I will try not to breathe, this decision is mine

[withoutasign]

Characters: Signless and you
Location: The plaza, near the fountain
Time: Mid-morning
Style: Whatever works
Status: OPEN LIKE HIS HEART

[Signless wakes to find himself in a new place, soaking wet and surrounded by unfamiliar sights. He sits up, grimacing at the pain in his wrists, and looks down at them, frowning. Burned, the skin darkened to a

Comments

[withoutasign]

[Huh. That's interesting. Such a quick response, and with such urgency. Signless wonders if the troll on the other end--because of course it's a troll, what else would it be?--is in some kind of distress, and he pushes aside his own unease, casually shuffling it off, to try and help the nameless, faceless voice on his screen.]

I'VE GONE BY MANY NAMES, IN MANY DIFFERENT PLACES.
I'M NOT SURE THAT YOU WOULD KNOW ANY OF THEM.

YOU SOUND TROUBLED, MY FRIEND.
ARE YOU IN DANGER?

[withoutasign]

YES, I'M A TROLL.
WHAT ELSE WOULD I BE?

WHAT IS EARTH?

[The best way to learn is to ask questions, yes.]

[aim_exorable]

[It's like waking up into a nightmare.]

[Since arriving in Vatheon, Darkleer has done well enough to keep himself busy. It had been one thing back home, in the middle of his escape with Mindfang, to run. There had been physical consequences, pain and death, that he could flee from. What the other highbloods would have done to him would have been little, really.]

[What the mutantblood and his followers did was so much worse. Because you can't run from your thoughts, your memories. Just delay their presence for a while, drown yourself in work and try not to think, try not to get swallowed up in regret although he doesn't know just what he regrets and...]

[Taking a break from Gamzee and Equius only to see that bright red text, that way of typing so similar to another, one he had briefly seen when he was still Executor and not Expatriate...]

[Everything Darkleer had tried to build up in his mind to keep the past at bay comes crashing down his ears. He replies before he realizes what he's doing, before he can stop himself.]

D --> Why

[withoutasign]

[Whelp. Signless recognizes that color and quirk immediately, and with the recognition comes pain... the remembered physical agony of torture, yes, but also the mental anguish, the uncertainty of not knowing what happened to his friends, to his loved ones.]

[He is slow to reply.]

EXECUTOR DARKLEER.
I SEE THAT YOU ARE HERE TOO.

[aim_exorable]

D --> That
D --> is not
D --> I am not
D -->
D -->
D -->
D --> No longer

[He has to pause to press a hand against his head so hard until it starts to hurt. The conversation is already starting to make him feel ill to the point that he's shaking.]

[withoutasign]

NO?
NO LONGER AN EXECUTOR?

[That is surprising news, and Signless takes a moment to digest it.]

I, FOR MY OWN SELFISH REASONS, AM PLEASED TO HEAR THAT.
I WILL NOT ASK THE REASONS BEHIND THE CHANGE, SHOULD YOU CARE NOT TO GIVE THEM.
BUT IT PLEASES ME NONETHELESS.

[sufferrogate]

[ With all of the Shenanigans going on lately, she has reason to be hesitant. However, that way of writing, and more importantly that color--she can read it in HIS voice.

She herself is an example of the dead being brought here, but can she get her hopes up only to be crushed? There is only one way to get the truth. ]

I Am Having Great Difficulty Putting Into Words What I Wish To Ask
Is This
Child Is This You

[withoutasign]

[That color. That quirk. It's all Signless can do to keep from crying out when he sees it.]

LULU?

[sufferrogate]

Child I
No This Method Of Communication Will Not Suffice
Please Dear Tell Me Where You Are

[withoutasign]

A FOUNTAIN, I'M NEAR A FOUNTAIN.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT IS?

[He's standing now, ignoring the pain in his wrists, in his back, his face alight with excitement.]

[tokinohime]

[After the mess of the other two adult trolls, Aradia's pretty much used to seeing them all over the place! Heck, they were friendly, and those humans were friendly, maybe a lot of them were going to be really friendly here!

Especially since the young troll was still pretty weirded out by the fact that she wasn't home and she was separated from her lusus! Hopefully she would be okay without her RamMa. 3:

Today she decided to check out the fountain and all of the wonders it brought! ... What she wasn't expecting was this new adult troll! This one ... had a really long pair of pants on. HUH.... That didn't look too comfortable. Let's investigate!]

... Why are your pants so high?

[Well, she had to ask.]

[withoutasign]

[Awwwwww, who is this little cutie? Signless smiles down at the young troll, his hands linked nonthreateningly in front of him.]

It's just the way I wear them, young one.

[tokinohime]

[She crosses her arms. He does seem nice, but he's still really weird in fashion.]

Are they really that comfortable?

[withoutasign]

[Fashion is hard, and also stupid.]

They're not bad. I usually have a cloak to go over them, but that was taken from me.

[singsforsouls]

[ Naoya does not recognize what this newcomer is, and yet...those certainly seem to be wounds he inspects. The boy waits for the newcomer to finish sending out his message before he approaches. ]

Are you all right?

[withoutasign]

[That... is not a troll. Signless looks down at the little creature; he can tell it is young, perhaps not much past its wriggler stage, and it seems concerned and non-threatening.]

I will be fine, little one.

[singsforsouls]

Your wrists look injured, though.

[withoutasign]

Yes.

[Signless glances down, grimacing at the hideous burns circling his wrists like macabre bracelets.]

But flesh will heal.