113 lines
6.2 KiB
HTML
113 lines
6.2 KiB
HTML
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<title>The Homestuck Epilogues: Candy - Chapter 28</title>
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<div id='s28'></div>
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<div>
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<h1>Chapter 28</h1>
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<div class="o-story_text o_epilogue type-rg type-sm line-caption line-copy pad-x-0 pad-x-lg pad-b-lg">
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<p class="no-indent"><span class="opener type-hs-opener-rg type-hs-opener-sm">T</span>hat being
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said, it’s very rude, all things considered, for Karkat to start a
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war on Harry Anderson’s birthday.</p>
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<p>John’s floating above the outskirts of the Human Capital,
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letting the breeze toss him to and fro. He’s hanging upside down in
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the air watching the first stage of the Troll Rebellion’s forward
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assault begin to establish their defensive position along the
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border. Despite the government’s paranoid crackdown on troll
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reproduction, they’ve ended up vastly outnumbered anyway thanks to
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the incalculable deluge of troll ghosts pouring down from the sky
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over the last decade. Someone with political opinions might think
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that this entire quagmire was one of the human government’s own
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making.</p>
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<p>John isn’t really on record as “having political opinions,” but
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he does think that the government approached this entire subject
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like it was trying to hold on to a water balloon by squeezing it
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too tight, and now it’s about to explode in their faces. He’s
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wondering if he should go see his son one last time before that
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happens. The battle is shaping up to be a pretty serious
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engagement. Both sides armed to the teeth, with all modern military
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technology at their disposal. Warships, laser guns, laser cannons,
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laser mines. Laser mines? Would those be mines that shot lasers, or
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lasers that tripped mines? John hasn’t been keeping up with the
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recent innovations in weaponry, although he has noted that the lock
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industry has finally started to take off. Dave said that this was
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all to be expected in a war economy. But John tuned out most of his
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analysis, which is what everyone does when Dave starts talking
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about the economy.</p>
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<p>A flash above the clouds catches John’s attention: another
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ghost, falling down from wherever it is they come from. John
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follows after the light with an exhausted sigh. The novelty of dead
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trolls falling from the sky has really worn off over the years. But
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he might as well go warn the new arrival that they’ve landed in the
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middle of an imminent warzone. He sets down at the edge of the
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crater and peers through the smoke.</p>
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<p>He recognizes the ghost immediately, because he sees a younger
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version of her almost every day.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="john">JOHN: vriska?</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Vriska’s face snaps up, eyes blazing. Eyes.
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Actual eyes, with expression, color, pupils, and everything.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="john">JOHN: wait. you’re...</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: alive??</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">John skids down the side of the crater and
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helps her sit up. He wasn’t imagining it. She’s extremely alive.
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And extremely wounded. And above all, extremely Vriska.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="john">JOHN: oh my god. you’re not just “vriska”...</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: you’re *actually* vriska!</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: you’re like, literal, for real, actual
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vriska!</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Vriska shoves John away and staggers to her
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feet. There’s a bleeding gash on her head and something lodged in
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her chest. It appears to be the same material as whatever was
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piercing the center of teen-Jade’s corpse. She’s bleeding bright
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blue all down her side, but her expression is wild.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: What the F8CK are you t8lking a8out?</p>
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: Where am I????????</p>
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: I c8n’t 8e here! I h8ve to go
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8ACK!!!!!!!!</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: back where?</p>
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: I need to see what happened!</p>
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: I NEED TO KNOW HOW IT TURNED OUT!</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: how *what* turned out?</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: vriska, you’re bleeding horribly, and talking
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total nonsense.</p>
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<p class="john">JOHN: we need to get you some help.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">She whirls around and grabs John by the
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shoulders. She starts shaking him, voice cracking with crazed
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desperation.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: I need to go 8ack!</p>
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: I need to SEE!!!!!!!!</p>
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<p class="vriska">VRISKA: I NEED TO SEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</body>
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