Searching for Inspiration - Riley tags Peter/Open

[Riley Adams]

There was nothing better than fresh air on a time off. Riley had decided to go to the lake a few minutes away from his house with a basket for a picnic for one. He had brought things to make sandwiches, a bottle of water and a small chocolate raspberry cake he had baked the night before.

Finding a perfect spot for him to settle, he threw open the picnic mat on the ground and sat down. There weren't a lot of people around so Riley could hear the breeze running through the trees, the little animals scampering around the fields and there were a few ducks and geese gliding across the lake. It really was a beautiful day and he was glad he wasn't working.

Opening the basket top, he peered in and found a little brown squirrel trying to tap open his container of fresh cut fruits. He laughed lightly before picking the squirrel up. The little critter looked annoyed which made Riley laugh even more before it ran off somewhere else.

He took out his bread knife along with the things to make his sandwich and set out to prepare it. Before long, he was munching on his chili cheese and chicken sandwich while reading his latest guilty pleasure; thriller novels. He was so absorbed in it to notice his surroundings. He didn't even realise the new presence creeping up from behind him...

[OOC: Hope that was good enough to go by! >.<]

[Peter Longfield]

It was one of those days that were just far too pretty to stay inside despite the various books that were calling his name. There would be time for that later, after the sun had taken its meager warmth with it. He had no classes to teach and the only student of the afternoon was out with a cold. That left him with time and options. The woods around campus were well known to him, but always offered up something new. He hadn’t used any of his aquatic forms in a while. The pond offered a small place to play, but Peter decided that a trip to the lake was in order.

Decision made, it was the work of seconds to shift into the sleek form of a Peregrine Falcon. Peter did not in fact own a car. He rarely traveled outside of the immediate area and there were several of his forms that could get him into town much more quickly than an automobile. He usually tried to be discreet about shifting, but the townspeople were used to the unusual. If he did have to go anywhere further, he could usually borrow someone’s car or catch a taxi. Travelling this way was much more fun anyway.

Speckled wings caught the wind and rose high above the school. The anatomy of the bird’s eye made the view different than what Peter was used to seeing, but no less spectacular. Little movement was necessary once he found an airstream. He could just soar and enjoy. The falcon’s eyes could easily pick out things on the ground despite the height he was flying. Squirrels darting up trees as his shadow passed overhead. Someone hitchhiking along the highway. A deer wandering through a clearing. Things he would have missed if he’d taken a car. Well, maybe not the hitchhiker.

A blue carpet, his destination stretched out beneath him. The lake flight over had convinced him that it might be a bit chilly for water sports, but the surrounding area might be a good place to work on a new form. He’d visited a wildlife rehabilitation center in the past week and had picked up three new forms to work on. He was particularly excited about perfecting the New England Cottontail. Another cute and cuddly creature to add to his repertoire. The falcon swooped low and landed smoothly on a rock several feet from the water’s edge.

Peter took a moment to get his bearings and then the fowl was replaced by a rather adorable bunny. All big ears and a fluffy white tail, the creature twitched his nose and took a few practice hops. Radically different than the sailor of the skies. Peter came more confident the more he moved around. He had taken lagamorph forms before, but it had been a while and a new form was always a bit sticky the first couple tries. His movements brought him closer to an area that was already occupied by someone who appeared fully engrossed in a book. His nose twitched with interest. Someone had had lunch at the lake and perhaps they had left some crumbs.

[Riley Adams]

Absentmindedly, Riley's hand moved back to grab the container with fruits and started munching on them, unaware of the little bunny that was suddenly present behind him. Good thing he wasn't right then because there were people around and he really didn't need anyone hearing him squeal like a schoolgirl when he saw the bunny.

The book was getting more intense and Riley was getting more intrigued by the minute. There were even whispers of "You gotta be kidding me," and "Oh my God..." and "No!" every now and then. His sandwich long gone, he only had his cake and fruits for him to munch on.

After a few shocks from the book, Riley decided to stop reading and concentrate on his cake lest it dropped down his shirt or something so as he sipped a little of his water, he turned a bit to look for his cake in the basket only to find the fluffy cotton ball tailed creature. "Hey little guy," Riley wiped his hands on his jacket before picking it up and bringing it up to his face. "You're cute aren't you?"

There weren't a lot of people that were close enough to hear Riley start baby talking the bunny while scratching the white creature's oh so soft fur. "What are you doing here? You want some food? I've got nothing for you but you want a piece of fruit?" Riley sounded ridiculously babying but as far as he was concerned, the bunny was the only one listening to him and as far as he was concerned, bunnies didn't care and couldn't tell him off for it.

"Oh my God you're adorable!" Riley buried his face in the bunny's body, completely unaware of its origins.

[Peter Longfield]

One of the first things that Peter had learned at the institute was that his forms left him vulnerable. He turned into small creatures and often the kind of creature that people wanted to catch and cuddle. And if it wasn’t little girls chasing after him, it was a hawk looking for an easy meal or a cat looking for a prize to bring home to their owner. So when Peter shifted, he tried to pay close attention to his surroundings and listen to the instincts that were buzzing in the background of his head.

The man with the food had seemed completely involved with his book. So much so that the muttered comments initially had Peter darting for cover. He did not make such silly noises when he was reading. He didn’t think. Well, he might occasionally make some very relevant comment or criticism. He hopped close again and took a peak at the title. But he did not read such…material. Peter preferred nonfiction. Or science fiction. So perhaps he should not pass judgment on someone who seemed to enjoy fiction. Although there were many science fiction novels that provided excellent insight into real issues of society.

The winter grass offered enough forage to keep him alive if he were actually indeed a scavenging bunny, but to Peter’s keener than usual senses, the sweets and fruit smelled irresistible. Peter really should have continued his explorations, but he wanted to search for crumbs first. He wasn’t expecting the person to suddenly move or to suddenly find himself cradled in a large pair of hands. The part of his primitive brain that told him he was a prey animal made him go completely still. The part of his brain that was still very much Peter agreed with the rabbit instincts. Loud noises and quick movements were bad.

So Peter did what his instincts told him, sort of. He got out of Dodge. Only most rabbits couldn’t turn from a tiny ball of mostly fluff into a full grown man who was not exactly short. A hop took the bunny out of the man’s hand and he shifted mid-hop, stumbling slightly as he got his two legs under him. Okay. This wasn’t awkward, like at all. Peter couldn’t help blushing. “Um…” How do you even follow up to that? At least most people around were used to strange goings on. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have come over. I’m…the bunny…and the fruit…it’s…kind of hard to explain. Sorry.”

[Riley Adams]

[OOC: Sorry for the late reply >.< I was waiting on your PM about Peter's uh...body status. I'm just gonna go with the fact that Peter is pretty much naked based on all the movies and books I've watched and read where there were transformations. Hope you don't mind XD]

To say Riley was shocked would be an understatement when the cute fluffy bunny he had been cradling like a little baby suddenly became a man. No more was it fluffy. His eyes widened and he was understandably embarrassed. His limbs had stopped moving and his eyes widened. The fact that the man was talking went unnoticed as Riley tried to grasp what little dignity he had after being caught essentially being soft.

He was still processing the fact that the very cute bunny was now a very cute man. That was his running thought and he was trying to catch on to the fact that he was still staring at a very naked man in front of him. Blinking slowly, Riley took his jacket off and handed it to the man before putting his stuff into the basket before handing the blanket to him as well.

Riley was way too embarrassed to look at the man and he was also embarrassed that he had been cuddling his shifted form. What could he even say? He knew what all he shouldn't say so he kept his mouth shut and hope the man didn't think he was a jerk. After a few minutes and what Riley hoped was enough time for the man to cover himself up, the landscaper looked back at the man slowly and gulped. "Um..." he started but he couldn't continue. What could a man say to another man who had changed from a cute little bunny to a full grown man?

His hand blindly grasped around in his basket and got out the fruit container and thrust it at the man. "Fruit?"

[Peter Longfield]

Peter had been changing forms for more than twenty years at this point. He had exceptional control of his ability and still added new forms to his bag of tricks every so often. But no matter how often he practiced, he couldn’t completely overcome the instincts that came with slipping into the body of a smaller creature with a much smaller brain. And really, he wouldn’t want to completely do away with them. Those instincts had saved his life before because most of the forms he took were prey animals and he’d had larger animals come after him with the intent to make him a snack more than once.

At the moment, Peter was cursing the flight response of the New England Cotton Tail that had translated into him shifting without really meaning to. Which meant he hadn’t had time to think about the niceties of things like, oh, clothes. Damn. And he hadn’t been paying much attention to the figure reading, but it turned out to be a man. A kind of really attractive, unfortunately embarrassed man. Peter had had so many incidents shifting in his early years that being naked in an awkward venue wasn’t enough to cause panic. His brow furrowed at the offered jacket. It was kind of chilly out, but it wasn’t…oh, yeah.

It’s not like he could shock the guy more than he already had. And it really was too cold (and embarrassing) to stand around naked. So the man once more sunk into the form of a bunny. But this time he rapidly popped back into a man, one fully clothed. Right. At least he hadn’t been wearing his pajamas when he’d shifted earlier that morning. He couldn’t make clothes appear out of thin air. He was stuck with whatever he was wearing at the time of his last shift. Peter was more worried about how to explain this than what he was wearing. Most people who lived in town had an idea of what lived at the institute, but vague notions were different than someone changing forms in front of you.

Why did he always meet the hot ones under such unfortunate circumstances? He’d be all cute and fluffy and then he’d turn into a man again and things just got awkward. He didn’t blame the man for being less than eloquent. But fruit? Oh, yeah. He was kind of hungry, but it had been such a draw to the bunny because of his improved sense of smell in that form. Peter waved off the offer and bit his lip trying to decide where to go from here. “Um thanks, but it was sort of a rabbit thing. I can smell things better like that. I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have come over, but there’s this instinct thing and olfactory senses are scientifically…never mind.” Peter had a tendency to babble on a good day. It didn’t get any better when he was tense.

[Riley Adams]

Finding the guy feeling even more awkward than him didn't make Riley feel any better but it did offer him a sense of not being alone in his freaked out state. But he supposed the guy wouldn't have that big a problem with it than Riley did. Having cuddly bunnies turn into a full grown man wasn't exactly something Riley was used to despite his own freakish abilities.

When he appeared back in clothes, Riley's lips twitched lightly as he bundled his jacket and blanket up and placed them beside his basket. Riley also returned the fruit container to the basket and wondered what else there was to say. The man should be decidedly embarrassed and run away but he was still here. He was even trying to explain things.

A part of Riley that practically governed the forty-nine year old man told him to run off as well but there was a little part of him that said: Go on then...say something you big oaf! Riley offered a shaky smile. "Not everyday I see a bunny change into a man." He gave out a bark of nervous laughter. Well, that was a start at least.

[Peter Longfield]

When his abilities had first come online, Peter had had more than his share of embarrassing experiences. He hadn’t had much control over when he changed, what he changed into, or what he was wearing when he changed back. But he’d always been a smart kid and a bit of an over achiever, so it hadn’t taken him long to get things under control. The years had honed his abilities and it had been a long time since he’d shifted without really meaning to. And without clothes. That was probably the worst of it. He should have better control than that. These days he really only shifted naked when he was feeling lazy and was certain there was no one else around. Gosh darn instincts.

Walking away would have been easier, but Peter would have felt even worse doing that. He knew that he hated being left with questions. Not that he was doing all that great at explaining things. Especially once he realized that the man he just shown his birthday suit was kind of really attractive. That never helped his speech. At all. Ingrid thought it was hilarious how he dropped about 75 IQ points when there was someone around that caught his attention. It really wasn’t fair.

At least the guy hadn’t run away screaming. Or passed out. He had been kind of silly with the whole rabbit cuddling thing, but that was hardly the first time Peter had had that happen. Just the other day in fact. Only then he’d been a squirrel. “Yeah, I uh, don’t usually do that without warning, but you kind of startled me. It’s kind of a new form and I guess I’m still getting the hang of it.”

[Riley Adams]

Riley gave the man a genuine smile and waved it off. "You don't have to explain yourself." He offered assurance. His heart had stopped beating like a bullet train so he was calming down somewhat. He was of course still in shock but he could form sentences now so that was good. His mind kept replaying the transformation though and that disturbed him just slightly.

Wanting a change of atmosphere, Riley spread the blanket once more. "Why don't you sit on the blanket. Reckon it's a bit cold on the grass." The warm smile on Riley's face was meant to be inviting. He didn't want to seem like such an ungracious host despite the circumstances. "I'm sorry for startling you though. I...I'm quite fond of rabbits to be honest." He blushed lightly. He still couldn't quite get over his shyness despite being old enough to be a grandparent.

"My name's Riley by the way." He held his hand up. Being cordial was the least he could do. He had practically strangled the man in his bunny form. "Riley Adams."

[Peter Longfield]

Peter found himself relaxing a little as the adrenaline faded. Not completely because he was never really at ease around strangers, but at least he didn’t feel like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest anymore. Rabbits were very delicate creatures and could be literally scared to death. Peter was made of a bit sterner stuff than that, but he still wasn’t immune to the cocktail of hormones his brain had sent out in a fear response. “Yeah well, I usually try and not do that in public.” It was okay to do at Hammel, where everyone was some kind of weird or another. But even there he chose his moments carefully. Shifters weren’t really rare, but he didn’t think anyone ever got used to something in the same place a person had been only a second before.

Oh. He hadn’t really thought of staying. But that was an invitation that he didn’t really want to turn down. And it was kind of chilly. It was days like these that he was very glad he could turn into something with lots of fur. The man was really being quite gracious in light of Peter’s actions. And Ingrid would grab him by the ear if she heard he’d met a good looking man and hadn’t at least attempted to talk to him. She was really such a mother hen sometimes. Most of the time really. So Peter folded his legs under him and dropped to the ground. “Thank you.”

It was impossible to hide a smile at the man’s proclamation of a fondness for rabbits. Peter never would have guessed. “It’s okay, really. Last week there was a thing and I was a squirrel…People like small and cute.” It wasn’t the first time and would likely not be the last. And he didn’t really mind, he just usually liked a bit of warning before he was scooped up and manhandled. “Peter Longfield. Nice to meet you even if the circumstances were a bit..odd.” He shook the offered hand. Calluses. So a man who worked for a living. Peter enjoyed doing the occasional gardening, but he was more than content as an academic.

[Riley Adams]

At times like these, Riley was quite happy with his healing powers. They weren't showy and unless he was in a dire circumstance, they really weren't that easy to detect. He was glad he was under the radar for the most part and that besides people in Hammel who had his files, no one else knew he existed. Or so he thought anyway. The other day when he bumped into that man...he was so sure he was getting bad vibes from him but bumping into Leila the very same day helped clear him of such thoughts so Riley was sure he was still under the radar.

He smiled at his new acquaintance as he reassured Riley that being affectionate to small things wasn't exactly a rare thing. When he introduced himself, Riley didn't catch a match between him being a Peter and that he had just come out of a rabbit form until they shook hands and when he did, it took a lot in him to not chuckle. Would it be rude for him to say that out loud? Maybe this man was joking. To lighten the mood or something. That could be it right? There was no way his name was Peter who changed into a rabbit. Alright, stop thinking about that, Riley. Enough.

"Indeed," he said with a straight face. "Then again, it's the odd circumstances that we remember for a long time, isn't it? This is something I can tell my future kids." He chuckled wryly. Memories of Michael flooded his mind but thankfully, Riley managed to stop it from making him tear up. It had taken him awhile but Riley had managed to think about Michael in small doses. It used to make him bawl at random but now, he only did that when he was alone. It had been ten years and he could still remember how Michael felt curled up beside him.

Blinking away the memories, Riley chuckled in embarrassment for zoning out. "I'm sorry. Oh, I still have some things for sandwiches, would you like one?" He asked, already opening the basket lid. "I'm assuming given the comfortableness of your shifting that you're somehow affiliated to Hammel?"

[Peter Longfield]

Peter enjoyed using his ability and shifted often, but he didn’t flaunt it. It was much easier to fly under the radar as a chickadee or a squirrel than as a huge Siberian tiger as one of his friends shifted into. He certainly didn’t like the attention that came from shifting in public. He’d always been afraid that someone would see his ability and decide to lock him up. If he was captured as an animal and stuck in a cage, he wouldn’t be able to shift back into a human. There had to be room for him to shift. It wasn’t like he was paranoid or anything, but he tried to be a little more cautious than ending up naked in the middle of a park.

Something about the introductions seemed to amuse the other man, but Peter certainly couldn’t think of what it might have been. Riley was a good name. His own name had English origins, rather normal all in all. Good firm handshake. Peter may have been an academic and a bit on the shy side, but his father had impressed upon him at a young age the importance of a good handshake. Peter settled back on the blanket, folding his legs under him in the rather awkward looking position that Ingrid was always telling him would ruin his joints.

It was somewhat amusing to realize that this encounter was something that would stick with the other man. It had been a startling meeting, but Peter had had worse responses to his sudden appearance. The other man was quite…attractive, but otherwise, it was just another day being cute and irresistible. Future kids? Shame. Straight men planned on kids and picket fences. “I must say, living with it for twenty years, I suppose I take it for granted. Rather run of the mill now.” Besides, at Hammel, he saw odd things all the time. From fire breathers to his psychiatrist that could read him mind.

The other man seemed to go someplace else for a bit, but Peter had never been uncomfortable with silence. Food…would actually be good. Flying took a lot of energy. “If you don’t mind me disturbing your picnic, I would, thank you.” Ah, so the man did know about Hammel. That made things somewhat more simple. “Yes. I was a student there and have now been a professor for several years.” Over a decade in fact. He was getting old.


ooc: sorry this took so long, school has been murderous

[Riley Adams]

[OOC: Aww, no worries! Worth the wait ]

"Riley couldn't help but smile at the strong handshake and held on to the man's hand a second longer than was necessary. Once they let go of each other, Riley shyly rubbed the back of his neck out of habit.

Having lived with his powers longer than Peter, Riley was actually still being surprised at every turn with them. There was always a risk of transferring whatever ailments the being he was healing was inflicted with and even if he could heal himself, chances are that the ailments might get to him first.

He was also trying his hand on healing humans but he found animals to be less tricky and had spent more of his time aiding animals rather than humans.

"You wouldn't be dusturbing," Riley gave the man a smile as he took out the things to make the sandwich from his basket. He proceeded to cut the bread, slathering some butter, placing the lettuce and tomatoes and the chicken. "I was a student there too. A...really long time ago." The landscape artist chuckled deeply. "You must know Dr. Neville then. He was my senior when I was there." Riley added.

Once the sandwich was done, he handed it over to Peter. "The cheese might be a bit strong but you'll get used to the taste. The chicken really complements it well." If Riley knew anything, it was his own cooking. And blending tastes to go with each other was somewhat his speciality and he wasn't shy to admit it. It was one of the rare things that Riley was actually proud of.

"So what other animals can you change into?"