(closed) back at it again at fantasy krispy kreme

[spellslots]

who: ipre squad
what: shenanigans, mostly soulmate shenanigans
when: september
where: ya mom's bed
warnings: #drama, also smooches and ~references~ to boning i guess


[It doesn't really matter that much, who drinks the potion first, the end result is the same: six white threads, the colour of bonds, stretching out between them. There are three that go nowhere in particular, for Merle, Davenport, and Barry, but the other three have definite ends.

Maybe there are others, too. I'm not your dad.]

Comments

[spellslots]

[Honestly, he only tries the potion because he thinks it's kind of stupid and wants to see what bullshit it comes up with. He already knows who his soulmates are, there's no need for a little bit of parlor magic to tell him, but he figures he might get a laugh out of it, and that's kind of needed these days.

He picks one with a red thread in it, but the results are almost hilarious in how predictable they are.

There's a red thread, sure, tied around his pinky, though it leads nowhere right now, it simply trails off (Kravitz, he assumes, which is... well, something to think about later). But there are seven others. Six white bonds are wrapped around his chest, though like the red thread, three of them fade out, belonging to people who are too far away to reach. One is fraying and Taako curls his fingers around it, knowing where it leads without needing to follow it. Two are more simple: Lup, the brightest, and Magnus.

The final one is wrapped around his wrist, still white, still not leading anywhere, and he has to guess it belongs to Joaquin, the bond formed in Tesseralia that helped him saved the world, and he wonders if he'll always have it, stretched between the planes.

Taako resists the urge to follow the thread to Magnus, not wanting to put more pressure on the poor guy. If Magnus can see the same thing, maybe he'll come to them instead, and that would take away an edge of tension that Taako's had since their meeting.

At some point, later in the month, he finally follows the fraying one, knowing exactly where it leads but also knowing that he needs to have this conversation no matter how much he's loathing it.]

[ohhmrburnsides]

[Earlier in the day, Magnus had bought a trinket of his own. The cheapest version of this potion revealed just one thread, and really, he only did it out of curiosity. The red thread around his left ring finger had occupied him for a time, getting him out and about, but led him to a disappointing (but, honestly, expected) halt near the portal. His venture then ended with a resigned sigh. He hadn't expected to meet his soulmate in Riverview, anyway.

It's a surprise to him when, on his way home, another thread—white—seems to appear around his wrist.]

Huh. Guess I got a good deal on that cheap potion.

[Since his first venture had proved fruitless, he decided it couldn't hurt to follow this one. Until, as he probably should've expected, he realizes he's gone down this path before. It doesn't take him long to figure out where this thread is taking him. Still several blocks away, he hesitates.

Is he gonna do this?

A sigh.] Yeah. I am.

[Aaaaand the thread takes him exactly where he'd expected it to. With his hand inches from the door, he hesitates once again—part of him is still hanging onto his initial assumption about the would-be "poison"—but he brings himself to knock.]

[spellslots]

[Taako knows who it is before Magnus even knocks; magic is useful for a whole lot of things, this included, but he resists the urge to head outside before Magnus makes a decision. He even gives it a couple of seconds before opening the door, to make it seems less like he was hovering nearby worriedly.

It's a chill sort of day today, but he's still in a cute dress because that's how he rolls. He has a mug of tea in his hand when he opens the door, just adding more to the facade of "this is a total surprise".]

Hey, you.

[He looks - a little hesitant, his smile an attempt at reassuring despite his own nerves.]

You wanna come in?

[He's not sure if Magnus is here because of the thread or something else, but the offer is open, either way.]

[ohhmrburnsides]

[Magnus totally buys the ruse. Except not really at all.]

Hey!

[There's some indecision in his voice, but he manages a smile and a wave in greeting. As if Everything is Normal, he steps inside. ... However, his body language completely acknowledges the tension in the air—hands in pockets, shoulders slouched. He opens his mouth to speak, but realizes he's not sure what to say. Sheepishly, he raises his hand from his pocket, wrist bound in a white thread.]

So this is a thing?

[spellslots]

[It surprises him how shitty he feels, knowing that he's made Magnus uncomfortable. It shouldn't really be that much of a surprise, considering they've known each other over a century and of course Taako cares about Magnus, it's just - weird. Unfamiliar in a way.

He never cared all that much for the eighteen or so months they spent together with the Bureau, it was easier to brush Magnus's feelings aside.

That feels kinda shitty, too.]

Oh, right, uh... [He heads into the kitchen, mostly because that's where the booze is, if they need it.] A century will do that. It's not just me and you, if that helps? It's all of us, even the ones who aren't here.

[There's no point lying, anymore.]

[ohhmrburnsides]

Yeah, I get that. [It's not a quip, it's just an acknowledgement of understanding.

He follows Taako, but stays just out of a certain range from him, mostly buffered by guilt. The reason for his discomfort is his own doing more than Taako's.

He'd wanted to keep it casual, but...] Look, I was kind of a jerk the other day. I'm sorry I ditched you like that.

[scholiast]

(Lucretia is sitting at her desk at home, a half-empty cup of tea mid-way to her mouth when the white loops of thread appear one at a time about her wrists; she drops the pen she's been holding in her other hand. She can't feel them but they are undoubtedly there, even give a little in response to her touch when she lowers her cup to poke at them. There are six in total, three on each wrist: two on her left and one on her right fade out before the white threads can quite touch the ground, and yet Lucretia feels a faint tug upon them like something on the end is pulling. The three remaining are longer, even trail off down the side of her chair, snaking out underneath of her door. Of these three, one looks a little worse for wear, and Lucretia curls her finger curiously around it, giving it a gentle tug. It's worn almost through in places, but gives a resolute tug back in return, strong, like a heartbeat.

And then the alarm set about her apartment goes off in her brain.

This would usually be standard fare for Lucretia, but this time it's different, because she knows who it is immediately. She'd know Taako's signature anywhere. Her first helpless thought is: wait, how does he know where I live?, as if Lup wouldn't have told him, as if that's at all important. Her frozen-in-place posture must betray the extent of her stress because Junior seems to notice and nudges against the glass of its aquarium, humming to get her attention.

Lucretia reaches out and places her palm flat on the glass, and the voidfish makes two tight, neat little circles in the water in reply that fail to make her smile. Eventually, she lets her hand drop; but Junior follows as she stands, pushing the glass back from the top of the aquarium and swimming into the air to follow along behind her, hovering curiously about the white threads trailing down from her wrist.

She knows he's almost there when she stops beside her front door. Lucretia isn't sure what she's going to say: only that she can't bear to fight with him again. Hopefully, it isn't going to come to that, no matter what Taako throws at her this time.)

[spellslots]

[There's no knock on the door, just Taako laying his hand flat against the wood. Lucretia is right on the other side, he's not sure how he knows, just that he does.]

I'm sorry, Luce.

[Not for being angry at her, but for the things he said in anger, especially what he said about Lup. It was unfair and cruel and he is both those things in equal measure, but he tries not to be that way around the people he loves.]

[scholiast]

(Lucretia sighs, her shoulders slumping as she presses her forehead against the frame. Some how this is the closest she's physically been to him ever since she opened the canister just before the start of the month, even though there is a literal door between them.)

It's okay.

(It's not, really. And she isn't just thinking about Lup (a remark that unfortunately hasn't blunted over time). She's mostly thinking of how she hurt him, how she lost control and reached out and hurt him like it was nothing, how she left him bleeding on the ground for his sister to find him. There are a lot of things that Lucretia is privately ashamed of, but these two things rate pretty fucking high on the list.)

I... Taako, I don't even know where to begin. I'm so sorry. (For everything.)

[spellslots]

[He's silent at her it's okay, and silent for a stretch longer after her apology.]

That's not okay.

[Right now, there's no anger in him, not like there was the last time he saw her, but that doesn't make anything okay. He doesn't think it'll be okay for a very long time, maybe never, but this isn't anything new for them. Usually it's not quite so personal or painful, but they've lived with hurts before.]

You wanna let me in, bubbale, or are we gonna make our own fucking Lifetime movie over here?

[scholiast]

(Why does she ever try to say things that aren't true around somebody who knows her this well? Will she ever learn. She opens her eyes, and stares at the wood for a moment, making her sarcastic faces now so she can get it out of her system before she opens the door.)

No, I was thinking that we could do this Negotiator style. (She is fantasy Samuel L. Jackson; Taako, the gunman on the other side.

She opens the door to let him in, and to her surprise, one of the slack threads on her wrist straightens, and pulls taut where Taako stands. He has his own little cluster of threads looped around his chest: white, also, and then an extra two: one white, one red. Lucretia blinks.)

What exactly are these things anyway?

[umbrastaff]

[Following the shiny thread to her brother wasn't difficult at all, so when they are both in the house Lup sits on the counter in the kitchen (again, she never learns) and plays with it a little bit - running the ethereal thread between her fingers.]

Do you think these are similar to the bond engine? Or just parlor tricks for the festival?

[spellslots]

[The goal for today is a new macaron filling he wants to try out, with a herbal extract that tastes a little like lavender.

He's been watching the thread connected to Lup move as she does, and it's - it's nice, to have something visible between them, even if it's unnecessary. It's only unfortunate he can't use it to tug her off the countertop.]

No one here's selling shit powerful enough to be a real bond, it must just be tuning into what we've already got, right?

[Taako is not the smartest of their little group, but he spent long enough listening to Barry go on about bonds and the light of creation that he's fairly confident this isn't like that.]

[umbrastaff]

[Lup hands him the eggs from where she's sitting, picking one up to look it over.]

Save the yolks for me, Koko. I'll make some lemon curd for the breakfast toast or key lime pie.

[Here, catch!]

...and I mean, obviously it isn't a bond-bond. Just... our bonds. It's kind of cute, really.

[She touches her red one again, and then eyes Taako's.]

Huh, you have one more aside from your red one. Who's that?

[Joaquin, the Genji main. (That does McCree and Pharah jokes. MAKE UP YOUR MIND DUDE.)]

[spellslots]

You better get me an extra bowl for those.

[Taako catches the egg easily, familiar with this particular game.

He gives a nod for her assessment of the bonds, then laughs at her question.]

That'd be Joaquin, you remember that sandwich in Tesseralia that I fucking like, zoned out over cause it was so good? Turns out that formed a bond to some kid in the plane of logic, he taught me how to make tacos.

[Which they've had plenty of times in the Quarantine, but apparently the act of being taught gave him extra power.]

[umbrastaff]

[Lup wakes up covered in threads after playing with a potion, and she's more than a little confused. They're easy enough to get out of, though, and seems to move to keep her untangled.

One is wrapped around a finger, red and comforting, but after she throws clothes on and follows it, it just... ends. So do three other ones that are wrapped around her chest, just disappearing into nothingness. The sting in her heart at that sight is painful, and she turns away to head back home. She glances at the red string again, slipping it between her fingers. Barry. It was fairly easy to figure it out. These were bonds, little strings of love and connections. Merle and Davenport, too.

Fuck, she missed them so much.

When she comes back to the house, she has pretty much figured out which one's Taako's, because it's so bright and strong that it could light up a whole room. The last two are bright as well, and they just make her... happy to know they're still strong, even with Magnus without his memory and Lucretia hurting them all.

They're so loved.

Smiling, she eats a breakfast muffin, chugs some coffee and then goes to follow one of the threads.]

[ohhmrburnsides]

[So all that happened. Lucky for Lup that she didn't have to see Magnus's meltdown. The events that followed with Taako kept Magnus... occupied, so it actually skipped his mind to check in on anyone else.

It only takes a night for Magnus to get back into the groove of hanging around in Taako and Lup's space, considering, well... He remembers them now. So. The next morning he doesn't feel weird slipping out of Taako's room to root through their fridge. Lucky for Lup once again that he decides he should put his clothes on first.

Before he reaches the fridge, he spots Lup having breakfast at the kitchen table. His food can wait—he hasn't seen her (in a scenario which he could've appreciated) in over a year.]

Lup!

[He runs to her and picks her up in a bear hug.]

[umbrastaff]

[Lup drops her spoon in the bowl with a loud clink as she sees Magnus come into the kitchen. Right there, in their house, his sideburns and hair all mussed from sleep and looking happy.

Magnus was home.

She pushes back the chair so hard that it falls over when she stands, and pretty much jumps into those arms as he picks her up in the best of bear hugs - her own wrapping around his neck.

She's not going anywhere, he would have to peel her off.]

Magnus! I fuck, shit, Magnus you're here!

[Both in person and in memory.]

I missed you, you big lug.

[ohhmrburnsides]

[Magnus spins her around in this hug, natch. This is a fuckin' production. Even when he stops spinning, he keeps holding her in the air.]

Magnus is back, baby! I missed you too, you lil' stinker!

[Before he sets her down, he gives her a kiss on the cheek, with a loud mwah.]

Yeah, so, uh. Sorry that I couldn't remember you for a month. I promise I won't forget about you ever again.

[umbrastaff]

[She's laughing as he spins her and sticks her legs out artfully like they're doing the world's clumsiest ballet. As Magnus put her down and gives her that kiss, Lup reaches up and musses his sideburns affectionately.]

No worries, buddy. It's not your fault.

[Here's a nose kiss with another obnoxiously loud kissy noise.]

I was wondering who Taako was with last night!

for luce 🤐

[ohhmrburnsides]

[Magnus had to put off his meeting with Lucretia due to his work schedule—at least, that was his excuse. It was true that the weekend is better for him, generally, to make plans, but he could've suggested meeting on a week night, after work.

It's just—complicated. He misses Lucretia so much, but she is the reason for their separation in the first place. From his separation from the entire crew. His family. Plus, Taako's Yelp review of her plan didn't paint her in the best light.

He is, understandably, upset with her. But he knows that she's already taken a great deal of blame and backlash, and above everything else, she is family. But, also, he wants answers.

Tentatively, and with mixed feelings, he follows her thread to her door late on a Saturday morning, and knocks. He didn't even need her address because the bond they'd forged led him there.]

[scholiast]

(As with Taako, Lucretia's ward pings her to Magnus' arrival; she chokes on her coffee and has to abandon her breakfast in order to pull some clothes on. It isn't as if Magnus hasn't seen her in her pyjamas before, but she's trying to maintain this image of mostly haaving her shit together. She's pulling a woolen sweater over her head when he knocks, and waves the door open with mage hand as she approaches it.

There he is. He has a slightly confused look about him, like he's got a lot on his mind; Lucretia is a little overwhelmed by the sight of him.)

Hey. (She can't resist continuing in her trajectory, stepping in close and encircling her arms about his shoulders to hold him tightly. Lucretia knows she has a lot to answer for and she's more than happy to do so, but hopes she can be allowed one moment to give a dearly missed family member a big ol' hug.)

[ohhmrburnsides]

[There's hesitation, but only for a second. He'd walked up to her door expecting himself to be insistent in getting the answers he wants from her, an explanation for her actions, but now he realizes he really just wanted this. To see her again. After his initial pause, he wraps her in his arms.]

Hey, buddy.

[He lingers in the hug for a moment more, and when they separate, he offers her a smile, with some melancholy behind it.]

Can I come in?

[scholiast]

(She gives his hair a ruffle before she leans back. He's exactly as she remembers leaving him behind in Raven's Roost.)

Of course. (She steps back to let him in, and crosses to the kitchen to put her dishes in the sink.) Can I get you something?

[ohhmrburnsides]

No, I'm good. Thanks.

[He couldn't possibly eat right now, not with what he's about to start. He really, really doesn't want to have this conversation, but he can't not.]

Listen, Luce. The way you and I left off on the Starblaster...

[He pauses here, to let this set the tone. So Lucretia can find her bearings.]