(no subject) (part 2)

[initiatesnpc]

Here is an overflow log for the Black Rock, New Mexico mission! The original log is here, and the OOC information is here. Start new threads or continue old ones, this is just some more room for it to grow into.

Comments

Kanaya Maryam | Open!

[speakveryclearly]

A

[Kanaya has wrangled accommodations for herself and her "human co-orphaned brother". Second floor above the seamstress's shop, where she's secured valuable work. Sure, the dark middle eastern features they share in disguise are not exactly winning. But Kanaya at least is pale like diamonds and wears modest green period dresses and brings a glow into every room she enters in Black Rock and conveniently doesn't take her meals from her employer. Also, repeated mentions of being co-orphans.

So she's employed to earn her room and board, working for the seamstress, and it's her charming manners to the townspeople that come in which actually works the best to sway sympathies (as she certainly does not neglect any opportunity to make clear she is part of the mysterious Gerry supporter influx), not that she realizes this. She seems very happy at her work though she goes on until a good while after sundown and always schedules long breaks during the brightest part of the day. Hmmm. Why?]

B

[If you enter the desert anywhere between 10 and 2 AM you're almost guaranteed to get a good look at Kanaya in the baking sunlight and downright frolicking. Abandoned are her period dresses, replaced with colorful pastel numbers from home possessed of little to no sleeves at all. She is surrounded by her element out here, sometimes even becoming a blur as she loses herself in supernatural speed and decently simmering sunlight.]

C

[Once a day Kanaya has ordered herself to spend half an hour in the town square, around 5 or 6, making rhetorical arguments that fall fairly flat and go ignored from a young girl. She's just not good at this persuasion business, and always returns to her place of work in a huff.]

C

[whomheloved]

[Di has been watching the girl in the square trying to sway people to vote as the Initiative wishes, but that's not what she'd noticed about her. She knows that their cloaking devices let them fit in among the locals, but as they can still see each other as they actually are...well.

She'd know those horns anywhere. But the height is wrong, and the age, and after all she's learned here she can guess what's going on.

She can't help but approach her once she sees her storming off in a huff, offering something of a sympathetic smile.]

They don't listen to us very much, do they?

1/2

[speakveryclearly]

[Kanaya whirls around in a flash when she hears an adult voice and smells olive green blood. Her instinctive reaction is fear as she looks up into the colorful eyes of an adult troll. The asymmetrical sign looping around the woman's neck gives Kanaya some ideas, but she's - she's never so much as seen adult garb outside of a flarping costume and what is this woman doing off of a spaceship?]

2/2

[speakveryclearly]

[Then she remembers everything else. Obviously, this is Exsilium's gang of interdimensional grubnappees sent to past Earth; the oliveblooded woman is clearly one of them and for once an Alternian adult who has merited their attention. She's lower on the hemospectrum than Kanaya and a Leo, so stereotypes, as much as Kanaya abhors them on principle, do not say she necessarily has anything to worry about. And finally, she's a rainbow drinker at full health with a chainsaw and a shotgun in her sylladex. She can take (almost) 33 (inadequately) armed (normal) humans in a fight. Though she has no idea what strengths and weaknesses the strange woman may have, she is confident any confrontation with her at the absolute least would let her escape with her undeath.

No worries, Kanaya. You can do this.]

Not all the time.

[NAILED IT.]

[whomheloved]

[Disciple has no idea what's going through her mind - no one has explained to her yet about all adults being sent off planet in the time of these particular trolls, so she doesn't suspect that the jadeblood has any reason to fear her beyond a natural wariness around an older troll.

And even if she did suspect it, the thought would be overwhelmed by the surge of fondness as she gets a closer look at her, and sadness at the thought of how far away Dolorosa is right now. Oh, how she'd love to meet this young descendant of hers! It would mean so much to her, Di's sure.

The sympathetic smile turns kind and gentle.]

No, not all of the time. It's strange, they don't seem to pay much attention to females here. [She pauses, hesitant all of a sudden.] Are you Kanaya? Karkat mentioned you to me.

[speakveryclearly]

I'm sorry to tell you. But human culture is like that for some reason. I don't know why. [Her mood sinks. Deep down, she rather hates Earth. What she's seen of it has been so dystopian she's never really gotten a coherent picture of the fashions in which it's a better place than her home. Far away from her planet, culling seems like a small price to pay for the fashions in which her culture was better. If she heard without adequate preparation that her ancestor worked to overturn Alternian culture, she'd probably turn hostile.]

At any rate, I am. Kanaya Maryam. What does that mean to you? [...in spite of herself, she is pretty curious.]

[whomheloved]

Really? All of it? That's strange. They didn't seem so bad to me back in the city.

[Di is wondering if perhaps she made a mistake approaching her so soon, right after she'd been obviously annoyed by the people ignoring her.] Oh, it's just...some of the trolls I spoke to when I arrived were rather abrasive. But Karkat was very helpful, and he said you were okay to talk to, if I wanted to try approaching more trolls. That's all, really.

[And it was true, she'd known Kanaya was a jadeblood, but she'd never expected to find her the spitting image of Dolorosa. She needed to get used to it herself before broaching the topic with the younger troll.]

[speakveryclearly]

The transports are specially selected individuals. Their planet's culture in general I can't say the same for. For the most part - [She glances around to make sure there are none of her human friends nearby.] You can't trust a human by default without the binding of the initiative.

[She's very matter-of-fact about all this, sadly.] Most of the trolls here really aren't so bad. We're just awful at relationships.

c

[redheadcarrier]

[Oh, look, it's some Asuka can tolerate and kind of get along with. Asuka waits for her to finish, tapping a toe on the wooden sidewalk. As she starts to wind down, Asuka saunters over, looking a bit smug.]

You know they're all morons, right? It's not like they're going to listen to us.

[speakveryclearly]

[Kanaya slumps by her, happy to at least see Asuka and also someone who's not a troll complaining about the sun - best thing about this place to her.]

I've begun to think it's only our numbers that will sway the vote, yeah.

I don't blame them. What reason do they have to value interstellar civilization anyway. Do you even care about that in present-day Earth?

[redheadcarrier]

Well, we did care, before half the planet died off.

After that, trying to rebuild Earth kinda took over.

[speakveryclearly]

Oh?

As far as I'd heard there was never any actual travel that occurred. Was there?

[redheadcarrier]

Well, we got as far as the moon, anyway.

[speakveryclearly]

The moon? I see. [Some time kind of thinking about that. Black Rock provided the best view of Earth's moon that she's ever had. Nuclear winter doesn't make for a great viewing setup.]

You know, I've never actually found out about what your star system's layout is. I feel a little neglectful for it now.

A

[punk_cute]

[It's no surprise to anyone who knows Kanji that he ends up visiting the seamstress here. He comes in a little awkward but eager to look around at what's available. He also has a few things he's been working on, of course, because he got a similar idea to Kanaya... just a little late.

Anyway, he's surprised to see her there.]

Kanaya-san!

[Then he laughs.] I guess I shoulda known, huh?

[speakveryclearly]

[She perks up from her work and is pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face. Kanji is definitely a transport, thank god. Passing in front of humans is so difficult she's almost willing to hide in the back with the fabrics and not face the light of day at all. But sunlight streaming in through the windows at the front is better.]

Kanji? I didn't know you engaged in honorific usage too. [It's something she only learned about just last month from her new roommate. The price of your Japanese acquaintances being impolite.]

[punk_cute]

[He's a little sheepish at that.]

I forget sometimes, but it's polite an' I'm not tryin' to be rude to anybody no more. You know?

[And he comes right over, curious.]

What'cha working on?

Oh no my complete lack of sewing knowledge is showing

[speakveryclearly]

You don't have to worry about it with me - in my native culture they were completely unheard of.

[She turns her chair to face him - she's been sitting behind the cashier counter - and lifts her work out of her lap: Repetitive embroidery on the hem of a skirt.]

It's a pretty basic pattern, but the machines aren't quite as sophisticated here as they were - [she remembers suddenly that her mistress might be in earshot] back home in the city.

[punk_cute]

Sewin' by hand takes longer, but it's got more character anyway.

[He peers at the pattern for a minute, smiling.]

Nice work, though! But did you think about changin' that part there and addin' a curl in there?

[And the suggestions he makes are minor, but could very well look amazing.]

[speakveryclearly]

I just hope I don't spend too long here. I almost gave myself Troll Carpal Tunnel Syndrome once. Hmmm...

[She doesn't pick out the stitches there, but does incorporate the suggested curling. After about a minute she examines how this modification is working.]

It's shaping up...

who needs letters

[honkalypse]

[Unlike Kanaya, Gamzee despises the sunlight. Part of being an alive troll, really. Earth's sun doesn't burn like he expected, but he still doesn't like the way it feels at all. So he hides and stares at nothing while she is out frolicking, and greets her like a good "co-orphaned brother" should when she returns.]

Done getting yourself full up with that motherfucking sunlight, bitchsis?

[He's dragging nails (that are at least better kept now, but still sharp) down her arm with a smirk.]

never letters for bro

[speakveryclearly]

[She is surprisingly tolerant of the pain, mostly leaning back and spreading her arms with slightly gritted teeth. Her skin just feels so blissfully warm.]

It is a burn I have felt far too rarely. Humans ruining their motherfucking environment in our future. Not to mention that desert we went painting in was fake and all too brief. [2fort. Never forget.]

[honkalypse]

Color didn't stay in that motherfucking place. Drawn all out like tossed down into wash with motherfucking hot.

You got your glow, bitchsis. You can be keeping your sunlight. Got me down with the motherfucking moon.

[He likes that comparison. It feels right.]

[speakveryclearly]

Have you been howling at it.

[Hehehe. It's kind of like playing SBURB again, being out in the open. ...except her land was abhorrently wet.]

It still surprises me that they only have the one. [Moon, that is.]

[honkalypse]

Did you know, bitchsis, got yourself that wicked knowledge, that moon's having all the motherfucking colors hiding up in there? Little motherfuckers, making rainbows all around it.

[Oh yeah, somebody's seen a moonbow and found it good.]