[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]

"Karkat, what did I say about talking?"

He sighs, takes a deep breath. He has to be the rational one here.

"And Kankri, with all due respect, you're just as bad as he is and you can always not respond. No one is forcing you to engage with him; if you do, that's your choice and yours alone. Neither of you are blameless. Both of you contribute to this problem. You both need to learn that if you're going to fight with each other, whether it's black or platonic, there are some things you can't bring into it. Some things are too personal and hurt too deep, and when you use them as weaponry against each other you make wounds that are going to take a long time to heal and will fester in the meantime. I don't understand where this truly hurtful vitriol between you comes from but it needs to stop."

[privilegecheck]

Kankri slumps further. He hates being scolded like a wiggler, like he needs a cullparent again, and it only makes it burn more shamefully to know that Signless isn't saying anything that isn't true.

"Okay," he mumbles, a touch resentful, a lot unhappy. "But he still shouldn't have said that about my friends. All I wanted was to rest without having to worry so much."

[69problems]

"No, he shouldn't have. That's exactly what I'm saying."

He turns to Karkat, and his expression is imploring. Work with me, here.

"Will you apologize for what you said?"

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat groans. Fine. He will. For your sake only, Signless.

(And maybe because he feels ever so slightly like an asshole now, but not that fucking much considering Kankri gave as good as he got.)

"Sorry," he says, looking anywhere but directly at Kankri, "I went too far."

[privilegecheck]

Kankri hesitates for a few long moments, then looks down at the floor. "I did, too," he tells his feet. "I apologize for my behavior."

(Carefully not addressing anything else Signless talked to them about, doop doop.)

[69problems]

That's probably as good as he's going to get, but it's progress and that's something.

"Good. I'm sorry that I had to be short with you, but nothing else was working."

[sleeplessinalternia]

As soon as Signless turns his back on him, Karkat is going to pull a face at Kankri.

[privilegecheck]

Kankri gives Karkat a mightily disapproving frown right back.

"...could we go rest?" he asks quietly. "I'm very tired from, from everything that's been going on. And perhaps we will all feel better after some sleep."

[69problems]

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Signless agrees. Hopefully some rest will put them all more at ease. It's too early in the arena for them to already be this on-edge, even with extenuating circumstances.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Fine," Karkat says, grumpily. "But you can't sleep in our pile."

That pile only had room for one Kankri.

[privilegecheck]

"I wouldn't if you offered," Kankri grumbles. "I will be perfectly fine sleeping by the fire."

He remembers sleeping next to Venus in the museum. Taking turns watching over each other. He'd felt so safe when she was there.

"...Signless," he says, after a moment. "I, I don't think I could take on one of those barkbeasts, but...if you might teach me about hunting tomorrow, too, I would appreciate it."

Karkat was being a jerk, but he started out having a point.

"And maybe I can try to fix up something like a grubloaf for us to eat."

[69problems]

"I could, if you like. We'll see about finding you a knife in the nutrition block tomorrow."

He briefly squeezes Kankri's shoulder. Privately he isn't sure Kankri can learn to hunt for himself in as short a timeframe as they have, but they can't know how well he'll take to it until they try.

"If you want blankets, there should be some that are in passable condition in one of the respiteblocks."

[privilegecheck]

Kankri nods. "Very well. I'll see you in the morning, then." And he shuffles off to go find those blankets and let the other two have their pile in peace.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Am I really too awful to bear?" Karkat asks in a small voice when Kankri's finally out of their sight.

[69problems]

Signless sighs and puts an arm around Karkat's shoulders.

"No, you aren't. He was just hurt and saying things he knew would hurt back."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"I hate him," Karkat says, leaning against Signless. "He's such a stupid, smug fucknug. I hate him and I hate his fucking Beforus, he'd never last a second around real trolls."

[69problems]

"His Beforus was my Beforus too," Signless reminds Karkat gently. "And you know how I feel about what you think constitutes a 'real' troll. If you're going to hate him, don't hate him for things that you find pitiable in me."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"You don't spend all your time calling me a fucking savage because I don't act like a fucking Beforan," Karkat retorts.

[69problems]

"Neither does he, until you start antagonizing him by bringing up Beforus in the first place. He knows it will make you angry. He takes the things you say that hurt him far past what's enjoyable bickering and turns them around and makes them about you because he hopes it will make you stop."

Fucking hell, Karkat, you really aren't very good at blackrom. Or just generally knowing what's acceptable.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Shut up," Karkat hisses. "Look, he's an assnug. End of story."

[69problems]

"Shhh. Shoosh." Signless paps him lightly on the cheek, pulling him a little closer. "You know it isn't. And if you're not ready to deal with it yet, that's fine, but don't pretend there isn't a problem when you know very well there is and it's not entirely on his end. I care a lot about you, Karkat, I don't want this to keep hurting you like it does."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Oh. Okay, Karkat melts a little with the consoling words. Signless is good at the pale thing and okay, it's because he's got a lot of practice. "You do?" he says quietly. He knows Signless does, of course, but he wouldn't mind the extra reassurances.

[69problems]

"Of course I do."

Signless is used to Karkat needing constant reassurance by now. He doesn't think of it as an annoyance so much as just part and parcel of having Karkat as a moirail, and he certainly don't mind making sure the younger troll knows he's cared for.

"You wouldn't be in this pile with me if I didn't."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Oh come on," Karkat says, "you'd pile anybody." He feels like an asshole after he says that, though, so he quickly adds, "I'm glad you're piling me though. It makes me feel... shit, I dunno. Safer." Even if he was more dangerous than Signless, that didn't change the fact that having the older troll's arms around him was reassuring.

[69problems]

"You know I wouldn't. We've talked about this extensively. There is a difference between feeling pale feelings for more than one person and wanting to jump into a pile with everyone I meet."

And sometimes it does bug him, a little, that Karkat still insists on not recognizing that difference. They've had this talk before, and it stings a little more every time it comes out that it hasn't made any difference.

"I don't pile you because I just feel this compulsion to pile everyone. I pile you because I care about you, because you need it, because I understand your fears and issues in a way not a lot of other trolls do."