hadriel_logs | [Closed] We built our own house with our hands over our hearts

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[Closed] We built our own house with our hands over our hearts

Who: the TAZ cast
What: A welcoming party for Lucretia!!
Where: Horny House (imported house 5-1)
When: Backdated to January 15th
Warnings: Nothing as of yet, but will be updated if Taako goes off.

[This isn't going to be like last time.

Lup's been spending as much time as she can with Lucretia since she returned to Hadriel, helping to get the other woman settled into her new home, keeping her company during those first few lonely days in this place. She's dragged Barry and Angus over more than once along with her, but for the most part, Lup's been attached to Lucretia's hip over at her place, giving Taako their home for his own personal space.

But this isn't going to be like last time.

Lup doesn't invite Lucretia to live with them, but she does invite Lucretia over for dinner a few days into her stay, a casual night just for their family. Nothing big, just sharing some food among friends, some time to catch up and just chat. For Taako and Lucretia to at least exist in the same space without the whole world exploding.

Is that really too much to ask for?]

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[ Things have been...wonderful, honestly. Certainly strange. A little terrifying? She's felt, most of the time, sort of like she's freefalling, lost without the structure of the Bureau and her job to take refuge in. She's fallen back on old habits, writing in her new journal, half for the sense of familiarity, of some sort of control over the situation, and half because it's been so long since she's been anywhere so entirely new. New places, new people - she's never had much time to feel nostalgic for their life during the cycles, but it's good to explore and learn, that old feeling of excitement and curiosity sparking after years dormant.

But more than all that, it's been good, so good, to be with her friends again. Lup and Barry, alive against all odds and, even more amazingly, willing to accept her with open arms, everything between them completely and immediately forgiven. Lup in particular has hardly left her side, and she doesn't even have the words for how grateful she is.

Taako is a different story.

He'd made it clear that he'd wanted nothing to do with her, and as much as it had broken her heart to hear it, she really can't blame him at all. She can't force him to do anything, doesn't have the right, and so she's respected his wishes, making herself scarce whenever he's around. It's not a perfect solution, and she supposes they both know it's not a sustainable one, but...it works.

For about five days, until the day Lup insists that she come over for dinner, refusing to take no for an answer despite all of Lucretia's protests. She's positive that this is a Bad Idea, but Lup has always been impossible to refuse, and so Lucretia finds herself on the doorstep that evening, wondering grimly how much longer she has to live.

She's carrying a box of cookies she'd made for the occasions, macarons that follow Taako's Candlenights recipe as closely as she'd been able to manage. Because?? She's not sure, exactly. She hadn't wanted to show up empty-handed, and...look, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Forethought isn't really her specialty, and she'd panicked. ]

[To be perfectly fair to Lucretia, Taako is always a different story. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Lucretia is the guest of honor for this little shindig that Lup's put together, so of course the elf is there to fling open the front door the moment she arrives, ushering the other woman inside away out of the chill and right into their happy little home. Even if only three of the original seven live here, their home in Hadriel isn't too unlike how the Starblaster used to look once they'd really settled, all organized chaos, things where they shouldn't be, pieces of each of them present all over.

And just like the Starblaster, it's warm and welcoming, hopefully just the kind of atmosphere that Lucretia can find some peace in. You know, as long as Taako keeps his big mouth shut.]

Hey, babe! [Even after so long, Lup doesn't in hesitate in how she closes the distance between them, pressing a quick kiss to Lucretia's cheek. The elf is grinning wide, beaming happily at her arrival, so delighted to be able to share this space they've made here in Hadriel with her. Lup lays a hand against Lucretia's back and draws her further inside, towards the stairs. Unlike most conventional homes, their living room and kitchen are up on the third floor, so they have a bit of a climb before greeting the rest of the family.]

Everyone's gonna be real jazzed to see you.

[ Lup opens the door, Lucretia walks in, and - it's like coming home.

Of course, she'd still had access to the Starblaster at the Bureau. She hadn't gone into it much, but it was there, if she got especially nostalgic or just needed a place where she could guarantee she wouldn't be disturbed.

But the empty, silent Starblaster might as well have been a different ship for all the resemblance it bore to the ship as it had been during their hundred-year journey. The seven of them had lived together for so long, and they'd all grown used to Taako and Lup's experiments in the kitchen, Magnus' half-finished woodworking projects, Merle's plants overgrowing everything and Barry's bluejeans hanging up to dry. All the comforts and irritants and everything that turned it from a research vessel into a home.

It's something she'd nearly forgotten, something she hadn't even realized she'd missed until she walks in the door and there it is. Lucretia stops in her tracks just for an instant, but there's not much time to take it all in before Lup is guiding her toward the stairs. ]

Hello, Lup.

[ She smiles, grateful for the welcome and genuinely happy to be here, but she can't keep the worry and skepticism from her expression. ]

Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe it would be better to wait a week or two...

[ Or maybe a month. A year. She's flexible. ]

[Even if Magnus and Merle aren't in Hadriel currently, there are still so many familiar pieces left over from their previous stays, still a handful of Magnus' Trademarks ducks laying perched around in various spots through the house and a few of Merle's plants still clinging to life without the cleric there to care for them. Even Davenport's left his touch where he can, from his very brief stay a few months earlier, a few homemade maps of the previous Hadriel's surrounding seas. And though she may have to do a little more digging to find them, there's certainly some art supplies tucked away from one of the earlier Lucretia's that Lup's been keeping safe in her absence.

So it's just like the Starblaster and plus a little extra, with the addition of Angus, Kravitz, and Peanut. Their little expanding family.

Lucretia may be a little more reserved, just a touch more skeptical, but Lup makes up for it in spades, that sharp, bright grin of hers never faltering in the slightest.]

Not a chance. You're a part of this family, Lucy, and we aren't just gonna put it off until you disappear. [a beat as they make it up the first flight of stairs, passing by the rooms of the second floor, heading towards the flight that will lead to the third.] Not again.

[Not for a third time. Lup wouldn't be able to forgive herself if it happened again, if Lucretia left feeling abandoned by her family and utterly alone.]

'Sides, I made all of your favorites. Can't let that go to waste.

[There was a Talk about this.

For once, it was actually a Talk, instead of a Fight, because Lup actually spoke to Taako about it beforehand instead of just dragging Lucretia through the front door. Taako thought he was being completely reasonable with his side of the requests- she could come over, she could eat, but he didn't want to be here. If they didn't want him to fight about it, they could just avoid each other.

Lup tolerated that for about 5 seconds.

So here he is, not even a week after her arrival, in the kitchen on the top floor. A number of things are going at once- a pot and a pan on the stove, one being attended to by Taako and another by a mage hand, something in the oven and a sink full of dishes which Lup is absolutely doing for the shitshow he's about to endure. But he's holding down the fort while Lup brings her upstairs.

He doesn't look up when they come in, just flicking his eyes that direction and then back down to the pan. He's going to get through tonight as quietly as possible- as much as it pains him every second to do so.]

What?

[ Disappear? Not again? She has no idea what that might mean, but before she can grill her for any details, Lup is leading her into the kitchen, and there's Taako, standing in front of the stove in a posture that Lucretia recognizes immediately as a sulk.

Any further questions dying in her throat, the amazing smells of dinner cooking fading into the background, Lucretia's eyes fix on Taako, a knot of anxiety building in her stomach. She'd known - well, thought - he would be there, but a part of her had expected him to hide out in his room all evening, refusing to engage. She honestly can't decide whether she's happy that he isn't, or if it would be easier just to die on the spot.

They can't seriously spend the whole evening pretending the other isn't there, though, can they? Lucretia glances at Lup uncertainly, then back at Taako, studiously ignoring her. ]

Taako. [ Shit, what is she supposed to say? ] It - everything smells delicious. [ Suddenly remembering the box of macarons in her hands, she thrusts them out before she can think better of it, God help her. ] Um...I made these.

[This has very much been a Lup Lead Operation in every way, from inception to execution. They are going to have a nice family dinner, and there's nothing anyone - namely, one very specific brother - can do to ruin it. Lup somehow even wrangled Taako to cook for them, something Barry didn't think would be possible without bribing him or literally casting a spell on him.

Barry still hasn't confirmed whether either of those are the case. For all he knows, Taako is knee-deep in trying to break an enchantment right now, or counting the seconds until Lup rewards him with booze or money or half her wardrobe.

In any case, he hears the women's voices coming from downstairs, and Barry is at the ready. Just like he'd been told. Damage control and an infectious positive attitude, that's his role for tonight, one he's more than happy to fill. After all, Lucretia's back! That's wonderful! He's excited to share a meal with her in Hadriel again, finally, no matter the circumstances. It will take a catastrophe to wipe the smile off his face tonight.]

You made those, Lucretia? Now that's a treat!

[Barry swoops in just in the nick of time, before the silence stretching between Lucretia and Taako becomes suffocating. He beams at her - looking more appropriately his age, only gray at the temples, fifty respectable years on his face rather than ninety - and gently takes the box of macarons from her.] These look real good, Lucretia. Elderflower, right? They'll go just perfect with th'hot chocolate I'm cookin' up for dessert. Whaddya think, guys? Cocoa and macarons by th'fireplace, that sounds good, right?

[ Angus is busy setting the table, and waves at Lucretia with a handful of forks as the group enters. He's Barry's backup for Operation Family Dinner, on the unspoken grounds that it's really hard to get upset at a small, adorable child whose nerdy glasses give him +5 to Sad Puppydog Eyes. He's also on 'Distract Taako If Things Start Going South' duty, although he has a feeling that keeping things pleasant between Taako and Madame Director while making sure that they both feel equally loved and welcome will be the equivalent of doing high-wire acrobatic stunts over a spike pit. ]

That sounds great, Sir, you do make really good cocoa. Hello Ma'am! Thank you for the macarons!

[ He finishes setting the cutlery, and leans over to call out to the kitchen. ]

Sir, is there anything I can do to help in there?

[Kravitz has spent a large portion of the evening hovering unhelpfully around Taako, and he's since progressed to standing unhelpfully by the wall just outside the kitchen, his arms folded behind his back.

...He's doing his best to not look incredibly awkward.

He nods politely in Lucretia's direction as everyone else rushes to fill the silence, but makes no contributions of his own on that front. When Angus calls out, Krav clears his throat and glances in the other room towards Taako, attempting to meet his eyes with a questioning gaze.]

[Having to endure Lucretia is one thing, but having to endure the absolute fuckery going on around him is harder. Everyone's on the defensive and he knows it's his fault, but he refuses to compromise, even if he hates the reactions. He feels like a sparking live wire, a fire barely contained by a fireplace, and everyone is hemming and hawing around him in the fear that he'll burn the house down.

Would be nice if they could trust him a little more. Maybe they just can't in the way Taako wants them to. He knows the feeling.

But Barry sweeps in as soon as Lucretia addresses him at all, Angus and Kravitz hovering in a way that makes him feel more like a sideshow attraction than a person. His grip on the wooden spoon flexes, scraping it in a pointed motion across the bottom of the pan.]

No, it's whatever.

[He sounds bored, uninterested, and doesn't bother looking Lucretia's way.]

Gonna need some hands in 5 when the quiche comes outta the oven though.

[ Barry to the rescue. He takes the cookies, and Lucretia hands them over with a grateful smile. ]

Hello, Barry, Angus.

[ And...? She can't help but look curiously at the one stranger in the room. He nods in greeting, but glances Taako's way in lieu of introducing himself, and Lucretia nods back before almost reflexively shooting a glance at Lup in turn. Despite Angus and Barry's best efforts, the tension in the room is so thick she could cut it with a knife, and she doesn't want that. This is exactly what she'd been afraid of.

She's here now, though, and well aware that she's very, very stuck, at least for the time being. There's nothing left to do but make the best of it, so she takes a deep, calming breath and ignores Taako's apathetic tone, the way it stings. She's heard him plenty when he's feeling bored or aloof, but it's never been quite like this. ]

I want to thank you all, so much, for having me. This is -

[ She pauses, looks around. This isn't some you have a lovely home bullshit. It even smells like the Starblaster, and Lup is at her side, Barry is smiling cheerfully, Taako's cooking in the kitchen, and despite everything, despite the fact that she knows he'd rather she be anywhere other than here, she can't help it. Her heart aches with yearning, and with emotions she hasn't felt in over a decade. ]

...I'm so happy to be here.

Edited 2019-01-24 23:44 (UTC)

I've got you covered in five, 'Ko. No sweat.

[Well. It's been a couple minutes so far, right? And no explosions? No screaming? No abused spell casting?

Lup's absolutely taking that as a win. Whatever else happens tonight, at least she got that.]

Come pop a squat, Lucy. I'm sure Bar an' Ango wanna chit chat with you some. I've been hoggin' you up lately, so I guess it's 'bout time I share. Oh - [It's strange to think that Kravitz isn't an original part of their little family considering how close he's become to all of them, but the look on Lucretia's face says it all. Lup waves a hand towards the man, grinning.]

Taako's bee-eff, Kravitz. [And before she can say anything, the woman snorts, teasingly.] 'Bout time, right?

[Lup guides Lucretia to the living room adjacent to the kitchen, showing her to the sofa, so that she can step back and pick up the slack that her twin needs her to.]

[He hates this. He hates the look on Taako's face, and the emptiness in his voice. Krav acts like his introduction didn't happen, and doesn't look at anyone in particular as he mumbles;]

I'm going to just...

[aaaaaand he wanders into the kitchen, with the intention of giving Taako a hand and trying to make him feel less alienated.

Sorry, Luce- he's heard an awful lot of one side of this story, and he doesn't struggle to pick a side as much as others in the room do.]

[ Ok, when Angus thought that this would be the equivalent of doing high-wire stunts over a spike pit, he was greatly underestimating the difficulty of the situation. Swinging guillotines and jets of fire should probably have been added to the metaphor. He feels terrible for both Taako and The Director, and is starting to have serious doubts about how well they'll be able to overcome this tension with sheer positivity, but... well, the only way out is through, right?

He follows Lucretia into the living room and plops down next to her on the couch, bringing his legs up to sit cross-legged as gives her a beaming, gap-toothed grin. ]

How have you been settling in, Ma'am? I know there isn't much reading material around here, but a few of my mystery novels came through the Door a few months ago, I can lend you one of them if you need something to read!

[ Is it terribly pathetic, to need to be rescued by a ten-year-old? Actually, scratch that, she doesn't care. She's been sitting ramrod-straight on the couch as she waits for dinner, regretting ever stepping foot in the house and wishing she were anywhere other than here. When Angus comes over, as cheerful as ever, Lucretia turns to him with a grateful smile. ]

That's very kind of you, Angus. I'm afraid I haven't had much time yet to seek out any reading material myself. Is it really that rare?

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[Closed] We built our own house with our hands over our hearts

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YEARS LATER, A GNARLED HAND RISES FROM THE GRAVE

IT'S ALIIVE