The heat beat down on Vriska Sekret as she stepped into the sidewalk filled with tourists and locals mingling about the sidewalks as they pointed out several things along the Strip of Las Vegas, Nevada. The tacky clothing screaming tourists from miles away. It was nearing dusk in the town and several places were appetizing to go in and see about playing a few games here and there but the big casinos didn't tempt her as much.
She turned on her heel, walking through the press of people, most of whom quickly stepped to the side and some who quickly walked past while trying to avoid eye contact. Vriska wasn't what one might call a normal human. She was a troll spending a couple of sweeps down on Earth to get a feel for it.
It was a relatively new program, something that was kind of hard to get into unless you knew the right people or you could cheat your way into the system. Both of which Vriska used to the best of her ability. It had almost been a bit too simple to get into the program but here she was, on the cusp of her eleventh sweep.
The troll turned away from the main walkway of the strip, heading into a less populated area. Lights seemed to dull a bit as she walked, running into less people. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment, shaking her head before continuing on into another stream of people.
She had come to the city, lured by the tails of gambling and games to be had in the city. It had been from another troll who was no longer around but it had been well worth the cost to get the information out of him. And she had been attracted to the city as soon as she learned of its existence and had requested to be sent there.
She smiled to herself, turning to head into a slightly less busy bar. The bar was divided into two rooms, the second doorway framing several people arguing over a game of cards. The troll smirked, passing the bar were the bartender was trying to politely deny the drunken woman something more to drink, heading into the room.
"What game are you playing?" Vriska asked, taking a free chair.
"You have to be twenty one to play. Have ID?" The dealer asked, shuffling the cards without looking up.
"I know someone who would be dead by 21 sweeps. Why wait that long to start gambling?" Vriska demanded.
"How old are you anyway?" The dealer asked, dealing out the cards without including Vriska.
"Old enough to gamble." Vriska retorted, watching the dealer.
"Do you have ID?" He asked again.
Vriska shifted slightly, seeing movement out of her eye. She adjusted her glasses slightly, watching the figure come up to the card table from the bar. "She probably just got her from Alternia. Cut her some slack Jake. I'm sure she's old enough to gamble if she's old enough to have come down here. Besides, she looks exactly like a troll, don't you agree?"
"We had several kids trying to sneak in here under the same pretenses. If she can prove that she is actually a troll, then I suppose I can let her play." The dealer grinned. "Where did you get the materials to make your arm?"
"Zahhak made it for me after a magic eight ball blew up in my face. Want to see what's behind my glasses?" Vriska demanded, looking down at the dealer as she stood up.
"She seems pretty authentic to me. Of course, Leijon is coming in soon, we could always ask her. And until she gets here, you'll deal her in." The woman said, turning and leaving the smaller room.
Jake grumbled under his breath, finishing up the hand and shuffling the cards as he studied Vriska before dealing her into the game. "So you're from Alternia, huh? What's it like there?"
"Depends on your place in the hemospectrum. I would have to stay I had a decent life there, but I think I might like it here." Vriska said.
Jake nodded, watching as the game progressed. Vriska glanced up, smirking slightly as she looked at the cards.
"Hey Jake, Leijon is in. Do you want to see if she can tell if Sekret is a real troll or not?" The woman asked, leaning against the wall.
Vriska frowned, remembering the name faintly before shaking her head. "Haven't I proved already that I was an actual troll?"
"How old are you even?" Jake asked.
"Eleven sweeps. Or nearly twenty three years old, depending on what you happen to use." Vriska said, adjusting her glasses. "I guess I can this Leijon. Though I have a feeling I know who it is."
Vriska got up from the card table, turning to head into the bar as Jake raised an eyebrow. "Don't want to chance your luck?" He chuckled.
"Oh, I'll be back. And besides, I thought you said I was underage." Vriska taunted, walking into the bar before he could explain. She sat on a stool, glancing at the other patrons.
They seemed to be more interested in the newly arrived bartender, who was taking their orders. It was fully night out, the Friday night bringing in more patrons as several headed to the gaming rooms, most of them taking seats at the bar.
Vriska glanced over at one of the patrons, listening to what he ordered as the bartender made her way through guests.
Vriska frowned slightly, glancing up as she watched the bartender. She must have been the troll that Jake and the other bartender had been talking about.
Vriska frowned slightly, listening to her talk for a moment. "Nepeta?" She inquired, through she was pretty sure that her question would go unnoticed for the time being.
The bartender finished with the patron next to Vriska, turning to face her. "Hello, how may I help you?" She asked.
"Nepeta Leijon, who would have thought that this is where you would have ended up." Vriska commented, glancing at Nepeta.
She had given up her coat and pants for something a lot more revealing, the shirt cut low and the skirt a bit shorter than what Vriska might imagine Nepeta would be comfortable with. "Vriska, didn't know that they would let you come to Earth."
"Well, you know me. I may have cheated the system, but here I am. You know, our friends wondered where you disappeared to. Except Feferi, she probably knew from the start and never said anything. Seeing as how you did end up here." Vriska mused.
"Yes, well, she agreed that she wouldn't say anything and I would do a sort of test run to see how people might react to trolls coming down for a couple of sweeps and maybe staying. I see that the program seems to have developed decently if you are here." Nepeta said, glancing over at her as she moved to give some drinks to the others.
Vriska tapped her fingers against the bar, propping her chin into her other hand. "It's a good idea, though I think Feferi might be in a bit over her head." She mused as Nepeta walked back over. "I mean, it'll work with some of the less violent trolls but what will the violent trolls do without moirails to keep them in line?"
"Would you like anything to drink?" Nepeta asked, shaking her head.
"No, but I would like to talk to you after you're finished with your job here." Vriska decided. "I might just go back to playing the card games."
"Win too many times and they might accuse you of cheating." Nepeta said flatly.
"Since when don't I cheat Nepeta?" Vriska grinned, watching her. "But really, I want to talk to you after you're done with work or whatever."
"Fine," Nepeta sighed, turning away as Vriska got up to head back to the gaming room. She sat back at the card table, Jake dealing her back in.
"You're pretty decent at these games," Jake mused, watching Vriska.
"I have luck on my side," Vriska said with a slight shrug.
"So you're one of those fools that believe in luck eh?" The man asked.
"I am not a fool, but I do believe in luck." Vriska said, looking down at the cards in her hand. She had found cheating to be quite easy, most of the others around the table being drunk. And she wasn't doing it often enough to be noticed but still, Jake gave her a strange look.
Vriska smiled at him politely, glancing towards the main bar. It seemed strange to run into another troll so soon and even stranger still that it had happened to be Nepeta.
"Don't want to play anymore?" Jake asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"I know when to not push my luck. And I believe that I have reached the end of it. Besides, your cards do not make sense to me." Vriska commented,shaking her head slightly.
"They don't have the same use for the quadrant symbols like ourselves." Nepeta commented, coming into the room with a few drinks for those at the table. "I'm about to get off work, you said you wanted to talk?"
"Have a nice night Nepeta," Jake said, glancing up as the other troll nodded and turned to leave, beckoning Vriska to follow her.
"Do you have a place you're staying?" Nepeta asked, glancing over at Vriska.
"Not yet, but I would prefer to go somewhere where we can't be heard. Or noticed for that matter." Vriska commented.
"A cheap motel then. I take it you won a decent amount of money?"
"Of course,"
Vriska glanced around the motel room, walking to the window and lifting the the curtains to look at the lights. "It's bright here at night," she mused, glancing to where Nepeta had sat on the bed closest to the window.
"Yeah, but Las Vegas is just that kind of place I guess. You seemed to want to tell me something earlier. May I ask what it was concerning?" Nepeta asked.
"You've been gone from Alternia for quit some time. Don't you wonder what happened while you were gone?" Vriska asked, wondering why she was the one delivering the news to Nepeta. "And I'm sure you've been curious about our friends?"
"Of course I have been curious about them, but the last half a sweep or so, I've been trying to focus on making a life here...I know it may not be the best life and I do miss Alternia, but after Equius died...I just can't go back and maybe it's for my own selfish reasons. I'm grateful for Feferi for allowing me to come here and not to question my motives. But I would have never thought to see you here Vriska." Nepeta glanced up at Vriska from where she was sitting, her hands on her lap.
Vriska let the curtains drop, turning her back to the window. "Karkat died recently." She said quietly. "I know that you used to like him and I thought you might have liked to know what happened to him."
"Karkitty...is dead?" Nepeta asked quietly, looking up at her. "How long ago was this?"
"Nearly a half a sweep ago. You left a half a sweep before he died. We're still unsure if it was due to how long a mutant blood would have lasted or not. Nepeta?" Vriska asked, walking over to her.
Nepeta shied away from Vriska's touch, pulling her knees to her chest. "How are the other things in Alternia?"
Vriska dropped her arm, letting out a sigh before she sat in the extra chair near the side table. "Fine I would think. Feferi is having a hard time with letting some of the trolls into the human world but several of the less violent trolls. Of course, her friends have a higher choice. She's getting along quite well with Sollux." Vriska said. "Though she is working on becoming the Empress of Alternia."
Nepeta nodded, watching her. "And Terezi, Gamzee, the rest of them?"
Vriska merely shrugged, walking to the other bed closest to the wall and sitting on the bed, curious about the bed.
A/N: I really am trying to come up with a decent name for this fanfic, but until I can come up with something better, it's just going to be Vegas Stuck. If any of my lovely readers have any ideas and would like to PM me here or message me on Tumblr at .com to share a name with me, please do. And unlike most of my other fanfics, I'm writing this one as I go. Usually I have more written before I start posting, but not this go around. It'll be a bit for me to update and stuff for reasons on my own part and I must apologize in advance for that. But I do hope those that read it love it and I do hope that Vriskasbby enjoys it!
Happy readings and have a lovely night. And on another side note, these usually go up at the beginning, but not today.