Listened to music. [ PROBABLY ROSE AND JOHN HELPED HIM MAKE A MAGIC IPOD CHARGING COZY OR SOMETHING OK ] Wrote some raps. Mostly hung out, honestly. But you sound bored.
[ at least, by john egbert standards. dave eyes him speculatively. ]
D'you wanna have a slumber party? We can have Rose paint our nails and gossip about all the dumb shit you're gonna find to do on the new planet.
[There's another shrug and he's turning so he can keep putting stuff away. Some of his clothes are going on the one shelf in his room.]
I don't know. I think it reminds me a lot of being on the ship. [He hasn't said much about his time on the ship, really, but the general impression was that it drove him crazy after a while. But he doesn't elaborate and instead there's a smile over his shoulder.]
Only if mine get to be blue. [He's not serious, but.] It'd be fun, sure. Especially since we don't know what's happening tomorrow. Also you say that like Rose wouldn't be thrilled to actually paint our nails. [Because Rose Lalonde does not mind making the boys do dumb shit.]
Yeah, I know. [There's another lopsided smile because this is how things are. Dave Strider does whatever Rose Lalonde asks of her. This is how friendship works.] Red, probably.
[But that's a question he has to think on. He doesn't really want to ignore it, but he doesn't know how to describe it that well either. So he focuses on organizing his clothing pile.]
It was...quiet, I guess? It wasn't that bad at first because Jade and I were hanging out and just goofing off. We had all of the consorts and the chess people around, too, plus Jaspers and Nanna and Davesprite. We passed through dream bubbles sometimes, but those were not always that exciting either. It's how I finally met Vriska and when I saw Meenah and Roxy for the first time.
[He's folding his t-shirts to stack them up.] Anyway, as you know Jade and Davesprite started dating, so they would be off doing whatever on their own time on the ship. Nanna was baking. Jaspers would chase Davesprite because an idiot cat princess is still an idiot cat, Jade chased Jaspers because she is part dog now...but with her cool witch powers Jade could shrink us down to hang out in my house on LOWAS. But any time I wanted to do that I would have to ask her which got to be kind of a pain in the ass to bother her with. Sometimes we watched movies. Sometimes we played games. But the chess people and the consorts were all really bad at them and they weren't great for conversation either. Plus I never really saw anyone in the dream bubbles I wanted to see? They were sort of a disappointment.
[It was lonely, mostly, especially in the time Jade was with Davesprite. When he didn't have contact with Dave and Rose at all. He eventually stop putting away his clothes and shrugs again.] This place at least has interesting people and my friends, so in a way it is better than that. I don't mind as much.
[ dave just watches john put away his clothes, not interfering or helping. it's "davesprite" but just nanna and jaspers, and he wonders if it's because john's talking to him or not. dave doesn't think so; it isn't like john doesn't care about hurting others, but more that dave isn't certain the nuance of calling someone else dave to dave's face would occur to john off the bat. so probably that was the norm.
it sounds sad, and lonely, and he immediately gets the same feeling he did when jade kept talking about how he (davesprite) broke her heart. these are things he doesn't think he would do.
but he would, wouldn't he? if circumstances were just right. and it's not a thought he likes to have, but it is one that the time player has to acknowledge and accept. ]
I was really jealous Rose got to see you that one time. All I got was, uh, seein' you skewered by Meenah the one time? What the fuck was up with that, by the way.
[ but john offered him the ship and dave feels like he should do the same. ]
Did I mention I get on with Vantas these days? I mean, I guess you may've figured from when we popped the fuck out of nowhere on you for a bit there and like, we didn't yell at one another - not that I yell, I just talk and he yells - but like. It took the better part of two goddamn years, and a bit of the third. And the thing is, it was kind of a pair the spares sort of situation platonically? Like...
[ a shrug. ]
The first year, right, we couldn't stand one another. Rose and Kan were always researchin' shit and I talked to them and all, but it started to feel a little like intrudin' eventually and I didn't always. I spent most of my time with the mayor. Terezi hung out with us back then, too, so it was mostly the three of us. Gamzee, uh, I saw him once in a hallway? Like, over the course of that entire fuckin' trip. So he was useless. But like, by year two it was...
[ ...well, by year two rose had started to drink a little. ]
It was a thing. Rose and I still hung out but for certain reasons, we didn't really talk as much as we used to, or not in the same, like...way. And she and Kan started actually datin', so. And also by then Terezi went full on, uh, she and Gamzee started a kismespades thing which is the hate date quadrant for the record and that was a complete fuckin' trainwreck but anyway I told her we were like, friends and all, but I didn't want to touch that with a ten foot pole. And so by year three I mostly hung out with the Mayor still and also Karkat? And like, everyone else was...not so much.
[ he had never been certain how to handle rose's drinking. he's glad she hasn't touched a drop, here. ]
Mostly we worked on can town. Which is like, exactly what it sounds like. It took up a few rooms by the time the trip was done? I worked on music, too, and uh, we watched movies sometimes...but it was...I dunno. It was a pain in the ass.
[It's not something he wants to dwell on much, so he shakes his head a little.] Everything about that whole period of time was a little weird. I didn't know Rose told you she showed up in one of the bubbles. And Meenah...[A shake of his head again.
This time though he shuts up and turns to lean against the wall, listening to Dave explain about life on the meteor. His expression doesn't give away any tells, relaxed and calm though occasionally his eyebrows furrow together or he chews on his bottom lip in thought.
It wasn't a good situation for any of them, was it?]
I had wondered about that. If you and Karkat would become friends at the end of things. I think I get it though. After a while it felt like intruding on Jade and Dave Sprite, too, and it was just kind of awkward. It was still awkward even when they broke up. Didn't know anything about Terezi and Gamzee, but that explains some things I think? Please don't even start talking about quadrants again. But I get it.
[Not quite fitting where you want to fit. Feeling unbalanced and unsure of what to do with yourself. People being different than you remember.] It was a really long three years, wasn't it? [He's glad it's over. He's glad they're here.] I don't even remember how many times I asked Jade if she could make the ship go faster, but they she would start talking physics at me and that was just annoying, too.
Well. For three years or so before the past three years, we talked pretty much every fuckin' day, dude. So yeah, it was a long three years. There were a million little things that it was like, "wow John would find this funny" or "Jade might like this" and neither of you were there to say those things to, you know? So they were words and conversations that went nowhere. There should be a word for that. For the conversations you never have, but that you would have had, if you'd been able to have them?
[ and the thing is, he'd never even fallen out of the habit. it'd been three years and still his first thought about certain things was john would or jade would. it had never gotten any better or any less there. ]
[...that seems to do it. He laughs suddenly and finds himself moving to sit on the ground instead, looking at Dave from across the room and full-on pleased with that answer.]
Jade didn't get it at all. Even when I explained it. [He loves Jade though, the same way he loves all of them.] There were a lot of times I thought about you guys, too, and what you were doing and knowing that there were just things you guys would get that Jade wouldn't and vice versa. It was...off. Everything.
[A beat.] I think the word you are thinking, then, is "the future." [Because really, what's stopping them from making up for lost time now?]
Shut up, it was not! [It totally was.] I am just saying that is a thing that I would consider the future. We're having these conversations now, right? [SEE???]
Losing my phone was not always my fault, you can't blame me for everything. [But he gets it seeing how he's having a hard time even looking that annoyed.] Telepathy is still weird, but I think I am getting more used to it now. So yeah. I guess we're constant.
That was definitely not my fault? My stupid sylladex launched it out the window. [A beat.] I mean I maybe threw it into an ocean of oil on LOWAS but that's different.
You only won round one. The debate's still going and team Egbert will strike back when you aren't looking. Trust me. It is all part of the plan. [But...sigh.]
Like I said, I think I'm ready to keep going. The island is mostly full of mysteries and no answers.
[...the hesitance isn't missed and he looks up curiously, drawing his legs to his chest and eyeing Dave just as cautiously. He doesn't say anything at first, but there's a nod to indicate he should continue. The "we" isn't a mystery to him at all.]
there's a few minutes of silence as dave debates completely backtracking, before he decides he wants to check with someone, and he doesn't want to hear rose's analyzation about it; he wants to hear from someone who epitomizes normal for him if he's overreacting or underreacting or...reacting all wrong in some other way. he can't tell any longer, and dave is at least self-aware enough to know he doesn't have the distance he needs to gauge what would be logical. ]
He made a math workbook for us to go through together, or whatever. [ which seems like a weird activity, maybe, but dave has always liked math and john probably knows that. this seems innocuous enough? ] And then apparently destroyed his memories of all the problems?
[ dave decides not to append his own opinion to this, simply staring at john to see if the latter half of the explanation gets any reaction. to see if it gets dave's reaction, specifically, and to gauge exactly what he should be feeling.
[He's patient enough and even while Dave's silent John's learned that he just has to wait it out even if it sort of drives him crazy. He stays seated and makes no sudden movements or sounds aside from picking at a loose thread in his jeans before Dave speaks.
And then. John thinks about that.]
Why would he destroy his own memories? [The question is unsure and equally baffled, if only because as far as he's aware wouldn't changing memories change timelines and who Dirk is? Sure, okay, maybe they would fill in later once he resolved the problems but that's still a little alarming if it means Dirk's regard for himself is...that, basically.] That's what he told you?
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[ at least, by john egbert standards. dave eyes him speculatively. ]
D'you wanna have a slumber party? We can have Rose paint our nails and gossip about all the dumb shit you're gonna find to do on the new planet.
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I don't know. I think it reminds me a lot of being on the ship. [He hasn't said much about his time on the ship, really, but the general impression was that it drove him crazy after a while. But he doesn't elaborate and instead there's a smile over his shoulder.]
Only if mine get to be blue. [He's not serious, but.] It'd be fun, sure. Especially since we don't know what's happening tomorrow. Also you say that like Rose wouldn't be thrilled to actually paint our nails. [Because Rose Lalonde does not mind making the boys do dumb shit.]
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dave eyes john, and asks: ]
What was bein' on the ship like? You can ignore the question if you want.
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[But that's a question he has to think on. He doesn't really want to ignore it, but he doesn't know how to describe it that well either. So he focuses on organizing his clothing pile.]
It was...quiet, I guess? It wasn't that bad at first because Jade and I were hanging out and just goofing off. We had all of the consorts and the chess people around, too, plus Jaspers and Nanna and Davesprite. We passed through dream bubbles sometimes, but those were not always that exciting either. It's how I finally met Vriska and when I saw Meenah and Roxy for the first time.
[He's folding his t-shirts to stack them up.] Anyway, as you know Jade and Davesprite started dating, so they would be off doing whatever on their own time on the ship. Nanna was baking. Jaspers would chase Davesprite because an idiot cat princess is still an idiot cat, Jade chased Jaspers because she is part dog now...but with her cool witch powers Jade could shrink us down to hang out in my house on LOWAS. But any time I wanted to do that I would have to ask her which got to be kind of a pain in the ass to bother her with. Sometimes we watched movies. Sometimes we played games. But the chess people and the consorts were all really bad at them and they weren't great for conversation either. Plus I never really saw anyone in the dream bubbles I wanted to see? They were sort of a disappointment.
[It was lonely, mostly, especially in the time Jade was with Davesprite. When he didn't have contact with Dave and Rose at all. He eventually stop putting away his clothes and shrugs again.] This place at least has interesting people and my friends, so in a way it is better than that. I don't mind as much.
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it sounds sad, and lonely, and he immediately gets the same feeling he did when jade kept talking about how he (davesprite) broke her heart. these are things he doesn't think he would do.
but he would, wouldn't he? if circumstances were just right. and it's not a thought he likes to have, but it is one that the time player has to acknowledge and accept. ]
I was really jealous Rose got to see you that one time. All I got was, uh, seein' you skewered by Meenah the one time? What the fuck was up with that, by the way.
[ but john offered him the ship and dave feels like he should do the same. ]
Did I mention I get on with Vantas these days? I mean, I guess you may've figured from when we popped the fuck out of nowhere on you for a bit there and like, we didn't yell at one another - not that I yell, I just talk and he yells - but like. It took the better part of two goddamn years, and a bit of the third. And the thing is, it was kind of a pair the spares sort of situation platonically? Like...
[ a shrug. ]
The first year, right, we couldn't stand one another. Rose and Kan were always researchin' shit and I talked to them and all, but it started to feel a little like intrudin' eventually and I didn't always. I spent most of my time with the mayor. Terezi hung out with us back then, too, so it was mostly the three of us. Gamzee, uh, I saw him once in a hallway? Like, over the course of that entire fuckin' trip. So he was useless. But like, by year two it was...
[ ...well, by year two rose had started to drink a little. ]
It was a thing. Rose and I still hung out but for certain reasons, we didn't really talk as much as we used to, or not in the same, like...way. And she and Kan started actually datin', so. And also by then Terezi went full on, uh, she and Gamzee started a kismespades thing which is the hate date quadrant for the record and that was a complete fuckin' trainwreck but anyway I told her we were like, friends and all, but I didn't want to touch that with a ten foot pole. And so by year three I mostly hung out with the Mayor still and also Karkat? And like, everyone else was...not so much.
[ he had never been certain how to handle rose's drinking. he's glad she hasn't touched a drop, here. ]
Mostly we worked on can town. Which is like, exactly what it sounds like. It took up a few rooms by the time the trip was done? I worked on music, too, and uh, we watched movies sometimes...but it was...I dunno. It was a pain in the ass.
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This time though he shuts up and turns to lean against the wall, listening to Dave explain about life on the meteor. His expression doesn't give away any tells, relaxed and calm though occasionally his eyebrows furrow together or he chews on his bottom lip in thought.
It wasn't a good situation for any of them, was it?]
I had wondered about that. If you and Karkat would become friends at the end of things. I think I get it though. After a while it felt like intruding on Jade and Dave Sprite, too, and it was just kind of awkward. It was still awkward even when they broke up. Didn't know anything about Terezi and Gamzee, but that explains some things I think? Please don't even start talking about quadrants again. But I get it.
[Not quite fitting where you want to fit. Feeling unbalanced and unsure of what to do with yourself. People being different than you remember.] It was a really long three years, wasn't it? [He's glad it's over. He's glad they're here.] I don't even remember how many times I asked Jade if she could make the ship go faster, but they she would start talking physics at me and that was just annoying, too.
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[ and the thing is, he'd never even fallen out of the habit. it'd been three years and still his first thought about certain things was john would or jade would. it had never gotten any better or any less there. ]
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Why can't you cross the streams? [It's a test, maybe. He'll address the rest but. He has to ask that first.]
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[ why is he being tested on pop culture knowledge. ]
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Jade didn't get it at all. Even when I explained it. [He loves Jade though, the same way he loves all of them.] There were a lot of times I thought about you guys, too, and what you were doing and knowing that there were just things you guys would get that Jade wouldn't and vice versa. It was...off. Everything.
[A beat.] I think the word you are thinking, then, is "the future." [Because really, what's stopping them from making up for lost time now?]
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[ but he's maybe smiling, just a hair. ]
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[ he's teasing. ]
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[ SO WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH ok she embellished maybe but ]
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Like I said, I think I'm ready to keep going. The island is mostly full of mysteries and no answers.
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[ he hesitates, joking smile fading a little, and eyes john from across the room. ]
So, [ soooooooooo. ] earlier today, when we made the clothes...
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Did something happen?
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there's a few minutes of silence as dave debates completely backtracking, before he decides he wants to check with someone, and he doesn't want to hear rose's analyzation about it; he wants to hear from someone who epitomizes normal for him if he's overreacting or underreacting or...reacting all wrong in some other way. he can't tell any longer, and dave is at least self-aware enough to know he doesn't have the distance he needs to gauge what would be logical. ]
He made a math workbook for us to go through together, or whatever. [ which seems like a weird activity, maybe, but dave has always liked math and john probably knows that. this seems innocuous enough? ] And then apparently destroyed his memories of all the problems?
[ dave decides not to append his own opinion to this, simply staring at john to see if the latter half of the explanation gets any reaction. to see if it gets dave's reaction, specifically, and to gauge exactly what he should be feeling.
this is stupid. ]
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And then. John thinks about that.]
Why would he destroy his own memories? [The question is unsure and equally baffled, if only because as far as he's aware wouldn't changing memories change timelines and who Dirk is? Sure, okay, maybe they would fill in later once he resolved the problems but that's still a little alarming if it means Dirk's regard for himself is...that, basically.] That's what he told you?
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[ a curiously flat tone, of, well. yeah, john can guess how much dave enjoys people doing things like that for his sake? ]
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