008 ✽ It's betta down where it's wetter

[giglio_madonna]

Who: Flowers Over Bones and those in attendance
What: One last solo band performance before the big tour, at the world's largest aquarium. Of course, being a giant aquarium, there's plenty of other things to do too.
When: Backdated to early April
Where: The Vista City Aquarium
Warnings: None planned, but note- this is set before Flowers Over Bones (Luce, Doctor, Rei, Ivan, Pao-Lin) escape out of Virgo's grip. If you want to talk with any of them one last time, now is the chance to do so. Also doubles as a mingle log!


As befitting such an enormous and thriving city, Vista houses the largest aquarium on the entire Americana west coast. Vista City Aquarium takes up the entirety of a multi-floor building, sprawling over a sizeable bit of land in the crowded city and providing nothing but top of the line care for its many aquatic and amphibious inhabitants. Needless to say, the gift shop is an entire floor all its own.

Such a place is obviously a popular place in the city for those interested in aquatic life, but today is special. The Annual Charity Run is taking place to usher in spring, just like every other year, and, to help this goal, they've enlisted the help of Virgo's own Flowers Over Bones. On one of the only levels not for the housing of aquatic life, a stage area has been set up for the band. All proceeds to see them, of course, go straight to the Aquarium.

That isn't to say people are obligated to go to the concert. It's an optional event of the day. There's still an entire building full of water and creatures to explore, an endeavor which can take up an entire day if one is so willing. Notable attractions include:

- A glass tunnel that goes through an entire tank of Caribbean sea life
- A room filled with screens livestreaming the events of oceanic researchers watching over the dolphins and whales the aquarium doesn't house
- A shallow tank where you can pet more docile small sharks and rays
- An area where you can play chess electronically with one out of a pair of octopi, Celia or Pat. Human winners are rewarded a voucher for food down in the food court. Celia and Pat get pieces of crab. Celia and Pat also have a high win rate.
- The food court and gift shop floor, where you can buy refreshments for the day or whatever gift shop knicknacks your heart desires. Not only are there the typical things such as clothing emblazoned with the aquarium's logo, keychains, and lovely coral or shark teeth jewelry.... But there are also plushies larger than most people. There's seemingly one for just about every kind of animal. Yes, even the blobfish.

Comments

Superbia Squalo // ota

[sharktrash]

-- A

[ So he's definitely there for the sea creatures, not the concert. Although he might sort of wander by at some point; he rather genuinely likes Rei and is somewhat curious about how she sounds live since he's shown her his own classical performances. Oh yeah, and he's sort of had a massive conspiracy theory meeting with Luce a few days ago, not that he's going to pursue it further at the moment. He's just gonna chill behind the crowd and listen for a bit until he gets bored, then walk off. ]


-- B

[ EXCUSE HIM WHILE HE'S JUST STANDING THERE WITH HIS HANDS AND FACE PRESSED TO THE GLASS. It's one of the biggest aquariums in the complex, and it holds a great white shark. ]

[ Squalo seems utterly entranced in admiration. ]


-- C

[ At some point, you'll probably find him at the petting tank. Is that the famous heavy metal Bad Guy, cooing at and babytalking tiny sharks and rays? You'd bet it is. He's completely oblivious to anyone who might be giving him weird looks or filming everything, too. HE IS NOT ASHAMED OF HIS FEELINGS. ]

[ He's giving an angelshark a bellyrub right now, an almost serene smile on his face. ]

C

[variaboss]

[ Holy crap but that's the most adorable thing he's ever seen. How is that possible that this loud ass crackhead could look so fucking cute. it's no fair. Now he's going to see that stupid serene face every time to makes Squalo spread for him and pound him into the mattress. ]

[ He totally is heading over him and his little angelshark. ]

Holy shit. I didn't know you were even capable of that look.

[sharktrash]

[ Live and learn, dickface, live and learn. Obviously, Squalo would deny his very capability of looking cute, but he might be aware of it on some level. Big fishes did cause relatively gentle feelings in him. ]

[ Still, his face immediately sours up into a scoff when (he thinks) he's teased. ...he totally keeps petting the shark, though. ]

Jealous? Too bad, you're short quite a few fins.

[variaboss]

[ It's super weird. Then again, him being a doting daddy is fucking strange too. But he can ignore it because Squalo is totally getting his shark loving on. ]

Like fuck I am. I'm in no way jealous of a goddamned fish.

[ This is probably said before one of the early Sharky numbers died. ]

But at least you don't look like you're on fucking crack right now. Are sharks your fucking anti-drug or something?

[sharktrash]

[ That's even stranger tbh. Xanxus doting on anyone or anything except cats is fucking unnatural. ]

...I've heard that before.

[ He's not sure where or when but he's pretty sure of it. He also remembers a poor little dead fish, and narrows his eyes at the other man. ]

You've ever looked in a mirror when you had a cat in your hands? [ POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK. Also what the fuck is an anti-drug. ] They're both make me happy, what's your point?

[variaboss]

Then you know what's going to happen.

[ Nothing because he's not going to murder a shark in cold blood while it's in Squalo's arms. He does have some standards. ]

No. But you know what I'm talking about. You helped me quit. [ Helped, forced, same difference. ] And our little girl is coming today, to see the both of us. So I need to know you're clean right now.

B.

[nuns4money]

[Ok, that shit is hilarious. And Eda has to stifle a laugh.]

You meetin yer real family again?

[sharktrash]

[ He doesn't even deign to notice her presence at first. Eventually he does turn toward her with a slightly sour expression, as if she's intruding on his quality time or something. ]

Very funny. [ But then he's gesturing at the shark. It's a great shark. He wants to have one like that. ] Aren't they magnificent?

[nuns4money]

[Well excuse her for interrupting actual family time.]

Efficient killing machines, I can appreciate them.

[sharktrash]

[ He's got a human family too, thanks. One that he's about to be reunited with. ]

As you well should. They're perfection. Look, that body's built for speed and strength and ripping their prey apart.

[ Yeah he's pressing himself to the glass again. ]

[nuns4money]

[Meanwhile Eda isn't looking at the Shark per say, but she is looking at Squalo and his body.]

I see that.

C.

[scalpedsociety]

[Her boy is so cute right now she doesn't even of bothering him bellyrubbing his precious shark until he thinks to turn around. She's holding a hammerhead shark plushie that's bigger than her. After the stuff that's been going on lately, it's kind of a peace offering.]

[sharktrash]

[ That's gonna take a while. He and the pancake shark are having a splendid time. He'd probably not even turn at all if he didn't sense a presence nearby. For once, his expression doesn't change much when he see who it is, and he just goes right back to fish rubbing. ]

Hey. Didn't know you liked sealife.

[ What she didn't do anything to offer peace about. Unless she told him she's banging Xanxus in which case this is probably not enough. ]

[scalpedsociety]

I find it interesting, although I pale in comparison to you.

[His love is so honest and pure.]

[Hell nah. She's not gonna do that. Unless Xanxus pulls the ultimate dick move and tells Squalo.]

[sharktrash]

Yeah? Come on, give it a go.

[ He moves his hand a bit to the side, so there's some shark belly free for her. He's certain that once anyone tries shark petting, they'll be hooked for life. ]

[ Just like Xanxus' dick. ]

[scalpedsociety]

[It's so nice of him to offer and she sets the giant shark plushie down to pet the angelshark.]

Oh! It's such a unique texture...

[It's not bad at all.]

A leading to B

[faithfulflame]

[Well if he's here for a show, he's here for a show. There are a few solos for Rei in this set, at Myra's insistence and what the new manager wants the new manager gets. In particular, she's getting ready to play through a rather dolorous tune she'd picked up, and provided her own accompaniment on a piano rather than the usual violin.

It starts out slow, and her attention is focused on the crowd, picking out that yes...Squalo is out there. That's interesting...and it's probably obvious to him that she's giving him a smile through the crowd. she doesn't know anyone else down there, after all.]

[sharktrash]

[ It's a nice song. Not the kind he usually listens to, but he can still appreciate the... serene melancholy, or whatever it is. But there's also determination. It fits her, he thinks. ]

[ He hadn't really expected to be noticed, though. For a moment, he's caught somewhere between pleased and embarrassed to be seen in a rivaling label's crowd, but fuck that shit. So after a moment he raises his good hand a bit in a half-wave, acknowledging that he saw she saw him. ]

[faithfulflame]

[Once her set is over, and it's time to drop off the stage Rei slips out into the crowd without much worry. Security would handle anyone that got grabby after all, but nobody does. She's looking for him of course, and when she finds him staring at the shark tank, she joins him in watching the huge predator.]

They're kind of amazing, aren't they?

[sharktrash]

[ He didn't quite expect her to seek him out personally. But hey, he can't complain too much; unlike a whole bunch of people, she's not annoying at least. ]

[ And she clearly has great taste. ]

[ He glances at her with a vague smirk, then watches the shark swim past. ]

Oh yes. Millions of years of evolution and they've barely changed, because they were perfect from the beginning.

[faithfulflame]

[Something in Rei was drawn to predators, an odd kinship she felt with them. Bits of memory placed her as a huntress, though it was so foggy that might have been a past life. Even for her normal memory of the real her, it was odd, distant…but she respected creatures like this.]

They’ve only gotten smarter and more group oriented, if you follow some of the nature journals. Last year some marine biologists found tiger sharks breaching like whales, and roaming in small groups.

[Her eyes lazily tracked the creature, interested but familiar.]

They’re like an old dog, picking up new tricks to be more efficient. It’s kind of hard to imagine just how large their ancestors were, if these are smaller.

C

[agains]

[ This is totally normal behavior. Some people like dogs, some people like sharks. Ain't no judging going on here.

Keith isn't trying to be stealthy at all. He just wants to point something out. ]

With your star power, maybe the aquarium would let you adopt him.

[sharktrash]

[ A PAUSE. ]

[ Squalo looks between Keith and the shark for a few moments, as if the thought had just now dawned on him. ]

You know, I probably could. [ Contemplatively. ] But I don't really have space for a big enough tank yet. [ Come on, level 2 fortune, he needs you. ]

[ rubrubrub the pancake shark seems to be in utter bliss. ]

[agains]

[ Oh, that is troubling. Not having a tank large enough for your good little friend who loves his belly rubs? So very troubling. ]

He seems to be acting like a therapy animal for you. You could ask Pride to purchase the tank as a medical expense.

[ really. it's like squalo is an entirely different person around the shark. that's definitely animal therapy at work. ]

[sharktrash]

[ ABSOLUTELY. IT GIVES HIM MUCH GRIEF. ]

[ And whoa, was he looking all calm and relaxed just a moment ago? Because that's gone in a blink. (He doesn't move his hand away from the shark, though.) ]

I DON'T NEED FUCKING THERAPY!!!