Roxy held a small bouquet of lilies in her hands as she walked to the edge of the city. The sun was slowly falling down the sky, dying everything in the deep oranges and pinks of twilight. She pulled her jacket closer to her body and shivered. Winter would be coming soon enough.

Feferi was still staying with the white queen in her castle. Ever since the Condescension died and she became empress Feferi had been planning. Planning a new future for the trolls. She was going to stop all the attacks on other planets, and save the other races that could still be saved. The reign of terror was over.

But at what cost?

There was only six humans left, and barely any earth for them to live on. Feferi promised to help them first, but she didn't know how to go about doing that. The planet was destroyed. Still, Roxy didn't feel like everything was hopeless. There was still six humans. They had the cities and the carapaces, and the strength and will to rebuild a civilization.

Roxy turned onto the dock and froze when she saw a tall figure standing on the edge. She hadn't realized anyone else would be here, she had wanted to talk to the people she lost alone. Roxy shifted from foot to foot trying to think of something to say when the man turned around and noticed her.

He had a tight black and gold uniform, his eyes hidden away behind a blue and red visor. However his most interesting feature was his horns. Instead of having two like the rest of the trolls, he had four.

"Oh hey R.Y" Sollux said, walking down the dock toward her. "Thorry, I wath just thaying bye to that mithrable E.D"

Roxy nodded, not really sure what he just said. Sollux had joined them a few days after the Condescension died, mostly because Feferi wanted her matesprit to be close since her moirail had died. Roxy was beginning to understand troll romance, and thought it was nice that the pilot in training had come so quickly when his girlfriend called.

"Eridan..." Roxy whispered. "You weren't close to him were you?"

Sollux grimaced and rubbed his short black hair. "We were calligonuth. Uh, I don't know if F.F explained what that meanths."

"You were hate dating him?" Roxy questioned. Feferi had mentioned that Sollux and Eridan were in some sort of quadrant together, but it was the one that meant the least amount of sense to Roxy.

"Yeah, that." Sollux replied quickly. "Hate dating. We didn't really like each other, but I can't believe heth dead. Not tho soon after..." the troll fell silent.

Roxy suddenly remembered something Eridan had said that day after the goat lusus had destroyed the town. "He was really bitter about something when I talked about graves. Who did he lose?"

Sollux looked out to the horizon. "We both lothed the same guy. Thee, back when we were kids E.D and F.F broke their morilegenth for a while, and E.D found thomeone elth. My betht friend, Karkat. He was a real shitty friend, but he lithened and he understood any problem you brought to him. So when we found out he was a mutant, well it tore our small circle of friendth apart. To his credit, E.D didn't waver, and stood by K.K up until he died. Thomthing changed in E.D after that. At leatht he had calmed down enough for F.F to take him back. Things jutht weren't the thame after K.K. I stopped talking to half of my old friendth, and E.D felt like they all forgot him because he was a mutant. It wasn't fair. It jutht wathn't-" He cut off again, and Roxy realized he was crying. Pale yellow tears were streaking down his face, splashing onto his jump suit.

"Shh." Roxy hushed him, pulling the tall troll boy into a hug. Sollux sobbed quietly into her shoulder while she patted his back. "Hey, things will get better. For all of us."

Sollux pulled back and looked at her. His eyes looked large behind the dual colored visor, so wide and full of pain. "Thorry. I'm- Fuck. I didn't mean to break down on you."

Roxy just smiled. "It's ok."

The troll just shook his head. "I'm going to thee F.F." He muttered, before swiftly walking away from her. She watched his fleeing figure until he was lost in the cities walls. He did remember he could fly right? Because he walked everywhere. If he wasn't just sobbing on her shoulder Roxy would have laughed.

She looked back up. "Oh shit!" She cried angrily. The sun had set while she was talking to Sollux. Roxy stomped her foot and walked to the edge of the dock. This is where they had held the burial for Eridan and Harley, sprinkling their ashes onto the endless ocean.

"Hey guys, I hope you're listening." Roxy said loudly. "Feferi offered to take us back to Alternia with her, but after much debating... well, we're staying here. The six of us are going to live here in this city and rebuild our lives. It's not a whole lot, but it's home."

Roxy let out a sigh. "I guess you were right Eridan, when we first started talking I was pretty hopeless. I was worried that the small family I had put together would fall apart again. That Dave had lied about my mom, or she was dead, and all the weight of what he said was going to crush me. I was just a void, a dark hole waiting for all the lights to go out and life could become the same it had been before. But it's not. They'll all leave eventually, I will too, but until then we're staying together. And we'll never forget you and Harley, and what you two gave up so we could live. Thank you."

She dropped the lilies one by one into the water, watching as they slowly drifted away. Then she turned and headed back into the city. There was much to be done before the world would be hers again, but at least this time Roxy had a family to help her.