"Senza tentazioni, senza onore."

[sharktrash]

Who: Squalo and -- you?
What: Squalo decided not to let his bandmates one-up him and went to have his own "seasonal" performance. For fun. Or so they say. He's got Empathic Influence now, so... have fun getting just a little bit too into those songs and enjoy all those new, excellent and healthy emotions that you're suddenly feeling!
When: Feb 13th
Where: "The Variable", alternative music club in Vista City
Warnings: ...Squalo. Aka: profanity, violence, public indecency, drug use, will add as necessary.


(( See comments for prompts! ))

Comments

before the show

[sharktrash]

[sharktrash]

[ He can be found darting between the stage to rile the audience up (by yelling profanities, no doubt, but his usual audience seems to find it endearing for some reason), and the back to check if the preparations are going well. He's finished tuning the instruments so now he just has to make sure some fuck doesn't come by, touch it wrong and ruin it. ]

[ Oh, and he just might be expecting someone. Either to wish him luck or actually join him on stage. He's got the sheet music ready, just in case, though he pretty obviously doesn't intend to share the glory too much. ]

[ Or maybe you're in the crowd and getting annoyed waiting for the actual performance. ]

[wounds]

[Well, he's not just going to leave Squalo alone on stage this time. Not when he so generously involved himself in Genos' last show. He's got his guitar in his hands and is ready to play.]

Waiting for someone?

[He seems in much better spirits after their last performance.]

[sharktrash]

[ He knew he could trust you, Genos. The fill-in musicians might be decent, but they're nowhere near the level of the people he calls friends, okay. Besides, considering "Piece of Shit" Barry, he's not keen on interacting with them more than necessary. Hopefully Johanna shows and takes the bass. ]

[ He grins and shoves the papers in the other's hands. ]

You'd bet. This shouldn't be difficult for you, but give it a look just in case.

[ ...so he is. That's good. Maybe he's managed to sort something out. It definitely hadn't been the best time for it right after getting tortured... or whatever happened to him. ]

PERFORMANCES

[sharktrash]

first half // "Phantom Limb" + others // OTA

[sharktrash]

[ The stage starts off dark and quiet. Then there's a heavy riff, joined in either by a fill-in band or possibly some friends of his that decided to help out. ]

[ This time, Squalo's definitely hogging the spotlight; he's in the middle of the stage, shredding that main motif on an especially sick-sounding electric cello, and leaning in for the microphone. ]

[ As always, his voice's loud and rough, but this time there's a certain haunting quality to it, especially the howls and screeches. Either he got some real good sound engineers for reverb, or his lung capacity is something. ]

Every new second
Getting harder to breathe
No matter which side I end up on, this ain't over

My regrets are many, true
Still so much worse lies ahead for you

And it haunts me like a phantom limb
Dares to rip your face off on a whim
As if life is just a second skin
You haunt me like a phantom limb

[dishevelment]

[Metal wasn't typically his genre of choice, but a skilled musician doesn't let genre preference get in the way of helping out a friend. When Squalo approached in need of a back up to bring in the supporting harmony, Koumei pulled every string he had at his disposal to get his hands on a full-scale synthesizer that was equipped with any sound variation imaginable. It wasn't quite a piano, but it was close enough.

Squalo himself was maginificent on stage, as always. Koumei was proud to stand by his side in this performance, and would gladly act as accompaniment again in the future.

For now he let Squalo sing, his fingers dancing up and down on the keys as sound thrummed out from the amplifiers.

...This.

This is what performing is.

[sharktrash]

[ Exactly. A skilled musician can transcend genre, and while Squalo didn't have any doubts that Koumei was one -- he'd made a point to make sure of it on their first "date" -- it was always nice to see just how right he was. The guy's completely not in his element, and yet he fills in flawlessly, helping create that thick, haunting sound Squalo loves so much. ]

[ As he plays over the bridge, he leans in toward the other man with a slight smirk. ]

You keep surprising me.

[ To him, that's apparently one of the hottest things someone can do. There's no attached weight or anything, though, a moment later he's coming back to the microphone to continue. ]

My own decision
A better exchange
If I stop fighting, if I ever stop I’ll die

My only loyalty is you
Fate’s only a glass wall to break through

[ Isn't this song a bit funny, considering he's lost a hand last month? Has Mei actually seen it yet, or was it still in the vague "I shouldn't have this" stages for him? ]

toward the end? // "Dirt" + "Love, Hate, Love" // possibly duet with Xanxus? spectators allowed

[sharktrash]

[ Sometime during the performance he's finally ditched the instruments and focused on singing. There's an exceptionally slow, even sludgy piece he's finishing up right now -- and he actually crouches down, nearly crawls toward the edge of the stage with the rhythm, then turning over upside down and letting his hair hang off the edge like strings of frost in the dim lighting. ]

[ His voice's steady, firm, full of certainty and a bit of something else -- something dark, as his eyes seem to fixate on someone in the crowd even though he's upside down. Hello, Xanxus. ]

I want to taste dirty, a stinging pistol
In my mouth, on my tongue
I want you to scrape me -- from the walls
And go crazy like you've made me

[ Before the security can get the impression that he's finally overdosed on drugs and is acting out some kind of weird trip that consists of being a fish snake and performing sex, though, he's hopping right back up, grinning wickedly and going back to the mic stand. ]

I have never felt such frustration
Or lack of self control
I want you to kill me -- and dig me under
And cover me with dirt

[ Yeah, he's still looking at you. ]

Standard Xanxus Warnings Apply

[variaboss]

[ So Xanxus is at the club mostly because he likes to keep his fingers on the pulse of the music industry. It has nothing at all to do with the asshole on stage. Nothing at all. Certainly, he's here for the drinks and not the man crawling on the stage.

There is that long white hair hanging off the stage and he almost pictures it for a moment in a different location, steaming off the edge of a very heavy antique looking desk, paperwork pushed off onto the floor to make room. But he's never owned such a fancy desk in his life...right?

He's about to scoff a little when he hears it. That voice. Ands when he sees it. Those intense eyes focused right on him. No mistaking it. No way he could be looking at anyone else, mostly because Xanxus for all his fame, is generally left alone when he's drinking. Probably because he's been arrested that one too many times.

But he swears to fuck the jackass is looking at him. Singing...singing at him. He turns towards the stage completely and for once in his damn life, he pushes the glass of alcohol away to pay full attention to the man on stage. The man who kept giving him those strange feelings of deja vous.
]

[sharktrash]

[ Crawling, laying down, just like you do when you're high as a kite, don't you Xanxus? The very music might sound a little like heroin, but there's a different message getting pulsed off of the stage; murder intertwined with some kind of dark lust one feels toward something absolutely grand and terrifying, however there's no fear in it. None. ]

[ Squalo sees him looking back at him and smirks, something sharp and challenging to it, as he draws a hand down the microphone stand, almost as if clawing at it in a matching slow motion. ]

You, you are so special --
You have the talent to make me feel like dirt
I'll take your gun into
My mouth and eat the bullet that you give me

[ He turns away from the crowd, his hair whipping around as he does, and walks a few steps away, singing the main tune wordlessly while the music plays the outro. ]

Aaaaaaah, yeah --

[ And then he turns back again, triumphantly so, holding his hands out in the air -- the audience seems to lose it and he soaks it all in as if he's absolutely entitled to all that attention, cheer and adoration. And then he's raising the mic again. ]

Heeeeey, but we're not done yet. I've got something very special for you tonight -- [ someone in the front row screams something about LOVE SONGS!! and he laughs. ] Close. Not quite. I'm really more of an angry break-up song kind of guy. Or, you know, love ya so much I'll put a knife through your throat kind of guy. [ Screaming near the stage. ] What was that? You want to hear it? Come on, do you? [ A roar in the crowd. ] Alright, alright. Shit, the things I've gotta put up with for you fuckwads. Here's a song -- [ Another, slightly faster but still dark as fuck riff starts playing, as he daringly stares over the crowd and right at Xanxus' eyes. ] -- and I'm thinking, maybe there's someone here who'd like to join me onstage for this.

spectator ready to blush, (be turned on) and internally scream at implications

[scalpedsociety]

[As requested your teacher will come over to the club in a pretty dress to watch you and sure enough her little Shark is perfect, as to be expected. She feels a surge of Pride in her boy. He lost his hand and the skill is still there, plus as she knows already, he has more talent than just that. He could easily be his own band.

For the last few performances Squalo has chosen to focus on singing, which as 'unusual' as his voice was, it was unique, something no one has heard. Still this performance... is intense even for him. Tamara almost feels the need to look away at this. But she doesn't, it's... strangely alluring for some reason. Almost feels a dark, forbidden warmth curl around her insides. This is wrong... And she's kind of thankful that Squalo's eyes are not trained upon her. But who could it be?]

rip

[sharktrash]

[ She'll know soon enough. As he finishes up that song and calls out, dares someone to come up there with him for the next one -- and the crowd parts, and there's Xanxus. ]

[ And he's actually walking toward the stage and climbing up there. ]

[ Their eyes are set firmly on each other as they start to sing, there's hatred, lust, something else in there and their touches. ...They're even touching each other; Squalo claws Xanxus' cheek while singing about wanting to peel the skin off his face, and Xanxus retaliates with a mocking 'angel' address and harshly tugging on his hair. ]

[ WELL. ]

/spectating and sighing

[avidita]

[Once again, invisibly recording things for intel gathering reasons and...]

[This is what happens when the rest of the Varia leave these two to their own devices, isn't it? Fighting, dick exchanges, and blatant sexual tension that could possibly lead to actual sex on the stage.]

[Oh well. Just one more thing to sell to some of the others.]

wow

[sharktrash]

[ APPARENTLY. ]

[ And it's only going to get worse when Xanxus actually takes up his dare and comes onstage with him. The next song is delivered with them mostly looking at each other, there's hatred, mockery, and definitely some kind of desire radiating off their voices. And touches. Because clawing the other's face and yanking on the other's hair are perfectly normal parts of performance, right. ]

after the show

[sharktrash]

[sharktrash]

[ He's definitely not in a rush to leave the stage. He's still yelling at the audience, repeating snippets of the songs performed tonight, just soaking up all that attention as if it's what's letting him stay alive. If you look appreciative enough, he might pull you up to have an impromptu unscheduled duet, just for the hell of it, even if he's never seen you before -- ]

[ Eventually he does go down, though. He'll sign stuff if it's given to him, accept flowers or consider invitations to bang, whatever. He definitely seems very pleased with himself. ]

[intohell]

[Not everyone was there for the performance--on stage or afterward. Not that it hadn't been ...enlightening, but some people were there for other reasons like information gathering or just working. Both would explain the blonde in all black talking down two fans who looked ready to fight over whose turn it was for an autograph. While it might prove interesting to anyone up for enjoying a catfight, the club owner wasn't as forgiving, or insured.]

Keep it up and you can both find your way outside. And miss out on the autographs.

[Because that was the main point, right?]

i'm sorry

[sharktrash]

[ Squalo doesn't mind catfights, especially when they're a safe distance away and he's got some popcorn at hand, but he also understands the staff's sentiments. Well, more or less. He watches the woman -- hired security, perhaps? -- scold the fans with great interest, and leans forward a bit over the table he's been signing on to get a better look. ]

[ Hmm. Nice ass. ]

Is there a problem, signora?

[stylistic_disloyalty]

[Luci stays off to the side, just waiting for the fans to get what they want from Squalo before catching his eye. She looks...]

[Smug and a little wary at the same time. She hadn't seen this one coming, honestly, but there's no doubt that Squalo was totally voicefucking Xanxus tonight. She waits for him to approach her, eyebrow raised.]

So who called it? Who said you should get a room?

[sharktrash]

[ ajhksjahd Luci pls. Although... no lies found there. To his defense, he wasn't planning on it. Or even fully aware he was doing it. Ever since that performance with Genos, he felt there was something more, and as much as he tried to deny it... right here and then, with those words on his lips, and Xanxus just happened to be there... he couldn't stop himself from it. And somehow, it felt right. As if that emotion was always meant to be directed at him. ]

[ He's not really thinking about it when he's finished signing a final autograph on someone's breast and heads toward Luci -- he's glad she showed, really, and he's interested in her opinion -- and he nearly jumps back at that. ]

What? [ GAME OF DENIAL IS BACK ON ] What are you talking about?

[wickedlyable]

[ Johanna's well-practiced in the art of disinterest, so she doesn't bother seeking out Squalo before he starts. When she gets to the club, she chooses a random table, glares at anyone who might want to sit next to her, buys a round for the girls at the bar who've recognized her, and settles in to watch the show.

And what a show it is. When it's all over, Jo will wave Squalo over after giving him a little time with the fans. Amusement is clear in her voice as she says- ] That looked... fun.

[ Does she really have to say more, Squalo. Really. ]

[sharktrash]

[ PLEASE DON'T. Actually, most of it was perfectly fine, but things sort of went downhill from the moment Xanxus showed up. He's... not quite ashamed of it, but for him, it's dangerously close. ]

[ He'll just do his best to erase it from his memory and go say hello, then. It's... been a while. ]

And you still look great in 3D. I was worried I was remembering wrong. [ A grin, and he just might to try and take a seat next to her. ] But hey, thanks. Should've come up there with the rest of us.

[ Or maybe cross-label collaborating is an offense punishable by death, in which case good job Johanna. ]

/harasses squalo again

[avidita]

[Somewhere, a frog is watching.]

/omg Fantasma calm

[sharktrash]

[ HOW DID A FROG GET INTO THE CLUB. IS THE FROG OF LEGAL AGE? ]

[ ...isn't it funny how the club's name contains the word "Varia", though. ]