towerofanimus | [OPEN][BACKDATED] Hold out I'll give a little piece of me

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[OPEN][BACKDATED] Hold out I'll give a little piece of me

Characters: (Jade!)Eridan('s blood) and you!
Setting: Fleeing from the infirmary and up towards the dormitory, so stairways ~~because Eridan's not reasonable when he's freaking out this bad~~.
Format: Action but I'll match your preference.
Summary: BACKDATED to Valentine's day. Eridan managed somehow to escape Dualscar's... "attentions", but not unscathed. So now he's leaving a very obvious jadeblooded trail as he flees towards his dormitory ~~so he can hide under his bed~~.
Warnings: Lots and lots of jade green and it's not grubsauce. Will add more as necessary. Feel free to add chocolate shenanigans too if you want.

[Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Eridan stumbled as fast as his legs could take him, which didn't seem to be enough. Maybe running after losing an arm, still bleeding from losing an arm, wasn't the brightest of ideas, no. And maybe if he had been thinking straight, he'd have headed for the elevators, rather than the stairs.

But fuck rational thinking, he's going on the sheer terrified certainty that if he stops moving, if he lets Dualscar grab him again, he's going to die.

He might still die, as it is, what with the blood loss that's also painting a very convenient trail behind him, or the cuts on his throat and his face. But the single important thing is that he's not going to die at Dualscar's mercy.

Fuck that. If he's going to die, he's going to find a nice, cozy corner and then ~~kick the bucket~~ die on his own damn terms. Which at the moment seem to be anywhere but here.]

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[Eridan bares his teeth at her, a poor parody of a warning, when it's obvious he can't do much for himself, but the spirit of threat is there. He backs into a wall, one hand... his only hand clutching at his shoulder, trying to hold back the blood still dripping down. Eyes wide, he growls, not unlike a cornered animal. The cuts on his face add to the feral look as he presses up against the wall, trying to disappear into it.

Oh god, can't he just get a break? Just for a little bit? He probably deserves it, and he's probably the worst kind of scum for wanting a break from what he deserves, but still. Oh god.

Yeah, it's going to take a little more than just that to snap him out of it, Willow.]

[Why is this her responsibility? She's not good at this. She messes everything up.

Willow takes a breath and forces herself to focus. She crouches to kneel on the ground, feeling like she's coaxing a wild animal and trying to make it clear that she isn't a threat.]

Shhh, it's okay, [she murmurs, just saying what comes to mind.] I'm not going to hurt you. It's just me-- it's Willow. Come on back now, whoever it was is gone and we have to get you to the infirmary, we have to get you-- something, oh god, I can't believe this happened to you.

[She tries to ignore how much this reminds her of her Eridan having to talk her down from fighting the Highblood, and fails. She's so, so tired of all of the violence in her life, almost physically sick of it, and it makes her voice imploring.] Please, come back? Please? I know we aren't close, but I can't leave you like this. You shouldn't be hurt.

[He slides down the wall, inch by inch, until he's cowering in a little ball. She made him stop, and now that he's not moving anymore the wave of pain hits like a punch to the gut, taking his breath away. He lets out a low, pleading whimper, ducking his face into his scarf, which is marred with his own blood. But here and there, Willow might catch sight of a few splashes of a very familiar purple.

The adrenaline is leaving, and he almost wants it to come back, because the only thing replacing it is pain. And... and it hurts. Eridan whimpers again, quietly willing himself to disappear.]

[She's not thinking about the purple right now, or she's going to lose it with anger. She has to stay focused on helping him.

Which is what she does, thinking quickly. He's calmer and not biting her, but he's in so much pain he's barely coherent. It's obvious what she should do, barely takes her a second to snap up the power. This time, it's a use of magic she can't argue with, has no time to argue with. Willow knows how fast people bleed out.]

Scelus exi, [she intones, tone commanding and eyes glowing faintly for just a moment. The open wound where his arm used to be stops bleeding, and the pain lessens and numbs, not enough to let him forget about it but enough to think clearly. She can't keep this on him forever-- it's extremely dangerous to remove someone's sense of pain in any capacity-- but for now, it should help. She hopes.]

... Did that help? [she breathes, hating seeing anyone this way, least of all someone that looks like a young, green version of her boyfriend.]

[Her eyes glowed. And Eridan flinched at the sound of her voice, expecting, irrationally, another dose of pain. Instead, it lessened, enough he could hear his own thoughts, feel the exhaustion. He closed his eyes, feeling miserable.]

...I'm sorry. Oh, Wwilloww, I'm so sorry.

Wha-- no, what are you apologizing for? [She stares at him, relief at her success quickly giving way to being taken aback, almost offended that he's apologizing.]

We need to get you medical treatment, [she urges.] Will you let me help you walk now?

[He flinches again. He's apologizing because that's the first thing he always does, when something goes wrong. Always. Eridan looks at her with an edge of fear, because without the pain to distract him, everything she says is tainted in his thoughts, and everything seems to be a recrimination for whatever offense he committed that justified the current bout of self-loathing. And oh, he hates himself quite a bit, at the moment.]

I'm fine. Really. I'm sorry, please don't be mad.

[The truth is that she is mad; she's furious, because she has that lingering suspicion that it was Dualscar that did this.

But Willow finds the idea of taking it out on Eridan abhorrent, and she pushes it down without too much difficulty. She'll deal with that later. For now, she makes her voice quiet again, encouraging.] Shhh, of course I'm not mad. I'm just worried about you; you're not fine.

You have to let me help. I can't keep the pain off you forever.

It's okay. Really. It didn't hurt that much.

[Lying through his teeeeeeeeeeeeeth, yeah. He doesn't want help. He can't even think straight enough to want help, though he really, really needs it. All he wants is to go hide somewhere.]

Don't worry about me, please.

[She sets her teeth against the frustration that he keeps lying to her, but maybe he'll tell her something else she needs to know before she has to try to strong-arm him into accepting help. She refuses to use coercion magic of any kind on him, so she'll have to persuade him, or bust. ... Yeah, she's probably doomed; about her only speaking talent is awkward babble, which will not help here, at all.

But in the meantime...] Can you at least tell me who did this? [she asks, caught between pleading and frustrated.] If they're still a threat, I can't just let them roam around. Other people could get hurt-- and you are hurt, don't tell me you aren't!

[She looks angry. Whether she is or not doesn't matter because she looks angry. Eridan cowers a bit from her, then very catiously looks up at her, miserable.]

...it wwas an accident.

[He drops his eyes away, because with the pain gone at least he knows he needs to lie convincingly. Nothing good will come out of confronting Dualscar. Nothing. It was his own fault and technically speaking, it was an accident. Under a certain set of circumstances.]

[Why can't she do anything right? Willow's trying to keep herself reigned in, but it's like no matter what she does, he just stays scared of her. Maybe there's nothing she can do about that, maybe he can't be anything but scared right now. She could understand that feeling.

So she just needs to press on.] Losing your-- your arm-- [The words cut off, and her voice lowers.] That's not an accident. Things like that aren't an accident.

Is that Dualscar's blood on you? [She can't play nice forever. She needs answers. She needs to know who did this, because if it wasn't Dualscar then that means that her Eridan got hurt, that that's his blood, and her mind can't approach that thought until she has it confirmed one way or another. Not to mention, she needs to get this Eridan real medical attention or healing; she can't let him stay like this, she was serious about that.]

[Oh. Oh fuck. Eridan swallows hard, hand clutching his shoulder, and he bares his teeth. The posture is quite defensive.]

It was an accident! Don't blame other people for the stupid shit I do!

I'm not going to blame you for getting hurt, Eridan! If I see Dualscar and his arm is torn off, I'll blame you for that, but I'm guessing that's not what happened!

You need to tell me. It was him, wasn't it?

I said it wwasn't! It wwas an accident!

[Eridan is getting pretty upset.]

Wwhy the fuck wwon't anyone bother to listen to wwhat I say!

Because what you're saying is wrong! [she shoots right back, getting louder. Willow climbs to her feet, unable to take sitting on the floor anymore. She feels restless, that urge to use dark magic and go find Dualscar a persistent itch in her mind. She fights it down.]

If it was an accident, he'd be here helping you. You wouldn't look terrified, you wouldn't cower away from me. And you wouldn't have to lie!

I'm not going to let anyone hurt the people I care about! Do you get that? [The feelings drain out of her a little, and she finishes more quietly, imploringly.] I thought you knew you were my friend.

[Eridan flinches back from the outburst, out of all she said, it was the last bit that hurt like a whip on an open sore. His friend, huh.He bit the inside of his lower lip until it bled, steeling himself for what he had to say. He knew what he had to do. Friends, right. Friends take care of friends and don't let them do stupid shit.

Why does doing the right thing always hurts so much? Why is that the only way of knowing whether he's doing the right thing or not?

He stands up straight, expression blank.]

Maybe I'm cowwerin because my friends insist on the long-held tradition a ignorin evvery single fuckin thing I say unless I fuckin die to provve the point! Thanks for the vvote a confidence Wwilloww, but maybe I wwant friends wwho don't call me liar to my face!

[I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!]

[She's implacable, unmoved. Willow has a lot of experience with people saying cruel things after they've been hurt; she does it, too. But being her friend means she forgives them for it.]

Don't lie, and I won't have to, [she says levelly.] Will you let me help you, now? You can keep insulting me if it makes you feel better, but I'm just going to forgive you right after, so you might as well stop.

[Eridan hates her a little, for sticking to her guns. It'd be easier if she'd flip off the handle and tell him to get lost. It's what he deserves anyway. He snarled.]

Maybe I don't wwant you to forgivve me! Maybe I just wwant you to leavve me alone!

I'm not going to leave you alone, [she says softly, and takes a step toward him.]

I won't leave you hurt like this. You don't deserve it.

[The sneer look quite macabre, considering the blood all over his face, and it hurt like a bitch to pull it off, too. But honesty? It wasn't aimed at Willow. Oh no, the sheer self-loathing Eridan packed into his words and the gesture were worthy of a Guiness record.]

Goes to showw howw little you knoww me.

I know you well enough.

[Since talking clearly isn't getting her anywhere, she has to take the chance, and comes forward to close the space between them. She's intending to try to help support him, get him somewhere that isn't the middle of the hall.]

You really, really don't.

[Eridan gives a step back, then feints to the side and abuses the fact his pain is dulled and his adrenaline is building up again, sprinting off in the direction of the stairs going up.]

[Willow just stands there, shocked that he's running off on her so abruptly, but deciding not to follow. Maybe he'll actually take care of himself if she's not there, because he clearly doesn't want her around. She can check in on him later.

At the moment... she has someone she has to teach that they can't get away without repercussions. She has a troll to curse.]

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[OPEN][BACKDATED] Hold out I'll give a little piece of me

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