driftfleet | what's in a wonderball????

You sure.

[He gives her a sidelong glance back, considering that's the only kind he can really manage right now.]

Emulating his strange and wizardy ways with comic books and isolation isn't symptomatic of a larger problem.

[ she sighs again, but it's less dramatic this time. instead, she's just hunkering down a little, returning to the communicator. ]

the larger problem is that i am dead for real
and i am going through some sort of bullshit identity crisis because of it
and its scary because i dont know if im going to be able to get over feeling like everything i did was for nothing

thip thip thip

[It's gutting, in part because he knows how it feels. He knows exactly what she's talking about and it's not a problem he knows how to solve.

Jade was right, when she said it earlier.

It wasn't fair.]

...Sorry. [He still can't wrap his head around the idea of her being dead for real.]

that doesnt help
but sorry
i mean for the record i still think its bullshit
uh
not that it happened
like that IS bullshit but a different kind of bullshit
the "that really sucks" kind of bullshit whereas this is bullshit because
i dont think theres any way that can be it
even ignoring how fucking stupid it would be if you and dave permadie in some fucked up mess
and pretending were not wondering where that leaves everyone else
calliope knew you guys would win the session
and i dont think she was lying
and thats something they cant do without a time or space player its just a fucking fact

[ she's quiet for a long moment, again, before she gently nudges his side with her elbow from behind. ]

just try not to leave the fleet before i do, okay
if you can help it
which you probably cant
but try not to

[He gives her a light tap with his own elbow.]

ok
its not like ive got anything important to do anyway so
you know
no rush

[A pause and then he adds:]

nak nak nak

i think theyll still win
i think they will find a way to
they have to
and its not like im REALLY dead, right?
the dream bubbles arent so bad

[ she sighs and puts the communicator in her lap, twisting a little to lean her side against his back. if she could hide herself in his wings, she'd do that right now. ]

Sometimes I dream about the dream bubbles here. Is that weird?

I dunno. [He doesn't sleep much, so he doesn't even know if he can. He glances over his shoulder at her.]

Did you ever dream about them back in Asgard. Like for real. [Not that he's sure how to tell a real dream bubble apart from a memory. They're nothing but memories themselves, after all.

He looks back down at his communicator and makes a sound just short of a sigh.]

...They can't win without you, Jade. Rose and me—we tried.

Then - I'm from a doomed timeline. Or visiting Asgard - maybe Asgard doomed us. I don't know, Davesprite. There's not a way to... it's for real this time. Maybe they just have to figure out a way around it.

[ she holds her breath for a second, then gets up, separating from him and climbing back onto her bed. ]

John will. He has to. But I don't wanna talk about this anymore.

[The look he gives her is almost a little hurt before he swallows it and stands. After the way he fucked things up with Alex, Jade's retreat feels like a dismissal.]

Fine. [It's quiet.] But if any of you die—

[He breaks off. If any of them die, then what was the fucking point? What was his fucking point?

He inhales and turns.]

Not talking about it. Right. I should probably go.

--I said I didn't wanna talk about it anymore. I didn't say I wanted you to go.

[ the concession is quiet, almost like she's embarrassed about it. she should really see about trying to fit a chair in here: having company felt like it would always be weird when it amounted to "here, have a seat on my bed." ]

Can we just talk about something else instead?

[He pockets his hands out of his own discomfort, looking down at the floor.]

Ok.

[Are these rooms big enough for chairs... Because if so, yeah, chairs might be a good investment. Davesprite has no idea what to do with himself now.]

I didn't come prepared with a ton of ideas, unless Draco is a topic we're actually about to engage. Don't think I'm ready to get married to the idea, though. [Badumpish.]

[ she shrugs, sitting up and scooting back to prop herself in the corner against the wall again. she does kick one foot out as she does, though, indicating that he take a seat. it wasn't like he had any problems with flopping face-first onto her bed earlier. ]

I mean... looking back on it, I don't think he and I were really very good together anyway.

[It's just weird when he starts doubting she wants to deal with him at a given point in time. But he takes the invite.]

What makes you say that.

I think he just needed someone to care about him. I don't think it really mattered who it was.

[ she slides one of the comics over to him, like a peace offering. ]

And I think I just... needed to be needed, I guess. It felt good. It made me feel like I was- doing a good thing.

[He takes it automatically, idly flipping through a couple pages without paying much attention to it.

He doesn't really know what to say to that.]

Are you glad it's over, then.

No, not really. I think I really was in love with him, too.

[ said carefully, like she's only really dissecting these thoughts as she speaks them. ]

And... I still miss him. But I guess I can see things a little more objectively now.

[ oh god fast think of something else to talk about...... ]

Ever wonder what would happen if more people showed up here? Like - um, Henry? Or Ryan?

[He glances at her out of the corner of his eye, before he flicks through the comic again. What she said makes him kind of sad and he doesn't know why.]

Not really. I don't think much about anyone showing up, to be honest. [Even when he brings it up or makes jokes about it, which happens all the fucking time.]

I guess maybe it's because I don't think it's gonna happen.

How much in our lives has really been predictable?

[ jade pauses, then frowns. ]

Aside from all the stuff I saw when I was asleep, I guess.

[ she pauses. ]

... and anything you saw while time traveling, too. You know what I meant.

Yeah, I get what you mean. It just feels like pointlessly getting your hopes up. Or stupidly anxious about something that might never happen.

[God, what would he even do if John or Dave or Dirk showed up.]

Besides, [he cocks his head at her] getting spacenapped isn't my idea of a great reunion.

Well... it's better than being at war, isn't it? Or having our food rationed?

[ she says this, then hesitates, mulling it over. ]

... I kind of wish they would ration the gross protein gels. Ugh.

[It gets a flicker of a wry smile.]

This is why you should reconsider Doritos as a legitimate food source. So maybe I haven't been able to figure out how to make anything else, but at least we got corn chips in endless supply.

I can grow vegetables. And flowers.

[ said with a helpless little shrug. ]

But not a lot survives very long without real sunlight, and it's really exhausting to use my powers here. Way more than it was in Asgard.

[ she's reaching for his hand with purpose, though she won't say what that is yet. ]

Maybe 'cause we're dimensions apart from the gods. They were the only reason we had those powers in the first place, right.

[It's why he figures he can't use his, anymore. Hel probably cut him loose, since he's from further along the timeline.

In any case, he doesn't move and waits to see what Jade's up to.]

[ she is just very dutifully sliding his bracelet back onto his wrist. ]

I don't like wearing them both. It feels weird. Besides...

[ she drops her hand back to her own lap. ]

Dimensions apart or not, I don't wanna risk you going gray, right?

[ it's a joke... probably. ]

[He rolls his eyes a little, but at least he doesn't take it back off.]

Man, Jade, I don't wanna wear this shitty bangle.

[He runs a finger around the inner rim, giving it a dark look, before he sighs and lets his head thunk against the wall.]

...I fucking hated it there. [In the end, anyway.]

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