~Torment~ A Roleplay!

Ace walked into a coffee shop, needing to be revitalized after having to deal with Rio all night long at a party, they could still feel Infra's dead eyes boring into their shoulder you're not good enough. They'd been hearing that the entire party too.

"Hello, um can I have Hot Chocolate with Vanilla, Caramel, and Sugar Syrup, and with like caffeine, and cream please."

The barista looks shocked," Name?"

"Um, Ace, like of cards" they say, paying for their drink and sitting down by the window, onlooking the park.

Xander paused his drawing and his mind began to wander to dangerous places. He was worrying about college, which wasn't far down the road, and it was really getting to him. He still didn't know what he wanted to do; he really just wanted to be an artist, but was well-aware that might not be enough to sustain him financially. The snake around his neck raised its head and hissed in his ear. Xander pushed it down with his hand and told it to chill out. He went back to drawing and set his focus back on that and his subject, Rebecca.

"Ace!" A voice calls

Which startles them, because they were lost in their own thoughts, they walk up to grab their hot chocolate, and walk out to the park across the road, you go to the fountain in the middle and see plenty of people milling around minding their own businesses, Infra's gaze on their back sharpens and they almost walking into someone who seems to be drawing

"Oh, I'm so sorry I was lost in my thoughts." They quickly apologize to the black-haired person.

Xander was slightly startled, and his pencil slipped. A stray line came from the tip of a tree branch. He looked up at Ace.
"Oh, it's fine," Xander said with a smile, "I only get lost in my thoughts all of the time."
He went back to drawing, starting by erasing the stray mark. The dove perched on his shoulder cooed into his ear, and he subtly tried to shoo it away.

"Not to be invasive but that's a nice drawing of the park." Ace sighs," I used to draw, but you know college and classes and money, and stuff. Now, I just … nap or walk to de-stress, and drink caffeine," They say lifting their cup.

"Oh, thank you! I've thought about making it a career, but I'm not so sure sometimes." Xander replied, blushing a little. He wasn't used to praise, since he was usually afraid to share his work. As Ace kept talking, however, he got to thinking about how uncertain his future was. He wasn't even in college yet.

"Oh don't look so worried about the future, I'm only complaining because I've been in a rough patch, but I promise you it gets better, life is a mess, but it's a fun mess, sometimes." Ace stops, as Rio's hands grasps their shoulders," And you should definitively consider an art degree, I have a law degree and I wanna go into Media and Communications, so yea if you enjoy art do art."

"There's no money in art," Xander said with a laugh, "I do love it with all I am, though. It's funny. people keep telling me I'm wasting my potential. I'm at the top of my class, and yet I choose something that high schools hardly care about."

"There isn't money anywhere in this economy, but whatever you say become a cooperate goon, just like yours truly," Ace said pointing to themselves," But potential can't be wasted thats not how it works, potential will either become something or stay potential, so you could potentially be someone you don't want to be, or get an art degree. And let me tell you people love art, I may be in law but how many lawsuits have you been a part of."

Xander nodded. "I wish more people would think like that. Heck, if I fail, I could always become an art teacher or work at an art museum. That's not my dream, but it wouldn't be terrible. Oh- yeah… what's it like being in law? That's what my parents always wanted for me. It's kind of funny, because I don't do very well in speaking up, and I'm not opinionated, but of course, that's what every parent wants for their kid, no matter their personality or skill. They want more doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Anything that supposedly rakes in the dough, even if school sends them a quarter of a million into debt."

"Yea, debt for law school is a hassle, but law is basically understanding and reading and you never stop reading laws, and policies, and stuff. I was a police officer and that was a time, you basically have to know every law ever all the time, and it's a lot of effort. I'm now interning at a law firm and thankfully I'm paid because otherwise I don't know if I could eat, because I'm still in college for more law, and french." Ace takes a deep breath,"So what would you do if you didn't do art like?"

"I don't really have any other passions," Xander admitted, "I've always been good at math, though. It's very boring."

"Same math sucks," Ace sighs," If I wasn't going into Law I would've went into Acting, which is a lot more risky but probably way more fun and life-threatening so yea, strive for your dreams and fly as close as you want to the sun."