i fought the war

[gevurah]

WHO: KARKAT and KATE
WHERE: a convenience store
WHEN: early evening of 9/6
WARNINGS: a certain someone's mouth, most likely.
SUMMARY: Karkat steals to support himself and Kate catches him in the act and must deal with this without violence! Don't punch kids, Kate.
FORMAT: je m'en fiche u_u


Parking in not New York really was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Kate had circled a good four times before she managed to squeeze the bike into a spot a block down from the store. She didn't mind the distance— she wasn't going to be long.

Recently, she had grown uneasy being away from the apartment, from Nill, when she wasn't patrolling or working a case. Dent being locked behind bars these days only brought minimal comfort to her agitated thoughts. The buses, Nill being shot by someone who should have been dead and her being dragged into a dimension she had no power to find or enter herself, Max's recent... along with Vulcanus on the move again was enough to keep her mind preoccupied with dark, angry, but vaguely paranoid thoughts.

None of these thoughts were visible in her expression or the way she carried herself down the street. She was good at pretending otherwise.

With her helmet in hand, she walked toward the automatic glass doors of the store.

Comments

[gevurah]

She stares again, not exactly sure what she could or should say to that. February had left a bad taste in her mouth when it came to space and she unfortunately didn't have the means to travel up there. She reluctantly has to leave problems in space up to those who can deal with it.

"No," she answers coolly. "You just tried to steal and I'm not about to let that slide. Let's hope the employees aren't going to call the cops on you." It doesn't matter if the bill didn't even come past twenty measly dollars— some places called the cops without as much as a second thought on petty thievery.

She looks to the cashier. "Look, whatever he's done— I'm sorry. I'll pay for it and we'll go." No harm, no foul, she hopes.

[crab]

Karkat tenses up at the mention of the human authorities possibly getting involved, and looks over at the cashier, ready to make another break for it if it seemed as though they were going to call them.

They seem to deliberate for a few moments, eyeing the pair of them suspiciously, before acquiescing, though they also add that Karkat would be heretofore banned from the premises, and the authorities would be called if he were caught in or near the store a second time.

He shoots the cashier a few choice profanities, before looking at Kate a little quizzically. Now he's calmed down, at least enough to think clearly, her voice is distinctly familiar. He frowns. "Okay, number one, this still isn't any of your business, just in case I hadn't made that transparent enough yet. Number two, have we spoken before?"

[gevurah]

"Nill's friend, remember?" she asks, observing him to see if it's jogged his memory yet. She distances herself from the term "guardian" again, as well as anything strictly paternal sounding. She's not quite mother material, she thinks.

She gives the cashier a nod, but is quick to throw a look of warning at Karkat. If they can leave without getting into a verbal brawl it would be a blessing.

Fishing out her own wallet and card, she moves to the cash register ready to pay and then get out of there.

"I'm making it my business," she finally says.

[crab]

"Oh. Right," he says, a little awkwardly now. Luckily for Kate paternal isn't a concept Karkat consciously applies to anything that isn't a terrifying monster of some sort. She's safe from accusations of motherhood, at least from him.

He hangs back and holds his tongue when she pays the cashier. It hurts his pride to let her save his ass after meddling in his getaway, but it's better than having the authorities called and possibly being done in as that one guy who spends his days harboring a wanted serial killer. He's been chased by cops before, and there's bound to be some who would recognize him.

When she's done, though, he sees no reason not to go right back to mouthing off.

"I should have recognized you sooner, I guess. You're even more condescending in person."