towerofanimus

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[For some reason, even though she knows it's not sincere, that hurts a little. Still, she follows him regardless. Not doing so wouldn't exactly help her case any.]

No. Why would I have any desire to do that?

[It's a little more honest than she's used to being with Karkat, without the frustration and embarrassment that usually accompanies it. But between Equius' disgusting death, the drone, and the lingering threat of Feferi around, Kanaya's sort of dropped the ball on aggravating her moirail.]

I've just been...cautious. As I was warned to be. ['As you warned me to be' is the subtext there.]

I wasn't avoiding you.

Dunno. That's why I asked. Thought maybe I did something wrong.

[At that little rib, he couldn't help but smirk very lightly.]

You've never listened to me before, why start now?

[He reaches over and ruffles her hair.]

You haven't done anything wrong. [Though she wishes there was some form of mobile communication in the Tower so she can make that clear to him a little more frequently.

Her lower lip juts out in an indignant pout, and her reflex is to duck and swat his hand away, but...it's actually kind of nice.

Wow that's really pale and gross, she's gonna pretend like she didn't have that thought.] Though you are sending some very conflicting messages. [Seriously, does he want her to stay out of trouble or what?]

[He's not going to argue her first point, though he knows every well that he's done plenty of things wrong. They don't need to talk about it.]

Not really.

[He lets his hand fall from her head and folds his arms, glancing straight upward into the asteroid belt with half-lidded eyes.]

Nothing's really changed.

[Anything wrong lately. Not that she's aware of, anyways.

She keeps her attention on Karkat for a while longer before turning back to the projection. Her claws pick uncomfortably at the stitches in the hem of her tee-shirt. She isn't really sure what to say, staring a dead universe in the face.]

I don't know. I think we may have done some changing.

You think?

[He tears his eyes away to look at her,grinding his teeth together subtly. It was a bad habit he was developing to fill the silence when he had nothing else to say.]

What makes you say that?

[She, meanwhile, keeps her eyes on the asteroid belt.] Well. We are having a civil conversation and there has been no crying, fury, or forced designated respite time involved. Nor are we in immediate danger.

[Alert the press.

She also wants to say something about Karkat being slightly less of a cagey fuckwad, but she's sure she'll meet contention on that point.]

Yeah well. I figured I would give you a break, all things considered.

[He doesn't look at her when he says it, instead glancing in another direction away from her to swallow down the memory that came with the statement.

Watching your moirail and matesprit die in the same day during the same event you couldn't access would be rough on anyone. In fact, if it had been anyone but Karkat, they probably wouldn't be standing here.]

[The comment makes her take pause. She looks away from the images on the walls to glance at Karkat instead, openly worried.

Did he know about what had happened to her? That had to be it. She can't think of anything else he could possibly be referring to.

She won't ask, though. There's no point in dredging it up.

After a moment of silence, she lifts a hand to set it gingerly on his arm.] I appreciate it.

[He releases a soft little sigh that's barely even audible to let his tension free once her hand is placed on his shoulder. Karkat doesn't look back at her until he's certain he has control of his emotions, at which point he turns his head to glance down and offer her a charming little grin.]

You better. I don't do favors unless I'm getting paid for it.

[Unfortunately, Kanaya has an immunity to charming grins. Restart your game and try another quadrant.]

I am still not entirely clear on what I am supposed to pay you in, though I must be in severe debt with whatever it is by this point.

[He could break that immunity if he wanted to!!!!!!!!]

Don't worry about it. But if you do hit it big, just remember who to call.

[He throws an arm around her and pulls her closer, ruffling her hair between her horns playfully.

Its not like he missed you or anything.]

[Uhm not in a million sweeps. Or ever.]

Yes, the world's greatest romanculator will constantly be at the forefront of my financial management priorities.

[She actually laughs at the absurdity of that, and also maybe at Karkat tousling her hair again. She also half-hugs him back, since that is apparently an okay thing now.

Missed you too, palemate.]

[Sorry Kanaya, he can cheat.

That statement gets a laugh from him. Karkat turns in her hug and quite suddenly hoists her up on his back without comment, moving toward the other side of the room closer towhere a lush blue and green planet -- not unlike what Earth would have been -- sat.]

So what brought you in here?

[oh my god most despicable cheater what is he doing--

sorry Karkat she's not really used to being off the ground so she's kind of clinging. Well this is. New. And interesting. And weird. Is he really that happy to see her? She feels bad that she didn't try to check in with him.

After the initial shock of being lifted, she relaxes a little, resting her cheek against Karkat's head. This is kind of nice, actually. And still weird. But sort of fun.

She peeks over the top of his head at the planet as she talks.] I was passing through. It was not originally my intention to stop, but...it caught my attention, I suppose. I have ignored this floor in all my previous encounters with it.

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