driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

I literally told you not to die in the snow, goofus. That doesn't mean you don't try to get as close as possible anyway.

[With his inspection finished, he swings it up to rest on his shoulder like he used to. It feels right to have it back at his side again, but he'll have to reattune to it now. He can tell that it's out of whack somehow now that he has it in his possession again. What a pain in the ass.

He might also not carry it around as much as he used to. There's not a lot of danger here and, well....the way Lup looks at the staff is like she's haunted by it. This might be a "when I think shit will hit the fan" type of dealio. For now though, he wants its familiar weight on his shoulder, where it makes him feel safe. It's a tether back to his world, to the people he left behind, a reminder of what he needs to finish on the Iskaulit so they can all get back to them.]

Good on you for aiming it right at least one of the times. I hope you ruined his night.

I definitely ruined his shoes. Oh shit, speaking of which- I met this guy in a park later who had the most amaaaaazing boots. I wanna stake out the place one day before we leave here, see if I can track him down and find out where he got 'em.

[She gestures forward, trying to shoo him back into the room so she can join him. She has nails to do, after all. And maybe once he puts the umbrella down she'll start to feel a bit more normal again.]

Do you even remember where it was, drunkie?

[He hesitates when she shoos him backward. It's not the first time Lup's been in his room. The fact that pieces of his closet go missing periodically at around the same time she shows up in them is evidence of that. He's known she comes in and out in the same way he's been stealing onto the Heron to liberate certain pieces of her closet to a more kind and loving home before. It's just the first time he's ever been in here while she was actually here.

This was his one space on the Fleet that was his. He didn't care about cleaning or keeping a unified aesthetic in here. It was a mess on the best of days (save for his closet, which was always neat), but after the last few he'd taken to stuffing it full of stuff. Things to fill the gaps that made him feel better. They were everywhere and there wasn't exactly a lot of sitting space. He glances back at the room, then at her and tosses a Mage Hand over his shoulder to clear more of a spot off the bed, dumping some pillows and mismatched chess pieces to the ground.]

And don't shoo me in my own home, nerd.

[Then he steps back and throws himself unceremoniously where he'd been before, deep into the pillow mountain that had overtaken where most normal people slept.]

If you can remember where it is and it isn't cold, maybe I'll go with you. How amazing these boots are need to be studied for science.

[She half-expected him to refuse, maybe fetch the nail polish and walk them to the kitchen or somewhere more open and less... personal. This, in a sense, is another way he's showing her that she might be forgiven one day. Whatever his reason, she'll take it without complaint.

She follows him in, nudging the door with her foot so that it's not quite shut, but also not leaving them open for any passerby to invade, either. He can decide for himself what he'll be happy with- that's what Mage Hand is for. It's true that space isn't plentiful - mostly thanks to the grand disaster in his room that she'd honestly come to expect over the years - so she sits herself down on the bed near his hand, reaching out for the polish remover and a dabber sponge.]

I actually don't remember what they looked like? But I wrote down that I saw them, and the guy was definitely real. I'm kinda hype for the inevitable surprise when I see them again.

[From his place on the pillow fort, he uses Mage Hand not to mess with the door, but to put the Umbra Staff on the shelf over his bed. Within easy reach if he needs it, but out of her direct line of sight. She might say that whatever caused the staff to act on its own is gone, but if it came down to a contest of wills over it, he's not sure he could beat her. She's got levels upon levels of power over him, and she's the staff's creator - even if she loathes the thing now. You always leave a piece of yourself behind in whatever you make, whether it's a hugely powerful focus or a croissant.

Fucking piece of wisdom right there. Too bad only his internal monologue heard it.]

Well then how can we trust that you were even lucid enough to know what was awesome when you were drunk?

[And wrote down?]

...Were you chronicling your drunkenness?

[She snorts out a laugh, reaching out to take his hand so she can start cleaning up the mess he'd made of his nails. Thankfully a solid two days of rest and rumination had healed up the glass cut she'd given herself during her binge, so the alcohol doesn't bother her any.

And having the Umbra Staff out of sight helps. It... helps a lot, actually. She focuses on his nails and tries to forget it's there, too.]

I wasn't! Not exactly. I was trying to text for a ride, but I didn't know where I was. My dashing boot prince wandered along so I got him to send someone my location. I was gawking at his glorious feet while he did it. So he definitely exists! Got the text to prove it, 'cause I sure as hell wasn't sober enough to type properly.

[Gods, he kind of wished he'd been there for her drunken escapades now. Except that he'd been pissed at her during it all and probably would have made it worse. He'd have been in no mood to enjoy the chaos, so he has to make due with listening to it for now. Taako lounges back against the pillows and watches as she cleans up the mess he made.]

Oh, so you were drunk-texting someone. Even better.

[Maybe if he sends a drunk Lup back out there, her shoe prince will come by again.]

What're you gonna do if he changes shoes, huh? He could walk right by you and we'll never know.

If that happens, then I'll know it was never meant to be more than just a fever dream, a bad-end Cinderella who loses both shoes. I'll mourn the loss but alas, my life will go on.

[Removing polish is easy, it's the re-application that can be tricky, so once she finishes one hand she reaches over to clean the other first, dabbing the alcohol on so it soaks in. They must have done this thousands of times for one another, so it's little more than muscle memory at this point, following the precise curves of his nails, lightly supporting each delicate finger.]

[He snorts at that and rolls his eyes. Cinderella hadn't exactly been so drunk she lost her shoe, but sure, he'll let Lup draw that parallel for now. She's surprisingly good at handling his nails at least, which eases a little of the tension from his shoulders. He figured she would be, even if she wasn't exactly rocking nail polish herself all the time, but it's nice to have that confirmation. It's also nice to have something to focus on other than what happened the other day, or the way he wants to take the Umbra Staff planetside and just shoot spells into the sky for no reason.

This is forcing him to be near her, and it's something he has to adjust to again. He'd almost gotten used to the idea that they'd never speak to each other again, when she's shown up. He has to trap himself to keep himself from running again.]

In that case, don't expect me to stand around on a street corner with a bunch of drunks waiting to see whether or not a shoe ghost shows up. Taako's not gonna freeze, no thanks.

You're the one who suggested coming along in the first place, ya dingus. I can just take a photo, if you want to see them so badly. [A beat.] Buuuut that also means you won't be nearby in case I find out where to get them, so you'll miss out on a rad shopping trip.

That was before I knew your plan consisted of "stand on a street corner and pray Istus is kind." It's freezing out there.

[The temptation of a shopping trip is a big one, but he's still wary. She's back in for now, but it's not quite the same yet.]

I'm not going to die of frostbite for shoes that may or may not come. I'll wait in the shuttle.

Fine, fine, leave the girl who nearly froze herself to a park bench to lurk alone in the cold. It's not like you've got spells for that.

[Her tone is teasing though, not about to push her luck with their tentative peace. She knows if she finds this guy she'll be calling up over in a hot minute.

She gives his hands a quick examination, and with a satisfied hum she puts away the cleaner and moves on to the nail polish he'd chosen before their spat ruined it, and goes to work delicately applying a fresh coat.]

Hey, pick a colour, I wanna do mine too.

Not my fault you almost froze yourself. I told you not to do it.

[He barely manages to corral the bitter edge to his voice as he says that. She's teasing, sure, but he's still on pins and needles, ready to emotionally bolt at the first sign things will turn sour again. ]

Besides, fire is more your thing than mine. I'd rather not burn a slot just because someone didn't think of bringing a handwarmer.

[Even if the planet's magic properties meant he could probably burn every spell in his repertoire every day and never run the risk of being tired.]

But what color's your hair turning tomorrow? I think I got one that'll match.

[She opts not to comment on his barb; he knows he's still on edge, and he's not wrong, either, so better not to exacerbate the situation. He can chew on that stick if he likes, if it helps any. And she ought to watch her words more carefully for a while; this is almost like a relapse to their early days, when they first arrived and they were still getting used to each other. She's not looking forward to walking on eggshells again, but it's her own damn fault, so she'll deal with it.

She pauses after finishing one nail to shake her head enough to dangle a loose bit of hair over her shoulder, so she can check the colour. She hadn't given it much thought today so her colours aren't as coordinated - she'd dressed nice for the sake of penitence, but not well, which means checking her clothes won't help her remember the colour like usual. The highlights are a dark blue today, which means...]

...Tomorrow's pink.

[He pulls his hand back and blows on the nail that's finished, careful not to smudge it like he did the last set. Then he slides off the bed and uses his free hand to rummage through the mess of his room. He's pretty sure he grabbed a bunch of bottles out of the.... Yep! Bingo. After tossing aside a few pillows and discarded gifts from the people planetside, he drags a bottle of pink polish with gold swirled inside.

He drops it on the bed next to her and then resumes his original position, flopped over and trying his best to relax.]

That should work then.

[She takes a moment to examine the polish, eyes brightening immediately. He's spot on- it's a great colour for it, and the nice thing about the pink is that it's a more subtle shade, which means it'll go with a lot of things. She sets it aside for now and returns to fixing his nails.]

I dig it, nice choice. It sucks that it'll clash the day after, though... maybe I should consider doing rainbow nails for a while?

[Which... also sounds like a lot of work, which is why she doesn't usually bother - plus all her fire-casting usually causes the enamel to crack - but it has potential.]

You could, but do you think you could maintain it long enough? You don't want them to get ratty looking.

[Taako's careful when he's got polish on and he has to cook - wearing gloves in the kitchen and choosing Prestidigitation rather than washing dishes. He's also meticulous enough to reapply topcoat every other night. He's not so sure Lup would take that time out of her day to do it.]

Or you could go neutral tone, but that's boring. Kinda defeats the purpose of havin' your nails done.

Uuuugh I hate that you're right. Neutral's out, gotta go big or go home.

[She finishes the first hand at his pinky, blowing gently and checking for mistakes, then taps his palm to switch out again.]

[If he wasn't at odds with her again right now, he'd offer to do hers once his set. Maybe he will after he has a little more time to cool down. As it is, he reaches across his body with his other hand, lifting his finished one to inspect her handiwork.

He waits for a moment, then decides to just rip the bandaid of his curiosity off.]

So why do you hate it so much? You created the thing; you'd think seeing it wouldn't send you into a drunken spiral.

[Her hand goes still as she takes his, her fingers tense under his palm. She wrestles with it for a moment, her gaze shifting down and away from him, focusing on the little bottle of polish. He had to ask, didn't he... well, she hadn't exactly been subtle about her feelings. There was also the whole umbrella explosion on that first planet, so she's made her opinion of it pretty damned clear. She doesn't want to ruin the Umbra Staff for him with the whole truth though, since it is an excellent focus for him. Just. Not for her, anymore.

She chooses her words carefully as she responds.]

...You said it yourself- it has a mind of its own. Or had one, anyway. I didn't know it was a problem back then, and I paid for that. It... misfired. Pretty badly.

[She glances over her shoulder at it, briefly, and when she turns back her brow is furrowed, expression conflicted. Not hate, exactly; cautious, yet thoughtful.]

I fixed it, so you're fine, but- y'know. You get it, right?

[Something happened to him to make him stop cooking for other people for a long time. She might not know all the details, but she can read between the lines. Knowing what happened and what you did wrong doesn't make those bad memories go away.]

[So she got burned by her own focus? Well that's dumb, but also understandable. The Umbra Staff could do some pretty amazing, sometimes frightening things all on its own. It nearly obliterated Kravitz that night on the moon base, and Angus was lucky to still have a head on him. It's good that it can't just up and murder him on a whim anymore, but it's also kinda sad. It's almost like it's going to be missing something now.

Hopefully it still keeps him alive.

He watches Lup's expression carefully, then shrugs.]

Yeah, sure. I guess so. I get it.

[It was a useful feature, but something had to have gone wrong for the staff to end up in a cave with a skeleton. He focuses again on the finished hand, blowing on the polish gently.]

Just wanna know if I should keep it locked up so you don't go all explodey on it like you did all the other ones.

Hah.

[Lup shakes off her momentary unease, getting back to the polish and working on his other hand.]

If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have bothered giving it back to you. I know I didn't give you the greatest impression the other day, but I'm not a complete asshole.

I mean, I woulda been pissed if you had.

[He jerks his thumb up at the staff, a deadpan look on his face.]

You had to have seen all the decor I put on there. That's like...twenty minutes of my life I spent on that, Lup. Twenty whole minutes.

[He's being dramatic, but it's obvious he's not really all that upset by it. Getting your own shit turned on you is one thing he understands well, and even if he isn't ready or even willing to tell that to anyone here, it's never far from his mind. It was only recently that he knew the truth of what happened. It's hard to just walk away from years of guilt.]

Twenty of them. Can you believe that?

I'm amazed it was only twenty minutes.

[She's seen him spend hours on accessorizing in the past- twenty minutes is probably below estimate, considering the level of decor on the umbrella. Her own decor had only taken about as long because she'd gotten him to help her with it back at the Arcanum, though all of that had wasted or faded away years before he found it in Wave Echo Cave.]

I like what you did with it, though. Never seen it look quite like that before.

[Kinda hard to see decoration when you're inside the damn thing, after all.]

Well, I hope so. If I was bumming someone's look, I'd have to kill 'em. Taako's all original.

[He stops for a moment, then shrugs.]

Mostly.

[She shared his face after all. He isn't the only one of himself anymore, which irked him at first, but after awhile he saw the benefit in it.]

It was pretty plain when I picked it up.

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im literally only tagging this first bc my colour wheel for her hair is on this computer lmao

lmfao i love it

i over-complicated my own life via character decisions oops

gj u

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