Uprush With You (Coffee-Tastic and Time Keeper)(18+)

[Coffee-Tastic]

 

Name: Jun Arashi

Age: 22

Height: 5ft 9in

Eyes: Coral (can be referred to a shade of red)

Hair: Black

Sexuality: Straight

Occupation: Recently hired as a food and drink server at The Surge

 

Personality: Expert introvert, Jun tried his very best to last a while without having to work after moving out from his mother's home, but all great things come to an end... He can play off looking cool and collective expertly well without even knowing, yet in reality, his inner self crumples and begs to be left alone. With his appearance, he's targeted by girls all the time and sometimes other men when he goes out, so he often tries to minimize his interactions outside of his apartment. Despite his shyness and dislike of iterations, his smiles can be surprisingly bright. He has a high tolerance to things that upset him, so when he's truly angered, it plain to see.

 

Bio: He doesn't remember his father much, he divorced away from his mother when he was very young, but his absence didn't make him any less of an alright kid. His mother was all he need as suppoert Jun went through school easily, being one of the top students in his graduating class. He's had many offers for college scholarships and free tickets for a full four years, but what what others didn't know what how close Jun was to breaking down into a million pieces every day in school because of the kind of setting secondary school was for him. He disliked the people around him and couldn't see himself participating in a university where it might be the same. Instead, he takes online classes and is working on a degree in liberal arts. Because of his ability to complete his school work back in actual school, he held up plenty of part time jobs and with the money, felt confident enough to move out from his mother's home, renting a small studio apartment in a decent location in the city.

 

For two years he was able to pay the rent and other expenses with the money he saved up, but when his bank account was starting to get scary to look at, he realized he needed to find job once again. Jun thought that he'd need to find two jobs to be able to continue living the way he does, but finding a place offering incredible pay, he took the job. The pay would be great, but the place he'd have to work at... he didn't think he'd ever be looking forward to going there every day.

 

Likes: Watching movies with popcorn, milkshakes, candy, staying home, being left alone and taking long baths with music playing

Dislikes: All fish and anything else with scales, flashy women, the ocean, liars, being surprised and people trying starting conversations with him when he runs quick errands

Extras:

- He is incredibly weak to being surprised and scared, fainting once after having a prank pulled on him where a student in a scary mask ran towards him out of the blue

- His fear of the ocean came from going to the beach as a kid where a shark attack occurred right next to him when he was playing in the water

- Jun's memory is either very bad or extremely exceptional depending on if he cares about what is said to him and where the information comes from. For example, he will literally forget someone's name in a few seconds if he doesn't like the person, but if he gets the name of someone who was very nice to him, he would remember the name even after several years of not seeing the person another time.

 

---

As Jun expected, leaving his home to live alone wasn't easy for him to handle in the beginning. All the responsibilities that were to be placed on his stressed him out and seemed daunting to someone who always wished he could spend forever in a closed space, away from the entire world. Getting his own place was doing the opposite, because he'd have to shop for things all on his own, he'd have to pay rent, he had couldn't make his mom answer the front door if someone came knocking... He always dreaded that since his mom started telling him that one day he'd have to move out. One bigger issue for him was going to be money. He had a large sum of money to himself saved at the bank, he hasn't used a dime of the money he earned over his part-time paychecks in the years, just because he didn't want that money to be wasted on something that wasn't as important as rent in the future.

 

When he finally got a lease on a studio apartment for cheap, he was overjoyed because he knew he could save up resources and make his money last a long time. He used more candles than lights, he learned how to cook pretty nice meals on a strict budget and he didn't even have a cable service, having a play station to use for movies and games whenever he needed to be entertained. It really wasn't easy at first but after Jun adjusted to the new lifestyle after a few weeks, it was utterly great. He sure missed having his mother around though, as he knew she must be missing his presence as well... Jun liked the quietness though... He didn't even need to go out much, only leaving to get groceries once every two weeks and little things if he needed them, like books from the library or an extra supply of painkiller for his headaches, which have gone away for the most part, but he needs them for when gets them from staying up late to complete reports and long assignments.

 

The biggest scare he possibly had was when he was working on a paper, but the door knocked very loudly from someone angry on the other side. He was terrified to open it and pretended he wasn't home, even going as far as to lock himself in the bathroom "just in case". The knocking had stopped after some time and the final thing he heard was "Exterminator!" before the person walked away. Jun was confused by the encounter and when he talked to the owner of the building, he found out that private properties like this always had inspector checks every several months. He didn't need to open the door if he didn't have a problem. And he didn't so that was a relief... Jun didn't like it when people came to his door that he didn't know, and that occasion, the person banged on his door. His reaction truly showed, still, how little he wanted to be apart of this world that is filled with many, many other human beings.

 

Speaking of not wanting to be apart of the real world, the real world came back at him after two years of perfect, solitary living. He was starting to run out of money, seeing that he only had enough money to pay two more months of rent. Two years was a long time with little interaction and even before, he at least went to school where he was forced to be with other students. He didn't get any of that while having all of his classes on a computer screen. Jun felt certainly doomed to have to go out and get a job again, but what could he do? He needed the money.

 

Online he looked for jobs that would pay well, he would be okay with taking a stressful job as long as it paid well because it meant he would be able to work part time and still make decent money without going there every day... The most sensible kind of work to find was a place where he could serve food, after all, when he was in secondary school, that was the kind of work he did in his spare time. The experience would look good on his resume and he didn't want to spend a lot of time wondering if he'd get hired or not. A smart guy, experience in customer servicing, he was sure to get something soon. He applied for three positions in different establishments, but the last one he searched up caught his eye more than the others. The hourly pay... it was amazing. He thought he might have to snag two jobs, but if he got into this one, a place called "The Surge", he wouldn't have to double up. He'd be set.

 

The next day after sending an application, he was notified by the owner about something very odd. He assumed he'd have to go in for an interview, but was told that they were so short staffed that they would love it if he could start work as soon as possible... He still hadn't heard back from the other three candidates and he didn't care if they got back to him or not. With the kind of money he could earn, he could work full time and save up even more money to keep safe. Being told he could come in on Monday night, which was in two days, he was very happy ending the call...

 

But a few minutes after being happy, he was having a nervous fit. He was thinking that maybe it was too soon to start working again. He should at least have prepared himself to be around people again instead of just barreling into get another job. In Jun's head, all he saw was disaster. He'd probably be sweating uncontrollably, stuttering when spoken to, or zone out every few minutes.

 

Jun only had the worst in thought, though when it was time to go, his face was completely still and he only seemed like he was the quiet type rather than a person who was freaking out uncontrollably like he was on the inside... It could be considered as a matter of fact. Jun was even more anxious after seeing images of what the place looked like. He didn't think he'd ever fit into a place with such style and personality, but a little part of him hoped that people would be more focused on the talent shows they had rather than him, a plain old server.

 

Coming inside a bit earlier than the time he said he'd come in at, he noticed it looked like a show was about to start. Jun wasn't sure on where he was supposed to go at first, so he ended up wandering to the bar, hoping to ask the bartender about who he should talk to... However, the man didn't even notice Jun, who came and sat at the very end of the bar. It didn't hurt his feelings to not be seen. The corner area was darker and in his black jacket, he could imagine it was hard to see him... Jun could call to him.... But the other man was talking to a paid of friends and they seemed to be more focused on the show that was about to start. The man folded his hands on the counter formally out of awkwardness, starting to doubt his choice of work. This place was very not his style. His style being quiet and alone.

 

I know I need the money... But should I really be here...

[Time_Keeper]

 

Name: Natsume Namikage

 

Age: 24

 

Height: 5'8

 

Eyes: Aquamarine

 

Hair: Silver

 

Sexuality: Strictly speaking he's homosexual, however, he has no problem in flirting or exploring the waters with women even if he has no real attraction to them.

 

Occupation: Dancer, Singer

 

Personality: With his charismatic ways and devil-may-care attitude, Natsume is a hit with everyone that meets him. The man seems to exhale almost an air of calm confidence and gentle playfulness. Not a day goes by that Natsume, more frequently simply called Tsume, is not seen wearing his trademark grin. He's light hearted and will never turn his back on a good humored prank, even if the prank is just a minuscule one. Natsume is always willing to lend a hand and help those around, however, people need to see past his outer shell to truly notice that. To the outside world, Natsume could be described as a flirt. He's not picky on whoever he sets his eyes on and he enjoys the little self proclaimed games he sets into motion as soon as he targets a new "victim". To his friends and family, it's almost like a cat playing with a mouse yet in this case, the mouse is completely under the seductive allure of the feline. It is truly quite amusing to watch Natsume go to work on one person or several people, something the man truly has no preference over. As long as he's entertained and

using every trick in the book to get the person or persons under his spell, then he's perfectly content.

 

Nevertheless, under that flirtatious nature and alluring personality, Natsume is honestly a steady headed individual. He takes things quite seriously when he senses that the matter at hand is not of joking degree. He is known for being quite protective around his friends and his family, never even bothering to hesitate when it comes to confronting someone. Natsume is quite blunt and he says what is on his mind, without a care about the reaction of others. And yet, he tends to be a tiny bit unsure and cautious behind the perfectly sculptured mask he has created over the years. The only ones that know that are those closest to him.

 

Bio: Having grown up in an orphanage, the first few years of Natsume's life were far from sunshine and rainbows. He watched children come and go, some even younger than he himself was. For many years he harbored an insecurity that no one would ever want him. Heck, his own parents had left him in the orphanage due to their lack of interest in him....why would anyone want a burden like him....And yet, the month before his 10th birthday, a beautiful woman had come to the orphanage for intentions that he could never even begin to imagine. The woman had spent the better part of an hour looking around the orphanage and the children within it before she had walked calmly over to Natsume and crouched down to his level. With a breathtaking smile, that seemed to enhance her beauty all the more, the woman had offered her slender hand out to the little boy and asked "Would you be willing to come home with me, little one?". To say Natsume had been shocked was a understatement like no other, yet hopeful joy had entered his chest for the first time since he could remember as he had nodded hesitantly and had taken the hand offered to him.

 

The years after that had passed in a fast blur. Natsume learned that the woman who had adopted was the youngest daughter of a world renown business man and that she owned a chain of amazing nightclubs but only truly overlooked the proceedings of one club. Natsume had been homeschooled and was provided the love and care a child his age only dreamed of having. He gained friends through his adopted mother's own friends and soon the whole "adopted" aspect faded from his mind. He came to see Yurina Namikage as his actual mother, blood related or not, and when he came of age where he knew what he wanted to do, he had begged his mother to allow him to work for her in her club "The Surge". It was a decision neither of them would ever regret. Even after Natsume moved out of his mother's huge house on his 20th birthday to purchase a rather large condominium for himself.

 

Likes: Singing, Dancing, Teasing people, the Ocean, Animals, Music, and being able to be around people who don't make him be someone he isn't nor would ever be.

 

Dislikes: Being annoyed in general, being told he can't do something, overly obsessive or pushy people, insects, conceited individuals who go out of their way to make others feel less than they should.

---

 

Ever since he had been adopted by Yurina Namikage years ago, Natsume had only wanted one thing. To make her proud. Now, he knew his mother would never ask him to over exceed himself or run himself into the ground just to gain her love. Yurina had loved Natsume from the moment she had set her eyes on him in the orphanage and had taken him home with her. However, Natsume always felt like he owed her, even if the years he had openly showed those thoughts had faded into the past. Yurina hadn't been forced to adopt him years ago, she had done it with all the good in her heart and had given Natsume the life and family he had desperately wanted. She had made him feel loved and cherished, she had provided him where a place he truly belonged and had mended the old wounds of having his actual parents abandon him. Yet, as he had grown, he didn't like being so dependent on his mother. She had done enough for him as it was, now it was time for him to give her something in return.

 

When Natsume had begged his mother to allow him to work in "The Surge" for her, he had been eager to show her his independence and talents. As he had grown under his adopted mother's wing, Yurina would often bring him and his little friends with her to The Surge when she had to stay the night and manage the club. From the start, Natsume had loved the vibe of the place. The dancers, the singers, the bartenders, the comedy performers, they had all been so breathtakingly amazing to him. For hours he'd sit behind the bar with his mother's best friend and watch the stage with wide aqua colored eyes, a grin of pure joy never leaving his childish cheeks. After every performance, he'd run over to the performers and congratulate them. He'd praise them for a job well done and ask countless questions about their shows as only a little child could. Even when it was time to go home in the early hours of the morning, Natsume would refuse to allow sleep to claim him in fear of missing an awesome performance.

 

At the age of 18, Natsume had finally made up his mind that The Surge was where he belonged. It was his dream job and he wouldn't have it any other way. Yurina had been a bit cautious and unsure when her son had asked her to let him audition for a part of the club's shows. She knew Natsume loved the shows and she knew her son had grown to favor the artistic field of dance and song instead of anything else, however, she wasn't sure how good her son could truly be. Show business, even in a simple club like The Surge, was a tough experience. No one ever knew if the audience would fall for them or develop a dispassion for their performance. Yurina had seen time and time again people that had somewhat good talents, run off the stage holding back tears when the audience refused to acknowledge their effort. She didn't want that for her only son, adopted or not. In the end, though, it turned out that she had nothing to worry about.

 

To say that she had been left speechless during Natsume's first performance was an understatement of the century. She had had no idea just how beautifully her son could actually sing. Natsume, by her thoughts alone, had always had a perfectly pitched voice. Not to deep nor to high, just gracefully centered right in the middle, and yet when he had sung that night......my it was as if she was listening to a man who had sung for several long years in front of massive audiences. He had sung every note perfectly, voice lowering and rising to match every single shift in the music. And his dancing....it had been mesmerizing to say the least. Natsume moved his body with unnatural skill and precision. It had been as if the art of seduction had been bottled into a single body and was now flowing out of him seemingly like water. Every rotation of his hips, every little thrust he performed, how he swayed and shifted his torso with snake like grace was alluring. And his eyes. Natsume's eyes, peeking out beneath long silver lashes, almost begged to be claimed. They shone with a feral gleam that was created out of a even mix of mischief and lust. It was the last touch for anyone who locked eyes with him. Once he had the person's attention, there was no getting out of his spell...Not that anyone wanted to.

 

It came as no surprise that Natsume quickly rose to become a favorite to all who came to The Surge. In fact, it could be said that he truly became their Ace in the hole. The more outsiders heard of the performances the young man had every night, the more people herded into The Surge. Soon enough, the employees that had called The Surge home for years, found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer amount of patrons pouring in night after night in the years that followed. More and more employees were hired as The Surge was forced to expand to accommodate to the demanding presence of the their growing number of customers night after night.

 

Tonight was no different.

 

Standing behind the curtain of the stage, Natsume pondered what the new employee his mother had hired would be like. He had been performing for years now and he had met a great variety of new people as they had been brought into the steadily growing family of The Surge employees. Every new face that showed up, was soon adopted to their crazy family and it didn't take long for them to accommodate themselves to their crazy work environment. Some were a bit more shy and hesitant than others, but eventually they became immune to all the pressure a new job could push on them.

 

The question was, how long would the new kid take to get used to it here? If he decided to stay that was.

 

"Tsume, we're on in 5" a voice to his right had pensive aqua eyes turning to gaze at the small female standing at his side. Lucia had been Natsume's first friend after being adopted into the Namikage family. Like him, as they had grown, she had also fallen in love with the shows in The Surge. It came as no surprise to Natsume when Lucia had insisted on joining him when he had been able to convince his mother to let him work for her. Though she didn't sing, Lucia could dance just as good as the rest of them. Her movements were sensual and seductive, a perfect match for their types of performances. She had no concern when it came to dressing with only a small amount of cloths and she had found their constant changes of costumes to be fun and exciting.

 

Tonight's costume had the girl looking particularly even more lovely than she already was. She wore the same outfit all the other girls wore. It appeared to resemble a golden bikini had it not been for the golden threaded pearls that dangled over to cover their stomach and half of their thighs. It was still an eye catching costume, as it was meant to be, but it also allowed the girl's a bit of coverage. As for the guys, as there were a few performing with them as well, they wore tight leather pants that left no room for imagination. Their hands where covered with black fingerless gloves and they wore a white dress shirt that in normal circumstances, should have been buttoned.....but truly, it wouldn't be staying on for long, so there was no point for that. On top of their heads they wore black Trilby hats that more than likely would end up somewhere in the crowd tonight.

 

Overall though, the outfits were pretty likeable.

 

"Let's get into position then, shall we" Natsume responded with a good natured grin and wink, something Lucia returned with one of her own as she ambled off. Inhaling deeply and rolling his shoulders back, Natsume worked a few kinks out as he walked to stand in the center of the group of performers. A few winks and playful nudges were dished out around them all before a semi serious vibe fell over the group. It was time to perform and though they had a blast night after night, they had to be a bit serious at the very least. The last thing they wanted to do was mess up by accident, something that had never happened to them.

 

As the curtain began to rise, Natsume adjusted the mix strapped against his cheek, near his mouth. It took less than a second for the first note to leave his mouth when the music began and a hush fell over the audience. The performance would be a bit fast paced tonight but that wasn't an issue, in fact, Natsume loved these the best. When the curtain finally finished rising to reveal the group in various sensual poses around the stage, none of them hesitated from beginning to move the moment the music picked up speed.

 

Some would say that dancing and singing at the same time was quite a task, but to Natsume, it was more like another adventure. One he didn't mind at all. Moving his body seductively, as he did every single night, he matched the rhythm of the music perfectly even as he sang along to it. Not once did he seem alarmed or bothered when the other dancers walked over to him to touch him in less than appropriate manners, and he didn't seem to mind when his shirt was all but yanked off by the female dancers and flung into the hands of the screaming women in the audience. Instead he grinned and grabbed hold of Lucia, bringing her tight against him and swaying her body enticing against hers, hips rubbing against hips and hands dancing down bodies to squeeze plump asses and bare chests. Smiling his devil-may-care smirk when Lucia plucked his hat off his head and swung it out into the crowd, Natsume spun her elegantly away from himself before falling back to the other men who by that point were as shirtless as he was.

 

All bore enchanting grins and none of them hesitated occasionally bending down to trail hands down the cheeks of reaching female audience members or running fingers through the hairs of bewitched men who crowded around the stage with their female counterparts. Taking a moment to glance around the club with a hint of curiosity when he dipped down low with a few juts of his hips during a piece in the music, Natsume's eyes found themselves observing a lone figure at the dark corner of the bar. Honestly, Natsume probably wouldn't have seen him had he not been looking closely, but that made no difference now.

 

The man seemed a bit odd, being so apart from everyone else....heck, he even seemed a bit uncomfortable at that. Now, Natsume couldn't have that....no, not at all.

 

Luckily they were approaching the part in the music where the lights would dim completely for a moment before turning on again, yet this time the female dancers would be around the bar and on a few of the patron's tables while the men remained dancing on stage, much to the displeasure of the female and a few of the male clients. Hitting a high note in the song perfectly and almost hauntingly as the club darkened completely for half a moment, Natsume couldn't help but grin when he spotted Lucia circling a few inches away from the man he had been watching when the lights returned.

 

The little blonde didn't touch the man to heavily. Instead, she smiled at him cheerfully even as she kept moving to the quick rhythm of the song as she approached him. Trailing her fingers playfully down the man's jacket covered chest, Lucia provided on simple yet seductive body roll against the man before moving away with a wink to climb on top the bar and join a few of the other female dancers. The girls seemed to be almost mirror images of the guys and vice versa. Every move the men did, the women followed and ever roll of the hip or jut of the chest the women did, the men quickly and smoothly copied as they trailed their hands sensually, teasingly down their naked chests, making eye contact with the crowd at all times. In Natsume's case, more precisely, making eye contact with the lone stranger at the bar.

 

By the end of the show, the entire club was charged with excitement and energy as the women once again made their way back up onto the stage quickly. With on final pose, the music abruptly seemed to stop and the curtain began to fall once again. By the roar of the crowd and the loud clapping, Natsume knew it was another show well done even as a few beads of sweat rolled down his back. When the curtain closed completely, the man smoothly removed the microphone and grinned with the rest of the performers, high fiving a few and hugging others. It took a few minutes and a sip of water for the silver haired man to make his way out from behind the stage and weave his way patiently through the crowd towards where he had seen the man.

 

He was curious about him and if the stranger was somehow the new employee, then Natsume should go to greet him all the more.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Jun's eyes were not focused up at the stage, the corals of his eyes preferring the beautiful sight of the dull, corner of where the end of the bar met the wall. It was there where his eyes could rest from the large amount of people in front of him and oddly enough, he felt like once the curtains rose, the people performing might be watching him as well, waiting for him to dance. That's not how it worked of course, but they'd be the only people looking out to the crowd, including him in the far back. Everyone else's back was turned on him, which was safe enough for the heavy introvert, the people up on the stage might see him though. The man always found that he was a victim of fear in places like these. In actual food only restaurants, when he served, the attention was on him only for a brief moment, then the people at the table would return back to their own conversations. And the best part was that when two people were clearly on a date, the girl of the couple wouldn't look at him. He could only imagine they feared gaining an attraction to him, like others did, while on a date.

 

Where these fears and discomforts came from, he had no clue and couldn't pinpoint when, where or how it came to be. Jun didn't think it was his father leaving the two of them alone, because his presence wasn't ever important enough to him. His memory of him was long since faded, only remembering seeing the back of a large man leaving to go to work every day. He forgot his face... Because though he could remember his back, he never was there to see his face when he came back. The man always worked and worked. Jun assumed that he left because he'd rather not have to continue burning money on his wife and child when he had no connection with in the first place. His mother was very strong after his leave. Jun was unsure if his absence was quiet or if he had spoken to his mom before going. It didn't matter either way... The way his mother was like after that was even stronger. She was more assertive with others when she needed to be, she moved up from her desk job and became her manager's assistant and she took greater care of Jun. In fact, it was as if she was allowed to love him more without his dad there.

 

His mother was his role model to do great in school, but even though she gave him determination, he wouldn't have needed it. He learned quickly as a baby, understanding words just over six months, speaking words after a year, and so on, he impressed his mother as well as babysitters and day care workers all the same. The only downsize to his ability was the forgetful factor. He could forget entire bad experiences, barely recalling that happens. At school he was pushed around after being told he was a cheater for always getting the best grades. He had been shoved to the ground, getting his hands scratched up from the concrete, and after he was picked up from school, he asked why his hands hand bandages of them. It gave his mother slight concern, but he reassured her that its probably best he forgets bad things anyways... But he was never able to grow because of that. His fears remained. The nervousness he felt never was outgrown. Anxieties from little things didn't away. Jun never was able to handle things like this kind of place he was in now.

 

When the song started playing... No, it was someone singing... Jun's eyes slowly inched away from the corner, glancing at the man singing up on stage like a professional. He was scared of being here, the fast pace rhythm of the song causing his heart to thump uncontrollably in his tight chest, but there was no denying that he was good. Performers were lucky. They were so bold and unapologetic with their talents, showing it off for those enjoying the performance below the stage. Jun couldn't even go to the convenient store without being nervous about interacting with the person behind the register, god forbid if anyone tried starting a conversation with him. Jun wished he could at least have one of those performers brush off on him and give him some luck with dealing with his issues, the issues that these people might not have ever had based off of the kind of dances they were doing.

 

Jun didn't think when he glanced at the performer he'd be keeping his eyes on the stage, but he did. The energy the stage gave off was electric and hard to look away from, not only because it was bright, the costumes were very out there, creative and almost teasing to watch as the woman would dance. He could even tell how the male outfits were catered to the audience as well, if the hip movements weren't enough for him to think that, their bare chests were.... Taking his eyes off the show for a moment, he just realized that his show wasn't very typical. Not typical at all. Sexual and teasing. How did he end up here again? Money... He couldn't forget about the money...

 

When the lights dimmed completely, Jun's eyes drew on ahead again to see what was going on. He wasn't excited like everyone else when the ladies got down from the stage and started interacting with the audience. Dread leveled higher and higher inside of the man with his normal expression never ceasing once. The lights darkened. Then returned. Jun's heart squeezed on the singer's high note. A blonde dancer moseyed toward him, and yes it was him. There was no way to second guess that was what was happening, he was the only one shoveled in the corner, nobody else was around him. Red lights went off as he was right up at him, Jun's eyes staring down at the woman's petite fingers that moved down his chest and then his unique colored eyes moved up her body to her eyes as well. Flustered and his entire body stiff with fear, the woman came so close to him, rolling up her body against his. Jun wanted to know if doing this was allowed. It didn't feel sensual. Where shows supposed to be like this? He had no idea he'd end up in such a place. And when he said he wanted one of the performers to brush off on him, he most certainly didn't mean it to be literal.

 

Not to say she wasn't attractive... she was very attractive, but he didn't think he would never be okay with having that much attention from a girl. He could admire them from a distance.... Well he could barely do that either since he wasn't even used to looking at people longer than what was needed to. On a bus or a train, he'd look around to make sure he wasn't going to bump into anyone if he were to move. He was mindful of others for the soul purpose of making contact minimal. He wasn't scared of being touched, no, that wasn't what he was uncomfortable with. It was being in the spotlight of someone else. For a man that wanted to live in his nice, comfy apartment all his life, of course he wouldn't like attention. Back on a regular day of going outside, he'd mentally prepare himself for a few hours, then he'd get dressed slowly with his hands that he believed were shaky, but weren't, and he'd sped walk out of the building and have silent headphones in his ears in hopes someone wouldn't try speaking to him. In the situation that someone did, he'd remove his headphones and give small speechless responses such as nods, shakes of his head, huffs or chuckles. If he had to say something, he would force himself to talk. All the time, he thought that he would say something stupid or his voice would break, but he always sounded normal. So casual... It was like his body knew he was over reacting all the time and didn't let his mind start controlling his movements and voice. He was thankful for that, but it made it seem like he was okay with small talk. And he wasn't. Not at all.

 

When she moved away to climb on the bar, he drew his eyes away again, hoping that he'd feel better with her away from him, but he had forgot he already at maximum stress even before she came to him. So all of his muscles were still just as tense in his mind. Jun felt like with guy's eyes on the girls, which were nearby, he could quit out of this and stare back into the corner again, so instead, he looked towards the stage, watching the girls in the audience swoon heavily over the men's moves. He cold see why they were going so wild for their dance. It wasn't any less sexual than what the female dancers were up to after all. His light red eyes drew a little higher to the actual guys on the stage, looking over a few faces until his eyes met with the lead. Jun blinked.

 

It was less clear to him at first that the silver haired man was looking at him, since... well because why would he... but the more eye contact they shared, the more he was certain that it was true and not his imagination. His hands moved about on his bare chest, his hips moved so fluidly like a woman and the look in his eyes wasn't innocent either. Jun felt like he was being attacked and gifted at the same time from what the man was doing up there. The direct eye contact was intimidating in a sexual sense, which was weird to even think about. The whole thing was odd to him, but he thought that this kind of thing wasn't normal for a guy to do. As in dance like that and stare at another man in the crowd. Jun's conclusion to that was that maybe the man was gay. Saying "maybe" might be a small understatement based on the vibes he was getting though.

 

He had nothing against people who were attracted to the same sex as themselves. This was a changing world where people were letting themselves become more free. The singer and dancer up there definitely wasn't shy of showing his freedom... Jun didn't feel any attraction to other guys, so he just let himself fall under being straight with no issues about that. He watched porn like any other straight guy and got off to it every now and then. There's been a many girls that he's seen in school and on the trains were he found them attractive. He'd never make a move on them and he didn't want them making moves on him either, but still. He had attraction for that. A guy? Sure, he saw guys that were attractive, but even if he wasn't a super introvert, he still wouldn't want to make a move on them or have them make a move on him. Right now though, he saw the silver haired male as, indeed, attractive and he wasn't going to be making any moves on him, but he was sure than only looking at Jun while he danced so seductively counted, very much, as a move on him. What he'd do with that, he had no idea, but most likely nothing.

 

What kind of hope was that though? If he was going to be working here, he can't just ignore him, or anybody actually... Just like he said from the beginning of all of this. He was doomed.

 

After such intimate eye contact with the man on stage, he was looking less directly at the front now. His coral eyes were focusing more to the crowds, the drinks behind the counter and the setting he was in. This kind of place honestly isn't the place for him. His mother would never have guessed he'd have gotten a job here... Jun slightly rubbed his palms against each other in his hands, waiting for when he'd be able to speak with somebody and just how things didn't work well for him with money, his idea of keeping his eyes off the front failed. The dance went on and people continued to adore the talented folk on stage with utter delight, Jun was almost dizzy from amount of blood pumping in his veins and when the music suddenly stopped and the curtain dropped, he could actually hear his heart through his ears, the thumping being so much louder than the crowd's cheers.

 

He took a deep breath after the loud claps and cheers calmed down, thinking that this was too much for him. He should have just went for the option of having two jobs instead. The money was good here, but was it worth this kind of feeling? Jun could go with two jobs that would give him less money than this place had, but those two jobs were what he was used to. Regular serving in a calm place. Less money and it wasn't this... And The Surge paid handsomely, but it was too loud, too packed and then there was the touches from the girl and the eyes from the man. More money and it was everything he didn't like in a place. No. I should just go. Jun got up from his place at the bar and turned around so he could sneak away before anyone came to check on him.

 

Talk about bad luck, the silver haired man was walking right towards him, Jun took too long to think... To himself, he imagined that he was sweating and shaking, looking like a pig that was going to be dragged to the slaughter house while his face remained normal somehow, his shoulders were even lazily relaxed. How was it possible? He'd love to know himself. Jun's back leaned on the counter coolly, though he only did it as a backing up motion from the intimidation coming back. The man was radiating confidence, his most dangerous threat. When the performer was close enough, he shifted his head to the side slightly, giving him some eye contact and a small smile, "You're a very talented person... An amazing performance may I say..." I need to leave. I'm not going to be working here. Reject the offer, apologize and leave. "My name is Jun Arashi. I was called in to come here today," Jun cleared his throat, "As a server..."

[Time_Keeper]

Approaching the man calmly, Natsume stopped just a few feet away as he took a minute to observe the man. He seemed nervous, not that anyone would be able to tell if they hadn't been looking close enough. However, Natsume noticed the slight signs of panic in the other man by the motion of backing up a bit, even if it had been to lean against the bar counter. The silver haired performer was many things but blind and stupid he was not. He was used to people being excited about his approach and not bothering to wait when it came to putting hands on him. Yet this man, he was reacting completely differently and that was what drew Natsume's attention even more.

 

Completely undisturbed by the shirtless state he was in, the silver haired man shifted his weight from one leg to the other and hooked his thumbs into the tight fit of the pockets of his leather pants. Watching the man patiently for a few more seconds, Natsume finally relaxed as a grin lifted the corners of his previously downturned lips. "Thank you Arashi-kun, that's very kind of you to say so....Believe me, I've heard it all countless of times, but having new people like my performances is always a pleasure. I'm just glad I successfully kept you entertained" Natsume replied, good humor coloring his tone as he smoothly turned his gaze away from the coral eyed man to gaze in a relaxed nature around the sea of people. He presumed that whatever was bothering the man was inside the club so he didn't want to seem so overbearing right off the bat. No, if the man stayed, there would be time for that later.

 

"Though I'm curious as to why you haven't been tended to yet if you were called in today as a server" Natsume murmured a bit absentmindedly, looking down the bar to one of the bartenders there. "Kai! Have you seen Yurina anywhere?!" he called over the steady murmur of the crowd and the music. Curious green eyes shifted in his direction as the dark haired bartender tilted his head thoughtfully to one side. Natsume could almost imagine the pensive hum his friend must be making as he wandered back memory lane to see if he had spotted the owner of the establishment in the last few hours.

 

"I think I saw her head upstairs with Yuya right after your performance! She's probably in her office now!" Kai called back to him, his cheerful voice mending well with the atmosphere of the club around them.

 

"Gotcha, thanks!" Natsume responded quickly before turning his aqua colored eyes back to the man who was obviously not as comfortable as he was trying to make himself seem. "My name is Natsume Namikage, my mother is Yurina Namikage, the owner of The Surge. If you would kindly follow me upstairs, I can take you to her. I'm sure you'd like to discuss your offered position with her....Besides, I have to nag her for being so scatterbrained anyways. She probably forgot you were showing up today, things have been kinda hectic around here" he told Jun, voice never rising or falling to any degree. It remained a smooth, steady note of confidence and gentle patience.

 

"Whether you decide to stay or go, I'm not entitled to hear that decision. It's between you and my mom, and I have a feeling you'd like to get that conversation over and done with sooner rather than later....A word of friendly advice though? I know you haven't asked, but here it goes. Don't run away from something just because it seems scary at first. I can promise you now, there will be many situations where the situations can seem far from accommodating...however, sometimes what you're most afraid of, ends up being the best decision you could ever make...In short, if you end up deciding you don't want this job, then walk away knowing that you at least tried" Natsume gently told him. It was an advice he often gave all the new employees he saw seemed rather intimidated or frightened by the craziness of The Surge. The employees here all treated eachother as family and cared deeply about one another, they all tried to make eachother feel at home, even when the club was extremely lively around them. So even if he didn't know this man at all yet, Natsume wanted to at least make him feel welcome.

 

Turning on his heel a moment later, he paused a moment to angle his face to look at Jun over his shoulder and shoot him a flirtatious yet playful wink. "Now, come on handsome. I promise I won't bite....at least not too hard" he teased Jun in a toying manner before proceeding to walk off. He didn't care at all when hands reached out to touch him, being used to everything that happened here, it was all part of the fun. In fact, he returned the gestures with strokes and touches of his own. Playfully licking his lips when he locked eyes with those around him who eagerly reached out for him. Nevertheless, never did he allow anyone to actually stop him on his way to the stairway located at the opposite side of the club.

 

Natsume didn't really bother to spare another glance over his shoulder. Though he thought Jun adorable and that his hidden fear did nothing to stop the cute factor, he didn't want the man to think he was forcing him to come with him. If Jun decided to simply turn tail and leave, that was up to him, Natsume wouldn't hold it against him. To each his own, after all. However, Jun must have come here because he needed the money and Natsume knew full well that The Surge offered a hefty sum of money in the form of hourly pay. If Jun decided he didn't want the money after being here for however long that he had been, then that was his choice. No one else could make the decision for him.

 

Nevertheless, it would be a pity to lose someone quite so precious in appearance as Jun.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Jun always would think about how everyone could see how he was extremely nervous, how he was shaking inside of his skin, that he was sweating profusely and that each time his heart beat, he found heart it in his ears. All of those realities to Jun were, well, realities. They were real and its what he thought others saw too. Most of the times, nobody could see. They saw a cute, handsome man with soft black hair and amazingly bright eyes, they saw a calm, composed man who just doesn't speak a lot of words. The silent type charm works wonders more than Jun would like, so of course nobody actually was able to see how much worse that shyness was. They might not want to bother him much if they knew how poorly he could handle himself inside of his head. It wasn't healthy to want to stay home as much as he did, and how much he was staying home until this point in time wasn't healthy either. It was healthy to him though, so to Jun, that's what mattered the most, even though now, money was his new priority.

 

And with his big screw up of not leaving when he had the chance, it really would have to be about the money... Saying no, rejecting or anything of the sort always seemed to be harder than saying anything else, but Jun at least knew he wasn't the only one who had a problem like that. It took someone with confidence and boldness to do it right... like the man in front of him that still wasn't wearing a shirt and still wore those tight leather pants, he probably had the ability to say anything without shame. After all, he was just up on stage dancing and singing in front of everyone here. Jun wondered how long he had been doing that for. Or at least, how long he's seemed like this kind of person, the kind who he could never become himself. How is it that people could be so outgoing without ever being afraid?

 

Jun would see the performer in front of him as the shining star on stage, but when he spoke smoothly and smiled softly at him, it shook the image slightly. It made him quite relieved to have him toned down compared to what he saw on stage. It was a lot more comforting, he still wasn't at his 100 percent, but as opposed to what he was feeling then the show was going on, it was a small, but bigger improvement. He would just wish that the man would find his shirt. It was so hard to look at him in the eyes, which were a very beautiful color, he had to admit. Such a calm, full blue color. Weird how his shining talent made those eyes so much different than now. It couldn't be that the man toned himself down for his sake, right? Jun's head shifted to the side as his eyes followed the movement, Well its probably not hard to see whats going on. Everyone could see how he was always panicked. This case just was that the man here decided to spare him another panic attack. To which he internally thanked him. Still. Shirt... How can he just walk around like that...

 

The man remained silent, keeping to himself as the silver haired man asked about someone name Yurina. The name he remembered from the phone call, the woman on the line telling him her name, but he forgot about it as soon as he ended the call because he, also, wasn't alright with calling or answering the phone to people besides his mother. Which was another fear he knew others had, so he felt no need to work on that either since nobody who called him was important and he didn't even order pizza because he always wanted to save money cooking himself.

 

"Its nice to meet you," he instinctively responded once given the name of his opposite. To hear that he might have been forgotten about was strange, from the owner, he wouldn't expect to hear that she just forgot. But Jun wouldn't blame her. She said they were short on people and she must be busy... and Jun forgot her name too. This club had a very busy vibe to it, very up beat and in your face, so it must be easy to forget something, even if it was getting a new employee. If Jun was forgotten about entirely and nobody who worked here had come to check in on him, it would have just made it easier on him to have backed away from the club, never to return again. Jun certainly be about to be on his way deeper into this place. He wasn't exactly ready to meet the owner, he was never ready to meet anyone, but he was more willing to force himself now that someone else could force him to go meet her. That someone else being the owner's son. He definitely couldn't just bounce out now.

 

Knowing the owner might have forgotten about him was one thing. Earning advice was far more out of the ordinary. Natsume was right about one big thing from the beginning, Jun would be very happy to get this over with. Even if he really does decide to keep the job, he really did just want to go back home, even more than usual for clear reasons. But... somehow hearing someone else say it... it made him feel somewhat ashamed for having such a desire. Natsume was being very nice to him, speaking calmly and gently, and he felt like if he were to just leave after hearing his words, he'd be insulting his kindness. The other man's words were ones he never heard someone tell him before, if anything people told him to not be afraid and to just deal with whatever comes. Natsume thought it was okay to walk away as long as he didn't regret it. Truly Jun felt like the man meant his words, and that sincerity was very appreciated.

 

A few things though... He walked away from a lot of things, but a better word to describe turning down something or someone wasn't walking away. It was running away with his tail between his legs. There was no pride in that. And the the the only kind of "You tried" he got from himself was the pathetic, flimsy gold star sticker elementary teachers gave to the student who clearly didn't do anything right compared to the rest of the functioning kids in the class, but wanted to give them something so they didn't feel bad. "I understand," he spoke silently, his voice difficult to even hear, it being drowned by the rest of the club's life.

 

And just like that, Natsume had went from one thing to another. The silver haired male's wink caught him so off guard, he even flinched a little. Jun wasn't threatened at all by the action, it was just... directly flirty. And it reminded him again of how the two of them saw each other really for the first time, Jun being the audience and Natsume being the only performer to meet his eyes while doing a very provocative dance, as if he was directly dancing for him. With what he said after that, now there really was no doubt in his mind that the performer was capable of being interested in men, either gay or bisexual... Didn't matter, because he didn't need to know. He didn't care... Natsume didn't need to be flirting with him... Or was it flirting? Maybe that's just how he was. The man's eyes didn't know where to focus on anymore as licked his dry lips and stuck his finger in the collar of his jacket, tugging it open to get some air in as he followed behind the other man. Once again, he became a witness to another thing he was shocked to see Natsume perfectly fine with.

 

Quite simply to put it, a lot of people liked Natsume and Natsume liked them back, also giving them attention back. Seeing that helped him see that maybe the man wasn't actually flirting with only him. But boy, he could have thought otherwise during the show... Still behind the owner's son, he tried his absolute best not to be touched or to touch anyone he passed by. It shouldn't be a shocker to know he wasn't fond of this either. He kept his lips completely shut, hiding behind the attention Natsume pulled into himself, and he wasn't planning on opening his mouth either. A burning question smoked up his lungs though and he had to say something to let it out, it was curiosity and from being completely blind to how Natsume was like this. Jun waited to get towards the back where the rest of the club was apart from them now, he pat his hand on his chest, flattening any wrinkles, "Excuse me..."

 

Jun's voice was still near silent and he had to clear his throat again to fix that, "Excuse me, but... How are you okay with this. And that..." he didn't say what that was specifically, but his eyes lingered on the bare body of the other man a few seconds longer than he should have. He grew up normally. Many kids grew up with no father. He did good in school. Everything was perfectly fine.How was it that he became like this when Natsume clearly was a lot more different, a lot more successful in his own way? "You don't have to answer and I apologize if my question comes across as rude to you." And for him, the breaks were staring to go off late and there was no reverse button, "We can just continue going, I apologize for the sudden question. I don't need to know, its not important." I'm just sounding more rude aren't I? Jun was hating every word that was coming out of his mouth already. He should have asked his mom to help him practice talking in a normal conversation again over the phone before this... "I apologize."

[Time_Keeper]

Turning his gaze back over his shoulder when Jun tried to get his attention, Natsume paused in his stride to semi-turn his body in order to look at the slightly taller man a bit more directly. Feeling the beings of a smile begin to twitch his lips up, Natsume's eyes filled with amusement at the clear stumble in the man's words after he had asked his question. Chuckling softly, Natsume grinned at Jun in a clearly friendly manner saying "You don't have to apologize....honestly, it's fine. I'm sure you can believe that I get questions like that from most of the people that are just starting off working here. It's not that big of a deal, you don't have to worry about it". His tone was far from insulted, instead it came out just as calm and gentle as it had been from the start of his conversation with Jun. He knew that his personality and his freedom in both outfits and attention towards other people, took some time to get used to. Many people found themselves curious about him during their first days in The Surge, after they grew a bit more accustomed to his ways though, they found his antics amusing and even endearing in some regards. But it took a bit of time to get to that point of thinking.

 

"How am I ok with this?" Natsume asked himself the question as he raised his gaze up to look at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Honestly? I'm not really sure. I guess growing up in an environment like this one turns you immune to the restrictions of the general public around you. In regards to my state dress...or undress you can say, I'm a performer and I know you already can tell what kind of club this is. I don't mind taking some cloths off for the eyes of my audience, I also don't mind if they want to touch me from time to time. It's all fairly innocent if you think about it. They're not forcing themselves on me and I'm not forcing myself on them. My job is to give them a good time while they're here and leave them wanting more, so walking around like this only encourages their wants to come back in the future. Not only for myself, but for the other performers who are also walking around without much on" the silver haired man tried to explain the best he could with a small shrug.

 

"Like I said when it come's to the touching. It's not forceful, if anything, it's kinda playful on all our parts. I'm not in a relationship nor do I have to answer to anyone in the romantic field, as such, I like to spread my attention far and wide. I don't care who you are or whether you're successful in life or not, if you come to The Surge, see me perform, and want me to grant you my attention through touches, I'm fine with it. Sometimes, all someone needs is a warm body or a person who can soothe all the weariness of your everyday life away for a few hours. If I can help someone in that way, then I'm all for it. After all, you should have that sort of mentality if you're performing dances like what I do on stage" Natsume continued while directing a smile in Jun's direction. He knew the man probably wouldn't truly understand all he meant off the bat. People normally didn't think the way Natsume did when it came to his flirtations. People that had never been to The Surge, were much more uptight than the regulars here. Being that as it was, coming here for the first time could very well be the equivalent of getting a bucket of cold water thrown over your head.

 

"I've been coming to this club since I was 11 years old. After Yurina adopted me, she began bringing me and a few other kids my age to The Surge during some nights. It wasn't that she wanted us to grow up to be part of this environment, it was simply that my mom didn't truly trust anyone else watching over us when she and Yuya had to be gone for hours. At first, The Surge seemed crazy to me and I was left flabbergasted by all I saw and experienced. After a few nights though, it became more like an amazing world of freedom. A place where anyone to express themselves for who they wanted to be without having to worry about what other people might think. The Surge has always been a haven of safety and freedom to whoever comes either to work or visit. Each night, performances are just for our audience. We don't half-ass anything, as performers dedicated to those watching us, we put everything we have up on stage night after night. It might not be the dream career others might want, but this has been home to me for many years. This is my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's taught me lessons I probably wouldn't have learned if I had grown up anywhere else, besides everyone that works here is family. We make each night an awesome adventure and spread our web over all those who come to see us. Everything we do, everything I do here, is worth it in the end. So I guess that's how I'm ok with all of this" Natsume finished with a soft easygoing laugh. There was no amount of discomfort in his features as he answered Jun's question in length...and in his mind, there was no need to be uncomfortable about answering. If Jun decided to stay, or if he decided to leave in the end, the man deserved to know. Besides, Natsume really wasn't overly stingy about saying things like these.

 

"Now come on, Jun. We need to get to my mom before she wonders off again. Who knows, she'll probably actually manage to remember that she had a new applicant waiting for her tonight and start running around trying to find you" Natsume teased with a chuckle as he turned on his heel and continued his approach to the stairway hidden in the darker part of the club. Nodding quickly at one of the pair of bouncers that were guarding the stairs, Natsume gestured for Jun to follow him while he began the climb.

 

"By the way, don't let my mom scare you too much. She might be dour faced and might look like the strictest person you'll ever meet in your life. But! She's just a big softy on the inside , besides Yuya is going to be there. He'll make sure you're fine. Just answer her questions honestly and I promise you that the whole procedure will go by pain free. If you get too overwhelmed though, call for me or something, I'll save ya" the silver haired performer put in after a few seconds of silence. Yurina could come off as stern at first impressions, his mother didn't smile a heck of a lot and she usually was quite calculating with her actions. Nevertheless, when she accepted you into The Surge as an employee, she was essentially accepting you inside her family and by those means, she tended to become completely overprotective. Anyone working for her could vouch that. Not only her, Yuya as well.

 

Natsume had grown up thinking of Yuya as almost an older brother or uncle, despite Yuya being Yurina's age. The man was serious yet gentle at the same time. When Yurina's temper had threatened to explode while Natsume had been growing up and watching her handle business affairs, Yuya had always been the one to calm her down and talk her off the ledge. Yuya was the backbone of The Surge and Yurina herself. However, he was also a comforting presence to all who needed his affection, so Natsume didn't worry to much of Jun when it came to the new guy meeting the two owners of The Surge.

 

Overall, Jun should be just fine.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Of course, he was sure that others have wanted to know how someone could grow to be so outgoing and spontaneous, asking was just a whole different story, at least for him. He wanted to sigh and blame himself again for just being so unable to handle how to be a real human being on the real planet Earth. He couldn't even ask a simple question without thinking something was wrong with his words or regretting saying them after they came out of his mouth. He shouldn't hate the curiosity he had of the other man though and hearing Natsume's calm voice again, he didn't regret is as much. The more Jun listened to the voice the more he liked it in comparison to others. With a voice like the performer's he still was surprised... Or maybe he shouldn't. He heard that singers know how to control the tone of their voice, tunes, volumes, all of that. So... Could Natsume really be trying to calm him down after all?

 

The touches were harder to understand at first as well, though with the explanation, he was starting to see it a little more. If Jun was in Natsume's shoes, he'd feel like he was in those scary movie scenes where there's many hands trying to grab at you at once, all wanting a piece of you to take down to the depths of hell and Dante's inferno... What he saw now was that, well.. Honestly, if Jun was in the other's shoes, he wouldn't be bothered either. Jun's every issue was that he didn't have experience with anything. Even if he did go through something, he'd most likely forget a lot of the details and end up not budging out of his turtle shell. Overcoming flaws are what happens to children, but apparently Jun missed the message. And in bad situations, he was the one to wish he had his mother to help him.

 

With his mother, he loved her very much, but even a lot of memories were tainted and Jun failed to remember certain times they had together. A lot of times, Jun could see the door opening to his room when he was younger to see his mother smiling. He always wanted to know way she was smiling. But he just... couldn't remember why....

 

Though thinking about her was coincidence because he just learned that now only was Yurina the owner of the club and as Natsume's mother, but she was also his adopted mother too. Natsume looked... he looked like he was holding up pretty well for someone who was once an... orphan? No, thats a horrible way of putting it. What are you trying to say about people who were in an orphanage?! Jun was just not expecting to hear that he had that kind of background. To say in the least, he was surprised again. It must not have been easy for Natsume as a kid, yet he grew up to be something so admirable? Jun had no excuse. He was raised by a loving, caring mother and he still turned out to be such an antisocial man passing into his 20's. And he was sure that it would take him more than a couple of night to get used to this, but really, wow... Natsume was everything he wished he could be. Not like he didn't like himself, he did. Its just that it was clear that the silver haired man was enjoying his life to a whole different degree and if he wasnt a recluse, he wished he could be him. And the way he spoke about it, Jun was made clear that this man put his heart into this and was dedicated. What was Jun even going to do with his life?

 

"She might be sour faced and might look like the strictest person you'll ever meet in your life." Really? Well, he was quite used to that because of his mom. Her tough skin happened to make her face a certain way, but he was never intimidated by her face. A face was just a face... Though to say in the least, he wished that the owner didn't look like that, because it would be a lot more easier to handle is she was more like Natsume. "I'll keep that in mind," Jun replied back, speaking formally, after another uncomfortable dosage of silence between the two, "Thank you, Namikage-san..."

 

How exactly would he convince the owner that he'd be a great choice for this job? He wouldn't. It was the club that was apparently desperate for more hands around here and Jun had the experience that was desired. His personality did not click with the air around here and maybe that killed his chances. He could only say that he'd feel unfortunate for missing out on the pay, and only feel that for a week or two because he would have just moved on and got a different more common serving job to do. Letting out a sigh when they got to the top of the stairs, he looked around as he was lead to the owner's room. He was starting to tune things out with his lips staying shut to the point where it would appear that he hadn't spoken a single word in a few days... When they stopped, he came back out of the emptiness of his head and looked toward the door, then at Natsume, "Well... I appreciate your words of encouragement. And I will try to take your advice. If I do not end up working here, I'll tell myself I tried. Its something I should tell myself more." His eyes adverted slowly away, "Yes..."

[Time_Keeper]

"It's Natsume, Namikage-san would be what you could call my mom though I wouldn't recommend it. She hates when her employees address her by our last name. So call me Natsume or Tsume, if you like. As for my mom, Yurina or Yurina-san, if you want to be formal, is fine. Anything else will probably make her look at you as if you've lost your mind or something and she'll probably think you're insulting her by calling her old in an indirect way" Natsume chuckled, trying to get Jun to relax a bit more at least. He didn't like to see the man so out of his environment, but it couldn't be helped. Natsume could bet that Jun had never been in a place like this and the reaction he was seeing was only natural. Nevertheless, it would help a bit if Jun didn't think that this place was out to kill him. It was different than normal jobs, sure, but it had the potential to be truly enjoyable as well. Even with Jun's obvious hesitation about being here, he knew if the man could accept that this would soon be his job, then things would work out even smoother for him.

 

Smiling as Jun spoke again when they had reached the door to his mother's office, Natsume leaned over a bit just to be able to catch Jun's eyes again from where the man had averted them too. "I'm sure you'll do fine. If you really need this job, my mom will give it to you without a second thought. Like I said, even if you're not sure about things right now, give this place at most a week. See if you can manage to develop at least a mild appreciation to the atmosphere here.....And if it doesn't work out in the end, then it didn't work out. No big deal. I'm sure a guy like you can find another job in no time, you seem like the successful type in the outside world....even if your shyness is adorable" Natsume grinned as he spoke. Reaching up, he momentarily ruffled Jun's dark hair before letting his hand drop back to grab hold of the handle of the door to the office. It took less than a moment to turn the knob and push the door open, and Natsume didn't hesitate a breathe in brushing into the room.

 

"Yo, mom.....You forgot something again" he greeted the two people in the room with his typical easy grin, not appearing to be phased at all when a pair of cool green eyes lifted to look at him from where their owner sat behind a large mahogany desk.

 

With her face framed by midnight colored curls of waist length hair, Yurina might have the appearance of a porcelain doll. Her features appeared perfect and beautiful, her skin a delicately tanned tone and her heart-shaped had no flaw in it whatsoever. However, her forest colored eyes gave a slight chill to her appearance, as well as the stern line that formed her mouth.

 

"And what would that be, darling?" Yurina asked, voice coming out surprisingly soft despite the rather intimidating air that surrounded her.

 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you have a potentially new employee coming by tonight to see you?" Natsume asked, raising a playful eyebrow at his mom, whose eyes widen instantly and quickly turned to lock onto Jun. Without even having to be asked, Natsume laughed softly as he motioned for Jun to come into the room while saying "Found him for ya".

 

"I told you we were forgetting about something, Yuri" a deep, masculine voice filled the room as the second figure that had been standing beside a coffee machine, looked over with his own set of steely gray eyes.

 

Yuya Himura, was quite an intimidating man on his own. Standing a few inches above 6 feet, his hair held an unnatural almost bluish tint to it and it was held back by a loose braid that lay draped lazily over one slightly muscled shoulder. Normally distant gray eyes peered out past long lashes and slight frown lines marred what would have otherwise been flawless skin on the handsome man.

 

Cursing under her breath, Yurina's shoulders sagged visibly at her own embarrassing mistake while she took in Jun's appearance. "Arashi-kun, please take a seat and forgive me. It's been a long few hours so far.....It's not an excuse, but it's the best I can provide you with right now" Yurina sighed softly.

 

Smile softening at his mother's appearance, Natsume padded into the room and made quick work of approaching the desk. Bending down for a moment, he pressed a quick kiss upon his mother's temple which in turn had her frowning lips curl up into a loving smile. "Don't let it get you down, mom. It could have happened to anyone" he murmured affectionately.

 

Straightening up, Natsume turned and shot Yuya a friendly wink, something that was responded to with a soft chuckle, before turning and striding out of the room again. As he passed Jun, Natsume grinned at the man and bid him a quick "Good luck" even as he continued to walk.

 

"Natsume....For God's sake, put a shirt on...You're going to get sick" Yurina called after her son, only to have him lift a hand and wave her words off playfully.

 

"Yah yah, whatever you say mom" he called over his shoulder before closing the door behind him the moment he had stepped out of the room.

 

Shaking her head in exasperation, Yurina turned her attention back over to Jun. Appeasing him for a second longer, the woman eventually leaned back in her chair and asked "Arashi-kun, though we're the ones who asked you to come down here tonight, I am curious to know what made you apply for the position? Was it simply for the money offered? Because I can tell you right now, if you're here strictly for money, you won't last too long. The Surge will need your dedication as an employee to work here, this is no simple restaurant or fast food facility. I just want you to know that from the start".

[Coffee-Tastic]

Firstly taking a note to remember to call the manager by Yurina-san and for the man who's helped him so far, as Natsume. Jun was just used to being formal and polite since it was always the safest route to go down for him and that's what his mother taught him, but he would change his way if it meant making the, happy. And he was glad to have Natsume tell him what was best, he didn't want to make his possible boss upset at him for mistaking his words for calling her old. This might just be the only easy adjustment this man was able to make at all times. It wasn't hard, it wasn't complicated, it was just a matter of remembering: yes, call her Yurina-san or just Yurina and call him by his first name, Natsume. If Natsume hadn't been so calm with him, Jun might be set up for maki a mistake there by mistake. Stress did things to him all the time, anyone sharp enough to notice could figure that out.

 

 

Being told he'd do alright still wasn't very convincing to the part of him that like to slay down hope of any kind of success involving interactions, but he was thankful to hear the other try to give him some extra confidence just before they'd go inside. Yurina-san giving him the job if he really needed it? That sounded a bit too good to be true, didn't it? With a place like this, she might not really want to give this job to someone who just really needed the money. Jun honestly did just want to find a job for money. Everyone in the world always just wanted money. The only person who would ever deserve this job if for someone who actually wanted to be apart of this life. Jun just wanted money... But the raven might say that if he did stay here and if it didn't kill him... He might be interested in joining this "family" as Natsume put it and actually adjust too.

 

 

He was fine with all of this advice. Jun just didn't expect the punch at the end. "Even if your shyness is adorable." Huh? Adorable... No, this wasn't shyness, it was dying on the inside and it was most certainly not adorable... When Tsume touched his head and went as far as to ruffle it up, he closed his eyes like a flinched dog that didn't expect it. He didn't expect it. He didn't think he'd ever be ready for unexpected flirts and touches. Making an uncomfortable pout, he lowered his head, trying to fix up his hair as quickly as possible for when the door opened up. Jun knew it was a harmless thing, so it didn't bother him as much compared to someone else doing it. If someone else did it though, he still wouldn't really say his complaints on the matter.

 

 

He didn't come in after Natsume at first, waiting patiently to be introduced. From the sound of Yurina, she didn't sound like she'd have a stern look. He image that came up from hearing her was a soft faced woman with gentle eyes. When he thought of stern, he'd take his mother's short, straight hair and her narrow eyes, then her pale face and the wrinkles under her eyes. Being gestured to come in, he took his last deep breath and stepped in, his neutral, leveled lips becoming a small smile upon having his coral eyes land on the woman across behind her desk "Nice to meet you."... "Doll" was precisely how she looked. And her eyes might give others chills, but he actually admired her eyes the most... Perhaps, the most intimidating women to him were ones that were flashy and outgoing because they were more unpredictable. Seeing that Yurina looked like this, he was still nervous, but he didn't it be as concentrated as he thought.

 

 

Taking a look at the origination of the other voice, he saw the other man in the room that he recalled Natsume saying was Yuya. From what he said, Yuya would "make sure he was just fine", he didn't know what it meant, but he'd just have to take his word for it because at the moment Yuya looked more intimidating that Yurina-san in Jun's eyes right now. He swallowed and came to the chair across her desk as he was told, taking a seat with his eyes finding solitude at the woman's unique and beautiful appearance.

 

 

Jun found himself smiling a little more seeing the sliver haired man and his mother interact, finding it sweet to see the woman lighten up to a smile from just a simple kiss from Natsume... Hey. Wait, where was Natsume going? Being told good luck, his smile took a step back and he turned to watch the man start to leave. Jun nearly forgot that this would be an interview, nothing new from before, where it was only supposed to be the trying new employee and the owners in the conversation, not anyone else. He should know that, but he was really wishing Natsume would stay. Just because he thought of Yurina-san not being so and as was put didn't meant he'd be totally okay with being alone with her and this other man.

 

 

Sitting upright and straight again, he looked at the woman right in her eyes as she looked at him too, proud of himself for not looking away. It's just hat her eyes made it easy for him to keep looking. When she began to speak, Jun blinked as he listened to her words, dreading the questions she asked after saying how if he was here for the money, he'd fail. He could see how that was true. Jun was the one about to bail out after seeing what kind of place this was and he didn't care about the money at that point.

 

 

He took a few moments of silence to gather his thoughts into something more intelligent and meaningful than "never mind, this was just a bad idea."

 

 

Jun cleared his throat and finally opened his mouth, speaking clearly and smoothly as if he were calm, but with his arms on the sides of the chair, his hands gripped the edge of the armrests as if he was on a roller coaster instead of an interview. "Well, I did decide to look for jobs for the main purpose of finding one... I... To be honest, I did only come here for the kind of pay and I was about to leave. I'm not used to a lot of things, especially not a place like this. It would be easier to go to the kinds of places I used to work at when I worked in high school, but," he lowered his gaze, hoping he already didn't screw this up and make himself look like a bad employee, "Your son told me it's worth it to try something different and if it doesn't work, I should stay positive. I saw the show. It was really hard to think of myself working here. But then I thought it would mean a lot more to me to try first and then leave after giving myself a chance to work on my," he cleared his throat again seeing that he'd have to admit his problem, "My shyness. As Natsume put it." He left out the adorable part of course.

 

 

"So. I'd be willing to try to improve myself as well as serve here. I live close by and I'd never be late. I'd also make sure to do my best to meet your expectations, Yurina-san." Looking back up to her gaze, he waited for it. He waited to hear her say she'll get back to him in a few days, which meant that he didn't get the job most likely. He was okay with that, it would save him plenty of heart attacks he might actually get from working here.

[Time_Keeper]

Feeling the urge to laugh grow in her when Jun seemed to be displeased at Natsume leaving, the woman rested her chin on her hand and exchanged a glance with Yuya. It wasn't often that they brought new people into their tight family and so far, she didn't know what to think of this man. He seemed to have developed a sort of...dependency? perhaps she could say, to her son at what she had seen, but she knew little else about him. When she had seen his application online, she had thought that he was really only coming for the money. It bothered her a bit but they needed more hands now that a few of their girls had gone off for maternity leave. Jun had experience in a familiar field, but Yurina had secretly hoped that he was coming for a bit more than just the pay. The Surge embraced all who decided to stay for the close ties that they developed here, that being said, the job wasn't for everyone. Full commitment and heart went into everything the employees did here and Yurina was curious as to see if she could depend on Jun to have the same state of mind.

 

Frowning lightly when Jun first admitted that he had indeed come just for the money, Yurina's frown faded to near nothingness when Jun continued his explanation. So her Natsume had had a hand in changing the man's state of mind. It was interesting...and quite pleasing. Her son usually spoke to new employees and he often encouraged them the way he could, but it wasn't often that many people admitted it so bluntly when they sat in front of Yurina. They usually kept his words to themselves and learned to live by them, this young man was different and Yurina couldn't help but begin to like him a little more as he finished speaking.

 

"I'll be honest, Arashi-kun. Hearing that you first came here for money is something I don't enjoy, but I'm glad my son could convince you of looking at this job with different eyes. I don't often hire people on the spot, I like to make sure they're ready for what they're getting themselves into before I bring them fully into The Surge. However, if his words are anything to go by in the way they have changed your mind, I think that Tsume likes you a good deal already. So, I'll make you a proposition. For the next three weeks you'll be on a sort of testing period. You will be paid and you will work just as much as the others will. By the end of those three weeks, I'll determine if you truly mix well with the employees here. Should you at any moment before that time is up, decide that you no longer want to work here, then all you have to do is come to me and let me know. If I'm not available, you will speak to either Yuya or Natsume, I hope you understand clearly what I mean" Yurina exhaled after a moment, fixing a patient yet stern look upon the younger male.

 

It was a few long moments before Yuya straightened away from where he had been resting his weight against the wall sipping at a cup of coffee. Setting the cup down beside the coffee machine, Yuya tossed his long braid off his shoulder and blinked calmly at Jun. "I think it's time I show you around. Yurina's acceptance to your possible full-time employment means that you should get yourself familiar with the entire club. You've already seen plenty of the first floor. This floor is where the employees go to rest between performances or shifts. You will more than likely be spending some time up here when you are asked to bring drinks up for our performers" Yuya stated calmly, flickering his steel colored eyes over at Yurina who had gone back to shuffling through paperwork.

 

"Arashi-kun, go on with Yuya. You won't be starting work today simply due to the fact that I don't want to throw you head first into all this craziness. Once you're done with your tour, Yuya will bring you back into the office and I will give you your uniform. The uniform must be worn at all times, no exceptions. Please remember that" Yurina murmured softly under her breath, paying most of her attention on the papers in front of her.

 

Striding towards the door of the office, Yuya gestured for Jun to follow him while carrying the same strange sort of fluid flow to his movements. It had been a bit of time since he had shown a new kid around but he knew that the performers would be eager to see their new "family member". Jun would surely be overwhelmed by the time he went home tonight but at least he wouldn't be starting work yet. Yurina would probably schedule him for tomorrow night or the night after, for now, she'd give the poor kid some time to adjust to what exactly he was walking himself into.

 

Opening the door to the office, Yuya walked out into the hallway and turned briefly to wait for Jun to follow him. His expression might have been unmoving and stern, but his eyes had a gentle sort of patience reflected in them as he observed the younger male. Like everyone else before Jun, Yuya had faith that the kid would be just fine however, only time would truly be able to tell in the end. "If you have any questions to ask me while we walk around, Arashi-kun, don't hesitate to do so" Yuya mentioned after a moment before he turned on his heel and started to walk off again.

[Coffee-Tastic]

He knew telling the owner during the interview that he was here for the money right off the bat was a big no no, but he at least wanted to say how he didn't care about that and was about to leave regardless, then how a certain someone made him change his mind and at least try~ Jun thought that would make him sound a little more desirable as someone who can try and be useful... He was proud of saying it at least, but like with a lot of things, there was still a decent half of him who wished he didn't. Half of him liked to remind him that he didn't want to be here, that it was a scary place that he did not belong in, or anywhere near for that matter. Actually the only thing that had kept that voice from making his legs walk out was Natsume and the fact that he had already gotten too far deep in the club to turn back. At the start of Yurina's words, saying that she didn't like to know his original reason of coming here made the other half of him say I told you so.

 

"But..."

 

His negative half was silenced just at that one word spoken from the woman's lips. By damn, he could swear that he felt something good in him from the praise. It barely could be called an actual praise, but he said how she was glad he saw things differently. And for that change, Yurina gave Jun three weeks... Three weeks to work and fit in with the others. That was more than fair. Would three weeks actually be enough time for a guy like him to mix into a place like this? It might not be in reality, Jun already felt like he was here for hours though, so only time would tell his progress. If he wanted to give up, he was given the chance to say so to her, Yuya or Natsume. It was a really good deal. But no, he probably would go to Tsume to let them know he was giving up, he would feel more disappointment from all of this then. Jun could still try to stay positive after that, its just that guy had been the one keeping him here for the interview, he wouldnt want him to think he still failed at keeping him here as an employee after that amazing feat. "Yes, I understand."

 

Yurina really could pull off the stern look like his mother... But it was interesting to see that her intimidating appearance didn't not make him as uncomfortable as some other newbie might be in reaction to it. Jun just knew just because her face was like that doesn't mean the things going through her mind were scary at all. Again, because the most frightening thing to him was someone who liked to be close to him, bubbly and too loud. He would have thought Natsume was like that from what he got from the stage... it was surprising to have heard him sound so calm and soothing towards him. Who would have thought someone who stared at him while dancing without their shirt on could be so... so... like that. Jun didn't.

 

Giving his attention next to Yuya when he spoke, the raven listened. Mentioning the first floor, Jun surprised himself with a dosage of his flawed memory. Has he seen plenty of the first floor? The image of the layout was already fuzzy and the image he got from sitting in the back was fading in his mind. Literally. He'd get another look at the first floor on his way out, so he allowed it all to slip away. As for this floor, as long as it wasn't loud and stressful, he wouldn't have a problem recognizing where things were. This issue of forgetting things he doesn't like was definitely strange and where it came from, he'd never know. He most likely forgot the reason, so there was no use trying to dig in his head to try and reclaim something bad just for the sake of curiosity, that would just be foolish. It was clear it was erased for a reason.

 

Yurina-san dismissing him, it was relieving to hear he wouldn't be working today. His spare time to live in his hole would be dedicated to be eating comfort food and watching feel-good movies. His assignments were most finished and he wouldn't have break his neck trying to finish them before he was swamped with exhaustion from this crazy job. Standing up from his seat he bowed his head to the woman, "Thank you for your time and this opportunity, Yurina-san," raising his head, he looked to the other man, motioning him to follow, giving her another smile before going in Yuya's steps to the door. He was starting to really like the owner, though now it was time to get used to the taller male. His sternness was like hers, but he was able to see the gentle turn his eyes made for the rest of his appearance.

 

To Yuya, he nodded, "I will," responding, his voice was still as normal as before... With Yuya's face and his gentle eyes, Jun might just say the man would seem like his father. Well, not his actual father, who was long gone in both body and his son's memory. He just meant that if his father was anything like his mother, Yuya would be the result... Alright, it might be a little odd for him to keep thinking about his mother when thinking about Yurina and his father when thinking about Yuya. Couldn't be helped. Jun didn't say a lot of words, his thoughts spanned a lot farther than his voice ever would.

[Time_Keeper]

Walking through the second floor of the club, Yuya flickered his gaze curiously at the man that followed him. Jun was definitely not the type he'd think would work in an establishment like this one. Yuya was not someone to judge a book by its cover or make judgements without having at least something to base it off of but the kid just didn't seem like someone who would fit in right off the bat. His silence didn't match with the loudness of the enviroment around him. He was serious where the other employees tended to be a bit goofy and playful. He said few words while the others were known for running their mouths even while nothing particularly negative came out of them. Heck the boy himself seemed uncomfortable with the thought of working in the club, maybe it wasn't obvious to others but Yuya had always been excellent at reading people. That's why it gave him a fatherly air and it was also why others sought his comforting presence when they needed it most. For now, all Yuya hoped was that Jun would manage to embrace at least a bit of the freedom of the club and if he decided to leave in the end, that he would leave with good enough experience to help him in the outside world.

 

Passing a doorway to the left of the hallway which was open to give view to what appeared to be a small kitchen/dining room like space, Yuya gestured to it briefly and parted his lips to speak. "As you can clearly see, this it our kitchen space. It's not used extremely often but it is there if ever you should want to use it. We keep the refrigerator stocked with anything you could possibly need so you'll never lack need of anything here" he spoke even as he swept past the open doorway. A few feet down from that room were a pair of doors that lead to a pretty obvious location. "Those are our bathrooms, if you find the downstairs restrooms occupied, you can come up here any time to use these. Inside you'll find everything you'd think for a public bathroom with the additions of a few shower stalls. Most of our performers tend to enjoy showering between or after shows" he spoke up calmly.

 

Moving forward in a smooth yet also quick pace, Yuya barely paused as he moved past several closed doors on either side of the hallway. "As we make it a point to cater to the every needs of our employees, we also offer them rooms to stay the night should ever the need occur. Rest assured, we won't ask questions should the need not be dire. However, if you ever want to stay the night in a place away from home, you're more than welcome here. Each room has a TV to keep you entertained, laptops are provided as well as stocked mini refrigerators" the older man stated as he continued to walk.

 

Reaching the end of the hall where voices could be heard from the last doorway bathed in light, Yuya glanced at Jun from over his shoulder while adding "This last room is our employee lounge/prep room. You'll be meeting most of our kids now". Striding towards the voices, Yuya entered a rather spacious and large room where to the left of it it had a few Bobkona St. Croix Vanity Sets along with their stolls and several people in rather revealing costumes sitting in a few of them. A bit further down from there were a bunch of black leather couches set up against the walls with some dancers settled in them. To the left of the room were racks of costumes, props and regular cloths, all lines up side by side in a rather organized manner. The center of the room was barren, however, it appeared nothing more than just a empty square of space in the middle of everything else. "The center of the room is usually used as a makeshift practice stage during club hours. When dances or acts still have need to be perfected while we're open, that usually happens in the center of this room" Yuya explained just before a voice called out.

 

"Yo, Yuya! Jun!"

 

Turning his eyes towards the source of the voice, Yuya didn't bother to hide the smile of affection that touched his features at the sight of Natsume sprawled out on one of few many couches with his head on Lucia's lap. Though he seemed completely at ease, Yuya couldn't help but find amusement swelling in him at the knowledge that the man had indeed put on a shirt. Regardless if it were rather tight on him.

 

"So, what's the sentence?" Natsume asked playful, aquamarine eyes twinkling with hidden laughter while Lucia glanced at them curiously as she continued to play with his hair. "Your mother has given him 3 weeks. A testing period, to say the least" Yuya responded, voice sounding much warmer than it had before. "Three weeks, huh? Well that's not so bad. More than enough to let him test the waters and decide what he wants" Natsume mussed as his eyes landed on Jun. "So what do you think, Jun? Think you'll somehow manage to survive a few weeks with us?" He asked playfully.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Getting accustomed to these top areas weren't too hard for Jun in the least, it wasn't like down on the main floor where it was loud and there were people all over the place, where it was half lodged in his memory already ever since coming up the stairs. He took into consideration that even upstairs might get loud too, this being where the performers resided, but he had a feeling he'd get used to it more, slowly, but he still felt like it was possible. If the others were half as nice and observant of his certain issues as Natsume was, then yeah. Of course... Well. He hoped. It would be easier on him to get used to the same faces up here than the changing faces of the visitors downstairs. Being a server before, he also typically got used to it to some degree, but there were always people that would be an uncomfortable exception to his thin level of social tolerance.

 

Once in the last room, the lounge and prep room, he listened all the while looking around the room. It seemed that the more he saw, the more he remembered that he was entirely out of place in the setting. There would be constant remainders that he shouldn't be here, won't there be? It put him down a bit, but he had three weeks to make a decision and that would be plenty of time for him to be able to say he can't or can do this. Besides the conclusion he got from the short tour, he really got to see how big this place was. It was big, well kept, and well thought of. All the performers had their own little personal space to prep up at. A small kitchen with, as Yuya put it, "anything you could ever need" . And Showers and rooms for the employees? He never thought a job like this would cater so much to the people who worked here, as if the large pay wasn't enough. And televisions and laptops in each room? Yurina must have put a lot of money in this place, a lot of care into the people that worked here.

 

Brought out of his thoughts with the call of his name, he also focused over to the origin. So this is where he went after abandoning him... Though he supposed he shouldn't have expected him to remain in the room. It was an interview.

 

Jun was able to tell off the bat that Natsu wasn't a shy guy at all, far from it, but he was surprised to see him in the lap of a girl, having his hair played with. They must be very comfortable with each other for that to happen. He himself wouldn't let anyone do that... it was a weird thing to do wasn't it? But... Natsume's hair did appear to be very soft. That silver hair looked like it would feel like fine, delicate silk under his fingertips if he ever had the chance t... "What?" Jun had focused out again, but he heard his name again. He cleared his throat, taking the question in a more serious matter than was intended when coming out of the other man's lips, "It's hard to say, but I hope to work well here with you and the others, and be able to function as well as I can." He looked up from the shorter male and at the girl, Lucia, and the others that were nearly, bowing his head down formally with a gentle smile, "It is nice to meet all of you, my name is Arashi Jun. I also hope to be of good use and good company to you all in this three week span and beyond that." He raised his head, tucking some of his thick hair behind one of his ears after it fell into his face from how deep his head was bowed. Being so formal in this whimsical, carefree setting, even he felt like it was an awkward thing to do.