Jade Harley was not prone to panic, even in dire circumstances, so when she woke up to see another troll, this one looking more robotic than anything, she just smiled and said, "I am so glad you made it."

"You knew she would join us?" Rose seemed unfazed, yet Jade could tell the tension in the tone.

"I thought she might." Jade said as she sat up, "I am Jade, that is Rose." she said to the girl troll.

"Pleased to meet you." she said, "I am Aradia."

"Well Aradia I am glad you joined us." Jade pulled on her coat, "However right now time is crucial, and we must leave. The boys are about to find the place at the crossroads."

"Have you seen them?" Rose asked as she too got her coat on that she founding an old abandoned house they had found a couple days ago.

Jade nodded her head and said, "John has his hands full, and he wishes you were with them, so maybe tomorrow you can go join them?"

"What do you mean?"

"We will be within a couple hours of them tomorrow, and if Aradia is going to go with me, then you could go to them and help John figure out his feelings."

Rose smiled and asked, "Do you honestly think it is that easy with John? And shouldn't I stay with you? In your vision you said I was with you."

"And you were with me, and now Aradia will be with me. Soon we will find the others, so it will only be a few days, this way you can stay with the ones that need you the most."

Rose did not let the news get her excited, that would not be good, letting her feelings show on how she really wanted to see a certain troll that she had somehow connected with within a few hours. Instead she asked, "Are you sure Jade?"

Jade looked at her friend and nodded her head, "John really does need you to help him, otherwise he will blunder around and miss his chance at eternal happiness."

"What do you mean by that?" Rose was mystified by what Jade said.

"You will understand when you talk to John and Dave." Jade serenely said as she left the little shack they had camped in. once outside, she laughed at the winter wonderland that they were in. It was not much snow, yet it was so pretty that it made Jade a little reminiscent of the upcoming holidays that would soon be here. "It's so beautiful." her voice now was full of awe as she gazed around at the scenery. "I want to celebrate the holidays when we all regroup."

"Sounds good to me." Rose too was appreciative of the landscape.

Aradia didn't need any coat; her metal body could handle the cold. She did look at the two human girls with something akin to curiosity though at the way they seemed so taken with the light dusting of white stuff on the ground.

For most of the walk, they get to know one another, asking questions and supplying information in return.

"So," Rose said as the three of them took a short break around noon, "You only have one matesprit and stay loyal for life?"

"Yes," Aradia answered, "Don't you humans?"

"Not usually." Rose said a touch of sadness to her tone.

"Our culture is supposed to be that way, yet we tend to forget and some of the times we stray." Jade supplied for the troll.

"That is sad," Aradia said, "Once our true matesprit is found, we are loyal, along with our kismesis. No one dares interfere."

"Doesn't the matesprit and kismesis resent one another?" Jade wanted to know.

"I think I understand," Rose said for Aradia, "it's like the kismesis is the one that gets the violent side of the troll, while the matesprit gets the tender part. That way the troll never hurts the matesprit, unlike human relations where in the past caused domestic violence and other things, and the kismesis is giving as much as receiving so it all works out for the best."

The robotic troll smiled and nodded her head, "You are learning," in her head she added that Kanaya would be lucky when these two rejoined the others. She knew how Kanaya felt towards this blonde human girl, and it was good that she would soon reunite with them.

"Tell me something then Aradia," Rose said, "How do you all know when you find the true matesprit? How do you know it is not just a passing thing?"

"That is the complicated part of troll relationships. It is different for all, I have yet to find my true matesprit, I thought I had then things happened," her voice seemed to be a bit melancholy.

***EBCC***

John had been asleep when the truck had nearly tipped and died. Dave though had kept him from being tossed.

Dave knew what had happened, the truck was now out of gas, he had been worried about that. So as everyone pilled out of the back, he was the only one that knew what to do, he pulled out the two five gallons of gas that they had wedged in the truck. It would have to do till they found another gas supply.

Vriska wrapped her slender arms around John and led him to the now snow free side of the road, they sat on the edge while Dave poured the gas into the fuel tank, saving some for the carburetor. As he was busy with the process he recalled the time that his Bro had run out of gas in the middle of a busy intersection in Houston, the two of them laughed cause the gas station was only a couple of yards away. A big hulking cowboy had helped them push the car to it and helped them get the fuel it needed.

Dave knew that Bro could have done it alone, yet that was how they had met Jeff, a good friend to Bro. Turned out that cowboy was Jeff's older brother.

John saw Karkat, he knew that he should apologize to the troll; he just wanted to stew a bit more first though, so he turned away from him and looked at Vriska.

"Tell me something Vriska, were you serious earlier about helping me train?"

"Yeah," she ran her fingers through his thick bangs, pushing them back away from his face, "I think it would benefit both of us. And I will even do these mock fights you spoke of."

"Should we start now then?"

Her reply was cut off by Dave, "Okay everyone, back in, we have some more gas. John, you and Terezi with me up front."

"What about Vriska?" John asked.

"What about her?"

"I want her with us instead."

Heaving a sigh of frustration, Dave said, "Fine, whatever."

So this time Dave, John and Vriska rode up front. Dave stressed that John be in the middle though, which didn't bother John.