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[parodeity]

DAVE STRIDER

consider this your warning about stairs. itll just keep happening bro. im telling you man

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[splinten]

[There's a quiet nod.]

You still don't know what you need with me? What would help you best.

[parodeity]

I don't know what would help that I'm willin' to ask for.

[splinten]

Are you willin' to tell me what you won't ask for?

[parodeity]

How is that different from askin'?

[splinten]

Intention, essentially. You aren't making a request. [He kinda shrugs.] I figured that wasn't the important part to you and that you wouldn't be willing.

[parodeity]

Then why'd you ask? Yeah, I do know some stuff that would help, but it wouldn't...stick when it went away.

[splinten]

Because I haven't given up.

[So he had to still ask.]

And you can't trust it won't go away.

[parodeity]

Some of it also just ain't viable.

[splinten]

That might be true.

[And he's sorry for that. His thumb presses into a sharp edge of his shades as he thinks.]

We don't have to decide now. We can do somethin' mindless to try to clear our heads. Or we can not, and make our decisions now, and then do the rest of the day.

[parodeity]

Don't do that.

[splinten]

[As before, he stops everything he's doing and looks at Dave.] Do what?

[parodeity]

You're gonna cut yourself, genius.

[splinten]

[LITERALLY PAUSES FOR A MOMENT IN CONFUSION BECAUSE HE THINKS IT'S A METAPHOR AND THEN]

Oh you meant literally.

[HE TAKES HIS THUMB OFF HIS SHADES. HE IS AN IDIOT.]

Sorry, didn't intend to.

[parodeity]

It's fine. I hate your blood. [ said conversationally. ] What do you want to do?

[splinten]

On a broader level, not make you miserable every time we interact. It's why I offered to do something else before we decide on anything. The reverse concern is that not dealing with it immediately will overshadow everything.

[parodeity]

I...don't know. I can ignore pretty much whatever if I throw myself into an activity.

[splinten]

My suggestion was the sand castle or my horse mural.

[parodeity]

Who have you done your squares with so far.

[splinten]

[Dirk shows Dave his card (he hasn't raced Aki yet and most of the in-progress ones would probably be blacked out at this point, plus the hanging out with a stranger one)]

I managed to get rid of the memory-with-a-stranger one by telling a dude about another stupid and meaningless moment regarding gettin' flustered by English that wasn't worth bringing up. I've been keepin' the sandcastle and the horse mural for you.

[parodeity]

Oh.

[ well then. dave doesn't pull out his own phone. he decides he has no commentary on any of the squares or anything dirk said, and defaults to: ]

Whatever you wanna do works for me.

[splinten]

[He frowns.] What's that for.

[parodeity]

What's what for? [ blankly. ]

[splinten]

You gave a flat 'oh' and then did the thing where you surrender all directive power over the situation.

[parodeity]

Couldn't think of anythin' else to say. And I frequently try to surrender all direction power over a lot of situations.

[splinten]

I know. But you asked who, presumably for a reason. And then had nothin' to say.