Dave felt betrayed. Okay, so betrayed wasn't the right word for this feeling but whatever, same difference. He didn't know what else to call this awful sensation in his stomach that felt like misery and bitterness. He remained rooted on the porch, hands stuffed in his pockets and watching the rain water run off the overhang in a mini-waterfall. It was really coming down out there but Dave wasn't really paying attention to the rain. His thoughts were on Jade and Elliot, currently inside the cabin in the living room. If he looked he could see them through the window, but he refused. He refused to go inside as well so long as they were in there. He appeared to not be the only one.

Sitting on the porch swing to the far right sat John and Rose. The moment Elliot had burst through the door John had been right behind him. He'd apologized, said the guy had shown up without warning, and had hoped Rose had warned them both before they returned to the cabin. A moment later Rose had appeared soaking wet and unamused. Now all three of them were sitting banished on the porch but all for different reasons. John to give them privacy, Rose because she was dripping water everywhere and Dave because he had never felt so angry and frustrated in his life, and that was saying something. John was tucking a towel around Rose's shoulders when she finally broke the silence.

"It was inevitable, I'm afraid, with the way he's been calling her."

John withdrew his hands from her shoulders and flopped back against the swing, making it rock lightly with the weight. "I'm kind of annoyed at him either way. Jade told me that Dave overheard right. She was trying to get a break from him and here he comes, invading her private time."

"I'm afraid I don't know him well enough to judge if this is appropriate behavior or not. Does he usually desire to take up Jade's time like this?" Rose asked.

Dave twitched inwardly. The way she emphasized the word 'time' made him want to whirl around and lob his shades at her. Scratch that, she wasn't worth hurting the shades. Maybe he could just punch her in the nose. She was his sister and not just any girl so that was totally kosher, right?

Oblivious, John continued, "I dunno. To be honest I don't know him that well myself. He comes over to our house to pick up Jade and that's about it. He never wants to hang around and he barely ever says anything to me. Maybe he's shy."

"That fucker is anything but shy," Dave grumbled.

John shrugged one shoulder. "Then maybe he just doesn't like me."

"If that's true then we can be certain he has a very poor judge of character," Rose said stiffly.

John laughed lightly and blushed. "Yeah, but he also doesn't like Dave."

"Well, that's different."

Dave rubbed his temples. This was stressful enough right now without having to listen to Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee back there theorizing about that dumb shit. Without a word or even a sound he slipped out from underneath the porch and was gone. John called out to him belatedly but the rain was roaring and the sound didn't reach him. He wouldn't have turned around even if it had. John sighed and leaned back again.

"Man, this fucked everything up. Dave's really grumpy again."

Rose watched the rain with a neutral expression but her gaze was sympathetic. Despite her prodding and teasing, she was generally concerned for Dave. Jade as well. Neither of them were happy at the moment and she knew why. There was also still the hurdle that Dave didn't know Jade's situation yet. The longer that secret was kept the worse the fallout would be when he found out. Even Rose wasn't sure she wanted to be in the same country as Dave when that happened.

"That, too, was inevitable," Rose replied.

They lapsed into silence again, the sound of the rain filling the gaps. After a moment John spoke again in a rush, "Well, we should go to! To keep an eye on them and make sure they'll be okay."

"Go?" Rose echoed.

"Oh, uh…" John scratched the back of his neck. "To that festival or whatever this town is doing for the tourists. You saw all those flyers around, right?"

"Ah… that. Yes, of course. You want to attend?"

"It could be fun, right? We should all go together. It's the day after tomorrow."

Rose quirked a small smile and tugged the towel closer to herself. John, always the optimist. She couldn't see them having a good time at the moment given what was going on yet he still could. Somehow it made her want to see that possibility too.

"Okay. I suppose someone needs to babysit them. Assuming it still happens, however. All this rain might cancel it."

John grinned. "Hehe… yeah." He looked very pleased. Abruptly Rose sneezed as she felt a chill run over her. It was suddenly really cold out here.

"Oh! You should probably not be out here when you're all wet," John realized. He stood up and took the towel off her shoulders. "Wet hair is the worst, right?"

"What? John, wait-"

Too late. He dropped the towel over her head and rubbed furiously though not hard enough to hurt. Rose flailed and swatted at his arms. She had seen this coming just a little too late. John laughed and pulled the towel back quickly. Her hair was now a tangled, fluffy mess and looked absolutely ridiculous. It only made John laugh more and Rose shot him the most unamused. Yet she found herself smiling. Despite the unpleasantness currently on her mind, he still managed to force a smile out of her.

Dave did not return by nightfall and Jade left with Elliot, who was staying in the local motel. She offered no explanation except that they needed to talk and she didn't want to do it here. The slight panic in her eyes worried John but he decided not to pry. Rose, on the other hand, was more preoccupied with her missing sibling. When 1 AM rolled around with no word from him, Rose was dreading that she would have to march out and look for him again. John had passed out on the couch, unable to stay awake anymore. For some reason Rose grew preoccupied watching him sleep. When the door opened abruptly she started and stood up. She assumed it was Jade returning but instead Dave stumbled in.

"Finally. I was ready to start searching for your corpse."

Dave scowled. "You'd like that wouldn't you. Flighty broad."

Rose blinked. She narrowed her eyes, peering through the dim lighting to study his face. He looked rather disheveled and his shades were missing. Then she noticed the smell.

"Are you drunk?"

"No. … Yes."

Just like that Rose went from relief to annoyance. She had actually been a bit worried about him, too. Asshole. "Why am I not surprised you have a fake I.D.? You're a complete ignoramus."

"Fuck off. I don't got anythin' like that. The people here jus' don't give a flippin' shit how old you is." There was a sudden southern drawl in Dave's voice, though only slightly and only present when he said certain words. Since he was always careful about that accent, Rose concluded he was more than just a little trashed.

"-and all they want is my hard earned dough. Greedy bastards with sticky fingers and alcohol that tastes like shit. I kept goin' anyway I don't even know why..."

At this rate Dave was going to keep rambling. Rose sighed and took his arm, leading him back to his room. He stumbled after her and the effort it took to remain upright and walk straight finally shut off the speech centers in his brain. Temporarily, at least. When Rose got him to his door they started up again and he asked the worst possible question.

"Where's Jade?"

Rose hesitated, still gripping his arm to keep him from falling over. He was swaying dangerously. Dave stared at her, eyes unfocused but intense.

"She went with Elliot back to where he was staying. She hasn't returned."

Rose expected Dave to flip off several handles at her admittance. Instead he just stared at her as if he couldn't even comprehend what she was saying. This was probably for the best and Rose hoped that he forgot this entirely. If that were true, then, perhaps she could get something else off her chest. Perhaps it was sleep depravation that made her decide to throw caution to the wind.

"I'm afraid it's only the first thread in a long string of bad news," she said quietly.

Dave shuffled back into his room a little and clutched the doorknob for purchase. He laughed bitterly. "Fuck you."

"The trolls are dead."

Dave slammed the door