This was later then expected. Life equals hectic. Hm, standard disclaimer applied. Need I say anything else?
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-----AdRenaline
U
S
h
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The snowflakes fall
Gently to the ground
The temperature drops
And your shivers freeze all the rivers around
But I keep you warm
- The tip of the iceberg, Owl City
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Chapter One
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It must've been the outside atmosphere, or the cone of rocky road ice-cream from the 24-hour business district they'd passed earlier, taking too much time trickling down the leather of her glove- Hex notices this with a grimace- but she is absolutely freezing. No, definitely not the ice-cream, she thinks it ridiculous because having sweet food burden her is blasphemy! She blinks, surveying the snow-covered park, the bare trees, the glistening ice on the pavement, and Hex scowls.
Hex hates winter, and she thinks this as she trudges through the semi-deep snow, feeling ice melting it's way in through her boots. Hex hates how it restricts her movement, and how she always has the worst sort of flu at this time of year. It makes her weak, and vulnerable, and not to mention, it would be so much more harder to get things done.
She isn't patient, and she likes things done when she wants them to be. Hex throws her ice-cream away in a random direction, and she listens for the 'splat' before she redirects her attention.
She juts out her lower lip, a pout, because she plans to use this asset of hers like a weapon while she still has her 'cutesy girlish charm', as Wedy called it then. "Mello? Walk faster! It's cold!" Maybe she should've said her words a little more nicely, because she sees that her newfound companion is purposefully ignoring her.
How annoying.
"Choir Boy!" Hex stomps on her foot and crosses her arms, and her tone turns bitter and biting. "Haul your ass over here now! Or I'll ditch you and you'll never get the information I have because I'll-"
"Shut up," Mello grumbles, and he begins dragging her by the collar of her vest as he stalks by her. "You've pulled that card twice now, and it's already getting old. We both know you won't leave me."
The girl rolls her eyes, slowly prying his fingers from her, or at least attempting to, because Mello's grip only tightens. "And you know this, how?" she asks, "It's not like I'm indebted to you or anything, and just because you want the mafia-"
"Shh!" he hisses, "We don't want anyone hearing this!"
"Mafia, mafia, mafia.." She sings loudly just to spite him. "Melly-belly wants to join the mafia! Oh, I hope no one hears me!" She settles on biting Mello in the arm, and he lets go in something crossed between shock and disgust. "Geez. It's three something in the morning and we're somewhere deserted half the time. Who's going to hear us?"
Mello shoots her a look. "I'm not risking it."
"What's life without the risk?" Hex returns lightly, and she skips, spinning on the toes of her boots, throwing her arms out to the sky as if someone were to carry her away to the heavens, and she pointedly ignores Mello's irritated scowl.
"Secure. Planned."
She shakes her head violently. "Wrong-o. It's boring, that's what it is."
Mello snorts, lowering his head and he pushes his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Oh, really? Do elaborate."
Hex sways from side to side as, following some odd beat that only she can hear. "if you insist," she grins widely, and she bounces on the balls of her feet again. "You see, secure is all right.. when you're like eighty. You got to loosen up a little. Gutsier people die faster, but they got a hell lot more going for them."
She stifles a yawn. "Live life and die young."
"You think I'll die before thirty?" Mello questions, and he sounds more subdued, like he has something on his mind.
She shrugs, "L, Wedy, Aiber, you and me, I think you've noticed.. We're all a little different than the rest of the world. What we do doesn't really promise a long and happy life now, does it?" And she shivers when cold air rushes, weaving past them. "But who knows? People die anytime. Death happens all around."
"You sound like you accept yours already," Mello comments offhandedly.
"I have," Hex confirms. "It's not like I've got much to live for besides myself, anyway. In the end, there's either a grave or no grave, named or unnamed." She stops, and she looks up to the starless night with slight nostalgia in her eyes. "Don't be naïve. We're all faceless and nameless. Only nobodies."
Mello stares.
It's a while before she gathers her uppity mood again, but before she can speak, a warm jacket is gingerly thrown onto her shoulders. Hex blinks, and she looks see him already stalking away from her direction.
She smiles awkwardly, and follows after.
Hex is slumped on the uncomfortable sofa, her tired eyes tearing away from her laptop on its arm, to the boy currently dead asleep to the world on her bed –her bed!- and she scowled. Stupid Mello. How dare he take her bed just because she wasn't in it?! Another completely reasonable reason; he stinks six ways to Sunday, like he's been bunking somewhere near a trash receptacle, and now he's stinking up her place too!
Her fingertips stop their incessant beating on the keyboard, hovering above it as Hex stifles another yawn, and she lets herself listen to the small voice in her head telling her to just let the guy have his sleep, because by him not stirring from the plenty noise Hex made earlier, it's easy to tell that he'd not waking up any time soon.
And while she is being nice enough, Hex thinks, maybe she'll get him to have a shower, and maybe she'll get some new clothes on him. His are worn and frayed at the edges, and too large on him- not exactly the picture of an intimidating mafia guy, now is it?
She shakes her head, her index finger jabbing at a single key before the whirring sound of machines came in the opposite end of the hotel room. The fair-haired girl leans back into the seat, a smug grin threatening to wear itself on her lips. She feels accomplished to have completed forging and faking all the necessary documents and such. She can't wait to rub the fact that she's downright dedicated and purely awesome in his face. Hex thinks Mello hadn't thought about anything but finding her until thirteen hours ago.
Well, she's here, so now what? Hex rarely ever did stay in one sitting for so long, and frankly, she's starting to feel more than a little uncomfortable. Her laptop tells her it is eleven thirty seven in the morning now, so Hex counts that she has gone three full days without sleep. Not that she is complaining, Hex hates sleeping.
It's like surrendering yourself to complete, utter darkness, and losing control of your own person. Then there are the occasions when she'd be given dreamless sleeps, but some nightmares, and she can't wake herself up sometimes. Hex thinks it's weakness, so as to subdue it, she avoids it. Nothing creepier than to lose consciousness willingly.
But as she looks at the soft expression Mello has on his face, like he's hinting at a smile, Hex wonders what it's like to dream something pleasant for once. It looks nice.
Hex berates herself for having such inane thoughts (Hex is totally, way, way mature, like, seriously), and she forces herself to focus on the laptop screen. Thirteen new e-mails, the screen reads. She raises a brow curiously, because she knows only a handful of people who even knew her existence, much less something like her e-mail, so she shouldn't have this much in her inbox.
Kid.
I've been trying to get contact with you. We need to talk.
Meet 2.5 miles away, thirty degrees southwest from your hotel in three days.
Preferably 13 00 hours. Do not be late.
The newest addition to her inbox, from two days ago, makes her lips form a half-smirk. She closes her laptop, pulling out a lollipop from the back pocket of her shorts, and she thinks that maybe she should really start investing for winter wear.. or thermal underwear.. or not. Whatever, Hex disregards the cold almost entirely for the sake of lithe movement. Slowly, she peels herself off the stiff chair, sashaying her way out of the hotel room with a lazy smile.
TBC
A/N: More of a filler, I suppose. I'm just trying to get across how Hex's mind works- she's a bitch, isn't she? :D Well, hope it didn't suck too terribly. Next chapter's when they start off their expedition.. of sorts. I'm cackling maniacally. Hey, I'd like your opinion on this chapter, on Hex and all that stuff. I'd like to improve my writing. :)
And now, a preview of next chapter. These come with the feedback and reviews I get, ..now I mention it, Thanks to kaaayyytteee (Glad you approve!), overboard343 (You like Hex! *Goes happy-dancing* And really, I hope she won't be mary-sue-ish and boring either) and The Black Rose 17 (First reviewer! And thanks for liking Hex) for reviewing!
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Preview:
She smirks, throwing the device casually in his direction and it fumbles in his hands. Mello looks at her with wide, confused and almost scared eyes. He copies Hex and molds his fingers into the curves, and the metal is cool to the touch. Smooth and silent, but still dangerous, even in its dormant state. After all, that could easily change with a twitch of his finger.
But Mello didn't want anything to do with it. It must've shown in his expression because Hex speaks with something akin to mild annoyance, while still sounding patient at the same time. "Relax, Mel, I'm not going to ask you to shoot him." Her red tongue pokes out from the corner of her lips. "Shoot me instead."
"W-what?!"
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Now review, you. :)