Karkat didn't know how to feel about this. Eridan was sat looking at him with almost dead eyes, blinking at him with almost recognition. Dirk had his arms around him, in a strange grip that reminded Karkat of the one time he had seen Feferi with her lusus.
"The horrorterrors once caught alternate Roxy in the dreambubbles, and I decided to go rescue her. They don't see anything wrong with keeping hold of people. They think it takes care of them." Dirk sighed. "When I found Roxy, she didn't recognise me, and wouldn't speak. The horrorterrors tried to keep me there as well. They started singing and it sounds terrifying, but then you get used to it. I was there for two hours trying to keep myself from going insane while trying to free Roxy. That Roxy was unlike any other Roxy I ever met afterwards, although I didn't meet many. She didn't talk, but she just stayed wherever you told her to and changed every bubble she entered into an exact replica of where she had been. It was horrible to watch. She'd only been there a week, but whenever I asked for her, they told me the same thing. That she never spoke, and would hit or shoot at you if you spoke near her above a whisper."
"The songs they sing fuck you up in the head. When he began singing I could see them again, but it shows how long he was there. Roxy could manage a few notes of the song, and then she would curl up and not look at anything for days. Kurloz would keep an eye on her when I woke up, as he wouldn't set her off. Eridan can try and sing like them, and that fucking scares the shit out of me because my moirail in an alternate timeline was fucked up by them by staying a week. It isn't even what they sing. It's when they talk to you in whispers, and it's the worst of truths that you lie to yourself about. And God forbid that you actually start listening to them, or believe it when they put negative spins on the shit that keeps you awake at night thinking the world would be better without you. And then they tell you that they love you, and it sounds so genuine, and maybe they do." Dirk looked up at Karkat. "Doesn't matter if they do. Love can be like petrol on a fucking fire. It destroys shit like nothing else. He's still talking, which is a plus and a bad thing all by itself."
Karkat shuddered, imagining his own stupid moirail in the clutches of such things. It made his stomach turn and his instincts twitch with the need to protect Gamzee. The thought of the unstable Capricorn in the hands of such horrible beings – white as a lusus, caring and making you listen to them…
Oh, fuck it all. That wasn't anything anyone should go through, but please, just please, could his stupid pan stop with putting his own moirail in that imaginary situation. He hugged himself miserably.
Eridan had been focusing on Karkat for a while now before shuddering and letting out a nasty little noise, like a harsh bubbling. "….s'gonna kill me, s' Karrrrrr…." He warbled the last bit and Dirk held him tightly.
"He ain't going to kill you, I promise, you trust me…" He pulled Eridan close and Eridan's fins flared a bit before falling flat against his head, as he slumped against the human. Karkat stood wide eyed.
"Eridan. He thinks..he thinks I want to kill him?" He reached out a hand, but Dirk smacked it away without a second thought, or so it would seem.
"Well, no fucking duh. You tried to harvest him with those sickles of yours. No threat there. If he even noticed that, actually…Anyway, Roxy herself got combined with her alternates when the game ended, from what I can tell, but thankfully she doesn't remember that. But there are a few people who do. I know my alternate ecto-female daughter does, for instance. Anyone who went grimdark does."
"Fucking thank you for being so reassuring. And a genuine thank you for not bringing Feferi into it. She actually talked to them without effect, you know? Somehow?"
"Well, if I was her, I wouldn't want to see my ex in pain, no matter if I was their ex. Besides, from what I know, they were childhood friends, and she….she was looking for him. She's worried about him." Dirk sighed. "She, Nepeta and Roxy became really good friends after the game. And since I'm her moirail, we do hang out more often than not, alright?" Dirk sighed.
"Your moirail roped you into a bullshit sleepover."
"Yeah, she did. Shut up. We watched your troll Sailor Moon shit." Eridan was peering over his shoulder at Karkat, once more with little if any recognition. "Feferi doesn't need to see this. She's a nice person."
"If it gets too bad, we need to call her in. She speaks horrorterror. She was, after all, fucking raised by one, you pulsating brainfuck!" Karkat glared. "I just love how sensitive of Feferi's feelings we are being here. She was so fucking totally the only friend Eridan had. It's not like me and him were friends of any nature." He snarled at Dirk, and Eridan blinked again.
Dirk raised an eyebrow. "And look how well you took this."
"Shut the fuck up! Eridan – do you know how much of his bullshit I put up with over the years? I taught him how to woo Vriska in pitch, I fucking held his hand during Troll 50 First Dates, and I brought him ice cream when he was unhappy, I listened to him and blew up Vriska's computer for him! I…I…" Karkat glared at Dirk. "Eridan is my friend, whether I like it or not! And whether you do either—"
"Shut up." Dirk carded a hand through Eridan's hair. "If he was your friend, why the fuck do you let them all talk like that at the gatherings?"
Karkat blinked, and scowled. "Oh, get the fuck off your damn high hoofbeast, Strider! Just tell me how to fucking fix this!"
"….I don't know if you can. Or if I can. We need to know how long he was there before we attempt any shit at all. So message Rose already, because as soon as he realises he doesn't know me and that I'm not what he thinks I am, he's going to flip out and try and stop people from killing him. I believe you went through that carnival of bullshit already."
- carcinoGeneticist [CG] opened memo FUCKING FOUND HIM -
CG banned CC from responding to the memo!
CG: OKAY, SO FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION DIRK FOUND ERIDAN. WHOOP DE FUCKING DO. WELL ACTUALLY, NOT SO MUCH WHOOP DE DOO BECAUSE THIS IS BAD. THIS IS VERY BAD. LIKE ACTUALLY THREATENING TO A LOT OF HAPPINESS BAD
turntechGodhead [TG] responded to memo!
TG: so thats where dirk went good to know tell him congrats on not being swallowed by a sea monster
timaeusTestified [TT] responded to memo!
TT: I'm right here, you know. And this does not look like contacting Rose to me. It looks like opening a memo to whine, as always.
CG: SHUT THE FUCK UP. I'M TRYING TO GET EVERYONE'S OPINION. STOP MAKING FACES AT ME ACROSS THE ROOM.
CG: WHAT IS IT WITH YOUR BLOODLINE AND ACTING LIKE WIGGLERS WHENEVER SOMETHING SERIOUS CROPS UP.
TG: wow is this serious
TG: you two need to tone down the black flirting there are children present
CG: WHAT THE FUCK.
CG: THIS IS NOT BLACK FLIRTING, THIS IS TRYING TO AVERT A BIGGER CRISIS THAN THIS ALREADY IS BECAUSE CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FUCKED UP BY HORRORTERRORS.
TG: children i repeat
TG: wait i thought that all the horrorterrors were gone from this place
TG: are we going to be attacked by the weird horrible things again
TG: mayday mayday lalonde where are you
tentacleTherapist [TT2] responded to memo!
TT2: Dave, I appreciate you sending me the link, but…
TT2: Oh. I see, so you found Eridan? What does this have to do with the Eldritch Gods?
CG: PLEASE DON'T CALL THEM GODS AT THE MOMENT. THIS IS NOT THE TIME.
TG: did you say time
CG: IF YOU MAKE ONE SINGLE SHITTY PUN I WILL LEVITATE FROM PURE WRITHING RAGE AND RIP YOUR SPLEEN FROM YOUR WOEFULLY INADEQUATELY SHELLED HUMAN BODY AND USE IT TO STRANGLE YOUR BREATH FROM YOUR THROAT
TG: man aspect puns are the best though
TT: Dude, can you tone it down for now? We have a real situation on our hands here.
TT: Okay, so there's a long explanation and a short one. For once, I think the short one will do. Eridan has been compromised.
TT2: What do the 'horrorterrors' have to do with this?
CG: TRY EVERY SINGLE THING. HE'S BEEN LEFT WITH THEM IN THE DREAMBUBBLES. AND HE'S SINGING.
TG: holy shit
TG: that is not good
TG: that is the opposite of good
TG: lalonde help me out here
TT2: It's very, very bad. Eridan was already somewhat unstable anyway. Has he tried to kill anyone yet?
TT: Karkat tried to kill him, does that count?
CG: WOULD YOU SHUT YOUR WINDHOLE ABOUT THAT ALREADY. I THOUGHT HE WAS A REAL ONE WEARING ERIDAN'S CARCASS. AND NO. HE THINKS WE WANT TO KILL HIM FOR SOME REASON.
TT2: Well, while you may not have noticed, a lot of your fellow trolls do tend to talk about punishing him for what he's done.
TG: travwolta excepted
TT2: Ah, that's a point. Cronus might be a good person to tell. He's one of the few of you who is genuinely fond of Eridan.
TT: I guess. They are kind of brothers, after all. In the same weird way as ectobiology.
CG: WHAT DO YOU MEAN? FOR FUCK'S SAKES, WOULD SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON ALREADY? DIRK ALREADY MADE A WEIRD REFERENCE TO IT AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON.
TG: gamzee is the only murderous troll to receive the magic of friendship and forgiveness
TG: even if fishtroll didnt hang out a lot of people blame him
TG: were talking magical beat ups from certain people
TG: they dont like him any more than they did before
CG: WELL, FUCK.
CG: THAT MAKES THINGS HARDER FOR US ALL.
TT2: Might I come over to visit Eridan? I remember a little of the language.
CG: SURE. WHATEVER. FUCK, I NEED TIME TO THINK.
TT: Hurry it up. He's started to sing again.
CG: OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. I CANNOT CATCH A FUCKING BREAK.