Collapsing [Taiki, Eridan and open]

[isnotagiraffe.livejournal.com]

Characters: Taiki, Eridan anyone who wants to come visit Eridan or sick Taiki. (Willow, Sollux, Dualscars since you all said you wanted to meet the two of them together!)
Setting: Room 2-18, after Eridan is released from the infirmary
Format: You pick!
Summary: All this blood finally gets to Taiki, he gets sick.
Warnings: mentions of blood

Taiki was relieved when Eridan could leave the infirmary, the place smelt of blood and pain even worse than the rest of the tower. They went down to get the lift up to the dormitory floors, Taiki managed to last long enough to arrive in the coridoor before he collapsed.

It was all too much, all the blood, he had gotten blood on him, blood had been all around them. He had continued going because he had to save Eridan, because he didn't want to leave Eridan but his body couldn't cope any longer and he fell to the ground trembling, his eyes rolling back as he lost conciousness.

If Eridan touched him up he would be burning to the touch.

[A day or two later] Taiki finally started to recover, though he had no strength at all he was able to stay awake for a few hours at a time, and was well enough to recieve visitors, if anyone cared to come and see him.

Comments

[queenofbass.livejournal.com]

Marceline was in a wandering mood- and she hadn't investigated absolutely everywhere yet. There were still dorms to poke her head into, after all, and she did need something to do. Still, as she moved down the hall of her own floor, she couldn't help but smell something almost familiar. Something she hadn't smelled in ages.

It wasn't until she peeked into room 2-18 and saw that kid she'd met not long after she got to this crazy tower lying in bed that she realized it was the smell of illness. "Hey, kiddo, ya awake?" she asked, quietly. It had been a very long time since she was around anyone who was ill, not since she herself had been a child, and she wasn't sure what to do.

[wwaterboy]

Eridan was sitting on his own bed, watching Taiki with a scowl. He knew the kid was sick because of him, and it just made no sense, but he felt a bit responsible, anyway.

He lifted his head and looked at the stranger. "He's sick," he said, as if that wasn't already obvious. "But he's on the mend, so I figure he probably wwon't die."

[queenofbass.livejournal.com]

"Well, duh, I figured that," Marceline muttered, hardly above a whisper. If the kid wasn't awake she didn't want to be the one to change that. The weird guy sitting on another bed gave her reason to stay where she was, leaning against the door frame; she wasn't about to risk starting something, those horns had to have a use, right?

"At least he's getting better though. Any idea what happened?" It wouldn't hurt to be on top of what other insanity could happen here, and if it was contagious she wanted to at least know.

[wwaterboy]

"He can't be around pain an death," Eridan said slowly, eyeing her sidelong. "It fucks up his physiology, apparently. And he wwas in those fakey fake nightmare wworlds wwhere there wwas all kinds a pain, an' blood, an then spent a night in the infirmary."

[queenofbass.livejournal.com]

Marceline did her best not to show it, but even after years of being more or less useless her heartguts decided now was a fine time to pretend to work and clench. Pain and death, regardless of how she preferred not to be the cause of them, were a part of life for her, and this kid had only been nice the one time she'd met him. And the worlds...

"I... didn't know," she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't even notice there were people gone, I just..." stayed in the areas I didn't have to see people in, she thought, but left it unsaid. "What the glob is this place anyway, nightmare worlds and junk. Kid shouldn't have to deal with this."

[wwaterboy]

Eridan shrugged. He probably wouldn't have noticed that there were people gone if he hadn't been one of the people. So long as one of the few he interacted with regularly hadn't been one of the missing, anyway.

"I don't knoww wwhat this place is," he said. "Other than the obvvious. It's clearly some kind a fuckin' experimental laboratory or torture chamber constructed for the sadistic pleasure a some kind a alien scientists."

[isnotagiraffe.livejournal.com]

Taiki had been asleep and as he woke he awoke to voices, he recognised Eridan's though so he didn't worry, just blinked a few times and tried to move. He was still really week and even small movements made him tired.

He heard the last words of Eridan and tried to sit up to see who he was speaking to, "Eridan?" He whispered and then gave a small smile, "Hello Marceline."

[queenofbass.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't doubt either of those explanations at this point." Marceline sighed, before Taiki woke up. So this guy was Eridan, huh? Well, at least now she had a name to put with the face, other than 'odd accent guy'.

"Hey, kiddo," she grinned, quieter than she normally would be, and hanging back by the door. If he wasn't feeling well, and couldn't be around death and pain, it might be better for her to keep her distance, she reasoned. "Don't worry about sitting up for me," she said quickly, shaking her head. "You keep resting, I was just popping by to see what I could see."

It wasn't quite a lie, at least. She'd have felt bad about telling him a complete fib; that was the weird thing about getting used to people.

[wwaterboy]

"So you're a friend a Taiki's?" Eridan sounded a little surprised. So far as he knew, Taiki had no friends other than Eridan and his monsters. But who knew? He didn't keep track of everything.

"Anywway, I'm Eridan Ampora, and you're Marceline, then?" He gives her a nod. "As you can see, Taiki's restin' and he's doin' all right. But if you wwant to talk to him, that's okay."

[guiltapalooza]

[Several days after visiting Eridan in the infirmary, Willow had gotten her act together and thought she was finally ready to do that spell on his kismesis ring. She has a brown leather saddlebag slung over her shoulder, and it hangs crosswise across her body; in it are the necessary spell ingredients.

Also, some cookies. So she'd been getting bored and terminally worried, and had used baking to distract herself. Everyone liked cookies, right?

She knocks politely on the door. It had Eridan's name on the plaque-- she just hoped it was the right Eridan.]

[wwaterboy]

[Eridan gets up - Taiki is definitely not up for it - and answers the door. His slightly wary expression lights up the moment he recognizes her]

Hey, Wwil.

[guiltapalooza]

[She beams at him.] Hey! I'm glad I got the right Eridan. I had to guess from the name plate.

How are you feeling? You look a lot better. [He looks suspiciously completely healed, actually...]

[isnotagiraffe.livejournal.com]

[Taiki watched silently as the girl entered, he had seen her before in the infirmary, she was one of Eridan's friends. He smiled politely at her but didn't say anything, not wanting to be rude and interupt.]

[wwaterboy]

Yeah, I'm the right Eridan. [And he's really glad to see her] I'm fine, noww. This pointy-eared human-like alien healed me wwith a fairy in a bottle.

...But my roommate isn't doin' so wwell, so I wwas just keepin' an eye on him.

[guiltapalooza]

Wow, what a relief, [she says, looking as if she had genuinely been worrying and that really was a relief.] That was nice of him. And that's nice of you! Is this him, your roommate?

[It's pretty rude to talk about someone as if they weren't in the room when they're right there, so Willow walks over near Taiki's bed and gives him a friendly smile.] I'm Willow-- it's nice to meet you.

[isnotagiraffe.livejournal.com]

[Taiki smiled at the girl as she came near him] Hello Willow... erm... it's nice to meet you too... sorry... I'm Taiki...

[wwaterboy]

[Eridan watches, just a tiny bit miffed that she's ignoring him now. He squirms a little]

Yeah, it wwas real generous a them both, that one to heal me an' Taiki to sit by my side wwhile I wwasn't feelin' wwell.

So...wwhat did you come by for? To see if I wwas okay?

[dualscars.livejournal.com]

[so i heard you wanted some dualscar to ruin your collective days

the door opens to bang noisily against the wall adjacent, and in tow follows the orphaner. if he'd looked worse for wear before, his condition had been steadily declining since. while the wound at his torso had been completely healed by chidori, it doesn't mask the fact that he's still missing an arm.

and walks with a pronounced limp, clutching at a covered injury at his side. but despite this, his strides are long and quick-- no need to remain out in public any longer than necessary, in full-view of mocking eyes. he wordlessly heads to the cabinet and begins rummaging about its contents, either purposely ignoring the presences of the two or oblivious to them.]

[wwaterboy]

[Eridan opens his eyes as the door bangs, and it takes him a moment.

And then he stares.]

Orphaner Dualscar...?

[isnotagiraffe.livejournal.com]

[The banging door woke Taiki from his dozing, he opened his eyes an automatically curled up as the faint smell of injury and blood hit him, weakened as he was it was too much. He recognised the troll right away, the troll that looked like Eridan but older, who had attacked Taiki.

He noticed he only had one arm, and shuddered as he remembered what Gohran had told him of the fight. He felt guilty even if the troll had tried to hurt him first.

Sanshi was at his side in a moment snarling at the troll whilst wrapping her arms around Taiki.]

Eridan [Taiki called softly] Be careful

.. wow thanks for the notif lj, really

[dualscars.livejournal.com]

[well that was. unexpected. dualscar steps back reflexively, bandages in hand, but still bares his teeth in the beginnings of a snarl in return. he appraises them with a narrowed gaze, though admittedly seems much more focused on sanshi-- this was not the one he had fought, but that didn't mean it wasn't close by either.

he replies despite the distraction, voice low.]

Yes, that would be I...

LJ o9

[wwaterboy]

[Eridan is torn between two conflicting instincts. He gets up off the bed, insinuating himself between Taiki and his ancestor protectively, but he tries to cover that protective instinct as he focuses his entire being almost worshipfully upon the older troll.

This is Dualscar. He's read about him. One of the last great sea dweller generals before the world went to hell. And Eridan's direct ancestor.]

I'm your descendent. I havve your gun. [Wow, that couldn't have been more lame] Uh, I'vve read all sorts a things about you.

LJ is bad

[isnotagiraffe.livejournal.com]

[Gohran was nearby, in Taiki's shadow as always waiting to burst out if the troll made one wrong move. Taiki watched with wide eyes, clinging to Sanshi but he felt bad that Eridan had stepped in front of him.

His fear turned to confusion though when Eridan spoke, had he been right? Was Eridan related to this Dualscars?

it really is

[dualscars.livejournal.com]

[dualscar doesn't think of it as protectively, anyway. or would rather not. his posture remains rigid, though he eyes the young troll in front of him with something akin to antipathy. and now its mingled with perplexity-- he chooses to show this with the raising of an eyebrow.]

You say this as if I'm unaware. [and he jumps to a conclusion, as utterly illogical as it would seem before he became aware of the nature of this place and offshoot timelines:] You must be a different Eridan from the one I've met?

[his gaze flicks to taiki and the monsters and back again, though he masks his slight apprehension due to the new guests marvelously.]

[wwaterboy]

[The mention of the other Eridan doesn't piss him off as much as it once did, though he still thinks of him as the 'highblood asshole' version of him. The other Eridan at least did help rescue him, and that raised him hugely in his esteem.

He nods]

You'vve probably met the highblood vversion a me. In my wworld, the hemospectrum got flipped, after your time, and sea dwwellers are considered the lowwest a the loww.

[His expression goes a little wary. Telling the Condesce this had been an opening for her to belittle him, as if he were personally responsible for fixing the hemospectrum. He's not sure if Dualscar will react the same way]