[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

[ka_sera_sera]

[OOC: I know me going with this scenario means I'm assuming stuff about how they're trapping the dog - if any of this doesn't work, let me know and I can change it.]


Roland knows better than to investigate noises in this place - so far his arena strategy has been 'leave it alone unless it's actively trying to kill me' - so normally hearing deep, dangerous barking nearby would just be reason to move further away. But one of the voices he hears alongside it is a voice he recognizes, and one he'd intended to help during all this if he could. So Roland follows the noise and finds one of those huge dog-things backed into a corner, none too happy about it and looking inches away from lunging forward and biting someone's face off.

"Need another hand?" he calls, sure to do it close to the cover of a wall. He's under no illusions that he'll last to the end of the arena, but when he does die Roland doesn't intend it to be friendly fire that does it.

[69problems]

The only thing keeping the dog where it is is a snare around one of its hind paws. It's a lot bigger and toothier than the Signless pictured when Karkat told him there were roaming dogs that might be edible, so under the circumstances any help is welcome.

"If you wouldn't mind. I don't know how much longer that snare's going to hold it."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Hey, Karkat knows that voice. "Roland! Yeah, that would be really fucking good right now. Get your leathery butt over here." He adds for Signless' benefit, "This is that Roland guy I told you about. Remember? He and Cuthbert were friends when they were wigglers, but he's super fucking old now."

[privilegecheck]

It being his second arena doesn't make this any easier for Kankri. In fact, it's far worse. He's terrified of what he experienced the last time, going through that pain and fear and hunger and sorrow again. Knowing what he's anticipating is far worse than what his imagination could conjure before. Not only that, but now he's utterly alone. He didn't have a hope of finding Venus, not in that fog; and he hasn't had any luck finding those others he's befriended, either.

He's scared to approach the light when he sees it, the second night, but he's cold and hungry and it doesn't hurt to just check it out, right?

He's glad he did, when he sees Signless and Karkat silhouetted against the fire's light. Even with things how they are between him and Karkat - they still haven't talked since the disastrous incident at the Crowning - he still counts them as close. At least he's certain they wouldn't harm him. And they have food, he can see a dish near the heat and smell something cooking and it makes his starving belly growl.

Still, he doesn't barge in, but knocks on the rotting window frame as he leans through the long-broken glass. "May I join you?" he asks, his voice quiet so as not to attract outside attention.

[ka_sera_sera]

If Roland needed a reminder as to why Karkat and Cuthbert are friends, here's another one. That tact. But it's only the truth and so Roland doesn't bother to respond, just circles around behind them and walks closer. As he goes he removes the rubber band holding a long orange extension cord to one of the beltloops in his pants. "Why did you trap it if you don't have any way to kill it?"

[69problems]

"We have knives, but the issue is getting close enough to use them. I was lead to believe we were dealing with something about half this size." He holds up the steak knife he's been using as a weapon: perfectly good against bugs, probably good against a normal-sized dog, but a little dodgy against something this big with this many teeth that still has mostly unrestricted movement.

"What we need is a way to down it and keep it still, at least for a few minutes."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Look, I never said they were small barkbeasts," Karkat protests. "You just assumed they would be." He holds up his own knife, which is a carving knife at least. "We weren't able to get any supplies at the start, so we've just been raiding the abandoned hives."

[69problems]

The Signless turns at the voice to see Kankri peering in at them, looking unhappy and hungry and frankly kind of pathetic. The poor thing's probably been alone until now.

"Of course you can," he says, and then turns to give Karkat a Look. "Of course he can, right, Karkat?" He doesn't say it, but the aditional 'don't be an asshole' is pretty obvious.

[ka_sera_sera]

"Neither did I." Roland hooks the cord over an arm, loosing a few lengths of it and starting to tie it into a loop. "Surprisingly useful stuff in some of these houses. That is what you mean isn't it? Houses?"

He moves aside a little more, trying to find a clear space but not block the dog in completely in case it does escape. "I may need one of you to bait it," he says, dropping the small talk. "That could keep it in place long enough for me to hook it."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat looks over Kankri. His eyes, they are judging you. "I guess," he says after a long moment. "If he actually thinks we're worth his precious time."

Why no, Karkat's not at all bitter at you, Kankri, what gave you that silly impression?

[69problems]

At least with it kept more or less restrained by the snare he won't have to worry about it bolting unless something Really Very Bad happens, so that's something.

"Karkat, you do that, you're the more nimble of the two of us."

[privilegecheck]

Kankri doesn't bother going for the front door, climbing through the window instead. "Thank you," he says softly to Signless, and has a seat to huddle up in front of the fire. He presses his face to his knees so he won't look at the food. He doesn't want to be awful and take their meal without asking. They're probably hungry too.

Karkat he does not dignify with even a glance, let alone a reply. What a jerkbag.

>karkat: call everyone old

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Well yeah, one of us isn't going to see the dim side of ten anymore and it sure as fuck isn't me." Karkat moves to bait the dog, distracting him by darting back and forth to poke him with his carving knife.

[69problems]

Karkat, you had one job, for fuck's sake. It's hard when your moirail and your younger self are both being idiots about each other. It's hard and no one understands.

"Here," he says, pushing a plate (plundered from this house's kitchen and chipped around the edges) toward Kankri. Pieces of bug meat, all cooked very thoroughly, sit on top of what's left of one can's worth of vegetables (green beans, tonight). While they have a steady source of food they can afford to eat passably.

It maybe isn't accidentally when his elbow bumps Karkat's on the way back. Behave.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Eat it," Karkat adds. "We aren't going to fucking let you sit with us and not share the food, what kind of shitbeasts do you think we are?"

[privilegecheck]

Now Kankri does lift his head to glare at Karkat, just for a brief moment, before he takes the plate. He can only hesitate a moment before he falls on the food, devouring it so fast he nearly chokes. He's that hungry, that desperate for something.

In a few short minutes he's licking his fingers clean with the occasional hiccup. He's already feeling more himself, though. "I very much appreciate it," he tells Signless. "I hadn't eaten this whole time. I'm hardly suited to, to this sort of environment. And I've been looking for Venus, as well as I can in any case. How have the two of you fared? Besides better than me, that's obvious."

He's still addressing Signless and pointedly refusing to engage Karkat. Hmph.

[ka_sera_sera]

Roland ties the loop carefully, then raises it around his head and swings, and swings, and swings...

There. It doesn't go all the way around that massive head, but it does seem stuck behind the ears and jaw. The dog immediately starts tossing its head and Roland leans back, putting all his weight against it. "Be quick about this," he manages. "Can't hold it more than a minute. Maybe two." Maybe.

[this8itch]

Vriska’s ‘Steal aaaaaaaall the Loot’ plan wasn't as fruitful as the young troll would have wanted. Go figure, another plan back fired. Mark her down as not fucking shocked. She really did have the shittiest luck. Vriska might have slightly underestimated how difficult this game really was. What made it more challenging was her not having use of her powers. If she had them, man, none of these losers would stand a chance. But at least she managed to swipe a few things from some poor hapless saps. Though what she mainly received was frustration and oh! A fucking missing left eye. Which........ she was still pretty pissed off about. She had dealt with it the best she could, fashioning an eye patch out of parts of her extra district jacket. Painstakingly she had removed the number ‘4’s and only using the top triangle bits, she put them together making a crude looking ‘8’ that come across more like a black widow’s warning mark. Either way, she thought it looked pretty sweet.

To make up for her lack luster haul she had to resort to rummaging around the broken down hives. It was kinda like treasure hunting but the spoils were few and far between. And she was getting bored. And it was starting to get dark. She pulled the over sized district eight jacket around her shoulders to fight off the chill in the air as she searched for a place to lay low for the night. Then, off in the distance she could make out a red flicker through the dense fog.

Keeping low she cautiously approached the source, stumbling upon a small less shitty hive. The windows were coated in grime but when she peeked through she could make out the two figures inside and her face dropped. No. Fucking. Way. She recognized the tall one from her broadcast but sitting next to him........ Karkat. Fucking Karkat. What was up with this place? Some fucking wayward home for castaway trolls? Seriously, first Terezi and then Nepeta, and Mr. Diplomassy over there. It was like a goddamn reunion special. Oh look, there’s even a fire! Maybe they could all hold hands and sing sappy friendship songs as dismay fluid poured from their eyes! Or eye in her case.

She ducked back down to think to herself. They did have food, that much she could make out. And they didn't know she was there yet........ It was possible for her bull rush in, swipe it and leave before they knew what hit them. But on the other hand, the other troll seems like such a push over that she could convince him just to give it to her. A poor sad, lonely, wounded Vriska. Or bring him a fucking sign-up sheet to donate to the hungry. Buuuuuuuut then Karkat. Food, or dealing with Karkat? Hmmmmmmmm. Though choices.

In the end her stomach won out. Go big or go home! She silently moved to the door opening it with an audible groan as the decayed wood creaked. By now they could hear someone coming down the hall heading for their room.

“Heeeeeeeey Kaaaaaaaarkaaaaaaaat~” Vriska’s voice carried throughout the hive as she stopped at the doorway, leaning up against it with a wide grin. “Did you miss me?”

[sleeplessinalternia]

... the answer he'd like to give is of fucking course no, bitch, I mean 8itch, but unfortunately that isn't exactly true. He was stupid and sentimental enough that he missed all of his dead friends, even the assholes.

So instead he rolls his eyes and replies, "The fuck do you want, Vriska?"

[Joly's coming in on a bug night! yum yum yum!]

[medecin]

At some point, much as he'd been sticking close to Venus, and to his friends, Joly had decided he should be the one to slip out for food, seeing as sponsor gifts had not quite happened yet. This meant that he was poking his way into some of the houses, and, spotting a fire in one, but hoping that this did not mean anyone who would harm him, he poked his head in cautiously.

"Room for anyone else?" he asked, rather cautiously. "I might provide medical services in exchange for resources, if you have them." And his stomach chose this moment to loudly growl, as if making his point so much clearer.

[69problems]

So that's how this is going to be. Signless is going to have to spend however long Kankri's here balancing both of their delicate egos and trying to prevent jabs from escalating into an actual fight.

"We've been moving around and hiding in houses at night, mostly. There's not a lot of food to find so we've been hunting where we can."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"You know," Karkat says, not even bothering to look at Kankri's face, "it's really stupid to brag about how much you suck at something. Not when you could, like, learn not to suck so much. I'd never learned how to hunt, so I'm letting him teach me. But whatever. If people want to be overgrown wigglers who can't survive without their lusi, it's their prerogative."

Sadly, Kankri's too far away for Karkat to kick his shins.

[69problems]

"If you're not looking to fight, then -- oh!" This was actually someone the Signless recognized, someone he'd seen around the hallways of District Twelve but never really had an opportunity to talk to. And Twelves had to stick together, right?

"You're welcome to join us, yes. We don't have much but we do have food, if you're hungry."

[69problems]

"How's the petition coming," Signless adds brightly, by way of greeting. Between what he knows about Vriska from Karkat and the impression he got from Terezi, he'd like to keep this in friendly not awful territory for as long as possible.

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat has no fucking clue who this douchebag is supposed to be--except he might be one of those guys from the planet France he guesses, he's seen him around Enjolras a lot--but he's not going to stop Signless from giving a third of their meal away. Stopping Signless from being stupidly generous is a losing battle.

"Roast bug on cylindered grain," he specifies. "You're lucky that we found a nutrition cylinder again tonight."