two . action

[misconceived]

WHO Chris Halliwell / YOU
BROADCAST Accidental video on the SS Huntress / closed thread to Cole.
ACTION Kitchen of the SS Huntress / on to the SS Wonderduck
WHEN January 19th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO COLE♪.

huntress / open broadcast.
[ Whatever's going on, Chris is pretty intent on it. He's mucking about in the kitchen working with the meager supplies and there is definitely the smell of chocolate protein stuffs everywhere. He started on it the night before but now that he's messing with it in earnest it smells... fantastic, actually. There's semi-solid chocolate, gel chocolate, gel peanut butter, all getting mixed up real well and chilled inside the mini-fridge.

Is he making brownies?! ]

call to Cole Turner.
So... I know, I know. Don't remind me. But can I shimmer over today? I want to see you. In person.

[ Beat. Maybe he needs to up the ante. ]

I figured out how to make brownies.

wonderduck.
[ No matter how Chris gets there, he's on the Wonderduck again with some of his makeshift brownies and something else kind of clunky-looking in a bag. Feel free to assault him for being new or unknown or carrying chocolatey perfection. He's not going to be handing it out on his own, you know! ]

Comments

[misconceived]

[ Varric is free to notice that while he's binging on the ship's water, Chris has been subsiding on the terrible, overly-fruity coffee they've been provided. Product placement be damned, it's caffeine.

Chris rolls his eyes at the explanation. ]

I don't know if we could ever call one of these ships comfortable. Even after a ton of upgrades. I'd almost say they must be on a budget if we weren't in space right now.

[merchantprince]

[Varric has, in fact, noticed. He can't really stomach the stuff. He'd rather have a strong black tea.]

Come now, Prickly. I'm sure kidnapping people from all corners of the universe takes a lot of money.

[misconceived]

You know, I'm sure they'd have plenty of volunteers from their own universe if they'd just asked. This is just extravagant. Way overboard.

[ Ugh. Yes, Chris is focusing on his brownies again and starts spilling it out onto a plate with slightly raised edges so he can start to chill it back to solidity. ]

Which is another thing. It can't be as simple as us making good TV because we're not from around here, right?

[merchantprince]

[Varric watches idly because there really isn't much else to do. He lets Chris stew for a minute, and then he offers a bit of wisdom.]

Don't kill yourself asking why. Sometimes things just happen. Sometimes... people are messed up. It sucks, but not everything has an explanation. Some things can't really be justified.

[He disposes of his empty glass and straightens a bit.]

The only question you should be focusing on right now is how. If we find out how they did this, we'll be that much closer to getting the hell out of here.

[misconceived]

Sometimes the why can lead to the how, though.

[ Into the fridge it goes! Chris pulls something else out and places it on the counter between them. It's one of the earlier, not as good batches. Free for all, Varric. Chris is gonna have one, anyway. So much sugar, it's a good thing he was raised in America during the 2000s. ]

I mean, the how is probably some kind of... big spell or machine or both. Probably right inside the Marsiva itself if only we could get a better look.

[merchantprince]

Not from what I've seen. Still, can you ever really know? You're not them. Maybe 'them' isn't really a 'them' at all. You'll go mad if you think about it too much.

[Oh shit, BROWNIEFUDGESTUFF. Varric looks at it. It smells awesome, and looks... not as awesome, but it's better than what Varric tried making last night. For sure.]

I tried while I was there, but I couldn't figure out how to get off the newbie deck.

Mind if I snag one of these?

[misconceived]

Someone's got to think about it. And, yeah, I was only there a few hours but I didn't have any luck either. [ His magic was useless, which is a weird and kind of foreign feeling. Maybe if the Power of Three was here... but that's just asking for trouble, too. ]

Yeah, go ahead. That's my other try.

[merchantprince]

[Varric pops a square into his mouth and prepares for disappointment. But it never comes.]

Wow. That's... not bad. Not bad at all.

[He mulls over it in his mouth before continuing.]

You keep delving into stuff like that, you're going to end up a hero. And not in a good way.

[misconceived]

Yeah? [ Chris reaches to take one himself. After a bite, he chews on it, head tilts from side to side. Not bad, but he can do better. Getting this far just means he can get that much farther. ] Yeah, okay.

Look, it never hurts to consider something. I'm not going to forget about our situation just because it might be dangerous.

[merchantprince]

[He washes it down with a cup of tea this time. Weak shit. But it's something.]

I'm not saying you need to forget about it. But for the sake of everyone else around you, let us know before you do anything stupid.

Besides, someone might want to come with you.

[misconceived]

Oh, that? Yeah, sure, I can do that. [ Chris isn't one to oppose having back up. It's everyone else who tends to blow him off when he tries to get them to come along. Or did. He's still a bit wrapped up between his family before they knew who he was, and his family now that they're adjusting. ] You like getting into trouble, Doc?

[merchantprince]

Really? I had you pegged as the lone wolf type. I'm surprised.

[He smirks at that last part.]

Let me tell you, I spent the past ten years tagging along with someone who was like a magnet for trouble. Made for some great novel material.

[misconceived]

I know better than to do something that big on my own.

[ He grins a bit, takes another bite of a brownie and shakes his head. ]

Thinking of making something based on all this? Bet the fans would eat it up.

[merchantprince]

Thank the Maker. I'm too short to punch you in the face.

[He grins lopsidedly.]

They say you'll never know the end of your own story. Might as well let someone else tell it. Might as well be me.

[misconceived]

My kneecaps, maybe.

I'd hate to see what you'd make out of me in that thing. Somehow I doubt your stories are very biographical.

[merchantprince]

Hey, I'm not that short. I could definitely make sure you don't have children.

[That gets a chuckle.]

Prickly, I've seen some crazy shit. But a few embellishments on a hero never hurt anyone.

[misconceived]

Hey, leave my future kids out of this.

[ Considering his life... that is not an unreasonable request at all. ]

Yeah? So who's your hero this time?

[merchantprince]

Fine, fine.

[He sips his tea.]

I'm still working that out. Sometimes when you have a bunch of characters, the hero doesn't stick out immediately.

[misconceived]

So it's like an ensemble cast. [ Shut up Chris reads okay. He knows some of his shit. ]

Any interesting stories so far? Like, if you were to try writing it, who'd show up the most?

[merchantprince]

Exactly.

[He likes that, and he likes that Chris is even mildly interested. He smiles a bit.]

I haven't heard anything interesting just yet. I've got an idea of who would go on the cover, though.

[misconceived]

[ At the idea of a cover, Chris looks wary. ]

Yeah?

[merchantprince]

[He arches his eyebrows.]

Long, slightly curly red hair. Violet eyes. The kind of dashing hero you'd expect would sweep you off your feet.

I've got plans.

[misconceived]

[ There's a pause, he's running over all the possible candidates and then... ]

What, seriously? Him?

[merchantprince]

What? Are you mad I wouldn't put you on the cover?

I could pencil you in, probably. You're about the same height, so fitting you in his arms might be tricky.

[misconceived]

No! Ew!

[ Just no. After a moment, he has to shake his head quick and violent to get that image to permanently disappear. ]

That is not what I meant. Do you realize he's the kind that watches people die in coliseum fights for entertainment? Or—comes from a place where they do and that's normal?