scholiast | 💧 inbox

[At any other time, he might have thought about what he was saying, either to make it more purposefully a jab at her or to avoid it, but he doesn't even consider it right now.]

There's an ocean it's just like, not here. [It's not connected to the city, is what he means.] Merle would like this place. A lotta plants to fuck.

(Yeah, she's really digging the absence of his cutting little jabs, and at the same time is absolutely ready for one to make itself known to her? It's a strange feeling. She's weirdly on edge.)

Thanks for being the one to say it out loud. Also: gross.

Barry needs to be here solely to save me from having to be the voice of reason all the time.

[Taako giggles at that gross, distracted by it for a moment before he realizes she's said other things.]

We're not that bad. I pay taxes.

[Which is the most responsible and adult thing he can think of.]

(Aw. Her flip wizard is all grown up!)

You are legally obligated to pay your taxes, Taako.

I'm also legally obligated to like, not fucking murder people and you won't catch me doing that bullshit.

[Not... murdering? This is a very confusing conversation.]

(Double negative... it's tricky.)

Uh... huh. Is this a confession??

I've done a lotta murders. Like eight murders.

[Whether or not that's a lot is probably debatable.]

Well, got that all on tape. Now you're under arrest, like, eight times.

Fuck the police but not in the way I was fucking the police. The actual fucking the police where the police can get fucked.

[He's great at this.]

Gotcha.

It's weird thinking that that only happened a couple months ago, huh.

Time's fake. [You heard it here first, kids.] What's real fucking weird is that Cisco's fucking him now.

Wow, he never mentioned that to me!

(It's a joke because the last conversation she had with Cisco was both upsetting and deeply serious and about as far from a casual conversation about who he's currently seeing as one could possibly get.)

You okay about that?

[Taako can only imagine, except he can't because the ceiling has turned into a voidfish and he's watching it swim around. His response takes a few moments, there's just quiet breathing for a little while.]

I'unno. [Which is about as noncommittal an answer as someone could give, but:] Kinda weird, if I think about it too hard but I like 'em both and I'm glad they're happy or whatever? It's not like shit was ever gonna go anywhere with us.

[Him and Eddie, he means.]

(that's cool but lucretia has an actual voidfish on her ceiling so like #getonherlevel)

Yeah. I know the whole 'could leave at any moment' thing makes it weird.

I'm glad you're okay with it though.

Eddie never really got me.

[The fact he even briefly entertained the thought that Taako might stay is proof of that, but there were other things, too.]

And like, Cisco's my dude. [He cares more about Cisco than he does about whatever awkward feelings he has about that relationship.] Have you, uh, have you done that chat with Beverly yet?

Yeah, Cisco's pretty great. He thinks the world of you, Taako.

(Even though that prior conversation of theirs had sucked, she'd been genuinely touched by the level of Cisco's concern for Taako.)

Um... (Long silence??? A sigh.) Nope. (She pops the 'p' with much fanfare.)

Nah, don't. Don't say that.

[A little tightness creeps into his voice, because he can handle people being his friend and he can handle strangers thinking he's the best thing ever but he thinks the world of you edges too close into that bullshit hero worship that Sazed had going on and it makes Taako feel like he's going to hurl.

(He'll come back to the Beverly thing in a second).]

Okay?

(She can hear the discomfort but isn't sure what she did to put it there. Perhaps he's just upset because he is close to Cisco, and doesn't want to think about having to leave that behind some day. That's fair.)

Sorry.

[There's silence again, slightly rougher breathing and the sound of rustling as Taako scrubs a hand over his face.]

This one's not on you, we already- I mean, I cleared that one up. [Which makes Zero Sense without context, but Taako is following his own line of thought and moves on quickly] You should talk to her about it, make sure you're on the same page, you know?

(She doesn't understand that little throwaway comment, which sucks because she can tell he's already moved on and– well, unless he's high again and contacting her a second time, she's not going to be able to ask him about it any time soon. Sigh.)

Yeah, I know. It's not that we're avoiding it, just– (she shrugs, but she's grinning, only because she knows he can't see it,) enjoying each other's company too much to have sat down and talked about it yet, that's all.

[Most of the time, Taako is able to quickly compartmentalize any negative emotions and get on with things, and that's even easier when his thoughts are as loose as they are.]

Have you been getting bus-ay~

[He's the worst.]

(Snort.

She mimics his tone when she replies.)

No~

Pfft.

[They're a bunch of nerds, though it doesn't really surprise him that Lucretia is taking things slow. It's probably been a while.]

But you should do that talking thing. Make sure it's all good before someone gets hurt.

[Not that he's talking for experience, except that he kind of is.]

(She resents that little huff, but doesn't comment on it.)

I know, hop off me.

What about you? (Because she knows exactly how to get him off the topic of her relationships hehe.) Anybody new in your life that I don't know about yet?

[Curse her and the century of friendship that means she knows him too well.]

I'm kinda into Rin. [And then, as his brain catches up to his mouth:] Fuck.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject