Samantha had been certain that she was completely alone in the back alley. After all, the main entrance being around front, no one came out here unless they worked here, and the other girls were content to let the wayward faerie be alone. They were much like teenage girls despite their agelessness, content to gossip and pick on those who were weaker. They were a bit more respectful now that she had Nadya's blessing of authority over them, though she was sure they still spoke of her behind her back. They all wondered why their boss had chosen Samantha to be the one to run the burlesque in her absence. Samantha still wondered that herself, though she'd told Nadya yes regardless of the anxiety she had felt about doing the job. And still, she was remarkably surprised that she had been good at it.

Still, while she loved the job so far, she couldn't help but entirely miss Nadya's presence around. She hadn't seen the girl since the day she'd been asked to take over the running of the burlesque, despite that Samantha was allowed in the Ark without question. Still, she hadn't found herself roaming to the steel fortress lately. Often, Aiden came to see her considering that the engagements of the Ark were overwhelming for the young empath. It was these thoughts that she'd allowed to drift into her mind before the stranger stepped out of the shadows and into her view. Immediately, Samantha jumped to her feet, her eyes raking him skeptically as if to perceive whether or not he was a threat. She focused on him for a moment, surprised when his emotions were hardly touchable to her other than the vaguest hint of interest in the young woman.

"No," Samantha said firmly, turning to face him, her back to the door back inside. If she needed to go inside, then she wanted it to be accessible. "Just taking a break, is all." She tugged the jacket further on around her, covering up the costume she wore under it. She watched as he leaned against the wall, his posture easing in a way that seemed friendly enough. Surprisingly enough to her, she could tell that he was a Were â€" it was the first time she'd really been able to identify another creature on her own, and she couldn't help the brief joy that crossed her mind at that realization. "The entrance is arouâ€""

Her words were cut off by his abrupt words, and Sam paused at the question. It wasn't often that people came to ask about her boss, and the words automatically led Samantha to be a tad nervous about the question. Still, he was a Were, like Nadya, and if he was her friend... Sam gave a small shake of her head. "No, she's taking a break from the business right now due to some personal reasons. I'm running the place in her absence. Is there something I can help you with?" Her words were entirely polite, treating the man the same as she would if he were a customer. But he wasn't, was he? He'd identified himself as Nadya's friend. He was a were. Her thoughts drifted to the man that Aiden had mentioned to her, but she'd yet to meet.

"Are you Tobi?" She asked, recalling the name of Aiden's Beta with ease. She'd yet to have met the boy, though she had been looking forward to it given the fond way that Aiden had spoke of him. Still, she hadn't run across him quite yet. If the man in front of her claimed to be a friend of Nadya's, it really wasn't crazy to think that perhaps this was the mysterious Tobi. She glanced up at the mention of herself being one of Nadya's girls, giving a small shrug. "I've only been here a little while," She explained, giving him an indifferent shrug.

Samantha tugged her jacket further around her, the smell coursing through her nose once again. She couldn't help but smile to herself, turning her head just slightly towards her shoulder. It was Aiden's smell. It was a smell that comforted her more than she could admit. It wasn't hard to let her thoughts drift towards the man she called her boyfriend. Her mind was hardly present when it came to the man in front of her, instead thinking of how she'd gotten his scent on her hoodie in the first place. The two of them tangled together in her small apartment, her mouth on his. His hands on her hips, drawing her in. The thought of the man was intoxicating, and too often the only thing on her mind anymore. It was like being a child again, struck by a helpless crush.

Samantha Cassidy