John slowly blinked his eyes open a crack, shielding them from the sun. He rolled over, glancing at his alarm clock, which read 6:20. Given the lack of scents, he was probably the first one up.
He stood up, stretching in his Ghostbusters themed sleepwear. It had been a present from his girlfriend Rose. He shuttled down to the kitchen. During the years that the kids had lived together, they had come up with a set of rules. And one of them was that whomever woke up first had to make breakfast. Rose, Jade, and Dave would sometimes sleep in just so John had to make it, and he was good.
Pretty soon, the sound and smell of frying bacon permeated the house. John didn't pay much attention to anything besides his cooking, so he didn't notice the sound of someone on the stairs, until they spoke.
"Bro, you got coffee ready?"
John turned to see his best bro, Dave. The blond boy didn't have his shades on, giving the cook a nice view of his bright red eyes. Dave was also in his sleepwear; a pair of white boxers with the different card suits on them, and a red tank top.
"No, I'm cooking, smartass. You want it, you get it yourself."
Dave shrugged and walked to the coffee machine. The kids had discovered it, and now the boys needed it.
"I don't know how you stand to drink it black, dude. It's so freaking bitter."
"Yeah, well, you drink it sweetened. I don't understand that either."
"Boys, can we not talk about how one cannot understand how the other likes their coffee?" a familiar voice said from the edge of the kitchen, close to the stairs. The boys turned to see Rose, wrapped in a purple silk robe.
"Hey Rose! Morning!" John said, grinning like a goof at his girlfriend. "You in the mood for pancakes?"
The girl smiled. "Of course John. Anything you make is far better than what meager scraps I can attempt at."
John's smile grew bigger. "Aw, gee, thanks." The Heir turned to Dave. "You mind waking up your girlfriend?"
Dave just shrugged, and turned to the stairs, taking his mug of black unsweetened coffee with him. After he left, Rose sidled up to John.
"Would you like some help with breakfast?"
"Always appreciated!"
Rose smiled, and planted a kiss on the corner of John's jawbone before turning to the table, which had newspaper parts scattered all over it. Then a breeze blew it all off onto the floor.
Rose just chuckled and shook her head.
^.v.^
Dave opened the door to Jade's room. A pile of stuffed animals was in one corner, with her laptop lunch box on top of it. Numerous scientific equipment parts were scattered all over a desk, and a four poster bed held the girl in question.
Dave walked over, setting his coffee on her nightstand. "Yo, Jade, time to get up. Your bro is making pancakes and bacon. Don't think you wanna miss out."
An incoherent mumble that sounded close to someone saying 'bite me' issued from the lump on the bed. Dave just chuckled, and sat on the bed, running his hands up and down the lump before finding the opening. He started to scratch her head, running his hand through her tangled raven locks.
Pretty soon, Jade was sitting up in the long red nightshirt Dave had gotten her. In black, scrawling type on the shirt, it said 'This is my sexy lingerie', which had prompted him to get it in the first place.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes, slipping on her glasses. Dave wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his chin on the top of her head.
"Glad you're up, babe."
Jade smirked, and turned to nuzzle into his collarbone. "You always know how to get me up." She sniffed in deeply. "Did you bring your coffee in here?"
"Yep."
Jade leaned over, and took a sip. Her eyes widened at the taste.
"Ok, I'm up now."
Dave laughed, something he didn't do often, except around Jade. He ruffled her hair, and then stood up, taking his coffee with him. Jade followed her boyfriend out of her room.
^.v.^
"Where the hell is that asshole?" Karkat was fuming, mainly because of the events that had just happened, and that John was not online. He had already messaged him multiple times, trying to get the boy's attention, but it was clearly not working.
Karkat threw his hands up in the air before slapping his legs as he glanced around the room in exasperation. Glancing at his computer screen again, he typed out a long message explaining what had happened barely minutes ago.
He stood up, walking out of the room to get something to eat, leaving the message online, where John would be able to see it.
^.v.^
"So you're going to be taking a vacation from work?" Rose asked John. All four of the kids were sitting at a table, chowing down on his cooking.
"Yeah. I've collected quite a lot of sick days," John said, leaning back, "Which helps..."
"When you act like a complete idiot." Dave finished, just as John's chair toppled over onto the floor. The girls attempted to muffle their laughter. John sat up, rubbing his head.
"Yeah, yeah, go ahead, laugh it up."
"Sorry John." Rose said, helping him up whilst giggling. "But where are you thinking of going?"
"Alternia. We haven't seen the trolls in a while. Besides, I heard Karkat and Nepeta are a thing now."
"Legit?"
"From the source."
"Wow."
Jade stood up, and began to collect everyone's plates. "That does sound like a good idea. Besides, Alternia is kinda fun."
Dave helped her. "I gotta agree, Jade."
John clapped his hands. "Settled then! I'm gonna go pester Karkat with this."
Rose smiled. "I guess it's my turn to do clean-up?"
They all nodded. Jade headed up the stairs.
"I'm gonna go take a shower. Dave, wanna help me wash my back?"
"Course babe." Dave started after his girlfriend. John followed, but went into his room. Pulling up at his computer, he noticed that Karkat was online, and had been messaging him.
"Huh." John opened up the pesterlog, eyes widening at the amount of grey text that filled the screen. His eyes continued to widen as he read Karkat's long message of events that had recently transpired.
John stood up, walked to the door, and bellowed for everyone to 'get the hell in here.'
^.v.^
The four kids stared at John's computer screen.
"So we are going to Alternia after all, huh?" was all that Dave said. Everyone just nodded.
"Poor Karkat." John said. Then he stood up.
"We should all get ready. I'll tell Karkat that we'll come, and to get the transportalizer on his end ready for us. Pack what you need, and get your strife specibuses ready. You never know what will happen while we're searching."
Rose, Dave, and Jade nodded before exiting the room. John turned to the computer, and began to type.
^.v.^
Karkat walked back into his room, a steaming mug in his hand. Beeping was filling the room, coming from his computer.
"So the bastard finally responded, huh?" he muttered to himself. He read the blue type.
Karkat stayed in his seat for a little bit before bounding out of the room, barking orders at the top of his lungs.
^.v.^
Soon, all of the trolls were gathered around the transportalizer, waiting. One figure stepped out, then another, and another, until all four of the kids were in the room.
"Hey Karkat. Good to see ya, though I wish it was under better circumstances..." John said, clapping one arm across the Cancer's shoulders.
"Yeah, I know." Karkat's expression crumbled.
"Don't worry, Karkat," Rose said, coming from greeting Kanya, "We'll find her."
The room was a big group of greetings and encoragement. Jade was nervous about Tavros' nose; turned out Nepeta had broken it.
"Okay, enough with the la-di-da shit, I called you guys here to help. And I'm standing up and organizing search parties. Everyone does one shift, and there will be two shifts per day: one from sun up till noon, and one from noon till sundown. We'll be swapping shifts around, but a shift doesn't mean you gotta be out there in the fucking woods. If anyone can do shit like fourth wall and seer stuff, you do that for your shift or until you've strained enough. We all clear?"
Everyone nodded.
"Then get the fuck outta here!"
^.v.^
Nepeta's eyelids were heavy. She shifted, and scents swamped her nose. Unfamiliar scents. Her ears twitched as she registered voices.
"Are you sure she is not dead?"
"Of course. I think I just saw her move."
Nepeta dragged her eyes open, but then scooted back, a scream dying in her throat.
A figure, vaugely humanoid with grey skin like a troll, was standing over her. But that was where the similarities ended. A thick scaly tail stretched out behind the female figure, two bat wings were slightly open, and her feet looked like that of a bird or dragon. Even her hands took on such an apperance. Her hair was white, and her eyes were pitch black. Long black horns stretched out from the top of her head, leaning backwards like that of a ram. Standing next to the weird troll was a large meowbeast, as big as Pounce was, but no double mouths; it had wings.
"Who-who are you?!" Nepeta managed, her voice shaking.
The humanoid thing smiled, her mouth full of fangs. "Forgive me my dear. My name is Sumya, and this is my mate, Hibano." As she was saying that, she gestured to the winged meowbeast.
"M-mate?" Nepeta was confused.
"Yes, well, I'm a black blood. We are trolls who are part beast."
"Did mew bring me here?"
"Oh yes, reeling you in like the puppet you were. After taking you over, it was easy, except that your friends had to come and follow you."
Flashes of memory came back to Nepeta- fighting in a cave, Karkat's frantic expression...
"You." Nepeta's voice dripped with venom.
"You made me sick! You made me fight my friends, my meowrail, my matesprit...you took me away from efurryone I care about!"
Nepeta lunged at the black blood, only to end up sprawled on the floor, four gashes in her cheek.
"Oo, an olive blood!" Sumya said playfully, as if she didn't care what she had done. She licked the trace amounts of Nepeta's blood off her talons, savoring it as if it was her favorite food.
She's crazier than Vriska! Panic flooded Nepeta's mind.
"Anyway little olive blood, I have a task for you. You see that egg?" Sumya gestured to a large, spherical object that was a light blue like the sky. "I need you to hatch it for me."
"That's it?" Nepeta asked.
"Oh no. When it does hatch, I want you to kill whatever comes out."
Nepeta recoiled. "That's sick!"
"Is it? If you do this for me, I will let you go. Do we have a deal?" Sumya said, one hand behind her back as she stretched the other one forward. Nepeta looked at the hand, then at the black blood's face. Finally, she grasped the hand.
"Deal."
Sumya straightened up. "Perfect. The room you're in now is your quarters; you will be staying here for the duration. If you need anything, do not hesitate to find us." She turned on her heel and left, Hibano right behind her.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Hibano turned to his mate. "Dear, you had your fingers crossed when you shook hands with her."
Sumya smiled. "I know I did."