Topher sat back on his couch with his Linoone spread across his lap as the two watched something on tv together. While he tried to put his mind other places, it all kept coming back to one person. After staring at her name on his phone for what felt like forever, he dropped it onto the couch and turned his attention back to the tv. The only thing that caught his attention was the way his phone chimed and lit up to show the name he'd been staring at for far too long. But he'd entertain her. Once he opened the message, he looked at the two words and gave a scoff.

"Va te encouler," he spat at his phone.

It was then that small yet sharp teeth sunk into his hand and he let out a sound that wasn't too pleased. Once he looked down, his Linoone released its grip on his hand and he gave a sound of displeasure while he grabbed something to soak up the small beads of blood that had begun to form. But the black and white ferret-like creature knew he only felt that way out of hurt. Topher gripped the balled up paper towel in his hand and used it to soak up more of the blood.

"Fine, we'll go just because I know you miss her," he insisted.

The question was: help her with what? Teeth bit into his bottom lip as he contemplated. Something told him this was bad, he knew she'd never text him for help with anything arbitrary. Call it instinct, but he felt more secure to bring something with. Thankfully Camellia felt it prudent to gift him with some weapons that were more covert.

Surprising enough, he actually hurried to get to Camellia's apartment and once he reached the door, he noticed how it was shoved open wide, damage to the doorknob itself. And the moment that he finally got a chance to peer inside, he noticed someone trying to smash their way in through the bedroom door. The saving grace was whatever Camellia had managed to shove in front of it. Adrenaline could make someone do a lot of crazy things. His heart raced as he fumbled for one of the throwing knives strapped into a thigh holster. And despite the way he tossed it near perfectly, it hardly affected the man who tried to smash his way through. If anything the man ripped it out of his shoulder and dropped it to the ground. Almost as if it had been no more than a wasp's sting.

The next thing Topher knew was that his ears were ringing from a single gunshot. Maybe his body had reacted just in time, but he felt a burning sensation against his right arm. It seemed the bullet had just grazed him. Anything less than that split second reaction would have killed him. Between clenched teeth, he practically hissed out at the man:

"What do you think you're doing?"

This wasn't only directed at the breaking and entering, but the gunshot as well. Did he want to draw in police attention?

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Camellia Lemaitre

Eyes flew wide as he saw Camellia struggle to keep the much larger man restrained. While his good hand remained taut around his arm both from the pain and the way blood dripped down it, his other hand just barely managed to graze his Linoone's pokeball. While the creature attempted to gather context clues to figure out what had happened, time wasn't a luxury they could afford in that moment. Topher gave the creature one simple command: to hunt. Linoone allowed its eyes to fall directly on Baptiste and it soon charged forward to rip into the man. With Camellia holding the man down and Topher's Linoone ripping into him, there wasn't much Baptiste could do.

A tear in the leg ripped and tore tendons that would be no simple task to repair. Upon closer inspection, the Linoone wasn't simply attacking the man, but it had begun to devour. A gluttonous creature by right, the Linoone attempted to get its fill of the man behind Moulin Sang. Topher didn't know the man's alliance, nor did he know his purpose for going after Camellia -- all he could think is that the man was a jilted lover. But the moment that threats came into play, he knew it best to try and fix the situation, and that meant disposal of any loose ends.

Alas there wasn't much Topher could do when Baptiste finally fought back. Both Linoone and Camellia flew in opposite directions, Baptiste much more focused on the latter of the two. Thick fingers curled tight around Camellia's throat as the palm pressed forward almost in a manner to crush her windpipe. But he wasn't a stupid man, the way his leg had begun to bleed out from the Linoone's feast was evident and time was of the essence. He laughed before he pressed his lips to Camellia's temple and let her drop.

"Maybe another time, mon chère."

Smoke flooded the area so that Baptiste could make his escape. Once it cleared, the man was gone and Topher stumbled his way closer to Camellia and leaned down to make sure she hadn't taken any substantial damage. His Linoone simply shook off any damage it had taken and quickly made its way over to the pair, nudging almost pleadingly so at Camellia's hand.

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Camellia Lemaitre

While Topher wanted to sit and comfort Camellia and reassure her that she was fine, he knew that he needed to tend to his own injuries. He brushed a hand against his Linoone and mumbled at it to keep Camellia some company. It quickly plopped itself beside her and nudged its maw into her lap to try and offer her some comfort. Topher himself took to the bathroom to run hot water he could use to clean the blood off of his arm and carefully clean the wound itself before wrapping it. Once he made sure the bandage was secure, Topher returned to Camellia's side and gave her a moment to collect herself before speaking to her after what seemed like forever.

"So, you gonna tell me about that guy or...?"

A direct question for sure, but he had no intention to simply play around. He didn't dare to touch her quite yet, as she no doubt found herself reeling with shock. Obviously the two knew each other quite well, but Cam wasn't pleased one bit to see the man. With a breath out, he allowed his back to relax back against the wall and tilted his head back. He remained quiet for what felt like forever before he looked over at his Linoone and couldn't help but chuckle, namely to himself.

"You owe that guy your thanks, he was the one who insisted we come," he admitted. "I just thought you were fucking with me."

Could she blame him though? Camellia was a skilled enough person on her own accord, she didn't need help. At times she made that rather apparent. His movements were slow and careful, as he knew what shock could do to someone. While he didn't dare touch her, he did allow his hand to rest in the space between them, palm upturned as if he chose to offer his hand out to her. He wanted to show her that he was there for her when she was ready to take the plunge.

"You don't owe me any sort of explanation, but if you want to talk about it, I'm here."

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Camellia Lemaitre

"Don't."

An answer to her attempted apology. He squeezed her hand a bit tighter as if affirming that it was fine. He knew that if anything, he should have been the one apologizing first. She was safe and unharmed, and truthfully that was all that mattered to him. With his left hand occupied as fingers intertwined with one another, he slowly reached up his right hand and used it to push some of her hair out of her face. Crying didn't suit her, she was supposed to be a soldier. But she needed the time to let these emotions out. That was what the two of them had been working on.

"If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I'm sorry for going to extremes and even more so that I refused to see your point."

The thoughts on the matter plagued him. How many times within those two or so weeks had he wanted to text her and tell her that he understood where she was coming from? He'd lost count. If she would have glanced even for a second at their messages, she'd probably see the way a writing bubble popped up occasionally as if he wanted to send her something -- he'd caught himself several times within their separation. Whether it was something that made him think of her or an apology he wanted to say, he always stopped short. But he wanted to reason himself with his own hesitance on the matter.

"I just... I don't want to be hunted for defecting. But we've got each other, right?" He knew there was more to the equation, but he spoke simply of the two of them. "And if it's something you're considering, I..."

It felt foreign for him to say these words, but he couldn't deny the answer he kept coming to as he thought it all over.

"Well, I'll follow you wherever you choose to go, even if that's simply staying put."

He finally took the opportunity to look at her. Topher felt his heart swell as he truly took her in after what felt like ages. He'd missed her, how he missed her.

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Camellia Lemaitre

He couldn't help the smile of relief that came as he heard her words. His thumb grazed over the back of her hand, gentle against her knuckles as he finally tilted his head and caught her lips. There was a gentle nature in his act as eyes fluttered shut for the brief moment he chose to linger. Once he had his fill, that he'd shown her that all was forgiven, he pulled back and let out a more than satisfied sigh. Topher hadn't realized how long he'd wanted to share that brief moment of bliss with her since their brief separation. A mere couple weeks wasn't long, but to someone who had been overexposed in her presence, it felt like a lifetime.

Topher couldn't help but look around at the mess that had been left behind. Her front door was practically destroyed, there was no way she'd be able to keep it shut so much as keep it locked. Bulletholes lodged in the walls that would take more than a simple paintover to fix. His primary focus fell on her bedroom door which was practically splintered. It wasn't a time for laughs, but he couldn't help the chuckle that shook his shoulders.

"I'm only a little disappointed cause I really hoped we'd be the ones to destroy this place," he joked. "But we can look for some place together, yeah? For now, we'll get your things packed up and you can stay with me for a bit until we get things figured out."

There was no way he wanted to let her alone in this condition, and he certainly couldn't see her continuing to stay there of all places. Baptiste knew where she lived, and more importantly knew how to get to her given he'd revealed himself to be someone close to her. Topher couldn't help but sigh as he rested the side of his head on top of her own. They'd both gotten themselves in too deep, and there was no way they were getting out of it. At least they were there together.

But he couldn't let her words simply sit in the air. The kiss might have been sufficient, but she needed reassurance in that moment.

"Even after all of that, I never stopped loving you. I was furious with you, hurt, but I never stopped," he admitted. "The only reason I didn't want to come is that you're Camellia, you never need help. But I'm glad I did because I'd never forgive myself if something happened and I wasn't around."

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Camellia Lemaitre