[closed] you hurt yourself again, along with all your friends

[crabmunicator]

Who| Karkat and Phil, then Tabris
What| So Tony is dead and Linden just got tortured. Time to freak out a little.
Where| D6, D10
When| After the broadcast of Tony's execution.
Warnings/Notes| Talk of torture and execution, obviously. Will update if need be.

A. for Phil

Karkat doesn't wait. As soon as the broadcast is over he's moving, heading from his room where he'd formerly been hunched over a load of homework down to Phil's Mentor quarters. If there's one person here he knows the video will affect, it's him, and it would be far too suspicious if neither of them talked to each other after the events of the arena.

As he knocks on the door, though, Karkat's mind is whirring. Linden's been rebellious for well long enough, and he was there to see the speech he delivered at school, how he'd been escorted away by Peacekeepers when it was over. (It had left him shaky all day. He hadn't said anything outright rebellious, but neither had he been deferential and respectful.) And an old dream pricks at his head, leaving him wondering still if it wasn't his fault somehow. They had talked about his Avox parents, given sympathy to them, and how would the Capitol take that?

When Phil answers, his face will be set nervous. There's no question what it's about.

B. for Tabris

Tabris slipped a letter under his door, and since then Karkat's held onto it, keeping it right there in mind. Feferi may have been the one to come to him immediately, but he recognizes Tabris's discretion in waiting. And really, even a delay doesn't override what her support means at a time like this. Being disbelieved by friends about something as important as a traitorous monster who would have them all as servants is bad enough, and here around the corner has come the double blow of a tortured Mentor and an execution.

He comes up to District 10 less shaken than he was right after the broadcast, but hardly looking well. She said she'd make time for him even if she was busy, but when he knocks, he doesn't know if she'll actually be in her room. He waits and hopes.

Comments

[crabmunicator]

He gave her a look, too tired to really be irritable. Again came the urge to just flop on her bed, but with her permission he took to a chair instead, sinking heavily into the seat.

He didn't mind the wait. Issues sat heavily enough on their shoulders without forcing them to shift them faster. There was also the trouble of finding the right words, too, and that was critical in times like these.

"I only ever met Tony once, but Linden..." He propped his elbows on his knees, and his face in his hands. "He's my Mentor. I've known him since I got here, basically, and I've seen him go through these stupid life decisions over these past months, and pull out of them, and at least it seemed like he cared about us, but..."

He did care, and that was the important part. He wouldn't have wound up in this position otherwise. It was his indiscretion, being too bold maybe; they might have done worse if they knew more.

"He gave this really flippant speech at the youth program a while back." He'd told Phil about it, too. "The Peacekeepers, they took him after, but nothing happened then, and... I just didn't expect it to turn out this way. For him to be that bad, you know? It's hard to take in."

[allyorfoe]

"I never met Tony, just saw him at his Crowning. His was my first one." She drummed her fingers on her chair thoughtfully. She'd thought about it, once or twice. But he was some super technologically advanced genius, and she was a medieval elf who hit things with an axe. There wasn't a lot to talk about. Too late now, anyway. Probably for the best.

Linden...her meetings with him hadn't left a good impression. She felt kind of bad about it now, but then, her best idea for how to handle him was to completely ignore him and his antics and hope he went away. Not that she had much room to talk in the alcohol department, but she had a line. But he was obviously important to Karkat, and she nodded sympathetically. "It sounds like he's been in a bit of a downward spiral. Saying things to the kids, particularly...that definitely would attract attention."

And then the hacked post happened, probably just dooming him. Him and Tony. Were they behind it? It didn't really matter now. If they weren't, the person who had done it would be an idiot to try again, not when they'd managed to have that scapegoat. "Well--I mean, he's alive. Maybe this will be his chance to see just how far he's fallen. Maybe he'll be able to turn this thing around, realize that all this traitor nonsense is a fool's errand. I'm sure he'll be forgiven if he takes advantage of this chance." She turned to look at Karkat, raising her eyebrows at him. Her next sentence, she said with the air of someone who was trying very hard not to choke on a particularly nasty smell.

"The Capitol is merciful, after all."

She let that baldfaced lie sink in, before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Phil seems like he's got his head on straight, at least."

[crabmunicator]

"My second," he replied softly. It didn't matter much. What he remembered wasn't the party so much as running into him in the lobby, the dumb questions he'd asked, how frustrated he'd become. He didn't know what way to regret: that he didn't talk to the asshole again, or that he met him in the first place. Did it matter? He was dead regardless, and not knowing Brainiac 5 hadn't stopped the shock he felt to see his head shot open on the Tower stairs.

The Capitol always made its message clear.

"Yeah," he said at length as he pulled his thoughts back to Linden. "Yeah, I hope so. I didn't come here to... to have a shit Mentor."

It sounded lame to his ears. He hadn't come here for anything, not like any statement of intent could tell. Hopefully the awkwardness served enough cover when he shuddered at the mercy comment.

"Phil's better. I didn't think he would win, but that shows what I know. He's handling this pretty good. He means well, and that means a lot in this, you know?" Karkat met her eyes. "Maybe he can set an example or something. He--we both tried to help Linden last time, in the mini-arena, so if we can lay out a straight path for him to follow..."

He rubbed at his face. "Ugh, I sound like a shredded dictionary for how coherent I am."

[allyorfoe]

"I don't think I've expected any of the wins that I've seen, and plenty of the ones that I didn't see." Tabris replied with a shrug, leaning back in her chair. "Even Black Tom. Sure, he's got the will to kill thing going on, but everyone I know hates his guts. As soon as we were done rowing, my district pitched him in the water. And he's old." Peggy wasn't a surprise, really, but Phil looked like he'd get knocked out if she punched him solidly, and Anna...was Anna.

"Well, you know, Karkat. People can change in ways that'd surprise you. If you just keep trying, something could happen." She tapped her cheek thoughtfully, trying to think of what she could say that wouldn't get them in trouble, but might offer some actual comfort. Unfortunately, what the Capitol thinks is acceptable is rarely what's good for tributes. Most everyone in here is a powder keg, and the Capitol just keeps shaking them up more and more.

Eventually, the rebellion was going to bring a match, and Tabris was going to enjoy watching what happened.

"It's okay to be shook up about all of this. You don't have to sound like you're dropping an essay on me. I understand what you're saying. Besides, you lost your friend Terezi on top of all of this, didn't you?" Her lips twist just slightly, trying to control the smile on her face. The conversation with Terezi over that post had been pretty hilarious--As had her conversation with Shepard been, because Tabris is an asshole who reads other people's conversations. "At least she's in a better place now, right?" A subtle reminder that Terezi, at least, was safe from all this.

"I wonder how long it'll be until we end up joining her, though." She shifts slightly, eyes intent as she focused on Karkat. "The next arena will be cropping up soon. Can't decide if it'd be better or worse, honestly."

[crabmunicator]

"He was trying," Karkat returns. "You want surprise, that was my ancestor. A total pacifist saved from the arena imploding by being in the right place at the right time." It was more than coincidence with the Psiioniic's visions helping him, but that didn't change the overall impression. The Signless would have been the last person he expected to ever win.

But Tabris goes on, and what distraction that may have offered slides out of mind like sand through splayed fingers. Not for her airy suggestions of change, but for Terezi. His jaw tightens; a lump forms in his throat.

"No. Not really." Better than the Capitol, maybe, but what good does that mean when the Initiate is with her? Talk of Paradox Space would serve no better cover when all that awaited her there was abuse, conflict, and probably death. "She's not safe. There's a Makara there and they only ever fuck things up."

It's true in both places, same problem, second verse. For his conversation, not one part had been funny.

Even joining her didn't lift his heart. District 13 would mean fights and arguments over how safe her matesprit isn't, and as for returning to their own world... "I don't want to join her. I have nothing but Panem left, Tabris. If they send me back I'm just dead, permanently, no second chances."

[allyorfoe]

"Yeah, the Signless must've taken everybody by shock. But I mean, there's plenty of people who do try. I don't...not try. I don't know. I'm not sure if I really want to be a Victor." It's a conversation she's had in her head plenty of times, but in the end it all boils down to the same thing: It doesn't fucking matter. She's not going to give up while she's in the Arena, and if that scores her a win, great. If not, whatever. What's another death.

She hesitates at Karkat's expression, and then stands, crossing the room to sit next to Karkat. When she speaks, she puts a hand on Karkat's shoulder. "I don't know what what afterlife you have, but where I'm from, there's a guy called the Maker, and he makes sure that troublemakers don't mess with anyone." Not that she's going to say too much about the Initiate, not when she's been making plans to put her neck on the line, possibly get executed, based on a lead that he gave her. That'd be a real fun thing to divulge.

"Besides, Terezi's a tough kid. She'll be alright. As for that..." The elf gave a shrug, her free hand running through short-cropped hair. "I get you. I'll do my best to make sure you don't join her quite yet, alright? I'll try to keep an eye on you in the arena. I know that it's really...Not much. I can't save anyone, really." Her lips twitch, because as light as she says it, it's a contentious subject for her. "But it'll be alright. This will all get figured out, Karkat."