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[parodeity]

DAVE STRIDER | RED | #E00707
TEXT | ACTION

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[parodeity]

[ dave was never okay to start with. ]

The timeline split. And I... [ ... ] What do you dream about?

[windeity]

[A pause. It's an interesting question and he could tell Dave that he doesn't remember, that it doesn't make a huge difference, that his dreams are just kind of dreams that are dumb. He thinks back on things he used to dream of and dream bubbles he's passed through and in the end he shrugs.]

Barking. [He doesn't specify what, exactly, that's tied to but it's something he dreams about a lot anyway. Jack Noir and Grimbark Jade and the events tied to both.]

[parodeity]

...yeah. [ his fingers keep drumming on his knee. ] Yeah, same.

[ the thing about talking is he's not sure how to get to what he wanted to say. ]

You meet up with your training people yet?

[windeity]

[He can be kind of patient as he waits for Dave, at least. Maybe if they keep talking they'll eventually both say what needs to be said.

He follows the beat.]

I haven't yet, no. I mean not for training, I have seen Ochako at least for other stuff but we have not talked about it yet. Soon though, I think. Have you?

[parodeity]

One of 'em. I got a pre-assignment training round, too.

[ it's one of the songs he composed on his own, on the meteor. ]

It...went.

[windeity]

[Yeah no he's...memorizing it? He's memorizing it because it's music and it's easy for him even as they're talking.]

What happened?

[parodeity]

[ a too quick beat, and his left hand starts up a counterpoint. it keeps him calm enough not to run away. ]

Got punched in the gut for wavering.

[windeity]

What the fuck. [Flat. He's not mad, necessarily, but he's a little uncertain suddenly.]

[parodeity]

Eh. Driving in the point. [ part of why he hadn't bothered to try to dodge. ] I guess I hadn't been in a sword fight since just before we got here.

[windeity]

We've only been here for a few weeks. [Sounds like an excuse for whoever to gutpunch but okay.] ...why did you waver?

[parodeity]

[ because an adult male with a sword taunting him and telling him he needed to be better was shockingly not chill with his childhood but that aside,,, ]

Serious question?

[windeity]

...stupid question. Sorry. [Even without knowing about the Bro situation to its fullest, he knows about the training Dave used to do not to mention he died fighting so like.

Yeah, okay.]

[parodeity]

No, I mean. John, I'll answer if you want.

[ the other answer, true but maybe a hair less difficult. ]

[windeity]

Oh. Then yes, serious question. [The fuck, he's used to Dave rambling in metaphors and run-on sentences that don't always make sense and don't always tell him things. So a serious, straightforward answer might help.]

[parodeity]

The last swordfight. Kinda stuck in it still. [ he could probably make that clearer still but. ]

[windeity]

[He can at least pick up context clues though.]

You mean when you were protecting Jade. [He doesn't really know what Dave was fighting (or who, rather) given that Roxy said that the witch got Rose instead but if it was a swordfight.

And Dave wavered in a blade to blade combat session.

And...]

...from Jack. [Not quite certain, but there are enough context clues based on who they've fought before, who uses what weapons, and things said.]

[parodeity]

Partial credit. [ maybe if it had only been jack he could have managed. ]

[windeity]

What part am I missing from that?

[parodeity]

The other dog. [ flippant. and maybe it's actually kind of impressive he held off two semipotent enemies for the amount of time he did but w h o o p s. ]

[windeity]

[The other--]

The white one. That one had a sword, too. [He seems to be grasping that Dave was fighting both of them simultaneously given that he frowns again.] They stabbed you didn't they?

[Jade's...Jade. There's no way Jade even without being grimbark couldn't have defended herself. Something happened that Jade wasn't involved in that fight. Maybe she was already dead. Maybe his friends were fighting for their lives and he was beating up some green little weirdo.]

[parodeity]

It's not like I haven't died before.

[ and that's the stupid part.

(he still has nightmares about the other times, too.) ]

[windeity]

Not like that though. [Not...permanently. And anyway death is still kind of a weird subject. He's died twice. He told Roxy about how Rose died and he revived her last time. This though.]

I think it is a little different considering the circumstances.

[parodeity]

You watched Rose die. [ not a question. john basicaly said so. ] Neither if us...the worst part is stupid, you know?

[windeity]

We talked a little. [...] Which part do you mean?

[parodeity]

The part that it ain't really fair to mind. The part where I don't belong to the timeline you're on any longer. I don't even care about alive or not. It's just...dumb to care, I know. But the really shitty thing is it's always easiest for people to care about their versions, you know? And maybe there's some sort of sick security in that when you're the right one, but it's terrifying when you're not.