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[parodeity]

DAVE STRIDER

consider this your warning about stairs. itll just keep happening bro. im telling you man

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[windeity]

I am not sure what is worse, kids watching Santa wrestle with a mall goth, the fact that my face feels like it's throbbing, or the impending drycleaning bill to get blood out of the Santa suit. [But okay. There's an inhale and he sits up slowly. There's the beginning of some bruising around his stomach and chest and around his collar bone/neck but at least his nose is the only thing that was bleeding.]

[parodeity]

[ dave is definitely doing a thorough and too-competent check to make sure nothing is broken or fractured, fingers cold as ever against john's skin. he really doesn't seem to be interested in anything other than checking john over for injuries, so there's that? he's extremely focused.

he does get up and move away after that - too fast - to come back with a warm washcloth, though, so he can clean off john's face and whatever else with blood, still gentle. ]

[windeity]

[He's very still through all of this and he's staring straight ahead and blank. His breathing is quiet and shallow almost and he jerks in surprise when there's suddenly a warm cloth on his face. But he's still again after that.]

...it never occurred to me to use one of the hammers. [Which might have been for the best, but.]

[parodeity]

That's because you're a very good person. [ after he's done with the washcloth and fussing in that direction he's off the bed again and dipping by the minifridge.

in a second hes back with water and two pills, which he holds out. ]

Tylenol.

[windeity]

[His face is a lot less bloody at least and his nose will probably be fine but his eyes are half-closed anyway.]

Thanks. [Water and pills immediately disappear into his mouth and a hand comes up to carefully rub at his eyes and push his glasses up into his hair.]

Anyway yes, maybe, but that kind of puts us at a disadvantage since if I get caught off-guard and can't equip one of my hammers fast enough I get fucked. I kind of knew it was a loss since he tackled me first and I wasn't about to actually knock out some fucked-up kid.

[...this sounds weirdly like "I let myself get beat up" but he definitely Tried to get James to back off, so.] I forgot how much getting hit in the face sucks.

[parodeity]

[ yeah the glasses are whisked off of his head and put onto the bedside table thing. ]

It wasn't an actual combat scenario, John. If it were like...I don't know, a monster? I am pretty sure your first instinct would have been different. You're not...always in the zone. [ he also takes the water glass and sets that aside, then ditches the first aid kit into his inventory and kicks off his shoes.

john seems kind of out of it so he'll kneel down to untie john's shoes and pull them off. ]

[windeity]

[Bye glasses. John's mostly just kind of blinded by the low-throbbing pain in his face but not too bad off all things considered. Nevertheless he's also just kind of letting Dave do whatever.

Enjoy his dumbass socks.]

Probably, yes. Who's the weird green guy? [Context might help.]

[parodeity]

[ weird...green guy... ]

Explain further? [ is john in jeans or what. ]

[windeity]

[He's in jeans, yes. But he lets his eyes shut completely while he thinks on that.]

He looked like a green skeleton and he had red eyes, but they weren't pretty like yours. [Thanks John.] Had a Time outfit though.

[parodeity]

Sounds like the big bad. [ to john's closet we go to pick out pajamas, which he brings back. ] I'll undo your jeans if you don't change yourself?

[ a threat ???? apparently but. ]

[windeity]

Hot. [But it's nothing and he forces his eyes open so he can slip out of his jeans and into his pajama pants even while he's talking.]

Maybe. All I remember is tackling him, punching him in a face a couple of times and then I ended up accidentally zapping away.

[parodeity]

I forget what their species name is. But yeah, big bad.

[ cool. while john is changing dave's going to get rid of his own jeans and throw on sweats, after which he will actually get on the bed, waiting for john to finish. at which point he tugs john over to rest on him? apparently this is just. the plan. on the pillow that mewpac is not curled up on napping on. ]

[windeity]

[What if he just doesn't bother putting a shirt back on? Things are still sore and he's casually shifting to curl up and comply which is sort of hilarious to him since usually it's the reverse.]

What do you know about him? [Again, specifics might help.]

[parodeity]

[ it is normally the reverse. dave likes to sleep with a heartbeat at his ear. but he doesn’t seem to mind this, his arms loosely circling john and one hand running gently up and down john’s back in an idle, soothing motion. ]

He was tearing the universe apart.

[windeity]

[His eyes are definitely shut and he's wincing a little as he shifts to get comfortable but seems to relax a little under the hand.]

Of course. Do we know why?

[parodeity]

Mhmm. Looking for his sister or something. Her ghost. Whatever.

[ Dave’s hand keeps trailing up and down, relaxed, and he brushes a kiss to the top of john’s head. ]

We can take it easy tomorrow. [ Christmas Eve but dave will forgo Christmas if it comes to that. ]

[windeity]

That does not sound very productive to trying to find her then. [There's a small shiver but otherwise he's comfortable this way. On the other hand, his face scrunches up at Dave's suggestion.]

No way...I have plans and everything.

[parodeity]

We can rain check them. Just relax for a while, okay? Go to sleep.

[windeity]

I’m not rainchecking Christmas just because I’m a little sore. [There’s a short huff but he also shifts a little closer.] It’ll be fine. Anyway...what do you know about James?

[parodeity]

I wouldn't say it's "a little" when it hurts to breath in certain positions? Also, time is fake and Christmas can occur after you feel less sore. [ he's less interested in dates than he is in john resting, apparently. ] And I know he has an emo music band? He's shared some of his stuff. It's like...peak edge teenager. I think he and Ami are friends. He's...very angry about Retrospec, and it's not really worthwhile to try to talk to him about it. I usually just deviate from the topic when it comes up.

[windeity]

Missing Christmas is pretty much the one thing I am not agreeing to, so I will make it work even if I have to improvise a little. I think I will feel better tomorrow. [He's pretty content here so long as Dave's touching him and letting him rest, but he's also stubborn about Christmas.]

That was kind of the impression I got. I'm not sure he was really aware of what was happening after a while. He seemed a little surprised when the cops showed up.

[parodeity]

If you're still sore we will have Christmas in our room, okay? [ BE LESS STUBBORN or figure out an alternative maybe but. ]

...But as to that, he's been getting angrier and angrier the longer we've been on the network.

[windeity]

I'll swallow a whole bottle of Tylenol if I have to. [Grumbling. He won't do that but he's pretty fussy about maybe fucking up Christmas and now that they're resting and laying still he's regretting not grabbing a shirt.]

I would say I cannot blame him, but anger management exists. You think maybe...it's a case like Malik?

[parodeity]

Ummm. [ hm. ] It's honestly hard to say. You could ask him if he thinks he has...that. [ split personality. ] The thing is, with Malik I couldn't see him doing the whole...

[ KIDNAPPING AND TORTURE? ]

...look, if he'd just decked someone a bunch, yeah, I could have seen him doing that, no help. The extent to which that shit went on was harder to connect. So yeah, I could see James attacking someone randomly on the punching level. It might also have somethin' to do with memories. I don't know. But he's always been kinda angry.

[windeity]

Wrong place and wrong time and wrong comment. Got it. [He's debating what to do about that though. He'll continue the thought in a bit though because he's kicking his foot to try and grab a blanket.]

I thought about maybe contacting him to ask but that also sounds ill-advised.