forum Dynamic OxO RP • CLOSED

Started November 19, 2022 by @Imagine_Logic

tune

The bartender offered Andy a sympathetic smile as she picked up the empty glass. “Of course, sweetie.”

“I’d like another, too,” Rigel commented, lifting his glass to show it empty and then passed it to the bartender as she hurried off to get their refills. He promised himself this would be the last one. Just enough to help get his mind off of things. He didn’t want to get plastered…

He glanced at the woman next to him. He hadn’t really bothered to pay any attention to her since she sat down, but she looked kind of… down? Maybe? He was bad at reading people. Didn’t she say something to the bartender a second ago to imply as much? He was only halfway paying attention.

“Long day?” he asked just as the bartender placed their glasses in front of them. Generally making conversation with strangers wasn’t his thing, but maybe he just needed to break the silence.

Andy had noticed Rigel as she walked up to the bar, but she had been too nervous to say anything as she sat down beside him. It was a strange feeling for her. Normally, she loved meeting new people, and she would jump at an opportunity to chat with someone she’d never seen before. However, this encounter was… different. Andy couldn’t place her finger on why.

Luckily, Andy didn’t have to say anything to break the silence. The man spoke up first. His question had been simple, but Andy appreciated a break from their awkward silence.

“Yeah. I have a tough job, that’s all.” She shrugged it off, as if it was nothing. “I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”

Part of her doubted that statement. The case she had been working on had seemed simple at first, but as she began to work it, she discovered that it was much more difficult that it seemed at first glance. Andy doubted that the case would get easier anytime soon, but she had to remain optimistic. Maybe tomorrow would be the day that she got a break in the case.

Pushing away her thought, Andy turned back towards the man and studied him for a moment. Something about him peeked her curiosity. Many of the other patrons were with groups, talking and laughing with one another, but he was off at the bar. Alone. Andy felt like she should be the one to keep him company.

“It’s strange to see someone alone in a place like this,” she said. “Did you not come with a group?”

"Nah." Rigel swished his drink around, watching the ice cubes clink against the inside of the glass. "More of a loner." He took a sip and looked at her a moment, probably the first time he looked directly at her for a few seconds in a row instead of only momentary glances. His eyes were bloodshot, light purple circles forming beneath them, and his glasses a little smudged. "You're sitting here alone, too," he observed, though he realized, with his somewhat direct tone, it sounded like more of a jab than he'd meant for it to. A bad habit of his— coming across too bluntly when he meant well. He tried to add a little more softness to his words as he tacked on, "Did you not come with any friends either?"

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” She sent him a warm smile. “Can I keep you company for a while?”

She felt his eyes on her as she sipped her drink, so she turned her head towards him, meeting his gaze. Andy had known that he was likely a good looking man from the few glimpses she stole of him, but now that she was facing him, it hit her how handsome he was. Sure, he had bloodshot eyes and dark circles under his eyes, but she was sure she didn’t look too great herself.

She hesitated at his question, looking back down at her drink. “I mean, I came with a few people, but I think they prefer each other’s company over mine.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I would much rather sit over here anyways.”

It did bother her, but she didn’t want to tell him that. He was probably here to have a good time, not to listen to all her problems.

(I like their dynamic a lot already ngl >.<)

Rigel silently pondered her words. She seemed fairly sincere, with her offer to keep him company. Most of the time people who paid him any attention only did because they were flirts, and the type that flirted with almost everyone at that, not because they actually cared whether or not to keep him any company, or because they saw him to have some sort of benefit to them. Of course, this lady was probably no different, perhaps she was just bored and had no one else to talk to, but— something about her seemed a little more genuine than most people.

Probably not though. Nobody was ever really decent. Everyone— including himself— ultimately just did whatever was best for them at any given moment, for better or worse. He was her best option for conversation at the time.

Still, it wasn't like he had anything else to do, either. Or maybe the alcohol was making him a little too melancholy to want to be alone again just yet.

"I don't make great company," he replied, somewhat flatly, "but you're welcome to stay as long as you like. I'll probably be here awhile."

(( Same here T^T they’re adorable))

“Mmm… I disagree. I think you make great company,” she insisted. “Besides, I like more quiet, reserved people. They make for more interesting conversations.”

She stayed over at the bar with him for hours, talking with him as the bar patrons slowly began to leave for the night. Eventually, even the group Andy was with left her behind. She watched them leave, and while she insisted that it didn’t bother her, it clearly did. But, even with her friends gone, Andy continued to stay there, talking with the man.

At 1 AM, an hour before closing, Andy was still with the man, finishing up yet another drink. Most of the people had left the bar for the night, and the most of the ones that were still there were heavily intoxicated. Andy wasn’t apart of these individuals, but she was starting to get slightly tipsy.

“Do you come here most nights?” she asked, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “I think might’ve seen you here a few times…”

Rigel may not have been completely out of it, but he was definitely more drunk than he’d planned to be when he came. It was something about this Andy girl. He got so carried away listening to her talk, chatting and drinking with her that he lost track of time— and of himself. It had been a long time since he’d felt comfortable enough to engage in actual conversation with someone outside of the necessary small talk he faced in his everyday life and while conducting business. He even caught himself smiling ever-so-slightly a few times, forgetting the reasons why he even came here in the first place. Or maybe he was just finally getting drunk enough.

Even so, he tried to remind himself every so often not to let himself get too carried away.

“Only on the bad days,” Rigel replied. Though he still spoke clearly, his speech had slowed. He turned his glass up to take another drink, but only an ice cube smacked him in the glasses.

Right. He should probably stop here.

He put the empty glass back down. “How often you come here? I don’t think I ever saw you around before, but I don’t really pay the most attention to who’s where and whatnot.”

“Only on the bad days, huh?” Andy smiled sadly. “Guess you and me are in the same boat.”

While Andy tried to remain optimistic, it seemed like she had been having a lot of bad days lately. She would’ve never thought that would end up in the downward spiral that she was stuck in; after all, she had her dream job, and she had everything she needed for a happy life. But yet she felt so… empty sometimes. Like something was missing. Or maybe it was just the alcohol.

“Oh, I come here quite a bit. Almost every Friday.” She laughed softly. “It’s probably an unhealthy habit, but hey. Coming here is nice.”

Andy stood up, and while she was a little wobbly, she figured she could walk okay. Luckily, her home wasn’t too far away, and she didn’t have to drive.

“We…should do this again,” she remarked, sending him a smile.

Rigel looked at her for a few seconds, as if he was either processing her words or his reply— in reality, it was both. A few drinks too many had him running like a computer from 2008.

“Yeah, we should,” he replied finally, standing up himself. Steadier than he thought he’d be; that was a good sign. Even if he’d be taking a taxi or a bus home, he didn’t want to be staggering all over the place trying to get there.

A moment of silence passed as he struggled to figure out what he wanted to say next. “This was nice.” He pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his slightly wrinkled jeans and threw some cash down on the counter, right next to the bill that the bartender must’ve brought at some point, though he never even noticed. He paused for a moment, subtly glancing at the crumpled bills in his wallet. Should he offer to buy Andy’s? He wasn’t sure what kind of a bill she racked up, but it couldn’t have been any worse than his, and after all the big projects and side orders he’d been getting hired for lately he had plenty to spare—

No. That’d be weird. He folded his wallet up and slid it back into his pocket. He took a couple steps towards the door; his knees felt all wrong, though he wasn’t sure if it showed. Maybe he wasn’t as steady as he’d thought.

“You’re not driving after all this, right?” he asked, half glancing over his shoulder.

After leaving cash on the counter and thanking the bartender, Andy hurried after Rigel, grabbing ahold of his arm as they made their way out of the bar. She didn’t do much as she was tipsy herself, but she tried to steady him the best she could.

“Of course I’m not driving. I’m a police officer, darling. I wouldn’t break the law,” she replied. “I’ll walk to my home. It’s only right across the street.”

Andy looked off in the direction of her apartment building. She was slightly worried about trying to make it back to her apartment, but she figured she was sober enough to make it there. Besides, if anyone tried anything while she was walking, she always had her pepper spray to defend herself with.

“I pray you’re at least getting an Uber,” she told him. The corners of her lips lifted into a teasing smile, “You better not be driving back home. If I have to arrest you, I will.”

A police officer? Rigel’s expression didn’t change, but his thoughts, as jumbled as they were from the drinks, started rolling faster. He just spent the last few hours chatting with a police officer? And he didn’t even realize it? The alcohol had made him even denser than he thought.

Wait. If she was a police officer, did she have any clue who he was? Had he been under investigation this whole damn time? Crap. He’d gotten way too carried away— way too friendly— with this stranger. And she was an officer, at that.

But it didn’t matter how drunk he was. He needed to get his head on straight and keep it that way.

“Oh yeah, I’ll definitely be calling an Uber. Or at least taking the bus,” he replied. “I hate driving anyway. Get road rage.” Actually, he hated driving because of one wreck he had when he was seventeen, and he never got over the driving-anxiety that developed because of it— but road rage sounded less lame and equally as believable.

He contemplated parting ways with her right there, letting her head on home and getting himself a ride back to his own place. After all, now that he realized she was a cop, their friendliness made him uneasy. For all he knew, she could’ve been investigating him this whole time, waiting for him to give up some final clue that would be all she needed to get him thrown in the pen for the next twenty years. Then again, he didn’t want to seem uneasy now… if he rushed off now, would she notice the change in his countenance?

“You said you live over there?” He squinted at the buildings across the street. “I can walk with you if you want me to. Then again you probably don’t need it. Don’t think any thugs in the shadows really wanna fool around with a cop.” Maybe the offer to walk her home was a bad idea, but it didn’t seem like anything worse could come of it. Besides, she may have been a cop, but it was still after 1:00 AM on the streets, and she was a drunk woman by herself— and he may have been a criminal, but he wasn’t a barbarian.

“Can’t say I blame you for the road rage. It can pretty tempting at times consider how many bad drivers there are at 1 AM in the morning.” She laughed. “Most of ‘em are drunk, which makes it even worse.”

She was about to wave goodbye and walk off when Rigel suggested that he could walk with her. She was a little hesitant to accept his request. Sure, it was a nice offer, and she had had a great with Rigel, but he was still a stranger to her. However, despite the risks, she eventually gave in. He seemed harmless, and besides, she would much rather walk home with Rigel than go alone.

“Mm… sure, but only if you think you can make it up the stairs of my apartment building. I don’t want you tripping and breaking an ankle.”

Andy moved towards him and, before she could think about it, slipped her arm through his. The action was simply to help steady them both as they walked along the sidewalk, but she knew that would overthink the gesture later.

Though Andy might not’ve been one to overthink the gesture until later, Rigel overthought it enough for both of them as it happened. He almost tensed as she slipped her arm through his, but managed to remain relaxed and show no external reaction. Been awhile since he’d had even such innocent physical contact with another person.

First the lengthy conversation, now this— things were not going according to his normal routine. Maybe he shouldn’t have offered to walk her back to apartment. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, after all— and to be honest he wasn’t sure how to take her. He didn’t like things he wasn’t sure of. Either she was extremely comfortable with him already, or she was onto him. It didn’t matter though. Not really. The offer was already out. Besides, it was better for both of them if he did it, all things considered. He just needed to focus on getting her to her place and going home to sleep off this alcohol.

“I can make it,” Rigel replied with a sort of dead-pan confidence as they made their way towards the apartment. “I’ve walked farther with a lot more alcohol in my system. I think. Kinda hard to remember when you’re out of it.”

“True. I bet I’ll wake up with a hangover and barely any memory of what happened tonight,” she replied. “But you know what? I think it’s been worth it. Tonight was… nice. One of the best nights at the bar so far.”

Even though she was still cautious around Rigel, she felt much better walking with him than walking alone. She was a police officer, sure, but being a woman at night was still dangerous. Especially in this part of town.

Andy gripped the handrail as they slowly made their way up to her apartment, her eyes focused on the steps. She had sprung her ankle on this very set of stairs just a few night ago, and she didn’t want that incident to repeat itself.

Once they made it up to her apartment on the second story, Andy unlocked her door and stepped inside. After greeting her golden retriever who had come bounding towards the door to meet her, she turned back towards Rigel, leaning against her doorpost. Her dog peeked around her at the stranger.

“I hope you’re not scared of me now that I’ve told you that I’m an officer.” She laughed softly. “People tend to get a little freaked out when I tell them. Not quite sure why.”

“They’re probably just intimidated,” Rigel replied coolly, as if he himself wasn’t concerned about getting busted. He glanced at her dog. Cute. He had mixed feelings about animals, but he had a childhood dog when he was a kid, and the memories were fond. And at least distracted him from the nervous nausea in the pit of his stomach.

He looked at Andy. “Don’t really know what to expect when they find out. Plus I think some people have a hard time seeing cops as just regular people.” Criminals, too. Nobody saw criminals the same as normal people, either. Not once they knew the truth about them. But that was why sometimes the truth was better left unsaid. “See you as the iron arm of the law or something.” His stomach churned.

Andy didn’t really seem like the iron arm of anything, though. Sure, she seemed like a good person. Seemed, being the key word. Nobody was ever truly good. Rigel learned that much from direct experience. But in comparison to most she at least had the appearance of decent morals. Not aggressive, though. He had a hard time imagining her beating up a criminal or tossing anyone behind bars for life. Then again, nobody was ever what they seemed, were they?

He certainly wasn’t.

Whether it was his nerves or the alcohol was up for debate, but his stomach twisted into a knot. He could feel his face blanch. He couldn’t stay any longer. Not unless he wanted to vomit in her doorway.

“It’s been nice chatting, but I should probably get home.”

(( I’m so so so sorry for not replying T^T I LOVE this rp but for some reason I thought I answered but I never did?? I was looking back through old rps and realized that I never answered xDD I’m totally up for continuing if you want ))

“Are you intimidated, love?” she questioned. “Don’t worry, I won’t arrest you or anything. You haven’t done anything wrong. Yet.”

He appeared confident on the outside, but Andy knew that could easily be a facade. She too was good at putting on a face when she needed to. Maybe she should’ve kept the fact that she was a police officer to herself. Sure, she didn’t think it was a big deal as she wasn’t on duty, but people seemed to get uncomfortable when she informed them of her occupation.

Andy frowned as she noticed Rigel begin to squirm. The guy looked like he was going to double over right then and there. Should she invite him inside? It wasn’t the safest thing to do, but it was better than making him go all the way back to his home.

“Are you okay? You look pale,” she remarked. “You know, you can always come inside. You can take the bed while I take the couch. You look like you can’t walk down the apartment stairs, much less make it back to wherever your home is.”