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.]

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.]

[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.

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.]

[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.

[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]

[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.

[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?

[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.

[abracafcku]

Wouldn't...

[He mumbles the rest of that sentence and then sucks in a sharp breath in pain. Note to Taako: don't slump over when you have godsdamn glass sticking out of you.

He grabs it and frowns, looking at the discoloration in its surface now. What should have been a perfect circle was now scattered everywhere. He's lucky none of it ended up in his eyes or, you know, his head.

Speaking of... He touches his forehead and notes how it comes away wet and warm and how his head feels fuzzy.]

Mm... not going anywhere. Can't. ...should though.


[He goes quiet for several moments and then scoffs.]

Don't tell Lup.

[shroudedsecrets]

Leave that detail to me.

[Last teleport stop now, for the materials. As long as she had enough components together, all she needed was to create something he could lie on and that she could float with her energy. Once he was stable, that was.

She'd really have to see his state first hand to know for certain what she could or -- no, there was no could not, not for her. His voice trails off, while she concentrates on her work, silence on her side as well, until the spell finishes. It is quick.]

Even if I do not tell her, she may find out. Do not worry.

[And bam. Time to locate him properly now--though it is not difficult, not with that magical energy permeating the area with the pungent odors of fresh injury. The room -- there. She has it now.]

Taako.

[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.

[abracafcku]

Mm.

[That's true. He didn't lock this, did he? He can't remember and trying to get the communicator to work when his fingers are slick with blood is an exercise in stupidity. He can keep the channel open, but that's about it.

He doesn't want to think about the inevitable screaming match he's going to have with her. She'd been ragging on him to show her his notes and he did - at the last minute. It would've been fine if he'd succeeded, but this? Yeah, he was going to get an earful.

He can't manage more than a noncommittal grunt in return as she goes quiet, probably doing her magic thing. But the quiet is welcome and he closes his eyes until she calls his name again. He isn't sure if it's in person or on the network, so he reaches for the communicator.]

...'m here. Still. [Somehow. But not all that lucid as he starts cursing under his breath.] For fuck's sake, Merle, heal already.

[abracafcku]

I'm pretty sure I'm stitched up.

[Not that he can see or wants to see. The idea of actual stitches makes him feel a little ill. He's gotten so used to Merle just healing everything up, magic taking care of any wounds, that he can't fathom how an ugly scar might look on him. It's vain, but he hates the very idea of it, so he's pointedly not looking at it. If he scars, he can't wear midriffs anymore. If he scars, he'll have to burn a slot and keep a disguise over it at all times. He can't be anything less than perfect.

Except where his magic is involved apparently.]

But good - it's not-

[He stops, his breath hitching in his throat as the pain flares up his side.]

[necromanswers]

You'll pull 'em. I don't want to get your blood on my rings.

[It's easy to see how much pain he's in; she hates being unable to do anything about it, but they don't have a cleric around right now, and she doesn't know anything about these labs or the kind of painkillers that are available, nor does she know what he might have already been given. She makes a mental note to check later.

For now she rests a hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. At least she knows enough to watch for a fever, to see if there's any sort of infection setting in. An infrequently-used room on the Iskaulit probably didn't have the cleanest of materials laying around.]

Listen... you should go back to sleep. I could still feel the arcane tingle in that place long after you were gone- you used a fuckton of power, and your body's gonna feel it for a while. It'll slow down the healing unless you get enough rest.

[She's pushed her body to the limit plenty of times before, she knows how bad this can go if you take things too far. He may not be dealing with necrotic damage, but exhaustion is still a very real problem.]

[abracafcku]

Oh yeah, how could I not considering your rings.

[Once he has his breath back, it's easy to toss a joke her way. It's easier than facing the fact that he failed at least. He knows if he's left alone right now, that's exactly all he'll be able to think about. The way the power flowed and moved and clicked until it just...didn't. The entire thing just smashed in on itself like an ill-fitting tunic, like he'd been trying to cast a warlock's spell and not a wizard's.

He lays back, staring up at the ceiling as she chides him. It'd be nice if he could sleep right now. He's exhausted, he knows that much for certain, but the idea of being trapped with his own mind right now isn't...appealing.]

Did you see what went wrong?

[Can you do better? They deserve better than what I did.]

[necromanswers]

...I did.

[Her lips purse, watching his expression for a moment before glancing away again.]

I'm not sure I can trust you with the answer, though.

[It's a bit petty, she knows. It's not as if he betrayed her or anything. He never said he was actually going to share his research, never said he'd bring her in when he was ready. The fact that he sent his notes to her at all was probably just as a failsafe, in case this happened, or maybe in case he actually did get himself out and they were left here to rot without his escape method. That's not her issue. It's just that... this is one more reminder of what they've lost, as if this wounded, half-sided bond connecting the two of them exists just to hamper their progress. The fact that he didn't immediately think of her. The fact that they hadn't been developing this together to begin with. The fact that he thought he knew best when she and Barry had been the foremost experts in planer research out of everyone on the team. All the things that he should know, the people he should depend on... taken from him. Leaving him in this state.

She should have been there, by his side.

...Hah. Maybe that is why he was brought in from such an inconvenient time period. If the two of them were able to work together, not a damned thing would stand in their way. As it is... no. Not for something this important.

If he remembered me, I could have stopped this.

Fuck that- if he remembered everything, he'd have stopped himself.]

[abracafcku]

[He deserves that and turns his face away to look around the room as a distraction. It's the same boring lab that Haggar always locks herself into. Cool, nothing to look at. Great.

He doesn't blame her for keeping quiet on it. He's spent as it is and won't be casting any magic for awhile, even if he drank the planet's ether juice. And likely? Now that he's tried this spell, the Atroma will shore up whatever exploit he'd found. They were more powerful than he'd thought and he'd been desperate.]

Fair. I wouldn't trust me either.

[And he can't with this, not anymore. It's obviously out of his wheelhouse and they'll be watching him.]

It's yours then. Destroy it if you want. I don't care.

[necromanswers]

I wouldn't destroy it. [Her answer is quick- clipped, a little irritated. He'd put so much work into it, that much was obvious. To get rid of it would be heartless of her, and she's not down with that.] Taako, what you did was... it was a start. A solid base, but the theory's incomplete. You tried to bake a cake with half the ingredients missing.

[The implementation was clumsy, inexperienced. She knows where she'd have made changes, what she would have done differently. She can see the gaps in the research that he hadn't recognized, where he could have met outside interference and where additional study was needed. Interplaner rifts weren't something you could just fuck around with willy-nilly. She and Barry spent dozens of years on what Taako had attempted in a handful of months. He's probably lucky to even be alive right now.

She doesn't want to discourage him, but gods, she just really doesn't want a repeat of this.]

I... Taako, you get that I'm trying really hard not to pitch a fit here, yeah? Should I throw stuff, call you out, weep on your sheets? Is there I way I can get you to promise never to do this level of solo bullshit again?

[abracafcku]

Mmm, nope.

[He shifts and winces, pushing himself up as far as he can to adjust himself on the bed. He wants to get out of here, but his body protests, not letting him do much more than scoot up on the pillow. The sterile environment is oppressive enough already without her asking him to do something he knows he can't do. He has people waiting for him on the other side. He has people here he wants to get the fuck out of this awful place - and that includes her.

That his theory was incomplete, his magics not strong enough, it's understandable. But telling him to stop doing this? Nope, not going to happen. Asking him not to do it solo? Also a no. He's been running solo for so long, it's more unnatural to him to be alone than to rely on people. He still can't fathom that someone would care once he stopped being of use, even if he cares about them.]

But if you have the rest of the ingredients, I'll leave it in your hands. Like you said, you can't trust me with it and those assholes that pushed back against me will be on the look-out for my signature again. I can't do it.

[necromanswers]

[....

Fuck it.

Fuck. It.

Her teeth clench, practically grinding together, her hand clutched tightly around the communicator, his progress notes hidden behind the lock screen. Something in her snaps- her restraint, her self-control, the wall of cautious misery holding back her frustration and anger.]

You stupid, stubborn prat! Why do you always choose the hardest route for yourself!? Why are you so fucking deep in denial that you can't even let yourself believe why you're actually doing half the shit you do!?

[She stands up abruptly, her chair sliding noisily against the floor as it inches backwards.]

You think I'm going to fix this mess for you, take what you started and finish it myself? Fill in those holes and blast through reality next month, next week, maybe? You think they won't notice as long as it's not you? Idiot! If there were any holes to break through, they'll be sealing off the method, not the caster! If we'd worked together on this, I could've told you that! I could've told you you'd blow yourself up, I could've told you we needed more time to experiment with how this reality works! But oh no, Taako knows best! Taako's gotta take all the risks himself! Taako's good out here, chin-deep in danger again trying to help people he pretends he doesn't give a shit about!

[She's breathing hard by now, shoulders trembling, and goddammit, there's tears in her eyes threatening to fall, the traitors. Her voice is weak as she finishes, cracking under pressure like a thin sheen of ice in spring.]

Why... why? Just how much did it take from you...?

[The voidfish stole more than his memories- it stole the heart of those memories, the love and the care and the trust and the camaraderie that taught him to believe in people, to collaborate with them. He'd never been immediately trusting, of course not, that's not how they grew up. But it was never this bad. At least, in his small group of friends, family, he could form those bonds and connect with people, work with them. Rely on them.

He wasn't meant to be alone. And it's never been more clear to her than in this moment.]

[abracafcku]

[He flinches at her outburst, shrinking under the barrage of truth. She's right, of course, he's practically made it useless. All the work people did to get him to this point and he'd straight up fucked it sideways. A classic FUBAR of epic proportions. It's a wonder anyone came to save his stupid ass at all for all that he probably cost them.

Taako wilts, his ears drooping as her anger reaches a peak and breaks. He can't bring himself to look at her because he knows she's right. He thought he knew best. He thought if he could get a sliver of their world here then it'd be enough for someone more powerful than him to peek through. He'd thought a lot of things, but he'd been wrong. Not the first time, wouldn't be the last, but it destroyed whatever goodwill he'd built up here. What a fucking mess.

But the mention of "it" taking something from him whips his guilt into anger. If he knew, does she think he'd be doing all this?]

That's the point of the voidfish, isn't it? I can't know what it took or how much.

[It's just gone and the absence of it all, now that he knows to look for it, aches worse than the gash in his side. Maybe in another time, he'd have been able to complete this spell or trusted someone enough not to die while helping him. But as he was? Yeah, no. He didn't trust anyone here except maybe Kravitz and he would have put a stop to all this without question.]

You seem to know all about my life, for all that I know shit all about you. You should know exactly why I am the way I am, shouldn't you? Or did your hobby not extend to watching the in-between years of Taako on the road.

[necromanswers]

[His reaction knocks the wind out of her sails - first there's guilt at having lashed out, since what should she have expected of him? and then there's distress at having pushed things when he only just woke up, when he's still recovering and probably feeling at his worst. She should know better. She should be better. Gods, but she'd tried to hold it in.

She backs up a step and drops back down into her chair, hunching over, burying her face against her hands. Her shoulders tremble as she takes a shuddering breath, and for a long moment she doesn't say or do anything, just lets those words lie between them, his and hers. Neither of them are wrong, here. It's an awful, awful truth that she doesn't want to acknowledge. And those last words... it's like he took that glass and shoved it right in her side, too.]

I didn't... I couldn't. I wanted to... I wanted to...!

[It hurts. It hurts so much. Her absence, that long, lonely emptiness she'd endured, and for this to be what awaited her now that she's free? To be reunited with Taako like this, to know that she's the reason he ended up this way, just as much as Lucretia is? To be helpless to do anything about it? To hurt him with her presence alone, with wanting to share her life with him again? To bring him static and headaches and frustration, just to make herself feel better and worse all at once?

Fate is too goddamned cruel. She'd like to send a memo to Istus about this, thanks.]

You weren't like this... not with me. I've never been just anybody, but that's all I am now, right? Just some stalker weirdo you met a few months back, a face-stealer fangirl of your fucking cooking show or whatever it was... fuck...

[shroudedsecrets]

[Catching that glimpse of Taako's state over the communicator was not enough to prepare her for the actual wreckage she had found him in. There's almost hardly any time to assess the room itself, to sense the magic in the air and all that could have gone wrong here. She sets her bundles of materials down, carefully steps nearer to Taako's side, clearing a path and shifting anything in the way aside with her magic so she can get closer to assess him. All of that blood. Those wounds, the damages.

Doctors usually were the ones to clean up those damaged in the gladiator ring unless she was required, but she had knowledge on how to handle critical cases, and if there were any gaps in that, her augment could fill them in. He was bleeding heavily; that needed to be stopped now, had gone on for too long.]

I am here.

[She says, perhaps a bit unnecessarily at that point, but as out of it as he is, he should know that he's not alone. The glass has to be removed, the wounds cleaned, he needs to be stabilized before he can be moved and then the rest properly tended. A lot to do. So she gets to work.]

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?