thearena | he named the roomba Darwin. [open]

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he named the roomba Darwin. [open]

Who| Carlos and OPEN
What| Catch-all for Carlos in the Arena up till now! Roomba wrangling + Carlos getting locked in shops with people!
Where| In just about any shop, after it locks and the gate closes
When| From the day after the Cornucopia and through week 2. During week 2, Carlos will have a reprogrammed roomba, so if you want to meet Darwin, specify in your tag or subject line.
Warnings/Notes| If you want in on roomba wrangling, PM me or drop me a line on plurk and we'll talk! Carlos could use another pair of hands or two to get the thing under control. I'll put a top-level up for Operation: Subdue the Roomba once I know for sure who's in. Also, attacking him is okay as long as he can get away without being too badly injured!

Carlos slips into the store a few minutes before it closes, finding a table or display to hide under. He stays hidden until the heavy gate rattles into place; he doesn't really have the luxury of searching the store for others before it closes. Carlos can only hope that no one else wanted to be trapped in this shop -- or if they did, they were using it like he was, as a strategy to hide from stronger Tributes, because they didn't want to fight.

Once the echoes die down, Carlos crawls out from his hiding place and begins to search the store. He has a paintball gun resting on his shoulder, but it's not aimed yet. He has a backpack, and a lab coat with his name on it, and a brand on his temple. He moves as quietly as he can. His hair is perfect.

In retrospect, naming it had been maybe a little bit silly.

But Carlos couldn't help it.

Initially, Carlos had been planning to program it to look for Cecil, but it had proven useful as a sort of guard-alarm for Carlos while he slept. Then they had escaped the paintball attack together, and Carlos had fought off a couple of other roombas that had apparently taken unkindly to their comrade's betrayal, and before Carlos knew it, he was patting it on the chassis and thinking of it as Darwin and not just the cleaner robot I reprogrammed. It was no good; he was attached.

He is still using his strategy from the first two weeks: sleep in the locked stores, sneak down to the food court at lunch, and spend the rest of his time trying to find people he knows without being found himself. He still has his backpack full of supplies and he certainly still has his lab coat, but it's torn at the edges and splattered with pink paint. His hair, however, is still perfect.

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Terezi hadn't meant to be gone long. She only stepped into the shop for a few minutes to search for supplies. It was only a clothing store, but it never hurt to have spare cloth on hand, as long as it wasn't sequin or glitter encrusted.

She know that she's lingered too long, though, when she hears the metal shutter descend and look into place. Some colorful language passes her lips as she hurries back to the front of the store, a bundle of clothing and a few shoes thrown into a large shopping bag. She doesn't touch the gate itself, but sniffs about the edges, trying to see if there might be a way to open it again.

She hasn't yet noticed that she's not the only one in the store.

Carlos sees her before she sees him, since he was the one hiding in the back actively looking for anyone else trapped in there with him.

He shoulders the paintball gun. It's still in easy reach, in case there's anyone else in here with them, but he feels pretty safe in saying that Terezi won't try to kill him, weird troll philosophy or not.

"Hi, Terezi."

He would use the same tone if he ran into her in the street or the Tribute Center.

Terezi spins around when she hears her name, body tense and ready to either attack or defend. But as soon as she realizes who it is, that tenseness vanishes. The last time she talked to Carlos, they were both in jail. She's not sure that this is a significant improvement, but at least they're both alive. She's finding that the more people she can account for, the better her morale is.

"Hey," she responds back, trailing off a little uncertainly before adding 'nerd' as an after-thought. Her mannerisms are still stilted at best, but it's better than she's been doing. She even manages a bit of a smile, for what it's worth.

He picks up on the uncertainty. Carlos isn't a very socially-perceptive person, but he went through everything she did. He'd have to be a brick wall not to realize what her stilted manner meant.

His smile turns sadder. He remembers what Terezi had been like before they were arrested, and to see her this jumpy, this spooked, makes him sad -- sad, and a little angry.

But Carlos is not angry with her. He walks up to Terezi, and when he speaks, his voice is quiet.

"How're you feeling?"

Terezi shrugs a shrug that speaks volumes. She's not...terrible. Not anymore. Not now that she's found Fraysong again, but they've been separated again, and that's certainly not a good thing. There's not a whole lot that she can do about it, though. She recognizes that she'd probably stuck here until the doors lift again in the morning.

"I'm still alive. That counts." Her response is a little stronger, a little more flippant. A little more like the Terezi he might remember. "What about you? You smell... okay." Aside from the brand that they both happen to be sporting, that is.

"I've been worse," he offers, still looking her over. The height difference between them is marked to him as he stands in front of her. God, she's a teenager. She's a teenager who has been tortured and branded a traitor and clearly frightened and nothing about this is okay.

"Hey, Terezi..."

No, it's no good. There's nothing he can say here. So, when Carlos doesn't have words for something, a gesture has to do. He doesn't do this kind of thing often. However, what happened at the Cornucopia coupled with what had happened in prison merits making an exception.

He steps forward, wraps his arms around Terezi's shoulders, and pulls her into a hug.

Been worse. Yes, that does sum up the experience pretty well. Terezi is just about to ask "What?" to the start of Carlos's sentence when she finds herself being wrapped into a hug. Her shoulders stiffen immediately, surprised by the gesture. It's not all that common for others to initiate physical affection with her--in fact, it almost never happens. So when Carlos hugs her, she's more than a little surprised.

But gradually, slowly she relaxes. She likes Carlos. She knows that he means well. It's still difficult for her to let her guard down, but not impossible. So after a few prolonged seconds, her shoulders sag and she lets him hug her. She presses her face against his chest, her arms coming up to clutch at whatever handfuls of fabric they can find.

Damn. Bruce lost track of time, and is now trapped in the department store. He had been gathering clothes to use as bandaging and rope, but now he supposes he can use them as blankets.

He doesn't like sleeping when he doesn't have anyone to keep watch, but what choice does he have? Exhaustion would be a death sentence just as well as an ambush.

Nonetheless, he stays tense near the maternity section (full of nice stretchy cloth to use), waiting for his eyes to adjust before cautiously moving out of his hiding spot, straining his ears for the sound of someone else inside.

The department store, Carlos admits, isn't ideal. It's too big, too hard to secure. But he had nearly been caught out in the open -- he had been searching the stairwells, looking for people he knew, and before he knew it, he realized he only had a minute or two before the gates were due to close.

He had darted inside just in time to have the gate slam shut behind him.

Bruce will most likely see Carlos before Carlos sees him: a man in a lab coat, with a paintball gun strapped to his back, walking from section to section, clearly trying not to be seen. He's trying to find a place to settle for the night, a place he's not likely to be disturbed.

Being an avox, it is part of his job not only to maintain cleanliness in the world around but in himself. Which meant of course changing to new clothing and washing all the blood off himself. He knows motherfuckers got looking down on him for his paintings before, but even being an avox, as he watches Belle's blood wash done the drains to disappear forever, he just feels a hollow sort of lack. He wasted her lifeblood, and she wasted her life on him.

But he's alive and he ought make use of that. He still has to find Terezi. It's been some time now since they'd been separated. He really should hurry. It was a motherfucking building, one what wasn't even being big. How motherfucking hard could it be to find the one what all he'd been looking for. Preferably, without being injured further.

Enough conditioning has worn that he's at least on alert. With his torn and shredded ears perked, he listens careful for potential attack. All the while, his bandaged legs drags along, the bullet wound still singing with pain and pulling sharp on his focus. The bandage is well and indigo, but starting to dry, somewhat.

He doesn't miss the fact there are more tributes just around the corner. He can hear them. But his caution is forgotten nonetheless because these are voices what he knows, both of them. And so he slips right out where he can be seen and taps the nearest thing with his knuckles to get their attention.

Momentarily, he forgets entirely that Carlos is a scientist and that's a thing what even matters.

The voices come from inside a store. Carlos is elbow-deep in a vacuum-robot, surrounded by wires and screwdrivers and other odds and ends. He's got goggles on and his arms are stained with grease.

"--almost finished," Carlos is saying. "The recalibration was tricky, but I think I've got everything locked down. We'll know for sure once I reconnect the--"

The knock catches his attention, and he looks up right away. His eyes go wide behind the goggles.

"...Initiate?" It's surprise and relief all at once. It's also a question: is it you? How much of you is present through the conditioning right now?

Terezi is crouched near Carlos, holding varies bits and pieces for the human scientist. She is trying her best to be a good assistant, despite the acrid smell of electronics and the slick oily darkness of the grease. At the very least, she seems interested in what he's talking about and doing, so that's probably a point in her favor.

When the knock comes, Terezi's head snaps up to smell who it is, and she's a little surprised at what she finds. There's a bit of relief that floods her chest, and just as Carlos is saying his title, Terezi breathes out the word "Kurloz!"

She sets the pieces she's holding down next to the roomba and hurries over to her silent friend. "Are you okay?" It doesn't take a close inspection to smell the bandages or the swatch of cloth strained with indigo. She looks for a moment like she wants to touch it, but she pulls her hands back, clenching her fists. "What happened?"

He knows it's them already all by hearing them, but it's a relief and reassurance to see them there for true. Terezi lurches up and he hears his name in two forms as she does. Normally he might mind that his true name was said, but he can't find it in himself to care right now, all things considered.

He offers a little wave and lets her fuss. Carlos has his silent question and she has her own, he can answer both by answering hers.

The mime is easy enough; he raises his hands up as though he's holding a gun, extending the pointer of the arm furthest out to mimic it further. He clicks in his chitinous windpipe and lets his hands jerk like a gunshot. He closes his eyes and brings both hands to his face as though to say "oh no", then shakes his head and mimes bandaging, then a hand over his chest for appreciation.

The last parts of that were admittedly obtuse, but he hasn't got any paper, or the energy to write to her without being commanded to. His expression is that same careful blankness as avoxes tend to, but he's communicated more than most would even dare. And surely, Carlos knows that, as his eyes lift to Carlos's face for two seconds, before dropping.

Edited 2014-09-28 12:21 (UTC)

Considering what Carlos knows about avox conditioning, it's remarkable that Initiate is able to shake off as much of it as he has. He's not sure he got the last part, but Carlos is a scientist and used to communicating using obscure codes and signals.

"You were shot? You were shot, and then -- you bandaged it?" he guesses.

Shot. She doesn't need Carlos's explanation to understand the miming of a gun, but just hearing it out loud... The concern she has for that bandaged wound feels like her stomach has turned over on itself. It's a good thing that he doesn't mind her fussing over him.

"Who was it? Who shot you?" If nothing else, she can make sure that they don't do it again.

Shit. Those aren't exactly yes or no questions. His face screws up at being bombarded like that and he shrinks a little, shoulders hiking.

He gives himself one, two, three seconds to gather himself back, throwing in a deep breath for good measure. He does a wobble back-forth motion with his hand. Kinda.

Then he mimes holding a bell, dinging it. Belle. Another round of miming bandaging. Belle shot me, then helped. She was sorry. Then with one hand he puts his palm down, to say chill. He sighs, because he's not sure how to make such a complicated thing clear.

Carlos realizes, belatedly, that they are kind of overloading him. He holds a hand out to Terezi, a universal gesture for slow down that should transcend alien-human communication boundaries, and begins to talk more slowly.

"It's all right," he says slowly and calmly, struck by the fundamental weirdness of saying this to the Initiate. "We'll only ask one question at a time, all right?" He glances at Terezi. "Try to keep them yes-or-no if you can. He hasn't shaken off the conditioning yet." Then, Carlos turns back to the Initiate, frowning as a thought hits him.

"...can you write? Or draw?"

A bell? And then something about bandaging again. Terezi isn't quite sure how that answers the question. Not for the first time, she wishes they knew more of the sign language that his alternate was trying to teach them. Maybe that might be easier.

But then Carlos is cutting in and promising only one question at a time. Sure, okay. She can do that. No sweat.

She only has a million or so lined up. But she doesn't ask them. It's hard, and it shouldn't annoy her as much as it does when Carlos tries to explain the situation to her, but she knows it's not his fault. Her irritation should be directed at whoever shot her friend, not at him.

"He has a little bit," she protests, defensive over something that she can't quite put into words. It feels strange--and wrong--to talk about his condition like he's not standing right there, listening to them. "He's not dumb. He can understand us just fine."

Relief fills him as Carlos cuts in, taking from him the need to answer shit all at once like that. Yes or no, one at time-- he's down for that. There's gratitude on his face for it.

He allows Terezi to come to his defence, although it's hardly necessary. He's not sure he can muster up any sort of feeling like being offended. He does feel a bit rue, however, because while he can write, it's not exactly his favourite thing at the moment.

But he nods, clear and solemn, to say yes. Carlos did say draw. That might be easier than writing and he can do so well enough that he could communicate clear. Quickly, he mimes writing, then shows his empty hands to ask if either of them might have anything he could do it with.

Edited 2014-10-05 15:17 (UTC)

"Yes, he has," Carlos says, an aside to Terezi meant to placate. "It's amazing how responsive he is, especially considering how little time there's been between his conditioning and now. But I'm going to make this as easy for him as I can. Hold on."

Carlos pulls out his backpack and digs for a pen and paper. He has some with him -- of course he does, he's a scientist and he doesn't know when he'll have to make notes -- and finds it after only a few seconds. He hands the little spiral-bound pocket notebook and pen to the Initiate.

"There." He glances at Terezi, letting her ask the next question.

Edited 2014-10-06 15:05 (UTC)

It's hard to argue that the notebook might help with communicating, and Terezi knows that it's not very fair to snap at Carlos for trying to help. Fraysong certainly doesn't seem too upset. (Then again she's not sure that he's in the right mind to know when he should be upset, and that thought alone makes her feel a bit like a hypocrite.)

She crosses her arms, rather than saying anything else on the matter. A silent consent to agree that he might have a point. When he glances at her, it takes her a moment to realize that he's waiting. Presumably for her to ask a question.

It's actually a good thing that Fraysong has the paper now because Terezi honestly can't think of a single yes or no question that she wants to ask. There's still one question that's weighing heavily on her, despite having already been asked. Maybe now he can give a clearer answer.

"Can you tell us again who shot you?"

He takes the paper and pen like they're a bomb what might explode in his hands. There is no happiness in him when he takes them things. He shakes as he writes.

kurloz insisted. THE OTHER ME. ordered it.

He's not sure why it matters to share-- which he does, with Carlos. Maybe he's feeling indignant in some distant way, to say this isn't hard. But Carlos is right. And he knows why. They'd certainly been rushed if he recalls right.

But he carries on when Terezi asks more of him.

BELLE SHOT. was accidental. SHE TRIED TO HELP. eridan culled her. SHE GOT IN THE WAY.

Got in the way trying to save him from the seadweller. And he'd not been able to do nothing for her.

"Belle..." says Carlos, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think I remember her. Brown hair, quiet, District 6 I think?"

Belle. And...Eridan. Again.

She's rather tired of hearing that name this arena. Her few brief exposures to him were bad enough. But this other person. Terezi has no idea who she is. But what she does know is that she's grateful for her help in keeping Kurloz safe, even if she did accidentally hurt him. She hopes the girl is still in the Capitol when they go back--if they go back.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't heard of that name before."

The Initiate nods his head. Yes, that's it, that's being her. He'd met her before too.

He doesn't miss the darkening in Terezi's look. She knows on Eridan personal. Probably got all sorts of detailings what he don't.

He looks between them both, swallows, then writes; You're both well?

"I'm all right," says Carlos. "This Arena isn't so bad. The stores were easy to figure out, and Terezi helped me catch one of the robots that are running around!" He gestures to the still-deactivated roomba. "I've been trying to reprogram it. If I can override the commands the Capitol sends and replace them with my own, it could be really useful!"

It's hard to keep dwelling on Eridan's transgressions when Carlos is being so excitably Science about everything. Terezi rolls her head in the same motion as someone rolling their eyes, but there's a bit of a smile to her lips.

The important part is that they're all okay right now, right?

"I'm okay, too. We spent the night in the store with the metal screen down. Completely uneventful. You know, except for plotting against cleaning machines."

She pause a moment, biting nervously at the side of her bottom lip. "I'm sorry we got separated. I'll be more careful." So he won't be alone and defenseless like that again.

Maybe he's all too much an avox to react to it strong. Maybe robotics just don't register as necessarily science. Either way, he finds he ain't bothered by the enthusiasm.

He's more relieved to hear they're well.

The apology brings up something though. It's enough for a frown to flash across his face-- just for two seconds, little more than a twitch. Or more accurately, a wince.

It wasn't her fault they got separated. It wasn't her job. It wasn't her order what to fail and so it wasn't her what motherfucking failed as to follow it. She shouldn't apologize to him. Everyone needs to stop getting apology at him, it ain't a thing he's earned, never mind what as he can process.

It's all too complicated to try and express. Instead, he just shakes his head, turning his eyes downward.

"It was a good plot," says Carlos cheerfully. Part of it is an honest compliment, and part of it is an attempt to bring the Initiate's mood back up. He doesn't know what's bothering Fraysong and knows better than to ask -- explaining at this point, he thinks, will be too difficult -- so instead he settles for a change of subject. "Do, uh, do either of you mind if I keep working on the robot? It's just, I think it's almost done, and I'd really like to find out what it can do."

Terezi notices that it's the apology that does it. She bites her lip a little at the way his lips pull into that frown for just a moment. It's such tiny insignificant shifts that tell her that something's up. And this isn't necessarily a new one.

"I don't mind, no," she answers Carlos, shrugging her shoulders and turning to ask Kurloz as well. "What about you? Would it bother you if he works on this?"

He wishes they'd stop asking him for his thoughts. The Initiate looks at them both, blinks once, then shakes his head. Why would he have opinion? Probably some reason he can't recall.

But then, breaking his own wish to not be heard, he writes to Terezi, going? and then on another slip, thanks which he tears off and walks over to give Carlos, holding it out in his hand like a delivery.

Thanks for looking after her, is what he means, but he figures Carlos will get it. Then back to Terezi, he walks.

Carlos looks at him, puzzled, and reaches out to take the paper. He looks down at it, then back up to the Initiate.

"Uh -- you're welcome?"

Terezi isn't quite sure what Initiate is thanking him for, either. She gives a bit of a shrug to Carlos to show as much.

The question that Kurloz poses to her however, has her reaching for his hand when he comes back to her. She clasps it tightly, giving it a bit of a reassuring squeeze. She turns back to Carlos: "We'll be around for a little while, if you need us. Just give a shout when it's done, okay?"

She doesn't intend to go too far while Carlos is still working on the machine. It feels wrong to just abandon him while he's still elbow deep in mechanics, but she wants to give him a little space to work. Wandering the area with Kurloz doesn't sound too bad, after being stuck in a shop all night.

He's not quite there enough to follow up. If Carlos don't get it, such as it is to be. But his message was given all the same. Terezi was unharmed for her time with Carlos. That's worth note.

He knows who he got Avoxed for.

He flinches when she takes his hand, looking like he got zapped by the contact. But he doesn't fight her off at all. He's glad she's here, even if he doesn't show it. Wherever she wishes to go, he will.

And who knew, perhaps he'd find enough curiosity in him to get interest in the end product of Carlos's work.

And just like that, like a switch just got flipped, Carlos is absorbed in his work once more. Within thirty seconds, he'll be elbow deep in robotics, oblivious to the world around him.

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he named the roomba Darwin. [open]

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Week 1 some time

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The latest of the lates with finally reuniting with Terezi & Carlos. +Darwin sure why not lmao

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