we're gonna afterparty and you're GOING TO FUCKING LIKE IT

[presomnia]

[Tiki wanders into the great hall expecting company, expecting a full room just like before to abate her loneliness and what she finds instead is...Mahiro, chillin'.

And no one else.

Okay. Cool. Fine. She'll throw a goddamn party herself IF THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING, TRY HER.

So she drags one (1) rude teen into the kitchen despite protests that he can't cook, finds Eizen actively in the middle of cooking, and takes full advantage of the situation and also her own cute charm until curry for two turns into curry for twenty four.

Everyone will find notes slipped under their door, courtesy of Tiki's new gopher since he refuses to cook, the first part written in loose, loopy handwriting like an elementary schooler who hasn't quite gotten the hang of the cursive they've been taught:]

Let's meet in the Great Hall together in about an hour and have dinner again this time, so nobody has to be alone.

[aaand under that in a completely different set of handwriting:]

I don't know why we're doing this after someone died from getting poisoned through food but at least there won't be any fucking cake. Don't come if you don't want to.

[hm. well.

in the Great Hall, Tiki's hard at work setting up Eizen's mabo curry for the taking (and she's bullied him into making exactly one plate of non-spicy curry because she loves Hanyuu), and also hard at work into bullying Mahiro into helping her set up silverware and plates and beverages. It's not much, but it's here.]

Comments

[originallutece]

[It's odd. Two weeks ago, she was alternating between being irritated and wary at the sight of Nishitani; now the moment he settles at a table, Ros heads for him. She's got her own bottle, thanks, because tonight is a night for drinking. No food, though. She's not precisely in the mood to eat.]

To say the least.

[Her expression is tight, more angry than upset, and more neutral than angry.]

And I don't understand the point of it all.

[buddyoldpal]

Yeah, ain't no fuckin' point after a while.

[ He sighs. He's glad to have the company, really. ]

Killin's just somethin' ya do once ya get usedta it. All this smoke an' mirrors bullshit is just that-- fuckin' bullshit.

[ Eloquent. ]

[originallutece]

I suppose she was trying not to get caught. I simply don't understand . . .

[A beat. She glances down, trying to organize her thoughts, and then:]

Killing for fear I can understand. Fear, or greed, or bloodlust; because you were so motivated by this week's incentive you were desperate to act. But to-- to sacrifice yourself so that someone else wouldn't die . . . it's stupid.

[buddyoldpal]

[ He snorts. It's not pretty. ]

Ya got that right.

[ He takes a huge gulp of food while he tries to work out what he wants to say... ]

If she didn't wanna get caught, I coulda respected that. If she gave 'erself, I woulda respected that, too. Instead we got this... halfway innocent bullshit act about "the truth" or some bullshit. If she'd given half a damn about the truth, she shoulda said somethin'. If she wanted ta do us all a damn favor she coulda at least killed that Joker prick, 'steada that shitty-ass frame-up, too.

[ He takes a looong chug of his drink, shaking his head. ]

In the end she was just lyin' ta herself as much as she lied ta the rest of us. 's just a damn waste of fuckin' time.

[originallutece]

Yes.

[He's not wrong. And while Rosalind's own grief and anger are tightly coiled things, kept safely hidden behind a neutral mask, there are signs, here and there. The rigidity of her shoulders; the way her mouth purses and her fingers tighten around her own bottle.]

I'm surprised you and Majima aren't out fighting. I've heard there's no better way to stop thinking than physical exertion.

[God knows she wants to be distracted now. She wants a book, or a proof; she wants all the scientific problems she'd left at home. She wants nothing more than to stop thinking about the utter stupidity of Sen's sacrifice, and the way this is the first time she's felt anything emotional about anyone but Robert in ages and ages.]

[buddyoldpal]

Eh, maybe later.

[ He shrugs. He's on edge too, and he'd love to break something right about now, but he's also more destructive than Majima could ever be. He knows there's a time and a place. ]

Majima might not look it, but he's a damn good person. This shit cuts deep for 'im. Deeper than an asshole like me. I'll let 'im do his thing till he feels like comin' at me.

[ P.S. Don't tell anyone he told you that, Rosalind. You're getting this info because you're friends. ]

In the meantime, ya got me and I got my fuckin' anger. Least Sen-chan got a death she deserved. None of that prolonged bullshit.

[originallutece]

[Truth be told, she's not particularly shocked by that revelation. Majima has been nothing but kind to her these past few weeks, treating her respectfully and offering things she wouldn't have expected from anyone but Robert. She is surprised it's hitting him so hard, but she supposes everyone's a little shaken after today.

God knows she is.]

I've you, hm?

[That's . . . honestly more touching than she wants to admit.]

And what do you recommend, when a person is angry and doesn't want to think anymore?

[buddyoldpal]

Sura ya do, Lutece-han! [ He smiles. ] Yer stuck with me now, see?

[ For better or worse... well, he likes her. That's all it takes for Nishitani to be willing to die for you, quite frankly. ]

Honestly, fightin's a good answer fer that. Breakin' some shit tends ta feel real good-- or fuckin'. That works too. Whichever one floats yer boat.

[ He takes a sip of his drink... ]

Course, there's always gettin' drunk off yer ass, but ya can do that and fight or fuck, so it ain't mutually exclusive or nothin'.

[originallutece]

[Honestly, it's a pity they aren't allowed to vandalize things, because Rosalind would absolutely be down for throwing a few glasses against a wall.]

I don't think we're quite at the point that I'm going to take you to bed, Nishitani, though assuredly my Robert would be delighted to hear about it afterwards.

[He really would. That's not a subtle reminder that she's taken; it's more wry than anything.]

And I can't fight. But I'd be pleased to get drunk with you, and quite possibly hear whatever stories you can come up with to entertain us both.

[buddyoldpal]

[ He laughs wide and open at that. Yeah, okay, so she's taken... wouldn't be the first time Nishitani did something bad. ]

Sounds like fun ta me, babe. Ah, fuck, I mean Lutece-han.

[ it's so hard for him to not. use these things. it's just his way. But talking; he loves doing that. He can be that guy for her if that's what she needs. ]

Whaddya wanna hear? Mosta my stories got a lotta blood in 'em, so lemme know if ya want me ta cut some parts out if ya ain't in the mood.

[originallutece]

Not here, if you please. I don't typically get drunk in front of anyone, but I'll make an exception for you and our roommates.

[Just as she's allowing him those slips in honorifics. She doesn't mind it tonight. But--]

. . . tell me a memory that never fails to please you. Something happy.

[buddyoldpal]

Ah, I getcha. Some people liketa drink alone. Normally, it ain't proper fer a boss ta make a scene.

[ And then there's Nishitani... Who rents out entire bars to avoid making a scene. Because that's totally better. ]

Awright, lessee... Well, when I was a real fuckin' dumb kid, I got caught fer doin' this bad thing. I didn't really think it was all that bad or nothin', but I almost got inta a fuckton of trouble fer it. But just as I was sure that was it fer me, my pops, Uncle B showed up, an' he came an' vouched for me. He said there was no way I'd done it, and that I was a good kid. Took me out fer dinner wit' him an' everything.

[ He's grinning supremely wide, for all that this story sounds a little... off. ]

Shit, I was so damn happy. No one'd ever stuck up fer me like that! Even my own parents thought I was shit before that. But I felt like I finally had someone on my side.

[originallutece]

[She gets to her feet. Whether they go outside or to their room is up to him, but either way, Ros is rather committed to the idea of getting . . .

Well, tipsy, at least.

That story does sound a bit off, but she isn't going to press, not tonight. Far better to take his story at face value and smile along with him for the sweetness contained therein.]

It's a rush, isn't it? The first time someone praised me for my work, for my mind . . . I was stunned.

[buddyoldpal]

Hell, yeah! That's right! Turned my whole life around, fer real. Finally felt like I had somethin' worth doin' with myself, even if it was just makin' Uncle B proud of me.

[ He grins. I mean, he did this by joining the yakuza, but the sentiment is still there. ]

[originallutece]

What happened to him?

[To their room, then. Rosalind takes another sip as she glances over and up at him.]

And when you say uncle . . . do you mean uncle as in a blood relative, or--?

[buddyoldpal]

Ah, he's dead now. Died right before I did-- some fucker we both trusted double-crossed us fer a wad of cash. Last mistake he ever fuckin' made.

[ Nishitani's tone turns somber just for a second, like the more he tells this story, the better he gets at lying about how he feels about it. One can guess what happens to the people who double-cross a man whose first dislike is "traitors." ]

But nah, we weren't related by blood or anythin' like that. He was a cop who lived in the neighborhood when I was a kid, usually let me off with a warnin' when I got in trouble. Wasn't until I-- [ Oh, he left the gruesome parts out of his story, so he should probably keep them out... ] --I got in real trouble that he started takin' care of me. My parents didn't want shit ta do with a delinquent like me, so Uncle B wound up takin' custody of me. He was way better family ta me than my shitty fuckin' parents ever were.

[originallutece]

[She wonders idly what that real trouble is. Likely a murder, she thinks with the sort of calmness one gets when they've killed themselves, and maybe someday soon she'll ask. But for now, it's much better to settle on her bed, her legs crossed beneath her, and start to drink in earnest.]

How did he die? Not your uncle. The man who betrayed you. Do you know?

[buddyoldpal]

Hah.

[ He laughs. He probably shouldn't, given the answer to her question, but this is the kind of guy Nishitani is. Bad people get what they deserve, after all. ]

I killed the fucker. He'd shot me fulla holes but I still snapped 'is damn neck right before I went out.

[ Ah, he tried so hard and got so far.... ]

[originallutece]

[He shouldn't laugh and she shouldn't smile the way she does, grim and tight and just a little bloodthirsty, but here they both are.]

Oh, good.

[buddyoldpal]

[ Ah, that's always nice to see. Rosalind gets it. Of course you'd kill the guy who tried to kill you. Well, succeeded in killing you. ]

Yeah, fucker got what he deserved. [ Nishitani chuckles. This part of the story always lifts his spirits. ] That was the night I saved Majima, too. I tell ya that yet? How I died for 'im?

[ Only a yakuza would talk about his own death with something like pride, but given that the man he saved is still here today, several decades older than when he first remembered him, Nishitani can't even picture having regrets about the way things went down. ]

[originallutece]

You told me you were shot for him.

[But he's more than welcome to tell her the long version of the story, clearly.]

But I haven't been told the specific circumstances, or why you two were being betrayed.

[buddyoldpal]

That's a real fuckin' long story.

[ He frowns a bit. Thinking back on it, he didn't have all the pieces himself... ]

Majima might be able ta tell ya more, though he was... kinda different, then. Fuckin' sad. They had 'im workin' a shitty civilian job and he was fuckin' miserable.

[ He takes a long drink... maybe he shouldn't be sharing this without Majima's say so. He is trying to leave the worst parts out, at least. ]

Basically... This asshole from the Tojo clan, a man named Shibusawa, gave me a job ta find this one girl. A girl Majima had a particular interest in, cause 'is boss wanted 'er dead, but Majima was kinda hopin' he wouldn't hafta kill 'er. So we started at odds, ya might say, but both of us wanted the girl alive, so I wanted us ta work together. [ Like most things, he tried to solve this situation with murder. ] Long story short, I liked Majima a lot. Way more than my fuckin' asshole client who got me started on the job. So when I start talkin' ta Majima and offer ta give 'im some info on where the girl was at and who was payin' me, fuckin' Shibusawa didn't like that one fuckin' bit. He wanted this girl, and he figured he didn't really need me or Majima sniffin' around as ta why he wanted ta get ta her so bad.

Next time me an' Majima meet, we're somewhere safe. Least it was fuckin' supposedta be, but I guess the shitty thing about dirty cops is they'll shoot their own fuckin' moms if ya pay 'em enough. So my Uncle B takes Majima ta meet me in a holdin' cell so we can have a nice talk. But the fuckin' beat cop -- this asshole that wasn't even worth enough shit ta light my damn cigarettes -- this fucker who'd been cleanin' my fuckin' ashtrays, some old fart, turns around and pulls a gun on my Uncle B once we were done fuckin' talkin' shop. [ He's getting angrier now. ] Sonuvabitch shoots Uncle B in the fuckin' chest and starts unloadin' on me and tryin' ta get ta Majima. Says he's sendin' regards from Shibusawa, that my "time was up" or some bullshit like that. Well I wasn't gonna fuckin' stand fer that. I sent Majima away -- somebody had ta make it outta there alive -- and I took that fuckin' sonuvabitch down with my bare hands, I didn't give a fuckin' shit that I was fulla holes. I wasn't lettin' him see fuckin' daylight ever again. Fucker can rot in hell, I'll be glad ta give 'im the same treatment twenty times over when I fuckin' get there.

[originallutece]

[Good god, what a story. It certainly adds weight to her guess that Majima is the most moral of all three of them, and explains a bit more why he'd so easily taken to rooming with she and Tiki.

It adds to her opinions of both he and Nishitani, too. Majima, for his business with the girl, and Nishitani, for his determination not to die without taking his killer down with him.]

I always found the concept of life after death worse. I'd think it much more satisfying to imagine him resigned to nothing: nothing more, nothing positive nor negative.

[buddyoldpal]

Hah, fair enough, Lutece-han. I wasn't exactly plannin' ta have anythin' goin' for me after I died, then I fuckin' showed up here, so who the hell knows.

[ He was mostly expecting a void, too. But the idea of getting to beat the shit out of the asshole that betrayed him is enough to make him smile. ]

Alls I wanted outta life is what I got. I did whatever the fuck I wanted and went out with a bang.

[originallutece]

[That makes her smile-- and because she's been drinking, the smile stays, long after Rosalind normally would have forced it away.]

I'm glad, then.

[She'd likely be a lot less glad if she knew all of what he'd done, but thank god for Majima as a tempering influence, am I right.]

I can't imagine living like that. Every single action I ever took in my life was calculated towards an end goal.