reefnet | day 005; SH442K; voice

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day 005; SH442K; voice

Heeey scumbags!

[ As usual, the scratchy voice coming out of the comms is just too loud for comfort, and will probably prompt anyone listening to turn their volume down. As usual, he sounds a little too cheerful for their dire circumstances. ]

Anyone else getting shot at? Kidnapped? C'mon, I'm about to die from boredom here.

If this was really some kinda simulated Battle Royale you'd think the death matches would have started by now, right?

But noooooo, it's just some fuckers sneakin' around and dronebombing the place.

Terrible vacation, really. Good fuckin' thing I didn't pay for it or I'd want my money back, yeah?

[ ... ]

Hey.

If you're still listening, congratulations, you might not be a fun-hating twat, so you get to hear my actual message.

Found another airplane, or part of airplane, in the mountain range. This really huge-ass fuselage, got "PacAir" printed on the side.

There might be some luggage in the compartments or salvageable electronics behind the boards, but the whole thing hanging in this really fucked up way and nothing on the inside looks sturdy enough to climb. Maybe if anyone's got some rope, someone could descend from above and check it out that way. Maybe enough people would be able to flip it, but I dunno if it's worth that kinda effort.

And there's also -- check this out -- a volcano. Doesn't look like it's been active for a while, there's a mineral water lake in the middle now, but it's weirdly warm. Don't know shit about that so I can't tell you if it could be heated from the sun or if it's coming from below, but hey, that's something to consider. 'Nd animals have been making their way here, so it's not poisonous. Probably. Smells kinda like sulfur though.

Volcanoes are usually in the middle of islands, right? Might not be the case here, but I'd say it's... in the southern part of the mountains? Can't be sure without a map, but there's more further north.

Guess that's it for now. Ya eggheads might be able to make something from this, right?

Oh but I wasn't fucking kiddin' about this place being boring, so if you've got any fun stories ya wanna share, I'm all ears. Only so much jungle noises one can take instead of a normal conversation, yeah? I'm a people person, you know. Honest.

Anyway! Headed toward some sus shit next, wish me luck.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Lalo's demeanor changes on a dime.

Usually, it's easy to dismiss most of what Kokichi says. He's just a kid. Hard to get that upset over what a 16-year-old kid says.

But this is different; this might start innocuous, but it has the power to get out of hand. Lalo has seen how games of telephone can get out of hand on the island, how one thing can become stated as fact based on only one person's word...

Time to set the record straight, in the most literal way, right now. When Lalo speaks, his voice is still cheery, but it's full of menace and warning. It's not a threat, it's a promise.

Kokichi and he have spent time together; bonded together; Kokichi might still have his panties in a knot because Lalo didn't jump to go rescue him after he got his dumb ass kidnapped, but Lalo still thinks their time together warrants doing Kokichi the kindness of letting him know what he's just triggered. He's just a kid, Lalo tries to tell himself. He doesn't know anything. He can't know anything.

His heart is pounding, though. ]

Hey, kid. Be nice. I'm serious. I'm not a [ Mexican slur for gay men redacted; Kokichi can probably guess what it is from context ]. Don't you ever say shit like that to me again, or you won't like what happens. Got it?

[ Into the walkie, he's smiling, but it's a forced and angry smile. His voice has a quality to it that Kokichi has probably never heard before.

In the back of his mind, Lalo has to swat away the voice saying he knows he knows he knows he knows HE KNOWS like the world's shittiest mosquito, to remind himself that nobody knows anything. And he's going to keep it that way. ]

Edited 2023-06-11 15:24 (UTC)

[ okay, now that's some grade A entertainment. he knew you had it in him, Ben!! ]

Y'know, when you're trying to shut up the kid famous for talking shit outta his ass this hard, it kinda gets more suspicious.

I'm not susp -

[ Lalo's voice sounds oddly thick. He can count on one hand the number of times he's ever reacted to anything out of blind panic. In his entire life, it had been three. Three times. That was it.

He hears the word "suspicious", and it's number four. ]

Listen to me. I am not gay. [ He remembers his fake backstory and immediately claws at that. He snorts, trying to seem indifferent, like he doesn't care, like he's pointing out the obvious. He manages to sound a lot like someone who cares very much. ] I'm married. Remember? Remember my wife?

[ His heart is pounding. He's trying to be calm because so far, he likes Squalo, who thought was an idiot initially but as now come to see as one of the more sensible people on the island, if unnecessarily touchy and high-strung.

Speaking of unnecessarily touchy, Lalo is Exhibit A right now. ]

[ Poor dude, honestly. Squalo should probably feel bad for him, but he doesn't. ]

Not really. You mention her before? [ He sounds vaguely bored, before the usual cheerfulness makes it back into his voice. ] But hey, I believe you, yeah? I'm not a [ casually throws a matching Italian slur back at him because hey, might as well speak the guy's language! ] either, but that doesn't mean you can't make exceptions if someone's hot enough.

[ Is he making fun of Lalo? Does he actually believe this? Who knows :) ]

Yes! Fuck, man. I mentioned 'er. I said I had two step-kids. Weren't you listening? Maybe we should scavenge you some new ears, eh?

[ Lalo doesn't know how to process any of this. He knows, back home, he could silence any of them with a look. No one would dare say any of this to him - ever -

What Squalo says makes Lalo turn bright red. He's about to be calmed down by Squalo's reassurances and use of a slur (Lalo doesn't speak Italian, but he can figure out what Squalo was saying from context). And then it happens.

Despite what he told Martin, part of him fills tainted even by the idea of "exceptions", even by the idea of "one time", even by - ]

I don't "make exceptions", shit-for-brains. Got that? [ So much for calm. ]

Edited 2023-06-11 18:54 (UTC)

I mean yeah, kinda, but you were having some sorta self-flagellating meltdown so I tuned a bunch of it out. But hey, good for you, man! Maybe they'll organize a search mission!

[ Something tells him they won't! Except, he wishes he could say it totally wouldn't be the case for the Varia, but, well. They probably celebrated finally being rid of him and went on about their day. Fucking assholes. ]

[ Damn, hopefully someone is next to Lalo right now and can appreciate that beautiful shade of crimson! ]

Sure. Just sayin', if you did, it wouldn't necessarily count.

[ Okay, it does cheer Lalo up somewhat to be reminded of what a good actor he was that day! He laughs, in response to the comment about the search party.

He's quiet for a few minutes. Kokichi, Jet, Martin — whoever happens to be watching, there's no shortage of people to enjoy his comeuppance.

Finally he speaks. ]

Thanks.

Welcome. Keep your head on straight, yeah?

[ Heh, "straight". But seriously. Maybe don't blow up at kids over some assplay jokes if you wanna keep your cover, "Ben". ]

[Martin is disappointed in you, as well, Squalo. But he's more willing to let the slur slide when the other man seems to be mocking Ben more than anything.]

[ NOOOOOO not the morality pet disappointment :( he'll do better! ]

[Martin's... really not liking where this conversation is going. He's past the point of tolerating that sort of thing in his life. It... had helped having Jon be so confident and direct about it with giant unholy flesh monsters who could crush them into a pulp.]

And some of us are that. Maybe don't talk like it's an insult.

[ Lalo sighs and puts the radio down. He scrubs his visibly shaking hands over his face. He is not going to have this conversation in public, with everybody listening, especially not to someone who's five feet away.

He has enough social awareness to know he should apologize, despite feeling no guilt for what he says. Martin's life his business - he can live it however he wants. No skin off Lalo's ass.

But suggesting Lalo should be okay with it, should embrace what he considers his only real defect as an otherwise perfect human being... every instinct in him screams against that, in a language that's more primal than anything he knows in English or Spanish.

Eventually he pulls his hands away from his face and just looks over at Martin, aiming for breezy and inconsiderate in the fact of Martin's justified irritation. He stands up, exhausted but trying to mask it, giving a shrug he hopes reads as indifferent. ]

Fuck, man. Let's hear it. Say what you're gonna say.

[Martin's own expression is closed when he flicks a glance up at Lalo. He looks away again, simply staring ahead.]

I already have. Don't use gay or whatever word you just used like it's an insult. That's it.

Fine.

[ Lalo surveys Martin again, following Martin's gaze into nothingness. Does he know...? No, he doesn't seem to. Too busy being offended on his own behalf to worry about probing into Lalo's motives. At least that's what it seems like. Thank fuck. He feels a small tingle of relief at the realization that Martin, at least, is probably just angry, not trying to decipher or interpret Lalo's statements beyond the obvious.

Good. Whatever. He doesn't have time for this. He's gotta go talk to the kid. The kid knows; the kid's onto him. Fuck.

There aren't words to describe the level of humiliation Lalo is experiencing right now. How the fuck do they think it's okay, any of them, to say this shit to him? He should be able to make them all regret it immediately. And he can't. If he were home, he'd know how to handle this. He'd make them pay for their disrespect. But he's not home, and he can't do what he normally would.

His throat is suddenly dry, but his eyes almost water like he's going to cry. Almost. He starts to turn on his heel, then at the last second, he whirls back around, hands in the air. Agitated. ]

Hey, just so you know - I didn't start this shit! Tell the kid to watch who's he talking to! [ Deep breath. He's reacting emotionally. Reacting emotionally never ends well for anyone, at least not in his world. It won't end well for him now.

He keeps doing it anyway. ]

It was one time! You're not gay after one time! Everyone knows that! I'm not gay, and even if I was [ he starts to say "a [f-slur]" and stops himself ] gay - I still wouldn't fuck a cop! Bet you wouldn't either, so maybe shut the fuck up if you're gonna get on your high horse. Okay, man?

[ He realizes what he's said and, without another word, turns on his heel and leaves the building immediately. He doesn't go far, instead choosing to lean against the building and close his eyes, clenching his fists and sighing to himself, before he starts yelling and kicking the side of the structure. His burst of rage doesn't last long though, instead dissolving into wordless frustration.

Fuck. He's fucked, in more ways than one. Slowly, he leans down the side of the structure, unsure for the first time since he's arrived on the island of what to do next. ]

[There's so very much to unpack there. From the man's apparent sexuality crisis, to his lying about being a cop. Martin has sense enough to let 'Ben' walk away. He's not going after that. But he definitely doesn't want Kokichi or Jet leaving with the other man whenever he leaves. Because Martin's interest in remaining in a group with Lalo has just dropped precipitously.]

Edited 2023-06-11 21:19 (UTC)

[ Lalo, frankly, is grateful for that. He's glad not to be followed. He stays outside for nearly forty minutes - some nice peace and quiet for Martin - head swirling, not sure what he's just done to himself.

When he finally does come back in, it's getting dark. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to look over at Martin. Professional smile that reveals nothing, brief curt nod. His voice is soft, flat, unemotional. ]

I'll leave in the morning.

[ Then look away. This way, it looks like he's deciding to leave for Martin's comfort, not running off with his tail between his legs.

With that, he goes to the vacant third cell and flops down on the mattress he cut open. He stares at the wall until he falls asleep for the rest of the night, something he hasn't done in years. ]

[Oof, he tripped into a sore spot, huh? It'd be kinda sad if Ben wasn't proving himself to be more and more questionable with every interaction. It leaves Kokichi in an odd position, armed with a weapon of extremely variable damage depending on how other people feel about certain shit – one he isn't particularly inclined to used, but he's not particularly inclined to be comforting and sensitive about it either.

Sitting at the side of the jail, a little ways away from the others, Kokichi eyes the radio thoughtfully and he quickly mulls over what to do with this.]

Hm? Not a what? Sowwy, I don't speak Spanish.

[It's a lie. He's not quite fluent, but he definitely knows what that shit meant.]

Edited 2023-06-11 16:35 (UTC)

[ Lalo doesn't need comforting or sensitive. Really, he would reject any attempt to comfort him, or spare his feelings, immediately.

All he needs from Kokichi is Kokichi's assurance that he will say nothing to anyone. Whether Kokichi is kind about giving that assurance or not doesn't matter to Lalo. He just needs it.

Lalo sighs heavily, hands shaking, and looks away from Kokichi, outside towards the door. Then back at Kokichi, gaze fixed and pointed. His voice is oddly hollow and emotionless, instead of angry and threatening the way it had been seconds before. ]

Outside. Right now.

[ It's the voice he uses with his underlings. It's not even a command, just a statement of what will happen - 'we are going outside now'. Lalo turns without waiting to see if Kokichi will follow him. He knows Kokichi will, if only because he can't imagine the brat would pass up the chance to taunt him some more when they're alone. ]

Edited 2023-06-11 18:08 (UTC)

[Kokichi glances up from his walkie-talkie at the sudden in-person address, a smile plastered on even before he's lifted his head. Goddamn, he really set something off, huh? And he didn't even intend to for once. Well, at least not to this extent. He'd expected a Kaito-esque reaction at most – a bit of impotent anger and shouting, maybe getting chased around in an attempt to deck him. Not this rollercoaster of rage and panic.

It is what it is, though. Kokichi hums as if thinking about it before grinning brightly.]

Okie-dokie!

[His cheer is all too dissonant with the mood here. Good.

Hopping to his feet (with a bit of wincing as he puts weight on his injured ankle), he goes as far as the entrance but halts there, casually leaning against the open doorframe with his hands in his pockets. "Outside" enough, but still within sight and earshot of the others just in case. He's curious and a risk-taker, but he's not stupid. He doesn't know what this guy's deal is, but he does know "Ben" has been lying about shit and demonstrated one hell of a temper. Kokichi wouldn't voluntarily be alone with him any more than he would have with Maki. Hell, there aren't even any rules to whatever this situation is that might deter people from going for kills that'd be too obvious. Ironic, how the rules of the killing game had made it harder to commit murder, in some ways.]

What's up? This isn't a booty call, is it? Because you're wayyyy too old for me.

[Probably not helping matters, but when he finds a way to push people's buttons he's gotta button mash.

But while he's the picture of irreverent flippancy, in his pocket Kokichi grips the arrowhead he'd picked up a while ago. Just in case. He's not a murderer, but he's not such a pacifist that he won't defend himself if needed.]

[ Kokichi can't be expected to know it, but nobody associated with the cartel really does "impotent" rage. Tuco would've pounded this kid bloody into the concrete floor of the prison structure with no regard for the consequences; several of Lalo's other associates would've shot the kid between the eyes the second he looked up from his walkie.

Lalo, for his part, is more inclined to laugh off certain jokes compared to his colleagues, but he's still not the type to just yell and try to hit you.

Lalo, in fact, rarely yells or raises his voice in anger much at all. More effective to say what you need to say with a smile. He's not smiling now, though.

As usual, Lalo's response is comparatively measured and calm in reference to typical cartel goons, and fucking psychotic in reference to anybody else. Even watching Kokichi get ready to defend himself is some amateur hour bullshit; Lalo can see one little shoulder tightening, unmistakably because Kokichi is gripping something in his pocket, a rock or an arrowhead or some shiv he found in one of the cells.

The truth is, if Lalo really wanted him dead, he would be. There'd be very little Kokichi would be able to do to defend himself if Lalo was determined to end him, no matter what he's got in his pockets. Fortunately for both of them, Lalo has no intention of hurting Kokichi and no real desire to. He speaks softly at first. ]

I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanna talk.

[ Really! He just wants to talk. For once. But he's not having this conversation in earshot or eyeline of the others. He shakes his head at Kokichi standing in the doorway — not far enough — only for his face to turn white at the suggestion this is a booty call. ]

What the fuck? No! Hell no! This isn't a — you're a kid — I'm not interested in —

[ The only thing worse than being accused of being gay is being accused of being a pedo. Lalo's eyes are uncharacteristically wide; there's a panic on his face that just doesn't look right for how rarely it's there. He realizes abruptly that he's being fucked with, though, and cuts himself off. He blushes faintly, going from shock white to pale pink.

He takes several steps back, away from the eyes and ears of the others. Lalo might not be planning a murder, but he's not going to say what he has to say where Jet and Martin can hear him. If Kokichi wants to hear him beg, he's going to have to take a risk. ]

They know you went outside with me, dipshit. If I go in there covered in blood and without you, they're gonna know what happened. How dumb do you think I am? Now come here. [ His voice softens and turns plaintive. ] Please.

[An exaggeratedly shocked expression, like he totally wasn't thinking anything like that! The performance is so over the top that it wraps back around to accusatory, somehow. He shrugs and leans a bit further out the doorway, the door mostly shutting behind him - but he keeps a toe in the doorway propping it open that last little bit.

Innocently:]

Who says you'd go back inside? You could totally just shank me and ditch. Maybe tell another sob story on the radios about how we got jumped by one of the island mystery murderers and you only just barely got away with your life...!

[Ah, there's the hard edge. The little kid image slips away so subtly and suddenly it's way more believable that he's older than he looks at first glance.]

Just come over here. Shut the door. All the way.

I just wanna talk to you about the things you were saying earlier. About me and the detective. I'm not mad anymore. Just wanna talk. Like I said.

[ Lalo beckons with the crook of a finger. He's not interested in discussing anything else except for the life-ruining shit Kokichi is trying to spread all over the network, and going around and around with Kokichi about anything else or any other accusations Kokichi might have would be a pointless distraction, so he won't bother. The information he's giving is as much information as he's willing to give with the door even cracked open even a little.

His heart thuds in his chest. He doesn't want to beg, but his eyes do it for him. Pleading. Hopeful. Desperate for Kokichi to be willing to talk to him.

After all, from Lalo's admittedly insane perspective, he's bent over backwards for Kokichi more than once (a normal, sane and healthy person would assuredly disagree with Lalo's warped ideas of what constitutes bending over backwards for somebody).

But fuck, Lalo thinks, the kid owes him this much. All he can do, though, is silently beg with the look in his eyes for Kokichi to come closer. ]

Edited 2023-06-12 12:17 (UTC)

[As sincere as that pleading look seems, Kokichi doesn't entirely trust it. Not even with the very sincere-looking freakout he's had earlier. This is a man that'd been putting on an act since the moment they woke up here, and Kokichi's seen too many normally decent people driven to murder to have much faith in decidedly less decent-seeming people.]

Jeez, relax. I just don't want us to get locked out!

[He makes a show of pausing to look around a bit, finding a small twig and wedging it in the doorframe before carefully closing the door on it so it's held open just the tiniest amount. Would that actually help anyone inside hear much? Who knows. But he steps away from the door after that. You want it closed properly? Do it yourself, motherfucker.

Limping a little on his injured ankle – and maybe even playing it up a bit, all see? Look how weak and harmless I am! – Kokichi finally moves away from the building. He doesn't quite approach Ben, not willing to get within arm's length, but his casual wandering over to lean against a nearby tree makes the caution a little less obvious.]

So...what about you and the detective? Is this the part where you confess your deepest feelings to me and beg me to keep quiet?

[ Lalo, in fact, does go over and close the door himself. He waits until Kokichi is a decent enough distance away from it not to crowd him before Lalo goes over and slams the thing shut.

Then he moves back away from the door, collapsing onto the ground in a sitting position just out of arm's reach from Kokichi. He dabs his forehead with his bandana. He rolls his head, and looks over at Kokichi. ]

There's nothing [ he starts emphatically, snappishly ] going on between me and the detective.

[ Then a defeated, exhausted sigh. He looks at Kokichi again with that same pleading, desperate expression. ]

But mmmm. Something like that. Listen, kid. You can't tell anyone else that I'm a [the f-slur goes here].

If you keep your mouth shut, I'll make it worth your while. I'll do whatever you want. [ He hates that he's been reduced to this, begging a child for mercy. But what other choice does he have? Killing Kokichi under the present circumstances seems like a wildly bad idea, for a lot of reasons. And he can't let his secret — one of his many secrets — get out to more people. ]

[He tenses almost imperceptibly as Ben actually goes back and aggressively shuts the door. It's not the energy of someone who just wants to have a nice chat, and being such a constant agitator has made Kokichi hyper-attuned to any signs a person might have lost patience with his shit.

But instead, he gets a grown man collapsing at his feet and begging him for mercy, and it doesn't feel at all as good as he would have anticipated. Kokichi makes a disgusted face – disgusted with this display, of course, but we can all guess how Lalo will interpret it.]

Ugh, gross. Quit groveling already That shit's only fun if I actually demanded it.

[And while he would absolutely lord it up and make someone get on their knees and beg him for his help in other circumstances, this just feels...kinda pathetic. And not even in the satisfying way that he'd love to see people he dislikes looking pathetic. It's just sad and makes him feel like an asshole for something he didn't even do.

Kokichi shakes his head, sighing heavily.]

You really suck at being subtle. Y'know, no one would have even questioned it if you'd just laughed it off! But now I'm the bad guy because you couldn't help broadcasting your massive insecurities to the whole island?

[At least let him be the bad guy for things he actually intended!!]

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salamanca - 2023-06-23 00:16 (UTC) - Expand

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day 005; SH442K; voice

cw: internalized homophobia/biphobia, veiled threats towards a minor

SH442K

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cs: LO431Y; voice

action; cw: more internalized homophobia/biphobia

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