First night's first...(IM Conversation)

characters: Ethan Cassidy, and Reese Morgan
when: the night before Ethan meets his cousins
where: By the water, at a local cafe
summary: A relaxing night for Ethan turns interesting as he meets Reese for the first time. Ethan is still unaware of who or what he is nor does he know who Reese is.





Reese Morgan
Reese clutched her jacket a little tighter with a partially-visible hand as she strolled down the sidewalk. She should have worn jeans, instead of the flowy skirt she was wearing along with a dark gray tee, her forest green jacket, and her heeled boots which made soft clicking noises on the cement. Spotting the cafe up ahead, she just hoped to make it there without flashing anyone if the wind were to blow up her skirt high enough for them to see what was her underwear choice of the day

Ethan Cassidy
It was chilly. Atleast that was what his mind told him. Nerve endings tensed and his skin tightened as his body attempted to urge him on to move or generate some kind of heat... It was lost to the thoughts of this man. Green orbs gazed into the water as it lapped up against the stones in mists of white. Hell, even he did not know what he was thinking... He had heard rumblings of another part of his family being this area... but he didn't know.

In truth he hoped that they might be able to lend some light to the dreams that plagued his mind whenever he closed his eyes... Bullets floating in mid-air... He shook away those thoughts with another drag from the cigar. Grey ash spiralled lazily away towards the ground as he flicked the end with his thumb.

A thin curl of smoke eased from his nostrils. Had anyone been close to him they would have seen the darker glow of his eyes through the smoke. It almost seemed like little flashlights in the darkness and not the eyes of a man:

Reese Morgan
Reese was too busy trying to reach the cafe without flashing anyone that she didn't see the crack on the sidewalk, which caused her to trip, making her fall face first onto the cement. As best as she was at staying on her feet, being clumsy was just she was at this current moment. She managed to skin the heels of her palms just good.

Hissing, she checked the damage done and saw that she had managed to skin them pretty darn good. Getting to her feet, she was happy to know that she didn't skin her knees and her skirt wasn't torn by the fall.

She continued to walk til she made it to a table and sat down. A waitress came over to her table, a worried look was on her face.
"Is there anything you need?" the waitress asked.
"If you happen to have a first aid kit, I think I can manage to dress the wound," Reese said with a smile on her face.

Ethan Cassidy
The words first aid brought the soldier back from his thoughts and to the present. Easing the cigar onto a small black ash-filled tray, he stood from the chair. Black running shoes walked him towards the woman and it brought a smile to his face.

He was a man who had seen his share of blood. Probably more than a man should. But, in this case to see her scratched up and upset over some lost layers of skin was good for a change. He smiled a soft and calming smile to the waitress even as she turned to leave. "Just a cup of water, a napkin, and two expressos please"

His voice was charming if not a bit southern in its drawl. It came from spending many years away from his home of pennsylvania and too much time with good ol' southern boys. The green of his eyes had receded and they were their normal shade. Towards the young woman he offered his hand towards her scratched hands. "Mind if I help, miss?"

Reese Morgan
Reese looked up upon hearing someone asking the waitress for some water, a napkin, and two espressos. Her amber brown eyes took in his appearance: khaki shorts, a loose hooded sweatshirt over broad shoulders...

'Wow...ok, Reese--you need to fall more often to get a guy THAT good-looking to offer to help out cleaning a wound,' she thought to herself as he stretched out a hand towards her own.
"I'd appreciate the help," she said, a hint of a New Yorker accent besides her native Washinton one was peeking out in her words.
"Not too many men would be able to just offer to help out when a girl hurts herself," she said with a small laugh.

Ethan Cassidy
"Ethan Cassidy. And not many men are like me," His voice seemed was rich with cool confidence as he knelt before her. The waitress had place the three glasses upon the table and departed without much of a word. Well, maybe the lingering glance of a man on his knees with a woman's hand held in his own. It was a proper wedding postion, except that as his right hand eased a single paper towel into the water, the result would not be as nice. "This might sting a bit," he spoke with a warming tone to his voice.

Everything about this man was calm, relaxed, at ease. It was the exact opposite of most other men in their hustle and race to reach their own goals. To Ethan, the goal would still be there... whether he reaced it in a minute or in a year. The waitress was smart in bringing him a glass of warm water and so the sting did not hurt as bad, as he pressed it against the pink raw skin:

Reese Morgan
Reese pursed her lips as she felt the wet napkin pressed against her raw skin. She was good when it came to not screaming out like most girls--after all, she was an Arcane Protector; they never screamed out in pain from a little scratch.
"That's good to know," she said as the pain receded, just replaced with a throbbing that was dull

Ethan Cassidy
"Well, the real question is, who might you be?" The confidence still in the air as he smiled towards her face. His eyes continued to stay their normal color, only a small smile blossoming on his face. He once more dipped the napkin in the warm water and reapplied it to the wound.

Gazing upon her, the thoughts of battle and that day disappeared. And, for once in a long time, he was enjoying himself again...

Reese Morgan
Reese felt a blush forming in her cheeks as she realized that she never gave her name to Ethan.
"Reese Morgan is my name," she replied as her smile grew into more of a genuine one.

Ethan Cassidy
"Well, Reese...," He let her name hover in the name for a second as he let his smile grow. What a pretty name, he thought of hand... "... And what is a girl like you doing walking alone at a late hour like this?" Each word was a soft jab of humor.

And, yet he found his laugh to be genuine as it shook his shoulders softly. This pretty girl, Reese was the best thing for him at this moment. She had momentarily stripped him of his worries and his cares. Even the cigar was a forgotten memory as it burned itself out behind him.
His only concern was to wipe away the stray pieces of stone and stop the thin drizzle of blood. It was an easy task. But, he would not give up a moment of breath as he locked eyes with her and felt his lightly tanned cheeks softly flush:

Reese Morgan
Reese saw the light flush on Ethan's cheeks, biting on her lower lip discreetly. This nearly made her forget about him asking why she was out alone in Seattle.

"Enjoying the fresh air that Seattle has to offer to her guests and residents. Besides, it's been a while since she's graced her beauty to me--being away at school and whatnot made me really miss her good shops and great coffee," Reese replied, nodding her head over to the cafe.
"'Sides, this girl has a lot more fight in her than what I'm portraying right now..." Reese added with a laugh of her own.

Ethan Cassidy
The words fight brought a grin to his lips. It was genuine and soft just like his other hand as he cupped her scrapped forearm. "Well, she has been pleasant to me tonight. But, I guess I cannot complain. Because she brought me to you..." The words hung there for several seconds as his warm fingers brushed against her skin. His eyes met her own gaze once more before he blinked and the connection was lost.

In his minds eye he saw the after-image of her twin orbs. It was a look that brought a calming sensation to his mind. It was good to be back in country, he thought... Giving her injured palm a solid longing squeeze, he released it softly:

Reese Morgan
Reese was a little flattered at the last comment--if she didn't know any better, she would say that Ethan was flirting with her...and she was enjoying it. His warm skin brushed against her, sending up small shivers up her back.

"So Seattle graced you with my presence...anything that I could repay you for your kindess, Mr. Cassidy?" Reese asked, her smile still gracing Ethan with a twinkle of her eyes.
People had said that Reese's smile and eyes were the best physical feature she had besides her personality.

Ethan Cassidy
"Well, that depends...Reese..." He let her name linger once more upon his tongue. It had been ages since last time he had spoke a woman's first name in anything more than passing. The twinkle in her eyes was just perfect to his mind.

The barest touch of his fingertips upon her skin disappeared as it raised it to brush a strand of hair from her cheeks. "...Do you have a phone?"

Reese Morgan
Reese held a breath as Ethan's hand brushed back a strand of her hair from her cheeks, causing the blush to return and darken a little more. Not trusting her voice at the moment, she nodded her head, pulling out her iPhone from her wristlet.

She handed it over to Ethan, figuring that he might be able to input his number into her cellphone.
"...how about you? Do you have a cell phone as well?" she asked once she was able to recover her voice.

Ethan Cassidy
At first he did not answer. Letting the phone ease into his hands, he let their fingertips brush softly. Her touch was cold from the cooling water and yet cold from the breeze off the water.

His eyes glanced up on her figure and he knew that she was not dressed for such a night like this. but, such thoughts lingered to the back of his mind as he caught her gaze once more. His fingers spoke of their own accord as he input his number into her phone.

The great thing about being in his generation was the ease of technology. Placing the phone back into her cold hands, he held her fingers trapper between his own. The warmth of his own palms rubbing against her cold skin::

Reese Morgan
Reese felt his warm fingers brush against her cool hands, a spark shooting up like fireworks up and down her spine...great, and this wasn't planned out by Fate herself. She felt her fingers get a little bit warmer by him rubbing his palms over them.

"So what brings you to the Emerald City of the West Coast?" she asked, knowing that she wanted to get herself out of whatever gutter her mind always fell into when in contact with the male species

Ethan Cassidy
"Well, its a secret... care to hear it?" His smile grew smaller as his right hand eased her toward his kneeling position. It was not forceful or rugged but a steady pull.

As her ear came closer, he leaned closer toward her. His heart raced softly as he breathed in her sweet perfume and eased his eyelids shut.

Reese Morgan
Reese breathed in that was Ethan: cologne, cigar smoke, and something that truly unique. She could feel her heartbeat rise slightly as Ethan leaned towards her ear, eager to know Ethan's reason for being in Seattle.

She let out a soft sigh as her eyes closed for a moment...her ability to think almost reduced to nothing

Ethan Cassidy
The cold air let issue a soft mist of his warmth breath across her neck. It was a chilling touch. His lips paused but inches from her ear. He paused for a second. Two. Three. Each more teasing than the last before his accent flowed softly and quietly into her ear. "Than I guess you will just have to call me, Reese..."

It was a baited game. He baited her, and to seal the deal... Biting softly upon her to seal the deal. Rising slowly from her form a smile upon his lips.

He offered a bow at the waist before turning to leave. The cold night took him easily into its dark depths. He did not turn back to look at her nor to see her reaction... until he got a couple dozen steps.

"Good nite, dear!" He spoke. It was said as if not shouted but carried to her ears. And then before he disappeared into the crowd of late-nigthters, he winked.
His green orbs of eyes were glowing a steady dark green:

Reese Morgan
Reese bit her lower lip as she was teased by his words. With him biting softly on her ear, she had to repress a moan that was at the back of her throat. She opened her eyes as she felt his presence fading from hers. She blinked before she realized something--she was baited into a game of flirting with one Ethan Cassidy.

She didn't know whether to be angry with herself or at the way she was teased--she could use a cold shower after all of that. She shook her head clear before she heard Ethan bidding her a good night. She looked up to find him giving her a wink before he faded into the crowd.

She looked at her phone to find the new entry titled 'Ethan Cassidy' and smiled to herself. Well, wasn't this a bit of a turnout...maybe, at the end of the day from all her Protector duties, she'd give Ethan a call.