( open ) alone, i fight these animals

[rhapsodeity]

WHO: Jade Wolf & potentially you
WHERE: Out and about! There's a lot of locations.
WHEN: Saturday (4/8) and Sunday (4/9)!
WHAT: Jade finds out she can teleport. It doesn't go well.
WARNINGS: None at the moment and I doubt any will come up!


a, saturday morning, freshens: slow, slow me down

[ saturday mornings are usually reserved for cartoons and overly sugared cereal, but today, jade dresses herself (poorly - her shirt is backwards, her hair is a bigger disaster than usual with incredibly obvious knots showing. her skirts lopsided and her leg warmers are uneven: jade's seen better days, outfit-wise) and marches out the door of the wolf family's new abode, stomp all the way. she's only half way sure that her shoes (a pair of brown cowboy boots with a floral design) are on the opposite feet and she is stomping, stomping down the street, furiously determined to go to the market and get that half off ice cream. it's happening.

when jade gets to the market, it's probably obvious that something is wrong. for one, if you know jade wolf, you know she has her mother's blue eyes. they're a nice, cobalt blue, deeper than sky blue but still reminiscent of the clear blues.

the jade today has vibrant, lime green eyes, and they're staring down at a pint of pistachio ice cream. in her hand is a trio of coupons, gripped tightly, and she alternates between pulling the pint so close that her nose is touching it and then so far away that her arm strains.

finally, she groans and opens it to place the pint back in the freezer. ] I think I saw a P! I think... so... Pistachio? Jeeeez. Okay, maybe an eye doctor visit sooner than la--

[ there's a flash of green, or maybe there isn't, and then where jade wolf once stood, only three coupons for half off pints of ice cream float for a moment before gliding to the floor. ]

b, saturday afternoon, pizza port: let go, lay to rest

[ jade is having a terrible time navigating the town, but she's at least sort of good at it. she remembers that, at least, pizza port wasn't always pizza port, so when her legs lead her to the restaurant, she is... suitably surprised by the smell of food.

jade squints at the menu hanging over the counter and clenches her fists. ]

This... is not Home Depot?

[ a beat. ]

What street am I on??

[ SHIT ]

c, saturday evening, just outside the public library: get up, shake the rust

[ on the steps of the library is a girl with messy dark hair, and there are flowers sticking out of it, seemingly at random. she has arguably the most unnaturally green eyes anyone might ever seen, and she looks incredibly, incredibly lost.

she's also wrapped up in a feather boa and has a potted sunflower in her arms; it's just big enough to be obvious that she needs a bigger pot for it than the one she has, now, and jade looks around the block, wiggling in place a bit. ]

Hey!

[ the idiot in the feather boa notices you, or someone near you, and either she asks you a question: ]

Have you seen a little old lady with a hunchback?

[ or she squints at you, and asks: ] ...Ma'am, did you come back to get your sunflower?

[ you are probably not the old lady who left the potted flower with her, though. ]

d, sunday morning, hollingberry field: she follows me into the woods

[ early sunday mornings are jade's bread and butter, and she loves open fields and giant trees she can lay under. despite the forecast yesterday, the sun's shining and the blue skies are clear, completely devoid of clouds. ]

They don't look weird, right?

[ jade grips the lens of her glasses and winces as she smudges them. they're ridiculously large bifocals that take up almost half her face, thick black rims making it clear they're classic "coke bottle" glasses. they magnify her eyes, too, making them look even bigger, and the homestucks continue to blend in almost seamlessly with the animez thanks to how comically giant her eyes are and how brilliantly green they are, too.

no wonder she's so self conscious.

probably not too self conscious, though, because she's still sporting the cowboy boots. ]

Just, um. Well, I never thought I'd need glasses, so... it's a big change for me!

Comments

LOCKED TO KURT, 4/8, high school pool TELEPORTATION SHENANIGANS

[rhapsodeity]

[ jade wolf has seen better days and this becomes immediately obvious the moment her back smacks into the high school pool.

as she sinks down to the bottom, she considers all the things that have led her here: her birth, that time she lied about spilling nail polish on the couch, waking up with neon green eyes and a sudden affinity for teleporting into weird places the moment she decides she needs to be somewhere else...

well.

jade comes up for air and no surprise her: she doggy paddles. with her head above water, she's able to see that she's not the only person in the pool, and that's quite unusual. she considers all the ways someone might get in here in the evening, after sunset, and decides that none of the possibilities she comes up with are as entertaining as what the reality probably is.

so after an awkward pause, she pushes her hair out of her face and nods to... whoever it is she's here with, she can't actually see their features just well enough to make out their face. ]

Um. Yes, hello. Hi. Okay, I really hope that this doesn't sound rude but... who are you?

[digthefuzz]

[Today was definitely off to an odd start. He suddenly found himself... poofing from here to there, with little idea what was going on.

And before he knew it, he had accidentally made his way not just to the high school, but into the pool as well! His poofing had brought him up into the air above the pool, leading him to accidentally dive right in. It was pretty embarrassing!

As he paddles around in search of a way out, he finds himself facing a familiar face. Well, it's better than a stranger who would freak out! He doesn't even wonder when she got here, but he raises a soggy eyebrow at her question. It must be a joke, right?]

Me? Oh, I'm no one special. Just another avid swimming enthusiast, you know?

[rhapsodeity]

Oh, well.

[ it's kind of hard to miss kurt's voice. it's got that familiar tone, and it's easy to place it in childhood memories, regardless of the fact time's certainly passed; it isn't long from now that she will be officially attending school with kurt, after moving up from high school. jade pauses, and wads to the shallow end of the pull. eventually, she moves to pull herself out. ]

Sorry if this is blunt, I do not mean to be rude, but I kiiiiind of can't see clearly. It's a genuine question, but I know it's you now, Kurt. How did you -- um. [ well. hm. ] I guess I can see the appeal in breaking into the school for a nighttime dip but... Well, is something wrong?

LOCKED TO DAVE, 4/8, saturday afternoon, enchanted blossoms

[rhapsodeity]

[ generally speaking, employees are the only ones allowed in the back, and jade's no exception to the "customers up front only" rule. she has known this for as long as dave's worked at enchanted blossoms and has not thought it weird at all. of course, jade has always had a flair for the things in life she finds exciting, and she'd be lying if finding out what the back of enchanted flowers looks like isn't kind of exciting. what things go on there? what does it look like?

...she expected it to look a little like a floral dungeon of sorts so the fact it's just. a room, in the back of the shop with a lot of flowers in it is pretty underwhelming. now she feels silly for ever fantasizing about this place.

jade arrived with a flash of green and feeling of static electricity, after rolling around in a joke shop for a half hour. it was something to take her mind off things, even if she couldn't really see the things she's picking up. on her nose sits a pair of groucho glasses, a arrow through the head headband, and her shoulders are adorned with a royal blue cape. in the pocket of her blouse is a toy sunflower, likely the kind that squirts water, and she is

standing there wearing all these things.

shit, now she's a thief.

jade raises a giant gloved hand and pulls her legs together. she'd really liked these shoes and now they probably just complete the ridiculous look. to be fair, cowboy boots are pretty silly looking most of the time. ]

Hi!

[ act natural you don't know who it is yet SHIT ]

[parodeity]

[ .................JADE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING. dave can't even properly react the teleporting because instead he just starts. laughing. and can't stop. he doesn't usually get caught up in helpless laughter but he was too startled to have any defense since she literally wasn't there a f ew seconds ago. ]

[rhapsodeity]

[ jade's quiet for a beat, jaw slack and eyes wide. it's the sound, more than the image, mostly because she can just see the blurry outline, the blond hair, the dark shades - she knows it's dave because she's heard him laugh before and of course there isn't going to be another blond here unless it's him. she knows it's him but she hasn't heard him laugh like this before and it's kind of adorable?

she can't see it but she can hear it and it's a little infectious so when she awkwardly stumbles over, being careful of her steps so she doesn't bump into anything, she's giggling too. she steadies herself with one hand on his shoulder, and she's still wearing the ridiculous get up when she reaches up to put one hand on his cheek. can't see it so she might as well try to feel it? there's no actual mouth or lip touching it's more like she is just trying to see how big of a grin it is from holding his cheek. dumb plan, but if the world were nothing but jade wolfs then pictures of dave strider smiling would legitimately be worth a billion bucks. ]

It is really rude of you to laugh and not say hello back! And just what is so funny?? Are you laughing at my cape? It's an awesome cape!! Also it is a little heavy.

[ it's significantly longer than jade and is trailing after her on the floor but she still looks like a kid who ran around a halloween shop, so. ]

a

[appraiser]

[ Will Jade ever teleport back? Because otherwise, this is going to be a very short thread.

In either case, Ryoji stands stock-still in the middle of the frozen foods aisle, trying to convince himself that he misses Jade so much, that he's seeing her debating over ice cream flavors and then suddenly zap away. But ahh, the coupons are still there, and he stoops to snatch them off the ground and maybe he'll use them? ]

Jaaaaaaaaaaaaadde!! [ he calls down the aisle, just in case she's not imagined and is actually within earshot ] I'm buying mint chip if you're not here!

[rhapsodeity]

[ you're lucky jade's standing on top of the freezers, ryoji.

but also, she has a weak heart to anyone who wants ice cream, also, she love mint chip. jade swings her legs over, dangling them across the freezer opposite the one she had been standing in and calls out, ]

Wooooow, you can at least ask if it is ok to do that, Ryoji!

[ she'd be giggling if she weren't... trying to wrap her head around the fact she just teleported. ]

[appraiser]

Oh!

[ Ryoji startles and gives a short laugh when he hears Jade's voice and sees her face— sort of— he has to blink hard to make sure he's not seeing things, because maybe he's the one that needs glasses. ]

What... [ ...just happened, Jade??? He starts and stops. Closes his mouth decisively. It's Saturday morning. It's early and it's been a tiring week of Things Happening and what he really needs right now is ice cream for breakfast. ] ...do you think about mint chip? Pistachio is good too, but the nuts get soft in ice cream, and I like them crunchy and toasted.

B

[true_noir]

I believe it's second street? Oh, hello Jade. Were you coming here for lunch?

[Chloe's voice came through clearly as she turned to face the young woman. Huh, why were her fists clenched? She seemed upset about something, even if there didn't appear to be anything to be upset over. Cocking her head, she looked at her curiously for a moment.]

Is everything alright? I think Home Depot is a few blocks from here.

[rhapsodeity]

[ jade looks down at her hands, flexing them, before drawing her lips into a long, thin line. ]

Nope. I was looking to go grab some potted plants for my room.

[ and then, she sighs, defeated and turns to look up - her eyes are, undeniably and unnaturally, green today. ] Is that you, Chloe?

[true_noir]

[Blink blink. Chloe's head cocked the other direction. She was confused for a moment before she spoke up, the confusion definitely evident in her eyes.]

Wait, do you not recognize me Jade? Yes, it is Chloe. If you wish, I can take you somewhere you can get a potted plant... [Seriously, though, what the hell was up with her eyes? That was a little... creepy.]

c!

[trueend]

[Uh. They are definitely not the old lady who left the potted flower with her. And they are definitely blinking up at her, slowly taking in the color of her eyes, and in their usual tone:]

... Are you wearing bad contacts?

[LIKE.

WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR EYE COLOR AND EYE SIGHT, JADE WOLF.]

[rhapsodeity]

[ oh my god.

it's frisk. her eyesight is worse than she thought, or that little old lady is shorter than anyone realizes. ]

Nooooooo, no I am not! These are just my eyes!

[ ... ]

Is the color weird? [ :( \ ]

[trueend]

[Maybe Frisk is an old lady? Evidence: they like to knit, bad(?) eyesight, squint a lot. It's okay.]

Oh.

[WELL.]

It's... bright? Not bad. Or weird. Just bright. [They think it looks quite nice, in fact.] ... Did aliens steal you and change your eye color?

[It's their current theory for Retrospect, tbh.]

b. sort of. psuedo-b. lead up to b?? b

[puffing]

Jade Winter Wolf.

[ IF JADE CAN EVEN SEE THIS FUCKING MESSAGE CLEARLY, she'll know that it is never good to be referred by her full name and by her father non-the-less. Bigby would have simply called her, but he knows that teenagers respond to texting much faster. always a strange thing to consider, but alas. ]

The one goddamn time I decide to sleep in on a Saturday morning, and I have to find out from your mother that your eyes have changed colors and you can't fucking see?
Tell me where you are and stay there.
Now.

[rhapsodeity]

[ obviously jade was in the one place she shouldn't be: ]

Pizza Port I think

[ she says i think, which is probably worrying. she has a vague idea from the smell of, well, pizza, and the carpeting. she thinks there's an alien in a corner? still, this wasn't her intended destination, and she's wondering how she got there and not home depot. she wanted to buy tomato seeds, and pizza is not tomato seeds, but acceptable still.

so jade will actually listen to her father for once. there's probably a limit to how many times jade will listen to people in authority in a year and this is definitely taking of those marks down. it's not the typical teenage rebellion, really, because she's always wandered off. luck's on her side, of course - she always seems to know where she is, and how to get to where she wants. bigby can at least take solace in the fact jade doesn't change.

when bigby makes his way over to fetch her, it's either an indication of how bad her sight is or what a good mood she's in today. considering her hair's messier than usual and her face looks a little red like she might have ran into a pole or something, though, it's easy to guess which it is.

not that it shows in her face. she's perched inside, at a booth, alone, and there's a paper cup of what bigby probably just knows is orange soda in front of her. it is alarmingly big. jade fuckin' loves oranges. she looks mostly content, poking at her phone in vague confusion, alternating between really close and as far as her neck can crane away from the screen. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Not weird. They just look like glasses.

[ He isn’t sure what you’re asking here, Jade. What’s the big deal? Leo squints, tilts his head as if that’ll give him a whole new perspective, and shrugs. ]

Big glasses, I guess, but they don’t look bad. They kind of suit you.

[ It's almost cute, honestly.

...Wait a second. ]

Did you always have green eyes?

[ He doesn’t remember that but maybe he just wasn’t paying attention?? ]

[rhapsodeity]

[ "kind of suit you" works for jade. she beams, sated, and kicks at the grass beneath her feet idly.

but then he continues and that's the part where it gets a little weird, she guess. ]

Thank you! And um... well, no, they were blue until yesterday!

[ she explains it in such a chipper tone, though, that it's easy to miss that it's a little awkward to think about. ]

c

[clear_eyes]

[Rachel had been to the library to return some books she and her mother had both checked out... and ended up getting stuck there and checking out a few new things. Thus, it was night when she finally set out to head home.

She was walking out when she ran into Jade, who seemed rather confused. Remembering their conversation earlier, Rachel knew what was going on almost instantly.]

Jade? It's me, Rachel. I think you have the wrong person. I don't have a sunflower. Are... are you okay? What happened to you?

[Obviously not in regards to her vision, but rather, her hair, and the sunflower, and the feather boa and whatnot.]

dw about the edits <3

[rhapsodeity]

Oh, I met this little old lady who works here and is planting some flowers in the back but I guess she has not come back yet.

[ a brilliant smile. it is only sullied by... the ridiculousness of her appearance, actually. ] Hi, Rachel! What do you think? [ she means her eyes, but uh, does not specify. ]

c

[wordcarvings]

[ He blinks slowly, a little startled. ]

Um... No, I'm not buying sunflowers until next week.

[ For a painting. He also doesn't point out that he's not a "ma'am". ]

[rhapsodeity]

Oh, no, they are not for buying, a little old lady left them with me for a moment while she went around back to get the hole ready!

[ jade... ] Sorry for the confusion! I am a little out of sorts I suppose.

d !!

[sparsity]

[ Sunday mornings in Hollingberry are also Micah's bread and butter. Because it's the weekend, the traffic gets a little crazy later in the day, but this early, with the sun coming down and the treetops tossing with wind, it's quiet. Well, save the question, which Micah only catches because he's passing the tree Jade's under. Without really stopping to consider that answering would be weird, as a stranger, he does so anyway, shifting the watering can and bucket of plant food in his arms. ]

No, they're pretty. [ Oh — glasses, Micah. She meant glasses. ] And as long as you can see, does it matter much?

[ Which he says because his own are perched on his nose. ]

[rhapsodeity]

[ jade will take any kind of reassurance she can get, honestly, even if it's a total stranger. to be fair, too, despite the amount of stranger danger conversations she's gotten, jade doesn't listen very well. as it stands, she grins, and pushes her glasses up her nose. they're embarrassingly large, and the rim is thick and black, but he's nice about them, so maybe they're not that bad? ]

Well... I guess I like to have nice things. [ her eyes lock onto the luggage he's carrying and then jade claps her hands together. ] Pretty stuff like flowers, actually!!! I'm getting into gardening!