After that nightmare, Dave was more alert than ever. He didn't tell Bro about it, and he never found out if Bro ever talked to Dane. The odd thing was that Dane stopped talking about his plans. Dave couldn't help but be relieved. Unfortunately, the relief mingled in with suspicion so thick it was starting to make him sick. He was tired of being curious about it. Thankfully for a while, Dane's 'condition' didn't exist. Rose pestered him about it a few times, and Dave finally admitted that he didn't have anything to report.

TG: he just stopped talking about it

TT: Just like that? He ceased all commentary about his upcoming equalizing of humanity?

TG: jeez hes not ivan the terrible or some shit like that

TG: he just... stopped talking about it...

TT: Hm. That is rather curious. I'd like you to keep an eye on him.

TT: Also, it's good to see that you're keeping track in history.

TG: trust me its not on purpose

TG: i just retain information i dont even need

TT: I've noticed.

He threw her a bone and let her psychoanalyse his dream. To his surprise, she didn't have much to say, but her message was grave. A solo "Be careful" was thrown his way. Of course, he'd be careful. Why wouldn't he be, but Rose's message made him doubly so. A week and a few days passed by after his conversation with Rose. His nerves had managed to calm considerably during that time, and Dane's visit felt just like every other time he visited. Even though they still had a couple of months of summer left, Dane realised he had his fill and decided to go home. They made a plan to meet up in Vegas soon, and Dave could stay with them. Bro wanted to tag along too. Of course, what could they expect? He helped Dane pack and made fun of his twin for how much shit he carried. They had to buy a second luggage case for the new things Dane had bought.

"Maybe you can convince Bro to move into a new apartment—maybe a three bedroom?" Dane suggested as they shoved a bag into the trunk.

"Might as well buy a house," Bro replied, coming down the stairs towards the car. "I've thought about it though, but apartments fit us better."

"Yeah, just cut down on the crap," Dave agreed.

They shut the trunk. Dane snorted. "Not gonna happen."

Dave chuckled and patted his sibling on the back. Bro walked back to the car, swinging his keys on one finger and looking at his phone in his other hand.

"You kids ready?" he asked, looking up towards them as he came closer to the car.

"Yeah," they echoed, opening the back seat door.

"We gotta pick up a friend, and we'll be out."

"Alright."

Bro's selection of music this time went back to some old school, Boys II Men sounding group, and Dave would have suggested Bro change it if he wasn't silently grooving to it. They drove down for about twenty minutes and turned into a nice neighbourhood, and picked up a bronze haired woman. She climbed in excitedly and turned around, looking to the twins.

"Hey, Dave."

"'ey, Amanda."

She looked over to the other blond. "Aah, and who's this?"

"My twin brother, Dane."

"Ah!" She looked to Bro, fastening herself in. "You never told me there was another one."

He smirked. "I thought you said you knew us Striders."

She wagged her finger at him, trying to suppress a smile. Dave stopped paying attention to their conversation after he found out Amanda needed a lift to the auto repair. Dane reached over and nudged his brother gently with his elbow. Dave turned his attention towards him.

"Girlfriend, suddenly?"

"Nah." Dave laughed out, finding it absurd. "Family friend."

"No, I meant," Dane did a small Z-formation snap, trying not to draw attention to himself. "Girlfriend."

Dave snorted and looked away, shaking his head as he laughed. "Yeah, something like that."

"You alright back there?" Bro glanced up into the rear view mirror, wondering what was causing the laughter.

"Yeah, it's just Dane being..." Dave trailed off, laughing and shaking his head, "Dane."

Bro focused back on the road, and the twins went back to their conversation. They dropped off Amanda at the shop, but she ended up coming back, telling Bro that it would take another hour for them to fix her bike.

"Bike?" The twins perked up.

"She rides a motorcycle," Bro replied, looking quickly over his shoulder before looking out the driver window.

"Yeah, but since when?" Dave asked.

"February."

"What?"

"Why? You interested in riding?"

"No," Dave mumbled. It was actually interesting because he didn't picture Amanda for being a biker sort of gal. She wasn't delicate—she was actually rough and tumble. The idea of her riding a motorcycle was still... different.

"I'll let 'er know you want to hang around one day."

Dave sank back, adjust his glasses. "Cool."

Dane chuckled but mostly stayed out of the conversation since he didn't know the woman. She came back and jumped into the passenger seat. They headed down the road on I-45 towards the airport, and unpacking the car seemed to be less of a big deal with four people. Amanda whistled.

"Check in's gonna be a pig," she said as they wheeled inside.

"Not while I'm around," Dane reasoned.

"You can't bribe 'em, you know," Bro said, following close behind.

"Money fixes everything."

Dave rolled his eyes. "You've been in Vegas too long."

Dane shrugged up a shoulder and smiled on the left side. "Maybe."

Check-in was easy, but waiting around was hell. It was almost thirty minutes before Dane's flight was called. Amanda lingered behind as Bro and Dane said their good-byes. Dave walked his brother to the terminal.

"You getting' on Skype tonight?" Dane asked.

Dave nodded.

Dane nodded too. "Cool."

"Tell Sis I said 'hey'."

"I'll tell 'er."

Dave stopped walking. "Hey, bro."

Dane turned around and looked back to his younger brother.

"You feeling okay?"

Dane took in a deep breath and started to nod. He looked away and around the airport, looking at everything.

"I feel better," the older twin said. "I think I just needed to clear my head for a while."

"It's from being under Vegas stress." Dave half-smiled weakly.

"Yeah, probably." Dane chuckled and nodded his head again. "I know what I need to do now. I feel more at peace or something like that."

"Somethin' like that." Dave raised his fist. They fist bumped and then hugged. "Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll give you a call tomorrow or tonight."

"Alright."

They raised a hand as Dane walked into his gate, heading onto his plane. Dave watched for a while before walking back to the two adults. The trio left when the plane took off. The trip back to the mechanics was goofy by Amanda's shenanigans, but Bro's one-liners did nothing but enable her. Dave thought they were a good duo. They dropped the brunette off one last time and followed her off after she picked up her bike. As she made her turn into her complex, Dave watched, entranced. She looked really good on it.

"It's a '97 Goldwing," Bro began. "I'm amazed it's in such good condition."

"How long've you known Amanda?"

Bro shrugged. "Couple of years."

"Huh." Dave sank back against the front passenger seat. "Feels longer."

"I know."

Bro paralleled parked in front of their apartment, and the two got out. When he was close enough, the older blond placed a hand on the younger male's back.

"Everything okay?"

"Dane looked like he was okay when he got on the plane."

"I meant you."

Dave shrugged. "I'll tough it out."

"Yeah."

Bro drew him close in a one arm embrace. He placed his chin on his younger brother's head. Pulling away, they continued up the stairs towards the lobby. Bro went on about how he went grocery shopping but expected Dave to take it up in the near future. Dave didn't make any promises. After the elevator ride, they entered their little home, and Dave made a beeline for his turntables. Being scared stiff lately had given him an idea for a few beats.

Feeling the bass pump through the speakers of his headphones and the vinyl of the records underneath his fingertips, Dave was at peace. He was surprised this was all it took and felt stupid for not resorting to it sooner. That moment of self-berating vanished as he looped in the electro. He raised up his right shoulder, holding his headphone against his ear, and reached over to adjust the volume level of the left record. The track was going out nicely; he felt like he should record it. When the thought came to him, he froze. Small cinematic snippets flitted through his mind and cut into his mental security. He felt paranoid suddenly as he looked over to his computer. He scoffed at himself, but his smiled was weak and shaky.

He turned his head towards the door, eyes still focused on the computer.

"Hey, Bro!" He waited and didn't hear a response. "Bro!"

"Yeah?" The older male shouted from somewhere in the apartment. It didn't sound like he was in his room.

Dave shook his head. "Never mind!"

He tipped his head downward, both hands sliding back and forth over the vinyls. He'd record the track later. Maybe. He didn't feel like being bothered with it right now. He began turning his equipment off and putting away the vinyls when he heard his Skype go off. Dave hurriedly put down his records and walked to his desktop. He accepted the call and held up a finger while he looked for the microphone. Something interesting caught his eye and he looked back to the screen.

Where did you get that knife? He typed, looking away and looking for his microphone again.

"I bought it," Dane replied over the computer. "When we went to the mall. I sent it to myself because I can't take it on the plane."

"That should have taken a couple of days."

"I sent it before I left, of course. That weekend while we were all being busy, I found a post office and made myself useful."

"Oh..."

Dane was talking weird. Dave didn't say anything about it. He placed his microphone back beside his monitor and began cleaning up the space. He found a stray shopping bag and began throwing things inside.

"What kind did you get?" Dave asked, curious about the weaponry.

"This one—it's pretty slender." Dane showed off the stiletto switchblade and its smooth handle. He folded it before picking up a thicker one, showing off the intricate handle. "This one is a Black OPS sort of dealie. I like it."

"Me too." Dave nodded in agreement. "The other one's nice too."

"Yeah, it cuts pretty well." Dane looked away, somewhere off screen and fell silently for a few seconds. "Hold on for a minute."

"Mhm." Dave was preoccupied with clearing space on his desk.

He shifted through old papers and lyrics. He could let those go now. Standing up, he wondered what else was lying around that he could throw away or recycle. Yeah, even the Striders cared about the environment sometimes. There were small scraps of paper and napkins on the floor, and Dave was starting to find it ridiculous. So his room was a little too junky. He picked up a receipt and began to throw it away before he realized there was writing on it. Curiosity took over before common sense, and he read it, trying to figure out if it was his.

It was the one Dane had written on during their trip to Starbucks. There was something about visiting a building on the ninth, and some street name. It didn't seem familiar to him. It was the twenty-third now. Dane wasn't planning to coming back soon. Bro and Dave were planning on going over there. Dismissing it, Dave crumbled the paper in his hand and kept looking for other papers. If he tripped over more of Dane's "notes", that wouldn't be too bad either. He almost threw the receipt away, but he held onto it. It might be important later.

Hearing Dane's voice made him turn around, and he tossed the receipt onto the bed. He set the bag set on the floor under his desk. The twins continued their conversation. Not about anything in particular, of course. Dane lit a cigarette and leaned back in his seat turned to Dave's left. The older twin was examining the thin bladed weapon again. The blade was pressed against his fingertip as he twisted it slowly. He pulled away when he felt himself bleed. Dave laughed and called him a moron. Dane picked up a dark shirt that was draped across his lap and wiped off his finger nonchalantly. The smile drained from Dave's face. That shit was Sis'.

And it was stained.