towerofanimus

Characters: [AU1] Kanaya Maryam and all you lovely people!
Setting: Various (2, 22, 39, 47)
Format: Starting action, will match c:
Summary: Kanaya stares at paintings and tries to keep herself healthy.
Warnings: Kanaya is affected by the event. She now looks to be 22 sweeps old. Full tl;dr here. Also, language, mutant angst, potential mentions of character death.

floor 47 - curtain floor
[She's really just passing through this floor -- she doesn't exactly want to linger -- but if she sees anyone on the floor looking at the curtains with consideration, she offers a warning.] I would not recommend looking behind any of those.

floor 39 - gymnasium
[Exercise is an important part of staying healthy, and Kanaya is well aware that she needs to start paying attention to her health. So she's exercising! Mostly lifting weights and running laps. But in addition to lifting weights and running laps, she also might be caught resting pretty frequently -- potentially even coughing while trying to catch her breath, if the encounter is really unlucky.]

floor 22 - art gallery
[Kanaya has never exactly been in any position to appreciate the fine arts. So, the time she's spending in the art gallery now is mostly being spent staring at the particularly pretty pieces. There is probably plenty of symbolism to be had, but an Introduction to Art Appreciation wasn't exactly included in her schoolfeeding. Despite being a fully-grown adult troll, she's staring at the more complex paintings with the awe of a little kid. Someone didn't get out enough as a grub.]

floor 2 - infirmary
[Killing monsters is a bit of a messy job, so it's no surprise that she's got cuts and bruises to treat. She's at the check-up area, cleaning up and dressing her minor wounds. Her cape (which was actually once a jacket, but...well, she doesn't exactly fit into it anymore) is hung over the back of the chair she's seated in as she tidies herself up.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Karkat seems to almost materialize behind Kanaya after one of her coughing fits. Unless she happened to be looking up to see him enter the room during one of her laps. He doesn't bother comforting her, knowing that she probably hadn't seen him enter and that a stray hand would just cause her to panic.

The cerulean waits until the fit passes before speaking in a perfectly neutral tone of voice, devoid of his usual snarking or amusement. It had steadily disappeared the longer he was in the tower, unless he was around someone he disliked. It was almost ironic -- the ones he cared about got to see the true extent of his pain while his enemies and acquaintances were blissfully unaware. Few things broke the facade, but with Kanaya's failing health, he was beginning to find less and less pretense for it. He had yet to see anyone in the tower die of old age -- what would happen then? Would they just keep coming back?

Or would that be the end of the line?]

Stop wasting your time and energy. You know there is literally no point to any of this.

[Kanaya clears her throat once the coughing has died down, wincing a little at the sting as she does so. She should have brought water along for this endeavor.

Her expression falls a little at Karkat's words. While she can't blame him for his bitterness, it's still not really something she wants to hear. Especially not when it's becoming so obvious that their time together could be limited.

She tries on an easy smile. It's a little forced, but there is a note of genuine optimism behind it.] I don't see the harm in attempting to extend my health for a few sweeps. There isn't anything to lose by at least trying.

[If dies of something besides old age, she'll just come back, and her lifespan otherwise has progressed fairly normally.

It relaxes her mind, if nothing else.]

Edited 2013-01-20 11:32 (UTC)

[Wordlessly, Karkat offers his arm, eyelids falling a little. He almost asks why she bothers with that smile, but thinks better of it. Sure, he had the advantage of knowing the ins and outs of everyone's true feelings, but a little tact around Kanaya wouldn't hurt him. The optimism makes his fingers curl a little -- he can't envy her for it, but part of him can't help it.]

You aren't unhealthy, Kanaya.

[Its all he can really manage. Its not a total untruth, but he can't bring himself to say "its not going to help". He doesn't want to crush the last bastion of optimism left in his personal bubble. His tone gets a little gentler against his will, and it takes a lot not to just get down on one knee to pull her upright. He had gained some height in the past 10 years, though he was still considerably shorter than any cerulean should have been.]

You're going to hurt yourself.

[She takes his hand and uses it to pull herself up straight, though she's careful not to tug on him too hard (while she's past the peak of her physical strength, she's definitely stronger than she was when she was six).] Isn't it better to start while I am still in top form? It would not make much sense to wait too long.

[Despite her arguments, she's careful with her words. She doesn't want to outright say that she's getting old -- not to Karkat.

While she still has his hand, she leans forward to briefly nudge her forehead against his. Her tone is gentle in return.] You worry too much.

[In comparison, Kanaya is most definitely a muscular rock in comparsion to the skeleton that is Karkat Vantas. The meat on his bones is minimal, partly due to a lack of will, but mostly due to a metabolism not at all built for the cerulean's lifestyle. His hands are strong, but not much can be said for the rest of him.

He doesn't return the gesture, though there is no resistance or recoiling as there might have been at a younger age. It does cause him to tighten his grip on her arm a bit.]

Worry implies I ain't got a good reason. I'd call it concern.

[He almost says "and fuck you for thinking in excess" but he can't joke. Not after seeing that whole coughing display, and not after he had to deal with Eridan. So instead he turns his head a little so he's looking at her this time, rather than through her, and repeats himself.]

You're not unhealthy, Kanaya.

[Kanaya's smile falters at Karkat's tone. She can't very well look away from him during one of his moments of sincerity.

She's well aware that it's not fair. If-- if she does die of old age, and it's permanent, Karkat will live her lifespan's worth many times over, and he'll have to do it without her. She wants to think that he'd be fine on his own, but it's hard to fool herself with the way he's been acting lately, especially towards her.

One half of her mouth curves up in a smile.] All right. I will concede for the time being that I am not unhealthy.

[Karkat lets his forehead finally rest against her's when she concedes, not because he totally believes it, but simply because he's so exhausted from the weight of his own thoughts. And then, of course, everyone else's problems and emotions resting on his shoulders. He had learned to put up mental walls, but sometimes it was hard to reinforce them. Not because he couldn't, but because some part of him still wanted to hope that there was a way out.

A way that they wouldn't all waste away here. Time was running out.]

No more of this.

[Karkat's gesture seems to brighten Kanaya. She nuzzles him in response; it's silly, like somehow such an action will steal away some of those thoughts in his head that burden him so.

She's never much liked the idea of him handling all that by himself. That's one thing that hasn't changed since they've been here.]

So, what do you propose I do with my time instead, Mister Vantas? Now that some time slots have opened up in my terribly busy schedule. [Changing the subject. Good plan, right?]

[It doesn't do much to steal his thoughts, but it brings a sort of serenity to the so obviously jaded troll that its nearly palpable. There's a soft noise of gratitude in his throat. His arms slide further around her, slithering to shield her against his lanky frame.

It was so backwards, all things considered. His forehead remains against her's, tone unchanging even with all of his more affectionate gestures.]

Have you eaten today?

[Waves of contentment overwhelm most of Kanaya's other emotions. She is a pretty simple troll, and simple things like hugging her moirail make her pretty happy. There's something else that hasn't changed, too.]

When I woke up. I am probably due to eat again soon.

What about you? [After all, Karkat's the big old bag of bones here. It hasn't escaped Kanaya's notice.]

[He debates how to answer that question. No, he hadn't eatne, but he hadn't had a real desire to eat the past couple of days. Whether or not it was related to Kanaya's condition was another matter entirely. He wasn't going to say either way. He hated when other people worried about him, less because he hated being a burden and more because it reminded him that he still had the capacity to care, no matter how hard he tried to shut it down.

Empathy was a curse. He loathed it now more than ever.]

I'll come with you.

[An easy way to dodge the question. The answer came without much thought after it, so it wouldn't seem suspicious. Not that he thought he could hide the fact that he hadn't eaten, when Kanaya was wrapped around his lanky frame.]

008.

gymnasium

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