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Your name is VRISKA SERKET and you are HAPPY.
You are also a little tired at the moment, so being the best at happiness will just have to wait for a little while. Just a little while, you still have plenty of irons in the fire and it's just bad form to leave them unattended for too long – even if you just woke up.
Even so, you yawn slightly and try to cover your mouth in a vain attempt to keep your human matesprit from noticing your moment of weakness. You obviously fail.
"Tired?" John asked, smiling contently at you. Stupid observant matesprit, looking so damn smug like he figured you out.
"Bluh bluh, all of it, whatever, shut up." You grumble. You don't particularly care that you didn't make any damn sense.
John just chuckles and pulls you closer against him. For a moment you feel an objection bubbling up inside of you, but it dies in your throat as you find yourself pressed against his strong chest, your head resting against his shoulder as he strokes your hair.
Okay so yeah, John has you so figured out he could probably set his damn timekeeping device to you. But you don't care.
Although you still find yourself a little surprised that such a dorky kid ended up with almost as much Mangrit as Equius, annnnnnnnd with none of the sweaty bullshit drawbacks either! Your lips curl into a grin as you run your hand over his chest and wrap your arms around him, pulling the two of you closer together. He looks down at you with a slightly confused expression and you look up at him with your grin.
He chuckles again. Even after all this time he never stopped getting surprised by the littlest, stupidest things. "Wow Vriska, you really got frisky in a hurry."
"Shut up and kiss me." You demand. He brings his other arm around and cups your chin, slowly leaning down and taking your lips in his. You pull your arms out from around his chest and throw them around his neck as you pull yourself into his lap.
You press your lips harder against his, your tongues playfully dueling together as you try to deepen the kiss further. You are the best at kissing and you try to remind him of that fact every chance you get. Of course you are both very much aware of where you intend for this to lead.
Luckily you're already in bed.
"Shower's all yours Vriska!" You hear your mate chirp happily. You still haven't figured out where the hell John gets all of his damn energy so early in the late afternoon. Stupid peppy mates with their stupid peppy endless wells of energy.
"Whatever." You groan, more to yourself then at him. Slowly and with great reluctance you part with the deceptively comfortable human bed you share, quite literally rolling off and awkwardly catching yourself before you slam face first into the floor.
A snarl crosses your lips as you pull your body straight, joints popping as you stretch yourself out and a massive yawn forces itself out of your lips. Feeling now mildly more awake, you quickly move toward the bathroom and the inviting shower contained within.
You perk up almost immediately as you turn the shower back on and rivets of cool, crisp water begin to splash against your face. As you snatch up a bar of soap and begin the process of cleaning yourself your mind begins to wander as you begin to consider the evening and night ahead of you. Without a giant demanding spider monster to feed or some sort of ridiculous universe creating game to play, you have an almost surprising amount of free time. And unfortunately most of your original interests back on Alternia have been slightly useless to you on Earth. You were actually a little jealous of Kanaya at first, she was always so weird on Alternia but she fit in almost perfectly on Earth, right from the start.
Although, speaking of which, maybe you could convince your Moirail to accompany you on some sort of horrible misadventure tonight? Messing with people is always fun, particularly when those people are your friends. Maybe you'll drag her downtown and mess with Strider at his club? Well you'll think of something, either way it sounds like a plan. Maybe if John isn't too tired you can get him to tag along?
You grin, looks like you've got a plan now. You always like to have a plan.
Quickly washing the shampoo out of your hair, you stop the water and shake as much water out of your hair as possible before stepping out of the shower and wrapping yourself up in a towel.
You glance toward the nearest clock and frown, just past four. Looks like your plans will have to wait a little while, you can't exactly have a horrible misadventure tonight if it isn't 'tonight' yet. Besides Kanaya and Rose invited you and John over for dinner and you just know that your fussy moirail would get upset if you tried to ditch. You're also kind of hungry, you don't like having horrible misadventures on an empty stomach.
You roll your eyes, well whatever. You'll just find something to do for a few hours. Switching into a fresh set of clothing you make your way into the living room and proceed to make yourself comfortable on the couch.
Earth games really weren't all that advanced compared to Alternia, and they certainly weren't as dangerous. But given that you're an immortal with the ability to make anything go your way, you're fairly certain the word dangerous doesn't even apply to you any longer. It's also pretty hard for any game to match the last game of high stakes you played. Sgrub was kind of a hard act to follow after all and it sort of killed your fascination with games of chance.
arachnidsGrip [AG] has joined the game.
AG: Kaaaaaaaarkaaaaaaaat!
TG: welp looks like spidertits is awake
CG: FUCKING DAMMIT.
CG: AND HERE I THOUGHT WE WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET A FAIR FUCKING GAME FOR ONCE.
CG: WITHOUT ANY BULLSHIT SPIDERBITCH CHEATERS RUINING EVERYTHING.
AG: Aw, is Karkat upset 8ecause he's going to lose again?
AG: Or are you just upset 8ecause you suck?
TG: well since im gonna just call dibs on the spiderbitch right now im thinking its probably both
AG: So who's team am I going to 8e on?
AG: Er, nevermind.
AG: Far be it from me to ignore di8s. ::::o
arachnidsGrip [AG] has joined Team Blue
CG: DIBS? THAT SORT OF IDIOTIC NOOKWHIFFER CAME UP WITH SUCH A SHITBOGGLINGLY RETARDED IDEA?
CG: WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN.
TG: jegus man how the hell have you been on earth for as long as you have and never learned about the sacred right of dibs
AG: Yeah, seriously 8rave leader, you'd think you'd have learned something about human culture by now.
CG: ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT?
CG: FUCK IT, LET'S JUST FUCKING PLAY.
CG: YOU FUCKING CHEATERS.
AG: ::::D
You wonder if Karkat will ever accept the fact that you don't use your luck powers when you're playing? Probably not.
Of course that just makes it more fun to mess with him.
You frown and stare at the fashionable mess that is your Sylladex. You've got about fifteen minutes left until eight and if you show up at Rose and Kanaya's house in your usual state of casual fashion Kanaya will probably be disappointed. She designs all this crap for you to wear, the least you can do is actually wear it around her.
You just wish there weren't so many skirts.
After another few minutes you grumble and with a complete lack of luster you finally make your choice. "Fine!" You say suddenly, talking to no one in particular, "If it'll make Kanaya happy I'll wear the damn skirt, but I don't have to like it!"
You pick out one of the more fashionable looking cards, along with a set containing a set of your more casual wear and dump the rest out of your Sylladex. Quickly stuffing all of the errant cards into a wardrobe you switch outfits and leave the bedroom. John is standing in the living room and staring vacantly at a movie poster and obviously distracted by it. He can be such a dork sometimes. You reach out and take his arm and pull him with you as you leave the house and walk the long, arduous distance to the house that Rose and Kanaya share, which coincidentally happens to be the house immediately next to yours.
"Hello John." Rose said as she answered the door, smiling pleasantly at your mate. After a moment she looked toward you, almost as an afterthought, "Vriska."
"Hello Rose." You reply, keeping your expression carefully even as you return her exactingly measured lack of warmth. A second ticks by and as if on cue, Rose tears her attention away from you and addresses you both.
"Do come in, Kanaya is just finishing up in the kitchen so we will be eating shortly. I trust that we will have an enjoyable evening together, just as always." She said, ushering in John and giving you only the most basic of courtesy as you follow him.
Humans might not be able to do Black Romance, but they can certainly make for a good Hatefriend and when it comes to Hatefriends, Rose is simply the best there is. Witty and precise with her insults, backhanded and passive-aggressive though they are, but like only the best of hatefriends she carefully treads the line between hate and friend, never veering too far in either direction.
The three of you make petty smalltalk for a few minutes, Rose happily entertaining John while making the occasional subtly snide injustice in your direction. John never seems to mind, he's always been perceptive enough to know that this is all just a game for the two of you, hatefriends are still friends after all, even if the idea isn't terribly widespread or quantified among humans. Soon enough however, Kanaya enters the room, as composed, beautiful and literally radiant as ever to announce that the food had been prepared.
It is only at that point that either of you remembers to ask what the food actually is.
"So uh... What are we actually eating?" John asks, nervously rubbing the top of his head.
"Oh, dear I did forget to mention that detail didn't I?" Rose said, for the briefest of instances seeming surprised.
"Well, we have prepared a salad to start with, along with lasagna for the main dish and for dessert we will have... Oh what was that darling Alternian dish called again?" Rose seemed to wonder, sounding very nearly genuine.
"It would literally translate to Spiderfish Pudding, but unfortunately Earth is lacking in some of the necessary ingredients so I was forced to improvise somewhat." Kanaya said simply.
For a moment you're quiet, but slowly your lips tug into a smirk, "Reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaally now? Spiderfish Pudding? You know that was one of my eight favorite foods back on Alternia."
"Well um... Yes, I do remember you telling me so. I thought it might be a nice surprise since..." Kanaya began babbling nervously as a faint blush grew across her cheeks, "Although I suppose it won't be quite like the real thing but I do think I got the texture close."
Rose coughs lightly into her hand, "Well then. John it may be best for us to take our seats, clearly these two will require some privacy."
Kanaya snaps out of her daze and blushes more intensely upon realizing what had just happened. She quickly rambles out an excuse and ducks into the dining room and you follow with the coyest smile you can manage. She never did quite manage to get over you, and if you allow yourself to be honest for a moment you must admit your own feelings are not entirely pale either. But you choose John and Kanaya had chosen Rose and neither of you regret your decisions. Your Moirallegiance is still fantastic and being able to mess with Kanaya only made it more fun.
So of course you continue to do so throughout the entirety of your shared dinner.
However, you aren't alone in your flirtations. In fact, as eager as you would be to take credit, it wasn't even your idea originally. Rose started this entire charade ages ago when she started subtly putting the moves on John to get a rise out of you. Of course neither of your mates would ever respond, nor did either of you expect them to. But that didn't stop it from being fun, messing with each other's partners and with each other in your ongoing game.
After dinner ends and after Kanaya starts feeling less flustered, you decide to bring up your plan for the night. John is as eager and willing as he always is, but Kanaya takes a few minutes of coercion before she agrees. Rose simply states that she will be joining your horrible misadventure, doing so in a way that implies she is doing so simply to chaperone your misdeeds.
You soon arrive at the club, quickly passing the thuggish pseudo-coolkid guarding the front entrance and making your way into the club itself. Dave is immediately apparent, and Terezi only slightly less so with the way she's fawning over the outrageously coolkid as he mixes his slick beats. You make a note to give her shit over it later.
Nevertheless, Kismesis or not, you intend to enjoy yourself tonight, so you snatch John and Kanaya by the wrists and drag them both onto the dance floor as Rose ignores you and chooses to go and mingle with her ectobiological brother.
Kanaya starts out stilted and awkward as always, but slowly she allows the music to take over. Surprisingly, dancing is one of the few things that John isn't derpy at, you've never been able to figure it out. You suppose it either has something to do with his piano playing hobby, or more likely he's just so terrible at it that he ends up looping back around and becoming good. Either way you start dancing back, flirting with John and teasing Kanaya occasionally as you move to the music, still intent on having fun.
Then you see her, at first just out of the corner of your eye. Your blood runs cold and your heart tenses up. She's the only person you never want to see, the only person that you hoped so desperately to forget about over all of these long sweeps.
You lost your Lusus, you lost your home, you even lost your life. But even though it seemed as though you had lost your ultimate reward, it seems as though you still managed to find it.
Being on earth has been everything you've ever wanted and everything you never knew you wanted. There's no killing and nothing bad would happen if you relaxed. You still want to be the best, but it's not because you have to, it's because you want to. Your friends have finally started to trust you and your new friends have never had any reason not to. Your Moirail found her mate and started acting as pale as you need her to be. And best of all is your own mate, sure he might be dorky and sometimes he's a little dumb, but you wouldn't have him any other way. Love still seems like a funny word to you, but humans have this weird thing about the word pity.
And so that's why you said it, "Go away."
"Please just..." You start out, closing your eyes as you suddenly clutch onto John, despite his increasingly apparent confusion at the situation.
"Just go away Aradia." You ask, none of your usual bravado present in your words as you speak to the six sweep old god standing right behind you.
A moment of tense silence passes, the club absolutely silent despite itself.
"I'm sorry Vriska. I'm so sorry that this had to happen." Aradia said, her voice slightly forlorn.
Another tense moment passes as you wait and finally it seems as though she'll leave.
"But for what it's worth.-" She says, pausing for a moment.
"-I do think you deserve this."
You grit your teeth together and clutch tighter onto your imaginary John. That bitch.... Well if she wants to play that game you're perfectly willing to show her just how much of a bitch you can really be.
You open your mouth again, only to find the words stolen from you as an immense and only vaguely familiar pain appears in your chest and all of the air suddenly disappears from your lungs.
Looking down you see a small slit in the center of your chest. You grasp at your chest, futily rasping for air as your dark blue blood begins to leak from your body. The wound throbs again and you fall to your knees, the world swirling around you before, seconds later you collapse to the floor and black out.
Air fills your lungs as you gasp out for breath, chest still throbbing with phantom pain as you hack miserably.
A familiar, if someone younger voice greets your ears almost immediately, "Vriska?"
He rubs his head and sounds nervous as he chuckles, "Man, I knew you couldn't really be dead."
John smiles at you and after a moment you smile back.
Your name is VRISKA SERKET and you are ALIVE.