Hesitance (Tag: Adeline)

Adeline could see that people were uneasy.  Sure, the city was already trying to heal from the recent chaotic events, but the people would take a bit longer to reach that point.  She could see it in the way they glanced over their shoulders, the way they checked their phones for any news updates.  They were on edge, ready for another disaster.  In a way, Adeline could relate to that.  Thrax was still out there, after all.  And a number of escaped criminals, including Vanitas.  But, she kept one simple thought in mind: Pitch loved her, and he had promised to protect her.  That was enough to keep her a bit hopeful about the future and try to go through her day as normally as possible, which was why she was at the coffeehouse at the moment.  She hadn't been there in a while, and she figured she might as well try to go there more often like she used to, try to get back into the habit of being around people.  She ordered a cappucino and chocolate chip muffin and was content to just wait by the counter until she got her stuff.  But, a familiar face caught her eye, one with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Namine.  Truthfully, she hadn't spoken to her since the first time they had met.  She remembered her, of course.  She was the one person even quieter than Adeline was, although she was a pretty good artist.  Of course, Adeline had seen the news about her lately, and the fact that she and some other woman named Jane had been taken hostage by Vanitas a while back.  Adeline felt bad for not even checking up on her or trying to get in contact with her.  She had met Vanitas too.  She knew how terrifying he could be.  Maybe she could make up for it now, just talk with her a bit and see how she was doing.  That was enough to get her to walk over with a small smile on her face as she said "Hey Namine."

Adeline bit her lip.  Namine nearly jumped out of her skin when she had called her name.  She looked as scared as Adeline felt sometimes.  Adeline had someone she could talk to about her fears though.  She had Pitch, and her parents.  She wondered if Namine had anyone.  "Are you doing okay?" she asked.  "It's...been a while."  The words came out awkward, but Adeline wasn't sure what else to say.  What do you say to someone who's been through a traumatizing event?  Sure, Adeline had experienced some situations similar to it, but was a coffeehouse the best place to bring it up?  Did Namine even want to talk about it?  Adeline was worried about overstepping any boundaries.

"Are you sure?"  Namine was stuttering over her words a lot.  Adeline glanced around for a moment before coming to a decision.  "Here, I'll sit with you a bit," she said as she sat down across from her.  The poor woman looked like she needed some company, and Adeline was willing to provide it.  One thing she had learned was that just being around somebody could make you feel a little bit safer.  It was usually better than being alone.  "I think all of us are on edge a bit, after what happened and stuff," she said.  Hopefully, Namine knew that.  She wasn't the only one feeling scared and anxious.   Granted, a lot of them probably hadn't gone what she had gone through, but still.  

Adeline didn't have to ask who Namine was talking about.  There was only one criminal out there that the woman had seen face-to-face, and was obviously terrified of.  "Yeah, Vanitas.  He's a...tough one."  Adeline felt like that was putting it lightly, but she hoped maybe acting somewhat cool about the topic would put Namine at ease.  Acting worried would only make her more anxious.  Besides, her parents usually did the same thing.  When they were comforting her, they tried to be as supportive and kind as they could.  And it did tend to make Adeline feel better, even if it was just a tiny bit.  Surely, the same could be done for Namine, right?

Adeline wasn't sure what kind of advice she could give.  In reality, there wasn't much either of them could do about Vanitas.  It wasn't like they could catch the guy.  Namine wouldn't stand a chance, and Adeline would probably have something horrible done to her.  She still remembered Vanitas's last words to her, about coming after her if she couldn't send Thrax to him.  That had been ages ago.  Sure, Thrax's prison break had lead to Vanitas's escape, but it wasn't like he did it for him.  Still, surely she had something somewhat uplifting to say to Namine, some piece of sagely advice that could make her feel a little better.  "Well, it helps if you just take things one day at a time," she said.  "Worrying just...makes you feel worse, even if you can't help but do it."

"Well, that's a good start," Adeline said, trying to be encouraging.  "Nobody expects you to be okay in a day.  You gotta take some time for yourself, you know?"  Trauma wasn't something that you could just bounce back from in a short amount of time.  Adeline knew that personally.  It took a while, especially if you were on your own.  Heck, some people never bounced back at all and their fear dominated their lives.  Adeline didn't want Namine to be like that.  Sure, she may always be scared of Vanitas coming back, but if she could live with that, then that was pretty good in Adeline's opinion.  She still carried all her fears and worries with her every day, but she was determined not to let them rule her life.  She was glad to see Namine give a little smile, though.  That seemed like a positive sign that maybe Adeline was helping her feel better.  However, she gave a shrug in answer to Namine's question.  "Same as you, in a way," she replied.  "Then again, I think a lot of people are like us at this point."  Other citizens had been caught in the blaze of the jail break.  No doubt they had mental demons of their own to overcome.  Adeline remembered with guilt what had happened to Weiss and Yang.  Pitch had insisted that it wasn't her fault, that Thrax had hurt them and not her, but it was still taking her a while to not feel bad anytime she thought about them.  It would take some time before she would be ready to see them face to face.

"I think so," Adeline replied.  "I guess I just found some people I could talk to."  There was Pitch, of course.  And her parents.  And recently, Axel.  He didn't know all the details, but he was at least willing to listen to her whenever she had a problem.  That had to count for something.  "Do you have anybody like that?" she asked.  Adeline was willing to be a listening ear to any troubles Namine had, but usually, it was better to have more than one person fill that role.  Adeline had at least a handful of people.  Namine could probably do some good with the same amount.