[open]

[silent_key]

Adam has been in Siren Cove for four days now and in those four days he's heard a lot of stories circulating around town about the current state of the Matriarch and the situation the sirens now find themselves in. For Adam, it works in his favour. His family has never belonged to any enclave, has never answered to any Matriarch and the problems going on now give him the opportunity to slip into town unnoticed.

It won't last, he's sure of that, but that doesn't mean he's not enjoying the chance to move into his new condo without worrying about how he's going to present himself.

Rather, he'd be enjoying himself if it didn't seem like the movers were going to drop ever second box. A year ago and Adam would have done it himself. A year ago he would have talked some friends into helping him, bugged his little brother until he agreed to drive the van, and they would have unloaded together. He would have bought beer and pizza -- or convinced someone to give him beer and pizza anyway -- and it would have been an experience, even if it hadn't been fun.

But now his brother is dead. Most of his friends don't call anymore. And Adam's scars prevent him from doing much of anything when it comes to moving boxes.

"Jesus Christ, I'm going to have a heart attack before this is over," he says loud enough for the movers to hear as they manhandle another box off the truck, nearly dropping it in the process. "Please don't kill all my things before they even make it inside."

[Adam's in front of his new condo, a lovely building near the beach. Dry run tags can be considered canon if you'd like, or if you want to start fresh, I'm okay with that, too. :D]

Comments

[davin]

"Ooh, someone's havin' a snit," Davin teases, overhearing Adam as he passes by on his run. He's all sweaty and breathing hard, and he pushes his hair back away from his forehead as he hops up onto the porch. The movers head inside and Davin peers into the truck, smirking when he sees a box labelled pots and pans.

"Shoulda called me," Davin tells him, quirking an eyebrow and holding out a hand. The box lifts up out of the truck and glides smoothly through the air, coming to rest gently at Adam's feet. He lifts his chin and smiles happily at him, looking just a little bit smug.

[silent_key]

Adam glances over at Davin, then just as quickly glances away, turning his focus back to the movers as he reminds himself what he's come here to do. Heal, get better, figure his life out. Not ogle the citizens of town while they're out on their daily run, even if they are awfully attractive.

There's nothing in the glance away that's dismissive, however, and he's smiling even if he's not looking quite at Davin. He follows the path the box takes, then looks down at it at his feet. "I didn't know I was allowed to abuse new friends with moving responsibilities so soon after meeting them," he points out, finally looking up at Davin again. "I thought that sort of stuff was reserved for the guys you've known all your life."

[davin]

Davin ducks his head to hide a smile at the look Adam gives him, and then plants his palms onto the railing so that he can lift himself up and sit on it. "Do I look abused?"

He laughs delightedly and brings another box out from the truck, irises crackling with blue for a brief moment as he sets the box gently on top of the other one. The moves come out and nearly trip over them, and they give Davin a baffled sort of look. "I made a quick run t'the truck. I believe those go in the kitchen, aye?"

Another soft laugh escapes him and he swings his feet a little, heels bouncing off of the railing as he looks at at Adam with a sweet smile.

[silent_key]

"You know we get paid by the hour, right?" one of the movers grumbles as he takes the box into the condo and Adam laughs as he moves over to lean carefully against the railing as well, favouring his leg as subtly as possible. The pain isn't terrible today and he's grateful for that, but he never knows how long that might last.

"They don't seem too happy with you, but I thank you," Adam says, smiling over at Davin. "I can't lie, I wish I could do something like that." He could make Davin help him, he could gently influence him to do whatever he wanted, but Adam's not yet used his powers in town and he's rather curious to see how far he can get without them.

[davin]

The comment just makes Davin scoff, and once they're back inside he moves another two boxes out onto the porch. He looks over at Adam with a bright grin and then laughs, wriggling his fingers as sparks wind themselves around them.

"It does come in pretty handy," Davin tells him, "but it's not everything. I can only move metal. And control electricity, but that's a whole different beast."

He moves a little closer to Adam and raises an eyebrow, lowering his voice a bit. "But you have some pretty cool powers of your own, right?"

[silent_key]

"Me?" Adam asks, arching an eyebrow, trying to go with an innocent expression that he doubts is quite believable. "It's not that big a deal, really, I just grow talons and feathers. No beak, thankfully, I can't imagine they'd have let me work in New York for so long if I'd had a beak."

That really isn't what Davin means and Adam knows it, so the next time one of the movers comes out, Adam clears his throat and gives a little smile. When he speaks, his voice sounds smooth and commanding, not entirely unlike his regular voice, but there's something a little extra behind it. "That box you're holding," he says. "You'll want to be extra careful with it, won't you?"

"Of course," the mover says, cradling the box against his body suddenly as if it were a small child.

[davin]

"Wait, talons an' feathers?" Davin asks, looking a little awestruck. He didn't know that sirens took the shape of anything that didn't belong in the water. He leans in a little closer, voice dropping. "Is it bad form if I say that I'd like t'see that?"

He sits up straighter when the moving guy comes back out, and watches in amusement as Adam speaks to him. His voice isn't directed at Davin, but he still feels it, all strong and commanding in a way that makes his spine go liquid for a moment.

"Now that is a neat trick," Davin replies, cheeks a little pink as he bites his lip.

[silent_key]

Adam laughs a little and glances up at Davin before glancing down again. He's never been particularly quiet about his powers in places where he knows magic is both accepted and welcomed. It was different in New York, he'd had to be careful, but he's been taught from the time he was young to be proud of what he is, but also not to treat it as if it's some talent he's cultivated and worked hard at.

This is the way he was born. It's only luck that's given him this.

"Sirens in the original myths were bird creatures," he says, still smiling. He won't change, he hasn't changed since the car accident, not completely, but he can give little glimpses of it. When he looks up at Davin again, his eyes are the sharp yellow of an eagle. "I'm not sure when they were turned into creatures of the sea, but my grandmother always said that because we were the original form, our family must be very old. I have no idea if she was right."

[davin]

Davin has heard about the original myths, but he's never really seen any evidence of them. When Adam looks at him with those bright yellow eyes, for a split second Davin feels a little like prey. His own irises crackle an electric blue for a moment, and he leans in curiously.

"My family is very old too," he tells Adam, blinking and then sitting up straight. "My gran leads the Kavanagh coven out o' Ireland. Been 'round for ages."

Davin smiles warmly and gives him a nod. "I bet your gran was right."

[lesparker]

While he isn't normally too caught up in fancy houses or materials, Les has grown used to hanging out on this side of town due to the fact that Corry chose to purchase the biggest house right on the beach. They aren't living together, but Les does spend a handful of his nights at her house each month. He thinks she prefers the more contained coziness of his building, but every now and then they stay at hers.

He never passes up a chance to scour the beach when he does, often waking up early just to take in the sunrise. Sometimes he wonders if his affinity for the ocean and the beach has something to do with Neal Douglas contributing to half his DNA, but he tries not to dwell on it for long.

Les is walking shoeless, carrying his sandy shoes in one hand as he trudges back up the beach over to one of the close streets. Several food trucks normally hang around this time of day, and he's hoping he can buy lunch. There's a line at the one selling hot dogs, and he goes to the end of it. While he waits he watches some men moving a ton of boxes into the building behind him.

[silent_key]

Adam has to leave. Watching the movers with his boxes is going to end with him having some kind of anxiety attack if he has to consider the potential damages done to his property. So he leaves.

He turns and wanders aimlessly down the street, looking up just in time to realize he's being watched. Rather, the movers are being watched, but it's Adam's stuff and Adam's condo, so he sort of feels like he's the one with the eyes on him. A flush creeps over his cheeks.

"Hi," he says, hoping he doesn't look too terribly awkward. "I think they've dropped about a dozen boxes now."

[lesparker]

When the man walks up to him, Les gives him a brief once over and then smiles, peeking around his shoulder at the men still carrying in his belongings. "Yeah, it's hard to find good help," he says with a shrug, but he switches his shoes into his other hand and holds it out to him for a greeting. The guy is definitely new since he's just moving in, but he figures since he's taking up space right in front of the man's new place he might as well introduce himself.

"I'm Les. Welcome to the neighborhood," he tells him. "And hey don't feel too bad. Once you get all the boxes inside you still have hours of unpacking fun to get through. The dropped ones you can just toss out."

[silent_key]

"Adam," he answers with a small smile, shaking the offered hand. He'd been planning on influencing some attractive young guy into doing most of the unpacking for him, but he figures he might not be quite safe saying things like that out loud when he hasn't even gone to see the matriarch yet, so he just nods and wrinkles his nose slightly, casting a glance back toward the movers.

"You live around here, then?" he asks. He knows the neighbourhood he's moved into, he's aware of the money that floats around this place, but it's where he feels most at home. Trying to imagine himself in some cramped apartment in the middle of town had been impossible, so he's here, moving into a spacious condo with no stairs to worry about.

[lesparker]

"Uh, no. I was just out on the beach," Les says holding up his sandy shoes with a shrug. This is a nicer part of town with all the beach front properties and mansions like the one Corry owns, and it's not that he hates it. He's grown...more used to it, but it's definitely not idea of a comfortable place to live. He likes his place downtown, near the boardwalk. Even if he could afford such a nice condo as the private one it looks like Adam is currently moving into he isn't sure he'd ever take it.

"It's looks like you're new though," he says glancing at the movers. He doesn't recognize Adam, but he thinks the huge moving truck means this guy has come to Siren Cove from far away. "Where you from?"

[silent_key]

"Oh, not far, actually," Adam admits. "I grew up about an hour and a half outside of town, but I've been living in New York for the past few years. For work." New York, Los Angeles, London, Beijing, Paris, he's been living all over the place, but what he'd expected to be his permanent home had been a beautiful townhouse in New York and he misses it. He can't be there, he knows that, it had to be sold, but he still misses it.

Just the thought of facing people from his old life still makes him feel sick, though, so he's glad he's here.

"I needed a change of pace," he says with a small smile. "My parents always talked about how nice the town was, so I figured why the hell not?"

[lesparker]

Les gives that thought a hardy laugh and shrugs back at him. "Yeah. Why the hell not? It's looks like you found a pretty sweet place. The beach is good here," he says with a smile. He's never lived there himself, but he imagines the fast-paced life of New York City must be different than the slow steady weirdness of Siren Cove. He imagines Adam must be feeling a bit disjointed.

"It's not bad. You might love it, and weirdly enough people hardly ever move away." He gives the guy a grin that's not purposefully secretive, but he's amusing himself. "So don't plan on going anywhere."

[silent_key]

Not for the first time, Adam thinks about how unfair it is that everyone here is so good looking. After the accident, after Leigh had slowly but surely done everything she could to end the relationship without actually ending it, Adam's been fairly removed from people. His right side is a mess of scars, all down his torso and part of his leg, and he doesn't want anyone to see that.

But this town is just filled with ridiculously attractive people and Adam's wondering if this is some kind of cosmic joke played at his expense. A whole town of look but don't touch.

"No?" he asks when Les says no one ever really moves away. "Is it the whole magical haven thing or they just like it?" He doesn't know who knows and who doesn't, but he's never been known for his subtlety.

[coopdetat]

It's been a frustrating few weeks.

Between April losing her powers, Raleigh getting her soul back, and Genevieve ending up in the hospital on his birthday, Coop hasn't even been sure how he's been able to function lately because his mind is so overwhelmed with worry for three women in his life who are so incredibly important to him. Looking in the mirror this morning, he'd cringed at the circles under his eyes that have appeared from putting in extra hours at the clinic just for the distraction and the lack of sleep he's been getting because he's spent a few nights just starting up at the ceiling while thinking about how to fix things he has no real control over.

He'd sent April a text early this morning asking her to push back his earliest appointments so he could come in a little later, though it's only Monday so there hadn't been too many in the first place, and once she'd confirmed she would, Coop had left the house to go on a run. He's usually more prone to doing yoga out on the beach or trying to catch a few good waves but today, he feels like he needs to do more than just stay still. He needs to be moving, be active in a way he can't be in other aspects of his life right now.

When he sees the movers, he instinctually slows, just in case he might catch a glimpse of whoever's new in town; but then he sees the guy whose things are clearly in the boxes, and Coop can't help but do a double take at how attractive he is. This town is full of good-looking people, it's an undeniable fact, but that never stops him from being appreciative when another handsome face rolls into town. Besides, it might be nice to meet someone new when he's trying to separate himself from what he already knows.

"Don't have a heart attack," Coop says, flashing the guy a smile as he approaches. "I'd hate to have to call an ambulance for you when we've only just met, at least have the decency to buy me dinner before you give me a show."

[silent_key]

The more time he spends in town, the more Adam thinks he's made a terrible decision coming here. Siren Cove was supposed to be a place for him to rest and relax and heal, not spend all his time terribly distracted by the sheer number of exceptionally attractive people who live here. Since he'd broken things off with Leigh, Adam had decided it would be best if he were to just keep himself far, far away from any kind of physical relationship for a vast number of reasons, not the least of which is the scars left behind by the burns, but this town feels like it must be testing him.

This in particular is unfair. He's running, he's smiling like that and Adam finds himself smiling back against his will, the corners of his mouth turning up into a grin as he shrugs and glances back at the movers briefly. They seem to be making do without him, though he's still not entirely sure he trusts them not to break half his things, and so he focuses his attention on the stranger.

"I'll do what I can," he says. "I have a feeling a heart attack might put a damper on everyone's morning. Or my morning at the very least and if nothing else, it'll probably delay your run at least a few minutes."

He misses running. He misses being able to be physically active in ways other than his therapy. There are days when walking is difficult enough and Adam tries to do his best just to be grateful he's alive, but sometimes that's easier said than done.

[coopdetat]

"Only a few, that's how long it'd take me to carry you to the hospital," Coop answers cheerfully, and it's nice to be able to joke, to forget about all the bullshit that's been happening over the past few weeks, even if it's just for a second.

He decides he'd been right about the meeting someone new thing because at the very least, this guy has absolutely nothing to do with what's going on with Raleigh and Genevieve, not even Sylvie--because he has no idea what the hell this bizarre friendship they've developed might lead to--and there's something very appealing about stepping away from it all.

Instead, he steps toward the guy, rolling his shoulders in acceptance of fully losing his running momentum, and holds a hand out. "I'm Shea Cooper. Most people call me Coop. I'd carry you bridal style, by the way, in case you were looking for a visual. I'm available for demonstrations, too, but it would cost you."

[silent_key]

Something in Adam wants to twitch. It's the thought of being touched, being physically picked up, it makes his scars ache in a way he knows is entirely psychosomatic, but he resist the urge to physically react. There's no need, it's not as if this man -- Coop -- is actually going to pick him up and carry him anywhere, though there is a part of him that knows he actually wouldn't mind. If not for the scars, he might have jumped right into his arms.

It's oddly upsetting to realize what one split second can do to change the course of someone's life and all their instincts. He'd been a bit of a flirt all his life, maybe due to being a siren, though he sort of suspects he'd have been like that either way, but in the past year he's almost felt stalled whenever the opportunity has arisen. And he dislikes it intensely. He misses how easy things used to be.

He doubts any of that is evident in his expression, though, and his smile widens as he shakes the offered hand. Maybe it doesn't always have to be difficult. Maybe with time it can get a little easier. "Adam McAuliffe," he answers and he feels a little burst of confidence the likes of which he hasn't had in months. "What exactly would it cost me? The demonstrations, I mean."

[coopdetat]

He likes this guy, Coop decides. Some people are less comfortable with how openly flirtatious he can be than others, which he can pick up on quite quickly and is, of course, happy to respect; but when he meets new people in town who are receptive, he can't deny that it pleases him. There's some excitement in it, and it's not that he's already plotting several different ways to get Adam into bed with him or anything, but Coop likes to keep his friendships light and playful. Things had gotten so serious so quickly with Raleigh and with Sylvie, he's rarely certain of where they stand; but when he's with April or Joel, Les or Davin, Caden or Keira, he just feels... good.

Maybe not when powers or husbands are missing or when demons are involved but for the most part, being with them is so easy. That's what Coop has always preferred.

"Well, Adam McAuliffe, I'd never say no to a drink," Coop tells him, quirking a brow. "Alcoholic or otherwise, it makes no difference to me. Assuming we take pleasure in each other's company, the rest of your payment will have to be decided as things go along. It's kind of a challenge, isn't it? I'm hoping you like challenges."

[silent_key]

It occurs to him then that he's absolutely being flirted with and Adam's grin grows a little, even though he has no idea what to do with the situation. In the nine months since his accident, most of his interactions with people have been through hospitals or therapy offices. He's seen his parents, of course, his ex-girlfriend and even a few of his friends now and then, but no one has looked at him like that and no one has flirted with him suggestively and Adam has to wonder if Coop would be saying any of this if he knew what lurked under Adam's clothes.

He tries not to feel sorry for himself, but there are times when it's difficult. Sometimes he just wants to go back to how things were before, when he was successful and confident, when he had friends and he didn't sometimes walk with a limp because the skin on his thigh had grown so tight that it hurt to move.

"I don't know if you're supposed to offer someone a beer right after they've been on a run, but I could always buy you a coffee," he says, trying to remind himself that none of that matters right now. It doesn't have to mean anything more than a little fun and maybe he can remember what he used to be like. "I don't mind a challenge. I'm known to be a little persuasive."

[coopdetat]

"Beer, coffee, I'll take whatever you'll give me," Coop answers, and he's not even being subtle anymore. There's fun in that, if the other person is responsive, and Adam's telling him that he can be persuasive so that just makes Coop's grin grow wider. He wouldn't say that he's had a shortage of sexual partners as of late, there'd been plenty of people to choose from at his birthday party and on any given night, he could head to the bar to meet someone to take home. He'd made a regular habit of it for a long time but more recently, the people he flirts with most are either taken or interested in pursuing something serious with someone, and Coop's own personal life has been a little bit messy.

He's always hated messy. While he doesn't take the easy way out, he does like when things are easy, and the light conversation he's struck up with Adam is the very definition of that. There's no resistance, no indication that Adam thinks Coop is saying anything outrageous and if anything, there's encouragement being shot right back at him. All good signs, Coop things, and he nods toward the movers, who seem to have finished up with the last of the boxes.

"So maybe I help you do what you need to do here, and you can show me just how persuasive you can be. Sound like a plan?"

[silent_key]

That's certainly an invitation and briefly, internally, Adam panics. He remembers the expression on Leigh's face when she had first seen the scars and while they'd been fresh at the time, he knows time and healing haven't exactly made them pretty. Even with skin grafts applied to his hip and his torso, the damage is obvious enough, and then there's the red rectangles of scar tissue on his inner thighs where the skin for his grafts had been removed.

All in all, Adam's body is something of a mess, and he hates so much that he can't just easily flirt the way he once would have. This feels easy, but the moment it moved in the direction of possibly being physical, panic had risen in him.

But at the same time he can't afford to alienate every single person he meets in this town and so he smiles and steps back toward the door. "Come on in," he says. "I might even be able to find a press in one of these boxes."