milliways_bar | (no subject)

Ysalwen is more "in the bar" than "in the rafters", seated at a table with several scrolls and maps, her alchemized tablet-book, and a platter of food.

Liranan, at her feet, is also more "in the bar", but he can smell things from in the rafters, which is why he looks up after a few minutes and barks. Twice.

Ysa! Ysa, there are people up there!

More or less automatically, Nepeta bristles at the barking. Shoosh, noisy dog!

"Liranan, wha -- "

Ysa follows his gaze, looking up at the rafters, brow furrowing as she searches the shadows.

"Hello?"

Liranan stops barking as soon as he is sure Ysa's attention is focused on the correct thing. It is like shooshing! But probably not the kind Nepeta meant.

Nepeta sighs. Busted.

(Which isn't to say that she couldn't easily slip away again and avoid detection by the woman, if not by the dog ... but she's just not feeling it tonight.)

She flops down from the rafter, landing on the back of a booth opposite Ysa's table.

"Hi."

"Oh!"

Ysa deliberately keeps her hands on her tablet, reaching neither for her staff nor her blade.

She also nudges Liranan with her foot, signaling him to stay relaxed, as well.

"Nepeta, wasn't it? Slayer of ice spiders, and also Karkat's friend, and Dave's? Hello."

She brightens a little -- and then droops a little as Dave's name comes up, but rallies to be friendly anyway.

"Yes. I remembpurr you, your name's ... Yhissalwen? And Liranyan."

The dog gets a slightly more cheerful wave.

Liranan yips, tail wagging.

Hello, saver of Alistair! And Chuck!

"Ysalwen, yes. And Liranyan."

What? Ysa doesn't even know she just did that. Words are tricksy.

"You've been well, I hope? I -- "

She didn't miss the drooping, but it's not really her place to pry.

"I'm okay," she says, but not with any particular emphasis.

"But Dave's gone."

"He went back?"

That -- really doesn't sound like Dave. Except --

"Or did someone come here and take him?"

Could someone take him? He flies, and travels through time, and --

Well, he's also a sixteen year old, so all things are possible.

"Did they try for you and the rest as well?"

Liranan's hackles go up.

"Nobody came. He just ... he didn't want to go, but the ... he said it was the doomed timeline. Wrapping up."

She slides down from the back of the booth to sit in a little curled-up huddle on the seat.

"And he just disappurred."

There is a moment where crackling, icy-cold air fills the space around Ysalwen.

The scent of ozone hangs heavy in the air.

It passes.

"So many dead Daves. He said, but I didn't -- "

Even knowing he was one of them, she didn't think he would --

"Are you all right, Nepeta?"

Liranan whines a little, whuffling and looking between his elf and the troll-cat-person. Is she scared of him like Dave and Karkat? Can he lick her face and make her feel better? This is hard!

She doesn't smell scared, if Liranan can tell; just tired and sad.

"I still n33d to tell Karkat."

"Do you -- "

No, they don't know each other well enough for any discussion of hugs, or even a comforting shoulder-clasp.

But Liranan takes his cue -- spurred on by the lack of fear-smell -- and heaves himself to his feet, sticking his nose against Nepeta's arm and whining a little. Quietly.

(Ysa will cry on him later. He knows that. Now is too public.)

"Do you want company while you wait? Or -- look for him, I suppose. Or -- "

Gingerly, she pats the dog's head.

Very small: "Compurrny would be nice."

Liranan leans into the patting, tongue lolling for a second before he tucks it away. Maybe she will think it means he is hungry! He is not hungry! He does not eat people!

"I think so, too," Ysa says, very quietly.

"It's -- hard. To lose -- "

"I hate losing people," she says with sudden vehemence.

"And it k33ps happurrning."

Liranan, very daring, licks Nepeta's hand, then recollects himself and whines a little. It's like an apology. (Sadness makes him sad! He is supposed to fix it!)

"It does," Ysa says quietly, looking very fixedly at her hands for a long moment.

"I'm still not resigned. Sometimes it feels like the only way I can fight, just not accepting the inevitable, but -- well. I've found it does help. A little."

A quiet exhale.

"Eventually."

Edited 2016-09-01 13:28 (UTC)

The trouble is that the inevitable doesn't care if you accept it or not.

Nepeta slides to the floor, and leans against Liranan's side. He's no Pounce, but he's big and warm and furry and concerned, and he'll do.

Liranan is an excellent dog-shaped person to lean on. He is very used to it. Which is to say he leans back, giving Nepeta enough of a counterpush to let her rest as much of her weight on him as she likes, without them toppling over.

After a moment of consideration, Ysalwen joins them on the floor, bracketing Nepeta on her other side.

"I'm sorry."

Sometimes just having somebody exist in your vicinity is the main thing you need for comfort, and sometimes it's the only thing that will help.

But Nepeta was raised by a cat, and if a cat wants to comfort you, there will pretty much always be a tactile element.

She shifts further, leaning her head and shoulder against the dog's side and curling her legs up against Ysalwen's knees, and lets out a mournful sigh.

And maybe feels a little better.

Ysalwen will, after a moment of waiting to make sure Nepeta is comfortable, rests one hand on the girl's ankle.

It really does help.

Or at least it grants as much help as there can be, anyway.

Karkat is trying not to worry about Dave not be available online; being here, he has seen that humans don't maintain the kind of constant web presence he's used to. And just because Dave was acting weird beforehand doesn't mean anything. Probably.

The problem is a "weird time thing" could be ANYTHING; especially around here. He wouldn't even know where to start looking, except maybe peering out the window and watching for anything suspicious. Like a red cape, or something big and green and impossibly ripped.

There is a faint thud nearby, as of somebody dropping out of the rafters without bothering to turn it into a pouncetackle.

This is about the only warning he'll get before Nepeta leans up against his arm.

"OH. HEY."

This cat seems much less springy than usual. That's... worrying.

"Hey."

She's tried and tried to think of a better way to say it, and it hasn't worked.

"Dave's gone."

He frowns. "GONE WHERE?"

There are a limited number of options.

"Not on purrpose. He, he was glitching, and then he faded. Just ..."

She gestures with one hand: poof.

"SO DID HE... I HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE, DID HE GET DRAGGED OUT INTO THE BUBBLES? OR BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE OR SOMETHING?"

"WAS IT THE RETCON?"

"I don't know. He, he said meowbe it was the doomed timeline wrapping itself up. Maybe that's the same thing as the retcon."

Very small: "He said to tell you sorry."

The trick to grief is to keep moving from one concrete thing to another; now Karkat negotiates the hop from logistics to exasperation. "WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT KIND OF RIDICULOUS RESPONSE TO SPONTANEOUS EXISTENCE FAILURE IS THAT. WHAT IS HE APOLOGIZING FOR, FOR PUTTING US TO THE INCONVENIENCE OF MAKING FRIENDS WITH HIM AND THEN INEVITABLY HAVING HIM DISAPPEAR ON IT?"

"I MEAN, ISN'T THAT WHAT EVERYONE'S FRIENDS ALWAYS DO, VANISH FOREVER WITHOUT A TRACE AND LEAVE YOU HOLDING THE BAG?"

Did.... not quite nail that.

Edited 2016-09-02 14:20 (UTC)

It's not that she isn't listening to him; it's more that she's perfectly aware that nothing he's saying calls for an answer.

"Kanaya and I tried to anchor him here," she says dully, "and I thought meowbe I could do what I did fur you, that one time, with stealing a piece ... but it didn't work."

"OF COURSE NOT, WHY WOULD OUR FANCY POWERS EVER DO THE SAME THING TWICE OR WHEN WE WANT THEM TO, INSTEAD OF BY COMPLETE ACCIDENT?" Forcibly, he tries to redirect from rage against the universe to the de-springed cat in front of him.

Just as bitterly, but with less harshness: "DAVE WAS A GOD. IF HE COULDN'T OVERCOME WHATEVER STUPID TIME THING WAS HAPPENING TO HIM, IT WAS PRETTY MUCH GAME OVER."

"Yeah."

Nepeta leans her head on his shoulder.

"It sucks."

Karkat's hand finds its way to hers. "I JUST WISH WE KNEW WHAT HAPPENED. IF IT IS JUST A CASE OF THINGS SUCKING FOR US PERSONALLY, OR WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A RESCUE MISSION, OR WHAT."

"I MEAN, DAVE COULD BE FINE, FOR ALL WE KNOW IT WAS A COSMIC SUMMONS TO DOUBLE BUTLER ISLAND. IT WOULD STILL SUCK FOR US BUT AT LEAST WE COULD JUST RELAX AND SETTLE INTO THE SUCK."

She winds her fingers through his, and holds on.

"I don't know how we could even find out, though."

"I KNOW," he says heavily.

Silhouettes of Karkat and Nepeta stand in front of the bar of the universe ends overhead.