A Miserable Feast

[keep_hallways]

Unlike the dark, narrow halls of the barracks, the Great Hall was bright with candle- and fire-light. The smell of wood-smoke lingered in the air along with the scents of the dishes set out on the table

Comments

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Whatever the hell this all was, Sollux was already fucking tired of it. He had seen nothing but what he was pretty sure was humans, except for a couple exceptions, and nothing what so ever able to take his interest away. So he's just gonna...sit here. By himself while others are feasting or whatever. And sulk.

[purrtndyfuntms]

Except that he wasn't really by himself. Perhaps he might catch sight of those characteristic horns or blue tail as she approached. Nepeta was trying to be sneaky. She was so glad to see him that she just couldn't waste the opportunity to pounce him!

And so she sneaked closer and closer before yelling out "SOLLUX!" And leaping for him in a typical Nepeta pounce-greet.

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Stuck in a depressive fog, Sollux didn't notice Nepeta until she practically screamed his name. Too late to dodge, or really brace himself, he tries to hold her back psychically...but for some strange reason that fails miserably.

"...Nepeta? Where's everybody else?"

Because if she's there and he's there then everyone else must be there. Right? Right.
Oh, jegus, please don't let him be stuck alone with her.

[purrtndyfuntms]

"I don't know," Though she visibly ponders the question, "I was in the lab with Equius and then I woke up here without him..." Only she doesn't remember falling asleep.

"Do you think perhaps that this might be a dream?"

[thii2ii22tupiid]

"We can't be dreaming, Jack blew up the moons."

Unless this was what happened when one fell asleep without a moon to dream on...that didn't seem quite right. He turns to the journal that weird guy insisted he get and flips it open again.

[purrtndyfuntms]

"Yeah. Perhaps you're right." Why did Sollux always have to be so angry or depressing? She didn't want to think about Derse being gone or her dream-self getting stabbed.

"Because in my dreams, my claws were never made so small!" In her dreams, she didn't have claws. But that wasn't important right now. She stuck up one gloved hand and deployed the now-stubby little claws, showing Sollux what'd happened to them.

"See?"

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Sollux looks up from the lord's attempt at an explanation and to Nepeta's claw. For a few moments he just stares, wheels turning in his head.

Nepeta's claws were positively tiny, and his powers weren't working right here at all. That had to be connected, right? The idea that this was somehow done to them was horrifying. It was like someone'd cut off his bulge or something and that was just...

But there were still the damned voices. He just couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he thought maybe that was due to tuning them out for so long.

"We need to talk to who's in charge of this stupid universe."

[purrtndyfuntms]

"But we don't know who's in charge of this universe," Nepeta didn't know if their universe had been made by a Sgrub session, and this didn't look very much like Alternia anyway. There wasn't even any sun! "If this is our universe, than we're in charge!"

She had not given the book she'd been told to pick up a second thought since taking it.

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Sollux taps the introduction from the lord, and the replies he's already made. "This guy is where to start. It this was our universe, he broke it."

Or somebody broke it. Because Sollux still doesn't believe that the lord just wants to help people.

[purrtndyfuntms]

Nepeta opens her own book and stares down at the letter on the first page. She frowns. That... That wasn't good. She should possibly be used to the universe disappearing by now, but she wasn't, particularly if it meant that the rest of her friends weren't here.

"But... The humans broke our universe, didn't they? Jade and John and Rose and Dave! That's why we were trolling them."

[thii2ii22tupiid]

"They destroyed the universe, but the medium and skaia and all that shit was still there. Now not even that is. That sounds pretty fucking broken."

He pauses for a moment. "...Assuming any of this is real."

[purrtndyfuntms]

"But if we're not dreaming, then how could it not be real?" But already a possibility was presenting itself to her. She remembered Equius talking to Karkat, a Karkat who was cattier than usual. And even though she'd been playing with some yarn, she still heard the important details.

"Sollux," she paused, "Do you think perhaps maybe we might be dead?"

[thii2ii22tupiid]

"...."

Fuck. That was possible, wasn't it? For all he knew about death and destruction, Sollux had no idea what happened after someone died. He could have asked Aradia about it...but that would just be...kind of weird.

Besides she had stayed in their world somehow and this was most definately not Alterina or even the Viel.

"...Maybe."

[purrtndyfuntms]

... Well that was lame. Very lame. But then that meant... "But that means that Feferi and Tavros and Kanaya should be here!" And as if she expected to see them, she glanced towards the doors. But that was silly. She would have seen them already, wouldn't she?

This was stupid.

[thii2ii22tupiid]

There was something very wrong with Nepeta's statement.

"Wait...FF is...dead?"

What the fuck?! When had that happened?!
Oh, and he should probably wonder about Tavros and Kanaya, too, since they were fine last he saw, too. But, really, Feferi was much more important.

[purrtndyfuntms]

Nepeta shrugged but froze mid-motion. Sollux and Feferi were matesprits! How could she forget? This was bad.

"That's what Karkat said. But you were unconscious." No wonder he hadn't known.