#getting intruded upon by uh phantom thieves. etc

[dnangelic]

( dark , can't you think of anything else besides what pose we're gonna leave with ?! ) --- no way . barrel-y circumstances like these called for tact and style to make up for the fact you were stuck inside a boring barrel ! besides , it's not like there was anything else to do while you were folded up like a fish and a cute girl was right next to you . at the very least , he liked to think he was good at improvisation , even with another self fretting and whining and saying things like --- ( you're so embarrassing ... ! ) amongst other pointless , easily ignored things like that in his mind .

the sirens fade , her taps louder than the departing footsteps and settling silence , and the lid of the barrel finally slides itself back over . as much as he had wanted to kick it and potentially impress her by sending it flying ... ( just move it normally ! if you kick it , what are we gonna do if it hits her in the face or something ?! )

yeah , yeah . the tips of his half-gloved fingers reveal themselves along the barrel's rim until he lifts himself upwards , landing elegantly from his hiding hole with no less grace than a wild cat's . in the end , he's kept things simple . ( sheesh . happy now , daisuke ? ) ( no ! i want to tell her to run away , too --- ! )

of course , it's hard not to grin at that sort of remark and the fresh sight of her . with a stolen treasure stuffed into his pocket and a stranger that hadn't chosen to rat him out to his pursuers , he couldn't have asked for a better , more interesting night . so he bows ; tugs at the black cloak of his mantle and lets it flutter for just an instant . his black wings too , stretch out and flutter and shake themselves behind him , enormous and beautiful .

' thank you very much , miss . i owe you one . ‘ gaze goes from her to their surroundings , and then , playfully , he adds in --- ' nice place you've got here . is it yours ? '

Someone send her back to the past right now, because the future is too stressful. Neya is pressed against the barrel, limbs tucked together as closely as she could manage so no part of her is seen. However, when a smooth voice suddenly whispers down at her from above, the teen nearly has a heart attack as she whips her head up from her hiding spot. What the--?!

Time seems to slow down for the girl as she catches a momentary glimpse of his face while he sinks down into the barrel. Striking eyes, a wild grin and violet hair illuminated against a backdrop of flashing reds and blues.

Oh.

Ba...dump.

Oh dear...

Ba...dump.

He was... really handsome.

Oh gosh. She really might be having a heart attack now. Pulse pounding in her ears, cheeks growing hot. Neya places a hand on her chest and takes a few calming breaths. Now certainly wasn't the time for that! She had more important things to do, like find something to hide in and--

Hey, wait a second.

The teen stiffens as a sudden sinking realization comes over her upon seeing the boy duck inside the barrel. First off, he just took her hiding spot, and secondly--why didn't she think of that!? And unfortunately, it was too late to jump in a barrel now, because the cops were here! Neya has to settle with ducking back behind the barrel and tucking her limbs in close. Thankful that her personal bag of stolen goods was out of sight, leaving no trace of her presence behind either. She hears the scattered footsteps of searching cops and holds her breath when a bright light passes by their barrel a few times.

Neya's not sure how much time passes, but eventually, the cops give up their search and move on. The blaring sirens soon faded far into the distance. Even after she's sure they're gone, the teen still waits a few minutes more, knowing from experience to err on the side of caution when it came to hiding from the authorities.

"You can come out now..." She taps lightly on the side of the barrel to let him know they were gone a few moments later, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "I believe we are safe."