WEEK TWO: MONDAY MORNING, ROOM 112

[parodeity]

[ since presumably going up to dirk after breakfast or whatever and going "hey i need your help with a thing" might result in dirk following him, dave will drag dirk off to room 112, though he stops short in front of the door and casts a glance sideways at dirk. ]

Can you sew? I mean, you - he could. Better than me.

[ ...? presumably he needs help sewing. something. unless this is just one of his many random interrogative questions. ]

Comments

[parodeity]

I made all of 'em here, yeah. What else do I have to do?

[ THIS IS APPARENTLY LITERALLY HOW HE SPENDS HIS FREE TIME: WRITING STUPID COMICS.

a few feature craftly, actually, or random yuggoth jokes. there is an entire arc about infinite pens, where bro and jeff go on a quest for a drawer that spits out infinite doritos upon witnessing this magic.

the arc is then aborted and goes into something derivative about swole horrorterrors, for some godforsaken reason. ]

[splinten]

Can I read them? [He turns to look at dave. HE IS. CLEARLY EXCITED, TO ANYONE WHO CAN READ BETWEEN THE STRIDER LINES. Hell even a normal person could probably register some level of excitement and interest.] All of them. I'd love to read any you make so much.

[he's your Biggest Fan, Dave

He does remember to take the sewing kit but like. You know. SBAHJ!]

[parodeity]

Um. If you want? [ this is. new. because, uh, bro read his shit but the content dave got back was like. bad comic jokes and being thrown down stairs, so like. hm. ]

You can take some, I don't care, I have too many. I can...show you new ones when I make them?

[ unsure ]

[splinten]

Yes please that'd be amazing.

[My God it's the hint of a smile.

OH YEAH he just remembered. He grabs something from his pocket: a golden coin, featureless and flat on one side, with the engraving of an eye surrounded by a halo of fire on the other.] Found this in my hand when I woke up, which is its own kind of disturbin', but whatever.

[parodeity]

[ creepy smile. also how well dave keeps to that offer is like up in the air. he literally just doodles to cope and then forgets about them and has yet to seek dirk out for non business purposes beyond the music thing. dave glances at the coin. ]

Right, yeah, same. Might be for the toy machine. Last time someone asked me for coins for it I had none, but.

[splinten]

[It is not a creepy smile it's a genuine smile!!]

We'll have to try it out some time. [Anyway Dirk has the kit and so he goes to grab some clothing of Dave's, and grabs Jason's stuff too since it just makes more sense to use that. He sits down on the couch, opens up the kit, and starts looking over what he has.]

How big are the weapons, how many do you want to hide, and where's your ideal place to hide them?

[parodeity]

[ which from bro is creepy? what's the catch here. a year ago he would've killed for that smile, but he also would've figured it meant he was dead. dave...still has not smiled in a non-sarcastic or humorless way at dirk, has he. just at other people. after a second he sits up, and pulls out one of the smaller kitchen knives to show dirk. the blade is about the length of his hand, index finger to wrist. he has apparently simply been wrapping it in a kitchen towel to keep from stabbing himself. ]

This and one scalpel so far. I didn't restock. Arms or waist or wherever is easiest. Don't care. I can get to shit from anywhere, but for a preference my right hand can get there first. [ the hand without the broken index finger, so he apparently plans to ease up on the left hand at least an iota. ]

[splinten]

At least there's that. [Dirk why.] I'll sew things in on both sides so you can switch it over after your left hand heals. [It's not an optimistic phrasing; it's a distinctly stubborn one. He has taken the tone not of a man who expects a positive future but is glaring down a negative one and is ready to get into a fistfight with it.

Anyway yeah he'll start sewing? He's pretty find at it. If Dave doesn't talk to him... He'll probably hum something or mutter a dumb rap to himself about sewing. He grew up alone, give him a break.]

[parodeity]

[ dave does not start up a conversation? he just decides to get fully on his bed and sit at the head, back against the headboard/wall, either watching or with his eyes shut behind his shades. impossible to say.

he does jar whenever dirk starts humming or muttering, but doesn't say a word to stop it. it's just another dumb thing that he shouldn't be surprised by but is. ]

[splinten]

[It doesn't take him too long, and he was careful about his stitches to hide things so that things would be primarily invisible, while still easily accessible. When he's done, he holds up an example to Dave.] How's this?

[parodeity]

[ dave was apparently watching and not like, dozing or anything, because he just nods, still fairly quiet. ]

Works for me. You should probably do yours too at some point. Do you always do that.

[splinten]

[...] Usually my stitches aren't as careful but I figured you'd want something more easily hidden. [Because what else could the question be.]

[parodeity]

No. Fill the silence for yourself. [ he could have specified, but. ]

[splinten]

Oh. Yeah. [There's a little lift of his shoulders.] Sometimes Squarewave would rap with me, but before I built him and Sawtooth it was just me, so. [So he got lonely, and like any lonely kid he sang or hummed or rapped or just talked to himself (or pretended to talk to puppets but Dave doesn't need to know that) to try to pretend that he wasn't as lonely.]

[parodeity]

- Oh, the robots, right. [ dirk mentioned, but it didn't fully stick. ] I could never decide if it was or wasn't soothin'. It's better now, I guess.

[splinten]

Talkin' to fill the silence? [Soothing, he's not sure. Well.] I'm not keen on my voice, but I'd judge yours to be decidedly soothing personally. It's got the calm, evenness of an ocean that won't suddenly turn stormy, but with the added benefit of being you instead of the damned ocean. It feels safe.

[parodeity]

[ UH. ]

I...usually find my voice soothin', these days. Sometimes it wasn't, back then. Sometimes it was better to be really quiet. Which I'm used to. But it was kind of...whatever.

[splinten]

[Oh. Dirk is silent for a moment.]

...Like I said, I like it when you talk. You've got a nice voice, and you're funny and smart. It's a worthwhile song played on a good instrument. To me.

[parodeity]

Mostly the meteor consensus is it's annoying.

[ although he...has not relaxed enough...to mumble to himself around dirk, so dirk has not Experienced dave in top form.

he literally has no idea what to do with the compliments ]

[splinten]

Consensus voted in twin juggalo presidents, so I'll stick to my own opinion regardless of what it says. I like to hear you talk.

[parodeity]

[ ok no he knows what to do with the compliments ]

So we should totally go break into the thing now.

[ CHANGE THE TOPIC IMMEDIATELY AND ROLL OFF THE BED TO HIS FEET. ]

Or...whenever you finish doin' yours. Right. Shit.

[splinten]

Right. Sorry. [Shit.] I don't have extra clothing here though. [He cannot sew hidden pockets onto his pants without taking his pants off. And he figures Dave doesn't want that.] I'll have to go back to my room.

[parodeity]

I'll...wait here?

[ which means either dirk can sew shit at his room or grab whatever and come back here to sew. but dave does not...specify...he just sits back down, awkwardly. ]

[splinten]

[Haha that's fine Dirk will awkwardly ask]

Do you... want me to do it away from you?

[parodeity]

Up to you?

[ which means. either option is fine, apparently? he rubs his hands down his jeans, awkward, then freezes. ]

- Wait. I want one more thing. Can you, like...

[ vague hand gesture. ]

A wallet. For a picture. I dunno, just...somethin' to protect a picture. Doesn't matter what.

[splinten]

...Okay. I can do that.

[Dirk is gone, and when he's back he has grabbed terrible shoes and an extra pair of pants. He grabs more from Jason's unused clothing, and first he stitches together a cloth wallet.] Can I have the cardboard bits? [he points to one of the notepads.] It'll stiffen the wallet to protect the picture.

[parodeity]

[ there is a grimace at the sight of those shoes. why. ]

Yeah. [ dave waves at the notepad, HAVE AT IT. it probably has Yet More SBaHJ doodles on it, for the record. ]

[splinten]

[Okay he probably laughs at the SBAHJ doodles before taking the cardboard and tucking it into a fold, and then he pauses. He looks at Dave, and it's obvious he's nervous debating something. But then he gets to work stitching.

A little while later, he holds out to Dave a cloth wallet, with an apple stitched onto one side and a gear on the other.]

...I wanted to add Bro and Jeff, or maybe Geromy, but it takes a while to get the jpeg look right and you probably want to head out soon. If you want to hand it back to me after we explore I can add them into the inside folds.

[parodeity]

[ he takes the wallet and flips it over, not having expected, like. anything more than exactly what he asked for. he looks up at dirk then back at the wallet, mouth parted in surprise before...

he goes to a drawer in the night table, pulls out a picture, and stores it inside.

if dirk cared enough to glance, it looked like it was of someone blonde. ]

...Thanks. But yeah, whenever you're ready with the whole...your set up thing.

[splinten]

[Well. He hopes that means it's okay!

He guesses the picture was Rose, seeing the hair colour. He's much quicker stitching in his own holsters, which he decides for both right and left sides. Then he slips in the knife.]

Do you want me to take a picture of myself now?

[parodeity]

[ dirk gets one of those measured stares again. ]

...No. Let's head out. Then dependin' on how this one goes, either I'll go alone, or you can do double duty on another break in with me later today.

[ he slides the wallet, which he had been holding, into his left pocket and just kind of absently pats it. he doesn't want it off his person. ]

[splinten]

Alright. [He gives a nod. And then pauses, and—] If... you were up for it, I'd like to hang out for more than just our evening meetings. You don't have to answer now, or whatever, but like... think about it? If you want to.

[parodeity]

I... [ he has a wallet with an apple and a gear on it and the picture of rose, a thing he hadn't really believed he could have. ] ...I'll...maybe. I'll let you know? Later tonight.

[ but for now... ]

But for now we should. If you're ready? The last time I went somewhere, somethin' snuck up on me, and I hated it. [ he'd turned around and nothing was there. same old same old. ] So just...guard my back. Will you?

[splinten]

[He gives a nod.] I'll guard it.

[parodeity]

Thanks.

[ he returns the weapons to his person, now to their new holstery home. NICE. ]

Y'all set?

[splinten]

[He straightens up.] Let's go.

[parodeity]

[ AND AWAY THEY GO where dave disapproves of what they have found so far already, STOP BEING CREEPY AND PUPPETY, YUGGOTH ]