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Post by Croupier on May 1, 2022 19:09:27 GMT -8
Croupier locked his gaze on the strip club as Bosko pulled into the cramped parking lot. Not a lot of spots for a regular car to park, much less a truck like Bosko's. Croupier cursed, wishing he had gotten his car, but between the drinking and reality-distorting headache it took to maintain continuity in his head, the Fairest was in no shape to drive. Hell at this rate, he might not be going anywhere for a month.
As Bosko put the truck in Park, Dan looked from one side of the building to the other. Aside from the front entrance, there was a side door, probably used by employees and delivery people. If there was one in the back exit, Dan had no way of knowing.
Throwing on the coat Bosko had provided, Dan felt ridiculous. He practically swam in it.
"I'm going to go take a look around inside." Croupier announced. His contract was still up, and he could still feel and see where his doppleganger was sitting - right at the bar, taking another shot. The whiskey burned Croupier's throat, and his gaze turned to one of the dancers on the stage. "Keep an eye out here in case he rabbits and makes for the exit."
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Post by Krakenbox on May 7, 2022 18:43:27 GMT -8
Daniel Miller was chatting up a couple of patrons while one of the dancers was collecting tips for her additional company. He seemed in his element and to be getting along well with a rougher sort, despite being slighter and better groomed.
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Post by Croupier on May 7, 2022 19:07:59 GMT -8
An aura of booze and sweat slapped Croupier in the face as he stepped into the strip club. The only illumination in the club came from the grid of stage lights overhead and lines of strategically placed LCD lights that gave the place a soft pink, violet and blue hue. Music blared from speakers in incomprehensible discordance; the bass turned up so high that it made Croupier's chest thump with the rhythm.
Even in a crowd like this, Croupier's double stood out. Far on the other side of the bar, he watched as he - the other Dan Miller - worked the gathering which surrounded him at the bar. He stood out like a sore thumb, if the thumb was dressed in a nice suit and slicked back his hair. And yet the patrons didn't seem to mind. Instead, they were enthralled as if under a spell.
Croupier frowned as he sunk into the mix, hoping to blend in. He turned to the bartender long enough to order a beer and resumed his vigil on the imposter; wishing he was closer to hear but not close enough to be seen. If he knew his clone, the poor bastard was probably trying to find a trucker who could let him hitchhike back home. For what price, Croupier could shudder to think.
A plan began to formulate. He would have to wait until this Dan Miller wound up alone - going to the bathroom or stepping out to use the ATM, maybe. Or he might have to do something more direct. Time was wasting.
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Post by Krakenbox on May 8, 2022 14:52:46 GMT -8
Nervous, Croupier waited. More than one of the female employees hovered and playfully asked how his night was going, angling themselves as they gauged their income or simply took a break with someone polite who happened to be easy on the eyes.
The other ordered a round and was a smooth talking magnet. The fact that the man had walked away from a massacre less than an hour ago was a testament to how quickly he adapted to a crisis, and leaned into the challenge of survival. Eventually, one of the dancers who had interacted with Croupier stopped by the table and blinked, doing a double take before asking Dan Miller an earnest question.
He stared at himself, before raising a glass in Croupier' s direction with a painted smirk.
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Post by Croupier on May 10, 2022 6:04:04 GMT -8
Croupier almost had to admire the way this other Dan Miller worked the room; he could make friends just by flashing a smile. Good looks and a winning charm would get them every time. But it was that smirk - that shit-eating grin the double made as he raised his glass to Croupier, that made the Fairest smile back. It wasn't just a challenge; it was a fucking declaration of war.
Well. Croupier wasn't about to let the little bastard win.
"Excuse me!" Croupier called to the bartender as she started to pass. When she stopped, he pointed his thumb over to the double. "My brother's getting married tomorrow, so I really want this to be a night that he doesn't remember!" He gave her a conspiratorial smile and wink, indicating to let the drinks keep coming.
Getting up from his spot at the bar, Croupier went around the bar, looking for the kind of dancers that were most definitely his type - the kind that would make even his double pause. Walking up to each of them in turn, Croupier flashed each of them a killer smile and told them the same story about how his brother was enjoying one last night of freedom, and if there was a way to give the man a private show in one of the booths.
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Post by Krakenbox on May 10, 2022 11:42:29 GMT -8
As the Changeling opened a tab and stood to start gathering dancers, Dan Miller's smirk lined with some confusion as he stood and walked over to the Bouncer. He brushed off the women doing their job with patient politeness, acting embarrassed that his twin was getting a little overzealous with his harassment. The Bouncer cocked an eyebrow, but humoured the charming patron who at this point had caused no trouble, and glanced outside while scrolling through the security app on his business phone.
He flashed it to Dan, asking if the guy looked familiar, to which the nervous smile and cold sweat told him what he needed to know.
Leaning over the counter to give a heads up to the bartender, the Bouncer went outside to light up a smoke and have a word with the ginger hovering around their employee exit. He waved Bosko down to not startle him, with the swaggering confidence these types usually project when dealing with potential weirdos around sex workers.
Meanwhile, Dan seemed to be getting The Boys to wrap up their drinks and settle their tabs. Two approached the twin after the girls were under the impression that they were paying for another dance. Dan locked eyes with Croupier as he walked past, flanked by the other two rough looking patrons as he was clearly making his way to their vehicles and to escape.
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Post by Croupier on May 10, 2022 12:07:56 GMT -8
If there was something Croupier was learning about himself tonight, it's that he has a very punchable face. How he couldn't wait to see just how punchable it was.
But first, he had to get the thugs "Dan Miller" had recruited away from him. Even if one was out of the way, the task would be easier when they got outside.
As Dan Miller and his entourage began to walk passed them, Croupier first cleared his hands with a shake and reached out to slap the burly man's shoulder, as if giving the guy a friendly pat, "How about you let me take it from here?"
Croupier locked eyes with his subject and began to focus on the low, barely perceptible hum that followed him everywhere. The volume turned up by inches until the hum turned into a ringing echo that dove into the goon's mind and pierced the veil of his inner thoughts. Here, the man was like an open book that Croupier could read at his leisure, if he wanted. But all he needed to know was - what did this guy want most of all? What did he want right now?
The need materialized in Croupier's mind's eye as a small golden totem, hovering just out of reach between them. With a smirk, Croupier flicked his eyes and watched the totem spin in kind, until the shape twisted and stretched into something new - one of the dancers.
Staring the man down, Croupier tilted his head towards the dancers, indicating that the man clearly had better places to be.
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Post by Krakenbox on May 10, 2022 13:42:18 GMT -8
Daniel had had a long night.
The world had fallen away to a crush of bodies in a midnight rave, where he had shuffled the possibility that one of his more suspicious clients had stuck him with an intense hallucinogenic. The intoxication of faerie presence had him run rather than sink into the trip, where he felt his emotions go wild with bedlam as he had tried to process what he was seeing. Then someone got shot. Then he saw a head come clean off. The revelry of enchanting faces had turned into fear and hatred as they started to rip into the people they had spirited away. He knew about the Wild Hunt from stories and folklore, and that was his best guess as he squirmed his way to safety and abandoned those around him to their fates. He wasn't brave.
The impulse had left him clear long enough to scrape together a weapon and a ride as he spilled a sob story. When his twin had arrived with voids for eyes and electric gold gossamer plating alien beauty, the strangeness of it all settled in. He wasn't brave.
The changeling touched the human. Dan saw red.
The man's expression dulled for a moment as his Desire was pivoted to the new love of his life. That's when Croupier saw the long glint of metal, gasping as he danced out of the way just enough to not have it plunge straight into his jugular. Blood sprayed in a brief pulse as he slapped his hand on the wound on reflex.
Dan spun the dagger, a look of surprise to mirror Croupier's at how deftly he had handled it.
"That's some Bourne Identity shit," he sputtered mindlessly, still in shock.
The bar exploded, several people shouting and moving to get out of the way. The men moved to separate the twins, unsure what was going on but definitely not excited to see the other nearly get murdered.
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Post by Bosko on May 10, 2022 14:16:12 GMT -8
Bosko did not try to stop Dan. It was his choice, after all. Bosko said he would support it, and he had not lied. And so, the metallic man leaned outside- contemplating whether or not this would be a good place to try and set up around. And contemplating new menu options, while keeping his eyes sharp.
A bounce came by to try and converse, and Bosko spoke plainly- and honestly- pulling out a card for their food truck, asking the bouncer when they got off work and if they would be hungry after, saying they were waiting for a friend, making a terrible joke about their food being quite addictive... Having to reassure the bouncer that, no, his food DIDN'T have drugs in them, he just loved awful puns. And more small talk. Nothing harmful, nothing to try and attain. Occasional pauses as the bouncer did their job.
Anyways, it was about when the topic switched over to whether pork or chicken made for the best shredded meat that Bosko heard a shift in commotion. Now, on the one hand, Bosko COULD just wait out here, not involve himself, not make a scene. This was Dan's choice after all.
....And on the other hand, kin dying was never good. The plump metal man looked to the bouncer, and nodded inside the building. "I think something is going on in there. And that we should check it out. Well, I am. You have a job to do if something has happened, most likely." And Bosko made his way inside, internally praying that Dan had just made some social fumble with a dancer and this WASN'T going to end as he feared it would.
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Post by Krakenbox on May 10, 2022 14:21:07 GMT -8
"Woah, slow down there," the guy asked patiently, putting his hand out to stop the ginger from waltzing inside.
He didn't like the feeling of this guy.
"Think your friend's causing some trouble. You're waiting out here instead of adding to it."
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Post by Croupier on May 10, 2022 14:34:45 GMT -8
Croupier felt heat and immediately his hand clapped down on the wound to stymie the flow that followed. His fingers felt hot and wet as the ground rushed to meet him, only to stop at his knees as Croupier rolled to sit on the floor between a pair of stools that were pushed out of the way. Screams and the rushing pounding of feet drowned out what his doppleganger had said, but Croupier could see the look of shock on his other's face.
Dice don't like me today. Croupier mused as he forced a blood-soaked toothy grin, thinking about his philosophy about life being one long string of gambles. Most of his had either paid out or left him even. First time he ever had a losing streak.
And of course, it was when it mattered most.
Spitting a mist of blood, Croupier sputtered, "I... I don't want to fight you... I just wanted to talk..."
He needed time. Needed to stall until Bosko hopefully came in to help save the day. Needed to keep himself alive.
Pulling a towel out of the coat he borrowed, Croupier tried to hold it against the wound to keep pressure on. His vision blurred and everything began to sound muffled.
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Post by Bosko on May 10, 2022 15:03:45 GMT -8
Bosko gave a sigh, one that showed a man exasperated by the current situation, and the events that led them here, and how absolutely TRIVIAL Bosko saw the individual before him. Suddenly the plump and jolly metallic man turned into a cold and serious figure- the weight showing the muscle underneath. Not a face the man showed often.
"Move Aside." This wasn't worth risking whatever the bouncer was being paid. At the very least, the Bouncer would get their ass kicked trying to stop the man.
So, Bosko attempted once again to enter and see just what fresh hell his kin was stirring up. How long had it taken, less than an hour?
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Post by Krakenbox on May 10, 2022 16:51:33 GMT -8
The Elemental had it right that he really wasn't interested in getting knifed or losing some teeth. If the guy was going to barrel is way past, the Bouncer was going to look to his lack of insurance and call the cops for an escort out.
Stepping away from Bosko to maintain a safe distance, he got on the phone, adding to the building file once he saw his messages about two brothers getting into a knife fight. A couple of the dancers spilled into the night out of the employee exit, shouting to him about the 'fucked up' situation they had just witnessed and asking if they were allowed to go home or had to wait for the police. Three more decided they didn't need permission to get themselves safe and kept walking in the opposite direction, while one with streaming tears called back that it might not be safe. The Bouncer started listing Bosko's physical description after Dan Miller's.
Bosko hit the wave of mundies ditching the bar and making way. A few well meaning patrons patted the guy's shoulder and said best pick another bar and to keep his distance.
--
As the handsome double tried to squeeze one last drop of pity from the situation, Dan Miller's face pinched with fear and mistrust.
The Leechfinger's voided gaze shone with an innate hunger for life, and the human shivered, gripping harder on his weapon as one of the truckers tried to pry it from him as he instinctively shook his head. The way his eyes were starting to water as the adrenaline took hold of his body told Croupier that maybe the narrative that Summer had sold him on these copies might not be entirely accurate. The simulacrum was too perfect, and wasn't acting in a cold or calculating manner when he flailed in blind defense. It hit too close to home.
He had seen multiple people die tonight because they hesitated. Feeling helpless with the situation and not knowing what the hell this thing could do, the human surged again. Fuck the cops.
It wanted to kill him. It was going to hunt him down with friends and kill him.
One of the entourage stayed on Croupier, dumbly asking if he was okay as an automatic gesture as he helped the man keep compression on the wound. The other three tried to grab at the panicking twin, who deftly weaved around them before the last caught his wrist and hauled him back.
Dan screamed.
Daniel was on him like a demon, the other human losing his nerve and yelping as he tried to tug Croupier away only to cause more confusion as he tried to roll. Another stab entered the back.
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Post by Bosko on May 11, 2022 14:23:59 GMT -8
Bosko... REALLY didn't want to be here. His face was known, and of course things had gone south. And for their kin, 'south' was about the third worse place to go.
So, a near identical duo in a brawl in the middle of a dance floor. It would be a funny start to a joke if it weren't so bad a situation. So, does he intervene?....
....Yes, he does. he goes, moving behind Croupier- his friend.
"I sincerely hope you have more of a plan." The voice of someone very much disapproving of this course of action. of someone that expected more thought. And of someone that hoped their friend would come out alive.
If it got bad, maybe they could duck into the bathroom and open a portal and... That was a terrible idea. Bosko didn't need to give it much thought.
Bosko waited to see what his friend would say. The large metallic man was there to help, as promised.
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Post by Krakenbox on May 11, 2022 14:56:09 GMT -8
As the ginger rolled behind Croupier's bleeding figure and admonished him, the human who had slide himself away from the flailing knife yelled for him to get back and looking at him like he was crazy.
The one who had been trying to hold Dan back blanched as the knife went in again, swearing and hauling the other back by the waist,
"Fucking run, man!" he snapped at the twin on the floor, unsure what else to do as he acted on instinct and didn't want to watch someone die. The Bouncer stood on the door, blinking as he held the phone to his ear and eyes widening at the scene. The bartender was directing other employees to the exit before fleeing himself.
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