towerofanimus | This wasn't part of the plan...

Characters: Eridan and YOU.
Setting: Room 1-10; Dormitory Hallways, attmepting to head towards the cafeteria.
Format: Starting with Action tags, but I'll match your preference.
Summary: In which Eridan wakes up and Is Not Dead, followed by a self-pity storm, followed by a bit of exploration. And oatmeal.
Warnings: Ridiculous amounts of self-pity. Additional warnings will be added as necessary.

Room 1-10.

[Eridan was not having a good day. For one thing, he was having a day in the first place. Which wasn't supposed to happen. He knew that much. For another, looking into the trunk at the feet of the bed he'd woken up in - his? - he found his Time Reels. Completely unreeled. So he's trying really hard not to go into meltdown at the whole situation by carefully trying to fix his damn reels back as they should be. Which wasn't really working out all that well.

So there he is, sitting on his own bed, tangled beyond hope in what seems like miles of film, trying to carefully reel it all back in place. And very casually hyperventilating at the fact he was alive. He really wasn't supposed to be, dammit.]

Dormitory Hallways.

[Having given up on fixing his reels - right now - Eridan chose to explore a bit and see what kind of people were around. He walks around the dormitory hallways, with this defensive, "I have no fucking idea where I am" expression on his face, feeling unnerved and lacking in weapons or defenses.

But he's hungry and the letter said he could find food at the cafeteria, which is where he's hoping to go. At some point. When he stops being hopelessly lost and jumpy about every shadow in the corridors.

Hey, he's not the Hero of Space, alright? Cut him some slack. ...please?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Eridan startled at the sound of his name and turned around abruptly, clearly still on a fight or flight mindset. Given his current lack of weaponry, the only point of it was to see who he would be running from.

And then he saw Kanaya.

And then stared.]

...Kan?

[Oh my god. It's her Eridan.

She's so overwhelmed with Feelings as it is from dealing with this tower and Karkat's drama and her own drama, and she almost looks on the verge of hysterical tears for a second before she rushes to him and...hugs him.

I'm sorry, Eridan, you have an overemotional mutant clinging to you right now.]

You have no idea how happy I am to see you.

[Welp. This was very obviously Kan. Very obviously upset too. Eridan decided to go one thing at the time, and since he wasn't in hysterics ~~yet~~, focused on calming Kanaya down. He began by wrapping his arms around her, returning the embrace.]

Kan, Kan, hon. It's okay. I'm here and it's okay.

[She has never been so happy to be called "hon" before in her life. But she has to stay calm. He has to be freaked out too -- she could tell just by watching him try to get around.

She keeps her voice as level as she ~~kan~~ can, but she doesn't let go of Eridan.]

What is the last thing you remember before you woke up here?

[Eridan patted her back awkwardly. He blinked at the question, tilting his head slightly as he tried to remember. And then it sank in and he swallowed hard, feeling like an idiot. Kanaya was going to hate him for this...]

I ran away. From the Veil. I left. I was... was... I'm sorry.

[I was going to fix everything by doing something horrible and I'm a coward and idiot and oh god...]

[She should be angrier than she is. She should be seething mad right now. But the first thing she can think to say is:]

Do you know what happened in the Veil?

[Did he even know what his former moirail had done?]

[He can't breathe. He forces air through his teeth and slowly pulls away from her, shaking.]

You don't understand, Kan. I was tryin to fix it. I was goin to fix it.

[Oh god. Now he's panicking. She's not cut out for this pacifying thing. She draws back from him for the most part, but sets her hands on his shoulders and speaks softly, trying to keep him calm.]

I know. It's okay. The Scratch, right? It was to my understanding that that was the reason you were not in the Veil when everything happened.

[He said he'd run away, but did he really mean he ran, or is he just feeling guilty for leaving them all so he could carry out the Scratch?]

[He flinches at the touch, shrinking under her gaze. Oh god, she knows. No one was supposed to know. He nods, looking positively miserable.]

There wwas no time an I just left. I didn't evven think a takin anyone else wwith me. I just ran awway an left you there an I'm so sorry, Kan.

[So at least he didn't abandon his duties. She feels a spark of anger at the apparent fact that he could have taken them with him, but, would it really have spared them? Wouldn't they have been erased by the Scratch all the same, even if Feferi hadn't killed everyone?]

Eridan, it's okay. We...we were all doomed. From the start. You don't have to be sorry.

[She lets him go, only because she doesn't want to scare him again.] Karkat is here too. He has been dealing with a lot lately, so I am hesitant to classify him as "okay", but he is alive.

Doomed.

[Eridan laughs hollowly.]

Yeah, I understand doomed. Real wwell, yes.

[He gives her a wary look.]

I'm sorry. About the Scratch an leavvin you behind an I'm sorry Kar's not doin so good.

[Kanaya's already present guilt increases twofold at the look Eridan gives her.]

It's alright. Consider yourself forgiven. Except for that last one, since that one cannot be considered your fault in any possible definition of the phrase.

[Eridan gives her a small smile, still looking pretty damn pathetic. He seems like he's willing to argue that last point, but then. Well, he shrugs.]

You alwways go too easy on me, Kan. Thank you.

[In response, she gives a small smile of her own.]

Well, I do not really have the energy to be too angry, especially at a friend who I thought was dead.

[True facts. If she wasn't so damn tired she might be a little more mad. But that's why she's doing the forgiveness thing now, so she has no excuse to get pissed off later.]

You seemed lost earlier. Where do you need to go? I can take you, if you would like.

[Eridan winces again at the dead bit, unable to stop another soft "I'm sorry" from escaping him. He shrugs at the question, though, looking unsure.]

I wwasn't... really goin anywwhere. Just explorin.

[A small pause, however,]

...though I guess I'm a little hungry.

I can take you to the cafeteria, then. We should take the elevator for now; many of the floors on the way down are very dangerous, and they should not be handled on an empty stomach. Currently, there are twenty-five floors, not including the dormitory floors.

[She indicates the way down the hall to the elevator.]

I will warn that you must consume oatmeal before you eat anything else. I do not know why, but if you attempt to eat any other kind of food, your body will reject it until you have eaten oatmeal.

[Eridan started walking to the elevator, and then stopped as his brain finally caught up with the mess of half-panic, half-hysterics wrecking havoc in him. He looked at Kanaya and realized he was wasting her time and felt considerably guilty for it.]

Ah. Kan. You sure it's okay?

[He gives her a small smile.]

I think I can make my wway there on my owwn if you're busy.

[~~After I take a little detour into self-pity land.~~]

You wwere heading upstairs, wweren't you?

This wasn't part of the plan...

ALL MY FEELS. ALL OF THEM.

i am preparing for a mass of Feels too

T___T my heart is ready for this.

omg babbies i can't

T____________T

oh god eridan ;n; eridan sweetie

T____________T x2 combo

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