i knew you were tribble when you walked in

[69problems]

Who| The Signless and Kankri; The Signless and ANYONE WHO WANTS A TRIBBLE.
What| Signless and his past life are sad together and Signless realizes if everyone had a small soft friend to comfort them things might be marginally less terrible.
Where| D5, D12
When| The thread with Kankri is backdated a little, the tribble giveaway is happening now.
WARNINGS| Nothing; will change if anything comes up.

[For Kankri]

If he's taking Karkat's disappearance hard then he knows Kankri must be too. Whatever their relationship was or was not, Kankri and Karkat were close. With that in mind the Signless makes his way down to District 5, his tribble Friend tucked under his arm. He's had his time to grieve and now he's more than ready to take care of someone else while they grieve -- and even if Kankri isn't as distraught as he thinks he might be, visiting his past self is something he feels he should do more of.

With all that in mind he knocks softly on Kankri's door.

"Kankri? Are you there?"

[For Everyone Who Wants A Tribble]

Within the next few days signs pop up all over the tribute center in all the common areas and inside the elevator. They're all a little different from each other, as though whoever made them either couldn't find a copier or didn't know copiers were a thing. They all look basically the same, though:



The Signless is now in possession of a lot more tribbles than he was just a few days ago. Between Friend, Sekhmet and Tribble Will Smith all having healthy appetites he now has a healthy stock that range from bright white to deep black (and a good deal of colors in between) in plain or stripes or spots. He's gathered them all in the District 12 common room where they cover the couches and chairs and spill onto the floor. The combined cooing isn't so much a gentle murmur of sound as it is a dull roar.

He's set up another hand-written sign by the couch that says TRIBBLES HERE and there is a small stack of cards on the table that he made by tearing up larger pieces of paper. They're each labeled with Tribble Care Instructions and the only thing written on them is DO NOT FEED underlined several times.

It just seems to him that having a small, soft thing to hold when he feels particularly horrible always helps. Logically it follows that it might help other people too, and since tribbles are so easy to multiply there's no reason not to offer. He sits back amongst his herd of puffballs and waits (and desperately hopes someone shows up, because being stuck with this many tribbles is not something he exactly wants).

Comments

[dingadong]

The man that stride in the door seems to be in his early twenties, with pale blonde hair styled in an elaborate pompadour. "Hello!" he calls. "I saw the notice about the 'tribbles' and I was intrigued, as indeed anyone should be when free goods are being proffered. Are you the breed--"

He stares at Signless.

"Are you the breeder?" he finishes after a moment's gawking.

[worldsaway]

The posters had not gone unnoticed to Thor, though he hadn't come to D12 with the intention of taking claim of one. He was here to find Stark, but instead he happens upon the common rooms abuzz with happy creatures. He really ought to keep moving, but the urge to inspect them is a little too intense to resist.

He sticks a foot out to nudge one, relenting finally to bend over and take it into his hand. When he stands, he'll turn to lay his eyes on Signless and feels almost as if he's been caught in the act. He stoops his head into a small bow of acknowledgment, but he seems to have no intention of releasing it.

"Good day." He greets, like he didn't just walk in and pick up a small, vibrating ball of fur. "This is quite the collection you've amassed, my friend."

[rediscover]

Anna of Arendelle, certified Disney Princess and lover of things small and soft, has never actually heard of a tribble. But from the posters she's been seeing all over the Capitol, they sound sort of nice--whatever they are. So on a free day, she finds herself taking the elevator all the way to the top floor of the Tribute Center, traipsing into the commons with a curious look on her face. She feels awkward being in here, and it shows, but only until the moment she sees the pile of tribbles, and then her eyes light up, and she rushes forward to kneel down next to the pile, cooing softly.

"Oh, my goodness." She's already piled two of them into her arms before she glances up at Signless. "They don't have these where I'm from." She nuzzles her cheek into a spotted one. "Did you make them?"

[For Bucky and Signless]

[tasermaiden]

Darcy saw the sign in the elevator on the way down to try to train (or, more accurately, watch other people train and listen to music while realizing how totally outmatched she is in the Arena). And the idea of having her own pet Tribble is actually super cute. It's while she watches Bucky train that something hits her: yeah, having her own pet Tribble would be great, but Bucky having one to try to lessen his crazy high intensity could be even better.

She would interrupt him, but that seems like a terrible idea based on past experience. Instead she waits until he's done and follows him to the elevator, blocking him when he tries to press the button to his floor. "Nuh-uh, we're going on a little field trip."

[tookthewheel]

He knew she was there behind him of course but Darcy didn't speak up so neither did he. Bucky saw no harm in her following behind him, thinking it just likely just coincidence she chose to use the elevator at the same time as him.

It seems he was wrong on that one.

"Field trip?" he knows the term. "Where?" No immediate refusal, that's probably a good sign.

[tasermaiden]

"District 12's suite." She grins up at him, poking at his chest lightly. "We're gonna get you a...well, you'll see when we get there."

She days that as if she isn't standing in front of one of the hand drawn posters.

[tookthewheel]

He drops the hand he was going to use to press the button for 9 on the elevator and listens to her talk instead, letting the poke to his chest pass. There's just something about this woman that even almost getting punched with a metal fist can't seem to daunt.

Bucky's never been to District 12, he fails to see what reason he could possibly have for -- the number 12, it's on a piece of paper right behind Darcy. Using his far superior height Bucky leans forward to read it. "Tribbles?"

[wizardplease]

It was the hand written sign that had caught his attention. In a place like this, where everything was perfect and polished and impossibly over-designed, something hand drawn and stuck to the wall with tape stuck out. And once he was looking at it he was reading it and wondering just what the heck a 'tribble' was.

It would gnaw at him if he didn't actually go and look. So up to the District 12 suites he goes. "Aah, is this where...." And he can't even finish the question, for the giant fuzzy pile of cooing creatures in the middle of the common room answers it nicely. "Oh."

He should probably turn around and leave, having satisfied his curiosity, but he isn't quite done staring in surprise yet.

[privilegecheck]

Kankri tries to put up a good face in public. He doesn't want to give these people the satisfaction of his misery, especially when he knows that's exactly what they're after, taking Karkat and Kurloz away like this. Karkat's loss bites more, and so he tries to stay as quiet on the subject as possible.

But when he opens the door to see Signless, he knows what it's about. (They never even had the chance to tell him they'd worked it out, he doesn't even know, does he?)

"Come on in," he says softly, stepping aside. "I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner."

[letthemburn]

Iskierka's got absolutely no idea what a tribble is. She can tell what the design on the sign is, but it looks like absolutely nothing hat she's familiar with. It's curiosity that does the rest of the work in getting her to the District 12 suites. Well, that and the fact that they're something that she won't have to offer anything for in return, unless she's horribly misjudged the definition of the word 'free'.

(She doesn't think she has, but she's not about to rule out the possibility.)

So it is that in time she does show up, unconcerned about the fact that most people would likely consider a dragon to not be the best person to care for any pet, even one as low maintenance as a tribble.

"This is the place in the signs, yes?"

[fight_like_a_girl]

Steph has seen the signs around the building and prominently displayed in the elevator, and she has to admit she's curious. The posters are illustrated balls of puff that don't resemble any sort of animal she's ever seen, but with them very clearly stating not to feed them, she assumes they are indeed living creatures. Maybe? It still seems kind of weird.

Which is why she's coming up to find out.

She definitely hears them before she sees them and doesn't connect the sound with the tribbles until she walks into a literal pile of them. Man, that is a lot of small fuzzy things.

"Woah." She's doing her best not to step on any of them as she comes in to the common room but it's an obstacle course. "There sure are a lot of them."

[69problems]

After over a year in Panem the Signless is now adept at being able to tell who's new simply by their reaction to seeing a troll. Staring usually means they very recently arrived, since trolls are common enough that it's hard to go any length of time without seeing one.

And, well, technically the answer is no, he got his tribbles from Pasha Checkov back when she was still around and available, but he did breed these ones and with her no longer in the picture it's probably easier to just say:

"Yes, more or less. My name is Signless, and I don't believe I've seen you before?"

[69problems]

"I wanted to be sure there was enough for everyone," he says, as though he could possibly run out when he has at least twice as many tribbles as there are tributes. Best to plan ahead in case people want more than one, right?

[69problems]

See, this is exactly the sort of reaction he was hoping they'd get. What good are small soft round things if they don't make people light up with joy?

"Not the original ones -- those were given to me by a native friend -- but these are all ones I bred recently, yes. I've enjoyed having mine so much that I thought others might like to have one or two as well."

[69problems]

"It is, yes. I assume you've never seen one before? Most people haven't." Especially not when 'one' means 'one in a gigantic cooing pile'.

"You could take a closer look if you wanted. They're very docile and enjoy being handled."

[69problems]

"Don't be. Looking after yourself comes before looking after me." He ignores the joke there, what with the two of them being technically the same person. Instead he steps inside and sits on the edge of the bed, placing his tribble next to him. It chirrs softly.

"Are you-- how have you been holding up?"

[69problems]

For the first time in a long time it's the Signless's turn to look visibly taken aback by the appearance of someone else. Not that he isn't aware of Iskierka; she's been around quite long enough that he's seen her on playbacks and there's even a blur shaped a little bit like her in his jumble of memories from the tail end of the fog arena. Still, it's very different to be seeing her up close and in his right mind.

"I believe so, unless there are other signs I haven't seen. Were you thinking of adopting a tribble?" If more trolloid species could benefit from them, why not dragons?

[privilegecheck]

Kankri looks at the cooing ball of fluff with a spark of interest. Slowly he reaches out to touch it, and relaxes a little as it chirrs happily at the gentle stroking.

"I've been better," he says quietly. "I- everyone we knew was gone, so we stayed with each other most of the time before the Arena. And now he's gone." He shakes his head. "I was certain they'd bring him back."

[69problems]

"I wanted to be sure there would be enough," says the person who is most likely looking after the sea of puffballs, since he seems to be right in the thick of it.

"And I admit I didn't realize exactly how big their litters were." The Signless just knew that to get more you fed them. He didn't realize they reproduced like a Mother Grub on steroids. "But I suppose that just means people can take home more than one if they want, so it works out."

[69problems]

"I know. I know, I thought they would too. He was popular, he fought, he should have been safe." He reaches up to run a hand through his hair, glad at least that Kankri understands what he's feeling in a way that Hubert (bless his soul, he tried) couldn't.

"I am so, so sorry for leaving the both of you alone. But if I had told him he would have tried to follow and I couldn't risk that."

[privilegecheck]

Kankri bows his head. "We...we finally admitted we were pitch. That we were kismeses. I, I thought surely the Capitol would want to get their money's worth out of that. There's nothing they enjoy more than spying on others' relationships..."

The tribble is, by now, in his lap, and he clutches lightly at its fur in an attempt to comfort himself.

[69problems]

He looks down at his hands, twisted very tight together in his lap.

"They didn't bring my Disciple back. I don't think a relationship, no matter how meaningful, is enough to keep anyone safe anymore. But I'm happy for the two of you that you at least had closure."

And now Kankri will be able to hang onto memories, even brief ones, of a real relationship instead of just frustrating pining and denial. That has to be worth something.

[privilegecheck]

"I didn't know," he says softly. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

He sort of turns and flops sidelong onto the bed, utterly despondent, and curls in on himself. Yeah, Signless, he's not holding up well in the slightest.

[69problems]

Signless can tell. He reaches down and very gently places a hand on Kankri's shoulder, squeezing softly but not doing much more. He doesn't want to overstep the boundaries of propriety into an accidental pale overture (even though it's obvious Kankri needs comfort); the younger troll has Venus for that.

"It's... it's not okay, but I'll survive. She lived without me after my execution, I can keep going without her. She wouldn't have wanted me to give up."

He's silent for a moment, worrying his lip (they've stopped sharpening his fangs, something for which he is extremely grateful).

"Is there anything I can do? Anything that would make this easier for you to cope with?"

[rediscover]

Anna grins. She doesn't even bat an eye at the alien man; she's already met a couple of his kind, after all--

--actually, one of his kind just brutally hanged her, but she won't dwell on that.

"That's so nice of you!" She's already trying to decide which one she likes best. There's a sweet black-and-tan spotted one, and a white-and grey striped one. "Wow, they don't have--faces, do they." She rears her head back. This is so strange. Strange and wonderful.