Still Breathing chapter 2

Act 3

Down the Rabbit Hole

000

Hope was going up the stairs when she found herself snagged by Gamzee.

"What the hell?" she had hoped she could get to her own bed for once. Since pretty much since that night Gamzee had not allowed her to sleep alone.

"We're going out." He told her.

"What?" she felt very confused, it was getting late, she was tired.

"Jade found a babysitter, so all of us adults are going out." Karkat added from the kitchen doorway. "Nooksucker, let the human go so she can get cleaned up."

Gamzee blinked "She's beautiful as she is." He said with an utterly straight face.

Hanging from his arm Hope blushed a bit, overall her t-shirt and skirt were not bad, but if they were going out, she would prefer to be able to brush her hair or some such thing.

But as Gamzee was heading out the door, she knew he was not going to allow her to do anything of the sort. "Where are we going?" she said.

"Party!" Jade was outside. Admittedly she wasn't dressed to the nines either, so Hope felt a little better. "We got invited to a party though one of Karkat's employees."

"Not my employee. I am still an employee." Karkat said coming out and bopping Jade in the head the other woman just pulled a face on him and laughed. A car pulled up, inside was a few trolls from their protection group. They saluted Jade who with a grin pointed to the house "Sirius will help you keep the kids from trying to pull anything on you. But they get a movie, then bed. We took care of baths earlier."

One troll relaxed completely and it made the other adults chuckles. That had to be someone around during one of Ana's bath times.

The adults piled into the car. It was Jade's Hummer they got into, like the van it was a car they could pile into and it accommodated the larger horns like Gamzee's. It was a new purchase for the family. Jade managed to get it paid for by the trolls by pointing out if they bought the military grade version instead of the off the lot one the thing would be built like a tank and better for protection of the Empress.

So, a repainted military grade hummer now sat in the driveway along with Hope's seldom used Kia, Karkat's midsized torus and the family minivan. There was a debating going on if they wanted to let Gamzee learn to drive. He'd been doing alright with his walking, but the biggest issue he had for learning to drive was his horns. The tall head gear meant that for him to be able to drive he had to do so from a slightly reclined position in the van or hummer, but neither of which would likely get his passed on the practical test. Jade had been the one to made a suggestion, of possibly instead of learning to drive a car he learned to ride a motorbike. Getting a costume helmet for his horns would be easier than trying to locate another car for him. (since something like a convertible would likely work fine for him.)

Then there was the problem of his rage issues.

Karkat pointed out the idea of Gamzee in the middle of a rage driving ANYTHING.

They could all picture the likely chaos.

While him learning to drive might have practical applications, that was about as far as that thought was likely to go.

Hope was about to climb into the back seat with Karkat when Gamzee snagged her.

"I can't sit in the front with you Gamzee" the young woman said wondering why he was being so incredibly clingy tonight.

He buried his face into the hallow of her neck and made a rumbling purr.

Jade sighed "I won't start this car until everyone is legally seated."

Gamzee sighed and released Hope. The girl climbed into the back with Karkat who gave her a pat on the shoulder but didn't say anything. She gave him a confused look and pointed at Gamzee.

Irritatingly he just grinned at her.

Oh joy, it was some weird troll thing and no one was going to let her in on the joke.

Hope flopped with an irritated groan into her seat and covered her face with her hands. For a moment in the darkness created she could see… something.

Heard a voice…

A hand on her shoulder brought her out of whatever half dream she'd been falling into and she blinked at Karkat who looked at her with concern.

"We're here, you fucking ok?"

"Yeah, just a little tired. Until everyone announced this outing I was going to bed." She admitted.

"Sorry about that. Common."

"So what sort of party is this?"

"House warming. The Grand Highblood is feeling better and since he and Unique got a new place together they decided to throw a party." Even now Hope could tell Karkat wanted to say 'hive' not 'house'. A hold over at the trolls had from their old home. When everyone lived in hives that were started when they were but brand new pupas and wasn't completed until they matured.

"If I known it was a house warming I'd have brought a gift." Hope commented.

"We were told no gifts. It's just a... what the word Unique used?" Karkat looked towards Jade who was tucking her purse under the driver's seat and pocketing the key.

"Block Party" Jade said "more informal and pretty much everyone's invited. So we might get a few wanderers in from the neighborhood."

"Oh like that won't lead to disaster." Hope said with a snort.

Gamzee just chuckled. "What with all the news down on us Indigos, not but the bravest motherfuckers are likely to risk it."

"Or the certifiable." Karkat added.

They got out of the car and Jade locked up.

Hope blinked and looked at the house that the Highblood and Unique were occupying. It wasn't all that big, just a couple stories.

But it had a strange rambling way to it. As if each part was just thrown on in a whim yet there was a kind of wholeness to it.

Karkat snorted "The idiot built a Hive."

"So that is what your houses looked like?" Jade asked in curiosity. More cars were parking in the drive and the lawn as well as along the street. It was turning into quite a gathering. Currently more troll than human but there was a growing number of them as well.

"More or less." Karkat confirmed.

"Miraculous" Gamzee said and flopped himself over to lean over Hope's shoulder.

Karkat shook his head and then blinked when he noticed a pair of people he had not expected to see. Seated to the side in a human style swinging chair were Kanaya and Lucy. He gave a wave to his group and headed over to see what they were doing.

Jade had already headed off in another direction and Hope was trying in vain to get Gamzee out of her personal space. Karkat wished her luck but at the moment the other troll was in a weird mood that made him incredibly unpredictable. Karkat knew a fight he wasn't willing to get involved in. If it looked as if he might actively hurt Hope Karkat would get involved, but that was the line he had at the moment. For now it seemed more like the clown was trying to cheer her up or at least snuggle her into an irritated distraction. He shook his head and reached Kanaya and Lucy.

"They they finished with you at the Archives?" he asked the pair. He'd pretty much officially lost them. The Archives really was a better job for their skills and especially for Lucy's health. The human had no contact outside of trolls all day. Little to no human germs, and what diseases that Trolls had did not carry over to humans and vice versa.

So he did not blame them for taking the job offer. He just still wished he didn't have to lose a pair of prized employees. At least he still had Rufio, the brown blood was nearly as good a filer as Lucy and had an even better way of controlling some of the other employees. The guy had a lot of charisma and knew how to use it to best effect.

The pair looked up at him in unison when he grew near.

"Hey Karkat" Lucy actually got up to give him a hug. He chuckled and hugged back the human. She wasn't prone to demonstrative shows of affection often.

"What are you two doing?" he asked.

The pair looked at each other and one shrugged and the other rolled her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at this silent exchange. Just when did the pair become close enough to invent their own silent language?

Kanaya sighed and gave a nod so Lucy started "Well, we were invited for dinner, the Highblood had a few things he wished to talk with us about."

"Both of you?"

Kanaya nodded "The, Situation has changed." She said in that measured metered way of hers.

Karkat leaned against the post of the swing and crossed his arms waiting to hear this.

"The mothergrub was killed during the attack."

Karkat nodded "They are still cleaning up the mess. The whole hive will have to be rebuilt from the riverbank up." And more security measures were going to need to be taken. "Have they found any Queens willing to transfer?" those trolls who for whatever reason were gifted with the ability to do on a smaller scale what a Mothergrub Lusus could do on a grander. It wasn't uncommon for there to be a half dozen Queens sharing a hive with a Mothergrub. Or as been happening on earth, a half dozen handling all of the Mothergrub's duties as they only had three that made it to Earth at all.

Well, now only two as Orphaner blew up the hive with the Mothergrub, Queens and their attendants. The hive had to be rebuilt and new everything found to populate it. Plus there were the surviving grubs who were still being placed. A few of the most traumatized were not expected to live. Not unless they could find some way to heal the physical and mental damage done to them. So far the only suggestions had been to find more humans like Hope or Eric... Those willing to bond to the grubs either as a Lusus or have their lives tied together. But the second option would mean they would have to see if the Empress could repeat what she did for herself on instinct for the other grubs.

Karkat was fairly sure that Feferi was still too young to know how to do so right now. She had no real control of her abilities as of yet.

"There are no Queens to spare for the hive." Lucy said "We've gone over all the records, there haven't even been any new Queens found among the young trolls yet."

Karkat frowned, this was worrying. No Queens? And the only hope for new ones would be among the really young, but they would not truly know if they could be possible Queens until they reached sexual maturity. It also still took a few years for the troll to be able to harness the ability to sort material and produce the eggs. And Queens could only produce a few more selective fertile eggs at a time, while a mothergrub could produce thousands. Many of the mothergrub's eggs also helped dispose of unwanted and undesirable material. Producing a few stillborns or those that would die quickly, and a Mother Grub's own genetics never filtered into the eggs while a Queen couldn't filter out their own genetics completely.

"So if we finish the hive, what good will it do? The Waterdwellers have a much more limited number of hives they can take their buckets to." Karkat pointed out.

"We have a new Mothergrub." Kanaya said.

Karkat blinked "But I thought there were only a couple surviving mothergrubs, unless…"

"I will be the mothergrub." Kanaya said.

"She agreed to have her lusus state triggered early. And the Highblood is convinced she will become the next mothergrub." Lucy added. She didn't even glance back when Kanaya reached out and took the human's hand the girl reached over and squeezes the troll's hand.

"I thought that Queens.."

Lucy shook her head "According to the Highblood most Queens actually tend to transform to Dragons. Mothergrubs are just as likely to show among others. And from what he said they actually only appear among the Teals."

"Huh... but you are still so young Kanaya are you sure?"

The other troll smiled "I am sure. It is both my duty and my pleasure. Plus." She shuddered and Lucy leaned back resting her head on the other's shoulder in an oddly familial way that made Karkat wonder if the two had decided to become Moirails. "I have been guaranteed that my memories of the, events, from my trolls years will be greatly subdued by my new memories and duties as a Mother."

Karkat paused and then moved over to kneel before the troll and took her free hand resting his forehead against it in a show of respect. He could understand wanting to forget the events of their lives in becoming a lusus. The things that happened on the refugee ships no one wanted to remember.

But she was making a great sacrifice. The years she had as a troll, to find love, friendship, advancing her career and so many other things she was giving up to spend the rest of her existence as a giant grub laying hundreds of millions of their kind.

She would literately become mother to them all.

He glanced over at Lucy "What about you? Will you still work at the Archive?" he asked her and Lucy shook her head.

"I'm going with her. When they said there was no one to spare from the other hives they were not kidding. There are no attendants or Queens to send at all. So Kanaya needs someone who she can trust, especially early on in her transformation. So that someone is going to be me." Lucy smiled "And since I have no real social life already because of my health issues, this won't be too different frankly. Plus I get to design myself some pretty swanky digs. And we can funnel sunlight to my chambers so it's not like I'm going to be locked up in an underground cave for the rest of my existence. I'll have access to the internet and movies and news."

"But you are not a fighter."

Both laughed. "She discovered she had quite a talent during the attack on the Archive."

"Apparently with a bit of training I'm a natural. Plus I'm a 'null' as the Highblood said. So I'll be taking classes between now and when Kanaya undergoes her lusus transformation."

Kanaya nodded "it will be a couple years yet before we start this. The new hive must be prepared and Lucy must be trained."

Karkat frowned "What is a null?"

"Seems to be someone unaffected by any psychic abilities. Human or Troll." Lucy said "So I am perfect cause even if some troll figures out how to make their abilities work on humans I don't feel a damn thing. Highblood tested my abilities today on that." She grinned widely.

Kanaya shuddered "I pray that I shall never have to experience the highblood's abilities like that again."

"Yeah on the final stages everyone had to leave the room. Cause I guess they were under risk of a heart attack. Most I felt was that he loomed a bit." She shrugged "I mean he can be perfectly scary and all that the teeth and wild hair and the way he alters his voice about and all that stuff but yeah I didn't feel a thing."

"Huh" Karkat thought about that. If the girl was a decent fighter, at least good enough to fend off an attacker for a short time for help to arrive, and was immune to all forms of manipulation. "This could, fucking work"

"It had better. Once the process starts there will be no reversing." Kanaya said. "Once I become the Mothergrub, I cannot go back to being a troll and if I do not fulfill my duties, I will die."

"It would be slow though wouldn't it?" Karkat asked he recalled that Kanya's lusus had actually been one of the mothergrubs who had left her post to raise her. No one knew why a mothergrub would choose to do so. Because it was essentially suicide. A mothergrub HAD to lay eggs, had to sort the genetic material. As long as they did this they were among the longest lived of the lusus. There were rumors that one of the three that had made it to Earth was possibly at old as the Grand Highblood.

Kanaya shook her head "That is only after I had been a grub a long time as my Lusus was. She abandoned her duties for my care after having been a mothergrub for hundreds of sweeps. So she was able to live long enough for me to mature."

"Don't worry about us, we'll be great." Lucy said smiling at Karkat, she looked utterly happy.

But then he likely would be too if he spent a good portion of his life trying to do things but no one giving him a real chance to succeed. Only saying what he couldn't because of something he couldn't change.

Yeah, he really did know what that was like.

Karkat talked a bit more before he walked away from the pair who went back to discussing living arrangements for now and later. This was definitely an interesting change in developments.

Hope managed to escape Gamzee long enough to go use the bathroom. She had splashed a bit of water on her face and looked around a little. The Highblood really had made this place very interesting. It was like some interesting mixes of human and troll design. The main floor had a sort of reception hall, there was a kitchen and a large dining room then a stair in the main reception hall (it was like a very large living room, very comfortably laid out with interesting features and an almost oddly circus tent feel) spiraled up with side of the room and went to the second floor that consisted of two areas.

There was another stairway that was off the main floor through an arched opening that went down to a basement area that was set up with games and other recreations.

Of the second floor the front area facing the front of the property was a more private living space. Likely were the Highblood would be spending more of his time. It was also at the moment filled with trolls and humans like the bottom levels were. The back part was a bathroom where Hope currently was looking about. There was another bath below as well, a much smaller and more normal one off the kitchen area. This one though was just utterly amazing.

More open air in its designs it looked out over the back garden, which was still being finalized but mostly done, and consisted of a huge pool with several hot and cold water sources pouring into it. There was a release that flowed over the side of the building into a pool in the courtyard below and then was channeled out to another pool in the garden before it would flow through little rivulets into the garden. The garden was part hedge maze part night garden and filled with soft lifting and graveled paths. It would be very impressive once all the new plants grew and it looked a little less new and more settled in.

Knowing that Gamzee wouldn't leave her long she finished up and went back out to the party. Gamzee was trotting up the stairs when she came out and she gave him a wave before he came over draping an arm over her shoulder.

"Highblood wants to see us" he told her and she nodded. They went instead of back down to the party up to the third floor, again like the second there was really only two rooms. One half was a bedroom, like the bath it had a sort of half open air design that was quite interesting. There were huge glass panels that swung open to let the whole room be open but could close up for in climate weather. There were also rolled up nettings that could be dropped to keep out bugs if the windows were opened. A huge four poster bed (more like pillars) dominated one part of the room, the other side had what Hope realized was a sunken sopor slime bed. The stuff was coming along and some higher caste trolls and a few other trolls who they deemed needed it (the psychotic for instance) were finally able to start using it for bedding again. It would be another few years before there was enough slime to make it common use, but some was being grown at all the hives and archives now. Huge culture vats that would likely start going into mass productions when the trolls could set up places to grow the stuff.

But that would have to wait until the current chaos settled. Until they knew if the humans and trolls could share the planet or if it would escalate into the xenocide that the Orphaner had been attempting to create.

On the other side of the space through a door was the area they headed to. The Highblood was inside. The walls lined with books, scrolls and data on tall shelves. The center of the room dominated by a large desk very like the one he had over at Trillians.

The Highblood was seated, he wore a loose over robe and baggy pants, his feet bare and kicked up on the desk while he leaned back in his chair.

Hope could see the bandages around his chest from the wound he was still recovering from. Trolls healed faster than humans so the wound was likely closed by this point, but he kept it covered for whatever reason he must have for such a thing. He looked up and smiled as the pair came in. Hope blinked.

It was not his usual smile, one that was amused or malice filled or otherwise intimidating. It was actually, kind of sweet. As if he was just happy to see them.

"Gamzee, I have some papers for you to look over. As things settle we'll have some work to complete."

Gamzee sighed and took the file that the Highblood pushed to the edge of the desk for him. A slight frown making a crease between his brows.

"How are you holding up Hope?" he asked her suddenly and she blinked at him.

"I'm holding." She said she wasn't doing great she was actually pretty much tired all the time and her head either pounded in pain or she was having visions she couldn't sort though. Hardly anything made sense. Not the trolls, not even her own people.

The only things that stayed making any form of sense were those she interacted with on a daily basis. The kids, Jade, Karkat and Gamzee.

Even there though Gamzee was getting even harder to predict. She didn't know if he was just going to stare at her or molest her.

She at least knew he wasn't going to push too far, he always stopped. Left her alone for a little and then would only come back to cuddle.

"We are trying to find a way to help. It's a bit much to ask Tavros to take on this whole burden. He is doing wonderfully but he is also still very young." The highblood pulled out some more papers "I've been talking with the other hives. Our South American hive has one of the remaining Mothergrubs and the Queens inform us that she may be interested in seeing you. Our Mother had been a very, unique, grub with a lot of unusual powers for her kind. But one of the others might be able to do something."

Hope felt herself relax a bit, someone might be able to help? That would be a relief.

"We're not going to separate the group, so we'll be sending you all together. If anything the travel might help get all of you a little more clear headed after the recent events."

"um, alright." Hope blinked she was not expecting this to become a family vacation. But she had to admit, letting Feferi tour other hives would likely be a good thing for the girl. Let alone when she thought about it, they would have to take Karkat and Tavros, because Gamzee long travel without Karkat just sounded like a bad idea. She knew that Gamzee would not let her go alone, and Hope and Tav could not be separated that far comfortably.

Then that would end up leaving Jade alone with three children and two lusus, again a bad idea when one of the children was the Empress , the other two were the Prince and Heir. She might be good at defending them and keeping them wrangled and in control, but if there was another attack like when the Orphaner struck, Jade would be grossly outnumbered.

"We're making arrangements. There will of course be a jet. Most the planes leaving this local airport are killer for those of us blessed" and he indicated his own mass and horns as well as Gamzee's "With raging good looks find those little toy fucking shuttles on the runway a bit cramped."

Hope actually never flew, so she could only think of the planes that showed up in the movies. But she trusted him on this matter. Afterall just getting a car that fit all of them was a headache in more than one way. When they were shopping for the van there had been several times Gamzee had gotten stuck just attempting to get in and out of the vans they tested.

The one they went with was chosen for his comfort rather than its gas mileage.

"Sirus and Eridan's lusus?" she asked.

"Will be going along with. Another reason for the private jet over commercial. Lusus are still considered animals and thus get shipped as such under human laws. Which isn't good for them OR their charges. We're working on that for the times that the kids do have to travel and need their guardians to go along with them." He was straitening up some more papers "We'll have things arranged. There still some thought to go into the care and comfort of Eridan's lusus and arranging for hotels that will allow both the aquatic lusus and Sirius."

Hope nodded. Gamzee finished reading the files and handed them back to the Highblood who took them. "Now go enjoy the party."

"What did he have you reading?" she asked as they exited the room.

Gamzee just gave her a smile and ruffled her hair "Just work." He told her. They saw Jade in the upper living space currently beating the pants off of Trillians' Bartender. Others were cheering as Jade moved through the controls on the xbox and Sollux was struggling to keep up. But both were laughing about it and it seemed to that every time he found his rhythm in the dance game they played she would pull something that threw off his concentration. Like bumping him or pulling a move not quite part of the routine that had him blinking at her for a moment before he realized he was off his stride.

Hope giggled. It was actually rather cute. Gamzee had laughed and the pair of them went over to watch Jade beat the pants off of Sol (literately, as it seemed they had each betted their own pants on the game. Sollux spent the rest of the evening in only his boxers that had goofy little honey bees all over them and a pooh bear with a honey pot stuck on his head)

Hope ended up dozing off partway through the evening. Snuggled against Gamzee who found them a comfortable and quiet spot overlooking the garden. Light steam rising from the pool/tub behind them and a lovely moon making the garden glow.

000

Notes: Right so yes this chapter too absurdly long. I still didn't get everything in it I had hoped to do… so.. BLAH!

Anyway, there is new fanart, and dabbles and loads of stuff to be found on tumblr. The urls are stillbreathiing and relearning2breath.