BEAUTIFUL SAVAGERY

Hands clasped tight in front of him, Cletus stared hard into the scuffed wood of the bar top and ignored the tender uselessly trying to get him to order something. He did want a drink. That was why he was here, in fact. But before that he wanted to have a good think... he hadn't already been drinking, had he? Nope. Pretty sure he hadn't. Maybe he was just batshit crazy after all... but that was a little disappointing to consider right after he had just come to the conclusion that everyone else was just stupid, instead. Not nearly as good for the ego. The drone of another voice filtered in like noise from an old Charlie Brown cartoon. ...I'd love to know how it all started. Blinking hard, he swung his head up just in time to catch sight of an outline of pure fire. No, just hair. Hey, he was a redhead too! "Well ain't you a sight for sore eyes?" he chuckled, just shy of hoarse. "If it's a story you're lookin' for, I've got a good one. Just not so sure it's a real one yet... maybe you can help me figure that out, huh?"

" When you're good , you gotta be a little bit of a show off , don't you think ?" Garrett was skating in circles around Cletus , growing more and more at ease , the longer he spent in the rink . It was home to him , the ice . He felt like he was himself , here. " You wanna make that a challenge, old man ? I'm sure I've got a blindfold somewhere ? Or I can just close my eyes and call it a day ? " Garrett just laughed . " I've got a good heart hidden somewhere . Who would have thought ? " His move , however , made him hesitate . " Alright , now we're talking . Had me fooled there . "

"That's exactly what I do think. But that don't mean you ain't one!" he shot back, pushing harder to try and close some distance between them. Skating was a lot more work than he remembered it being... then again, he didn't have much to remember right now, did he? Either way, Cletus found the challenge a refreshing one. No more hand holding or participation trophies—just skill against... well, whatever it was that he had. Passion maybe? Something like that! Making another mad, random dash, he called out, "If you can skate half as good as ya can now with your eyes closed, you'd be some kind'a magician! So go on then, give you an' that big heart a' yours a real challenge! Don't worry... no blindfold required. If ya cheat... I'll just know yer smart!"

nolan caught on pretty quickly to what the male was wanting him to do. he was no saint , he'd dined and dashed in the past , but it had been a long time. when he thought about it , the last time he had , was back when he was still human. technically , he was human again , but he still hadn't done anything so foolish in years. he was careful , blended in with the crowd when and where he could. dc was different , though. confidence was something he could sell. he had developed an inflated sense of ego of sorts over the years , so he had faith in his ability to confidently walk out of the building without concerning himself with paying. he just wouldn't make it a habit of it. he wasn't trying to get himself into any trouble or stand out. “ got it , ” he stated , nodding slightly before he took off in the direction of the exit , making it out of the building with ease.

"Good." Cletus caught up with them quick, nudging them in the ribs with his elbow. "You're not hopeless. That's important." Some people just didn't have what it took for spontaneity—mostly suckers and losers, but there were exceptions to every rule. He liked Nolan, though, and it felt right that they were at least capable of bending the rules for the kiddy shit. "There are people on this fucked up mudball we call home that ain't got any talent for the good life." Plenty that didn't even want to hear about it! But they hated Jesus for telling the truth too, didn't they? "I'm about to impart upon ya the most important thing you'll ever learn in ya entire life, you get what I'm saying? It's real simple. Two words: Random. Lunacy. That's all there is in all that there is. Why'd I start with rule two? 'Cause I can. Same reason I do anything. Same reason anyone does anything, why anything happens at all!" He threw his hands up like he was some great philosopher and not someone who had very clearly gone wrong somewhere along the way. "Am I reachin' ya, son? Do ya get what I'm puttin' down?"

"I don't know!" She snapped, suddenly worked up from the line of questioning. Though she then realized that was harsh, and unecessary. "Sorry." She mumbled. "I don't- it's hard as my memories come back. It hits me all at once at times."

Her shout didn't bother him at all. Actually... he liked it. There was the passion he was always looking for, the unpredictability! "That's all right. I work in a hospital... if I couldn't handle bein' snapped at now an' again I'd be outta the job." Or never in it to begin with, more likely. Being an unrepentant pest did the rest. "Ya ever thought about seein' someone about it? All this memory bullshit, I mean."

out of the new people he'd met in his short time in dc , this guy was easily one of the most fascinating. he was curious to know how his mind operated , wondered if he was like that before his incident or if it was a side effect. he wasn't rude enough to ask , of course. he'd rather just be curious. he raised a brow at the male's words , a soft chuckle escaping his lips. “ okay , sure , whatever you say , ” he told him , shrugging. who was he to question the guys tactics ? while starting with rule number two seemed absolutely absurd to him , he'd keep his mouth shut and follow the male's lead. “ noted. i'll follow your lead , ” he told him , nodding slightly.

Few phrases invoked the same pleasure as that—whatever you say. Not the sarcastic version, mind. But he would work with what he was given in any case! Releasing Nolan's shoulder, Cletus weaved through some of the late crowd and slunk along the back wall toward the exit. While he waited for them to follow, he hung lazy and unbothered—and most of all, totally inconspicuous. "All right, this is the big part," he started once they were in earshot, voice low. "You gotta be confident. Got it? Just walk out like you was always meant to." Drinking and dashing... a classic. "Don't stop for nobody. I'll meet ya on the outside." Giving him one last nudge, he disappeared back into the crowd to take his own path out.

"There we go, welcome to diseaster and chaos. We need to put that on a banner for the new people." Cassidy chuckled, giving a nod. "Yeah, that's very common around DC. There are a lot of people who have sticks up their asses. The name's Cassidy, well Prionsias Cassidy, but most folks can't pronounce the first one, so I just go by the last one."

"Now there's a real idea! 'Course we'll have to put it out a few places... there's more than one major entrance in a city like this. Not that hard to make a few of 'em though, since we already got the sayin' and all!" But even an annoying chatterbox like him stopped dead when that introduction graced his ears. "Woof! I thought my parents hated me." Clearly unthinking as to the other's feelings, he laughed. "But believe it or not, you're talkin' to another Kasady." Kind of. Spelled differently. But you couldn't tell that by speaking it! "You can just call me Cletus, though. Never had anyone struggle pronouncin' that."

" Are you gonna catch up sometime soon , old man ? I'm almost falling asleep ! " Garrett called out after him , skating in a circle around Cletus , before speeding forward , not giving him too much of a chance to catch up if he wasn't paying attention . He could do this all day , but really , it was out here on the ice that he felt the most at home . And given everything , it'd be weird if he didn't take the chance to show off , wouldn't it ? " Me ? I could do this in my sleep . You sure you want me to not go easy on you ? " Because if he did , he would speed up a little .

"Show off!" he cackled back, clearly enjoying the experience despite his own relative lack of it. This guy really was quick! He was pushing himself as hard as he could and still they were swooping all around him like a crow bothering a hawk. "I'd like to see you keep from crashin' with ya eyes closed!" Truthfully Cletus was just happy to see that he wasn't flopping all over the place. One fall he could deal with. Pure incompetence? He would have stormed out by now! "How are ya gonna get any better if you're worried about me? I ain't in the big leagues." He dove randomly this way and that, trying to confuse them. "Show me what ya really got!"

Taffeta tried to shake off her nerves. She leaned back in her seat, and slumped her shoulders a bit. She was still getting used to the sensation of resting, and it showed. "Scotch isn't really my kind of thing either. I'll have a vodka cranberry. Thank you." She replied with a smile and a nod. Her eyes widened a bit as she continued, "Deep stuff, huh? What sort of deep stuff do you wanna know?"

Flashing his teeth, he threw up his hand for the bartender and repeated—at a much louder volume—"Vodka cran for the lady!" A good strong choice too, depending on how generous they were on the pour. Cletus himself liked things to hit him hard... but he was also not the average human specimen, either. "I like ya style, I gotta say. Right on the mark!" Now it was his turn to lean forward, toward Taffy and the interesting shine that seemed to aura her. "I wanna know all of it, all that shit people been tellin' you is crazy nonsense. I never heard of—what was it ya called it again? Wait, wait! Don't tell me, I remember! Panem? Like the—like Latin, yeah? Yeah! I wanna know about that."

hannibal nods, making a few notes on the pad in his hands. "so, your mother attempted to murder you, and your father caught her in the act and attempted to stop her. why did you kill your father in response to his attempt to protect you?" it felt like there was certainly more to the story, even more so than cletus admitted to not remembering. but there's clearly a darkness to the other, to be willing to murder one's own father. and that darkness is intriguing to hannibal, in a way he's very good at concealing. "there are many ways to recover repressed memories, though it seems that they are coming back on their own volition as of right now."

"Who the hell knows? Maybe I would if I knew what had happened before." Maybe it had been the shock of seeing him splatter her brains everywhere with the claw end of a hammer. Or maybe he had just wanted to join in on the fun. Why should daddy dearest get to wallop everyone but he wasn't allowed to? That thought in particular made his head twinge again, but this time he didn't shy away from that needle in his eye. Could it lead somewhere? Would it, pretty please? Eyes narrowed into thin slits, a vein pulsed in his forehead as he spoke again, throbbing haphazard in time with his heart. "Yeah? Too slow fer my taste. Lotta damn headaches, too. There's gotta be somethin' else to it, ain't there, doc?"

" Okay . Well , if you insist on calling yourself old , who am I to say anything about it ? " Garrett just grinned , already feeling more at ease . He always did , whenever he was out on the ice . It was like a second home to him , but that was no news . He skated forward , doing a move that could have been described as artistic , but he also liked to show off , every now and then . Besides and most importantly , he wanted to check that Cletus was doing alright , before really getting into it . " Didn't make it to being the best by playing the way everybody does , you know ?" He looked Cletus up and down two times , before nodding . " Catch me if you can , old man . " He skated forward , as fast as lightning .

Throwing his head back in a laugh, he skated on after him. This "kid" really did have talent—the way he carved along the ice was nothing short of art. Was that surprising, considering where he had come from? Not really. But he didn't say as much... no need to offend him by implying his talents weren't all home grown. It was certainly obvious that he spent a good amount of time here practicing. Cletus himself felt balanced on his skates, but his technique left something to be desired—there was nothing surprising about that, either. Still, he was quick if haphazard and darted to and fro trying to pick out the right time to strike. "Don't you go easy on me now!" he whooped, in spite of the fact that he was huffing and puffing to keep up. Nobody ever said getting older was easy.

“ damn , that sounds pretty shitty and gnarly. at least you survived , but i'm sorry to hear about the lack of memory. i think it makes sense you don't remember , though. head injuries can definitely fuck with your memories. that's been proven plenty of times. ” then again , if he'd experienced something like that , nolan wasn't so sure he'd want to remember the accident. he probably would've seen it as a small victory , but he couldn't speak for everyone. maybe the guy wanted to remember. “ alright , sure. i guess i can toast to that , ” he replied , smiling slightly. “ my first life lesson , ” he repeated , amused. “ excited to see what that'll look like. ” truthfully , he had no idea what to even predict. he was still trying to get a read on him , but falling short every time. nolan finished off his own drink before setting the glass down in front of him.

The glasses clinked and he downed the contents of his own in one quick gulp. If you couldn't celebrate the little things, what could you celebrate? Was he right, or was he right? Plunking his glass down, he pushed up quick and easy from his seat and set a grin upon this fast friend of his. "Well let's not keep that excitement of yours waitin', eh?" Cletus could even think of one or two good ideas to get them setting out on the right foot. "You an' me are gonna start with rule two, just 'cause we can. You'll see why that's important once we get to number one, don't you worry that pretty, little head a' yours." One hand on Nolan's back and the other shoving both empty glasses aside, her finished, "Just follow my lead."

"Sure can't. Don't remember the last time I got a good one." That meant literally nothing considering he was a verified amnesiac, but she didn't know that. Did it even matter? "But as a matter o' fact, I'm just finishin' up with my shift. Not enough people kickin' it to keep me busy. Might be my earliest night off yet." Matching her pose hands and pockets and all, he finished, "What's keepin' you up, huh?"

"I don't want to talk about that." She snapped at him. She didn't need to get into the details of what they had to do to survive. "It was awful and a lot of people died. That's it, that's all you need to know."

Raising his hands in surrender, he scoffed, "Fine, sheesh! Everyone always ends shit right before they get to the good part." It wasn't all bad. Hearing that there was some carnage involved raised his spirits just a little. But man, the cliff hanger was killing him! "If ya don't wanna talk about that, what do ya wanna talk about?"

" Great ! That's great . As I said , just let me know , man. We have a great doctor here . You wouldn't even need to pay anything . " Well , someone would have to pay for it , but Garrett was offering to support him or even to sweet talk his way with the coach , so that he could be looked at . It was what he'd always do for a friend . Maybe they hadn't known each other for a long time , but he saw him as such . " Not the boss here , man . just a friend . Or trying to be . " Garrett gave his back a pat , hoping that wasn't going to be too much . He tended to push people away . " Got the puck . Not much to be done without it , so my idea was really simple . It is all about taking the other person right out of their game . "

Cletus wasn't interested in going to the doctor... right now... but having one around that wasn't hiking price up to outer space was something he might have use for later. He'd have to remember that next time he had one of his big, bad headaches. Who would have thought a happenstance meeting would be so lucrative? "You're the boss man so long as we're out here on the ice. After we're off, sure—we'll go by rules of seniority," he joked, restlessly sliding his stick back and forth in front of his skates. Did he actually know the first thing about the game? Probably not. Those memories were distant and probably fabricated to begin with. Did that matter? Not to him! "Ya know, I have to say I like your style." Maybe not as in depth as others, but that was what he excelled at. Making shit up as he went! The more he and Garrett talked, the more he had to admit he liked this kid. Almost like a chip off the old block. A better block than had made him originally! "Let's go then! You just try an' keep that thing away from me."

Venom popped out of his back as the other spoke, and he shivered as the other did, groaning. "I mean, we did know one another, but I guess you don't remember how we knew each other."

The moment that thing appeared from behind him, Cletus scrambled back eyes wide and knife pulled almost before he knew what he was doing. "What the fuck is that thing?!" It was hard to decide if he wanted to point it at Eddie or that! Either way, just presence alone had something old and hateful squirming like a bucket of fresh caught bait. It was a familiar feeling. "I think I woulda remembered—" Or... would he? The other possibility didn't lessen his temper any. "You better start talkin' sense before I start cuttin' pieces off!"