Game over. Continue?

[spellslots]

who: Taako + others
what: Hopping on the memshare train
when: October!
where: Everywhere!!
warnings: Gory death, less gory death, poisoning, murder, it's bad lads

[There's a few closed options amongst these but most are open, they can either be flashes or dreams, just let me know. If it's the former you can either hit up his IC inbox or toss a text here or just say they ran into each other doing groceries and your character is like "hey I had a dream about you that's weird". I've spent all day writing and have lost all ability to form a coherent thought.

Also I wrote in prose but please don't feel like you have to respond like that. Please.]


closed; I don't have to run faster than death. I just have to run faster than you
The preparation feels familiar, a routine that he's done hundreds of times before and will do hundreds of times again. Sazed works besides him in the coach, cutting vegetables while Taako puts together small bowls of the herbs and spices, but there's a tension in the air that makes Taako's skin itch.

"What's the plan for the post-show celebration, my man? I dunno if we wanna stick around in this shithole for like, any longer than we have to, but we could hit up a bar?" It's a peace offering, made a little hesitantly, because Taako isn't sure if Sazed is still upset about the whole Sizzle It Up With Taako and Sazed thing.

Judging by the shrug and noncommittal sound that he gets in response from Sazed, he's still upset, and Taako spends the rest of the prep time in a sulky silence that matches Sazed's, frustration and anxiety coiled in his gut. It sits there even when flicks up the doors of the stage coach with the handy application of magic and barrels straight into the show.

It's a lively crowd, thirty, maybe even forty people and they hang on every word as he walks them through the recipe, throwing in the usual flourishes with transmutation. It's a long cook, a slow cook, so once it's in the oven he drags out the side dishes and sauce but no one seems to notice or mind. Despite the tension between him and Sazed, it's a good show. Everyone oooohs and aaahs at the magic, he tells them he loves the crowd in Glamorsprings, that he's glad to see them all today, and they seem to buy it even though he gives the same lines to every town.

When the chicken is finally done, Taako takes a long sprig of rosemary and transmutes it into elderberries, sprinkling them over the chicken before he drizzles it with sauce and craves it to be served. The chatter that’s part of the show becomes a little more amicable rather than instructive, he leans out of the stagecoach window and asks questions of the audience to build a rapport before letting them ask questions in return, all of which he answers to the best of his ability.

Things go wrong suddenly, when an audience member cries out before doubling over in pain, clutching their stomach. The next victim starts vomiting and someone shouts something about blood and panic seizes Taako, gripping his chest as his gaze flicks down at the empty serving plate, a few stray elderberries still littering the ceramic.

"No, no, no, no…"

His hands shake as he hovers his fingers over the berries, not brave enough to touch them, and his hands are still shaking when someone in the crowd starts crying. His hands are still shaking as he slams the windows closed, all but scrambling to the back of the coach.

"Sazed! Sazed, get in the fucking front we gotta fucking go!"

Sazed comes running out from a smaller wagon, shock on his face as he looks at Taako then at the crowd.

"Come on, come on, forget the second hook up, just drive!"

There's another brief second of hesitation and Taako's heart hammers in his throat until Sazed finally moves, running to the front of the stage coach as Taako closes the doors behind him. He feels them start to move and holds his breath for what feels like hours until he's sure they're out of town, until he's sure they're not being pursued.

And then he breaks down. They usually pack everything up carefully before travelling but with no time to do that, pans and utensils rattle around the back of the coach. A pot goes rolling past Taako as he sinks to the ground, back pressed against the wall. He's crying so hard he can barely breathe, forcing him to gasp between sobs as he replays everything over in his head.

He loses track of time. At some point he stops crying but doesn't move, staring hollowly at countertop, and all he can think about is his pounding head and the rattle of the coach as they keep running. He drifts off to a fitful sleep and is jerked awake when the wagon comes to a stop, the back doors opening to reveal Sazed looking haggard and uncertain, but he forces Taako to get up and move to the front of the coach. They spend barely five minutes still, just enough for a small break, before they push on again.

Taako curls up in the passenger's seat and watches the world go by without registering any of it; day dips into night into day again, only broken by short tense breaks, until the second night falls and Sazed finds a small clearing off the road where they pull up.

"I need to sleep, Taako."

All he can do is nod, all he can hear is the flatness in Sazed's tone, the unspoken accusation, all he can think about is the fact forty people just died because of his mistake.

They make camp in tense silence and Taako knows, he knows, but he still closes his eyes and falls into a trance full of nightmares that he wakes up from less than a half hour later, and Sazed is gone. He doesn't bother getting up, not yet, just turns his face into his bedroll and cries for the second time in as many days, this time with the knowledge that he's alone.

Again.



closed; no offence, but I am glad that we're friends.

The room is softly lit, illuminated purely by a string of fairy lights that seem to have been wrapped around a bright green bush growing in the centre of the room, a coffee table having been pushed aside to make space for it. There are presents piled haphazardly under the bush, all wrapped in the same white butcher paper with varying degrees of tidiness, though some of the paper has been decorated in various ways, with glitter or drawings or illusions that create swirling patterns on the presents.

Music is playing from somewhere nearby, a pretty song without lyrics that fits the mood in the room. Merle is curled up on a pile of pillows, snoring quietly, while Lup sits nearby and gently braids little red beads into his beard, winking at Taako when he looks over at her. Magnus, Davenport and Barry are playing a game of cards that Taako never bothered to learn, but judging from the quiet, annoyed muttering, Magnus is losing. The handful of empty beer bottles beside Magnus, compared to the half-drunk wines that Barry and Davenport are nursing may be contributing to the loss.

"Ten silver says that Davenport is lying about the rules to win," Lucretia's voice is quiet as she joins him on the couch, only sighing slightly when Taako immediately shifts to lean against her, tugging her arm until it's draped around his shoulder. She starts idly tapping her fingers against his arm in time with the music.

"Nah, Barold would've picked up on it, unless--"

"Unless," Lucretia cuts in, laughing.

Taako doesn't bother moving enough to shoot her a look, knowing that she'll just assume it's there, "Barry's playing along cause Davenport's gonna cut him in on the winnings. He'd do it for like, twenty five? Thirty percent?"

"Shit, you might be onto something there."

Taako hums, smug and self-assured and the conversation about the bet quietly fades away as Lucretia keeps tapping out a rhythm on his arm. It's peaceful enough that he feels himself drifting off, lulled to sleep by the combination of too much food and wine and the quiet way Lucretia starts singing when the next song comes on. He hears vague shuffling happening somewhere nearby but doesn't think too much of it, until he feels hair dangling in his face. It turns out to be Lup, leaning over him to pass something to Lucretia, before she retreats after giving Taako a light bop on the nose with the tip of her finger. He watches her tug Barry away from the card game, leading him away despite the protests of Magnus and Davenport, until the couple disappear through a doorway and Taako finally glances over at Lucretia.

"Whatcha got, bubbale?"

Lucretia doesn't answer the question verbally, mostly because she's too busy nudging his arm until he sits up a little straighter, though there's a fair bit of fussing and light grumbling from his end as it happens. But then he feels the tell-tale tug of a brush in his hair and all thoughts of complaints fly out the window, replaced by a pleased little sound that would be embarrassing if anyone else but Lucretia heard it.

The brush passes through his hair gently, occasionally followed by Lucretia's free hand smoothing down any fly aways, her touch soft against his back. This is a familiar ritual, not something they do often, but... enough that Lucretia knows the careful way to ease out any knots, that she never snags his ears, that she avoids touching the side of his neck where it was slit open during his last death. Even more than before, it lulls him very close to a proper trance, his heart beat and breathing slowing as consciousness slips away.



when we die, we come back different

There's dread in his stomach, a vague sense of nausea that creeps up on him as they run over rocky terrain, struggling to keep their footing on the sharp, jutting stone. He can see Lup in front of him, her red robe stained dark from a wound on her shoulder and torn in too many places to count. Her breathing is ragged but she doesn't slow, the same way Taako doesn't slow despite the bruise he can feel spreading across his ribs. A few of them are broken, he knows this feeling well enough by now. Behind them, something explodes and Barry shouts at them to run, before he goes silent.

Lup doesn't look back, neither does Taako. They'll see him again soon enough, one way or another.

"C'mon, Taako, you gotta hurry up, we're so close," Lup yells the words without turning around.

Almost as if on cue, Taako trips and goes tumbling forward, managing to get his hands out in time to break the worst of the fall. Something snaps in his arm. Lup, finally, looks back. The ball of light she's holding is suddenly visible in her arms, poorly wrapped in a red jacket, she glances between the light and Taako, knowing the decision she's faced with.

"Go! Just fucking go, I'll hold 'em off."

There's pain in his voice and pain on Lup's face for a split second before she nods, determined, and takes off running again, leaving Taako to take quick stock on his own particular set of injuries. His right arm is definitely broken and both his hands are a mess, bloody and bruised, bone visible where the rocks tore through his flesh. The aching in his ribs has only grown but he ignores it as he clambers back to his feet, only wincing when he has to use those torn up hands to draw a wand out of his pocket.

Something shrieks behind him and then a column of black drops down from the sky only a yard away, shadowy creatures pouring out from the inky darkness, shot through with flashes of red, yellow and green. The figures are almost all different, some various kinds of humanoid, while others are angled and robotic, some large and monstrous, but they all have the blackness in common.

The first fireball bursts forth from his wand and crashes into something that looks a lot like a deformed, oversized tiger, which goes up in flames as soon as the spell hits, howling with pain and running off wildly, crashing into handful of humanoid creatures. Something in the ranks sends a bolt of lightning back towards Taako, but he flicks his wand quick enough to break the force with a shield.

More horrors are pouring out of the column and with another movement of his wand, Taako casts an incendiary cloud right where the column hits the ground, a cloud of swirling black ash growing on the point, embers visible within the cloud that strike any of the creatures within it. There's more shrieking but Taako does his best to ignore it, already preparing his next spell. It's quickly cut short as an arrow whistles through the air and embeds itself into his stomach.

"Fuck."

The force of it sends him stumbling back, sinking to one knee to avoid losing his footing and breathing becomes very difficult as pain lances through his stomach at every single movement. It's definitely hit something important, which is deeply unfortunate, though not as unfortunate as the fact the Hunger's army is quickly gaining ground, most of them close enough to become a very real problem in the next thirty seconds.

Taako raises his wand, counting under his breath as they get closer, until they're almost on top of him, and then he quickly flicks his wand in an upward movement, drawing forth a huge wall of ice. Almost a dozen of the creatures are caught in the wall and knocked away, ice spreading over the blackness, a few of them going down for the count. It buys Taako a few seconds as they beat against the ice, enough for him to look down at the arrow sticking out of him, blood seeping into his clothes.

The respite doesn't last long, not when cracks start to appear in the ice, giving him the warning to cast another spell as the wall shatters. Sickly green energy spreads out from around him and he watches as the creatures stagger with the damage, a few limbs rotting while others just simply fall dead.

But one of the larger monsters barely seems bothered by the damage Taako has done and it's upon him within seconds, bringing down a large paw with sharp claws. Taako tries to roll out of the way, sending a jolt of pain through his stomach that's quickly drowned out by the white-hot pain of his leg being torn to shreds by those sharp claws.

There's not even time to scream before the world goes black.



judge if you want. we are all going to die. I intend to deserve it.
There's a flash of light, a loud thunderclap and the sensation of heat, followed quickly by a sudden drop as the ship falls and falls and falls, and Taako loses consciousness before they hit the ground.

Upon waking, the most noticeable thing is the dust in his mouth, it clings to his lips and makes his throat feel dry, but when he tries to reach up to brush it away, the action is pulled up short by the restraints on his wrist. He nearly topples forward from where he's kneeling on cold stone, but manages to keep his balance.

When he casts a glance up, the sky is pale and sunless, but more noticeable are the giant statutes, hundreds of feet tall, looming over them.

"Hello, my name is Prosecutor Olsen," The man is standing at a podium, clip board in front of him, and he sounds bored, "The six of you are being tried for... let’s see, uh, interloping, malicious intent, and violation of a no-fly zone ordinance... Just making sure I have your names down right for the record here: Merle, Davenport, Lup, Magnus, Barry, Take- Taaaay-ko?"

"It's Taako, like from TV?"

"There's an umlaut," Merle interjects, and Taako shoots him a look.

The man talks again but this time Magnus interrupts, making a series of not very subtle threats, until Taako snaps at him to cut it out.

And then the judges, the statues above them, start to talk in four voices that blend seamlessly, "You’re a long way from home, from your journey’s beginning. And still away from your journey’s end, aren’t you? The truth of this matter is already known. Speak it openly. Piety will be rewarded, corruption will be punished. None of your deeds will be kept from our divine providence. The measure of your words and deeds throughout the fullness of your lives will be considered and weighed."

The trial begins, the judges leveling charges, sins, against each of the crew on the ground around Taako, all of the seven birds except Lucretia, who is noticeably absent. When Taako's sins are announced (envy, greed, pride) he very dramatically lifts his chin before pleading, "Not visible!"

Nothing happens, of course, his magic is cut off from him and there's a slightly awkward pause before the prosectur asks him to clarify.

"Yes, allow me to clarify: I misspoke. One of my sins is poor pronunciation. Uh, not guilty at all. I have been satisfied many times, one time I made the perfect amuse-bouche that included lemon and saffron and it was delicious and I was extremely satisfied with that. Never even attempted it again. So I was definitely satisfied then. And what you call—let me ask you this! You say sloth is a sin, but if one is satisfied, is that not a form of sloth? I don’t see how those two aren’t contradictory. So no, I don’t think I’m guilty," His tone is almost dismissive, clearly not taking this seriously, even as he tries to subtly wriggle free from the restraints.

The arguments continue, the prosecutor asks about any others from their ship and Taako, in a moment of not paying enough fucking attention, gives up Lucretia's name, but that's quickly moved on from as the judgements are handed out. Merle, Barry and Taako are found worthy. Lup, Magnus and Davenport are found wanting.

Things escalate quickly as Magnus suddenly breaks free from his bonds using his strength alone, taking a step forward towards the prosecutor, and as Magnus's foot falls he goes still, his body turned to white stone.

"You know what, I know I should be mad but I think he would be so flattered to see a statue of himself, honestly," Taako is doing his best to maintain his flippancy, even as he stares at the frozen statue, "I’m only sorry he can’t be here to witness this."

It gets... worse, after that. The judges speak in unison, voices echoing, raining down their judgement, though the individual charges are hard to pick up.

They willingly tear out their souls--
They shatter the very will of God--
Who are they to take the fate of the world in their hands?
They’ll burn the world down around them--
We must find the seventh harbinger--
There will be a necessary betrayal--
They abandoned their family--
They run away from the town they kill--
They run away from the town they let die--
They kill so many goblins, such brutality, for what?
They are a moment too late. The town will be engulfed--
They killed him in the street, threw his body off a cliff, torn apart by dogs--
They take time from their rescue to steal from the bank--
They assault the guardian of clay. They know they’ll forget--
So much cruelty towards a child who loves them--
He took the guards with them, left them for the monsters--
A terrible choice, it is not theirs to make--
It is nobody’s to make.
Your path leads to indescribable destruction. Much of it will come at your own hands.
You will face choices with terrible outcomes, choices no one should be allowed to make.
Your path leads to the end of our providence. We don’t know why.
Your path is your own, but our providence has touched your futures. The six of you will fall short of glories, so it is known and so it has always been known, our judgement is decided.

The calcification process isn't as painful as Taako expects it to be. Something tightens in his chest and then the world goes white, then black, then very quiet.



I brought some marshmallows. let's burn this world down
Light plays across the ceiling, dappling the curve of the tunnel in soft light as the crew walk towards a chamber, marked by a large symbol, a wolf howling at the moon, the latter of which is represented by a gear. Inside the chamber sits a beautiful blue crystal, ten feet tall and glowing, and inside it are... faces, people, moving slowly the crystal.

Guarding it is a very large robot, who speaks once they're in the room, "Hello. I— I see you’ve found our secret here. We’ve discussed among ourselves what we’d do if this day ever came, though, to be honest, I doubted it ever would. Um. What are you all looking for?"

"We want to help," Magnus answers first, as the others file into the room. Taako is drawn by the sheer magic emanating from the crystal, but it's also unsettling.

"I’m, uh, I’m not sure exactly what that means. You want to, give us some, some oil or something? I’ve got a lot, I’ve got a lot -"

Magnus cuts in again, "There’s a force coming, that is going to destroy everything. And I don’t mean like the plague, I don’t mean like a monster, or “destroy” where you just go back and find a new body, I mean unmake everything. And it’s gonna be here in a couple days."

"I’m not entirely sure why I should believe you, but, um, if what you say is - is true, um, is there anything we can even do, to - to fight it off?" The robot sounds skeptical, which is honestly fair.

"Yeah lady, I’m afraid you’re up shit creek, I don’t really know what to tell you on this one." Taako speaks up this time, ignoring the slight look that Lup gives him.

There's silence for a moment before it's Davenport's turn to talk, and while there's a deep sadness in his voice, it's also very matter of fact, "Guys, I’m so - I’m so sorry, but, we - we can’t let this technology get consumed by the Hunger, we can’t give the Hunger an army of robots and a way of - transferring people into even more powerful robot bodies, we can’t - I’m sorry, we just can’t - do it, we have to...we have to destroy this thing."

Taako steps forward instantly, drawing his wand, only stopping when the robot moves to grab a very big piece of rebar, holding it like a staff, clearly on the defensive. Taako's gaze flicks to the side, expecting to see Lup beside him, but he has to turn his head a little further to realize she's still behind him.

"Taako, this doesn’t, um, this doesn’t feel right. We shouldn’t be interfering like this. This would be - we would be...eradicating everybody else on this planet, I don’t - I don’t think that’s right, Taako."

"Um— but— okay, but listen: y— that’s happening! It—" He pauses with frustration, whirling on Lup, "Why am I always the only pragmatist with you people? That’s happening anyway!"

"Are are we just gonna burn every world that we can’t save? Just to keep the Hunger from getting its hands on it? How does that make us any better than them?" It's an accusation and a plea all in one, but Taako doesn't want to hear it.

Neither does Magnus, "If we don’t - If we let the Hunger get stronger, doesn’t it make it harder to save the next world? I mean, we’re still figuring this out."

The argument carries on for a few minutes, both Magnus and Taako trying to make the point that there's no saving these people, that they're dead anyway, so the practical choice is to avoid giving the Hunger anymore power. It isn't until Lup gets up in Taako's face, a hand on his collar as she stares him down that he drops the argument, going silent as the others continue to discuss it amongst themselves.

The offer a choice to the robot, be destroyed or be consumed and it stupidly refuses either, as if it has any chance to fight the Hunger. Taako is frustrated but thoughtful and after a moment he finally speaks again.

"Okay. Alright. Here’s the plan. This crystal is used to power your people, the souls are somehow connected to this crystal, correct? Okay. There is a chance, as Lup pointed out, that the Hunger isn’t destroying everything, that there’s something we can do to bring your people back from the Hunger. Here is what I would like to suggest. Let us take the crystal with us. I can shrink it to a small enough size that I can keep it on my person.

And I will do so. And the moment that we — if we have the chance, if we have the ability to bring your people back, I will restore the crystal to its original size and location, and it will be as though you just had a power nap. That is the best shot we— but if this force, gets stronger and eats this crystal — we may not be able to stop it. This may be a moot point. But: it’s a chance. You have a chance."

The robot wants to discuss the option with the rest of its people, and that's fine, but the worst part is the way that Lup looks at him as they leave, disappointed and judgemental, and something unpleasant sits in his chest even as the memory fades.



I have this dream where my sister is taking my picture, and I keep saying don't get on the plane and she says say cheese

Taako's memories of Lup are almost hazy, softened by time and tinged by a warm nostalgia that takes the edge off even the worst of their days, because at least he had her, at least he wasn't alone.

six years old

There's hay beneath Taako's back, itchy and prickly but he does his best to ignore it, focusing instead on the sound of Lup's voice, a hushed but excited whisper as she tells some story about fairies that take children off to a beautiful land. He's pretty sure it's made up, but that doesn't matter. She's warm beside him and he feels safe here, even if the barn smells like cows. As he starts drifting to sleep, the story shifts to something about the future, about how they're gonna be famous and rich and the coolest elves in the whole world.

"You sure you don't wanna be a princess instead?" The way he frames the question makes it sound like an old joke, and Lup responds by shoving him into the hay bale, both of them laughing as he tries to wriggle free.

ten years old

Lup sits on a kitchen counter, grubby heels kicking against the wood, something that seems to be frustrating the older female elf who's pottering around the kitchen. She picks Lup up and deposits her on the ground with a warning to stay there, but as soon as her back is turned, Lup scrambles back up on the bench and resumes her position.

Their aunt turns around with an exasperated sigh and gently hauls Lup off the counter again.

This process repeats itself a few times, their aunt growing more frustrated and Taako losing all ability to hold in his laughter, bursting into giggles when their aunt finally (playfully) grabs Lup, hauls the cackling little elf over her shoulder, and carts her off.

eleven years old

There is a brief, sharp flash of pain followed by a soft ow, but when Taako reaches up to touch his ear, Lup slaps his hand away quickly. The needle she just used to pierce his ear has a few specks of blood on, but she doesn't seem too bothered by it as she idly drops the needle onto the mattress, freeing her hands up to thread a silver ring through the new wound. That hurts more than the initial piercing, but Taako bites his lip to keep himself quiet, not wanting to seem like a wimp.

"There, all done!"

Lup sounds pleased with herself as she holds Taako's face in her hands. tilting his head to the side to inspect her handiwork. It's the third piercing and enough for the day, Taako can feel the dull ache in his right ear where she made all the holes, but he's smiling, delighted.

"When are we going into town next? You think we'll have enough money to buy some new earrings?"

Lup blows out a puff of air, dismissive, "Like we need money."

fourteen years old

The sky is purple, two suns shining softly as clouds drift pass, and Taako, still awkward in his gangly teenager body, is trying to act nonchalant as he approaches a market stall full of fresh vegetables. Several feet away, Lup is in the middle of distracting the stallholder, which mostly involves some tall tale about an evil sorcerer who's been trying to kidnap kids in the village. The woman doesn't seem to actually believe her, but is humoring her, and that's all Taako needs.

Nimble fingers shove a handful of potatoes, an ear of corn and a weirdly shaped parsnip into the bag slung over his shoulder. There's a few blissful seconds where he thinks it's all going to go fine, and then someone shouts about a thief and the woman spins around quickly, eyes going wide as she spots him. Taako watches Lup duck and run, wasting a precious second to ensure she's away before he also turns and sprints off.

Shouts and accusations follow him but they've done this so many times it comes easily, he slips past horses, ducks through doorways and generally gets himself lost in the crowd until the village falls away and he's running through the forest to a clearing.

Lup is already there and she slams into him upon his arrival, her own skinny arms wrapping around his waist in a hug.

"Would you-- Lup can you fucking chill, I can't breathe."

But she's laughing against him, and that's all that really matters.

eighteen

It's some kind of festival, midsummer maybe, judging from the heat in the air. Taako stands with his back to a wall, a glass of something brightly coloured and sweet in his hands as he watches people dance on the grass, most of them in their late teens or early adulthood. One of the suns as already set but the other casts enough light to see the crowd by, and Lup is amongst them, dancing with a half-elf girl and grinning from ear to ear.

Taako fidgets with his drink, searching the dancers almost as though he's looking for something, and he finds it after not too long. A tiefling boy, his skin dark and his horns curved delicately against his skull and when he realizes that he's being watched he smiles, sending a little flutter of nerves through Taako's stomach.

And then suddenly the boy is hand in hand with Lup, her grin having shifted from joy to mischief as she drags him towards her brother, whispering something in his ear that Taako can't hear but doesn't need to, really, because his cheeks heat up regardless.

The memory grows a little fuzzy, the conversation indistinct because it didn't really matter, but there's a brief flash of Taako, dancing with the tiefling boy as Lup gives him a big thumbs up, before the memory fades completely.

young adult

The room is bright and comfortable, a large wooden desk in the center where an older male dwarf looks over the papers in front of him, occasionally glancing up at Taako as if comparing the notes on the paper to the elf in front of him. Taako's hands twist in his lap, nervous in a way that he hasn't felt for a long time, but he's good at reading people, and he can tell that the dwarf is at least a little pleased by what he sees.

Minutes pass, the occasional question is asked, about what spells Taako knows, about how to make certain magic work, about the jobs he's had, and then the dwarf finally extends a hand.

"We'd like to have you back for the fourth and final round of interviews, there will be a combat test, so please come prepared."

Taako does his best to not seem too eager as he shakes the offered hand, thanking the dwarf for his time and leaving the office on shaky legs.

Lup is outside, pacing nervously down the hallway but she stops as soon as she spots him, worry and hope written across her face.

There's a pause for dramatics before Taako sticks his hands up in the air, "Cha boy's moving on up!"

The ensuing hug is tight but brief, Lup pulling back so she can deliver a very important, "I fucking told you we'd both get in!"



dust; closed
The conversation takes place in the living quarters of a silver ship, though the furniture in the room isn't sleek and futuristic, looking more as if it belongs in some grandma's cottage, something they've cobbled together from a dozen different worlds. Lup is visible in the kitchen, but Taako stands beside a human in his late thirties, both of them wearing red robes with the IPRE patch on the chest. The mood is solemn, almost tense, despite the music playing in the background, and Barry looks tired as he and Taako talk.

forgetting Lup; closed
On the deck of the Starblaster, the final conversation between Barry and Taako before Lucretia erased their memories.

no more elevators
Despite the lack of them in this animation, Taako, Merle and Magnus are all in 'null suits' which are essentially space suits with glass bowl helmets, and the scene takes place in a lab/museum, the room filled with different types of elevators of varying technological advancement. In front of the boys is a miniature city enclosed in glass, with an elevator at the top; after the argument, Magnus and Merle enter the elevator and are promptly shrunken down so that they're in scale to the city below.

count the shells!
Taako and Lup are searching through scrap, Lup finds a fucking gun, this one is pretty self explanatory.

Taako makes a deal
For context, Taako purchased the slicer of tapir weird isle which enables the user to convince anyone to trade it for their most valuable item if they pass a persuasion check, then he bought a book that, upon reading, gives the user an advantage roll on a trait of their choice. After reading the section on persuasion, Taako goes back to Garfield to make this deal.