Tulpa

Making their way to a boozy part of town filled with bars to the brim, stopping at a bar namely called:

'Naught(y) catóure', written in a scraggly cursive font lit up in neon, located in a fairly wealthy three block strip filled with other clubs and bars as well as late night cafés in a homey yet rather flashy part of the city. Squeezed between a J and B Beehive and a rather dimly or romantically lit restaurant called 'Casa del Fuego', which was written in big bold antebellum font on it's sign. A band or stereo could be heard, blasting renditions of Carlos Santana from within, if one stood close enough to hear it, among the other loud and thumping sounds of beats and club's zeff and hype.

And with all the neon lights and lasers light shows that where happening inside the very club house that which they were so eager to go into, was so bright to Rowland that they could be seen from outside the very entrance to the place. It seemed as though on a Saturday night like this, a place such as "Naught(y) catóre" it was hard to miss and with no apologies.

And upon arrival to said destination and upon entering a designated parking lot just aways from the desired party spot.

Rowland saw, among other things, someone accurately dressed as a Demagorgon, walking with a zombie, a wizard and Batman casually crossing the street like a bizarre Abbey Road photo and he laughed to himself while parking:

'Man, if every fucking day could be like Halloween, wish I got that camera...' he thought to himself.

Charlotte parked in a spot close to someone who looked familiar, standing near the entrance wearing a flamingo pink, pin stripped three piece suit, with what appeared to have been bullet holes or stab wounds through it, blood seeping through the suit, touching his trousers. His pink blazer hung upon his broad shoulders without his arms within his sleeves.

The waistcoat itself seemed to have been soaked in what Rowland hoped was fake blood all over the abdominal area, topped with a royal blue ascot and pocket square to match on white shirt. With a cane that rested in his right hand oppose to the left hand, which held a lit cigarette.

His hair was slicked back though a few strands fell forward, donning a light but visible fake moustache standing alone and puffing O's into the sky; seemingly unaware of his surroundings as he leaned on a wall, that Rowland noticed had a large black and white spiral spray painted on the brick barrier as some sort of forgotten mural.

The first thing Rowland thought was that this must be Nick, and if that were to be true then, it would be the first time he has seen Nick in any other colour other than black or very dark red and he looked dapper and dripped with silver screen style as if he had jumped out of a time machine or movie.

He was the perfect Art Decor if Nick were indeed a poster. And yet Nick seemed, invisible to wandering eyes and frisky girls tonight. In fact, Rowland noticed that he never really saw Nick with anyone else apart from that one time at the bonfire with Sinique , he was always alone.

Rowland stood there for a moment, contemplating whether he should take the picture or not as he got out of his car; parked just aways from Charlotte, seeing as it was without Nick's consent; but the way in which the florescent neon lights of the clubs sign danced off the wall, not to mention the fact that his well made suit was simply picturesque with blood and all. Rowland figured it wouldn't hurt if he took several photos of him. But just then; while preparing for another shot, Nick looked up and directly at Rowland through the lenses, with his sharp grey scale ocean eyes, then looked away almost at the same time, but not unknowingly.

This gave Rowland a start, but he shook it off whilst clearing his throat as he fiddled with his camera, almost dropping it. Before Yaya came out of seemingly nowhere behind him, gently grabbing Rowland by the shoulder as well as his attention away from Nick.

"You like what you see, Hershey kiss?", they said as they played with the arrow embedded in Rowland's hat, flicking it as they, referring to Nick.

"I thought you were with Charlotte...", Rowland avoided the question whilst indirectly reminding them of Charlotte and his relationship with her.

"Boy please, you know I gotta get my hairspray on.", They said while patting their once dark hair lightly while mumbling in Mandarin about a performance they were doing and how the wind is in their words, in English this time; "Cramping mah style."

As they dressed as Tina Turner from her music video 'What's love got to do with it', having possibly dyed their long black hair for the occasion and had shaven their well groomed beard that revealed their round and feminine face.

Rowland pointed his camera at them and they instinctively posed with poise. And then with sass and then, with elegance. Practically stealing the camera out of Rowland's hands and taking selfies with him for the fun of the occasion.

"I was getting some from my car and-you sir can't avoid my question.", they pointed a sharp and glimmering, polished finger at Rowland, who's eyes shied away from them.

"I was just taking pictures, I-I really don't know what you're talking about.", he chuckled and laughed the question off coolly.

Snapping photos of colourful characters and crowds as well as pride flags and banners.

"Oh sweety, if you were a drag queen your name would be jealously.", Yaya said with pity in her twanged tone.

"Wait...", Rowland started as he laughed, "What makes you say that?"

Yaya tilted their head with saucy sass and then came a little closer.

"Jealousy in those green green eyes of yours...", they gently held Rowland's head and turned it towards Nick;

"Jealousy is a mistress, sweety. You become her.", Yaya raised a weary and made-up eyebrow as their long lashes battered, having been hit by the wind as Rowland turned his head to them.

He held his head in that direction even after Yaya waltzed away in seemingly impossible heels that pronounced their strong and yet slender, semi-masculi legs.

He watched as Nick was chatting with Charlotte, briefly before she literally skipped off having shared a good laugh with him.

Yaya's words were so cryptic that Rowland didn't know if she was referring to Nick or Charlotte in that conversation but he assumed Yaya was just being sarcastic, that is if they were referring to Nick and him.

'Tss, like why would sh- they be talking about me and-?', he couldn't even finish his thought, scoffing at the idea.

And what was worse was that they were probably right, that is if Yaya was referring to Charlotte and Nick.

Rowland silently walked towards Nick with his hands in his pockets, facing down as he thought about these things.

Having lost his girlfriend in a crowd...somewhere, and figured that that wasn't a smart or smooth move on his part. Referring to his hiccup before they left for the party, but Rowland didn't let the thought spoil his night and he figured all of this could just wait for one more night, as he finally reached Nick by the club entrance.

"Smoking cancer sticks again, are we..?", Rowland asked, poking fun as they shared a friendly handshake. All the while he shoved the abnormal thought into a cramped little corner in his mind, though unwittingly forgetting to lock the door behind him.

"My my, you clean up good, dishwasher boy.", Nick poked fun back, as he flashed his infamous smile once again.

"I know right, right...", Rowland said while posing, humoring the subject matter, "And you my good man, look dapper as fuck."

"Oh I'm well aware, old bean.", Nick played along.

"Good show."

"Jolly good.", Nick replied

and they both continued to huff like old and rich men, All that was missing was the clink of Cristal champagne glasses and a bowler hat with a larger moustache for Nick. As their huffs turned into huffs of laughter.

Rowland had found a very confident and rather artful side of himself on this very special occasion. Black was such a soothing and suiting colour.

For the first time, Nick wasn't wearing shades either, as the lingering reflection of Rowland's behavior could be seen in his eyes as he seemed to find this all so fascinating.

Rowland then continued to coolly whip out a blunt from behind his ear like a magic trick; the same way Nick did when he took them to the broken and derelict house in the middle of nowhere in the woodlands.

Nick pointed a finger, with his left hand holding the cigarette, at Rowland in noticing the reference;

"Pulling blunts out of seemingly nowhere, is my thing."

"It's mine now.", Rowland said with a certain vigour as he lit the illegal cigarette. He could feel Nick's eyes on him.

On a normal day, he wouldn't have taken his chances of getting caught smoking weed (again), but he felt that he wasn't the only one who was willing to break the law today, (especially because his girlfriend is a drug dealer). But nevertheless he felt that there was something in the air that day, that gave him the feeling that something, somewhere was going to happen or that things won't be quite the same after it.

So in a way, it was his early-solitary-mournful-celebration.

Rowland looked down at his shoes as he played with the side walk; he passed the blunt. And upon doing so he noticed the drawn on pencil moustache as not a moustache at all;

"I moustache you a question...", Rowland made the motion of curling one in question of Nick's new and artistic facial friend as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ah! I thought it a nice touch.", Nick lightly stroked it and chuckled; "What, you thought it was real? Too much? ", he asked, but before Rowland could answer him, Charlotte showed up.

"If it was real, I'd say loose the peach fuzz, babe.", she smoothly slid into the conversation, passing Nick a small zip lock bag filled with money in it as she stood shoulder to shoulder next to him or rather head to shoulder, while exchanging the two different packages; the other, filled with little candy red sticker-like edibles, in secret.

Personally, Rowland thought that the moustache was indeed a nice touch, but that didn't matter anymore, as they both looked at Rowland for some reason as they did their little switcheroo while he faced them both, with a 'you can't touch us' persona gleaming about the two of them, as she hung on Nick's arm.

Rowland's jaw tightened, as he looked down and carried on playing with the side walk.

"Don't mind me gentlemen, 'just doing my rounds.", Charlotte said as Nick handed her the blunt.

She looked at Rowland through the smoke that escaped her glossy lips, over her small round face and past her dark apple green eyes, as his own green eyes looked back. while Nick seemed somewhere else in thought, looking up and about.

Rowland wished he could read her mind at that very moment as people hustled and shuffled about wearing lacy clothes and colors of the rainbow or "dead but sexy" or "put 'hot' in 'psychotic'" costumes all about them.

'What is she playing at? And, what the fuck does he think he's doing..?", Rowland thought, taking a deep inhale before he held it and then, with a big sigh, blew the smoke out of his nose and looked the other direction.

"Isn't he so sexy tonight?", Charlotte spoke up.

Nick looked at her for a moment, then at Rowland upon realising who she was talking about.

"Yo! You sexy, dawg.", Nick said this in a thick and tough Boston accent as he joked, nudging his head up at Rowland; who was shocked by his spontaneous comment, for he hadn't heard Charlotte's one:

"Excuse me? ", he chuckled awkwardly, coughing a bit as he chocked on air.

"My chicken nugget has turned into a hot dog.", Charlotte chimed in, catching him up to speed.

"Oh, damn, what. Witch please.", Rowland said, as he flapped and popped his coat's collar. They all started sniggering as they poked fun at one another:

"Yoyoyo, you sexy dawg!", Nick continued to verbally jab at Rowland.

"No... Just, no.", Rowland demanded with a bashful gleam.

"Ey, yo...", Nick carried on.

"Stop. "

"You smexy dawg."

"Ey man, may I remind you that you're technically my boss, this is very inappropriate.", Rowland said this as they all shared a laugh.

Charlotte left the two of them with a pat on Nick's shoulder; having noticed Yaya lingering outside and talking to a short girl with the Dragon Tattoo and an easy skeleton, while smoking.

"See ya, Nicky.", Charlotte said as she leaned in to kiss Rowland on the cheek, but before leaving, Rowland grabbed her close and made her goodbye kiss linger on his lips, her lips were cold. So cold they felt sharp, but Rowland couldn't care less, he just wanted to have her attention before she left for god knows where.

Charlotte innocently wanted to put a little red devil edible into his mouth but Rowland stopped her and stuffed it in his back pocket with a smile of patience in his eyes, for her as he still held her close.

"Hey, I saw that!", Nick caught their little transaction.

"Ruh-Roh.", whispered to her close before she smiled and pulled away, leaving for her nightly ritual of drug pedaling.

"That's fifty bucks worth that you just stuffed in your pocket.", Nick raised his eyebrow.

"Shit dude, fifty bucks? What is this made out of, gold?", Rowland laughed.

"Tss, it might be.", Nick pulled out another blunt he had in his pocket and put it by his ear.

"Yo, real talk.", Rowland began; "Girls are out here, on some sexually aggressive tip, bro like...", he laughed as Nick hummed in agreement with him.

"The turns have tabled." Nick oddly stated as he flicked the garret of the current joint elsewhere after having snuffed it out under his shoe. Coughing a little bit, as he smoked a bit of paper from it;

"Oh my goodness, paper." he croaked as he held a clenched fist to his chest.

"Now imagine how we must have come off to every single girl we've done that to. We must of looked like medieval pillaging creeps."

Rowland continued while laughing.

Nick chuckled, "Wait a second, 'we'..?"

Rowland looked at him with disbelief and scoffed, "Please.", before he continued.

"But like, sometimes I kinda can't see why girls hate it when we do it to them, this might sound weird but it kinda feels..."

"Good..? I know.", Nick bared his teeth as they both sniggered at the new found guilty pleasure.

"But,", Nick sighed as he continued and folded his arms, "Sometimes, some guys just take it too far, I mean... I think I just got me too'd by some chick inside, and I gotta say, from the other end of the stick...", Rowland laughed at this, mostly because of his expression as his steel eyes looked around at people passing by and on their way inside while he spoke; "It was most unusual.", he chuckled.

"Tsss, you loved it." Rowland said, taking another hit of yet another joint.

Rowland could feel Nick looking at him.

"Well... I got her number.", Nick raised an eyebrow as he flashed his signature smile.

Rowland looked in his direction, "Holy crap, what did she do to you?", both now leaning on the painted brick wall.

"Let's just say... I went with it.", he shrugged his shoulders.

"You dog.", Rowland chuckled.

"Woof.", Nick said expressionlessly, before doing a hearty chuckle, having been reminded of something;

"Ha! Speaking of dogs, don't you think it sucks that like dogs, it takes a few scissors to make a man compliant. Like, we've been running countries like penis extensions and all this energy and ego and aggressive pride came from this one thing...and as soon as it's gone...it's as if we're able to think more clearly. Don't you think?"

Rowland looked at him, his eyes wide with surprise at the sudden revelation, and then he looked down and then up at Nick again as a silence fell, before Rowland continued;

"Bro, are you talking about becoming an eunuch..?", he asked with much concern in his voice.

"Who me? Are you insane?", Nick held his chest as if the thought would steal his soul; "'trying to give me a fucking heart attack?!", he laughed at his own reaction.

"Then... What are you trying to say here, guy?" Rowland said, utterly confused.

"Nah nah, I just thought about it... Just thinking out loud on the basis of sex.", Nick puffed smoke into the night air,

"Just think of it, as like a jail sentence for sex offenders. Just think, what would they be without their greatest weapon, y'know...", he said this as Rowland passed the blunt.

"Some hell of a jail sentence, bro. Where the fuck was that thought hiding?", Rowland widened his eyes thoughtfully.

"Wow, plus that dog thing made me feel like trash. Like, who's side are you on, bro? ", Rowland looked at him.

Nick chuckled until his smile turned into a grimace as he breathed out the smoke through his nose and teeth; "I know. But if it came down to sides, I definitely wouldn't want to be allied with medieval pillaging creeps...penis is tail in Latin.", he said this as a matter of fact as he waved his hand in the air a bit.

Rowland nodded whilst pulling his face in acknowledgement of His logic, being well aware of the word's origins.

Nick took another deep inhale of the blunt before passing it.

"Some guys have earned that title, though.", Rowland stated, Nick looked at him;

"What, dick..?"

"N-, well yeah.", Rowland said then Nick chimed in;

"It's a pretty unfortunate name too.", Rowland laughed at this before he continued;

"I just think that the generalisation of the phrase 'me too' and how 'men are scum' has lead many girls astray in this instance...like now I can't call my girl a snack in public without getting verbally slapped, by some rando chic who'll call me a scumbag or look at me like I kick puppies for a living. Like, not all men a dirt, isn't there some kinda way to curb that? I mean Charlotte doesn't have a problem with it.", He pouted and Nick laughed, patting him on the shoulder;

"This sounds like it came from experience, bro."

Rowland turned his head dramatically to face the wind and sniffled; "Like, I don't even wanna talk about it, bro.", they both gagged with laughter.

"But I'm sure you don't have to call a girl a snack for her to know you're hungry.", Nick said with a sub tone in his voice.

"So what? I'm guessing you just like, growl and get what you want.", Rowland misunderstood the basis of Nick's statement and stated this rather than pose it as a question, but still as a joke.

Nick looked at him and said nothing, before He looked down and smiled a devilish smirk;

"Actually, Y'know, a woman is the greatest form of earthly ascension as our actuality is spiritually inclined, we as men aren't from a different planet just on a lower vibration, so to speak. One of the reasons for witch hunts was the cheerleader effect.", Rowland laughed.

"I'm freakin' serious. One of the reasons why a woman's nude form is the most common foreground in modern art and sometimes a reason for a battle, our ears recognise their voices as music. Look, I'm just a bit turned on by how to be anything desirable to strong women is fucking intoxicating. I just, like to tease...And play rough, 'want someone who can handle it."

"That poor young lady.", Rowland couldn't hide his smile when he poked fun at Nick, who smacked his lips and roughly nudged him.

"So as a guy, seeing as your theory is based on reincarnation, can be turned into a,... Frog if I'm being a dick. But that would go for any gender-"

"Being a woman is a privilege.", Nick interrupted him with a passing thought, "'Man' was simply a name that was given to mankind in acknowledgement of the species...The rest is just hundreds of years of a made up hierarchy. "

"Yeah... But that doesn't stop a woman from being, Y'know ...", he then balled up thin air in his hands whilst looking for the word;

"Human."

"Tssyeah, Mr. Brightside.", Nick chuckled through words as Rowland rolled his eyes at him, " Women are like flowers; beautiful in every way but they still have to choose to be that flower spiritually, whereas a flower metaphysically embodies the same beauty of that of a woman's soul, yet is the lowest forms of vibration."

"But... This law goes for everything else, but a woman is a better example for the supposed irony creates a wholesome cycle of reincarnation....huh, okay."

"Y'know what really would be ironic, is if a woman in her next life is then a flower.", Nick smirked at his sudden realisation.

"Tssyikes, then she must have been a terrible person.", Rowland puffed up and out smoke mixed with an ah-ha chuckle that almost choked him;

"Funny enough,... By having this conversation we've somehow quite literally objectified women...", they both laughed.

"Shit, yeah.", Nick agreed with the tilt of his head as his eyes flicked up to short skirt wearing zombie, " It was either you or me who was going to say that, bro.", this time unbeknownst to themselves they chuckled like old rich dudes at the thought;

"But were not objectifying women... Flowers are beautiful living creatures, just like them. It really wasn't about them, it's about all of us."

Rowland nodded with a smile still on his face when suddenly a song he liked; 'New person, same old mistakes' played from inside the bar and the high seemed to kick in at the same time, so he started swaying to the beat as his full stop to the conversation with well adjusted rhythm as he felt the beat through his body.

Nick caught wind of the beat and started bobbing his head; until the beat's bass dropped and then they both swayed with impeccable rhythm, upping their supposed cool factor sevenfold in their high minds.

Somehow synchronising as the girls and guys wooed while some joined just outside the door. Rowland crouched as he felt the beat more than anyone, spreading his arms like a bird as he swayed and danced his way back up straight, they did a homely handshake once more before a sudden chill hit them both and they decided to go inside.