vatheon | 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.

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Someone spoke directly in front of her, startling the Disciple's eyes open. They darted around, taking in the scene in front of her. She had expected the highblood to be standing above her, revenge lighting that same fire in his eyes. What she had gotten was quite a different scene.

The little one had approached, and was standing in front of her. She had been the one that had spoken. The Disciples eyes darted behind the young greenblood. The blueblood dropped his aggressive pose and was speaking as well. He had a unexpected look on his face, one of astonishment.

Inside her the battle still raged, the beast that lied just below her surface thoughts battled against the tenuous hold she had. It still cried out for blood; vengeance. Soon, however, her survival instinct washed away in a sweeping torrent, thanks to the actions of the young greenblood.

Nepeta had pressed her head against the Disciples still exposed throat. She was being nuzzled. A wave of calm clarity spread over the elder greenblood, that same feeling she had felt not too long ago, before the approach of the highblood.

The Disciple wrapped her arms around the little one, drawing her into a hug. Tears played at the edges of her eyes, recalling what she had done.

"Ne..peta. I...am sorry. Hurt little one," her eyes turned to Equius. "...wanted kill...moirail. Never...forgive...I"

She was screaming inwardly, growing increasingly frustrated at being unable to correctly say what she meant. Why did her brain feel so fuzzy?

"It's okay," Nuzzle, nuzzle, gentle hug. "I know it was an accident and that you didn't want to hurt me." A few more nuzzles and then she looked up at her with a smile, reaching up to wipe away the tears gathering at the corner of the Disciple's eyes.

She turned her slightly to beam that same smile at Equius, looking relieved and happy that things were sorting themselves out, as well as faintly amused that only now is he getting it. "I tried to tell you! She is. She's called the Disciple." She wasn't surprised he hadn't heard her though, not when he'd seen her get hurt and gone into a rage.

"And this is Equius, my moirail," she added, turning back to the Disciple. "I know...I know that highbloods hurt you and did awful things to you and the people you care about, but Equius never had anything to do with that and he's not like that anyway. He's got friends all over the hemospectrum! And he's moirails with me." She rubbed her face against her ancestor's cheek. "So there's not going to be any killing or hurting anyone, okay?"

Equius sighs and scrubs his face over his hand, once again thinking about how he very, very clearly has the best ancestor, and all the other ones can go home.

"Where do you think she should stay?" he asks, directing the question to Nepeta.

A lot of words from the little one, and quickly. Her mind struggling to catch even the feel of what she had said. The young greenblood was reassuring her. Also, introducing her moirail. Trying to decide if she should break the hug and meet the blueblood, or keep the bolstering hug and risk offending Nepeta's friend. She was over-thinking things.

She opted to do both. Once again utilizing her lithe feline grace, she scooped the little one up into her arms and rose to her feet. See? Hugs and walking at the same time. That strange motherly instinct had taken over once again, the beast caged in its dark corner.

She carried the little one carefully, Nepeta's head pressed to her chest. The beating of her heart would be quite noticeable to the little one, this close. The accelerated beating slowing to a much more sedate level, as the young greenblood listened.

With her bundle, the Disciple approached Equius. A strange thought entered her mind... humor, something she had precious little of for as long as she could remember. Yes, that would make for a better introduction.

A smile played at the edges of lips. "Believe this... your's?"

Nepeta wanted nothing more than to take Disciple home with her and look after her there, but she knew that the best place for her was almost definitely with Signless. She was reluctant to mention him out loud for now though, given how the other oliveblood had reacted to the picture of him earlier... Especially considering Equius wasn't exactly a gigantic fan of Karkat's ancestor.

She was still thinking of how to best answer her moirail when the Disciple stood up with her in her arms and she automatically tightened her hold around her ancestor's neck, snuggling close and feeling surprisingly happy considering the tense situation which had only just been defused. She could see that she was being carried over back to Equius and wasn't too sure what Disciple was planning, but the sound of her calming heartbeat soothed her, reassured her that the other troll was once again in control of herself, more aware of what was actually going on around her rather than what the more feral part of her mind thought it was perceiving.

She nestled against her chest, the steady beat calming her in turn and reminding her in a half-forgotten way of being a tiny wiggler snuggled close to her lusus, listening to the same sound.

And then she saw the little smile playing on her ancestor's mouth, heard what she said and, after a short moment of staring in surprise, burst out into a peal of happy giggling. Nepeta was suddenly certain that everything was going to be okay.

"Um... I guess?" Equius holds his arms back out, assuming the older troll will deposit Nepeta in them and they can be on their way. This whole thing just makes no sense, and he wants to fuss over his moirail and tend to her wounds.

She didn't want to relinquish the little one, but bridges must be rebuilt. The young greenblood's moirail seemed still seemed understandably on edge. She held her arms in such a way that Nepeta could climb over.

This close to the blueblood, she catches more of a detailed scent coming from him. It had seemed startlingly familiar, yet she could not place from where. It seemed to trigger the same note of anger that the scent of highblood generally carried with it. But the scent also sparked feelings of sorrow. Frustratingly, she could not remember why.

Still, if this was the moirail of the little one, she would have to make nice. She tried thinking what she could say to make up for the terrible thing she had done.

"Ap-ppologies for hurting little one..." Oh crap, what'd she say his name was!? No time! say something!"...blue...friend." The Disciple blinked. She was terrible at this.

“You guess?” she repeated at Equius, laughing and teasing and making a show of cuddling closer to the Disciple. If he wasn’t sure then maybe she’d wait until he was! But no, as reluctant as she was to let go of her ancestor she was even more eager to be back in her moirail’s arms and soothe away that confused anxious look of his.

She turned back to the other greenblood to say goodbye, petting at her cheeks and reaching up to kiss her forehead. “Equius,” she reminded her in a helpful whisper. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. Do you want to come home with us? Or are you more comfortable staying here? I’ll come and find you again soon if you are.” Though she doubted she’d need to once she sent Signless her way.

Finally she let herself be handed over, smothering Equius with kittyhugs as soon as she was in his arms again.

Terror under the sea

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