[Episode] Fear and Loathing in Las Costas

Spoiler:

1907 hours |The Golden Imp | Las Costas | Rubeck

Stage hands scrambled behind the curtains as directions were barked out in hushed tones. Overhead lights shifted and speakers whirred as guitars and amps made their first connections.

"Places people..!" A woman called out, as her eyes darted across a clipboard. She grabbed a man by the arm as he whizzed by, "Where's the llama?" She mumbled.

"....We don't know.." He mumbled, "We.. we are looking now." The grip on his arm tightened as her look grew more stern.

"Find him." She paused.

"Now."

The moment her grip loosened the man took off and disappeared off the stage. Her fingers slid down to a line on the page before she looked up again and grabbed another assistant.

"Tell Rico to be ready if the mink can't perform." Without waiting for a response, she went back to studying the clipboard.

The girl rushed over to a man no taller than a child, he had a jet-black bowl cut and a hook nose; he held a pair of drumsticks in his hands as he spoke to a woman three times his height and more beautiful than the sun itself.

They were smiling, laughing even, as he was more than charming. A suave little dwarf who carried himself like a god among men; yet he did not have a drop of arrogance about himself.

"M-Mr..R-Rico..." The girl peeped up, doing her best to politely interrupt the pair, though her quiet mouselike voice went unnoticed.

"E-Excuse me... Mr. Rico..." He spoke up once more, this time loud enough to garner the pair's attention.

"Ahh, miss laurelee, no?" Rico questioned with a smile whiter than paper, his teeth straighter than anything she had ever seen.

"Y-yes.. H-how did you.."

"I see you every day, no? We work together, no?" His voice was like butter, "I always make a point to know the name of every beautiful woman I come across." The assistant's face turned bright red, she could hardly be called average let alone beautiful. But in that moment she felt like a ten.

"Now, what does Mon Cher need of me?"

"M-Mr. Cuzco... he-he's...."

"The Mink, yes? What is issue now, eh? Toilet paper too rough for his soft connard..?"

"W-We can't find him... Y-you might need to be the lead tonight..."

"Can't find him?" The man paused as a smile erupted on his face. "Hawhawhawhawhaw... Now, Mon Chers, there are preparations to make." With a bow, the sauve man took his leave.

A Bar in Las Costas | Las Costas | Rubeck

"Oi, buddy." The bartender shouted at the patron passed out on the counter. "Yoooo! My man, this ain't a hotel, get up and drink or get out!" His fist slammed down onto the wood next to the customer.

The thud startled the pompadour sporting monkey awake, "Oooh aaah ahh!" Jiro shouted whipping his head back and forth before realizing where he was.

He rubbed his eyes before donning his signature shades and giving the bartender an angry glare.  

"Yeah, yeah, buy a drink or get the fuck out."

Jiro snarled before tossing a wad of beli at the man as he barked and pounded on the counter.

"Tch. Fine." The bartender snarled back as he exchanged the money for a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter.

Jiro snatched the bottle off the counter and clumsily spun off the stool and onto the ground. Much to the bartender's amusement.

"Ooo..." He moaned, not bothering to remove himself from the disgusting wooden floor. Soaked with god only knows what and a last cleaning date no one could guess. Pop. The cork launched across the room as Jiro downed the entire bottle in seconds, sending the bottle flying right after.

A shattering crash echoed out across the room, followed by the screaming of angry patrons.

"Who the fuck threw that?!" The booming voice belonged to a massive barrel of a man who looked like he needed custom-made doors.

Without missing a beat the bartender pointed to the sprawled-out puddle of a monkey on the ground.

Like a godly miracle, the room parted like the sea as it made way for the mountain of a man. The floorboards screamed and moaned under every heavy step. He was flanked by a horde of smaller men, each one snickering and smiling as their mouths seemed to move faster than their bodies.

"Get up." Staring down at the woodland critter there would be no mercy found here. "Now."

Jiro opened his eyes one at a time as the massive man came into focus, adjusting his glasses to block out the light. He stumbled to his feet and lazily tried to put up a guard.

"Oo*hic*ooo..." He mumbled, eyes blinking independently of each other, "Ahhh*Hic* Ahh*hic*hhh Oooo!" Bobbing and swaying as if he were a master of the drunken fist, Jiro arrogantly taunted the man.

In a flash the massive mitt of the man was around Jiro's throat, too drunk to react and too numb to care. Like a rag doll, he flew across the room, splintering a table on impact as he tumbled into the wall.

The monkey rose to his feet as his pompadour hung limp in his face, all its vitality and rigor had been lost long ago. There was nothing impressive about a wet noodle that just flopped about. Though he did his best to act like there was.

"Weak." A mumble escaped the monster's lips as he closed the distance on Jiro once more. The monkey bobbed and swayed like a fool as his guard existed for little more than show, he threw a haphazard punch that had no hope of connecting.

It was a sad showing from the former boss of the mountain monkey troupe. A showing that seemed to drag on forever, an ass-kicking that had no end. Though most of it was delivered by the groupies, as the monster had lost interest in such a weak challenge quickly. Leaving his henchman the scraps.

When they were done he was tossed from the bar like trash, left to rot in the middle of the Las Costas strip. The sea of people paid him no mind as they flowed around him without a second thought.

WC 1,043/5,000