metalogs | OPEN | INTRO TIME

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OPEN | INTRO TIME

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.]

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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.

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.

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.

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. ]

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?

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.

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. ]

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. ]

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.

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.

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.]

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. ]

[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.

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?

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.

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.

You call that flirting?

[ man, what did he get himself into?

first, he finds himself suddenly alive again. then, he's suddenly swept into a different dimension out of the freakin' blue. now, he's suddenly somehow tasked with juggling some naked pervert in a blanket while simultaneously trying to evade the notice of the local authorities. what the hell, man.

this is all so seriously whacked.

even more so, when said naked pervert in a blanket is not so naked anymore. ]

Wait—... [ he scoffs in disbelief. ] Wait a sec, you could do that this entire time? [ don't lose it, harper. don't lose it. ] Dude, c'mon. [ he takes a moment to inhale, exhale. ] Okay. Okay, great. You've got your clothes, so you don't need me anymore.

[ they're nearing the exit to the alley now. sweeping his left arm out, roy motions for him to continue on his way. ]

You can ask someone where the thrift store or the it shop is. Piece of advice, I'd stay away from the guards if I were you.

I don't need you, but now I'm invested - and why am I avoiding guards?

[The tail end of that is said with a conspiratory lean, thinking about whether or not to defend his actions from a moment ago because he still feels a little hung over. Whether it was yesterday's wine or the whole multiverse hopping thing. He looks around, brows furrowing, because...]

Why are there guards in Washington? Not like, cops- right?

[He makes a face.]

Why am I always ending up in shitty sounding worlds.

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. ]

Mmm, I was more like the resident groupie that got special status on account of being the main squeeze.

[He's being quite truthful; in a lot of lives, he was precious gold to Willem. In others, not so much. He still hates how much he can remember that feeling of being desired, and how he still craves that sense of adoration. Just, you know, without the whole shitty offslide of other bullshit.]

And yes, I'm cute in every lifetime. Guaranteed.

( 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. )

Please don't be invested. Be the opposite of invested.

[ he can't be a babysitter to a stranger right now. ]

If you haven't noticed, they've been approaching anyone who looks lost and confused or [ he motions at the abandoned sheet. ] obviously out of place, chirping about someplace called Arcadia. And for the ones who've turned them down, they've been tailing 'em.

[ it's all around sus, that's what it is. ]

I don't know if they're associated with the police, but since it seems pretty clear to me that you're one of their targeted... whatever, maybe avoid saying things like 'why am I always ending up in shitty sounding worlds' out loud to complete strangers.

[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.

( 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. )

[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.

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