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Realistic or Modern Odd Unions

Malhyanth

The Wolverine
This roleplay is for Malhyanth Malhyanth and miloredboy miloredboy
Please do not enter this RP unless expressly invited.
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This roleplay is a fantasy roleplay based around a modern world, where supernaturals exist. Within it there are a multitude of races, magics, and roles to be fulfilled.
Religions, cults, tribes, civilisations are all broad and varied, much like the types of people that live in this world.

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Flame flared in his palms for all of a moment as the tall man leant against his jeep, waiting. Amber eyes scanned the streets, the signs outside quaint little houses, the one he stood outside of, the largest of the street. Potential neighbours looked the scruffy, unkempt man up and down as they drove, and strolled, past, eyeing him with suspicion, like he may actually be out to assess their little street for loot, and valuables. The man didn't seem to care, only inclined his chin at those that came within eyeline, walked past him on the street, didn't cross to avoid him. Smoke rose in soft tendrils as he breathed in, before being taken between strong fingers and held down at his side as he continued to wait, two streams of the smoke exploding from his nostrils like his was a disgruntled dragon.

The girl was late. He rose the hand holding the cigar up, and inspected the half hunter, skeleton watch that resided there. It was the only bit of "bling", as the kids called it, that adorned him, and gave away that perhaps this scruffy, homeless looking fellow with the wholes in his jeans, the scuffs on the elbows of his jacket, and all the scrapes and scratches in the rest of the hide of his jacket, might actually be wealthy enough to afford this place. Even the jeep he leant on looked like it was about to fall apart. His booted food rested against the tyre of his wheel, tapping out a rhythm as he stood, waiting.

The house was broad, and quite exposed; it needed some serious work doing to the grounds. But what appealed was the fact it held 6 large bedrooms. And more land beyond the back fence; in fact, half the woodland to his right, as he stood facing this final house in the cul de sac belonged to this house. His main reason for being so drawn to it. His needs required little by way of homely comforts; the house itself was a rouse, a place where those that were injured or sick could be cared for. The main thing to take note of was the grounds, and the idillic life this could bring, being so far from others whom may wish them harm.

A sighed huff shook his large frame as the man he lowered the sunglasses from his mess of russet hair, over his amber eyes. Again, the wrist was turned slightly, as he looked at the slowly creeping hands, as the cigar rose to his lips for another drag. The blue tinted smoke held scents and tastes your average human cigar might not; they couldn't appreciate flavours like this man could. Every little taste that played across his tongue was like a dance. The sounds around him were also so intricately carved into this time right now; the birds that sang, especially at this time on an afternoon, after rain, but after enough sun had dried the ground, the insects that chirruped and sang as much as the birds, the lawn mower two roads over, the aeroplane flying over head, the breathing of his lungs, the tapping of his booted foot. These were a selection of noises, carefully layered in such a way that they may never collide in this fashion again. It was simple things like this that made this man exceptionally happy.

Which, he had to admit, did explain why he held no anger towards the estate agent he'd been meant to meet here 24 minutes ago. She, too, in her absent way, was part of this elaborate set of events that lead to his being here, at this point, experiencing these things, he'd of otherwise missed, he just hoped that the sides of this house were as beautiful and elaborate as the soundscape he enjoyed in this neighbourhood.
 
It had been an exceptionally beautiful day.
That's why Camila - a 27 year old woman - had offered to show a potential client around a particular property.
His requests had been specific: something spacious.
Camila had gone more than out of her way to find something matching his description, including updating the company's house list with the most recent house.
Unfortunately, the house was in a complete state of disrepair, and might even be considered dangerous--but she was so intent on trying to make her clients happy, she'd gone above and beyond for this one.

This, however, had earned her a special seat in the boss' office, and she sat in the waiting room, fiddling as she waited nervously.
Her delicate blue eyes snapped to the clock, and her tension grew as she realised her client would have to wait for her.
That was unacceptable. She wasn't late to her meetings. Not ever, but her boss was hellbent on teaching her that properties like these, and what she'd done was out of line.

Camila frowned, looking down at the carpet as she waited for her punishment. She'd only been trying to help the company by trying to please a client.
What was so wrong with that?
Huffing through her small nose, she crossed her legs, not able to sit still at the thought of being so late.
At this rate, the client may even leave if she wasn't there soon, and the thought irritated her. She was almost sure her boss was making her wait this long on purpose.
It was unusual behaviour from his behalf, and she found herself growing irked at the thought of that man.
With an impatient sigh, she stood up from the chair and left the room, knowing that there would be severe consequences. But right now, she needed to meet a client.

The drive there was relatively quick, and she found herself outside of the property within a few minutes.
As she parked, she eyed the vehicle in front.
The old thing was somehow still working, despite looking like it had just come from a scrapyard.
Dare she say that the man standing beside it was huge also; but she didn't feel intimidated, even if everything about this screamed at her to run.
Camila turned the engine off and exited the vehicle slowly, shutting the door behind her as she walked up to the beast of a man.
"Hello, sorry I'm late." She greeted, sticking her delicate hand out for him to shake. She smiled slightly, trying to ease the potential tension in the air.
 
The sound of a new engine entered his soundscape, and the tall, broad man placed the cigar between his teeth as he watched her pull up. Her voice on the phone had indicated someone mild mannered, dainty; it seemed he'd been correct in his assumptions. She was small, and pretty, with doll like features; the complete opposite of the scruffy looking man that waited for her. His nose released smoke again, as she got out her car, and approached cautiously. He could scent her apprehension and stress clearly; something had got her riled before this meeting. He gave her a winning smile, and raised his sunglasses into his choppy hair, his amber eyes locking into her. He took the offered hand in a hearty shake, her small palm disappearing completely within his large calloused hand.

"Nice t'meet 'cha, at last." He smirked, a sharp little grin, and took the cigar from his lips, stubbing it on the side of his car before flicking it off into the road. "Shall we? Before we lose the daylight?" He raised an eyebrow at her, though his expression was amused, and bowed a little to incite her to take the lead. The property sold itself to him, but Maxim felt this girl now needed to earn her money, being so late after all!! She was lucky Maxim didn't mind relaxing against his truck, away from his adoring fans. "Ya gonna tell me what 'cha hold up was then?" He smirked playfully, running a hand through his russet hair.

He let his long legs carry him to the front of the building, realising that there was going to be more than just work required tonthr outside grounds; there were issues with the porch here, and that could only mean further issues inside! He tutted, picking at faded, peeling paint from the bannister between porch and ground. He gave it a bit of a shake, realising it was all a bit rickety. Was it going to support his weight if he stepped on it?
 
Camila watched as her hand was engulfed in his.
Her eyes flickered to his unusual amber ones, and she gave him a polite smile, still a little tense from earlier today.
"Nice to meet you too. I have to apologise again." She said, removing her hand from his rough, calloused ones.

Watching as he bowed slightly at her, she couldn't help the grin that spread out across her features.
A small laugh escaped her lips, and she walked ahead, her steps considerably smaller than the guy's beside her.
She ran a nervous hand through her hair, letting out a small breath of air afterwards.
"My boss wanted to talk to me. I had to bail. Didn't want to keep you waiting too long." She said, looking ahead as the large house appeared.
It truly was in a state of disrepair. It seems it had been on the market so long that nobody had bothered to maintain it.

Camila stepped onto the porch, the wood groaning beneath her as she did, complaining about the small weight it had to sustain after all these years.
"As you can see, it's a spacious property that you'd requested. Unfortunately, it was the only one I could find within the price range you asked for, but it doesn't come without its problems." She said as she gestured to the porch, the peeling paint was flaking, and the wood was almost rotten.

"However, this would certainly make a lovely home if you were able to renovate it. It just needs some care. Let's move inside." She said as she opened the front door and gestured for him to go inside first.
She took a small step inside, and was almost overwhelmed by the smell of damp.
Was it even safe to be in here?
She had double-checked with the company, and they had told her it would be fine.
"The house is incredibly spacious, as you can see, and it also comes with 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, complete with a basement. Would you like to take a look around?" She said as she stood up a little straighter, offering a polite smile his way, trying to assess if he liked the house or not, but he was difficult to read.

A small part of her told her that nobody in their right mind would like this house, let alone even look at it. But this man was different. There was something different about him, and she couldn't quite place her finger on it.
However, they got along well - so far - and if he wanted it, she'd make sure it was his.
 
Cautiously, Maxim watched the estate agent garner her nerve to step onto the porch. He was impressed; he wasn't sure he wanted to, but once she'd walked on a little, he stepped up too, listening to the creaks, selecting the sturdiest parts of the decking to place his large booted feet. She nattered on about the selection, and the work it would need; all things Maxim had stated didn't bother him, and if the price was right, and left him with enough to play with for renovations, he didn't mind the state of it. A few cracks and pops from the dried out would sounded, and he was concerned he might fall through at any moment, when she opened the door to the interior. The smell that slapped him hard as he approached had him spluttering, especially considering his sensitive nose.

"Moons'n'stars, s'that mould?" He gasped, waving a large hand in front of his face to try and clear the air. "How long has this been derelict? I hope y'are lookin' at reducin' that price for me some, considerin'!!" The giant's drawl held some amusement, but for the most part, it was a genuine question. His eyed her, the little subtleties of her expressions; she hadn't realised it was this bad. He stepped further in, avoiding bad damp patches, an area of rug with a suspicious stain, and tip-toed to the bottom of the stairs, seeing one side was open plan, the other a line of three doors. He hummed in his throat, testing the bottom step, and valuing his life a little more than that!

"So is that a common area up there too? How many bedrooms up, compared to down?" He looked over his shoulder at her as he entered deeper into the building. The open plan kitchen could be salvaged, he thought, with some care. The areas where the roof clearly leaked would need a lot of work, both up and down stairs. He twisted a tap, and it sputtered, before slugdgy brown liquid forced its way out, before fresh started to push through. "That's at least somethin'!" He looked about, and found the back door to the property, with another door to its right. First, he opened the door to the right; a bedroom, perhaps, spacious, with built in wardrobes that were falling apart. He closed it, and opened the back door, and that was when he started to really fall in love.

The decking stretched out almost another third of the depth of the building, with the above rooms also having a similar decked area making a balcony over his head. These seemed to be quite sturdy, newer builds, and so not as decrepid. There was a large built in BBQ, and the lawn, surrounded on all sides by high trees and hedges were fantastic. He walked out into the wild lawn, the grass here raising to his thighs, and he looked back at the property; it was stunning from here; clearly, like he, the previous owners had preferred their privacy, and spent a lot more money and time on this side of the property. A gate in the hedge to his left now, facing this side of the property, opened onto the woodland, and as he stood there, he could smell the wild pull, the nature a mere stone's throw.

He grinned infectiously, and made his way back to the decking, placing broad hands on his hips, his baggy shirt pulling across his chest to reveal the white wife-beater vest beneath, the lambskin jacket open, and flapping a little in the late afternoon breeze. "She got potential, don't she." He murmured, eyes glancing over the broad external expanses. He looked over his shoulder to see where the lass was. "How much they askin' for this dump, then, sugar?"
 
Camila grimaced as she saw him take a look around and cough.
Her expression straightened when he turned back around.
She'd had no idea it was this bad. Hell, this was embarrassing. It looked bad on her.
"You're right. It's very bad. I'll see what I can do for you," she muttered, scribbling down something on the piece of paper.
Her eyes skimmed past the details, and her eyes widened.
"You wouldn't mind giving me a second while I find out something about the house?" She asked, and stepped outside, phone to her ear as she called the company that had given the house for her to sell.

After a small amount of chatter, she was told that the house had been on sale for approximately 10 years.
She felt like slamming her face into a wall.
Once she had said her goodbyes, she hung up and walked back inside, the wood cracking beneath her feet.
"Sorry about that wait. The house has been on sale for a little longer than I thought...but, I'm sure I can make it up to you somehow. This place is a little worse for wear." She said, and scratched out the $300,000 price tag.
It was obvious that price had been from when it was new.

Following him to the stairs, she nodded at his question.
"That's correct. A common area up there also, with 4 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and two bedrooms and one bathroom downstairs." She finished for him, letting him know that this house was at least spacious like he'd asked.

She followed him around the house, watching as he inspected everything. He had an eye for detail, it seemed.
As she looked over at him, she realised he looked so out of place. Any little item he touched, she was afraid he would break, or it looked like it would crumble in his hands. To be perfectly honest, he looked like he could snap somebody in half.
At least the back garden was in a better condition than the rest of the house, and that was a relief.
"Certainly is gorgeous. If you want privacy, you've got it." She said with a nod and a smile, and glancing down at her papers, she looked back up at him for a moment before speaking.

"The price tag on this, I've lowered for you. It will be 250,000. If you don't agree with that, I could always look into more properties for you." She said, but wondered if she'd even have a job when she got back.
Secretly though, she'd hire a renovator to re-do the whole house. This was embarrassing.
Camila couldn't wait to see his reaction once he realised that this would be completely different.
A secretive smile spread across her face and she looked into his eyes.
"Have a think about it, and call me." She said, scanning his face. He was handsome in a rugged way, and she found his company pleasurable since he was so polite.
"But if you're ready to decide, just say so. Whatever you need." She offered.
 
The man crossed his arms across his chest, the sunglasses on his head keeping most of his hair back off his face. The price tag was far too high for what was here; basically walls with a whole heap of work everywhere else. He pursed his thin lips, rubbing his stubble beard with his calloused hands. He cast his gaze back over his shoulder at all the balconies, the expanse of decking, the rotten internals. He liked the look of the French windows, and the bay windows at the front. The lack of any visible neighbour, despite knowing they were there; that made his life a little easier with his cohorts.

He looked down at the lass seriously. She seemed dejected about this property, and considering her previous comments that she may be about to lose her job, Maxim felt a bit sad for her. "Listen..." He smirked at her, and passed a hand over the whole building. "I like it. It's perfect. For what I need, it is, truly, darlin'. But £250? Love, y'deluded. £215, and I'll sign you a cheque right now." He pulled a cheque book that had been folded into an inside pocket of his jacket and took her pen gently from her grip.

"Come on darlin'. £215, right now, I take this heap off your hands, and you get to go back, to ya boss, and can say 'I got this sale, sir'!" He gave her a winning grin, slightly sharp around the canines, his amber eyes glinting mischievously, pen poised over the pad of cheques. He cast one final look about, and his face lit up truly with the excitement of making this his new Pack House. Had he been able, he would have changed and run around a it, explored that woodland, but Maxim had to wait, had to check it all out carefully, ensure that prying eyes wouldn't see his group, and hunt them with the torches and pitchforks, and the silver bullets.
 
She studied his face as he looked at her mischievously.
"Are you seriously haggling me for better prices?" She asked, trying to keep a smile off her face, but it was obvious with the way her voice came out full of humour.
"You make a concvincing point." She said, chuckling slightly.
She thought it over before releasing a deep sigh through her mouth.
"You know what? Fine, take it. On one condition." She said, holding a index finger up to visually show him that he only got one chance.

"Enjoy it." She said, shrugging slightly afterwards.
"I'm really sorry about the condition. I really had no idea it was this bad." She said, running a hand through her hair.
"Which is why, I also took the time out to ask the company if we could renovate it for you, and they said no. But I genuinely feel bad for offering you something so terrible, which is why I'm going to help you out with renovation and its costs. This isn't even habitable." She said, looking down at the rotting wood.
Right as she said that, a wooden plank fell through, and she sighed.
What great timing.

"I don't know if you want me to help out with renovation or just send you the money, but that's really up to you." She said, watching as he held her pen over a cheque.
"Just sign here, please, for £215." She said, pointing a finger at the box in which he had to sign to make the house his.
"Obviously, after signing this, it will be yours and you can do what you like, but I wouldn't recommend sleeping here for the moment." Said Camila, stepping away to give him a moment of privacy.
Eyeing he natural landscape, she saw that it was surrounded by the forest. How beautiful. He truly was getting a great deal, and once the house was done, she had no doubt it would be stunning.

From her back pocket, her phone rang.
She looked down at the caller ID. It was her boss.
Accepting the call, she brought the phone up to her ear and greeted him with a slight hesitancy.
"Hello?" She said, growing slightly nervous as she bit at her lip.
Surely he wouldn't take it too well that she'd left the office when he'd wanted a word with her.
"Where are you?" He said, voice clipped and clearly angry.
"I'm making a sale." She said obviously, and all she heard from the other side was a hand slamming the desk. Her eyebrows furrowed as she leaned her phone away from her ear slightly.
"That's the last one you're going to make. Finalise that sale and pack your things." He said, and hung up the phone.

Well...crap. She knew that was going to happen sooner or later. She sighed, swallowing down the worry that felt heavy, and shoved her phone back in her pocket.
"You all done?" She asked innocently, wandering back over to him.
"There's been a change of plans. You're going to have to call the agency and not me if you need anything in terms of the house." She said, reaching out to take the papers softly from him.
 
Maxim grinned at her, and filled out the cheque as required, letting her take her call. His ears pricked, hearing the phone call clearly. His brows furrowed, a slight snarl on his lips as he heads the tirade. Looking at the cheque, he tore it whilst she was on the phone, and rewrote it, to reflect her earlier price. Looked like she was gonna need a bit of assistance, especially as it seemed she'd lost her job because of this meeting. He waited for her to finish her call, before grinning at her. He handed over the cheque, with the previous figure.

"Consider it a finder's fee, darlin'." He winked, patting her shoulder gently. "Fuck'im love. He clearly doesn't realise y'are a good'un. Hold on to this till after you're out, then go direct. Keep the change." He indicated in her notes they'd agreed £215,000. He winked at her, and lowered his sunglasses, taking the keys for the property from her, taking her hand, and raising it to his lips, and giving it a gentle brush with his lips. "You still offering assistance with a hammer and paintbrush, darlin'?" His sharp grin flashed again, as he let her hand fall, and placed a hand on the small of her back as he carefully manoeuvred them out of the building, and closed the front door behind them, locking it, though anyone with a decent pair of boots could certainly get in if they wanted!!

Taking another cigar from his shirt pocket, and lighting it, he let the blue smoke drift from his nostrils as he heaved a huge sigh. He looked down at the girl with his bright deep amber eyes, and smirked, stepping down from the creaking porch, and heading towards his van, flipping the new property's keys up, and catching them a few times. "Hey, y'got a personal number or anything, darlin'? If y'don't fancy coming along for some DIY, how about you give me a way to contact you for the house warming?" His infectious grin as he leant against his jeep, opening its creaky door, flashed again, tilting his head at her, inquistive.
 
"What's this?" She asked, eyeing the cheque to see their earlier figure.
As she listened to what he implied, she pressed a hand to her mouth.
"No, I really can't take this. I feel bad. Take it back," she said, trying to hand the cheque over to him. It was incredibly generous and she'd never met anyone like him.
But this was too much. Not even she could bring herself to accept this. It was his hard earned money.
"This is yours. Not mine. It doesn't belong to me." She said, handing over the house keys.
A warm, rough and yet gentle touch brought her attention to her hand, and to her surprise, he had brought it up to his lips and kissed it.
She smiled widely, completely taken aback by this man's attitude.
"Yeah, the offer still stands. I'd like to help you out still." She said as her hand fell to her side. She still felt his kiss on it.

As soon as they were outside, she couldn't shake the feeling he gave her whenever he placed a hand on her.
It was like she couldn't get enough, and yet, he was a complete stranger.
She was sad to see him leave, she wanted company and hated to be alone, especially now she was out of a job.
This thought triggered another as his words rang through her head, his voice almost mesmerising.
How did he know she was out of a job? Was that what he was referring to?
Surely there was no way he could have heard her over the phone...
Her train of thoughts were brought to a halt when he called out to her.

"Sure, give me a second." She said as she scribbled down her number on a piece of paper, and walked his way with a smile.
"This is my name and number. Just text me or call me, but let me know who you are. I forget easily." She said as she placed it in his hand with a soft touch, the sensation almost making her hair stand on end.
"It's so nice of you to invite me to the house warming. But of course I'll help you with the house. I could come by tomorrow?" She offered, seeing how it was already getting dark.
Truth was, she'd love to do something now, but it was too late to be doing anything at this hour.
Her delicate eyes scanned his curious ones, and she couldn't help but fall in love with that mischievous grin he had.
 
Maxim waved his hand at the lass, smirking at her, ignoring her protests. When she tried to hand the cheque back, he raised his hands to his head, lacing the fingers behind his head, the jacket opening, the shirt pulling tight over his chest as he leant against his truck. A little gap opened between his vest and his dark, holey jeans. The cigar between his teeth burnt a similar colour to his eyes, as he grinned around it.

"It's yours, darlin'! I insist. If y'must, come work it off makin' this hovel into a home." He chuckled, opening the door to his jeep, putting the keys into the ignition, and turning, the jeep rolling into life almost immediately with a thick roar. For a jeep that looked like crap on the outside, the inside was finely tuned; like a mechanical version of its owner. He rolled down the window, and leant through it, swinging on the door. His mischievous grin only deepened, giving him dimples, as he watched her try to work out how he'd heard her phone call. He ducked his head, lowering his sunglasses from the top of his head, gold rimmed, dark aviator style, like the cowboy he seemed to emanate. All he needed was the Stetson!

"Y'reckon you're gonna forget me?" He pouted a little, taking the cigar from his teeth, to accentuate it more. He laughed heartily, and waved the cigar around in the direction of the house. "There's a lot of work, don't be thinkin' too much about parties! Two days; be back here in two days. Come meet some of the guys. We'll get this dump lookin' presentable." Maxim clambered into his jeep, pulling the door closed, and hanging out it a moment as he revved the tuned engine. "We work hard, darlin'. I hope you can keep up." He used his fist to gently push at her shoulder in a symbol of bantering fun, before he saluted her, and revved his engine out of the cul de sac.

---
The sound of the engine pulling up to the current Pack House set off howling from around the area. Maxim grinned, pulling his jacket collar closer to his neck as he switched off the engine, and rolled up the window. He sang along to the final few bars of the song that had been playing, some Foo Fighters tune, and got out of the jeep. The pounding sound of paws around the side of the building had him grinning as two youngsters came barrelling around, their black coats so deep and lustrous. Their tails wagged uncontrollably as they tried to climb into his chest, licking all over his face and neck. Maxim ruffed of the pair's hips and shoulders, the deep fur hiding even his giant hands.

"Get on you two!!" He laughed, as the young werewolves raced off at full speed. They were lucky they were only young; at their age, though wolffish in appearance, people sometimes mistook them for large black shepherd types, so they had a bit more free reign than other members. It was their dark ebony eyes that gave them away as something else; human, but also deeply animal. Maxim laughed as he headed up to the building's front door, where it was opened by a blond woman, her fiery green eyes flashing with anger. Maxim held up a hand before she could even begin her tirade.

"I know; stop lettin' 'em run around like wild stallions before they get us all killed. Sara, what would you have me do, hm? They're kids. They need to run, just like everyone else." Her argument faded with his words and his honest expression. Her arms crossed across an amble bosom, her green eyes flicking between him and the truck. He grinned at her, knowing her question. "Go on. Ask." He chuckled, sliding past her into the small house. Inside, a few faces peered around chairs and sofas. The exciting beat of paws came through the front door as the two youngsters came in snarling and biting at each other's ears, before seeing that nearly everyone was gathered together, and they stopped, the slightly larger male pinning down his sister, still in Wolf forms. Maxim looked around at them, before he pulled the keys from his pockets. 8 heads all raised, the two youngsters swinging into full howl in excitement.

"Hold on!!" Maxim shouted over the buzz of the whole house, as 8 pairs of eyes all turned to look at him, all varying shades of wild. "It's a mess. Worse'n the lass said." Murmurs of agitation resounded around the house, but Maxim waved his hands. "It's nothing we can't fix guys, but I bought it out right for a lot less than the askin' price, so don't worry. We got time, this place is still safe at the minute, and soon's as me'n the guys have got the floorin', and the roofin' sorted, we'll get everyone out there. The forest is ours by bought and paid for right!!" Another cheer, and Maxim grinned, looking around at his Pack. He didn't mention the cute little blond, or her offer to help. Hell, he knew she wasn't going to show. Far to prim and proper for that!

---​

The next day was spent buying supplies; wood, nails, paint, tools, underlay, carpet, roofing tiles, felt. All the things they needed to get the place ready. Maxim drove around, his cab filled with a similarly looking, rugged man, though he was more blond than russet, though his eyes were similar in colour and shape. Keane was his name, and he was Maxim's true blood-kin, younger, but getting stronger. Maxim was pleased his little brother had stuck around, even if it wouldn't last. The guy had potential, and he'd likely be starting his own pack sure enough when he felt he had the experience to do so. For now, being his brother's right hand man suited him just fine. Between them, a 13 year old lad, all long limbs and dark, wild hair sat, swinging his legs about, fidgeting constant. A good fit for his nickname at least. Twitch and his sister, Flick, had joined them recently, left with them after their mother passed, not wanting her children to get lost in the human system, and become a statistic, or even worse, become one of those unexplained disappearances of werewolf children, usually killed, and buried deep by the human authorities, never to see justice.

"Come oooooon!!! I wanna see it!!" Twitch, unlike his sister, would likely never attend human school; his attention span was miniscule, his habit of turning Wolf at the drop of a hat at this rebellious age made him a danger to all their lives. It was best he learn what they could teach him in less academic pursuits, and teach him Wolf ways, so he might at least survive! Maxim wasn't giving up on his mother's dream they survive, long into the future. He ruffled the kid's hair, whom growled, and grabbed the offending limb and tried to bite it. Maxim laughed and shook him off, making the youngster pout.

"We're going!! Be patient, grot-bag!!" Maxim looked over the kid's head to his brother, a near identical smirk to his own returning the expression.

"Yeah, brat. And remember!! If we go see it, NO CHANGIN'!! This is close to humans till we can get the protective charms in place." This lead to further sulking and pouting, which Maxim could forgive. The first thing he'd wanted to do when he saw that field and the wood beyond was strip off and race into it, changing as he ran. Not a smart move, as his brother was right to point out; they needed to set their boundaries, make it so humans were forced to avoid the area. Pulling up to the cul de sac, and taking a slow drive up, Maxim pointed it out, and grinned at their wide eyes; one in wonderment, the other in shocked disbelief that his brother had paid money for this place.

"It needs lovin', but it'll be a home soon enough." Maxim commented. He looked across. Where there had been a boy and a man, there now say a giant wolf pup and a man. "TWITCH!! What'id we just sat about that?" The boy whined, and yawned, making a funny yowelling sound. "Christ, how d'y'do that so fast? Shit me! Y'gonna do y'self a mischief keep swappin' so fast. Y'gotta learn to control it!" Keane laughed at the bickering pair, and got out the car soon as it was stationary, walking around to the back of the truck to start unloading, ready for tomorrow. "Stay put, y'damn mongrel!!"

Maxim got out too, rolling down the window so the kid could poke his nose out. It didn't take he and his brother long to unload, and settle the items in a dry patch under the decking. Weather forecast was for sunny and hot, so they had no concerns over a night spent out of doors. Maxim eyed his brother for a moment as they looked over the huge acreage of land they had. "What d'ya think, brother?" Maxim could see his brother measuring his words, making decisions on how best to answer. Maxim raised an expectant eyebrow to his brother.

"I think y'are a damn fool payin' £250 for this piece of crap. But I see why y'did it. Best we get here early tomorrow, work at it hard, and make a serious dent in this work. Preferably before ANY of the girls see it. They'll take your hide." Maxim clapped his brother on the shoulder with a grin. They headed back to the truck where the large black Wolf was still whining in their cab. Some kids had gathered in the street to look at it, slack jawed.

"Hey mister!! What kind of dog is THAT?" Maxim looked at his brother, whom shook his head. Maxim grinned, not heeding the warning, before he put a hand on the handle of his door, Twitch inside making the whole cab shake as he bounded across to Maxim, jamming to stupid nose through the gap and pushing his lips back to show his white teeth; to Maxim, it looked funny as hell, but the kids began to back off a bit at the sight of the sharp things.

"Oh this? This is my Kid-eatin' Hound. Y'never seen one before? Come in real handy when there's a pack of rabid kids bein' nosy. Say? You wanna meet him?" As if on cue, Twitch whine-growled, and started to claw at the gap with one of his huge paws, hearing Maxim use him as a joke at the kids' expense. They ran off, shouting 'no way' and 'hell no', and Maxim got into the truck, shoving Twitch back as he did so, Twitch scowling at him. "Learn to control y'changes, and I'll let you meet the kids." Maxim said sternly, and they pulled off, leaving the house behind for one more night.

---​

Morning came around quick, and Maxim piled all the help he could get into the car. Twitch and Flick stayed behind, with Sara and some of the other females. Keane, Rut, and Clay were all piled into the truck in the early morning light, and driven across to the house. Rut and Clay were two young men that had met the brothers a few years back and decided to tag on as Pack. Rut was actually called Luther, but he had a veracious appetite for the affections of women, werewolf and human, and was nicknamed "Rut" for obvious reasons. His chocolate skin and grey stormy eyes, with close cropped hair and a very heavy, muscle bound frame did make him popular with the ladies.

His best friend Clay was almosy the complete opposite; a bit of a book nerd, was the only one of the Pack males that held down an intelligent and well paid job. His glasses were thin and rectanglar, matching all his angles and sharp joints, like a gangly teenager that never grew into himself. His pale ginger hair and blue eyes, with freckled, easily burnt skin and thin chest looked much better in his suit than it did his working clothes, but he was essential for this job; he held the brains of the outfit, and would ensure all jobs were done correctly, to make sure that anything was half arsed. He was also gay, and he delighted in making Rut feel uncomfortable by watching him with what he believed to be sultry gazes as a game, which Maxim and Keane would sometimes join him in. It was quite well known Clay had a bit of a thing for Keane, but they kept it strictly friendly, and Maxim's message within his Pack to accept all resonated deeply with all the members.

Pulling up to the house, the kids from the day before stopped playing on the green in the centre of the cul de sac, which made a turning point. They watched keenly, to see if the huge black dog was with them, and we're disappointed when they didn't see him. Maxim smirked, and locked up the truck as Rut and Keane leapt out of the flat bed, and showed them to the house. "It's not much now, but we'll be workin' through gents. I'll order take out for lunch if we get a decent amount done. Maybe some beers for afters." The lads gave a little cheer, which soon dropped as they peered into the door Maxim opened for them. "Let's get goin'! Clay, me'n you inside, make sure these stairs are safe. Rut, you take back porch, Keane, take front. I want all that flakey paint stripped off, and any deckin' planks that are rotten ripped up and replaced. Everythin' we need is under the deckin' at the back. Let's go guys!!"
 
Camila looked down at the cheque in her hand and then back at him. There was no way he was going to take it back. But now, she'd promised herself she'd certainly work for it. There was no way she'd just take his money.
"Thank you," she said sheepishly, stuffing it into her pockets gently.
Once more she looked up at him and he had that dazzling smile on his face. She found it infectious and soon sported one too.

"I don't think I could forget you if I tried. You certainly are something." She admitted, letting out a small chuckle as she inspected him.
He was one of a kind for sure, and she'd never met anybody even remotely close to him. Her mind refused to let her forget him anyway. He was way too memorable.
In fact, she'd doubted she'd be able to get him out of her head for these next days.
"Take care." She said, waving politely at him as he shut his door.
There was nothing wrong with hard work. Nobody knew that better than herself. She'd done some handy work in the past, and was surprisingly looking forward to seeing what these next weeks would bring.
Soon after he left, she got into her own car and drove off promptly, looking at the house and smirking. For such a bad day, it hadn't been bad in the slightest.


---


The next day Camila sat at home. She'd already packed her office - after a good, long lecture from her boss - and had pretty munched stormed out of there for good, a sneaky cheque in her back pocket.
Now, she was at the table, drinking some coffee as she took some time to relax, the television on in the background.
Her mind was busy with trying to think of how she was going to get another job, but she thought about it long and hard.
The cheque he'd given her was more than she earned in a year. She could survive on her own for a while in the meantime she helped him with the house, and it would be nice to have some time off work.
He certainly was something...


---

The day after came around quicker than anticipated, and Camila awoke with a groan.
She'd almost forgotten what it was like to relax.
Speaking of which, she almost bolted out of bed when she saw the time. She had to help Maxim.
Running around like a crazed chicken, she began to get ready in order to meet him again.
Something about meeting him and talking to him created butterflies in her stomach, and she couldn't help but become nervous.
But why?
It was nothing more than helping him renovate.

She piled some tools into her car, wearing something that she didn't mind would get dirty, and headed towards the destination.

A few minutes later, she'd arrived, and she slowly parked the car outside.
Now that it was a reasonable time, she realised it was a friendly neighbourhood. Kids were playing outside, although the weather looked like it was going to take a turn for the worse soon.
Switching the engine off, she opened the car door and stepped out the car, surprised to see somebody already hard at work on the front of the house.
Had he already hired people since she had shown up late?
She couldn't afford to let this become a habit. She felt like she was letting him down.
She bit her lip nervously and got her tools out from her car, walking down the long driveway of the house until she came to a stop at the front porch.
There was no way she could step onto it since it was being taken down.

"Hi," she offered as a greeting.
"I'm here to help out with the renovation?" She said, not sure if she was even talking to the right guy.
He was attractive for sure and had a similar build to Maxim, although he wasn't her type. He was quite large for his stature and she found herself slightly more intimidated around his presence than she did with Maxim.
 
The work was progressing well, though it was revealed as the front porch was sanded down that the vast majority of the decking was going to need replacing, so Keane was let loose with a crowbar and the others stood back a safe distance and watched for a while, before heading back to their individual jobs. Clay was more than capable of working out the best course of action for stabilising the stair cases, and as there was not much work required in doing it, he was left to it, and was happy in his work. This left Maxim free reign to rip up carpets, and wash down the kitchen that was in a reasonable state.

Soon, a large degree of rubbish was piled in th back of the truck, with a tarp tied down over it, and another tarp in the front garden held a growing pile of further rubbish. The men made short work of the destructive jobs, but when it came to the more fiddly jobs, they weren't so quick; now the vast majority of the rotten planks were taken up and dumped, treatment had to be applied to those areas that still existed, to protect it for the years to come; with the front losing nearly all its decking, Keane has given himself the toughest job. Rut out the back was flying, washing everything down, finding that the back, as had been suspected, was pretty clear and well cared for, and Clay was up on the second level looking around.

Maxim heard the familiar car drive up, but figured Keane would look after the girl. He had to grin as he was pulling up the rotten carpet and gathering it close to the door; he hadn't expected her to show! Her voice called out, and Maxim gathered armfuls of rotten carpet and stepped out, using the struts that were left. Keane was scowling a little, both at Maxim getting in his way, and at this clearly human woman standing pretty as a daisy in their front yard, not knowing whom she was to be walking up to their new property. "Howdy, darlin'!" Maxim shouted as he jumped down the place where steps had been. "Don' mind ol' grumpy up there; he's m'baby brother, never did know how to be polite to ladies whom find us homes!! Not... that that happens often though! How are ya?" Maxim strolled past, carrying the frayed, mildew-y smelling carpets past her, down to the rubbish heap further down. Rut appeared around the side of the building, having heard voices chatting, one being female. His grey eyes lit up at the site of the woman, but Keane growled at him to get back to work.

Maxim motioned for Camila to follow him offering a hand up onto the struts of the porch. "This here is Keane; don' let his growl put y'off, he's a sweetie really." He showed her through the front door, which had been rubbed down in preparation for new paint, into the communal area that had been stripped of all flooring, and had all the windows wide open. "As y'can see, we're makin' decent progress." From the stairs, Clay jogged down, thinking Maxim was talking with him, seeing the human woman in their midst, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, and he scooted back a few steps, before gathering himself, and coming down to tentatively offer a hand. "This is Clay, a good friend. The architect of our build, y'might say!"

"Oh stop, Maxim!! Pleasure to meet you." Clay didn't hold the same drawling accent that Maxim and his brother did, instead, sounding far more well to do, and proper. Which was at complete odds with his more outlandish, hillbilly name. Maxim patted him on the shoulder, and led through to the kitchen, and to the decked area out back, to where he stopped and shielded his face.

"Rut, what in the name of all hell?!" Rut's vest was off, and hanging over the bannister of the decked area, showing off all his muscled form and his tribal tattoos. The shortest of the men, he was also the bulkiest, and he made up for his stature with pure bravado. He struck a few poses, grinning like a loon for the benefit of the young lady. Having heard the commotion from above, a wolf whistle came from above where Clay had gingerly stepped out onto one of the balconies, and was leant against the metal railing.

"Hey Rut, it is not my birthday for at least another week!!" Clay hollered in his most camp tone, fanning himself. Rut stomped about and swore at the men, throwing his vest back on, and grabbing the hose to cool Clay down. Clay screeched, and dove back into the room that led onto the balcony.

"Rut here, Luther to some, is the last of the lads helpin' today. How'bout you stay wit'me. I'm gonna take a run to the dump with all that wreckage out the front shortly, but how about we do a bit of sweepin' first?" Grabbing two brooms from the decking rails, he jumped back up, handing one of Camila. "Y'can introduce y'self to everyone as we go." He grinned broadly, and heading back in, starting to sweep from the kitchen through to the communal area, brushing down any walls that had cobwebs or flaked paint as he went, and gathering dirt and dust in clouds that billowed out the front door, where Keane was still scrubbing away with wire brushes and sand paper.

"So, y'gone from that job then? Cashed the cheque and completed the sale for me?" Maxim scratched at his chest through the grey vest he was wearing, his dirtied jeans, again, full of holes and runs, and frayed all over; his boots were still in place. What was missing today was the cigars and the sun glasses; clearly items he kept for relaxing and business, not hard manual labour.
 
Camila felt a little taken aback by the scowl she'd received, and she frowned slightly, wondering why he was so hostile towards her.
She hadn't done anything wrong, had she?
Her eyes flicked to Maxim, who had come outside with the sound of her arrival, bits of rotten carpet in his arms, his manoeuvrability almost cat-like as he made his way down to her through the disassembled porch.
She would've thought for somebody of his size and stature, it would've been a little more difficult to get through, but he'd done it with no problems at all. And still, he'd continued to surprise her.
"Hey, Maxim!" She greeted, unable to stop the wide smile that painted her face upon seeing him.
"I'm good, I've been keeping busy. Just here to help out." She said, throwing her hands up in surrender jokingly at Keane; his younger brother.

Her eyes followed Maxim though as he dumped the carpet in the truck.
"I could use my car as well you know. That seems a little full," she offered, having no problem taking stuff to the dump for them.
She followed Maxim, making her way carefully past the porch, apologising to Keane for getting in the way.
As soon as she stepped in the house, her eyes widened. It was drastically different than when she'd last been here, and it had only been two days.
"Wow," she blurted out, looking around the slowly changing house. It seemed like they'd been here for weeks already.
"Why didn't you give me a call? I could have come earlier." She said, looking over at Maxim briefly, before turning her attention back to the room, trying to see what needed doing.

Her blue eyes snapped to movement by the stairs and she looked up, just in time for Maxim to introduce him. He was by far the scrawniest out of both Keane and Maxim, but his eyes seemed to hold a vast amount of knowledge.
"Hi, Clay." She said, smiling politely at him, "It's very nice to meet you too." She said, before moving past him quickly with Maxim. The kitchen still needed doing, but that was to be expected.
Camila was taken aback by Maxim's exclamation and she curiously peeked from behind him, only to find who she assumed was Rut.
He was very well-built, but also quite short.
Camila grinned humourously as he struck a few poses, his confidence something she found funny.
As soon as Clay exclaimed from above, Camila started laughing a little harder than she should have at the fact that Rut's confidence had been completely destroyed and he was cussing all the men out.

"Quite the team you have here!" She said humourously, finding that she got along with Maxim incredibly well. He was so approachable to her.
She simply waved to Rut and went back inside with Maxim, more than happy to stay with him. She preferred to, seeing how she knew him the most after all. Camila could tend to get a little shy at times.
She swept the areas that Maxim hadn't touched, making conversation as she did so.
"Yeah, of course I finalised the sale for you. I had to. For my favourite client," she added with a cheeky grin.
"But I still haven't cashed in the cheque you gave me. I don't have the nerve to. I'll only use it as a last resort, if necessary." She said, emphasising the 'if.'
She looked back up to make eye contact with him, something she found strange since he didn't have sunglasses on.

His strangely coloured eyes had a slight glow to them; and it was something she found that drew her in.
She cleared her threat and started sweeping again.
"I've left the job though, for good. Had no say in that one." She admitted, a little upset she'd been fired.
"It happens though." She said with a shrug, bringing all the dirt to one corner of the room.
"What about you? How have you been doing? Anything interesting?" She asked, curious to learn more about him. It had been a little while since they'd spoken, and he'd shown such kindness to her that she planned on at least making friends with him. Some company was good. She hardly talked to anybody.

Her lips parted as she breathed out through her mouth slightly, the humidity outside was making her way too hot inside, and she needed a little bit of water.
Unfortunately, she hadn't brought any and there was no way she was drinking from the tap here.
 
Maxim chuckled as she offered the use of her car, and shook his head, as it wasn't necessary; plus it was easy in his truck as he just had to lower the tailgate and scrape out all the muck with a shovel; her car looked relatively well cared for and useful!! He knew they'd been busy since early, but it was nice to hear that they were doing well, considering her reaction. With the exception of the usual suspect of Keane, all the guys seemed to like her too, and he figured that had to count for something! Clay was upstairs still, pulling up carpets, checking in flooring; intermittent rips and cracks stated some of the floors and structural parts of the building up there needed tending to. Hammering and sawing from outside signalled the guys, Keane and Rut, starting work on replacing the boarding of the deck on the porch.

"They are a good team." Maxim agreed, leaning on his broom for a moment, listening to all the sounds that were occurring around them. Her comment about not cashing her part of his cheque made him frown. £215 for the building £35 for her; that had been the decision! "Well lil lady, you'd best get on and get it done!! I won't have no one livin' on scraps when their helpin' me lead them to losin' their job." He set back to it with the broom, using it to further remove peeling paint from the walls of the lounge when Clay's voice shouted from up the stairs.

"You made her lose her job, Maxim?! Why did you do that?" Clay's shocked, pale face peered down between the bannister railings and the stairs, like he was hanging upside down from an area where there were no railings.

"Wha--- No I didn't make her lose her job, it just happened when he was here showin' me this house!!" Keane and Rut were now standing in the doorway, Rut looking at his Alpha with a mock-shocked face, whilst Keane just scowled at him. "Fellas, believe me, would I purposefully make a pretty thing like Camila here lose her job?" Before the others could answer, Keane had crossed his arms and entered the building.

"Yes. You've done it before, bro. Remember that piece of tail y'was chasin' down in New Orleans?" The guys around them all chuckled, though Keane didn't seem overly impressed. "Yeah, y'cost her a career in Bankin'! And that Yukon girl, what about her?" Rut pulled Keane back, laughter peeking at that memory, though Maxim looked horrified.

"All honest mistakes, bro!! Not once did I cause those job loses, I just happened to be there at the wrong times 's'all!!" Maxim was pouting, and a redness had creeped up his neck. He knew his brother's aim, and he scowled back, puffing his chest a little at the man, staring him down. Keane huffed, and returned to his tasks outside, Rut and Clay also beating a hasty retreat with some barely covered laughter sniggering out. "Man!! Ya'd think I was some sex pest the ways m'lil bro carries on!!"

Grabbing a deep dustpan, Maxim pushed what they'd gathered into it, and carried it out, throwing his brother a dirty look as he skipped across the bare struts of the porch. "C'mon Cam'. How's about we get these brutes some pizza and brews, after we drop off the rubbish in the truck?" He fished his keys out his back pocket, and all he could hear was a cheer from an upstairs window, and Rut fist pumping the air down on the porch. Maxim grinned, diffusing the tension best he could. Keane would come around; he was just untrusting of unknown humans.
 
Camila laughed as accusations were thrown Maxim's way.
"Wow, so you did make me lose my job," she said jokingly, knowing perfectly well it had been her own fault.
"You have a reputation for being at the wrong place at the wrong time or something?" She asked, a smile making its way across her face; while Maxim just stood there looking slightly flustered. She found herself slightly taken aback that such a guy as intimidating as him would be flustered--but then she realised she was being ridiculous. He had emotions. Who didn't?

As the three of them left, she realised it was just Maxim and her again. By now, she'd stopped sweeping, successfully clearing the kitchen of any dirt lying around.
She followed Maxim outside and stretched a bit once she'd hopped down from the porch, having taken uncertain steps to go past it.
Her eyes lit up.
"Some pizza sounds great." She said, a grin on her face as she followed him to his car.
It had been a shame he'd declined her offer to use her car. She really didn't mind.
At the moment, the jeep looked like it was about to collapse on its own suspension with the way things were going, but she climbed in anyway, finding his car surprisingly comfortable.

It was only now that she was starting to process what Maxim had really said. He'd already given her a nickname.
"Hey, do you mind if I call you Max at all?" She called out to him, liking the sound of the shorter name on her tongue. Not that she didn't like his full name.
Once he'd clambered in, she took the opportunity to say something.
"They seem really nice. Friends of yours?" She asked, with the exception of whom she knew was his brother. There was no way they could all be related. They all differed far too much in terms of genes.
Speaking of his brother, Keane seemed a little hostile towards her. What he'd said to Maxim earlier seemed like an attack towards him; perhaps to even deter her.
But, she knew that she couldn't be deterred easily. At least she hoped so.

"You know, I'm actually enjoying myself for once. It was always work, work, work for me. It's nice to have some company." She said, looking over at Maxim and smiling.
He looked like he'd been through a lot; and just a glance of his face hinted to her that he was very experienced in terms of life. He just seemed like the type to know a lot.

Once they'd reached the dump, she helped him carry things to the pile, although he was picking up things with one hand that she'd never even be able to lift. His strength was truly astounding. She knew he had a large build, but she never knew it granted him a freaky amount of strength.


Meanwhile, two men had also arrived at the dump. They stopped and sniffed at the air, looking at each other.
There was another Alpha here. Rogues such as them were considered dangerous, and they'd be killed on site. Slowly, they stepped away, but not before scanning the threat.
Their eyes landed on Maxim and the girl beside him.
What a pretty little thing.
"He's with a human?" One spat out, almost like it was a crime.
"How interesting...we might finally have something against the Alpha. We need more territory." The other one said; and they both walked off quickly, not wanting a fight as they discussed their plans.

Camila threw the last item in the pile.
"Okay, that's the last one of them. Let's go get some pizza." She said excitedly, dying for a slice.
 
As Maxim unlocked the door to his jeep, he lifted her shoulder at his request to call him Max. He didn't mind, whatever she wanted really. He'd soon mention if he wasn't happy with a name. The tarp over the items in the back was checked on all sides before Maxim entered the cab, ensuring all sides were tied down securely, and that there was no likelihood of flying debris. He patted the edge of the truck, and waved to the guys on the porch, and top window, whom all responded with a similar salute, before Maxim clambered in, turning the ignition, and rolling down his window.

"Friends, companions, housemates. Family." He smiled as he pulled some gum from the glasses pouch in his sun visor, and offered her some, popping two tabs into his mouth, and happily chewing away. "Been with me since the beginnin'. Keane especially, bein' my twin an' all, haha! The lil' bro sure, but only by 15 minutes or so." Checking his mirrors, the engine ticking over, he nodded before pulling his sunglasses out of a little pigeon hole in his car, and sliding the gold rimmed aviators up his long nose with a grin. "Shall we?" He revved the engine, and they pulled off smoothly, the dilapidated truck surprisingly smooth and well tuned.

Maxim listened to Camila talk, nodding where appropriate, making agreeable noises as required; he'd got reasonably good at listening to womenfolk, what with the girls of the pack always being so bossy and talkative with him. He was pleased she was enjoying herself, even if it was going to get tougher. "Well, you'll certainly still be work work workin' with us Cam'! No rest for the wicked, y'know?" He flashed her a playful grin, and carefully manoeuvred his jeep as required through the roads to the junkyard. He greeted the junker like an old friend, clapping his hand into the handshake and pumping it vigorously as he climbed down from the cab. The man knew Maxim well, and had probably sold him most of what was in his jeep, keeping it going. The junkyard owner indicated the few areas he was going to need; timber yard, offcuts of carpet section, and rubble. Reversing the jeep to the rubble section for the last part, between he and Camila, they removed the potentially reuseable parts to the timber stack and the carpet pile. Like most of what was out here, the timber would just become home to bugs; the carpet would molder further, and likely be used for fires.

Grabbing the shovel, Maxim powered the rubble out of the back, flinging it into the rubble piles. It took very little time, but with the heat, Maxim was soon sweating. And large rims of darkness had appeared over his grey vest. He stood and panted for a but, rubbing a dusty arm over his face to clear the sweat. That was when he scented them. Amber eyes tightened, and he scowled, his nostrils flaring at the smell of two unknown males. Maxim made a show of resting for Camila, so as not to raise suspicion as he inspected the two males. His amber eyes flashed as something rolled beneath his skin, angered by the presence of creatures unknown to his Pack. The two backed off, not realising they'd been spotted; something to discuss with Keane, and ensure they were chased off tomorrow. Camila's question brought him back down to the present, and he grinned down at her from atop his flatbed castle.

"Good shout. I could def'nitely use a cold one too!!" Jumping back into his cab, waiting for her to enter as well, he drove them up to the front, collecting some cash for what they'd bought. He saluted the junker, and they headed out, towards the bright lights and dazzling scents of the town. There was a great pizza place his Tribe often used, so he headed there, pulling up to the drive through. Ordering 5 large meaty style, and a vegetarian style, pizzas, and a crate of beer, he paid with the cash he'd just received, and waited for the workers to bring everything out, pulling up into one of the pick up spaces, tapping his fingers upon the roof of the cab. "So how're y'likin' what we got done so far? Still hours of daylight left, but y'can see it coming together, am I right?"
 
Camila waited patiently, resting her hand on her head.
She was starving.
"Oh I think you guys did a great job without me. I kind of feel bad, letting you guys do all that hard work when I was the one who sold you that crap in the first place." She said as she shrugged, eyeing the mirrors to see when the food would arrive.
"It really is coming together. I'm sure once it's done it will look amazing. It really is a gorgeous house. It just pretty much needs to be rebuilt." She added with a chuckle.

She covered her mouth as she let out a yawn, shaking her head after.
"Sorry," she apologised, trying not to yawn again.
"I haven't even done that much." She said as she grinned.
Slowly, she turned her head to look at him and smiled, his facial expression contagious.
What also made her grin was the fact that he was wearing his signature look.
"You should marry those damn sunglasses. Do you wear them to bed?" She said, and the thought of Maxim wearing those aviators to bed caused her to laugh.
She turned back around, rummaging Maxim's glove box for a water bottle. Once she found one, she sighed dramatically like she'd been saved.
"You mind?" She asked, and once he'd answered, she tore the lid off ravenously and drank like she hadn't had water in a week.

"Oh my god I seriously needed some water. I was practically dying." She said as she sat back, leaning into the seat, closing her eyes momentarily.
As soon as she opened them, she saw the workers approaching with their order and she got excited as she clambered out the car to retrieve the order without waiting for Maxim.
"Thank you!" She said politely, taking the rather large order from their hands and loading it into the back of the truck, but not before taking a box and bringing it to the front.
"Did you want to share a cheeky pizza before heading back?" She said with a wink, knowing that it was probably going to be the only moment they could share together until they got back.

Opening the box, she reached out, letting Maxim take the first slice before picking one out for herself.
She was still halfway through her first slice and he was already on his second.
He sure ate a lot. But for such a big man with a big physique, he needed it.
"You must be hungry. Here," she said as she handed him the box, but not before taking her last slice.
"That's enough for me right now, or I'll be too full to do any work." She said, and waited until Maxim was done eating before they headed back.
Once they were back at the house, she greeted everybody with pizzas as Maxim walked in with the beers.
"Hey, I'm just gonna continue while you guys eat. I want to actually help for once seeing how you guys have done all the work." she said as she sent them all a polite smile before heading upstairs to clean the place a little.
 
Maxim nodded in agreement with it needing to be practically rebuilt! He rolled down his window and adjusted the mirror to reflect back at him the door of the pizza joint, his other hand fiddling with the radio of the truck to find his favourite rock station, fingers tapping along to whatever song was playing; he thought it sounded like a Guns'n'Roses track. The large man grinned at her yawning, shaking his head, though his expression showed agreement with her sentiment; she certainly hadn't done that much yet, but he couldn't judge her by the standards of he and his comrades. There was, of course, more to them than met the eye, and even the females of the Pack were formidable and strong.

At the mention of his sunglasses, he looked a little taken aback, and slid them down his nose to stare at her a moment, tongue between his teeth for a moment to punctuate his mischievous grin. "Maybe I jus' will." He pushed their dark lenses back up, indicating she go right ahead when she found a bottle of water in the glove box. She was lucky it wasn't a dead animal, or some chewed up dog's toy from Twitch! He smirked, listening to her talk, quietly enjoying her chatty company, as she settled herself into the seat further. He was just opening his own door as she came alive like a sixth sense for food had hit her, woken her, and out she ran. He tweaked the mirror, admiring her as she jogged up to the waiter, and looked so excited by food. Again, his incredulous headshake.

"My, you're a right lil' fire cracker ain't ya?" He laughed, as she suggested they sneak some pizza before they headed back. He wasn't going to argue, taking a thick slice, and taking three large bites in succession, sighing happily on the oozing cheese and toppings. He'd grabbed another, and was happily munching away, when she made her comment. He grinned sheepishly around his food, and lifted a shoulder. When she passed him the box, he shoved the last of the second slice in his mouth, took one more, and left the box between them on the seat as he fired up the engine. "Forgive me; I'm a beast possessed around pizza!" He laughed at his own little joke, and revved the engine up, throwing the truck into reverse, one hand still occupied with some pizza, which was polished off before he threw it back into gear, and they pulled off the parking lot.

Maxim sang along to the radio songs, having a decent voice for it; he liked to believe it was somewhat of a natural talent, though he wouldn't ever explain to those that were human why this was funny, and other werewolves just got it. He let Camila grab the pizzas to take to the guys, knowing food was always a surefire way to make friends with them all, even his brother! The cheer was huge as she laid out the boxes, and Maxim locked up his truck, following up after with the bottles, and laying those next to the boxes to another raucous cheer.

"Awwww yeah!! Best boss ever!!" Rut squawked, and ran off with a box to himself back to the back of the property. Maxim laughed, and Clay and Keane just shook their heads, digging in themselves, all three watching Camila dare the staircase, and go about clearing some of the areas upstairs. Keane cast a look to his brother, which Maxim ignored, in favour of slugging from one of the bottles.

"So... a human." Clay looked at Keane with a face that just seemed to scream 'really?', but he knew better than to get involved, so took his leave, and headed out to join Rut, taking a couple beers out with him. Maxim growled at his brother, lowering the sunglasses to the middle of his bridge, his amber eyes glinting dangerously. Keane ate his pizza slice quietly for a moment. "She was the agent for sellin' this place? So you picked y'self up another stray?" Keane's more golden eyes stared right back, only diverting when he realised his brother was not going to backdown.

"Y'know that's not it. Ya've met her! She's sweet; demanded I let her help for sellin' us this trash heap. How could I reject her?" Maxim slumped a little, scratching his chest as his brother polished off two slices in quick succession, before getting his own beer. "I agreed, so she could alleviate some guilt for this place bein' so awful. That's all. Not my fault she's a little cutie." Keane punched him hard, and Maxim laughed. His brother was clearly not overly impressed, but he couldn't argue.

"Just be careful, yeah? This place is for all of us. And we're riskin' things as is, movin' closer to that other group." Keane stood, stretching himself, before taking his beer and an extra slice with him, and heading to the porch. His aim was to get it laid, and ready for staining before the day was out. Maxim huffed, drinking some more beer, before getting himself stuck in to clearing the damaged counters of the kitchen, and any cupboards that would need replacement doors due to damage from water and age.
 
Camila had ran up the staircase, and pretty much marvelled at her own bravery. That thing looked like it would give out at any moment.
Camila stopped at the top, looking around as she wondered what room to go into; each one a potential death trap....which may or may not be an exaggeration.
Finally, she picked the bathroom and instantly regretted it as she stepped through, groaning in annoyance as the once white porcelain was stained with moss and black streaks.
Disgusting.
For a moment she considered walking out and choosing another room, but after debating it, she realised she hadn't really helped out much. Cleaning the bathroom would be a start.

Once it was clean it would shine, and then she'd have done something useful compared to the others.
So, without much complaints, she set about cleaning it, almost throwing up at the smell of stagnant water; the murkiness stirring the contents of her stomach.
Any adjective would surely fail her when trying to describe the mess that was the bathroom.
So, instead, she opted to try and distract herself by humming a little, coughing and retching when her hand accidentally touched the disgusting water.
Immeadiately she wiped it off on a bit of tissue, mortified at the dirty state of the water.
Shrugging it off, she moved to a different part when it was clean, setting to work on the bathtub.

When she leaned in though, there was a different surprise waiting for her.
She screamed loudly and ran out of the bathroom, trying to save herself as she ran down the stairs, taking three at a time.
Rounding the corner that was the kitchen, she sprinted in, surprised to find Maxim working on it.
Immeadiately she stopped; almost comically as she casually leaned on a counter, taking deep breaths.
"Oh--hey." She said, almost like nothing had happened.
"Don't go into the upstairs bathroom. Ever. Burn the house down because nobody can save you anymore." She said dramatically.

When met with a questioning look, she threw her arms up in the air frustratedly, almost like he should've known.
"There is the biggest spider I have ever seen in your bathroom." She said, her eyes wide as she recalled it crawling towards her. She was absolutely terrified of spiders.
Recalling the spider and its crawling, her arm stared to itch and she squealed, swatting at it, but later realising there was nothing there.
"I think I'll just stick with you from now on." She said, not wanting to go into another room alone.
She glanced around the kitchen, surprised at how much Maxim had done in the time she'd been upstairs attempting to clean. She shuddered as she thought about how the spider had been in there with her the whole time.
 
Maxim worked tirelessly, checking the doors for rot, working the screws loose, salvaging what he could of the hinges and wood, wiping out the cupboards and drawers, before reattaching what could be salvaged. The counters, as he'd spied before, were all good, and just needed a good wipe down. The cooker looked dangerous, and would probably need replacing, though it was more for appearances and the occasional human visitor than actual use. There was no fridge or freezer here, so he'd need to make sure they had a decent one brought in. Above, he could hear the occasional bang, clatter and thud, from Clay returning to inspecting flooring above, and possibly from the bathroom as well, where Camila had put herself.

She was an odd beast, he had to admit. Her infectious enthusiasm impressed the Alpha, and she wasn't exactly a poor thing to look upon. He knew Keane wasn't impressed, but Keane never liked his choices; it was true Maxim had always had a bit of a fascination with human women. They were exotic to him, strange. Females of his own species knew Maxim to be strong, a good genetic partner to raise offspring with. Humans looked at partnerships differently; they looked for comparability of spirit, and personality. Looks, of course, helped, and it didn't help that werewolves, much like other supernaturals, always seemed to hold ridiculously good looking human forms. Maxim couldn't help that he was clearly an attractive guy to humans! Keane, of course, would prefer he took a werewolf mate; protect the Pack, ensure their safety, make sure that they continued to reign supreme in the area, as their father had done before them, and his mother before him. But Maxim also saw the benefit of human allies. Humans in the area would not hesitate to accept them, if other humans were seen accepting them, should it ever be identified. Maxim sighed; he knew he was just kidding himself when he thought these fantasies; rarely were humans invited into Packs, for that exact reason. They had to be accepting of the species, understanding. And few humans were that... didn't mean werewolves didn't have fun with humans; Rut was renowned for it, but he was a slut, and spread himself thinnly between werewolf and human. Some had even rumoured he'd experimented with a wolf that he'd once met whilst out in the mountains, though he never admitted to it, like his human conquests.

Maxim's silent musings were interrupted, however, when a crash and scream above almost shook the house apart. Rut poked his head through the door, Keane doing the same from the front and hollering through to find out what the ruckus was. Maxim's eyes were wide as the girl launched down the stairs and threw herself through the kitchen door; Clay, above, watching her go in confusion, and slowly following down, concerned himself about what she'd run from. "Cam', what's gotten into ya?" Maxim asked, grabbing a beer from the emptied lounge and passing it to her. Her words were extremely dramatic, but Clay hugged himself, stepping away from the stairs and gaping, shrugging at Keane whom had entered as well, Rut approaching and placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "What're ya talkin' about?" Maxim's voice was terse with concern, and he eyed the stairs, worried about what had caused the commotion. Her next words, however, were not expected.

"There is the biggest spider I have ever seen in your bathroom." The words hung in the air for a moment, silence punctuating their announcement. First Rut started to giggle, then Clay snorted and tried to hide his laugh. Keane and Maxim exchanged looks, and finally, they two both started to laugh, their expressions near identical, like they were identical twins rather than just fraternal. The laughter filled the whole kitchen, Rut moving away from the woman to lean on the counter, gasping for air. Clay was politely chuckling into his hand. The brothers were just exhuberant in their laughter. Maxim was pleased that this had broken the ice, and Keane was finally starting to like the woman. Mastering his laughter, Maxim straightened, brushing down his vest from dust, and rounded his shoulders. His face deadpan, he looked to each person in the room, and nodded.

"I got this." He kept the smile from taking over, rubbing the back of his hand over his mouth and nose. "Stay here. Boys. Keep her safe." Keane rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms in the doorway, whilst Clay and Rut scuttled to Camila's side with a salute, and chuckled, nudging each other. Maxim turned, and he carefully headed up the stairs. He was apprehensive as he started up the stairs, when a voice shouted from below.

"Beware the centre of the bannister area; it's a bit loose." Clay called, and Maxim immediately released the railings of the stairs, and edges his large size up slowly under his own steam. Three pairs of eyes, all a little unusual, watched him slowly step up, snickering being heard as they took bets on whether he too, would squeal like Camila had, and run for it. Maxim rolled his shoulders, and gingerly stepped up into the open plan communal area at the top of the stairs.

It was gorgeous up here! The four doors leading off away from the stairs were all spaciously set, and the lounging area had two of the balconies attached to it. There was one door open to his right, and beyond, he could see the filthy bathroom, large and spacious, that Camila had decided to try and tackle. She was brace; even Maxim wasn't sure about going in. He breathed deep, and moved in slowly, looking about, making sure the flooring could support his weight as he stepped in. The bath was large, more like a jacuzzi type thing, that at least three people, or maybe just Maxim or Keane, could fit into. There, sat in the middle, was a small little spider, harmless and probably very confused. Maxim laughed quietly, and grabbed the thing, walking to the window and flinging it out. He stepped back out, and headed towards the stairs. He missed the sagging carpet.

His foot fell through the gap in the flooring, and he sank up to his thigh in the floor. His yelp lead to thunderous footsteps up the stairs, as the guys below thought he'd been attacked by the biggest spider ever. When they reached the top, three sets of eyes fell upon Maxim trying to pull his leg out of the flooring, and once again, howls of laughter rang out as Rut almost fell down the stairs from the sight, and Keane and Clay raced forward to try and pull their boss up. "I got it though guys!! It was a monster!" He lied, hoping Camila would feel better about her freak out.
 
She rolled her eyes as the guys started to laugh. Although she couldn't help the smile that seeped through, effectively ruining her serious attitude.
When Maxim straightened, Camila looked at him, both eyebrows raised expectantly.
"What?" She asked, confused as to why they were laughing. To her, spiders were deadly.
Or so she liked to think...
When Maxim mentioned about keeping her safe, she scoffed, but smiled, trying not to laugh at how he was exaggerating.
"Whatever," she said, watching as he turned around and headed up the stairs.

The banister groaned and complained at the weight that had been placed on it, and it made Camila nervous.
She watched on with the others, half expecting the staircase to break.
And then, when he was out of sight, she turned towards the others, looking at them suspiciously when they mentioned whether or not he'd run from the spider.
"It was about the size of his hand, so I doubt he'd even go in there." She joked, making exaggerated hand movements as she signaled how big it was.
She was about to place her bets, but a crashing sound had her instantly turning around, eyebrows furrowed as she looked confusingly up the stairs.
What had that been?

As soon as she saw Maxim thigh-deep in the floor, she burst out laughing, tears springing to her eyes at how clumsy he'd been.
It was times like these she'd wished she could have thought to take a photo.
When he described the spider, her eyes widened.
"You see? I told you!" She said, wondering how he'd even gathered enough courage to go near the thing.
But now that it was gone, she began to ease up, trying her hardest to relax.
She waited downstairs patiently, afraid the stairs would break even if she looked at them.
Once Maxim had come down, she looked at him and smiled genuinely.
"Thank you," she beamed, but then looked down at his hand and frowned.
"Although I don't want your hand anywhere near me." She said jokingly, knowing it had touched the spider.

"You're alright? Not hurt or anything?" She asked, looking him over in case he'd missed something. A man this big would have surely caused at least some damage to himself; although she was surprised he hadn't.
He was tougher than she thought.
She handed him a beer once she'd checked he was okay, and set about continuing his work in the kitchen.
She didn't want to work alone anymore.
"I have good news and bad news." She said, stopping her work to look up at him.
"Good news is, I cleaned half that bathroom. Bad news; Somebody else is gonna have to finish it." She added with a chuckle as she concentrated on her work again.

An hour or so later, most of the kitchen was almost done.
"Hey, Maxim?" She enquired curiously, once she'd made sure they were alone in the kitchen.
"I was just wondering..." she started, but stopped to turn around.
"I mean, I know I haven't known you for very long, but, there's this dance -- the full moon fling -- in two days. And I kind of haven't got a date, but I don't really have anybody else to ask. I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to go with me? It would be nice, I think." She said, looking up at him expectantly. She felt bad for just dropping it on him like this, but if she didn't ask now, then she'd never have the courage to ask again.
"You don't have to, though." She added, once he'd started to show hesitation.
Her friends had asked her to organise it, and even though the task had been dumped on her, now she had to make sure she attended. And she'd look stupid if she didn't have a date.
 
As Maxim was hauled up by the two lads, he flexed his leg back and forth, joking with them and slapping on their shoulders and backs making jokes about being too fat for the flooring. They supported him for a few moments, whilst he dusted his leg down, and checked for injuries. A few bruises, maybe a scrape up the back through the jeans, but luckily nothing horrendous. Clay and Rut extricated themselves and gingerly made their way down the stairs, and Keane just smirked at his goofy brother, and they followed them down, Maxim taking Keane in a headlock for a moment to noogy him. Keane indicated he was going to finish the porch work, Clay took up a few items to rip up all the carpets to check the flooring upstairs after the incident, and Rut smiled at them, before reuniting with Keane on the porch to carry out further work placing boards down.

Maxim feigned surprise at her thank you, looking at his hand. "What, y'mean this one?" He reached over, wiping it down the length of her retreating back with a laugh, and leant on the counter top, accepting the bottle she passed to him. "Not hurt miss, I promise!" He held his palm up in some half-arsed scout's honour salute, and just grinned wickedly. "Takes more'n that to put me down, Cam'." He winked, and drained the bottle in no time, before straightening himself up, watching her get back to work. He nodded, impressed, and also set to, listening to the other guys hurling insults back and forth through the open windows, the hammering of nails as decking was sawed to length, the swiping of a brush as someone set about staining and painting the replaced sections.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, the kitchen cupboards were mostly in tatters. He'd decided half way through, rather than salvage and have mismatched, he'd pull out all the doors and get new. When she said his name, he stretched from his position sprawled across the floor, investigating how to get the trashed oven cooker out. He leant up on one arm, peering around it at her, and when he saw her apprehensive face, he sat up, looking up at her from the floor. "...There's this dance -- the full moon fling -- in two days. And I kind of haven't got a date..." Maxim's eyebrow raised, as he drew his knees up and rested his dusty, dirty and scratched arms upon them. He wiped a hand down his grey vest front, and listened, nodding at moments where she needed encouragement.

"Wow... aah. Jeeze, that's a real nice offer, miss. How's about I have a look at my schedule, y'know, make sure I'm free?" His face was a slight frown, concerned considering the timing. He couldn't come right out with a yes, he needed to make sure there were no clashes with Pack obligations. He rubbed a large hand over the back of his head, mussing up his already wild russet hair, before scratching at his stubble. "Is it fancy, like? Cos I don't really scrub up well, y'know? More of a dive bar kinda guy, over any fancy pants shindigs."

"That ain't true boss!" Maxim's eyes widened as he realised and cursed the hearing of Clay. The tall, slim guy must have snuck down whilst they were chatting, and was leant against the door frame, his match-maker grin firmly in place. He lowered his head, and waggled fingers at Maxim, as he spoke in a conspirator's tone to Camila. "Don't let the brute fool you, sweetheart. He scrubs up dishy. I'll make excuses for him, don't you worry. I've seen him in a tux, and it is to die for."

"CLAY!" Maxim hissed, throwing himself across the floor to swat at the tall, ginger demon that had presented itself in the man. Clay skipped out of his reach, and winked at Camila with a wave.

"He'll be there darlin', I'll make sure of it." Maxim's head planted against the hard wood of the kitchen floor, fingers interlaced over his skull, as he spoke into the dusty floor.

"I'm a dead man... last time, that barbarian was rippin' out eyebrow hairs, and straight'nin' my fringe! Who does that?" Maxim pushed himself up easily, legs flicking up underneath him, and he stood, looking at Camila with a bit of a smirk. "Guess that was settled then, eh? I swear that man hear's fancy and he comes a'sprintin'." He scrubbed at his face, hand stroking over his stubbled beard, as he watched Clay exit the front door to harass the two boys out there, though he knew Clay would keep the secret. Clay seemed to like Maxim getting to know humans; he knew there was a good thing in having good relations with humans. That ginger crazy was far smarter than the meat heads of the other two!!
 
Camila was surprised by Clay's sudden appearance.
She looked over at Maxim and smiled, although it was more of a smirk.
"Isn't that interesting," she said jokingly, knowing he'd been caught out in a lie.
She chuckled when Clay said he was going to be there and watched him as he exited.
Her attention turned back to Maxim.
"Well, now I just feel bad. You really don't have to go, like I said." She said, wondering if he really didn't want to go. After all, it had taken some intervention.
She laughed when he hid his face as he remembered all the things they had to do.

In some ways, it surprised her. A man like him not looking forward to having his eyebrows plucked.
She raised an eyebrow. She had to do that every two weeks.
"Beauty is pain." She all but smirked at him, inspecting his face closely. She'd never really noticed the stubble on his face, and how it suited him.
"It's nothing too fancy, although I would wear something nice. I've been asked to organise the whole thing, so a date is mandatory. I could always ask somebody else." She said, but once Maxim had said it was settled, she smiled.

"I think you're going to enjoy it. It's a nice change." She said, leaning on the counter as she drank from her water bottle.
God knows how Maxim was doing all this hard work and only drinking beer.
His resilience stunned her. He definitely was something else. His eyes colour was extremely unique, but it suited him. Maybe that's why he wore sunglasses?
Her face took on a perplexed expression, and she turned around to finish the work, her thoughts on Maxim and trying to figure him out.
She'd definitely never met anybody like him before, and it was strange that they got on so well. They seemed to be polar opposites, yet here they were, fixing a house together. Such a strange turn of events in such a short time.

He seemed like a busy man, but hopefully he'd have a clear schedule in the upcoming days.
Once she'd finished, she stood up and stretched, straightening her back.
"I think I'd better get going. It's getting pretty late." She said as she stepped away to admire how much they'd done today.
So far, it was steady progress, but if they kept going like this, it would be fixed within no time.
She dusted herself off and grabbed her car keys, but not before saying goodbye to the others.
Making her way round the front, she jumped down, trying to avoid the unsteady planks of the porch that they hadn't gotten round to, and walked in the direction of her car.
Before she got in, she turned around and waved.
After all, she'd be back tomorrow.
 
A few days had gone by, and by now, it was the end of the week.
The previous days had been spent the same. She'd go over to help them rebuild the house, and then come home. But, as the days went on, she found it easier to turn up. More comfortable -- even if Keane still wasn't too pleased with her.
She shrugged it off though. Not everybody could get along, although it was a shame it had to be with Maxim's brother.
And now, she was currently at home, getting ready for the event she'd been asked to help out with.
It was later on in the evening, although, surprisingly, the sun was still out.
Camila was sat in her chair after a long shower, attempting to do her hair and make-up. She'd been here for a few hours now, but, in the end it would all be worth it.

She looked in the mirror. What stood out tobher the most were the colour of her eyes. It was safe to say that she'd done a good job on cleaning up.
She tweaked a few strands of hair until they framed her face; and she nodded, pleased with what she'd accomplished.
She took careful steps to her wardrobe and put on a beautiful strapless white dress that reached her knees. Elegant but not showy.
She put it on slowly, not wanting to ruin her hair or make-up, and then set about grabbing her purse and shoes.
Once she had those, she set off, ready to get to the event.
What she found though, was that she was surprisingly nervous. The thought of Maxim being there escalated her nerves and made her wonder what he'd look like all cleaned up. She'd only ever seen him sweaty and hard at work...and vice-versa.

She parked her car outside and made her way in, surprised to already see people here.
The venue wasn't too fancy, but it wasn't exactly bad either. It was perfect for how people were dressed: somewhere in between.
She chuckled at the thought of Maxim being here. This seemed out of his area of expertise. She figured these kind of events weren't really his style.
"Hey!" Said a male voice behind her, and she turned around, surprised at whom it was coming from.
"Oh my god, Harry?" She said, although it wasn't in a good way. He nodded, oblivious to her tone of voice and approached her, cool as anything as he slung an arm around her. She shrugged it off and made an excuse to leave.

Her friend, Ellie, was stood in the next room. Once they'd seen each other and greeted, Camila spoke.
"What is Harry doing here? I didn't think we'd invited him." She said, slightly confused.
Ellie shook her head.
"We didn't. He just showed up. You'll never guess who for."
Camila groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Don't remind me. He's an ex for a reason. Now I've got to put up with him for the rest of the night." She said, pulling a half smile.

As the evening went on, more and more people had arrived until there were about 150 in total. Camila looked at the clock on the wall.
She'd kind of lost hope by now. It had started at 7pm, and now it was 8:30pm! Had Maxim ditched her?
She took a bite out of the food that was provided and washed it down with some water.
She'd kind of figured these events weren't really for him. But did that really mean he'd leave her with no warning?
She bit her lip, and looked around, a small part of her hoping he was already here and she'd missed him.
 

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