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The Bizarre Friendship of James and Maahes



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Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:40 am
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Mageheart says...



The Bizarre Friendship of James and Maahes

A story by @Saen and @soundofmind


James is not having a good time. He's been fired from his last job, and now he's somehow managed to get himself caught by a group of bounty hunters that want the large reward that's on his head. Now tied up to a tree, James is pretty sure that this is it - and the taunts of the bounty hunters that caught him certainly aren't improving his mood.

Maahes is also not having a good time. He's just arrived at a bustling planet in search of a best friend he's beginning to lose hope in finding, and accidentally stumbles across an ancient artifact that transported him to a completely differently world - one that, weirdly enough, looks familiar.

But even though the two are completely miserable, luck is apparently on their side. The two have met several times before in increasingly bizarre circumstances, and are just who they're both in desperate need of.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:38 am
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soundofmind says...



James


Laughter filled the night as the three friends sat around a crackling campfire, feasting on their freshly cooked deer. The smell carried in the air over to one James, watching the three bounty hunters cheerfully eat from his spot by the tree. He shifted his shoulders beneath the tightly bound ropes securing him to the large trunk and he swallowed the collecting drool in his mouth in discomfort. He hadn't eaten in days, and the smell somehow managed to simultaneously make him painfully aware of the emptiness in his stomach and cause him to feel a sickening nausea.

As he recoiled into himself and looked up to the dark, starry sky, one of the bounty hunters took notice and leaned over to her friend. She whispered something that James couldn't understand. He still didn't know the name of her two companions, but he knew who she was. Her name was Isa and she'd become a very successful bounty hunter in the past year, and was known for working with partners.

Her bright green eyes flickered over to him with a mischievous glance as she continued to whisper to her friends: another woman considerably taller than them, and a smaller man with long dreads pulled back. When she finally stopped her quiet mumblings she stood up with her curly-haired bob swishing around her face.

"Tiberius," she drawled, as if the elongation of the name made it sting his ears more.

James didn't look at her, predicting her next response.

"Look at me while I'm talking to you," she said more harshly.

James obliged, looking over to her with an eye roll. She was walking up to him with a strip of meat in her hands, holding it up as if to show it off. Involuntarily, his stomach made a pitiful squelch of a growl. Isa smirked.

"Seems like you're hungry. Want some?" she said as she crouched down in front of him, holding the meat just in front of his face.

James squinted his eyes up at Isa, doubtful of her offer. That made her pout with a mock expression, acting as if she were hurt. The pout faded in a second though, and was replaced by a dead-eyed stare.

"Go on. Eat."

James's squint became a glare. He slowly reached his neck out to take a bite, and the moment he went to grab it she pulled it away. James's mouth closed in a contemptful frown as his glare intensified. Predictable. She was like countless other bounty hunters. If they didn't have the pleasure of killing him - with him being wanted alive - they took pleasure in humiliating him.

"C'mon, I said take a bite," she taunted, again moving the meat within reach.

James looked past her. Beyond her mildly entertained friends. Into the forest. He was done entertaining her.

"I said take a bite," she insisted. He continued to ignore her. She shoved it in his face. He looked back at her, not moving even with her hand holding meat to his mouth.

"If I'm going to eat it'll be with my own d*mn hands," he spat.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:45 am
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Mageheart says...



Maahes


When he came to, the first thing he wanted to do was throw up into the nearest bush. This was a problem for multiple reasons - he didn't want to be overheard by the people standing several feet away, he hadn't eaten in at least half a day, and he didn't even have the anatomy to throw up in the first place. So he just crouched down behind the bush he had appeared, essence twisting and churning in misery as he tried to figured out what had just happened to him.

He remembered a flash of light. That was a start. It had been bright. Too bright, from the way that his eyes stung now. And it happened while he was in those old ruins. This place didn't even resemble the area surrounding the town that had been built only a walking distance away from the remnants of the civilization that had come before it. He was starting to get a feeling of déjà vu. As he tried to get past his discomfort, he recalled that he had once touched a similar sort of device, and that device had brought him to a strange cave. That would be what, two years ago? Maybe a little less? He had visited countless planets after that, but it had been one of the more strange adventures of his.

He stared at the small device he was still clutching in his hand. It looked almost like one of the Asgard's control devices, with a curved end and a pointed end. Maybe it was an old piece of Asgard tech? He slipped it into pocket. He was starting to understand what he had done. He had placed that device down on the slot that seemed to match it, and had ended up here instead. If he was right, he needed to find something that looked just like the device in the ruins he had come from.

Not that it would be easy.

The nausea finally subsiding, Maahes peered over the bush at the group assembled. There were several people present. There was a group of three, and then a man tied up to a tree only a few feet away from their fire. He listened to their conversation. It was becoming more and more clear that they were bounty hunters. They didn't need to say anything about their occupation for him to know that. Vala had plenty after her, and he had been with her when she got caught one time. This trio had the same crudeness and sadism, and their prisoner must have been their quarry.

Three against one. The odds weren't terrible, but he wanted to assure that he could free the man and avoid getting injured in the crossfire. Luckily, he was a spirit, and that meant he could get just a bit more creative when he wanted to come up with an escape. He didn't even have to worry about keeping his guise consistent - this was another world, and he doubted he'd be near that man for long.

His outfit changed in the blink of an eye. The village clothes he had been using were replaced by much more rugged clothing - a old tunic, pants stained right at the near with a tear or two, and a scuffed pair of boots. A bandana around his neck was a nice little addition, so he threw that in as well. The last thing he did was add a scar running up his cheek - it made him look like he had been through many battles. (He had, but it was never easy to tell by looking at him.)

He took a step out from behind the bush.

"Hello," he said.

Then he immediately hated himself, because he just realized a crucial detail of his guise he had forgotten to change when he heard his own voice.

He was using the guise of a teenager.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:47 am
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soundofmind says...



James


Isa flung the stip of meat at the stranger while her two other friends immediately hopped to their feet and drew their weapons.

Isa pulled her gun. "Identify yourself. Who are you, kid?"

James looked over at the newcomer with disinterest and let out a sigh. At least the food game was over.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:54 am
Mageheart says...



Maahes


He held up a hand. Without so much as batting an eye, he caught the piece of meat. He was sure that it had its intended effect - it established that he had skill, and it established the possibility that he was like them. After all, why would he be reacting so calmly to this situation if he wasn't?

"I'm Adrion," he said, using the alias that Annie had created for him years ago. After all, he did look the part. "And I'd like in on his bounty."

He nodded in the man's direction.

While he did so, he caught a glimpse of the man's appearance. It had been hard to get a good look at him from his spot behind the bush, but now he was in clear view. And, strangely enough, he was sure that he had seen him somewhere before. Maybe he had visited this planet in the past?
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Aug 23, 2018 12:03 pm
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soundofmind says...



James


James let out an audible groan. "Oh for the love of-"

Isa's hand clamped over his mouth, her other still on her gun, which was trained on the intruder. "And why should we let you in on his bounty?" Isa asked, lip curling. "We've already caught him, and he's ours. You just want easy cash, you lazy scum. Go work for your own bounty."
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Aug 23, 2018 12:31 pm
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Mageheart says...



Maahes


According to the other members of SG-1, Maahes was terrible at improvising. He was inclined to agree. And while that might have normally spelled certain doom for this plan, he had an ace up his sleeve - he had been through this situation before, and already knew exactly what to do.

"Well," he started, casually striding forward and looking at the bounty hunters. He needed just the right angle. "I managed to follow your little group without any of you noticing. That has to count for something."

Ah. There it was. He came to a stop and rested one hand on his waist, the other going underneath his chin as if he was contemplating more reasons. He stood like that for a good couple of moments. Then he swiftly reached into his pocket, pulled out his zat'nik'tel, and shot the trio of bounty hunters in the quick succession. The three fell, paralyzed, to the ground.

"I'm also the one with the zat gun," he said. He walked over to the tree that the woman was standing beside and the man was tied to, and made quick work of his bonds. Once he finished doing that, he began the process of dragging the group of unconscious bounty hunters over to the tree's trunk.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:25 pm
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soundofmind says...



James


James stayed still as he watched the man shoot the three bounty hunters with a gun he'd never seen the liked of before. A chill of fear ran down his spine as the three fell limply to the ground, but when he stared at Isa in front of him, he realized that she was still breathing, and there were no bullet wounds. She was just... paralyzed.

This kind of technology does not belong on Nye, was the first thought that echoed through his mind as the stranger untied him from the tree. Somehow, there was a gun out there that shot something other than bullets, and left people paralyzed. He supposed... it wasn't entirely out of the question. He just hadn't expected something like that to surface so soon.

As Adrion began to drag the others together, James got up slowly, quickly grabbing a knife off of Isa, taking the one strapped to her thigh. Keeping the new bounty hunter in the corner of his sights, he briefly stretched his legs and arms and plopped down beside the fire. He didn't pay much mind as Adrion began to tie Isa and her friends to the same tree he'd been tied to. Instead, he brushed the sides of his face, where his side-burns were, with the tips of his fingers. Then he brought the knife to his face, pulled the skin on his cheek and jaw tight, and started to shave.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:55 pm
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Mageheart says...



Maahes


It wasn't hard to prop the bounty hunters up against the tree. They were light, relatively speaking. He had carried heavier people before. (Namely Teal'c on their last mission because, unfortunately, Cameron wasn't strong enough to do it and neither was Vala.) And tying them up also wasn't hard. They had been using an excessive amount of rope to keep their prisoner trapped against the tree, and he had taken the extra precaution in case they hadn't by not cutting the rope to free the aforementioned captive.

Who was now in the middle of shaving his sideburns.

Maahes stared at him. He was confused, and not just because the man's peculiar action. He recognized him. Now that the sideburns were gone, he could see the resemblance between him and someone else even more than before.

But he had never met a Tiberius before! At least, not a Tiberius who looked like that-

Oh.

Oh.

"You're James?"
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:43 am
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soundofmind says...



James


James froze for a split second mid-cut, before finishing the final stroke by his ear. He slowly looked over to Adrion with a slight look of confusion on his face. "I'm who now?"
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Fri Aug 24, 2018 10:29 am
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Mageheart says...



Maahes


"James," he repeated, more sure of it than before. It had been difficult to confirm when the man wasn't looking in his direction, but now he was looking right at him. He hadn't had hair like that in a long time - at least, not in his memories. His haircuts the last two times they had met had been longer rather than shorter, and he had had a good deal of facial hair.

This James didn't have that. But he didn't need to, not when Maahes had made sure to take note of his voice the last times they had met, and his overall body shape. James wasn't looking quite the same as he had, likely due to whatever he had gone through in the time they had been apart, but he knew that it was him. He was sure of it.

"You're James Hawke," he said again, this time adding on his last name. Rendra had called him that at the masquerade, and adding in his last name made this whole situation made it seem a little bit more real.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:26 am
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soundofmind says...



James


The innocence he's faked in his expression instantly disappeared when he heard his last name. He looked at Adrion, stare intensifying as he flipped the knife around in his hand.

"Okay Adrion," he said lowly. "Two things. One - you better hope those three over there-" he pointed with his knifeless hand. "-are out cold and can't hear you. Two. Who the hell are you, and what in Svida's blazes do you want?"
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:33 am
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Mageheart says...



Maahes


He kept his gaze on the knife, even as James pointed in the direction of the three bounty hunters. His essence was beginning to grow irritated. It wasn't to the point where he was seriously hurting, but it still bothered him. And if James brought that knife too close to him-

He didn't want to think about it. He had been careful to avoid silver and iron during this current mission of his. It hadn't been for a long period of time, but it was long enough for him to have grown used to the lack of the pain he experienced walking around Stargate Command.

"James, it's me," he said, taking a slow step away from his friend. "So, uh, please put that knife down."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:40 am
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soundofmind says...



James


James flipped the knife around in his hand again, watching as Adrion's gaze was glued to it. For being so confident with his gun moments before, he seemed awfully attentive of this little piece of metal.

A wry and impatient smile grew on his face. "That's not an answer, Adrion."
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Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:50 am
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Mageheart says...



Maahes


Hearing that name instead of his real name was just the reminder that he needed. James had no idea who he was. How could he? He had pretended to be a bounty hunter from Nye, and he hadn't even given one of the many names James had heard him use in the past. To make matters even worse, this current guise didn't look like any of the others he had used! So here he was, saying that he knew James - James, a person who frequently went by aliases, and a person who had a tendency to grow very alarmed and threatened when someone used his real name - when James didn't even recognize him.

Okay, time to get the truth across.

Of course, he should have expected that it wasn't going to be easy - he never quite knew how to address situations like this because they always took him by surprise. And he never was lucky enough to know that it was James when he first approached him, except if it was at the masquerade, ironically enough.

"I'm not a bounty hunter," he said. He took another step back, just to be on the safe side. James didn't strike him as the type who would suddenly threaten him with that knife, but he wasn't going to take any chances. "I was just acting - I figured out they were bounty hunters, so I tried doing something that I did once when Vala was caught by bounty hunters. It was just meant to be a distraction so I could get a chance to shoot at them. I'm not going to turn you in or anything like that and I'm sorry for using your real name again because I always forget that you're using an alias-"

Shoot.

This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go in the slightest.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.








Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.
— Samuel Butler