i'm going on hiatus so taako's going on forced vacay!

[abracafcku]

Who: Taako and everyone who will want to beat his ass for being dumb
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Iskaulit, later First Breath
When: Forward dated to December 27th. I'm going on hiatus from the 24th to the 5th so Taako will be resting from his massive goof-up until then!

Iskaulit: Late Night
This planet was the perfect location. After hearing that they rarely came to such singing worlds, Taako knew he couldn't wait in case his work was discovered or destroyed in the interim. After all the festivities had wound down and he'd finished making his rounds and showing his face where he was needed, Taako retreated to the Iskaulit, to a room down in the depths that he'd excavated out of the bowels of the ship. It was deep enough that if things went wrong - not that they would because this was Taako after all, he wasn't an amateur, but if they went wrong - no one else would be caught up in the wayward magical energies. He had a multitude of books filled with notes and information gleaned from the library and from conversations with people here and an endless supply of magic as long as he kept drinking that glowing blue water. And, just in case, before he'd sealed himself up in here, he'd sent Lup a package with a copy of all his notes. If anyone could figure this out if he failed, it'd be her.

He'd checked and rechecked his diagrams as he drew the magic circles across every surface in his square room, carving them into the very walls and filling them in slowly and painstakingly with the right color stone. The more stable the circles, the more stable the magic - something he'd gleaned from Belthazar's notebook. He'd measured and remeasured and tried his best to get the surface of the circular gem beneath his feet to be an absolute perfect circle. And finally, here he was, ready wth every component and piece in place. If this worked - and it would, natch, it was him, it would work - he'd have a window into his Plane and vice versa. If the Raven Queen could seize on that moment to push some power through, it would mean Kravitz would be able to rip a hole out of this place. And if that didn't work, maybe Taako could get a message to Magnus or Merle or-- no, let's be real, he'd contact Angus because he was probably the only capable smart person he knew and he wasn't sure if he trusted the Director anymore, if he ever did. Angus would figure this out or Kravitz would rip in and out of this plane, and they'd all be home again easy peasy.

Taako took a deep breath, pressed his hands against the smooth gem beneath him, and concentrated. "Here goes nothing."

The water he'd pulled up and placed at strategic points around the room glowed like beacons, the burn of power in his stomach grew warmer, and the lines of his diagrams jumped to life like a blinding fire. Wind pulled at Taako's hair and clothes, whipping them around as he channeled all his energy into the magic circle and the gem. The world was filled with buzzing, magnificent power, and Taako pressed it, pushed it, and formed it to his will. He could feel things clicking into place, and he could feel the universe press back against him, an overwhelming force, resisting his will, resisting the change. But Taako was nothing if not stubborn, and the arcane magics puffed like glowing mists from his lips as he forced the world to listen to him and it did - for a brief, brilliant moment.

And, like some sort of cruel joke, the gem beneath him cracked in a grim mocking smile and Taako saw all his hard work unravel in slow motion around him. An arc of power shot out from the cracks like lightning and scored the ceiling and walls, ripping through the magic circles. That damage sent out other bolts of energy, shredding his protections and tearing the magic containments apart. He barely had time to register that he might honestly die right now before the world erupted and all that energy and power and fire came crashing back in on itself - and on him.

Iskaulit Action & Broadcast
[Sometime, late at night, when most reasonable people are asleep after all the revelry on the planet, there is a massive explosion that rocks the bowels of the Iskaulit. The ship shakes like a minor earthquake and settles no worse for wear. Ten minutes later, a communication goes out: Taako is bleeding heavily from a cut on his forehead, he's covered in ash and a million other little injuries and coughing weakly. Behind him is a smouldering wreck of a room, jagged shards of blackened glass jutting out of the walls.]

If anyone's near the Iskaulit? Shit, I hope someone's nearby. Is this even the right network? Fffffuuuuuck it. [Taako clears his throat as best he can, slumping against a clear spot on the wall.]

Yeah hey, I uh - it's me, ya boy Taako, and well? [He takes a shaky breath.] I messed up. Yeah, yeah, I know - stupid dumb Taako, my bad - but save the yelling for later, mkay? 'Cause I'm, uh.... I think I'm gonna need a cleric. [He looks down off camera and winces.] Like no biggie, but...

[He rolls the camera down and it shows a piece of that jagged glass stuck through his side, red blood is quickly staining more and more of his shirt and hand where it's pressed against the wound.]

It's kinda? Urgent? Pretty sure...I'm gonna lose consciousness... like... mmmmm, pretty soon.

Oh and uh sorry for the whole...not PG13 gross blood thing. I...m...... [He hisses in pain and his voice starts trailing off as he drops the communicator.] Sonovabitch...... fuckin' dice........ rolls..........


First Breath Action
[Once he's rescued and stablized, Taako spends the first three days after his failure sleeping - or trying to sleep, or pretending to sleep to avoid talking to people. When he can't do that any longer without looking like he's gone into a coma, he stays in his room, alternatively sulking and checking his notes over again to find out what went wrong. He's here until the pain subsides and his magic comes back, having blown a shitload of it on the spell, enough that he feels tapped out. Anyone who wants to yell at him is free to come over. It's not like he can get up and leave right now.]

Comments

[iskaulit]

[shroudedsecrets]

[Luckily for Taako, there's at least one unreasonable person with a lab augment awake to notice the broadcast, conveniently on the ship itself.

... and of course her first response is to frown, because that was no less than a magic disaster.

Her second response is to teleport over, but it would help if she knew where he was, exactly.]

I am coming. What is your exact location.

[Or whatever qualified as close enough to it.]

[iskaulit]

[abracafcku]

[Thank the gods someone heard his dumb ass. He has to think to get the right location though and it isn't exactly easy with a concussion and, well, blood rapidly exiting his body.

With fumbling fingers, he hits send on a message.]

Lower deck, aft. Follow the smell of-- [Fuuuuck he hates dying. It's so painful.] --burnt elf.

[shroudedsecrets]

[... Good enough. But he's going to be an absolute mess when she gets there and she's going to need supplies, and to move quickly, even if it's a good sign that he's managing to be conscious at the moment, though for how long that can last...]

... Yes. Keep speaking, Taako.

[Her voice remains calm. Logically, her mind was putting together a list of what she would need, as she moves: a well filled first-aid kit. Towels. Sheets. Materials to alchemy up a makeshift gurney. It would take a few quick teleportation trips around for her to gather it all and hone in on him, but at least she knew where to find them--and him, with some intuit.]

You need to focus on something until I get there. A topic. Your favorite ingredients. Anything you can list.

[abracafcku]

[Speaking is kind of his gig so it should be easy, but thinking isn't his specialty right now and Taako mutters so under his breath. If he had a healing potion, this shit wouldn't have been so bad. He could have pulled the glass out himself and...

Taako looks down at his shirt and blinks blearily at it.]

...gonna need a new shirt. Huh.

[It was easier in Refuge. At least it had been quick - a nasty explosion, some big effects... Well, getting eaten alive by the fuzzy bugs hadn't been fun or quick, but that was just one time?

Was it one time?]

Can't...remember. Shit. Am I dying for real? ...this sucks.

[shroudedsecrets]

[Well, even if he couldn't list anything, he was still talking. That was something to go on, even if she could tell it was difficult.

... Stupid boy. She couldn't fault him for trying, being on the side of experiments gone wrong was kind of her life story, but this was not something he needed to lose his life over. And worse, it would upset Lup, and there was no time to even begin contacting her just yet, if she hadn't heard him call already.]

You will not die.

[She says, her tone only slightly sharper to try and keep him focused on responding.]

Keep speaking to me. I will be there soon.

first breath;

[necromanswers]

[People have weird ideas about twins, what they think or feel or know about each other. It's easy to recall the plethora of stories heard across the various planer systems she'd visited, comments she'd received when they notice the identical appearance- "if one of you is hurt does the other feel it?" or "can you hear each others' thoughts?" Dumb stuff like that. She and Taako used to take advantage of the stories; they'd lock eyes and respond in perfect unison, denying the claim even as they demonstrate it. Scared the shit out of a lot of people for funsies. She learned the Telepathic Bond spell for those gags, so they could synchronize flawlessly and get the best results. It became a game for them, a way to bring some light fun into the darker years. In truth, most of it's a load of superstitious bullcrap.

Most of it.

Sometimes she gets feelings, a little tickle in the throat or an ache in her chest, or a unusually potent wave of deja vu. Things she can't explain until that gut feeling manifests into the news that oh, Taako's been hurt, or oh, Taako's in trouble, or oh, he did some stupid move. It's easy to dismiss as coincidence, but it always puts her on edge. When she became a lich and bound her soul to her magic using Taako's role in her life as a tether, those feelings only grew stronger.

Today she's on edge, stalking around wherever she goes like she's on a razor wire, really to jump off at a moment's notice. Like something's going to happen but she doesn't know when or where. She goes about her day business as usual, but that feeling remains at the back of her mind, tugging quietly every now and then, and she waits.

And then Taako's message arrives. She reads his notes. It's a good theory, solid and detailed, and any professor at the Institute would have been proud. But it's the work of a 1st year, not a graduate, because those memories had been taken from him. It's incomplete and dangerous, reckless. There's still too much about this place that they don't know, but the way it's written... it makes it sound like he thinks it's ready.

The feeling of what is answered, leaving her only with a panicked where. She fires off a message to Kravitz to check the ships and takes off, starting in the main port town and venturing further outwards as she asks the locals if anyone has seen someone with her face come through recently. She tries countless arcana checks and detection spells but it's useless on this damned planet, too much magical interference. Searching for a specific sort just gets her head uncomfortably buzzing. She searches and searches for what feels like hours, but her options grow limited the later it gets. The skies go dark, the people go home. There's no sign of him no matter where she goes. She checks her comm, finally, and... ah. Fuck.

She hates when the feeling is real.

She's too far to reach him on the Iskaulit, but it's not for lack of trying. By the time she gets there he's been found and tended to, leaving only the remnants of his spell behind. Lup tracks his path and checks the room over anyway, taking in what's left of the circle, the shards of crystal, the broken glass. The blood. The... uncomfortable amount of blood.

She doesn't stay long. The First Breath med lab is her next stop, and that's where at last she finds Taako, asleep or unconscious or whatever but alive. She almost breaks down then and there, gripping the doorway with whitened knuckles, her gaze zeroing in on his chest as it rises and falls. She walks to his bedside, checks his forehead, brushes his hair back. Safe. He's safe. He fucked up but he's alive. No longer trusting her legs to hold her upright she pulls a chair over and sits, leaning against the edge of the bed. She takes his hand, because he can't stop her from doing so, and she settles in to wait.

She'll be there, waiting, until he wakes up. For days, if that's what it takes. She's not leaving his side now.]

first breath;

[abracafcku]

[It's not days per se, but it does take awhile. Taako is just out for the first day, unconscious and reveling in it. Without conscious thought, his body can't tell his brain how much of a stupid godsdamn idea it was to attempt the spell. He'd thought he had a good idea of what to do. It had even almost worked, but then something went wrong. The spell went uneven and?

The void - an endless expanse of not-being that he could just be in blessed ignorance.

And then the second day comes and his mind awakens, and with it the pain. Meditation and trance do nothing to stop it, nor do they stop his foggy thoughts from trying to pick apart what went wrong as soon as they're able to fragment themselves back together. Unwilling to wake up and face the full assault of his nerves telling him what a stupid idea it had been, he lets himself float in the in-between, peripherally aware that someone is nearby. Maybe it's Kravitz? He can't really think of anyone else would look in on him, not after failing as spectacularly as he had. He'd be lucky if they let him stay on the godsdamn ship after that.

What a thing. He was supposed to be a hero and instead he was going to become a pariah. Although it wouldn't be the first time, he doesn't exactly relish the idea of being left behind on the planet. Or worse, being bandied about between ships because no one wants a stupid idiot failure on their side. He can't blame them. He wouldn't want to be near him right now either.

That thought plagues him as he finally wakes up, reluctantly pulled out of a less than blissful sleep. The first thing he sees is a blurry ceiling that clears after blinking a few times. His mouth is dry and everything just fucking hurts. Taako grimaces and tries to touch his side, but something has his hand. Or is it his wrist? Is he restrained?

Turning his head to the side, he squints against the light as he makes out blond hair with colored highlights and instantly realizes who's here.

Shit.]

Your hand is sweaty.

[His voice croaks and it's hoarser than he likes, but at least it's steady as he tries a joke that he knows will probably fall flat.]

[necromanswers]

[She's been trancing on and off for the majority of her wait, mostly to help the time pass since she's too damned stressed to try and do much else. She does re-read his notes a few more times, going over details like a teacher grading a paper with a big red marker, instead of in a rush as she had the first time. The errors stand out more now that she has something of a clear head on her shoulders. It's not his fault for not knowing- even she doesn't have the answer for how to escape this place, and she has a hundred more years of experience to depend on.

She could have told him this wouldnt work, though. If he'd bothered to ask her.

Lup is in a trance when she feels him start to stir, her fingers curved into his wrist so she can feel for his pulse if it changed, so she's aware when he speaks. Her eyes snap open and her head shoots upright, and for a long moment all she can do is stare at him. Awake… he's awake. Alive and awake. She wants to cry, and she also wants to punch him.

Instead of doing either she huffs and shakes her head, shoulders and ears drooping with a relief she can't be bothered to try and conceal.]

Your hand is sweaty, dingus. It's not my fault.

[She pointedly does not let go. He sounds as awful as he looks.]

[abracafcku]

Only 'cause you're holding it.

[He mutters a lackluster retort and closes his eyes again. Trying to roll onto his side is met with a sharp pull and pain, reminding him of all the shit he fucked up and how badly. The memories rush back in and he realizes how close it'd been. If Haggar hadn't found him in time...

Well, it would've been number 20 on his record, he guesses. Kravitz would've been pissed probably. Lup probably is as well. He can't really blame her. He was so close and he failed. All that magic and planning and nothing. He probably should have realized it when the Atroma didn't pluck him from the ether and shove him into their wherever jail for getting too close to the truth.

What a stupid realization to make this late in the game. ]

So you waited here to be first in line to yell at me or what?

[necromanswers]

[Lup reaches out with her free hand as he winces, gently pushing on his shoulder to try and get him to lay back again.]

Lie still, dipshit, or your guts'll fall out.

[She did come here to yell at him, actually; when she wasn't trancing or reading she'd come up with all sorts of gripes and grievances and criticisms for what he'd done to himself. Looking at him now, though, how he moves, how weak his voice sounds... all those words fail her at once. It's not like she pities him or anything. That's a disservice to him and she could never, not her brother. She knows better than anyone what he's capable of, how strong and intelligent he can be when he puts the effort in. But Taako has been his own best friend and enemy for years now- a huge ego paired with discouragement and unease at his own failings. "I'm worried no one else will have me." That line had stuck with her the same way it probably had with Kravitz, back then.

Anything she could say to him, he's probably telling himself already, save for a few things he'll likely ignore and a few things he won't hear if she tells him.

She glances off to the side, leaning back again. Sweaty hands or not, he's stuck with her now.]

It's less fun if you know it's coming.

first breath.

[rebuildyourruins]

[The network is a blessing and a curse. By the time Thor had checked his communicator that day and seen Taako's disastrous video, two hours had already passed. The impulse to bolt over to the Iskaulit anyway was strong but Thor does the more practical thing first. He calls Loki to check what's happened, and finds out enough that he realises haring over there isn't necessary. That's a relief, though he knows it was still bad.

He does, however, visit the First Breath the day afterwards to see how Taako was faring. Over the past year or so in the Fleet he's become much better about actually knocking before entering any rooms, and he does so now. It's definitely a sensible habit where Loki's ship is concerned.

Thor has to grimace at the sight of Taako lying there. Regardless of how much has been patched up and hidden under covers, Thor knows serious injury when he sees it. He's got hundreds of years' experience on battlefields to inform him of that much.]

Hey, [Thor keeps his voice down as he steps into the room, just in case.] Are you awake?

first breath.

[abracafcku]

[The knock startles him out of a light sleep and Taako winces as he jumps instinctively, reaching for the Umbra Staff which is leagues away from him. He knows he looks bad, what with the cuts and the whole gash in his side, so before whoever is at the door can come in and see him trying to keep his insides where they're supposed to be, he flops back against the bed and pretends to be asleep again.

If it's Kravitz or Lup, being asleep might be the smartest play. He can't stand seeing how much the worry gets to them, knowing it's his fault it's there.

But it's a different voice that calls out when the door opens and Taako feels a little better about it being Thor of all people who has come for a visit. Without opening his eyes, he tries for cheery but sounds more like gravel scraping against a tin shed.]

No, I'm dead.

[Shit, he sounds bad.]

But only a little bit.

[rebuildyourruins]

[Yikes. That is bad enough to make Thor wince in sympathy. At least with the elf's eyes closed he won't see it. Pulling the chair out from the desk to sit, Thor huffs with faint amusement.]

I've seen deader, so at least there's that. [He pauses.] I suppose asking how you're faring would be stupid.

[abracafcku]

I'll have to try harder next time.

[Only not because he's determined for there not to be a "next time." Lup would never forgive him and he might actually die. Even if death isn't permanent here, it still hurt and it wasn't something he wants to deal with again.]

You can ask, but I'd probably mock you for it.

[Taako finally opens his eyes and tries to ignore how heavy everything feels, turning his head toward Thor.]

You here to yell at me, too?

[rebuildyourruins]

[There's definitely concern in Thor's face, though nothing so severe as anger. He'll save that for if he finds out there's someone responsible for all this that he needs to go deck. Leaning forward a bit, a smile twitches at his lips.]

I wasn't planning on it, but - what happened?

[The video wasn't exactly clear.]

broadcast; probably after he's been shoved into bed;

[spellsteal]

[Belthazar had been getting his usual few hours of sleep but holy shit when he sees this... He feels awful and guilty and horrified, and so now he's blowing up Taako's communicator. Sorry dude.]

Taako! Taako! What happened? Are you okay? [oh Light.] Please tell me you're okay. A-are you in the infirmary? I can bring you something, I can help!

[How many people has he seen die here? He's pretty sure he just saw one more.]

[abracafcku]

[This was probably one of the messages he'd been dreading getting the most. Everyone else was used to his bullshit, but Belth was new and nervous. And it had been his spell that Taako had fucked up. He debates answering for long enough to unwittingly amplify Belth's concern, and then finally responds once he's awake again </ small>]

It's fine, my dude. Don't freak.

[spellsteal]

[Belthazar picks his communicator up almost immediately.]

Thank the Light. I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier... I have salves and bandages if you need your dressing changed.

Can I ask what happened?

[abracafcku]

Nah, Taako's good.

[He'd just nearly died; not completely died. Very big, very important difference.

But at the question that he knew had to come, he goes quiet, staring at the device. How does he even answer that?]

I...well, to put it mildly? I fucked it up pretty bad. No biggie - didn't die. And, uh, I guess now we know the Atroma can push back when they want to.

[spellsteal]

[Belthazar doesn't look comforted by that for some reason.]

Maybe you didn't die, but that doesn't make it any less terrible! You have to heal, and there could be side-effects-- we don't know yet-- and on top of that, death doesn't mean anything!

[He breathes in and out shakily. He doesn't want to yell, but it's too late for that, so he just tries to calm down a little instead.]

Taako. Did you try to cast the spell?

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

[Ugh. Who is talking on the network so late? Wait, that voice it sounds familiar and... hurt? Vash is pretty quick to sit up and take a better look at the broadcast while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Oh hey, look at that glass. Dice rolls? Guy must be delusional from the pain!]

Don't pass out yet! Where on the Iskaulit?! [Shoes. Shoes. Where are his shoes? Fuck shoes. Just get to the shuttle now.]

[Video]

[abracafcku]

Down....?

[The video screen is still just showing the hallway and he frowns at the communicator. It's too far away for him to bother trying to pick up, so he doesn't. He can't really recall how far down he went, just that he'd gotten away from where a backfire could really hurt anyone.

Too bad he didn't think about what it would mean if a backfire hurt him.]

Aft? I think? That's... [He lets out a pained huff of laughter.] 's...what you call the ship's ass, right?

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

Well, you still have a sense of humor. So that's good. [Ass isn't a great description on where he is, but it's not the worst either.] I'm on my way so you better not die.

[Video]

[abracafcku]

[Until he dies, he'll keep his humor. Taako mutters that under his breath, but it doesn't come through the audio feed. He huffs and then winces a he tries to laugh.]

Tryin'...not to. But uh...I don't get much choice here.

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

I'm getting there as fast as I can! [He's already in his shuttle and taking off. If Taako wasn't too busy dying he might even have heard the clink, clink, clink as a piece of metal on the bottom of his bare foot echoed off the floor as he ran for the shuttle.]

What were you doing anyway!? [Hoping to keep Taako talking.]