how do you tame a lion

[crab]

WHO: nepeta leijon and karkat vantas.
WHEN: december 11th, afternoon.
WHERE: central park.
WARNINGS: none.
SUMMARY: reintroducing the old friendship... also walks through central park without them immediately dropping dead.
HOW: action.

[ he hesitates outside central park for far longer than is necessary. it will be a whole sweep, soon, since he walked through those gates, and while he doesn't often dwell on what happened that day anymore, his irrational grudge against the place of his death still holds strong. still, arguing with nepeta leijon is way more difficult than you'd think, and he had been the one to ask her to hang out with him. denying her place of choice risked having her decide the whole endeavor was a bust, and so, it is with deep reluctance that he takes a deep breath, and sets foot in central park for the first time in over a year. ]

Comments

[shipper]

You look like you're purrparing to fight a cholerbear.

[she remarks nonchalantly as she trots alongside him, sharing none of the trepidation. after all the time she'd spent in this park Nepeta has become exceedingly fond of it; in many ways it reminds her of her home on Alternia, albeit in a tamer way. it was the most comfortable place she could think of to host a get-together that was still feeling its way back to comfort. even if something awkward happened, the environment would have her back]

Come on, I'll show you where I usually hang out.

[crab]

Knowing this place, I wouldn't actually be that surprised if we ran into one. [ he grumbles, eyeing a patch of bushes mistrustfully, as though expecting one to immediately emerge from the foliage. ] Fine, fine. But no rosebushes.

[shipper]

If there's any lurking around then they're waaaay better at hiding than they were at home! I still haven't seen anything bigger than a dumb raccoon.

[she rolls her eyes, then wrinkles her nose briefly in distaste]

Ugh, are those the thorny ones? I stuck my hand in one once and it sucked.

[crab]

Of course you stuck your hand in one. I can't imagine any other course of action that might occur to someone to take when presented with a large, thorny patch of shrubbery. That's like, the first line of investigation for anything that seems like it might be even vaguely harmful. Just go shoving miscellaneous extremities in there.

[shipper]

Hey, from the sound of it you've been sticking limbs in there too! I'm purretty sure you can't talk right now.

[crab]

[ he bristles, and the look he throws her goes a little beyond his standard irritation. ]

I died in a rosebush, you insensitive fucking pisspocket.

[shipper]

[she whirls around to gape at him, an odd mixture of hurt and sympathy in her voice]

Like I'm supposed to read your mind and know that? Was I even here for that?

[crab]

[ okay, well, he doesn't talk about his death at all if he can help it, and nepeta wasn't around for that, he doubts anyone except for eridan actually knew which variety of flower karkat had perished in, but--

but he's got nothing. he sighs, and drags a hand down the side of his face. ]

Okay, okay, fine, that was a little unfair, but you know now, so can we cut the rose jokes and just agree to give them a wide berth out of mutual dislike?

[shipper]

Yeah, sure.

[she doesn't really have much else to say, so she falls silent for a time. Nepeta feels awful for inadvertently poking fun at his death, but at the same time she can't help but wonder how many more of those minefields she's going to wander into in an attempt to keep things light and semi-normal. it's a disheartening thought.

eventually she finds something relatively inoffensive to comment on and speaks up again, pointing at one of the many gnarled trees along the path a couple dozen feet in front of them]

It's coming up here anyway.

[crab]

[ it's not really nepeta's fault that karkat is such an enormous cluster of issues he pretty much makes up his own issue galaxy. he, as well, feels bad for snapping at her, and bringing up such a depressing topic of conversation so early into the "be friends with nepeta again" endeavor. he is not so good at being the one to reach out to other people -- he's used to everyone else doing that for him.

but he's learned from experience, recently, how exhausting that can be.

he follows her with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground, and although occasionally he looks up and opens his mouth as though to speak, he doesn't say anything until she points and restarts the conversation herself. ]

What, do you live in a tree? Not even a cave?

[shipper]

Yeah, it's mostly trees. There really aren't all that many caves in here! It kind of surpurrised me with how many rocks they crammed in here.

[and most of the caves she'd found were either too small for living or popular with teenage couples looking for some privacy. Nepeta loves romance, but that was. kind of much.

she shrugs a little, slightly more relaxed with the current conversation topic. it was about her lifestyle, that was safe]

I don't really mind too much, though. I've slept in trees befur, and it's not like anyone really bothers you once you climb high enough.

[crab]

Man, you're gonna have the same problems with fucking bark gnomes as-- [ terezi did, he almost says, then draws up short. there's an awkward pause, before he tries to go on as though nothing happened, something else having captured his attention for the time being-- ]

Aren't you cold out here? It's like, human winter right now, forget shoving them in rosebushes, your extremities are going to freeze solid, drop off and become icy treats for the local raccoon population.

[shipper]

[she notices the start, can figure what it was probably about. they don't have too many mutual acquaintances who had extensive treehome experience, after all. but Nepeta lets it die, instead scratching her cheek idly as she gives the tree a thoughtful look]

Yeah, it's starting to get purretty cold even fur me. I purromised a furiend that when it got supurr wintery I'd move back into the MAC fur a little while, but I guess I'm kind of lazy about it. I keep thinking that it'll get better soon, heehee.

[crab]

You could... [ he hesitates. ] I mean, if Equius shows up and finds out I let you freeze to death, that's pretty much a one way ticket to having my spine ripped out, snapped in half, and him flogging me to death with the broken pieces, so. [ another pause. ] You could come stay with Rua and I, if it gets any colder.

[shipper]

[there's a long, long silence before Nepeta answers. she's a little frightened to even meet his eyes and gauge the sincerity of the offer, but eventually she manages to tilt her head just a little so she can look at him.

it's...she isn't certain what she's feeling now, let alone thinking. the offer is completely unexpected; even with the overtures of rekindling their friendship that both have been making, Nepeta never thought that she'd be hearing something like this.

it makes her stomach wriggle in an all too familiar way, but at the same time she can't help but feel uncertain. Nepeta knows that he's trying to make amends for the past, and she can't chase away the worry that he's simply making a poorly thought out attempt at proving his sincerity in patching things up. more so than hurting her own feelings, she doesn't want to place that sort of burden on Karkat, even if she wants to.

so Nepeta hedges instead, buying herself a little more time to get collected and maybe Karkat a little more time to make himself certain of his decision]

Would you have room fur that? I wouldn't want to get in the way.

[crab]

I don't really sleep, so I wouldn't mind giving you my room. [ this is the second homeless friend he's offered to give his room to on grounds of the fact that he refuses to (willingly) sleep.

karkat's tone is cautious, measured. he's aware he could be overstepping a bound here, and he's not that interested in being shouted at in public again. ] Or you could take the couch. You wouldn't be in the way. Rua'd probably be happy to see you, and Ruka's insufferable no matter what, but I doubt she'd want you freezing your asscheeks off out here either.

[ he says nothing about his own thoughts and feelings on nepeta staying over on cold nights. ]

[shipper]

Would you be ok with it?

[she notices, and this time it isn't something that Nepeta can just let go. Karkat's opinion is the most important here; she doesn't want him going ahead with this because he thinks it's what's necessary to move forward in a positive direction. she's had enough people thinking they need to 'sacrifice' for her to last a lifetime]

[crab]

Yes. [ he does mean it, but he feels compelled to give her an out anyway. this is more awkward than he anticipated. ] You don't have to, though. Just, if you ever want to, I won't lock you out on the porch or anything.

[shipper]

I'll defurnitely keep that in mind. Although remember that you offured when you wake up and your couch is covered in kitty fur!

[it makes her feel better than she wants to admit to hear the sincerity, and it leaks into her reply through that uncontainable little teasing. she looks away again and stuff her hands into her pockets, a small smile pulling her away from the awkwardness a bit.

it's probably not as simple for Karkat, she imagines, so Nepeta decides to nudge the conversation along a little]

Do you want to keep walking? There's a bunch of ofur purrlaces I can show you.

[crab]

[ relieved at the change of subject, he nods, some of the nervous tension draining out of his posture. ]

Yeah, yeah, go ahead and lead the way, then.

[shipper]

[and so she does, pointing out various sights and their significance to her. Nepeta's gotten pretty adept at navigating Central Park, knowing the spots that most of the general crowd doesn't typically seek out.

after a time she decides to inquire after Karkat's life again, hopefully with slightly better results. the request to hang out was completely out of the blue, and Nepeta can't help but wonder if something brought it on. her tone is cheerful and light, as if that's going to help prevent any more awkwardness]

So what's up with you lately? It's been a little while.

[crab]

Eh, trying to keep my so-called friends' lives from collapsing around their auriculars when exposed to a light breeze, like the shoddily structured mounds of hoofbeast excrement they are.

[ he thinks about eridan, about ruka, about that bane guy he'd talked to and (maybe?) allied with on the network, and hadn't his alliance with nygma taught him anything about the inevitable outcome of cahoots? oh well. it'll probably be more interesting than falling off buildings and getting in rumblr fights.

his mind wanders further, and he thinks back to his cut-off sentence earlier, his reluctance to mention terezi by name. it's been so long since he'd seen her in the city, and even longer since they'd been anything approaching their old friendship or matespritship in either universe-- but almost nothing about his feelings for her have changed. trying to play it cool doesn't change anything. he misses her as much as he ever did. and gamzee...

he doesn't even want to think about gamzee makara. ]

Can I ask your advice, on something?

[shipper]

[it's another unexpected response from Karkat. Nepeta really can't imagine what he'd possibly want advice from her about, but her reply comes instantly and without thought.]

Sure, of course.

[even now, if she has something she can help him with, she wants to give it]

[crab]

[ and once again, even though he was the one to initiate it, he hesitates, preferring to look at the scenery rather than at her. he bites his lip. this will be more awkward than offering her refuge from the elements was, that's for certain. ]

You know Terezi and Gamzee both dumped my ass, right?

[shipper]

Yeah, I'd heard.

[her reply is quiet and even, fingers playing with the loose strands of thread in her coat pocket. it's a little embarrassing to admit that she's been particularly diligent in the tracking of Karkat's romantic life, but thankfully she's positive this isn't about her so she can downplay it.]

[crab]

How do you... [ she's the only one he knows, for certain, will understand. kanaya might, but her approach to relationships was never one karkat wanted to model himself on. ] How do you move on? If you count the City and the alpha timeline as separate, it's been two sweeps since Terezi and I were a thing, and Gamzee stopped being my moirail a long time before he ditched me, but--

[ he raises his hands, palms up, a gesture of helplessness. ]

I tried pretty much everything. I've tried fixing it and I've tried backing off, but now I think I just want to stop feeling this way. It never does anything besides cause trouble, and make my life needlessly complicated. I'm probably never going to see either of them again anyway.