Always a Next Step

## Roleplay

Shiro sighed, a growl escaped his lips. He gripped his head as his head as his headmates finally agreed on something: They wanted more blood, and they wanted Nur's. His head pounding as they continued causing him to stumble against a wall, leaning against it for support. Fuck this and fuck him. He wanted him dead just as much as they did, but he needed to keep his emotion in check or they would kill him. He pulled his jacket open and pulled out a metal flask. He uncapped it and took a few swigs from it, enough to empty it. He growled once more as his source to drown his sorrows were dried up.

He looked up a bit, seeing his surrounding. There was a place he could go. He started to walk towards it, shoving his hands in his pockets and kicked a can as he walked down the street.

A light day at work, which meant light money... but also a clear head, for once! Before leaving for the day, Cerise gave a few of the lingering customers a kiss on the cheek, then a couple to her co-workers more for the girls' sake than anything. The other hosts playfully shoved her off while the girls playfully laughed, everyone was playing along <3 Maybe having a clear head wasn't really a perk after all...

Hands in her pockets, she began her walk home, but was soon stopped by a can hitting her ankle. Looking behind her towards the direction it came from, she saw a man swaying as he walked, he was clearly drunk... been there, done that. Which was why Cerise couldn't really help but approach and give him a little bit of hand. Placing a hand on Shiro's shoulder, she matched his pace as he walk along, but tilted her face to his so she could make some eye contact. "Hey, where ya heading? You look like you could use some company."

He heard the other approach him, though unknown to him as to why they would. He still had a pounding headache, which he tried to close his eyes to push it away.

'Guys, calm the fuck down, I swear to the gods...'

He said mentally to the others.

'That bastard will pay for his wrong doing!'

'Blood, blood, blood!'

'A lowly peasant underestimating me? A god?! He shall pay dearly...'

'What the hell is wrong with him! Why did he not like us....Halian, Can you kill him?'

You know it was bad when even the pacifist wants him gone. He felt the hand on his shoulder and he was pulled back to reality once more.

"Either to a bar to properly drink away my sorrows..or to a damned inn so I can sleep off this migraine..."

He grumbled a bit, though still very coherent and words none slurred, pointing to the fact he was not drunk, despite his appearance.

A little surprised. Cerise wasn't expecting the put-together reply she was given; there didn't seem to be any need to intervene anymore.. But there wasn't really any real reason to leave either, and.. he did mention sorrows. "Well, you could probably do both. Drinking alone though... not so fun. Mind if I join you? Ah, but only for the drinking part though, haha." She kept her voice light and friendly, and smiled with a small laugh for the last part, it was mostly just to joke. Mostly.

"Might as well....it is up to you. Honestly. Why bother with a stranger after all?"

He said woefully, letting out a deep sigh as they continued to the bar.

"Hey, i am not looking for any thing, so you don't have to worry there, miss. Just need to forget that fucking asshole.....need to get his face out of my mind..."

He leaned down and slammed his fist into the wall beside him before continuing to walk...

"Sorry about that....just...nothing...."

He sighed again before go up to the bar, a rather iffy looking place, where he could get cheap booze.

"Don't worry, miss....though even in this state...i won't let creeps go near you."

He tried to give her a reassuring smile.

Recoiling a bit at Shiro's sudden movement, Cerise immediately relaxed again and raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "Boy troubles, huh? That bad? Well, hopefully tonight'll help." She rubbed Shiro's back a little along with the last part, a little friendly comfort. Miss..? Hm... If he wanted to play the gentlemen, she guessed she could play along <3 "And... thanks. I appreciate it." she said as she pushed open the door to the bar, returning Shiro's smile, her eyes soft.

The bar seemed fairly sparse, not exactly a popular place. Although kind of scruffy, mostly just small shady groups quietly huddled up together, she appreciated the low key tone going on tonight, it was a nice break from the high energy mood she was used to from her work. "I'll have a shot and a beer, a scotch and stout is fine." She told the bartender a bit tiredly as she took a seat. She then turned to Shiro, talking with a bit more enthusiasm this time "And what can I treat you to? You're having a rough night so.. drinks on me, okay?" patting Shiro's shoulder at the "okay".

"Yeah....a dick named Nur...heard of him? hopefully tonight will make things better. Time to drown in alcohol"

He asked as he held the door for her, feeling her hand on his back and somehow that comforted him a bit.

"Anything for a lady. You shouldn't have to worry...and I promise i am not a pervert/creeper drunk."

He followed her in, seeing the place. He sighed a bit at the familiarity of it. He walked up the the bar before sitting down. He listened to her order before raising an eyebrow.

"That much already? Damn...I am starting to like you...think you can hand that much?"

He said with a slight smirk before ordering his own set of what she got.

"No, no. I got it. As a gentleman should. I know my manners."

He said with a slight smile.

Nur..? The ice in Cerise's glass clinked a bit.. and her heart skipped a beat. <3 This feeling... only for Neeru <3 This was soon followed by some feelings of hostility though.. Gritting her teeth a little, it took a little more effort to smile now. "Neeru? Yea, I actually do know her! Funny though, I thought I would've heard about you, with her breaking your heart and all.." A second heart break was now eminent. Picking up the shot glass with slightly more grip than usual, she exhaled out the mouth and let the alchol slide smoothly down her throat, a sensation she was well familiar with. Then taking a sip from her chaser, she put on her best smile, and canted her head a bit down and to the side. "You really do... y'know, I really wish more men were like you..." She really didn't.

He shook his head a bit before taking the shot and downing it in one go before sighing. He glanced towards her, listening to her.

'Her? No...fuck it I don't fucking care..'

"He broke your heart as well? Then guess I'm glad I hospitalized him then....fucking bullshit."

He took ahold of the scotch and sipped it before hitting the counter top with a solid clank as he put the glass down.

"Hmm...more people need to be gentlemen in the world...though honeslty...I haven't been the best at it either lately...well fuck it.... fuck everything at this point."

Stumbling into the bar, a tomboy looking girl with red attire was disoriented from not having his number vision for too long of a period of time. It made him feel like he didn't know where he was going!!!!! Even though he could easily rely on his natural intelligence to get him as far away from the mishaps of Vacuo as possible, it was the limits of his natural intelligence in the first place that had gotten him in so much trouble in the first place!!!!! And.... Siva........

Red rubbed his eyes rapidly to get the tears away as he sat down at a stool, trying to be nearby a decent couple(?) (DAMMIT RED YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALCULCATE EVERYTHING NEARBY YOU ;\_; BUT RED REMEMBER YOU HAVE NO SEMBLANCE AT THE MOMENT. BUT RED!!!!) and a little bit away from other shadier people, just a natural preference for him.

Meanwhile he tried unsuccessfully from crying and screaming at the same time as it started to come out a little as he sat down. Why had he come here? Siva would probably be drinking her sorrows away... he wanted to connect to that...(but Red you don't know anything about alcohol... but Red... you know what she got last time... But Red....) "S-s-scotch...... straight....." he said to the confused looking bartender as he waited for the shot glass, looking contemplative at this and just decided to down it in one shot.

It burned!!! Red started coughing and nearly fell to the floor in anguish, but somehow rasped out, "A-another!!!" he said, he was going to do this right!!!! He grabbed the next one and repeated the process a couple times.

He didn't realize he hadn't been very silent about this.

(every parenthesis is Red actually verbally talking but not realizing it).

He heard the sound of someone coming into the bar, talking/shouting at someone named red over and over again. His guess was drunk as fuck or insane. Maybe both. Who knows? He took a sip of his beer and heard him get onto the stool a few seats away. He seemed shaky and asked the man for a straight scotch...if he was new to drinking..that would a bad time for him. He sipped his beer again. He hear a wrenching noise from him. 'New.'

He sigh and looked over to his companion smiling a tad.

"One moment."

He turned his head back to the other.

"Oi, What is wrong? Something must have happened for you to be this drunk already that you are shouted at a guy named Red who isn't even here."

Hospitalized?!?! She sputtered a bit on her beer when she heard this, but tried her best to recover and keep up appearances. What about her concert tomorrow... Cerise had plans for them afterwards... </3 "I-I didn't realized she was in the hospital... I..-" Before she could compose herself and continue talking though, Shiro had asked for a moment and turned his attention to someone else, someone rather loud...

Shocked that he had been spotted so easily and that his ranting was heard, Red's face literally became his namesake as he looked at the black and white individual of Japanese descent as well before simply... simply...!!!!! Breaking down sobbing in his arms!!!!!!! "She.. doesn't... love... me...anymore..!!!" he was sobbing in between each word. In his breakdown, he didn't notice his company fully and just kept sobbing in Shiro's chest.

He was taken back by the break down, looking down blinking a bit and his arms raised in surprise. He stuttered a bit, unable to make heads or tailed of this, either from the suddenness of it...or the alcohol. Probably the alcohol...which reminds him....

He lowered one arm slowly, taking a long sip of the scotch before setting it down and gently holding the stranger.

"Erm...it's alright...you were better then her anyways.. I feel for you...just got out of a relationship where the other never loved me..so I know the pain...."

He gently rubbed his back.

So it was gonna be like this... Cerise was being.. ignored. So much for being a "gentleman", not that she cared much for the self conceited title anyway. Starting to get a little bitter, and loosening up from her shot and beer, she decided to intervene a little. This new girl was pretty cute, but all the cuter to see her cry more <3 Focusing her eyes on Red, she activated her depression inducing semblance, then butted into the conversation. "How'd you know she loved you in the first place? For all you know you and this gentleman here could be in the same boat." Cerise was usually gentle on crying girls, but then again Cerise was usually at work; this was her leisure time.

Red's sobs dissipated and melted into more of soft whimpers as he was lightly comforted by the black and white Japanese other. Even if he had no mathematical way to compute what Shiro was saying to be true, he was still comforted by the reassurance that other people have indeed gone through similar heartbreak and that at least Red wasn't that alone. Wait!!!! But Red... what did that other person say?

Looking up slightly a little startled but a sudden drop of emotion.... It was..... strong..... Red processed the words all together.

"You... may be right...... Siva had never... Had never really appreciated me.... Or really shown it.... It was all annoyance and then just flustered because I happened to be so persistent about her..... It was all because she wanted company... not because it was me... she hardly... even knew me... I was just alleviation for her and when the time came she tossed me aside for something she valued more....." he breathed out, the pain unbearable in his chest since he never felt emotions at that big of a basis.

Meanwhile he bit his tongue rather hard as he tried to suck in all the hurt and realization, shaking lightly and then looking down as he was washed over with immense depression even if it wasn't much more than he was already feeling, it led him to be thinking more on the suicidal side of things.

"There was no where for me to go now and I don't have the motivation to fix what's been broken. There is just no emotional reason to live with love just never being an option like you said....." he thought he was talking to himself internally but it was external.

He still held onto the woman, rubbing her back gently. Listening to her speak to them/herself. He didn't really care.

"Then you are better than her. You don't need her in your life. You can be happy with someone who actually cares for you."

He reached over and sipped his scotch again, still feeling the alcohol taking affect. He focused on his words so they didn't sound slurred, but clear and sensible.

"There is always a place for someone to go. Always a next step...may be hard to find it...but it's there.."

He said with care in his tone, trying to make it feel he cared. Which he...did? It was 50/50. He was going through the same thing and knows the pain...but it was a stranger....a cute one, but a stranger.

Shiro/Soren and Red leave the tavern and they both go to a hotel and things get spicy there