deathcouture | IC inbox

[okay. okay. OKAY. no more misfires. it's definitely his contact this time. totally.

hopefully.]

kravvvv

plas be you this time

come arrest me um gonna do neck dancing drunk

neck

necrotizing

this thing is stupid

BONEMAN PICK UP

[ Kravitz is in his room reading a book when his comm buzzes. ... And then buzzes again. ... And again. And again. What in the name of...? He finally puts the book down, picks it up, and....

What. jdfakl ]

Lup!

What are you doing?? [ stupid question. Oh well. ]
Where are you?

[!!!! oh excellent that sounds sort of like Kravitz. everything's a bit blurry at this point but she wasn't met with confusion this time.]

oh rad

yeah uhhhhh there's a

bar

ok i'm not in the bar anymore they kicked me out

like really rwally nicely though like

everyones so fuckin nice here k theyre sO NICE

HEY I FOUND THE CAPS BUTTON AGAIN

HANG ON LEMME ASK A DUDE

At least they kicked you out nicely...?

But why did they kick you out at all? Are you alright"

[ Please just let it be having too much to drink, and not like... worse. ]

oh nah i'm fine i'm just soooooo drunk dude im so dunk

and they closed early

[it's like 4am but anyway]

[ Ooookay. Really very incredibly drunk Lup. Got it.

Closed early? That's always a downer. He glances at the time on his device-- holy crap okay that's not early in the "closed early" sense, that's early in the "late bleeding into early" sense. Wow. He really lost track of time tonight... But that isn't important! What's important is... ]

Maybe it's a good idea to sleep it off.
Trance it off.

Did "A DUDE" tell you where you are?

[ Maybe he's already getting ready to go down to the planet and get her. Just sayin'. ]

elves dont need to sleep ya doof we trance

[but okay maybe she will actually sleep this time. because sleep is GREAT but mostly because she's like a breath away from straight-up passing out.

There's about a minute or two of nothing, and then a message - very polite and coherent and nothing like the ones Lup has been sending - that provides a name, location, and directions to the bar in question. And then, at the very end, a request to "please come soon".

And then-]

ok i have no idea who that was but he had amazing boots

did he tell you where I am

[ Whew. How kind of amazing boots dude~ good people deserve amazing boots, honestly. He's made his way to the shuttles, so now he's just gonna climb on into one and start punching in directions and stuff. ]

Did he? I'm almost sad I won't get to see them.

He did tell me. I'm heading your way now. Don't freeze before I get there, won't be long.

[ ... Ah whoops, belatedly, he hopes he didn't give her any crazy ideas with his comment about wanting to see awesome boots. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20?? ]

Hey, babe. Got a quick question for you whenever you get a chance to hit me back. Nothin' urgent.

[ as if he wouldn't make time for Taako...~ ]

Of course. Shoot.

[There's that gorgeous voice he knows and-- well, not finishing that thought just yet.]

Theoretically speaking - nerd talk, I know, you must love it - but theoretically speaking, if we somehow got a window to our plane open? How fast would it take for you to get your powers back?

Oh, well, theoretically, I'd think it wouldn't take long at all. A window to our planar system would mean I could speak with the Raven Queen again pretty much immediately -- at least, I assume that's what would happen.

[Bingo. That's what he figured. And since he's been missing, timelines or no, Taako gets the feeling his Bird Mom probably felt his absence, even if it's just a blip by her understanding.]

Cool cool cool. Make sure to tell your gothic bird mom all about how hot your new crush is, mkay? I'm sure that's what she really wants to know - all the fresh gossip.

[ "Crush"... Well, yeah, more like boyfriend when he's from, but hey. It works. They're figuring it out together. ]

Trust me, she definitely already knows about you. ... And how hot you are. [ Natch~ ] But I suppose I could remind her, sure.

Where'd the idea of a theoretical sort of planar window come from?

That's.... concerning? But mkay. I hope your weird mom approves.

[Concerning definitely, but not in the "I'm afraid" way, more the "What the fuck have you been telling the Goddess of Life and Death about me and how pissed is she that I'm distracting you from work" sort of way.]

And it's just theoretical shit. I was bored and looking into things and the question popped up in my mind. I heard the idea bandied around in a few places, was curious how it'd affect you.

[ Insight roll at a disadvantage here, due to it just being voice over a network. womp womp. No immediate clue that Taako might be cooking up more than theoretical. ]

That makes sense. I think it would be different for pretty much everyone here - it seems like the rules can change so drastically between uh, realities, or whatever you want to call them.

Yeah, shit be weird on this planer reality.

[To put it in layman's terms. Or just lazy Taako-ese.]

Weird enough that you're not the only Grim Reaper here, too. Although definitely the handsomest one.

[ Tomato, tomahto.

And does Kravitz still smile like a boy with a crush whenever Taako calls him handsome? You bet he does~ He's kind of glad this isn't a video call. He might be a little embarrassed. ]

Well, not all Grim Reapers can look this good. [ Ha. ] But actually, I did hear about there being another here. I haven't met them yet, though...

He's like you when you're in prime spooky skeleton form, my dude. But like.... All the time. And when he talks, it's like.... [Taako pauses as he rolls the words in his mouth.]

Like getting punched by eternity. Kind of a head trip.

[ He takes a second to think about that. ]

That sounds... heavy. How does someone's voice just do that?

Nooo idea.

But can you do that? Because if you can, that's hot. I'm down for that.

[ Good thing he's not drinking anything right now, he'd probably have done a spittake at that. fjkds ]

Ah-- No, not so much. Sorry. [ He does laugh a little. ] Pretty sure none of my spells would have the same impact as getting "punched by eternity".

Too bad.

Although for you, I might make an exception and say "rough massage" might be fine.

[ goodness, Taako ]

Well now that, I think I could manage.

[He's got no shame and nothing to lose.]

Just so you know, I got a pocket dimension in case you want somewhere truly private.

[After their talk that one morning, Lup's been avoiding him hardcore. Or rather, she's been avoiding everyone as far as Taako can tell. She'd burst in, asked him what he remembered, and then run out when he couldn't remember anything of substance and since then she'd been a ghost. The problem is that Taako does rememer that Lup, whoever she is, is important to him and, after a few days of being pulled off track, he can't let it go anymore.

He needs to talk to Lup and see if being near her will get anymore of this godsdamn static to clear. The only problem? His very handsome boyfriend is being particularly clingy.

The first few times, he hadn't really thought much of it. It isn't like it's weird for Kravitz to invite him to do things or want to be in Taako's immediate circle. They are, after all, dating? They've had two dates for Taako and only Kravitz knows how many by his point in the timeline, but while it's weird, it's not, y'know, that weird? It's just kind of weird and it's easier for Taako not to think about it and go with the flow, or it has been until right now.

Taako lets out a sigh as he comes face to face with Kravitz again as he starts heading toward Lup's room.]

Do you need something, Bones? 'Cause as much as I love how much time you've been dedicating to me, I kiiiinda have something I need to do.

[ After Lup texted him in a panic, and they settled on a "solution" for the whole, um, thing that's going on... Kravitz got some pretty clear instructions to try and keep Taako busy - to protect him from what he'd see if he tried to go visit with Lup. Granted, he pretty much always wants to spend time with Taako anyway, especially during all of this weirdness going on, so it's been a pretty easy and natural thing to do.

Too bad with each passing day, Taako's been (understandably) getting a little more antsy about heading in Lup's direction.

And that sigh... Yeah, Kravitz has a bad feeling about how this is going to go in the end, but even so, he tries running interference. ]

Well, no, there's nothing I need... Is everything okay?

Yeah, cool then. Everything's peachy, handsome. I just, like I said, got something I have to do, so while it's not that I don't wanna chill in your sphere or nothing, can we put a raincheck on this- [Taako points between the two of them with a wink.] -for now?

[Because he's 99% certain that Kravitz is trying to distract him, but 1% hoping it's just his charm that's keeping the reaper glued to his side. Under normal circumstances, Taako would be one hundo percent down for this, but right now he has a giant blank in his brain that's only getting more and more glaring the longer he has to think on it.]

I can catch up with you in, uh, say 20? 30 minutes tops.

Uh, yes. Sure. [ If he sounds distracted, it's because he's now very aware he's in a bit of a Situation (tm) now. Uh oh. He's quiet for a second, clearly thinking pretty hard about something (two guesses, honestly). Then... ah, hell. ]

Taako, you're not... about to try finding Lup, are you?

[Everything seems hunky-dory, so Taako gives Kravitz a wink as he steps to the side, ready to go on his merry little way. It's not like he can get very far and Kravitz doesn't have to worry about him blowing himself up again on the Marsiva of all places, so surely this is the end of the constant shadowing, right?

When the reaper speaks up again though, Taako's ears twitch back. That's an oddly specific question.]

No.

[He says in the exact tone of voice that says "most definitely yes."]

Why're you asking me that?

[ Oh yeah, he definitely knows that tone. He sighs. ]

Because I was wondering if you might be.

[ His tone is soft - not accusatory, just ... this was expected. Regardless, it's pretty clear he's choosing his words carefully. ]

She's... having a hard time right now. Whatever all of this [ he gestures vaguely to their surroundings ] is, it's taking a serious toll on her, so she wants to be alone. For now.

[Taako's eyebrows arch ever higher as Kravitz explains himself, causing a whole lot of other questions to form.

Why would Lup tell Kravitz that? Did he just notice and decide to take care of her out of the goodness of his skeletal heart? Why the hell would he do that? Why would she tell Kravitz that and not him? How close were they? Why didn't he notice them buddying up like that? Was this why Kravitz was nearly always somewhere nearby anytime Taako went toward the sleeping quarters? Was he literally running interference on him?

And sure, he understood that Lup might be having a hard time, but so was Taako. He didn't understand why Kravitz would be shielding her from him when Lup was practically trying to attach herself to his side any other point in time and he hadn't said anything. And sure, maybe Taako hadn't told Kravitz about trying to remember whatever it was that he lost so hard that it was making him sick, but that wasn't his problem to deal with, right?

And maybe that constant headache was starting to make him irritable and annoyed and as much as he liked hanging around Kravitz, he wanted to check on Lup and make sure she was okay. Her 'wanting to be alone' or not, he hadn't seen her out and about for meals or anything and it was starting to get worrisome. Being stopped from doing what he wanted never sat well with Taako and with that low hum headache in the back of his brain recently, he's feeling less than charitable about the inconvenience.]

Oh? And she told you all that, huh? I mean, fair, I guess, but I just want to see if she wants something to eat or whatever. You can't really stop me from going if I want to.

Well, no, I can't stop you. But I can tell you it's not a good idea. And yes, she did tell me all that. She wanted to talk, I listened, and then she needed to be alone.

[ It's so much more than that. And he hates feeling like he's lying by omission to Taako, of all people. But this whole situation is a mess, and frankly, now isn't the time to iron everything out - not with shared dreams and memories, heightened emotions, Taako's inability to remember what he remembered in Lup's dream, and the fact that Lup is dangerously close to going full-blown lich mode. ... Okay, so "mess" is an understatement.

He takes a deep breath. ] Could you... give her more time? At least?

[There's a moment of genuine surprise and appreciation when Kravitz tells him he was Lup's listening ear. He doesn't really have any reason to feel thankful that Kravitz was there for her when Taako wasn't, no reason to be anything but surprised that the two of them were hitting it off so well honestly, and yet after the moment passes, his ears flatten back against his head. Whatever is going on with Lup, Taako has a sinking suspicion it has to do with him. If it's his fault, shouldn't he be the one to fix it? Normally, he'd just let someone else clean up his messes, but this one time, he's trying to be better and apparently no one wants him to do that.

It shouldn't bother him. It shouldn't even surprise him. But here he is, feeling irritation boil up in his chest until his brain can't stop his mouth from spitting something out that he immediately regrets.]

Dunno when you suddenly got so buddy-buddy with her, but sure, whatever, it's not like I know half the shit going on between you and everyone anyway. What's the difference with one more thing I'm apparently the only one not allowed to know?

[The bitterness laced in his words is surprising even to him, and Taako stops dead, staring at Kravitz for a moment. Dread pools in his stomach in the spot all that vitriol had recently vacated, leaving him bewildered and hating himself and hating this entire Emotion™ thing that he's apparently no longer in control over. There's only one logical thing his brain can think to do: he turns on his heel to book it away from there as fast as possible.]

[ Kravitz already feels terrible. He knows Taako is angry, and quite frankly, he doesn't blame him one bit for it. This whole situation is madness and it feels like no matter what happens, Taako can't catch a break. But Kravitz can't just cast some sort of spell and fix everything, no matter how much he might want to right this second. And he's already terrified that it's going to get worse before it gets better...

... and then Taako says that.

The words hit Kravitz like a ton of bricks. Hell, the split second of silence that immediately follows hits even worse - it's that brief span of time where Kravitz knows he should say something. Do something! Anything! If he had any kind of answer, now would be the moment for it. But there's nothing. I wish, more than anything, that I could tell you everything. What good would that even do right now? None.

And when the elf abruptly turns and bolts, Kravitz reaches out toward him - as if he'd even be able to stop Taako from leaving. He knows better. But it doesn't mean he won't try. ]

Taako, wait-

[ But if he's bound and determined to leave, then he'll let him leave, especially since what the hell can Kravitz even do at this point? ]

[He shouldn't stop. He's angry and lashing out and it's not like Kravitz is going to say anything other than "I'm sorry." He's tired of hearing people apologize to him. Saying sorry doesn't change the shit that's happening, doesn't make any of it any better. People can feel regret and still do bad things. Taako's done it. He's learned how not to feel sorry for things he does anymore because whatever he's done, he's done it to survive.

So he shouldn't stop right now, but he does. He's put distance between himself and Kravitz, enough that he's out of arm's reach. He can run if he needs to, but more than running? He just wants answers. Even one would make this whole shitshow situation he's in right now be a little more bearable.]

What.

[His voice is thinner than he expects, pitched flat and waiting for something to break the tension. He doesn't trust himself to say more than that even if he wants to. What do you want? What can you tell me? What are you willing to tell me?]

[ He's surprised that Taako's stopped at all. He takes a step forward, but... that's all. He wants to close the rest of distance between them, but with what's just happened, he feels he doesn't get to do that. Not right now. His arm falls back to his side, and he sighs. He knows he probably looks about as helpless as he feels. ]

... I don't want it to be this way either. If I could, I'd tell you anything. Everything. I I would try, if it would make any difference. [ And then, what Taako doesn't want to hear: ] ... I'm sorry.

[Of course Kravitz doesn't want it to be this way. Who would, right? It's a clusterfuck of mismatched memories, misaligned timelines, and information unable to be shared. It's frustrating and disappointing and hearing Kravitz say all that? Doesn't make it any better. He wants to check on Lup. She'd been distressed and of all the people here in this stupid spaceship hellscape, he actually cares about what happens to her and he hates himself for it. Enemy or not, she's proven time and time again to give a shit about him and, for once, he wants to return the favor.

But so does Kravitz. For whatever reason, between their pseudo-date at the Chug N' Squeeze and Kravitz arriving here, enough time had passed that he'd gotten himself smitten. And while Taako has been fine with it so far? Sometimes it's moments like these when it bothers him. There's a history between him and Lup that he doesn't know and can't, apparently, but then there's history between him and Kravitz now. History enough that he's apologizing about everything and that bothers Taako. Because the last time he saw Kravitz on the moon base, he'd been shy and interested, but this Kravitz is concerned with pleasing him, confident, and sad when he thinks Taako isn't looking.]

You'd tell me anything, huh?

[He turns, hands on his hips, as he looks up to regard Kravitz, his expression cold.]

Because yeah, that'd make a big difference. You, Mags, Lup, you all tiptoe around me like I'm fucking fragile. And sure, sometimes it's nice to be treated like I'm a precious commodity, but that doesn't mean handle me with kid gloves. I mean, fuck, Krav! It's not like I need heart-to-hearts on the reg, but we haven't even talked about what's going on between us. And that? That's the one thing we can talk about.

You're not--...

[ Nah. He cuts himself off, just lets Taako finish, listening instead. Really listening. Because, yeah, he isn't wrong. He has been tiptoeing around him, and it's been awful. And for all that Kravitz has thought - and now said! - that he wants to talk about it all, they never have. And it might not be completely his fault, considering Taako can often be the crown king of not talking about your problems, but... he deserved that. All of it.

He's quiet for a second, weathering Taako's cold gaze and refusing to look away from him. He can't keep the sadness out of his eyes - never been good at that around Taako - but his lips are pressed together in a thin line and he's standing firm. He nods once. ]

You're right. We can. And we really should. [ He sighs, a fraction of the tension leaving him as he continues. ] I really am sorry, Taako - for not trying to bring any of it up, and for my part in causing this mess. But like you said, we can talk about us. And if you're ready to talk about it too, then we can.

[And there it is again. That perpetual sadness, the look that makes Taako's heart seize and want to run away. Whatever he's doing, whatever he's said, it makes Kravitz sad because it's wrong or it's not what he remembers or it causes him guilt. Taako doesn't like admitting that he cares for someone, especially admitting he's falling for someone as quickly as he's let himself fall for Kravitz.

And there he goes apologizing for it all like it's even his fault at all. Gods! It makes Taako want to punch him in the perfect face just so he'd get angry or yell or do something other than be kind and caring. Taako doesn't deserve kind and caring. He's never put any of that out into the world, so why is it coming back at him? That gap between them, the missing time, it makes hi wonder what sort of person he became to make Kravitz be like this with him.

And then it makes him wonder if it's actually him Kravitz sees, and not just some future version of him that doesn't exist yet.

Taako sets his mouth in a line, trying to choke back his thoughts to keep them from spilling out and ends up shrugging apathetically in a wild emotional over correction.]

I'm the one that brought it up, so whatever, sure. But not here.

[He's had enough emotional outbursts in a public hallway to last him the next few centuries. Taako turns and starts stalking to his room, ducking inside and leaving the door open for Kravitz to follow.]

IC inbox

text; the hour is Ungodly

text; oh god Lup no

text; oh lup YES

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voice; some random night before the 27th

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during calibrations 2/2019

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