Ronin chuckled as he waved a dagger at his husband, shaking his head. "I tell ya, Dareth. It took a lot to get this baby, I almost died." Dareth snorted and rolled his eyes, dusting the glass counter in their shop. "Sure ya did, Darlin'." Ronin shook his head. "No, no listen." He took a deep breath and started telling his tale. "There I was, traps as far as the eye can see-" Dareth chuckled and kept dusting, letting his husband talk. "Yeah? And then what happened?" Ronin grinned. "So I get past the traps, and all of a sudden, there's this beast." Dareth can't help but chuckle, turning to Ronin and crossing his arms. "A beast? You don't say. What did it look like?" Ronin shook his head. "Not important, the important thing is that I got away from it, and I got back here. I got a nice shiny dagger, and we can sell it for a pretty hefty profit." Dareth pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "Honey, I love you but-" Ronin frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What, too much?" Dareth chuckled. "No, no it's alright. But you gotta stop bringing stolen items home to sell." Ronin gasped and cradled the dagger to his chest, pouting just a little bit. "I thought ya wanted my help?" He only shook his head and chuckled. "I do, I do. I just like keeping my business license, too." Ronin rolled his eyes and sighed, heading out to the front of the store. "Legal schmegal, babe. We can make loads of money off what I bring in." The thief turned around and winked at his husband. Or..he tried to. It looked more like blinking since Ronin wore an eyepatch. "But if being legal makes ya happy, I guess I can try, just for you." Dareth shook his head. "You're impossible, you know that? But I guess I can let it slide, for now." Ronin waved his hand at Dareth in dismissal, trying to write down a price for the dagger. "Yeah yeah, babe. Listen. What do you think about six hundred dollars?" Dareth wheezed and choked on the tea he was drinking. "Are you crazy?!" He paused. "...A hundred and fifty."

JJ frowned as he silently entered the shop with Cole following along behind him. He watched the couple arguing about prices, shaking his head. "They didn't even hear us come on stage." He tapped the side of his head with the muzzle of his gun, sighing in disappointment. "It's a shame when people don't pay attention to quality entertainment these days, eh Cole?" Cole snorted and rolled his eyes at JJ, looking to the side. JJ sighed and shook his head. "Ah, you just don't appreciate a good joke." Cole grunted, shaking his head. "Cake." JJ chuckled and watched the bickering couple. "Yes, yes you appreciate cake." JJ cleared his throat rather loudly, raising his pistol up and aiming it at the ceiling. Ronin and Dareth still didn't pay attention. JJ fired his pistol, bits of ceiling dropping over JJ and Cole when the bullet finally hit. The shot caused the bickering men to immediately turn to JJ, who can't help but chuckle. "gOOD evening, boys! Look at that Cole, the audience is finally paying attention!" Ronin is quick to grab Dareth's hand, ready to defend him if he needs to. "Jay, what the hell are-" JJ shakes his head. "Now now, I'm not real sure who Jay is, but I'm JJ, and this is my best mutt Cole. Say hello, Cole." Cole grunted and shook his head. "Ah well, he's a rock of few words." JJ cleared his throat. "Now, me and my dog here have a few things on our shopping list we haven't quite been able to find..but I think this place has it." JJ slowly tilts his head to the side, giving a demented little giggle as he smiles, aiming his pistol at Dareth. "But first, would you boys like to hear a joke?" Ronin went to climb over the counter, but Cole slowly stood up and towered over the thief. Ronin swallowed and slowly backed up, standing by Dareth. JJ slowly paced around the shop, Cole's chain slowly dragging along the floor as he walked. "Mnn...a joke..a joke.." JJ giggled a little. "Oh I've got one! What did Lloyd say when he got injured fighting his possessed father?"

Ronin rolled his eyes. "Jay, we ain't got time for jokes and-" JJ gritted his teeth together and twitched. "mY NAME ISN'T JAY!" He took a breath and spun around, aiming the gun at Dareth while Cole began mindlessly filling the burlap sack they'd brought with them. Loose jewels, necklaces, tea sets..anything Cole saw that was shiny. "Now, finish the joke!" He paused, frowning a little when neither man answered. "No? No one knows what Lloyd said? Here! Let me give you a hint!" A demented cackle leaves JJ as he fires a shot into Dareth's shin, watching him fall to the floor. "My leg!" Dareth cried as he hit the floor, clutching the bleeding wound with both hands and rocking a bit from the pain shooting through his body. Ronin knelt down to Dareth, ignoring JJ's crazed laughter in the background. Ronin carefully held Dareth's face in his hands as they sat behind the counter. "Hey. Hey! Look at me, Dareth. You're alright. Just breathe and put pressure on it, okay? It hurts worse if you don't breathe." He gently brushed his thumb over Dareth's cheek, trying to calm him down. Dareth just watched Ronin, trying to focus on his face instead of the searing pain. "His jokes ain't funny anyway." Another shot shattered the glass case, and Ronin immediately stood up, looking at JJ. "My jokes aren't funny?" JJ looked offended, placing a hand to his chest and gasping. "Well, I think it's your fault because you didn't laugh." Cole slowly lifts his head when JJ says that. "Cole..you know what happens when someone doesn't laugh at my jokes, right?" Ronin swallowed and watched JJ. "What are ya talkin' abou-" Ronin grunted when JJ smacked his pistol across his face, vision blurring for a moment from the force of the hit. "Ronin, are you alright?" Dareth's voice only sounded concerned. JJ grinned. "Cole..restrain the audience." Cole slowly lifted his head and obeyed JJ's order, prying Ronin away from Dareth. Soon, both men were tied up and Dareth was gagged. JJ slowly paced in front of Ronin, humming to himself.

Ronin eyes JJ carefully, glancing at Dareth occasionally. JJ grins and digs in his pocket, pulling out a razor blade. "Cole..hold his head in place. I think he needs to smile." Cole watches JJ for a moment, slowly walking behind Ronin and taking his hat off. "I need to smile, what are you talking about?!" Cole grunts and forcibly holds Ronin's head in place with one hand, using the other hand to hold his hair back. "Say..cheese." Ronin tries to move his body away, but Cole has him held in place. "Dareth, don't look. Please don't-" He grunts when JJ holds his chin, carefully pressing the razor into the side of his open mouth to start the first cut. "You know..not everyone looks good in red. Everyone looks good with a smile, but..not many in red..my Gumdrop looks beautiful in red.." JJ chuckles to himself while Ronin grunts, trying not to scream as blood spills down JJ's hand and drips into his mouth. It hurts. It hurts so much. Ronin squeezes his eye shut as nausea builds in his stomach. He hopes Dareth isn't looking. JJ makes a swift, upward cut to increase the pain. Ronin snaps his eye open and pants, fearful gaze watching the demented man. JJ pats his bloody cheek. "Look at you, it's half a smile!" JJ forcibly turns Ronin's head to the other side, starting to cut. "But it's not enough. You need to smile. You need to laugh. " Ronin can't respond, he's shaking too much. His body feels tense, and the room feels like it's spinning. "Now now, stay awake..we're almost done-" Ronin can only watch JJ, shaking as the final cuts are made. He wants to throw up. Swallowing the bile in his throat and the blood in his mouth, he coughs a little and watches JJ slowly pull away. "There we go..now laugh." He turned to Dareth and waved his bloody hand, letting him see Ronin. Dareth's eyes grow wide and he trembles, whimpering and shaking his head. Muffled cries of Ronin's name leave him in slight worry. Ronin slowly lifts his head and looks at Dareth, shakily breathing. He just..looks apologetic.

JJ watches Ronin, chuckling. "What's got one eye and a perfect smile?!" Ronin just stares at JJ, eyeing him suspiciously. JJ points his pistol at Ronin, tilting his head to the side and grinning. He seems to twitch, starting to cackle. "YOu do! yOU HAVE thAT PRETTY smILE!" JJ's laughter starts to die down when he sees that Ronin isn't laughing. "Oh that's no good.." He lifts Ronin's chin with the muzzle of his pistol. "You didn't laugh..that's such a pity.." He moved his pistol away, letting Ronin's head drop. JJ turned to Dareth. "People who don't laugh at my jokes end up..rather stiff. Cole, go make sure Dareth gets a...front row seat to the finale, hm?" Cole slowly lets go of Ronin, going behind Dareth and picking his chair up with ease. Dareth squirms and shakes, protesting against whatever this 'finale' was. JJ taps his chin with his pistol, thinking for just a moment. "Dareth, do you like the color red?" Dareth audibly swallows, watching JJ in fear. Red? Why did the color red matter? Dareth starts panicking as JJ slowly points the pistol at Ronin. He's crying, shaking his head and letting muffled pleas leave the gag he's wearing. JJ begins cackling as Ronin lifts his head and looks at Dareth. He's tired..he's lost a bit of blood from the cuts. "Dareth.." His speech is a little slurred from the cuts, but that's fine to him. Ronin has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, that this might be the last time he sees Dareth. "Mi luz.." Dareth's eyes water just a bit more. Ronin hardly ever calls him that. Not unless he's trying to comfort him. His light. Ronin's little light in this hellscape of a city. Dareth swallows and muffles something under the gag-and Ronin just..shuts his eye. Just for a minute. He knows what Dareth is trying to say. Ronin's eye snaps back open when he feels the cold metal of the pistol's muzzle pressed between his eyes, just at the start of the bridge of his nose. JJ starts to giggle again, firing the gun and shooting Ronin in the head. Dareth let out a muffled scream as the shot rang out, shaking his head. The only sound was the shifting of Ronin's clothes as he slumped forward when JJ pulled the pistol away. JJ looks down at the blood splatter on his clothes and hand, giving a tiny giggle.

"Red always was my favorite color." He turns to Dareth, who is currently sobbing into the gag. JJ carefully peels the tape away and removes the gag from Dareth's mouth. Dareth takes a few deep breaths to help himself calm down-but otherwise, he didn't speak or make any noise. He was too busy staring at Ronin's body. JJ chuckled and patted Dareth's face, heading toward the front door with Cole and the burlap sack. "Well you've been a great audience, but I've got to go see my best gal." JJ can't help but giggle, mockingly bowing to Dareth and Ronin's corpse. "Goodnight, gentlemen!" As JJ began opening the front door, Dareth slowly moved his gaze away from his husband's corpse. "Fuck you.." JJ paused and turned around. "What did you say?" Dareth watched JJ with an angry glare now, tears in his eyes. "I said fuck you! What gives you the right to come in here and-" JJ fired off a shot into Dareth's arm to silence him, causing him to cry out at the searing pain. "Hh..f-!" JJ started to giggle. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?! HehehaahahahhaAHAH-" Cole watched JJ walk out of the shop, cackling uncontrollably. Cole shook his head and followed after JJ. JJ heard Cole grunt, trying to get his attention in a questioning manner. His laughter died down and he glared at the rock beast. Cole just..rose an eyebrow at JJ, as if to ask him if he thought killing Ronin and injuring Dareth was a good idea. JJ rolled his eyes, walking with Cole and adjusting the sack on his shoulder. "I stand by what I did!" JJ scowled, shaking his head.

"He should've laughed."