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logah2016-05-06 12:07 am
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(TW: BLOOD) JUST AN ORDINARY DINNER TO PLOT SHENANIGANS | CLOSED TO KANAYA & DAVE
Whether it was a misguided course of action or not, Kanaya and Karkat had agreed that they were going to plan a legitimate heist, which may or may not involve literally dressing up in costumes and trying to fool real people. Karkat was alternating between sophisticated focus and utter incredulity.
The two of them had met up at Kanaya's apartment so they could walk together through central park toward a local Outback Steakhouse, where Kanaya could get some red meat to suit her new diet. It was around 6:00 and the sun was starting to sink toward the horizon, casting the sky in a clear lavender-blue. It was still light enough for a number of people to be wandering around the park, kicking soccer balls and chatting. The air felt warm and still, and it was making Karkat regret bringing the dark grey jacket that he was wearing, however thin the material might have been.
As they walked, Karkat was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with Kanaya's pace. He had never had trouble keeping up before; she probably didn't even realize that she was walking faster than usual. Maybe this was her normal pace now. Or maybe she's just hungry, Karkat thought as his stomach growled. It was getting hard to differentiate which aspects of Karkat's life were monster or magic related and which were completely normal. At least for the moment they could just enjoy a regular old night out, even if the goal of the evening was to discuss yet another crazy and ill-advised plan involving stealing blood to satisfy Kanaya's newly-formed vampire needs. They were mostly talking idly about normal things so far, though. Karkat figured that they would move on to the plan-making part once they had settled down for dinner and their brains weren't addled with hunger.
"How long a walk was it to this place again?" Karkat asked, never having actually been to the restaurant Kanaya had mentioned.
The two of them had met up at Kanaya's apartment so they could walk together through central park toward a local Outback Steakhouse, where Kanaya could get some red meat to suit her new diet. It was around 6:00 and the sun was starting to sink toward the horizon, casting the sky in a clear lavender-blue. It was still light enough for a number of people to be wandering around the park, kicking soccer balls and chatting. The air felt warm and still, and it was making Karkat regret bringing the dark grey jacket that he was wearing, however thin the material might have been.
As they walked, Karkat was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with Kanaya's pace. He had never had trouble keeping up before; she probably didn't even realize that she was walking faster than usual. Maybe this was her normal pace now. Or maybe she's just hungry, Karkat thought as his stomach growled. It was getting hard to differentiate which aspects of Karkat's life were monster or magic related and which were completely normal. At least for the moment they could just enjoy a regular old night out, even if the goal of the evening was to discuss yet another crazy and ill-advised plan involving stealing blood to satisfy Kanaya's newly-formed vampire needs. They were mostly talking idly about normal things so far, though. Karkat figured that they would move on to the plan-making part once they had settled down for dinner and their brains weren't addled with hunger.
"How long a walk was it to this place again?" Karkat asked, never having actually been to the restaurant Kanaya had mentioned.
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She willed herself not to speed up again despite the hunger in her gut and resolutely made sure not to look at Karkat's neck for too long. She probably shouldn't've left her regular bag of snacks at home.
Grrrrrrrrrr
It had retreated into the park, lairing in the foliage and licking its wounds as it healed, slowly. It had heard the disturbance of further appearances and the ominous pressure that meant another such should be imminent, but it simply pinned its ears back and stewed. The scratches and gouges the glowing, bad-tasting vampire had left on it had scarred over, but occasionally they throbbed and the wolf would growl softly, vowing vengeance in its limited way.
It had lain half-asleep for most of the day when a sudden familiar sound had it sitting up, black fur rustling as he rose to all four paws. Its coat was perhaps not as sleek after these months but its fangs were as long and dangerous as ever. It stands as tall as a human and it shoulders its way out through the bushes in a hunter's slight crouch, gliding across the grass toward the sound of the hated voice.
At last it sighted its prey, gleaming like a beacon. The wolf threw back its head and loosed a hunting cry, unnaturally loud and deep it echoes eerily through the park. With a rumbling growl it advances on its prey, lips pulled back over dripping fangs and massive paws making barely a rustle in the grass. Its tail hung low, hackles up as it stalked toward Kanaya and Karkat, licking its chops and snarling hungrily.
It lunges left and right, feinting in a deceptively slow run before its terrible maw opens wide and its dripping teeth nearly close on Kanaya's head, but her instinctive recoiling pays off and its jaws merely catch hold of her shoulder.
It bites, hard, then yelps at the taste of her blood, recoiling and slavering as long stringers of bloody drool drip onto the ground. It snarls ferociously, focused aggressively on Kanaya but shooting watchful glances at Karkat as well.
Though not anywhere near fatal, the bite causes pain and triggers the stirrings of her vampiric hunger as her body seeks survival.
Coming Out Of My Cage
She drops her purse and raises her claws. A threatening hiss of her own begins to build up in her throat, increasing in volume as the wolf nears and breaking into a discordant yell at its flesh-tearing bite. She scrambles away. For a moment all she sees is white as pain radiates into her chest.
Her vision clears and her rational mind takes a backseat. Her teeth are clenched, left arm dangling as her primal instincts take stock of the situation. The wolf is in front of her, her
bloodbagfriend behind. It's scarred, but obviously better off than she'd left it. She circles nearer, teeth set in a menacing grimace, and doesn't miss when its eyes flicker behind her.She takes the opportunity. Her sensible flats and scarf fly out behind her as she charges the wolf and brings her uninjured hand smashing towards its face, an incandescent blur of rage in the dusk.
Rrrrrrrrrr
Its claws dig into the soft earth of the park as the unnatural wolf prowls, hackles raised aggressively and clearly not ready to retreat.
Re: Rrrrrrrrrr
Immediately Kanaya was in front of him, and he barely had time to process what was going on before it had sunk its teeth into Kanaya's shoulder and she was becoming terrifyingly intense in battle, already striking back. Karkat began scrambling for some way to help; he had no weapon or even powers for fuck's sake. Fear was pounding in his gut. Karkat clenched his fists.
Karkat had always known that he would be facing dangerous enemies and charging into battle. It was about time to stop cowering behind Kanaya, especially because she was injured already. What they really needed was a plan (and weapons and backup but a plan was all they had). Karkat would just have to hope that this wolf couldn't understand English.
"KANAYA! We need to divide its attention so we can get in a sneak attack. It already looks injured for some reason." For a moment, Karkat's brain raced to decide which one of them would be better to distract it. The obvious bet was Kanaya, because for some reason it seemed to be focusing more on her already, but she was already hurt and it was more likely that the one distracting it was going to get injured further. Then again, Karkat was still more defenseless. He didn't have time to reflect further that that. "You distract it, I'll try and circle around back and--" and WHAT? "see if I can strangle or blind it." The idea of jumping on that thing's back was NOT appealing, but without a weapon Karkat couldn't see any way around it. It would be the best way to avoid its claws and fangs.
Rrrrrowrrrrrrrr
It shied away from Kanaya for now, glaring malevolently at Karkat as the massive wolf began to approach him, snarling aggressively.
oh shit wtf
He almost thought he imagined the otherworldly howl emanating from the park as he strolled past, but then he heard further growling and someone shouting. A familiar shouty voice. They were in trouble. Without a second thought he dashed off in the direction of the noise. Coming upon the scene he froze for a moment, time stopping along with him. What he saw was hard to behold; he'd never seen a creature so large and unnatural. "What the..." he gawped. "Big fuckin' wolf..."
Eyes flicked about, evaluating the scene. He dropped his bag and took up a suitably large stick from beneath a tree. He'd heard Karkat's plan, at least part of it, but it didn't seem to be working. With time still frozen, he rounded the creature, then let time continue to flow normally and brought the stick down hard on the animal's back.
Snaaaaaarl
The wolf's hind legs collapsed and it snarled, off-balance and vicious in its moment of slight weakness. Dave, whether fortunately or unfortunately stood too close to be slashed or crunched. When the wolf whirled, its shoulder slammed into Dave's chest.
It staggered sideways, one front paw stepping on Dave's stomach as the wolf tried to regain its footing, a rear claw tearing a slash in Dave's jeans and thigh as the black beast scrabbled for purchase. It finally managed to lurch off of him, ears pinned back and all the more enraged for the indignity of the encounter. It crouched slightly, clearly ready to spring at someone.
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The taste of her blood made it snarl, backing away again and bounding into an open space to catch its breath.
The wolf's tongue lolled, panting with open jaws as it watched its opponents. The glowing one was too fierce, but perhaps the smaller ones...
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And then it got another terrifying bite out of Kanaya. "FUCK, Kanaya--" Karkat started to rush forward, but noticed that the monster's attention was now directed toward Strider and himself. Also in the back of his mind, he remembered Kanaya mentioning that injury could set off her vampire instincts. They needed to get her out of there.
"Kanaya, you're too hurt, you need to back down." At this point, there was no time to think of a plan. "Strider, try and use your powers to get hits in where you can, hopefully on its injuries." The wounds seemed to be scarred over, but they were most likely still more vulnerable than the rest of it. Karkat didn't look to see if Dave was following his orders; he couldn't take his eyes off of the wolf. Carefully, Karkat assessed the monster's gaze and positioning and moved forward as quick as he could, trying to avoid its teeth. He aimed a punch at a nasty-looking injury on its shoulder.
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It was beginning to think revenge might not be worthwhile as it panted for breath.
Out of nowhere the shouty one who the wolf had discounted as not a threat and subsequently mostly ignored landed a blow to the wolf's shoulder. Atop several fresh claw gouges.
The wolf howled, even knowing that its companion was too far away to come to its aid then focused its furious gaze on Karkat.
Its lips pulled back from gleaming predatory fangs as it lunged for him. It managed a raking chomp down on Karkat's right hand as the puncher managed to get his hand out before the jaws crunched down. Teeth smashed together just moments after Karkat pulled his hand out of the way and it snarled in Karkat's face, focused entirely on its latest victim.
Karkat's hand had a number of scrapes and slashes from the sharp teeth plus the possibility of an infection from the animal bite but he managed to avoid broken bones or lost limbs. His hand would be sore and healing for a while, but at least it was just bleeding, it wasn't lost.
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The wolf was eyeing him and Karkat, and the other man was focusing on Kanaya. He nodded to Karkat's orders and focused on trying to stop time but he isn't able to before the wolf is lunging. Part of his mind was panicking, not knowing if the three of them could possibly make it out alive. This animal was huge and vicious and up against three losers with sticks and fists... It wasn't looking good. His training kept him focused, however, and he reaching towards them to try to shove the wolf away.
Instead he feels heat sparking along his arm towards his fingers. Behind his shades his eyes flare with bright red light and it feels like his blood is boiling. Then suddenly there's fire, shooting out from his palm and blasts towards the creature, hitting it right in it's side.
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It jolted into the air but the fire kept burning, crackling loudly with a smell of burn fur.
With a distressed howl it tore off into the woods, away from the accursed gods with their unnatural abilities, a fading beacon of light.
Soon all that remained of its presence was a lingering reek of burned hair, blood, and a number of injuries.
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Still, he had the presence of mind to be relieved. He turned toward Dave. "Where the fuck did that come from? You can conjure fire?" From the expression on Strider's face, Karkat guessed that he wasn't the only one surprised. Despite himself, Karkat was impressed. That power had likely saved all of their lives. "Thank fuck," Karkat muttered.
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"I had no idea," he admitted, taking the time to stare at his hand. So maybe all those accidental fires had been him after all, and the heating systems weren't mysteriously broken everywhere, it was just him.
He turned to the others suddenly, remembering how badly Kanaya had been bleeding. If only Jane was here. "Are you guys alright?"
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His fingers sparked but he stopped himself. This was Kanaya, not an enemy. He remembered she mentioned something like this at the meeting, hadn't she? Either way, he couldn't just light her on fire.
Blood was soaking into his shirt, dripping down from his neck wound and her claws in his shoulder. His head was quickly getting foggy, shock and blood loss making him woozy. Behind his shades he looked to Karkat, a silent plea for help.
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"Kanaya?" Karkat called out to her, voice strained and terrified. But she wasn't stopping. Karkat new he was no match for Kanaya; she had extra strength and speed. There was no helping it though. Karkat couldn't just stand there while she sucked Dave's blood.
And even though he knew from what Kanaya had described that in these situations she completely lost control, and couldn't even remember the events afterward, Karkat just couldn't believe that Kanaya would hurt him.
He ran forward and grabbed Kanaya's shoulder to forcefully pull her off of Dave.
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Owwwww wtf
He landed heavily on his backside and sat there for a moment, dizzy and confused. He barely even registered what his attacker was doing now.
NO.
Towering over him, with her skin glowing and blood dripping from her fangs, Kanaya looked like a real vampire. Not one from a romance novel. One from a horror movie. Karkat never thought he would find himself so utterly terrified of his best friend.
"Kanaya?" Karkat could only hope that he could reason with her. If he could only reach the real Kanaya, convince her to stop... "Oh fuck, Kanaya. This isn't you, get a fucking grip. Please."
He should be moving. Running. Thinking of a plan of escape. Every one of his muscles felt paralyzed.
... No ...?
The scent of blood wafted up. Her pupils dilated once more and she breathed in heavily, and this time Karkat got to see the primal change in detail. Her grip tightened around his head and she lowered her mouth past his petrified gaze to his neck, fangs sliding their way into his skin like butter. She took one, two sucks, and relished the feeling of blood down her throat, closing her eyes, relaxing into the sensation. She was beginning to feel incredibly drowsy...
Her body gave out and she dimmed, collapsing on Karkat, jaw slack on his neck.
Re: ... No ...?
Next thing he knew, there was a horrible pain in his neck and Kanaya was sucking his blood. Karkat shrieked and instinctively tried to push at her, to get away...
And then she had stopped, and collapsed on him. Karkat's breathing was still coming hard and fast, and he was almost too afraid to look and see if she had really stopped. For several seconds he just sat there, frozen in shock. Then slowly, carefully, he nudged Kanaya over and off of him.
A new fear was gripping him now: a fear for his friend. Was she so hurt that she had collapsed? Why did she...
Then he saw the blood on her lips. It was still visibly glowing in the dim twilight. Karkat's blood had been glowing when she drank it. He'd had no idea about what it could mean, or what other properties it might have. What if...
"Kanaya? Kanaya?! KANAYA, ANSWER ME." Fingers shaking, Karkat checked her pulse. Okay, her heart was still beating. She wasn't dead. That didn't mean she wasn't on her way, though. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. No, this was no time to panic. It wouldn't help anything. That didn't stop his brain from getting dizzy or his heart from hammering like it was trying to escape.
Karkat slid his arms around her and tried to scoop her up. But from this difficult angle, he wasn't quite strong enough to hold her, so he settled for moving her into a sitting position. Then he remembered Dave.
"Dave! Are you okay?" As much as Karkat was worried about his friend, she wasn't the only one laying on the ground and possibly dying. FUCK.
so much blood
He refocused when Karkat called his name. His attention snapped to the other man and he stumbled to his feet. "I-I'm fine," he lied, but it looked like Kanaya was worse for wear. "Is she alright? What about you? Did she get you?"
Re: ... No ...?
"Can you help me carry her?" Karkat was NOT looking forward to the walk back to Kanaya's apartment. It hadn't seemed far before, but with Kanaya's dead weight and all of their injuries...
oh the pain
Experimentally he pulled his bloody shirt away from his neck and saw how the blood began to gush immediately. He shoved it back into place quickly, his face going a little grey. It was nowhere near the first time he'd bled severely but it had been a while.
He hurried to Kanaya's other side, using his good shoulder to support her and lift her up with Karkat's help. It was going to be a tricky trip to wherever the hell they lived. "I got her. You got a good arm you can spare for our bags? Don't really wanna lose all my shit and I imagine she wouldn't want her purse left out in the woods."
Re: oh the pain
"My hand hurts like fuck but the rest of my arm is mostly okay," Karkat grumbled. "Think you can hold her for a sec?" Karkat helped Dave get a better grip before hurrying to collect the bags. He ran back to grab Kanaya's other side as fast as he could. Dave's wound was not looking good.
"Fuck, are you sure you're okay? That looks seriously fucking nasty."
Re: oh the pain
Hoisting Kanaya up more comfortably, he guided them forward towards the edge of the park. It was good that it was late and almost no one was out and about. "Tell me where to go, we'll get there."
Re: oh the pain
Somehow, after what felt like a lifetime of feverishly dragging themselves toward the place, the three of them reached Kanaya's door. Karkat took a moment to thank every fucking god he could think of that Dave had thought to bring their bags, because Karkat hadn't even considered the the fact that they would need a key to get in.
After juggling Kanaya a bit so Karkat could dig the keycard out of her purse, they finally got the door open and made their way inside. Karkat could almost taste the relief that awaited them at the top of the elevator. He and Dave didn't exchange a word on the ride up; they were both too exhausted.
And then at last, Karkat was opening Kanaya's door and they had made it into the safety of her home.
Re: oh the pain
The relief was palpable when they finally made it through the door. They managed to get her to her room and onto her bed, though he felt bad for the sheets that would no doubt need replacing. Her wounds already seemed to be healing themselves though, and he envied her for it. His skin was pallid and sweaty, and he barely made it back out to the living room before he collapsed face first onto the floor, unconscious.
GODDAMMIT
"Dave?" Karkat scrambled to his feet and pushed through the door, ignoring the stabbing protests of his right hand where he had accidentally used it to turn the nob. His eyes turned to the floor where Dave was lying. "FUCKING SHITTING FUCK," Karkat yelled eloquently. "I fucking knew you weren't okay Strider you fucking asshole-muncher."
Karkat knelt to the ground and slowly pushed at Dave, rolling him over his good shoulder until he was on his back. Karkat's left fist clenched hard at the sight of all of the blood leaking from Dave's shoulder. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." Karkat muttered this to himself like a mantra as he tore off his own jacket (he never liked it much anyway) and wrapped it tightly around Dave's shoulder. Within seconds it was soaked through with blood.
Gingerly, Karkat slid an arm under Dave's back and slowly lifted his shoulders so his back was propped up on the nearby couch. A little elevation couldn't hurt. Once the bleeding slowed it would need to be cleaned. For the time being, he applied pressure to Dave's shoulder and hoped as hard as he could that the wound wasn't as bad as it looked.
After a few minutes, Karkat lifted the jacket and winced at what he saw. The bleeding had thankfully slowed considerably, but Dave would definitely need stitches. Karkat retied the jacket to keep some pressure on it while he got up (he wobbled and nearly fell over from the remnants of his adrenaline, lingering hunger, and exhaustion from the fight) and made his way to Kanaya's bathroom to look for more supplies. He probably wouldn't be able to wash the cut cleanly with water until Dave woke up, but hopefully Kanaya would have some antibiotic cream and bandages. It didn't take long to locate a first aid kit under her sink, and he hurriedly carried it back out to where he'd left Dave.
Karkat's lips pressed into a thin line. Dave's skin looked ashen, and blood was getting all over the couch and the floor. Karkat shook himself and went back to Dave's side, carefully removing the jacket again and using it to wipe up a bit of the blood before applying the ointment and using the gauze to wrap it up tightly again. It was definitely still bleeding, but Karkat didn't know how to administer stitches so this was the best he could do for now. He wanted to check on Kanaya again, but with her accelerated healing and no evidence of poison, Dave was almost certainly in more danger. So Karkat stayed with him and monitored the wound, changing the bandages when the first ones bled through.
"If you die on me, I'll fucking kill you, Strider," mumbled Karkat, voice exhausted and strained.