someone is on your side

[knighthooded]

Who: Dave and Dirk
Where: At where they're camping out.
When: IC equivalent of 2/19
Open/Closed: Closed.

[it's night, after the others have fallen asleep, when sensible people would be resting or even taking off their sunglasses so they might see better. but a Strider isn't a normal sensible person, and Dave's awake right now, thoughts rolling in his head.

the credits they had to live on, Qri's state, how they were gonna move forward, how they were gonna get off this stupid planet. and that Dirk is there too, and the two of them are there, awake, on their own. the closest to face to face they've ever been.]

Do you ever actually sleep?

[a fair question, because he's never seen it happen. tossed out between them as something to test the water.]

Comments

[splinten]

[He looks at Dave and he's nervous. He's terrified. He's afraid in a way that never really stops when he's around Dave, not since he met the last iteration of him to pop around and everything went so sour at every turn. Seeing Dave near him now is a reminder that he cannot get this right: that he can't do anything but fuck up when it comes to the one family connection he ever had a chance at. Dave asks and it isn't an accusation, probably, but it feels like one, like not sleeping is another failure, another way that Dirk's not the kind of person Dave wants around. Another way, somehow, that he hurts Dave.

He's got his shades on so it hides the way he looks down, mutters,]

I was awake on Derse from a really early age. At a certain point I started using the two bodies at once. As a consequence, I never really experienced much by way of actual sleep, and I still find it to be something I'm not especially good at.

[knighthooded]

Huh. Didn't know you could be piloting two selves at the same time.

[Jade's robot was another story, he's pretty sure. but he's not asking looking to be disappointed - he's sincerely just wondering, since it always seems like Dirk is awake and functioning even when the rest of them are dead tired.]

...So. Yeah.

[splinten]

One of our alien advisors said it was maybe a Heart thing. I don't know.

[A pause. And awkward. Dirk rubs at the back of his neck.]

Yeah.

[knighthooded]

Mm. Yeah.

[two bros trying to communicate like humans. Dave leans back and looks up, totally fucking casual.]

[splinten]

Mm...hm...

[trailing off....

man vs abyss]

[knighthooded]

...

[this....isn't going to work. this sitting here. this isn't going to get them anywhere. he thinks they could sit here forever.]

Alright, fuck this. Can I say something?

[splinten]

[rushed out:]

Go ahead.