[PRP] Anybody home? [ChiaraxZariah]

[LordPocky]

Their hive was nothing special. Zariah had long since gotten used to it....hell, he'd even gotten used to getting trapped out of the fridge and having to forage the local terrain for food had even become less of a hell that it once had been. A chore that had once been impossible landed him with some much needed survival skills, he quickly learned which plants he could eat and which plants would have him vomiting for hours. There were times he fondly remembered his old hive in the abandoned amphitheatre....it was so much easier. His own lusus had been much more....doting. Or perhaps more aware than Kei's. Every adventure the two went on, leaving Zariah hivealone put him in a new spot of trouble. At one point a fall-away shelf dumped a weighted, cracked vase on his noggin and knocked him out for a good several hours. Other times re-entering their hive from the front door occasionally threw him straight back out, the treadmill the length of the main hallway took some getting used to. It was sad to think the weighted windows with occasionally falling vases (and with HIS inclusion to shelving) or books was a safer alternative some times.

Once again Keionx had left Zariah hivealone, off on some adventure with surely more recounts of her daring escapades and fair damsels for him upon her return. He still waited for the day she would bring one of those damsels with her....he'd like to see his sister happy with someone. The small orangeblooded troll sat at his desk in the living room, several note-filled pages surrounding him as he recorded some of her adventures. It was sometimes hard to distinguish just WHAT REALLY happened on her outings....but he'd grown fond of her nonsense renditions. They were so....extravagant. It was sad to think he lived mostly vicariously through her. He never had adventures. Never met the damsel or the dragon. Never brought home some trophy. It was sometimes hard for him looking at her cabinet. It was filled with just stupid things, but things that were 'proof' or perhaps just memories of her prior escapades.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara had debated heavily with herself on weather to bring cupcakes and tea or not. She didn't want this troll to think she was nice, or whatever, but what if they didn't have anything decent to eat or drink? Then she would have to either blatantly insult the food/drink, or pretend to eat it. It was only sensible that they should offer her something when she so went out of her way to visit them. In the end she decided to bring only 4 cupcakes, as apposed to her usual gift of a half dozen, and tea just in case.

Chiara took one look at the hive and decided it might be a better bet to yell then actually going up to it. "Hello! Anyone home?" She called, hoping this was the wrong place. She had found out where the bratty troll she had mud wrestled with lived through many interrogations and bribes. It was all part of the fun tho, and now she knew where he lived. The big battle of rebels vs royalists was behind her. She did not really care if a troll was a rebel or a royalist. What mattered was what that troll was made of. And this troll, Chiara thought, was made of something at least semi decent.

With a huff Chiara put a scowl on and tried to navigate her way to the front door of the hive.

LordPocky

 

[LordPocky]

Her latest story had been one of Zariah's favorite lots. Talking about how she rescued a damsel in distress....and yet somehow this damsel had turned it around and rescued her! It had such an inspirational feel to it when he so often felt that was how Kei saw him. Someone weak and in need of constant rescue, maybe she was right though, that had been their relationship since day one. The memory put a firm frown on his face, that was certainly one story he would never chronical for her. He could still hear the haunting cries of his lusus' pain.

With a start he snapped his books shut, papers flying in disaray. Who would visit them? Who even wouldd go through the hell that was the walk up the mountain? It wasn't like they lived on a clear path....Kei liked to fight even the wilderness. He shakily stood and edged his way around the treadmill, careful not to step on it as he reached the button that would stop it. He nudged the door open to peer our cautiously. Maybe it was one of Kei's damsels?

Ohhhhhhh no.....no no no. This wasn't what he wanted to see. He almost slammed and locked theh door in her face, but refrained, the door did still twitch in obvious show of his initial plan. "Wh-what are you doing he-here?" he stuttered, looking around her for other royalists. "If y-you're here to t-take me b-back to prison...." he trailed of, retreating slightly from the door. No. He would NOT be captured again. He couldn't....he wouldn't. He pulled his long sleeve lower on his wrist subconsciously, not even realizing his own attempt to hid his branded wrist. "...I'm not going back." His voice finally turned firm, eyes narrowing in defiance. His lusus died for him. Kei's lusus suffered for him. He would not let himself be dragged back for some highblooded ego-stroking.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara put a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. Of course his first though was that she was here to "capture" him or something. In a way she was, but not how he through. "Does it look like im here to capture you?" Chiara said as she waved the cupcakes and tea in front of his face. Unsure if he understood what gifts even were she continued. "Im here to visit. These are gifts. That's the door you've got. How about you open it and invite me inside." Chiara put on her favorite "trying to look nice" grin.

LordPocky

 

[LordPocky]

What was she....doing? Was it some sort of peace offering? Was this some sort of trick because she knew about the hive's defences? Or...did she just want to get to know him? That wasn't it, right? She disliked him and Kei. They had stolen her prize, her proof of how worthy she was to the Empress. Just what was she playing at...?

He slowly stepped away from the door, keeping his hand on the stop for the treadmill. He pushed the door open enough that she could enter, but his eyes scanned the bushes for a possible ambush. Had she really gone alone? Just...her and her lusus? He felt so nervous. "A-alright..." he said, voice making his confusion only slightly more obvious than the rest of his body language. He still tried to pull away from her and kept his sleeve clenched in his palm to hide his shame. That would probably just be one more reason she should capture him, right? He wasn't just a rebel, he was a frequent rebel, one that had caught the attention of the Empress....even if only slightly. She didn't know his face or name. He doubted anyone did. Except.....Chiara maybe? This only made him more uncomfortable to think of. Kei was the hero. She was the lead in the story. He was just there to....chronicle it.

"Um....y-your tea is pr-probably cold.....if y-you....uh....wouldn't mind..." his eyes cast towards the nutrition block, "there's some l-local plants I use f-for tea....um...the woof-weed and sting-brush are actually pr-pretty good." The sting-brush was occasionally annoying, it really sucked when he didn't know what it was and took several rather stinging and itch-filled walks around the hive....but it did have a fairly calming and relaxing effect to it. Perhaps it would calm down his anxiety about seeing the blueblood.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara turned back to where her guardian was sitting. She did not invite the beast inside with her, and the beast made no move to join the trolls. Indica huffed, Her troll was a real pain. Making her walk all the way up here, and for what? So she could bully some poor lowblood? If Chiara squealed in pain, then the quillbeast lusci would act. No point in bothering trying to fix a thing already gone rotten.

Chiara glared at her lusci before going into the orangeblood's hive. She knew that Indica was getting tired of her antics, maybe if Chiara got in a fight with this kid Indica would pay her troll charge more attention. Chiara looked at the scared, stuttering kid. No, picking a fight would be for a different situation. There were plans, and Chiara intended to get some groundwork on them.

Chiara smiled at Zariah. "That would be lovely, yes. Make what ever tea is your favorite." That might help him calm down. Give him some idea of control in his environment. Chiara glanced around the hive, looking for a table to put her gifts and a chair to sit down and stare at the host troll while he cooked and served her. Once seated she proceeded to watch him bustle around the sustenance perpetration room. Chiara had learned from experience that it was better to go slow, even tho her blood pumper was beating excitability to see how this troll would respond.

LordPocky

Whoops xD i completely forgot about Lusci. Gosh i even have plots and stuff! Cant be forgettin about her!

 

[LordPocky]

Zariah led her to the nutrition block, walking quickly to beat the treadmill's timer and keeping away from the walls that would drop the contents of their shelves if the motion sensors felt they were close enough, hoping Chiara would follow his lead. Keionx wasn't home...neither was their lusus....it made him nervous to think he was alone with a blueblooded royalist. He'd seen some highbloods that supported the cause...but they were few and far between. They were more along the belief lines of....her. Step on the weaker trolls and let them scrounge around in the dirt for what they would need.

With a motion to the kitchen table, Zariah began preparing the tea, heaving the weighted kettle to the stove and grinding up the woof-weed and stinging-brush until they looked decently mixed. He grabbed two infusers from his cupboards and sat them in the empty cups, grabbing some sugar and musclebeast milk, setting them on the table. "S...so what made you want to....uh....visit?" he asked, trying to be as conversational as possible while he waited from the kettle to boil.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara kinda grimaced at how award the hive was to transverse. She would have to keep this in mind though. A Treadmill was a great "surprise" for guests to "enjoy" when they visited her own hive. The table was defiantly lowblood quality, not even varnished it looked like she could get splinters just by looking at it. Nonetheless the sat down all polite like and proceeded to enjoy the awkward silence. "Well," Chiara started, propping her chin up on her hand. "I came to see how you were faring, that swamp was pretty intense after all. And i also just wanted to see what kind of troll you are..." With the last few words Chiara's eyes scrutinized her host. Doing her best to make him uncomfortable.

LordPocky

 

[LordPocky]

"Oh......oh." He head drooped a bit. This was weird.....was she being serious? She wasn't there to ask about Kei? That was most of their visitors....HER friends. Sure they would talk to him, but they weren't there to see how he was or have tea with him....maybe she DID want to see him? That was weird to think honestly....he wasn't sure he was comfortable with the sudden attention.

The tea was poured into two heavy mugs and one set in front of Chiara. "We don't have any....normal mugs. S-sorry." He pushed it forward, the mug scraping the wood of the table. "I am.....well....I suppose. I haven't really left the hive since. I.....leaving the hive is a bad idea...." he tugged his sleeve tighter around his wrist. Tracking device....if he was anywhere he shouldn't be...they would know. He knew some members of the Phoenix Initiative had their chips removed, but he couldn't remove his, not with his textbook knowledge of various things. If he tried he'd risk bleeding out. Underneath it all he was just a coward. He took the mug and sipped, savouring the spiced flavour. It was a bit tangy from the sting-brush, but he was partial to the taste, sweetened it was quite nice. "And you? What have you been getting up to?" he asked, she seemed like a troll that got up to shenanigans. If his experience with her in the swamp hadn't been enough, visiting a known traitor was a sure sign.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara raised an eyebrow. When she first met this troll, as they were wrestling in the mud, she got the impression he would be a little less... spineless. She was pretty sure she knew what would trigger him to becoming that troll she first met again; his "sister". But Chiara had only just gotten here, even tho she yearned to push all his buttons and force him to face reality, it would be better if she laid low. At least at this moment.

With a sigh Chiara gave the mug a look, and did her best to take a sip of the liquid. Yeah, one sip was enough. Thats what she gets for letting her host make his own kind of "tea." "Oh you know, ive been checking up on all the trolls i met at that... event... we were both at. Met a lot of very interesting trolls. Kinda odd tho to see them when they go back hive and get back to their "normal" lives again." She grinned at Zariah. Something had to have happened to make him so shy and stutter so much. Maybe the battle was getting to him, or something else. "No matter how hard they try to forget and go back to their happy little lives, traumatic events haunt a troll." Chiara took another sip of tea. The drink was growing on her, suspicious, it was made of weeds for all she knew.

"Is your hand okay? You sure seem intent on hiding it." Of course Chiara had noticed how he had tried to hide it all this time. Maybe it was infected or something. Either way, it was something that looked like it would make him uncomfortable. Chiara's favorite.

LordPocky

 

[LordPocky]

Unsweetened and without the milk the tangyness and spice were a bit over powering, he was surprised to see her take it without. Maybe she liked the more full flavours? Or she hadn't seen his offer? He nudged the small jug of milk toward her again as well as the sugar. They were both clearly from a tea set.....but like the cups they were obviously from different sets. In facts, none of the tableware really matched, everything was a hodgepodge of designs. But then again...he couldn't afford a real tea set, what he'd found in bargain tables had been enough though. Sure they weren't that pretty, but they were his. "If it's a bit strong try it with the sugar and musclebeast milk," he offered. After all, their lusus offered some of the best milk around!

It really must've been odd seeing everyone home from the swamp. He and Kei were still thinking of moving back there, he knew some of the members were going to be permanent residents. He'd lived in old buildings before, that thought didn't bother him....but with the tracking chip he worried. He worried a lot. "I-I suppose..." he agreed slowly. "It was a p-pretty trying event for most trolls...." albeit, some of them were nervous wrecks to begin with. He hadn't been at ease around a highblood since before he met Kei. They were just too....shifty. They served the Empress. They didn't know what lowbloods went through, she was just another highblood that wouldn't understand them.

Zariah started when her attention fell on his wrist. Or rather his hand. At least she didn't know, that was good. That was fine. He dropped his hand under the table to rest in his lap. "J-just an old injury. 's n-nothing..." he mumbled as casually as possible. Truth be told, it WAS an injury, just....probably not what she would imagine. "A-anyway.....h-how many other r......rebels did you meet?" he asked, attempting to draw her attention away. It worked on Kei. He hoped it would work on her just as well.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

"Yep, been meeting lots of royalists and rebels both." Chiara reaponded, then returned to the subject he was so obviousley avoiding. "An old injury huh? Wow, do you alwas get yourself into life or death situations? Or was it something that came here? I thought you said you don't leave your hive much..." Obviousley Chiara's host was hiding something, something that meant a great deal to him.

Chiara took another drink of the tea, it was giving her a strange spicey tingeling sensation. The new sensation was really growing on her. Maybe she would ask this guy for some to take home. The blueblood swirrled the drink around, completley ignoring the sugestion of milk and sugar. Chiara glanced again at his hidden hand. "Do you want me to take a look at it?" the blueblood offered, knowing he would resist.

LordPocky

 

[LordPocky]

He watched her drinking it black. She was so weird. Only Kei ever drank it so strong.....saying s**t like how she liked robust flavours. He smiled faintly at the comparison and shook it aside none the less. "Oh....I don't leave it much...it seems like ever t-time I do th-there's some sort of......trouble." Trouble indeed. He almost hated the idea of leaving their hive any time soon for fear something worse would happen to Kei or her lusus. It was his fault she'd been so badly injured....he also felt like it was partly his fault she was now spending time with that blueblood.....the weirdo that Chiara captured actually. In a sense he COULD shift the blame to her.....but that seemed pointless now. He couldn't stop Kei from ever doing what she wanted anyway.

Zariah's chair gave a distinct rattle as he leapt at the offer. His eyes went wide and mouth hung slightly. He turned his eyes away and shook his head firmly. "N-no. It's.....it's fine. It's nothing. It h-healed a l-long time a-ago....j-just an old injury fr-from st-stupid mistakes...." and yet....if he had the same choice he'd do it again, as proof by the fact he still sided with the rebels. The thought of being captured again certainly made him play it a little safer though. Sure, there had been a prison break that got them out, but the damage was done. He knew he wasn't even the worst off from the events that unfolded. He was fairly lucky comparatively speaking. He sipped the tea again, hoping the calming effects would take him out of his nervous stupor. Maybe he needed to try an even more calming blend. "Wh-why don't you t-tell me about yourself?" he asked, trying again to divert attention from his 'injury'.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Well now it was irritating. He was defying her. She did put it as a question, but that was just to be polite. "Give me your hand, then ill tell you all about me, how about that." Besides, holding his hand would give the conversation a little more intimacy. Chiara liked touching other trolls, it often made them feel uncomfortable, and if it didn't that, it made them open up to her more. She jumped up off her chair and scooted it so it was right up close to his. Then sat down and looked at him with a smile, holding her own hand out expectantly. She would not let him distract her from this topic, and she did not even have an idea why it was so important. It was important to Chiara because he was avoiding it.

LordPocky

 

[LordPocky]

He looked away again, pursing his lips. She wasn't going to let it go, was she? Highbloods were so...stubborn and bossy...if they didn't get their way they just threw fits...he wasn't sure why he was surprised by it. He finally conceded when she sat next to him, but didn't offer his hand. He pulled up his sleeve and turned his hand over to show the scarred flesh, the words 'traitor' etched in and the microchip hidden under the skin. He clenched his jaw tight and steeled his eyes on a particularly interesting patch of the floor. He wasn't guilty about what he'd done, he didn't regret a thing, but he was angry he'd gotten caught.....especially since it hadn't just been him. He was also a little angry she wouldn't let him hide it. Keionx hadn't even noticed it.....he wasn't sure any other members of the rebels knew he had been there. But now SHE did. His eyes flickered from the floor to her face, suddenly very conscious about what she thought of the branding.

Micillia