So...gigapause...
Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.
Dancing was never something that came naturally to Kanaya Maryam. Whether the dance be with bodies or with words, she was simply terrible. Her speech was elegant, yes, but it was so much so that it easily failed to properly intertwine with that of her companions. Occasionally, she would be able to carry on a beautiful debate, but she was generally too passive for such matters. As for physically dancing, no one had ever bothered to show her how, as silly as that excuse was. Then again, she was not particularly interested in learning. She did not see how such a skill could possibly be useful in life, especially when life required her to carry a chainsaw masquerading as lipstick at all times. All she needed were the skills required to ensure her happiness and, more importantly, her survival. However, sometimes she did regret not taking a more active interest in the fine arts. Sewing and horticulture had been excellent hobbies to entertain her time, but she had times when she found herself wishing that she had taken the time to refine her skills in the arts (other than her sketching, of course). No, dancing did not come naturally to Kanaya Maryam. In fact, it did not come to her at all. She did not know how, and only infrequently had a fleeting moment of regret. Why, then, was she learning to dance now? Why was she allowing Karkat to curse her and swear at her as he tried to show her both the basic and advanced mechanisms of the art of dance? The answer to that question was always going to be very complex, and a story must be told to fully explain how she came to be here. It began a time ago that is both long and short, each adjective being equally irrelevant. Yet this story, as well, must inevitably continue into the uncertain mists of the future. However, such thoughts were too troubling for Kanaya to consider at the moment. She rather liked to think of one option (loved to, really), but the other was all too dauntingly terrifying to the troll. Thus, she feared and shied around the latter and, by extension, the former. What might these potential options be? To reach this interesting subject, the story must first have its beginning.
As luck would have it, a glitch in Sburb altered the alpha timeline considerably. The glitch was simple: a rift. A hole opened, a gap in reality through which two sessions could "safely" intertwine. These sessions just so happened to be those under the debatable leadership of Karkat Vantas and the Egbert-Harley-Lalonde-Strider equal-opportunity democracy. With the invasion of troll-prototyped foes that generated more grist than they knew what to do with, the humans ascended the echeladder rapidly, all achieving god tier before long. Jade, after she prototyped her dream self with Becquerel, had no dream self to reach god tier with, so she ended up taking Jadesprite's body, keeping Becquerel's ears as an ever-present reminder of her good dog and best friend. Once the humans reached god tier and mounted even those rungs, they found that they still could not defeat Jack, and Jade had been forced to teleport Rose away after her friend had gone Grimdark and attempted to fight Jack on her own, supposedly prompted by the discovery of the death of her mother. Jade had only done so because a death battling the evildoer would have surely earned Rose martyrdom and a permanent demise. But regardless of this development, the humans had fled their session and discovered the trolls' meteor. There they were gathering their strength and biding their time. With six god tiers (the humans, Vriska, and Aradia, who had achieved god tier after destroying herself and found a way to rejoin the group) and ten battle-ready trolls, there was a high probability of victory, but also one of casualties. Thus, Karkat had set up a training schedule that everyone was required to follow on pain of being screamed at for three hours by a short troll with nubby horns. Aforementioned troll was, at the moment, pounding on Kanaya's door, shouting a string of his favorite profanities. Kanaya sighed and closed her novel.
"Yes, Karkat, I will be right with you!" she called, setting the book on her desk beside the sketchbooks and turning off the lamp, leaving her chambers lit by the overhead light. She stood and walked to her door, then opened it. Karkat rudely pushed his way into her room. She had stopped using most troll terms when the humans had come and replaced all troll facilities with human ones, including the trolls' sleeping arrangements, which had really always been human "beds" because they had already been there and it was too expensive to alchemize anything else. All of the trolls had actually ceased their use of the majority of their own language in an unspoken but unanimous decision to not overwhelm the humans with their culture, as they were less robust than the trolls were in all manners of speaking. The trolls feared that any culture shock would kill the creatures. Kanaya, however, could not dwell on such matters. She had to listen to her leader.
"You're supposed to be training right now!" Karkat told her angrily as he finished his rant. Kanaya checked her clock.
"My apologies, Karkat. I was reading, and had lost track of time."
"Oh bullshit!" Kanaya frowned, as she had spoken the pure truth. "You're just lucky Serket lost track, too, because as much as I try, I can't scream at two nook-whiffs at once unless they're in the same general area!"
"I will go on to the training area now," Kanaya said, as she was already wearing the training clothes she had designed and made for everyone. Although they had suggested she alchemize, she had insisted, saying that they must make more weapons and that it would be a welcome project. "Oh and Karkat, could you perhaps not give Eridan the responsibility of washing the laundry anymore? I was walking past the laundry room last week and I saw him smuggling out some of Feferi's—"
"I don't need to know, I really don't," Karkat growled. "I'll take care of it. Just go train," so Kanaya hurried away, deeper into the meteor, through the stale passages, pondering the oddity that was her (currently ill-tempered) leader until she reached a white door. She put her hand on the pad and it opened; all doors in the meteor opened at the touch of any of the trolls' or humans' hands. Sollux was working on encrypting person-specific locks for certain chambers.
"Well well well, look who finally decided to make her appearance!" Vriska smirked. Kanaya sighed.
"Yes, hello to you as well, Vriska," she said. Vriska, like herself, was wearing a tight-fitting white tank top and white shorts that fell to mid-thigh: clothes that showed blood of any hue. "Shall we engage?"
"Why not? May as well humor the moron," Kanaya repressed a growl but could not restrain the fire in her eyes. "Oh, my bad. Sorry if that pissed you off. Let me start over. May as well humor your moirail, whom you blatantly swiped from several potential suitors," Kanaya's eyes narrowed.
"Karkat chose me," she hissed. "I did not swipe anyone."
"Is that how the others see it?" Vriska calmly antagonized, examining her own fingernails casually.
"Since when do you care?" Kanaya asked, trying to maintain a level head and easily succeeding. Reason often won out in her.
"Since when do you not, fussyfangs?" Vriska threw the old nickname at her, meeting her eyes directly.
"Since you are so interested, I did discuss it with the others. They are quite alright with it," Kanaya told her, not breaking eye contact.
"That you know of," her ex-moirail and former flushed crush replied easily.
"Are we sparring or aren't we?" Kanaya asked.
"Admitting defeat, Maryam?" Vriska grinned.
"Most certainly not. I simply believe that our energy should be spent on constructive action rather than these petty words," Kanaya replied.
"I couldn't agree more," Vriska replied, still not breaking that sacred eye contact. They began to circle, cautiously at first, then more aggressively. Kanaya could see them as two rabid barkfriends, each trying to close in on the other and make the kill. Vriska was the one to make the first move, growing impatient with the waiting game. She lunged forward, but her tactic was flawed. Kanaya dodged and grabbed the arm Vriska had tried to punch her with, spinning her to the ground. Vriska did not release any sound whatsoever as Kanaya straddled her and attempted to pin her arms above her head. She failed, as Vriska rolled and pinned her, but Kanaya kicked her away and was on her feet in an instant, as was Vriska. This time, Kanaya slammed her fist into Vriska's face, but the spidertroll slid behind her and slammed her into the wall. Kanaya felt a wound open on her forehead, but she was undaunted. She braced herself against the wall and sprang back, hurling herself and Vriska onto the ground. She heard Vriska crack her head and hoped the other troll was alright. Kanaya rolled and pinned Vriska again, but this time, Vriska's eyes were slightly glazed. Kanaya noticed a rapidly growing pool of blood, even as she felt her own blood stain her shirt. Still, Vriska forced her off and they stood, each bracing herself on the other's shoulders, trying to gain the upper hand. The battle was destined to be short-lived, though. The door opened to reveal the figure of Jade Harley.
"Guys, Karkat's called a meeting!"
"Right when we're getting to the fun part, right Kanaya?" Vriska panted with a manic grin. Kanaya nodded with a smile, all foul feelings visibly forgotten.
"And after he went through the trouble of coming to fetch me from my room, too," slowly, they stepped away from each other, still wary.
"Come on, hurry!" Jade grabbed their hands and pulled them through the meteor, but Kanaya pulled away when she reached the stairway leading to her chambers. "Kanaya?"
"I need to change," she said. "I greatly value my appearance."
"Oh blah blah," Vriska rolled her eyes.
"You two can go ahead; I'll be right there," Kanaya insisted.
"We'll wait," Jade caught Vriska's wrist and gave her a meaningful glare. Kanaya slid down the corridor and through her door. She swiftly stripped out of her sparring clothes, then looked in the mirror at her head wound. The damage appeared to be minimal, and the bleeding had already stopped.
"Come on, fussyfangs! Hurry up!" Vriska shouted. Kanaya sighed and changed into her casual outfit, then followed Jade and Vriska to the room dubbed as the parlor, noticing idly that Vriska's blood was ceasing to flow as well. The parlor consisted of several comfortable armchairs and couches and was their conference room and their casual room; it served many purposes on the meteor.
"Look who finally decided to join us, some more bulge-breathed buffoons," Karkat said from his position, standing in front of the crowd. "Sit down!" so they did. Kanaya found herself seated between Jade and Nepeta. "It's been three months since the humans came here, and they've done a fucking fantastic job of being the biggest invasive species this meteor has ever known. And Terezi, I don't care how many species this meteor has known! The humans ripped out our troll shit and put in their human shit. How fucking kind."
"He said he didn't care," Jade muttered.
"But regardless, we obviously now have a fucking crisis on our hands. This chute-stuffing zit-pipe," Karkat indicated John, "just introduced a damn ectobiological plague into the human wing," over the angry shouts of Rose and Jade and the ironic observation of Dave, Karkat continued, "so the invasive pests will need the spare rooms," Kanaya and Nepeta exchanged a glance of fear for their thin-skinned companions.
The spare rooms were a series of dark, gloomy, barely lit chambers, each more infested with pests than the last. There was no electricity, no warmth, and no running water down there in the bowels of the meteor. Even airborne enemies, reminders of Sgrub that had somehow made it onto the meteor, meandered around. The walls were gray stone with peeling, moldy black wallpaper, and moldy white tiles paved the floors. Water dripped and trickled everywhere, and voices echoed from everywhere else except there, where all was dead silent except for the sounds of water and scurrying feet. Occasional screeches penetrated the gloom. The only beds were lumpy cots with no bedding whatsoever, and there were no doors, leaving those inside susceptible to the rather frequent attacks of the flying fiends. Kanaya knew because she and Nepeta had gone alone on the expedition that had discovered the spare rooms, and they had been lucky to make it back out alive. Only Nepeta's cry for help, answered by Equius and several others, had saved them from being overwhelmed. They had both spent several days in the infirmity. Kanaya still had the scars to prove it.
"Karkat," she said calmly, "you are well aware that such a proposition is extremely preposterous, as the humans would either perish or be unrecognizably damaged within a matter of what we consider nights."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence!" John told her. Kanaya shrugged modestly.
"I could have said hours, John. Would you rather I have said hours? After all, that is a more realistic estimate."
"Isn't there somewhere else we could stay?" Jade asked. "I don't know what these spare rooms are like, but if Kanaya thinks they're bad..."
"I agree. Kanaya's a total badass," Dave nodded.
"If some troll is willing to share quarters with you idiots, be my guest," Karkat replied with a roll of his eyes.
"I'll take Jade! I'd hate to see someone as adorable and shippable as her get mauled!" Nepeta offered immediately, beaming at the human.
"And I'll take John," Vriska said. "I mean, the idiot has been decent to me."
"Heehee, Dave, you're all mine!" Terezi cackled. Karkat scowled at this.
"So Rose is going down alone?" Karkat asked. Kanaya swallowed hard. She knew what she had to do, and she didn't like it one bit. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and forced a smile. "Well, it wasn't nice knowing—"
"I will accept Rose into my chambers until the plague passes," she said hesitantly. Rose gave her an odd look, but said nothing.
"Okay, great. We've got four pairs of pubescent people sharing space. What could possibly go wrong?" Dave asked. Everyone chuckled at his comment.
"I will retire now," Kanaya stood.
"I'll go with you. I need to get acquainted with my new surroundings," Rose rose with her. Kanaya resisted the urge to bite her lip worriedly, as the last time she had done it, she had drawn blood for losing self control with her various thoughts.
"Of course," Kanaya replied uneasily, leading Rose through the meteor. The transportalizers were down forever, as Sollux used their heavy flow of power to feed his various projects.
"You seemed rather hesitant to allow me to stay with you," Rose said exactly what Kanaya had hoped she would not. It took all of her self control to not freeze up, to keep walking. "Any particular reason?"
"I do not particularly like sharing space," she lied.
"Mm. Kanaya, you're a terrible liar."
"I know," she sighed.
"So...why were you hesitant?" Rose asked. Kanaya looked away, knowing that she could not lie.
"I would very much prefer to maintain certain information in a manner that—"
"Kanaya, are you trying to tell me you're keeping this trivial information a secret?" Kanaya bristled.
"It is not trivial!" she growled. Rose frowned.
"I asked a simple question," the human said. "Do you mean that there's some deep motive behind your refusal?"
"That is exactly what I mean," Kanaya was calming, albeit at a fairly slow rate. "Can we please leave this subject alone?"
"Certainly, for now," Rose replied. Kanaya was not reassured. Her mind far from being at ease, the troll took a sudden turn down a steep stairwell. "Your quarters are down here?" Rose asked in obvious shock. "There are bedrooms down here?"
"Yes, but only mine," Kanaya admitted.
"Why would you want to live alone?" Rose asked, surprised.
"Well...I prefer to be in solitude because my companions have a tendency to involve me in their caliginous relationships. I am exhausted from constant auspisticing, and would very much like to be left alone except for red relationships," she replied.
"So what does that make me?" Rose teased with a smile.
"A human who would have otherwise suffered many a painful and possibly deadly mauling," Kanaya told her, returning the smile and continuing to walk, followed by Rose. "We have arrived," she put her hand to the pad beside the door and it opened to reveal her chambers, which were honestly very comfortable. There was a large bed, a moderately sized desk, a comfortable chair at the desk, a full-length mirror, a dresser, and an actual closet that was always full of Kanaya's latest creations. The desk had a drawer that was overflowing with designs, and several sketchpads were stacked on the desktop. The nightstand beside her bed held a watch with holographic capabilities. It could be used to call others at all times, assuming they had theirs and were willing to respond.
"Where am I going to sleep?" Rose asked. Kanaya had not considered the problem.
"I could alchemize a bed..." she said.
"Don't talk bullshit, there's no way that's fitting," Rose replied.
"I could cut mine in half," she offered her second suggestion.
"That would only cause more problems. I'll just sleep on the floor."
"No, I will," Kanaya said immediately. "You are only a human."
"That's highly offensive," Rose replied.
"I did not mean it to be," Kanaya told her. "It is simply a fact. Your species is less robust than mine."
"Sleeping on the floor isn't exactly my or anyone's idea of harsh conditions," the human pointed out.
"No," Kanaya agreed, "but your species is more prone to physical damage. Mine is more resilient. I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging."
"Not at all," Rose assured her.
"Was that some of your human sarcasm?" Kanaya asked.
"Miss Maryam, you have become quite excellent at detecting human sarcasm. And no, that wasn't another example. I admit to the first count, though."
"Mm," Kanaya went about tidying up her (already practically spotless) living space.
"Kanaya, what are you doing? Are you...cleaning?" Rose asked incredulously.
"Why yes, Rose, that is exactly what I am doing," she smiled. Rose sighed.
"This is literally the cleanest room on this God-forsaken meteor. You don't need to clean, believe me."
"But Rose—!" she tried to protest.
"Hush. Have you ever seen John's room?" Kanaya shook her head. "Lucky you. It was a disaster zone, even before he accidentally unleashed the plague," the troll chuckled.
"Still, I was not expecting you to stay or even come here," she said.
"So? You keep your room perfectly clean," Rose replied. Kanaya almost blushed at the flattery.
"In any case, this wing is mine. I have several rooms here," Kanaya left her bedchamber and went across the hall. "This is the lavatory, conveniently nearby. It, along with the rest of the meteor, has human facilities," she turned away from the stairs to the remaining two doors and the end of the hall, where there was another door. Kanaya opened the door on the same side as her bedroom, revealing a sewing workshop with various projects and fabric swaths that were neatly arranged but still disorganized. Closing this door by pressing her hand to the pad again, Kanaya turned to its partner across the hall, opening it and revealing a room under a false sun. There were plants and there was dirt, and it seemed very much like a spot of wilderness.
"It's like the environment rooms," Rose realized. "How and why did you make it?"
"I made it with the help of several of my companions because I greatly miss my garden on Alternia," she replied, turning to the door at the end of the hall. "This leads to a fully functional kitchen and dining area, allowing me to cook my own meals, if that is necessary."
"All this and no spare bedroom?" Rose asked incredulously as they returned to the bedroom.
"No. There are only sixteen beds on this meteor, excluding the spare rooms," Kanaya told her, "although Nepeta has a two-story bed. That arguably changes the number to seventeen."
"About those spare rooms," Rose began. "What makes them so bad?" so Kanaya pulled up her shirt to show Rose the scar on the right side of her stomach: a nasty affair that jaggedly marred her skin in a three-pronged attack stretching from beneath the top of her skirt to the middle of her ribs. She was barely showing half of the scar. She pulled her shirt down and straightened it.
"I earned that fighting a lich from Sgrub that made the spare rooms its home, along with hundreds if not thousands of its fellow Sgrub adversaries. The spare rooms are the lowest level of this meteor, lower than the power supplies, the filters, the water reservoirs. Nepeta and I were sent on an expedition to explore this lowest level, but we barely made it back alive. Karkat was in a poor mental condition for some time after that. He blamed himself for our misfortune," Kanaya said.
"Even with all your fighting skills?" Rose asked in terrible awe.
"Yes," Kanaya replied. "After that, we on the meteor began to realize some serious changes needed to come about to keep us safe. That was when Karkat implemented his sparring schedule, and we have been following it since."
"And Karkat is your moirail, correct?" Rose asked. Kanaya nodded. "And...did you say Vriska was your ex-moirail?" she nodded again, more hesitantly. "I take it there is more to that story than meets the eye."
"Yes," Kanaya admitted, "but I am not comfortable with sharing such details."
"Especially with a puny human," Rose guessed.
"Especially with anyone except Karkat," Kanaya corrected.
"Anyhow, it's getting closer to sleeping time," since there was no sun, dawn and dusk did not exist on the meteor. "I'd like to say pleasant dreams to my fellow humans."
"I will wait here and attempt to arrange a bed for myself," Kanaya said with a smile.
"Please don't. Can't we just share?" Rose asked.
"No. That suggestion makes me highly uncomfortable, as the sharing of a sleeping space is an intimate act generally reserved for matesprits," Kanaya replied, turning away and moving to the desk to straighten her sketchpads. Rose sighed.
"I just feel so bad about letting you sleep on the floor," she said softly.
"I suppose I will walk up to the main level with you," Kanaya ended the topic, knowing that leaving was the best way to prevent Rose from prodding further. "I would also like to say pleasant dreams to my fellow trolls," she took her watch from the nightstand, fastened it to her wrist, and left the room, followed by Rose. They returned to the parlor to find Eridan and Nepeta in a heated debate.
"What do you mean, you won't ship me?" Eridan was shouting.
"I mean, I can't ship you! You aren't shippable!" Nepeta shouted back.
"What!" Eridan replied angrily, clenching his fists. Kanaya noticed that Nepeta's claws were out and ready for action.
"Nepeta," Equius said, touching her shoulder. "Purrhaps we should leave this vicinity to allow the seadweller to relax," Nepeta relaxed and smiled.
"You said 'purrhaps'," she said as Equius led her out. Rose went to the couch where Jade, Dave, and John were seated while Kanaya approached her fearless leader.
"Hello, Karkat," she greeted him. He grunted unhappily so she sat in the large armchair, which barely accomodated both of them. "Is something wrong?"
"Everything's fine," he grumbled. "Go away."
"No, it isn't," she knew her moirail well enough to know when he was not feeling his best, in any way. "Is this about Terezi and Dave?"
"Shut up," he told her.
"So it is," he muttered an indistinct profanity. "Karkat, you know very well that, with the humans only having been here a month, we are all still trying to accomodate them into our quadrants in some form or another."
"'We'?" he asked, cutting off her further speech.
"I mean, as a species," she clarified. "I do not know if you or I will find the space for these aliens, but we have to try."
"Do we?" Karkat mumbled, looking down. "Sometimes I wonder if we'd have done better to leave them to fend for themselves. It would certainly put a lot of worry out of my mind. I wouldn't have to worry about you, or anyone else," Kanaya noticed a discreet and most likely involuntary glance at Terezi, but said nothing. "Don't you think?"
"No," she smiled. "I am thankful that we met them, because they are wonderful people, even if their horns are nubbier than yours," she told Karkat. He smiled faintly. "And they may be the only people who can help us rebuild our race. Did you consider that? Everything in this game happens for a reason. Maybe the humans hold the key to unlocking a new universe, where we can rebuild our species."
"Maybe..." Karkat said. "But did they all have to come?" Kanaya sighed.
"I know very well what you think of Dave, but you have to stop. If we are ever going to defeat Jack Noir, we must have some sort of unity in our hearts. We already have a strong leader in you, but that isn't all that wins a war," she said. "Victory takes more than courage, combat skills, and determination. It takes a people united by a cause and a fire in their hearts, and a people who don't bicker over trivial matters such as those you argue with Dave over."
"Can we call him the Dave Human? Just to each other?" he requested.
"You already know my answer to that, Karkat. I objected to such titles as soon as you felt a need for them had arisen," Kanaya chuckled.
"I know, I know," he replied. "But, just between moirails..."
"Hm?" Kanaya smiled as he turned to her.
"...I only ever wanted to call them that to deny their rights as people," he rested his head comfortably on her shoulder. "I was kind of scared, I guess, about what they might do to us? Especially after the prototyping disaster, even though that was Vriska's fault. Don't tell the others, about me being scared."
"Of course not," Kanaya slid an arm around him and hummed a soft lullaby, feeling him slowly drift off. She smiled and watched as everyone slowly departed to go to their various beds, calling out to each other to have pleasant dreams. Rose approached, the only one left in the room, and raised an eyebrow.
"Is he alright?" she asked softly.
"Just tired," Kanaya replied at an equally quiet volume. "You go ahead back, I'll join you as soon as he wakes up," but she never got the chance; she fell asleep within an hour.
At waking time the next day, Kanaya opened her eyes to find that she was still in the chair, with Karkat still asleep on her shoulder. She knew it was the day for John and Feferi to train first, so she and her moirail could stay for a bit longer.
When he did open his eyes, he sat up and looked at her, then looked at her again and checked his watch.
"Oh fuck, did I keep you here all night?" she nodded. "Oh fuck...I'm sorry, Kanaya..."
"For what?" she replied with a smile. "I was asleep, as well. Also, it was simply a test of our new bond of moirallegience."
"Did we pass?" he asked.
"Of course," Kanaya told him. Karkat stood and helped her up, and they headed into the dining area, where something that smelled suspiciously like sopor was burning.
"Alright, who the fuck is cooking?" Karkat shouted. Everyone looked up.
"Have enough cuddle time?" Vriska taunted.
"Don't even start that shit," Karkat spat back. "Now who's cooking?" Gamzee poked his head out of the kitchen.
"Oh hey, my miraculous bro!" he grinned. Kanaya growled instinctively at the sight of the troll.
"Yeah, the juggalo troll's cooking today," Dave said as said troll vanished.
"No he is not," Kanaya corrected, finding that her lipstick was in her hand as she stormed into the kitchen.
"Kanaya? Whoa, hey, Kanaya!" Karkat grabbed her arm. "Put the lipstick away!"
"Oh hey, motherfuckers!" Gamzee smiled. "What tasty munchies can I get up in your protein chutes tonight?"
"Gamzee you repulsive clown, we are using human terms now, and it is not night!" Kanaya informed him.
"Whoa, hey, what's wrong there, sis?" he asked.
"Your hygiene is horrible! You should not be within twenty feet of this kitchen! And your fashion sense is apalling! Also, you are the only one not taking our training seriously! And I am not your 'sis'!" Kanaya shouted. Although she had no black feelings for him, something about Gamzee just set her on edge whenever she was near him. Her lipstick became a chainsaw in a moment.
"Kanaya!" Karkat shouted as Feferi and Aradia raced into the kitchen, just in case the jade-blood decided to maul Gamzee. They were the self-appointed doctors of the meteor.
"What?" Kanaya growled to Karkat.
"What happened to unity? You were just talking about unity last night! If the union includes Strider, it includes him!" he pointed at Gamzee, who waved. The wave did not help Kanaya's elevated aggression level. "Come on! Kanaya, calm down!" then he whispered in her ear a word she had hardly ever heard from him. "Please?" slowly, her mood eased from murderous to a more passive form of angry. Her chainsaw reverted to lipstick form and took its home in her strife specibus again. Karkat jerked his head at Feferi and Aradia, who took the hint and hauled Gamzee out to the curious crowd.
"Karkat...thank you," Kanaya said softly. He nodded. "Tell the others that it will be a short while before breakfast is ready, as I have to clean now," he departed to deliver the news.
"Kanaya?" she turned to see Jade. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, although I fear," she sighed and withdrew a scorched sopor pie from the oven, "that our kitchen is not," Jade bit her lip for a moment, then stood at attention.
"Private Harley, ready for action! Just tell me what to do," between the two of them, they soon had a delicious breakfast buffet laid out.
"Oh boy, that sure does look good!" Feferi exclaimed. Nepeta just grinned and dove in. As idle chatter filled the dining area, Kanaya sampled one of the omelets she and Jade had concocted. It was delicious, and soon gone. When the jade-blood had eaten her fill, she looked around. Nepeta was scratching behind one of Jade's dog ears, and the human was grinning in response, which was an adorable sight. Terezi was telling some elaborate tale to Dave, who was still eating. Rose and Aradia were involved in a discussion that seemed quite deep. Feferi and Eridan were having a mild argument, but both seemed lighthearted. Karkat and Sollux were chatting as Karkat continued to shovel food into his mouth. Vriska was speaking animatedly to Equius as he nodded and continued to eat, and Tavros and Gamzee were exchanging words while both continued to have their breakfast. Kanaya smiled and relaxed, happy that her friends were enjoying themselves.
After they left, taking all their fun and conversation with them, Kanaya sighed and looked around. Every day was the same. She cooked the meals, then cleaned up after them, and no one thanked her. She didn't mind that part, though; her former job as everyone's auspistice had taught her that some duties in life simply went without thanks. The part she minded was that no one ever offered to help her clean up.
As she was washing the last dish, Feferi poked her head into the kitchen.
"Hi, Kanaya! It's movie night! We're voting now. You almost done?" she asked with a bright smile.
"Yes," Kanaya replied, setting the dish in the rack so it would dry properly. "I will be there momentarily," as Fefreri left, she took off the rubber gloves she had alchemized to keep her hands safe while they were under the assault of hot water and dish soap, set them aside, and exited the kitchen, going out and through the parlor into the movie room, which had a large television screen and many blankets.
"Okay fuckasses, which one?" Karkat asked. "Troll or human? Oh and Kanaya, it's romcom night."
"Your favorite," she teased, smiling. Karkat shrugged modestly.
"Human, hands up," about twelve hands went into the air. "As always, human wins. And the movie is...Leap Year!"
"Yes!" John shouted happily.
"Fix!" Eridan complained.
"Oh shut up!" Karkat told him as everyone began to disperse. As Kanaya left to go to her chambers and change her clothes, she noticed the four humans talking and shooting her an occasional glance, but thought nothing of it.
Rose was very confused.
Kanaya had first been hesitant to allow Rose to stay with her, even though they were friends, then she had blatantly ignored her at breakfast. What was wrong? She walked over to where John, Jade, and Dave were talking. They greeted her immediately.
"Yes, hi," she said. "Have any of you noticed Kanaya acting oddly? No, John, don't...ugh," she groaned as he turned and stared at the troll.
"No, why?" Jade asked. "Has she been?"
"Well...yes," Rose replied. Dave smirked. "What?"
"Nothing at all," he said, still smirking. Rose rolled her eyes.
"Maybe she's just having some kind of troll issue?" Jade suggested. "She seemed fine when I helped her make breakfast."
"Maybe she's keeping secrets!" John suggested.
"Maybe," Rose said hesitantly, knowing that she was indeed. "But I think there's more to it than that."
"Then why don't you talk to her about it?" Jade suggested.
"I don't think she'll tell me anything," Rose replied.
"You can always try!" Jade told her brightly.
"I...guess," Rose sighed. "But it's really weird...the only reason she let me stay with her is so I wouldn't get mauled and possibly killed by what's in the spare rooms. She won't even sleep in the bed! According to her, the sharing of a sleeping space is only for matesprits."
"Well...I guess that makes me and Vriska matesprits?" John said. "She let me share her bed last night."
"Yeah, Terezi, too," Dave nodded.
"Nepeta has a bunk bed, so I wouldn't know," Jade told them. "Rose, you might want to talk to Kanaya and see why she's acting like this."
"So...you think she lied to me?" Rose asked.
"I think there's a story behind her new behavior," Jade said, "and that Dave knows more than he's letting on," she glared at him.
"So what if I do?" he shrugged.
"So Rose deserves to know!" Jade told him.
"She can figure it out," he replied easily.
"Dave!" Jade whined, giving him her patented Jade Harley Adorable Puppy Eyes. Amazingly, he managed to reject them, but only by turning away.
"Rose, you're missing your chance," John said as Kanaya left.
"I can talk to her later. We are sharing a room now," she pointed out.
"Hey!" John realized, snapping his fingers. "I just came up with the perfect way to prove that Kanaya told an untruth, about the matesprit thing!"
"Do tell," Dave said casually.
"She and Karkat slept in the chair last night, together, right? Well, they're only moirails!" he grinned. "If it was that big of a deal, I don't think they'd have ever let that happen!" Rose allowed that to sink in. Kanaya had apparently lied to her. Why? And why hadn't she caught it? Kanaya was, after all, a terrible liar. Rose remembered in a moment; the troll had been turned away from her at the time, masking any wavering tone to her voice and uncertainty in her eyes, not to mention the flush that always arose in her cheeks.
"Rose? Are you okay?" Jade asked.
"Fine. I'm fine. I'm going to go talk to Kanaya about this," she said, setting a swift pace as she walked away.
"Rose, wait!" Jade chased her. "She probably has a reason for all of this."
"I would very much like to know what that is," Rose replied.
"Don't be mad at her," Jade pleaded. "People do funny things sometimes, for funny reasons."
"I'm not angry, just...upset? Betrayed? Both," Rose decided. I'll be back, hopefully with some answers," she headed through the meteor's dimly lit passages to the stairwell that led to Kanaya's room. She headed down and paused. Did she really want to know? What if Kanaya was hiding some terrible secret? What if she was only trying to protect Rose? What if there was some sort of troll problem Rose could never understand?
Her thoughts were cut off as the door opened. Kanaya looked fresher, and her eyes widened with surprise as she saw Rose.
"R-Rose!" she exclaimed. "I was not expecting you to—"
"We need to talk," Rose brushed past her and sat on the bed. Kanaya remaiend standing until Rose told her to sit down, at which point she took her seat at the desk. "You said you wouldn't sleep in the bed with me because that's something only matesprits do, right?" Kanaya nodded. "Well, it's obviously not. Vriska and John shared a bed, Terezi and Dave shared a bed, and even you and Karkat shared a chair last night! Also, you completely ignored me at breakfast. Is this all part of your big secret?" Kanaya was obviously frozen. Rose saw how tense she was. "Well?" Kanaya nodded slowly. "Fine then. I just had to know," she stood, but Kanaya still seemed to be held captive. As she refused to move for several seconds, Rose grew worried. "Kanaya? Are you alright?" she didn't reply except for a slow nod. "Are you sure?" another nod. "Did I say something?" no response. Rose walked over and knelt beside her. "What's wrong?"
"My secret...you don't know it...do you?" Kanaya asked quietly. Rose scowled.
"Of course not," she replied. "Why?" Kanaya shook off her stupor and stood.
"Er, no reason," she smiled. "I need to speak to Karkat," as she walked away, Rose could not shake the feeling that Kanaya's secret involved her.
"Karkat?" Kanaya asked as she found her moirail typing.
"Go away, fuckass, I'm busy! Oh, it's you," he turned to face her. "What's up?"
"I...need to confide in someone," she said softly.
"Yeah, sure. That's what moirails are for, right? I tell you my feelings about Terezi, you tell me your shit. What is your shit?" he asked. Kanaya looked around and, upon seeing that the computer lab was empty, leaned closer to Karkat and mustered her courage to make her feelings leave her lips as words.
"I have flushed feelings...for Rose," she admitted quietly.
"No shit," he replied. She swatted his shoulder. "Ow! Okay, fine. You listened to me, so I'll listen to you. Plus, you are my moirail," she sighed and pulled up a chair.
"It began before they even joined us here, but I waved off the emotions as trivial. Now I know better," she said.
"Is that why you were so hesitant to let her stay with you?" Karkat asked. Kanaya nodded. "Why? That's like a fucking miracle...er, no reference to Gamzee intended," he added hastily.
"Because...I am afraid I may...do something," she admitted. "Something...stupid."
"Bullshit," Karkat replied. "You can't do anything stupid, you're one of the smartest people I know," she chuckled.
"Thank you for the flattery, but yes I can. I fear I may lose control around her," Kanaya said.
"Kanaya, you have better self-control than anyone on this fucking rock," he told her.
"Hm," she smiled. "Then I fear we are all doomed."
"No we aren't. Have some faith in yourself," he said gruffly. "And whatever you do, don't treat Rose any different than you would anyone else. She'll know something's up; she's smart like that, which is probably why you're flushed for her. Stop avoiding her like she's the plague and start treating her like a person. Who knows, she could even end up being flushed for you."
"Thank you, Karkat," Kanaya kissed his cheek and stood. "I appreciate this talk and your time."
"Yeah yeah," but she caught his smile. As she left, she passed Terezi, who was standing rather stiffly.
"Is something wrong, Terezi?" she asked.
"No," she replied with a slight growl. Kanaya knew something was, but she also knew that Terezi wouldn't talk, so she headed into the parlor.
"...really don't think that's it," Rose was saying.
"Sh, here she comes!" John said loudly.
"Wow, could you be any more obvious?" Jade asked as Kanaya passed them and paused. "Hi, Kanaya!" the human beamed.
"Yeah, we totally weren't just talking about you!" John told her happily. Jade groaned and slapped first her own face, then her ectobrother upside the head. "Ow!"
"I understand," Kanaya smiled. "You are confused about my recent behavior, correct?" they exchanged a glance, except Dave, who just kind of stoood there, being cool. "You needn't worry about it; it is simply a troll thing," she said in a partial truth.
"Oh, okay!" Jade said, John nodded, Dave did nothing, and Rose smiled slightly.
"Well that's a relief, I suppose. It's nothing bad, is it?" she asked.
"Oh, no!" Kanaya assured her. "Not at all!"
"Hey guys!" Aradia walked over to a chorus of varied greetings. "Kanaya, I have a project for you."
"Oh do you?" she asked with a smile.
"Er...yeah. You see...I think...I might be going on a date tomorrow night? And I don't have anything to wear!" she said.
"Well, where did he ask you to go?" Kanaya asked. Aradia grinned.
"The starry room! Can you help me? Oh please oh please oh please?" she begged.
"Of course. Come with me," she walked to a large ottoman, which opened to reveal a storage space. She took out her sketchpad and a pencil, then sat on a couch. "What would you like?" as Aradia described her dress in detail, Kanaya sketched it carefully.
"Do you think you can make it in time?" Kanaya just smiled and nodded. Aradia pulled her up and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much!" she hurried away and Kanaya looked down at her sketch, then went to her sewing room.
She had work to do.
"Finished."
After working on Aradia's dress for the remainder of the day (except for her scheduled training with Tavros) and most of the night, Kanaya was proud of her accomplishment. It was a slim gown with a flowing skirt and loose three-quarter length sleeves that fell off of the shoulders nicely. The background color was a rich shade of blue-gray, and Aradia's symbol was sewn onto the bodice prominently in the color of the Maid of Time's blood. Kanaya had also taken the time to craft flats to match the hue of the symbol. On the hem of the skirt, Kanaya had sewn a ring of the gears that represented the Time aspect. Each gear was precisely two inches in diameter, and they fit on the hem beautifully. Being the kind and caring friend she was, she had also sewn a tie for Sollux that was the color of Aradia's blood, because she knew he was the one who had asked her on the date and she knew he had a suit but no tie to match Aradia's dress.
After arranging the dress on a manikin and smoothing the tie over its shoulder, she turned out the lights and left the room. She headed to her bedroom and placed her hand on the pad. The door flew open with a whoosh and she winced. Walking in slowly and silently, she decided that she would not disturb Rose, that she would sleep on the floor.
The lamp by the bed turned on to reveal Rose sitting up in bed, arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.
"Kanaya, you shouldn't be up this late," Rose said.
"Neither should you," she pointed out.
"I wasn't up until I heard the door open. You, however, were up working all day and all night," Rose told her.
"You sound like a lusus," Kanaya teased tiredly.
"I sound like a concerned friend and, right now, roommate. You didn't even come up for the movie! Has this happened before?" the human asked.
"Well..." Kanaya stalled.
"Kanaya..." Rose glared.
"Yes," she admitted. "More than once."
"Mm. Come on, then. Get in bed," Rose said, sweeping down the sheets. Hesitantly, Kanaya joined her. Rose pulled the sheets back up and smiled at her. "Now get some sleep, okay?"
"But...oh! I forgot!" Kanaya remembered that the dress required a symbol on the back, too, to disguise the zipper, which she had alchemized to match Aradia's blood. As she tried to sit up, Rose caught her waist, holding her.
"No. Sleep. You'll have time to work more tomorrow," she insisted. Kanaya reluctantly relaxed. Rose released her waist and smiled slightly. "But I'm not going to sleep until you do."
"Alright," Kanaya smiled and closed her eyes. "Pleasant dreams, Rose."
"To you, as well."
It wasn't long before they were both asleep.