"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

[sharktrash]

[ Wow, emo kid, do you have to look like you're doing the person talking to you an unimaginable favor every time you deign to listen? ]

Santiago. Koumei. Ring any bells?

[traumatizing]

[Yes he does.]

[He takes a deep breath before he speaks this time, kinda making it a little obvious that his nonchalance on the topic is forced.]

Yeah, no shit. Mei and every other person who felt like a "change of career".

[sharktrash]

[ Almost lazily, he glances back over the couch, making sure no managers are in earshot at the moment. ]

There's hoping they're dead.

[traumatizing]

They're not though, are they? Not dead and gone anyway.

[After everything he suffered for helping those ghosts, it'd be stupid to think that she's only got one locked up in her basement for... Whatever it is she wants them for.]

[sharktrash]

[ He shrugs a bit. He wasn't there for the ghost thing and he doesn't wish he had, but he's heard more than enough. ]

Can't say. Smart people usually don't repeat the same mistakes [ like allowing your victims to keep existing in any form, ] but I've got my doubts.

[ Yeah haha sorry Lesedi you get no respect. ]

[traumatizing]

[He snorts - there's a lot of words he'd attribute to Lesedi, all reasons why he knows better now than to contest her directly or alone. Smart isn't one of them.]

How smart do you really need to be when you can teleport a room full of people or jam your hand through someone's chest like it's nothing?

[sharktrash]

[ There's a vague grin on his face. Oh, sure, he knows she's powerful like the god of old or whatever, but he's just discovered she can be tricked. He just hadn't had backup or a plan for what came next, but... someone who can be outsmarted can be defeated. ]

Depends how long you want to live.

[traumatizing]

[Terry hesitates briefly, eyes going vacant before he says what he's thinking. He remembers a hulking green... Man? Picking him up in a hand. Fearless.]

[He comes back with a jolt, shaking his head and continuing on like it was nothing.]

I've seen some people get by for a hell of a long time on just brute strength.

[sharktrash]

You sure they didn't just have a bunch of helpful subordinates?

[ Oh, sure, he's not gonna charge Lesedi head-on or anything no matter how he might look down on her strategic capabilities. But he's starting to think that if there's more of them, well. ]

[traumatizing]

Could be both. [s h r u g] Certainly the case for Santiago.

[sharktrash]

[ headtilts slightly ]

You're being very calm about this.

[ He just told you that your missing bandmate is either dead or tortured and you proceed to philosophize about Santiago's abilities. That's almost admirable, but also a bit creepy. ]

[traumatizing]

This is the third person she's taken from me. And that says nothing for the shit she's done and doing to the other people I care about.

[His calm is surface-deep, coiled tightly around this hurricane of rage that has no outlet, but what's that gonna do except put him and everyone he knows in deep shit. Terry shrugs, frowning.]

If I lose my head, all that happens is I take a second tour of the torture basement. I'm not interested in that.

[sharktrash]

Gotten used to it?

[ He's not necessarily judgemental, but he's lost just as many. Still, it's obviously not the best idea to discuss this much more here. ]

Better work on a plan, then.

[ That's that on his end, at least. ]

[ Still not leaving, though. Actually he'll probably just swan over to either Xanxus' or Luci's room and there'll be loud snoring coming from it in a few moments. ]

[traumatizing]

Something other than "obey"?

[He says it with a bitter laugh, but he's not gonna get into it with Squalo. Especially not inside HQ. But if the guy's not on Santiago's side, it's... Useful. Maybe that's what Mei liked about him. Or maybe he's just really good in the sack, who the fuck knows.]

[sharktrash]

[ Probably both tbh. ]

[ The grin he offers is more like a threatening display of teeth, but not quite directed at Terry. ]

Preferably.