( 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?

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 ]

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. ]

[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?

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.

[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.

[rhapsodeity]

[ okay, the distraction is nice. jade looks down to the ground and squints hard, like she's trying to make sense of the ground, or will it into existence. ]

Ummmm. I loooove mint flavored thing. Mint chai is one of my favorite drinks! Pistachio is nice and all but I think that's, well, more of a flavor my mom likes than me. My absolute favorite flavor is Superman, though!!!!

[ a beat. ]

I am gonna jump down, but is it a steep drop?

[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?

[appraiser]

[ Ryoji has never heard of Superman ice cream and he dearly hopes it's an ice cream flavor and not Jade going Superman --> flight? invincibility? gonna jump

He scrambles to position himself in front/below her, because JADE DON'T JUMP ]

It's a six— seven feet drop? But it's hard tile, Jade, can't you see?

[rhapsodeity]

[ there's a long, long, long pause.

jade stares down at what she thinks is ryoji, lips pulled tight, eyes squinting and her body language just slightly!!! annoyed.

and decides that she is superman apparently because she drops down, pushing herself over the freezers. does ryoji catch her or is she going to die ]

[appraiser]

[ rip jade

But no, Ryoji's a bit tired of having people die around him, and heck if this death is going to be his fault, so he rushes forward to catch Jade as best he can. Meaning open arms and uneven footing and when he does catch her, it's not without stumbling back into the freezer door behind him, thankful for the inch of plastic to break the impact. ]

[rhapsodeity]

[ the real superman is ryoji mochizuki, a man of steel who won't let a friend indeed die for.......need? what does jade even need? an intervention, maybe.

jade seemed ready for impact, whether that was with the floor or ryoji so when she lands square in his arms, her eyes are squeezed shut and her body pulled tight in on herself. she's a small girl, too, so it's probably not a surprise that she's light. little victories, ryoji, like jade not crushing you.

when jade doesn't collide with the ground, she thinks that's weird, and then half expects to open her eyes and see yato again. it's another blobby mess of dark colors, but this one probably isn't yato. jade blinks up at ryoji with startling green eyes.

somehow none of freshens is staring ]

Holy shit! Are you okay?

[appraiser]

[ The blobby mess is just Ryoji, pushing his bangs out of his eyes and holding onto Jade's shoulder with his other hand— to keep her steady? to keep himself steady. He's fine, everything's fine, except

her eyes. ]

Your eyes.

[ They weren't green before. Yuuko's eyes weren't red before. Yu's eyes weren't grey, and when Yu texted him about his eyes, Ryoji had done some looking into it and ]

Are you okay? Do you feel ill? Pain, or blurry vision?

[ and what he found to be a common cause of eye color abnormalities is ocular cancer and he's so sorry jade ]

[rhapsodeity]

[ honestly, this is probably the worst person to be asking that. jade wiggles, and tries to find the ground with her feet, but she presses her hands close to her chest. she has enough friends who care about her to recognize that ryoji is worried about her, so she looks to the side, idly, trying to avoid contact. ]

Noooooooo pain... I don't feel sick, um. Everything is really blurry, though.

[ hence why she kept trying to read that pint of ice cream to no avail; she couldn't read it. ]

[appraiser]

[ Oh no. Blurry vision means cancer and Jade is going to die and even though she probably can't see it, Ryoji's face just kind of falls and he might be about to cry. However much time Jade has left, he'll make sure it's the best last few years or days and whatever. ]

You said Superman ice cream is your favorite, right? I'll buy it, and we can share a pint.

[ Ugh, he needs those hands to hold and assure himself; why is Jade not like Anya and doesn't do the hand holding thing? ]

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt swims in her wake as he listens to her, frowning with concern as he hears about her problem with her sight.]

Oh, darn. Sorry Jade... did you get something in your eyes? Good thing you can't forget a voice like this! ...But I mean, you're right, it's me Kurt!

[He'll keep an eye open to see if she needs any help as he makes his way out of the pool.]

I swear, I didn't try to break in here! Or even take a dip. I... well... I mean, if I told you what happened, you wouldn't believe me!

[rhapsodeity]

[ ryoji
it's just homestuck eye colors ]

What??? No! Jeez, are you worried about something or do you think I'm helpless? [ jade puts her hands on his shoulders and moves to. steady herself enough to fold her arms and look betrayed is this what her friendship means to you ryoji ]

[rhapsodeity]

[ nailed it in one, then. jade smiles despite herself, but then kurt says... she wouldn't believe him which just makes it sound all the more believable to her. ]

...Well, you know what? I think you should tell me anyway. You might be... surprised at some of the things I am willing to believe right now! Besides, you are not a liar, and I know that.

[digthefuzz]

[Her assurance does help him feel a bit more confident, and he smiles lightly.]

Thanks. Okay, so... This is still going to sound bananas. But, what if I say that I... uh...

...teleported here?

[rhapsodeity]

Oh!

[ that seems to sound familiar to her, because nods, understanding. with a wide grin: ] Me too, actually, whew! So I'm not the only one who has to figure tis out, right!!?? That's kind of nice...

[ jade pats the open spot next to her, where she sits on the steps, legs still in the water. ] I started this morning, and then... I was on my way home from accidentally ending up in the zoo, right? And then I was here. What about you?

[appraiser]

[ Nothing is ever just Homestuck anything

That looks just causes Ryoji to wither even further; helpless isn't a word he would ever use to describe Jade Wolf. This is the girl who leaps off grocery store freezers and calmly gives apples the Glasgow. So strong, so brave. The world sure is going to miss her. ]

Blurry vision is always a cause to worry, but right now? I think I'm the one that needs help, and ice cream will help.

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.]

[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.]