Imperfection [c]

It's funny how the series of events came to unfold the way it had, the recollection of what led the ginger to the quaint cafe within the bustling city of Jubilife causing her to release a dispassionate sigh. After the entire hospital ordeal to which a certain male refused to leave her side until she was discharged with bottles of numerous pills, things had begun to revert to a somewhat regulated daily cycle. She'd sleep, wake up, eat, go to work, then rinse and repeat as she always had before things had fallen into turmoil. The singular difference laid in the amount she had begun using her phone.

Indeed, ever since she had left the hospital, the ranger had been making a conscious effort to make sure that a certain rich playboy had remained in contact. It was not as if she had gone out of her way to see him, in fact the two had not physically faced each other in the slightest after they both went their separate ways following her discharge. However the lingering memory of his distress plagued her to the point that she forced the man to stay in contact with her, no part of her wishing to see him revert to the depressive mess that she had witness in Canalave and in an effort to make sure he had not run off doing anything stupid in regards to Liam. At first it was a few texts during her lunch break. Those would evolve to casual text conversations over the course of several days about menial topics.

Which then resulted in the reminder of a deal struck from long ago. The deal of a 'date' of sorts brought upon the desperation for information among the rangers. In the end the woman did get a lead and additional information in the most unexpected way possible. As such Adrian was left to fulfill her sense of obligation to commit to this so called 'date' with the Arkwright male. At the time she made the deal the woman recalled a distinct sense of disgust at the concept despite actually agreeing to it. Yet when it was brought up, Adrian didn't feel the need to roll her eyes in revulsion. After refusing to allow the debt to hang over her head, she had forced him to arrange the details of the 'date' as she requested for the necessary time off.

And now she was here.

Stopping in front of the cafe whose address had been forwarded to her phone, Adrian began running a hand through her hair as her eyes scanned for Adrien's distinctive blue hair. Now cafes were not a place that the ginger frequently visited by choice, so it was an intriguing choice for Arkwright to have picked out based on her lack of input. Not that she minded considering she figured that the man would have had more experience with these types of thing than herself. In any case, it wouldn't take long for her to spot the dark blue among the scattered tables of the outside seating section of the cafe. Approaching the table right in time to see Adrien look up from his phone, Adrian would plop down in the seat across from him. "You're early," she'd say matter of factly as she attempted to establish eye contact with the man. Scanning his form to make sure he was recovering well enough from her injuries, she'd lean back in the chair in an attempt to relax. "And you don't look like shit for once."

The woman would roll her eyes at his comment about dispatching a search party, realizing his attempts at a jest. Perhaps she could not blame him for it. Recalling how doggedly she went about attempting to track him down during her first day at the hospital, she had deserved it and as such would exhale a short dry laugh immediately afterwards. "Hasn't stopped you from being late before," she'd counter with a shrug. Not that she would have actually dispatched a search party to find him for something like this, she did have the capability to, but she hoped after the hospital event that she would never have had to. "If you were actually as timely as you are replying to texts, maybe I wouldn't have to be so concerned."

Taking not of the smile that grew on Adrien's face, the woman felt appreciative that he was capable of such an action once again without forcing it. Why she did would be lost to her as the question about her physical health would be presented to her promptly. It was to be expected after how much investment Arkwright had put into watching over her recovery. Honestly it baffled her and felt as if he cared more about her own health that she did. "I'm fine if I ignore all the work I have to catch up on," she replied truthfully in some futile effort to make the man feel guilty. While she was still far from feeling at one hundred percent, the hospital wouldn't discharge her until she was able to stand without any assistance. Even then did so after demanding she take medication at regular intervals and making her assure she would not heavily strain her body. Drinks were also out of the question, not that she could with the focus placed into her work. And then, with all the days she missed, returning to her office at the ranger headquarters turned into another nightmare. She knew it would happen however she still resented it. Having company in her confinement was likely the only speck of light she saw in going through that experience - not that she'd ever admit that. Speaking of which, her eyes would lower momentarily in an attempt to take a quick glance at his legs. "You better not be pushing yourself either."

Looking back up to Adrien's face, his jovial expression put her somewhat more at ease. Truly it felt as if they had returned to those days where he's shamelessly say things that would have placed her on edge, which was better than looking like he had dragged himself through the mud. This was the first time that the ginger had seen Adrien looking rather presentable in terms of appearance ever since she ran into him with Rory. His baby face was really being brought back out now that it didn't have that haggard expression weighing it down. It was among these thoughts that Arkwright's voice would ironically interrupt to comment on her own appearance. At this she scoffed, "I'm sure you would have liked that." Her tone was that of unenthused sarcasm. "That would have involved me having to go out shopping and - you know - caring. Not everyone is rich and has all the time in the world."

In actuality the woman had considered dressing somewhat decently as shocking as that might have been. The weird blouse thing that Adrien had bought for her while in the hospital was one option but wearing it felt as if it would be strange. She had also considered wearing shorts due to the weather however the sutures at her calves had her opt against doing so. Going out and buying clothes was a possibility but that was far too out of her comfort zone and budget for what was not actually a date. Thus in the end this was the end result, and honestly he should have known better than to expect anything more than a regular shirt and some decent pants from her. Thus no one would ever know unless they read too deeply into her halfhearted comment.

He'll work on being punctual if that will get her to relax? The woman could not help but raise a brow at this but said nothing further on the topic due to his amenability. Watching as he pinched the bridge of his nose, she recognized the action from doing it herself to hold back annoyance to some degree. She could not say whether or not his so called attempts at punctuality would indeed help her relax to some capacity however she would allow the subject to drop as they moved to the next.

He didn't seem too discouraged by the knowledge of creating more work for her, not that she expected him to. In fact he'd brush off her complaint with relative ease much to Adrian's own chagrin. Yet her immediate concern was shifted at Arkwright's response to her comment, taking note as to how he had marginally tucked his legs backwards. That alone brought her questioning gaze to meet with Arkwright, hoping he'd take the hint without her having to actually say anything about it. Because if she did, it wouldn't be anything nice.

Her sarcasm towards dressing up didn't appear to affect Adrien's cheerful attitude, catching wind of the smirk on his face. He'd reference her comment about coming out despite her work and she scoffed defiantly at the assertion. "Don't get a big head Arkwright." Yet that didn't stop him from continuing on with the idea. Her excuses being thrown to the waters as Arkwright began to skim over her protests with ease. The grin he wore made it no better for her. His attempt to stop her from further argument would fail as she delayed answering his question for now. "If your plan for this date is to play dress up with me then this is going to be a long day." She didn't anticipate this comment to actually stop him from doing so and she would have argued further against it had this been another situation. However since this was a date, and she had no idea what that entailed, she tried to best to play along.

For now,

"But no I haven't eaten." She'd watch as Adrien called for a nearby waiter to come by as she said this and then lazily look over whatever options that were available on the menu. Figuring she'd simply order whatever Arkwright had, she didn't look too carefully. "Speaking of which, what is it that you have planned for us to do today?" She figured that she had the right to know that much at least. If she did then perhaps she could brace herself for what was to come.

His low musings about dressing her up was not lost to her, however she refrained from an outburst this time around. As the waiter approached the table, the ginger had since placed down her own menu and awaited to see what Adrien would order. The words that came out of his mouth made the ranger raise a brow, unsure of what he had actually said. Or really what a panini even was. Her eyes would finally give the menu a longer look and it felt as if she was deciphering a foreign language from the minute she attempted. Thus she'd return to her original plan and simply said that she'd have the same before the waiter left the table.

The blank gaze that she had received however caused her to tilt her head to the side in a questioning fashion. Was her inquiry confusing to him? Or maybe she was not supposed to ask? Whatever the case may have been Adrien appeared taken aback as he scrambled to provide some answer. Taking note of the initial uncertainty in his voice, she'd pause momentarily. There was no way he didn't actually... plan anything right? The ginger would squint at the thought. He was the one that had called her out and is the playboy. Even if this was just a 'date as friends' the woman hadn't doubted the man's ability to formulate some sort plan beforehand to take advantage of this opportunity. However his so called plans sounded more or less-

He mentioned buying a dress again. The ranger rolled her eyes, knowing full well that she had directly told him about her disdain for dresses and was likely making the comment to get a rise out of her. Which it had to some credit. Up to this point the woman had kept a shockingly level head, going along with the so called plans out of what was supposedly obligation. She did not argue about being forced to dress up, didn't berate him much so far, and commitment of taking off the full day to spend with Arkwight should have displayed this.

However his last words had caused something to snap within her. Immediately the woman would noticeably tense up. Her temper spiked rapidly and as such her brows furrow fiercely, an unreasonable anger burning at her collar. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she'd blurt out defensively, the fury infecting her previously neutral tone. "Do I look that shallow to you!?" She wanted to give the man a chance, she tried go to along with whatever he planned for today, and somehow he had already pissed her off. Who could Arkwright have possibly been thinking of when he said that? Implying about her? Implying about her relationships? Did he forget who he was talking to?

And why was she so angry at it?

The waiter would come back awkwardly to deliver the drinks to the table after this. The presence of the third party, no matter how brief, would come to temporarily alleviate whatever had overcome the ranger and resulted in her exhaling a strained breath. It had not occurred to her that he might have taken something she had said the wrong way yet, however that didn't particularly matter to her. What mattered was that he remembered who he was talking to and why they were here in the first place. Placing a hand to cover her eyes as if to restrain herself, Adrian would speak again with a more or less slightly perturbed tone. "I don’t care how I dress Arkwright, no matter who it is. Until the day I'm required to wear a dress, they can all stay far the hell away from me."

She'd pause, removing her hand from her face. The question that was asked of her interests flying past her without giving it much thought. "And if you imply that I don't care about you again I'm going to punch you in the face."

The attempts at making the redhead simmer down had debatable results. Adrian had a distinct indifference to the opinions of her by the people around her so the prying eyes of the other cafe patrons and bystanders hardly troubled her. The shushing earned a roll of her eyes. How was it that Arkwright found a way to anger her every single time they saw each other? Admittedly Adrian was not difficult to anger but the consistency was awe inspiring. Nevertheless at some point the ginger inhaled a deep breath, running a hand through her hair and lightly tugging at the strands. Doing so, she had missed her date's smile altogether. Thankfully his words did finally settle with her and, whether it was said simply to calm her or if he meant it, Adrian would stare into his eyes to find the answer there.

Eventually the woman would recline in her seat hoping that her nerves would start settling soon. Her own outburst came as a shock as well and she still could not understand why she had gotten so heated on the subject. Normally she would have called him an idiot with some sarcastic remark before moving on. Clicking her tongue at the thought, Adrien's attempts to move were more than welcome. She'd listen to his proposal as she reached for her own drink, hoping that would cool off her temper with a few sips of the sweet liquid. It had to some extent, the sweetness of it offsetting the sourness that was brought in her mood. Plus it seemed that Adrien was still interested in dressing her up based on his suggestion. She had gone through the shopping district before on ranger patrols but the place never interested her after hours. Her lips parted to agree to go along with it, however before she could get a word out another suggestion was thrown out which had her subconsciously squeezing the glass in her hands something pricked at her chest.

"Are you trying to trigger me again?" She questioned him sternly, eyes staying locked onto Arkwright. What exactly was it that Adrien was trying to do here? First he reminds her about her date debt and then he tries to call it off? The woman thought in silence for a moment before releasing a defeated sigh. The idea that she perhaps was undateable crossed her mind and at this point it felt like a valid statement if even the playboy was trying to back out for the second time. "You're the one that asked me out and here I am. I took off work for this so wouldn't hurt for you to at least try. If you disliked me that much, maybe you shouldn't have asked."

It wasn't like this was an actual date. Adrian had to remind herself of that, but it didn't make her feel any better about the situation. Why couldn't this have been easier? "We'll go through the shopping district but I hope you don't expect me to actually buy anything." She took another sip of her juice to further settle her nerves, not even touching the food that had arrived at their table as of yet. If Adrien truly wanted to call off their little date then she had no right to stop him. Considering she had planned to spend the entire day with the man, she didn't know what else she'd do if he had aside from going to the nearest bar to drink away her troubles. And let's be honest, that just sounded sad even to Adrian.

This was awkward.

While Arkwright had agreed with her, the ginger didn't feel any better after taking in his apologetic smile. It wasn't his fault she was so difficult of a person. Pressing her lips together in a thin line, she sat her glass back down onto the table. Her gaze locked with his as he spoke and shockingly he hadn't called off everything right then and there. She couldn't tell if she was relieved at this fact but then as he flashed another one of his smiles, she'd sigh as if she was. Ever since that day at the hospital the redhead had taken note that Adrien was smiling more as the days passed and, after seeing him moping, she had realized that he needed to keep that smile.

Yet she was making this suddenly about her. She had agreed to this date to fulfill her promise and check up on the man. He had given her an out in attempting to leave but this time she was forcing him to commit. Why was that? Getting lost in thought, Adrian had missed the murmur appended to Arkwright's claim against hating her. At that she'd scoff, lowering her attention to the food in front of them. Fancy sandwiches - it suited the rich boy in all honesty. With that said the ranger picked up the sandwich hesitantly before taking a bite to try to take her mind off of her concerns.

Which was when Adrien felt it best to make his little comment.

It had taken the woman completely off guard as she placed the sandwich back down and raised her opposite hand to cover her mouth delicately in an effort to keep herself from exclaiming aloud mid-bite. It took some effort to swallow her bite immediately and gave her time to think over her response... which wasn't actually any different from her normal one. "Wh- Shut up." She'd finally be able to say sharply. While they had mutually agreed to never talk about that moment, the memory of it lingered in her head as vivid as ever despite her attempts to push it out. Holding hands, kind words, strong arms --

It reminded her that Adrien indeed had the capacity to be gentle and a decent person. Just remembering it made a strong blush bloom across her cheeks. "You ass..." I could say the same about you... She'd clear her throat to bring his attention back to reality. There was no doubt in her mind that he was imagining something strange and now the woman was felt embarrassed at the memory. He was even talking like her at the hospital versus now were two different people, which didn't help matters. Why Adrien chose to bring up that moment now was beyond her comprehension.

Regardless, no matter what she had done, nothing made the red that tinted her cheeks fade. How was he even able to say something like that without flinching? To his credit it had lightened the mood significantly and had Adrian go as far as saying some unreasonable things, the woman breaking eye contact as she sought anything else to look at. "If you want any hopes of seeing her again, you better hope that you do something amazing and make this day worth my time." There was no expectation from her that she'd see that part of Adrien ever again since he seemed to have reverted back to his glorified socialite ways. So really Adrian didn't even know why she said it.

Again with calling her cute. Normally she would have been annoyed at those words, and she still was to some extent, however it also came with feeling bashful - which was in turn also annoying. There was no winning here. With a defeated sigh the ginger slumped her shoulders, unable to keep arguing her point with the man. Somehow when it came to this subject it felt as if it would always end in her loss. Then again most arguments with Arkwright felt as if they would be losing battles because he refused to listen to her anyway.

She hated this feeling of being susceptible to Arkwright's taunts and forward flirtations. Bringing herself to look back to Adrien after a moment of reprieve, the look on his face made her instantly realize what she had done. As if assuring her of her little blunder he would speak towards it. "So now you're into it," she'd comment dubiously while eyeing him. Part of her held some regret for having to dangle her own emotions in front of his face to get him to act. The fact that he actually agreed to it made her wonder if he was doing it for the satisfaction of seeing her looking pathetic. It wasn't going to be easy that was for sure but with how things have been going for their past encounters...

But at least now it meant he'd actually try right?

He even seemed like he had more energy and was excited to test her limits. Once again the woman could only sigh at the thought as she took another bite of the fancy cafe sandwich. Based on what he said about waiting for her to finish before they left, the woman glanced down at the food that still sat on Adrien's plate. It had looked like he had barely eaten, which in retrospect was fitting for a twelve year old in a grown man's body. "Don't be so confident," she warned as her eyes traveled back to Arkwright as he began rocking in his chair. Again this wasn't exactly helping his case here and she began to wonder if this was going to become less of a date and more of a babysitting job.

Allowing the silence between them to develop as the ginger focused on her meal, she was able to gather herself and her thoughts again. For now the hue of red had receded just in time for the next question to break the silence. The question sounded strange to the woman as she glanced up back to Arkwright who had yet to look away from the sky whimsically. "I'm not a robot Arkwright," she'd comment first and foremost, wondering if he actually thought she hated everything... or at least liked nothing. Honestly it might have been a valid question. Adrian never spoke about herself often much less think about these types of things so it took her a moment to introspectively think. "I like exercising but apparently that would be a hazard to my health." She was still somewhat bitter at the fact that she was legitimately told off from actually doing any intense physical activity. It meant that she spent her days cooped up in a room behind a stack of papers. Anyway, she shrugged trying not to think too deeply into it. "Why? Trying to plan something?"