party rock is in the house tonight

[ninjou]

Who: Osamu Dazai, and YOU!
What: A man about town being a man about town, i.e. various prompts and excitement where our intrepid rescuer sets himself up to be an intrepid hot mess.
When: 3/28-3/31
Where: An alleyway, a bar, and snooping around some music stores.
Warnings: Alcohol and possible discussion or use of drugs. Possible suicide mentions. As always please fill out this content warning post with regard to that if desired. Thanks!!


alley cat blues
Dazai is the sort of guy who can be subtle or not, and switch with such ease that it's almost scary. This is one of those more subtle days. He's been surreptitiously tailing anyone he finds interesting, and succeeding grandly at looking inconspicuous and like he's just there, not following at all. How about that? Although this time, he might (deliberately) get caught near one of the other rescuers, around whom he's much less cautious. Why them? Well, he's a pinch hitter right now until he finds his own target for rescuing. Sure, it's a group effort, but none of the musicians are interesting on the surface. He has to figure them out, whittle them down to what's real and what's imagined. Fun stuff. No, seriously, he thinks it's fun.

Musicians may get a little taste of what seems like a fan who simply seems too shy to ask for an autograph. This is the Dazai laying in wait. And looking kind of cute in his fedora and loose shirt and hole-y jeans. What's up with the bandages on his neck, chest, and arms? He'll never tell!~


barring disaster
Okay, so this one's a little less subtle in intent. The same Dazai, same week, can then be found in the later evenings at a different bar each night. One night, class and charm turned on in the glittering establishment for those post-work cocktails, where he'll compliment you gently with a soft smile and interested eyes.

The next, a little honky-tonk kind of place with dancing and loud music. He only participates in the line dancing once, but it seems to amuse him to no end, and he makes a valiant attempt to shove you out into the fray. His eyes sparkle with mischief and dullness at once.

Another night, and he's at a bustling, small place, loud and smoky and god knows what's going on because it's so chaotic. Here's where he'll shout that your fly is unzipped, whether true or not, and hand you a beer for no reason. Careless and jovial, there's still something about the way he looks at you that says he's watching every move you make.

The last night. The crazy night. Loud again, but in a place infamous enough that one wouldn't suspect a guy like him to even be let in. He's all scruff and carelessness, and they're all the cream of the crop when it comes to throwing money at nothing. Who knows what goes on in the back? For now, he's at the bar, poking around a weird residue on the counter while looking visibly intoxicated. Maybe you're about to get herded to the back for a talk.


disc jockey
If there's anything Dazai loves, it's music! Okay, not necessarily--some of these bands are really shitty in his opinion (sorry folks!). He stands around at the music store, or listening to various people's music--he's pulling headphones off heads and tuning in for a second before excusing himself and taking them back--sampling the wares, as it were, of each famous group. He's settled on his weird favorite, of course, but it's generally considered good form to get to know the brainwashed folks' art form. Maybe he can start unraveling things from there. With all the appearance in this case of a cloud cuckoolander, there's little one can do but stare. Or have your headphones absconded with for a brief moment.

Comments

[ninjou]

"You need better taste in targets, if you're hitting on people like me." Like, seriously. He knows he's trash, in his own way. Listening intently, he looks interested and nods along a bit in understanding. Shin doesn't react too strongly to this, and it leaves Dazai wondering if he's barking up the wrong tree.

He's still pissed about the brainwashing, but he's not so sure he's doing the wholly right thing here...

Oh well. Too late to stop.

"Why do you like music?"

[bass_instincts]

Shin actually smiles at that. It doesn't have a hard time coming to him at all. "It's a way to say the things that I feel but can't say myself. I feel different when playing music. Alive. Like everything's real. It was there for me when no one else was. The artists I listened to had feelings I could understand, and for once I wasn't alone."

[ninjou]

So that one might not be so hard to conjure up. Then again, a musician is a musician, maybe he's one in his real life, etc. He doesn't appear to have to think too hard at all.

Note to self.

"So you need it to be free, I suppose."

[bass_instincts]

Shin is surprised to hear that because it just clicks so well. "Yeah. I do," he smiles and sighs at that. "I need music to be me."

[ninjou]

"Needs are relative, but I understand your point." His smile is so warm, and his eyes so intelligent, it's like he's had a glorious and happy revelation. He has to find the right angle...

"So, boy, what do you really want out of life? Take your pick of anything."

[bass_instincts]

He's quiet, trying to decide, "I... don't know."

Love.

Why else would he be still trying to find it in the wrong places.

[ninjou]

"You don't know?" Skepticism is evident. More than evident. Kind of strongly stated.

"I know what I want out of life! It's not much, but it's something. You share, I'll share." More bargaining...

[bass_instincts]

"I really don't know. I... I know there's something else, but I don't know what." He really doesn't know that what he's looking for is some kind of real love and affection, be it from a romantic partner or a friend.

[ninjou]

"I hope you figure it out." He really does. It would be so helpful, and might get this kid out of trouble.

"Hey!" He taps his chin. "Do you hate yourself?"

[bass_instincts]

Shin looks taken aback, then looks away. He doesn't need to answer with words, though he does say, "Why would you ask something like that?"

Yes, he does.

[ninjou]

"A hunch." Dazai lists them off on his fingers.

"You do multiple drugs, you try to sell your body for clothing that you can easily get from your label, or even nicer ones, you have all kinds of trouble figuring out what you want out of life... My, it's like you have no path at all."

[bass_instincts]

"Maybe." He puts his hand to his face, "No, you're right."

He crouches down with a sigh and pulls out another cigarette and lights it.

[ninjou]

"It doesn't have to be that way." He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking Shin over once more.

"You do have talent, you're not a terrible human being, and there's so much you can learn from this experience."

[bass_instincts]

"I don't even know why I hate myself so much either." He sighs out a cloud of smoke.

[ninjou]

"Try to figure it out before it kills you." His tone shifts. "Please!" And he smiles.

"Look, I'm not a hero. I'm here to rescue you, maybe not from yourself, but from something I can't explain because it'll get you into more trouble than me." Reaching out, he settles a hand on Shin's shoulder. "Don't trust anyone unless they're willing to tell you stupid things. Insane things."

[bass_instincts]

"Like you?" he says with a laugh. "I'm probably the biggest danger to myself right now."

[ninjou]

"Like me." Dazai pushes off from the wall and motions for Shin to follow.

"I have my own interests, but I don't like seeing people wallowing. It's annoying."

[bass_instincts]

"I'm not wallowing," he says standing. "You're the one that brought this stuff up."

[ninjou]

Pause.

"How many times have you gotten high and done something stupid in the past week?"

[bass_instincts]

Shin laughs a bit, nervously, "Depends on what you call stupid."

[ninjou]

"Injury? Recklessness?" Oh my god, son.

[bass_instincts]

"Only three times," he admits. He's not counting the amount of sleeping around and instances of prostitution.

[ninjou]

Dazai narrowly avoids a facepalm and looks at him with all the incredulity a man can muster. It's not a lot.

"Three times in seven days, and I'm suspecting you aren't being forthcoming on the lesser offenses."

[bass_instincts]

"You didn't say you counted those as being stupid." Well, he didn't.

[ninjou]

"I count a lot of things as stupid." Says the man who recreationally reads about suicide and tries to creatively yet cleanly kill himself. Says. Dazai.