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[Dawn Matthews]

Dawn’s fingers tapped against the tabletop, her eyes staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. She barely noticed as the waitress set down the white mug filled to the brim with coffee. Her mind was far from the booth in which she sat in, the sounds of the diner ignored. Her mind replayed the events from the last few days; more and more rogues were stalking the streets at night. She always seemed to stumble across one without even looking. She never left a fight unscathed; she had a number of cuts, bruises and aches. She grimaced as her left shoulder and ribs twinged in pain, she had gotten both injuries in one of her most recent fights. These fights with work and order business combined left her feeling exhausted.

She lifted the mug to her lips, taking a sip, watching the rain drum against the pavement from the window. She liked it when it rained, even more when it stormed. She found it soothing, the sound of heavy rain drops hitting the roof and windows. Her attention was brought back to the diner by the return of her waitress, requesting her order. Dawn ordered a burger and fries. The waitress left and Dawn went back to staring out the window, she barely looked up as the bell above the door rang, signaling a new arrival.

[Jamie Cooper]

The rain trickled down. Jamie missed the sun. It seemed like she’s seen less and less of her friend in the sky; abandoning it for the soft light of the moon... and Dante. Unfortunately, one of the only days she forces herself out of the house to wander around in the daylight hours, it turns out to be raining. The sky is a strange combination of light and dark gray clouds. Darker than normal, yet it was still obvious it was day. The light filtered through awkwardly, like a suspended twilight. Cars drove by with their lights on, and buildings shone welcoming lights in their doorways, but the street lamps had gone out hours ago. The girl shook her head, water droplets flying this way and that. It didn’t really help much, her hair was soaked anyways by now. The wet didn’t really bother her, and as much as Jamie liked the rain, she still wished it would go away so she could catch a few rays.

Her nose caught the welcoming smell of freshly baked goods and strong caffeine. Jamie’s ear twitched, a habit that was difficult to shake when she used her wolf ears quite often. Perhaps she would go for a run in the woods later, but first... First, Jamie had the strong desire to eat. Her stomach growled, and she was glad she’d grabbed a couple bucks on her way out the door. Walking calmly, slowly –clearly in no hurry- Jamie made her way to a quaint little diner. Bold and obnoxious, yet strangely welcoming colours announced it as a 50’s diner.

As she walked in, a bell jingled above her head, and she glanced up at the sudden sound. The smell of fried eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns floated about her, twisting her suddenly hungry stomach and making her mouth water. Toast burned somewhere, and she heard a sudden commotion of an argument behind the wall to the kitchen. Clearly whoever had burnt the toast was getting in trouble. Jamie paid them no heed, and stood back while her eyes skimmed the menu. The sunrise bagel sounded promising, but her nose seemed to be particularly drawn towards the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs. A simple bacon and eggs breakfast it was, then. Going to the counter, Jamie ordered her food and a double-double. While she didn’t like coffee all that much, her body craved the caffeine. The tray, she brought to a orange booth, which she easily slid into and began her meal.

Her ear twitched the slightest bit, and as Jamie bit into her toast, she glanced around the room. A pair of old men sat, eating the sunrise bagel she’d been contemplating on ordering, and reading a newspaper. Near a window sat a lone woman. She must have been in her early twenties at best, but again, Jamie wasn’t that great at estimating age. Her nose twitched slightly, and she tilted her head slightly, eyes remaining on the... human. She sniffed lightly, gently scratching the tip of her nose as she did so. There was something about the woman’s smell that bothered her. The light tanginess, something that was ever so faint that she shouldn’t have noticed it, yet she did. It held the remnants of an icy smell, and the salty-sweet irony scent of blood. It wasn’t human blood, and Jamie’s ears twitched, trying to draw back in anxiety. Vampire blood. Hunter.

Swallowing her bite, Jamie glanced down. She was being silly. For all she knew, her nose was wigging out. By all means, she shouldn’t have caught draft of vampire blood unless the hunter had killed recently. Anxiety left her, and she started into her eggs, glancing up and wearily watching the human woman sitting alone.

[Dawn Matthews]

The rain continued its descent from the heavens, splashing against the pavement. People hurried by the diner window, hidden under umbrellas. Some braved the rain without their protective shield, others hurried to get somewhere dry.
The sudden feeling of being watched came over Dawn, pulling her gaze away from the window and rain.

She looked around until she spotted the teenage girl watching her. She didn’t seem human, in the way she moved. They were small movements but for one who was trained to see these signs, it made all the difference. Dawn stared back for a few moments until the returning waitress with a coffee pot, refilling her mug, broke her gaze. By the time the waitress had left, the girl had looked away but had continued to watch her. Dawn thought that maybe she was just being paranoid but just in case; she would keep an eye on the girl.

[Jamie Cooper]

As the human’s eyes turned on hers, Jamie felt a piercing shudder run through her. For a moment, it took her off guard; that split second of fear and uncertainty. That moment after, however, a rebuff shook through her, and an angry stubborn side of her split through. She knew what the anxiety came from. It was that fear every animal felt, that skip in its heart as it acknowledged the fact that it was staring into its predator’s eyes. The calm, cool, calculating look that every hunter knew. It was confirmed, Jamie didn’t need scent to realize there was something off about this girl. The hairs along the back of her neck rose, and a hard glint flickered across her eye. She refused to look away last, turning the casual gaze into a battle of will and dominance. Her chin tilted down, ever so slightly, shoulders squaring as she sat straight, tall, and proud in her seat.

Whether this hunter was skilled or not did not matter to her, she refused to quake and tremble with her tail between her legs like a pup who was just reprimanded. Had she been a wolf, a blood-curdling growl would have bubbled through ivory teeth, sharp as daggers. As a human, her upper lip twitched the slightest bit before she leaned back in contempt, refusing to look away. In this game, she refused to be the prey.

[Kolby Lamkin]

The rain rolled from Kolby's water-resistant jacket as he made his way slowly down the street, his shoes slapping against the concrete with each step. The fat rain and overcast, his favorite weather, had coaxed him from the house, leaving a still-sleeping Kord at home. When he passed the diner, his gaze flickered to the windows, taking notice of his reflection. Little ringlets of rain-soaked hair clung to the sides of his face, their dark brown color almost black when wet. His gaze focused beyond his reflection, and he spotted Dawn. A smile tugged at his lips and as he approached the door, he opened it and slipped inside, nearly oblivious to the bell that signaled his intrusion. Shaking some of the water from his hair, he made his way to Dawn's table.

He didn't take notice of the werewolf, neither her scent or supernatural presence. The rain and initial joy he had felt for running across his friend had shoved all thoughts of hunting to the back of his mind, stifling any precaution. This he knew Dawn would disapprove of. Hunting was her life, devotion just a word that gave it no justice. She was a hunter around the clock; guard never down, breaks minimal, and days off extremely rare. Kolby occasionally found himself worrying about her, oftentimes wishing that she'd give into a bit of relief and relax, maybe even subject herself to a little fun, something her job seemed to deprive her off. But such desires were far-fetched, and long ago had Kolby abandoned suggesting them.

"Hey, Dawn. May I sit?" As the werewolf slid himself into Dawn's booth, taking up the opposite side across the table, he began to sense something amiss. As he sat, the padding beneath him emitted a soft squeak, and he sensed he had shattered something unseen; a certain aura that had taken to the air, making every breath linger with the threat of suffocation. Of course, he first noticed the odd way in which Dawn held herself, suggesting ache and hidden pain. She'd been fighting recently, which was of no surprise, yet Kolby felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn't been with her. Perhaps he didn't take his responsibility seriously enough. Yet, a single moment of further inspection told him that her attention was elsewhere; that she wasn't yet done hunting.

With a steady inhale, Kolby folded his hands on the table and studied Dawn's face, not wanting to gaze around at whoever, or whatever, her focus was intent on. Now he was fully alert; analytical. From his peripheral he peered at the girl across the diner. She had to be who Dawn's eye was trained upon; the establishment only had a small handful of inhabitants. His nose twitched once, and he knew the girl was of his own kind; werewolf. How stupid of him not to notice upon his arrival. Swallowing the disgust of himself that threatened to kindle in his chest, a result of his initial disregard and recklessness, Kolby's toes clenched in his shoes and his jaw tightened.

When the waitress approached the table, asking him if he wanted anything to drink, it took an effort for Kolby to appear as natural as possible. "No, thank you, ma'am." He replied kindly, a charming smile following. She returned the friendly smile before disappearing. The grin fell from his lips as she left, but he still managed to keep a collected demeanor, appearing as if nothing was amiss. "Dawn?" Kolby said lightly, deep meaning and question underlying the single word. What thoughts reeled behind her beautiful pale blue eyes, so hidden and guarded from his seeking gaze? What was she planning to do?

[Dawn Matthews]

Dawn locked eyes with the girl in a staring contest, she ignored all other things around her, to look away would mean she submitted and she wasn’t about to submit to anyone. The girl had to be indeed a werewolf; no other supernatural creature would try to stare down a human in the middle of a diner. It unnerved her that any werewolf would do this, she had not met one that would choose to stare down a human. Other signs were the way she acted; it was in the way she moved as well. Some werewolves had dead giveaways, others hid it better then some.

The bell chimed, announcing the arrival of a new customer. Dawn could hear the approaching footsteps but assumed it was the waitress returning, it surprised when the person sat down across from her, in her peripheral vision she could see the figure of a man. As they spoke Dawn recognized the voice immediately, Kolby. She ignored him as the waitress returned asking if he wanted anything, she was so focused that she didn’t hear his answer. It wasn’t until she heard him say her name that she paid attention “Yes?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the girl.