He couldn't move his wrists without suffering the pain of burning. Ropes tied his arms to his wheelchair. A dripping sound echoed in the small, but dark, space. He had only been conscious for a few minutes. A single candle burned at his feet - or, where his feet should have been. As his eyes adjusted, he realized with gory horror that his one hope to walk again had been taken. His legs were gone.

Moving his head to the side, he found that he couldn't look far before his horn scraped against a splintering wood wall. He moaned slightly, his heart speeding and attempting to escape from his chest. His eye caught her own strange blue one in the shadows just before she spoke.

"T8vros, you've been 8sleep so long, you l8zy bum. I didn't hit you th88888888t hard on the head, did I?" Tavros recoiled instantly, hunching over. It was her. "Not speaking to me, 8re you?" He saw her shiny fangs glow against the dark walls. At that moment she leaned away from the wall, taking a few steps into the light. She was as beautiful and sinister as he remembered her to be the last time they met. Dark locks fell to her lower back, and her eerie, gray complexion looked scarier in the light of the candle. Her blue lips remained smiling.

"wHAT, dID YOU DO," Tavros stuttered, his lisp heavy with exhaustion. He knew not how long he had been knocked out, nor how long Vriska had been watching him as he slumbered. He nearly jumped when she moved to straighten up, assuming a pace.

"No, 'How 8re you! Long time no see,' or, 8t the very least, a simple, 'Hello'?" she frowned. "I'm dis8appointed, Pupa." Vriska shook her head slowly, still walking to and fro in front of his chair. Every one of her movements appeared vile. Tavros refused to answer, only continued to watch her, one eye twitching. Stopping abruptly, Vriska leaned forward over Tavros, her hands clenching his arms as her face neared his. Her eyes were melancholy, but he knew better than to pity her. "Don't you c8re 8bout how I'm feeling?"

"nO," Tavros spat, although he had trouble making any of his words sting. However, he did manage to projectile his spit onto her face. She flushed angrily and backed up. Flipping her hair, she masked most of her anger and turned her attention back to the boy, smiling again. Obviously, she enjoyed watching him squirm.

"That hurts my feelings, you know." He watched very closely as her eyes trailed to the side. Following her vision, he glanced over. A closet door was slightly ajar, and a glint of steel winked at him from behind it.

Ignoring her remark, Tavros asked again, "wHERE, aRE MY LEGS,?" Vriska slowly turned her head back to him, her gaze falling to the bottom of his wheelchair.

"You mean those he8vy, useless chunks of met8l?" She forced her stare into his. "You don't need those, silly Pupa. You c8n flyyyyyyyy, remember?" He looked unamused. Vriska then mimicked a flying gesture, soaring around the room.

"PCHOOOOOOOO!" she slowed to a stop, laughing at her own joke. Stumbling a bit, her back hit the door to the closet, and sure enough, out fell the chainsaw. Tavros tried to mask his terror the way she could, his stare nervously jumping from the chainsaw to her. "Kanaya let me borrow it -" she began, leaning against the wall.

"bULL SHIT," he interrupted, straining against the ropes. Vriska rolled her eyes, kicking the chainsaw back into the closet. Tavros had begun to shake, but he would not stop yelling. "wHY, wOULD YOU DO THIS? wHY WOULD YOU STEAL MY ROBOTIC LEGS, mY LAST CHANCE, tO WALK AGAIN? wHY, dO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH?"

"Th8t's the thing, though, T8vros - I don't h8 you..." Vriska stepped slowly, deliberately in his direction, stopping next to his chair. She bent down, kissing his cheek lightly.

"...I love you."