First level--forward-dated

[walksonrooftops]

[ Nest-building is a tedious but necessary business. Once he's settled in enough not the jump at the mere sight of a human being, Asato claims an empty apartment room as his own, furnishing it to his preference. It's not a huge territory; he would feel downright wrong claiming anything large. Even enough resources to sustain him are counted as a

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[inflictedknight]

[Karkat hadn't been happy to finally get back to his pile of random shit to see that his computer had been taken. Although it is essentially useless now, that doesn't mean he wants people taking his stuff. So he sets off on a journey to find it, somewhat randomly stumbling upon Asato.]

Hey you. Nooksniffer. Have you seen my husktop around here somewhere?

[walksonrooftops]

[he has to pause a moment to realize he's even being spoken to.
Should it be worrisome that he's actually less concerned to see a troll than he is to see a human being? Maybe it is, but that's exactly the case. He barely even notices the nubby little horns nestled in Karkat's dark hair--if he did, there might be a bigger issue.]

Your...what?

[inflictedknight]

My husktop. I know you humans are idiots, but I've talked to your kind on one before, so I'm inclined to believe it's just you that's the dumb one rather than the rest of your species.

[Karkat giving the human species an ounce of credit is amazing, but he finds it just that hard to believe the other doesn't know what he's talking about.]

[walksonrooftops]

[He gives him a confused look; not indignant but certainly perplexed.]

I'm not a human, and I've never heard of a husktop.

[inflictedknight]

Do they not have husktops wherever you're from?

[Karkat backs off at least a little bit. Of course, he's making automatic judgments of the other's species, but he does just want his computer back.]

[walksonrooftops]

[A slight shake of the head.]

No. Can you describe it? I've never heard of it.

[inflictedknight]

It's like. Uh.

[Karkat begins by miming a box around the size of a laptop with his fingers.]

About this big. You talk to fucking idiots on it.

[walksonrooftops]

[He glances down to the book in his hands for a moment before holding it out to the troll.]

This?

[inflictedknight]

No! LISTEN with your HEARDUCTS. I said you TALK to people with it. You can't talk to people with a fucking book.

[walksonrooftops]

You can talk to people with books...Like with paper and ink, right? Other than that you just talk with your mouth like we're doing now.

[His ears lower a bit, defensively.]

pretend like this post has troll terminology for 'internet', since i don't remember it

[inflictedknight]

But you can also connect to the internet. It's got a viewport and a letterplank. And you hook it up to wall holes to charge it up.

[Karkat says it slowly, as if he's explaining the concept to a 2 year old.]

[walksonrooftops]

[Whoosh. Right over his head.]

I don't know anything about viewplanks and letterports. But my nest wall has a few holes in it, will that help?

[inflictedknight]

Is all of your species this fucking ignorant? Let me know now so I know to avoid them in the future.

[Karkat's patience has run out, clearly. He pauses and steps forward.]

Let me look around your hive to make sure you didn't grubnap my husktop.

[walksonrooftops]

It's this way.

[With a flick of the tail, he leads the way back to his nest. Verbal aggression doesn't seem to affect him at all; it's basically all he's used to, and it just bounces right off him at this point.]

If you try to take my nest or anything that's mine, I'll fight you.

[inflictedknight]

[If Asato is used to verbal aggression, then he'll probably feel right at home being around Karkat.]

Try to fight me and I'll call the stupid clown out on you.

[It probably sounds like nonsense to the kitty's ears.]

[walksonrooftops]

[Nonsense indeed. He takes it as a threat, though.]

Don't take anything that's mine and you won't have to.

[The apartment is only a story or two up. Asato wouldn't dare go any higher off the ground. The room is small, but reasonably so. It doesn't make sense to claim more territory than is necessary--that means energy would be wasted trying to defend it.]