sentiment [C]

It was funny how these events came to be. Adrian had fully expected to be brushed off and to have to beat some sense into him. Hell, she was fully prepared for round two of punching him in the face and sending him into the hospital herself so he physically could not go. He'd be upset but he wouldn't go off doing anything stupid. At least that was the plan but when have things ever gone as planned? She could have said something sarcastic here like 'of course I'm right' or 'you're damn right' when he spoke however she was drawing a blank at what to say, not expecting that response. What was worse she was so caught off guard by his words and his shift in demeanor that she didn't know how to proceed here, especially with his next actions.

The sensation she felt was not one Adrian knew. She'd wince slightly from the dull aching her bruises caused but she felt overcome by the warmth from the embrace, her mind not registering the extent of what was happening. There was no possible way that Arkwright had done that, she thought to herself. It took her a moment to piece together her thoughts on the matter and when she finally did, she didn't move away. She then shifted to the why of the matter but she couldn't think straight at the moment. Adrien had warned her, given her the okay to punch him later for whatever he had done next, and she likely would have if he had not agreed to do what she had said. As long as he did and was safe, she wouldn't make him feel unwelcome no matter how uncomfortable she was. "You idiot..." she managed to whisper into his ear defiantly. She'd lift her hand to punch him lightly from within his grasp but it ended up as a hesitant, soft pat.

In this state, she was in no position to be thinking much less make decisions. The proof was in the fact that the woman actually believed him when he reassured her he would not go. Maybe it was because he seemed to have calmed down now or maybe it was because she couldn't read his expression to tell otherwise. Either way didn't matter. What mattered was that in her mind, Arkwright was going to stay put, which meant that he wouldn't be in danger. "Thanks..." her voice was low but for once was not filled with rage.

Was this what it meant to comfort someone? Adrian was still new to this so the awkward feeling of not knowing what to do here was settling in. Moving her arms to mimic the way she thought that Adrien held her to try to settle into it more though it did little more than make her feel more embarrassed. "Maybe you aren't so bad after all." For some reason or another it felt more like he was comforting her rather than the other way around. Regardless as long as he listened then there was no need for her to hold back when she went to track down Liam herself. This was her job after all. She had to go. She'd confront Liam and finish the job herself.

As the entire hug encounter had ended, signaled by Adrien pulling back, the ranger gradually returned to her previous position. Shifting her gaze back to make eye contact, the woman had no idea what to make of this. That said the fact that he was smiling did allow her a small comfort. Was this really all it took for Adrien to start smiling that stupid grin of his again? While he teased her afterwards she could not deny his words, opting to look away instead. "I can still punch you, you know." A defense mechanism. No matter how one looked at it, this was still am embarrassing topic for the redhead.

Truthfully Adrian did feel better than she had a moment ago. This interaction between the two of them she wouldn't have imagined would happen unless she had a knife to her throat. Yet here they were. Adrien would break the silence once again and to that the woman would recoil her attention back. His comment would only earn a similar scoff from herself and nothing further. In the meantime she'd pull out her phone and look at the screen momentarily, away from Adrien's view. Her expression was solemn as she took a glance at the indicator before shoving it back into her pocket. Knowing she had to prepare for what came next, she released another sigh. "Duty calls," her words would sound deceivingly reluctant. Taking a few steps forward, she'd pause and turned to face the blue haired man once more time.

"I'll come visit you tomorrow after work. Try to get some rest so you don't look like shit." A smart remark but it got her point across. She assumed that Adrien was going to stay at the hospital with his sister and Jason until they had recovered. The least she could do for him was come back with good news. Raising a hand to wave farewell, she'd walk away without turning back. "Stay safe." She had to focus on Liam and her own preparations. Maybe she should have considered her position as the commissioner and called for reinforcements this time but honestly... this was personal now.