Nathan had first met Leo Rockstein at one of the local bars he frequented. Despite the twitchiness, the sometimes grating voice, and the tendency to refer to himself as "Dr. Rockso", Nathan thought Rockso was a pretty okay guy.
I know. That's a little hard to believe, right? But this all happened a long time ago, back before Dethklok became a household name, before Zazz Blammymatazz had their fifteen minutes, before the big red clown nose, and before the cocaine really took hold of Rockso.
Sure Rockso was still a freak back then, but he was just a little bit less of a freak than he is today. A much younger freak. Instead of a neon jumpsuit, he wore a neon yellow t-shirt with tight acid washed jeans and bright pink rubber Doc Marten boots. His curly hair (which had probably been a nice dark blue just a few weeks prior, but now looked the colour of old cotton candy) had yet to start really growing out and falling out.
Also, Nathan was fairly drunk at the time, so who was he to be a decent judge of character? This Rockso guy was an amiable drinking partner and knew a good lot about music. So Nathan did what he felt was sensible at the time: he invited Rockso to his house so they could drink more.
As soon as he heard the phrase "I'm Dr. Rockso, the Rock'n'Roll Clown," Murderface stood immediately. "Yeah. I've got schtuff to do," he excused himself and made his way to the basement.
Toki was rarely someone who instigated a conversation, or even said much of anything unless someone was speaking to him directly. He tended to keep to himself and listen for anything interesting that might have been going on around him. When Nathan brought Rockso home, Toki hid around the staircase, where he would stay until he decided to join in with the company, or head up to his bedroom.
On his way up the stairs to use the bathroom, Nathan noticed Toki and said, "Hey. You." But it was said in an affectionate Nathan Explosion way.
"Hi." Toki smiled up at the singer. He loved getting attention from just about anybody, but he especially loved getting attention from Nathan, who had to be the most brutal, and coolest person on the whole damn planet.
"You don't hafta hide." Nathan smirked back in an affectionate sort of way, as he climbed the stairs.
Well, heck. If Nathan said it was okay, of course Toki was going to trust him.
Rockso noticed him enter the living room proper, keeping close to the wall. "Well hey there, little guy! What's your job in this outfit?"
Toki looked rather puzzled. These were his everyday clothes. "I'se....Toki." He responded, unsure as to whether or not that was the right answer. But it made complete sense to him.
"No, Toki," Skwisgaar corrected from the couch. "He is meaning what's you do arounds here."
"Oh." That sure was a strange way of asking. "I plays video games, and watch deeveedees, and sometimes I clean, and I play de guitars too."
"Guitar, huh?" Rockso asked. "You wanna hear a joke?"
Toki nodded.
"Okay. What's the difference between a guitar and a tuna fish?"
The little Norwegian thought about it for a few moments. He'd not heard very many jokes before, and he certainly hadn't heard this one. "I can'ts know," he shrugged. "I gives it up."
Rockso grinned like an idiot. "You can tune a guitar.... but you can't tuna fish!"
"HahaHA! Dat's hilarious!" Toki laughed harder than anyone should laugh at that joke. "I loves tuna fish! I even makes de albatross tuna samswiches for lunch sometimes." Aw, he could be such an adorable little fool....
Toki moved away from the wall to sit with Rockso at the shoddy "dining room" table that was set up in the living room. After the joke, he immediately took a liking to the Rock'N'Roll Clown. And it was only appropriate that Rockso immediately took a liking to Toki as well, because it only seems appropriate that clowns like little boys.
Although the trouble initially started a few hours before, this first interaction between Rockso and Toki was when the real trouble began to roll.
During Rockso's second visit, the band (minus Toki) soon realized Nathan's mistake of bringing a Rock'N'Roll Clown into their home.
"We know!" Murderface shouted. "You're the freaken rock and roll clown! Fuck!" He'd taken as much clowning around as he could and made for his basement room once again.
"Looks like someone's a little uptight," Rockso shrugged it off.
"Toki. I wants to goes to bed," Skwisgaar announced, noticing he was the only one left, besides the looney duo.
"Okay, dat's fine. Den goes to bed. You nots needs me for dat."
"Of course nots, but dat means you's alones wit' him."
"So's whats? Why you's gotsta babies watch me?"
"I don'ts know," Skwisgaar huffed. "I just.... don'ts likes dat guy," he nodded towards the man in question.
"Aw, I heard that," Rockso chided. "But that's okay. Rockso forgives ya."
The Swede stood from the couch and marched towards the clown, towering over him with a menacing scowl. "Outs!" He pointed to the front door. "Its is time for Toki's beds times."
"Alright big guy, just keep cool. Rockso knows when he's not wanted." Although that clearly didn't keep him from staying away.
"Bye Dr. Rockso! It's been real fun!" Toki waved, watching his friend walk out the door. "Swisgaar, why's you being so mean? I don't gots no beds times! And I never kicks out your friends froms de house. What's de big deals?"
Skwisgaar shrugged as he locked the front door and said once more, "Just don't likes dat guy."
Fortunately (or unfortunately), Skwisgaar was out of the house for Rockso's next visit.
"God. Again? Why'sh he alwaysh coming over here?"
"Yeah. Dood. We're trayin' ta watch a movie."
"Yeah. And you're all loud and shit. Can't you come back some other time? Like....never?"
Toki stood in front of the television, hands on his hips, blocking the view of his three complaining bandmates. "You knows whats? Yous all probsly just jealous dat Rockso likes me so's much more dan yous. Dat doesn't means you gotsta gets mad at him alls de time."
"Sure, Toki. Whatever you say. Now move. It's getting to the good part!"
"C'mon Toki," Rockso called. "If they're just gonna be jackoffs, we'll go someplace else."
"Yeah. They's all jacksoffs." Toki agreed. He grabbed his jacket and followed out the door. "Where we's gonna go?"
"We're gonna go to Rockso's place. Rockso's got some good cookies to share with ya." They got in Rockso's maroon Ford Thunderbird and drove off, Toki expressing his approval of having treats.
"I think you'd better slow down on those," Rockso cautioned as Toki inhaled his fourth chocolate chip cookie. "Wanna save some for later, ya know."
"Ja, you's right," Toki agreed and refrained from sneaking a fifth.
The two chatted and paid some attention to the television for a good while before Toki decided to get a drink and maybe get away with one more chocolatey snack if he could. But midway to the kitchen, he had to lean against the wall, unable to keep standing straight. It was almost like he'd stood up from the couch too quickly, except the feeling wasn't passing. In a surprisingly clear moment, the kid came to a rather intelligent conclusion. "Rockso? Does you makes de cookies like Pickle makes but doesn't lets me have cos dey's onlies for adults?"
"Uh oh!" Rockso exclaimed in false concern. "Did I give you the wrong ones?"
"Ja, I t'inks maybe....maybe you dids.... I bes okay, just gonna.... sits down."
Rockso took the opportunity to help Toki into the bedroom, saying that it would be much more comfortable than the couch.
Toki didn't care and let himself be led to wherever the clown wanted to go. He didn't feel bad, really. Just different. Weird. Sluggish and murky. But not bad. He might have even resented Pickles a little later on for not sharing this kind of experience with him. Certainly he wasn't too young for it, was he? Oh well. Didn't matter. And the issue was completely forgotten as Toki flopped back onto the bed, sighing loudly in relief, his mind in a million places and nowhere, all at once. He didn't even immediately notice as his shirt was being tugged off. Yep, Toki was pretty well toked.
Toki was still rather out of it when Rockso dropped him back at the house the next day. He hoped Skwisgaar wouldn't ask any questions. What could Toki possibly say? Oh ja, me and Rockso gots high and we totallies dids it, no big deals? Not likely. He was having a hard time remembering details anyway. Maybe he could just make something up, or at least play the situation down a bit. Either way, he knew Skwisgaar wouldn't approve.
It never occurred to the kid that Rockso had taken advantage of him. It had been hard enough to keep track of the hands feeling him up. And thinking about it now was giving Toki mixed feelings that he'd rather just sleep though. If he could just creep quietly up to his room unnoticed....
"Toki! Where's you been all nights, huh?"