troll problems

[sufferist]

Who: The Sufferer and the Disciple
Where: Somewhere shitty in Los Angeles
When: The morning of March 6th
What: Di tracks down where Signless is staying, and manages to catch up with him because he let himself get stabbed by Karkat like an asshole.
Warnings: Signless being a freak.


It was intended to be a TRIDENT safe house - the kind of place that someone could run to hide in for a few days before escaping to somewhere better. Not much more than a figurative hole in the ground, that's all it was prepared for. Living in it long term, for most people, would have been a deeply unsatisfying experience.

Not so much for this troll. Not when he was still getting his head around the idea of having to do things like eat and sleep still, not when his default action upon having nothing to do was to sit around feeling directionlessly angry and stare into space. Not when he was in the mental state where he had yet to even consider washing off the hand prints and droplets of his own blood the walls or the floor.

It was a few days back that he had allowed the younger troll to attack him, and now he's having a hard time remembering why he thought it was a reasonable idea. Probably because nothing he thinks about these days is especially reasonable.

He'd thrown the bloodied clothing in the corner and ignored it, and until today he hasn't gone out much at all. He's felt confused and disconnected since meeting his descendant, and it was only last evening he remembered that he needed to eat, and that restless feeling that he was disobeying his orders by being so inactive got to him.

He's just sort of drifting off in a corner when an unusual spike of emotion nearby gets his attention. He opens his eyes, but stays where he is, waiting for signs of a threat.

Comments

[scribes]

There wasn't a single thing about this that was not sincere.

It's when she realizes that, that something in Disciple breaks. With that realization, she feels like she has been torn open more than any claws, or any sword, or any scythe could. For a few seconds longer she still tries to bargain, to argue that perhaps this person is just convinced they are the Signless, which is why they are so heartfelt but denial had run its course, and she knew how utterly stupid that was.

Why the hell was this happening? Why could they not have left Signless the peace he deserved? Had he not suffered enough already? No. The answer to that was very obvious. It was still for the exact reason she had suspected earlier--to try and weaken the resolve of the Sufferists by losing their hero but the questions and anger came all the same.

"How can you say that? I know! I know what they did to you. Terrible, loathsome indescribable things but!" Now she was the one who stepped forward, face flushing green, especially around her eyes, "But change is still possible! Didn't you say it yourself? Didn't you have your visions? I would never want anyone to be forced to fight for those visions, especially not you, especially not after what you've been through but to fight against it? Why, Signless?" Her voice broke at the end, and Di hated herself for it but it was taking all her willpower to beat down that anguish that now filled her and not cry.

[sufferist]

He pulls back as she comes forward this time, reluctance hidden behind a defensive posture. His eyes level on her critically - even if he couldn't feel her emotions instinctively, he could hear it in her voice. He knows what the sound of that pain should mean to him.

But he doesn't feel anything. Everything else is consumed by the aching fire inside of him, leaving nothing in its place.

"And now you believe me?" he asks, ignoring her questions. Mostly because he doesn't have the words to answer them.

[scribes]

For a moment everything about her seems to deflate when he deflects the questions like that.

"I do." She gathers herself up again, refusing to quit that easily.

"Signless. Please. Come back with me. Let us talk more. I promise I won't make you do anything you don't want but there's got to be another way." She extended a hand out to him, pleading.

[sufferist]

It's as if that reminds him of what is actually happening - he's not just talking to his ex-lover, he's talking to an enemy. As she extends a pleading hand, he meets it by lashing out with his staff, the end shifting to the shape of a spear as he presses it close.

"I should kill you," he hisses. It could sound like a threat, but it's more like he's stating a fact. Like he's trying to keep himself together.

[scribes]

Her hand jerks back and she looks at him, unsurprised, but hurt nonetheless. She never would have thought that Signless would look at anyone like that, much less her, and yet here they are.

"Would that make you happy? What that make things better?" It's not an offer. Simply a genuine question. She wants to understand what is going through his mind.

[sufferist]

He snarls at that question as if it were a physical threat. He needs to go, he decides. His hiding spot has been found out, and there is nothing more to do here. He needs to get back in and get out and leave.

"It has nothing to do with you!" he shouts, shoving her back with a sudden splash of blood-like aura and then dashing for the entrance of the building.

[scribes]

She stumbled back at the forth of the strange substance, but managed to keep her feet. When gathered herself and saw that Signless was making a run for it she quickly took chase.

"Wait! Signless--Geshua, don't go!"

[sufferist]

Not having the time to fuck around with keys, he breaks open the door instead of unlocking it. He makes a dash for the stairs, to get up to the second level where his hiding hole is, but when it becomes obvious that she's pursuing he turns on her in the stairwell. He wards her back with his spear.

"I am not here for you," he snarls. "You will not stand in my way."

[scribes]

She raced after him, and was running up the stairwell when he turned around. She jerks back at the sudden change and almost falls backwards but her arm shoots out to grab ahold of the bannister just in time.

Di looked up at him, looking so lost. She was far from close to giving up on him, but for the moment with the revelation fresh in mind it was hard to hold herself together. And he, as he was, would clearly not be open or receptive to anything she had to say.

She swallowed the knot in her throat and gave a nod of acknowledgment. "I'll go, Geshua. For now." She wasn't done here, and she was certain they'd meet again. Either by her finding him, or whenever he decided to take his actions against Karkat. She stepped slowly, backwards down the steps till she reached the bottom and she lingered there, a part of her hoping against all that he would stop her.

[sufferist]

His stare on her lingers as she turns to leave, though it isn't clear if it's out of hesitation or if he's simply considering attacking her again. In the end, he doesn't though. His eye follows her until she's just about out of sight, and then he dashes up the stairs to collect his things and go.

All he leaves behind are bloody hand prints and torn clothing.