I'M BRINGING MY CROWN . o . human AU

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

In a stark contrast to Vaas, Rhinestone was very much not a party guy. Given a somewhat eccentric name by even more eccentric parents, Rhine had grown up as the quiet one out of his little circle of siblings. He was always more focused on his studies and exceeding in everything he could so that his parents would be proud of him. He lacked the adventurous spirit of his brother, but that hadn't stopped him from being pulled into things bigger than himself. In high school, he had been dragged into being class president, and slowly things had spiraled out from there, ultimately leading to an adult life where he was the designated leader. Of course, that wasn't the only designated thing he was. Designated driver, designated responsible one... it might've been grating for one more free spirited, like Vaas. But Rhine hardly minded his life, especially nowadays. He had finished up college, had a fairly well paying job, and was still pretty much the leader in anything he took part in, whether he liked it or not. There was still a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he liked to think he handled it well.

That was, he handled it well when he didn't have a massive project on his hands to worry about. Work had handed him an assignment that was huge and extremely last minute, and the male could practically feel himself vibrating as he headed into the coffee shop. He desperately needed some caffeine to keep himself going, and judging by the way his stomach growled as soon as he stepped into the massive place, some food as well. Sometimes the environment of the warehouse turned coffee shop was a bit overwhelming for Rhinestone, considering the larger than average size, but today he could handle it. He needed to handle it. Right after ordering one of the larger and most caffeinated drinks on the menu, along with the biggest muffin he could see in plain view, Rhinestone felt like pacing to work off his nervous energy. Instead, he opted to loiter near the booths to wait for his food and drink, pausing when he saw a familiar face nearby. Rhinestone wasn't sure he had actually ever met Vaas properly, but he had certainly seen the other when his friends wanted to go out partying, and Rhine was dragged along with him. Hell, the man was fairly sure they had talked before, just... without any sort of introductions. Awkwardly clearing his throat, Rhinestone found himself asking curiously, "Don't I know you?" Internally, immediately after saying that, Rhine felt like digging a hole to crawl into and die in. Don't I know you was hardly the most natural opener to a conversation he had ever used.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan