Work Text
TEMPEST
“The scariest thing is,” Magnus says, and Lucretia notices for the first time that he’s very pointedly drinking from a bottle, “I’ll never know.”
Taako decides that there is, in fact, a perk to his newfound reputation.It should be impossible to get a table at a bar in Neverwinter at this time of night, let alone keep one half empty for nearly an hour, but Taako, especially now, is known to be able to do the impossible. A few innocents have moved in his direction, looking relieved to find a place to sit, only to be pulled back into the crowd by people who apparently think he’s just the kind of guy to poison people’s drinks or something.Taako, much as he hates to admit it, is looking for work. He’s used to it, far too used to it, in fact. It’s been a while, though, he’s rusty, he thought he had it all, until-Whatever. He’s done with it, moved on with his life. No skin off Taako’s back if people won’t bask in the privilege of sitting next to the least disgusting thing in the whole joint.Speaking of disgusting, Taako turns to his companion, Mushroom, or whatever, and says, “Didn’t you say this cousin of yours like, cared about this job?”Myrtle does not look up from his book - oh good god, is that plant erotica - when he says, “Sure is. God, what a great thing he’s doin’. You know, we’re doin’ pretty good too, I’d say, helpin’ him out and-”“Cool, cool, yes, good, fucking fantastic. Then why in the fresh hell is he late?”“I dunno, he’s a busy-”As if on cue, like an angel come from above to rescue Taako from some more Mobius wisdom, the door to the bar slams open. It isn’t like, loud or anything, certainly not enough to disturb the drunken energy in the room. The person who opened the door looks more startled by it than anyone else, even.They aren’t Gundren Rockseeker, the man who was supposed to be here giving Taako money an hour ago, and that alone is enough to sour the moment. If he had to guess, he’d say human, but their face is covered by the hood of a worn red robe pulled over their head. They scan the bar, and, for a moment, seem to lock eyes with Taako and then with Millet Seed.They walk with purpose then, towards his and Mold’s table, and Taako sits up with interest to meet them. Someone notices and reaches out to grab them by an arm, but is shoved away by some kind of invisible barrier around them.They sit down across from Taako, head tilted towards the floor so the only read he can get is still little more than dark skin and one curl of white hair that they quickly tuck behind their ear.“Hello, Taako, Merle.” There is something about this human’s voice, that, well. Taako doesn’t find himself using the word gravitas often - or ever, because he is a decent elf with a normal person vocabulary - but its really the only good word for the way this human’s voice tickles his ear drums.“You aren’t Gundren,” says Merle like that’s some kind of spiritual revelation.The human smiles, their posture telling Taako they aren’t at all annoyed, like they expected that. “No,” they say, and gods, where does Taako know that voice from, “but I do have a job offer for you.”Taako would ask how the hell they knew what he and Merle were meeting with Gundren about, but the money is more important to him. That doesn’t stop him from shifting to a new, even less correct position in his chair, from making sure that his little place in the conversation is made known. Like yeah, he could say some shit about you, mysterious human who knows too much, but he’s too good for that, too tactful.“How did you know that me ‘n Taako were meeting Gundren about a job?” Merle says. Taako takes his turn early and squeezes the bridge of his nose with a forced sigh, doing his best to signal for a waiter with his other hand. He needs a drink.The human smiles. “I think,” and they shift a little, and the strap slung over their shoulder slips a bit, “that doesn’t matter right now.” Taako hears what sounds like glasses clinking together as they adjust the bag.“Spill the beans then. Taako’s running out of patience here, and there’s a bottle of fancy-ass wine with my name and the money you’re gonna give me all over it.” Taako doesn’t actually like wine that much, at least not enough to spend the little gold he gets from these odd jobs on it.The human laughs, hiding a smile behind their hand. “I’m sure,” they say with all the sincerity of a cracked mirror. “Tell me, boys,” the human turns their face up, revealing eyes that are grey like the water right were the river meets the land, the dirt almost brown underneath the current, “how much do you know about-”Taako is a performer, no, an icon, a brand. He is whatever he wants to be seen as, whatever gets him further into whichever hearts he needs to be in, priding himself on being the only elf in Faerun that doesn’t emote with his fucking ears like a clown and wearing his bangs low over his eyes and collar high above his mouth.But Taako involuntarily jumps as the human’s whisper is cut off and his ears are filled with static. They were looking for it, for that exact reaction, he can tell from their smug expression, andAnd it’s the first time that night Taako feels something missing. Like, there should be someone shoving their chair away as they harshly stand up, slamming their hands on the table and demanding that this, this witch explain what the fuck they just did to the two - the three of them. And Merle should be trying to get them to sit back down, and, and Taako should be laughing, chewing invisible popcorn with his toothy grin with one hand keeping a lethal grip on the wand under his cloak.Taako looks at the last unoccupied chair at the table.Merle looks confused like, at fucking worst and Taako envies the way he can keep his composure as this human probably curses them with like, warts or some shit. “Well,” he says, “I’d have to wager not very much.” His voice trails off with a little laugh at the end. A waiter has still not bothered to serve them.“As expected, yes, okay,” their face kind of twitches a bit as Merle laughs, a wince - or a held back grin of their own, “If you agree to work for me, I can promise you answers, and-”“Yawn.” Taako props his feet up on the table and pushes back until he’s balancing on the back two legs of his chair.And the human makes that face again, that smile-hiding wince. “And a steady income.”He grins. He likes this human. “Now you’re speaking Taako’s language.”“Thank you. I minored in Taako-ish at the aca - at the college I went to. It was a difficult, rigorous course, and-”Taako doesn’t listen to them finish; he’s laughing for the first time in, in a long time, he thinks. He should be pissed off; who does this human think they are? But it’s so funny when they do it, feels like picking an old, forgotten book back up and reading starting at the dog-eared page. It’s right and it’s wrong at the same time.It’s right because it is, because it is this human, but it is wrong because there shouldn’t be an empty chair at this table.Taako does not portray this wrongness on his face, because he is a brand and he has a reputation to burn.The human seems, seems satisfied by his laughter. Seems relieved. “I only have one more question to ask,” they say as he calms down, as Merle does as well - when did Merle start laughing? - “Do you trust me?”Merle shrugs and says, “Sure, I guess.”Taako scoffs with such a force he nearly sends his precarious chair flying. He had it right the first time: who does this human think they are? Taako is a power uncontrollable for a reason. He is the fork in the road, shoved tines-down into the dirt as travelers pass on either side of him. He has pulled himself up and sharpened himself on rocks and fought for himself, he’s-“No, I - absolutely not! I don’t fuckin trust you!”Merle turns to him, “Taako, buddy,”“No, I understand,” the human says with a voice that almost breaks.The empty chair glares at Taako.The human spends a moment worrying, one hand drumming its fingers on the table, the other running through their white hair, more of which showing itself after each pass. “Fuck it,” they finally say, “I know you don’t trust me, but, I -” the rest of their muttering is cut off as they bring their bag up onto the table and the sound of glass somethings hitting the wood and each other is distinct this time. The human mutters a spell before untying the knot keeping the bag shut, and they pull four objects from it.Two empty glasses, and two bottles full of black liquid.They get to work quickly, uncapping one bottle and pouring some of its contents into each glass so that a thin, even layer covers the bottom. They then do the same with the other, and the two liquids seem to blend together in the glasses like they missed each other.The human gently slides Taako and Merle each a glass. “Drink.”There’s a small commotion behind their table - presumably someone alerting a bartender that they have outside drinks - but Taako doesn’t pay it mind, as much as it seems to bother Merle and the human. His red mage hand - that the human looks nauseous at the sight of - firmly grips his glass and brings it close enough that he can wrap his physical hand around it. He pretends to closely examine the liquid, swirling it around; really, he’s just punishing this human for their earlier audacity.Merle looks up from his own glass, locks eyes with the human, and says, “You sure this ain’t poisonous?”Taako shrugs, wobbles. “That’d be a poetic way to go, then,” he sneers at the ink in his cup.He brings the glass to his lips and hears the human say, “Maybe you should sit properly before you-”Taako takes the whole glass back in one go, and his eyes promptly roll back as his balance slips and his chair hits the floor.He doesn’t know whether Merle drinks, whether the commotion is even noticed by other patrons of the bar, can’t see past the sparks behind his eyes. The last thing he is aware of is Lucretia leading the two of them out of the bar in a daze.