[Familiar as he is with peering into the memories of others thanks to Empathy, this has been a whole different ballgame. Every time he's jerked through someone else's memories, he's left feeling - well. Like the soul's been sucked out of his body, hah.
Which is why his hands are both braced against the oven door by the time his vision clears and his senses start to drift back to the present time. The lingering borrowed emotions are still strong, pushing at his heart with their tendrils of determination and dedication and fondness for comrades that aren't his, but were, for a moment.
Now that the adrenaline - also borrowed - is quickly wearing off along with the last cobwebs of memory, he takes a breath in and just. Lets himself sink the short distance to the floor, kneeling for a moment. NAP TIME.]
—Hah... Don't think I'll be getting used to this one, this week.
[Taako has neither Empathy nor much empathy in general, and this is actually his first experience with the whole memory swap fun game. It's not unfamiliar - a rush of memories returning all at once in a mindbending way is truly sadly something he's gotten mildly used to, but this one in particular is a nasty one. He's on the floor himself, looking at his arms - trying to decide if they're still stinging or not.]
You're a Lich. Or something like it.
[Not really any emotional intonation there to indicate how he feels about that.]
[He, meanwhile, places a hand to his chest once he's settled on the ground as if checking to make sure his soul is like. Still in there, and not about to be sucked into a vortex. Hm. Bad feeling! Taako's really out here just rolling the dice like a madman.
But he looks up and over at that. With no emotional intonation, he's a little at a loss, considering the term itself is also unfamiliar to him. But he's been called plenty of things before in his time, and none of it's good, and he's been particularly unlucky with the couple spins of Memory Roulette he's already gone through, so...]
—Not sure what that is, but I can confirm or deny if you tell me.
[He really is! He loves his friends a lot, and it is terribly embarrassing to just be outed like that with a memory.
Curling his knees up, wrapping his arms around them and putting his chin on the top of them. Just fixing Wei Wuxian with a level look. He isn't quite sure how he feels about it either. He's had good and bad experiences with Liches. For example, one of the bad ones was kinda just in that memory. ]
Ah, undead being. Great power, can transfer your soul between bodies, prone to madness. [Pausing.] Though you seem pretty sane apart from your spice use.
[He saw that soft friendship spot coming!! But always good to get confirmation... Really, it was touching, even though he knows better than to call people like Taako out on their gushy tendie emotions.
Also, "prone to madness"... Good thing he didn't see any of those other memories, haha!]
It's a healthy amount! [HIS DEFENSE IS REFLEXIVE. The rest of that, though... Hm. He drums his fingers against his mouth, lips pressed into a thin line.] --To be honest, I'm not sure that would fit. Shuffling souls around isn't something I really do, typically. I was just sort of- [Flappy hand gesture??] -pulled into a mess by someone else, hah. Though I suppose I could count as undead in a sense? Never actually thought about it. Ex-dead, maybe?
[Relaxing a bit, letting his arms fall and his legs stretch out again.]
I've been ex-dead too, so. That's chill. And for the record, I've known. Know? [he makes a very strong grimace at that, like he's not sure how exactly to phrase that.] Liches that are . . . uh, great. Too. Like the best. It's not a bad thing, unless you're bad. In which case, it's very bad. [Hm.] I've only known you for three weeks but you seem fine.
[In reverse, he pulls his legs up instead, crossing them at the ankles and resting his hands over where they cross.]
Thanks! [He's glad he seems fine...] Looks like we have a little more in common, too, hah. Belated welcome back to life and all - we should have a party, considering how many of us seem to be well-versed in death and dying.
[But judging by the lilt of his tone, he's just making a terrible joke, god. There's a little beat of silence after that, but then, somewhat curiously:]
—Is that what you were dealing with there? In that place with the faceless dolls.
Thanks! It's a club now? Do we get badges for how many times we've reconstituted? I think I got like. Well, hold on [Now he's counting on his fingers.] Mm, about 7 . . . then, oh, shit, Refuge, let's see-- [He quickly runs out of fingers.] Hm. Well, if there's benefits for kickin' and coming back a lot, I deserve some frequent flier points.
[It's. Well that's all a terrible joke, but it's difficult to tell how truthful it is one way or another. He fades a little as he gets asked about the faceless dolls again.]
Liches? Yes. Um, did I say this wasn't my first torture prison rodeo? Because it's not my first torture prison rodeo. The Suffering Game. Catchy name, right?
[Honestly he'd believe that Taako just keeps dying and coming back to life, that for some reason seems like a very Taako thing to do?? Death can't keep some men down... He leans forward a little, brows raised high.]
We'll have to make you something good in celebration, then! Unfortunately it's not much of a reward if you have to make your own celebratory snacks, but I'm not sure that you'd accept anyone else's, either?
[Though his demeanor shifts as appropriate to something close to concern BECAUSE THAT'S CONCERNING? Though it also seems like a very Taako thing, somehow, to end up in multiple versions of the same bad situation.]
Can't say I'd be giving them any points for creativity.[A little huff of a sigh.] ...But after that - you were able to leave, yes?
[He actually laughs at the celebration snack thing because, yeah. absolutely true. he would bitch until he just took over the whole operation - imagine trying to throw Taako a birthday party. Imagine being around Taako during any food centric holiday. He is a bridezilla, but for Thanksgiving.
His face drops again at the question. Awkwardly shoving stray hair behind his ears, tugging at an earring.]
Um. Yeah. Missing a few things, but we got out. Merle's eye, my face, Magnus . . . I mean, Magnus said that hardass thing in the memory, but . . . we weren't actually able to get the body back. We were working on it. He was still a mannequin when I saw him last, which really just goes to show if you trying to drop hard ass lines, you should probably be certain you're able to actually pull off the hard ass thing. [ugh.] I did tell him if he fucked up and lost all his memories, he'd have to come back as my personal assistant.
[Taako... At least everyone else is guaranteed to have good eats that way.
He listens attentively as things are explained a little more, though he's absolutely like ??? at one part:]
Your face—? [Since he's also definitely imagining just, his wholeass face... gone. Goodbye, Taako's face.]
So they're still out there, then? The, ah- Liches that had brought you to that place to begin with?
[Hm... Bad. He also feels quite sympathetic for Magnus, considering that didn't look like a great thing for an animate soul to be inhabiting. ...Taako too, considering he now knows for sure just how much care lies behind his sharp words.]
[Nodding very seriously at the face part:] My naturally supernatural beauty. [Putting his hand on his face.] You're cursed to see me forever as simple . . . extremely above average. It sucked.
As for those asswipes, they're super dead. My umbrella ate them-- that's a thing it does to the baddies we take out.
[What if we were in the kitchen, talking about our traumas, and you said my face was lovely, then we kissed haha ☺️☺️☺️ I'm just joking! Unless. Only kidding.
[Just two gremlins sitting in the kitchen, five feet apart cuz they're not gay.
Except they are, and Wei Wuxian just leans into the vagueness with a snicker, because why wouldn't he! All the better, getting away from memories of traumatic Lich games that aren't his and memories of waking up in unfamiliar bodies that are.]
My! More's the shame, then. But that's fair enough - what's right here on this ship is perfectly satisfying.
[Taako just snickers, then, because he's either too much of a coward to just smooch this dude, or he's playing a fun hard-to-get game (why. what is the power play in this idea.), he stands back up and turns to the counter again, basically just shuffling ingredients around and not doing anything with them.]
[He just watches Taako play ingredients jenga for a moment before pushing himself up from the ground as well, patting off his robes and drifting over to join him.]
Really, calling me a liar now, over this? Haha, terrible - you're terrible! [An amused laugh and a gentle bump, shoulder to shoulder.] Can't be flattery if it's sincere, anyway.
[They're just going to be locked in a gay chicken stalemate, since Wei Wuxian doesn't play hard-to-get but he is absolutely the kind of idiot who flirts shamelessly with no actual endgoal.]
[Sometimes you just gotta flirt the bad memories away.]
See? Two birds with one stone! Protecting my good reputation as an honest man and not selling yourself short when you still offer one of the best views on the ship, haha.
[KA-WINK. What a terrible twinky gremlin. With a laugh, he reaches out to pick up a shaker of pepper flakes he'd left out.]
In any case, suppose I should finish up here now that there aren't any more books in the oven. Care to stay?
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Which is why his hands are both braced against the oven door by the time his vision clears and his senses start to drift back to the present time. The lingering borrowed emotions are still strong, pushing at his heart with their tendrils of determination and dedication and fondness for comrades that aren't his, but were, for a moment.
Now that the adrenaline - also borrowed - is quickly wearing off along with the last cobwebs of memory, he takes a breath in and just. Lets himself sink the short distance to the floor, kneeling for a moment. NAP TIME.]
—Hah... Don't think I'll be getting used to this one, this week.
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You're a Lich. Or something like it.
[Not really any emotional intonation there to indicate how he feels about that.]
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But he looks up and over at that. With no emotional intonation, he's a little at a loss, considering the term itself is also unfamiliar to him. But he's been called plenty of things before in his time, and none of it's good, and he's been particularly unlucky with the couple spins of Memory Roulette he's already gone through, so...]
—Not sure what that is, but I can confirm or deny if you tell me.
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Curling his knees up, wrapping his arms around them and putting his chin on the top of them. Just fixing Wei Wuxian with a level look. He isn't quite sure how he feels about it either. He's had good and bad experiences with Liches. For example, one of the bad ones was kinda just in that memory. ]
Ah, undead being. Great power, can transfer your soul between bodies, prone to madness. [Pausing.] Though you seem pretty sane apart from your spice use.
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Also, "prone to madness"... Good thing he didn't see any of those other memories, haha!]
It's a healthy amount! [HIS DEFENSE IS REFLEXIVE. The rest of that, though... Hm. He drums his fingers against his mouth, lips pressed into a thin line.] --To be honest, I'm not sure that would fit. Shuffling souls around isn't something I really do, typically. I was just sort of- [Flappy hand gesture??] -pulled into a mess by someone else, hah. Though I suppose I could count as undead in a sense? Never actually thought about it. Ex-dead, maybe?
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[Relaxing a bit, letting his arms fall and his legs stretch out again.]
I've been ex-dead too, so. That's chill. And for the record, I've known. Know? [he makes a very strong grimace at that, like he's not sure how exactly to phrase that.] Liches that are . . . uh, great. Too. Like the best. It's not a bad thing, unless you're bad. In which case, it's very bad. [Hm.] I've only known you for three weeks but you seem fine.
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Thanks! [He's glad he seems fine...] Looks like we have a little more in common, too, hah. Belated welcome back to life and all - we should have a party, considering how many of us seem to be well-versed in death and dying.
[But judging by the lilt of his tone, he's just making a terrible joke, god. There's a little beat of silence after that, but then, somewhat curiously:]
—Is that what you were dealing with there? In that place with the faceless dolls.
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[It's. Well that's all a terrible joke, but it's difficult to tell how truthful it is one way or another. He fades a little as he gets asked about the faceless dolls again.]
Liches? Yes. Um, did I say this wasn't my first torture prison rodeo? Because it's not my first torture prison rodeo. The Suffering Game. Catchy name, right?
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We'll have to make you something good in celebration, then! Unfortunately it's not much of a reward if you have to make your own celebratory snacks, but I'm not sure that you'd accept anyone else's, either?
[Though his demeanor shifts as appropriate to something close to concern BECAUSE THAT'S CONCERNING? Though it also seems like a very Taako thing, somehow, to end up in multiple versions of the same bad situation.]
Can't say I'd be giving them any points for creativity.[A little huff of a sigh.] ...But after that - you were able to leave, yes?
[He made it out in one piece?]
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His face drops again at the question. Awkwardly shoving stray hair behind his ears, tugging at an earring.]
Um. Yeah. Missing a few things, but we got out. Merle's eye, my face, Magnus . . . I mean, Magnus said that hardass thing in the memory, but . . . we weren't actually able to get the body back. We were working on it. He was still a mannequin when I saw him last, which really just goes to show if you trying to drop hard ass lines, you should probably be certain you're able to actually pull off the hard ass thing. [ugh.] I did tell him if he fucked up and lost all his memories, he'd have to come back as my personal assistant.
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He listens attentively as things are explained a little more, though he's absolutely like ??? at one part:]
Your face—? [Since he's also definitely imagining just, his wholeass face... gone. Goodbye, Taako's face.]
So they're still out there, then? The, ah- Liches that had brought you to that place to begin with?
[Hm... Bad. He also feels quite sympathetic for Magnus, considering that didn't look like a great thing for an animate soul to be inhabiting. ...Taako too, considering he now knows for sure just how much care lies behind his sharp words.]
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As for those asswipes, they're super dead. My umbrella ate them-- that's a thing it does to the baddies we take out.
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—Too bad! Your face is still lovely to look at as things are, so I can only imagine how many people were falling head over heels for you before.
[This sounds like it could either be serious or a gentle tease or possibly both?? Hard to tell with him. Also, he loves this umbrella immediately.]
I see! I wish I could watch something like that in person. Never seen an umbrella eat anyone before - it sounds like fun.
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Unless . . . ?]
It was pretty great.
[Not specifying which thing.]
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Except they are, and Wei Wuxian just leans into the vagueness with a snicker, because why wouldn't he! All the better, getting away from memories of traumatic Lich games that aren't his and memories of waking up in unfamiliar bodies that are.]
My! More's the shame, then. But that's fair enough - what's right here on this ship is perfectly satisfying.
[Umbrella? Face?? Mystery.]
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Flatterer. You're full of shit.
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Really, calling me a liar now, over this? Haha, terrible - you're terrible! [An amused laugh and a gentle bump, shoulder to shoulder.] Can't be flattery if it's sincere, anyway.
[They're just going to be locked in a gay chicken stalemate, since Wei Wuxian doesn't play hard-to-get but he is absolutely the kind of idiot who flirts shamelessly with no actual endgoal.]
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Alright, alright, if you insist, I concede you're not a liar and that I'm gorgeous.
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See? Two birds with one stone! Protecting my good reputation as an honest man and not selling yourself short when you still offer one of the best views on the ship, haha.
[KA-WINK. What a terrible twinky gremlin. With a laugh, he reaches out to pick up a shaker of pepper flakes he'd left out.]
In any case, suppose I should finish up here now that there aren't any more books in the oven. Care to stay?