[RP] Art Critics (Sinter & Regina & Tamiya)

[amicableAggressor]

Most cult members were, Regina knew, only pro-royalty in the same way that the average street troll was. They looked after their own interests first and foremost. It was why they had never been fully absorbed into the government by past empresses, and it was a smart stance whenever the monarchs changed. Still, it made working with them a bit of a constant tug of war. It was, in a word, exhausting.

There was, however, one outlier. Tamiya Aiguma, a troll who, despite her love of the Messiahs, had also devotedly served in the interests of the crown to such an extent that she had come into Regina's field of vision. Sure, she wasn't an architect, but the basic plans for the YTMA had been finished, and all that remained was the minor things. Decoration, atmosphere, the small bits that were supposed to be the carrot on the stick that Regina was using to coax the cult towards her side. Tamiya was still a cult member, even if she was a surprisingly political-minded one, and surely she'd be able to lend a mirthful eye towards the plans for decor.

A message had been dispatched, with a date and time. Regina had been reasonably up front with what she wanted Tamiya for, but had also mentioned that the purpleblood could feel free to bring along any of her own agendas for discussion. Again, a little bit of carrot.

Now, on the night of the meeting, she had set aside one of the less formal rooms in the hotel c** palace. A few sofas scattered the room, with a coffee table low between them. The empress had a dictionary hidden under one of the sofa's cushions, in case Tamiya's language got a little too thick for her to understand unaided. The blueprints for the various buildings were rolled in a stack beside the table, and empty draft paper was stacked on the other side. There was a large heated keg of some warm drink on a side table, and snacks - she had even sent for some cookies in the shape of trolls wearing silly hats, as an extra gesture. Standing in the door of the room, Regina nodded her head in satisfaction. Tonight would be a nice little get together.

Sypon

seekingCylem

 

[Sypon]

Tamiya was practically buzzing with excitement. It had been mere nights since enthusiastically informing her moirail about her advancement over Faygo – her assurance of his capabilities was not lost when Regina’s message had arrived.

“YOU ARE DELIVERED!” Tamiya had screamed at Sinter’s door. “SINTER! YOU ANIMAL! OPEN THE DOOR!” After the door had opened and her volume had been adjusted, Tamiya simply yelled, “We are slipping, sliding perfection and my pleats demand ironing. I am coming the ******** in and we are preparing for a meeting with the muscusclad whimsymistress herself. Regina Marian. You will glow bright peepersearing red. You will show no fear, you will show the ambitious, righteous and capable ******** I know so well. Amen.”

Fast-forward to now, Tamiya’s pleats had indeed been ironed to perfection. Both trolls were an incredible spectacle of prim, with Tamiya’s garb being particularly intricate and heavy for the occasion. In otherwards, another day at the office. Upon her arrival, Tamiya gave Regina a quick bow.

“Greetings and whoop whoops.”

Tamiya’s expression visibly brightened upon spotting the troll cookies. She had been offered treats many times before. These were perhaps the most sublime.

amicableAggressor

seekingCylem

 

[seekingCylem]

Sinter had done an admirable job of not losing his s**t. The first trial of Tamiya showing up to his hive unannounced, screaming of his deliverance, was not exactly beyond his realm of expertise. Even her explanation of the invitation hadn't been enough to rattle him (completely). Tamiya spoke well of the empress, which gave Sinter a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect.

It wasn't until Sinter stood beside Tamiya at the threshold of the meeting block that the reality of the situation took hold. The bells of his jacket jingled softly as he re-straightened his collar for a third time. He would normally let Tamiya do most of the talking--interjecting only to translate or gently steer the conversation when Tamiya got too... Tamiya. However, Tamiya had apparently done a fine job endearing herself to the Empress without any interference from Sinter. What was he supposed to do now!?

The duo entered the room. Tamiya bowed and Sinter followed suit. A crisp bend at the waist--one arm crooked before his waist, one behind. He straightened with a cool expression on his face. His thinkpan had whited out back at the last security checkpoint. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. I am Sinter Heilig--Tamiya's, ah, moirail." While it was obvious the queen knew Sinter was coming, he also knew the probability of her remembering his name was slim. Be polite; be thorough, thought Sinter. Hopefully he wouldn't sweat through his shirt.

Sypon

amicableAggressor

 

[amicableAggressor]

Stepping forwards as the door opened, Regina raised a hand to shake Tamiya's as the juggalo bowed. Swiftly turning the gesture from a handshake to both hands clasping together in front of her chest, the empress's eyes swung over to the tinkling redblood behind the more imposing purpleblood. Her moirail? Of course she knew Tamiya had a redblood, and had seen photos in her dossier of Sinter. She was more curious as to what Tamiya was doing, bringing him along. There wouldn't be any sensitive military secrets discussed tonight, but still. Regina wasn't keen on turning her home into a tourist attraction for her inner circle's quadrant mates. "Pleased ta meetcha, Sinter. You must be real lucky to have Miss Aiguma, she's one heck of a catch. Are you just here to drop her off, or are you stoppin' by?"

Sypon

hi

seekingCylem

friends

 

[Sypon]

“Ha!” Tamiya swept forward, interrupting any comment that her moirail could make before he could snap out of the stupor of being addressed by the Queen. Not because she’d forgotten to let Regina know he was coming, just because that’s what would have happened anyway.

“Sinter is the ******** catch! Fate must have harpooned him for me, back in my vulnerable wiggleworm days. We have known each other since the putrescent fish-swill-slosh-pail known as the WACKY incident. We were a team, trudging through the entire goddamn desert together. He has served the Crown with all of his righteous gusto from wigglerhood.” Tamiya reached up to dab a tear from the corner of her eye, taking care not to smudge her make-up. “I would like to request he join us. He is extremely helpful in certain whimsy-based decision-making clowntown processes of mine, and I trust him completely. Sinter is luck and temperance.”

The way Tamiya spoke of Sinter was almost out of character with how she beamed, her voice steadier than when she was caught up in a mirthful tizzy. Having him around improved the predictability of the situation – reining her in as much as a clown could be restrained, of course.

“Plus, he is a patron of the arts. The very high arts. Deeply invested.” She nodded sagely.

amicableAggressor

toot toot

seekingCylem

noot noot

 

[seekingCylem]

Sinter could have screamed. He wouldn't, of course, but the desire was oh so strong within his rapidly fluttering chest. Tamiya hadn't told Regina that he'd be coming. He'd have pegged the scenario for a particularly cruel joke if he didn't trust Tamiya's love for him and her complete subconscious disregard for normal social convention. If Sinter were to look down and realize he suddenly wasn't wearing pants, he wouldn't be surprised. If anything, he'd be relieved, because it would mean he could wake up and be done with this whole nonsense.

Sinter's mind continued to tirade similarly over the course of another agonizingly long minute before he realized Tamiya was explaining herself. Beyond that, she was singing Sinter's praises--almost literally given her natural speech patterns. Sinter felt his neck grow hot, but in a decidedly more pleasant way than the persistent sense of dread and embarrassment he'd endured since entering the building. He maintained his immaculate posture, his hands folded behind his back.

"...Thank you, Tamiya," he added quietly.

Sypon

amicableAggressor

 

[amicableAggressor]

Smile never ocne straining as she rapidly converted Tamiya's eccentric speech patterns into something more easily digestible, Regina made sure to shoot Sinter an impressed look at the end of the juggalo's sales spiel. A patron of the very high arts, and there to help Tamiya keep on track. Alright, fair enough. She'd have to test his exact abilities in the latter sometime later. Tamiya wasn't the loose canon that Regina was currently having to deal with, but if she did ever get 'lost in the mirth', it would be useful to have someone with a proven ability to reel her in. "Well I stand here before you, now knowing the full exact details of what an excellent troll Mr Heilig is, and better correct my statement. You both seem to have equal luck in an excellent partnership! C'mon in, both of ya."

Stepping back, she gestured to the couches and sofas, then walked over and dropped down heavily on one. Hooking her foot under the coffee table and dragging it towards her, she grinned up at the duo.

S-ypon

s-eekingCylem

 

[Sypon]

“Absolute dominant perfection, my nasty-a** Empress. He shall be of incredible support.” Tamiya put a hand (see: slapped) Sinter on his shoulder and nodded firmly with a grin.

She whipped her body equally heavily onto a sofa of her own choosing. Plucking a cookie from the tray and holding it up, Tamiya appraised its silly hat. Hilarious. She nibbled the decorative puffball adorning its humorous chapeau.

“Alright. What, do you got.”

seekingCylem

amicableAggressor

 

[seekingCylem]

Sinter had regulated his breathing at this point. He stood with a superficial, but familiar level of calm and clear-headedness. He tried not to look too surprised at Regina's positive assertion. He did, however, look visibly relieved. Tamiya inadvertently slapped the expression right off of him. When he straightened back up, his face was once again in neutral. Winded, but unsurprised.

The redblood primly followed after the two women. He cast a covert glance around the room once he was properly over the threshold. The area looked surprisingly comfortable despite its opulence. The combination of drafting paper and snacks was especially reminiscent of Sinter's own nutritionblock.

Sinter took a seat next to Tamiya on her chosen sofa, sitting attentively at the edge of the cushion. He pulled a pad of paper and a pen from his jacket, both of which he laid in his lap. Feeling prepared, he looked between both the highbloods. He spared an extra second to cast a puzzled look at the specialty cookies.

Sypon

amicableAggressor

 

[amicableAggressor]

"Right. So." Going from alert to lounging in record speed, Regina spread her hands on the back of her chair, and gestured towards the piles of drawing paper and blueprints with a foot. "While everyone understands that the tragic death of Comedi was, at the end, nnnnessecary .... " Her flow slowing down, Regina eyed Sinter up with a heavily appraising look - how much Aiguma had chosen to pass along to her moirail, the empress had no clue.

" ... I think we can all agree that it's a little callous to leave things at that. Sorry, your bro's dead! Deal with it! Ectetera - it just ain't polite. Specially since I know how you guys feel it's real important to look after one another. I realize I got a pretty free pass on his getting offed, what with my position." She had been curious to see if there was any retaliation against her. The cult wasn't something you could really predict, and Regina had felt a conflicting mix of disappointment and relief that Deburu's death hadn't triggered anything catastrophic. Ending her long scrutiny of Sinter with a wry smile, she turned her head to face Tamiya directly.

"So I figure I might as well extend something. I don't know your own position, Aiguma, in the hierarchy, so lemme know if you don't got the authority to talk with me on this. But, I wanna balance out the loss from Deburu's theft with a little bit of a collaboration."

S-ypon

s-eekingCylem

 

[Hivestuck]

ignore me  

[Sypon]

Tamiya’s face was stony. To be betrayed by someone she so respected – someone affable, truly pious in the clownmunity. The disgrace of skimming money that could be used for the cause of the cult was a hard blow. It softened his death somewhat, but – he was the ambassador, after all. His death was mourned, not rejoiced. No matter what sins he had stirred with his righteous hand, he was Tamiya’s brother. However, the Queen was of utmost position. She was chosen, she was biologically just. And, her ending his life was justifiable. Hard feelings, soft clown.

“Mm. Of course. We understand that his actions were directly against the holy interest of the Cult. Even with his <********> pedigree and actions until that point…” She waved her hand and looked away for a moment, dissolving her discomfort in talking about the subject. “My people have goddamn rioted, honked and hooted and have taken sludge blood for his tainted blood, but of course none of our ill will is against you or your decision to remove him from his position.”

She shifted, reached for another cookie and gestured sharp with her fingertips. “Since working directly with you I’ve had the opportunity to rise up as a point of contact with the military. I would like to position myself to take over. I am – to toot my own mirthsquawking goddamn colorbusting assfactory of a horn – the best equipped to cultivate my people. Tell us more about this collaboration.”

seekingCylem

amicableAggressor

halleloohja!

 

[seekingCylem]

Sinter had calmed significantly since his arrival. His attention had been captured by the activity of recording shorthanded notes on Regina and Tamiya's conversation. It left him less pan space to overthink the more nebulous aspects of the meeting. If he was looking down at his notepad, he wasn't making accidental eye-contact with the empress.

There wasn't that much to write that wasn't common knowledge, at least to the three trolls in the room. Sinter had been the one to comfort Tamiya in the wake of the harrowing evening. While the information he'd gleaned had been heavily filtered through Tamiya's perceptions and mannerisms, the basics were clear. Deburu Comedi was dead and he'd been guilty of fraud. Sinter was a little less sure of the degree to which the two were linked--whether it was direct cause and effect, or more of a karmic thing. With Tamiya it was hard to tell.

Despite her cavalier manner of speaking, Regina was handling the affair with an impressive degree of diplomacy. Sinter nodded along in subdued agreement. His tempo was halted as Tamiya, with an almost equally incidental tone, nominated herself to take over Comedi's vacated position. He hazarded an upward glance, first at Tamiya, then more cautiously, to Regina.

amicableAggressor

Sypon

 

[amicableAggressor]

"Hm. Hm!" Making noises of appreciating as Tamiya talked, Regina pressed her index fingers to her mouth in appreciation and approval at the confidence the other purpleblood radiated. Stepping up to, demanding the position Deburu had previously occupied so quick out of the gate showed no lack of shame globes. But then again, the clown knew she was being favoured. If she had hesitated, she wasn't the troll Regina had invited into her fold. "Well I don't see a lineup for the position - if you want it, it's yours."

"As for the second part ... " Reaching down, Regina selected one of the tubes of paper. With a sharp decisive wrist flick, she spread it out for the other two trolls to take in. On it was illustrated a large, multi-storied hive. In front, a courtyard featuring benches, a few trees, and a mirthful statue rising out of a simple yet attention-catching fountain. "I'm looking to start getting at - to trolls earlier. The fact is, a lot of the recruits comin' into the military these days can't tell their nook from their nub. And we don't got the veterans available to teach them all. So this is sorta ... a cross between expanded schoolfeeding, and the same kinda training we'd normally give to army recruits. All practical subjects - how to take a punch, fly a ship. That kinda stuff. Ahem." Regina paused. Her eyes flicked between Tamiya, Sinter and for a moment, Sinter's notepad. That would have to go.

"But I was thinkin', since Deburu was scraping beetles off that were supposed to go to buildin' you guys some new tents, that perhaps you'd be interested in using these locations as a .... cultural exchange opportunity? You guys can do some preachin', spread some words about your whole shebang, and potentially find some new followers who might have otherwise slipped through your - never had the chance to learn about your whole faith?"

Sypon

seekingCylem

 

[Sypon]

Tamiya put her hand over her -- well, over her sniffnode, then her shoulder and knee and one of her fronds. “I would be honored to take on the position.” She announced. So it would be! Tamiya would never back down from a job opportunity in her interest. She deserved it - worked for it - lost a few digits and a few acquaintences and hell, probably some thinkpan cells not that she’d ever admit it. It was her destiny to enforce the natural law on Alternia. An obvious decision.

A gasp accompanying Regina’s unraveling of the blueprints emerged from Tamiya’s open mouth. “******** ********, Marian.” She mumbled. Her eyes narrowed, piercing and analyzing each detail with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Soon her sharp teeth up to thin gums were in full display, tuning the Queen out momentarily as she pored over the images in front of her.

“This is a most holy opportunity to make up lost ground where Deburu failed us. Youths from grub to ganglestages will learn and love the clown. Yesss, though this shitstatue will have to be facing a turnways direction towards this most elegant whimsy-fish shaped arbor in order to enhance its capricious effect. Yes, that would do. The shitloving motherflora must be maintained in a gradu-dadularly goddamn ********, a goddamn transformative fashion. It is important that they are always…… Ritualistically pruned in the most highly-honking appropriate way.”

She waved a hand, machinations of her thinkpan clicking into place. “Our holy shebang will be wholly spread, holy s**t and praise the ******** Messiahs.” Tamiya crossed herself in an overcomplicated fashion. “We always search for new followers - especially if they are here to train, we may find some with practical skills that we would otherwise miss. Very colorful. There will be blood. Sinter!”

Tamiya slapped a hand down on the paper. “I’m missing something. What am I missing?”

seekingCylem

amicableAggressor