TRP: Goro and Joan (Counseling)

## Setting

It's been a full day since Diva died. Takes place after Goro has lunch in the Crooked Coin and ran into Larkin.

Joan made her way back up the hill to Mishka's estate slowly, tired from walking. Her sword was heavy on her hip and her boots were dusty, and her arm was tired from clapping people on the shoulder, and her throat hurt from talking. The guild headquarters were wrecked. Whole place, licked clean by looters. Her office was fucked up, too, by those fucking paladins who'd dragged her off. Joan ground her teeth. The few Graverunners she'd found kept looking at her uncomfortably and talking about how they needed a break and were thinking about retiring or taking up a quieter profession. Ombre was gone, as far as she could tell. She closed her eyes. She felt tired. Maybe she outta retire, too.

Lina

Goro had been pacing by the front steps of the house, but when he spotted Joan approaching he stood still. He didn't look well. Dark circles around his eyes, a squinty expression like the daylight bothered him. He was hunched with one arm hugging his side. He held the other arm up to wave to her. "'Bout damn time."

Coyote

Joan slowed a bit, but kept her pace even. Goro kept moving like a startled cat whenever people got close to him too quickly. She hadn't spoken to him, really, since that moment in the dreamscape, where he'd vanished without a word after her little speech. She paused at the steps. "You need something?" Cautiously.

Lina

"Just wanted to let you know I bought passage on a ship to the Sanctuary. Sails out this evening. There's room for one more, if you want to come. To see her, I mean." Goro had already packed everything he'd need in a small bag. Waiting for the ship to leave was making him antsy. He'd even tried to get a crewmember to let him see the captain so he could talk them into leaving sooner, but that hadn't gone anywhere.

Coyote

"Oh, fuck yeah. Yeah, I--" Amari had been pretty insistent about Joan retiring, or taking a break, or something, the last time Joan had... seen her. And Joan had said: No, no, it's fine. Joan had insisted her job wasn't that dangerous and the Graverunners were handling most of everything. She'd insisted Amari was worrying over nothing and dismissed her. She'd said she was ready for anything it was fine, she could handle anything. God, Amari was going to be pissed. "Yeah," Joan said. "That sounds... good. I ought to." There wasn't really any explaining this. Amari wasn't going to forgive her for this one. Amari might just fucking leave, this time.

Lina

Goro frowned at her. It was a weird reaction; she seemed... hesitant, or concerned, or both. "She's fine, you know. I got a message to her using this new spell I learned. She's not hurt or anything."

Coyote

"Yeah, no. I figured. That whole fuckin' superstition about Eldath striking people down who fuck around in the Sanctuary, that, uh, I'm pretty sure that's true." Joan changed topics as fast as she could. She eyed him. "You look like shit. What's wrong with you?"

Lina

"Diva."

Coyote

"Oh. Yeah. Should we, uh. Go? We oughta let the others know, I guess." The sooner she got to the Sanctuary, the sooner Amari could tell her to fuck off and it'd be done and over with.

Lina

"I left a note. Just get your things and we'll go." It occurred to him she probably didn't have any things in the vicinity. "Or we could just... go." He hadn't wanted to tell Nixie he was leaving in person. He was afraid she'd ask to come with, and then he'd have to find a way to turn her down without hurting her feelings. He just... needed to do this alone. Or with Joan. Joan was fine. They headed to the docks and boarded the ship with the other passengers. The port wasn't exactly operating at its usual level of activity, but there were a lot of people bound for the Sanctuary for whatever reason. Most of them subdued, though. It was largely quiet on board, and no trouble for the two of them to find an out-of-the-way spot on deck to settle down for the evening. Goro sat and used the railing as a backrest. He looked Ripley up and down. "How's being back from the dead? You all good as new, or need some fixing up still?"

Coyote

Joan searched for the right words. It was quiet. It was good. Wistfully, she wished she'd gotten to speak to Io; she might have been able to, if her death had been more... permanent. "I'm good. I'm always good," she said. "No fixin' needed. Hey, uh, I'm gonna be honest. Goro, your mom is gonna lose her shit at me when I get back there. Do you, uh. Want to. Talk to her first? Before she sees me? Or. You can go afterwards, once she's done tossing things at me."

Lina

Goro stared at her for a while, unspeaking. "I have never, in fourteen and a half years, seen Amari lose her shit. Can I watch?"

Coyote

Joan choked out a laugh. "Ain't like I can throw you out. Sure, go ahead." She felt restless on the ship, like she was waiting for a storm.

Lina

"I feel guilty now. That was a poorly timed joke. She's not gonna lose her shit, Joan. Come on. Why would she?"

Coyote

Joan shook her head. She opened her mouth to talk a couple times, but nothing came out. She put her head in her hands and didn't say anything.

Lina

"Hey, uh." Shit. "What's wrong? Something happen?" God, just what he wanted, to play marital counselor for Joan and Amari. Except, well, he kind of did, in the sense that he couldn't not do it. They had to be alright.

Coyote

"Yeah, see. Here's the thing." Joan kept her head down. "You, uh-- you remember about three and half weeks ago? That law? Mikhail Haeth actually went to Amari and told her about this law ahead of time, trying to get the information to me, and I went to his estate and told him to fuck off. And Amari and I had this whole fucking talk about how... about how I out to retire and keep my head down. She kept saying over and over again she didn't want to be in a relationship with somebody who... y'know. Who-- kept doing stupid shit and almost getting killed." Amari hadn't used those words. Amari had been way more polite. But that was the gist. "And I told her she was being silly and my work wasn't that dangerous anymore," Joan said. She hesitated. "And then, uh. And then I got arrested, and you guys dragged me back to the ship-- thanks, by the way, that was badass, loved it-- and she went downstairs with me? She gave me another talk. And I said no no, getting arrested wasn't that big of a deal, everything was fine. She... fucking cried, Goro. And I was a dick about it." And then the apocalypse had happened, and it turned out Joan was totally fucking wrong and Amari was right.

Lina

Goro didn't get a lot of glimpses into what their relationship was like--he didn't particularly want them--so this information was new and, somehow, unsettling. It was weird, but he'd never really considered the fact that they might argue before. They got along so well when he was around the two of them. "That, uh... that sounds pretty bad. Let me guess, that was where Mishka and I teleported into the room, and hosted you, and you stabbed her?" Oh, well fucking done, Goro. Sensitive man of the hour, sitting right here. He rushed on to try and fix it. "Listen, Joan. If Amari can be a goddamn bottomless well of forgiveness and patience for a shitter like me, I know she can find it in her to give you another chance. You're gonna apologize, right? Admit you were wrong? Hell, even I never got that far, most of the time."

Coyote

Joan laughed when he said the thing about Mishka stabbing her. "Yep. Right fucking then. And then--" And then a weird shopkeeper Joan was barely concerned about possessed her body and forced her to stab the love of her life in front of the woman's own fucking adopted son. Out of nowhere. Over a grudge Joan didn't even know existed. It was a fucking Tuesday. "And yes," Joan said. "I am, in fact, going to grovel and explain ten million ways I was wrong and it isn't going to fucking help, Goro." She shut her eyes again, dug her fingers in her hair. Joan had always been good at wrecking things. "We'd had this conversation a dozen times before. I mean, fuck. I'd quit now if that's what she wants, but..." It was hard to explain, and Joan had never been good with words. If someone had to threaten to leave to get their partner to change, that wasn't a particularly good relationship, Joan figured. And it took the fucking apocalypse for Joan to admit she was wrong, apparently.

Lina

Goro debated hugging her, or patting her on the back or something, but... hell, she was having a moment, and he was afraid he'd make it worse if he tried to be too comforting. Was hard to watch her struggle like that, though. "Look, Joan. I'm not saying this to try and make you feel better, or whatever. I'm just telling you the honest to god truth, which is that there's been about a million times I thought I'd pushed Amari too far, thought it was going to be the last straw. Got to a point where--ah fuck, you're gonna think I'm nuts but I'm just gonna say it. Half the time I was looking forward to her ditching me. Just 'cause I figured it was bound to happen someday, and it was going to hurt, so I needed to get it out of the way. You don't know the half of it, what a little shit I was to her. And it never drove her away. Never. That woman, she's... I don't know, she's not fucking normal, is what, but at least it's not normal in a good way." He watched Joan carefully, waiting to see if any of that had sunk in.

Coyote

Huh. Joan stared at him. That thing he said, about. Looking forward to being ditched. That... made a lot of sense. Joan looked over his life for a moment-- the Temple of Io, the shitty things she did by herself to provoke Io into abandoning her, to prove she was no good-- Huh. Joan cleared her throat and looked away. That actually did help a lot. Amari was freakishly forgiving in a way that.... god, Joan just loved so fucking much. The woman didn't seem human. Well, she wasn't, technically, she was a half-elf, but that was besides the point. "Yeah, alright," Joan said in a low voice. "Alright."

Lina

Thank god, that had blown over. Now he just had to hope he was actually right about this. Like, yeah, Amari had an endless well of patience for him. But what if she'd... used it up, or something, and had none left for Joan? Didn't seem likely, and he sure as hell wasn't going to mention the thought, but yeah. They sat for a few moments in silence. Goro had a lot of shit he wanted to talk to her about. It had just been piling up the last few weeks, while she was unavailable. It was hard to know where to start. "I have a few things to ask you. Or tell you."

Coyote

"Shoot," Joan said.

Lina

"Uh, fuck, let's see." He scratched the back of his head. "I made friends with the Prince, in the dreamscape. Neat, right?"

Coyote

Joan stared at Goro. "You... made friends with... you met...?"

Lina

"Yeah. What, you never ran into her?"

Coyote

"No. No, I have never met the Prince."

Lina

"I didn't even really have to try hard to find her. Had a chat with her and her brother, on a beach. He was a little hard to win over. Kind of a straight edge, you know? Well, maybe you don't know, you're that way too. But the Prince, now, she was a canny little mothe--" He stopped himself, deciding not to use vulgarities when describing a child. Really, though. "She was more my speed. Anyway, I think you should make friends with Basil. He'd like you. Mishka can introduce you, maybe. I don't know, we'll figure something out. But we're all gonna be pals, I've got that much in mind."

Coyote

Joan laughed. "Yeah, alright." She shook her head. It sounded crazy, but so did everything Goro said. "I'll meet 'im and talk to him, I guess. Can't promise I'll be any good at it."

Lina

"You will. Like I said, you're both straight edges. Just--trust me." He already knew she did, for whatever twisted reason. And that brought him to the next thing. "Renar Basha. Your thoughts?"

Coyote

"Needs to die?" Joan said. She felt like that was the wrong answer, but hey, fuck it, just being honest.

Lina

He grimaced. "Eh, not so fast. Here's the thing. I've been keeping my feelers out, and that asshole's scary as fuck. You don't want to get on his bad side, or that's a one-way ticket to the bottom of the harbor. You don't want to get on his good side, because then you're beholden to him. Best to avoid him entirely, I think. Until--" He held up a finger. "Until you can catch him so quietly and so unawares, his whole network is stunned and in disarray the next morning after his sudden and unexpected heart failure in his sleep. Do you get what I'm saying, here?"

Coyote

Ripley kicked up her feet on a barrel. "Y'know, that Larkin woman is related to him, though. I imagine she'd figure shit out."

Lina

"She sure fucking would. And she's loyal to him. I'm talking fucking rock-solid loyalty, there, and I don't really understand it. I can try to talk her out of it in time, but ooh boy, I sensed that I was stepping into some dangerous territory last time I brought it up. Point is, I'm not sure how we can hurt the Basha without also hurting Larkin. And I don't want to hurt Larkin." He shook his head. "I agree that he needs to die, Joan, but listen. Step carefully around him for now. You get me?"

Coyote

"Sure, yeah. I get you."

Lina

"Alright, what else." He rested his head on the railing and closed his eyes. "What are your thoughts on your employees dating each other?"

Coyote

"Fucking don't," Joan said automatically without really thinking about it. Team cohesion took a serious hit when people were having romantic arguments and such. Then she straightened up, squinting at him suspiciously. "Why? Who's dating?"

Lina

"Uh." He laughed weakly and rubbed his forehead. Damn, he kind of regretted asking now. He couldn't not tell her.

Coyote

"I mean, I know about Mishka and Hansel," she said, waving her hand, "but Mishka's not really a Runner, even though I do think that's kinda--" She wanted to use the word 'fucked,' but maybe that was too strong. She really fucking liked Hansel, and she didn't particularly enjoy the idea of Mikhail Haeth fucking with Hansel's head. Then again-- Well. None of her business. Then there was Nixie. Nixie could be dating someone. Not the tortle, though. And probably not Larkin Basha. She had the vague idea Nixie preferred men. Or-- Oh, hang on. Larkin. Larkin? Ripley mentally backed up the conversation in her head. Goro could talk Larkin out of being loyal, he'd said. He didn't want to hurt Larkin, he said. "Goro. For fuck's sake. Basha? You? And Larkin Basha."

Lina

He snorted, and burst out laughing. Ah, fuck, it was agony on his rib, but it felt good otherwise. Once he'd gotten ahold of himself, he relaxed against the railing again, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "No, Joan. Not Larkin." He let out a long breath. Prodded at the sore rib. "I, uh. I think I'm in love with Nixie."

Coyote

"Oh thank god." Larkin was fucking great, but Ripley was a bit fucking terrified of Renar Basha uncomfortable with the Basha family. Better to handle that problem from a distance. Then she replayed what Goro just said. "Oh no. No. Goro. That's-- that's Mishka's goddamn apprentice. You know she's probably like him, right? Nobody's that goddamn cute. She's obviously some kind of manipulative genius. It's been two months and she's got you convinced you love her! She leaves a trail of poor heartbroken fucks behind her all the time." She shook Goro's shoulder. Squinted at his eyes. "What, she use some kind of magic on you?"

Lina

"Joan, what... what the fuck. No. How much time have you spent around her, exactly? She... she is that cute." The thought of Nixie being a manipulative genius made him laugh again. "I'm the manipulative genius, Joan. Me. And yeah, she's fucking got me. With the magic of... being a good person, or something."

Coyote

He looked so serious. Joan's heart melted a bit. She put her face in her hands to cover a smile. "Ah, fuck it," she said, and pounded him on the back. "Yeah, okay. I'm happy for you. You're in love with her? That's crazy. That's-- great." She paused. "I mean," Joan said. "I'm still convinced she's a twisted mastermind and you're gonna get your heart broken. But... in the meantime. I'm happy for you." Besides, maybe that the sort of relationship Goro was into, or something.

Lina

He winced when she hit him. "Ah. Thanks. Anyway, I was gonna say, if you have an issue with the two of us being together... well, fuck you. I quit."

Coyote

Joan straightened up. "Aw no. No, don't do that. Shit, Goro, I didn't mean to say that. You can. I can't stop you." She hesitated. "Look. The things is-- relationships don't always turn out pretty. Sometimes there's moments where you're... really angry at the other person. Sometimes for very justified reasons. And when you're working together as a team, you can't let that shit get to you. Imagine if she slept with someone else in the party and you got jealous-- maybe that person gets hurt in the next battle. Maybe you pretend you don't see them get hurt, maybe you don't help them as much as you should. Shit like that. Or maybe... I mean, lots of things could happen. You need to stick with your team, regardless. That's all. Can you do that?" Sugar was a very pretty girl, and extremely charming. And an excellent sorceress, to boot. Goro was probably going to have some tough competition.

Lina

Goro looked askance at her for a while. "This is why I'm quitting." He clasped his hands together behind his head, closed his eyes, and smiled. "You're on your own, Joan. Good luck with the prince, and all that."

Coyote

Joan felt her face go slack. She leaned back and away again. "Oh," she managed. She tried to regain her composure a moment, but just fucking failed. She tried to hide the hurt on her face, but she probably fucked that up, too. Shaking her head, she got up and started to walk away.

Lina

"Joan! For fuck's sake, ah, god damn it." He pushed himself to his feet and grabbed her shoulder before she could get away. "I'm just fucking with you, come on." He kept his hand on her shoulder and gave it a shake. He felt the urge to hug her or something, but... nah. "Come on."

Coyote

"Oh." She was overwhelmed with relief. "Uh." She paused. "Well, good. That's really-- that's great. Thank god. I mean, good. Just good. Listen, this is way too many fucking feelings for me today. I just woke up from being dead, like, basically goddamn yesterday. Can we... can we just have a drink and--" She waved her hand. "And not talk about--" More motions.

Lina

Oh, fuck it. He went for it. He gave her a hug, grabbing her and squeezing tight.

Coyote

For a long moment, Joan did nothing. All tense. Then: "Ah fuck," she muttered. She patted him awkwardly on the back. A passing toddler stopped to stare at them, and Joan flipped the kid off behind Goro's back. "Listen, I'm still gonna like you even if your mom just fucking leaves me. I want you to know that, you little shit. I am real goddamn attached to you."

Lina

Doing this was hell on his rib, so he eased off a little. But before he let go--almost like it wouldn't count if he did it during the hug--he said, "I missed you." That was the other thing he'd wanted to tell her. He let go and backed off, straightening his clothes and scowling. "But, yeah, whatever. You just know I'm on the market for a better employer, should one come courting me. Don't take me for granted, alright?" Then he tried to smile, to show he didn't really mean it, but also he was trying to balance out the awkwardness of the hug so he wanted to mean it, so really just a bunch of twitches passed over his face.

Coyote

"I missed you too," Ripley said, and sat back down. She took out her flask and offered it. "So tell me more about this conversation with the Warmaster and the Prince..."

[END]