[center][h1]Ren White[/h1][/center]
[center][h2]The Old Starboard, Sunday Afternoon[/h2][/center]

Ren could only roll over when the person underneath him tried to get up, groaning as he moved his head too fast. 

[color=plum][i]“I’ve heard about falling for a man, but this is ridiculous darling. I suppose most tend to buy me a drink first.”[/i][/color]

Falling… Right. Looking like a drunk fool Ren had not only awkwardly left Marlin and Kei, but now he’d made himself look like an even bigger asshole by physically attacking this woman in the bathroom. Or… man? If so, a very pretty one. This was Ren’s third encounter with a stranger today. [i]Well, third times the charm, right?[/i] Ren looked at the person. They were quite tall for a woman, but very slender and no curves. Ren’s head hurt too much for this sort of puzzle right now. [color=lightsteelblue][i]“Falling – Yeah, no I –”[/i][/color] Luckily he didn’t need to finish his uncoherent sentence before the other man spoke again. 

[color=plum][i]“Do forgive my clumsiness…I presume I can be quite the ditz when I am drinking. I truly am sorry.” [/i][/color]

[color=lightsteelblue][i]“Oh no, no. This is all on me. I – ahh.”[/i][/color] Ren tried to get into a sitting position, but his body had other plans, so he ended up in a half slump against the wall. The wo… Man spoke quite formal as he pulled out his clutch – Maybe woman then? – and applied some liquid to his hands. On the other hand, Ren himself was wearing a so-called man-purse for his books, so… The person had shoulder length, brown hair and piercing blue eyes – although it was a bit difficult to see due to his dilated pupils and flickering gaze. 

A hand was extended in front of Ren, and he wiped his own on his pants before grabbing it, steadying himself on the wall as well while standing up. He muttered a thank you under his breath. The slim man continued speaking, the words coming out a little too fast. All Ren could do was stare dumbfounded at the person in front of him. 

[color=plum][i]“Oh, my gosh I do hope that you were not an online date or something. That would be really embarrassing. I would feel even more terrible then I already do. I hope I am not always this terrible at first impressions. I hate to sound forward, but before I make a larger fool of myself could you please clue me in if I should know you or not. It seems I took quite the bump to the back of the head and things are still quite hazy daisy."[/i][/color]

[color=lightsteelblue][i]“Date…? Know me… I, uh. I was here alone, but now there’s those two strangers and… Eh.”[/i][/color] Ren scratched the back of his head. [color=lightsteelblue][i]“I don’t know about any dates, sorry.”[/i][/color] The words were coming out all wrong, and Ren cursed inwardly as he could feel a slight blush on his cheeks. His mouth was broken. That had to be the explanation for all this gibberish. Was this man mistaking him for somebody else? He had a tiny smile on his lips. Ren cleared his throat after staring a little too long, trying to compose himself before continuing.

[color=lightsteelblue][i]“This was all my fault. I hope you are not hurt in any way. Let me buy you that drink you mentioned as an apology at the very least.”[/i][/color] Taking a deep breath, Ren held the bathroom door open for the man, as they walked back into the venue. Leading the way to the booth where Marlin and Kei were still chatting awkwardly he could hear Kei talking.[color=forestgreen][i]「I just kind of go about living life as the days come」[/i][/color] Ren sat down on the bench and scooted over, making room for the stranger. Marlin and Kei stopped talking and there were a few seconds of silence at the table. Eyes flittering about, awkward coughs or fidgeting with loose threads on shirt hems before Ren started. [color=lightsteelblue][i]“I owe this guy a drink. Can I get you anything while I’m at it?”[/i][/color] Ren had never been good at apologies, but he felt like this was a good way to start. Even though he wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to get on everybody’s good side today. 

[hr][@aladdin_sane] [@PrinceAlexus] [@Robo27][hr]