[log] Nothing better than a good old fashioned reunion [closed]

[majorlazer]

Characters: Zach, Kesara, Terezi, Vriska
Location Building 51
Date: Day 112 - Evening
Summary: a heartwarming reunion...maybe?
Warnings: none, afaik. May be updated later.


[Zach had arrived early to the house, putting his bags down quickly and flopping down on the couch, not even taking in his surroundings much. There's something akin to nervousness thrumming through him - he's not quite sure what's going to happen once he meets back up with Kesara and Lil' T, and he definitely doesn't feel in the mood to take Marquise's bullshit. It's probably going to be...well. Tense. Kesara's probably still sort of mad at him.

Oh, well. It's all too late now, and he's here, so might as well relax while he can. Soon he's not going to be alone any more and he's going to have to keep thinking about people's well-being and he can't keep going and putting himself in danger for no reason. That's probably going to be the hardest part of it all...

He pulls out one of the books he's pilfered from one of the random houses he's visited on his way, settling himself to wait and trying not to stress out too much about the upcoming reunion. Who knows, maybe they wo't show.

Zach is out like a light, and snoring soundly, the book on his chest, in minutes.]

Comments

ITT REUNION STAR WARS GUSHY DUMB FUNTIEMS

[heavensreader]

[Kesara does not hop and skip - those are childish things and, though she is not too eager to be a grown woman, she is nearly twelve - but there is a definite spring in her step as she walks through the door in the company of the two trolls. The prospect of meeting Zach again does involve some uncertainties - how will she keep him safe this time? How will she explain why she rushed in, if he asks? - but they are questions for their own good time. Mostly she wants to see him whole, his whole ridiculous self. Stick her finger in his chest and make sure there are no holes there.

As soon as the door opens, she hears the snoring; and as soon as she hears it, she becomes very very quiet, shushing Terezi and Vriska as well. First make sure that it's no one dangerous... and of course it isn't. It's Zach, very much alive from how he is making a noise fit to wake the dead. Eyes aglow, Kesara tiptoes over to him and looks down at the sleeping form, looks with relief and delight and pride of ownership.

With a great pleased sigh, she drops down to cross-legged sitting, and sags against his shoulder. A little bony, perhaps, but warm.]

UwU

[majorlazer]

[Zach startles awake as soon as he feels a head on his shoulder, hair tickling his nose. He manages not to jump, but he definitely lets out a squawk, coming back to the world and finding himself with Kesara's hair in his face.]

Unn-wha- oh!

[Without really thinking about it, Zach shifts towards Kesara, wrapping his arms around her. She's here and she's alive. He expects her to pull away from him quick, but if he can get a little hug, he'll take it.]

I'm glad you're okay, tiny.

[heavensreader]

[The squawk gets him a satisfied giggle, the kind of sound that Kesara does not often make - the kind that slip from her to show her age. The hug does feel rather awkward - she's very unused to hugs and especially from men of any age - but she lets him have it. It also gives her the opportunity to stick her finger in his chest just like she wanted, a sharp poke.

Definitely solid.]

I'm glad you're okay! [She tells him, raising her eyes to his.] I've decided to forgive you, since you promised to do better, but it is conditional and you really must do well. And don't fight with Vriska, please. And don't call me tiny, or I may be forced to call you things.

[You don't want that, Zach. Nobody wants that.]

[majorlazer]

[He pulls away from the hug quite quickly, because well, it's awkward and all. He's not a great hugger generally - he doesn't have much experience in it, and he's pretty sure Kesara doesn't, either.

When she pokes at him, Zach can tell it's with some sort of determination, but he doesn't really know what's going on in her head. It's just like she wants to make sure he's real, or something.

After all they've gone through, he wouldn't really blame her for it. Death has not always been real, with the two of them.]

Okay, tell me: what does 'must do well' mean to you, exactly? Just so I have a reference, ya know.

[He leans back on the couch, shifting around enough that there's space for someone else to sit, now. He'll claim it back later.]

And it's not my fault you are tiny. WHo knows, maybe it's not forever.

[heavensreader]

[That's a little better. Appropriate distance - hugs are a bit much. But Kesara stays close. Part of it is warmth, and another is this strange feeling that Zach is safety, Zach is - somehow he just is. She'd been so nervous since that terrible night about the tablets, about strangers - sometimes just about people at large. But something about Zach is safe.]

It means you must always think before you act, and not do dangerous things for glory's sake - unless it's really a lot of glory, [she adds after thinking about it for a moment.] And you must never get angry. Whoever gets angry has already lost.

[Behold her wisdom, the best combined lessons from Dame Ariel and Lao Dian. This is something to take seriously. She crosses her arms and looks him over in stark judgement.]

Oh, I'll grow. But your hair will always look like a sheep's behind.

[majorlazer]

[As Kesara lists all that Zach must not do, he feels a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, even if he really, honestly can't promise anything about the anger part. He - there are some things he really can't quite control, as hard as he tries, and he knows himself too well to be able to give her that kind of reassurance.]

Lots of glory, check. Something like the end of A New Hope, I guess. I can go for the glory if Princess Leia is around to give me a kiss, right? She reaaaaaal pretty.

[He tries his best to not say anything about the anger part. Maybe Kesara will let it go, if he pretends he's agreeing without actually like, spitting in his palm or something.

And then, then she attacks his hair. What a little punk she is.]

Excuse you, have you seen your head?

[Zach tilts his head, his fingers twitching.]

Are you ticklish?

[heavensreader]

[He's making fun, isn't he. The cheeky brat. But he'll try. She feels it in her gut - he'll try, because his dying has made this serious. And how can she ask for more when, actually, she really is quite tiny, and he's a grown man? Mostly grown, but more than her. And a man. Which always counts.

She settles for wrinkling her nose at him.] You can have all the hope you want, but you're not getting any kisses from me. That would be completely inappropriate. [Thankfully, she is in time thinking better of suggesting that he try Terezi or Vriska instead.]

And I have a hat! [Her hands dart up to tug it down. He's actually hit quite a sore spot there. Terrible man. Even worse than this leaves her torso vulnerable to a tickling assault. Clearly it is time to lie for her life.] And I am not. I know techniques to suppress it. Are you?

[majorlazer]

[Zach's mouth open in shock.]

You don't know about Star Wars? That is the saddest thing. Ever. Seriously. Honestly, I agree, it'd totally be inappropriate, kiddo, none of that, but Princess Leia, though. Ooooh, boy.

[He raises an eyebrow when she says she's not ticklish, because really? Only one way to know for sure, and he goes for it, fingers going for her sides and tickling her as best he can, hoping he's not going to get kicked in the face for his efforts.

Look. He just wants to hear the kid laugh, okay. She doesn't do it nearly enough.]

[heavensreader]

I don't know about any war in the stars... [It's true enough, but her tone is more than a little affected here. Kesara gets right off the bat just what he really means - there's a story here. She has a nose for them. And where there is a story, Kesara gets it told.

Also she may be trying to distract him from tickling her. What a terrible failure. She doesn't really know any techniques at all. Her technique is mainly to shriek with outraged laughter and start kicking in every possible direction. If his face happens to be in one of those directions, well, that's too bad.]

Stop it! STOP IT! I'LL TELL VRISKA TO BITE YOU!!

[As soon as she stops giggling. Maybe.]

LATER THAT NIGHT: EXECUTING THE WORST PLAN

[heavensreader]

[After reuniting with Zach, Kesara quickly found herself with an acute case of what she first thought was indigestion, but just as quickly realized was doubt. Oh, what she and Vriska had planned was not simply useful and important, it was marvellous; she really could hardly wait. But it might have been better if the marvel could involve someone other than Zach.

The problem is, she decides as, deep in the night, she creeps over to the troll girl's side, that Zach is just so suitable for involvement. He wouldn't doubt. He probably wouldn't even think very much. She's willing to bet her hat that he'd do exactly what he's supposed to, namely, panic. And panic is what they need. So Zach is ideal.

Her stomach gives one very distinct squirm at this thought. She pokes a finger into Vriska's side. Get it over with.]

Wake up!

[fairygodtroll]

[ As a general rule, Vriska sleeps like the dead. Even in Norfinbury, without her supply of soporific sludge to sleep in, she's found that making a small pile of her stuff and sleeping on that works wonders. She's even used to that whole sleeping during the night and being awake all day thing that humans do! Mostly.

One thing she'll probably never shake off, however, is the conditioning that growing up on Alternia has etched into her. The conditioning that says that is someone is close enough to touch you while you sleep, you're fucked.

She doesn't scream or yell. But her eyes snap open, her fangs are bared, and her fist is already drawn back and ready to punch the filthy sneaky-sneak wannabe-murderer by the time she realises it's only Kesara. It's too late to convincingly pretend that her hand is only raised to brush back her tangle of hair, but Vriska does it anyway. ]

Uh.

Hey.

 

 

Sup.

[ Just gonna. Put her glasses on as nonchalantly as possible. There we go. Nobody freaked, nobody nearly got punched out, everything is fucking great. ]

[heavensreader]

[By this point in their highly educational friendship, Kesara has thankfully more or less come to suspect that that is the kind of thing that might happen should she poke Vriska in the dead of night. So when the fist is swung back, she swings herself a little bit back as well, though in a considerably less graceful fashion than she might have intended. It may, indeed, be a little bit of a flail. But the important thing is, no punching takes place.

That is a good note to start a scheme on.]

We should do what we planned, [she whispers urgently.] Now is a good time. Humans can't quite think when you wake them up in the middle of the night with something frightening. We'll have that sulfur in no time.

[fairygodtroll]

Sounds great. Way to show all the initiative! All of it.

[ Of course, as far as Vriska is concerned it's clear that certain humans can't think at all. Chumpy is one of those humans. But hey! No harm in making absolutely sure that his thinkpan is as empty and useless as possible.

She rolls up her jeans to bare one of her twiggy calves (best to wound herself where nobody can see it, right? SMART), grabs a razor sharp fragment of scrap metal from her Pile O' Crap, and gives Kesara an expectant look. ]

How much you gonna need? If it's a lot, I got a paint can to collect it in. If only a little, get your hands ready! Haha.

[heavensreader]

[Kesara does like to think of herself as a woman of initiative, even if her stomach does another eel-like little flop at the sight of Vriska preparing to cut into her leg. She's thinking of Quark... but that never really happened, she tells herself sternly.] Are you going to be all right -

[No, asking that is probably a bad idea. She doesn't want Vriska to think she's a squirmy little grub.] - hiding it? You don't want your trouser leg to soak. Here, look, I've got -

[She ducks into her bag, and emerges with her little wooden begging bowl.] Not too much? I just need to get it in my eyes. Maybe up my nose. If my nose really bled and I mixed it in that would look horrific.

[fairygodtroll]

Huh. Well, the only way I know how to make your nose bleed is to punch you in the face! And I am pretty sure that the bruising would be pretty noticable. You humans do that a lot. Bruise, I mean. It's incredibly inconvenient!

[ And again without flinching, she uses her shard of metal to puncture the flesh of her leg. She even yawns for good measure as the cerulean blood dribbles into the bowl, because she is cool as fuck. So cool. Absolutely the coolest that ever was. Hella cool. ]

[heavensreader]

You're so cool.

[Kesara mumbles that with horrified fascination as out comes to blood. It is an offering of sorts, a token of her devotion. Vriska is bleeding for her plan, after all.

Vriska believes in her. Her heart feels three times its natural size.]

Maybe if I had some snuff... [She is already digging through the bag again, but the knives she has are too big for her to even contemplates sticking up her nose. The solution, however, is obvious. She eyes the shard with concealed dread and affected interest.] May I have that for a moment?

[fairygodtroll]

Haha. I know, right? And just eff why eye, it takes a cool person to spot a cool person. Which means -

[ She hands over the sharp little shard with an approving nod. Huh. Humans tend to be giant wigglers about hurting themselves, so if Kesara's doing what Vriska thinks she's doing? You go, Fluffkin. ]

- you are also cool. In the coolkid club, laughing at everybody who calls us not cool. Because that means they are just jealous and also tragically uncool themselves!

[ She pulls off her sock, stretches it out, and ties it tightly around her leg. There. One bowl of blue blood and one decently-well-hidden cut. ]

...Well, except Terezi. She's allowed to pretend I'm not cool on account of her incredibly tragic and debilitating disability. You gonna need any help with the whole... blood situation?

EARLIER THAT NIGHT: BEFORE THE WORST PLAN: AFTER STAR WARS: TOO MANY COLONS

[iustitia]

Psst.

[Terezi scoots from her sitting place on the floor closer to the couch Zach is lying down on until she can rest her chin on the seat cushion. She waits there for a moment, and then, more emphatically:]

Zach. Psst.

[majorlazer]

[Zach's head lolls until he's looking down at Terezi. He has a bad feeling about this, but at the same time, he can't help but grin.]

Whaaaat?

[He uses a stage whisper, opening his eyes wide. He resists wiggling his fingers in her face, but it's hard, man.]

[iustitia]

[Terezi sightlessly stares up at him, drawing out the moment, then rears back and punches Zach lightning fast in the thigh. ]

There. Now I forgive you.

[majorlazer]

Ow!

[Zach jumps, going for his thigh and rubbing where Terezi just hit him. The little -

Okay, fine. It was well deserved. He's not even going to say anything about it, fine.]

Fair enough. Does that mean you'll let me hug you for, you know. Defending my honor and stuff?

[iustitia]

[Terezi draws herself up with as much dignity as she can muster.]

Alternian law is very clear on this matter. You are allowed an absolute maximum of two minutes of uninterrupted, non-violent, platonic embrace time in lieu of payment for a lawful vengeance killing. As the recipient of this payment, I say that your time starts -- [she consults an imaginary watch on her wrist] -- now.

[majorlazer]

[Zach will admit - he's sort of delighted that she's not flat-out refusing, and he lunges into a hug, a totally PG-we-are-buddies-you-killed-someone-to-avenge-me hug.

Let's be fair - it feels good.]

Thanks for avenging me, Lil' T.

[iustitia]

Ack--

[What happens when a small, movable object meets a large, unstoppable force? Enthusiastic interspecies hugs, apparently. Despite any grumbling sounds she makes during the hug, it's all hot air. When she speaks, her voice comes out muffled against his warm cherry jacket. There are worse smells to be smushed up against. She's 0kay with this.]

You're welcome, you butt romance terrorist.

[majorlazer]

Butt romance? Terrorist?

[Zach chuckles - his chin on top of her head.

She's small and warm and to think she got Jack killed when he couldn't do it should fuck him up a little, because she's everything he's always been told he should be able to protect, but. Norfinbury's teaching Zach that people are often a lot more than what they seem.

He lets her go before she pushes him away, keeping his hands around her shoulders for a moment.]

You're okay, though, right? He didn't hurt you?