[ota]

[69problems]

WHO| Karkat, the Signless and YOU!
WHAT| Mutant camping, and food sharing if anyone's hungry
WHEN| All through week one
WHERE| Various less-shitty houses around the residential area
WARNINGS| Nothing as of yet; will be updated or marked in-thread

For the first week, Karkat and the Signless wander the rows of houses. Many of them are empty of anything useful, but occasionally they find a can or two to add to their small stock of rations. In a few of them they find bugs hiding somewhere dark like they found in the first one, and on those nights they have to worry at least a little less about running out of food. Once they even manage to trap and take down one of the dogs -- it isn't exactly appetizing, but cooking it as thoroughly as Signless insists on to make sure it's safe to eat masks at least some of the taste.

Mostly, they use the (less dilapidated) houses with fireplaces as overnight camps. The faint glow of their fire can be seen through the grimy windows, especially when it gets dark.

[As a note, the mods have said humans probably shouldn't eat bugs as they'll suffer pretty bad side-effects. If your non-troll character shows up and wants some of their food, it's probably best to have it happen on dog night.]

Comments

[69problems]

Spineless. That was a new one. Pretty inventive, actually, if hurtful. What really surprised him, though, was Karkat defending him -- and his pancracked pacifism -- so emphatically. Wasn't that the exact opposite of being a Good Troll, the kind of thing Karkat worked so hard to distance himself from?

He bumped his shoulder lightly against Karkat's in wordless thanks. It was nice, feeling like his moirail had his back.

"That, and the jackets may not be worth being culled in an attempt to get them. Do you really want that to be your first televised death? Squabbling over a piece of fabric?"

[this8itch]

Oh it was so easy getting a rise out of Karkat. She just grinned back, rolling her eyes. "Thats not courage. That is stupid. If he lacks the sense of self preservation and doesn't fight back then he deserves everything he gets. The weak die. Thats how life is. Come on, you should know this. This is wiggler stuff." Then there was a small pause as she just shrugged her shoulders at the two of them. "Its a game, right? I have to make things more interesting. It would be so boring if I just went around killing people. But think what you want. I don't care. I'm still going to do it."

Then she fell silent, staring into the fire as it crackled. She didn't think her going around stealing all the eights would actually do much good. It was more than just her obsession with the number... It was her plan, something she decided for herself. Not the stupid assholes at the Capital forcing her into these stupid ass games. This was her way of rebelling, even if they thought it was a stupid plan. And yeah, it was most likely going to get her killed but it was hers. But they didn't need to know that.

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat crosses his arms in front of his torso. "He's not weak," he says, "he's cracked in the pan, but he's not fucking weak. If he were really weak, he wouldn't have gone around all of fucking Alternia trying to make people stop being shitheads to everyone, he'd have hidden in the stupid fucking desert his entire short life or he'd have gone 'fuck it' and abandoned his stupid futile principles and become a real troll. But he didn't. He fucking stood by his idiocy and that takes fucking guts. But I guess someone like you wouldn't understand that, Serket."

He's practically vibrating with fury by now. "Get out," he growls. "Since you think we're being so fucking weak, we don't have to share our bug with you or our cylinder greens."

[69problems]

"Karkat," Signless says softly. "I appreciate it, I really do. But there's no need to be cruel."

Maybe he's just proving Vriska right, but it feels wrong, somehow, to refuse to help her just because she's repeating back beliefs drilled into her by a shitty society.

"You can take some food with you if you like," he adds, to Vriska. "But it might be best to go."

You know. Before Karkat starts punching, or biting. He's bitey.

[this8itch]

Whoops, looks like she had struck a nerve. It was almost amusing how upset Karkat got over defending his ancestor. Almost. If what he defending wasn't so stupid.

"Of course I don't understand. The whole idea is complete BS. You said he lived many sweeps before us right? Seeing how nothing has changed, it would seem his 'Stand There and Take It' method didn't work out so well. I don't know what wiggler fantasy land he filled your pan with Vantas but you must have gotten soft. You need trolls like me. Ones that aren't afraid to make the tough choices and get their hands dirty regardless of what others might think of them. I'll give you a week before you come crawling to me for help." She finished with a flip of her long black hair.

Vriska could take the hint, her presence was no longer welcomed. She pushed off the floor and wrapped the eight feet of chain back around her right forearm. Pausing by Signless she gazed down at their grubs.

"I don't need your pity." She spat as she turned on the balls of her heels and marched dramatically out of the room and back out into the fog.

When she knew she was out of sight she paused and placed a hand to her belly. Man... she was really hungry. She was going to regret this, she just knew it........ But no! Making a point here! She was strong. She didn't need anyone's help. Clinching her fist she kept walked until the light of their fire was swallowed up by the fog.