Cherubplay

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Karkat was ruminating in an almost perched position on his bed. With one arm over his tucked up knees and feet on the edge of the mattress he could have looked ready to spring if he hadn't been obviously relaxed and thoughtful. He knew what Gamzee's course of action was, and it certainly wasn't going to be sitting in his hotel room moping. Even if the guy looked like a sad clown without face paint, the indigo wasn't going to let himself think about it and get depressed. Tavros would be back soon enough.

So while Sollux paced and wrote plans, and Karkat sat and contemplated, Gamzee was already out of the hotel and with his grandmother. They looked over her business contract, and she had kept up the part his father had been involved in with some baking and coffee. There wasn't much of a hassle then, since it was already in her rights to sell those things along with her books. However, he was beyond caring all that much about it. There didn't seem to be that much time to keep it up. But, in need of something to keep his mind free of clutter, he started anyway. Cupcakes turned out to be pretty easy, and he could vary the flavors without much extra work. Decorating was something else, but he made it simple. They weren't much of a distraction for long, though, so he moved on to what his father had been famous for: pie. There were tins for making smaller 'personal' pies, so that seemed like a good bet. Searching through his father's old recipe book ended up having consequences, though.

The phone rang in Sollux and Karkat's room, and the mutant jumped at the sudden intrusion into his thought pattern. Quickly picking it up, he had hardly time for a hello before he was being filled in. Then set the receiver down. "Uh, I'm going down to the Sphinx, I guess," Karkat mumbled, throwing on shoes and a jacket again.

2015-02-20 17:08:19
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Of course, Sollux wanted to know why he was rushing off to the Sphinx already, and the confusion was clear in his expression with furrowed brows and a narrowing of eyes. "And for what reason?" He questioned, "Did something happen? Should I come along with you?"

2015-02-21 03:14:39
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"Um, I guess you don't really need to? Gamzee's just... well. Apparently his dad left little notes for him in his old cookbooks. And his grandma would help but she's sort of busy running the shop? So, moirail duties call." Karkat shrugged and got the rest of the way ready before picking up a key and heading out, waiting for Sollux if he wanted to join him.

2015-02-21 03:19:10
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Rial, despite its circular structure, did not have a ring designated strictly for refugees or immigrants. Instead, there were various apartment buildings that were much cheaper than usual to help those that did not have much to begin with. There was the option to help pay for utilities and the like to work off the money owed, but it was a fair trade and a booming business. The whole purpose of these buildings was to integrate these people into their new environment; if they were not afraid of the world around them and had some stability, normalcy would become their reality.

These buildings were filled to the brim; slave trade had only increased in the West, and broken families or friends rushed to open ports or shoddy boats to escape. Many of these people were unable to provide for themselves the proper care, arriving in an array of medical issues or states, and many needing care the moment they appeared. Thus, the apartment buildings, located in random spots throughout the city, held people of all walks of life and all blood colors, all attempting to rear children or make a modest living for themselves.

In one such building, perhaps only a block from Gamzee's grandmother's home, a couple new members sat on stoop. A short seadweller lad, barely over ten sweeps, stood beside a plump androgynous teal that had a mask over their mouth. The teal coughed occasionally, and the seadweller would flinch, then pat their back comfortingly. A slim woman with a wriggler came by, her dress tattered and presumably ripped to make a makeshift bandage for the wriggler's side. She greeted them pleasantly, remarking that she had the oddest craving for something sweet.

2015-03-07 19:00:06
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Even if it was relatively nice it still looked a bit hellish with everyone in such states. Karkat wondered how Sollux was taking the sights here. Sure he hadn't always lived in his cozy apartment, but perhaps he had grown used to the overly lavish town. For himself he was infuriated at his lack of skills. He couldn't doctor these people without or with magic, which they obviously needed. The only thing he could do anymore was read and cook some things, and it made him furious.

Though he had stayed behind to bake, Gamze had thought ahead and given them the first batch of cupcakes he'd made. The stupid indigo had too big of a heart for his own good, Karkat had told him. It had led to a miniature and mostly one-sided argument where Gamzee calmly refuted Karkat's worries and eventually calmed him down. There was a lot of that going on that day, it seemed. Still, Karkat wasn't so sure Gamzee should be just so freely using what little he had in the way of money to care for people with hardly more then he had. But the purple had pointed out that he had more than they did since he had two homes now, and that seemed pretty rich to him. When they had left the shop he had a funny look on his face as if he were up to something.

Taking the lid off the top of the large box, Karkat handed the woman one of Gamzee's cakes. He asked if the wriggler was alright or needed better care as he wrangled the container to see if the two on the stoop wanted a snack as well.

2015-03-07 20:27:17
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The woman, readjusting her wriggler, could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the cupcake. It had been months since she had eaten anything other than some kind of dried fruit or potato, and the look of absolute graciousness was evident in her eyes. "Thank you so much," Came her first reply, but at the mention of her wriggler, she appeared more solemn, her thin hair waved about her face tiredly, "My baby suffered a cut in transit," She muttered, "Something minor, I had thought. We were traveling through the mountains, you see, to get to this nicer port in Eastern territory. Sad thing is, I've reason to believe he may have an infection..." She took a tiny bite of her cupcake, a soft smile pricked with tears, "But, he will be alright now, won't he? In Rial. Away from those humans."

"Not alla those humans are so dastardly," Came the voice of the seadweller on the stoop, who thanked Karkat from the bottom of his bloodpusher for his generosity as he first pulled the mask down from the teal's mouth. She was badly burned on the left side of her mouth, but she managed a tiny smile as she ate her cupcake. "One a' those pale-haired ones, with mutant eyes. He saved Hareau without the battin' of an eyelash. All that fire and he went in when the rest a' us were quiverin' in our boots!"

2015-03-07 20:44:15
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"Humans have mutants?" was the first thing that caught Karkat's attention when the seadweller talked. Besides for pale hair. Who the hell had pale hair? "We heard there was a group of humans who were opposing the slavers. Where were you when that happened?" Maybe they could go near there and learn something about them if they were still there. Though they did have a clue to that already, it wouldn't hurt to look for extra information.

While his ears were distracted with listening to he seadweller and teal's tale, he dug in his pocket for that container of ointment Gamzee always had in a pocket. He'd wanted to shove a lot of shit on Karkat when they'd left, but the mutant had insisted he not stretch himself too thin by trying to do everything at once, no matter how much he needed a distraction. Of course his Grandmother wasn't really helping Karkat, instead enabling Gamzee and his altruism.

"Here, try putting some of this on the cut. My friend made it, he's pretty good at this sort of thing. It ought to stave off any additional infection and help fight anything already there..." He looked over at the teal critically. "He might have something for you, too. Have none of you been able to seek medical assistance here?"

2015-03-07 20:57:18
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"Well sure, only makes sense. He didn't look like his sister or the other two he was gallivantin' 'round with. Real pale, piercin' red eyes, all these freckles across his skin," He gave a sort of sweeping motion with his hand, then continued, "Matter a' fact, you and this human boy had similar shades a' eyes. Fancy that! Saved by two mutants, what a life. This band a' humans were tryin' to smoke out all the trolls in our village, on Halasfa Island. I woulda just run to the ocean but they'd blocked off the shore. Anyways, Hareau was still in her hive at the time, but was stuck inside - the house'd collapsed in on itself, she was stuck. Poor thing's got a bad heart, couldn'ta ran out if she tried. Just as I was tryin' ta' get inside, this human, with a wet cloth over his mouth and nose, goes rushin' in with a sword! A sword!" He laughed jovially, though there was a twinge of real relief, "Only a piece a' wood burned her from fallin' offa the ceiling beams. Coulda been much worse without him there."

The woman took the ointment, switching spots with the boy on the stoop to look over her wriggler, who was somewhat lethargic in her lap. "Thank you for all you have done, truly. Unfortunately," She began unwrapping the piece of cloth, the wound beginning to blacken some on the outer edges, but still healthy tissue on the inside, "We've only been here a day and a few hours. First priority is getting food, of course. There is a refugee clinic, free of charge, but there is such a long wait to get medical attention that it is difficult to even make it through the door."

"They've only got three doctors workin'," Piped the seadweller, "And only one handles pregnancies and pediatrics. That line's just as long, too."

"We are assigned just an address after time in the Immigration House," Came her continuing, "After that, it is up to us to see how our life pans out. This is much more than I could have ever asked for, though," She rubbed the ointment on the blackened edges of her baby's wound, and he wiggled in discomfort but didn't cry, "There is nothing in the islands, nothing. Just each other."

2015-03-07 21:29:29
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Karkat took all of that information in. Apparently humans were even weirder than he'd thought they would be. Who was this bastard with his eye color, damnit... it made him kind of aggravated for no real reason. Then again the small shred of idealism buried under his thick layers of cynicism was struggling to maintain even a hint of itself with all that he was hearing and seeing. He knew it was no fault of the Rialians that conditions weren't perfect. They were working with the minimal resources they had and there wasn't much more they could do with what they had to work with. It did make him even more furious at the queen, though, who allowed this to go on and probably made a profit off of being aligned with the humans while her own people suffered for it. How one person could be so fucking cruel he would never be able to comprehend.

"I think I know two people who could supplement some doctoring. Though the one of the would probably only be able to get away from what she does for pregnancies and emergency pediatrics.... are there a lot of pregnant trolls? That seems much more rare a practice here. But I might not be the best authority on the matter."

2015-03-07 21:51:34
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She shrugged, "It is quicker this way. Adoption takes place and all, and there are plenty of families that send their genetic material away, but the process is somewhat sloppy, as I'm sure you are aware. Sending genetic material from the islands to the Mother Grub in the mountains is both expensive and time consuming. Most of us need children not just for ourselves, but to help with the land we own."

"I just think it's a might funny," The seadweller took a bite of his cupcake after adjusting Hareau's mask back around her ears and on her mouth, "The Easterners are the ones always pridin' themselves with bein' pure and not havin' any kids that have anythin' to make 'em Problems, but they've got genes for it like the rest of us and are sendin' off their material back to the pool of it. No matter what, if you send your material to the Mother Grub, there's a huger chance of your kid comin' out as a so-called Problem. And they've got the nerve to shun a mutant!"

2015-03-07 22:01:33
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"They'll shun anybody. There's a whole orphanage of Problems or not-perfect-enoughs in Starnette. Hell, they even make outcasts of those that are too kind for their own damn good just because of their color. They just liked to imagine I didn't exist. They make excuses for the Highbloods with powers, anyway, so yellows and browns aren't considered all that problematic if they can do fancy magic shit." The process of adoptions and sending material away was somewhat new information to Karkat, since that wasn't all that widely covered in shitty romance novels or in parliamentary readings. "I think perhaps they just don't see much of anyone besides themselves,and so a kid that comes back "wrong" doesn't seem like any hardship of their own. From my minimal exposure the upper echelons seemed mostly selfish and self centered to boot. Some of them acted like the class system existed because the colder bloods perpetuated it. And like they had no idea of the abuses and brutality of the police trolls and such in their city and others."

2015-03-07 22:12:49
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The seadweller snorted in disgust, his fins flicking in annoyance, "What idiots! 'd like to see 'em prance 'round in their stockin's 'nd petticoats out in the islands! Or the West at all! They'd likely piss their pants just one hour out in th' battlefield."

"Of course they are selfish!" She wrinkled her nose, "They've not got anything else to worry about. They are disgusting creatures," Wrapping her wriggler up again, she settled him close to her chest so that he could hear her heart beat, "What a life that must be. So far in your own fantasy you don't know what goes on just across the sea, just across the mountains!"

2015-03-07 22:22:13
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He knew where that anger was coming from and understood it. But thinking of how Tavros would react he tried to turn it a little. "Yeah, some of the were quite shocked at what we told them and didn't seem comfortable with it. There might be some hope for those that don't know. The true problem is those that do, and perpetuate the inequality for their own gain..." He didn't get further, though, because around the corner there was a singing of a familiar yet unWonderlandian tune.

In a certain voice that he knew pretty damn well. Karkat stood and glared at the corner as a cart came around it, pushed by one Gamzee Makara. "I thought I told you to stay in the damn shop. You'll get too upset out here. Also how did you get passed me?"

"Nah, brother of mine, helping folks who need it is all good. I though one troll without a bag of medical miracles with him might get all disappointed as you're lookin. So I made some soup and mama's jambalaya for hungry trolls since sweets is good and all, but food be a might better. You should all up and give folk I've passed dessert, though!" At least he was much happier than he had been a couple hours before.

2015-03-07 22:39:45
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Hareau stood, leaning over to the seadweller, -who she affectionately called 'honey tart'- and whispered something in his ear. He laughed a little and ruffled her hair before remarking for her, as she could not utilize the fullest motion of her lips without hurting herself, "Hareau thinks it's a might odd t'see a Gamzee without and Alice. But this pair seems just as common, too, though."

"If you are out giving food, might I suggest calling some of the refugees from upstairs? Lots of them have young children that are in desperate need of nutrition," She smiled grimly, "Aside from fish from the sea and potatoes grown out back, those children haven't a thing to eat. No calcium, few vitamins."

2015-03-07 22:47:01
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"Yeah, it's a little odd to see, but my Karbrother and I are tight as anything, no matter how harsh he gets in his concern over everything," Gamzee smiled. "And I'd be happy to have 'em littluns down here. Gotta get as many as I can. All these wicked veggies in here will be good for alla them and their lusii."

Karkat spoke to Gamzee with a hand on his shoulder before going into the building to summon the refugees from upstairs. Gamzee looked a might puzzled and dug in the bottom of his cart. "My bright-eyed brother expresses there's some healin' what needs doin', and I got myself all prepared for that too. Any of them upstairs got bad stuff I might be able to take care of it. Had enough bandaging up of myself to do I got pretty good at it." He took out some different balm for burns, something with mint and aloe to ease pain. And of course a small stock of his Healing/Helping mushrooms.

2015-03-07 23:26:28
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The seadweller and the woman went up first, the baby passed over to the burn victim as she sat on the stoop and promised to wait.

Up the floors they went, knocking on doors that had small yellow stickers beside the room numbers; it was quick identification. Yellow stickers had children or wrigglers or pregnant parents, all of which had first priority in case of an emergency. Slowly but surely, mothers or fathers filed out with children on the hip or with their hands in their own, looking confused but recognizing the same exhausted faces.

"Should we organize 'em by medical attention? Lotsa these youngin's have all manner a' cuts 'nd scrapes," He smiled some as the children, as children were prone to do, began running out into the hallway to greet each other and talk. Their parents or guardians came out somewhat shyly, trying to remain mature but looking intrigued as to what was happening.

2015-03-08 01:11:02
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"I think that might be useful," Karkat told some of the parents what was going on so they could help organize the kids and themselves. "Maybe if we just herded the kids out so they could eat in a circle on the lawn. It could be like a picnic."

Downstairs Gamzee was trying to feed the wriggler a bit of sweet paste he'd made out of frosting and the healing fungus. Since it was a native resident of Wonderland it would work on them much better than Tavros in all likelihood, assuming it would eat. He gave the burn victim some of the mint salve and a bandage to put over it, then managed to scrounge up some honey for her occasional cough. The natural remedy was better than cough syrup, even without tea.

Before the horde of people came back down he started dividing out good portions of food for oncoming kids and parents. Both dishes probably had a lot more vitamins than they were used to. At the very least there were tomatoes and mild bell peppers in the one, and carrots and peas in the chicken dumpling soup.

2015-03-08 01:30:34
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The seadweller organized a hand-hold of all the children downstairs, two by two so no one wandered and got lost someplace or ran back into their apartment, then set them down in the grassy area. The children were in an absolute craze for the food when it came around; it was like a party to them, the first real celebration in Rial and away from the terror that was so commonplace in the ravaged West. They sat out in the lawn, grass stains on their clothes and slate skin as they stuffed their little faces full of nutrition and excitement.

Their parents sat or stood nearby, so thankful that they either cried between bites or were blabbering their thanks in nearly incomprehensible sentences to Karkat or Gamzee.

Hareau shifted the wriggler in her arms, and while he had no idea what was being fed to him, it smelled and tasted sweet, so he lapped it up like an enthusiastic barkbeast and squealed in delight. His mother, similarly, had such an expression on her face. Hareau was already starting to feel better about the burn on her face, evidenced by the shift in her demeanor and the willingness to talk, even if it was a whisper.

2015-03-08 01:38:38
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To make the party even better there was dessert. When the babe was being so generally adorable and happy Gamzee's face completely melted into what was possibly the warmest expression a troll was capable of. The whole spectacle grabbed Karkat by the bloodpusher, too, and after they were all fed and eating he and Gamzee had a quiet exchange to the side.

"Are you crying again you huge cuddlebeast of a barbarian?"

"Nah, I'm not cryin', you're cryin'. You're a big softy."

"I'm not a softy, you are. I see that purple in your eye."

"There's cherry in yours."

"...Shut up." They didn't do anything overtly pale besides bump shoulders a little.

They tried to offer as much returned welcome and comfort to all of them as they could, but the emotion was obviously getting to them as well. Once the food had been mostly consumed, Gamzee sat on a spot in the grass with the cart and readied himself to treat first as many of the children as needed it, and then move on to the adults. Partly he also wanted to ask the pregnant trolls what that was like, and if they had any warnings for new parents. If he and Tavros ever got the chance for such a thing in their lives and his love still wanted to do that method of conception, then he wanted to be sure to have some real knowledge of what it was like.

2015-03-08 01:57:24
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The mother began rounding up children she spotted with shoddy bandages for cuts and burns or any such wound that needed attending sooner rather than later. The complained of itching scabs or infected gashes, but they seemed to be accustomed to it, unfortunately. They stood in a line, fiddling with their hair or tapping and poking each other.

The first child in line, a greenblood with burns on her hands and arms that were heavily bandaged, (though the bandages were just scraps of cloth) looked at Gamzee curiously, "I didn't know that th'Alice's matesprit cooked yummy stuff. 'S a might diff'rent in the papers," She said matter of factly, though she looked barely old enough to read very well herself, "M'daddies said that y'made Harrie's face better 'nd she got burned somethin' frightenin'. Was wonderin' if y'could fix m'hands. Dad's missin' his leg now," She patted her right one, " 'Nd Pop's workin' all day so Dad needs m'help. Not much help with burny hands, y'see."

2015-03-08 02:12:01
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Gamzee smiled at her and unwrapped her arms carefully. "Yeah, I'm the cook for our group, ya see. And I guess I'm pretty good at doctorin' too. I seen some of those papers 'n their pictures. I look a might fuzzier in those, eh? Like a honeybeast." [bear] "I think I could all up and get your hands and arms a bit better here, though you'll need to let them heal. Hows about you eat this? It's a bit bitter, but..." he looked around like he was avoiding suspicion and whispered to her, "I brought some extra frostin' you can have a bite of after." He gave her a dose of the fungi and got to putting his burns salve on her arms while she ate it and he talked more, telling her a little about cooking and asking how she helped out with her dads. When she was done with her mushroom he gave her a bite of frosting and wrapped her arms up in actual bandages. "How's that, sweetheart?"

2015-03-08 02:27:26
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"Extra? I won't tell nobody, honest." She gave a grin to him then, jagged teeth on display as he placed the salve on her arms and hands. The little girl chattered excitedly about her fathers, especially the one missing his leg. A recent wagon accident resulted in a swift amputation, and while it had been such a tragic loss in the beginning, the family was making great strides to adapt. There was still much to be done, especially in a new environment, but she seemed optimistic since 'Pops could finally buy 'imself some shoes.'

Eating the fungi was an ordeal, and she made a spitting noise of disgust after eating it though she did brighten after the frosting, " 'S lot better, thanks. I can move m'fingers now," She wiggled them for emphasis, giggling, "You'd do good at the clinic. They took a look at Dad's stump and washed 'im up real nice. They're real nice people, just like you 'nd Mr. Karkat 'nd the rest a' 'em. I wish you all could stay in Rial forever."

2015-03-08 02:55:07
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He understood the poverty they went through all too well. He'd always had a time by himself, though at least he'd had some initial set up with his mom to give him a base to go off. To never have shoes though, that was certainly something even worse. "I guess I got a lot of jobs I gotta do. Maybe I should find some way to make a second me, ya think? One for cooking and the other for patching people up." He giggled with her, especially since she called Karkat a Mr. "I think we'll all be back visitin' at least. I got my Granma here after all. I bet she'd like it if you came to her readin' circle on the roof porch. She does that for chilluns some afternoons." When she was finished up he moved on to the next kid who needed fixing up.

Meanwhile Karkat was wandering around and looking over the adults, having some supplies from the cart of his own to help patch up some who needed it. It was also a great time to find out more about the whole West situation.

2015-03-08 03:10:15
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The children filed through pretty quickly; a majority of them were not nearly so severe as the first little girl, most suffering scrapes from tripping and falling or minor burns from massive fires. Many of the children came from the same village or area and had seen each other before, and the general camaraderie was precious to behold.

A green female with a shaved head and bandages around her neck came up to Karkat somewhat worriedly, "Could you, perhaps, take a look at m'neck?" She asked, "Glass from a broken window sliced m'neck not too long ago 'nd 've got reason t'believe that there may be pieces still in 't."

2015-03-08 03:18:15
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Gamzee really liked kids, he decided, having quite the nice time chatting with them and giving them proper medical care. That might have also been why he got accidentally covered in grubs when they visited the orphanage. He supposed he might have been made to be a lusus troll, somewhat.

"Oh shit, yeah." Karkat looked a bit shocked and hoped she was going to be alright. Because wow that seemed pretty terrible. "I'll probably call Gamzee over once he's done with the kids, but let's find you a comfortable place to sit and look at it."

2015-03-08 03:27:53