Pretty Lights (Lorielle/Akuma)

Song (Alive):

'Time for the new one,' Lori thought as she popped up her newest creation. A bit more repetitive and takes a bit to kick up, but she quite enjoyed the main tune she put to carry the song. It would be nice also to get her feedback from the people listening or dancing to it. Watching the events happen at the club was one of the things that brought much joy to her life, and gave her the ability to cut loose and have some fun. Over time, she was getting more comfortable with piling less around her to hide herself from the crowd, but it didn’t matter too much since many of the goers who were enjoying themselves spent their time dancing and flirting, and occasionally applauding to her music, which still puzzled her, but maybe it would help give her a sense of confidence in the future. Now for the moment all she had in front of her was her computer to the side, and a small panel in front of her that gave access to different lights and spotlights she could control with easily given any flick of the switch or a press of a button.  It was her first time using it, and her boss had just let her figure use it for a night after going through mandatory training for it. The thought almost made her laugh as the music went on. ‘Training to flick switches. I know it is important, still funny,’ she thought.

Playing the orange and white lights, they would practically glide across the dance floor, Lorielle actually doing fairly well at making it work and look pretty stylish. As the song went, she would move to the beat herself, trying to get into it as the song went on. It would soon end, and Lorielle would not pay too much attention as to whether they clapped or not, as it seemed a bit louder tonight than usual. She would be walking down the steps of the stage for her half-hour to possibly an hour break if she wanted to, and would have a small set of various songs from different bands play. Something to occupy the dancers as she went to go get a drink. For all the work she got, she could pay for drinks, but luckily being a DJ here had its privileges, and she could even get free drinks for others so long as they were not alcoholic. Not that she would try, but she might if she really asked the waitress or bartender. But instead, she ordered a ginger ale with cherry syrup; a “Shirley Temple” as pop culture remembers. She would pull out the straw she was given and take a hearty gulp, and let out a small sigh of contentment. This really was going to be a fun night, and she was going to enjoy herself for once. “Delicious,” she said aloud.

‘Hmm, so, this goes here...and that...hmmm..‘, Akuma’s thought processes trailed around absentmindedly, as he maneuvered between the swarms of people currently crammed in the club. It was one of the more busy nights, and he found himself running around and taking orders without a single break for the last hour or so. To be honest, he didn’t even manage to take note of the exact time that had passed, that was how workloaded he was. It came with the job, so he knew that there was no point in complaining, unless he would want a long lecture from the boss. And as tempting as it sounded, this once he decided against. Normally, he would have done so if only to see the boss sputtering at him, and to find out just how many shades of red could his face turn when assaulted with a neverending speech. But , even though he usually listened only on the surface, letting it in and instantly out, he did catch the part of possibly being fired if he kept up with the annoying antics. Akuma kind of liked this job, as it often gave him the possibility to chat with the customers about random stuff, so in this case, the risk wasn’t really worth the gain. How sad. He would love to give it another go. ‘That’s just how it goes, no?‘, he thought to himself, after successfully speeding through the pile of orders he had, catching a small break to actually look around.

He had to admit that the club was actually pretty good at what it did. Or maybe, it was more like they had competent employees, as he wouldn’t put it past the higher ups to suck. Nowadays it was a common occurence. Balancing the empty tray on one of his fingers, his gaze flickered around the dancefloor, taking totally random notes on people’s dancing skills. The music currently playing was nice too, and as per usual, he managed to zone off, forgetting that there was still some work to be done, no matter how fast he had been doing it earlier. Thankfully, the clapping that sounded after the song was finished popped him out of his imaginary bubble, and seeing the amount of people once again, he trotted off, giving one last vague glance to the dancing stage, his mind already wondering about the irony of serving alcoholic drinks, when he himself shouldn’t be drinking any. Sometimes, things didn’t make any sense.

With that as the last thought in his mind, he rearranged his clothes a little, about to go off gather some more orders when he heard a voice nearby. Always being the one to get distracted by somehing, he obviously threw a glance in said direction, and his eyes fell on a blonde female seemingly enjoying her drink. ‘Let’s see...‘, he stared at her for a while, knowing that it would be wiser to keep working, rather than going about and striking conversations, but in all honesty he rarely got to do that outside of his work time anyway. School and other places usually made him loose attention quickly, and he ended up talking more with himself in his head than with someone else. Besides, what was the chance he would get caught? And it wasn’t like he was the only one working here, so be it. ‘‘Is it that good? I might have to try one myself sometime.‘‘, he said in an interested tone as he came closer to her, totally about to ditch work. He could use a break anyway.

Lorielle had taken another smaller sip, this time to savor the drink a bit more, when she heard a voice to her left, and caught sight of a man, a bit taller than her. His hair had a seemingly mellow shade of blue, and his eyes of a similar color. He was rather skinny, practically as skinny as she was, and was wearing a bit of fancy clothing for someone who was holding a serving platter. ‘Oh? So he works here? How did I not notice him before?’ she thought. The man was rather attractive, and that was hard to achieve for Lorielle. She was not particularly hard to impress, she just doesn’t tend to find people attractive, and it was a first to see a man or in rare cases, a woman she found good looking. Nonetheless, she would give him a smile. “A Shirley Temple. It’s ginger ale and cherry syrup. It’s a classic. Want some?” she would offer, putting the cup on the table and inching it a bit for him as he joined her so he could try it if he so wanted. It was a very sweet and enjoyable drink, how could anyone not try it? If not, she would nod. “Suit yourself. It’s pretty good,” she would say with a smile.

As the music changed, Lorielle would snap her fingers lightly to the dance music that played. It was a nice tune, and it she could not help herself but to try and get into it. She would pluck the cherry from the drink and bite it from the stem. Luckily, she had asked for an extra cherry, since she never gets enough. Maybe that will come in handy if this man wanted it. “I wonder how many people think that tying a cherry string using your tongue is a useful skill?” she said, laughing a bit. She knew why people thought it was useful, but how many people knew and thought why it was. She wondered if he knew, but would not prompt him to answer. Instead, she would just sit back against the table, facing the dance floor. When the next song changed, she started to snap her fingers lightly. The song was catchy and she could not help but try to get into it. “So you work here I imagine? I work on the stage so I might have not seen you, even if we worked on the same days. Did you start recently?” she would ask. She could have easily missed him. She had to focus on the stage and the dance floor, leaving her oblivious to the working employees unless they directly came up to speak to her or they signaled her through her phone.

Nonetheless, it seemed like he was taking it easy, and Lorielle might as well. Tonight was going to be a short work night, and she was probably leaving after about an hour after getting back to work. “My name is Lorielle by the way, what’s up?” she would ask, holding her left hand open and out to offer a handshake.

It was slightly surprising that the female was so outgoing from the start. If Akuma was to sum it up, such a thing was quite rare. Or maybe he just had the luck of picking more reserved people to talk to. That didn't seem to be the case this time, as she almost immediately offered him her drink, as if it was a completely normal action to take when meeting a practical stranger. Perhaps, she was just really friendly, but either way, he was pretty sure that he'd never understand the way certain humans clicked. It never ceased to be entertaining to see just how different each and every person was. Up until now, he wouldn't even have guessed that someone would just take it in stride like this. ''Ah, I believe I've seen it before. Watching the bartenders mix drinks makes for an interesting past time activity when there's not much to do.'', he said with a thoughtful smile, his gaze on the offered drink, as if examining it. He did not mull it over for very long before accepting the offer though. ''Very well, if you say so. I suppose you don't mind then?'', he sort of asked, the question not really serious, as she most likely wouldn't have offered if she wasn't okay with it. He took a small sip before setting it back down. The taste was nice enough, a little sweeter than he was used to, but he could label it enjoyable. ''Not bad, maybe I really should start trying these out. Time often goes by too quickly though.'', he mused aloud. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea.

He was thinking to himself for a while, and didn't really notice the music change, only turning his gaze back towards the female when she asked about cherry stems. An interesting topic, per se, no matter how she popped it out of the blue. ''Hm, I bet there would be a lot.'', he smiled slightly,''I suppose it is believed it can be helpful for certain things, although, how they came down to that often escapes me. People have strange ways of thinking. But, if they can perfect their other skills with that, then I'd say it is a good thing, even if it seems silly, no?'' It really was strange in a way. This time, he took notice that she seemed into the song that was playing, and was thinking of saying something, but she beat him to it as she asked about work. ''Yes, so I do. I suppose it was recently, I didn't partcularly count the time that has passed. So, you're the one that's been playing the music before? If so, you're pretty good. I admit I liked it quite a bit.'', he said as he followed suit, leaning against the table too. This was kind of nice. She made for a good talk, and he liked that. Maybe it was the novelty as well, as he didn't approach girls very often. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing.

He turned to face her when she made the little introduction, a little unsure how to handle the handshake. He had nothing against it, it was just hard to decide whether he should keep his gloves on for that or not. In the end, he let it be as it was, if only for the fact that it would be sort of awkward to start pulling them off like that. He was not that dumb. So, he accepted, shaking her hand lightly. ''It's nice to meet you Lorielle.'', he said with a light tone and a nod of his head,''My name is Akuma.'' After that he leaned back against the table, taking a moment to ponder over the 'what's up' part. ''I suppose not much has been going on, unless you would count being squished between hordes of customers for a good hour straight something worth a notice.'', he finally said, a hint of an amused smile playing at his lips. ''Was worktime better for you?'', he asked then, figuring he'd let her have an input too, as he had been talking a lot already. Not that he would ever get tired of that, proved that he had a good opportunity.

Lorielle gave a smile at the boy. ‘Is he that bored to watch drinks? Maybe I should help him with something,’ she thought. Nonetheless, he maintained a rather interested gaze at the drink before asking her if it was alright. “Go for it, I didn’t drug it. I work here,” she said giving a laugh. The place was a bit loud tonight, so he would probably hear it only. That would be a bit funny if someone heard her and thought it was her intention. Maybe it should have worried her, but she was having too much of a good time to worry about petty things like that. Liking the drink, he would speak casually about life being too fast, which did catch her for a moment. For all the fun she was having, it posed her some thought. ‘Yeah…..if only life could be preserved….’ She thought. She had her power, and some allies. But she had little information about what this was all about as it is. And recently, the Shadows she was fighting against had escaped into their world, and no one was aware of it except her, her friends, and possible spies that she thought were there. Was there any way to end it and find a way to find a world of preservation? Or was it just better to find a world based on your own desires and anyone you care about? This man had made her think a lot about this, and she had just met him. ‘What an odd man…’ she thought.

He did give a roundabout answer to her question concerning the cherry strings, but it was alright with her. “Yeah,” she would respond. She wondered if he knew the actual skill. She better not tell him, lest it come off as a flirt.

When he complimented her music, Lorielle gave a half-grin. “Thanks, but I didn’t like it. Not particularly proud of that one, but I had to see if anyone gave it a care,” she said. It was true; Lorielle was a bit embarrassed of it and worried that some may dislike it. But it seemed to give her comfort either way if she got one person to like it. It just gave her that much more drive to keep trying to make music that sounds better. He seemed to be getting a bit more comfortable as he sat down, and even took her hand to shake it. “Likewise Akuma,” Lorielle said back. “But yeah, work was just fine for me. I get decent enough breaks and get to jam to some music. So I am alright. How about you?” she would ask, before finishing her drink, and turning to the bartender. “Can you make two this time? One for me and Akuma?” The bartender would nod and attend to his drinks, which took less than thirty seconds to prepare, complete with a cherry for each. The bartender would hand one to Lorielle and Akuma. “Thanks!” she would say to them before taking a sip.

Akuma had briefly wondered just how would working here justify not drugging a drink before he had taken a sip, but he hadn’t been bothered much. She could have, but he almost always took a risk when there was one, so it didn’t strike him as a much of a deal. If she had done so, he would have had to admit that he didn’t expect that out of her. He only gave her a short look before trying it. ‘Hmm, there are many ways of being funny, that’s for sure.‘, he thought randomly, after sort of making sure that she really didn’t do it, although he did not drink it for that reason initially. Well, she certainly knew how to entertain one’s mind, that he could assume. He would guess that her friends were rarely bored when she was around.

‘‘Hmm, yes. Although, I haven’t yet met many people who actually can do so. Which should then mean that they are poor in some other skills as well. Makes me wonder if the assumptions actually have something in them. Not that I go around testing people for that. That would just be awkward.‘‘, he said, returning to the cherry conversation for a bit. For some reason, he found it very interesting to talk about. ‘‘So, can you do it? And I mean with the cherries, not other stuff.‘‘, he asked with a short laugh. The last thing he wanted was for her to assume things, so he elaborated on what he meant. Although, it would have been kind of funny.

‘‘Really? I still think it was pretty good. Then again, I might just not have the talent of picking up good music, who knows? But, it’s still a piece of art in its own way, so no mater the actual quality, it’s worth a compliment.‘‘, he said, tapping a finger on his chin in thought. Strange, he had never really given music a deeper contemplation, and yet, he kept hearing it often as he worked here. He actually found that fact unusual, as he tended to ponder over almost everything when given the chance. When she returned the pleasantries after their introduction, he nodded slightly. She had an interesting name. Lorielle, huh? He never heard that one before. It was nice nonetheless. It made him wonder where she came from.

Lori’s work day apparently went well, which was probably a good thing, as the crowdy club was often full of surprises. ‘‘Was pretty good too. Had to rush a bit though. There’s a lot of people tonight, so I had been running around for the last hour. It made for a nice workout, I guess. Then again, this kind of work often ends up that way. Maybe, you have it a bit easier as you can sit back when you play music. Not that I’m complaining.‘‘, he said, making a bit of a monologue, but that was so normal for him, he didn’t even realize that he was starting to drone on. It was one of the shorter ones this once.‘‘Ah, thanks. You didn’t have to though.‘‘, he thanked Lori as he took the drink she ordered for him. Hm, she was really being nice. It was quite the change. Akuma wasn’t used to people being that friendly with him, but he wasn’t about to go and jinx it. ‘‘How long is your break time anyway? I wouldn’t want to take too much of your time.‘‘, he said after taking a brief taste of his drink. He really didn’t want to bother her too much, at least as a thanks for being nice to him.

This man certainly knew how to answer a question in the longest way possible. It was kind of cute the way he was not self-aware. “It would still be funny. Time them as well,” she said, laughing a bit. Though when he asked if she could do it, Lorielle actually gave a pause. In truth, she did not know, and even if she could, she did not remember. So all she was able to do in that moment is take a brief moment to pause, obviously indicating she was trying to remember, or couldn’t. Either way, she had her ways to prove it. She would pluck the cherry from her drink, and bite the cherry off, eating the cherry once he was done laughing. “I better find out first,” she said before putting the stem in her mouth, and tried to move her tongue and teeth around to tie it in a knot. ‘Too hard to do this….’ She thought. The struggle would be able to be seen plain on her face as her eyes would either move towards her nose, or to her sides as her head would tilt, trying to tie it up. After a bit she thought she finally had it, and pulled it from her mouth, only to find the stem bent a little. She gave a sigh. “I guess I am not a good kisser,” she said. Though what she said made her laugh a bit. She got over it a bit easily. Or she just laughed at things easier.

If anything, the man knew how to turn a compliment around and have it work. It was not too often she would get a personal compliment on her music apart from her friends, so that was something. “Well thank you. Remind me to get you on stage at some point and teach you a thing or two,” she said with an eager gleam in her eyes. Performing a duet or a mix with more than one person? That’d be neat.

Her interest was ruined when Akuma seemed to bring up how hectic work tended to be for him. Lorielle would put a hand behind her head and rub it. “Yeah, I admit I have it a lot easier. You guys have to go through way too much to get drinks and food out. Sorry about that,” she said. She would give him a nod and grin when he thanked her for his drink, and think to answer Akuma’s next question. “Still got about a half hour. Or an hour if I really want to. I have plenty of time,” she said. Partially her reason was to explore this area for any signs of Scarlet, or those on that website. Maybe the area they would have to meet is here?

‘‘You’re right, maybe it would be a fun thing to do. Though, it might lead to some disappointment on their part if they fail. Either way it could pose as a good entertainment, if we take it from a certain angle.’’, Akuma pondered aloud as Lori suggested challenging people and timing their attempts. Whether she meant it as a joke or not, it made for an intriguing prospect. He might try to remember that for a future reference. So long as his wandering mind won’t leave it in the dust before he’d be able to make good on it. When Lori halted after he asked her if she was capable of doing it herself, he simply waited, looking at her thoughtfully. He had time, if she needed to prepare for an answer. It could be a little awkward for her, as far as he knew.

He smiled lightly, when she actually decided to try it out, rather than just say something. She seemed to have trouble with it, scrunching her face and trying hard. Well, it isn’t an easy feat to accomplish. And, unfortunately she ended up failing to. ‘’Depends. It doesn’t have to mean so. After all, it wasn’t proved that there really is a correlation. Unless you do really think you suck.’’, he said, keeping a light tone, after she proclaimed that she probably wasn’t good at kissing. To be honest, it might help to be able to tie the stems up, but he didn’t really thing that the opposite meant being a bad kisser. If such was true, then too many people would be horrible at it. And he doubted that was the case. Even if, she seemed to be taking that with humor.

‘’You’re very much welcome. I’d take you up on that offer, if I’ll have enough free time. Although, I can’t guarantee I’d be of much use. Never done anything music related before. Well, there’s a first time for everything, I guess. Hopefully, I won’t be trouble for you.’’, he said, tapping his fingers against the table. That certainly would be a new experience, which he wouldn’t mind. Diving headfirst into new stuff was his specialty. So, if she seemed willing to go through a possible hassle, he’d gladly try it out. When she sort of apologized for the fact that she had less hectic work than he did, he tilted his head slightly. ‘’Perhaps so. I don’t particularly mind though. If I’d been opposed to running around like a dog, I wouldn’t have taken this job in the first place. Besides, it’s not always that bad. I do get to kick back once in a while. Happens randomly though, so can’t plan for it, which is the only setback.’’, he said, shrugging it off. As much as he’d love to go out of the line, work was work, and he hasn’t figured out a plausible scheme for that yet. It wasn’t bad either. There were more tiring jobs out there, so he wasn’t bad off. ‘’Ah, alright. I suppose I’m not wasting your time then. Would be rude of me to do so.’’, he said, swirling the cherry around in his drink meanwhile. It was rare for him to meet such nice company, and he felt like trying to stay on Lori’s good side for as long as he could, or unless something else intervened in the process and distracted him for the goal.

“Hm….Speaking of competitions, there should be small ones here.  I wonder what can be thought up?” she said. They had traditional night where they had standard dancing and old music, and that was when very few people came so it made for a slow night. Maybe a competition with the music or lights? Kinda like how Lorielle first started to work here. Maybe she should ask her boss about this. It may liven up the club more than it already is and give more things to be a part of. But would it just be ignored by the goers who just want to dance? She had to consider that. Failing the cherry stem  tie made her think. “Up to now I thought it was just a correlation. Obviously the kissing has to do with the tongue in this case,” she said laughing. “Okay, so maybe they don’t relate. Wonder how that got started off,” she said.  Taking another sip of her drink, and taking a look out onto the dance floor. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves just fine. For Lorielle, sometimes relaxing was a good way to enjoy yourself. A couple friends; one in particular was teaching her that little by little.

She would turn back to him and clap her hands together when he agreed to help her at one point.  “Great! Just gotta get that singing voice ready. I’ll have to do the rest. One other guy here actually helped me with a song. That would be fun,” she said, growing rather eager at the thought. She knew nothing of what he could do, and something like this only made her even more excited. She was really remembering what was fun in her life.

She made a content sigh and leaned back even more on the table. “If you are sure…But yeah, I guess you wouldn’t have would you?” she said. But if breaks are as random as they are, maybe he doesn’t get much time in them. “Maybe in the future, you will have a more set schedule. Or if you are free all the time like I am, maybe they will eventually get you into set times,” she said. That was slowly happening for Lorielle actually. She was still sometimes getting called at random on days she may have off to come in, but that was happening less as her schedule for each week was starting to change a little less each week. When he mentioned taking her time, she waved it off with a smile like it was no big deal. “No worries. I mean, I might leave in a bit just to roam around for the rest of the break, but I still have plenty of time. I appreciate it though,” she said turning to him with a smile. Sometimes she wished she didn’t have scarlet eyes, as it may not even be noticeable in the lights of the club.

Akuma tilted his head to the side a little when Lori brought up the possibility of holding competitions in the club. ‘‘I’m sure there’s a lot of things that could be done, but it would depend whether the visitors would be interested in such activities. Maybe it would be a good thing to make a sort of a poll or something?  You know, to see if there’s any interest, before making anything up. It would be a waste if there was work put into it and it would end up being of no actual use.‘‘, he said casually. Extra entertainment was never a bad thought, but it would only work if someone was willing to participate in it. That much he could tell. Perhaps Lori could make something that would grab enough of an attention though. He wouldn’t put it past her.

He smiled slightly in amusement when she laughed at her own failed attempt to tie the cherry stem. ‘‘I’d guess it does, but I think it would require more skill to tie the stem up than to actually perform a good kiss. I doubt you would need to maneuver that much in case of the real thing.‘‘, he chuckled lightly, before taking some time to sip from his drink as she turned her gaze towards the dance floor. When she suddenly turned back and clapped her hands in excitement, he barely avoided jumping up and possibly spilling his drink in surprise. That was unexpected. He blinked at her a little, trying to refocus on what she was saying. ‘‘Sing? Ah, well, why not? Although I can’t say how that will end up. But it would be fun indeed.‘‘, he said after he processed what she said thoroughly. Hopefully, i fit came to that, he wouldn’t embarrass himself too much. He had no idea if he could sing, so he would be taking a gamble on this one. But what would a life without a little risk be?

‘‘Hmm, right. Maybe I will. I guess it would depend on school though, as I am free aside from that. I don’t mind the hectic work though. It at least keeps me from getting bored.‘‘, he mused, when Lori commented on work time. He honestly didn’t really care that much. As long as he managed at least a little bit of free time, it was okay for him. There were much bigger things to worry about than that. ‘‘Mhm, okay then. I was just making sure.‘‘, he said absentmindedly, swirling the remainder of his drink in the glass, as she reassured him that she was fine with her time being invaded. His mind was wandering a little bit again, and he gazed thoughfully into his glass for a few moments, not really paying much attention.

She scrunched her lips together and nodded lightly. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Oh well, we still have this now. And DJ night sometimes. I’ll think of something,” she said. Akuma seemed to talk of kissing like it was a hard process. Then again, it had been a long time since she actually kissed someone, maybe he was right. “Remind me to kiss you later to check. I will have to make sure you are right on that one,” she said. If Akuma was any taken aback by her obvious flirt, Lorielle would laugh. “Oh it was a joke. I like to think I’m not that easy,” she would say with a smile. But when he soon agreed to the singing, Lorielle would be much more focused on that. “Good! My house has a small little booth I fashioned up for this kind of thing. Just let me know when you have time. You will obviously take credit for the song,” she said. Actually, Lorielle never took credit for any song that someone helped her make. She always gave credit to the ones who helped. If she made them on her own then yes she would put her name on it, but if someone were to sing and help her make her song, then they deserved perhaps more than she did.

She was interested when the man did not seem to have much to do outside of school and work. Granted Lorielle was practically on her own investigation, something that is not normal, it just made her realize how unfair it was to grow up. Innocence and no responsibilities were truly the greatest times of anyone’s life. “That’s a shame. We need to find something for you to do. Life has way to much of the same thing, you gotta have some fun right?” she said. ‘Did I just contradict my own beliefs?’ she thought. What a weird personality Lorielle had. Regardless, Akuma seemed a bit zoning out when he spoke again after making sure coming to talk to her was alright. “You alright?” she would ask. Maybe he was getting bored. On the other hand, maybe it was a good time in about five minutes or so to stop ad take one more survey of the club before break was over. She had to check and see if Lady Scarlet was here. She doubted it, but it could never hurt to check.

‘‘Well, I’m sure you can think of something good. Just take your time and don’t rush it, and it’ll be fine.‘‘, he said, looking out at the dance floor thoughtfully. There surely was something that people would like to participate in, and perhaps Lori could figure that out if she gave it some thought Nowadays many people had similar interests, so it shouldn’t really be that hard. She seemed creative enough with her music and that indicated that she should be able to handle this if she gave it a piece of mind. He almost didn’t react at first when she jokingly stated that she should kiss him sometime, as his mind was still somewhat on the previous subject. It took him a little while till it hit him what she was saying. ‘Quite bold she is, hm?’, he thought fleetingly, as he gazed at her, a little amused by the absurdity of this situation. Lori was a nice girl and he almost felt disappointed that this wouldn’t end up going anywhere, even if. Hopefully she would take it with grace if she turned out to be actually interested. ‘’I think I wouldn’t mind though,’’ he said with a light laugh, ‘’As I don’t think it would lead anywhere, either way. Not that you aren’t nice.’’

It was almost adorable how enthusiastic she was about the song. Now he would only have to hope he didn’t suck at singing, as he had already pretty much agreed. Well, she said she had equipment at her house, so he probably wouldn’t have to embarrass himself in front of people, if he found out his skills weren’t exactly up to par. ‘’Mhm, I should be free most afternoons, I guess, unless I have a long school day. Work is mostly in the evenings, if I have it. I’m surprised you’re so quick in inviting me to your house though. Do you often call people you just met over, or should I feel special?’', he asked, with a hint of curiosity in his voice. This was unusual for him after all. When she mentioned finding something to do, Akuma had to mentally agree with her. It was something he would gladly go along with. He was aware that he needed more activities, he just tended to get distracted every time he went for something. Perhaps it would help if he had someone along with him to snap him out of it if needed. ‘’Yeah, you’re right. I should definitely go out and find something interesting to engage in. Just haven’t found anything that would hold my attention long enough yet. Lady luck is probably not on my side right now.’’, he shrugged lightly, with a smile. He knew it was a weakness of his though. Always daydreaming and thinking about something unrelated when he should be paying attention to the task at hand. But, he hadn’t attempted to turn it around yet, as he didn’t find it too troublesome. Besides he doubted he’d be able to give it up. It’s became sort of a habit already.

‘’Hm? Ah, yes. Just got lost in thought a bit. Don’t mind it, happens often to me.’’, he mumbled, tapping a finger on the glass of his drink. It took  him a few moments to realize that Lori had asked him something, and he knew he should have been paying attention. It was so easy to get lost though. He tried to keep focus after that, offering a small apologetic smile.

“Good, that works,” she said. She took a moment to think when he gave his opinion. ‘Wow this guy is dangerous. He is way too easy to have fun around,’ she thought to herself. Lorielle was enjoying herself for just meeting someone. Was it because of the club? It did tend to put her into a happy mode. At the same time, the man himself was pleasant enough, and was not doing anything really. But Lorielle was letting herself get rather easy. It made her a bit hesitant to move forward with anything new. Though he did ask if he was lucky to go to her house, to which Lorielle smiled. “Not many people come. Plus I have weapons if you try anything funny,” she said with a laugh. Though it was no joke. Her polearm was ready to go if need be. Plus she also had her soulbound weapon, which could do even worse. But she didn’t intend to harm the man if she didn’t have to. She wanted at least that much to be clear.

The man still seemed a bit distracted when he responded. Maybe his mind was on other things, as Lorielle’s mind should be. Slowly straightening herself, she would sit up and get off of her chair and look at Akuma. “If you have a phone, I can give you my number unless you just want to meet up at work whenever,” she said. If he agreed, she would tell him while thinking to herself. ‘I don’t have to talk to him all the time. Just a number after all right?’ she would think. She would nod with a grin. “Nice meeting you! Gonna go out to grab a bite before break is over. See ya!” she would say before moving through the crowd and to a corner of the club, hidden away. She would grab a bite indeed, but not until she was finished looking over the area to see anything. But she would end up leaving anyway. Maybe a nice bowl of ramen will take her mind off of things.

((Exit))

Akuma looked at her a bit curiously when she said that she had weapons at home. That was unusual. Well, to each their own, although it was sill strange for a teenager to own weapons. Why would she need that? Aside from defending against creepers maybe. He didn’t feel very worried though, as he wasn’t planning on doing anything ‘funny‘, as she put it. Hopefully. As he didn’t know what would be classified as funny in her case. Guess he’d have to roll with it. Being on the sharp end of a weapon wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. ‘‘Ah, okay. Make sure not to hurt me bad if that happens.‘‘, he said with a chuckle, even though danger shouldn’t really be that amusing. But, why not?

He lifted his head up to look at Lori when she stood up. ‘‘Sure, if you want to. I suppose it would indeed be easier that way.‘‘, he said thoughtfully at Lori’s offer of a phone number, before standing up himself, searching for his phone in his pocket. This was kinda nice. He didn’t really have many numbers saved in his phone right now. Guess a lot of people had problems with the way he was. He wasn’t about to blame them though, even though it was sad. ‘‘Nice meeting you too. See you later sometimes.‘‘, he called after her, before she dissapeared in the crowd. ‘Well, might as well get back to work.‘, he thought with a sigh, turning around and walking off towards the waiting customers. Tonight had been less boring than usual at least.


~Exit~