Adelaide Has Two Gaurdians (Open)

Life, such as it was, went on. For Adelaide, this meant adjusting to a new setting. One that was quite different from the jet-setting exploration her parents took her along on. When she was born, she spent most of her time with her father. Emerson Belmont always had projects to occupy his time. Her mother, Zoe, was the one who lived for venturing into the unknown. When she was old enough, the whole family would go on these trips.

Sometimes, it meant matching wits with unsavory competitors for the priceless artifacts and relics that Zoe Belmont went in search of. Whether they just sought to line their pockets or add to some personal collection...to motives that seemed just too crazy to be true.

Not that life in Japan was proving to be any less crazy than her life abroad. Her guardian was a friend of her mothers. Oftentimes she would sell some of the items she recovered to him. At least the things she could sell. Her preference was to make sure the relics found their way into a museum. But, there were always a few other things she could part way ways with.

And if there was anything she didn't know enough about...he had always been able to figure out any answer she might need. So...living in an apartment located above his shop was hardly a normal home. Nor could say there was anything normal about her other guardian.

The bat, who identified himself as Alucard, was also a valuable source of information. Having conversations with a bat was what most people would consider a sign of having a few screws loose. Then again, those people might have to second guess themselves, once they heard the bat respond.

Alucard knew about her previous incarnation. About the kingdom of Bellona and everything. It was a little hard to get her head wrapped around it all. Even for Adelaide.

But, life went on.

Homework, here...the occasional attack of a monster there...and every so often an errand to run for the shop. Today found the lavender haired girl carrying out just such a task. It was simple enough. Deliver a package to a museum. The parcel was wrapped up in an unassuming brown paper wrapping. She knew what it was. Just a set of broken swords. Her mother had found it, during one of their more uneventful escapades and it was of little value, save for one of the local museums.

They were from the Edo Period, as far as she could tell. That was what her mother had guessed. And unless it was from the 20th century on, Emerson had no clue what it could be.

"You should be careful..." Alucard had warned her, "You never know when an attack could come."

She rolled her eyes. It was as if she had never been in danger, before. Did he think she was some kind of rookie? Adelaide shook her head. Going back to school? Now THAT was something she had to be wary about.

The sun crept in through a crack in the curtains, the only source of light in the room. The covers on the bed moved and the occupant sat up. Peorth Alexander's shoulder length blonde hair was a mess, more so than it usually was. Her blue eyes were bloodshot as normal, with bags under her eyes. She rubbed her face, brushing the lock of hair that fell across her face out of her eyes, but to no avail as it fell right across her face again. She sighed and looked at the foot of her bed, where the small form of her guardian, Zelos was sleeping.

Zelos was actually a large white wolf with bright blue eyes and two tails. But keeping a three foot tall, six foot long wolf secret wasn't the easiest thing to do, so Zelos had taken to shrinking, becoming more like a large dog, than the huge wolf he was. Peorth gave a rare, barely perceptible smile to the still sleeping lupus before she climbed out of bed.

She headed to the bathroom, washed, then returned to the bedroom and dressed in a black t-shirt, overwhich she wore a dark blue turtleneck sweatshirt, and black jeans. She walked downstairs and got herself some breakfast. She barely acknowledged her family, just grunted a greeting in return, though she did manage to smile for them. She forced herself to eat her breakfast, knowing that Zelos would chew her out if she didn't eat. She stood and left the kitchen. 'I'm going out for a bit,' she said before she slid her shoes on and left the house.

Peorth wasn't being rude to her family, nor did she not like them. She loved her parents and younger brother and sister. But she had other things on her mind. Such as saving this world from Chaos. And redeeming herself for the deaths of her entire world in her past life. An act that had reverberated across lifetimes, along with the guilt that came with it. Guilt she still felt even in her new life. Fresh as though it was her own guilt, not some other lifetimes. She was Sailor Tyche, and she had been fighting alone to save this world for the past three years. Although she did have Zelos, so she wasn't alone in fighting.

Zelos caught up with her several moments later, as she knew he would. 'So, you're going out, by your own choice,' he said, looking up at her. 'And it's not on patrol. Who are you and what have you done with the real Sailor Tyche?' Peorth glanced down at him, not smiling at all.
'I just wanted to get out, have some fresh air,' she replied. Zelos arched an eyebrow.
'You? Wanting to have fresh air? That's a surprise. A welcome surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.'
'Is it that much of a surprise?' Zelos's ears twitched, a sign Peorth had realised was the equivalent of a shrug.
'Kind of,' he said. 'But it's good you want to go out.' He smiled up at her. She sighed and continued walking.

Truth be told, Peorth had no idea why she wanted to go out, she just had the urge to do so. It had been there since the morning before, and it had been there last night during patrol. So, this morning, she had followed the urge and gone out. Though now she was out and about, she had no idea what to do. So she just walked.

She had no idea how long she'd been walking, only a few minutes, maybe a couple of hours, she wasn't sure. But she knew she was starting to become thirsty. She she decided to get herself a drink. She brought one from a local shop.

She left the shop, opened her drink and took a sip, before she closed the lid and continued walking, Zelos at her heels. 'Are we going to just walk all day?' he asked after a moment. Peorth just shrugged. Zelos sighed. She turned a corner and bumped into someone.
'Sorry,' she automatically said. 'I'm so sorry.'

As Adelaide walked, she wondered just what she should do, after her little mission was over. She certainly wasn't lacking in options. Although, one could hardly say that the activities she might choose were typical for a girl of her age. Most of them involved studying the artifacts that littered the antiques shop. There were some very interesting pieces in there that she hadn't seen before.

She could also discuss strategy with Alucard...but, that was rather low on her list. The bat certainly had his heart in the right place, but really he could be awfully dull. And his presumptions about her level of experience was equally annoying. So what if she had only just recently awakened! Adelaide could get a hand on this, no problem.

As she reassured herself about her skill level, she rounded a corner. Perhaps she should have paid more attention to her surroundings and less to whatever thoughts were passing through her head. Maybe then, she wouldn't have run right into someone.

Falling back to the ground, she lost her grip of the package and it went clattering against the sidewalk. Her backside to the brunt of the fall, but that was the least of her worries. "Ah!" she proclaimed as she scrambled to gather the package. It had rattled, as it's contents were jostled. Hopefully nothing broke.

...Or got more...broke?

Only up to her knees, she gathered up the box, only to realize that she wasn't sure how she could check it's contents. That could be bad!

Unless she just said they were always like that.

She blinked as she became aware of someone speaking. It was an older girl, who she had apparently walked into, and she was apologizing. Adelaide blinked as she looked up at the blonde. "U-um...It's OK." she said, "...I think."

Barely stumbling from the bump, Peorth was quick to recover. She looked down at the person she'd bumped into, to discover it was a young girl, quite a bit younger than her. The blonde brushed her fringe from her eyes, only for it to fall back almost straight away. She knew Zelos was groaning behind her at the trouble she had gotten herself in.

'Are... are you sure you're okay?' Peorth asked. 'Oh, I'm sorry!' she appologised again as the other girl checked on what she had been carrying. 'If... if it's broken I'll pay for it.' Peorth sighed as she heard the contents of the package rattle. 'I'll pay for it, honestly.' She held her hand out to help the girl to her feet. 'You're not hurt, are you?' she asked the girl.
This is why you should try to get more sleep, Zelos sent to Peorth. You would be more aware of your surroundings if you were well rested. Peorth sighed, having heard this argument several times a day for the last couple of years.
I know, I know. But the nightmares keep waking me up. She sighed again, then focused on the girl. 'I'm Peorth,' she introduced herself.
Careful, Peorth! Zelos suddenly sent. This girl is giving off a strange power!

Peorth barely reacted. An enemy? she asked. Zelos sent a mental shrug.
I'm not sure, the wolf admitted. But she certainly giving off an unusual power.
I'll be careful. 'Are you okay?' she asked the girl again, waiting for the lilac haired girl to take her hand.

"Ah, um...yeah, I'm sure it's fine." she said, as the girl apologized once more. Adelaide wasn't sure about the exact price of the artifacts she was carrying, but was pretty sure that there was no way this girl could afford it. She would't dream of trying to get any money out of her, anyways. Adelaide had been just as responsible for any damage that might have fallen the old swords as the blond she had run into. Not that it was any consolation.

"Yeah...I'm not hurt, at all." she looked at the hand before taking it and pulling herself back up to her feet. She blushed a little. This was a very embarrassing situation. To have made a fool out of herself, in front of a stranger. This was why she preferred heading into the jungles. Less awkward conversations.

She still had not registered the animal companion that had been following the older girl and had she Alucard around, the bat would have likely scolded her for that. She brushed herself off, with her free hand. The package she tucked under one arm and made sure it was secure.

"I, uh, think everything should be fine. Really, you don't worry about it." she tried her best to reassure the older girl. Not that her tone was particularly confident. She stood, looked up at the blond girl, not all that certain of how to proceed from this point on.

'Oh, okay, that's good,' she said, when the girl told her the item was fine. Peorth wasn't sure what the item in the wrapper was, but she was sure it was expensive. And she'd probably broken it. 'I hope you won't get in to trouble because of me,' the blonde said. She'd hate for the girl to be in trouble for something Peorth had done.

Peorth gave a small smile when the girl said she wasn't hurt. 'That's good, I'm glad. I'd hate to have hurt someone as cute as you.' The moment the words were out of her mouth, Peorth gasped as a faint blush coloured her usually pale cheeks. 'I... I'm s-sorry!' she said. 'I-I don't know why I s-said that! No!' she appologised again. 'I mean, you are c-cute, but I didn't mean to s-say it! Out loud! I... I... I...' As she spoke, her cheeks began to grow a deeper shade of pink, until it looked like her cheeks were a deep red.

While all this was happening, Zelos was watching with interest. This girl, who he knew had some sort of strange ability, had made Tyche, who was normally so filled with regret and guilt over what her past self had done, that no other emotion could fit in, it seemed. Yet, here she was, blushing and stammering away like a normal, embarrassed teenage girl. He smiled as he watched his charge blush deeper and deeper the more she became flustered. Maybe this girl isn't an enemy after all? he mused.

Peorth managed to grasp onto the fact that the more she spoke, the more embarrassed she became. So she closed her mouth, took several deep breaths and calmed down slightly, though her cheeks were still bright red. 'I... I'm sorry,' she began, calmer this time. 'F-for everything.' She swallowed, and tried something she'd never done before. 'W... would you like to g-grab a drink? My treat!' she added. 'A... as a way of a-apologising.'

"I don't think I will." Adelaide said, evaluating the possibilities. Sure, there was a chance that someone might notice that something came in a few more pieces than it probably should have. But, she could probably cook up enough excuses that she ought to be able to make it out the museum in one piece. Maybe her mother wouldn't even have to be called! That would certainly count as a victory.

The lilac haired girl looked up at the blonde as she started to fall to pieces. She gave a tilt of her head as she blushed, madly and tried to clarify her remarks. Not that it made any more sense to Adelaide. Of course, given how the conversation had been progressing, she couldn't say that she was all that surprised. She was an odd one, this blond girl.

"Oh, don't worry about it." she waved off the apology, with a smile. Of course, for whatever reason, this whole incident was now leading to a drink of...something. Adelaide wasn't sure where they would go. She still wasn't even sure what was in the area.

"I, uh...I guess that would be fine." she answered, a light red coloring her pale features. "Oh! But, first I gotta get to the museum!"

She started to run off, before she halted and turned back to the stranger, "Um...you can come with me. We can go somewhere else. You know...after?"

When the lilac haired girl said she didn't think she'd get in trouble, Peorth's smiled. She knew, deep down that the girl wouldn't get into trouble, and that she shouldn't blame herself for the fact they literally bumped into each other, but she just couldn't help herself. She had a lot to apologise for.

Her cheeks were still bright pink as she cleared her throat, embarrassed at not only what she had said, but also at how she had lost control of herself in front of Zelos. As well as this girl. Peorth blinked, looking at the girl as a thought struck her. She'd never reacted like that before, even when she thought someone was cute. Actually, when was the last time she'd thought anything was cute? Zelos had informed her that the girl had a strange power, then Peorth reacted the way she had. Maybe her power is to make others act out of character? she mused. It's all I can think of that makes sense for that reaction!
As well as asking her on a date? Peorth turned sharply to face Zelos, her eyes hard.
I did not ask her on a date, she sent. I offered to buy her a drink as a small way of apology. That's all. She then turned back to the girl.

A slight smile lifted the corners of the blondes lips as the girl agreed to a drink, and the blush on the girls cheeks caused Peorth's to redden slightly more. But when the girl remembered she had to go to the museum, Peorth gasped 'Oh! I'm sorry for delaying you!' she said, slipping into her usual demeanor. 'Please, don't let me delay you any more.' She stepped aside and waited for the girl to run past. She turned and went to walk away, when the girl called out to her.

Peorth turned and, a smile growing on her lips, nodded as the blush returned. 'Okay,' she said, with something that bordered on cheerfulness in her usually almost monotone voice. She caught up to the girl and followed her to the museum. All the while thinking about what powers this girl had, and if she was an enemy or not.

And where they would go for a drink.

For the briefest of moments, Adelaide believed that she saw a touch of cheerfulness in the blonde girl. Suspicions were the furthest from her mind. Probably due to the fact that she didn't have a paranoid guardian hovering around in the background. Which would be a rather literal hovering, in her case. But, as she was free from Alucard's worrying, the lilac haired girl was free to join this new acquaintance (friend?) on a quick journey towards the museum.

When they finally arrived, Adelaide delivered the package without incident. No questions had been raised and Adelaide found herself quite relieved to find that there would be no trouble. This job had gone along rather smoothly, even if it did have a minor hiccup in the middle. The curator had one additional request before they departed. To bring something back to the shop, to have it appraised. Another easy task.

And Adelaide was pretty sure that it could be accomplished without bumping into anyone else. An old map had been rolled up and secured in a long plastic tube. Business for the old antiques shop was certainly picking up.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a set of eyes followed them as they left the museum. The item placed in Adelaide's care had attracted some attention. And now that it was on the move, it seemed that an opportunity had presented itself to a third party. One that had far less philanthropic goals than a certain shopkeeper.