( open ) ; tell me about the days where your body feels nothing like a body

[spellslots]

who: Taako + you
what: A spa day, a fight with a god, and a bad time
when: Novemeber
where: Around!!
warnings: Violence in the threads with Thor & Dodger. Vague Thor 3 spoilers in the thread with Thor.



cisco; tired little laughs, gold-lie promises

[They've all had a shitty month and it feels like a perfect excuse to splash out a little at the fanciest fucking spa Taako can get them into; he catered an event here a few months ago and made sure to keep in touch with the event manager, so the discount isn't anything to scoff at, and he's gone all out in the treatments they're getting.

But after a massage (nice), manicure (even nicer), and a dip in the pool (hella nice), Taako has dragged Cisco to try out the sauna where they can chill for a little while. He tried to bring a glass of sparkling in but was gently deterred by one of the staff, which is rude but probably for the best, since he's already on his way to decidely tipsy.

On the plus side, that helps him finally bring up something that's been on his mind for a while; once Taako is comfortable and the room is full of steam, he casts a lazy look at Cisco.]

Can I ask you a question, my man?

thor; what's a god to a nonbeliever?

[If he's being honest with himself, this is probably a very bad idea, but Taako tries not to be honest with himself and anyway, he's been itching for another fight since the tangle with the cultists, as if that wasn't quite satisfying enough. Or maybe he's just finally remembered how fun it is to wreck some dipshits, since things are so damn quiet in the Quarantine. Either way, there isn't any real danger in what he's doing here; Thor might hurt him, but he won't kill Taako, and there's not much else that a potion can't fix.

It's been a long time since he's had to prepare for a one on one, but Taako doesn't get too involved with it (a lot of his attention has gone towards studying the books he borrowed from the cultists), he gets dressed in his regular adventuring gear and makes sure he's got all his useful items on him, just in case he can use any of them. The umbra staff is in his hand, as per usual, and he has a little mental list of spells that he thinks will work for this. He can't exactly predict how the fight will go, but he knows what his personal priorities are and has a handful of backups in mind. His hair is braided out of the way and he's left most of his jewellery at home, just in case.

Between Bryn, Loki and the members if the IPRE in the Quarantine, they've got a little crowd nearby to watch the show, and that only makes Taako more into it, because he gets to show off.]

You ready to go, or are you gonna need a little more time to warm up?

[He's just being a shit, but it's good natured.]

open; now I've got you here I'll never lead you back

[The month starts of… mostly fine; there's the awkwardness with Magnus and Taako finds himself a little more irritable than usual, but he's brushed it off as a side effect of everything dredged up by the ghosts and the memories he's been forced to share and relive. He'll get over it eventually, and at least he has a project to throw himself into. The handful of books he brought back from the cultists hideout are full of weird and interesting magic that he wants to decipher, if only to make sure no one does that shit again.

By the fourth, he's starts to feel as though someone's watching him whenever he leaves the house, and he starts picking up the pace whenever he has something to do outside, eschewing taxis out of some misplaced worry that they aren't safe. He ends up on Garyl a lot, since he's faster on Garyl than he is on foot, and no one can mess with the illusory horse that he summoned. It makes of a bit of a curious look, this stupid wizard elf making his way through the streets on a unicorn, but it offers him a sense of safety that he's struggling to maintain, right now.

As more time passes the feelings start to get worse, enough that a visit from Cisco and way too many security cameras don’t help to alleviate the paranoia. He has a feeling it must be someone from the cult, having escaped during the fighting and coming back for the items he took, which makes him more eager to figure out the magic in them so he can know how to protect himself.

Every day, he carefully reinforces the wards around their house, stretching them out a little further each time, bolstering them with small spells that don't just block, but also harm anyone who tries to get past them. The magic around the houses shifts from protective to violent, something that's echoed in the way Taako conducts himself.

He's short and sharp with people whenever he has to interact with them, whether it's at the markets or clothes shopping or out at a bar. For a long time, he tries to push past the paranoia to maintain his usual routine, but that just gives him more places to feel snappish and irritated, and it paints a bigger target on his back for whoever's watching him. Even going out for a drink becomes a struggle; he picks a fight with someone because he's sure they were watching him and ends up getting swiftly escorted out after throwing a bunch of lightning around.

Despite everything going on, he's always immaculately put together, more so than usual, as if he can cover up how rattled he's feeling by making sure his outfit and hair are always perfect. The same can't be said for the state of his room; while he's not the tidiest person in the world, it grows worse during the month, as he eschews things like cleaning up in favour of practicing spells and still trying to decipher those fucking books.

It's gonna be a long month.]

Comments

[spellslots]

They didn't have faces.

[It's not quite snapped, but there's an edge to it that fits with how rattled Taako is. That answer might not say much, except what he means is they had magic strong enough to keep themselves alive without faces.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki tilts his head, not sure what the connection is but he nods all the same. ]

Unnerving then. Did you inform anyone else of this?

[spellslots]

I wasn't the only one there but uh-- Lucretia hasn't said anything.

[He tried to subtly feel her out, to see if she was feeling as unsettled as he was, but she seems fine.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki hums. ]

Did you take anything?

[spellslots]

[The answer is yes, he took a few things, but something spikes in his chest and he shakes his head without thinking about it.]

Nah, there was this big ass ruby that was real temping, but it gave me some serious heebie-jeebies.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki finds himself a seat, settling himself with a stretch of his long legs. ]

Oh? A place full of rare magical objects and you took nothing?

[spellslots]

[Taako has long since finished his martini, and while he's tempted to pour himself another one, he sets the glass down instead, so he can cross his arms over his chest. He's not sure if he's annoyed or defensive, maybe both.]

You wanna make an accusation, make a fucking accusation.

[dothelokimotion]

Fine.

[ Point blank. ]

You took something.

[spellslots]

I didn't take shit.

[He doesn't know why he's lying. It shouldn't matter, but there's a little voice in the back of his head that's saying Loki wants the books for himself; he's a god of mischief after all, chaos, all that fun shit. That's not so far from entropy.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ The idea that Taako went into a place full of magical artifacts and took nothing is absurd. But what is more absurd is the lying. Why would he do that? His eyes narrow sharply. ]

You certainly did. That is most likely what is affecting you right now.

[spellslots]

Nah nah nah, let's get back to the part where you're calling me a fucking liar, cause what the hell, my dude?

[He has absolutely no right to be offended when he is, in fact, lying, but he's scrambling for an excuse.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ His eyebrows go up. Loki is very good at ferreting out a lie but he's surprised that Taako is still sticking to this story. ]

Then what do you think it is?

[spellslots]

[He wants to pace, to work out some of that nervous energy, but he knows that'll just look suspicious.]

How am I supposed to know? Their magic was a mess, they could have tracking spells that I can't detect.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki feels out the thread of logic before giving his rebuttal, cool and dispassionate. ]

You are far stronger than any group of cultists with no faces. And if that was the case, you would have told me or your friends.

[spellslots]

[Half of that is a compliment, and normally he'd be pleased about it, but something in his head twists around the rest of what Loki says and Taako's hackles go right back up.]

Well, shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I had to come fucking crawling to you the second I couldn't solve a problem on my own.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki is not annoyed, but now he's not sure how to proceed. Curse-breaking is not his specialty and he's not keen to use his other set of powers. ]

When have you ever done that for anyone? You can solve it and still have the backup you need.

[spellslots]

[This is a trick. He doesn't know what kind of trick it is and he doesn't know the purpose of it, but he's so sure that it is one, and he's not planning to fall for it.]

Sure, whatever, I'm too sober to deal with this bullshit.

[Which hey: great idea! He can fix himself a drink and that means he doesn't have to look at Loki!]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Is this success?? It doesn't seem like it but Loki rises from his seat. ]

Taako. It will get worse. Why not simply get rid of it?

[spellslots]

[It would be so easy to start a fight here, and he's very tempted, except he knows that Loki would easily win.]

There's nothing to get rid of, what is your fucking problem?

[dothelokimotion]

[ His eyes flash briefly. He is not rattled, not yet but this is a situation he does not like and his hackles are rising to simply charge forward and fix it in his own way. ]

The problem is you are lying and suffering from an increased bout of paranoia, most likely from a spell.

[spellslots]

I'm an elf, dipshit, did you miss the ears? [He gestures at them, as if to make a point.] We're practically immune to that shit, which is why I didn't take the fucking cursed ruby.

[dothelokimotion]

No one is that immune in this place. You know that. We've seen that last month.

[ He moves closer, deadly. ]

You must know that. There is a voice in your mind telling you how strange this all seems. How difficult it is to think rationally.

[spellslots]

[Taako knows that if Loki wanted, he could hurt him easily, but he's never really be scared, even when dealing with anger. Right now, though, he takes a step back as soon as Loki draws closer.]

There's a voice in my mind telling me someone's fucking out there following me while you're caught up on thinking I stole some shit!

[dothelokimotion]

[ Not budging. Fine. Loki dredges up his most manic smile. ]

Oh? Let's take a look, shall we?

[ In a flash, Loki's hand reaches out to rest on Taako's forehead, pulling out that memory. ]

[spellslots]

[It's a simple memory to grab; a spell book in Taako's hand, full of messy scrawls, that he shoves into his bag with a mutter of something about figuring it out later.

In the present, Taako shoves angrily at Loki's chest, knowing that he has about zero chance of pushing him away if he doesn't want move, but he has to do something and his next option is conjuring up a fucking sleet storm in his kitchen and he still has the sense to know how bad that idea is.]

Get the fuck away from me.