[OPEN] you tried to keep me warm

[chronomancer]

Characters: Jaderi and YOU!
Setting: Media floor.
Format: Starting with action, but I'll match you.
Summary: You know what? Screw this. Eridan is going to watch movies and not go shithive maggots for a change. Yes. This is a thing he's doing. Totally.
Warnings: Eridan going shithive maggots and probably being mildly creepy. Eridan's mouth. Bad musicals. Event stuff, too.

[He should probably let people know he's back. Probably. Probably. Should probably do a lot of things, but he's not really feeling it. He's feeling a lot of things, but that's not the point.

What was the point?

Oh, yeah.

Right.

Watching shitty musicals and singing along and most definitely not doing something stupid. Stupider. Was stupider even a word? It should be. Probably was. Probably should go find the others. Let them know he's okay. Haha. Right. Equius and Jade. Jade and Equius. And the rest too. Sure.

What's he doing here again? Oh right. Musicals. Nice, soothing musicals. Always know where you're standing with a shitty musical, really. Same with a rifle. You're either shooting it or you're getting shot. Either you live or you're dead. Either or. Always, one or the other. Goddammit, life would be so much easier if it were a musical. Worse comes to worst, all you get is a shitty, subpar dance number that no one will ever remember again.  Like that. God, that's a terrible number, and somehow he still remembers the song anyway.

So hey, there's this scrawny, thin boy curled up on a couch with a few blankets, softly singing along the worst musicals known to man. And trying really hard to not do the batshit crazy thing. Because god knows no one needs him to do the batshit crazy thing. Ever. At least he doesn't bite?]

Comments

[chronomancer]

Oh.

[He pretended that meant something to him, so he just shrugged a little.]

I'm about to royally embarrass myself, alright? So don't kill me til I'm done.

[reddeadvirtuoso]

You have no idea what the fuck Halloween is, do you.

[Uuuunsurprised.]

[chronomancer]

Nope.

[Excuse him, he's just going to go over and steal a hug.]

Don't give a shit, either.

[reddeadvirtuoso]

[Well. That was. Unexpected. She wasn't defensive about it, but she didn't make much effort to return the hug either.]

What was that for?

[chronomancer]

Shut up and tell me you're okay.

[Despite the decidedly tight hug, though, he's not doing much else. His breathing's still almost normal. And he's not crying or anything. Really, he just needs a hug. And maybe a moment to remember that being shithive maggots is a Bad thing we don't indulge in. Right.]

[reddeadvirtuoso]

[Alright, he was obviously distraught, so she did at least bring up one arm to give him a half hug and a pat on the shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding the shield.]

Chill out, I'm walking around perfectly fine, aren't I? You're worryin' too much again.

[You know besides the missing skull and the lack of a gratuitous amount of curse words.]

[chronomancer]

You sure?

[He'll worry about that. In a minute. Okay. He's just. Working on priorities here. First priority is not dissolving into frothing rage. Frothing rage sucks. He can't quite remember why, but he remembers thinking very clearly that frothing rage sucks. So not indulging in that. He's just going to concentrate on her breathing and how much he's missed hearing it and then slowly sort out anything else.]

Because I do one hell of a pissed off possessive moirail routine. People pay to see that shit.

[reddeadvirtuoso]

'Course. [Yeah she has no idea why he's being weird about this right now.]

Well, Rose...kind of went nuts yesterday. She blew up a bomb in John's face and really yanked our chains!

...No seriously, they were wrapped around our necks and everything. Pretty sure I heard a snap. [In spite of that, she grinned confidently.] Nothing to worry about though; I've got it under control. The next time she shows up with her schemes again, I'll be waiting.

[chronomancer]

Rose?

[Yep, still not letting go of the hug, but hey. He's not clinging that much anymore. It's back to those "draping one's self on Jade Strider's shoulders" deals he's so fond of. Except from the front rather than the back. Sort of.]

Rose Strider?

[reddeadvirtuoso]

[Someone unperturbed by the fact that there's a much taller alien somehow draping from the front. This ain't about logistics, man.]

Nah, Rose Egbert. [Said with a shake of her head.] From some other crazy alternate universe.

[chronomancer]

When is it not a crazy alternate universe?

[There's an acid snort at that, before he tenses again.]

Wait. Wasn't your Rose, Rose Egbert?

[reddeadvirtuoso]

Nah, some other one. Another universe where her Lalonde is John and her Dave is Harley. Like I said, crazy alternate stuff.

[chronomancer]

Fuck alternate universes. All of them.

[He sighs. Finally. Finally letting her go. But he's still hovering. Because you know that's the only real thing he's good for. Hovering.]

[reddeadvirtuoso]

Yeah, it's starting to get pretty batshit confusion.

But like I said, I'm gonna handle it. Quit your worrying.

[chronomancer]

Can't do.

[He offers her a lopsided smile.]

Someone ought to worry when you don't.

[reddeadvirtuoso]

[Siiiigh.]

You're gonna pop a blood vessel, you know. It'll be a big green mess all over the place!

[chronomancer]

Nah. I'm not that much of a bleeder.

[He offers a wry, twisted, vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaguely deranged smile.]

Not without assistance anyway.

[reddeadvirtuoso]

Hey man, not my job!

[One hand she held up in defense, as she other was, y'know, preoccupied with the shield still.]

But if anyone else tries to make you bleed, give me a ring, alright? I'll come runnin'.

[chronomancer]

No one's job, really.

[He chuckles wryly, shrugging again and sidestepping the bit about calling her in time of need.]

So what have you done, while I was gone?

[reddeadvirtuoso]

[Hm, she looks to be genuinely thinking about that question right now. She couldn't really think of anything particularly important before today!]

Not much besides Rose's crazy death trap. And the Halloween celebration! Everyone's been scrambling around to get candy. Kinda harsh.

[chronomancer]

So let me do the dumb, unimformed alien thing.

[Hey, he's doing better if he's doing the self-deprecating thing again. Right?]

What's the halloween thing and what does candy have to do with it?

[reddeadvirtuoso]

[Hey, it's almost as if he's normal!]

It's an honored humankind tradition! You go around collecting candy while dressed up in all sorts of ridiculous clothes, it's fucking awesome!

But around here all these assholes are attacking the weak and the defenseless just to get their stupid candy fix! I've been busy trying to help 'em out while you've been gone. It's a fucking mess!

[chronomancer]

If it's all about ridiculous clothes, I'm surprised you're not prancing around in a certain red ensemble.

[Clearly, he's teasing, though it comes off a little rougher than intended. Though he sobers up quickly enough.]

Shit, it's always something or another, isn't it?

[He offers a humorless smile.]

[reddeadvirtuoso]

No moment of peace around here for a hero.

[It was..kind of her typical sarcastic comment, but it was kind of hard to tell if she was actually being sarcastic or not for once?]

No way man, those red jammies are shit. I was hoping the whale'd have eaten them, but nope!

[chronomancer]

[He notices there's something off about her, but he can't put his finger on what exactly. And given that he's not in the best of mental states himself, it's better if he doesn't say anything yet.]

You've kept busy, then.

[Let's not talk. About the whale. Like. Ever. Please.]