Gamzee disappeared into the vents long ago. Kanaya and Rose never leave each other alone. Too many of Karkat's friends changed or left existence forever on this godforsaken meteor. Only two beings seemed unchanged by the stresses. chalk roads that radiating from his body, Karkat emits a frustrated groan.
Within the lines of Can Town, normalcy reigns. The Mayor assist noble citizens on their daily commutes. Always full of energy, his feet pitter patter along the roads he made while he redistributes cans. Once each citizen has reached its destination, he sets about redrawing smeared lines. For the township to function, all transit systems must operate at maximum capacity. Dave faithfully trails the Mayor with extra chalk for when the need arises.
The Mayor and the Knight of Time, the only two who never change. No matter what happens, they'll stay the same. Both wear their regular expressions, a gleeful grin and a placid smirk, neutral faces, familiarity, comfort. There's no guessing what would happen if they ever made like the others.
Road repairs finish and Dave carries the handful of chalk through the roads to a single, bright rainbow road that leads to an empty bowl. Two empty Tab cans stand guard and he sets the chalk in the honored vessel. Nothing is more important to Can Town and its citizens than what it is built on. He waves good naturedly to the cans and bows out. Wiping chalk dust from his clothes, he glances at Karkat.
Karkat sits and pulls his arms tightly around his legs and torso, placing his face between his knees. A small hand gently taps the top of his head between his horns. It's the Mayor. Sparkly, white eyes blink slowly and there's nothing Karkat can do but try to put on a happy face. His efforts are a clear failure, judging by the sound of Dave snickering behind him. His best bro's arms loop under his and heave him upward. Now in a standing position, he stretches out a loosely curled fist. The tiny carapacian gladly bumps his sharp fist against Karkat's. Dave's hands release Karkat's arms and repeats the gesture. With the daily work on Can Town complete, the rest of the day is free. Free is only relative, though. He's free to go to his room. Is the only place where none of them will intrude.
It could never be a real room for a troll. The only furniture in the place is absurd and human. There's an absurd human bed, absurd human food, and the absurd human soporific called alcohol. If change weren't so big a deal, he'd probably join Rose for an absurd human glass of the stuff. She seems a lot happier with it; at least, when Kanaya isn't trying to make her quit.
"Are you even listening to me? You need to snap out of it, man. I've been running my mouth for like three minutes while you're about ready to check out. I invited you to help with Can Town because we're worried. The Mayor always looks happy but he can tell. I'm sure as hell he can." Dave's forehead creases and when Karkat looks for eyes behind the shades, he catches a sickening glimpse of his reflection instead.
Dark, puffy circles line the bottoms of his eyes and the scleras are a watery, pale, lemonade yellow. Dave's hand takes hold around his and the patchy, gray skin barely gives. "Fuck, Dave. I didn't need you two getting out of character. You're the only ones that never did it. Go back to being cool. Get the Mayor to take a vacation and upgrade Can Town's systems. There's no way you guys can change. Its not fucking happening." He breaks the connection and takes off at a brisk walk. Dave doesn't try to stop him and he increases his speed until he's running, feet pounding the ground and echoing on the empty walls. The door to his room on the meteor stands ajar and he crashes through it.