Night at the Ruxbe-... No. (Closed, Makhai + Jule)

    The Wave's Peak was normally the first place Julian considered going whenever he had some extra time. The atmosphere was always light and the music never stopped, so it was the perfect place to relax and blow off a little steam. But he just wasn't in the mood for crowds tonight, or trying to prove to the club's owner that he wasn't a complete moron when it came to women. Instead, the teen had wandered around San Malarus, deciding to poke around the island he called home.

    After wandering the streets for about an hour and failing to find something that held his interest, Julian almost called off the plan and went back home. If there was nothing fun to do, there wasn't a point staying out, was there? Besides, his basketball practice was rather grueling today, so he'd welcome the few extra hours of sleep. Yeah, sleep sounded good. Sleep was always the best backup plan. Turning on his heel and stuffing his hands into his pockets, the male began trudging back the way he came, only to pause for a second. // ...What's...? // Well, it was music, alright. Classical, from what he could tell. Had this been any other day, Julian just might've continued on his way. But this was the first interesting thing he'd come across all night, and he'd be lying to say his curiosity wasn't roused.

    Following the notes to a cracked open door, he slipped inside the crowded room and found a place at the back wall to stand. From there he had an excellent view of the piano player himself, a guy probably no older than Julian was. This hadn't been what he had in mind when he started out looking for something entertaining, but Julian had to admit it was interesting to watch a live performance. So he stood at the back of the room, smiling lightly as he listened to the melody.

    When the song finally ended, Julian found himself clapping along with everyone else. Making music had never been his forte, but he listened to enough of it to know talent, and it was pretty clear the guy onstage had a lot of it. // Must've been one of those guys who started when they were two or something... // That was the case with most young prodigies, wasn't it? Of course, this pianist might be one of the few who just had a natural gift for the instrument. There wasn't really a sure way to tell.

    Another person took the spotlight soon after the young man left the stage, launching into a completely different sort of piece. The sudden change in music styles--and instruments--made a light headache spring up, causing a slight wince to flash across Julian's face. Alright, it was time to leave. The last thing he needed was a headache on top of exhaustion. Turning to go back the way he'd come, the dark-haired teen froze in place, shoulders slumping at the sight. Geez, where had this group of people come from? They were completely blocking the entrance! For a moment, Julian considered shoving people aside in order to get out, but thought better of it. People could be kind of touchy and angry at being told to move, and the last thing he needed was to get in a fight. Better to just wait for the crowd to go away and then slip out later.

    Shuffling over to a less crowded area on the side of the room, Julian leaned against the wall with hands in his pockets. The sound wasn't quite as loud over here, so that was a bonus. And the guy who was onstage not even a minute ago was here too, apparently wrapped up in his own thoughts. // Should I say something...?// Conversation was usually a good time killer. Besides, what else was there to do while he waited for the crowd to thin out? Turning his head to the pianist and smiling lightly, Julian called out loud enough to be heard over the music. "You're pretty good."

    A corner of the teen's mouth twitched upwards in a light grin as the pianist responded. "Wub wub crap," huh? Heh, he'd never actually heard dubstep called that before. Actually, he'd never heard people call rap "poetry and loud bass" either, even though that was what it basically was. He'd have to remember those descriptions for later.

    "Julian." he offered in response to the guy's question. This time, his smile came out in full. Smiles were usually good for first impressions, right? At least, that's what he'd gone to believe. "And you're...?"

    "Michael it is then." That seemed like a safe bet. If people aren't really fond of nicknames, using their full, given name was usually the best option.

    The friendly grin was twisted into a wry smirk at Michael's observation. "Good guess." Julian turned his head back to the stage, watching someone try and play a clunky version of some popular song. Now there one person who could rival his own ineptness at music. "Sadly, I don't think either of us will be leaving for a while. Everyone's blocked the exit." He spared a glance in that direction, only to let out a light sigh. Yup, the same crowd was still bunched around the door, cutting off any chance of leaving any time soon.

    // Glad to see I'm not the only one annoyed. // Although, who wouldn't be annoyed at getting stuck in a place they wanted to leave? A certain redhead flashed through the teen's mind, causing the corner of his mouth to quirk upwards. Oh, yeah. Maybe that guy.

    Hm? Drinks? ...How old was this guy? If he was twenty-one, that'd be a shock. Julian himself wasn't even legal. Was this gonna be an issue? Ah, he'd just get water, anyways. Did it really matter then? "Thanks." Julian trailed after Michael for a second before weaving in front of him, taking the lead towards the bar counter. People stepped out of his way as he pushed through, taking wider steps back in order to avoid being hit by the bulky case the other male was carrying. Julian couldn't blame them; getting smacked with that would probably hurt. Finally arriving at the bar counter, Julian took a seat on one of the stools, looking up at his companion as he waited for Michael to do the same.

    Ah, so this guy was the same as him, huh? Julian smiled lightly at Michael's words before gesturing to the employee behind the counter that he'd like the same thing as his companion. Water was always the best drink; it didn't have all the sugar and crap that wreaked havoc on your body like sodas did.

    Turning his head to look at the guy next to him, Julian smiled faintly before speaking. "I've seen you at Zela Academy. Since we share the same classes, I'd assume you're a senior like me, right?"

    "'Least you're honest." A quiet chuckle accompanied the teen's words. He hadn't expected Michael to remember him anyways. Because he'd transferred in from another school, Zela Academy had done its best to fit his graduation requirements. In other words, Julian didn't even get assigned a class; instead, he was just plonked into a variety of courses. Not exactly his idea of a great senior year, but at least he had some diversity going on.

    The person behind the counter brought over their drinks, setting them down with a clink in front of the two. Giving a short nod in thanks, the dark-haired boy picked up his glass and took a sip as Michael mentioned the club he was in. "Yours too?" He lowered the glass, shaking his head lightly. "I'm in a few clubs too,  but the attendance is so low it's a wonder the program's still around." And here he'd thought that kids just weren't interested in basketball or chess these days.