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 Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:30 am
 xXx
Location: Busthind Mountains
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:47 am
Everything ached. And everything that didn't, smelled.
"I can't wait to take a shower. A real one." Arms stretched above a head of perfectly windblown hair. Even after a few days of living in the swamp, Cerpin had managed to keep his appearance fairly presentable though it'd certainly been a challenge. Thoughts of what had happened to lead him to that point plagued him still but he pushed them aside to pull himself together. Right now he just wanted to feel normal again. And after talking with the others at the village, things were starting to feel better.
They'd opted to head home to Chittentown for now, Tevini and him. The swamp village needed a lot more supplies than it currently had and while he wanted to help the rebel cause, it was too much to join them there yet. Something like that was more commitment than he wanted to agree to quite yet. And so they'd decided to look for the back route through the Busthind Mountains in order to return to the familiar desert. The chilling sensation that something had been watching him, hunting him, in the dark swampy forest between the village and the tunnels had been too traumatic for him to take that road so soon. It hadn't taken long for them to reach the barren dusty rocks of the peaks.
"It feels like it's been forever since I was home. You should see my hive, it's the greatest thing ever built in Alternia you know." It ranked in the top ten most expensive hives for sure anyways. "Yeah! Then we could talk some more about space. Or we could do that now I guess." He spun around backwards to face her as he talked, walking the entire time. She'd fallen behind him without him noticing and her footsteps had been so quiet he'd been afraid he'd lost her accidentally. It almost seemed like she tried to disappear on purpose, what was up with that?
"Out here you can see all of them, huh?" His hands motioned overhead at all the stars shining down on them on this cool quiet night. They were so much clearer out here in the wild. Cerpin couldn't help but grin at her.
"Destinations."
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 1:31 am
"Mm." It wasn't hard to have a conversation with Cerpin because he seemed content to do all the talking. Hiking up the mountain behind him, her legs ached despite the rest they'd taken. Quiet and withdrawn, Tevini found herself unable to stop thinking about what they'd seen. She'd already spent most of the walk out of the swamp dwelling on it but... The gunfire, the chase, the capture and... the mutant... There was much to stress over and she felt like she was doing it for the both of them.
"Ah. Are you-" The mention of his hive caught her attention and the curly haired troll fumbled her response, too soft and nervous to speak over him. She didn't know how to bring up her concern tactfully and honestly was beginning to feel frustrated at how depressed she felt and how at ease he seemed to be. Tension from everything leading up to this point had built up and she was about to peak when suddenly his words pierced straight through her, smiling up at the night sky.
It was beautiful.
"You think we can really do this?" She'd waffled pathetically on whether or not their alliance and goal was realistic. During the fight it'd been her only reason for fighting on. During her captivity it'd been the only reason to free herself. She wasn't stupid, she knew she'd adopted their partnership as a temporary morale boost. Now they were free to make a choice of what to do next, however, and she wasn't sure if this would work. What Cerpin thought he was gaining from this was a mystery to her.
"I mean are you really sure about this?" Tevini tugged at her apron to subtly highlight her social status. The fact that he was a highblood had not been lost to her and weighed on her mind from the moment she'd found out. There was something romantic about how he spoke with dramatic phrasing to his words and voice yet a poetic undertone. It wasn't enough to calm her. She didn't want to be tugged around into some highblood's toy for a whim- she needed to know he was truly serious about space. Her future on Alternia looked bleak but his would be lined with comfort as long as he didn't insult anyone important. He was destined to have a luxurious home with popular friends with ease. Would he be able to leave it all behind? She hadn't talked to him about the most important part of her plans for space yet-would it scare him off? Did she want it to?
"When I leave I don't plan on coming back."
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 2:09 am
Her question caught him off guard. Did she think they couldn't do this? His eyes were slightly wider than normal as he stopped his nonchalant pace and took in Tevini's words. Her hands gripped at her apron and the gesture wasn't lost on him. Was he willing to give up an easy life of wealth, status and pampering for a hard journey of danger and risk? He'd already done that once this week by joining up with the rebels. He watched her struggle to spit out what was really on her mind and his body relaxed again. He'd been worried she was going to quit on him after all the terror she'd just been through in the swamp. It was revitalizing to know she was actually only more invested in this than he'd thought and Cerpin's eyes locked with her.
"So we're in agreement then. No turning back. No matter what!" He couldn't hide the pleased tone in his voice nor did he bother trying. Her face looked a little wary of him still but he turned forward to start walking again now that he considered the matter dealt with. When she didn't follow right away he glanced over his shoulder.
"All that stuff just handed to me, it doesn't satisfy me. I want something that's all mine. Something they didn't just give me." Maybe she'd be happier with a more sympathetic answer about abandoning the unfair hemospectrum but she deserved some honesty if he was going to go through with this partnership. He wanted more than the current system was already giving him. Most trolls didn't even have that much. The path was getting uneven and he slowed to watch his footing. They had to be careful not to hurt themselves when they were already so exhausted. Cerpin had no idea where the nearest shelter was in case they didn't make it to safety before sunrise.
"Unless there's a way for me to sprout fins, there's really not much here for an aspiring purpleblood. The power and the glory, it's all up there. All I can really get down here is richer." He shrugged, knowing she would not consider it a very meaningful goal compared to escaping a doomed existence at the bottom of the barrel but it was nonetheless a goal. He wasn't going to waste time bemoaning the fact that he had not been dealt as miserable and eye-opening a life as she had. The difference in their starting points didn't matter to him. It was the end gate that he kept his eye on.
"That's not to say I won't take advantage of the system while I'm still here though. Whatever you need, name it and it's just two nights delivery." Sometimes less even!
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:01 pm
"Really? But you-" How was this highblood missing how privileged a life he had here on Alternia? Angry at how blase he seemed to feel about his luxury, Tevini tried to cut in until he mentioned seadwellers. She'd never thought about how the land and sea purplebloods interacted, having fallen under the wrong impression that it didn't bother the landdwellers because they were so rich and pampered already. Now that he'd brought it up, her prejudices against seadwellers began to spin and fill her with irritation. No wonder he wanted to leave too, seadwellers were known for being even more entitled and awful than any of the other blood castes. The only bloodtype with a worse reputation in basical society was mutant and she still wasn't sure how to feel about that.
"I see." Crawling up the cliff side behind him, Tevini accepted his answer for now. Stepping carefully through the rocky path, she swallowed nervously as Scuttle followed with Blossmom sitting on his shell. The lusii were watching them with a tense energy, afraid the kids were going to fall and get hurt at any second. Scuttle had not wanted to go this route but because of Cerpin's insistence on getting out of the swamp as fast as possible, Tevini had agreed to try the mountain and ignore her lusus's opinion. He wasn't too happy about that.
"Anything?" Eyes widened at Cerpin's offer, a small smile overcame her at the ideas of everything she could buy. Tevini was not materialistic in terms of collecting toys but rather collecting tools and materials to work with. She was still an inexperienced inventor who needed to practice and needed even basic supplies. She'd scrounged up what she could from her junkyard but was extremely limited by having to wait for trolls to throw things out before she could get her hands on things. If only she had the stomach and coordination to just steal it! But she wasn't that brave.
"I'll get you a list tomorrow." Tevini nodded, trying to reign her face back into a professional expression but failing. She couldn't hide how excited she felt at the prospect of getting proper belongings. These were things she had only dreamed about-they'd take many sweeps for her to save up the money on her own.
"I'll need to take stock of my hive first. Then where should I meet you? Which hive is your's?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 1:50 pm
"It's the tower in the center of the city. You can't miss it." They'd be able to see it just barely once they got through these mountains. The drones hadn't managed to get it taller than the canyon quite yet but it was well on its way. Cerpin stumbled over some of the terrain and grumbled as he caught himself against the wall of the cliff. His hands hurt a bit from the impact but they weren't scraped up at least. Tevini seemed excited from his offer and he swelled up with pride at her expression. It wasn't quite a smile but it was a big improvement from the eyes full of dread and fear in the swamp.
"A list would be great. And I'll throw in some extra things too that you'll need." He nodded with a smug smile, clearing having his own ideas what was necessary for both their space preparations as well as Tevini's own needs. If she was going to associate with him, he would have to clean her up a little. Practicality was good and all but one also needed some shine to them as well. At the moment it was clear she was lacking that self-confidence. Every troll deserved something to feel pretty in even if they were a savage violent society.
"Uh, do you normally dress like that?" His eyes flickered over her drab pants and boots. Cerpin didn't hate the flashy apron, that was a good start. And the gloves were very flashy though he suspected she'd picked them out for their functionality rather than their fashion.
"I'm going to buy you a dress. You look like the rocks around here right now." His tone was light and teasing but he honestly did have concerns about it. Even if he was trying to emerge from his frivolous sheltered ways, some things were too carved into his thinkpan to let go of.
"You'll be the coolest chick around when I'm done. Heads will turn!"
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 10:29 pm
"That's your hive?" She'd seen the tower and wondered who had decided to build such a crazy thing! Everything Tevini wanted from life was to blend in until she could blast off this miserable planet. It'd been impossible for her to fathom making such a bold hive where everyone would know where to find you. Cerpin was truly turning out to be her complete opposite.
"Yes, this is practical." Tevini blinked as Cerpin questioned her attire. She carried stuff in her apron and the rest of her outfit was tucked out of the way. It couldn't get any simpler than this, minus maybe chopping all her hair off. Glancing Cerpin over, she wondered how he could stand styling his hair over his eye like that- didn't it mess with his vision? She didn't care for her bangs when they got long either but at least she didn't wear them long on purpose. Stumbling along the mountain, she came to a point where the path steeply descended.
"No!" The mechanic shouted at her partner's insistence. She blushed as she realized she sounded harsher than she had meant but she felt strongly about her objection. Did all highbloods like to throw their money around like this? She had been taught growing up that they had beetles to burn but she'd always believed they only wanted to spend it selfishly on themselves.
"We need to start saving up now! The spaceship won't be cheap, even by purpleblood standards." Tevini explained, hoping her reasoning would satisfy him. What did he thinks she would even wear a dress to anyway? Fidgeting at the thought, she paused and looked at the ground quietly. Several minutes passed before she turned to Cerpin to address him again.
"Scuttle is going to have trouble with this hill. We either need to tether him and ease him down slowly or figure out a different route." Those rollerskates were a blessing and a curse. Even without them though, Scuttle was not known for his coordination and grace. Biting her lip, she winced at the image of her lusus flying off the mountain and disappearing into the woods below.
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Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 11:44 am
"Beetles won't be a problem, trust me." Cerpin looked miffed as she implied he couldn't afford anything and everything under Alternia's moons. But he supposed she wasn't aware of his beetle farm yet. So he'd forgive her for now. She protested his insistence to fancy her up a little and the spoiled little prince rolled his eyes. Geez, he was just trying to help!
Scuttle presented himself as a great challenge and the two trolls stared at the predicament with a sense of dread. Blossmom was strong but not strong enough to lift and carry the turtle down the entire path. He'd tried earlier in that battle and had dropped him because it was too difficult.
"We don't have anything to tether him with." Back in his hive, Cerpin had plenty more capes and clothes that they could've made a rope out of. But he simply didn't have enough fabric at the moment. His eyes scanned the area for another route even if it was kind of hopeless. The path was not impossible to get through but it was certainly dangerous and difficult. That was likely the reason nobody had really found the swampy village until this point.
"Take off the skates. I'll go in front of him and counter his weight with my strength. We'll slowly make it down to the bottom." It was going to be a long slow battle downhill but he had to show Tevini he was worth trusting. After all, he was counting on her being the brains behind their spaceship! Without her, he'd have to find another inventor willing to even entertain the idea of leaving Alternia and it had been very hard so far.
Cerpin grunted as he pushed backwards against Scuttle with his weight while awkwardly walking forward. The actions looked just as uncomfortable as they felt but he pressed on. He could only hope that the lusus wouldn't do anything clumsy or stupid to send them both tumbling off the cliff!
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 4:57 pm
"Okay." Tevini nodded as Cerpin took charge of the situation and begin trying to support Scuttle's weight. It was nerve wracking to watch and she felt herself grow tense with every step. Her lusus was not a solid brick, despite his appearance, so it helped that he was hollow inside but it was still a lot for a child to carry. Feeling bad, she moved next to him and did her best to try and push against Scuttle so the turtle wouldn't fly out of control. It was strenuous and she didn't feel like she was very helpful but she was doing her best.
"Thank you." Once they reached the bottom, the inventor let out a breath. Crawling on top of her lusus, she let her wobbly legs rest and pat the space beside her for Cerpin to join. He deserved a break. Catching her breath, the girl found she could not relax and put the scary thoughts of all the upcoming 'what ifs' behind her and with this troll at her side the questions were going to change into 'what now?' It was scary to have finally entered the planning stage but exhilarating at the same time to think they had a real chance. It was risky to go into this partnership with such a wild card for a partner but his willingness to help and confidence had started to intrigue her.
"... once we reach Chittentown, you'll have to show me the view from the roof, okay?" He blinked as she broke the silence and seemed to think over what she'd said. Explaining herself a little, she looked up at the sky and then back to him with a shy smile.
"Your destinations."
Yamashii Sorry for the wait! Here's the ending post for this RP! We'll figure out the next PRP soon.
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