Hey who the hell is this guy? (Open & Closed)

[quizpersona]

Who: A man who isn't going by "Gogol" right now
Where: Aldrip (now with better accuracy!) The Inn, an abandoned house at the edges of town, at a diner.
What: The assorted shenanigans related to a certain local murder clown who has faked his own perma-death to assume a different identity. There will be various toplevels in the comments. This is "closed-ish" because it's not 100% closed but there's a lot of ooc plotting and scheming going on so please come join in on the plotting scheming instead of blitzing in with a "hey you guys that's obviously Gogol" when other people are investigating.

Getting short-lived CR with the nice, helpful, and well-mannered salaryman is 100% open though because frankly that's funny.

Edit: now including a top level for his sentencing failure.

Warnings: Kidnapping, nsfw dialogue, law advice for the dubious, torture (includes finger trauma).

Comments

[quizpersona]

[ Let's hope that Dara wasn't genuinely hoping for much of a response—because she certainly won't be getting anything vocal, at least not at first. At best he musters up the energy to watch Dara with that sullen look as she putters around with a revolting nonchalance. There's only the once when his burning gaze drags away from drilling holes in a face that's gone from one he regards neutrally to one he now regards with a deeply seated feeling of revulsion; it's when she drops the pointless supplies on the chair across from him. His body language is stiff as can be, as if he'd be lunging at her if it weren't for that thing coiled inside keeping him in place.

Not before long his eyes flick up sharply to track her movements again. Joke or not it's clear that she's having fun with this. When she decides to glance back the look of despair on Nikolai's face twists into a sickly saccharine splitting of his bloodied and gnawed lips upwards. The intensity of that expression doesn't fade when he inclines his head inquisitively to the side either.

Are those her loved ones? Truthfully, he had no intentions of tracking them down. The boy detective had been the only one involved he had wanted to inflict pain on, for stealing the Overcoat, and even that had been short lived after he succeeded. But now? By taking his agency away in their name Dara has all but drawn a circle around them and begged him to find a way to think outside of the box if he's ever presented with the chance. He can't ever do anything directly to them now: but if the opportunity ever arises for another way he won't be looking the other way. ]

Okey-dokey.

[ Eventually Nikolai finds his voice again, it's hoarse from the treatment he's received. A whimsical confirmation but there's not even one shred of humor in it. When he leaves here today he's not cleaning anything up. Even if it means collapsing later due to a lack of self given after care—he's only taking his device, shoes, and the Overcoat when he leaves. ]