"One more word and I'm laying your ass out on the fucking floor."
"Damn. You're touchy."
Sitting on the bench before the fight she glanced at the clock. Hopefully it wasn't too late for whoever she was calling and with a tired exhale she dialed the number waiting for whoever was on the other line to speak first.
"Hello?" the voice came. It was soft and feminine so that meant that at least it wasn't some pervert man trying to take advantage of getting a female roommate. Although that probably wouldn't have stopped her anyways.
"Hi, I'm calling about you needing a roommate? I saw your flyer on the street between Wodt and Main Street." She asked glancing at the flyer again wondering if the room wasn't taken yet.
"Oh, yes. The flyer."
"Yeah... the flyer. So do you still need a roommate or should I hang up?" Azazel asked trying not to be too rude. There was still a chance that she could be moving in with this woman after all.
"Oh, no! The bedroom is still available. Are you interested?"
'Obviously I'm interested. I'm calling you aren't I?' Azazel had to swallow the words that had almost escaped her.
"Yes. So is there a time that would be convenient for me to move in?" Azazel asked wrapping her hands trying to keep a polite conversational voice. Who knew that it would be so hard.
"Any day is fine."
"Okay. See you tonight then." Azazel nodded hanging up the phone dropping it in her gym bag.
"Yo, is the Demon Bitch ready to throw down or what?"
"Wait the fuck up alright? I'm coming." She snarled kicking her bag to the side shoving HoodRat to the side a vicious snark on her lips. His back hit the wall and he looked at her muttering insults at her under his breath.
Whatever.
Any anger she had, she could let it go in the fucking ring.
~~~~~~~~
After leaving the Hostel and double checking the address Azazel knocked on the door. A small hiss in the back of her mind told her that if Azazel knew what was best she'd leave and get the hell out of there. It could be a cover for a trafficking ring and this was how they got their victims. Her thoughts were interrupted by a petite 5'5 woman wearing a black dress with short brown hair opening the door. Her skin was light tan like someone who knew how to have fun in the sun but preferred not to. "Hi, are you...?" She spoke curiously with that same soft voice that had answered the phone.
Not quite knowing what to say she lifted the flyer and spoke, "Sorry, Azazel. Hopefully your new roommate. I told you I'd be coming by today remember?" Is this lady serious? That had to have been less then 24 hours ago. How do you forget?
The woman in front of her smiled awkwardly making Azazel shift just as awkwardly on her feet. "I remember. Lunette. "She introduced herself sticking out her hand. Pretty name.
"I prefer not to shake hands. The amount of pathogens that cross during a handshake is staggering. It's actually safer if you kiss." Azazel said not even bothering to stick out her hand as she looked at the hand until it fell to Lunette's side.
"Right... Um, feel free to check the place out." Lunette spoke taking the time to open the door all the way and allow Azazel enough space to walk into the apartment. There was another small hiss of paranoia that she managed to squash down the moment she took its homey interior.
Azazel entered possibly taking five steps into the apartment and looking before she turned to face Lunette and nodded with a tight smile, "It's perfect except I actually have a few questions about you."
"Um sure."
"I need to know what type of person you are. As nice as you may seem I actually don't want to be your best friend and you don't want me as your friend at all. I'm going to be giving you a lot of space and I expect the same courtesy. Is that good?" Azazel asked doing her best to remain as polite as possible. She could only imagine what she looked like.
Hell she literally just came back from the ring. She knew she should have just come straight from work but HoodRat had called her and desperate to work off her pent up frustration at lack of breakthroughs on her Manila Folder she raced off to the ring.
She honestly felt bad for Lunette having to deal with her attitude but if Lunette did decide to have her as her roommate after all the Azazel would find her small ways to make up for her bitchiness as she did when she knew she'd been riding her brother's ass more then usual...
The pang of grief almost knocked the air out of her but Lunette's voice kept her grounded and Azazel willingly handed all her attention to Lunette. "That's fine," Lunette spoke her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she looked at Azazel.
And with that the doe eyed girl with the sad smile became Azazel's roommate.
They shared a bathroom which worked out since Azazel preferred to shower in the morning and there was a little shower over by the ring so she'd come home with her hair still dripping and already properly bandaged by HoodRat. As much as they were at each other's throats, and no matter how many times Azazel shoved him or hit him, HoodRat held a strange sense of loyalty to her. He didn't schedule anyone else's fights, always bet in her favor and never let her leave the ring without having been bandaged.
They were the same age but unlike how quickly she seemed to be warming up to the lifestyle he always seemed more interested in playing basketball.
It was after an exceptionally strange day of HoodRat's kindness that Azazel let herself go out to treat herself. And upon returning home she had brought a extra plate of food, and instead of placing it in the fridge she left it on the kitchen table with a sticky note attached.
-For Lunette
And she ducked into her room. It wasn't until she was leaving for the day that she saw the empty plate in the trash and a small smile threatened to overcome her.
From then on whenever she went out to eat she brought an extra plate home for Lunette. And considering most of her time was spent eating out, it was safe to say that Lunette was brought food at least eight times a week.
No matter how many times they bumped into each other in the bathroom, each getting ready or winding down for the day, Lunette never addressed Azazel, which Azazel was thankful for.
With that in mind, Azazel wasn't proud to say she was exactly a clean houseguest. She always forgot to wash the dishes, essentially clearing them off and telling herself ,"I'll wash them later." Only to find them magically washed by the time she got back.
If she forgot her clothes in the wash, they'd end up in the dryer and if she took too long set in a basket by her front door.
The house always seemed clean despite Azazel never being home to clean it and Lunette never seemed to interact with Azazel per Azazel's request the moment she moved in.
Rarely dust on the furniture, she could practically see her reflection in the tile.
Lunette was a goddamn cleaning wizard.
So the day that a piece of paper was left on the counter, it was indeed noticeable. On the top of the list it read
"Groceries"
The writing on the notes, some seemed to be written in shorthand, was fluid and easy to read and there was notes about where to find the cheapest items and notes about who could be haggled.
The more she looked over the list , the more she made sense. Azazel shook her head, Lunette does all the heavy lifting, might as well help in any way she can.
So if Lunette had a problem with Azazel buying the groceries, she never brought it up. And if Azazel ever noticed they were running low on anything, Azazel went out and bought it the next day.
And in living life with Lunette this way, Azazel grew fond of the girl with the brown doe eyes.
~~~~~~~
Azazel , for once ,had returned home after a day at work running a hand through her hair planning on nothing more but taking a shower and then just knocking out as soon as possible. So when she entered the apartment she was surprised to see that Lunette hadn't left yet and so she just remained still in the door way with the car keys still in her hand. Lunette was rushing around back and forth a knit sweater and light blue jeans with untied shoelaces as her outfit of the day. It was a wonder the woman didn't trip and face plant while she seemed to be rushing through her morning routine.
"What's wrong with you?" Azazel asked lifting a single eyebrow taking her jacket off slowly not understanding Lunette's meltdown. Was her morning routine always like this or?
"I- I overslept after staying up late finishing my project, and I missed the bus, and now I'm going to be late for my art critique!" Lunette's words tripped over themselves as the woman looked ready to burst into tears.
'If she cries. I'm out.' Azazel thought briefly to herself when Lunette spoke again
"Could you please give me a quick ride to class?" Lunette blurted out like she hadn't thought the request through when she continued in a manner that made Azazel furrow her eyebrows together. "Just this once? I wouldn't ask if this wasn't an emergency."
Azazel gave a deep long sigh before grabbing her jacket off of the coat hook and slid it back on as she opened the apartment door giving way to the fresh morning air. "Fuck it. Let's go." she shrugged glancing at the leaves on the ground.
The loud sound of an engine caught her attention and there was the briefest sight of the car that zoomed by, begging to be pulled over for speeding. Her jaw set at the grim reminder of a certain racer.
She kept walking letting Lunette lock the door as she led the way to a black Mercedez- Benz unlocking it and staying silent the entire time as she waited for Lunette to get in the car. Lunette gracefully entered the car carrying a pretty big ass folder and backpack which she tucked in at her feet. Azazel merely threw her a side glance before starting to drive.
She heard the click and saw that Lunette had buckled her seat belt in. "What's in the folder?" she asked never one to appreciate car silence. She had to give herself credit, she lasted four minutes this time.
She avoided music and normally just drove in the silence but with another human presence in the car she found the silence hot and thick.
"Ah it's my recent project for one of my art classes." Lunette answered and Azazel nodded taking in the information no matter how awkward the woman next to her was.
"Sounds cool. What would you define your art style as?" Azazel asked giving Lunette a chance to open up since they were in the car together for the next ten minutes. They had been living together for a while and while Azazel knew about her grocery routines or what type of food to order for her from certain restaurants.... she didn't even know something as simple as what Lunette's favorite color was.
"Outside of the criteria that's typically given to me on these projects , I'd describe myself as an impressionist."
"So my roommate's the next Van Gogh. Just don't rip your ear off." she spoke fighting a yawn forcing her eyes to stay open and then glanced Lunette's way when she heard the smaller girl chuckle.
"Sure thing." Lunette answered when Azazel then heard the familiar buzzing of her phone signifying that she had another text.
"Dammit." Azazel muttered under her breath reaching forward grabbing her phone, slowing down as she drove to lessen the likely hood of crashing while texting and driving.
"Ah, I can read it to you if you'd like. Since, you know, you're driving..." Lunette's voice got significantly softer as she spoke and well, Azazel wasn't a Hot Shot behind the wheel so she handed the phone over without little argument. It was Lunette's life in her hands after all.
She had to be considerate.
Lunette opened the phone and read aloud. "First message from HoodRat... 'Fight Next Friday at the Ring. Same Rules.'...." Azazel could hear the gears turning in Lunette's head as she connected the dots. Lunette wasn't stupid... but it was because Lunette was not stupid that she knew Lunette wouldn't say anything about it. After a moment of silence Lunette read the next message.
"Second Message... this time from Agent Phillip. It says "Just spoke to the director. You start in six months." And just like that she was soaring. Those months of hard work were about to pay off professionally and goddammit she was living. This was the greatest day she'd had since she'd lost her brother. A small semblance of hope to be that superhero that she had wanted when she was younger. She was joining the Bureau.
The fucking Bureau!
"The last one's from Andrew's.. It just says ' I found the folder.'"
And as high as she had been in the clouds she suddenly crashed into Earth swallowed by a thick sea of flames that caused her vision to turn nothing but red.
Her hands clenched on the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white, and she couldn't see anything. Not the streets in front of her. Not the speedometer's numbers rising.
The folder. The goddamn folder that had everything in it. All the proof of Andrew killing her father, of abusing her and her brother. That was all she had left.
There's a thick lump in her throat preventing her from screaming and she can feel her teeth basically grinding together. She's all too aware of the flames. Roaring and burning her skin.
So fucking hot.
The only thing that could put the bastard in prison. In his fucking hands!
Then , with just a desperate honking of a car the flames retreated enough that she could suddenly hear Lunette yelling desperately, her soft hands shaking Azazel and the last thing she saw.
Was a pair of headlights slamming into the Doe eyed woman she'd come to care for.
(Ajax Depicted Below. Program used was Picrew.)