driftfleet_ooc | Summer Test Drive Meme

[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?

[The broken silence is like a wave crashing over her, a warning sign to remind her that they're not there yet, that getting into the groove of a kitchen isn't enough. But it's a blessing too- the cookies helped, she can tell. They helped and she'd kept up her end of the bargain and it's up to him to decide where they go from here.

It's hard not to just shoot the shit at him - it's always been so instant and automatic, she has to keep catching herself before she fucks it all up or something - so she focuses on the macarons again, turning a few of the sandwich pieces over so she can fill them and finish them off properly.]

I learned the same way you did. Auntie's kitchen was where the bug bit my ass, but the rest was wherever I could pick it up. Relatives, traveling caravans, it was all over the place.

[See? And that's where the connections should be forming and they're not. If Lup learned at Auntie G's and knew about Taako's secret sweet ass bungalow away from the shitty cousins, she had to have been there at the same time as him. A lot of relatives came and went in his lifetime, but none of them shared his face. Even if she decided to change her face later to look like him - which would be weird, but he is beautiful af so sure why not - he would still remember her.

Except she's been erased.

There's nothing but static where she should be and that? That fucking hurts. It's like the Bureau has betrayed him somehow. The Director, whom he was starting to put some trust in, is keeping a secret from him. Someone he's related to is one of the Red Robes and there's no freaking way he'd not know who except if a Voidfish ate that information.

Someone fed a part of his life to the Voidfish.

He stays there, studying the macaron as she starts putting them together, and then casually sets it back onto the tray. Dusting his hands against his apron, he pulls the strings and lays that on the countertop as well. The connection is there. He just can't see it even if he's looking directly at it.

Who is Lup?

Who was she to me?

Was I not alone all this time? What a cruel fucking joke.

Taako moves back and starts piling his cookies onto a plate for the others aboard the ship with the intent of leaving them on the table as a free-for-all. With his back not completely turned to her, he keeps his face impassive as he methodically scoots one cookie after another onto the serving platter. He knows what's going on in an abstract way enough that it makes him angry. She might even be lying, but something in his gut says she's not. He just needs one more thing answered, but that is probably the one thing he can't have.]

Well, that sucks because I'd like to ask you how we know each other because it looks like we've probably known each other a long ass time, but all that got eaten by a Voidfish so I can't ask you shit without it coming out like "shrrkk shrkk shrkk Taako is so amazing." Which I already know.

Edited 2018-09-26 14:25 (UTC)

[Taako's smart; he's always been smart. She's seen him play the fool plenty of times and people fall for it, just laugh at the dumb flip wizard who happens to have great luck with his spells until they let their guard down and he can punish them for falling for it. He's got all of the pieces, he's holding it right in his hands but the block won't let him see it. So close but still out of reach.

She huffs a sigh and keeps piping.]

Yeah, that must be real frustrating for you.

[It's fucking agonizing is what it is. She wants to grab him and shake him and tussle his hair and go off-ship for a wizard's duel and she wants so much, so much. She wants to hug him and tell him how much she's missed him, how worried she's been as she watched him struggle and fight all this time, how she tried to protect him whenever she was able.

She wants to let herself cry for the fucking miserable decade of their lives that they lost, how he'd never have been alone if she had been with him and alive when Lucretia did this to him, how her choice to vanish alone ruined so much.

She can't. Instead she dips a finger into the filling and licks it, letting the flavour and nostalgia and that good, good fucking food give her strength, and she tries a reply that is less asshole and a bit more sincere.]

There's a few things I can give you, though I don't know if they'll be any help to you. I can tell you that the people in the red robes aren't evil, that we made the relics with the hope that it'd be a good thing. That what happened was supposed to be better than the alternative. I can tell you that the one you met before has been watching you to find out what the Bureau is doing, and to undo the damage done to your memories, not to stop or hurt you. And... I can tell you that you, Merle, Magnus, even Lucretia... all look pretty good in red.

[She's skirting close to the line, she knows. But it's all she's got.]

Edited (makes that last bit slightly less threatening 8D;) 2018-09-26 15:06 (UTC)

It is, thanks for noticing.

[He knows it's got to be harder on her, but he honestly doesn't know how he should feel about that? Guilty? Relieved? Indifferent? He doesn't actually know her now, even if he knew her once. Being forgotten though...it was something Johann was afraid of and something Taako was trying to ignore. He knew it was a risk of working for the Bureau, but he wasn't banking on dying anytim--- Well, at least he wasn't banking on dying when it actually counted anytime soon.

Taako slides another cookie onto the tray as he listens to her 'explanation.' A lot of it sounds like what anyone who was working for the Red Robes would say - we're not evil, we were doing good things! But it weirdly jives with how things were shaking out lately. The Red Robe that brought June and Jack to Refuge, the one that killed Capt. Captain Bane when he tried to kill them to take the Gaia Sash, the one that begged them to believe in him - a lot of Red Robes, but no death pointed at him.]

I look good in just about everything, honestly. But the rest? I'll have to think on.

For now? Think fast.

[He picks up the next cookie and lobs it over to her.]

[Okay.

Okay, she's gonna blame Magnus for this one.

She'd fully intended to use zero aggressive spells in this kitchen, and in the foreseeable future any time she's around him, at least until he's less on edge. But then he did that and there's something flying at her and it's been like thirty years but she still Magic Missiles the fuck out of it on pure instinct, juggling it in the air a few times before she catches herself and it disintegrates into nothing.]

Aww, shit! That was sick.

[And then, after a beat, her voice a scandalized whisper:]

Shit, waste of a cookie.

[fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck]

[He thought it would be a nice gesture of a budding olive branch of maybe future trust when he sent the cookie her way.

And then she blasted it straight out of the air like a fucking boss.

At first, he jerks back in surprise, ready to throw up a shield if he needs to, but her spell is precise and fast - absolutely decimating his little rainbow circle of buttery goodness.

There's a moment that passes between them and then Taako starts laughing.]

Fucking rad. Nice aim.

[His laughter shatters the tension in the air, and a scant second later a smirk crosses her lips, proud and pleased. It's been a really goddamn long time since she's had a chance to do that one.]

I don't need you to tell me that, babe.

[And then while he laughs she prances over to his plate and snags a cookie properly, taking an oversized bite as she returns back to her corner. It might be infringing into his territory a little, but she earned the cookie, and the distance between them is killing her a bit, so she's taking advantage of the excuse.]

Yeah, but next time, don't shoot it so close to my head. I'd prefer not to have singed ends please.

[He subtly shifts to the side when she comes over to grab a replacement cookie, but doesn't go far. He regards her as she retreats again, really trying to connect all the dots floating in his head. Every line drawn quickly evaporates, and he gives up for now. There's a strange familiarity between them, and for now that's fine. He still doesn't trust her, but it takes him a long time to trust anyone. His business is his and he'll keep it that way until such a time that he deems anyone worthy of hearing it.

And somehow that feels sad now as he watches her move away.]

You really need to tame that mane though. If you have my face, I can't have people thinking my hair isn't on point 24/7.

[She's already completely demolished the cookie by the time he's done talking, so she idly licks chocolate off her fingers as she runs her other hand through her locks. He's absolutely right- between waking up, running through the ships, and dancing around the kitchen all this time, it's become a tangled mess. Sort of comes from being trapped in an incorporeal form for over a decade; she hadn't even thought about it this whole time. It's a wonder just to be able to feel things again, never mind worrying about style.

Well, that'll come back to her before long.]

...Yeah, usually I have help with that one. It's a bit of a handful to do solo some days.

[She's not going to ask, because she's already getting so much more than she's earned at this point, but she does give him a pointed look. Like hey, guess what, it was you.]

[Don't look him, Lup. He isn't putting himself in such close proximity to someone he's just met that quickly. Taako feels like maybe he should offer to help just so his own reputation doesn't suffer, but for now he'll hang back and wait.

Instead, he gestures to his braided hair lying over his shoulder.]

Real easy to do, even with just one set of hands.

[And a mage hand to hold accessories and mirrors.]

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