The Meteor – 4 Days, 10 Hours Before Arrival (Meteor Time)
The corridor stood empty as Vriska made her way through it in the dead of night; quietly as she could. Though night may have been a partial misnomer, everyone else was asleep and the lights were out, that's what mattered. She didn't have time to sneak about and avoid the others, she was running late.
So late in-fact, that she took one turn a little too sharply. Almost sending the package she had wrapped in a blanket on her lap, onto the floor. A quick lunge on her part prevented the loud crash that would have resulted if it had hit the floor; but her heart stopped beating for a few seconds regardless.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she put the package back in place. But still flustered, she partially unwrapped the package and used the extra length to tuck the blanket edges under her legs. Trying to better secure it. It wouldn't do to wake everyone up and have them wandering what she was doing up at this time of night with that object.
Moving with greater caution she finally drew near to the kitchen, now almost 10 minutes behind schedule by her reckoning. And it looked like she wasn't alone. Light leaked out of the kitchen and into the surrounding hall, casting long shadows into the corridor. Steeling herself, and with great anticipation, she rounded the last corner and entered into the kitchen itself. Encountering the late-night interloper. Rose Lalonde.
Rose sat at the center counter in her God Tier outfit; eyes locked on where Vriska was entering from. The two girls staring each other down. Rose's right hand absentmindedly fiddled with a pair of small shot glasses, while her left rested apprehensively on top of her Needle-Kind wand, clearly primed for trouble.
Coming to a jarring halt, Vriska looked around the space wearily. Eyes nervously scanning to see if it was really just her and Rose here. Alone.
Rose noticed her concern and broke the tension with assurance. "Don't worry, it's just us. The others are fast asleep… Do you have the goods?"
Relief washed over Vriska's face as her fears of discovery were assuaged and she pulled up to the counter herself. "Have I failed to deliver before?" She said, mildly insulted, as she pulled the bottle of wine she'd been hiding out from underneath the blanket and onto the counter.
Rose looked at the bottle, anticipation building in her eyes as she cast her wand back into her Strife Deck and reached for the alcohol. "No, you have not." She said, grabbing the bottle in her hands, sparing a quick glance at the label. "Hmmm, this looks like the really good stuff. You've outdone yourself Serket. Atta girl."
With that said, she pulled the cork out from the mouth of the bottle with a resounding pop; the sound echoing down the corridors and causing Vriska to winch from the lack of stealth. She'd prefer that the others didn't learn about this. Which meant making as little noise as possible, even with how comedically soundly they all slept. But she should have known better arriving this late, Rose could be one for moods when she didn't get her juice on time. She'd just have to to suck it up and continue on, hoping the others didn't wake.
The wine now free to flow, Rose quickly got to work pouring glasses for both herself and Vriska. Then proceeded to down hers in a single gulp before Vriska could even lay hands on her own.
Vriska furrowed her brow at Rose's lack of tact, mentally counting "One." as she sipped at her own drink. Concentrating at the task at hand.
It had started more than a year ago. With Rose's alcoholism becoming more and more apparent, and the tonics flowing faster and faster as she spiraled; the rest of them had finally been forced to step in for her own sake. The intervention employed had been quick and merciless; every form of intoxicant had been locked out of her reach, and on top of that she'd received of quite the harsh tongue lashing for her recklessness. And despite current evidence to the contrary it had actually worked… for a while.
Eventually though, Rose's self-control had started to waver again; she'd found herself craving the now out-of-reach drinks. Desperate for something, anything, that could make the frustrations of her dead-end research and the haunting visions of her Seer powers go away. So she made a gamble, turning to the one person she thought she could count on to cause trouble and look out for themselves. The group's biggest problem and troublemaker in her eyes; Vriska.
It had been an enlightening exchange of words that gotten Vriska her on board with her crazy scheme, but the Troll had eventually relented. Seeing, at the very least, a way to finally get in the good graces of the one person left who wanted her dead as a matter of principle.
That had been months ago, and since then they'd been having these little midnight rendezvous' about once a week. Vriska would bring what booze she could smuggle past the others, and Rose got off her back about being a dangerous threat, everyone wins. Though there were other… benefits involved; such as the occasional heart-to-heart. Like they were having now.
"Basically…" Rose continued, swaggering in assurance. "You can't just brute-force a strong-willed person into doing what you want them to do, they'll get angry, fight back, shut you out. You have to trick them, plant the seed in their mind that it was their idea all along, or that they were clever for stealing it. Let them think they're in control. That's the key to manipulation, not those fast-talking power-grabs you're so fond of." She punctuated her point by downing another shot.
"Four." Counted Vriska in her head, heavy in concentration. Rose was going to town with the drinks tonight. Quicker than usual. This was going to be tougher than it usually was. She was going to have to up her game.
As she poured herself yet another shot, Rose picked up on the expression on Vriska's face, giving a smirk as she misinterpreted. "Ah, what's the matter Ms. Serkit? Is my side of the debate finally winning you over? Are you finally seeing the light of day?"
Vriska brushed aside Rose's assumptions with a wave of her hand. Forcing her face to relax. "No, no. Just thinking of a fascinating little hole in your theory of manipulation. You say force-of-will is inferior to trickery. But what if your opponent is smarter than you? Hmm? What if you can't outwit them so easily? Or what even if they're too dull-witted to reach for the bait?"
The glass was almost to Rose's lips then she aborted mid-motion, giving out a snort of a laugh at Vriska's response, almost spilling the precious wine as she set the glass back onto the counter. "Why Vriska… YOU encountering an opponent who's smarter than yourself? Say it isn't so." She teased.
Vriska spread her hands, conceding. "The possibility exists, we ARE in what's called Paradox Space after all. But you still didn't answer my point."
"Fair." Said the blond. "But honestly, how did you ever survive the rigors of Alternia applying that naïve of an understanding of psychology. Preparation and patience will win the day every time. Now I admit your methods have the occasional advantage of speed and lack of required setup. But you just get more consistent results by employing careful nudges vs those full-on pushes you've favored in the past. Even if you target requires more than a little... guidance, you can still get them there eventually."
The Troll raised a skeptical eyebrow. Lazily replying "Truly?" As she began to nurse what was only her second glass of the wine.
She had to fight to control her expression again as the bland and incredibly watered-down drink passed over her tongue. Rose, for her part, had yet to show any inclination that she realized how little actual wine was in her glass. Though that was hardly a surprise with how quickly she downed her shots. In truth, Vriska had doubt that she'd actually ever even tasted any of the wine she'd brought her these last few months. Not after the first few bottles at any rate, before the switch had made to the watered-down stuff currently on the table.
But the bitter taste of this bottle made her tastebuds rebel, and again her expression flickered. Rose's face lighting up with delight as she proceeded to take it the wrong way for a second time. "Ah! Ah ha. Looks like I'm getting you over to my side of the debate." She tried to stand up as if to make a point, but staggered, somehow tipsy despite the condition of the wine.
Vriska flashed a fake grin, her smile shark-like. "Ok… ok, I admit it. You have some good points."
The victory won, Rose dropped back into her seat and leaned forwards, self-satisfaction brimming on her face. "You're damn right I do. I should hope I know what I'm talking about with all those damn psychology textbooks I read when I was younger." She leaned back in the seat, arms crossed and dripping with smugness. "Lalonde – 1, Serket – 0."
Vriska, who had been trying to take another sip, choked as she involuntarily let out her own laugh at Rose's comment. "Ha! Wha- What?" She tried to ask, flabbergasted, as she wiped the drink off her face with her jacket sleeve. "I wasn't aware we were keeping score now. And besides, even if we were, I do believe I would be the one in the lead. Not you." She continued, with more than a little mirth in her voice.
Now it was Rose's turn to wave Vriska off. "Oh… hush you. I was just keeping track for tonight." She let out a sigh, melancholy and nostalgia mixed in her Breath.
"It's weird, isn't it?" She asked. Only for Vriska to raise a curious eyebrow.
She continued on. "We've been stuck on this meteor for what, almost three years? Now we only have four days left until we arrive and… odd as it sounds, I'm going to miss this place. I'll even miss these little drinking sessions we've been having, this'll probably be our last one you know. I'm going to need to sober up quickly before we get there."
Vriska looked at the ceiling by feigning a stretch, unable to look Rose in the eyes as she responded. "Oh , I'm sure you'll recover quicker than you think. This is the Alpha-Timeline remember? We can't lose! We'll all pull through somehow."
Rose's face became pinched and shadowed. "Maybe… But there's really no telling what'll happen on the other side, even mine and Terezi's Seer powers are having trouble piercing the veil lately; like something's blocking them. If only we had more time. If only there weren't so many unknowns." She bit her lip and let that hang in the air ominously.
Frowning, Vriska picked up on her change of mood and leaned forwards, slightly worried. "What's got you down? You're a little low in your drinks to be this moody."
Another weary laugh came off of Rose's lips. "Ha. Diplomatic as always." She said, both of them smirking at that. But then she looked back down at her glass, swirling the liquid inside around the edges. "But yea… my tolerance to this stuff seems to be lessening with time, what with me just getting the stuff you smuggle to me. It seems like I can't hold my drinks or my stress as much as I was able to before."
She let out a sigh before continuing. "Though… that's not the only thing. Listen, can you keep a secret?" She asked, giving Vriska a sidelong glance.
Mind buzzing with curiosity and worry, but trying not to show it, she responded simply with. "Sure." Her own secrets and deception already weighing on her mind but her unwilling to show it.
Rose accessed her sylladex, taking something out that was too small for Vriska to see. Clenching it in her hand. After a few moments of sitting there, warring emotions running across her face, Rose finally let out what she was holding in. "I've been considering asking Kanaya to marry me." She explained, simultaneously opening her palm to reveal a simple unadorned wedding ring.
This wasn't quite what Vriska had been expecting, but then she didn't really know what she had been. "Umm. Wow, congratulations." She said, trying her best to show support, but not really knowing what to do. "But why the long face then? I know I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to Human culture, but shouldn't you be… I don't know. Happy?"
Rose rubbed her face, suddenly realizing how tired she was. "To tell you the truth I'm giddy as a schoolgirl at the thought. But I'm also scared. I really do want to spend my life with her, it's just… I don't know how these next few days are going to turn out. What if I go through with this and the pressure is just too much for us. What if one of us sees the other in trouble and we choke at a critical moment. What if it endangers everyone else?"
"And what if this is your last chance to show her how you truly feel?" Vriska interjected, loudly as she dared.
The outburst seemed to mollify Rose. Who sat morosely for a few seconds before continuing on. "I know, there's that too. But I can't risk it. Which is where you come in." She pushed the ring across the table and then withdrew her hand. Leaving the ring in front of Vriska. "I want you to keep this until this is all over. If it all goes well and we survive, I'll take it back and propose to her right then and there. If I don't make it… I want you to tell her how I felt. After all this, I feel like I can trust you."
Vriska felt those words twist in her gut as sharply as any knife. 'I can trust you.' Rose had no idea how untrustworthy she really was.
You see, there had been more to Vriska's months-long ploy besides just watered-down wine. When Rose had first come to her, all but threatening her and brimming with desperation, Vriska had eventually caved and agreed to help her, but not in the way Rose had thought. Because she hadn't caved to Rose, but to herself. She'd seen a way to do something worthwhile and help Rose get better. Not in the sort of ways she'd used to help people 'get better', where she ended up hurting them to make them stronger or some bullshit. But with subtly, tact… manipulation.
It had started with a real bottle, filled with 100% alcohol. Then she'd cut it a little, then a little more. But that wouldn't have done it on its own. Even if she didn't notice the flavor Rose would have eventually noticed she wasn't getting buzzed no matter how much she drank. So Vriska had gotten… creative.
She'd known since their specie's first contact that her mind-abilities didn't work the same way on Humans as they did on Trolls. Trolls she could control depending on their temperament, Humans she could only put to sleep. But she'd been working on it, steadily developing her skill. She could throttle it now; make Humans tired instead of throwing them all the way to sleep. It had taken some work, more than a little experimentation, but she was good at it now. She could do it in steps, holding a person at each state. An incredibly useful skill to have when you wanted someone to think they were getting inebriated.
As the end result was, Rose was pretty much on the wagon at this point but she just didn't know it. If Vriska had to guess, had Rose consumed even half the amount of straight wine she'd thought she'd been having, she'd be on the floor right now.
But pure intentions didn't make it right, didn't excuse. And Vriska knew that. But she also didn't know what else to do despite keep moving forwards, and doing her best to ignore the icy feeling in the back of her mind. 'Trust' indeed.
But if she noticed any of this internal conflict, Rose didn't say a word. She just looked at Vriska with bleary eyes while awaiting her response. Which she eventually received.
Vriska turned the ring over in he fingers, once, then twice. "I will. I'll do that." She said, determined and resolute to do at least this one thing right.
But in her dejectedness, she pressed the metaphorical button in Rose's head a little too far, and the young woman slumped over, barely able to catch herself and stop her head from slamming into the table.
Vriska, alarmed, quickly eased off the mental pressure. Trying her best to not overcompensate for her mistake. Rose, for her part, simply gave the mostly-empty bottle a weary glance as she pulled herself back up into a sitting position.
"Wow. This stuff kicks pretty suddenly. I think… I think I'm going to go back to bed. That's enough fun for one night." She rose from her seat on unsteady legs, passing by Vriska on her way out. Placing her hand gently on her shoulder and saying "thank you." While the Troll tried and failed to not let it get under her skin.
With that Rose left the room. Vriska tracking her course through the halls with the temporary link her invasion of the mind had created. Eventually she could sense Rose was in her room, and pushed the mental button all the way, sending her into a deep sleep. One more than sufficient to burn off the miniscule amount of alcohol she'd ingested.
Then she sat there, alone. Quick only to take the bottle off the table and clean the shot glasses. Erasing any evidence of her and Rose's escapade.
Then, with nothing left to do, she took the Ring of Life back out of her sylladex. Holding it next to the wedding band and comparing the two.
It was definitely a night for rings, that was for sure. But seeing the two next to each other cleared one small glimmering worry from her mind, they were definitely different enough to tell apart. The Ring of Life giving off an inner glow that the wedding band clearly lacked.
Satisfied, she put both rings back into her sylladex. Deciding that it was time for her to go back to bed herself. They all had a busy couple of days ahead of themselves and they were only going to get busier.
With a flick of a light switch she turned the kitchen light off. Leaving it as if she was never there.