carnagecarnival: (Than to breathe a lie.)
The Initiate Fraysong ♑ (Young GHB) ([personal profile] carnagecarnival) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2014-09-30 08:04 pm

I picke​d my life up piece​ by piece​ in the style​ of an awful​ metap​hor

Who| Initiate and Open (with a special prompt for all those who helped him in arena)
What| Initiate is no longer avox. But he's still a little different.
Where| D5 floor, around the tribute tower, and the speakeasy
When| Forward dated to after his death and revival, late week 6. 
WARNINGS| Language. Animal death mention?

A -- (For Jane Shepard, and Open)

He wakes up to a self unfamiliar. With a sudden breath of air and a clear head. Clear of the drink, clear of... 

The Avox, the Alternian, the Other-- that's what he'd been calling it. All him, part of him, now and forever. But he thinks, at least now, he recognizes the Other a bit more. Enough that he can slip into this new skin and feel comfortable enough to explore what as it will do for him. 

This new skin comes with a healed leg, one he can walk on without limping-- which is as weird as the last time he had a leg injury. It comes with those stupid little fins he'd hated so much before they were gone with only the ghost of an ache. It comes with a tongue, which settles all strange in his mouth. If he tries, he can probably make a sound now. He doesn't.

His hair feels strange all long now. He wonders if he should cut it of his own volition this time. For now, he will simply braid it back, and with that all done, he carries himself on out of the room, trying not to feel like a ghost what ain't really here with no presence to his name. He finds a water for himself from the district five fridge, then heads on to settle into one of the lounge chairs. He doesn't have to do anything. He does have to go anywhere at all. He hasn't got a job here right now. He just has to keep telling himself that.


B -- (For Terezi and Signless, Closed)

There's a weight around his neck. He'd almost not noticed it, with everything else, but he does now. He can feel the tube of paint and know he ain't got to be a bare-faced sinner disgrace for his Messiah anymore. There's  a golden goat's skull; the necklace from his moirail. There are three rings interlocked, teal, indigo, mutant red. His ashmates

He'd spent too long over his ownself and upon the realisation, he curses himself for it. He had people to find.

And not find. Like Kurloz, over which he evicted no exclamation like he had the last time he'd wandered into district two, or when he watched Kurloz be dragged off with Gamzee. As his face twists in the empty doorway, he has no doubt in him that this time his other self won't be coming back.  There's a second or two where as he prays, bids the motherfucker on to shangri-la , and then he moves along. He's Kurloz now. There's nothing what as he can do for this past. 

Or the future, it turns out. The Disciple wasn't the first on his list or even someone what he'd call close, but she was with the three of them when they were on the run and, truth told, he's hesitant to look for, say,  Terezi first in case she might not be there. But with the wake up call before him now, he wastes no more time.

He goes to find his ashmates, fidgeting the red and teal of the rings on him as he hurries on through the halls. If the Signless ain't there, so help him, he'll leave a goddamn note. And Terezi... with a heavy weight in him, he decides not to think if she ain't there. He raps his knuckles upon the door.


C -- (Open)

He ain't an avox. Not anymore. He knows that. 

But on some level, he supposes he doesn't, because when them things spill, he wastes no time in dropping to kneel. He picks it all up piece by piece, slowing only for a short second and frowning as the realisation hits him of what he's doing. But then sure as sure, he's picking everything all back up anyway. He might as well, he's already done this much.

He rises up to give all back to the rightful owner. Whoever that is to be. 


D -- (Open, especially to every single person who helped him in arena or even just talked to him)

There were a lot of people what had helped him back there. A lot of motherfucking people. More people than he thinks he's ever had deigning to nicety at one singular time. It's weird, in retrospect, and it leaves an odd feeling in him, one he's not sure how long all he wants to get a ponder on to.

But he owed these people. He ought to say something to these people. He knows this but he also know such things as they be is, well, a whole other sort of weird in itself. So he comes up with a new idea instead.

It doesn't take horrendously long to catch the proper amount of rats and birds needed, but still some time (and much of that is spent determinedly ignoring the looks of capitolites and the pressing feeling that he's out of place there and would be more in place in an avox uniform). Once done though, he finds himself falling into step easy with cleaning the corpses and collecting the bones and feathers from the dead things. He's already got the string pieces ready and he settles into that same comfortable quiet as he did when he did this in arena with some teeth. They're not particularly elaborate or superbly fanciful, just bones and beaks dipped into color and strung together, but they're things what he can slip easily on a door knob with no ceremony, while still managing to thank in some small way.

He still feels ridiculous, but not as much so as he thinks he might've before this all. He didn't exactly wake up with his pride restored. 

From there it's just a matter of slipping them on the doors as he'd intended. Ideally it would be without notice, but he could hardly help it if anyone caught him in the hallway.

(After all is done, much later, he's still got yet more to see. People he owes explanation to. People he owes apology. This must be what it means to start his life all the fuck over again. He can't say he's exactly eager, but he ought to chew the motherfucking munitions now. Even if it means hovering outside the door.)


E -- (Open)

Finally, his task is at it's end. There's just one last thing he wants to do. He heads to the Training Center to paint.

Just the same as always, he gathers up the paint of the camouflage area to settle before the wall. He dips his fingers into the color, raises them up to the wall. Then stops.

He's never been stuck on a painting before. This is new. 


F -- (Open)

When he finally goes to the speakeasy alone and for his own whims, he orders Gin. He can recall, from the arena, drinking himself stupid with it, but of course he couldn't taste nothing of it. He had some sense of taste without a tongue but not nearly enough to truly distinguish.

Turns out Gin is pure motherfucking sin in a goddamn glass. Bluh. He coughs, sputters, looks at what he's order just to be sure it's indeed the same thing, and then pushes it away. 

There's an unpleasant pout upon his features as he quickly orders a soda to rectify this madness what he hath partaken in, promptly swearing to never have such blasphemy again. He holds the soda glass in hand, sliding it carefully back and forth between the other one.
ka_sera_sera: (old drama straightface)

[personal profile] ka_sera_sera 2014-10-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe this gift of bones isn't a cultural thing, then. Or maybe it is, but one that seems so self-explanatory to the Initiate that spelling it out isn't going to happen. The hand holding the - the necklace? - out lowers, because there's a different matter here of more interest to Roland. "You're speaking again," he says, and realizes a moment later that the statement was ridiculous, obvious, but doesn't have the energy to tell himself off for it.

"It's good to hear. Good to see something's going well in this place. How are you doing?" His smile is small, more a softening of his expression than actual movement of his lips, but what's there is genuine. Platitudes are for people with reason and patience for them. None of those here. Roland genuinely is glad to hear the other man speak; must be some sort of progress, at least.
ka_sera_sera: (old general listening shadowed)

[personal profile] ka_sera_sera 2014-10-02 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
Roland leans against the doorframe as he listens, watches the shudder and the way the Initiate'd cast his eyes down for the explanation. "Won't be easy. But I'm sure you're well aware of that," he adds, shaking his head at himself.

"Wearing this - or not wearing it - won't mean anything, will it?" He raises the gift again, studying it. "Why bones?"
ka_sera_sera: (old general look right profile)

[personal profile] ka_sera_sera 2014-10-02 01:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not bad. Little ominous." He considers them and then, wanting to make sure the Initiate knows his gift isn't being rejected, puts the whole thing around his neck. "But maybe that's the point," Roland says, tucking the bones under the collar of his shirt. "Grateful for what? I didn't really help you much with that book."
ka_sera_sera: (old general listening headtilt)

[personal profile] ka_sera_sera 2014-10-02 03:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. Religion.

Or more than that, likely, but it sounds to be all tied up with religion, which explains the Initiate's manner when he'd thought he'd lost it. He's seen how much holy books can mean to people, and can see very well how much that one had meant to the person in front of him now. "Then I'm glad to know I helped with your holy book," Roland says with a slight bow of his head, the movement slow and deliberate. "I hope you gained from it all that you needed."
Edited 2014-10-02 15:17 (UTC)
ka_sera_sera: (old general lean arms crossed)

don't mind me just posting a final thing I waited forever to do

[personal profile] ka_sera_sera 2014-10-08 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Roland straightens automatically, chin lifting a little as the Initiate bows and it's strange, this. Someone doing so wholly because of something he's done rather than because of who and what he is, for very few here - fewer, now - know anything at all of that. Not that the former matters so much anymore. Roland keeps leaning against the doorway a moment, thinking; hadn't thought of Initiate as religious, despite his name. The 'brother Roland' bit especially helps the impression along. It's been a little while since he's been called anything like that. Deep religion might begin to explain some of those dramatic differences of the Initiate from the other two trolls Roland's known.

He spends a moment thinking on that, absently adjusting the gift to lie more comfortably about his neck. Thinks of going out and doing something, maybe something similar to what the Initiate's doing. Turns around and goes back into the quiet of his room instead. Just for a little while.