[CLOSED] You Found Him?!

[barold]

Who: Any Adventure Zone cast members to pop by the Horny House!
What: A confused but elated Barry Bluejeans comes home to hang.
Where: House 5-1, aka The Cinco (Seis?) Horny House.
When: Backdated to Nov. 10th.
Warnings: Prior injuries and probably a couple swears. Will update as needed.

[The trek from the arena to the house is made long and slow by the litany of burn wounds up Barry’s side. By the time Lup has guided him through half the cavernous city, past spires and over the river, she’s filled him in on the details of their situation. The caves, the tunnels, the Door, the Gods pulling the strings - or, at least, trying to. Landmarks are pointed out, phones are tinkered with, stories are told. Kisses are shared.

As it comes into view, the house looks… almost normal compared to the strange spires and rounded architecture littering the city. Like it was flung out of a dimension close to their own and just dropped on its head. Barry chuckles a little. It doesn’t surprise him in the slightest that they’d made this house in particular their home.

Lup is quick to slam the front door open and start yelling for folks to come to the entryway, and Barry hangs back the way he tends to do, looking a little worse for wear. His glasses are broken, left lens made useless by a spiderweb of cracks, there are the expected scrapes and bruises, and his clothing is all scorched and torn. But as soon as the first person comes into view, he’s beaming.]

Good t’see ya, bud.

Comments

[weedbgon]

[ Okay but this is like REALLY RAD? IT'S VERY GOOD. It's the man himself. It's the prodigal jon (jean son). Merle's grin basically stretches from ear to ear. ]

Hey-hey, look who finally showed up! What happened to you, one of those dinosaurs steal your lunch money?

[ Merle ducked into the arena basically solely because he heard there was music stuff in there earlier. He noticed zero new arrivals on his quest, because he is a garbage person trying to put together the dance class he remembered again yesterday. Does he apologize for calling Barry a douchebag when he was voidfished.... no. ]

N- oh, hey, are we doin' a hug? 'cause I'm not against it, I just need someone to lift me above crotch-level first.

[barold]

[Classic Merle. Barry's not at all surprised - though he will be thrilled to sign up for this dance class once it gets off the ground.]

Y'know, I think I'll take a rain check on that hug, old man. That, uh. Lunch money scuffle got a little outta hand back there.

[By that, he means that he managed to literally stumble headfirst into his wife's own Wall of Fire. It's been A Day. Merle will, however, get a pat on the shoulder with his good hand.]

Think y'could hook a brother up with a little heal there, Doc? I heard Pan ain't answerin' ya, but y'got some good old-fashioned first aid in ya, right? [Right? Please.]

[weedbgon]

[ Yeah, Merle really whiffed on his "eyeball roughly how rough Barry is" roll there. He reaches up to pat Barry on the good forearm, out of solidarity. ]

Sure thing, kid! Yeah, Pan's kinda wrapped up with his own thing right now, but- not like he's the one who gave me the first aid lessons, right? [ Or the fucking biology degree. ] C'mon, let's go get you settled. Give us a chance to get all caught up!

[barold]

[Merle is literally the only person alive in the multiverse who gets to call Barry kid with a straight face.]

I'd like that. Thanks, bud. [Barry is beyond relieved. Given the day he's had, from the liches in Wonderland this morning to the moon base infiltration to suddenly being sucked up and stranded here, he could kill for a comfy chair and some burn salve right now. Thank the gods for Merle. There's no one he trusts more to patch him up than the dwarf.]

So, uh. How long since y'came here, Merle? I heard it's different for everybody. I mean, last I saw ya was a couple hours ago back at the moon.

[weedbgon]

[ Barry's genuine trust and belief in Merle kills the man. Anyway yeah, he waves that "thanks, bud" off because this is exactly not at all a big deal and he's happy to do it. And then he'll lead dear Barold on towards where this hell house presumably must have a first aid kit or something. Logically, they would have to have one. Everyone would be dead otherwise. ]

-- oh, yeah, that's right! I almost forgot we smuggled you onto the moon before things started to kick off. Y- you know, I thought that went pretty good, all things considered! We had a real nice plan.

[ It was fun, in a harrowing, foundations-shaking way. ]

That was a couple months ago for me. Maybe a little longer. I squeezed in a trip back to the moon, though, so I think that hits a big reset on the counter.

[pocketspa]

[Normally, Taako would make his rounds at the coliseum today; even though most people don't get this sort of experience, Taako has found someone he knows there every month since his arrival. Sometimes it's a friend's return, sometimes it's someone new, and twice it's been him half-unconscious on the floor. Today, however, Lup assured him she's got it handled, and he instead headed out to take advantage of the restock of food in the shops. Technically, they really should be sharing more than they do, but Taako doesn't give a shit. The horny house is fully stocked all the time because he goddamn says so.

He's finally getting back in the door when he gets the text from Lup, and he grins, wide. Oh, he knows what he's doing today.

By the time Barry actually makes it in, there's a fantastic smell wafting down from the third floor kitchen, and Taako's walking down the stairs, a bit of flour smudged on his cheek and an apron tied over his clothes.]

About time, honestly. Beginning to wonder if the pocket spa just ate you.

[barold]

[Wouldn't be a Taako-labeled joint without the warm smell of some incredible cooking permeating the air. What is that? It smells like something sweet. Given the day he's had, Barry would be hard-pressed to refuse one of Taako's signature desserts.

As the elf emerges down the stairs, Barry grins from ear to ear at the sight of him. From his perspective, it hasn't been long at all since they'd last met, but now he actually remembers. He's missed Taako. He's missed the gentle jabs and the sweet scent of cookies and cakes, the toothy grin so reminiscent of but so very different from his sister's. Feels good to be home with the family.]

Lemme tell ya, it gets real stuffy in there. Thanks for the ride and everything, but uh. I think I'll just walk from now on.

[It's a good thing Taako isn't huge on unsolicited hugs. While Barry would love a hug right now, he's not in any kind of shape for full-body contact. It's a win-win for both of them. He does get a brief, brotherly pat on the arm, because Barry can't ever help himself.]

What's that y'got in the oven? 's that for me? Smells incredible, bud.

[pocketspa]

Listen, normally, not the type to agree with you, but I spent two days in there when I showed up to this bullshit town, and uh, yeah. Do you know it only makes cucumber sandwiches? Suck city, my dude.

[Honestly, out of all the people that could've showed up, at this point Barry was the best case scenario. He's been strongly enjoying his time without Lup running off to see Lucretia, and Davenport is fine, but would deffo want to have some sort of big emotional talk that he truly doesn't want to have. There's other people that could come in, of course, but very few are people he really cares about. Barry makes his sister happy, and doesn't want to get into the messy shit with him. Fucking ideal, in his opinion.]

Anyway, if you think I'm letting you eat an entire cake with your bare hands, you're super wrong.

[He pokes Barry in the stomach, which is mostly a joke considering he's not perfectly skinny either. He just has the height advantage.]

Lup gave you the whole cave rundown right? I don't need to fill in the parts where you were too busy making out?

[barold]

What’s wrong with cucumber sandwiches?

[Barry takes the poke to the gut with a grin, a touch of pink to his cheeks. They hadn’t made out that much. Not much at all, honestly. He’d mostly just cried.]

Yeah, she uh. She filled me in. City, cave, pocket dimension, phone, gods, the Door, I think I’m good for now. I just... [He shrugs, one-shouldered.] I dunno, bud. Still don’t really get it. Guess that’s gonna take some time, huh.

[The thought of being trapped here indefinitely, stuck in time at such a critical moment when his own world, his home is in peril, is unacceptable to Barry. He doesn’t want to be here, doesn’t think anyone really wants to be here, but for some reason they’ve been picked up and deposited seemingly at random by forces beyond their understanding. And why? Because some gods are... fighting, is that it? Or was it fleeing? Both?

When he’s in any sort of shape to, he’s going to get to the bottom of it and find some way out. He can’t be the only one working towards that. But first, there’s cake in the oven.]

Man, it’s been way too long since I’ve had one o’your cakes, Taako. Need any help icing? [Taako never ever lets him help, but it doesn’t stop Barry from offering every time.]

[hellosirs]

[ Angus comes skidding around the corner at the sound of Lup's excited yelling, screeches to a halt in front of the doorway... and stares at Barry in open confusion. The guy looks sort of familiar? Lup certainly seems happy about him, but Angus can't place the guy's face...

Even so, staring is impolite, so he gives Barry a little wave. ]

Um... hi? It's nice to... meet...

[ And then the penny drops! Angus drops his fist into his palm, in the universal gesture for 'I've got it!' ]

... Oh! Oh, you're the guy who was living in Taako's bag! Ohmygosh, you haven't been in there this whole time, have you?!

[barold]

[That's the kid from the Bureau, isn't it? The one who cast that expert Zone of Truth he'd somehow failed to withstand. Blame it on the stuffy air in that damned pocket-tent. Barry returns the wave, offering the young man a sheepish grin.]

Hi, uh. Yeah, that's-- that's me. [He chuckles, scratching at the back of his head.] Wasn't exactly, uh. Livin' there. More of an outside circumstance kinda thing. I got better.

[Given that he'd barely even exchanged words with the kid in his haste to get to Junior's tank, Barry takes the opportunity presented to him to redeem his poor manners. He extends his good hand in greeting to the young man.] Yer Angus, right? The detective? I'm Barry. Nice t'meet ya again.

[hellosirs]

[ Well, he didn't call him 'boy detective' or anything diminutive, so Barry's already ahead of the game in that respect. Angus reaches out and gives him a solemn, businesslike handshake, which is quickly retracted. ]

It's nice to meet you under slightly calmer circumstances, sir, even if these circumstances are a lot weirder. Did you get chewed up by the raptors?

[barold]

[Sir. That sounds weird. Barry hasn't been called sir since... his time at the Institute? Man, he's old.]

Hard t'think somethin' could be weirder than a guy hidin' in a bag during a heist on the moon, but. Yeah, I getcha.

[Barry adjusts his red robe a little to hide the burns on his arm from view, suddenly aware of just how young the boy is. He doesn't need to see that.] Uh, not-- not all the way up. Lup had my back, she uh. Took care of'em for me.

This kinda thing happen often around here?

who ordered the sap

[restinglichface]

[Considering her outside appearance remains unchanged since he last saw her, the only telling mark of Lup's time spent away is just how patient she remains while waiting for the rest of her family to come and welcome Barry. The Lup of a dozen years earlier would have dragged her boyfriend away after the first half hour, pouting and demanding his full attention after having been apart for so long.

But Lup of right now alternates between pressing carefully up against Barry's unwounded side and disappearing up the stairs for short periods of time before returning to easily slip back into conversation. She waits patiently for Merle's careful examination, for Angus' cute line of questioning, for Taako's familiar teasing. But once everyone has gotten a chance to pat the man (gently) on the shoulder and catch up, the elf finally slips her hand into his and guides him up the stairs. Kravitz is here conversing with Taako, so her brother probably won't notice if the pair slip off into the twin's room for a few minutes.

The twins share the second floor with Angus, who has the bedroom right next to theirs. Lup nudges the door to her room open and drags Barry inside, kicking the door closed behind him. And honestly, if Barry knew how messy Lup could get on her own, he should know all too well what to expect from a room that held both twins. Somehow, between the piles of clothes and accessories and random shiny objects piled on the floor, the room still gave off that perfect vibrant aesthetic that fit their personalities perfectly. They each have a twin bed on either side of the room, which were both suspended in air by only magic, each with a magic rope ladder to scurry up to reach them. There's also a cute poster on their closet door, something to remember a past event with.

It's only been a few months, but the twins have certainly transformed their space into something sacred and special. Which just goes to show how privileged Barry is for being invited in.

Once their alone, Lup carefully loops her arms around his neck, mindful of his burns, and presses her forehead into his shoulder. Just enjoying the familiar feel of his body pressed against hers, the smell of him that she's spent too long missing under her nose. It's just been too damn long.]

Doin' good? Not feeling too worn out by the welcoming committee, are you?

that'd be me, sap with a side of schmoopy nerd please

[barold]

[Barry is so grateful for Lup knowing exactly when to swoop in and steal him away. Getting to see everybody again has been such a trip. All his old friends, his family - well, almost all of them - even some new folks, he’s relieved and elated to find that they’re all together and alive. But it’s been a long day. He’s still reeling a little from being in a body again for the first time in over a year, from the rush of memories back in Lucretia’s office, all just a couple of hours ago from his perspective. And the fight in the arena took a lot out of him. It’s not until he’s behind a closed door with Lup’s body against his own that he really notices how worn out he is.

He’s smiling, though. He wraps his good arm around Lup’s frame, and he smiles, deflating a little against her with a deep, long sigh.]

Nah, I’m good. More than good. [He breathes her in, slow and deliberate, her scent both new and familiar. It’s instantly enough to calm his nerves.] Lup, I... I’m so happy, Lup. I know I already cried your ears off about it back there, but... [His good hand slips up to card through Lup’s hair, fingers brushing past a long, jeweled ear.]

I went so long thinkin’ we’d never make it. I thought we’d never get to be a-- a family again. Seein’ everybody here, together, rememberin’, I...

[A shaky chuckle.] Y’already heard all this. I’m sorry. [Barry kisses her cheek, pulling back enough to grin at her.] And you? Doin’ good?

[restinglichface]

[What can she say? Even having been apart as long as they've been, Lup's 'Barry needs a rescue' senses are as sharp as always.

The man smiles and leans into her, Lup more than prepared to take his weight, one of her hands slipping upwards to curl fondly into his hair. Touch is still such a new experience to her after being out of a body for so many years, but everything about this closeness is as familiar as breathing. He's reaching up to run a hand through her hair, fingertips brushing along her ear and leaving the woman giggling at the sensation.

Everything is a little extra sensitive to her right now. So no tickling allowed.]

Hun, you can say it as many times as you like. [It doesn't change the fact that it's real. They may be missing two of their numbers, but everyone else is here and alive and whole and happy. Hadriel may majorly suck, but it's a brief haven away from the Hunger, somewhere that their small family can piece itself back together after so long apart.] We're all here and none of us are going anywhere. [Barry pulls away just enough to look her in the face, Lup's hand slipping forward to cup his cheek.] Same goes for you, y'know. You're stuck with me. For the rest of both of your lives.

[Now that they aren't just standing around in tears surrounded by dead dinos, Lup can take the moment to trace the familiar lines of his face with her gaze, to take in the happiness just shining through in Barry's expression. It means everything to her.] Yeah, I'm chill.

[He's already laid out all the sap, Lup doesn't need to repeat it, even if it's so obvious by the tenderness of her expression.]

We still gotta set up your new digs, but if you wanna get a nap in, I got you covered.

[barold]

[A little extra sensitive, huh. Noted.]

What, we're not sharin' digs? [It's said teasingly, a smirk pulling at his lips. A small, selfish part of him had hoped to share a room with Lup until the heat death of the universe, but he gets why that's not happening right away. Even on the Starblaster, Lup never fully moved out of her shared quarters with Taako even after decades of being with Barry and sharing his bed. Having been apart from her brother, her other half for so long leading up to this, separated by more than just time and space, Barry isn't going to push it. He completely understands. He would never want his arrival to upset the balance.

He's going to tease though. It's not like she won't come to crash in his room from time to time. His hands settle on her hips and squeeze fondly, pulling her closer.] Came all this way just t'lose ya again. What'd I do t'deserve th'doghouse this time? It's cruel, Lup, just cruel.

[He drops the act long enough to lean in and kiss her, quick and sweet, his voice softening.] I'm good. Think I'm too excited t'get any sleep.

[armcollector]

[Magnus, despite his rustic hospitality, is a little late to the party.

He's got a routine down for arrival days. Scope out the coliseum, help out a few folks, see if anyone he knows is there, then make his way through the shops to pick up some extra stuff and say hi to any leftover stragglers. He's brought Peanut with him for the first time, his training of her finally reaching a point where he trusts setting her on monsters without worrying if she goes for people too.

When he opens the front door, Peanut barrels in past him, excited to finally be home and see all her favorite people after a long day walking around town. Magnus lets out a laugh-filled little "whoa!" as she charges past, nearly dropping the large sack he's using to carry various canned goods and other sundry -- mostly meat for the varren, but he's also grabbed some extra scrap wood and cloth as well as random snacks to squirrel away into his room.

When Peanut enters the house proper, though, she sees someone she doesn't know hanging around inside. She barks at Barry, because who the hell is this random beat up guy inside the house she shares with her people?

Magnus follows in finally, shuffling his sack so he doesn't drop everything.]

Sweet Pea, what's wro--

[Magnus unceremoniously drops the sack he was carrying, eyes going wide when he sees Barry fucking Bluejeans inside the horny house.]

Holy fuck-- Okay, it's okay Peanut, he's friendly!

[He goes to distract Peanut by petting her, which is thankfully successful, but he can't take his eyes off that Tom Arnold-looking motherfucker, huge grin on his face.]

God, you look like shit, were those fire-breathing dinosaurs? [Magnus laughs.] What the fuck happened to you!?

[barold]

[It takes a second for Barry to even notice Magnus given the enormous scaly creature that just skittered through the door and started barking at him, immediately launching the old man into a panic spiral. What is that? Where did it come from? Is it going to attack?

... is that Magnus? He’s petting it? Peanut??]

U-Uh... [Heart pounding out of his chest, hand shaking and halfway to his pocket where he’s stashed his wand, Barry just stands there frozen for a bit before a nervous chuckle slips out of him. He gets it now. Magnus did always want a pet. Maybe Peanut is as close as this place can get to a dog? Barry has no idea.

Perceived danger out of the way, Barry slowly relaxes, watching his old friend pet the creature-- Peanut, he supposes. Magnus looks great. From Barry’s perspective, it hasn’t been all that long since the last time he saw him. Just earlier this morning, they’d been in Wonderland with those liches, abusing his artifact, hurting his family, knocking Magnus’ soul right out of his still living body. It’s still so fresh in his mind, he can’t help the sting of guilt in his gut. He’d never wanted the relic he created to hurt anyone, especially not his friends.

Thankfully, Magnus pulled through. Thankfully, he’s back in his body, looking greater than ever. Thankfully, he remembers now. It makes Barry feel light with relief.]

Nah, bud. I, uh. I just had a bit of a tumble. [Right into Lup’s firewall. He’s still humiliated.] I’ve had worse.

[Barry grins back at him, chuckling.] It’s so good t’see ya, buddy. How long've you been here?

[armcollector]

[Magnus laughs, which gets Peanut excited because that usually means it's play time, but he's ignoring her??? Rude??? After unsuccessfully trying to steal his attention while he refuses to take his eyes off Barry, she grumps off to go lay down on the couch sulkily.]

Yeah, okay, I've deffo seen you eat it more than a handful of times in the, what, century we've known each other now, so I'd say you've absolutely had worse, dude.

[How long has he been here, though, that's a good question. Magnus tries to count on his fingers the amount of new arrivals that have come in since his batch.]

Uhh, okay, so we had the human-faced lions, Merle had the harpies, uh... oh man, that was a bad month. Lot to unpack there. Let's see, bugs with Lup, crabs with Lucretia and Kravitz, oh, oh, bigger bugs with Ango and Care, like beetles, I had the sword back then! Then treants with Lup again, which was like, a fuckin' cakewalk with my stuff back, come on.

[He looks down at the number of fingers he's got up now.]

Shit, I guess that's... six months.

[Magnus pauses to let that sink in for himself, let alone Barry, then claps his friend on the back.]

Took you long enough, jeez! I'd say we're already halfway there, but that would be morbid! And, like, gotta say, loving the broken glasses look, I think you're really onto something there. No, really, on anyone else it'd be a miss, but you pull it off.

[barold]

Geeze, bud. Six months? That’s harsh. I mean, looks like y’made it out okay and all, but that… that sounds like a rough time.

[Lup was right. Time really works strangely in Hadriel. Barry saw Magnus just a few hours ago back on the moon, but for the younger man, it’s already been half a year. Trapped someplace unfamiliar, unable to escape, surrounded by monsters and strangers, not knowing if and when he'd see his friends again, his family. He can imagine what it must have been like.

Magnus’ friendly pat to the back feels like it’s going to knock him over, jolting him forward until he steadies himself and nearly sending his glasses flying off his nose. Just like that first time, over a century ago at the IPRE bootcamp where they’d met, and every single year following. He keeps forgetting just how strong Magnus is. Thankfully, some things don’t change. Barry laughs happily, straightening himself, adjusting his glasses for effect.]

Boy, gee, thanks a lot, buddy. I’ve been thinkin’ about tryin’ it out for a while now, y’know, I’m gettin’ really into th’whole "not being able t’see" thing? I think it’s gonna really catch on, just y’wait.

[Something Magnus said doesn’t really register until just then, and his carefree laughter stills after a beat as he realizes what he’d just heard.]

... Wait. [Barry blinks, frowns, craning his neck to meet Magnus’ gaze.] Magnus, did... did y’say Lucretia? I-Is she here too?

[knockthemdead]

[He's heard about Barry before.

That sounds foreboding, but it wasn't bad- it was actually good, by Taako standards. He'd made a promise to not, er, knife the guy for being a lich when he shows up, so Kravitz is expecting that part already. After hearing Taako describe him as cool, though, he is not expecting a guy in jeans and boots. No offense.

It's a text from Taako that summons him, actually, a 'come meet the sister's bf!' type deal. Kravitz... isn't good at first meetings. To be entirely truthful, he's not good at second meetings, or any that come after that. Socializing isn't his strong suit, but Lup's words about family loop in his ears, somehow both welcoming and a warning. This is the point where he should make an effort, he knows.

Kravitz waits until everyone else has had an opportunity to speak to Barry before he approaches. They don't have history, after all, and he'd hate to ruin a reunion. He extends a cold hand, and tries his best to look friendly, despite the way his skin prickles at how obviously caught between life and death the man in front of him is.]

Kravitz. Pleased to meet you.

[barold]

[Barry had been in the Millers' lab when Kravitz first started openly pursuing his friends, observing in silence from the Ethereal Plane, but truth be told, he hadn't been paying very close attention. Tempted though he'd been to intervene - especially after Merle was tricked and lost his arm - he couldn't risk revealing himself, not with the necrotic energy coming off of this guy, this entity in waves. That's the mark of the Astral Plane. Not too keen on liches, then. He couldn't risk compromising his mission for anything. Then he'd recognized Taako's umbrella, and. Well. Couldn't really stick around after that.

He'd missed the tentacle part. Thankfully.

When the stranger approaches him and extends a hand, Barry is immediately struck by that same necrotic energy he'd felt back at the lab, and he's only marginally aware that he's staring. His gut reflexively sinks, goosebumps momentarily race over his skin. He hadn't expected Taako to hook up with the literal shepherd of the dead. Neither had he expected the shepherd of the dead to be this handsome.

Nothing wrong with Taako's tastes, that's for sure.] No kiddin’. You’re Taako’s fella?

[Barry takes his hand - woof, this one's chilly - and shakes, grinning as amicably as he can. This is probably as uncomfortable for Kravitz as it is for him.]

Barry. Uh. Pleasure’s all mine. You, uh. You been here long, then?

[knockthemdead]

[There is an odd, halting kind of kinship in knowing that someone is just as uncomfortable as you are- even if the source of that discomfort is each other, apparently. The whole 'family' thing is already compelling Kravitz to try hard, but if it wasn't... well, he'd want to by virtue of this man seemingly trying so hard to be nice despite what remains awkwardly unspoken.]

It's... been awhile now, yes. A few months, if I had to hazard a guess. I suppose I haven't really been keeping track. There's always a lot happening at once, here.

[a pause, and he smiles just a little-]

You seem surprised. That Taako and I are- dating, I mean.

[barold]

Well, not-- I mean, I guess I am, a little bit.

[Does he know Barry’s a lich? Even if Taako or Lup hasn’t told him already, surely he’s able to tell on his own. Even so, maybe telling Kravitz that he’d been spying on him trying to kill his friends isn’t such a great opener.]

Let’s, uh… just say that I’m familiar with yer work. [Barry clears his throat, trying for an expression that doesn’t communicate immediate discomfort and/or social panic. How do normal people interact again?] Not that that’s-- y’know, nothin’ wrong with that or nothin’. Just surprising.

[He meets Kravitz’s smile with a grin of his own.] Yer a lucky fella, y’know.