• Adele woke sore and drained, her head pounding from the morning. She pushed herself up, her joints feeling like they’d buckle and sharp pain throbbing throughout her head and body. Ow. ********] Her hand groped along the cold floor, wondering where her jacket had gone. Wasn’t that supposed to be her pillow?

    She spied it, a good distance away from where her head had fallen. Apparently she had very bad aim.

    With a sigh she snatched the old thing and slid one arm, then another through it’s sleeves, noticing a new tear, just there, at the end. She wiggled her thumb through the hole and bit her tongue. More than anything right now, Adele wanted to stamp her foot and demand an end to the frustration. But no one was here, and as much as she wanted to, throwing a tantrum wouldn’t do her any good.

    Adele sighed and made do with tugging at the hole until it gave with a pleasant RRRRRIP! that satisfied her pent up anger for now. It wouldn’t do her any good to wander around a strange city alone. If Tyler didn’t want to protect her, she’d just have to find someone who would. Holding back the sting of tears, started to look around.

    Judging by the windows, she’d either only slept a few minutes or slept all day. She winced and rubbed her shoulders. Definitely slept all day.

    Surprised to say the least that no one had bothered her, she glanced around before heading for the door. She shoved her hands into her pockets and crossed the street into the park--that was odd, no screech of tires--passed under streetlights that made her eyes sting and headed towards a nearby bar that was starting to open up.

    Curious--she’d never been to a bar--Adele picked up her pace, fingers wiggling to keep warm inside her jacket pockets. The place was quiet, just opening up and, ah--! Before she’d managed to get a foot in the door, a massive arm blocked her way. She glanced up, doing her best to keep her knees knocking together from fear.

    “I’m twenty-one,” she lied. She was a bit unsure whether her ability would do her any good here: after all, these men were trained to check ID's, period. Her wicked silver tongue might not help.

    But the trick worked: well, too. She saw something click in his eyes, the incredulous look removed instantly. Even the suggestion that she might not be twenty-one was absurd, she was clearly of age. The arm moved, and she stepped inside, eyes wide as a doe’s. The place was huge, not just a bar but a nightclub waiting to be filled. She grinned a little, heart fluttering with the thought of all the interesting sorts she might find here.

    Time to find a new friend.

    The dance floor wasn’t filled yet, and Adele was glad for it--she needed the place quiet to work her magic. Just a handful of lost souls drowning themselves in alcohol far too early in the night. She grinned.

    Let’s see…bartender. Yuppie. Broken man. Desperate old woman. She sighed. Not exactly the ideal place to find anyone who could compare to the power and grace of Tyler. Then again, she thought with a smile, anyone here would be less likely to run away from her. She glanced over them again, taking note of who might be helpful. The old woman was definitely useless, she was probably here running away from her children, the last thing she’d want is some kid to take care of. The broken man? Maybe. She eyed him carefully. He could be some horrible father getting ready to head home and beat his wife and kids. He could also be some poor sap getting stepped on by one person after another. Better not take her chances, besides, a drunk idiot wouldn’t do her much good. Next, her eyes fell on the yuppie. Black dress, hair blown back so on purpose it made her wince. No doubt she’d end up just like the desperate old woman. Next!

    Starting to lose hope, she looked to the bartender. Young, full of himself, a little too absorbed in his work. She didn’t have a penny on her--only an apple!--so the chances of him paying her any attention were slim. Then again--

    Apparently she’d been standing in the doorway far too long, because she found herself shoved quite rudely out of the way by some laughing, egotistical idiot. She stumbled forward and turned, eyes narrowed, only to find herself grinning like she was a cat and he was the canary. He was with a girl. And she was looking at him like he was the light of her life. Perfect.

    She wiped the smile from her lips a mere moment after the dark idea came to her. In the best imitation of a truly shocked and concerned young woman, she widened her eyes and exclaimed, “But that’s not your--h-how could you cheat on her!”

    The reaction from the two was so precious and side-splittingly funny that it took everything she had to keep from doubling over and laughing her heart out. The man’s face changed from shock to a sort of ******** look. Aha! So the cad was cheating. Well, served him right. The girl, on the other hand, stammered in shock, her heartbreak so evident on her face that Adele was starting to feel guilty. Ah, all the better for her plan, then.

    She shot the man a dirty look, then reached out for the girl’s hand as if to pull her in for a sympathetic hug--only to be taken aback when she was shot a dirty look as the girl took off. She blinked. Well, that was unexpected. She’d been hoping the girl would attach to her immediately. That left…she swallowed, leaning her head back to look at the very angry man she’d just inadvertently become enemies with.

    Whoops.