i reach out to touch you:

[capemods]

WHO: ImPorts in Venezuela
WHERE: Mérida, Venezuela
WHEN: October 19th 10AM to October 20th 10AM.
WARNINGS: Strong language is likely. Potential violence.
SUMMARY: Welcome to the twenty-four hour masquerade! Refreshments will be flowing throughout the hours, and while entertainment is provided (both musical and theatrical), don't let that deter you from inventing your own mischief. Remember, there's only one rule: while at the masquerade, you cannot remove your mask!

As the levity hits its high notes, however, beware the dark figures scheming in the shadows, those poisoners with swift hands. By 12AM October 20th, the imPort-only virus will be exposed and infecting the masqueraders first, before spreading outwards.
FORMAT: Whatever you'd like.


Masks of all counterfeits paid tribute to the color spectrum that soon poured out into the confetti-strewn streets that morning. The flood of spectacle drowned away any groans of the mundane, and once ten o'clock stuck then did intrigue ascend to the hazy plateau of status quo. Bodies moved like whispers against each other, some seeking friends, while others hoped to fool foes. The air sung with sticky excitement: mischief was welcomed here, as long as you did it honestly. As long as you wore your face over your mask.

Comments

[dragony]

You were shaking.

[ still, the same under-calm tone as most of the night; she can't even tilt her head at the demonstration of his relief.

his breath is very warm, she notes absently. ]

You shouldn't suffer so much for my sake.

[crab]

You need me. [ is his tired explanation. ] Okay, I have a responsibility right now, and I'm not going to ditch out on it because I'm experiencing some tremors.

[dragony]

Yes. I need you.

Because of that, I need to lessen your burden. [ her hands don't move from where they lay, wrapped around his wrist, holding his hand. ] So you can carry mine.

[crab]

Okay. [ he acquiesces, still not looking up. he exhales in a sigh. ] I'm sure as hell not complaining.

[ he would feel bad about making her exert herself, but...

it had hurt so much. fear of pain trumps his guilt complex, here.

surprisingly, they don't have to wait too long before someone arrives to see them. someone who greets them in english -- after doing a double take at the magic bubble and grey skinned alien, anyway. ]

[dragony]

[ oh, this is going to be tricky. ruka sits back a little on the bed, moving herself away from karkat; her arm is taut, hand still held so tightly in his. her free hand clutches at the soaked material of her dress, and the sphere begins to move. the walls come in close, centering on karkat now, instead of their interlinked hands.

when the wall passes through ruka, some of the emotions in the air around them bleed through, but muted. most fade away once it passes the bulk of her body. eventually, the bubble protects karkat alone. the only piece of her still within that shield is the hand he holds, the only point of weakness in the shield where it encircles her bloody wrist.

with the haze of the red barrier now between them, it's impossible for karkat to tell just how pale she is. ]

Does this work alright?

[crab]

[ karkat winces instinctively as the cacophony bleeds through, but relaxes when it becomes apparent he isn't going to lose himself again. he gets very little through the one, small weakness in the shield; it's possible to ignore, at least. ]

It's fine. [ he assures her, before he's cut across by the translator, who has apparently decided to pretend the "bubbles and alien" situation doesn't exist. it's routine questions, at first. names, ages, allergies -- things like that. they ask if either of them are in pain, could they rate their pain on a scale of one to ten, are the any other injuries they should know about, are they on any medication. it takes up a good fifteen minutes.

finally, though, they're told to wait a few minutes, and they would be back with a doctor to suture their injuries and administer painkillers. ]

[dragony]

[ ruka replies to everything with a practiced ease; she's been in and out of hospitals all through her childhood, and advanced enough medical care is mostly the same everywhere. eventually, their translator leaves.

she shifts her hand in karkat's; his is very, very warm compared to hers. ]

Do you know... how long this is going to last? [ moving her hand, indicating their need for skin contact. ]

[crab]

[ karkat, in contrast, flounders quite a lot -- this is only the second time he's been in hospital, and the way things here are run is different enough from the import clinic that he's left pretty out of his depth. he compensates by being inordinately rude. the translator seems pretty happy to get away, by the end of it.

in response to her question, he tightens his hand around hers, just a fraction. ]

It lasted about four hours, with Eridan. I don't know if that's a constant, though.

[dragony]

[ she exhales. it seems like the night is finally catching up with her body; adrenaline is crashing, hard, and it's even more of a struggle to stay awake than ever.

at the name, emotions try to stir within her, but as ever are blocked from manifesting. ]

If anything happens to him...

[crab]

[ karkat sighs, trying not to feel irritated by her concern for eridan. it's not like karkat is going to leap for joy if he ends up dead, either, after all. ]

He was fine, last time I saw him. He felt healthy enough to stab me with a wineglass and unsuccessfully attempt to cripple me for life, anyway.

[dragony]

He already got into a fight with Edward tonight. Before all... this. [ if it weren't for the need to hold karkat's hand, she would lay down; as is, her torso seems to wobble a little, tired, dizzy. ] It's only a matter of time.

[crab]

I think you should be more worried about his body count by tomorrow morning. Okay, I'm the last person to be dishing out compliments for saltsucking fishbreath, but he's not really someone you'd expect to go down in a fight with most people.

[dragony]

[ she shakes her head, and the motion has her swaying. ]

I'm too selfish for that.

[crab]

Why do you even care about him so much?

[ he sounds genuinely confused. ]

Like, what did he do?

[dragony]

He's always there for me. He cares about me. I matter to him.

[ she can't blush, or even really smile anymore, but the words are the same level and honest tone she's had. ]

There's nobody in this world more important to me than him.

[crab]

[ it's hard for karkat to reconcile that description with someone so unashamedly awful as eridan ampora. at the back of his mind, a little voice whispers gamzee makara -- he brushes it away. that's totally different! ]

You have even worse taste in people than I do, and that's saying something.

[dragony]

He's there for me, when nobody else is. [ and yeah karkat's taste is pretty shitty; he's friends with her. ] That's all I want.

[crab]

That's really depressing. [ casual remark, because tact is definitely his strong suit (not). ] Whatever, it doesn't matter, anyway. There's nothing either of us can do right now except wait for you to lose the plot harder than I'm going to bash my head against the wall by the time this is over.

[ but now, she has him worrying. it isn't just eridan who'd been out there. his friends were there, too. aradia, feferi and nill for sure. maybe others too. it was probably asking too much to hope they'd all be ok. ]

[dragony]

[ god karkat way to ditch everyone you care about for this asshole. the hell is wrong with you? ]

Four hours, right?

[crab]

[ she might have been dying. ):
it was his fault. ):
he LIKES her. ): ]

Four hours. [ he repeats, quietly. ] I don't know what we'll do, when it happens. It started to come back really slowly with Eridan, so we might at least be cognizant of it starting, instead of it just shanking us up the waste tube with psychopathy with no forewarning whatsoever.

[ he pauses, again. ]

I -- [ he hesitates. he doesn't want to say it, and there's reluctance in his tone. ] In an hour or so, you should drop the shield. So -- so I can tell when shit starts going south again.

[dragony]

Okay. I think they took my knife, so there's that, at least. [ her arm is falling asleep... ]

I'm sorry I stabbed you.

[crab]

My sylladex isn't working properly, either, so it's not likely I'll be able to reach my sickle again.

[ he looks her over. ]

It doesn't matter, I used to get stabbed all the time. I'm sorry I bit you and tore a giant hole in your side.

[dragony]

It's not that big. [ shrug... ] I'm sure it will be fine.

[crab]

Yeah, that's why you were barely standing, because you're totally fine. [ he scoffs, derisive -- before footsteps draw his attention away from her.

the translator is back, and accompanying them is a doctor, (pushing a cart of medical supplies) and two men in yellow uniforms with security stamped across the shoulder. karkat narrows his eyes, defensive. ]

[dragony]

[ they're not entirely sure what to do about the whole ... glowing red sphere around karkat, or ruka's hand shoved in it, and a lot of comments are thrown back and forth in spanish.

she tugs his hand a little. ]

They won't be able to patch you up while you're in this.