Cherubplay

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Vriska had jagged, pointed writing, succinct notes being scratched along her paper. She had formed things into a chart, one side depicting what sweep it was written, what Queen was in charge at the time, and the state of Wonderland; the other side with important, bullet-style notes. She worked slower, not wishing to have anything out of place, her focus much like that when she was inspecting treasure for authenticity or a map for the next place she was to raid.

Kanaya poured over her current book, her notes a bit longer and more elaborate in complete cursive, neat and thin. The only sounds in the living room were pages turning or quills scritching or tapping the porcelain of the ink wells. The jade blood left briefly, returning with coffee this time, creamer and sugar on a silver tray as she set it on an empty chair rather than the covered coffee table.

He swung their hands as they walked, stopping momentarily to ask about directions to the park. They were given with subtle glares to Gamzee, and Tavros curtsied when he thanked the man that gave the directions, moving along with his matesprit. He would love to commune with the pigeons whatever else was around, simply listening to their quick spurts of chatter about random things. Most of all, he wished to have some time with Gamzee again in a place that reminded him of Tulgey. It may not have had the glowing mushrooms or the terrifying insects, but at least it was forested. The cobblestone turned into compacted gravel, the paths within the park wide and curved to make sure precipitation did not hinder walking. Horses, food, and drink were not permitted within the park, so the entire place was much cleaner than the remainder of the city, shrubs and trees barren a bit from the cold weather, but Tavros still enjoyed it. "It is still pretty out here, in a melancholy sort of way," He murmured, "With the plants all like this, in their dormant state, I cannot imagine the beauty of them when it is warmer." One of the three fountains within the park was still gushing with water and a man was seated at it, his hands concealed with dark gloves that he looked to be taking off, but stopped himself short when he noticed Gamzee. He tugged the left glove down and the right one back up, revealing the beginnings of a long tattoo that covered his hand. Tavros hadn't noticed, too absorbed in speaking with pigeons that seemed to occasionally flock towards him.

2014-09-01 18:15:22
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Much to distracted to notice coffee, Karkat was still plowing through. He was deeply absorbed and wasn't really moving except for turning pages and writing notes. Likely he could forget to eat even Gamzee's cooking in such a state; the old writing itself had been exciting but the subject matter was also fascinating if not a little depressing at times.

The seadweller had got caught in a passage that didn't make much sense to him, so put it down for a few moments to pour some coffee. He took it black like his tea, disliking diluting much of anything, no matter how bitter. After sipping for a few moments he looked back at the passage, taking it piece by piece, braced by the bitterness of the drink and the caffeine. Seeing Vriska so absorbed he offered to make her a cup quietly so she wouldn't have to bother looking up from her work.

Gamzee put himself between the man and Tavros when he noticed the beginnings of a tattoo, keeping tabs on the suspicious troll subtly. Sollux had said it was some sort of magic, and the purple blood wasn't excited to find out what it could do. His pulse quickened and he started feeling uncomfortable with adrenaline, wanting to leave as soon as possible to hopefully avoid anything unpleasant for either himself or Tavros. Not wanting to spoil the mood but needing his matesprit to know the potential danger they were in, he bowed his head slightly and whispered so hopefully no one else would hear him. "Tav, there's a dude with one of those tats like yesterday about. He saw us, don't look, maybe he won't do anything." It was kind of upsetting. He'd really been enjoying the walk with Tavros and looking at the plants. Sure it wasn't Tulgey but it was closer than they'd come to what he'd considered a friendly landscape than anywhere else. It obviously wasn't as friendly as other places they could be right then, but at least it had looked more familiar.

2014-09-01 18:39:47
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The phone rang, and Sollux, jolted from his concentration, groaned and moved to answer it, "Hello? ...Ah. I see. ...Yes. ...I will be there, thank you. Good bye now."

"Who was it, dear?" Kanaya questioned.

"More brainwashing," He checked his watch, "Mandatory meeting at four thirty for Chiefs and Marshalls concerning 'national security.' It's probably just a get together for all the people higher than police but lower than Parliament to get it drilled into their heads everything that's ever been taught so far. You know, like I haven't heard that already. Honestly, I really do think something underhanded is going on, so once Gamzee and Tavros get back, lock the door, close all the windows, and don't open the door for anybody. If they need to be here, whoever it is, they'll have a key."

She just nodded, a hand on her chin as she scanned the current writings in front of her - there was so much that she was unaware of. The newer legislature appeared, on the outside, to be more liberating, but as she read closer, she saw the disparity was as large as before, just shy of outright murdering castes in huge numbers.

The man watched them both with varied glances, checking his watch occasionally or fiddling with his gloves. Tavros peered up at him, thinking the bending of his head was for a kiss and he leaned in, as well, but saw Gamzee was speaking, instead. "Okay," He nodded, kissing his cheek just to avoid looking strange as they walked closer and closer to the fountain. The path went straight through the fountain, then turned into a fork that Tavros knew he could go down either option of without going past the man. There were less people by the fountain, some moving towards the two paths past it or just leaving the park. The man, perhaps a red, (though it was difficult to tell in Starnette, as most everyone incorporated a shade of red into their clothing, regardless of their hue) stood and slipped off his glove, his hands by his side as his wrist twitched.

It was nearly imperceptible, but a tiny bullet of magic, a dark blue, whizzed by their faces, close enough to make Tavros's ears ring. His eyes widened somewhat, and he clutched Gamzee's hand, pulling him towards the way they came, "We have to go right now." He couldn't tell if it was a warning or a legitimate attempt, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out.

2014-09-01 19:06:28
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The phone brought Karkat out of his trance as well, and he paused in his scrawling to listen. "Be careful, Sollux," was all he said before plunging back into his work. He was hoping that was all it was and not some attempt to hurt their host or get potentially sensitive information out of him. He worried about putting the yellow in danger. Sure he had a high position in the government, but that didn't mean they wouldn't do something nasty to him if they felt the need to for whatever reason they could come up with.

Pouring another cup and enhancing it with cream and some sugar to Vriska's tastes, he set it down within reach of her before going back to his own documents. There were a lot of laws that would just appear like excessive words, but actually meant quite a lot. These reds were tricky with wording too, making it as holey and opportunistic as they needed to do whatever they wanted, without much bother for real structure.

Putting an arm around Tavros's shoulders to keep him out of the direct path of anything coming from the troll by the fountain partially by blocking with his body and partly to make it a bad angle, Gamzee also used it to help propel them along quicker with his longer strides. He didn't much care what it looked like so long as they got out of there quickly. He avoided anyone's gaze, concentrated on discerning if they were being followed or shot at and getting back to the apartment as fast as possible. The police trolls could be damned if his matesprit was in danger.

2014-09-01 19:26:23
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He thought the sentiment was sweet, though Sollux was still more worried about Eridan and Gamzee and just the remainder of the team as a whole. "We've got to get a move on," He said at last, moving to sit down again and pick up the book he was looking through, "The government's really starting to catch on. I've got a little bit of time before the meeting starts."

Vriska thanked him quietly, not feeling too fine with Sollux going to that meeting. It was probably something of the Queen's doing to try to keep tabs on him, pull out some information about their plans.

They hurried out of the park as quickly as they could, and while Tavros thought that the warning was well received, it, apparently, was not. A second shot was fired, silent to avoid anyone noticing, and as Tavros looked to see where it was, he saw purple blood blooming on Gamzee's shoulder, right where his head tended to lay. Whether or not it was intention as further warning or not was still up for debate, put Tavros hoped that he was too heightened by adrenaline to notice the pain of the magical shot as they finally made their way to the apartment complex and up to Sollux's home. "Are you okay? Please tell me you are, alright, there is nothing else going on with the wound, is there?" He didn't know if there was some kind of poison in the magic or if there would be adverse effects, or even how deep the wound was, but he was close to completely panicking. Tavros tried evening out his breaths, but he found himself going between short spurts of normalcy and quickened hyperventilation.

2014-09-01 19:42:56
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"If it seems like some sort of trick get the fuck out, screw appearances if they're already starting to realize they'll keep at it whether they know that we know or not," Karkat couldn't completely get back into the spirit, slowing down some in frustration. He got up to get some coffee since he couldn't concentrate properly.

"It's okay, Tav, just keep calm okay? If you start freakin' out I might start gettin' anxious." Gamzee had only flinched some with a small grimace when the bullet hit, going straight through from the back to the front where Tavros could see the blood. He hadn't noticed the bleeding, too concentrated on just getting back to the apartment. The magic made it tingle and felt like there were sparks of electricity shooting around a few inches from the wound, but soon it settled into a sharp throb like an ordinary stab or shot wound, apparently far enough away from anything vital to cause too much extra damage from the magics. It did keep the blood from coagulating properly, and once he did realize he was spilling a significant amount of blood they were outside the apartment door.

He pushed the door open quickly, getting Tavros in first before locking it behind them. "Just, uh, go sit down and I'll take care of this." As the adrenaline receded, they were in a 'safe' place now, the pain became more apparent. Even though he'd suggested Tavros stick with the others, who looked deep in a task from all the paperwork around them, he doubted his caring matesprit would as he let him go to get his bag from the guest respiteblock. Somehow he'd remembered to shed his shoes at the door, autopilot taking over for him now. Once he had his bag he went into the ablution block, peeling off his sweater and taking off his shirt, muttering. "Bastard fucked up your favorite sweater, Tav, and messed up this shirt... well, it's pretty purple already, maybe they won't stain too bad, or show it much..." He leaned over the tub to clean off, not wanting to bleed on the floor or anywhere.

2014-09-01 20:03:47
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Both Kanaya and Sollux looked up when the door opened, Vriska a bit slower in her looking but all three of them looked visibly concerned about Gamzee. Sollux noticed that it was just his arm, and he told the others not to worry and keep working. They couldn't all crowd into the ablution block, anyways.

"Kanaya, take care of Tavros, I'll look over Gamzee," He just seemed mildly annoyed that the purple was shot at, and he sighed, "What fuckers. At least it's just your arm. Anything else happen, Gamzee?" The yellowblood took out a towel and pressed it hard against his arm, apologizing for any pain, "Let's stop the bleeding, first."

"Th-there's so much blood," He stammered, his breaths becoming shallow and swift, "This man - he shot a-at us - twice! I was so," He paused to breathe, "St-stupid, I messed up again and now Gamzee is hurt!"

Her hands took hold of his cheeks, forcing him to look up at her as she spoke and led him out of the bathroom, "Tavros, darling, I need you to calm down. Gamzee is going to be fine. Don't think, just breathe, alright? Nice and slow, one breath at a time," Kanaya breathed in deeply, encouraging him to do the same as she held the breath, then let it out slowly. He struggled to maintain a level breath, constantly trying to turn his head to look into the ablution block, but Kanaya forced him to look into her direction, "/Breathe,/ Tavros."

Vriska shifted uncomfortably in her seat; setting her quill down and looking to Eridan worried. She could hear Tavros' struggle to breathe correctly and Kanaya's instruction.

2014-09-01 20:36:22
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"Nah, just a warning shot or a miss or somethin' first, so we started cruisin' out, then whoever sent the second and, well, here's the result." The wound was small but blood kept trickling even when it was cleaned. "Think the magic did somethin', can you stitch the entry and exit wounds?" he asked Sollux, drooping a little from the stress. He dug around in his bag for stitching materials and gauze, and ointments to keep it from getting infected, "or whatever you think is best..." He let the yellow take over then, concentrating on even breathing and keeping still. It was surprisingly painful, but he'd dealt with pain that bad before, though he had to say getting shot was a new experience. Not one he wanted to repeat, though. He was vaguely aware of Tavros's distress in the other room and had a mental struggle to keep himself in place, wanting to comfort him.

The seadweller's face was quite pale, there had been quite a bit of blood, enough to make someone lightheaded at least for a little while. He watched the ablution block portal, keeping an ear out for any bad sounds, but all he could here was quiet muttering.

Karkat was keeping a surprisingly level head, even though the incident was shocking it was not altogether unexpected. "Tavros, this wasn't your fault. They wanted to hurt him and even you, it looks like, and if they want to they will find a way no matter what they do. It doesn't sound like there was any provocation, was there?"

2014-09-01 20:53:42
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He nodded, washing his hands and setting to work. The magic had torn through his skin and muscle dangerously, but Sollux doubted that it would do much more hinder his movements for however long it would need to heal. It would probably scar, too, but these were both things he thought Gamzee was fully aware of. He pressed cold water on the towel to his wound, murmuring, "I'm sorry this happened," It was quite unlike him, to be caring, but it seemed he had taken a page from Kanaya's book, "I'm sure the both of you had good intentions. But shit happens. I think it'd be best to relax some with Tavros for the remainder of the day, and tomorrow, too. Just do as you see fit," He began with the stitches after smoothing ointment over his wounds, trying to work swiftly to get the whole process over with, "I have to go to a meeting fairly soon, the details of which I'll tell you and the rest about, but not Tavros. It seems like an asshole thing of us all to do, but we've got to intentionally hold out information from him, otherwise he'll run himself ragged. He doesn't have a realistic vision of the world like Karkat does," When the stitches were finished, he placed ointment over the gauze a bit and tightly wrapped his arm before moving into his medicine cabinet. After searching briefly, he took out two white pills and handed them to Gamzee, "They're just painkillers. Take half of one for the time being, just to see if it works well for you."

Vriska watched as Tavros and Kanaya came out into the main room. She wanted nothing more than to scoop Tavros up and cradle him to her chest, but she refrained; she wasn't exactly cut out for comfort in that regard, and her words would likely make things worse.

"No, not at all!" That was what made it all the more terrifying, "We were just w-walking, through the park, and there was a man there at the fountain that Gamzee had seen and h-he just-" His breathing quickened and Kanaya instructed him once more, leading him from the hallway and to sit on the couch. She returned with a glass of water, placing it in Tavros's hands, but he did not drink from it. Instead, he bent his head, staring into the glass as he felt tears leak from his eyes, "B-but it /was/ my fault, Karkat. We had no reason to be, i-in the park. Gamzee was even skeptical but I convinced him and we went...I should h-have just listened to him and now he is injured, because of me," He rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying not to cry too heavily, but he couldn't help but feel so guilty. Kanaya put her arm around him, glad that he was calmer now but still wishing he would not adopt such a heavy sense of remorse. "Come now, Tavros, it seems like the assassin was simply in the park at the same time you were, not that he had intentionally sought you out. How could he have known that you were going to leave tea time with the princess and go to the park, hm?"

2014-09-01 21:17:57
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“Coulda been worse,” Gamzee muttered, staying as still as possible. Besides for being a bit quaky he was alright. At the mention of withholding information he actually smiled a little. “I’ll keep it quiet; damn, you and Kanaya were getting after me for doin’ the same earlier, see why I did now? He cares so much, and he lets it upset him so much. No good for him to get too stressed over things. You don’t gotta tell me direct, either, Karkat can relay it silent like,” he made a hand sign to indicate what he meant. He was glad the stitching was over with soon so he could get back to Tavros to reassure him. The pills were unfamiliar, and he did as instructed. “Thanks for all this, Sollux,” he smiled a little in thanks as he washed any blood off his hands before packing up the supplies in his bag. He took it back to the guest respiteblock and slipped on a loose shirt before heading back to the living room and Tavros’s side.

He bypassed a concerned Eridan and moved around Karkat to Tavros’s other side, sitting beside him. “Fucker kept checkin his watch and fidgeting around. Real weird, like he was expecting someone or something. But it did look like we just stumbled upon him, since he was all surprised lookin when he saw us.”

Karkat sipped his mug of coffee thoughtfully. And then he got angry. “You had every gogdamn reason to be in the park as much as any other troll! You cannot blame yourself for this bullshit when it is completely their fault! If it weren’t for this fucked up system this would not have happened, and there is nothing at all you could have done or should have done to prevent it. You two should be allowed to be out in public without being harassed just like everyone else and blaming yourself only gives them the upper hand through your guilt. Do not let them tell you what to do.” Karkat knew they had to do things to avoid this, but was fed up with all the concessions they had to make just to not be bothered. Partly it was still annoyance at the brute who had harassed Kanaya earlier too.

2014-09-01 21:42:32
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Sollux, regrettably, said his goodbyes and left, locking the door as he did. He hated having to keep them under lock and key that way, even though they could unlock the doof themselves, but it was as if he were caging up animals.

Tavros jumped at the sudden fluctation from contemplation to rage, an audible gasp leaving him as he looked to Karkat with a miserable expression. He listened to their words carefully but he was still distraught. While Tavros was no longer panicking or crying too heavily, he did not like this at all. He kept telling himself that he should have just gone straight to the apartment and not convinced Gamzee to go to the park with him, but he did not fall into depression. If the wound was any worse, or in some other location that would have been fatal, Tavros was not sure what he would have done. He sniffed and nodded wordlessly, wiping at his eyes as he took Gamzee's hand. "I am still so sorry. Karkat is r-right, there was nothing I could have done, or should have..." That was what made it all the more frustrating, the fact that there was nothing he could do, that he was helpless. Kanaya pet his hair gently and smiled reassuringly, "How about you lay down for a while, hm? We can handle all the papers, you and Gamzee should rest."

He stood shakily after finally taking off his shoes, moving robotically into the guest room. The hive still smelled of blood and Kanaya would have opened windows but, as Sollux had said, she was not to open any windows. They were hidden away for now, they did not exist when in the complex.

2014-09-01 22:13:13
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He followed Tavros into the guest room, pulling up the top cover on the bed but just sitting on the edge for now, pulling the brownblood to sit in his lap so he could hold him and nuzzle his cheek in an attempt at comforting his matesprit. The painkillers were starting to work and soon there was only a dull throb and some stiffness which he easily ignored. He knew he'd had worse, but he wasn't about to tell Tavros, concerned as he was already. The circumstances were at least new and more frightening, and he considered himself lucky it had not been as severe as it could have been.

Wrapping his arms around Tavros, he scooted them back so Tavros could lay on his back and he could curl up on his side next to him as was becoming customary, though it was the opposite side as usual to keep strain away from his injured shoulder. "I'm alright, Tav, can hardly feel it anymore. It'll be healed in no time."

Karkat was still fuming in the other room, and had set his coffee cup at his workstation so he could pace around a little. Eridan brushed his knuckles against Vriska's lightly and settled back into his paperwork slowly, not able to take much interest. They weren't even using their loophole, now, just shooting at them without any provocation! Eventually, to relieve some stress, Karkat locked himself in the ablution block to clean the blood out of Gamzee's sweater and shirt, needing some mindless manual labor to calm down. Hopefully it would also get rid of some of the blood smell in the hive.

2014-09-01 22:33:45
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The brownblood simply followed along, sitting in his lap rigidly. Tavros returned the barest minimum of affection, a shaky breath leaving him as he bent his head and rubbed his cheek against his Gamzee's. It was devastating to think that they were just shooting at him, loophole or not. It rid seem sloppy and not planned at all, but it bothered him that the assassin didn't think about the aftermath before shooting.

On his back, he tangled their legs together and reached up, cupping his face and smoothing his thumb over his cheek. It was obvious he was still bothered, and he smiled weakly, "I am glad that your injury is only to your shoulder. I will try not to feel so, um. Guilty, but it just..." He trailed off, stopping himself so he wouldn't get caught up with his feelings again. "I am thankful that this is the extent of the damage." He said finally, rubbing at his sore eyes as he leaned in to kiss his lips, "I panic too much...You are gifted with your ability to stay calm."

The pirate glanced at him with a visible frown, her hand taking his for a couple seconds before she set into the work again. It was difficult to settle into her work flow again, her mind on Tavros. Gamzee was, obviously, pretty well adjusted, but Tavros looked like he would crack again. Kanaya did well in immersing herself in her work, as it kept her mind busy, and she did nothing to stop Karkat when he left.

2014-09-01 22:59:47
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"I wasn't always so calm; took a long time to master," Gamzee muttered, caressing Tavros's cheek. "And it is damn worrying, I understand. If it had been you, I'd be flippin shit, probably. I'm so glad it wasn't; it'd be much more trouble if it had." He purred lightly at the attentions from Tavros, face a little colder than normal and enjoying his love's warmth. He brought the blanket over both of them to keep warm, kissing lightly at the brownblood's cheek and mouth. It had taken him a while to learn how to remain so calm; it had been especially hard as a child who couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to do so many things the others could. It had only gotten worse as he'd aged, harder to cover up his place on the hemospectrum and having always to be calm so he wouldn't be culled on the spot. Eventually he'd gotten conditioned to not reacting, but it was hard around Tavros. Where he could still control his feelings when it was himself getting injured, the thought of something happening to the brownblood would have sent him into a panic if he had allowed himself to think about it. He had no idea what he'd do if Tavros ever got hurt by someone. He knew he didn't want to find out, as he expected it would probably end with his death because he'd get angry, and it didn't matter if he actually attacked physically or not.

"He's too calm about it all, Vriska, I wish he'd get a little upset about it, even though we all know why he can't," Eridan gave up doing work temporarily. "And poor Tavros... if anything happened to you I... dunno what I'd do." With sudden determination after lingering on these thoughts for a few moments, he dove into paperwork again. "I can't wait to bust these assholes. At least this reading will be good for that."

2014-09-01 23:22:54
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"We were lucky this time," He rubbed his nose against Gamzee's, kissing his lips again and again, as if he were afraid he'd be taken from him, from existence. "And I am not sure what to do, uh, from here. Maybe we should ask Aradia about assassins? Surely her mother is up to this, but, if I could just get some more information..." He groaned, rubbing at his temples as he felt a migraine start, "I think I am going to get myself sick like this."

"A twinge of anger would be wonderful, really," She agreed, "Just one rant, just one spout of absolute anger instead of 'aw, it's all motherfuckin' right, Tav.' " Vriska wrinkled her nose as she picked up her quill, "If anything happens to me, which it won't, then you fuck up whoever did it without screwing anyone else over. We're in the shit now, Eridan. so don't let things get skewed."

2014-09-02 00:24:56
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Gamzee kissed him gently. "Well, we can't be havin' that, can we? Let's keep your mind off of it somehow..." he kissed and nuzzled, as he tried thinking of something to talk about. "What do you think I should try making for dinner? Maybe some sort of fresh veg something or another?" He brought his hand down from Tavros's cheek to rub gently at the muscles connecting his shoulder and neck, hoping to ease some of his tension.

He nodded sharply and kept scrawling notes, taking a swig of bitter coffee to make himself feel better. The whole incident almost felt unreal with how calm it had been for the most

part.

Karkat emerged a little later, sleeves rolled to his elbows. He'd hung the now clean clothes to dry and had washed up. Now he was calmer and felt he could continue taking notes, sitting down in his place at the table and sipping at cooling coffee before taking a larger gulp. Soon he got into the flow again, scritching of his quill across paper filling the air.

2014-09-02 00:36:21
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"I suppose...I will not try to stop you if you think you are up to the task," He didn't want to be overbearing and try to control every little bit now that Gamzee was injured; the purple knew his body better than Tavros did, and if he thought he was up for cooking, then he'd let him. "Just, um. Take it easy, please. Do you think you will need help?"

They were making exceptional work with the notes. With Karkat's knowledge of old script, and the other three working diligently on the newer items, it seems all the legislature would be knocked out within a couple of days. Vriska let go of her quill suddenly, a cramp striking her hand as she used her free one to return the feather to its inkwell, "Son of a bitch," She hissed, flexing her fingers in a futile attempt to get the muscle tightening to cease. Kanaya, noticing her affliction, nodded to Eridan, "Just bend her fingers the other way."

2014-09-02 01:39:30
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"Hmm!" Gamzee thought about the offer of help, smiling at his matesprit. "I suppose I might like some... is there someone who might all up and be willing to cook with me this evening?" He hoped it would get Tavros's mind off of matters a little if he helped with dinner--something else to concentrate on instead of mulling over the same thoughts.

The seadweller replaced his quill in the inkwell, then took her hand in both of his. Gently he straightened her fingers out, bending slightly backwards enough to stretch the muscles but not injure her any. "Working so hard, Hattie!" he chided jokingly.

2014-09-02 01:50:13
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The smile was not lost on him, and Tavros tentatively returned it, almost as if he had forgotten how. "The others are so busy, and with Sollux out, who knows when he will return?" He replied, following along as he smiled somewhat wider at his lovable matesprit, "I guess that just leaves me! I hope, uh, we are not too distracted by kissing one another to actually get something done."

"It's about time," She laughed some, glad to have something, even as bothersome, to lighten her mood. Kanaya watched their interaction with a fond smile, adding, "I believe this was just an excuse to hold your hand, Eridan."

2014-09-02 11:10:56
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Nodding sagely, he thought about the outcome of too much kissing while cooking with a comically overdone face of intense thought and a deep hum to go with it. "Well..." he started after a moment, "at least we will know our food is made with love, right? So it'll be delicious even if everyone has to wait forever." He grinned and kissed Tavros solidly, pulling them closer together for better snuggling.

"Well, it was a pretty convincing one! I suppose you know all my weaknesses, Hattie." He smiled and pecked her cheek, happy the heavy mood was lifting some as well.

2014-09-02 11:49:03
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He looked to be in a marginally better mood, and Tavros hoped that it would only increase from there. The initial shock of the assassin was over, and while he still did feel guilty about Gamzee's injury, it would do him no good to worry about it incessantly. The cuddling was met sweetly, a kind kiss being planted to Gamzee's forehead. Cooking with him would be a decent distraction, Tavros decided. Boyishly, he wiggled his nose and kissed his lips in return, "If we did not all sit together at the table, I would suggest you feeding me, like with the crabs," He laughed some, obviously teasing, "You, uh, liked it when I licked your fingers, didn't you?"

"One of which," She gestured to all the books and notes, "Is this damn paperwork. Is this what Captor gets up to with his line of duty?"

Kanaya nodded almost grimly, "But he enjoys it, to an extent. He is the orderly type," She shrugged, "All specifics with that one."

2014-09-02 20:33:05
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It was an odd question, Gamzee thought, and he wondered if it was one of the flirty things he didn't quite understand. Tavros's mirth was infectious, though, and he giggled some. "I suppose I did," he blushed a little, remembering the sparky sort of feeling some of the licks had sent through his fingers. "I think we should all up and make everyone take a break from their writings for a little while to eat dinner, but maybe we can have a little dessert of some fruit or something separate..." berries, he thought, would be the perfect thing to feed Tavros like that for dessert.

"We should all take a vacation after everything settles down," Karkat said, finishing his coffee and stretching out his back and fingers. "Who knows when the hell that will be, but it'd be nice to just relax with friends without all this hullabaloo weighing us all down." Even if he wasn't conventionally imprisoned the whole city and quest was similar to an imprisonment and Karkat, though he did love working for change, thought a good actual change of situation would be amazing. However, he didn't have much hope for it, and he sighed. Surely they couldn't all just disappear afterwards; whatever they set up might crumble without their immediate influence.

2014-09-02 22:33:16
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"Just the two of us?" He questioned, eager to gobble up as much alone time with Gamzee as he could. Not to do anything that was sexual, necessarily, but he enjoyed their private moments when not under the gaze of others. Tavros could not show his fullest extent of affection just anywhere, and he was thankful that the guest room had become a home base for their sweeter displays. "Like what? More cake? Also, I was wondering if you foul help me, uh, make something?" Embarrassed, he fiddled with a lock of his hair, continuing, "I fixed a lot of biscuits when I was in, uh, Alternia. You know, to use up the last of whatever flour I had. I do not wish to return to my home world, but it would be nice to have a taste of nostalgia..."

A vacation would be lovely, but where to? Vriska considered a venture on her ship, stopping by different islands and port cities for their liveliness and beaches. So, perhaps tentatively, she began, "We could use my ship," She shrugged a shoulder, "It may prove relaxing to move from island to island, island to city, like that. I know a whole list of pleasing spots and crannies that you lot would fawn over," Vriska turned to her work a bit, scribbling something down, "There is plenty of room aboard my ship, everyone would get their own space, and I wouldn't even have to hire a chef with Gamzee around!"

Kanaya, impressed, immediately agreed, "Your offer is splendid! If we did not have encouragement to fix things up quickly," She joked, "We do now."

2014-09-02 23:38:31
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"Yea, just us," Gamzee purred, resting his head on the pillow next to Tavros's and closing his eyes in relaxation. "Hm, yea, we can make biscuits. I dunno what Karkat was able to pick up if anything; I'll have to see later. A brother really likes the food, eh? Hopefully he found some chocolate," he paused to nuzzle Tavros's cheek a little. "I /was/ thinkin' about cake, but it might take some time, so maybe not tonight. Just somethin' simpler. What kinda biscuits do you like to make, Tav?"

"You have a ship? That's cool." Karkat listened to the rest of her postulation. "That does sound quite relaxing. I second Kanaya's motion of moving things along." Surely they'd let him go for a short while, even if he did have to return and work like an ox at continuing to mend the state of the crumbling country.

"We could look around for a new place to set up our home," Eridan muttered, simultaneously scribbling down some notes. "And perhaps visit our favorite blue blooded island if you think that'd be alright with the inhabitants."

2014-09-02 23:58:39
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The brownblood leaned into his nuzzling contently, perking up slightly at the mention of chocolate but tried to keep his mind on the current topic, "Just little plain ones, the standard buttery ones. I usually ate them with soup when it, uh, became cold out...this winter weather just reminds me of what I used to eat back there," Things were certainly different then as opposed to now, and he was grateful that he didn't have to struggle to find a decent meal anymore or find issue with his money. "I suppose you could consider it a poor man's meal, but it was filling enough since I was not exactly some flourishing bachelor then."

Vriska fiddled with the edges of her braid, briefly reminded when she was much younger, perhaps two or three sweeps, and she had tried painting with her hair as a brush just to see if she could do it. She was an odd one. "Hmmm. Mayhaps. We should tread lightly lest we upset them. I think it would be best if the others stayed upon the ship."

"Blue blooded island?" The jade seemed interested, "Do tell."

2014-09-03 00:36:13