OPEN | INTRO TIME

[chokedout]

Who: Theo Price chokedout
What: Theo's arrival, adjustment & acting out.
When: End of June/Into July.
Where: Vaaaarious.
Content Warnings: TBD! Theo's themes involve reincarnation, possible toxic exes.


» » » A: THE ARRIVAL

[It's probably a good thing that Theo didn't tumble from the sky this month during the confluence, because the only thing around him draped like a robe is one of Grace's bedsheets and he most definitely would've flashed somebody. Instead he's just cinching his cover closer to his chest, peering around with eyes that are momentarily dark brown before he's awoken enough to blink them a brilliant too-bright blue after massaging his temple. His first instinct, of course, is to assume that this is some weird Duplicity trick and thus he's not wholly sure where (or when) the fuck he is, but he is tired. And he wants a familiar face.

Only there... aren't any? At least in Duplicity there seemed to be a high turnout for people he could at least recognize as seeing around, since the pool of LIERs was rather small and intermixed. He finds himself a little startled to see nobody he recognizes nearby, and spins a bit where he stands to better survey the land. Starfallen, he hears off somebody's tongue. Not sure what that means. Welcome to- who cares about Excelsior, it's the-]

Wait- Waaaait, hold up.

[He's flagging down somebody nearby, because:]

Did I just hear someone say Washington? We're in Washington?

« « « NOTES

[Theo's permissions for where they apply; you can reach me on plurk at witchpunk. Journal getting updated from the transition from Duplicity to Metaheroes, and more info on relevant CRAU notes tbd.]

Comments

[infirmiere]

I take it you weren't in Washington five minutes ago?

[ neither was willa, to be honest, but the one good thing about having joined the alliance is that she can show up wherever fantastic is and quietly undermine his batshit ideas.

the small purse she has looped across her chest has water and snacks, fitting a surprising amount in such a small bag — she once smuggled two entire hot dogs into the movie theater with this bag and they weren't even crushed — but it didn't occur to her that maybe she should pack underwear. this guy looks like he needs underwear. ]

Do you want to check out the shops and maybe see if we can get you some actual clothes? I think they might wave the no shirt, no shoes, no service clause this time.

[chokedout]

No, I was in my hot girlfriend's bed in the Up... Upper, ah - whatever.

[Not worth lying to disguise it, because was he maybe delirious? No, the sheet says otherwise. He takes a moment to run through the various 'how do I explain Duplicity' lines of conversation in his head before he gives a little shrug, not opposed to staying naked but he's not entirely sure that's genuine comfort or just post-sex city conditioned comfort. He turns on a dazzling "I'm not crazy, I swear" smile.]

Yeah, sure. I'm Theo, by the way. Teddie if you think I'm cuter that way.

[infirmiere]

Nice to meet you, Theo.

[ unfortunate that he shares a name with one of her oldest friends who is the sequoia of sticks in the mud, truly a pando of sticks in the mud, the stickiest and the muddiest. (unfortunately theodore kokkinos is also the most beautiful man she has ever seen in her entire life, sylvain included. willa tries not to make these comparisons, but she's only human.)

she does smile reflexively, a little too bemused to be wholly comforting but she does have those gentle nurse vibes. ]

I'm Willa. And this happens a lot, so don't worry about explaining anything, or do, I'm not your mom.

[chokedout]

You help a lot of pretty men in nothing more than yesterday's sheets remember how they ended up where they are, do you?

[Flirting. Teasing. His default state. Theo is unabashed about it, too. Completely at ease though he does sort of wish he had a little more coverage because if he's going to want to use his hands he's going to have to toga this and that feels tedious.]

I gotta say, not the strangest thing to happen to me yet, believe it or not.

[infirmiere]

A beautiful man appearing naked in a sheet in front of me is also not the strangest thing to happen to me. Come along, dear, you need either underwear or a kilt.

[ her hand curls around the sheet and she just walks off, taking theo and his sheet with her. ]

[chokedout]

Gonna dress me? I'm down.

[And he is also down to be lead around, smile something ravenous for a second because - well, women that take control are hot and he's still not out of kinky, himbo Dupe mode yet. He follows (not really any other choice,) and cocks his head to look her over a bit while they walk. Hopping in his step when he steps on a rock, but otherwise not disturbing the stride.]

Wanna spill our weirdest, then? Or one of them? Since we've got time.

[infirmiere]

One of my dear friends can talk to bugs which isn't particularly weird because I also talk to the worms in my garden, but they talk back to her and I once saw her choreograph a dance sequence to the Scarecrow's song from the Wizard of Oz. [ the bugs could indeed while away the hours, conferring with the flowers and consulting with the rain.

willa's general tone has a flattened affect, she isn't overly enthusiastic about anything seemingly, so it's hard to tell if she is being sarcastic or taking the piss. her soft voice does grow more animated when she adds: ]

Also one time I convinced an entire Welsh village I was the mythical Lady of the Lake because I knew my sometimes-husband dropped a sword in Llyn Llydaw like a hundred years before so I just retrieved it and they all lost their shit. But I think the bug one is still stranger.

[chokedout]

[Theo treats the topic of talking bugs with the same rapturous attention as he does the Lady of the Lake tale, eyes wide and smile twisting across his lips. He likes it when he meets people that are a little far from average, liars or not, because he lived his life pre-duplicity stuck in a revolving door of normalcy with him and Willem the only exceptions. Dupe introduced him to people like himself, others with abilities, and it seems this place still has that in common.]

My ex got worshipped as a war god in another life, conveniently up until he was killed.

[infirmiere]

Convenient. What did they worship you as?

[ maybe they didn't worship him as anything (he said ex after all,) but what if they did and she simply didn't ask? not knowing because she wasn't nosy would be tragic. ]

[thwikt]

Seems like it.

[ but it isn't a washington that roy has ever seen (or even heard of). it's like he was suddenly plopped into a tech starter-upper's idea of a wip futuristic utopia. he doesn't vibe with it, especially with all the patrols around, so he plans to check out of the city asap.

pulling down the brim of his cap further, he starts in the direction of the nearest foot traffic, intending to integrate with the crowd before one of the guards clock him. sooo, it's a little less than ideal when someone starts brazenly calling out to him.

smile plastered on his face, he looks the guy up and down. he is way too attention grabbing. ]

Hey, [ he points a gloved hand at him, as he begins to backtrack into the throng of people. ] you might want to grab yourself some clothes. Don't want to get fined for public indecency. There are kids around. [ probably. ]

[chokedout]

You should see what it's like when I drop the towel then, so to speak.

[Not that he's going to drop his sheets and show it all of here, especially if there are kids around (which he doesn't bother to look around and confirm under the guise of totally being so self assured rn to not need to,) and he instead just sort of cinches his wrap tighter. You think you're going to escape this conversation though, Roy? Theo's trotting along after like a toddler just out of a bath.]

Where's the it shop to go? C'mon, I don't have anything on me - you can check if you like - to pay, too. Think they take IOUs?

[thwikt]

Look, man, I'll be super honest with you. [ he presses his hands to his chest. ] I'm actually new to town, so I know my way around Excelsior as well as you do. I'm also shit with fashion, so if you're looking for the it shop around here, I'm not your guy.

[ —fuck. out of the corner of his eyes, he spots two guards approaching from the left. ]

Uh, but how about this? [ before the patrolmen can clock them, roy slings an arm around the guy's shoulders, simultaneously nudging him forward into the mill of people. ] I saw a thrift store a few blocks from here, so let's go there.

[ don't mind him as he insists on guiding him towards the nearest alleyway. one problem at a time, please. ]

[chokedout]

Thrifting. How quaint.

[Theo says with a little bite of humor to it and absolutely no defense to having an arm slung around him, which he probably should, especially if they're veering toward an alleyway. But he goes without question, eyes flicking over Roy in close proximity before he's casting one glance of his own back the way they came, brows furrowed as he tries to perceive what, if anything, was last seen in that direction.]

If this is how you want your IOU paid off - in advance - just saying, let's be up front about it.

[Said once they're more secluded. Joking? Maybe.]

[thwikt]

Yea. Super quaint.

[ he fully plans to drop him off at the thrift store and ditch him jsyk.

but now that they've successfully stepped into the alley, roy removes his arm from blanket guy's shoulders, taking a moment to process what he just said and coming up with a very confused— ] What? [ —in response because seriously what??? ] What do you mean by that?

[ his brows furrows. ]

You don't think I'm gonna hurt you, right? 'cause the thrift store's that way, dude. [ he points to the opening at the end of the alleyway. ]

[chokedout]

Oh, no. I'm not into that unless it's the fun kind of hurting.

[Don't touch his face, he likes his face, etc. He brings a hand up and waves it in the air. Surprisingly shows little leg in the process, despite how the sheet sways with the motion.]

You're the one taking me through the secluded alley, what exactly were you expecting?

[thwikt]

Look, [ he pivots on his foot to face him, walking backward. ] if you wanna turn back, [ he splays open his hands. ] feel free.

[ he won't be the one to stop him, since there is a limit to how much he wants to play good samaritan right now. ]

And can you stop doing that? The whole "let's turn everything into an innuendo" thing? You're naked under a blanket, my guy. Not the time, situation or place for that.

[chokedout]

Most people like a little flirting. What's got you so pressed?

[Theo rolls his eyes pretty hard, it's hard for him at any point to feel a sense of shame so he rolls it right off him before he rolls the sheet off too. But rather than be naked, like he was a second ago, he's sporting a pair of grey sweats, some Gucci slides and an oversized muscle tank - all thanks to some magical glamors. He makes a gesture towards where they were headed.]

I'm still up for adventure, but now you're still paying but I'm not reimbursing.

wildcard.

[meca]

( oliver's arrival is more than a little rough. there's the immediate disconnect: he loses his tether, the person keeping him from breaking down from just undead witch to full blown corrupt monster. the black marks at his neck return full force, splotchy almost-bruises spreading from his collar to just below his jaw, and oliver's choking on it.

it's been a long time since he's felt it like this. since he's experienced his body trying to rip it self into two, pull his soul from his body until he's nothing more than a husk ripe for transforming into something darker. he doesn't fall to it, because it isn't the first time, the corruption won't kill him immediately. everything pierce and ragnor had been holding back rushes back into him, it spreads until it settles to just a little bit worse than it had been last time he'd been without someone to hold it off. he feels it spreading slowly, the sick gut-retching sensation settling behind his ribs, under the damage at his neck, but he's alive, he's alright, even if he feels oliver slipping away.

the ink on his finger thrums soft, recognizing it's other half - elsewhere, and oliver's tapped, exhausted and fresh out of the internal well of magic that keeps him running. luckily, it doesn't take him much at all to find theo's face popping up on ourpowers, which gives him something to track down. theo's phone pings obnoxiously, various notifications spawning across the top:

YOU BITCH
theo
theo i'm DYING
literally dying??? like literal death
i hate wa
did i ever tell you i hate wa?

but there's no way to answer any of them because it doesn't come from an external device, just oliver, tapping into it.

don't move

because oliver's vaguely close. he's burning through charms, using them to hold off the corruption from spreading faster while he runs--actually runs--down several blocks in the direction he's tracking theo's face from. )

[chokedout]

[He was worried, initially. He was stunned to start, really, ending up in a city other than Duplicity - still feeling hung over which felt kind of unfair but it still feels like a trap. Like there's something yet to come, another fucked up April Fool's day joke waiting to make him miserable. But the worry was more geared toward not knowing anyone, not having his own grasp of things here and being surrounded by strangers while his brain still figured fucking his way to friendship was the way to go. Turns out you can't do that here. Well, maybe not everywhere here. Anyway...

He gets a happy little jolt in his gut when the texts start, but his brows furrow when he realizes he can't find a way to return them. His heart is sitting at the base of his throat, relief like a cool breeze across his brow when he realizes he's got Oliver. For reals. He stays where he is, out on the sidewalk in front of a bistro and he looks around while holding his device tightly in one hand. He looks the same, messy brown hair and piercing blue eyes alert, but at least he's dressed by this point. Jean cut offs, an open front button down t-shirt and sunglasses on his head that he holds steady as he turns, seeing Oliver do something he's never seen him do before. Run.

Theo's lips part but what's there to say? Instinctively he's reaching out - fingers singed black before he flexes them, grimacing and pulling away while there's still space between them and focusing harder. Focusing on not taking the easy, immediate route in trying to help him - and instead reaching out a second time while Oliver's closer, fingertips without marks but a more natural magic fizzling in the tips of them. Ready to be drunk up and absorbed.]

C'mere.

[meca]

( he hates running. running is the worst. he hates it up until he stops when he reaches theo and he still hates it because now his legs are tired and this is clearly all theo's fault. oliver reaches him, and he's moving a hand to wrap fingers around the back of theo's neck. pulls him down closer as oliver shudders from the sensation of theo's magic pouring into him. )

Ragnor's not here. Neither is Pierce. ( he knows, because he would have felt it. instead, he's gripping onto theo, yanking him down until their foreheads are pressed together and oliver's--shoving his weight in against him. makes theo hold him up. ) That leaves it to you to keep me from becoming - worse.

( not asking, just telling. )

[chokedout]

[Theo falls forward, keeping them both upright with a staggered step and his arms around Oliver; he smooths his palms up under Oliver's shirt, fingers splayed against his back to keep skin on skin contact so he can willingly still pour himself into him. He hears what Oliver says and stares off past his shoulder, eyes widen and briefly unfocused because... it's kind of scary? Ragnor was the rock. The anchor- literally, he was what kept Oliver safe and sane. Pierce isn't around and they don't know any reliable stand in so like Oliver says, it's up to him now.

There's a little panic in his chest. He's not good enough. Not able to keep this from fucking up. It's a lot. There's this little jolt of something acrid in him too, a fear of being pinned into something he can't escape from but the rest of him pushes it away - because who is he if not someone who gives his all for the person he loves? The more reliable worry is to think about all the ways he can't manage this because he can't even manage magic, but...]

How do- What do I do? How do I protect you.

[When he focuses on the thought, the magic radiating from his fingertips is warmer, stronger, and currently unmarred by the darker magic he himself has tethered to.]

I'll do it, but I just... I don't want to use the bad shit. But I will if it's needed.

[meca]

( he's never done this before. when he'd first gotten up, pierce had already been attached to him. when he woke up in front of nick, ragnor had been two steps behind and had figured it out all on his own. but oliver had spent a good chunk of time trying to figure it out, in case anything went bad again.

the black splotchy marks on his neck recede as he presses in against theo, closer. takes a deep breath, then lets it out. there's no need to panic, not now. he can take a few moments to breathe and figure it out now that he's not actively collapsing in on himself. )

You can't use the bad shit. It feels like corruption, I'm betting it'd mess me up like corruption does, too.

( fingers grab onto theo's collar, fist curling in tight as oliver tips his head back to look at him. narrows his eyes a little. )

And I mean that like, ever. You can't touch it again. It's tying my life to yours, basically, and if you fuck me over you fuck us both over. Probably.

[chokedout]

Okay.

[A little pointed, but - mostly because he doesn't know what to say now that he's been put into a position where he's hypothetically pinned down when it comes to using his magic. Not to say he wasn't going to keep his promise of staying away from it but it was always there as... a back up. Not having that, no fall net, on account of keeping Oliver from getting worse is- it's straining. It's frightening more than that because Theo doesn't yet have the confidence to believe he can do this all on his own.

He's breathing a little faster than he should be, and catches his breath with a few deep inhales. He's holding onto Oliver a little too hard now, fingers pressing into flesh and quivering as he keeps himself steady - keeps himself on the line he needs to be on. It surges a bit stronger, but he still is only feeding Oliver it; he needs to focus on this better. Remember what little he learned - Ragnor prepped him a little, told him the kinds of things he might need to do. He has to remember the steps - the methods.]

Just - just hold on a second, okay? I'm...

[Struggling. He closes his eyes, pressing his forehead to Oliver's.]

Tell me when you feel anchored. Or when I'm getting close.

[meca]

I got it.

( he recognizes what theo is attempting to do, feels it, but oliver has a slightly easier path than theo trying to feel it out. he just--needed to make sure theo understood first, even if oliver wasn't going to give him a choice. oliver reaches a hand up to grab onto one of theo's own, presses his fingers against the back of theo's, rings against skin. he pulls in a breath through his nose, lets it out through his lips as the ring on his right middle finger burns hot, metal unraveling until it wraps around theo's own middle finger, too, black steel thinning into two smaller rings split between the two of them. it digs rough into theo's skin at first, the burning sensation unpleasant, but it fades back to a dull sensation shortly after.

theo may be able to feel the corruption, pressed back from their connection but ever-lingering, a sickly, cold sensation. it's not natural, it doesn't feel great at all, but it only just barely skims theo. and instead of theo pushing magic into oliver, the ring--does it for him. it doesn't drain, not actively, but connects them together.

it doesn't feel as--easy as his and pierce's connection, nor as natural as the one between him and ragnor had. ragnor's magic ran parallel to oliver's, theo's runs close to opposite. but it's workable. oliver won't have magic to pull on to boost his own, but that was just a bonus of having ragnor anyway. he can live without it, as long as he keeps living.

another shuddering breath out, as his shoulders loosen. droop down to their usual slouch. )

Next time don't wander so far away.

( how could you, really. )

[chokedout]

[The pain registers in a look that flashes across Theo's face, but besides a grimace and soft grunt he doesn't otherwise react - he's been dealt worse before. Felt the same kind of sticky, oozing corruption too. He can remember the feeling of Willem's hands around his neck, cold as steel and yet burning just as hot. He wets his lips, and exhales hard again before looking more directly into Oliver's eyes. He's quiet a long beat, just gazing at him, before a neutral expression fades back to a softly smiling, regular-Theo type one.]

Maybe I just like watching you run.

[He has yet to let go of him. He leans to kiss the bridge of his nose, and then downward to his lips.]

I'd be equally dead without you, so. I'm not going anywhere.