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

[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.

[meca]

I'm never, ever running again. That was a terrible, horrible experience, and now my legs hurt. My shoes are scuffed. This is the worst.

( his head tips up into theo's kiss regardless, fingers dropping away after a moment so he can pull back and grab onto a fistful of theo's shirt. not to pull him in, just to pull him along. they're going--this way, now that oliver isn't actively falling apart. )

So. Bright sunny sky, terrible, horrible Washington, and a whole mess of other shit. Right? Fun.

( easier to shift topics to that than oliver's almost-death. )

[chokedout]

Yeah - isn't, it's - it's funny, right?

[Washington, of all places. He's grinning as he follows Oliver's guide, arms dropping away finally though his hand seeks out Oliver's nonetheless. There are a lot of things he has to adjust to if this is real - the fact it's still not his homeworld, the potential reality of it just being an earth with the same bigotry that was missing in Duplicity and... also the idea that perhaps, somewhere, Willem exists. Or will exist. There's a returning threat that he doesn't feel prepared for, not without all the pieces he had in Duplicity.

Fingers slotting through Oliver's, Theo gives his hand a squeeze and pulls himself away from the more complicated feelings to instead focus on what may still be a positive: the potential freedom here. It's still threatened in a way, of course, but...]

Do you think it's... that it's real?

[Has to be. Right? His brows furrow, and he looks to Oliver - genuinely wondering.]

[meca]

( it's not funny, it's irritating. just when he'd gotten comfortable, everything got uprooted, again. do you know how hard it is to get all the shit he'd gathered back at their cottage? how much time and effort was spent? how many people he had to bully? how nice the hospitality spell that just did shit for him was? now look: they're back to square one and lacking all the conveniences their hoard of shit and handy warlocks provided.

theo grips onto his hand and oliver squeezes back, keeps the physical connection to go alongside the--magical one. now would be a great time to go back home, lounge around on the couch, and take a good solid nap. unfortunately, home isn't here. )

It's real. ( he feels it in the pulse of devices around them. feels it in the pavement under their feet, how solid the ground feels. ) You can cover shit in illusions and glamors but that wouldn't be enough to change the feel of it.

[chokedout]

So we're not- we're not trapped anymore.

[The same way, anyway. There are still guards looming around, there's the threat of Arcadia but Theo seems to resonate a warmer energy at the idea of limitless potential. Sure they're in Washington but they could be anywhere else in a few day's time. He walks along almost in a daze, daydreaming of what he wants to do next. He wants to get in a car and just drive, to shirk away any responsibility here and let loose.

He's grinning, already too ahead of himself:]

We need to sight see.

[meca]

We're still trapped. This isn't our home.

( it's not oliver's, he knows that already. it could be theo's, oliver doesn't know where he's from but he knows theo's whole--thing is being from basically everywhere. reincarnation and all. but it's significantly less stifling here, especially considering there's no longer a mark on his neck. no longer is he marked as lower, which has it's pluses and minuses. no one here to play sugar daddy for him, but also: freedom to do whatever he wants without having to act his way through stupid shit. )

But why not. Not like we have anything better to do now.

[chokedout]

I don't want to go home, so.

[He replies quick and fast, like it's a half-secret he's still willing to share because it's still the truth. He would've stayed in Duplicity if ever given the chance between that and home, if only because it felt safe. It was populated with the people he cared about. The people who would help him stay safe if he needed them to. This is unnervingly new, this world, but it offers a taste of his old one that he's willing to take.]

We need to find somewhere to live, too. I don't like the hotel. Gives bad vibes, of the Up apartments.

[meca]

I don't want to go home either.

( he wants some of the people here, but he doesn't want to go there. not with nick still fucked up, ken--who knows where, and oliver being psychically attached to pierce, unable to go too far from him lest it completely destroy oliver himself. he didn't mind duplicity, because it simplified everything. here, they're back to zero. and he hates it. oliver throws a glance over his shoulder back to theo. squints. )

Did they hand you a credit card? They handed me one.

[chokedout]

Yeah. How else have I been getting my iced coffee?

[Playfully said, and he could leave it at that - talk up how they have it made, don't they? Can live anywhere, even if that does mean signing to keep up the good deal. Or they can get jobs to maintain it, after using what they have so far to get ahead. But Theo's cheerful himbo persona does bandage over a more thoughtful side, which peers through as he looks back to Oliver. Dropping the smile, he's actually thought about it and perhaps showing some wisdom with what he says next:]

I haven't used it for anything legitimate. More than one lifetime I avoided cards all together to avoid being tracked. And who knows who wants to track us here, and what they'd do with that trail if they found it.

[meca]

Mm, ( that's all fair and definitely - more safe than not, but. ) you're forgetting who you've got with you.

( he couldn't touch a lot of shit back in duplicity, but whatever blocked him there doesn't seem like it's in effect here. fingers squeeze tight around theo's own, as oliver pulls them both to a small cafe. he ran, he's walking, and he doesn't want to do either of those things anymore. oliver's legs need a break, as does the rest of him. it's been a rough last couple hours. )

Give me enough time to recover, and I can drain out an ATM or two.

[chokedout]

I sugarbaby you with magic, you sugarbaby me with money... it's win win. At least until we find another mark.

[They're overdue for that already - there are people to find and milk, and they'll get there. In the meanwhile he steps forward from their matched stride to reach and pull open the door for Oliver. Because Oliver is his to baby now, God forbid he have to exert himself anymore today - Theo'll never hear the end of it.]

Get us a seat, I'll get the drinks. Something sweet for you to eat, too.

[meca]

( if he had to open the door, he might have rioted. do you know how much work running is? and walking? the world is too big, and oliver's all out of handy portaling warlocks and sorcerers. when is theo going to learn how to teleport, so oliver doesn't have to? get it together.

but he walks in, and immediately turns to find a good table in a quiet corner. )

I want a brownie.

( since theo's getting sweets. )

[chokedout]

[Theo winks at Oliver to denote he's listened to his order request, and disappears for a moment to go get them coffee and a few different treats. Brownie gets set down right in front of Oliver when he returns because he knows if he doesn't give him Sole Ownership he's just going to steal it anyway, and sits back down with an iced coffee full of fluff and a soft sigh. This is - the shallow coffee shop life he thrives in, and he's relaxed to play the part once again.]

Is it bad I still want to fuck everyone I see? I need to work on reeling that back.

[meca]

( this is, in fact, all oliver's brownie. he is absolutely not sharing even a single bite. theo was smart to put it in front of him, because he's immediately raising it to his mouth to take a massive bite out of it, eyes closing and pleased hum passing his lips at the taste of it. this was exactly what he needed, thank you. oliver waits until after he's managed to finish off what he's got in his mouth, to reach forward and get a drink of his iced latte. )

You've always been a whore, a new location doesn't change that.

[chokedout]

[Needed or not, Theo made sure there was extra syrup in Oliver's latte because sometimes you need to soothe the beast and his beast is a little fiery coffee fiend. (And in other worlds, a bread one too.) He picks at a croissant he got for himself, and makes a face as if to say 'true, true'.]

Now I have to just be your whore. Or else everyone'll think that's all I am.

[Haha. Funny. Because - yeah, well. He has other bits of a personality, okay.]

Though I think the boat sailed away on that one a little. I arrived naked. Did you?

[meca]

Do you think I got very far before I ran into you? Because I was literally dying, Theo. Literally.

( a gesture to his neck, where there's still bits of splotchy black over his skin. it almost looks like a bruise, in the shape of fingerprints. clearly the mark of someone who's absolutely fine, thanks for asking. )

I came with my clothes on. Because I don't wander around with my dick out.

[chokedout]

Hey, you're resourceful. You could've conned someone into clothing you.

[Don't call him out on not thinking things through - also, hey? He's reaching for the brownie not because he wants it or because he expects to even get to so much as touch it, but because he wants to annoy Oliver. He'll retract his hand once slapped, but hopes for a crumb.]

And my dick wasn't all the way out. I had Gracie's sheets.

[meca]

( yeah no, this is his brownie bitch, and he's slapping theo's hand away before it can even touch it. oliver does, as an afterthought, break off a small corner to offer it over. because he's very polite like that. )

I was working at HOE, waiting for what's-her-face to show up. It gets way too cold in there to waltz around naked.

[chokedout]

[Like the wary prey animal he is, Theo hesitates. Oliver is the dominant one here. He eyes the corner, and then meekly holds out his upturned hand to receive it like the Holy Bounty it is, blessing him. He still expects to not get it. Meek inherit nothing, etc.]

Oh. I guess nobody's running that place now. Too bad.

[He just liked looking pretty and getting paid for it. And also being able to paint all the walls with gaudy murals.]

However will people get their fix of dusty antiques?

[meca]

( theo can raise his expectations, considering oliver so graciously decides to share. the piece of brownie that gets dropped into theo's hand stays there, while oliver goes to rip off another piece for himself. )

Ragnor owns it, and considering we rarely did jack shit there, I'm betting it'll be fine. ( he says "we", but really he means "I". oliver did jack shit, aside from sit around and look pretty, or fuck around with random minerals he'd found or been brought. ) Think he'll even be able to find someone else?

[chokedout]

[Gleeful and not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Theo takes what he's given and tosses it back- licking a crumb stuck to his finger soon after. Talking about Ragnor kind of sucks though, and Theo's brows briefly crease because. That was their sugardaddy warlock boss boyfriend and now he's not here. And maybe he's still back there? That feels worse.]

I don't want him to find anyone else. We're irreplaceable and he better know that.

[meca]

I never said he was going to find anyone to replace us, he knows damn well there's no one better than us. But there's like, the whole stupid system to think about.

( hard to avoid it without getting stuck in jail and all. oliver pulls off another piece of brownie, rinses it down with his drink. )

Or he'll just suffer all on his own, for forever.

[chokedout]

Yeah, but. Point still stands.

[Theo doesn't want Ragnor caring about other people. Giving them bedrooms, or letting them do ridiculous shit to his dick - that's reserved for Theo and Oliver. Theo's eyes flicker with a telltale jealous vibe, brows briefly furrowed before he relaxes. He can't let himself get consumed with that icky feeling in his chest, sucking back some coffee through his straw and rattling the ice chips around in the cup right after.]

I miss him.

[meca]

I do, too.

( ragnor was great. he's smart, he likes to stick to himself most the time, his magic is impressive, and oliver can already feel out the differences between being leashed to theo versus ragnor. )

Thought I haaated that house in the middle of nowhere, but now where am I going to find one spelled to do whatever I want? Rude of him to not come along.