==> 001

[nohorseplay]

Characters: Equius Zahhak and any who feel like dealing with him.
Setting: Floor 38.
Format: Starting with prose, action is just fine if you like.
Summary: Waking up in a strange place with a collar around his neck has not agreed with Equius, to put things lightly. He's found his way out of his dorm and down the stairs to the lounge - and left quite a bit of destruction in his wake.
Warnings: Equius being grumpy and unmanageable.


If you are anywhere near the third floor of the dormitories, you probably heard the sounds of violence and rage. Equius, now at least dressed in his own clothes, has noticed the fact that there is a collar around his throat. This, adding to his disorientation and lack of a Moirail around to keep him in check, has not gone well for just about anybody. Especially the local architecture.

Walking down the halls of the third dormitory floor and the stairwell down to the lounge, one may spy a few holes torn in the wall. They seem to have been formed with someone's bare hands. Drywall and flecks of wood leave a trail where he's walked, and the railing of the stairs is now noticeably warped and broken in a few places where his grip got the better of him. The trail of destruction continues into the lounge itself, with a few pieces of furniture already hurled across the room and broken into pieces.

In short, Equius is in quite a state. He's calmed down, somewhat, settling in a pile of cushions that was once part of a couch. His hands are at his own throat, tugging at the collar with all his strength. It refuses to budge.

Do you dare approach the angry alien boy?

Comments

[chronomancer]

[Likewise, Equius, likewise. Eridan's eyes are fixed on the sign on Equius shirt, though the sunglasses mercifully hide where his eyes are going.]

Well.

[He tilts his head to the side. You are most definitely not the Equius he knows.]

This is interesting.

[He slid his hands into the pockets of his pants, slouching some more.]

I'm exactly who you think I am, except not really. Get used to that, by the way, I swear it's the tower's damn favorite tune.

[nohorseplay]

[And you are most obviously not the Eridan he knows. He certainly can't imagine the proud and... well, noble might be a strong word, but certainly highly casted seadweller covering himself up in greens.]

Indeed.

[If nothing else, it's a nice distraction from his simmering rage.]

But clearly you are not Ampora. You're... green.

[chronomancer]

Jade, actually.

[Yeah, remember the bitchy I was talking about? That snap was definitely class A bitchy. Eridan snorted.]

And I am. Ampora, I mean. Eridan Ampora. Just not the same one you know. You're Equius Zahhak, aren't you?

[nohorseplay]

[That remark would earn a lip curled in a sneer. The surprise of seeing another Troll, and one so starkly different from his expectations, was holding back his frustration. But only just.]

A jadeblood? I thought there was only one.

[But at that, he straightens, shoulders pushed back.]

Of course. [His head tilts.] But not yours?

[chronomancer]

Technically, there's only one. Per world, that is. I'm the one in my world. And whoever's the jadeblood in yours is the only one, too.

[He smiles wryly at the last bit, a bit of fondness breaking through. He shrugs.]

No, not mine. Mine is... well, I suppose as different from you as I am from the Eridan you know.

[nohorseplay]

So. Another session, then? A doomed timeline?

[Wow, going through Sgrub really makes this a lot easier on the thinkpan, doesn't it.]

Is that so. And is he... present?

[chronomancer]

Kind 'a... not really.

[Eridan makes a face. It would be so easy to just say it's an Scratched session, except all members of said session don't know yet it happened. So he will attempt to explain while avoiding all the important, relevant points:]

We are entirely separate from your session, from what I've gathered. Temporally speakin', at least. Space-wise, I ain't got a clue, since that's not my thing, but I can promise you, we had our own alpha timeline an' a whole lot 'a fuckin' doomed ones to go with it. There might be a connection we haven't found yet, but Aradia herself didn't really have much 'a how it could work with the whole different blood colors. An' that's sayin' nothin' about Eridan's universe an' his mess 'a hemospectrum shenanigans. So for now, I think the best term for all this is "alternate universe" which makes me think about the humans an' their mess, but it works.

[He let out a sigh and shrugged.]

Anyway, yeah, Eq's around. I get the feelin' he ain't very much like you, though.

[nohorseplay]

[And given that neither time nor space were Equius' forte, he was just going to have to take all this at face value, wasn't he. He sighs, rubbing at his own temples.]

I see. Events that exist outside even our paradox space? I suppose it's not beyond the realm of possibility. If only Kanaya were here to make sense of it. [He chooses not to mention his own Aradia. Just the name is enough to make him inwardly wince. Lengthy feeling jams can only dull so much of that particular pain.] I shall have to trust your explanation of events, then, for the time being.

[That earns a deep frown. Now he's concerned.]

And what exactly is this alternate Equius like, then?

[chronomancer]

She was here, for a while, a couple weeks ago, actually. Now it's only the Kan from my world.

[He sighs at the question, taking a moment to think about how to best answer politely. It's usually easier when he's not this tired and cranky, though. He just barely manages to avoid using the word puny.]

...a lot less intimidatin' an' prone to violence? Then again, he's a yellowblood, so that might've somethin' to do with it, I don't know. I'm still gettin' my mind around the fact I somehow translate to seadweller in some universes, so.

[ S H R U G ]

[nohorseplay]

Ah. How unfortunate. Though, people do leave, then? There is a route of escape?

[The frown returns and it quickly morphs into something more like a glower when the word "yellowblood" is used. Oh, this is not going to go over real well now is it.]

You mean to tell me that I, a proud and STRONG blueblood, am in your world some... some... lowblooded peasant? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?

[chronomancer]

No, they just... vanish. It's odd, but then, around here, that is an understatement.

[Eridan stared up blearily at Equius. Then snorted.]

...should have seen this one comin', you bein' Equius an' all.

[He shook his head.]

I mean to tell you precisely that. But whether you believe it or not is not my problem. Reality does not run on beliefs, so whether you do or not will not change the fact he exists.

[That was not a hint of defensiveness about the whole thing, what are you talking about.]

You should probably get used to it, at least. Will save you the headache later.

[nohorseplay]

Vanish? Surely it's not as simple as that.

[That, on the other hand, gets a decidedly huffy response. Arms crossed, jaw set, expression grim.]

Preposterous. He may call himself by my name, but there is no chance in all of paradox space that I would ever be a lowblood.

[A ridiculous claim, after confronting an Eridan who's gone from violet to jade, but there are some things he just can't wrap his head around. Not easily.]

[chronomancer]

Well, you ain't a lowblood, and he ain't you. But he still Equius Zahhak. Same way Eridan's Eridan, and I'm Eridan, but not Eridan.

[Eridan paused a moment.]

...okay, fucked that up royally, but you get what I mean.

[Right?]

I deserve an award, there weren't even doomed selves involved.

[nohorseplay]

[Equius couldn't help rubbing at his own head. He was used to timeline shenanigans but still, even he could be thrown for a loop by these kinds of circumstances. He let out a heavy sigh.]

This is lunacy. And I thought Sgrub was enough of a trial. Now I have to endure this place?

[chronomancer]

[Eridan shrugged. You're... kind of really weird? But still Equius. This is like that tyrian!Feferi all over again, freaking out his mind. But he keeps it all behind the sunglasses and another shrug, for good measure.]

'fraid so.

[A small pause.]

At least we're not alone.

[nohorseplay]

[Equius being weird is certainly a universal constant. At least he had this problem to chew over, preventing him from worrying about other things. Yet.]

A small blessing, I suppose. [He paused.] Tell me, do you know if there are any of... us, from my world? An olive Nepeta, or - [He bit his lip.] A rustblood Aradia?

[chronomancer]

[The problem is that he finds his own Equius' brand of weird terminally cute. Whoops.]

Time God Tier Aradia? She was here for a while...

[Eridan's expression turns a little wistful. She was a nice TimeBro.]

But she's gone. And so is Nepeta.

[A sigh.]

Both 'a them.

[Shouldn't really be surprised about an Equius asking after Nepeta, though. That's a pale romance that would break through time and space. He sighs.]

Though if your Gamzee is a highblood, he's here. And whom I suspect is your Karkat too? Sollux, Tavros, Vriska--

[A very uncomfortable pause. Healthy respect here, no sheer fear, of course not.]

Terezi... I think they're all from the same world, which might be yours?

[nohorseplay]

[His mouth hardens into a grim line at that. He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. It would have been nice, to get a chance to speak to Aradia again after her abrupt disappearance, but perhaps it simply was not meant to be. Still, it's a heavy blow, and he dearly wishes he had his moirail around.]

I see. Thank you for telling me.

[His head tilts.]

The highblood? Interesting. If Vriska is blue and Sollux yellow, then yes, I presume they are from the same world as I.

[If he notices that lingering pause, he doesn't really show it. Subtlety has never been one of Equius' strong suits.]

[chronomancer]

It's okay, it's pretty normal, wantin' to check on others when you arrive.

[He nods.]

Indigo blood? Clown make-up, unholy love for baked sopor, crams motherfucker as much as possible into every single sentence...

[Goes motherfucking crazy and kills your friends under severe stress. But he's not sure how to handle that at the moment so he ignores it like he's been trying to since the Labyrinth ended. He is the shittiest friend, it is him. Eridan shrugs lightly.]

Yeah, sounds like they are. So hey, there's that.

[nohorseplay]

I suppose it would be.

[He grimaces as Eridan lists all of Gamzee's... less than impressive quirks. To say that Gamzee didn't match Equius' ideal of a highblood would be an understatement. But he is a highblood and thus to be respected. Somehow. So of course he doesn't say anything on the subject.]

That would be him, yes. I suppose he is rather unique. It would be hard to miss him.

It is a small comfort, at least.

[chronomancer]

[Eridan shrugs pointedly at the Gamzee comment. So far, he's figured that out. He's having Issues with the clown and still getting the feeling he should really fix them. Having friends is more complicated than anticipated. Or maybe he should make friends with people who aren't crazy. He sighed.]

Comfort is comfort.

[He offered a wry smile and summarily decided Equius was a god-given distraction from nightmares and Things He Whines About Doing But Will Eventually Do Anyway Because If He Doesn't No One Else Will. Procrastination, ahoy.]

So. Has anyone run you the basics yet?