Greetings and welcome to the third-from-the-last night of the debut appearance of "Cold November Rain" here at the Angst Theatre!
{looks amazed that the end is in sight, then recalls that's partially because the Parts are getting *huge* then he stops everything and celebrates a noteworthy event}
This morning sometime after Parts 54 and 55 were posted to fanfiction.net, the review count there broke another century mark with Mr. Peabody swooping in to claim the 400th review! {tosses Pocky bouquets to everyone reading this so they can share in the celebration then keeps going} As those of you who read my lengthy end-note last night already know, my reviewers are extremely dear to me. I am humbled by this outpouring of kindness that is giving my muses strength and helping to keep my spirits up as this tale comes to a close and I immediately rush to begin another! Hearing what people think and feel in response to my writing helps me to stay energized and even though it's impossible to predict the final review count there, I'm already a very lucky llama to have gotten the response that I have and I thank you all.
{bows deeply in gratitude, then pulls on Vicious' tuxedo before flipping a switch to light the marquee which causes light to spill across his genki face as he reads the playbill}
Tonight's rather long performance opens with Part 56 as Omi confronts a new arrival in the Koneko before taking a moment to check his email where yet another surprise awaits him. The focus shifts to the Schwarz penthouse in Part 57 as Nagi receives a most unexpected gift which brings him joy and Schuldich and Crawford share something quite different that brings them horror.
{pauses, thinks about Part 57 again, then reaches for not one but *two* warning flags and holds them up with a small frown}
Last night's Kleenex warning is back for similar yet different reasons as a pair of bishounen I look forward to torturing more in the future feel the agonizing pain of Melpomene's unique brand of foreshadowing. It seems to me that not enough writers look at the emotional burden Brad's powers must be to him at times, so I hope you'll forgive me if it seems a bit over the top. The other flag is a small one for possible squick. The detailed warnings for this fic include the words "squick: medical and other" and this is definitely of the "other" variety and without revealing the plot too much, let's just say there's a scene here that shouldn't be read while you're eating, okay?
{hopes these warnings help since the Kleenex one seemed to be appreciated last night then adds an important note before turning you loose on the story}
In the end-note tonight is a very important discussion about a key issue that many of you have expressed concern about in the course of this story's presentation which is the use of the death of characters both original and from the series as a plot element. After receiving a heartfelt letter from a reader expressing her fears regarding this last night, I answered in my usual long-winded manner then realized that other people might want to see what I had to say about the matter and decided to include it tonight. After reading my latest wonderful batch of reviews at fanfiction.net, though, I realize that I definitely want to settle this so people can be more confident regarding my intentions. There's also a paragraph or so about my own preferences for what I read and write that might be both reassuring and a little frightening all at the same time, so check it out if you want a glance at a llama's point of view.
For now, though, enough chitchat from me since it's time to see Omi continuing to try to get his life back to normal! Oh, and there's a lot of author's notes this time around and I hope they, too, clarify a few things!
Enjoy the Angst!
~~~Enigma~~~
(who thinks this is one of the most bipolar posting runs in a long time with a hopefully humorous beginning and a fairly tragic ending. {waves both warning flags again to remind everyone to read with care})
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Cold November Rain [part 56/62]
Book 1 of "Redirecting Destiny" and prequel to "Romantic Resolutions"
Author: Enigma
Series: Weiss Kreuz
Written: January-April, 2002
Rating: R
Pairings: (Yohji + Ken + Aya) (Omi + Nagi) (Brad + Schu)
Category: Dark! Yaoi Angst Action/Adventure Violence Blood Squick Language Romance Original Characters. AU-OOC.
Archive: fanfiction.net [author: "E-sama the Llama"], Scripta Manent: http://digilander.iol.it/sakaba/Home.html
Spoilers: None, safe for new viewers as well as old.
Warnings: dark! yaoi, heavy angst, action/adventure, graphic violence, large quantities of blood, squick: medical and other, coarse language, agonized and overwrought romance, original characters designed to highlight the true stars, rare touches of sap, cigarettes, destiny, cruel cliffhangers. AU-OOC.
Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Takehito Koyasu and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Calico, Norwegian, Korat, Sokoke, etc.) are © Enigma, 2002, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.
Notes: When Ken falls in battle, how can the other members of Weiss cope with the guilt and blame that they all seem to share and will he survive in spite of the odds against him?
++ date and time reference within the storyline beginning with the day of the battle ++
{{telepathic speech}}
*****
++ day: 6. time: 1350-1600 hours. ++
*****
Expecting only the sedate presence of Momoe puttering around the flowershop if it wasn't entirely empty, the youngest member of Weiss was certainly unprepared for what greeted him as he pushed open the door from the backroom directly into the Koneko.
Bright sunshine streamed through unshuttered shop windows and danced across a messy work table and dirt-strewn floor before splashing against a colorful display of vibrantly hued primroses newly potted in cheerful planters with large decidedly retro smiley faces all over them.
"What the…?!" Omi exclaimed as the opening bars of a recent pop hit by one of the American boy bands burst forth from the carefully concealed speakers of the Koneko. Baffled, he glanced at where Momoe sat in her cushioned chair simply holding her cat and smiling brightly as she bobbed her gray-haired head in time with the bouncy music but found no answers.
Running a hand through his bangs and wondering what could possibly explain the bizarre scene before him, the cerulean-eyed boy missed the sound of small, sneaker-clad feet creeping up behind him. As he was about to ask the elderly lady what was going on, Omi was suddenly blinded by two small, soft hands clamping themselves over his eyes.
Before the trapped teen could react, a falsely high-pitched voice sang out, "Guess who, Omi-kun!"
Frozen in place by the frightening realization that he had just been taken completely by surprise despite his years of training, the assassin codenamed Bombay didn't react at all for a moment and his assailant considered it quite a victory. Unable to suppress a laugh, the girl behind him released her grip on his face then spun him about to face herself.
Blinking his newly freed eyes to clear them of their temporary haze, Omi suddenly recognized his attacker and exclaimed in shock, "Lorlor-chan?! What are *you* doing here?!" [1]
The brunette middle-school student smirked at him and responded in her normal alto, "I came to Tokyo to visit Aunt Momoe during autumn break, silly!!" Cocking her head to one side and giving him an apprising look, she asked in a more serious tone, "How is Ken-san doing? Auntie said he was hurt in a motorcycle accident. I'm not so sure I believe that, mind you, but it worried me all the same that none of you were here when I arrived yesterday."
Giving himself a chance to catch his breath before answering the energetic thirteen year old, Omi realized he was grinning helplessly, glad that of all the people he'd imagined greeting him in such a strange fashion it had only been her.
The men of Weiss had grown accustomed to receiving infrequent visits from the grandniece of the elderly lady who continued to enjoy the odd music selection while ignoring the two teens. Lorlor attended a very exclusive academy for the gifted in Kyoto where her keen intellect had been honed so sharp that she had already begun to question whether or not the handsome young men she knew as florists weren't something else entirely. Despite her appearance, the young woman peering closely at Omi at that moment could see far more of the truth about him than any of the fangirls who visited him on a daily basis ever did.
Realizing that the girl in front of him was tapping her foot in impatience and not intending to move until she had an answer, the cerulean-eyed teen found his voice and responded, "Yes, Ken-kun had a motorcycle accident last week and got hurt fairly badly, I'm afraid." Seeing that she didn't believe him, he forced the most sincere smile he could muster and added, "He's doing a lot better now, Lorlor-chan, but he has to stay in the hospital for awhile and Aya-kun and Yohji-kun are there now keeping him company."
"Well, that's good," the girl sniffed imperiously as if to imply that the elder pair of florists certainly had no business leaving the chocolate-eyed teen alone, but then her eyes narrowed slightly and she asked, "So, whose bike was Ken-san riding when he wrecked it, Omi-kun? I saw his Kawasaki parked in its place in the basement garage when I went down to wash the aprons for the shop this morning so I know it wasn't that one." [2]
Not hesitating a moment since even this detail had been rehearsed, he answered quickly, "It was a rental, Lorlor-chan." Seeing that this wasn't enough of an explanation he hurried to add, "It was a Yamaha that he was trying out to see if he wanted to get a new one for his birthday next month."
"Oh?" Long lashes fluttered over blue-gray eyes as the girl thought this over, nodded slightly and asked, "Was that going to be a present from Yohji-san and Aya-san? It's nice they'd get him something big for turning twenty, don't you think?"
"Nani?! Why do you assume they'd be buying him a gift like that?" Omi gasped for a moment, shocked enough by her unexpectedly insightful remark that her next question sailed past his defenses entirely.
"Woman's intuition," she remarked casually and asked, "So, what model and color was it?"
Gaping like a fish out of water, the youngest member of Weiss, a notorious assassin and decidedly gifted tactician found himself totally lost since these details hadn't been considered. Before he could make up a quick falsehood to cover not only the slight blush that crept onto his face after processing such knowing remarks from one so young as well as the lack of truth in his own words, the chimes over the door rang out cheerfully. Spinning towards the new arrival with gratitude in his eyes, Omi sang out a welcome and rushed to see what the nervous looking businessman who had just entered wished to purchase.
Lorlor giggled slightly and shook her head, mumbling something about boys being utterly clueless most of the time and then wandered back to the messy workbench intending to sweep up after creating her whimsical display of happy-faced pots of flowering plants.
From the perch on her comfortably padded chair, Momoe watched her grandniece and chuckled softly to herself.
Hearing the slight noise from its mistress, the cat in her lap looked up and meowed quietly as if asking what was so funny. Gazing at the feline and rubbing its ears fondly, she answered very softly, "Ah, R'oko, never you mind the amusement of an old woman. Those boys little Manx asked me to watch over so long ago aren't half as stealthy as they like to think they are, but leave it to my niece's daughter to be blunt enough to let on to such a guarded secret."
"Mrow?" The cat asked again, mostly wanting to have her ears scratched more, but delighting in the attention of unintelligible conversation as well.
Chuckling again, Momoe continued to pet the ball of fur and she commented sadly, "If only my dear sister was alive to see the mischief her granddaughter was causing here. It would've made her heart warm. Ah, but why don't you and I go make some tea for poor Omi? It would seem he might need a cup, don't you think?" Her many wrinkles deepened as she smiled wordlessly at the scene before her.
Indeed, the young blond was busily trying to help the man who had forgotten his wife's birthday making various suggestions that were politely rejected one after another since the forgetful husband felt he needed something truly spectacular to make up for his mistake. It took awhile to create the arrangement that was finally chosen and by the time he left with over two dozen roses and enough baby's breath to create a soft cloud around them, Omi had forgotten entirely Lorlor's earlier inquisitive remarks.
Sipping the cooled tea gratefully after thanking Momoe for her kindness in preparing it, the Weiss archer noticed he had roughly an hour before the usual 4pm invasion of schoolgirls.
Smiling as he noted that his energetic friend had gotten not only her own mess cleaned up but his as well before starting on watering several of the dish gardens scattered around the shop, Omi asked, "Lorlor-chan? Could you and your aunt take care of the store for me for a bit? I'd like to go upstairs and check my email and stuff." He knew it was probably unreasonable to expect word from Nagi barely a day after the diminutive telekinetic had left his side, but hope springs eternal in the hearts of people in love and he wanted to at least try.
The girl turned and smiled brightly at him agreeing conditionally, "Sure thing, Omi-kun, but can you please try to be back down here before the high school students arrive? That girl with the purple eyes and the big mouth was in here yesterday demanding to see you and giving me grief when I told her you weren't around." [3]
Omi groaned in minor pain and nodded, "That would be Ouka, Lorlor-chan. Yeah, she can be a little pushy, but she's kind of nice once you get to know her."
Rolling her eyes in classic young teen disbelief, his friend answered sarcastically, "Oh puhleaze!! She acted like she owned the place and you were her personal servant who had no business being away from her side! If I were you, I'd be careful! I think she's hunting for a boyfriend!"
Giggling helplessly as he pulled his buttercup-colored apron off and hung it on a hook, Omi shook his head and remarked, "Well, if that's the case, I'm afraid she's wasting her time." As he headed for the stairs to the private rooms above the shop he added, "She's not my type."
Snickering to herself and going back to watering the dish gardens, the girl shook her head slightly and commented acidly under the noise of the hose, "I'll bet! How blind can that girl be? *Everybody* knows that all the best looking guys are gay!" [4]
*****
In his room and blissfully unaware of comments about his sexual preference that would've undoubtedly caused a fairly distinct blush to cross his cheeks, Omi was busily opening the private email account that only Nagi used to reach him.
Nervously nibbling on his bottom lip as he glanced at his collection of "Gundam Wing" yaoi doujinshi and realizing he needed to add his newest acquisition to it, he jumped slightly as a rousing sound clip from the battle theme from "Endless Waltz" informed him he had mail. Delighted that he hadn't heard the soft melodic tones of the closing theme of "Outlaw Star" instead since it was his indicator that there weren't any new messages, Omi quickly double-clicked on the promising envelope icon and waited impatiently for the email to open automatically.
An incredibly bright genki smile danced in his eyes as he read a message that he had barely dared to hope for only to find it was even better news than he'd imagined. It was date- and time-stamped a full day earlier and read as follows:
"Hello, Omi-koi!
I wanted to let you know that I made it home okay today and even though I haven't seen Brad yet, everything here seems to be all right after all. (^_^) [5]
Poor Schu practically burned the place down trying to fix a special pizza for Farf right before I got home, but it turned out all right in the end and tasted pretty good, too! Oh, and in case you were worried, Schu didn't care about my taking the Ferrari after all! He was really nice about it and even though he didn't say it in so many words, I think that if I ever needed it again that way, I could take it and not be in trouble which is really reassuring.
Farf was in a good mood and was happy to see me, too, which was really nice and in a little bit we're going to watch something from Food Network that he taped while I was gone where some guy swallows a freshly disembodied cobra heart while it's still beating. I thought it sounded gross, but he was really excited about showing it to me since the guy, um, Tony Something-or-Other calls his knives his "babies" and Farf thinks he's cool. [6]
I'm getting to use the computer right now since you-know-who wasn't home to say "no", but I doubt I'll get to do this again until I get to the library at school. Of course, if I use that one we need to be a little more careful about what we say (^_~), but at least we can stay in touch that way, ne?
Please email me when you can to let me know how Ken is doing. Unfortunately, I might not get the message for a few days since my school schedule might be crazy. (-_-;;) Um, I think I missed a couple of big exams while I was at Tokyo General, but I'll be thinking of him and hope there's good news about his kidney and spine injuries soon. I hope Yohji and Aya are okay, too. It really was great getting to spend time with them the way that I did these last few days, I just wish the circumstances had been different.
Well, Schu just warned me that Brad's on his way home now (-_-), so I'd better signoff. I miss you already, koi, and even though I don't know when we can be together again, I'm already looking forward to it.
I love you so very much!
Nagi"
Joyous, grateful teardrops sparkled like jewels on Omi's cheeks as he reread his boyfriend's words three times before quickly typing a response.
Realizing that Nagi might be forced to read the message in a non-secure location, the Weiss archer was more careful than usual as he chose his words. Yet with codenames for most of the people involved it wasn't too hard to let his boyfriend know that the KNT-0201 was living up to its reputation and that there were other significant improvements as well for their injured friend. He had a bit of difficulty finding enough different ways to say that he loved and missed his sable-haired partner without making it too embarrassing, but in the end he was satisfied with his creation.
After double-checking the message one last time, Omi clicked the send icon and sat back in his chair with a sweet smile lingering on his lips. His tears had dried and his heart seemed to sing as the small timer he'd set to remind himself not to break his promise to Lorlor went off and he quickly exited the program. Unaware that it would be several days before Nagi could get to a public access computer to read his message since Crawford had decreed that the youngest member of Schwarz was to be restricted to Estet business only online until further notice, Omi left his room feeling positively elated.
Practically skipping down the stairs in delight, the Weiss archer had a flash of inspiration and it was all he could do not to shout with delight as it occurred to him that he actually *could* tell Nagi how he felt at that moment after all.
Cerulean eyes dancing happily as he reentered the flowershop, Omi noticed that Lorlor was busy getting a balloon bouquet ready for a young mother whose rosy-cheeked son had just behaved remarkably well at the dentist's office. Smiling and nodding at the rightfully proud eight year old, he hummed a happy tune and gathered a carefully selected collection of multicolored blooms together and took them to the workbench along with an elegantly understated black lacquer vase.
Curious to know what her friend was doing, the brunette girl hurried to attach a few brightly colored ribbons to the ends of the balloons and then stood deferentially nearby as her grandaunt rang up the sale. Money exchanged hands easily and then the elderly lady presented the collection of happy, helium-filled mylar toys to the mother who, in turn, presented them to her son with a truly relieved smile on her face.
Seeing the boy was having a bit of trouble making sure he had a good grip on his prizes, Lorlor chose one of the tiny metal toys that were more than heavy enough to keep them from floating away and were used for that purpose when needed. After quickly and efficiently tying the ends of the ribbon around a white race car with a bright red 5 emblazoned on the door, she smiled and bowed to the boy adding her own congratulations since she didn't exactly enjoy going to the dentist either.
With a shy smile that revealed a dazzlingly white set of freshly cleaned teeth--ones with no cavities in them, too!--the boy bowed in return, thanked her for the extra gift, then obediently followed his mother out of the shop.
Now that her obligation to her customer was taken care of, the blue-gray-eyed girl walked over to the workbench and asked, "Omi-kun? Who's that for?"
"Someone special," the elder teen responded without thinking. Realizing he'd said too much but that it was too late to worry over it, he shrugged slightly, tucked one last blossom into place, then reached for a sheet of notepaper and wrote an address on it that he himself had never dared to visit. Of course Omi would've loved to have taken the flowers himself if he could, but he knew he'd be immediately recognized by the Schwarz psychics and his nightmarish thoughts from much earlier that day returned and he knew it was out of the question.
With a shy smile on his face, the blond youth asked hesitantly, "Um, could you do me a really big favor, Lorlor-chan?" Originally he had planned to contact a courier service for the delivery but realizing it was getting late in the afternoon when the services were frequently overloaded with requests, he decided to take a chance on his young friend being able to handle the important assignment for him.
Pretending to think it over, she examined the glitter-coated nails of one hand and asked disinterestedly, "Maybe. What's in it for me?"
Prepared for the girl's usual games, Omi fought the desire to smirk as he mentioned, "Well, if you'll deliver this for me, I know of a great little café on the way back that has absolutely yummy ice cream parfaits and I'll be glad to treat you to one." Realizing he had her interest piqued, he added as if it was an afterthought, "Come to think of it, though, I haven't been to Mamba-chan's place in a long time. Maybe I ought to take this myself and get one of their special 'Five Flavors of Chocolate' Parfaits with extra Pocky instead of asking you to do it for me."
Making a moue of disappointment and sticking out her lower lip expressively, the girl batted her eyelashes and pouted, "But *I* want a parfait, too, Omi-kun!" Her weakness for Pocky, of course, had nothing to do with it.
Fiddling with one of the sprigs of greenery he was adding to the tasteful yet colorful arrangement in his hands, the Weiss archer acted as if he was giving it more thought but then he laughed and said, "Well, all right, *you* can have the parfait!" The girl smiled gleefully but then he added with a cautionary gesture and a serious expression, "But this is a kind of odd delivery, Lorlor-chan, and I need a special favor from you on it, okay?"
Pleased that she would be enjoying a delicious treat and a pleasant afternoon stroll, the girl nodded and agreed, "Not a problem, Omi-kun. What is it? Do I get to deliver a singing message or something like that? That might be fun, I've been in chorus at school this term."
Omi paused, blinked thoughtfully for a moment then smirked a little as he thought of a way to possibly avoid the one thing that held the greatest risk in this approach, a risk that he had been having trouble figuring out a way to avoid. Placing the arrangement into a plain box that didn't have the Koneko's highly stylized cat symbol emblazoned on it, he commented, "Actually, singing is a really good idea, Lorlor-chan. I know this is going to sound weird, but if you could sing in your head the whole time you deliver this I think it might drive someone bonkers!"
Intrigued since she'd done a detailed research paper on ESP for one of her classes, the brunette asked, "Oh? Is this a mind reader or something that I'm delivering to? I read about people like that in a research file once about some group of people in America who had all kinds of weird powers and used them to fight for justice and stuff."
Omi snorted softly and shook his head, "No, those are the 'X-Men', Lorlor-chan! This is for real, and yes, it *is* a telepath but that doesn't matter right now. Tell me, do you know a really irritating song that you can sing in your head so whoever answers the door won't be able to read your thoughts?"
Annoyed with his lack of understanding, she stuck her tongue out at him, commented acidly, "Those were actually Interpol operatives based at the UN, Omi-*kun*, and yeah, I know just the thing." Moving to grab her jacket even as he stood frozen in place since he thought that particular organization still denied that they had several teams comparable to Estet's groups at that point, Lorlor grumbled something about a lack of respect being problematic. Deciding not to make an issue of it since she had clearly won the debate, she returned with her palm turned up in silent command and asked, "Where am I headed and how much do I get for my snack at the café? I *am* kind of hungry now that I think about it."
Blinking his eyes as he stopped being quite so stunned, Omi responded by pulling out his wallet and dropping more than enough cash into her hand to buy two of the café's specials and then he gave her the address to the Schwarz penthouse. Feeling totally lost and more than a little foolish, he said, "Um, this ought to cover anything you want at Mamba-chan's place, the address for that is on the pink sheet. The one on the yellow sheet is where the flowers need to go and the person to ask for to give them to, okay?"
Glancing at both and consulting the map of Tokyo they kept by the register for reference, she nodded happy once more since he'd conceded defeat. "Sure thing, Omi-kun!" Looking at the yellow paper again, she asked knowingly, "Is this 'Nagi' a girl or a guy? I don't want to give them to the wrong person."
Not bothering to look embarrassed now that he had the distinct feeling she already knew the answer, he responded, "A guy. He's a little shorter than I am with dark hair and deep blue eyes."
Pocketing the cash and addresses before collecting up the box with the flowers inside, she grinned wickedly and said, "Oooh!! Yummy! He sounds *cute*, Omi-kun!! I'll make sure he gets these and after my snack I'll be back to help you deal with the bossy purple-eyed chick and her cronies, okay?" She waved gleefully and headed out the front door with a saucy bounce in her step.
After sighing and feeling as if he'd rather go head-to-head with Schwarz instead of the girl who was four years younger than he was, Omi set about taking inventory and preparing for the after-school deluge to set in.
Sitting in her chair with her cat in her lap as usual, Momoe wasn't the least bit concerned for her grandniece's safety. Even when delivering flowers in Tokyo alone, a young girl with as sharp a mind and as quick a tongue as Lorlor would always be able to handle whatever came her way. The elderly lady actually enjoyed the peace and quiet as the cerulean-eyed teen happily moved through the shop readying it for what would be a busy afternoon as Omi settled back into the routine of life in the Koneko.
*****
To be continued.
Author's Notes:
[1] As many of you may have already guessed, Momoe's grandniece "Lorlor-chan" is based on my youngest daughter Lauren. I had promised both of my chibis guest roles in this continuity. The physical description of the character reflects Lauren's current opinions of herself and much of her dialogue is straight from the "Hentai-Chibi-from-Hell's" own mouth as is some of the opinions about certain situations and personalities that Lorlor encounters in the story.
[2] Regarding a couple of details in the story: I've searched my artbooks for information on where exactly they store Yohji's car and Ken and Omi motorcycles, but never saw anything definitive. However, since in the series Ken is frequently shown dashing off to one side of the basement where logic says there wouldn't be an exterior door, I concluded a basement garage would be a logical explanation. As for the brand of Kenken's beloved ride, the series artbook indicates it's a Kawasaki and I decided that was good enough for me.
[3] Gomenasai for the slight Ouka-bashing, but Lauren can't stand her and I allowed this piece of dialogue to reflect her opinion.
[4] The last sentence in Lorlor-chan's diatribe about why Omi isn't interested in Ouka is a verbatim quote from one of Lauren's 7th grade friends! Who says the young are blind to the ways of the world?
[5] As for Nagi's seemingly OOC use of emoticons in an email, well, considering the way these two act when they're together in this continuity, it just seemed to fit. As for his word choice and "tone" in the email, I assumed he would be so incredibly relieved that his homecoming had gone exceptionally well that he'd be rather more genki than usual at this point since it predates the talk with Brad.
[6] Heheh! I couldn't make up stuff this weird on my own, folks! This is a reference to the inexplicably fascinating Tony Bourdain of "A Cook's Tour," another 40+ year old white guy like the llama who is traveling the road less taken and has a TV show to prove it! He agreed to "go anywhere and eat anything" because, in his own words, he "has nothing to lose"! The squicky episode with the nearly live cobra heart in it was from his southeastern Asia series and he commented on-screen that he could feel it beating all the way down, something that he apparently didn't enjoy. As for the comments about his knives, these too are from the show, and he carries the blades around with him obsessively during several episodes wherein he actually behaves like the chef that he truly is. His "chef's whites" have an interesting logo of a Grateful-Dead-esque skull chomping on a large knife and if he wouldn't be one of Farfarello's favorite television celebrities I don't know who would!
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 56 & 57 will be posted together.