[center][b]Lucina Cobbs / Akira Takizawa[/b][/center]

As the motorcycle pulled up into Luci's tiny apartment complex, she got off the back of the bike and rubbed her sore back. She reached into her bag and fumbled around for her key chain. Akira turned off the motor and sighed as he got off the vehicle as well, running a hand through his dark hair looking around at the very under developed area Luci had guided him too. 

 Luci looked towards the apartment they had parked in front of, which was her landlords and she was happy that the lights were off. "Come on up for a minute?" She didn't have time to wait for a response because a light turned on in the landlords home causing Luci's eyes to widen as she grabbed for Akira's hand and quickly pulled him up the long flight of stairs to her place, apartment 203. Luci turned the key in the door and ushered him inside, locking it as soon as the door was shut. She glanced at Akira before looking down in shame, "I-I'm a little behind in rent. Yakuza don't pay indentured servants well." 

Akira looked straight at Luci beneath the darkness as he leaned on her front door with a perplexed look. He felt bad for her situation, but pretended to ignore her comment about the rent. "Why did you bring me inside?" He said blankly.

"You don't want to meet my landlord. He's what you would think about if you imagined tv landlords, all mean, old and fat. Bald too its kinda funny..." She laughed a little before looking away awkwardly. She forgot for a moment that she and him had a huge argument and she berated him for every little thing possible. 

Luci reached over behind Akira and flipped on the light to her tiny apartment. It was barley 2 rooms with her living area space consisting of a small lopsided sofa and stained coffee table which was connected to a small kitchen with just a fridge,stove and sink. She placed her keys on a counter and shrugged off her jacket and ruined shirt leaving her in a small tank top. She looked at Akira straight in the eye before grasping his shoulders pulling him into a tight hug, "I'm sorry. For what I said. I didn't mean it....I just couldn't deal with everything...i'm so sorry."

"Oh,"

Akira stood still, doing nothing to reject Luci's hug. For a brief moment he was even more confused but that faded away, he was happy she was apologizing. He didn't want to awkwardly pretend the yelling and what not earlier hadn't happened and was glad to wrap his arms around her, although you couldn't see it on his still blank face. "It's okay, I get it." he said quietly. Whilst hugging Luci Akira observed the tiny apartment, and once again felt pity for the girl. She seemed to live alone, which was interesting. From the state of her apartment and comment about rent earlier, he quickly came to the assumption that she was in debt to the Yakuza. 

In debt to him.

He released Luci and looked away, ignoring the truth before him. "Was that all you wanted to say?"

"Ya. I think so, I just hope you don't harbor any anger towards me. It seems like I got all of my emotions out on you and i'm a lot better now. So thanks." She stepped back and looked around before feeling very weird and needing something to do. "I have some tequila...i'm going to have some." She went to her freezer and pulled out the half empty bottle, "Can you actually believe I used to be wealthy? My aunt who lived with my dad used to have dozens of aged liquors in our bar area and gave me my first shot when I was ten." 

 She pulled out two shot glasses and placed them on the counter separating her and Akira pouring some in her own glass and downing it quickly before going for another, "Help yourself." 

"Heh, I actually don't drink," he said, mustering a smile. Akira approached Luci, leaning on the counter, opposite from her and watched as she downed another shot. "Do you still want to write a contract?" The words felt bitter coming from his mouth, but he didn't want it to seem like he was avoiding the subject. 

"How can you not drink.." The question was more like a statement but still she was in pure wonderment. She didn't want to bring up the Mafia steryotype she was thinking of and just downed the next shot. She could go up to five before she began slurring but she didn't want to risk being drunk around Akira. She might not do right things. "Right the contract. Well I need to get out of debt with the Yakuza so hell yes." She reached into a drawer and pulled out a notepad and a pen. "My father owes your father three million dollars just for clarity reasons.." She said as she looked down into the empty shot glass in shame. 

"Clarity?" he said confused, unfazed by the amount. "What do you mean? My father doesn't give out loans." Three million dollars is such a large amount. "Why did your dad borrow so much money?"

 "Well aparently he does. He and my father worked together longer than both of us have been alive, and my father saved his life a few times so he gave him a loan. Not to mention a very generious salary." This was the part that saddened her the most, "Um...my father invested all that money and his own savings in starting his own hospital. He took in basket cases, patients no one wanted to treat, did many surgeries probono. He wanted to save the lives of the innocent and poor. The people who didn't matter. Was what he always said." Luci smirked and poured herself a third shot. "But he didn't know how to run a business and soon it went belly up in debt and your dad took it as collateral." 

 Akira looked away once more, unable to look Luci in the eye. He knew who her father was. "Dr. Cobbs" he muttered under his breath. He has distorted memories of meeting the young doctor several times as a child. Kaito called him a good man on more than one occasion. Akira's fists clenched at the thought of his own father, who claimed Luci's dad was a good man, is now holding him against a measly debt. "I don't think I have the authority to make this contract," he looked at Luci once more, unsure how the situation was going to play out. "I can't tell my dad what I had you doing today. I can't tell anybody. If we're going to do this, we need an excuse,"

 As Akira stared at Luci he suddenly realized she was the only one that knew of his interest in Operation Freedom. She was the only one he could talk to about it all, and the only one that could help. He had yet to even explain why he was looking into a terrorist organization. Thinking of it all made Akira appreciate Luci even more, but this whole cliche attempt at trying to fight terrorists was stupid and only got her kidnapped, along with who knows what else.

 Then again, working for the Yakuza was just as stupid.

 "I think we should just....forget about this," Akira spoke in a defeated tone.

Luci didn't look at Akira. She picked up the shot glass and knocked it back, slamming the glass down on the counter, "I think you might want to rethink my offer of a drink." She swallowed then looked back at him, "You said before you could do it. Now you’re saying you can't. After all I did, you did too, and nothing can be done?" 

 She rubbed her face with both of her hands, "You didn't see my father there. He may be stupid sometimes but no one deserves the things they make him do. He may be treated like a king there but he has to save near death people and then sometimes kill them...with all sorts of drugs." Luci could not believe this, she felt in complete despair and hopelessness like she did as she walked out that door this morning. "What the hell am I supposed to do then?" 

Akira ignored her comment about the drink, looking down and staring at the counter he kept quiet in thought. "I just don't want to get you killed," he said blankly. "And I don't want to bring shame to my family. But something needs to be done. This city is going to destroy itself. That's why I want to join Operation Freedom. I feel so helpless by myself but among their ranks, I don't know. Maybe i'll actually be able to do some damage y'know." 

He locked eyes with Luci's shot glass, actually contemplating having a drink, but brushed it off. He stood up from the counter and looked to Luci with a somewhat determined look on his face. "You'll get your money, but this is going to take time. Leave it to me." 

With that, he showed himself out the door and into the night of Chicago.

Luci stood there for a while after Akira left. Staring at the empty shot glass, she was tempted to just drown herself in liquor and forget who she was for the next few hours and have a hangover to distract her with tomorrow. Anything to forget him...even though she didn't want to forget him, she just...wanted to be near him. Luci couldn't explain the drive she felt to run out that door and follow him. Nor did she really want an explanation. 

 She picked up the shot glass and hopped onto her counter staring off into space as she fiddled with it in her hand. He was right, Chicago was falling apart at the seams, and it had been for a while. She had only lived here for a year when she was ten, but she remembered it all vividly, the crime, the anguish, how her teachers and adults spoke about sups, Halflings, even the human population itself. It had all started here and now it was spreading throughout America. Next it'll be the world, in complete turmoil and chaos. 

Akira was talking about change. Doing something radical to make a semblance of a difference. Luci wanted things to be different. She dropped the shot glass onto the floor ignoring the glass shattering as she ran out the door freezing as she saw Akira's back to her heading down the stairs, she opened her mouth but no words came out at first. She found her voice and uttered out her thoughts,

 "I-I want things to be different. I want to be able to walk down the street and be proud of who I am and not have to have my head down and my guard up because people hate what I am. I don't want to have to pick sides, I want a foot in each world and to be able to say that I am a Halfling to all I know; I want all Halflings to be proud. I want Illinois to rejoin the United States and have jobs specifically made for Supernatural beings...I want to meet my mother and not have her fear for my life of what her people would do if they found out about me. Tell me how I can do that?" 

Gripping the railing of the staircase, Akira stood in silence as Luci began to speak. On the inside he was beyond happy to hear her words and was glad he had bumped into someone like her. What were the odds? On the outside though, he kept quiet, his face blank. His lips curved into a light smile as he turned around looking up to the girl. "I can't tell you how to do that. Something like that should be up to you," 

 He wasn't sure if his initiative to join Operation Freedom is what inspired these thoughts or she had already felt like this, either way Akira was happy someone like Luci was on his side. He was overcome with purpose. Still doubtful, but full of ambition. "Stick with me. I think together, you and I could do some damage." It was quiet for a brief moment. Akira looked down, hiding the excitement from his face before looking back up to the girl. 

 "Goodnight, Luci" Akira turned back around, continuing down the stairs. 

 A wide smile over came Luci's lips as Akira walked down the steps, "....Night." She whispered as a blush overcame her cheeks.