Earth C has been fun, and it's been more than enough compensation for all the bullshit that the game made you all go through.

You and Dave live with Karkat- you're too used to caves and empty spaces to enjoy a house all to yourself, and Karkats one of your oldest friends, so it just made sense. Eventually, Jade started coming over more frequently, and now the two of them are on the precipice of a blackrom, but neither side seems to want to commit.

That is, to be honest, the only interesting thing that is going on at the moment. You're really happy at that.

The halloween party is in a few hours, so you Dave and Karkat are tidying up and getting ready for it. Karkat's been bitching about Jade while you vaccum, and it's honestly a testament to his own bitching prowess that you can still hear him.

KARKAT: AND THEN, EVEN AFTER I'VE DONE ALL THIS ARGUING WITH HER, SHE *STILL* DECIDES TO BRING IT UP IN THE MEMO.

KARKAT: AS IF SHE JUST CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF OUR INELLEGANT SLOBBERING CONVERSATIONS!

DAVE: karkat set the fuckin decorations

KARKAT: I AM! I'M *ALSO* JUST TALKING ABOUT JADE AS WELL.

NEPETA: :33< ok im done with the vaccum

As the whirring goes off, you realise that you still don't have the wig for your costume.

NEPETA: :33< *ac asks if cg and tg would like to go to the shops and buy a wig for her costume with her*

DAVE: tg says sure

KARKAT: CG SAY NO I STILL HAVE TO DO THE FUCKING DECORATIONS.

NEPETA: :33< *ac says to make sure you use purrtection!

You and Dave run off to the sound of Karkat's THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!

The shops are close by, so you can run with ease, and you procure the wig in no time.

NEPETA: :33< sw33t! awesome cosplay zone here i come

DAVE: still mourning the fact that you won't do a catgirl sweet bro

NEPETA: :33< nuh uh dirkd be all like

NEPETA: :33< "grr im dirk strider and we have to s33 whos more faithful to the source material in both presentation and blah blah BLAH!"

DAVE: dude hes gonna do this with this one anyways

NEPETA: :33< well yeah but his reaction will be purriceless!

The two of you laugh at that, and keep going by until you reach a music shop, and an old memory from when you were younger resurfaces.

NEPETA: :33< :OO! i just remembered!

DAVE: whats up?

NEPETA: :33< i was totally gonna buy karkat a troll mfdoom and troll mcr cd for his sixth sw33p wriggling day!

NEPETA: :33< i furgot due to the game and everything else

NEPETA: :33< could we pleas33333333 go and buy it???

DAVE: well shit man now youve convinced me

DAVE: if you hadnt been all pleaseeeeeee i totally wouldve vetod that one

DAVE: total nix on that

DAVE: so good thing you did that

As the two of you browse the cd racks in order to find the albums, you notice Dave fidgeting with his shades more and more.

NEPETA: :33< you alright?

DAVE: yeah its just like

DAVE: will the sprites be there

NEPETA: :33< yeah im pretty sure they are!

DAVE: ...

DAVE: do you think any of them know where davepeta is

NEPETA: :33< ...

It's sort of awkward whenever they get brought up, and you see that Dave's been inching closer and closer to actually talking about it.

DAVE: do you think it means anything

DAVE: like them not being

DAVE: theyre just the two of us right?

DAVE: so does that mean anything?

NEPETA: :33< do mew want it to mean anything?

NEPETA: :33< its ok if you dont

NEPETA: :33< and its ok if you do

He's (?) sweating up a storm now- not like the cascading rivers of Equius, closer to a sheen that sticks to you. Is this how all humans sweat, in little droplets? You should ask Rose next time you hang out.

DAVE: i dont

DAVE: know if i want it to

He says it slowly, like even considering it could make it fall apart.

DAVE: do you?

NEPETA: :33< hmmm

You consider. Do you? Is it something that matters? Living in a cave has always made it hard to discern what parts of your identity are actually things that matter- your green blood did nothing for you, and yet Equius and every other highblood saw it as a marking of your worth. The more you think about it, doesn't the whole idea of 'man' and 'woman' seem arbitrary? Isn't everyone a bit of everything?

NEPETA: :33< i guess so

NEPETA: :33< but this isnt something important to me

NEPETA: :33< maybe itll mean something once we make it mean something by caring about it

NEPETA: :33< if that makes any sense h33h33!!!

Dave looks at you and smiles.

DAVE: ok keep you thoughts fuckin SAT until after the party ok?

DAVE: we can ruminate on gender shit AFTER you do this costume

NEPETA: :33< i am sat!

You come back to the house just in time to finish your cosplay-

Of Rainbow Dash.

Dirk's face is enough to keep everyone entertained, and you and Dave keep that shit sat on until after the party.

You don't really care if this'll lead you to a completley different identity, or as the same as you always were.

You're so glad to be here with Dave and Rose and all of your other friends, you know that you'll be ok no matter what.

Time isn't scary when you've got such cool cats in your heart.