driftfleet_ooc | Summer Test Drive Meme

[Well, if the Red Robe was going to be nice about his cooking, he might as well as be nice and not try to blast them into the next century. Taako shrugged a little because being on a spaceship was not he wildest thing he'd done in awhile. Maybe they didn't talk to each other? This one definitely wasn't the one who'd been with them at Refuge or at Goldcliff - the voice wasn't right, the posture was too....something? Taako couldn't put his finger on it.]

Eh.

Try riding an underground railcart in a race to the death with a gigantic purple worm - now that's wild.

[And forgetting to use any of his good items. But whatever, they survived after multiple hiccups that either did or didn't count - he still wasn't sure. Everyone remembered, his death count definitely went up, but in the end things had turned out alright.

Something was still nagging him about this robe though... She was corporeal which was new.]

[She did try that, actually, or rather had been dragged along for that literal ride. She's about to snark about it when she catches herself, mouth open- then closed- and then-]

Yeah, you guys live a pretty crazy life, don't you? Jumping from thrill to thrill all the time. It's part of what we like about you.

[She's not sure if the angle of working in tandem with Barry is in any way a wise choice, but he's already seen her in the red robe. Can't do much about that now- she should have used Disguise Self before she'd tried for a cookie.

She just… has to remember not to do anything that he'd normally be fine with but now might consider a threat. It's going to be a hell of a fine line to walk until she finds some equilibrium.

She can't give up, though. Not on him, no matter what happens. She'll keep trying.]

[So disembodied weirdos or no, the Red Robes did seem to communicate with each other. He really couldn't keep track of how many of them he'd met - one? Two? Honestly, until they showed up again, he didn't devote a lot of thinking time to them. They hadn't tried to kill him yet so until they did, they weren't really worth worrying about aside from Lucretia being mad as hell that they kept talking to them.

Taako shrugs and uses Mage Hand to set the spoon down and pick up his egg timer. Dropped into his palm, he casually sets it next to him on the counter - just setting up the next step of baking, right? Nothing suspicious here, nope, none at all.]

I know, right? I keep asking for a beach trip or a spin around a shopping mall, but nooo, they'd much rather run head first into the jaws of death all the time. I haven't had a good nap in ages.

[Not that he'd let them go by themselves. The idiots would probably be immediately eaten by a dragon. Or worse - get good loot and not share it.]

[Yeah, not at all suspicious. Not like he hasn't eyed that thing multiple times already. Is that his focus? He would pick a cooking utensil. Hell, she would.

Well, if he's going to roll guarded casual, two can play that game. She's more comfortable with it that way, anyways. She moves further into the kitchen, careful to keep as much distance between them as the small space allows, for his own comfort. She pokes at the cupboards, pulls out a couple of drawers, examines the equipment he has to work with. Not the fanciest stuff, but functional enough. Obviously he's managed.

She lifts a clean wooden mixing spoon, twirling it between her fingers to give them something to do. Not threatening, not pointed at him, just- casual, casual. She seriously needs to find herself a focus, too.]

Same here, actually. I was thinking I'd have myself a big ol' snoozer as soon as I get settled.

[Assuming she can sleep like this. She hasn't tried to meditate since waking up here, and a part of her is afraid to try, like this is all some wonderful dream and she'll wake up back in the Umbra staff, silenced and helpless...]

Well, just so you know, the beds here are totally shit on your back.

[If formerly disembodied whatever-they-weres had backs. She was casually spinning a spoon in her hand now and Taako kept his back to the counter, arms folded in front of him as he commanded his Mage Hand to start setting the cookies on the waiting baking tray. They wouldn't be the exact precise sizes he wanted, but it was either that or turn his back on someone who he's seen straight up McStab someone before.]

In fact, everything here is pretty shit if you're used to anything even remotely nice.

[He gestures with one hand at the kitchen with a loud, exasperated sigh.]

They don't even have cumin on this ship. Can you believe that? How can you not have cumin?

...Thanks for the heads up.

[She can practically smell the distrust in the air, and it makes her rethink her tactics- quietly, and attempting to remain casual, she puts the spoon back in the drawer. The way that he's watching her is a gut punch that she would rather he not know that it is, so instead she does what he won't do: she turns her back to him, leaning down to peer into the fridge. Now that she's got cookie on her tongue she's realized she has a serious case of the munchies, and it's a convenient distraction from having to see that look in his eyes. Taako should never have to look at her like that.

Gods, Lucretia. She gets it, she does, but fuck if she doesn't wish Taako remembered her, here and now. This isn't fair.]

The fuck kind of hicksville kitchen doesn't have cumin? Are the people who brought us here allergic to flavour? Conjuring's all right in a pinch, but it won't taste right unless it's the real deal.

[Cooking. Cooking is… safe. She's always been able to talk to him about cooking. ]

Mmhm, yeah, no problem.

[She turns her back to him and Taako quickly scans what else he can use in this kitchen. Shove her in the oven? Wtf she's not a witch in a gingerbread house and that thing is way too small anyway. The knives? Ugh, no that'd get blood on his clothes and he spent far too much time and effort in getting these at the last waystation to mess them up now. Bean her with a rolling pin?

...But he needed those for the cookies.

Ugh, whatever, he goes back to relaxing and shrugs as she talks, acting nonchalant. Since she's not attacking him and seems to be actually civilized about cooking, he can have this conversation.]

But I know right? There's no accounting for taste, even in whatever fucked up future world this is.

They were all content to eat manufactured goop until I came along. [A beat.] So you cook too, or... I guess cooked. I have no idea if you're even real and here to be honest.

I'm as real as you are, babe. Though I guess words don't mean much when you don't trust somebody, anyway.

[She lifts her shoulders in a shrug, still not facing him. She needs to work her courage back up again before she manages that. Without his expression to distress her, though, it's much easier to fall back into the groove of how it ought to be between them, and there's an obvious smirk of confidence to her tone as she replies.]

Tell you what: you pick the food, and I'll make it. Doesn't matter what it is, sky's the limit, and you can see for yourself if I can cook or not.

[And now he's challenging her cooking prowess? Bitch, please, it is fucking on now. She may be out of practice but she knows every bit of his recipes the way he knows hers. There can't be a goddamn thing he could name that she can't whip up, surely.

Besides whatever he made while you were trapped in that goddamn cave, her brain helpfully reminds her, but she squashes that thought. She doesn't want to think about how much of each others' lives that they've missed.]

Don't take it personally. I barely trust those two morons I run with on a regular basis.

[Which was a lie, but not like this chick was going to know that. Even if he never said it aloud, he knew they had his back and that he would have theirs. It was implicit at this point that he trusted them. He had to or he'd have died a million times over by now.

She sounds a lot more at ease now that they're talking about cooking and something about that is so familiar that it makes his heart ache, but he has no idea why. It just sets his nerves on edge even more and he rests a hand on his egg timer, tapping a finger against it in thought.]

Elderflower macarons. Simple, easy, and if you can conjure shit up, shouldn't be hard to recreate.

[Not that he'd be eating them, but it would give him a chance to see her magic and do a quick Arcana check.]

Oh, and your name? Because I can't keep calling you Red Number 1 and Red Number 2 in my head.

[Hah, of course he'd pick that one. She hides a smile as she straightens up from poking around aimlessly and goes back to the drawer she'd started with, fetching a couple of spare bowls, extra utensils, and of course that spoon again, which she holds between her hands and fixates on for a long moment. Not a great focus, she can find a better one later, but it'll do for one round of macarons.]

Coming right up. Your crew's about to be spoiled by an abundance of baller fuckin' cookies, my man.

[The question about her name makes her falter, just for a moment. Just knowing that as soon as she says it he won't know- it won't mean anything to him- makes her chest tighten and her throat clench. She hates the very idea of it. She'd vowed to be honest with him, though, as much as she could. And the thought of using an alias around him is too hideous to even fathom.

At last she half-turns so she can watch him out of the corner of her eye as she begins to gesture towards the counter with her spoon, conjuring whatever ingredients aren't on hand with practiced ease. A solid Arcana check ought to give him a clue that she's real goddamn powerful, literal levels above him at this point.]

...It's Lup.

[It's me, Taako.

Shut up, idiot. He won't know. You'll be lucky if he even heard that.]

[Why was her voice and speech tugging at his brain? He never paid that much attention to people and yet something about her was screaming at every fiber of his being to sit up, take notice, and really listen. Unfortunately, every connection made was lost and all Taako could do was watch her move and probably create a focus out of a wooden spoon.

He couldn't really judge - his was an egg timer to which he'd attached rainbow stickers. ]

I'll be the judge of that.

[If he chose to eat them, that is. And he's really not sure he wants to when the check comes back blaring red sirens enough to make his ears itch. Powerful, powerful magics ran through her and he felt a cold sweat break out. This Red Robe could probably Disintegrate him before he had a chance to throw a shield up and without his Umbra Staff, forget the paddle - he might be up shit creek without a freakin' boat even.

But all that fear? It disappeared the moment she introduced herself.

"...It's shkrrrrrrrrrrrkkkk."

That wasn't supposed to happen anymore. The static filled his ears as she spoke and Taako's body stiffened, concern rising in his eyes.]

...Wait. What? Can you try that again?

[It's what she'd feared, and the cruelty of it burns a hole right into her heart. Lucretia had erased her entirely, so Taako could live freely without wondering about the sister who disappeared so mysteriously. It had been an attempt to be kind, rather than cruel. Just… it hurts her in the process. Lucretia would never have done it if she'd known this would happen. She wouldn't have made Lup exist in a world where no one could ever know her.

She only has so much self-control; Taako's always been her greatest weakness and strength. She can't hide how much this hurts. Her shoulders hunch, and she doesn't move or speak for a moment. Think, think. What are your options? Why does it work sometimes, but not others? She remembers the moonbase cafeteria, a carefully aimed spell, burned macarons. Taako's confused voice as he read the letters she'd written. She remembers Barry calling out to her when in his moment of despair. She remembers Taako hearing, seeing, just not knowing.

And then she pours out some of the conjured elderflower cordial onto a cutting board, writing three letters, and turns back towards him, holding it out in front of her like an oversized nametag- L U P. There's no smile on her lips anymore. If he can't read this now, she's not sure what else to do.

She doesn't even trust her voice in this moment, so for once she says nothing, waiting to see what happens.

Please, please.]

[The figure goes silent and Taako tenses even further. He can't be certain when a spell will get lobbed his way and he's readying to Blink the fuck out of existence if he has to, when she slumps like his words are a physical blow.

While she works with the cordial, he narrows his eyes, watching her carefully form the dough where he can't see. If she's preparing something, he has something ready, too, and--

Three letters.

...

L-U-P

Those same three letters that keep showing up everywhere lately. Burned across a cafeteria wall. Muttered in despair when they won't listen and trust. Forever churning at the back of his head where the static is the worst.

L-U-P.

The figure seems desperate as she holds it out to him and he stares at those three simple letters long and hard.

Lup.]

What the fuck is going on.

[The static is so loud it almost hurts as he tries to think back on why this would be important. Her name? Why is her name invoking so much white noise in him? It feels like he's being punched in the stomach and stabbed straight through the heart at the same time and he has no idea why.

Taako steps back, pulling his egg timer toward his chest. What the fuck. What the fuck?! Why was his umbrella writing this Red Robe's name almost in Angus's face? And why was she here, now, of all times?

And why does she look so stricken even though he can't see her face?]

No, I'm done with all this intrigue bullshit.

[He thrusts a hand out and casts Mage Hand, aiming to sweep the hood straight off her head.]

[She'd been waiting for this. The way they grew up had taught them to be wary and never take anything at full face value; the loss of her presence in his memories wouldn't have changed that. If anything it would have made him even less trusting than usual, without her to occasionally prod him in that direction. She wonders how it works- how the voidfish creates that mental run-around, whether their conversations are now just him talking to himself, or if she's been changed into some random people he met and shared a brief familiarity with as he grew. They were together for a hundred years before IPRE that must have been changed horribly, drastically, and the other hundred's just gone.

She thinks of the conservatory, briefly, for only a few seconds before she forces herself to refocus on Taako. That ridiculous plagiarism quotebook of his, Magnus and his ducks, the only reason they were able to bring Fisher with them in the first place. Barry, Barry. The duet.

Did Fisher just never learn how to rebroadcast, or did they never find anything worthy again after that? Why is there history gone?

The spell flies towards her and she could stop it, if she wanted. Plenty of spell slots to spare, she could easily dispel it with a wave of the hand. She could bail on this whole conversation instead of frantically wrestling for answers or pleading for his trust.

She doesn't stop it. She doesn't move. She closes her eyes and lets it come at her. She can soak up the damage. If she needs an out she can go invisible and run, or-

-or lose her hood-

She opens her eyes and it's down, fabric folded behind her head, blonde, highlighted hair cascading free. The streaks are red today, she sees now; she hadn't noticed. It, and the curve of her feminine features, are some of the few differences between her own face and the one staring back at her across the kitchen.

She looks up at her twin-who-doesn't-know-it and cracks a smile, wobbly and relieved.]

Doofus, you spoiled the surprise.

[She doesn't know how to answer the obvious question this poses, but... she's glad, all the same. It's a decision she doesn't have to wrestle with anymore.]

[The hood came down and with it a cascade of red-tinged blonde hair. The Red Robe - Lup - hadn't moved even as he cast a spell right at her. She'd simply waited, either confident she could block his attack or trusting he wouldn't hurt her. Which, considering his record, was a pretty stupid thing to do.

But then that face looked up and Taako couldn't do anything but stare directly into a mirror. A female one. Like some has stolen his face and decided "yeah, he could do curves, I bet" and gave it a whirl.

Talk about copyright infringement.

And yet... She looks happy, relieved even, to be showing her face. Like it's some huge burden being lifted off her shoulders and now being deposited squarely on his. Why do they share a face? Why can't he remember anyone called Lup who literally has his goddamn beautiful face which should make her pretty fucking unforgettable.

Why is everything just static?

Lucretia, what the fuck did you do to us?

Taako took a moment to compose himself after the moment of shock dissipated. He raised a hand, opened his mouth, shut it again, and then put the hand over his eyes and groaned.]

I mean...? At least I know I'd look good with highlights?

But if this is some weird fan obsession thing, I just gotta let you know, I am not into that whole "Lotion in the basket" thing, mmkay? And if not?

[He lowered his hand and then chopped them both through the air, brows furrowed.]

Seriously, what the fuck is going on?

[It's a better reaction than she could have hoped for, in a lot of ways. He didn't instantly blast her with something worse than Mage Hand, so that's nice. Even if she thinks she can take it she'd rather not risk losing the body she only just got back. And he didn't turn and run either, although that had been a more unlikely outcome. He still has cookies on the go, after all. She knows it's not off the table, though.]

Damn right I look good.

[It's a gut response and an immediate stall, but no amount of quips will give her the right answer for this one. It's not like she knows what's going on, either. Not fully.

She raises a hand to twist it nervously through her hair, brows furrowed. They'd had this problem with Killian before getting the voidfish inoculation. She can try her hand at working around the block, even if it's going to be incomplete.]

I think you already know that I can't really answer that question. Not in a way that you'll be able to understand, anyway. I haven't got a filter for that static bullshit. I can- I can tell you that I'm not that kind of fan, I didn't make myself look like you. I can tell you this isn't a spell or a trick. I'm not a monster, I don't want to hurt you. And… I can tell you I know you, and that you ought to know me.

[Yeah, he knew. He'd known the second that he'd started hearing static again. Parts of his past, big chunks of his memory were being withheld, devoured by a Voidfish - and not the one the Bureau fed. There had to be two of them and someone, somewhere, who knew of the Voidfish and him had fed his goddamn life to it.

But what was he going to do about it out here? And how was he going to deal with someone who looked just like him but wearing a red robe saying they knew each other but he just didn't remember?

If this person knew him, then she was equal parts dangerous and potential ally. He just had to know how much of either so he didn't royally fuck this recipe into the disaster zone.

Taako ran his hand through his hair again and thought for a moment. Then he latched into a possible thread and pulled.]

Taako trivia time then to prove what you're saying isn't just crazy fan territory, homie. I'm pretty famous so I wouldn't be able to blame you if you were

Where'd I learn to cook?

[The smile begins to creep back across her lips, slowly at first, but it's difficult to fight once the reality of his words sink in. He's giving her a chance. That's more than people usually get when they've already gotten Taako on edge. It means two things: one, that enough has already happened to unnerve him and make him believe that this situation is worth looking into, and two, he's actually willing to look into it, or at least throw her a bone. It feels like she's crossed the first incredibly difficult hurdle.

And... Taako trivia? She's a fucking pro at this game, son.]

New Elfington outskirts, Auntie G's farm. You slept in barn loft, but you liked it better there 'cuz her kids were all assholes who kicked in their sleep. And sometimes when they were awake, too.

[...

Well shit.

That was actually creepy levels of correct, down to his shitty cousins being shitty and where he slept? He's pretty sure he was the only one who knew where he went at night because if not? His shitty cousins would have ruined the one safe haven he'd had. Was it possible that this person, using some kind of freaky spell he hadn't learned yet, was reading his mind? He'd lost all of his sweet loot and items when he'd come here though, so unless she had some kind of pocket dimension in her boobs, he really doubted that was going to be a viable option for hiding stuff away.

Then again, the Director had said they were cunning and would lie and do whatever it took for the Relics.

Except the Relics weren't here. Not even his Umbra Staff is here and it's just a stupid magical umbrella of sheer awesome.]

Okaaaaay then, Stalkerlicious. First recipe I learned to cook by heart.

[She can recognize how her very specific answer is creeping him out, and yeah, she can't blame him- it'd be freaky to her if a stranger knew all of that, too. That's one thing she can't really fix. And what's her alternative, tossing out an answer with no flair? Nah. He has to know that there's history here, that she isn't just some Sizzle It Up nerd who gathered intel that literally wouldn't even exist in this world.

Not... that he knows that, either. Gods this is shitty.]

Please, that's kids stuff. Granola oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. You didn't just memorize it, it was the first one you made better. They stay soft and gooey on the road long after they ought to, but the granola's always got that perfect crunch... mmmm. Love that shit.

[They didn't get to have it nearly enough- when you're technically homeless and being tossed from relative to relative or caravan or whatever, chocolate was a luxury they rarely got to work with. But that's what made it memorable- the promise of something truly excellent if they found themselves somewhere worth sticking to for long enough to get some.

He'd made it every chance they got- he knew it was one of her favourites. A simple classic and easy to steal out of the kitchen once it came time to leave.]

[And that nailed it. He hadn't made that in years - decades even. Once he'd settled down and started up people on the reg, that recipe had fallen by the wayside and he'd never really known why. There just hadn't been a push to make them anymore when there were so many other things to cook and bake and conjure up. It'd been such a pain to find the time and the ingredients and yet he'd done it for most of his life up until....

When? When had he stopped?

It was definitely before he was traveling with people on the reg.

And now? Now he was freaked out. Taako's ears twitched for the first time in a long time as he felt a chill crawl down his spine. This is someone he should have known - intimately - and yet there was nothing but static where she was supposed to exist. Like a hole in his life that wasn't even missed until it was pointed out. It was disorienting and just as unnerving as when he first noticed it when June started peeling through his memories with the Chalice.

His fingers itched and he really, really wished he had the components to do some of his higher level spells right now. He didn't want to be here anymore. He needed to get the hell away and think and get the fuck away from the person who was and wasn't him. He should have been able to put these pieces together, but every time he looked at all the evidence, it all just slipped away like water in his hands. The panic was rising and he felt the itch to run worm its way up his back, even while he forced himself to seem nonchalant.]

Man, I gotta give it to you - you are just killing this round of Taako Trivia. Gimme a day or two and I'll get your certified Stalker Certificate drawn up.

...So when I say "Voidfish," what do you hear?

Voidfish. No static or gaps in this brain.

[She lifts a finger and thumb to her head like a gun, making a twisting motion.]

I also know about Director Lucretia, the Bureau of Balance, the Grand Relics. I know you're reclaimers for them. I know you got the job after you found the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet near Phandalin. All of that stuff isn't blocked for me.

[She can feel more than see or hear the panic rising in him, and it makes her hesitate. Maybe she's pushing too much and too fast. If she scares him off entirely, this'll be the last conversation they'll be able to have- he'll just end up wanting to cut and run every time she comes around. She's too hungry for this, too desperate. Grasping at the straws of what they had, a one-sided familial love and something he doesn't understand or know how to process right now.

She can't risk ruining what they might have by trying to get back what they used to. He can't give her that. Not until the voidfish's block is gone. It's- it's fine, she can endure it. She's survived worse. But she needs Taako.]

...Listen... Taako, if you need some time to figure this out, if you want me to, I'll go. I know you've got no reason to trust me, and me saying all this shit probably isn't doing me any favours. I just- I want to earn your trust, one day. I want to be someone you can depend on. I know that's not something I can force on you, but... I don't know how to fix this yet.

[But she will. Oh, fuck yes, she will. There's bound to be something they can do from here, somehow, someday. She's not giving up on him.]

[Well, that would make sense since the Red Robes made the Grand Relics, but knowing Lucretia seemed...a little bad? Maybe bad? The itch is getting worse and he's about two seconds past when he normally would have run if she didn't have a face he trusted and the amount of suspicious shit had been mounting against the Bureau. He still had the feeling Lucretia was doing the right thing as she understood it, but there was a lot that was starting to go sideways whenever it came down to the details and it was enough to put a seed of doubt in him. Merle and Magnus though... they seemed to be fine with it? He really couldn't tell, probably because they A) weren't here and B) he didn't really confide in them a lot about these fears of his.

Right when he was about to bolt, Lup spoke again and backed off. She was someone who knew him enough to know his early life, a life he'd never shared with anyone. She knew when to back off and she seemed...desperate to earn his trust as she said.

Even though his skin was crawling, he stood his ground and let the silence fill the space between them. When it almost seems like he's going to run again, he nods his head toward the cordial.]

Then you better get to cooking because I'm not sharing the oven once my cookies finish resting. I'll figure out what to do after I see what you can do.

[There's that relief again, clear as day in her expression, the way her eyes light up and the smile splits across her lips. It's honest and real and she carries no shame in that. For now, just for a little while, that fear of losing him again is quietly set to the wayside. Another chance. She'd made the right call.]

You've got a deal.

[And then? Then, she makes macarons. She makes the best and most perfect fucking elderflower macarons she's ever made in her life. She keeps to her side of the kitchen, keeps her mouth shut, though it's one of the hardest things she's ever done. She speaks only if he does first, and focuses entirely on every measure, every ingredient, every roll of her hands against the dough. She stands quietly in the corner where he can see her when she needs to wait for things to rise or rest, fiddling with her communicator or harmless cantrips, always keeping her hands where he can see them, until it's time to get back to baking. She makes the macarons exactly how he does, how they used to side by side. She rolls her heart and soul into these goddamned cookies.

By the time she at last pulls the tray out of the oven, the whole kitchen smells like them. It smells as good as if he'd baked them himself. And she can't help the pride that swells up inside her at the sight of them, laid out and cooling on the tray, waiting for the filling. Ten fucking years trapped in a cave and she's still got it.]

[To be honest, he needed this moment of silence as she works in the kitchen. His cookies were pretty much finished and it was just a swirl or two of food coloring and flavoring to make them just the way he likes them. While he's waiting for them to bake or cool or switching trays in and out, he eyes her. The way she moves mimics his own in so many ways. The little bits of flare here and there are uniquely hers, but he can sense that someone else should have been working in tandem with her. The way she moves is practiced, well honed, but it's like there's a partner missing in this dance.

But she's still doing really fucking good at this.

When he's finished, he moves to the furthest corner, leaning up against the countertop, arms folded as he waits. The kitchen slowly begins to fill with the smell of his rich butter and jam cookies, and the delicate scent of elderflower wafts through the air. It's familiar and it helps his nerves as he watches the macarons cool. He lets the quiet sit over them both, but once he can tell they're ready, he steals over and snatches one off the cooling rack, sniffing at it and testing the texture between his fingers.]

Who taught you to cook?

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