[open] remember when i put meaningful things in subject lines

[spellslots]

who: taako
what: monster fighting + general nonsense
when: late march
where: around!
warnings: violence for any flooding threads



on this week's episode of River Monsters ; ota

[It's been a while since Taako's really had to stretch his magic out; there was the stuff with the cult, sure, but that was a minor little mess and this is like, a bunch of river monsters. Totally different ballgame. If he's being honest with himself, this is something he kind of misses about being away from Fearun and out of the cycles. Because yeah, it's a lot safe not running around fighting random monsters or possessed arcanists or whatever, but blasting shit with spells is just a little bit fun.

There's been enough time since remembering Lup that he's stopped relying quite so heavily on fire spells, especially when he doubts fire will do much against crocodiles and lizards with thick skin. He relies on lightning and energy instead, a few necromantic spells to drain the life out of the creatures, with the occasional confusion spell thrown in, turning them on each other.

At one point, one of them moves a little quicker than anticipated while he's dealing with another, and suddenly Taako is knocked aside by a scaled tale, disappearing into the underbrush with a startled yelp followed by a roughly exhaled hachi machi.

But it’s okay! Because instead of his regular adventuring gear, he's got a sweet as hell superhero costume, courtesy of one Cisco Ramon, coolest person in the Quarantine. It's made from similar material as the Flash's costume, just in purples and blues instead of red and yellow (because really, red and yellow? Pick a better palette, Barry). There might have been some arguments over exactly how fancy it needed to be, versus actual functionality, but at the end of the day Taako trusted Cisco enough to give him most of the creative control. What really matters is that it means he can take a hit like that and only lose maybe 15 HP, allowing him to get right back up again.

Now he's gonna toss a fireball, just because he's kinda pissed.]

day to day ; pre-existing cr

out and about
[Taako is a social creature. He can handle being alone, sure, the ten years in Fearun made that abundantly clear, but that doesn't mean he likes it. It's much nicer to be surrounded by attention and affection in the form of friendship. And after the last few shitty months, he's aware that he hasn't exactly been present in other peoples' lives. Sampremi and the kigu party rectified some of that, but a one off catch up doesn't quite cut it. So he slips back into old habits eagerly, sending out texts to anyone who's company he's fond of. It's often as simple as an offer to join him for lunch/brunch/dinner/coffee, though occasionally he does tailor requests to someone's interests, a mention of a new store they might like, or a band playing he thinks they'd be into. After spending the last months feeling bitter and trapped in the Quarantine, he's reaching out and reconnecting in an attempt to remind himself that it's not all terrible.]

around the house
[For anyone who has the amazing privilege of being welcome at the IPRE (minus Lucretia) residence, Taako tends to flit in and out during the day and night, not really beholden to any particular schedule. He's pretty content with an even mix of getting out and being a homebody, though it tends to tip more towards the latter on days he has a lot of orders to get through for work. Spending several hours in the kitchen isn't much of a struggle for him, but it does mean that once he's done he'd prefer to just chill out watching a movie or listening to music, rather than going out.

There's enough to do around the house to keep himself occupied, especially considering the place is full up these days. If Merle or Davenport show up, they're gonna have to look at getting a bigger place.]

Comments

[kievs]

(Alyssa flips him the bird in response. She's also nice!)

Hey.

(She swipes her feet a bunch on the doormat but doesn't take her shoes off. It's just as fancy inside as it was on the outside, shit.)

This place is swank.

[spellslots]

Shoes.

[He says it as he closes the door behind Alyssa, because even if he lives with Magnus fucking Burnsides, Taako tries to keep the place tidy.]

And thanks, it's uh, I've had it for a while, but it's all pretty full now so I am glad I got a big place.

[kievs]

(She shrugs, and kicks her shoes off untidily by the door. Doesn't bother her.)

How many people d'you live with?

[spellslots]

[Untidy is fine, as long as she's not walking dirt through the house as he leads her into the kitchen.]

Four other dipshits, three of 'em are from... home, and Kravitz is from Fearun, they're all losers.

[He likes all of them.]

[kievs]

Cool.

(The kitchen's even more impressive. Alyssa immediately crosses to the pantry and opens the doors, having a look inside– until she notices his liquor cabinet. She's drawn to examining that immediately, even going as far to pluck a bottle out and hold it up to the light.)

[spellslots]

[The drinking age here is like fourteen so Taako doesn't care about Alyssa drinking alcohol. He cares about Alyssa picking up an entire bottle of his alcohol.]

I think it's a little early to crack open the vodka, bubbale.

[kievs]

No such thing as too early.

(She's uncapping it but just to sniff!!! Just to have a sniff. Smells pretty fucking strong, actually. Woah.

Capping it and putting it back, she runs her fingers over the tops of the other bottles, reading labels.)

You have a lot of alcohol.

[spellslots]

I throw a lot of parties, use it for cooking and like - four other adults, it's not just mine.

[Also he uses alcohol to cope when shit gets bad but that's not a conversation to have with a teenager! Or anyone really!]

[kievs]

Uh huh.

(Interesting that she meant more like 'you' in a plural sense rather than a singular sense; and yet! She grins.)

Don't have to be so defensive about it. If I could have lots of alcohol in my room I would.

[spellslots]

[Listen...... he's definitely feeling some kinda way about it after getting very drunk and having sex with Thor so like. don't @ him? He makes a face at Alyssa, obviously feeling called out.]

I mean, you probably could, unless you're worried about people stealing it.

[kievs]

('Tis a charmed life, huh Taako.)

A bit. I'm in the communal housing, on the first floor. (It doesn't feel unsafe; she's simply protective of her stuff.)

[spellslots]

Yeah, I did that shit for a month or two before I was real over it. I don't need strangers up in my business.

[He doesn't trust like that.]

You want something to drink that isn't my booze?

[kievs]

Sure. (She takes a seat at the little island counter he's got in the middle of the kitchen.)

Do you have hot chocolate?

[spellslots]

I have the ingredients for hot chocolate if you've got five minutes. Dark or milk?

[He's going to use some dark chocolate anyway, but ratios will depend on her preferences.]

[kievs]

Dark.

(Seems like the more adult option some how. Fancier.) Can you put marshmallows in it?

[spellslots]

For sure, bubbale, I'm outta the homemade ones but we've got store bought.

[It's a familiar process, pulling together the ingredients; Alyssa said dark and he gets out the high content stuff. It isn't until he's halfway through chopping it up that he realizes he's-- that it'll be too bitter, he isn't making this for Rin.

Fuck.

The knife stills on the chopping board for just a few seconds, before he manages to collect himself and go to grab some milk chocolate to balance it out.]

Your cupcake's in the fridge, bee-tee-dubs, the box with your name on it.

[Just gotta play it cool. He's fine.]

[kievs]

You make your own marshmallows?

(Bit bougie, isn't it? Alyssa's not here for that, she's after the really shitty white marshmallows, the kind that get powder all over you. She's thinking about that when the sound of his knife on the chopping board stops and when she glances over expectantly, she catches him staring at his hands.

The mood's a bit off, but only for a second. Alyssa blinks, unsure if she imagined it or not.)

Thanks. (She slides off her stool and over to the fridge, peering inside. There are a few boxes in here, which she dutifully reads the names of (and peeks into one), before she takes her own to look inside.)

This looks really good. (Like, eating wise but also apology wise.)

[spellslots]

They're nicer than store bought.

[He says it with a shrug, still focused on the hot chocolate because it's easier than letting his thoughts slip into anything else. Now really isn't the time to think about missing people.]

And I mean, I'd hope so, I am a professional.

[kievs]

(She slips the lid closed and comes to join him at the counter again. Not only has he done a really nice job on the cupcake, but he'd offered to let her buy him a coffee for it in return; now, he's making her a hot chocolate.

She glances down at the box in her hands.)

Why are you being so nice to me.

[spellslots]

[There are a few ways he could answer that question, some of them partly true, some of them total lies, but he remembers when he first arrived in the Quarantine. Straight out of Wonderland when everything was up in the air, when Clark's simple kindness had felt like a lot.]

You remind me of someone, I guess. She was a smart mouthed little shit, too, but she was cool. [He shrugs.] Also like, if you're nice to people they're nice back most of the time? Makes life easier.

[kievs]

(That's certainly true. Alyssa's just thinking about how she was rude to him right at their first meeting because he looked funny, and is feeling maybe a little bad about it now.)

Alright. Well, thank you.

(She hasn't got a lot of friends yet, so it's nice to have somebody to talk with.)

[spellslots]

[He's been plenty rude to people for literally no reason so, he's not holding it against her.]

It's cool, just don't go telling everyone, cha boy's got a reputation to uphold.

[That's debatable.

More importantly, hot chocolate is done! Taako carefully fills up two mugs, grabbing marshmallows from one of the cupboards to add on top (he's very liberal with them) before offering one to Alyssa.]

Lemme know how it is, I do accept constructive criticism.

[kievs]

Okay.

(She's glad the hot chocolate arrives promptly to serve as distraction, because she's always been aware at how shit she is at being grateful for stuff, even though she means what she says when she says it. It's hard to be sincere.

She has a tentative taste, mostly testing if it's too hot or not but it's the perfect temperature so she has a much bigger sip. Oh, wow. Yeah she's got some con-crit for ya Taako:)

Cup's not fucking big enough.

[spellslots]

[He's less tentative with his own first sip, since he knows it's a) good and b) not too hot, but he's immediately distracted by Alyssa's reaction. It earns a laugh, if nothing else.]

If you ask nice I'll let you refill the mug, but please do not make yourself sick on chocolate, II don't wanna have to feel guilty about it.

[And clearly this is about him.]

[kievs]

I'll see how I go.

(She feels like she could nurse this for a while, it's pretty rich.)

Who lives here with you?