I wrote another chapter and I'm posting it now. Please tell me if I should continue this. Homestuck and its characters belong to Andrew Hussie.

"karkat?"

She smiled. It had been years since Karkat last saw her, but she hadn't changed that much. Her hair had grown a bit, so now it resembled a lion's mane, as did her teeth. She probably could have bitten someone's finger off, was she given the chance. She hadn't grown that much in size, though. Neither had Karkat. The only thing that had really changed was her voice. Karkat remembered she had always had a high, childlike voice. Now, it sounded more mature. Her face was scratched up; she must have put up a fight when she was captured.

"GOD, NEPETA. WHAT ARE DOING HERE? DOESN'T MATTER, I'M GETTING YOU OUT."

Her smile faded. "how? there are guards everywhere. karkat, how did you even get in here?"

"NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW." He glanced around and lowered his voice. "WE'LL NEED TO ESCAPE WHEN THEY'RE NOT LOOKING. THE VERY FIRST CHANCE WE GET."

She shook her head. "that will be hard. i noticed they work in shifts, but they are always watching."

He thought for a while. "OKAY, NOBODY NOTICED ANYTHING STRANGE WHEN I SNEAKED IN. I'LL JUST TAKE A SHIFT AND WE'LL USE IT TO ESCAPE."

She seemed to consider that idea. "sounds okay ... just be careful."

"IT'LL BE FINE. I'LL GO CLAIM A SHIFT RIGHT NOW. DON'T LET THEM GET TO YOU, OKAY?"

"okay."

He locked the cell, gave Nepeta one last wink, and left. He figured he'd have to find someone in charge here. He found an indigo blood nearby. He was attempting to write something down, but the pencils kept snapping in half. This guy would do.

"EXCUSE ME."

The troll turned towards him. Oh, fuck. He recognized this one too. They used to hang out sometimes. But he was especially close to Nepeta. Did he work here now? Karkat hoped the troll wouldn't recognize him.

"Yes? What do you inquire?" It was him, all right. His voice was much deeper now, that alone could make a troll shrink to the floor. And he had grown. He was like a small building on feet. Karkat struggled to speak.

"Well?" He was getting impatient. Karkat didn't want his face to meet his fist, so he forced himself to speak.

"YEAH, I ... I WANT TO REQUEST A SHIFT. PREFERABLY DURING DAYTIME HOURS."

The troll raised an eyebrow. "There is a place open during that time. But why, if I may ask, do you wish to occupy it?"

"WELL, I ... I CAN'T SLEEP VERY WELL THESE DAYS, SO I THOUGHT I'D MAKE THE BEST OF IT AND SERVE THE EMPIRE." This had to be the stupidest excuse ever made, but he seemed to be buying it.

"Certainly. It is our duty to serve the empire." He squinted his eyes at him. Karkat lowered his head. "Here." He handed him the notepad and half of a pencil. "Write it down yourself. Your shift takes place from 3 to 5."

Karkat wrote down the time, muttered a thank you, and turned around. As he walked, he could feel the troll's cold eyes on him.

He made his way back. Trolls stood in front of the cells, holding bowls. Must be feeding time. Perfect. He took a bowl of what seemed to be soup from a troll.

"I'LL HANDLE THIS."

The troll (another green blood) didn't protest. Karkat found Nepeta's cell and knelt in front of her again. She looked at him expectantly.

"EQUIUS IS HERE," he whispered.

"what?!"

Karkat shoved a spoonful of soup in her mouth. "KEEP IT DOWN." He glanced around. Thankfully, nobody had noticed.

She swallowed and spoke in a more hushed tone. "but, equius is here? fur sure?"

"YES, HE'S THE ONE I GOT PERMISSION FOR A SHIFT FROM. WE'LL BREAK OUT AT 3."

"karkat, he can help us! i know he would!"

"NEPETA, I DON'T KNOW. HE DIDN'T SEEM TO RECOGNIZE ME. I KNOW YOU WERE MOIRAILS ONCE, BUT ..."

"we're still moirails! we just ... well, we sort of went separate ways ..." She looked at the ground.

"LOOK, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S LIKE NOW. HE WAS ALWAYS SO DEVOTED TO THE CASTE SYSTEM. NOW HE'S FOUND A JOB THAT IS PERFECT FOR HIM. WHY WOULD HE HELP TWO LOW BLOODS, ANYWAY?"

She looked him right in the eyes. "just give him a chance. please."

Karkat sighed. "YOU KNOW WHAT? FINE. WE'LL SEE IF HE'S WILLING TO HELP US. BUT WE'RE STILL ESCAPING. WITH OR WITHOUT HIS HELP. NOW EAT YOUR FUCKING SOUP." He shoved another spoon into her mouth.

Karkat dragged his feet to the bedrooms. He still had a few hours of sleep left before his shift. Then, they would have to be quick and, more importantly, quiet. He hoped it would work. They couldn't afford to fail. He suddenly felt two strong hands grab him by the shoulders and turn him around. Equius stared into his eyes. Karkat could do nothing but stand still. Not only because he was terrified; Equius's grip on him was too strong. He couldn't move. They stood like this for what felt like forever, then Equius let go of him.

"I knew it was you. Finally decided to show the color of your blood?" He motioned to Karkat's uniform. Oh, yeah. The troll which Karkat had got it from was a teal blood. It was the color of his badge. Equius nodded his head. "That's good. You've finally found your place."

Karkat stood there, rubbing his arms. He had to decide now. Trust the big guy or not? Nepeta clearly did. He let out a breath.

"LOOK, EQUIUS ... IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. I ... I HAD TO BREAK IN." He watched as Equius lowered his eyebrows. No stopping now. "NEPETA'S HERE." His eyes widened. "WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GET OUT. PLEASE."

Equius just stared at him for a while, not saying a word. Then he put a hand to his temple. "You realize I have to report this to the empress immediately." Fuck, there went their only chance. It was all over. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't hesitate. But this isn't one. You are my friends. And I promised Nepeta I would always protect her." He looked at the ceiling. "I assume you were planning to escape during your shift. That simply won't do. You didn't think they would entrust the guarding of the entire tree to just one troll, did you? There are guards everywhere. Constantly patrolling the blocks. At the entrance. You would need to sneak out through a secret tunnel." He looked at Karkat once more. "We shall discuss this another time. Don't be late to your shift." He turned around and went the opposite way. "And don't try anything foolish. I can assure you, you will regret it."