Eridan Ampora walked along the side of the frozen lake, head hung down and eyes fixed firmly upon the ground. He sat on the edge, his bare feet just about a few inches above the ice. The new life he had been given in this strange new universe did not suit him well. Life is certainly better than death, but isolation and desperation sunk in quick after realizing he'd burnt all his bridges in his outburst. His former friends watched him with an eye of judgment and distrust. Even those who knew not of his shame felt the stigma attached to his new existence.
The first cold season, winter as he had overheard the humans call it, was harsh. Without his trusty Ahab's Crosshairs or even one of his shitty wands, he was defenseless against the bizarre flora and fauna of the wilderness. Mr. Ampora would have to become the stealthiest fish man this side of the universe. Luckily for him, he already was the stealthiest fish man, because he was the only fish man. Nevertheless, furtiveness was a priority. Many close calls, but Eridan managed to survive. He even lost his shoes, the only pair he had. Trudging barefoot through the miserable slush definitely was not a high point of his survival adventure.
And now here he sat, his scarf held over his eyes, and his mind just about gone from the solitude. The scarf was beginning to fray at the edges. Shame that he didn't know how to sow, he could fix it. He really did love his scarves. Dropping the scarf from his bloodshot, tear-stained eyes, he stared into the ivory emptiness. The cold shook his very being. You could say it shook his very soul, if there was even the tiniest bit of soul left in him.
"W-well," he said to himself, shaking like a leaf in a tornado "this is it, I suppose. Time to give out and let my fucking body become one with the fucking earth, or some shit like that. W-whatev-ver. How-w is this a reward? Everyone's f-freezing to death." Little did Eridan know that most of the others had built nice log cabins and were currently enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate by a fireplace. It was probably better that he didn't know that anyway. "This is it. I guess. G-goodbye, cruel w-world." He closed his eyes, for what he hoped would be the last time.
He awoke in a warm, cozy bed, covered in strange multicolored animals, with what appeared to be severe head trauma. Eridan's mind took a second to process the tactile information he was being given, perhaps because of the aforementioned trauma. The room was covered in empty vodka bottles, and yet it smelled of perfume and flowers. It was small and cozy, but had a strange air about it that made one feel uneasy. Once he fully understood the situation he was in, he promptly freaked the fuck out.
From the other side of the structure, Roxy Lalonde sat patiently. Waiting. Waiting for her new friend to wake up. She had painstakingly dragged him through the snow and tucked him into her bed, where the many cats she had in her possession saw it fit to lay on top of him. The trek to her quaint little cottage was a long one, especially for dragging people by their arms. She dropped him a couple of times, always stopping to apologize before continuing. But, she would never tell him that. Needless to say, Eridan was not pleased.
"W-what the fuckin' hell is this? Begone foul beasts!"
"What's wrong, mister? Don't you like my meowcats?" Roxy asked, half-knowing what would come next.
"Of course not! They are smelly and they keep making this ungodly purring noise."
Roxy calmly walked over to one of her many feline friends, picked her up and shoved it in Eridan's face. There was a kind, if not slightly menacing, look in her eyes. She affected a babying tone and began to recite ad infinitum, "Well, Mr. Kitty likes you, stranger! Yes he does! Yes he does! Mr. Kitty likes you!"
She then promptly staggered forward and fell into Eridan's lap. Roxy, realizing the state she was in, decided to change tactics. Her voice tried to change from baby talk to sultry seductress, but due to her inebriated state, it came out sounding more like a slurring homeless woman was trying to ensnare Eridan in her trap.
"Heyyy therrrre sshexy, my name'sh Roxy." She mumbled.
"You're kinda cute, you sshilly little fisshh man… thing." She slurred as she fiddled with his face-fins. As she got closer, tears welled up in her eyes. She began to sob uncontrollably. It seemed as though even she didn't know why. As she wept on his chest, Eridan's mind was ablaze with the fires of confusion. Why is she doing this? Was it something I did? In reality, he could do nothing but put his hand to her head and pull her close. He may not have known how she was feeling, but god did he hate to hear people cry. Even through the tears, she continued to climb up Eridan, ruining her makeup in the process. When she finally reached him, she was only able to muster a couple of words. But first, she needed to see his eyes. She would have stared right into his pupils, if his eyes weren't darting back and forth across the room. As it was, she looked into the deep yellows that surrounded his pupils. This would have to do.
"I'm sorry for saving you." She said, fighting away tears. "It's just—I can't bear seeing that again."
Speechless. He couldn't quite come up with the words he needed, so he just lied down mouth agape from the awe. The thought that someone cared had long seemed a foreign one. Just to hear the tone of concern in her voice melted him inside, like some sort of strange fish Popsicle. He got the feeling that everything was going to be quite alright, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an seemingly unending embrace. Time stood still for these two, alone in their new world. The world sat on its axis, waiting for the exiled prince and the lonely rogue to break the silence.
"No," he finally replied, "I'm sorry. For letting you worry."
With those seven words, the hope thought to be lost deep within the cold unkempt soul of Eridan Ampora, broke through, leaving nothing but optimism in its wake. From then on, new days would be welcomed like the gifts that they were. Maybe this new crazy world, born from our courage and perserverance, could thrive and even prosper. All it needed was a little hope.