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The desert is dry, and very bright, and the sort of place any of the other trolls would loathe. But it is also a place you have never been, so it certainly isn't your memory forming the landscape for this dream bubble.
You prefer it, when that's the case. You find it…unproductive, to linger over your memories of Alternia, or of the game. It is, to put it bluntly, not very fun. There is little use in dwelling on those things that you cannot change.
You walk, for a while, before it becomes clear that you are quite alone. So you settle down in the sand, and begin to think of picnics you used to have with your lusus, sweeps ago. You don't like dream bubbles pulled from your own memories, yes, but it would be nice, to be able to bask in the Alternian sun again, just this once. The landscape around you remains determinedly unchanged, sandy and dusty as ever.
You're just feeling a bit nostalgic, you suppose. Your time on the meteor is nearing one sweep now. It's been a long time.
Perhaps that's what makes her show up, your nostalgia. You've never fully understood the logic of dream bubbles, but here you are, sitting in a desert, watching Vriska Serket trudge towards you.
"Hey, Fussyfangs," she greats you, with something less than her typical enthusiasm.
Maybe it's been a long time for her too.
"Hello, Vriska."
A pause. She plops down beside you. "What, that's all I get? A hello? I haven't seen you in ages!"
Her eyes, when you turn to her, are very white.
"Yes," you say. "That is all you get. I apologize if you find it unsatisfactory."
"Woah," she says. "What's with the bad attitude? Did you not drink enough blood this morning or something?"
"You are from the alpha timeline, correct?" you ask. You've met a few other Vriskas, from other timelines, and it can become very confusing very quickly.
"Duh! Of all the Vriska Serkets, I am simply the best there is."
"I must say, your traditional boasts sound a bit hollow. Are you having a trying time in the afterlife?"
She sniffs, and wrinkles her nose at you. "Whatever. You're always so nitpicky."
"I suppose." You settle back into the sand, and close your eyes.
"Am I not interesting enough for you or something? Hellooooooo. Wake up!"
"Seeing as I am in fact dreaming right now, that is a rather counterintuitive order. Also, if you have something you wish to say to me, please say it. Otherwise, I am going to do my best to enjoy the weather."
"You always were so weird about the sun."
You say nothing. Vriska sighs, and shifts in the sand, and fidgets. You wonder whether it will take longer for her to swallow her pride or for you to wake up.
Eventually, it turns out to be the former. "Look," she says, "we used to have fun, didn't we? Me being my badass self, you meddling, all that stuff? It was great!"
You shrug, noncommittally.
"Ugh, come on, don't try to tell me we didn't have fun!"
"I simply find those memories to be slightly sour, these days," you say.
"Well too bad! My life is kind of nothing but memories anymore."
"That is rather your own fault, is it not?"
"My fault? Excuse me, but I definitely did not stab myself in the back with a dumb cane while wearing a stupid FLARPing costume!"
"You don't find her actions to have been justifiable?"
"Uh, no, of course not! So I killed Tavros. Big deal! He tried to kill me, it was totally self defense. Sure, it was kind of a huge bitch move on my part, but still! Some legislacerator she is." Vriska gives a grand 'hmph!' and crosses her arms, scowling dramatically. Once, you would have tried to calm her down, but she is no longer your moirail, she is no longer your responsibility, and you no longer have the patience.
However, there are no consequences to riling her up, and you are feeling, perhaps, a little spiteful. You can have Rose psychoanalyze you later; after all, the one thing you will not run out of on the meteor is time.
"And yet," you say, "you are still dead, god tier notwithstanding." There's no need to say anything more. Vriska will take the hint. She might storm off, if you continue, and you might never get a chance to speak with her again. But there is also the possibility she'll say something new. And, if you are being entirely honest, you have never been able to resist meddling in Vriska's affairs. So, you tell her, "Your death was just. How does that feel?"
Vriska turns and stares at you, eyes wide, the whiteness of them making them look wider. You think, for a moment, that she is going to get up and leave. Instead, she bursts out laughing, and hits you in the shoulder. "Geez," she says, "those fangs sure gave you some bite! Was punching me that one time not enough for you, is that it?"
You find yourself beginning to smile. "Maybe not," you say. "Being your moirail was quite trying at times."
Vriska gets up, and spread her arms wide. "Well, whatever," she says, "one free hit! I am just that generous."
You raise an eyebrow. You are sure Rose would have a field day, psychoanalyzing Vriska just now. She'll be so interested, if you tell her about this once you wake up.
Then again, maybe you won't tell her, after all.
"You have certainly changed," you say.
"A sweep in these crazy dream bubbles is kind of a lot!" She frowns. "And we never even got to talk before I died. That sucks! I liked talking to you, even if you were kind of super annoying. At least you were never boring!"
"A moirail's lot is a hard one," you say with a shrug. Then, "Would you do it again?"
"Do what?" She hasn't moved her arms.
"Go after Noir."
She rolls her eyes. "What kind of question is that? It's over, I'm dead, my luck is apparently just that shitty. Thinking about it is just going to piss me off. Dying sucks, Fussyfangs." She points at you, almost accusingly. "Are you gonna hit me or not? Are you suddenly afraid to damage my beautiful face now, or something? Not that I can blame you, but I am waiting."
In that moment, you pity her, as much as you ever have. You just find it exceptionally sad that this is how Vriska shows remorse.
You stand up. Vriska has, for all intents and purposes, royally screwed you over. Many times. She was a terrible moirail, is and always has been something of a terrible person, and she is quite dead. It would be prudent to walk away from her and not look back, to forget about her for good this time.
Or, you could take a chance, and see where it leads. Vriska has closed her blank eyes. You raise a fist, and then lower it. You consider your options, and how you have both very much and nothing at all to lose.
You spend a moment pondering, and then you lean in and kiss her.