towerofanimus | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Characters: Karkat Vantas (AU) and YOU
Setting: Across the tower! Mark in the subject line, please!
Format: Action to start, but I'll follow.
Summary: Karkat has been awfully quiet lately, and hasn't quiet been seeking out others. How unusual.
Warnings: TBA

[Karkat has just had too many things on his mind. Staying out of trouble, trying not to make more people furious with him, dodging mealtimes to instead feed Spidermom. The attack on the tower had sated her slightly, but it hadn't helped his psyche any. The visions of Imperial Drones on top of more copies of Spidermom were a little too much for him.

He was still sick to his nutrition sack over the whole thing. If those drones had been real, then he would have been leaving Kanaya to them. What kind of shitty friend was he?

Oh wait. That kind of answered the question. So wherever he happens to be, Karkat will be propped against a wall, staring down at his shoes with an everpresent frown of thought.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She'd provided it intentionally, so she's not surprised that he takes it. Willow has to sigh just thinking about, though.]

On getting out of here, [she explains, a bit glumly.] I didn't really expect to find anything, but it's old habit for me. New enemy, do research, find weakness, hit them there.

Unfortunately I'm still not clear on who the enemy is, so that's making it tough.

They do a nice job of hiding from us. Whenever they do come out, its in the form of some nightmarish creature that we can't combat.

[He tugs at the collar on his throat.]

I'm convinced it has something to do with these damn things.

[She'd meant it as an easy diversion from talking about things that were highly personal with someone she'd just met, but Willow is happy and eager when he seems legitimately interested in the topic. Talking slayage is so familiar, it's easy and reassuring.]

I think so, too. I've been wondering if I should make a survey on the network and get basic information from volunteers, and see if I can come up with a common denominator for why we get the color we have. Cause I really doubt we're color-coordinated just so we can line up and make rainbows.

Doesn't seem to follow a pattern. I can tell you it doesn't go by blood color, anyway.

[He wrinkles his nose a little and drops his hand from his collar. Considering he had a green collar, it was almost an insult to him.]

As far as I'm concerned, that's a point in its favor, [she scoffs, having very strong and explicit feelings on the hemospectrum.]

But it couldn't be, anyway. We humans are all red; it'd be totally obvious.

[Judging by Karkat's lack of change in expression, the feeling isn't exactly mutual.]

Point in your favor, at least. The Empress is lurking here somewhere. You'd all be dead before you could blink.

[Her expression firms.] I've said it before and I'll say it again. If she wants to start something, she can bring it on.

I already took out the Grand Highblood on my own. I know what I'm doing. [There's a bit of a bluff here, but just a bit. Willow, for all her power, isn't invincible; she has her weaknesses like everyone else. It's not a sure thing that she'd win any fight, but it is sure that she wouldn't back down when she's defending someone.]

[Karkat's face warps into skeptical disbelief. He's never fought the Highblood himself, but he has seen how ridiculously large he is.]

I don't know the difference in Empresses between my timeline and their's, but
from what I've heard, the Highblood is nothing compared to this seawitch.

Edited 2012-01-17 18:38 (UTC)

[She shakes her head.] I don't care. I've fought a goddess before-- she doesn't scare me. [She says it flatly, not boasting. Granted, she'd lost to the goddess in question, but Willow had gotten a lot more powerful since then.]

I don't want to fight anyone, but I'm not going to just stand around while people get hurt because of how they were born. I just... I can't do that, okay?

[Karkat still seems skeptical, and he's not really sure how to answer that last part of her statement. Growing up in that kind of environment, that attitude is extremely foreign to him. Granted, he was pretty partial to certain brands of lowblooded women himself, so there wasn't much he could argue.

So he just looks at her with uncertain confusion.]

Uh. Ok, I guess.

[She gives him a look that approaches fond exasperation.]

One day I'm going to meet a troll that doesn't think basic human kindness is weird and shocking, and I won't know what to do with myself.

I doubt it. Its a sign of weakness for a troll. Shit like that would get you killed.

Some of you are really nice! [she protests.] You don't have to be all prickly.

[Meaningful look.]

[...yeah, not really following your line of logic there, and he's the fucking Thief of Heart, man.]

You don't really get how we operate, do you?

I do get it. I mean, I kinda get it, I'm not an expert or anything.

I'm just saying, oh sure, angry scary trolls. And then I have a sleepover with Aradia and we watch all the Indiana Jones movies together, and it's like, well, not really any angry or scary in there.

You're looking at one.

And I'm going to assume you're talking about the lowblooded Aradia and not the one I'm familiar with. The higher on the spectrum you go, the more pissy we get.

But it's not absolute, [she presses,] it's a tendency. I know a seadweller that isn't like that at all.

I don't need to know everything to give everyone a fair chance.

[He scoffs in disbelief. Though really, Nepeta wasn't horrible either...and the Feferi from Terezi's timeline didn't seem so bad.]

Yeah, ok, and I'm the god damn Emperor of Alternia.

[She decides to change tactic.]

I don't know, I've been annoying you pretty hard but you still seem like a reasonable guy to me, [she says, just a bit slyly.] But don't worry-- I won't ruin your rep and spread it around.

[...yeah, deadeying her.]

My reputation precedes the rumor mill. You ain't got a clue who you're dealing with.

How about you tell me? I'm Willow Rosenberg, for the record.

[She's not easily phased, this girl.]

Vantas. Karkat [He makes double finger pistols.] Vantas.

Edited 2012-01-22 08:11 (UTC)

[ ... Don't laugh at him, he seems so serious and trying to be cool, don't laugh--

A brief giggle escapes before she cuts herself off, hiding her mouth behind her hand.] --Oh hey, wait, everyone kept telling me to ask you about troll romance! [Suddenly she looks eager and not giggly at all.] That's you, right?

[The laugh doesn't seem to bother him. In fact, when she mentions romance, he instantly becomes more alert and adjusts his collar.]

The one and only. [...not really, but whatever.] Lay it on me.

[Adjusting his collar, wow. Willow has a hard time not laughing again, but she manages, instead shooting him an amused look.

But on topic, okay.] First, you have to promise that there will be no mocking or otherwise shaming. I understand that this is ridiculous and I don't need you to tell me! Got it?