all the hunters from the region had gathered, the threat they were after big enough to need more manpower than usual. instead of being reassuring, it made adele even more nervous, having more people around than usual, especially strangers. sure, they were all in the same .. business, if it could be called as such, but that didn't mean that she trusted any of them. she'd managed to leave one of the meetings without being noticed, making her way back to the house when she heard steps behind her, body tensing immediately, senses on high alert as she slowed down. "who's there?" she called, just enough to be heard without anyone further down the road noticing.

her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, blinking a few times, immediately wincing at the throbbing pain at the back of her head. she reached up to touch it, to check - but found resistance, the cold feeling of metal around her wrist leaving no doubt about what had happened. shit. she had gone on a hunt - alone, without telling anyone - and the last thing she could remember was a voice behind her, then nothing. looking around, adele felt panic rising in her chest but forced herself to breathe out slowly. she had to find a way out of here. "guess it must be funny for you to see the roles reversed, huh?" she couldn't help but call out, teasing despite the way her voice wavered as she said it, the sound of the cuffs clinking as she moved.

she regretted the words as soon as they came out and rowan pulled back from her neck, fingers stilling against her slick folds. fuck. why did she always have to talk? sure, the situation was a mess, but they were both happy to ignore it and to keep pretending like this was normal, like they weren't strangers stuck together who had turned to hooking-up for comfort, in order to just feel something and not go completely crazy. she shook her head, almost pouting at the idea of stopping. "no, i just - nevermind, it was stupid anyway." she groaned, the idea of the brunette getting herself off lying next to her sending shivers along her spine. "fuck, that sounds hot actually. but i don't think i'd be able to resist helping you out." she grinned, a soft whimper leaving her lips, hips arching into rowan's touch desperately. "don't stop, please. i'll shut up, i promise."

she was getting so close. after days of observing and gathering information about them, adele had decided that today was the day. she had followed their trail, carefully, making sure not to be noticeable, not to make any noise. but she could feel it in her blood, pumping hard into her temples, as her fingers brushed the handle of her knife, just to reassure herself. finally, her eyes saw their silhouette and she stayed low, hiding as she went. her boot bumped into something and the sound it made had her wincing, hoping she hadn't been noticed.

"okay, i don't - what do we do now?" adele's hands trembled as she let go of the bloodied piece of metal she'd just used to defend herself - to defend them. her eyes drifted up from the body at their feet to theirs, blue eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. "what did we just do? what did i just do?"

"again?" she asked, her tone more whine than reproach as she grabbed the pillow from under her, muffling a series of curse words as she tried to suffocate herself with it.

she wasn't supposed to care for strangers. if she started to, she would die. and she couldn't die. not after everything her parents had built and done for her to make it. her eyes flickered back to the screen, watching the woman cry out in pain on the tall grass in front of the house. fuck. if she didn't want more people to come, or infected alerted by the noise, she had to move quick. putting on her father's old hunting gear, along with a bandana over her mouth and a hood that would hide the rest of her face, the blonde made her way out, towards what used to be the garden and was now an abandoned space filled with weeds and traps, gun in her belt, just in case.

"well, then you shouldn't have put it back on my side of the closet." adele sighed, running a hand through her messy hair as she continued to attempt making dinner. she hated this whole arrangement. having to pretend to be someone she was not, having to live with her of all people. it felt like some kind of cosmic joke. and yeah, maybe she was lying, maybe rowan's shirt had been left in the clean laundry hamper and when her fingers had reached, and felt how soft and nice it was compared to her own worn-out stuff, or the stupid blouses and tops they had bought for her new job, just maybe, she had decided to put it on. not that she would be admitting that anytime soon.