sometimes you lose {open}

[Cal Karnstein]

Cal turned and spat another glob of blood into the street next to her, pausing to study it. Had that come from her or someone else? It probably wasn't a good thing that she wasn't sure of that, right? If you spat blood, you should probably be certain whose it was. But hey, when a half-vampire fights, there was probably going to be biting involved. Particularly when the asshole in question had thought boob-punching should be a new sport.

Cal spat a curse along with some blood, rolling her shoulder and resisting the urge to work out that particular wound. She could still feel it throbbing just beneath the surface, probably already an ugly bruise. At least the other guy had gotten worse. Well, that and Cal would probably all but heal up overnight. Again: Half-vampire.

Except that half-vampire all but tripped over something, landing hard on her knees and hands. Another harsh curse came out of Cal, following by another batch of blood and probably some booze. Cal winced, looking at that. "That's probably not good," she mumbles. A sound drew her attention, and she lifted her head, eyes almost immediately dilating. "I may look like crap, but I'll still kick your ass if you try something," she said, putting a lot more iron into the words than even she'd have expected, given how shaky she felt.

[Tala Wilde]

Tala didn't go out without at least one of her siblings (usually Tasha) present, but tonight, she'd been in a Mood and didn't want to take it out on her favorite people. She hadn't even gone far, just out to grab a pack of cigarettes from one of the little stores, but they hadn't had her brand, and she'd wandered father, and farther still until finally she was somewhere she hardly even recognized. She wasn't worried; if she needed to, she could easily track her own path back to the dorms, but before she could really even start to consider that, there was someone tripping and...oh, great. That was fun. It wasn't every day somebody spat up blood and whatever else and then threatened you in the same breath.

"The only thing I was trying," she said evenly, pulling the plastic off the package of cigarettes and crumpling it to shove it in her pocket, "was to get home without getting blood on my shoes, and you've already ruined that, so what does that leave me, really?"

She rummaged in her other pocket for her lighter, giving the package a couple of good thumps on her palm before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "What the hell happened to you? Fall off the wrong side of the rainbow this morning?"

[Cal Karnstein]

"In need of a new pair of shoes," offered Cal flippantly, answering almost immediately. Her eyes locked onto the girl, staring up at her. Was that a pack of smokes? Cal wasn't big into smoking herself, at least not that kind of stuff. Give her something harder, and then she may change her tune. But she was a little more interested in the fact that the girl in question looked pretty damn hot and apparently had a foul mouth on her as well.

"Nah, we don't generally allow assholes on the rainbow," said Cal. She got her feet under her, grunting as she tried pushing herself to her feet. To her slight surprise, she managed to stand, if wobbly. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her sleeve, noting the flecks of red still clinging there. Yeah, definitely still not a good sign. She looked up at the girl. "Gotta admit, kudos for death to send the hot ones to me. But sorry to spoil your fun, Grimm, but I'm gonna be good as glitter in a few."

Cal tried another smile, but found herself wobbling. It didn't help that her chest hurt. Cal was almost tempted to wobble over to the closest building or something to balance, but she didn't want to show weakness. She'd been half joking, but occasionally weird supernatural threats did bug her family; apparently her mother had crossed the wrong people, and quite a few weren't thrilled with the ice queen of Arendelle either.

[Tala Wilde]

Well, Tala had asked the question and she couldn't really be mad at the answer, even if she hadn't expected the comeback to be so sharp from somebody who was spitting up blood in the street. She was a little impressed, really; she was pretty sure if she'd been the one hurling blood, she wouldn't have been focusing on witty comebacks.

Good as glitter, well, that was one she hadn't heard before. Tala didn't have much time to contemplate that weird turn of phrase, though, because she realized pretty quickly that this girl was not in the best shape. And really, she shouldn't care; her whole credo was basically centered around family being everything and nothing else mattering enough to bother with, especially not random people you met in dodgy parts of town throwing up blood on your shoes. But, not for the first time (no matter how much she might say otherwise), Tala's sense of protection kicked in, and she sighed, putting her cigarette between her lips and reaching out with both hands to steady the girl in front of her.

"Hey," she said, trying not to sound too concerned. "you don't look like you're doing so great." It wasn't the most complimentary thing to say to a person, but it was honest, and Tala was nothing if not straightforward. "You gonna make it, or do you want me to call you a cab or something?"

[Cal Karnstein]

It almost surprised Cal to hear the concern sneaking in. She took a few breaths, studying the paler girl cautiously. Was this some kind of trap? It didn't quite feel like one, but there was just something unearthly (and quite appealing) about the girl in front of her.

"This is where I should say something tough and sexy," Cal pointed out. "Like about how just seeing you makes me feel better or some bullshit. But the honest truth is that some asshole punched the crap outta my tits in a bar. Pretty sure he knocked something loose beneath them too. Should've thought about calling a cap myself," she turned, hacking and spitting out more blood. "Oh, and that," she nodded to it, "that's not just mine. I'm a biter,' she shrugged, then flashed a toothy, and consequently bloody, smile, "And that doesn't just apply to fights."

Why yes, she was still flirting while fighting the urge to hack out a lung.

[Tala Wilde]

Tala was a little rough around the edges, but she'd been around long enough to know when someone was flirting with her. That said, she definitely had to do a double take to make sure that was what was going on here, because not once had she ever been hit on while someone was spitting up blood in between the come-ons. Also, she was mostly distracted by the narrative - who the hell punched a girl in the chest? That wasn't even...that didn't even make sense. Sure they were kinda sensitive, but it wasn't exactly the same as kicking a guy between the legs. Why would you punch someone in some of the fleshiest parts of their body? You wouldn't punch someone in the ass, after all.

"What the hell?" She raised an eyebrow as Cal smiled. That sure was a mouthful of teeth and blood right there, wasn't it? "That's ridiculous," she said, lifting her cigarette to her lips. "Why would anyone hit someone there?" The blood thing didn't bother her so much; it was hard to be shocked by blood when you grew up in a family of werewolves. Still, it wasn't something she generally dragged into her social interactions.

"You gonna bite me if I keep bothering you?" she couldn't help wondering, "anyway, are you saying you have broken ribs or what, because that's the only thing I can think of that could get knocked loose under there, and if you have broken ribs, we should probably get you to a doctor."

[Cal Karnstein]

"Damn right it's ridiculous," agreed Cal. She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath. "'course, you should see the other guy, and where I did my hitting," there was something definitely predatory in the smile that followed, something that would remind Tala all too much of that family of werewolves. Predators smiled like that when they'd torn out someone's throat, right down to the too sharp teeth.

"Only if you ask," she drawled in response to the bite. She shifted again, getting fully upright and wincing again. "Don't think it's that bad? Look, i heal stupid fast, alright? I'll just confuse the shit outta any doctor that starts taking a look, and the wrong thing will end up with some messed up people," Cal paused fo ra moment, rubbing at her face. "Screw it: I'm half vampire, okay? Hence the blood: some of that's probly vomit. I chase down liquor with spiked blood, amps me up, but it also means that when i vomit," she gestured at the pile.

Cal all but crumpled then. "Damn, look, if you help me get back to the dorms, Tintag, I'll make it up to you." She turned and spat. "And I'm not just meaning sex, though to be clear,' she smirked, close-mouthed this time, "totally down."

[Tala Wilde]

Somehow, Tala had a feeling this girl wasn't exaggerating in the least when she mentioned how bad the other guy looked. She definitely seemed like a fighter, not just in a go-out-and-find-trouble sense, but in the same sort of unrelentingly resilient way that Tala herself was. Some things, you punched and they shattered or they ran away. Some things, like werewolves, grunted and got right back up, or ripped your damn face off. This girl seemed like a rip-your-face-off sort, if Tala had to guess.

Half vampire. Oh. That made some sense. Tala tilted her head to one side, and wondered if half vampires had the kind of grudges against werewolves that some of the rumors said. Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Yeah, and I'm a werewolf," she said, and with the tone of voice she used, it would have been damn near impossible to figure out whether she was serious or being sarcastic. Tala was a lot of things, and a lot of them were not particularly pleasant, but she also wasn't the sort of person who turned down someone asking for help, especially when it was help she could easily provide. "I will let you lean all the hell over me back to the dorms," she said, shrugging. "Probably should wait for the sex until you don't have shattered ribs, though, that's just never a good time."

[Cal Karnstein]

"Clearly our love's the stuff of Shakespeare,' replied Cal, before turning to hack and spit out a little more blood. At least it all looked old: not coming from her, but definitely coming from something she drank. How much had she imbibed tonight? Probably not great that Cal wasn't entirely certain of the exact number she'd knocked back.

"Tongue's still working," she offered, trying to reorient herself. She reached up, slinging an arm around Tala's shoulder. The punk girl all but slumped then, not quite dumping her whole weight onto Tala but clearly not supporting herself well either. If Cal ended up hitting the ground, it wouldn't be wholly unexpected. She winced at the jostling within. "Or we could wait till morning," she allowed, running her hand along her side.

She winced again, then leaned to place a kiss on Tala's cheek. "My knight in furry armor."

[Tala Wilde]

Oh, boy, this girl was donezo, wasn't she? Alcohol, or head trauma, or some combination of the two, seemed like the likely culprit here. She tossed her cigarette into the street and focused her attention on keeping Cal upright, and for her efforts, she got a kiss on the cheek, which amused her about as much as it pleased her.

"If you wanna keep up with me, you're gonna need more than your tongue," she cracked, trying to decide if it would be faster to call a cab or just walk this girl back to the dorms. It was probably less than a mile from this specific point, but the way Cal was leaning on her, she doubted they'd make it a block before they had to stop. "Come on. Let's get you to the corner and I'll see if there's any cabs passing by, or I'll call if there aren't, yeah?"

She wrapped one arm around the other girl's waist, the other hand coming up to grab Cal's wrist, trying to maintain leverage with the arm draped over her shoulders. "By the way, my knighthood hasn't quite come through yet, so you can just call me Tala."

[Cal Karnstein]

"Fingers still work," Cal replied automatically, without any real oomph behind the words. Reflex more than desire, though given the way the girl looked, talked, and felt, the desire was definitely there. Leave it up to Cal's luck to run out just at one of the better options she'd had in some time. "Cab'll work," she confessed. The walk was short, yeah, but Cal was feeling way worse than she'd figured. Well, that and she was enjoying an excuse to lean on someone else. Rare that Cal got to play the damsel in distress.

"Could expedite that for you," drawled Cal, letting out a laugh. She turned to spit out a bit more blood, though, fortunately, this glob had far more spit than blood in it. Much better. She nodded. "Cal," she said, before looking back, "since it feels kinda wrong to make a name up when you've bled on someone."

She looked down at Tala, wincing. "I'll take care of the bill. Fuck," she shook her head. Her eyes narrowed, seeing that they were at least reaching a well lit corner. IF they were gonna find a cab anyway, this would be a good place to find one, she wagered.

[Tala Wilde]

Holy hell, this girl was something else, wasn't she? Tala wasn't sure when the last time was that she'd encountered persistence like this. Most people would have called it a night after getting punched in the tits, but this girl was still laying on the charm, or something like it. Tala wasn't even sure whether she should be more impressed or concerned. She reached the corner she'd been referring to, and steadied Cal against her side. "Spectacular to meet you, Cal," she said, but it didn't come out quite as sarcastically as she'd intended. Somehow it was hard to be especially sarcastic to somebody who was coughing up blood.

As luck would have it, though a cab came along almost as if it had been scheduled, and Tala put her arm out to wave it over. The cab swerved through traffic, but made it over to the curb where they were standing, and Tala grinned.

"Hey, check it out," she said, glancing over at Cal. She wondered if you got extra knight-points for cab-hailing skills, and decided that was probably not a joke for the moment. "Looks like your luck's turning around, huh? First you meet me, then a cab shows up right when you need it. Maybe you aren't gonna die after all." She pulled the door open and pivoted slowly, shuffling to lower Cal down onto the seat while attempting to avoid hitting her head on the doorframe. "How's that, alright? Can I getcha anything? Snacks? In flight movie?"

[Cal Karnstein]

"I get that a lot," drawled Cal, spitting out another glob of blood. Her timing had nearly been perfect: she just barely missed the incoming cab. Cal's knees almost buckled at the sight, relief taking hold of her muscles before she could quite stop them. Not that Cal had much oomph left in her after what she'd been through.

"Wasn't planning on dying anyway," Cal pointed out, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. She actually let herself get lowered in, though it took a bit to fold her lanky body up and in the car. She was able to help some: she was wounded, not dead, after all. Wiggle, scoot, get settled into place, lean back and take deep breaths.

"Wouldn't say no to a show," drawled Cal, she coughed again, but at least nothing came up this time. She patted her pockets for a while, coming up with a pure black plastic card. She held it between two fingers, extending it toward Tala." Use that," she mumbled. "Dorms." Though she was pretty sure she'd specified that already. The pain was starting to choke off words now, which made Cal shift. Sitting up was surprisingly worse than walking along had been. Go figure. Weirder still, she could feel the burning that came with her healing. Just a fun night all around, really.

[Tala Wilde]

Tal waited until Cal was fully settled in the seat before closing the door, then crossed around to the other side of the car and slid into the other seat. She took the credit card the other girl offered, and leaned forward, giving the driver the address of the dorms. Under any circumstances, she might have expected the driver to give her a dirty look for asking for a ride that was this short, but it was pretty obvious her companion wasn't in any condition to be walking the distance herself.

"Hang in there, Rainbow Dash," she said, working her scarf off from around her neck and handing it over to Cal. "If you gotta do any more of that Exorcist shit, do it in this. Don't worry. My mom's pretty used to me bringing in bloody laundry by now."

She rolled the window down just slightly, enjoying the cool rush of the night air, and figuring that the fresh air wouldn't be bad for her new friend, either. Whenever Tala wasn't feeling well, at least, fresh air usually helped her, although maybe that was the whole wolf-fox thing lingering.

"A show, huh?" she mused. "Listen, you're gonna have to get some booze in me before I go putting on any shows. I am definitely not against the idea of drunken karaoke, that I can manage."

[Cal Karnstein]

"Sitting's not doing as well as I'd hoped," admitted Cal. "Shame I didn't pick up masochism in the long list of fetishes."

She tried shifting, get some of the pressure off her ribs. Later she'd think this was hilarious, but right now, it was kind of sucking. Part of the whole live fast lifestyle and all; probably good that she got the "you're not invincible" reminder. Didn't make it hurt nay less.

"I definitely owe you a drink," agreed Cal, closing her eyes and trying to lean back. "And slash or a song, if you're into music at all. I perform. Professionally," she chuckled, opening her eyes to look at Tala, giving another lopsided smile, "and I even have been known to sing for money too," another wink, and a slight cough. At least she could feel the air coming in. Cal raised a hand, wiggling her fingers to catch the breeze. Felt really nice against her skin, made her close her--

"Fuck," she mumbled, "almost drifted off there." She shifted, wincing with pain. "Not a great plan until we get where we're going," she looked out the other window, checking. "Though I'd hope you'd at least have the decency to tell me if you're selling my organs or something. Pretty sure half-vampire spleen's got a high going rate right now," she flicked her gaze at the cabby, who was probably used to this shit. Wait, was that Todd? It kinda looked like Todd... Cal was almost tempted to sit up and try and look closer.