One of the only good things that Karkat found from his position of official harem-slash-breeding slave was that no one ever expected him to be there when visiting parties arrived at the gates. Not only were the greeting ceremonies really boring, but he would have had to kneel at Eridan's feet the entire time. Degrading, subservient, the proper place for a lowly slave. Fuck the system, he was sure Sollux agreed.
"Thothe landlubberth all look weird."
"We're landdwellers too, shithead," Karkat said. "I was pretty sure that theory was proven when Eridan tried to drown you when we were five."
The greeting hall was shaped like an oval that had its top chopped off, the entrance sitting perfectly in the center of the far curvature of the outer wall. It was built as a tactical defensive and offensive point, Karkat had been told during his lessons, to make it difficult to break into as the curve gave the wall it's strength. If an enemy had somehow managed to make it in, then it would work as a choke point to push them all back out again. Along the straight edge of the hall was a massive doorway that led into the main palace, and above the gates was a balcony where one could view the entire area.
This was where Karkat and Sollux had decided to watch over the welcoming, close enough to intervene if shit went down, but far enough away that they would likely remain unnoticed. The robes of state they were disguised in helped with that goal too, nobody really paid attention to a pair of bored politicians.
Sollux had a point, though, Karkat had expected their guests to be more flamboyant.
"They're thothe clown cultithtth, you'd think it would be more like a thircuth in here. I heard from the cookth that they never went anywhere without at leatht a tent in their backpocketth."
"Stop stereotyping you social disaster. Seriously, how you even manage to charm secrets out of anybody remains a mystery to me."
"I'm really good at thucking bulge, you'd be amazed what cometh out of their mouth when they cum into yours."
"Goddamn social pariah, do you have no filter?"
"I would need thame firtht in order to inthtall that extenthion."
Karkat breathed heavily through his nose in frustration when the thunder of a thousand two-wheeled device horns erupted outside the doors. Cultists whooped in revelry as confetti and balloons were tossed around with the entrance of a pair of trolls, both tall and lanky with horns that twisted high above their heads. Both were draped with purple silk and gold, faces hidden by a mask shaped like a troll's skull. One was taller than the other, Karkat noticed, and walked with a more refined presence then the other whom loped behind the other, head twisting around as if to take in everything.
"Heh, Eridan lookth tho unnerved." Sollux said, elbowing Karkat's side. "About time that violet panthy geth a tathte of the joyth of being the actual printhe."
Karkat grunted in response, too focused on studying the new comers. Trolls were moving around at a rhythmic pace, it could be mistaken for a dance if it looked less like they were all convulsing from a mass hysteria seizure. The guards of the palace eyed them suspiciously, and Karkat fumed that some were allowing themselves to be too distracted to pay attention to the Ampora's.
When the two Prince's finally reached Dualscar and Eridan their masks were removed. Both had their faces painted in the style typical of subjugglators, white paint smeared in patterns across their faces. Karkat couldn't make out any exact details, they were much too far away for that, but the slouched ones looked like he could be smiling. Which was super creepy, like all clown cultists tended to be.
As Karkat studied them he noted the differences between the two. They both had messy hair, but the elders was longer and looked as though it had been mussed on purpose. The younger's clothes, on closer inspection, looked more ruffled and wrinkled, as though they had been thrown on without care. He kept moving his head lazily, as if looking for something. Between the two, Karkat felt safe hazarding the guess that the older would be the one conducting negotiations, as he seemed more put together then his younger. Kurloz and Gamzee Makara, these were the trolls he was supposed to get information from.
Dualscar half turned from his guests, motioning towards the entrance of the palace. He would take them to the banquet hall, and this was the cue he and Sollux had to go change into their slave garbs. The brothers turned to follow the Violet regent, and as Karkat made to turn the younger looked up and met his gaze. A smile split the purple bloods face, crawling up his cheeks and alighting his eyes.
His vision flickered and then he saw darkness, darkness and chains and a troll looming over his prone form. Narrow lips curved and parted, descending towards his ear. His heart hiccupped, slamming to a halt and then pounding a heavy beat against his ribs, as if trying to open a hole to free itself from... from what?
"Are you ready," the lips asked, breath tingling lightly against his ear, "to part your legs in welcome for the most mirthful of messiahs?"
Then he was on the floor, blinking up at a concerned looking Sollux. He shakily knocked his friends' hand from where it was papping at his cheek and pushed himself into an unsteady standing position. Sollux followed, offering assistance which Karkat rejected.
"What," Karkat said, then wet his lips, "what happened?"
"You're athking me?" Sollux responded, signaling a nearby guard to follow the Ampora's. "You just feinted, KK. Who even doeth that?"
"I saw- I saw something strange." His heart was still battering a panicked march inside his chest, and he took some deep breaths to help calm it.
"Strange?" Sollux said, tilting his head in a request to continue. Karkat just shook his head, as if to clear it.
"We don't have time for me to explain it, we should already be down in the banquet hall for the feast. It was nothing, past me is just an idiot," Karkat said, whipping down the hallway that led to their preparation chamber.
"If you thay tho," Sollux jogged to catch up, slowing to take one step for Karkat's every two. "Hey, do you think it would be funny if I made Eridan pop a wiggler at the banquet? He geth really exthited when I thtraddle his lap and move my hipth back an..."
"How many fucking times do I need to tell you to install a fucking filter?!"
When they finally stumbled into the banquet Dualscar leveled them an unimpressed stare before motioning them over. Sollux sauntered to Dualscar first, unapologetically grinning at the violet and their guests. Karkat was more reserved in his approach, taking a more graceful approach with solid steps to emphasis his own control. He was not a troll to be trifled with, and while Sollux was fine playing up the spoiled slave Karkat still had dignity he wanted to preserve.
He must have impressed some of their guests as he noted several of the cultists' faces following his path. With concise, practiced movements he bowed low to Dualscar, back straight and bending at the hips until his forehead was nearly touching his knees. Sollux only dreamed to be half as flexible. There were some appreciative hums as he straightened, again at the hips, enough curve in his back to hint at suggestion.
For the banquet there were two table groups employed to seat the entire land dwelling troop as well as the Ampora heads of state. One set was sitting above the other, and of course they were arranged in the double lightning bolt pattern of Aquarius house. The tables themselves were all draped in violet cloth and the tableware was of course made of bone porcelain with inlaid gold. Ostentatious was only the middle name of every Ampora that ever existed.
Dualscar's hand placed itself on Karkat's waist, guiding him to stand at the side of the violets' chair. Sollux was already standing at the opposite hand, surveying the guests with a feigned interest. Karkat studied them from his peripherals, often glancing through his lashes to play coy with anyone who caught his gaze. Behind the dignitaries stood their guard, and Karkat managed to meet the eyes of the shy blueblood from the night before. He smiled coyly at him, adding in a wink before moving his attention onwards. The poor guy looked like he hadn't yet recovered from his prior shock.
Finally he came to the Princes who were sitting across from Dualscar and Eridan. One of them was already watching him with an intensity that made Karkat shift back into Dualscar's hand for like a pupa who needed it's lusus for comfort. The hallucination from before still had his nerves flaring at their edges, and the others' staring made him feel as though he was one of the courses on the table. The violet's thumb brushed his back softly, the only sign of reassurance he could offer in such a public place. Karkat scowled at his own stupidity and met the highbloods' stare with his own furious glare. He couldn't be weak now, not when peace was on the line.
"Crown Prince Kurloz, Prince Gamzee, let me introduce you to my sons' favorite slaves from his harem. To my left is Sollux, a low-level psionic. To my right here is Karkat, a red-blooded mutant and very rare. Say hello, lads."
Sollux, in his typical fuck-the-system way, waggled his eyebrows suggestively before dropping in a half-assed bow.
"Ith my abtholute pleathure, majethtieth, to make your ethteemed acquaintanth." Sollux said, playing up his lisp until he was practically spraying saliva as he spoke.
Karkat had to resist the urge to snort at his open display of insolence, but it was his job to make himself as undesirable as possible to the pair. If they did have psychic powers it was best if they disregarded the yellow blood entirely. As Sollux stepped back to his spot next to the chair, Karkat moved forward with a steady grace and bowed low at his hips, back straight until his forehead was nearly touching his knees. He waited a breath before raising himself by his hips again, arching his back in a manner that was just shy of suggestive before speaking.
"Welcome, my Lords, to our house. I hope you find yourselves most comfortable during your stay."
"Why don't you boys dance some, entertain our guests." Dualscar commanded, clapping his hands together twice. Both Sollux and Karkat dropped into another bow, this time mid waist and equally timed with one-another, before retreating back a ways. They were joined by a few other dancers as musicians picked up their instruments to play for them. The first chord was a low, resonating hum that filled the vastness of the banquet hall. It echoed outward from their centers and Karkat could feel the vibration of it move from his chest into his limbs.
The song they picked to begin with was a moderately paced, upbeat piece that used a flute along with a pair of drums and tambourine to keep tempo and face. It was a familiar song, one that Karkat had danced to many times before. His body moved from memory with the beat so he allowed his mind to wander, taking the moment to actually study the princes up close.
The paint on the younger prince's face was actually done up in a smile, with circles around his eyes and two grey spots on his cheeks. His face was gaunt, like what you would expect more from the slums then from a royal heir. His festival clothing, different from the expensive silks they arrived in, consisted of nothing more than a loose pair of baggy pants that hugged his skinny hips, and a long sleeved tunic which hung loosely onto his frame. It looked as though someone had made an attempt to tame his mane of unruly hair, so instead of looking like a squeak-beasts nest it resembled instead like a product of a hurricane.
The first song ended and Karkat took a moment to breathe, a thin sheen of sweat on his skin. The next song started and Karkat fell into pace easily, dancing had always come easy to him. In order to keep with the steps you had to allow the body to flow together, each limb operating as an extension to the other. Fluidity was key, like water through the cracks, not stopping or hesitating at obstacles in your way.
Working with his sickles was much the same, which he supposed was why when it came to learn the weapon he'd had to no trouble picking it up. Eventually, once he had practiced enough, his muscles would remember the movements and he could allow his mind to concentrate on more important things.
The younger Makara was following his movements, not even attempting to be subtle about his interest. He smiled as Karkat spun and for the time since he could remember he wish he could hold his wrap in place. This ridiculous excuse for a highblood was actually making him self-conscious, and that made Karkat burn.
He threw himself into the next dance. Sweat flew off his skin as he undulated his hips to the brutal tempo the music had set. His feet were going to be bruised with how hard he was pushing himself, kicking off the floor to emphasize his lunges, to make him spin faster and his thrusts harder. His clothes were swishing through the air with the near violent force of his movements and he took advantage of that, using the momentum to make them whip and crack around him. His blood sang in his veins and his muscles trembled in exaltation, his pores wept from the strain. He was good at his job for a damn reason, and that was because he never allowed another to best him in anything.
He was Karkat-fucking-Vantas, and no one, not even some psycho prince from a distant clown kingdom, was going to intimidate him into doubting himself.
When the song drew to a close he followed suit with a flourish, propelling himself from a spin and immediately into a low warrior pose. He threw his arms up and back, arching his back until he was almost folded against himself before allowing the tension in his body to recoil his torso forward once more, coming to a rest with his hands on the ground, forehead kissing the floor in a mockery of submission.
Applause erupted from around the room and he drew himself back up again, glaring a challenge at the prince's. The hollers and whoops faded into the back of his mind as he saw the elder prince for the first time. Where the younger was unkempt and almost wild the elder was refined and dignified. Every facet of him echoed grace and poise, he was lean instead of starved. His clothes were tight, purple pants and a black turtleneck, bones painted on as a mimicry of the structure beneath the skin.
Karkat's breath caught when he saw his face. His cheekbones were high, betraying his regality and lineage with their fine sculpt. Thin cheeks accompanied a strong jaw and lips that had black lines tattooed over them in like crooked teeth, but it was his eyes that caused Karkat's breath to catch. He was met with portals of deepest purple, the abyss of the night sky on a winter's night. The question of how many galaxies had been born and died within them crept into his mind and the others' lips twitched in an upwards slant.
"Karkat, I would like you to meet Crown Prince Kurloz and Prince Gamzee. You will be serving them during their stay here," Dualscar said, but Karkat could barely understand him. The news was a surprise even though they had already discussed it and agreed. The only motor function he seemed to be able to conjure was a simple nod in assent. "Will that be suitable to your Lordship's?"
Karkat could not find the will in him to break contact with the other's gaze, even though he was breaking a cardinal rule. Slaves aren't meant to look their betters in the eye, it is a challenge to their rightful authority. Even still, a not unpleasant shiver traced its way up his spine and tingled pleasantly at the nape of his neck as the other inclined their head in a slight nod.
"Yes," Kurloz said, those strange lips forming delicately around the words, voice a velvet baritone. Karkat felt another shiver race through him. "I believe this slave is exactly what I desire to fulfill my needs whilst I stay here."
Karkat swallowed, hard.