Electric Indigo (Aqua)

After a long long day, Aqua really needed to do something to relax. Getting back to work after her little 'vacation' to the Seelie Realm was a bit overwhelming. There was a lot of paperwork to catch up on. She spent most of the day bound to her desk, hence, not wanting to go home just yet because she knew she would only sleep if she did. Getting drinks sounded nice, and it was a step outside of the norm for her. She ordered something sweet and waited for the bartender to bring it back for her. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't realize someone had stepped up beside her.

"Huh? W-What? No. Nothing like that." she said quickly. "I am allowed to get drinks aren't I? I didn't know you were performing tonight."

"Maybe for a song?" she said a bit uncertainly. "And I only had to clean up because of Vanitas."

She hadn't exactly made a habit of going to the bar to listen to music, or going to the bar in general. The music part she didn't mind so much. It was the bar that was the double edge sword. She had tried to stay away from alcohol for the last few years because she didn't want to develop a habit because of Terra's disappearance and now his death. Plus, Namine didn't like it when people drank. With good reason. Aqua liked to respect her roommate's wishes. So one glass and she was done for the night.

"Oh, no, you can stay if you like."

She did give Omar a considering look. She had thought for sure that Omar hated her guts because she arrested him and Vanitas that night. He hadn't exactly been the most friendly when she had him at the holding cells. But then again, he had helped Namine ease up, even if she was still a stuttering mess, she was at least going back to work. Aqua made sure they worked the same shifts so she could take the blonde home. If not, she had someone drive her home. No more of the late night walks alone for the little blonde. And Aqua was glad that Omar had watched after Namine while she was away, so he couldn't be entirely bad. This was too confusing for her so when her beverage arrived she took a hearty drink.

"You wouldn't be the first," Aqua replied dryly.

This certainly wasn't how she expected the night to go. She expected to have her drink, maybe talk a bit with the bartender and head home. Not a very exciting life, but she had felt so drained and weary lately, it's all she could manage. Her social life was saved for lunch breaks and occasional coffee stops at Nevermore. Her social life went out the door when Terra left. She was slowly coming to terms with things, slowly taking her life back, but it was small steps.

"Relax," Aqua laughed. "I can handle my drink you know. I'm only having the one."

"It's okay. Thank you for looking out for those kids... And well, Namine I guess." Aqua said. "I don't know what you said, but she's been doing better lately. I was able to get her to go to therapist to talk about what happened."

It was a little weird to have him trying to monitor her health or tell her what to do in order to better protect herself from a hangover. But if it was natural to him, she didn't see why she should tell him to stop. It was like telling her to stop doing 'nice' things because she was Seelie. She had stepped on too many toes because she didn't understand other species so she was wasn't going to question anything anymore. Too many headaches.

"It's a bit of both." Aqua admitted. "Things at work have been... Well, it's work. So no surprise there. But it sounds like you keep yourself busy with the kids you help."

"No wonder..." Aqua murmured. "I think... That's probably the best thing to happen for her."

Aqua knew about how Namine's father was. She was the one to help Namine get a restraining order back when she and Terra worked the case. The man had been in prison and luckily had been caught just as quickly during the prison riots. One of the first rounded back up, much to Aqua's relief. Otherwise, Namine's heart probably would have given out. The blonde was on edge as it was.

"Worth... protecting? Don't be silly."

That brought a bit of color to her cheeks. She wasn't a little kid. Omar probably wasn't insinuating that she was one. Aqua simply didn't want to touch the topic of her protection with a twenty foot pole. It dredged up too many bad things. She didn't want to ruin a good mood with bad memories.

"Still... It seems no matter how hard I try, someone's case always slips through my fingers. It's good to know there's someone out there looking out for the little people." she said.

"It helped. Trust me." Aqua confirmed.

Namine could leave the house for the first time since her incident. Nearly three weeks. She was lucky that the Unit had argued for her time off when the chief himself wanted to let her go. To Namine, the art job with the BPD was the world, so her coworkers were't going to let that get taken from her. However, Omar's comment about her protection again, almost made her choke in her drink. She managed a subdued smile.

"No rest for the wicked." she replied.

They worked hard. Her job was a thankless one. She would never make anyone happy, going on the way she did. She would finish a case, but then someone would be unhappy because another case hadn't been solved and there were still new cases opening every day. The Unit was so small, there simple wasn't enough hours in the day or officers to cover the entire city.

"Sure." she said. "I'll be here."

Aqua smiled when Omar went to take the stage. She supposed he wasn't half bad when he wasn't fighting demons or having bottles smashed over his head. Though that thought went out the window when he directly called her out in his song announcement. She sat rigid in her seat, absolutely mortified. She could feel her face growing hot and she ducked her head, hoping no one would be looking at her. Hard not to when her hair was the color it was.

And then there was the song! He said it had been a song he had been practicing but you didn't just practice a song like that without a reason. If she hadn't told him she would be there when he got back, she might have fled from the bar and vowed to avoid him for the rest of her life. She didn't want to think about the lyrics or the way that Omar's voice had gotten soft as he sang. It was just a song. He had been practicing it before he met her. It was just her hair that inspired it being sang tonight. She looked down at her drink. If Namine didn't have such an aversion to drinking, Aqua would have gone home plastered.

As the song ended, Aqua forced herself to look back up at the stage. Omar was looking right at her. Shyly she looked away.