The rough shape of a mongoose makes Taako regret looking, but he finds that he cannot take his eyes away. He swears he can feel the knife whittling away at his emotional barriers, and it’s hell, because Magnus will be gone soon, maybe not of his own choosing, maybe he’ll be old and gray and wrinkly ( please, Istus, let that be how it happens ), but it will happen, and it will be before Taako has even realized so much time has passed. At least Merle will stick around for longer, statistically, but in some way it fucking sucks that the cycles have ended. Sure, it felt endless and depressing and it was as if someone just hit ‘ reset ‘ on their lives every year, and that they had nothing to show for that year, but at least they had each other.
Every moment his barriers are lowered is another moment that will come back to haunt him in the future. No thanks! Taako’s good in here.
Stubbornly clinging onto whatever hope he has of not caring ( it’s slim to none, but it’s not the first time he’s lied to himself; he’s actually getting pretty good at it ), he shrugs, as though Magnus’ words are just words. The bracelet still swirls around in Taako’s hand. “You’re really into nature, huh?” he notes, as though they haven’t known each other for a century. “Guess we could do that, as long as Merle doesn’t get gross about it, because if he does? Taako’s out.” He flat-out ignores the earlier question, because, sure, it’s weird, but please do show him an instance of Tres Horny Boys doing anything in an orthodox way.
The comment about Merle startles a genuine barking laugh from Magnus’ lips and he shakes his head fondly. “Oh man, remember the vines in Goldcliff? I still wake up screaming about that sometimes.” There’s nothing, and he means nothing, more deeply unsettling than hearing your friend dirty talk some plants. In all his one hundred plus years of life he doesn’t think he can think of a single experience that quite matched up to that one. He wouldn’t change it thought, not in another hundred years. It may have been weird and gross, but that was Merle, and Magnus loved him so much it made his chest ache a little.
Even though he’s not laughing anymore a smile stays settled on his lips as he starts working on the fine details of the mongoose. Maybe the future is going to be different and a little emptier without Merle and Taako around all the time, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bad. They have their stones of farspeach, he can get a couple of dogs, the IPRE crew can meet up whenever they need too...it can work. It will work, he just needs to convince Taako of that.
“Okay I promise I’ll make Merle be on his best behaviour, but you have to come visit. I’d miss you too much if you didn’t and besides, once we have it all rebuilt Ravensroost is amazing. I’ve been thinking, laying out some designs, and I think with some help I might be able to get it even better than it was before....before, uh...before-?” he trails off, the somehow both familiar and alien feeling of static making his mind itch. There’s something there that he just can’t get his hand on, and to be honest he doesn’t know if he wants to. He forces some cheer back into his voice. “Well y’know, make it better than it was in-in the past.”
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