Demon Marcus, Tuesday Morning

[myownface]

So, the floodwaters had receded, which was good!

The island was radioactive and full of giant bugs that wanted to eat people, which was bad.

But Sparkle had remembered to bring his blaster with him when he set out to check out the state of his shop, which was good!

... The place was derelict and looked as though it had been ravaged by looters decades ago, which was bad.

Sparkle got a little bit of catharsis in when he wound up and kicked what was left of a crumbling step along the road, so that was good.

Except he totally hurt his toe, so...

It was a trade-off. At least setting out today meant he could pick up the knife that Leto had sent him for his birthday, along with the drawing of the rainbow that Hania had sent with it. That was going to be going up on his fridge.

... The rainbow, not the knife. The knife was going onto his person immediately. And then he was sending a text to Hernando telling him that the outside was doing another more other 'trying to murder us all' thing and that the bugs were so, so much worse than they had been with the dinosaurs around.

He missed the prehistoric bugs.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando was entirely done with whatever garbage BS the island was doing with itself this summer.

But you are alright, baby?

He was not going outside. Outside, once again, sounded like a terrible place to be. Why the hell couldn't the island turn into a sunny beach paradise for once? Would that be asking too much?

[myownface]

I'm fine, babe. Leto sent me another knife for my birthday, I have that on me.

And his blaster. And all his other knives. And some cockroach guts on his hands. Ew ew ew ew.

The real tragedy?

Incoming, a photo of what remained of his shop. Fandom was hell-bent on ruining him.

[hernando_fuentes]

WHAT?! NO! THAT HAD BETTER BE BACK TO NORMAL NEXT WEEK!

This was his text version of angry shrieking, yes.

[myownface]

It was underwater last week and full of loincloths the week before, fuck if I know what it's gonna look like next week. Probably on fire or just gone or something.

Sparkle kicked a radroach clear across the room. Jerk.

[hernando_fuentes]

Baby, come home. There is nothing you can do for the shop right now.

Sparkle had to be furious.

[myownface]

I know I say I hate this island all the damn time but sometimes I hate it more than others. A lot. Hate. Haaate.

Haaaaaaaate.

[hernando_fuentes]

Yes. It deserves your hate. This has been three solid weeks of bullshit, baby. You are frustrated and tired and angry. Come home, sweetheart.

[myownface]

I just wanna sell pretty shirts and stuff.

Was Sparkle sulking as he started trudging his way back toward the tea shop? Absolutely he was.

[hernando_fuentes]

I know. We could work on setting up your internet storefront this week if you wish? We could also perhaps store some of your stock at home since home does not seem to be affected by this crap.

[myownface]

Tempting. I was, uh... kind of thinking something else, though.

Something that was totally easy to talk about via text rather than in person, sure.

Hernando could probably hear his internal screaming anyway.

[hernando_fuentes]

Oh? What were you thinking?

Did you need to destress? He could help you with the destressing part. Hernando excelled in turning Sparkle into a puddle of molten person.

[myownface]

He really, really was.

Um. Research? Into the Canadian legal system...

You know, nice, relaxing stuff.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando blinked for a moment, reread the screen and then beamed. We can also do that.

A moment later, his next text: Baby? I am very proud of you right now.

[myownface]

I'm glad you are because I'm kinda piss-myself-in-terror freaking out right now.

And it wasn't about the radroaches!

[hernando_fuentes]

He didn't imagine it was because of the radroaches.

We will get through this, baby. I am taking it as encouragement that in at least two potential futures, we did get through it.

[myownface]

Clinging to that, yeah. And incoming.

Here came Sparkle, kinda trudging up to the tea shop, a gory knife in one hand, a phone in the other.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando went out to meet him. Sparkle had a key, yes, but if the world was ...

Yup. The world was a radioactive wasteland outside the window and Sparkle had his hands full. Hernando made a face at the vista and let Sparkle in. "I am," he proclaimed sourly, "one hundred percent done with the island messing up my beachfront view. Baby, what do you think about going to Iceland for a month?"

He was not kidding in the least.

[myownface]

"We did miss out on that school trip," Sparkle noted, stumbling into the shop, lifting his blade, and frowning at it. Mm, roach guts. "This... is probably corrosive or something," he muttered.

[hernando_fuentes]

"There's vinegar under the sink to rinse it with and also bleach," Hernando said, making a face at the.. goo. "I am more worried about what that will do to your hands. Please go wash them."

He went to turn the shop sink on for Sparkle and get out the items he'd mentioned. "I'm not kidding, sweetheart. I am annoyed enough to pack up the shop, give Kaidan the key so he can keep an eye on the quokka, and take us somewhere that the landscape doesn't change every goddamn week so we could have some time to relax. This is summer and I resent not being able to spend time with you on a beach."

[myownface]

"I mean... we can check and see if the portals are working," Sparkle offered. And then he ducked his head and laughed a little. "I'd take you to Arrakis or Coruscant, but there aren't exactly beaches in either place."

[hernando_fuentes]

"The only thing on Arrakis that holds any interest for me is Leto and you and a bed," Hernando said shortly, "Or a couch, or a wall, or the floor. While that could be fun, I strongly doubt he can take off this kind of time considering how difficult it has been to arrange time with him."

Someone was a little cranky.

"I will check the computer and see if the portals are still being booked, and if they are so help me, Sparkle, we are going somewhere that has a beach whose only glow in the dark properties come from bioluminescent algae. Somewhere with nice shopping and museums and perhaps an art gallery and lots of drinks with little umbrellas in them and incredibly attractive people wearing as little as humanly possible."

He turned on the water and nodded at it, "Wash, please? I want to kiss you and yet I don't want to get too near any of that mess."

[myownface]

Sparkle nodded a little and made his way over to the water, setting his knife in the bottom of the sink for a moment - it was going to need a thorough dry and some basic maintenance after making its way through those bugs - and reaching for the soap so that he could lather his arms damn near up to the shoulder.

"All of those things sound kinda amazing," he admitted, turning a little smile Hernando's way. "Somewhere... warm. Maybe quiet. I could use some quiet. Maybe spend a week or two there..."

Wasn't like there was much keeping him here, considering the state of his shop.

[hernando_fuentes]

The back of Sparkle's neck seemed to be clear of whatever that muck was and Hernando pressed a small kiss to it. "Warm and quiet sounds delightful," he agreed, "This shall be some more research to do tonight. We could always go to Mexico but it might be a little too warm there just now."

[myownface]

"I might melt to death in Mexico," Sparkle laughed. "But then, it's still pretty early in the year, yet." He smiled over his shoulder a moment at him. "Maybe it's still not so bad? Not, like, mid-July or whatever."

Actually, it was cooler in Mexico City today than it was in Baltimore.

Not that they were anywhere near Baltimore at the moment.

[hernando_fuentes]

"We could try it for awhile if you wish and if it is too hot we could take a portal somewhere else," Hernando offered, breathing a small exhale as tension left. Sparkle was laughing and smiling again. This would last right up until the aforementioned online research but he'd take it for now. He smiled a little, "It's almost June so there might even be a stingray migration in progress."