When Jade finds herself in the Furthest Ring, she blinks only once before raising her hands out to the eerie blankness which surrounds the Green Sun.
"Right..." she mutters to herself, scanning her makeshift viewfinder around as though searching for something. Her expression slips gradually from enthusiasm to frustration, and eventually she curses and lowers her hands.
"You won't find them," Aradia tells her.
Jade spins around, shocked by her silent approach. She glares at Aradia, hands on hips.
"Why won't I?"
"I'm masking their trail," Aradia tells her. "But even if I wasn't, you aren't destined to meet with them again. Not yet."
"You're masking..." Jade growls. "I can't believe this! Why won't you just take me to them!"
"I told you –"
"Screw destiny!" Jade yells. "If you wanted to take me, you could! I'm sick of you using the future as an excuse. We're making the future right now! What we want to happen, will!"
"Will it?" Aradia asks in a neutral tone.
"You –!" Jade loses her temper, and whirls her hands towards Aradia, intending to shrink her down to size.
But Aradia disappears.
"Jade..." says a reproachful voice behind her.
"Will you just take me to them?" Jade repeats as she turns to face Aradia again.
"Will you just face facts and act like a grown up?" Aradia snaps back. "I won't lead you to the meteor."
"Why?" Jade shouts. "Do you want me stuck here with you? Because I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you thinking you know better than everyone and claiming destiny as a reason to never do anything! I hate you, Aradia! I wish you were dead!"
Aradia stiffens. "I am going to assume you do not understand –"
"Yeah," Jade spits at her sarcastically. "Because it's not like Karkat explained it all to me a thousand times." Hot tears of frustration and anger roll down her cheeks. "I hate you, Aradia."
The two girls stare at each other for a second. Jade's cheeks are burning red, but Aradia is as pale as the grave.
"I..." Aradia shakes her head. "I still won't take you."
"For fuck's sake!" Jade pulls Aradia towards her roughly, nails scratching at her forearms.
Their kiss is like the end of two universes.