I know you don't get a chance to take a break this often

[privilegecheck]

Who| Kankri and YOU! (With possible Venus cameos, if you'd like.)
What| General meanderings and interactions.
Where| All over the place, but probably the fourth floor in particular.
When| During early-mid week 3
Warnings/Notes| None so far!


A. Fourth floor patrols
With Venus's leg only getting worse, Kankri is taking more and more of the duties involved in looking after them and their hiding place upon himself. Patrolling always makes him nervous, because he knows he wouldn't attack an invader; but still, it has to be done, to ensure that they're as safe as can be and have some warning in case anyone's going to come after them.

He clutches his crowbar tight and does his best to look like he could use it to hurt someone, although he's doing his best to keep out of sight as much as possible.

B. Gathering supplies
Mostly, Kankri and Venus are doing rather well on the things they need for now. Of course, that won't last as the arena goes further, but for now they're all right. Still, he still goes on supply runs to supplement what they have; better to do so now than to find anything of use gone later. Besides, Venus is intrigued by the masks, so he's got to obtain some of them, right?

Comments

[sleeplessinalternia]

"ARRRRRRGH," Karkat arrrrrrghs. "What the fuck planet do you think we're on, Kankri? We're not on your precious fucking Beforus, dipshit, we're on Panem! And while it's better than Alternia for people like us, it's not that much! You are not going to make me feel like shit just because I wasn't enough of a shitty troll for you, that's not something that's going to happen."

[privilegecheck]

"I know we're not, but that is separate from this! Forgive me for expecting a little more empathy from someone purporting to be my alternate self's moirail!"

His voice has actually risen into a shout, and now it cracks a little. Kankri gulps back a hysterical little noise.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Jegus fuck!" Karkat snarls. "Is that what this is about? Tell me, Kankri, just who do you think is the protecting party in this moirallegiance--because it sure as shit isn't the Signless!"

[privilegecheck]

"And how are you supposed to be protecting him if you're behaving like the people who killed him!" Kankri cries. "If you're just looking out for you and yours and not even caring who you hurt or what effect you're having on anyone else! Taking things because you can, and who cares about anyone too weak to stand up to you! He doesn't-- fffffucking-- need that!"

Karkat actually got him to swear. Wow.

shit i kinda want venus or signless or somebody walking in on them arguing about stupid bouncy balls

[sleeplessinalternia]

"You self-righteous bulgeshit," Karkat snaps. "I didn't cull him. I had every fucking right to do it and I let him go and yeah, fine, I took his stupid colored rubber bouncing spheres, but they're just stupid spheres. Do you think Signless would throw a stupid fit because I did this? Yeah, okay, he'd probably give me his 'I'm Disappointed In You, Karkat' Look, but he'd let it go because I fucking didn't cull him and that's more than you can expect from most trolls."

[privilegecheck]

"More than you can expect? More than you can expect? Do you think Meulin would have done that, or Mituna, or m- his mother? You'd count yourself on their level in his regard but you can't follow through on it, can you! Letting someone live because your whim takes you that way, and settling for humiliating him and taking everything he had when it was nothing you even wanted or needed? Yes, it's better than culling him, but not by much! Should I applaud and bake you sugary confection circles because you weren't quite as awful as you could have been? Because I'm sorry, but that does not get you some sort of 'nice points' to contribute to the 'might be okay' fund! Just because it is less of a bad thing to do does not mean it isn't bad or wrong."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Oh. Oh god, you had to bring the fucking Disciple into it, didn't you? "Oh fuck you, Kankri, when did I ever say I was on the same fucking level as anyone of them? Or that I ever wanted to fucking be that way? I'm not a fucking Sufferist and I have no desire to be one of those creeps. I've tried all my fucking life to be a proper troll and you don't get to judge me for not being a completely shitty one just because you're from precious, perfect Beforus! Maybe I'm not like the fucking Disciple! Maybe I can't give him everything he fucking needs in one convenient package! Maybe I'm fucking superfluous and not what he fucking needs, but why the fuck do you care? Just because you are him, doesn't mean you are him! And you're a fucking hypocrite! You're all, 'that doesn't mean it isn't bad or wrong' but you're the one that doesn't even fucking want me to act like a proper troll!"

[privilegecheck]

"Your idea of what constitutes a 'proper troll' is entirely a social construct, if you're speaking of the Alternian ideal!" Kankri snaps back. "Beforus wasn't perfect, but it was very, very different, and trolls were nothing like they are on Alternia! So there is nothing you can say to convince me that casual violence and mistreatment of others are the natural state of our species, because I and my planet came first, you mewling grub! You try living through his execution like I did, and then tell me you're perfectly fine with your abysmal morals!"

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat wants to shriek that Beforus might have come first, but at least Alternia finished what they couldn't, but he doesn't because something else more important has come up. "What the fuck do you mean you lived through his execution?"

[privilegecheck]

"I mean I took your stupid suggestion and used the stupid masks and Saw far more than I was ever comfortable with seeing!" Kankri shrieks at the top of his lungs. "And the way I saw it was by living the experience as him! Shall I describe to you how they tortured him? Would you like to hear about his clade being ripped away from him? Does it interest you to know how hot the irons burned? And by Alternian standards, it was all right and just and no less than he deserved! And you claim to be his moirail when you can back a system as awful as that?"

[sleeplessinalternia]

The fact that neither of them have been picked off by someone more murderous while this is going on has to be some kind of fucking providence. Especially with the kind of volume coming from Kankri.

"Shut up," Karkat hisses. "Just-- shut up."

Those two words may or may not mean 'you're right and I hate you for it right now' in Karkat.

[privilegecheck]

"Make me," Kankri snarls back. "If you can believe that Alternia had the right of it, then you don't deserve to be his moirail. Particularly since from what I hear, you can't keep from making a mess of all your other quadrants too!"

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Fine," Karkat shrieks. "I don't deserve it! But your precious fucking Mituna didn't want anything to do with him because he blames Signless--of all fucking trolls!--for getting himself tortured to death and your even more precious Meulin wasn't even here yet and he needed someone, okay? And he wanted me! Maybe I should have done the right fucking thing and broke up with him when she came! I thought about it! I almost did it!" He makes a hollow sound of frustration. "She thinks I'm a better moirail than her! She doesn't know shit. Why don't you go be his moirail, you seem to think you fucking understand him!"

[privilegecheck]

"I understand him because I am him, you ignoramus, and I've Seen his life play out, that doesn't mean I want him!" He starts to pace in sheer frustration, gesticulating wildly. "Be his moirail! He loves you and you love him, I've seen the two of you pile! But at least have the decency to believe in him instead of the people who murdered him for fun! Why can't you just admit when you're wrong?"

[sleeplessinalternia]

"I am not going to become a fucking Sufferist," Karkat snarls, waving his good arm about dramatically. "I've seen the people who believe in him and they make him miserable!"

[privilegecheck]

"I'm not asking you to, you insufferable cretin, those are not the only two options available!" Kankri's hand twitches, longing to smack the stupid out of Karkat's awful face. "There are options besides worship or slavish devotion to your Empire!"

He grabs Karkat by the front of his shirt with both hands, shakes him hard. "Why do you have to be so impossible?!" he yells.

Then he kisses him.

[sleeplessinalternia]

At first Karkat kisses back, angry biting kisses, because damn it, he is angry, he does hate Kankri right now and fuck it, he can admit it, it's not exactly a platonic hatred either. But all too soon he remembers himself, remembers Bert, and he shoves Kankri off him with all the strength he can muster in his good hand.

"You asspail," he snarls, "I've already got a kismesis!"

[privilegecheck]

At first everything is great, and Kankri sort of maybe gets why his friends have been in a rush to get lots of kissing done.

Then Karkat shoves him away and yells at him, and that perfect moment is totally shattered.

"Oh my god," he says, pressing his fingers to his lips in horror. "I didn't mean to- I- I wanted to sort things out between you and Cuthbert! Because he was feeling neglected! I didn't mean it like this!" He trails off in sort of a plaintive wail.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Yeah, well, those were sure your fangs I felt dig into my squawk blaster," Karkat grumbles. "Now I'm going to look like a two-timer on every fucking screen in the Capitol. Great job, Troll Einstein."

[privilegecheck]

"You were the one who started biting," Kankri accuses. "You could have just made me stop instead of mauling my face with your mouth!"

[sleeplessinalternia]

"You're the one who decided to kiss me in the first place," Karkat snaps. "Don't you try to pin this on me, you bucketshit."

[privilegecheck]

"I'm not, I'm just saying you were an active participant!" Kankri protests. "I'm sorry, all right, I shouldn't have done it! But I'm not the only one who did it!"

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Fine," Karkat grumbles, "you weren't the only one. But you did start it."

[privilegecheck]

"I did," Kankri concedes. "And again, I'm sorry. Please pretend this never happened, I don't know what came over me."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Oh fuck, he really doesn't get it. "We aren't going to be allowed to pretend, dumbass. They're going to air that footage on repeat for the rest of the fucking arena. The Capitol laps that shit up with a curved consumption utensil."