Dave's Gallery Showing pt 2

JADE: ON THE LAST EPISODE OF CAPESTUCK Z: WILL VRISKA GET HER FALSE SKIN ARM COVERS ON CORRECTLY? WILL JADE STOP ROSE'S BLEEDING? CAN DAVE FINISH AN ENTIRE PLATE OF H'ORDEOURVES? DOES ARADIA STILL SEE GHOSTS? CAN BRO GET ANY DOUCHIER!? WE'LL FIND OUT THE ANSWERS TODAY.

JADE: MOSTLY.

JADE: DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT.

JADE: Jade heads back in, holding a small medical kit and excusing herself around people as she heads back to the others.

ROSE: Rose's palm is still cut open, her hand balled up to mask the blood as she stands around, on guard.

JADE: "Someone order a first aid?" Jade says, cheerily. "Do you want to do this in the bathroom with less people around? Aradia can keep an eye on Dave."

ARADIA: Aradia might see ghosts, still! No one's really asked her.

ROSE: "It's only a cut. I don't think anybody is going to be particularly alarmed by it." She extends her bare arm to Jade, glancing away at the other patrons. Crushing a jagged aluminum can in her hand was not her best move.

VRISKA: Vriska sat in the toilet stall of the women's bathroom, tugging every so often on her arm sleeves to make sure they weren't bunching up on her shoulders. She hated leaving Dave after watching his brother just ruin any sense of personal accomplishment he'd mustered up, but her own social anxieties had quickly bubbled up once people gave her a few looks. In her mind, she felt that they'd already marked her as rude and improper after she'd cussed Bro out, Dave calling her out on it didn't help either. So here she sat, eyes closed as she did her best to get a grip on herself.

JADE: Setting the first aid kit at their feet, Jade clicks it open and takes out the skin bandage applier, some disinfectanct, and a small rag. Cupping Rose's hand in the rag, Jade frowns at the damage. "It's not bad, but it's going to sting when I put the disinfectant on it. Keep this up and you're going to have more scars than me." Jade lifts the disinfectant and pours a little of it over the wound. She waits a couple of seconds, her hand's grip firmly keeping Rose's hand in place so she can't yank it away. After a moment, she starts applying the skin goop on to her palm, before flattening it out into the wound with as much care as she can. Once she's done, she releases Rose and kneels, putting everything away and shutting the first aid kit. "There. Is Vriska still in the bathroom?"

ROSE: Rose immediately tenses and grits her teeth as the disinfectant applies, hissing and not looking at Jade as she works. "I'll speak to Jane about it later." Unlike Jade or Dave, the skin bandage is actually a little too dark for her skin tone, although it isn't nearly as noticeable. "I assume so."

DAVE: Dave is gnawing his lower lip, unusually quiet, even of mumbling, while watching Jade bandage Rose up. At least until the skin good comes out. "Oh man, is it just me, or is Rose even too pale for the vaguely white people skin goop? Haha, oh, wow." Snort. But then he returns to worry at the mention of Vriska, slipping his phone back out to text her.

DAVE: > hey serket you doin ok

JADE: Jade sighs through her nose, as she stands, holding the kit at her hip. "I'm going to go put this away and then go check on her. Make sure to keep your hand open for a bit and then flex it so the skin bandage adjust to you, okay?" Her voice sounds mildly annoyed at the task at hand, but when she talks to Rose, Jade's voice is nothing but care and concern, punctuated by a smile. "See you three in a bit." With a wave, she's off to her other tasks.

VRISKA: She let out a shaky breath as her phone whirred in her purse, cursing softly as she pulled it out.

VRISKA: >Yeah coolkid, I'm doing fine. How about you? You're looking pretty shook up

DAVE: Dave would definitely go check on Vriska if the bathrooms weren't gendered. He's not supposed to go into the Ladies' room.

ARADIA: Aradia is mostly just standing there. She is trying not to think about killing.

ROSE: Rose nodded, glancing down at her hand, then at Dave, then Aradia, and then around the gallery, on edge and leery.

BRO: Be wary. Bro is still lurking out there. Somewhere in the crowd.

DAVE: > ill be fine its nothing im not adjusted to

DAVE: > it was just unexpected is all

DAVE: > i wish you didnt have to hide your arms

DAVE: > i like them

ROSE: Rose is ready to glare him into submission if given the opportunity.

VRISKA: >Pfffffffft. You do realize that the moment I rock the Jax look, everyone's going to realize that I'm Mindfang, yeah?

DAVE: > yeah i figured that as much

DAVE: > hence the i wish part

DAVE: > sucks

JADE: Once at the car, Jade starts fishing around for something after throwing the kit back in the trunk. She's brought it along in case she started getting drafty, but it would suit Vriska just fine. "Wheeere it is?"

VRISKA: >Thanks though. For saying so ::::)

DAVE: > youre welcome

DAVE: > its not often i get rad cyborg friends

DAVE: > maybe we should get jade to invent that like fake skin in an aerosol can that will smith uses on his roboarm in i robot

VRISKA: >Only if I get sick leather chucks with it, otherwise no deal.

DAVE: > i would personally make sure leather chucks is a thing you would get

JADE: Heading back with a black lace shawl over her shoulder, Jade walks into the bathroom. "Vriska? Are you in here?"

DAVE: "So, Rose, how'd you even cut your hand?" Dave suddenly asks, raising his eyebrow at Rose. "You were gone, like, five minutes."

ROSE: "I'm not particularly skilled as self-conscious venting."

DAVE: "Do you need to keep me around to keep you from hurtin' yourself or something?" He's trying to make light of it, half smiling a little.

ARADIA: "She knew I needed cheered up from all the people, obviously."

DAVE: That makes him grimace slightly, but he tries not to say anything. He doesn't want to be rude. But it makes his protective urges clench in his gut.

ROSE: "If my accidental self-injury cheers you up, I'm not going to complain." She tosses Aradia a fleeting, tiny smile. "I merely vented my frustrations onto an aluminum can, and then realized my frustrations tend to manifest themselves as broken, dissolved metals."

DAVE: "Oh. Makes sense."

ARADIA: Aradia smiles to herself, and looks down at the floor.

ROSE: Rose gave a soft exhalation, lifting one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I don't want to want such an important event for you to end, but this has gone a lot worse than I anticipated."

DAVE: "I have to be here until it closes. So. It's not ending yet." Dave shrugs. "Whatever personal drama I'm having, I'm not gonna be rude after they extended this courtesy to me. I'm gonna stay."

VRISKA: Vriska smiled to herself after her little text session with Dave, looking up once she heard Jade speak. "Here."

ROSE: "You know I'm going to demand I stay with you as well." She glanced at Aradia. "Aradia, you don't need to stay, but I'm not going to impose a personal preference into your decision."

JADE: Stepping over to the stall that Jade hears Vriska call from. Vriska would see the shawl flopped over the door. "Take this and wear it over the seem. It'll keep it covered and it goes with the dress, so no one will think twice!"

ARADIA: "I'm probably going to stay, unless I'm not welcome."

DAVE: "You guys don't have to stay." He says, brow furrowing. "I don't like the idea of him extending his shitty mindgames to my friends. You guys deserve better."

ROSE: "I'm staying precisely because you deserve better. Aradia, you know I'm not going to object to your presence."

VRISKA: The shawl is quickly pulled into the stall, and while Vriska didn't enjoy how matronly it made her look, it served its purpose at least, and her fears over her arms were allayed somewhat. "Thanks Jade, tell Dave I'll be right out."

ARADIA: "You also deserve better, you know." Aradia looks up at Dave. "Despite what he says."

DAVE: "Yeah. You guys can stay, but... if he starts fucking with your heads, and making you feel shitty, as opposed to just sniping at me through you guys? Don't feel like you gotta stay for my sake. Okay?"

ROSE: Rose nodded, folding her arms and looking around at the various guests. She was already mentally steeling herself.

DAVE: That comment from Aradia, though, makes his ears turn red, and he turns his face down with a bashful halfsmile. "Thanks." His voice was very quiet, there, hard to hear over the hum of the crowd.

JADE: "You got it!" Jade heads out, not wasting any time to go see the others. "Phew! That was one heck of detour. Vriska will be right out." Jade slaps her hands on Dave's shoulders. "I still can't believe you're drawing such a crowd. Are there any bidders for your stuff or is this strictly something to be shown off in the gallery?"

DAVE: "Uh, well, I'm not the only new artist to the gallery being shown today. But... yeah, there's a lot of people at least looking at my stuff, huh?" Dave starts to swell with pride, brightening up. "And I dunno. I'll ask the curators later. I almost don't wanna ruin the surprise, though."

VRISKA: Vriska stepped out of the stall, shawl hanging around her shoulders as she went up to the mirror. Giving herself a good, long look, she felt herself settle, her footing steadied against the floor. She could do this. Dave needed her and she had a shawl, this was gonna go a lot better. She thought these to herself, her eyes centered on her face before making her way out of the restroom and heading straight for their little group. "Okay, sorry about the hold up people. Just thought the seams were showing."

DAVE: The reappearance of Vriska has Dave glancing up, and, welp. His cheeks darken a bit, and he scratched the back of his neck. He actually hadn't been able to get a really good look at her before? And she was already gorgeous. But the shawl really added to her look. "It's fine." he says quickly, "You look good."

VRISKA: "Thanks coolkid, though you shouldn't sell yourself short." In spite of what your cockgargling bro says, she adds to herself. Vriska offered him a warm smile, laughing at Dave's reaction to her.

JADE: "What do you we look around?" Jade says to Rose and Aradia. "Give these two a chance to mingle while we enjoy the party?" Jade steps next to Rose and Aradia. "I'm sure other people would like to talk to him, too, and we don't want to crowd around and run everyone else off."

ARADIA: "Are parties fun?"

DAVE: "They're supposed to be. The ones we usually have are. This was almost getting fun until you-know-who showed up." Dave rolls his eyes, just in time to spot another tray of bubbly fruity alcoholic drinks to pass by. He deftly yoinks one, replacing it with he previous and now empty glass.

ROSE: Rose looks at the drink, pausing for a moment before quietly taking one and sniffing it. A moment later, she takes a sip.

DAVE: "You guys can go look around, if you want?" He says, shrugging. "Jade's kinda got a point. I'm technically supposed to be socializing with the guests." Sip.

VRISKA: "Yeah, but you don't have to throw yourself at them if you're not feeling up to it, let's zone in on the loners and start from there." She said with a smile, looking around for both Bro and anyone easy to socialize with.

DAVE: "Nah, it's fine, I'm just supposed to kinda hang out over here and pretend to be approachable for when people come up to me to ask me about my stuff."

JADE: "Maybe this particular party isn't as much fun as it could be." Jade snags another glass, from a passing server. "Buuut, I say we have our own party at my place to celebrate Dave's achievement in private. Then we don't have to wear stuffy, though very pretty, dresses and we can just be ourselves."

VRISKA: "You mind if I hang around with you then? Jade's going to rock the double girlfriend tech, and that leaves me sitting all by my lonesome."

ARADIA: "My dress is a pun."

DAVE: "I dunno 'bout you guys, but my tux is actually really comfy." He snickers, before holding out his arm in case anyone wants to feel the incredibly plush material of his tux. "Me and stiff clothes don't really get along. Too round for that."

VRISKA: Vriska let out a short laugh, eyeing the curve of his belly in agreement before giving his tux, and his arm, a brief pinch. "That makes two of us you know."

JADE: "Your dress is a...oh! Ohhh! Hourglass shaped, I just got that!" Jade says, surprised, but not loud enough to draw attention. "Sneaky." When she sees Vriska and Dave getting along, she starts away from the two of them. "Well, I'm going to look around."

ROSE: "I'm better in casual clothes anyway." Rose shrugs, drinking her glass without much more hesitation and moving over to Jade. "Dave, call me if you need anything. I'll wait for you before leaving."

DAVE: "I'll be fine, seeya guys." He waves them off, before smiling over at Vriska. "Thanks for stickin' by, you didn't have to."

VRISKA: "What, and leave you alone while your brother just assassinates your self-confidence again? Fuck that shit, if he's going to give that a try, you may as well have some backup." She said, her face set in an expression of stubborn resolve.

DAVE: "Serket, I'm fine." He says, "I'm used to it. I've put up with it my whole life."

JADE: "Why take photos of garbage?" Jade says, stopping in front of one particular set of photos that are literally just beach garbage. She takes a sip of her fruity, bubbly drink, one eyebrow raised at the photo. "I mean...Is it supposed to depict something? It's not photographed in a way that looks neat, it's just...garbage."

VRISKA: She gave him a concerned look, her lips pursed slightly before she spoke. "You shouldn't have to be. You're way better than whatever standards he's setting down for you."

BRO: As if on cue to ruin all the freshest good feels, Bro Strides back on out of the crowd he'd vanished into. Though he doesn't head straight for Dave, instead appearing by Jade. "Sup- Jade, was it? I think I recall you offering to look around the gallery and chat with me while Dave got busy schmoozin' with the guests." He raises an eyebrow over the rim of his pointy shades, under which he glanced from Jade to Rose and Aradia. "And I think I remember one of your girlfriends wanted to chat as well?"

ARADIA: Breaking fingers does not count as chatting. Aradia smiles as widely as she can.

ROSE: Rose immediately stiffened back up, looking at Jade before glancing back to Bro. "Yes. I did." She doesn't want to sound too unnecessarily aggressive, but there's not much friendly tone to her voice, as if it was entirely impersonal.

DAVE: "You think so...?" He asks, brow knitting together. He opens his mouth to say something else, when a man, who looks to be a bit older than Dave, though not by much, taps at his arm, asking if he's Dave Strider. Dave turns, puts on his best social face, and they introduce themselves, shaking hands briefly, before the man starts to ask Dave about the techniques he uses in his photography. Dave briefly gives Vriska an apologetic look, before getting into some photo-technical talk that is too advanced for the RPer to know anything about, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

JADE: Jade doesn't look away from the photo. "I wouldn't mind talking with you. We can take turns, no need to have everyone grouped up." She turns to smile at Rose and Aradia, but her eyes communicate that she's restraining herself from hurting this jerk as much as they are. "You two mind if I get stolen away for a little bit, do you?"

VRISKA: "I do." She said softly, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze before hanging back from Dave, letting the man talk it up with her coolkid. Her eyes roam in the meantime, spotting Jade and her girlfriend posse being accosted by Bro. Better them than us, she thought to herself.

BRO: "Hm, maybe a lil one on one's a good idea. No need for anybody to get accidentally ignored or talked over, right." He has his hands hanging from his pockets by his thumbs, his pose relaxed and immensely confident.

DAVE: Dave, thankfully, has failed to notice that his friends are being Bro'd. If he did, he'd probably be wigging out, so that might be a good thing.

ROSE: A part of Rose wanted to say no, if only to be the first to talk to him, but she nodded, her hand sliding to Aradia's. "Very well. We'll be here."

JADE: "Awesome! I'll see you two in a bit." To the casual observer, Jade wouldn't seem tense, but Rose and Aradia have seen enough of her to know better. It's the lack of extra movement. She's not tapping something, or shifting back and forth, or doing anything extraneous. She starts walking away with Bro next to her. "So why the hat?"

ARADIA: Aradia squeezes Rose's hand. She wonders why she doesn't have laser eyes, as accidental use of laser eyes seems like something Dave would probably eventually forgive.

ROSE: One of the drink-offering hostesses isn't far off. Rose drains the last of her glass elegantly, trades it for a free one, and then gently loops her arm around Aradia's lower back.

BRO: "Well, why not the hat?" He answers, briefly giving Rose and Aradia a glance over his shoulder before Striding along with Jade, only to pause in front of another photo series, looking it up and down. "Might as well be asking you why you wear your hair long. The answer is still, why not?"

ARADIA: Aradia presses against Rose. "So. Do you think she had to wrangle those mink herself?" Aradia looks at one socialite in particular. "Or did they come pre-wrangled. Normally I would assume she didn't hunt her own fur, but she's kind of grizzled."

JADE: "I like my hair. It's different than choosing to do something to be contrary. I sew pockets into my dresses to be contrary and because it's useful." She tilts her head at the phot series. "Dave doesn't really have as hard competition from these photos. I think he's going to be the best of show, if they have something like that with these."

ROSE: Rose lets herself hold Aradia against her, a gesture only made slightly awkward by being eight inches down on her. "Unfortunately, I don't believe a majority of people actually hunt their own clothing materials anymore. In fact, I would hazard a guess it's not even real mink, given the abundance of artificial origins in modern-day tactile industries."

VRISKA: Vriska kept her eyes on Jade and Bro, wondering how on Earth Jade could manage to hold in any manner of hostility just from being around that guy.

BRO: "And I like my hat, even at black tie events. Maybe just a little to be contrary." Bro says in return, raising an eyebrow at Jade, before turning back to the photos. "Mm. Maybe. I'm surprised he's getting so far after just dropping out of school like he did."

ARADIA: "Oh. I must be hallucinating that its gnawing at her from beyond the grave, then." Aradia narrows her eyes to get a closer look. "I thought it was weird that she wasn't screaming."

JADE: "As someone who finished school, it's more to do with your determination to get something done than anything else." She takes a sip of her drink, walking alongside Bro.

ROSE: "Mmmm. As far as I can tell, you're the only individual here who can make any claims to potentially being from beyond the grave, and that would only be if you weren't fortunate enough to know where your body is being kept." She turns to glance around, leaning her soft hip against Aradia's metal curves. "Does it ever upset you? You talk of your hallucinations as if they're mere oddities in your life."

BRO: "True. And my lil bro seems to have some problems with keeping himself motivated. Stayed home for a year before college. Dropped out. Stayed home another year, before coming here. It's about time he did something worth it." Bro swipes a little snack off a passing tray, popping it into his mouth.

ARADIA: "It used to. When they first started. And sometimes, they still do, but it's more..." Aradia pauses for a moment to find the words. "It's more being upset that I don't know what's real than it is seeing creepy things. It's more upsetting to not know if the blood on the walls is me or if it's there then it is for the blood to be there."

JADE: "I don't think someone who makes puppet porn for a living has the right to tell people what is or isn't worth it." Jade pauses at one photo, tilting her head at it. It's a flying under the shadow of either a bird that has flown much higher or is much larger. It's very well-timed. "Do you have any positive reinforcement for him?"

ROSE: "I can't imagine you would witness them for so long without being desensitized, so it isn't a particularly surprising answer. I'm happy that you can stomach most of them, though, but it's still something I would like to help you move past were I able." She pauses for a moment, looking down into her drink without moving away from the taller girl. "Do you ever hallucinate about me or Jade? I dream a lot about unpleasant visuals regarding the two of you and others I know, and I can't imagine it would be any easier seeing them in the waking world."

ARADIA: "Yes." Aradia does not elaborate.

ROSE: Rose doesn't need her to elaborate. Instead, she simply nods, as if it's an interesting yet meaningless tidbit. "I should stop managing to hurt myself, then. Well, more than I already should be stopping myself from hurting myself." She takes a long but relatively chaste sip of her drink, mouth twisting a bit as it goes down. "Speaking of which, try to keep me from having many more of these. I'm not averse to controlled imbibement in these sorts of environments, but I don't want to trust myself not to take my frustrations out on it."

BRO: "And why not? It takes some work setting that stuff up, not to mention my side business selling smuppets, which I make by hand. I had some setbacks in the beginning, but I kept going, and now I've gone from working a couple jobs to support myself and the kid, to raking in mounds of cash every month." He shrugs, "I'm successful, and I worked for it, and I never stopped. I kept myself motivated. Why shouldn't I judge?" Another waiter passes by with those fruity drinks, which Bro snags a couple glasses, offering one to Jade. "Are you kidding? The kid is spoiled rotten. I got him whatever little technological doodads he'd asked for, only on the promise he'd work hard. Took him nearly twenty years to finally try to uphold that promise, but I never did take that shit away."

ARADIA: "Okay. I'll just sacrifice the glasses to propitiate the mink."

ROSE: "I'm sure the lady will appreciate your efforts to tame her unruly eveningwear." Rose smirks a little at Aradia, looking over to Jade from a distance and silently enjoying leaning against Aradia.

ARADIA: "She'll be okay. Jade's tough."

JADE: Jade stills has hers, which she lifts to show. She's going slow with this one, using it as a timer to help her determine how long is too long with this man. She's start to realize any amount of time is too long with this man. "You don't think it's weird you think of him as an investment?"

JADE: Sip. She starts walking again, keeping with in view of Rose and Aradia.

ROSE: "I have no doubt that she'll be fine. I merely wish to expediate this entire process." Rose lifts her own glass to Jade in response, before taking a sip and squeezing Aradia again.

BRO: Bro shugs, setting the second glass back on the tray, before sipping at his, his other hand hooking the thumb back into his pocket. "I don't think of him as an investment, an' I never claimed I did. I just want him to work harder, and be better."

ARADIA: "Me, too."

JADE: "Hm. Maybe you should try talking with him instead of at him. What do I know, though? I'm just some rich girl." She finishes her drink and hands it to a passing server. "You wanted to talk to Rose?"

BRO: "There's nothing to talk about, and he ain't ever said anything to me about it being a problem." Another sip. "I think it was more Rose wanted to talk to me, but yeah."

ROSE: Rose is looking at a painting. She honestly doesn't care much, but it's better than looking annoyed.

JADE: Jade smiles at him. "Just because someone doesn't tell you there's a problem doesn't mean there isn't a problem." She starts toward Rose and Aradia. "Same difference!"

ARADIA: "Oh. That painting! I know it. It's by Bernadette Winters. She was born in San Jose, California, and went to art school at age 19!" Aradia says, reading off her wikipedia page.

BRO: "Then that's his problem, ain't it? Sounds like more of that motivation-slash-determination issue he's got. He needs to man up." He starts to follow Jade nonchalantly back to the other two girls.

ROSE: "Hm. I've never heard of her." Rose shrugs, glancing out the corner of her eye at Jade and Bro approaching and giving Aradia a gentle squeeze. She downed the last of her drink in one go, stepping away from her slightly, and immediately snapping back into that perfect posture and rigid stance as she looked to the approaching duo.

ARADIA: "I didn't, either, until I cheated."

JADE: Jade stops. She turns her head to look back at Bro, side eyeing him. "I suggest you stop implying feminine means weak. People might start thinking your masculinity is fragile." She says just as cheerily as she said everything else, but there's an edge to it and the way she's eyed him isn't unlike the way she'd eye a target before letting a shot loose at it. Turning back away, she walks over to Rose and Aradia. "Dave's got this in the bag," she says to them, her voice not betraying a single ounce of the animosity she just pointed at Bro. "Have you two found anything interesting while we were walking around?"

ROSE: "Hardly. If we did, I'm afraid I'm not knowledgable enough to recognize it." She's looking at Bro, like one would look at a contractually obligated guest.

BRO: "Mine's not fragile. Though some peoples' are. Like Dave's." This bastard, he has to know exactly what Jade meant. He gets quiet when they reach Rose and Aradia, though, just silently sipping his drink as they chat. Watching. Waiting.

ARADIA: "No, we're not near Dave's exhibits. Do hallucinations count as interesting?"

JADE: "You don't need to be knowledgeable to enjoy something. Like video games! I don't know anything about video games, but I still like playing them. Sometimes. When I remember I have a gaming system." She clears her throat and looks to Aradia. "I think they are. What did you see?"

ROSE: Rose lets the silence between her and Bro drag on for a few moments, glancing at Aradia before she nods curtly. "As stated, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Whilst I'm sure this fails to come as a particularly monumental revelation, Dave has told me much about you."

ARADIA: "I saw that mink coat attacking its wearer. And bleeding paintings. And people in them switched out for people I know."

JADE: "Which mink cooooh, wow. That thing is gaudy. She looks familiar. I think I saw her at a SkaiaNet fundraiser once." Jade frowns, reaching one hand up to rub her chin. "Oooor was it a ball for some other reason. I don't know, they all start to blur together."

BRO: "Right. Nice to meet you too, Miss Lalonde. For a while I worried you were made up. And then I was worried more for a bit after I found out you were real, and also really young." He gives a thoughtful sip to his drink. "You wanna have this chat here, or d'you wanna go have a stroll around the gallery?"

ROSE: "I suppose it's only polite to give you the opportunity to appreciate the gallery's offerings." She sets her empty glass down, moving unflinchingly to walk evenly with the taller man. "My relationship with Dave was formed entirely independently of knowledge of each others' age groups, although I can envision Dave being mildly concerned about his misfortune in initial acquaintances on a socially acceptable level. Fortunately, I often fail to consider myself a socially conscious individual in such matters."

BRO: Bro walks with Rose, weaving easily through the crowd, something about him just causing people to subconsciously stay out of his way as he Strides along. "Understandable, but you can't blame a guy for being concerned when his lil bro is chatting up girls that much young than him online. If only so he doesn't accidentally get his dumb ass in trouble."

ARADIA: "I think she killed it herself, but Rose disagrees."

JADE: "I don't know, she might have. I'm bad at spotting fake fur. Hunting was my grandpa's thing. I'm just good at shooting stuff."

ARADIA: "I'm bad at spotting it when it looks like a Hellraiser prop to me." She watches Rose and Bro go. "How did it go?"

ROSE: Rose gives an airy huff, a flat gesture seemingly intended to be that of amusement. "I apologize if I caused you any undue stress regarding your siblings' online activities. I can retroactively assure you my intentions rarely strayed into territory more malignant than playfully frustrating Dave with deliberate doublespeak and childist color commentary." She glances off at a picture, purely for the show of looking around. "I also apologize for our absent friend's sudden outburst. In the short time I have known her, she has proven herself to be a rather tactless individual on matters she finds personally frustrating."

BRO: "Nah, it's fine. Obviously, he never made a move, which is what counts." He, too, is doing the probably appearances-only courtesy of looking over the art on the walls. "And don't worry about that lil lady. She seemed a bit testy. Dunno what I could've done to her to warrant that little outburst, but all's forgiven." Smug fuck.

ROSE: Rose was immediately mulling over the precise degree of tact and bluntness the scenario warranted. "She and Dave are friends, and what Dave has spoken of to her about his upbringing didn't inspire much confidence in his environment. Whilst I hardly consider myself to be a competent parental figure, I do find many aspects of his childhood to be both fascination and potential cause for concern. Primarily the regularity of him seemingly reporting minor swordfighting injuries." She shrugged nonchalantly, not looking at Bro. "It's an interesting hobby, I must admit."

BRO: "Ooohhhhh, is that what this is about? Has Dave been spreadin' some bullshit 'bout me among his little friends?" He scoffs, looking almost vaguely insulted. "Figures, of course he'd try and blame me for his own fuckups. Typical kid. Here's hopin' him finally succeeding at something gives him the forward-facing kick in the pants he's been needing for over a decade."

ROSE: "On the contrary, he often took responsibility for his mistakes when it came to blades. Many of our conversations involved strained admittances that he failed to meet your apparent proficiency with swords, and the desire to hold himself to a higher standard. But I cannot help but question the validity of expecting competent martial prowess from one at such a young age, and it was disconcerting to know he seemed to be minorly injured so often. I will give you credit for taking care of him whilst you trained him, but it still begs the question as to whether or not such training found much day to day utility.'

BRO: "The world's getting more and more fucked up and dangerous. For various reasons. All this shit with parahumans in costumes fighting in the streets, the bad ones hurting people. The general shit he and I would have to deal with just existing with our skin. He needed to be prepared. And he needed to not make exscuses. Maybe he'd say that shit to you, but I got an awful lot of excuses on my end." Bro sets his now empty glass on a passing tray. "And he still managed, after all that, to apparently get his shit wrecked at least three times while takin' those photos he's got hanging up here."

ROSE: "Your intentions are, I admit, genuinely well-founded. I often fear for him when he finds himself in his line of duty. But to say that he's not working hard when his specialty is putting himself in danger for his art is a rather dubious statement." She looked at him out the corner of her eye, not stopping her movement. "His injuries have been mild compared to what they could have been. From a purely combative and technique-based standpoint, you've trained him well. But that fails to dilute the fact that, while I worry for him being injured due to his lack of ability, I also worry for him being injured undergoing a weapons regiment very few people are capable of maintaining, especially when it's thrust onto them at a young age. Perhaps such training is what's kept him from being wounded further by his photography-gathering incidents, but to claim such injuries are him failing to work hard enough and yet insinuate the amount of pain he's sustained growing up was a necessary evil strikes me as mildly hypocritical from a logical standpoint."

BRO: "It's only dubious in your opinion. Him putting himself in danger ain't a comment on his skill at protecting himself. Him putting himself and danger and then failing to protect himself is. He needs to work harder. Then he won't get his ass hurt." He seems totally unphased by Rose's analysis, not a single inkling of negative emotion on his face. "I get where you're coming from. I get that it's great he ain't dead. But he could also be not hurt in the first place. And after how long I've been training him, at twenty-two years old, he should be better than this. And he admitted to me he ain't been practicing, and that's probably why." Snort. "I don't think you get how training works, miss. I never once aimed to actually permanently harm him. He was never in life-threatening danger. The same shit happens when people work out at a gym, or follow hobbies like shooting. Or practicing sports. A mild hurt here and there is literally nothing compared to being unable to defend yourself when someone or something is out to genuinely hurt you or kill you. Maybe it strikes you as hypocritical because you're talkin' out your ass about something you know dickall about. I'd reccommend stayin' in your lane, with what you know."

ROSE: Rose is quiet as he talks, letting him say his points and merely taking them all in with a casual demeanor. She effortlessly making his lack of negative emotion with her own, waiting until he finishes before nodding. "Contrary to your belief, I am aware of the inherent nature of training. I personally consider myself to be an acceptable, partially self-trained violinist and knitter. However, the primary concern I wish to raise, and the primary difference between my musical efforts and Dave's swordsmanship, is that the former is a relatively harmless and low-intensity activity I deliberately subjected myself to. I cannot bring myself to doubt that he is better off with his martial skills, but I also find it hard to wonder why he allowed himself a reprieve from fighting once given the opportunity. Was he ever given the opportunity to step out of his training once he reached a point in which he felt he was competent in self-defense? I'm operating under the impression he's only recently reached the point in his life where he is being granted a chance to live without the rigors of physical combat, and it doesn't take a psychologist to understand why he has allowed himself to lapse in productivity."

JADE: Jade sighs. "I want to hit him. I reeeeally want to hit him. The thing is, I don't think he'd care. He'd like it."

ROSE: "However, I do consider psychology to be the lane wherein my life's vehicle is coasting along, so I feel slightly more confident my sentiments are not slowly extruding from my rear on the matter."

ARADIA: "That's why you paralyze him from the neck down." 0u0

JADE: Jade chuckles at that, hugging Aradia around the waist. "Good idea, but I'd rather not get sued for needless paralyzation."

BRO: Snort. "You think some flowery hobby like violin or knitting is the kinda shit I'm talking about? You're not nearly as informed as you think. I wouldn't compare our physical training to me teachin' him how to mix sweet tunes for the same reason. It ain't the same. And it's really reflective of your lack of knowledge on the subject that you'd compare two very different things just because they share a similar trait of needing practice." He's pointedly not look at Rose as he talks, not even doing her the courtesy of talking to her face, instead staring down a photograph. "Your questions don't really make a lot of sense. Him feeling like he's reached a point in which he feels confident with his self defense is irrelevent. Because his confidence means dick when it doesn't work. He wouldn't have gotten hurt taking those photos if he actually was competent enough. He's an unmotivated lazy kid pretending he's good enough, living in denial even as he gets hurt, and evidently giving his friends a big ol' manufactured sob story in order to deflect his own responsibility to better himself. He can do better. He is choosing not do. He clearly is not demonstrating that he knows best for himself, yet." ((1/2))

BRO: Finally, he looks at Rose. "Your armchair psychology is real nice and all, but it's still just your opinion. A very flowery, pretty opinion, not unlike your lovely lavender eyes, but still just an opinion. A biased, uninformed opinion that was neither asked for nor wanted. I'm gonna have to ask you again, Miss Lalonde, to stay in your lane. You're, what, barely an adult? Come back to me in twenty years or something, or when you're raising a kid like Dave."

ARADIA: "Yes. That would probably be unfortunate."

JADE: "Just a little!" Jade nuzzles her cheek in to Aradia's head. "I hope he leaves, soon. Dave doesn't deserve to have some jerk looming around on his big night."

ARADIA: "I do, too. We should all go back to the house, Dave and Vriska included."

ROSE: Rose turns to look at him as well when he looks at her, eyes meeting his through his shades as she stares up at him. There's no anger or fear in her, merely cold, stoic nothing, like a blanket of snow over her emotional state. "Do you not believe him capable of learning to further his ability by experiencing his failures? Do you intend to merely see him as inadequate whenever he fails to meet up to your expectations of flawlessness? Even if what you see in him is someone who is inherently weak, lazy or unmotivated, I see him in a much different light, perhaps due to my capacity to see well in low light situations." She's staring directly into him, tone paced and even. "I see an individual who has spent a majority of his life undergoing a brutal training regiment that he never acquiesced to out of any desire more than a childish idolization of his parental figure, and whose physical betterment from it is undermined by a crippling mental rut brought on by excessive expectation. I see an individual who has phobias nobody his age should have experienced so often, and whom shrinks at the concept of physical contact to a degree any individual with a functional frontal lobe would assuredly recognize as abnormal given prolonged exposure and observation. Perhaps what I see in him is merely my opinion, but what is assuredly not an opinion is the fact that I worry about him."

ROSE: "I am concerned for what he was brought up on, even if it was ostensibly for his benefit, and I worry for how such an upbringing has affected him on a psychological level to leave him so averse to even the most basic of tangible intimacies. If you wish to dismiss my concerns as purely that of a young woman incapable of formulating a mature and sophisticated opinion of his situation, based purely upon my age and lack of child-rearing experience, then I suppose I have little tangible counterarguments. But were I indeed twenty years older and raising a child, I pray to fate that I am capable of recognizing the inherent flaws in giving them a sword and holding them to such a standard of perfection at such a young age. In the mean time, I appreciate your compliment on my eyes, and whilst I wish you and Dave could find a comfortable means of amicable reconciliation, I also struggle to restrain myself from finding a meek and childish standpoint in that, whilst an eighteen year old girl inherently knows less than one thrice her age, a fifty year old man wearing anime sunglasses and a popped collar may have a questionable degree of enlightenment."

JADE: "As soon as the gallery is over. It's the whole reason Rose and I needed to keep him occupied. If we can distract him long enough, maybe the gallery will be closing before he can really talk to Dave, again."

ARADIA: "Yes."

ARADIA: "Maybe."

BRO: "You sure are puttin' an awful lot of words in my mouth that never got said, lil lady. Maybe you shouldn't do that to someone whom you just met. Regardless, yes, I do believe him incapable of making a proper judgement for himself and his progress. Your opinion on that is completely irrelevant to the matter, kid. And, frankly, I really don't care. Don't mean to be rude, but I came here to see my lil bro actually accomplishing something for once, rather than get lectured by some rich white brat who knows nothing of the lives of others, despite what she may think." He gives her a brief smirk. "You're not the one who knows best for their child. I am. You're younger than him, even. I think it's funny you bring up his phobias as if they're my fault- especially in that the only one I've been made aware of is the one regarding dogs, which is actually an issue he and I share, funnily enough. Gonna blame that on me too, missy? Or is your pretentious word vomit paired with over-estimation of my age and an un-asked for opinion on my fashion sense done?" One hand goes to his hip, and he tilts his head. "You've got about as much growin' up to do as Dave does, Lalonde. I'd reccommend startin' with not smartmouthin' your seniors on shit you literally know nothing about. As I'm pretty sure I've said multiple times, but something tells me you can't hear it over the sound of your teenage rebellion. I remember when I was that age. Fun times."

JADE: "Maybe?"

JADE: "Well, I guess we'll see."

JADE: "...I wish my grandpa were here. People like him always make me wish my grandpa were here."

ARADIA: She puts an arm around Jade and squeezes."

JADE: "He'd know exactly what to say or do to get this guy off Dave's back. If nothing else, he'd at least be able to make him step off. My grandpa was...he was about as tall as me, but he was more imposing! He had an aura, you know? A lot like that guy, but it wasn't dingy or gross. It made you feel like you were safe and like the whole world could come at you and it still couldn't touch you." She almost sounds wistful, saying all of this just loud enough for Aradia to hear. "Maybe it was because I was little, but that's how I remember him."

ROSE: As his spiel draws to a close, there's a silence, before her plump lips slowly curl into into a smirk. "I'm glad you've immediately cottoned on to my inherent tendencies for anti-authoritarianism. Unfortunately, I completed my teenage rebellion phase roughly eight months ago. It was a long and tiresome period that left many regrets, but fortunately, those regrets are precisely why I find myself carefully considering my words, unlike my far more caustic peers." Her smirk fades, and she lightly folds her arms, tilting her head in time with his. "I'm glad you've come to see his accomplishments. If it was not immediately obvious, I don't honestly care for art, but I fully understand how much this gallery means to him and am willing to swallow my absolute void of enthusiasm on the matter for his sake. Given my own parental issues, I wish to avoid impeding your ability to witness his achievements, and I certainly won't consider myself to be in a position to stop you from seeing your brother, but while I hope the two of you can make mutual amends someday, your continued insistence that his failures to attain the specific accomplishments you have set him to in a discipline that you set him to are enough to diminish from the inclinations I have that you fully grasp the severity of his inherent psychological points of concern. Would you prefer I reduce and reparse my word vomit into a more congealed and separable amount of dictionary upheaval?"

BRO: "Mhm. That's nice, honey, but I stopped listening to the pseudo-intellectual spew of an eighteen year old white girl somewhere around the third exhaustingly long sentence. Jesus Christ, cut back on the Tolkien. Purple prose is great and all, and I know I sometimes fall into it, but there comes a point where you gotta practice brevity and get to the goddamn point. Kinda makes you look like a showoff with something to compensate for." Bro fakes a yawn. "Anyways, the high-school level armchair psychology has been fun, but I'm kinda bored now, and I think my gaydar's goin' off on that hottie in the pinstriped Armani at three-o-clock. So, if you'll excuse me...?" He raises an eyebrow, expecting Rose to leave him, before moving to turn away from her.

ARADIA: "I'm glad you remember him well."

JADE: "I wouldn't say I remember him well, but I like the way I remember him." Jade turns to see Bro leaving from Rose. "Rose is smart enough to put him in his place, but I think he's too cowardly to actually face any questions she has for him."

ROSE: "I'm glad you're capable of formulating your opinions of my stances based purely upon my ethnicity, wealth and age. For the sake of your assuredly busy schedule, and my own homosexually charged navigation device pulling me back towards my girlfriends, I'll narrow my argument down to its' most concise." She shifted just a tiny bit, standing defiantly against the half-turning man, and her tone darkened just a bit. "I want Dave to be happy. I want him to be able to live without constantly being afraid of rooftop katana duels, sexually charged marionettes, and a neverending expectation of physical supremacy borne from a profession he never made the informed decision to partake in. I would like him to be able to do so whilst you still being a part of his life, but that will require effort on both of your parts." She turned to leave as well, before pausing and turning back at him a bit. "Oh, and Mr. Strider? You've already convinced one of my two love interests, the fetching robot-dressed girl who herself grew up in a blatantly physically abusive environment, that ceremoniously dislodging your spine is a valid course of action. I'll leave you to talk to Dave, but regardless of whether or not you believe he can defend himself, I am perfectly willing and able to do so in his stead, and I can assure you I am not intimidated by your efforts to formulate an oppressive emotional shell of Japanese enthusiasm and thinly-veiled deflection, regardless of how many swords you possess"

JADE: "Oh! Here she comes!"

ROSE: Rose moves straight back to Jade and Aradia, picking up another alcohol on the way.

ARADIA: Aradia moves her hand to cover the alcohol with her palm.

BRO: "Mhm, that's nice." He gives a dismissive wave over his shoulder, before glancing back at her. "But I don't really care about the opinions of little kids who've either only know my kid over the internet, or for a grand total of two months, and know next to nothing about my life, or all the aspects of his. But nice to know Dave has to have all his little friends defend him on his behalf because he's too much of a coward to do so himself. It's been fun, Lalonde." And he turns away again, off to chat up some smooth-looking guy in a snazzy suit eyeing the beach-garbage photos.

ROSE: Rose stares at the palm, sighing. "I don't know why I ever told you to do that, but I'm going to be thankful in the morning."

DAVE: Dave, meanwhile, has been blissfully getting into the groove of socializing with the guests. He talked with the one man, another one of the artists showing at the gallery, for a good while, even trading business cards. And since, he's been chatting up a few of the others that he caught eyeing his work. Things seem to be going well on his end!

JADE: "Good work! I'll be taking that." Jade takes the drink. "That bad, huh?"

ROSE: "He's thoroughly convinced that Dave is inept and failing to meet his own astronomical standards of marital success, completely blind to his own abusive tendencies, and dismissive of my long-winded arguments. However, he played the "eighteen year old rich white brat with no real-world knowledge" card at least twice, so I consider myself to have won a small victory. He's going to speak to Dave, and while I made sure to leverage some form of slightly more opaque threat, I have a feeling their conversation isn't going to be pleasant, if it occurs."

ARADIA: "We'll be here when it does."

ROSE: "I have no intention of leaving Dave alone with that man if I can help it."

JADE: "Ah." Jade taps her fingers along the glass, frowning, before she sets it back on a passing server's tray. "This is making a little anxious. Hopefully, things wind down soon. Maybe we can get him to the house before his brother gets him?" Jade looks toward Dave, who seems to be having one hell of a time. She smiles a little at how happy he seems, wishing there was more they could do.

ROSE: "The worst thing is, I can't trust myself to let him know precisely how capable I am." She watches Dave, muttering to herself. "He would probably leverage that against Dave somehow."

BRO: At some point, Bro seems to just form out of the crowd behind Dave, bending slight to mutter something in the younger Strider's ear that makes him blanch. What no one else can hear is "Your little friends have been incredibly hostile about how I've raised you. I wonder why that is. We're going to talk about this later, lil bro." And with that said, he straightens back up, before melting back into the crowd and vanishing again.

DAVE: Oh. Dave just... deflates, entirely. He clears his throat, apologizes to the patron he was speaking to about the interruption, before getting back to what they were talking about. But it was evident that his confidence had vanished again, that he was visibly shaken, his hands trembling slightly when he thinks no one can see.

ROSE: "..." Rose is already stiffening again.

ARADIA: Aradia walks over to him. She has a smile on her face. "It

ARADIA: "It's okay, Dave. Just breathe. Slow and steady and regular."

DAVE: Dave doesn't look at Aradia, but he nods, inhaling deep through his nose, before letting it out slowly through his mouth. It seems to ease his nerves, and he finishes off his conversation with the woman he was speaking to, who smiles and turns to look over the pieces on the walls. Dave mutters very quietly, "Thank you."

JADE: Jade is standing nearby, keeping an eye out for Bro.

BRO: He has seemingly vanished.

ROSE: The world is a better place.

JADE: Approaching Dave and Aradia, Jade smiles at the two of them. "Hey. It looks like the gallery is clearing up. Do you think it's safe for us to head out, too?"

DAVE: The crowd of patrons is starting to thin out, as the evening of art and pomp draws to a close. There's an announcing clinking of a glass by one of the curators, who calls for attention, causing the crowd to quiet for a moment. He requests that patrons wrap up their drinks and h'ourdeuvres, and give their last bids on any displayed artwork to the nearest curator, as the opening will be soon drawing to a close within the next ten minutes. Dave breathes a sigh of relief. The curator goes on to thank everyone for coming, and would like to give a special round of applause to the brilliant new artists to their gallery. he and the other patrons give some polite applause, and Dave goes all red.

ROSE: As soon as Jade is gone, Rose grabs another drink, downs it quickly, and hands the glass back to the baffled caterer, screwing her eyes shut as she tunes out the crowd applauds. By the time she joins the others, she's just a little bit drunker. It kind of helps.

JADE: Jade's applauding, as well, grinning at Dave."How much of that do you think is for you?"

JADE: "I'd say a lot."

DAVE: "Shut it!!" he says, though it's very obvious he's flattered. With that done, the curator thanks everyone once again for coming, and wishes them a nice evening. "I think that's the cue that I'm free to go. I'll talk to them tomorrow about stuff. I just wanna leave."

ROSE: Rose is quiet for a few moments. "Are you going to go back to your place? You're welcome to stay the night at Jade's to try and relax after all this."

JADE: "Yeah! Come on, it'll be fun. I can get out my grandpa's old liquor and some snacks and we can watch movies and stuff."

JADE: "I'm never going to drink that stuff alone, might as well share it with everyone when there's an actual reason to celebrate."

DAVE: "I dunno, I don't really care for hard liquor. Maybe something sweet instead. Like Smirnoff Ice or a mudslide or daquiri or something where I can drink five without tasting the alcohol." Dave smiles a little bit, sticking by his friend's sides, though he has to occasionally turn and shake hands with people as he gives a farewell.

JADE: "We can make a stop and pick some stuff up! Pleeeease? It'll be good for everyone to have at least one night where we can unwind and just enjoy each other's company."

ROSE: "And preferably stop thinking about much else."

ARADIA: "I think we have some of that."

ARADIA: "Yes."

JADE: "Yes. That part is very important."

DAVE: "Yeah, sure. I'd love to come over. Can you give me a ride? I don't wanna get a taxi."

JADE: "Plenty of room in the car. You miiight have to get squashed between Vriska and Rose."

DAVE: "I don't mind at all." Close friend he enjoys hugging on one side, cute girl on the other. Why would he refuse?

ROSE: "I can live with such an arrangement." Glancing around for any sign of Bro, she moves, hips swaying just a tiny bit in her tight dress from the alcohol as she moved towards the exist.

BRO: Still no sign of Bro, mysteriously, even as the patrons shuffle out.

JADE: "Yes! This'll be awesome. Onward to a party celebrating Dave's awesome photography. Whoo hoo!" Jade even hops once, punching the air as she does. She immediately regrets it, quickly having to readjust her dress to prevent a wardrobe malfunction. "Ahah, whoops. Maybe save the hopping for when I'm in better clothes for it." Jade takes the lead, heading toward the exit. "What should we watch first? I say we let Aradia pick."

DAVE: "Haha! Jeeze, Jade, be careful with that." Dave smirks, following Jade out. "I'm up for anything, as long as it's a happy movie."

ARADIA: "...Let's let Dave pick."

ROSE: "Mmhm." Sorry. Aradia. No spoops tonight.

JADE: Jade gives Aradia an apologetic look. Right, horror movies. Probably not the best endings in those.

JADE: "Car, car, where's the car. Oh! There it is!" She makes a beeline for the car, taking her keys out of her clutch purse and opening it up as she approaches.

ARADIA: "Do you want shotgun, Dave?"

DAVE: "Why would I want a shotgun? I'm not that Texan, am I?"

JADE: Jade rolls her eyes. "Just get in the car."

BRO: Why would Dave need a shotgun, indeed? Bro abruptly appears in the carpark, striding up to the group by Jade's car. "Hey, lil man, where you goin'?" He asks, sounding like he's a perfectly amicable individual.

DAVE: Dave freezes before he can get in the car, before dutifully turning to face Bro. "Uh- I was gonna go home with my friends." He says quietly swallowing in his throat.

ROSE: Rose immediately turns to look at him, straightening up and shifting a bit to be between Dave and Bro. She doesn't say anything, merely watching him.

ARADIA: Aradia gets in the front seat.

JADE: Jade was about to open the driver's side door. She promptly turns to look at Bro as son as she sees him. "We're going to go celebrate his accomplishments, like he deserves." She's drawn herself to her full height and, with no one around to worry about intimidating, seems to take up even more space than she did before. "Dave? Come on."

BRO: "Mm, I can see that. But, dude, I was thinkin', I got a real nice chaffeur hired with some sick luxury car, you gotta see it. I could give you a ride to your place, we catch up, an' you show me 'round your new apartment I'm payin' for?" Bro puts his hands in his pockets. "Besides, you might have a lil trouble squeezing in there between those girls, like you are."

JADE: "Say one more thing about his weight." Jade takes a step forward to him.

ARADIA: "Wow, that wasn't even subtle."

ROSE: "We had plans, unfortunately." She doesn't go back to trying to be amicable, glancing at Jade out the corner of her eye and moving to try and keep her in check.

BRO: "Did I ask you, Jade? I'm talking to no one but Dave here."

JADE: "And Dave is coming with us."

DAVE: Dave's head has lowered, and he subconsciously tries to suck in his gut. "Er... I dunno. I should... I dunno."

BRO: "I haven't heard him decide that for himself yet. Or are you his mom all of a sudden? Pretty sure his mother looked different." He rolls his eyes. "C'mon, kiddo. I just wanna spend more time with you."

ROSE: Rose pauses, before lowering her head slightly at Bro. "I would appreciate if you allowed Dave to have this opportunity to relax. Today has been long, and I think he's earned reprieve." She looks back to Dave, teeth gritting a bit. "Let him decide of his own accord."

JADE: "Dave?" Jade looks to him, concerned that he's going to get roped into something he doesn't want to.

BRO: "Say that to your girlfriend, Lalonde, she's the one tryna make his decisions for him and squeeze him into her lil sports car."

DAVE: Dave briefly looks at Bro, then over his shoulder, fiddling his hands. He wants to go with his friends. He very, very clearly does. But there's a hold over him, a learned urge to go with Bro.

JADE: "That's why I'm asking him. I can't make him do something he doesn't want to, unlike someone here."

ROSE: "And you're the one dropping unannounced into his life with years of built up psychological advantage." Rose's voice is quieter, and she looks at Bro, before turning to Dave and, after a moment, moving her arm slightly in a subtle excuse for a hug opening.

BRO: "Girl, I am his guardian. I think I already told you not to butt into places where you ain't asked for. I can come into his life whenever I damn well please."

ARADIA: "He's twenty two. He can do whatever he wants. You are no longer a required factor in his life."

ROSE: "And I am his best friend who is capable of seeing through a thick layer of emotional subterfuge and unwarranted physical turmoil."

JADE: Frowning at this situation, Jade turns to Dave, attempting to be as sympathetic as possible. "All you have to do is get in the car if you want to come with us."

DAVE: "Guys, please..." Dave mumbles, really wishing they'd stop antagonizing each other.

BRO: "Say that again when I ain't payin' his bills and putting him on my insurance policies to pay for every time he get his fat ass hurt." He crosses his arms. "I'm pretty sure I'm currently necessary."

ARADIA: "He does not owe you for providing your duty as a caretaker. Please, leave."

BRO: "Keep movin' those goalposts, lil lady. First it's 'you're unnecessary', now it's something about owing or something."

ROSE: "He doesn't need your insurance policies." Rose stepped forward, staring levelly eye-to-shades with the taller man. "Because he has a rich white brat willing to support him in ways other than harassing him whenever he makes mistakes and grinding him down with physical combat. You can argue as much as you like that you have some inalienable right to be with him, but the fact of the matter is that he is an independent individual. And as his friend, I have an obligation to steer him away from what I percieve as hostile environments."

DAVE: "Guys- Rose- please." Dave mumbles again

JADE: At the sound of Bro calling Dave a fat ass, Jade straightens up. She goes still. Very still. For just a moment, it feels like the air has gone staticy, a sure sign she's releasing her power. But no sparks come out. There's no lightnening or a blaze of fire. Jade's eyes seem to glow for the briefest second, her expressison completely placid before she's simply not there anymore. She's moved, fast, her arm cutting through the air to deliver punch directly to Bro's face. She feels his glasses crunch beneath her fist as she drives him back, her full weight behind it. Before he even hits the ground, Jade is shouting at him. "Dave is coming with us! You should be ashamed of yourself, acting like you're so important in his life when you've done nothing but treat him like a punching bag for your amusement! He's not your toy! He's our friend! You wouldn't know anything about that, though, would you, since you'd have to pay someone to pretend to even like you!"

DAVE: Dave froze when he saw Jade vanish, only to appear in front of Bro, and he turned away just in time to only hear the connect of her fist and the elder Strider's face, making him flinch. He's swiftly climbing into the car, breathing quickly, and plonking down in the middle of the back seat, elbows on his knees, and face buried in his hands.

JADE: Turning on her heel, Jade gets into the car, not giving Bro an opportunity to say anything. She wanted out of here before something else was said that would make her snap at him, again. Hopefully, everyone else got the memo to get in so she could go.

BRO: Bro is knocked back, nearly down onto his back by the force of the punch his shades falling away from his striking orange eyes. He stands himself back up, wiping his bleeding nose on his hand. "Lotta nice assumptions you're makin' 'bout me for a girl whose known my boy for maybe a couple months. You don't know anything you're talkin' about, least of all my relationships." He smirks. "But if Dave's gonna need other people to 'protect' his weak ass, then fine. Not like he ever said anything about anything to me in the first place. So go ahead and pretend you're protectin' the baby from some big evil, but I hope y'all don't feel too bad when he gets his ass hurt without you again." He shrugs, "Anyways, looks like he's decided to party. So I'll have to check in with him later. Seeya, lil bro." And, finally, fucking finally, the Bro has made his true retreat.

ROSE: Rose felt that static charge, but she couldn't stop Jade from moving nor Dave from retreating; her mind was telling her to fight, but seeing Dave flee in panic was enough to stall her. She stood still, head low as Jade turned and moved towards the car, and once Bro was finally got she silently moved to sit next to Dave, closing the door behind her and staring out the window at nothing.

ARADIA: Aradia is frowning.

JADE: Jade gets the car moving. The car ride is quiet and she's opening and closing her fist in irritation. It's a good ways into the drive before she finally says anything. "...I'm sorry."

DAVE: "I said don't."

ROSE: "..."

JADE: "I know." Jade is keeping her eyes on the road. "I'll take you being mad at me. I'll take that over you having to deal with him for the night."

DAVE: "But now I'll have to deal with him even worse later."

ARADIA: "Don't make Dave's decisions for him." Aradia says at length.

ROSE: "He deserved it. I'm not going to pretend he didn't deserve it. But he's going to turn it against us."

JADE: "Yeah." She sighs. "Yeah." She doesn't have any defense for what she did. It was a purely in the moment decision and any attempts to defend herself or raise any objections were pointless. She knew she messed up. It felt good. It felt VERY good. But it was a mistake.

DAVE: "The fuck did you guys even say to him earlier? He was fucking pissed." Dave lifts his face from his hands. "You guys didn't actually tell him what I've said about him, did you? Please say you didn't."

JADE: "No! At least, I didn't."

ROSE: "I told him the truth. That you were hurt and damaged because of what he did. That you deserved to be able to live a life away from what he's spent almost two decades imposing on you. That I was worried for you, and that I could see just how much he's done."

DAVE: "Oh my God." Dave groans loudly, leaning back, his head back and his fingers curling in his hair. "After I fucking told Vriska off, you- why??? I told you guys not to fucking say anything! Don't react! Just leave him be!! He's PISSED now!"

JADE: "And then what? He visits you in the middle of the night to harass you on his own?? He..." Jade cuts herself off. Just focus on driving.

ARADIA: "You went against Dave's advice and acted like you knew better than him." Aradia says softly. "Never do that."

DAVE: "You say that like he's not even more likely to do that now." He says, taking his hands from his hair with a sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was originally planning to hassle me at the gallery and go home in the morning. Now I bet he's changing his plans right this fucking second to stick around longer. I told you. I told you not to."

JADE: "Alright! Alright. I messed up. I'm sorry..." More silence. "What do you want to do? Do you still want to come to my house?"

ROSE: "Dave." It's possibly the most stoically burning her voice has ever been talking to him, even though she prays it's clear the venom and anger isn't directed at him. "He has spent your entire life reducing you to a state where you flinch at even the notion of touching someone. Where you have nightmares about anything even resembling a puppet. I sincerely cannot bring myself to care what he feels, because the fact of the matter remains that you do not deserve to live under his implicit threats merely by existing. There is going to be a point where something needs to give, and I refuse to let him walk all over you." She doesn't look at him as she talks. "I'm sorry. But I can't let him do that."

JADE: "Aradia is right, though. This wasn't our call."

DAVE: "Shut up, Rose!" He shouts. "Stop fucking giving me a book of excuses like I don't personally know every single bit of that! It's MY LIFE you're talking about, in case you forgot! Mine! Not yours! You will NEVER have to deal with any of these consequences, and I will! It would've been easier if you all just shut up and ignored him, and you fucking didn't, and you're still pretending you did the right thing! Like, I appreacite it? But you made it worse."

JADE: "You're wrong about the consequences. You're not by yourself to deal with them alone, anymore. It's your choice if you still want to come with us."

DAVE: "You don't know that, Jade. You don't. I'm sorry, but you don't." He takes a breath. "I don't wanna go to my apartment."

ROSE: "How." She still doesn't look at Dave. "How can you tell me to ignore him. How can you pretend for even one second that you wouldn't be doing the same fucking thing if I were in your position?! This isn't JUST your issues! I care about you, and I REFUSE to let you have to be the only one dealing with any of this! I don't care if I'm doing the 'right thing', Dave. I'm doing what I need to do for the people I care about." She stares out the window, falling into a tense silence.

ARADIA: "BECAUSE IT FEEDS THEM." Aradia suddenly shouts, turning back to Rose. "Every time you fight like this you give them ammunition to tear us down a bit more!"

DAVE: "Because I expected you to trust me and listen to me on a situation that doesn't really effect you, but intimately effects me? Rose, I know what you're getting at, but the way you're tryna protect me is going to fuck everything up. And-" And then Aradia butted in. "Thank you. Guygs, he might... I dunno. He might do something crazy. I don't even know. He's crazy."

JADE: "Well, we can't help if you don't communicate with us. That's important." She drums her hands on the steering wheel as she makes the last turn to head home. "And I've got communicati-" Jade flinches at Aradia's shouting. She was used to everyone else doing it, but not her.

FEFERI: Distant shouting is heard, before a jelly donut explodes on Jade's windshield.

DAVE: "I did communicate with you! I told you not to. I clearly told you not to react." He takes a breath. "I don't know how else you want me to communicate tha-AAAHH!!"

ARADIA: !!!!!

JADE: "Communication...all over the cit-WHAT!?" Jade hits the brakes as the house comes into view. "What the hell!?!?" She steps out of the car, looking around for where the donut came from.

FEFERI: Another one flies and smacks Jade right in the chest, splattering her front with jelly. A cheer is heard.

ROSE: Rose visibly flinches at Aradia's yelling, and she says absolutely nothing in the ensuring pause, or while anybody else talks. "Fine." Her voice is bitter, frigid, and utterly void of emotion. "Fine. I'll trust you on this, Dave. But listen to me. I don't care how dangerous he is, or how afraid you are of him. I am quite possibly one of the most powerful individuals in this city, and if he hurts you any worse then he is now, I am going to fucking act like-" Splut. There was a silence, as she stared at the donut, before unbuckling and getting out of the car.

DAVE: Dave has assumed the position you're supposed to when an airplane is crashing.