bloodyvirgo | Conversations With Dead People

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.