Prisonstuck IX

[polariity]

[By this point, it's been a few weeks since he's been with Dualscar, and he's adjusted to it. The seadweller doesn't always stay at the hive, which is understandable. Someone of his caste is expected to stay busy. Each time he returns, the Psiioniic nearly clings to him, wanting to hear news- or even lack of it- concerning his three friends.]

[Besides that, on his own, the Psiioniic mostly sticks to the library. Occasionally he explores the large hive again, wondering if anything has changed. It's a calm routine. For someone like him, it nearly feels unnatural.]

[...Which is quite possibly one reason explaining why, one night, he manages to get a hold of yellow dye and interrupts a drone on laundry duty. The next night, and it's done.]

[A bored rebel psionic was a disaster just waiting.]

[By now, he's stayed in the kitchen, idly chattering at his drone as he watches the kitchen worker make breakfast. It's almost like he's entirely forgotten about his little prank.]

[Which he hasn't, but he needs something to do to pass the time until it's discovered.]

Comments

[badpirattitude]

[When you've already changed tho much anyway...]

[The words echo in Dualscar's head, and he suddenly gets very still, staring at the Psiioniic like he's never seen him before. Only his throat moves, working just a little, and he makes one of those soft, keening whale noises.]

[Then his fins twitch, saying I'm so sorry, before he looks away.]

Did I ever tell you howw I got the scars on my face?

[He knows the answer to that question is no; there isn't a troll alive who he has told this story.]

[polariity]

[Of course they both know that answer. So the Psiioniic just carefully lays his hands against Dualscar's shoulders. He won't let him run this time.]

You never tell me anything about yourthelf.

[badpirattitude]

[Dualscar laughs once, bitterly.]

There's a reason for that.

[Then he turns his head, meeting the Psiioniic's mismatched eyes for just a moment, before looking down. He doesn't try to get away.]

You've seen the drawwing I did of my lusus. He wwas a wwhale, a type of wwhale that lives under the ice caps in the north. So wwhen I wwas a wwiggler, I lived there too... under the ice. He alwways wwarned me about going on land, about it being dangerous, so I never did.

But that... that wwas okay, because he wwas a good lusus.

[Dualscar looks up then, his purple eyes burning with conviction.]

He wwas the best lusus.

[polariity]

I bet he wath.

[No disagreement. The Psiioniic just begins to slowly stroke the side of Dualscar's face, meeting those brilliant eyes with his own. He waits for the other to keep going.]

[badpirattitude]

[Dualscar stares at the Psiioniic for a moment more, until he's certain that the other troll won't try and disagree with his assessment of his lusus, then he looks away again. One of his fins rotates forward and brushes against the back of the Psiioniic's hand.]

I wwas... I wwas three swweeps wwhen he died. Wwhen he wwas murdered.

[Dualscar's breath gets ragged, harsh in his chest, and his gaze is far away, almost as though he's looking into the past.]

A slave ship, trying to get around the Imperial taxes, sailed through the northern seas. My lusus... he kneww wwhat it wwas, and tried to get me under the ice, wwhere it wwould be safe. But I... I wwanted to see it, I'd never seen another troll before, I wwas curious... and I wwouldn't go.

[Dualscar stops, and it's a long time before he speaks again.]

He died tryin' to push me back under the wwater.

[polariity]

[That explains some things. Not everything. But some things.]

[The Psiioniic feels his heart twist for this broken troll and leans against him, giving him everything he can right now. The tips of his fingers light up with a soft glow, alternating colors as he begins to run them down along Dualscar's back. The energy sinks into his skin, tries to warm and relax the muscles and bone that it finds.]

You didn't know better.

[badpirattitude]

I should havve. I should havve listened to him.

[In his distress, Dualscar's accent is thickening. He twists a little when the Psiioniic starts working on his back, but then relaxes and lets him work his magic.]

He... he died... and I wwouldn't go back under the wwater, I wwouldn't let him go... and all the slavve drivver had to do wwas scoop me up in a net.

[Dualscar makes a choking noise in his throat, and scrubs the back of his arm over his face, aggressive and rough.]

Gettin' a purpleblood is a big deal for those filth, you knoww? Royals normally wwatch out for each other better than that, but because I wwas so far up north, there wweren't any other trolls around, and... and no one noticed I wwas gone.

No one cared.

[Another long pause.]

I wwas his favvorite. He wwouldn't... he wwouldn't sell me, wwouldn't evven let me off the ship wwhen wwe wwere in port, and... and he did this.

[He gestures to the scars on his face.]

Fuckin' carvved them right in, carvved his fuckin' sign on my face, so... so evveryone wwould knoww I belonged to him...

[polariity]

Yeah.

[One hand continues to work on Dualscar's back. The other slips up, lightly batting away each time the seatroll tries to touch the scars on his face.]

Yeah, I can imagine.

[He's seen it happen. Heard about it. More times than even he can count. Because that's the life lowbloods have to live everyday, against everyone and everything. There's nothing they can do about it, either. To fight back is to be culled, to be made an example of. 'Use one lowblood, you've used them all', isn't that what he's heard before?]

[None of them would be able to rise to this level, either, this level of being able to live with drones and have an enormous library and do what they like...]

[On one level, the Psiioniic doesn't think it's the same at all. On another, he can understand exactly why Dualscar would want to keep such a tight hold on his place.]

Tell me. [Cupping Dualscar's face, he gently tries to get them both on the ground, sitting.] Tell me what happened.

[badpirattitude]

[When the Psiioniic starts trying to guide them towards the floor, Dualscar resists initially, but then collapses, all at once. He literally almost falls to the floor and gets his knees up, putting his hands over his ears and trying to tuck into a ball again.]

His lusus... it wwas a cat, some stinkin', enormous cat from up in the mountains... that piece a shit thing wwould hide and wwait for me, pounce from behind things, and pin me dowwn... it'd pin me, and it'd lick my fuckin' fins, and, and purr, and it hurt but I kneww not to cry, not to make a sound because if I did, he'd hear, and he'd come find us, and...

[Dualscar's voice tapers off; some things, even now, almost seventy sweeps later, are things he can't talk about, things he can't let himself remember. The Psiioniic has seen the scars on him, though... he's not stupid, he can put it all together.]

I hate cats.

[Dualscar falls silent again. He doesn't just hate cats, he's terrified of them, big or small. He goes out of his way to avoid them.]

[polariity]

...Doeth it hurt when I do it?

[It is a legitimate concern. Yes, Dualscar has apparently not once protested when he has rubbed his fingers against his fins. When he first did it, back in the prison, it would have been more than easy enough to make him stop. But with this new information... He wants to be so careful with this delicate wreck.]

[badpirattitude]

... no.

[The question surprises Dualscar enough that he looks up, into the Psiioniic's face.]

You're careful, you're not tryin' to hurt, so it's okay.

[One fin, previously curled tight and protective against the side of his head, fans forward shyly.]

Feels good wwhen you do it.

[polariity]

Good.

[Psionic energy softly slips up along his shoulder and neck, flitting lightly against his fin tips.]

I want you to feel good.

[The Psiioniic shifts closer, legs pressing against Dualscar's sides.]

I don't want you to be thcared anymore.

[badpirattitude]

[Dualscar shudders as that energy moves along his fins, but he doesn't pull away. After a moment, he leans into the touch, sidling closer to the Psiioniic and resting his head on his shoulder.]

No one... no one has evver done it... wwhere they wweren't tryin' to cause pain.

[And there it is, plain and simple and admitted openly: Dualscar has no idea how to pail without hurting the other troll and expecting pain himself.]

[His hands slip up and squeeze tight on the shoulders of the Psiioniic's tunic.]

[polariity]

The retht of them can go rot, then, can't they?

[Poor little fool, distant and cut off from anything. The Psiioniic leans his head against Dualscar's, and their horns lightly catch against one another. The energy continues, spreading across more and more of his body.]

I won't hurt you. Not like thith.

[badpirattitude]

Heh...

[Amazingly, Dualscar manages to find some humor in that, and wiggles a little closer, shyly rubbing his horns against the Psiioniic's.]

But you'll hurt me other times, huh?

[A weak joke, but at least it is a joke.]

[polariity]

I did thay I'd break your nothe if you tried to make me do thomething, didn't I?

[Nudging back, he sighs at the feeling which travels down from his horn to the base and rubs his horns back. Energy crackles from the tips of his to Dualscar's, keeping them both together.]

[badpirattitude]

You did.

[Dualscar rubs back, sighing quietly. The energy feels strange, crackling between them. Strange, but not bad. In fact, it's sending shivers up his spine, making him feel warm and protected, even though he knows the Psiioniic could shred him apart in an instant with the power of his mind.]

[His fins start moving, signing I'm sorry again, but he makes them stop, takes a deep breath, and...]

I'm sorry. About... about before.

[polariity]

[And they're back again. Round and round they go, violence and misery to soft touches and... apologies?]

[That makes him pause, moving his head away and nudging Dualscar's face with his own until he can look into his eyes. He's confused, and more than a little surprised.]

...About what before?

[badpirattitude]

[This is the only way Dualscar knows how to relate to other trolls. The Psiioniic is lucky he's getting the nice side, which, up until he met the yellowblood, had been shy enough to almost not exist at all.]

About... wwhen wwe first met... and I...

[Does he really have to say it? Facing what he is was hard enough, don't make him describe it in lurid detail!]

[polariity]

Ah.

[That.]

[The Psiioniic brushes his lips against Dualscar's and runs his fingers through his hair carefully.]

You didn't know any better. But now you do. Right?

[badpirattitude]

I... I should have knowwn.

[Or maybe he'd just pushed what happened to him so far away that he never made the connection until just recently.]

But... yeah. I knoww better noww.

[He thoughtfully kisses the Psiioniic back.]

I've never... never had slaves. Or used helmsmen. Never felt right after that.

[polariity]

Good.

[Another kiss, another stroke, another wave of energy slowly sinking into Dualscar's body all warm and soft. The kisses trail along Dualscar's jaw to his fin, where the Psiioniic stops.]

[So oblivious, but someone he wants to take as his own...]

[The heart works in mysterious ways.]

Wouldn't you call that 'change'...?

[badpirattitude]

[Dualscar sighs, melting into the Psiioniic's kisses and the caressing energy. He feels like he should be afraid--he's been told, over and over, to never trust a psionic with full control of their powers--but he isn't. He finds himself moving forward, into the touches, and greedily wanting more.]

Yeah... I suppose.

[He moves his hands up, running them over the Psiioniic's horns, feeling energy crackle between his fingers as he strokes the tips.]

[polariity]

[Hands on his horns? He can deal with that. The energy jerks and travels to Dualscar's investigative fingers, curling around them in multiple loops of red and blue. Smirking against the fin, he pops a kiss against it.]

I thaw Eth convince a thubjugglator to give up the paint. If that can happen, you can change.

[Pressing closer, he feels their chests bump together. He's practically in the other's lap now.]

Eheheheh, you know, if you change, I can do a lot more with thethe 'lightsthowth' than you'd think...

[badpirattitude]

[Dualscar looks up as he feels energy encircle his fingers, and he watches it for a moment, rapt at the way it's coiling around them and moving right through the thin webbing between them. There's no pain.]

Maybe... maybe I've already started to?

[That question is hopeful, almost wistful. And he has no problem with the Psiioniic crawling into his lap.]

Wwait, wwhat?

[Consider his attention completely snared!]

Like wwhat? Wwhat else can you do?