♦ from the start

[deathcouture]

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. ]

Comments

[necromanswers]

[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?

[deathcouture]

[ 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.

[necromanswers]

[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?]

[deathcouture]

[ Yep, gone. Really, truly gone. ... If he has to be from the future, well, he's at least glad he can be a messenger of good news. It's a silver lining, at least. ]

Yes. It's definitely something.

[ She extends her hand, and he nods, taking it in his own. No hesitation, nothing he even needs to think through. ]

Truce. Of course. Nice to re-meet you, Lup. [ Beat. ] And I appreciate the fewer Scorching Rays.

[ He smiles. It's good that they're on the same page -- though he does have to make sure of one thing. His expression turns a bit toward serious. ]

Lup... I am going to tell Taako that I'm not from the same time. That I'm from the future. ... Still a weird thing to say. Anyway, what I'm getting at is, I don't think I can keep that a secret. And we're going to be navigating a lot of secrets around him anyway. [ ... Sigh. ] Which isn't ideal, but like I said, I understand.

[ It's... a mess. But. The last thing he wants is to hurt Taako, after all -- and that includes hurting Lup, and doing anything that would jeopardize them as a pair. ]

I hope it doesn't push him away somehow, but I guess I'll find out soon enough.

[necromanswers]

[She's quiet for a moment as she stares down at their joined hands, genuinely stunned; it's easy enough to say that he's okay with her, but to physically prove it means a hell of a lot more. She's quick to break the contact, still wary of this being too much of a good thing, but she looks a little bit less on edge than she was a moment ago. Friggin' weird.]

I'm... fine with you telling him that. You guys would've figured it out on your own eventually- he acts different around you in your time than his own, we both know that. [He's a bit of a sap and a kisser and he's probably completely smitten with this guy. She's been on their dates, dragged along at his back or at his side because a good wizard never goes anywhere without their focus, so she gets it.] At least you've got the luxury of being honest about yourself with him.

[And it's impossible not to be salty about that, or to hide it from her tone. Taako may not trust either of them, but the future is the only thing that Kravitz has to hide. She has two hundred years of walking side by side with him that she has to keep buried.

She sighs, though. It isn't his fault, either.]

...Look, just... help me keep an eye on him, I guess. Maybe you'll have better luck than me.

[deathcouture]

[ Yeeeaaah, she has every reason to be salty. He's not going to hold that against her at all. He knows it's not the same thing, and that she's hiding and hurting a hell of a lot more than he is. As it is, he just appreciates her being okay with it. ]

Well, I don't know about better luck.

[ Blocked memories aside, she'll always be his sister. She came first, knows him best, and... on a less serious note, has a lot more practice actually keeping an eye on him, which is difficult. Like, "keeping track of 20 kittens set loose in a house all at once" hard. ... He gives another small, soft smile. ]

A different kind of luck, maybe. Like a different angle. But I'll help you keep an eye on him, yes. You've got my word.

[necromanswers]

Yeah, I'll hold you to that. Another deal, I guess.

[And they shook on it! Sort of. Ahead of time. Look, she doesn't make the rules.

Now she just feels awkward and vaguely confrontational, though, and she hates the idea of looking like some sort of bad guy in this situation: making demands, asking questions, calling him out like this. He's been a damn gentleman and she still doesn't know what to make of it.

And apparently he needs to go back and speak with Taako. So after a long moment she crosses her arms over her chest, glancing aside.]

Right, well... I'm gonna head back. Got some stuff to take care of. [And a lot to think about, now.] If you need anything, you can find me on the Heron.

[It's kind of abrupt, but she won't apologize for it, and... at least she's leaving a door open for him to seek her out later, if he wants? Ball's in his court now., unless something happens. Still distrusting- she's curious to see if he'll actually want to. Another test, maybe. Definitely.

Anyway.]

[deathcouture]

[ It's like a sub-deal. Part and parcel of the first deal. That's totally how it works. Yep.

But he does need to talk to Taako. He needs to figure out how best to talk to Taako, first off, but... that will come. And he can imagine she probably needs to think through some things for herself. He is, admittedly, a little surprised by her offer. It would be different if they were both from when he's from, but if he's essentially a dangerous stranger to her, then it means she's already putting some amount of trust in him. ... He's flattered. Honestly.

He nods, steps away from her and her shuttle. ]

Likewise. I'm on the Bloodsport, if you ever need me. And, Lup, thanks for talking things through with me.

[necromanswers]

Yeah, don't mention it. [A beat.] Seriously, don't mention it. Especially not to Taako.

[She points to her eyes, then points to him. Watchin' you, Skullman. So maybe don't be too flattered yet?

Then she climbs in rather than waiting for a response, because that's about as much as she can handle of this right now. Lup's officially checking out of here.]