"Here's what I expect from you all." Disciple's quiet, sorrowful behavior from the first time you met her is completely gone now, replaced with the confidence and control that you would expect from the leader of a rebellion. "I did not grant Rose permission to bring you all here just so that you could take up space. I expect you to apply yourselves wherever you can, be it as fighters or tacticians, or even just cooks. God knows that we could use someone with actual skill in the kitchen. You can all talk to Rose about finding a job here once this meeting is over, but for now, I'm going to talk to you all about what this organization stands for." She clears her throat and stops pacing at the front of the room to turn to your group, sitting at the table and staring at her expectantly. "This is a group that I formed myself. We are funded by donations, the salary that other members earn and volunteer to pay forwards, and…" She coughs awkwardly, embarrassed by this next part, "I do know a few ways into the Prospitian palace. When we get particularly low on coins, I'll… "borrow" money from the treasury. Prospit is doing remarkably well. The economy is higher than ever. They haven't noticed a single thing missing. Anyway-" she goes over to one of the many bookshelves in the room, grabbing a map that is large enough to take up an entire shelf. Unraveling it, Disciples holds it up for you all to see.
On a piece of worn parchment, someone had sketched and illustrated the entire continent of Skaia and all of its countries. Of those countries, three have been crossed out with a bold strike of red ink, the word "Lost" scribbled over their names.
"This is a map of Skaia," Disciple informs you all. No one feels the need to tell her that everyone already knew that. "The countries marked with red have been conquered by the Condesce. Her family has been working on this for generations, so I can't give her all of the credit. It's probably not surprising to know that her next goal is Derse." She points to your kingdom on the map. "After that, Morgona, where you all are right now. We're just passed the line that officially puts us on Morgona territory. Our end goal is to stop the Condesce from ruling all of Skaia. So far, her family has used lies and cheats and backstabbing to swipe the throne right out from under kings and queens, all without causing alarm. Most people don't want to interfere. What she's doing isn't common knowledge, to be fair. The king of Morgona, for example, refuses to believe that she is a real threat, and his people have never even heard of her at all. I've been trying to get his help for years now, but he still won't believe me, insisting that the real queen of Prospit was killed long ago and that I'm just a crazy conspiracist." She sighs with agitation, rolling the map back up and putting it away. "None of you have to get involved with the Condesce directly, but we can always use more spies or strategists. I think that that covers everything. Rose?" Your sister stands up when Disciple indicates to her, a leather-bound journal in her hands and a quill in the other, the tip already wet with ink. "You can all talk to Rose about what you want to do. She'll answer all of your questions. In the meantime, I'm going to go check on the progress of our newest hallway. Try not to need me." Disciple exits the room, and with her goes all of the formality, as you all start talking at once.
It doesn't surprise you to hear everyone already brainstorming about what they want to do. John and Jade want to work in the kitchens together. You think that it's cute, and you spend longer than you care to admit watching John adamantly explain to Jade how to make a properly fluffy whipped cream topping. After that, job requests trickle in. Vriska wants to be a battle strategist. Terezi wants to work in first-aid. But Karkat doesn't say anything. He just stands up from where he is, sitting next to you, and walks right up to Rose.
"I want to be on the front lines," Karkat says without hesitation, his voice confident. You're kind of impressed. Rose is your own sister, but you already know that you couldn't go up to her and give your occupation that easily. Not without fearing what she might think.
But, to your complete surprise, Rose hesitates and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Karkat." She apologizes, and she really does seem sorry, if that means anything. "But Disciple has told me that you aren't allowed to take on any job that involves fighting."
You've seen Karkat angry before. You've seen his whole face go red, and you've seen him get physical and throw punches and yell and scream so loud that God Himself must have heard his cries.
You have never seen Karkat this calm.
It terrifies you.
"Where," he says finally, his voice deathly quiet and sending a shiver down your spine, chilling you to the bone, "the fuck is this new hallway she's supervising?"
Rose barely gets the directions out before Karkat is turning away from her. You catch a glimpse of his face before he leaves the room. He doesn't even glance at you, a perfect, blank mask made purely of sheer force of will stuck to his face as the door closes with a soft click behind him.
It takes a while after that for the energy to come back into the room, and when it does, it's much more subdued than it was before. Gradually, everyone signs up for a job. Nepeta is the first, asking to be placed on the front lines. Rose lets her, and Nepeta goes to the far corner of the room to practice punching and kicks. She actually looks pretty skilled, and you have to remind yourself that, while Nepeta looks frail, she can take down a fully-grown bear with just her hands. You take notice of the lithe muscle lining her skeleton, hidden by layers of hardened skin, and remind yourself not to take her so lightly. You have never seen Nepeta this serious and focused before. You're starting to get worried.
Meeting your expectations, John and Jade team up for cooking duty. Sollux wants to work in the horse stables for whatever reason, and do carpentry on the side as it's needed. Vriska becomes a tactician, and Terezi wants to be a nurse, despite Vriska's insistence that she can do better. It doesn't spiral into a full-blown argument, but you can tell that Vriska isn't happy with Terezi's choice.
The only ones not to choose yet are you and Kanaya.
Seeing as how Rose has been writing down everyone's requests and keeping track of what they all want, you aren't surprised when she looks to you, one eyebrow raised in a question. You shrug, avoiding her gaze, your hands unconsciously going to the wheels of your chair. You can always trust Rose to know you better than you know yourself. You see her nod, and just like that, the subject is dropped. For now. She'll bring it up when the two of you are alone, no doubt, but that's fine. That gives you time to prepare.
Instead, Rose turns her attention to Kanaya, who has been sitting down and staring at her hands folded in her lap this entire time. "Kanaya?" Rose asks softly, and the girl tenses before immediately relaxing.
She turns in her chair to be facing Rose a little better, looking up at her. "Yes, Rose?" Kanaya doesn't seem to have a problem talking to your sister anymore, and you're relieved. It was going to get really old, really fast if she had kept that up.
"Why haven't you picked a job yet?" Rose isn't upset. Rather, her voice is gentle and coaxing. There's something… tense between the two of them, you realize. Kanaya looks as rigid as a stick, and Rose seems concerned. Maybe Kanaya isn't as adjusted to the whole "royalty" thing as you thought. "I'm sure that a girl like you has many talents."
Kanaya shakes her head, a little bit red with embarrassment. "Not very many, unfortunately. And certainly, nothing that could be of any use to you or your cause." She goes back to looking at her skirt, her shoulders slumped with defeat.
You can see Rose thinking over her options. After taking a moment to consider it, she says, "Well, what about those dresses you brought with you? They were wonderfully made, and we can always use some help making uniforms and just regular clothes."
For a second, Kanaya perks up, but then her face creases into a frown and she shakes her head again. "No. I am sorry, Rose. My mother - I suppose she is my aunt, technically - made those, and I got them out of our house when the fire struck when she asked for me to do so. I kept them to remind myself of her. I can sew, but I am not very good at it. Nowhere near good enough for what you need. I wish that I could be of more help." Kanaya seems genuinely upset about this, blinking rapidly and turning away from your sister. You wonder if she's holding back tears.
Rose looks like she's running out of ideas, but then, almost like a last-ditch effort, she says, "How does a trial run sound?"
Wiping at her eyes with her sleeves, Kanaya looks at Rose with surprise, and maybe even a little bit of hope. "What do you mean?" She asks.
Relieved, Rose smiles. "Well, we can try it out. You can go into the job for a week or two, and if you don't like it or if you really aren't suited for it, we can always find another job for you."
Kanaya thinks about the proposal for a moment, and then she slowly gives a nod. "Y-Yes." She blinks. "I would… very much like that, Rose. Thank you." She looks like she wants to hug your sister, but she hesitates, doubtful, and then turns away. "I will give it a try, then."
You wonder why Rose suddenly looks so… disappointed. "I'll… put you down for it, then." She says, scribbling something in her journal. "I hope that you like it." She briefly sets a hand on Kanaya's shoulder, and something sparks in the other girl's eyes that you can't name.
But then Rose turns away, and the moment - whatever kind of moment they were creating - is ruined. Kanaya sinks down in her chair, and Rose leaves the room, everyone else oblivious to what you just witnessed.
What did you just witness? You wish that you knew. It shouldn't be this hard to understand your friends and just what, exactly, is happening. You really want to stop being this lost.
It is… possible that Rose was hoping to flirt with Kanaya, however unlikely. You already like members of the same gender. It can't be such a common thing that Rose is the same way. It's just not possible.
Right?
You squirm under Rose's stare, very pointedly looking at everything in the room beside her as you wait for her to talk. After she came back from delivering the list of jobs to Disciple and signing everyone one up with whoever is in charge of that area and getting schedules for everyone and then passing them out, the first thing that Rose did was wheel you back to your room.
Note to self: the wheelchair makes it very easy for someone to kidnap you. Try to heal up and get out of it as soon as possible, or else you are subject to going anywhere with whoever can be bothered to push you, and you will likely have little to no say in the matter.
But back to the subject at hand.
Rose is leaning against the door, her face expressionless as she waits for you to start talking. You want to pretend that you don't know what she wants but, unfortunately, you do. This is about your job.
Finally, you get tired of the stalemate, and you sigh, hanging your head. "I don't think that I can do anything useful." You admit, crossing your arms unhappily. "What job am I supposed to be doing, Rose? I'm not even allowed to stand on my own without everyone fretting over me like I'm a helpless child, and I never had any skills, even before I got banned from walking. I'm not good with my hands. I don't have any knowledge on medicine or war tactics. I'm not the leader type, and it seems like this little organization already has plenty of those, anyway. I can't cook or fight. Not like this. I'm fucking useless." You spit the word out with venom. "Maybe… maybe Karkat should have just left me in my room to bleed out."
There. You said it. Rose, for her part, looks shocked by what you said. You've felt this way for a while now, and even more so after Karkat snapped at you a few days ago. This is all your fault. Every bad thing that was happening to your family and your friends. If Karkat had run and left you to bleed out, everything would be so much simpler. The city wouldn't have gone up in flames. John and Jade wouldn't have had to leave their homes. Equius would still be alive. Karkat would have gotten that reward money. You never even told your parents that you loved them. Not once. As far as your concerned, you've only ever done more harm than good, and you deserved to have died back there.
You don't realize that you're crying until Rose hugs you. She seats herself on your lap, arms around your neck, hugging you tightly. You gratefully return the hug, burying your face in her shoulder to hide your little breakdown. You cry silently, barely even aware of the tears. "Dave, why didn't you tell me all of that before?" Rose sighs quietly, but she doesn't sound angry. "You can talk to me about anything, okay? Please don't make a habit out of holding all of that stuff in."
You manage a laugh, and nod ever so slightly. "Yeah, okay." You agree quietly. "It's all true, though. Don't try to tell me that it isn't."
Rose sighs, but you notice that she doesn't try to correct you. You aren't sure if that's good or bad. "Dave, no one can be useful all the time." She says finally. "I know that I would be useless in the middle of a fight, but do you think that that diminishes my value as a person?" You shake your head automatically. No, of course, it doesn't. You think the world of your sister. "Exactly." Rose smiles, clapping you on the shoulder. "So please stop thinking that just because you can't be helpful right now, you should be dead. You're injured, Dave, and you've been sheltered all of your life. I know that you're a good sword fighter. Once you've healed up to where Terezi gives you the okay to walk again, we can see about putting you in with the fighters. Maybe you can even instruct them while you're still in the wheelchair. I can certainly say that they could use all of the help that they can get. Their technique is terrible." She jokes.
That manages to get a real laugh from you, and you let go of Rose to wipe your tears away. "Okay." You sigh. "I'll… I'll figure out something that I can do to be helpful." You give Rose another, quick hug as a thank you, and she stands up, smiling warmly at you.
"There. That's the brother that I know and love." She teases affectionately, kissing your forehead. "I was worried that he wouldn't be making a return. Never change, Dave." You nod. Yeah. You think that you can do that. "Here, let's get you ready for bed, okay?"
The sweet moment that you just shared with you sister does not make the changing process any less awkward.
You're grateful when she finishes up, leaving you tucked in bed and in your pajamas. Well, what constitutes as your pajamas anyway. The ones at the castle were made out of silk and tailored to your exact measurements. The clothes that you're wearing now were given to you as a gift from Disciple, as Karkat was a little busy freaking out and you were a little busy being unconscious and bleeding to death to grab clothes while you still had the chance. The clothes that you're wearing now are too big for you, and not nearly as soft as what you're used to, but you're too tired to really complain.
Sollux always comes in late, so you don't bother staying up for him. Besides, you were told to get plenty of sleep by Terezi, and Rose, and Karkat, and John… basically everyone. Including Sollux. Yes. You are positive that he told you to get some sleep at some point during this change of scenery. So you don't think that he'll mind. He doesn't seem to care about most things, actually.
Satisfied, you roll onto your side, pleased to note that your scar is hurting less every day. But it's not the outside that you and everyone else is worried about. It's the internal veins and muscles that has everyone in a frenzy. Those need to heal, and you need to take it easy and let them. So you close your eyes, and a few minutes later, you're asleep.
Pounding on your door wakes you up. You shoot up in bed, only remembering to be in pain once your heart stops beating out of your chest. You hear Sollux fumbling in the for a match, and a few seconds later, the candles on his nightstand are being lit, filling the room with enough light to at least be able to see your own hand in front of your face.
Apparently, Karkat gets tired of waiting for one of you to open the door, because he flings it open not three seconds later. "Both of you, be on guard!" He growls. "Two people broke into the base not ten minutes ago, and I want you both ready if you happen across them. If they're here for Dave or one of our leaders, or just some fancy fucking paperwork that will help them wipe us out, they won't be leaving here alive. If anyone unfamiliar so much as breathes in the direction of this room, I want to know."
"Woah, woah, hold on." Sollux scrambles to his feet, pulling out a pair of pants over his undergarments. "What are you saying? We're supposed to stay here?" He doesn't seem very pleased by the idea.
Karkat nods anyway. "Yes." He says. "I need you to keep an eye on Dave. I don't need him almost dying again, and until we know who broke in and why, everyone and everything worth taking is under lock and key. I'm leaving three guards outside of your door. If something happens, they'll let the two of you know immediately and then one of them will get a message to me. Leave this door locked, and don't answer it for anyone except me. Absolutely. No. One. Else. I don't care how much you think you can trust them."
The door slams behind him before either of you can protest. Sollux looks a little shocked, just staring blankly for a moment. He gets to his feet and walks over to the door, sighing a little as he locks it. He's frowning, probably thinking, so you don't interrupt him. You grab your wheeled chair, positioning it next to your bed so that you can get out and ready. You're still in your pajamas, but it will take to long to get dressed, so in case something happens where you need to be able to leave, you move to get out of bed, sliding into your chair. It's not that hard. You don't know why Rose insists that you let her help with everything when it's easier if you do it yourself. You're injured, not fragile, dammit.
After he's done with whatever he was thinking about, Sollux sighs and turns to you. He doesn't look very pleased, not that you blame him, but regardless, he pulls up a chair and sits down next to you. The silence between the two of you is awkward, but you can't put your finger on why. He doesn't seem to be mad at you or anything, but you can't help but feel like you're partly responsible for his less than happy mood.
You're looking at the ground, but after a moment, you sigh and lift your head to turn your gaze to him. "I'm sorry that you're stuck watching me." You apologize. And you really are sorry. You can't help but think about what you and Rose talked about earlier. You couldn't have really ruined your friend's lives, right? Not entirely, at least?
Sollux blinks as if caught off guard by the statement, but then he shakes his head. "No, Dave, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault that you got stabbed or that you're a prince and therefore have a higher chance than normal people to be kidnapped." He folds his arms behind his head, leaning back in his chair. It can't be a very comfortable position, but he doesn't seem to mind. "If anything, it's KK's fault for stabbing you and then expecting other people to look out for you while you're injured when you're his responsibility."
You open your mouth to argue with that statement, only to soon close it. Sollux laughs, and you turn a faint shade of pink with embarrassment. You cross your arms with a huff, looking away from him. "W-Well, I guess that you're right about that, but still." You sigh. "I get the feeling that you would rather be out there." You admit a little tensely.
"Not really." Sollux shrugs, propping one foot up on your bed to push himself back in the chair. "I mean, would it be more exciting than our combined lack of social skills being stuck in a single room together? Well, yeah. Definitely. But this is also easier than scouring the entire base for whoever doesn't belong when I don't even know half of the people actually working here. I got the easy job. Nothing to complain about there."
You press your lips into a thin line, but don't try to argue with him. You still don't think that Karkat should have saved your life, or at least, he shouldn't have brought you with him. You're sure that he has his reasons, but you don't know what they are. Your gaze flits over to Sollux. Wait. They seem like good friends. Maybe, if Karkat won't tell you his feelings, he's told Sollux. It's as good of an idea as any.
"Hey, Sollux?" You start a little hesitantly, and he looks over to you, signaling that you have his attention. "You and Karkat seem pretty close. Can you tell me- why did he save my life? Wouldn't it have been smarter to have just let me die?"
What you are not expecting as an answer is laughter. Sollux laughs out loud, having to lurch forward to keep his chair from falling backward and hitting the floor when his laughing unbalances him. "Dude, you are a fucking idiot." He snickers into his hand. "Can you really not see it? I don't even care, and it's clear as day to me." He laughs again.
You frown, and you're about to ask what's so funny, but before you can, a loud thump from outside your door gets your attention. You and Sollux freeze, listening to the sound of struggling, shouts, and running footsteps. He stands up, hands on the back of your chair, ready to push you forward as soon as he needs to.
"We got her!" One of the guards calls, followed by a muffled female voice that you can't understand.
Sollux tenses, and then, forgetting you entirely, flings open the door and darts out into the hallway. "Sollux!" You call after him, pushing yourself forward. "Wait, where are you going?" As it turns out, not far. A few doors down from your room, two guards are grappling with a girl that you assume is the intruder.
You don't recognize her, but that's probably because you can't see any of her features. Between the black outfits of the guards, and the impossible number of skirts that she's wearing, and the way that her hair is getting whipped into her face as she struggles, you can't make out anything about her.
Just outside of your bedroom door, Sollux is standing completely motionless, his eyes trained on the scuffle. The girl doesn't seem to know any fighting. She's just lashing out blindly and hoping to hit something, and it's working. One of the guards has impressive scratch marks down the side of his face, most likely from her nails. You make a mental note to stay far, far away from those.
You look up at Sollux, frowning. "Are you okay?" You ask. "You're just-" You choke on your words as you're yanked back by your shirt collar, a hand fisting in the coarse material to hold you still and the other holding a dagger to your neck.
The motion in the hallway ceases. The guards have the girl pinned to the ground, hands on her back to hold her there, and one blue eye peering at you through the spiraling curtains of hair. She looks just as worried as the guards, which confuses you until the blade digs further into your skin, drawing a thin line of blood, and you remember that other things require your attention.
"Let her go." The person - a man - says, growling the words out as he digs the blade in hard enough to make you hiss in pain. "Or else I'll be lodgin' this dagger in his neck."
The guards share a look, but before they can make a decision, footsteps sound from the corridor behind them. From around the corner in front of you, John and Karkat come running, two other guards with them.
Karkat's gaze narrows in on you in a nanosecond, and he growls, two sickles in his hands almost faster than you can track his movements. "Step back, and we might just throw you out instead of having you killed for breaking and entering." He threatens the man holding you, but you notice that he doesn't try getting any closer. The blood leaking down the swell of your throat must tell him to keep his distance.
But it seems that John doesn't have quite the reservation that Karkat does. You don't even bother trying to convince yourself that he does it out of the "love he's been denying for so long." Still, John takes a (very platonic) step forward, and with a warning growl, the man holding you tightens his hold on your shirt collar and pulls so hard that you choke. Your hands go up to grab his wrist, but despite the way you tug and struggle, he doesn't lessen his hold in the least. If anything, he just pulls on your shirt harder, and black spots flash across your vision. "Let him go." John tries quietly, and for what it's worth, the man's grip lessens just enough for you to breathe properly again. "We'll let your friend up, but Dave doesn't have anything to do with this."
You feel the man hesitate. "Did you say that his name is Davve?" He asks, his confusion clear. John doesn't get the chance to answer.
Seeing his opening, Sollux grabs the man by the back of his head, slamming his forehead forward into the back of your chair. He crumbles to the ground in pain, dagger clattering to the dirt next to him as he clutches at his forehead.
"Sollux!" Karkat snaps, and he looks angry, all though you can't imagine what he's upset about, seeing as how Sollux just saved your life.
"Sollux?" The girl on the ground struggles a new, and in the confusion and initial relief, she manages to wriggle out of the hold keeping her on the ground. She gets to her feet, her dress tearing as the guards immediately grab for her, but she ignores them. Her hair is brushed out of her face, and her eyes lock onto Sollux in a heartbeat. "Sollux!" She grins, running at him.
Looking up, Sollux stops from where he was busy grabbing your attacker's dagger. He straightens back up just in time to get out, "Feferi?" before the girl is crashing into him. They both hit the ground, but she doesn't seem to mind, laughing with relief as she quickly flips her hair out of her face to smile at him.
The girl - Feferi, you suppose - clings to Sollux tight. "I was so worried!" She bemoans. "When I got your letters, I-! Well, I came as soon as I could. I couldn't stand to know that you were in trouble and I couldn't be there to help you out!"
And then you all have to look on, bewildered, as Feferi cups Sollux's cheek tenderly and kisses him, hard. He stiffens for a moment, more out of surprise than anything, but then one of his hands goes up to cup the back of her head, and he's tugging Feferi closer, holding her small body close as he kisses her with a passion.
You're so shocked from what you're seeing that you don't even notice Karkat standing next to you until he moves to the side and kneels down next to the man who had a knife to your throat. "Eridan." He says quietly, and you forget to be surprised that they know each other. "Please tell me that you know what's happening here."
Eridan sits up, rubbing the bruise forming on his forehead with a suppressed wince. "No clue." He replies just as quietly, not tearing his eyes away from the happy couple to look at Karkat. "I just followwed Fef to keep her safe. But…" you hear him sigh, "maybe she didn't need my help after all..."