[OPEN] In the back of my head there's a siren that won't shut up.

[chronomancer]

Characters: Eridan Ampora and YOU!
Setting: Media floor.
Format: Starting with action, but I'll match you.
Summary: Eridan's back from his little time out in the land of boredom and jack-fuck-shit-all-to-do, but they're serving waffles in the cafeteria and he needs a few dumb movies to shut up his brain before he braves out social interaction on a larger scale.
Warnings: Eridan.

[Eridan's got this whole thing sorted out. Utterly in control, it's him. You don't even know. He's got about four plates of waffles stacked up and he's curled up on the floor, back pressed against a couch, and there's blankets and really stupid action flick blaring in the screen. Screw you, Zen masters, he doesn't need no stinking peace and quiet to get some inner peace.

Or at least something that greatly resembles inner peace.

By which I mean denial. Very thorough, very careful denial. So yeah, no trauma here, no emotional unrest, no sir. All is calm and chill as fuck, and if you don't agree you can go have a talk with the barrel of his gun, which is coincidentally half hidden under that pile of blankets and within easy reach.

But it's not like he's being paranoid or anything. Of course not. Shut up. He's watching a movie and eating waffles and not going crazy. What's wrong with that?]

Comments

[hystericull]

[Heyyy, there's an ugly mug this clown hasn't set stubs on in a good while. If he wasn't a sensible, logical troll, Gamzee'd be led to believe that this little jadeblood was avoiding him. Luckily, only someone completely self-involved and deluded would think that the reason someone had disappeared was because they wished not to see him.]

[Gamzee traipsed up behind the couch, vaulting over the back of the thing to perch crouched on the cushions. Yanking a hand out of the pocket of his pants, he knocked Eridan in the back of the head.]

THE MOTHERFUCK'S BEING UP AND THE MATTER WITH YOUR ASS, MOTHERFUCKER!?

[chronomancer]

[Congratulations, Gamzee, you just made Eridan choke on a strip of fluffy waffle. Excuse him while he coughs up a lung. Once he's done, though, he looks up at Gamzee, eyes slightly watery, and glares a little.]

...hi?

[hystericull]

Don't fuckin' be all motherfuckin' "hi" at me, shitstain.

[The kid narrowed his painted eyelids, fixing to take another swipe at Eridan's noggin.]

The fuck you been!?

[Not that he cared either way. Or anything.]

[chronomancer]

[Eridan dodged the next swipe, ducking his head to avoid more unnecessary head trauma. His pan was fucked up enough, he didn't need a concussion. He snorted.]

I will fucking hi at you if I fucking want to, bulgemunch.

[He snorted, giving Gamzee a loving sneer.]

But since you ask so nicely, I was stuck in that godforsaken wasteland. Timed out like a fucking wiggler.

[hystericull]

...Oh.

[Well, that wasn't quite the answer he was expecting. ...Why did people get sent back, again? If Jason had mentioned it, Gamzee didn't remember. It was odd, though. What was the criteria? How come Eridan had gotten sent back so many times, but he hadn't? Judging from the kid's reaction every time he'd returned from a trip home, it wasn't an experience to be desired. The whole thing was just curious, is all.]

Well that fuckin' was all sorts of inconsiderate of you.

[He fell back, resting against the back of the couch with his legs still bent up. Were you expecting to get rid of him?]

[pushedaround]

[ And in some other corner in this floor, Tavros was being a complete slob while watching some random movie he selected. It was a romantic/comedy, and there is nothing humorous about the entire movie. At all. He didn't get any of the jokes, and it was overall stupid. Whatever.

He was about to leave, but before he could do that, Tavros noticed the presence of a fellow troll nearby. Aaaaand it had to be the one he didn't quite process how he feels about him yet. Great.

Okay, he's been standing there and staring for a while, might as well say something. ]

... Hi.

[ Smooth. ]

[chronomancer]

[Eridan was hoping Tavros would just. Go away. But of course he didn't. Because that'd be something Eridan would appreciate. And things never go the way Eridan wants them to. It's okay though, he doesn't sigh or otherwise look put upon. He just tilts his head back until it's resting on the couch and he can see Tavros.]

Hey.

[Shit, let's be smooth together, bro.]

[pushedaround]

[ Hey, it's not like Tavros wants to do this either, but it would be really stupid to pretend that he didn't notice Eridan when he so clearly did. However, now that he actually got his attention, and their eyes locked, it triggered some glorious memories in his think pan.

... Memories that took place sweeps in the future. This kid is just too honest for his own good and the expression on his face is so unpleasant, regardless of his words. ]

Wow, okay. I ... had a lot to say to you, but I honestly don't know if it's even worth it at this point. You know?

[chronomancer]

[Eridan blinks at that, unsure how to answer, before he snorts.]

If you want to say it, say it. You'll feel better afterwards.

[heavenscorpse]

He, Eridan! [V/V is delighted to see him just by chance. She's missed him for a while.]

Can I sit here?

[At 'here' she indicates the blankets.]

[chronomancer]

[V/V gets a small, though sincere smile for her efforts.]

Hey, V/V. Sure.

[Let him shift the rifle out of the way, and pat the ground next to him so she can sit.]

How've you been?

[heavenscorpse]

I'm okay. I burnt my hands a little picking up a gun but that was a while ago, and I haven't died again or anything.

[She hasn't been killed in the tower, just at home. V/V sits down next to him, turning her attention to the TV.]

Do you like this movie?

[chronomancer]

Are you sure you're alright?

[Because burns are not okay. He shrugs at the question though.]

Eh, I'm mostly watching for the noise. It's relaxin'.

[wrigurun]

[Wriggle had been lead up to the media room by the smell of something sweet. It wasn't normally somewhere she made an effort to go to but lately she'd been acting more and more on instinct, if she'd been acting at all. When she realised what was going on around her she stared at the screen for a good three minutes, the novelty of moving pictures still hadn't grown old to her but it didn't seem like the pictures you would see on the terminals. Glancing around she saw someone she thought was familiar]

Ah, it's you again.

[Did she even learn his name in the first place? Equius must have said it but she didn't remember. Ignoring the half-hidden gun she looked around the room again. Wriggle seemed a lot quieter and less energetic than the last time they met]

What's that smell? Can I have some?

[chronomancer]

Oh.

[Eridan smiled awkwardly at her, still embarrassed over the last time they met. He cleared his throat a little awkwardly.]

Hello.

[He raised a plate up for her to see. Most of the waffles were plain, but there were a few with chocolate in them.]

Waffles and sure, if you want?

[wrigurun]

Thank-you...

[She doesn't really smile but she takes them and sits on the floor with her back against the sofa. Using her hands to eat she bites into the waffles and chews them slowly, still half mesmerized by the screen]

You're Equius's friend, aren't you? You look kinda similar, I mean you both have grey skin and orange horns. I've seen a lot of people like that around, I guess a lot of people from your home world came here. I don't think a lot of people from my world came to the tower but they have a lot of insects here so that's okay...

[She trails off at a particularly impressive action sequence, only to suddenly snap back to reality about half way]

What are you watching?

[chronomancer]

Yeah, Equius and I are friends.

[A bit more than that, but he can't handle discussing that. Not quite. He's a little amused at the way she seems to be engrossed by the TV, so he finds himself smiling faintly.]

Eh, just the first thing I picked up that looked action-packed. I like explosions.

[geometry]

[You're having fun, Eridan. That's cool. Equius likes it when you have fun. He walks into the room quietly mostly out of habit, but once he realizes that the TV is on and the lump in front of the nearest couch is actually a sacrifice to Bl'hakyetkokún, he just casually leans against the back of it and watches, not wanting to disturb Eridan's inner sanctum of peace and delicious warm things in his stomach. Of course, Equius switches back and forth between watching the screen and just watching Eridan... heh. In a normal circumstance he would be screaming his head off about where he had gone by now, but the jadeblood seemed okay so far, and Equius wanted to keep a good mood running as long as possible.]

[chronomancer]

[Fun is a subjective term. But Eridan is busy slowly tearing bits of waffle and eating them slowly with this sheer methodical intent that... hey, at least it's not violent or nervous or manic. That's progress, right there. He does seem very focused at enjoying himself, perhaps a little too much. He works through a waffle, chewing on the spongy treat. When he finishes the last one of the plate, however, he shifts to put it out of the way so he won't accidentally kick it over, and he finally notices the shadow over his shoulder. He looks up and freezes for a moment, staring up at Equius with the air of a kid caught with his hand inside the cookie jar.

There's a beat.

Then two.

Then he's squirreling up the couch and throwing his arms around his matesprit's neck, using the couch as leverage to do so.]

[geometry]

[Yes, Eridan, that is a lot of progress; you're a real inspiration to us all. Equius will never understand what he sees in the stupid things, but he will also never understand why Eridan doesn't like sugar (he thought everyone liked sugar), so maybe the Ampora jadeblood dietary habits will just remain a mystery to him forevermore. Still, if there was going to be any excessive cooking done, Equius would need to learn sooner or later so he could shower the motherfucker in deliciousness. These were the thoughts that crossed his mind up until the boy looked back; after that, of course, everything was lost. He would have said that it was alarming, the ease with which Equius' arms somehow found their own way into hugging Eridan back, but maybe (just maybe) these were the kinds of things that were... good. Not alarming. Good.]

[Either way, he didn't care. Matesprit and chocolate and happiness.]

Hi.

[chronomancer]

[Eridan is just going to cling a little, and then gently nuzzle the side of Equius' neck. This was definitely A Nice Thing. A Nice Thing that was not in any way alarming or terrifying or anything. He simply sighed contently.]

Hi.

[And then very quietly began to purr in the back of his throat, hold seemingly not about to loosen any time soon.]

[servessithis]

[Why he keeps gravitating to the media room, he has no idea. He much prefers the library, where it's nice and quiet.

He looks over at the 'television', playing something loud and not the least bit intelligent.]

That is what passes for entertainment?

[chronomancer]

[Eridan looked up, mouth busy with a piece of waffle, which he then swallowed as he shrugged.]

Dunno about entertainment, but you know, it's mindnumbing enough.

[servessithis]

[Vicente looks up at the screen briefly.]

Very mindnumbing.

[chronomancer]

[Eridan chuckles, a little too highpitched for a second there.]

Sometimes, you really do need to shut your thinkpan down.