Disclaimer: Still not Hussie. Still don't own anything.
Karkat walks through the halls, careful to not make any noise with his boots. He had stomped them before entering the palace, yet he still glances back every so often to make sure he's not leaving a trail that's easily followed. He hears footsteps coming from in front of him, and he thrusts himself into a shaded alcove to hide from whoever is passing.
He spots a purple cape whipping past the alcove, and he has to fight off a sneer. The Empress's closest friend and adviser. Karkat steps out from his hiding spot as the adviser turns around a corner, but still Karkat can hear him muttering to himself.
"That...that total spiderbi..."
Karkat frowns as the adviser's voice fades. As he turns to continue on his path, however, he slams into someone. Karkat falls back with a shallow hiss, rubbing at his forehead, before preparing to stand and punch whoever had walked into him. He stops when he sees another servant of the palace rubbing at his own head.
The lenses in his glasses were two different colors - one blue, one red. His horns are doubled upon his head, his teeth are doubled over his bottom lip. He actually is hissing in pain, and Karkat squats next to him, resting his elbows on his knees as he overlooks his fellow servant and friend.
"Gog damn, Karkat, if you're going to be thneaking around the palathe - !"
"It would be great if you would shut your mouth, Sollux."
Sollux does, still growling low in his throat as he pushes himself to his feet. Karkat follows, gesturing for Sollux to take a step closer. Sollux continues grumbling as he does, lowering his voice to ask, "What the hell are you doing in here?"
Karkat shifts his gaze to the corner where the adviser had turned. "Nepeta and I saw Captain Serket arrive earlier. What is she doing here?" Karkat asks, once again returning to face Sollux. Sollux remains quiet, and then he starts walking in the direction Karkat had initially been traveling in. "Follow me," he says softly, and then Karkat is trailing him as they maneuver through shadows and hidden corridors meant for quick passage.
When Sollux finally stops, Karkat finds himself in a secluded part of the palace. It's dimly lit and there's a soft buzzing noise coming from a corner. When Karkat moves to investigate, Sollux shakes his head and Karkat resumes a still standing position. "Your room," Karkat says, giving one quick glance around to confirm this. There are wires scattered on a makeshift desk, and a messy bed that has probably never been made sits in the corner opposite the buzzing.
"What a great deduction, Vantath," Sollux says, sitting on the bed and placing his head in his hands. Karkat doesn't answer, just switches his gaze to Sollux's somewhat curled form, and crosses his arms. Not one of them says anything for a matter of minutes, standing and sitting in total silence except for the buzzing.
"You wanted to know why Therket wath back in town, right?" Sollux says, finally cracking the quiet. Karkat nods quickly, shifting his weight to one leg. Sollux sighs, tilts his head back, and sighs again. Karkat can see Sollux's closed eyelids flickering behind his glasses, until finally Sollux rights himself and says, "When you're clothe to the Empreth, you learn shit."
"So tell me."
"There'th thomething happening out in the town. Murderth. Dead people everywhere. No one knowth who'th cauthing it, jutht that every thingle body found hath had different wayth of dying. Motht popular way is thtabbing." Sollux rubs his chin with one hand, standing and walking towards the corner where the buzzing was coming from. He leans against the wall and turns to face Karkat.
"Why hasn't the court stepped in yet?" Karkat asks, eyebrows raised. Sollux only shrugs.
"They have," he says, "but the guy doing the killing is too thmart and thtrong for them. They pretty much wimped out and said, 'Hey, Empreth Peixeth, it'th all up to you now!' Feferi wath pithed. Or as pithed as she could be. So she called in the Bluebloodth."
Karkat freezes and makes sure to meet Sollux's gaze. "By Bluebloods. Does that mean all three? Or just the two?" He does his best to keep his voice steady, but his frozen body has starting quaking. He has an interesting relationship with one of those Bluebloods, and he would rather it not come into play for a long, long time.
"All three," Sollux answers. He doesn't even get to ask why Karkat had asked in the first place before he's storming out the door and back through the twists and turns that brought him there.
She stands at the main entrance of the palace, arms folded across her chest as she watches the second Blueblood carriage arrive. It's fully blue, dark in its shade, and she can't help but watch with narrowed eyes as it pulls up. She's had a few sticky encounters with Bluebloods. She doesn't want it to happen again.
As the carriage stops, she notices that the main landscaper's assistant is running up. Just as the Blueblood exits from his carriage, rubbing at the back of his neck with an already damp towel, the assistant lunges off the ground in a very feline like pounce. "Sir - " she cries out, but the assistant lands on the Blueblood's back, and they topple into the ground.
She watches as both of them laugh and how the little assistant helps the Blueblood to his feet. He's almost twice her size, a rather large man, and one of his horns are broken. His hair is long and slightly damp with sweat, and his eyes are covered with broken, darkened glasses.
"Equius!" the assistant shrieks as he carefully pats her on the head. She makes a mad grab for his hand and manages to grasp it in hers. Before he can pull it back, she's nuzzled against it. When he's finally managed to disengage himself from her, he turns towards the girl on the steps.
"If you don't mind...if you want to, I mean," he states awkwardly. Aradia tilts her head curiously, already treading down the steps to grab a suitcase and haul it free from the carriage. It falls to the ground due to the unexpected weight of it, and he apologizes just as awkwardly as his first sentence to her, and the assistant is pulling his attention away from Aradia.
She's okay with that, for she's not entirely sure she wants to be talking to this Blueblood. He's already made a different impression, and his build and ability to enjoy the assistant, even given her blood status, have made him seem quite attractive. Araida shakes her head as she takes a smaller suitcase from within the carriage, closing the door gently and slapping the side of the carriage to signal for the driver to slap the reigns. The carriage departs and Aradia starts to listen to the assistant's conversation with the Blueblood.
"It's good to see you again, Equius! It was beginning to be pawful without seeing you!"
"Likewise, Nepeta."
Aradia tuned out the rest of the conversation, waiting for it to end before she led the Blueblood to his room. She lets her mind wander for a moment before there's a thick finger tapping her on her shoulder. She blinks and looks up into the face of the Blueblood. She didn't initially notice, but his front teeth are chipped, and somehow that makes him endearing.
She looks away before she can blush and says robotically, "This way, sir." He follows her, carrying the heavier bag of his luggage, attempting to make conversation with her. Each of his attempts are shot down with the same monotone voice, and it's only when they reach his room that she shows some emotion.
Aradia lets her relief of returning to her duties show on her face, and she says quietly, "If you need anything, sir - "
Equius Zahhak cuts her off, turning to face her, carefully pulling the glasses away from his face. Aradia grips the doorway to keep her knees from going weak, and she doesn't even know why he's having this affect on her. The last she felt like this was for Sollux, and that was so long ago now -
"I desire you stop calling me 'sir,' please," he says. Aradia swallows and starts to curtsy her reply, but he walks over and stops in front of her. He places one hand lightly on her shoulder and shakes his head. "No," he amends. "Nothing that makes me seem better than you. Please."
When Aradia finally leaves, she is completely confused. Bluebloods were not supposed to be kind. Bluebloods were supposed to hate the people like her. Bluebloods were not supposed to ask a Lowblood not to worship them. Bluebloods were supposed to enforce the worshipping. Bluebloods were meant to be obeyed.
With a snap Aradia makes a decision:
I have to keep an eye out for this one's angle.
AN: You're going to make me beg for reviews, aren't you? I don't like begging for reviews. Please don't make me.
Also; Plot hints are great, huh?
(Okay but seriously let me know what you think. I meant that.)
Enjoy~