10-23-2016, 09:16 PM
Jade Harley sighed quietly, her eyes fixed upon the gargantuan heap of snowdrift and ruin before her. It was all that remained of the labyrinthine chamber of horrors, the eldritch creature that had once called it home entombed somewhere deep within. And hopefully, it would stay that way.
Turning to look behind her, at last tearing her gaze away from that horrible, horrible place, she was relieved to see that the plant fiend’s victims and her fellow adventurers were gathered together, cohesive and whole in a way that they never would have been otherwise. She almost couldn’t bear to look at them for fear that some new horrors might arise from the howling snowscape and snatch them away. Rebecca and Becquerel were kept nearby at all times, corralled by Jade’s beckoning hands and the occasional flicker of telekinetic guidance.
Responsibility for what had happened weighed heavily down upon her shoulders. The young Witch felt the suffering she had wrought upon her travel companions all too keenly, however unintended it actually was. The sad little marsh plant that Solomon Grundy had given her twirled between her fingers, a pensive, sorrowful look flecking like soft dew across her cheeks.
She hoped he would forgive her, wherever he was. She hoped that he would wake up in some brighter, better place. She hoped that he would sing his funny song as much as he liked, no matter if anyone was near enough to hear it.
She hoped so much nowadays that it almost hurt.
The next half-hour after their exodus from the hell-cavern was spent talking in quiet undertones with those wretched souls taken captive by the plant beast; while the dwarves and trolls were obviously wary of one another, they appeared too strung out by the horrors inflicted upon them to offer up little more than half-hearted glares now and again. Jade insisted that she take full operation of the task of returning them to their homes safely, not wanting to risk her dear friends’ lives again.
It was as they were parting ways that Karkat approached her, shuffling his way through the snow and seeming about as ridiculously disgruntled as ever. But there was something else there, too, in the lines of his face and the scowl on his lips. Something almost… soft. Sniffling, Jade pulled him into the biggest bear hug she could muster, murmuring numerous apologies into the ruffle between his turtleneck and hair.
Jade's extrasensory abilities could detect just about anything. She could feel Bec flopped over in the snow, mouthing gently at Rebecca's arm as they play-wrestled on the ground. She could feel Valerie, who she had already swept up into a warm hug that was almost enough to ease the aching pain in his limbs, if but for a fleeting moment. She could feel the armored figure of Tartaros, and Rock, and all of the dwarven folk and trolls standing around in the snow, some laying prostrate on the ground, utterly spent. She could even feel the body of Solomon Grundy as it slowly dissipated, breaking up into a mixture of colors as finely-shaped as snowflakes.
She could not, however, feel just what Karkat was feeling in that moment.
The cherry-blooded troll returned her hug after a few seconds, the stiffness in his limbs gradually fading the longer they embraced. It was a nice, cozy, and totally platonic hug, and while it didn't make the events of the past day go away entirely, it did make the harsh truth that much more bearable.
"I'm sorry," Jade sniffled, pulling away and rubbing at her surely reddening nose. She probably looked like a blubbery mess. "For everything. This couldn't have been what you expected to happen today."
Karkat shrugged. "Shit happens, I guess."
"Yeah," the Witch agreed, looking down and away. There was a beat of silence in which no more words were spoken; a peal of high-pitched laughter came from wherever Rebecca was, followed by one of Becquerel's earth-shaking sneezes. Jade's lips made a valiant effort to twitch upward into a smile, but ultimately failed.
A motley group of dwarves stood a few paces away, waiting for her to lead. Most of the trolls had refused her offer to help them out and were standing around a cooking fire they had cobbled together in the snow; others, she knew, had simply wandered off into the wastes. The faintly musty smell of smoke swirled around them, battered by the winds and elements.
Trying her darned best to be brave, Jade mustered up a small, wavering grin for Karkat, which became a bit more genuine when he rolled his eyes at her.
"I'll be seeing you around, Harley. Someone has to make sure Gamzee hasn't converted an entire village into some kind of insane clown posse." He glanced over his shoulder at the somewhat stooped form of Tartaros, his injuries likely still giving him hell. He thoroughly dwarfed the comparatively short figures of Rock and Valerie, especially with the battered armor heaped upon his shoulders. They would be okay with warriors like that in their midst; they had all proven themselves to be formidable in the dank chill of the caverns.
Jade shakily breathed in the smoky air, only then whistling for Bec to hurry on over with Rebecca in tow. Shouldering her ice-blaster gun, Jade gave Karkat a small wave and another brilliant buck-toothed smile, soon after offering the same goodbye to her other friends. At last, with Bec at her side and a whole battalion of dwarves following in her wake, Jade strode off into the icy wilderness.
They were going to be okay.
Turning to look behind her, at last tearing her gaze away from that horrible, horrible place, she was relieved to see that the plant fiend’s victims and her fellow adventurers were gathered together, cohesive and whole in a way that they never would have been otherwise. She almost couldn’t bear to look at them for fear that some new horrors might arise from the howling snowscape and snatch them away. Rebecca and Becquerel were kept nearby at all times, corralled by Jade’s beckoning hands and the occasional flicker of telekinetic guidance.
Responsibility for what had happened weighed heavily down upon her shoulders. The young Witch felt the suffering she had wrought upon her travel companions all too keenly, however unintended it actually was. The sad little marsh plant that Solomon Grundy had given her twirled between her fingers, a pensive, sorrowful look flecking like soft dew across her cheeks.
She hoped he would forgive her, wherever he was. She hoped that he would wake up in some brighter, better place. She hoped that he would sing his funny song as much as he liked, no matter if anyone was near enough to hear it.
She hoped so much nowadays that it almost hurt.
The next half-hour after their exodus from the hell-cavern was spent talking in quiet undertones with those wretched souls taken captive by the plant beast; while the dwarves and trolls were obviously wary of one another, they appeared too strung out by the horrors inflicted upon them to offer up little more than half-hearted glares now and again. Jade insisted that she take full operation of the task of returning them to their homes safely, not wanting to risk her dear friends’ lives again.
It was as they were parting ways that Karkat approached her, shuffling his way through the snow and seeming about as ridiculously disgruntled as ever. But there was something else there, too, in the lines of his face and the scowl on his lips. Something almost… soft. Sniffling, Jade pulled him into the biggest bear hug she could muster, murmuring numerous apologies into the ruffle between his turtleneck and hair.
Jade's extrasensory abilities could detect just about anything. She could feel Bec flopped over in the snow, mouthing gently at Rebecca's arm as they play-wrestled on the ground. She could feel Valerie, who she had already swept up into a warm hug that was almost enough to ease the aching pain in his limbs, if but for a fleeting moment. She could feel the armored figure of Tartaros, and Rock, and all of the dwarven folk and trolls standing around in the snow, some laying prostrate on the ground, utterly spent. She could even feel the body of Solomon Grundy as it slowly dissipated, breaking up into a mixture of colors as finely-shaped as snowflakes.
She could not, however, feel just what Karkat was feeling in that moment.
The cherry-blooded troll returned her hug after a few seconds, the stiffness in his limbs gradually fading the longer they embraced. It was a nice, cozy, and totally platonic hug, and while it didn't make the events of the past day go away entirely, it did make the harsh truth that much more bearable.
"I'm sorry," Jade sniffled, pulling away and rubbing at her surely reddening nose. She probably looked like a blubbery mess. "For everything. This couldn't have been what you expected to happen today."
Karkat shrugged. "Shit happens, I guess."
"Yeah," the Witch agreed, looking down and away. There was a beat of silence in which no more words were spoken; a peal of high-pitched laughter came from wherever Rebecca was, followed by one of Becquerel's earth-shaking sneezes. Jade's lips made a valiant effort to twitch upward into a smile, but ultimately failed.
A motley group of dwarves stood a few paces away, waiting for her to lead. Most of the trolls had refused her offer to help them out and were standing around a cooking fire they had cobbled together in the snow; others, she knew, had simply wandered off into the wastes. The faintly musty smell of smoke swirled around them, battered by the winds and elements.
Trying her darned best to be brave, Jade mustered up a small, wavering grin for Karkat, which became a bit more genuine when he rolled his eyes at her.
"I'll be seeing you around, Harley. Someone has to make sure Gamzee hasn't converted an entire village into some kind of insane clown posse." He glanced over his shoulder at the somewhat stooped form of Tartaros, his injuries likely still giving him hell. He thoroughly dwarfed the comparatively short figures of Rock and Valerie, especially with the battered armor heaped upon his shoulders. They would be okay with warriors like that in their midst; they had all proven themselves to be formidable in the dank chill of the caverns.
Jade shakily breathed in the smoky air, only then whistling for Bec to hurry on over with Rebecca in tow. Shouldering her ice-blaster gun, Jade gave Karkat a small wave and another brilliant buck-toothed smile, soon after offering the same goodbye to her other friends. At last, with Bec at her side and a whole battalion of dwarves following in her wake, Jade strode off into the icy wilderness.
They were going to be okay.
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Gamzee Makara Wrote:S’aight. After all, dogs have a tendency to motherfuckin’ bite.