Authors note: So yeah, if you couldn't tell by now this whole thing is just one big beta. Once it's completed I'll touch it up and post it elsewhere. Also, it's a very real song.
Chapter fourteen: of early risers, death threats, and slave drivers.
Your name is Cassidy Vanbrunt, and you're sad and kinda confused but really worried. You're sad because your crush on Feferi isn't going away anytime soon. You're confused because you thought Jane was straight, and suddenly committing like that doesn't seem like her! But then you were wrong about her being a lesbian... That ties back in nicely with your confusion. The bulk of your confusion is mainly because you hate Nepeta. No thats not it, you hate Nepeta. You've never truly hated anyone before! And then this girl walks up and... You may or may not have had some questionable thoughts about her. But you're mainly worried because of Bethy! You thought she would like all your friends, but she hates Jake! That and... Well she's really shy and sensitive, even though she acts like she doesn't care about anything very much. You're concerned about her being part of the village now and that almost everyone is terrified of her. The other trolls are used to humans and Karkat... Is Karkat, so you aren't really worried about any of them.
You get out of bed and look at the setting sun. You adjusted your sleep schedule so you could spend more time with your new friends. But now that most of your friends are guarding the village... it's not really working. You do get to spend time with them, just not nearly as much as you want to. You get dressed and put on your make up and think about if you should go back to being awake at daytime. You finish, still undecided, and go to the door. You open it and find Bethy standing there looking anxious and awkward. The fact that she's there at all worries you, she never gets up this early! Ever!
"Cat I need to talk to you about something." She says and just walks past you while shaking her head.
"Um, okay. Come on in. What is it?" You ask.
"Well, Uh... You know how I used to be interested in a flushed romance with Dirk?" She asks.
Flushed... "Yeeaah." You say.
"Well, you know how before I figured out that I wasn't flushed for him at least?" She asks.
"Yeeeaaah." You say.
"Well, yesterday after the party he kind of came up to me and..." She trails off.
"Aaannnd..?" You prompt leaning forward.
"Well, he kind of... Sort of... Might of... Kissed me." She says mumbling the last part.
Wait, but... "But, you don't like him..." You say.
She nods and starts dragging her bottom lip across her upper teeth.
"So... Why not just tell him to back off?" You ask.
She looks up. "Cat, I may be blunt but I'm not heartless!" She says. "Gah, I think you squishy morons are starting to rub off on me."
"So… He likes you, but you don't like him. And you want to tell him, but you don't?" You ask.
"I don't wanna hurt him!" She says.
You laugh for a few seconds until you realize that she wasn't telling a joke. "Bethy, you can't hurt Dirk, it's not possible. He's like a brick wall when it comes to emotions. Dave too! I wouldn't be surprised if this was all some bet between them." You say.
She looks at you like you just said the sky was brown. "You… Really don't get this kind of stuff, do you." She says.
"Bethy, I've been friends with them for a long time. I know them." You say.
"True, but that doesn't mean that you're close to them. You really don't like Dave and you said yourself that Dirk is emotionless. But you do know that those are just defense mechanisms, right?" She asks.
"What are? The fact that Dave's an ass?" You ask.
"Yes. And the shades. And the nonchalance. And the poker face. And the irony at times too." She says.
"Really? You know all that after only three months?" You ask.
"Defense mechanisms aren't hard to spot, and everyone has them." She says.
"What about Roxy?" You challenge.
"Being drunk." She says.
"Jane?" You ask
"She's shy." She says
"Jake?" You ask
"Fighting." She says
"John!" You say, playing your trump card. There's no way he has one.
"He's a goof." She immediately says.
"Wait, what were we talking about?" You ask.
"How to let Dirk down without hurting him." She says.
"Oh, uh, don't be mean to him!" You say.
She hangs her head. "Thank you, Sherlock." She says.
"Well, I don't really know how to deal with Striders!" You say.
"Oh, right. In any case your romance system is fucked to Eris and back." She says.
"Sorry that I'm not much help Bethy. Maybe you should… Ask Jake!" You say. She looks at you with something resembling a mix between horror and revulsion. "He dated Dirk before, so maybe he could help you." You explain.
Now it's just revulsion. "Dirk was actually flushed for that- that moron?!" She asks.
You nod. "Yes. They were actually a really cute couple." You say.
"Right." She says drawing out the word. "Anyhow, I think I'll go ask Miss Piexies to fulfill her promise to me. Wanna come with?" She asks you.
"But Bethy, I can't swim!" You say. You really would like to go. Feferi is always so pretty while she's swimming. But you'd just be dead weight.
"Cat, you do realize that we can teach you how to swim, right? And, who knows, if you play your cards right then you might just get her to kiss you!" She says with a giggle and a wink.
You're pretty sure that you blush at that. "Bethy!" You say.
She just turns her giggle into a chuckle. Says "I'll swing by when the time comes around." And walks out. Looking much less anxious than she did when she came in.
You purse your lips. Maybe you should learn how to swim. After all, your crush is about half fish. If your relationship with her ever goes anywhere (which you sorely hope it does) it'll be pretty awkward if you don't. You sigh and exit your house. Maybe taking a walk will help calm your mind. You head to one of your favorite paths, it cuts kinda near the rip but you don't really mind. All the trolls are either working or still asleep, so no one disturbs you on your way. Yeah, maybe this is just what you need. A nice night to yourself. In fact, you think you should sing! Singing always lifts your spirits!
"Sowoneul malhaebwa! Ni mamsokae itneun jageun ggoomeul malhaebwa, Ni meorieh itneun isanghyungeul geuryuhbwa. Geurigo nareul bwa-"
Genie by Girls generation. Always a good song.
"Hey." You hear someone say to you, interrupting your singing. "Hey! Human girl!"
You look around and see a troll not too far off.
"Yeah, you! Get over here!" She says
You hesitate. You don't know this troll. They do have a reputation for killing. But if that one wanted to kill you, wouldn't she try to be sneaky about it? You speed-walk over to her.
"Finally!" She says and pulls you through a hedge and into an area with just one huge tree in it. Wait a second, isn't she-
"Names Vriska by the way. You're in danger Cassidy." She says with a sly smile.
"How do you know my name?" You ask, slightly disturbed.
"Same way I know that you have a crush on Feferi of all people. I'm telepathic." She says.
"That's... Kinda creepy." You say. Don't think of anything embarrassing! You want to make a good first impression! Uh, puppies! And kittens and ducklings! And Fredrick! Wait Fredrick? You see the snake on one of the lower branches on the tree. "How'd you get up there?" You ask him.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! This could save your life and you get distracted by a stupid snake!" She says.
"You never told me how I was in danger! Or will be, or something." You say.
"Yeah, you're gonna get your ass whooped by a god." She says.
Your mind goes blank. She starts laughing, but it sounds more like a cackle to you.
"But... Why?" You ask.
"He's the god of death, it comes with the job." She says with a shrug, like this is an everyday occurrence.
"But... But I can't die yet!" You say, panicking slightly.
She laughs again. "You're not gonna die right now. No, he's gonna do it later and have one of your little friends do it." She says.
"Why are you telling me this?" You ask.
"'Cause you're not supposed to die yet. Duh." She says.
"So why even tell me about it?" You ask. If you're not supposed to die then why does any of this matter?
"'Cause he's an idiot and people do what they're not supposed to anyway." She says.
"Am I going to die or not?" You ask, thoroughly confused.
She shrugs and grins. "Up to you." She says.
"So then why tell me all this?" You ask.
"To give you an edge and make you an offer." She says.
"What offer?" You ask.
She laughs. "First you need to decide whether or not you want it. Then I'll tell you." She says.
"How will I know if I want it or not if you won't even tell me if it's good or bad?" You ask
She just smiles and waits, probably for your choice. It could be something horrible, but if she wanted you dead then you would be by now, wouldn't you? Besides it could be something amazing! Maybe she'll give you something to protect yourself with. Or she could just be manipulating you into a gruesome death by the hands of your friends. But then you would have died without her meddling in it, right? Right.
"Do I get to change my answer?" You ask.
"Nope." She says.
"Can I come back later and tell you my answer?" You ask.
"No way! What do I look like, some dumbfuck with nothing better to do than wait on you?" She asks rhetorically.
"Alright then… I'll do it." You say.
She smiles. "I'm glad we're on the same page here." She says.
"What did I just agree too?" You ask.
"Simple, I'm gonna teach you how to fight. So you might be able to stand a chance against his assassins." She says.
"What happened to your eye?" You voice the question that's been on your mind for a while now.
She laughs her cackle like laugh again. "I was betrayed by the one person I was closest to. Be careful or you'll end up like me." She says.
Bethy would never do that! Or Feferi! You see Fredrick directly above her with a murderous intent. Or that could just be your imagination acting up again. She looks up at him, and he attacks! Okay, really he just dropped down onto the ground next to her.
"What the hell is with this snake?" She asks
"Oh, that's Fredrick! He's Bethy's pet. But I don't know how he got here. He likes to disappear at times. I think he likes you!" You say.
He slithers away, then almost immediately comes back with the lower part of his tail wrapped around a really big stick. Wait, holy shit that's not a stick, it's that staff you grabbed back at Bethy's house! He makes his way over to you and offers it up.
You take it and say "Fredrick how'd you find this?!" But since snakes can't talk, he just goes on his merry way.
"Don't tell me… That stick is your weapon." She says sounding very unimpressed.
"Yeah! It's a great weapon!" You say only slightly insulted.
"You're a pacifist aren't you." She says.
"Yup!" You say.
"Pussy." She says with a smile. "This might take longer than I thought. Might as well start now then! Let's see what you know." She draws her sword and moves to strike you.
You make a noise somewhere between a squeal and yelp and fumble with your staff. By the time you get your weapon into a defensive position, she already has her sword to your stomach. She takes away her sword and sighs.
"Don't they teach you anything in that tiny village of yours?" She asks.
Is she always this cranky? You hold your staff behind you horizontally and say "We don't really have that much need to fight around here, so they don't teach us more than the basics."
"Well that's pretty dumb." She says.
"Hey it's not like humans are constantly waging war on each other." You say.
"Since when are you a human?" She asks.
"Since always?" You reply.
"Is that a question?" She asks.
"No, I've always been a human." You rephrase. Really, if you weren't human then what could you be?
"If you say so. But if you are then you sure are a weird one." She says with a shrug.
Then she decides to start your training for real. She teaches you some positions that you tell her you already know, but she says that you don't know them well enough. Then she says something about you having a slow reaction time, and when you do react it's inaccurate and clumsy. She decides to fix that by blindfolding you and throwing rocks at you. You think she's just a sadist. She also says that you're too weak and makes you stand there holding your staff horizontally in front of you for what feels like three hours. Once she lets you put your arms down, they feel like they're going to fall off. But you haven't rested for even minuet before she's making you run laps around that giant tree. Not jogging, or just plain running, sprinting laps around it. She didn't let you rest before making you start practice fighting a tree, either. Of course, you apologized to the tree before and after doing this. It went on like that for hours, even though you feel like you've been working for days. Lift, sprint, fight, repeat. After a while she would do something to make your exercises harder, like adding weights, or throwing things at you that you had to dodge. At any time, other than when she was making things harder for you, she was just sitting there and laughing occasionally. But after you fell down and couldn't do anything more than breathe she said that you were done for the night and could go home. You fell asleep there, under the stars, without even realizing it. The next thing you know, you hear a voice through your dreaming haze.
"Hey." It says.
A pause. You think it might have left.
"Hey."
You wish it would go away. You don't want to get up.
"Heeeeeeeey."
You don't want to run and work anymore. Why won't it go away? It starts shaking you.
"No more training, I'm tired." You say.
"Go hoe maiming, lime fired? Cat what are you talking about? You need to get up." The voice says.
"Bethy?" You ask, opening your eyes a bit.
She smiles and offers her hand to help you up. "The one and only. Why in Her reign are you sleeping out here?" She asks you.
You take her hand and wobble once you get to your feet. "I, tired, training, tired." You say, still sleepy and fuzzy headed.
"Training… Is that what you've been doing out all night?" She asks.
"All night? What time is it?" You ask, slowly returning to the waking world.
"Cat it's nearly dawn. Let's get you back home. Miss Piexes is worried about you." She says and starts leading you away from your nice tree.
You follow her, almost completely awake now. "Why don't you just call her Feferi?" You ask.
"Well, I give my betters the respect they deserve." She says.
"Liar, you're still scared of her." You say in a teasing voice.
"True, but if you've seen even a fraction of what the other Tyranblood can do with Her power then you'd see that it is a completely rational fear." She says.
"What power?" You ask.
"Well, imagine a power. Telepathy, mind control, flight, strength, immortality, anything, and possibly everything. Now imagine that all of those are as powerful as can be, and wrapped up in one person. That's a Tyranblood." She says.
"Oh." You say.
You spend the rest of the trip back imagining all the secret powers Feferi might have. By the time you do get back it's a beautiful dawn. Bethy says that she spent her usual sleeping time looking for your ass, so don't expect her to be up early. You giggle as she walks away.
You move through the house top your bedroom. When you open the door you see a half asleep Feferi on your bed.
"Feferi? You should be asleep right now!" You say. You grab her hand and try to lead her to her recooprecoon.
She gets up and hugs you. "Catfish, where were you? Are you okay? Why do you have so many bruises?" She asks.
"Bruises?" You ask. You look at your arm. "Huh, I wonder when those got there... But don't worry Feferi, I'm fine. I just got a bit caught up in something. Now let's get you to sleep, before you pass out." You say.
She nods but doesn't let go when you start walking. When you get to her room you try to pry her off. She doesn't let go. "Feferi, you need to sleep." You say.
"Will you sleep with me?" She asks.
"... Sure, but why?" You ask.
"You might run off again." She says.
Aaaawwww! "No I won't. But if we're going to sleep in the same bed, it'll have to be my bed. I don't trust that slime." You say.
She nods and not five minutes later she's out cold under your covers. She's so cute.
You open your curtains a little bit and watch the sunrise, sometimes you regret turning nocturnal. So many of the colors you know are gone. But then there are so many other colors that show up at night that you never really got a good look at before. And all your friends are awake at this time too, or can be. And it's not nearly as hot at night. And the waters so warm! Yeah, you don't regret it a bit. You look back at Feferi. You think of Vriska.
You never want to go back to daytime.