open post for harlan >8)

[ghostlocked]

what up losers

Comments

[evocation]

What the fuck, Harlan.

[ghostlocked]

ur gonna have to be more specific.

[omniavanitas]

Harlan, darling. Are you around?

[ghostlocked]

for u? always. 💋💋💋 hey babe. whats good?

[finchy]

y u wanna talk to me for, huh?
this is jesse btw

[ghostlocked]

hey man.
no reason. just rude af for u to dip outta there w.o trading numbers.
how u doin?

[evocation]

[Kyna isn't sure how she feels about any of this. It isn't that she minds dressing up, but she's annoyed that they were thrown into some fancy dinner with no warning. She doesn't want to represent the guild, she kind of just wants to hang out and see cool magic shit. She's also never worn a dress like this before, and she's not sure how she feels about it. The poor storeowner had to do a little impromptu hemming, because the floor length gown was puddling around her feet due to her nonexistent height. She still had to buy ridiculously tall heels to keep herself from feeling like she was going to trip all over the hem, and she's already regretting them.

She's sitting on her bed, tugging her shoes on, which is a process, because they seem to have an infinite number of straps. Harlan, meanwhile, is on the other bed, and he can't sit still. It's making her nervous.

Once she finally fastens her shoes, she gets up and plops down beside him, nudging her shoulder into his. As promised, she's treating him just like she'd treat Tucker. She hopes that doesn't make this worse.]

You fucked up your tie.

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan hates everything about this. He doesn't want to spend another weekend cramped in one hotel room (now feat. randos, argh). He doesn't want to navigate a crowd at some ritzy dinner. He doesn't want to stand for anything. Like, what the fuck does he know about Kairos? This "famous adventurers" thing was awesome until their crew got shuffled and they actually had to put effort in.

But he especially does not want to be in this stupid suit. He's fiddling with the button on one of his cuffs. Everything is so tight and stiff. It's like wearing cardboard. Like ten layers of cardboard. He looks stupid. This is stupid.

Kyna nudging him and sitting too close doesn't help but it doesn't hurt. He saw it coming. But he frowns and looks down at his chest when she gives him shit about the tie. Goddammit.]

What? No I didn't. How did I fuck it up?

[He tugs at the loop around his neck. This is the worst part of the whole getup. He manages to loosen the fucking thing, but messes it up further in the process. Good job, Harlan.]

[omniavanitas]

[ After she's done fussing over Morguline, Panna goes to find Harlan, practically gliding through the hotel suite. She's super thrilled about this whole party thing, and her high-low red dress flows around her with just the right amount of perfect wind as she walks. This is a little bit magic, and a little bit because she's an elf and they sweat grace.

She peeks into the room Harlan is sharing with Kyna, tucking her hair behind her ear. It's very firmly white. She hasn't dropped the enchantment in a while. ]

Harlan?

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan is hiding and fussing over his stupid tie again. He's gonna be fucking with this thing all night. If there is a middle ground between too tight and lopsided, he has yet to find it. He starts a little when Panna calls his name, looking up suddenly from where he's sitting on the bed.

She looks nice. He'll get around to realizing that in a minute. He's busy being uncomfortable for the moment.]

Hey.

[evocation]

[Kyna isn't quite focused. To be fair, she hasn't been focused for the last hour. Getting through those stupid puzzles gave her something to distract herself with, but she was still thinking about her totem the entire time, and now it's all she can think about. She's jittery with anxiety, letting the rest of the group lead the way. As much as everyone called her stupid for making her totem a tattoo, at least it couldn't be snatched away with a fucking levitation spell.

She's still upset with Tucker, and while part of her recognizes that he probably saved her from getting charmed again and that she should be appreciative, she still doesn't want to talk to him. This is the second job in a row where something stupid has happened to make her near worthless, and it makes her feel like screaming. She doesn't. She just rubs at the scar on her forearm instead, a little rougher than necessary.]

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan can spot Kyna's discomfort from a mile away. He's been keeping an eye on her since her totem got stolen. Again. Christ, that has to suck. He misses his little snake too--he'd gotten used to the weight of it in his pocket and it gave him something to keep his hands busy--but he knows that's nothing compared to what she must be feeling. The worst part about getting your totem taken is the time between having it taken and getting it back. The feeling is indescribably terrible.

So while they have a moment of downtime after realizing that, yes, they have been swept off to another plane again, he slides over to check on Kyna. He doesn't say anything yet; instead, he gently pulls her hand away from her scar and holds it in his. That's something she'll find comforting, right? He hopes so. It feels awkward, but he'll deal if it calms her down.]

[evocation]

[Kyna has parked herself on Harlan's couch, turning her little fox totem over and over in her hands.]

I'm so sick of remaking totems. This sucks.

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan, meanwhile, is on the opposite side of the couch noodling around on his guitar. His totem is objectively better than hers because his is innocuous and also useful. He should maybe stop using it as an actual guitar pick because it gets stuck in the stupid sound hole obnoxiously often, but whatever.]

No one's twisting your arm, K. If you're married to the fox, just leave it.

[nowherewolf]

so ok
im tossin u an olive branch or w/e
i'm not pissed abt the magic ring bullshit anymore
but i just wish u wouldve told us wtf was going on
if u just wanted ur magic back i'm p sure we all would've been chill
problem was u wouldnt tell us shit n u were being sus af
n then u tried to charm us??? wtf
ur the one always callin me flighty n shit
u should know better
speaking of that, also
can u stop fuckin tellin everybody and their gd grandma abt the wolf thing????
i took a risk trusting u guys w/ that shit
don't make me regret it
oh and don't think i forgot u raggin on kyna w/ her dad
not cool hh

[ghostlocked]

[Whoa, Harlan did not expect this move from JT. He's impressed.]

yikes man. slow down. thats like nine talkin points. gimme a min to catch up.
ok real quick. fair pt abt the wolf thing. forgot it was somethin i was supposed to keep on the dl.
i wasnt raggin on k. ull notice i called him out on fuckin abandoning his fucking kids. dont think im gonna overlook that shit.
i figure k and u are all pissed at him so someone should try to get in good w. him.
i made more headway than u and k did w. that pickpocket attempt. my strat is workin.
anyway. theres no way u wouldve just been cool w. me if i had calmly explained myself. i kno how this shit works by now. im not stupid.
everyone thinks im gonna dick them over at every turn.
and ykw ill admit i bring that on myself. in part. but i told u i wasnt gonna use it to fuck u over.
its not like u gave me a chance to fuckin spill that entire story. its a long one.
anyway pt is no one listens to me anyway so idk y then wouldve been any diff.

[And then, a minute or two later:]

thanks jt. i hate this job.

[evocation]

sorry my dad is such an asshole.
what the fuck are we going to do about him?

[ghostlocked]

[Harlan is between nightmares when he gets Kyna's text. When his phone buzzes, he hopes it's Panna, but of course it's not. He's glad for something to do that isn't just laying in bed, but, ugh. He doesn't have the energy for this right now.]

i dont think its ur dad.
idk what to do abt him either. why are you askin me?

[omniavanitas]

[ It's a day after everything, after Panna sends them home to rest, post-Whiteplume. She texts Harlan in the afternoon, after work. ]

Are you sleeping like I told you to, darling?

[ghostlocked]

lol. not rn but i did actually manage to get some rest.
shitty demon nightmares are gone so thats cool.
what u up to?

[evocation]

i ran into a cat that kind of looks like you.

[ghostlocked]

that cat looks old and grouchy.
wtf u tryin to say?

[evocation]

hey.
did you find an apartment for me yet?

[ghostlocked]

wow cuttin right to the chase huh?
i did actually. theres a spot open on the floor below me. get over here.

[evocation]

hey
you did really great with that game show bullshit

[ghostlocked]

lol. ty.
my memorys pretty solid. that shits fun.
sorry abt the scare w. ur bro. hes really ok right?