(no subject)

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Who: Karkat and Signless, and then Karkat and Sollux
Where: Somewhere out of the way.
When: Around now, probably
What: Karkat tries to go meet up with his fugitive pal and gets intercepted by another fugitive
Warnings: Signless being weird & Karkat being rude, probably

Karkat's looking forward to getting to see Sollux again; it's been a while, and he's definitely emotional enough about it en route that he can definitively say that Sollux is his best friend, for the purposes of this meeting. He kind of wishes it didn't require a long bus ride followed by a long walk, but he's sure as hell not about to cut corners on that – they can't exactly just hang out at the mall or something, lest the authorities (or worse) catch wind of Sollux's presence. Karkat's kind of still worried that might still happen out here – but at least, he thinks, looking around the good ol' Abandoned Warehouse Zone, the inevitable shitshow that'd ensue wouldn't get as many people caught in the crossfire.

He's about halfway through the long walk now, a little bored with it but reminding himself that it beats the even longer blindfolded car ride that he had to put up with back when Sollux was in CONDOR custody...

Comments

[sufferist]

He doesn't have his scythe anymore, or his body armor, and that is fine. The weather is warm in Los Angeles, and he doesn't need the scythe to defend himself. For the most part, he's glad to have lost them, with a feeling like setting one's cocoon. He would not consider himself reborn in any sense of the word, but at least he's free of a few of the things dragging him down.

He's starved and exhausted, but he isn't paying enough attention to it to care. Since getting back into the city he's managed to find some clothes that aren't his prisoner's outfit from CONDOR, though they make him look like the hobo that he is.

He is still graceful, though, in his ability to move around the city. He finds Karkat easy to follow, like a bright and familiar beacon. It's easier now than it was before, and he doesn't know why.

He slides down the side of the building that he's been watching from, landing about ten paces behind his Descendant, watching silently. He came here with a purpose, but he's not sure he recalls what it was.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat's ears flick back before he's consciously aware anyone's behind him, but a moment or two later he frowns and turns around – only to literally yelp in surprise and take a few steps backwards before he gets a hold of himself. Once he has, though, although he does look wary, and worried, he seems angry and confused as much as anything else. "What the hell, dude?" he hisses, "What are you doing here?"

[sufferist]

Signless stares at him for a few moments longer in silence, and it isn't clear whether he is ignoring Karkat's demands or simply didn't hear him. He takes a step towards him, with a slow and almost dream-like gait.

Did Karkat know that he'd left CONDOR? He must have.

"I followed you," he says eventually.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat takes another step back to match, staring at him incredulously.

"Okay, obviously, why??" He glances around nervously, his ears flattening against his head. "You didn't change your mind about murder, right–"

[sufferist]

Signless can't remember if he ever did make up his mind about murder in any concrete sort of way, but he does know that's not why he came here. Karkat's anxiety is coming off of him in waves, and it's enough to bring Signless back to his senses.

The fact that he isn't here for violence is confusing his instincts.

"I...wanted to see you," he says. That sounds creepy but he is not self aware enough to acknowledge it.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

He relaxes, if just a little, because while that is creepy it doesn't sound particularly threatening in the actual bodily harm way, but he's still pretty clearly alarmed. "...Okay," he says, "okay," like he's trying to humour someone unpredictable, which, more or less, is the case. He swallows. "Are you... uh, are you okay?"

[sufferist]

Signless hesitates again, swallowing roughly. His gaze lowers to the pavement for a moment as he debates what to say.

"Did they tell you that I'd escaped?" he asks. He doesn't quite have an answer for Karkat's actual question.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

"...Yeah," says Karkat, looking uneasy. "... And, I mean, it's okay, I'm not gonna call the – the police or something." 'Police' isn't a word in Alternian; he says it in English, thinks of fishing for the Alternian equivalent, and then remembers that Signless speaks English anyway. He hesitates. "Are you... back with the Empire. Or what."

[sufferist]

Signless looks up, scanning the buildings around them like he's suddenly concerned that he's being watched. His frown deepens, looking increasingly troubled instead of just spacey.

"No. I just...ran away. I don't know why." Silence lingers for a few more moments before he manages to speak. "Would you prefer if I wasn't here?"

[10thingsihateaboutme]

He relaxes a little bit more, but that question gives him pause.

"... Where would you go, if you weren't here?"

[sufferist]

"CONDOR could have me again," he says, resignation thick in his voice. "It doesn't matter. I shouldn't...I shouldn't have left."

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat peers at him, curious and perplexed, although he still keeps his distance. "No, dude, look, it's fine," he holds up his hands, palms out, "I said I'm not gonna call them, I... I'm glad you're not dead or with the Empire or anything."

[sufferist]

Signless is quiet for a moment, his expression blank.

"I don't know what to do."

[10thingsihateaboutme]

After the Signless takes off Karkat has to take a minute or two to just stand there and process what the fuck just happened. He thinks it should perhaps feel like a load off his oxygen squeezers, knowing his probably-ancestor is both intact and okay – for a given value of okay - and also doesn't want to murder him, but there's an uncomfortable sense of responsibility lingering on his shoulders, like it's his problem to make sure this asshole doesn't die in a gutter somewhere or get himself arrested again, and also –

– and also he's supposed to be meeting Sollux, hell.

He swears under his breath, pulls his phone out and shoots off a hasty text – RUNNING LATE BUT I'LL BE THERE SOON – and then stuffs it back in his pocket and picks up his pace as he hurries the rest of the way to their designated meeting spot.

[nitrodamus]

Sollux has had his good days and his bad days since he arrived on Earth, and this is turning out to be one of the bad ones.

His mood has always been unpredictable, but in the wake of what's happened to him, it's become absolutely smothering. Some days it's almost like nothing is wrong. Then, he has days like this, where his friend being only a few minutes late has him expecting the worst.

What if this is a trap?

The thought comes suddenly, and with depressing earnesty. It's the kind of thoughts that creep up on him constantly, on the edges of sleep and in quiet moments. What if someone is going to take him again? What if he can't stop them?

He sees Karkat's message, but irrational fear keeps him from being able to answer. He just keeps looking at the message and pacing around, his psionic flickering in the air around him, until Karkat actually appears.

He stops suddenly and just stares at him, like he's waiting for some other shoe to drop.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat can tell something's up as soon as he catches sight of him; his ears perk up and he frowns, walking a little faster.

"Hey man," he says as he approaches – and it's kind of weird to be speaking to two people in a row in Alternian, usually when he catches up with Sollux it's the first time he's used his native language in weeks. "Dude. Hey. What's up?"

[nitrodamus]

Sollux blinks, and shakes his head a little. Focus, he reminds himself. Nothing is happening. Stop being crazy. His initial motions are a little stilted.

"Hey," he says, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "What were you doing?"

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat shrugs, grimaces, looks a little awkward, and then admits, "I kind of ran into my ancestor guy on the way over – I told you he got out of jail, right –?"

[nitrodamus]

"What?!" Sollux barks, that being not what he expected to hear at all. He knew that the Sufferer had escaped from CONDOR, but he is assuming the worst so far as him running into Karkat is concerned. "Where did he go? What the fuck happened?"

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat holds his hands up, almost startled by Sollux's reaction – although he knows it's not unreasonable. "No, dude, it's fine, chill out –! He's okay. I mean, he's not okay, but he shook off the brainwashing, he didn't try anything, he's just... kind of lost. He's messed up."

[nitrodamus]

Sollux's thoughts on that are mixed. On one hand, he can understand that this entire thing may have very well been set up against the other troll's will. On the other, the asshole tried to kill Karkat and kidnapped his friends.

Sollux can't risk that kind of shit, these days.

"Are you sure about that?" he says, with a sharp edge of skepticism. Trust is something that he has in short supply, these days.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

"I'm pretty fucking sure, dude," says Karkat, looking kind of dejected and awkward. "I mean... he, like... hugged me."

[nitrodamus]

Sollux blinks, his frown deepening.

"The fuck."

[10thingsihateaboutme]

"Like I said, he's messed up." He glances over his shoulder, frowning. "I think he wanted to make sure I was okay."

[nitrodamus]

The sharpest edges of Sollux's suspicion seem to wear away at that concept, though he still looks distinctively uncomfortable with the whole thing. His whole expression tightens, and he crosses his arms around his chest defensively.

"Well, are you okay?" he asks tensely.