AUDIENCE: TAAKO

[retellers]

Comments

[uhhhmagic]

Oh, it makes perfect sense, I'm just deeply in need of therapy and am very very emotionally out of touch.

[At least he's honest.]

[retellers]

[ they pat his arm ]

I don't know what therapy is. But at least you know?

[uhhhmagic]

[he jumps like he got zapped when he's touched.]

I'll talk about it, but I want a sticker at the end.

[retellers]

[ they look at their hand and back at taako and

poke his arm with a singular finger to see if he does it again ]

Deal! You'll get the best sticker.

[uhhhmagic]

[no but he does reach over to flick her on the forehead. Over the mask, so it probably doesn't hurt.]

It's just not . . . I just feel like she's gonna leave again. And there's fuck all I can do to stop it. I can get angry at her or try and outmaneuver her to try and help first, or make deals with all these guys she's made bloodpacts with or whatever, but maybe it's just, uh, already too late. She's already decided that she's going to handle it her way.

[retellers]

[ it does not, but they look mock affronted for two seconds before he starts talking. There's a twist to their mouth. ]

It feels like that because she kind of already is, right? With her plans and the things she knows. I don't understand that. Wouldn't it be better for both of you if you were on the same page and working together? Then you could protect each other.

[uhhhmagic]

[He pinches the bridge of his nose, quiet for a few seconds, before he wraps his arms over himself instead.]

Uh. Yeah. I mean, we used to. It was just us. And then as we got older, I guess I got-- Well, I'm the worse one, aren't I? Most people I can't be assed to care about, and if I try, I fuck it up. They end up missing arms or turned into mannequins or stuck in umbrellas. She cares so much, and I don't know how to keep up or stop her or if I try and tell her to slow down, I'm just holding her back. All of this bullshit would have been solved a lot quicker if I'd be the one to--

[He cuts himself off, mouth twisting to one side.]

Kind of a shitty brother, right?

[retellers]

[ they reach to place a hand on taako's arm again, though with clear hesitation so he doesn't like, jump away ]

You're not. And you're not the worse twin, either. [ they bite at their lip a little ] I don't know if I had siblings. But I-- some people just... have it so much easier connecting with others. That doesn't make you bad compared to her.

[uhhhmagic]

[He doesn't jump away or anything, but he does laugh.]

Sure, but there has to be some criteria out here, or it's just the Wild West out here, ain't it? Or is that next week's locale.

[retellers]

What, you think you're the worst person here right now? You're still trying, aren't you?

[ that sounds almost like an accusation, with their tone ]

[uhhhmagic]

Oh, what, no way. Just by virtue of being me, I'm head and shoulders among the fuckin' chaff in this garbage dump. I'm the king of garbage.

But seriously, who's the worst? I want the gossip.

[retellers]

Okay well obviously first place goes to the murderers, that's, you can't top that? They're killing people. [ but for gossip. they tilt their head ] But also every single person who keeps stealing the kitchen knives. And that guy who keeps being gross at all the women.

[uhhhmagic]

[SCOFFING SO LOUDLY.]

I'm gonna kill the people that keep stealing the kitchen knives. I'm trying to cook around here! Shit is fucking impossible!

[But he laughs a bit at the second part.]

He-- That guy is fucking hilarious though. He didn't know that gay people existed.

[retellers]

I know! [ they throw their hands up a bit ] How do you not know that? Does he like, walk around blindfolded??

[uhhhmagic]

[giggling for a second before it fades off, waving a hand.]

Blind as the rest of us, I guess. Apparently we're all missing a big monster that eats memories?

[retellers]

Not so much missing as... the Realm's a big place. We're only accessing a small part so we don't disrupt it any further than it already is. Right now, we're working on locating that thing.

[ there's a beat ]

Actually, I don't even know if it's a big monster or a small one? But I hope it's big enough to punch.

[uhhhmagic]

The, uh, first time I lost my memories, a big space jellyfish had eaten them. So, not entirely unprecedented. Just had to drink it's galaxy-juice to get them back though.

[retellers]

Ugh, gross, what. I don't want to eat space jellyfish juice to get my memories back???

[uhhhmagic]

I'm not saying it was pleasant, but it was kinda worth it! I mean, remembered my twin sister and stuff. The worst part is it was a double-jellyfish fake out. The first jellyfish piss-water I drank at the beginning of the adventure only had some memories.

[retellers]

Wait now it's PEE???

[ it is lightly yelled ]

[uhhhmagic]

It floats in it and sure, it looks all like sparkly stars and night sky and stuff, but you know, it is a big jellyfish in a tank, so, where else is it gonna go pee?

[retellers]

Ughhh, gross. We better be able to just beat the memories out of that thing, I don't want to deal with that.

[ XP ]

[uhhhmagic]

Well, tell me if you find it.

[ . . . ]

Hey, uh . . . is it gonna be bad that me and Lup are on different teams?

[retellers]

It shouldn't be. There's a prize for the winning team, but there's not consequences for the rest of us. And a lot of people are working outside their own team, since those weren't public.

[uhhhmagic]

Right the-- wish.

[Hm.]

I guess we'd be wishing for the same thing, probably. Oh, right--

[Holding out his hand?]