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[prismods]

SHOOTING SHARK

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"Blue Oyster Cult - Shooting Shark" (Watch on YouTube)

You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. Even the few shy moon creatures you find in the wild have strange crystal growths on their hides. This is far from home— perhaps a dream? You pinch your skin and slap your cheeks, yet nothing seems to do the trick. Searching for answers yields nothing but an endless expanse of purple dust as far as the eye can see. You have four options: one, panic; two, soil yourself; three, admire it all then soil yourself; or four, go into survival mode. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re not alone.

▶ Keep all Hands and Feet inside the Burning Vehicle at all Times
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Outer Space | top

After a day or two of living off the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. After the strange phenomenon during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why did I mix tequila with xanax last night? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay.

While waiting for transport to be prepared, you may freely roam around the government center. Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as Prismal locals. The next destination: Prismatica.

A. After settling into the ship and selecting the current in-flight movie, Back Door Slugs 9, you and those around you may eventually feel a bit of turbulence during the movie’s highly anticipated climax. Did anyone notice it, or is everyone too focused on the hot characters?

At first, it’s a small jitter that’s easy to miss or brush off. But as the transport vessel travels on, the shaking progressively escalates to erratic tremors strong enough to cause severe nausea. A minute later, a voice over the speaker announces the ship will have to make an emergency landing, citing technical difficulties.

Sparks can be seen overhead as more ship parts malfunction. This is a good time to hold your neighbor’s hand, say your last goodbyes, and apologize for that horrible thing you did in the sixth grade. Grip your seat with the might of every god you can think of.

B. Another minute later, a follow-up announcement states that external entities have breached the transport vessel. Everyone is warned to be careful and watch out for each other. Small fires will have to be put out before they worsen with either magic or emergency equipment onboard such as extinguishers. In-flight robotic attendants will be scuttling around to perform immediate repairs.

Eventually, an entire power panel bursts, and prismatic jellyfish unnaturally spill out. The jellyfish will try to latch and suction onto any technological devices close by such as the television screens on the seats or communicators and will show preference to Iris Moonblessed over the rest. Be ready to help and pull numerous jellyfish off both the faces of Moonblessed and Prismals!

▶ Jaws IV: Jaws Harder
Planet Prismatica, Outer Lunatia | top

The emergency landing successfully completes and the transport vessel will safely land on top of a gorgeous lake filled with tiny glaciers floating by. When reached out and touched, you’ll find out that the “glaciers” are surprisingly cool crystals and not ice.

The ship will be left hovering idly on the water surface while passengers are ferried to solid ground using portable emergency boats. However, civilization is still a distance away.

A. You’ve probably heard of flying sharks from a veteran Moonblessed. But how about sea lions? These aquatic lions are born with scaly skin and gills outside of their crystallized manes. Unfortunately, they haven’t tasted fresh meat in quite some time. If there are any injured onboard or near your boat, the chances of the sea lions detecting people will be higher as they are drawn to the scent of blood. Growling hungrily, they will be quick to latch onto the boats, biting the edges, and trying to knock everyone overboard for dinner.

After surviving through so far, the Prismals guide everyone to a nearby encampment run by humanoid rabbits. They are tall, built, and have a habit of mentioning their virility an awkward amount of times. They are also generous and will share their game meat and fresh crops while allowing everyone to rest for the night at the only inn in their village.

B. There is no running water all the way out here, so if anyone wants a bath, they’ll have to do it traditionally. The village protects a natural spring, which is a good place to bathe away the sea water. Around the spring, the rabbit folk’s friends — little scintilla chinchillas — will shock away any predators that dare to approach their sanctuary! Be at ease and feel free to offer your friends shampoo massages.

The next day, the rabbits can be seen hacking away at some of the wilder-looking plants for an easier pathway. If you wake up early enough, you can ask some of them for a tour of the beautiful greenery. They mention that it’s thanks to the Moonblessed that their crops have been doing so well lately — the result of all the chroma influx. The rest of the journey to the city will be smooth sailing.





▶ It’s Free Real-Estate
Level 2, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

A. Find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

B. A new high-end boutique, Prissy Polyp, has opened in Level 2. As compensation for what happened, both Moonblessed and Prismals that were affected in yesterday’s flight will receive 50% off their total purchase. Those unaffected will receive 30% discount coupons as a promotional gift. All are encouraged to visit with their friends or special someone, try on some things together, enjoy each other in the fitting rooms, and deal with the loud, ear-blistering background pop music.

Their clothing collections are characterized by bright iridescent designs, some features such as design patterns may glow ethereally in the dark. One of their signature dresses features a one piece (also available on their trench coats) that can amplify the appearance of one’s decolletage, gluteal muscles, and/or bulge with the press of a neon button. Another item among their collection is the maiden sweater: a sleek, backless sweater that shocks those who attempt unwanted touches. Others include skin-tight leggings (also available on their shorts or pants) which produce pleasant and relaxing vibrations on all lower extremities and fashionable polyp-shaped hats for all kinds of people. It’s a huge shop, you never know what else to find in there.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ IMPORTANT! By request, we've uploaded image samples for the Prissy Polyp clothing collections! Note these are merely samples for a visual guide and we will leave more selections to players.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Comments

[broyonce]

Yeah, it's great to be right, but maybe not when it's just about dicks. Still, it's right about something. Dirk nods, seemingly approving of the reasoning. "Sounds good." He considers it a moment, considers Dave, considers how he might feel about it all, after everything. "You ain't gotta be another world's hero, but let me know if you sign up and I'll come along."

Bonding? Bonding.

"Shit, look at you straightening out your damn spine of steel." A low whistle. Trash talking is fun, yeah. He's down.

Then Dave takes what he says the wrong way and moves. His expression twitches minutely, but maybe it's for the best. Maybe he's getting too fucking soft now that he's dead. Dave has a life to return to, a world to return to, without him. Don't get so fucking attached.

"Ain't gotta move while we're shootin' the shit," he finally says, but it's oddly stilted. Maybe he wasn't sure if he should have said it.

Have this cute davekat representation

[itsknighttime]

A small consolation, but a consolation. The knight isn't certain what he's supposed to do with a sounds good. That sounds like a good. Like he'd done a good. The terminology being thrown his way like 'another' world's hero. He isn't the world's hero from home let alone this place. "I dunno, wouldn't be bad to actually help some of the people around here. They're not all fuck crazy van drivers." Aaannnd? "n' yeah it'd be pretty cool if you came along."

Bonding. By maybe smashing things in the face that aren't each other for once.

The whistle gets a small smirk from him even if he's moved and Dave picks up on the expression barely changing, but when that's sometimes all he had to go on back home, he notices. Selfishly, he's been mostly thinking about how he felt, and yes, as has been stated a million times, he's still not excusing what was done. But if he hadn't done it, Dave probably wouldn't have lived. He would have been another ghost of himself in a doomed timeline. "Nah." he says softly, "Just stretching. Not easy to have a metal spine and balls of steel. Gets hot in the summer." Good yes, talk about your balls, great idea.

He's being a big baby is what it is. If he stops thinking about himself for one second and considers what Dirk has been saying, or trying to, all the way through this... "What's the matter? Shoulder cold? I gotchu." he says lightly before leaning in again, a bolder move to set his head against Dirk's shoulder instead. It's as much as he's done with anyone where not just sitting on his own curled in a corner is involved and it's oddly comforting. Frighteningly comforting. Noticing that his glasses were being moved a little by the motion of his face laying against his shoulder and takes them off to set them in his lap.

Maybe tomorrow he can be the grown man he threw words around about. "I got somethin' that may actually make you feel the human emotions of happiness if you wanna hear it."

my crops are watered

[broyonce]

"Another way to keep busy," Dirk confirms. "I'll go." Just like that. It definitely means that he's going to be hard on Dave while they're working, but there's no way Dave doesn't anticipate that.

Could be cool.

It isn't right, what Dirk did. He could have done it another way. He's still bad, and abusive, and manipulative, even without Cal's influence. But yeah. Dave's alive, and that's worth... Something. "Heats up in the sun, huh?" He's absolutely not phased at all by balls talk.

"Freezing." It's better than admitting any real god-damn shit, and he sort of... Settles in easier when Dave's resting against him again, arm settling around him. He doesn't give him a squeeze or anything, but the weight of his touch is there. He watches Dave take off his glasses. Thinks about it. A minute later, he reaches up to slip off his own and set them on his leg. Just slow and easy. Like it ain't nothin' when it's a whole fuck of a lot.

"What's that?" There's a joke on the tip of his tongue that he's never felt the human emotion of happiness, but even he knows better than to say it. "Lay it on me."

[itsknighttime]

This. All of this is the exact thing he's ever wanted. He expects that Dirk is going to ride his ass about what he does or doesn't do on the battlefield and he also expects if he takes this job that Dirk is likely to make him train just as hard as before. It's not the worst thing when it comes down to not dying and maybe this time Dave will have a bit more control over it. "Cool." It will be. This time with hopefully less resentment. Less is better, even just by a small margin.

A small amused huff and he's said his peace about his metallic parts getting warm in the sunlight. At least Dirk is playing along and Dave is starting to make his own insinuations about what is or isn't true where Dirk is concerned. The arm around him is even more strangely comforting with the memory that the same arm treating him gently could break his bones ruthlessly. Dave's head isn't so much angled up as it is just across the room but the movement of his Bro's other hand causes him to have a momentary look on the way back down. Those are his glasses too. Dave curls one of his legs up close to himself, leaning his full weight on Dirk and trying to concentrate more on what they're talking about than getting something he's wanted for all his life.

"I lived on a meteor." found out he likes the idea of men a lot more than women but women are still okay, got gay for an alien and then travelled for a few more years. "It was like for three years or somethin'? Got off that rock n' met up with some other players. We're finally done, man. Game over."

[broyonce]

Dirk is absolutely going to ride his ass about form and movement and everything else about fighting, but he's going to be impressed and proud too. It's just not clear if he'll show it. Maybe. On a good day. Today, especially, is pretty fucking out there.

Holding onto him, saying real-ass shit, and taking his stupid glasses off. It's so much, all at once, and Dirk is honestly surprised either of them are still functional in the wake of it. But...

Most important of all is what Dave tells him. He tenses, but not in a bad way. He's surprised, maybe. And hadn't even realized he was worried. But he had been, apparently, because then his shoulders slump. He squeezes Dave's shoulder. It lingers. "You did good." That's all. Don't matter how Dave went about it, whether he was ruthless or soft. He got the job done.

"Game over. Shit."

[itsknighttime]

Good, he needs it still. Anything he's learned he's learned on his own from thereon in if it's not what Dirk taught him. Sparring was helpful but being in real battles was the deciding factor if he lived or died. The whole day is agreeably been a fucked up one thus far after finding out Dirk is alive.

At first when Dirk tenses, Dave tenses. It's only after he realizes Dirk isn't moving and that Dave doesn't have to do anything that he calms back down and settles back in... against a shoulder that seems more relaxed than even he had been before. The shoulder squeeze is met with a tilt of his head upward. "I mean it wasn't just me but yeah I did do good." He is proud of what he did. His eyes break away and he nods his head against Dirk's shoulder. "Game over. But not really, man like. They took me before I even know if we made it to the end of the game over. All I know is I was on my way to see... my friend at the platform and then I wasn't. Problem with game over, too, is I got a whole damn earth to protect now."

[broyonce]

Well, he'll be here, and heaven fucking forbid if someone tries to critique his shitty parenting.

"Just got more hard work ahead," he agrees, oddly mildly. His grip on Dave's shoulder relents, but his hand stays put. "There'll always be more. Always figured I got off easy in comparison, knowing I'd die before the end. How're people made to fight, 'cause they gotta, supposed to adapt?"

An interesting thing to say, since it's definitely how he feels about this place as a whole. He sighs, eventually turning his head to look at him, curious. He feels exposed without his glasses.

"You gotta go back sometime." Without him. Ain't nothin' but cold death waiting for him if he goes back. But he's resigned to this, to Dave having a greater purpose. He's the vessel, the hands shaping the clay, the stepping stone. It is what it is.

[itsknighttime]

Even with the fatherly wisdom being passed down at the moment, Dave's focus is on the idea that Dirk just said he had to go back. "No, I don't." he'll be the judge of it. "Game's won so... They can do whatever. I'm fine here." Karkat is here, Dirk is here. He has friends here too, even if they're creepy aliens speaking of vessels.

There's a lot here for him and he's not sure it's easier making his own damn world. "I don't got much else to do other than protect it and John and Rose and Jade can do that shit. There's even other players there now that can help." He's not saying at the moment whom but there are.

[broyonce]

"Ain't how it works, I don't think." Bluntly. "Responsibility's still responsibility, even if it's shitty." There's a calm in him now, but it's clear he's not pleased with that reaction.

"Besides, you okay with never seeing any of them again?" John, Rose, Jade. Even he knows they were important to Dave. "Don't sound like any you I ever known. Complacency don't suit you. Don't try to play me."

[itsknighttime]

Dave knows better than to speak out, and to hold back the 'responsibility' and 'shitty' remarks he could be making. Dirk might not be happy with Dave's reaction, but Dave is just as unsatisfied with Dirk's remarks.

"It's complicated." where the others are concerned. Miss them? Probably, but he lived just fine with varying degrees of attention regarding anyone other than Rose in that equation and a lot of time he just hung out with Karkat because she's been too busy being aliengay. "It's not complacency." He sits up, slowly, he's not that upset that he's pitching a bitch fit about anything. "Why can't I be happy here? Because I didn't cut seven people in half and throw a moon at their first born offspring?"

[broyonce]

"All shit's complicated. Ain't nothing that's simple in our lives." Of which they're both well aware.

And--he sits up a little straighter, and when he looks directly at Dave without his glasses it's a lot more intense than when he's with them. "No?" About complacency. But he also sighs, flopping back and dragging Dave back with him by the shirt, a little like scruffing a kitten. "I ain't sayin' you can't be happy, neither. Better off if you are. But how's this place so much better than home, now that the game's done? The expectations here ain't exactly paradise."

[itsknighttime]

He can't argue with that, even if he tried, but it's not as simple as 'well it isn't easy' at least for Dave. Dirk is so much better with this sort of thing and some days he honestly wishes that he never learned how to un-do small bits of what Dirk did to him emotionally. He says nothing, he's not going to argue with him. There's no winning in a battle and there's no winning in a verbal one either, even if you're right.

Dave's eyebrows knit together at the look, he's not angry still it's curious to see actual facial reactions and even still without Dirk's glasses covering most of them. "No..." he replies easily and right away. The yank of his shirt heralds a tiny surprised grunt, one of his hands hitting the couch cushion before giving in for now. For tonight and tonight only, they could stop being macho bitches. He knows at first light there's going to be so much more to bitch about and so much more to defend from. "'Cause I did what I had to, it's done and now I can do what I want to, I'm done." Giving in, again, Dave just finds a way onto Dirk's shoulder again. He doesn't hate it, he just doesn't know if he's going to live it down later once Dirk wants to tease him about it.

[broyonce]

Dirk doesn't want to argue. He's firm in his opinion. Doesn't mean he's not wrong, but--hey. Still, not gonna budge.

He sits quietly, listening to what Dave has to say. He doesn't like it. His silence this time is a little unsettling, because he's frustrated and tense next to him, but hell if he's going to just give in. Finally, after a moment that draws on far too long, he speaks. "Not what I fuckin' asked. I ever teach you to ignore a direct question I asked, David? Not going home ain't just some kind of rebellious game because you think you finished your job, and if you ain't got the good sense to see that, you ain't actin' right."

Something about this is clearly bothering him enough that his facade is cracking, but not quite slipping. It's still mostly there, in his flat tone and unchanging expression, but there's a gaping chasm in his actual words. "You ain't gotta go back alone. Your friend needs to go home too."

That ain't the problem, chief.

"I'll ask again, and I expect an answer. What's so much better about here than home?"

[itsknighttime]

Scratch that.
It was now that there was so much more to bitch about and now that was so much more to defend from. Enough that Dave is just as unsettled as the silence between them. It means Dirk is thinking and even worse than off the cuff is Dirk thinking through what he wants to say. His heart skips somewhere into his throat, Casual swearing as mentioned is something they both do... but it has to do with tone and timing and this tone and this timing aren't sitting right.

"No." he states again, this time more subdued and a little smaller in tone when he's asked if he got taught a certain thing a certain way. Aside being asked, he had to answer that one too. Then there was Dirk going off at him about responsibilities. He really wishes he had fought being laid down here and is actively trying to make it look natural and like he's not trying to slink away to gain some distance. It's not an easy thing to do when you've got Dirk's hands or arms anywhere near you. He resists barking back at him that he has done his job and keeps his jaw tightly clenched for his own safety.

"Alright, alright." he's trying to sound as casual as he can, not sound like he's as afraid as the thump of his heart against his chest belies. "I wasn't dodging the god damn question I was just sayin' what's so good about home when I'm fine here? I ain't gotta protect shit all anymore. None of us got to go home when we've got a perfectly good one right here with actual people who aren't just incestbabies spewd out of ectojizzology. Not just that I can't--"

He shakes his head, "I gotta take a piss and I'm not feelin' the piss kink with my brother right now so, let go." He doesn't, he just needs out.

[broyonce]

Yeah, Dirk's tone and timing are way off right now. Not violent, per se, but definitely dangerous. He's pissed, on some level, and also pissed that he's letting on that he's pissed at all. It's stupid that he's so goddamn vehement about this, this one thing, and there's no way he's going to explain why he's upset, because he can't even explain it to himself.

And yeah, his grip isn't relenting. Dave's stuck here, at least for now, Dirk's arm around him a little more like a vice than a comfort now. It's clear he doesn't like Dave's answer, either. "You makin' a home here instead? Getting attached to people that are going to go through a revolving door?" He pauses. "You can't what?"

A dangerous question.

Then Dave makes up his shitty excuse, which Dirk knows is a goddamn lie, and for a minute he doesn't move. "I changed your diapers, you think I'm scared of a little piss? You were the pissingest goddamn baby the world ever saw."

But. He does let go, suddenly, and puts his glasses on, and stands. Impassive as shit. He remains there a moment, then heads off toward the front door. He pauses by it, briefly. "I'll be back later."

Dry. Blunt. Before, back home, he wouldn't have even said that. Would have just left and not said a goddamn word.

So it's something, and he hasn't quite left yet.

This icon is to break my heart less.

[itsknighttime]

Dave's heart was hammering by the time that his Bro let go after that scathing line of questioning that equated to 'I trained you your whole life for that earth now go fucking do what you were told' in Dave's head. He pulled back as far as the kitchen would let him because clearly one goes to relieve themselves in the kitchen when their reasoning is they have to pee.

When he stands, Dave looks over at the door, down at the handle that Dirk is too close to even if he's said he'll be back later. Dave doesn't believe him and once Dirk looks away, or tries to opens the door, he's going to find Dave behind it in the narrow hallway. He's scared out of his mind to let Dirk close to him right now, but he's not letting him just walk out. Even if his brother is faster and stronger, Dave has a small amount of Chroma saved up and he's already mastered small jumps and moving objects with him during it. It's not flash stepping he's using, it's all out time manipulation. Don't make him take every single couch in a future timeline just to pile it in the hallway.

"No you won't. You're walking out again." Okay maybe he should've jumped to a timeline where he had gone bathroom. Dirk has never made him do it but he can be piss your pants frightening when he's upset.

did it work.

[broyonce]

Dirk opens the door.

Dave is standing in front of him.

It's impressive, and that gives him a second's pause, because he knows it wasn't flash-stepping. It's his other shit, his shit he learned all on his goddamn own, and somehow he can't decide if he's proud or if it stings.

He's still fucking pissed off though, and this doesn't help. He stares, a long moment, and says nothing at all. Dave's calling him a liar, which he doesn't like either, and his brow knits, which is rare but mostly hidden by the hat + glasses 2x combo.

"I ain't. Get out of the way, Dave." He's at his full height, not that much taller than Dave anymore but still up there, and he's fucking glowering. "Not gonna ask you twice."

Now this. He's giving Dave a chance. Let him fucking bail and come back later. Or.

Well.

There's an undercurrent of threat there, if Dave doesn't listen. He'll recognize it.

No but you can't say I didn't try.

[itsknighttime]

His chest is rising and falling, his muscles tensed and his shoulders down with his hands open at the ready. He knows he's playing with fire and he knows that fire burns. He lets Dirk stand right there, right in front of him, almost chest to chest if their height wasn't just that bit of difference and he looks nothing close to as scared as he is.

"Or?" he asks, standing his ground where he's at. "What?" He swallows and stands his ground as best he can. This is how much he doesn't want Dirk to go, but there are just some things he can't deal with Dirk if he stays. "You gonna try to rail on me? Think you'll get your answer that way? I'll step aside if you promise."

alas

[broyonce]

"I ain't playin' fuckin' games," he spits, suddenly, in an oddly visceral way. And it's weird, because he's usually all about fucking headgames.

Loves them.

Remember how he said he thinks something is wrong with him now?

"You think I'd only try? You think you can beat me now that you're grown?" Who the fuck do you think you are, his tone says, in not so many words. "Get back in the apartment. Take your piss. Do whatever you want. Just don't get in my goddamn way. I already told you I'll be back, I ain't gonna tack an 'I promise' at the end just because you think I'm a liar."

In fact, he reaches out, too fast to be stopped, and scruffs Dave again, this time to deposit him back inside.

[itsknighttime]

Dave's jaw clenches, the cold fear is in his veins and it's a valid thing to feel when Dirk starts talking like this. This is every bad memory of him and this is the Dirk that Dave is more used to. "Yes." he answers to the first question, "No." to the second, if Dirk was upset that he wasn't giving him straight answers, well now he is.

He stands no chance when Dirk wants to do something, Dave is a lot faster than he used to be but not as fast as Dirk. No one is. He might be able to out speed him through time, but he'd have to be ready for it and he wasn't ready for it. Being grabbed and set back into the apartment is fine, that means there's a connection there and Dave reaches back to grab his wrist and jump them both back in, closer to the kitchen window. "I didn't call you a liar, I said I don't believe you. You're the one sayin' I did." he's let go of Dirk's wrist as soon as they're back in. He's using future timelines so he doesn't end up making clones. "I'm not askin' for the world on a platter and I'm not askin' for a fight."

He tries to steel himself again and takes a deep breath, "Just say you're gonna and I'll get out of your way." Otherwise he won't and they can fight it out like they were destined to from the start.

[broyonce]

Oh, now he's just even more pissed. It isn't even that Dave bested him in this small way, with the jump. He's not sure what it is, but for a second he practically sees white. He doesn't say anything for a long moment. Nothing at all. Just fucking looks at him.

"The fuck's the difference? Callin' me a liar or sayin' you don't believe me? Why you need a blood oath all of a sudden?" He always came back, eventually.

Until he didn't.

Shit.

Dave's not asking for the world on a fucking platter, but he's too goddamn stubborn to admit it. Being forced to make a promise is like pulling teeth without numbing your mouth beforehand. He... takes a breath, and it sounds strange, because he's thinking about how he died again, and it's a lot. It's a bad breath.

His shoulders slump, but only for a second.

"You're stuck with me," he finally says, low and even again. "You get me? Ain't nothin' in this place, even you acting a goddamn fool, that'll change it."

[itsknighttime]

Dave knows he's taking a huge risk, not only with Dirk's ire but with his literal body not hurting if Dirk decides it's fight time. "Because liars ain't worth my time and I think you might be worth my time. I think you already know why I wanna hear it from your own lips." he says gently, his voice deeper and more to the point of what his problem was. It's Dirk leaving.

While waiting for Dirk to calm down enough to finish what he's saying, Dave tries to calm down. He can't get upset and if he gets upset, that'll escalate Dirk and right now that doesn't benefit either of them. Dave is quiet and he's barely looking over his shoulder, but he's looking in a small way. A glance here or there. As soon as Dirk tells him that, even without the word 'promise' he at least takes that at face value and sits down on the couch. He grabs his glasses to put them up into his hair and then the remote to turn the TV on. "Door sticks at the bottom sometimes. Gotta give it a good pull, just don't rip it off the door frame."

[broyonce]

And like, fuck. If he still had Cal, this would have gone way goddamn differently. Way more violently. He would have dragged Dave up to the fucking roof by the ear if he had to, silent and furious and vicious.

But this is muted. He's still pissed off, sure, but not like he was earlier, and his emotions always kind of slide off him anyway. The anger is fading.

He moves back to the door, looking at it, and considers.

"Get off your ass," he finally says, "we're going out." He's not explaining where. This is probably familiar: it's how he'd often act the rare times they left the apartment together in Houston. Not say where, just time to go. Those times came less and less the older Dave got, though. So this is... a blast from the past.

At least he's not saying "roof."

A beat passes.

"If you ever pull that shit on me when we're not strifing again I'll whoop your ass so hard you'll forget how to use it."

Blunt. Does he mean forget how to use his ass or forget how to use his time powers? It's not clear.

[itsknighttime]

Dave is, by all accounts, just flipping through shows until Dirk leaves. Otherwise he's going to head to bed and maybe text Karkat about anything other than Dirk being there. Oh. Or not. He's just heard he's supposed to get off his ass. Dirk doesn't know his way around the city and so Dave knows they'll get "there" when they get "there" because "there" doesn't exist yet.

Getting up, Dave takes his sword from in front of the doorway and hoists it over his shoulder. His intentions on getting his sylladex back from home are priority. He hates hauling this thing around but he doesn't doubt him and Dirk are going to end up tussling one day and he won't be without it. There's no excuse for not catching a blade, but if you catch it wrong your hand stings for days. You know, because of the deep cuts.

"My ass or the classpect powers?" he's not letting Dirk get away with that one as he walks out the door first, waiting on Dirk to follow. This is the precarious dance that he and his guardian did for thirteen years with each year getting more and more violent and less damns given.

[broyonce]

He doesn't say "you ain't gonna need that," because who knows if he will? Dirk's not volatile at this very second, but he could be soon, and maybe there are freaks out there that attack strangers.

Anyway, it's good to have it with him. That's fine. Useful.

He trails out of the apartment, closing the door behind him and giving Dave a look. "Both," he says, immediately, which is both clarifying and unsettling. That said, he grips Dave's shoulder one more time, brief, then starts off down the hall, expecting Dave to follow. Either he kind of does know where he's going already, or he intends to find out. It's a toss up.