Hello again. I got bored. Very, very bored. And apparently, boredom is the key to my muse. Review if you like, Huss owns homestuck. –edited-

You are Jake Harley again and Dirk tastes like a mix of blood and butterscotch. His lips are on yours and he's got you pressed hard against the rock wall, his hands slowly sliding around your waist, one going down to touch your rear. Your own hands are tangled in his hair as you kiss him back like your life depends on it. And maybe it does, considering you're only alive right now because you pretty much sold yourself to him. Still, the shiver you feel when his tongue swipes across your lower lip has nothing to do with fear or obligation. At first it had been unexpected and you'd tried to escape it, trying to push him away. But now it's something you thoroughly enjoy.

His skin is hot to. Hotter than it ever was when he walked around in human form. Now it feels like his skin is burning, searing hot against yours. Yet not uncomfortably so. Rather it felt good, sending tingles through your skin and you think absently as you press up closer to him. His nails, or claws rather, are digging gently into your flesh through your clothes and you think maybe you wouldn't mind if they pressed in harder.

Your head starts to get fuzzy and Dirk chuckles low in his throat for a moment before pulling away a little and you gasp for air. You'd forgotten how to breathe at some point during that kiss. "Well, it appears this arrangement will be pleasurable for both of us." He teases softly and you can feel your face flaming hot again, your eyes magnetically attracted to your feet.

His fingers are suddenly there, lifting your chin so you have to look him in the eyes. Your blush darkens further. "Make no mistake, I'll take full advantage of this deal Jake. You will be mine in every way. But for now, we have to get my brother and slaughter some witches." With that his hand is pulled away and he closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Slowly his horns and claws dissolve, the pointed canines on both his upper and lower sets of teeth receding, and his tail and wings evaporating into smoke.

The fog begins to lift around you both, creating a canopy over your heads by the time he's finished and he smiles just a little. You blink a couple times at his human shaped amber eyes and frown. "Why can't you just fly over the rocks? And why stay in human form? It seems it would be rather inconvenient." He smirks then and nods.

"Oh it is. But to answer the first question, I am unable to fly through here. I don't believe I owe you an explanation as to why. As for why I stay in human form, we'll attract less demonic attention this way. Which falls into your 'keep my sister safe' mentality, correct?"

You just nod at his words, still curious but not willing to push him. You've already seen what happens when he gets pushed too far. You don't really want to see him like that again, if you can help it. So you shrug and nod.

"Let's get back to the camp." He stretches as he turns and walks away, you following like a dutiful puppy. Jane and Jade are back at the base of the trail Dave and John had fallen off, a campsite set up with dinner cooking in a pot.

"You done freaking out?" Jade asks absently, stirring dinner.

You're surprised when Jane snaps at her to shut up, glaring angrily at the flames. Her hands are shaking slightly and she keeps swallowing. Her eyes are red like she's been crying and you think maybe she's not angry at anyone but herself.

Rather than confronting her you sit by your stunned sister and take over stirring dinner. "So, Dirk. What's the plan?"

Dirk seems to be a lot calmer now, watching you and the girls silently. He looks away, staring off down the canyon into the growing dark and sighs. "There's an old lake towards the center of the canyon. Now, this lake can be reached from any part of the canyon, from any direction. Since we're separated, if John is still alive, Dave will take him towards that lake once they realize they'll have to go the long way. This place is like a maze, so finding the lake is technically the smartest course of action."

Jane looks up at him quickly, her rage finding a new target. "If he's alive? If!? And what about Dave? You're not worried about him at all!?"

The look Dirk gives her makes her flinch. "Let's not forget the reason why it's even a question shall we?" You can see his words cut her like a knife and you look at him, sending a rather pointed glare. He looks back and sighs. "Apologies. You're right, I am worried about my brother. But I'm choosing to assume he's alive, rather than fear for the worst. It helps me think."

Dirk looks honest enough, and you don't detect even a hint of a lie. But you have to wonder at his phrasing, and the fact that neither he nor his twin are human. So it just doesn't seem likely to you that Dave would be injured. But given how badly Dirk has been reacting to this whole mess, you really can't be certain.

Jane looks down at the fire, her expression unreadable. Perhaps now would be a good time to try and help the atmosphere a bit. "Dirk, what else can you tell us about the canyon? How long will it take to get to the lake? How big is this lake anyway? And how do we get to the temple once we pick up Dave and John?" You fire off the questions one after the other, trying to gather as much information as possible. You promised Dirk you'd do your best to help him and his brother kill the witches. But first you'd have to get to them.

Dirk smirks at you, most likely very aware of what you're trying to do. "It will take about a day to reach the lake, barring any mishaps. Once there we'll camp for three days at max. If Dave and John don't reach the lake by then, we'll leave a message for them and move on. Dave knows the path to the temple as well as I do so even if it takes them longer than we hope to get there."

Jade frowns a little, glancing down at the pot in front of you. "What about food? Our rations were enough to get to the temple you said. But with all these delays, we'll run out before we get there." You want to smack yourself for not realizing such an obvious problem.

Dirk just shrugs. "Leave that to me." His tone says the discussion is closed and you shush Jade when she tries to ask another question.

"Let it be sis. He knows what he's doing I'm sure. For now, let's just eat dinner, get some sleep. Today's been an upsetting day for a lot of us." Jade just looks at you, frowning slightly. You ignore the confusion on her face and look at Dirk and Jane. "For now we have to believe both of them are ok. Freaking out and throwing blame around isn't going to help them any. Let's eat, get some rest, then set out in the morning. We'll reach the lake tomorrow, if all goes well. But if we're hungry and or tired, we won't be of any use to the guys if they do need our help somehow." You nod firmly then start serving up bowls of soup to everyone. When you bring Dirk his bowl, you almost don't hear the whisper.

"Thanks."

For the rest of the evening into falling asleep you can feel his eyes on you, though his face gives nothing away when you glance at him.

BE JOHN EGBERT