vatheon | Terror under the sea

Entry tags:

Terror under the sea

Who: The Disciple and whoever
Where: The Plaza, The forest, and the path in between.
When: Early morning 3/29
Style: whatever suits your fancy.
Status: Open

Water. She was Wet.

She came to lying down, somehow drenched in saltwater. Blood mingled with seawater, on her hands and face. The Disciple was unable to remember how she got here. She seemed to be in some sort of city. A heavy fear caught in her chest. She shook herself awake to figure out where exactly she was.

"Where...am..." Her voice cracked from disuse.

Her conscious brain began shutting down as her senses were pounded with information. The sights and sounds of this new place, hammered into her mind. Unfamiliar beings were all around her, some even looking at her, in the open. Her mind scrambled for purchase. Worst of all was the scent. With so many...things together in this dome, compounded with the ever-present smell of seawater. Flooded with input, her animal brain took over.

FLEE!

DANGER!

Finally, she caught wind of a familiar scent. Trees; there were trees here. She flung herself after the scent, knocking aside anything in her path. Desperate for survival she attempted back alleys and other paths that didn't reek of these many strange beings.

She fled to the southeast.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nepeta was sitting in a clearing in the forest, sketching happily away on a rough sheet of paper after a successful afternoon of quadrant reconnaissance - sitting in the Plaza and watching people walk by, mainly, and taking notes for the drawings she was putting together now. Her Pounce plushie was in her usual trenchcoat pocket, head sticking out to 'watch' the young troll's artistic endeavours.

But then something caught her attention; a sound, a scent on the breeze, something foreign yet familiar. Paper and crayon disappeared into yet another voluminous pocket and she was on her feet in seconds, tracking down the source of the scent.

Yet nothing could have prepared her when she looked out from around a tree trunk and saw her ancestor in front of her, looking wild and panicked and utterly feral.

Yes.

Safety.

Relinquished from the command of her feral side, she attempted to think. The smell of saltwater lingered, even among these trees. Strange place, stranger people. What is this place i...Her mind snapped to attention as she caught a new scent. One that was very strange, yet...

Herself.

The scent was hers, so it seemed. She moved to investigate, wearily.

As she drew closer to the source, she caught more of it. There! Me but...different? What was going on?

She carefully crept around a copse of trees, bringing her directly into view of the source of strange scent. Before her stood a greenblood troll. Clearly one many sweeps younger then herself. Features of her face seemed familiar, even more she was reminded of herself.

She crept closer on all fours, moving closer to the strange troll. Ready to bolt at a moments notice.

"Miss Disciple!" Nepeta's first instinct was to run and hug the other troll - she'd spoken to her before, the previous time she'd been here, but had never had the chance to meet her in person.

However she could see that it was unlikely that her ancestor had returned with her memories of her previous stay, and the wariness in her pose had the young greenblood approaching her far more carefully than she'd meant to at first.

She held her hands out to her as she took a few slow steps closer, palms up and fingers uncurled in a non-threatening gesture of goodwill, but one thing she simply couldn't help was the smile and happy expression on her face to see her again. "Miss Disciple? Are you okay?"

This troll not only knew her name, but also seemed genuinely happy to see her. The young one's stance revealed no hostility. Did she know her? More mysteries of this accursed place. The Disciple could not help but drop her guard, even if only slightly. Maybe this one knew something?

A step closer. A cocking of her head. The Disciples curiosity driving her forward. The beast inside her told her to run, but her curiosity won out. Finally after a strained silence, she spoke.

"you...know?" she gestured at herself. The elder greenblood shook her head sharply, trying to find more words in the thick fog of her mind. Memories played at the edges of her mind, but nothing helpful would emerge.

“Uh huh!” She answered her with a nod, wondering how to explain to her just who she was. “I’m Nepeta,” she added, since that seemed like a safe enough place to start. She sat down on the ground in front of her to bring herself closer to the Disciple’s level, another gesture indicating that she had no intention of pouncing on her or otherwise causing her harm.

“And this place is called Vatheon. It’s nowhere near Alternia! We don’t really know where it is, I’m afraid. A lot of us were grubnapped and brought here.” She watched her ancestor’s face for any sign of recognition as she spoke, but she didn’t hold out much hope. She was too different from the Disciple she’d known before, the one who was quick to laugh and smile at her. Poor Signless…he’d be so sad to see his beloved like this. But she knew he’d still be overjoyed to have her back, no matter the state she’d been reduced to.

"Ne..peta" She nodded with her success at pronouncing the young ones name.

"This Place... 's real?" the Disciple still straining to talk. Tiny sparks of memory started slowly sifting through from her subconscious talking to this young troll. She seemed to know her, to remember that name, her name. She was the Disciple. Yes, this was right. She remembered her name, what they called her.

Her thoughts, returned to the present. She was now seemingly in this place that smelled of the sea. Where was she before that? She remembered the cave; The warmth and safety it provided. Vague thoughts continued to play at the edge of memory, clouded by many years of base survival instinct.

The young greenblood's posture changed subtly, she seemed to be thinking about something...sad?

"That's right!" She grinned once again, the sadness dispersing, never lasting long with Nepeta's almost perpetually cheerful outlook on life. And really, there wasn't anything to be sad about, was there? The Disciple was here now, with them again, and they could look after her! The Psiioniic was doing so much better after living for so long with Signless again, Nepeta was sure that the kind troll's influence would do wonders for the Disciple too, and she could help as well, and she was sure Karkat would too in his own rather abrasive yet still caring way, and everything would be fine.

Thinking that way was easier than mourning over what her ancestor must have gone through, at least for now.

Another nod, and again she reached out to her, wondering if she'd allow her to perhaps touch her hand at least, although what Nepeta really wanted to do was climb onto her lap for a hug or at the very least groom her clean from the blood of what must have been a recent kill before arriving in the bubble.

"It's real! Really real. It's strange, but it's not a bad place. There are some of us trolls here, but there are more humans than trolls! Humans are pink hornless people, I don't know if you've met any of them yet but most of them are very nice."

An outstretched hand...an offer. The Disciple lowered her guard further, still wary of threats that might be lurking in the nearby forest.

She stared at the outstretched hand, taking in the words of her fellow greenblood. She doesn't really comprehend most of it, but not for lack of trying. Its been quite sometime since she heard someone speak. Even her own voice sounded foreign to her.

A sudden memory, Talking to herself in a cave, many words written on the wall, what was she reciting? She closed her eyes tightly in frustration. Opening them, she saw again the outstretched hand, an offer. She would take it.

She inched forward, not with her own hand, but her face. The elder troll suddenly bursting into a bustle of movement. She closed upon her fellow troll. Breathing deep the scents encompassing the young one. Quickly, but methodically she worked in a circle around her gathering all the scents she could. Appeased, she retreated a couple steps taking them in.

After a second, she offered out her own hand. It was still stained with blood and seawater, and more recently dirt from her mad dash through the city and forest.

Nepeta waited patiently, hopefully, and her expression could only be described as lighting up when she saw the Disciple approaching her willingly. The flurry of movement startled her but as soon as she recognized what her ancestor was doing she obliging stayed still with no more reaction than a surprised giggle, letting the other greenblood learn her scent for herself.

Like hers it was the scent of leaves and dirt and forests, the faintest hint of blood from her kills, but mingled as well with the smell of other trolls, not the least that of her brownblooded matesprit who she’d been cuddling mere hours before. Tea leaves and sweet pastries and sugar, crayons and blood-and-soot paint and paper, all of it melded together in the young troll’s scent, making it similar to yet utterly distinct from the Disciple’s own.

And finally a hand was offered in return. The stains wouldn’t bother a troll so used to hunting and playing in the dirt – if anything it pleased her to see how similar they were in some regards - and Nepeta was instantly reaching out for it with slow, deliberate movements, her small fingers closing gently over her ancestor’s, squeezing lightly but never with any indication that she’d keep the other troll from withdrawing her hand if she so wished. “It’s so furry nice to meet you purroperly, Miss Disciple!”

Her brain worked to catalog the scents she had taken in. Some of the scents she could not place, but she could she worked through in her head. Leaves, Blood, Soot, paper, all things that triggered images in her head. Finally she got to the scent of the brownblood. She seemed to have a fair amount of that scent about her; strange. Realization hit her, and before she could stop herself, she spoke.

"Ahh. Mate." she nodded to Nepeta. "...is good."

The Disciple looked down at their interlocked fingers. She blinked with confusion; was this normal? Must be, It did seem sort of familiar. Holding the hand of another, her chest burned with unexplained emotion. Startled, she released her hand and recoiled it to her chest. What was that?

"...am glad." she said, shaking her head to return her thoughts to the present. "Safe here?" she asked, indicating the surrounding trees.

"Uh huh!" Nepeta confirmed for her, giggling and with a faint green tinge to her cheeks. Her matespritship was still rather new to her after all, and this wasn't quite how she'd pictured announcing it to her ancestor. "Purrhaps you can meet him some time soon! Tavros is really really nice and i know he'd like to meet you too."

It was disappointing when the Disciple pulled away so soon but Nepeta hid her feelings behind a smile - it was fine if she still didn't feel too comfortable with her. They'd only just met, after all, and it was obvious that the other greenblood wasn't in a very good state of mind at all.

"Yes, yes, it's safe here. And even if it wasn't, I wouldn't let anything happen to you! I promise! But it is safe." She crawled a little bit closer, longing to explain just who she was, wanting to tell her that Signless was here. But if, as Nepeta suspected, the Disciple was from after he'd been so horribly killed, then the chances were she'd not believe her.

Although! There was one thing she could do, perhaps. "I have something I'd like to give you! Is that okay?"

"Safe. Good...Ne...Peta good." She chanced a small smile. This one was safe; familiar. A sudden instinct settled over the Disciple. This Nepeta was worth watching over, yes. She nodded to herself at this thought. She would protect her.

Her young greenblood...friend. Yes friend. Its been so long since she felt safe around someone. More words from her companion. She was offering her something? Interesting.

"Give?" she asked, her head cocked to the side quizzically.

"Yes!" Oh yay, the Disciple was smiling at her. Nepeta looked thrilled, laughing and just about bouncing on her spot on the ground. It was even harder not to reach forward and give her a hug now, but they seemed to be getting along so well that she didn't want to risk doing anything that might spook her. There'd be time for hugs later! She was sure of it.

She started rooting around in her deep trenchcoat pockets, first taking out her Pounce De Leon plush and laying it on the ground between them, then coming up with crayons and bits of yarn, sweets in their wrappers and paper, lots of paper, sorting through it all until she found the one she wanted. Shyly she offered it over - one of her drawings, but not of a ship.

Four trolls standing hand in hand. Drawn in Nepeta's typically childish style but still recognizable.

Disciple herself in olive green. The Dolorosa, tall and clad in jade. Yellow for the Psiioniic with his mismatched eyes. And finally, clad in nondescript gray, the Signless. "A friend asked me to draw it for him...but I know he'd be happy fur you to have it?"

The young one began to pull all manner of objects from her coats pockets. Seriously how much stuff did she carry inside her jacket? The Disciple waited patiently as the younger greenblood started sorting through a stack of papers. Finally somewhat at ease, she lowered herself into a relaxed crouch on the ground. She casually gauged her surroundings, nose and ears working to discern what her eyes alone could not. If not for the scent of seawater, she could almost convince herself this a normal alternian forest...almost.

Her companion seemed to be through sorting her papers and was handing one over to her. She reached out to accept the gift. WAIT! Not wanting to soil the gift with her dirtied hands, the Disciple set about cleaning them. Wiping the majority on a nearby tree, she cleaned what was left the good old fashioned way; tongue bath. Finally done she accepted the piece of paper.

Looking at the image, a cold chill ran down her spine. This was familiar, but why? She examined each of the figures in turn, starting with the green one. It sort of resembled her friend here...but different, maybe? what of these others then? The jade figure seems...motherly. The yellow figure with the red and blue eyes. Her mind raced, Screaming for recognition but being denied. Finally the Grey figure. She blinks a few times looking at it, her eyes seemingly start losing focus. Its so important, why can't I remember!?

Drip.

The elder greenblood recoils from the drawing. There is a small olive circle adorning the image. It wasn't there a second ago. Where did that come from? She moves her hand to touch the strange olive mark.

Drip.

A second green tear spatters the back of her hand.

What in the...

She brings her hand to her cheek. Shaking, she moves her hand into her field of vision; It is tipped green. She is...crying?

"What!?" She stammers out. "...is this?".

The Disciple drops the picture and stumbles backwards, tripping over herself. She lands on her back, and finds herself staring up through the tops of the trees. Her mind is desperately racing for an explanation. Years of exile, and hiding from the truth prove too strong. The Disciple is left unable to find answers from her errant memories.

"Oh...no, no, please don't cry! Please!" The approving little smile that had sprung up on Nepeta's face when the Disciple cleaned her hands before accepting the drawing was wiped away at the sight of that first tear splashing onto the paper; concern was quick to take its place across the young troll's expression as she scrambled over to her ancestor, allowing her gift to her to remained abandoned on the ground.

Her hand tentatively attempted to rest on her shoulder, and should the other troll allow that much then Nepeta would try to lick away those tears, the way her own dear lusus would have done for her when she was just a wiggler.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I thought you'd be happy to have a picture of all of you, I hoped you'd get to all be together again so much..."

Fruitlessly she struggled to remember the source of her tears. Something about that picture. That is ridiculous, though, It is just a drawing; made by...?

Why is she on her back?

A figure enters her vision. It is the young greenblood...Nepeta...I think. Yes! Moving closer the young one tentatively placed her hand on the elder's shoulder. Nepeta seemed to be saying something to her. Unfortunately her mind failed to comprehend what exactly she was saying. The words glanced off of her, as she retreated back into her fog.

This Nepeta was her friend, she would protect her. But here the young one had a frown on her face. Why was she sad? An Idea! Carefully, the Disciple sat up, but stayed sitting on the ground. Her friend looked like she could use comfort. With a small smile on her face,(quite a weird look considering the forgotten tears still lined her cheeks) she nuzzled her head into the other troll, trying her best to be comforting.

"Smile Ne...peta." the Disciple said, with a further nuzzle.

Nepeta stopped halfway into her attempt to lick the Disciple's face clean from tears, frown fading away into a look of confusion. Then she wasn't upset with her...? She was finding it rather hard to understand the feral greenblood's reactions to things, but the important thing was that she was no longer crying. The subject of Signless being alive could wait for later.

Then suddenly she was being nuzzled!

It surprised her into making a kitten-ish squeak but on instinct she nuzzled right back, happy laughter startled out of her at this unexpected development. And she was asking her to smile! She could do that - and actually found that she was smiling already, rubbing her face affectionately into her ancestors hair, and finally, yes, finally wrapping her arms around her in a loose hug.

A surprised squeak from her friend. Did she scare...Before she is able to finish her thought, the Disciple finds herself getting nuzzled in return. She hasn't really had non-violent physical contact with anything in... she can't remember. Its been so long. The elder greenblood is caught off guard by how much she enjoys the feeling.

The nuzzle transitions into a loose hug. Confused at first, the Disciple finds herself leaning into the embrace. Finally, after a short delay, she returns the hug. A certain peace settles over the elder greenblood. The bestial part of her mind being quieting into background noise. She doesn't worry about being in a strange forest buried below an unknown ocean. Nor does she worry about her inability to recall her life before her living in that cave. For a short time, she just is.

Nepeta kept the hug relaxed and comforting at first, especially when the Disciple only leaned closer without returning it. A soft, rumbling purr started up in the smaller greenblood's chest; a sound of deep contentedness, meant to comfort, a sound learned sweeps ago from cuddling with her lusus.

Speaking of cuddling, the Disciple was definitely in for some once she started hugging back, her descendant snuggling up against her, nuzzling at her hair, perhaps even giving in to her urge to groom her and licking away some of the smudges on her face before pressing her nose to her ancestor's skin, the better to learn her scent.

Everything else could wait a while as, despite all the experiences and sweeps separating them, the two greenbloods hugged.

A smile spread across the lips of the Disciple, an outward reflection of her inner feelings. This hug and cuddle filling a part of the disciples heart that she didn't realize hurt so badly. Yet still, a small part of her mind still put up protest.

You just met this young troll. You are still in this strange place, lost. You know you caught the scent of highblood in your panic earlier, you are NOT safe here.

Her instinct starting to take back over, she moved to break free from the hug. Her resistance washed instantly away as the young greenblood pressed closer and nuzzled her hair. Nepeta even began to groom her, her tongue played across the Disciple's cheek removing trace of the forgotten tears. At this, the ancestor even let out a small giggle, startling herself. She did not remember the last time she had laughed.

The bestial mind once again forced to the background, replaced by this strange new maternal feeling. The ancestor set about grooming the descendant in return.

There are tiny happy squealing sounds from Nepeta when the Disciple started grooming her; a kitten mewling at being played with or tickled, and whereas she'd give her poor moirail the fight of his life every time he tried to get her to take a bath, she now allowed the Disciple to groom her however she liked, remembering with fondness how her lusus used to do this for her too.

She snuggled up with her, completely trusting, one hand patting her ancestor's cheek as she gladly submitted to having her face licked or her hair fussed with or whatever the older troll thought was appropriate grooming at the time.

Each lap or hug was met with a giggle, hoping to perhaps hear the Disciple laugh with her, having caught that earlier giggle and wanting to hear her make the sound once more. It was an echo of a different troll than the feral one she'd met here mere minutes ago, an echo of who she knew the Disciple to really be.

The Disciple's grooming went on for awhile, lost in the simple bliss. The smile stayed spread across her lips. She had grown to enjoy this tranquil feeling. Her feral side rallied against her, demanding action. But, it was once again shuttered, this time by the adorable noises emitted by the smaller greenblood.

A look of confusion crossed the elder greenblood's face. She had stumbled upon a strange marking on the skin of the young one, during her attentions. Carefully, she traced a small part of the design with the tip of her claw.

"What...this?" She asked, her voice still raspy. One eye raised in query.

Nepeta blinked, startled out of the comfortable sleepy feeling brought on by a proper grooming. The tingling of the Disciple's claw against her skin had her looking down at the back of her hand where the mark was, and she rubbed her face against the Disciple's shoulder as she tried figuring out the simplest way to explain.

"It's a mark everyone that was brought here has. It shows that we're not locals. And since they were the ones who took us away from our homes, if we show it to them in their shops they let us have food and blankets and things, and whatever else we need. A hive, too. I've got a very nice hive, I share it with Tavros. That's my matesprit. Would you like to visit it purrhaps?"

She spoke slowly, trying to make it easy for her ancestor to understand her. She'd feel a lot better if she had her safely with her and Tavros rather than leaving her wandering on her own out here, not that she doubted for a moment that the other troll could look after herself.

"Everyone brought has?" She asks, her voice growing a little more accustomed to speaking again. Most of the other words said by Nepeta are lost on the Disciple as she begins a thorough inspection of her own body, looking for the mark.

At the mention of the visit with her matesprit, finally looked up from her search. She had already examined the easily viewed parts of her arms, and had started on her legs. Her right foot held aloft, she had been looking at the bottom of her foot, still no success. But the young greenblood's question managed to grab her attention.

"Meet mate, yes. Make sure he safe, yes." She nodded then recommenced her search.

She had finished her legs and had started on the hard to see parts of her arm. The odd mark becoming visible just above her left shoulder-blade. Impossible for her to see, but quite visible to Nepeta.

Sometimes, when he's trying to work through a problem with his robotics work, Equius likes to take walks in the woods. It's not the same as home, where he would climb the mountains and STRONG leap from peak to peak, but it's the best he can do. And so he's out in the woods, wandering and thinking, when he hears a very familiar giggle.

"Nepeta?"

He follows the sound, blundering through the bushes and into the small clearing, where he sees his moirail and... who is that?

One would think he'd immediately make the connection and realize that's Nepeta's ancestor, but no. No, he's just going to stand there stupidly and stare.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

man shes getting all talky.

Nepeta apurroves!

Re: Nepeta apurroves!

no subject

no subject

no subject

Im a bad person.

aksjdal uploaded this icon just for this

Re: aksjdal uploaded this icon just for this

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

and then Equius ruined everything