driftfleet | and then the fleet was banned from garbagetown

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and then the fleet was banned from garbagetown

Who: Taako, Lup, and you!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Planetside, Iskaulit
When: Now-ish!

Picture this - a planet that serves as the junkyard for the rest of the universe. Towns and cities are littered among the trash, having grown up wherever space provided. In one corner of this garbage-filled world is a city, not a massive city like Neverwinter or a small podunk thing, but a city tried and true. Which means it has a town square where all the main traffic flows through on any given day; bakers and merchants and workers, miners and salvagers and travelers, a myriad of people all going about their typical boring days.

And then two ostentatiously ugly costumes just start floating through the middle of it all. People scatter because costumes that look like Shaggy Bear consumed Gloomy Bear's Soul and Big Bird had a Bad Bender and Never Recovered should not be floating through the middle of town. They carve a path and set themselves up, swaying gently in the breeze, in the very center of the square where all can see. Horrified expressions mix with curiosity as the costumes hang there, doing nothing, and then slowly people start to gather.

Which is when Taako, cloaked in invisibility, looks over at Lup and smirks. It's show time. You ready?

And Lup is definitely ready; the levitation drops on the costumes as they hang, and there's suddenly a streak of red-hot light that crosses the plaza from the building on which they stand and strikes the costumes. Immediately there's an explosion of fire, spreading outwards- not dangerous to the onlookers, thanks to the height at which they hang, but definitely enough to scatter whatever remaining nerves they had. When the worst of the initial fire fades away, the costumes remain hanging, but are now on fire, feathers and fur sizzling and curling, ash beginning to dot the earth below.

It's Taako's turn and he sets the costumes to waving in a ghostly wind as they grow, the fire growing with it. The fabric shudders with the strain of it, looming up and over the crowd menacingly as growing bits of charred feather and shag upholstery disintegrate in the flames. It's harmless, of course, but the crowd doesn't know that and they start shrieking, backing away from the display. Now that the scene's been set, Lup calls out to the lingering onlookers, still just out of sight: "What's up, Trash Town? Or whatever you call this place. No need to be scared! Your new fashion overlords are here to help open your eyes to the travesty we've found you all in."

The Enlarge cast and the concentration over, the costumes hang like Ghost Rider up in the air, and Taako can barely keep it together as he sees the people below start looking for the source of the voice. "We are here in our fabulous benevolence to aid you and provide succor to your sadly lacking closets. But tribute is demanded or a curse shall be upon you. We have sent our emissaries who shall now appear before you!"

He's always had this showmanship thing in the bag and Taako Blinks out of existence at the same time Lup casts Dimension Door. It takes him a little longer to get where he needs to go, but the Ethereal Plane is so wonky on this plane. Still, he makes it in time for the grand entrance - the two of them popping back into reality, back to back, wearing their favorite outfits from their earlier heist and with Disguise Self burning over both of them. They look even more radiant than usual; and a little more celestial thanks to the light from the burning costumes overhead and a little extra light granted by Prestidigitation and Dancing Lights beaming behind them like sparks and rays of sunlight.

A low murmur starts up around them as the townspeople survey the scene, uncertain of what exactly to do about it. The murmur grows in volume as seconds pass. Lup continues, "Turn away from your wicked ways, and destroy all sinful manifestations of fabric that rain down from the sky, or a plague of supreme ugly will fall upon you!"

She wiggles her fingers at a random onlooker, some woman who'd been sneering skeptically at them, and suddenly an illusion appears over her- her skin turns to the nasty shag carpet design. She shrieks at once and flees the crowd. The murmur becomes a buzz and a few of the people at the front begin throwing credits and coins their way, but more are scooting backwards, not sure what to do.

Lup waves a hand in front of herself, and a Mage Hand glides along the ground to scoop up the discarded credits, then brandishes a bag, glittery and bedazzled (as only befits a fashion god) and gestures pointedly towards it. "Anyone else feel like being spared?"

"The bigger the donation, the higher the salvation," Taako chimes in, whipping out a similar bag just in a different color.

There's a long pause as the residents debate their options, but another confused wail from the woman down the road gets a few people moving, dropping coins into the bags and fleeing the scene. They're not asking for much, they're not animals, but a little bit (from a lot of people) goes a long way!

Option A: Were you in the crowd when this all went down? Want to talk to Taako and Lup? They're both walking through the crowd now, so this is your chance to see the face-twins in action.

Option B: Is flying solo more your style? Which of them do you want to talk to: Taako or Lup?

Some time passes as they collect their bounty, and eventually a small group of more serious, burly viewers branch off and vanish into a shop. Lup watches them carefully, keeping her smile frozen in place as she gently shoos away a little girl trying to give her a single credit, because she's definitely not stealing from children. Those guys are probably going for weapons. Hey, Taako? I think that's our cue to make an exit.

Taako nods in agreement and tips his hat to the patrons nearby. He's gotten more than he expected today, so now it's time, as Lup says, for a flashy exit. There's no point in subtlety when the villagers are going for pitchforks. He puts his hands together and starts casting, light emanating from his fingers as he summons the only exit worth summoning. The light causes people to draw back from him and in their place, a beautiful, mulleted, rainbow-colored phantasm of a binicorn appears.

"Yo boss. It time to go?"

"You know it, Garyl. Lup! Let's hit it!"

There's an audible, delighted gasp from Lup, and without hesitation she hops onto the binicorn's back with Taako. With a loud whinny Garyl rears up on his hind legs, giving them one final opportunity for a dramatic pose (which they of course indulge) before Taako urges Garyl off at full speed, leaving behind them a rainbow of light. Before they vanish from sight, Lup, one arm wound around Taako's waist, blows the befuddled crowd a kiss. And just like that, they're gone again, with the now-armed local guard giving a futile chase behind them.

Option C: Catch them after their daring escape, laughing their asses off outside of the danger zone, or on the Iskaulit, perhaps over drinks?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... It would be more suitable that way.

[She maintains her even tone despite the call out.]

... Your efforts would be wasted if it was only for myself, after all.

[Taako has seen the way she eats.]

[Taako is barely holding his laughter back as he catches the credit. He knew his food would eventually turn people around, even Haggar.]

I'm just that good.

[Then he turns to Haggar with a grin. He honestly never thought she'd ever want to eat with someone else the way she tucked herself away from the rest of the crew, but hell why not? Baby steps.]

You just earned me money, so sure. I'll sit with you for a bit. Why not? Lup?

[She glances between the two, then Kova- then shrugs her shoulders and drags out a chair to sit down.]

Why the hell not? At least I know the food's top-notch.

[Even if she greatly preferred her seclusion, at times there was... some merit in having others around, during times she felt particularly bereft of allies.

She's silent, giving only a small nod before she then decides to assist in setting up the additional dishes and utensils by deftly using her magic to retrieve and move them accordingly.

Almost like mage hand, if the hand was invisible and made up of glowy dark purple energy instead, but you know.]

[He goes back to slicing up the chicken until Haggar starts setting the take. Then he nudges Lup his foot, jerking his head in that direction with a very obvious "Told you so" look on his face

He can't figure out her school of magic, but it's powerful - that much is certain.]

I should get you to set the table every meal.

[Lup sticks her tongue out and nudges him right back, grabbing some refreshments for them while Taako handles the salad- but not before watching how Haggar does her magic, squinting curiously at the glowy energy floating around. Definitely a new one, and an arcana check doesn't net her much intel.]

Why not? It's a shared ship, everybody ought to pull their weight.

You may consider it a favor.

[A customary gesture of sorts. The fact was he kept dragging her in there to eat anyway; the least she could do was put some effort in, lest she seem too much like she was taking it all for granted. She wasn't exactly accustomed to setting but she knew enough to make it work.

She finishes the setting, before gingerly choosing her own seat.]

[He rolls his eyes and arranges the chicken on top of the salad, then grabs some tongs. The dressing just needs a quick toss together and then a shake to mix, then he's bringing everything over to the table.]

Well it's a favor you can keep doing then.

[Because now that he's seen that he doesn't have to do it? He's going to make her do it - especially since it's just a wave of her hand. Taako sets the salad in the middle of the table and spins the tongs in his hands. Haggar is definitely not used to eating with people and Taako almost snickers as he hands the tongs to Lup.]

You wanna go at it first?

Yep, gimme.

[She immediately goes to town on the salad, sniping a healthy portion (at least a third, intending to leave no leftovers because that would be a terrible waste) and sliding the bowl in Haggar's direction before digging right in with a happy noise. Gods but that's tasty, she hasn't had Taako's chicken in forever.

She's barely given herself time to swallow before speaking up again.]

So what kind of magic is that?

[Good, because appealing as it may be, Haggar's portion is still significantly smaller than what Lup doles out for herself.

That's why she's invited. To help prevent wasted leftovers.

She doesn't respond to the return commentary about the "favor". Sure. She'll set the table. Perhaps it was too much of an extension of goodwill on her part if he was going to jump and take advantage of it in an unapologetic way, but she had... a lot of patience. Perhaps too much. She put up with Katie's inane movies for long enough, after all.

As for the other question... well. That was an odd one to consider how to respond to. Or if she wanted to open another can of worms. The simplest of responses.]

Energy manipulation.

[She she gently slides over the bowl for Taako to retrieve.]

You seem to be more acquainted with other forms of magic.

[He's almost tempted to dump a bunch more into Haggar's bowl, but he knows she won't eat it. The woman is practically a mouse when she eats. Instead, he takes a large portion of the salad for himself and feels strange.

It's like a dysfunctional family dinner - three elves sitting at a table like this. Goddamn weird.

Eh. He shrugs at her assessment and twirls a fork in his hand before starting in on the food.]

All magic is some form of energy manipulation - conjuration, evocation, transmutation. Gotta channel all that power from somewhere, right? Where's yours from?

Mine's evocation, for the record.

[Quid pro quo and all that. Her mouth is half-full as she responds, contentedly chomping away. Her salad's already a third gone.]

[She takes a small couple of bites before answering.]

The energy is my own, in this case, but it is... complicated. It may be that we have different terms for what it is.

[Her tone is still fairly even, but there's a thoughtful quality to it. Magic from other universes is a fascinating topic after all, even if she's more cautious about her own displays. But learning - that interests her.]

[complicated is one way to put it. If she means she's drawing from get own energy, that's both fascinating and dangerous as shit. He's hoping it's just a difference in terms because people who use life energy for magic tended to either be druids or freaking necromancers.]

Yeah, maybe. So what kinda things can you do with it? I'm gonna assume floating things around isn't your grandest spell.

Yeah, I'm curious, too.

[She could go on and on about the Weave and the nature of magic but she knows all of that stuff. This new magic is more interesting to her.]

You will forgive me for not being accustomed to speaking of my abilities to others so... casually.

[Even at this odd dinner gathering that she brought upon herself, go figure.]

I possess a lot of destructive power, if that is what you are interested in.

[She knows it's not. It's not even touching what she can do by a long shot. But they're kids, right? So long as they're not on the other end of it, who doesn't like dramatic explosions?]

Well, you're in good company because we're always willing to dish about magic, hm?

Although destructive power is more Lup's area than mine.

[He's all about the flash and the surprise rather than the sheer destructive power. But it's good to know, these little things about his crewmates. It lets him know what sort of preparations he needs to make in case something goes sideways on him.]

Mmhm. If you're looking for elemental explosions, I'm your elf.

[Part of what made them a good set - both for the IPRE and life in general - was their varied skillset, after all. His magic was more subtle but no less fun than her own.]

[For her, whatever she chose to reveal was simply to err on the side of caution. She did not wish to brag or overstate what she could do.]

I do not tend to focus on any particular element, although I suppose I could always test to see whether I could.

[When one lived in space there wasn't actually a need for elementals. Learning new avenues to apply her abilities to, however, was something she was always more eager for.]

You mean other than levitating dried veggies and plates?

[Because so far that's all he's seen her do. And she says she can do destructive magic, but so far he's just gotten some Jenkins-like vibes off her.]

Please tell me there's more you can do than that.

She did just mention destructive power, so unless that means exploding kitchenware, it's probably safe to assume she can. [And with a glance to Haggar-] Buuut I wouldn't expect you to just whip our your spellbook on command to show it off. Neither of us would.

[She nudges Taako's foot under the table.]

What I'm hearing is that your magic's flexible, but not especially specific the way ours is...?

... You are not incorrect.

[A point in Lup's favor for picking up on that. Her magic was vast, but narrowing it all down into little checkboxes was not exactly something that could be managed with any hopes of accuracy.]

It is likely that we have some other comparable aspects between us. I would not expect you to list them, either.

[Mentioning it and actually doing it are two different things. Jenkins was all "I'm a great wizard!" but wouldn't burn a goddamn slot on anything. What a loser. A serial killer, but a loser.

He gives Lup a sharp look back when she nudges his foot, pushing back at her.]

Do you even have a spellbook though?

[Because he's never seen one on her.]

[She ignores his foot, carrying on like nothing had happened at all.]

Good question, yeah- a book, or a focus, for that matter. I'd assume that the cat is your familiar, but that's the most wizard-y aspect about you that I've noticed, magic aside.

[Though the cat doesn't feel fae or anything, just. Cat.]

... I do not.

[It's said fairly simply. Kova's situation is slightly more complex, though that falls slightly more into a category she'd rather not address.]

It seems restrictive. Can you not perform magic without it?

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