♋ PCG 18

[crusthatecean]

Hey, so remember that plan we had where I get your act together for you and do an embarrassing amount of work on something that should have been taken care of a long time ago?

For those of you with holes in your pan or who are new or recently panscrubbed, this was the call I made about a perigee ago where I took a list of the houses willing to take panicked strangers into their homes whenever we find ourselves in the midst of a town propelled fuckstorm. The homes have someone who knows what they are doing with regard to fighting, healing, or general skill at the fine art of not dying.

So, yeah. I have a list, it's about ready to be given out, but with the turnover rate here, I'm going to need to update this shit for accuracy probably around once a human month. I'm going to give a list of all my contacts, and if you know any of them have been panscrubbed or droned recently, do us all a favor and let me know before I pass this out? The contacts I have, who talked to either me or Lucas, are: Hawke, Pokey, Negi, Taiwan, Firo, Lucas, Balin, Diana, Riza, Ilsa, Hal, Fate, Miku, Lyra, Barton, Dakki, Wes, Kotomi, Hiccup, Australia, April, Sakuya, Cable, Rin, Bang, Rittz, Ciel, Minato, Redmage, Virgina, Rory, Chaos, Tiffany, Miakis, Sara, and Alice. A fine collection of names, none of which are stupid or sound made up in any way. If you could just call and let me know you're still here, or if someone who knew these people could call and tell me they're gone, that would be helpful.

Otherwise, copies of the list will be in my parchment communication receptacle tomorrow morning. I'll send out another one next month, so let me know if anyone gets scrubbed or wants to be added or removed by that point.

In the event I'm panscrubbed, the current person I'm leaving in charge of dealing with this in my absence is Kanaya. If you want to take responsibility for this if I'm not around, let me know. I also need some personable fucks to take on the unenviable task of passing this out to newcomers.

If you have a comment that isn't relevant to this, don't waste my time. I'm already busting my ass over this project when I don't even care what happens to you, so don't test me. I will be hanging up on all stupid comments. Thanks.

((This letter will be in Karkat's mailbox the morning of the 17th! If you know someone on there has been droned or if you don't want to be on (or if you want to be added) reply to that letter and we'll say the info gets on there/removed by the time it goes out. You can reply ICly too but it will just be easier if I have an OOC comment on the letter noting the change. Thank you! And yes, I have permission from Wighty to say that Karkat and Lucas shared information.))

Comments

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

No way! I can fend for myself.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Suit yourself.

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

[they both know she'll show up at his place anyway the next time something bad happens.

she suddenly sounds serious, changing the topic.] Hey, can we talk about something? Something else.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

I've already suspended my off topic comment policy for you, so we might as well.

[He can recognize the change in tone, though, and he immediately sounds less angry with her.]

What's up?

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

Maybe we should meet up. I dunno if I can explain on the audio hook.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

All right. Your hive?

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that should do fine. You'll be over soon?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

I'll be over as soon as possible, yeah. See you.

[Hanging up! And heading right over, because he can tell from someone in her tone that she's a little anxious.]

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

[she'll wait for him at her place. the door is already open and she's sitting on the front steps. chin in hands.]

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

[He won't be long!]

Terezi, hey. What's going on?

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

[she doesn't answer. she reaches out for his hand and stands to lead him into the house, completely silent. she'll show him into her room and lock the door. there's a moment before she takes a deep breath and speaks.]

If you had to do something that you think might help everyone, something that could forewarn everyone, would you do it? The catch being that you know you'll probably have to pay for it somehow. And you have a really good reason to be scared.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

[He takes her hand and follows her inside, frowning.]

Well, I think generally my first instinct would not be to give vague principled answers to questions that obviously aren't hypothetical.

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

Karkat.

What I'm asking is...

[now she's holding her hands out to him.

in them is a cueball.]

What would you do?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Where did you get this?

[He remembers a story she told him, of something like this and Vriska. But he's not actually aware the owner was Doc Scratch, nor does he know if this is the same one.]

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

I stole it. [her fingers tense around it, clutching it tightly.] From Doc Scratch. This helped Vriska. It was the key to her success.

It's what, [even though she can't see, she keeps her eyes lowered.] aids his omniscience.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Scratch, huh?

I seem to remember someone telling me that the last time someone stole this from him, it didn't end well for her.

[He isn't going to tell her no, though. He doesn't want her to get hurt, but coddling her to keep her safe isn't something he would consider. She's one of the fighters of the group, and a leader doesn't tell his soldiers not to take risks just because he loves them.

But he's still a little too soft to lead soldiers, because he won't tell her to do it, either.]

What do you expect to find from something like this?

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

I know. [she winces, thinking of the reaction she set off when she told Scratch about Vriska. she knew he'd kill her, or come close to it- which is part of what is making her a little bit scared of having possession of this thing. she's determined to see it through, though.] This cueball always tells the truth, no matter what.

[she rubs her fingers over the cueball's smooth white surface.] It takes a second sight to read the answers, the eyes of a Seer or vision eightfold, but it'll always tell the truth.

Scratch is hiding something, I think. A lot of things, maybe.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

[So then it has to be Terezi; he can't offer to do it himself, not that he thinks she would let him or appreciate such an offer. In a way, that makes him feel better; he doesn't have to feel guilty for letting her take on this decision on her own.]

I can't say I disagree with that assessment.

On the other hand, are the things he's hiding worth knowing? I don't want you to risk getting hurt only to find out more about his preference for teen girls in strange costumes.

[He shrugs, glancing at the stupid cue ball. It looks so harmless and pointless, but...]

Okay, that was a stupid joke. But if we find out something that we can't use to change our situation or help us, it isn't exactly worth the risk.

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

[her shoulders slump.] I know, Karkat. I know. But there's no way to tell right now. Either way, I have to go through with it. It's not like I can just go up to him and give it back.

[she pales a bit.] Did you hear the phone call he made when he returned?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Oh god. Yes.

That was about you.

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

[that's pretty much all she can say, now that she knows that Karkat heard it and every single implied threat Scratch had made.]

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

He clearly doesn't know who took it. If you just throw that thing in the garbage, I'm not going to think any less of you.

[He doesn't think for a second she'll take his out, but he wants to give her one regardless.]

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

[she doesn't. she shakes her head- a silent, firm 'no'.]

I have to, Karkat.

[she smiles a little bit, trying to be reassuring, trying to look like she's absolutely confident in what she's going to do.]

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

All right.

What if we waited until someone tried to distract him?

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

He's omniscient. It won't matter. Once he figures it out, he can't be distracted.

I know what I'm playing with here, Karkat. [a pause] Well, I know enough. And after this, I'll know the answers to the rest of my questions. [she's scared, though, and it's pretty obvious.]