, I'll...explain. I don't want to be overheard."

* Faolan nodded as he felt her shake, then squeezed her fingers in his before releasing her. "Mmm, sounds good to me." He muttered, then fake sipped. He set it down, and smiled at her, "Tell me more about you though, why did you come here specifically?"

* Aine laughed. "That's easy. Thumbtack and a globe. Spun it, dragged the point with my eyes closed, and pierced when it felt right. It landed here, of all places." She shook her head, sipping at the iced concoction again.

* Faolan smiled and raised a brow, staring at her face, "You really did tha'?" He asked, trying to imagine it. She was fascinating to him and he wanted to hear her talk more, her voice was... He couldn't describe how it made him feel.

* Aine laughed again. "**** yeah, I did. And I must say, so far," she reached, tracing a finger over the back of his hand, "best decision ever. Caught the next red-eye out."

* Faolan felt goosebumps raise over his hand, he glanced down at her hand on his and then up at her eyes, "Yeah? Why is that?" He asked, suddenly realizing that she found him more than attractive.

* Aine shook her head, taking a gentle sip. "Got to meet you. I guarantee, if I had chosen from a list, or taken Da's advice and gone to New York...this," she gestured between the pair of them, "never would've happened."

* Faolan smiled then, "I'm glad you didn't take yer Da's advice then." He said, leaning toward her. "If I had taken me mum's advice, I'd be in Jersey working some strip mall department store job. What a ******* waste that would be." He told her, grin widening.

* Aine giggled softly, covering her mouth before she upended her cup and sighed. "I haven't adapted fully to the time zone, yet. I'm still five hours ahead." She smoothed her blouse gently, leaning forward on the table. The cut of her top showed off skin - and, accidentally, the faint motion of her heart beneath her skin and bones and muscles. Barely noticeable to the human eye.

* Faolan looked at her flesh, then flicked his green gaze to her face and back down again. "I wasn't, when I came here, but I get it. When I left Kilkenny, I was 8 hours ahead. I didn't get on the right schedule for months. But it gets easier." He said, eyes flickering to her heart again.

* Aine lightly reached to trace his arm with a single fingertip, biting her lip softly and breathing a sigh. "So what do you do for a living?" she asked gently. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just...curious."

* Faolan jerked his gaze from that beating heart and looked at her face, "Oh, I don't.. I'm not employed at the moment. But I am usually a musician. I play bass." He said gently, smiling at her like it was nothing, then took another fake sip of his coffee and set it back down.

* Aine grinned. "I like musicians. My brother's a drummer," she commented, licking her lips and eyeing him again. "I don't have a permanent residence just yet. I'm in a motel room - not the nicest, but it works for me. I don't need a lot of space, after all." She glanced down at her empty cup, then back at him. "You want to...go back? To my motel room?"

* Faolan blinked up to her face again, as he was staring at the pulse in her wrist, "You want to go now?" He asked her, picking up the full cup and then took her empty, he stood and looked at her as he scooted out, "Aye, I'd like that, we can watch a bit of telly." He said, winking before he scooted out of the booth and over to the trash. He was careful that she didn't see his cup was full as he threw it in the covered can. Then walked over to the table again and offered his arm. "Shall we then?" He said, knowing he'd used that line earlier.

* Aine stood up, grabbing her purse and hanging it from her left arm as she takes his arm again. "Quite the charmer, ain't you?" she asked softly, rhetorically. Her heartbeat was a touch faster now than before, as she led him out of the coffee shop.

* Faolan snickered and shrugged, "Maybe." He quipped, knowing she didn't expect an answer. He let her lead him this time, out of the mall, into the dark street. He was still watching her, though this time he weaved through the pedestrian traffic with ease.

* Aine led him straight to the motel, not saying much of anything until they were there. "Hang on a tic," she murmured, letting go of his arm as she made her way into the motel and up two flights of stairs, down a corridor, to room 314, where she finally pulled out a keycard and swiped it, shouldering the door open. "C'mon," she gestured, sweeping to pick up lingerie from the floor. "Took me a while getting dressed this morning."

* Faolan stayed quiet as well as he memorized the way to her motel, then looked hard at the door as she swiped the key, he'd remember that number too. As she pushed open the door, he saw the lingerie and smirked. "Oh yeah? Why is that?" He asked, smirk widening a bit.

* Aine shrugged. "Today felt important. Guess I was right," she grinned, setting her pistol - a .44, generic piece - on the bedside table, and her purse on the desk. Then she flopped down onto the edge of the bed, untying her shoes.

* Faolan let the left side of his mouth lift in a higher smile than usual, giving him a cocky demeanor as he sat down on the floor and watched her take off her sneakers. "Well, that's a nice piece." He said, eyeing the gun for a moment before looking at her again.

* Aine laughed. "Picked that up this morning. Not exactly safe for a single girl to go around unprotected, this day and age, is it?" she commented, tossing her shoes into the corner. "So. The problem I mentioned earlier. You know the term...sticky fingers?"

* Faolan nodded and turned his attention to her face, "I do." He said, having spent most of his adult life starving, he knew all too well the term people used for thieves. He looked at her and smiled, "Telling me you stole my watch or summat?" He asked, then started checking himself.

* Aine shook her head. "No, I'm a kleptomaniac. I learned techniques to keep it in check, but...that's why I was twitchy in the cafe. Compelled to steal."

* Faolan smiled then, "Mmm, you have that then. I'm okay with that, is there anything I can do.. to help I mean?" He asked, pushing himself up to stand.

* Aine shook her head again. "It's how I'm currently making money to keep myself in the area. And I picked up burglary, to be entirely ******* honest. Did you know some of these factories have ******* microwaves locked up?"

* Faolan laughed and nodded, "How do you think I afford my nice clothes?" He asked, pulling on the black hoodie and wife beater. "I'm a thief too ya know. I've had to steal a lot in my day."

* Aine lifted herself onto her knees, watching him. "I'm suddenly glad I'm not alone," she commented, patting the bed beside her. "Join me?"

* Faolan lifted himself up off the floor and moved to sit on the bed next to her, "I have a feeling there are more like us out there in this city." He said, smiling a bit.

* Aine leaned gently against his shoulder, sighing softly. "I met a woman who said she'd help me out. There's apparently certain tricks to be found in this place. Things I'd never heard of." One hand trailed down his forearm gently.

* Faolan smiled down at her, beard brushing against her temple. "Oh? Like what?" He asked as he wrapped the arm not being petted around her and pulled her a bit closer to him. He realized that her heartbeat had slowed down, was she finally relaxed around him? Should she be?

* Aine was comfortable on what she currently considered her only home turf in this crazy city. "Smoke and knockout bombs, for example. And the woman said something about false alarms too, no idea what that's about."

* Faolan raised his brow and shrugged, "Search me, I have nay a clue." He mumbled against her hair. He just wanted to hold her there for a while, maybe lie down a bit. He nudged against her, "It's late." He mumbled to her.

* Aine laughed softly, shifting to lay back. She kept the curtains drawn all the time, and the do not disturb sign was a permanent fixture to her door. Without knowing it, her room was already vampire-safe. "Stay with me," she said, soft as a whisper. Her heart skipped again at the suggestion.

* Faolan looked down at her, then smiled and tilted his head to kiss her temple as he lay next to her. "Okay." He nodded and turned her on her side to pull her back to his front.

* Aine snuggled somewhat back into him, making a soft noise, between acceptance and just plain tiredness. She was asleep within minutes.

* Faolan lay there for a long time, hand running through her hair as he kissed her neck a bit and laid back down. "Ye are amazing Baby Girl." He whispered in her ear, before he too closed his eyes.