towerofanimus

Entry tags:

001.

Characters: [AU1] Kanaya Maryam (

reddeadvirgo) and [AU1] Karkat Vantas (

romcomedian)
Setting: Floor Three, the lower library.
Format: Action
Summary: A potentially pale and probably much-needed reunion.
Warnings: Bluekat's language I'd wager. Most probably sadness (and by that I mean angst.)

[He'd told her to stay put. So she did. Not that she really wanted to wander much further into this tower anyways.

It's pretty clear that she can't believe her eyes when she turns and sees him. She's still in the white bodysuit, for lack of rummaging through her trunk. Probably for the best. All of her clothes show her symbol in red.]

...I would like you to know I am sincerely hoping that you are not a delusion brought on by however many things have worn away at my think pan.

[She tries to sound sarcastic. It half-works. But she still looks like she's seen a ghost.]

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[Yeah, he was afraid of that. Being the Thief of Heart was a blessing and a curse at times -- it was impossible not to know how she was feeling, so that sarcasm doesn't work on him one bit.

That's excluding the fact that it was barely sarcasm to begin with.]

I thought we agreed that we were skipping that shit. I don't know about your thinkpan, but your sponge clots could use some plucking.

[He continues his approach, looking completely unfazed by this turn of events.]

[She frowns at him, as anger is her reflexive response to anything she has trouble understanding.]

The last time I saw you, you were dying a "slow and photogenic death", as you so eloquently quipped amongst your many other wondrously hyperbolic descriptions for how your organs were hanging out of you, so I am sorry if anything of mine pertaining to comprehension is not operating right now.

[She isn't quite yelling. But she is angry -- and she's also very obviously sad.]

[Oh.

What?]

[He looks taken aback for a brief moment before he hardens up again, though not quite as nonchalant as he had been earlier. There's definitely a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. She'd just watched him die -- pretty gruesomely from the sound of it. He can't really be surprised. Terezi talked about it a lot. He often wrote it off as her ribbing him, but judging how things had been going before he got dragged here, it was only a matter of time.]

Alright alright, Jegus.

[He pauses for a while again, not bothering to get any closer and taking a moment to advert his eyes in what could be taken as an almost dismissive response.]

...you wanna run that by me again? Slower.

[She spends some time glaring at him pretty fiercely and taking deep breaths to curb her distress. Whether she really absorbed his reaction is questionable, considering her emotional state, but she eventually calms for the most part. Though she still can't taper the shakiness and apprehension.]

Feferi took a surprisingly graceful but no less horrifying dive off the deep end in an attempt to "save" everyone, which entailed murdering of the rib-tickling variety apparently.

[She clenches her fist, no less confused by Feferi's rationale now than she was when it was first explained to her.]

She made incredibly certain to ensure that your ribs were not left out of the laughter jamboree.

[His posture relaxes, but not by much. In truth, it was more of a slump than a relaxation, but he can't quite do that because of the tight bandaging around his midsection.

So Feferi got him too.]

Yeah. I know. I saw most of it. Up until that little detail I apparently missed.

[He's had a lot of time to accept everyone's fate. It never sat well with him, but it had already happened. His timeline was doomed no matter which way they turned.

But seeing Kanaya losing her shit over it was making him ill all over again, so he reaches up and taps her cheek a bit roughly.]

Hey. Relax. I'm here, not dead, and she's not in the Tower at all.

[Whether thankfully or not, Kanaya doesn't notice anything odd in Karkat's posture. She furrows her eyebrows at his claim.]

You saw? Did events transpire differently for you or--

[Cheek ~~pap~~ tap. Oh. She actually seems a little dumbstruck by the gesture, and looks accordingly bemused and a smidge helpless for a second.

...thankfully, this precedes a sigh and a bit of relaxation on her part.] I can see that. I am sorry. It's just-- the last thing I remember was...

[wow okay does she really want to admit this] --holding your hand and just. Waiting. [alright apparently she does.] It is a very jarring change. I am genuinely glad to see that you are not dead.

[He's not going to answer that question that she didn't get to finish. He's really not up for reliving the whole thing again.

And then she drops that bomb and his expression looks like something mixed between being ill and deadpan. Its not that he didn't want to know (or was it?), but he's getting imagery in his head that he would've done very well without.

Subject change sounds like a good idea. He lowers his voice, because he hasn't scouted out the library yet, and moves to try and steer Kanaya away from the bookshelves and into a corner where they won't be overheard.]

Ok look. I'm flattered, but you're not really out of the proverbial pot of hot lava yet. Neither am I really, but I'm sweeps better off than you are.

I'll be the first to admit that you picked a great fucking time to pick up that color code, because Her Imperious Condescension is in the tower.

[Since she's calmed a little, she almost feels bad at provoking that expression from him, because seriously what sane person would want to know something like that? She's so not good at this not fucking things up thing.

She follows without too much complaint, if only because she trusts Karkat's judgment. He's never steered her wrong before. That doesn't mean she isn't still visibly confused (she really doesn't understand anything) until he drops a bomb of his own.

The news turns her confusion to a look of sinking horror. Well, at least she doesn't have to worry about the color of her blood showing beneath her skin, because it has all pretty much drained from her face. She makes sure to lower her voice too.] I did not think it would be an intelligent maneuver to wear my color on my sleeve in such an unfamiliar and disconcerting place. With this information in mind, I am glad this occurred to me before I could do anything rash.

[Though wow she really, really does not want to die now that she's seemingly avoided it once. She doesn't ask him, but it's clear from the look on her face that she -- however grudgingly -- wants Karkat's advice on what to do from here.]

See? You're learning. Maybe soon you won't even need me to keep your sorry nook out of trouble.

I doubt it though.

[He flashes a self-satisfied smirk, as if he hadn't dropped that bomb at all. Karkat doesn't miss that look either, though he really didn't need to see it to be aware of the fact that she wanted the advice.]

Just lay low. The only one here who knows anything at all about you is me. So hey, maybe you can use it to start over, and maybe fuck up a little less in that department.

There's just one problem.

Oh yes, I cannot even begin to imagine where I would be today if not for Karkat Vantas, the single prodigally-minded chess master of all romantic quadrants across species and dimensions. [All of that sarcasm. That actually sounds more like sarcasm than it truly is. She might be more dependent on her notrail than she realizes.]

I will attempt to avoid the proneness to failure that seems to follow me like a large-eyed, slobbery furbeast. [Half-amusement in that statement. Half-truth.

She looks slightly less amused when she has to inquire further about an apparent obstacle to them, however.] What is this alleged sabotage that lies in wait for us, then?

[Before he continues, he makes a point to grab her horn and pull it downward.]

It was a joke, lighten up.

[He lets go and waits for her to look back up at him before elaborating.]

There's another null-blood in the tower that's using that color code to hide. So if anyone figures him out, they'll know about you.

[OW okay dick that's still a little tender, thanks. She rubs the area around the abused horn and glares with indignity, straightening as soon as she's released.] Was that entirely necessary? [She's pretty sure she knows the answer, but she can't not complain after that come on.]

...another one? [Her annoyance at his gesture almost vanishes at that, in favor of a sort of awestruck expression.] A null-blood of the same variety as I?

[She's smart enough not to say "mutant" out loud at this point.]

Yes. Don't ask stupid questions.

[Everything is slowly catching up to Karkat and he actually has trouble keeping up his straight tough guy facade for a minute. So if they really did go through with the Scratch...did that mean one of the other groupings of trolls here were the group of resets? Was he meant to become that troll?

He's trying to decide whether or not to tell her who it is for reasons twofold. One, it'd probably help her feel better in terms of knowing there are more out there like her.

On the other hand, its his doppelganger. And what if she gravitated to him like everyone else did?

He opts for a simpler answer, eyelids lowering.]

Yeah. Same shtick.

Edited 2011-11-29 03:10 (UTC)

[She gives him a mildly affronted look -- that's not in any way a cross between a glare and a pout. But she lets him explain. Or, rather, waits for him to explain and observes his slight change in expression.

Well that won't do. If she can't mope, it doesn't seem fair that he can.

With that, she reaches up to tug on one of his horns lightly. The best that she can with his nubby little horns anyways. And assuming he doesn't just smack her hand out of the air.]

Well, maybe I will get the opportunity to meet him some time, and then I can pass on the message that there are now two of us on the line if he does something to get himself culled.

But, in the meantime, you will remain the lone other keeper of my dark and mysterious secret. I hope the burden of this does not weigh too heavily upon your shoulders. [Now she's just teasing him. She doesn't know what's got him down all of a sudden, but it only seems right that she tries to cheer him up, as much as one can cheer up Karkat Vantas.]

[Karkat indeed smacks her hand away and lets his lip curl a bit to reveal a single spiderfang. It would be easier to cheer him up if he wasn't thinking so hard about all of these Shenanigans.]

I lied, there's two problems. Half of his session is here, and I'm pretty sure a good portion of them know already. I got no way of knowing for sure though.

[She doesn't act too offended or surprised when her hand is swatted at, nor is she intimidated by the show of teeth. What she does look is troubled. Her hand falls away to ponder this.]

What do you think the likelihood is that they will connect my blood color to his? [A moment of thought.] I can avoid the network to minimize the possibility that anyone will draw parallels between our similar font colors. Outwardly I do not think it will be as easy to deduce similarities. I will just have to practice extreme caution in regards to potential injuries to my person. [Even though she's not that excited to return to a life of that kind of fear, and it shows from the expression of distaste she's wearing.]

Considering the pattern of alternate blood in this fucking Tower, I'd say the probability is about as high as Nitram ever was.

[...oh. That's...not a very promising projection.]

I will exercise as much care as I can to ensure that I am not found out.

[She's obviously at a loss for words beyond that though. Wordless, perpetually lacking comprehension, and very worried for quite a few people.]

[NOPE. And he won't mention that he already told Terezi. Now that she's here, he's regretting it a little. It'd been a moment of weakness where he was fairly certain he was going to be the one and only from his session until the end of time, since death was impossible here.

But whatever. She doesn't have to know about that.]

I'd rather avoid the whole death thing, if we can help it. There's enough of that going around.

[As of yet, she's still unaware. Probably for the best until she gets her bearings and can better deal with the social aspects of an encounter like that.]

This is a rare instance, as my preferences actually coincide with yours for once. [Humor aside seriously please don't die again she'd only be like really really upset.]

You'd be a lot better off if it happened more often. Or maybe you've finally realized that I'm the Supreme High King of Dishing Out Advice.

You can save the sacrifices, but I'll take the rest of your offerings stat.

[He holds out his hand, exaggerating a gesture of beckoning in Kanaya's direction.

Karkat would never admit it, but it was...really nice to have Kanaya back, even if it meant trapping her in the Tower with him. HE'S NOT SELFISH OR ANYTHING.]

I did not know it was a requirement to make offerings to kings. I thought that things of that nature were reserved for only deities.

[She raises her shoulders and holds her hands palms-up in a shrug, to indicate how very empty they are.] Besides, unless you would like me to break off part of my other horn there is not exactly much I can give you.

Not that you would deserve it even if I did have anything to offer, O Supreme High King of Blackrom Wrecking. [She's smiling, though. She's glad to have him back too.]

I can accept that title also. Supreme High God of Dishing Out Advice sounds ace to me.

[He rolls his eyes and forces a smirk at that last part of her statement. HIS JOB WAS A SERIOUS THING, OK????????]

Maybe I will take that horn then, you ungrateful little nooklicker.

You are full of it if you think I am going to call you a Supreme High God of anything, besides maybe being a completely intolerable bulge sucker.

[Oh yes, she knows the world would be lost without the king of hearts and spades to fix all their romantic follies.]

I invite you cordially to make your greatest attempt at doing so. I do not think you would be able to take it even if you truly desired to.

Shouldn't you know better than to turn this into a challenge by now?

[That smirk turns a little more malicious.]

I have to say I do not feel challenged.

[Translation: no.]

[This will be Karkat, reaching for that horn again -- except he's going to cheat and use his powers to root her to the spot so she can't stop him.

So she gets to watch him slowly and dramatically reach for it.]

[Oh gog damnit she forgot that the 8LUH 8LUH HUGE 8ITCH was psychic.

From the look on her face (if he'll even let her make a look anyways), she is incredibly indignant about this turn of events.

Jerk.]

[Oh he'll let her. And laugh at her for the look as he...dodges the horn entirely in favor of completely ruining her hairdo.]

Ooooooooh, so scary.

[Not that her hair was very tame or dignified-looking anyways, since she hasn't really had the opportunity to make it less ratty-looking, but the tousling definitely does not help.

Can she talk? She'll certainly try to. And if she can, what she will say is:]

I find your unfair play to be utterly deplorable.

[If she can't, she'll continue to glare. Grrrr.]

What can I say? I'm a scoundrel. Besides, you deserve it.

[He releases her shortly after.]

[With her newfound freedom, she will likewise attempt to put his hair in a similar state of ruin.]

What I ever did in my lifetime to deserve the constant presence of you and your detestable underhanded mind powers, I will never know.

[Veiled appreciation disguised as an insult? Maybe just a little bit.]

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001.

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[1/2] also i just fought lj for 20 minutes trying to buy a paid just so i could use this icon.

[2/2]

FFFFF it's so precious ;w; so worth it

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