Chapter Text
She was always there.
Karkat didn't really know when it stopped being unnerving and started being reassuring but he took small comfort in her pressence on the meteor. Amidst all the drama, quadrant clusterfucks and failed trolling attempts she remained removed from it all. Part of Karkat was freaked out by her metallic exterior and nonchalance around death. Another part of him found it incredibly sad. He didn't understand much about timetravel at all, save for sparring with his own past and future selves, but seeing how many Aradia's had been needed to hold of the reckoning meant she had seen their timelines end and their friends die more often then he was able to keep track off
He prefered not to think too much about it.
Karkat looked around him. Everyone was busy trolling the humans, each other or were, in Gamzee's case, laying in a horn pile contemplating the beauty of miracles. Aradia was just standing in a corner, her red never blinking eyes observing the trolls. It was difficult to tell whether everyone was just ignoring her or accepted her as part of the scenery. Either way it was pissing him off. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him before chastizing himself mentally for being so paranoid, and simply opened the chat window. As far as Karkat knew 'apacolypseArisen' had been online from the moment she entered her land.
--carcinoGeneticist [CG] began pestering apacolypseArisen [AA]--
CG: HI
AA: hi
CG: MANDATORY LEADER CHECK UP. HOW ARE YOU.
AA: 0kay
CG: JUST THAT? JUST OKAY? NOT; "WELL I HAVE BEEN FINE, EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE TIME ERIDAN WAS ACTING LIKE A DOUCHE."
CG: "OR THE FACT THAT I'VE BEEN STANDING IN THE CORNER FOR AT LEAST 20 HOURS STRAIGHT."
CG: I KNOW YOU ARE A ROBOT AND PROBABLY HAVE MINESWEEPER IN THERE, BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THERE ALL THAT TIME?
AA: 0bsering
CG: OBSERVING?
AA: yes
CG: ALRIGHT, I'LL FUCKING BITE. WHAT ARE YOU OBSERVING US FOR? YOU HAVE KNOWN MOST OF US FOR SWEEPS.
CG: YOU DON'T SEE ME MAKING A THESIS OUT OF GAMZEE OR SOLLUX; I ALREADY KNOW BOTH OF THEM ARE ASSHOLES.
AA: y0u misunderstand
AA: i am 0bserving the timelines
CG: OH SHIT!
AA: O_O
CG: WE'RE DOOMED AREN'T WE? FOR THE LOVE OF ANY FUCKING DEITY I NEVER BELIEVED IN, TELL ME WE AREN'T DOOMED.
CG: I JUST KNEW I WAS GOING TO FUCK UP SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE.
AA: we are n0t d00med
AA: ribbit
CG: ARE YOU JUST SAYING THAT TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?
AA: n0
AA: we are n0t d00med yet
CG: THEN WHY ARE YOU OBSERVING?
AA: i am keeping cl0se watch 0n 0ur timeline and the p0ssible branches
CG: OH. WELL....YEAH THAT IS IMPORTANT WORK.
AA: was that all?
CG: WELL YEAH BUT....URGH.
CG: IT DOESN'T SIT WELL THAT YOU ARE DOING ALL THIS IMPORTANT SHIT WHILE WE ARE SITTING WITH OUR POLLEX UP OUR RECTUM.
AA: its 0kay
CG: NO ITS FUCKING NOT.
AA: O_O
CG: DON'T YOU NEED ANY HELP OR ANYTHING? I'LL GLADLY VOLUNTEER SOMEONE WHO ISN'T DOING ANYTHING.
AA: that w0nt be nesecary
AA: i get help fr0m my future selves wh0 is guiding me tr0ugh the steps 0f f0ll0wing the alpha timeline
AA: in exchange i am helping my past self achieve the same
CG: WAIT, SO EVEN THIS ENTIRE FUCKING CONVERSATION IS SCRIPTED?
AA: yes
CG: AND YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING TO BE SAID IN IT?
AA: yes
CG: THEN WHAT IS THE POINT FOR YOU TO EVEN CONTINUE TALKING WITH ME? YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO TELL YOU.
CG: BOONDOLLARS, ZILLYHOO, SHELLBEAST, STEAMENGINE, ^CAKE
AA: yes i knew you would say that
CG: FFFFFUUUUUUCCK
CG: I FEEL LIKE A TOOL FOR EVEN TRYING TO EXPRESS SOME FUCKING CONCERN FOR YOU IF YOU ALREADY KNEW WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY.
AA: if it is any c0mf0rt
AA: you needed t0 in 0rder f0r 0ur timeline t0 c0rresp0nd with the alpha
AA: th0ugh i am still n0t sure why y0u c0ntacted me in the first place
CG: YEAH WELL. I KINDA THOUGHT YOU WERE DUE SOME APRECIATION.
CG: I MEAN, YOU MADE SURE OUR TIMELINE REMAINED ALPHA AND BECAUSE OF YOUR QUICK THINKING WE ESCAPED FROM NOIR.
CG: YET I DON'T THINK ANYONE GAVE YOU AS MUCH AS A FUCKING THANK YOU.
AA: n0 they havent
CG: DOESN'T THAT PISS YOU OFF?
AA: i have plenty 0f anger
AA: but n0ne 0f it is ab0ut that.
CG: HUH, I DIDN'T KNOW. THEN WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
AA: i am angry at equius f0r what he did with the s0ulb0t
CG: YEAH, WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?
AA: i d0nt feel like talking ab0ut it
AA: i am angry at vriska
CG: OBVIOUS REASONS.
AA: i am angry at tavr0s and s0llux f0r n0t even b0thering t0 c0ntact me after entering the game
CG: WHAT REALLY? NOT EVEN SOLLUX?
CG: I MEAN I KNOW HE'S AN ASSHOLE HALF OF THE TIME AND INSUFFERABLE THE OTHER HALF, BUT DIDN'T THE TWO OF YOU KINDA HAVE SOMETHING?
AA: i d0nt feel like talking ab0ut it
AA: i am angry at gamzee f0r --this c0mment is deleted--
CG: WAIT WHAT? WHY ARE YOU ANGRY AT GAMZEE?
AA: that is n0t imp0rtant
CG: YOU'RE NOT GONNA TELL ME EVEN IF I CONTINUE NAGGING ARE YOU?
AA: n0
AA: ribbit
AA: it feels 0dd t0 talk ab0ut this stuff
AA: n0t even my past and future selves feel like discussing this t0pic much
AA: pr0bably because they already kn0w
CG: YEAH WELL, MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST TALK TO PEOPLE MORE OFTEN.
CG: TALK TO SOLLUX, GIVE HIM A VERBAL BEATDOWN FOR BEING SUCH A DOUCHE
AA: i d0nt think i will d0 that
CG: WELL YOU SHOULD. HE HAS HAD IT COMMING FOR A WHILE NOW.
AA: OuO
CG: WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?
AA: it d0es l00k kinda terrible yes
CG: YOU ARE ALL SORTS OF WEIRD YOU KNOW THAT?
AA: ribbit
AA: anyway thanks f0r y0ur leaderly check up
AA: it is 0dd but i enj0yed it
CG: WHAT? DID YOUR FUCKING SCRIPT SAY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO END THE CONVO HERE OR SOMETHING?
AA: yes
AA: but there will be an0ther 0ne in the near future
CG: WELL IF YOU FUCKING SAY SO.
CG: JUST DONT READ IT FROM YOUR FUTURE SELF OKAY? ITS ANNOYING AS HELL IF YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO SAY
AA: fidusspawn denizen pulse and haze
CG: FIDUSSPAWN, DENIZEN, PULSE AND HAZE
CG: DAMNIT.
AA: thank y0u karkat
CG: FOR WHAT? I DIDN'T FUCKING DO ANYTHING
AA: f0r briefly distracting me fr0m my duties s0 i c0uld experience s0me levity
CG: YEAH WELL.......
Karkat stopped and turned away from his computer for a moment and turned to watch the group. Everyone was still doing their own thing and Aradia was still standing quietly in the corner. Much to his surprise however her head turned slightly and her metallic blue lips curled just enough to resemble something that may have been a smile.....if he squinted.
CG: YOU ARE FUCKING WELCOME