Ambushes Aren't Exactly My Cup of Tea...{Open}

[clairebryants]

Claire stumbled into the diner from her blue 'Stang and felt her way through the crowd of people waiting for drinks and such, some of the people staring at her like she was nuts. She held her side as winced in pain, shaking her head. Damn, how could she be so stupid as to not see that trap coming? She found one of the people sitting at a booth as if they lived around the town and limped over.

"Where is the nearest motel?" she asked him quietly. He glanced at her with a worried frown, and she waved him off when he put down his drink. "Just...tell me..." she snapped. He nodded and sat back, relaxing again.

"Take a left up the street on Wilcox St. and then go four blocks...you'll see the motel sign..." he explained shortly. She nodded gratefully and shrugged more into her jacket to conceal her gun and knives more. She made her way to a barstool at the end of the bar and sat down, wincing again.

"Damn it..." she muttered as she wiped the blood off her cheek from one of her cuts. She knew she was going to have some pretty interesting bruises tomorrow. "Can I have a tonic water?" she looked up and asked the closest waitress, who nodded and hurried away to fill other orders before she went to go get the drink. She glanced around and sighed, running a hand through her honey-colored hair, when someone staring at her caught her eye. She frowned and stared right back challengingly.

[clairebryants]

Claire's eyes narrowed as she saw him still staring at her. He was starting to make her uneasy, and then when he got up, she tucked her stuff back deeper into her jacket, but held her hand on her gun. She eyed him dangerously, one eyebrow raised to see what he was doing. She wobbled uneasily on the stool and cursed under her breath in pain. The waitress put the tonic water in front of her, and she grabbed it without taking her eyes off of the stranger moving towards her. He was still looking at her, and she debated whether to attack him or flee as fast as possible. Her hazel eyes darted around to the door, the crowd of people, then back to him, and she released the hold she had on her gun, deciding with her better judgement not to kill a man in public. He didn't look too harmful, after all...In fact, he was really attractive and...

'GOD! Shut up!' she told her mind without opening her mouth. 'For all you know, he could be a serial killer...or worse...' She looked at the man's hands and saw the journal and beer, and then took out her own journal, her mouth parting slightly in surprise and her confused eyes finally dragging up to meet his own gaze.

"Who is that..." she whispered to herself, although she could not stop staring at him, and she slowly started shaking out her honey blonde hair.

[clairebryants]

Claire's eyes never left him as he neared her, and she saw him smiling at her. When he stopped in front of her and smiled down at her again, she dropped her gaze and looked at her glass of water, staying silent until she heard his voice.

"Rough day?" he asked her. She couldn't help but laugh at that. If he only knew...

"You can say that, I guess..." she smirked up at him as she scooted her stool over just a bit to give him room to sit on the stool next to her. She grabbed up her glass and drank the rest of the tonic water in her glass and then called for another one. "Rough seems to be a gross understatement...I think the better term for today is...crappy...maybe downright wrong..." Her eyes met his again, and she turned serious. "What are you doing here in this town?"

'Greeeat...' she thought to herself. 'He's trying to be somewhat nice, and you go all businesslike and creepy like always?!'

"Sorry..." she muttered to him. Then, a real smile appeared on her face. She stuck out her hand for him. "My name's Claire...what about you?"

[clairebryants]

Claire laughed softly and shook her head. This guy certainly wasn't one for talking about his life or his hunting...she could tell.

"Nice to meet you too, Ben..." she muttered quietly, then her voice getting louder, she said, "I'm not from here at all...I'm here on...business..." she winked at him and shrugged her shoulders. She agreed that they should be mysterious and general about the topics in front of civies. "I'm originally from..." She stopped, her eyes misting over with a haunted look.

"Alaska...I'm from Alaska..." Finally, her reply came out a few moments later, almost too quiet to hear. She tightened her jaw with an angry look. "I really don't want to talk about it...someone got hurt...I left...and now I'm a...very good businesswoman who knows how to kick ass..." Running a hand through her hair, she sighed gloomily. "But I came here on a trip to find someone...and they got away before I could seal the deal...if you know what I mean..." Her eyes flashed dangerously as she remembered the ambush, and then she was smiling again to keep up her mask in front of everyone, including him. She ordered another drink and downed it when the waitress brought it to her.

"This sucks...all I got out of this trip was bruises and blood..." She smirked at him. "Not that I don't get that alot, but it still is a blow to my pride, ya know?"