Karkat watched as the sunrise, red as his blood, touched the sky and clouds. He wondered if Nepeta was awake yet, watching the sunset and thinking of him. The thought made his cheeks, already reddened by the sunlight, turn an even deeper shade of red.
"I wonder if she's really going to see me again. I still think there might be a trap," he muttered, his crabbiness overriding his previous state of fluffy feelings. Sighing, he got up and prepared to face the day. Sollux was out again, and Aradia was at school. Only Tavros was left, who can be only described as having a hangover. "Must've inhaled a lot..." Karkat muttered as the tauros wriggled with the uncomfortable headache. He made him some eggs and gave it to him with a grunt of "Eat, you silly creature."
The servant-boy gladly accepted the eggs, gobbling them all up in a flash.
"What happened to your chicken nuggets?"
"I had to keep them safe..." Tavros muttered carefully, leaning on the table sleepily, "from marauders..."
"Marauders? You've officially lost it." Cursing lightly under his breath, Karkat stole a momentary glance at where he had placed the money the night before. It was still safely in place. He let out a quiet sigh of relief and walked over to it, took a few coins, and moved the location to a different place in his room. He then walked outside, deciding to buy some food and perhaps even a gift for Nepeta. She may be a noble, but at least he can get her something from him. Maybe that would keep him alive a little longer.
He found it. A cute green dress, just the color of Nepeta's blood. He knew she would love it, but if he just walked in and bought the dress, he would be laughed at—a pariah, purchasing that kind of dress? Well, it was something he'd have to risk. He got strange stares, but the moment he took out a gold coin to pay for it, all the stares turned to a strange respect. He wondered why for a moment and then left. Then he recalled why.
Everyone here worships the Sufferer. And everyone says I look like him, and I get good luck because of it, and because I have candy-red blood. Bluh bluh bluh, whatever.
He got home with the food, clothes, and the gift for Nepeta intact. Tavros was in his own room, getting ready for his departure within a few hours. Karkat ran into his room, and got ready, wrapping the dress carefully in the best paper he could find. When it was done, he hoped it wasn't as inadequate as it seemed. Waiting for dusk was horrible, but Nepeta's smiling face made all the waiting worth it.