i'll be with you still

you are the angel that I couldn't kill

The chiming giggle escaped Audi then, that sound along with that smile seemed to further light up her features that made him question how that was even possible. Adrien's shadowy purple eyes couldn't help but fall to her sweetheart lips that curved upward before they soon formed a sharp rebuttal. It was true. His shadows, around her, seemed to possess a mind of its own.... It was like they reacted to her differently than any other. He prided himself in being a man of discipline and yet... with her, he seemed quick to forget every ounce of training he had ever learned.

How he almost seemed willing to allow her to believe that his powers were simply their own beast he could take the reins of, rather than admit his complete fascination the creature of light before him. The corner of his lipped twitched upward. "Do they?" He questioned, his baritone voice embodied the shadows he wielded, obscure and yet possessing many secrets. He wondered if she truly knew how those shadows worked as if she possessed the power to see beyond in which others couldn't.

Of course, she couldn't, of course she couldn't. His shadowy purple eyes linger upon her delicate features as he considered his next words for a moment that was entirely fleeting. "Little do you realize that shadows can reach every crevice that light cannot. It can also adapt... and change shape. Light, while with its blinding beauty can only consume everything in its path indiscriminately." He mused with a soft shrug of his broad, strong shoulders.

" These shadows.." He summoned them once more, it seemed to pool out of nowhere, that inky black smoke like force. A thin blurred line, slow and gentle that reached out to cradle her face, the act almost timid and somehow intimate... It only dared to touch the side of her left cheek. He wondered if she could feel it. Or if it felt as soft as it looked.

"Only shadows can bend and curl against every curve of any object and yet.. Can shadows exist without light?" He tipped his head slightly more akin to a curious canine before his shadows slowly receded once more, his point... made, whatever it was. How he wondered if she would try her hand at her own power... Yet.. he knew... that her light... to simply melt away the shadows he manipulated intrigued him more than it probably should have. Perhaps just as much as the beguiling fae before him.

It was then that those carefully chosen flowers were thrust forward, awkwardly... and yet the intent behind them clear even within the tangle of his own nervousness. His nerves had apparently won out. He had come prepared, perhaps too much. He couldn't help but feel almost embarrassed by the thought that it was inappropriate to do so and yet he was far too gone now. How desperately hopeless he was with the woman before him, he had never felt so.... Out of practice before, so... helpless. Was this normal? She began speaking fluent french before catching herself. For a moment he had wondered if he offended the woman and yet he found he had liked the sound of her voice when she spoke french! It didn't matter what she said.

She finally admitted plainly that she liked him, that edge relief flowed over him. It was a moment after that he built up the nerve to... lead up to his question. Admittedly, something he had rehearsed plenty of times and it never seemed to help anyone in the actual moment. It was no different now. He could only hope it wasn't as obvious as it was to him... to her. Yet she does not dare miss a beat as her light shone through, her bubbly personality happy to chatter away. Until his mind drew to the thought of her in... a bath, sipping a glass of wine in the warm embrace of a tub. How easy it was to lose himself to that very thought of her... Oh god he had to stop. He blinked back the thought with complete resilience, his own discipline finally paying off in that very moment and yet.. There is a slight amusement that touched his masculine features.

"Oh. That's some stiff competition." he uttered idly. Yet the promise of a well-earned meal perhaps was irresistible enough to prolong that date with her tub and wine. Adrien peered down at the petite ballerina before him, a true but rare boyish smile drew across his lips. He almost expected some excuse... for another night. But she had said yes, with little hesitation. She repeated that comment on just for one night, using his very words against him a certain mischievous within her grin and a wink. That look could slay demons where they stood, he was sure. "Then we better make it count then." Oh god.. He was done for.

How quickly her features seem to sour at the mention of needed saving. She hadn't seemed to mind it before. The change was so very abrupt, as she went from bubbly and mischievous to.... Perturbed in one fell swoop. She sounded more than fed up Sacrosanct. How quickly that city seemed to lose its once appealing charm. She wouldn't be the first nor the last. He wouldn't blame her if she felt the desire to pack her bags. A smart bet for anyone who desired survival, it would seem. "Ah yes, the city definitely... has that short-lived charm. It seems like you have a lot to fill me in on over dinner." He mentioned, all too perceptive to the drastic change in her demeanour made it easy to assume that there was more than that mere incident in which they had met. The hunter was entirely curious of what else the fae could have possibly gotten herself into, that prickle of worry nearly caught him off guard. The irony... not lost on him. After all, hadn't he almost debated her own fate? The ever continual debate of good and evil waged a turbulent war inside of him. Yet.. here he was... with the very woman that had conflicted his once ironclad beliefs and gave her flowers and desired to take her for dinner.


The ballerina began to walk away from him and he immediately sprung to follow, his long powerful legs took little effort to close the distance to the blonde fae who escaped the clutches of the now-abandoned alleyway. If Audi had the lure... he had already bitten whether he realized it or not.

Monsieur Hunter. He could not lie, he liked that name, far more than he should have.


"How do you feel about tapas, ballerina?" It was a safe bet, one could never go wrong with tapas. Right? "Please tell me you've heard of tapas before." Adrien found his place by her side, content to lead the way through the tangle of the city to one of the cities hidden gems... at least in his humble opinion. Perhaps for just a little while he could forget what he was.. And destined to be... if only to enjoy the company of the woman he had no right to meddle with.

Adrien Westward