[Open] Put a Tic Tac in your mouth (and get a bang out of life)

[drinkthebleach]

Who: OPEN.
When: The morning of the 23rd until the 31st (back-tagging is also acceptable if your character has already made this mistake).
Where: From various pharmacies to your pockets.
Summary: The popularity of Xalyein is starting to pick up on the streets. Pickles, being the guy that D.A.R.E. and Wally Bear warned kids about, decides to play a

Comments

Open // takes place on 9/28

[mediumdrip]

The first time that Blaine got the pills it had been purely accidental. He had been looking for things to bring to Souji's house and had put what he thought were mints in with his order.

After that though, he started looking for them. He knew he probably shouldn't. He'd had been taught about the dangers of mind-altering chemicals and anything that made you hallucinate and drunk-dial (high-dial?) your very recent ex-boyfriend probably wasn't very good for you. It was just that the pills, whatever they were, let him sleep. They let him sleep peacefully and he wanted to get to that place again. He wanted to feel warm and safe and happy even if it was because of some weird kind of medication.

He refused to let himself even think the words "illegal substance" or "drugs", protecting whatever dignity he had left behind a cocoon of self-imposed denial. Besides, he didn't think he's addicted or anything. He felt perfectly fine. He looked as put-together as always. He just needed to figure out how to tell the difference between regular tic-tacs and the ones that made him sleep.

9/28 [In a Quik Stop-type place?]

[drinkthebleach]

Glib douche bags say that Rome was not built in a day, and Pickles's plan to introduce a little drug trip into people's lives didn't take just a day, either. He couldn't go out at night, even if he wanted to, because the pharmacies and convenience stores closed after the sirens. So he divided and conquered.

So there he was, discarded tic tacs in one pocket as he refills the empty containers with Xalyein and keeping a look-out for anyone who might catch him in the act. But there aren't a lot of people inside and the guy behind the cash register was invested in an issue of Nuts.

Replacing the last container on the shelf, he tugs at his beanie to make sure it was still secure on his head (he knows he stands out anywhere outside of a headbangers ball, and covering his skullet might throw security off his trail) and starts to leave.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine saw Pickles right where he wanted to be when he walked into the story. He tried to focus on getting what he came for, but it seemed rude not to at least acknowledge Pickles.

"Hey," he said to the red-head. "I think we've spoken before, over the network."

He was being polite, but his eyes did glance over at the Tic-Tacs as he spoke to Pickles.

[drinkthebleach]

Pickles might've been less surprised if he had expecting someone to be right there when he looks up. He wills himself not to act too suspicious, knowing his hands were metaphorically red in his pockets, but that doesn't quite stop the sharp inhale, audible as a soft 'myeh' sound.

"What?" Then he blinks a couple times, trying to find the same recognition before he tells him to fuck off. "Oh-ooooooh. Yeah I know you: yer dat gay guy I talked to dat one time." He wasn't sure if he should laugh or not, though one corner of his mouth picks up a bit. "Heh. Just don't tell me it's a small fuckin' world."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine kept up his smile, both amused by what Pickles had said and trying to put him at ease. "Not a big fan of Disney?" he asked. "I guess they aren't very compatible with heavy metal are they?"

[drinkthebleach]

The brief flicker of blankness across his face is a tell as he tries to decide how to reply to that. He was right, but then...his band went through hell and back to go on a multi-part Disney cruise.

He shrugs. "Nah. I just hate dat fuckin' song, dude. I'd rather die, and den chop my ears off with some o' dose little lobster forks. Y'know?"

[mediumdrip]

Blaine raised his brow a bit. That seemed a bit excessive to him, but he could relate to the sentiment. "It's worse because it loops," he pointed out. "And it's easy to get stuck in your head."

[drinkthebleach]

"Yeah, I can see dat." He could also tell Blaine about the time Toki got into an argument with Skwisgaar about the fact that all the Scandinavian characters were singing in Swedish, Skwisgaar acting superior and then both guitarists falling into the shitty-looking water.

Pickles was eerily accustomed to watching people die--but he never saw close to three hundred multicultural dolls catch on fire. It was like watching a doll apocalypse: chaos, screaming and shiny happy faces being melted off, and it was pretty brutal. "Anyway, I think dat shit's closed down now. Sad but true. What's goin' on with you, den?"

[mediumdrip]

Blaine had never heard at the ride was shut down, but he didn't feel the need to dwell on it. "Actually, I came here looking for those." He gestured towards the small cases of 'mints' on display.

[drinkthebleach]

His eyes follow the gesture of Blaine's hand to the imposter tic tacs. The feeling that bubbles up in his stomach is interesting, like the stifled dramatic irony of watching someone start to take a drink after you just spat into their glass. But the only real tell is that his eyebrows lift a little bit.

"Dese ones right here?" Pickles moves to the side a bit to give Blaine room to get past him.

[mediumdrip]

"I think so," he said. "Do you know if these ones are regular mints?" he asked Pickles, looking over at him and trying not to sound too interested.

[drinkthebleach]

A beat, and then another little half-smile appears on his face. He might appear a little too amused about the breath mints.

"Heh--I know dey pack a lotta flavor in 'em fer such tiny little fuckers." And the fact that most of the containers had drugs in them gave a whole new meaning to fresh entertainment. "An' I dunno...I think you might get more outta dem den de altoids. Dat's just my opinion."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine shook his head. "I'm not exactly looking for a breath mint," he said softly as he moved to pick up one of the cases of tic-tacs. He shook it lightly, checking it out.

[drinkthebleach]

That would've confused the hell out of Pickles if he didn't know about the drugs. If anything this confirmed that it was getting out to people in tic tac form, and now they know how to get high on the sly. Awesome.

He's discreet about checking out the store clerk, making sure he was still absorbed in his skin magazine, and the other end of the store to make sure no one was gawking at them.

"I get it." He moves in, which requires him to sling an arm over Blaine's shoulders (it wasn't gay. It was ninja skills). "...In dat case, you want some of dese, dude," Pickles says while pointing out one of the "special" containers with his free hand.

[mediumdrip]

"How can you tell the difference?" Blaine asked. He took one of the containers that Pickles had pointed out and examined it, trying to figure out if there was a different shape or color to the 'mints' inside.

He was still trying hard to ignore how wrong this situation felt, but he couldn't help the way his stomach twisted in knots or stop the sense that he should put the container down and run as quickly as possible from over coming him.

He stayed where he was, ignoring all the ways his mind was trying to tell him to leave.

[drinkthebleach]

Pickles glances to the side and just stares at him for a few seconds. Blaine's not even looking at him, but he hopes that he catches the pointed silence. "I dunno, dude. I just know things."

"S'not really important, trust me--or don't. But if yer lookin' fer somethin' other than kissing breath, go with dose."