[FIN] Let's Be Honest

[BlackFireKitsune]

Nope, not even a smile. Instead, he got a continued frown as she sipped at her drink while she listened to him speak. She didn't comment while he talked, and instead waited until he had finished, but even then she didn't say anything right away. The brunette took another sip of her drink as she shifted her gaze to the counter and then the opposite wall, then lowered her glass as she returned her focus to him. "Alright," she said at length, "apology accepted, and don't worry about it. I'm interested to see how you really are, whenever you figure that out. Better late than never," she added with a shrug before raising her glass to have another sip. Mmm, alcohol.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Thanks. Although now I'm beginning to wonder if that drink hasn't helped persuade you some." Smirking, the brunet hopped off his stool. "Not that it matters, so long as I'm forgiven."

"But this next part might not be so easy to forgive," he said quieter, beaming as he took a last sip of his drink before heading out onto the dance floor. "You coming?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Me? Please," she scoffed with a shake of her head. "I'm not a lightweight like you are. I don't get drunk - or even tipsy - from half a drink." That being said, she took another sip of hers before lowering it with a distinct frown, even tensing a little. "No," the brunette answered immediately, even shaking her head again to emphasize. "No, I'm not."  

[Akira Midoriyama]

Akira laughed. "I meant the fact that it could have functioned as a bribe! Not that you're drunk," he explained, slapping his knees. "Are you suuuure?" the young man called, his voice getting fainter as both sound and sight of him began to be swallowed up by the dancing crowd. "You could keep me from doing something reaaaallly stuuuupid..."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, then no," she replied with yet another shake of her head. "The drink was a bribe to get me here, remember? Not to do anything else. That'll cost extra," ie, more drinks.

His fading voice and form made her frown and she paused, opened her mouth briefly, then shut it and again she shook her head, though a little more uncertainly this time - if only because she didn't know what stupid thing he thought she could prevent and if she really should prevent him from doing it. If he meant make a fool of him through dancing, he was on his own.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Alright," he said, putting out his arms and shrugging as he slowly walked backward. "Just know you have been warned. If you can sit through this, I'll gladly pay that extra." With a wink and a mischievous grin, he turned around and ran up to the DJ's booth. A few words, nods, and a microphone exchange later, Akira had the Lime Light Lounge's spotlight on him. It seemed something had been at least partially arranged in advance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, hope you're having a good time this evening! My name's Akira Midoriyama and I'd just like to give a shoutout to a lovely lady I'm hoping will join me on the dance floor sometime tonight." There were some hoots, whistles, and a few cheers in response. Akira held up a hand. "Thanks for the encouragement! I think I'll need all the help I can get. She's a stubborn one. Might hate me forever just for this, but at least I can't say I didn't try, right? Heheh..."

Stepping away from the DJ's booth and closer to the crowd, he sat on the edge of the stage. "That's why I'd like to dedicate to her this version of this one song I really think she should hear. One I hope you can bear, 'cause I'm gonna try singing it myself. Don't worry; I'm not drunk. Not yet, anyway." Chuckling along with the few laughs he heard from his audience, he continued, "So without further ado, this is 'Who Says', sang especially for Miss Seraphine von Renata, everyone! Please enjoy it."

After a que to the DJ, the music began, and so did Akira's voice. His gaze, however, trained itself on Sera, locking on to the figure of her silhouette at the bar as he smiled.

"♩...I wouldn't wanna be anybody else...hey...♬"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The further away he got, the deeper the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach felt. If she could just leave now... She could easily just get up and walk away, could just slip out the door the same way she came in, but she'd barely even been there, and he fully expected her to stay... Ugh, feelings were such s**t. The brunette forcefully expelled a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and turned back to have another sip of her drink. For some reason, she didn't think he was going to make a fool of himself while dancing; she could easily just not watch and miss it entirely. No, it'd have to be something else...

She realized what that something else would be the moment she heard his voice over the microphone, and in her surprise she half-turned on her stool to regard the stage. The last time - first time - he'd taken her here and he'd sung, it had been in a private room and had no introduction. Obviously this was different, and he seemed absolutely determined to pin as much attention on her as he possibly could. He even said her full name. Had she ever even told him her full name? Whatever, it didn't even matter at this point even if she could remember whether she had or not. What mattered now was the fact he was singing - singing and staring right at her when he did it. She sucked in a breath as she abruptly turned on her stool to face the wall opposite the counter, pointedly avoiding looking at the stage as she raised a hand to her face, specifically her forehead. Arceus she wished she had two hands right now - one to facepalm, and one to take a much-needed drink. Unfortunately she didn't, and she had to lower her hand to raise her drink and knock back a substantial amount of it. For whatever reason, she was not looking forward to this in the slightest.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"...You made me insecure;
told me I wasn't good enough~
But who are you to judge
when you're a diamond in the rough?

I'm sure you've got some things
you'd like to change about yourself~
But when it comes to me
I wouldn't wanna be anybody else~"

When he saw Sera turn away from him, Akira smiled painfully. However, he shifted his gaze from her to various dancers and club-goers in the room. If she refused to enjoy herself, at least that didn't stop others.

"I'm no beauty queen! I'm just beautiful me~" he sang aloud, laughing in between lines at the irony of the words sung by a guy.

"You've got every right...
...to a beautiful life! Come on!

Who says?
Who says you're not perfect?
Who says you're not worth it?
Who says you're the only one that's hurting?

Trust me
That's the price of beauty
Who says you're not pretty?
Who says you're not beautiful?
Who says?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The words were ironic in a couple different ways, and Seraphine wasn't sure whether to be offended by the lyrics or upset by them. It took only a few moments to reach that decision and the answer ended up being the latter. She knew for a fact she wasn't the only one hurting, and could make a list of people she knew were suffering from any number of problems or unfortunate situations. She could also make a list of people who had indeed told her she wasn't pretty or beautiful - never mind that the name on the top of that list was her own. A quiet sigh ceased her thoughts, while the glass raised to her lips chased them all away as she took another sip of her drink. The only way she wouldn't mind this song, she figured, would be if she were drunk. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't anywhere near drunk yet.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"...Who says you're not star potential?
Who says you're not presidential?
Who says you can't be in movies?
Listen to me, listen to me!

Who says you don't pass the test?
Who says you can't be the best?
Who said? Who said?
Would you tell me who said that?
Yeah...
Who said?"

Though he was careful not to let his attention linger too long on the young lady at the bar, he felt as if he were genuinely pleading with her - to listen to him, to answer, to realize what he couldn't put properly in words. He knew very well that you couldn't get someone to hear something they weren't open to. And that stubborn people had a hard time interpreting messages into something other than what they expected to hear. But still, he pressed on, trying his best in his favorite way to express what was on his mind and in his heart.

"...Who says?
Who says you're not perfect?
Who says you're not worth it?
Who says you're the only one that's hurting?

Trust me
That's the price of beauty
Who says you're not pretty?
Who says you're not beautiful?
Who says?"

When the song finished, he gave a brief smile, bowed slightly, and returned the microphone to the DJ with his thanks before returning to his previous seat at the bar. His drink had become quite watery, but he didn't mind; he sipped at it anyway, relishing the cool liquid as it ran down his parched throat. Out the corner of his eye he glanced at Sera, but said nothing.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The repeated chorus only furthered her depressing thoughts, and when Akira returned he would find her in significantly lower spirits than she was in previously - which weren't that high to begin with. She said nothing, and instead took another sip of her drink, which, unfortunately, was the last one. With a baleful glance at her now empty glass, she set it down on the counter and pushed it away with a finger at its base before returning her right arm to cover her left.

If he expected her to speak first, he would be waiting a long while.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"...You want another?" he asked with a small smirk, noticing her now-empty glass. Guessing her answer, he called to the bartender and brought out his wallet.

"Heh...it's funny...I didn't even notice how weird I always acted around you until I talked to someone recently who I used to know a long time ago." He rested his cheek in his palm thoughtfully, leaning his elbow on the counter. "I mean, I talked to Nate, too, since he always seemed to know how to cheer you up...but it wasn't until talking to this other girl that I noticed my behavior."

"Not that I like her or anything - in fact, it's the opposite," he stated, as if working through this realization aloud. "But maybe that's why I could be myself around her. I didn't care what she thought." He gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Kinda sad how we're ourselves when we don't give a damn about the people around us, huh? It leads to the ones that we figure don't matter being the ones who end up knowing our true selves the best."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

His question went unanswered on her end, though luckily she needn't have answered it anyway as he guessed correctly and ordered her a second drink. She shifted slightly, pulling her arms away from each other a little so that she could rub the end of her left arm with her thumb, her pale gaze trained on the counter in front of her as she listened.

"You talked to Nate?" She asked suddenly, a frown forming on her face as she finally half-turned it towards him. "I mean - about me?" What had he gone to Nate for? He hadn't asked him about her, had he? Maybe he'd just asked him general stuff or something.

People who didn't matter, knowing someone the best..? "I disagree," she said after a moment, her gaze returning to the counter as she shook her head. "Though, maybe that's how it is for you. What girl?" Maybe it was his wife or something and he hadn't wanted to say wife.. No, no; that couldn't have been it, now that she thought about it. Oh well, probably no one she knew, anyway.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Was I not supposed to?" he laughed lightly at her first question. "Heh, well you're our one mutual acquaintance; you were bound to come up sooner or later."

"Hmm?" Glancing over, he cast her an inquiring look. "Mm...maybe that's true. I don't have friends like yours." He tugged on his bangs a little, looking away. "As for the girl...eh. You remember that model from the hot springs? Dove? Or ex-model now, I guess."

Akira shrugged, not figuring Sera knew her all that well either. "I'm not all that proud to admit it, but she and I had known each other a while before either of us moved here to Kodo." His demeanor turned a little frigid. "We didn't get along. The only reason we came to know each other at all was through another mutual acquaintance. Heh." He scratched his head. "I guess I didn't realize how much I rely on others to meet more people. Another old habit of connection-making, perhaps."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Well," she began a little uncertainly, still unsure what exactly they'd talked about. If he'd had questions about or for her, he could've asked her - unless they were Nate-specific questions, in which case she didn't care. "I suppose so," the girl finished with a small shrug.

Mention of Dove further dampened her mood, and her grip on the end of her short arm tightened a little as she aimed a glare at the counter, as if it had gravely offended her. Luckily a drink was pushed into her line of vision, disrupting her glare, and she expelled a small sigh as she reached forward to pull it closer. "Of course I remember her," she said shortly, aiming a slightly less frosty glare at the wall opposite them. "And I don't care for her in the least," for multiple reasons she really didn't feel like talking about. Ugh. Oh well, at least it sounded like Akira didn't like her much, either; though, she couldn't help but be curious about why that was.