⑥ | action and video

[hypertoxic]

( locked to Terezi and Merlin! )

[ After all of this goes down, Vriska is high-tailing it out of the Sigyn hospital, Vanitas and Kaz close by, Kakine a little further back, when she sees him.

... John?

He came back?

Vriska stops dead, surprise passing over her expression as her accomplices give her strange looks. But she ignores them, because John smiles and waves, and she can't help her expression softening a little. She lowers her small sack of loot - murmuring something, maybe "you're late, you doofus" - and pauses just one second to spare Vanitas and Kaz a glance, to wave them on without her.

And that's when her eyes go wide. Because John is suddenly very close, so close she can't see his face clearly, but when she manages to look down a fraction, though that silly blue hood is hiding his eyes and most of his face, she can see his smile.

It takes her a moment to realize something has happened. But really, the look on Kaz's face - Vanitas, that cheater, has his mask on - says it for her, and it's as all three boys take off running without a second glance back and John pulls away with a bloody long knife in his hand that a quiet voice in Vriska's mind goes

no.

She's not really too aware of what happens between that moment and the moment she realizes that her face is pressing into the cold ground and there is blue blood everywhere, sticky and already cooling, her sack forgotten, dropped and fallen open two feet away, and she's staring sideways at nothing. John, of course, is gone.

Dying ten feet outside a hospital she just stole from. If she could appreciate irony, she might appreciate that. But she doesn't. She just feels cold.

And it hurts. ]

( open to all! also video. )

[ It's not long later when she's back in the hospital, this time as a patient, and she doesn't much care about how the staff feel about her right now - though it can't be any shade of "good." Her thoughts are dark and her mood is violent.

The knife only just missed her heart. The massive internal bleeding would have killed her if not for some very timely magical intervention. And she is so angry.

The first chance she gets, she's blowing this joint. Which is kind of impossible right now, because SHE IS HANDCUFFED TO HER HOSPITAL BED. THANKS, TEREZI!

With nothing better to do, she does manage to turn the video function of her bracelet on, and she glares at the screen, balefully, pale and weak still and bluh. Gives her handcuffed hand a rough yank while she's at it, but it's kind of half-hearted, and sharp-eyed observers will notice that her wrist is darkly bruised. Seems like she's been at that tugging thing for a while now. ]

Did I miss the memo saying stabbing is a thing today??

Comments

video;

[darkbreak]

[What the hell, Vriska. What are you doing there?]

If there was one, then some of us missed it.

Who was it?

video;

[hypertoxic]

Why does that matter?

[ Irritable. ]

video. so many feelings ;A;

[sup]

[ The oddest thing about the video feed was, well, that it looked painful, in a forced way. In no way was he aware of what went down earlier, everything that took place in which had caused her to grit her teeth so sharply. For someone who was never close to Vriska the Troll in the first place, he feels a slight sense of uncertainty, as if an emotion, like empathy, was getting in the way.

If stabbing is a thing today, run-on sentences and petty teasing sure won't be.

Well... not yet. ]

Is it.

video. OH DAVE

[hypertoxic]

[ It's bad timing. Seeing him just reminds her sharply of John and her broken trust, and she tries to sit up, a scowl crossing her features --

It's not a good idea, what with her wound. She blanches, as much as a creature with grey skin can, pausing to breathe shallowly. Shit, that hurts.

After a moment, Vriska just flops back against the bed - raised, to oh so helpfully support her body - and gives Dave a Look. ]

No, I was totally just kidding! There are no stabbings going on today. No stabbings at all. Duh, of course it is!

video

[tyrian]

Stabbing?

[Feferi is obviously at the lake, ignore the tentacles poking up out of the water in the background.]

Are you okay? Who did it?

video

[hypertoxic]

[ Tentacles........

For the fish princess Vriska blows out a breath and rolls her eyes. ]

I'm going to be fine, Feferi. It was just some creep, I didn't see his face.

[ ... it's easier, this way. ]

action

[dragonspeak]

[He's still chasing after the group of thieves when he sees one of them break off and attacked by someone who disappears immediately after.

There's a moment of hesitation, then Merlin veers off and heads toward the lone figure rather than following the others.]

Hey! Are you all right??

ACT1ON

[synesthesic]

[ They end up in the same location for completely different reasons: Terezi is following the elusive character "Rufio" in order to help solve Tavros' attack, so let's say she is not in the least surprised when she smells a very familiar hint of blueberry in the air.

She stays back for a moment, eyes narrowing behind her glasses when she hears the exclamation. ]

action!

[madamemoiselle]

[After seeing the video, Diva feels conflicted. On one hand, it shouldn't matter, because it's only a girl. She may not be human, but still, caring for her at all, that was weird. But she also can't help it. It's a while after the video, but Diva goes to the hospital with a small gift. She had wanted to see about the small detail for Johan, but now it seemed more appropriate for Vriska. The vibrancy of the blue roses was definitely something.

It takes a while for her to find her, but she finally manages to find the bed where Vriska is. She's at least hoping that Vriska will vaguely recognize this new face, even if it's strange.]

Hey, Vriska?

[hypertoxic]

[ At first, Vriska doesn't recognize her. She's exhausted for more than one reason and kind of just wants to be left alone.

For that reasons she riles herself up to snap at Diva--

And then stares at her in silence for a moment. Finally, tentatively: ]

.... Diva?

action;

[uncertainty]

[ He should really stay in bed, they say. And he does. Mostly. It feels wrong to be so out in the open while injured, to have anyone but the concerned squeaks of a worried lusus over his shoulder. All in all it's made him feel pretty uncomfortable.

So he's walking.

Nosing, really. He's pretty pale and snacking on a bag of chips and a juicebox when he happens by.

Twice.

His footsteps can be heard all the way down the hall and people are definitely complaining. But he walks by her room. Then stops. Walks back. Peers in. ]

Uh... Vriska?

action;

[hypertoxic]

[ She was actually sort of dozing until she heard those footsteps. They're pretty distinct.

The first time he walks by her room, she lifts a brow. By the time he returns, her expression is neutral, if just ... tired. ]

What do you want, Toreadork?

video;

[wingblades]

Someone stabbed you?!

[Oh man ohgod what is going on with this week.]

video;

[hypertoxic]

[ Lifts a brow.

And smiles a little. ]

Yes. Way to ask the most obvious question possible!

TEXT because mama was stabbed too and she's going to pretend she wasn't.

[octet]

There are an a8undance of sta88ings today. May8e the gods got 8ored with 8om8arding us with animals and decided they needed to up their game.

[ Approximately eight minutes later and filtered to Vriska... ]

How 8ad was the wound?

TEXT lol oh mom

[hypertoxic]

[ ... well. She doesn't want to be the one on video while Mindfang gets to hide behind typing. So she switches to text, but she can really only type one-handed. Dammit. ]

If th8t's what this is a8out, then they did a pretty good jo8 for once
8ad enough. 8ut i'll 8e fine.

video;

[minifridge]

A lot of people are getting stabbed today.

Why are you handcuffed to the bed?

video;

[hypertoxic]

Because a justice-obsessed idiot thinks I'm behind one of those stabbings.

[ A shrug, and a smile. ]

I'm not. But that's the last thing she wants to believe.

action;

[showmeanguish]

[It's later into the day following the heist, after Vanitas is sure most other people would've come and gone, that he shows up. He knows he's probably one of the last people Vriska wants to see right now, and that's... actually more of an incentive for him to come visit, just for her reaction.

But he also has an ulterior motive. After reading up on the network, it's not hard to figure out the similarities between all these attacks, and he's curious about hers.

So after he finds her room, he just sorta... silently hangs out inside the door, until she notices him. His helmet's gone again, so she can see his face cooly regarding her.]

action;

[hypertoxic]

[ She doesn't, at first. Today has been exhausting in many different ways, she feels sick and unhappy and kind of gross, and more than anything, she wants to be left alone.

Of course, that's not happening. Maybe 30 seconds pass before she glances over at the figure in the doorway.

And her reaction is to smile. A thin, awful, predatory thing. ]

Vanitas.

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

[Once Sam has figured out what happened, his first thought, honestly, is that Vriska must have been stabbed.

S i g h.

But while he isn't happen to see that she was stabbed, he is relieved to see her in one piece.]

Payback for being a jerk to people who can see the future.

Are you okay?

... and who handcuffed you to the bed?

[Video]

[hypertoxic]

[ She considers those three statements, and him, with some incredulity. Though if she's really honest with herself, she wants to see him more than anything right now. ]

Okay, in order. One, what the hell are you talking about? Two, yes. As fine as I can be with a stab wound! And three, who else? Terezi.

audio; filtered

[parasiteye]

So...you're alive, huh? Congrats.

audio; filtered

[hypertoxic]

Hahaha. No thanks to you! Way to ditch a fellow thief.

[ She does not sound terribly upset. ]

I'm guessing the rest of you got away totally fine, right? I lost everything I stole! You better share some of that loot, Kaz.

text;

[biifurcatiion]

iit2 a wonder you dont get 2tabbed every day actually.
now that iim thiinkiing about iit.

text;

[hypertoxic]

Shut up, Sollux.
I really don't feel like dealing with your hoof8east shit right now.