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The quiet tick-tick-tick of the keys on Nate's work laptop fell into the drone of the museum's offices. On the screen, a exhibit proposal was displayed, only half filled out but without any motivation, he found it almost impossible to finish it.

The last few days were a whirlwind for him, from becoming a lycanthrope to fighting with Adala, to their short but intense romp. But that night was the last he saw of her. The morning afterwards, there was no trace of her, save for the pillow she used to replace herself in his arms. His calls to her cell went unanswered, however Faith had reassured him she wasn't avoiding him, instead she was only busy. It was a hard answer to believe though, and a hard thing not to think that he took advantage of her that night in her drunken stupor.

The blink of the cursor on the screen beckoned his attention back to the task at hand. A week and a half ago, he had the proposal all thought out, but the jumble of his mind obliterated it. He had to get something done by the end of the day, or he'd lose the chance to finally make an main hall exhibit for the full museum. A moment of starting at the screen brought his hands back to the keyboard for a meagre attempt at drawing up another topic. He stopped, however, when he saw what his thoughtless typing produced.

The Lost History of the Lycanthropes.

A quick flick of his wrist selected and deleted that title. "Dumb idea." He muttered under his breath. There was a reason lycans sought to remain legend and myth, and for good reason. He could only imagine what would happen if their, or more accurately his kind came to light.

Pushing backwards to roll his chair back, he leaned back and let his head hang out of his cubicle, watching the floor of the museum below through the glass wall. A tour of high school students filed through the exhibits, the guide gesturing to each as they passed. As enthusiastic as she appeared, the students were losing interest quick. He spent time as a guide himself, and he could sympathize with the difficulties she was having. Despite the perceived difficulties of the guide, he wanted to be in her position. At least then he would have clear direction to his work, instead of the helter skelter nature of his thoughts right now.

Maybe it was time for a different approach, he thought. He took a deep breath closing his eyes and sitting still as a rock. Clearing his head, he searched for the calm balance that he had felt them moment he gave chase to Adala in the forest. Of course, that was easier said than done. The harder he tried to find peace, the more he yearned to be free and to run and let loose the energy that was pent up inside of him. It clawed at his mind, only making things worse for him. He opened his eyes, feeling just as restless than he did before, only now with a brewing need to do something other than simply sit at the desk.

He endured the torture for a few more moments before it got the better of him. A quick email to his boss let him know that he was taking his lunch break now. Not waiting for a reply, he got up and walked briskly to the employee lockers, retrieving and changing into a set of rarely used workout clothes. A quick exit through the back doors brought him to the loading docks, the bright, blue summer sky above him and the fresh air breathing new life into the impulse to run.

And run he did. A mild jog at first, just to burn off some of his newfound energy, but he soon found that it wasn't enough. Inside, he yearned to run faster and faster, to fulfill the need to move as he ran towards. Seeing no benefit in fighting it, he picked up speed, faster and faster, each footstep feeling like it was drawing out his very nature. And contrary to what fiction had said about being a lycanthrope, the experience was not overwhelming and oppressive, but exhilarating and liberating. It felt right slipping into a sprint, blowing by other joggers as a smile spread across his face.

While his little break didn't afford too long a run, it was enough to quell what was rising inside of him. Returning back to the museum, he rounded the corners, sprinting the final distance only to bring himself to an abrupt halt as he narrowly missed colliding with a passerby around the corner. When he steadied himself and looked up to apologise, he hesitated when he saw the person's face.

"Adala!?"

The red haired lycanthrope stood, balanced on the edge of the step without much difficulty. Like him, her face was as surprised as he was. "Hey, I uhhh.... Didn't expect to run into you here."

His question was blurted out between breathless pants. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see one of the artifacts." She stated matter-of-factly before furrowing her eyebrows. "Were you running a marathon or something?"

Holding a finger up for a moment as he caught his breath, he shook his head. "No, just letting off some steam from you-know-what."

"Huh..." Adala was silent for a few moments, glancing between him and the interior of the museum as an awkward silence settled over them, neither sure of what to say next.

It was situations like this that Nate dreaded. Despite the animosity they shared before, he did want to try to start over again with Adala, yet he had no clue of how to do that without potentially hitting still raw nerves. Adding to the mix was the worry that she would be angry at the fact that he took advantage of her while drunk, making his choice of words a very delicate one to say the least.

With no way he could think of to broach the subject, he opened the door for her, taking the easy conversation out. "Here. I'll show you to the museum administration office."

Letting her enter first, he followed shortly behind her, noticing her gaze wandering around the hall. "Wow, I've always heard about the collection you guys have but... Well the stories still don't do it justice."

"It's not that significant." A sliver of pride seeped into Nate's measured words. "We have some pretty rare pieces but they're mostly Aboriginal artifacts. The really neat stuff is in storage."

"Every museum hides the good stuff." She quipped with a flashed smirk, bringing a chuckle from Nate. "Kinda wish I could see it for myself, but it took a lot for me to simply get them to grant my request today."

"Could have always come through me."

"Yeah, well we both know why that wouldn't be such a good idea."

Adala's words, while stated calmly without any sign of animosity, made him wince, reminding him of their current relationship. Thankfully, the need to retract his suggestion was mercifully taken care of as they arrived at the administration desk.

"I can figure things out from here Nate." She gave a small tilt of her head. "Thanks for showing me the way."

Reluctantly nodding, he turned to the employee stairwell, feeling an unshakable feeling that he had squandered an opportunity to actual change things in their relationship "Alright, I'll see you later, I guess."

***

The hours had crept by, all only marginally more productive than the morning. After several hundred rotations on his chair, he had only several halfhearted lines on modern aboriginal art when he needed a fully completed proposal. The run had the wanted result, bringing his focus back to the task at hand, but Adala's presence below him had his attention elsewhere. In retrospect, he wished he never saw her in the first place, but it was doubtful if it would have made much difference. Thankfully, time had decided to take mercy upon him, the final minute of his shift ticking by. Gathering his things, he straightened his shirt and slacks, hearing the muffled PA announcement heralding the close of the museum. It was hard to decide if he wanted to see Adala on the way out for another chance at making thing right, or if he wanted to avoid her, in hopes of evading her attention.

As much as the debate raged in his head, the decision took on new urgency when a flash of terracotta hair appeared, emerging from one of the small rooms the museum used for private artifact study. With her messaging bag slung over shoulder and cell phone in hand, Adala placed a pair of earbuds in her ears and turned to leave without giving any signs that she had noticed him. The thought of simply letting her walk away and letting their friendship, if it could even be called that, end there was regretfully tempting. It would be sad to let it end there, but he'd be rid of her fiery temper and angry gaze and sharp words. It was easy to see it as the decision made with better judgement. He stood still for a moment, watching her, trying to form a good apology but none came. Instead, he spoke the one thing on his mind.

"Adala."

Were it that she had already started her music and walked to way, he would have been so easy to forget everything. But he was strangely glad when she turned around and pulled a single bud out. "Nate."

"I uh....." His words started and failed, trailing off as his eyes broke contact with hers.

Adala, however, didn't seem to mind thankfully. "Heading home?" She asked plainly.

With nothing else to say, he desperately took hold of the potential conversation. "Uh... Yeah, You?"

"Same. Walk out together?"

"Yeah, sure."

Joining her, the two navigated the hall in relative silence, much to Nate's torment. Adala however seemed to have no issue with or so he thought. His eyes caught hers as she glanced sideways, just as full of unsaid words as he was.

Adala thankfully broke the silence with a weary sigh. "I guess we both have something to say, don't we."

"That obvious?"

She chuckled quietly. "You suck at feline subtly, but I'm not much better." Stopping in a side corridor on the way to the staff exit, she glanced both ways before she took a deep, cleansing breath. "Alright, so who's first?"

"Me, I guess." Nate closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, trying every way to gently ask for forgiveness for taking advantage of her. Try as he might though, no way seemed the best, leaving nothing else but to approach the problem head on. "I'm sorry. About Saturday night, that is."

"Sorry about what? I didn't lie when I said I had a good time at the party."

"Not at the party, what happened afterwards, when you crashed at my place."

"Oh.... Did... you not want what happened?"

"Well... Wait, what?" Nate blinked, Adala's words stealing his.

"Well, we were drunk, not thinking straight." She leaned against the wall, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "You seem like the type of guy that isn't thinking about sex every 30 seconds, so I figured it was possible that maybe I got a little too pushy and-"

"Wait, hold up a second!" He snapped out crisply in disbelief. "You think you took advantage of me!?"

"Yeah, did I?"

"No, no, not at all! What about you? You were drunk and kinda out of it."

As soon as his words reached her, she relaxed visibly, shoulders slumping and releasing a baited breath. "God no, that was one hell of a fun night."

"Then why didn't you stick around until the morning?"

"Sleep with a piss drunk person that hates you and figure out what happens in the morning when they're sober."

"So if that happened again..."

Adala silenced him with finger against his lips. "Don't get ahead of yourself cat. Just because we screwed while drunk doesn't mean I'm that easy every single time. Besides, we've got a lot to sort out between the two of us."

"Point taken."

The two were silent for a moment before Adala cracked a smile. "I was right about you being like other cats though. Especially liked your little love bite." She turned her head and gathered her hair, revealing a set of four fading bruises on the back of her neck, the remnants of the grip of his feline canines.

Nathan immediately flushed bright red at the sight. "Well I didn't mean to... I mean, it was spur of the moment and stuff!"

"Relax kitty." She reassured, silencing him again with her finger. "It was fun, and I wouldn't mind an encore sometime."

Laughing nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright, I guess."

"Alright? Just alright?" Adala's smile turned into a smirk with his words.

"Hey, like you said, I don't think of sex every second of the day. Better than most sleeze balls out there."

She snorted and tilted her head over to the side. "Well, how about we keep going. I'm hungry and I want to head home and just relax."

Nate paused in thought for a moment as Adala turned to leave. "Well... How 'bout we grab dinner together and talk a little more?"

"Asking me on a date already?"

"Don't get ahead of yoursef dog." Nate mimicked, shooting back a smirk. "It's a peace offering, not a date."

Adala laughed. "Right, right. Can't refuse free food."

***

The doorbell of the English Bay Grill rang as the door open, the two stepping through to a divider filled with awards and framed newspaper clippings. Built into the corner of a low rise, the restaurant was divided into two halves. On one side, the wall was adorned with carved wood and shaped copper plating, each one depicting various aboriginal animals. Below each a plaque naming the artist and the year, some going back to the 1920s. Booths lined the walls and tables dotted the floor, the hanging lights kept dim. The glass wall opened up into the patio, bathing the restaurant in the orange light of the sunset and setting the waters of the beach.

One look around made Adala raise an eyebrow. Every one of the patrons were dressed for buisness with collared shirts, slacks, ties and a briefcase at almost every table. Compared to them, she was woefully underdressed, with a tank top and baggy sweatpants. "Are you sure I'm allowed here?" Standing still in the doorway, she adjusted her bag's strap with a note of apprehension as she examined Nate. He was dressed much like them, a dark red dress shirt and crisply pressed black slacks. "I'm.... A little out of my league right now."

"Don't worry, I've got this." He leaned over the divider to take a look into the kitchen. "Rachel! Get your ass out here!"

Muffled shouting answered his call followed by the clattering of pans and kitchen containers as a bowl rolled across the tiled floor. A teenage girl, easily still in high school hopped along on one foot, pulling a tangled apron off of the other. "I want this stuff down in storage now!" The anger in her voice was evident as she glared at an unseen individual. "This stuff was supposed to be gone this morning, what is it still doing here?!" As soon as she turned her attention from the kitchen to Nate her voice instantly brightened. "Hey Nate! Go grab your usual table!"

Waving to her as she disappeared as quickly as she appeared, he waved Adala along through the restaurant onto the patio, overlooking the waters of English Bay, the scent of the ocean blowing over the tables. He opened a exit door along the glass railings, descending a set of wooden steps to another patio with a single table in the center surrounded by boxes of empty bottles and other containers. Behind them the door to the kitchen wafted out the fragrant scents of the charcoal grills and the foods roasting upon them.

Adala followed Nate's lead, taking the seat opposite of him. She gazed up at the upper patio, then back down at the level they sat upon. "I take it you used to work here?" She asked curiously.

He nodded. "Not just that. The place is owned by one of my old families."

"Old families? What do you...." She paused for a moment in realization. "Oh, one of the ones that you ran away from?"

"Yeah. Same deal as usual: good family but for some reason I couldn't stand being part of it."

A menu was placed in front of Adala as Rachel stood beside them. "Kept scaring the hell out of my parents every time he disappeared, but he's in good hands now I see." She quipped with a wink towards Adala

"Heh, I'm not his girlfriend if that's what you think." Opening the menu she looked over to Nate for a moment. "No menu for you?"

Rachel's smile turned into a smirk. "Nate's our culinary guinea pig, plus he's pretty much memorized the menu."

"RACHEL!"

The annoyed yet familiar voice from the restaurant called all three's attentions to the door to the kitchen. To Adala's suprise, Daryl was standing in the door in a chef's coat with an accompanying hat looking none too pleased.

"Stop yapping and get upstairs! You're working, not chatting!"

As quickly as he appeared, Rachel's mood instantly flipped. "Shut up asshat! I guarantee you'll be out here with them in about 15 minutes!"

"I'm done in 15 minutes!" He snapped back, pointing at her with an oversized whisk. "Get upstairs or I'm gonna tell mom to cut your cell internet off!"

"But- I just-"

"Upstairs, now!"

Rachel uttered several more silent protests before she stormed off past Daryl who met her venomous gaze with a smug grin. As soon as she was out of sight, he gave the two a wave back as he followed. "I'll be back later. Just do what you usually do Nate."

With him gone, Adala was left with her own amused smirk on her face as she opened the menu. "Sibling rivalry?"

"More like sibling normal for them." Nate tilted his head towards the door. "Daryl's adopted like me but Rachel's biologically related."

"Interesting family."

"Speaking of family," Nate mused as he leaned back in the chair. "What about yours?"

"Mine? What about mine?"

"I already told you everything about my family situation, so it's your turn." He tilted his head and smirked at the opportunity to finally put Adala in the hot seat.

As much as he hoped for the verbal upper hand though, she would have none of it. Unphased by the question, she leaned back in the chair and tilted her head. "Not much to say really. What do you want to know?"

"Well... Where are you from?"

"Bonavista."

He sat silent for a moment, thrown a little off balance at her sudden answer, losing all of his initial bravado. "Bonavista, which is in..."

"Newfoundland, on the eastern side of the island. It's a fishing town, but it's so much more than that."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and closed the menu, tapping the cover a little. "I miss my parents obviously, but there's more than that. Vancouver's just as much a home to me, but I miss the wind and smelling the sea every day and I miss speaking gaelic. It's... Once you get it into your blood, you can never get it out, y'know?"

"I get it, I think. You speak gaelic though?"

"Gun tegahm 's urra dhomh." She announced proudly. "It's my first language. My first year at preschool, I could barely speak english, which is how I met Faith. She was in the English Second Language program as well, so we bonded pretty quickly."

"So if you love Bonavista so much how did you end up here?"

"A combo of things. Faith was moving over here to go to Emily Carr, me wanting to travel, the pack here needing a seeker. I don't regret the decision to come here, but I've wanted to head back so many times. Just to be home again for a couple days." Adala sighed nostagically. "Any other questions?"

"Do you have anyone back there to head back to?"

"My parents, my cousins, grandpa, friends-"

"No no, I mean like a boyfriend or girlfriend or someone significant."

"Oh that. Nah, never really felt the need for one."

"You've never had one I take it?"

She answered with a shake of her head. "Not the case. I've had the usual high school crushes and sweethearts, but nothing more. The longest I stayed with a guy was 9 months and he broke up with me just before I left for Vancouver, haven't wanted one ever since."

"Huh."

A tilt of her head and a smirk signaled Adala's turn to go on the inquisitive offensive. "How about you? Any lucky girls you have in sight?"

Nate blinked, his face deadpan for a moment as he did his best not to appear off balance. "Well.... No, not really. Maybe..."

"Maybe.... Faith?" Adala's glee at regaining the upper hand was palpable in her voice.

"I.. It's not like...." His words died with his non-existent excuse. "Yeah, the thought crossed my mind a couple of times, but what happened on Friday, I doubt she wants anything to do with me."

She chuckled, leaning forwards to rest her chin on her hand. "Well you should know that Faith isn't angry at you, just really, really embarrassed. If you want though, maybe I could look at maybe setting you two up? If you want that is."

Taken aback by the sudden offer, he tried several times before words came to him. "You'd do that?"

"Yeah. Like I said, you're a good guy." She paused for a moment Think of it as my peace offering. A way to start over."

"And what about all the fighting we've been doing? All that shit."

"We'll work through it gradually. Nothing fixes itself overnight Nate. What do you say?" She extended her hand with a hopeful smile. "Truce until we give each other a chance?"

Even with how much anger and hostility he felt towards her, he felt the same way about her than she did with him. Adala was short tempered and vindictive at worse, but at her best, she was like no other person he'd ever met and in that way, the chance she offered to him couldn't have been better.

"Truce." He replied, taking her hand firmly. "Until we manage to start over."