The moons hung high against a deep purple sky, large enough to take up the majority of the scene, even the stars seemed to be spec next to the pair. His hands slowly drug himself off the deep purple colored dirt and grass, standing from up tall. His eyes cast up to the ominous looming moons. before he stared down at himself. His hands going over his chest, fine. He was fine, but he was alone. As he turned to look at his surroundings, his eyes cast over a large crowd of darkened figures. All eyes on him. Trolls in the droves standing there with baited breath. Awaiting his words, awaiting his speech. It was a small makeshift wooden stand that he stood as the crowd gathered. Karkat sighed, right, he was in the middle of a speech. The thought crossed his mind in a fleeting manner as he faced them all.

However as Karkat opened his mouth nothing seemed to come out. His words died in the back of his throat and the crowd began to mutter. Doubt cast over the crowd in an instant and Karkat could feel it. Karkat gripped his fingers into fists as he stepped to the end of his stage. The tips of his shoes barely crested over the edge. He cleared his throat, tried to gain his composure, only for him to fall. Tripping off the stage and falling, blackness shrouded him and the laughter, mockery of trolls around him began to grow from murmurs to outright screaming. Cackling. A bright lime green spot light filled his eyes, blinging him. He was no longer standing on his stage. This was a ring, a circus.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new show tonight. Our infamous mutant center stage." Announced a disembodied voice as Karkat tried to actually look at the crowd. Only to find no one, empty seats lined the ring, all around him. But the laughter still echoed. An unseen audience. But then a second light flicked on, he heard it before he saw it. There stood an all too familiar troll, Makara. He stood with that sick grin across his features, eyes a bright red around those deep purple. He was dressed as a ring leader, his clawed fingers taking his hat off before he gave a little bow.

"Guest of motherfucking honor." Gamzee greeted Karkat, yet the troll still couldn't say anything. As much as he tried it came as nothing more than gasps and huffs. Though it seemed to be more amusing to the unseen onlookers. More little snickers started up around, soft noises. The purple blood made his way over, his arm wrapping over his shoulder as he boastfully spoke. "You sure got some motherfucking shame-globes don't you? Showing up here? I wantcha to see something." With that Gamzee motioned his hand around them as trolls seemed to materialize before him, most lowbloods there were a few mid to high near the back of the stage. The trolls seemed blank as they stared on, eyes all locked on Karkat's. Then, not even a few feet before him another troll appeared inside the ring. Olive green eyes looking over Karkat, a feline smile on her lips as she tilted her head to him.

"Karkitty?" She spoke softly and with that one word his heart sank. Nepeta was small, her usual olive colored trench coat wrapped around her waist, a black tank with her sign across her chest. Karkat didn't think twice as he tore from Gamzee's hold, his arms wrapped around her tightly, his hands going through her hair. There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to say he was sorry. But he was still mute. She held him tightly back, before slowly pulling back. As Karkat stared back he frose, staring in her eyes again there was… nothing. Just white. Her voice was soft as she leaned into him, a soft whisper in her tone. "You let me die, didn't you? You couldn't save any of us."

With that Karkat pulled back, as if she had burned him, his hands recoiling into himself. His eyes cast to the crowd, all these trolls, staring back with white blank eyes. They did not speak, they did not smile. Hurriedly Karkat began to back up, until he hit another solid mass. Claw tipped fingers gripping at his shoulders as a chin rested on his shoulders.

"You are only hurting them, you know?" The clown's voice spoke against his ear, his grip tightening, nails biting harshly into his skin, causing streams of candy red to pool onto the floor. Seeping and snaking across the sand into the stands. "Infecting everything you touch. Look at all that blood on your hands." snickered the voice. Karkat couldn't help but look down at himself, purples, blues, every color known all over his palms and clothes, staining him. Then he could feel it, one hand reaching up from his shoulder over his throat as the massive troll side stepped next to him.

"Gamzee…" He finally choked out, only to feel those claws drag over his soft throat, the bright color pooling from his skin, almost like a faucet against the sands, pooling at his feet and branching out like veins towards the stands. Seeping into every troll that sat before him, including Nepeta, reaching up from her feet up her pants, dripping down from the tips of her fingers. She screamed. There was suddenly a cacophony of screams and pleas. Every single one begging him to 'make it stop'.

"Please! Karkitty! Help me!" Nepeta begged, he could see olive teas in her eyes, but she didn't move, frozen in place with her face twisted in obvious pain. Fear showed on her features as well. Before Karkat knew it he closed his eyes grabbing at his throat, just trying to stop it. Trying to stop the accursed color from seeping into this reality.

"Shut up, shut up shut up SHUT UP!"

"SHUT UP!" Karkat screamed as he shot up suddenly. Blankets and pillows flinging off the cushion slab. His breath was harsh and loud, but the only sound in the room. He looked down at himself, still wearing the grey cloak and jeans he had been before. There were some splatters of cool colored blood that stained him. His shaking hands going slowly to his hair tugging at it, the pain made him sure he was, in fact, awake. His eyes shut tight as soft tears streamed down his face. "It wasn't real… It wasn't real" He breathed out slowly.

However it seems he was not the only one in.. wherever this place was. His door creaked open slowly with a few soft reverberating knocks that rattled against the wood. Karkat tensed and scrambled to his feet, hissing as he put weight on his left ankle. Fuck, great. His hand went to the sickle that was meant to be on his hip, only to find it bare. Though just as he thought for an escape out the window blue and red seemed to almost glow against the darkness of the room.

"KK, are you finally awake?" Sollux seemed to speak surprisingly soft, his hand still gripping at the door. Karkat sighed as he stepped up closer to the doorway, having to pass another cushion slab on his way, this one larger. His eyes were met with a seemingly passed out makara, missing his shirt and bandages wrapped over his chest and back. He seemed to almost growl in his sleep as he shifted his way from the light of the door.

"Unfortunately." Karkat grumbled as he made it over to the yellow blood, wondering out the door into what seemed to be a… living room? Where the fuck where they, this damn sure wasn't Karkat's hive. Karkat would come to find out soon enough when Sollux came back to the place they had been speaking he found Karkat passed out and Gamzee barely conscious. Hell the makara almost didn't let Sollux anywhere near the pair he was so out of it. It took about three hours and a lot of convincing to get them into the nearby mid-blood town. The only reason they were given a room was because they were with Gamzee, Sollux claimed to be his moirail while he claimed Karkat was his matesprit.