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Jocoza wanders around the central fountain in Telredor, notebook in hand. Her wide-brimmed hat protects it from the rain.
A voice speaks from the shadows.
[Tadget]: Hey, stranger.
Tadget giggles.
Jocoza looks around franctically, dropping the notebook. She picks it up, attempts to brush off the water, and shoves it in her bag. "Was that…? Are you really…?"
Tadget giggles.
Jocoza looks around for the source of the giggle-and-voice.
Tadget appears.
[Tadget]: Guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you around here. Seems like just the sort of mess Cobalt would stick its nose in.
[Jocoza]: Tadget! *Jo's face lights up* I wasn't sure if I was hearing things or… well, you always did like to… How ARE you?"
Tadget removes her hood and mask with a fluid, dramatic gesture she very clearly learned from ~somebody.~
[Tadget]: I am… well, gosh. I'm … a lot. Good to see you.
Jocoza takes off her own massive red hat.
[Tadget]: Almost didn't recognize you in the hat.
[Jocoza]: Isn't it great? *Jo smiles*
[Tadget]: That would be a word one could use.
A sly smirk spreads across Tadget's face.
[Tadget]: So I assume you're all here looking into this naga business?
[Jocoza]: Mm-hm *Jo nods* They're trying to steal all the water, and all. But what're you doing here? Is the 7th Legion getting involved?
[Tadget]: Oh no, no, everyone who killed that Old God is on leave for like a year.
Jocoza giggles. "Got to have some reward. Besides the title… God-Killer."
[Tadget]: I was here looking for… something. It didn't go well. And now I'm looking for something else.
[Jocoza]: Oh. Something. Something secret? *Jo looks around* Want to get out of this rain, catch up some?
[Tadget]: Oh right, the rain. *Tadget appears to have not even noticed it, despite it weighing down her usually gravity-defying bangs.*
[Tadget]: Sure, we can go indoors like civilized people.
[Jocoza]: Maybe not like civilized people.
Tadget grins wickedly.
[Tadget]: So, not exactly secret. Just kinda personal, and awkward. I was going to try to find Finn's brother for him.
[Tadget]: Possibly seduce him if I found him, you know, just for funsies.
[Jocoza]: His brother? *Jo blinks* Is he in Outland?
[Tadget]: Turns out I uh, missed that boat.
[Tadget]: He's here, but like, six feet underground.
[Tadget]: I dunno how I'm gonna tell him, if he doesn't know already.
[Tadget]: The crap I had to go through just to get information about him. I fake-cried, said I was the mother of his children…
[Jocoza]: Oh, gosh. *Jo's face falls* That's hard.
[Tadget]: They were -twins-. Identical.
[Jocoza]: I don't have much advice on giving bad news. I usually just blurt it out right away, which is really not the best way. I gather.
[Tadget]: Binary stars… *Her eyes fill up suddenly. She clears her throat.* I've gotten really good at fake crying! See? I practiced so much it's coming like, naturally now. *She clears her throat again.*
[Jocoza]: Yeah. *Jo looks at her, unconvinced* You're really good at it.
[Tadget]: Anyway, whatever. He'll be fine. Nothing upsets him.
[Jocoza]: I hope so. I haven't really heard from him in ages. It's all just been go go go, you know.
[Tadget]: I bet. And Titans only know what he's been working on.
[Tadget]: I mean we see each other now and then for… the usual. But. Not a lot of ~talking.~
Jocoza nods. "Not since the whole Old God thing?"
[Tadget]: Oh well, just, we've kind of always been like that. Every few months we have a REALLY intense conversation but other than that we mostly uh… communicate nonverbally.
Jocoza shrugs. "If it works, it works."
[Tadget]: I should probably talk to him soon. But that's not what I'm here for. I think Inkie's in trouble. I can't remember if you ever met them?
[Jocoza]: Inkie? Yeah. They helped when you… you know. Came out of nowhere when they heard you'd vanished.
[Jocoza]: I tried to maybe get in contact with them after, but… I couldn't really work out if they were my friend or my competitor or…
[Tadget]: Right. That. Well anyway I got an S.O.S. from them, and I'm supposed to meet an elf here about it.
[Jocoza]: An S.O.S.? Here? *Jo looks around, as if something bad might be going down this very moment*
[Tadget]: If anyone did anything to Inkie I'm going to find arteries I've never opened and carve my name into them.
[Tadget]: Uh theirs, I mean, not mine. Ew.
[Jocoza]: Let me know if I can help. *Jo pauses* I mean, with the S.O.S., not the artery-carving. I've never been very good with daggers.
[Tadget]: Uh, not Inkie's, I mean, I mean whoever — sorry, I'm not good with poetic threats. Just the rage bit.
Jocoza smothers a giggle with a cough. "The rage came through pretty clearly."
[Tadget]: Inkie was the first person who was ever nice to me. They'd better be okay, or there is going to be a BIGTIME reckoning. Like, huge.
[Tadget]: The events of last year have really helped me get in touch with my feelings. Which are mostly rage, it turns out!
[Tadget]: But it's fine, I've gotten very good at constructively channeling it. By killing gods and whatnot.
[Jocoza]: And I could help? *Jo sounds hopeful.* This isn't another thing like— you're just telling me terrible things are going down, but you don't want me to murder anyone over it?
[Tadget]: I mean, I have no idea what's going on. I'm sure I can give you more details once I know.
[Tadget]: But they sent me a coded letter, so I think they're being watched closely somewhere.
[Tadget]: I imagine it's safe to talk here or they wouldn't have sent me here to meet their elf.
[Jocoza]: That makes sense. And I won't tell anyone else about whatever this is. Cobalt's got their hands full, anyway.
[Tadget]: Yeah, you can't expect tall folk to handle too much at once. Their little brains give out. Tiny heads.
Jocoza giggles. "Oh Light, it is good to be around a gnome again."
[Tadget]: So what's been going on with you? I forgot to pretend like I'm interested in other people.
[Jocoza]: Humans, all drama and intrigue and, oh no Captain, everything's under control. Unless we all die.
[Tadget]: Hey, with you in charge everything's fine.
[Tadget]: Smartest move Ference ever made.
Jocoza blinks at Tadget. "You don't have to be interested, if you don't want to. And I don't know about that. We've been uh… testing out resurrectability of various people, lately."
[Tadget]: Well, that's war for ya.
[Tadget]: I have proven extremely resurrectable, much to the Legion's delight.
[Tadget]: But it's going to be nice to limit my exposure to death and dismemberment for a while.
[Jocoza]: Me too, I guess. Only tried it once so far, though *Jo says this offhandedly, as if it doesn't matter.*
[Tadget]: So what was it that got you? *Tadget leans forward, grimly fascinated*
[Jocoza]: Cloud of poison. There was this group of… well… murdery flowers? And I got them, but then there was this cloud, and I felt dizzy, and… *Jo gestures, fade to black*
[Jocoza]: What about you? I'd assume giant bugs.
[Tadget]: Oh, man. *Flowers?* That's just adding insult to injury.
[Jocoza]: Yeah, I should probably find a more impressive way to die, to cover that one up.
[Tadget]: Oh, I died about halfway through the whole god thing. Luckily we were just ~lousy~ with druids. Did you know they can resurrect people right in the middle of a fight? Wild.
[Tadget]: I'm still trying to process Death By Flowers. Talk about a way to go. "In lieu of flowers, send… basically anything else."
Jocoza giggles, some muscle in her shoulders relaxing slightly. "I just kind of… didn't make a thing of it, at the time. But okay. I -have- to get killed by something cooler now. Maybe I can find another Old God somewhere."
[Tadget]: Yeah, there's a bunch more.
[Tadget]: So what's Barlowe been up to? Or do you know? Is it all secret and stuff?
[Jocoza]: Just need to make sure Estel or somebody's waiting in the wings to bring me back.
[Jocoza]: Oh she didn't come over for ages. Something something SI:7. But she's here now! And now she's… *Jo's expression closes slightly* …on another mission, sort of.
Tadget 's eyes narrow. "Huh."
[Jocoza]: It's a long story, and I'm not supposed to— *she looks at Tadget* —I can trust you, though.
[Tadget]: Of course!
[Tadget]: I'm very good at not spreading gossip because I largely don't care about things.
Jocoza leans back against the wall. "Right. So. One of our new recruits brought -so much- trouble with her."
[Tadget]: It's like I left a void.
Jocoza giggles at Tadget. "Not your kind of trouble."
[Jocoza]: By which I mean, a fallen paladin and a shadow priestess who makes cursed asphyxiation jewelry.
[Tadget]: Mmmmmmmmmkay.
[Jocoza]: But yeah, Ivri's tracking them down, and I'm not supposed to talk about it. Because if we 'tip our cards', she's probably going to get choked out by the jewelry.
[Tadget]: Now -there- is a cool way to die. Definitely better than flowers.
[Tadget]: I could see Finn killing me that way someday. *Heart eyes.*
Jocoza raises an eyebrow at Tadget. "Think I should try to convince the shadow priestess to go after me? She does know me."
[Tadget]: No, I'd prefer you stay alive for a bit. There are things I'd like you to see.
[Jocoza]: Things? What sort of things?
[Tadget]: Oh, you know, things… 7th Legion *is* doing stuff out here, you know. Not my unit, but, you know, *some* units. Doing top secret things. And you might want to see some of -those- people again, for example, just saying.
Jocoza giggles, but her hand tenses slightly on her skirt. "Dangerous, top secret things? I guess he's… I mean… maybe I'll run into them sometime."
[Tadget]: I hope to the gods you do, so he'll stop writing me weird melodramatic letters.
[Jocoza]: What? *Jo looks at Tadget, startled* About me? Or just like… life in general?
Tadget siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighs.
[Tadget]: Look, I have a deserved reputation for keeping secrets. So I'll just say, maybe go hang out at that tavern in Shattrath around sunrise some morning and see what happens.
[Jocoza]: Just by chance, of course. I'll see what happens. *Jo smiles faintly, glancing south for just a moment.*
[Tadget]: You're welcome.
[Jocoza]: I suppose I should mention we're storming that naga structure in the lake today. Just in case that intersects with something you're up to. Or if you need to find me for some Inkie-related thing.
[Tadget]: Oh neat. Need any help?
[Jocoza]: I think we're good this time. As long as new recruit doesn't asphyxiate.
[Tadget]: Okay, well yell out if you need more stabbing. My stabbing muscles haven't atrophied yet.
Jocoza smiles, teasing. "Now that would be a sad sight, Tadget with atrophied stabbing muscles. It would be like me forgetting how to explode something. Do I need to find you new things to stab?"
[Tadget]: Come on. Have you met this place? It's a stabbing smorgasbord.
[Jocoza]: They're also very flammable, as it happens, which you wouldn't think with all the water.
[Tadget]: Huh!
[Tadget]: For a gnome I've never been great at explosions.
[Jocoza]: Oh, I've actually got some starter-dynamite on me right now, if you ever wanted… *Jo rummages in her bag* …designed for explosion amateurs.
[Tadget]: That's so sweet.
Jocoza pulls out a familiar little red tube of explosive and hands it to Tadget.
[Tadget]: You're not trying to woo me again are you Sparkwire?
[Tadget]: With the eyes, and the dynamite.
Jocoza grins at Tadget, widening her eyes slightly for effect.
[Tadget]: Don't make me break your heart again, friendo. *She winks*
Jocoza giggles. "Oh, I would never, don't worry."
[Tadget]: Well, I guess I should make myself visible in case Inkie's elf wanders by looking for me. Good catching up with you, though, and I meant it about yelling for me if you need some stabbling. Always up for stabbing.
[Jocoza]: Okay. And let me know if you need any explosions, or things set on fire. I'm always up for that, for you.
Tadget grins at you wickedly.
Tadget blows you a kiss.
Tadget vanishes.
Jocoza draws up her knees, and sits on the bench for a moment, smiling at nothing.
(2022-03-27) Rainy Gnomish Reunion