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You once again find yourself standing on June and Jasprose's doorstep. This time, you've come to them with a long overdue apology. You knock on the door. Some time later, Jasprose answers it. You catch a bried glimpse of her pleasant smile before it vanishes as she lays eyes on you. She puts a paw on her hip and stares at you impatiently, and you find yourself at a rare loss for words. Fuck, just say it.
ROSE: I'm sorry, Jasprose.
ROSE: I'm so sorry. For everything.
ROSE: For leaving you behind. For mocking you when you first became a sprite. For... for- *sniff*
Fuck. Don't cry, Rose. You can't fucking cry while apologizing to someone else! You can't fucking cry over the things you did to somebody else! It's-
JASPROSE: Hey...
She looks relieved, the venom in her face seemingly gone.
JASPROSE: It's ok, Rose.
JASPROSE: Come here.
You walk into her embrace. Your face brushes against her weird fur-tentacle things, you feel her soft paws on your back.
JASPROSE: Rose... thank you.
JASPROSE: Thank you for finally trusting me.
Then, you feel her sharp claws on your back.
JASPROSE: You idiot!
You cry out in agony as she presses her talons into your flesh and rakes them down. She shoves you to the ground, the impact sending bolts of white-hot suffering through your body. You try to get up, but your body won't obey you. You can't even fly. The ground beneath you is sticky with your own blood.
ROSE: W-why? Why would you do this?
She licks your blood off of her claws, delighting in the taste of your suffering. Then, she prowls to you and leans down. There's so much resentment behind her pulsing eyes.
JASPROSE: Because unlike you, Rose, I'm not naive. I know when I'm being lied to.
She grabs your throat and smiles with sadistic glee.
JASPROSE: It doesn't matter how sorry you pretend to be. June will never, ever let you back into her life.
Her words sting more than the pressure she's applying to your neck. You manage to choke out a response.
ROSE: And- *hack*
ROSE: And K-Kanaya will... never love you.
JASPROSE: Awww, did you really think that'd hurt me?
JASPROSE: Rosie. You and I both know that you don't love Kanaya. You don't love anyone.
JASPROSE: You enjoy people's company, you like what other people can do for you.
JASPROSE: But you don't love anyone. You don't care about anyone. You barely even care about yourself, as I am about to demonstrate.
JASPROSE: Rot in hell, where you fucking belong.
She slits your throat with her claws, and you wake up with a gasp.
KANAYA: Dear?
KANAYA: Are You Alright?
...
God. That was awful.
ROSE: Ah, just a nightmare.
KANAYA: Oh
KANAYA: Do You Need Anything
ROSE: I'm going to get myself some water.
Kanaya mumbles something that vaguely resembles english before drifting back to sleep. You get out of bed and head to the kitchen, the morning light bleeding through the windows. Your nerves die down a little as you drink water, but your relief fades away when you see Kanaya in the room with you. It's one of Kanaya's very few weekends off, in which she catches up on her much needed sleep. But now she's awake thanks to your commotion.
ROSE: I'm sorry for waking you up, honey.
KANAYA: Mmm, You Do Not Have To Apologize For Your Dreams Dear
KANAYA: We Hardly Have Any Control Over That
...You don't, at least.
But Jasprose might.
She's a god-tiered seer of light, like you. But unlike you, she's a squared sprite. She could have powers over canon and the narrative. She could be giving you these nightmares. Intentionally.
You can't imagine she'd ever engage in intentional sleep deprivation. CIA torture tactics are probably off the table, even for her. Maybe it's just a coincidence that your nightmare just happened to be about Jasprose. Maybe it's a coincidence that the nightmare wake you up as soon as the morning began. Maybe it's just a coincidence that this nightmare has stressed you out in a way that wouldn't go against Jasprose's moral compass, if she was the culprit.
You've certainly wronged her, but that's hardly an excuse for her to invade your dreams. Does she just sit around all day and think about ways to hurt you? Is she really this petty? She's probably thinking about new ways to torment you right now.
[...]
[theriaTherapist] says: I can either play my level 50 Witch of Life or my level 70 Heir of Breath.
[dotzdashes] says: heir of breath lmao
[theriaTherapist] says: Heir of Breath is a perfectly viable classpect! Tornado is a great CC ability and completely shuts down ranged enemies if used right.
[dotzdashes] says: bro it has a 7 year cooldown
[theriaTherapist] says: With the right gear, it has a very short cooldown.
[dotzdashes] says: bullshit
[Tilted Towers] says: no, i can vouch for therrie. she's got a pretty good windy thing set up on her heir of breath.
[dotzdashes] says: ok but why though
[dotzdashes] says: why put that much effort into making heir of breath work when you could just run something better
[theriaTherapist] says: My girlfriend is an Heir of Breath.
[dotzdashes] says: gf?
[dotzdashes] says: fake and gay
[theriaTherapist] says: True and gay, actually.
[Tilted Towers] says: i thought she didn't play this game.
[theriaTherapist] says: She doesn't. I mean in real life.
[Tilted Towers] says: sorry, what?
[Tilted Towers] says: you had to farm for, like, 20 hours to get the full windy thing setup!
[Tilted Towers] says: are you telling me you did that just because of what your gf got on a personality quiz?
JUNE: rose!
You take off your headphones and turn to June.
JUNE: i'm dying, rose. i'm gonna die.
ROSE: I'll miss you dearly.
JUNE: i'm gonna die, and you don't even care!
ROSE: You have a cold.
JUNE: you don't know that! the common cold couldn't- *cough* couldn't get past a goddess's immune system.
ROSE: I know for a fact that godhood does not provide immunity to the common cold.
JUNE: what if you're wrong?
ROSE: Have I ever been wrong before?
JUNE: no, but there's a first time for everything.
JUNE: *cough cough*
ROSE: And what do you propose I do for you? How can I treat this malady of yours?
ROSE: Shall I call Jane? Do I need to drag the goddess of breath from her divine business and tell her that her daughter has a lethal case of the sniffles?
JUNE: no, you have to get me chicken noodle soup. it's the only way.
ROSE: You can alchemize that yourself.
JUNE: i need real chicken noodle soup. the alchemized crap doesn't retain its medicinal properties.
ROSE: You want me to brave a trip to the grocery store? My guild is conducting a raid in 5 minutes, and you want me to ditch them so that I can get you some soup?
JUNE: you're really going to pick league of legends over me?
ROSE: It's not League of Legends, I don't play that. League of Legends isn't even an MMO.
JUNE: whatever. i still have needs!
ROSE: Is this cold truely rendering you bedridden?
JUNE: it's not about me. i could get up, but i can't go to the store while i'm contagious! i'm the goddess of breath, not pestilence.
ROSE: Breaking news, the heiress has unleashed a plague of locusts upon the lands. What could have driven her to this?
JUNE: desperation. no one was willing to help me, so i had no choice. *cough cough*
JUNE: in other news, this mmo guild had a very successful raid. so that's something, at least.
JUNE: *achoo!*
ROSE: Bless you.
JUNE: you know what would really bless me? chicken noodle soup.
ROSE: Fine. I'll go to the store for you.
JUNE: yaaaay <3
JUNE: i love you!
ROSE: Love you too, dear.
[theriaTherapist] says: Sorry, everyone. I'm gonna have to call a rain check on the raid.
[Tilted Towers] says: aw, what?
[Tilted Towers] says: why?
[theriaTherapist] says: gf need soup
[dotzdashes] says: are you fucking kidding me
[Tilted Towers] says: lmao, fair enough!
[dotzdashes] says: no this isnt funny
[dotzdashes] says: its day 1 of the new raid dropping were gonna get left behind if we dont hop on it now
[dotzdashes] says: why dont you take any of this seriously therrie
[dotzdashes] says: i canceled a doctors appointment for this but you wont even cancel a grocery store trip
[dotzdashes] says: your totally real girlfriend can go soupless man
[dotzdashes] says: i even suppressed my typing quirk for you people
[dotzdashes] says: and tbh its kinda culturally insensitive that you asked that of me
[Tilted Towers] says: go ahead and type something in your typing quirk, then ask us again why we don't want you to use that shit.
[dotzdashes] says: ..-. ..- -.-. -.- / --- ..-. ..-. / -... .. - -.-. ....
You walk away from your sniffling girlfriend, who is cradling a box of tissues. Her eyes are red, and she has quite the collection of used tissues besides her. She needs soup, and she needs it fast.
[...]
CASHIER: Hello, Mrs. Maryam-Lalonde!
You absent mindedly greet the cashier back as you walk into the grocery store. You're not sure what you're going to do about Jasprose's psychic assaults, but you're not going to let them interfere with Kanaya's sleep again. You're here to find something that will let her sleep through your next nightmare. Nyquil, a sleep mask, earplugs, something like that. You check the medicine isle.
Ah, here we are! Nyquil. You notice the box specifies that this is "troll safe nyquil." Is regular nyquil bad for trolls? You put the medicine in your grocery bag, then-
Wait a second.
...You see a pulsing pink and purple glow peeking out from over the shelf.
Great. Fucking great. This is just your luck. Unless luck has nothing to do with it, and she knew you were coming here. Well, if you try to hurry out of here, she'll see that as you admitting defeat. You need to keep walking down the aisle as if you were still shopping, unaware of your feline doppelgänger's presence.
You turn the corner and see Jasprose, browsing the soup aisle. You watch, silently, as she tries and fails to grab the side of a can of soup with one paw, her other paw occupied with holding a grocery bag. She can't get a solid grip on it, thanks to her bizarre anatomy. She tries grabbing the can from the top, briefly lifting it before it slips from her grip back onto the shelf. She quietly growls as she tries various different approaches, none of which succeed.
The passive-aggressive thing to do here would be to walk up to her and ask her if she "needs a hand," then grab the can for her. But that would be... but then you wouldn't get to watch how she resolves this.
Eventually, she knocks the can over on its side. Y'know, like a cat. Then she puts her paw on the can and lightly rolls it towards herself. Then, before the can reaches the edge of the shelf and falls, she grabs the grocery bag with both paws and holds it out. The can rolls off of the shelf and lands in the bag. She basks in her victory before turning to the side and seeing you. She does a very good impression at being surprised by your presence.
JASPROSE: I found you... faker!
ROSE: Shut the fuck up.
JASPROSE: That's not your line.
ROSE: You're not funny.
JASPROSE: I'll make you eat those words!
ROSE: What are you doing here? What do you want?
JASPROSE: Groceries.
ROSE: And you just happened to go to the same store as me, at the same time?
JASPROSE: It's a small world, I guess.
JASPROSE: Now, I'd like to ask you the same vaguely conspiratorial and accusatory question: what are you doing here?
ROSE: You know exactly why I'm here.
JASPROSE: Do I? I mean, my first guess would be that you're also here for groceries, but-
ROSE: Stop being so fucking coy. Don't you know everything about me, or whatever?
JASPROSE: ...No? I'm you, but I don't know every-
ROSE: Shut the fuck up, you condecending bitch! You are infuriating! How the fuck does June or anyone else put up with your "ultimate self" bullshit?
The regular chatter from the people around you comes to an abrupt halt. Jasprose tilts her head at you in faux-confusion. Then, she silently summons a window pane and floats through it. You follow her through, emerging onto the grocery store's roof. She's sitting on top of the rooftop-unit with her legs crossed, her hair and weird fur-tentacles blowing in the wind.
ROSE: Odd place to hold a conversation.
JASPROSE: June and I have a tradition of convening on rooftops.
JASPROSE: Nice job, using her name in public before she's properly come out, by the way.
...Fuck. Oh, god, you just fucking outed her! No no no, this is bad. This is really fucking bad-
Jasprose puts a paw to her mouth and giggles.
JASPROSE: Oh, wipe that cute look of panic off your face. I sincerely doubt she would mind. I just saw an oppurrtunity to mock you, so I took it.
JASPROSE: Um. Sorry, I meant to say "opportunity." Schrödian slip.
ROSE: Fucker.
JASPROSE: Oh, I d-
JASPROSE: ...
ROSE: Pardon?
JASPROSE: Nevermind.
JASPROSE: Anyways, Rose...
JASPROSE: ...What the fuck were you even talking about earlier?
JASPROSE: What is my "ultimate self bullshit?"
She makes a motion with her paws that vaguely resemble air quotes. She can't quite pull it off because her human-ish digits don't bend as much as a normal person's. Something about the attempt is almost cute. If only she was literally anyone else. The fact that she is still pretending to be oblivious is infuriating.
ROSE: You! You are your "ultimate self bullshit!"
JASPROSE: You think I'm an ultimate self? Where the hell did you get that from?
ROSE: I very distinctly remember you saying you are one or whatever.
JASPROSE: You "distinctly" remember that, "or whatever?"
ROSE: Fuck you.
JASPROSE: Sorry again, I couldn't resist poking fun at you for that.
JASPROSE: Especially considering the fact that I do not remember ever saying that.
ROSE: Don't you have knowledge from other timelines? The memories of countless doomed Roses?
Her eyes light up (more so than usual) in recognition, and her head jerks back a little.
JASPROSE: Oh, that's what you're talking about!
JASPROSE: Rose. I said that whilst I was in the middle of a psychotic break. I said that after having my life and identity ripped apart by the Batterwitch, the whims of Paradox Space, our dead cat, and you.
ROSE: Are you telling me you just made that shit up?
JASPROSE: I'm telling you that I was deeply unwell. I didn't know what I was talking about. I sincerely doubt that those visions were real. Besides the one doomed Rose who we both inherited memories from, I don't have any extra Rose memories.
JASPROSE: And I definitely don't have narrative-altering powers. If I did, then I probably would have been subconsciously infecting everyone's internal monologues with cat puns during the first 6 or so years of my spritedom.
JASPROSE: Becoming a sprite granted me an enhanced understanding of how Sburb works, but that's it. Sprites don't have the power to read and twist the minds of everyone around them.
ROSE: So why is Davepeta like that?
JASPROSE: Like what?
ROSE: Davepeta is a squared sprite, and they always seem to know a little too much than they reasonably should.
JASPROSE: What do you mean?
ROSE: Sometimes, I'll get interrupted by something mid-sentence or trail off in the middle, and they'll respond to me as if I had said the full sentence out loud.
ROSE: I'm struggling to come up with other examples on the spot, but there's lots of little things. It's like they can read minds. Have you not noticed that?
JASPROSE: I'm not sure if you've picked up on this, Rose, but there was kind of a long stretch of time where I wasn't really talking to anyone.
ROSE: ...I assumed they would have been an exception.
JASPROSE: ...
JASPROSE: Well, this is pure speculation based off of what you're telling me, but it's possible that Davepeta has a more ascended consciousness than the rest of us thanks to the fact that they are a combination of two people.
JASPROSE: Considering who those two people are though, I don't think anyone will ever get a straight answer on that.
JASPROSE: They're also a Rogue-Knight of Heart-Time. Perhaps that gives them some modicum of emotional precognition.
JASPROSE: Davepeta is pretty special.
JASPROSE: I'm not.
JASPROSE: I don't mean that in a self deprecating way. This universe is lucky that I've graced it with my heavenly fucking presence.
JASPROSE: But I am as ordinary as a goddess can be. There's no monumental barrier separating us, Rose.
...
So she isn't crafting those nightmares? That was all you?
ROSE: You're lying. You have to be.
JASPROSE: I'm sorry to burst your bubble.
She gets off of the rooftop unit and starts walking in a slow circle around you, like a fucking drama queen.
JASPROSE: Oh, it must have been nice, thinking I'm fundamentally a different kind of being than you, something you could never truly get along with.
JASPROSE: But in truth, I'm not anything you can't be.
JASPROSE: On a mental level, at least. I sincerely doubt you'll ever glow neon pink or have adorable paws like I do.
JASPROSE: ...And I know for certain that you will never be June's Rose, of course. You'll never be the one she grew up with.
JASPROSE: But other than that, you could see eye to eye with me.
JASPROSE: All this to say... you don't have any excuses.
But when you turn around, you just see an empty rooftop.
If she was behind your nightmares, she wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to say "see you in your dreams" before leaving. That's exactly what you would have done if you were doing something like that to her.
Of course. Of course she isn't sending you nightmares, what the fuck were you thinking? It's just guilt creeping its way into your dreams. You feel guilty. You are guilty, guilty of bullying her, guilty of neglecting her, guilty of seeing her as a threat. You're tired and you're paranoid and you're guilty.
You're guilty.
[...]
ROSE: Hey, babe. I'm back.
JUNE: how'd it go?
ROSE: Rose was there.
JUNE: oh, shit.
ROSE: Yeah. It was... it was a lot. But it was worth it, for I come to you now with your prize. Chicken noodle soup, hot and ready for you.
ROSE: And I got this soup instead of getting Nyquil or something, because apparently you prefer noodles over actual medicine.
Her smile fades, and she drops her teasing voice for a more serious tone.
JUNE: would you have been, like, *sniff* ok with that?
ROSE: With what?
JUNE: nyquil.
ROSE: Why would that not be ok?
JUNE: it has a bit of alcohol in it, so i figured that you *sniff* wouldn't be comfortable with it being in our house.
JUNE: uh, um, not to imply that you'd be, like, tempted by cold medicine? i didn't mean anything like that.
JUNE: but also it'd be good if you were! uh, i mean, not good, but like, i wouldn't judge you for that, i'm-
Overehelmed with how much you fucking adore this woman, you cut her off with a kiss.
ROSE: You really thought of that?
JUNE: of course!
JUNE: um, can sprites get the cold?
You don't know the answer to that off the top of your head. You could dig through your mental index of sprite knowledge and find out, but you don't care. You just want to be in her arms.