No longer Infighting

[caliginous]

Characters: Karkat Vantas (AU) and YOU
Setting: Any floor
Format: Action tags pls
Summary: Karkat's back in the tower, but he's short circuiting just a bit thanks to his traumatizing death experience.
Warnings: Usual Karkat warnings apply.

[Karkat doesn't work well with impossible geometry. The cerulean was firmly grounded in his own head, and anything screwing with his perception of things like what's solid and what's liquid would be enough to screw with his sanity. Couple that experience on top of being crushed in a tube with five other people and you have a recipe for one trembling adolescent alien trying to keep it together with his major emotional support still stuck fighting for her life inside the pods.

The young troll's fangs, often only visible when he was smirking, set to chewing apart his lower lip. Its not clear how he's managed to get himself to this floor or room, because he seems pretty intent on staying perfectly still, as if he was afraid the floor was going to drop out beneath him. Its hard to trust people around you when a group of them had willingly sent you to your death, so anyone that happens to approach him will find that they don't have a chance to sneak up on him. They will have his attention immediately.]

Comments

Corridors

[imperialsun]

[Naoya wasn't the type to sneak up on a person...or in this case troll, anyway. Considering he hadn't seen this guy and he looked injured (considering he was crushed and that the tower currently didn't heal everything 100%) he frowned.]

You should be in bed.

[caliginous]

[He doesn't know this guy, so for a few moments he just stares. Karkat only speaks once he's sure that he's not about to be attacked, but his limbs are still pretty tense. He's not about to let his guard down for anything.]

What are you, my lusus?

[imperialsun]

No. [Whatever that was supposed to be. He assumed maybe a word for Mom or Father or Parental Unit.] I'm just trying to help you.

[He looks down at him again, surveying.]

Your breathing is erratic.

[caliginous]

You must be new here.

[Not actually meant as a straightforward statement, but more of a lamentation about their collective situation in the Tower.]

You can't help me.

[imperialsun]

I've been here for the past two months. Regardless if the situation, it is not in my nature to give up on anyone.

[Naoya crossed his arms, because he's dealt with far worst guys before. Behold, Thief of Heart, the Solar Lord of the Emperor Arcana. ]

That depends. If you need a healing spell to help your organs heal faster, I can provide that.

[rocketboobs]

[ He........ is kind of cute, Rhyth has to pause and think. Being new to this Tower, she has no idea about any of this stuff going on, so she rolls up on her crazy rollerblades in her equally crazy outfit and with her headset on, and... blinks.

Hm. ]

Heeey, you okay, guy?

[ She has no idea who he is, but she'll ask anyway 'cause she's easily concerned about people. ]

[caliginous]

[WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING.

Girl on rollarblades. In his bubble. Wearing who the fuck knows what. That he hasn't met before. Karkat instinctively takes five panicked steps backward, focusing in case she tries anything funny.

He could always put her to sleep if he had to.]

What the fuck was that about???

[rocketboobs]

[ She frowns, watching him sort of step back. Was she THAT imposing? ]

... Um, trying to help? You look really bad.

[ Also not human but dude she's seen weirder. BESIDES DJ-K HAD ALWAYS TOLD THEM ALIENS WOULD INVADE she still believes it too-- ]

[caliginous]

That's what happens when some freakshow makes sport of you in a god damn glass holding cell that crushes everything in it!

[He understands he's probably making zero sense right now, but Karkat doesn't really care. Its kind of taking everything in his power not to run screaming from absolutely nothing.]

[iron_infidel]

[Signless was off on his own adventure again. He was now well fed with oatmeal and was getting used to the dangers of the tower. Given this he was strolling along the tower with caution. He had no weapon but he was prepared to defend himself with his troll instinct.

In no time he came across the wandering troll. At a glance he could tell the troll was upset and debates if he should approach. In the end he decides approaching would be the better decision. The other was a troll and was younger same as the yellow blooded one had been. Surely he could help him out. He walks closer to the kid and clears his throat to get his attention, before he speaks.]

Did you need any help, young one?

[caliginous]

[Karkat catches sigh of the Signless pretty quickly, though he doesn't answer right away. He had seem some mention of the Signless disappearing from the Tower a few weeks back.

Looks like he was back again, and probably no different than when he had first encountered him. This is a troll -- not a human, even if he kind of acted like one.

He can focus on being petulant at Signless, instead of how scared out of his mind he is.]

Welcome back to hell, big guy.

[iron_infidel]

[His expression sours at bit at such a welcome. He wasn't expecting such bitterness. It was a grand difference in comparison to how this troll had been acting before.]

I feel the need to thank you for such a warm welcome, but I have other things to discuss. You appear troubled.

[He came right out, knowing good and well that this troll would not give him an option to ease his way onto his good side. Even as The Signless looked over the other, he couldn't help...but wonder is this was his descendant. It certainly looked like him...well to a point.]

[caliginous]

[He bares his spidery fangs a bit defensively, but he remembers that Signless isn't usually one to attack, so there was no real reason to pick a fight if he didn't have to.]

When they crush you with four other assholes in a shrinking tube, then come talk to me and see how you feel.

[Karkat is still pretty out of his mind with terror, despite all of his attempts to hide it.]

shhh shhh I'm right on time!

[scalemate]

[Terezi is so incredibly sick of people being kidnapped and dying and tortured. Unfortunately, though, she's not nearly at the place where it no longer affects her, so her heart does a little leap when she sees Karkat again, as usual. It's pretty clear that he's freaking out, so rather than tackling him like she really really wants to, she approaches more slowly. So thoughtful!]

Karkat! Finally!

["Are you okay?" seems like a ridiculous question, given the circumstances.]

yeah ok

[caliginous]

[Karkat doesn't wait for her approach to finish, throwing his arms around her the second he can reach her. He slides to the floor, hugging her knees and hiding his face in her pants. Familiar face. Or in this case, legs.]

I can't do this.

ilu stop

[scalemate]

[Ughhh, she cannot even handle this. She wiggles out of his grip and kneels down to hug him properly.]

It's okay. You're safe now.

[Mostly? Until the next time the Tower tries to fuck with them. Yeah, this sucks.]

[caliginous]

[He just sits there in her arms for a bit -- it doesn't really help, and he's not expecting it to, considering their respective quadrant positions, but he just needs something to curl against for a second.

Eventually, he settles down with a deep breath. Sort of.]

Good to see they didn't fucking starve you, at least.

[ofdewandglass]

Karkat? Oh my cod, I'm so sorry. I couldn't do a damn thing to stop what they did...

[caliginous]

[Karkat is still having trouble hearing Feferi's voice and not associating it with horrible death and terror, but he's getting a little better.

He's still having trouble with the fish puns too.]

Get used to it, Princess. That's how it goes here.

[ofdewandglass]

I refuse to 'get used to' that kind of crap.

[caliginous]

[He makes a face.]

If you have an idea, I'm all sponge clots, Princess. I've been crammed here for nearly half a sweep and nobody's gotten anywhere yet.

Corridors

[chronomancer]

[Eridan... Eridan is torn, when he sees Karkat. It has been a while and he's had time to well, get over the thing with Karkat and his prying into his thinkpan and how disgusting it felt and how much he needs to scratch his skin raw again right now and fuck. And the instinct to go over and see if he can help it's still there, strong as ever. He's a worrier at heart. He was more hurt than angry about the whole thing, scared shitless about what Karkat could potentially find inside his rotten head. He swallows hard and winces, before approaching warily and not too much. Just enough he doesn't have to yell to let Karkat hear him.]

...Kar? What's wrong?

Re: Corridors

[caliginous]

[Eridan.

Fucking Eridan.

The entire reason Feferi had made his life a living hell since she had arrived. Thankfully, she was gone now, but her entire phase of stalkerish tendencies had left a nice sore spot on Karkat's rear.

If this shithead hadn't gone and--]

What's wrong?

[Everything was piling up at once and Karkat actually takes a second to settle his nerves. He's giving himself a headache, and he's developed a small eyetwitch.]

Where the fuck do you want me to start?

[chronomancer]

[Eridan shrugs. And flinches a little. But mostly shrugs because... well, he's Eridan and shrugging is kind of what he does best.]

Anywhere you want.

[A small pause.]

You were... gone a while.

[He will not admit he was kind of really worried, okay. Even though the worry is mostly what made him get over what Karkat did to him.]

[caliginous]

[That's fine, Karkat can feel it, and it doesn't help his temper. He was worried enough already, and the fact that he can feel a strange, odd relief mixed with whatever the fuck else Eridan is feeling--

Its making his eyetwitch worse. He's going shithive, he can feel it.]

No shit. They dragged us all into a bunch of god damn holding blocks and used us like shitty, second rate squeakbeasts. Me, Kanaya, Equius and a bunch of other fuckers that I don't give a hoofbeast's ass about.