Once they were all together again, Sollux started on rewriting the codes for the security system so that even the adult trolls couldn't figure it out. He said that youth was on his side. In other words, explained Terezi, the adult trolls didn't think like the young ones. This reinforced John's worry.
Dave organized all the others in unloading the military truck, while John alone found a three room tent for himself and Dave to pitch in the middle of the floor. One side would be for him and Dave the other side for Rose and Jade when they got here.
It was Vriska who helped him set it up and put some futon mattresses inside it along with the bedding they would need. It was Vriska's idea that they stack the futon's and make it higher and softer.
"So where did you and Karkat go to?" she asked as they were working on making the bed for the girls.
"Somehow we ended up kinda lost," John said. "Don't let him know I said that though, he would deny it. But yeah we got lost."
"You should have stayed with me." She said while winking at him. "We wouldn't have gotten lost."
"Maybe next time." John smiled at her, "When are we going to start to train?"
"How about tonight?" she placed the blankets on the makeshift bed. "Before we go to sleep. Will you help me with my recuperacoon?"
"Sure," he followed her out of the tent. "Where are we going to put it?"
"Do you mind if I share that hive with you and Dave?" She asked as they picked out a nice recuperacoon. "I thought that I could stay in that middle section."
"Sure I don't mind." John helped her carry it into the tent.
As they passed Dave and Terezi, Dave asked, "What are you two doing?"
"Putting Vriska's recuperacoon into the tent, she wants to stay in it too." John explained.
Terezi looked at Dave and said, "Can I stay in there too?"
Dave rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess so."
"It was my idea first, and I don't think both will fit." Vriska said, "I was planning on staying in that middle room."
"Both of them will fit," Terezi said, she too followed John and Vriska into the tent. "Mine can go here. Yours can go there."
"Why do I have to share with you?" Vriska seemed upset, "I wanted mine to go there."
"Fine, I will put mine where you are now." Terezi was enjoying putting a damper on Vriska's plans.
"Whatever," Vriska said, "I will take this spot, it is closer to John here." With that, the two of them put down her recuperacoon. "Nice," she said, "I live in a hive inside of a hive."
"What is the slime for anyway?" John asked as some of it got on his arm.
"It keeps the night-terrors from being so bad." Vriska said.
"Don't forget it helps the skin too." Terezi added.
Karkat couldn't believe what he was seeing; both Vriska and Terezi had managed to sneak their way into the humans hive to live with them. How the hell did they do that he wondered.
Tavros and Gamzee seemed pleased to have Vriska out of the way, however Karkat was far from pleased, he would much prefer that shrew be close to him so that he could keep her in check. He really should watch how he thought of her though, John seemed to be fond of her and he didn't want to say something that John wouldn't understand till John fully knew him.
Karkat just didn't understand humans enough to know that nothing was between Vriska and John, other than friendship; much to Vriska's dismay.
Jack knew the trolls were somewhere nearby, something within him told him, he had to find them soon, or everything would be for naught. This damn weather was getting to him, up ahead he found a cave, a glow was coming from within letting him know someone else was nearby. He could easily pass off as a human, so he decided to pretend he was one. Sitting by a fire holding a puppet in his arms was a pale human that was idiotic to be wearing pointy sun glasses.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked he must have startled the human, for the man looked toward him and cleared his throat.
"Don't sneak up on people man."
"I am sorry." Jack hated to say that to a measly human; well he was loath to say those words to anyone for that matter. "I didn't mean to startle you." He had to play nice otherwise he would have to waste his energy and fight; he did not want to do that.
"No worries man, it's all good."
This human was strange; one minute getting upset that he got startled, the next minute trying to blow it all off. Will he make up his gog damn mind already? Jack wandered to himself.
"So do you mind if I join you?"
"Go ahead dude." the human lit something with a fire stick then inhaled from it, "The more the merrier. Jus Lil Cal and me…"
"Where?" Jack looked around.
The human chuckled and indicated the small human like doll puppet that was sitting on his lap, "This here is Lil Cal."
"Oh…" Jack now knew this human was not all there, if they had been with others he would not have allowed this human to live, as it was he somehow felt momentary pity on this lower life form.
Neither one said what their name was, both keeping that to themselves. In the morning, Jack woke up first and noticed that the blonde man wearing the sunglasses and hat even wore them as he slept, he also had a firm grip on the puppet next to him.
He had to leave, now that he was warmed up and had a somewhat decent meal, he got up and headed north west. Unknowingly following a trail left by two human girls.
"Are you sure we should split up?" Rose asked for the tenth time as they approached the road that would lead the blonde girl away from the other two.
"Yes," Jade said, "Now you go find the others and tell them we all will see them soon." Feeling a momentary urge to hug Rose, Jade did just that.
"Keep those trolls in line," Aradia said, she had a beautiful voice that made one think of an angel.
"I just don't feel right for some reason." Rose said as she slowly walked away after the hug.
"It will be fine," Jade soothed her. "Trust me okay?"
Slowly, Rose nodded her head and waved as she disappeared down the road.
"You feel it too?" Aradia asked softly, "Is that why you want to get rid of her?"
"Your friend Jack is following us." Jade explained, "You will have to save the ones that we are going to go get. Leave him to me, otherwise you will die and so will the others."
"You know what is going to happen then?"
Slowly Jade nodded her head in agreement. "I will tell you about my dream later, right now we have to make sure Jack follows us and not Rose."
Tavros sat watching the others, Gamzee was taking things seriously, he had set up the sleeping arrangements so that the two of them would be sleeping next to one another.
Unsure if he should be pleased or not, Tavros was just thankful that Vriska was not going to be near him. It wasn't that he hated the girl, it just so happened that Vriska was prone to fits of rage with him. One such fit led to him being paralyzed. He was not one to hold a grudge though so he tried to forgive her. It just so happened that he couldn't forget that moment when he was sent airborne for Vriska's entertainment.
"Hey Tav." Gamzee sat down next to him. "Want some help with that?"
Tavros looked at Gamzee and was about to ask what he meant, however Tavros had forgotten that he had been in the midst of taking off his robotic legs so that he could clean them. "Uh… sure."
When Gamzee took the left leg, he caressed it lovingly as he cleaned the dust off of the metal. Tavros blushed at the intimate way that Gamzee held his prosthetic leg, and would have looked away had Gamzee been looking at him. As it was, Gamzee was looking at the leg with such adoration that nothing else seemed to matter at the moment.
Absently Tavros cleaned the right leg and would have put it back on had Gamzee not taken it and moved it aside, this time his gaze was solely for Tavros. "Thanks again for finding that Faygo earlier. It sure was a motherfuckin miracle."
"Yeah?" Tavros asked, he didn't mean to find it earlier, it had all been an accident caused by Vriska. She had pushed him and he had fallen on a large box, knocking it down. It had burst open and out spilled the elixir that was Gamzee's choice of consuming.
Gamzee leaned forward and kissed a shocked Tavros on the cheek, while he absently fondled the large horn on Tavros' head.