Damara had never felt more alone in her entire life.

All the other trolls had quickly paired off to their assigned rooms, leaving her to no decision. She didn't even know who she was staying with, but whoever it was, they were probably up to no good to be forced to room in with her.

She undid her hair from its bun, letting it fall down her back. It was still completely straight besides the two locks of long curls that hung in front of her shoulders. The room was completely silent, besides the creaking of the bed that Damara was sitting on, which she cringed at with distaste. She preferred her pod to this any day.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was already 9 PM. It was getting late and whomever she was staying with still wasn't in yet. Damara tip-toed to the bathroom, not wanting to make a single sound, and stood in front of the mirror, the door completely closed behind her. She went through a process: water, makeup remover, and tweezers, and about ten minutes later, she looked like her actual self, her lips only tinted red and thick fake eyelashes off. Her face looked awfully dainty and she swore to herself that she wouldn't let anyone see her like this over her cold, dead body.

Speaking of which, she exited the bathroom and looked at the clock again- 9:23. She wondered when they would come, compiling a list of the worst possible situations in which she might find herself. The best case was with someone like Porrim, who would keep to herself, but she knew that wasn't going to happen, knowing how popular she was amongst the others.

As she changed into her nightgown, an oversized black shirt with the Aries symbol on it, she played in her head how the rooming process might go- Meenah would probably snort about how Damara would make the room a mess, spending hours in the bathroom. Everyone would laugh and agree, and Meenah would sarcastically ask Rufioh if he wanted to room with her, Rufioh denying it flat out. Damara looked down at the previous shirt she was wearing, now twisted into a tight knot. She was surprised to find tears brimming at her eyes, feeling a tiny twinge of regret. But there was no point in coming out to everyone now, and she always played these 'scenes' in her head, she never cried, and she wouldn't now, when for all she knew someone like Cronus could come in, refusing to leave her alone at all. There was simply no point in crying anymore.

Damara finally got up onto the bed- having to hop on because of her small figure. She pulled the covers over her. It was deadly silent, and she looked at the clock again- 9:32.

Suddenly, she had a horrible thought. What if no one came? What if they left her to herself, laughing about it and rooming in with two others? Was it really better to sleep on the floor than room with 'that Japanese troll'? She wanted to be left alone, of course, but at least if she were to go to bed now and just have someone else in the room…

She tentatively pulled the covers up to her nose, tears that she knew were impossible to hold back, pooling into her eyes. She rolled to her side, reaching for a tissue, handkerchief, anything- but the tears were already dripping down her face, her body shaking with sobs. She only had whimpered once, her hair sticking to her wet cheeks. She could almost hear her heart crying itself, but she refused to make a sound. Let the tears fall, but don't show anything else, was normal with her, and she was a pro at it.

After all, practice makes perfect, right?

_

It was the first time he broke his goggles, but he didn't care.

His hair was a damp mess, but he didn't care.

He knew well that him slamming the door shut behind him could have easily woken up whoever was in a bundle of covers on the bed, but he didn't. Care.

Confused by his own anger of whether he should just start breaking the couch or restrain himself, the more courteous side of him won over and he sat down slowly however very tense. Nothing made a sound, but there was a loud ringing in his ears. He looked warily at the bed and was slightly surprised to find that whoever was in it did not stir. Unknowingly to him, Damara was currently holding her breath with her hands pressed up against her lips, her eyes opened wide. She had shrieked when Horuss' muscular frame barged into the room, but he didn't hear over the slamming door and making any noise now was out of the question for her. He shocked the noise out of her completely, anyway. Only her tears were drying on the sheets.

Horuss was resentfully staring into the broken glass of his goggles when a he was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion and sadness. What happened in the past half hour or so still seemed like a dream, and he closed his eyes, letting himself dwell on it.

All he did was ask Rufioh why he was rooming with Meenah instead of him. Meenah simply curled her lip in the background, indulging her attention in a videogame as Rufioh approached the doorframe cautiously, and that's where the memory abruptly ended. After that was something like a cold nightmare. There was Rufioh apologizing, Rufioh telling him to go, that their matespritship was…over, Rufioh having to pound the same sentence over and over again, 'Horuss, I don't like you anymore, how hard is it to understand?' Rufioh insulted him too. He called him a…creep? Stalker? Did it really matter? They all meant the same thing. Horuss raised his head a little. Did he really make it so hard that he had to snap at him to make him go away? He felt a sense of shame and humiliation. Rufioh did the right thing, if he was really acting so clingy…but he couldn't turn around what had happened in the past, and he certainly couldn't change how he reacted. "You disgusting rust-blood," he'd hissed. Most of the previous time was spent yelling at Rufioh, degrading him for his blood color, telling him he expected it from a "low-blooded scum like you"- he didn't, he really thought that he was meant for- that they were meant for each other- and then, slamming the door behind him, but not before he head an "oooooohhh" from Meenah. He wished Meenah would shut up, and then reprimanded himself for thinking that way about the empress, and finally just shut out his thoughts on the caste system completely. It reminded him all too much of the insults he had shot at Rufioh.

He sighed in defeat, wishing for his moirail's presence, remembering how Nepeta clung to Equius when he first saw them. At least Meulin seemed to enjoy his overall attachment to her. As he tried to untie his tangled hair, only being able to break the rubber, he still smiled a little. Meulin really did look out for him, and her adorableness only made it easier for him to calm down. It was like trying to calm down so he didn't accidentally hurt a foal, but then he shuddered at the thought of accidentally hitting her. He really was thinking negatively tonight. Horuss changed into a black T-shirt and boxers, calmer than before, but still angry, his head swimming with conflicting thoughts and emotions.