> Nepeta and Gamzee: Ship all the things

[bestestfurrend]

[When the recording starts the picture is moving along in a rather strange, jerky motion, up to a door that gets headbutted open by the feathery head that's holding the starfish in its mouth, revealing...

...what seems to be the low-lit interior of something more akin to a cave than a room, littered with messy piles of soft scraps and plushies and yarn and even the occasional teapot.

A monstrous shadow looms on the wall, a fearsome looking four-horned creature.]

You're the best, Gamzee! I'd nefur have been able to reach to use all that extra wall if you weren't here, nope nope nope!

[And with a squawk the chocobo drops the SFC, sending it cartwheeling until it points at the origins of that shadow, a messier-than-usual kitty troll perched on a clown troll's shoulders, various hues of paint staining her hands and clothes and even her cheeks, still dripping a bright red from an outstretched paintbrush that had been adding the finishing touches to a heart high up on:]



Oh, Pounce! Hi Pounce! I'm really glad that Gamzee brought you to visi...POUNCE WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?! OH NOOOOO...

[She attempts to leap at the wall to block it from view; this doesn't go well when instead it just makes both trolls topple over in a tangle of limbs.]

My wallllllll! [click!]


((ooc: image by our amazing Gamzee-mun!))

Comments

[o8liter8]

You've made it pretty clear that if I ever did, I don't anymore. You tie up animals and slaves, Chiron.

[ None of them really even knows what the hell to call this, do they? But there's some definite bitterness going on here, a quiet and tense sort of despair.

Mindfang looks like she very much wants to go to Darkleer, yet at the same time is terrified to do so. Why, no one can really say, can they? ]

[bestestfurrend]

I think I'm going to leave you two to talk about this.

[Prying and teasing is one thing; but Nepeta can tell when something's serious. She's just going to look away from this thread for now.]

[aim_exorable]

...Ah.

[That's right, the SFC is on. Darkleer looks at it a bit warily before nodding to Mindfang. He won't address her other points.]

Mindfang, if you could...?

[o8liter8]

[ Mindfang nods, and quietly turns it off. ]

[aim_exorable]

Thank you.

[Sighing, Darkleer pushes himself up to his feet and removes his glasses. Ruined. He'll have to get another pair.]

...I did not mean to make you feel like that. I know you're no animal and no troll's slave.

[o8liter8]

You're really good at doing things you didn't mean to.

[ Just. Huddles in a corner, trying (a bit less than successfully) to tell herself he's not a threat invading her space. She doesn't even know him anymore, does she? ]

...I guess I'm. Sorry about your glasses. I know you don't like, y'know. People seeing your whole face.

[aim_exorable]

...I suppose I am.

[Not one of his better traits, this is true. Normally, he'd toss the shattered thing away, but, well. He doesn't want to litter. Doesn't want to leave anything behind that she would despise.]

It's... nothing to be concerned about. I knew something would get broken coming to this place. You appear to be settling in well.

[o8liter8]

[ He won't take the glasses off, stays closed off to her. She sighs. ]

What else am I supposed to do? I'm trapped here like anyone else. You want to know how I'm doing, Chiron? It's awful. I'm going stir crazy being stuck in one place. Everyone knows things about me and expects things from me, and I have no idea what to do about it. Everyone's talking about how amazing I am for things I haven't even done! And, yeah, that's great and all, I won't say no to a little well-deserved adoration, but- that's not me right now. I don't even know the expectations I'm living up to, and I hate having people expect things from me when they don't even know me!

So I'm holed up in this ship with a bunch of rowdy drunken ghosts for company and people banging down my door to say hi or have a quick fuck or adopt me as their new ancestor, what the fuck, and I'd like to be anywhere but here, I want to set sail and go somewhere, anywhere, but I can't. Stuck like a bug on a pin.

Yeah, I'm settling in great. Everything's fine.

[aim_exorable]

[Everything is not fine.]

[Darkleer makes no attempt at conversation for a moment, just quiet as can be. He can't quite relate, not really. Yes, Equius admired him, even after he realized what lead to his exile, but..]

Have you been to the island?

[o8liter8]

No. I'd still be just as stuck up there, right? Yeah, nothing I like more than sniffing every corner of my cage.

[aim_exorable]

Come here. Please?

[He holds his hand out to her.]

[o8liter8]

[ It's a very difficult thing he's asking of her, when he just tried to tie her down. But she looks at his hand and tells herself it's till Chiron. Still the kid who carried her around the woods and made her breakfast and fussed fussed fussed over her.

It's a hard thing to believe. He's changed so much. But, hesitantly, she scoots in a bit closer, and closer, her eyes watching him closely for any sudden moves. ]

[aim_exorable]

[You should know better than that, Mindfang. This is still the same troll who was able to sit for hours and hours in the forest, just watching animals pass him by and plants grow and wither. He knows how to be very very still and quiet, and that's what he does right now.]

[o8liter8]

[ Slowly, painfully slowly, she relaxes enough to move in close. ]

...Say something, already, you're freaking me out.

[aim_exorable]

I'm waiting for you.

[There, four words. Good enough, yes?]

[o8liter8]

Waiting for me to do what? I'm right in front of your nose.

[ Leans in, peering up into his eyes. ]

[aim_exorable]

Take my hand.

[Another exasperated sigh. Why are you so difficult, Mindfang?]

[o8liter8]

[ She regards it warily, not sure she should. What if he's just setting her at ease to take her down, what if he's lying, what if what if what if-

She gently rests her palm on his. ]

[aim_exorable]

[Slowly, he lets his fingers curl over hers.]

Less ghosts on the island. Less people now, as well, and this planet's sun doesn't burn.

It'll be an interesting experience, if nothing else.

[o8liter8]

Oh? What, you promising me a sightseeing tour now?

Forget it. You wouldn't even bother with breakfast. Nowhere's going to be particularly better than here anyway.

[aim_exorable]

I'm not taking you on a tour.

[So much explanation. You could fall down all this explanation.]

[o8liter8]

Fine. Whatever. Don't care.

[ who wanted to go with you anyway!!! certainly not this spidertroll, nope. ]

[aim_exorable]

Apathy is generally an indication of agreement, so good.

[He has you by the hand, remember, Mindfang?]

[Also, now swinging you up into his arms, bridal style. If trolls knew what brides were.]

[o8liter8]

WHAT THE FUCK?!

[ skdfalksdjfdjs flails!! ]

[aim_exorable]

[Casually deals with the flailing to his face!]

Please stop that. Or at least remove my glasses and throw them in the nearest trash bin you see while your hands are there.