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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Oct 22, 2017 22:12:57 GMT
A small white cloud of breath escaped and drifted upwards into a greyish, drizzly sky. It was one of those rare days in Bellerouge where it was actually cold, the weather both damp and chilly enough to make most people stay inside for the day and wait for the weather to improve. Indeed, the wet streets were amazingly quiet for it being so early in the day. Only a single figure stood out in front of a window storefront, looking but not making a move to enter even as her breath plumed on the air and the rain gently drizzled on her umbrella.
Anna gazed into the interior of Bourbon Graisse, still unsure if she should go in or not. Despite the fact that the sign was flipped over to closed and the bar wouldn't be opening for another hour or so, she had come here. Why? Even she wasn't completely sure as of yet....
She looked better then she had for a long time, although the white streak in her hair was still present and there was still something of a subdued air about the young woman who had once been the most energetic and optimistic of people. The sorrow and guilt she had felt over what she had done and the lingering effects of her serum had kept Anna down for so long as she struggled with her own despair. In fact it had taken nearly a month for the young woman to finally gain something of her old spirit back and the biggest reason for her recovery had come from one single person. In fact, it was this very person she was hoping to see as she stood wrapped in a scarf and jacket on a chilly sidewalk in front of a bar.
She continued to stand and wait, her courage flagging for the moment in the wake of what she had come here to do. However, after another moment of pause she finally lifted her hand to the door and gave a rap to the frame. She then waited, holding her umbrella in nervous and damp hands. |
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 23, 2017 2:48:35 GMT
Axel looked up from the bar. He had just finished wiping it down. Odd. People didn't normally knock outside his business. But a look out the window and he had set the rag down. The weather was foul. It could have been someone just wanting to get inside from the nasty weather. Who was he to say no? He wouldn't want to be out in that mess. Granted, he hated rain on the worst of days.
He opened the door and was taken by surprise to find Anna gazing at him from beneath the safety of her little umbrella. He hadn't seen her since he had last dropped by with groceries. He had been trying to give her space and not be overly possessive or territorial like most demons got after they decided to pursue someone. He couldn't just do that however. Not unless he knew she felt the same way.
"Come in," he said.
He stepped aside so she could get out of the damp and the wet. She certainly looked healthier than the last time he saw her. Not entirely back to herself, but not at death's door either. So it was a welcome change. Though he had to say it was probably best that she came before the bar opened, otherwise, he might have joined in her in a drink to talk through anything. Which wasn't something he liked doing.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Oct 23, 2017 4:32:21 GMT
As Anna looked through the glass of the window and listened to the rain falling lightly on the sidewalk, she saw a figure move towards the doorway. It only took her a moment to recognize the spikey red hair even from a distance and then he was standing in front of the door looking out at her. Axel.
For a moment he merely stared at her and she had just enough time to give a small, almost timid wave before she heard the bolt unlock and he opened the door. When he told her to come in, she hesitated for a moment before closing her umbrella with a small shake and stepping into the building. The bar was still dimly lit and most of the chairs were still stacked on the tables, giving the space an empty feeling. One look around was enough to tell her that they were alone at the moment and she quietly mumbled a word of thanks. She wasn't sure she could do this with just Axel present, let alone other people she didn't know as well.
The bar was also warm and she felt some relief being out of the rain but she didn't move to take off her jacket or her scarf and instead turned to look at Axel. She knew she should thank him for letting her in but at that moment all she could manage was a single soft word.
"Hello..."
She felt her face, still somewhat pale from her misadventure, heat up and she immediately dropped her blue gaze to the ground. She was acting like a timid, soft-spoken child but it seemed like this was all she could manage in that instant. Instead, she stood quietly with her cheeks turning pink and her eyes fixed on the gleaming wood of the floor while her hands clutched the dripping umbrella.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 23, 2017 20:16:16 GMT
After she stepped inside, he closed the door behind her, only to keep the rain out. As a fire demon, he disliked water on principle. It only made fire harder to conjure, especially during intense storms. He took a step back, leaning up against the bar top. They hadn't really spoken since he had fallen asleep on the couch with her and the awkward morning after that happened. He had left shortly after they woke, feeling like a freaking teenager, embarrassed and shame faced. She made him do a walk of shame even though all they did was sleep. Yet he had felt he had crossed some uncomfortable boarder. Though the difference between then and now was that she had her health back (or part of it anyways).
"Hello." he greeted back.
He scratched the back of his neck. An awkward silence fell over the both of them. He wasn't sure what to do. This wasn't a position he had ever truly been in. He didn't do relationships. He didn't lose his mind over one person. And yet there he was, on the verge of sweating bullets simply because she walked through the door. Not like a teenager. He almost snorted at his own behavior. Slack jawed and speechless over a woman.
"Want to take a seat?" he asked. "I could make you some tea or something?"
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 2, 2017 8:40:31 GMT
"Sure."
She nodded her head but kept her eyes on the ground as if she were afraid to look at him directly. Not once did her eyes ever lift high enough to see Axel's face as she walked over to the bar and took a seat, balancing her umbrella on the floor next to her and unwinding the scarf wrapped around her neck.
For a time she didn't speak or say anything and instead stared intently at the woodwork of the counter. The white streak in her hair gleamed slightly in the low lighting of the bar as the rain continued to fall outside. It was hard to say how much time passed before Anna forced herself to take a deep breath and speak.
"Look Axel, I just wanted to come here to thank you for looking after me and supporting me during this really difficult time. I know it hasn't been easy for you and I know you didn't have to do anything for me but you did and I just felt like I had to at least tell you thank you for coming to see me and buying me groceries and keeping me from completely giving up on myself...."
Anna finally was forced to stop so that she could take a breath. She had spoken continuously and so quickly that she hadn't had time to catch her breath. It had all simply come pouring out of her in a giant rush with no pauses or breaks for her to lose her nerve in. Finally she glanced upwards and into the emerald eyes of the Fire Demon before quickly dropping her gaze to the bar top once more, her already pink cheeks turning a brilliant red like the skin of a ripe apple.
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 3, 2017 13:22:29 GMT
While she moved to get herself comfortable at her spot at the bar, Axel went behind the counter and went for the tea he kept for Adeline's sake. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to start pumping Anna with alcohol. Her body alone might not be able to handle it. Especially if she was on medicine right? He shook his head. Humans just had to be so delicate, didn't they. Fragile and easily broken. He pushed that thought aside. The hot tea was set down in front of her. Without a word he reached for sugar, honey (if she preferred it) and cream, in case she liked that too. A little spoon topped it all off.
"Anna, look, it's my fault you were that desperate about your serum in the first place. So don't thank me." he said firmly.
If he hadn't burned the research, she never would have used that last sample on herself. She never would have gotten sick. Worst of all, she almost died. She would have died if it hadn't been for the police. That's what made him sick to his stomach, he was the one who hurt her that badly and she was being grateful for his efforts to make amends. He had thought it once, he had thought it a thousand times, humans were bizarre creatures.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 4, 2017 6:54:19 GMT
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!"
The words suddenly burst out of Anna's mouth without any warning and seemed all the louder given the emptiness of the bar. She had still been looking down at the bar in embarrassment as Axel brought her a cup of tea. Then he had started to talk about how what had happened with the serum was his fault. And suddenly something had snapped inside the young medical examiner, a deep anger had instantly filled her and she had yelled out the words.
Immediately she sharply jerked her head up, her cheeks still red but no longer with a blush. Her blue eyes sparked as she looked into the face of the Fire Demon and there was a focus, an intensity and power that hadn't been there for so long.
"Don't you dare try and blame yourself for this, Axel! What happened, that was my fault and no one else's. No one forced my hand in this, I made my own foolish choice and had to pay the price for it. It was a hard lesson and for a time it nearly overwhelmed me.... but there is no blame for you to take. So just STOP FLIPPIN' TRYING TO BLAME YOURSELF!"
The power continued to grow in her voice and the spark in her eyes seemed to ignite into a fire that made her blue eyes dangerous and yet more beautiful. As her last word echoed briefly in the bar and her chest rose and fell faster then normal, the two of them merely stared at each other.
After a moment, the fire dimmed within her gaze and Anna suddenly covered her hands over her mouth, horrified at what she had said. It was almost as if someone else had said those words that came out of her mouth and yet she knew that it had been her.
"I...I'm sorry, Axel. I... I don't know why I said that...."
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 6, 2017 19:26:53 GMT
"There you are," he murmured.
Her out burst seemed to bring back the spark he saw in her (pre-serum). The first shout had caught him off guard, made him frown rather quickly. But luckily the bar was empty, not even his staff were in just yet. Sure, she was angry at him but for the wrong reasons. Again, humans had the weirdest notions about blame and self guilt. Despite all that, she looked alive. Seeing her lose her temper was enough to make him smile. Some demons might have seen her yelling as a challenge, yelled back, or something worse, like hit her, but he was too fond of her for that thought to cross his mind. Either way, that burst brought her back to where she was and he finally saw her being 'herself'.
He found himself chuckling when she apologized for her passionate speech. She was trying to take full blame on herself, when they both had made mistakes leading up to her reckless decision. He shook his head. She had even tried to not swear in front of him - the goddamned demon bartender. She was just too cute. Even when she was trying not to be. There were times when he had to stop but wonder if a person like her was even real. She was just too good for words.
"You're killing me here," he complained.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 7, 2017 0:29:07 GMT
She kept her hands plastered over her mouth as if she were worried that she might start going off once more, yelling at the bartender Demon without even realizing she was going to. At Axel's comment, she looked up at him and slowly lowered her hands to her lap. The look on her face in that moment was impossible to describe, it was so many emotions mixed together.
"Please Axel, I don't want to hurt anyone else.... especially you."
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 7, 2017 2:15:49 GMT
"That's life though." he shrugged.
If Anna hadn't done something to 'hurt' him, someone else would have. Like one of the drunks likely to come into his bar and try and pick a fight. He could get punched at any time. Someone could say something that stung just right. She couldn't protect him from that, even if she wanted to. Fact of the matter was, in life people got hurt and they hurt others (whether intentional or not). He couldn't protect her from getting hurt. Look at the mess that had come from him trying to do the right thing and keep her safe from herself and her research.
"Besides, I'm tougher than I look."
He offered her his best smile. Of the two of them, he could bounce back from an injury faster than her. She was the fragile human after all. Demons were built for endurance through pain. Especially considering that if he wanted to he could literally take a steam bath in a volcano and walk out all toasty if he wanted to. Only she wasn't talking about physically (at least he didn't believe she was). He folded his arms across his chest to wait for what she had to say. Because clearly, there was something on her mind.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 7, 2017 2:23:18 GMT
Axel was putting on a brave face, making jokes and trying to shrug what had happened off. However, during that time in the hospital when she had first woken up to find him there, she had come to realize that while it would be difficult for someone like her to ever wound him physically, there was a different kind of hurt she could bring against him.
"Axel... that's not what I'm talking about and you know it."
She was looking at him again, watching his expression closely. This wasn't easy for her given everything that had happened, but she knew in a way that it was inherently harder for him. He might try to appear strong and act like it was no big deal, but she knew what he had said in her apartment that one night wasn't a lie. And for a Demon to admit that he had feelings for a human....
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 7, 2017 3:26:54 GMT
"It still stands," he told her.
Physically or emotionally or even mentally, he didn't let things get under his skin. He could recover from most anything. Or at least tried to. The only time he had been angry was around her but his tempter was never directed at her. He was never particularly good with feelings otherwise. She was the first individual that he felt so strongly for (in a positive manner because hatred towards Cruella didn't count). But he knew how things would go. He was a demon. She was human. She wasn't going to live as long as he was. She was weaker and fragile compared to him. Not to mention the whole different species thing.
He took a deep breath. He told her what he had to. He gave her space so she could think it over because he was trying to be polite. Everything was now in her hands. If she decided to end whatever strange undefined relationship they had then so be it. If she decided to change how things worked, then that was fine as well. He would get over it with time. It's how he treated most things - with a casual regard.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 8, 2017 2:08:36 GMT
"Oh...."
For a moment she merely stood looking at Axel, at the calm and casual and almost.... indifferent way he was reacting to all of this. And as she looked at his expression and the laidback way in which he was acting, she began to doubt herself. That time he had come to see her and spoken of needing to tell her something, she had thought he meant to tell her he loved her, but she had asked him to not say it. Not then at least. And yet what if she had been wrong? What if she had misread Axel's intent and he had meant to tell her something completely different?
Looking at him that moment in the half-lit bar, her doubts grew stronger and with it came a deep feeling of sadness. Yes, she must have been wrong. Why else would he react so emotionally closed off? Why act like what she said didn't care? And really, it made more sense. After what he had seen her become, after the way she had acted lately, why would he want to be with someone like her?
"I see."
Feeling small in a way she couldn't explain, she rose from her seat and picked up her umbrella. She had made a stupid mistake in coming here and should have known better. Axel wasn't in love with her and to express her own feelings now.... that would just lead to more strain between the two of them and more pain for her. Yet that was the very reason she had come even if she had told herself repeatedly it wasn't.
Keeping her back to the Fire Demon so he wouldn't see her face, she began to wrap her scarf around her neck. Once that was finished she stood in perfect silence. The rain pattered softly against the window and outside the world was cold. She would go back out into that world in just a moment but first she had to do what she had come here to do. She just had to.
"I suppose I was wrong. I've been wrong about a lot lately but I thought that when you spoke to me that time, when you said there was something you needed to tell me...."
She broke off for a moment, clutching at her umbrella but refusing to let him see the sadness in her eyes.
"Well, I was wrong. But it won't change the fact of how I feel for you, even if you don't care for me in the same way. I... I love you, Axel."
She said the words quietly and couldn't stop herself from raising a hand to her face to wipe at it. Thankfully only a single tear had fallen and she brushed it away before speaking again.
"But I understand that given what I've done... well, its too much to ask of anyone to love a monster."
With that, she headed towards the entrance and the cold, grey day that waited beyond the glass.
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 8, 2017 14:48:25 GMT
Her soft utterance of 'Oh' seemed to cut him. She got up from her chair and started to wrap herself up to go back out into the foul weather. She almost seemed upset by his response. He didn't understand why. He was trying to tell her he could handle whatever she threw at him. She was the only human who could drag him through hell and back where he would actually be happy with it. He didn't care to think about what that meant about his psyche. His eyes narrowed as he tried to piece together what she meant, but then she started talking.
She loved him. That alone was enough to make him stare like some slack-jawed idiot. His mouth worked furiously, for words that seemed to escape him soundlessly the moment they hit the back of his throat. When she made for the door, he crossed the distance between them rather quickly. His long legs making up the distance in her hurried strides. He wasn't about to let her escape after a confession like that without an explanation. He spun her around and pinned her against the wall beside the door. Her umbrella fell to the floor with a wet clatter. One of his hands took both of hers and pinned them up over her head, to keep her from pushing him away.
"You are not a monster." he hissed, almost angrily but then softer added, "I wouldn't love a monster."
For all his talk about 'action over words' Axel was a loss for both. He had her trapped between him and the wall. She wasn't going to get away from him easily. However, he didn't want her to love him because she felt she had to. He didn't want her guilt making her feel she owed him for helping save her from herself. That giving him herself because he wanted her was the answer. Despite all that, their nearness was dizzying. All he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her. So he did.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 8, 2017 18:57:47 GMT
Anna didn't see the expression on Axel's face upon hearing her words, she was too busy trying to just get herself pulled together enough to get out of the bar and back to her apartment. She was sad, misunderstanding Axel's indifference and thinking that it only confirmed that he didn't love her. Well, she had done what she had come here to do and now it was time to leave.
With her coat and scarf on and her umbrella in hand she headed towards the door, the sadness inside of her feeling like a weight on her heart. However, before she could reach the door she heard rapid footsteps approaching and before she could do or say anything, she had been spun around and pinned against the wall with her hands over her head.
She blinked in a sort of mute shock as she looked up into the face of Axel, his body so close to her own that she could feel the heat coming off of him. His eyes sparked with anger but even over that was another, stronger emotion. And the words he spoke contained a belief she had never heard before in the time she had known the Fire Demon.
It was as if some laid-back façade, some casual and unaffected mask had been peeled away from his face and she was seeing for perhaps the first time the raw, powerful emotions that he did indeed feel. And while part of her felt a deep nervousness, she couldn't deny another feeling stirring in her chest.
"Axel, I...."
However, her words were suddenly cut off when the Fire Demon leaned forward and kissed her. Anna's eyes shot wide open and she made a startled sound of surprise in the back of her throat, but she didn't push him away or struggle against him. And after a few seconds of initial shock, she couldn't help but close her eyes and kiss him back.
Something inside of her seemed to be melting in that moment. It was as if her heart had been frozen into something icy, black and dead, as if some part of her had fallen into an cold sleep that wouldn't end. Yet now, feeling Axel's lips on hers seemed to have rekindled the embers and reawakened the fire that had nearly gone out in her.
She had come here to find out just what it was the two of them had and now she knew. After so many misunderstandings, so many hurts and trials, she knew that she loved him. And most amazing of all, he loved her.
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