riverviewlogs | [open]

Entry tags:

[open]

who: Taako & various/open
what: Assorted adventures
when: Late May!!
where: Oot and aboot
warnings: None at the moment!

Loki - The Gramarye

[It's not a mystery that something is Up with his umbra staff, nor is it a mystery that obviously Lup is the cause for whatever is going on with it, but it takes Taako a while to really… do anything about it, because he doesn't want to give himself false hope that maybe it's her, in some way. Kravitz sensed the presence of a lich, but he also dismissed that it was the staff causing it, so Taako is of two minds about whether Lup has, in some way, attached her soul to the umbra staff.

Regardless of the answer, he can't find it out himself, that isn't the sort of shit he can do with magic, so he reluctantly admits to himself that he needs help.

It still takes him another week to actually do anything about that, but finally he makes an appointment at Gramayre Magic Research in the off chance they might be able to tell him something about what's going on with Lup's stupid umbrella.

Taako turns up a little early, somewhere between nervous and excited, and the first guy he sees when he walks into the building is wearing a sharp suit, with dark black hair, and for a second Taako's almost thinks it's Kravitz, until the guy turns around and well, he's very obviously not Kravitz.

Still, he can be polite.]

Hail and well met, my dude. I'm here to see a guy about an umbrella.

[Taako why.]

Llŷr - the river

[It's been a couple of months since the whole thing with the witch of the river, and although Taako has reached out to her again, he still heads out into the forest sometimes to leave an offering. It just seems right, and honestly he kind of likes the routine of it, collecting little bits and pieces that he thinks will be appreciated (food, flowers, gemstones) and making the trek to the same spot in the river he always goes to. He doesn't know why he picked that particular spot, just that it had felt right the first time he'd wandered his way along the banks of the river.

Today, he has a little bowl made out of magic, that will disappear back into the ether after an hour, filled with a handful of small colorful crystals, some berries, and a sprig of rosemary, and it sets it onto the water with care, then sits on the bank to watch it make it's slow path down the river.]

Peggy - wardrobe update

[Taako has a lot of fond memories of sitting on his bed in the academy dorms, while Lup tried on outfit after outfit in preparation for a date or an interview or a presentation or like, a walk across the campus that she'd decided was Important for whatever reason.

So when Peggy asks for a little advice on updating her look, he leaps at the chance, insisting that shopping is the first step in this very important mission to make Peggy look even more awesome than she already does. There may be some bribery involved through the promise of any kind of cake she wants, and Taako goes the extra mile to turn up with two coffees (they're both sugary frappe concoctions from Riverview Starbucks).

As soon as he sees Peggy waiting near the front entrance to the mall he picked, he holds the cups up with a little shimmy.]

You want the cinnamon roll or red velvet one?

[Either will taste delicious while also filling her with a sense of shame at how much sugar is likely in them, but this is how Taako rolls.]

Illya - shooting practice

[It's a bit of a whim that has Taako asking Illya for lessons in handling a firearm, but at the end of the day magic can only do so much, and while he isn't about to start carrying around a gun, he thinks it'd be wise to at least know the basics, considering how common they seem to be with humans and in the Quarantine in general.

And Illya agrees; Taako picks a spot outside the inner barrier to avoid anyone stumbling upon their unofficial target practice, since he's pretty sure there are laws about licenses and all that boring crap. In the interest of repaying the favor, and making this more of a chill day than just shooting at stuff for however long it takes until one of them gets bored, Taako made lunch for the both of them that's currently sitting in a hidden chest, because why not.

For now, though, he's sitting on a fallen log, kicking his heels against the wood as he waits for Illya.]

open - day to day

[Taako does his best to keep busy, wanting to avoid any time spent dwelling on things that can't be changed, or getting too caught up his grief, so he throws himself into anything that comes with way, with even more gusto than he usually musters. He takes to wearing more red; his robe and jacket are both long gone, so whenever he sees something cute that's in the right shade of deep red, he can't resist buying it.]

i; swooping

[His usual bright umbrella is magicked to look dark, attempting to avoid any attention from the creatures above as he goes about his business, but he's not completely heartless and if he sees any of the pterodactyls getting too close to other people, he'll shoot off a magic missile or two to scare the creatures off.

If that doesn't deter the damn things, he'll wave the person over towards him.]

C'mon, dumbass, I got shields.

[He can play escort.]

ii; fishing

[Things that might surprise people to learn about Taako: he enjoys fishing.

He doesn't do it very often, because that kind of ruins the enjoyment for him, but he's been in Riverview for a few months now and it's a good way to kind of just - chill and reminisce without getting too caught up in it. After a) buying a rod and b) inquiring about a good spot to go, Taako heads down to a section of the river within the inner barrier that he's been told is decent. It's in a quieter part of the city, and he cuts an interesting figure sitting on the grassy shore, his purple wizard hat clashing horribly with his red jacket, but he's enjoying himself, and that's what matters.]

iii; prijata

[As it turns out, shopping for gifts is hard.

He never celebrated Candlenights until the Bureau, him and Lup didn't really do traditional gifts so much as they just stole cool shit for each other, and they didn't exactly have time for gifts while on the Starblaster. Except for when Merle made them, and that was just a whole bag of yikes.

But he's recently come to the realization that his time here is fleeting at best, that he's likely going home to die, and that maybe he should like, appreciate the people he's befriended here, and what matter way to show that than getting in the spirit of the upcoming holiday, even if he's starting to get a little tired of holidays.

That doesn't make it any easier, though, and he spends a lot of time checking out various markets and stores, meticulously going over items as he tries to find The Perfect Gift™.

Or maybe he's flopped dramatically on a bench somewhere, with too many bags at this feet and an alarming looking coffee in his hands.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He hadn't told Lucretia about Clark, mostly because he hadn't been sure how Clark would want to play the whole secret identity thing, but then Clark had wanted to meet Lucretia, which answered a lot of questions.

He'd told Lucretia about Kal, the alien who can fly, who's been nothing but kind to him and is probably the nicest person that Taako has ever met. Which is big praise, but it genuine in a way that Taako only is when he seriously likes someone.

That was a day ago, and now Taako is fussing around the kitchen as he tries to make sure everything is perfect; he isn't all that dressed up, that would be weird for hanging out with friends, so he's put all his slightly nervous energy into making an insane selection of finger sandwiches.]

Hey, Lux, can you grab the salmon for me?

Is all of this really necessary? (Lucretia says, but grabs and passes the salmon. She's pretty sure Taako had mentioned this new person was only a friend– so what's the excessive amount of food for, exactly? That, and the nervous energy radiating off of him is almost palpable.

It's all highly suspicious.

She picks a piece of cucumber out of a delicate finger sandwich while his back is turned, and pops it in her mouth.)

I don't know if three people can even eat this much food. (But hey, what does she know. Maybe kind, flying aliens really dig finger sandwiches.)

[It's too much food.

He's dead and in hell.

But he's committed now, so he slices the salmon up very finely, adds it to the sandwiches they're dedicated too, and then tells himself that it's enough. Packing everything away is at least something he can do with his hands.]

This is gonna sound so fucking stupid, but I'm uh, like- I actually like Kal, he's great, and you're great, and it'd suck if you didn't get along.

[There's more to it than that, because Clark knows Too Much, but this is part of it.]

(Lucretia looks up abruptly, alarmed.

Oh. Oh, okay. She's here to meet Taako's good friend, and he's so nervous about the pair of them getting along that he's made an abundance of food. She wonders, dimly, if this is some kind of affirmation-type deal? Is Taako after approval of some kind?? God, she hopes not.)

Um, (she says, awkwardly, and looks pointedly away,) I'm– hey, I'm sure he's great, Taako? If you like him, I'll probably like him too.

[Some of the tension seems to drain away, and he makes the executive decision to pop half the sandwiches into a container and into the fridge, for some later date.]

These superheroes are gonna be the death of me, I swear.

[He sort of counts Eddie in that, too, because even if technically he's a cop, Eddie comes from a world with superheroes and died to save all his friends from a supervilain so that's... practically the same thing.]

You know who I miss? Merle fucking Highchurch, I never worried about whether he was too nice.

(Thankfully, Lucretia recovers quickly. She sneaks another piece of cucumber while he's putting half of the food away.) I've only met one... I think. I never know if it's okay to just... ask people things like that. You know?

(There's a lot of things she's still getting used to. It's tiring, but endlessly fascinating; she's almost glad for this pseudo-vacation.)

I miss him too, (she adds, and it's an absentminded statement, but truthful all the same.) Though you didn't have to worry about it because we'd all kind of accepted that he was a loose cannon. I think he'd be worryingly unpredictable here.

If they have a stupid costume on, you can usually assume it's a yes.

[There's really not a whole lot of them here, as far as Taako knows. Dick, Clark, and Kara are all that he's met so far, plus Eddie and Cisco from their world with some dude called the Flash, who just sounds like someone with a public nudity thing.]

Speak for yourself, bubbale, I definitely worried that he was gonna try to hit on that priestess lady and totally screw the mission.

[Bitching about Merle makes him feel better.]

I wouldn't go that far.

(She's seen some very strangely dressed people here. And, to be fair, she probably seemed very strangely dressed too, arriving in the city all decked out in her formal IPRE robes.

She shoots him a sarcastic look.)

Which priestess and which mission? (It's almost like they might have a continuing problem with Merle hitting on people he's not supposed to hit on.)

[You know what.

She's got him on that point; Taako sighs, very melodramatic, but shit-talking Merle is a good way to get himself back in his comfort zone. He's still worried, but he's not at shaky purse dog levels of anxiety.]

Here's a spoiler, he doesn't stop that shit.

[He's tried not to tell her much about the future, but knowing that Merle continues to hit on people at inopportune moments isn't going to give anything away.]

Taako, (she complains, and slaps her hands over her ears. It's funny because she doesn't need a spoiler to know that Merle is going to continue to hit on anything that looks at him sideways for long enough for the rest of this long, long ass mission.) Please, I don't want to know! I want to find these things out for myself.

What cycle are you from anyway? (There's a small part of her that thinks if she keeps dropping the question in unexpectedly, he'll eventually slip up and tell her by mistake.)

[ At this very convenient juncture, there's a knock on the door.

Clark is dressed in smart casual. He's wearing the jacket Taako had given him, and has come with pie and some local wine. ]

Taako? It's me.

[Saved by the Kryptonian.

Taako sticks his tongue out at Lucretia as he makes his way towards the door, suggesting that he's clued into her very sneaky plan at getting him to tell her how far ahead he is.]

It's open, my dude. [It always is, but Clark is like, polite, so Taako opens the door for him anyway, greeting him with a grin that turns to an over the top sigh of relief when he sees the wine.] You're officially my favourite guest, congrats on the upgrade, I'm gonna have to break the news delicately to Bryn and Eddie, they'll be devastated, there might be tears. But uh, hey! Come on in. [He steals the wine without any warning, then does a little half-skip/half-dance backwards, gesturing inwards, trusting Clark to shut the door behind him.

It's only a quick trip down the hallway, before the apartment opens up to the kitchen.] Kal, Lucretia. [He makes sure to do the Required little pointing thing that people do when they introduce two strangers.] Lucretia, Kal. Neither of you are allowed to gossip, I'm putting that ground rule down right the fuck now because I have done way too much embarrassing shit in my life.

[He's babbling a little.]

(Lucretia rolls her eyes, slowly lowering her hands as Taako practically leaps away to answer the door. At this point, she might never get to find out, which is a shame, because the curiousity of it all is driving her a bit nuts.

She's still frowning at her fingernails when he comes back with Clark. From what Lucretia had been briefed on she'd been expecting an 'alien', but is startled to discover that Clark looks decidedly human. She blinks, unsure of whether or not to offer a hand.)

Hi, (she offers, trying (failing) to sound confident. Taako is filling all the gaps in her conversation, hands gesturing all over the place. She sits up a little straighter in her chair, and plucks at the long sleeve of her shirt.) It's okay, Taako, I'm not about to repeat anything sacred. You can unclench.

[ He wasn't expecting Taako to be so nervous. This is a tricky situation. Even Clark's not sure what he's going to do or say. He's promised himself he'll behave. Only Taako would notice when his politeness was frosty.

And he's curious about what led Lucretia to her decisions. ]

Hi. Kal-El. [ He's torn between teasing Taako and being polite to Lucretia. This has to be as normal as possible, and he's grown comfortable with Taako. He opts to tease. ] Speak for yourself, I'm just waiting for an opportunity to dish out the dirt.

[ He holds out his hand to shake hers. ]

[Those are two very different responses to his request, but Clark isn't being hostile and that helps ease away some of the nerves that are creeping back in. He makes a face at Clark as he sets the wine bottle down on the table and starts rifling through the cabinets for wine glasses.]

Luckily, you're not the one with the good dirt.

[Lucretia has way more shit on him, after fifty years together and probably a few drinking games during boring nights on the Starblaster.]

(She takes his hand and shakes it, already starting to feel more at ease. She can handle this; doubly so, if there's going to be wine.) Lucretia. It's good to finally meet you instead of having you hear about you second hand.

(It's highly true that she has the good shit, though. She shoots Taako a look, and grins fleetingly.)

Maybe we should swap stories some time.

Same here. [ He sees the muscles on her face moving and the smile reaching her eyes. Clark relaxes inwardly. ] I'd love to. Over coffee, preferably.

[ Taako is so screwed. Clark grins at him, also to say "it's going to be okay". They've got this. ]

Should we move to the table? Taako? I can help you heat whatever you need to.

[He groans, very dramatically, dragging a hand over his face just to make sure his anguish at this gossip session is being telegraphed loud and clear. But the fact he's back to his overdramatic self means he's probably not worrying too much anymore, Clark seems to be cool with Lucretia, and that's mostly what he was worried about.]

I hate you both, I want that on record, but I was thinking we could hang in the courtyard, I finally got a table and chairs out there, and it's a nice day.

Sounds good to me.

(Lucretia, completely oblivious to all of this secret conflict, hops down from her stool and brushes her hands off on her jeans. Taako's theatrics only cement the fact that she probably has nothing to worry about; she can only guess at why he was so worried in the first place. Kal-El seems lovely.

She eases a plate of finger sandwiches off the counter to help take outside.)

So how long have you two been together?

[ Taako really went overboard with the finger sandwiches. Along with the pie, it's a lot of food. Clark usually doesn't eat that much, but he spares Taako from a quizzical look.

He pulls out the chair for Lucretia. ]

Oh, spare him. I was taken before I got here.

[ Taako is one of the few people he'd call family that he's found here, and they dad at Ellie, but Clark had a commitment to Lois in his heart. ]

[And he's back in hell, this is his home where he lives now, it's lovely, there are demons.

Actually, scratch that, his momentary horror and embarrassment (he might be a bit pink, having realized that he totally misrepresented... this, in an attempt to stop Lucretia from digging too deep into why he was nervous) is ground to a halt by Clark's response. Even a little (a lot) caught off guard, he's not giving up an opportunity to tease Clark.]

Are you saying if you weren't I would've had a chance?

Oh– (Oh boy. Lucretia flusters, abruptly embarrassed at having misinterpreted the situation so drastically, but luckily they're being nice about it? Doesn't stop her from accepting the chair Clark pulls out for her without looking him directly in the eye.)

Sorry, I. Uh, got that one pretty wrong, huh. (She runs a hand through the back of her hair, and stares pointedly in Taako's direction in a helpless 'what the hell' kind of way.)

I'd've been open to the idea before you asked me that. [ He's not sure he's really straight, but there hasn't been much opportunity to find out. Clark needs to connect with someone before he considers it. ] You're never invited to see me work out again.

[ It's actually sweet of Lucretia. Anyone who looks at how expressive Clark is around Taako would think the same. He's wearing clothes that fit him and not hiding his size. He wouldn't hide his powers either. ]

No offence taken, Lucretia.

Well this has just gone great.

[Except it's actually not going awful, like he was worried about, and Clark seems at ease despite the potential wariness there could have been, so Taako is happy.

He sets the wine and glasses down, sneaks to press an apologetic kiss to Lucretia's cheek, then goes back to open up the wine and start pouring. He's absolutely forgotten that there was supposed to be coffee involved in this affair, wine is way better.]

My one fucking joy in this hellhole has been taken from me.

[He's being dramatic, Riverview is very nice and he has an unconscionable amount of friends that he doesn't deserve.]

Thanks, Kal-El. (She's still very embarrassed, but is trying to brush the whole thing off; Taako cannot get a glass of wine to her any faster, honestly. She straightens her shoulders, and picks a plate off of the top of the stack in the middle, handing it over to Clark.

Oh, speaking of training.)

Taako was telling me before that you're a... superhero? (If her tone is a little skeptical, it's only because she's still trying to understand the concept of the whole thing.)

the world's most awkward coffee date

hoo boy

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clark > taako > luce?

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