Chapter Text
The first sensation Eridan felt as he returned to life was a blinding flash of white light, overwhelming his vision and driving all thoughts from his head. He tried to raise his hand to cover his eyes on instinct, only to find himself unable to move. His body was still curled up into itself, suffused with glowing life energy, twitching entirely out of control as he felt himself get forcefully yanked out of the dream bubbles like a clump of seaweed gripped by a riptide. His mind scrabbled for purchase as he felt himself getting dragged along to parts unknown, struggling to process just what it was that was so important for him to remember.
???: Time to wake up, Eridan. Time to wake up, and smell what your failure has wrought.
He blinked blearily, the meager gesture feeling as if it took the same effort that had been required for fighting his denizen. When his eyes opened, the light had faded into a darkly-lit laboratory, faint silhouettes visible through his spotty vision and a transportalizer-like marked surface below him.
Eridan barely had enough time to register the ‘below him’ part of the equation before he started falling.
The next sensation he felt was the ground rushing to meet him, and a sharp pain as he landed hard on his hands and knees, the impact driving the breath from his lungs and gills. With the pain, however, came clarity, his choppy mind finally stilling enough to recall what it was that he’d been trying to cling to.
The Violetblood closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she forced herself to recount all that had happened within the dream bubbles. Her discovery of the Zoologer, their patient guidance as she slowly unlearned sweeps of cultural programming and accepted the horrendous crimes she had committed, their parental smile as she finally accepted who she truly was, their gentle embrace as she had chosen a new name for herself. Minnie Ampora opened her eyes once again, ready to see what this new existence had in store for her, its wondrous opportunities and second chances and-wait was that a chainsaw inches from her face?
Minnie’s eyes slowly traced the length of the whirring white teeth of the blade, a pit growing in her stomach, already having a bad feeling of what she’d find as she looked up to face it’s owner. It was just as she had feared.
Kanaya Maryam was in front of her, eyes blazing with fury and hatred, face snarling as she pulled the chainsaw back in preparation for a single powerful swing. As the blade began to come down towards her, Minnie couldn’t do anything but raise her arms in a futile attempt to deflect it, and hopefully lose ‘just’ a limb or two instead of half her body.
Just before the chainsaw could hit home, however, she felt the sensation of her stomach dropping as the world around her seemed to warp and squeeze, even as something deeply, unsettlingly familiar began pressing down on her brain. Mingled shouting and screams were the last thing she heard before the combined sensations sent her back into unconsciousness.
???: What a fucking mess. Did the others at least make it back to the world of the living without complications?
???: 4S F4R 4S W3 C4N T3LL. ROS3 1S 1NT3RV13W1NG TH3 FOUR OF TH3M NOW TO B3 SUR3, BUT FROM WH4T 1 COULD T3LL, TH3Y 4LL SM3LLED L1K3 HOW 1 R3M3MB3R3D.
???: last i heard from her, they’re all a bit shaken, but managing okay!
???: M34N1NG W3 H4V3 SP4C3 AND T1M3 TO FOCUS ON TH3 CR1M1N4L BR34TH1NG OUR 41R 1N FRONT OF US.
Minnie: ghhhhhhhhh
The seadweller let out a pained groan as she opened her eyes, finding herself in what appeared to be a small, nearly-empty room. Looking forward, she saw the distinct red shades of Terezi Pyrope staring impassively at her, accompanied by two unfamiliar humans. One was male with spiky hair, his expression stoic and unreadable as he hid behind his own pair of shades. The other was a human female with square-rimmed glasses, long dark hair, and buck teeth that became all the more visible when she became the only one in the room to smile at her.
As soon as her eyes flicked open, Terezi immediately tilted her head to stare her down, a cold fanged smirk crossing her features as she stalked forward to carefully poke Minnie’s leg with her cane. She flinched, only realizing as she did that she had been tied securely to a chair, arms and legs bound to keep her from moving an inch.
Terezi: SP34K OF TH3 4NG3L. YOU GONN4 PL4Y N1C3 W1TH US, 3R1D4N? OR 4R3 YOU GO1NG TO M4K3 U5 GO F15H1NG FOR WH4T W3 N33D?
Terezi’s unintentional deadnaming caused her to flinch, as Minnie hastily looked down to try and avoid the tealblood’s eyes. She had just enough time to register that she’d been plunked back in her old cape and scarf on revival and feel the corresponding wave of dysphoria before a set of gray fingers grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up into Terezi’s eyes.
Terezi: 1 4SK3D YOU 4 QU3ST1ON, 3R1D4N.
Minnie: ill play nice fuck
Minnie: just um
Minnie: shit
She took a deep breath, bloodpusher pounding in her chest as she realized that this was probably not a good time to be making any kind of demand, but… she couldn’t stop herself. Every use of her deadname felt like a wound inflicted on her.
Minnie: can you maybe not call me that anymore
Terezi: WH4T YOUR N4M3?
Terezi: N3WSFL4SH YOU MURD3ROUS DOUCH3 TH1S 1SN’T 4 G4M3
Terezi: YOU DONT G3T TO H1D3 B3H1ND WH4T3V3R BOGUS FL4RP P3RSON4 YOU M4D3 UP TO RUN FROM YOUR CRIM3S
Minnie: thats not wwhy im asking rez fuck
Minnie: its just i
Minnie: you see i
Minnie: fuck im a
Minnie felt tears of violet starting to fill her vision as she struggled to get the words out, her breathing reduced to choking, panicked gasps. Was there anything she could say that would make Terezi believe her? Was she going to be stuck just living as Eridan until Terezi or Kanaya or somebody chopped her in half again? What were they going to-
???: let them talk, terezi.
All of a sudden, she felt herself able to breathe again as a warm, soft hand squeezed her shoulder, the bucktoothed human having pushed Terezi to the side in order to rest her hands on her. Her gaze and smile were surprisingly kind as she gazed down at Minnie, silently encouraging her to continue.
Minnie: i
Minnie: i go by minnie noww
Minnie: minnie ampora
The human girl nodded to herself as if she’d had a private suspicion confirmed, giving Minnie’s shoulder a gentle squeeze of support.
Minnie: i just couldnt keep goin under my old name
Minnie: i couldnt
Minnie: i promise i wwasnt askin because i wwanted to put a mask up
Minnie: it isnt that it fucking isnt i dont knoww howw the fuck i can provve it to you but
???: It’s okay, Minnie. I promise it’s okay.
Minnie felt the human girl awkwardly hug her bound form, and it was like a dam broke, her ugly, tearful sobs filling the room as Terezi and the male human were reduced to awkwardly staring at each other from the sidelines.
Terezi: …OH
Terezi: FUCK
???: That’s certainly a word for it. I’m… gonna just leave you and June to it, get the Dos Lalondes updated on this situation. You started these waterworks, you can help clean them up.
Terezi: STR1D3R DON’T YOU FUCKING D4R3 L34V3 M3 1N TH1S 4WK4RD CLUST3RFUCK
???: Sorry, can’t stop, already leaving.
Terezi: YOU’V3 T4K3N TWO ST3PS
???: Too much momentum already, it’s like a personal gravity well dragging me irrevocably to the door.
June simply rolled her eyes at the pair before looking back at Minnie, that same smile on her face. As Minnie looked up at her in turn, blinking her tears away, something faintly recognizable about her smile and eyes finally clicked into place.
Minnie: egbert human? the one vvris and kar wwere obsessed wwith?
June: and circle gets the square!
The human chuckled, reaching up to adjust her glasses as she looked the troll up and down.
June: you can go ahead and call me june though, everyone else does.
Minnie: yeah i um
Minnie: i wwill
Minnie: thanks for believvin me about my name and shit
June: of course, you goof!
June grinned, giving Minnie a good-natured nudge on the shoulder, before reluctantly pulling away from the hug, her expression turning serious.
June: still, we did have a lot more questions other than your name. if terezi apologizes for deadnaming you, would you be willing to answer them?
She punctuated her question with a sudden glare at Terezi, who smirked and raised her middle finger at June before turning to the captive seadweller.
Terezi: Y34H Y34H WH4T3V3R
Terezi: 1’M SORRY FOR TH3 D34DN4M3 THING
Terezi: C4N S33 HOW SOM3 OF THE SH1T 1 SA1D M4YB3 W4SN’T COOL 1N TH4T CONT3XT
Terezi: BUT DON’T TH1NK MY APOLOG1Z1NG M34NS 1’V3 FORGOTT3N WH4T 1’M D34L1NG W1TH
Terezi: MURD3R3R
Minnie: i
Minnie: rez i
Minnie took a deep breath to steady herself, trying her hardest not to burst into tears again. The last thing she wanted to do was come off as even more pathetic than she already had.
Minnie: i get it believve me
Minnie: i knoww i wwas a complete piece of shit
Minnie: and if i could go back and undo it all, all the swweeps of killing lusii and trolls and actin like a creep and killin my friends i wwould
Minnie: youre not gettin any argument from me on that
Terezi: UGH
The tealblood looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, and Minnie had the distinct feeling she was rolling her blind eyes behind her shades.
Terezi: YOU FUCK1NG SUCK YOU KNOW TH4T?
Terezi: 1 H4D 4 WHOL3 TH1NG PL4NN3D WH3R3 W3’D SP4R 4ND 1D G3T TO B3 TH3 B4D4SS PROS3CUT1ON DR4GGING TH1NGS OUT AND RUBB1NG WH4T 4 G4P1NG NOOK YOU W3R3 1NTO YOUR F4C3
Terezi: BUT YOU H4D TO RU1N 1T BY B31NG 4LL WH1NY 4ND 1NTROSP3CT1VE 4ND BOR1NG AND
Terezi: F1ND1NG 4 N3W G3ND3R 1D3NT1TY I GUESS?
Terezi: WH3N TH3 H3LL D1D TH4T 3V3N H4PP3N?
Terezi: L4ST W3 H34RD FROM 4R4D14 YOU’D GON3 OFF ON YOUR OWN 1N TH3 DR34M BUBBL3S TO POUT
Minnie: alright um
Minnie: ill try my best but
Minnie: i wwarn you its all pretty fuckin unbelievvable
June: trust me, minnie. it can’t be any more unbelievable than like, universe frogs and clown cancers and all the other crazy nonsense sburb has thrown at us, right?
Encouraged by her words, and by another warm smile from the human, Minnie began talking through what she remembered, from the moment she’d first found herself stuck back on her old planet, to when she woke up to be faced with her own ancestral counterpart, Zoologer Coolscar themself.
By the time she’d finished her story, June was gazing at her with wide, excited eyes, while Terezi was clearly doing her best to look as stoic and collected as possible, her vice-tight grip on her cane the only sign that Minnie’s tale had rattled her.
June: so you ran into like, your beforus alternate self? that’s so cool! it’s like sliding doors where you got to see a life that could’ve been if just a few things were different!
Minnie looked behind June to Terezi, who dropped her hostility long enough to give the seadweller a baffled shrug, clearly just as confused as she was about what the hell ‘sliding doors’ was and what it had to do with the situation.
Minnie: if you say so i guess
Minnie: i mean they wwere really nice to me so im glad i met them
Minnie: if it wwasnt for them id still be actin like my old self wwhile gettin torn apart by angels so
Terezi: H3Y N3RD 4ND CR1M1N4L 1 TH1NK YOU TWO 4R3 M1SS1NG TH3 TWO R34L QU3ST1ONS TH4T STORY R41S3S
Minnie: wwhat do you mean
Terezi gave the ceiling another ‘ancestor give me strength’ look before replying, clearly infuriated by her captive’s obtuseness. Her fingers loosened their grip on her cane, sticking out one by one as she listed each question.
Terezi: F1RST OF 4LL HOW W4S TH1S GOOD 4MPOR4 3V3N TH3R3
Terezi: 4S F4R 4S 1 KN3W TH3 DR34M BUBBL3S W3R3 M34NT TO HOLD TH3 GHOSTS OF 3V3RYON3 WHO D13D IN TH3 G4M3
Terezi: GOOD 4MPOR4 H4V1NG PR3SUM4BLY D13D ON B3FORUS SHOULDNT B3 TH3R3
Terezi: 4ND SP34K1NG OF THOS3 WHO SHOULDNT B3 H3R3
Terezi: HOW TH3 FUCK D1D YOU H1J4CK OUR R3V1V4L S3QU3NCE?
Minnie: revvivval sequence?
Terezi: DON’T PL4Y TH3 1D1OT ON M3 3R-FUCK, M1NN13
Terezi: 1 KNOW HOW STUP1D YOU 4R3 4LR34DY 1T WONT S4V3 YOU F4C3 H3R3
Terezi: W3 PL4NN3D 1T V3RY SP3C1F1C4LLY
Terezi: FOUR D34D FR13NDS, FOUR R3V1V4LS
Terezi: 4 F1FTH R3V1V4L SHOULD NOT H4V3 H4PP3N3D
The seadweller’s eyes widened as the implications of that sank in like a depth charge.
Minnie: you all wwere goin to just leavve me dead?
Terezi: YOU W3R3 A MURD3R3R 4ND 4 CR33P
Terezi: 4ND FROM HOW 4R4D14 D3SCR1B3D 1T W3 H4D NO 3V1D3NC3 OR R34SON TO B3L13V3 YOU H4D S3R1OUSLY CH4NG3D
Terezi: SO THE GROUP H3LD 4 VOT3 4ND 1T W4S 4GR33D TO R3V1V3 LE1JON N1TR4M Z4HH4K 4ND P31X3S 4ND L34V3 YOU B3H1ND
Terezi: NO OFF3NS3
She… really, really wanted to argue with that, but anytime a defense came into her head she just remembered the Zoologer, and the looks of pitying disappointment on their face whenever she tried to justify any of the shit she’d gotten up to in life. In the end, she just let out a quiet sigh, defeat clear on her face.
Minnie: wwell i can tell you i wwas completely blindsided by the fact i wwas revvivved at all
Minnie: i figured it wwas just you all bein charitable to me but
Minnie: it bein an accident makes just as much sense
Minnie: afraid to say i dont have any idea wwhy i wwas brought along wwith the others though rez
Minnie: your guess is as good as mine
Terezi: HMMMMMM
The tealblood suddenly leaned in, getting way too close to Minnie’s face for comfort as she took a deep sniff before nodding.
Terezi: W3LL YOU DONT SM3LL L1KE YOUR3 LY1NG
Terezi: 1 TH1NK 1 B3L13V3 YOU
Terezi: FOR NOW
Terezi: DO3S L34V3 US W1THOUT 4N 4NSW3R THOUGH
Terezi: 4ND 4 W4RM BODY W3 N33D TO F1GUR3 OUT WH4T TO DO W1TH
Terezi: DONT SUPPOS3 W3 COULD JUST
Terezi: YOU KNOW
The tealblood drew one finger across her throat. June gave Terezi a scandalized look, hastily yanking the troll away from Minnie with a small gust of wind.
June: don’t even joke about that terezi!
Terezi: JOK1NG
Terezi: Y3S OF COURS3
Terezi: TH4T W4S 4BSOLUT3LY THE TH1NG 1 W4S DO1NG
June: uh-huh.
June: anyways, i think i have an idea, maybe? but we’ll need to run it by the rest of the group first. c’mon!
Minnie: wwait youre just leavving
Minnie: dont i get some input on wwhat this idea is
Before Minnie could get another word in, June had excitedly grabbed the tealblood by the hand, practically floating in the air as she led her out of the room! The seadweller let out a defeated sigh.
Minnie: guess not
Minnie: fair enough givven the
Minnie: i suppose evverythin
Her eyes travelled back down to the floor, wriggling uncomfortably in her bindings as she hoped against boat she wasn’t kept waiting tied to this chair for too long.
During her time on the meteor, as the timer’s inexorable march towards doom ticked inexorably downward, Minnie had gotten good at counting the seconds, minutes, and hours. She assumed all of the others had as well, but then, perhaps her baggage had left her feeling more hopeless and fixated on the clock hanging over their heads than her former friends.
All this to say that she was very cognizant of the fact that she’d been left tied up in this chair for two hours, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds, and counting. Without any water, answers, or things to occupy herself with other than twisting and writhing in her chair, testing the rope used to strap her down. The material was cheap and shoddy, nothing like what she’d had on her old FLARP seagrifter days, but whoever had tied it had known their knots well. No amount of struggling would let her achieve anything but rope burn at best and tipping herself over onto the floor still tied up at worst.
She was just about to try going for one of those two outcomes anyways out of sheer boredom when she felt that same stomach-churning sense of space warping around her once again, a flash of bright green light overwhelming her senses and momentarily blinding her.
When the light faded, Minnie found that she was now back in what appeared to be the old server room she and the others had messaged the humans in what felt like an eternity ago. June and Terezi were both present, as were Jade, Vriska, a strange young man who resembled a cross between the Rose human and Dave human, and… was that a green doll-skeleton in a suit? Were they going to feed her to that thing or something to execute her!?
Upon noticing her staring, the skeletal figure gave Minnie a cheerful wave and bright smile, something that singularly failed to make her feel any better.
Jade: alright i got them moved here now can i go??? i dont wanna give this creep any chances to talk to me
Vriska: Yeah, we got it from here, J8de. Don’t you worry your little doggy head a8out it!!!!!!!!
Jade simply rolled her eyes at that, making sure to give Minnie a stern glare before stalking out of the room. Vriska, for her part, simply let a wolfish smirk of her own cross her features as she pulled out a chair to sit down, folding her arms over the top of it as she looked Minnie up and down.
Vriska: So, Minnie, is it? Interesting new name you picked out for yourself, Ampora.
Vriska: Not that I’m saying it’s a 8ad one. It’s got nothing on my name, o8viously, 8ut then what name can compete with this?
She let out a low contralto chuckle, leaning forward.
Vriska: Now Minnie, there was a lot of talking among our motley crew a8out what to do with you, let’s not pretend there wasn’t.
Vriska: Some of them wanted to just throw your ass in a jail cell to rot for what you did in the past. Kanaya made some very specific threats a8out where she’d stick her ch8nsaw, though I’m like… 80% sure she was joking. Pro8a8ly.
Vriska looked back to June for backup, who hovered her hand in the universal gesture of ‘eh, 50/50’. She shrugged before turning back to Minnie.
Vriska: It’s all good though, those of us here-
Terezi: L34V3 M3 OUT OF TH1S BON3H34D3D D3C1S1ON
Vriska: -four out of the five of us here 8acked you up, said that even if you showing up wasn’t the plan you deserved the same second chance at life the rest of us got.
Vriska: 8ut there’s gonna 8e some ground rules for that, understood?
Minnie nodded silently at that, hoping her nervous trepidation wasn’t too transparent. It felt… very, very unsettling listening to a Vriska who was seemingly trying to be nice and diplomatic with her. She couldn’t help but feel like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Vriska: First, you’re not going anywhere on your own. June, Roxy, and Calliope very generously agreed to 8e your rooommates-
Terezi: YOUR P4ROL3 OFF1C3RS, 1N HUM4N L3G4L SYST3M T3RMS.
Vriska: You’ll 8e staying with them. You don’t go anywhere outside their hive without one of them supervising you, and they’ll 8e letting Terezi and the others know how you’ve 8een acting. Anything you do that makes them feel unsafe or like you’re going 8ack to old ha8its and they’ll make sure you’re punished for it. Is that clear?
The seadweller nodded again at that. It felt… humiliating, the thought of someone constantly having to follow her around like she was a wriggler being tailed by her lusus, but she couldn’t think of any logical reason to argue against it, and June at least had been nice enough.
That tepid response seemed to excite the Rose/Dave human and skeleton, though, as the pair grinned and high-fived each other.
???: yo fuck yea new roomie callie
???: and another trans babe too
???: wait shit
The human man’s grin turned sheepish as he looked towards Minnie, who had gone from resigned nodding to tilting her head in confusion at the sight of the duo’s behavior.
???: youre a cool ass lady right
???: she her pronouns and all that jazz???
???: sorry was just like assuming from the name
Minnie blinked at the strange reply, unsure what to make of this strange new person. After a few seconds, she belatedly realized it was probably a very bad idea to piss off one of her future ‘P4ROL3 OFF1C3RS’ and quickly opened her mouth to reply.
Minnie: yeah im a girl
Minnie: wwhat about you and your um
Minnie: your uh
Minnie: your calliope
For a moment, she was terrified she’d botched things, already started things off on the wrong foot, but after a moment’s pause the green skeleton, Calliope, had burst into laughter, letting out a peal of surprisingly melodious giggles that were quickly joined by the man’s huskier chuckle. Minnie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Calliope: i hadn’t realized yoU had a sense of hUmoUr! that shall make the time pass considerably more enjoyably than i had anticipated.
Calliope: anyhow, to answer yoUr qUestion, i am still Undecided as to how to view gender, and am tentatively going with she/they pronoUns. as for my, well, oUr, roxy, well…
Roxy: i got this babe dont worry
Roxy: ive been vibing with the whole he him thing lately
Roxy: so just consider me the token boy of the roomie sitch lol
Minnie gave a hesitant nod. This all still felt rather uncertain but… any fate she could walk into because she wasn’t being executed or imprisoned was better than what she’d been anticipating five minutes ago. Just as Roxy was starting to go around back to untie her bonds, however, she heard the sound of June clearing her throat.
June: well, ah… as much as i’m looking forward to getting you settled in minnie, there was one other thing we had to go over.
Roxy: ahhhhh shit right sry forgot
Roxy: you wanna handle it or should i?
Terezi: 4LLOW M3
Terezi: 1T WOULD B3 B3ST 1F SH3 D1DNT 4SSOC14T3 B4D N3WS W1TH YOU FOUR
Minnie: bad newws?
Terezi: YOUR F1N4L COND1T1ON OF R3L34S3
Terezi: 4S YOU S4W YOUR UN3XP3CT3D R3V1V4L C4US3D D1STR3SS TO S3V3R4L OF OUR FR13NDS
Terezi: ON 4CCOUNT OF 4LL TH3 4WFUL STUFF YOU D1D
Terezi: TO M4K3 SUR3 TH31R D1SCOMFORT DUR1NG YOUR R3H4B1L1T4T1ON 1S M1N1M1Z3D A NO CONT4CT L1ST H4S B33N M4D3
Terezi: S3RK3T 1S GO1NG TO HOLD 4 L1ST OF N4M3S UP FOR YOU
Terezi: 3V3RYON3 ON TH4T L1ST, YOU 4R3 NOT TO 1N1T14T3 CONT4CT W1TH
Terezi: NO M3SS4G3S NO WR1TT3N L3TT3RS NO M33T1NG 1N P3RSON
Terezi: 4ND 4NYT1M3 YOU W4NT TO GO SOM3WH3RE TH3Y M1GHT B3 YOU W1LL 4SK S3RK3T 3GB3RT L4LOND3 OR C4LL1OP3 TO M4K3 SUR3 NON3 OF TH3M 4R3 TH3R3 F1RST
Terezi: DO YOU 4CC3PT TH1S?
Minnie: yeah i figured somethin like that wwould come up i get it
Minnie: just finish untyin me rox please and ill read it on my owwn no need for vris to hold it for me
She was being honest, too. With how she’d left things off in the game, all the bridges she’d burned, of course there would be plenty of people and trolls who didn’t want to speak with her, and so, when her aching arms had finally been released from their bonds and she had the chance to begin slowly scrolling through the list while Roxy worked on untying her legs, she couldn’t bring herself to work up more than a faint bitter pang as she read each name.
Rose, Kanaya, Sollux, Feferi. Those she’d known would be there before she even looked, and she couldn’t blame them. Even if she’d had the option she had no idea what she’d even say to them.
Jade, Nepeta, Equius. Those were scarcely less surprising, she could handle not talking to any of them.
Dave, Jasprosesprite. Now those two were mysteries to her. She had no idea who the hell “Jasprosesprite” even was, other than presumably some sprited version of Rose, and Dave she’d barely done more than monitor. Still, as baffling as it was, those were burnt bridges she couldn’t bring herself to feel much for.
Karkat.
Minnie blinked in confusion at that, eyes widening slightly as she leaned in to make sure she’d read it right, but the words on the screen didn’t lie. Karkat Vantas had added his name to the list of people who she was to under no circumstances reach out to.
Minnie: …fuck
Minnie: i really did fuck up bad didnt i
Minnie: i mean i kneww i did but
She hadn’t realized she’d started crying again until June pulled her up from the chair and into a tight hug, Roxy and Calliope soon joining from behind and the side. Terezi, either out of a sense tact, awkwardness, or both, decided to quietly slink out of the room and report her work as done.
June: you two were close then?
Minnie: …wwe wwere yeah
Minnie: or id like to think wwe wwere anywways
Minnie: i mostly just flirted wwith him and acted like a feelings mooch like i did wwith evveryone else
Minnie: but he wwas still there for me a lot evven wwhen i didnt deservve it
Minnie: and noww its like
Minnie: givven howw much shit wwe alwways gavve each other knowwin i fucked up and wwas awwful enough for him to cut me off just really made it hit home all ovver again howw far i fell
Roxy: rock bottom huh mins?
Roxy: been there bfore so i get it
Roxy: i know it feels like dirt right now but for what its worth
Roxy: it will get better even if it really doesnt feel like it right now
Calliope: roxy is right, minnie! i don’t wish to downplay how distressing this is for yoU, bUt regardless of the reasons for it, yoU have gotten a new chance at life.
Calliope: yoU have an opportUnity now to tUrn things aroUnd again, even if what yoU lost before will continUe hUrting.
June: yeah! and we’re all happy to help you through it as long as you’re serious about doing better, okay? i promise your past isn’t going to scare any of us off.
Minnie took a deep breath, managing a weak, watery smile at the small group as she reached up to wipe the violet from her cheeks. She still couldn’t really bring herself to believe what they were saying, but… the thought of disagreeing with them, of putting herself down even further, but the specter of burning bridges with these last few people, of being truly alone with nothing but the memories of her Beforan counterpart, spooked her into forcing a nod. Maybe if she faked it enough, she could make it?
Minnie: so wwhat do wwe do from here then
June: well… i was thinking the four of us could take you back to my, roxy, and callie’s place? get you settled in and then give you your first sleepover as a girl!
Minnie had no gog-damned idea what the fuck a sleepover was or what it had to do with being a girl, but the way June’s eyes had lit up at the suggestion couldn’t help but make the idea feel strangely appealing for some reason. Going by how Roxy was looking at June like she’d hung the moons in the sky, it was clear she wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
Minnie: alright then
Minnie: just lead the wway on doin that and ill followw the best i can
Minnie: and stuff
Roxy: cmon girl you gotta say that shit with your chest
Minnie: shit i mean
Minnie: thanks june i bet this is gonna be great
Roxy: thats more like it
Roxy chuckled and gave Minnie a clap on the shoulder before walking off with Calliope, June and Vriska following close behind. The seadweller, after a moment of uncertain milling, went to follow as well. For better or worse, she’d been thrust back into living a life, all she could do now was try to play the hand she was dealt the best she could.