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Who: Orphaner Dualscar and Eridan Ampora
When: January 29thish
Where: Dualscar's hive BECAUSE HE NEVER LEAVES, SOB.
Style: Prose
Status: Closed

Dualscar sipped his tea and gestured to the robot to answer the door, not bothering to get up. He was curious about Eridan, in a distant way. The boy seemed keen, at least, but he'd been living with the rebels. Did he believe in the Signless' ridiculous fantasies, even as a sea dweller?

He'd have to find out if this Eridan was someone he could use, or if he was already damaged beyond repair by his associations.

"Havve a seat, Eridan. Wwelcome to my hivve," he said without turning around, a faint smile on his face. He was sitting on the sofa, leaving room for Eridan to sit beside him if he wished, or he could take the chair. Today he'd discarded his armour, wearing a more casual shirt with his symbol emblazoned across the chest. Nice and comfortable, for a chat between an ancestor and his descendant.

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There was a perpetual uneasy feeling weighing itself on Eridan the whole way over and it only multiplied as the door opened, the robot letting him inside, and for a moment, confusion splashed itself on uneasiness and this situation branded itself one of the more uncomfortable ones that Eridan had ever experienced. He knew he should be excited meeting his ancestor face to face, coming here to have a chat with him, and yet... And yet, here he was, worried, nervous, and almost scared in a way. Not necessarily because he knew what Dualscar was capable of, nor what could happen to him, but because he might not fully trust himself when it came to staying on the side he knew he should. Though, he had no intent on switching sides, none at all, and while he knew his place, knew where he should be, he also knew where his actual loyalties lay, didn't mean he was infallible, or that he wasn't capable of fucking up, this he knew, and this he dreaded.

Receiving the offer to sit, Eridan glanced between the couch and the chair momentarily as he entered the room, trying to make a decision, the couch would seem so casual and while this was a meeting under casual circumstance, he wasn't sure if he should so easily make himself comfortable in such close quarters when he and his ancestor were obviously not on the same side. So the chair it was, he made his way over, careful of his cape as he took his seat, offering his ancestor a posh expression, trying to exude arrogance, trying to seem like the proud seadweller he should be.

"So, I take it you're settlin' into the bubble well enough?" Casual, this whole thing is so casual, but god does it feel anything but. If it wasn't for the fact that Eridan was the KING of putting up a facade, Dualscar would probably be able to see just how uncomfortable and downright nervous he was.

Edited 2012-02-01 15:22 (UTC)

The chair it was, then. Dualscar noted the choice and turned it over in his mind, worrying at it without much concern. Was Eridan intimidated, or wanting to put distance between them? Probably both.

"Wwell enough, yes. This place is not wwhat I'm used to, but a course I'll adapt, as you said." He gestured to the tea tray in silent invitation, and took another sip from his own cup.

"Wwell, Eridan," he said, his purple eyes settling on the boy. "You seem to knoww so much about me, but I don't know a thing about you. Tell me about yourself."

What Eridan chose to tell him first would probably reveal a lot. He sat, waiting, with an open, slightly receptive expression on his scarred face.

Eridan watched him with a careful gaze, this whole thing was almost like some sort of dance between royals, one that required them to have their asses planted down on a very comfortable seat, but a figurative dance all the same. Eridan was trying to keep up this proud visual of himself, while Dualscar obviously had nothing to fear, and had everything to be proud of, or so Eridan thought. The motion towards the tea was enough of an invitation, one Eridan was sure not to dismiss, helping himself to a cup of tea.

The younger troll settling in his seat, taking a sip of tea, which was more to calm his own nerves before talking than to actually enjoy the warm, delicious flavor. His grey eyes then met with Dualscar's, as much as he respected and idolized this troll just feet from him, he knew he couldn't just bow his head to him, while he might be younger and his descendant, it'd do no good to show any sign of weakness, that wasn't how trolls worked.

"I figured you would, but yes, about myself." He said this cooly, a rehearsed, proud tone leaving him as he held himself in a dignified manner. Continuing it as he quickly thought things over, what to say first, what Dualscar would actually be looking for. His eyebrow twitched a moment before he started again.

"When I was back on Alternia I--Well, I might hawe maybe used your name a bit for some a my greater accomplishments. Surely nothin' that'd sully your name at all, or anythin'--Anyway, before comin' here an' before the game, I was in charge a feedin' Gl'bgolyb, y'know, prolongin' the surwiwal a our race an' all." He said this with such pride and dignity, it was definitely obvious that this was an accomplishment and a responsibility that he was most proud of, even if it was cut short considering sgrub. A pause is allowed as he takes a sip of his tea, that and if Dualscar had any comments, he could say them.

Edited 2012-02-01 19:23 (UTC)

Dualscar listened without a twitch to a lip or a fin, though his eyes did narrow fractinoally when he mentioned Gl'bgolyb. The kid was obviously proud of it, and that was natural.

"Quite a responsibility. So wwhat's your relationship wwith the Heir?" he asked calmly, if a bit flatly. The boy might be lost already, and they'd barely even begun.

Which didn't mean that he wasn't useful.

When he asked that, Eridan's demeanor shifted, however slight. His gaze moved from Dualscar, almost as if searching for the right answer to this. It was a touchy topic, that was for sure.

"We used to be moirails." There was a telling tone in that, all that pride and exuberance that was there, now gone. He let out a sigh.

"But, obwiously we're not anymore. Some things hawe happened between her an' I and I can honestly say we're not nearly as close as we used to be." his eyes drifted to the tan colored liquid in his cup, this was a somewhat sensitive subject after all.

Hmm, could be a good sign, even if the kid were still broken up about it. "Shame, though there's some wwho'd say she's likely not to livve long anywway," he said casually, but in a tone that could be interpreted as sympathetic if one were so inclined. "You might do better to focus your attention on forming alliances wwith those wwho are likely to livve as long as you wwill."

He waved a hand. "A course you might be too young to be thinkin' along those lines. I don't knoww."

That definitely got his attention, his fins perked at the words and their implications. His eyes leveled at Dualscar, expression something more telling than he'd like. Maybe it was the fact that he himself killed her, that what Dualscar said really kinda grabbed him, but the next moment, he shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Well, howewer short her longewity is, isn't much a concern a mine." He knew that was a lie, it wasn't as if he'd honestly stop caring about Feferi, even if he made some horrible decisions in the past. Though, he was curious, completely curious as to what Dualscar was implying--curious, but somehow he already knew.

"But what are ya gettin' there? About formin' alliances." He tried to make himself sound more curious than suspicious, here was to hoping he did a good job.

Really, it wasn't that difficult a concept. Dualscar flicked a hand towards Eridan. "You're a sea dwweller, Eridan. Noww, I knoww that wwigglers tend to mix a lot more than adults do, but wwhen you groww up - a state wwhich seems to havve been thrust on you early wwhat wwith the current circumstances - things wwill be different. You'll mix wwith other sea dwwellers, maybe the occasional indigo or blue."

He watched Eridan closely as he talked, though he tried to cover it with a casual tone, wanting to see every emotion in the boy's grey eyes. "Those wwho share blood wwith those you once maybe counted as friends wwill be your underlings, or even slavves. And in a mere couple a dozen swweeps, they'll be dead, anywway, wwhile the friendships you make wwith those a your stature wwill last forevver. Don't you see?"

Eridan's eyes widened at what Dualscar said, it was a reality he was going to have to face sooner or later, he realized that, but it was a while yet and the only one who'd die off so early was Aradia--and to be frank he didn't give a whole lot of a shit about her. Though, he wasn't sure where someone like Karkat stood on the whole lifespan grid, since he wasn't exactly a normal caste, in fact, he wasn't one at all and it isn't like Signless died of natural causes, no matter how natural it actually is for someone to die from an arrow to the side.

"You think I hawen't realized this? I'm well aware a the limited time the low bloods hawe. I'm ewen further aware a how long I hawe compared to them." He said this with an almost defensive tone. He irritably took a sip of tea as he tried to collect his thoughts, tried to figure out where this was even going. Damnit, he can't lose his nerve so quickly, it's unbecoming, not to mention pathetic with how something as simple as a goddamn fact he already knows being brought up is enough to upset him.

"Ewen with their stunted longewity, there's a great deal a reason I stand on the side I do, alright?" He was trying to sound firm about this, as if he couldn't be shaken at all, but his voice is telling, his voice betrays him. That sound of uncertainty at his own words, at this situation. He wasn't sure what he was trying to prove here, what he was trying to get across.

Aha.

This was the first time that Eridan had admitted that he might be part of a 'side' that was possibly not Dualscar's side. The older sea dweller leaned forward, eyes intense. There was no anger, no judgment - not yet. This child might yet be salvageable, but first he needed to know what he was dealing with.

"And wwhat side is that, Eridan?" he asked, a low rumble in his voice. The child is nervous, he can tell. Maybe he needed to get just a little bit more nervous.

Eridan stared at Dualscar for a good moment, not daring to look away no matter how intimidated he might be feeling. He realized exactly what he did, exactly what he walked into. He took a moment to respond, trying to find what words to say, or how to even say it, especially since he wasn't sure exactly how Dualscar will take the truth.

"As of right now," Maybe it'd be best for him to leave some doubt in his loyalties, for now. "My loyalties lie with the landdwellers." He definitely felt more nervousness pool in his gut, making it feel as though it was doing backflips, or at least attempting to. Though, he did his best to keep up appearances, trying to stifle how nervous he actually was.

"But there doesn't hawe to be two sides, you know?" He added in a matter of fact tone. Eying Dualscar curiously, trying to gauge his reaction to such a suggestion.

"The landdwwellers," Dualscar echoed flatly. Still no anger, but he sits back with an air of irritated disappointment. "As if I care about rivvalries betwween them and the sea dwwellers. If that has any importance to you, you'll groww out a it wwithin your first century. Land dwwellers servve us - there's no rivvalry there. To be rivvals, one has to be equals."

He snorted quietly. "But that aside, wwhat you mean is that your loyalties lie wwith the Signless an his ilk. Is that wwhat you mean to say, Eridan?"

Edited 2012-02-12 03:04 (UTC)

"If you're riflin' for accuracy, he joined us. I'm not completely won ower by his speeches, though, I'll tell you that. I'm none too sure a what to ewen fully make of him, but by no means am I lead by him. Ewen if we are techincally on the same side." There was a stubbornness to his tone as he admitted that much. Biting off eat word. Ignoring whatever Dualscar said about the rivalry between landdwellers and seadwellers, because he knew that much, it was more so an attempt to dance around the issues of blood, but like he thought, Dualscar would see through it.

"Either which way, as much as the purities a the blood lines an' upholdin' the rightful place a power is important back home, this isn't exactly home. With so few of us, an' death not bein' a permanent thing, it all seems fuckin' futile to try to enforce any a that shit."

Edited 2012-02-12 03:15 (UTC)

"Futile," Dualscar replied with disgust. He grimaced and looked away. "The words of a beaten down troll, an make no mistake. I feel sorry for you, if they'vve destroyed your self-wworth to this extent."

He sighed. "I heard much the same comin' from that mutant-blooded freak not that long ago, so don't tell me that you're not influenced by his wwords. You're quite right that there are no sides, here. There are trolls, an the rest a the wworld. I'm not about to go about cullin' anyone right noww, evven a rebel an blasphemer like him. But you can't say that you're content scummin' around wwith that filth and lettin' them pretend they're as good as you."

"I am NOT fuckin' beaten down an' I'm well fuckin' aware a my self-worth! I don't need you feelin' sorry for me!" Eridan's grasp on his tea cup intensified as he had that little out burst, as much as this may very well be his ancestor, he wasn't going to just take that, he wasn't some beaten down troll, he wasn't like some obedient woofbeast to them. Maybe--Maybe he didn't place as much importance as he once did in what his caste meant, in how he was above them all and he was something FAR superior. Maybe he had sort of eased into the idea of them being pretty equal, well, maybe not necessarily equal, because as much as Karkat may want them all to be equals, Eridan couldn't completely buy that himself.

However, Karkat wasn't scum and he'd never see him as it, that was for damn sure. There are exceptions to the hemospectrum, he knew that for damn sure. Just because Dualscar was obviously blind to this, didn't invalidate his worth as a seadweller, or his self-worth any.

"Maybe they don't hawe the fuckin' chance to be somethin' as great as us, limited by a stunted life an' capabilities, but they're not all bad. Some are, certainly I won't fuckin' argue that, but there's undeniably ones that break the mold." Like his matesprit, but he wouldn't dare mention that. He already was well on his way digging a hole for himself, no need to add THAT to the mix.

Inwardly, Dualscar was almost laughing. The poor fool. Eridan might share his face, other than that little defect sprouting from his hairline - and had he really caused a mutation in his spawn? Shocking - but had Dualscar ever been so easily led and emotional?

It was clear what was going on here, and Dualscar really did pity Eridan a little. Which was probably a good thing, or he might have been getting even more contemptuous by this point. But no, he could still see potential in him, at least as a tool. And so he would be kind.

He leaned forward a bit, his craggy features reconfiguring themselves into an almost sympathetic expression. "Of course they're not bad. They're trolls. Evveryone's got their place in society, but that doesn't mean that the lowwbloods are bad. As you said, they're stunted, an need our leadership. That's the general situation, though. Blasphemers an upstarts like the ones wwe'vve got here are lookin to destroy our wway of life. They wwant to see you dowwn in the muck wwith them, because they're envvious of us. A usual lowwblood, acceptin' of their position and not livvin' in a selfish fantasy is completely different."

He paused and said kindly. "But someone's caught you in their net, havven't they? Wwho is it you feel's broken the mold? Maybe I can change my mind, at least about them."

That proceeding kindness was a surprise to Eridan and it calmed him down considerably. He stared, owl-eyed, at Dualscar a few moments, before he looked away and frowned deeply. What was the worst about all of this, was the fact that Eridan agreed with some of this. This mentality shaped his views for so long and it was hardly something he could just let go of even after months of being told to. Deep rooted, internalized bigotry like that didn't just disappear over night, after all. However, that didn't mean he was going to agree with Dualscar, just meant it was that much more difficult to disagree with him.

He remained silent, listening to everything, looking trying to look unaffected by it at all. Though, when he mentioned someone having him in their net, his shoulders tensed and he looked rigid. Was he that obvious? He probably was, he was always so fucking obvious. He was hesitant to meet with Dualscar's eyes, even if he mentioned the potential of changing his mind about him, somehow he figured that was a bullshit promise if there ever was one.

"I highly doubt that." His tone was flat and matter of fact, trying to not give in to the fear settling in the pit of his stomach for what might happen if Dualscar found out who it was. He might have claimed he wasn't aiming to cull anyone, but if he found out his descendant was with the Sufferer's? He couldn't imagine that going over too well.

"I don't think anythin' could change your mind."

"Is that so?" Dualscar's sympathetic tone shaded towards irritation at this. Eridan was saying that he was rigid, was he? Well children could be fickle and easily swayed, so perhaps he seemed rigid to Eridan, but that didn't mean he was irrational.

"Tell me, anywway. Wwhat has changed your mind? I'm not unreasonable, wwhatevver you might think. I'vve been alivve a lot longer than you havve, and I'vve seen rebels come and go. But I could be dismissin' you as a lost cause just based on wwhat you'vve already told me - instead, I'm here, givvin' you a chance to convvince me. I had the impression that you respected me for some reason, so doesn't my opinion matter, either wway?"

With that, Eridan somewhat shrunk in his seat. Dualscar's opinion did matter, that was the problem here, it mattered more than Eridan wanted it to. Before? He'd do near ANYTHING to try and get a CHANCE at impressing his ancestor, but as things were, that would be significantly more costly to him. The look he offered was somewhat defiant, though there was slight complacency. Dualscar was right, if he was willing to listen, and if there was a chance for him to change his views on Karkat, even if the slightest bit...

"Wery well. I owe damn near ewerythin' to him. He was there for me in my regrettably weaker times, an' despite the fact I'we wronged him an' eweryone that's left after the fall of our planet, he's fuckin' forgiwen me an' giwen me a new fuckin' chance to set things right--instead a just castin' me to the fuckin' briny deep where a traitor would rightly belong." His voice was still and calm, making sure to not fire up the dramatics in anyway, as if the very act would scuff or tarnish what Karkat had done for him.

"He's a damn waliant leader, an' led us through the most unsawory fuckin' situation an' unparalleled challenges, he kept command an' garnered respect from all a us. It was through his leadin' that we were ewen able to create a new fuckin' uniwerse. An' while he might not hawe necessarily had the awe-inspirin' poise as troll war lords long since past, he made for a respectable leader, one we fuckin' needed. I wouldn't just follow any troll, you can beliewe that. An' if that isn't enough for you, then so be it, but I stand my ground on this. I won't betray him again."

Edited 2012-02-13 23:21 (UTC)

Dualscar's face didn't so much as twitch during this litany. He knew who it was, now. That strange child, Karkat Vantas. The one who had confronted him with anger and a warning, and claimed to be the leader of the trolls.

Obviously, he had done well with Eridan, hadn't he?

"I havve to givve you your due, Eridan," he said quietly. "A traitor is nothin' but sea slime, and it's wworthy a respect that you knoww your duty and wwhere your loyalties lie, and that you're not wwillin to throww that awway easily."

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im sorry this icon i had to

My favourite icon tbh

Good, cuz it's mine as well.

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