1) Shadow Eridan | Open

[hopelessprince]

Something wakes up. Something attains literal consciousness but not figurative consciousness.

A shade walks the tightrope between sentient and mindless shadow, and pools into being out of a portal.

It looks an awful lot like a dark, monochromatic version of one Eridan Ampora.

All it knows is that it feels unsettled. It remembers horns, and grey faces, and a chainsaw. And then fish, for some reason.

Something is wrong and it can't work out what it is.


[ooc: Eridan is a shadow monster! He's going to be trying to pull people into shadowy pits if he can stop being self-absorbed for a second. Feel free to try and interact with him!]

Comments

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux reaches them and reaches out, taking Eridan's other hand. He probably looks like he's pitying Eridan, but mostly he just doesn't want to make things worse or provoke violence. Not right in front of Karkat, especially.]

Do you remember getting here? We were in thome kind of thtone boktheth and there were a lot of humanth around.

[hopelessprince]

[What a weird question. Eridan squeezes Sollux's hand anyway.]

No. I wwasn't. Only there.

[He gestures vaguely at the shadowy pit with the hand holding Sollux's. He's ok. Nobody's leaving him. They've got him. It's ok.]

Wwho livves here?

[papshooshing]

Coffins, Sollux. They're coffins. Fuck, man. We've been stuck with humans for how long? How is it that you don't know some of this shit?

[ sighs and just rolls his eyes. ]

Maybe the living come in through there and the dead arrive a la shadowy shit.

[thekidsare0kay]

No human'th ever mentioned coffinth around me, tho far. [He shrugs and squeezes Eridan's hand] Fuck thith ith worthe than being Thity dead, ithn't it? I hope we can fikth you.

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan cringes a little.]

That wwon't wwork. That doesn't wwork.

[papshooshing]

It's called a fucking library, Captor. Don't you read?

[ he takes a moment to rub at Eridan's arm. ]

What doesn't work?

[thekidsare0kay]

I'm thorry for not thpending time rethearching the contentth of a dictionary! [Eyeroll. Then he turns towards Eridan again, eyebrows drawing close in worry as he waits for an answer]

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan sighs deeply, looking put-upon and irritated.]

Hope.

[papshooshing]

[ Karkat opens his mouth to snap at Sollux, but his blood freezes at that one single word. hope. he swallows, realizing that this is dangerous ground being tread. ]

Eri, we're not exactly hoping. We fucking know this will get fixed. I promise.

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux groaned softly, then leaned in close. He nuzzled into Eridan's side fin]

You're not alone. Get hold of yourthelf, and trutht uth.

[hopelessprince]

Ok. ---k it ww--

[He grips both of their hands even tighter.]

Feels empty. I think I ended up holloww. Think I fell out a' my halvves. I'll trust you as long as you stay. Let's find out-- Let's fix--

[papshooshing]

[ that's better. as long as they can keep him with them and calm? this won't be a big thing. ]

We're not going anywhere, Eridan.

[ now he just picks a direction and just starts walking in a different direction. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

You're not hollow. [One last, slightly red nuzzle, and Sollux moves with Karkat, still holding Eridan's hand. He'll be glad to get away from that inky black pool of shadow]

[hopelessprince]

[At the moment, Eridan has trouble making decisions for himself, so he's meekly following after them, letting their hands direct his motion.]

[papshooshing]

[ good. because Karkat can keep a hold of Eridan and give occasional purring nuzzle. ]

I don't want to head back to the coffin room. Maybe find an exit?

[thekidsare0kay]

Yeah, let'th keep ekthploring. [He watches Karkat giving the reassuring nuzzles and smiles]

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan nuzzles Karkat back when he does, a little aimlessly but he's still doing it.]

Is there a wway out?

[papshooshing]

We'll just have to find out, huh?

[ and this blank space here is the time that it took to look around and walk in a complete circle to end up in the living area once more. completely unintentional. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Hey it was a while. Sollux is sort of tired, but he kept his hand on Eridan the whole way.]

I think our rethpite block ith over here. There'th an ekthtra bed if you want it, ed...?

[hopelessprince]

[The living area makes him nervous. There's something nervousness-inducing about it. He wouldn't have come here at all if his friends hadn't taken him. But he's sure as hell not going to leave them. He's never going to leave them. EVER.]

Yes.

[papshooshing]

[ Karkat is also exhausted, but it's just like him to not give into it. the guy spent 600 hours awake, after all. he leads them to the room, agreeing with Sollux that it is, indeed, respiteblocks. ]

I was thinking we could, you know...

[ his ears turn pink in embarrassment. it's just a stupid idea, but he feels that they all need it. ]

Toss all of the shit in a pile in the corner and share.

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux glances at Karkat around Eridan, nodding. He's been in piles with Eridan before, so he's not uncomfortable with that idea, even if it did just bring home how weirdly red their kismessitude was these days]

That thoundth really good, kk.

[hopelessprince]

[Oh, he was going to have to let go of them? Well, he is naturally against any plan that would involve them being in separate places. So.]

Yes. I wwould prefer that. To any other. I wwouldn't otherwwise.

[papshooshing]

Yeah, okay. Good.

[ gives Eridan's hand just one more pat. then he goes to rip off sheets and blankets. pillows too. just everything being tossed into the corner. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Given how codependent Eridan is being, Sollux stays with him while Karkat pulls off the sheets and blankets. He reaches out and levitates a mattress off the bed and dumps it on the floor, then picks up the pile and slides it underneath.]

That'll make a pile big enough for three I think.