(Untitled)

[whatwasntneeded]

Characters: Adelle and anyone who meets her
When: Sunday 27th June
Where: starting in Unohana’s clinic, moving towards and eventually into the bar
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Adelle goes scavenging. Later, she goes to a bar and pretends nothing is wrong. Sparkles will also occur when the clouds clear.

Comments

[kill_joo_ded]

Killua had never been one to stay in one place for long. He had more patience than a bird of prey and twice as much experience, but just because he had the patience didn't mean he had to use it all the time. It got old fast and left him worn out when the real trials came. So whenever he had the chance, he was out and about - moving, exploring, scavanging, collecting. Anything that caught his eye was picked up and taken home to ogle with Gon later.

He hadn't exactly been expecting to see some tired looking old hag as he was taking a moment to climb a tree, but when he did see her, he figured he'd found a way to entertain himself for a few minutes. So as she made her way closer, he shifted on his perch atop one of the branches and swung down so that he was hanging upside down, his bent knees holding his weight.

"Yo."

[whatwasntneeded]

Her eyes widening was the only sign of surprise, and even that was gone after a moment. Instead she simply raised an eyebrow calmly. "Good afternoon," she said calmly. Now that she was actually aware of the other's presence, her tired expression is quickly smoothed into a neutral facade. Inside, however, she's hardly in the mood to deal with anyone. Still, no point in being rude--and besides, he likely knows the city better than she does.

[kill_joo_ded]

Not a bad reaction, he decided. She was good, but she was good at being stuffy, formal, and boring. Okay, so he was quick to judge. He was usually right.

"Looking for something?" he asked with a distinct lack of curiosity. Everything about him screamed casual, bored teenager, and his tone of voice was no different.

[whatwasntneeded]

His lack of curiosity didn't really bother her. Actually, she'd be more concerned if he was interested--it might mean that he was someone keeping an eye on her. Still, if he was strong enough to hang upside down from the tree without any trouble, he'd no doubt be a difficult opponent. For now, she'd be careful.

She maintained the neutral look, seeming just as unconcerned as him--as though she was simply out on a stroll rather than scavenging for supplies in a ruined city. "What one might expect," she answered, "supplies, information, and a way out."

[snarkypotions]

Because of his sparkling skin, Snape had been forced to duck into the bar while on his way to deliver Lupin's potion. The sound of the door being pulled open automatically had his eyes glancing over at the woman who had just entered, but they were fixed back on his drink the next second. It wasn't the werewolf, which meant that he had to stay here in the company of other human beings for a while longer. Just perfect.

[whatwasntneeded]

At the first glance, Adelle seemed like a woman in control. Despite the graying hair pulled into a ponytail, despite the clothes which were a size too small, despite the wrinkles lining her face, she let off an aura of authority which tended to draw the eye to her. Her face was netural mask, although when she was momentarily silhouetted by sunlight coming in the door, she did seem to be sparkling quite brilliantly

[snarkypotions]

Adelle got another glance when Snape heard the familiar accent; dark eyes quickly taking in the tired eyes and slouched shoulders, not to mention the all too expressionless face and the order of a strong drink. Had Snape been a more social or caring person, he probably wouldn't have engaged her in conversation, but as it was, he really couldn't care less as he caught the bartender's eye and ordered another drink for himself.

[whatwasntneeded]

Adelle, too, had little time or inclination to talk to those around her. Too much had happened in far too short a time, and she was frankly reeling from it all. The quality of the alcohol here was not exactly five-star, but little had been in the last ten years. It was strong enough, so the taste was really quite secondary.

As she drained her first drink, she stared for a few moments into the bottom of her drink. She fully intended to be rather incapacitated by the end of the evening, but she supposed that there were a few things that she'd best clear up before hand. Hearing that the man near her had a British accent as well, and given that he'd looked at her at least twice, she supposed she might as well ask him.

"I beg your pardon, but I'm a trifle new. Is sparkling one of the...peculiarities of this place, or is it something that should concern us?" As she spoke, she put a disarming smile on her face, but if he looks close, it doesn't really reach her eyes.

[mytechendsworld]

Topher rarely left the sanctuary of the lab at night. It was dangerous in Ad, more so at night than any other time and he wasn't at all capable of self defense. But tonight he pulled on some deep reserve of bravery (the kind that had made him send Ivy away and help launch an offensive on Rossum) and walked over to the clinic to see how Adelle was settling in. He went without the girls mostly so he could get some alone time with Adelle.

He knew intellectually that she wasn't HIS Adelle, in the sense that she wasn't from the same timeline. He knew that she knew his future and that unnerved him quite a bit. But that ironically didn't seem to bother as much as the fact that Adelle looked too damn sad and old. It just didn't feel RIGHT. He may not have had the greatest relationship with his boss and she may have done some awful things...but she was still a very important part of his life. Even if he couldn't articulate what she meant to him. Her pain bothered him

[whatwasntneeded]

Adelle stumbled in slightly after he did, a bag of odds and ends slung over her shoulder and absolutely reeked of alcohol. And not the high-class kind she usually drank, but the cheaper kind. Well, they hadn't had the best kind of alcohol at the bar--she suspected it was homemade. But it had done its job, and she was about ready to pass out as soon as she got into her bed.

As she turned to her room, she froze slightly, seeing Topher standing across the way from her. For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was real or not, but she decided he was. "Topher," she said, half-involuntary and more than half-slurred.

She looked horrible, drunk enough that even her durable facade was peeling apart. She looked exhausted, miserable, angry, guilty, and a slew of other emotions she could barely identify. "What did you want?" she asked, trying to be polite as possible.

[mytechendsworld]

Well Topher certainly hadn't expected to run into Adelle while the older woman was drunk. But then, he thought as his lips curled up into a disgusted grimace, it really wasn't surprising was it? Adelle DeWitt was a functional alcoholic--that wasn't something that just magically disappeared in ten years.

If anything she looked worse. He could smell the booze all the way from where he was standing. He took an involuntary step back, his mind associating the smell of vodka and Adelle to some very unpleasant memories.

This was such a badddd idea. Why had he thought he could connect to this woman?!

"This is clearly a bad time." Yes state the obvious. "What did you do, fall into the distillery?" He couldn't help that last bit. He always ran his mouth off. "I--never mind I'll just...come back."

But he didn't leave. He hesitated. Could she make into her bed or...he really sucked at this...caring stuff.

[whatwasntneeded]

"As ever, Mr. Brink," she said dryly, "you are the master of the obvious." Anyone would need a drink under the circumstances. Several, for that matter. Why was he here, why did he need to rub salt in the wound?

"I found a place of my own to stay," she said irrelevantly, wondering why she'd said it the moment the words slipped out. Perhaps she was a bit more drunk than she thought, or perhaps she wasn't as good at holding her liquor as she used to be ten years ago. It didn't matter.