driftfleet | ♦ from the start

Entry tags:

♦ from the start

Who: Kravitz and YOU!
Broadcast: Yes!
Action: On the SS Bloodsport!
When: After the last shuffle!

1) [ action -- SS Bloodsport ]
[ Hello, Bloodsport, you have a new crew member! He's... very confused, wondering why he keeps getting yanked around -- honestly, it's kind of rude. And definitely not the kind of rude that can be made up for with pudding and confetti. Oh well.

He brushes the colorful bits of paper off of the sleeves of his suit coat, straightens his tie, and... starts walking. There's got to be a reason he's just suddenly appeared in this place, right? ]

Hello? ... Is there anyone actually here?

[ Because geez, it's quiet - and not the kind of quiet he likes. ]

2) [ video ]
[ So far, Kravitz's entire experience here has been 1) wake up in a giant spaceship. 2) attempt to regain bearings. 3) almost immediately end up whisked away onto some other ship with a *Pop!* and some confetti. 4) try the pudding. ... It's mediocre at best.

So when he finds this... very complicated Stone of Farspeech... and sees others using it to talk, of course he's going to give it a try. He turns it on, angles the camera well enough to get himself in-frame, and clears his throat. ]

-- Right. Well. I've pretty much gathered the short of what this all is, so beyond that, I have to ask: how cut-off are we? Because there are several people that I really should call right now, and I have a feeling the answer is going to be, "That's impossible". So... how impossible?

[ He's been stuck alone and cut-off from everyone and everything before. This situation is, arguably, better than that... but that doesn't mean he has to like it. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...Well, dunk. Lup knows that face well enough, even if she's used to seeing it as a distant blur at best. The voice is easier to recognize. Hard to forget the cadence of someone who's hunting you.

This... complicates things. A lot. Kravitz is a Reaper, he can recognize the presence of undead. He can sense necromancy, he can sense liches. Taako may not know, but he suspects something, and if the reaper confirms it... that'll be the end of everything. He'll never trust her, she'll lose him.

And she can't. She can't lose him again. She can't let this happen.

Best to nip it in the bud before he spills the beans and ruins everything she's tried to build with Taako. Maybe they can broker a truce, somehow? Kravitz likes making deals. There's a couple of things she might be able to wager.]

Reaper. When you're settled, I need to speak with you. You won't know me, but it's important that we meet.

[ The moment he sees the incoming message, two things happen: first, that damn thing in his head informs him that he can elevate that encryption. So, he does so! (As weird as it is that he suddenly knows that... ugh. That's going to take some getting used to.) Second, he's suspicious. "Reaper" absolutely means that it's someone who knows him. Even here. ]

Consider me settled. Did you want to speak here or in person?

[She'd used his title specifically to catch his attention, so she's glad it worked.]

In person. Probably not ideal, but I don't trust this communication system.

[She sends a location his way, somewhere easy to find, isolated but not dangerously so, with landmarks to guide him- it's a spot just outside of the main port town, near where most of the ships are.]

I'll be waiting.

[At least this way, if he won't listen, no one will get caught in the crossfire when she has to fight her way out.]

I'll be there.

[ It doesn't take him long to get there, and the closer he gets, the more he feels a very distinct kind of presence. Undead - a lich, and a powerful one at that. He pulls for his scythe out of pure reflex, but is quickly reminded that he can't... have it here. That's a problem. Well... He'll just have to hope this doesn't go south, and if it does, fine, he can make do.

But when he actually reaches the location, when he actually sees just who it is standing there, he knows exactly why he felt what he did, and why it seemed so familiar. Besides, he'd know that red robe anywhere at this point. ]

... Lup? Is that you?

[She's got her robe on and her hood up, but her face is uncovered, the wooden spoon she's been using as her spell focus tucked into her belt. She'd assumed that she would be met with some recognition, had expected him to call Taako's name, since they share a face.

But then-

what?

She stiffens immediately, eyes widening in the shadow of her hood. He said her name. He knows her name, he recognizes her, he- what?

What the fuck is going on?]

...You... [She's at a loss for words, tongue twisted for a long moment.] You know me?

[But he- he couldn't. He couldn't know her. Not even Taako knows her. No one knows her, except Barry, except Lucretia, she's been erased completely, she's trapped in the umbrella back home, she's never met him, how is this possible-]

[ He'd picked up the pace when he'd recognized her, his original suspicion completely out the window, but at the obvious surprise in her tone and confusion on her face, he slows again. Something is... weird here. ]

I.. yes, of course I do. You're Taako's sister, and you and Barry-- [ -- Wait. ] ... Don't you remember?

[ what is going on here??? ]

[....

He does know. He does. He knows about her, about Barry. And he recognizes her, which means-

-she lifts a hand to her mouth, leaning back against the wall of her shuttle where she'd been waiting for him, before her legs can wobble beneath her.

They make it. Barry's plan works.

I get out?

She's silent for a long moment, eyes closed, as it all sinks in. This isn't something that Kravitz could trick her with, or guess at. It's too specific. And for him to greet her in such a familiar way means they're not... enemies...? He's not hunting them anymore?

Breathe, Lup, breathe. Keep it together. You've gotta figure this out.

At last she grits her teeth briefly and faces him again, shrugging off her hood, because there's little sense in wearing it anymore. Evidently it hadn't mattered at all.]

Whatever you know, it hasn't happened yet. Not for me, and... not for Taako, either. Last thing I remember is the guys collecting the Animus Bell.

[She watches his expression; if he knows about her and Barry, about who she is, then how much else does he know? The relics? Wonderland? The Hunger?]

[ Gods, she looks completely overwhelmed -- and when she braces herself against the shuttle, he goes to her side, just in case. Maybe something weird is going on, but that doesn't mean he's not going to support a teammate.

When she speaks again, it's his turn for his eyes to go wide. Because if that's the last thing she remembers... well. No wonder. ]

Really? The Animus Bell? That's the last thing you... That was definitely a while ago. A lot has happened since then. ... I'm so sorry.

[ It's not even his fault?? Obviously. But in light of everything else, what the hell else is he... supposed... to say right this second jfksl ]

[It's weird to have him come so close, like- like he cares, like he's worried about her. Instinctively she leans away at first, since the last time they were anywhere near one another he was searching for a monster and she definitely tried to Scorching Ray his face off. Something about his expression makes her stop before she can put too much distance between them, though. Something about his tone, concerned and honest- apologizing for something that he hadn't even done to her.

She stares at him for a moment, stunned, before she glances downward with a bit of a bemused laugh. A lot happened, huh? She can only imagine. The Hunger had been on its way- had been hours away from arriving, based on Barry's warning. Shit must've gotten pretty wild.

Did they win? She's afraid to ask.]

Well, shit, Skullman, you've got me kind of at a loss, here. I thought you'd try to kill me, so why do I feel like I ought to ask for a hug instead?

[She does not, of course. It's just been a really goddamn long time since anyone's looked at her with genuine care like that, so it's jarring.]

[ He can't even imagine. It must be a different kind of hell to be dragged out here at a time when she's still trapped, when the boys are suffering, and The Hunger is on the way -- hell, it had already gotten to the Astral Plane at that point -- and without the Day of Story and Song, that means...

Oh, gods, Taako doesn't know her.

... He immediately wants to tell her. Everything. To spill the proverbial beans, to reassure her, anything. But... can he? How does all of this work? Even without the Voidfish business, there's the cosmic sense of how playing with time could be like playing with fire, in a sense, and... it's complicated. Too complicated to think through right now. He can... think on it longer, later. They can talk about it later. Maybe. ]

Well, do you want a hug? Or I could always pretend to try taking you in, if that would help somehow.

[ Bad jokes at bad times. That's what you wanted, right? ]

That's, um, okay.

[To both? To both. There's literally no subtle way to wipe the traitorous wetness at the corner of her eye, but damn if she doesn't try anyway, laughing a little at his offer. It's dumb, but she'd needed it anyway, and it helps her to form a newfound appreciation for him, when before all she'd felt was bewildered caution and overprotective anger. It makes sense to her, why Taako likes him so much.

Cautiously she straightens up, exhaling and steeling herself against... whatever happens next. This is all a little overwhelming, but she can endure it. It's good news. It means they have a future, as long as they can get themselves home.

First things first. If Kravitz is, like... an ally now, she needs to get him on the same page here.]

Thanks, but I'm good. You've- I assume you've seen Taako, yeah?

[That had been her priority upon arrival, so she can only imagine it would be his as well.]

[ At least it got a laugh out of her - if only a tiny one. And, well, everything sort of makes sense now, between the way she reacted, the way Taako seemed a little strange... it's a timeline thing. Not great, but... he can work with it. Somehow. ]

I have. I'm glad he's safe, but not that we're all, you know, stuck here. ... Knowing that I'm apparently from the future - however that works - makes some things make a little more sense, at least.

[ Yep. Gonna be a little rough. fjskl ]

[Yeah, no surprise there. It's the main reason she'd told him to get settled before meeting her- so he could get the reunion out of the way, since far be it for her to stand between that.]

I'm not really in any position to ask favours from you, but... he doesn't know what I am. Not the... the sister thing, or the lich thing. I'm gonna need you to not tell him either.

[And she's really hoping that isn't against his big snobby reaper rules, or she's completely boned. ...no pun intended.]

Right. I was afraid of that. [ He sighs, his voice growing a bit softer - concern, but also sympathy. ] I figured he might not know. The whole... voidfish thing, right? That's still in play here?

[This is soooo not the Kravitz she's used to- at least, not with anyone but Taako. Definitely going to take some getting used to.]

It is, but for some reason it's only affecting Taako. I think it might be limited to those from our planer system? I tested it out- checked what might have been blocked by either of the voidfishes - and no one noticed any static. It's crazy weird.

[Wait a second.]

You can confirm it, right? Since you're from after- everything- whatever that is- happened? There's two of them?

That is weird. ... So we're not just in another plane, we're completely outside of our system. [ Mind's a little bit blown, admittedly. ] I-- wow. Guess I didn't catch onto the full gravity of the situation.

[ Her question gives him pause. Again, how much can he even say??? But not answering about the voidfish just seems far too cruel. So he nods. ]

You're right. There's two.

[Okay, well, at least there's that. She makes a thoughtful humming noise, debating asking for more details, but the fact that he hesitated makes her wonder what he'll even tell her if she asks. It's like a reverse of the situation with her and Taako- so many things she wants to share but can't, and the lack of trust between them means there's no guarantee that anything she says will be believed. Kravitz is still a stranger to her, and he can say anything he likes to mollify her if some kind of manipulation if his goal, if he wants to control her instead of capture her since his reaper powers don't work here. He knows she's a lich - his response earlier made that obvious too - but he seems completely unbothered by that fact.

What the hell is going on? What happened?

...Fuck it, that's something she can ask.]

Hey, you seem pretty chill about chatting up an undead abomination. Don't tell me you hung up your creeper cloak.

[ Gods. It doesn't help that he really does just want to tell her everything, but he just can't shake the worry that something might go horribly sideways somehow. Time is just... one of those things you try not to mess with. Isn't it? ... And then again does anything really matter out here? ... Ugh. Who knows.

That question, though, he's fine with answering. He shakes his head, laughing a little. ]

Oh, no. Still doing the reaper thing, not about to quit that anytime soon. It's just that after, um, everything, we talked, and I sort of... struck a deal, and it's fine.

[ ... His smiles fades a little and, frustrated, he presses two fingers to his temple. ]

And it's-- I'm sorry, it's just really bothering me that I don't know how specific I can be. I... Do you know how all of this works? This... being here, being from different points in time -- I don't want to cause anything catastrophic, but... well, I don't want to ruin anything by not saying things, either.

[ This might be something they could figure out together - at least, he hopes so. ]

[Struck a deal? That sounds like a very Kravitz thing to do, based on what she's seen of him thus far. He digs that sort of stuff. She can't imagine what that deal could have been for him to be "fine" with a lich, but... okay, whatever, she's not going to complain or antagonize him. This is the ideal scenario- peace between the two of them, and cooperation for handling the whole Taako situation. And Taako's always going to be top priority for her, so she's okay with this.]

I get the concept, yeah. I know about stuff that Taako doesn't, and you know about stuff that neither of us have experienced, yet. People have said that time can be wacky here, and I've had to keep my mouth shut about some things around Taako. Bad enough he knows I'm a Red Robe, and the face-sharing weirds him out... if he knew I was in the Umbra Staff the whole time, I can kiss that budding friendship goodbye.

[The whole everything comment sticks out to her, because yeah, she's guessing it's a lot. And a whole lot of bad, that... apparently was followed by some good? At least, enough good that they survived the aftermath and had a conversation about less world-ending issues. The Hunger was definitely on its way, so she can glean from that one very crucial fact: they... won.

They won against the Hunger. Maybe temporarily, maybe for real this time. It's hard to say. But it's a weight off her chest.

So... hmm. She kind of hates not knowing.]

I don't know what sort of catastrophe you think you can cause when you're talking to someone who's literally still stuck in an umbrella back there, but... I'll take the extra intel if you feel like sharing, Bones.

I... definitely understand.

[ Having it laid out in front of him all at once like that really drives home the gravity of Lup's situation... He knows it can't be easy, that she's definitely hurting underneath it all. This isn't a great situation... but, well, he can alleviate some of the hurt just by sharing what he knows, it seems. So that's what he'll do.

He folds his arms, leans against the wall of her shuttle - closest available wall for leaning, after all. Might as well settle in, this could turn into a lengthy one, depending. ]

I think sharing sounds like the best idea we've got right now. [ He cracks a small smile. ] Especially if it helps with Taako, and the fact that there's things he literally can't know.

[ Taako is his priority, too. Just how it is. ]

The Hunger came. In fact, it cut me off in the Astral Plane just before it reached your plane, and I was trapped there for a little while. Taako got me out. [ Another smile. ... Before he's serious again. ] Anyway -- the boys did find that second voidfish. They figured it out. And you, Lup... Taako really figured it out. He broke the umbra staff. He freed you.

[She's quiet for a long moment, processing this new info. Trapped? That explains why Taako hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him before Wonderland- things had happened so fast that day that it'd been easy to assume he was just working like usual. They've known for a long time that the Hunger cuts off the planes from one another and swallows them as one as soon as the light of creation is consumed, but this is the first time she's gotten the chance to hear about it from someone in another plane. She nods slowly, taking it all in, and then- then he goes and says it, confirms what she'd suspected when he recognized her. There's a sharp intake of breath as she closes her eyes.

She knew... she knew he'd get there eventually. She knew he'd find her. It was just- it was taking so long, that...]

...do you know... [Her voice is faint, carefully controlled, to avoid sounding out the tremors she knows she's feeling.] ...how long I was stuck in that fucking umbrella?

[Gods. The culmination of a decade and then some of waiting, waiting, waiting, and then at the last second, at the end of the world, she's freed-

It's so appropriately dramatic that she has to laugh, burying her face in both hands. Fffffffuck. That's great. It's amazing. It's over. All the dread she'd been feeling about getting sent back like so many have recently, going back to that, losing this newfound freedom, and now this.]

I don't know exactly how long, but... I know it was -- um, is? -- a long time. Too long.

[ He hasn't ever seen Lup so... vulnerable. Expressive, sure, that's kind of her deal. She's been fiery and bold as long as they've been working together - no, ever since Taako first introduced her to him, honestly. Seeing her like this, trying to keep herself steady while navigating what is surely a crazy combination of both stress and relief, is new. But, as long as it helps her, and as long as she wants to know these things, then he'll talk. ]

And I'm not one to go around promising happy endings or anything [ ha. that'd be rich. ] but in this case, I mean, I do know there is one. For what it's worth. You do get out of that fucking umbrella. And you can even give him a hard time for taking so long.

[ It really was all very appropriately dramatic, including the way he learned about all of it - the parts he didn't see for himself, or hear directly from any of them, of course. But... it all ended okay. He's glad for that. He still feels weird about all of this - still doesn't know exactly how he's going to handle being about a dozen or so really big events ahead of Taako, timeline-wise. Right now, he's just hoping that at the very least, he can lean back on the reassurance that it all turns out okay. ]

[Her response is just a huffing laugh at first, rubbing at her forehead. She knows she's being absurd, taking a risk with a man - a reaper - who is barely above a stranger to her, so after a long moment and a heavy breath she steels herself, walking in a slow circle to center her heart. She thinks of Barry, and Taako, and that which keeps her strong, holds her identity stable. She thinks of the patience she'd learned to endure those ten years lost and alone in her own damned focus.

She finds her focus.

And then she spins back to face him, brows furrowed, lips tightly pursed, and she feels a little bit like herself again. Her voice is clipped- not casual, not flippant, but no longer trembling, and she's proud of herself for that one.]

Yeah, that sounds like me. And that must mean you're telling the truth, because going by my memory you've only known me for five minutes, so I guess your story checks out.

[So... okay. She gets out, Taako frees her. Taako remembers. Taako breaks Kravitz out of the Astral plane, which - more importantly - means he reconnects the planes. Which gives them a fighting chance.]

So if you're still alive after all of that... I'm not gonna ask specifics right now, because once I'm out I guess I can technically cause all that catastrophe you're so worried about. [Because if there's one thing she's good at, it's that.] Buuut I'm gonna take that as a given that we win, or flip the Hunger off, or... something. We fix what we fucked up. That right?

[ The shift in her demeanor is clear as anything, and maybe it would seem jarring to someone else, but given the circumstances (specifically, hers)... he gets it.

So. Sticking to business -- he can deal with that. ]

Technically you could, sure. [ When she puts it like that, it sounds a little silly. And he cracks the tiniest of rueful smiles. But anyway! ] But... yeah. That's right. The Hunger's gone. The world still needs a little, um, help recovering, but... it'll get back to good. Eventually. The world's saved, that's the important bit.

[Ooookay. That's a specific type of victory that she hadn't expected. He'd said it was gone, the Hunger's gone. Not beaten, not repelled, not distracted or blocked or anything less finite. Gone.

She wants to ask. There's a hundred new questions buzzing in her brain. She keeps her mouth shut, though, recognizing his last words as the absolute truth: that is what's important. Everything else is just the nitty gritty details, and if she starts asking now she might never stop, until every last moment is out in the open. As curious as she is, it would just mean more secrets, more stories she can't share with Taako, more things to remember not to bring up around him. She has enough trouble with her own memories, when it comes to that. She doesn't want to carry Kravitz's, too.

She's so fucking tired of lying.]

...Well, shit. That's something, isn't it.

[She brushes a hand through her hair, letting it linger there as she considers her options... then suddenly holds it out towards Kravitz.]

I guess that leaves us all on the same side, then. So- truce? And nice to meet you, I guess? Formally. With fewer Scorching Rays.

[No promises, exactly, but she won't be attacking him first. And it's weird, but... she believes him. He's been showing her the same sort of gentle honesty that she's seen him reveal to Taako over time, as he edged bit by bit out of the formal bounty hunter shell and into boyfriend territory, as he showed a side of himself to her brother that probably neither of them saw coming. A side that shows he gives a shit about people, that he's actually a pretty nice guy.

It's... admittedly her own sort of test, too. She's still a lich, an undead, an abomination of the laws of life and death. He's a reaper for the goddess ruling over those laws. Deal or no deal, will he shake her hand?]

♦ from the start

text; with a clumsy attempt at private/encrypted

text; slightly bumping up that encryption level, just in case

text; thank god someone gets it

text -> action!

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