Eighteen Candles[Castle Lillian, Elrick]

[Lagunamov]

I don't like germs in my food.

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Well, that was some first impression he managed to make. The girl seemed somewhat indifferent, but at least seemed livelier than her friend. Some acquaintances Lillian had those were. Of course, then finding out that this was some sort of birthday celebration seemed to make things make a little more sense. He never liked birthdays himself, so this was still more than whatever he had ever done.

“I can go for something stronger. Maybe a snack too, peanuts or something,” he commented to the waitress Lillian had called over. "Make sure they are fresh ones!" he added as the waitress started to walk away, getting a weird look from her. "One out of five people don't wash their hands after going to the rest room, and then eat snacks from the bar" . As he said that, he kept wondering why the drinks were still named the same all across the worlds. It was almost as if someone with world travelling capacities had started the drinking business ages ago across every world, causing all the names to be the same. Then again, his mind tended to go off unnecessary tangents at times.

Emi was again shouting, this time sure that yet another friend or something was also at the bar. At least that would give the ‘sending tequila shots’ a more positive image than what Elrick had originally imagined. “I’m gonna need to start a damn flow chart to keep track of people…” he muttered under his breath as he finally took a seat at the table, figuring that if he was about to get hammered, he might as well avoid falling on the ground like a dork. Well, a bigger dork.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

BRB...
--

Emi ignored Elrick's comments and slid out from around the table. "Castle, I'll be right back,[/color]" she said as she walked off. Arc had to be around here somewhere, he couldn't have gotten far. This whole thing could be over soon, if only she could find him. She ended up wandering around the bar for a few minutes, but not asking anyone if they had seen him for fear of her inquiries being taken the wrong way. She didn't want to be thrown out for drunken rambling about a dragonman with a Keyblade, right? When it was obvious her friend wasn't there, she decided to walk outside.

Actually, she walked right past Jericho on her way out and didn't even notice. The bar was dark, her mind was a little dulled from the alcohol already in her system, and she was focused on one thing and one thing only. Still, it was a bit stupid how easily he flew under her radar.

She burst through the door, and let it shut behind her. She looked to her left, and to her right. Nothing of interest. She sighed. She'd lost him. Still... they were close!

[Slash]

Looks like I can use her obliviousness to my advantage.

[/center]

Jericho rolled his eyes and almost smacked his head in annoyance as she passed right by him. Could she be any dumber? Oh, well. He could use this to his advantage. At least now he'd find her alone.

He walked outside calmly, following her. Before she got too far from the bar, he spoke up.

"My, you're unobservant." He leaned against a wall and became grim for a second. "Before you attack me, stop. I'll just amplify your anger like I did last time, lead you back into the bar and escape. You won't get me, but you'll certainly take your friends' lives as a consolation prize." His seriousness then passed and he grinned, looking quite crazy as he did so. His smile could pass for normal, but his grin? Not so much.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Oh, fabulous.
--

Emi tensed, recognizing his voice, and turned around. She really, really did want to attack him. Worse than what she had done to Castle on the ship a few days before. She wanted to do more than just attack him, she wanted to kill him. Really, really kill him. The only thing that kept her from doing it was the promise of amplification and she didn't want to kill her...her friends, if that's what they were. So, she hesitated using the last bit of self-control she could muster.

"What do you want from me?[/color]" she asked, hardly able to get the words out. She could feel a rage coming on. Oh how she would have loved to let out that anger on him, but she held back for the sake of the people in the bar. She had seen what the amplification could do and she knew that it would not end well. "Didn't you get your kicks back at Beast's Castle...oh.[/color]"

It hit her then. Arc hadn't sent them the drinks. Jericho had. It was a good thing there was a wall nearby, otherwise it could have been Jericho's face she punched. Her hand collided with the wall, and it hurt. "God damn IT," she hissed. "You were in the bar just now.[/color]"

[Slash]

Why, I'm always up for more amusement!

[/center]

Jericho laughed a little, then looked at her with mocking, overdone concern. "Do you really have such a low opinion of me? I'm hurt."

Then Emi punched a wall, and Jericho rolled his eyes. Even if he had messed her up a good deal, did she have to be so dramatic? He certainly didn't intend to increase that lovely little part of her personality. "Congratulations. You figured it out. Someone should give you a gold star. Really, though, it's not like I seeked you out or anything. You walked into a bar that I was already in."

Time to mess with her a little. If he could get her a bit depressed, he could amplify that and prolong the conversation.

"Tell me, how's life? Have you begun contemplating the pointlessness of your existence yet, or do you just avoid that by punching things?"

[Castle]

Castle was on edge as soon as the waitress mentioned that place. The first and only person he could think of from there was someone he really, really didn't want to see again. However, Emi's other idea cut his reaction short with uncertainty. Maybe it was that friend of hers that they'd been searching for all this time? He felt doubtful, but before he could make up his mind to say anything, Emi was off searching the bar for Arc.

He started to get up and follow her, hesitated, and sat back down. Even so, he did a quick scan of the crowd. His search yielded no sign of the guy. At least, no sign of him that was visible from Castle's current viewpoint, and none that would trigger the already foggy memory of the guy's actual appearance. Then again, he didn't see any sign of a dragonman, either.

He tapped his finger on the tabletop and wondered what he should do. It seemed to him that the guy could have sent the drink, and the message, over to them as some sort of sick joke. He could've sent the beers, too. Then again, maybe Arc had a weird sense of humor and was just being friendly to Emi. So, where was he? A dragon-person couldn't blend in that well, right?

If Emi wasn't back in five minutes, he would go after her.

He turned to Lillian and went back to a more casual attitude. He hadn't seen her since last month, and even though he only met her that one time, he thought he ought to say something. He continued to ignore Elrick, even more so now if possible because of the irritating comments he just made about peanuts.

"So, you never really said what you were doing here. This your first time in Traverse Town?" he asked.

[Fate]

I Have Weird Friends

Fresh... peanuts? Lillian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this and then hold back a snicker. She didn't pick Elrick for the type to be even slightly germophobic. The thought was funny though, but she'd be nice and not say anything... for now. The waitress would take a few minutes to come back, so might as well sit down at this little table thing. Almost as soon as she did, Emi got up to leave and go outside. Lillian narrowed her gaze and watched her leave. Maybe she wanted fresh air? Honestly, Lillian didn't know. From what she gathered, it could just be Emi being more evasive like she usually was.

Though, right after Emi left and Lillian was watching the door, someone else followed afterward. Some guy with glasses, sort of tall. For all she knew, they knew each other and wanted to talk or something. She wasn't even going to bother guessing at the moment or go after Emi. If she got in trouble, then sure she'd help out. It didn't look like trouble, but it did sort of look suspicious. Maybe she'd ask Castle, who was trying to have a conversation with her while they waited for drinks... and Elrick's peanuts.

"I was just stopping by, you know," she replied, "I've actually been here before-- just not recently. This was the world I was dropped on after mine was destroyed, just like everyone else it seems." No more detail needed to be discussed, right? Right. "Who was that guy that followed Emi out anyway? Sorta tall, glasses. You know him or something?" She didn't mean to pry, but she couldn't help but sort of be suspicious. Emi was being more evasive than when they had met before and then she goes outside with a guy shortly following her.

The waitress came back with their drinks, putting Emi's down while Elrick and her took theirs. She left shortly afterward. "And are you happy now that you have your fresh peanuts?" she asked Elrick jokingly. It was sad that her daily amusement derived from mocking others, but it was good fun. She took a few good sips from her drink, still waiting for Castle to answer.

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[Oathkeeper Emi]

Great at giving sarcastic answers.
--

Emi felt really really stupid for having not noticed him. How blind could a person get? Maybe she expected some kind of eerie premonition or feeling of dread if he was around... she didn't get anything like that walking into the bar. She lowered her now bleeding hand and glared at Jericho. "Life's just peachy,[/color]" she told him. Very sarcastically. "I am perfectly happy and well-adjusted and have lots of high self-esteem.[/color]"

Coincidentally, this is almost the exact same thing she used to tell her court-appointed anger management therapist before she stopped going to appointments. It wasn't true. She wasn't happy or well adjusted. Between all the lost battles and Castle's comments on her physical appearance- whether he was trying to be complimentary or not- her self-esteem was lacking too. Lately, all of this had been getting worse. Why else was she at a bar, getting drunk when she said she wouldn't do that anymore and hadn't in two years? What could have possibly explained the nightmares she was having, and hearing Kei's voice again after all this time, and the panic attack?

"Seriously, are you just following me? Trying to mess with me? Why don't you just leave me alone.[/color]"

[Slash]

No need for amplification when she depresses herself.

[/center]

Jericho grinned again, but this time there was little glee in it. It was little more than an animalistic snarl, and in it the full force of his hatred came to the surface. His eyes flashed as if some great fire blazed just behind them. How she disgusted him. She was everything he hated about humanity in microcosm, her very existence an unforgivable offense to him. She was pathetic, she was dramatic, she was arrogant, she was cruel, she was stupid, and he wanted her to suffer.

He didn't bother amplifying her yet. No, he wanted her to be fully aware when he spoke. He hadn't been this angry since...well, since the last time they met.

"Why don't I leave you alone? That's a simple question. Would you leave a filthy, rabid dog alive on the streets? Would you force a rotting, worm-ridden leper in the last stages of his disease to suffer through his existence?"

He took two slow steps toward her, his eyes locking on hers. "If I killed you, I would be doing the world a favor. I am a monster, yes! But I can see it. You stumble through the world, blind to your own faults or perhaps just unwilling to act against them. Tell me, who do you cling to? Creatures like you are often parasitic, and bring another down with them. Is it the red-eyed boy? Or another? Or perhaps you leech off of many. It is these people that I would be helping, the ones who are forced to endure the offense that is your existence."

He took another step. And another. "But no. I want you to see what you are. I want you to comprehend the vile nature of yourself. If you want to die, which you very well might, you will have to take the initiative. I have killed many, but I will not soil my hands with the lifeblood of a thing such as you."

Now, Jericho was within three feet of her, and he leaned forward mockingly. "Will you strike me, worm? I care little. Give into your rage yet again, or force yourself to leave me without any closure. Either way, you lose."

[Lagunamov]

Let's Get Woked.

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These acquaintances of Lillian were certainly… peculiar. Elrick wasn’t one to complain or even comment on that though, at least not yet. Considering he had spent quite some time travelling alone, and then somehow managed to befriend a humanoid creature most people would destroy on sight, it was certainly not for him to judge their behavior or appearances. Though he wished the guy stopped being so freaking… cold, passive aggressive, whatever the hell that was.

Like the others, he instinctively scanned the bar to see who it was Emi was trying to find. A pointless effort seeing as he knew he had never met this Arc fellow she had mentioned. But, just like Lillian, he caught a glimpse of the guy with glasses. There was something… off about the man. But, again, since he couldn’t be sure if that was the person mentioned, all he could do was sit there and take the drink that had just been brought to him.

“Thank you for the germ-free peanuts,” he joked to the waitress as she left the small bowl with the aforementioned item before him. “And yes, I’m very much happy,” as he said that, he grabbed the drink brought to him. Brining the glass close to his mouth, he sniffed it, trying to pick up what was in it. He could smell at least vodka and gin, and almost no filler, if any at all. He raised the small shot glass to the other two at the table, and ingested the deadly combination in one go, hitting the table with the glass once done.

His face was blank for the next couple of seconds, the raw alcohol hitting his stomach like a brick. “Vodka, gin, tequila, rum, triple sec… Chambord…” he uttered, surprised that they had actually brought him something knee-bending. “Ok, they know their stuff.”

[Oathkeeper Emi]

A taste of your own medicine may not be as bitter as I had hoped.
--

It was essentially the same thing that had happened at Beast's Castle. This time though, she was making an effort to restrain herself. There was no doubt in her mind Jericho would do what he said he would and make her kill her friends. Still, the words that were coming out of his mouth... pure poision. The girl couldn't do anything but stand there and shake. The tension she thought she had released by punching the wall was rising again, but honestly she was too afraid to do anything. She wondered what would happen if she didn't release it. She felt like maybe probably she would explode.

Distorted by an echo, every single one of Jericho's insults hit her full force. She wouldn't lie. It hurt, almost physically. Is this what it felt like on the other side? she thought. Certainly she had never been this cruel to someone though. She wasn't a monster like him... or was she.

He wouldn't even kill her. Even if she wanted him to kill her- which, honestly, she kind of did... this was becoming unbearable- he wouldn't do it. She could attack him and he would amplify her rage and turn her like a caged animal onto the whole bar... or she could let him go. Neither of these were viable options for her. He was absolutely correct. Either way, she lost.

Emi surprised herself. She wasn't crying. "You know what,[/color]" she said, through gritted teeth. He was still looking her straight in the eyes, and she didn't back down either. "Maybe you're right. I wouldn't leave a rabid dog alive on the streets, and maybe if a dying person asked me to kill them I would. Those are acts of mercy, though, Jericho. You aren't being merciful. You're doing this because for some reason you've decided to hate me.[/color]"

She found that once she started talking, she relaxed a bit. It wasn't nearly as fulfilling as punching his face in would have been, but it sure was a hell of a lot safer for everyone involved. She could understand why he liked to talk and insult her so much. It felt good. In her case, however, it was watered down because deep down she knew that her words really wouldn't make an effect on him. "I don't know what the hell I did to make you hate me, but whatever.[/color]"

What am I thinking? I can't just lay this out in front of the likes of him.

"There was one thing you got wrong though. I don't cling to anyone,[/color]" she said, simply. In her mind, she really didn't. She hadn't in years and years. She had always been by herself and probably always would be by herself, but it had served her well up until now. In fact... she let out a shuddering breath when she realized it. If only she hadn't brought Castle along with her, maybe she wouldn't even be in this situation. She wouldn't blame it on him though. She knew it was her problem. "Don't act like you're doing the world a favor. You won't even kill me, so why are you still here? If you want to rid the world of me go ahead and do it![/color]"

The last part came out as a scream. She hadn't intended it that way. She lowered her voice. "But you just said you wouldn't do it. So don't act like the hero ridding the world of a plague. The best thing you could do if you wanted to help the world would be to kill yourself and stop terrorizing girls you barely know for fun. Don't act like you are so merciful for it. You've done enough damage. Leave me alone.[/color]"

It may not have seemed like it to Jericho, but Emi telling him to leave her alone was a big step. If Kei had done this to her, she would have just kept her mouth shut. This time though, she was standing up for herself. She could have hit him, or she could have shut down but instead she felt empowered by turning around and using the same weapon he did: words.

[Slash]

If you're trying to use my tactics against me you're horrible at it.

[/center]

He could not roll his eyes any harder than he was right now. That was...that was amazing. She had completely misunderstood...how did she even...and he already did tell her...GOD DAMN. "I. Just. Told you. Why I hated you. Are you even listening? Do I have to repeat myself?" She was blind to her own flaws. Completely so. She scratched the surface, but assumed that was just it and refused to see deeper.

His tone was now one of incredibly annoyed confusion at her failing at logic. "When did I say I was being merciful by doing this? I was bringing that up, but I didn't say that was why I was doing it. That was making a point. I'm doing this because...you really can't even make the simplest conclusions?" He shook his head and threw up his hands in frustration. She was being all empowered and smug about her little "I know what you are but what am I" tantrum, too. He could see that.

"All right, let's make this easy for you. I'm not an altruistic man. Great job figuring that one out. I am not killing you because that would be too good for you. I want you to twist under the knife because I find it funny. Hilarious. Because I am a bad person. I am not denying this. Do you hear me? Not denying. Accepting. Your revelation that I am horrible is like me telling you that you have green eyes. Are you affected by that? No? See what I mean?"

He sighed. "All right. Focus. Look at me. Try to keep from being distracted by shiny things while I am speaking. Why do I hate you? Because you're horrible. I mean, look at this entire conversation. You think that you are so amazing for presenting an argument that basically amounts to 'NO U'. I was perfectly happy to lie to you in Beast's Castle, but of course you had to get on my case about how pathetic my pleas for sympathy are when you've proven to me before that you cut yourself. And it's not like I hate you obsessively to the point where I stalked you and found you here after weeks of searching. I was already in that bar on unrelated business and- you know what." He took a step back.

"I don't know why I'm actually attempting to explain anything to you. If you want me to leave, I'll leave. Just keep in mind that if we meet again, it's your fault for being where I already was. Also..."

Annoyed as hell, he seized on that anger of hers and turned it up quite a bit. Not all the way. But quite a bit.

"You should keep in mind that I don't like it when people only hear what they want to." He scaled the wall next to him with superhuman speed and quickly departed from sight.

[Jericho used Amplification]

[Castle]

Castle's expression sort of went blank at what Lillian told him. Tallish guy? Glasses? Following her outside?

Oh, crap.

He stood up abruptly, knocking over the chair but catching it before it could topple completely. He didn't even notice anything Elrick did, sincerely this time, not just because he was ignoring him. Castle really, really didn't think that mister dragon-man would just happen to be tall and wear glasses, as funny as that would be.

"I gotta go," he said briefly to Lillian before he maneuvered away from the table and practically ran across the room to the door.

He dashed outside and skidded to a halt when he saw Emi standing there. She didn't appear to be hurt, but she looked upset. He quickly looked around, but Mr. What's-his-ugly-face was nowhere in sight.

"Emi, you okay? That guy from that Beast's Castle world, is he...?"

He silently cursed himself for letting her go searching for her friend on her own, even after his gut instinct warned him about what she would find. What was he thinking, just staying at the table? He felt a bit mad at himself now, but that wasn't what he should be focusing on now. If that guy was still around, he needed to be ready. He wouldn't let that freak get away with any crap this time.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Je n'ai pas d'espoir...
--

That.... that went wrong. Completely wrong. She had been expecting it but...damn.

Emi wasn't going to lie and say he was wrong. Some of the stuff he said was true, and she was grasping for straws. She wasn't being smug about it, she was desperate. The truth was, she was fully aware of her faults... she just didn't want to really sit down and process them. She knew she was screwed up, and probably beyond all salvation.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was probably on the path to becoming just like him.

She was angry, yes. More so than she had been before. She realized this was probably because Jericho had amplified her anger. She didn't care. She was also aware of Castle stepping out into the sidewalk, talking to her but she didn't hear the words, just the sound of his voice. The keening sound in her ear was drowning him out.

Don't hit him, don't hit him.... don'thithimdon'thithimdon'tfuckinghitCastle...

She turned away from the purple haired boy and slammed a fist into the wall again. She couldn't kill the wall. It was inanimate, it didn't have feelings or nerve endings with which to feel pain. She punched the wall until her hands were pretty badly bleeding, and then she went to kicking it. Growing tired of that, she pushed off the wall and wandered out into the street a ways. There was no incoming traffic. Should she have felt so disappointed about that? She had her hands in her hair in a very bad attempt to restrain herself.

Jericho's little speech had enlightened her a lot more than she cared to admit. The scars on her arm were no cries for sympathy... they were the evidence of an attempt to turn her anger on herself rather. It made sense to her now why back in Twilight Town she'd done this to herself. The number of scars indicated she did it quite often. Left alone, with no outlet... afraid to take it out on Kei... she had no choice to turn it on herself.

That's why she was punching the wall and very seriously thinking about going back to the gummi ship and maybe adding a few new scars to the collection. The thoughts came back to her so easily even now. Castle was not an outlet. She hated to admit it because she didn't want to fess up to the fact that maybe she did cling to people- she certainly seemed to be clinging to Arc, and that whole mess with Zexion. Who chases someone like that if they aren't clinging? That's exactly what she had been doing. Clinging desperate to one last shred of a time when she was actually happy. They were not outlets for her anger. She had leaned that when she'd turned on Castle. She could turn on those people in the bar, or someone on the street... but honestly, that wouldn't bring any kind of satisfaction to her. Even when she was younger, she only beat on people she knew somewhat. Never a random person on the street, unless they directly angered her.

The only outlet left was herself.

The seed was planted and her anger was what made it flourish.

She walked back to the sidewalk, kicked the wall hard for good measure and then leaned against it and slid down. She didn't cry, just limply sat there. Despondent. No one to blame but myself for this. Maybe he's right, maybe I should just...

She looked up at Castle. "I'm... I'm fine.[/color]"
A blatant lie, but what did it matter?
"Jericho left. Let's go back inside.[/color]"

It was no longer about blocking out the anger. It was about turning it inward.
Jericho was right, and she understood that now. Castle and the others didn't need to be her comfort. They didn't deserve that. She wasn't going to be like Jericho and subject them to her punishment over and over. Emi admitted that maybe, just maybe she was giving up. Jericho was winning. This is what was best for everyone. She wanted to make friends and be a good person... that just wasn't possible for her. At least not like this. In her mind, there was only one thing that was going to redeem her. In her mind, there was only one thing that was going to keep her from becoming like Jericho.

And that was to take herself out of the picture.

[Fate]

I'm Not Taking Care of Any of You

Well, that was just peachy. Castle didn't even bother to say much besides leave; some friends she had. Normally, she might have followed since he had that worried tone and such, but that wasn't the case tonight. If something bad happened with that guy and Emi, her and Castle could take care of it just fine without any interference from Lillian or Elrick. If it got particularly bad, then maybe she'd get up. For now, she'd recline in her seat and drink while Castle went outside.

"Some friends I have," she muttered sarcastically, taking another gulp and looking over at Elrick. From what he just said about what he had in his drink, he was going to get hammered before this night was over. Sweet. That sounded like a better alternative than dealing with evasiveness. She couldn't get quite as hammered though since she had just spent a day fixing up that ship and didn't want to see it wrecked again; damn that thing known as responsibility.

"I say we stay here and not go back outside," she said, "You'll be all right though, right? Because I am not hauling you out of here later just to make things clear." She leaned back and drank some more, not leaving too much in the bottle itself. It'd take more than one to get her wasted, but not too much more.

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