Time For Some Well-Deserved Naps

[shiftyPotentate]

The poor friendleader had got himself tuckered out. But that was okay. His faithful pouncelor was more than happy to carry the weight for him. She carried him in her arms, and continued on ahead toward the hives shared by the community, a grin on her face. The adventure had been a successful one, there was a great kill, fabulous treasures won. This campaign had been fruitful.

She tripped slightly over a rock, which jarred Nepeta back to reality.

>Nepeta: Escort your group to the communal hives.

You are currently carrying your MOIRAIL in your arms. You are walking down the streets of VOID CITY with him and your two other companions. Your Sylladex is rife with SLUMBER APPARATUSES, as well as your TABLET COMPUTER, currently connected to a game construct-supplied internet.

>Nepeta: Be Past Nepeta.

You are now PAST NEPETA.

You walk out of the mall with your moirail and two friends. John is being an excellent friendleader.

But a stumble in his step causes you to take action. He falters and you are there to catch him.

A good moirail always watches out for their partner.

>Nepeta: Stop being Past Nepeta.

You stop being PAST NEPETA in time to return to being CURRENT NEPETA. You stand outside your communal hive. You use the KEY the manager had given you to unlock the door, before captchaloguing it. Using your tail to great effect, you open the door and lead your two friends in.

You notice Tavros has fallen asleep in his chair. Poor little guy, must be tired too. You realize you too are a little sleepy, but you will not rest until your job is done.

[nintendonut1]

Normally John would feel awkward, being carried in a girl's arms, but he was too tired to care. Nepeta's warmth was comfy, and her hold on him was secure. His legs dangled loosely on one end, and his face was cuddled into her jacket. The moment his eyes had closed, he was in dreamland.

Well... figuratively. Not literally.

Oddly, his dreams weren't filled with the clowns they usually were, but of more pleasant images. Faces of his friends, new and old, human and alien. Bright yellow, slimy salamander faces, one in particular that gave him an especially loving gaze.

And... a pasty white, plain face, donning a plain hat and a old pipe.

Hands clasped togther tightly. Father and son were togther. It was all he dreamed for.

And what could never come to be.

[kisashika]

Everything had seemed to die down quite a bit once Tavros and John fell asleep, leaving Gamzee to wheel the sleeping Taurus quietly alongside Nepeta. Not bothering with small talk, seeing as the two of you had to focus on something a little more important than insistent babble.

Kind of zoning out, Gamzee followed the Leo to the communal hive- it looked a lot different than the hives on Alternia, and Gamzee was just a little suprised. They sure were changing a LOT after arriving here. Their homes, clothes, sleeping arrangements, hair, diets-only a bit though- and even their quadrants; none of these changes being bad things, but will take some getting used to after all.

Coming to a slow stop once they reached the entrance to the hive, he waited patiently, and maybe just a bit tiredly, as Nepeta unlocked the door, chuckling as she juggled John in her arms while opening it. "Wow, sis, you bought this whole hive? You must be really high up on your motherfucking echeladder." He speculated quietly, not wanting to wake up John and Tavros.

[sleepZombie]

From time to time Tavros had half woken up, head rolling to the side as his eyes cracked open and he saw their surroundings slowly passing them by. Once he let his head drop back only to feel the back of his head lightly brush against the fabric of his chair and look up to see Gamzee giving a lazy smile down at him. Another time he cracked his eyes open to see Nepeta carrying John.

It wasn't until they came to a sudden stop that Tavros woke up again with any form of coherency. He cleared his throat, hunching his shoulders and groaning at the painful crick in his neck from having it flopped backwards. "Mnhhhwere are we."

He took in a deep, sleepy breath and tried to sit up, instinctively reaching for his wheels only to feel Gamzee push him forward, up a ramp, and into the building that Nepeta had brought them to. "Is this the hive?" Tav blindly groped over his shoulder, seeking Gamzee's hand.

[shiftyPotentate]

"This whole purrt of it, yes!" she said, smiling. "It's fur all of our furriends." She walked in to her room, and likewise unlocked it and carried John inside, leaving the door open for Gamzee to bring Tavros in.

She set John down on the couch that had been in there, and noticed that his lunch muffs were blinking. Someone was trying to get his attention on Pesterchum. Nepeta took them from John and slipped them over her head, accessing the program...

>Nepeta: Be pestered by Jade.


-- gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at ??:?? --
GG: jooohn where are you!? >:(
GG: dave said he saw you and everything and now you are avoiding me!!!
GG: whats up with that!?
EB: :33 < *ac purrks up and looks at the human girl!* hi jade!
GG: uh thats a weirdly specific
EB: :33 < h33 h33, it is!
EB: :33 < in case you are pawndering john isnt available at the moment!
EB: :33 < but dont worry, he is purrfectly safe with me.
GG: hey wait
GG: how is the kitty troll using johns computer!! o:
GG: you are the kitty troll right?
EB: :33 < yes, i stalked you earlier as arseniccatnip! h33 h33!
EB: :33 < im sorry i s33med like i was teasing you befur
EB: :(( < that was not my intention
EB: :33 < but i am answering you on johns computer! as i said, he isnt able to speak right now.
GG: well.......
GG: since you are saying your sorry and i guess since i have also learned that not all of you guys are that bad, apawlogy accepted!!
GG: actually
GG: i dont think any of you are really that bad since i talked with feferi and kanaya and even karkat :D
GG: oh but johns asleep?
GG: darn it!! i really want to talk to him!!
EB: :33 < h33 h33, i am glad our repurrtation has been red33med!
EB: :33 < oops, that pun was a little pushing it
EB: :33 < oh well!
EB: :33 < *ac points to the sl33ping john human by her side, making sure to point out he is furry safe and all right*
EB: :33 < i am sure he will be ready to stalk to you when he wakes up! i will let him know you wanted him!
GG: alright........
GG: but as soon as he wakes up tell him to talk to me god damnit!!!
EB: :OO < whoa, jade, i know you are anxious to talk to him but purrhaps you should relax a little.
EB: :33 < i am sure he is just as excited to talk to you! hes been purrtty busy lately.
GG: oops! heh sorry its kind of a habit now
GG: i guess ive been talking to karkat too much
EB: :33 < h33 h33, i can understand that! karkitty does yell a lot sometimes
EB: :OO < oh hey, youre on the big dimensional island right?
EB: :33 < were all at the communal hives! or uhm i guess humans call it appurrtments?
EB: :33 < you can just come here and s33 john when he wakes up!
GG: oh is that what this place is called :o
GG: but thats great!!! :D
GG: ill head there as soon as i can it might take me a little bit though......
EB: :33 < oh dont worry, john is not going to wake up fur a while!
EB: :33 < you are his sister so i guess i should tell you this, too!
EB: :33 < *ac clears her throat and purrpares to deliver the announcement*
EB: :33 < ...... john and i are meowrails!
GG: uh
GG: is that that best friend thing?? :\
GG: because i dont really get that whole quadrant thing
GG: but dave is saying weve got to go now so we will have to talk about this later
GG: bye!!!!!
EB: :OO < oh, yes it is! i will s33 you here then jade! bye!
-- gardenGnostic ceased pestering ectoBiologist --


Evidently Jade wanted to come see John! That would be exciting! Nepeta had wanted to meet the human girl for a while now! She shared her interest in animals of the anthropomorphic persuasion, and she seemed like the kind of person who'd be into roleplaying with her! Nepeta could hardly wait! She replaced John's lunchmuffs back on his head, though she set his Pesterchum to display him as busy. She made sure he was comfortable in his sleep, and smiled. He'd get to see his ectobiological sister again. He'd be so happy. And so would she.

[nintendonut1]

Comfy he was, as he curled up on the couch with the smallest of movements. He only stirred very little when his lunchmuffs were returned to his head, curling inward just a little bit more. His shirt rode up a bit and a hand scratched lightly at his stomach, and he gave off a very, very soft snore, whistling ever so slightly through his buck teeth.

The peaceful look he retained hid a very small, budding anxiety within him as memories flashed through his dreams, memories of his dear father. They were all pleasant, for the most part, but already, his subconcsious was sensing the upcoming dread of realizing that yes, these were only memories, nothing more.

[kisashika]

Gamzee smiled and held Tavros' hand, so he wasn't reaching around blindly and tiredly. "Yeah, this place is motherfucking huge." He said, pushing the wheelchair into the hive. When Nepeta laid John down and got on his lunchmuffs, he wondered where they would sleep. Since Gamzee got little rest the night before and today's adventure was tiring, a nap sounded really nice.

"Hey, Nep, we all just gonna' crash in here and set up our shit later?" He asked, letting out a yawn.

[sleepZombie]

There really wasn't much Tavros could put into the conversation. He just gazed muzzily at Nepeta, eyelids half closed already as he worked to stay awake. Dozing while in the four-wheeled device was never really comfortable or restful and he really wanted to curl up with Gamzee like they had the night before. The thought of being surrounded by all of his friends was the most appealing thing ever. They didn't have recouperacoons to help them feel more enclosed but if everyone was there, around them...

"I think, uh, that sounds like it might be nice."

[shiftyPotentate]

Nepeta looked to Gamzee, and then Tavros. She pulled out her tablet and drew a picture of a bed, clicking a button. It recognized it, pulling the bed out of her sylladex and placing it down on the floor. Likewise, she drew a picture of the sheets, blanket, pad, and pillows, and the sylladex even made the bed for them all. It was a queen-sized bed, easily big enough to hold all four of them, probably five or six depending when Jade showed up.

That reminded her. She walked back to the door and left it unlocked, so Jade could let herself in. Since that was taken care of, Nepeta carefully carried John over to the bed, and laying him down.

"We can all take a nice cat nap here fur now!" she said, laying down and positioning herself to be in John's arms. She giggled softly. "Can you get Tafuros here?"

[nintendonut1]

It would seem that Nepeta carrying him around was beginning to get John to stir more, but it was actually stemming from a deeper anxiety that grew exponantlly. The memories continuing to flash in his mind, up to the last strife they had, and then the imps--

And him reaching out for his father, so close, and his vanishing when sleep left him, and...

And then...

Fresh blood mixed with dark, inky rain.

That was enough to jar him from his sleep with a very small gasp, and despite his exhaustion, he was glad he didn't have a chance to see anymore details. He tensed up at the thought. No. No, he wasn't ready to confront it yet, no, he...

He looked down, realizing Nepeta was cuddled up in his arms. So that's why he felt so warm despite the chills running up and down his spine. He relaxed a bit, squeezing her a little closer and saying nothing, pretending to go back to sleep in hopes that she wouldn't notice and become worried.

[kisashika]

"Of course a motherfucker can." Gamzee walked around the chair and put an arm underneath Tavros' legs and the other behind his back, lifting the chair-bound troll up and carried him over to the bed. Gently laying him down, Gamzee climbed into the bed next to him and pulled the blankets up over the four of them.

He snuggles up to Tavros' side, nuzzling into his hair. "Aw, fuck, this is so much fucking better than that bed we slept on before." In all honesty, Gamzee hadn't slept well ever since Prospit was destroyed, and Karkat said they weren't allowed to sleep. And after his little rampage, even when he tried, his mind was ridden with nightmarish images- dead friends, blood of every color, black creatures. The few hours he'd gotten then night before were surprisingly empty.

Gamzee sighed and held his matesprit close. Maybe he'd have another dreamless sleep now. "A motherfucker could get used to this." He hummed.

[sleepZombie]

Tavros murmured only a little when he felt himself getting lifted out of his chair, instinctively reaching out to grasp around Gamzee's neck to ensure he wouldn't fall. Then he was being settled down on the bed and blankets warm and soft pulled up around him and Gamzee nuzzling against his side.

With a soft exhale Tavros relaxed, glancing to the side to see John as he suddenly startled awake. He looked... troubled. Perhaps even a little bit scared. He didn't know if humans had dreams like trolls did but from the look on his face it seemed they might.

He was torn between keeping quiet and saying something when the human tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, despite the look of uncertainty and discontent on his face. "John?" Tav's voice was soft and hesitant. He squeezed his matesprit closer even as he offered a nervous smile towards the human.

[shiftyPotentate]

Nepeta's sensitive ears caught the gasp, and she could practically feel his anxiety. She looked up to him. "John? Is something... wrong?" she asked, reaching up to lay a hand gently and comfortingly on his cheek. Her tail curled softly around his leg, as she tried to make it clear she was there for him.

"Did... did you have a nightmare? You can tell me about it..." she offered. She was no stranger to nightmares. In the sweeps before the game, she'd always forgone the use of a recuperacoon, opting instead to sleep curled up next to her lusus, Pounce de Leon. This came at a price, of course. Nepeta did not get the sleep-calming effects of the sopor slime. As a result, she often had nightmares, and usually didn't sleep more than a few hours at a time.

That was a personal choice Nepeta made, she knew the risks. She'd decided sleeping with her lusus was worth more to her than a calm, peaceful sleep. And she'd gotten used to the nightmares, though it did make her a little bit jaded to what was real terror and what was imaginary terror. Perhaps that was why she was so optimistic, in the biggest display of irony her side of Alternia. Nothing scared her anymore. At least... not until Gamzee...

In any case, Nepeta was deeply concerned for John, holding him softly in her arms and a hand to his cheek.

[nintendonut1]

John's eyes flickered open as he realized his ruse had been seen through, and it wasn't just Nepeta. Was he really that obvious? He looked between the three trolls he was cuddled with, all eyes on him with curiosity and concern. Well.

This was what he wanted, right? A private place to share a woe he hadn't had a chance to go through yet, something that needed to be done if he were to heal up properly. He recalled Dave's behavior after his Bro died... he tried so hard to keep his cool face... it was almost painful to watch.

John had no such coolness to lose, really. And he was among friends. He couldn't let this linger for much longer.

Slowly, he adjusted himself so that he was on his back, though am arm was still around Nepeta, staring up at the ceiling in thought. Then, he threw out a question to them all, hoping it was a good place to start. "You guys' guardians... they're called lusus, right?"

[kisashika]

Gamzee stirred and sat up on an elbow when John spoke. Not completely sure where the human was going with his question, and he would have answered the question- if it wasn't a tender subject. It was a tender subject for all the trolls, each of them having to lose their Lusus to play the game. Gamzee just kept quiet as he focused on John, maybe on of the others could answer for him. He kept his opposite arm wrapped loosely around Tavros.