The meteor which has become a short-term home for the survivors of both sessions is huge; almost as if someone knew a bunch of teenagers would be holing up here. That means there are plenty of locations for everyone to stake out their own corners. Treasure hordes, networks of air-circulation ducts, genteel sitting rooms, home theaters, you name it. And in the deeper recesses, big empty spaces where no one in particular has bothered to put their stamp on it, just cavernous rooms and banks of weird machinery.

Kanaya's been winding her way deeper into the guts of the meteor for a while, hurrying a little as she stalks through the dim corridors, missing more than usually the light and fresh air of a real planet. She's also trying to decide what she's going to say to Vriska. She can hear her, shouting down the corridor, but part of her still balks at the thought of a real conversation with her. They've been carefully avoiding each other for so long now.

When she finally arrives, she pauses, watching from a doorway for a time before clearing her throat politely.

Construction is going on here, in a large room that has been haphazardly swept clean. Captain Serket is supervising, while everyone else takes the brunt of the heavy lifting and subordinating directly to the face, as is typical for these kinds of operations.

“Yeah, you’re doing gr8, Karkat!” she calls out from her pose of elaborate casualness against the wall. “I want this tiny fake town laid out as sloppily and unmethodically as possi8le, so don’t do anything 8right like make a grid over there. Just kind of drop the cans wherever! Super!” A raspy voice growls back something unprintable from across the room.

Kanaya tries again. "Vriska."

Vriska spins away from the vituperative complaints issuing from Can Town; she wasn’t really listening anyway. “Heeeeeeeey, Fussyfangs! Long time no see! I mean, I guess I see you all the time, but you're usually wrapped around Lalonde like a hungry snuggle serpent, or standing in the 8ackground while we argue a8out crazy Light stuff, h8h8! I guess we haven't had a chance to talk, you know, one on one, in... wow, I don’t even know how long! I mean I literally don’t know, all the days 8lur together hurtling through this crazy timeless wasteland. What 8rings you down here? Finally decided to get involved in the ur8an planning phase of operations?” She grins her sloppy fangy grin and flips her hair back from her face.

Before the game, that look would have her bloodpusher thumping and flustered you to know end, derailing your thought. The loss of her flushed feelings brings things into clearer light, and she’s glad all over to be in hearts with Rose.

"I Came To Find You," she admits. "I Think It's Time You And I Stopped Avoiding One Another. Especially Considering The Length Of Time We Are To Be On This Meteor."

“Yeah, no kidding! It’s about time you took an interest! While you're curled up on your cozy sofa pondering transracial 8reeding duties, we're down here doing the real work! I mean, obviously it's not REALLY important, but when you look at the Mayor's face how can you say no? I mean, Vantas and Strid8r have whatever dum8 quadrant mess THEY'RE in going on, 8ut they're still down to help organize this mess! Especially when there's not much else to do until we get to the new session and take on the real 8ig 8ad!”

She shakes her head. “8ut don’t worry, the rest of us are out here taking care of it. Well, some of us. The ones who aren't dum8 8oys or locked in fridges or 8oth, h8h8. Me and Terezi, mostly.” There’s furious protest from the Knights in the room, but nobody cares about that. “It's all right, I guess. It's pretty cool actually. Can't really blame you. This is just a waste of time. Childish really. But I'm having fun! Don't tell no8ody. ;;;;D"

Kanaya frowns momentairly, deciding not to address Vriska's condensation of her apparent duties. "It Is Always A Joy, Working With The Mayor. He Is A Wonderful Friend To All Of Us. Perhaps I Will Help In A Short While, After We Talk About Some Things?"

The nameless carapace soldier they all call the Mayor by unspoken agreement waves at her cheerfully from the floor, where he is carefully constructing a city hall out of storied tomes. Aw, Mayor.

Vriska is... oblivious. “I'm really starting to get excited to get to the session! There’s a so many different plans going on out here simultaneously, 8ut I think I can say confidently that I’m the only one on the right track. Find the ultimate weapon and cut to the chase. Maybe I’ll just swipe it off my lameass dead self, waltz up to the asshole and one-shot him personally.”

“I-”

“That's how a real pro goes a8out 8usiness, you know?. You take any shortcut you find. That's what a certain DIFFERENT Light player on this meteor doesn't get! Not that she doesn't have some good points. It's crazy, when you think a8out it. That's what I never understood 8efore. What's lucky and unlucky depends on what you want! And maybe wanting to lord over a 8unch of peons is kind of a shitty thing to want. May8e 8eing lucky enough to get that would 8e the unluckiest thing possi8le!!!!!!!!” She shrugs, and gazes across the room at the laboring Knights. “Not that I'm really interested in all that planet-ruling 8usiness anymore. I’m over it. I'll leave that up to you and Mister 8leeding Heart Vantas.”

“That’s Not What I-”

“You know, Kanaya, I used to think you were kind of a weak sister, 8ut that was 8efore you came out all glow-in-the-dark and 8isected Ampora out of nowhere!!!!!!!! Not to mention kicked that fucker Gamzee right in the glo8es and clocked a god of luck, namely ME, square in the kisser like a 8ona fide 8adass. There’s always space in my quadrants for some8ody like that.”

“If your flushed quadrant wasn't already locked down, may8e we could have given THAT one a spin, huh? H8h8, we'll never know now, I guess. Of course, there's always pitch... since Terezi's been waxing pale and we locked Gamzee up for good, I've been pretty short on rivals around here! I mean, Karkat keeps sniffing around 8ut THAT'S about the 8iggest joke I ever heard get said. What do you say to that, Kanaya? Got room for another iron in that fire?”

And then she winks. Again.




"H8h8h8h8h8h8h8h8! Just kidding, glowworm! Wow, the look on your pan!"

It’s nearly impossible to interrupt Vriska when she’s in full rant, she and Karkat are somewhat similar in that sense. But her addressing her with the familiarity that he does, rankles her some, and she frowns.

"I Wanted To Address The Pale...Thing That You And Terezi Seem To Be Moving Towards."

Vriska’s mouth hangs open. “Uhhh, ok8y? What a8out it? Is that really any of your 8usiness? I know we flirted with that quadrant too, 8ut, uh, if you don't remem8er, you stopped talking to me out of nowhere halfway through our session and punched me in the face for no reason!"

"Which again, was fucking rad, 8ut not exactly conciliatory!"

"Not Terribly, No," she begins, though if she's talking about it being her business or conciliatory is unclear. "I Just Wanted To See Where We Stood, Since Yes, We Were In Diamonds Together, But I Don't Think We've Run Pale For One Another For Quite Some Time."

Vriska makes a pained noise; this is the worst kind of conversation to be having. "Uh, DUH???????? Do we really need to drag all this out, Kanaya? I get it, I was too much for you to deal with. I don't know why you decided to give up on me when you did, 8ut if we're 8eing honest, you never really managed to stop me from doing 8ad things, did you?"

"8ut hey!!!!!!!! The only way Terezi managed to ever show me I was fucking up was to doom every8ody 8y killing me, then using her dying 8reath to send an alien 8ack to punch me in the f8ce! I get it, I'm a pretty horri8le person, 8ut even for me, that's a w8ke up call! And if you weren't willing to invent a whole new form of time travel just to slap some sense into me, I guess I can't 8lame you! 8ygones and all that shit."

She frowns, one of her needle-like incisors flashing in a sneer. "8ut if you're sniffing around trying to get 8ack in the pink with me? Gimme a 8r8k! May8e I am a horri8le person. May8e everyone else is right about that. 8ut I'm going to 8e that horri8le person as hard as I can, with the right t8rgets this time, and I’m going to do something important for EVERY8ODY. And Terezi's going to 8e the one who got me there, not you. You can't swoop 8ack in at the last min8te now that I'm less of a handf8l!"

Kanaya frowns again, and the defensive hunch she adopts may just mirror that of a certain Knight back in Milliways.

"Look. I Know, Okay? I Know I Ended Up Being A Horrible Moirail, But You Weren't The Best Either And--"

She stops herself, letting out an explosive breath as she combs a hand through her hair. "I Really Do Wish You And Terezi All The Best In Diamonds."

"And that's all you wanted to s8y? Seriously???????? Or is there another fussyfang footwrapper waiting to drop!" She sighs theatrically. "This would be so much easier if I was allowed to use my 8adass powers to dig through your sponge and find out you know!!!!!!!! 8ut I can just guess what Terezi would have to say a8out that. So why don't you just spill! Or do I need to get a can-opener?"

Kanaya sighs again. "I Was Red For You, For A Long Time. Obviously Not Anymore, Considering My Flushed Relationship With The Rose Human. But That Was A Large Part Of My Failure As Your Moirail. I Want To Apologise For That, It’s Hard To Keep Someone In Check When You Think They’re Pants-Droppingly Charming All The Time."

Vriska is, for the first time in God knows how long, genuinely speechless.

"You... had a crush on me? I seriously had... wow, Kanaya!!!!!!!! This is what I'm talking a8out! You're wayyyyyyyy too su8tle for me, h8h8! Well, let's just s8y it, you pro8a8ly dodged a 8ullet on that one, huh? I don't think I'm really m8de for that kind of quadrant! Honestly I'm not sure I was hatched for any8ody, in 8NY quadrant, 8ut Terezi sure the heck was hatched to keep my ass in line. At least for long enough." She stares into the distance, even though there is no distance, just walls. But who knows what her vision 8fold sees.

"It's too 8ad we don't talk more, Kanaya, 8ut I guess may8e it's just too tough for 8oth of us! Too much alike, h8h8! Not on the surface, o8viously, 8ut we 8oth were supposed to die that day. Had to come 8ack cuz we still had work to do. I think a8out that a lot, you know. May8e I've m8de a lot of mistakes, may8e I'm a bad person when you get down to it, 8ut at the end of the night, reality needed some8ody like me. And it needed some8ody like you, too! I know what my destiny is going to 8e, and it's a real 8itch, 8ut that's exactly what I am! That's what I was hatched to 8e. And that's okay."

Her gaze dials back in and rests briefly on Karkat. "What a8out you, Kanaya? Have you got the glo8es to do what you were 8rought back to do?"

She follows Vriska's gaze at the end, still frowning from before.

"I'm Going To Have To, Aren't I? Otherwise All This Is For Naught. For What It's Worth, Though, Terezi Seems To Be A Fantastic Moirail For You. Much Better Than I Was. I Don't Think We Would Have Done Well In Red, Either, Like You Said, We're Too Alike."

"Perhaps We Should Talk More. I'd Like To At Least Try To Be Friends Outside Of A Quadrant."

"That could 8e alright, fussyfangs. I mean, may8e. It could be pretty cool. I don't know. Anyway--right now, there's work to do."

And... there she goes.

"D8VE, WH8T THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING???????? YOU CALL THAT A 8RIDGE? HOW DID YOU EVEN...."

Kanaya watches her go for a long moment, then shakes her head as she turns to slip away.

That went better than expected, and it felt good to get that all in the open. Perhaps she'll go and see what Rose is up to, and offer her assistance.

Edited by John Egbert at ???????? (local) Revert

(Image of the room is here)

Research. That’s the important thing; that’s what they need to spend their time working on. The more they understand about their situation, the game sessions they’ve left and the one they’re approaching, the better equipped they’ll be for whatever comes next.

Rose looks up from the page in front of her, fixing Kanaya with a direct stare. “Are you ready to pick up where we left off?”

From across the table, Kanaya snaps her book shut with an audible thump, leaning back in her seat as she rubs at her eyes wearily with her fists. “Yes. Definitely Ready.”

With a grin, Rose flicks one finger down the page. “Let’s see. We had just finished Chapter Three, and the rustblood foot soldier had just caught the eye of the ceruleanblood lady. Are you coming over here or shall I join you?”

For just the briefest of moments, a multitude of responses flicker through her thinkpan, but she ends up disregarding them all in favour of standing and extending a hand towards Rose.

“Come On,” she offers, smiling softly at her matesprit.

Rose looks up as though startled, then gives a slow smile back and gets to her feet. “Where are we going?”

To answer, Kanaya merely tugs gently on Rose’s hand, leading her towards the loveseat at one corner of the room. “Over Here?”

Rose tucks the romance novel a little more firmly under her arm and observes, with careful deadpan calm, “The loveseat. Well, that’s entirely appropriate.”

“Yes,” she answers with her own calm, releasing Rose’s hand to tuck herself into one corner of the loveseat. From her new position, she watches Rose carefully. “I Thought It Fairly Fitting.”

Rose is still trying to keep that ironic deadpan detachment as she slides into the other corner of the loveseat, but a few sidelong glances at Kanaya don’t quite fit with it. “Your text, Professor Maryam,” she says, handing over the book.

The deadpan, at least on Kanaya’s end, dissolves just a little into an affectionate look. Smiling fondly as she takes the book from her hands. “Thank You Very Much, Miss Lalonde.”

They settle in together, with the book open on Kanaya’s lap. Rose assumes a patient and alert expression, like an eager student in the front row of the classroom, ready for Kanaya to start reading aloud.

It takes just a moment for Kanaya to find their previous place, eyes skimming easily over the text written in her mother tongue. Once she finds what she’s looking for, she takes a breath to compose herself, then begins to read out loud.

The Countess

[Kanaya read]

smiled smoothly at the rustblood Cavalier. “Why, Kerberos, how gallant. One could almost think you had a drop of gentlemanly spirit in you.”

He gave her his most courteous nod and smile back, but she could see the rage seething in his deep-set eyes. Oh, how that stirred her blood … and oh, how sweet that blackening heat felt, thrumming through every inch of her veins.

“Think nothing of it, my

dear

Countess,” the Cavalier responded, with just a faint upward turn of his lips as he bent at the waist in an almost mocking bow. “It’s what I’m paid for, after all. And for a lowly soldier like myself, it would be an honor merely to wipe the dirt off your … ” He paused, his eyes traveling pointedly over the curves of her body, and the smile edged into a smirk as he finished: “ … boots.”

He was insolent and infuriating, and a dark corner of her mind chanted at her to just … smash his nose in, just to watch the resulting ruddy mess. Instead, she smirked back at him and took a step forward, the hem of her gown rustling softly over the tiled floor.

“And would you enjoy that, Cavalier?” she purred at him. “Wiping the dirt off my boots?”

He returned her a charming smile, brittle around the edges. His response was no less smooth than before, though. “If my Lady wished that task of me, I would do it to the very extent of my vast repertoire of abilities.”

“Is there some cultural reference there that I might be missing?” Rose asks. “With regard to wiping the dirt off her boots? Or is it just that it’s a degrading menial task?”

“It’s Just A Menial Task,” Kanaya answers almost absently. “He’s A Rustblood, And Those Kinds Of Tasks Ar-

Were

Expected Of Them, While Serving A Highblood.”

“So they’re just attaching suggestive meaning to something that in itself would be perfectly innocent.” Rose sounds entirely too bland. “I believe my people have a similar custom that we use at times. If you know what I mean.”

“I’m...Not Certain I Do?”

Rose raises her eyebrows. Innocently.

Kanaya’s rise to match. “Shall I Continue Reading, Then?”

“Please do,” Rose says, cheerfully conceding the temporary stalemate.

“Please do,”

[Kanaya inadvertently echoes as she picks back up]

the Countess purred the command. “I don’t see you on your knees yet, Cavalier.”

Again, she could see that rage boiling behind his eyes as he slowly sank to his knees, drawing out a kerchief.

“Did I say you could use that?” she snapped, effectively stilling his hands.

“No, Countess,” came his response, but his head was bowed, hiding his expression from her. “My sincerest apologies.”

An inky thrill sang through her as she looked down at him from above:

below

her,

serving

her, where he belonged. “Then use your tongue like you’re supposed to,

Worm

.”

“As my Lady wishes.”

With the tenderest care he curled one hand around her ankle, his hand large and warm against the petite joint as he lifted it. She would allow him this much for now, she decided; later she’d have him on his belly on the floor. The layers of her dress were impeding him, and absently she tugged the skirts a few inches upward, to give him some room.

Before she could make another move, one of his hands hooked beneath the heel of her boot while the other slid boldly up her calf, and his claws dug into the muscle just above the vein. “Not a sound, Countess,” he murmured, his deep voice rich with satisfaction, almost a chuckle. “Not a move, or we’ll see just how blue your blood truly is.”

If this were anyone else, the Countess would be petrified with fear. Only for a moment, of course; then she would lash out at the foul rustblood and call for him to be culled, if she hadn’t done so herself already. His death would be sealed right then and there, for the unforgivable crime of having frightened her.

Instead, she was deliciously

angry

, and it sent a telling shudder down her spine and made her breath hitch. She still refused to show that he had ruffled her in any way, though, staring down at him with icy blue eyes.

“You overstep yourself, Cavalier.”

He chuckled again, lasciviously, and she could hear telltale traces of rage in that laugh. “Oh, not yet, Countess. Hardly at all yet.” His hand slid higher, lingeringly, and his claws dug further into her flesh, making a breathy hiss escape her lips. “I’ve only just

begun

to overstep.”

“And That’s The End Of The Chapter,” Kanaya says, snapping the book shut with a satisfying thud. “We’ll Read More Tomorrow.”

Rose has somehow shifted across the couch to end up snuggled fairly close to Kanaya. “Oh no,” she says, deadpan as ever. “At a moment like this? When the Cavalier has only just begun to overstep? How will we ever stand the suspense?”

For a moment, Kanaya just looks down at Rose, purposefully calm as she wraps an arm around her matesprit’s shoulders. “Spoiler Warning:” she begins, her tone light as she does her very best to channel Strider. “They Bang.”

For just a second Rose stares at her in unfeigned shock, and then she cracks up uncontrollably. Kanaya’s deadpan expression melts away at Rose’s laughter, and she ends up smiling brightly in its stead.

The only answer to that, really, is to simply lean down and kiss the girl.

The dreambubbles are composed of the collective memories of many different adventurers. That means there are plenty of locations for treasure hunting. Ancient crypts, networks of burial mounds, dusty old tombs, giant pyramids, you name it. And in the no-places between them, where nobody has imagined anything in particular, trackless desert.

Kanaya's been wandering this stretch of desert for a while, lagging a little as she revels at the feeling of shifting sand beneath her feet for the first time in a while. She's also trying to decide what she's going to say to Vriska. She can hear her, shouting in the distance, but part of her still balks at the thought of a conversation with her.

When she finally arrives, she pauses, watching from a few paces away for a time before clearing her throat politely.

Excavations are going on here, in the shadow of a vast stepped pyramid. Captain Serket is supervising, while First Mate Nitram takes the brunt of the heavy lifting and sifting directly to the face, as is typical for these kinds of operations.

“Yeah, you’re doing gr8, Tavros!” she calls down into the hole. “I want this desert searched as sloppily and unmethodically as possi8le, so don’t do anything 8right like make a grid down there. Just kind of kick the sand around! Super!” A halting voice calls back something inaudible from the hole.

Kanaya tries again. "Vriska."

Vriska spins away from the feeble complaints issuing from the pit; she wasn’t really listening anyway. “Heeeeeeeey, Fussyfangs! Long time no see! Wow I haven’t thought a8out you and the old days in… wow, I don’t even know how long! I mean I literally don’t know, in this crazy timeless wasteland. What 8rings you out here? Finally decided to get involved in the real 8attle?” She grins her sloppy fangy grin and flips her hair back from her face.

Kanaya frowns faintly. There was once a time where that look would have her bloodpusher thumping as she fell to heel in an attempt to please her Flushed interest.

"I'm Here To Talk To You, Actually," she admits, drawing herself up and steeling herself. "It's Not Ideal, But It's Certainly Overdue."

“Yeah, no kidding! It’s about time one of you alive jerks took an interest! While you’re waiting around on your meteor still hoping to take up 8reeding duties again, we’re out here trying to fight the fight that actually matters. Any REAL gamer knows there’s always a 8ig 8ad 8ehind everything who has to be taken out.”

She shakes her head; it’s hard to tell if she rolled her eyes or not. “8ut don’t worry, us ghosts are out here taking care of it. Well, some of us. Me, mostly.” There’s a muffled protest from the hole, but nobody cares about that. “Must 8e pretty em8arassing for you.”

The condescending tone sets Kanaya’s teeth on edge, and she has to take a moment to formulate a response that doesn't involve yelling in her face. "I'm Not Embarrassed About My Breeding Duties At All, Vriska. Because Once All Is Said And Done, I Don't Want What Remains Of Us To Be The Last Of Our Kind Forever. This Is Something That Matters Past The Endgame, Whatever It May Be. In Any Case, That's Not Why I'm Here."

But Vriska is in full flow. “There’s a 8unch of different plans going on out here simultaneously, 8ut I think I can say confidently that I’m the only one on the right track. Find the ultimate weapon and cut to the chase. Maybe I’ll take it, waltz up to the asshole and one-shot him myself.”

“I-”

“That's how a real pro goes a8out 8usiness. You take any shortcut you find. If you had a DIFFERENT Light player on that meteor with you, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t take any 3 years to cross the void, I can promise you that!!!!!!!!” She shrugs, and gazes out of the desert with her eerie white ghost eyes. “Not that I want to get involved with all that again. I’m over it.”

“That’s Not What I-”

“8ut it’s fine if you want to ditch those losers and join my team. It’s ok. It’s pretty cool actually, I don’t mind. I used to think you were kind of a weak sister, 8ut that was 8efore you came out all glow-in-the-dark and 8isected Ampora out of nowhere!!!!!!!! Not to mention kicked that fucker Gamzee right in the glo8es and clocked a god of luck, namely ME, square in the kisser like a 8ona fide 8adass. There’s always space in my pir8te crew for some8ody like that.”

“Hell, I could use a new first m8. :::;). We’ll just demote Tavros down to swa88y or poopmaster extraordinaire or something. So what do you say, glowworm?”

It’s nearly impossible to interrupt Vriska when she’s in full rant, she and Karkat are somewhat similar in that sense. But while taking shots at their plans and Kanaya’s breeding duties is her first strike, the second quickly comes at her disparaging remarks about her Matesprit. It also kind of figures that Vriska would finally take notice of her while she’s at her worst. The final straw, of all things comes from the over familiar nickname thrown in her face. Part of her screeching that only Karkat is allowed to call her that.

“Enough.” Her voice is sharp, her hands clenched at her sides. “If You Were To Stop Talking About Yourself And Your irons in the fire, You Would Have Figured Out That I Don’t Give A Flying Fuck About All That That Right Now.

I’m Not Going To Fawn Over How Clever Or Awesome You’re Being, Because You’re Just Being The Same Person You’ve Always Been, Just With Tavros In My Place. You’re Actually Kind Of Horrible And I Don’t Know What I Ever Saw In You.”

Vriska’s mouth hangs open. “UHHHH, OK8Y? So you tracked me down out here in the afterlife to tell me you don’t want to be my friend 8nymore? Well NO SH8T. You stopped talking to me out of nowhere halfway through our session and punched me in the face for no reason! Then I died and never saw you again!”

“8ut what8ver, I don’t hold that against you, 8ygones and all that shit. I offer you a chance to get in on something that really m8tters and these are the thanks I get? I guess that’s what I get for trying to be N8CE!”

Kanaya tries for patience, she really does, huffing an angry breath out of her nose. “For What It Matters, I’m Sorry For Punching You, I Wasn’t Exactly In My Right Mind At The Time. I Died, If You Care. Eridan Killed Me.” She shakes her head, trying to steer the conversation back on track. “We’re Both At Fault, Though, For Our Moirallegiance Falling Apart Like It Did. It Was One Sided And Half-Hearted For One Thing, And It’s Hard To Keep Someone In Check When You Think They’re Pants-Droppingly Charming All The Time.”

“Huh? So you’re saying you had some kind of crush on me? 8ut you…” Vriska’s fangs flash, and then she turns away, shrugging a shoulder and staring down into the pit. “OK, so you used to like me 8ut now you h8 me. Just like every8ody else except Tavros and that weird orange guy. 8ig deal. Thanks for dropping by my afterlife to make sure I knew.”

Kanaya pinches the bridge of her nose. “I Don’t- I Don’t Hate You Vriska. I Find You Aggravating, Yes, But I Don’t Hate You. And I Didn’t Come All The Way Out Here Just To Tell You That. Did I Like You? Yes. Should I Have Told You I Was Flushed For You, Rather Than Stare At You From One Half Of The Diamond? Yes. But You Also Never Talked To Me Unless You Wanted Something, Be It Something From Me, Or For Me To Do Something For You.

Regardless, I Came Here To Try And Talk To You And Put That Tangled Mess Behind Us.”

Vriska looks back over her shoulder, her blank eyes narrowed. “8ll I’m hearing is a lot of 8lah 8lah 8lah from some8ody who never had the glo8es to M8KE things happen. You tried to be p8le? News to me! You never stopped me from doing 8ad things. You wanted in my p8nts? You never said fucking 8oo! So you got nothing! Them’s the 8r8ks!”

“May8e I am a horri8le person. May8e you and everyone else is right about that. 8ut I am that horri8le person as hard as I can 8e everyday and I’m trying to do something important for EVERY8ODY. I’m M8KING things happen out here and I don’t need any more prissy fussyfangs lectures to do it. You want to put me 8ehind you? YOU’RE 8ehind ME! The whole stupid living world is 8ehind me now and I’m glad. m8y8e l8ter, after I s8ve reality you can look me up and thank me. You know, if you aren’t too 8usy 8XISTING!!!!!!!!”

“8ut right now I’ve got things to do. H8Y SWA88Y! HEADS UP!”

And she jumps down the hole.

Kanaya sighs.


Well...that didn’t really go the way she had hoped. Then again, at this point, if Vriska hadn’t jumped down the hole to join Tavros, she would have been sorely tempted to shove her in herself.

8luh 8luh, huge 8itch.

At least it’s all out of the way now, though. And perhaps she should talk to her Dancestor again. It’s possible she could give her some advice on Serkets, or at least a little tea, sympathy and gossip.

After their near-frantic embrace on the roof of the meteor, Kanaya and Rose follow the others inside, wandering through the dimmed hallways until they find Dave, Karkat and Terezi standing in the remnants of their computer hub.

Karkat is looking slightly dazed with the realization that at this point there isn’t anything to do. Not for any of them. But even with that look on his face, it’s a surprise to everybody when he stops where he is and sinks down into a sprawled heap on the floor.

“THAT’S IT,” he announces. “EVERYBODY OUT OF THE HYDRATION VAT. I’M GOING TO GET SOME FUCKING SLEEP, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, AND GOD HELP ANYBODY WHO SAYS I’M NOT.”

Dave, for his part, doesn’t miss a beat, collapsing next to Karkat like a puppet with cut strings. “whelp,” he says, pillowing his arms behind his head. “that is a fan fucking tastic idea. best ive heard all day.” Terezi is right on his heels, sprawling herself overtop the two with a tired “OH TH4NK FUCK. >:[”

“NNNNGH.” Karkat makes one token effort at struggling under the others before flopping back down again. “FUCK THIS I AM DONE,” he groans. “SHOUTING WILL RESUME AFTER I HAVE HAD SOME SLEEP. DON’T THINK YOU’RE GETTING AWAY WITH THIS.”

Kanaya looks to Rose, who shrugs wearily, and Kanaya takes her hand gently, and silently joins the pile of two trolls plus Dave. What comes next, is a tired jockeying for position. Kanaya ends up on her back, head pillowed by Karkat’s leg, and she receives a sharp elbow to the side from Terezi as she and Dave try to move and accommodate the extra two. Dave's breath is hot by her ear as he squirms to cover himself and the tealblood with his cloak, and he finally settles on using her stomach as a pillow while Terezi ends up sprawled over top him and Karkat. Limbs are splayed out wherever they may lay, but no one can bring themselves to care, Dave clinging indiscriminately to her free arm as he drapes it overtop himself, Karkat only giving the quietest of grumbles as Terezi’s hand thwaps him in the face.

No one seems inclined to question the urge to gather together in a pile to sleep, instead of curling up on their own. For trolls it’s a reversion to grub behavior, forming a heap of their own bodies to share warmth; for humans it’s probably not all that different.

It feels somehow safer this way, that’s all.

Because right now, all is well. Those that are here, in this pile, are safe, survived against all the odds, and after everything it’s just so easy to drift off amid warmth and thumping hearts of others, and the faint glow coming off of Kanaya.

They’re alive.




(It’s going to be some time before anyone thinks to wonder where Gamzee is.)

Three years.

They're going to be stuck on this meteor, hurtling though the dark of the void with the bulk of the remnants of her own species, and half of the four humans. They'd arrived safely (not counting Sollux, collapsed on the ground where his body had finally given out), escaped the Scratch and, for the moment, outrun a vicious Goddog. All according to plan.

Except for the part where the is still intact. Silently, she watches the play of emotions of Karkat's face, a small part of her breaking when Karkat finally breaks and it's Gamzee he clings at for comfort. The murderclown just laughs, not even bothering to hold his new, distressed Moirail (her hands and teeth clench because he's doing it wrong) before pointing to the previously unnoticed four, floating above them.

Her heart almost skips a beat, seeing Rose and her brother floating above them all in their Godtier garb (she almost wants to hug Rose then and there and never let go, because she knows well enough from Vriska's boasting what entails reaching that particular tier of levels), along with Aradia and yet another version of Sollux. Fuck, how many lives does that guy have?

New plans have to be made, though, and Kanaya very nearly stay behind with Sollux and Aradia (a sudden spike of shame in not being able to preserve her species, along with feeling a certain draw to the sun), but Rose's lavender eyes peering up at her, begging begging to stay is enough to crumble her resolve at balking about their pending three year exile in the dark.

They're about to descend into arguing again, when Karkat notices a lack of corpses around, along with a lack of his Morail, and something in Kanaya growls. Those were her friends, and he's absconded with their bodies, likely to do Juggalo things with them. Her chainsaw is out and in her hands, and for a moment it looks like not even Karkat's words can sway her from making yet another dent in the remainder of their population. Her attempted homicide is stayed for the moment, when a bucket of all things, appears out of nowhere and smacks Karkat in the face. There's a missive from the John human in there, and whatever it contains sends him flipping out once more (the previous one made her heart twinge, when he all but throws Equius's shades back in her face).

It's cut thankfully short, when their final passenger arrives out of thin air. A seemingly self appointed and very dead Mayor lands at their feet, Rose alluding to being able to get him help during the way before discussing their way of departure. Apparently propulsion by telekinetic and psiionic is the way to go, and Aradia and Sollux are happy enough to give the group a mind-powered shove in the right direction.

Once the group is on their way, most of them trickle inside, though Rose lags behind, standing beside an equally motionless Kanaya. Dave's exclamation at seeing the inside of the meteor and Gamzee's handwork () cut off from Kanaya's ears as the door closes. As soon as they're alone, Kanaya's arms can't wrap around Rose fast enough. It seems the feeling is mutual, she can feel Rose shaking as she fists her hands in her dress and all she can do is hold her tightly and try not to seem like she wants to cry too as Rose murmurs into her shoulder.



Kanaya is fairly certain that Rose's words aren't exactly for her benefit, but rather Rose's own.

She just feels tired after everything, and Rose is drooping heavily against her as she calms down some. Feeling brave, she leans down to kiss the other girl's cheek before leading her inside to find the others. They're both wrung out and exhausted, and it's certain that they'll both fall asleep quickly.

When she does end up falling asleep, Kanaya dreams of Milliways.

Milliways is in shambles.

There's furniture broken, the bodies scattered around belong to both staff and patron, and what surfaces do remain intact, look like something out of The Grand Highblood's chambers. In fact, it looks like a host of them have wandered through for a lark. Varying colours are splattered and smeared over everything, though a good amount of it is a distinctive candy red.

The bar is empty of all living people, but the back door is open, creaking ominously in the breeze as bloody footprints lead outside.

grimAuxiliatrix has started trolling chirurGeneralist

GA: Hey
GA: I Know Youre Likely To Be Asleep For A While Yet
GA: But I Just Wanted To Leave You A Message For Once You Woke
GA: I Played Around With That Sewing Machine Attachment You Added To The Alchemeter After You Rushed Off The Other Day
GA: And I Think It Does Something
GA: But I Cant Quite Tell What That Is Right Now

grimAuxiliatrix is now idle.

--- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] RIGHT NOW has opened private transtimeline bulletin board MILLIBASED ---

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GA RIGHT NOW opened memo on board MILLIBASED

GA: Hey
GA: Did You Two Realize It Would Be Midsweeps Vigil And Matins Soon
AC: :33 < *ac rumples up her nose* really?
AA: is it?
AC: :33 < that cant be right, its all snowy outside!
GA: I Just Realized Is Been About The Right Amount Of Time Since We Did Sweeps Eve
AA: ive barely been in the bar so youre the experts!
AC: :33 < *ac p33rs at aa* thats right
AC: :33 < where HAVE you b33n?
AA: dream bubbles!
AA: there are a lot of ghosts who need to be shown around
GA: Its Good To Hear You Are Keeping Busy
AC: :33 < oh!
AC: :33 < were you in that big clawstume purrty
AA: i was!
AC: :33 < :DD!
GA: Karkat Mentioned Something About A Large Gathering
GA: But He Refused To Say More Due To Timeline Shenanigans
GA: But Anyway
GA: There Is A Reason I Messaged You Two
AA: do you want to have a party?
GA: I Figured We Might Hold A Vigil With Our Friends Here Yes
AA: 0u0
GA: What Do You Two Think
AC: :33 < and patrol the purrimeter and put up fortifurcations and check supplies?
AC: :33 < like a purroper midsw33ps vigil?
GA: Yes
GA: Though To The Best Of Our Ability While We Are Here Of Course
AA: id love to!
AC: :33< *ac beams!* yes lets!
AA: i havent had the opportunity to celebrate any holidays in a long time
AA: since before i died actually
GA: Well You Will Just Have to Celebrate Even More This Year Then
AA: exactly!
AA: make up for lost time
AC: :33 < karkat says hes trying to join the mewmo but it isnt working
AC: :33 < actually he says a lot more than that but meowst of it is just swearing
AC: :33 < do we want to have the feast too?
AC: :33 < and invite all our human furiends?
AA: of course!
GA: I Think That Would Be Excellent
GA: I Can Talk To Ellen About Possibly Getting Some Scorpion Again
GA: Along With Anything Else She May Have Available To Us
AC: :33 < and meowbe I could go fishing with Shepurrd again!
AA: ill see what i can dig up
GA: I Will Also Begin Inviting People
GA: You Two Should Do So For Your Friends As Well
GA: Or We Could Make A List And I Could Send Out Invitations
AC: :33 < lets do that! with the infurtations
AC: :33 < and making a list
AA: i think you guys already know all my friends anyway
AC: :33 < only lets make sure were not having it on the same day as afurdite's party
GA: Still
GA: Dont Be Afraid To Add Someone
GA: So Definitely Shephard
GA: And Ellen
GA: Tyler
AA: twilight sparkle
AC: :33 < yes tyler!
AC: :33 < carmeowla?
GA: Perhaps We Should Allow Twilight To Bring All The Ponies In Milliways
GA: And Yes Nepeta
GA: Alyx And Gordon
AC: :33 < and oh maybe Duo?
AA: yes duo!
GA: I Do Not Know Him
GA: But Sure
GA: Teja
AC: :33 < he is my fake kismesis! >:33
GA: Ahaha
GA: Will He Perhaps Be Receiving A Spaded Card In A Few Months
AC: :33 < purrrrrrrhaps ;DD
GA: Congratulations Then Nepteta
AC: :33 < oh and Lilly! I accidentally got human meowrried to her a couple of months ago.
GA: What
AA: congratulations!
AA: i think
AC: :33 < it wasnt really a big thing!
AC: :33 < but appurrently humans can get meowrried by accident?
AC: :33 < so yeah
AC: :33 < that was a thing that happurrned
GA: Wow
GA: Okay
GA: I Will Invite Lilly
GA: Can We Think Of Anyone Else To Invite
AC: :33 < i cant think of anynyan else...
GA: Aradia
GA: ?
AA: no one springs to mind
GA: Okay Then
GA: I Think Its Settled

Time flows oddly, on their little hunk of rock, hurtling through where and when towards this new session. Some stretches of time seem to pass by impossibly quick, while others tend to drag and drag.

For a certain luminescent troll, as much as she loves her small, blonde seer, there is only so much time one can devote to only one person, before one starts to look for a broader range of company.

Thusly, the approaches the Hero of Time in one of the few instances she finds him away from his can town, and Terezi.

"Dave."

Terezi's been in Milliways for some time now, but since she and Nepeta set the other troll up with her own respiteblock, she hasn't seen hide nor hair of the blind troll.

This, of course, has her understandably worried, and brings her knocking on Terezi's door late one evening. She should be awake, right?

Kanaya's followed through on a certain promise, having managed to track down Rose and procure at least the hub code, with promise of a turtle in the future.

The code is written on a piece of paper, currently clutched in Kanaya's hand as she knocks on Karkat's door.

After her recent talk with Rose, and the subsequent declaration of affections that were returned, the past while has gone by in a pleasant buzz of emotions.

That said, when she gets a message from Rose, asking her to meet the pale-haired human downstairs, she's more than happy to answer the summons, even showing early and settling herself in a large armchair to read while she waits.

Kanaya's...nervous. There's a conversation she's been putting off with Rose since her first arrival, and Karkat first briefed her on the various terms of human sexuality. Honestly, how was this even a thing? Sure, Kanaya herself had a penchant for females when it came to romance, but humans had all these words to categorize who they liked in their one quadrant, and all sorts of taboos to go with it.

Sighing, she pulls up a conversation window for the blonde human, staring at it for a long while she gathers her nerves and decides on what to say.

----grimAuxiliatrix [GA] started trolling tentacleTherapist [TT]----
GA: Rose
GA: Im Not Sure If Youre There
GA: But When You Are Not Otherwise Occupied
GA: Would You Be Amenable To Coming To My Respiteblock

When Kanaya's door appears in Milliways once again, she's quick to get through it, lest the Bar decides to do any more puzzle shenanigans and makes the troll carve another pumpkin.

The interior of the asteroid is just as she left it, including the puddle sick off to one side that she can't bring herself to look at. After a moment of hurried thought, it occurs to her that the best course of action would be to return to her den the computer hub, and see who you can get in contact with. Karkat should know you've dealt with Eridan at the very least.

All to soon, Kanaya's returned to where this all started, freezing at the sight of a familiar form crouched next to Feferi's still body. Cautiously, she steps forward.

"Sollux?"

"Kanaya?" Sollux turns his head from side to side, trying to pin her down. It’s a lot harder than TZ makes it look, being blind. "KK said you were dead." He sounds pretty chill about it. A lot of people have turned out to be less dead than advertised today.

She lets out a relieved breath, glad to see another of your group in one piece. "I Got Better," she says dryly. "Apparently I'm A Rainbow Drinker Now, Though I Am Not Sure *How* It Happened."

"...right I remember y0u talking about that when we were asleep." His hands move down to pat his girlfriend’s dead fishy fingers. "y0u remember t00 right? we were all t0gether and every0ne was alive and n0b0dy was d00med anym0re." It’s pretty awful how hope and mistrust can animate the charred sockets Eridan left in his face. "I... I l0st kk and my headset 0ut there and i’m starting getting pretty freaked 0ut, s0 if y0u d0n’t remember, can we maybe just pretend f0r a little while?"

"I Do Remember," she says softly as while picking her way over to him. When she arrives, she settles beside him on the floor carefully. "It Was Nice, Not Having To Worry About Eridan Or Jack, Or Anything Else."

He lets out a long, tightly-head breath, and relaxes against her. "Fef was there," he says, tentatively. "when i f0und her like this i was w0rried, but..." His fingers move over her wrist, up her arm, brush past her gills and cradle her face. "She's 0kay really."

Kanaya allows him to lean against her, lifting her own arm to wrap around his shoulders. It's disconcerting, seeing the normally bubbly heiress so still. "She Did Not Deserve What Eridan Did To Her. It's Not Fair. Not Fair That We Get To Be Okay, And Not Her."

He stiffens, his fingers closing over her swim goggles. "she is 0kay," he says firmly, earnestly. "she's just n0t... here. this is just... meat." It's easy to think that way, after a lifetime of hacking. Easy to hang on to. "s0me0ne has been messaging 0n that c0mputer f0r a while n0w," he says. "i tried to see wh0 it was but i c0uldn't... i can't..." Hysteria skates on the edge of his voice, trying to acknowledge that he can't see a computer screen. For Sollux, who has lived his life in computers more than any other troll, that is the one thing too awful to face.

"I Will Look In A Moment," she tells him, laying a hand over his. "This Is More Important Right Now." Gnawing her lip for a moment in thought, she guides his fingers in removing Feferi's goggles, carefully pulling them over his head to cover his eyes. "There," she says softly. "Now You Will Always Have A Bit Of Her With You."

His face twitches and scrambles, moving through the weird deeply personal emotions people less antisocial would be humiliated to let see the light of day. "thanks ky," he mutters. The goggles make him look less awful, less.... falling-apart, then his weird blasted eyes.

In the back of her mind, she can almost see someone that she her ancestor considered a second son. Impulsively, she hugs him next, wrapping both arms around him gently. "You Are Quite Welcome, Sollux."

He folds into the hug, his pulse pounding in his neck close to her ear. She is a comforting anchor in the wide, cold room; the first sense of orientation he's had since he lost Karkat out in the dark. The teleport pads don't do a blind guy any favors. She manages to ignore the thrumming pulse for a few minutes, offering as much comfort as she can for her friend before she has to try and disengage the hug awkwardly. No. She doesn't want to hurt another friend, and she's stupid for not feeding before leaving Milliways.

"...it's 0kay," he says, a flash of the old unsettlingly knowledgeable Sollux coming through. "i kn0w y0u need fuel and im n0t much g00d t0 any0ne like this. they explained everything in the bubbles."

"I...Wasn't In Control Of Myself When I First Woke Up. I Don't Wish To Hurt You, Sollux."

He grins wryly, his lips moving around the knocked-out teeth that don't make him lisp anymore. He shrugs. "it's just meat, ky. we need a juiced-up rainbow drinker m0re than we need a blind telekinetic right n0w. just try t0 be careful."

She lets out a breath and nods sharply. "I Will." Then, still holding Sollux, she drops her head to bite him gently. It's different, feeding when she's not starving. No urge to drain her donor dry.

He lets out a pained hiss through the four-fold gap in his teeth, then steadies; by the time he has fully braced himself it's all over.

Once she's had her fill, just enough to top herself off, she pulls back some. "Are You Alright, Sollux?"

"yeah," he gasps. "i'm fine. are you?"

"Better," she responds, reaching into her sylladex for a adhesive healing strip, carefully applying it to the side of Sollux's neck. "Take A Moment To Rest. I Will See To That Message Window In The Meantime."

Sollux nods, and Kanaya rises smoothly, taking a moment to smooth her skirt habitually before making your way over to the computer. Familiar grey text fills the screen, and she takes some time to talk to the Karkat in your past, doing your best to calm him through text and reassure him of her and Sollux's well being while playing down your emotional breakdown from earlier.

It takes a little while to get through things, but with a game plan hashed out, she eventually steps back from the computer, taking a moment to swap out the bloody clothes she's wearing for something a bit more classier before rejoining Sollux.

"well?" he prompts, hearing footsteps, and the rustle of Kanaya's dress,

"We're Going To Regroup With Karkat, Terezi, and Vriska Up On The Roof," she informs him. "Then We'll Figure Out What To Do About Gamzee.

Sollux regards her sightlessly for a moment before nodding, heaving himself to his feet. "what are we waiting f0r, then?"

Kanaya smiles in response, taking his arm gently in her own, and together, they head for the roof.

Kanaya finds herself missing home. Even more keenly so, after she finds the Caribbean inlet on one end of the lake. Her hive hadn't really been her hive anymore since before she entered Sgrub, it having transformed from her own little oasis in the middle of the unyielding desert to a tall spire. It stretched its way up into the sky to access her gate, and its halls filled with imps and consorts.

The land around the hive also changed, and while she didn't miss the dangerous shamblers and musclebeasts roaming the wilderness, she missed the desert and the warm sand beneath her feet. Thus, once she came across the stretch of beach by the inlet, she had promptly removed her shoes, and buried her feet in the sand.

And so she walks, shoes in hand, taking comfort in the simple sensation of the sand shifting beneath her feet as she moves. She walks without goal and destination, the red sun high in the sky and warming her from behind. Eventually, she sits, settling on a log and smoothing her skirt, catching sight of her companion doing the same beside her.


Companion? Kanaya blinks and looks beside her to empty air, and when she looks back the way she came, there is only one set of footprints. She lets out a long breath, closing her eyes briefly, and opens them again at the rustle of her companion's clothing next to her. Kanaya just manages to catch sight of green, flowing clothing out of the corner of her eye before the older troll speaks.

Hello Child

Kanaya turns to look at the woman next to her again, but finds herself only able to focus on a few details of her features; neatly-styled hair; tall, slightly curved horns with one bent at the tip to match her own; and gleaming yellow eyes that have long since filled with her jade blood. It occurs to Kanaya, briefly, that she should maybe be afraid or nervous with an adult troll so close. One normally didn't see an adult troll -aside from the Jades upon hatching- until the ships came for conscription, and anything otherwise meant a culling. Regardless of this, she can't help but feel safe and at ease.

"Hello"

You Have Done Marvelously Thus Far My Dear
But You Are Not Down And Out Just Yet
You Still Have An Important Job To Do

"But I Am Dead
Is This A Dream Then"

Yes And No
I Am Here Because You Need To Be Informed Of Your Heritage Young One
Something That Occasionally Manifests With Those Of Our Blood Caste
And Something You Have Unknowingly Been Groomed For

"Aradia Mentioned Something To That Effect
And Jade Called Me A Vampire
Is This Something To Do With That"

Kanaya's companion smiles, and sharp, prominent incisors gleam in the bright light.

That Is Precisely What I Am Building Up To
You See A Vampire Is A Human Analog To What You Will Become
Because You Will Not Bound Here For Long
And When You Return
You Will Be A Rainbow Drinker

Kanaya blinks once, twice, then snorts a laugh.

"Hoofbeastshit
Rainbow Drinkers Do Not Exist Outside Of Works Of Fiction"

To her credit, the troll takes this in stride, smiling serenely as she glows faintly, and Kanaya is aware of her own skin pulsing briefly in response.

I Assure You This Is Not Fabricated
Look Within Yourself Fledgling
Kanaya
And You Will Know The Truth

At the moment, Kanaya doesn't want to do that; because especially now, she's faintly aware of pain in her torso from where Eridan's blow struck, and a deep thirst that she instinctively knows won't be quenched by any regular beverage. Frowning, Kanaya looks up at the older troll, peering through the shadows of her face to try and discern more features.

"Youre My Ancestor
Arent You
Thats Why Youre Here"

You Are Quite Perceptive Kanaya
That Is Exactly Why Im Here
To Help You
So You May Assist your Iteration Of My Son

"Your Son"

Your Knight
Signless
Karkat
Sufferer
Whatever Name He Goes By He Is Still My Son And Ours To Care For

Kanaya's face flushes jade, and her gaze falls to her hands folded in her lap.

"Um
I Am Unsure If Karkat Feels That Way About Me
Romantically
He Hasnt Expressed Any Interest Or Attempts At Pale Solicitation"

An arm slides around her shoulders, and all at once she feels very tired, going willingly as her head is guided to the Dolorosa's shoulder and settling against her as both arms embrace her tenderly.

My Dear
I Never Required A Quadrant To Care For My Son
And Neither Do You

"But-"

Hush Now Kanaya
You And Your Friends Have Done So Much And Come So Far
And While There Is Only A Little Left To Do
It Will Be Difficult And Trying
But You Need To Stand Strong With The Knight
And Support Him
Do You Understand

Kanaya nods listlessly against the larger troll, murmuring an affirmative, and Dolorosa leans down to kiss the top of her head. Kanaya's world explodes.

An impact
Drawn to chittering-chirps of a distressed grub
Red
Red blood
He'll be culled as soon as someone sees the mutant blood
Grub quiets and looks up at you, legs reaching, demanding
Something twinges in your chest and you scoop up the grub
You'll raise him yourself
Act in place of his Lusus
You adapt and grub grows quickly
His Wriggling comes before you know it
You spend the next few days hovering worriedly and waiting for him to emerge
Holding both his tiny hands in yours as he takes his first unsteady steps on two feet
A new title: Mother
Holding him and soothing daymares, because constant travel doesn't allow for sopor or recuperacoons
His nightmares fade as he grows, changing to a vision of a better world
He speaks of a world where your race is not constantly at war with one another as well as others
He grows more and more, and others listen to his words
You're proud
Your little family grows with Ψiioniic and Disciple
Another Son And A Daughter
Everything is right, everything is good
Too good.
Captured
Chained
They put your son in irons
The rest of your family is forced to watch
Watch as your son is burnt and tortured by those irons
He screams
You weep
No, not your son
Nononononononononono
The Dolorosa
The suffering one

Kanaya chokes out a sob, then another, and she clings desperately to Dolorosa, the smell of sea air lingering in the air as she cries. The older troll rubs her back soothingly, murmuring something from above her.

Shooooooooooooooooosh

All at once, the sorrow drains away, leaving only deep exhaustion, and Kanaya's eyes droop, and when Dolorosa speaks again, her voice seems to come from miles away.

Good Girl
Best Sylph

Kanaya's eyes drift shut, and when she opens them again she's alone, curled snugly in her recuperacoon with no recollection on how she got there. Groaning, she heaves herself out of the sopor, rubbing at her face tiredly and mechanically going about getting ready for the day as she thinks over the rather odd dream.

She chalks it up to just that, a dream. Karkat is adamant enough about how the ancestors are just a myth, and really, a Rainbow Drinker? Kanaya huffs and seats herself on a chair, pulling her shoes over and accidentally knocking one over in the process. A handful of sand spills from the fumbled piece of footwear, and she freezes.

Perhaps it wasn't a dream after all.

Your name is Kanaya Maryam, and looking back on events later on, you'll muse that really, you should have realized that something was wrong when Eridan of all people, insisted on being helpful. But like a grubfucking idiot, you just sat there and waited for him while he tried to doom you all.

He makes a beeline for Karkat first and you watch the heated conversation from the other side of the room. It doesn't worry you too much, because you know Karkat can hold his own against Eridan, and you chastise yourself for fussing. You're wrapped up in your own thoughts, and don't realize it right away that he's moved from Karkat to harassing Feferi and Sollux until the argument grows in intensity. Weapons come out, Feferi is shouting for them both to calm down, and you take a step towards the fight as they lunge one another. Sollux gets in a few hits before Eridan levels his wand at him, and produces a brilliant flash of light.

Eridan strikes true and Sollux flies across the room, colliding against the wall with a sickening crack. For a few long moments, no one says a word, frozen in place in shock, and the only movement coming from the smoldering tip of Eridan's wand and the few cautious steps Feferi takes towards Sollux's body. Then, everything happens all at once. Feferi turns towards her ex-moirail sharply, teeth bared and trident ready; she's barely begun to lunge when Eridan strikes her down, and she lands in Gamzee's horn pile with a cacophony of honks. Eridan turns to you next, but you already have your lipstick in your hand, ready to weaponize it in a moment; you stare at one another for a long moment, and the strange niggling feeling you've been feeling in the back of your mind increases in intensity.

Protectthematriorbprotectthematriorbprotectthematriorb.

You try to glance sideways surreptitiously, but Eridan sees, and you move to place yourself between the murderous troll and your species' last hope. Even if you fell, Karkat still had a chance to take out Eridan and do your job for you. But you're too slow. With a flick of his wrist, the Matriorb is gone in a gory hopesplosion and you stare at its remains for just a moment in stunned disbelief. Then, something inside you. Just. Fucking. Snaps.

You feel your lips curl back in a snarl, bearing sharp teeth at the aquatic troll. Your chainsaw roars and rumbles in your hands, though it's hard to say whether you or your chainsaw is making the most noise, and you leap at him, intent on making him pay.

Like Feferi, though, you're too slow, and you've barely began to leap towards him when pain blossoms from your gut and spreads. You hit the ground hard, and it feels like the the breath has been knocked out of you...except you can't get it back, and as your vision slowly fades to black your brain barely registers Karkat's shocked expression. Suddenly, you feel very tired, and you close your eyes and let out a long breath.

When you open your eyes again, you're in your hive, laying on your pile of embroidered cushions, and the sun is streaming through the windows. Your mind is still panicked and you suck in a desperate, shuddering breath, trying to get your racing heart under control. Absently, you press a hand to your stomach, just a little surprised that there's no hole there, and nearly jump out of your skin when your husktop chirps an alert. Someone's trolling you. Sitting up, you call up its keyboard.

apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA]

AA: hey kanaya
AA: there is s0mething i want t0 give y0u
GA: Oh Really

You pinch the bridge of your nose as Aradia responds, trying to force down the wrongwrongwrong feeling about all this. This is...a dream? But...Eridan had just...

AA: yes its s0mething very 0dd i f0und when i disc0vered the ruins the 0ther night
AA: i d0nt kn0w what its arche0l0gical significance is yet but i suspect y0u will be able t0 repair it!

Brow furrowed, you scramble after that thread of thought, and seize it.

GA: This Is A Dream Isnt It
AA: 0_0
AA: w0w!
AA: uh i mean
AA: o_o
AA: wow
AA: you figured that out very fast!

You resist the urge to roll your eyes, and respond.

GA: It Seemed Obvious
GA: Either Im Sleeping Or Im Dead Which Is It

Because if you're not dead yet, and just unconscious, there's still a chance of Karkat being able to help you with his Bloody Thing.

AA: oh i am sure you are alive
AA: you are unconscious now and will likely wake up as your new self very soon

You blink at the screen once, then twice before typing your response.

GA: My New Self
AA: yes
AA: you are undergoing a metamorphosis which you have been groomed for since you were very young
AA: much like i was for my various personal iterations including this one

Heaving a sigh, you briefly consider snapping at her to stop being so cryptic, but then again, you're guilty of this, too.

GA: You Mean
GA: Being A Ghost And Then A Frog And Then A Robot And Then A Fairy
AA: yes!
AA: but it sure sounds silly when you list them all like that
GA: Kind Of
GA: What Do You Mean We Have Been Groomed
AA: wellllll
AA: that is what we are about to find out!
AA: if you will oblige us by continuing with this memory
GA: Okay
GA: What Do I Do
AA: why dont we go through this conversation again to the best of our recollection
AA: but i guess rather than acting it out we can just talk about it
AA: the old fashioned way
GA: Was What We Were Attempting Before Not Old Fashioned
AA: i have no idea
GA: It Seems To Me The Nature Of The Afterlife Is Probably Very Old Fashioned
GA: Maybe Even The Most Old Fashioned A Thing Can Get
AA: haha yeah you know what i mean though
GA: Yes Then
GA: This Was When You Were About To Give Me That Unusual Gift From The Ruins
AA: yes
AA: i then had sollux deliver the pieces to you so you could stitch it back up
AA: sollux that is your cue!
AA: come out and play the part
TA: s0 we d0n't have t0 hide anym0re?

When Aradia's voice suddenly sounds in your respiteblock, followed by Sollux's, you very nearly jump out of your skin again, whirling around to catch sight of your previously unnoticed guests. If anyone noticed you nearly losing your cool, no one mentions it, in fact, Sollux seems to be just as confused as you are.

GA: Yeah Im Still Not Sure Aradia Are We Supposed To Be Role Playing

AA: no guys come on this isnt that complicated!
AA: we are just revisiting the past just like we would if we were talking about it
AA: but it just so happens we can watch it happen as we talk about it

What? So she just wanted you to talk her through the memory? You guess you could do that. Obviously you're not going anywhere anytime soon.

An unfamiliar voice addresses you, and you turn to see one of the humans standing there an- What in the name of the Signless Sufferer was she wearing?

GA: Hi Jade
GA: Uh
GA: What Is That Thing Youre Wearing
GG: you dont like it???
GA: No I Didnt Mean To Sound Disapproving
GA: But I Do Think More Colorful Apparel Suits You Better
GG: yes i know you told me!
GA: I Did
GG: yes but you probably havent yet
GG: not from your perspective..... i could not help but overhear you are asleep now
GG: you told me all about what happened after you woke up!
GA: About What
GG: about how you turned into a vampire
GA: Whats A Vampire

Before you can press her further, Aradia rushes you to continue with the memory and you sigh.

GA: There Isnt Much To Say
GA: I Repaired The Doll And Made Him A Nice Outfit
GA: With A Far More Becoming Palette And Fit Than The Absurd Tatters He Was Found In
GA: I Thought At Least
AA: yes
GA: Uh
GA: Should There Be Anything Else To This Story

Aradia admits to that being all she really needed, and Sollux fades away after Aradia tells you all that, yes, that is the puppet the Dave human grew up with.

Tired with her beating about the proverbial stunted piece of flora, you decide to find out what the fuck is going on with some support from Jade.

GA: Anyway That Is All I Can Remember
GA: I Quickly Began To Find The Doll Unnerving So I Put Him Away
GA: To My Knowledge He Has Remained Secure In My Block Ever Since
GA: Is He Relevant In Some Way
GG: guys why do you have daves puppet?
GG: what is going on here!
GA: Yes Aradia It Seems You Have Some Foreknowledge Of This Narrative Maybe You Can Tell Us Why Any Of This Is Important

She then begins to go on about hidden codes, written on the walls of your friend's respiteblocks, and you seem to pick up a few others along the way as the memories play out. Terezi appears in front of you at one point, and you do a double-take at the sight of two small puncture wounds on the side of her neck. You barely have time to absorb this and squash down the odd, sudden hunger that bubbles up at the sight of it when your odd group finds itself in what you recognize as Karkat's respiteblock. When Karkat and another Terezi appears on the ground, you just barely have enough time to hear Jade gasp in horror at the sight before your will yourself away in a panic. Karkat. You...you had to make sure he was alright. That Eridan hadn't killed him.

When you appear back in your own respiteblock, you quickly scramble for your husktop and call up the keyboard, vaugely surprised when a blank window is already waiting for you

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

GA: Karkat
GA: Karkat Are You There Please Answer Me
GA: Karkat Vantas You Will Answer Me Right This Moment And Stop Moping Or I Will Come Over There Myself And Talk Some Sense Into You
GA: Very Well Then