001 :: > Jade: Return to the castle.

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

oh noooo
you have got to be kidding me!!!
how the heck did i end up here again??
argh!!
wait
john???
i remember how this place works so youre still here right?
rose too???
oh jeez i really cant believe this!!

Comments

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[boy will Rose be surprised when she sees Jade.]

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[And about three minutes later she steps out of the elevator, with a bag of knitting supplies over her shoulder and a small, black and white kitten in her arms. She starts to wave to Jade, but stops short.

She has just noticed Jade's ears.]

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[Jade snaps the journal shut at that and happily waits, hoping to her feet. She waves at Rose in return and hurries on over without another thought, not seeming to notice or care that Rose seems a little flabbergasted.

Instead Jade gives her friend a big hug.]

Rose! I'm so glad to see you again!

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[Rose stumbles back a couple of steps from the force of the hug, still blinking with confusion. But she manages to put on a big grin and hug her friend back, before pulling away gently.]

I'm happy you're here, Jade. [A brief, nervous pause.] I see you've ascended as well?

[She reaches up to gesture at the ears.]

Do I even want to know the story behind these?

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[Jade pulls away when she does, still all bright smiles and cheerfulness. Seeing a friend you thought you wouldn't get to see for three whole years was something of a treat.]

Uh-huh! I did! It was a good thing I did too!

[Jade blinks and her ears twitch at Rose in response.] Oh! Well... hehehe. I guess the short version is that I got them because of Bec being the thing that fused first with my game sprite. Then I prototyped it with my dead dream self and so I was able to ascend.

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[She nods in acknowledgement of this answer, and though she is still itching to know the entire story of Jade's ascension, she makes up her mind not to push.]

Well, I'm sure your hood will match Dave's and John's quite nicely.

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

Dave is from that time too?

[She looks perplexed. Does Rose not know, or...

Should she tell her?

Jade smiles and nods.]

I guess so! I will have to meet up with them too.

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

Strider has told me very little, except to criticize me for acts I have yet to commit from my point in the timeline. But yes, he is now god tier as well, if that's the "that time" you're referring too.

[She's trying not to sound bitter, but Dave was definitely not the most reliable person to "accidentally" hear about future events from, seeing as how the only thing he saw fit to mention was some incident involving yarn.]

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[Jade looked thoughtfully at Rose, pursing her lips thoughtfully.]

Hm. I see. That sounds like him. Do you want me to tell you?

[She gave Rose a curious look, uncertain how much information about the future she wanted to know or not. In her shoes Jade wouldn't have wanted to know anything.]

I could tell you everything that's happened up until the point I am from, if you want.

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[Rose thinks for a couple of seconds, turning away from Jade to look absently out of a window. There is only one thing she wants to confirm, and the rest is free to remain a mystery.]

You mentioned earlier that, at the point in time you're from, I'm currently off somewhere with Strider, and that you're with John.

[She pauses to look back at Jade.]

I take that to mean that we're all alive, then?

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[Jade watches her carefully and smiles when her friend's gaze returns to her. She nods once.]

Uh-huh. All four of us are alive and kicking.

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

That's all I care to know.

[She has a million more questions, mainly about Jack, and the Green Sun, and her own probability of ascension, but for now she leaves it at that.]

Have you seen Dave or John yet?

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[Jade grins. She's happy she can at least tell Rose that part. She can understand the relief that might bring.]

Nope, but I talked to them on the journals. I'm glad Dave came back too.

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

He's been here since November, I believe.

[Her smile widens.]

You've arrived at an opportune time. The castle seems to be between shenanigans at the moment.

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

Wow, he's been here for a little bit then!

[She bounces on the balls of her feet.]

That's good! I would hate to get here in the middle of one of its crazy schemes again. Have you been handling them okay, Rose?

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

I've been handling them spectacularly.

[Said with the distinct, unmistakable air of someone who has just been crapped on by an entire flock of figurative geese.]

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

Oh... Really?

[She tried to sound just vaguely curious and concerned, like she was just making sure as good friends do. But she probably sounded skeptical too. Knowing this place and from the way Rose kind of sounded, well....]

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[She wavers for several long seconds between outright starting into the story of what happened, and politely brushing the topic far, far away. At last she settles for a vague, doctored version of events.]

Thanks to a particularly intrusive stunt by the castle, I'm afraid I've been fighting with John.

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[The wheels in her head kind of screech to a halt!]

With John?! You're fighting with him?

[First thought: how do you fight with John?

Second thought:] But why? What happened?

[fluthlu.livejournal.com]

[She instantly realizes that she might should have phrased it differently. After all, she was the one who did most of the fighting. John just sort of blinked.]

A conversation tonight more or less sorted things out, but tension has been a bit high since shortly before Christmas.

[She recalls the way that she explained it to Ray: ]

A brief instance of castle shenanigans forced us to call into question the nature of our relationship, and I'm afraid that our respective reactions were less than spectacular.

[dogtiersavior.livejournal.com]

[Jade stares for a moment. Her ears droop. Wait, what? Relationship....?

... Wait!]

Oh jeez. You aren't talking about Karkat's shipping grid, are you?

[But hadn't John been so excited about that stupid thing?? oh nooo did Rose break his heart or something?]