Chapter Text
A light slap snapped across his face. Tavros Nitram, Three Sweeps Old, spluttered, vision blurry... right before another slap struck him across the face. "Oowww!"
Wincing, his eyes snapped open, taking in the surprised look of a Blueblooded Troll girl, one eye having seven pupils and both eyes wide with surprise, staring down at him, a wide smile forming across her face. "You're awake!!"
Tavros smiled tentatively, even as his eyes flicked around the room for Tinkerbull, who had been accompanying him on his walk. Maybe this girl was nice...? Aaaannnddd she slapped him across the face again. "Ow!! Um, why are you doing that? It hurts!!"
The girl scoffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder like the popular girls he sometimes saw on TV sitcoms did (they were usually closer to adults, though, or he thought they were at least). "Well I had to make sure you were awake somehow! Seriously, are you suuuuuuuure you're awake? Not gonna pass out like a wiggler again?"
"Um, I'm not a wiggler, but yeah, I'm, I'm awake." Tavros mumbled, pulling himself to his feet, testing his legs with a few crouches. Ahh legs, what would he do without these babies? Stretching his arms a few times, he turned to face the smirking girl. She was... pretty. It made him blush and fidget. "Um, my name's Tavros. Have you seen my um, Lusus, Tinkerbull? And also know what I'm doing here...?"
"The name is Vriska Serket, not that you asked." The girl, Vriska, sniffed and suddenly made Tavros feel very self-conscious about his own rudeness. She placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward to sneer at him. "And your Lusus is currently making me something to eat as reparations for the two of you trespassing in my Hive! Really, I should feed you to my Lusus for such rudeness, you should really thank me for being so forgiving!"
A bolt of alarm shot through Tavros' back. "I was trespassing!? Oh, um, I'm so very sorry, I don't know what came over me. You, um, you really have a lovely Hive. But I don't know why I'd try to, um, break in. And what was that about feeding me to your Lusus...?"
"You don't have to lie, my Hive is dumpy." Vriska pouted, averting her gaze even as she seized Tavros by the arm, dragging the startled Brownblood to the food preparation area, where a familiar Taurosect, one with a Fairy like body and a prominent bull's head, frantically fluttered around, evidently preparing something. "However, I do accept your apology. Honestly, how you even managed to get from whatever Hive you're from to my canyon lair, I'll never figure out. But your here, so you might as well have something to eat before you beat it."
"W-Well thank you! That's, um, actually pretty nice of you, you really didn't have to." Tavros smiled tentatively, taking the fresh plate of grub pasta Tinkerbull had whipped up gratefully. He blinked in surprise as Vriska immediately began wolfing down the plate Tinkerbull hesitantly had passed to her; it was like she'd never had a homemade meal before! "B-But I really, um, don't feel comfortable just taking your food and then leaving after I, um, broke in for whatever reason. It feels kind of mean. Is there something I can do to, you know, make it up to you...?"
Vriska's face screwed up, impalement implement seconds from bringing the heavenly ambrosia that Tinkerbull had prepared to her mouth, and Tavros winced, bracing for a reprimand... only for her to relax, shrugging. "I mean, if you want. It... does get kind of boring around here sometimes; the only person around for company is that jerk Equius on the other side of the Canyon, and he is SOOOOOOOO booooooooring! Tell ya what, if you can somehow manage to safely find your way back here AND bring something not boring to do, we'll call us even. Sound good?"
"Y-yeah, I can totally do that! Um, I know lots of fun games to try out...?" Tavros beamed, only to wince as Vriska dug a finger into his rib plates. "Eh heh heh, ow."
"Don't get a big head. Just take your Lusus and go. It was... nice having you here, I guess. See ya never." Vriska replied bluntly, ignoring the furious whoops of protest from Tinkerbull as she'd stalked off to the remaining grub pasta, carefully storing it away for later.
"Well, that's... bye then, I guess? I'll see you later." Tavros replied, hesitantly waving goodbye even as Vriska remained turned away from him. He still had no idea why he'd come here, and wished that he could talk to Tinkerbull properly so he could tell him... but that didn't matter at the moment. He had some games to prepare! Maybe he could see if Vriska would like Fiduspawn? He'd just gotten some, and it felt like it would be a blast to have someone to play with!
...
As the Bronzeblood she had unwittingly lured to her Hive left, Vriska finally allowed the tension she'd been holding in to drop, relaxing. As she placed the delicious ambrosia that the Lusus had made, and how fair was that, HE had a Lusus that would make meals for him instead of expecting him to provide for himself AND for it, in her cold storage unit, she stared down at her bloody hands.
They were perfectly clean of course. She'd spent HOURS scrubbing off the yellow smears while the Bronzeblood- while TAVROS had been asleep. That didn't stop the visions dancing in her mind, of yellow-colored blood spilling into her hands as her Lusus chomped down on the Goldblood she had lured to her earlier. The fear and terror in their eyes as she desperately reached out to Vriska, hoping for safety, only to be kicked back into spidermom's waiting maw.
She hadn't expected to come up from the feeding zone to find a new Troll, one with their Lusus with them, waiting for her, dead on their feet and bordering on unconscious, the familiar glazed expression of one of her lured victims on his dumb, sleepy smile. The Lusus had stared at her bloody form in horror, and the silent judgment had caused her to run for the refreshment center, desperately trying to cleanse herself of the taint now covering her.
She hadn't know what to do. The answer should've been simple, really; a new Troll, obviously too tired to fight back and a Lusus far too weak to stop her? Getting spidermom a second helping would've been child's play. It would've been the practical answer.
But she hadn't; instead, she had guided Tavros over to her 'couch' as Equius insisted she call it, and laid him down. Because she didn't want to kill again... not so soon after having lured another victim to their doom. The Lusus having commandeered her food preparation station had been a surprise, but not a bad one; perhaps it was gratitude, perhaps it was a bribe. Regardless, the ambrosia made her impulsive act of weakness all worth it. She'd have to savor it; she never knew when she'd get another chance at such a wonderful meal again.
Really, it was stupid of her. She'd likely never see his dumb, dopey smile again. And if he were stupid enough to come, he'd likely get lost or fall or something and end up in spidermom's belly regardless. So it was best to just forget him. Someone that weak and delicate didn't need to taint themselves with a killer like her. He'd be dead soon anyway; no use wasting more time thinking about him. Best to just move on... and prepare for her Lusus' next feeding.
Even if she was sure that her hands were still covered in blood.