CONSEQUENCE ;; LEON
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Leon frowned at her reply, and it deepened as she moved on, as if they had discussed nothing. He was feeling rather annoyed with how she handled things. She tossed them aside as if they meant little to her. It was more than likely true, but he'd like to believe otherwise. There were some things she had to care about, right? "That's it?" Leon asked her, his tone full of disbelief. He stood grounded in his spot, not walking after her as she began padding away. "You're really just going to leave it at that?" He continued, nonexistent eyebrows furrowing as he narrowed his vision on her somewhat fading form. An exasperated sigh left his lips as he finally moved from his spot, eyes dragging along the ground instead. He supposed there was no point in trying to continue the conversation any further, so he went silent. Silently brooding wasn't necessarily his forte, but if Ada was going to be a brick wall to communicate with then he would do the same. He wanted to get through to her in some way. Was there even a point in trying? Leon grit his teeth as he picked up a trot, catching up to her in a matter of moments.
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❝ YOU CAN BE COOL, YOU CAN BE SHY ❞
Ada halted in her tracks, feeling the her fur standing up on edge. It was never wise to get on her bad side, and already Leon had broken her patience. Perhaps it was because he kept trying to get her to act a certain way. To answer him in a way that would please him, ease his mind. To tell him that yes, everything was fine, and that they were fine and were going to be friends forever and skip merrily through the flowers. But Leon didn't want to be friends. Oh no, she knew better than that. It was pointless avoiding it at this point, although that was something she had been doing for a while now. She didn't know if Leon Kennedy was in love with her. Frankly, she didn't care. Because he shouldn't be. She was wrong for him in so many ways, and yet here he was crawling back. She had hoped their time apart would allow him to understand how different they were, how pointless it would be for the two to even attempt something of the sort. But she had overestimated him, it would seem. The panther turned to him, her eyes hardened. "I don't know what you want me to say Leon." The words came out harder than she meant to, but Ada was tired of holding this front of stoicism, of not giving a damn. Because she did. She gave such a damn when it came to him.
She moved quickly towards him, the darkness continually surrounding them, patches of moonlight reflected behind him pinpointing the location of the cave entrance. "What do you want, Leon? Do you want me to tell you that we're fine? That we're better than ever?" The sequence had begun. It couldn't be stopped. "That we'll be together like we had been before, just the two of us against the world? We'll go frolicking through fields with not a care in the world? Wake the hell up, Leon, because that isn't going to happen." Her fur was burning, an anger she hadn't felt in months seeping through every pore. "You say you trust me, and therefore you are a fool. Because I can't be trusted." She turned away from him, her heart pounding in her chest and the blood roaring in her veins. She had expected it to make her feel at least a little lighter, but instead she felt heavier. Sighing, she murmured, "I can't be what you want me to be, Leon." For once in her life, Ada Wong felt completely defeated. Leon versus Ada. A never-ending battle for dominance.
❝ SAY WHAT YOU WANT, SAY WHAT YOU LIKE ❞
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What Leon had expected was for her to put on the act she always did. She hid behind a mask, one that Leon was growing rapidly tired of. He wanted to see the real her. He wanted to know who she truly was, not the person she was acting as. What he got was a shock to him. When she whipped around to face him, fur bristling and eyes burning with rage, he couldn't help but stare at her, lips pursed and expression unwavering. Anyone else would have crumbled under the pressure, but he took what she threw at him. The raw emotion that had boiled up inside her was finally spilling over. Leon listened to every word that poured from her maw, almost eager to hear more, even after she had finished. Did she feel as though she owed him something? Did she think she had to change to satisfy him? The tiger lapped at his maw before swallowing at the lump in his throat, feeling at a loss for words. He wracked his brain for anything to say to her, anything to make her feel better.
"Ada, you don't need to change who you are," Leon began, stepping closer to her, a bit tentatively. He reached out with a paw, as if to touch her, but instead set it back on the ground. "I haven't changed, so why would I expect you to?" He inquired rhetorically, head cocking to the side. He grit his teeth as he fought for more things to say. Leon felt utterly confused. Lost even. Whatever he was feeling, the things that had been bottled up inside, was surfacing now. "I.." He trailed off, a bit hesitant to say anything, to admit any feelings. She couldn't love him. Did he even love her? Leon lifted his head to peer at her, pale eyes piercing her form. "I can't see a future without you in it," he admitted plainly, jaw clenching as he finished. How she would react, he had no clue. Things were shifting now, changing with this newfound knowledge for both him and Ada. A quiet sigh sounded from him as his head dropped once more, eyes shifting away from Ada. Regret was something he felt almost instantly. It was foolish of him to say something like that. He was a fool.
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❝ YOU CAN BE COOL, YOU CAN BE SHY ❞
Ada didn't turn around to look at him. She wasn't sure if she could even bear to do so. He still didn't understand. He didn't understand that she couldn't do it. Relationships with people, platonic or otherwise, were always difficult to manage in her line of work. Hell, up until now there was no one that Ada could have called a friend aside from Leon. He was the only one that she had spent a decent amount of time with in order to make that claim. The Dynasty was still a job, and that was all it would ever be. But... Perhaps... Maybe there was a way that they could make this work. If the Dark Dynasty served as a place for them, where they could just...be...then... Finally the panther swiveled her head, keeping him in her sights. A silence settled between them. For Ada, she knew how it would end. She couldn't say the same for Leon. "Leon..." She started, trying to make sure that she didn't dance over anything. One word wrong, and it was all up in flames just like before. "I can't promise you anything. That this will work. But, if you're willing to try, then so am I."
❝ SAY WHAT YOU WANT, SAY WHAT YOU LIKE ❞
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At her words, his maw opened, gaping at her as shock riddled his features. "You mean that?" Leon inquired of her, the surprise dissipating as it was soon replaced with joy and elation. A grin replaced his gaping maw, and his eyes seemed to widen. Though she was not certain of this, their relationship, he could only be the optimistic one in it. He was speechless for a moment, merely staring at her in slight bewilderment. He looked ecstatic, a bit out of character with how his expression molded into that of excitement. "We can try," he decided for them, tail flicking as he stepped towards her, albeit a bit hesitantly. How quickly this relationship would move along was a mystery to him, but he didn't want to push any boundaries. After all, they both played their hand at dominance, always fighting for it in some way, shape or form.
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❝ YOU CAN BE COOL, YOU CAN BE SHY ❞
You mean that? She glanced down at the floor for a moment, registering the severity with which her words would be held. Ada was making no promises that it would work, that anything good could come from a more personal--deeper--relationship with Leon, especially in her line of work. If anything, she was betraying her rule of never getting close. And it only unraveled Leon's position as a string lower and lower into the open. At this point, it was so low that anyone would be able to reach and snap it. If she wasn't careful... If she wasn't careful Leon could suffer because her. And she didn't want that. No one deserved to suffer for anything she did, except herself. Should the day some where her past caught up with her, she would gladly accept the consequences. She wouldn't run from them, for that was not her way. One nod. That was it. The deal had been made. "More than you know." Now she had to hold herself accountable. But that had never been much of a problem for her. With his own confirmation--of an even playing field--the panther stood up. "Now then, shall we. For old time's sake?" Her tail flicked back and forth. Now that everything was out of the way, Ada was curious to see if Leon's capabilities had changed at all in the time they had spent apart. She could only assume he had gotten better, but she also remembered saving his ass multiple times.
❝ SAY WHAT YOU WANT, SAY WHAT YOU LIKE ❞