Chapter Text
Tavros was about to walk back to his chambers when Eridan burst in the door, with his scarf askew and breath far too fast to be calm. This is probably just another episode of your 'bro' (sometimes Eridan pretends to be 'cool' and calls you that, even though you insist that he doesn't) being dramatic. He does this frequently.
In fact, after everyone just stared at Eridan in confusion, he said nothing and shut the doors behind him. You decide that his entrance was unreasonable, inquiring "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" as he fixes his scarf and smooths his hair down. There was something odd about the way he walked, but he remained silent. He locks his eyes with yours, and there's something in them that you're completely unfamiliar with. Fear? Despair?
He approaches you directly, his steps too slow for his natural gait. What is he playing at? And suddenly all at once, it was like he was flicked by some kind of massive finger playing with dominoes. He clattered to the floor, and Feferi rushed to him. "ERIDAN!" Her journal was completely forgotten, open on the page she was writing on moments before. Eridan didn't move at all. Equius walked briskly to come lift him up, exiting the doors to the throne room and presumably heading toward the infirmary. You blink, struggling to get out of a shocked stupor. What just happened?
Nepeta looks at you grimly. "i know fur sure that it looked like he was hurt. what do mew think got him?"
Your fins flatten against the sides of your face, reflecting your worrisome thoughts. He may be an idiot, but if he knew he was wounded, why didn't he just go to the infirmary himself? Why did he rush in and then spontaneously act so calm?
Feferi had followed Equius out, her journal still open on her desk. You've given thought to having her desk moved back into her chambers, but you prefer it to be right there so that she can write your messages immediately, and have Tavros deliver them. (Most of the time you have Sollux send whatever you want around the world through the media, but some things are better done through official means.)
You don't know what to think about Eridan suddenly collapsing. Did he bleed on the rug? You look to your husktop, thinking about opening it to contact Sollux. Would he know what happened? He installed a few cameras around the palace just for security measures, but what if Ampora's wounds didn't come from something on the palace grounds?
Your concern is evident, as the rest of the throne room - Tavros, Nepeta, and apparently Kanaya came out of her room earlier - were all staring at you. Sollux would be too, if his workplace wasn't far from being attached to the throne room. He liked being away so that he'd have one of the last places to be infiltrated, should the palace ever be invaded. He was a mile underground, using the emergency escape tunnels as his own refuge. Of course, to have internet down there, several extension cords had to be run downward.
You tap your fingers on the arm of your throne nervously. You decide to stand up, and nod at the others. "LET'S GO."
Your robes are difficult to not trip over as you jog in the infirmary's direction, trailed by your friends. You're glad that you didn't put on the floor-length cape, because Tavros was likely to step on it.
Once you step into the infirmary, which was a jog through the courtyard, the smell of sanitation chemicals hits your nose. There are fellow adolescent trolls weaving and walking calmly from bed to bed, and your eyes scan the patients for one in particular. Where is he? Did Equius actually carry him here, or did he think he could just repair him in his own workshop? (You doubt the latter to be true, but fiddlesti%, that sweaty asshat gets the shittiest ideas.)
Kanaya steps forward, starting to search more closely. Equius at that time showed himself, brushing past her to get straight to you. "He needs to see you, and only you, so he says." You frown darkly, and reluctantly ask "DID HE TELL YOU WHY?" "He's not even attempting to 100sen his tongue." Nepeta frowns at her moirail, and if Equius hadn't been wearing his glasses as per usual, it'd be obvious that he looked back. You gently place a hand on Equius to push past him (glad that you forced him to wear long sleeves as part of his uniform, because even those sleeves felt damp with sweat). Kanaya stood up straight and wrung her wrists in anxiety, no longer able to keep her mind busy.
You pass about fifteen more trolls suffering from various wounds before you find the one you're looking for. His eyes are eerily wide open, staring blankly ahead. He doesn't even notice you as you approach his bed. You place your hands on the metal frame, leaning forward to gaze at him more clearly. He looks paler than usual, and his fins are stock still. What's wrong with him? If you didn't clear your throat, he wouldn't have even noticed you arrived.
"kar." is the first word he says, and he motions for you to come closer. You do, and you swear your knuckles were significantly paler with how hard you clenched, reflecting the color of Skaia's clouds. This was bad, this was really bad. What the hell happened? Your voice drops low, not wanting to disturb the other patients (nor reveal what he was about to tell you). "eridan?" He closes his eyes for a moment, and it looked like he lost consciousness again, but he speaks nonetheless. It took quite some effort for him to say just two words, but those two words made your cold-blooded systems turn nearly frozen.
"great... glub."