11 Chapter 11 - Street Smarts

After recovering from my encounter with Caroline, I bade goodbye to Chino, Tony and Nica after making sure that everything was set for tomorrow. I was waiting for a cab to take me home when all of a sudden someone grabbed me from behind and held me in a chokehold. I couldn't move, I was about to ask who it was, then I heard the familiar voice, deep with a hint of seduction. He let me go and when I turned, the devil was laughing.

"You should've seen the look on your face, you were about to piss your pants." His cruel laugh mixed with his chosen look for the evening made him look like some shady character from a mystery novel. He was wearing a coat and tie paired with black leather pants and a pair of black shoes. The unlikely combination was complimented by a top hat.

"Fuck you, you almost gave me a heart attack." Not content with merely telling him off, I flipped him the finger.

"I came all the way to fetch you, and you do this to me." He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and brought out his trademark chocolate bars. He gave one to me. "A token of apology. You should feel honored, I don't just give out my chocolate bars."

I took the chocolate and unwrapped it, I was famish. I blamed Caroline King, she made me forget about everything else. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought we could do with a bit of change in scenery." He looked bored. "We're going out for a drink."

This was a first. "So where do you wanna go?"

**

Mephisto brought me at the Spectral Circle, one of the most prestigious clubs in Cerulean City. I was about to ask him how in hell we were suppose to get inside with the long line outside when he pulled me towards the back entrance. The security outside didn't bat an eye at us.

I asked him about the security.

"Most people never notice things happening in front of them until it's too late." He was guiding me through the dark corridor of the club. "All the things that they're suppose to pay attention to just flies by them because they're too busy with something else."

Once we were inside, we were greeted by the blare of the music coming off the speakers around the club. People were dancing, drinking, flirting and having a good time. It was overwhelming my senses. I could barely hear myself talking.

"What the fuck, are you sure you wanna be here?!" I haven't even started drinking but I was already feeling the onset of a headache.

He ignored me and went straight to the bar and ordered drinks for the two of us. It came in the form of two champagne flutes filled with something that looked like a mix of lemon juice and whisky. As soon as I downed the drink, I felt my insides burn.

When he saw the expression in my face, he was amused. "Death in the Afternoon. Ernest Hemingway's contribution to the world of drinking."

I was silent for a time, savoring the drink, the taste and the burning heat that was slowly making it's way towards my head. "Why'd you bring me here?" It was the question I've been meaning to ask him.

At this, he snapped his fingers and everything stopped, frozen in time. Nothing moved except he two of us. He gestured to a group of people who were frozen dancing. "What do you think about them?"

I was confused. "They're dancing."

He chuckled. "That's obvious, why do you think they're dancing?"

"They're having fun. That's the whole point ain't it?"

"You sure about that?" He looked at me and he seemed bored with my answer.

It probably must've something to do with my encounter with Caroline but I just wasn't in the mood for his games. I looked at him, exasperated.

His cat-like eyes glinted with a dark sense of humor. "It seems you're stupid today. Take a closer look."

I did. Though most of them did look like they were having fun, I noticed a couple with a strange look in their eyes. It seemed as if they were in a trance. I've seen the look before, mostly when I was drunk and happened to look in the mirror. "So some of them are drunk and probably high, nothing new."

"They're here to forget." His voice almost sounded like a whisper in the dead silence. "They're here to let go, to forego responsibility, to get in touch with their senses. It's quite pitiful, the only way for them to feel anything is to get high and drunk."

He looked at me. "Know someone like that?"

I hated him then. I felt an urge to punch him in the face. What did he know? "You brought me out here to drink for this?"

"I brought you out here to make you understand something that most people overlook. " He drank what was left of his drink. "You can only be yourselves when you are alone. Most don't like it though, the solace, because then they are force to reflect about their decisions and their fuck-ups. Despair, sadness, hopelessness, everybody despise these feelings so people come to places like this to forget, to detach themselves from themselves."

"You really like torturing me don't you?" I finished my drink.

"Or I just really like drinking." He snapped his fingers and we were once again assaulted by the barrage of sounds. Then we left the club, Mephisto whistling a merry tune and me contemplating on everything he just said.