TRP: Goro and Diva (Host Ripley)

## Setting

Some time after the events of The Black Minute-Glass.

It was hard to know when the sun went down when you never left your windowless room. Goro waited until Sugar knocked, trying to offer him dinner. Then he waited another hour or two. Carefully, quietly, he moved the furniture away from his door. Undid the locks and alarms. Took a peek, and sneaked out. It being nighttime was no guarantee of not running into one of his crewmates, but he got lucky and made it to the deck unseen. The sun had gone down, but not many stars were out yet. He took a small black stone out of his pocket--the one he'd claimed was a scrying eye. (His left pocket. The vials were in his right pocket. If they'd been in the left one... if he'd felt them...) He whispered a prayer over the rock and a bright light shone from it, illuminating the deck. He shoved it away again, and everything went dark. He went ashore and walked toward the shop, pausing at every corner to check for followers.

Jen:

Larkin had tried all the usual things she did when she was distressed. Being alone in a dark corner hadn't helped. Getting shitfaced in her favourite speakeasy had done wonders to blunt some of the sharper edges of her guilt - at least until she'd thrown up into a canal. Now she sat perched on a roof, the warm bricks of a chimney against her back, staring down at the shop. What if they had never gone in there? None of this would have happened - at least not to them. She imagined herself climbing down there, picking the lock and sneaking in. Knife in hand, the blade coated with the nastiest kind of poison she could get. Silly wishful thinking. And yet, she couldn't take her eyes off it. Suddenly, there was movement inside the alley. Larkin sat up straighter and shifted a few inches closer to the roof's edge to get a better look. Someone was at Diva's door. Someone whose face she couldn't see but who moved like... Goro?

Coyote:

When Goro walked in, the shop was different. It was more cluttered. There were vials of larvae scattered everywhere throughout the shop. The curtains still hung heavy on the windows, though, and the place felt enormous and closed in at the same time. The weirder magic objects had been re-arranged. The shop was empty, and no one was there. Diva's over-stuff chaise lounge sat empty. There were two open doorways, though, each leading further inside the ship. One was covered by strands of beads.

Lina:

Goro walked halfway into the room, stepping carefully. He eyed one doorway, then the other. "Helloooo?" he called sweetly.

Jen:

Larkin was halfway down the building when she stopped to consider what she was doing. She had wanted to talk to Goro since the incident but had been too afraid of how he might react. And now she was about to sneak after him and eavesdrop? To see if everything is clear. To make sure Diva doesn't kill him on the spot. To help, if need be. Yeah, sure. She dropped the last few feet down to the paving stones, landing silently, then crossed over to Diva's shop door. She just had to know what was going on. Standing beside the door to not get hit in case it suddenly opened, she leaned in and listened.

Coyote:

The back room was an enormous bedroom with a couch, a shelf of books, and piles of dried herbs and poisons. Ripley reclined on a couch. She sat slumped over, arm around her waist. Ripley was still badly hurt. The worst of her wounds were closed when Goro healed them yesterday, but she still had two missing fingers and badly bruised ribs. She looked worse off now, a new gash on her arm, more bruises on her shoulder, like someone had swung something at her. Like she'd been out fighting. Ripley didn't move or look up. Her wet black eyes were only half-open, zoned out into space. She didn't move even when Goro called out. Her face twisted in a slight frown. She wore her sword at her waist, still. Ripley was armed.

Lina:

Goro approached Ripley, still checking to make sure he wasn't going to step on any vials. Accidentally, anyway. He bent over and peered into Ripley's eyes. Waved his hand back and forth in front of her face.

Coyote:

In an instant, Ripley seemed to snap back to herself. Her eyes widened. And at first it seemed startled, and angry, and it shrank back against the couch. Bared its teeth. Then she saw it was only Goro, and it smiled. "Goro, darling," the host said. It was Ripley's body, but the voice was Diva's, all sugary sweet. "How can I help you, valued customer?" The fingers on Ripley's right hand were clenched tight, white-knuckled. The host didn't even seem aware of it.

Lina:

"Hey, gorgeous." Goro straightened up and smiled. A sickly smile, and his eyes were bloodshot. He gestured at the clutter around them. "Love what you've done with the place. Are you enjoying your new ride? Looks a little beat-up."

Coyote:

The host looked irritated when Goro said: Are you enjoying your new ride? It's face twisted in anger. But the host bit its tongue. The host sat up. The movements of this host were a little bit different, a little bit more stiff. "Do you need something?" she said. "How can I assist? It's been such a pleasure doing business with you."

Jen:

Larkin held her breath to better hear but it didn't help much. The sound was too muffled. She thought she'd heard Goro say "Ripley" but wasn't sure. Damn. They must be in the back. She eyed the door and the windows, then the corner of the shop. Rounding it, she found another window that was blocked as well but seemed closer to what had to be Diva's back rooms.

Lina:

"Oh, it sure has, hasn't it?" he said. "An absolute joy, from start to finish. But wait, we're not actually finished yet, are we? You'll have to forgive me for not counting, as I was a little distracted. How many seconds do I still owe you?"

Coyote:

The host's eyes moved to a small minute-glass sitting on the bedside table.. The minute glass was almost empty. It sat in stasis as if by magic, a small amount of black sand trapped in the top. "Eighteen, honey." She could use the eighteen seconds to force him to stand still. There were vials in the room. She could force one into his mouth. It was too risky, though. She only had eighteen seconds left. This host was.... difficult. Her new body fit wrong, didn't want her. There was a furious undercurrent of sheer rage and relentless fury in the back of her head. The human woman was relentless. It was giving her a headache. The puppet strings on this one were stiff. She wasn't sure if she could use this body to force-feed Goro a larva. It didn't want to move fast enough. Better to sit still, for now.

Lina:

Goro made an exaggerated pout. "I'm disappointed, though, love. I hoped we were both playing fair, but I feel like you cheated. Where'd those vials in my pocket come from, huh? You must've snuck them in."

Coyote:

"Cheated?" Diva said, and her face twisted up with rage. "I follow the rules," she spat. Some of the headache was bleeding out. It was hard to hold back all the rage this body felt. Her eyes glittered with triumph. "I was going to make another deal with you. I was going to have you carry the vials. But you had to make it difficult, you weasly, nasty, tricksy little mortal. You had to make it harder. You had to tell people things." "So I made a deal with someone else," she hissed. "Someone better. Someone willing to do as he was told. Did you like what I did? It took some waiting."

Lina:

"Oh, I loved it. So clever. So surprising." He leaned in close, looking straight into her black eyes, his teeth bared. "Who?"

Coyote:

"What will you give me?" Ripley said.

Lina:

"What the fuck more do you want?"

Coyote:

She wet her lips. "One of your friends. I'll let you pick. I have more vials."

Lina:

"Aw, Diva. You're my friend. Does that count?"

Coyote:

"I already have this friend." Her voice was gloating. "I don't need you to give it to me again."

Lina:

"What if I gave you something in exchange for letting her go? Alive. What would you want for that?"

Coyote:

She wet her lips again. Her mind blazed through several possibilities. This body was difficult. She was sick of it. It was strong, but hard to wield. He didn't know that, though, didn't know the headache it was giving her. What if she could get something better? Something stronger? What was stronger? She wanted a baby again. She missed Greed, the child she created deep underground, the one the hideous little dwarves killed. But this one, this warlock, wasn't strong enough to warp yet, wasn't powerful enough to infect the right way. She needed to keep working on him. So not a baby, then. Another host, a stronger host, or... one as good. "There's a kitsune," Ripley said. "I will take that one instead. And let this one go." She hated letting things go. She'd only done it once between, and it felt sickening, like cutting off a piece of her. One something was her it was HERS.

Lina:

Goro took a few steps back, rolling his eyes. "You make some shitty offers, you know that? But hey, I get it. You're trying your best, just like the rest of us. I'm not giving you anyone else's body, Diva. They're not mine to make deals with. I'm starting to get concerned that you and me, well, that our interests are incompatible. Sad, ain't it? I'd love to find a way. But you have to stop infecting my buddies. Except whoever the fuck it was you made that other deal with. Hey, just give me a hint, how about that?"

Coyote:

She thought, rapidly, of all the things she could ask for. She wanted something. Anything. She wanted to tell him, but she couldn't resist the urge to get something from it. I want a hand. I want you cut off your hand, slowly, finger by finger, and give it to me. I want the ring. "I want the ring," she said out loud. "Or I want your hand, finger by finger. And I'll give you a name."

Lina:

"You think a name is worth my hand, really? Wow. I guess you've still got a lot to learn about people, and how they think." He shakes his head and smiles. "The ring. The ring that I traded sixty seconds of my life for, which you used to start destroying everything I hold dear. You think I'm going to trade that back for a name." He starts laughing, throws his head back and smacks his leg. "God, you dumb bitch."

Coyote:

Words had no effect on her. It was pleasing, actually, to hear him call her those words. He looked sick, in human terms. There were shadows under his bloodshot eyes. It felt hideously satisfying to see this human so wrecked. She'd already won. Why not enjoy it? "It was the empty one," Diva said. She remembered the way his mind felt. The one with long hair. There was a jittery nervousness to it, a high-strung compulsive attitude. But underneath that was just blankness. There were two mortals he cared about: She could remember the memory from his head clearly, a girl, then the half-orc the sorcerer wanted, Granger. "He had long hair," Diva said. Not enough details. She wanted to see him guess it. She remembered the mortal's name (Jonn Sterling) but this one, this Goro Flatflower, was fun.

Lina:

Goro frowned, putting it together. A man with long hair. Empty. What did that mean? He thought first of Mishka, but that couldn't be. Unless Mishka did it not realizing he'd wind up infected, himself. It was possible, then. Or... Raef? Goro didn't know him well, but wouldn't say he gave off the energy of someone who'd make deals with an eldritch abomination to fuck over his own teammates. Narrow it down, he told himself. There'd been nothing in his pockets that morning; he'd checked. It had to have been someone he saw that day. Who else was there? Jonn, and Raef's weird friend. They both had long hair. But empty? What did that mean? "Empty," he muttered aloud. He wasn't going to push his luck by asking. He was pleased enough she'd given him a clue without him having to give her anything. He narrowed his eyes at her, and took a step closer. "You know, seeing her again now--your new host, I mean--I'm noticing what a shoddy job I did patching her up before." He moved even closer, craning his head from side to side. "I wonder if I could maybe... you know, I work best with a bit more light to see by. I hope you don't mind if I..." He reached into his pocket and removed the stone he'd enchanted before with bright light, holding it directly in front of her face.

Coyote:

Her over-sensitive black eyes let every bit of light in. It was too much, all at once. It burned. Blinded her. It didn't hurt her physically, though. She threw out her mental net, scrambling to try and use her mind to see mentally instead, but his head was a blank spot. That fucking ring. And for a split second, in her distraction, she lost her grip. The body's hand reached out and caught Goro by the arm, gripping it tight. "Hey," Diva heard her body say. She felt its lips move even though she couldn't control it. The voice was different. It wasn't Diva's voice. (HER BODY HER BODY HERS, HOW DARE THIS BITCH). "Goro," the body said. "You did fine. You're fine. You got this." And then Diva screamed and focused every ounce of her willpower on shoving it down, getting control again. She body shuddered. And in an instant, the host went quiet.

Lina:

Goro stumbled backwards, enclosing the rock in his palm and turning the room dim again. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide, but after a breath, he caught himself and put on his regular careless expression. Still took him a minute longer to recover enough to speak. "Huh. Well. You know, on second thought, she looks alright. The... the body, I mean." He gave Diva a pained grin. "Well, darling, I hate to duck out so early, especially when we've been having such an enlightening chat. I haven't eaten all day, though, and there's some nice turnip stew waiting for me at home. Thank you for everything, though. Eighteen seconds. Shit, I can't wait. Don't leave me waiting too long." He backed slowly out of the room.

Coyote:

Ripley didn't move, crumpled over on the couch, clutching her head. Her breathing eased, then relaxed as Goro left the shop.

[Continued in Goro and Larkin]