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[Rose understands his hesitation. He doesn't want to cause her undue grief, but she's always been the more reckless between the two. Regardless of what pain it may cause, Rose wants to know. So she presses.]

Dave. You don't need to worry about me. Tell me what you saw.

The first thing I saw, on the bench? I'm not sure "saw" is the right word. I...felt stuff. Like, not just emotions, though I felt emotions too. But it was hot.

[ lava not so far below, heat in the air, the water wasn't that cold, either - ]

There were, uh, crocodiles. All around me? Puttin' veggies and shit in a soup pot. Which I was in. The onions were makin' me cry.

[ ... ]

Does that have any homoerotic undertones or have we hit like uncharted territory here, sis.

[... what? Rose stares at him.]

Crocodiles.

[Enunciated slowly. How do you expect her to pick that apart, Dave??]

Yeah. In like. A place with lots of lava?

[ said very highly reluctantly, but. he wanted her to know because it's rose.

PICK IT APART, ROSE. ]

Told you it was a big one. I've never given you this much to hack into, right? Are you not up to the challenge, Rose? 'Cause I'm sure I can make up some bullshit to equals signs it into dicks somehow, since that is mostly how things end up when you discuss my deepest darkest dreams or whatever. Also, the other thing I hallucinated involved you and it's even weirder.

Are there any, like, non-mysterious developments I should be aware of? New wizardbooks, school horror stories. Holy shit college stuff I guess?

[ how are they almost fucking graduated he's not ready for this. ]

[Dave's always had strange dreams, but this just might take the cake. Usually they follow a pattern. This sounds more like someone having a bad trip. Rose isn't sure how to approach it, especially with the hallucination bit.]

You keep saying "hallucinate," and that Dirk experienced it as well. What do you mean by that? Are you referring to a maladaptive daydream?

[College is something she's thoroughly planned for. She knows which schools she wants to apply to, what programs she wants to join, etc. etc. The idea of moving out of Recolle is a little strange but... isn't that part of growing up? If she preoccupies herself with the idea of preparing for a career versus moving away from her family, it won't feel too bittersweet.]

Are you worried about the future, Dave?

[She sips her chocolate.]

Rest assured, I'll still stalk you to your college of choice to knock upon your windows at obscene hours of the night.

I don't think so?? It felt...

[ he doesn't really know how to describe it. ]

I know it sounds crazy, but it felt real. Like it really happened. Not like it was happenin', exactly, but like it did once? Like... [ jesus. ] It just felt real. But also, it was fuckin' insane, so. "Hallucinate" felt accurate. Especially for trip two, which was like...again, you were there, and Dirk was too, and I told him about it and then he tripped out on it.

[ he's asking a second time for the all-clear. does rose really want to risk this. does she really. ]

[ dave is staying in recolle - who would ever want to leave? like, maybe dave once upon a time when leaving recolle was a thing people still did, but - but it's extremely strange to consider moving out and on. he might do what roxy's doing and just stay at home while doing college. that might be lame, though. ]

That shouldn't make me feel better. [ he makes a face. ] It's just weird to think that we're at that age? Like, we're literally gonna be done with highschool in a few months and then...college bound. And I'm still like - what do I wanna do? Film? Paleontology? Both? That would be a weird combo. I don't think I wanna do photography shit professionally, or dance, but.

[ it could be fun to take classes like that? god rose is the one with the plan, for sure ]

[Dave wants to protect her from the effects of whatever it is. He's worried that she'll experience something just as strange or maybe something worse. It's understandable. Why would you willingly subject your siblings to an unknown phenomenon? What if it's worse than either of them anticipate it to be--?

Rose rests her hand upon his. She lets the weight of it rest there.]

I'll be fine.

[Her voice brooks no argument. Regardless of how strange it may be, she's confident that she won't freak out. Even if it happened, Dave won't be to blame. She's stubborn about that.]

How many times did this happen to you? How quickly did each hallucination come?

[She gives a little laugh.]

If you become a director you can incorporate as many hobbies as you want into your films.

[Just pointing that out!!]

[ dave turns his hand over under rose's, lacing their fingers together on automatic. he's not as touchy-feely as, say, roxy? but he's more than comfortable with his siblings being in his space and sharing it. and maybe the offered comfort is necessary. ]

Twice. [ unless i go drop in a request WHICH I WILL SHORTLY MAYBE. ] With Jade, we were just sitting there. And we both independently had a little moment with our brains havin' an acrobatic pirouette off the handle of sanity? Then Bro and I were just talkin' and he had a moment like that, followed by tellin' me about it, which...led to me havin' a moment, and then I told him about that and then he had another moment.

[ ... ]

It was really fuckin' stupid and those ones happened all one after the other really quick. But that was hours after Jade and I had our whatever. [ he's stalling and he knows he is and maybe he understands the part where dirk might try to protect him from this in the future. still, he'll answer rose, because she asked and he trusts her more than anyone else and she's the strongest person he knows: ]

The second thing, the one you were at. It was...weird as fuck. It was like, all rainbows and hyperactive bullshit. Everyone looked weird? Except you. You looked nice, you were in a tuxedo. But Bro's hair was like bright orange and he looked - ok he looked really calm and stoic but everyone else looked like they were high on life, and by life I mean drugs, and Rox had like teal hair and everyone was wearing candy as accessories and they all had maniacal grins - except Bro, he was chill - and we were liftin' you up on like, a chair? I think it was a wedding. Your wedding? You were in a tuxedo??

[ he's not sure if this is better or worse than the crocodiles. it feels worse, if only because hallucinating your sister's hypothetical drugged out wedding is possibly really fucking sappy and that might make it Worse on automatic. maybe dave is sappy, maybe that's true, but having to doxx himself on it will never not be terrible? ]

I think it's possible I'm goin' crazy, except Jade and Dirk are too so I'm not sure that's exactly it. Are mass hallucinations that happen all at different times a thing?

Well, that's a point in the pro column for filmography.

[ although does anyone really want to give dave the power to make movies?? really? ]

But if I did that as a major I'd still want to minor in like, y'know. Dead shit.

[ that's not the name of the field of study, you literally just used the word, dave. ]

Become a mortician.

[Isn't your sister so helpful, Dave??]

[Neither of them are really touchy-feely when it comes to affection. They're siblings but they're not the sort to exchange frequent hugs or to the like. But Rose knows when to offer it. Dave is talking about some messed up stuff -- and who knows? It may happen to her soon, judging by how quickly it spreads.]

... my wedding?

[Something is niggling at the back of her mind. She can't quite place the feeling, but--

Her grip on Dave's hand tightens, but her voice remains steady.]

Is there anything else you remember about that-- hallucination?

[ dave squeezes rose's hand, not sure what she's thinking but offering the dubious comfort of the fact he's right there. he tries to think back to the maybe-memory and probably-drugs, sifting through for any details he didn't get across. ]

Oh, Jake was there, too. And a few other people I didn't recognize. A girl with gray skin and horns in a dress.

[ but after a second, he has to shrug. ]

That's basically it. It was pretty short - I mean, I remember being really stupid happy, like weirdly so, but that's about it.

Grell is one, it doesn't seem that bad, but I'm more interested in stuff that's been dead for like, longer than that.

[ he will just respond like she's being serious even though he knows she ISN'T BEING HELPFUL, but. ]

So, regale me with your longset college plan again.

hey rose what are you doing this weekend
trick question youre going to the planetarium with your best friends
you know if you want
saturday or sunday your pick
please dont abandon me

How can I refuse when you frame it in such a way? To abandon you would be akin to abandoning a helpless chick fallen from its nest. I can't bear the thought of leaving you to the mercy and wiles of the lovely Jade Harley.

[His answer has her make a face of mock disgust. She's familiar with his love for both old and odd shit. More than anything, she wants him to find a profession he would actually work well with. Dave's a strange kid. He needs something that'll occupy and challenge him -- she can't picture him working an 8-5 desk job.]

It's hardly a plan.

[Just do it. That's Rose's motto.]

The short of it is that I'll double major in psychology and English -- two of the most useless degrees if you cannot claw your way to a Master's. The long of it... I've compiled it into a twenty page summary, if you really want to read it.

[This is what Rose is thinking: it's too fantastical, too otherworldly to buy into. But she believes him 100%. There's no reason for Dave to make these things up yet she can't piece together what it possibly means. If Dirk had a vision she has to grill him about what he saw. And--

That's as far as her thoughts get. She can hear Dave, but she isn't listening to him anymore. The air tastes heavy with rain, with the promise of a storm. The color of Dave's room fades, giving way to an ashen landscape -- there's the scent of alcohol and perfume and pine. The ground is wet.

There is a cat. It is wearing a suit. It looks incredibly expensive -- more expensive than anything she's ever worn.

Dave, of course, can't see what she's seeing. Rose isn't even aware of what she's doing. Her eyes are distant, as if she's zoning out.]

[ he can't see what she's seeing, but he's seen it happen to two people. jade and dirk. it's happened to him more than once - although it hasn't yet in this conversation - and he doesn't let go of her hand. there's worry on his face, muted in the same way a lot of things are expression-wise for him, but - ]

Rose?

Rose. C'mon. I obviously want to read the twenty page summary, though if one of the items in this summary isn't takin' over the world I'm disappointed in you.

[ he'll sip some more of his hot cocoa. ]

Do you have to like face other English and psych majors in honorable combat in order to like, get your masters. Please tell me you have to meet them in honorable combat. Or dishonorable combat, I'll take that one, too. We could get you like dual-wield katanas and you can mow down the unworthy?

you never know if you did she might do away with me
and then where would you be
bereft is where
anyway we thought maybe we could get our charms again
but flip them around
so we each get a different one this time?

I want your opinion on something.
Should I decapitate myself, or would it be more appropriate to just jump off a goddamned cliff?
When are you and Roxy going to get romantically entangled so you can suffer instead of us dudes?

Edited 2017-02-11 02:27 (UTC)

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2/8 text i'm sorry he texts her all the time

such is the bond between twins

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10/2