(no subject)

[bulletwithmyname]

[when the feed comes on, it’s focused on the very freckled face and curly ginger mop of a teenaged boy. he’s way too skinny, hollow-cheeked and bird-boned with shoulders that hold his shirt like a bent coathanger. he’s also leaning against someone else, but all that’s visible of this other person is a shoulder and a fall of long black hair. the redhead has an affable face, gawky and harmless, and a riot of curly red hair that reaches his shoulders]

There, I think I got this working.

My name’s Ash Trine, and I’m hoping that someone out there can help me out a bit. I’ve got two big questions.

So, where we come from, people have Talents, sort of like the god powers I’ve heard we all get here. But that’s not the only kind of magic there is. There’s magic everywhere, in everything, if you know how to see it and use it. And we do, but that doesn’t do a damn bit of good here.

[he sighs a little, settling more against his silent companion’s shoulder]

But I reckon if the gods are handing out Talents, there’s like as not some kind of ambient magic here, something else we can use. Spells, symbols, rituals, anything like that. And I need to know about that. There’s some stuff I need to do. So anybody who knows anything about it, I’d be much obliged if you’d share. Anything at all would help, I don’t mind having to figure out most of it myself if it comes to that. Just somewhere to start.

Second thing, I’m looking for a job. I’m pretty good with numbers, if anyone needs a bookkeeper, but it’d be even nicer if someone’s in need of a cook. Most of what I know how to make is savory, hearty kind of food--stews, roast and potatoes, shepherd’s pie, that sort of thing, but I’ve been told once or twice that I catch on pretty quick.

[there’s a snort from off camera, and ash turns to the person he’s leaning on]

Are you offering up an opinion, Kieran?

[the voice that answers is considerably lower than ash’s, with a distinct drawl and a definite tone of amusement]

No. I already said you ain’t poisoned us yet, what more d’you want?

[ash rolls his eyes]

Such a glowing recommendation. You’re sleeping on the floor.

[a puppy-huge tattooed hand reaches over from offscreen, knuckling ash’s chin]

The hell I am.

[the feed catches a second of a sweet smile turned at the man offscreen before ash remembers the video and shuts off the feed.]

Comments

[bulletwithmyname]

[there is a long silence]

...are you saying you've decided to be my mother?

[he sounds like he doesn't know whether to be stunned or burst out laughing]

[tongue3y3s]

1S TH4T WH4T HUM4NS C4LL TH3IR LUS11

[audio]

[felttheburn]

[in the background the other voice is laaaauuuuughing and saying something about flatbread]

[bulletwithmyname]

[there is the sound of warm, low laughter in the background when he answers, and ash sounds somewhere between amused and mortified]

...parents, yes. The people who give birth to and raise us. Mothers are female and fathers are male.

[tongue3y3s]

[there is a long pause while terezi considers this.]

1 TH1NK
TH4T HUM4NS H4V3 4 V3RY 1NT3R3ST1NG W4Y OF DO1NG TH1NGS!
1T WOULD B3 V3RY 1MPR4CT1C4L FOR TH3 MOTH3R GRUB TO 4TT3MPT TO R41S3 3V3RY N3WLY H4TCH3D W1GGL3R ON H3R OWN

[bulletwithmyname]

...mother grub. All right, I'm guessing that your species propagation is just really, really different. Really different.

[tongue3y3s]

TROLLS 4R3 NOT R41S3D BY M4L3 4ND F3M4L3 P41R 3NTS
1F 4N 4DULT TROLL W3R3 TO 3NCOUNT3R A LUSUS-L3SS W1GGL3R TH3Y WOULD MOST L1K3LY K1LL 1T R4TH3R TH4N PROT3CT1NG 1T >:[

[bulletwithmyname]

That's cruel. Why would they do that?

[tongue3y3s]

1 DONT KNOW >:T
TROLLS 4R3 4 V3RY 4GGR3SS1V3 R4C3! BUT 1 4M SW33PS 4W4Y FROM B31NG 4N 4DULT
M4YB3 W3 W1LL UND3RST4ND TH3N

[bulletwithmyname]

That's...certainly a thing.

Hey, are you around? You should come by, Kieran wants to make sure I'm not making you up.

[tongue3y3s]

W3LL
1 4M 4T MY COURTHOUS3
BUT 1F YOU WOULD R34LLY L1K3 1 C4N W4LK OV3R TO OUR H1V3SUIT3 TO M33T YOUR SUSP1C1OUS 4ND D1SB3L13V1NG MO1R41L >:]
H3 W1LL S33 TH4T 1 4M QU1T3 R34L 1ND33D

[bulletwithmyname]

[he laughs a bit]

Hey, I like him suspicious and disbelieving, it keeps us alive. You should come by, though.

[tongue3y3s]

TH1S 1S 4 V3RY GOOD PO1NT! H3 MUST B3 4 GOOD MO1RA1L FOR YOU >X]
1 W1LL COM3 BY

[bulletwithmyname]

He's good for me, yeah.

See you in a bit.

action;

[tongue3y3s]

[It takes her around an hour to walk there, but she moves fast, slowly getting more and more used to this trek, even if she doesn't like staying in the weird hive. She prowls into the Welcome Hall and walks into their hivesuite, sniffing around to see where Ash is.]

[bulletwithmyname]

[ash is in his room, as per usual! she can probably tell that really he's only been between there and the kitchen lately, and that kieran's been with him. at the moment, they are sitting on the bed, as it is the only surface not the floor meant for more than one person in the room]

Hey, Terezi.

[tongue3y3s]

[Warily, since she acutely smells the very awake presence of a not-too-nice-smelling someone, Terezi creeps over to the entrance to Ash's room. She has her cane in hand because she is a helpless little blind girl who is unfamiliar with the small, enclosed space. Of course.]

Hello, Ashes, [she says, peeking through the door of his room. When she zones in on the smell of sun-coloured skin and a bad sense of humour, Terezi unleashes her most prominent toothfish grin.] Hello there, Ash's moirail.

[bulletwithmyname]

[ash has started getting the hang of this telepathy thing, at least enough to sense her nervousness, and he smiles]

He's not going to chew on you if you don't chew on me, promise.

[then he turns to kieran]

Kieran, this is Terezi. Terezi, Kieran.

[felttheburn]

[there's a beat while kieran looks her over, glancing back and forth between terezi and ash. but then he just shrugs.]

Nice shades.

[tongue3y3s]

[She would question why she would ever try to chew on a wiggler, but Terezi's attention is redirected to Kieran. She sniffs at him, and then her smile becomes a little bit less threatening.] Thank you. I've been assured by my matesprit that they are acceptable levels of cool. [She pushes them further up on her nose and sniffs toward Ash, then back to his moirail.]

Have you been sufficiently convinced that I am not a made up wiggler tale?

[felttheburn]

Ash likes to exaggerate, I never said you were made up.

I only asked if you were a bug.

[tongue3y3s]

That's rude! [Terezi exclaims, throwing an offended glance over to Ash.] Did you properly assure your moirail that I am not an invertebrate?

As you can see I am neither Carapacian nor do I have any form of exoskeleton. And I have a vertebral column.

[felttheburn]

You can't blame me, a grub is a worm.

[bulletwithmyname]

I did tell him, but I think he's a little offended you keep using bug words for me.

[ash, however, does not sound offended. entertained, at worst]

[tongue3y3s]

[Alarmed, she protests:] I believe we have experienced a sort of miscommunication! Wigglers are not bugs, they're little, ah-- babies! [Because she remembers that this is what humans call their offspring. Even though it is a strange word and has nothing to do with wriggling little grubs. It isn't her place to judge.]