driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

[Taako nods along and bites into his sandwich, chewing as he uses it as an example.]

Totally get it. Like, he's amazing at massages, but this sandwich? Passable, not the best Could do with some mint or dill in the cream cheese.

[He pauses, watching Raoul work on Lup's other hand, silent like always.]

No offense, buddy. Just ain't your field.

See, that's where the mansion one-ups ya. The servants there can make some awesome food if you direct 'em properly, and they fluff up a pillow like no inn I've ever stayed at. They know how to make a place feel good and homey.

[Which, for people who didn't really have much of a home for hundred of years, was a nice treat once in a while.]

[That did sound nice, but it would mean entering her pocket dimension. He still wasn't entirely certain he wanted to risk that, not after witnessing what people like Jenkins could do with those little tricks. He has the Umbra Staff back at least, so he wouldn't exactly be helpless, but it isn't a situation he needs to go putting himself in until he's either desperate or...well, desperate.]

I'll give you that, but I prefer to make my own food nowadays.

[No chance that someone can slip arsenic in his meal that way. He pauses and waves the sandwich as he realizes how ironic that sounds after just eating in here.]

Usually.

Yeah, yeah.

[Her tone is dry, nonchalant. She's not even bothering to try inviting him into the mansion anymore, joking or otherwise- she knows what his response is going to be, some varying excuse that alludes (or outright declares) his lack of trust for her and her spells. Which is fine, she gets it, she's just tired of hearing it from him of all people.]

It's different when it's your pocket dimension, I think. Like trusting your own spell to do you right, because it's yours. Or at least because you bought it, whatever.

Yeah, the last time I did anything involving someone else's dimensional pocket whatever, the dumbass was a murderer who cut people's heads off.

[One head, but still.]

Dooooesn't exactly make me eager to go into anyone else's little hidey-hole or trust what comes outta it.

I guess that's a good reason for it, sure.

[She hums absently, blowing on her nails, and takes a quiet moment to sip at her drink. Overall, this place is... pretty nice. She might even model a room of the mansion based on it, since she has her doubts that Taako will be inviting her in on the regular.]

So long as the only thing Raoul's chopping is cucumbers, this place is stellar.

A lemons.

[He jerks a thumb at the pitcher of lemon slices in water and watches as Raoul finishes her index finger and starts on her thumb.]

So, you know, don't feel bad that I don't go rushing into your spooky mansion. Taako's just takin' things a little easy after seeing a guy's head come off in a dimensional door.

[She lifts her shoulders in a dismissive shrug.]

Dunno if feeling bad is accurate, I mean... not your fault or anything. You've got a reason and it's a good one. It's just that the place is big an' empty and wasted on one person.

[And lonely, if she were to be honest. Which she won't be. Her voice echoes in the desolate halls and no amount of magical reshaping can do much about that. She doesn't use the spell without a reason, now.

Eventually she'll get really good at lying to him about this stuff- she's sure getting plenty of practice in. For now, though, she fakes a smile and gestures a finger, and Mage Hand playfully flicks his hat forward over his eyes.]

So stop making that face at me!

[See? This is what he gets for giving a shit. It isn't as bad as before, but still.

He jerks his head away and readjusts his hat, sticking his tongue out at her.]

I wasn't making a face. You must've been imagining shit.

[She sticks her tongue out right back at him, giggling between her teeth.]

You were! You were thinking, oh, this sadsack Lup, miserable over not getting to spend more time with the fab and famous Taako, from TV.

Well, everyone who doesn't get to bask in my glory is a sadsack, so yeah, you're not wrong there.

[He uses a Mage Hand to pick up a pillow off a lounge seat nearby and toss it in her direction. Raoul is finished with her nails at least, putting the cap back on polish bottle as he stands up.]

Ack-

[She lifts her drying hand to block the pillow with her palm though with how she's trying to carefully protect the fresh coat it bounces off and fluffs up her hair. She huffs, tilting her head back to brush it against the back of the chair to try and fix it, since she can't just run her fingers through it now.]

Brat. Get your guy to do the topcoat, it should be good by now.

[He sticks his tongue out at her again and tilts his head back, looking at the rack of polish behind them.]

Mmm, yeah, good idea. Raoul?

[The servant has already grabbed the polish bottle and is already back at their side by the time Taako's giving him a command. He holds a hand out and Taako obediently puts his hand forward as Raoul goes to work again.]

But for serious - don't be a sadsack. It's weird.

I'm not a sadsack.

[She shifts in her seat to put the thrown pillow up behind herself, arms slung over the back of the chair, fingers spread to let the nail polish dry in the warm sauna air. Her eyes close as she settles in to relax.]

I'm a fully realized creation, with emotions all my own.

[So, y'know, take that.]

[That line elicits a face from him and he rolls his eyes. She not only has his face, but his lines too? He wasn't even sure anyone but Merle, Magnus and Hurley had been around for that little rant of his, but the echoes of what he said ring in her words. Either she's a phenomenal stalker or the Red Robes were far too invested in his life.

He really hopes they weren't watching him in the bathroom or something.]

Yeah yeah, whatever. Where have I heard that before I wonder.

[It does make him uncomfortable though. Hearing the echo like that. Like the static in his head and the blanks in his memory, it all puts him on edge.

But now isn't the time to think of that. He's in his Pocket Spa, it's time to relax and let someone else paint his nails and then maybe go sit in the sauna until he dies from heat exhaustion because it's better than freezing his ass off on the planet.]

And you looked like a sadsack earlier; just saying.

[She's quiet for a bit, just relaxing in place, humming an acknowledgment that yeah, maybe she was- or maybe she wasn't. Much like him, her willingness to share how she's feeling is often limited to those who are likely to care, and he... isn't always included in that list, now. She's learned that well, and it's something that can only be changed with time. Plus she came here to apologize, not bring him down with her emotional issues. This is spa time, which means relaxation time, which means shut-up-and-don't-be-sad time.

She can do that much, for him. She'd rather have this be one-sided more often than to not have it at all.

Silence doesn't suit them, though, so after a moment she does respond.]

You weren't kidding about this place healing- I feel better already.

[Sometimes the soul needs a bit of healing too, that's all.]

[Things go quiet between them other than Lup's humming and Taako chances closing his eyes, relaxing into the feeling of someone painting his nails. It was a luxury to begin with back home, even getting polish had been hard, and it never stuck around long since he was constantly on the run, constantly fighting. But when he could? Oh, he loved to be pampered.

When she breaks the quiet, he opens one eye to look at her.]

Taako's always right, babe; you should know that by now.

[He lets his head flop back as Raoul works on his hands.]

Ugh, makes me wish I could just sleep in here, but there's no beds. So I guess that's a point in your mystery mansion's favor.

Yeah, but even the mansion only lasts for a day. I could recast it, but I don't want to risk the ire of our craptastic captors finding a way to cut us off from our own temporary planes of existence the way they've cut us off from the rest by abusing it. Plus it's still 7th level- that's a lot of power for a daily self-indulgence, even if it's totally worth it most days.

[It's just that most days she'd rather shoot off a really big fireball than nap in a big fluffy bed. Trading luxury for power is a thing for her.]

I mean.....

[Taako would totally burn a 7th level slot for some godsdamn luxury at his fingertips. He doesn't exactly need to fight for his life here, so while he likes to reserve his heavy hitters just in case, he's also willing to just go all out.]

Why not? It's not like you're losing a spell slot here. And if they couldn't cut us off from our magic when we got here, I doubt they're gonna find a way to do it after we get here.

[He hopes.

Gods, he hopes they don't cut him off from his magic. He needs that shit.]

They can drag us from our reality, so that means they could drag us out of magical dimensions, too- one's a lot easier than the other.

[A high level Dispel could get rid of her mansion, easy. With the power that the Atroma clearly wield? Who knows what they could do to cut them off. Enough of what they do reminds her of the Hunger already, so why not this, as well? It would explain a lot.]

They're calling gods here, and they're cutting people like Kravitz off from other gods. No one's been able to escape them in years, supposedly. I don't want to make my life shittier by pushing my luck too hard or too fast- I know how to play the long game.

[Taako rolls his eyes, but he knows she's right. After getting the Pocket Spa back, he'd tried to stay in it for too long and it had locked him out for a day. He doesn't like that they can just screw with them like this, not with something that should be out of their reach.]

I've got some theories on how they're doing all that shit, but it's all still... [Unsteady. He needs more time, more practice, more magic in order to get it to work right. Lucas had the right idea though, and Belthezar. People have dropped enough hints, had enough time to work on it, that he's picked up the pieces and started jamming them together to make a more cohesive whole.]

In progress, I guess. And the gods they have here - the closest to a god that we know from our world would be that other Death floating around. But even he's more grounded in reality than say, Istus or the Raven Queen. Now, if the Atroma could pull either of them in here, then I'd be worried.

But they can't. They can only block 'em out and try to keep us from accessing their power again.

Or that's just what they want us to think. I don't like how little we know about them, or what they're capable of.

[Who's to say they can't bring other gods in- maybe they just won't for whatever reason. Maybe they can only hold so many at a time, or they'd be an ill-fitted match for whatever dumb dramatic "show" they're running. Maybe gods are so insignificant compared to their power that they're no more or less special than your average Joe. Too many variables, too many unanswered questions.

She's still itching to pick Taako's brain on what he's planning, but it hadn't gotten her anywhere last time, and despite her offer he hasn't hit her up on the private network, either. As annoying as it is, they're not the same level of collaborators that she's used to. Another roadblock that will probably take a long time to overcome.

Uuuuugh, she's tired of being patient, though. She waited ten years for this shit already.]

Just... be careful, is all I'm saying. Don't underestimate them by making assumptions.

Or maybe you're super overthinking shit and we're just a distraction for whatever thing they're actually planning.

[Since the 'reality show' part of this whole thing might be a ruse, the Fleet might just be the bumbling curtain that the Atroma use to hide behind. It'd be effective, that's for certain. Everyone focused on getting out and not on what their kidnappers were doing if not broadcasting them all over space and earning cash that way. The appearance of cargo to be shipped that didn't seem to do a whole fucking lot was just another piece of a puzzle he had no idea about.

Annoying, but less important than getting free.]

And when am I not careful? Taako's done dying, thanks. I did it mooore than enough in Refuge. It's old news and boring.

[It's Lup's turn to roll her eyes, because she knows Taako's pretty damned inconsistent when it comes to preserving his own life. One moment he's standing by and letting whatever happen to whomever, the next he's neck-deep in trouble firing spells off to save the day. He talks a good game but there are a few people now that he won't just abandon to die, and she's grateful for his growth but at the same time it's hard to think about. Especially here, with fewer people around to watch his back.

Really wishing that protection fighter of theirs was here.]

So long as you don't get yourself killed, then fine, plot away. But you don't have to do it all yourself.

[He blows a raspberry, giving her a thumbs down. The last thing Taako expects is to get himself killed. He's taking all the right precautions, testing the spell out in smaller doses, finding places where there's little chance of collateral damage to himself or others, checking and rechecking, adjusting and readjusting everything he can about it until now when he's fairly certain with a clear mind and a clear goal, he just might stand a chance.

It isn't about getting himself through. All he has to do is get a message out, get some small thread of power from their world in, give the Raven Queen or Istus or Angus enough of a hint to let them know that they're missing. Fate said doesn't like to interfere with the lives of mortals, but Taako has a feeling it's a load of bunk and she'd slap some divine punishment down if it came to it. These Atroma were seriously fucking with the threads of Fate in a way that even she has to take offense to, right?

But just in case? He can't let anyone else in on this. If anyone is going to fail and take the brunt of the consequences, it has to be him. He has to give the rest of them a chance.

And a hint of what to do if he isn't strong enough.]

Never said I'm doing it on my lonesome.

[Raoul finishes with Taako's nails and wanders off to get a clear topcoat to seal them, while Taako inspects his handiwork. He keeps his voice light, even though this is the one thing that worries him more than anything.]

We're not the only ones looking into ways to break through the planes here. But letting anyone in on the secrets apparently gets them whisked away by the Atroma - not sure if it's home or somewhere else though. That dude that runs around with a bag on his head? Yeah, he's told me some interesting shit. So has Belth. But letting anyone know could mean one or both or all of you suddenly go poof.

[Lup included. And even if he was pissed at her, he didn't want her to just disappear for whatever reason.]

So? Better just not to talk about it.

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