— hero.

she is the thirst that his throat forgives. she knows this, she always has; the only difference is that now she doesn’t quite know what to make of that.

what’s the harm in using him one last time, just for reparation’s sake?

VRISKA: Oh, we did?

she visibly brightens.

VRISKA: What a relief! Here I was, getting myself worked up over it like some kind of pupa idiot. VRISKA: It’s nice to know my efforts weren’t tooooooootally wasted for once. VRISKA: So what, this is it? This is our thanks? We’re stuck in a universe we have no sway over?

you’re unsure what to make of the situation yourself. with vriska, you choose your words more carefully than your usual — the equivalent to toning down TIPTOES DOWN THE STAIRS to simply STAYING STILL ENTIRELY. 

TAVROS: iT SEEMS MOSTLY COINCIDENTAL,

and then silence. thankfully the background chatter fills the void. everyone else’s conversation is filled with laughter and life. why did you have to get stuck with THIS ONE?

She didn’t mean to be stereotypical, it was all the fairies knew (the storytellers only know so many creatures outside of Neverland) and she felt a bit bad for doing so. However, this was the first troll she’s actually encountered. If only she had her journal with her to keep track of this new finding, like she did with the Neverbeast.

“Aliens?” Fawn echoed in mild awe, her head tilted as she flew from side to side, pausing in her work of examining the still interesting horns. They were like a bull but the colors were so different. Alternian, the place where he is from. Another planet. “Another planet, too? That’s amazing! Well, more surprising than anything, but I didn’t even know there were other planets.”

And there she stopped talking briefly, only to think of her own history. Normally fairies weren’t suppose to be known to humans - especially pirates - but since this was a troll, she figured it couldn’t hurt. They were interacting anyway. “I’m from Pixie Hollow, the place where all the fairies are, in Neverland! Just look for the Second Star to the Right, and that’s where we are! We take care of all the seasons - I’m particular to animals. I’m an animal talent. Each fairy has their own talent, and live in a different season,” the brunette explained, moving to rest on one of Tavros’ horns.

your eyes light up as she weaves the image of her home in your mind. NEVERLAND, of which you are painstakingly familiar, tucked away in its own nook in the sky. the idea of PIXIE HOLLOW: shimmering fairies dotted throughout a canvas of green and pastel, a trail of stardust in their wake. their humming alludes to birdsong; their expressions, should one inspect them, are ever cheery. a LAND OF FAIRIES beyond your wildest imagination... 

( you cannot help but wish on the SECOND STAR TO THE RIGHT that you could wind up there instead of here. )

Her friendly smile only widened, leaning back to relax on the couch just as Tavros did.

Respiteblock? That must be a funny way of saying ‘apartment’…

Despite her thoughts, Himiko didn’t waste any time in speaking and waving off Tavros’ concerns.

“Huh? You don’t remember? You totally did at the party.” 

That was a lie, as she wasn’t intending to tell him exactly how she figured out his address; from her own experiences, people normally didn’t like hearing about her certain methods of deduction.

“Aww, really? That’s a bummer!” Her pleasant tone clearly implied that she didn’t mean her words as an insult, but she cared little for how Tavros might take them. “You must have had some stuff you were proud of back home, right?”

TAVROS: uHHHH, pROBABLY,

you’ll take toga’s words at face value — as you are WELL-KNOWN for doing on the regular. with a tilt of the head, you accept what you’re told. you’re a FORGETFUL FOOL and you were also PRETTY SLOSHED. yeah, there’s no way you didn’t give her your home address.

your face falls into even more of an awkward grimace, everything short of some STRAIGHT UP CRINGE, at the thought of your SIX-SWEEP-OLD SLAM POETRY. it was bad. you hardly remember it and you know that much. brows turn up in concern as you try to turn your wince into a smile...

       “ No offense taken, don’t worry. I… “

       “ Never really had the chance to spend time with animals that much when I was younger. “ That doesn’t sound too odd, right? Atlas never had many animals, other than pets for show and the ever so occasional strays. You regret that you ever accepted that part of your life, as your family had all the resources to provide you with company but instead opted out of it to not seem improper. If only they knew you were holding this little treasure right here. “ Bo… “

       “ A wonderful name for a wonderful friend. “ You’re finally smiling now, the ease in your shoulders showing that you’re finally getting comfortable. It’s a bit embarrassing to think that the attendant beside you is watching this all in action, but you’ve been too wound up lately to care about anything other than Bo right now. “ That would be nice… “ What was the other’s name? Your head snaps up to catch sight of a welcome item– a name tag. “ Tavros. I’d appreciate it. “

the smile you manage to siphon from your guest allows relief to finally wash over you. you are one of the FRIENDLIEST TROLLS you know, let alone one of the friendliest people; that is one superlative you can allow yourself to claim after all these years. if you were unable to help a PETTING ZOO VISITOR make at least one friend... you would unsure whether you could continue to call yourself that.

and so you smile back at her, yours less hesitant. you notice how her hand works in natural yet tender touches down bo’s back, losing its finger tips in the baabeast’s fluffy coat. you have never been much of a wordsmith, your grasp on language at a different angle from that of everyone else — but this is a language you thoroughly understand. with NEWFOUND RESOLVE, you begin preparations to take this petting zoo to the next level. it’s a fucking MEET AND GREET now, lads!

[The innuendo is completely ignored, if only because you’re all too aware Tavros never says anything like that on purpose.]

right on bro.

GONNA BE SO LOUD

like a couple of choice bros who’s all up and ready to party ;o)

[You put the popcorn bag to the side and reach over the arm of the couch to retrieve a stack of DVDs you hid there. Sure, these days you can up and just find it all on the motherfucking line but there was some charm to the more traditional way. The whole stack is dropped (rather unceremoniously, which is not good in hindsight, you are supposed to return them later) on the coffee table in front of you.]

[It’s all Disney movies. All the animated ones, with a couple live-action slipped in as well.]

DIDN’T ALL KNOW WHICH ONES YOU ALREADY SEEN.

so i got all of them :o)

PICK FIRST.

your eyes are as wide as MOTHERFUCKING SAUCERS. ( adjective affixed to be on theme with your bro. ) they run over each and every title, some strikingly similar to the ones you knew. but you weren’t even aware that half of these CLASSIC FABLES had been turned into MAJOR MOTION PICTURES. oh my god, they made beauty and the beast twice? humans are INCREDIBLE. 

gamzee knows you so well. you feel utterly and thoroughly clocked. like you’re on some sort of CHRISTMAS REALITY SHOW SPECIAL and santa claus just read your mind ( i.e. asked your parents what you wanted ); you don’t understand that reference, but you are living in it.

TAVROS: wHOAAAA,,, TAVROS: tHIS IS A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MOVIES, aND THEY ALL LOOK GOOD,  TAVROS: tHANK YOU,  TAVROS: uHHH,

your hand hovers over the selection. eventually, you pick out a familiar title, but unfamiliar film. not the obvious one. you’d be embarrassed to.

maybe vriska should be used to being haunted by now. tavros has been a phantom pain in her bones for so long now, stitches in her sides and blood in her fangs, dead to her in the thousands of ways that mattered. she did this to them, she knows this, and yet her conviction is still set.

sometimes you have to break the bone to heal it right.

VRISKA: More half answers! It’s like you were never even gone at all.

her grin freezes on her face, a fractured quality to it.

VRISKA: I mean, it’s 8een a while since I’ve seen you in the flesh. VRISKA: I guess it’s pointless in telling you you did something useful for once! You nearly saved the universe. VRISKA: I mean, the outcome is still am8iguous. I ended up here 8efore I could figure out if we won or not. VRISKA: 8ut who wants to talk a8out that?!

your eyes follow her SHARP TEETH. to reference a fairy tale - you feel like LITTLE RED. you’re unsure what grandma has in store for you, whether she’s going to rip into you or attempt to apologize. her comment about your SUCCESS, though irritatingly backhanded, is UNEXPECTED. is it pleasantly so? time will tell. 

you want so bad to settle and relax, but you continue to just stand, back hovering the wall, arms straight and at your sides. a DEFAULT. 

TAVROS: uHHH, TAVROS: i GUESS, i SHOULD TELL YOU, TAVROS: wE WON, TAVROS: oR THEY DID, aND WE STAYED DEAD, TAVROS: sO YES, TAVROS: i DID DO SOMETHING USEFUL, 

Saphir was fairly sure he hadn’t been showered with this muchpraise ever before in his entire life. If Tavros had asked him for any favor inthe world at that very moment, Saphir would have done it for him. Too much moreof this and he might even start crying. His face might even already be a littledamp… thankfully Tavros hadn’t noticed.

“You’re right! I could make my own video games…” Technically, healready had, even though it was based on Tavros’s specifications. He’d enjoyedimproving upon the story, which he had considered quite lackluster to startwith, and replacing the boring, bland characters with his own exciting, uniqueones.

Like Luigi.

“… maybe I should even play more than one of them! What otherones are there, anyway?” Clearly he was already a master of the adventure game,even if the glitches and 80% of the map still needed ironing out. Those issueswere simply matters of time.

He reset the game, freeing the hero Pink from the endless void.

“Obviously, there’s no limit to genre. A genius like myselfcould tackle anything after this, don’t you think?”

you tap your finger on your chin as you begin to ponder on the MULTITUDE OF OPTIONS available to the both of you. you try to limit it down to genres you’re actually good at, so that you stand a chance at playing dist’s NEXT AMAZING TITLE. that may be a bit selfish of you, but you only generous SOMETIMES.

TAVROS: wELL, oFF THE HIGH OF MY THINKPAN, i CAN NAME, TAVROS: pUZZLE GAMES AS ONE, lIKE THE ONE GAME WITH THE PROFESSOR, aND THEN THERE’S, TAVROS: uHHH, wHAT’S THE WORD, TAVROS: wATCHING NOVELS? tHAT’S BASICALLY WHAT THEY ARE, iT’S A GAME WHERE YOU MAKE CHOICES AND THEN WATCH A MOVIE BASED ON THEM,  TAVROS: a LOT OF THEM HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH ROMANCING, tHE PATHS DIVERGING INTO DIFFERENT QUADRANTAL ENDINGS, hEHE, TAVROS: yOU HAVE ALREADY MASTERED THE RPG, iN MY HUMBLE OPINION, TAVROS: mAYBE IT WOULD BE COOL AS WELL, tO MOVE INTO THE TURNBASED STRATEGY TYPE, sINCE YOU ARE OH SO SMART, 

you’ve got a bunch of FINGERS UP as you’ve been listing things off. you look at dist almost expectantly, trying to see if he needs any more suggestions. but... you should probably account for your RAMBLING HABIT.

hey guys! long time no talk. sorry i haven’t been around much lately.

there’s a bunch of factors that have been going into me not being around in isola. for one, there’s university - the workload that we’ve been subjected to is ridiculous ( but i’m having fun ). there’s also tumblr’s platform as a whole. the multiple fiascos and ui difficulties has made it difficult for me to want to check back on tumblr period. then lastly, as you probably know i’m also running another group on the side, so i’ve got my hands full.

Himiko’s smile hadn’t changed from when Tavros left the room to when he re-entered it. Her expression only changed when Tavros sat down next to her, her smile turning into something softer, something even akin to being friendly.

“Oh, yeah? Do you mind me asking how come? I’d totally listen if you asked me.”

Her tastes in music weren’t particularly picky, though that was simply of her own opinion, but she certainly wasn’t lying. If Tavros offered, she’d definitely listen to it; granted, she’d probably give her honest opinion, too…

Himiko had no problem moving from one topic to the next, quite chipper to answer Tavros’ question.

“Oh, I was just running some errands!” 

Actually, she was out on a job doing illegal things for her equally illegal partners in (literal) crime. Though, there was no reason to tell Tavros that.

“I remembered that you lived over here, so I thought I would drop by. Do you like living over here? It seems like a fun place.”

you pick up your feet and do a FROG SIT on the couch, turning towards toga. there’s something about the amicable endeavor that softens your nervousness, so you decide to reciprocate the FRIENDITUDE. 

TAVROS: iT IS PRETTY FUN, hAHA, TAVROS: lOTS OF THINGS TO DO, wHEN i’M NOT CONFINING MYSELF TO MY RESPITEBLOCK,  TAVROS: i’M GLAD YOU LIKE IT, TAVROS: tHOUGH, uHH, i DON’T REMEMBER GIVING YOU MY ADDRESS,?

your hand finds its way to the nape of your neck, then remains pinned between that and the couch cushion as you lean back.

⚙ – hahahaha holy shit dude ⚙ – youre pseudofriends with vriska how the fuck did you fall for that

⚙ – and im the dude wearing the most red ⚙ – dare i say duh like a high school girl off of a 2009 teen movie ⚙ – and not to make another john green esque metaphor but i thought itd be as obvious as a fucking high elf at an orc party ⚙ – im sticking out like the sore thumb you jammed in the car door in a poor attempt at multitasking via putting your body into the vehicle but at the same time youre also trying to close the door but your brain stalled at the loading screen like a fucking idiot fool ⚙ – im a fucking elephant in a room full of clowns ⚙ – do you want me to keep going or have you got it

you don’t make a comment about what dave said regarding VRISKA. you fall into silence as per your embarrassment. 

you move up to the guy wearing RED and start doing the dance emote to indicate that that, is yes, YOU!

Really, you have a wild tendency for you to paint your fingernails electric blue. It’s a look, really, and you’re quite proud of your ability to create a full-on look. What heiress exists without some sort of avant-garde fashion statement? No respectable one, that’s who. So, you beam at Tavros’ willingness to do this with you and take a long sip of your drink. 

“O)(, t)(is’ll be so FUN! I feel like I don’t know muc)( about D-EC-ENT movies, so if you want to forcibly betta my taste, I won’t complain!” Laughing makes everything better, so you let out a little giggle and drum your fingers on the table once again.

“P-ERSONALLY, I t)(ink anyfin can look good, but I wonder if silver would look nice? Sort of a metallic tinge in comparison to our skintone.” Sometimes, you’re good at fashion things. “BUT, w)(at’s your absolute FAVORIT—E COLOR? T)(at’s t)(e best place to start, alwaves.” 

feferi’s laughter is met with your own CHARACTERISTIC CHORTLES. most seadwellers tend to laugh snide — it’s odd you remember this fact, having not been around OTHER TROLLS for so long — it’s refreshing to hear feferi’s GENUINENESS in her voice.

TAVROS: mOVIES AND MANICURES THEN,  TAVROS: sOUNDS ROCKINNN, hEHEHE,  TAVROS: uHH, mY FAVORITE COLOR ISN’T REALLY A THING THAT STAYS CONSISTENT, sOOO,  TAVROS: i WOULD BE HAPPY TO CHOOSE THE SILVER,

you continue to examine your own nails in comparison to feferi’s. perhaps you’ll feel a bit more CONFIDENT with this makeover.

Saphir smiled.

And then he started cackling.

“Ahahahahahaha! Tavros, you’re going to adore this!”

This was still a game in-development after all, and Saphirreached over to his computer to open the debug commands. The reveal was onlyone warp away.

“Haven’t you heard of the Great Tavros Tree before?”

The screen was filled with the might candy-corn colored branchesof the Great Tree. His accompanying vegan attendants stood static, little morethan empty shells until Saphir would get around to coming up with sidequests orwhatever it was that was supposed to go in video games.

And then Pink fell through the floor into the endless unrenderedvoid underneath it.

Walls were more of a suggestion than a hard fact, and the groundwas really just a horizontal wall.

“W, well… it’s still in testing, you know.”

you were, at first, somewhat affronted with the idea of your in-game manifestation being JUST A TREE — like an elementary school student seeking the main part in a school play. but you’re SUBVERTED and consequently FLOORED by the GRANDLY RENDERED PILLAR OF NATURE that is meant to represent you. this is not just a tree. this is the god of all trees. you’re a fucking tree god!

of course, when you CLIP THROUGH THE FLOOR, you can’t help but let out a laugh. if you were the one programming this, that would probably happen in every room.

TAVROS: yOU HAVE REALLY BLUSTERED YOURSELF OUT OF THE THALASSIC, iF i DO SAY SO MYSELF,  TAVROS: tHIS IS SO HECKING AWESOME,  TAVROS: i NEVER WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS AT A STORE,

you take another glance at pink floating on the BLACK SCREEN. well, you still aren’t wrong in that aspect.

@sixtwelve

something strange stirs in vriska’s chest when she sees tavros at the other end of the room, and she has half the mind to turn abruptly and pretend she had never seen him at all. the other half remembers the companionable quirk of his lips, all the adventures they’d went on when the game was still fresh and new. how tavros had been a partner and a friend, a victim and a killer, the worst parts of her and –

she frowns. then, she smiles, lopsided and amiable. rudely edging her way through the group of other trolls she’d long given up on interrupting, she calls,

VRISKA: How are you enjoying the living?

your conversation is unceremoniously put to a close, and the troll you were talking to shrugs off. what was once a GRIN becomes a slight smile, and then a frown, opposing vriska’s incessant SIMPER. you haven’t seen her in ages — she’s here, and she’s back, and she’s as terrible as ever.

you were met with this dilemma when you were DEAD — should vriska return, would you try to tell the others who cared? or would you keep your mouth shut?

though the feelings that swell in your stomach at her face are that of apprehension and anger and upset, you can’t help but be HONEST to her. answer her in the same way you always did, even though you didn’t want to. brief. quiet. NON-CONFRONTATIONAL.

SOLLUX: bleep bl00p sure. lets g0 with that. SOLLUX: hi tavr0s. fancy seeing y0u here. half see y0u. SOLLUX: it’s as if we manage t0 get 0ut 0f 0ne mess and land in an0ther. it’s as if the w0rld hates us 0r s0mething.

TAVROS: uHHH, mAYBE THAT’S NOT TRUE,