vatheon | (no subject)

Shhhhhhh, Gamzee, shhhhh...

[Signless gently nudges the young indigoblood with his shoulder. He doesn't even want to think about all the trauma and drama that went into getting Gamzee to agree to let Eridan be here at all, and he's so, so grateful that Demyx and Lea are here too. He's too exhausted to handle the two little highbloods on his own, and even knowing that Darkleer and Psii are watching from the rooftops, ready to intervene if things get messy, he's just tired. Touching the coral isn't the same as sleeping, and when this is done? Seriously, sleeping for a week.]

Don't fuss, we'll have Karkat here soon enough to tell us what happened, it'll be okay, I promise.

C'mon guys, let's not start this up again, please?

_{[With Signless on one side, Demyx opted to stick close to Eridan. He's actually surprised that Gamzee was actually allowing Eridan to be here, though even if he hadn't? Demyx probably would've brought the seadweller along anyways. It just would've been harder to keep things calm in that situation, so he was a little thankful that Signless convinced him. The sooner everything was solved, the sooner he'd be able to actually relax.]}

Let's just act civil so Karkat doesn't hafta worry too much. I don't think it'd be a good thing to freak him out the minute he comes back.

[When Karkat first appears, laying against the cobblestone of the Plaza, his eyes are not yet open. It's a slow process to make them do it; he feels like he's been sleeping for ages, but even deeper than that, somehow. His first wondering thought, following from that, is if he went back to the Veil again. But as he pushes up slowly, remembering how to work his limbs, things click into place.]

[He's not wet.]

[His body is wrapped in something warm.]

[Something is at his neck--]

[A knife, stuck in, cutting across his flesh. The blade left in after the death, not even removed.]

[Blood, so hot, yet cooling too quickly, pouring down and out, out, out. Blood filling up his lungs too fast for air, the gurgle in his throat and ears of his own useless voice. Red all over everything: sticky candy over fingers, cherry cough syrup down his shirt, vile mutant sickening scum pooling onto the carpet--]

Edited 2012-02-19 04:33 (UTC)

[Karkat screams like the bloody murder he suffered, hands scrabbling to clutch at his neck, at his throat. His throat--]

[Why won't it close, why can't he fix it, hold it together, stop the bleeding, stop, stop, stop, he's going to die, going to--]

[--to fail--]

[--to end--]

[Bandages. White bandages crusted brown beneath, stiff but not stuck, and skin beneath, dry and smooth and--a scar. His fingers trace slow over the mark, just the pads, barely touching at all as he remembers how to breathe without drowning.]

Edited 2012-02-19 04:35 (UTC)

[He looks up.]

I died?

[There's probably something to be added to this whole tsunami disaster of a meet-up, and Lea has something on the tip of his tongue. No one would be surprised.]

[What he's pretty sure everyone is surprised by is the sudden scream.]

[Jerking back like he's about to leap out of his skin, Lea works on instinct- again, like always- and does the first thing which comes to mind.]

[And that's how every single person in the immediate area found themselves with their own individual Magical Barrier (tm) surrounding them. Normally, the Protect spell is meant to protect the person inside from something outside, but Lea's taken some... creative liberties. Aka hello magic holding cells.]

[When his heart has stopped feeling like it's going to leap out of his chest, he shakily laughs and dismisses the spell. It's more as a stress relief than anything.]

Light above, Darkness below. Karkat, you know how to make a fucking entrance.

[Old Radiant Garden saying. Never thought he'd actually say it. Lea does his best to keep smiling but it doesn't quite work.]

Uh.. Yeah. Had us worried.

[When Gamzee spoke, Eridan just glared, narrowing his eyes at him with extreme contempt. As far as he's concerned, he has even MORE right to be here than Gamzee, what with what crimes Gamzee's done against him. However, he's well aware that there's no way they could hope to keep Gamzee from coming here, he's like some lost woofbeast waiting for the long waited return of his master--it's sickening. Not necessarily the loyalty he holds towards Karkat, that he can understand, but how he can just lash out so wrongfully like he did, and then expect to just go and greet Karkat like he didn't do a damn thing wrong. The more Eridan thinks on Gamzee, the more he's finding himself despising him. His features set in a stern, hateful scowl.]

[That is until he hears that scream. His body tenses and before he can do anything, there's some sort of FAKEY-FAKE magical barrier around him, that garners a look of confusion, before it dissipates, he realizes where--no, who it came from. His head snaps in the direction of Karkat. He's there. He's really fucking there. It's been a long, painful five days and here he is, right there before, right fucking there.]

Kar...

[His voice is fragile and full of pity. Being able to see him again, despite how he knew he would, brings him so much relief. He just wants to hold him and never let go. The bandages around his neck only further ping the pity he holds for the other troll. Funny how they're both in bandages, funny, and a little sad. But unlike Karkat, Eridan's wound isn't fully healed yet, the draw backs of not dying amirite?]

[Regardless of Eridan's injuries, particularly any blindness from it, he's going to try to make his way to Karkat, not paying any mind to anyone else that might be. Like a particular indigo blood.]

[The moment that scream sounds, Gamzee is already throwing himself forward, a low frustrated growl rumbling in his chest when the barrier encloses itself around him and keeps him in place. Doesn't keep him from struggling though, not when Karkat is that close by and freaking out, his entire pump twisting with a sharp pale spike. He continues to strain against the barrier, and when it lifts suddenly, he nearly tips forward onto his face, only keeping himself standing by bringing down his sneaker heavily on the cobblestones.

But oh, if Eridan is thinking he can just move in towards Karkat like that, he is very mistaken. In Gamzee's mind, Eridan is still the one who killed Karkat and allowing him there was just putting Karkat back in danger.

He hangs back for just a moment, allowing the seadweller to gain a few paces on him. Then he darts in, using Eridan's new blindspot against him, to bring his foot down cruelly on his heel, striking hard enough to trip him up.]

[With Eridan out of the way, he has free way to close the short distance between him and Karkat, immediately wrapping his arms tight around him, nearly knocking backward with the force of the gesture. His hands tighten on the fabric of the cloak covering him, his claws nearly tearing the fabric as if he is making sure that Karkat is really here, that this isn't some daydream or illusion. Once he is certain of that, his grip shifts just slightly, stroking one slightly shakey hand down Karkat's back as he buries his face against the the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply.

This is good. Karkat is back. And like this, with him at Karkat's vulnerable front and Eridan sprawled out on the ground somewhere, he's made sure that this time at least, he will be able to protect Karkat from whatever may come. If Eridan wants to kill him again, he'll have to go through him.]

[Signless moves forward at that scream too, and bounces off the wall of his magic enclosure. He's not surprised afterwards, when Gamzee and Eridan both go lunging forward, and his heart aches for all of them.]

[When Gamzee trips Eridan, Signless darts around Demyx and tries to catch the young seadweller, to keep him from going sprawling.]

You okay?

_{[Unlike the others, Demyx calmly waits until the barrier goes down. He's not really a stranger to this kind of magic.

As soon as Singless goes around him, Demyx is already on Eridan's other side to help the older troll support him. Once he's positive that Eridan is relatively unharmed, he shoots a look over to Gamzee's back.]}

Oh, for Light's sake, Gamzee! That wasn't necessary!

_{[One hand goes to Eridan's shoulder.]}

S'okay, buddy.

[Lea at least provides a solid answer. Not that Karkat really doubted what happened to him, but it's nice to have someone confirm reality for him after such a jarring flashback. He's still not totally calm, shaking a bit where he sits as he tries to take in everything that happened. What's with the magic spells, for one?]

[But then the barriers go down, and before he knows it both his red quadrantmates are rushing to... to come over and...]

[Why is Eridan bandaged? And why did Gamzee just trip him? His brow furrows, and glad though he is to have the solid, safe contact of his moirail, it does nothing to assuage his confusion.]

What the hell, Gamzee? I know you've got to be upset but you don't just do that to my matesprit of all people! And Eridan--what happened--what happened to your eye? Did she get you too? Oh fuck, what even happened to her after she killed me?

Oh, for the love of-! [And add Lea's voice to the chorus of disapproving...] Gamzee!

[Signless and Demyx both have Eridan covered, it looks like, so Lea does what any good friend of his would do. Huffing, he quickly walks over to join Karkat's side. One hand goes to his shoulder, squeezing down on it reassuringly. The other?]

[Bops Gamzee right in the back of the head.]

What did we say!? You didn't have to freakin' trip him! At least not until Karkat said something and oh look! Unless Eri has suddenly spouted boobs, I think we can now OFFICIALLY RULE HIM OUT.

[Sorry, Karkat, he'd answer that question for you, but, uh... Let's just say he's not confident in his explanation abilities. Especially for the sensitive topic of "your boyfriend flipped his shit briefly and fucked up your other boyfriend".]

[Signless, please take the floor, please take the floor, please...]

[He's so close he--Wow that certainly is the ground coming closer at an alarming rate! He felt that though, felt Gamzee's backbiting foot hit his heel to trip him like a lowly scumsucker would. He's thankful for Signless and for Demyx, catching him before he could hit the floor and sprawl out like a helpless idiot. For all their helping arms did stop him from meeting the ground, it does nothing to quell this intense loathing that's forming within him towards the clownworshipper. He grasps onto Signless as he steadies himself, but he levels a glare that could wilt flowers towards the indigo blood. As he rises, he continues that stare of total and complete abhorrence before looking to Karkat, all disgust shifting to just anger and sternness.]

Hear that, Gam? Lea's right, I don't hawe myself a shiny new pair a tits, so I couldn't hawe been Kar's murderer.

[A snarl comes to his lips as he says the next part.]

Kar, Gam took it upon himself to decide who was responsible for your murder, he chose me and thus brought a fuckin' sickle down on my eye in an attempt to fuckin' cull me for a crime I didn't commit.

[He doesn't make any attempt to move closer, as he just watches the two with slight envy, but at the same time, the feelings of vindication are outstanding. Now Gamzee can see how much of a fuck up he really IS.]

Edited 2012-02-21 00:39 (UTC)

[Gamzee growls again when Lea smacks the back of his head, though it barely ever stings. He tosses his head petulantly for a moment, trying to knock his arm away with his horns, careful though not to actually spear him on the tips. He carries no ill will towards Lea after all, just some minor irritation at getting bopped on the pan.

He twists a little, uneasily, his attitude not helped by Eridan's tone of voice. Comprehension is dawning on him in a sickening way but no, not until Karkat says it. Not before then.

Drawing back just a bit, he looks at him, his brows drawn above his eyes, still awash with a mixture of emotion, happiness at Karkat's return, that paleness in his expression that he could never hide, latent left-over anger at Eridan and uncertainty building at its depth.

He hesitates for a moment, not sure what to say, before he just opts to go with the truth, and nothing but the truth. He knows better than to lie to his moirail, no matter the consequences.]

... I attacked him for the fuckin' culling of you.

Please, everyone... calm down.

[Signless gives Eridan a one-armed squeeze, then gently disentangles from his arm, shifting him more onto Demyx as he lets him go. He walks over to Karkat and Gamzee, kneeling beside them. He doesn't reach out, doesn't try to touch Karkat, even though his arms are practically aching to embrace the troll he thinks of as his son. This needs to be explained, and as much as he'd like to pass the responsibility to someone else, he knows that he is the best to do it.]

When you were... killed, Karkat, someone, probably your murderer, broadcast it on the network. Or rather, they broadcast your body, and Eridan... removing the knife. It looked really bad, as if Eridan were the one who had done it. Gamzee reacted poorly to that, and attacked him. He did, however, let him go, and didn't cull him.

I got to the scene afterwards, and Gamzee and I cleaned you up and brought you to the clinic. And we've just been waiting for you to come back and set things right ever since.

[He glances at Gamzee, then back over his shoulder at Eridan. His voice doesn't change when he speaks again, but it's clear he's talking to the two highbloods.]

It was a horrible mistake, but that's what it was... a mistake. The kind trolls make when they're under stress and dealing with incredible shocks to the system. Despite what others in the bubble might think, revenge gets us nowhere. An eye for an eye, and everyone goes blind. Everyone here has done things they regret, awful things that were mistakes, but everyone has also been forgiven and allowed to move past it.

Remember that. Remember that, please.

[Signless doesn't know if this is true about Lea or Demyx; please don't take offense to him lumping you in there, guys.]

_{[Demyx isn't really sure what else to do but place his arm around Eridan's shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze, his eyes darting between the seadweller, Lea, and the trio of trolls ahead of him. Signless... He always knew just what to say and make it sound normal. Harmless. Comforting, even. It's no surprise as to how the guy got so many followers.

He's easy to rely on. Easy to trust. Especially right now.]}

We've done our best to keep everyone as calm as we could. For what it's worth, I... Things could've turned out a lot worse than they did. Signless did what he could, 'n I did what I could as a temporary auspistice for Gam 'n Eri. After things kinda settled down, it was easier to get through and start figuring out what the hell happened. The only thing we were really waiting for is, well... You. No one else knew what happened to you.

_{[He frowns slightly, glancing to Eridan's scar before he looks back to the trio. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind--he heard that somewhere before.]}

But I wanna make one thing clear to the bunch of you. Whoever did this? We're not gonna charge in guns-a-blazin' looking for blood right away, got it? I swear, if anyone even thinks 'bout doing that right away I'm smacking 'em upside the head with Arpeggio. We gotta be calm about it or else more blood is gonna be spilled and--and--we can't have that. ...Revenge isn't always the answer. There'll always be people in our lives that make us wanna throttle 'em, but... There's other ways to go about it than just outright killin' 'em in return cuz if we take that road it's just gonna keep on repeating itself.

[The next few moments come with a lot of information. The reassuring grasp of Lea's hand on his shoulder does little to stop the sick worry the forms at his words. Their implication is pretty clear - rule Eridan out - together with the swat and tone leveled at Gamzee. When the seatroll himself steps up, supported by the Signless and Demyx, his words make it worse. How could he do that? How could they think...?]

[But Gamzee himself confirms it. That look on his face... however mixed it is, the plainness of what he says still strikes him like the blow of a club. His own eyes answer back with hurt. He very nearly says something, mouth dropping open as he tries to think of the words, but there are too many people with too many things to say to let him do it. Not yet.]

[The Signless and Demyx each state their piece. Explanations of how it happened, why anyone could think Eridan was the culprit. Calmness and pacification, an urge not to be rash with the real murderer. Karkat curls into himself, and while it can't be any help to Gamzee, he tugs away from him.]

Eridan didn't do it.

[Those are the first words from his mouth. He doesn't know where else to start.]

He didn't lay one prong on me. He wasn't even there. Not until--until he found me, from what you say. How could you--

[He shudders, arms going to encircle his legs.]

If she didn't kill me, she would have killed him. She said that--kept... fucking accusing me of telling something to her dumbshit boyfriend who didn't even remember their relationship, something about--about bodies and cages, I don't even know. She was crazy as fuck, she--

[His head lifts, eyes seeking out Eridan now.]

I told you. That girl with the pink hair, whatever the hell her name is, she's a total psychopath and she slit my fucking throat!

[Something almost like a sob sounds from him. It's just all so much to deal with.]

She kept--arguing her love was stronger, that killing me was proof. I tried--

I tried to--

[To kill her. What would they even say, if he admitted that?]

[Again his eyes find Eridan.]

Get over here!

Edited 2012-02-21 05:03 (UTC)

[Pink hair... That narrows everything down, Lea guesses, but it's really the last thing on his mind right now. His heart pings painfully at the emotions Karkat is showing but what can he do?]

[This is really a thing for the people closest to him right now- his quadrantmates or whatever.]

[After one brief squeeze on Karkat's shoulder, Lea moves his hands to Gamzee's arms and tries to gently tug him away.]

Give him some space, Gam. C'mon.

[Eridan really doesn't care what Signless has to say, what any of them have to say about forgiving or how it was a mistake on Gamzee's part, he doesn't care. Nothing will make him care, especially with how Karkat is taking the news. How he's pulling away from Gamzee, how he's hugging his legs like that. It's near overwhelming, the feelings of pity rushing over him as he watches him. As he hears Karkat's voice, how he looks at him, saying it was her.]

[Her. Yuno. He knows exactly who. It all lines up, like a puzzle without the piece to finish the picture, but now it's there and everything makes sense, everything adds up--and he's angry. So fucking ANGRY--but just as sad. especially as Karkat continues, talking about how she belittled his love--Karkat's love. To anyone, that wouldn't mean much more than annoyance and irritation, but with Karkat, who values romance so much and then her killing him while saying that... It hurts, it fucking hurts to hear it.]

[Then that order is issued at him, and it's near instantaneous how he crosses the distance, however a little shaky. He stops, but for a second, he stops too far away, a small curse leaving him before he takes that extra step, kneeling down and just looking at Karkat with nothing but pity. He wastes no time to encircle his arms around him, wanting nothing more than to hold him, to comfort him, to just feel, not just see, that he's actually here.]

Kar, I'm fuckin' sorry, alright? I--Fuck, I shoulda listened to ya, I should hawe fuckin' taken what you had said about her more seriously. I--

[Should hawe been there to protect you, is what he wants to say, but he can't even say it. He can't, this is too much, just all of this. He just wants to hold onto his matesprit and ignore everyone else who's around. Just hold onto him and not let go.]

[The moment Karkat pulls back, Gamzee pulls back as well, getting to his feet and trudging to the edge of the gathering. He doesn't leave, not yet, has to make sure there is nothing else they need him for, but he knows he screwed up bad. He makes sure to stand a little end away from Signless, Demyx and Lea, not wanting to talk to them now.

He watches for a moment when Eridan embraces Karkat, and then he looks away, staring at the cobblestones and greyness of the street, awkwardly holding his own arm with one hand. Unless spoken to, he has nothing to contribute to this.]

[Signless knows he should get up and go comfort Gamzee, or at least show him that someone is still thinking of him, but he just doesn't have it in him right now. It seems like this whole week has been reassuring hugs and shooshpaps and horrible, grinding waiting, and he just doesn't have it in him anymore. So he stays where he is, kneeling beside Karkat and Eridan, his head down.]

[He's said what needed to be said. Now he'll wait to be acknowledged by Karkat.]

_{[He'll take that spot for now, Signless. Not as a temporary auspistice, but as a friend. No matter what, Gamzee still held a special place in Demyx's 'heart'. It was never any fun to stand somewhere alone, so instead of joining the others by Karkat, he moves close to Gamzee and slips his arms around the troll.]}

You're doin' good, kiddo.

_{[No one needed to be alone right now.]}

[Normally Karkat would not take an embrace from Eridan so freely in public, but circumstances here are different. He died what feels like less than an hour ago to him, and everything is so overwhelming. Emotions, information, trying to process time he didn't feel and the fact of his own mortality - and also death's perplexing impermanence. He's glad to be alive again, certainly, but the fact that he revived tells him precisely nothing about what he should do about his death. So he lets Eridan hold him when he gets there, burying against him and trying to close out the world.]

[He feels so incredibly weak. Even this now is another weakness, that reliance on physical comfort and contact. How could he get killed so easily? By a human? With an ordinary kitchen knife? How could he let her sneak into their hive? How could he fail so completely? If he had made sure Eridan understood better, or if he had fought harder, or just never spoken to her in the first place, then maybe... But maybes never wipe away the past. He's no time traveler, either, and this is the timeline he's stuck with.]

[In time, he reaches out to the Signless, looking for his hand. He hates himself more for it.]

I don't want to sit here anymore.

[He pauses, then shudders.]

But I don't want to go back in my hive either.

[Feeling rather useless- and not for the first time, either- Lea just trails after Demyx helplessly and sits down on his other side so he can lean against his arm. It's only when Karkat mentions not wanting to go back to his hive does he find the words.]

I've said it once, but you know you're always welcome at the Nest. I can clear everyone outta there in a heartbeat, close up shop for the day. Some of the couches can even unfold into beds if you just wanna lay down...

I'm sure we can find a shower for you too, if, you know...

[A small shrug.]

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