{OPEN} hiding from myself

[Taryn Rosalee James]

Weeks had passed, or was it months? Taryn James danced to the obnoxious thumping of the techno beats and realized that she didn't know exactly how long it had been since her mate had disappeared. Sweat trickled down her back as her body moved to the music, her eyes closed, not caring who she bumped in to. But, Taryn had a certain, air, about her and it kept most people at bay. Someone had told her last week (or was it last month?) that she gave off such uncomfortable waves of aggression it was no wonder she was still alone. Taryn had scared that poor old woman so good, she'd gotten off the subway three stops ahead of where she'd been going.

She opened her eyes and made minimal contact with the eyes on her. She knew where the aggression came from and knew where she wanted to spread it all free. That bastard, whose name she refused to use anymore, had stolen her heart and left her in a heap. He'd proven to her that she was a no good blubbering fool of a woman and if she ever saw him again, she'd kill him. After she kissed him.

[Ezra]

Ezra was never one for clubs. He only came out of boredom, and for some reason he thought it might be interesting to see what type of people came to this club. He wasn't really one for traveling across the world either. But, when he wasn't in New York, he was in Moscow.

And he couldn't help but find one of the dancing girls entertaining. Who dances with their eyes closed? And she was bumping into one person after the other, obviously not caring. He leaned against the wall and gave her a small smirk when her eyes finally did open. There was something about her that seemed kind of different though. He could already tell that she was a werewolf. That much was clear. But there was something else about her, and he couldn't really put his finger on it.

She seemed agressive, and that was probably because of some jerk she'd met before. Every easily angered girl had a story behind her fury. That story ususally involved a cocky young man who dumped her. Why should the blind-dancing wolf girl be any different? he asked himself, the smirk still on his face.

[Taryn Rosalee James]

She could feel his eyes on her, hell she could feel all of their eyes on her, but his stare was different. His eyes on her back were somehow more intense, more pressing upon her spirit. She couldn't tell what he was, but he senses were down to nothing with all the shit she's been putting herself through lately. She turned, with her eyes open, and met his dark gaze. He was handsome, she wouldn't deny him that, but there was something about him that was so.. menacing. A demon, maybe. The horrible things had been making themselves more and more known these days.

Don't judge her wrong, Taryn knew there was more to this world than the sweaty bodies surrounding her. Taryn herself was proof of that very statement. She could even now feel the wolf that lived inside her stirring with discomfort under the demon's stare. Against her better judgment, and that of the now growling wolf screaming inside her head, she made her way to the bar and next to the mysterious man. "Are you just planning to stare at me all night? Or would you like to buy me a drink?" She asked with a smirk as she waved down the bartender and ordered a Jack on the rocks.

[Ezra]

Ezra smirked slightly as she made her way over to him. Whether his stare scared them or invited them, whoever he was staring at always found their way to him. So, she wanted a drink. It's not like he ever had any trouble finding money. He just gave her a sly kind of smirk and motioned to the bartender, but he didn't say anything.

She was smart, he'd give her that. She'd already guessed he was a demon, which was faster than most strangers he'd met. The other strangers hadn't been werewolves, but most of them hadn't been human either. Actually, he hadn't met a wolf in a long time.

And Ezra was never one for introductions. He'd never started a conversation with hello, and he only told his name if someone asked for it. He couldn't lie, which he hated, and his name was weird to most people he came across. Most humans thought he was crazy. What kind of name would Ezra be to a human, anyway? Not a normal one.

"So what is a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?" As he said that, he thought of something else. What is a demon like me doing in a place like this? He honestly had no idea.

[Taryn Rosalee James]

She kept her eyes on him as she took a sip from her fresh drink. The whiskey burned down her throat and settled warmly in her empty stomach. Well, she thought, it wasn't empty if you counted all the booze in it. Not that all the alcohol mattered. Her body, to her dismay, tended to metabolize the alcohol faster than she could drink it. She took another slow sip as he gave her a common line, "So what is a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?" Sure, she'd heard it before, but there was something different about him saying it.

Taryn didn't know too much about demons, other than she had less of a problem sniffing them out than most. She'd come across a couple in her life and thought it best to leave them be. But this one, this tall dark and handsome demon, she needed to know something, anything, about him. Hell, maybe she'd get lucky and he'd kill her.

Suicide wasn't an option for Taryn. But, the shit she'd made of her life had her hoping she'd come upon an accident at least. She'd abandoned her pack, let her mind destroy her, all for a.. a man! She was pathetic. "I'm taking a break from life.. What about you?" She said as she placed her glass on the bar. She reached up to tuck a piece of her now dark hair behind her ear and then held out that same hand to him. "I'm Taryn.. I like to know the names of the men who buy me drinks." She said, giving him a smirk.

[Ezra]

Ezra couldn't help but scan through her thoughts. Whatever had happened between her and that boy, it had really messed her up. But she was smart. She'd figured out he was a demon in less than a minute, and she knew that it was best to stay away from them. If she's that smart, then why would she let a man bring her down? And down to the point where she wanted to die...

But, he hoped she wouldn't be disappointed that Ezra would never hurt her. He tried his best not to hurt anyone, even though most people just judge him as wanting everyone dead, just because of what he is. Apparently, most people are terrified of demons or at least try not to get in their way. But, except for Ezra and possibly a few others, that's the way demons want it.

"I supposed you could it that. A break from life." Honestly, he didn't know why he randomly came back to Moscow. Sure, New York and Canada bored him, but until Taryn finally made her way over to him this place had bored him to. At least now he had someone to talk to. And then, his name. But, since she already knew he was a demon that maybe his name wouldn't seem so crazy to her. So, she wanted the names of the guys who buy her drinks. Smart girl. "Ezra."

[Taryn Rosalee James]

Her mind was running circles around itself and even though she was sitting in the presence of this gorgeous man, err demon, she couldn't help but think of the other one. She'd searched most of Europe for Urjasz to no evail. Her skin crawled at just the thought of his name and she quickly took another sip of the whisky in front of her. She would kill him if she ever saw him again, oh yes she would have her revenge on him for turning her in to this pathetic creature.

Taryn had ran so fast from New York that when she'd woken up in Prague a week later, she almost questioned how she'd gotten there. She'd been beaten up and bloody, still wearing the same outfit she'd left the states in.

Taryn shook her head slightly and smiled as he gave her his name. "Ezra." She repeated out loud. What an interesting name for a demon. Taryn knew that Ezra was the man that read the bible aloud to the people Babylon, but she doubted this man had done his bible studies lately. "Kind of ironic, isn't it?" She said to him with a smirk on her face. She didn't know a thing about this demon and pointing out that she knew what he was might have been a stupid decision. But, stupid decisions were all she seemed to make lately.

[Ezra]

Well, at least Taryn liked his looks. Gorgeous she'd called him. Ezra couldn't help but smirk at that. He sipped his own drink, even though he never really understood why human tastebuds liked this stuff, as he scanned through more of her thoughts. So, she wanted the guy dead. He'd come across a lot of women who wanted their ex-boyfrinds dead. Her story wasn't a hard one to figure out. Although, with werewolves involved that did make it a little more interesting.

Ezra couldn't help his chuckle at her reaction to his name. Even if he hadn't been a telepath, he still would have figured out that she was referring to the bible Ezra. A lot people who knew his name would pick on him about that. It was so ironic that most of the people who knew that he wouldn't hurt a fly would just laugh at him about it. But he was actually sort of surprised that she was brave enough to say that. "You have no idea how many people have told me that."

[Taryn Rosalee James]

"You have no idea how many people have told me that." She laughed at his comment, honest to God laughed. It had been so long since she'd heard that cheerfull sound come from her own mouth that it shocked her back to silence. She softly smiled to herself and put her glass back down. For the first time in who knows how long, the loud music, the smell of sweaty bodies and all the alcohol she'd consumed started to bother her.

She felt her eyes go wide moments before the nausea nailed her. "I.. I have to.." Was all she could get out as she ran for the door. The bouncers stumbled out of her way as she shoved through the big black doors. The cool night air hit her like a ton of bricks and she gulped it in greedily. She was on the verge of a much anticipated nervous breakdown and she wasn't about to let it happen. She sucked the fresh air in to her lungs and tried hard not to choke.

"I.. ughh.." She wasn't even sure that he'd followed her and she didn't turn around to check. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been seen talking to herself on the side of a street. "I'm such a mess." She said to herself, still not knowing if he'd followed her.

[Ezra]

Ezra smirked when she laughed. He knew she would, and that's why he said it. She seemed like she needed to laugh. But then she rushed outside. He swallowed down the rest of his drink as his eyes followed her out the huge doors. Once they swung closed behind her, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Not that the drunkies here would notice anything he did, anyway.

He teleported outside and stood behind her just in time to hear her speak. Who knew saying one line could make her snap like that? He didn't know what that meant, but he suddenly felt really concerned for her. He knew from experience that a nervous breakdown was not the easiest thing to try to prevent. And she was doing a much better job of it than he had... but that was a long time ago now.

They could still hear the loud music thundering from behind them through the doors, but he ignored it. He gave her a sympathetic look even though she wasn't facing him. "I don't think you're a mess," he admitted in a soft tone. He didn't know if that would help her any, but it couldn't hurt to try.

[Taryn Rosalee James]

She could smell him before she knew he was there behind her. "I don't think you're a mess," He said to her softly. She turned slowly around to face him, tears that she refused to let fall, glistening in her eyes. "Thanks, but you obviously don't know me very well." Taryn shook her head and turned around again. She looked up to the sky, seeing the almost full moon in all its brightness. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost it like that in there. Its just..." She wrapped her arms around herself even though she wasn't the slightest bit cold. "Its been so long since I've laughed."

she turned around again, seeing his striking face in the moonlight. "You don't look like any of the other demon's I've met.. Of course, I didn't speak to any of them either. It was more of a.. run the other way really fast type situation."

[Ezra]

Ezra didn't say anything for a while. It was true. He didn't know her very well, but at the moment he was just relieved that she hadn't stormed out from her fear of him. Usually, when people run away, it's not because they laughed for the first time in a long while. Come to think of it, Ezra hadn't laughed in a while, either. He'd laughed at his pointless enemies who tried to hunt him, yes, but that was just to get on their nerves. He'd never actually laughed because he was happy, or found something funny, in a long time. Longer than Taryn, probably.

And watching her hug herself like that, if he had known her longer than three minutes he would've hugged her too. But she probably didn't want anything to do with him. He was an evil creature of the night that terrified mortals, or at least most mortals. Taryn actually didn't seem that afraid. And then she talked about a run the other way really fast situation. He liked that. And she was smart to run away, too. He'd never met another demon that half as decent as he was. Not that he would brag, but he was the only one that didn't kill everything in its path without hesitation.

He smirked slightly then, "You were smart to run," he admitted. Then he felt the need ask, "So why didn't you run from me...? You knew the moment you laid eyes on me." He knew that most evil demons don't spend their time in loud, dancey bars. But he was still curious what made him less terrifying than the others. Besides the fact that he clearly wasn't trying to kill anyone. If he'd wanted to, he would've done it already.

[Taryn Rosalee James]

He smirked at her and she couldn't help but smirk back. "You were smart to run," he said to her and she just nodded in agreement. "So why didn't you run from me...? You knew the moment you laid eyes on me." She shrugged and turned to face the street again. She sat down on the curb and felt the cold concrete through her too thin jeans. Why hadn't she run from him? Wasn't that the question of the evening. He'd had that same air about him that all demon's had, the one that says 'get the hell away from this looney toon!' But, she hadn't run. Did she have a death wish? Maybe. But, did she think this demon in particular was going to answer that wish? No.

"I don't know why I didn't run from you. Don't get me wrong, the same urge to run that came with meeting all demons was still there. It just.. There was something different about you." She shook her head involuntarily. "My Mother always told me I was a great judge of character and for some reason I just didn't think you were the same as every other fear mongering demon I'd encountered." She looked over her shoulder to the man that was standing beside her. "Isn't that ridiculous? A werewolf who isn't running from a demon.. Maybe I do have a death wish."

[Ezra]

Ezra really hoped she didn't have a death wish. He hated it to see how depressed some people were, and he hoped he'd never feel that way. Not again. Of course, he'd had his fair share of suicidal thoughts. He hated them, and he hated them even more at the time because it's practically impossible to the kill a demon.

There was something differen't about you. Of course there was. He was murdering everyone he crossed paths with. That, and he didn't have that bizarre, threatening glare that most other demon's expressed. He hated glaring. Then Taryn called herself ridicules. "Maybe a litte ridicules," he shrugged slightly and sat down beside her on the curb. "Maybe it means you're smarter than all the others. The others who do run away from me. I can't change what I am, no matter how much I want to. But that doesn't mean that I want everyone to be afraid of me."

[Taryn Rosalee James]

"Maybe a litte ridicules," He said and she gave him a soft laugh as he sat down beside her on the curb. "Maybe it means you're smarter than all the others. The others who do run away from me. I can't change what I am, no matter how much I want to. But that doesn't mean that I want everyone to be afraid of me." She looked away from him as he spoke and she took his words to heart. Part of the reason she'd lost herself so badly lately was because of her own other self. The wolf side of her that scared people, that had her angry all the time, the side of her that was cold and primall.

Taryn looked back at the demon sitting beside her. He was a self professed good guy with a bad rap, but could she really believe that of a DEMON? Well, he hadn't given her a reason not to believe him. "Your right, we can't change what we are, just deal with it." She gave him a smile and nudged his shoulder. "I'm sorry I spazzed out when I should have been thanking you for squeezing a laugh out of me." She was smirking, almost a real smile, and it felt foreign on her face. She'd been so depressed and angry lately, it was nice to smile again. "So, what are you up to in Russia this evening? I hear there's a ball in the Red Square.. We could go cause some trouble?!" She said, still smirking.