"long time no see," law answered back with an amused shake of his head as he looked up to duncan leaning against his bar. the slightly younger man had become somewhat of a staple at the pit stop. law wouldn't insult him and call him a regular-- he'd save that title for the old fisherman, or their even older wives, that haunted his bar stools-- but he came enough that law had started to expect it. he started to look forward to it. leaning across the bar between them, matching the other's stance, he nodded as the other said he was surprised to see him there. he opened his mouth, the corners of his lips hinting at a smile, and prepared to give his usual answer that duncan was not the first to accuse him of always being there only for the words to stop at his lips when caught the tail end of the other's comment. "i'm sorry, a-- did you just say a modeling agency?"

so now he was flirting? law was a bit shocked but he was nowhere near disappointed. hell, if he had a few shots in him he'd even admit he'd fantasized-- only once or twice-- about the younger man ending the night in his bed. he just wasn't expecting it. "well, while i appreciate the sentiment, i think it's safe to say if there were any modeling agencies scouting out here they would be coming for you first. i know would be." he mused with an easy smile. "but you better be careful. drop another line like that on me i might get the idea you're wanting to leave with me."

duncan's  lips  pulled  up  into  a  smile.  "i  sure  did!"  the  young  pup  said  in  a  way  that  practically  dared  the  other  man  to  contradict  him.  duncan  can  be  pretty  stubborn  when  he  thinks  he's  right.  and  in  this  instance?  duncan  knows  that  he's  right  without  a  doubt.  "should  i  say  a  modeling  team?  does  that  make  you  feel  better?"  duncan  teased  playfully  with  a  grin  and  a  wink.

"oh...  so  you'd  be  coming  for  me  first,  huh?"  duncan's  tone  was  playful  and  teasing.  although  there  was  a  glint  of  satisfaction.  obviously  happy  to  be  complimented  by  the  other.  his  tongue  comes  out  to  swipe  across  his  lips  as  he  lets  a  grin  slip  on  that  practically  screams  'mischief'.

Rory wasn't expecting to get caught and for a moment it showed on his handsome face that he wasn't. He was normally so careful, in and out and nobody was the wiser because obviously nobody could do such and outlandish thing as teleport Well to be technically it wasn't exactly that but essentially this. "Um whatever do you mean? Gift? Magic?" he thought perhaps playing dumb was the best way to deal with this. He bit his lip. He couldn't just jump out of there he would need to switch with someone roughly his size and all there was, was him and this guy.

when  you've  been  around  for  five  hundred  and  fifty-four  years,  you  tend  to  learn  a  think  or  two  about  lying.  and  once  you  know  how  to  lie?  you  begin  to  learn  how  to  pick  out  other  people's  lies.  throw  vampire  abilities  and  a  survivalist  personality  in  their?  and  you  basically  have  the  recipe  for  maddox  blackwood.  maddox  quirked  an  eyebrow  as  he  crossed  his  arms  across  his  chest.  plump  lips  sliding  up  into  a  smile.

"now,  rory,  do  you  really  want  to  lie  like  that?"  maddox  asked  with  a  chuckle.  "i  saw  you  with  my  own  eyes.  kind  of  hard  to  beat  that  evidence."  he  sauntered  towards  the  other  man.  pure  confidence  and  control.  "so  then  i  suggest  not  playing  dumb.  dumb  things  around  me  tend  to  get  hurt."  for  a  split  second,  the  veins  around  his  eyes  darked  as  they  turned  a  few  shades  darker.  twin  fangs  flicking  down  as  he  smiles  widely  at  the  other.  and  then,  quick  as  a  flash,  it  was  all  gone.

Escort missions weren’t ones the party took often, but their employer was well known and offered a significant amount of money plus they were all heading in the same direction anyway, so Nafian hadn’t seen the harm in accepting the deal. They were going to be on the road for at least a ten-day.

It was the night after their second day on the road. So far nothing had gone too terribly, just the usual joys of long walks. It was near the middle of the night and Thorn’s turn on watch. Gaia’s bestial spirit, Kala, was stalking the perimeter of the camp since she didn’t need to sleep. He was sitting by the fire, tweaking the augmentations of his goggles but still keeping an ear out for anything nefarious while the others slept.

His pointed ear twitched at the sound of canvas being pulled back at a tent and he assumed it was one of his party, until he looked up and saw their employer leaving his tent.

Being around important people, or famous people, always set Thorn a little on edge. If only because he had an incredible talent at putting his foot in his mouth and embarrassing himself. But he still offered a small smile.

“Having trouble sleeping?” he asked, only loud enough for the other to hear but not disturb their sleeping companions. He could imagine the other was used to inns and nice beds, not sleeping around a campfire in the middle of the woods.

so  he  had  hired  this  group.  it  was  odd  to  be  around  this  many  people  so  intimately  after  being  his  village  leader  for  so  long.  sure,  he  was  surrounded  by  people  often.  but  it  was  usually  blank.  formalities  at  best.  but  this  group  of  people  seemed  to  be  people  who  knew  each  other...  who  enjoyed  each  other.

and  some  of  them  intimately,  if  the  noises  from  the  next  tent  were  anything  to  go  by.

after  managing  to  get  out  of  his  tent,  he  snorts  as  he  heard  the  other  man's  words.  "your  friends  are  screamers."  malcolm  said  simply  as  he  moved  his  body  towards  the  warmth  of  the  fire.  his  hefty  frame  was  covered  with  hardly  anything  but  a  robe,  a  tasteful  amount  of  his  pecs  being  shown  as  he  took  a  seat.