[closed] (loud screaming) BOAT PARTY

[pocketspa]

Who: Taako, Lup, Barry, Kravitz, Magnus, Lance, and Nate.
What: 7 assholes, two boats, heading into the ocean for the chance to look for some buckwild stuff.
Where: Out at sea!
When: The entirety of the voyage; August 13th-September 3rd.
Warnings: Idk PG-13 levels of shirtlessness, curse words, maybe somebody ends up overboard at some point. Should be cool.

This is a catch all for the boat party for this group! Make top-levels for threads within this time and go friggin' wild. For convenience, I've provided 3 toplevel headers as general timeline assistance; as far as events of the voyage go, it'll basically be:

Week One: (August 13th-19th) Leaving the city and traveling to the fragment!
Week Two: (August 20th-26th) Still traveling, picking up whatever they find somewhere in here, since it's about the middle.
Week Three: (August 27th- Sept 3rd) Traveling and arriving home!

Feel free not to use exact dates, I sure don't care, this is just to help figure out if things happened before other things, OTHERWISE GO WILD

Comments

WEEK THREE

[pocketspa]

Header for Week Three (August 27th-September 3rd!)

closed to taako

[knockthemdead]

[Kravitz doesn't do well in cramped, close quarters- a byproduct of spending eternity with an entire stockade and apartment to himself- but in this moment, he feels almost peaceful. Their journey is nearly over, the end is in sight, and for some fucking reason- that he refuses to question, lest the universe sees fit to ruin it- he has some space to himself. (Suspicious. No! Not questioning. Anyway.)

He sits with his ankles crossed, nose buried in the book he took with him for the journey, scribbling corrections in it's margins. That's how he do.]

[pocketspa]

[Earlier today had been a fucking nightmare.

Lup's little stunt had left him feeling worse about this than ever before, but she made it pretty clear that she's willing to go through with her threats. And he's-- okay, maybe he's taken this one a little too far. He knows it's important to Lup, but... it's more than that. It's the knowledge that his denial could mess up the best thing he's ever had.

Besides, he remembers when Kravitz arrived. Sometimes he can be a sap for anniversaries.

Taako's approach is the quietest he's possibly ever been, walking over and plopping down on the floor, legs cross crossed while he props his head up, elbows digging into his knees.]

So. That was uh. You probably wanna know what's. Up.

[knockthemdead]

[Truthfully, he'd just assumed Lup was being Lup, and tricking him for the sake of it, for her own enjoyment, or perhaps to test him. But Taako is making it very clean right now that that's not the case, and if he's about to open up about something, Kravitz doesn't want to do anything to halt that.

He closes his book, and stretches a hand down to Taako, smiling warmly.]

I suppose I'm rather curious, yes.

[pocketspa]

[It'd almost be better if he was prefaced with this. Like if he just-- knew? If he just knew and Taako didn't even need to say it. But that's the whole point of this. To do something that should be so fucking simple but makes him feel like he's gonna vomit over the rail any second.

But Kravitz is all comforting words and soft hands and he scoots himself closer, tilting his chin up to rest on Kravitz' thigh in a pout.]

She's just-- she's being impossible because she wanted me to talk to you. About some stuff. And it's not that it's not, like, important, I guess, but now it's this whole thing and I don't know.

[He grits his teeth, a little grind of his jaw, having no idea how to phrase this.]

D'you ever get, like... tired of me, doing this? The fuckin' emotional and verbal runaround to say like two sentences that weren't a big deal in the first place? Because shit, I'd be tired of me at this point.

[knockthemdead]

[It just feels immediately better, having this contact between them. Like the point where Taako's chin meets his thigh is a point that radiates warmth and comfort, and all that good, good stuff. He immediately puts his hand to work combing through Taako's hair.]

Lup wanted you to talk to me?

[That peaks his curiosity, but Taako is clearly struggling with something, so Kravitz leaves it at that- and what he hears next shoves any questions he might have to the back of his mind.]

Taako, I could not fathom ever being tired of you. Truthfully. [He huffs a quiet, awkward laugh, rushing to add-] You must remember how long I've been around. If there's one thing I've been forced to gain, it's patience.

[pocketspa]

[He tilts his head to the side as Kravitz' fingers find their way to the perfect place, another connection Taako didn't need to say for the other man to just get. It feels like he's known him no time and all time, like it's been days and weeks and years all in one. He can't explain it. He can't fucking explain any of it. It's a little infuriating, actually.

Taako sighs, taking a few moments just to feel the rise and fall of his own chest, a slow blink as he tries to take in the words Kravitz says as truth.]

I was talking to Lup about some stuff and she thinks I should talk to you too. For. Stuff.

[Great. Good. Wonderful start.]

It's not really like-- it's not a thing, I just feel stupid just saying it? Like you're probably expecting this to be something, and maybe you're gonna be pissed when this is over and I wasted your time? But like, listen, it's something. Sort of. Fuck.

[He falls silent again, almost certain Kravitz can hear his heartbeat by now with the way it's clogging his ears.]

... You know it's been like a year, right? Since you got here?

[knockthemdead]

[It's oddly warming to hear that Lup encouraged Taako to talk to him, even when he's in the dark about the subject matter. It feels like space being made in a circle, like he's not just imagining the trust and metaphorical welcome mat that everyone in Taako's life has rolled out for him.

He can feel himself growing more and more jittery as Taako talks, though (under the surface, of course, because he's unflappable and stoic and doesn't sweat but he does an excellent impression of it) - because this is clearly making Taako very agitated, and that makes Krav agitated. It's like dominoes. You know. Just two dominoes. Whatever.

Kravitz takes a deep, calming breath- there's something soothing about feeling the air go woosh through his empty-just-as-they-should-be lungs. It braces him until Taako has run the course of his explanation and fallen silent. In the meantime, he runs soothing circles into Taako's scalp.]

Shh. Taako. It's alright. Whatever this is- I assure you there's nowhere else I would rather be.

[The words settle him just as much as they are meant to settle Taako.]

...Has it truly been that long?

[pocketspa]

[Lord, he's going to throw up his own heart on the deck of this boat. That would almost be less embarrassing than trying to talk about this.

He nods, his chin jabbing into Kravitz' leg, but he's pretty sure he gets the message.]

Yeah. Like, seasons here are kind of fucked, but we got really good at tracking what a year was.

[That's probably the one weird but incredibly useful skill they have.]

Also, you saying shit like that is part of the problem, my dude. You're out here being fuckin'-- caring, and. I don't want to be fishing for you to say nice shit to me, we're kinda past that. You just. I think. We--

[He's never been madder in the back of his mind that Lup and Barry got a fucking sonata and didn't need to use words for this. He turns around with his back to Kravitz' leg, tilting his neck back so his head is resting on his thigh instead so he can look up at the stars.]

... I told you I came from out there, right? Not just like, to this city. Like, to Faerun. I'm not from that plane.

Closed to Kravitz - Time for HELL

[restinglichface]

[Romantic lighting? Check. An endless sky of twinkling stars above them? Double check. An eerily quiet boat? Even Lup isn't sure how this came into her favor, but check.

It's been a few years, sure, but a lifetime of switching seamlessly from Lup into Taako isn't something a twin ever really forgets how to do. And even with some of the new changes to her brother that Lup is learning to navigate around, still learning how she can fit at his side even after so long without her, Lup still knows Taako better than anyone else ever could.

The same way that he knows her.

Which is exactly why she's doing all of this to begin with. Because even if it's so impossible for him to admit it or to take that first step, Lup knows this is the future that he really wants. He loves Kravitz and, for once, he's actually managed to pick a guy that Lup thinks could deserve him.

And one day Taako may even be able to forgive her for this. Maybe. Probably.]

Hey babe. [Not only does she manage to get his pitch perfect, but she's cast Disguise Self to give her that authentic Taako look right down to the freckle, and swiped his usual hat and one of his more flashy outfits. Peak Taako right here.]

for Lup, but everyone feel free to Yell At Him

[barold]

[The fragment Nate retrieved from the depths of the ocean only a few days ago has been nestled safely in the box Tranquility provided them, isolated and untouched. Apparently it’s not entirely safe to touch. Apparently prolonged contact with it screws with your head. As a group, everyone had agreed it would be safest to just keep it in the box until they reached shore again, so it could be examined in the lab before handing it back over to the gods.

It would be safest, yes. But not very informative. Nor very interesting.

When has science ever been safe, anyway?

The fragment isn’t in the box today. It’s on a table. Over which Barry is hunched, scribbling some cramped notes into a homemade notebook. Somebody should probably tell him off - or maybe lend him a hand.]

[restinglichface]

[Someone really should be telling him off. But here his wife is instead, leaning over the table at his side, reaching out a finger to poke at the fragment.

It's kind of beautiful in a way, glowing with that lovely shine, intricate little patterns and symbols carved along it's surface. It feels like magic is humming through it, and sure enough, when the pad of Lup's finger connects, she swears she feels something there. Like if she just held it closer for a little bit longer, she may be able to make out words...

But Lup pulls her hand away and shoots a grin at her husband, propping her chin up with her palm.]

Sooo, we're gonna do some sick experiments before we just hand this thing over, right? We're on the same page, aren't we?

[barold]

[Lup toys with the shard laying on the table, the crystalline structure swaying gently on an edge both from the ocean waves rocking the boat, and the elf's curious poking. Not taking his eyes out of the notebook, Barry just smirks to himself, letting her prod at it. She was always the more hands-on one in the lab.]

I dunno about sick, exactly.

[Now Barry's the one to poke at the fragment with the butt end of his pen. When his eyes meet his wife’s, he grins. They've always thought so much alike. It made them excellent lab partners.] But of course we're experimentin’ on it. It'd just be irresponsible of us not to, right?

[restinglichface]

[Excellent lab partners who've never been afraid to go just a little too far in the name of science. Taking risks isn't quite as frightening when you can't really die.]

Just what I was hopin' you'd say.

[Barry follows along, nudging the fragment with the end of his pen, and since nothing bad's happened to them yet, watch Lup just reach out to snatch the thing up. It's not particularly heavy, the elf passing it from hand to hand.]

Mm, hasn't cursed me yet. That's a good start.

[barold]

Yeah, honestly it’s just lookin’ like a regular ol’ crystal from here.

[Barry shifts in his seat, watching Lup toss the fragment back and forth in her hands. Maybe they’re just more used to this than Nate - he’d looked a little shaken and ashen after returning to the surface, promptly locking the fragment away. But Nate isn’t used to magic like they are. Barry and Lup have been dealing with this kind of stuff their whole lives.

They should be fine. Right?]

You feelin’ anything? Any itchin’ in yer bones, any [he wiggles his fingers here,] spooky ghostly visions?

[restinglichface]

[It just makes sense, doesn't it? Their threshold against magical objects is different over someone like Nate, without any of the century's worth of experience they have. They were able to resist the thralls of each other's relics too, weren't they? It all has to be related somehow. Their resistance is just too powerful.]

Not particularly. [She gives it a toss upwards, spiraling it like a football, before catching it with ease, lips twisted into a thoughtful line when nothing at all feels different. Where are the tingles of forbidden magic she's so come to love?] Maybe I just have to hold onto it for awhile. Y'know, let the evil magics really soak into my skin.

[a beat]

Or we could just ask Magnus to eat it, see if we get better results from that.

[barold]

We’re not gonna ask Magnus t’eat it.

[Although it would be really funny.]

I guess just… tell me if y’feel anything? [Barry marks off a new section on his page, scribbles Lup’s name and an approximate time, describing the situation in quick bullet points, before his gaze returns to her. She looks normal. So does the fragment. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.] Maybe we could take turns. Five minutes each, observe each other. Could be just a human thing. Could be just where Nate’s from. Or, like y’said, could be exposure.

[As flippant as he’s been about the fragment, he keeps a close eye on her. Just in case.]

[restinglichface]

Boo. [Like she ever expected him to agree.

The elf watches as her husband quickly jots down a few notes, the corner of her mouth twitching into a grin at the sight of her own name. It's been awhile since they played guinea pig with one another, taking turns to test out each other's latest theories, excitedly sharing in the results together.

It makes Lup feel nostalgic in all the best of ways.

She rises then, stepping away from where Barry's hunched over, to walk a few feet here and there with the fragment in her hands. At first, there's just nothing. Five minutes pass, Lup walking the length of the boat, hair gone messy by the wind, and still nothing. Maybe it is some kind of a human thing. Or the kind of charm that elves are just immune to.]

Y'know, I'm startin' to think little Natey Drake is just majorly sleep deprived, I wouldn't be so surprised if - [It's just as she's crossing back over to Barry, ready to trade off on the fragment, that she hears it.

Both of her ears jerk upwards.] Wait.

[pocketspa]

[Taako knows, in the part of him that was WAY more cautious than most of the assholes on the Starblaster, that what they are doing is SUPER dangerous. Nate made it very clear that this thing was not to be fucked with, and that whatever it did, it was suitably horrifying. (He wasn't super listening to that part.)

That said, though, seeing Barry take to this thing just feels extremely like old times. Which means he is slinkin' over, draping himself on Barry's back and resting his chin on the top of Barry's head.]

Heeeeeeey, Barold. How's it doin'? Started hearing whispers and writing gibberish to a tentacle god yet? Cuz like, big dibs babe, give chaboy a call.

[barold]

[The elf sprawls up against his back like a huge, lazy cat, or some kind of angular blanket, which doesn’t seem to faze Barry at all. Seems like a century of dealing with him and his sister has immunized him to this weird little habit of theirs. Being on this boat really is nostalgic.]

Tentacle god, tentacle god… hmm…

[Barry pretends to scrub through his notes, looking for references to Taako’s kinky little joke.] Sorry bud, no dice. I’d hook ya up if I could, but seems like I’m not cool enough t’get my brain prodded by tentacles from th’great beyond.

[Sounds like someone isn’t taking this Dangerous God Fragment very seriously.] So far’s just lookin’ like any old glowin’ crystal.

[pocketspa]

[Listen, Taako sure isn't either. Sure, Nate was scared, but he expected him to be. Nate may be a rugged explorer, but this is magic. He's out of his element. This is where they take over and do what they do best.

He snaps his fingers like an aw, darnit motion, sliding off to Barry's left to look at this thing more.]

Yeah, this is proooobably not the worst thing we've ever dealt with? Like, you guys took a knife to the Light and nothing blew up, so what's a tiny rock gonna do?

[He reaches out and flicks it with his finger, moving it a bit away from him.]

Obvs we know it can be segmented, since like. It's here. And the Door's back there.

[barold]

Right? That’s what I’m thinkin’.

[To both of those statements. Messing with the Light practically never got him and Lup in trouble - and they messed with it a lot - so this little thing posing much danger doesn’t seem very feasible. And yes, it can be broken into pieces without affecting what they believe to be the core function of the Door.

Barry picks up the fragment, turning it over in his hand.]

Feels fine. We won’t know much more until we get it back to th’lab, I don’t think, if more people bring their fragments in. They might interact with each other weird. But right now? Isolated? It’s not givin’ me much of anything.

[pocketspa]

[He snorts.]

Yeah, what were you expecting it to do, cut you?

[Taako is more wary than most, but not enough to actually to stop Barry from whatever the fuck this is.]

Nate did make it sound like this thing was gonna like, grow legs and tunnel into his eyeballs or something. Maybe because we're used to weird magic biz it's just sitting there? What are you gonna do to it when you get back?

[barold]

Could be. Could also be a question of exposure, y’know? He was holdin’ it for a while gettin’ it back to th’surface. I’m just gonna keep holdin’ it, you tell me if I start lookin’ weird. [he beats Taako to it. ] Weirder.

[It’s a hypothesis anyway. It could also be, as Taako suggests, the fact that Nate isn’t used to magic whereas they are. For now, the fragment feels alright. A little cold. Barry writes that down.

Taako’s question gets a little shrug.] Depends. This one is definitely goin’ to th’lab. Gonna have Alphys look over it with me, maybe a couple other ones if we can convince folks t’bring’em in. Probably gonna perform some basic stress tests on this one, try and determine energy patterns, if any…

[pocketspa]

[He did have his mouth open to make that exact joke, so he can't help but laugh when Barry beats him to the punch.]

Alright, you nerd. I'll make sure you don't gurgle on the floor.

[Usually, that'd be the end of it, but he does kind of want to keep an eye on this, so he sits down nearby, propping his head up with his elbows on the table.]

You think they'll just let you have 'em? 'Ss also possible this one can tell we're powerful wizards and doesn't wanna fuck with us. Nate was just, y'know, beefy bait. Like how the liches in Wonderland went after Mags instead of me or Merle.