Kanaya pulled one of the blankets over the little sleeping troll before getting off of the bed and returning to the livingroom. She walked up to Rose and gave a little tug on her pant leg. "What are you two doing?" she asked curiously. She'd heard snatches of their conversation, and she wondered if they were actually going to do something about it.
John nodded. "Okay, sounds good," and looked down at Kanaya when he heard her walk into the room. "Hm? Oh, well, uh… Rose, do you wanna explain?" he asked, glancing back at his friend.
Rose nodded, motioning for Kanaya to sit down on the sofa next to them. "There is an organization that harms trolls for amusement, and me and John plan to shut them down. However, it seems that if only two people are trying to accomplish such a task, we should regroup some more," she explains.
Kanaya climbed up onto the couch, sitting in the corner so she was only next to Rose and not John. "Why don't you consider asking some of your clients next time you go to work if they would like to help us?" she asked Rose softly, deciding not to mention that she'd already heard a little about this organization from when Rose and John were talking earlier.
Rose thought it over, wondering about that. "That is a good idea, however I worry that some of my clients will become upset if I tell them. Weather or not trolls have rights is a very controversial topic as of late, and I'm not sure how many people I can get to help. However I believe I know someone by the name of Jane who might want to help."
"You could ask the people who liked me that day you took me to work with you." Kanaya pointed out before taking the book from Rose's lap and dragging it onto her own, flipping through some of the pages. John looked over at her and asked,"Hey, where's Karkat?" Kanaya flinched and looked up at him shyly. "He's sleeping in Rose's room." She replied softly.
Rose thought over the names of her clients and got up to go to her computer. She came back with a purple pen and a list of names and pictures. "I believe I remember some of them," she replies to Kanaya. She circles a few people on the list, thinking over the names. Karkat was still asleep, and didn't make a sound. For once he wasn't causing any trouble.
Kanaya closed the book and set it on the ground before cuddling close to Rose, watching as she worked on the list. "I'm gonna go check on Karkles." John said after a little while, since he didn't exactly have anything else to do at the moment. He got up and walked down the hallway, to Rose's room, and smiled when he saw Karkat sound asleep, looking quite comfortable. 'Geez he sleeps a lot. Maybe he's just that young?' John wondered. 'I should probably ask Rose about that.'
Rose smiled, lightly reaching over to pet her behind the horns. She knew Kanaya liked to be pet, although she usually never asked or anything. Karkat rolled over in his sleep, still looking really tiny in comparison to Rose's bed. He shuffled his feet a little as he dreampt, still looking rather pleased with whatever he was dreaming about.
Kanaya stiffened at the touch for a second, but soon relaxed and purred softly as Rose continued to pet her. John sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake him up, and gently smoothed down the little troll's hair. Honestly, he felt really lucky that he'd managed to find Karkat, and he hoped that he could always protect him, especially now that he had some idea of what he'd gone through.
Rose smiled, continuing to pet Kanaya as she looked over to the list of names, writing down a few things and crossing out some other details. In the end, she decided she would talk to Jane and Roxy, seeing how kind they were. She wasn't quite sure if they had trolls of their own, though. Karkat purred a little as he slept, his ear twitching once more. His dream must be a good one.
Kanaya sighed softly and closed her eyes, relaxing into the gentle touch and leaning against Rose contentedly. She had started to realize this may be their last really peaceful moment together for a while, and she was simply attempting to make the most of it. After a few minutes, John stopped petting Karkat so he could take out his phone. Since Rose was busy trying to find people to help, maybe he should ask some of his friends too.
Rose knew that her and John might be getting in way over their heads, but at the same time she knew that someone had to do it. She remembered once reading a story in which the idea of a single man changed the entire world, and the people in it. One by one, they would be able to make a stand. Or at least she hoped. Karkat began to wake up, stretching his little hands and pawfeet as he yawned. He blinked up at John curiously.
"You're going to be contacting your other friends as well, correct? Will they be coming over?" Kanaya asked curiously, entirely certain that soon there house would be full of noisy people, and possibly other trolls. And while one or two would be fine if they were nice, more than that would be entirely too many. John was texting his friend Dave when Karkat woke up, and so he didn't notice the little troll looking up at him.
Karkat, figuring this would be the perfect time to go exploring like he had wanted, began to climb down from the bed and went over to the nearest window. He pawed at the curtains curiously, grabbing onto them and beginning to climb up it. Despite being light, his weight was a bit too much for it and the curtail holder fall off, making him and and the curtains fall to the ground. Meanwhile, Rose put the list in the book with the map and nearly jumped when she heard the noise.
John looked up at the noise, more than a little surprised as well. He got up and walked over to the mess of fabric known as the curtains that had fallen to the floor after Karkat's attempt at climbing them. John moved the fabric back to reveal his little troll, looking down at him worriedly. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. Kanaya perked up as well, looking toward where the sound had some from. "Should we go see what happened?" she asked hesitantly.
"I believe we should," Rose replies, turning over to Kanaya. Meanwhile, Karkat whined a little, but didn't make a huge deal out of falling down. He was used to being quiet when something happened to him, seeing how he would get hurt or beat if he made too much noise. He crawls under Rose's bed where it would be safe, and curls up in a ball, expecting to be punished or something along those lines.
Kanaya got up with Rose and followed her down the hall, toward the bedroom. "Karkat, come out of there…" John said with a small sigh as he knelt down next to the edge of the bed and peered under, trying to see his little troll. "It's alright Karkarle, I just wanna make sure you're alright." He said softly, reaching under the bed to try to get at him. He knew better than to try to pull him out like a cat, but maybe Karkat would come out if he knew he wasn't going to be hurt.
Karkat let out a light whine, covering his head. He wasn't sure what happened to the curtains, if he had broke them, or if anyone was mad. He was used to being in a lot of trouble, thinking back to the rules of his old home. He didn't come over to John, too scared that he might be in trouble. Rose was in the doorway of the room, and she looked to John wondering what was happening. "Is he stuck under there?" she asks, already inferring that Karkat knocked down her curtains and ran, by the looks of things.
John sat up when they walked in, and shook his head. "I don't think so- I think he just doesn't wanna come out." He replied, and Kanaya looked up at Rose. "Perhaps I should attempt to coax him out?" she asked the blonde girl quietly. Karkat's behavior made sense; he'd done something that he thought would warrant punishment, and so he'd retreated to somewhere safe. She'd done that too, when she was younger. She wasn't quite sure if she could still fit under Rose's bed though, since her horns had grown.
"I believe that's a good idea, although I can't be sure how we shall coax him out," Rose replies. She remembered when Kanaya would do the same, although it was easier for her to coax Kanaya out, seeing how they had a good bond and knew each other very well. She knew it might be hard to get Karkat out, but if anything she knew they should at least try. Meanwhile, Karkat was shaking, looking around for the sign of a dog or a broom, which his previous owner often used to chase him out of a place he wasn't meant to be.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," John agrees. He looks over at Kanaya with a small smile as she walked over to the bed, and knelt crouched down so she could see under it. After a few moments of struggling and shifting so she could get her horns past the edge of the bed frame, she managed to get about halfway under, and could almost reach out and touch the frightened little troll. "Karkat?" she asked softly, not wanting to startle him. "Come here, please."
Karkat uncurled a little, looking over to Kanaya and shaking his head, lightly. He didn't say anything in reply, though. He was still scared that he was in trouble. Rose looked over to Kanaya as she crawled beneath the bed, wondering if there was something she could do. She didn't want to startle him, because if she tried to help as well he might get confused by two people talking at the same time.
"It's okay, you aren't in trouble." Kanaya murmured, probably too quietly for either of the humans to hear, before managing to worm her way further under the bed so she could pet him. Kanaya purred softly, knowing it calmed the young troll down a little. Maybe it reminded him of a mother? She wasn't sure, she didn't remember much from when she was very young.
Karkat tensed up when she began to pet him, but after while he relaxed and uncurled. He wriggled a bit closer to her, calming down because of how gentle she was being. Her purring helped as well, and relaxed him even further. He made his way over to her, although be was still being quite silent. Rose watched them, trusting in Kanaya to be able to get him out.
Kanaya smiled and nuzzled him gently. "See, it's alright. Let's get out from under here now, okay?" she asked as she gently put her arm around him, getting ready to try to climb out from under the bed. John sat back a little ways away from the bed, waiting for the pair to come out, hoping Karkat wouldn't put up too much of a fight since it was another troll trying to coax him out.
Karkat curled up against her, letting her pull him out from under the bed. He felt that he could be safe around her, seeing how careful and calm she was. Rose watches Kanaya pull him out, and smiles a little at the young troll. He clung to Kanaya, as if she were his mother of sorts.
Kanaya managed to get out from under the bed, though she hissed softly when her hooked horn got caught on the bedframe for a moment. Once they were out from under the bed, she smiled and got up, walking over to John and still carrying the younger troll. "Here." She said softly as she pried Karkat off of her and gently set him in John's lap. The blue eyed boy smiled at her and nodded. "Heh, thanks." He said as he reached over and ruffled the troll's hair gently. She flinched and took a small step back, not used to such affection from anyone except Rose.
Karkat blinked over to her, not quite understanding what was happening. He sits down in John's lap, his eyes innocently wandering around the room. He spots the curtains on the floor and his ears go down, looking at it guiltily. Like a child, he tries to climb up John to cling to his neck. Rose watches them and smiles a bit, seeing that Karkat was finally out from under her bed. She does over to the curtains and fixes them, putting them back in their place above the closed window. It wasn't broken, surprisingly.
"See? It's okay. Just don't try that again, okay?" John said with a small smile as he watched Roxy put back the curtains. "Uh, sorry about that, I shoulda been keeping a closer eye on him, I guess." He said to Rose. He was glad that nothing was broken, even if he doubted Rose would be very mad. And, he knew he should probably reprimand Karkat a little more than he had, but the poor thing had already kinda put himself through his own punishment, and really, he was just glad Karkat was okay.
"It's fine John, all he did was knock them out of place. No harm done," she replies, sitting down on her bed. Karkat hugged John's neck tightly, burring his head in it. After a while he looks over to the curtains, and then over to Rose. "Sorri..." he tries to say, still looking quite guilty. "It's perfectly fine, Karkat," Rose replies. She looks over to Kanaya curiously. "Thank you for retrieving him," she smiles.
Kanaya walked over to the bed and sat down next to Rose. "It was no trouble." She replied softly before asking, "… So are other people going to be coming over as well?" John smiled as he held Karkat close and absentmindedly rubbed behind his horns. "Well, um, I've only talked to one guy about it. What about you, Rose? Did you get a hold of anyone?"
"Oh, right. I contacted a few of my clients, and it seems that we can arrange a meeting at Jane's house. She's an acquaintance of mine, and she contacted a few of her friends to see if they would be interested, and I believe they might be able to help," Rose replies. Karkat pressed his head to John's hand a bit, purring softly as he was pet.
"Okay, sounds good. So, when are we meeting up? I texted Dave, and he said he'd help too." John said as he continued to pet the little troll, grinning when he started to purr. "Heh, so Rose, trolls purring means the same thing as when a cat purrs, right?"
"That's correct. A troll, much like a cat, often purrs to show friendship or a bond. It can also be used by one troll to comfort a younger troll," Rose replies. Karkat continued his soft purring, not really paying much attention to what Rose was saying. "The meeting takes place this friday, and I will contact everyone with all of the details later on," she adds.
John nodded and took out his cellphone as he continued petting Karkat. "Cool, I'll tell Dave when we're meeting up." He replied before sending a quick text message to his friend. Kanaya smiled as she watched Karkat and listened to him purr contentedly. "We also use it to show submissiveness, on occasion, usually to highbloods." She pointed out, though Rose probably hadn't remembered since Kanaya was rarely around other trolls, let alone highbloods.
Rose nodded, faintly remembering that from a textbook she had read about trolls a while or so before she had taken in Kanaya. It was sometimes hard to remember something you've read when you read so often. Karkat was a bit curious about highbloods now, overhearing that word quite often back in his old home. He wanted to ask, but decided not to speak out, thinking he'd probably just get hit for interrupting their conversation. "Oh, I've forgotten to ask earlier, but have you two eaten? It's lunchtime around now. I could prepare something for everyone, if you would like," Rose suggests.
John smiled and shoved his phone back in his pocket once the message to Dave had been sent. He looked up at Rose with a small smile. "Ah, no we haven't actually." He replied before looking down at Karkat. "You hungry, little guy?" he asked as he ruffled the little troll's hair fondly. They had eaten breakfast pretty early, now that he thought of it; he was kind of hungry too. And Rose had always been a pretty good cook, so having lunch with her was sure to be good.
Karkat looked up at them with a wide-eyed smile, remembering the good-tasting stuff he had eaten for breakfast earlier in the morning. He wondered if he would be getting to eat the same thing again. He wasn't sure how to reply to John, so he just kept smiling in his child-like way. "Alright, I could make something for everyone then. Anything that you have in mind?" Rose asks.
"Um… Not really. I mean we had eggs for breakfast, if that gives you any ideas." John replied with a shrug before standing up, picking Karkat up with him. Kanaya watched the pair curiously as the small troll looked around. She didn't know about him, but she'd always quite liked being up high, hence why she'd been on the porch railing earlier that day.
"I think I have an idea of what I can make. How does hamburgers sound? Those are rather easy to make, and we can add our own toppings." She looked over to Kanaya, wanting to know her opinion as well. Karkat had no idea what hamburgers were, so he just rubbed at some of the sore cuts on his face, not paying much attention to the conversation.
Kanaya looked up at Rose and nodded. "That sounds good to me." She replied softly, and John nodded as well before moving Karkat so he was holding him in one arm. He glanced down at Karkat with a small frown and lightly tapped the little troll's paw. "Don't rub at those, okay?" he said softly to him.
"thei huert..." Karkat complains, continuing to rub at his cuts as if they would somehow disappear. Rose frowned when she heard that, wondering why people would do something to such a small child. "I'll be in the kitchen," she says, leaving to prepare dinner for the others.
"I know, but rubbing them isn't gonna help. I'll bandage those up when we get home, but for now, don't touch 'em." John replied as he gently grabbed Karkat's hand, keeping him from rubbing at the cuts. Kanaya watched the pair for a moment before getting up and following Rose down the hallway and into the kitchen.
Karkat whined a little, but then gave up and stopped. He watched Kanaya leave and he tugged at John's shirt, wanting to follow. Rose began getting the meat ready and lighting the grill, asking Kanaya her thoughts on which ingredients she should use to season the meat and some other things as she cooked. This was going to be a nice dinner.
-END OF CHAPTER 4-