Karkat was late to class, but not for any sort of good reason- he totally forgot to check where whatever class he had was being held. After running around like an absolute freak trying to find a computer he could check his schedule on, he found one halfway across campus. The entire incident resulted in his being about twenty-five minutes late to class. That must be a new record. Excellent work, douchebag. The teacher was giving him an exaggerated stank-eye for a little while, but eventually got over it. The class, some sort of complicated computer math course, was boring as hell. Karkat was never too strong at math. Words had always been his forte. Insults were just where he really shined.Eventually, he found himself opening Pesterchum on his laptop. A message from Terezi popped up, sent when he was offline.
gallowsCalibrator: K4RK4T YOU HUNG UP ON M3 :[
gallowsCalibrator: L1ST3N, TH3RE'S SOM3ON3 YOU SHOULD T4LK TO
gallowsCalibrator: 4POC4LYPS34R1S3N
gallowsCalibrator: SORRY
gallowsCalibrator: apocalypseArisen
gallowsCalibrator: SH3'S SPY1NG ON VR1SK4 FOR M3- R34L D33P STUFF
gallowsCalibrator: YOU SHOULD D3F1N4T3LY H34R SOM3 OF 1T
gallowsCalibrator: SH3 US3D TO D4T3 SOLLUX TOO, H3H3 :]
gallowsCalibrator: 4NYW4YS, 4PP4R3NTLY VR1SKA ST1LL H4S H3R 3Y3 ON YOU 4ND 1S D3F1N4T3LY COLL4BOR4T1NG W1TH G4MZ33
gallowsCalibrator: FURTH3R BULL3T1NS 4S 3V3NTS W4RR3NT!
Jegus, Terezi was almost incomprehensible when she typed. Was it just a thing? Karkat admitted he got a little capslock crazy sometimes, but Terezi's random numbers and shit…he copied the screenname she had given him and added it into Pesterchum. Despite being borderline psychotic, her intel was never wrong. She got way too into it, maybe, but her accuracy was like a sniper's rifle. He'd have to thank her later. The screenname appeared on the list of online contacts, so he clicked on it. apocalypseArisen's box popped up, and he wondered if they even knew Terezi had mentioned them.
carcinoGeneticist: HI.
apocalypseArisen: hell0
apocalypseArisen: d0 i kn0w y0u?
carcinoGeneticist: UH, NO. NOT REALLY. I'M TEREZI'S FRIEND.
apocalypseArisen: 0h
apocalypseArisen: 0kay
apocalypseArisen: me t00, i guess
carcinoGeneticist: HA. YEAH. LISTEN. I NEED TO ASK YOU ABOUT VRISKA.
apocalypseArisen: …i see
apocalypseArisen: wait
apocalypseArisen: is this karkat vantas?
carcinoGeneticist: LUCKY GUESS. JUST CURIOUS, WHO EXACTLY ARE YOU?
apocalypseArisen: ha
apocalypseArisen: we have a class t0gether
apocalypseArisen: its aradia megid0
Okay, Karkat definitely knew who that was. The dark-haired girl who had been talking to Vriska and Kanaya in Equius' class that day- wait, does this mean Kanaya is in on it?…okay, no jumping to conclusions, idiot. Yet.
carcinoGeneticist: OH WOW, SERIOUSLY? NO WAY. THE ARADIA MEGIDO?
apocalypseArisen: yeah
carcinoGeneticist: SARCASM. BUT YEAH, WE HAVE ANATOMY TOGETHER. LISTEN. ARE YOU AND VRISKA FRIENDS?
apocalypseArisen: s0rt of
apocalypseArisen: 0kay n0t really
apocalypseArisen: she thinks we may be
apocalypseArisen: 0r maybe she kn0ws we arent
carcinoGeneticist: WELL THAT MADE A LOT OF SENSE. MOVING BEYOND THAT RIDICULOUS SENTENCE, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT VRISKA'S PLANNING FOR EQUIUS' PARTY?
carcinoGeneticist: WAIT, IF YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH HER AND ARE JUST GOING TO BE A FUCKING TATTLETALE, THEN IGNORE THIS CONVERSATION AND WE CAN PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED.
apocalypseArisen: n0
apocalypseArisen: i wanted t0 tell y0u anyways
apocalypseArisen: but y0u need s0me backgr0und first
carcinoGeneticist: UM, OK, WHATEVER. GO FOR IT.
apocalypseArisen: vriska thinks i am g0ing al0ng with her plans
apocalypseArisen: well actually i am sort of g0ing al0ng with them i guess
apocalypseArisen: but 0nly because i d0nt really care what she d0es
apocalypseArisen: i gave up 0n her ever since she messed up things with my last bf
apocalypseArisen: i think y0u kn0w him
carcinoGeneticist: WOULD THAT HAPPEN TO BE SOLLUX?
apocalypseArisen: yeah
apocalypseArisen: i heard he was y0ur r00mmate
apocalypseArisen: anyways that d0esnt matter
apocalypseArisen: vriska made sure that ended
carcinoGeneticist: I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS. AND MAYBE I WOULD ALSO ENJOY LEARNING WHY THE FUCK SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME.
apocalypseArisen: shes g0t a few reas0ns f0r being after y0u
apocalypseArisen: just wait a minute
apocalypseArisen: its n0thing pers0nal
apocalypseArisen: its all f0r her 0wn gain
apocalypseArisen: 00ps, gtg
apocalypseArisen: tavr0s can tell y0u
carcinoGeneticist: WAIT NO TELL ME NOW WHAT THE FUCK
Aradia's screenname signed off. Karkat rubbed his face in frustration. What the fuck was the point of that? Great, now I know for sure Vriska's trying to knock me off, and that ladies love Sollux. What about Gamzee? He was also getting really tired of being passed off to different participants of this idiotic little dance. He attempted to focus on the homework the teacher was assigning, but just ended up dwelling on his frustration more. I'll stay up all night to catch one of these fuckheads if I have to.
After class, Karkat stood outside for a few moments, unsure of where he should go. Back at the dorm, Feferi and Sollux might be available for some hardcore questioning. He wanted make sure Feferi wouldn't report the entire thing to the school administration. He could also track down Aradia or Tavros, although he figured the latter would be with the psychotic roommate in question, which…sounded kind of unappealing. Terezi might have more information from her stalktastic 'investigation', and even Kanaya seemed to have been holding back on some important knowledge that everyone but he apparently knew. You can all step on a rake. Is there ANYONE at this school not involved in this stupid mess? Even Sollux is all up in it. Well, there was one person whose involvement seemed minimal. Sort of. As far as he knew. Karkat's mind was tangled in knots from overexposure to the matter. He felt a headache threatening from behind his tensed forehead. Surely this was a good enough reason to swallow his pride just this once. Karkat flipped out his cellphone and searched for a number.
"I can't believe you called me to hang out. That's a first, usually you're just a slippery bastard who ignores the shit outta me." Eridan leaned back in his seat, sipping from a huge plastic cup filled with some kind of frappucino thing. The two had hit up Starbucks and were now parked overlooking the beach, moon hanging above black water. A couple, probably drunk, played in the water, near where Eridan had pointed out a shark circling underneath the mild surf. Karkat didn't spend long wondering how the fuck he saw it, and watched them from above with detached interest, ignoring his chocolate milk.
"Yeah, well, I needed to get my mind off things. I figured listening to your idiotic babble usually helps with that."
"You're such a fuckhead, Vantas. …uh, what kinda things, if you don't mind me askin'? Maybe I can give you some advice or somethin'," Eridan said, trying to mask his curiosity. Too bad I can see right through you, you nosy fucker.
"Oh, you know, the usual Vantas shit…remember when you mentioned that I was going to be killed a while back? Yeah, things have been developing nicely on that front." Karkat tilted his head back and closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. "I'm just working on my will and shit." Eridan didn't reply. Karkat opened his eyes to look at him. He was a little surprised at how intensely Eridan was looking out at the ocean.
"Kar. I'm gonna tell you a few things. Just some stuff I think you should be aware of." Eridan's voice was flat and serious. Karkat stared at him, waiting for more. "Vriska Sekret…is a bigger problem than you think. She's dangerous. Real dangerous. Like I said, she paralyzed a guy. She can do a lot worse if she wanted. I should know, we uh…used to be pretty close."
"As in, dating close?" The stupid couple was making their way off the beach.
"Nah, more like…we were real tight. We lived on the same island, so we'd just go off into the water for ages, and I guess…yeah, I kinda liked her, maybe. Too bad she's got no room in her heart for anyone that's not herself."
"She dumped you."
"Wow, Kar, don't hold back or anything. Yeah, she dumped me. Okay? Happy? Anyways, I've been watchin' her a bit. Don't look at me like that, Kar, you know what I mean. As you know, she's been hangin' with Equius, which is just annoyin', since he's a huge freak. But she's also been hangin' with Gamzee."
"Tell me something I don't know, Eridan," Karkat said, rolling his eyes.
"Goddammit, hang on a second. Okay, well, I was kinda curious. Like, why is she all up on you? Besides you know, Gamzee being a total freak about all things Kar. No, I figure…I figure she's jealous. Of me. Hangin' with you." Karkat burst out in derisive laughter.
"OH MY GOD. ERIDAN. STOP. That's rich. That's absolutely amazing. You are amazing. She wants to kill me because she's jealous of the beautiful thing we have together?"
"Jegus Kar, can you take this seriously for like, three seconds? You hafta admit, it makes sense! More sense than she just randomly wants to kill you, I mean." Karkat's laughter slowed to a stop.
"There has to be some other reason. Oh god, I'm too young for this murder shit," Karkat moaned, hands dragging down his face. Eridan sipped his drink.
"Maybe you should call your parents or somethin'?"
"FUCK NO. No, on so many different levels. All possible levels, no." Eridan shrugged.
"Okay, okay. …Guess I'm just a little bit worried. I mean, you're actually kinda cool sometimes, Kar. Not too many people I consider good enough to hang with me." He shook his drink to point at himself with the straw. "And you got me, Eridan Ampora, willin' to take you to Starbucks at like 10 at night." Karkat rolled his eyes.
"You picked up your phone after the first ring, loadstain."
"See! That's my point!"
Karkat trekked through the dark campus towards the dorms, enduring the incredible ass-freezing temperatures, eventually arriving in his own warm room. Today was a good day for learning unsettling information about sociopaths. Sollux turned from his computer and waved.
"Hey KK." Karkat beelined for the amazing bag of awesome he had harvested earlier that day.
"Hey," he mumbled, preoccupied.
"Have fun on your date?" Karkat whirled around.
"What?"
"Saw you with Eridan. Haha, Fef and I were down on the beach. Don't worry, I'm not stalking you or anything." Karkat narrowed his eyes.
"There was a shark. Too bad it didn't eat you guys."
"Yeah, Fef mentioned that too. Have to say, you can tell they grew up together." Karkat resumed rummaging through the bag.
"Mmhm. Mind if I put a movie on?" Sollux got up and sauntered over.
"Not at all. Actually, mind if I watch it too? What do you have?" Karkat felt a little embarrassed for some reason.
"Uh, probably nothing you'll like," he said, frowning. Sollux knelt beside him.
"Dude…these are all romantic comedies," he said, sifting through a few cases. "Wow, KK. These are all romantic comedies." Karkat grabbed the ones he was holding out of his hand.
"No shit! You don't have to repeat yourself, if you have a problem with it, don't watch it, fuckface!" Sollux snorted.
"Calm down, crazy, I'll watch it! Jegus, you have the temper of a dishrag. I just didn't peg you as the light-heart romcom type. …at all." Karkat ignored him, selecting one of his favorites (I will never get tired of you, Will Smith), and popping it into his laptop. He stared at his bed awkwardly for a minute. How is this going to work? Sollux decided for them, hopping up on Karkat's bed and making himself comfortable sitting against the wall. He and Karkat stared at each other until Sollux patted the space next to him. "You sit here, and put the laptop there," he said, saying each word slowly like Karkat was an idiot. Karkat scowled and jumped up, making sure to 'accidentally' elbow Sollux in the face. After setting the laptop down, he awkwardly settled back against the wall, making sure to keep some space in between him and Sollux. Unfortunately, the bed was terribly undersized, so there was still a level of closeness that made Karkat feel edgy until he was properly absorbed into the shenanigans of Will Smith.