[week one - monday]

[hypertoxic]

[ So she like, goes to find him. Monday night-ish, because why not?

Vriska prides herself on noticing small details. Anything and everything that can help her win. Win at games, win at life, win. Whatever the case may be.

So she was watching everyone she possibly could at the longhouse meeting. And it did not escape her notice that Akira wasn't too happy about the situation. Perhaps this fluffy deadpan boy has the heart of a hero. Time to find out.

It's near the campfire that she spots him, and Vriska will hail him with a wave and a faint smile. ]

Akira! Just the guy I was looking for.

[ She'll sidle right up to him and kinda like. Fold her arms and lean slightly against him? Does this girl have any concept of personal space.

That said, her voice is not entirely unkind when she says: ]

How you holding up?

Comments

[jokered]

[apparently, she has no concept of personal space at all. and he can't say he's entirely thrilled with it, but vriska doesn't really bother him much—

it doesn't seem, off the bat, that her intentions are poor in approaching him, though he did pay close enough attention to things she said to still keep his measure of personal distance in place of physical distance here.]

I'm all right. [he says it with a casual shrug; none of that tension from the meeting seems to be present in him right now.

after all, that disdain is for the chiefs, not vriska. he's frustrated, but he's always frustrated with authority figures, so it's not like this is much different as it currently stands.]

You seem like you're doing fine, too. [the natural protag way—to keep the conversation off himself and be more concerned for everyone else's sake.]

[hypertoxic]

[ Personal space is for losers, and Vriska Serket is a winner.

Anyway, hey, he's sure playing coy. Where's all that dramatic tension from before? Vriska eyes him curiously. ]

Me? Sure. I grew up on a planet where dying brutally or getting culled were pretty much normal. I am used to being around death. I've found that's not the case for most humans, though!

[ Tilts her head. There is the barest sliver of a smile on her face. ]

You sure you're okay?

[jokered]

[huh.

maybe he should have expected that, he can only imagine that alien life and culture is completely different than what he's used to. maybe movies, tv and video games aren't terribly far off in that respect.]

If you keep asking, I'm going to start thinking you're actually worried about me.

[even though she really has no reason to be worried and he's not entirely unconvinced that she's not trying to bait something out of him.

so he's just casual. no dramatic tension, just an amused smirk.]

[hypertoxic]

Oh, gross. [ sticks her (blue!) tongue out at him and wrinkles her nose, though it's not sincere disgust, just somewhere between teasing and mocking. ]

Don't try to force your human disease called friendship on me. I don't want any part of it! I am asking because I'm curious what you're capable of, Akira. Or if you'll just break under the pressure like a cheap piece of shit!

[jokered]

You were the one acting concerned. I'm not forcing anything on you.

[you're probably doomed to be a confidant vriska, you've initiated contact.]

Thanks for the faith in me, though. [dry. so very dry.] I can handle myself just fine.

[he's seen some shit already.

...not that it can actually prepare him for what's to come, but he's got a strong will and he sounds pretty resolved to that.

and maybe there's just a slight edge to his tone, a slight implication that he intends to rise to that challenge because he doesn't like people calling him into question? who knows. he's pretty laid back most of the time, even here.]

[hypertoxic]

[ Gross. She doesn't want to be his friend.

(yes she does.)

So she'll blow a raspberry, though less at him and more at the situation in general. ]

Whatever! I won't fall for your sneaky mindgames. You can't turn this back on me, Akiiiiiiiira. Anyway! It's not that I don't have faith in you specifically. I mean, aside from the fact that you are still basically a stranger to me. It's more that most humans I've known would be seriously freaked out by this situation! I am a little curious why you're so calm about it.

[jokered]

[he'll be her friend anyway, probably.]

I'm not that calm. [he says, calmly.] I'm pretty pissed off about this.

[again, calmly. but there's an edge that exists to his voice. he's not okay with this situation in the least—how could he be?] I'm just trying to be productive about things.

[like survival, primarily. helping other people. things like that.]

[hypertoxic]

[ Stares at him. ]

You're pretty calm for someone who claims to be pissed off. Are you weird, or just broken?

[jokered]

Weird, probably.

[he shrugs.]

I just hide it well most of the time.

[hypertoxic]

[ For whatever reason, that gets a laugh. ]

So you've just got a really good poker face? Maybe I shouldn't give you so much shit. That's a valuable skill to have. It will be especially valuable in a game like this! Though, just saying, you're still weird.

[jokered]

[it doesn't seem to bother him—kind of like most other things.]

I'm okay with that. I'm used to it—being weird, or whatever.

[being an outcast, not fitting in. it all falls under the same umbrella, really.]

[hypertoxic]

Used to it? Haha. What the hell kind of life have you led? Where reacting to some murder jamboree like it's whatever is your first response! Like, I get that you're pissed, but a poker face like yours has gotta come from somewhere.

[jokered]

It comes from somewhere. Necessity, I guess. [okay, so maybe he's slightly broken in some way?

or maybe not.]

Throwing a tantrum isn't going to change the situation. Finding a way to act will.

[hypertoxic]

Necessity made you a freak? I'd like to hear that story sometime. But anyway, hey, you're right about that! Someone with an actually mature outlook on the situation. Go figure! Every wimp on this island could take a lesson from you.

[jokered]

I don't blame them.

[glossing over the bit about necessity and what happened to him in the past, it's fine.]

You weren't wrong the other day, anyway. Things will start to change when people feel like their backs are really against the wall.

[hypertoxic]

[ snort. ]

I can blame them! They need to get their collective shit together. Buuuuuuuut, I can at least acknowledge that how they feel is probably normal for humans. Still, they are all going to turn into a collective catastrophic disaster once the bodies start hitting the floor.

[ "They." Like she includes neither herself, nor Akira, in that collective. ]

[jokered]

It's pretty normal.

[he frowns a bit. of course, he can't say he won't do the same, regardless of how vriska seems to treat it.]

Things are going to get tough for just about everyone in a hurry.

[hypertoxic]

Which is exactly why I asked if you were okay! [ flashes him a grin. ] I don't buy your tough guy act. But I guess we'll see!

[jokered]

Tough guy act?

[headtilt. is that what she thinks it's supposed to be?]

[hypertoxic]

What, is it not supposed to be? Bullshit, that's exactly what it is.

[jokered]

[he shakes his head.]

There's no act here.

[hypertoxic]

You literally just told me you're really pissed off, but you're not even remotely acting like it! You are definitely hiding something, whether you mean to or not. If it's not an act, then are you just naturally an incredibly cagey, secretive person? Which is it?

[jokered]

No. I just... am used to having to do that. It's just the way things are for me, I have to hold it in.

[he sighs.] I'm used to it, so there's no point in changing that now.

[hypertoxic]

[ ... ? ]

"Have to"? Why's that?

[jokered]

Circumstance.

[...]

Back home, I can't cause a stir. [so when he's mad, he just has to bite his tongue.] It's that kind of situation.

[hypertoxic]

[ Both her eyebrows go uuuuup. ]

Keeping your head down? What the hell did you do?

[jokered]

[and simply:]

I'm on probation.


[not what it seems, but still the truth?]

[hypertoxic]

[ blankly ]

I have no idea what that means.

[jokered]

Being watched after getting in a lot of trouble, basically.

[that's the most concise way to explain that, he thinks.]

[hypertoxic]

[ ... ???? ]

What'd you do, kill someone? Humans have laws against that, right?

[jokered]

I didn't really do anything.

[honestly.]

I tried to stop a man from harassing a woman, he fell and got hurt, and told the cops I assaulted him.

[fuck that guy.] He's... a powerful man, so I had no leverage and had to take the fall.

[hypertoxic]

Oh. Politics! Fuck that. [ vriska feels the same way. ] Political bullshit like that certainly existed where I'm from, though in different ways. People in power sure have it great, huh? They can just do whatever the hell they feel like with zero repercussions!

[jokered]

[indeed, vriska.]

That's the problem with adults where I'm from. They abuse it, they take advantage of people... they do anything they want while everyone else has to suffer.

[so that's kind of his deal, sort of, in a nutshell.]