animus_network

[Whoa there. Eridan startles a bit, taking a moment to seize Equius up. If it were anyone else, and Eridan was a bit more of a dick, he'd just offer his left arm. But given the fact Equius looks enough like a wreck that it's almost like he's the one missing an arm, Eridan nods mutely, standing up.]

...okay?

[He looks fine, really, all things considered. The cuts on his face and his neck are just faded scars, looking far older than they really are. As for his shoulder, the tiny stump remaining of his arm is covered in coarse, scar-like tissue, but again, it's closed and healed and looking way older than it should. Not that Equius can see that one through his clothes, but Eridan's not entirely sure what he's supposed to do, other than stare at Equius with slight bewilderment.

Are you gonna order the Jadeblood to strip, Zahhak?]

[NO WAY, that would be so inappropriate. Why did you even just think that. Geez.]

[Okay, granted, Eridan... does look better. This is the first thing that baffled Equius about his current state. Those wounds looked a lot older than they should have been, like they had already been well on their way to healing. And yes, this does actually give him pause for a few moments as he stares at Eridan's face, blinking in what might be disbelief -- at both Eridan and himself.]

...W-what did you do...? There's no way they could have healed that quickly...

[Yeah, now he's just confused, and also utterly embarrassed, but mostly confused. WHAT SORCERY IS THIS]

[Eridan shrugs, a tad uncomfortably.]

Magic.

[He snorts.]

Literally. I... ran into someone I knoww.

[He looks equal parts sheepish and embarrassed.]

She. Ah. She didn't really givve me much choice... or wwarnin', about the healin'.

...Magic?

[What does that... what even...]

[But... magic is the only way it could possibly heal so quickly... but, uh... magic. Sort of. Doesn't exist.]

Really?

...admittedly, it's fitting.

[Him being the Mage of Time and all that. But still. He shrugs.]

So yeah. Really. Magic.

...

[You know what, he's just going to take your word for it.]

...It's... it's healing properly, then?

I think so?

[Eridan shrugs again, then reaches out to scratch his neck.]

The scars itch, but I think that's normal.

[No, he's not gonna tell you about the wonders of phantom pain. Oh no, really. You don't need to know how it feels to wake up in the middle of the day to a goddamn cramp in a limb you don't have anymore.]

Scars... yes, that is. [And guess who can attest to that one.]

...

Well... if you're alright...

[..."I'm just going to take a leaf out of your book and hide under the covers for the rest of eternity."]

[Eridan opens his mouth to make a very, very snide remark about him and alright not belonging together in a sentence. He realizes, however, what he almost said, and instead shook his head.

So getting high off his ass with Gamzee took a bit of the edge off. That didn't mean he was under control yet. He shrugged instead, offering Equius a lazy, lopsided grin.]

As alright as I'm gonna get, I think.

...Alright. I'm, uh. Sorry for disturbing you.

[He starts eyeing another gap in the shelves, as if trying to judge how easily he could run away without Eridan noticing. Why did he do this, he doesn't want to be here, why did he even do this...]

You didn't.

[Eridan shakes his head. Then pauses for a moment.]

...are you sure you're okay?

...I suppose I'm. Still a bit shaken. From the, uh. Thing. [WOW does that gap look really appealing right now... pls stop Equius, you are really hard to make reasonable tags with when you're screaming to run away.]

[Bad etiquette. Worst muse.]

--It should be fine soon.

[Was that a statement or a question?]

It's understandable.

[Really Equius, if someone understand, it's Eridan. He offers a small, if sad smile.]

It'll be. It just... takes a while too get used to the idea.

[And then you die again. And again. And again. Ah, though perhaps this is worse? Because Equius actually did die and then came back...]

[How does he-- ...oh. Right.]

[Rather suddenly, he's reminded of a certain conversation with Feferi. The very thought of it makes him cringe, but it does bring up a good subject, one that he's been wondering about for a while in between all those half-crazed trips down to the cafeteria floor.]

...You... you don't happen to know anything about where we are, do you? Where this tower is, I mean.

[Eridan blinked.]

What do you mean?

Well, uh... where we are. And how we got here. Obviously there are a lot of humans, and a lot of trolls. And several, um, other things. [BEEEAAAARRRRRRRRRRS] And... everyone here just doesn't know anything about where we are.

...I guess you don't?

[He looks... really pathetic.]

Sorry, no.

[Eridan sighs.]

I'm pretty sure I've told you all I've managed to figure out. I'm sorry.

Oh. It's... it's fine.

[Aaaaand, this next line is spoken in a very tiny voice:] ...I just wish we did, though.

[Eridan is not an optimist. Not really. He's the very definition of hopeless.

Then again, you wouldn't know that, would you, Equius. He hopes you never know the things he's done, when reaching hopelessness.

He shrugs.]

We will.

[He gives his voice conviction he doesn't really feel, for the sake of trying to make Equius feel better about this whole affair.]

[No he... really wouldn't. But knowing this tower, how long will it be before The Amazing Adventures of Eridan gets blasted out across the loudspeaker for all to hear?]

[Equius sighs and puts his hands on his hips, and then notices the small fortress of books on the table. Odd. What could Eridan possibly find in the library now that he hasn't before...?]

...What are you reading?

[No, it won't be long. Because otherwise Eridan might approach something close to being comfortable in the tower and that's not allowed. He's cosmically forbidden from having a good day, apparently.

He shrugs.]

Oh just. This and that.

[He's not. Blushing, okay. Not at all.]

Havven't really gotten a chance to read in a wwhile, might as wwell take it, right?

[Don't worry Eridan, at least you can sympathize with... um... wow. There really is no greater punching bag for the universe than Eridan Ampora. This is pretty awkward. --Also, congratulations. You have managed to suck so much that Equius Zahhak has noticed your blushing, and he is now backpedaling as furiously as he can.]

--R-right. Of course.

[If you could kindly not notice the fact he's reading trashy vampire novels, it would be swell.]

Do you read much?

[The question is genuine, though. He's known Equius for a while but. But he's Eridan. He's an expert in being a wallpaper flower and not butting into things unless really necessary. For all he's done for everyone, sometimes it hits him, how little he really knows them.]

[Pfft, he doesn't know the difference between trashy vampire novels and any other kind of vampire novel, or indeed any kind of novel at all.]

[...No, seriously, he doesn't.]

Except for manuals if need be, no, I don't.

[That would be because he's poor as dirt and can't really afford to get any books, but he's not going to mention that in front of a higherblood.]

[This is sad and should be remedied. ~~Eridan has unironically read the troll version of Twilight. No one will convince me otherwise.~~]

Oh.

[He looks over at his pile of books, pensive.]

I used to read a lot. I don't evven remember wwhy I stopped.

[Might have been the undead crawling around his hive. Might have been movies. Might have been just something else entirely.]

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