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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...

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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.

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?"

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.

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–"

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.

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?"

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.

"...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."

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?"

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

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

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

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."

Edited 2014-11-04 20:44 (UTC)

Signless is quiet for a moment, his expression blank.

"I don't know what to do."

Karkat's ears droop, slowly.

"I ... what do you want to do?" he asks. He isn't very hopeful that the answer won't just be another 'I don't know'.

He wants to be dead again - that is his most prevailing feeling - but not out of suffering. He faced his end already, and in that wake of that he doesn't understand how he is supposed to have any purpose that isn't forced upon him. Life feels unnatural and claustrophobic.

"I don't want to do anything," he says quietly, staring at the ground. He doesn't really know why he came to his descendant with this. Desperation, perhaps. "I'm sorry."

That's kind of worse than 'I don't know'. Karkat's face falls a little, but he shakes his head.

"No – look, okay, I'm not going to pretend it's not a massive pain in my ass that you've just dumped yourself onto my leg shelf like a sad orphan barkbeast with emotional problems, because it's not like there's anywhere I can fucking take you, but..." He grimaces. "I want to help, okay."

He shakes his head a little, burying himself in his hobo-coat. The sentiment is nice, even if he doesn't quite get it.

"You don't have to take me anywhere," he says. "I just...wanted to know. What you wanted me to do."

"... What I want you to do?" He sounds surprised, and a little confused. "I... I want you to stay out of trouble and not get mind controlled or die," he says, frowning.

One would think that such demands would be obvious, but they don't feel that way to Signless at the moment. He looks up at Karkat for a few moments, searching. He would have expected something more along the lines of "go away" after all of this.

"Why do you want me to be alive?" he asks.

Karkat blinks. "Why would I want you to be dead?"

"Those are different things," he says quietly. "Even if you don't want me to die, specifically...what good am I, here?"

His brow furrows. "I shouldn't have to tell you that someone has to be useful to be worth keeping alive."

Edited 2014-11-08 00:23 (UTC)

"Perhaps you shouldn't," Signless says quietly, staring at the sidewalk. "But you do."

Life used to feel like it had more essential merit than it does now.

"Yeah well you don't have to be useful," says Karkat, folding his arms. "I mean, I don't exactly like you, but it's kind of... good to know you're there, or whatever." The last part is kind of an embarrassed mumble.

It's hard to imagine anyone liking him, he thinks. It's hard enough thinking that anyone would want him to be alive. He looks lost, trying to think about this. Eventually, it feels like a small part of him snaps, within.

"Why?" he asks, desperation showing in his eyes. "...Why? I hurt you. I wanted you dead."

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