ROLEPLAY HQ - chance-encounter

Trea was in the university's gymnasium, glancing around as the students milled about, looking at the different teams that were offered. He was probably one of, if not the most active student there, and was always looking for something to do much to the annoyance of other professors. Having participated in athletics during high school, it was natural for him to be here. It was one of his happy places on campus. He looked around at the sports and went over to the baseball table to register for team tryouts. He wasn't the tallest student, but the size of the others around him didn't intimidate him. As long as he was confident in his own abilities on the field, he could pass the others. His shoulder collided with another person's. "I'm sorry, please forgive me," he apologized quickly to the other student. His tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't the friendliest either. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Lauren had sparkles in her eyes as she looked around the gym. She had always been an active kid and it just kept going as she grew older, so now she was eager to maintain her active lifestyle by joining a sport team. And how lucky was she that the university she had chosen was offering so many different teams! Her steps were determined and her smile genuine when she approached the different club referees. Nothing on Earth could stop her from staying active, even if the end of the world was to happen. That's to say how much moving around was an important part of her life. The first club referee she approached was the badminton team, a sport that she enjoyed but that didn't quite hit the spot. Exchanging about the goals of the team and the training schedule, she waved goodbye and headed for the second team that caught her eye. The second was the baseball team, she had to squeeze herself to the front of the crowd of students. "Sorry sorry, excuse me~" she repeated as she made her way to the front, bumping into people here and there. Although she was a fan of sports, she barely looked the part at first glance. She wasn't particularily buff or insanely tall, and her muscle to fat ratio was pretty low thus giving her a lean appearance that could be confused with a simple lack of muscles. But most of her strength lied in her legs, long and strong, they were the part of her body that she used the most. @AionsTempest

He finished with the signups as Lauren made her way to the front. The blonde shaggy-haired male shook out his hair, heading to leave. Trea always hated being in the crowds. He returned to his small group of friends there and they engaged in a quick conversation. Trea was frowning as he listened to his friends. The scent of another animal was more prominent than the other humans. “Go outside,” he told them. “I’ll stay and investigate.” The young man walked around the gym with his eyes narrowed. He didn’t look too out of place given how many people were there, but the crowd did slowly dissipate. Trea spotted the high pony tailed girl and realized the other animal scent was from her. He made his way back over, asking a couple questions, but kept his eye on the other girl as well. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Finally making her way to the front, it didn't take long for her to realize too many people were interested and therefore, she likely wouldn't make it. That's about the moment she noticed a strong animal smell. Looking around for the origin of the smell, she narrowed it down to a group of people and seemed satisfied with that information. Not that she wasn't friendly and excited to meet other animals, but her father had taught her that not all animals are friendly. If she could remember the faces of the people in the group, she'd do her best to avoid them. "What else is there.." she mumbled, walking around the gym aimlessly, trying to think of a club she'd have fun joining and that wouldn't be too popular. Her eyes fell on the running team and she made her to the table with excited hops. @AionsTempest

He watched Lauren from the corner of his eye as she flirted about the gym. He turned and went outside to the bleachers where the rest of his friends were after exchanging words with them, he gave a sigh and went back inside the gym. Trea walked over to Lauren with his hands in his jacket pockets. “I saw you earlier at two other tables,” he said quietly. “Be more confident in yourself and there’s nothing you can’t do on your own.” He advised not looking at her, his gaze swept across the other students still in the gym and he gave a grunt. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Lauren was just done talking with a member of the running team when she noticed someone coming her way. Looking over to the new person, the animal smell almost made her yap in excitement. She had never met another animal outside of her family's connections. "Thanks, wolfie." she replied with a smile, totally blind guessing his true nature. He just reminded her of a wolf, having its pack but also going alone at times. @AionsTempest

He didn’t show any surprise at her comment, but her comment irked him. “Why the name?” He asked with a sigh, already exasperated at it. “Besides, you know that isn’t something we can openly talk about or discuss.” “I’m sure I’ll see you around more, but I better not hear that name again,” he huffed, stalking off. Trea went back to the group of males, shaking his head. “Utterly ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath, earning a laugh of amusement from one of his friends. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

With a chuckle, she simply shrugged. "Seemed fitting," she winked, leaving to his interpretation wether she was doing it on purpose or not. "I don't see what you talking about," she added with an understanding look on her face. She wasn't dense in any way, and it didn't take her long to get what he meant. Huffing once he left, she lifted her chin and walked away as well, swinging her ponytail behind her as she did so. She still needed to make friends, so she aimed for the information desk where she hoped she'd find info about srudent events. @AionsTempest

He gave a noncommittal grunt. Their secret was few the other students would have. He went back to his “pack” and told them about the situation. They weren’t too troubled. Trea looked over his schedule his again. Since he knew what classes he had, he might as well figure out the campus and learn a bit about it. Though he wandered the campus open minded, his friends strayed behind him, like they were trying to find something. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

At the information desk, Lauren learned of the Student Council often organizing parties and events. Seemingly satisfied with that information, she decided to explore campus a bit and find a spot to eat at. Although a fox, she had specific dietary needs and always brought a homemade lunch. To save herself the trouble of explaining why her meal was the way it was over and over again, she had figured that eating alone was easier. Her steps unconsciously took her to the science side of campus, then behind the gymnasium, before she found a small corner facing a tree that seemed to please her. @AionsTempest

A group of voices soon disrupted the silence. “There wasn’t any sign of whatever did that damage around this part of campus.” “But the scent was still fresh,” Trea pointed out. “I tried to track it, but it didn’t lead anywhere. If anything, the scent more so vanished. There’s no scent from anyone else that is relatively close.” Trea was quiet as there was an answer, but the voice couldn’t be heard. “We’ll keep looking of course,” Trea assured. “I’ll get my work done early and head out around sunset. It won’t be a problem for me. We can meet up and talk about anything we learn after class.” Trea sounded exhausted. It had been many nights that he had been out looking for another who was leaving carnage in their wake. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

The young woman tilted her head at the faint sound of voices. Curious, she left her spot and inched closer, only hearing part of the discussion. Recognizing the scent of the boy she had met earlier, she made sure to stay clear and far from him. If anything, she thought, she could come back here at night and ask him then. @AionsTempest

As Trea went to follow his friends another scent caught his attention. He recognized it from the girl he met earlier. “Hmph.” After going back to his dorm and finishing his work. He left his friends to track the scent. It wasn’t pleasant, so it wasn’t hard for him to pick up after he changed into a wolf. Growling, Trea ran off to the forest darting among the trees and doing well to stay out of sight. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Avoiding any and every questions about campus from her father, Lauren hurriedly had dinner and headed out again, on all fur fours this time. It didn't take long, after roaming campus a bit, to pick up the scent of the wolf. But she also found another scent, much less pleasant that made her rub her nose on the grass. Following the track, she was less careful about not being seen, knowing that fox sightings in town weren't that all uncommon. @AionsTempest

He walked around with a low growl. He hated the stench. Beneath it he could smell blood which worried him. He took off running staying hidden in among the shadows cast by the trees. The stench becoming overwhelming as he approached. He stayed hidden, only the glint of his eyes visible in the shadows as he paced restlessly. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

She noticed the strange scent was getting stronger, with a distinct smell of blood. Put on top – or under for that case – of Trea's scent, she could only hope that the thing from which came that repulsing smell wasn't around anymore. With much less care for her surroundings, she picked up the pace and went deeper into the forest. The stench was even stronger now, almost overwhelming her sense of smell conpletely. Slowing down as it got stronger, and closer, she made out a larger animal, easily three times her own size. Stopping, she tried to identify it but the scent was mixed up with the original trail and she wasn't sure of who – or what – it was. Lowering herself until her belly was brushing against the forest floor, she inched closer, eyes fixed on the form that got clearer little by little. @AionsTempest

Trea growled, pacing frustrated. The creature wouldn’t be back if he lost it now. It never finished its prey. He lowered himself to the ground narrowing his eyes. ‘Dammit all,’ he thought with an inward sigh. The sandy wolf snarled as he leapt at the figure in the clearing. It moreso looked like a demonic creature of shadow. The two clashed, his pale fur standing out against the pitch darkness of the other thing. Biting the other creature didn’t even cause it to bleed, but it released more of the stench. The creature slammed itself into a tree disposing Trea. He fell to the ground with a huff, but pushed himself back to his feet, snarling viciously. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Finally catching up, she identified the silhouette as a wolf, although it was too dark to see exactly which color was their fur, or their gender. Before she could utter a word, the wolf jumped out the bush and not long after, sounds of struggle reached her ears. The stench was mixed with the wolf's scent, and Lauren hurried to the bush, carefully peeping her head to assess the situation. Whatever it was, she knew she was no match, at least size-wise. Observing the creature, she made out a spot that seemed to faintly glow, right behind its ear, or what she assumed was one. "Behind the ear!" she informed the wolf, leaving the safety of the bush to help distract its attention. @AionsTempest

Trea shook his head. That was going to leave behind a mark. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Lauren suddenly appear to help him and looked at the spot she had mentioned. The wolf gave a nod and he slunk around the clearing. He darted out, leaping while it was focused on Lauren. Trea sank his teeth into the spot she had pointed out. The beast gave a furious roar. It realized it couldn’t fight both of them. Growling, it lashed out as Trea tried to distance himself and it vanished. Trea yelped in pain the moment he hit the ground, but forced himself to stay standing. Admittedly he was shaking, but that wasn’t something he was about to share. He gave her a nod of thanks for the help. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Making sure she had all - or most - of the creature attention, she switched between growling, barking and high-pitched sounds to keep its attention. At the same time, she walked back and forth in front of it. She knew instinctively that if they wanted to win, they had to rely on each other. At least for now. Letting out a sigh of relief when the beast disappeared, she glanced at Trea after growling low for a moment, just to make sure it wouldn't come back to get them when their guards were lowered. When she deemed the area was safe enough, she stepped closer to Trea, looking for potential injuries. "*Are you alright?" she asked, lowering her head to show that she had no ill intention. One was never careful enough. @AionsTempest

Trea could smell his blood with the stench of the creature no longer around. The sandy furred wolf nodded to answer her question and jerked his head back to the common area. "The amount of noise that thing made will have drawn more than enough attention to us. We should head back." He sniffed his wound quickly. It wasn't deep and it would be something easier to manage back as a human. Trea started walking back towards the dorms, wincing a bit, but not complaining about the pain. The wound would hopefully heal quickly enough. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Hiding the bit of disappointment she felt, Lauren nodded to his words. The whole point was to keep the shapeshifters a secret and standing around any longer would only draw unwanted suspicion. Trotting at a safe distance behind him, she tried to made out how he was feeling from his demeanor. Her tail was almost wagging from the excitement of finding someone else her age, on her campus, who was alos part animal. "I'm Lauren!" she squeaked in a low voice when they reached the dorms. The lights near the building dissuaded her from speaking any louder. @AionsTempest

Trea could hear her steps behind him as he led them back to the dorms. His tail dragged on the ground, exhausted. He was the only one in his pack who was constantly out. Trea looked at her when she introduced herself. “My name’s Trea,” he replied. “I’m sure I’ll see you in class.” He glanced over and saw a couple silhouettes by his dorm room. “I’ve got to go…” Trea darted around the dorms and leapt into the hallway changing back to human mid jump. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Catching on, she nodded and her tail soon calmed down. Sitting down and wrapping it around her, she watched him shift back and enter the building. Her eyes trailed up to the windows with light inside and she couldn't help but wonder how it was to live in dorms. Staying like this for a bit, a yawn finally decided her to move and head back home herself. She lived not far from the campus, hence the lack of reason for living in dorms. Her father was already asleep, half-sitting on the couch with half a pizza in front of him. Stealing some, she shifted back on the way to her room, stretching and letting out a sigh of relief. They showed that beast who's territory it was on! The next morning, Lauren was up with the birds, all excited for her first class of the day. It's trotting that she left home and hurried to the university, her mind light and positive. @AionsTempest

Trea treated his injury before passing out in bed without a second thought. He was up at his alarm as he quickly gathered his bag and went to his first class. Trea took a seat, wincing slightly, but otherwise showed nothing of the events from the previous night. He took out his notebook and started mindlessly doodling in the margins while he waited for class to start. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

A familiar scent ran along the corridor leading to her class, and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips when, after entering the room, she saw Trea. But he seemed completely focused in his doodles, so she simply took the seat not exactly next to him, but one seat afar. This way, it wouldn't feel like she was intruding in his space, although she wanted to share her excitement with him. Resting her head on her hand, she glanced at his notebook and the doodles that were starting to fill up the margins. "Hey!" she opened. @AionsTempest

He could smell someone familiar before they entered class, but he wasn't one to be quickly distracted when he was doing something. Even if it was something as simple drawing in the margins boredly. Trea was more surprised that Lauren chose to sit by him. He stiffened slightly, but glanced at her. "Hi," he greeted in return, still staring down as the margins became indecipherable doodles. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste) (Sorry, life got busy since uni started, but most things are settled down now that I’ve adjusted in the last couple weeks, and hopefully I can get back to replying more consistently.)

"We met at the gym yesterday, remember?" she continued, sensing that he wasn't the talkative type. She didn't mind, as long as he straight out didn't refuse to talk to her, she was okay with carrying the conversation. While she waited for his answer, she took out a bunch of sheets, some with writings on it, some blank. Looking through the big bright red tag in the margin, she organized them and put them all back in her bag, at the exception of the one labelled after their class. @AionsTempest

"I recall," he said, before putting down his pencil and glancing in her direction. "Why choose to sit next to me?" He'd ask with his eyes narrowed giving off obvious energy of distrust. There was something about his gaze that almost seemed permenantly guarded. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

She chuckled and rested her chin on her hand, elbow on the table and turned towards him. "I guess you have a vibe that rings with mine." She shrugged and swayed her ponytail a little before extending a hand for him to shake. "I'm Lauren!" @AionsTempest

Trea rolled his eyes at her reply and half scoffed. “Hmm.” Hr glanced at her hand and sighed before accepting. “Name’s Trea.” He went back to mindlessly drawing in the margins until class started, but even during class he doodled every so often after writing. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

Giving him a bright smile when he shook her hand, she observed him doodle for a moment before reporting her attention to the other students, and soon after, to the teacher and the class. Writing down keywords from the dull monologue of the teacher, she glanced at her faraway seatmate a couple of times, trying to catch a glance. By the end of the class, she felt a twinge of defeat, but was determined to get to know him better. They weren't so different after all. @AionsTempest

At the end of class Trea quickly put his notebook away to leave. He slung his bag over his shoulder before disappearing into the sea of students. Not that he left campus, but was more interested in getting out of the crowd. He found himself in the library doing homework because he had a free period.

@MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

It seemed that as soon as the class ended, Trea simply disappeared and Lauren was left sitting in an empty classroom, unsure of how it even happened. Picking up her stuff, she walked out and raised her nose in the air, trying to catch his scent. It was hard, among the sea of students, to single out one person, but as her steps took her to quieter spots she made out a familiar scent. In front of her, the library. She hesitated entering, not wanting to seem too much like a leech or to make too much noise. She finally stepped in and was in awe seeing all the books the university had. Unfortunately, as she finally felt that she was getting closer to Trea, the thought popped in her mind that she had another class. Letting out a swear word, she quickly left the library and ran to her lesson. @AionsTempest

He sat down and kept his head down quickly going through his homework. It was only the start of classes so he had plenty of time to effectively work. He had heard the door open and caught the trace of a familiar scent, but didn’t pay too much mind to it. It was the sudden curse words and sound of the door closing that made him smile. He finished his work and put the books back he was using. Unfortunately he was going to be stuck using library books until his arrived. With a yawn, Trea left the library and continued to walk around campus to really learn his surroundings. @MMS (Martin-Maraiste)

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