Vriska: Wonder what the hell's going on

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

Who: Vriska and OPEN
Where: The mansion and Alternia (please specify in comments)
When: Early Monday
Rating: PG-13 for now?
Summary: Vriska chooses a fine time to show up in Wonderland.
The Story:

A
[Vriska wakes up outside in the snow, close to the rift. She looks confused and more than a little pissed. Whatever happened just before she got here, it obviously wasn't good. As she stands, she seems to be casting about for...well, it's hard to tell but she's obviously after something. And she'll probably figure out the way to the rift from watching others - none of whom she really recognises, as far as she can tell - make their way there]

B
[Once she finds the rift, she'll venture into the warped version of Alternia. To begin with, this is a relief to her - somewhere she recognises, which means it must be a memory of someone she knows. Though she's not sure why it's winter, exactly, or why she can't seem to find anyone but hey, no Spidermom to feed so she'll just explore for now. Any other Alternians or their visitors feel free to find her]

Comments

[turn4bout.livejournal.com]

It's Alteria, far from Terezi's forest. Sharp, craggy cliffs are highlighted by the red sky, and there's a cold breeze in the air. Terezi burrows into her red coat for warmth. It's surprisingly nostalgic being back on Alternia, in a way that encourages her to explore.

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

Vriska notices the red coat first. In the expanse of cold emptiness, the bright flash of movement is an obvious beacon for her attention. Finally she was going to find out just whose ridiculous memory she was in.

She flies behind the figure, soon closing the distance and of fucking course it's Pyrope. The red had thrown her off but there's no mistaking those horns. Which makes Vriska all the more determined to keep following and find out what the hell she thinks she's playing at.

[turn4bout.livejournal.com]

Terezi's trying to place the location, figure out when she'd been here before. She knows she has, but...

There's the sweet scent of blueberry in the air. Blueberries and a sugary fairytrail. Which is completely ridiculous, because everyone had been reporting that these worlds were empty. Maybe it had to do with why she was in this corner of Alternia?

She had been here with Vriska once, Terezi suddenly remembered. They had cornered some greenbloods while FLARPing. It had been a long chase, but this is where they inevitably surrendered. It hadn't been cold that day, though.

That scent was still there. Her scent. Vriska's. Terezi turns, catches a whiff of cantaloupe and blueberry and surprise (her own).

"Vriska? What the fuck?"

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

"I could ask you the same question."

Vriska lands in front of her, arms folded and clear distaste in her expression.

"That mansion-place your memory too? What, you didn't already get what you wanted by stabbing me in the back, you have to hunt me down through the bubbles as well? Fuck, I just can't catch a break with you, can I?"

Never mind that to be here herself, Terezi would have to be asleep or dead and Vriska sort-of can't help but hope it's the latter because then they're either on equal footing or they can move past whatever it was that got them fighting in the first place and go back to being a team. And that's not even the biggest flaw in her argument but right now, Vriska just doesn't care.

[turn4bout.livejournal.com]

Two main points of information in Vriska's words: 1) she's dead (Terezi killed her, she actually went through with it, Kanaya told her as much, but...), 2) Vriska's got no idea what's going on (Terezi doesn't either). But if she's seen the Mansion, then...

"This isn't a dream bubble," she holds one hand up, palm facing Vriska-- a sign of nonviolence. She's got a tight grip on her cane with the other hand, though.

"And I'm not hunting you down," she adds for good measure. You can probably hear the implied eye roll in her voice.

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

"Oh really? Cause it's funny how I die and I still can't get away from you and your freakish red obsession."

She knows she shouldn't be doing this. She knows there's probably more to be gained from putting her feelings aside to figure out what's going on. But Vriska never has been good at keeping her emotions in check and death's a pretty good reason for the dramatics.

"Anyway, if it's not a bubble then where are we? Other than Alternia because I can figure that for myself except for the part where it got destroyed already."

[turn4bout.livejournal.com]

"It's called Wonderland. I've got no fucking clue why we're in Alternia right now, but that mansion-hive? That's the real world."

She pauses, wondering if she should continue. Whether or not she should tell Vriska about crazy timeline issues, that Terezi hasn't killed her yet, that they're safe and alive here, that Jack isn't here or--

"I've been here for half a sweep." That's all she'll say for now. Terezi can't ascertain whether or not the Vriska standing before her is even real. And if she is real... She'll find out about that shit sooner or later, and not from Terezi.

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

"Wonderland? Wow, it's like if they let the toreadork name his own land and he made everything suck. Fuck, maybe that's what's going on. This is all part of his terrible plan of revenge, to...I don't even know. Or care, because whatever it is, it's probably lame."

She's not sure what's more prevalent: the want for this not to be real because it doesn't make sense, or for it not to be real just because it's Terezi telling her it is. Given that she'd already seen some of the other residents it seemed likely that it was true, but trusting anything Terezi said right now was impossible. Or at least, she was refusing to trust her, whatever it was she actually felt.

Wasn't all this supposed to stop if she was dead for good?

"And that's bullshit. How would you be anywhere half a sweep without someone noticing that you hadn't stopped by to slobber over their cheek in a while?"

[turn4bout.livejournal.com]

"Calm the fuck down, wow. It's not some crazy revenge scheme. It's done." She pauses before adding, "We're done." It's a lie, Terezi's not done back in the Veil, but here, she's done and tired and she is just fucking SICK of killing and death and BULLSHIT--

Breathe.

"Time doesn't work how it should here. The humans have been here a long time, too. Same with a few other trolls, alive—“ She points to herself,” --and dead." She points to Vriska and quirks her lips in a sardonic grin.

“Tavros was here, too. He might show up again. It'll be interesting to see if he wants the revenge you're accusing him of.”

[battleaxebass.livejournal.com]

[Marceline is out in the snow for a little bit, because even she can get into the holiday spirit. She's wearing a ridiculous Christmas sweater and a very broad-brimmed hat to protect her from the sun.]

[Who's this though? A fairy? She hasn't seen any fairies since she got here. She floats over to satisfy her curiosity, looking a bit like a hornless troll with her grey skin and fangs.]

Hey! You laying around in the cold on purpose?

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[Vriska's head snaps up; all she takes in is the grey skin and immediately assumes it has to be a troll]

Oh yes. We're known for spending our time face-down in this white stuff after we're stabbed in the back. This is absolutely what I want to be doing right now.

[All with barely-contained scorn]

[battleaxebass.livejournal.com]

[Marceline cackles.]

Haha! Chill out dude, the snow's not so bad. What's this about backstabbing? You look a-ok to me.

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[Vriska pulls herself to her feet, instinctively glancing down as she put a hand to her chest, right where there should have been a stab wound.]

Okay, what gives? I get killed, actually killed, and I don't even get anything to show for it?!

[Or, okay, to hold over Terezi's head in the unlikely event that they run into each other. Same thing, right?]

[battleaxebass.livejournal.com]

What, so you're grey normally?

[Then she notices Vriska's horns.]

Ooooh, you're one of those "troll" guys. What're the wings for? You pretending to be a pixie?

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[Scowl. This grey thing is not doing much to help Vriska's mood]

Well spotted. And the wings are a symbol of the fact that I reached God Tier, unlike those other wigglers, so no mocking them.

[And now, looking more closely]

What are you, anyway?

[battleaxebass.livejournal.com]

God Teir. Okay.

[You have no idea how little that means to her.]

I'm a vampire. I'm grey because I'm undead.

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[And boy does that bug Vriska]

Okay? That's all you have to say about it? I'm pretty much immortal and I have all of the luck. All of it. That's just a little more than okay.

[Except for the part where she woke up dead but ssh!]

Undead? You mean like a rainbow drinker? No, you can't be, you don't even glow.

[hamburellakind.livejournal.com]

[John's been debating heading back to the rip to explore his (probably deserted) home for a while now, and gosh darn it, he's not getting anywhere sitting inside, that's for sure. He's just heading out to at least take another look in when he spots a troll in the snow.]

Hey! Are you okay? Do trolls even like the cold? Wait, are you cold-blooded? Don't snakes die if it's cold? Oh gosh, we should get you inside!

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[First thing that Vriska thinks is that this is obviously someone familiar with trolls. Before she looks up, she has to conclude that it is a troll, although fuck knows which one.

Then she looks up and suddenly oh fuck it's John. The kid she was in the middle of asking out when Terezi found her and killed her. She has way, way, waaaaaaaay too many feelings about this but finding words is difficult right now.]

John? What the fuck are you doing here?

[hamburellakind.livejournal.com]

[Oh! This one knows him!]

Uh, I've been here a while! It's kind of complicated! We should go inside to talk about it, just in case.

[John goes over and extends a hand to help her up. It's at this point that he recognizes the God Tier jammies. The ones in the same colors as Rose's.]

Shit, Vriska? Is that you?

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[She allows him to help her up, trying not to think how this was very much not how she wanted their first meeting to go.]

Finally caught on I see. I'm almost offended you didn't figure it out sooner.

[Even though he had no idea of what she looked like before now, but since when was Vriska above issuing an impossible challenge?]

[hamburellakind.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I just, there's a lot of trolls and-- and I mean, last time you were here we hardly hung out!

[Er.]

Um, assuming you remember that?

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

[You can take that frown as a no, John, but just in case]

I would think I would remember if we'd met before. And I'd hope you'd know me from the others even if there were eight hundred of us.

[hamburellakind.livejournal.com]

Hey, come on! Snow isn't exactly the expected habitat for your average troll, okay? I was blinded by my concern or something.

[He frowns at her not remembering, though.]

Lame. I guess if you leave for long enough you don't remember this place. Has anybody talked to you about it yet?

[vision-8fold.livejournal.com]

Well okay, that's true. [Said very reluctantly] But still! Next time I expect you to know better.

[Not like she's really going to hold it against him, but she expects her protégées to be competent]

Not really. Which means you get to tell me, preferably somewhere other than out in this stupid cold stuff.