"Il bugiardo deve avere buona memoria."

[sharktrash]

Who: Squalo and YOU!
What: Squalo returns from surprise trip to Scary Lab Dungeon
When: evening of April 2nd (and later)
Where: Pride HQ, maybe the city later
Warnings: squalo language, drugs, craziness, will update if needed


-- A

[ Turns out trying (and (temporarily) succeeding) to trick Lesedi is a bad idea. He spends about thirty hours with the delightful brain probing team down in the labs, and then he's extensively warned and set free. Or, rather, just shoved out after making sure he got the message. ]

[ So, there he is, sort of staggering into Pride's lobby because he can still feel those unpleasant tingly things in his brain which might be aftereffects of the machine or cocaine withdrawal or an unholy mix of both. He takes a few shaky steps, rests a hand on the wall while leaning forward -- and throws up right there on the floor. ]

[ He stands there for a moment, and then starts laughing. It's loud, sharp, and frankly, somewhat unsettling. ]

[ There's probably a lot of people around and everything. The tabloids will sure love destroying his image further if anyone from the media is there to see him empty his stomach in a public area and have a manic hyena laughter fit over it. The famous alcoholic, cokehead and sex criminal of metal finally gone off his rocker etc etc. Does he care? Not right now, no. ]


-- B

[ Once he's done with that, he'll head "home". Which might be either MANTICORE's or Junkyard Carnival's suite at this rate. For what it's worth, he seems unharmed, but that weird aura of amusement and being close to a psychotic murder fit is still lingering. Did you even notice he was gone? ]

[ If you're anyone who has some reason to see him naked -- a bandmate, a bae, someone who helps him in the bathroom or just loves peeping on people in there -- you'll discover that pretty much his whole back seems to be bruised, as if he'd been thrown against something with incredible force. He doesn't seem bothered unless you ask, though. ]


-- C

[ The next day, he can be found doing the usual stuff. Recording, going outside to play with his bike, heading out into the city, most likely to drink. Possibly to meet Luce too, at some point. He might seem a little calmer than usual, though, as if the whole world around is somehow beneath him. The trademark smirk on his face almost looks knowing at times, but depending on who you are, he might just shrug if asked about it. ]


-- D

[ Wild card! Hit me up via PM or at jigglyballs and we'll make something else up! ]

Comments

A.

[scalpedsociety]

[Guess who happens to be in the lobby as Squalo's getting out. Her time in Pride HQ is becoming shorter and shorter lately. She doesn't like this place, she doesn't like Lesedi. Although all of that is gone once she sees him like this...

I shouldn't have left...

No one in the lobby comes over to see about him, when he starts puking Aramat will attempt to pull back his hair. Then there's the laugh loud, high pitched and unsettling as anything. Common sense says that one should back away from such noises... but she doesn't.

Guilt is still in her heart.

I shouldn't have left...]

[sharktrash]

[ And what the fuck does she think she could have done? Become another lever to be used against him? No, it's just as well. ]

[ He barely notices her at first, though he'll probably be pretty grateful about vomit not getting on his hair in a minute or two. He runs a hand through his bangs, almost as if trying to card something out of his head, then finally glances back at her. His thoughts are a mush; whatever had been in that powder he drank at the trials clearly didn't agree well with... this. ]

Hey there. Hot stuff. Or should I say "ma"?

[ He bursts into another fit of laughter, but it only lasts a couple seconds this time. He clearly thinks he's being hilarious. ]

[ ...on the bright side, this is probably no different from things he's said when he was really, really drunk before. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[She could have least attempted to tell Squalo that questioning Lesedi was a bad idea. (After all, he didn't see her kill a person with her bare hands.)

It is nothing different from drunk speak, but it still disturbs her for some reason. She'll try to help Squalo up, sling a long arm on her should to help him walk.]

Come on, let's bring you home.

[She's trying to remain calm here. I can cry once I get him to his suite.]

[sharktrash]

[ Oh yeah, that's true. He did hear about it, though. ]

Home? That's not -- [ A hiss, and he presses his free hand to his forehead. That hurts. Good, to be honest; what is he thinking saying this right here in the open? Shit, he needs to get himself together... ]

[ Fine. He'll just let her help him, then. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[It doesn't stop Aramat from looking at him. She wants to tell him that's not true, but somehow... in her heart she knows it's not her home either. Why else would she use any excuse to leave this building?]

Don't say such things in front of the people here.

[Giving him the benefit of a doubt and carrying him to the elevator.]

[sharktrash]

[ Wow excuse you he can walk. A bit of support will be appreciated, though. Or would be if he had enough reason to notice it right now. ]

Why? What the fuck do you think they can do?

[scalpedsociety]

[What just happened to you.]

I think you know the answer to that question already.

[Admittedly, Aramat is still scared of the label right now. Still afraid harm and things like this might come to those she's come to care about.]

[sharktrash]

[ Some prodding that apparently did the opposite of what they wanted. He's not cowed, he's furious, though there's still a long way to go before he's back to "normal". ]

Well, yeah. And I'm not impressed. [ It definitely shows on his grinning face. ] What else can they do?

[scalpedsociety]

[At that defiant and reckless question she tells him plainfaced with no pretension:]

They can kill you.

[And by that time they won't bother to bring him back unless someone begs and pleads and makes a bargain. (And she knows she would make it. Brainwashing or not, some bonds are worth protecting.)

He's furious, but she doesn't need him to do anything else that's reckless.]

[sharktrash]

[ More deranged laughing why are you dealing with this Aramat. ]

Yeah, and then what?

[ He... really doesn't seem to take death seriously right now. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[Dammit Squalo, she's concerned about you and you do this? she says nothing in response, mostly because she's trying to keep it together in front of him.

Her anger at Lesedi is festering, her panic is festering...]

[sharktrash]

[ For some reason, he feels the need to loudly exclaim, ]

I'm not fucking afraid of them!!

[ as he's lead away. Luckily, nobody seems to take it for anything else but drunk/high/crazy rambling at this point, but... she might be able to sense that for once, it's very serious and very real. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[It does serious... and it scares her. Squalo has always been reckless but she never thought that he would be like this, so apathetic to the thought of losing his own life.

But she still says nothing and gets in the elevator.]

[sharktrash]

[ He probably wants to rant more, but the safety measures kick in, and he clenches his hair with his free hand somewhere around his temple. That hurts. If she lets go of him, he just might crouch down with his head in his hands. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[She will. There's a lot about this she's not fine with. Aramat still doesn't say anything.]

[sharktrash]

[ He sinks down to the floor, back sliding against the wall, and stays there, holding onto his head, hands clenching his hair so hard it's practically pulling on it. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[In all honesty, she doesn't know what to do here. He's in pain and it makes her feel awful. But given how... unstable Squalo is, she can't touch him.]

[sharktrash]

[ It could help. Or maybe he'd hit her, who knows. ]

[ He's muttering in Italian under his breath. Swearwords and just bits and pieces, things like "I'm not, I'm not" and "You won't make me", then all of the sudden, he switches to the same thing in Japanese. Then in Russian. ]

[ And then he just looks up, screams as if in pain, and curls up, silent once again. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[All these words, all these languages Aramat barely understands... she keeps her distance anyway.

Until that scream and she can't stand by him and watch this suffering anymore. She'll sink herself to his level and try to hug him. It won't do anything, but it has to be some comfort. Right?]

[sharktrash]

[ He tenses when she touches him, but doesn't lash out. In a few moments he actually seems to relax a bit, though that gives way to trembles. Is he scared? Tired? Craving coke? Possibly all of the above, but when he removes his face from his arms, he looks more like the him she knows. A little. ]

I'm so tired. [ He sounds a bit quieter than usual, but his voice's still got that hoarse, almost croaky quality to it which probably makes him sound even more tired right now. ] She was gonna kill me, and I wasn't scared. Why?

[scalpedsociety]

[She gently strokes his head, his hair. Trying to comfort him.]

You're braver than most and a tad more reckless too.

[You can't play such extreme, harsh music unless you personally live it right?]

[sharktrash]

[ He leans into her more heavily. There's no tears this time, though. He just looks so very, very done and worn. ]

Nobody got "fired", you know. She has them, or she's killed them.

[scalpedsociety]

[Wolfram, Nariko, Koumei... all of them are dead or captured by her. Anger boils inside her.]

...I believe you.

[sharktrash]

[ * dead or tortured, mom. ]

Good. [ He bares his teeth again, his eyes narrowing; it's similarly menacing as his expressions before, but this time it looks natural on him. ] I may be a lot of things, but liar's ain't one of them.

[scalpedsociety]

[That just makes it better, Squalo. The elevator dings to MANTICORE's floor and Aramat offers him a hand.]

Come on, you should rest a while.

[Then we can talk about who dies.]