Well, that could have gone worse.
Vriska was spread out on Johns bed, eyes closed, hair fanned out above her head in an elegant wave of black. John had woken up, leaving her alone in his memory bedroom to reflect on the meeting just past. John was definitely everything she had expected him to be. The perfect fit in the intricate puzzle she was designing. He had reacted perfectly, played his part and recited his lines as if he had trained his whole life.
She sighed and rolled over to her side, burying her head in Johns pillow. She stilled herself against the expected onslaught of repulsive aromas, but was met with none. Obviously details like that would be omitted from the memory room, as Vriska had never been subjected to it. Something she was actually quite thankful for. She couldn't imagine the John Human, or any human really, to carry an appetizing aroma.
Hmmm… I certainly had quite an effect on poor little John…
Vriska was no stranger to seduction. She was fully aware of her allure, and used it to her advantage, manipulating those around her to do as she wished, while not giving away the control she held over them. She regarded it as somewhat of an art form, spending sweeps of her life perfecting the graceful dance, preying on the weaker trolls she encountered, and of course, simply using her mind control abilities on anyone who resisted.
No need for mind control here though… John is dancing with me step for step.
A smile played across her lips as she remembered the last few minutes of the encounter. Leaning so close to him, seeing him tense under her empty gaze, knowing that he was completely under her spell. That level of power is what she craved, adored. Its what she lived for. Seeing his face pale, his pupils dilate, feeling his breath quicken. Oh how she loved it!
Without warning, the musky, masculine scent of John Egbert filled her nostrils, overwhelming her senses. Of course being that close to him she would have caught a whiff of his skin! She just hadn't realized it. Her body had certainly retained it though; she was remembering him right now. His pillow became thick with the delectable scent, and much to her surprise, it triggered something within her. Thinking about her face inches from his, and being shocked so forcefully with his overwhelming aroma caused her to feel… desire.
Vriska shot bolt upright on the bed, heart pounding, breathe ragged. What the fuck was going on? She was feeling desire for this human? How is that possible? Sure, she would flirt with him on occasion, but that was to maintain control over him, and now… how is this even fucking possible?
No. I have to leave this memory. This is preposterous.
In one graceful swoop, Vriska was off the bed and out of the still open window. Flying away from the house through the snow, her head cleared and she became furious. Furious at John fucking Egbert for causing so much trouble, and furious at herself for losing control like that.
Soon, that memory was far behind her, and she found herself drifting over the vast sandy desert that was the afterlife. When the dead weren't haunting someone else's memory, they were here. Somewhere. As mentioned, it was vast. Finding others in the afterlife wasn't such an easy feat, which is why Vriska had decided to bunk together with another dead troll, even though the mere sight of him was irritating for her. Still, she reasoned with herself, it was either 8eing with him or 8eing alone for the rest of eternity.
She closed her eyes, and pictured the little hive they had built together out of a random assortment of materials they could scrounge up from the surrounding desert. It wasn't much, but it was better than being stuck out in the harsh sun all day. Mismatched wooden walls, held together by a stone base and pieces of a string-like material they foraged from nearby shrubs. A roof made of more wood, held down by stones. Vriska had a theory that there would be ruins around somewhere, but the insufferable little wimp was too much of a coward to venture any further into the sandy dunes. Maybe one day she would use her abilities to force him into submission.
When she reopened her eyes, the makeshift hive sat below her, dainty and seriously depressing. She hoped internally that Tavros was off annoying some other helpless dreamer, so she could have some time to herself to think over what had happened in Johns bedroom. However, she would have no such luck.
She landed softly in the sand, despite her sour mood, and stomped her way up the front door. Pushing through, she kicked off her boots and scanned the interior, her eyes coming to rest on the figured sitting cross legged in the corner, carving little figurines out of notches of wood. Her mood plummeted even more.
"Vriska! You-you're back!" Tavros looked up from his work, a smile splitting his face at the sight of her framed in the doorway. His face fell however, when he registered the look of contempt on her features. "Uhm… is everything… o-ok Vriska?"
"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't be home." Her words were cutting, harsh, meant to wound. She stomped her way through the little hive over to where he was sitting. Tavros coward beneath her murderous glare.
"O-Oh… well, I g-guess I could uhm… go out for a while then? Look for… uhm… more wood or something…"
Vriska sighed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she massaged her temples with long, elegant fingers. After what seemed like an eternal minute, she opened them again and looked down on Tavros, taking pity on the lesser troll.
"No. Its fine. Just stay out of my way, ok?"
As much as she found Tavros insufferable, she still felt bad about mercilessly killing him in cold blood. He was, after all, basically helpless, and had done nothing really wrong. But, what happened happened, and now they were both stuck in the after life.
With an exasperated sigh, Vriska retreated into her makeshift room, a small area of the hive sectioned off for her privacy. While it didn't come even near close to the room she had when she was alive, it had come to be somewhat of a sanctuary for her over the endless days after her death. A small escape from the mundane lifestyle, or after-lifestyle, forced upon her by Terezi, someone she once considered her sister, as well as her irritating hivemate. Trolls were definitely not designed for living together. It was hard enough to share a meteor with the others when she was alive, let alone this tiny little shack now. And with the most annoying, irritating, completely pathetic excuse for a troll imaginable no less. Vriska often entertained the memory of living alone, with only her giant spider lusus to worry about.
Sitting on the edge of her so-called bed, Vriska mulled over her earlier encounter with John, picking absent-mindedly at the hem of her GodRobes. She had thought that she would have been feeling more excited than this once her plan was set in motion, but her mood was shifting more towards indifference, and she found she was becoming almost disinterested in the whole thing. A concept that should have been completely preposterous to her. This is what she thrived on; the manipulation and control of those around her. The game.
She couldn't shake the memory of lying on Johns bed at the moment his scent hit her nostrils. Why had she reacted like that? Yes, she liked John, he was entertaining, and fun to play with, but to actually feel desire for the little wriggler was something completely unexpected.
He isn't even a troll! He's a weak little human kid, pale and soft, unimpressive in stature as well as mind. Easily manipul8ed, he is no match for me. To feel any sort of red feelings for him does not make sense, and only makes me weaker.
With a sharp, determined shake of her head, Vriska resolved to put it from her mind. It was nothing more than a momentary lapse of concentration, that's all. Besides, she had more important things to worry about than some pathetic little human flesh sack. Now that her plan was in motion, she had to make sure it all ran smoothly, with everyone playing their parts. She had more dream bubbles to visit. But first…
"Hey Pupa!" in an instant she was out of her room, and hovering inches above the floor of the main living area, her wicked smile once again plastered on her face. Tavros, still sitting in the same place working on his carvings, looked up at her, slightly intimidated as usual.
"Feeling b-better Vriska?"
"Why yes Pupa, thank you. I need a favour from you. Remember the plan?"
A slight falter flashed across his face at her words.
"… yes… I m-mean, you've talked about it uhm… before but uh… Honestly, I think you were uhm… talking a bit… a bit fast for me to really keep up, but uh… I think I got mo-most of it…. If you um… want to run through it again though, I uhm… wouldn't mind. You know, so we are, uhm, both of the same… the same page."
"Yes, yes, yes Pupa, we shall go through it again. Later. Right now, I need you to start your part of the plan though. Remember who you have to talk to? And what you have to say to them?" Vriska drifted closer to the meek troll, her glare gaining just a hint of menace. Tavros swallowed dryly.
"Y-yes… I need to talk to uhm… Gamzee… and try to uh…"
"No, not try Pupa Pan, DO!" She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "There is no try in my world, only success! This is why I involved you in the first place, to make you a stronger, more confident troll! If you expect to live with me for the rest of eternity, then you will have to learn my way of doing things. Either voluntarily," she flashed him another sly, toothy grin, "or not."
"W-well, Vriska, I uhm… I guess I could… I mean, if you think it will um… Improve my self confidence, then um… maybe it would be good for me to participate in this… ad-adventure. It might even um… be exciting!"
Tavros had always loved adventure, and had been an avid player in the same Flarp extreme roll playing games as Vriska, before his tragic accident left him paralysed from the waist down that is. He had actually been enjoying the game he and his troll friends had been playing before everyone started going crazy and killing one another, and even he had to admit that he missed the sense of exploration now that he had nothing to do in the after life. As much as he wasn't looking forward to tricking his friends, the promise of excitement was just too tempting. That and the fact that if he didn't go along with her plans willingly, Vriska would simply use her mind control powers to force him into doing her biding.
"Yes, Torebore, it will be exciting! As far as your self confidence goes though, if I were you, I'd call on that wimpy sack of crap Rufio to back me up. Oh wait, you cant. because Rufio is a fakey fake fakster!" This felt better. She was back to being her usual confident, malicious self. She rustled her wings and flicked her hair arrogantly.
"Now, get going! Remember the plan, and get that idiotic clown eating out of your palm!" Without warning, she closed the gap between them, and hefted Tavros up by his collar. The wooden carvings he had been working on all afternoon fell to the floor with a clutter as he flailed around and exclaimed in shock. With a graceful swing of her arm, Vriska lobbed Tavros out of the hive window, sending him soaring through the dusky sky.
"Now go Pupa! Fly!"
Tavros found himself back in his old hive. Tinkerbull, his little fairy bull Lusus, was sleeping soundly in the corner, and Gamzee, a fellow troll and friend of the timid adventurer was messaging him through his computer. Of course, this was just a memory though. In a moment, after the conversation had played out the way it originally had, Gamzee would realize what was happening, and he and Tavros would be able to speak freely. All Tavros had to do was wait, and play his part.
TC: ArE tHoSe BeAtS sTiLl ChIlL?
AT: yEAH,
TC: aRe ThEy MoThErFuCkIn StRiCt?
AT: yEAHHHHH,
TC: AiGhT.
TC: cRaCk…..
TC: HiSsSsSsSsSsSsSs….
TC: MoThErFuCkIn… WaIt BrO…
AT: aHHH, yES HERE WE gO…
TC: i SeNsE a MoThErFuCkIn MiRicLe Up In ThIs BiTcH yO
TC: LiKe oNe Of ThEm FrEsH dE jA vOu ThInGs GoIn DoWn
TC: As If WeVe BeEn HeRe BeFoRe YoU kNoW?
AT: uHHH, wELL YOU SEE, tHATS BECAUSE WE HAVE uHMM… BEEN hERE BEFORE
AT: I REMEMBER THIS CONVERSATION tOO. wE HAD A RAP bATTLE AND uMM.. YOU TOTALLY uM KICKED MY nOOK WITH YOUR uUUHH, tOTALLY FRESH BEATS.
TC: sO tHiS iS oNe Of ThEm DrEaM tHiNgS tHeN?
TC: lIkE a PlAcE sEt Up By MoThErFuCkIn MiRiClE MaKeRs Or SoMe SuCh ShIt FoR sO tHaT tHe DrEaMeRs AnD tHe DeAd CoUlD tOtAlLy CoMe AnD mOtHeRfUcKiN cHiLl YeAh?
AT: yES, sOMETHING LIKE THAT i SUPPOSE.
TC: SpEaKiN oF, sOrRy AbOUt ThE wHoLe BeInG dEaD tHiNg :o(
TC: ToTaLlY nOt CoOl If YoU sO aSk Me
AT: oH, iTS NOT SO BAD. i KIND OF UHMM… LIVE WITH vRISKA NOW, aND THE AFTERLIFE IS, wELL, rELAXING i GUESS. nOT MUCH RESPONSIBILITY, aLTHOUGH MAYBE A bIT BORING.
TC: Oh No FuCkIn ShIt! yOuRe LiViNg WiTh VrIsKa? HaRsH dUdE, tHaTs GoTtA bE oNe MiGhTy AwKwArD lIvIn SpAcE yOu GuYs HaVe GoT tHeRe :o)
TC: WhAt WiTh ThE hEr BeInG rEsPoNsIbLe FoR yOuR mUrDeR aNd WhAtNoT
AT: aCTUALLY ITS OKAY. sHE IS STILL REALLY bOSSY, bUT i SUPPOSE SHES ALWAYS bEEN LIKE THAT… sHE WOULDN'T BE VRISKA iF SHE WASN'T.
AT: bY THE WAY, sHE WANTED mE TO PASS ON A mESSAGE TO YOU.
TC: Oh HeLlS fUcKiN yEs! BuT iF sHe WaNtEd To TaLk To Me, WhY dOeSnT sHe MaGiC hEr DeAd LiTtLe WaY oVeR tO oNe Of ThEsE lItTlE dReAm BuBbLe ThInGs AnD tElL mE hErSeLf?
TC: DoNt SeEm ToO fAiR oF hEr To SeNd YoU tO RuN hEr ErRaNdS tHaT wHiCh ShE sHoUlD bE dOiN yOu KnOw?
AC: oH, i DON'T REALLY MIND. i GET TO GET oUT OF THE HIVE aT LEAST… i WAS GETTING A lITTLE RESTLESS IN THERE aNYWAY
TC: pLUS i GET TO TALK TO YOU aGAIN GAMZEE }:o)
TC: ThAt ThErE iS tHe TrUtH mY fRiEnD :o)
TC: nOw, WhAt Is It ThAT MiSs SeRkEt WoUlD lIkE yOu To TeLl Me?
AT: oH, rIGHT, wELL… sHE SAID TO SAY tO YOU THAT SINCE YOURE kARKATS MOIRAIL NOW, yOU WOULD BE ABLE TO bREAK THE BAD NEWS TO HIM
TC: bAd NeWs? LeT mE tElL yOu SoMeThInG mY fRiEnD, nO nEwS iS bAd NeWs. NeWs Is JuSt NeWs, WhAt MaKeS iT gOoD oR bAd Is OnEs WaY oF aCcEpTiNg SaId NeWs :o)
TC: So LaY iT oN mE bRoThEr :o)
AT: wELL THAT'S A GOOD WAY oF LOOKING AT THINGS THEN i GUESS
AT: aNYWAY, THE NEWS, gOOD OR bAD, dEPENDING ON HOW YOU aCCEPT IT, iS THAT VRISKA HAS bEEN TALKING WITH THE jOHN HUMAN, aND uHMM, SHE SAYS THAT hE IS ON aN OLD NAVY SHIP, wHATEVER THAT IS, wITH JADE, aND THEY ARE UMM… PLANNING A lEADER TAKE OVER WHEN eVERYONE MEETS UP AGAIN, iN THREE YEARS TIME.
AT: aCCORDING TO VRISKA, jOHN IS PLANNING ON… kILLING KARKAT AND TAKING oVER THE GROUP, aT LEAST, i THINK THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID…
AT: yES, tHATS DEFINITELY WHAT SHE SAID. i AM CONFIDENT, wHICH IM NOT USUALLY, sO YOU KNOW I HAVE TO BE ON THE rIGHT TRACK
AT:… rIGHT?
TC: MakEs SeNsE tO mE :o) hOnK
TC: YeAh BrOtHeR, yOu CaN cOuNt On Me To PaSs SuCh HoStIlE iNfOrMaTiOn On To My DeAr MoiRaIl :o)
AT: tHANKS
TC: NoW tHaT aLl ThE sErIoUs StUfF iS oUt Of ThE wAy, WhAtS sAy YoU tO a BiT oF fReSh MoThErFuCkIn BeAtS?
TC: mY hArD rApPiN, hArD rHyMiN fRiEnD :o)
AT: i GUESS WE DID hAVE A RAP BATTLE iN THE FIRST PLACE, rIGHT
AT: aND iLL ADMIT, i DO KIND OF MISS bEING ALL CASUAL aND ALMOST CONFIDENT wHEN IT CAME TO fRESH BEATS
TC: mOtHeR
TC: fUcKiN
TC: hONk
TC: :o)
Tavros smiled to himself, reading over the next few lines of Gamzees atrocious rhymes. He really did miss this about being alive. The carefree banter, the joking, the fun of it all. The role play. While its true that this particular troll was more likely to be found face deep in a disgusting slime pie than out in the world of Flarp, there were others who joined him and Vriska in their adventures. The thought of messaging them briefly crossed his mind, but a slight flicker in his surroundings drew his attention back to the bubble.
TC: AlAs, It WoUlD aPpEaT tHaT tHe TiMe FoR iNtErAcTiOn AnD ePiC rHyMeS iS oVeR. i Am InDeEd WaKiNg Up FrOm ThIs MoThErFuCkIn BrIlLiAnT nAp Of MiNe
AT: yES, iT WOULD APPEAR SO.
TC: It WaS gOoD tAlKiN wItH yOu BrOtHeR :o)
TC: tElL yOuR aRaChNiD hOuSeMaTe ThAt GaMzEe, MiGhTiEsT oF jUgGeLoS sAyS hOwDy DoO
AT: i GUESS i COULD PASS THAT ON
AT: iT WAS QUITE GOOD TO TALK tO YOU AGAIN AS WELL
AT: jUST DON'T FORGET TO tELL KARKAT WHAT i SAID?
TC: yOu GoT iT sOn :o)
TC: TiL nExT tImE
The screen faded to black, and Tavros was left alone to watch as the walls of his old hive slowly melted around him. Soon, he was once again standing alone in the vast sandy desert known to the dead.
With a weary sigh, Tavros started home.