|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 15, 2017 3:23:18 GMT
In a way, Adeline was freer than she'd been in a really long time. With the threat of Thrax no longer hanging over her head, she felt like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and it gave her a sense of liberation. No longer did she have to constantly look over her shoulder, or make sure not to stay out after dark. She could finally relax. Or, relax as much as she could. Not all of the anxiety in her life was gone. She and Pitch had decided to tell her parents about their relationship, and Adeline was agonizing over how to do it. She still feared that the worst possible outcome might happen: her parents freaking out over the news and forbidding her from seeing Pitch ever again. She knew she couldn't keep putting it off, it wasn't fair to her parents. And Pitch wasn't worried about how this would affect his job. They both didn't want to keep this a secret anymore. Still, the situation only gave her a fraction of the anxiety that Thrax gave her, so she could easily deal with it. Most of her days lately had still been good. In fact, she'd just finished up another one of her yoga classes. Most of the time, she did them with Namine, but there were some days where their schedules just couldn't sync up, either because of Namine's work or Adeline's schooling. So there were days she went by herself. She didn't mind too much though. She was finally not getting spooked by strangers so much and could easily handle a yoga class full of people she didn't know. It'd been relaxing, but challenging at the same time, and hitting up the Bourbon Graisse sounded like a good idea. Besides, it'd been forever since she'd seen Axel. She didn't know if he'd be working this early in the day, but it couldn't hurt to check. She went through the front door, looking for his instantly recognizable head of red hair.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 15, 2017 20:05:37 GMT
"We're not - Oh, hey kid. Been a while."
The bar was just about to open for the day when Axel got an early visitor. He smiled at Adeline. She looked rather lively compared to the last time he saw her. He smiled, glad to see her doing better than she was. He finished loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, set it to run and placed the clean glasses on the counter so he could put them in an easy to grab spot when rush came in. He could work and talk to Adeline and she never seemed to mind. She understood he had to do what he had to do.
"Take a seat."
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 15, 2017 20:13:06 GMT
Spotting Axel wasn't too hard. He was practically the only guy in the bar. Then again, that was to be expected. Most people probably didn't come here to drink this early, and most patrons weren't as young as she was. Still, it was different, seeing the place so empty and quiet. And it didn't bother Adeline that much. She was okay with quiet, especially when she was with someone she liked. Half the time, she and Pitch didn't need to say much to each other when they were together. Any silences between them were never uncomfortable. "Hey," she said, giving a little wave before hopping up onto a seat. "It has been a while. Can't remember the last time I stopped by here."
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 15, 2017 20:21:56 GMT
"That's okay. Things have been a little busy here anyways." he shrugged. "Took a few weeks off to... help a friend."
A friend? It was a rich explanation for what he considered Anna to be. But she was keeping her distance, despite him saying he liked her considerably more than just friends. He had to respect her boundaries however. It didn't mean he had given up. He still dropped off groceries to her house, since she had been staying at home for a good period of time. He wasn't sure how to help her get better. He was shit at comforting people. It simply wasn't something a demon did often.
"So, want your usual?" he asked.
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 15, 2017 20:39:35 GMT
"Oh. Are they doing better?" Adeline asked. She wondered if Axel had mentioned this friend to her before. It was certainly nice of him to take so much time off to help them out. She wondered what exactly had been going on. But, she knew she shouldn't pry. Axel's social life wasn't hers to investigate and be nosy around. When Axel asked if she wanted her usual, she nodded. "You know me. Gotta have at least one cup of tea before the day ends." The drink always relaxed her and helped her wind down. In the past, it'd been her way of calming down when Thrax made her anxious. Now, she just needed something to relax after her yoga session. Granted, it wasn't as strenuous as something like a spinning class, but it still gave her body a work out.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 15, 2017 20:58:06 GMT
"Not really." Axel shrugged. "They might just need time."
He really hoped that was it. Anna was going through a lot. There wasn't much else he could do for her. He was there for her. He tried to talk to her. She didn't exactly listen. But he was trying. She had to come to terms with some of what happened on her own. He could not make her accept what happened. That wouldn't help her recover.
"Sure thing." he said.
He had started carrying more teas because of Adeline. Just some stuff from Nevermore. Nothing fancy, but the least he could do was get her something to drink. Despite the fact she was probably his youngest patrons. Most police officers would have frowned upon him 'serving' minors even if it wasn't alcohol.
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 15, 2017 21:08:21 GMT
"Oh jeez. That sounds rough," Adeline said. Her imagination ran wild for a second, wondering what bad thing could have possibly happened to this friend of Axel's. Had they had a death in the family? Been possessed by a spirit or ghost? Recently become a werewolf? There were numerous possibilities, but if it was as bad as Adeline was imagining, it probably wasn't a great conversation topic. She put all thoughts about it out of her mind and tried to find something else to talk about. "You've probably heard about Thrax by now, right?" she said. Thrax wasn't exactly the cheeriest of topics, but Adeline couldn't deny that his death was still being talked about, and everyone had an opinion on it. Most people were glad that he was gone, although some wondered about how efficient the Others Unit really was in handling the situation. Sure, they'd infiltrated Cinder's base and arrested a lot of her gang. But Weiss had been the one to figure out how to get out of her prison and break Thrax down, nearly literally. Some were wondering how good the Others Unit could be if a teenage girl could take down an infamous criminal better than they could. Adeline didn't like it when people talked about it that way though. The Others Unit had gone through a lot to try and find Thrax, especially Pitch. He'd nearly died trying to take him down once. Dissing them just because Weiss took on Thrax on her own felt unfair to her.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 15, 2017 21:38:38 GMT
"I did." Axel confirmed. "How are you holding up?"
Thrax was like Adeline's big bad boogeyman, haunting her every step. Axel had silently vowed to take care of the guy himself if they ever crossed paths. But let it be said, he hadn't shed any tears for what happened to the guy. He deserved what he had coming to him. Especially with his uncomfortable fixation on little girls. First Adeline then that Yang girl from the news and Weiss? No. The guy got his just deserts.
He set her warmed tea in front of her. It had to be a lot on her that the guy who used to scare her so much was dead. In a very brutal way. Nurses talked once they got drunk and sometimes, they needed to. But a few nurses had told him what had happened and how horrible it had been. He could only imagine how Adeline felt.
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 15, 2017 21:46:04 GMT
"Doing fine," Adeline replied. "Really, it's like...all that fear and anxiety and everything else is just...gone. Now I can be worried about regular things again." Sure, it felt weird sometimes, to suddenly have all that pressure just vanish, but all in all, Adeline was enjoying the weightless feeling that had settled in her stomach ever since she'd heard the news. She could finally move on and focus on herself again, instead of worrying about what Thrax might do next or who he might hurt. Her demon side would always stay with her, there was no removing that. But she could deal with it. After all, painless lessons rarely existed, and her demon side staying with her would be a reminder not to go too far like she did before. Summoning Thrax just to prove how good she was with magic had been a stupid mistake, and she'd have to live with that for rest of her life. But Thrax being gone certainly made it easier to live with that mistake, and she could manage it so it didn't run her life.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 15, 2017 22:07:26 GMT
"But regular things can be kind of boring." he teased.
He was certain that regular for her would be a good thing. The young woman had already been through more any kid her age had. Not to mention, she had a lot on her shoulders regarding the whole demon thing. She had come a great way since they first met, considering how scared of him she had been. And he could readily admit someone like him could seem scary to someone who didn't know him.
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 15, 2017 22:43:53 GMT
Adeline gave a little laugh before sipping her tea. It was super good, as usual. Despite the fact that most of Axel's orders contained alcohol, he could still make a pretty good cup of tea anytime Adeline walked into the bar. "Maybe it'll get boring later on," she said with a little smile. "Right now though, it feels like a breath of fresh air. I can do stuff that most normal people do, and without looking over my shoulder all the time." Crowded streets or busy shops didn't intimidate her so much now that she wasn't constantly waiting for Thrax to jump out and attack her. Sure, she still wasn't a total social butterfly, but she could at least go through her day without being so paranoid.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 16, 2017 1:54:58 GMT
"Take advantage of the quiet while you can," Axel advised. "Things have a way of picking up when you least expect it."
He hadn't expected what had happened with Anna. He had fallen for her before he could even stop himself from doing so. Looking forward to each of her visits, making sure to have all his work was done before she arrived. She had him wrapped around her finger before he knew what hit him. But those were his regrets. Adeline was there now. She was happy and full of life. Elated because one of the 'demons' (and quite literally) of her life was gone for good.
"So, got any celebration plans?"
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 16, 2017 1:58:51 GMT
Adeline nodded in agreement. Axel had a point. Things never stayed quiet in Bellerouge for long. Sure, there were periods of time when everything was calm, but shit always got stirred up eventually. Adeline just hoped that whatever big thing happened next, it wasn't too bad. She sipped her tea before Axel asked if she had any celebratory plans, and she hesitated before answering. While she wasn't exactly planning on partying 'til the sun came up, Thrax's death had led her to start making plans with Pitch about telling her parents about their relationship. She just wondered if that was something she should tell Axel. Sure, Pitch didn't care so much about hiding the fact that they were together, but did he really want her blabbing about it to her friends? She figured she'd tell them eventually, but she still had that fear of their reactions. "I guess you could say I have plans made," she replied. "They're not exactly the celebratory kind though." She knew that was a super vague answer, but she didn't know what else to say.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Oct 16, 2017 2:06:14 GMT
"At least you have some sort of strategy." he said. "But seriously take a deep breath and do something nice for yourself."
Adeline deserved a moment's rest. After all she had been through, after all she had seen, she deserved it. He would do something for her himself, but he didn't know if that was crossing some sort of line. He was after all just her bartender. But he had thought the same about Anna. He shared no disillusion that he saw Anna romantically, but Adeline was more like the kid sibling he never knew he had. He wanted to look out for her.
"Something more exciting than having tea with a punk ass like me."
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 17, 2017 0:30:28 GMT
"I've been getting into yoga lately. Does that count?" Adeline asked with a little laugh. "I actually just came back from a session. My friend and I decided to try and get into it, since people always rave about how relaxing it is and stuff. It's been pretty chill." Yoga was just the thing to help Adeline relax a little more, and give her and Namine something social to get into. It was perfect for two introverts like them. And Adeline was even confident enough to go by herself now. "You may be a punk ass, but you're my punk ass, and I like hanging out with you," she said. If anything, Axel had been anything but punk around her. Sure, he looked like one, but he'd always been nice to her and willing to listen to her problems. His romance advice had even helped, in a way. She just wished she could help him in return with this friend of his that wasn't doing so good.
|
|