[open] we tried to bury it and rise above

[spellslots]

who: taako/taaquito and you
what: catch-all + an open prompt for AU shenanigans
when: latter half of June
where: all around!!
warnings: violence/threats of sexual violence in the thread with smokedout

Comments

[imperceptus]

[ He snatches up the salt, then drops it into the yawning cavern of the bag on his belt--the salt disappears into it as though swallowed by a black hole. ]

Pleasure doing business with you.

[spellslots]

[Taako quirks an eyebrow at that bag, but he's familiar enough with pocket dimensions to assume it's something along those lines.]

Didn't you say you had something cool, too?

[He likes cool magic shit.]

[imperceptus]

Right, right.

[ He might've hoped to slide out of this visit without actually showing Taako anything, but he has enough meager honor in him not to back out now. He takes an onyx figurine from some hidden depth in his tunic; it's well-polished, shiny, and carved in the shape of a dog.

He throws the figurine, then calls: "Who let the dogs out?!"

As the figurine falls, it transforms into an actual dog--an extremely fluffy Tibetan mastiff, with black fur like a lion's mane.

The dog whimpers, as though it heard the summons and didn't much appreciate the phrasing.

To Taako, Rin says: ]

His name's Brantz.

[spellslots]

[Taako can imagine Magnus losing his shit at this, but Taako just chuckles as the dog appears.]

Hello, Brantz. [Look at him, being polite, though he doesn't reach out to touch the dog. He has no problem with them, but he does have a little self control.] That's a pretty neat trick, some kinda transmutation?

[It could be a handful of spells woven together, but turning flesh to stone is at least one he's familiar with.]

[imperceptus]

[ Brantz curls up at Rin's feet, though he's looking over at Taako with bright, intelligent eyes. Rin reaches to rub behind the dog's ears, which he clearly likes very much--his fluffy tail thumps eagerly against the floor. ]

Hmm, I couldn't say. I found [ stole ] the little statue while visiting a particular town once, and it took me weeks to even learn that the thing was magical.

[spellslots]

[Oh, that's very cute.]

Lemme guess, you accidentally said the triggering phrase and ended up with a full sized dog somewhere it shouldn't have been?

[Or maybe that's just him that stupid magical shit happens to.]

[imperceptus]

Something like that.

[ He rubs the back of Brantz's neck. The dog's happy, but clearly a little restless--he's an enormous animal, built for protection, built for combat. He's not really meant to be summoned for show, or even just for simple affection. But even magical fighting dogs need love, right? ]

I was in some dilapidated ruin, following up a lead on a few other artifacts. Business prospects, you understand. As luck would have it, the place used to belong to some kind of necromancing butcher--all kinds of horrors in there. Headless bats. Bats with human heads. A whole kennel of plague hounds. I was terrified, of course. This guy is the only reason I made it out alive.

[ It's not entirely a lie. ]

[spellslots]

I get it.

[Business prospects, but Taako's smile is a little sharp, like maybe he suspects there's a bit more there going on that what Rin says. Not that he's one to judge.]

Pretty lucky you had him, it'd be a shame if you'd been eaten by a bat with a human head, for sure.

[yikes]

[imperceptus]

[ Maybe just a little. ]

Not what I want on my gravestone, in any case. 'Eaten by a bat with man teeth'. Inglorious.

[ He sighs with relief. ]

Anyway, this big fella is all I've got. I usually sell whatever I pick up, but I just couldn't resist a dog.

[spellslots]

Oh, for sure, I've already got my gravestone planned out.

[By which he means, he and Lup have a running joke about what they'll put on each other's, if one dies first.]

At least you won't light up like a fucking Candlenights bush if I ever cast detect magic.

[Unlike THB. It's ridiculous.]