Changes so Much // One on One // Closed

Adrielle let out a deep, relieved breath. She never would have admitted it, but he had scared her, in a way she didn't like. Admitting it, of course, would have ruined her reputation as the girl who was afraid of nothing and no one, but she had never faced down a Mono before. He was freaky, and less like a human than even Shios were.

She stared after the Mono for a moment, considering. "Are you okay?" She finally asked. She knew that she probably shouldn't ask that, but still. She had to know. The guy had gotten shot, for goodness sake! Even if he was a Mono…

Louka stopped upon hearing her question. Though still turned away, his eyes moved down to his bullet wound in which he could clearly see some of the blood loss from it. His response was not immediate.

Without turning around, he answered. “No.”

Adrielle blinked. She didn't actually think that he would tell the truth.

"Um… do you need help?" It sounded lame. What was going on with her today? Usually she was cold and harsh, and knew exactly what to say, and she didn't care about other people. But this… this was different. She didn't know why. Maybe it was seeing a Mono for the first time? Or maybe it was how she had thought that she was going to die, and her adrenaline was still rushing.

Whatever the case, she didn't know.

Louka activated his radio and spoke into it. “I’m on the Shio’s trail again, I’ll get him first and then I’ll meet up.” That was a lie, but he knew if he did not meet up with the others, they would figure something’s up when one of their only Mono members went missing.
“Okay,” came the response, “But don’t take long.”

Deactivating it, Louka slowly turned himself back around to face the female Shio. “Sure.” Was his only word he said, as of now.

(Nice profile pic!)

"Sure? Sure?" Adrielle rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to help you with? Getting bandages, or hunting down one of my own kind?" This was a bad idea.

Why are you so stupid, Dria? She asked herself, half tempted to run away while she could.

(Thanks!)

Louka took a breath in and out, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. He didn’t look too upset or mad or anything like that; just..tired. Maybe slightly ticked off, but it was hard to tell with him.

“The former, would be preferable,” he responded dryly.

"Okay, so he does know what he wants!" Adrielle threw her hands in the air. It felt a little bit like she was talking to a two-year-old. "It's a miracle." She sighed, shaking her head. "Do you want me to get them for you now, or wait until you're doing whatever the hell you're doing at the moment?"

A faint breeze rustled her hair, and she turned. She should probably get back. They were expecting her to sign autographs or something like that. She made a face.

It was a moment before his response came, maintaining a neutral tone throughout his voice. “You could get them now.” Came his answer, as he moved his left hand down to the bullet wound. Surprisingly, there wasn’t too much blood, at least compared to some previous experiences. Just enough to be seen on his hand as he inspected it.

Louka switched the safety on for his rifle. He figured he wouldn’t be shooting much today, or at least shooting at any people.

"Fine." Adrielle turned and started to walk away. She called over her shoulder, "I'm not sure if you want to follow me or not. You could sit tight here, I guess." If he wasn't acting like it was life-threatening, then the need wasn't dire, and she didn't have to run.

She arrived at a corner store, and she patted her pockets, making sure she had brought her wallet along. If she hadn't, she would probably die of shame, or something. Brushing her hair from her face, she moved to the drug section and found some bandages. She bought them quickly, and left the store as soon as she could.

Louka leaned against the wall, turning his attention to his bullet wound the moment she’d left. There was a similar crackling as before, but this time, Louka had done it consciously, as only three of his fingers were surrounded in the black material. He attempted to extract the bullet in the meantime. It wasn’t hard, he’d thought, since the bullet didn’t go that far in. And he was right about the second part.

The first, maybe not so much, as he did struggle with that. But it didn’t take long for him to bring up his hand for inspection. The bullet was a silver colour, though that silver had been stained with darkened blood. He switched the bullet to his other hand as he allowed the ash to dissolve.

Louka went back to leaning on the wall, holding pressure on his wound for the time being.

When Adrielle got back, the guy was leaning against the wall, applying pressure to his wound. She tossed the bandages to him. "I hope you don't want me to help you wrap yourself up." She made a face. She was not about to help a strange Mono guy tend a wound. He probably knew what he was doing.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it from her pocket and scowled down at the screen. She needed to go. People were looking for her, and if she didn't get to the theater right now, they would call the police. She sighed.

"Well, I'm off. Don't get shot again."

Louka watched her return and grasped the bandages firmly in his hands. Glancing at his other hand, where he’d held the bullet, Louka decided to toss the bullet onto the ground. It landed on the pavement with a light, quiet clatter.

Louka began to wrap his wound.

“I’ll try not to.” He mutters.

"Good." Adrielle waved to the guy without turning to look at him and started to walk faster. The consequences of leaving would be enormous, and, honestly, she wasn't sure that it had been worth it.

Louka stayed silent as he watched her leave. He wanted to say something else, but this encounter was just different, and he wasn’t sure what he would even say. Finishing up with his bandage, it was soon time for him to report back on the Shio. He too left the wall, making the journey back to the truck.

(Do we want to do a time skip? To sometime when they meet again?)

(Sure, do you have anything in mind for an idea regarding the situation that causes them to meet again? I could also try to think of something if you can’t.)

(Hmm…. maybe she could be his next target? Or someone at one of her shows? I dunno, those are just ideas.)

(Sure, he could be someone at one of her shows. I think ive got an idea out of that as well, we’ll just see how it goes. Resume?)

(Sure! Do you want me to start? Or do you have an idea for a starter?)

(You could start, if you don’t mind? Otherwise I can try to come up with something)

(I got it! Just give me a bit!)

Adrielle stood backstage, hands clenching the edges of her sleeves so hard it almost tore. Another show. Another crowd, waiting to see her magic. If this job didn't pay as well as it did, she would quit. She took a deep breath, trying to straighten her hands, and smoothed her expression into pleasant serenity.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome the one and only… Lorelai!"

"There's my cue." Adrielle summoned up her power and walked onto stage. To the audience, it would look like a small cat would wander onto the stage, sit down, and start licking itself, while the announcer would disappear. Then the cat would look up, its eyes would glow, and darkness would fall, and when it vanished, she would be there, in a circle of fire.

Louka hadn’t really planned to have stopped by the show originally. He had a bit of time to spare, though, and time he would use. When you had nothing to do, sometimes you just chose an activity and decided that you would be doing that.
He’d been watching in the crowd from his spot. In silence, alone. But calmly. He’d never been to one of these shows before, so he was quite stunned at the display before him. In all honesty, Louka never knew that Shio used their abilities for work like this. They looked like they had a better catalogue for jobs.. Much different from the Mono- of course, Louka forced himself to stop thinking about himself. This time wasn’t about himself. He just had some free time, that’s all.

As the darkness fell, Louka looked around the place, just as things lit back up again and..

It was her? Louka hadn’t seen the performer, gotten a good look at her. If he wasn’t wrong, that was the Shio from a while ago. His hand brushed absentmindedly at his side, where the bullet injury had been acquired.
Louka watched the stage. He didn’t do anything in particular to stand out or anything. She was just a person that Louka recognized, nothing more. Louka..recognized often. And that was that. He’d continue to watch, waiting to see what would happen next.

Adrielle waved her hand, and the microphone piece at her mouth, hidden with a simple illusion, turned on. It would seem like she had amplified her voice, but really, she wasn't. She was using technology. "Hey, guys. Today, I'm not the main focus of the show. There are many young men and women out there who want a chance to perform, like me. So today is the day when I choose some people to help me with the show." She smiled, but her eyes were cold and hard.

She really didn't want to be here.

Louka continued to watch. He couldn’t too many details from where he was. He could see over people, yes, but that was pretty much it.
His eyes looked to his left for a moment as he could’ve sworn someone was stalking up to him, but he dismissed it after a moments gaze at the spot. He looked back to the stage again.

Something seemed a bit off, to Louka. He couldn’t pick up what was off just yet though.

The show went on. It was boring, but Adrielle did her best to entertain the audience, most of them humans, or Shios with little power for themselves. She helped several young Shios with some small works of enchantment. It seemed to be a big hit.

It was nearing the end of the show when she saw him. The Mono. She locked eyes with him and blinked for a moment. Why was he here? She shook her head, giving him the tiniest of nods.

Louka barely catches the nod. He knows that she’s recognized him, just as he’s done to her. Thoughts spring into mind for a second or two, certainly regarding their last interaction. Would they meet up again?

There’s a tug on his arm and Louka barely tenses as he notices the person. She looks to be a woman, maybe young but still an adult. Shorter than him, though. Pale blonde hair. She makes brief eye contact and for a moment, Louka sees something, but barely catches it, and her blue eyes go back to looking more serious. The woman mouths something, motioning with her other hand to follow.

Louka watches her leave soon after. Looking back to the stage, Louka can tell the show is nearing its end. There isn’t too much left for him to observe. The main part of the show seems to be nearing its end. He turns, leaving the crowd; brushing past people who barely spare a glance. Time to see what this woman wanted.
The woman leads him off to a quieter area, where no one else is. Louka says nothing, waiting for the woman to speak. But she never does, facing the opposite direction, standing in silence.

The Mono is taken to the back, with a woman. Adrielle watched them leave out of the corner of her eye, then shrugged. It wasn't her business what this stranger did. They had only met once, and he proved to be a pushy busybody who wanted strangers to do everything for him. Also an attractive guy, but he was a Mono, and she was Adrielle.

She didn't like people.

After the show, she tried to escape her fans as quickly as possible, retreating to her dressing room as quickly as possible. Her thoughts whirred. What was the Mono doing here, anyway? She should probably check it out.

“So?” Louka says, after a moments worth of silence. His tone is not rushing. “What is it?” He can only assume this woman wanted something.

“My kin,” she says. “You came after them?” Something tells Louka that it wasn’t a question.
“Apart of my job..” He starts, taking a step away from her. Is she the sibling of that Shio from his last mission? Louka debated using the word hunt instead of mission..but no, thats not a good word. Bad place, Louka thinks. This woman took him to a place where no one was going to come into unless they’d seen the two go in or really needed something.
“Nobody goes after the Delafosse, without expecting them to fight back.” He can only assume that the Delafosse would be their family name. He’s not heard of them at all.
“Then you wouldn’t be seeking me, you’d be seeking the-“

It does not take a good eye for him to see the handgun aimed directly at him. Cold eyes upon Louka, the woman stays silent. She’s not looking for a fight, she’s looking for a quick revenge. A warning. But even Louka can see the hesitation, the slight shake in her hand.

Why does this always end with people aiming guns at me? Louka wonders, in silence. He does not step back anymore, instead opting to stand ground.

“-seeking the people who sent me on this mission in the first place. I can take you to them, if you want..”
“No.”

And of course he was getting into trouble again. Adrielle sighed and crossed her arms. There was a strange woman pointing a gun at the Mono, although he didn't seem to care. But with his weird staying-alive-after-being-shot power, she was pretty sure it would be useless. But she would have to chime in and help. She groaned in annoyance before stepping into view.

"I don't like violence in my theater," Adrielle said, in an off-handed manner, crossing her arms and looking faintly annoyed. "Outside, sure. Go ahead. But not in here."

She nodded to the gun in the woman's hands. "Also, word of advice, don't try to use that tiny thing on him. It won't work, unfortunately."

Wait… why was she helping him again?