caughtinanetwork | ♎

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♎ | 001

[~~through the magic of time shenanigans~~ It has been several hours since Redglare's arrival. Hours she spent investigating, scourging the brochure from top to bottom for every fragment of information, and even checking up on as much of the network as she reasonably could. She's even created a folder of notes on her personal palmtop dedicated to this strange, underwater prison. She is, above all, a professional after all, and it wouldn't do for a member of Alternia's Cruellest Bar to simply run around like a beheaded cluckbeast.

For now, it is time to change the focus of her investigation. Certainly there is much more to be found from investigating the place itself, but it would be a mistake to ignore the people living in it. And Redglare does not make mistakes. She has questions to ask, answers to discovered, and a network to start up, regardless of how long or short her stay may end up being.

She opts for a friendly approach. Catch more flies with honey, after all.]

OH NO! >:[!!!
1 H4V3 F4LL3N 1NTO 4N UND3RW4T3R BUBBL3 4ND 1 C4N'T G3T OUT.
WH3R3 1S TH3 CL3V3R WH1T3 B4RKB34ST TO R3SCU3 M3?
4 BR4V3 KN1GHT TO WH1SK M3 TO S4F3TY SO 1 M4Y SWOON 4MOUNTS TH4T COULD ONLY B3 D3SCR1B3D 4S TRULY OUTR4G3OUS!

H4H4H4, HON3STLY, 1 KNOW 1 D3S3RV3 4 V4C4T1ON FOR MY S3RV1C3S TO TROLLK1ND FOR 4PPR3H3ND1NG TH4T SCOUNDR3L, BUT TH1S W4S NOT WH4T 1 W4S 3XP3CT1NG.
WOULD 4NYON3 B3 W1LL1NG TO H3LP 4 L4DY OUT 4ND 4NSW3R 4 F3W QU3ST1ONS?

Oh no! >:[!!!
I have fallen into an underwater bubble and i can't get out.
Where is the clever white barkbeast to rescue me?
A brave knight to whisk me to safety so i may swoon amounts that could only be described as truly outrageous!

Hahaha, honestly, i know i deserve a vacation for my services to trollkind for apprehending that scoundrel, but this was not what i was expecting.
Would anyone be willing to help a lady out and answer a few questions?

If you want to opt out of me using her text, just comment here.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hm. Not surprising she'd want proof. He can't prove all himself, but he can use what he knows of her to inspire credence. He throws up a filter.]

CHECK THE LIST OF CONTACTS ON YOUR SFC FOR TEREZI PYROPE AND TALK TO HER, IF SHE DOESN'T COME COMMENTING ON THIS FIRST.
SHE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVE TO YOU SHE'S YOUR ANCESTOR, NAMELY BY SHOWING YOU WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE, THE SHARED SIGN, ETC ETC.
BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO PROVE ANYTHING
AND, SO YOU DON'T FREAK OUT, THIS CONVERSATION IS FILTERED FROM PRYING EYES EVEN IF THE LEVEL OF "GIVE A FUCK" REGARDING THE SUBJECT IS PRETTY LOW HERE
TAKE THIS.

[He flips on the video. Have a nubby-horned teenager! He checks the view first, looking into the camera, then lowers it to the sign on his shirt.]

You've got a necklace with this sign on it, which comes from the Signless-slash-Sufferer's irons when he was tortured before his death. I'm his descendant. He's also here, if you check the list, and will confirm as much himself. You showed me the necklace last time you were here.

[Yep. That's it.

She needs a fucking drink.]

[She does not consider the possibility of having lost her mind. That is something that happens to other people. She however has always been in full possession of hers. No. What is happening must be, however improbable, the truth.

What he has said though, his very appearance, is proof itself. She had fiercely guarded the secret of her necklace. There was simply no chance that anyone else could've told him about. No one else but her. She makes the mental note to contact this Terezi Pyrope as Karkat had said should she not comment to this post herself. After all, so far his words are checking out.

Slowly she changes of to video. ~~Shit she is still hot.~~ The cackling looney-ness has slid of her face for a moment. Instead she is just serious, calm.]

I can imagine a few reasons why she may have shown you that, though I have no interest in second guessing her decision. I make no habit of doubting myself.

[Damn. Yeah. That's kind of distracting. He may be a taken troll and sweeps younger than her, but he is not above a little visual appreciation. He did date her descendant, after all.]

[Back on subject, he looks away, waving his hand.]

It came up in conversation with the whole talk of ancestors and descendants and whatnot. Don't worry about it. I mean, there's more shenanigans surrounding the topic than you can shake your whole cane at, but they are far less important than the rest right now, i.e. the actual basics of what's going on.

[They'd be here all day if he got into the subject of how he created them all.]

Next question.

[She weighs her various questions in her mind, finally settling on one.]

Can we meet?

[She prefers speaking to people in person where she can. It is far easier to read the small shifts in their body language that way, to note a nervous tic. Besides, every device can always be hacked. It is a sensible level of pre-caution.

Okay, and maybe she wants to see if his cheeks are as pinch-able in real life as they look over the video feed. There could be pixel distortion at work here making theM look so squishy!]

Edited 2012-11-23 07:16 (UTC)

[He knows not what he is getting himself into. But really, he never did meet her in person the last time she was here. His eyebrows raise.]

Sure. Where to? I mean, obviously you don't know your way around, but if you ask for a type of place I can say if there's something fitting here.

Somewhere private.

[Then her serious expression slips, giving away to a grin.]

Don't worry, I wouldn't dare harm a hair on your cute little head, mister knight. I just want to talk somewhere where we don't need to fear being overheard.

[Have a flat look for that.]

I didn't think you would, dumbass. You're one of his followers. Why would you kill off his descendant? Also, I'm not a helpless, squeaking little grub who can't handle himself.

Let's just go to the park. There should be a good spot there somewhere.

[And he gives her some general directions from the Plaza.]

Is that so? I am presently awed and amazed by your no doubt very impressive skills. I might even be swooning a little again!

[She isn't technically at the plaza, having already retreated from such open ground, but she can work with the directions given.]

I will meet you there.

[Oh, look at that gesture.]

And I might just be flipping you off for the bad joke. Gee, how did that happen.

[Add in an eyeroll.]

See you there.

[Click! And he'll head on his way.]

[Seriously. Adorable. Can she keep this one? She will get him a nice leash and everything.

With the conversation over though, she moves to head to the park, her sponge a jumbled mess of thoughts and questions. Her eyes are sharp, keeping look out for Karkat.]

[Karkat has picked a spot near the edge of the park in line with the directions he gave her. Easy to find, he should hope, and they can always find a better spot from there. That said, a nubby grey kid in grey, grey, and more grey should not be that hard to spot. And Redglare? Impossible to miss. He waves as soon as he sees her.]

[He does his best not to look intimidated, but she's still kind of imposing in person.]

[Of course she is imposing. She is so very fuckin' rad, after all.

From her end, she is experiencing pretty much zero intimidation. Karkat is only six sweeps, after all. And regardless of what skills he might or might not possess --probably more awww inducing than argh inducing-- to her the idea that a six sweep old might defeat her is simply laughable.

She crosses the small distance between them, planting her cane on the ground in front of her, and folding her hands over the top, regarding him with a grin.]

Karkat.

I must say, you are even more adorable in person than over the network.

Edited (I swear i will stop editting now.) 2012-11-23 22:55 (UTC)

[Scowl.]

No. You do not get to call me adorable. I'm adorabloodthirsty if anything, but I bet you would just twist that into some patronizing cutesy bullshit, too, so shut up.

[He turns and starts walking, with a sharp motion to follow.]

Come on. I'll find us a good spot, but if you annoy me too much I'll call the whole thing off.

[But Karkat! How can she make it into some cutesy bullshit when you've already made it adorable.]

Haha, you should learn how to take a lady's compliments, Karkat! I was being nothing but complementary, after all. But all right, we can do this exactly like you want, Mr Leader.

Edited 2012-11-24 15:51 (UTC)

I take compliments in their merited contexts, and this isn't one. You're Terezi's weird ancestor woman and I don't completely know what to make of you yet.

[More open than he might be, but what's the use of hiding that around a legislacerator? Not much. He keeps walking, not really looking for anywhere particular - just some spot out of the way.]

Oh, I'm certain that as long as you are not some devilish law-breaker, you and I will get along just fine.

[Just fine is when you want to take people and put them in cages and coo at them cause they are just so adorable, right? This is how you deal with kids, right?]

Again with mentioning my little descendant. Tell me about her! Is she the coolest thing you have ever seen? I bet she is.

[This is why trolls don't raise their young, Dolorosa and the Signless excepted.]

Considering your beliefs, lawfulness isn't a steel-strong issue here, Redglare.

[He glances back at her. Seriously, do you expect him to buy into that when he could be culled just for existing? When he played the game that ended the world? Really now - not that she knows about the latter yet.]

She has your horns, your sign, your glasses, and a cane like yours. She's also blind from a lengthy revenge chain, but gets around just fine by smelling her way in some weird ass schizophrenic color bonanza. Red is her favorite color, she eats chalk, loves dragons, and drubbing people with canes despite protest. You may also gather that she's annoying as hell when she wants to be, and has had utterly retarded slapfight arguments over keyboard use with me before.

We traveled together for a while in this game we played - I'll tell you about that later - and she's pretty damn capable. Smart, and she's a mind player, which is basically the game granting you a big pat on the back for having a big think pan. She's also into Alternian law and justice, doesn't judge by hemocaste, and makes tough decisions when she has to if it means it helps us as a team.

She's... She was gone from Vatheon for not quite half a sweep, but she's still an important friend to me.

[The romantic history he leaves off for the time being.]

[And anyway, they've arrived. Small clearing between some trees, not all that close to paths. He stops and turns to her.]

Will this work?

[To be honest, Redglare was still a little too young to start thinking about legacies left for potential descendants just yet. Also, perhaps, a bit too teal-blooded to put entirely too much stock in it! She has just been pre-occupied with being awesome because she was, trying to earn a reputation because she deserved to be known, and just maybe trying to change some things because Alternian would do well by it. Nothing done with the idea of setting up something that could be carried on sweeps down the line after her death.

Still, what Karkat is telling her about Terezi pleases her nonetheless. Certainly there were some differences, but to be honest, she sounds very much like Redglare did herself at that age. A plus in your favour, Terezi!

It almost keeps her from noticing where they have ended up. Almost. She glances around with a trained eye, lingering on some spots that could potentially house a no-good, spying individual to ascertain there is in fact nothing there, before she nods faintly, and turns to Karkat with a smile.]

This will do!

And thank you, Karkat.

[Hey, as an off-spectrum mutant, he put even less stock in it than her! He just got proof quite viscerally by meeting the Dolorosa.]

[He nods once to her thanks.]

Go ahead and ask your questions, then. I can tell you whatever I know and have learned about Vatheon, Alternia, and the game my team played, so the most hindrance will be if it's something from my future or a subject I'm not at liberty to know the whole of.

I will. But first let me ask you this. Would you mind if I took some notes while we talk?

[She can't quite treat this like a normal confession and record it. But she rather not lose valuable information.]

[Karkat legit raises an eyebrow at that. Notes?]

You actually want to write this down?

[He's not even mocking.]

I mean, yeah, sure, go right ahead. There's a lot, so if you want to make sure you remember it, that's fine with me.

I have a feeling you will be telling me very many new and important things. Things that I will need to know. It would be very inefficient if I had to bug you over and over again just because I forgot!

[She'll find plenty of other reasons to bug him.

She moves to draw her little palmtop out of her sylladex, then pauses and reconsiders.]

Or perhaps... would you be comfortable with me recording your voice?

[She does also have a recorder on hand --what legislacerator worth her salt wouldn't have one!-- but she had not thought it wise to offer that straight of the bat. Most trolls weren't comfortable with their words being recorded. But with how chill he was with her taking notes, he might very well be chill with this too.]

No shit it's important. It's three whole kinds of important on different, huge subjects, and I could ramble on for hours if you let me and asked the right questions and I didn't forget anything along the way. We've got tons to cover here. Other people listen, sure, but I'm just impressed that you actually give enough of a fuck to want to record it down--and hell yes, voice is fine.

[Hey, he spent their session making memo after memo. Self-arguments aside, recording doesn't bother him half near to what it could. Listen, Redglare: that's honest gladness in his voice.]

[Oh no, what is this?! Is it?! Oh my, might Terezi be losing out again on the spot of favourite little troll? Is public opinion swaying again-- haha, of course no, Terezi is a solid number one, all due to her remarkable awesomeness.

Karkat and his adorable everything is in a solid second place though.]

Then I guess most of the other people you talk to are absolute idiots!

[She draws the small recorder from her sylladex, checks it over for a moment, before she gives him a nod.]

I'm ready when you are. What would you like to start with?

Edited 2012-11-24 18:11 (UTC)

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