Hello Everyone!
Well, more like "hello seven people who read the first chapter!". Some of you might remember me promising to post a new chapter every two days. And that this is the third day. And so I apologize! But I hope that you enjoy this chapter none the less. Remember to leave me a review! Thank you so much to ASBusinessMagnet for your review! It made my day. Without further ado, enjoy chapter 2.
Chapter 2
It was cold. The familiar warmth that used to occupy the bed was gone, and the world seemed empty without Rose lying beside her. She rolled over and touched the pillows where Rose's head should be, gazing out the window at the glow of a city that never slept. It was quiet. Certainly the sounds of soft jazz and bustling nightlife hadn't ceased just because some woman they didn't even know was arrested earlier that evening, but they sounded like a distant echo trying to force its way through the thick silence that hung in the room like a fog. Usually Rose would be muttering in her sleep, but now the only muttering Kanaya could hear came from the living room where Karkat and Terezi were arguing. They had sent her to bed an hour ago, but since she couldn't sleep she threw on her favourite emerald nightgown and went to get a drink.
Terezi sat on the kitchen counter, a notepad and pencil in her lap while Karkat circled the living room like a frustrated vulture.
"As flawless as your plan is, how do you expect me to plead the case of a woman on the run?" Terezi asked, licking her notes.
"Aren't you supposed to be the greatest attorney in town? You boast about it every-"
"KK, Wiil you please calm down? You're not making my headache any better."
Deciding to leave them alone, Kanaya snuck downstairs into the workshop. Fabrics and half-finished clothes still lay abandoned, draped over the workbenches and sewing machines. Sparkling blues, silky peaches, and spicy reds all hung from rolls along the walls, ready to be turned into the latest fashion craze. Kanaya walked over to the mannequin Rose was working on earlier that day, removed the dress, and packed it away. She then cleaned up all the other dresses before disassembling the mannequins themselves. She rolled up the sheets of fabric and packed them away in boxes and pushed the workbenches up against the walls. She wouldn't need any of it anymore.
The doorbell rang, and Kanaya schlepped over to the door to answer it. She was surprised to see Feferi Peixes, perhaps the richest and most important person in the county. Yes they were technically friends, but Kanaya hadn't seen her in months.
"Oh Kanaya, I am going to krill whoever did this!" she exclaimed, wrapping Kanaya in a crushing hug. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm Fine Feferi, I'm Just A Little Shocked."
"Are you shore? You know I'm here for you!"
"Thank You. I Just Want Rose Back So Much. I Just Don't Know What To Do"
"Well, we're all going to think of something! I could talk to the mayor and the empress! Shorely somebody can do something about this!"
"Thanks Fef. How did you manage to get away from everything anyway? Don't you have 24 hour bodyguards?"
"I told them to circle the block for a while. Say, is Sollux upstairs? I haven't seen him in a reely long time!"
"No, He Couldn't Leave His Apartment. He Tapped Into The Computer Upstairs Though, If You Want To See Him"
"I'm blind, not deaf, remember? When I say I hear talking, it means somebody is talking" Terezi said as she descended the stairs, cane swinging in the open air. Karkat followed closely behind, looking around for Terezi's so called talking. Terezi sniffed the air, and then sniffed it again just to be sure.
"Oh my god you guys! It's been so long!" Feferi exclaimed in her usual exited manner. As Feferi caught up with old friends, a honk came from outside.
"Hey there motherfucker! What's happening?" Oh gog, Gamzee. Kanaya and Gamzee had a rather odd relationship, and she never really knew how to act around the guy. Luckily Feferi came to the rescue by dragging him over to the other, saving Kanaya from an awkward conversation.
As the evening progressed, more and more of Kanaya's friends arrived in one way or another, and with Sollux's help all eleven of them were gathered in Kanaya's living room. While Karkat, Nepeta, Terezi, Gamzee, and Feferi could all get away from their lives, Aradia and Sollux had work, Tavros couldn't get up the stairs to the store, Vriska was out of town, Equius had police reports to sign, and Eriden couldn't excuse himself from the art gala. But luckily everybody still had the earpieces that Sollux had given them as a kid.
Ideas were being thrown from all corners of the room, but Sollux shot most of them down. Feferi and Eriden were all for putting pressure on the government, Gamzee suggested backing pie, and Equius was strongly against doing anything illegal. Vriska's plans involved killing too many people, Terezi's plan seemed the most logical but also the slowest, and Nepeta's ambush plan required too much firepower. Karkat berated everyone for their stupidity but didn't have any plans of his own, Sollux's plans were a bit too complicated, and no amount of animals would be able to break Rose out of jail. Before Aradia had even said her piece, Kanaya drifted off to the most troubled sleep of her life.