#thread: cem

"Woah there, you good?" As Jiya was held still on her heels after stumbling, she simply blinked at the person who had helped her before she finally registered the question. "I'm good, are you good? I barely even moved, I'm totally fine." It had been a long time since she had properly drunk and even longer since that had been in a bar or on her own. The last time she had been this drunk, she had been in her sister's living room with nothing other than a bottle of Jack Daniels and a pair of pyjamas.

After everything that had gone down outside the rec centre, Jiya was emotionally depleted and although she had considered just drinking at home so she could rot in peace, the idea of being on her own had been even worse than being around people that might have seen her emotional explosion at her ex-husband.

As she made her way through the bar, taking smaller and slower steps to try and stop herself from falling over, she barely noticed that she was alone. After all, she had alcohol, people around and cheesy songs about apple bottom jeans. How could she ever feel alone when she was being musically encourage to get low?

With another drink down, Jiya left her glass on a nearby table before making her way over to the dancers on the floor. It was only seconds before she was joining in with getting low, but for someone already unsteady on their feet, coming back proved a little trickier. Stumbling again, she stumbled right into a hard body, one that had her doing a slow blink. "God, that was like hitting a wall." Poking the chest in front of her, she looked up and her face flashed with recognition. "Oh, it's you. Were you always this hard? I don't think I noticed before but I think I should've."

It hadn't taken long to track him down when she had got to town and as Addie stood outside the office for Rao Investigations, she could only wonder why she hadn't made contact with him sooner. Moving back to Briar Ridge had brought a flood of memories back and although being around her grandparents had brought her immense joy, being back around the memories of her teenage years and more obviously, her teenage heartbreak had proved harder than she thought.

It had taken her time to get settled in and not look at every street corner as a memory and she was finally getting out and about more and spending time with people other than her grandparents and her visiting siblings.

Pushing open the door, she checked the office was empty before quietly walking to stand behind Cem. "Excuse me? You wouldn't happen to know where I can find an investigator, do you? I'm looking for an old friend and I've heard rumours that he's living in my hometown.."

It was the last thing she had expected of a small town in the middle of nowhere, but as Jiya looked out at the colours thrown through the air and the happy faces of the people celebrating, Jiya felt the first genuine grin in weeks spread across her face. She may be far from home and even further from the family she would usually try and spend the Holi festival with, but this was something.

She had gone back to the hotel to change into some gym clothes, not wanting to get her favourite shorts permanently discoloured and as she joined the throws of people, her white clothes were instantly spattered with bright coloured powder. Grabbing handfuls of colour, Jiya threw them into the air and towards people, laughing whenever she got hit with a colour herself. Maybe there was a hint of home here after all.

Grabbing a handful of pink powder, Jiya threw it haphazardly, biting back a laugh as it hit someone square on the side of the head. "I'd say sorry, but it's kind of a hazard at these things."

"There's been no development, Lia. They're still claiming what they're claiming and even though your name is on the house, it's also his legal residence."

The phone call was still ringing in her head and it was what had prompted her to take a walk into town and to the one small building she had never been to before. Rao Investigations.

Generally in town, Lia didn't bother hiding but considering what she was maybe about to do, she couldn't risk a photo getting out and her ex getting wind of it. With her hair tucked into a hoodie, cap and sunglasses on, she had blended into the background and even though she wasn't sure she wanted to do this, she quickly ducked into the office just so she didn't look shifty on the street.

Pulling off the makeshift disguise, Lia glanced around the office and immediately turned back to the door. With her hand on the door handle, Lia shook her head and quickly turned back, almost giving herself whiplash. She knew she had to do something, but this just felt so drastic.

Completely unaware that she wasn't alone in the office, Lia turned back towards the door. "Oh my god, Lia make a decision." She spoke out loud, she turned once again, shaking her head at herself, especially when she saw she wasn't alone. "Oh, hi, that was.. nothing. I think I'm in the wrong place, this isn't taco bell? No?" God, she was an idiot. "This was a mistake, I'll see myself out. This way, right?"