...And now I'm mad that this site won't display greater than/less than symbols for Terezi's horns whenever she makes faces in pesterlog conversations. Oh well, most people read this over on AO3 anyway.
Chapter 10: Rose: Call for Help
"John!" Rose called out, tone sharp and determined. "Over here, I've already got a cot set up for you!"
John gave a desperate nod as he carried an unconscious Karkat into the room, hurrying over to where Rose was pointing and gently placing the troll onto the cot. He kept hold of Karkat's wrist, making sure the broken fingers didn't mash into the mattress.
"Kanaya," Rose called, "please message Jane and tell her to hurry."
Kanaya nodded. "I'm on it."
"Good." Rose approached Karkat, looking down at him in concern. "What on earth happened to him? All you told me in that message was that he needed help, but you were rather unspecific." She eyed his hand. "He's broken his fingers, I see."
"Kinda," John agreed, stricken. "Oh Rose, it was awful! Karkat was asleep on the couch when I got home, so I just left him there and went to sleep in my own room—but a while later I heard a scream, and when I got up Karkat was staggering into my room and insisting that someone was in the house, and had attacked him! He said that they'd clawed at his chest and snapped his fingers and wrecked the living room, and he was so shaken up…but when I went downstairs to check it out, everything was right as I'd left it! There was no sign that someone was in the house, and Karkat fell unconscious a few minutes after I started leading him here, so I couldn't get much more information out of him."
Rose's eyes widened. "Another hallucination?"
"It sounds like it, but…oh god, Rose, his fingers! And his chest!"
She took a good look at his broken fingers, then dipped her gaze to where sickly red blood was soaking through the black fabric of his shirt. "This is quite intense, I agree…"
"That's one word for it," John said with a shake of his head.
"John…you do realize what this means, don't you?"
He winced. He did, but he didn't want to talk about it.
"If Karkat's hallucinations have already progressed to this point, then things are much more serious than we feared. If it's true that this was caused by a hallucination, then it means that he snapped his own fingers, clawed his own chest open, and convinced himself that someone else did it to him."
He swallowed hard. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. "Yeah, I…I figured that out."
Rose fixed him with a level stare. "This is very serious. If he's begun to hurt himself, then extensive measures will have to be taken. We may have to lock him up in order to make sure there's not a repeat incident."
"Lock him—?"
"Restraints may also be in order."
John nearly choked. "No, you can't do that to him! Rose, please, there must be another way!"
"If there is, I do not know of it. We are not yet prepared to alchemize the device that will allow him to regain his sleep—and at this point, I am not entirely convinced that lack of sleep is the sole cause. Something else may be going on here, something we don't understand."
"But—"
The door to the lab burst open, and two figures scrambled into the room with equal fervor.
"John!" the first person cried out, blond hair sticking up at odd angles, shades crooked on the bridge of his nose. "Is he okay?"
John shook his head helplessly, gesturing to Karkat with his free hand. "Not right now, but I think he will be after Jane heals him." He looked to Jane, the second person, and begged, "Please, you have to help him!"
Jane nodded, flying over to him in a heartbeat, Dave hot on her heels.
"Oh my goodness!" Jane gasped out upon seeing Karkat's condition. "What happened to him?"
"Just heal him!" John insisted, grip tightening on Karkat's wrist. "He's in pain!"
Jane's eyes went wide and she nodded, terrified. Then her hands were settling over Karkat's chest, healing magic flooding into him. Dave shifted his weight from one foot to another nervously as John fidgeted in much the same way, both watching as Jane worked.
First, the lingering swelling around his eye went down. Then the gashes in his sides sealed up beneath his shirt, spitting out globs of partially coagulated blood as they did. Next his fingers were dealt with, the bones shifting back into place and mending as Karkat groaned weakly in his sleep. The magic took hold of him for only one second more to heal the various scratches and bruises he'd received in the fight, then it left him with a blinding flash.
John let out a whoosh of breath as the pain drained out of Karkat's face. The troll's whole body relaxed, going limp bit by bit, and soon he was sleeping with light but regular pulls of air into his lungs.
Jane, on the other hand, didn't seem relieved. She recoiled the instant all of Karkat's injuries were healed and clutched her hands to her chest, expression one of horror and confusion. "What's wrong with him?" she managed, eyes locked on the form of the sleeping troll.
"What do you mean?" Dave snapped. He'd moved to Karkat's side the instant she moved away, and was resting a hand atop the troll's head. "You healed him, there shouldn't be anything wrong with him!"
"Not physically," Jane protested. "It's…something mentally. The instant I started healing him I could…" She trailed off, waving her hands helplessly.
Rose dipped her head. "You could feel it, couldn't you?"
She nodded wordlessly. "It's not physical, so there's nothing I can do to heal it, but…my magic just kind of reflected off his brain, like there's something dark in there keeping me from touching it."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Dave growled.
"I imagine it has something to do with the hallucinations," Rose explained grimly. "Karkat's mind is a very dark place right now—and something is seriously wrong with him if his hallucinations are bringing him to physically harm himself." She looked to John, then Dave. "I wish to speak with him alone when he awakens. Perhaps I will be able to paint a clearer picture of his affliction and how it should be treated."
Dave bared his teeth. "He's not a test subject! You can't go around poking at his brain!"
"Just give me a chance," she insisted. "If I can just speak to him without interference, I'm sure I can glean some kind of understanding as to what's going on inside his head. I won't be overly invasive; I'll only ask as much as is necessary."
The Knight continued to glare, shoulders hunched defensively over Karkat's sleeping form. "I swear to god, Rose, if you're just doing this to play therapist—"
"I want him to recover just as much as you," was the cool response. "Please think of someone other than yourself for once!"
That made him pause. Dave looked to John. Then he flickered his gaze to Kanaya, then to Jane—and finally he deflated, saying, "Okay, fine…just don't break him."
"I will endeavor not to."
"What about what you said earlier?" John pressed, jumping in before Rose could go off on a tangent. "The restraints, and the whole being locked up thing…?
Dave bristled. "What?"
Rose shot him a look of warning. "We don't have to discuss that ad nauseam until I've had the chance to speak with Karkat. Once I've done that, we can work out whether it's necessary and how we should go about protecting him from himself."
"You can't seriously be thinking about—!"
"If Karkat poses a danger to himself, then yes, I will take measures to make sure that he cannot bring further harm to himself."
"But—!"
"You saw him, did you not? When you first came in? You saw the way he'd mangled his own fingers, the way he'd torn into his own chest until muscle was exposed. Do you want him to continue to do such things to himself?"
Dave faltered. "No, but…"
"No buts," Rose said brusquely. "If you don't want him to hurt himself, and I deem it necessary, we will do what must be done. If you truly cared for him, you would agree."
Dave spluttered in a very uncool way, shades still askew as he tried to come up with a retort. But then he seemed to collect himself, and he took a step back with a shaky, "Yeah, I…yeah."
Despite his worry for Karkat, John couldn't help but feel a flicker of happiness to see Dave so adorably worried. It seems like the two of them have started to work things out…good for them! Took them long enough.
Jane cleared her throat, making everyone jump. "Um…if all of you are okay with it, I think I should be going now. I can tell everyone what's going on if you want!"
"No," Rose said, "I don't think you should say anything. I'll send out a memo later. But you are free to leave. Thank you for helping us."
"Yeah," John chimed in, echoed momentarily by Dave. "Thank you!"
Jane smiled sweetly. "Oh, it was nothing!" Then she was flying out of the room and vanishing behind the set of double doors, no doubt ready to go back to bed.
"Now," Rose said when she was gone. "John and Dave, I want you both to leave and get some rest."
"What?" John yelped. "You can't be serious!"
"Yeah," Dave agreed, "we should be here when he wakes up."
Rose shook her head. "No—when he wakes up, I need to speak with him before either of you have the chance to get your hands on him."
"But why?"
"His story will most likely be the most accurate immediately after he wakes, and I will not have the two of you around to distract him when he's trying to tell me what happened."
"We should be there," Dave insisted, tone low and rough. "He trusts us a hell of a lot more than he trusts you."
"I have no doubt of that. But this is how things must be." Rose pointed to the door. "And besides that, the two of you need to sleep. It is the middle of the night, and losing sleep over this won't help you."
"There's no way we'll be able to sleep after this!" John wailed. He shuddered at the thought of returning to Karkat's empty house, knowing that the troll had viciously mutilated himself in the living room not two hours prior. "I can't go back to that house, Rose, not while Karkat's here!"
"Then go to Dave's," she said. "The two of you might benefit from a good talk."
"But—!"
"No, John. Do it."
He glanced over at Dave uncertainly. He'd been so cruel to Dave the last time he'd seen him, chasing him off with the threat of attacking him if he ever saw him again. Would Dave even want him around anymore?
Dave seemed to sense his trepidation. "Don't worry about it, dude—I don't really want to be alone right now either, so you can shack up with me until Karkat's good as new."
"You're…okay with that?" He shuffled his feet nervously. "You can tell me to go away if you'd rather not—"
Dave groaned. "Dude, just stay at my place. We can chum it up just like old times and talk about that time you tried to blast my head off a few days ago. Sound good?"
He gulped. "Y-yeah…okay."
Dave rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's get out of here."
He followed his best friend (former best friend?) out of the room, casting one last glance at Karkat as he went.
Get well soon, Karkat…and come back home where you belong.
†††
"I warned you."
Karkat opened his eyes blearily, staring at the hazy figure standing before him. He couldn't quite make out the details, but he thought that he could see the outline of fluttering wings.
"He hurt you, didn't he?"
The figure drifted closer, wings a blur of movement, and Karkat felt cool fingers press to his right side. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to make a sound.
"It's okay, Karkat. You don't have long to wait now."
Not long to wait? Not long to wait until what, exactly?
"We will be with you soon enough."
†††
Karkat winced as his world returned to him slowly, faint flickers of pain grasping at his fingers and sides. His entire body felt overly hot, and he recognized the lingering affects of Jane's healing magic. John must have gone for help, the dork.
"Karkat? Karkat, can you hear me?"
The grating female voice stabbed at his think pan unpleasantly. He groaned, turning his head to one side.
"Oh, excellent—Kanaya, would you please leave? And send John and Dave a message, if you will, letting them know that Karkat is conscious."
"Of course, Rose." Footsteps clacked lightly against the floor, and then there was the sound of a pair of double doors opening and swinging closed.
Rose and Kanaya? Then I must be in the lab. He flexed his fingers hesitantly, still expecting pain despite knowing that he'd been healed. They were moving normally now, he noted, and there was no sign that he'd ever been attacked—even the slashes on his chest had been mended. It certainly didn't do him any favors, knowing that the one piece of evidence of Gamzee's attack had been erased.
"Open your eyes," Rose urged in a soft voice. "Now, Karkat. We need to exchange words before I can let you go anywhere."
He had to talk to the crazy psychoanalyst before he was allowed to go anywhere? No, surely John and Dave would bust him out if he just waited.
"John and Dave have agreed that this necessary, so they won't be coming to rescue you."
Fuck, she'd seen right through him. He was really going to have to do this, wasn't he?
"Now, the sooner you answer my questions the sooner we can decide what our next course of action should be. Are you willing to cooperate?"
He hesitated, weighing his options. Shit, there's no way around this. I have to talk to her. "Fine," he rasped, eyes opening slowly, then closing as they were assaulted by the bright light. "But give me a few fucking minutes before you start blabbing my ear off, got it?"
Rose leaned back. She'd drug a seat up beside where he was laying (which was on some kind of cot they kept at the lab, he noticed), and was sitting beside him with a pencil and notepad on her lap.
"You look like one of those therapist characters from one of John's shitty movies," he sneered, eyeing the notepad. "Are you going to start asking me about my feelings?"
"If you're ready," she said coolly. "But I thought you wanted a few minutes first."
He snarled, struggling to push himself upright. His muscles were far stronger than they'd been the previous night, and he found with satisfaction that it was far easier to get himself up. Once he was sitting cross-legged, leaning his back against the pillows, he decided that it would be best to get this train wreck of a therapy session over with. He'd think about all of the horrible things that had happened the previous night after he'd gotten Rose out of his hair.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Shoot."
She did. "Okay, then. I'll try to keep this quick. First of all, why don't you tell me what happened to you last night?"
…Or he would think about all of the horrible things now. "John told you, didn't he?" he snapped. "Why do I need to repeat it?"
"Humor me."
He bared his teeth, but knew he wouldn't be leaving until he obeyed. "Fucking fine. I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up I felt someone breathing down my neck. I thought it was John or Dave, but when I realized that neither of them were in the room, I threw myself out of the way to avoid whoever it was. They swiped at me, I dodged, they tackled me to the ground and started breaking my fucking fingers. Then they clawed open my chest and threatened to…" And here he hesitated, not really wanting to tell Rose what Gamzee had tried to do. "Tried to kill me," he amended, hoping his hesitation hadn't been too obvious. "I managed to subdue him long enough to run to John's room for help. After that, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, but John went down and said that no one was there. That's everything."
Rose hummed. "I see. And who was this hallucination, exactly? Did you recognize him?"
He glared down at his hands, lying limply in his lap. "Gamzee Makara," he forced out, hating the way the name tasted on his tongue.
"Gamzee," Rose echoed, scribbling down the name. "Makara. Another troll?"
He bit back a low growl. Rose knew who Gamzee was, knew what had happened to him—she was just playing dumb so that Karkat would have to say it. "Yeah, the worst fucking troll on the planet."
"I see. And what makes him the worst, would you say?"
You fucking know what makes him the worst! "He slaughtered my friends." His voice was flat, anger boiling beneath the surface.
"Ah. And which friends would those be?"
"I don't see why that's important!" he hissed.
"Just answer the question, Karkat."
"Nepeta," he ground out. "Nepeta and Equius, and he tried to kill a hell of a lot more of us, but I managed to calm him down before he could on a murderous rampage."
"I see." Her pen moved across the paper rhythmically. "Now, why would Gamzee go after you? Did he say anything about his motives?"
"He said…" He hesitated, thinking back. "He said that I replaced him, even though he's the one that ditched me like a pathetic piece of garbage."
"How so?"
"He was my moirail for a good few months," he explained, hating Rose for making him say it. "But then he started to grow self-absorbed and distant, and he broke things off right when I needed him most."
"Interesting. How have you replaced him, then?"
Oh, no fucking way he was telling Rose about the strange, fucked up thing he had going with John. "No clue."
She frowned. "Karkat…"
"It's personal."
She fixed him with an even stare, no doubt hoping he'd crack. But then she sighed, seeming to understand his refusal to speak, and moved on. "Very well, then. We can come back to that later. For now, it's enough to know that he attacked you out of jealousy. Now, Karkat…do you understand that what you experienced wasn't real?"
He tensed. "I…"
"It was a hallucination. This is something you must understand if we are to start working towards recovery."
"But it felt so fucking real," he hissed, curling in on himself slightly. "He broke my fingers, how could it have been a hallucination?"
Her tone turned soft, comforting. "It wasn't real. You were the one that hurt yourself, I'm afraid, convincing yourself that someone else was the one doing it."
"What possible motive could my think pan have for making up this shit?"
The pen tapped against the paper over and over again. "Why don't you tell me this: do you feel guilt for replacing Gamzee?"
"No!" Then he hesitated. Did he feel guilt? He fucking shouldn't, not after the juggalo had flat out ditched him and run off. "No, I'm not guilty at all."
"Are you quite certain? Because looking at this as an outsider, it looks like you are. If you felt guilt, that would explain why your mind created the figment of the friend you replaced and led him to harm you. It could be your mind's way of coping, of punishing yourself for something you believe is your fault. You could have been led to hurt yourself as some form of repentance."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Karkat bit out. "I'll give you that your theory may be correct for Gamzee, but why the fuck would I be having hallucinations of other people if this whole thing is just about my former moirail?"
Rose was silent. Then, "Other people? Who else have you seen?"
Fuck, I shouldn't have said anything. "I saw Nepeta."
She clicked the end of her ballpoint pen. "Ah, yes, I remember John telling me about that. You saw her attack Dirk and drag Jake out of a tree, did you not?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"And was there anyone else?"
He thought for a moment. "Eridan," he decided, recalling the strange shape he'd seen twisting and twirling in the waves. "That's all I've seen while awake."
"Eridan and Nepeta," Rose repeated, scribbling the name down. "Why don't you tell me about Eridan first? He was a highblood, was he not?"
"A seadweller," he confirmed. "A real fucking jerk, too. Drove me up the wall." He sat there for a moment, guilt flooding him. "It was my fault he died."
"How so?"
"He didn't have a moirail. He was a fucking highblood, too, he needed a moirail. He came to me for help, wanted to talk to me…I think he was even making a pale advance on me, even if he didn't realize it himself, but I turned him away. And then he went crazy and killed someone."
"Who did he kill?"
"Feferi, and then he blinded Sollux. Almost killed Kanaya, too—and then she sawed him right the fuck in half."
She cringed. "Yes, I…I remember Kanaya mentioning that."
He smirked, but there was no amusement in it. "He did some awful things, but he wasn't a bad person. Not really. If I'd talked to him when I had the chance, he wouldn't have gone crazy. End of story."
Rose pressed pen to paper, seemingly preparing to write something down. But then she paused, pen thunking limply to the notepad, and let her arms fall to her lap. "You seem to feel a lot of guilt over this—over the death of apotential moirail. I can't help but notice that everyone you've described seeing so far has had some kind of pale attraction to you."
"Well that'll change real fucking quick, because I haven't told you about Nepeta yet," he snapped.
"Well then by all means, go on."
"Not much to say about her," he lied. "She was a crazy purrbeast troll. Not a violent bone in her body, not unless she was defending someone she cared about. A real softie. Definitely not pale for me, and that one was a death that I was not—" Then he trailed off with a wince, realizing that he was wrong. "Fuck…actually, that one was kind of my fault too…if I'd seen sooner what was happening to Gamzee, I would have gone pale for him sooner and stopped him from murdering Equius, which would have saved Nepeta…" His head thudded down into his hands, and he groaned out, "Fuck!"
Rose hummed. "So that's Gamzee, Eridan, Nepeta, and Feferi—all trolls that you blame yourself for indirectly killing. Am I hearing that correctly?"
He grumbled out a hesitant agreement.
"I see." She watched him, expression unreadable. "What about the others that died? Do you feel that you had any hand in their deaths?"
A sour taste flooded his mouth. "Equius," he said. "Another one that went because I couldn't control Gamzee."
Rose nodded politely. "I'll repeat my question, then—did you feel you had a hand in the deaths of any of the others?"
"No," he said immediately. "Tavros was taken out by Vriska; I had nothing to do with it. And other than that, I don't really know how the others died."
"That's true," Rose said. "Kanaya told me that Aradia was alive when she was last seen, and that Sollux in his half-dead form was with her. And though we don't know if Vriska is still out there, it's safe to say that if she is dead, you had no hand in it."
He nodded. "You got that fucking right."
She ignored him. "But I feel as though we've gotten off track. Let me be honest with you, Karkat—I am trying to analyze your psychological state in order to determine whether or not you should be allowed to continue living freely."
"Living freely? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"You seem to pose a serious threat to yourself at the moment. If I allow you to go back home, you could hurt yourself again. Or worse—you could commit suicide under the influence of your hallucinations."
"What the fuck do you—?"
"If a figment of Gamzee could make you snap your own fingers, I have no doubt that he could lead you to slit your own throat, or to throw yourself off the cliffs not too far from your home."
He winced. She had a point.
"So, then—I need to determine if you should be kept here for your own safety."
He said nothing. What could he say?
Rose hummed thoughtfully. "Karkat, do you understand that what you've been experiencing have been hallucinations?"
He nodded silently. He did. He didn't understand how a hallucination could be so clear, so real, but…
"Do you understand that you have been hurting yourself? That Gamzee wasn't really there?"
He nodded.
She watched him unnervingly. "Very well, then." She got to her feet and placed the notepad on her desk, setting the pen at its side. Then she turned back, and there was a small smile on her face as she said, "I'm going to let you go home, Karkat. But there will be conditions."
Conditions? "Like what?"
"You are no longer allowed to sleep alone. I expect either John or Dave to be with you constantly—you're permitted no more alone timeuntil Kanaya and I manage to alchemize a recuperacoon to help you sleep. I no longer believe that lack of sleep is the main cause of this, but it can't hurt to get some decent rest. In addition, I want you to start talking with John more. Perhaps having a feelings jam with him will start to clear your head a bit."
"Feelings jam?" he echoed. "He's not my fucking moirail!"
Rose raised a brow. "You're a horrible liar."
Karkat grumbled irritably, crossing his arms over his chest.
"In any case, you should talk to John about the guilt you feel over the deaths of your friends. I believe that it may be the cause of your hallucinations, along with your sleeplessness and lack of adequate nutrition, so working through it will be beneficial. In addition, I recommend that you work things out with Dave."
"Dave? But why—?"
"Having those particular quadrants filled will help you, I believe. Having a moirail and a matesprit will give you twice the support, and hopefully heal you twice as fast. And besides, anyone can tell that Dave is in love with you, and you obviously pity him. I understand that he can be a bit hard headed, and that he's done some truly absurd things in the name of protectingyou, but I believe that putting a halt to your hallucinations is more important than that right now."
He drew his knees up to his chest defiantly, glaring at the girl who was now riffling through the papers on her desk. "Are you done now?"
She paused. Then, "Yes, I believe I am. Though I may request that John bring you here later for further evaluation."
He snorted, thinking that he'd rather Gamzee come back and rip his head off than have to talk to Rose again. But he couldn't say that in front of her, not if he didn't wanted to be tortured with another round of psychotherapy, and so he bit out, "Fine. Just get me the fuck out of here."
The corners of her lips quirked upwards. "Very well. It's been nearly a whole day since you fell asleep, so I imagine John and Dave will be quite happy to see you."
†††
- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC] -
TT: Hello, Terezi.
GC: W3LL TH1S 1S N3W!
GC: M1SS3D TH3 B34UT1FUL COLOR OF MY T3XT D1D YOU :]
TT: Something like that, I imagine.
TT: I don't suppose you're any closer to finding your moirail?
GC: NOP3
GC: NOT 3V3N CLOS3
TT: I see...that is unfortunate.
GC: WHY, 1S SOM3TH1NG WRONG?
GC: D1D K4RK4T M3SS SOM3TH1NG UP 4G41N?
GC: TH4T GUY 1S TH3 WORST L34D3R
GC: THOUGH H1S BLOOD 1S SUCH 4 LOV3LY C4NDY R3D TH4T 1 GU3SS 1 C4N FORG1V3 H1M ;]
TT: Actually, something is wrong. Quite wrong, if I'm being honest.
TT: And unfortunately, you're right that it involves Karkat.
TT: You know of his hallucinations, correct?
GC: OH Y34H
GC: H3S ONLY M3SS4G3D M3 ONC3 DUR1NG TH1S WHOL3 M1S3R4BL3 3XP3D1T1ON 4ND 1T W4S TO WH1N3 4BOUT H1S R1D1CULOUS V1S1ONS
TT: I see.
TT: Well, then it shouldn't surprise you to learn that those hallucinations have been growing worse as of late, growing to a head when he was attacked by Gamzee's apparition last night.
TT: The apparition damaged him quite heavily, snapping his fingers and clawing open his chest. It was quite horrific.
GC: WO4H WO4H WO4H!
GC: 1S H3 OK4Y?
TT: That's debatable, and not important for our purposes here.
TT: Or perhaps it is, you be the judge.
TT: For the moment, I have two strange requests for you.
GC: SHOOT
GC: 1V3 GOT NOTH1NG BUT T1M3, 4PPAR3NTLY
TT: Very well.
TT: Can you please describe to me the fighting capabilities and favored weapons of your deceased friends?
GC: HUH?
GC: YOURE R1GHT TH4TS 4 STR4NG3 QU3ST1ON
TT: I would be very thankful if you were to answer.
GC: W3LL OK4Y TH3N
GC: WHO DO YOU W4NT TO H34R 4BOUT F1RST?
TT: How about we start with Gamzee?
TT: Hypothetically speaking, what would someone who had been killed by him look like?
GC: W3LL
GC: TH3 GUYS 4 F4N OF CLUBS B31NG 4 CLOWN 4ND 4LL
GC: SO 1F H3 W4S GO1NG TO K1LL SOM3ON3 TH3Y WOULD B3 4LL B34T3N TO 4 PULP
GC: 4ND TH4TS NOT TH3OR3T1C4L
GC: WH3N G4MZ33 K1LL3D N3P3T4 4ND 3QU1US BOTH OF TH3M LOOK3D L1K3 TH3YD H4D TH31R SKULLS B4SH3D 1N W1TH 4 ROLL1NG P1N
GC: LOTS OF BLOOD
GC: R34L V1OL3NT
GC: TH3 SM3LL W4S TOO MUCH FOR 3V3N M3 TO T4K3
TT: Okay, I understand. What about Eridan?
GC: 4SK1NG 4BOUT 4LL TH3 MURD3R3RS TOD4Y 1 S33
GC: BUT OK4Y
GC: 3R1D4N US3D TH1S TH1NG C4LL3D 4H4BS CROSSH41RS
GC: 1T W4S L1K3 4 GUN TH4T SHOT OUT CONC3NTR4T3D BL4STS OF PL4SM4 SO 4LL OF H1S V1CT1MS H4D HOL3S BURN3D THROUGH TH3M
GC: NOT MUCH BLOOD
TT: Hmm.
TT: What about Tavros? And Nepeta?
GC: N31TH3R OF THOS3 TWO H4V3 TH3 GUTS TO HURT 4NYON3 1NT3NT1ON4LLY
GC: BUT T4VROS PROB4BLY WOULD H4V3 US3D TH4T CR4PPY L4NC3 TO ST4B P3OPL3 W1TH
GC: 4S FOR N3P3T4
GC: SH3S R34L QU1CK 4ND D3P3ND3NT ON 4G1L1TY
GC: 1F SH3 K1LL3D SOM3ON3 SH3D US3 THOS3 W1CK3D CL4WS OF H3RS
GC: THOS3 TH1NGS COULD Sl1C3 THROUGH 4NYTH1NG
TT: And what of Equius?
GC: 3QU1US W4S 4 STRONGM4N SO 1F H3 D1D TRY TO K1LL 4NYON3 TH3YD B3 COMPL3T3LY B34T3N UP
GC: L1K3 H3 ST4RT3D M4SH1NG W1TH H1S F1STS 4ND D1DNT L3T UP
GC: L1K3 3V3R
TT: Understood. What about Feferi, then?
GC: 4 TR1D3NT
GC: K1ND4 SP34KS FOR 1TS3LF
TT: I see. That is very troubling.
GC: WHY
GC: H4S SOM3TH1NG H4PP3N3D 1 DONT KNOW 4BOUT
TT: No, you know everything I do.
TT: However...
TT: When Karkat was brought in, I couldn't help but notice something rather strange. His story was that Gamzee had slashed into his chest by simply reaching out and dragging all ten fingers across his flesh, starting from the clavicle and moving down over his stomach. We both know that what this really means is that he hooked his claws into his own chest and yanked, imagining that Gamzee was the one hurting him. It sounds completely reasonable, and I would have no problem believing him except for a few minor details.
TT: You see, assuming that Karkat grabbed onto his own chest, based on the positioning, depth, and curvature of the wounds, he would done it by turning his wrists to claw at himself. In addition, he would have kept them uncrossed. If he did that, then the shortest cuts would have been on the outsides, from where his thumbs grazed the skin. But this was not the case. I saw his wounds when he entered the lab, and the shortest cuts were actually at the center of his chest. This means that whoever grabbed him had their thumbs braced just to the inside of his heart.
GC: Y34H SO WH4T
GC: COULDT H3 JUST H4V3 GR4BB3D ONTO H1MS3LF D1FF3RN3TLY
TT: No, he couldn't. It's very obvious that whoever slashed at him started from the top and worked their way down, slicing from throat to stomach in one smooth motion. If Karkat wanted to do that to himself, keeping his thumbs on the outer edges of his person as to create the smallest scratches there, *and* maintain the straightness of the cuts, then he would have to contort his body into impossible proportions. It's not physically possible for him to have scratched himself that way.
GC: HOW 1S TH4T POSS1BL3 THOUGH?
GC: 1F H3S H4LLUC1N4T1NG TH4T M34NS H3 H4S TO B3 HURT1NG H1MS3LF 4ND 1M4G1N1NG
OTH3R P3OPL3 DO1NG 1T, R1GHT?
GC: SO HOW COULD H3 B3 HURT 1N 4 W4Y TH4TS 1MPOSS1BL3 FOR H1M TO DO H1MS3LF?
TT: My question exactly.
TT: Every way I turn, I'm confronted by mysteries. It appears that Karkat could not possibly have done this to himself, but what else could have done it? Dirk doesn't have the claws to attack him in such a way, and the only other troll is Kanaya, who would never dream of harming him.
GC: 4 LUSUS CR34TUR3 TH3N
GC: ON3 TH4T SNUCK 1NTO H1S HOUS3
TT: Possible, but unlikely. The site where he was attacked was untouched.
GC: OK4Y Y34H YOUV3 GOT M3
GC: TH4TS PR3TTY STR4NG3
GC: BUT WHY D1D YOU 4SK 4LL TH4T STUFF 4BOUT TH3 D34D TROLLS?
TT: A hunch, that's all.
TT: A suspicion that not all is as it appears.
GC: WH4T3V3R YOU S4Y I GU3SS
GC: YOU S41D YOU H4D TWO STR4NG3 TH1NGS TO 4SK M3 R1GHT
GC: WH4TS TH3 OTH3R ON3?
TT: Well...this is going to be very hard for me to ask you, and very hard for you to think about. But...
TT: Would you consider returning to our new planet? It doesn't have to be long, just for a few weeks at most. After that, you're free to go back to the veil and continue your search for Vriska.
GC: WHY DO YOU W4NT M3 TO COM3 B4CK?
GC: 1S 1T B3C4US3 OF TH3 MURD3RS?
GC: YOU N33D 4 TOP-NOTCH L3G1SL4C3R4TOR 1S TH4T 1T?
GC: SOM3ON3 WHO C4N R34LLY BR1NG 1N TH3 B4D GUYS :]
TT: While I would also appreciate your help in that area, that is not why I'm asking you to come home.
TT: Rather, I suspect that you may be of some help with Karkat. You are a Seer of Mind, and I believe that you may be able to shed some light onto just what is going on in that head of his. I wish to know how much of what has happened is real, and how much has been caused by his hallucinations. In addition, I desire to know just what happened to cause those scratches that he so obviously could not have given to himself.
GC: 1M FL4TT3R3D 4ND 4LL
GC: BUT YOU DO R34L1Z3 TH4T 1M 4 SH1TTY S33R DONT YOU?
GC: 1V3 N3V3R B33N 4BL3 TO G3T MY POW3RS TO DO WH4T 1 W4NT TH3M TO
TT: Really? John informed me that you were the one that helped him save all of us after the disaster that occurred because of Vriska's preemptive death in an alternate timeline. True, that version of yourself is not the same one here with us today. But from what I've observed, you have the exact same skill level as that other version of yourself. I'm convinced that you're good enough to aid us.
TT: Your help would be appreciated, but in no way should you feel pressured to come home if you feel that you are in any way close to finding Vriska. I have no wish to pull you from your quest to find your moirail.
TT: Please stay if you believe it is the right thing to do.
GC:...
GC: 1LL DO 1T
TT: You will?
GC: Y34H
GC: 1LL COM3 HOM3
TT: I must admit, I'm surprised.
TT: Why have you chosen this path?
GC: W3LL
GC: 1V3 B33N S34RCH1NG FOR MONTHS S1NC3 W3 CR34T3D OUR N3W UN1V3RS3
GC: MONTHS 4ND MONTHS W1THOUT 3ND
GC: 1V3 S3R1OUSLY SCOUR3D 3V3RY 1NCH OF TH1S M1S3R4BL3 PL4C3
GC: 1V3 SM3LL3D 3V3RYTH1NG TH3R3 1S TO SM3LL OUT H3R3
GC: 4ND 1M B3G1NN1NG TO TH1NK TH4T M4YB3
GC: JUST M4YB3
GC: VR1SK4 1SNT COM1NG B4CK
GC: L1K3 3V3R
GC: SO 1 GU3SS TH4T M4YB3 1TS T1M3 FOR M3 TO H34D OFF 4ND 3XP3R13NC3 WH4T SH3 N3V3R
GOT TH3 CH4NC3 TO 3XP3R13NC3
GC: S33 OUR N3W WORLD 4ND 4LL TH4T
GC: H3LP OUR FR13NDS OUT
GC: JUST L1V3 1 GU3SS
GC: B3C4US3 1F SH3 W3R3 H3R3 SH3D D3F1N1T3LY B3 SPOUT1NG OFF G4RB4G3 L1K3 TH4T
GC:...
GC: SH3 W4S TH3 B3ST MO1R41L
TT: I'm sorry.
GC: NOT YOUR F4ULT
GC: NOT 4NYON3S F4ULT BY LORD 3NGL1SHS
TT: How soon will you be here?
GC: NOT SUR3
GC: 1V3 B33N TR4V3L1NG FOR 4 LONG T1M3 SO 1T SHOULD B3 4 WH1L3
GC: BUT 1LL L34V3 NOW 4ND FLY B4CK 4T TOP SP33D
GC: NO D3TOURS
GC: R1GHT B4CK HOM3
GC: 1 DONT TH1NK 1M MUCH OF S33R BUT 1LL DO WH4T 1 C4N TO H3LP K4RK4T
TT: You have my thanks.
TT: Good luck.
- tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC] -