004.

[gloomyapoplectic]

Characters: AU!Kanaya Maryam and you!
Setting: Floor 12, Floor 14, Floor 15, or Floor 25.
Format: Starting action, will match!
Summary: Kanaya hasn't really left her room much since being killed with Equius. It's probably time to change that.
Warnings: Potential trauma related to world destruction and culling drones, probably language. Will edit for anything else!

Floor 12
[Space isn't exactly something Kanaya is unfamiliar with -- she lived on a stray space rock for a very long time, after all. Still, something about this floor has always kept her at bay. Something has always made her hasten her way to the staircase without sticking around to see exactly what this floor had in store for its visitors.

Today, she lingers too long on the sight of an asteroid belt. Not the Veil -- it's far too close to an unfamiliar planet to be what the refugees of her race called their very short-lived home. But still, it catches her eye. There were no drones in the Veil, at least. It was probably the closest thing she'd had to a home besides the spare recuperacoon in Vriska's hive, at least since she had become a fugitive.

She watches as a bright speck of light blooms from the planet rung by the asteroids. All of a sudden, everything seems to die before her eyes. Kanaya observes the stars going out, the planet going gray behind a shroud of smoke as the gases in its atmosphere react and combust.

She realizes that she is witnessing the destruction of a universe.

Despite the cold feeling in her chest telling her that she should walk away from this floor and never pay it any mind again, Kanaya stays. Watches as the projections show universe after universe being gutted and drained of life. And wonders, faintly, if that's anything like what the Scratch would have been like.]

Floor 14
[Romcoms. Who would have figured?

They're not her favorite thing to watch, but they remind her of...not really simpler times, as running from an empire was anything but simple, but a time when there was, at least, a status quo. She missed visiting everyone's hives sometimes. Even Feferi's. She'd liked Feferi before...

Kanaya pulls her legs up onto the couch and hugs them close to her torso with a sigh as the happy couple on-screen kisses. Maybe she should mess around with those video game consoles instead. Less chance of getting distracted that way.]

Floor 15
[She's been getting better at sewing. She was even able to make herself a shirt that didn't have a sign on it, which is laid out on the table next to her as a reference. Not that she's particularly ashamed of her sign, but she thought it would probably be a good idea to have something to wear that didn't need to have a color on it. Kanaya wasn't as scared of her blood color anymore, but it was best to have contingency plans for any case.

At current, she's trying to make a maroon dress in a similar style to what her skirt used to be, before it got so tattered. She's having a bit of trouble, though. She's not quite sure how the pieces are supposed to fit together.]

Floor 25
[Kanaya was no sun-dwelling jadeblood, but being on the run during the day constantly had given her a fairly tough husk. The bright, strange light of the meadow -- which was tame compared to the scorching Alternian sun -- almost felt calming, to a degree. The kind of light that would lull a nocturnal creature to sleep.

Despite her survival experience, which had been tailored to let her sleep at night and be up during the day for the most part, Kanaya found herself drifting in between sleep and waking in the depths of the meadow, sprawled amidst a field of wildflowers. It was nicer than the respiteblocks they were provided, that was for sure.]

Comments

[hystericull]

[His eyes were lit with an eager expectancy as she spoke, but his expression sort of twisted up when Kanaya had turned. He would have been more surprised, had this not been the third mistaken identity in a few days.

Gamzee's smile remained in place, however, and he had a surprising reaction time for having, surprisingly, little reaction. As if Kanaya being not-jade was nothing more than a slight misunderstanding.

Which, now that he thought about it, it really was nothing more than that. No reason to be getting all jumpy on a motherfucker just 'cause they weren't all who you expected them to turn out to fucking be.]

Oh.

[His smile grew as she said his name. Well, at least she knew who he was. But he must have scared her, because she shied away from him a little.]

Yeah, motherfucker. Sorry I ain't to all be like, who you was to thinking I all motherfucking was, neither.

Uh, didn't mean to get my scare on in you or nothing...

[gloomyapoplectic]

[...well. He's...he kind of sounds like Gamzee, but there's a weird flow to his voice that reminds her of Tavros. Though, besides his face paint, he doesn't really seem that scary. And he appears to be unarmed, if it came to that.]

It is alright. You're not the first person to mistake me for the jade-blooded Kanaya. And it is hardly your fault that you are not who I initially assumed you to be.

As for "getting your scare on in me", that's alright, too. I am just...on alert. [Understatement.] I suppose you could say.

[Following all that, she offers a tentative smile.] It is nice to meet you. If you have encountered a blue-blooded Karkat or a jade-blooded Eridan, I am from the same timeline as them.

[Or a yellow Equius, or even a teal Feferi. But she doesn't want to mention them, really.]

[hystericull]

[Gamzee used to take his clubs with him everywhere he went. Unfortunately, being here for quite some time now without so much as a face-to-face altercation (a brief squabble with his ancestor was trying to be promptly forgotten) had lulled him into quite the false sense of security. However, Kanaya didn't seem to be aggressive in the slightest, at least not in any way Gamzee had noticed thus far.]

Oh, uh, you all being to like, gettin' your fuckin' wait on here for another motherfucker or something?

[...Is what he translated her "on alert" as, and he looked around for any sign of company possibly headed their direction. When no one is apparent, he returns her sentiment.]

Good to be getting my greet at you what's the motherfucking same, my flippy-floppy red sister!

[He grinned, vaulting over the back of the couch to plop next to her in a gangly mess of limbs.]

Y'all motherfuckers being from the same like, backwards place together? That's all to be being pretty fuckin' dope, girl! I got to be kicking the shit with a bunch of them motherfuckers already! Crazy motherfucking magic gotta be workin' all around to be getting all you brothers and sisters up in here. Thought about a lotta wicked noise all up in my pan before, but can't say I all ever was to be fuckin' gettin' the ponder on about different color peeps like what's you all are!

[If he'd shut up for a second, he'd probably notice that one of her horns were broken, much like the Equius from his timeline.]

Oh, shit, girl. You all be gettin' yourself into some motherfucking trouble here?

HTML fail oops

[gloomyapoplectic]

[She's a pretty polite troll! Unless you happen to be a complete douchenozzle. In which case she can get pretty aggressive. But it's doubtful that Gamzee will push her that far.]

Oh. No. I wasn't waiting for anyone in particular. [Though, watching romcoms, she kept expecting to hear Karkat screaming from across the block.

She bounces a little on the couch when Gamzee flops next to her, which is startling. But, after the surprise wears off, she actually laughs a little.] In all fairness, you all are the backwards ones to us. I had not really entertained many thoughts on the concept either, before I came here. But I have become accustomed to it.

[She doesn't realize what he's talking about, at first, and slowly brings a hand up to her face. She shouldn't be injured. She'd stayed out of trouble for the past month or so. Then, after a moment of curious probing, her fingers brushed the broken remainder of her horn. Is that what he's talking about?]

Oh, this damage was suffered a long time prior to my arrival in the tower. [He's a highblood. But her sign is bright red on her shirt and he hasn't culled her. So it should be okay to tell him, right?] I was a fugitive from the government in my timeline. Our empress did not exactly approve of my unnatural mutation. I was not always able to escape the pursuit of the authorities unscathed.

[hystericull]

[He reached a few claws up to scratch at his ear, clearly enthralled by the tale. He... really was interested, honestly. He just couldn't quite follow along that well.]

So, uh, basically you was getting harshed all on 'cause you was different? Don't sound much fuckin' cool of them motherfuckers, yo.

[A smile quickly spread across his face again.]

But we all up at the motherfucking Tower party now, yeah? Don't gotta all worry a sister's pan in what's that shit no more. Only thing all that's to get a motherfucker's ponder on all at be, like...

[His gaze drifted lazily to the television, spacing studying the movie on screen.]

...what all fuckin' flushfilm to be gettin' a dog's sighs all up on, yo! Hahaha, you all be diggin' these fuckers?

[gloomyapoplectic]

[Kanaya smiles a bit sadly.] Yes, that is exactly what happened. [When he puts it so simply, it's really just sad to hear. Was that what it really boiled down to?

She glances back up to the screen.] Though, if Karkat had had his way, I would still be a blur of gray anonymity to most people. There are reasons that I may still be in danger, but it is an enormous weight off of my metaphorical shoulders to not have to try and conceal my blood color. [The Tower isn't a safe place, and avoiding the most minor of injuries on top of every other worry she had was just maddening.] And at the very least I have gotten to see friends of mine again.

[Despite staring at the television, she didn't seem too aware of what was happening on it until Gamzee pointed it out again. His laughter draws a smile from her.] They are not my favorite means of entertainment, but I am able to derive enjoyment from them. Though I do not often watch them in solitude.

[hystericull]

[His two poles are painfully simple and painfully convoluted. It's either or, Kanaya, you just need to take your pick. He nods respectfully at her worries, although he wouldn't be very honest if he said he'd been paying close attention to them. This television was very distracting, okay?

He meant well, at least. And when she smiled, it prompted another of his own. There we go. Lighten up a little, girl.]

Well, you ain't all gotta be fuckin' gettin' your solitary observe on of no magic pictures no more 'cause this motherfucker's gonna kick the shit back what's the way it all was motherfucking intended to be motherfucking kicked! We chill like the dopest of bros and bitches and maybe flippy floppy Kanaya even get at turning the frowny faces around, yeah?

[Watch out, here comes a bony, too-thin arm flying around your shoulders. Poor, poor Kanaya.]

[gloomyapoplectic]

[Even with Kanaya's long and sometimes complex sentence structures, following what Gamzee said was almost impossible. She was still going over his words and removing the extraneous "motherfucking"s and helping verbs when he slung his arm over her shoulders. Which was weird -- she didn't exactly have a very huggy circle of friends.

So he wanted to keep her company? That's what she's getting from these convoluted signals.

She gives an uncertain smile.] Um. Alright. If you would like to watch with me, I don't mind company.

[Though is he going to awkwardly-half-hug her the whole time? Leaning on him would be weird, wouldn't it. Of course it would stop being so clingy Kanaya, gosh.]

[hystericull]

[Would you expect anything less than for him to awkwardly half-hug her the entire time? Because that's exactly what he's going to do. And as an added bonus, she didn't have to worry about the appropriateness of leaning against him, because she really didn't have a choice in the matter. He was tugging her against him like it was the only way for two complete strangers to watch a movie together.]

Bitchin'.

[Perfect. Everything was settled and they were instantly bros. Or, bro and sis. Or something. What, you mean that's not how it worked? After a few moments of looking completely enthralled with the film, Gamzee tilted his head minutely towards Kanaya, speaking in a hushed tone as not to disturb the other people in the room. Of which there were none.]

...The fuck we all watchin, yo?