The Adventure Zone RP

“Oh, I see.” There was a light chuckle. Cal could understand that; her own brothers had been similarly inclined towards her when she was a child, and she to them. It was just how brothers worked. “Messing with your siblings is an art unto itself.

She was silent for a moment. ”…Do you wax philosophical often?“

“Besides, sometimes it’s important to remind people not to get too full of themselves.” Not that Angus was really-- confident, certainly, but not arrogant despite his knowledge and smarts. “It is! And as a sibling and an artist it is my duty to perform admirably.”

“Oh. That’s very kind of him to do.” That was, unfortunately, not something she had hoped to hear. It wasn’t uncommon in a small town, but this had been a place she’d hoped to lay low in for awhile. “It must be nice to have a grasp on the people around you, not have to worry about awkward first encounters.”

The grip on her knife tightened.

“Sure, fella. Let’s just keep going, okay?”

“It’s got it’s pros and cons, like anything, I reckon,” Duck half-shrugged. “I like havin’ the lay of the land n’ whatnot-- including the people. Or most of ‘em. We get tourists and stuff out by The Cryptonomica.”

He nodded frantically, grateful for the opportunity to keep his mouth from running any more than it already had. “Yeah, sure, no problem.”

“I understand what you mean. It’s nice in theory, but logistically it can be a nightmare.” Especially when you were a person who enjoyed many a wild night, and didn’t want to face judgment in the morning.

The grin was returned, alongside a hum of agreement. “I know I’m glad that you did.” Her hand found its way to his hip. “May I have a name to go with that gorgeous face? Or would that only make it weird?”

“Abso~lutely! Complete logistical nightmare.”

“You of all people should be able to find a way. You’ve done the impossible before.” He laughed, settling into a chair. He didn’t know how long this was going to take, but he knew the actual cutting process was going to take a good minute.

“Are you sure you’re cool with doing this?” He called. “I don’t want to take up your time if you don’t want to.”

Taako smirked to himself as he skipped off to get the shears. He certainly had done the impossible. Nothing corny entered his mind like ‘with friendship nothing is impossible’, those kind of thoughts were for other people.

Snatching up the shears and some other supplies he’d need, he sauntered back into the room, spinning them around his fingers in an extremely non-OSHA compliant way. “I’m so cool with it, dude, don’t even worry about it. Although I completely had much more interesting plans for today, I don’t mind bailing on that shit to play make-over with your hair.”

“Oh, it can be such a pain! But really, I wouldn’t trade her for the world.” It was true, if not a bit overly sentimental. “I go there all the time when I need to get away.

As they walked, Cal kept her head ducked, hoping nobody would notice them. No matter how much fun she was having, it wouldn’t be good for her reputation to be seen sneaking off with a strange man.

After being stuck in the stuffy atmosphere of that back room, the night air hit like a brick. Callie sucked in a breathe that she hadn’t known she was holding, taking a moment to survey their surroundings.

"Nice night, huh?”

“Ha! Yeah, I mean... mine aren’t too bad either, personally speakin’. Just ona more technical level, I guess is how I meant it.” He laughed, wondering if it’d be worth it to take her back to his dorm and upset Fitzroy. Probably not.

“Good, good. Let’s just…yeah.” Had she gotten herself into a dangerous situation? Maybe this guy was some kinda loony, caught in his own trap that he had set up for someone else? It would make sense that he was so cagey, if he had been caught doing something incriminating…

“So…you know the Sheriff? And he knows you, huh?” Cal followed cautiously behind, hand tight in her pocket, clasped over a Swiss army knife. It was better safe than sorry.

“I wonder what kinda person digs a pit in the woods…In my experience, those are good for hiding secrets. Things you don’t want found?”

Oh. Finally a topic he could talk about honestly. Maybe that would settle his racing heart.  “Keplar’s a pretty small place, so there ain’t many people here who don’t know each other.” It felt so good to have his voice at its regular register again, even if it was still a little shaky. “Sheriff Owens is a good dude, and he makes a point to get acquainted with folks.”

His heart spiked again. C’mon, Duck. It’ll be okay. Just keep your cool...

I would die for her?? And DID it come true??

YOU’RE SO SWEET THANK

BABY!! She’s so sweet to wish that for him

“You know what’s I don’t exactly run in your circle, right? I’m not going to, and wouldn’t even be able to, tell people that you have actual feelings about something.”

Cal actually had to think of that one; the idea had never occurred to her, but it was tantalizing to think about. “I…I really don’t know? It might very well be, but chance has a more mathematical model behind it, and can generally be figured out with numbers. Luck feels a lot less controlled.”

“I’m not lying or anything,” he insisted. “This is simply how our relationship goes. He’s like my brother so it’s important to ruffle his feathers.”

She’s young, barely in the two digits. She and her brother, Cillian, were staying at their grandmother’s cabin for the spring as they do every year. They were stargazing together, but he’d already fallen asleep in the hammock they were sharing. Just her and the stars and the thick blanket they’d wrapped up in.

A flash of light streaked across the sky, and she had to resist squealing-- waking him would be pointless since he’d already missed it. 

“You’re more than welcome, dear.” The grin was returned cheerily.

“Exactly. Expanding your horizons is always good for you, and who knows? You might meet somebody special.”

Calliope trailed behind her, giggling brightly as she attempted to keep pace; her mind was clear from trouble and finally, finally, it looked like they were going to have a good time. This was going to be a beautiful friendship, she could tell.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling, but Calliope kept giving her reasons to grin. She put her hands on her cheeks, hoping to soothe the warmth she felt covering her face.

“Yes! Any moment could be when you meet someone significant to the rest of your life, or do something that changes the path you’re going!”

The sudden physical contact did well to steady her, and Cal did eventually ease up on him. She shouldn’t be so clingy, but it wasn’t like this happened every day.

“Out behind the Accounting building. I’d normally say back to my dorm, but my roomie’s still there.” The chuckle was met with a playful smirk, her hand trailing down to clasp his. “Shall we?”

“Smart, no one goes there,” Argo laughed. He stepped back so she’d have room to walk when she took his hand. “Having roommates sure is irritating sometimes, huh?”

“Yeah…sure, man, let’s just. Go and do that. I’m gonna back away slowly, and you do whatever it is that you do. Kay?”

This was getting weird, fast, and Callie didn’t really want to be around when it turned into a big deal. Asking questions had caused a mess (as she had predicted, why didn’t she ever follow her own advice?!) so it felt as though it was the right time to skedaddle.

“I hope you get to feeling better, and don’t find yourself at the bottom of any more pits.”

It was bad. It was so, so bad, and all his fault. But! If he could just get her out of the One Mile Radius, he could deal with whatever came next after. It’d be fine. Probably it’d be fine. As long as Mama didn’t find out he’d screwed the pooch on this one. Though, honestly, letting him join a top secret organization was absolutely bonkers to him.

“Y-yeah, no more pits for me today! Got that pit quota filled.” He laughed, cringing visibly at the strained sound. “Okay. Sheriff time.”