Cherubplay

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"And that is precisely why this is a problem! You are furthering your own destruction with your own juvenile idleness!" How could they not find it in themselves to be angry, or at least willing to make a change? Tavros chalked it up to their self-imposed banishment to the Screechlands - the land may have been 'granted' to them, but it was not, by any means, forced to them. They could leave any time they so pleased, so long as they returned, and Tavros wrinkled his nose, "You both are too distant from the stark truth that your fellow trolls are suffering. Is this what you find, enjoyable? Sitting alone with tea, arguing with each other and never doing a single thing to change it?"

Vriska watched him, then burst into laughter, "Ye are fiery! I like that, lad, and that dress may compliment yer frame but that will not make me any more fond of ye." She suddenly grew serious, her twang in her words fading for the sake of making a point, "You spout these words but you are no more able to overthrow those Reds than the lot of us. Banishment? Poverty? Discrimination? Those words mean nothing to me. I am coldblooded and coldhearted, and I prefer things this way."

"That is a lie," He accused, "I am not here to pull up a fraud or con of any kind, and I am not merely, shouting words from the hilltops for the sake of enjoyment. Something must change. The homelessness and disease ridden outskirts of cities, that house the coldbloods has to change. The cities that are incredibly close to here reek of sadness, of desperation, and yet you both turn a blind eye while you play dress-up and teatime like a bunch of wrigglers! Frankly, I am disgusted with this lack, uh, of understanding of fellow trolls. Don't you wish for a true reason behind your bitterness? Do not go about complaining of your oppression or feigning indifference when you have not done a single thing to better your situation or take hold of the help presented to you. Otherwise known as Alice."

The Mad Hatter curled locks of her hair around a clawed finger, taking her time in contemplating his words. The boy had heart and spunk, and she could respect that, but what was she going to do with Diamonds? With Hearts? Diamonds were so well off, they may as well be yellows or browns or reds. But she had to admit, the disparity in classes was clearcut, and if an outsider had been able to see it so easily, surely she was not as blind to it as she projected. "Well, lad," She began, clearing her throat and striking up her accent once more, "Ye makes a valid point. And I haven't much else to do but entertain this sack a' shit for the rest of my days, so what the hell? I'll take my chances, which are quite good, I may add, and accompany you on this mindless journey. Ye seem less like the spineless jellyfish your daintiness projects."

2014-07-01 04:34:35
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The March Hare sat through this tirade and contemplated. He really had no stock in any of it as far as he was concerned. It might be nice to reinstate some trade-routes or something, and he came on land often enough... It might be worth it to be able to visit other places with more people and not be looked down upon as some fishy weirdo. Also how could he let his rival go alone with these two? She might get ideas.

The sea dweller sighed dramatically. "I suppose if she's willing to go on this venture with you I will too. Even though I DOUBT that, even if that fake pirate 'lass' has decent chances, we have much of any chance at all," this thought actually raised anger in his voice, "how do you expect them to take us seriously at all when they banish us to the seas and slaughter us when we're on land? They've murdered us for years until we didn't bother coming ashore anymore!" half stood leaning against the table, "and how many of his kind have you seen?" he stabbed a finger at Gamzee, "we've got the oceans! They've been on land this whole time; I thought they were extinct! That's the thanks they get for doing what they were good at and what they were hired to do by those stinking red bastards!" his hand smashed onto the table, clattering the china, "You think they won't just get rid of us and call that a solution? Can't complain about not being equal if we're all dead."

The March Hare breathed heavily as he leaned on the table, face a vivid violet, earfins and sharp shark-like teeth exposed menacingly. He eventually settled himself down from his outburst, sinking back into his chair and staring at the tablecloth, still gripping the table tightly, as if it was the only steady thing available.

2014-07-01 05:17:32
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He watched the display with practiced calm, his brows furrowed as he sipped his tea and tried to piece together what history he knew of Wonderland. There was often some kind of specific discrimination towards Gamzee, but he had never been given an answer as to what it was. The Mad Hatter rolled her eyes at the outburst, "Please do forgive our crying cuttlefish," She mocked, "He does so often fall into these tantrums."

"No, I understand where he is coming from," Tavros dismissed her, then looked to Gamzee briefly before he stood up and addressed the table as a whole. He was the self-imposed leader, it seemed, and he would take the responsibility quietly and without arrogance, "I am not asking that you barge into Undlegire and Starnette with blood on your thinkpans, nor do I request some violent uprising. There is a way to go about this, efficiently and with the least amount of conflict. Just allow me to do as I am instructed. Mostly." There was only so much he could go off of, but his feelings and his intuition had never been wrong before in conjunction with the solved riddles, so why stop now? "If we do not try to do something now, then I fear it will be too late."

"Here is the present course of action," He moved from the table to take his belongings, standing by them as he crossed his arms, "The four of us will be moving to Undlegire, and to approach whoever it is that is aligned with the Diamond kingdom. Before we depart, however, I urge you, March Hare and Mad Hatter, to gather whatever items you deem fit. Gamzee," His brown gaze focused on him, "We need to talk. Privately."

The Mad Hatter felt a vicious grin stretch onto her lips at the word 'privately', knowing that she would have liked to eavesdrop but, ultimately, would not if she had any hope of grabbing what she would need for the impending journey. It was strange how some random, delicate warmblood had managed to persuade her so easily - he truly must have been the real Alice if this was the case. She stood from her seat, downed the last of her tea, then disappeared into one of the dark buildings.

2014-07-01 05:28:39
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Slowly the March Hare also got up, moving to do as Tavros had instructed. He was always a little out of it after a fit of anger like that, and he'd be quiet for a while, something the Mad Hatter knew and had taken advantage of. He disappeared to gather his things, able to concentrate on that simple task and leave his mind a blank.

Gamzee followed Tavros to their bags, picking his up and sliding it on easily. He got a sense of trepidation from Tavros's tone, and was worried he'd done something the other hadn't liked. He hoped he was just over-thinking it. He figured that he'd have to give the other an explanation of the sea dweller's outburst, disturbing as some of that must have come off. He'd never put much thought into where other's of his blood might have been, figuring they were hiding as much as he always had. True, he'd only ever seen one other, but hadn't thought much of it, more concentrated on just surviving at that time.

He knew from when Tavros had started getting interested in Alice that he was going to have to explain the history of Wonderland more thoroughly. He had been avoiding it, as it wasn't pleasant, but now maybe he needed to know.

2014-07-01 05:42:36
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"Please explain to me what happened back there." He requested, voice soft and concerned, "Gamzee, there is plenty that I am unaware of, when it comes to Wonderland. There is a vast amount of history, uh, and little details and social stigmas that I am just ignorant to. I need to understand as much as I can before we reach Starnette. So please," Tavros found himself reaching out, grasping one of Gamzee's hands with his own, "Spare no detail."

He had heard bits and pieces about Gamzee, and saw the reactions of others when he was in public, but he had assumed it was just because of him being a lowblood in Wonderland. He was not sure just what else could be attached to his blood color that warranted such a response from Eridan, or what prompted Vriska to refer to his blood color as 'them.' There were feelings and fears attributed to something unknown to Tavros, and that made him uneasy.

2014-07-01 05:47:04
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Gamzee held his hand firmly, staring at his shoes. He sighed and sat on the ground, letting go of Tavros's hand regretfully and hugging his knees to his chest. "You may want to sit down Tavbro..." this was going to be much harder than he thought. "I...I don't want you to be scared of me, too. ...but...I guess maybe you already are..." he trailed off, remembering the episode from the night before. He charged into the history before he could put it off any longer and before Tavros could reply.

"The sea dwellers have mostly stayed to the oceans, even in the past, but they used to ship things and escort parties, armies and representatives and all that, over the oceans for whoever paid the most or whoever they were aligned to at the time. Once the red kingdom took over power for the most part the lost a lot of that business, and their reputation got taken down too. People thought of them as just pirates, and because the whole spade kingdom was powerful itself but not well organized, it was relegated to the low blooded tier. This let them be slaughtered if they stayed on land with not much complaint from much of anyone."

Gamzee took a breath and continued on. "The purple bloods were one of the loose groups that were part of the Spades; the only non-sea dwellers. From the most impartial histories they were nomadic tribes most of the time, moving around wherever they would. However, they were also known as the best fighters....they called them 'berserkers' sometimes, most of the time just barbarians. I guess historically they built up some sort of mad state where they'd partially lose themselves in a rage in battles, obliterating anyone who attacked them. There were some other mumbo jumbo I don't really know much about, some sort of super loud shout they'd do and little details..."

"But what he talked about with the hiring and the reds... during when there was a lot of fighting going on the purple bloods, like the sea dwellers, would essentially hire themselves out to different armies. They'd make money for themselves or their family and all they'd have to do is fight, which everyone knew they were all manner of devastating at...there were a number of accounts where the hired purple bloods were the last ones left on the battle field and the battle was decided by which of them was left standing, or less torn to shreds at the end if they ended up killing each other. It got so bad that they'd essentially just set up gladiator battles and see who won. There were so few resources because of all the fighting that that's all they could do to survive, and it just got worse for them after time because everyone was terrified at what they could do and just thought they were animals tearing each other apart like that. And at some point someone of the upper class decided they were too violent and needed to be eradicated, and so as soon as they were found they got killed for a long time. I was still young enough I could hide when they made the executions illegal."

Gamzee couldn't meet Tavros's eyes at the end, sure he'd not want to be his friend anymore after this. "So...purples are scary and shred everyone unfortunate enough to be in the way when they get mad. And it's all too easy to get them angry, stupid and animalistic as we supposedly are. That's what it's boiled down to now," Gamzee finished.

2014-07-01 06:19:08
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He sat down immediately, his knees nestled against the singular road as he watched Gamzee wordlessly. He had no idea that the same discrimination was pressed to the purplebloods here as they were in Alternia. Or at least, not to the vast extent to which Gamzee was describing. Shifting uncomfortably, Tavros leaned over and took Gamzee's hand again, smoothing his thumb over it as he nodded at his explanations.

"Listen," He began after a long silence, "I do not think any differently of you. Nor am I afraid of you. Violets of all shades, often received similar marks of disgrace. I have learned to be much more openminded than what society dictates," Tavros moved to stand, dusting off stray bits of sand from his dress and stockings, "I know you as more than your blood, and surely that is what matters between us, right? I, personally, am quite fond of the Gamzee I have come to know, whether he is a violet or a red."

2014-07-02 01:12:03
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He had glanced at Tavros's face, surprised and hopeful, when he had said he wasn't afraid. He stood when the petite copperblood did, and just nodded and blinked at his, still, friend. Gamzee just stood there gaping at him for a while, completely unprepared for this sort of reaction, somehow, even through all Tavros's previous kindness.

He figured he should probably do something other than stand there like a post. "Tav, I,..." his voice caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly, "...thanks!" His smile was bright and utterly happy, and he couldn't help but give Tavros a quick but solid hug. When he let go he rubbed at one slightly shining eye, beaming smile full of gratitude and relief. "Fuck, I don't even know what to say," he laughed softly.

2014-07-02 01:32:00
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The hug definitely caught him off guard, but Tavros wasn't about to let the opportunity pass him by. His arms circled Gamzee's middle to reciprocate, but all too swiftly, the contact was over. Still, the warmth in his chest couldn't be taken away by mere lack of physical contact, and Tavros returned the smile just as happily, "You do not have to say a word," He replied, their bodies still fairly close from the embrace as Tavros patted his shoulder comfortingly, "I understand, completely."

Vriska, having slung on a bag of her own full of belongings, strutted out to the table and called out, "Aye! Fakesprits or what have you! Are we all set to pull in the anchor and set sail?"

2014-07-02 01:42:37
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Eridan drifted out behind Vriska with his own bag, waiting there too, watching them. Apparently he was better enough to be as put together as the rest of them, just not as talkative and pompous as before. Something temporary, certainly.

Still laughing a little, Gamzee put an arm around Tavros's shoulders happily in another sort of half hug, turning to face the table with Tavros again. It was such a relief to know his friend, who he may have cared about a little extra, wasn't going to treat him like everyone else even knowing the history. "Yea, motherfucker we're all up and ready, keep your boots on," he called jovially.

2014-07-02 01:54:51
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So perhaps he nestled up against Gamzee's side a little more than necessary. But who was he to ignore some sweet affection? "Yes, yes, we are more than ready to go." Reluctantly, Tavros pulled from Gamzee's grasp to take his belongings and pull them into his back, then took out his map. He looked it over before figuring out which direction to go in, lips pursed some. It seemed it would take much longer to get into Undlegire than it did from the city to the Screechlands.

"These boots a' mine may find residence way up yer as-"

"Anyway!" Tavros began gleefully, eager to cease the continuation of the Hatter's talk, "We ought to get going. It, uh, is going to be quite a while until we get to Undlegire."

2014-07-02 02:22:12
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Tavros returning his affections only made Gamzee's smile more long lasting; it felt plastered to his face, ready to stay there indefinitely. When the smaller of the pair pulled away he shifted his pack to make it comfortable for the long walk, maintaining his typical position beside Tavros for the journey.

The Hatter's cut off threat flowed right over him, his only reaction to chuckle lightly.

The Hare nodded, stepping around the table onto the path to follow this Alice and his companion. He settled behind the other purple blooded troll, feeling a strange sense of solidarity, even if the other was acting a bit of a hopeful fool in his eyes at the moment.

2014-07-02 02:36:33
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Tavros began walking in the direction of Undlegire, the map in hand as he began to speak to Gamzee idly. The two got along wonderfully, only cementing the Hatter's suspicions of a relationship. The copperblood was not as coy with his flirting as he may have thought; the sweetness in his smiles, the gentle laughs and occasional pat to Gamzee's shoulder or chest were all indications that he wanted more than just a simple friendship.

She looked to Eridan, her boots lightly clicking against the stone of the road as she readjusted her pack, "Hatter," She started, her head tilted in inquiry, "Catfish got yer tongue? Where's the spark, the attitude? Don't tell me ye wish to look prim and proper for our Alice."

2014-07-02 02:40:32
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Eridan too, watched the pair, deep inside marveling at the way they got along so well. More shallowly he thought it foolishness but he was bitter. He didn't understand how the purple blood was so oblivious to the petite other's affectionate advances. Though, for his part, Gamzee did respond with equal fondness to Tavros, the smile which had once been so rare lighting up his face more and more for him. ...Maybe, thought the violet sea dweller, he wasn't so much oblivious as avoiding thinking about it, lest he get his hopes up.

"Fuck off, Hattie," he muttered. "I don't want to talk right now." He was still upset from earlier, and could only think darkly of what they were going to attempt to do. He didn't trust the abilities of Tavros as much as his kingdom compatriot.

2014-07-02 02:50:49
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"Now now, don't go spittin' yer scares and sads at me just because Alice here is chock full of red fer a /violet./" She was just quiet enough that only Eridan could hear her, and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her designed coat, Honestly, it was a bit terrifying - a tiny little thing like Tavros, under the mercy of someone like Gamzee? It was like something torn out of a horror novel. To appease Eridan's woes, but mostly entertain herself, Vriska strode up to Tavros and interrupted the flow of flirting between the two.

"So, Alice," She started, and watched as Tavros looked up at her curiously. Vriska, almost viciously, grinned down at him and smoothed some of his hair from his face with her clawed hand, "Such a delicate thing ye are."

Tavros blinked a bit, clueless, "Oh, I suppose. What are you getting at?"

"Nothing, nothing! Juuuuuuuust," The Hatter smoothed her fingertips over the curve of Tavros's cheek before making her way to his chin, giving it a little scratch that earned a pleased purr, "I'd hate to see somethin' happen to ye. Especially at the hands of someone rather..." She looked around for the right word, "Barbaric."

2014-07-02 19:34:01
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Gamzee frowned at her initial attentions, only getting more agitated as she continued. His frown turned into a glare at her tone and how outrageously familiar she was acting. His lips curled and he growled at what she was implying. "How dare you! I would never hurt Tavbro!" He wanted to shove her away from his friend; she was despicable. And how dare she touch him! Gamzee knew he was getting over protective and not helping his appearance by getting outwardly defensive, but he just couldn't give less of a shit about that. The Hatter was the worst, he decided, and she needed to back off before he actually acted his blood color.

Surprisingly enough, the Hare came forward, grabbing the Hatters hand and pulling her away a little. "Stop being a wench, Hattie." He let go of her as soon as she was away from them. "I'm not upset about that. You should let them be happy," he intoned quietly, retaking his place in the marching order as soon as things settled.

2014-07-02 20:00:08
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The Hatter scoffed, "Why, I never! 'S not like I said yer name, purple." But she quieted down as Eridan came forward and took her hand, pulling her back from her reasonably creepy advances. She was just having a spot of fun! Why was everyone suddenly ganging up on her like this?

That is, except Tavros.

He was kind and forgiving, and he didn't reprimand her for her touching, even if she did get a tad too close for comfort. "I was just playing around, Hare," Vriska protested, but she lowered her hand and huffed as she fell back into line with him, her mouth a tight line. "None of you lads like to play around, huh? Everyone except Alice."

"I do not want anyone feeling singled out or anything," Tavros was quick to defend, and he smiled apologetically back at Vriska, "Please, um. Try to understand where they are coming from, maybe?"

2014-07-02 20:06:12
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Gamzee was perfectly willing to be civil so long as she was, but he wouldn't stand her horrible behavior towards Tavros. He settled down immediately as soon as she was back in stride with Eridan, giving the other purple troll a barely perceptible nod in thanks.

Eridan, however, was feeling up to a squabble with Vriska. "Ha! She couldn't understand if she tried. Which she won't. All she cares about is herself," he said, slightly vicious. "You shouldn't let her get away with all that," he told Tavros. "She'll trod all over you! Just look how she mocks me with her piratey bullshit," he scoffed, crossing his arms and scowling as he followed, pointedly ignoring Vriska for the moment, however long that lasted.

2014-07-02 20:20:20
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"N-no, um, all this conflict is really un-"

"Fuck you, Hare! I wasn't out for anything /malicious./" She didn't need Tavros's sweetness or his tendency to make peace to try to fix what was happening between herself and Eridan. "If there's ever a problem between myself and Alice, then we will /gladly/ sort things out ourselves - without any of your input. Hopefully, /you/ can understand /that./" With a huff, she crossed her arms and lifted her nose, aggravated as she looked away.

Tavros sighed quietly and plopped his head against Gamzee's shoulder. The journey was going to be a long one, surely. If he had to deal with them bickering constantly, then nothing would ever get done! Besides, it didn't help that he looked like such a common wench like this; surely people would think something suspicious if they saw a copperblood with three lowbloods. And on top of that, his reaction to Vriska's scratching under his chin was much more pleased than he had intended - he, honestly, didn't even know that scratching there would feel so nice...Briefly, he imagined Gamzee doing the same to him, perhaps rubbing at the base of one horn to make this sounds even louder, but it was unlikely. Even if it wasn't necessarily sexual, -he inclined it to scratching a cat or dog behind the ears- it was still embarrassing and kind of private.

2014-07-02 20:30:01
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Gamzee put an arm around Tavros's shoulders when he put his head on his shoulder, leaving it there as they walked together. He was also wondering about the purr that had escaped Tavros, and wondered if he should try being more physically affectionate towards his companion more often and in different ways than just how they had been up till now. He had an urge for one such gesture now, and decided to give it a shot, hoping it would maybe cheer up Tavros as he seemed a little upset. He leaned over and gave him a gentle peck on the top of his head, nuzzling for only a second after before straightening up again. "I think they're all up and waxing black a little there, Tav," he muttered so only the intended recipient could hear, "nothin' much to get worried over, I don't think."

Behind them, Eridan was quite please with himself. He hadn't expected that much of a reaction from Vriska. He smiled a smug little smile as he kept ignoring her, feeling much better now than he had been. He kept ignoring her, hoping it would only bother her more if she wasn't able to get a rise out of him.

2014-07-02 20:47:04
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Rather than give in completely to Eridan's purposeful ignoring of her, Vriska growled a few insults to herself, though they were directed towards her kismesis - 'fishfaced idiot,' 'disgraceful piece of shit' and 'utter garbage on the bottom of Wonderland's shoe' were all but a few of the harsh words she used to describe them. They, however, were never to be uttered by anyone else, as she would be one of the first people to hack off someone's head should they step on her territory that way.

The affection dealt to him was not lost, and Tavros hooked an arm around Gamzee's waist, smiling some at the kiss to his hair. "I suppose so, yes," He agreed, though he had never been much of one for a black relationship. It had always seemed too rough and tumble for him, someone that, strangely, desired for gentleness and gradualness rather than the quick, violent spurts in kismesisstude. "I have never had much progress in dark relationships," He mused, "I suppose I am too, meek for it."

2014-07-02 20:53:52
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Her growled insults only pleased Eridan more, and he kept ignoring her, figuring she was hoping he would react in some way. Her friendliness with Tavros was partially what had gotten him out of his funk, as it had made him feel jealous that her attention was on someone else. The fact that she had started pissing off Gamzee only made it worse--he was afraid of her getting bored of him and if someone else was showing signs of edging in on her black quadrant...well, he couldn't let that happen. However he had understood that it was her fault the other purple was getting angry, so had directed his angst at his long time companion.

Gamzee hummed quietly with pleasure at Tavros holding him, relaxing as they kept walking. "I get you, Tavbro. Don't really think I'd be up for that sort of shit myself. This sort of thing is much better," he said fondly, giving Tavros's shoulders a squeeze and turning a gentle smile onto his friend. There was no denying his affections to himself anymore. And why bother? It was nice being with Tavros, and he didn't seem to mind, maybe even liked it. He'd let Tavros set their pace, though, if things were to go further than this affectionate friendship they had. He had no desire to rush things between them, and deeply enjoyed every small moment like this.

2014-07-02 21:09:27
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This sort of thing? Was Gamzee implying something, perhaps, redder? Tavros couldn't be entirely sure, so he shyly nodded and looked down, holding his map out so he could have something to do other than talk. He could feel his cheeks tinting brown from a blush, but he did not address it.

The journey was starting to edge towards darkness, the sun beginning to set and bathing the world in gold and choral pink. Tavros looked around themselves, wishing he could find someplace that was good for camp, but the sand of the Screechlands, and the outskirts of it, did not make for sturdy foundations. He looked over towards the vast sea to the left of them, his now booted feet stopping on the stone of the road. With a grin that grew on his face, he looked over at his companions, pulling his belongings off of him as he set to work on unlacing his footwear, "Let's go play in the water."

"Play in the water?" She parroted incredulously, a bit unsure if it would be safe; if a stray seadweller happened to catch a quick look at a copperblood like him, or even his scent, it could mean danger. Though, with some consideration, Vriska figured that another swift sweeping of the eyes would show a 'violent'blood, who would pose more of a threat than herself and Eridan combined. The Hatter sighed as Tavros shed his boots, then his stockings, and began edging towards the dark sea, which looked lighter than normal with the descending sun. Before she could tell him no, Tavros was already close to the water, hesitantly testing the temperature as he giggled at the coldness. It was moderately cold outside as it was, but it was significantly warmer here than in the previous city; he wasn't sure if it was because they were heading South on the map, or if it was because Wonderland was generally topsy turvy in all ways. Hiking the skirts of his dress up, he revealed a bit of skin as he eagerly waved his travelmates over, "Well? Come on, it will be fun!"

2014-07-02 21:36:16
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Gamzee had been checking the area as well for a good place to set up their tents when Tavros decided play was in order. He was quick to follow Tavros's lead, setting his pack next to the other and slipping out of shoes and socks, hitching his pant legs up firmly around lean thighs so they wouldn't fall down in the water. He grinned eagerly, stepping into the water with Tavros and giggling with him at the water's temperature. He'd never seen the ocean before today, and was intrigued by the large mass of water. He was also more than willing to play alongside Tavros, as their playtime the day before had gone spectacularly.

Eridan thought this was the best thing this Alice had said since they had met. He was perhaps even quicker to leave his bag on the sands, but actually discarded his clothes too, not giving a shit what the others thought of them as he striped down to his underwear. He ran at the water, splashing the two already playing in the shallows, as he got to the deeper parts and dove in. He didn't mind the cold and the water surrounding him made him feel even better than he had before. He swam around eagerly, keeping an eye out for any others of his kind and keeping an eye on the land dwellers he was traveling with too, so as not to get left behind if they decided to leave suddenly. He was also watching Vriska to make sure she didn't bother the other two, considering any interrupting he could do a part of his kismesitudinous duties to piss her off.

2014-07-02 22:06:30
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This was ludicrous and juvenile and Vriska was having no part in this. Marchie could have his fun diving in the freezing, unforgiving depths of the ocean, but she was coldblooded as they come and was not about to spend the next few hours trying to match the outside air temperature. So, she plopped her things onto the road and sat down, watching with mild amusement that she tried to hide. Alice was a total nutcase, but at least he was making her kismesis happy. The bastard.

Figuring that if anyone was going to be responsible, it would be her, Vriska soon stood and made her way to the water, her hand outstretched to Tavros. "Give it up, Alice," She declared, "Hand over what's in your pockets, lest the seawater ruin them in all yer playing."

Glad for her kindness, he beamed at her and rustled in the pocket of his apron, then handed over the map, his notes, and his gold coins, then thanked her as the Hatter resumed her seat on the road. Fuck water. Fuck sand. Fuck /playing./ She was a grown troll, she needn't play. Besides, it was no fun if she couldn't meddle, and Eridan would surely get on her case like the killjoy he was.

Tavros was, admittedly, a little shocked by the seadweller stripping so easily, but he didn't think much of it. This was his home, pretty much, and he could understand his wanting to be in touch with it. He wasn't too keen on getting any further in the water, as it was surely colder than the shallower waves he stuck to.

"I have never been in the ocean before," Tavros began, kicking his feet around and crouching occasionally to pick up shells and hold them in his palms, "I have never seen it, uh, either. I just wish it was warmer out," He peered up at Gamzee, "The Screechlands have awfully pretty beaches, huh?"

2014-07-02 22:18:16