You were having a fucking time on this ship. Ever since they overviewed everything and realised that they’d have to take 3 whole ass years on the meteor, everyone’s just been getting the lay of the land and by everyone you mean yourself Rose and the Mayor guy because everyone else has been here since the literal start of the universe so they already know a fucking lot about the thing and shit. No, you’re not panicking at the prospect of not seeing John and Jade for another three years, fuck you-

Oh shit, they have a sick bay? Since when the fuck was that a thing that exists?

KANAYA: It Is Not An Actual Sick Bay I Just Put A Sign There

DAVE: oh shit whend you get here

KANAYA: I Have Been Here The Past Few Seconds We Crossed Paths Right Before I Spoke

DAVE: ah didnt realise sorry

KANAYA: It Is Alright You Are Of No Issue

Damn shits awkward.

DAVE: so why the fuck is it here anyways?

KANAYA: I Refurbished This Room To Tend To Nepeta Given Her Injuries

Nepeta? Oh yeah, you remember her being mentioned briefly.

DAVE: what happened to her? I thought trolls were like super soldiers or some shit

KANAYA: While We Are Quite Strong She Was Attacked By A Purpleblood And They Are Particularly Well Off In That Category

KANAYA: Also Dont Use The Word Strength Around Her Her Moirail Used To Say That Alot And Hes Dead Now

DAVE: noted. noted like hell shit is so noted im gonna get a fucking award for that shit and then ill note that down too and its gonna be like oh SHIT-

Hey this is kinda creepy. You should probably go inside the room now.

DAVE: yo what up its me one of the humans how are you

FUCK, strider, how lame can you get!? Fucking award for noting? Fuck no you’re gonna get the fucking razzie for lamest first introduction ever, fuck man FUCK-

NEPETA: :33< whattup to mew too, h33h33!

Oh holy shit. Oh holy shit.

DAVE: oh shit youre a roleplayer arent you? fucking unironic too thats how you know the shits legit hell yeah

Despite the fact that the average cool guy would probably ridicule this girl, who wears sunglasses indoors and just fucking said ‘mew’, you can only find the sickest pits of respect in yourself, and for that you have to respect it even more.

KANAYA: Nepeta How Are Your Prongs

NEPETA: :33< i dunno! they dont hurt but i still cant use them!

To add emphasis she reaches her hands up and shows off the intense bandaging around them, and you can see a slight layer of an olive green beginning to tint at them.

DAVE: oh shit thats fucking metal

NEPETA: :33< really? i thought humans get grossed out by these things

DAVE: nah me and rose are chill as fuck about it like we are so chill it gets subzero

NEPETA: :33< but are you chill enough to cool your straight fire? terezi says you spit it out like crazy!

DAVE: oh you fucking KNOW it man

The two of you end up so engrossed in this conversation that you fail to notice Kanaya slowly slipping away, despite how luminescent she was.

That evening, you and Rose are too scared to do anything other than a sleepover, despite the fact that neither of you would ever call it that no matter what.

DAVE: …

ROSE: …

What the hell do you say? You’ve known her for ages, but now that you’ve been through all this today, it’s all so weird.

ROSE: How are the trolls treating you?

How are the trolls treating you?

DAVE: theyre cool like terezi and karkat are exactly like i thought theyd be like vriskas badass the clown dudes weird and kanayas chill

At the word chill, your mind drags itself back to the conversation you had with Nepeta, and a smile is brought to your lips.

DAVE: nepeta was cool as fuck though

ROSE: Can it be? I never thought I'd be able to see the day that someone gets an unironic seal of coolness from Dave Strider himself. Perhaps the recent blunt force trauma has even made you more willing to label things as 'radical'.

DAVE: oh fuck man you know nothings ever gonna be radical enough for my striderness thats fucking unconceivable

Well, if Nepeta keeps up her streak, you could see yourself rescinding that statement.

ROSE: Of course, I'm sorry for making such daring assumptions.

DAVE: you fucking should be

The two of you couldn't help it. You started laughing. Like crazy.

Rose is a pretty cool sister. A part of you is happy that everythings going like this.

As the two of you talk the night away, you barley realise how happy you are to have eachothers company, and a part of you finds yourself extending that olivebranch to the trolls. 'Olive', haha.

You'll talk with her again tommorow. Rose'd get a kick out of talking to her, you're sure.