MURDERAN: THE STORY OF A ONE-ARMED MAN AND HOW HE TOUCHED PEOPLES' LIVES

[loving_killing]

Who: Ladd Russo, J.J, Moses, Alexander Wolfgang, Firo Prochainezo, Zack Fair, Allen Walker, Miles Edgeworth, Jonathan Teatime
What: Ladd's Fun Murder Spree Adventure!
Where: All around Nautilus!
When: Late Saturday afternoon into the night.
Warnings: Character death. Copious violence. Probably language especially considering we have an Alex.
Notes

Comments

The Carefree Camorrista

[morte_e_vita]

     The smile on his face was a little easier to wear, once the day had started to chug along. It wasn't all that long ago that they were all acting so strangely, and what had been said had hardly been brushed away from his mind

[loving_killing]

And Ladd was headed in about the same direction, too. He lived in the East in that little Manhattany area; it definitely wasn't Chicago, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Maybe if he got bored enough, he'd Bend up a little piece of Chicago for himself and Lua.

Really, that kind of idea was a joke; he was just terrible at making things. Not as bad as Graham, but not a whole lot better. But it sure sounded appealing when he was trying to distract himself from the 'dead space' like this in between kills. Filling his head with fluffy ideas wasn't too bad.

A bit of surprise was visible on his face when he rounded a corner and then saw the guy he recognized as Firo across the street. Ladd had a shotgun cocked over one shoulder as easily as if it were a bouquet of flowers; an alien-looking metal hand rested with swagger on his hip. His carriage was so casual, but his image was immediately threatening.

"Heeeey, hey, hey! Firo! That you?!"

His shouting immediately removed any kind of secrecy he might have been trying to keep,

[morte_e_vita]

     It may as well have been just another stroll, the only obvious difference being the considerably lack of foot traffic in the area. Such only made Ladd's approach more obvious, but Firo hadn't immediately glanced in the man's direction when he'd noticed the movement, only looked when his name was called.

Firo hadn't ever met the guy in person before, but he was well acquainted with voice and looks by their conversations over the network. The boy grinned, seeming to pay no heed to the shotgun Ladd carried as he tipped his hat in acknowledgment. Wasn't like he was unaccustomed to conversing with such people anyway.

"Ladd, right? How ya doin'?"

[loving_killing]

It was nice to be well-received for once. And kind of funny, considering what Ladd's plans for the night and even for Firo were. Nonetheless, he returned the grin, and skipped over to Firo so that he might walk alongside him. Even if there was a shotgun in the way - that was kind of rude, so he lowered that so it rested by his leg.

"Heh! I've seen you around, but never actually met you! Those little movies just aren't the same as seein' someone in real life, right? I'm doing fine! It's a nice night for gettin' things done. I'm gonna make the most of it. That what you're doin', too?"

[morte_e_vita]

     He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, that's true. When you think about it, that's how it goes with a lotta people we think we know, huh? But it's funny that I've even met Miss Klein b'fore you!" Firo thought a moment, then flushed briefly, coughing as he turned his face away. No, that Valentine's Day mishap hadn't been the first time he'd met the woman, but it was hard to forget it.

"-good t'here you're doin' all right though. Things were kinda crazy the past week an' I really haven't kept track of things then." It was a difficult thing when you were being distracted by voices in your head.

Thinking for a moment, Firo nodded. "Guess you could say that. Days're too nice to be spendin' indoors all the time, an' I think I've been doin' enough'a that this week anyway." He grinned at Ladd. "So what'cha got planned? Runnin' around with that, I gotta wonder," he noted, nodding towards the shotgun that the man so casually toted.

[loving_killing]

"I guess you did, huh." Oh, so close, Firo - Ladd had almost forgotten about that completely. When he brought it up and then looked away awkwardly like that, Ladd's face darkened momentarily, and he gazed down coldly at the younger gangster while the latter wasn't facing him. He'd really, really almost forgotten it! And being reminded of it was bad, because Lua was the one glaring weak spot that he had.

He remained quiet and simply listened, uncharacteristically, until Firo brought up the topic of his gun. At that, Ladd drew the weapon up again with a bit of an eerie grin and slapped the barrel against his steely left palm with a ringing noise.

"Oh, this? It's my favorite. What, don't you bring anything to protect yourself with? There are all kinds of freaks out there waitin' to pounce, you know." Was he being purposefully ironic? It was hard to tell.

[morte_e_vita]

     Aw, come on Ladd! Weren't they past all that? This seemed to be what Firo believed as he smiled again at the guy, completely missing the shift in the man's expression.

He chuckled, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "A'course not, never wandered around unarmed in New York, so why do that around here?" He tilted his head. "That's just a whole lot more obvious, but I guess that way yer already warnin' people not to mess with you." That guileless grin of his resurfaced.

"Too true, too true!" More so than he might even realize.

[loving_killing]

He offered a short laugh in response to that. Ladd was 'warning people not to mess with him,' and yet this guy had the nerve to bring up that incident with his fiancee! Firo must really be an idiot - that was his thought process. Either that, or he was just too carefree.

But he was armed. Killing people with no chance of himself getting injured - that was fun. That said, Ladd did enjoy a challenge, and even moreso, he knew that from this kid, he could probably expect a good down-and-dirty fight. After all, the two of them were cut from the same cloth; he'd never considered men of the camorra to be any less battleworthy than those of the mafia like himself, and Firo really didn't look or act like a typical goon.

"You know, for a gang member, you seem pretty laid-back... Most other guys I meet are always dancin' around and actin' all tough. I wonder why you're different, huh?" It was an easily-asked question, but he watched Firo keenly out of the corner of his eye. This would be an interesting answer.

[morte_e_vita]

     It wasn't necessarily the knowledge of his immortality that made him act so. Firo had always been this way, even before being exposed to the elixir. Death was always another possibility, but so long as it was in your power to be avoided, then he'd do his best.

As the boy saw it, he really had no reason to be concerned about Ladd. Maybe he was too trusting to some degree, but most mafia members that he was acquainted with never bothered you unless there was a specific problem, and then everyone usually knew what that problem was. So far as Firo was aware, there was nothing between him and Ladd, and he took the conversation he'd had with the man on the whole Valentine's matter back then at face value.

"There really any reason to put on an act?" he asked, tilting his head. "You don't get much point across by just lookin' the part, right? Anyway, the Camorra don't do that sorta thing- I seen a lotta those other guys walkin' around, actin' like bullies from school tryin' to shake a kid down for their lunch money."

ohhh firo you're so cute /sob

[loving_killing]

"No, not really. I never got it, either. Must be because they think their boss'll save 'em in the nick of time before they get the eyes blown outta their skulls, or somethin'... But I can tell you that stuff like that never happens. Heh. Anyway, that tough act... for most of those guys, it all drops when they lose. Right before they die, you get to see their real face, you know? It's funny how much that'll change a man!"

Ladd snickered to himself, as if he actually did find it literally funny. Then, not missing a beat, he said "By the way, since I'm the only Russo guy here, that makes me a free agent. My Uncle can't do a thing about what I do in Nautilus."

And, just as easily, he flipped the shotgun around, moving to prod the muzzle at Firo's chest. "And I really wanna see what face you'll make when I kill you, Firo Prochainezo!"

[morte_e_vita]

     He almost nodded in agreement with Ladd's words- to an extent he agreed, anyway. But then the man laughed, which made things a little awkward. Hardly a thing to be concerned about though, right? This place got all types.

Firo had no time to comment on Ladd's little note on being a free agent- it seemed like a random addendum at the time anyway. But then he had cold metal resting against his chest.

What? Really? The boy blinked, his mood just as casually derailed. A part of him chided, ...you should have saw that coming.

The look of blank surprise that had been on his face shifted to one of mild annoyance. He lifted a hand to try grasping the shotgun, shift it away from him.

"'ey, that ain't funny, Ladd." A joke? Was he joking around? No, this guy didn't seem the type to joke.

[loving_killing]

"It's not funny?"

At Firo's resisting, Ladd only pushed back against his suit harder, looking unfazed. At least he was making an attempt. If this could be called an attempt... and here he was thinking he had a fight. For a gang member, this guy was really trusting. It wasn't as if the Russo family was well-known for being tolerant and kind. Ladd could appreciate a guy with a lot of trust.

But not that much.

"I just said it was funny, right? I wanna laugh! Here's your joke, kid!" And he did laugh, pulling the trigger without any hesitations.

[morte_e_vita]

     This guy...is crazy. It wasn't some great revelation or anything, but to experience this notion for oneself was close to it. Firo didn't want to judge anyone by rumor, no matter their notoriety. He preferred to find out things for himself.

...he would have to admit that instances like these were ones he regretted. He frowned as Ladd kept the shotgun pressed firmly against him. Damn, he's really gonna do it-     The fist at his side clenched. Ladd wanted to see the look on his face, but perhaps it wouldn't be one he'd quite expect. Firo looked at the mad Russo perhaps defiantly, brow furrowed, a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes. His other hand twitched, as though he had debated on making some attempt, but he knew he was too late

[loving_killing]

And that was that. The static line of the shotgun remained poised triumphantly in the air for a moment or two before Ladd lowered it back down to his side, utterly ignoring the other man's blood that now stained his hand and cuff. Then he just smiled to himself, looking halfway disappointed.

"Firo, huh? Not much of a reaction at all! Even 'til the end, you had that face on... You're an interesting kid. Maybe we'll talk some more when you come back."

Once he'd said that, he chuckled derisively - at himself or at the body - and turned on his heel. Success was always so good. Even then, the guy hadn't been the least bit afraid when he died... so he couldn't help but feel just a little bit let down.

But the night was still young. Humming to himself, Ladd skipped off in another direction, looking for his next victim, and completely unaware of Firo's blood seeping out of his clothes and away from his hand to go back to its source.