Cherubplay

🌀
"Not specifically for myself, no. Though I do have a Very Important Mission to accomplish. And some extra coin to do it with. I've been given leave to get ingredients for another dessert sort of thing, and a suggestion of chocolate with some sort of fruit... personally I favor berries, so I thought I might see if anything wasn't too expensive. That and cocoa if we can find it... and maybe some normal stuff to melt? Bakers stuff... I'm probably getting too excited about this."

He purred at the attention. "Maybe a fishtail, do you like those?" he got that it was a seadwelling joke, and giggled along. "Though maybe a french? or just a mermaid if you like it loose with something going down the middle to keep just the front back." He paused, giving some time between subject matter. "Maybe I like it when you pull some," he was still smirking. "And if you like doing it then what's the harm?"

"But it was simply horrible! Being so colorist, with no provocation whatsoever!" She looked quizzically at Tavros. "Why would it have been problematic? Surely if I am to someday be queen, I must interact with my citizenry, and make sure that the higher classes are not making trouble for innocent civilians just because they can. It would be horrible if I did nothing about such a thing!" Her mouth pouted a little; she wanted a kingdom that was fair and just; the little she had already been told had solidified this desire and she wanted to make better what was wrong.

2014-08-31 00:38:49
●
"Good gracious," She plucked up flour and eggs and milk, wondering just what Karkat and Gamzee would create, "It seems something delectable is in the works! We can stop by one of the bakeries and see what they have and if anything is up to your standards." Kanaya figured that they may as well roam - there were so many different foods and items to pick up. Had she had more faith in the justice system, she could have told Karkat that they should split up and cover more ground, but she did not have high hopes for success.

"Aye, you are so frisky!" She playfully hit his shoulder, putting down the comb as she sat down beside him. "Are you not sated with a bit of tenderness, you insatiable hound?" Vriska laughed, giving him a tiny tug to his hair, "I am afraid I am not as good at this as I used to be. Perhaps I need to practice?"

"It would have just brought much more attention," He explained, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck, "Indeed, you ought to interact with your citizens, but, uh, there was already a crowd beginning to form, and if people saw you approaching us with that man around..." He could already picture the absolute carnage that would occur should the princess get involved. The situation would probably diffuse quicker, but he mostly wanted some time with Gamzee at the party alone.

2014-08-31 01:05:33
🌀
"Knowing our chef it will probably be surprisingly fancy, even out of ordinary seeming ingredients. I don't know how he's so creative with food, but then again I suppose he's had to be to keep from eating the same shit all the time. Maybe it's just me not having eaten anything good in a long time, but his cooking is spectacular. I feel a little guilty actually, but I guess he likes feeding all of us. It will be terrible to go back to normal food..." he had no intention of leaving Kanaya's side even if they wouldn't get in trouble by themselves. He tugged gently on her sleeve, almost like a child, as he saw some bushels of berries and went over to them, looking over the different kinds. He asked over the blackberries and raspberries first, and then the strawberries to determine pricing.

Eridan laughed at her accusations as violet lightly dusted his cheeks in a shade of lilac at the small tug. "Now who's frisky? he asked, turning back so he could give her a small kiss. "Maybe you do need some practice. Maybe I need some too?" He put a hand comfortably on her waist and looked up at her with a smile.

Aradia thought about all of this. "I suppose... I hope there were not a lot of instances like that? It is really unfortunate what we are taught from such a young age. You," she glanced at Gamzee, "and your seadwelling companion are not at all what they try and tell us all... I do hope I'm not just making assumptions? But I have always wondered whether such a large spectrum could be all that awful. I am not so naive as to think that all highbloods are so good as they like to think." Though Aradia didn't know the true extent of things, she'd witnessed the shallow behavior of some courtesans and the pompous nature of the police trolls.

2014-08-31 01:43:32
●
"No, no, it is not just you! I have dined on various dishes, but those that Gamzee created are second to none," Kanaya watched him go off to the berries, paying for her items and placing them strategically in her tote as she perused the store. She was thinking of purchasing something for Sollux to thank him for all his help thus far and what he would do in the future.

She grinned, "Certainly not me! I am simply complying to a request," Vriska defended, mischievously nipping at his neck, "How romantic. Intimacy in front of the fire. I doubt you need practice, Marchie," Her hand trailed up again, giving a quick, sharp tug to his hair, "You always did know my sweet spots."

Tavros nodded curtly, "There will always be bad apples in the bunch, that is inevitable. But you are right to wonder and be skeptical of this flawed system," He murmured, hoping that other highbloods were not listening in on them, "It is silly to think that blood color is something that should separate us. We are all trolls, we, uh, all have horns and gray skin and claws, and we ought to be together as one race instead of separated by hue."

2014-08-31 02:07:20
🌀
"I'm glad it is not just me!" he responded to Kanaya over his shoulder, paying for a carton of each and returning to her side. Why not go all out? It wasn't every sweep one attempted to overthrow a government. He watched Kanaya and thought his romance senses were tingling. "Does Sollux like any food in particular? Any sort of flavors?"

"Pff, complying..." Eridan almost gasped at the tug at his hair. "Hmm, but maybe you have different red ones, huh?" He asked, scratching lightly under her jaw, turning more toward her. "Nice of you to say, though, Hattie." He pressed their lips together almost teasingly.

Aradia smiled. "I am glad we feel the same way. I always wondered what the more mixed cities were like, but from what you said they are rather awful. I had hoped they were a little less... separated. But it doesn't sound like they are really any better than here." She took a contemplative sip of her tea. "I don't think my mother altogether shares my sentiments," she murmured. "She looks so disdainful sometimes."

2014-08-31 02:33:34
●
She jumped some when he suddenly spoke to her, the current item in her hands, a box of honey cookies, and she turned, a jade blush dusting her cheeks as she glanced away, "Um. He is fond of honey. He is the finicky sort, you know, he gravitates towards the same sorts of foods. Honey, blueberries, and there are these flower petals that he likes to use in his tea and water. A special type that grows in heavily forested areas but, as you can imagine, it is difficult for him to get those flowers here without the use of magic, which only makes them more expensive." And less special when he drank things alone, "He also likes red meat plenty, but he hardly knows how to cook it."

Not one to take teasing lightly, Vriska nipped playfully at his lips, running her fingers through his freshly combed hair and soothing over the places she pulled. "We may just have to test that hypothesis, yes?" She smiled, "Let's see if my black spots are the same as my red ones."

"I am afraid not, the mixed cities appear to have very clear classes in them, just like the spectrum as a whole." Tavros wished he could have shown what he experienced in Tulgey City, but perhaps his word could be taken? The last thing he wanted was for people to think that he was defending lowbloods simply because his matesprit was a violetblood. At least Aradia seemed to be on his side already, though, that made his job so much easier, especially since he had long since forgotten the game plan for the tea time, "What is she like, if you do not mind me asking?"

2014-08-31 02:52:11
🌀
He smiled, somewhat inspired. "We ought to get some honey, then. Maybe Gamzee can find those flowers where he lives? It might make for a nice present after everything, if you know the name of them you aught to tell him, or just about them and he can ask Sollux. But with honey... and maybe some blueberries... OH I bet that would work... Now we have to get those two things, I got an idea," Karkat beamed, looking around for a jar of honey for their host. "We should all spoil him a little, huh?"

"Mmm, yes, I suppose we will," he muttered, moving his lips over her neck and nipping lightly at favored spots around her neck and collarbone, running nails lightly down her back and side as he did so, looking for the best spots and seeing if she liked them just as much in the lighter, tender red way rather than the black.

"Well..." Aradia thought about her mother with a little frown, "increasingly she has become more distant, blocking me off more from places... or at least that is how I feel. When I was younger it always seemed like she maybe was around more, or perhaps that was only because I had the maids attending me. She's very serious, and, ... I do not know how to describe it, hard? Set in her ways?"

2014-08-31 03:16:21
●
Kanaya, truthfully, could not remember the names of the flowers, as Sollux hadn't had them all too often lately. She could, however, remember what they looked like, and would probably sketch something quickly for Gamzee to see, just in case he knew of the flowers at all. "Just the barest amount," She joked, though there was a tiny bit of truth to that - Sollux would deeply appreciate the kindness on his part, but if it was too much, he would feel uncomfortable and likely recede into himself. He was such a picky, fickle person, but Kanaya adored his attention to detail and the specific way in which he wanted things to be done. The eye for order was something shared between the two of them, more him than her, though. "I have checked, there is not any honey here, just these cookies," She explained, having paid for them since they were so cheap and placing them into the tote, "But let's get all the items that we actually need first. As wonderful as spoiling my moirail would be, he is kind of expecting most everything on this list."

She was still, trying to figure out if she was deriving pleasure from any of his touching but it just did not seem to be doing it for her like it used to. Vriska sighed, pulling away, "Nope, nothing," She felt odd, like she was suddenly not herself because she was not reacting positively to the attention dealt to her. "This does not feel good, rather strange, actually. I did not realize that kismesistude and matespritship was so different..."

He thought that her being on the throne for so long and being relatively unopposed with what she enforced made her steadfast in that regard, and while he normally would have admired a willing spirit in that way, it did not help him in the slightest, "Likely due to her keeping the extent of the discrimination away from you," Tavros mused with a nibble to his tea cake, "Oh! Do you know anything of, uh, an older language, perhaps? The White Rabbit gave me these coins when I first arrived, along with this map, and it is kind of a pain to translate them. Also, I am not sure if there will be some items to this that I am just socially unaware of, or if it is another riddle on these coins, which would make it all the more frustrating and time consuming."

2014-08-31 05:07:31
🌀
Karkat thought all of that over. “Yea, of course! Necessaries first.” They could of course be subtle about the attention. Karkat remembered on of the sections of the book on honey cakes and other sorts of tea items, and thought that it would be a good dessert, even with some additional blueberries perhaps as a light filling or topping. He was kind of excited to at least pose the idea to their chef troll, who he was sure would jump at the chance to try making something new. Certainly the flowers, if Gamzee knew what they were, would be an eventual treat that he’d love incorporating into dishes. “I think this needs some planning still, anyways, so if we don’t find any it’s not a big deal.”

Eridan backed off, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. “I suppose we will both have to learn each other again. It is like something completely new for both of us!” Eridan caught on something in her tone, and her expression of the strangeness of it worried him so he was partially trying to cheer her some. “Why don’t we start from the usual start of things?” he asked tenderly, smiling some as he kissed the side of her mouth, pulling her close to his side before nuzzling their noses together.

Aradia looked over the coins, frowning at the unfamiliar symbols. “I’m sorry, I didn’t learn this in classes or with any of my tutors... It looks very old, though. A lot of old things were destroyed sweeps and sweeps ago. We were told it was because they were blasphemous or something like that, and went against our way of life...” she looked up at Tavros worriedly as she handed the coins back. “You don’t think that’s because of the same sort of... censorship... she’s been having done with me? Keeping me away from how the government is really run?”

2014-08-31 05:43:52
●
"Righto then, let's move on," The shopping didn't take long once Kanaya understood where she was going. Her tote was quickly filling, and she had to separate things accordingly; cold things in Karkat's bag, room temperature things in her own, which made hers heavier but she didn't mind. The shopping was nearly done, and she stood in the heart of the city, a gust of wind blowing by that ruffled her skirt and her hair, list in hand, "We have just one more item left to go: blood. You needn't come into the shop with me if you would prefer not to," She smiled sheepishly, "Shade Shops are not exactly, ah...friendly looking places, since they usually sell a variety lf otherwise sketchy things."

Vriska inched away from him, not sure if she felt the romantic mood anymore, "I dunno, Eridan. This is still very new to me, to the point that I am at a loss," Vriska heaved a sigh, "This is infuriating! Red romance is so difficult!"

He nodded gravely, taking the coins back from her and slipping them back into his pocket, "I believe so. Please, uh. Do not take this the wrong way, but," Tavros smiled somewhat shyly, hoping he did not offend her, "Your citizens and you both suffer from massive ignorance. I do not think anyone is intentionally horrible, aside from the government workers and policetrolls. I mean, if you had seen some of the things, Sollux had access to..."

2014-08-31 06:12:51
🌀
“You know, I lived in a tunnel. I think it won’t bother me all that much. I’d really rather not get separated anyways.” He was fine with following her wherever, confident she knew what she was doing. She needed to get this stuff on a regular basis anyways, and he wasn’t about to be bothered by her blood drinking. It was silly to get bothered by something like that. It didn’t affect him at all and likely never would. He didn’t understand how people had a problem with the rainbowdrinkers; so long as they were as courteous as any other troll, there was no need to think that they would drink from anyone who was not willing, or any blood source other than a donor. Of course if they were denied what they needed who could blame them for being testy when their lives were at stake?

“Okay.” He let her go and flopped in front of the fire on his back to relax. “It is very different, I think you just have to let yourself go with the feelings more, there is less control with how they go, but they can be much more relaxing once the flow is picked up on...” he mused from his minor understanding of the different relationships. “Oh, I was going to braid your hair. Would you still like me to?” he asked, taking up the comb and ready to sit up again.

At first her face turned quite sad, and she looked away into her teacup for a long moment. When she looked back up she was determined. “I must learn, I must know! And so must everyone. If horrible things are going on to deprive people of basic trollian rights, well,” she looked into her tea leaves for words again, “then I must play a part to fight against them. I cannot in good conscience allow such events to continue. You must... both of you, /all/ of you, must help me to understand.” She made sure that Tavros would understand the honesty and urgency of her tone though she made it quiet so that no one else could hear them.

2014-08-31 06:38:39
●
Karkat /did/ have a valid point, but she never wanted to make him feel uncomfortable or any place that was dark and enclosing, like a tunnel. "Ah. Well. You are right," She gestured him on as she made her way into a store nestled into a building that had a wooden sign hanging above it that read: Shade Shop. Inside, it was dark and smelled of vanilla and mint, courtesy of several different candles. The walls of the store were lined with engraved wooden shelves that held all manner of things: potions in ornate glass bottles, containers of items for spells, like serpent scales and sage, and, in a small amount towards the right side, black bottles with various colors of twine tied around them. A young woman, a copper, stood behind the counter in the middle of the back of the room, her hair decorated with golden clips to keep her bangs back. She dressed in a mixture of red and brown, her dress looking more like a robe of some kind, her eyes gently outlined with black to highlight the lighter brown hue of them. "Good afternoon, Ms. Maryam," She greeted, her voice with distinct accent, depicting her origin of some other place in Wonderland. Kanaya smiled, dipping her head once rather than the formal curtsy, "Hello, it is nice to see you, Borina."

The woman, Borina, peered past her, her array of golden earrings glinting in the dim light, "Who is that with you? His aura, it is...passionate, yes."

"Yes, thank you." It would take her mind off the fact that her kismesistude self and her matespritship self were two entirely different beings, it seemed. It made her feel as though she didn't know herself that well, and that, of course, was cause for some awkward inward tension. She pulled away from him a bit so he could have access to her hair, her hands raising to smooth her bangs.

"Yes, of course," He smiled, placing a hand on hers across the table, "And I am honored to have someone like you, so devoted to assisting every troll. there is not much we can do, uh, at the moment, as we are without a plan completely, but I think that I will have to decode these coins somehow and see what, um, the others have come up with when Gamzee and I return." Pulling away, he sipped his tea, trying to remain lighthearted, "Your determination is lovely, and I am glad that you are so passionate; I still do not know what, exactly, will happen to Wonderland's government, but if you are the leader, or one of them, I do not fear the future."

2014-08-31 15:59:15
🌀
It was nice to see a troll who was friendly with Kanaya when compared to the yellowblooded brute of an officer from earlier. The shop wasn't nearly as sketchy as Karkat expected from Kanaya's hesitance, and the candle smells definitely perked up the atmosphere. He looked around curiously until he was noticed, then turned back toward her as he edged out from behind Kanaya a little ways. He bowed shortly and introduced himself. "I think that's a pretty accurate assessment. I'm Karkat Vantas. A pleasure to meet you."

Eridan sat cross legged behind her, running the comb through the ends and working his way up rather than just yanking it though like he'd been taught by the girls under the sea. She had so much hair that it took a while for him to get all of it tamed and smoothed, but quickly enough he started braiding. He started with a french braid style on her head, making the sections short so when he turned it into a fishtail style at the end it would mesh better. He was quite dexterous with his fingers so it didn't take as long as it could have, and also turned out impeccably. "There, what do you think?"

The princess smiled a little, and nodded, pouring herself some more tea. "That is comforting of you to say, I hope I will be a good leader... we ought to come up with some way to meet if we need to. Once you do have a plan, I bet I could be useful. I don't know how easy it will be to come over to the apartment you're staying at, but I could try."

2014-08-31 18:04:58
●
"I am Borina, as you heard. The town is in a tizzy because of you, Mr. Vantas. Many of my customers are questioning the Queen's rule," She hummed, moving to the rolling ladder attached to one of the shelves as she climbed atop it, "Half navy half teal today?"

Kanaya nodded, though she did seem interested in the Queen's rule part, "Yes, and a quarter bottle of, let's see...a third brown and two red. What is this about questioning the Queen?"

"Just speculation," She waved her hand, plucking the bottles of Kanaya's request and nimbly hopping down the ladder, "They say, 'Borina, there is a red higher than the Queen! Does the Queen still rule, then?' I say it is all relative," The copper handed the bottles over as Kanaya, who paid the proper amount but lingered for conversation, "I am originally from the other side of Wonderland, and you can scarcely feel her talons. Here, everyone is thrown into concern. The people give her power, yes? Should we all find something else to put our passions to, what will she do? A Queen cannot fight a country," Borina shrugged, "But that is not my place, of course."

Even though Vriska had much more hair than Eridan, she usually did nothing particularly special to it, despite liking the styles. She became too easily frustrated with her mistakes in hairstyles and would normally just pull it into a bun or ponytail or simple braid. The more ornate braids and the like she had a seadweller do for her, as patience was not her strong suit for something repetitive. When the braid was done, she pulled it over her shoulder to look it over, but she knew it would be as flawless as always, "Good work, Marchie."

Tavros let out a hum, glancing to Gamzee in case he had a suggestion before speaking, "Well...if you can avoid any issues in coming to the apartment, do try! But I believe it should be, uh, a last resort. We should avoid any suspicion if we can." He tapped his chin, thinking. "Maybe we can keep going out for tea? I may be able to pass, uh, notes through our dearest Chief Architect."

2014-08-31 20:53:18
🌀
Her words gave Karkat some hope that a switch would be accepted, even if it was on the basis of the hemospectrum, which he thought was completely stupid and missing the point entirely, though he couldn't expect people to get that right away. Especially not when they'd been brainwashed and sheltered their entire lives. Borina also made him curious with a different part of her speech. "What is it like, on the other side of Wonderland, if you don't mind me asking. Do trolls care about the hemospectrum as much as they do here?" He wondered if it was possible that places further away would revert to something kinder and more equivalent, or if it was just as bad.

He grinned at the compliment, and moved around in front of her again. Her hesitance from early bothered him some... he was worried she'd get too put off by the differences and call the whole thing off before it was really even begun. So for this reason he lay on his back and looked up at her, using his own forearm for a pillow and not touching her, content to simply spend time. "I wouldn't mind doing your hair more often if you wanted. I like making the braids, and I can't really do that with my own, can I?"

Aradia frowned. "I will not try, then. I think it is too likely that I would be followed 'for my own good' as it were... though I do not see the Cheif Architect that often, so I think him suddenly being closer would also be suspicious. Tea is fine, but I do not think you want to see me everyday, lest that also garner too much attention."

Gamzee had been glancing around looking for something specific after the mention of sending notes. There was something he had seen done in Tulgey City that he had noticed on one occasion in Starnette, though obviously it was dressed up much fancier. Surely if they just used a plain one.... ah, he found a group. "What about a coo-beast, Tavros?" he asked, indicating a group of pigeons off a little ways pecking in the garden gravel. They were rather colorful things, obviously allowed around the garden for their plumage and pleasing cooing sounds.

"But the trained birds are always so flashy, much more dressed up than those ordinary ones over there. Surely someone would notice one of the trained ones coming to me. It would be different if it were just a regular pigeon..." Aradia said with a sigh. The idea had been good but obviously wouldn't work. Gamzee just smiled at her doubt and looked at Tavros knowingly.

2014-08-31 22:13:44
●
The brownblood tapped her chin with her painted nails, letting out an 'ehh.' "It is rural out there, mostly. Everyone works too hard to give much care for blood. We farm and fish and use magic to assist us. The seadwellers and gill-y purples and the like fish for us, the landwellers farm for them. The lowbloods and mids hunt and pick, the highbloods are blacksmiths, makers of clothing and shoes and potion producers, like myself. There is disparity, somewhat, but it is welcome because we all started from the same place, no? The community rears the individual, no one person or caste is left dragging their horns in the dust. There were pockets of problems, though," She flicked her ears, sighing as she remembered, "The Smoke Sweeps brought upon much sadness. The cities were hit first, then the towns out in the fields and the mountains. They burned less and pillaged more," Her nose wrinkled, "They must have thought we were all just illiterate morons! Breaking into houses and stealing away men and women to ship them overseas, to the humans on their, ah, how you say, 'black market.' If anything, our country is falling apart. West and East cannot agree, and the East is in shambles because of their own hemospectrum, and the West is quickly disbanding back to the East because the West's government workers are stomping it into the ground! Ah, it drives me insane! You know why I left? To escape being sold into slavery across the ocean! I would not come here, to the West, if I thought I could help it, but all our maps and books were burned to pitiful ashes."

Kanaya, having never known the extent to which Wonderland was breaking apart, placed a hand over Borina's, who turned her hand over to squeeze hers, "Oh, my poor little dove, I am so sorry! We will tell Alice, we will do everything in our power to patch things up, one bit at a time."

She looked down at him, her legs crossed as she leaned back on her elbows, "You could grow it out and have a luscious mane," Vriska grinned, starting to ease back into her usual teasing, "Imagine how beautiful those locks will look underwater as you swim with the fish, eh?"

"A coo-beast is brilliant!" He grinned, clapping his hands once as he looked at the pigeons in excitable glee, "You needn't worry, Princess, very rarely do our plans go awry. A coo-beast, and, uh, birds in general, are easy to communicate with if you have the advantage in doing so." He peered over at the birds and, after a couple of moments, one of them fluttered over and cooed around Tavros's feet. He did not commune with more than one for fear of attracting the wrong attention and sully their plans before they even started, "Do not fret, communicating with you from now on will be much simpler thanks to Gamzee's idea."

2014-08-31 23:04:05
🌀
The determination Karkat felt to rework Wonderland only solidified with Borina's account of things in far away places. It was heartening to know some places at least did not put much stock into the hemospectrum, but the shipping of trolls over seas away from their homes and families was terrifying news.

"Thank you for telling us all that. It cannot be allowed to continue... we really must fix things as soon as possible, this is completely ridiculous!" It had been bad enough before; this only made things even more infuriating. How could this be allowed to go on, in any governmental system? Karkat thought. It was despicable. His urge to travel only grew, so that further places could be affected by the central change they would set up quicker. He calmed himself from his small outburst; she had certainly been correct about his passionate nature. "If we can do something, we will. And I for one dearly hope we can."

Eridan laughed boisterously at the image. "Oh absolutely not! I would look terrible, I cannot see myself with long hair. Anyway, the inbetween stages from short to long would look hideous, I couldn't be patient enough to go through it. You are just going to have to put up with my occasional playing."

The princess was speechless for a few moments as she watched the spectacle. "It is so friendly with you! You can really communicate with them? That is so fascinating!" She watched with interest as the little bird hopped around so close to Tavros, remembering to only glance subtly. She was smiling with the secretive nature of things; it was exciting to be in on something like this. "Since you can do that, it should work splendidly."

2014-08-31 23:41:01
●
"Even the smallest of kind gestures is thanked a thousand times over," Borina gave a short bow, which Kanaya returned, gesturing for Karkat to follow her as she readjusted items in her tote. "This is much more dire than I had ever anticipated," She murmured, melancholy at the news that her friend divulged, "Slavery? Black markets? It is so heinous that is difficult to believe but I know it has to be the truth."

"Unfortunately," Vriska groaned dramatically, plopping onto her back and stretching her arms above her head as she tilted her head some to gaze into the fire. "I am going you such a favor, allowing you to play with my hair. Not just /anyone/ gets to touch, you know!"

He nodded, finishing up his tea and the last of his cake as he sat back, satisfied with his little snack as he beamed at the princess, "Yes, everything will go smoothly, I believe. Is there anything else you want to know? I am sure that I could get to you, uh, any explanations that you would like later if it comes to that."

2014-09-01 00:48:43
🌀
"I concur, it is horrific. It's good we know, though, so we can deal with that to, when the time comes. I hope what Sollux is digging up helps with some planning, and maybe Alice has something else to help us along. I hope their tea is going alright..." all the worries suddenly flooded him all at once and he got a little anxious. "Let's hurry home, unless you want to stay out longer? I don't mind either way." He didn't know if he could find his way back to the apartment or anywhere quite yet, so he would have to rely on Kanaya to know which way to go.

"And I am ever so thankful, dearest. What would I do without you?" he sighed, stretching some before attempting to relax to the state of sleep. He wouldn't mind a nap, and Kanaya wouldn't fuss about him lying on the floor since she was gone. It wasn't that he was bothered that much by her fussing he just didn't want to stress her out with even more mothering.

"Oh, I think I have plenty to think over," Aradia said, sipping at her second cup. She'd finished her cake a while ago and was in the mood to mull things over. "Anyways, I would not want to take up too much of your time! You have so many important things to accomplish, after all!" she smiled brightly.

2014-09-01 01:03:32
●
"No, no, I would much rather get back into the safety of the apartment. We had better get those meats and milk in the icebox," Kanaya hurried on then, making her way into the familiar complex, up the elevator and into the apartment. Sollux had returned by then, a subordinate having assisted him in taking up heavy books and scrolls into his home. The worker lifted his hat to Karkat and Kanaya as he passed them to leave, Vriska still in her spot on the floor and looking to make no real movements to sit in any furniture.

He put his hands on his hips, looking as though he was already exhausted, "Good, you two have returned. We've got quite a lot to go through," He gestured to all the text, "It shouldn't take /too/ long with all of us working diligently. Here, give me this," He pulled Kanaya's tote from her shoulder, moving towards the kitchen, "Shopping was fine, right?"

Kanaya wrinkled her nose, "Um. More or less. Karkat and I heard some disturbing things."

"Yes, you are right, we should head back now and see what we can get done," He slipped out of his seat, smoothing out any wrinkles in his skirt as he curtsied deeply to Aradia, "Thank you so much for having us out today! I look forward to, uh, interacting with you in the future."

2014-09-01 03:56:43
🌀
The cherry blood followed close all the way home, and then went into the kitchen with Sollux to put things away. "Yea, things about the east? Like, apparently there are trolls sold over seas in black markets. Just stolen from their homes and subverted for whatever sick fucker wants to enslave them. Horrible shit. Just one more thing to look into fixing, eh? We've got our work cut out for us."

Eridan had actually drifted off into slumber but when there was more activity he roused some from his nap. "Vris?" he asked at first, looking over at her. "Everyone back?" He looked around, not seeing either Gamzee or Tavros. "How long have those two been out now?" he asked Vriska a bit sleepily.

The princess curtsied too, as Tavros did the same and Gamzee bowed. "It was lovely to see you again! I hope to speak again, too. I do look forward to any messages!" she winked and moved away, the guards automatically surrounding her as she moved back toward the castle, talking to all of them easily.

Gamzee waited until they were further away before turning to go, taking Tavros's hand in his own again. "So, home again, home again?" he smiled happily. Bravely he gave Tavros a peck on his forehead. He wanted to do more, but was worried about others chastising him for being affectionate to a highblood. It was upsetting, not being able to show how much he loved Tavros in public just because of what people thought. It was frustrating not being able to show how much he cared when other's could. But that, he told himself, was not as important as the state of the world. His personal feelings would just have to wait.

2014-09-01 04:23:20
●
He scowled, "This is the first I'm hearing of it! Who's up to this bullshit anyway?" Unsurprisingly, Sollux was only subjected to immediately domestic matters, and he knew little to nothing about the East and the problems there. "...Maybe you should hold out on relaying that information to Tavros. He has good intentions but his eagerness can be troublesome. I've noticed that he likes to sully his hands with every issue he can wrap his fingers around and he's barely got a grasp on the West's problems. He doesn't take realism very well from what I can tell - it'd be better to keep him in the dark until we're established with whatever the fuck we're supposed to be doing with the government."

"Not everyone," Vriska looked down at him, watching as Kanaya looked over the books and determined they were in chronological order, the first items being that of old language laws from the first Alice, "Alice and Gamzee are still out, have been for, maybe a couple hours?" The jade sighed, calling to Sollux, "No one can read the older items, Sollux, it is all Old Script!"

He rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself as he left the kitchen, "That woman." The yellowblood crossed his arms as he glared at her, and Kanaya only returned it before he answered, "Alice's map is in old script as well. We can translate with the letters already translated on his notes. It'll be tedious work but it has to get done."

Chirping happily at the kiss, he placed one of his own against one of his favorite spots, his shoulder, as they walked. "We can, if you would like! I kind of, uh, wanted to spend more time outside." Tavros smiled, a touch embarrassed, "I like the city and all, but when it is so overpowering like this, I just wish I was in Tulgey someplace. They have a park here, somewhere."

2014-09-01 14:31:10
🌀
Eridan fiddled with his fingers on his chest, pulling at some of the fabric ends absently. "I hope they get back soon. I don't like when they're away, especially not when there are crazy people liable to shoot them out there," he muttered to Vriska, lips frowning and eyebrows furrowed with worry.

The words "Old Script" attracted Karkat over to the table where the books were with a gravitational force. As he moved he responded to Sollux, "yea, I figured the same, I wasn't about to tell him until the time was better...." by the time he'd finished talking he was staring intensely at the books, picking up the first of the volumes almost reverently. "I thought they'd burned them all..." he murmured, flipping to the first couple pages. His face lit up with a smile as he plopped into a seat, reading avidly for a few minutes before looking up, having to focus for a moment he'd been so quickly absorbed.

"I can read these. I haven't seen the old writing for a while! They used to give me books in it until they figured out I could actually read them. Then they started throwing that new garbage at me in an attempt at brainwashing, I guess. I ended up using it as a exercise in transcription to keep from getting too bored."

"I know how you feel, it's stifling." Gamzee was at first excited for some more outside time with Tavros until he remembered, "and I'd love to," he muttered with a frown, "but I dunno if we're too safe with the princess gone now."

2014-09-01 17:08:38
●
She patted his chest, mimicking his frown, "Same here. It makes me uneasy. And it's not like we can go after them, either." That would just place more suspicion on them, and they all needed to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Kanaya and Sollux watched him curiously, trying to figure out just what he was doing. The yellowblood assumed he was just inquisitive and wished to know what Old Script looked like, but when it became apparent that he could actually read the older items, he felt some tension ease from his shoulders.

"This cuts our work by a half, at least," He said with a sigh of relief, "If Tavros can read a bit of it, we'll set him to work on it, too. For now, let's get started with the newer things," He sat on the couch beside Kanaya and divided the newer legislation into two piles: one for Vriska and Eridan, and one for himself and Kanaya. The coffee table also had a thick stack of paper, seven clipboards, four inkwells and seven quills, ensuring that they could all write notes about the laws and the like.

"Do you think we are still in a lot of danger, even in broad daylight?" He questioned curiously, stopping in his walking. They were nearly at the complex by then, but Tavros wondered if it would be too difficult to be outside, even know. He knew at least two people were after Gamzee and Eridan, but only to upset them so they could have a reason to kill either of them. Tavros was not too sure about the specifics of his own assassination attempts, but could it really be so bad if he was outside, around so many people with the sun shining? "Let's just try, huh? Just, uh, a little while, fifteen minutes out, twenty, tops. We know now the tactics on trying to kill you so we can avoid them, and I do not think anyone would come after me when there are so many others out and about and with no real form of concealment."

2014-09-01 17:26:20
🌀
Sitting up, ready for a descent distraction, Eridan picked up two clipboards, documents, quills and one inkwell, settling next to Vriska and handing her half of the items with the inkwell between them. First thing to do was write down which piece of legislation he had so they could keep track of what was what in their notes. He started reading through the document, noting anything important in his tight formal-looking handwriting.

The mutant stayed where he had sat at the table, working on the book he'd picked up. He was churning through quickly, enjoying the task a surprising amount. There was a lot to write too, and he filled a sheet quickly with small neat writing. Unlike Eridan's more loopy style, his had a lot more straight lines and a no nonsense efficient look to it. His brows were furrowed in concentration though there was a small smile at the edges of his mouth.

"Well, if you feel alright about it," Gamzee conceded. The daylight wouldn't stop anyone trying to off him, he knew, but if it would stop Tavros's attackers that was what was important to him. Certainly whoever would try and piss him off would not get too into it with Tavros around. "A walk would be nice." Just in case he kept his ears and eyes open for anyone or anything suspicious. Sollux had mentioned an elaborate tattoo, so that was something he looked out for, as well as strange glints from any projectiles that might be aimed at his matesprit. He hoped he was being paranoid but didn't want to take the risk.

2014-09-01 17:50:21