thecapitol | [closed]

Who| Karkat and Cuthbert
What| Shopping, hanging out, and discussing arena plans.
Where| Around the Capitol
When| Not long after Signless gave his troll information talk
Warnings/Notes| Karkat is in this log, so there will be lots of swearing. (Also please picture Karkat's outfit being sans moon design and crown and also parts of it are ruby red.)

Unfortunately, the District One stylist caught wind of Karkat's little outing with Cuthbert and had managed to corner him before he left. Karkat's escort human had been of no help, either. Evidently Karkat had looked adorable in the oh so fashionable princely suit they'd crammed him into. To which Karkat had retorted that he prefered adorabloodthirsty and stomped his way to the elevator.

(Fuck, if Terezi were here she'd be licking all over him--and he needed to stop that train of thought right fucking now.)

It doesn't take very long for the elevator to reach the lobby. Hopefully Cuthbert is already waiting for him so they can just get this over with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Karkat glares at him. "Just because what's natural for trolls is weird for humans doesn't mean I should stop trying to be a proper troll! It's even more important now, especially since--"

And then he shuts his mouth abruptly, because the destruction of his planet and species is something he really doesn't want to talk about. Especially because it's so much of it his fault.

He knows that tone, that's the "Cuthbert, you are an asshole" tone. It's one he's all too familiar with. Bert sighs, he's screwed this up, he knows it, but he doesn't want to admit to it.

"Cry pardon, I should not mock your traditions. If it helps thee any, my ways are just as odd here, in many ways."

And he shouldn't be taking out his frustration at being a odd human in a civilization of what he thinks are odd humans out on someone who might actually understand.

At least Cuthbert's able to apologize to people, sort of, which is better than Karkat. "Yeah," Karkat says, shooting him an annoyed glance, "you shouldn't."

Then he sighs. "And yeah, I know. I mean, I've noticed. You're not even much like most of the other tribute humans. You're..." He shrugs. He almost wants to say 'better' or 'more normal' because Cuthbert at least doesn't kick up a giant fuss about the whole concept of the games existing.

He finally settles on, "You culled before the arenas, didn't you?"

"Aye, I have. More than once, and if Ka sees fit to send me back where I came from, I will again."

There's so much petulance in his words, he really doesn't like talking about his job here. It used to bring him a lot of pride, but too many here consider killing for any reason to be an offense. As far as Cuthbert is concerned, the games are made for him. Which makes him somewhat defensive.

"This world is shiny and new with buildings made of more glass than I would ever see in a lifetime in Gilead. But they know the importance of life and death, just as my people do. They simply have an overflow of lives and money that makes it easy to spend people in excess."

Karkat shrugs. "Where I come from, kids cull each other all the time. We're allowed to. We're practically supposed to. It makes sure that whoever's still around when it comes time for Conscription is the toughest of the tough. At least half my friends had culled someone at some point before--" He shakes his head, not really wanting to talk about Sgrub with someone who wouldn't understand. "Those kids I got in the arena weren't my first culls."

He looks at Cuthbert. "You're as irritating as shit most of the time," he says. "But fuck, most of my other friends were too. And being good at killing people is a fucking valuable skill, okay? Maybe some of the other humans don't think so, but they're from fluffy juvenile hopbeast worlds and don't fucking count."

That last part is a bit odd, but he can get most of the drift. And it cheers him up almost immediately.

"My father would be shocked, aye, nearly enough to drop dead on the spot to hear that I had made such a good choice of tet here. We will have a much better chance in the arena together than alone. Between the two of us, we may just get Sai Signless to the end so he never has to worry about taking another life."

Even when he gets his new horns hooked by accident on a low hanging branch he's still smiling and much more himself. The joys of acceptance.

Karkat rolls his eyes as he watches Cuthbert unhook himself. That was one good thing about having such embarrassingly nubby horns, he thinks, not having to deal with bullshit like that.

"Yeah," he says. "That's what I was hoping--that we'd still be in cahoots next arena. You and me--we're okay for this kind of game. But Signless... Signless is kind of fucked unless we help him. And if we can get him to win then he won't have to deal with this shit again, he can just mentor or whatever."

Cuthbert laughs at the word 'cahoots' not because it's inaccurate, but because it's a funny word and he hadn't really thought of their working together like that.

"Aye, we shall be tight in cahoots. I will gladly face another arena or more on my own, if it means I can help out a friend. You are right, thee and I are well suited to this game, unlike many."

Once he gets himself unstuck from the tree he throws a friendly arm across Karkat's shoulder.

"Please tell me we're headed the right direction. I would hate to have to turn back and fight with that tree again."

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