Hey! Sorry for this being kinda really absolutely late. Life's been one big mess of drama and work so I didn't have as much time as I would like. So, yeah if any voices out there are reading this, thanks I appreciate it. Without further ado, Chapter 2:

Starting Again

I woke up the next morning to the shining sun leaking in through thin curtains. It was a sudden snap to consciousness. I didn't recall falling asleep, but it was rare that I ever did. It took a minute for me to process my surroundings. Then it occurred to me as the silver haired customer of mine from the night before groaned at my motion.

I checked the bedside clock that glowed my answer in yellow: 9:45. Great, my shift started in a little more than an hour and I still had to run across town and get ready. I leapt out of the torn apart bed, hoping to wake up my company. My clothes were in undistinguishable piles.

"Wh—What?" I heard him moan.

I could picture him hazily opening his eyes and wondering what he had done last night. "Pay me and I'll be on my way." I stated without feeling. I was a little sore, but this wasn't a new sensation. If this was months ago, I would be crippled. Though, this isn't the past, this is what's happening now and I need to stay focused.

"Look, Roxas, was it? I'm—"

"Just the cash, please." I looked back at him over my shoulder. There was something in his eyes. A possible flicker of emotion for more than I was capable of. I knew something similar to that look. He—they both used to look at me that way. But that look, that emotion, was fake. If they cared, they would've stayed, they would've been there. I wasn't about to get hurt by waking up to find myself alone again. That was the only thing I knew for sure.

"Roxas, just take this." He held out a business card. Surely his number would be on it. He pulled out a wad of green, counted, and held it out to me.

I grabbed the cash with a satisfying lunge before running out the door. Of course, since I was saving up for a better life, I had another job.

I got across town with fifteen minutes to spare.

"Cutting it close." My coworker's British accent mocked me.

"Shut it." I countered hollowly.

Without even a glimpse around Derail, I shoved myself into the four stall bathroom. These dirty tile floors were the closest thing I had to a residence. Within one of the larger stalls was a patch of tile that no one would notice was off balance from the others. Yeah, it probably wasn't the most sanitized of places to hide my stuff, but I needed a place that just happened to be right there.

Inside the thin translucent fabric was all I owned within the circular, round globe. It wasn't much. A variety of clothes, a sharp bristle hair brush, a standard make shift emergency gear, and a few knick knacks that I picked up from the good moments. I kept all my money in an old tennis ball tube that I found years back. With my last payment added to its contents, it was almost fulfilled enough to wish for a companion in its banking requirements.

Since I was running late, I didn't have much time to gawk at my few possessions before shoving myself into my work apron.

What was Derail? Derail was a little "pub" of sorts opened up way back when. Its antique style upgraded very slowly compared to the skyscraper city. A couple years back it got the name of being a bar. The place has never been big. On a busy night you could expect maybe one or two parties of four to five. Money was never an issue, though. I always got my normal minimum wage paycheck plus tips every payday. Pretty well considering I didn't do much.

Its loyal customers kept it busy from dusk to dawn and back again. Derail was more than just a bar to these people. This was the tailgater's crowd, the date night fantasies, catching up with friends while choking down hot wings. The people that hovered here were something else. It was always hard to distinguish who knew what about me or who I might be seeing later that night, but no one ever broke the invisible line of bringing it up.

My coworker, the short haired sun soaked goldie that included the hair on his chin, was called Luxord. From what I knew about him, he was a good guy. He was multi-talented and could probably accomplish anything he wanted to, but he would often sit back and let fate take the reins. At some points he could be almost methodical when it came to comparing life to a game.

He's been working here longer than I had, but we don't get to detailed about our pity conversations. He mostly handles the money and drinks and the occasional dealer job on gambling days. Might I add, if I'm not out of order, he was the best card player I had ever seen. Not that I've seen a lot. I created a back story for him in my head where he's an old Vegas dealer that got fired for sneaking away cash. Since then he's been on the run to protect he's money.

I cleaned. Yeah, I know, not the most exciting job, but it brought in the dough while keeping me to the side of the main stream.

Derail was empty this particular afternoon. I was mopping the floors while Luxord polished glasses. Tonight was band night and the lead band would often show up sooner than later. This bad was probably one of my favorites. It wasn't often I got to hear my choice of music—try never. Why I like this band over the others is because they played the greatest variety known to mankind. They could go from classical, to punk, to rock, to pop, to what-it-was, and back again. It would never be the same thing twice so you could never get bored.

Demyx, the lead guitarist of The Nocturnes, was by far the friendliest of the four members. He was playing with a napkin held down by an empty glass that wasn't his. Now, Demyx was cute, not customer cute, more like a puppy dog cute. He had a dirty blonde Mohawk and these big blue eyes. Not my type for a relationship, good thing too because he was taken by this book worm in another town.

"Hey, Demyx?" I started a conversation to break the burdening silence.

"Hm?" He sat up straight in the stool.

"You're awfully quiet today. What's up?" It was true this guitarist knew how to rant on about anything and everything until your ears gave out. He would go from how he loved talking to how he hated the use of potatoes in salad. It certainly made up for anyone's social awkwardness when he would always be the first to strike a conversation. One day I nearly wanted to duct tape his mouth when he wouldn't shut up about how clouds were so devious. "I mean look at them! They look so fluffy and soft, but if someone gave you the chance to lay on one, you would fall right through and be soaking wet! What is up with that?" He would say.

"Just band problems." Some people would've just ended it with that, not Demyx. "Our drummer's out with the flu. Xiggy's busy trying to find a replacement, but if we don't get one by tonight . . ." Demyx need not finish that sentence for everyone knew what it meant. They were already being cut short since their other place went out. They can't play. They can't get paid. Worst of all, they can't eat.

"That's rough. Wish I could help." Actually, I didn't. If I got caught up in something else it would only distract me from my goal. Anyways, the most I could do was sing a little.

"Yeah, thanks. Hopefully Xiggy will come back with something."

"Fingers crossed." I went around the worn stools with my swishing mop. Demyx was a great person that didn't deserve this. I wanted him to find a solution it's just I couldn't be of any use so why bother? I gave him all I could, words. That's all I had.

"You know, I once knew this guy. He came once or twice a week for a while, but then stopped coming all together." Luxord started a story out of nowhere. "He would never say much. Drank by the bottleful. In between shots he would tap the glass against the counter. Came out sounding pretty good. Perhaps he'll be up for the job if you can find him."

I knew who Luxord was referencing. That little glass tap dance he would do carried through to more. I know him well. "That redhead?" I played dumb.

"Oh, right, that was right when you started working here."

"Do you know his title? His name? Address? Location? Phone Number? Eye color? Anything that could help us find him?!" Demyx was pleading desperately. "If he is a great drummer, and I know that Lux does have a great sense of rhythm, then how could it hurt to have him as back up?" Demyx had no idea that I had an answer to his rhetorical question. It would hurt me. It hurt me just thinking about being close to the redhead. "Please, Lux, Rox? Do you know anything about him? Just could you just remember the name of this person?" Demyx asked us both hopefully.

"Hm, I don't think he ever mentioned it." Luxord rubbed his goatee.

"I think it was like Axel or something." I said, hoping not to raise any personal suspicions. I kept my thoughts, eyes, and everything else on cleaning the floor. Making the wood lemony fresh was my top priority. My spinning emotions about the redhead in question would have to wait until you could eat off the floor. Perhaps I'll hold off all the feelings till he arrives which then I could use my panic as stomach flu. Luxord would be nice enough to cover my shift if I stayed late tomorrow. Yes, that was the plan that formulated itself in my mind within seconds.

"Axel." Demyx echoed. "Got it, I'll text Xiggy." He whipped out his phone.

"Lux, you really have not seen him lately?" I asked while Demyx was far too preoccupied to notice my concern.

"As fate would have it, I haven't. What a shame, he was just the kind of spirit we needed to light this place up."

"Right, well, let me know how things turn out. I'm off to pick up . . . "chicken wings, celery sticks, ranch . . ." blah, blah, blah, you get the point. I'll be back before the after work rush," I told Luxord with my boss's long list of things to get.

"Kay, kid, here's some cash. You know the usual drill, but don't sweat it." Luxord put down the glass and cloth combo onto the bar. At this time Demyx had mysteriously vanished into the bathroom. He handed me some dough from the cash register. The funny thing is, as much as I needed money, I would never steal, especially from Derail. Luxord picked up on this long ago so I was highly trusted within his ranks.

I really did plan on doing my job, but I also wanted to check something out. Something that has been bugging me for a while.