Mutated Ectoplasm

39. A Pulled Thread...

Karkat rolled his eyes as his friends practically overwhelmed the poor guy but decided to hang back and just listen. It wasn't like they weren't asking questions he was going to ask anyway. He was done doing the talking too.

His eyes did drift away, though not of their own accord. The halfa didn't really know why but watching the two fight was funny in its own little way. Growing up a single child did make him wonder what having a sibling would be like.

It looked like being a twin would be a little weird, if somewhat annoying. The two, despite arguing earlier, were doing the exact same thing with different amounts of success. The fact they hadn't separated after the fight showed that maybe it wasn't a serious one. He couldn't help but find it weird how Void Hood and Heart Hood seemed to interact with them, critiquing their drawings.

...Karkat did his best to not have a double take, but suddenly his focus drifted onto the two other Hoods floating around. They definitely were interacting with the kids, as he could see Heart Hood talking to Caliborn like it was no issue. Calliope seemed to hang off of Void Hood's every word.

Karkat spared a glance at Signless, who seemed to notice it as well. As chill as ever, he didn't seem to care about it too much. Then again, he must trust his "associates" enough not to traumatize some kids.

Karkat looked over everyone, noting that they were all distracted. While some, notably Vriska, didn't seem to care about the lesson, they were at least trying to hold it together out of politeness. It made sure that nobody saw him move towards the kids. The fact the two hoods appeared here was not a coincidence, obviously.

"Hey, Calliope and Caliborn, right?" Karkat wasn't sure how to start a conversation with them, but that was a start. "Whatcha drawing?"

"It's Caliborn and Calliope, and it's none of your business." Caliborn kept looking at his sketchbook, only looking up to give a glare to Heart Hood. Karkat couldn't help but think the guy looked like he could be Dave's brother, only enhanced by the pointed shades he wore. "Though if you need to know one thing, it's that mine are better. Certainly more complex than my sister's stock."

"You really aren't going to make a lot of friends like that, little man." Heart Hood lazily floated on his back, not sparing them a glance. The weird nonchalant tone certainly cemented the idea he and Dave were related. "I keep telling you, nuance is the name of the game. Or messing with their obsession with blue aliens. I'm honestly not sure anymore."

"Ignore him, he's just angry that I'm able to convince people to hang up my artwork around the Far Frozen more than he can." Calliope rolled her eyes, ignoring her brother's whispered insults about Heart Hood and horses. "Though I keep telling him he's better at writing than I am, he isn't satisfied until he tries to win in everything."

"A little low there, Calli. It's true, but damn." Void Hood, who looked a hell of lot like Rose, laughed. She was a lot bubblier than her 'Light' counterpart. "You want to save that talk for when you're actually in a competition or something. Maybe take it a little less seriously?"

The kids were ignoring them, or at least pretending too. Karkat was doing the same, though it seemed like these two were just trying to stop the sibling fighting. Surprisingly mundane, or actually useful?

Karkat looked over Calliope's drawing. He could actually see Void Hood drawn there, instantly recognizable due to the clothing. A good place to start.

"Is that one of the imaginary friends your dad mentioned? She seems nice." Karkat figured that was a fair guess, but there wasn't too much detail in the drawing yet. "Why the hood though?"