"You're the thing!" said Aradia.

A small group of Beforus trolls peered up from their jobs, dropped their brooms and maps, and gathered around Calliope, rubbing their foreheads and moaning. Behind her, a hatch opened in the deck, letting up several more. A Porrim took the time to breathe in the sea air while a Horuss stretched like a cat in the morning. His leather shoulder strap snapped from the exertion. Calliope's melody came to a slow halt, though it still rang in the ears of the trolls around her.

"We've been looking all over for you!" said Aradia.

Calliope looked around nervously. She picked herself off of Tavros and stood up, thanking the candy-coated constellations she hadn't landed on the tip of one of his horns.

"I don't think I'm the thing," she said, dropping the pitch of her voice to disguise it.

"But you're-" she ran over and stuck her hand into Aradia's mouth. "Mmm mmmmph mmmm." Aradia's fangs scraped against her wrist, drawing a thick drop of lime-green blood. She withdrew her hand, made a face at its new saliva coating, and held it against her chest.

The small surrounding crowd let out a simultaneous gasp. A Cronus dropped his cigarette onto the deck, where it rolled until it lodged itself between two wooden slats.

"I am a lime-blooded troll from an especially obscure alternate timeline," she said, looking around nervously. Her speech patterns changed to meet her new identity. "I recently met one of the cherubs of Aranea's tale, so the scent may have rubbed off on me. My name is Ca - Carios Abomat. I need to speak with Vriska Serket."

Every eye on the ship focused on her. Even though her illusion was at full strength, their gazes still seemed to see straight through to her hideous core. What if I unknowingly made my illusion just as ugly? she thought, her head slumping. More trolls rose from the bowels of the ship to join the gawkers.

Aranea looked around in a panic before pressing her hands together and gritting her teeth in what appeared to be deep concentration. The muscles on the crowd of trolls slackened and they stood still, no longer staring at Calliope or muttering amongst themselves.

"Vriska," said Tavros as he untangled the mop strands from his horns and flicked them to the ground, "I think, if you are okay with it, there's a troll that might, uh, want to make contact,"

Five Mitunas and a Rufioh shuffled out of the way to give Calliope a clear sight of Vriska bent over against the stern, her hands on her knees.

Calliope stepped slowly forward, her fingers clasped together and her eyes darting from side to side. Vriska stared at her blankly, as if her illusory troll nose had collapsed into a nasty cherub indentation. Calliope then leaned over and whispered into Vriska's ear.

"Hi. You've been looking for me. My name is actually Calliope! Even though I'm quite scared of my dear brother, I'd be willing to help you if that's what it takes to keep all of existence intact. There has to be one rule though: you must implant the ability to feel red love in my head. I need to know what it feels like! Mind control me, Vriska."

Vriska looked around, squinting. "I have mind control powers?"