my heart's not fluttering or anything

[quadrangle]

Who: Hamsteaks,Team RWPY, & Dipper
Where: GOLDENROD INN, specifically Dave and Karkat's room but possibly others as well? It depends.
When: 3/5, afternoonish/evening/well into the wee hours of 3/6
Summary: A certain travel party largely consisting of traumatized teenagers initiates a team building exercise, AKA sleepover. This is clearly the best idea ever and will in no way backfire at all.
Rating: PG-13 for, uh. Homestuck vocabularies.
Log:

[Despite having been in their immediate vicinity for three weeks, Karkat had somehow managed to avoid talking to most of the people in their group for any significant length of time. A lot of it was personal preference because yes, he was still intermittently freaking out about being a human surrounded by humans, but the fact that he'd blown up at two of the other party members and probably guaranteed that Jade or Dave or both would be auspisticizing between them for the foreseeable future (oh god please no) didn't help matters. He'd rather stay in his damn room or hide in the local bookstore than deal with any of that bullshit.

Unfortunately, maintaining his busy schedule of staying the fuck away from other people as much as possible was untenable, especially when his best friends were also their friends and he literally had no excuse to keep putting it off—unless he could say he needed to take his Pokemon on a walk? Do people even take Pokemon on walks? Would Dave even buy that when neither Merope nor Sharru have shown the slightest amount of interest in going on walks? Well, okay, no, Dave might not even care, but Jade...

Either way, the moment his roommate decides on the impromptu movie night, sends out texts to inform the others, and begins putting together a Sweet Throh and Hella Sawk flyer for their door to mark the occasion (why is he friends with this moron again) is the moment Karkat's fate is sealed.

They're going to have a sleepover, and everyone is invited.]

Comments

MISCELLANEOUS

[quadrangle]

[Neither movies nor games designed for stupid wigglers who poop hard in their diaperstubs appeal to you. You are a free spirit. You are about to something outrageously illegal, or possibly just have a casual conversation with someone that would not fall into one of the previously mentioned categories, because honestly they're kind of restrictive. I mean, you know, it's up to you. Whatever.

What will you do?]

[sneezelikeakitten]

[Dipper is not a romance fan, and those games are above his age range. Let the crazy, older kids do those things. Not that he doesn't want to and he's technically almost a teen.

So this kid is going to be sitting by himself, journal out, taking down some notes from his previous journey through Cianwood. Kid wants to go back to the Safari Zone for sure. Bother him, please, and get him out of his bubble.]

[in4apounding]

Salutations, Dipper! What are you writing?

[Technically she is not sneaking up on him. She's approaching him from the front and sitting down beside him.]

Popcorn?

[sneezelikeakitten]

[He's still absorbed enough to jump a bit. First instinct makes him cover up his writing with his tiny little body.

Then he remembers this isn't Gravity Falls and sits back up.]

H-Hey Penny! Just notes on all the different Pokémon and possible real animal equivalents and such... Popcorn?

[in4apounding]

Popcorn!

[She offers him the bowl of popcorn she was totally carrying all along and that her player absolutely didn't forget to mention in that first tag, nope.]

Oh, neat! So it's like you're working on a Pokédex all your own!

[callbacks]

[At some point as the night winds on--not during The Prinplup Bride, of course, some things are sacred even to a Strider--Dave starts to fade out. He didn't get a great night's sleep the day before, and while he's been putting real effort into being all over this impromptu party, lulls catch him distracted and pensive. It's dark now on the other side of midnight, and his hoodie is warm. The tired laughter of happy teens (and Dipper, if he's still there--shouldn't twelve-year-olds have an earlier bedtime?) is somehow soothing, and if Dave just finds a pillow, if he just makes himself comfortable...

This, somehow, is how we find ourselves with Dave curled up in his hoodie, head in Karkat's lap, arms trapping Jade's arm loosely against his chest. His breathing is soft and steady, and, yeah. With his shades nearly falling off his face, it's obvious to tell he's fast asleep.]

[quadrangle]

[With as much practice as Karkat has had at not sleeping and the whole, you know, trolls are nocturnal thing, he's not nearly as affected by the hour as the others. What does get him is Dave passing out across his lap. The asshole may have dozed off while watching romcoms with him back on the meteor, but never quite like this. It's... you know. Sort of sweet.

Smiling faintly to himself, he very carefully slides Dave's sunglasses the rest of the way off, folds them, and sets them aside. For the moment, he seems to have forgotten that Jade is there, but that'll change the second she opens her mouth.]

[eclectictype]

[It's difficult not to notice all of what's been going on with Karkat and Dave. While Jade isn't intent on interfering, she's very aware and observing everything as much as she can, in case one of them (or both of them, let's be real) need an assist.

She's also very certain that they both think they're being sneaky and keeping a lid on it enough to where she wouldn't notice. They'd be wrong or in denial, but it's not the time to call anyone out yet.

When Dave goes down for the count against Karkat's lap, it's expected, though him taking a hold of her arm is not and her surprised look down at her friend says this much. But immediately Jade settles into the same relaxed contentment as before, now humming a song as though to further soothe the sleeping Strider. It's Once Upon a Dream, Dave would know that, Karkat wouldn't, seems appropriate for sleepy times anyway.

Her arm twists slightly so she can reach up and cover his hand with hers.]

[quadrangle]

[He is the sneakiest, what are you talking about? Or, at least, if Dave hasn't noticed how unbelievably fucking pale Karkat has been behaving around him lately, there's probably no hope for him at all.

More to the point, Jade humming is near enough to opening her mouth that he freezes, caught red-pronged in the dedicated transparent confection disk containment cylinder. How the fuck had he forgotten she was there, how—

He settles back as neutrally as he possibly can and okay no he can't manage to look at her at all. Fuck. Fuck. Maybe she hadn't noticed? Uh what can he talk about uh—]

What are you humming?

[Nailed. It?]

[quadrangle]

[From the moment people had started filtering into the room, Karkat has been uncharacteristically quiet—still loud when he greets people, obviously, but subdued in the moments between and directly after everyone has arrived and gotten situated. With his team, he'd always had the convenient excuse that he, as the leader, needed status updates ASA-fucking-P, but in a group of near total strangers with little besides Dave, Jade, and shared travel arrangements connecting them...

Yeah, okay, so he might be spending more time than strictly necessary with issues like spilled refreshments or a dwindling snack supply. He's also doing plenty of people watching because yes, this is his first time observing more than two humans interacting for an extended period of time up close. He still has no idea how this species works at all. What the hell.

He may also, very intermittently, be found frowning at one or two of the guests, expression pensive. It's really weird, this human emotion called friendship. Fucking obnoxious, but mostly weird.]

[yanginthere]

[ Yang felt a bit more the chaperon than a participant at times, but that had mostly to do with being the eldest and having her little sister present. The biggest element out of people she didn't outright trust was the one person she chose to flop down next to while he was busy staring elsewhere. ]

For someone that types in an all-caps rage, you're being pretty chill. [ Which is a compliment, judging from the soothed tone and gentle smile on Yang's face. She cannot help but poke a little fun at him over it, given how he had acted when they first spoke (and probably some times since). But if he's noticed anything about her from the way she acted with others, especially her friends, that's just how Yang rolled. ]

[quadrangle]

—Jesus fuck.

[No, Karkat hadn't been paying attention, and no, Karkat did not appreciate mouthy blondes with attendant hairbeasts dropping in out of nowhere to deliver heaping nutrition plateaus of sass and blatant douchebaggery. What the hell had he done to deserve thioh wait no, don't answer that. Fuck.

He turns his best glare on her, just sort of because. She's in range and had basically invited him to gripe at her, why not.]

What the fuck is that supposed to mean, I'm plenty chill. [Haha. No.] Unless you'd prefer it if I dropped trou and started screeching and flinging shit everywhere like an incontinent monkey? No? How about a rousing reenactment of that one time I temporarily look leave of my senses and started propositioning random aliens using the traditional Alternian mating display known as kindly go fuck yourself. That one was always my favorite!

[yanginthere]

[ With her teasing, Yang had dropped a pebble into a perfectly still pond. What did she get for her trouble? A tsunami of profanity. Terrific. Her expression flickered fast from amiable, to angry, to disappointed, and then back to a strained sort of smile that didn't reach her eyes. ]

Mmmm, nah. [ Yang pushed herself up and crawled over to and behind Karkat. ] I've got a better idea.

[ A bit louder, Yang spoke in what could have been a chipper tone if it didn't carry the strain matching the way she flung her arm about the boy's shoulders from behind to pull him into a "friendly" headlock. Ruby knows that move, at the least; it's not easy to get out of. ]

I'm so glad you agreed to help me out, Karkat! Come on. In here. [ Humming tunelessly, Yang moved to pull the belligerent teen into the attached bathroom so they could. Talk. ]

[usedglaciate]

[Weiss will approach after a minute, with a can of lemonade, which she'll offer Karkat.]

You should take a break from watching everything. I'll take it for a while.

[quadrangle]

[She catches him during a moderately alert moment, but although Karkat accepts the can of lemonade, it's with the slightly concussed look of someone who isn't sure if they've just been handed a live incendiary device or... well, a can of lemonade.]

... Thank you?

[That's what. He's supposed to say. Right?]

[usedglaciate]

[Weiss will chalk that up to a bit of anxiety. It's something she's seen before, and to her credit, she won't press.]

Of course. With this crowd - and I mean that in the best possible way - everyone needs a breather now and then.

[eclectictype]

Take a picture--depending on whether or not timeline bullshit starts up again, it will last longer.

[Geez, Karkat, she was just minding her own business and you had to make it weird.]

So, how did you like The Prinplup Bride?

[quadrangle]

[—FUCK YOU JADE YOU AREN'T CUTE HE WASN'T STARING he may have been staring. A little.]

Shut the fuck up. You just crossed my line of sight, that's all. [This is convincing.] And yes, as a matter of fact, I did. It's better without the Pokémon, though.

[eclectictype]

Right, and Dave did my hair! You were clearly admiring his handiwork.

[Or really he didn't give a crap at all and, indeed, she just crossed his line of sight. Jade's not going to question or needle on that point because, frankly, it's not a topic she's interested in broaching.]

It's one of my favorite movies to watch with Dave. I didn't think it was too different from the original, even if there were Pokemon in there. Rattata of Unusual Size isn't that different from Rodents of Unusual Size, after all. It just makes me wonder who makes and purchases a Rattata plush of that size, that was huge.

[in4apounding]

Are you feeling all right? You seem quieter than usual.

[Which admittedly doesn't take much, but... quieter in a different way than the usual 'someone threatened him if he swore around Ruby' quiet.]

[But parties are supposed to be about interaction, right? Especially since there aren't any bodyguards or escorts keeping her in check.]

[quadrangle]

[—bodyguards or escorts, Penny, what is your life. Karkat's head jerks up at the question, but unlike Yang and Weiss, he actually sort of maybe tolerates Penny. That doesn't mean he'll smile, but he'll at least nod a little before answering.]

I'm, uh. I'm fine.

[... in a stilted, unnatural sort of way, great fucking work, Past Karkat, way to make him look like a goddamn social awareness guru or whatever the fuck humans called it, who even cares. He frowns again.]

It's just weird having everyone in one place. [A single, enclosed space with only one exist. Fuck.] What about you? Doing okay?

[in4apounding]

[Military secrets is what her life is. Or military SECRET, at least.]

Trolls don't gather in groups like this?

[Is that a culture thing, or did Karkat just have the same kind of friendless existence she had? Either way - sort of sad.]

I'm doing sensational!

[Yeah, she probably cried more than a little when it looked like Westley was dead, assurances from Poppop Narrator or not.]

I mean, it is still weird having so many people together like this! But I think it's a good kind of weird.

[yanginthere]

[ The party don't start 'til Yang walks —

Actually it's already going by the time Yang arrives, dressed appropriately for slumber party shenanigans, carrying her own pillow and with her hair still up in a tightly-packed towel atop her head. She drops the pillow down before ducking into the bathroom with a "this'll only take a minute"....

Which, as anyone that has ever seen her wrangle her massive mane before, is an understatement. Between toweling it dry and then brushing it, she's going to be at this a while, but the bathroom door's open and she's just humming away if anyone wants to bother her in there. Or afterward, when she's a dry walking mass of blonde fluff.

>>Will you attempt to tame the hairbeast? Y / N ]

[in4apounding]

Oh, wow, that looks like it might take more than a minute...

[Somehow Yang's usual mane seems a lot bigger when its being dried and brushed, for all the sense that makes.]

Do you need help?

[Considering how new Penny is to actually having to take care of hair at all, answer with caution, Yang.]

[yanginthere]

Yeah, it always takes a while...

[ The need to bong with and make up for Bad Shit with Penny overrode any common sense response. Yang turned and smiled. ]

Sure, as long as you're careful! [ Look even if the hair isn't linked to her strength here, Yang would never want anything bad to happen to it. Having manhandled it herself to get it into those obnoxious pigtails was bad enough. ]