( open + closed ) i bet you didn't know that i was dangerous

[moneyman]

CHARACTERS: Vaughn aaaaand open! (with some closed stuff too)
DATE: 1/21
WARNINGS: Vague spoilers for Tales from the Borderlands, will update if there's anything else!
SUMMARY: It's a canon update! There are a couple of open prompts and some closed ones in the comments. Also feel free to drop me a wildcard or PM/PP me at clickboom if you want something!

Comments

OPEN: library

[moneyman]

[ you know what's nice about libraries? they're quiet. even when they're not staffed by huge, menacing librarians, it's usually a reasonable assumption that you can get some reading done in relative peace. there are probably a thousand lifetimes worth of books in this library, too, so the choices are virtually endless. it's not a bad way to pass the time between missions.

you know who tends to hang out in libraries? nerds. Audentes has its share of nerds; every group needs The Brains, after all. one of them, however, has been mysteriously absent for the past day or so—not only from the library, but from Oska as a whole. which might not be so strange, as he does have an adventurous side, but he doesn't like doing things alone. (it's not because he's scared, though. don't get the wrong idea.)

fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your opinion), that absence is about to end. at an especially quiet moment, a small, hooded, and strangely-armored man suddenly blinks back into existence in the middle of the library. he appears to have been in mid-sprint, and his arms are absolutely full of... something. strange things he seems to have been gathering right up until the second he reappeared here.

needless to say, he's a little spooked when he comes to the very sudden realization he's not on Pandora anymore. again. in fact, he immediately recognizes this as the Oska library, and his brain promptly short-circuits. what the hell just happened?

in his shock, he drops everything in his arms with a tremendous clank that echoes through the library, announcing his return in just about the least subtle way imaginable. guns, shield generators, grenades, cash—mostly guns. all over the floor. ]

—Oh, shit.

[ he looks around the library warily, crouching down to the ground veeery slowly. his voice drops to a loud whisper. because this is a library. ]

Sorry.

[headlining]

[You can find all sorts of things in libraries. Books, of course. Knowledge is a given. Fellow nerds, as always.]

[Someone dropping all their weapons on the floor loudly after appearing out of thin air? That's....not something you often see in a library.]

[Keats blinks. He blinks again. He removes his glasses and squints through them, for good measure. No, he's not seeing things. He closes the book he's been poring through, staring down with concern with the grenade laying next to his foot.]

Uh. [He clears his throat, awkwardly, turning to the man who is in charge with this mess.] Is this...yours?

[moneyman]

[ well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there? not that he'd be proud to be the first person to make a huge, loud mess dropping a bunch of guns in a library. that's not an award he ever wanted.

he glances at the grenade, then looks up sheepishly at the other man. ]

I—yeah. Yeah, that's mine. [ he's juuust a little paranoid about the librarians now. he has a grenade. in a library. this is not good. he reaches for it, though it also occurs to him that he has nowhere to put any of this stuff now, and there's no way he's getting out of here without a librarian seeing him. shit. ] ...For now.

[headlining]

What did you do, just finish up some kind of weapons heist?

[He gingerly steps away from the grenade - he isn't all too familiar with these things, being the bookish hermit he is, but he knows for a fact that weapons=BAD NEWS. He's not going to mess around with this if he doesn't have to.]

You look like you've just gotten back from a weapons heist, honestly.

[moneyman]

[ aw come on, man, it's just a grenade, it probably won't randomly go off and kill everyone... nah, he's not oblivious to the fact that these things tend to make people uncomfortable, so he grabs it, smiling at how cool it is. ]

Yeah, that's... pretty close, actually. It was awesome. We were—

[ ...and then the grenade, along with all the other things he dropped, starts to slowly fade out of existence. he stares at it, expression gradually turning to dismay, and then frantically grapples for one of the guns with his free hand. it passes right through. ]

...Oh, what the hell—come on!

[ so much for whispering. ]

shows up 15 minutes late with starfishbucks

[fintastic]

[ Feferi is most undoubtedly not a nerd, but she can't argue that the library in Oska has a lot of cool books on ocean life in other places, and that's the stack of books she sits behind, flipping through them and mostly looking at the pictures, only stopping to read if she finds a particularly interesting one. She doesn't even really the man appearing until he drops everything in his arms. How could she not?

She doesn't recognize him, not yet at least, but she hops out of her chair and scurries over to help him pick up his stuff. On her way, she spots something on the ground that seems to have gotten away from the impact site. She doesn't really look what she's grabbing for, so without a thought to it, she's holding out a small-ish gun laid across the palm of her hands. ]

You dropped this. [ Thank you, Miss Obvious. ] Are you okay?

never too late tbh

[moneyman]

Yeah, I'm... [ ah! she may not recognize him yet, but he certainly recognizes her. he offers her a sheepish half-smile, still glancing around to see if any of the librarians are on their way to murder him yet. ] Hey, Feferi. I'm fine, I guess, how are y—

[ aaand then he notices she's got one of the guns. oh, shit. trying to avoid looking too alarmed, he holds a hand out to take it. as if he wasn't in enough trouble already... ]

Uh, here, lemme take that. I don't want them to yell at you about it. Or, like... whisper really loudly at you, whatever, I don't know.

[fintastic]

[ It's only when he speaks that the gears turn and the recognition sets in; she lets him take the gun, and her fins perk up excitedly. Her voice is a harsh whisper, too excited to completely contain herself. She doesn't really get the whole being-quiet-in-the-library thing herself, but she tries all the same. ]

Oh! Hello again! I almost did not recognize you! Can I help you get some of this stuff to... wherever you were taking it?

[moneyman]

[ it's fine; at this point, he's either going to get caught or he isn't. how loudly she whispers is probably not going to make any difference. gun now in hand (thank god), he glances down at the pile of stuff on the floor. ]

I mean, you could, but it's not really safe, and I can probably—

[ he stops abruptly and looks up to stare at the gun in his hand, which now appears to be glitching right out of existence. another look down at the pile confirms that the rest of it is clearly also on its way out. ]

What the f—

[ wow, not in front of Feferi, she's like 12. he catches himself, but he still looks horrified as he reaches into the pile and retrieves nothing but air. ]

God—darn it. [ smooth. ] You've gotta be kidding...

OPEN: kitchens

[moneyman]

[ maybe he looks kinda familiar. maybe he doesn't. either way, the kitchens are currently being raided by a dude who looks like can't possibly get away with eating this much, at least not on a regular basis. he's tiny, for one thing, but perhaps more importantly, he's a hardbody in a flimsy disguise. teammates who knew him before might be extremely confused by this, but rest assured he is, indeed, the same person.

minus the glasses and the crippling self-esteem issues. ]

Maaan, I missed this place. Getting food without having to do any work is awesome.

[ he worked up a bit of an appetite making a complete ass out of himself in the library and then having several consecutive heart-to-hearts, give him a break. ]

gets cr before ring shopping happens u//u

[assent]

[ She only sort of recognises him from the snow ball fight, but she hadn't been paying that much attention at the time. She's just making a hot chocolate when he starts raiding the fridge for food, and decides that while he's probably talking to himself... she might as well chip in. ]

You had to work for your food before?

[ She twists to look at him, only glancing back to ensure she's stirring her mug properly. ]

yesssss good!

[moneyman]

[ he wouldn't be surprised if the other participants barely saw him at the snowball fight—he spent most of his time being accosted by the weird robot announcer, after all. between that and suddenly looking like a different person, the fact that she recognizes him at all is impressive. he probably spotted her at some point during the fight, too, but he was so distracted by the Mettaton incident that he can't even make the connection.

fortunately, he's always willing to make a new friend regardless. especially now that he's a lot more self-assured. he turns from his fridge-foraging for a moment to acknowledge her with a smile and a little shrug. ]

Well, yeah. Not all of it, but there was definitely some of the "hunting and gathering" thing going on. It's really not as cool as it sounds, trust me. Personally, I'm a much bigger fan of food just magically appearing—and it tastes way better, too. I totally took it for granted. Never again.

ye!!!

[assent]

[ She's actually more observant of things than she lets on for the most part, though it isn't as though she remembers a name to go with a face or anything, but facial structures in wanted posters of famous serial killers vary just enough to make the same man look different, it's that kind of thought process that's happening here.

She tilts her head slightly, her finger moving to tap at her lip. ]

I suppose for most it would not just magically appear... Back home I had one of the best cooks as my classmate, alongside having chefs in my home as well.

CLOSED: rhys

[moneyman]

[ obviously, the first thing you do when you remember an entire year of your life almost spontaneously is go try to talk it out with your best friend. he knows this happened to Rhys a few months ago. it didn't make any sense hearing it at first, but considering the way everyone arrived here in the first place, eventually it started to make a little more sense.

now, he's experienced it for himself, and it is a weird feeling, to say the absolute least. he looks different. he feels different. and given that most of the year he just remembered was spent thinking his best friend was dead, he definitely feels like a visit is in order as soon as his embarrassing arrival in the library is behind him.

after making a beeline for Rhys's room, he knocks on his door and waits. when it opens and he sees his friend's face, he spreads his arms wide. is he asking for a hug or just being dramatic? it's hard to say. ]

Hey. Sssurprise?

[dbag]

—Oh, my god, hey!

[ Luckily, it's extremely easy to tell what's happened due to his change in appearance and, more so, change in demeanor. He'd forgotten how much more comfortable in his skin Vaughn seemed after they'd met up again. It's weird seeing it happen all of a sudden all over again, but a good weird. Whether he's asking for a hug or not, Rhys pulls him in for a bear hug, having to bend his knees a little to reach him properly.

Afterwards, he steps back, giving Vaughn a once-over. ]

...I forgot how ripped you are, wow. Iiii am definitely feeling inadequate. [ It's been so long since Vaughn flashed his abs, he'd practically forgotten they existed. All in all, Vaughn is way hotter than him now, unfair. He waves him over with a hand. ] Come on in.

[moneyman]

[ he was secretly hoping for a hug ("secretly," as if he wasn't always hoping for a hug to some degree). he may have just seen Rhys, but that doesn't negate the whole year-long "I thought you were dead" thing somehow. he hugs Rhys back tightly, still thankful even now that it's all over.

he laughs off the comment about his body as he steps into Rhys's room. why are you looking, bro?? ]

You always have to bring that up, don't you? [ he shakes his head in mock disapproval. ] You have like an entire foot on me, dude. Height totally counts for something.

[dbag]

[ Listen, sometimes u just gotta check a bro out. ] Yeeeaaahhh, you're right. [ Was he just fishing for compliments? Possibly. He closes the door behind him, then flops down to sit on the edge of his bed, pulling up his legs to sit criss-cross applesauce as he glances at Vaughn expectantly. ] Soooo?

[ He realizes, belatedly, that this may not be entirely clear. Vaughn knows him pretty well, but he can't read his mind. Yet. He's holding out hope for cool telepathic conversations. He leans over, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands. ] Just to make sure we're on the same page here... tell me everything. Annnd, not that you have to, but, you know. If the urge strikes, I humbly request you do the voices. [ He's dying to hear Vaughn do a Loader Bot impression, just dying. ]

CLOSED: fiona

[moneyman]

[ and of course, Rhys wasn't the only one of his friends who'd gone through this. he remembers talking to Fiona in the saloon in Perdition's Rest when the exact same thing happened to her, and vaguely wondering why it hadn't happened to him yet. it was weird having his friends from home remember things that he didn't—things about him, even—and he was almost jealous, despite hearing about how jarring it felt. he knows that, now, and while it was a little distressing at first, it was worth it. he feels... better? yeah, definitely better. he figures he should alert Fiona to his sudden evolution shortly after talking to Rhys.

so he knocks on her door next (at least, he hopes it's the right door—he hasn't visited her room in Oska before), but doesn't wait for her to open it. clearly, he's feeling a bit better by now. ]

Fioooonaaaa, are you in there?

[cachemoney]

[Fiona doesn't get many visitors, so she's a little surprised to hear a knock at the door. But then she hears Vaughn almost immediately, so the mystery doesn't last for very long.]

Vauughhnnnn, I am! Come in. [She's just perched her ALASTAIR-issued desk, reading up on 1990s Earth from a library book so she can blend in better. Her room is all pretty standard and ALASTAIR-issued, really, with little personalization to speak of -- beyond the, like, weird amount of house plants she has on basically every flat surface.]

[moneyman]

[ oh, good—woulda been awkward if he'd had the wrong room. he wastes no time letting himself in, closing the door behind him and then leaning back against it casually like he didn't just experience a whole year of his life in less than 24 hours. no big. ]

Heeey, how's your day going? Mine's been weird.

[cachemoney]

[That's a weird thing to say! Fiona is all about weird stories, though, so she closes her book and looks over her shoulder -- and oh, wow, that is weird.

Not as weird as it would be if she hadn't already been through this Big Reveal with Vaughn already, but. Still weird.]

Oh, my god. That's putting it mildly. [She swivels her chair around so she can get a better look at him, perching her hands on her knees and grinning. The three of them are all on the same page now, it's exciting!] Did you just, uh. Get back? Whatever, you know what I mean.

CLOSED: olivia

[moneyman]

[ while he was gone (for some definition of "gone"), there was a weird, nagging feeling in the back of his mind sometimes. like he was forgetting something important. he didn't think much of it at first, but it persisted even after being reunited with his friends and achieving the goal they'd all thought would be nearly impossible. it might have been lingering memories of his time with ALASTAIR that he couldn't quite grasp—some weird kind of déja vu—but within minutes of arriving in the library, it clicks back into place. he was missing someone without knowing who it was.

he waits a little while before trying to contact Olivia; sometime after he's worked everything out in his mind, and become more comfortable in his new skin. he feels ten times more confident in himself now, but he still doesn't want to spook her—he looks like a different person now. he is a different person now, in a lot of ways.

and yet some things haven't changed at all.

eventually he calls her, a little surprised by the nervousness he doesn't seem to feel anymore. ]

Hey, Olivia. Are you busy?

[winces]

[ when she answers, he will hear nothing, at first, but the quiet sounds of idle splashing. as if someone somewhere nearby were doing the dishes, or gently stepping into a puddle. when olivia's voice finally filters in, she sounds quite breathless, but not worryingly so. more like she had been running to catch the call, though considering the nature of their magitek, there's no reason for any running to be involved. ]

—Hello? Hello, Vaughn!

[ a brief pause as she says something under her breath, muffled, clearly speaking to someone else for a moment.

then her voice filters in just fine, quite clear. ]

Not too terribly, no! Is something wrong...?

[moneyman]

[ ...huh. what is she doing, exactly? it's not really any of his business, but he opens his mouth to ask if this is a bad time—only to hear that it apparently is not. maybe she's just being nice? he... was a pretty insecure person, after all. not so much anymore, but he does sound a little hesitant. it sounds like she's with someone else. ]

No, no, nothing's wrong! I was gonna see if we could meet up and talk, but it's fine if this isn't a good time. It's nothing bad.

[winces]

Oh, [ she says, trailing off into a few seconds of thoughtfulness. ]

Is it important?

[ the hesitation doesn't seem to stem from her own uncertainty or any reluctance on her part. she seems more concerned about if it'd be a better time for him. ]