Chapter Five:

"OH SHIT! Watch out for the window!" Dave yelled.

There was a shattering of glass, a loud thump, a few drops of warm blood and…..

…..Aradia cursing loudly from outside the window she had just flown through.

Footsteps thumped loudly outside the wall in exaggerated frustration, as she stomped back to the large, rusty iron door and knocked softly.

" Are y0u g0ing t00 let me in, 0r am I sleeping 0utside all 0f the sudden,"

" I dunno. Ask nicely and I'll tell ya." Dave said back nonchalantly.

"Come on, Dave, don't be mean tuna her 38(" Feferi remarked disapprovingly, as she rose from the floor and undid the bolt to let Aradia inside.

The maroon-blood stepped quietly through the passage and pushed the door closed with her telekinetic ability, placing the bolt back into its resting place.

"If you could that, why didn't you just open the door yourself?" Dave asked in a bored tone.

"I have t0 be able t0 see what I'm m0ving, 0therwise I can't c0ntr0l it in an articulate way. I w0uld end up just ripping the b0lt thr0ugh the wall 0r bl0wing it 0ff." the girl replied, voice monotone. Whenever she would explain something in detail, her voice seemed to lose all inflection or emotion, like the machines they were taught by. Lifting her hand, she gathered her force around the shattered frame and started putting the pieces back into place slowly, melding them together by making each piece vibrate rapidly, generating friction enough to bond with other pieces.

"I could've done that in less time ya know. In fact, you could say I could do it in-" the cool kid paused, smirking, "No time at all."

"Yes, I kn0w, Dave. Y0ur sheer 'c00lness' w0uld make the wind0w eagerly ref0rm itself f0r the slightest chance 0f getting t0 catch the even faintest reflecti0n 0f y0ur expressi0nless face." Aradia explained sarcastically.

"Nah, it's not my coolness. I'm just that sexy." Dave replied, still smirking.

" 38/ Oh my cod, Dave, just let Aradia fix the glubbing-"

"GUYS, SHUT UP. 1M TRY1NG TO L1ST3N TO TH3 M3SS4G3 ROS3 S3NT." Terezi broke in, interrupting the sarcastic one-upsmanship show.

"38D Krilly!? Are they almost pier then?" Feferi exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down on the ratty old green couch they found inside.

"1 4M TRY1NG TO F1ND TH4T OUT. PL34S3 STOP T4LK1NG FOR 4 T3NT4S3COND." The seer replied, red eyes closing. Her face scrunched in effort as she attempted to retrieve the message that Rose had left within her own mind. Though Terezi could read anybody's mind, only other seers could actually label memories they specifically wanted to remember as important. Normally, it would only be for their own memory retrieval, but because the Seer of Mind could invade other's thoughts, those labeled memories became like well-organized files in a law office.

"SH3 S4YS TH4T TH3Y FOUND ANOTHER P1LLBOX L1K3 TH1S ON3, BUT 1T H4D TWO D34D HUM4NS 1N 1T. 4LSO TH4T TH3Y 4R3 L3SS TH4N H4LF 4 M1L3 4W4Y 4ND W1LL B3 H3R3 'SHORTLY'." she announced, opening her eyes, the tension leaving her features. "1 H4V3 NO 1D34 HOW LONG 'SHORTLY' 1S."

Dave remarked, returning back to an apathetic poker face. "With her, 'shortly' could be anywhere from a half of a whole fucking day, to as long as it takes to woo a random dame with my strider charm. It's like the god of clocks just took her entire sense of time and gave it all to me, because he wanted to make sure I didn't try to get all up in his heavenly turf with my sick beats."

"Dave, you've never eelin wooed a girl before 38/ We've been locked in that crab since we were T—E—ENY little t-otter-lers." Feferi stated skeptically. Aradia just grinned slightly in agreement while she finished patching the window carefully. Terezi just watched Dave with interest in his what his response would be.

Dave leaned forward as a smirk came back across his lips. He let his shades slide down only enough to show his bright red eyes, staring directly back at Feferi's.

"How do you know I haven't already got one of you, but just haven't pulled the string yet?" the boy said with a provocative wink.

Feferi blushed mildly and quieted down, but Terezi let out a wild cackle.

"D4V3 YOU WOULDN'T 3V3N KNOW WH3R3 TO ST4RT 1F YOU TR13D 'WOO1NG' ON3 OF US." the seer said with a wide grin, walking halfway to chronomancer.

"Oh, really? Is that a challenge Pyrope?" Dave replied smoothly, raising an eyebrow and meeting her there. By the end of the statement, his face was inches away from hers, his shades reflecting her face. He was a few inches taller than she was, so he had to angle his gaze downwards slightly, and she upwards.

Their smiling lips were only an inch from touching as they continued holding the impromptu staring contest to see who would break first.

Deciding to cut her losses, she awarded Dave with a lick on the end of his nose before turning 180 and striding back to her chair, falling back into the worn red cushions with a huge victorious smile.

Dave on the other hand, stood there for a moment, stunned, eyes wide, before regaining his cool kid demeanor. Luckily, no one noticed his slip up besides the seer, so no Strider swag was lost while he went back to reclining on the last horrid piece of furniture they had.

Another thing no one noticed was how the door was now wide open and Rose, Kanaya, and Eridan all stood in the doorway looking back and forth between Dave and Terezi blankly. Until Rose spoke up, of course.

"So….where's the huge white cake and overly-dramatic, slurred toasts made by drunken party-goers?"

Aradia burst out laughing, its warmth filling the room causing Dave to blush slightly but make no change of cool expression.

Now united, the two groups shut the door and waited for the last of their friends to show up and join their new temporary Home, because it wasn't just a house when they were all together…..

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