♓ ♓ ♓

[sharktrash]

Who: MANTICORE and possibly you
What: catch-all for all your MANTICORE needs
When: april
Where: various (see toplevels)
Warnings: Squalo, will add as necessary

~

[ basic settings in toplevels! feel free to make your own starters, tag each other, threadjack, etc ]

Comments

[scalpedsociety]

We never did. But no, it's not about that at all. You should have a seat.

[Uh oh.]

[sharktrash]

[ UH OH IS RIGHT ]

[ He looks back and forth between them, definitely suspiciously, then makes a move for the couch. ]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Good. Jecht doesn't have to force him. Instead, he grabs a pair of chairs, hauling them over for his lady and himself to plunk down in and face him.]

[scalpedsociety]

[Soon as they sit down she goes straight into it:]

We are just going to be straight up and down with you, Squalo because that's the only way you can accept this. Lately... we've been concerned about you.

[sharktrash]

[ Oh fucking great. He only doesn't get up and leave because that kind of maneuver would be useless with Jecht's superior muscle mass right here. He does show his opinion rather vocally by groaning loudly and leaning back against the couch until he's facing the ceiling. ]

Oh come on.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Jecht folds his arms as he crashes down into his seat.]

Come on nothin'. You're heading straight to disaster and you know it. You're fucking yourself right the hell up, and you know it.

[scalpedsociety]

You're doing utterly reckless things, border-lining on the stupid and suicidal. It's worrying me. I never objected to any of the things you did until now. I know you're better than this Squalo. You know you are.

[sharktrash]

Get off my balls! [ Yeah nobody said it's going to be easy. Aramat at least gets a long look, though. ] The hell're you talking about?

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

You honestly going to look us in the face and tell us you don't know what shit you're doing that's going to get you killed early and awful? [Jecht makes a noise deep in his throat that's kind of like a growl.] You're not that stupid.

[scalpedsociety]

We could be talking about a lot of things to be honest. The drugs, the fact that you're an acquired taste for most people in terms of personality sometimes... but I personally don't mind these things.

[Her expression gets dark.]

Until you stumbled out that place... you spoke to her didn't you? I bet you said things you weren't supposed to say. You have every right to be suspicious, but...

[Her voice is starting to become wobbly.]

You keep going like this, she'll kill you. And she won't think of bringing you back.

[It's beginning to become obvious that Squalo isn't her son, isn't even her student. But the affection she feels for him is plenty real. Call it successful brainwashing, she doesn't care, but she does care for Squalo.]

[sharktrash]

[ He drags a hand over his face. ]

So now it's my personality. Fucking sorry, I was born this way and I ain't gonna change --

[ Ah. She keeps talking. He'll actually listen to the rest, his own expression growing darker. Almost dangerous, really. He glances around to make sure their manager isn't there, and lowers his voice to a (loud) hiss. ]

You think I don't know that? She deigned to inform me of that, you know. "I'll make sure you join your shitty friend." What, did you think everyone's that "quit" went on with their lives? Did you? Not by a long shot. We're all -- we're all fucking hostages, and you can be fine with that, but I'm not.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

So killing yourself's gonna solve anything? Getting yourself killed? You think that'll make things any better?

There are things worth dying for. This ain't it.

[Really, what Jecht means is that there are things worth sacrificing for. He might not communicate that well, but... maybe he doesn't need to say it with words. The memory, the weight of previous decisions, lies around him like a palpable aura.]

[scalpedsociety]

[There's anger inside her now. For what was done to Squalo, what was possibly done to Wolfram, and Koumei, and Nariko. There's also sadness, because for those latter three, they are almost good as dead. (And they can end up the same way if they aren't careful.)]

So you finally say out it loud. I really don't care what you do, but you aren't getting yourself killed. I care about you Squalo, I have no one else I remember here.

[Maybe that is for the best.]

I just want you to be careful, that's all. I personally care about nothing else you do.

[sharktrash]

Why the fuck do you keep -- I'm not gonna fucking die if I can help it. Got too much stuff to do. [ Also he'd miss that dick, probably. ]

[ He gives the both of them dark looks. ]

I'm not planning to go to her again, if that's what you want to hear. [ Adds under his breath which is still too damn loud; ] Not soon, anyway.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Yeah, well. You're pushing yourself down that path. I've seen it. This isn't just me being all paranoid.

I've seen guys go down the path you're walking. Most of 'em don't come back. The rest regret it. [His hands slip from the crooks of his elbows to the outside. Less defiant and angry, more solemn.]

[scalpedsociety]

Also on your dependence with that... stuff you snort. While I'm used to it, Jecht is right. You take too much of it. You can't do much of anything if you depend on it so much.

[What's she's saying is a lot like Luce here. 'You can't overthrow a inter-galactic bitch-er witch when you're sky high on coke.']

[sharktrash]

[ Ugh. People worrying about him. All of the sudden it feels so unnatural, so annoying -- Dino. That was his thing, wasn't it? His and that boy's who -- who he's met here. This was why he hated them. Nobody asked them to fucking care. He was fine. ]

I'M NOT DEPENDENT ON ANYTHING!!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Jecht knows the answer to this. His statement is more of a sigh than a challenge.]

Prove it.

[scalpedsociety]

[She turns to Jecht and whispers: Are you sure this is a good idea?]

[sharktrash]

[ Yeah, are you? ]

I don't owe you anything.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Look, yelling and belittling is about all he's got to run on.]

[So he fixes Squalo with a glare.]

No. You don't. But I'm not asking you to do it out of debt.

[scalpedsociety]

We care about you Squalo. It may be a thing you don't want but you change how we feel about you.

[sharktrash]

That's why you're weak.

[ What a nice thing to say to someone who cares, right? Except for a moment, he feels like he's not talking to them but to Dino. He hisses and rubs his temples. ]

I'll see about it.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Did trying to take a cheap shot at us make you feel better? 'Cuz all I heard was that what we're saying bothers you and you're trying to pretend it didn't.

[scalpedsociety]

[For a second, Aramat looks genuinely hurt by that statement and she stays silent for now preferring to stay close to Jecht.

She'll just pretend he never said that to her.]