she said baby

[cawky]

WHO: Davesprite (and company) + Nill
WHERE: Outside...somewhere
WHEN: LAST MONTH because I suck
WARNINGS: This is gonna get confusing fast
SUMMARY: Davesprite is having trouble keeping his multiselves under control...still
FORMAT: Quicklog

[It had definitely been a long couple of days for Davesprite.

His aspect made him no stranger to the concept of multiple selves, though he found that the matter was entirely different when your selves...were nothing like you. Or when those same selves had an annoying habit of doing their own thing, because you mutually annoyed one another. The result is a scene that doesn't seem too out of the ordinary -- Davesprite cloud surfing in the streets to blow off some steam as night begins to fall...that is, unless someone took a moment to observe the sprite's flight pattern.

Davesprite doesn't fly straight, but almost lazily. He dips downward and then slowly angles himself back upward, making him look more serpentine than usually with how his tail follows him. He sways back and forth, far too airheaded for typical coolkid Strider. Is he sick? High?

Nill is about to find out, as it seems she's been spotted. Davesprite's glasses are purposefully slipped down his nose so he can get a better look before he proceeded to waft downwards on the nearest air current in order to land in her path smoothly.

Well, almost. It had looked to be a pretty smooth landing until it actually happened. Davesprite ends up on his stomach just a bit too far away from her, chin propped up on a clawed hand.]

How you doin'?

Comments

[culver]

[That gets a smile out of her, even with her current doubts. This cockiness he has while in the air is one of the reasons she isn't afraid of falling. It reminds her of the way Heine was always so sure of himself when he said he'd protect her.

But she stops that thought cold before it gets too far.

Instead, she moves her arm from around his shoulder, expecting to be set on her feet, but instead finds herself still close to him and sitting on ghost-tail. This is weird. Not unwelcome, but still weird. Her wings flick, a loose feather or two falling gently to the concrete roof before they settle. She looks away from him, actually trying to see the buildings and such, but is vaguely disappointed at the sight of more orange feathers instead. Well, at least it isn't windy. She rolls her eyes a little.]

It is closer to sunset than I thought.

[cawky]

[He pouts a little, but the curtain of wings quickly disappears as his wings fold behind him. Davesprite doesn't let go of her though. He let's a whistle loose and allows his wings to droop dramatically.]

Tough crowd.

[culver]

[Wow. His taste for drama never ceases to surprise her.

The wind is an acceptable trade-off for the sight of the City laid out like building blocks below them, an almost perfect grid. It makes her smile just to see it, so organized. And in the distance she can see the bright glow that is no doubt Times Square. But she does turn that smile to him when he speaks, sitting up straighter on her tail-cushion.]

Sorry. I just like to look sometimes.

[cawky]

[He looks for a moment like he has a witty comeback, but its robbed from him once he gets a good look at how much she's enjoying the few from above. His feathers lay back down from their slightly indignant position and he offers her a tiny (and much more Davesprite-like) grin.]

I guess I can trade off the attention to the skyline just this once.

[culver]

[That worked... better than anticipated. Huh. He doesn't seem to be in a bad mood--far from it, really. That definitely rules out something bad happening at home. She settles back, wanting to think for a moment or two, but is distracted by his less sarcastic reply. Which prompts her to give him a gentle poke in his side.]

I can pay attention to both of you.

[cawky]

[Davesprite's wing comes up on one side to support her in case she wanted to lean rather than deal with his tail. He wiggles a little when poked and reaches for her hand with one of his own clawed hands.]

I ain't all that great at sharing.

[The tip of his tail flicks a little with interest.]

[culver]

[Automatically, she takes the hint and presses her back against his wing a bit. It's soft, but offers plenty of opportunity for leaning. For a moment, she lets herself enjoy it. It's nice to hang out and not worry about whether or not she's going to ruin him even more than she apparently already had.

And then he takes her hand and she stops cold.

Slowly, she turns her head to look at him, but is met only with the reflection of her own eyes in his shades. Something is wrong, she just doesn't know how to broach the subject. Nill isn't always great at being direct. She doesn't take her hand away from him, still trying to process the off-ness and figure out what to do about it.]

Sharing is important.

[It is a lame response and she knows it as soon as it leaves her head.]

[cawky]

[Was he aiming for the wrist or the hand? The world may never know.

Still, her statement makes him scoff a little, and she might notice his brow furrow behind his shades.]

I got enough to share, don't you think?

[His life, his name, his friends. The list went on quiet a bit.]

[culver]

[Nill is entirely out of her depth. She feels incredibly stupid and worried all at the same time. If there was a moment when she could magically make a distraction appear, it would be right now. Sadly, that is not one of her powers. Instead, she is forced to deal with the conundrum of Davesprite either going insane or opening up emotionally, neither of which she had been prepared for today.]

You do.

[Backtrack, Nill.]

Are you feeling alright?

[cawky]

[The sprite's head tilts uncertainly.]

Yeah. Why?

[There's a brief pause, but it seems that he picks up on why Nill might be unsettled and, reluctantly, releases her hand. His tail coils inward, a bit insecurely.]

I mean like, I can bring you back down if heights ain't your thing. Its the stupid bird thing. Like you get up and then you forget that you don't actually belong up, but then you go down and its like man this sucks. When I say go down I mean like the ground, not like going down you know?

[He continues to just sort of stare with his head tilted.]

Besides, I'm like ten times cooler than those other chumps.

[culver]

[This is the sort of reaction she expected, but that doesn't make her feel less bad about causing it. She's just genuinely concerned about his mental well-being at the moment. Nill is even nodding her head along with his small rant until he gets to the end bit (the ground as opposed to--oh no, Davesprite), but luckily he slips up and she thankfully switches focus.

Her brow furrows, she cocks her head in a mirror of his. She starts to ask who he means, but then realizes that he's let go of her hand, which causes her to take a step forward and reach for his arm.]

What other chumps?

[cawky]

The other Striders.

[He glances down at the hand on his arm and lifts it a little, clawed hand moving to mirror her touch. Is he inviting her closer?]

Why? You don't think so?

[culver]

[Nill rakes her brain for "other" Striders. There's the other Dave, of course, the one who isn't half sprite. And their brother, Dirk. But she doesn't know why he'd even bring them up--she's never really been friends with them. She does, at least, shift towards him slightly.]

What? No you are cool. Why wouldn't you be?

[cawky]

Well, that's why I asked you. Because personally, I'm the coolest thing to hit the streets since sliced bread.

[Her shift would turn out to either be an excellent choice or a grave mistake, depending on what Nill was looking for. The clawed hand moves with her shift to slip behind her back, effectively eliminating any distance between them.]

But that don't mean shit if other people don't feel it too.

[culver]

[This is definitely more than she bargained for.

Immediately, she freezes, wings stiff behind her. She knows that this isn't him, that something is wrong. But that doesn't mean she can't like it a little, right? But she shouldn't. Her desire for physical contact shouldn't override the fact that this isn't right. Nill takes a feel breath, and calms herself just as she has many times before while training. She doesn't move away, not wanting to offend him into leaving.]

I feel it. Are you sure you're alright?

[cawky]

[Now its Davesprite's turn to look concerned. He looks down over his shades again for a long while, almost profoundly, before his next line breaks any sense of seriousness.]

I promise I won't bite. Unless you ask. Even then, I'm not sure I'd bite. Kinda out of my normal skillset. Nothing special about my teeth.

[culver]

[All Nill can do then is state back. She doesn't know what her eyes are saying in that moment--she hopes it isn't anything negative. But jusging by his response, it isn't. There isn't any hiding the red tint her cheeks take on as he speaks. She considers only for a moment by she would ask him to bite her, and then throws the thought away before it can go too far. Davesprite flirting is almost too much to handle. She has almost no doubt now that the City is up to something. She chooses her words carefully.]

You just seem a little different. It is not your teeth though.

[As she glanced at his mouth to actually make sure of that.]

[cawky]

[He's a smooth operator.]

Dunno. I'm still Davesprite.

[Sensing discomfort, he relaxes his grip and let's his wings fold back behind him, leaving her resting at his side instead. There's a slight shift in the wind, but he's not paying attention to it.]

Different how?

[culver]

[She thinks she should be grateful that his wings have moved--she can see better now. But she's also closer to him, which could be worrisome. She just has to be careful and avoid being tickled by his neck feathers. Laughter might not be a gear thing right now.]

More open I guess. Happier?

[It was hard to place.]

[cawky]

You say that like its a bad thing.

[But at that moment, Davesprite seems to sense something. He perks up a little and glances around before he suddenly squawks and releases Nill, scrambling to claw at his throat and the suddenly too short chain holding the spirograph there. One quick gust of air behind them gives a hint as to the perpatraitor of the incident.

Sure enough, there is another Davesprite, choking his doppleganger by the necklace around his neck.]

When I say "Keep your clone adventures locked down to the apartment' it doesn't mean "Fly around like an asshole and harrass my friends in the process".

[The actual Davesprite gives a quick, emotionless glance between his double and Nill before trying to drag them apart by the hold he already has.]

[culver]

[She is about to reply that it isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, it's great. Not many of her friends open up at all. Maybe it would be good for her too--she's felt closed off for a while, which wasn't such a bad thing when she was younger. But with age came the desire for companionship, if not the knowledge of how to acquire it. Maybe she could start now

And just as she opens her thoughts, he's being choked and she's stumbling back, arms raised for defense. But upon seeing another Davesprite, her arms go lax with shock; she doesn't lower them just yet. This could be a trick too. But the longer she watches the two of them struggle, the more she realizes that he had already been tricked, and that this is just a break in the fantasy that had been forming.

Cut off from contact she has no way to communicate, all she can do is watch, wrapping her arms around her middle. But she does step forward, expression asking Davesprite to please stop strangling his counterpart.]

[cawky]

[Davesprite doesn't stop right away, and the two struggle with one another for a brief moment. Both the look from Nill and the sharp slash across his arm from his doppelganger's talons force the alpha Strider to release the pendant. He flinches behind his shades and lands, promptly returning to standard Dave form so it would be easier to tell them apart. Meanwhile, the sprite sputters, trying to catch his breath.

Dave himself looks pretty agitated, but it evaporates with a short sigh and a hand sliding into his pocket.]

Yo. My bad about him.

[culver]

[Part of her is considering attempting to break the two of them up, especially once the original Dave gets slashed. But they stop just after that, so her few steps forward and uncrossed arms are of no use, except to reach towards the human version for a quick word. Part of her wants to just sink into the roof and down through the building so she doesn't have to face the embarrassment from learning that the Davesprite she was talking to very well could be gone in a few moments, meaning that the openness she'd thought he'd gained would disappear with him. But sadly, that is not an option. Her curiosity outweighs her embarrassment. Also her concern for that gash on his arm, dripping gold towards the ground.]

Are you alright? And how did this happen?

[cawky]

[Davesprite seems to remember the wound once Nill places her hand on him. He does his best not to flinch and pretends to just be vaguely interested in it.]

No big.

[The Davesprite on the ground takes a moment to coil up like a kicked puppy, rubbing his neck. The alpha rolls his eyes behind his shades a little.]

Rebound effect from dying in that dystopia we got dragged into, I think. Not really sure. There's another feathery asshole, but he's too scared of his own shadow to move passed the apartment. Its a pretty cool story. But then there's this asshole--

[He gestures with his bleeding arm -- this time he flinches.]

Id offer to get rid of him, but I don't know how.

[culver]

[Once the real Davesprite starts talking, Nill releases his arm (trying not to worry right now about his injury) and steps over to the downtrodden one. She reaches for his arm then, trying to get him to straighten up. And while she's there--]

You are not an asshole.

[She does look back to the one who's speaking, and shakes her head a bit. No, he doesn't need to get rid of what is probably some integral part of himself. She kind of likes this part, even if he was a little more hands-on than she's used to.]