"So where's Vriska?" John looks at Karkat, head tilted to the side. Karkat averts his eyes and shifts uncomfortably. None of the trolls, or humans, met his eyes.
"She's around." Karkat's voice was surprisingly quiet.
"What, like off somewhere tending to all those irons she has in the fire?" He grins, oblivious to Rose moving to hug a now teary-eyed Kanaya. "I'll tell her I pestered you guys into giving me her location, she won't be angry." Still no one made any moves to say anything. John turns to Terezi. "You're gallowsCalibrator, right? Terezi. Weren't you close with her?" Terezi's face remains expressionless, though she grips her cane tighter. John opens his mouth to ask again, but Terezi moves, silently pointing over to a door with her thumb. "See, that wasn't so hard."
John didn't run to the door- the feeling that he's finally going to meet the girl who he'd been crushing on was finally sinking in and he had to prepare himself. Every step closer was a step closer to his fellow Nic Cage lover, his internet friend, his confidant. His (hopefully) soon to be girlfriend. The room was completely quiet, save for Rose whispering comforting words to Kanaya and John's own footsteps. Terezi was still pokerfaced.
As soon as his hand reached the handle of the door, the entire room seemed to grow even quieter. The oblivious Heir of Breath wondered if Vriska was really that bad when she was angry, but it was too late to turn back now. So he opened the door, a cheery greeting on his tongue. But no one was there. No blue blooded troll hunched over plans and consulting a magic 8 ball, only stairs. Grey, concrete stairs which were rough and cracked.
He looked back at the others. Dave raised a finger, indicating for him to go up. If John had been closer, maybe he would've noticed the slight downwards curve of Dave's mouth. Even so, John began feeling uneasy. Why was everyone so quiet and where was the troll he'd been waiting the past 3 years to see? He began to ascend, slowly until the knot in his stomach got the best of him and he began to climb faster and faster. It was only 9 stairs- something John would've normally laughed at if he was talking to Vriska about it. He could just imagine what she'd say about it.
AG: John, I was exploring the meteor today and guess what?
AG: All of the flights of stairs have 9 stairs in them.
AG: Nine!!!!!!!!
AG: I could 8uild a 8etter 8uilding than this and I 8n't an architect.
Soon he finds himself standing in front of another door, hand on yet another doorhandle, and with a smile having stolen its way onto his face. As he opens it, it opens quietly like the other door. Like new. Almost like it was left alone and never used. His first glance showed there was no one on the roof, John immediately guessed everyone was playing a prank on him and they weren't talking because otherwise they'd laugh- and damn they got him good- until he noticed the glow of a laptop screen on low battery. John's smile widened as he saw a figure next to it, apparently asleep.
"Vris!" She didn't move, so John began to walk over, until the thought that he might wake her up stopped him. Deciding to come back later, he examined her. Long, near matted hair. Blue wings with weird circles on them. Orange and reflective blue god tier pajamas... Wait, reflective blue? The knot in John's stomach that had nearly disappeared was back. Back and heavier than before. "No." John literally flew towards her, this time he had no intentions of stopping until he reached her. As he grew closer, there seemed to be more and more blue. Not reflective fabric, but a liquid. "No no no!" His mind tried to convince himself it was other things, anything but blood. Anything but Vriska's blood. Maybe it was from another blueblood!
When he landed, mind screaming things to try to convince him it wasn't her blood and she was asleep, he sunk to the ground. Well, John supposed, it got one thing right. She was asleep. Asleep in a sleep that she'd never wake up from. At least he got to see her though! With a blank face that Dave would be proud of, John stared at Vriska. Her hair was more voluminous up close. She seemed taller than him, but death made her seem so small and vulnerable, which was something he wasn't used to seeing in the confident troll he used to talk to. Used to. Her blood was a prettier shade of blue.
John decided it was best if he stopped looking at her.
Hugging his legs to his chest, he rested his chin on his knees, before moving to let his forehead rest against them instead.This wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. He had imagined her waiting for him, leaning up against a wall as she boredly examined a book and pretended to not care about his arrival. Then catching sight of him and throwing the book aside, all attempts at seeming indifferent thrown aside as she runs towards him. Catching him in a hug. Swinging him around in a circle, then letting go so she could examine him, grinning widely.
"Not bad, Egbert."
He presses his head more against his legs as feels the first tears begin to run down his face, sliding down from behind his glasses. The fact that he'd never get to actually meet Vriska had sunk in. Finally, he began to cry.
