Chapter Seven: of fires, uneasy alliances, and kidnappings.
You take a stroll around the village, taking care to stay out of sight. Now that a lack of sleep and adrenaline isn't making you act stupid you can actually take stock of the place. Oh yeah and the sunlight thing. Sunlight is evil.
Anywho, it's a... good village. With a deep river on one side and thick forests surrounding the others, it would be fairly hard for raiders to mount an attack. Buildings seem structurally sound, if made of wood. All in all, it's a seemingly sleepy little place. It's like it's in a fucking coma it's so sleepy. Seeming.
Fredrick creeps off you and heads toward the brush. You let him go, it's not like you own him or anything. You watch him as he goes up to the base of a tree and did that shadow just move? Probably just your imagination working overtime and trying to freak you out. Again. It's always doing that and hey where'd Fredrick go? He was right there, then the shadow... Yeeeeaaaaah that's odd. You'll let your imagination run with that later.
But on a relatively more important note, Cat says you can't trust anyone. On an exceedingly more important note, you swear that Dave kid is following you! And lastly on the most important note, why is the cabin Cat went into on fire?
Two options. one: find the arsonist. Or two: rescue Cat. Like that's even a decision.
"Oi Dave!" You say. "Go wake up everyone and try to find who did this."
He comes out of the shadows to do as you said, apparently. You knew it, you fucking knew he was following you like a creepy stalker dude!
Whatever, you sprint to the cabin that's busy being engulfed in flames. Front door? What front door! You go around back in search of a window, not even thinking it might be locked, and find one that leads into what you can only assume is a bathroom. You try to open it, and of course it's locked! With a quick thought of fuck this you wrap your hand in your sweatshirt and punch the glass in. You'll deal with the repercussions of that act later! For now you jump through the hole, personal injuries the farthest thing from your mind, and almost break down the door. Then you realize that you need to turn the knob and berate yourself for being an idiot. You run down the hallway in the thankfully (and unfortunately) small building. You find her bedroom, the only other door in the hall, and of course it's fucking locked too.
By now the flames are having a rave in the living room and if they try'd to invite you, well you didn't notice. You're too busy throwing your shoulder into the door. Finally, you get smart and attack the hinges instead. Thankfully they're weak and HOLY SHIT MUFFINS YOUR LEG IS ON FIRE! You quickly bat it out while trying not to flip out. The adrenaline is helping a lot on the not-flipping-out front. Now that you're fire-free you successfully break the door off it's weakened hinges and find Cat passed out on her bed. Who the fuck can sleep through that?! Thinking time is later, acting time is now!
You sheath your swords, because you didn't hack the hinges apart with your hands, and pick her up bridal-style and shit- fucking dead weight! Wow this is like one of Karkats crappy movies. Unfortunately for you the only way out is through the front door, window no longer being an option. You decide to chance it and sprint through the fire.
You really should have thought this out better. If Dave did what you told him, everyone will be out there. If you go out there they will kill you.
Fuck you Common Sense. I'll figure it out somehow.
You make it to the door and, not thinking at all, throw her body out of the flames. Dave, who you didn't actually see there, caught her and took her to the others. With the life of your moirail safe, you two agreed on it earlier, you feel the adrenaline fading. Damn your suicidal tendencies. Making you not care when your own life is in danger. Fucking, whatever!
You go back to the bathroom to escape out the window. To make sure it's safe you look out it. Of fucking course there are people out there! Abandoning the plan of the window, you run around like a chicken with it's head cut off and hope to find some stairs. Luckily, you do! Unluckily, they're on fire too. Why must everything be an up-hill battle? You plow through the flames in the living room to the flames on the stairs and are probably on fire yourself by now. Pain! Air! Heat! You can't stand the heat!
You try not to suffocate on the smoke as you head into the attic that you somehow knew was there... Thinking later! Latch latch latch where's the latch!? You keep feeling the roof for a latch to open the roof door to the, well, roof. You find it and escape to the highest part of the house when your lungs are about to stop giving a shit on whether or not you live and you doubt there's a ladder down and with your luck the house will explode for some obscure reason with you on it. You contemplate jumping down, and seeing as how that's the only idea you have, you jump. As stealthily as you can you land/roll onto the ground with a thud and a few curses. Okay more than one thud and a lot of curses when you trip, but whose counting!
You look back and see that the entire place is now up in flames. Holy shit, if you had taken the time to think of a plan that wouldn't potentially break your legs you'd be a burning man... woman... whatever. You run away from the people that will undoubtedly come that are not there yet. You can't tell if you're screaming or not, all you know is that breathing is a thing that must be done. You think the house is starting to collapse behind you but PAIN!
You, being slightly on fire, run to the nearest water source. Said source being a large creek/river not far past the edge of the forest. By some miracle (har de har har Gamzee) none of the greenery catches fire. You dive into the water, and successfully put out the flames. You also succeed in making every injury throb painfully due to the water rubbing your clothes on them and the water itself. The pain blends into one big pulsing mess and you don't know if you have a few severe injuries or many measly ones, and frankly you don't care enough to find out. You, being one of the few low bloods able to swim, tread water for a bit longer and wait for the freezing water to numb you. Curse your shortness, you can't touch the fucking bottom. You realize your sweat shirt is still in the house. Like fuck you're going back for it.
"Glad to see you got out alive." You hear a light baritone voice say beside you. Why are you thinking about music?
"Fuck you and fuck your luses." You say flipping him off without turning to face him. Like you wouldn't make it out. You've made it out of worse with your legs tied together!
"Well I don't have a luses, but the idea certainly is appealing." he says
You turn and splash at him, thinking he was farther back than he was. What greets you is the sight of a soaked Dirk Strider sitting on the bank. You can't help laughing for some reason. His expression is neutral, but to you it feels like he's irritated. On a completely unrelated note: laughing while swimming is not easy, especially when one is tired and injured.
"Sorry Dirk, I thought you were Dave." You say once calmed.
He shrugs, stands, and starts peeling off his shirt. He's either giving you a strip tease, or getting more comfortable. You decide its the latter, but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate it as the former. Either way his pants remain on. He's not weak, thats for sure. But he's less bulky and more wiry. But then Equius' amount of buffness always kind of creeped you out. He caches you staring at him and smirks.
"Like what you see?" He says and flexes.
You're pretty sure you blush a bit at that, but you're also pretty sure he can't see it. "Humans are weird. You're all pink and squishy and non-lethal looking." You say
"Looks can be deceiving." He says. "So how badly did Cassidy flip out?"
"She slept through the entire thing. Even when I broke down her door." You say rubbing a numbed shoulder wound.
He grabs your arm. It looks like he's looking at the rather large blood blister on it. You realize that you've been drifting closer to the bank, and now you're practically leaning on it. He twists your arm and pain lances through your shoulder. In retrospect, ramming the door wasn't a good idea. He takes the time to look at some of your other injuries too. Most of them are news to you. Like the burn on the side of your neck going down your back, no more shirt there, and the numerous bruisings, and the free flowing cuts on your face and arms, was that from the rolling or going through the window?
"Damn what the hell did you do in there, wrestle Equius?" He says letting you go.
"Is it really that bad?" You say trying to look at the burns on your back.
"Yes. You look like you got ambushed then gang raped by twenty flaming walls on a broken glass pile." He says.
You would have said something that was obviously amazing, but Dave chose that moment to show up. So instead you say
"How's Cat?"
Okay so maybe you are related to these squishy things, in some obscure way of course.
"Alive. You got any idea how she got drugged?" He says, making it pretty clear that he thinks you do.
"Dave, take three seconds out of your pathetic life to think for once will you? If I was the dumbass who did drug her, why would I risk my life trying to save her?" You say. You hate being accused of things only idiots think you did.
"To make us trust you." He says.
"... Okay, that's a good reason. But I didn't do it Dave. It was either someone here or a troll with a plan. You find the arsonist?" You say
"No, everyone seems innocent." He says
"So how are we gonna find then without acting like investigators or some shit and giving away your little undercover operation?" You ask, acting like you could't give less of a shit.
"We know it wasn't Roxy or John. The only other ones that she's close to are Jade Jane Jake and Rose. We'll check them first." Dirk says.
"They have alibis?" You ask
"Well I have no idea where they were but I know they wouldn't do it." Dave says offended seeming. Probably because you just indirectly insulted his moirail. At least you think they're moirails.
"Yeah, neither would the rest of them. What ever happened to 'Guilty until proven innocent'?" You say. If Terezi were here, they'd all be condemned already.
"It's the reverse here, 'Innocent until proven guilty'." Dirk says
"Wow. Our societies are more different than I thought they were." You say, trying to wrap your head around the fact that humans are just that stupid.
"At least we're not so biologically fucked up that our fucking blood colors are different." Dave says
"We've lost track of the conversation. Weren't we talking about who drugged Cassidy and set fire to her house? Or was I just imagining that." Dirk says
"Fuck off Bro. We still don't know which assmunch did it." Dave says.
"Well mayhaps Cat can tell us when she wakes up. Unless the drug was a poison that is." You say calmly.
"Geez don't get all worked up over the fact that she might be dead. Why the hell are you even here?" He says. Maybe he was irritated by your apathy when faced with a companions death.
"The cold water numbs the wounds so I'm not in as much pain." You say, knowing full well what he meant.
"In this world dumbass." He says
"Well for an answer for that question you'd have to ask... Where'd he go." You say, turning to where Dirk was not long ago, but isn't now. "Yeah, whatever. Come find me when everyones dispersed." You dive under and swim in the opposite direction.
When you surface and start gasping for breath, you realize that you have no fucking clue where you are. Fuck. Your legs are numb, as you found out when you tried to actually walk, and you're lost AGAIN! You proceed to stumble through an unknown part of forest, but then again you know barely any of the surrounding land well enough to not be lost in it. You wonder why Dirk just disappeared like that.
You hear something move and freeze. Listening for anything you turn in a circle. Directly behind you, you see Nepeta. Except she's all "ghosty", as Cat would say. It takes you a moment to realize that you're seeing into your world. You take another moment to wonder how her matespritship with Terezi is these days. You decide to sit and watch her while the feeling returns to your legs and you dry off.
She's as hyper as ever. Chasing butterflies and other bugs. You assume she's not hunting right now, she's probably just playing, seeing as how you heard her. This portal shit is awesome for spying, you could find out anything! Like who all's out to get you! Well, if they decide to talk about it that is. Really you're just invisibly stalking them, which is kinda creepy. But it's not like you have many other choices right now. You guess you should follow either Gamzee or Kanaya to find out all of them.
You look around and spot Aradia carrying something. Something human shaped. She's carrying Cat.
"I don't know Nepeta. Do you really think this'll work?" Aradia says.
"I'm One-hundred purrcent sure!" Nepeta says sitting still.
"But this is just some random girl, how will taking her make Bethany come to us?" Aradia says.
"Well you saw them running together didn't you? Beth wasn't trying to hurt her, and you know how violent she is. I think she cares about this one!" Nepeta says happily.
"If you're wrong, we're going to be paying for it for a while. Come, we should bring her to the Senior agents." Aradia says and begins walking away.
You sit there. You don't know whether to go after her or not. If you do you're playing right into their hands. If you don't then Cat's drugged and alone in a place where everything wants to either kill her or use her and then kill her. Your too preoccupied with this train of thought to hear when Aradia says
"Why do you think she hasn't woken up yet?"
You get up and head towards to portal. You're gonna get Cat back, and somehow escape their clutches. Whoever "they" are this time around. You must have been running on auto-pilot because you stopped just before running into the still shirtless Dirks chest. Your short, he's tall, it'd not hard to guess where your face would end up.
"Dirk, get outta my way! I'm headin back!" You say, not thinking about how wrong you were about the squishy thing.
"You're not heading back." He says.
"Yes I am! They have Cat and I'm going to get her before someone kills her." You say and try to step around him. You get around him, but he grabs your arm and drag/throws you in front again. You decide to stay in front because fuck that hurt.
"Who has Cassidy, and why?" He says
"Aradia and Nepata have her so that I'll come get her then they'll ambush me or some shit, fact of the matter being that I AM going after her." You say.
"They're going to kill you." He says
"I fail to see the point of that argument. I also fail to see the reason you brought me here in the first place." You say.
"I brought you here so you wouldn't die, so there's no way in fuck I'm letting you run off and ruin all that work." He says.
"Why do you care whether or not I die? In fact, if I'm not mistaken, you should want me dead." You say.
He goes quiet. You try to dart past him, but he puts his arm in front of your face and you barely stop before being clothes lined. You look side-ways at him. He's still for a few more moments before turning and walking to the portal.
"If you're going I'm coming with you." He says over his shoulder.
You follow him. Well that's gonna be a hindrance. But you'll have the extra protection and wait you actually trust this guy to protect you? Yes apparently. Fuck, humans are rubbing off on you with their blindly trusting people shit. You realize what you must look like, having just come out of a flaming building alive. Covered in wounds, clothes burnt beyond repair, almost soaking wet, carrying your swords, and pissed as fuck all. In short, hell on legs.
You're going to face death for a girl you practically just met whose not the same species as you, and trusting your life to someone you barely know who is also not the same species as you while being threatened from almost all sides by those you're close to and those you barely know. Just another motherfucking day in this motherfucking paradise. What a life.
Oh, hey, Fredrick's back!