BASH MARCH MEMSHARE (+1 Ship Prompt, and Wildcards as needed)

[midnightroads]

1. I am driving a car. [Memshare: Crichton, Valdis, Okie, Jeff, indefinitely open. Note: These are all different drives on different nights during a several year period in Bash's life.]

You tumble out of the crack in reality and into the pleather-covered seat of a taxicab on a rural backroad on a spring night. Or maybe it’s more like dusk? The sky is blue velvet, the last lingering hints of color dying as the car continues forward. The air is heavy with the scent of magnolia blossoms, thick like a church lady’s perfume, and there’s coffee and cigarette smoke in the air too.

The driver of the cab shows no surprise at someone dropping out of nowhere into his back seat. He lifts a hand with silver rings on the fingers, touching the iron lantern that sheds eerie ghostly silver light hanging from the rear-view mirror; he’s checking to see if you’re a ghost. But regardless of the result, there’s simply a bit of a nod. “Where you headed, cuz?”

The Cajun accent is thicker, and his voice is younger, but it’s the same, still the same as the one you know. This is Bash. This is Bash’s cab.

The radio is on. The night seems like it could stretch on forever.


2. I am carrying a pizza. [Memshare: Ava, Cesar, Open to 2 more maximum]

A graveyard. Late at night, but not quite midnight, because that feels like it would be on the nose. The sky is starry and moonless, and the nearest lights are streetlights outside the iron fence. There’s an eerie atmosphere in the air, beyond the chill of mid-October in Boston, and yet…

A man walks down the path, his arms full. In one hand, a thermos. On the other, a large pizza box. He seems relaxed, at ease. This is clearly not his first time walking this path (and the darkness is no hindrance to the Demigod of Midnight Roads).

For the moment, he seems to be the only person around.


3. I am grabbing a pool cue. [Memshare: Open, CW: kissing a mindless zombie if the scene doesn’t change significantly]

You’re at the top of a flight of stairs, facing down. Behind you, the noise of a bar on a busy night. Below, quieter. Voices, the sound of people playing a game of billiards. Clacking. And there’s a faint smell of…something. Musty cold decay, something. There are cobwebs in the corner of the stairwell.

One of the voices you hear is Bash’s.


4. I am rolling a neon-colored ball. [Oh shit, we got a bowling alley]

If Bash didn’t know better, he’d say that Someone had been listening in on his conversation with Sharky. But of course someone knows better, right? Right. Look, he’s not aiming for a high score this game, not really. He’s just taking the heaviest ball he can find and rolling it as hard as he can. Stress relief, by tiring yourself out.

There’s a pitcher of pop and a cheese pizza off to the side. The pizza is shit quality, but sometimes that’s what you need.


5. This is a wildcard.

Comments

1!

[cacophonish]

"Um."

This is Bash. Younger, a stranger to him, but... It's still Bash, and Jeff wants so badly to reach out and embrace him.

But that'd be weird and probably unsafe since, like. The guy's driving. And Jeff's a stranger.

He tries to get a look at the other man's face in the rear view mirror, then glances out the window.

Where to?

"I dunno." His fingers tug at the hem of his shirt, anxiously. "I just... I wanna go somewhere beautiful."

[midnightroads]

"There's a place about fiddy minute west where I like to watch the stars sometime. You wanna go?"

It's a long drive, plenty of time to sing to the radio or to talk, but he's not sure if this freshly-manifested stranger is up for a trip like that, out to Audubon Park, to set up under the Tree of Life and watch the sky. Flower petals will be dripping from the trees like rain.

[cacophonish]

"Oh-- Yeah!"

Okay, Jeff, settle down. Don't get too excited. He sinks back in his seat a little and looks a bit sheepish.

"It's just, um. It's been a long time since I've... since I've seen stars, I mean, real stars." He flashes a smile, a bit of sunshine peeking through the embarrassment. "So yeah, I'd love to go there."

Then, "I'm, uh. I'm Jeff."

[midnightroads]

"I'm Bash. Nice to meet you, cuz." The sunny smile is enough to melt young Bash's heart. There's something here that feels...inevitable. Not like the Fates are interfering and tying a rope around them, but like they already belong together, in this moment.

"Where you been, without real stars?"

[cacophonish]

"Bash... Nice to meet you."

It's a weird feeling, meeting Bash for the first time, a second time. It's like... this is more in line with what they should have had, instead of the circumstances of Duplicity, in all of the city's cruel obligations. Not that Jeff ever minded, ever even regretted a moment together there, but...

He knows it weighed a lot heavier on Bash.

"It's, um... Kinda hard to explain, man. Places that weren't really nice, and not so free..." He watches the road for a moment, with a dawning sense of wonder, and something thick fills his throat and he realizes he's about to... fuck, he kind of wants to cry a little. "Didn't think I'd ever see a road like this again."

[midnightroads]

"Then we better make the night everything it oughta be, for your first one free, right? Do you wanna stop and pick up, like. A midnight picnic to eat at the park?" Sorry, this is Bash, he's not going to spring for booze, but what would you want your first meal back in the real world to be, Jeff?

[cacophonish]

First night free. It's true, but Jeff laughs all the same, a little thick and wet with the tears he almost cried. "Fuck, man, I just made it sound like I was in prison or something, didn't I."

In a way, he supposes he kind of was. In any case, Jeff's face lights up at the offer. Oh, that's a big question. It's almost overwhelming, like, god, there's so much he could go for right now, that it's like every possible answer is scrambling for his mouth at the same time, leaving him capable of saying nothing other than, "Oh! Uh, um, fuck..."

What did he have, the last time he was in New Orleans? Among all the great food, what really nestled itself in his heart?

"Is it too out of the way to, um... To pick up beignets and hot chocolate? Me and my friends, the last time we were here, that's what we used to... to end the night..."

[midnightroads]

"We can do that. Been a while since you been here?"

Hot chocolate on a night like this sounds absolutely perfect to Bash. Like yes, he's a coffee drinker, always has been since high school, but. Right now, a sweet indulgence seems perfect.

As he turns off to get to a local place for beignets (not that one big fancy place everyone knows, but a mom-and-pop sorta place where locals hang out), a song comes on the radio, and Bash sheepishly turns it up a bit. "You gonna laugh at me if I sing along?"

[cacophonish]

"Yeah, um, a couple years, I guess. Last time I was here, I wasn't even old enough to drink." Not that he even looks old enough now. Curse of the baby face.

The song comes on, and Jeff doesn't know it (apparently, the album came out right around the time he woke up in Duplicity, damn timelines), but he grins in pure delight when Bash asks that question. "I'd never laugh at someone for singing. Sing your heart out."

[midnightroads]

Bash becomes That Sassy Bitch for the length of the song, singing with ease. His voice isn't perfect! It never has been, but there's not the least hint of shame here. At the end of the song, he smiles sheepishly at the rearview mirror.

"How old are you?"

[cacophonish]

The look on Jeff's face, as he watches Bash sing, without fear or shame and none of the weight of the past months bearing down on him... He can't help it, there's no hiding the pure, unrestrained adoration. Love, but that's not a sentiment one can openly share with a stranger who's both their partner and not. Maybe it's easy to mistake for a budding crush instead.

At Bash's question, it takes Jeff a moment to answer, like he's got to shake off a magic spell and come back to himself.

"How old do I look?" he returns, a little teasing lilt in his voice. But, after a beat, he gives a real answer. "Twenty-one--" Wait. He frowns thoughtfully. "Twenty-two? I dunno anymore, time's... weird. How about you?"

And what year is it, he wants to ask, but...

[midnightroads]

"I'll be twenty one come April. Time's weird, though? What's with that?" At a stoplight, Bash looks over his shoulder. "...you're not a ghost running from the Underworld, I'd know if you was that."

[cacophonish]

Bash is about to be twenty-one, which would make the year... Jeff scrunches his nose and gives up. Fuck, he's bad at math. Still, this is a Bash that's younger, and less burdened by the responsibilities pushed on him by the circumstances of his birth.

"No, um, not a ghost," he confirms, fidgeting a little and glancing away, out the window again, at the New Orleans street. Here they are, in a city, a real city, on earth, and he never thought he'd ever see this again.

"I got... lost, I guess. Like stepping in a fairy ring, only it didn't take me anywhere like... um, wherever fairies live." Jeff shrugs and offers a wry smile. "It was 1995, last time I looked at a calendar. Dunno what year it is now."

[midnightroads]

"It's usually dem Celtic fucks who deal with fairies. But...shit, I'm glad you made it back. Let's get you some cocoa, cher."

He pulls into the parking lot of this little cafe, a local spot, the kind that's open late-late. In the light of the cafe windows, he gets his first proper, not-driving look at Jeff, and there's this momentary stunned expression, because Jeff is handsome. No, beautiful. No, both, and his heart's already melting.

Is it too early to offer to hold his hand? He doesn't, but holds the door open on the way in.

[cacophonish]

Just the sound of Bash's voice, the particular way he says things, the lilt of his accent, can still make Jeff's heart skip with giddiness, and it really takes some effort not to swoon when he calls him cher.

And for a moment, when Bash looks at him and he looks at Bash, he wonders-- hopes-- that the other man might recognize him, as insane and improbable as that is. Like what if, what if, they did it, somehow. They left the ship, evaded Nothing, and were dropped right back in Bash's world. Right place, wrong time. Maybe-- maybe it'll take the demigod a moment, but then things will come back to him, and god, fuck, there's hope and desire bright in his eyes as he stares at Bash, and he wants to reach for him, hold him, never let go, and--

Ah. The door. Jeff ducks his head a little, offers a sheepish smile, and murmurs, "Thanks."

Then, "I'm... I'm glad it was you who found me, and not one of those Celtic fucks."

[midnightroads]

The look that Jeff gives him is powerful, is full of need and desire and warmth and he doesn't know how to interpret that, so he's not going to try. This is Bash, he's not very smart. But he's kind, and he can fall back on that in times of confusion.

Except he's already wondering if he'll be able to kiss powdered sugar off those perfect lips, when they're eating beignets, and that's not a product of kindness, is it?

"Order whatever you like, it's my treat. I'm betting you didn't bring a wallet when you manifested."

[cacophonish]

Jeff lets out a laugh, light and almost musical, as he looks back at Bash with a playful grin. "Man, I never had cash on me even before I went away."

He orders their beignets, and the hot chocolates, and... Jeff sees a sheet of paper taped to the counter, handwritten, advertising something he's never heard of before. He looks over at Bash again, open confusion on his face. He never feels ashamed, or like he has to hide his ignorance with Bash.

"What's a King Cake? It sounds, like... fancy."

[midnightroads]

"It's only a little fancy. It's for Mardi Gras, they make a big cake in the shape of a ring and hide a plastic baby inside it, and whoever finds the baby gets a prize. Not cake like birthday cake, more like...pastry, think the same kind of dough as a cinnamon roll. Wanna get one?"

It's been a good enough week for driving during the day--Mardi Gras means the airport crowd is thick--he can afford it without worrying.

[cacophonish]

"Sounds like a good breakfast after a beignet hangover."

Did Jeff just imply there's going to be a morning after in their future? Shit, it just came out so naturally, so casually, because this is Bash he's talking to, but he has to remember this isn't his Bash and-- Fuck! Jeff gets a little pink. "I mean, uh-- yeah! Let's try it." It comes out as one word, like yeahletstryit. "You know, I didn't know it was Mardi Gras, I never done Mardi Gras before, um, 'cause I'm from LA, so, I only came out here the one time and--"

Cue panicky rambling.

[midnightroads]

Bash turns pink as well, and it looks so innocent in a way the Bash who survived Duplicity isn't. But he definitely isn't offended. From the way he shifts his weight, he's very into the idea of taking Jeff home. Very, very interested and a little embarrassed by it.

"So...does that mean you'll stay in town until Tuesday? To experience it?"

[cacophonish]

He should look into what's going on. He should back off from Bash, because he's from Bash's future, and this is Bash's past, and what if he's already fucked everything up, 'cause of the butterfly effect or whatever. He should... he should try and figure out if this is even real, or a dream, or... maybe something's fucking with him?

But he's not very smart, and he's no good at detective shit, and he never been able to say no, not when he's faced with the sweetest, gentlest, most beautiful temptation...

Jeff nods, a sweet, almost shy smile blooming on his face. There's something so innocent here, like... like this is the first meeting they should've had.

"Yeah... 'Til Tuesday."

What's the harm in saying yes? It's only temporary.

"If, um, you don't mind playing tour guide."

[midnightroads]

"I don't mind at all. Not for someone sweet as you." And just like that, all the awkwardness melts away. "You're still in to watch the stars tonight? Tree's good for climbing; if you do, you can see the giraffes sometimes. Though this time of night, they're probably asleep."

[cacophonish]

At the mention of giraffes, Jeff cannot contain the boyish excitement that lights up his face.

"There's giraffes in the park?" Okay, somebody hasn't heard of Audubon Zoo, so yeah, Jeff's just picturing giraffes roaming the park like in one of those roadside safaris, only, like, not depressing. "I'm still game! I mean, the last time I was here, I was mostly wasted when I wasn't doing gigs, and, um, I... I know we just met, you know, but I wanna see the city the way you see it."

[midnightroads]

"Then grab the king cake, and let's go. You're in the front seat this time, I'm not turning all the way around every time I want to look at you."

Which is going to be a lot, he can already tell.

The drive is magical, how can it not be? Bash makes a point of finding a couple pre-1995 songs on his iPod, playing them so Jeff can sing along now.

[cacophonish]

How many times has Jeff fantasized about a moment like this? Riding with Bash at night, laughing, chatting, singing along to tunes, it's like something reached into his heart and found a wish to grant. This had felt so impossible for so long, especially once they landed on the ship. At least in Duplicity, there was a whole city to wander, even if it was a cold, miserable, hostile place.

But this... whatever's going on, this is right. It's magical and perfect and again, he finds himself fighting to stay level. A part of him wants so badly to just collapse against Bash and cry in relief.

(But is this his Bash? Or is his Bash lost somewhere?)