caughtinanetwork | 034 ♋ [TEXT]

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034 ♋ [TEXT]

[FILTERED AWAY FROM YUNO GASAI]

I'M ALIVE AGAIN.
I'M SURE A NUMBER OF YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD IN ONE FASHION OR ANOTHER, OR FIGURED IT OUT FROM THE STANDARD TIME IT TAKES A PERSON TO REVIVE AFTER DEATH
(FOR THE RECORD: FIVE DAYS)
BUT CONSIDER THIS AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL WHO DO NOT YET KNOW.
MAY I ALSO STATE FOR THE RECORD
*ERIDAN DID NOT KILL ME.*
SO LAY THE FUCK OFF BECAUSE HE HAD NO PART IN IT BUT FINDING ME AND REMOVING THE WEAPON.
WHILE I WILL NOT CONDONE A SENSELESS MANHUNT FOR THE CULPRIT
I WILL INFORM YOU OF HER IDENTITY AND WARN YOU TO WATCH OUT FOR HER PARTICULAR BRAND OF BATSHIT.
SHE'S A HUMAN BY THE NAME OF YUNO
LIVES ON FLOOR 2, APARTMENT 5 OF THE LARMLINE COMPLEX
AND HAS LONG PINK HAIR AND PINK EYES.
DO NOT TRUST HER EVEN WITH A COFFEE MUG.
DO NOT TRUST ANY SWEET ACT SHE PUTS ON.
IN FACT, DON'T TRUST HER IN GENERAL.
ALSO MAY YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NOT AN INVITATION TO ASK ME DUMB QUESTIONS.
I AM NOT GOING TO DISH OUT GORY ACCOUNTS OF HOW I DIED, BECAUSE REALLY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.
I WILL HOWEVER REQUEST AN UPDATE ON ANYTHING IMPORTANT I MISSED OVER THE PAST WEEK
BEING AS I COULD NOT KEEP AN EYE ON YOU MORONS ON ACCOUNT OF BEING A CORPSE.

[END FILTER]

[FILTERED TO THE HANDMAID]

I'VE REALIZED SOMETHING FROM THIS.
THE ISSUE ISN'T SO MUCH THAT I WANT YOU TO TRAIN ME
IT'S THAT I NEED TO LEARN.

[END FILTER]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I AM NOT LOOKING FOR A TROPHY BECAUSE I AM NOT A SADISTIC, MACABRE FREAK.
BUT WHAT
YOU MEAN NOW?

Yes.
It's never t00 early t0 start.

... OKAY, I'LL GIVE YOU THAT
ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME WE BOTHERED TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.
JUST
GIVE ME A BIT.
I HAVEN'T POKED AROUND THE FOREST MUCH BEFORE BUT I'LL BE THERE.

[In truth, he's kind of nervous about going around much right now, but there truly is no time like the present. He switches off his SFC, makes sure he's got all what he needs, and heads on his way.]

[And she's waiting, appearing not to pay attention while all of her senses are stretched as far as they will go[

[The Handmaid should definitely be able to tell he's coming. Even with her senses stretched, he's not the stealthiest right now. Sticks and twigs crunch underfoot, swears issue as he shoves foliage out of the way, and the general loudness of Karkat Vantas makes its approach to the clearing (once he can find it).]

[When he emerges into the area, he looks normal enough. No special outfit, no unusual expression. The only thing notable is the scar on his neck from where it was slit.]

I'm here now.

[She doesn't even look at him, staying silent for a moment with her eyes closed before pointing with her wand and blasting the ground right in front of him. Then she looked, her lips quirking] Ah, my aim is still true.

[Karkat blinks once. Did she really not hear him?]

Handma--auugh!

[But when the wand blast comes, he has to stumble back a few steps to avoid falling on his ass in surprise.]

Jegus, would you not do that?

Then have you changed your mind about training with me, Karkat?

[He grumbles a bit and almost folds his arms, before thinking better of it. Instead, he draws forth a pair of sickles: the same pair as ever, the black Regisickle and colorful Homes Smell Ya Later.]

No, I have not changed my mind, and if I ever chicken out of this deal like a spineless squeakbeast then you have full permission to call me on that cowardly bullshit. I'm here to learn and I'm going to learn, but excuse me if I'm a little startled when you pull that first. I don't know how this is going to work when you never gave me a rundown on the details.

But two things first - avoid the neck, and no coffee cups. Otherwise, whatever, you're the teacher. Okay?

[The Demoness merely looked at him, then walked right over, putting her wands away. She looked as if she was going to say something-]

[Only to kick out at his feet to try and topple him] Allow me to set you straight, Karkat. I will be going softer on you than how I was trained. But I will not coddle you, nor will I ignore certain areas of your body. Against a real enemy, they won't care.

[Karkat, dumb as he is, expects her fully to say something with that look and the approach. He'll yet learn, but for now he lands on his ass.]

Oof!

[But at her words, he glares up.]

You think I don't know that? Of course if someone's trying to kill me, they will not give a shit what I'm uncomfortable with. If they know it freaks me out, they will probably go straight for it. But that is the thing: they freak me out. For all I know I died like a week ago, it only feels like a few days to me. I freaked out over bandages around my neck. Bandages! Normal ones, not too tight or anything, not even hurting me, and like a chump I went and flashed back to how it felt to have a fucking knife in my neck. And I don't know about you, but for me it's a bit hard to think of how I should be fighting when I'm busy wondering why my neck won't stay shut.

Exactly, Karkat. And a real opponent will take that fear- [Her hand snapped out, grabbing his neck firmly] -and attack right there. If I were my mentor I would be using your own weapons against you right now, but I believe I've made my point, child.

[She let go, stepping back, one hand palming a wand as she looked at Karkat]

[And just like that, everything is not okay. The sudden impact of her hand is still too close to a knife in his mind, and he seizes up as the memory surges unbidden to his mind, flushing out awareness. Her words don't reach him. Too caught in the feel of what it was like, his hands surge up, first to scrabble at hers, then clutch his own skin. He can't let it bleed, can't let himself die again, can't...]

[Can't feel any blood.]

[He shudders and sinks down to his knees, trembling still after as his breaths rattle in and out. He's not dead. He's not dying. He should be look at her, should be on his feet and paying attention, but he can't just yet. Not while his mind is still synching back with reality.]

... I reacted quite the same way the first time I was punished by losing my breathing privileges. It's not as though I don't understand, Karkat. I certainly do. But it's one thing that your enemy will latch on to when they realize it.

A more useful use of that fear is to blindly attack until your mind catches up. Still problematic, but you may buy yourself some time.

[It still takes him a bit, but the words float on the surface of his mind, not gone, and after a space he returns to himself enough to give some answer.]

Breathing privileges?

[His head tilts up, eyes searching out her face - though he has to crane his neck to do it. She's tall. There's another pause before he continues.]

The other part--I'll--try to remember.

As long as it didn't interfere with the continuation of my own life, it was a privilege to be taken away. [She let her lips quirk in a humorless smile] Ah, but I did say your training would be less rigorous than mine. So let's continue.

Usually breathing is pretty essential to not dying, Handmaid. That is downright fucked up.

[But--training, okay. Okay. He can do this. He breathes again, then takes his sickles from where they fell during his earlier scrabbling. Upright, standing, but after a thought, he bends his knees a bit. She's taken him off guard enough for him to decide he should to that.]

Now, how are we going to do this?

You'd be amazed, Karkat.

[She let her lips turn in a smirk as she watched him go on guard. Smart. Very smart boy...]

We'll attack each other until one of us is too tired to stand. Reaimed death blows are not the end, merely a reminder of where you screwed up. [Out came a wand, pointed at him] Begin.

[Karkat eyes her a moment, considering her words and how to attack. She obviously knows what she's doing, more than him. Maybe...]

[At 'begin', he surges forward. His moves are dual: both sickles out, one sweeping to trying to knock aside her hand with the blunt outer curve, while the other goes direct, aimed for her torso. He doesn't trust it to work all at once, but he has to start somewhere.]

[She jumped straight back, her other hand whipping out with another wand and sending a blast aimed right at him.]

[Karkat is ready to go after her a second time, all up until that wand sends its blast at him. From there quick, awkward steps carry him off to the side, just barely avoiding a hit - and losing his balance in the process. Fwump.]

[He shifts on the ground, getting his legs back beneath him, but does not yet rise to his feet.]

Okay, what the heck does that do? We stop right here and you tell me that before we go on because I do not want to wind up with a gaping hole through my torso.

[She laughed] I have faith in my aim and your reflexes. But I do anticipate you having more ashes than clothes by the end, as well as a few annoying burns.

[Karkat sights and rubs the the back of his wrist against his forehead, hand still taken up with a sickle.]

You better be right about that. With what went down just when it looked like Eridan had killed me, there would be an even bigger explosion if you went and actually did it yourself. I have enough scars already, thanks, and I kind of like being alive.

[But when he gets up, there's no pause between it and combat. Instead he goes straight into rushing her way, swinging out a pair of sickle slices, one after the other.]

[She leapt away again, her voice calm as she responded]

I wouldn't kill my student, Karkat. [And another blast, this time looking like it might be off center before snaking around to hone in on his torso] I'm rather keeping the energy level of it low, but enough that you will feel it in the morning.

[Karkat keeps his attention more on the blast than her words. Action is the more important part when they're in a fight, especially when something might hit him. He doesn't trust the originally off-center aim, and that suspicion proves true. He circles, trying to get nearer to aim another swing at her, while at the same time trying to avoid - and also test - how the magic curves.]

Fine - sore - I can deal with that.

034 ♋ [TEXT]

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[Action] sorry for the slowness, and also, are they on the island or the forest by the city?

[Action] The forest