Landed Fish

[devwocean]

Who: Orphaner Dualscar, Signless, Expatriate Darkleer
Where: The plaza
When: Now! Dualscar is respawning
Style: Prose if that's OK with you guys?
Status: Closed, though I may do an open one or network post or something with DS later.

Dualscar was pretty disoriented as he arrived in the plaza. He fell to his knees, choking on his gasps, his gills opening with a popping sound and his fins stiff with terror as he scrabbled at his own, unmarked throat.

The last thing he remembered was getting his throat ripped out by the Grand Highblood's teeth. It took a few moments for his body to realize that he actually could breathe, and that he wasn't dying horribly.

Comments

[aim_exorable]

It is simply coincidence that Darkleer is passing near the plaza at the time. Complete coincidence. Even if he had seen the corpse hanging from one of the apartment windows (and made it a point to remember the exact positioning, so that he would never have to go near that particular hive ever again).

Really. He just needs some supplies.

But when he sees the seadweller fall to the ground, he remembers Dural covered in teal blood, shrieking and panicked, and he sighs. If nothing else, this will further his good standing with the seadweller. Slipping out of his preferred shadows, he starts to approach and remembers that it's best if he announces his presence before alarming him.

"Dualscar." He doesn't ask the senseless question of if he's alright. He's not that daft as he kneels down and pulls a towel from his sylladex.

[devwocean]

Dualscar's first instinct is to snarl as he senses a large and troll-like shadow fall over him. But he's breathing now, and as he looks up he sees Darkleer instead of the Grand Highblood.

It helps, but not much.

He flinches away as the blueblood kneels down and lifts a hand to ward him off, not understanding the purpose of the towel.

"Wwhat happened?"

[aim_exorable]

Is there any delicate way to put this?

"You died."

Darkleer decides not, but then, he's always been one for bluntness and honesty when it comes to matters like these. There's no point in tipping around the subject. It's going to hurt no matter how it's phrased. Setting the towel to the side for Dualscar to take when he wants to take care of how soaked he is right now, Darkleer sighs.

"Vatheon brought you back."

[devwocean]

Dualscar's fins flare a bit as he looks up. He grimaces and reaches out, grabbing the towel and rubbing his face and then scrubbing his hair. With his face hidden, he manages to gather a few shreds of dignity.

"Of course. I kneww that wwould happen," he says. He had...but it'd been hard to think about when he was being menaced by the Grand Highblood. "Wwhat did I miss?"

[aim_exorable]

"Nothing of particular interest. The same thing that has been happening before your absence." It almost sounds tame that way. 'Absence' instead of 'death'. Darkleer keeps his voice quiet and calm. Dualscar is going to be anxious enough for the both of them, he figures, even if he doesn't want to show it. "Another curse has happened. Minor sicknesses have been spreading throughout the city. But that is all."

Only a brief pause as he thinks this through. "Would you like to go somewhere less public?" Carefully, he offers his hand out to him.

[devwocean]

Wait, what? Dualscar's eyes narrow and he pushes himself to his feet without taking Darkleer's hand. He's still defensive and uncomfortable, and he's certainly not sure enough of any red relationship between them to admit too much weakness, after what just happened to him.

Plus, he's sort of pissed off.

"Are you fuckin' telling me that no one has done anything about that indigo shitstain, yet?" he snarls.

[aim_exorable]

Well, that works too.

Darkleer doesn't react to the snarl much. He just folds his hands behind his back as he gets up to his feet as well. "It isn't particularly easy to come up with a manner of subduing most subjugglators," he says simply, "and this is their leader we must take into consideration. Some progress is being thought of, but not everything is ready yet."

[devwocean]

Dualscar scrubs at his arms and glares at pretty much everything but Darkleer as he gets to his feet, his fins still stiff and quivering. "Wwell, wwhatevver is bein' thought of, I had better be a part of it. I'm not dealin' wwith Vvantas' distrust anymore."

Not that he dealt with it in the first place.

"He attacked me wwith no provvocation. And he'll do it again. Don't think he wwon't!" And Dualscar is aware that most people wouldn't care about that, maybe even give the Grand Highblood a medal, but at least Darkleer likes him, right? He won't want to see that happen again.

...Right?

He watches Darkleer out of the corner of his eye.

[aim_exorable]

Darkleer does care, actually, but it's mostly for the fact that he's a bit biased against subjugglator attacks in the first place. They've never been a group he's cared to work with. Not only does the general practice go against everything he was taught about the hemospectrum- highbloods were supposed to be better than this sloppy hell- but, well... Let's say 'personal reasons' and leave it at that.

Dualscar will be able to see the way Darkleer's jaw tenses and how he rubs his neck, trying to think of something, anything. Equius and Gamzee are still stuck up on that island for as long as the Grand Highblood is... unmanageable like this. "I am sorry I wasn't able to do anything," he finally decides on, mind still whirring and clicking through thoughts. "No one deserves that kind of fate."

Not even Dualscar.

Looking back up through the cheap shades he wears instead of his usual elaborate pair, Darkleer offers quietly, "If he's staying in the area near your hive, I do not believe you should return. Not until we can properly take care of him."

[withoutasign]

Signless has been waiting around in the Plaza, knowing that Dualscar will revive today, and he's prepared. He has a blanket--a plaid one with purple running through it that he got at one of the local shops--a thermos of hot tea, and his best shooshing skills ready and waiting. So when Dualscar appears, panicked and disoriented, he's there immediately, kneeling beside the seadweller and putting his hands on his shoulders.

"It's okay, Dualscar, it's okay! You're back now, shhhhh, it's all right..."

[devwocean]

Dualscar jerks back away from the touch, snarling a bit. But the gentle tone helps a lot to calm his fear. He looks up, his fins pressed tight to his face with fear and reaction.

"Wwhat happened?"

[withoutasign]

This is the closest Signless has ever gotten to the seadweller, and he's a little surprised at how much bigger Dualscar is. But he brushes that thought aside, and carefully drapes the blanket he brought around the other troll's shoulders.

"You died. You're back now."

[devwocean]

He looks around with a bit of confusion as the blanket is draped around his shoulders. The fins slowly relax, just a touch, though he's still very tense and upset.

"Wwhat are you doing here?" Signless is all alone here with a blanket? What the heck is going on here?

[withoutasign]

"Making sure you weren't alone when you came back."

Signless remembers how confused and disoriented he was when he came back, and he hadn't been brutally murdered. Well... not yet, anyway. He tucks the blanket around Dualscar's shoulder and then gets out his thermos, pouring a cup of hot tea and offering it to the seadweller.

[devwocean]

Okay, now he's feeling a bit uncomfortable simply at how exposed he is. He doesn't understand why Signless is being so weirdly nice. "You wwere wwaiting here, for me?"

[withoutasign]

Signless is nice to everyone, it's just how he rolls.

"Yes."

He notices Dualscar's discomfort and stands up, offering one hand. "Come on. Let's get out of the Plaza, go somewhere a little less exposed."

[devwocean]

Okay, he wants to do that, but he isn't sure what to make of all of this. He pushes himself up, not taking Signless' hand and giving him a wary, distrustful look even as he nods.

"Wwhere do you think wwe should go?" he asked quietly. He doesn't want to go back to his own hive until he knows what is going on with the Grand Highblood, so despite his uncertainty, he is willing to follow the Signless, for now.

WITH PERMISSION, yay

[o8liter8]

Mindfang doesn't have any memories of a homicidal highblood trying to kill her immediately before regaining consciousness, but that doesn't make the sensation of suddenly drowning and then surfacing into thin air is no less disquieting. She collapses to her hands and knees, gasping, startled.

On looking around, she decides immediately whose fault this must be. "What did you do with my ship?"

[devwocean]

What the hell, 8itch. He's sort of freaking out, too, okay? He's just as drenched and still freaking out, but the familiar voice brings his head around like a slap.

"Spinneret?"

[o8liter8]

You know what brings around your head like a slap even more? An actual slap! Mindfang is giving you one free of charge, Dualscar.

"You say that like you expected someone else," she hisses. "Answer the question."

[devwocean]

The slap brings him the rest of the way back to reality. He looks around, eyes bright, and confirms his location. He died, and now he's back in the plaza, and Mindfang is here.

Life could be worse.

He hisses back, fins flaring out, and reaches out to grab her shoulder, gesturing around themselves. "Look around yourself before you blame me, foolish girl!"

[o8liter8]

"I'm looking. Did you drug me?" She shrugs out of the grab at her shoulder, ducking around him to grab a horn, get a handle on him to pull him down to her level.

"Where am I?"

[devwocean]

Okay, not just no, but hell no. Not after what he just went through. He ducks his head, trying to avoid her grab and shoves at her chest, trying to push her down onto the ground and pin her.

"You're in a fuckin' alien city called Vvatheon! I didn't bring you here. Wwe're both kidnapped!" he snaps impatiently.

[o8liter8]

Oh no he doesn't. She is not going to go down to him of all people. She dodges around again, and in a flash she has her scimitar out, nicking just under one of his prettily flared-out fins.

"Not one more move, unless you want to lose that pretty highblood privilege," she snarls. "Start talking."

[devwocean]

...Fuck.

Dualscar freezes, his teeth bared in a snarl and his sword half out of its sheath. With a growl he lets the sword fall back into its scabbard, glaring at her.

"Wwe'vve been kidnapped," he says in a slow and mocking tone, as if she's too stupid to understand. "You an me and a wwhole lot a other trolls, as wwell as aliens. The Condesce is here, as is the Grand Highblood Subjugglator, not to mention a wwhole lot a rebels, like the fuckin' Signless. Get that blade awway from my throat, girl, unless you wwant to lose the hand attached to it!"