smartass_captain | This is going to take some getting used to...[For Verity, open to Ixis]

There's an awful lot of commotion going on in the tower. Sounds like Ixis has his tail in a knot over something or another. It almost sounds like he's arguing with someone. Guess he's going to head up to his quarters and sulk for a good while.

Typical, right?

Except 'Ixis' isn't upstairs at all. He's looking around the entryway on the ground floor, scowling at everything he sees with equal contempt.

"Well, this is just great." Honestly? Jim doesn't know what to do. He's got his phone in one of the magi's pockets. He supposes the first thing he should do is text Verity and see where she's at. Being all but herded to the ground floor before Ixis went storming upstairs hasn't left him with any more answers than when this whole fiasco started.

Wow, trying to grab his phone with his claw hand isn't going very well. He's just standing there like a doof.

Current Mood: frustrated

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From:

brave_heart_verity

...she's done nothing to deserve that kind of threat.

"It is fun," she admits, "but exhausting." He's seen how quickly she's worn out by showing off.

Never shake your head at a pep talk! That's just rude. But she'll concede the point. "That. Yeah. But at least you're both men. As much as you would have loved being a girl for a few days, I'm sure."

She pours some sauce over the pork chops and puts everything on a tray, then into the oven. Then, another round of hand-washing. How does she even still have skin?

"You want a salad with lunch?"

From:

smartass_captain

"It looks rough, yeah." He's seen Spock use his touch telepathy stuff before too. Takes a lot out of you. "I'm sure as hell some kind of man." Jim shrugs. She's got him pegged there, so he keeps any comments on that matter to himself.

Germs are serious business. Or so Bones screamed at him all through the academy. Jim's been trained somewhat on that front.

"Sure. ...I kind of want to try a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich while I'm in this body just to see what it's like."

From:

brave_heart_verity

Reality does not like to be fucked with. That's why it's so hard. That's what she thinks, anyway.

"We can do that, if you're sure? Lunch won't be ready for a little while yet." Half a sandwich won't spoil their appetites. "Crunchy or creamy?"

From:

smartass_captain

"Wh..right now?" Jim's eyes light up and his ears are standing straight up, giving his excitement away even as he tries to regain composure. "Sure. Creamy, please." His tail is curling slightly, thrilled with this turn of events.

"Might as well make the most of the opportunity, right?"

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Right." And she'll be doing her best to help him make the most of it.

She doesn't make her own peanut butter, but it's organic and preservative-free, of course. The preserves are obviously homemade, and so is the bread. A nice loaf of crusty French bread gives up a few slices, crunchy crust and soft as clouds middle. The preserves are practically whole berries in their own thickened juice. They squish nicely as she spreads them around the bread. She prefers crunchy, herself, so she chops up a few peanuts and sprinkles them on her side of the sandwich.

"Here we go. Enjoy."

From:

smartass_captain

Jim watches her construct the sandwich in interest. He's never been able to have peanuts ever. So this is pretty exciting for him. Strawberries were one of many allergies he picked up after the Tarsis incident. He vaguely remembers them, but still. This is a big moment.

Not huge, but there hasn't been much else for him to look forward to today.

"Thanks Ver." Om nom...NUM. "This doesn't sound like an appetizing combination, but damn. Ish good." Jim don't talk with your mouth full. Or maybe that's just a peanut butter thing and he doesn't know any better.

From:

brave_heart_verity

Little moments are worth the effort right now. It's not like she can do anything else to be useful.

She leans back against a counter, holding her half of the sandwich but not eating because she's busy watching him. Seeing him enjoy something for the first time is much more fun. Besides, he's got the peanut-butter-mouth thing going and needs a glass of milk to really complete the experience. Never let it be said she forgets these details.

"I'm going to have to find a good peanut butter substitute for you, aren't I?"

From:

smartass_captain

"I dunno. Maybe?" The milk will be greatly appreciated, but Jim isn't going to talk much more until he's got that half of a sandwich crammed into his gullet.

"I'm not sure what else I'd put it on, if I'm bein' honest." He licks the peanut butter off of a clawed finger and smirks. "But hey, now I know what people are always on about."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Oh yeah? Let me show you the real magic of peanut butter."

Because she's got another apple. She's got peanut butter. And she's got mini chocolate chips.

Also, fuck appetites, she can live with leftovers if he fills up on this.

"Try that." She takes one wedge for herself, but the rest is for him.

From:

ixis

There's a loud thump from upstairs, which is impressive that the noise carries, given that the whole floor, walls, everything are made from stone. There are footsteps on the stairs, rapidly coming downwards to the first floor...

...but before he even clears the second, there's a yelp and Jim's body comes tumbling down the steps and lands in a limp heap at the bottom.

"These legs are TOO DAMN LONG," is the eventual angered cry from that tangle of limbs. He picks himself up soon enough, holding his left hand awkwardly away from the rest of him. The fingers are-...Yikes. Are they BURNED? They look burned. Badly. All red and raw.

"I! Have injured myself," he declares. Yeah, no kidding, Naugus.

From:

smartass_captain

"...I'm gonna kill him." Delicious apple treat will have to wait. Jim's already scowling and hopping down off the stool to stalk over to where Ixis has landed Jim's body in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

"...You realize, if our roles were reversed right now, you'd either be bitching me out or laughing your ass off, right?" Wait. What's he doing with his hand. Did he. Jim's ears go flat against his head and he sighs. This time he's at least careful to pinch the bridge of his nose with his hand instead of his giant claw.

"Verity come help this dumbass."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Knock it off, Jim." The injured party gets first dibs on her sympathy. That's just how she rolls. And that is clearly Naugus, and she'll deal with the fact she has to teach him how to walk later. "Both of you are going to have accidents and that's not on purpose so we're going to be nice about it."

That look of 'don't fuck with me I am out of fucks' includes you, Grandpa. But it relents when she gets a closer look at the burn. "Ooh, that looks painful. I think I can heal it, but... I know you're not comfortable with my restoration magic. I've got some aloe and things that will help it feel better if you'd rather?"

From:

ixis

He's quick to stick his tongue out at Jim since HE'S getting a pass AND attention. Haha, chump. Although he gets a follow-up look from Verity which makes him do his best to look pitiful. Him fingers has owie. :(

"Turns out this body isn't suitable for controlling fire. Also, you can't touch hot things when your hand is not your claw." He learned all kinds of things today. And at the mention of that resto magic, he hisses in concerned thought. "Hhhhh...Might as well find out if it burns me when I'm in someone else's skin." It's going to be so uncomfortable to sit through, but now he wants to know. Let's just burn Jim's bod to a crisp!

From:

smartass_captain

Wow. Is that what he looks like when he makes that face? No wonder he gets hit so much when he mouths off. Jim wants to hit him right now. Hard. A lot.

Learning things about himself already.

"...."Nothing Jim can say isn't going to come out seven shades of sarcastic and hateful, so he keeps his mouth shut at Naugus' utter failure to be careful with his body. But the healing magic is something he has an opinion on.

"My body can handle healing magic. I've had it done before." Like the demon outbreak. Or the chandelier incident at Halloween. But since those were both form similar sources, he's quick to amend. "Both times it was Tamrielian healing magic though. A potion one time, and Felix, the other."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Now you know why I keep those mitts by the oven," she points out with a little smirk. C'mon, she can't help it. What did he think those were for?

"Felix is the one teaching me this magic," she points out to Jim, "so that shouldn't be the problem." A problem she understands might still exist, so to Naugus she promises, "I'll just do a tiny bit and see how it goes, okay?"

Guess what's shiny and cool looking now? Healing hands, that's what! There's a lot of shiny lights involved, even when she keeps the spell going for as short a time as she can while being sure it worked at all.

From:

ixis

He cringes away, teeth bared in a grimace, even when he's told it'll only be for a moment and there's no obvious discomfort when it's underway. And those burned fingers DO feel a bit better. Also, Jim being nearby in Naugus' body can probably confirm there's no proximity discomfort either. Turns out healing magic from Tamriel is safely non-denominational!

From:

smartass_captain

Jim's staying a safe distance back. He doesn't want to get burned in his Totally-a-vampire body. He was listening to the warnings Naugus gave him earlier.

"Really? How long has that been going on?" Besides, he's more interested in hearing about Felix and Verity having magic lessons. Do they talk about him? Not that he cares. You know. Mostly.

"How'd you manage to burn yourself anyway? Didn't I tell you my body can't do magic?"

From:

brave_heart_verity

She draws back almost as fast as Naugus does. Just because she can't see any new damage doesn't mean it's not there, so she's waiting for permission to continue. Or, given his reaction, probably more likely a stern lecture to never ever do that again.

"A while. He's teaching me alchemy, too." Talking about the lessons is easier than facing the disappointment. "He's a good teacher, very patient with all my silly questions about how astrology works in his world." Do they talk about Jim? Not usually. She's trying very hard to stay out of their relationship--however much she wants to yell at them both about being stupid until they admit their feelings just to get her to shut up about it.

"Magic isn't a purely physical art, Jim. And if he had the staff..." She gives Naugus a questioning look. If she's got to go out and find that damn staff she's going to call for help whether they want her to or not.

From:

ixis

"It's fine," he tells her, tentatively offering his burned hand again. "Just a little reflexive is all. Flinching from fire, as it were." Which was absolutely what he DIDN'T do that got him like this.

"The staff is up in the third floor, safe and sealed off. I'm probably going to be using it extensively to try and fix this and I refuse to let it out of my sight otherwise. And I was able to conjure fire just fine, but I suppose holding it is another matter. Something I've taken for granted after this long."

From:

smartass_captain

"Wait. What's in the staff that's such a huge deal." Jim has paled considerably the longer this conversation goes on. "I was holding that thing when I came to, what the hell. You weren't going to tell me I was holding a stick made of hell and Satan?!"

Jim is at his wits end here. Naugus is pushing his body to the limit, doing things he absolutely shouldn't be doing, and is probably going to get himself into some serious shit while Jim is expected to sit still and behave like a good boy?

"What is that thing going to do to my body Naugus." He is trying so hard to remain calm right now but the urge to put his fist through a wall or something is rising exponentially.

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Maybe you should flinch from fire until this is fixed," she points out. Naugus gets an encouraging smile, though, when he holds out his hand again. She'll heal it up as quick as she can, which hopefully won't require too many rest periods for her.

"I'm glad it's safe." And locked up. That's probably for the best. Especially with Jim's temper rising. "Jim, calm down. He knows what he's doing with it. It's going to be okay." She holds out her non-glowing hand to him; it's the most comfort she can offer while spellcasting, sorry bb.

"Let's just calm down and talk about it rationally, okay?"

From:

ixis

"Satan? What's that? Some sort of human material? It's made of nothing of the sort. It's a chaos emerald on a staff I conjured. It's only the most powerful artifact known to Mobius and very, very important to me and my wellbeing. It's not going to do anything to your body. Maybe you'll absorb a little residual radiation from it, but no harm there." No lie? No lie. But still, that doesn't sound good either. Especially not to a guy like Jim who might have a bit of history with radiation of another sort.

From:

smartass_captain

Something inside Jim snaps. He's been more or less rational since this stupid fiasco started. Ixis is the one having the hissy fit. Making the demands. Dictating how and why and when things are going to happen.

But Jim would rather kill his body right this second than die from radiation poisoning again. His jaw is clenched so tight that they can hear his teeth grind. And is it just them, or is something smelling an awful lot like being on fire?

No, Verity's cooking is fine, Jim himself has started smoldering, a fire quite literally in his eyes.

"You piece of shit." It's really barely intelligible since Jim has to force it out in a hiss through his grit teeth. Better to finish the job now. He won't die like that again. The nightmares aren't real. He won't let them become real.

From:

brave_heart_verity

She really needs to remove the word 'rational' from her vocabulary when these two are involved.

Explaining about Satan and devils is just going to have to wait, Grandpa, sorry. Nobody wants to see anyone go up in flames. Right? Right.

Not that she knows how to stop him.

"Jim, please. Please stop that. There's no need to hurt yourself or anyone else right now. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. I swear to you. Please stop." How much magic can Naugus do right now? Because they may need a lot more ice than she could ever hope to conjure.

From:

ixis

The smell of smoke doesn't register until he sees those licks of flame. Then his eyebrows go straight up.

"What? Are you-...Vale's bones, You're angry. You're angry enough that you're conjuring flames." And he's a little jealous! Look at that guy, getting to be on fire and doesn't have to deal with burnt fingers. Also, he looks magnificent when angry. Look at that smouldering hatred. What a beast. Lovely.

"I said nothing's happening to your body because of my staff, boy. Control yourself."