driftfleet_ooc | Summer Test Drive Meme

[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.]

[It's about what she'd expected, so she takes no offense; if anything, she feels another twinge of sadness, but she masks it with a shrug, turning to grab one of her own cookies off the tray rather than just stealing all of his. She doesn't bite yet, turning it around in her hands, looking thoughtful.

Then she glances over her shoulder at him wearing a grin that can only be described as shit-eating.]

I might shave it off, it's less work.

[She pops the cookie in her mouth, still smirking as she chews. Just has to see the look on his face.]

You wouldn't fucking dare.

[If anyone mistook her for him, he'd turn her fucking green just to distinguish them from each other.

When he sees the grin on her face though, he realizes she's teasing. That's....oddly familiar. Still, he wouldn't put it past her, if only to her under his skin.]

I'll dye you green if you do. You'll look like a Candlenights disaster.

Ooooh, what a threat. Weird how I'm not worried at all about that! It's almost like I've got magic wizard powers, too.

[She wiggles her fingers at him.]

How about if all your hats turned to those little propeller beanies? You'd be adorable.

You're not helping your case that the Red Robes aren't evil, y'know.

[But if being turned green won't sway her?]

I won't cook for you then.

[OKAY FUCK, FUCK, THAT'S AN ACTUAL LEGITIMATE TRUMP CARD, SHE HAS REALLY MISSED HIS COOKING

There's a moment of tangible indecision, one hand toying with her hair again- like she's actually thinking about getting it sorted here and now. There was that one scroll when they were kids with the mermaid who used a fork as a brush, she could-

-and then she stops.]

...Sooooo you're saying you'll cook for me if I do my hair, then?

[The moment she pauses, he knows he has her. If nothing else, he has confidence that anyone who knows his coming or grew up around his cooking would miss it like burning. His food has always been what he can rely upon, before the magic or his good looks.

He shrugs, inspecting his nails. ]

That all depends on how well you take care of your hair.

Ugh, but your style's always so high-maintenance. You really think people will mistake me for you? I know my tits aren't the biggest in the universe but you sure as fuck don't have any.

[Don't make her do that much woooooork, Taako.]

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