[Lup is about to turn away to go search through the pantry but his words keep her glued there in front of him. Oh. Oh
And because it's a little vague considering the current state of his love life, Lup has to ask for a little clarification. Just to be sure.] With Liv, yeah?
[ Drake scrubs a hand over his face, still sorting through how he feels about it. They were never going to last, not with him being dead, but now that they're actually done he's just at a loss. He'd never had a relationship before that seemed like it worked... but maybe they weren't, after all. Or he wouldn't have felt so lonely. ]
I haven't told Ephemera, showing up upset didn't seem... fair.
[Lup's not the best with comfort, but she quickly turns to go scurry into the kitchen, coming back with a large bottle of whiskey that gets thrust into Drake's hands. She drops onto the empty couch cushion next to him, hands resting on her own knees, her gaze focused carefully on him.]
That sucks. [there's a lot of other words to use to describe the situation with liv, but that works for now.] But you did the right thing callin' your fav elf up. Good company and booze is the best cure-all.
[ He opens the bottle, taking a long drink before passing it to Lup and settling back against the couch cushions. Looking sort of tired and wrung out. ]
I guess that wouldn't be healthy, just turning off your feelings, but. It being over doesn't mean I don't love her anymore.
[Taako and Lup had done the off switch thing for well over a century. Still do, sometimes, but having come to accept her own emotions a little better had certainly opened up a whole new world for her. It's hard to imagine going back to the emotional detachment of before.
Drake settles back against the couch cushions so Lup throws back a swig of the drink before passing the bottle over, curling her long legs up under her and leaning against her friend's side. Showering others in reassuring phrases isn't her strongest skill, but she can hug and share a little physical affection to try and make up for what her words lack.]
Course not. You guys were together for awhile. That shit sticks. [Her hand curls around Drake's arm, fingers tapping idly there while she falls into a brief, thoughtful silence.] She wasn't around, though. Wasn't super fair for you. This bites, but it's not the worst thing.
She remembers it now. I don't think I've told you, though.
[ Drake leans back against Lup a little, appreciating her warmth and company. His fingers curl around the neck of the bottle and he focuses on that as he speaks. ]
Before I came here, I'd been kidnapped as a lab rat. They said they were trying to make a cure, but whatever it was they were injecting us with, it just made things worse. Turned us into what you saw in my dream. Just monsters, nobody home inside.
Shit. [She had known what he was since that dream, but this makes it all the more real, doesn't it? He'd turned and was killed. By Liv. That kind of would be the last nail in the coffin of their relationship, huh?]
And then she called things off. [Kind of a shitty move to kill him and then break up with him. Especially when she'd barely been around as is before. But Lup just presses her forehead against the man's bicep and let's her fingers press comfortingly against his wrist.]
Well, she's... moved on, I think. That's what it sounded like. So staying with me here now would be like going backwards.
It's so weird how that happens here. But now we're from different points.
[ It had happened with Lup, too, except Drake hadn't even noticed Liv was gone before suddenly she was back, knowing his future. He takes another drink, then turns his head to look at Lup against his side. ]
Yeah, that's pretty messed up. [Lup's own memory update had only made her a little undead, but had basically improved all of her relationships otherwise. It sucks that Liv's had done the opposite. She'd finally caught up to Drake and everything had fallen apart.
Definitely sucks.
It's not much in the way of comfort, but Lup tilts her head up to grin at him anyway.]
If there was a contest for 'most needlessly complicated life', pretty sure both of ours would take home first, huh? I know this all bites, but at least you aren't, y'know--[her free hand makes some vague gesture in the air] Alone. Got your pals. Me.
[she nudges him in the side playfully] And your big ol' crush.
Even when I was just a boring old human, my life was incredibly complicated. It was like three lives at once, and then I got scratched and it turned into... maybe five. That seems like an appropriate number for the clusterfuck that was my life back home. Things here are actually really simple, compared to that. I don't miss having to put on all those different faces. And I really don't miss the brains from back home. Having someone else in my head all the time, making me wonder who I really was on top of already pretending to be several different people.
[ He's rambling -- only like three (no make that four, he just took another) shots of whiskey in, but then again he hasn't eaten yet today.
Then he smiles, because Lup's right. He's not alone. Not here. And... blushes, straight to the tips of his ears. ]
I think we're past crush there, Lup. It won't be easy, though.
[It's funny to hear that Drake finds Hadriel more simple than his other life, because Lup couldn't agree more. Life here is considerably more relaxed, more predictable, with a lot more time to just lay back and hang with her friends. For all of the shit Hadriel throws at them, at least it's mostly on a timer.]
Is that what it does? [She's, uh, never asked about the experience of eating brains before, huh? Well. May as well now.] You share shit with the people? Intense. [Makes sense that Hope's supply doesn't. It's all manufactured, not real.
But thankfully the conversation shifts in the right way, Lup is good at teasing, less at the sad parts. She gives Drake a poke in the side, grinning up at him, before she responds in a singsong voice,] You an' Ephemera sittin' in a tree~ Finally.
Yeah, it was miserable. [ Drake takes another drink and lets the subject go. He doesn't want to think about home right now, or about the nightmare that could come to pass for him if something happens to hope. He doesn't particularly want to think about anything except being here with Lup now, and with Ephemera later. ]
...maybe soon. [ He doesn't bother trying to hide the blush this time, or the goofy smile that spreads across his face. ] I can't wait to kiss him already.
[ There's a weird fear that comes with that thought, too, though. What if they're wrong? What if they don't work, either, and he's about to lose two of the best relationships he's ever had? His smile falters a little. ] I need us to work out, Lup.
[If it's a distraction he's in need of, Lup is happy to provide.
She laughs at that blush, leaning into the man's side while she watches his adorable reactions. Despite his obvious upset and hurt over the whole situation with Liv, that goofy smile might be the happiest he's looked in well over a month. It's an unpleasant reminder of how badly it had gotten there near the end for him. Life's too short for humans to deny himself the chance for happiness.]
It will. [Because Lup will never admit it, but being reunited with Barry again makes her just a little extra sappy. Don't drag her for it.] Just be chill, take your time. He's already waited for you this long. Pretty sure he's not going anywhere. Just do the talking thing and then get to smoochin' each other silly, alright? It's gonna be fine.
I'll go see him tomorrow. There's a lot of ground to cover before I can thank him for being patient.
[ He's obviously never been with a human like this, and the last thing he wants is to give the condition to Ephemera. So they've got some talking to do, some base rules to cover, but... he's feeling pretty optimistic about it, right now. Ephemera's always been adaptable. And loves him back. That's what really matters. What Drake's spent his whole romantic life trying to find. Something in balance. ]
[It's a love that both boys desperately deserve to let themselves have. Lup couldn't be more thrilled for her friends.
The elf gasps, feigned offense, throwing her free hand to her chest.] Me? Let you get hung over? Never! Can't believe you'd even think to accuse me of something so scandalous.
Natch, babe. Don't want you to embarrass yourself when you go see him. I've got you, don't sweat it.
[ Drake actually laughs a little at that, and he's not sure if it's the alcohol or Lup or both but he feels lighter than when he walked in. With the conversation, his focus has shifted. Hopefully it stays that way, he doesn't want to wake up sad. ]
It's not scandalous, you're cheering me up. Cheer's easy to slip with. But just so you know? I don't embarrass easy.
[Lup waggles her eyebrows up at him before playfully shoving the bottle of booze into his chest.] If that's the case, we're gonna get trashed tonight! Here, drink up. Get any other cryin' out you need to because cha' girl just came up with the best idea!
Are you listenin'? C'mon, get excited, this is great. One word: Dancing.
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[ He manages a smile at the touch, then drops his bag to the side of the couch and claiming a seat. ]
...it's over.
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And because it's a little vague considering the current state of his love life, Lup has to ask for a little clarification. Just to be sure.] With Liv, yeah?
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[ Drake scrubs a hand over his face, still sorting through how he feels about it. They were never going to last, not with him being dead, but now that they're actually done he's just at a loss. He'd never had a relationship before that seemed like it worked... but maybe they weren't, after all. Or he wouldn't have felt so lonely. ]
I haven't told Ephemera, showing up upset didn't seem... fair.
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That sucks. [there's a lot of other words to use to describe the situation with liv, but that works for now.] But you did the right thing callin' your fav elf up. Good company and booze is the best cure-all.
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[ He opens the bottle, taking a long drink before passing it to Lup and settling back against the couch cushions. Looking sort of tired and wrung out. ]
I guess that wouldn't be healthy, just turning off your feelings, but. It being over doesn't mean I don't love her anymore.
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Drake settles back against the couch cushions so Lup throws back a swig of the drink before passing the bottle over, curling her long legs up under her and leaning against her friend's side. Showering others in reassuring phrases isn't her strongest skill, but she can hug and share a little physical affection to try and make up for what her words lack.]
Course not. You guys were together for awhile. That shit sticks. [Her hand curls around Drake's arm, fingers tapping idly there while she falls into a brief, thoughtful silence.] She wasn't around, though. Wasn't super fair for you. This bites, but it's not the worst thing.
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[ Drake leans back against Lup a little, appreciating her warmth and company. His fingers curl around the neck of the bottle and he focuses on that as he speaks. ]
Before I came here, I'd been kidnapped as a lab rat. They said they were trying to make a cure, but whatever it was they were injecting us with, it just made things worse. Turned us into what you saw in my dream. Just monsters, nobody home inside.
Apparently Liv is the one who killed it.
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Shit. [She had known what he was since that dream, but this makes it all the more real, doesn't it? He'd turned and was killed. By Liv. That kind of would be the last nail in the coffin of their relationship, huh?]
And then she called things off. [Kind of a shitty move to kill him and then break up with him. Especially when she'd barely been around as is before. But Lup just presses her forehead against the man's bicep and let's her fingers press comfortingly against his wrist.]
Hey, you know what?
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It's so weird how that happens here. But now we're from different points.
[ It had happened with Lup, too, except Drake hadn't even noticed Liv was gone before suddenly she was back, knowing his future. He takes another drink, then turns his head to look at Lup against his side. ]
What?
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Definitely sucks.
It's not much in the way of comfort, but Lup tilts her head up to grin at him anyway.]
If there was a contest for 'most needlessly complicated life', pretty sure both of ours would take home first, huh? I know this all bites, but at least you aren't, y'know--[her free hand makes some vague gesture in the air] Alone. Got your pals. Me.
[she nudges him in the side playfully] And your big ol' crush.
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[ He's rambling -- only like three (no make that four, he just took another) shots of whiskey in, but then again he hasn't eaten yet today.
Then he smiles, because Lup's right. He's not alone. Not here. And... blushes, straight to the tips of his ears. ]
I think we're past crush there, Lup. It won't be easy, though.
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Is that what it does? [She's, uh, never asked about the experience of eating brains before, huh? Well. May as well now.] You share shit with the people? Intense. [Makes sense that Hope's supply doesn't. It's all manufactured, not real.
But thankfully the conversation shifts in the right way, Lup is good at teasing, less at the sad parts. She gives Drake a poke in the side, grinning up at him, before she responds in a singsong voice,] You an' Ephemera sittin' in a tree~ Finally.
[Lup, you are so not allowed to even talk.]
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...maybe soon. [ He doesn't bother trying to hide the blush this time, or the goofy smile that spreads across his face. ] I can't wait to kiss him already.
[ There's a weird fear that comes with that thought, too, though. What if they're wrong? What if they don't work, either, and he's about to lose two of the best relationships he's ever had? His smile falters a little. ] I need us to work out, Lup.
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She laughs at that blush, leaning into the man's side while she watches his adorable reactions. Despite his obvious upset and hurt over the whole situation with Liv, that goofy smile might be the happiest he's looked in well over a month. It's an unpleasant reminder of how badly it had gotten there near the end for him. Life's too short for humans to deny himself the chance for happiness.]
It will. [Because Lup will never admit it, but being reunited with Barry again makes her just a little extra sappy. Don't drag her for it.] Just be chill, take your time. He's already waited for you this long. Pretty sure he's not going anywhere. Just do the talking thing and then get to smoochin' each other silly, alright? It's gonna be fine.
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[ He's obviously never been with a human like this, and the last thing he wants is to give the condition to Ephemera. So they've got some talking to do, some base rules to cover, but... he's feeling pretty optimistic about it, right now. Ephemera's always been adaptable. And loves him back. That's what really matters. What Drake's spent his whole romantic life trying to find. Something in balance. ]
Don't let me get hung over, okay?
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The elf gasps, feigned offense, throwing her free hand to her chest.] Me? Let you get hung over? Never! Can't believe you'd even think to accuse me of something so scandalous.
Natch, babe. Don't want you to embarrass yourself when you go see him. I've got you, don't sweat it.
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It's not scandalous, you're cheering me up. Cheer's easy to slip with. But just so you know? I don't embarrass easy.
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[Lup waggles her eyebrows up at him before playfully shoving the bottle of booze into his chest.] If that's the case, we're gonna get trashed tonight! Here, drink up. Get any other cryin' out you need to because cha' girl just came up with the best idea!
Are you listenin'? C'mon, get excited, this is great. One word: Dancing.