[Backdated] The Spider is Loose

[caliginous]

Characters: Karkat Vantas (AU) and Vriska Serket (OU)
Setting: Vriska's abode
Format: Action.
Summary: The spider is loose -- ceruleans are freaking the fuck out

[It had taken some effort to get out of his room without anyone noticing he was gone, but Karkat had forgone being casual the second he was certain nobody was watching him. Because if anyone had been watching, they would have witnessed and otherwise classy-looking individual practically tripping over himself trying to run to the next dormitory level.

And that just wouldn't do for his reputation.

Once he was done nearly breaking his ankle, Karkat would nearly collapse against Vriska's doorframe, using his body weight to knock rather than a fist. He still hadn't been sleeping well, thanks to his nightmares, so that coupled with the sudden stress of recent events left the cerulean looking horrifically pale.]

Serket, open the fucking door. Now.

Comments

[fabricates]

[This is it. What she's not been looking forward to. Not that it's her fucking lusus in the first place, so it isn't her fault she got loose. It takes her a minute or two before she finally opens the door to let him in. Thankfully her roommates are out, so they can discuss this relatively in private.]

Don't say anything, just get inside first.

[She steps aside to let him in, closing the door behind him.]

I take it you noticed something's missing in the forest.

[caliginous]

[He's fine with not saying anything, because he needs a second to catch his breath. So his hands rest on his knees for a second and he looks up at her.]

What the hell happened? She was fine, she was hunting herself--

[He coughs for a second before he seems to regain complete composure, straightening himself and fixing his hair.]

Now she's who-the-fuck-knows-where. What the shit are we supposed to do about that?

[fabricates]

How the fuck should I know? She was in the forest the last time I went there, and then suddenly the network is blowing up about her around the tower.

[She sits down on her sleeping square, dragging a hand through her hair.]

She probably got sick of eating shit that wasn't troll or human.

[caliginous]

Terezi's going to murder me.

[People are dying? Ok. Big rampaging spider? Ok. Matesprit going to find out he was hiding her from her?

Fuck.]

Some new idiot probably found her and she took advantage. Uuuugh. We have to get her back in there. Or. Something. Anything.

[fabricates]

Well maybe you shouldn't have lied to her for so long. But you can't stop being a coward for two seconds to actually own up to your lusus.

[This is the part where she doesn't tell Karkat that she fed a troll to it and may or may not have caused this rampage.]

Just how do you think we should do that? Find her and try to sweet talk her back into a forest with the promise of as many beasts as she wants to eat? You know as well as I do that she'll take to that as well as she took to eating them in the first place.

[She stares down at her hands.]

These idiots are trying to fight her and kill her.

[caliginous]

Fuck you, like you would've owned up to it to anyone either.

[He promptly begins to chew his lip.]

--are you kidding me? Haven't they figured out that everything just comes back in this tower?

[fabricates]

I don't have anything to own up to, she's not mine. Don't forget I fed her as a favor to you because you couldn't do it yourself, Karkat.

[She shrugs, clenching her fists. As much of a chilly relationship as she has with the lusus, the idea that people are trying to kill her doesn't sit well with her. Somehow she feels responsible, like she should be out there protecting her or something but that's so dumb.]

They're humans, what do you expect? They're stupid. I don't know if anyone's succeeded in trying to kill her, but she's going to be pissed. Don't hold it against me if I don't exactly want to go out and try to subdue a giant pissed off spider.

[caliginous]

I'm talking hypothetical. You don't get to talk down to me when you wouldn't have done anything differently if it'd been your lusus, Serket.

[Karkat would be having more of a conniption over that if he wasn't so focused on oh god Terezi is going to kill me.]

So that's it? We're just going to let her run around? Is that what I'm getting out of this?

[fabricates]

You don't know what I would have done. Don't make assumptions about me based on your shitty way of dealing with things.

[Another shrug before she looks over at him.]

Do you have any better ideas that won't result in us getting eaten by an irate lusus? As it is now, she's basically like any other monster you'd run into in this place. Just... she can move around in the daytime, is all. I doubt anyone will catch on that she isn't just another monster this tower brought in.

[Unless Terezi sees her.]

[caliginous]

Ok, prove it then. Go out there, right now, and claim her on the network.

[...ok she has a point.]

What about the others? I mean, nobody from my timeline knows what she looks like.

[fabricates]

Why should I? She isn't my lusus, dumbass. She's not my responsibility to claim.

Pyrope's the only one whose seen her up close when she wasn't a sprite. And Kanaya saw her when she was my server player, but she isn't here anymore. As long as Terezi doesn't see her, we'll be fine. And besides, it's not like the tower hasn't brought lusii here. Have you seen how many bullfairies are in this stupid place?

[caliginous]

Why does it matter? If you're so flawless and not at all worried about it, then you do it.

[He sighs.]

...right. Ok. That's something.

[fabricates]

Bullshit. You're just trying to talk me into taking the fall for your problem. You should be grateful I haven't thrown you to the wolves about this whole thing already.

[She rolls her eyes.]

Just keep your trap shut and we'll let the humans in the tower handle her. She isn't our problem now that she's gone rogue.

[caliginous]

Thanks for proving my point, asshole.

[He stares, open mouthed]

Are you retarded? That makes her twice our problem!

[fabricates]

I'm not proving anything. There's absolutely no reason I should have to take the blame for your problem.

[She stares right back.]

No, I'm not. You're the idiot here, if you're thinking of trying to deal with her. Anything we do now is just going to bring attention to us and we're going to get blamed for this. Do you want to deal with the consequences or not? If you don't, just lie low and act like you ain't got a clue. Got it?

[caliginous]

Clean out your auricular clots, Serket, I don't want you to take the fall for shit. But don't tell me that you would have been the miss goody two shoes about the whole thing if it had been your lusus.

[He knew she was right, so his mouth closed slowly. Still, it didn't sit well with him.]

...whatever.

[fabricates]

Don't tell me what I would or wouldn't have done, Vantas. You don't know shit about me.

[She waits for him to argue more, but when he doesn't, she shrugs.]

Don't say it like that. It's our only option.

[caliginous]

I know enough that there is absolutely no way you could prove me wrong about this.

[His eyelids lower in an absolutely careless fashion.]

I say whatever I want however I want. I don't have to like it.

[fabricates]

Whatever, we're done talking about this.

[She deadeyes him in response.]

Just remember this whole thing is your fault to begin with.

[caliginous]

The whole thing is the fucking Tower's fault, thank you very much.

[He flips her off.]

[fabricates]

She was a gift to you. I can't believe I'm neck deep in this bullshit because of you.