cycleofages | 01 Bite ~ Ways to Cope ~ OPEN

Who; Elena Micheal & OPEN
What; Adjusting...
Where; Around HQ
When; August 6th - 12th
Warnings; Fighting. Will change if there is anything else.

This place was something new, something strange and it kept Elena on edge. She had been assured that things were fine and that her other nature was something that was known if not accepted by those in HQ. That didn't mean she wanted to talk about it. She'd been bred to keep her secrets close and losing them shook her deeply.

In short, she hated this place.

Sparring | Afternoons(8th,10th,12th) | Forest

She hadn't sparred since she left Stoneheaven but now that she's somewhere new she wanted to be ready. She borrowed a loose fitting pair of sweats and a top to use for the hours she spent training. Then she found a place in the forest with enough space to move around. She shifted from stance to stance hearing the grass rustle with the touch of the wind.

Elena specialized in grappling which would be easier to practice with a partner. For now she'll do what she can but she'll welcome anyone who would be willing to fight with her.

Running | Any Day Before Sunrise | Forest

Tension was something she was used to. She always tried to stop the changes, to keep herself human and that put stress on her body. Running was one of the few ways that she dealt with that stress. Each morning, prior to sunrise, she can be found running laps around the edge of the forest. The warehouse was large enough to give her to illusion of distance and yet her body yearned to run on four legs.

Elena was wearing the borrowed sweats and shirt with her golden hair tied back in a tight ponytail. She paused only to grab a drink of water and then began to run again. When the sun started to flicker in the odd sky she'd head back to her dorm to grab a quick shower.

It would be obvious to anyone passing by that she was tense.

Eating | Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner | Cafeteria

With every meal Elena had a cup of hot tea or coffee. The tea in her cup varied but it was always warm and steaming and a silent comfort. She liked ice tea but the AC in HQ always made a warm drink a welcome sight.

Elena was used to eating a lot of food, she'd subsidize her meals with protein bars or other high fiber supplements but that was harder now that the cafeteria was only open during certain hours. After a bit of pressure from Gus she'd begun to try and eat the appropreate amount without feeling self-conscious. She would get several plates of food of the course of the hour and sit alone, with a book, at a corner table.

Even when she was done eating she'd simply sit, drink tea and read before being kicked out of the cafeteria.

Swimming | Midnight(10th) | Pool

Elena had done what she set out to do but the after meeting she was feeling stressed and she wanted to cool off. Having no access to a bathing suit she used the next best thing; her underwear.

Her clothes were neatly stacked on a chair, her necklace resting on top of the pile. Her underwear was simple, black and a little lacy but it covered enough to count as a bathing suit. She swam laps pausing at the edge of the pool to catch her breath. The air felt thick and cool as she inhaled and the water felt inviting and strong as it held her.

She wasn't a big swimmer but the change was nice.

Pacing | All hours of the day | Moon Dorms (Wild Card Option)

Elena was having a hard time remaining still. She paced around her room and when that wasn't enough she'd pace within the moon dorm common area. If it was late at night she'd wander into the hallway and then through the available areas of HQ. Her hands were shoved into her pockets while a thoughtful expression masked her features.

She didn't know what to think but she knew what Logan would say and in a weak or two she'd have a problem. She would want to hunt but she couldn't do that down here. She'd gotten her physical and cleared with the request not to bite anyone but it felt far more complicated than that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He began stretching and watching her. "This and swimming is what I do to relax and exercise. I love to get as acrobatic in my moves as I can, really pushing my body through its paces." He smiled again.

"And I like it for fun, too, amongst other things."

"Other things."

She raised an eyebrow before moving on to another topic. It wasn't as if she was asking him to elaborate.

"I don't usually swim but running feels natural." Elena rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "There is a pool here, maybe I'll try it."

"Yep." He grinned, not offering details, either, then nodded as she moved on, stretching as they talked. His body was in nearly top physical form for a not enhanced human.

"There is? I didn't know. I might have to check that out sometime." He liked swimming a lot.

"I wonder if when we go out to New York, there are any good lakes or such near."

"It's in the rec room. I.." She paused and then frowned. "I saw it when I was looking around." It wasn't the truth, she'd smelled the water without even seeing it and it had drawn her into the rec room in the first place. She remembered what Gus had told her but she can't help but want to keep herself feeling as human as possible.

"New York is technically a peninsula. I don't think it's the sort of water you'd want to swim in."

Bay water never was and Elena's nose was to keen to want to go near the water that cradled New York.

Pulse noted the pause for later. Hmmm, secrets, eh? Well, that was okay. He had a few.

Pulse blinked at that information, then nodded. "Probably not. Oh well."

He grinned, then. "I'll just find other things to occupy my time."

"You keeps things vague but I get the feeling you never have any trouble occupying your time." Elena shook her head, allowing her arms to fall back to her sides. She wanted to grab a shower before it got to late though she didn't actually know what time it was.

"I plan to be here every morning." Well, she'll be here before dawn. "If you want to run with me you're welcome too."

It's an open invitation.

"I get bored a lot. And I keep things vague because I don't feel like intruding on you that much. And some subjects... well, a lot of people would rather not talk about them, especially with a stranger." Pulse spoke matter-of-factly, eyes on hers.

Pulse nodded, smiling. "I'll be here when I can be."

"I've noticed that too." Her head tilted to the side before moving to take a seat on a nearby rock. She drunk a little more water, enjoying the cold sensation running down her throat before speaking again.

"I don't really bother me." Elena really didn't care about most subjects. "Before arriving here I was a photographer. My subjects were, at most, in their underwear. It depended on the shot that I needed. I think there is something amazing about the human body."

She smiled. "Probably sounds worse than it is. None of my shots had explicit content in them." It was obvious that she was at ease when she spoke and that she missed Toronto. She was so close to having her own art show.

"Well, for fun, I am generally a gentleman thief, and I have sex, and I exercise. Since I'm not going to steal from anyone here, and the sex pool is somewhat limited, I have defaulted to exercising. A lot."

Pulse spoke quietly but matter-of-factly.

Her words made him grin. "I did that, too, back home. I posed both clothed and nude, for various classes and a magazine." There was no boasting to his words, just a proud grin.

"There's nothing wrong with explicit content, in it's proper setting."

"There is a whole city above us." She teased him suddenly being reminded of Nicky. His task list didn't surprise her nor did it phase her smile.

"Yes but I want to become renowned and that isn't the way I want to do it." She wanted to be recognized for her art and her art show was the chance to do that. She'd been so excited though it seemed as if those dreams would be on hold for the time being. "Maybe if I can get my hands on a camera I can ask for your help."

She let her eyes roam over his body then, not shying away as she inspected him. "You have the form for it."

"And I'll probably be back to old news, a little, once I am up there. But a new world means relearning things. And i won't make a rookie mistake." He nodded.

Pulse listened, then smiled. "I can see how that is. True. It's a lot harder, too, for women to break into any field." Sadly, sexism never died.

A smile tugged at his mouth. "Thanks. Ask anytime. I'm not exactly shy."

His comment about women breaking into a field was accurate but Elena was to stubborn to leave things like that. "I'm not letting anything stop me."

A smile touched her lips as she continued. "I'm counting on it. A shy model isn't very useful."

"What sort of mistake are you thinking you might make?" She'd traveled to a few different places in her time though most were more remote that New York City. It wasn't all that bad being in a new place, you just had to know what you were doing.

"Good on you." he smiled, then shrugged. "Then I'm your man." He winked at her.

He arched an eyebrow then. "None, that is what I am saying. A lot of newbies to an area don't do their research, take their time. which is why they get caught, and fast." He smirked.

"In several decades, I've never so much as been discovered, or suspected, much less caught. And I am not going to start a bad trend now."

Elena knew what he meant but it wasn't something she liked to think about. She'd tracked down the mutts who were too stupid to keep their cover. That's how she found them and that's why she had to find them. Clay would always finish it but she felt as if she'd been sentencing those men to their deaths by tracking them down.

"It's a good thing you are smart." She didn't let the memory touch her expression. She was good at keeping her past buried.

Elena put on a smile, her head tilting to the side. "Well, I'll make sure to give you a call. When I have a camera and a location."

"Not smart. Experienced." He smiled softly, then nodded.

"Sounds good to me." Finishing stretching, he waved. "I'm going to head to the showers and eat. See you around."

Elena waved her fingers as he left.

"Sounds good, I need to do the same."

She'd have to get her stuff first so she turned and headed in the other direction.

01 Bite ~ Ways to Cope ~ OPEN

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