The Fish

[dishevelment]

Who: Anyone around Pride HQ
What: A weird fish has popped up in the lobby
When: After the South Vista Music Festival
Where: Pride HQ
Warnings: Carnies and MÄNTICORE




[It popped up one day without warning-- a little fish asking for money in order to live.

What are the folks in Pride HQ going to do?]

Comments

yep.

[variaboss]

[ Narrowed eyes. It's a good thing he likes you, Mei, or he would be shoving that fan up your ass right now. ]

It's a bath-toy. It's not even alive. Even if it was, goldfish have what...like a ten minute lifespan. Well, it's time is up. It's lived a long life and now I'm putting it out of it's fishy misery and getting delicious food in the process. His sacrifice will be remembered over fried rice. Are you sure you don't want any?

[dishevelment]

[Just as quietly, Koumei put the fan away and pulled out his own falled. After a moment of fumbling through crumpled receipts, partly stamped cards that would add up to a free drink or meal at his favorite hang outs, and miscellaneous ticket stubs from his movie ventures, he pulled out a $20 and held it up for Xan to plainly see.]

I'll cover the fried rice. Just don't kill Nemo.

[variaboss]

[ Well now... Why didn't Koumei just offer in the first place. Now, a decent human being would put all the money back he took. When has Xanxus ever been one of those? Jury is still out. ]

So... if Nemo dies, can I eat him? [ Since we're playing the bath toy is alive game here... ]

[dishevelment]

I think his patrons might want to eat you first.

[Of course he was running along with the bath toy being alive-- half of the people in HQ seemed to share the sentiment, and a few were willing to engage in petty crimes for the sake of keeping their newest mascot alive.]

I'll cover the fried rice and drinks. Just don't kill Nemo, or I'm sure there will be quite a few people after you.

[variaboss]

[ A small shrug and a little laugh ] They can try but I might take a bite out of them first. Serve them up right beside their fishy little friend.

[ A pause and a look at his watch ] Welp...Pizza guy is late. [ Even if pizza guy shows up like three seconds later. Three seconds late is still late. ] Free. So... Nemo gets this back.

[ Pizza money goes back in the bowl, minus a few dollar "holding fee". And Pizza Guy isn't going to argue with Scary Rock Star about three measly seconds so yay free Pizza. Chinese Food dude is on time though. Pity. ]

[dishevelment]

[Some funds reclaimed is better than no funds. Koumei simply didn't want this to be something that the partyanimals of Pride found reason to use and abuse-- Nemo didn't deserve that.

And they had no idea of the service that Nemo would be providing for them.

Stepping forward, Koumei intercepted Xanxus' chance to pay and slipped the twenty into the delivery guy's hands. Bading him to keep the change, Koumei-- with chinese food held comfortably in his arms-- turned to face Xanxus.]

You may want to give Nemo the rest of what you're holding. I heard a rumor that some people here might try to raid the swear jar in your rooms. The less reason they have, the better it is for all of us. Right?

[variaboss]

[ Too bad for Koumei then, that Xanxus exists in the building. Free money isn't something he's going to just pass up. So the fish is probably going to have to be watched like a hawk whenever he's around or else the "water level" is going to go down significantly. ]

Swear jar? [ Rude laughter and he's totally folding the cash and about to stick it in his pockets. ] You mean the Carnie Bail Fund? Good luck trying to find that. We keep that real well hid and god knows if it's topped back off since my last arrest. In fact... this might go in the jar upstairs."

[dishevelment]

It's funny that you mention 'bail fund,' [Koumei replied, ignoring Xanxus' flagrant disregard for the fish's welfare.] Believe it or not, that's what this is supposed to be-- on a larger scale. Or, in case your 'swear jar' isn't enough.

[He shrugged. Monitoring the fish's health and water level was something he had planned to do personally-- but, he saw no problem in sharing this information. Doubtless, a few of Pride's more savvy representatives had already figured it out.]

Of course, it's not called that because management would take it down immediately. Watching people worry over a little bath toy is also entertainment on it's own.

[variaboss]

[ Well then, that's something. He raises an eyebrow at that but it makes sense. The Carnival was bad enough (especially with him around) but now that was MANTICORE as well. He looks at Nemo. He looks at Koumei. He looks at Nemo again. ]

There's not enough money in the world for that. You know that right? We'll have to print our own money to remotely pay for that sort of thing.

[ But...he is sort of putting the money back. Including his holding fee. ]

[dishevelment]

We will jump that hurdle when we get there.

[He shrugged, as if he was able to counterfeit any bill he needed in the world, should events require it. Xanxus' gesture earns an appreciative nod in reply-- he won't say anything.

There was no need to bruise the man's Pride.]