video; un: shiro

[shiro2hero]

[Oh hi Shiro, long time no see on the network. That's because this is a last-ditch effort. He looks pretty darn not great, despite the fact it's Sleep Season for Warmbloods. Maybe it's the Arena. Maybe it's the River. Something honestly, sincerely traumatic that's happened already.]

[His face is in his hands, hunched over the counter in his kitchen. The omni in front of him. Voice haggard and quiet. Like he has a migraine.]

I will pay... however much anyone wants. For coffee beans. Espresso beans. Don't even have to be cooked. Roasted. Doesn't matter.

[... Or it's caffeine withdrawl.]

Or tea leaves. I don't care.

[Please, he is Suffering.]

Comments

[shiro2hero]

Thanks Lance...

[And Lance isn't the only one who can work the 'fond exasperation' angle.]

According to Eddie? It's caffeine withdrawl. I'm calling it a migraine.

[azurestar]

[He seems to fidget a little and then lets out a breath and stands up.]

I'm coming over.

[shiro2hero]

You are?

You don't have to, Lance.

[azurestar]

Dude, if you could do what I do, you'd be coming over too.

Don't lie.

[shiro2hero]

... Yeah, you know I can't lie.

To any of you. I think my poker face is nonexistent.

[azurestar]

Hands down the worst poker face in the history of poker faces.

[He holds up a hand like he's swearing on the bible.]

[shiro2hero]

Does that mean I don't technically have one?

[azurestar]

Nope, you have one. It just sucks.

You get this really constipated and guilty look. Kinda like you're the guy at the party who shit bombed the toilet so hard it got clogged and eeeveryone's talking about it.

[shiro2hero]

...




On second thought, I think I'm going back into the ocean to be a squid.

[azurestar]

Tried that already. Didn't really work out the way I hoped.

[He says flippantly.]

Anyway, I'll be there in a couple minutes, hang tight, mi amigo.

[shiro2hero]

-- wait, what?

[Lance you can't just leave it like that.]

-> action

[azurestar]

[But he does leave it like that. The next Shiro hears from him is when he's strolling through the front door a few minutes later.]

Dude! These streets are like a maze, I swear they're moving on their own.

[shiro2hero]

[Shiro's still in the kitchen, contemplating boxes of tea. One of these "herbal" teas have to have caffeine in them, right? Maybe if he mixes a few?]

You know there's a lamp outside the house, right?

[There's a bit of a smile in the question - teasing, somewhat. His expression torn between exhaustion and amusement.]

[azurestar]

[Lance snorts as he comes into the room he heard Shiro's voice coming from.]

Of course I know, I just… don't trust those things yet. Haven't you seen The Fly?

[As he's talking, he pulls off the black leather glove from one hand, and then immediately plops it on top of Shiro's head, his fingers brushing his forehead below his hair line. Within a few seconds, Shiro should feel that migraine start to drain away. And any emotional distress dulls.]

[shiro2hero]

Not any time recently?

[He's in the living room now. Back to the pile of blankets he's nested in on the couch. The October feel hasn't hit him yet, so, for now, he's still too tired, too drowsy, to do more than doze on the couch.]

[An abortive greeting, and then - um.]

- Did you just 'mom' me? [Remember, on the beach, Lance? Except... it feels all right. It feels better?]

[azurestar]

Well, guy invents teleportation and gets mutated into a half man half fly. I'm too pretty for that, Shiro.

[A migraine, he can handle, he has them more or less all the time and this one sucks but he's also had way worse. He lifts his hand off of the top of Shiro's head when it feels like he's taken most of it and then snorts and flops onto the couch next to him.]

Nope, I just totally kicked your headache's ass. Way cooler.

[shiro2hero]

Oh, that movie. With the dinosaur guy.

[It takes him a minute. So used to having the pressure in his skull, it's hard to process that it's gone. Shiro blinks - a few times, lifting a hand to his head in surprise.]

... how did you do that?

[azurestar]

Apparently, I'm what's called a Paleblood.

[He makes air quotes as he says it. He discovered this ability not long after he met Shiro on the beach earlier in the month and then went to seek answers from the locals.]

It's different for everyone, but for me it means I'm a lightning rod for people's feelings, I can see the future and take away pain. So far, anyway.

[shiro2hero]

Paleblood... I heard that, too. About Will.

[His immediate knowledge of the blood types isn't as large as it should be, what with the fatigue and caffeine withdrawl dragging him down.]

And you're doing all right with that?

[azurestar]

Really? Seems like there's a lot of us around.

[He crosses his arms.] Sure, why wouldn't I be? I mean, the visions kinda suck, but at least they don't happen all the time.

But hey, you got some weird blood powers now too?

[shiro2hero]

Hey, you know me. Who am I if I'm not worried about you guys?

[That's never going to change. Not any time soon.]

[His shoulders flex in a shrug, glancing away instead.]

Doesn't look like it. Guess I was late to the party when they were handing those out.

[azurestar]

You'd be you, but way more chill.

[He grins slightly, teasingly. Then he reaches out with a gloved hand and shoves at Shiro's shoulder.]

Eh, powers are not all they're cracked up to be. You get to be the badass normal.

[shiro2hero]

You know I don't understand the meaning of that word.

[His shoulder rolls with the shove, regardless of how hard Lance pushed - gotta let him get a win.]

I wouldn't go that far. Definitely normal, though.

[azurestar]

[The most deadpan face.] Yes you do.

[Then he scoffs and crosses his arms.]

Dude, I've seen you take out enemies twice your size with your ultimate bitch slap of a robot hand. Don't tell me you're not badass.

[shiro2hero]

Nope, never heard it in my life.

[Deadpan meets deadpan.]

Yeah, well. I think the squid zone shorted it out... Having a hard time getting it to be more than a flashlight.