"A2 mo2t of you know, I wa2 a genetic experiment created by the Conde2e. 2he combined the genetic material of the 2erket2, 2erulean blood, the Captor2, yellow blood, and the Peixe22, fuch2ia blood. They were expecting me to average out at an olive blood or 2ome blue blood, but I gue22 the yellow blood gene2 were the 2tronge2t, which landed me yellow blood. However, it i2 2lightly lighter than normal yellow blood."
I tell Aradia to make me a knife, and one lands in my hand. I make a small line on my palm, and show them the light yellow blood.
"Can I see that knife?"
"2ure, 2ollux."
He makes a small line on his palm. He holds his hand up next to mine. My blood is a shade or two lighter than his.
"2o in a way, I am a triple mutant. My eye2 are- oop2, were- strange color2 for any troll; purple and light green.
"I lived in a jail cell for mo2t of my life. When I wa2 younger, I had a small re2piteblock, with a fake window. But when I got defiant, the Conde2e moved me to the jail cell. 2he believed that I had 2trong p2ychic power2, which I didn't. In2tead, I had the gift of Communication. Telepathy, 2ending 2omeone image2 through my mind, 2tuff like that. But 2he didn't even bother to know thi2. 2he for2ed me to torture inno2ent lowblood2. They had been kidnapped, 2tolen from their hive2 or their job2 in 2pace. They had done no wrong. 2he threatened to publicly execute them. I had no choi2e. I had 2ome attacking power, and it really hurt to u2e it. What it did wa2 2how the victim how much pain I wa2 in. It hurt. It alway2 either gave the troll phy2ical damage and/or mental damage, or… death. Every time I would pa22 out. Eventually, the mental over exertion caught up to me, and I 2u2tained brain damage. I developed a li2p, and wa2 unable to u2e telepathy anymore. But my offen2ive power2 were 2till 2trong. I wa2 in the infirmary for about a week, dizzy and confu2ed. That2 when I 2lept a lot.
"A little before that, Ardeu2 and I has been planning to e2cape with one other guard. When I wa2 in the infirmary, another guard took me to a violet blood. He wa2 really 2cary. I gue22 he found out about our e2cape plan, and 2enten2ed Ardeu2 to death. I didn't want to be alone, 2o I 2aid that the violet blood 2hould kill me in2tead. He ended up 2enten2ing both of u2. The date wa2 2et for three day2 from then, e22entially three day2 ago. They threw Ardeu2 into my jail cell with me, and it wa2 then that we realized that we were pretty 2trong moirail2. We kept each other from completely breaking down emotionally multiple time2. I wa2nt 2cared 2o much of dying than the pain that it would en2ue. It really hurt. But anyway2, Ardeu2 apparently had a mate2prit that he didn't tell me about until an hour before the execution. Thi2 girl who he ha2nt 2een in 2weep2. He wa2 afraid of dying becau2e he didn't want to leave her. Good thing he ha2 me, otherwi2e he would've had a tear-2tained blue fa2e throughout the execution.
"2o when they chained u2 to the Can2er 2ign cuff2, kinda like the pendant I 2aw Aranea wearing, I 2uddenly went all bi-polar angry. I gave a weird little 2peech, but I wa2 too angry too remember."
"It w s something like 'bl h bl h r nt bl h I w s r ised here nd by the s me h nd I w s cre ted I will be culled bl h bl h I won't go quietly bluh bluh huge b*."
Man, that bird flipped so hard, it did a f*ing pirouette off the balance beam that is my hand.
"Anyway2… I wa2 hecka pi22ed, 2o I relea2ed the full power of my offen2ive p2ychic abilitie2. I had to make 2ure that I didn't hurt Ardeu2 though, 2o that took 2ome extra power. Everyone wa2 2creaming on the ground, looking like they were having the wor2t day. I killed the fir2t archer. Then they brought another one in and tried to pull a bow on Ardeu2, 2o I blew hi2 eardrum2 out with p2ychic noi2e. He died. But then I gue22 that wa2 the maximum capa2ity of my power2, becau2e I 2uddenly got really tired. I 2aw yet another archer try to 2hoot me. I couldn't defend my2elf, and hone2tly, I didn't want to have to watch Ardeu2 die. 2o I ju2t bra2ed my2elf. There wa2 a lot of ju2t… whitene22. Numbne22. Nothing. My mind wa2 fuzzy, then I found Ardeu2… and now here I am."
They all stare at me in shock. I'm surprised Mituna's chin didn't touch the floor. I guess they had no idea, did they?
"J3gu2 guY2, iF Your mouth2 w3r3 op3n anY mor3, a 2warm oF b332 could Fly in with room to 2par3."
Sollux stops gaping long enough to grin at my metaphor. He raised bees, didn't he? Yeah. I kinda like bees too. They were vital to Earth's well-being.
"1… 1 H4D N0 1D34 7H47… 7H47 Y0U…" he literally has no words to describe what he's trying to say.
"This… is interesting. I had n9 idea that y9u were a 'genetic mutant', pard9n my p9tentially triggering language. I always th9ught y9u were a n9rmal yell9w 6l99d with a6n9rmal eyes-"
"2HUT IT!" I guess this is what triggering is. I don't mind being called a mutant, it's been watered down for me, but anything about my genetics and I just do a f*ing pirouette off the perfectly sane handle.
"I'm s9rry, it was an accident, I swea-"
"yOU DO NOT M3NTION My G3N32 UND3R ANy 2IRCUM2TAN23!" I rip my glasses off. Mituna cowers in the background.
"Y-Y0UR 3Y35…"
I stop yelling at Kan long enough to look over to him.
"What about th3m!?"
"TH3Y… TH3Y H4V3… 50M3 C0L0R…" he whimpers.
What? I'm supposed to be all blank-eyed and dead. Right?
"Aradia, mak3 m3 a mirror pl3a23."
She makes a mirror appear in my outstretched hand.
I look into it, and see pale yellow pupils, with a fan of pale green coming out of it. Same with the other eye, but light purple instead of green.
"WtF?"
"Wo4, wh4ts up with your 3y3s? 1 m34n th3yr3 tot4lly r4d 4nd 4ll, but, cons1d3r1ng your3 d34d, th3yr3 k1nd4 cr33py."
They are really weird. Kan opens his mouth to interject, but I cover his mouth before he can rant. I'm not in the mood.
"They might 0nly be like that when y0ure 'triggered?'" He emphasizes 'triggered' with air quotes.
"Try calming down it might help"
I take deep breaths and try to forget about what Kan said. Ok, calm.
I glance at the mirror again, and this time the yellow is gone, but my eyes still have the tie-dye look with the colors they used to be. Cool.
"At l3a2t I won't hav3 nightmar3 fu3l 3Y32 anYmor3. Just cool on32."
"7H475 83773R."
"2orrY I 2car3d You, Tuna."
"7H475 0K."
"I believe I am at fault as well. I ap9l9gize as well. 6y the way, what was it that I said that set y9u 9ff, Struda?"
"I'm rath3r… 23n2itiv3… about mY g3n32. Th3 on3 thing I can't control i2 th3 onlY thing that oth3r2 would kill m3 For. IF You 2o much a2 r3F3ran23 mY g3n32 again, I will kill You."
"I d9 n9t 6elieve that is p9ssible t9 kill a gh9st."
"COUGHCOUGHlord3ngli2h"
"Right. I will respect y9ur 69undaries."
"45 4 M475HP… M473557P… F*, 1 C4N7… 1 C4N7… D4MM17… 7UL1P… H3LP…"
"1ts ok Tun4, s4y 1t w1th m3, m4t3,"
"M473."
"spr1t."
"5H5PR17."
"Y34h, l1k3 th4t! Good job!"
"Haha, y0u can't say matesprit?"
"5H47 UP!"
Sollux giggles at Mituna's reaction.
"S9llux, I 6elieve this may 6e s9mewhat trig-"
"Oh mY gog do You n3v3r 2hut Your f*ING Fac3?"
"Trust m3, 1v3 tr13d. H1s mouth runs so much, 1t should b3 sw34t1ng."
She punches him lightly in the arm, and I see him twitch.
"(Latula, phy2ical contact i2 on3 oF hi2 trigg3r2. Car3Ful.)"
"(Th3n how com3 h3 do3snt m1nd you touch1ng h1m?)"
"(WhY do You think? I'm hi2 mat32prit.)"
"(Oh y3ah.)"
"(WH47CH4 W15P3R1N 480U7?)"
"(2tFu.)"
"Why all the *twitch* whispering?" Kan asks. S* he's triggered.
"Kan, calm down bro. It2 ok."
"N9, it is n9t '9k'. She t9uched me."
"Com3 on, grow up-"
"I AM N9T 9K WITH ANY PHYSICAL C9NTACT! IF Y9U W9NT RESPECT MY 69UNDARIES, I W9NT RESPECT Y9URS!"
I move towards him, but he is so angry that he doesn't even notice. He jerks when I hug him, then the fire in his eyes dies down. He hugs me back.
"233, it2 not that bad." I whisper.
He nods and rests his chin on my shoulder.
"U 0K N0W?"
"Yes. I believe I am."
Latula carefully treads up to him and speaks gently to him.
"1'm sorry bro. Th4t w4s d3f1n4tl3y not r4d. 4t 4ll."
"It wasn't. 6ut I accept y9ur ap9l9gy."
"3v3rYon3 good? Good? L3t2 do 2om3thing. Aradia, can You mak3 a comput3r?"
"Here you go"
"Thank2."
I turn the screen away from everyone so I can hack GrubTube in peace. I get on, and find all the cat videos. All of them.
"Two word2: cat vid3o2."
"Y4Y! 7H05 R 50 CU73!"
They all gather around the screen to watch cats falling in boxes, playing with catnip toys, and bringing their owners "presents."
Based on how many we watched, and how long each one was, we were looking at the screen for about three hours. THREE!
I lean back to stretch, and out of the corner of my tie dye eye (hey, that rhymes!) I see… hold on is that Meenah?
"RUN! -ENGLIS)( IS H-ER-E! RUN!"