Open An apple a day attracts the Emerald Rose

[Sarina]

As Sarina had expected Adrien denied being in any relationships. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who could keep a girlfriend for more then a week. By announcing he didn't like attachments he confirmed this theory. He didn't need to say it out loud for anyone who has been around him for more than a few chimes to know that much of him. Sarina was a bit surprised when he asked if she was one for attachment. It wasn't exactly a surprising question in itself but in the contexts of the discussion it was a bit more personal than Sarina expected or, to be honest, cared for.

"Attachments will only weight me down." Sarina twist the apple in her hand, pretending to be interested in the way the light bounced off its shiny surface. Of course having seen it plenty of times before she wasn't really intrigued but needed something to make it look like the reply was effortless. "I can't be escaping from someone and having a boyfriend, or anyone for that matter, who can't keep up."

Honestly Sarina was afraid of attachments. She was afraid people might get hurt in the crossfire of one of her conflicts, as she was with her parents. She was also scared of people who knew to much about her. People who knew a lot about you also tended to be able to manipulate you. Well. Sarina didn't seem to be able to not try to manipulate the people around her and she was afraid if she grew close to people she would end up manipulating them and that would hurt them and thus her. Despite all the struggles she had with attachments she did sort of want someone who she could attach to. Someone who she could completely trust with her life. Honestly she was a bit lonely.

Letting none of her inner emotions show on her face Sarina took another bite of her apple. Slowly she chewed and swallowed leaving a long silent gap in the conversation.

"I suppose your lack of fondness for attachments lost you your parents, then?" Sarina regretted what she said almost as soon as the words had left her mouth. Parents weren't exactly a discussion she wanted to have. The only reason she had said it was she was starting more and more to think Adrien had bad relations as she had with his parents and she wanted to confirm her theory.

When they had first met, maybe half a bell ago, Adrien had said Sarina and him had many similarities she doubted he could have known it extended to their parents. He didn't want to talk about his past and parents are major part of most people's childhoods so if he didn't want to talk about his parents he might not want to talk about his childhood. Most people in Sunberth didn't have huge expanses of wealth and judging by the fact Adrien didn't have many items, especially not expensive ones. He could have saved the money on his house if he had continued to live with his parents. If he had bad relations with his parents he could have moved out just as Sarina had. The other option would be for Adrien's parents to be dead. Murder and sickness weren't that uncommon in Sunberth so that option wasn't to far of a stretch. If his parents were indeed dead Sarina's offhanded comment would have been unintentionally cruel.

The conversation was starting to lose purpose. When Sarina had first met Adrien there words had been a verbal chess match. Now it was more of a plain discussion one might have with a friend. Sarina had never been good at just having a conversation for no reason. She always needed a purpose. Now without any clear goal in mind she didn't know what to say so she left the silence for Adrien to fill.

[Adrien Strade]

Adrien was quite pleased to know that he had, in fact, gotten it right that the two of them were quite similar. She didn’t have a fondness for attachment just like him and it seemed like their reasons were quite similar as well. She didn’t want someone that couldn’t keep up with her. It was the same way with him. Adrien had a penchant for trouble that most people would care to live without. He tensed as she once again went back to trying to get information on his past, particularly his parents. It was something he felt conflicted about talking especially with the offhanded way she said it. “They’re dead,” he said in an unusually cold and serious way. It wasn’t the normally carefree and a bit childish tone that he took on as part of his mask. “…or missing, depending on how you look at it. I never really saw their corpses so I can’t be too sure.” “About whether or not they died because of me…well, probably not. If I was planning on blaming someone, I’ll probably blame my father. But, then again, it was something he couldn’t have predicted. Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore,” he said with a shrug. “They’re not coming back.” “Was that what you wanted to know?” He drawled the question, looking at her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He wasn’t above making light of things to get another’s reaction. That was one of his hobbies…people watching, his mother had once called it. Adrien liked to see how a person would react to something. Although, he wasn’t sure if he was saying the things carelessly to get a rise out of her or just to hide what he really felt about the matter. Well, he wasn’t even entirely sure what he felt about the matter. Adrien wasn’t quite sure how their conversation had gotten so personal. He got up and walked over to where she was seated, looking straight to her eyes. “I should be allowed to ask you something too since you took your liberty with asking me about my past, yes?” he said, smirking. “Tell me about your family.” He was well aware that he didn’t word that as a question but more like a request…no, people would probably see it as an order. “Please,” he added with a smile for good measure. “I’m curious.”

[Sarina]

When Adrien said his parents were dead Sarina suddenly felt badly for asking. She hadn't really expected them to be dead, though she had though it a possibility. As if he was trying to make Sarina feel guilty Adrien continued talking, explaining more of his situation. Sarina doubted he was still talking to make her feel bad. He tone was uncharacteristically serious and Sarina half suspected he was still talking to console himself.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" Adrien's face curled into cruel smirk.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Sarina stared at the corner of his bed, not being able to bring herself to look Adrien in the eyes. Sarina wasn't really sure what to say. She was upset about leaving her parents but at least she knew she had a possibility of seeing them again. If they were dead Sarina wouldn't even have that. Suddenly Sarina realized she didn't know that. She hadn't seen her parents in year, though many times she had considered going to check on them, so she didn't know they were still alive. For all she knew her parents could be dead somewhere.

"I should be allowed to ask you something too since you took your liberty with asking me about my past, yes?"

Sarina looked back up at Adrien and composed herself, an action she found herself doing far to often during the course of this conversation. "I suppose that's only fair."


"Tell me about your family." Adrien ordered.

Sarina looked at him with raised eyebrows, "That's hardly asking, by any meaning or the word."

"Please." He added with a light hearted smile. "I'm curious."

Sarina paused for a second allowing a thoughtful expression to drift over her features. What was she going to tell him? It seemed like he deserved the truth after what he had told her.

"Well, I'm an only child. My mother was a blacksmith and my father was a merchant." Sarina paused looking up at Adrien for a reaction. "What exactly do you want to know? I don't know my extended family so that's basically it." Sarina left out the bit about her bad relations with her parents but that wasn't really what he asked. He had asked for her to tell him about her family not what her relationship was with her family.

Sarina got up from her seat on the side of the hearth. It was lower than the bed so Sarina had to look up to talk to Adrien. She wasn't exactly fond of looking up to any one. Now standing, she took a step closer to Adrien. Taking another bite of her apple she studied him. She couldn't really get a good read on him. He seemed like he was guarding the pain of his past. Not just against Sarina but against himself.

"It is starting to get dark." Sarina said noting the light change through the window. "The city is a dangerous place at night." Sarina paused sticking the apple she still had in her hand into her pocket. "It would be dangerous for me to walk home when it get too dark." she smirked a bit wondering how he would take her words.

[Adrien Strade]

Adrien had to say that he was quite surprised when she actually apologized for mentioning his dead parents. He only gave a shrug in reply to show that it didn’t really matter. When he had asked about her parents, he truly did not know what to expect. The information she gave him was hardly worth anything. In fact, she had simply mentioned her parents’ occupation. There was no mention of what happened to them or where they were now. Well, to be fair, Adrien simply asked her to tell him about her parents so the information she had given should suffice. Still, he could not get rid of the feeling that there was something that was bothering her in regards to her parents. It was probably something that Sarina did not wish to speak about considering she avoided mention of anything. He was happy to oblige. He really wouldn’t push her to tell him those things if she didn’t want to unless she does something that sets him off. Sarina stood up and came closer to him. She noted that it would be dangerous for her to walk back to her home once it got dark. It was a line full of openings and Adrien knew he could take it any way he wanted. Perhaps, that was even her goal. He wasn’t sure. “Would you like me to escort you home?” He said, grinning. The invitation was anything but normal but, then again, so were some of the things Adrien insisted on doing. He wondered if she’ll be suspicious about the invitation. Most people would be. It wasn’t something you heard from anyone in Sunberth without it hiding some hidden motive. Adrien stood up so that he was face to face with her. He was some inches taller than her and he briefly wondered if that would bother her. “So, what do you think?” He asked with a smile. It wasn’t a smirk or a grin, just a friendly smile.

[Sarina]

When Adrien offered to escort her home Sarina wasn't surprised. It suited his personality well. Her first instinct was to deny him and walk home on her own but after some thought she developed a different plan. She knew a near by alley way where a mugger spent ever single one of his night. Sarina decided she would find out how good Adrien's fighting was. He certainly did have an arrogant manor that was sure to get him in his share of fights and Sarina wanted to know if he would be able to get himself out of them.

"You asked if I would like you to escort me home. I wouldn't like it but seeing as walking home on my own would likely cause me unnecessary trouble, I request you do." Sarina smirked. The comment was actually quite uncharacteristic of her and she knew it. Silently, she hoped Adrien wouldn't get to suspicious about her comment. Even if he was suspicious Sarina had no doubt in her mind he would come anyway. He wouldn't be able to resist the curiosity of what she was really planning. That curiously might get him into some trouble if he didn't know how to fight well.

Sarina pondered if she was going to help him if he need help or possibly just let him get mugged. She didn't really expecting him to allow himself to get mugged, seeing as he had survived this long in the city, but if the option did arise she would need a plan. Deciding she would save him, should ha need saving, she figured it was better. The mugger would likely come after her next if he stole from Adrien first. Also it would avoid the conversation she would need to have if the mugger left and Sarina met Adrien another time, needless to say he would have some questions.

Walking over to the door, Sarina took the liberty of opening it for herself. Swinging the door opened a wisp of chilly air crawled of Sarina's skin. Wind blew in swirling her cloak around her ankles and rustling her hair. "Coming?" Sarina asked glancing back at Adrien with a slight smirk playing across her lips.

[Adrien Strade]

She was definitely planning something. That was something Adrien began to suspect as Sarina accepted his offer so easily. He had no clue what it was though and it made him curious, interested to find out what it was that the girl was scheming about. He followed her as she went through the door, touching his sleeve to check for his knife still there in case her surprise scheme was something life threatening to him. “Okay, I’m coming,” he said, jogging to keep up with her. “So, I’m guessing you live somewhere around here?” He said, following her lead. It wasn’t that far-fetched of a guess considering that most people in Sunberth lived in the Sunset Quarters. Adrien placed his right hand in his pocket, working to get the knife out so that he could easily wield it in case of an emergency. They were walking towards an alley that he was pretty sure had been a place that was rumored to be plagued by a thief, a scoundrel. Then again, the whole of Sunberth was plagued with them. It wasn’t really something new. Still, he wondered if she knew that. If she did, was that what she was planning? An ambush? Could there be someone she knew waiting in the alley that would attack him? Well, he was going to be ready for any unexpected surprises. He just hoped whatever she had planned for him, he could still take on with his current ability. He grinned at her, deciding that he’ll play the part of a fool. “So, where to now?” It was good to pretend that he knew nothing, right? Adrien had no problems with being underestimated since it has proved to be a good tactical advantage.

[Sarina]

As Adrien made started to follow he Sarin couldn't help but smirk a little bit. She had only know him for a show time and she already knew a lot about him. She didn't doubt he would come with her. She had made it fairly obvious it was a trap and so he had been far to curious to pass up an opportunity to see what she was planning.

"So I'm guessing you live somewhere around here?" Adrien asked at he followed Sarina away from his house.

"You're guessing right." Sarina pulled the hood of her cloak up over her face. It was a habit she had that when it was dark and she was walking around the city she would wear her hood up. She couldn't risk running into someone that knew her. More likely than not they didn't like her and so running into them at night could be the death of her.

Out of the corner of her eye Sarina noticed Adrien place his hand into his pocket. She could guess he was readying a weapon. Good Sarina thought he can sense when he is being lead into a trap. Sarina itched to finger her own weapon in her pocket, if only to make sure it was there. If she did she would be undoubtably giving away her plots and so she was forced to trust that her daggers was in her pocket. She knew they were there. She just needed to trust they were.

Sarina strode towards the alley she knew would lead her to the thief. Her biggest problem wasn't the possibility she would have to fight him it was that Adrien wouldn't. In her head she visualized a birds eye view of the alley. She and Adrien were on one end, her in front Adrien in back. A stack of crates, probably full of something illegal, were at the back of the alley. So far she could see all that with her eyes but the next part she just trusted to be true because it had been before. Behind the crates a dark figure, the mugger, lay in wait. He could hear the pair coming, Sarina knew he could, there foot steps were pounding loudly on the stone ground. He was crouching, waiting to jump on them as they walked by. He had a weapon, something small, probably a knife, that he would use to disable the victims, not kill. He would only use the knife if his victims weren't will to give over there money, it was easier that way.

As they continued down the alley Sarina visualized what would happen next. The mugger would jump out in front of them trying to look as intimidating as possible and demanding they give him all there money. Classic. Predictable. If Sarina knew anything about Adrien she knew he wouldn't give over his money and thus get in a fight with the man. As long as Sarina didn't say anything, the fact she was leading the procession wouldn't be a problem provided she got out of the way fast enough.

Her instincts told her to slow down, to hide, to not walk right into an ambush but she forced her breath to stay steady and her feet not to change pace as she approached the tall stack of wooden boxes.

As soon as the pair walked in front of the boxes a man, clad in black clothing jumped in to there path. Sarina had to force down a smirk. It happened exactly as she had planned. The man had his shoulders squared and he was standing as tall as he could. To be fair he was rather tall and large-build and had a wicked looking knife. He might even have startled Sarina if she hadn't been expecting him. Sarina grabbed for her Tamo Daggers pretending to be frightened.

"Hand over all yer mizas and no one gets hurt!" His threat came right on cue with Sarina's plan. She glanced over at Adrien waiting to see what his response would be.

[Adrien Strade]

Huh? So, that was her plan, after all. Though, it did seem like she doesn’t know the man personally. But, she probably had information about the man lying in wait in this exact place. Adrien smirked at that thought. He had to give her some credit for that level of ingenuity. She was also probably pretty confident about her own skills if she was willing to lead him to a trap like this. She most likely had a plan to get out of the way as much as possible based on the way she had grabbed unto her daggers. His hands were still in his pockets with his finger tracing the outline of the knife. He gave the large man an almost feral grin as he assessed the situation. The man was larger and built more than he was. But, that could prove to be an advantage. It meant a larger target, if anything. Besides, wouldn’t it also mean that Adrien was faster? The man, he noticed, also had a knife. But, it was still a question whether he would strike to kill or incapacitate. “What makes you think that I have anything to give? Even if I did, I'm not handing it over to someone so pathetic as you.” Adrien drawled out. It was a risky move. Some people can be blinded by anger and reduced to nothing but an instinctual beast while others can retain their calm. To no surprise of his, the man belonged to the former. The man charged with a snarl and Adrien only had a bit of time to leap out of the way. He didn’t bother checking whether Sarina had managed to dodge as well. She had brought them here. She should be able to take care of herself. Adrien took the knife from his pocket and launched himself at the man before he could recover from his momentum. He was striking to kill, already assessing where it would be most fatal to strike. He latched on behind the man, making sure to hold tight before he could be thrown off. He gritted his teeth before slicing at the man’s throat. They both fell and Adrien rolled to a crouch, panting. His sleeve was covered in blood and he really didn’t want to bother checking whether the man was alive or not. Adrien’s eyes landed on Sarina. “That was quite a surprise, wasn’t it?” He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

[Sarina]

As Sarina had suspected Adrien had resisted the man’s demands but she hadn’t quite guessed he would go the route of enraging the crook. Almost as soon as the insult had left Adrien’s lips the mugger had launched himself at Adrien, holding his knife aloft. Sarina almost cringed at the barbaric style in which man had attacked but before she could, she was forced to jump out of his path. Adrien had, unsurprisingly, been able to move out of the man’s path with easy but that left the man barreling at Sarina. Her instincts kicked in and she jumped just to the left of the charging man. Taking two steps back, away from the thief, she ensured that Adrien would still have to be the one attacking. And he did. Drawing his knife Sarina’s new acquaintance ran at his attacker and jumped onto his back, a risky move in Sarina’s opinion. Unfortunately for the mugger, Adrien was able to hold on despite the fact he was trying to shake him off.

Taking his knife Adrien quickly ran the blade across the man’s throat causing a steam of blood to shoot out of the wound and onto Adrien arm, soaking into his sleeve. The attacker immediately crumpled to the ground but not before casting a pleading look at Sarina. It was as if he was begging her to help him, not that she could. She doubted anyone could help him now; he would be dead in a minute, probably sooner. Adrien rolled off the man’s back and onto the ground where he crouched, panted for air like a dog.

Sarina wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or not. She hadn’t expected Adrien to be the kind of person who would kill another but morality was a funny thing, especially in Sunberth. Sarina didn’t like killing people and was yet to ever do it. She told herself it was because then they would owe her and she never knew when someone would be useful but really she just didn’t have the stomach for it.

Making sure not to show her discomfort she stepped over the man’s body and joined Adrien on the other side of the alley. He looked up to her,“That was quite a surprise, wasn’t it?” His eyes narrowed at her. He had guessed Sarina’s scheme but she wasn’t surprised. Having to make the plan up on the fly made it extremely transparent.

“You’ll end up like that man, if something as little as that surprises you.” Sarina answered meeting his eyes. She might have smirked but instead she just studied her Adriens face. He was out of breath pant for air but that wasn’t what she was looking for. She was looking for guilt. She wanted to know whether he felt guilty for ending a man’s life. She saw absolutely none, as she had suspected. In her mind she was wondering whether she would be able to completely end a person and feel no guilt from it. Not being able to come to a decision she kept walking past where Adrien was.

“Come on. I have far better places to be than hanging around a dirty alley way.” She beckoned with her hand and waited for Adrien to follow her.