❝hold your own, know your name❞

[guiltapalooza]

Characters Willow (guiltapalooza) and you! OPEN.
Setting: The infirmary.
Format: Action to start, but I'll match if you want prose.
Warnings: Maybe some mention of past violence.
Summary: Though she's laid up in the infirmary with some pretty debilitating wounds, Willow's feeling a lot better than she has in months, and is more her usual self. Her magic is finally back, and she's welcome to visitors.

[Willow is currently propped up in bed, a stack of pillows fluffed behind her and the layers of blankets tucked around her. There's healing, scabbed scrapes on one cheek, and her right hand is splinted; she's wearing rather boring gray thermal pajamas, but along the neckline clean white bandages can be seen wrapping across her torso. It's not a surprise that with how battered she is she's also very tired. She's rather dazedly holding a mug of tea in her hands, cradled in her lap to stabilize it while she rests and not bother her injuries.

But despite all this, when someone enters she looks up to greet them with a sleepy smile.] Hey.

Comments

[touchofgenius]

Wow, you look like shit. [That's some Grade A tact for you, Will.]

Seriously though, how are you feelin'?

[guiltapalooza]

Pretty much like how I look, [she answers, still with her smile. She's relatively cheerful for someone laid up in bed.]

Have a seat? There is a conveniently placed visitor's chair that my boyfriend has also conveniently vacated.

[touchofgenius]

[He chuckles, and sits down in the chair backwards, leaning his arms on the back of the chair.]

Well you look pretty good to be honest, so that's a good sign. So what actually... Happened? And I swear to god if you say "fell down some stairs" realize I'm going to have to go beat up your abusive boyfriend. [He's kidding, but only mostly because he knows he'd lose against a troll.]

[guiltapalooza]

[Her eyes go wide and her humor disappears long enough to say quickly,] No, no, Eridan would never do anything like that. He's... well, upset doesn't cover it.

I've been trying to keep it quiet, but... I lost my magic for a while. The past month, really. And someone that I'd majorly pissed off decided to get into a fight with me, which, well, I obviously lost. But I have my power back now, so he's welcome to try again when I'm not helpless. [There's an obvious confidence to her words at the end, a grim self-assurance.]

[touchofgenius]

Oh, you crazy magic users and your wacky rules!

[He chuckles, learning back in the chair.]

Hard to imagine you as "helpless" though. You're about as tough as my no-longer-a-boy-friend, crazy powers or no, I bet.

[nemophila]

[Jun didn't really have any business being there other than trying to find his way around the tower-- when he noticed the girl in the bed, he looked up, and then looked around, as if trying to see if there was someone behind him she was talking to.]

Uh... me?

[guiltapalooza]

Sure, why not? I'm all injured and therefore require entertainment in my infirm state.

[She's clearly teasing, though, not at all that full of herself. The teasing evaporates as she suggests,] You can come talk, if you have time?

[nemophila]

Sure... [He wasn't...doing anything really, he guessed. He stepped inside further and over to her bed.]

I'm not sure I have much to talk about though...

[guiltapalooza]

Fiddlesticks, [she dismisses carelessly, just happy to have someone to talk to.] You can tell me your name, at least. I'm Willow.

[madscientits]

Need anything? [She stares at the splinted hand and the bandaging critically. She could have done such a better job Willow. Such a better job. She would have even fixed up your face.

...Y'know. For Stein's definition of "fixed up" at least.]

[guiltapalooza]

[She instantly turns faintly suspicious.] What kind of anything? I mean, no. No kind of anything. I have my tea and I am using my prerogative as a young injured girl to harass passersby into talking to me.

Altogether, not too bad.

[madscientits]

Yes, I can see you're enjoying yourself a fair amount despite the circumstances.

As for your question, I meant a medical kind of "anything". I am a doctor, remember?

[guiltapalooza]

Oh, yeah. [A sheepish look.] I just... was going through something, and I think I'm out the other side now.

Which, exhibit A, thanks for the offer, but I'm speeding up my healing with magic. I'm not sure if there's anything for you to do.

[floreatnoctem]

[She's not entirely sure at what point it is she realizes Willow's been conspicuously absent. What she does know is that when she thinks to scan for her, she's more than just a little surprised to find her in the infirmary. Sp she makes her way there, curious as to why she doesn't seem to be moving much- which she would be if she was there for supplies, or investigating something. Her signal is a little weak as well, and that makes her frown a bit, almost unnoticeable, as she steps into the room. She's already taking stock of injuries when she spots her, eyes carefully cataloging what she can see- and what she can see that she might be able to fix.

She doesn't hesitate to make her way to Willow's bedside, sketchbook conspicuously absent from her hands. Instead, her fingers curl and her hands disappear into her sleeves a bit as she looks down at her, expression mild even as she asks point-blank-]

What happened?

[guiltapalooza]

[Her smile fades away, and Willow bites her lip, fiddling with her mug.]

Are you sure you want to know? [she asks tentatively.] You won't like it.

[floreatnoctem]

[Chidori doesn't miss that, and her frown deepens a little because of it.]

Whether I like it or not makes no difference on the fact that it's already happened, doesn't it?

[guiltapalooza]

Yeah, but... [She sighs, and gives up the game.] Nevermind, you're right. You probably should know this.

I don't know if he's told you, but Dualscar and I have kind of had a fight going on. For a while. [The obvious implication being that he's the reason she's hurt.]

[sageprincess]

Willow.

[Zelda tries a smile back, but it's tired and strained and does not reach her eyes in the slightest. She does step forward, however, holding out a small magic golden light much like the ones they toyed with at the party. Her version of a sort of "get well soon" gift.]

Link told me what happened. I am sorry you had to go through such an ordeal.

[guiltapalooza]

Zelda-- [Willow's happy to see her, and unwraps a hand from around to mug to reach out and take the ball of light, delighted by it. She tries to smile enough to make up for Zelda's lack thereof.]

Thank you, I love it. And I appreciate the sympathy, but actually... I feel a lot better now. Um, emotionally, not so much physically.

[sageprincess]

Is that so?

[She tilts her head then, admittedly somewhat curious. But Willow's easy delight also has the benefit of distracting her from her own worries and burdens for the moment, and something in her relaxes, just a bit.]

I am glad, then. [Even though she doesn't really understand.] And you are most welcome. I do not know any healing magic, unfortunately, but I thought that perhaps this would help brighten the infirmary somewhat.

[guiltapalooza]

It does. It gets all gloomy and sterile in here. And I've been healing myself, actually, just... really slowly. It's better that way.

[She doesn't explain exactly how that's better, preoccupied with balancing her tea carefully as she reaches over to let the little golden light rest on the side table. It lets off a warm glow, and it really does cheer up the room.] Look, see, way better than any old boring flowers.

[caliginous]

[He had been getting desperate. After being plagued with the nightmares from the labyrinth's aftermath (as well as other knowledge he didn't want to discuss), Karkat has made his way down to the infirmary, hoping to find sopor or something similar to knock him out for a while. He would have asked Gamzee but...well, the guy did just kill him.

So when he hears Willow's voice, he nearly jumps thirty feet into the air, turning to regard her evenly -- hey, he remembers her. He hadn't talked much to the lowblooded Eridan in recent days, nor had he spoken to Willow after he had given her his advice.

But hey, a removed party from everything that had been happening to him? He'd take that. Maybe it would take his mind off of all the bullshit for a bit.]

...you fall down the stairs or what?

[guiltapalooza]

[She gives him a curious look when he jumps, wondering what's got him so on edge, but she's not averse to talking to him either. Last time they'd spoken she couldn't quite make up her mind on how she felt about him; though that uncertainty still lingers, Willow's always game to give someone another chance. And she welcomes the distraction, too.

When she answers, her smile has turned wry and self-effacing.] If "fell down some stairs" is a cute euphemism for "lost a fight with an angry seadweller", sure.

[caliginous]

[Karkat's own expression turns to a strange mixture of condescension and disbelief as he turns away from the cabinet he had been looking through to step over toward Willow's bed to give her a closer look.

His nose wrinkles a little and his expression neutralizes again.]

Last I checked, that ain't the quadrant you were shooting for. Different seabest, or did you change your mind?

[guiltapalooza]

[Well, at least she's got his attention. She's frank and forthright when she recounts what happened.]

No, no, someone else; Eridan and I are doing great, that totally worked out. This was Dualscar. We kind of have a longstanding... thing. I think he's still mad at me for cursing him that one time. [This is said somewhat carelessly; being flippant is a tried and true method of coping with villains.]