OPEN LOG

[nitrodamus]

Who: Sollux and ANYONE.
Where: Around downtown Los Angeles, whoops.
When: Twilight on January 28th.
What: Karkat makes the mistake of leaving Sollux alone in the TB dormitories, which results in Sollux fuguing out and having a wander and upsetting a lot of people.
Warnings: Mental trauma and probably references to body horror.

It's so loud in the empty dorms that it wakes Sollux up. Karkat isn't there, and he doesn't know how long it's been since he left. He doesn't even think about it. He doesn't care - reality outside of the present is only a faint glimmer in the back of his mind.

The voices in his head are loud and clear. The voices of the dead and the dying. They were more frightening before, when their deaths had been imminent and unavoidable. Now they just linger like pedestrians waiting to catch their ride out of town.

The light looks dimmer than before, outside. Night. He decides he wants to leave.

Sollux leaves the Trailblazer dormitories without thinking to put shoes on, and wanders without direction. His appearance and identity as a troll are unconcealed, with him wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and jeans. The metal plugs and machinery built into the back of his skull is fully visible, and for once, he isn't thinking about it. As is the metal collar around his neck. He's decided that he's going to go somewhere, and do something, and he doesn't know what.

His ears flick at sounds that remind something in his ancestral subconscious of prey. Humans who see him on the street react negatively, and when he shows minimal or defensive response, they become afraid. Alternians are never especially welcome, but with one acting like this, they have no reason to believe he's actually a citizen. Especially when the only language he uses are threateningly insectoid hisses and clicks that resonate unfamiliarly from his throat.

Comments

[nitrodamus]

While Sollux understands the word help, it doesn't really mean anything to him in that context. He shoves at Kid with his hands, wavering on his feet and starting to back into the street. Where the cars are.

[justkiding]

Kid falls back, taking a step towards Sollux before seeing he's heading towards the street. He stops immediately. It was bad enough having such a powerful test subject die the first time. If he found him now only to cause his death for reals, this whole thing would have been completely pointless.

"Not hurt."

He says, stepping back, his hands up in front of him to show his lack of weapon.

[nitrodamus]

"Go, don't like!" he hisses in heavily accented English, a shrill buzz rising in his throat and tapering into a long trill. He wavers forward, and then back again. He hears wheels down the road from him, and his ear flicks upward.

He shrieks at the car as it screeches to a stop in front of him, blaring its horn. The headlights blind his sensitive eyes, and he withdraws, trying to shield himself.

[justkiding]

And he honestly doesn't know what to do. Using the freeze ray now would probably just lead to the yellowblood getting hit by a car with no way to defend himself. On the other hand, if he stays in the street while Kid jus stands there he might get hit anyway. He huffs under his breath in annoyance. What a dumbass! Why would he just back up into traffic? It was a good thing TRIDENT wasn't interested in him for his intelligence.

He reaches for his freeze ray, getting it ready just in case he needs it, but otherwise for the moment stands still and watches, waiting to see if they troll would recover on his own.

[nitrodamus]

The troll recovers, in a sense. As the woman in the driver's seat stares with wide eyes, Sollux whines and turns to run down the street, away from the cars and away from the child that's following him, in a panicked and clumsy gait.

The woman pops open her door to Kid.

"Are you okay?" she asks. "Was that a troll?"