i-A few hours earlier and across campus-/i
A song ended, and Nepeta finished dancing with the party's host, leaving her to go and carouse with other guests, and Nepeta looked around. As expected, Aradia and Equius were dancing in a corner and off in their own little world, he dressed as Zorro and moving a little too stiffly, she in a perfect red duplicate of Nepeta's Tinkerbell dress and too distracted by Equius's eyes to keep her red sparkly wings from bumping into things. Nepeta fondly rolled her eyes and spied a couch with only one occupant, and she bounced along towards it, leaving a faint trail of green glitter in her wake.
There sat a curvy ginger-haired girl in a festive jester costume the likes of which Renaissance Faire regulars would envy. Around her were several packets of cherry fun dip, some empty, some yet to be opened. Red pointed shades perched on her round, upturned nose, and she the stick from a fun dip packet stuck out of her mouth like a cigarette. She fumbled at her side, knocking a white dragon plush doll to the floor in the process.
Nepeta bounced over and plopped down on the couch, "Hi! I haven't seen you around before, are you a friend of Jessie's?" She gestured to the host, who was currently cheering for a black-haired pirate wench who was creaming Aquaman in a drinking contest.
The girl lifted her head in surprise at the sudden intrusion, "Oh! I only sort of know her, I'm here because my friend wanted to come out and party. Also, have you seen my dragon? I think I dropped him."
Nepeta craned her neck, "Ooooh! I see it!" She dove across the girl's lap and grabbed the dragon, before scrabbling back into her seat, holding it up. "Oh my gosh! You have to tell me where you got him! Did you make him? He's adorable!"
The ginger girl grinned like a shark, "Yep! I made him a couple years ago. His name's Pyralspite."
"Do you still have the pattern? I need to make a million of these and sleep in the pile!" Nepeta looked at her possible-new-best-buddy-contender, "What was your name?"
"Terezi. I am the courtly, comely jester that lurks in the night!" She flourished a cane topped with the merry head of a jester, "Who might be joining in my revelry?"
Nepeta settled the dragon into the cushions between them, as if he were just another party patron. "Nepeta, part-time fairy and occasional cat, and I'm also totally about to steal some of your fun dip. Is that cool?" she asked, already ripping into a packet.
Terezi pointed at her sharply, "Only if you can properly acknowledge that the red is the best flavor. Otherwise there's plenty of that shape-shifting green-blue mess floating around here somewhere."
"All hail the cherry kingdom! Long may it reign!" Nepeta said through a mouthful of sugar-coated stick.
"Hehehehe," Terezi giggled, leaning back into the couch. There soon came a victorious screech from the nearby table of drinkers as the pirate slammed down her mug. Terezi turned her head and waved her cane once more, nearly thwapping Nepeta on the head, "Glorious victory!"
Nepeta followed Terezi's gaze, taking note to be careful around her for fear of flailing. "What? Did your friend win?" she asked, taking note of the black-haired woman cackling and openly mocking Aquaman.
"Yes, Vriska's really competitive and it's difficult to not be caught up in her excitement. She's cool like that. Even when we larp, she's a total badass whenever she lays waste to the enemy."
Nepeta's eyes went as broad as saucers and she grabbed Terezi by the shoulders, "You larp? Do you roleplay too? Eeee! I'm always looking for more roleplay buddies! We just became best friends!"
Terezi in turn grinned wider, "Yes! I'm a grand, noble dragon in pursuit of justice!"
"Eeeeeee, we have to play together! I'm a mighty cat warrior and huntress. What's your online handle? I'll introduce you to the rest of my party!"
"It may be too long for you to remember. Why don't I write it down?" She asked, searching around for her bag on the couch.
"Please!" Nepeta squealed, bouncing in her seat with her wings flopping about. She noticed her two compatriots approaching the couch, and scooted closer to make room, "Speaking of, here comes my DM. Hey Aradia! Equius! Come meet my new friend!"
Aradia pulled Equius along by his arm, smiling brightly and limping a little from dancing in uncomfortable shoes, "Hello new friend!"
Nepeta gestured to the two new-comers, "Equius is my oldest, bestest friend, and Aradia's my roommate and sometimes DM. She likes to play mediums and witches, and Equius is a paladin when I can get him to play along. Guys, this is Terezi."
Aradia waved and looked up at Equius, "Want to sit?"
Equius eyed Terezi curiously, "Are you blind?"
Aradia looked up at Equius, horrified, "Don't be rude!"
Terezi cackled in his direction, "Astute, aren't you? Sharp eyes, but dull manners?"
Equius then realized his folly, looking between the girls, "I was merely suggesting-"
Terezi shook her head with a knowing grin.
Aradia looked back and forth from Equius to Terezi, "Wait, really? I'm so sorry." Honestly, she had thought Equius was making a comment about Terezi's teal-and-red color scheme.
Nepeta hugged Terezi comfortingly, more on instinct than anything else, but Terezi simply shrugged and dug into her fundip again, "Going blind, to be specific. I've already begun to learn braille and it's actually a waaaay more interesting way to write than normal. Easier too."
Aradia relaxed and leaned against Equius, "Well, it's nice to meet you." She squeaked suddenly as a muffled text chime rang, and dug her phone out of her cleavage, still vibrating, "Pardon me a second, will you?"
Terezi waved and nodded in turn, and Equius remained where he stood, deciding that small talk would be appropriate at this juncture. "Are you a student?"
"Criminal Justice major, minor in jurisprudence," Terezi replied, "Why, aren't you?"
Equius then looked slightly flustered, an eyebrow raising, but keeping his mouth shut.
Nepeta rolled her eyes, "Don't mind him, he gets like this. Equius does engineering so he can build robots. Still won't build me a mech, though, the big meanie."
"A robot of the sheer size and magnitude of which you request is not only immensely difficult to build, but has no practical use on a college campus!" Equius responded in a completely serious manner. Even Terezi had to raise her eyebrows and snicker at that.
A few feet away, Aradia was texting her favorite recluse.
hey s0llux! we are having a l0t 0f fun but its n0t t00 late f0r y0u t0 c0me al0ng
The response she received was short and to the point.
no bu2y.
y0u always say that when y0u just d0nt feel like d0ing stuff
are y0u sure y0u cant even c0me say hi?
i c0uld intr0duce y0u t0 equius!
ye2 iim 2ure becau2e iif ii wa2nt bu2y iid be out wiith kk and the other bunch of people who al2o wouldnt leave me alone about not goiing out.
well excuse me f0r trying t0 make sure my friend has all the 0pp0rtunities he needs t0 s0cialize
and while we are at it please pard0n me f0r wanting t0 make sure y0u have s0me fun n0w and then
ii can have fun by my2elf, now leave me alone!
Aradia snickered as she typed, t00 much inf0rmati0n
fuck you aa.
fuck you and fuck the goddamn hor2e you're apparently bangiing now.
enjoy your freaky jiizz-2oaked 2ociial foray2 wiithout me.
Snorting, Aradia stomped back to the others. "Sollux is a schmuck," she declared, thrusting her phone into Equius's hands, before sitting down next to Nepeta, "Take a picture of us, will you, sweetie?"
Equius fidgeted with the camera function, surprised though he may have been by her mood, "What did he say?"
"A lot of words that mean both 'I am staying home' and 'I am a big dumb idiot' at the same time." She scooted next to Nepeta and hugged her, flashing a victory sign, "Vogue, Neppers."
Nepeta snickered and mirrored her pose, two perfect little red and green fairies.
As the shot was taken, Equius replied, "It perplexes me how you let him treat you so rudely if you won't tolerate anything less of perfection from me."
"Me?" Aradia smiled sweetly, standing and accepting her phone back, "I don't ask anything of you that you don't ask of yourself. Besides, he isn't my boyfriend." She gestured to the empty seat on the couch, "My boyfriend standards are very high, couldn't you tell?"
"Very lofty indeed, from what I can see." Terezi piped in.
"Didn't you say you were going blind?" Equius replied cheekily.
Terezi cackled, "...Is that humor I hear, Mr. Mechanic?"
Nepeta giggled, and Aradia pushed Equius to the couch and sat in his lap, firing off a few last texts and a photograph to Sollux, before shoving her phone back into her cleavage, safely storing it and hiding it from view.
Equius watched and gingerly laid his hands on her thighs, grinning to himself at the act of holding her close in such a crowded space.
"So this friend of yours, does he crusade with you?" Terezi asked, repositioning herself to hear properly.
"Not willingly," Aradia shrugged, pressing back against Equius. "He never seemed to like roleplay, but another old friend of mine plays with us as a beast tamer. I'm sure he'd love to have another player, right Nepeta?"
Nepeta nodded enthusiastically and pulled her own slim phone out from her costume's bodice. "Speaking of Tavros, I'm gonna get some photos for him!" She bounced up and bounded over to a passing sexy nurse to conscript her into playing cameraperson, before diving back to the couch to cuddle up with the happy couple; after a second thought, she reached over and pulled Terezi closer, "Come on, say cheese!"
Terezi grinned and leaned in, looking toward where she thought the camera was. Given the low light of the party, she ended up looking more to the left of the camera's lens.
After a couple shots were taken, Nepeta leapt up to retrieve her phone and sat back down, grabbing another fun dip, "I'll send them tomorrow."
"Hey Tereeeeeeeeziiiiiiii!" came a voice. The sofa-sitters turned as the pirate girl sauntered over, "You and me are gonna wreck some pansies' shit in a game of manhunt starting, oh, about thirty seconds ago!" She was long and angular, everything about her body was pointed and rail-thin, save for a wide pair of hips and round, firm rump.
An annoyed eyebrow raised from behind Terezi's red spectacles. "Fascinating. And when, exactly, did I volunteer for this?"
"I'm telling you now, duh, now get up!" The woman pouted, grabbing Terezi's wrist and trying to wrench her bodily from the sofa.
Terezi dug in her heels and refused to be budged, grabbing onto the couch back just in case, "Vriska, even putting aside the audacity of dragging me into a game without asking me, you KNOW I can't see for shit at night."
Undeterred, Vriska tugged harder, "That's whole fucking point! Nobody can see! You already have an advantage since you're basically blind now! Never let an advantage go to waste, isn't that a Scourge Sisters motto? Come oooooooon!"
Terezi yanked her hand backwards to her face and licked Vriska's wrist, making her release her grip in disgust. Terezi settled back in the couch, glaring at her, "I'm not falling in a ravine or in some stinky mudhole because you want to hook up with some guys tonight."
"Oh for shit's sake!" She whined, throwing her hands up in the air, "You used to be fun, you used to not care about risks!"
"Don't lecture me about risks when you don't have to take any! If I got lost or broke my cane, I'd have to live with that, not you."
"You'll only get better at blind adventuring if you try! It's all mind over matter anyway, the old Terezi wouldn't let a little squinting get in the way of a good time," Vriska snorted, folding her arms across her chest, complete with a pout and a derisive snort.
"Gasp! Of course, that's all it takes! You're a marvel of modern medicine, I should expect you'll be hearing from the Nobel commission any day now," Terezi jeered.
"Fine, whatever, have fun with your level-three nerds; maybe you can go on an epic quest to find your lawful-neutral oversized iguana some fucking balls." With an annoyed eyeroll and a flip of her long black hair, Vriska stomped off, grabbing the arms of the first two tipsy frat boys she came across towards the exit, leaving Terezi, unphased but for a slight droop to her shoulders.
Nepeta clung to Terezi's side, grumbling and glaring after Vriska, while Aradia reached over and patted Terezi on the shoulder. "Well I think dragons are cool."
Terezi shrugged, pulling her hat further over her eyes, "She just gets like that."
Nepeta nevertheless stayed at Terezi's shoulder, and pulled Pyralspite out from between them and set him on Terezi's lap and tried to mimic a low, rumbly voice, "Indeed! We noble dragon-kind are a proud race, and haters are crunchy and good with ketchup."
Any sign of gloom Terezi exhibited vaporized with another reedy cackle, while Equius shook his head and chuckled at his friend.
"Nom nom nom, tasty haters! Graar!" Nepeta rasped.
Aradia giggled and settled back into Equius's lap as well as she could in her costume, enjoying her lovely pre-warmed and muscular seat. Equius then tried to pull Aradia back further, finding he enjoyed the plush warmth of her body upon him. In his efforts, he bent the frame of one of her wings at an odd angle, which then tore the fabric.
Hearing an odd sort of ripping sound, Aradia turned to look at her wing, "Son of a-!" She scooted forward and unhooked her wings, and tried to bend it back in place, disappointment clear on her face.
Equius' expression twisted, "Cursed, damnable cheap things, I told you to use a studier wire for them!"
Nepeta glared daggers at Equius. "What do you mean, 'cheap'? Excuse me, but who's the veteran cosplayer here?"
Aradia made a pained sort of whimper, looking from her bent wing to Nepeta and back again, "Neppy, I'm so sorry..."
Nepeta scooted over and hugged Aradia, bumping Equius in the face with her own green wing, "Shoooooosh, it's okay! Really!"
"But you worked so hard on them! And I should've taken care and I messed it up and I'm really, really sorry."
Equius interjected, "I had told the both of you that your wings would be both fragile and cumbersome if you were to wear them while going out."
Nepeta gave Aradia a flat he-doesn't-get-it look, "Equius? I know you think you're helping, but you're not." She added a comforting pat to Aradia's knee. "You looked great, we got some awesome photos, you can just throw out the wings now, you still look really pretty! Doesn't she?" she asked, elbowing Equius.
Surprised, Equius replied immediately, "Of course she does." He looked directly at Aradia, "You're a lovely, gorgeous girl regardless of your wings."
Still dejected, Aradia gave him a little half-smile and stood, regarding the broken accessory. "I guess I'll just chuck this..." she said, turning and slumping towards the exit.
Equius, frustrated, followed after her, "If you give me the proper amount of time and working specifications I can craft you better ones! Stronger ones!" And then they were out of earshot.
Nepeta couldn't help but laugh and shake her head as she unhooked her own wings and set them aside, then scooped Pyralspite up and held him to her ear. "What's that, little dragon? Bitches be cray? Well said, sir, well said."
"Bitches are not necessarily cray if the situation they find themselves in is itself cray as well. It is a mad, mad world." Terezi proclaimed, retrieving her proud, plush companion.
"It is a vicious cycle of both cray and bitches," Nepeta nodded, sagely, before perking up. "Hey, hey, your noble dragonliness...wanna come lay siege to the guacamole bowl with me?"
Terezi made her way to her feet with a cascade of paper wrappers and pointed with her cane, grinning like a crocodile, "Onward!"
