So this is my second fanfic. Everyone seemed to love my first a lot, and this one occurred to me about halfway through the first. Hope you like. If you have comments about some ooc in the characters, please see my profile. As always, ownership of Homestuck goes to the Huss, and I love reviews. -EDITED-
Your name is John Egbert, and you are HOT. The air is sweltering under a vicious sun, sweat sticking your shirt to your back. It trails down your face, stinging your chapped lips and mixing with the dust from the road. Your mouth is sandpaper rough. You don't ever remember being this hot before, and you wonder why you agreed to this trip in the first place. You're used to cooler climates, places with a beach and a guy serving you little drinks with umbrellas. You've never been so far from you're natural element as you are right now.
"How much farther…" You sister whines, and you look at her in the back seat of the jeep as it bounces over the road. She looks like she's even hotter than you, wearing a knee length blue skirt and white, long sleeved shirt. You'd shucked your shirt off hours ago, leaving only shorts that came to your knees. You knew you were going to get a sunburn, but who cares when it made you cooler? Jane Egbert, your dear twin sister, refused to wear anything lighter, and also refused to shed her shirt for the sake of 'decency'. She's nothing like your friends.
"Soon, Jane. We're almost there." Jade called back, pushing her glasses up on her face a little and turning her head. Tanned skin and a bright smile, that's how you describe Jade. She's wearing her hair in a ponytail, tied up with a bandana as green as her eyes. She'd started the day wearing a green tank top, but like you had removed it in favor of her grey sports bra, not nearly as worried about propriety as your sister. She's wearing a pair of combat boots and camouflage cargo pants. Her hands are covered by fingerless gloves, one resting on her lap and the other on the butt of a rifle pointing to the floor between her knees. Jade isn't a delicate girl.
"What are we doing out here again?" You ask. Your voice is hoarse and you lick your lips again to no avail. You you would kill for some water right about now. Jade's brother chuckles, sitting behind the wheel. "We're here to explore the ruins of a lost people, John. It's an adventure into the past of an ancient culture!" He said, and you can hear the excitement in his voice. Like you he's shirtless, though he'd been wearing a white t-shirt under a green button up dress shirt. He's also wearing shorts, and you can see the gun holsters strapped to his hips. The Harley twins really like their guns.
You sit back in the jeep, eyes going to the dry, sunbaked earth flashing by. Cactus and short, spiky bushes flash by, almost hidden by the dust flying up from the jeep's wheels. You can see several rock formations rising out of the ground, some of them going farther down into the canyon you can see open up a mile away to your side. Ahead you can see a mountain, which has been slowly getting larger as the day goes on, and a little closer the hazy shapes of houses. "I see a town!" You cry, sitting forward quickly in your seat. You hear Jane thanking god that she will be able to get out of this cursed heat.
Her joy is crushed when Jake passes the road into town. "Where are you going!?" She snaps, eyeing the town longingly as it moves away. Jake shakes his head, and you can almost hear his sigh. "We already have all the supplies we need. All we need is a few horses to get the rest of the way there." Jane does not looked pleased with this, leaning forward to glare at him. "What do you mean horses? You never mentioned we'd have to ride horses! And in this unbearable heat! If you're just wasting my parent's money, I will tell them!" You roll your eyes at your sister's tantrum. You wonder how you two are even related, for not the first time since you were born.
Your parents had agreed to fund the Harley twins' expedition, on the condition that you and your sister go along for the fun. So far Jane had done nothing but whine and complain the entire time, and she is ruining all the fun you've been trying to have. "Jane, calm down. If we could get there in a car I'm sure we would have gone straight there, in an air conditioned car, and been done already." You say. She sits back, crossing her arms and huffing. You can almost hear Jade rolling her eyes at the spoiled brat.
She's silent the rest of the way and you're grateful for that as you search ahead for anything that could be your destination. You hear the river flowing by before you see it, and you crack a grin when you do. It's frothing white as it rushes to tumble over itself, winding towards the base of a mountain and the land slowly gets greener it gets. It's not until you come around the edge of the cliffs that you see the ranch, nestled back in the foothills. The ranch is huge, a wide spread of lush emerald hued grass reaching out in every direction. Horses of every color are grazing in the fields, wooden fences marking the pastures. You're eyes are wide as you watch the river wind around back of the house in the center of this oasis.
You wonder if this is where you're going to be getting the horses from. Sure enough, Jake slows to turn onto the narrow dirt road that leads up to the ranch house. Up close it is imposing, Victorian style with three stories, and a large store house to one side. You can see someone sitting out front, leaning back in a swinging bench, booted feet propped up on the railing of the porch. Jake pulls up to the front of the house and turns off the jeep and motions for Jade to stay with Jane. He would have told you to stay, but you're already out, dust flying up from your feet as they hit the ground. He just shakes his head and shrugs.
"Excuse me, sir!" Jake calls out to the man on the bench, his British accent showing through. He's wearing jeans and a loose red flannel shirt, buttoned neatly, and a plain white cowboy hat that coveres the upper half of his face. His boots are black, and you find yourself wondering why this cowboy doesn't have any spurs. Jake continued to approach the man, raising a hand in jovial greeting. "I'm here to see a man about a horse?" A smirk curves the cowboy's lips under the rim of that hat. He slowly raises a hand to point one thumb over his shoulder, towards the house. "Toilet's that way." His voice was slow as honey, cool and warm at once. You shiver for some reason, despite the heat.
The confused expression on Jake's face when he turns to you makes you laugh. You'd told him that was the way you asked to buy a horse, when actually it meant you had to go to the bathroom. He frowns he realizes that you've pulled one of your customary pranks on him and sighs. "I'm sorry chap, I meant I am looking to buy a few horses." The smirk on the cowboy's face vanished as his hand slowly lowered back down. Slow and methodical, that seemed to be the description of this man, and you wondering why it's suddenly getting even hotter.
"Sorry, no horses for sale." He says smoothly, a hint of a southern drawl in his words, still not looking at either of you. He's hiding his face behind his hat still. "Though you might want to talk to my brother. They're his horses."
He's silent then, dismissal plain in every line of his body, but you have to ask, have to find out. "Hey, what's your name?" You ask as Jake turns to go back to the jeep.
The cowboy doesn't move for a moment, then slowly raises his head to look at you. Sky blue eyes meet blood red and he graces you with a small smile. "I'm Dave Strider. What about you?"
BE DAVE STRIDER