fleetlogs | => PHERES: Abscond.

"Stay away from them," Castor tells zir, wary. "They look dangerous."

He doesn't need to say it twice. Hinnom's a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them: the highblood-looking fucker might as well be twice zir height, and the sort of lowbloods that associate with highbloods aren't the sorts you want to lift your spirits with.

Marduk - little, round, chubby-cheeked Marduk - has stepped between zim and the older trolls, and ze is comfortable with that. If it came to strifing, ze's got zir sword, and Castor, and zir centispidermom, sleeping under the collar of zir cloak... but no way it'll come to that.

Marduk'll make sure of that. Right?

Edited 2014-12-01 03:35 (UTC)

They.. aren't threatening to put out his eyes, are they? No, no. He's being unflattering again, he's sure, but just in case, he slides on the glasses.

(Everyone hates his eyes, but honestly, he doesn't understand why. He likes them better than the rosewood they should be: the way they blind him in the light is thoroughly unlovable, but they look nice against the swarthy complexion of his skin, and they go well with his clothes.)

(It's not like it's an actual mutation. Some of the people they let past the culling pits these days are honestly distressing; he saw a girl with multiple pupils, for heavens sake, and yet no one understood when he commented on that.)

The world is comfortably tinted when he opens his eyes, and for the first time in hours, he can actually see with some clarity. It's just in time, too, because the jadeblood steps forward, her chin set, and he can actually see her face, rather than a sunbleached gray blob.

He's good with faces, and he doesn't know her at all.

"Um," he says, glancing towards OA - no, Riccin, evidently. He doesn't recognise this Marduk, although the name seems familiar, and evidently, neither do they. "I'm sorry, but - who are you, exactly?"

Oh.

The Shepherd is a name that she hasn't heard often, but it's impossible not to recognise it. Her face and symbol are everywhere, after all, as the current dean of the Imperial Education Programs.

Marduk hadn't realised that she was a proctor as well.

She's never seen a helmsman trainee before, either, and now that Riccin has identified themselves as such, she's desperately curious. Everyone knows they start the wetware installations at a young age, but if there's apiculture integrated into Riccin's flesh, there's no way to tell: they're swathed head-to-toe in cloth, from the suncloak to the boots to the gloves on their hands, and there's nothing to see on their face save for the blue spark of their eyes and the white dabs of paint.

It's not the time to ask, anyway. They've drawn themselves up to their full height and they're looming over her, their lip curled in a sneer. If they're trying to intimidate her - well, it's working, because Marduk has to steel herself to keep from stepping back. "Who the fuck sent you?" they ask, voice flat.

Their eyes might be blue, Marduk reminds herself, but if they're part of the helmsman program, then that means she's the highblood. Most of the kids in the legislacerator program are jadebloods, like her, but there's more than a few violets and indigoes: all the isolated castes, that can't be regulated by tealbloods for one reason or another.

Her roommate is one of them, a snotty indigo cusp with her nose perpetually stuck in the air. She can't think like Marduk right now, because all she wants to do is duck her horns and leave. No, she has to be her roommate. What would Sappho say?

"His moirail," she says pompously, and her voice doesn't even crack, because she's Sappho, and she wouldn't care about a helmsman, even if the proctor was the Empress herself.

It's that thought that sends her stepping forward to the smaller figure, chin up, horns canted.. not defensively, but assertively. She doesn't have to be defensive, not when she's the highest caste here by two.

"Your handle is RS, isn't it?" She holds out a hand, and she steadfastly ignores the way it's shaking. "My online personal identification tag is forsakenSebayt. We've engaged in prior communications."

Edited 2014-12-01 14:09 (UTC)

"Oh!"

Now that she's said it, he can see it. He'd never thought of her face before, but Marduk looks almost exactly like he would've imagined: small, round, and thoroughly academic, although he hadn't anticipated the snaggletooth.

He hadn't anticipated her height, either. She's the same height as him, although her horns are shorter, and it's nice not to have to tilt his head up for once to see someone's face. He takes the proferred hand, shakes it, and then has to hastily pull back as a spark falls towards her. "Sorry," he says: his instinct is to duck his horns and back away, but that just flings more sparks free, and his arm is still looped through Riccin's. "Um. Try not to let them -"

Too late. She flinches as a spark hits her skin and sizzles, and he flushes. "Try not to let them touch you," he finishes, a bit lamely. "Sorry. Bad reaction to.. a drink. Ah. It's nice to meet you?"

The little jadeblood steps past them, like they don't even matter, and Riccin's temper flares. Trainee or not, they're apt to knock those fucking horns off. It's one things when indigoes act like that - it's their fucking right, as top of the rung. But they're not about to let some rotblood stick their nose in the air like a goddamn blueblood.

But Pheres speaks up first, and a better idea strikes them instead. Sipara wants this fucker to lead her poor diamond home? Well, fuck that.

"Drink, my ass," they say, sharp and pointedly cheerful. "Some greenblood slipped him some honey and shit ain't going too well for him. He's an out-of-towner, so I was going to take him to my hive.. but fuck, if you think your dorms'll enjoy the lightshow, go the fuck ahead."

They won't. Bringing a free troll onto academy grounds after hours is a great way of getting reprimanded. Sneaking a sparking lowblood into the dorms, though - that's some cullbait shit, right there.

Sipara said he had a hive. Was she expecting Marduk to take him all the way to the city outskirts? It's distressingly plausible: the rowdy rustblood is a lot of things, but considerate is not one of them.

She can't bring him back to her dormitories. If he were a caste or two higher, she might be able to pass him off as a quadrantmate, and gain an exemption that way.. but Proctor Sungazer disapproves of caste gaps, and expects his creche to abide strictly by the three castes or less rule. And she can't bring him in without that.

She wouldn't get culled, of course. Marduk is jade, and they're too rare to cull, for anything short of a debilitating mutation, or outright treason. But he likely would, and the consequences for her would be... unpleasant.

Marduk chews on her lip. Her confidence is slipping, she doesn't know Sappho nearly well enough to decide what she would do now, and she doesn't know what she should do. This is why she likes staying in her dorms, with her books as company. Books, like the laws, are predictable and precise: they follow rules, and if you only pay attention, you'll always know how the plot will go, and what the characters will do.

She wishes life was that simple.

"No," she finally says. "I don't think they would."

Castor is quiet while they talk, and although ze looks to see what he's doing, he's just.. listening. When he catches zim looking at him, he gives the same half-shrug he always does. His horns must've been fuck-huge, when he was a troll: he always acts like he's going to hit them, even after centuries of being dead.

"Offer to walk with them," he says, flat and disinterested. "If you must."

Hinnom thinks ze probably does. The conversations been hard for zim to follow: all names they don't know and shit they never got fed about, like helms and proctors and dorms. But Mardie started off swaggering and now she looks like a deflated balloon, and that's no good at all.

"We'll walk with you, then," ze chirps, and everyone turns to look at zim, like they plumb forgot ze was there. Rude fuckers. But, as zir mom stirring under zir collar reminds them, ze's still got manners, so ze trots straight up to the short lowblood. Mardie moves out of the way, giving zim one of her looks like 'the fuck you doing,' but Castor gets it.

He steps in real close, big paws hooking around Hinnom's waist, and ze can feel the familiar tug as he uses zir psionics to lift them up so they can touch horns to the other lowbloods. "Hi! Hinnom," ze says, and boops their nose for good measure.

Edited 2014-12-01 15:02 (UTC)

The little grub that speaks up can't be more than six sweeps, maybe six and a half at most, and it looks like they're all bones under the suncloak. But that's not what catches Pheres's attention; it's the fact their horns are painted all white, with maroon streaked across the tips like blood.

It's gaudy as anything, but he likes it.

They step forward and then bounce up, and - they must have psionics, because they just stay there, just at eye-level. When they lean forward and tap horns, it's a little harder than the standard lowblood greeting.

"Hi! Hinnom," they say, and then they boop their nose to his.

It startles a laugh out of him. Their eyes are big and baby gray, but there's maroon paint all over their face, and call it narcissism, but he's yet to meet a maroon he's disliked. They're such a friendly caste. "I'm Pheres," he says, pleased, and for good measure, he tilts his head to touch one of his rostal horns to theirs as well.

Pheres's skin is fever hot against zirs, and if it weren't for that, ze'd wonder if he was dead. His eyes certainly look like it: they're ghost white and shining, the pupils little pinpricks of black ze has to strain to see even at their close distance.

"I like your eyes," ze tells him as he touches his second set of horns to zirs, and ze's about to say more, see if he's maybe only part dead, but then Castor drops zim.

It's not a big fall. Ze lands effortlessly, knees tucking to absorb the impact, and pivots around to hiss at the big blueblood. Castor looks unimpressed. "He's sparking. And you'll tire yourself out if I hold you up forever," he points out, folding his arms.

It's true enough. Hinnom can't use zir own telekinesis, although no one's ever been able to explain why: only the leashed ghosts can, and even though ze's not doing anything, it still takes a toll. And after a morning of mail delivery and no snacks or sleep, even the small stuff matters right now.

"Besides, you still need to greet the other." Castor's still talking. Hinnom squints at him, and he explains: "Their symbolhight is yellow."

Huh. Well, okay.

Ze turn to the big yellowblood and trot over, but once ze's standing in front of them, shyness strikes. They're really, really big: only a few inches shorter than Castor, and he's the biggest troll, dead or alive, ze's ever seen. He's standing right behind zim, and they can feel the impatience radiating as he waits for zim to give him the sign, but all ze can do is stall.

They might be yellow - but they're still really, really big.

"Oh," he says, with an embarrassed smile. "Um. Thank you!"

The wriggler drops back to the ground with a hiss, spinning as they struggle to regain their balance. He can sympathize: even when he's sober, hos psionics never want to play well, either, and he's tempted to murmur as much to Riccin.

But that might embarrass the wriggler, and he doesn't want to do that, especially not when they pick themselves up so quickly. They trot over to Riccin, stop right in front of them, and wait.

Building their strength for the bigger hop, probably. There's over two feet of distance between them. Pheres tugs on their arm, pressing his free hand against it, and then bounces up on his toes, until his chin is almost resting on their shoulder. "Bend down, please?" he requests with a laugh.

Marduk is all hot air, and Riccin can watch as she processes their words and gradually deflates. It starts with the chin, and works its way down: her horns tuck in, her shoulders slump and her posture curls, until there's no sign of the shirty jadeblood, and she's just another defensive lowblood.

"No," she says, each word like someone's pulling a fang, "I don't think they would."

Riccin smiles. "You're fucking right," they say, pleased as punch, and they're going to say more, but then the tiny-ass kid hops out from behind her, and chirps: "We'll walk with you!"

The kid's dressed up like a punching bag at Carnival, horns slathered in white paint and wearing some shabby cloak that's got more holes than fabric. But they're all confidence and no hesitation. They stalk up to Pheres like they fucking know him, and Riccin feels the pulse of active psionics before the kid even jumps. Their eyes are baseline flat, all cluckbeast yolk yellow and grub gray, but they're strong.

They're expecting - who knows, some kind of attack. But all the kid does is use them to boost themselves up to eye-level, and slap horns with him.

What the fuck?

Pheres acts like this is fucking normal: he actually laughs as the grub goes as far as to box snouts with him, and there's a quick exchange of names and words before the kid drops back to the ground, knees bending like they were dropped.

And then, apparently, it's their turn, because the kids standing in front of them, patient as a churchmouse, and Pheres is watching with the same loaded expectancy. Riccin shakes their head, lip curling. "No," they say flatly. There's no way they're going to let some paintsplattered gutterrat touch horns with them. That shit is weird.

Pheres tugs on their arm, and then, bracing his free hand against them, arches up. The way they duck their shoulder is instinct, and he immediately takes the opportunity to nestle his chin on it, so that his face inches from theirs.

His breath smells like cheap liquor, and they can feel the heat of his skin radiating even across the short distance. Psionics run hot, and the honeypill makes him feel damn near feverish, so that his very proximity is uncomfortable in the heat of the day. They should shrug him off.

"Bend down, please?" he asks, his voice breathy with amusement, and they're not going to shrug him off.

They bend instead.

Edited 2014-12-01 16:08 (UTC)

Castor makes a disapproving noise from behind zim, but ze can't imagine why. The yellowblood bends just as Pheres asks, and they're eyeing zim like ze're going to bite, which is rude. But they seem like a pretty rude troll overall.

"I don't think they're used to lowbloods," Castor says, as he lifts them.It's only a boost, one ze could've made on zir own, but Castor's always doing stuff like that. Says it's important for Hinnom to make sure ze's keeping zir psionics exercised, even if ze can't use them zimself.

Ze shrugs, and makes the greeting quick: ze turns each cheek, so ze can properly tap each horn with zirs. "Hinnom," ze says, prim, and then ze twists so Castor'll drop zim, more carefully this time. This troll is weird, and ze isn't eager to stay close.

"You yellow?" ze asks. "'cause I'm yellow too!"

Pheres is starting to think of Riccin as one of the wild beasts he watches when he's on the road: dangerous enough, if you're unprepared, but otherwise perfectly harmless.

(Prepared, for him, usually involves being in his steel-enforced cart. But he thinks he's got a handle on how to deal with Riccin. Everyone responds well to manners, and they're apparently no suggestion.)

He leans against them, chin still on their shoulder, his hand tucked in front of it. There doesn't feel like much point in moving it, for all that he doesn't need it to stay upright, and besides, the position feels nice. The warm press of his body against Riccin's, and the heat of the sun on his back, is excellent: he could just stay like this for the rest of the trip, and the thought makes his rattlereeds rasp in the beginning of a purr.

Edited 2014-12-01 16:45 (UTC)

This is so fucking weird.

The familiar tingle of psionics again, and then the little troll is lifting up to eye level. The greeting is perfunctonary, and Riccin holds perfectly still for the duration of it: they tap left horn to left horn, and then right horn to right. "Hinnom," they say, prim as a schoolfeed, and then they drop back to the ground.

This has to be a fucking lowblood thing, because when they cant their eyes towards the jade, Marduk's got the same wigged out face going on. Well, whatever. Getting bagged for the programs early meant Riccin never spent much time with lowbloods: before that, they spent their time with Myrrha and Liyiji, and after that, they spent their time in church. But if these fuckers want to play rustbuddies, it's no skin off their back.

"I'm yellow, too," Hinnom says, and Riccin frowns. They're all decked out in maroon, from the lips to the eyes to the twice-painted horns, and that shit is weird.

Maybe it's quad colours, but there's no insignia on the coat, in either maroon or yellow. Bluebloods play this game occasionally, but it seems weird for a yellow: their blood is shitty enough, why chance someone making the mistake it's the one hue worse?

"'course I'm fucking yellow. That's what the symbol says," they say, and then they stop.

There's a vibration against their side, almost like diagnostic pulse from their ports, and it's only when they lean towards it and it increases in response that they realise what's going on. Pheres is fucking purring, too quiet to hear.

Yeah, they're.. definitely not shoving him off. Maybe they'll let him just stay there, for the rest of the walk, although managing that slouched like this would be a fucking miracle.

Edited 2014-12-01 17:35 (UTC)

"Since you're all evidently just going to stand around in the daylight," Castor says, "I'm going to check the perimeter."

He doesn't walk away so much as he dissolves, his outline growing more abstract with each step. Ghosts can do that, when they don't want to be seen, and Hinnom could force him to refocus.. but ze doesn't bother. Castor's allowed his space! And besides, it isn't as if ze can't feel him just by thinking about the leash.

Riccin has trailed off: for a second, Hinnom thinks they're going to say something else, but Castor was right. They're all just standing there! Welll, whatever. Not like they can walk until Castor gets back.

"Is it?" Ze leans in, peering at their cloak, and oh, now ze can see it: two overlapping yellow circles, on the edge of their collar. It looks neat! Ze doesn't have any clothes with those, and although trolls have made noise about the lack, the only colour ze'd want a symbol in is maroon. But Castor said it wasn't allowed, and that was that.

"You got any powers?" ze asks, more to talk than out of real curiousity. The silence is dragging on and on, and they're not sure why, but it's boring as fuck. "I do! I'm a psychic."

A beat, and then ze adds: "That means I talk to ghosts."

Marduk's starting to think she'll feel excluded from any group. All of her highblood classmates look down on her for blood, and many refuse to talk to her outright: they'll all be heading off to ships and colony planets, but she's the only student, save for the four sweep old Dammeo, who will be sent to the caverns. Why bother making connections with the girl you'll never see again, when you're surrounded with children you might be stationed with?

She's never had that problem with lowbloods. Jade is rare enough that most think she's just olive, and she's always been treated like one of them. But at times like these, when they're all doing strange things like they're perfectly normal...

It's almost a relief when she notices the way that Pheres is drowsing, half-perched on Riccin's shoulder. She's read about the dangers of sunlight: it's important to know, for all that it doesn't apply to her. And sleepiness, all of the guides said, is one of the first signs of danger.

Marduk gently tugs a water bottle free from her decimal sylladex, where it's been catalogued as 600.641 (Food & Drink), and heads over. She taps him on the shoulder, carefully, and holds out the water bottle. "Excuse me, Pheres," she says. "Um. You should drink this."

"It's water with additional electrolytes added in order to prevent dehydration." He's already drank contaminated liquid once tonight, and she doesn't want him to be unaware. "You've been in the sun for a great deal of time, so you should rehydrate."

Edited 2014-12-02 02:52 (UTC)

Man, lowbloods are all so fucking tiny. Riccin is feeling like a drone in the caverns right now: Marduk is the tallest, and even slouched, they've got a head on her. Shit is absurd.

Little fuckers could at least have the courtesy to wear boots.

"Ghosts," they repeat. That sounds vaguely familiar: if they're hanging with Marduk and Sipara, then they're probably another dork from Fleetbound. Well, whatever. "That's hilarious, kid, 'cause I fucking make them. Now shut the fuck up. I'm not out here to yammer."

Moving requires shifting Pheres, who is still purring, and.. apparently sleeping, because he doesn't do much more than make a muffled noise of protest when they try to stand up. It's pathetic, and they'd almost be tempted to let him stay, except they're sweating like a fucking mammal, and the way they're getting damp is making their skin crawl.

Keep this shit up for too long, and their ports will have them sparking like the redblood. No fucking thanks.

Thank god for the jade. She trots over, rattling off some creed on water bottles and dehydration, and Riccin takes the opportunity to untangle their arm from Pheres, and push him - none too gently - towards her. "Go cling to the trainee," they order. "Come on, we're walking."

Edited 2014-12-02 02:56 (UTC)

There's someone tapping on his shoulder.

His eyes have shut sometime in the last few minutes, and his purring slows as he opens them. Marduk is standing in front of him, holding out a bottle of water.

She's standing awfully close in front of him.

"Oh," he says, blinking rapidly. That's because Riccin has removed their arm and is steering them towards Marduk, one tapered hand pushing firmly in the center of his back. He's still burning off the pill, because for all that the sparking has died back down to mere glitter, Pheres finds walking straight is a conundrum.

Latching onto Marduk's arm is a matter of self-preservation. He doesn't want to fall: he'd land horns first, and that'd be terrible. "Sorry," he chirps, laughing a little, leaning on her. This is ridiculous. He is never going to drink again. "Haah. I take it we're walking now..?"

Pheres is her height, but he's featherbeast light: even when he leans on her, the only inconvenience is the way that her earring tangles in his horn.

"Um," she says, frowning at Riccin, "it's alright."

They claim that they're an Imperial Trainee as well, but manners are an important part of every course, and respecting your betters is the main focus. Marduk isn't sure she really believes in the hemosystem, but she knows better than to flout it.

Apparently, Riccin doesn't. There might only be two castes between them, but the fact remains: jade is past the limegap, and yellow is not. That warrants a little respect.

She flicks her ear back and forth until the little wire of the earring slips free, and then she removes the other from her ear, and catalogues them both. Then she pushes the water bottle into Pheres's hands. This is all a bit of a complicated affair, with him clinging to her arm like a pupating cocoon, but she manages.

"Do try to drink that, please."

Edited 2014-12-03 17:11 (UTC)

Hinnom pushes out zir bottom lip, pouting. They want to say something, but Riccin is looking at them, so they pinch their fingers and zip zir lips shut, instead.

As soon as they turn their back, ze sticks out zir tongue. They're so mean!

Riccin shoves Pheres off on Marduk, and Hinnom watches approvingly as she catches him easily. Her other arm is free, and maybe ze'll grab it in a minute, so the three of them are all in cahoots. But first, ze has to wait for Castor.

The rest of them are walking ahead. That's fine: ze'll just catch up. Hinnom lingers back, giving the leash a mental tug, and waits for the blueblood to appear.

Pheres staggers free, and immediately latchse onto Marduk, without so much as a word of complaint. He's leaning against her, close enough that he'd be cheek-to-cheek if it weren't for those stupid horns, and he says something under his breath and laughs.

It's irritating as fuck. Good to see the purring shit wasn't personal: apparently, cuddling with strangers is just what he does.

(Well, what did they expect, when they shoved him off? Should've just dealt with the mugginess -)

What the fuck ever.

They start walking, and the other two fall in step behind them. Riccin only makes it a few feet, though, before they realise they're missing one of their number.

The yellow kid is hanging back, peering off into the distance like they're waiting for someone, which is bullshit: no one's awake this time of day save for them, and Riccin isn't up for dawdling. Long legs mean a long stride, and without having to wait up for the other short-asses, heading back to the kid only takes a minute.

"Come on," they snap, and snatch them up by the back of their cape. Carrying them or dragging them, it doesn't really matter: either way, Hinnom's coming with them.

Edited 2014-12-03 17:25 (UTC)

Ze's snatched up by the back of zir cape like a baby meowbeast, and for a moment, ze's too startled to move - and then ze doesn't dare to, not when Castor isn't there to catch them, because Riccin's hauled zim all the way up into the air.

Hinnom growls hard enough that it feels like zir entire body is shaking with the noise, but ze doesn't dare do much else. Riccin's the sort of jerk that would drop them, and that's an awfully long way to fall. Ze jerks on the leash again, instead, soft one time and then harder when there's no response.

Then ze yanks it, as hard as ze can manage, and there's finally an answering vibration. Castor emerges over the horizon a few seconds later, approaching at a run.

Castor can't look pale. There's no blood in his veins, no flesh to drain, but maybe he's feeling especially corporeal today, because when he gets close enough to see, his face is drawn, his body is tense, and he's as pale as.. well, a ghost.

"Drones," he says, his voice like he wants to tear something to shreds. He always gets angry when he's scared, angry and a little wondering, like the emotion's new. "We need to go."

When Riccin turns back, Marduk peers over her shoulder to see why.. and immediately, her bloodpusher sinks. She forgot about Hinnom.

But the yellowblood has grabbed zim, and is hauling them like a package of goods back to the group. Hinnom dangles by zir cape, and even from here, Marduk can hear the rattle of their reeds, a high-pitched rasp that's more like the buzz of an angry insect than a true growl.

She doesn't like the way Riccin's holding them. That can't be comfortable! But Hinnom is the smallest of them all, and there's no way ze'll be able to keep up, otherwise. Unless..

Marduk steps to Riccin's other side, pulling Pheres gently with her, until she's next to Hinnom. Good thing ze isn't thrashing, or ze'd kick her in the face. "Hinnom," she says, "do you think you could use your psionics to keep up?"

Marduk says something, but ze doesn't hear. Castor's close enough to grab zim, now, and he's eyeing Riccin like he wants to haul off and pop them.

But that'd be wasting energy, and they've got to amscray. Drones are super-duper, hellaciously bad, the one thing that both zir lusus and Castor have both raised hell about avoiding, and if they're close enough to freak him out...

Himmon starts flailing instead, kicking and flailing. Riccin's arms are covered in cloth, and their claws aren't doing jack shit, so ze starts pummelling the arm with zir fists instead. "Let me down," ze shrieks. "There's drones back there, I gotta go, let me down!"

The kid is growling, but Riccin does not give a single fuck what sort of raucous noise they want to rattle up: it's not like they can do shit. Their apartment is a thirty minute fucking walk, and they're not dawdling.

That changes when the kid starts yowling about drones. The first high pitch noise goes straight into one audiosponge and cuts into their pan, and Riccin hisses, their ears immediately pinning back defensively and their free hand clamping over one. The other hand is occupied with the kid, though.

Not for long. The kid starts hitting them and they shake them, hard, and then drop them for good measure.

Edited 2014-12-03 17:54 (UTC)

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[NEW ICON NEEDED: 'oh no hes hot' 'literally AND metaphorically 8(']

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[=> pheres: win this years darwin award] [actually] [just] [take all of them.]

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