sanpatron

[sanpatron]

" Lousy motherfucker... Come on already! This shit's getting old fast. "

It's been like this for the past several minutes. Some may call it a growing sense of paranoia—chalk it up to the man letting his nerves get the best of him. The stress of his past life catching up to him. But no, he knows better. He's well aware of what's going on. Django may have been out of the game for some years now, but his senses are still as sharp as ever.

" I've got no time for this..." he mutters to himself. "Hurry up! Let me kill you already! "

@corvisque

[sanpatron]

" True. Plus it's not like I haven't talked to myself before. I guess it's just one of those thing you don't really think about. Besides, everyone does it. So long as you don't wind up manifesting anything weird through it, then what's the harm? "

" Well to tell ya the truth, I'd be more than happy t' host one myself. Done that plenty of times back where I'm from. The only thing is I'd definitely need to tone it down by like.. a lot. Still, I think it's doable. Find a nice venue, get some catering done, hire a few live bands, throw in some fun decorations. We're lookin' at a real good time! "

"When you ask yourself if any of us are entirely sane in this city, I find that you worry less about it. The conversations you have with yourself may surprise you, though."

"I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself. I only wish more people were incentivized to throw more. I think parties bring us all together. It makes even recluses like me miss people."

[sanpatron]

" Well, I won't deny that there's a certain appeal to it. Might do me some good t' live in the middle of the woods and get away from city life. Though, I'd be really worried about my sanity if I wound up not noticing an entire year passed. "

" That'd be me! And you're Miss Tsuru, right? I know it's been a while, but I had a really great time at that party you threw! "

"Try becoming a recluse for a couple of months, you may find it very healing for the soul. That, or you lose track of said months and a year ends up passing by..."

"I digress. Django, was it?"

[sanpatron]

" Why do I even bother coming in to work when I can just live off of all the money I've made over the years? Like, I don't wanna be a recluse and do some Howard Hughes type of shit. But I could totally start taking it easy breezy and not worry about junk. "

" Oh, right... It's 'cause I'll get bored. "

[sanpatron]

" Hm, I can think of a few things that might work out for your friend. Follow me. " As he motions for the man to follow, Django begins to sort through the several ideas that have already begun to form. Anything that could be considered remotely rugged was already out of the question; bombers, leather jackets, and so on.

It then quickly dawns on Django that not only has he said nothing for the past few seconds, it would be a pretty smart idea if he just spoke to the man to get a better idea of what might be the best option.

" Tell me; how does your friend normally dress? We have a few options that walk a fine line between formal and casual that could work for him. A sport coat made out of tweed would be good if he's into sweaters, jeans, maybe something with a collar. But if you want to get a little bit more formal, I think a peacoat would be really nice. Maybe pair it with a turtleneck and your buddy would look very handsome. "

「✧」 It's a touch unpleasant to be approached from behind.

Aurelius turns at the voice and looks at the new arrival from head to toe, his brows only relaxing after he concludes it's a staff member of the store.

"Yes, the outerwear, please."

"I'm interested in finding something for a...friend. He's a little shorter, with dark hair and green eyes. I expect he can pull off most colors."

The man has a larger presence than expected to be a mere employee, but if he was offering to serve Aurelius as such, he'd naturally treat him as one.

"I would prefer something clean-cut and minimalistic, with a slight formal style. It should also be casual enough for everyday wear." God knows how often Klaus defaulted to his hoodies.

[sanpatron]

" It is pretty beautiful, isn't it? " He can't exactly put a finger as to why, but Django feels rather caught up in what the woman says. Perhaps it's the longing he finds himself dealing with every so often—wanting nothing more than to see his loved ones back home once again. " I actually have a few other tattoos on me that represent different things in my life. Guess you could say I'm kinda sentimental, hehehe. "

oh, how kind of the man to give her a better view of the tattoo. after some careful consideration, old tales could see some resemblance to a lily. not that she's actually seen one in the wild. but abe had some books regarding flora that she had taken a little peek at. ❝ a group you were formerly associated with. a way of remembering … how beautiful. memories themselves might fade away but having a physical reminder makes forgetting much harder. ❞ especially if those memories had positive emotions linked to them.

[sanpatron]

" Oh? Is your home caught up in a war? " Had to be the case, or else why even mention one? Must be pretty freakin' dire as well if the island's relative cleanliness was something to be surprised by. " Well, I hope being here is a nice change of pace from whatever it is y'all were dealing with. Can't say I have much experience on the matter, or with the military either. " Unless you want to count gang wars and fighting off a paramilitary under the supervision of the United States as experience.

" Y'know, for someone who was in the military, they sure let ya stylize your uniform however you want. It looks cool! "

"If you count before arriving here then yes I was." Granted Rapi didn't really know where stood compared to anyone else's worlds. Of course she hoped not every other place out there had similar treatment to Nikke's. Nor did she wish a completely ravaged surface to anyone. But sometimes not everyone could be so lucky.

"Now I'm guess you can just call me a wanderer for now. There's clearly no war being fought here so having such a large amount of free time is a bit unusual. On top of it being so...clean I suppose."

[sanpatron]

Call it a gut feeling, but something tells him to be very mindful of the lady. Mind you, it's not because of anything bad. She seems rather pleasant enough. But there's a chorus of familiar voices in his head screaming 'DON'T BE AN IDIOT' that he should probably pay attention to. " Oh, that's completely fine. My goal isn't to replicate your dress in its entirety. I just need a reference point so I can start coming up with my own ideas. Taking away something that's uniquely yours just seems really rude, ya feel? "

Before he sets off to do this little impromptu interview, Django is suddenly struck with the reminder that he had forgotten his social norms again. Oh, how silly of him. " Almost forgot; it's a pleasure t' meet you, miss. You can call me Django. Django Foley to be exact. "

" Tell me; how does it feel moving around in your dress? I'd wager pretty good considering the material doesn't seem too heavy. You'd want to be able to present yourself in a certain way, but without compromising your own comfort. Regal, but practical. "

⠀⠀⠀❛ ⠀I'm relieved to see you have self-awareness, even if it is a little late.⠀❜ ⠀⠀SHE'S ⠀not sure that she would've phrased it quite like that — 'slack-jawed weirdo' sounded more like something Red Hood would say, and only if she were floundering — but it's accurate enough.

⠀⠀⠀On a surface level, there's nothing wrong with his request. Most would find it rather flattering, and to some degree, she's no exception. Far be it from her to argue if someone wants to appreciate her likeness... Except the thought of imitation dresses wandering around this city she can already barely stand makes her feel queasy. Dorothy folds her arms with a slight shake of the head, opting to shove down her discomfort for the time being... It's best to see what he has in mind, at least.

⠀⠀⠀❛ ⠀I suppose I can humor a few questions, but I doubt you'll achieve anything close to the original. In human terms, I would consider it something of an antique — and one of a kind at that.⠀❜ ⠀

[sanpatron]

" Oh! This ol' thing? " he replies back—lowering his collar in order to give the woman a better view. " Yes, actually! This here's a fleur-de-lis, which is supposed to look like a lily. It has a ton of different meanings back where I'm from; royalty, French culture, religious stuff. For me personally, it's meant to symbolize my heritage and a group I was formerly associated with. "

❝ how curious. is there a meaning to that mark on your neck?? ❞ she could only barely see it, but a black mark was on his neck. curious. a tattoo?? did it have meaning?? it was rather pretty. perhaps that was the reason why @sanpatron had inked his skin??

[sanpatron]

" Oh? So you're one of those types, eh? " he says with a laugh. " I'm the same way, actually. Don't really care what season it is, you can't go wrong with something sweet and cold. " His mind begins to recall a memory from long ago; one where his friends gave him such a look of confusion as he happily ate an ice cream sandwich in 35 degree weather. Something which he would absolutely do right now if he wasn't so focused on taking Cecilia somewhere special.

Maybe he'll treat her out later on.

" Well, I guess now's a good a time as any to fess up. " Replacing the sound of people enjoying their time within the funhouse was the soft and sweet melody of chimes echoing throughout its halls. Django always found it a bit eerie given how they seemed to playing from thin air. But something deep inside—call it a gut feeling if you will—told him that it was all okay. They were simply a guiding hand.

" I had such a good time at Ritsky's party that I thought, maybe it'd be nice to.. you know, dance again? " One would imagine that more people would have gone to make use of this ballroom. But it seems as if they had lucked out and found the place all to themselves, which suddenly made things a touch more intimate. Aw, look at him try to be romantic.

" Had you mentioned that there'd be shaved ice I would have shown up sooner." not that the frozen treat was her favorite of all time, but she had a fondness for ice-cream and the like whenever winter was around. the same could be said for summertime and soups but that wasn't important right now.

despite her comment, Cecilia doesn't take any shaved ice for herself. instead, she continues to follow Django's lead, her arm wrapped loosely around his as he guides them deeper into the crystal funhouse. soon, the sound of chatter from the more occupied rooms falls to almost a whisper.

" So, where are we going? You refused to tell me on the way over here but now that we're here, come on, spit it out."

@sanpatron

[sanpatron]

" Nah, you did perfect. As expected from a lady of your caliber. And thank you! Getting all dressed up like this usually ain't my thing. But I can't deny that it's sometimes fun to do. " Oh, but of course the Christmas Tree was by the catering. Probably went over to pull a Gordon Ramsay and see if everything was up to snuff. " Not surprised. He's probably getting all judgy on what they're serving the guests. Classic Ragna. " he laughs to himself.

" Oh? Yeah, actually! She's right over there if ya look closely. Her name's Cecilia. She's super cool, drop dead gorgeous, and makes me feel a kind of stupid that I haven't felt in a good while. "

       ❝   Honestly, I was worried I'd done too much — but it seems I understood the theme correctly. You look pretty polished yourself.   ❞ ⠀  TSUBAKI  likes to think she isn't terribly vain, but she can't help it if there's a swelling of pride for a job well done. She does a slight turn, unable to resist watching her gown catch the light from the corner of her eye.     ❝   Ragna definitely had some thoughts on it... He's hovering by the food, like usual. Did you come here with anyone ?   ❞ ⠀

[sanpatron]

" Oh, for sure. It's been a helluva good time. My scene's usually a bit more wilder than this. But I can always appreciate a classy event. " he says with a laugh. " What about you? Enjoying the night so far? "

he tilts his head slightly, before nodding. “She wanted to come.” and then, she had prepared them before he had even picked up the eyeliner. the brush would have to rest for a few hours until they returned or the ink would go to waste. “Have you been enjoying the celebrations?”

[sanpatron]

" Then go blind and lose your sense of smell. " is his immediate response. He cares little for anyone's comments at the moment. Far too focused on getting at least four drinks in him before he fucks off to another bar and repeats the process. The Frenchwoman was right to assume that he had gotten into a scuffle—a rather annoying one if you asked him. Nothing remotely thrilling at all. Perhaps his annoyance at such a piss-poor excuse for a brawl is why he might have overdid it a tad and caused those men to bleed. Oh, well. They had it coming.

" You new? " he asks after ordering himself a two liter glass of the house beer. " Haven't seen you around before. Cool outfit. " he says with surprising sincerity. Following that, he would spend the next several seconds chugging an inhuman amount of beer as if the idea of kidney failure meant nothing to him. As horrifying of a sight as it must be to witness, at the very least you couldn't deny the fact that he at least seemed rather happy.

Damn shame that wouldn't last long.

@sanpatron

she hated this city, being powerless as she found herself somewhere she knew she didn't belong. it wasn't the worst since she found master and several other servants throughout, but the city still left a bad taste in her mouth.

at least the alcohol was palatable

she had taken a recent liking to a local bar not heavily trafficked. it smelled like thick smoke and looked like someone trashed the place and constantly had at least one or two people getting into a brawl, but it was a quiet place for her to think and not have to deal with anyone in general.

until slight curiosity got the better of her

she initially ignored them, having watched him slam through the bar doors with almost enough force to break the door down (for the fifth time this week). he was clearly another drunk and from the blood recently the winner of some fight. she figured she could get some kind of entertainment out of them before he either passed out or kicked the bucket from alcohol poisoning.

' you look and smell like shit. '

[sanpatron]

" Huh? Oh, sorry about that. I'm all good. "

Incredible. Doesn't he remember that it's impolite to stare? For shame. Though in truth, it was a bit hard to blame him for doing so. It's not every day you see someone walking around the city in an outfit like hers. As far as Django knew, Spirale didn't exactly have any sort of military base, let alone on the rest of the island either. Who was this girl exactly?

" Actually, do you mind if I ask you a question? You wouldn't happen to be military at all, would you? "

"Is there something you need?"

She wasn't against helping someone who needed her help but there was really only so much Rapi could do from her own own. Sure not all of her strength was gone but still he seemed like he could hold his own. Even then menial tasks didn't seem on his mind either?

"Not to be rude but you've been staring for quite some time. If you needed help I'll be more then willing to assist you. As long as it isn't too out there..."

@sanpatron | s.c

[sanpatron]

" Ugh. Feels like I haven't gotten any downtime in months. Jeez, man. The holidays can be such a freakin' drag sometimes for us big money hustlers. Well, at least things've finally calmed down. Wonder what everyone's been up to. "

[sanpatron]

There's a sense of peace to be found in the Mistwood compared to the hustle and bustle of Spirale. A feeling which Django has grown to appreciate quite a bit as the years went on. Perhaps a life filled with nothing but death and violence wasn't all it was cracked up to be once you've had a taste of what a simple life had to offer. Yet even he knew that a man such as himself could never let go of what one may consider the very foundation of what made him who he is today.

For better, or for worse.

Interpersonal nonsense aside, Django was just simply glad to be out of the city for a few days. He recalls moments from his childhood where his family—his mother especially—would show him the essentials of what it meant to survive in the great outdoors. Such lessons were further expanded upon by a rather unlikely companion during a fairly memorable trip to these same woods some years prior. One who he would make sure to visit sometime soon as it had been a while since last they spoke.

With nothing but the music from his stereo and the fire crackling before him to keep him company, Django begins to prepare himself a dinner fit for a king. Onto a grill that had been placed over the fire would go several steaks along with diced up and seasoned potatoes. The aroma would no doubt attract all manner of wildlife towards his little camp, but that was something for future Django and the several weapons he kept on hand to worry about.

Which was about three minutes from now.

" ..... "

@whitememory

[sanpatron]

" What's a guy supposed to do for his birthday when the flow of time here practically feels non-existent? Can't tell if I've even aged a day since coming here, what, six years ago? Jeez. Well, I guess experience is another way you could measure things. Most of us ain't the exact same person we were after getting kidnapped. So I guess that's gotta count for something, right? "

" Ugh! This is getting ridiculous. Who gives a rat's ass about introspection and all that crap when I could be stuffing my face at a buffet. "