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

Entry tags:

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

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He's the cop I was fucking.

[Which is a very crude way of putting it, but Taako is bad at feelings and this puts distance between whatever he and Eddie actually were.]

And yeah, I'm uh-- [nailed it; he takes a sip of his coffee and tries again:] Rin's gonna come. You two are either gonna get along like a house on fire or hate each other, so that'll be fun.

[ Rin. Interesting. Loki takes a sip. ]

I know of him. He has an . . . interesting way of displaying himself to the public.

[ Similar to Loki, but a little more intense, ingrained habit. Loki's paranoia is new, barely years old. Loki isn't sure if Rin fears him or merely wishes Loki to have that impression. Either way, Loki found him intriguing enough not be bothered. ]

[That's why Taako figured they'd either very much get along or very much not.]

Lucretia's not a fan. [Which is - funny, in it's own way, because she isn't a fan of Loki, either.] When did you meet him?

[He's curious, don't @ him.]

[ Loki rolls his eyes at that. ]

Lucretia also thinks I'm going to kidnap you and gallivant off to my secret liar to plot world domination. Which — [ And his grin is bright and sly. ] — we should start planning for.

A while back. Once at that gift-giving fountain and he got me a drink at the masquerade. We mostly sized each other up. He has certain feelings for the divinity, after all.

Shit, we should, we can start dropping hints at dinner.

[He's glad Loki is still up for playful nonsense, it means that not too much has changed.]

Drow gods are kinda, uh, intense? Even in the Fearun I'm used to, so like fuck knows what they're like in Rin's.

[This isn't anything that can't be found in a book, so he isn't too worried about sharing it.]

I'll work on some menacing lines.

[ But he nods, absorbing that. ]

I am not familiar with the drow, I'm afraid.

[ Loki was sharp with him due to his resemblance to the dark elves. But it is not a prejudice Loki holds particularly close. He has too much self-loathing to cling to it with any iota of real feeling. And he knows where the blame of his mother's death lies. ]

They're just a variant on elves, like technically me and Lup are high elves, you know? Even if we don't really fuck with any kinda elf culture.

[They're very disconnected from it, Taako would only call himself a high elf in circumstances like this, where it's necessary for an explanation.]

Most drow live in the Underdark, cause they're pretty sensitive to sunlight.

Dark Elves were of a similar nature. Though I'm not particularly familiar.

[ And they're kind of extinct. Thanks to Loki's grandfather and well . . . Thor. ]

I mean, that's another term for 'em, but I'm pretty sure they're not your dark elves... [wait] Were you a dick to him?

[Because he remembers Loki's tension when they first met, about the elf thing.]

[ Loki shrugs. ]

No more than usual, but he might have a different version of events. But I did not harm or malign him in any way.

[Taako, knowing both Rin and Loki, can imagine exactly how Rin might have come away from those conversations. He makes a note to tell Rin that Loki isn't as much of a dick as he pretends to be.

For now, he kicks Loki's shin.]

You gotta play nice from now on, he's not a dark elf from your reality.

[ It doesn't register but he pouts before batting his eyelashes coquettishly at Taako. ]

Well, since you asked so nicely.

[He's not letting that work!!! Which is why he's sticking his tongue out.]

I can ask not nicely, don't think I won't.

Oh? Now I'm curious.

[He wiggles his fingers threateningly (it's not very threatening).]

You're just gonna have to live in suspense.

[ Loki flicks those fingers fearlessly. ]

Don't put me through that. It's bad enough that I found out that I had an older sister and she was a warmongering killer.

[Rude!!! Flames lick up around their hands, but it's all illusory, he's just playing.]

I definitely won the surprise older sister reveal, even if like, I kinda knew I had Lup all along I just fucking forgot.

[She's older by a handful of minutes, but still.]

It was not much of a contest. Apparently no one remembered she existed at all. Father got tired of her ways and banished her.

[ He takes another sip to hide his expression. ]

His usual method of dealing with recalcitrant wayward children.

Hey, uh, no offense but your dad was a dick.

[Taako has no real concept of what a parent is supposed to be, but he's pretty sure banishing kids isn't... great........]

[ Loki falls silent at that, idly stirring the straw. ]

Yes. He was.

[Ah, it's too soon.]

Sorry, darling. [He teaches out to lightly tap his fingers against the back of Loki's hand, an extension of the apology.] Do you wanna talk about any of this?

I do not know.

[ A quiet exhale as he finally leaves the straw alone, resting his chin on his palm, elbow on the table. ]

I think Thor and I, in our way, spent a lot of time running away. And now there's nowhere left to run.

I'm gonna have to deal with that when I go back.

[A century of running and then ten years of.... who he was, having lost Lup, and now the Hunger is gone and Lup is back and things will be quiet. There's a part of Taako that's terrified of it, he doesn't know how to lead any kind of normal life.]

Are you-- uh, I know you were gonna go with Steve, not home.

[The question is unspoken but clear.]

[ His expression is wry. Oh, Thor. In many ways, his brother has truly grown, but Loki can still read him clearly. ]

I can't leave Thor. I don't think I ever truly did.

[ Idly, he taps his fingers against his own cheek. ]

Maybe out of all the lies, my parents gave me, the one I hated the most was being told I was never Thor's brother.

Oh thank fuck.

[Taako is relieved for two reasons: the first is that he thought that could've been a sensitive topic, the second is more simple.]

I was sure he was gonna like, cry about it, and I'm not prepared to handle that at all.

[He's joking but also not joking.

It's nice to see Loki at some kind of peace, even if it took losing their father and their home for it to happen.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject