[32] time after time

[coolbowtie]

[Voice.]

[The Doctor comes on the line and it's almost hard to recognize that it's him. The usual cheery arrogance is completely gone, replaced by a maniac fear. He seems to be unsure of where he is or whom he is speaking to.]Hello! Is anyone there?! Don't just stand around, answer the bloody phone

Comments

action;

[decadenzas]

[he's already seen enough oddities today to know something is going on, so as soon as he hears that frantic phone call, he's hanging up and making his way over to the Doctor's house.

all that blood was something he hadn't been expecting. he gingerly steps over the words, not bothering to look at them yet, and tries to approach in a non-threatening manner.]

Doctor?

Re: action;

[coolbowtie]

Ah, Charles, you're still alive. For a moment I thought I had... Well it's all a bit fuzzy, my head is pounding.

[decadenzas]

Of course I'm still alive, you dolt. How easy do you think I am to kill? [it's more of a defensive statement, a distraction of sorts as he reaches for the Doctor's hands] Why've you done this?

[coolbowtie]

I thought I saw... Well it doesn't matter. At least I haven't gone and gotten you killed or messed up. One point for me in the end.

[ he lets Charles grab at his hands.]

[crusthatecean]

[He's mostly come down from his earlier state, but the traces of it are still affecting him enough that the pronouncement over the phone that Gamzee and Jade are dead is enough to nearly send him into another spiral of panic.

But he pushes that away; it's obvious that this is yet another victim of something that Mayfield is doing.

He doesn't know how to feel about the Doctor and doesn't quite trust him, especially now that he's told him far, far more than he's comfortable with a stranger knowing about him and about Gamzee.

On the other hand, if he sees the Doctor's weaknesses, he won't feel as weak and pathetic himself. At least that's how he justifies it to himself, some warped sense of revenge for seeing him like that rather than any sort of concern. The kindest thing to do to someone in this situation would be to leave them alone and let them pretend nothing happened.

He goes looking, and eventually he'll find him in the garage.

So time lords bleed just like humans, too.]

[coolbowtie]

Karkat... you're alive. Jade... Gamzee they're... dead? No... it wasn't them... was it?

[He runs a bloody hand down his face.]

[crusthatecean]

Shut up. Stop saying that.

[It hurts to hear they're dead even if he knows it isn't true. And it also bothers him in a way that's hard to define that the Doctor even cares so much he'd hallucinate them dead.]

No one is dead. You dealt with me going through the same fucking thing earlier. You've gone shithive maggots and you're painting in your own blood, jackass.

[coolbowtie]

...[He looks down at the words he wrote with his own blood. To him it's one hundreds of the message that paints the walls.]

I did?

phone;

[suckers]

[...Huh.]

Traveling the galaxy and time itself comes with a hefty price. If you are not careful, paradoxes can occur, timelines can be shifted and even entire universes can fall into doom. People who cannot take on the responsibility will only be faced with a fate worse than death.

But, you know, clocks never stop for anyone. Some can turn them back or forward, but never truly stop them. That is what it means to be self-aware of mortality.

[coolbowtie]

...Time isn't the boss of me.

[But even he doesn't sound like he believes it right now.]

[suckers]

Then why is there a clock pounding in your head? The only ones who worry about time are the ones with limited amounts to spare. And, in the end, everything is only a matter of time.

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.

You'll snap back to normal soon enough.

[coolbowtie]

...I've beat time before. I can't... It won't end like this. I won't let it. Agh-!

[At those words, his head seems to pound with twice the intensity.]

Phone ☆

[fatedmagica]

D, Doctor?

[ She's trying to keep up with what he's saying. It doesn't make any sense to her when her head is already a bit fuzzy from confusion. But she's able to pick out a few things, words that she'd too used to hearing. ]

Kar...kat... he's...? Doctor, where are you? I'm coming! You're not going to die! No one else is going to die!

[coolbowtie]

...Madoka. You're alive? No of course you are.

[A sigh.]

I don't want to die but... it's already been decided for me.

.

[fatedmagica]

[ Sorry Doctor, she's not totally listening. She's not hallucinating either. But too many of her friends are choosing to die and she's had enough of it. ]

It definitely isn't. I definitely won't let it. Where are you? I'm going to save you, I promise. Please, don't say those things!

[coolbowtie]

...I'm at my house.

The clocks keep getting louder. Blimey... my head.

[miraculls]

[He finds the Doctor in the garage after making sure Karkat and Jade are all right. The blood doesn't shock him that much; the writing with it though makes his digestive sac churn and his hands clench in the urge to...but it passes in a flash and he forgets as soon as it happens, approaching the Doctor cautiously.]

Docbro? What happened here?

[coolbowtie]

...My friends always get hurt. And it's my fault. I don't mean for these things to happen, honest...

Gamzee... I'm glad you're alright.

[miraculls]

[Well, this is a pretty familiar mantra.]

No one's hurt, bro, we're all safe and motherfuckin' sound.

[His next statement makes Gamzee blink in surprise, then smile widely, touched.]

I'm real glad you're all right too.

[coolbowtie]

Don't want to see you hurt. Hopefully I can at least manage that.