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.
deafscythe: (no really no more lyrics)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-01 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"Did you want to fight?" Justin doubts it. The troll seems more focused on attempting to paint than on fighting.

Justin doesn't have any artistic experience, but he could help if the troll asked. There's a sort of bond there, even if it is a twisted one.
deafscythe: (I could practice preservation)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-02 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
"I do not have much experience." He steps forward, and looks the paint over. Then, carefully, he dips his fingers in the pigment. The blank canvas of the wall is intimidating, but Justin cannot let that show. He steps forward, then glances back at the Initiate for confirmation.
deafscythe: (It's time to find it are you ready to go)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-02 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
Justin doesn't have ideas, so he falls back on religious symbols. He draws out eyes on the wall, in the minimum amount of strokes possible. Each eye is easily Justin's height.
deafscythe: (My my! I can't lie!)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-02 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
Justin hadn't meant to paint fear. He'd just painted out worship, recognition and praise of Asura. Maybe he'd meant fear, prayer to the Kishin to take his fears away.

"It is the symbol of the god of fear."

He steps back and watches the Initiate. Grinning faces. The troll's fear.
deafscythe: (Give me the wheel)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-02 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
"What does it explain?" There are all sorts of things that it could explain. Justin simply doesn't know what exactly the Initiate is referring to.
deafscythe: (My my I just can't lie.)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-02 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Justin smiles, slow and quite probably mocking.

"Even a poor substitute is welcomed when the real thing is absent."
deafscythe: ('Cause the needle's in the red!)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-03 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
There's no fear in Justin's expression. He's faced down things bigger than the Initiate, when he was smaller than he is now. Like this, with no powers to come into play, Justin has no reason to be afraid.

So instead of fear, there's just amusement.

"Ah, do you really believe that?"
deafscythe: (what a smug loser)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-08 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
Justin steps around the troll, and splashes more paint on an empty corner of wall with a brush of his fingers. It's a very sloppy, free sort of drawing, because he really has no talent, but it's a guillotine about half a second from decapitating a very familiar indigo troll.
deafscythe: (My my I just can't lie.)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-09 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
Justin makes a show of examining the art, tilting his head slightly as he looks at it for a full minute and a half.

"Ah, what talent you have. May I take a picture?"
deafscythe: (i cannot believe i forgot this one)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-11 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Justin nods, as if the Initiate is being perfectly reasonable.

"Of course. You have put so much of yourself into this art, I can understand why you would be afraid to let anyone else see it."
deafscythe: (that's ten for the soul)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-11 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah," he says, resting one hand on the center of his chest. "Of course. How insensitive of me. Truly this deeply personal art should be kept between us. No one else could understand our bond."
deafscythe: ('Cause the needle's in the red!)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-11 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Justin can't stop the split second reaction of surprise as he realizes what the Initiate thinks is happening. Then he smiles, slow and mocking.

"You were the one who started it. Are you sure that you are not interested?"

He doesn't quite understand all the intricacies of troll romance, but he gets the basic idea. Trolls flirt by mocking each other, by trying to provoke reactions, by upsetting the object of their affections. By doing the things that Justin does to amuse himself. He has no reason to stop, especially when the Initiate is so flustered.
deafscythe: (It's the love of the chase)

[personal profile] deafscythe 2014-10-17 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Justin watches the troll, looking completely incredulous. He doesn't flinch, or move, or act in any way as if he is not accustomed to giant trolls desperately trying not to hateflirt with him.

"Is that so?" Really, the question could be to any of the Initiate's statements.

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