vatheon | Landed Fish

Entry tags:

Landed Fish

Who: Orphaner Dualscar, Signless, Expatriate Darkleer
Where: The plaza
When: Now! Dualscar is respawning
Style: Prose if that's OK with you guys?
Status: Closed, though I may do an open one or network post or something with DS later.

Dualscar was pretty disoriented as he arrived in the plaza. He fell to his knees, choking on his gasps, his gills opening with a popping sound and his fins stiff with terror as he scrabbled at his own, unmarked throat.

The last thing he remembered was getting his throat ripped out by the Grand Highblood's teeth. It took a few moments for his body to realize that he actually could breathe, and that he wasn't dying horribly.

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And Dualscar does follow, then finds himself walking next to the Signless, like companions. Perhaps under other circumstances he'd make a point of pulling ahead a bit, but he doesn't right now. He doesn't know where they're going, anyway, so that kind of petty stuff would only cause him to end up looking like a fool in the end.

He looks around nervously as they walk, sensing the Highblood in every shadow. But otherwise he doesn't say anything for now, just wanting to get under cover again.

Signless walks briskly, sensing Dualscar's nervousness, and they arrive at the apartments without anyone bothering them. Once there, Signless has a friendly chat with the landlord (being told twice that he's "much more pleasant than that other kid with the short horns"), and returns to Dualscar with three sets of keys.

"There's a few apartments open on my floor. You can look at them and decide which you like best."

Dualscar nods, glancing around the lobby with a sigh as he takes the keys. It's far less nice than his own place, he can already see. Living in a communal hivestem was never how he had imagined spending his time.

He starts towards the elevator, looking at the key fob to figure out which floor they're headed to.

"I suppose there's no spa in the basement a these hivves," he grumbles wryly.

"No."

Signless trots glibly after him, even though he never takes the elevator and just walks up the stairs to the second floor.

"It's a nice place to live, though. I think you'll like it here."

"You think so," Dualscar says flatly. He gets out of the elevator on the right floor and then looks up and down the hall.

"Wwhich one is your hivve?"

"That way. End of the hall." Signless points. "Aradia lives next door, but she's been spending most of her time out in the woods with Summoner."

Blithely ignoring Dualscar's rude remark, Signless strolls over to the first empty apartment. "I think the layout will probably be similiar, but you can check out the furniture and lighting, see which you prefer."

Look, it's not his fault that he's used to far, far better than this. Even the hive he had is small and dinky by his standards. And this one is far smaller.

He glances through the keys and opens up the apartment. He had sort of thought to move in next door to the Signless, with vague ideas of taking advantage of the position in some way. Like listening in on their conversations. But it looks like that's not an option, so he steps into this one and looks around.

It's small.

But for its size, it's well-lit and spacious. He glances around and pokes into the bedrooms, feeling out of sorts about the whole thing. "I suppose this one wwill do."

Oh, the things he'd hear, too. Discussions about tea and Vatheon Shore and talking about beekeeping. It is a dangerous, subversive life Signless leads.

The smaller troll follows Dualscar into the apartment, and goes poking around in the kitchen. There's a few staples there, but not much in the way of actual food.

"You'll need to go to the supermarket, I'm afraid. There's not much to eat around here."

"I'll do that, then," Dualscar says, sitting down on the sofa and watching Signless poke around his new apartment.

He ponders for a moment. A lot of his discomfort has now faded, and he's all right with Signless staying. To be honest, he's not quite ready to be alone. "Do you wwant to stay for a wwhile longer?" he asks calmly. "There's no need if you havve something to do, but you may, if you wwish."

"Why don't I make us some tea, then?"

Signless bites the inside of his cheek, trying to hide the smile that's trying to spread across his face, and makes his way to the kitchen. There's a kettle already there, fortunately, and some mismatched mugs, but no teabags. Good thing his best friend is a tea addict and he never leaves the house without several teabags of assorted flavors tucked into his sylladex.

"Fine," Dualscar replies, leaning his elbows on his knees and gazing moodily at the coffee table as he waits. He's going to need his drone back, so perhaps a quick nip over to his hive would be worth the risk.

Or perhaps he'll wait a couple of days, see what happens. He can have Signless and the Helmsman do a few chores for him, in the meantime, since they're right there. The Condesce isn't here, now. He can do what he wants.

If Dualscar just asked, Signless would go collect his robot drone for him. That would be much easier than finding out the seadweller was ordering around Psii and having to get angry about it.

Or disappointed, rather. Signless doesn't really get angry.

He brings out the tea on a tray and sits across from Dualscar, offering him a mug with brightly painted fish on the sides.

Dualscar eyes the mug, feeling like this is possibly a joke at his expense. He sips the hot liquid and sets it down, then rubs his hand on the scar that crosses his nose.

"You trust me."

What, should he have picked a different mug? He just thought that one was cheerful and that Dualscar would like it, gosh!

"Here, you've given me no reason to not trust you." Signless looks at him pointedly. "I'd rather you didn't."

"Don't trust me that much, then, or that last wwouldn't a been necessary to add on," Dualscar retorts with an almost smug smile. He doesn't understand how Signless can be so trusting. It messes with his worldview.

"I'm hoping someday it won't have to be." Signless takes a sip of his tea, watching Dualscar with vaguely amused eyes. He trusts the highblood... somewhat. Not enough that he's going to let him anywhere near Psii, that's for sure.

"Yet you brought me practically to your fuckin' doorstep," Dualscar points out. That's exactly what he means - close to the Helmsman, close to Signless. Close enough to kill, if he has the urge.

"Are you planning on doing any culling, Dualscar?" Signless asks it point-blank, setting down his teacup and looking at the highblood seriously. "Now that you know what it's like, are you going to be so quick to inflict it on others?"

"I havve no plans in that area. I already told you I'm not about to start cullin' wwhen there are so feww of us." Dualscar replied stonily, his eyes narrowing at the implication.

It's entirely different, Signless. Completely.

"But not to nit-pick, but I'vve nevver been culled. Wwhat the Subjugglator did wwas murder, plain and simple. I'm higher blood than he is, and besides, I'd broken no lawws nor done anything to deservve it."

Signless nods, reassured.

"Of course, I would consider any taking of life to be murder, regardless of spectrum differences. It's something we should be moving away from. Either way, I'm glad it's not something you want to pursue."

He rolls his eyes, but refrains from making an issue of it. There's no point in making things weird at this stage.

"I don't see any benefit in culling anyone at this point, all right? All it'd do is turn evveryone against me, and you're the only trolls in the city," he said with calm frankness. "Wwe ought to focus on the real enemies."

He saw that eyeroll, Dualscar! He's just too much of a gentleman to comment on it!

"I just hope you continue to not see any benefit in murder." Sip of tea. "But I agree. Have you done anything further with the defense force you were trying to get together?"

He cocks his head at the odd change of subject. "I havven't had a chance, yet. But I plan to start havving training sessions soon. Wwhy?"

"Just curious. It seems like a good idea, and also something you have some experience in."

"That's the idea." He settles back. "I don't suppose you'll consider joinin up, after all."

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