[OPEN] I want, I want to finally meet you, something real to cling to

[disgracedvoid]

Characters: Darkleer and YOU!
Setting: Room 1-18, the Cafeteria, the Workshop, around the Tower.
Format: I'll start with Action, but I'll match you.
Summary: Darkleer wakes up in an unusual place and goes about trying to find it in himself to care.
Warnings: Darkleer being a painfully polite, looming giant that keeps banging his horns into the ceiling.

[Lying back is awkward and a little unnatural for him. The bed creeks unpleasantly under his weight, as he looks around, frown deepening as he took stock of the unfamiliar surroundings as well as the strange white fabric on his skin. The collar causes a spam of annoyance that takes him five deep breaths to control, so by the time he's reading the letters, he finds himself more or less serene. Suspicious and more than a little indifferent, but serene. He explores the contents of his trunk, finding more relief in his wrench and his work rag, than the clothes or the armor or the bow. Though admittedly the bow and the arrows are a nice thing to have. After some considerations, he simply rips the white bodysuit off his person and proceeds to don the armor. If he was given weapons, it might have been for a reason.

So if you walk into 1-18, you will find him giving the final adjustments to the armor, quiver hanging off a belt to his side and Bow hooked on a leather strap on his back. And of course, the familiar, glowing helmet that obscures his eyes. He's slouching a little, as his horns almost scrape the ceiling when he stands up to his full height. He's wearing a fantastically puzzled expression, but hey, for all he's big, he doesn't seem particularly violent.]

--

[When you enter the cafeteria, you will find Darkleer in a corner, in full battle armor and with a look of supreme confusion on his face as he has a very serious stare off with a plate of oatmeal. It's a fantastic stare off, mind, he's slouching forward, hair curling down his shoulders and mouth set into an unamused, thin line. Seriously, oatmeal? Really?]

--

[When he finds this floor, he finds himself drawn in almost magnetically. His fingers twitch to take and test and make and create, but he contains himself for a while, studying the racks of tools and materials. He resists for a while longer, but eventually picks up a bit of this and that, before unloading a collection of random spare parts and metal and tools on a workbench. Carefully placing down the bow and the quiver, he sets to fiddle with them, not really sure what he's doing except fitting them together and pulling them apart. He relaxes visibly the longer he's at work, and before he realizes it, he's working on something that looks definitely arm-shaped.]

--

[Not sure why he shouldn't, and not feeling particularly threatened, Darkleer wanders around the Tower, looking at the various floor and peering curiously at the strange, foreign things in every corner. The supremely confused look remains firmly in place, but once again, it's not necessarily hostile. Just. Kind of intimidating.]

Comments

[geometry]

[Equius screeches to a halt on the workshop floor long before he even catches sight of that arm.]

[So maybe he was planning to head down to the workshop and get a bit of work done. Well, what was the problem with that? He'd been doing it ever since first coming here. But the presence of something larger than him always seems to drive Equius to take caution, just in case it was an older troll -- and in this case, it was. A much older troll. Adult, by the looks of his body, and the horns were certainly long enough to reflect old age, tipped as they were by very pointed arrows--]

[--oh god.]

[This cannot be happening. This cannot he happening.]

[Just going to casually make a big fuss in his haste to get himself out of here. He didn't trip, like last time another Sagittaritroll had showed up in the Tower, but he certainly made enough noise to alert any sensible creature to his presence.]

[Oh man. Oh god. Oh man.]

[disgracedvoid]

[Darkleer looks up at the noise. The sight makes his head tilt at an angle slowly, hair rustling. It's not just the scrambling that catches his attention, however. It's the small details that make him frown.]

Wait.

[The order is out of his mouth before he can help it.]

[geometry]

[Wait. Okay, o-kay-o-shit. Waiting.]

[Slowly, as if to make clear that he means no harm, Equius pulls himself up to a semi-respectable standing position. It's only semi-respectable because, well, you never know with these highbloods, they all have their idea of what is too respectable or not respectable enough or... okay. He's completely overthinking this. He doesn't know how to deal with adults and he's not even gender-ambiguous or carrying a sentient sword. So sue him.]

[disgracedvoid]

[Darkleer's expression is somewhat severe.]

Explain yourself.

[He narrows his eyes a little, noting the lack of sign on him, but there's something disturbingly familiar in that awkward, skinny frame. It might just be the horns, though. Those horns are distracting.]

Why did you try to run?

[In other words, what did you do?]

[geometry]

[Wow, he always seems to get asked that question, huh.]

I...

[He looks the troll over again. Certainly similar to the other Equius, the blueblood one, who he met a long time ago (or at least it seems like a long time ago). Except as an adult. He'd seen another adult around, the Dolorosa, who in actuality was a female adult troll who looked like Kanaya, the jadeblood... oh well this is just dandy. At least he actually knows what's going on, for once. Equius shifts his weight nervously and attempts to explain.]

Well, uh. Firstly. I don't think we're really from the same... universe.

[disgracedvoid]

[The helmet makes it impossible for Equius to see the arched eyebrow, but that might be for the best.]

And how would you be so certain of such?

[A pause.]

And how does that justify scurrying around like a thief or worse?

[geometry]

[It really does. The helmet is terrifying as all hell, but then, everything about this adult is terrifying as all hell; obscuring that particular expression behind more layers of intimidation was a fortuitous coincidence for both of them.]

I... w-well, I'm not certain, but... you said to... never mind.

[This is stupid and he's stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.]

Just. I was just going to, uh, leave you be.

[disgracedvoid]

You're making little to no sense, so I do mind.

[Darkleer frowns.]

Take a deep breath and start again from the beginning.

[geometry]

[Or he can stay where he is. Sure, Darkleer. Let's go with that.]

[Slowly, he comes back down the staircase, walking with the sort of stance that indicates that he's ready to run at any given time, and moves no further than a few steps away from it. Because guess what? As Equius gets closer to Darkleer, it seems that he only gets taller. And something being taller than him is a kind of rare and somewhat alarming experience.]

[But, then, Darkleer could also crush his entire body with one hand. So. That helps a lot too.]

...Sorry.

[He could run. Right now. He could run away and not look back at this blueblood ever again, add him right to the top of the "People to Avoid" list, without even knowing his name.]

[Also, way to 'start from the beginning', stupid.]

[disgracedvoid]

[Well, the good news is that since you can't see the frown, you can't see it deepening at Equius reluctance to come closer. Darkleer's head inched a little to the side, hair rustling as it moved.]

One should not apologize, unless one is at fault.

[His words are solemn and measured, but his tone remains somewhat severe. I'm afraid you're not impressing him much, Equius.]

Now, explain yourself.

[You're so lucky he's as monstrously patient as he's monstrously tall, boy. You have no idea.]

[geometry]

[Yeah, about the impressiveness, that... that tends to happen. Sorry.]

[But really, look at yourself, Darkleer. If you expected a reasonable and competent descendant from all the stock you provided, then seriously, take another look at your life and choices. They're all going to be disappointments. Seriously.]

...What do you want me to explain?

[disgracedvoid]

[Excuse you, you noddle-armed, dimwitted matchstick of a troll, don't start pointing fingers, because he'll have you know he's never worn goofy 3D glasses in his life. And he bets your ancestor didn't either.]

Take your pick, either that comment about universes, or perhaps a name and the reason you act as if you expect to find yourself attacked any moment.

[A small pause.]

Perhaps you should begin with a name.

[Because the ones he's thinking are not particularly polite.]

[geometry]

[Well, at least he doesn't wear a glowing helmet.]

[Just.]

[Glowing helmet.]

[There are so many things that are impractical about that helmet.]

...My name is Equius Zahhak.

[Can he just crawl into a hole and never crawl out now? Because that's what he wants to do. He is so done with this entire relationship, and it hasn't even been ten minutes.]

[disgracedvoid]

[His helmet is glowing and fucking awesome. There's a small, significant twitch in him at that, but he says nothing of it.]

And your sign?

[Here's the crux of the problem, isn't it.]

[geometry]

...The same as yours.

[In case it hadn't been obvious from that outfit.]

[Belatedly, he glances down.]

Oh...

[disgracedvoid]

[Another, more pointed headtilt.]

Is it.

[geometry]

It is.

[The voice gets ever weaker.]

[disgracedvoid]

Yet you do not wear it because...?

[Are you trying to imply there's something wrong with his sign or something?]

[geometry]

[Urk.]

I... I was told that I did not deserve it.

[disgracedvoid]

[Oh well, now you've done it, now he's scowling for all he's worth.]

By whom, precisely?

[geometry]

An indigo adult.

...

He is called the Grand Highblood.

[Maybe Darkleer knows him.]

[disgracedvoid]

[On the upside, it is a good thing he was not holding anything in his hands. Because he just clenched those fists hard enough he would have probably pulverized anything in them. He looks conflicted for a moment, almost on the verge of a swearing fit, but he contains himself. A steady breath. Then another. Then another. When he finally speaks, his voice is on a whole new level of enforced neutral.]

Is he here, then.

[Welp, never thought he'd get to die this way.]

[geometry]

N-not anymore.

[Casually backing up onto the staircase again. That, that is terrifying.]

He... he disappeared. Several months ago...

[disgracedvoid]

[It takes him a moment to process that information. Then the tilt of his head turns almost bird-like as he looks at Equius for a long moment.]

And yet you've continued to uphold his orders.

[It's not a question.]

[geometry]

...Yes.

[Mostly through force of habit, but he has a feeling that the less he says, the better.]