Questions

[hurricanebomber]

WHO: Mainly Gamzee and Gokudera, but others are free to approach him too ^^
WHAT: Gokudera has some questions for the troll
WHERE: Corridor, Gamzee's room, cafeteria
WHEN: Backdated to shortly after Kanaya's post on the com
WARNING(S): The usual, swearing etc



Medic was gone, and it was Gamzeee who nailed the guy somehow..? Kanaya had been reluctant to talk about it so addressing the juggler directly was his only choice if he was to learn the full story on how it happened.

The other lives right across the hallway so Gokudera decides to just head over instead of using the com. ''Hey, it's me; open up'' he says after knocking a few times on Gamzee's door.

Comments

Of course not XD I like that Kan is wielding a chainsaw in her 'calm' icon

[hurricanebomber]

''Right.'' Back home his diet had mostly consisted of cup noodles (cheap and easily prepared) so food here is definitely more varied in his case. Still, he shares Kanaya's lack of enthusiasm in regards to food in general, sometimes skipping dinner altogether. ''It wouldn't kill them to give us something good every once in a while though, like sushi, or even pasta.''

Climbing the last set of stairs, he spots the entrance to the cafeteria up ahead. ''So you're done creating dresses for yourself?''

I shunt a lot of keywords onto that icon... xD

[tendtoenunciate]

"Yes, I'm likewise skeptical that a little generosity on their part would rip a hole in paradox space; though they certainly act that way at times."

She reached for the handle of the door as they arrived in front of it. "Pretty much. I'm working on one last piece, but it's not a particularly challenging one. I have nothing other than that to do except reread a work from my homeworld Gamzee actually scavenged from the library. So I'm drawing it out somewhat purposefully."

Lots of keywords sure are nice when we just have 15 icons :)

[hurricanebomber]

''Damn idiots'' the half-Italian snorts as he follows Kanaya into the room and heads over to the food area where he starts to fill up a plate with today's dish.

''I could always need a new t-shirt or two if you're really bored some time.'' He looks a bit surprised, impressed even, when Kanaya mentions the book Gamzee had located; finding any decent reading material in the dump of a library was quite the achievement after all. ''Nice. What's the titl..'' He stops himself just in time as he recalls how troll name books and tries to 'smoothly' alter the question slightly. ''..what's it about?'' Phrasing it like that would hopefully produce a short synopsis instead of the complicated flow of words he got the last time he asked her that question.

It lets us pretend we have variety! 8D

[tendtoenunciate]

His gambit is successful: "Rainbow drinkers and forbidden passion" is her crisp reply, accompanied by the clear clangs of her fork and knife finding their home on their plate. She's grateful for the opportunity, really, because Trollight is an even longer and more involved work than In Which An Otherwise Socially Isolated Greenblood.

Gokudera's request makes her stare at him with gently blinking yellow-orange eyes. "But I was under the impression you didn't have a consistent symbol of your own?" She referred reflexively to the sign theming that all the trolls put into great prominence - much like iridotyping, a rule that had carried over for the humans in her universe.

Indeed!

[hurricanebomber]

''I see.'' Not anything he'd be interested in. Well, not for the content anyway, but it could be worth a read in order to further study the troll language at some point.

''I don't, but having more than three shirts to choose from in the wardrobe would be nice.'' There's a thoughtful look on his face. ''I could use the symbol of my position, I guess.. I'll show you!''

He puts his plate on a nearby table and sits down before pulling out a pencil and a piece of folded paper from his pocket. Sliding on his reading glasses, he starts drawing something, completely disregarding food for now. Gokudera eventually decides that his work looks decent enough and shows Kanaya a symbol remotely resembling a whirlwind as he grins enthusiastically. ''This would definitely look cool on a t-shirt!''

[tendtoenunciate]

"I can't believe that the Belles of St. Trinians wear their symbol and you don't..." She murmurs that, not intending for him to hear, as she takes the paper from him and looks it over with approving appraisal. "Consider it done," she says, as she neatly folds it into sixteenths such that it will fit neatly into the rather small pocket of her own. "It's not like I have anything better to do.

"What have you been doing, anyway," is the new question she poses, putting her chin in her hand in the mode of preparation for an extended answer. "Did you ever finish that bow."

I hope it's alright that he heard her murmur? I'll edit if not!

[hurricanebomber]

Gokudera's hearing is quite good so he still manage to catch the gist of her mumbling. ''One of my rings sport that symbol, but those damn jerks have stolen it'' he grumbles and looks down at his hand, grin shifting into a frown in the blink of an eye; that particular piece of accessory is quite important to him. Kanaya's approval of his drawing cheers him up a bit however. ''Thanks.''

''I finished it'' he confirms and puts away his glasses. Well, with the help of a certain little colony, that is, but there was surely no need to mention that. ''It's definitely more primitive than my other bow, but it works. My original plan for it fell through..'' yes, he's still a bit annoyed with Gamzee for that ''but I've continued to practice my marksmanship; I'm sure it'll come in handy some day.'' Gokudera frowns. ''The old geezer is gone, but more crazy bastards will surely show up here at some point. I'm keeping my eyes on that loud newcomer for instance; people with two different eye-colors are usually up to no good. That, and he's an adult too.'' Good reasons to be skeptic, yup. ''I haven't been doing much else prior to being locked up besides teaching Eponine some stuff, and.. no, that's all.'' Blushing slightly, he starts concentrating on the previously neglected hamburger since he doesn't want to talk about the fact that he and Andrea have just started dating.

It's fine! Kanaya is actually awwwwwwful at keeping secrets XU

[tendtoenunciate]

Though Kanaya's face was cool with approval as he explained he did wear his sign ordinarily and was finished with his bow, she harshly frowned as soon as Gokudera implied he didn't trust Ragna. "I don't think Ragna's of quite the low quality I've come to expect from adults besides Willow," she pointed out. "And even if he were, heterochromia is absolutely no reason not to trust someone. One of my best friends back home had the condition; he was nothing if not noble and even self-sacrificing. Also my closest friend of all had seven pupils in one eye and one in the other, which is practically the same thing." She wouldn't speak against his distrust of adults, but.

[hurricanebomber]

He looks thoughtful when she mentions her friend with seven pupils; that's would certainly have been an interesting sight. ''You've gotten to know him somewhat? I hope you're right.. Maybe he's just annoying.'' Annoying because he arrived when he did, was loud, and ignored Gokudera's 'requests'.

''The one I know is anything but noble. Damn pineapple-head..'' Gokudera grimaces, and pauses to take a new bite of the hamburger. ''But whatever; I'm not going to hold it against this Ragna-guy if it's just a condition. He became pretty defensive when I asked him about it though..''

[tendtoenunciate]

"Mutants generally tend to be." It's a shame Kanaya doesn't actually understand in the slightest Gokudera's status as a "half-breed", or else she could draw that comparison. (And probably remark t herself that of course there's some terrible secret to Gokudera's genetics, as if she needed anything else to assure her of his serendipitious status as a substitute for her darling stuck-at-home leader.) "It's understandable, considering the fear they have of being culled." She takes quite a few delicate bites of her hamburger before it occurs to her to set it down and ask thoughtfully, "Is culling a thing for humans?"

The fact that he and Karkat have so much in common never fails to amuse me XD

[hurricanebomber]

''He should wear sunglasses or something if he's scared of that.'' Yes, Gokudera would probably have reacted in pretty much the same way Ragna did earlier if anyone called him a half-breed. Few people have commented on the fact that he looks European but has a Japanese last name during his stay in Carriero fortunately, and that suits him just fine. ''Culling is reserved for animals back on my planet.. It's common practice on Alternia? All trolls who aberrate from the norm are hunted down?''

How do you think *I* feel?! xDDD But, yeah, Karkat's a mutant, though the heterochromiac's Sollux.

[tendtoenunciate]

Her fangs cover smirking lips at that, because -- "How did you know he does?"

For a short silent while she simply eats her food, almost tearing it delicately, trying to figure out how to answer his question. She still doesn't know anything really about what "Japan" is, let alone how his name is characteristic of that region and his appearance of another Earth region entirely. His given name is six letters and his surname can be squished into that, which is more than enough for her.

"Oh, yes," she says eventually, though it really wasn't that long until she did. "You get culled for infirmity, chronic illness, breaking the law, old age... the list goes on. Some argued the system needed reform. Some might be right. Then again, some might have come from an incestuous brood that, left unchecked, would far exceed the replacement rate of expansion, so..." She trails off. She'd never really asked herself about culling too much back at home. A different question from much easier ethical murder. Complexities of legality and imperium were for other trolls.

Sorry for being such a slowpoke ^^;

[hurricanebomber]

''..he does? Che, he wasn't wearing any back then though.''

''That's harsh..'' Stabbing a piece of tomato with his fork, he looks thoughtful as he pops it into his mouth. ''Oh right, before I forget.. I know it seems unlikely right now, but there's still a chance of us being able to return back home eventually, and I'd like to keep in touch with you if we do so..'' His enthusiasm from before resurface as he pulls out a new folded piece of paper from his pocket and slide it across the table towards Kanaya with his free hand. ''This is my mail and phone number; I don't know if it'll work since we're most likely from different universes, but it's worth a try! ..these mediums are your main form for long-distance communication, right?'' He's perfectly willing to do crop circles etc if that's preferable.

What *is* his email anyway...

[tendtoenunciate]

"I meant the heterochromiac you haven't met."

She just stares at the piece of paper when she first receives it. The "phone number" concept is actually 100% foreign to her. But the email is easier to understand. Eventually on a spare part she writes in clear simple letters:

grimAuxiliatrix

"This is my trolltag. I should be able to contact you over Trollian under this name no matter what universe you happen to occupy. At least the humans - Strider and so on - were in a different universe from us trolls, but we were still able to message them."

Hmm... Let's go with righthandman59@hotmail.com XP

[hurricanebomber]

''Oh. Well, he's more sensible than spiky-head then.''

''Great!'' he nods, and squints a bit in order to read Kanaya's note since he doesn't bother to bring out his glasses again for such a short text. Her words were promising; being able to contact her, and perhaps a few of the previous inmates too, at a later stage sure was a nice possibility! Friends, potential partners for the Vongola, or even both in some cases.. Just think, aliens and mafia, working together.. So awesome~

He looks a bit out of it for a few seconds, but eventually snaps out of his daydreaming, his normal serious expression back in place. ''You can give my address to any of the other trolls too if they're interested.'' Even Eridan if that guy was still alive; he could always just block the idiot later on if he became too annoying.

Oh Gokudera... XDDD

[tendtoenunciate]

"Trollian technology is pretty powerful. I think we have a very good chance of making this work out." Gokudera might not be a hero per se in the cosmic schema Kanaya knew, but she could tell he was reliable, smart, strong, and maybe even powerful. She studies the scrap a little longer before putting it away and returning to her meal. She needs to get it all down.

He's such a dork at times XP The vending machine was fixed, right?

[hurricanebomber]

''I'm sure we will.'' It'd be so cool~ Well, if they did manage to get back home at some point, that was.. Forcing the depressing thought into the back of his mind, he eats the last piece of the burger; he couldn't afford to give up, especially not now that his mafia-alien dream was so close to being fulfilled!

It goes without saying that she gets points for being alien, but he also regards her in pretty much the same way she does him. All in all, he thinks highly of her, and has come to view her as friend by now.

He watches her eat for a while, but his craving for nicotine eventually becomes too strong so he searches his pockets only to realize that he's run out of cancer sticks. ''Damn.. I'm just going to grab something from the vending machine; I'll be right back.'' The teen rise from his chair and starts crossing the room to get to the aforementioned object.

Oh yeah, like, a day after it happened or two tops

[tendtoenunciate]

Not that Kanaya would necessarily classify membership in an Earth human mafia as one of her dreams... then again, the troll definition of dream was a unique one. Nevertheless she stays focused on her tedious quotidian task.as she watches him attend to his addiction with slight disapproval. She doesn't fully understand his dependence on the drug, and around the time he comes back she finally bothers to ask:

"What did lead you to your indulgence in that particular vice. I was under the impression that it was associated with human adulthood." This was actually also true - the only man she had ever seen smoke was the father of one of her home universe's humans, who did so with a pipe.

Effective!

[hurricanebomber]

''Convenience mainly.'' He lights up a cigarette and sit back down on a chair a bit further away from Kanaya so the smoke won't bother her. ''My original weapon are dynamites. Using a lighter to fire them up is the obvious choice, but then I can just toss 4 of them at the same time. Using a cigarette allows me to be twice as effective however since both my hands are free.''

The half-Italian takes a long drag; having a smoke right after a meal sure was satisfying. ''It's associated with adulthood since you're not allowed to buy them when you're below a certain age. These rules vary slightly depending on where you live in the world though; I'd be able to buy cigarettes legally in Italy now for instance since their limit is 16, but I still won't be allowed to purchase them in Japan until I'm 20.''

Now /here's/ some headcanon I feel comfortable divulging

[tendtoenunciate]

Her gray chin rests in her black-nail-polished hands as she continues to listen to him, meal mostly finished and entirely forgotten. "Fascinating. I never did find out much about how age functioned in your society... but those barriers sound similar enough to the 8 and 10 sweep ones I know." Though she's got the natural moderate physical irritation of someone unused to cigarette smoke, Kanaya doesn't actually judge him for comsumption of the drug she knows nothing about... too harshly.

The topic of age reminds her: "You know, even though I'm still 6, I think I'm at least 14 of your years old by now."

Good; wouldn't want to make you umcomfortable :D

[hurricanebomber]

''I see.. Gamzee once mentioned that trolls become dangerous when they reach a certain age, and have to leave Alternia.''

''Sounds about right.'' She had told him that she was thirteen when he first met her after all. ''The communicator claims that this is August so that means that I'll be turning 17 next month.. Heh; happy fuckin' birthday to me I suppose.'' He smiles grimly as he leans back in his chair and blows smoke into the air.

[tendtoenunciate]

"Something like that. Not that Alternia exists anymore, but." She crossed her arms, not very comfortable with either the memory of her homeworld's harsh military government or the knowledge of its ultimate destruction.

"So congratulations." She didn't bother alluding to her belief he would be close to entering the army at this age even on Earth. Why bother?

[hurricanebomber]

He regrets mentioning Alternia when he notice her change in mood, and has enough decency not to pursue the subject at least. Keeping quiet for a while, he focus on his cigarette instead, watching the tendrils of smoke dance through the air. Really, he had to cut down, or even quit, if he ever got back home, but for now he'd enjoy it.

True enough, most people his age would soon enter the military. Gokudera probably won't though, seeing as him and his friends back home are usually more centered on personal or mafia-related business rather than conflicts between countries, but who knows.

So maaaaaaybe this is winding down xD

[tendtoenunciate]

With her meal entirely abandoned at this point, Kanaya began to idly tap her nails in a vaguely patterned manner. "This entire situation is really a little stupid, isn't it." She closed her eyes to exhale (breathing this conditioned air; so mundane). "I've stopped even thinking about the hold the doctors are supposed to have over us. Belief itself is slowly losing meaning of any kind." Her previously fatalistic demeanor in a world driven by prophesy and the like was giving way to nihilism here.

Yeah XD I guess we should try to wrap it up soon

[hurricanebomber]

''It is'' he snorts. ''They rarely do anything after all; the fuckin' creeps probably just sit in front of their monitors all day long and observe us.'' His eyes take a quick sweep of the room, wondering just how many hidden cameras there are in the asylum; the feeling of being watched all the time was disturbing, sure, but he doesn't really think about it so often after being locked up for such a long time. ''Just.. don't give up; we'll find a way out of here somehow.'' His words lack the conviction they once had, but he has to keep telling himself this.