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cloudbattrolls · 1 month ago

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Shapestealer

Etuuya Vannyn | Present Night | Kaningård Cavern

Tuuya gritted their long fangs, trying not to focus on the flickers of nervousness wriggling through their mass. They weren’t quite as calm as they’d pretended to be in front of Viltau; they knew this might be risky, but…

If there was any chance of finding out why Inshii had vanished, every last butterfly of the swarm, they wanted to find out.

So they made their way through Kaningård’s tunnels as quickly as they could with their cane, searching for Iaktta.

“Looking for me?” came a voice from behind them.

There she stood as they spun around, arms folded behind her back, looking like any other matron.

“Iaktta.” They growled quietly, leaning with both hands on their cane. At least there was no one else close by right now, but they needed somewhere more private.

“Come with me.” The worm swarm ordered curtly, and the impostor followed, voicing no objection but wearing an annoyingly knowing smile on its face.

They went back to Tuuya’s office, and both took seats in the cozy room, decorated with comfortable rugs and various types of art, well-lit by soft yellow lights set into the stony walls.

“I have this funny feeling you know what I’m about to ask.” The head matron said dryly, putting their cane to the side as they reclined in their chair to be more comfortable.

The creature across from them just kept smiling.

“So. Did you kill Inshii? And if so, how did you do it?” They asked bluntly.

It laughed softly.

“Before I answer - why is it so important to you? They were your enemy. Or is it that you worry I’ll come for you as well?”

“I want to know how you killed the strongest swarm of us all. I know bloody well they were bigger and had better weaponry than Gallen and I, that they had access to the best technology trolls have made. They trusted no one. How did you get close enough that many times, across that many locations?”

Iaktta hummed thoughtfully.

“What are you defined by, Tuuya?”

“I’m a drinker swa- " they answered automatically, then fell silent.

Their eyes widened.

“No…but how? You…poisoned their blood supply? All of it?”

“Close, close.” It murmured. “I don’t need poison when I can just use myself.”

Tuuya say up straight, stunned.

“To be that small…so much that even Inshii couldn’t detect you…”

Iaktta smiled widely.

“You swarms are so complacent.” It whispered. “You think no one can infest you back. The blood ran through and I was left behind in all those bodies, caterpillar and chrysalis and butterfly, and it wasn’t so hard to make them mine.”

Tuuya felt cold, their insides writhing in fear as their ears lowered.

“No…you didn’t…”

Iaktta slid a claw along the inside of one arm, and drew out a furled-up butterfly wet with jade blood.

The slit sealed almost instantly, only a few drops of jade dotting the stony floor. Tuuya’s tongue ran over their teeth hungrily, despite the cupcakes Viltau had fed them not long ago, but at least they kept their mouth shut.

Iaktta’s smile had grown lazy, and the butterfly spread its silvery wings, gleaming in the yellow light.

Silvery…?

Ah. Just like the beetles.

“So you really are some strange technology.” Tuuya muttered, gripping the handles of their chair. “You stole their body. Why?”

“I wanted to.” It said with a shrug. “And I despised them for what they did to their trolls.” It said, smile gone, a hard edge to its voice.

“Hours of dangerous work with minimal breaks. Inshii ate the limbs of any who lost them to the machines. They used those who couldn’t work for experiments, for any new drug QPIN felt like testing before they pushed it on the streets! I could go on.” It said, eyes nearly as bright green as Tuuya’s own alight with rage.

“But you know.” It said more calmly. “You know what the eldest child of Ozryel was like. If it weren’t for Klirro, they’d have killed you all…”

“How do you know this?” Whispered Tuuya. “How could you possibly know?”

It tilted its head. “I know many things. Not everything, not even close, but enough.”

“So your true identity is the artifice, hm?” They murmured. “Do you plan to stop me from investigating you?”

It snorted. “Going to tell on me to Jastes? That won’t go well for you. He has no fetters anymore, and he won’t care that your cavern is in the way.”

“And why does he hate you so much, exactly?” Tuuya asked dryly.

“I tricked him in order to gain my freedom.” It said, the silvery butterfly landing on its shoulder. “He took it personally.”

“I can’t imagine why.” Tuuya deadpanned. “What with your trustworthy demeanor and friendly attitude.”

It put a hand to its mouth as it laughed. “I am what I am, and I don’t have your charms to make the uncomfortable truth of what I am slide into irrelevance.”

The rainbowdrinker grimaced.

“At least I don’t steal bodies so casually.” They muttered.

Iaktta shrugged. “Do you expect me to weep and moan about it? You delight in eating trolls alive. You have no high horse here, Tuuya, just a skeleton crumbling beneath you.”

“Imagine if someone did it to you.” They shot back.

It laughed again, the butterfly circling around it.

“Of course I’d let someone take one of my bodies, if they had a good enough reason. I wonder how they’d use it…” It mused.

Tuuya put a hand over their face.

“You really don’t care?”

It blinked.

“Bodies are bodies. I can always make more. It would be annoying if someone I didn’t like stole one, but I could destroy it if I was really that bothered.”

“Oh, so you aren’t always a thief.” Tuuya drawled. “Isn’t that refreshing.”

“Don’t be petty, Tuuya, you didn’t like Inshii anyway and Ardoat was a stooge of the empire.”

“Ardie still didn’t deserve to-“ they paused, then squinted.

“Wait. Arty? Vallis’s silly friend? But you’re…”

It grinned widely.

“Oh, that is so on the nose.” They huffed. “What, were you laughing about that the whole time you stole her body?”

“Total coincidence, I promise, but it is also really funny. I bet if she were alive, she’d agree.” It drawled.

“You are tasteless.” Tuuya huffed.

“I’m so sorry, please keep preaching to me from your ivory tower of blood and bones.” It retorted, batting its eyelashes.

“I hate you.” The worm swarm grumbled, having no rebuttal.

“And here I thought you only liked to date your food.” Iaktta drawled in amusement.

“Why, you - !” The head matron’s voice became an angry squeak as they shook an angry fist, a few worms poking their heads out of it to bare tiny teeth.

It blepped at them and Tuuya wanted to get up and throttle it right then and there, but they knew there was no point.

Instead more worms poked out of their face and hands to bare their teeth as the rainbowdrinker hissed in irritation. Iaktta said nothing, merely smiling again in that obnoxious fashion.

“Are we done here? Do you feel worthy of Scooby Doo?” It said innocently. “Tell you what - ask Viltau to make you troll gut Scooby Snacks next time.”

“Get out.” Tuuya groaned. “Before I see just how much of you is still flesh and blood and pick my teeth with the metal.”

“Oh, don’t threaten me with a good time, Tuuya, you’re not the only one who can regenerate.”

The worm swarm stared after the artifice as it got up and started walking away.

“What?” They said, with a strangled squeak.

The only response was the creature’s laughter.

#cloud writes #guardian artifice #etuuya vannyn #this drabble is about three things: the unsettling feeling of being unsafe in your home #two old queers being bitchy to each other #and arty having learned bad habits from glas #we can all point fingers at the hedgehog for being the absolute worst role model in Saying Cursed Shit of that flavor

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cloudbattrolls · 5 years ago

Photo

Tuuya does not deserve such a lovely drawing but I for one am so fond of it. Their horns! Their hair! THE WORMS.

Despite all my issues with homestuck, I still think trolls have a rad an aesthetically pleasing design.

This is Tuuya, the fantroll of my good buddy @cloudbatcave - this art was previously shared on my discor,d but I’m sharing it again.

#etuuya vannyn

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cloudbattrolls · 15 days ago

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Tuuya, how is the ball season treating you? Are you as buried in tailoring orders for formalwear as everyone else seems to be?

"Well, I can only take so many orders, given my primary responsibility is to Kaningård, but ah, yes, I'm working on one for Ullane's new assistant, and I've had a few others come in too. It's fortunate I can make extra pairs of hands to work on things."

"I daresay I do like the theme, but I hope I get some more interesting orders. Not every myth is fancy and elegant. Sometimes you get oddities like myself, it would be interesting if people branched out a bit.

...I suppose it is a bit cocksure to call myself mythic, but technically speaking, I am descended from an angel."

#etuuya vannyn #raitrolling #very funny to me Tuuya is (vaguely) celestial #it's not enough to give them any powers or such related to it since it's diluted. but it's there

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cloudbattrolls · 23 days ago

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"I don't know if I'll go to the ball myself this half-sweep, but I am quite looking forward to making outfits. Velour and Aelynn will be quite busy too, I'm sure; we'll all be in the trenches together, trying not to get tangled in our own thread. It's a good thing my cavern doesn't need too much me right now, aside from ensuring we have enough supplies for the cold, long winter."

#etuuya vannyn #not open but I wanted them to talk about Fashion. it is their passion. they love having two Fashion Friends they can discuss things with

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cloudbattrolls · 7 months ago

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Assimilation

Etuuya Vannyn | Present Night | Kaningård Cavern

This drabble is preceded by Aftermath.

Tuuya stared down the false Ardoat, who sat across them in their office with her hands folded politely as if for all the world this was an ordinary meeting.

Only their coordinators knew the truth. They didn’t dare tell the rest of the cavern; all they’d said was that their new matron was not reporting to the empire after all, that everyone was safe to return.

They had felt the eyes on them, the curiosity and suspicion. They didn’t blame people for wondering.

But they barely knew more themself.

Time to fix that.

“I can’t think you’re just going to tell me who you are or why you’re here, because I wouldn’t if it were me.” They said dryly. “I imagine you know who and what I really am.”

“Yes.” She said calmly. “Correct on both accounts.”

“I know better than to torture you. But if we’re going to cooperate, I do need a little information.”

She nodded.

“I’ll answer what I can.”

Tuuya squinted.

“Why so cooperative now? Why didn’t you tell me when I first met you in her room?”

“I hadn’t been able to check all her possessions for hidden imperial surveillance yet.” The impostor said evenly. “I had to keep up the ruse. If the empire realizes I replaced her, or that I’m lying to them, everything I’ve done is pointless.”

“So you did sabotage her spies.” The worm swarm murmured.

‘Ardie’ nodded.

“Why? Why are you helping us?” Tuuya said bluntly. “That’s what’s bothering me the most, honestly. What do you want in return for this? It can’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t too hard.” The fake said calmly. “You may not believe it, but I don’t want anything. Foiling the empire is enough.”

They snorted softly. “I suppose I can relate to that. Still. You can’t think I’m going to just trust your word. Show me what you’ve sent to the empire; I need to know anyway if we’re to collaborate on this ruse.”

The jade nodded and took out her phone and tablet, presenting both to the matron superior.

Tuuya scanned the neatly written reports, mentioning she hadn’t had a chance to place the spybots yet but would soon, that she suspected possible illegal activity but had no proof yet.

They nodded in approval.

“Of course you don’t want to pretend you think everything’s fine. They’d be suspicious.”

The false Ardie smiled a bit eerily.

“Exactly.”

“I assume these spybots will be fake, or else relaying altered information?”

“Correct.”

“I would also like copies of that footage.”

She nodded.

“I will provide you with them.”

Tuuya didn’t speak for nearly half a minute, and their fellow seemed content to stay silent as well.

“The beetles. Are they yours? Or are you them?”

‘Ardie’ only smiled.

“I haven’t seen them since.” Tuuya murmured.

“Or maybe -"

They looked Ardie directly in those eyes that were just slightly too bright green now, unlike when she had first arrived at Kaningård.

“- I have.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Tuuya.” Said the impostor fondly. “And satisfaction alone might not bring you back this time. I protect you from the empire. You don’t poke and pry at me - at least, don’t be sloppy about it or I’ll rap your knuckles. That’s the deal.”

Tuuya smiled dryly.

“If I opened you up…what might I find?”

“Look in a mirror.” The false Ardoat said. The tone was blunt, but not flippant.

They raised their eyebrows.

“Isn’t that something. What should I call you, anyway?”

“Ardie or Ardoat is fine.” She said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Really. You take on her identity so thoroughly?”

“Of course.” She said calmly.

As if it was natural. As if she - or they - had done this before…

Look in a mirror, she’d said.

Not worms, of course. But beetles? Was there some other sort of strange swarm?

Yet she was still troll, Tuuya could smell it. Ardie herself was gone, but her body was the same, at least outwardly. If she’d been undead or a swarm, she wouldn’t be so appetizingly alive.

But they knew blood had been shed that day. Something had happened in that room to kill the matron they’d once known.

“You aren’t her.” Tuuya said softly but very firmly, gripping their desk under their hands.

“I’m grateful for what you did. But you’re not her. I want to call you something else, when it’s just the two of us.”

Decades together, before Rivali had snatched them and dragged them back to Hanhai.

No, they had never been close, that was impossible. But Tuuya had still spent sweeps upon sweeps with Ardoat. Brought her ginger cookies from outside. Knew she liked newspaper crosswords but not word scrambles. Had saved her from a rockfall once.

The fake’s expression was unreadable.

“Call me Iaktta.”

“Iakttagare?” Tuuya asked with an amused expression, recognizing their native language from the pronunciation. “Is that a title, or a description?”

“Yes.” Said Iaktta, who rose to leave.

Tuuya contemplated trying to make her stay, but said nothing as the jadeblood walked away.

Watcher, was it?

The Svenskan word could also mean observer or beholder.

What an interesting thing to call herself.

“I won’t be sloppy, Iaktta.” They murmured, worms coiled in determination.

“Count on it.”

THE END OF

PAY HORROR UNTO HORROR

#cloud writes #etuuya vannyn #iaktta #was that your voice or was that me?

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cloudbattrolls · 2 months ago

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Callout for @reverietrolls on main for enabling Tuuya being a slut

#Tuuya is pitchflirting. not super seriously but still.#god help me #etuuya vannyn

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cloudbattrolls · 7 months ago

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Aftermath

This drabble is preceded by Arrival.

Etuuya Vannyn | Present Night | Kaningård Cavern

They chattered to her as they took her to the incubation room, pointing out this or that in the cavern that had been renovated since her time, but while Ardie was polite she didn’t seem all that interested.

Not that Tuuya blamed her. The fact that she was acting so polite was unnerving enough; her neutral responses to their small talk were a relief.

“The walls look nicer these nights.” She said, when they’d almost reached the place, placing a hand on one.

The halls had been distinctly sparser with jades than usual, thank goodness. Everyone in charge of the evacuations must have made it out; they’d been worried the empire had only sent Ardie as a distraction, while cutting them off elsewhere by lying in wait.

Those beetles…

But perhaps they weren’t some imperial creation after all. There had been no sounds of violence, no smell of blood. They hadn’t seen them again since.

“Oh! Yes. I had the whole place renovated.” They said, head bobbing as they remembered to reply. “You remember how chilly it could get.”

She gave them a strange smile. “Why didn’t you do it when we were here? We spent a lot of cold northern nights together, the rest of us.”

“I didn’t want us found out.” They said quietly.

“You didn’t want you found out.” She responded, even softer. “You really are just worms, aren’t you? Our comfort meant nothing.”

She turned away from the rainbowdrinker, walking through the door as they struggled to not slump in shame.

They couldn’t afford to indulge in self-hate right now.

They had to stay strong. Too many people were counting on them.

They followed her, subdued but still alert. No doubt she meant to distract them right when it was relevant, and they couldn’t let that happen.

Yet she behaved perfectly at ease and like an ordinary egg inspector, speaking with the incubation technicians and health experts in the hot, humid room. They’d shut the door behind them; protocol, to prevent as few outside germs from getting in as possible, and they sanitized their hands as well.

They watched her, and said a few hellos to the technicians…ah.

Anleih was here…and they had their she/they pronoun pin on.

Ardie acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, greeting her as she would any other jade. Her expression was pleasantly neutral as she extended a hand to shake with the cat troll.

Anleih extended theirs in return, and Ardie must have gripped it hard, for Tuuya saw her struggling to restrain a mew of pain before she put on a strained smile and let go.

Ardie’s gaze stayed cool. The other technicians tensed, but kept doing their work.

Good.

As horrible as it was, they had to let it go. They couldn’t give the now-imperial jade any reason to keep digging.

Tuuya only hoped the records were all in supposed, legally perfect order, that the warning they’d sent out had been enough.

At least Ardie seemed genuinely approving of their current technology; they’d have to send Mesier another thank-you piece of clothing later, for right now the purpleblood’s generous financial donations were saving them once more.

“Yes, there are technically more up to date versions of seadweller nutrient substrate you could be using, but given how few you have right now, it’s not something you’d want to invest in upgrading until you have a larger population of them. If that ever happens.” She said conversationally.

Tuuya nodded. “I’m genuinely not sure. We don’t know what this mother grub’s highblood production rate will be like when she’s grown yet.”

“Oh, you don’t have her lineage on record?” Asked Ardie with apparent innocent curiosity.

The worm swarm, however, knew a bear trap when they saw one.

“I’m afraid it was destroyed in the attack on Hanhai cavern.” They said delicately. “I believe you could ask Daudre Seward of Hanhai if you want more details…aren’t their lineages interesting? So slow, and yet they go back so far, and we have to be so careful tampering with their genetics or heaven forbid the matriorbs, and if we’re truly unlucky they become infertile or suffer inherited diseases…”

She nodded, but Tuuya wasn’t done.

“And of course, we’ll have to start collecting donations first before we can start to get a statistically relevant sample of her typical hue range and presence levels, and wouldn’t you know it we don’t actually have drones for that yet? I think it’s a shame, really, but I’ve been told we just don’t warrant it at the size we’re currently at and yet -”

Ardie’s eyes began to glaze over, and they saw the technicians and health experts suppressing smiles as they watched their matron superior use their strongest social weapon: babbling until their victim mentally checked out.

Tuuya wrapped up in a minute or so, to maintain plausibility, thanking Ardie for her expertise, and they hoped the time they’d bought had allowed the others to tie up any loose ends they needed hidden or altered.

“Well.” She said as they left, wiping a light sheen of sweat off her forehead. “That was…illuminating.”

“Oh, I’m glad! I want you to have as much information as you need to do your job.” They said, nodding.

She squinted at them, probably checking for sarcasm, but Tuuya meant what they said. Exactly as much information as she had to have, and not a drop more.

She shook her head. “Where are your grubs?”

“Oh! Follow me. You don’t need any water or anything, do you?”

Ardie herself looked highly appetizing in the way of beverages, but Tuuya would sooner eat their own teeth than touch her.

If they did, they’d never be able to live with themself.

But if they didn’t kill her, what were they going to do?

If they did kill her, what were they going to do?

“That can wait.” Said the imperial, easily keeping pace with them.

They nodded, and the pair walked on a bit in quiet aside from the gentle tap of Tuuya’s silver cane on the floor.

“How is Uunive?” Ardie asked crisply.

Tuuya looked solemn. It wasn’t hard.

“Oh, you didn’t hear? She’s…no longer with us.” They said, voice cracking a bit.

It was not fake. Not when Tuuya remembered believing their first daughter had died from Klirro's bite, during that terrible night at the DeVille coven’s clinic.

Ardie looked surprised, then genuinely saddened.

She didn’t speak, instead giving Tuuya a sympathetic look that twisted them up even more inside.

Did the jadeblood genuinely miss their daughter? Was it just the remnants of when they’d been in her head, carefully editing out any memory of Uunive’s lime hue?

Or did Ardie, for all her imperial loyalty, still have a bit of feeling that was her own for the girl she had raised and taught, even if it hadn’t been entirely her choice?

This endangered Uunive. It endangered Helixe. Ailene. Everyone. They had to remember that. They had to figure out a plausible accident for her to have…one that would stand up to imperial scrutiny…

But then the empire would just send another.

Should they keep her, because better the devil they knew?

Tuuya did not know. As they showed her everything she asked to see, their head felt full of static.

They could not find an answer.

They had to find an answer.

As they bid her good day and left her in her assigned hiveblock, Kaningård’s matron superior made up their mind.

—

“We found these.”

A grim tone came from Anleih as she tossed something small and mechanical into Tuuya’s hands. A few somethings.

They blinked at her blearily, having just sat up to go to Ardie’s block. It was the middle of the day outside.

Then they looked down at their dark gray palms and felt a chill.

Miniature spybots. Flat and camouflaged perfectly to blend in with the rocky cavern walls.

But they weren’t functional. They were…overgrown, somehow, with tiny, strangely vein-like wires.

“Ardie planted them, but what…?” They said wonderingly.

Anleih shook her head. “I don’t know. Whatever it is, it saved us. We had the techs take a look at their insides; they were capable of broadcasting and receiving independently of her, but it seems like they didn’t get a chance to even start.”

Tuuya felt weak at the knees and leaned on their cane for support.

“Time to end this.” They muttered. “Thank you, Anleih…I have to go to her now.”

They nodded, grimacing.

“Do what you have to do, Tuuya.” She said softly.

“I will.” They said, resigned, as they left their room and made their way to Ardie’s.

—

The scent of blood struck Tuuya as they opened the door.

It was faint. Barely perceptible even to their keen rainbowdrinker’s nose.

But it was there.

Ardie herself wasn’t bleeding. No, the short-haired woman was unpacking her things further, setting up furniture and decorations.

Tuuya saw no fresh scars on her, no bandages.

So why…?

She turned to look at them, head tilting slightly, and looked as politely neutral as she had yesternight.

But something was wrong.

They stepped closer.

“Restless day, Ardie?”

They said, casual if a bit concerned.

“I haven’t slept here in a while, Tuuya.” She answered. “I thought I might as well begin getting myself settled.”

The voice. The voice was just slightly wrong, the cadence a little off…

Only they or Uunive would have noticed.

Yet the face was the same. Her possessions - a few they recognized from when she’d lived here before - were the same.

“Ardie.” They said casually. “Do you remember when Uunive was hatched?”

She blinked, looking them directly in the eyes.

“Don’t be silly, Tuuya, you brought her here as a grub. Are you feeling all right?”

Damn.

“Splendid.” They said, experiencing the exact opposite. “Was just trying to reminisce a little, that’s all. It’s nice to have someone else here who knew her like I did.”

She shook her head. “I really must keep unpacking, but thank you for checking in.” She said in a polite but dismissive tone that made it clear the conversation was over.

It was. For now.

Tuuya waved her goodbye, and left. Once they closed the door behind them, and walked a short ways away, they sat down heavily against the wall and slumped against it.

“I don’t know who or what you are.” They murmured.

Those eyes had been just a little too bright green. Almost close to their own hue.

“Or why you’ve done this.”

The impostor knew how Uunive had come here. They’d clearly done their homework.

Too bad the person they were trying to fool had also worn others’ faces in their time.

“But I know you’re not Ardie.” Tuuya whispered, then took a deep breath, ears flattened against their neck as they acknowledged the stark and terrible truth.

“And I know you killed her.”

#cloud writes #etuuya vannyn #in the summer silence I was getting violent. in the summer silence I was doing nothing.

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cloudbattrolls · 7 months ago

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Arrival

Etuuya Vannyn | Present Night | Kaningård Cavern

This drabble is followed by Aftermath.

Tuuya stared at the printed notice without really taking it in, their soft hands holding it limply. Their bright green eyes were blank, almost unseeing, their body still. They barely moved within their skin, worms leaden with shock and helplessness.

Hello Matron Superior Vannyn,

We are pleased to inform you that you will be receiving and maintaining Miss Ardoat Lentya as a full matron in Kaningård when she arrives on -

The rest blurred before them.

All that mattered was the name.

The name, and the red trident crisply embossed into the stationary the notice had been typed on.

“Ardie…” they whispered, as if saying her nickname with apology could undo the suffering they’d inflicted on the jade.

The worm swarm shook their head. No use staring at the wall and being miserable; they had to tell the others. She supposedly arrived tomorrow night; no doubt the empire hoped to catch them unawares.

Well, thought Tuuya as they grabbed their silver cane and rose to their feet, stuffing the notice in their sylladex as they walked out of their room, they were going to have to try a little harder than that.

As they walked, they took out their phone, texting all their immediate subordinates; the coordinators in charge of the lab, the kitchen, the young mother grub, the egg incubation room, and so on.

I want things spick and span! Don’t spare the sponges.

A true statement. Also a code to clean up and conceal any suspicious activities, shuffle any mutant grubs and wrigglers to the hidden containment areas or evacuation tunnels, disguise any jades who might be not entirely legal themselves, and purge all their message logs and call histories.

A clumsy job, and the absence of such things would certainly draw attention if investigated, but fortunately, they had an excuse for that.

Viruses could be so unfortunate, Tuuya would comment. Remarkable how this one managed to get even into a cavern system, wouldn’t you know it? Perhaps someone was a little too careless on an online gaming site…or, goodness, pirating movies! The sheer cheek, they’d say, shaking their head in imagined abashment.

Admit to a lesser crime, apparently embarrassed, to conceal a greater one.

Then they made a call, speaking a few sentences before hanging up

“Selene. Take Chroma for a field trip. There’s sandwiches in the fridge.”

Another code. He knew what to do, how long to stay away, to not communicate with them beyond this message until he got the all-clear.

Then they called Uunive.

“Ardie’s coming.” They said lightly, as if the very name was not a heavy weight between the pair of them. “You know how she is.”

Again, they hung up quickly.

Only the worm swarm and their daughter did in fact, know how she was. Or how she’d been, once, kept in this very cavern…

They made it where they’d been intending to go. Curse their slower pace, but they knocked on the door, and opened it to see a dear, familiar frown.

“You have to evacuate.” They said quietly to Ailene. “An imperial agent is on her way. One placed here permanently. You know where to go.”

Their human daughter nodded, the large moths she bred fluttering around her as she immediately went to grab necessities in preparation.

Tuuya noticed, as they left her, some beetles in the hall. Hardly unusual; Uunive had her own swarm of them she communed with. But as these scuttled out of sight, Tuuya noted they were not the same species; similar, but their carapaces were silvery gray.

Unease prickled through the worm swarm, and it took restraint to not start tying their insides in knots. No, surely if the empire was already here they’d be getting their doors broken down by drones this very moment. Or else it would have already happened.

Still. There was something about them…

But they weren’t swarm-white, and there no others besides themself, Gallen, Inshii, and Helixe.

Helixe…

Tuuya cursed themself in Svenska. How could they be so stupid! Their pupa needed them -

No. They forced themself to stop. Helixe would be fine. They had taught it about evacuations, it had learned just like the other at-risk wrigglers…

But they still ached to think of their youngest in other hands, no matter how capable those hands were.

Stress turned to hunger, as it always did. Tuuya sighed, impatient with their own body as ever when appetite struck while they were trying to get things done.

But there was no denying it. They made their way to the nearest fridge in a common room, bereft of other people as they heard distinct activity signaling their orders were being followed.

Ears flicking, they downed a gallon or so of chilled blood in quick gulps. Tuuya preferred it warm, but this was no time to be picky; they needed to stay focused.

Right. Yes. Time to warn Crimew and Florah against visiting. They texted both of their children at once, wishing they had time to send personalized messages to each, but the basic code would have to do.

At least Melina was safe, totally unknown here as she was. Their quadrants were away; Jaskir never visited, Kamala and Vrayan were busy, and Channi rarely left his hive’s grounds to begin with.

They sent all four a warning to not contact them for the moment, again wishing they had time to personalize it to each one, but no, quick was the word when all their quads were mutants.

Tuuya sat down heavily on a chair near the fridge, propping their cane against it before stretching out their limbs and trying to make sure they de-tensed from gripping their bones so tightly.

Just a minute’s rest, then they’d -

Their phone chirped with a cheerful tone, a red trident flashing on the display.

They felt an eerie calm form from the pit of their anxiety. Yes. They had figured the empire had lied in the notice, hoping to make them think they had more time than they did…

…but this was still quite soon.

Ardie, they thought. You deserve to hate me, to punish me for what I did to you. But it’s not just me at risk here; it’s so many others who do not deserve what the empire would do to them.

The drinker hauled themself up, cane in hand, and strode as fast as they could to the nearest elevator to take them to Kaningård’s top floor.

Where all visitors were received.

The doors opened with a pleasant ding not long after they’d gotten in, and they gripped their cane tightly as they exited, a pleasant closed-mouth smile on their face. Wouldn’t do to show off their needle-like dentition right now.

She looked over to them, expression pleasant, her choppy chin-length hair so much more gray than when they’d last seen her. Her face had lines it had not shown before. Yet she looked as calm and relaxed as they weren’t, if intrigued and perhaps a little baffled to see them.

It was all normal. Sickeningly normal.

“Tuuya…?”

Ardoat said in a questioning, almost amused voice.

“Is that you?” She added.

They blinked, then remembered how she had last seen them and chuckled despite their tension.

“Yes, I’m rather bigger than I used to be.” They said with humor, for Ardie had only seen them skinny and with fully black hair. That was three sweeps ago.

Three sweeps that they had, if unintentionally, abandoned her.

“Been through a few knocks.” They remarked, lifting their cane briefly. “But I’m still here, and I…I am sorry.” They said, sagging a bit.

Her face was peaceful. Unsettlingly so.

“It’s fine, Tuuya.” She said.

Her tone was patient. Encouraging.

“Show me what you’ve done with my old home and we’ll call it even.” She added with a light laugh as she walked over to the elevator. They dutifully followed.

“I admit - I got here early because I was so excited. But I should still get right to the incubation room; reports to write, you know how it is.”

They nodded.

“Of course. I’m sure you’ve picked up new brooding techniques we could use.”

She waves a hand. “You know I won’t be able to say until I examine the whole facility and see what needs to be done.” She said crisply.

Tuuya twisted up inside, dozens of worms gripping their ribcage; this was what she should have been doing for the hundred-plus sweeps they’d held her captive here.

Instead Ardie’s knowledge had only been good for tutoring Uunive, kept in a light fog so she wouldn’t leave - wouldn’t remember she’d seen worms or a limeblood, wouldn’t tell the empire.

Camouflage for a monster. A tutor for their child.

That was all she’d been for such a long time.

Because they’d put a worm in her head. Controlled her.

All to keep themself safe.

Tuuya led her to the incubation room, praying the trolls there were ready.

They prayed they were ready.

For they had no idea how to send her away without arousing suspicion. They were trapped.

No harm could come to Ardie without the blame being laid on their head, her blood - literal or metaphorical - on their hands.

Their hunger rose again, but Tuuya had no trouble quashing it.

Guilt easily filled them up instead.

#cloud writes #etuuya vannyn #little voices buzzing poison. backward noise drowns everything.

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