stranger I know so well (open)

[tacosgay]

Who: Taako and whoever comes to see him.
When: Days 159-16something. Let's say 162 for now.
Where: Trailer #18.
What: Taako had a realization and has shut down completely, and is hiding away in his trailer. Anyone want to check on him...?
Warnings: Massive spoilers for The Adventure Zone; language, grief, and Taako likely being a huge asshole because he's upset.



It's funny how one realization can both answer so many questions, and also make everything infinitely more confusing. Taako's head feels as though it's overfull and thick with cotton, numb and aching at once. He doesn't know how much time has passed, and he honestly doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything anymore.

Lup. Fucking. Lup.

How did he forget her? Who the hell made him forget her? Who could possibly do something so heinous-- who would take away Lup? And why? What good could it have possibly done anyone to ruin his life?

She's gone. She's just gone now. The only pieces of her that existed have blown away over a year ago, turned to dust except for the umbrella he clutches in his fingers, too tight. How many years has it been that he didn't even remember her?

Over a decade.

He spends much of his time sprawled across his bed, or sitting on the floor with his back to it, staring into space. He hasn't answered his radio in days. His hair is a wild mess, his makeup smudged when he does bother to apply it, not that he ever leaves the trailer.

He doesn't even think about that someone may come to check in on him.

Flauta tries, at first, to get him up, to work through it, but his confusion and anger and despair weigh on her as well, and she ends up giving in and going under, every bit as crushed as her body. She curls in the crook of his neck, still, a warm, silent presence that he doesn't really take that much comfort in, given he knows she's just another fucking carnival trick and in a few days, she'll probably be gone, too.

Comments

day 161

[kingsroads]

Thankfully for Taako, Strange currently has a four hundred pound piece of his soul floating around. As much as he would like to just barge into Taako's trailer via mirror, he knows that if he does so, Siobhan will follow, and the likelihood that something gets broken drastically increases. So, entering like a normal human being and not a person with absolutely no concept of 'boundaries' it is.

He was still a bit worried about the man. It had been a few days before Strange remembered that he should check up on Taako after he collapsed and a few more days after that before he actually did so. Flightiness and forgetfulness make a terrible combination.

Strange knocks on the door rather loudly. "Taako? May I come in?" He may have done a bit of scrying to make certain that Taako was in his trailer before Strange actually came over to visit. Again, boundaries are for losers.

[tacosgay]

Taako picks his head up, an ear twitching to attention; Strange?

He...

... Taako climbs to his feet from where he was slumped on his bed, and he holds out a hand for Flauta to join him; she crawls up it, wrapping loosely around his wrist before he turns to go to the door.

When the door is opened, the Taako Strange will be met with is not one he's used to; his hair is down and messy, what little makeup he's got on smeared and nearly gone. He looks exhausted.

"... hey, uh. Did you need something?"

[kingsroads]

Where Taako looks exhausted, Strange looks a bit tired, as if he's recovering from an illness or didn't get enough sleep the night before. Still, he stands at the doorframe, giving Taako a little nod as the man opens up the door, with Siobhan hanging out near his feet.

At Taako's question though, Strange looks a little surprised. "I wanted to check on you, of course! The last time we talked, the conversation started with you collapsing. I wished to see how you were doing."

But that was a few days ago. There are times when Strange is a downright shitty friend and, though he doesn't realize it, this is kind of one of them.

[tacosgay]

It honestly never occurred to him before that someone might want to check on him. He blinks at that, clearly taken aback; and then he tangles fingers into his hair, unsure of how to even respond.

"... uh. Yeah, that's right." There's a long beat of silence, then, in which he glances over his shoulder, back into the trailer; while it's unkempt at the moment, Foster hasn't bled all over the fucking place recently, so it's not as bad as it could be. He still needs to work on getting them some real furniture, however.

He takes a step back to invite Strange inside, his gaze dropped low.

"... do you wanna come in? I wanted to, uh... talk to you, anyway."

[kingsroads]

"You did?" Well, color Strange confused. This must be something to do with that memory nonsense, right? Or perhaps something to do with the nature of his swooning? Still, at Taako's request, Strange nods then enters the trailer.

Honestly, the unkempt nature doesn't bother him in the slightest. He was an utter slob back in Portland so a little mess can easily be tolerated. At least it's not a worrying level of mess or a level of mess that would make someone seriously wonder just how many people would be needed to clean it.

Once he enters the trailer, Strange waits near the front, hands behind his back, for Taako to tell him where to sit. Of course, they can still talk while he waits. "What did you want us to talk about?"

[tacosgay]

Taako is thinking, meanwhile, trying to sort out exactly what he wants to say; it's hard to work up the motivation to say anything, but he figures he kind of owes this to Strange, given.

"You can, uh... shit," he mumbles to himself, realizing there isn't actually anywhere to sit. He shoves some of his belongings off of the little built-in seat by the table, gesturing for Strange to have a seat there. "There. We've gotta get some fucking furniture in here."

He sighs, rubbing his temple; but then he remembers what he was going to say, and he glances off.

"... I wanted to say... thanks for telling me to look harder at the whole brain thing."

Day 159

[dressedtothe]

Following the conversation with someone who apparently lives right next door to him, 9S wanders over to Trailer #18. Hovering a short distance from his shoulder is 9S' tactical support pod, a sword hovering at his back. Approaching the trailer door, it's basically reflex for 9S to ping for life, trying to determine if that guy on the public channel is inside the trailer.

9S shifts on his feet before calling out, "Hellooooo? Can you hear me?"

He hadn't introduced himself -- nor had the other guy -- but 9S figures the sound of his voice should be a recognisable enough identifier. And, because 9S also has no sense of modesty, he tries opening the door to the trailer.

[kingsroads]

"Ask the acquisitioner about furniture," Strange remarks, with a wry little smile as he sits down near the table. Childermass got this promotion, might as well see to it that he actually does his job. "I believe he's the one whose job it is to obtain things like that."

As Taako continues talking, Strange watches with interest. And that interest just grows as Taako mentions the whole brain thing. He had to be bringing it up for a reason, right? Did he remember what he had forgotten?

"You're welcome," Strange simply says, before continuing. "Do you remember now?" Because that's what matters the most. Not how Taako forgot, but that he got those memories back in the first place.

[tacosgay]

The second Strange asks about whether he remembers or not, everything prior falls out of Taako's head, ironically enough; he hesitates for a beat before responding, a sad smirk of sorts crossing his face.

"... yeah, you fuckin' bet I did, uh." A mirthless laugh as he tries to think of how to explain it, or even whether he has the energy and will to or not. He finally decides that, after what he's done, he at least owes him some kind of clarification. "So, uh... turns out somebody decided to randomly block out about a hundred fucking years of my life, and also my entire sister because hey, go big or go home, right?"

[tacosgay]

The door is unlocked, because fuck it, right?

Sprawled on his bed like a big, angry starfish is Taako, who is holding up his left arm-- the arm with the bracer, a solid piece of plain silver-colored metal-- and fidgeting at the bracer in irritation, trying to slip fingers under the bottom edge. When he realizes that 9S has arrived, he sits up, his unkempt mop of blond curls falling over his shoulders and into his face.

"... oh, right, you," he says finally, and he shoves his hair back out of his face, looking up at 9S tiredly. "Yeah, uh... this thing right here. Do you think you can do anything about it?"

He holds up the arm expectantly.

[kingsroads]

Strange just looks horrified at Taako's explanation. To not remember parts of one's life is one thing, but to not remember your sister? Strange was an only child, so he doesn't fully grasp the importance, but he knows how horrified he must be if he forgot his close friends or his wife. This must be similar. Whoever or whatever forced Taako through that must have had a damn good reason to do so.

"No one should have to suffer that," he quietly remarks, as the horrified expression changes into a small frown. At least Taako remembers her now, though. That's what matters.

"Do you know who removed your memories to begin with?"

[dressedtothe]

Yeah, him.

Well, the guy hasn't objected to him just entering like that, so 9S just walks on over. Nice ears. Probably fae magic, maybe? Curious, 9S scans the guy as he approaches, wondering if he'll pick up as human, human but changed by the lingering fae magic, or something else.

"Yeah, I think I could do something." The bracer looks kind of more snug fitting than he imagined it was, though... "You're gonna have to go outside. If I did anything in here, it'd make a huge mess."

Wouldn't want that!

[tacosgay]

As an elf, Taako would certainly come up as "something else"; though he has had a couple of fae magic changes made to his being, the ears aren't one of them. His horns are hidden beneath that sea of blond curls, for the time being, but the glowing violet freckles on his face speak for themselves pretty clearly.

From the bed, his daemon lifts her head silently; a violet bush viper, a snake with wild, pointed scales and round, vivid eyes. When he says that they'll have to leave, she crawls up his arm that he isn't using, staring up at 9S with those bright eyes of hers. She's silent. She'll let Taako do the talking for now.

"Ugh," he sighs, rolling his eyes. "Fine. Where do you wanna go? Just... pick somewhere, I'm up for whatever, I guess."

[dressedtothe]

A humanoid, but not a human... though he's a lot more similar to humans in appearance -- after accounting for the magical bits -- than some of the other humanoids he's encountered; the last one was a plant.

9S' gaze slides to the daemon. Yet another animal that he can't identify. Too bad he can't connect to the Bunker; there would probably be something in the database about it.

"We don't have to go far. Just outside this trailer should be fine." He spreads his hands as he talks. "I just need some space, otherwise I might wreck your trailer. And that would be a real pain to clean up."

[tacosgay]

"... look, just don't take my whole arm off," is Taako's only request as he gets to his feet and heads for the door, frowning tiredly at 9S along the way. Flauta climbs further up to curl around his shoulders, almost getting lost in his hair, though her vibrantly-colored head can be seen peeking out of it.

"We're kind of attached to it," she says, and Taako very nearly smirks, but the twitch of his lips is gone as soon as it appears.

[tacosgay]

Not just any sister: a twin. Identical, and adoring, protective--

"Nope," he says, and the edges of his voice are ragged with something, something dark and wet and aching. He clears his throat, glancing off for a beat before he can look back at Strange; but, when he does, it isn't just despair visible in his expression. Anger burns there, cold and sharp, betraying Taako's ordinary demeanor entirely. "But when I find out who it was..."

Heh.

He breaks off, but the darkness in his eyes is enough to finish that thought for him.

On the bed, Flauta curls into a pile of sharp, wound-up curves, her body a spring ready to snap, echoing out loud the potential violence building inside of her body's chest.

[dressedtothe]

"...Uh."

That gives 9S pause.

"You can't reattach it?"

Legitimate question here. Yeah, sure, it hurts a ton to get limbs blown off, but he could, theoretically, jam his arm back on and let the nanomachines do most of the work integrating it back together.

[tacosgay]

"... no?" Taako stares at him incredulously, instinctively clutching his arm against his chest as though 9S is threatening him.

[dressedtothe]

"Wow, that sucks."

That sounds real inconvenient, buddy. But uh. 9S holds his hands up, placating.

"Alright, alright. No cutting off arms, I get it. I promise I'll be careful?"

Real reassuring words, right there.

[kingsroads]

Strange makes no attempt to chastise Taako, to warn him against his actions or his threats. Because as soon as Taako turns towards him with that expression of despair and rage, something familiar plays in the back of Strange's mind. Hmm, he can't help but think, I wonder if I looked like that when confronting Norrell about his magic.

"If you wish, you could take on another contract with the Ringmaster to find out who changed your memories." And, anticipating that Taako will butt in, Strange raises a hand to try and stave off any interruptions. "I know that you don't particularly enjoy it here. But my contract with the Ringmaster was for information, and now I know what I came here to learn."

The method was a little...obtuse, but Strange received the information he wanted all the same.

[tacosgay]

"No, I think I know exactly how to find out who did it." That subject seems to draw out an entirely new wave of darkness, the edge of Taako's mouth drawing up into a sneer. "There are only seven people in the whole multiverse who could've done it, and about half of them are dead and gone, my sister included."

He suddenly makes pointed eye contact with Strange, though it's not violent-- it's inquisitive.

"Hey. I've heard some people have gone home for a little while and then come back to finish out their contracts. Do you know how that whole thing works?"

[tacosgay]

Taako doesn't look convinced... but he shrugs, heading out the door and leaving it open behind him.

"Fine, whatever, let's just do it already." He's thoroughly tired of having to look at the logo of that organization by now; it's just a constant reminder of the people he trusted.

[kingsroads]

What a coincidence. A small smile plays on Strange's face as Taako asks the question. "As a matter of fact, I do. I went home for a little while not so long ago."

It literally was yesterday. But Strange is speaking around the details, keeping the information of what happened to him when he vanished and just how long he vanished in the first place to himself.

"I asked the Ringmaster if I could return home long enough to fulfill a duty that I learned about during my stay here. She granted it, I returned to my world, completed what I needed to, then came back here."

It's all terribly vague, but as much as he likes Taako, Strange knows that the man might be a bit uncomfortable with a billion tons of fae nonsense and sad backstory dropped on him when he's already in a bit of a state.

[tacosgay]

"Excellent."

Taako then begins to wander his room, gathering things-- packing. All of his adventuring gear is going back on, for the first time in months; his Cloak of the Manta Ray is slung over his shoulders in a whirl of slick black, his bags tied back onto his belt and weapons slung over his back.

"Listen, I appreciate the talk, but I've got places to be, people to hunt down, you know... that sort of thing." For the first time since his arrival in the Carnival, Taako stands to look at Strange, and he's suited entirely back up for an adventure, his pointed wizard's hat set back atop his thick curls where it belongs. He actually looks like a proper wizard, if a somewhat femme one.

[dressedtothe]

"Hm. If you say so."

9S holds out his hand, the katana hovering at his back floating over towards it. But he doesn't grip the sword -- actually holding it has always been rather uncomfortable -- instead using his magnetic field to casually spin it vertically in place.

"My sword's sharp enough to cut through machines, so unless your bracer is made out of weird stuff, it should cut through it no problem.

Yes the plan is to cut the bracer off with his very sharp sword that could also probably cut off an arm. The very sharp sword he's current floating above the palm of his right hand.

"When you're ready, hold out your arm with the bracer."

If Taako has protests, speak now, or forever hold his peace.