there's a greater love in the little things

[privilegecheck]

Who| Kankri Vantas and you!
What| Catchall for Arena shenanigans
Where| All around the mall
When| The first two weeks of the Arena
Warnings/Notes| Kankri's mental state is Not Great. Probably mentions of violence and/or unfortunate happenings will come up at some point, etc etc.


In a strange way, it's a relief to be in this Arena. It's similar to the museum that was Kankri's first, and that makes it feel a little more manageable and quantifiable. He's not sure he could handle seeing another setting like their last Arena, after the way that one had so borne down on him. And it's certainly better than sleepless days and nights spent wondering what the Gamemakers had planned for them this time.

He's careful to try to stay out of view and avoid attracting notice, but he lets himself take in what the mall has to offer in an effort to keep his nerves at bay. He makes stuffed toys in the Build-A-Buddy, messing around with the provided materials and a sewing kit liberated from the department store so he can approximate some of his more sorely missed Beforan friends. It's almost a reminder to himself that they were real; Beforus and SGrub feels like another life these days, one that happened to another Kankri. He hangs around in the arcade sometimes, too, since its noise is good cover for any he might make - but not too often, because the animatronics are rather unsettling. He takes all manner of scented shampoos and soaps from Only Bath Salts and meticulously washes at one of the bathroom sinks each day; he dresses in various things from Somerhalder&Smith and Forever XXI that he thinks Porrim might have liked or made for him. He makes a trip to the food court each day and picks out something different to try eating.

No one ever said Kankri was much good at Arenas. He's not trying very hard aside from his usual watchfulness for hostile Tributes, honestly, and being able to indulge himself like this is keeping him calmer if nothing else.

Comments

[voodoocarnival]

It feels surreal, how it has already been a week in the arena and already there's a routine. Kurloz made his base, and only really ventured from it to explore a little at a time, maybe gather supplies of any nature, before heading back to be as unobtrusive - as unlikely to be attacked as he could possibly be.

It is understandable, then, how he's gone without encountering many other tributes at all, masquerading as avox and keeping to himself. It is even more understandable how he hadn't gotten his knowledge on of any other motherfuckers from home being present.

So it is with great shock and surprise that he sees a one Kankri Vantas wandering the food court.

It is with greater shock and surprise that he sees an oddly familiar floof of hair (and doubled horns) poking out of the bag he's carrying, all considering what like how they had (or, hadn't) gotten on of late.

Still, he can't quite help but approach him from behind and simply... reach out to take that plush all up and for his own. And maybe, just maybe, he hangs around for a few moments longer than intended, contemplating now he sees an old friend what allbusiness he'd want to be up and doing at him.

He'd saved the Signless on a mistaken identity, with the express intention of killing off an unmirthful brother by his ownself, but now that he'd just stumbled into him he couldn't... be so certain.

So he hugged the pilfered plush to his chest and gave Kankri a chance to notice him.

[privilegecheck]

Kankri doesn't immediately notice that he has company, being absorbed in gathering up a few of the cardboard to-go boxes the Avoxes will package meals in if asked. By the time he does realize that the silent person nearby is another Tribute and not one of the Avoxes, the plush has already been whisked from his bag. He turns sharply, breath catching in his throat-

And then realizes who it is. Someone he recognizes. Someone from home.

Kankri drops the boxes he's been piling up back onto the counter in favor of reaching out and gently clasping Kurloz's shoulders, pink liquid welling up in his eyes. "Kurloz?" he says in a quiet and very wobbly voice. "Oh my goodness, it's really you - I've been the only one so long, I had no idea you were even - I'm so sorry you're here, but you don't know how good it is to see you!"

He pulls the indigo in for a quick, warm hug before letting him go, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes with his palms. "Oh, look at me, I'm a mess...how long have you been here? Are you doing all right? Is there anything you need? This is my third Arena, so I'm a-at least not half bad at this survival business now, I can get you some things if you don't have enough."

[voodoocarnival]

That's certainly not the sort of reaction one tends to expect from Kankri Vantas. He'd expected a long lecture on stealing others' possessions once he noticed the plush had been pilfered. Maybe some diatribe about sneaking up on someone. Not this... weepy clingy little mess of a troll.

Who was very happy to see him, for one reason or another. Last he knew they weren't even on anything resembling speaking terms. Last he knew, Kankri was making it a point to avoid him altogether. Other trolls would joke about him not wanting to flaunt his speaking privilege or something to that effect, but whatever it had been didn't especially matter now.

The hug is actually kind of nice, even, and he's halfway to pulling an arm free to return it when Kankri pulls away and starts a barrage of questions that really only earns him a look, because he can't well answer said barrage of questions with his communicative implements left back at his bendy straw pile and Kankri, as far as he knew, unable to understand if he were to sign at him.

[privilegecheck]

Kankri looks quite abashed as he realizes the problem. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't even thinking. It's just, I thought I would never see you or any of the others again, so finding you here was such a surprise...is there somewhere you'd like to go that isn't so open, where we could catch up? I know a few places myself, but wherever you're comfortable will be all right. I wouldn't want someone less than friendly to notice us."

He offers Kurloz a smile no less warm and bright for how exhausted he obviously is, and quickly resumes fiddling with the boxes and then packing them away in his bag. Within a few moments he straightens up again. "There, all ready. Lead on?"

[voodoocarnival]

An apology was expected, to be sure, but Kurloz hadn't expected him to practically bend over backwards to apologize. It was odd, and had him waving off the apology in very short order.

Leaving the openness of the food court was a good idea, though, and as soon as Kankri's gathered his things, he's turning on his heel to lead him away to his little base of operations. He doesn't think that Kankri will turn out to be a threat later, so it is safe enough to take him back into storage, where he's keeping his things.

And he promptly takes his place in his pile with pen and paper and leaving enough room for Kankri to join him if he pleased.

｢TO BE ALL PROPER ANSWERIN A BROTHERS QUESTIONS:
ITS A MOTHERFUCKERS FIRST ARENA PROPERLIKE.
HE'S DOIN AS FINE WHAT COULD BE UP AND EXPECTEDLIKE.
AINT DONE GOT NEED A NOTHIN FOUND YET.｣

But consistent company that wasn't an avoxed Initiate might have been nice. Not that he was about to ask for that, of all things.

[privilegecheck]

Kankri hesitates a moment before taking the unspoken invitation. He hopes it's an invitation, anyway. It can be difficult to tell when the pile's owner is mute, but it seems obvious when Kurloz left so much space available.

By now Kurloz may have noticed that Kankri's face is younger than he would remember, without sweeps of exasperation souring his expression. He scoots over slightly in the pile to read as Kurloz writes his answers out, letting their shoulders touch as he watches the pen move across the paper.

"I'm glad you're all right," he tells Kurloz with a little smile, and fishes one of the boxes from his bag to flip it open. Several steaming potstickers are lined up inside, and he pops one into his mouth; eating whenever possible rapidly becomes a habit in the Arenas. Besides, he's discovered that these are best while they're still hot. "Are you managing well, with your stitches? I saw they had a few places in the food court that served smoothies, but I don't know if they're enough in terms of nutrients. And you might have a difficult time in Arenas that aren't in a setting like this...well, anyway. Do you know if anyone else from Beforus is here? There are plenty of Alternian trolls, but I've been the only Beforan for a long time, which can be quite surreal at times."

He rummages in his bag again and produces a doll of Latula, which he settles in next to the one he made of Mituna that Kurloz snatched away earlier. He still feels a twinge of jealousy thinking about them together, but even if it hurts his feelings a bit they're still his friends and he still likes them. He wouldn't want to separate them, even in doll form.

[voodoocarnival]

Kankri joins him and it seems all right to have another motherfucker all up ins with him, so he nestles himself a little bit closer, takes advantage of the mutantblood's inherent warmth - and actually kind of secretly enjoys the company of someone he knows.

｢WELL ALL ENOUGH｣

The smoothies were actually fairly similar to what he'd gotten used to on his own - there's only so much one can take, slurping down grubsauce before creativity sets in, and the dream bubbles were a blessing with scattered human memories of varied blendable foodstuffs. So he wasn't starving, by any means. At least that was something to say for this particular arena, a bit of a softer entry where he wouldn't have to scavenge or make certain unpleasant compromises.

｢AINT DONE PEEPED GAME ALL UP AT NO BROTHERS OR SISTERS WHAT IS ALL FROM HOME BUT US MOTHERFUCKERS｣

Which... wasn't a bad thing, necessarily. If he was to be honest, Kankri had been a relief to see - someone from home, yes, a bit of familiarity and comfort, but... not anyone he cared about in anything past a passing capacity. The best of both worlds, if this twisted situation could warrant such.

[privilegecheck]

It's the same for Kankri, honestly. Kurloz is a slice of home, but not one he holds so dear that he couldn't bear to have it here. The indigo troll seems sweet and harmless in general, but Kankri's always found him a bit too unsettling to get very close to before. Kurloz being a Tribute is not a good thing, but not nearly as bad as Porrim or Latula or Mituna being one.

So he lets out a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping with the relief of that brief tension. "Good. That's good. I miss them, but...I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I'm sorry to see you being subjected to it as it is."

He shifts in the pile, nestling in a little deeper and enjoying the comfort of it. He's still trying to sell Venus on the idea of piles, but he's not been very successful just yet. "Goodness, but I've just been bombarding you with questions, and me the one who's been here longer. Is there anything you'd like to ask me about? I don't mind staying a while if you don't mind me doing it."

[voodoocarnival]

As the game wore on, and as the eons in the bubbles wore on, Kankri had become less and less well-meaning and kind (or, at least, so it had appeared to one kept at arm's reach or further), and so the incentive to spend time with him had waned.

Now, though, he was small and clingy and seemed... younger. Like he'd been plucked from an earlier point on their timeline - which, now he thought of it, seemed one of the less strange possibilities - so he supposed he could give him another chance.

He's warm, at any rate, and as Kankri shifts closer, so Kurloz does in kind, settling in for a long while, it would see,

｢WHAT ALL UP AND DONE HAPPENS WHEN A MOTHERFUCKER DIES｣

Straight to the point, there. He knew it was a deathmatch, which clearly did imply death, but Kankri had said it was his third... so people didn't stay dead, but what actually happened to them he hadn't gotten a chance to fins out.

｢AND A BROTHER IS ALL WELCOME WHAT TO BE STAYIN WHENEVER HE ALL PLEASES｣

[privilegecheck]

Wow, blunt. Then again, Kankri supposes that when one's speech is so limited - it takes a lot longer to write something than to say it - one tends to say mostly the important things. And this question is important. He remembers how much it wore on him, the dread of thinking he was actually going to die with no concept of what it would be like.

"Well...you die," he says at last, wringing his hands a little. He's started shivering, though he doesn't notice it. "It's not pleasant. In fact it's usually very painful and often quite drawn out. We are a television show, you see, and our deaths are high drama for the watchers, so...usually circumstances end up that way. After that..." He shifts uncomfortably in the pile. "You wake up again in your room in the Capitol. It's like...like the Arena never happened, physically. You're just the same as when you first arrived. It's more than a little unsettling."

A momentary pause. Then, trying to sound more cheerful (and only ending up strained), he says, "You know, I feel like this would be so much easier if I could understand your signings. And silent communication can be a good thing, around here. Could I possibly ask you to teach me?"