dum spiro, spero
while i breathe, i hope

All things considered, she thinks, her life isn't as terrible as she'd like to tell herself.

It's early dawn, and she knows that she has to get back soon. The Alternian wind ruffles her hair playfully as she meanders through the streets, the tap, tap of her feet echoing between the closely packed hives. Slowly she realizes how far she is from her hive - these structures, unfamiliar - she'll probably have to turn back soon.

Though, she doesn't. Something pushes her forward, though, if someone was to ask she wouldn't quite be able to put her finger on what it could be. It feels important, though. As if this was how it was meant to be. As if her very being knows that she should be here, right here, right now.

Normally, she'd be eager to settle down and sleep for the night - flarping energy doesn't create itself - but she's in no rush this morning. There's no flarp session to be held tomorrow; Terezi had specifically said that she didn't have the time for it.

What a load of crap. She kicks at the ground irritably and tugs her jacket around her shoulders a bit tighter. Terezi's never busy with anything - why wouldn't she have time for a (not so friendly) game?

She skulks as she walks to the end of the hives; she doesn't stop moving until she reaches an abandoned one - probably that of someone who'd recently been culled. Under any other circumstance, she wouldn't care at all - it's just a stupid hive - but seeing it makes her breath catch in her throat. There's something... different about this place. As if in a trance, she walks to the stoop and places her hand on the door, her fingers tracing over its intricate carvings. She knows that there's something in this hive that has a great power - or is it purpose? - she can feel it in the very fiber of her being. She doesn't know why she wants so desperately to go in, but her hands settle on the doorknob. Her fingers seem to fit perfectly around it.

She pushes open the door and heads in.

Dull realization hits her - this is not, in any way, a hive. It is abandoned, however. Judging from the coloured glass on the walls depicting irons and the fact that the windows were smashed, it had probably been a gathering place for the Signless cult at one point. She smiles to herself. Not a lot of young trolls would be able to tell the story of the Signless anymore, but she knew it. Fondly thinking of her ancestor's journal, she surveys the area. The place is a wreck - chairs are tossed over, the irons hanging up on the wall are cracked and worn. She doesn't quite understand why she had felt so drawn to this place, but it certainly feels like a place of importance.
Or, at least, a place that once was important.

It seems pretty useless now, but maybe it would behoove her to hang around a bit more. Every instinct points in that direction.

Something shimmers in the corner of her eye, so naturally she goes to investigate.
But there was nothing there at all. Oddities on top of oddities, feelings on top of feelings.

However, upon closer inspection of the room, nothing at all seems out of the ordinary. Some chairs here, torn (unintelligible) pages there. Whatever! Slightly annoyed, she turns to leave the building altogether. What a huge waste of time! It was stupid to think that she could honestly be "drawn" to a place. That was so stupid - she can't bear to think that she had believed that-

vriska

She stiffens. No, no, no. She couldn't be hearing voices now. She wasn't that lame - that sort of stuff was for lowbloods who felt like they sounded cooler if they had mental problems. There was no way that had actually been...

don't go vriska
i have something to ask you
could you please go back there
to that corner

With a scoff, her fists clench tightly together. Maybe it had been a bad idea to stay out so late. She was probably delirious with exhaustion. Nope, she isn't going to go around following the directions of a voice that doesn't even exist. Maybe she could pen that in her schedule for next week - couldn't quite find the time to fit in a sudden case of insanity this week, you understand. No, much too busy. Too much important shit to do. Surely you understand.

please don't be stubborn
i just want you to go back
something is about to happen
something good
trust me
you are the only one who i can depend on

Or not.

And yet she hesitates. It isn't like anyone else is actually here. No one will be able to judge her for anything "crazy" that she does. Besides, if this voice is real, it's practically on its invisible hands and knees, begging for her to simply go somewhere. She takes a deep breath, promises to promptly forget about this soon afterwards if she's wrong, and walks back to the corner.
Upon arriving again, she can only come up with one simple conclusion. There is absolutely nothing there. Still. Nothing "good" was happening, it was just as it was before. How stupid! She grinds her teeth and curses to herself, the sound reverberating off the walls.
Wait...
Weren't the walls made of glass? Broken glass? How could something echo off of walls that weren't even there...?

Right before her eyes, the room's colours start changing drastically, the previous gloom replaced by bright reds and cold greys - the colours associated with the Signless, she is able to realize. The glass rebuilds in on itself, as if under a strobe light - their movements jerk to and fro and looking at them gives her a headache. The very fabric of the cult-hive seems to split in two (she has to rub her eyes to try and verify it - it is literally splitting), each splitting revealing more and more. Chains, dancing chains. Flags (from pirate ships, she thinks to herself) drape themselves over the chains and flop around like beached fish, their movements defying any laws of physics that she had ever believed in before. She begins to think that this is some crazy hallucination, but one of the chains falls from the ceiling and smacks her unceremoniously on the head. The blood dripping down her faces tells her that, yes, beyond any stretch of logic, this is real.

The sudden impact leaves her sprawled on the floor, and she finds that she can't get up. She coughs heavily and tastes copper in the back of her mouth - she's injured much worse than she thought. Terror seizes her heart, which she can feel thump in her throat, and can feel on the ground underneath her. She tries to bury her hands into something - anything - but her fingers refuse to move. Upon realizing this, the only sound she can hear is now the panicked roar of her pulse in her ears. She can only watch dully as stars appear from behind the waving flags - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve - and then form a circle in the air, spinning rapidly. From the center, a lily blooms, spurting water like a fountain.

She has no idea what she's even looking at anymore. Everything is so hard to focus on, and the colours keep flashing like lights in a club. A wave of nausea settles over her, but she still cannot leave. The lily from the center now has the head of a white wingbeast, which...

She can't hear her pulse anymore. Everything blurs slowly towards her. Belatedly, she realizes that it's coming right towards her.
She was going to die here.
She couldn't even defend herself.
She was completely helpless.

She was going to die here.

Weakly, she tries to put out her arms to form a sort of barrier. She can't let herself just be taken down. Not that easily. Not like this.
She waits for its beak to pierce through her arms. She waits for the inevitable. She can't do anything else and it frustrates her so much but what other choice does she have-

Something flashes brightly against her shut eyes, startling her. She can tell what colour it is even with her eyes still closed - a sharp teal. She opens her eyes, surprised that something so constant (as most colours liked changing in this odd reality) and so bright could possibly exist.
Another joins it - the general colour in this nightmare had turned to a jade green, and so was this new light - it still stood out sharply, as plainly as a giant pink nose-beast in a small room.

It could be a sort of trick, but... were there voices from over there?
Oh. Her breath slackened slightly. Maybe the wingbeast would take sudden interest in them and kill them instead of her? That would actually be perfect. She watches intently, and the wingbeast does actually seem more interested in the light behind it. It turns and lets out an earsplitting shriek, making her ears erupt in pain. The lights bob quickly, and the voices follow.
So there are other trolls here! In fact... weren't those voices familiar?

They are getting closer. She won't have to wonder for long.

One is high-pitched and erratic. The other proves a stark contrast to it - level, near-monotone, and collected.
She can soon make out words.

"Oh. Do you suspect that there may be somebody else here? I feel another's presence," the level one says. She can hear their footsteps and oh, she definitely knows that voice.

Still in a paralyzed state, she wonders if she can actually talk. She wonders if talking would make the thing want to kill her again.
She figures she doesn't have much else of a choice. She knows who this is, and this girl would not hesitate to rush into action if she heard one particular voice.
She hazards speaking.
"Kanaya? Is that you?" She says, knowing fully well that it is Kanaya. Speaking brings with it the taste of copper once more, and she curses to herself. The noise travels slowly in this odd space, but she hears the footsteps stop short. The loud, uncomfortable silence is painful to bear.

Finally, the unidentified voice (though she thinks she knows its owner) speaks up. "Well, I guess that settles that. Come on," With that, the four feet begin to pound against the ground once more, the lights she saw before bouncing erratically through the otherwise shrouded distance. They approach quickly, and Kanaya and Terezi are now standing mere yards away. The focus that they're suddenly in is nauseating. The amount of juxtaposition they have to this completely messed up world makes her stomach turn and her eyes shut on reflex.

They stand behind the monster, who is now staring them down head-on. Despite the relative distance and poor lighting, Vriska can see Terezi's nose twitch. "Seems like Spider-Troll's gotten herself tangled into a web," a short cackle punctuates Terezi's utterly stupid remark. Vriska scowls, but can't really do much else, given her situation. She doesn't know what, exactly, either of them are doing here, but neither of them seem nervous or scared. The monster must be leagues larger than them, but their short forms turn their heads up merely in an appraising manner, like a lusus surveying a huge quantity of spilled sopor slime and wondering how to clean it up. Vriska eyes them curiously, and is about to ask them what they plan on doing and how they were going to get out of there, but they both begin to move again at the same time. There is precision and purpose in their movements.
It seems like they've done this before. Many times.
Like a habit.

They both link arms. "You just sit there and watch the professionals show you how it is done," Terezi says, a smirk spreading across her face. She turns so she's standing directly in front of Kanaya, and then they both hold out their respective light that they had before.

They aren't just lights, she realizes, they're jewels. Both are encased in a tangle of metal and, she hates to admit, look oddly enticing. She shrinks back because they both begin to float (though it's hard to be surprised by much anymore) and then settle comfortably above their owner's hands, the teal and jade blinking pleasantly.
With an odd crackle, an intense teal light leaps out of Terezi's orb, and then a more soft light (but it's still obnoxiously strong) breaks off of Kanaya's. The colours settle over their bodies - one side of each troll teal, the other side jade. Vriska can't exactly tell from how utterly blinding the light is, but something tells her that Terezi's only wearing her shades by this point, and Kanaya isn't wearing anything at all.

Though that thought doesn't seem to be making either of them uneasy - they're both acting like this light show is perfectly normal and acceptable. The spectacle continues to play out, and Vriska can only watch in an odd sort of fascination.

Kanaya's hands cover over Terezi's eyes and then, as if she were pulling a string, her hands draw away, light lingering on her fingertips. When Terezi's face is properly revealed, her tacky red glasses are replaced by a huge red blindfold, the ends trailing. Terezi smiles and she brings her fingers to the loose ends. She taps them and, like magic, they tie into two neat bows at either side of her head.
They both spin in opposite directions and, in the blink of an eye, skirts now swirl with them. Kanaya's hands touch her own waist, and a giant pink sash sprouts from the contact. Messily, it ties itself behind her, leaving huge excess bits that don't seem to serve much purpose. Vines creep up Kanaya's legs and, at almost the hem of her jade dress, sprout roses - the same plants climb up her arms and serve as a sort of glove-like garment. The girls spin back together, and now Terezi's shoes appear - tall teal boots, covering white stockings. Their fingers intertwine and some of the thorns from Kanaya's gloves prick Terezi's hands. The teal blood pools in her palms, the colour harsh. Terezi brings it to her torso and stains it with the colour, which spreads and forms some kind of corset that Vriska can't identify properly. Turquoise still covers Kanaya's hands, which she brings to the flowers on the vines. The colour melts into the soft white petals, staining them a rich hue.
The lights' shine become more intense and bathes the two girls in a celadon glow. They blink out so quickly that Vriska is momentarily blinded. Dizzy, she blinks a few times and catches light winking off of Kanaya's throat, off of the small of Terezi's back. The two gems rest comfortably on their person, reflecting what little light is in the room occasionally.

Vriska could scowl. She hates outfits and has never understood why Kanaya put such stock into the things that she wears. It's all so stupid and frivolous, and Vriska wonders why the monster hasn't cut the crap and eaten them yet. She glances at the wingbeast, but it seems to be waiting patiently for them to get all magically changed into a bunch of scandalous-looking clothes.
She isn't sure how to react, so she coughs out, "Very nice guys! If I could actually use my hands, I'd be clapping now. I'll say it instead, see? Clap clap clap." Her tone is dripping with sarcasm, and it's obvious that neither Kanaya nor Terezi appreciates it.

Kanaya goes to reply in a way that she might deem as scathing, but her partner holds up a finger. "Shush!" Terezi hisses, her tongue protruding from her mouth unattractively. "Only fighting, now."
She laughs as if she's hilarious and pulls out her cane. It shimmers and transforms into a double edged sword, its blade dark black. A small balance scale dangles off of the handle in a way that Vriska immediately deems as tacky. Kanaya produces her signature lipstick, twists it, and is now holding a chainsaw. She pulls at the cord and, after it lets out a few terrifying roars, it is growling quietly to itself.

"Let us do this."

They both take off with such speed and grace that Vriska almost chokes in surprise. Her friends seem to dance on air - gravity apparently yields for six sweep old troll girls in short skirts - and float right in front of the bird's face.
Kanaya strikes first, her sash flapping wildly behind her. The chainsaw connects grimly with half of the flower encompassing the bird's face, petals falling to the floor like snow. Before the creature can recover even partially, Terezi comes from behind and destroys the other half of the lily. The sword effectively makes everything that she cuts off disintegrate, leaving nothing behind in its wake. Both girls land heavily on the floor, but exchange smiles.
"Are you feeling adequate enough to continue? The various colours aren't getting to your senses, I presume?" Kanaya transfers her weight between her feet, hopping back and forth slightly. Terezi shakes her head.
"Everything's great, I just want to get to my hive before it's light out. I would not enjoy dying tonight!" Terezi grins widely, her fingers twirling her sword carelessly. Vriska can't help but notice that at some points the blade seems to pass through her hand, but leaves no mark.

She shakes the thought off quickly.

Kanaya nods grimly, and makes another move towards the monster. It looks at her solemnly; hesitantly. The creature itself makes no move, but the twelve stars that had been circling it begin to dart after Kanaya. "It would be unfortunate if we had to repeat the events of a few mornings ago," Kanaya says between maneuvers, displaying an amazing amount of agility.

Vriska ponders what Kanaya could possibly mean by that, but then it hits her.
Terezi had gone inexplicably blind about a week ago. Is that what they're talking about? When she had asked about it a few nights ago, Terezi had said some incredibly juvenile line ("That's for me to know and you to never know! Heheh,") and left it at that. It looked like she did know now, though. Kind of. Haha on you, Terezi! Vriska smirks to herself, but is drawn out of her inner gloating by a high-pitched yelp.

She looks up in time to see Kanaya clutching at her sash, the ribbons pinned to the floor by the stars. A dark jade green drips down her cut legs, and her dress is effectively ripped. Terezi immediately springs into action, her legs moving faster than Vriska would have ever thought able. She jumps into the air and, as swiftly as she had sprinted there, she cleaves the head in two. She's incredibly accurate in her attacks, which completely floors Vriska as Terezi is kind of blind and all.
The stars stuck to the floor yank upwards a few times, trying to dislodge themselves to protect the monster. After a second, two succeed and race after Terezi, the rest still keeping Kanaya rooted to that one spot.
Terezi doesn't even notice them coming. Kanaya yells "Careful!" belatedly, but by then they may have been mere yards away from their target.

Terezi's face is sliced by the stars, an explosion of teal testifying to the fact that they had, indeed, hit her. She staggers, but isn't deterred. The monster in the center is collapsing on itself, after all, and the world around them begins to pitch and flicker, like a damaged strip of film. Vriska can only shut her eyes to the cacophony of sound and the fabric of the world tearing hundreds of times over, colour and sound changing so rapidly and so intensely that she can hardly believe that she isn't dreaming. She hears the dying screeches of the wingbeast, and peeks an eye open. The chains are whipping around wildly and, on occasion, hit the the duo roughly. The stars are in such a state of disarray that they spiral from their positions and begin to whirl around incoherently. Kanaya, now freed, looks to Terezi, who nods. Kanaya faces the monster and walks up to it calmly - the eye of the storm - and plunges her weapon into the beast, driving the weapon through in a single guttural slash.

It's absolutely disgusting, Vriska muses. It's cut into tiny bits and pieces, but the noise of its scream still persists, like an echo trapped in eternity. There's a light ting as the chainsaw hits something but doesn't go through. She turns off the chainsaw and its cries soften; she then sticks her hand into the monster's body and tosses it over to Terezi. After catching the object, Terezi grabs the scales on the end of her sword and, in an odd switch, the sword shrinks and the scales grow substantially. In her weapon's new form, the sword looks like a decorative charm dangling off of the structure. She reached into the air and pulled a feather out of Vriska didn't know, probably the space between oxygen molecules or something stupid like that.
She places the feather on one side and places the (presumably sweet) loot on the other. Vriska thinks this entire exercise is completely pointless, but she decides to keep her mouth shut for the time being.

Vriska thought it would be obvious that the thing would be much heavier than some feather, but apparently her two idiot friends need confirmation. The balance tilts downwards, the thing from the monster much lower that the feather. Terezi's mouth stretches.

"Guilty."

Instantly, all sound is replaced by that of a woman screaming, of sharp, cruel laughter. Splashes of green and red - red, especially - flash across Vriska's vision. The Signless' irons, stars, and cannons pulse against her eyes whether she closes them or not. Her sense are completely enveloped in this mess, her nose flooded with the scent of salt, smoke, and burning. She can taste nothing but bile, and sharp clangs precede more bouts of the endless cackling. She can't take this, she realizes, this torture! A face flickers into being, two purple scars defining it. Directly after that, everything is quiet and still and everything goes dark.

An arm pushed against her back and made her sit upward. Vriska coughed heavily and leaned against it, her fingers clutching to whoever's arm it was. She blinked slowly and looked around the room, her heartrate lowering.

She was in that abandoned cult-hive, she realized, and it was just as it had been before. The glass windows were punched out, the ground cold, the irons cracked - maybe she had passed out and gone through some weird hallucinogenic dream.

"Have you recovered, Vriska?"

Ugh. Or not. She turned and saw her two friends, still in their ridiculous getups. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, but pitched forward suddenly from the movement. Kanaya's arms steadied her and Vriska caught her breath, her eyes wide. Terezi rolled her eyes.

"It looks like someone's still shockingly weak!" Her words were harsh, but her tone wasn't. Vriska glared at her and Terezi smiled in an easy-going manner. She waved a hand. "Here, let me help," she said, her tongue poking out of her mouth slightly. She touched the sword charm on her scales and they turned into the weapon, the scales now dangling off the end. Terezi took the blade in her hand and squeezed it, a puddle of teal collecting in her hand.
Vriska stared. Her eye twitched. Ew.

And then Terezi pressed her hand to Vriska's forehead (had Vriska been able to move at this point in time, Terezi probably would have been promptly shoved away) and seemed to concentrate hard. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," she mumbled under her breath, as if it were a well-practiced speech. The blood turned into a sharp turquoise light, and then she pulled her hand away.
Experimentally, Vriska reached up and touched her head, which had previously been gushing blood. There wasn't even a slit there now, and when she pulled her hand away it came away cleanly. She blinked in surprise.

"What the hell?" Vriska managed to articulate, her face the definition of confusion. Terezi shrugged and smiled and, in an instant, a puff of teal sparkles came off of Terezi and she was back to normal, her glasses obscuring her eyes. Moments later, a delicate jade light enveloped Kanaya and, upon dispersing, left her in her normal clothes as well.
Vriska was at a total loss. She opened her mouth a few times before remembering how to talk again, and then said what any sane person would in her situation.

"Seriously guys, what the fuck just happened?" She rubbed behind her head, surprised to find how much clearer she could think now that Terezi had rubbed some blood all over her face.

Thinking about it like that was just gross though, so she stopped that train of thought before it had left the station.

Kanaya smoothed her red skirt and looked up, as if trying to formulate her words. "Terezi and I sensed a disturbance in the area so naturally we followed its source and found that you were getting your, ah," Kanaya paused, obviously going over five hundred different ways to say the same thing. "...rear being figuratively handed to you, so we stepped in to help, as we are wont to do in these sorts of situations," she finished slowly, then looked up to the ceiling, evaluating her sentence. "That is to say, we changed into our quite licentious battle clothing and fought off the offending creature. We are at remorse that you had to experience such an event, but it is fortunate that you came out unscathed, for the most part." Kanaya then nodded and stood up, extending an arm to Vriska. Reluctantly, she took it and was hoisted to her feet.

"Well yeah, that just makes so much sense! I guess I'll just take everything you just said and publish it in my very own book: All of the Sense my Moirail Makes!" Vriska said with false excitement, sarcasm dripping off her tone. Kanaya's face contorted - she obviously wasn't sure if she should take the sentence figuratively or literally - so Vriska rolled her eyes. "And I was mocking you there, Kanaya. That makes no fucking sense what so ever. Care to explain all this in layman's terms?" She crossed her arms and tapped her nails in agitation, her eyes narrowed. Kanaya looked at a loss and turned to Terezi for help, who shrugged usefully.

"I guess we could explain it to her. We're all friends here and keeping secrets makes things awkward," Terezi said. She motioned towards the other two and felt for their arms. Her fingers curled around them and she walked out of the hive, dragging the other two girls behind her. With a scowl, Vriska allowed herself to be lugged around for the time being. She had no idea where Terezi was toting them, but she seemed to have a pretty good idea of where she was going. Sometimes she stopped and flared her nose for a few moments, but she continued on shortly after.
The trio walked briskly. Slowly, the first few fingers of the sun begun to paint the horizon, warning the girls of the approaching dawn. None of them bothered to waste time with idle chit-chat - getting home was much too important by this point in time.

With a bit of dull realization, Vriska understood where Terezi was taking them once they were right on the front steps. Vriska's gothic-style house stared them down, the huge doors gaping out in front of them. As if it were her own hive, Terezi yanked open the door and ushered the group inside, letting it go once they were all safe from the morning's light. Vriska eyed her curiously.
"Why are we at my place? Spider-Mom hates unexpected guests," she said. Had it been said in any other way, it would have seemed as though Vriska wanted her lusus to crawl up and devour her visitors. Her voice showed genuine concern, though. In response, Terezi plopped herself on a monochrome couch, her feet propped against a dirty and worn wooden table. Using her feet, she peeled her shoes off and left them on the table. Kanaya shuddered at this, her face contorting into a delicate frown. Daintily, Kanaya sat down on the couch as well, leaving a wide berth between Terezi and herself. Then, with a carefully manicured hand, she patted the spot next to her on the couch.

"Your hive was simply the closest. Though I am capable of enduring the sun, the same is not true for Terezi and yourself. I hope you do not mind us staying here for the day, but in exchange we will explain everything to you," Kanaya articulated carefully. She crossed her legs and reclined just slightly. "I am not sure how long this will take, so please get comfortable," she said, her expression neutral. Vriska's nod was almost imperceptive. She took her place between her two friends, her arms folding backwards to make a sort of pillow for her head.

"Yeah, you two pretty much have a lot of explaining to do. Enlighten me."

"How do I start this?"
"Would you like me to start instead, Terezi? If you'd like, I'm more than willing to."
"Okay, that sounds good."
"Excellent. Alright then - Vriska, the low line is-"
"Bottom line, Kanaya," Terezi lazily corrected, a huff of air puffing from her mouth. "If I let Kanaya explain this, we'll be here all morning. Nevermind. We mean to say that we are magical. We have magic powers that let us fight monsters like the one you saw tonight," Terezi said simply, her expression in her passive "creepy-ass-grin" state. "Those monsters like to fester on the feelings of innocent and not-so-innocent trolls who wind up trapped in their worlds. Usually, trolls never leave those vortexes once they get sucked in. You should have died tonight," she said, the words falling like heavy raindrops. Vriska swallowed thickly, her hand going to trail absently through her hair. It unnerved her, how Terezi could say that so flatly, but then again this is Terezi she's talking with here. The moment she finished thinking that, though, she caught a concerned look on Terezi's face, a slight downward tug on her lips. Vriska blinked in surprise. She'd never seen anything... well, she'd never seen Terezi actually caring actively about the fate of other people. The expression looked alien on her friend's face, and Vriska almost shook her head to stop thinking about it. It was good to know, that Terezi could show a shred of empathy for her, but like hell would she be caught getting sentimental over this. The only way she thought of how to react was to do so in a predictable way - they were probably waiting for a trite line of hers, anyway. May as well deliver.

"What can I say? I am the luckiest troll in Alternia," she said in a completely modest manner. Kanaya and Terezi both looked annoyed instantly.

"Oh please do not even start with this nonsense," Kanaya said irritably. "Our familiar was simply in the area and mentally communicated with us so that we might know that an enemy was about to kill a troll. Luck has nothing to do with this."
"Luck never has anything to do with anything," Terezi corrected, her mouth pursed. Vriska was too confused to even yell at her about that comment.

"Wait, slow the fuck down. What? What's a familiar? Are you two like, insane? Please don't tell me you're turning into Sollux of all trolls," Vriska rolled her eyes hugely, her expressive eyebrows moving with the motion. "I think the 'annoying as fuck clairvoyant douchebag' role is already taken, sorry!" She couldn't help but giggle at her description of Sollux, which her friends tactfully ignored. Kanaya did, however, begin to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Oh how could we be so wretched as to let that fact elude us," Kanaya said, but then looked somewhat concerned. "If you did not catch that, I was attempting to accentuate my displeasure by saying the contrary of what I intended to mea-"
"Yes, Kanaya!" Vriska interrupted impatiently. "I think everyone here understands basic sarcasm except for you. Can you stop stalling and get to explaining what the actual fuck you mean by all of this?" She hit Kanaya lightly on the back of the head.

"Very well, I will do so if you do not cause me physical harm again," Kanaya said bitterly, rubbing the back of her head. Terezi butt in before Kanaya could begin trying to articulate what they wanted to tell Vriska.

"I hate to say it Vriska- well, no, actually I don't hate to say it, but I've told you everything that you asked for! We're magical, check. We fight monsters, check. You're alive, check," Terezi shrugged indifferently. "What else is there to know?"

Vriska rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Well obviously I want to know stuff that actually makes sense!"

"I'm sorry, you were just trapped in a complete clusterfuck of a world for about an hour. I think this makes plenty of sense compared to that."

"Yeah, but not really! Sorry, but I'm just drowning in all the sense this isn't making!"

vriska, stop being impossible

All three girls jumped in surprise. Kanaya cast a look to Terezi, who naturally didn't return the glance. "You hear our familiar as well, Vriska?" Kanaya ventured, her head tilted. Vriska shook her head roughly.

"Oh, that thing's your familiar? Your collective crazy voice?"

"Hey!" Terezi said as Kanaya frowned deeply.

"No, it merely communicates to us telepathically. Us meaning magical girls. Erm," Kanaya looked at a loss. Terezi's face scrunched up considerably.

"That means that it's probably looking to recruit you, too, Vriska," said Terezi, her words measured. She chewed her lip momentarily, her form hunched over. "I don't know - would you want to become a magical girl?"

Vriska perked up, suddenly interested. "Uh, yeah! It's no fun if you just get to watch everyone fight with magic powers while you're just a blandy bland pants," she said, pushing a chunk of her hair out of her face. "So it wants me to be magical too? Fine by me! Sign me right up!" Vriska went to stand up, but Terezi grabbed her hand.

Vriska caught her eyes, and Terezi's expression was complicated. Her eyebrows were knit at the center, with something that may have been concern. "You really need to think this out, Vriska. You would have to risk your life. Every day. I think you should watch us fight for a bit more," she said, and Kanaya nodded her immediate agreement. Vriska frowned.

"Ugh, fine! I know that both of you'll just whine at me if i do what I want," Vriska groaned, relaxing back into the couch. "I'll hold off my decision. For now. Aren't I just gracious?" She smiled fakely and rolled over, laying down on her friend's laps. Terezi shifted obnoxiously (and definitely on purpose!) and made Vriska's head bob up and down. She scowled and was going to bite something out to her, but Kanaya put her hand on her head soothingly. Vriska blinked and saw the two of them - her best friends, really - both hovering above her, two different smiles on their faces. She couldn't help but smile back.

Her life couldn't possibly be terrible, she thought. Not with these two girls sitting by her side, no matter how silly and ridiculous the both of them were. Sure, Kanaya was overbearing and fussy and liked to pick pieces of lint off her clothes in public. Sure, Terezi was weird and now blind and probably had an embarrassingly huge justice fetish.
Vriska found herself not caring. These were her friends, and they were strong, and they cared about her and didn't judge her too harshly whenever she accidentally (or even on purpose) stepped on people's toes. They wouldn't think of calling her a monster for all of her necessary misdeeds. They wouldn't leave her side, or stab her in the back.

No, she thinks. Her eyes flutter shut and she can hear how Kanaya's breathing slows and she can tell how Terezi's body slackens. Vriska falls limp, too, and she can only think about how she has to have all the luck in the world, to have loyal friends like these. She curls up and, though nothing beats her recuperacoon, she can't bring herself to leave her friends here on the couch, and she doesn't particularly feel like getting up. She doesn't remember falling asleep, but before she knows it, gentle moonlight replaces the harsh sunlight that was peeking through the curtains, and she stirs.

When she wakes up, she's surprised remember that her dreams were left untouched by nightmares.