(no subject)

[fearofpiggies]

It had been a few days of radio silence on Dib's end. His house's AI picked up the IMs he missed with 'Dib's not home, pal. He's off doing that dumb deep research thing he does. If he dies, I'll let you know' and that was the end of it.

And Eddie was right. He was doing that dumb deep research thing he did. In fact, he had been in an abandoned amusement park that had been built on top of an old factory site that had lots of fucked up deaths attributed to both places, and even more fucked up hauntings. It didn't help that some freaky cult of demon worshipers had been using the abandoned haunted house attraction as a meeting place and had been doing rituals there for years, thus inviting in literally every dark presence in the immediate area of the site. It was basically the only time Dib could be talked into going to an amusement park without getting him grousing.

When he returned home after three days of extensive research and recording of phenomena, Dib was exhausted, but satisfied with the results he'd gotten. His first order of business was to take a long shower to wash off the dried ectoplasm that had gotten on him, as well as the three-day stink of someone who slept in his car instead of getting a hotel room. He didn't bother brushing his hair back or shaving, because he'd be going straight to sleep after winding down from an adventurous weekend. Once he stepped out of the bathroom, he made his way out to the living room, sprawling out on his sofa to see what he'd missed on his social networks.

Not much, it seemed. He didn't keep a very long list of contacts; the few that he kept were in alternate dimensions, or in the vague shadow agency of the Swollen Eyeball Network.

Do you never sleep? He wrote to Sollux, having seen him actively online practically every hour of the day, over the course of about a month.
 

Comments

[fearofpiggies]

"I don't see why I need to plan that out. I've been basically anticipating its arrival since we first talked about it," Dib explained calmly. "All I need is a second player who's good at taking micromanaged direction, and that's really all. I don't care about this world, Sollux. And besides, I'd be winding up on your side of the fenestration plane no matter what. And honestly? It'd be easier just to do it legit." He hadn't cared about earth except as the place he kept his stuff for years. "And really? If this is what it takes to get the burden of keeping it safe off my shoulders, so be it. Good riddance to it." He sighed a little. "Wish I knew where Gaz is." He shrugged at that and then looked up at Eddie's screen. "See if you can't secure two copies of the game right now, Eddie, make sure to get both the server and the player client discs, and then we'll worry about it when the release day hits."

[apocalypticduality]

"Then I gueth I'll thtart looking for apartmentth for you," Sollux shrugged as it was settled that easily. "Jutht remember that when you're in the Inthipithphere, you're probably going to be there for at leatht a few months if not a year or more. I'll thtill be reachable, but that'th pretty much it. Then it'th jutht a matter of either you winning your game and becoming a god, or dying and getting a new place. Now that I think about it, you can keep some of your thtuff at my plathe if there'th anything you don't want to get rid of that you can't keep captchalogued."

[fearofpiggies]

"I can send Eddie to live with you, find a way to get my car and runner from here to there, but otherwise I think I'm pretty sure I can captchalogue everything else I'll need." He looked around the place and shrugged. "I don't really keep much of anything that I can't replace." He settled back in and shrugged. "I'm not exactly what anyone would call a permanent resident." He leaned back into the back of the sofa again and sighed.

"Any chance I can talk you into playing again?"

[apocalypticduality]

Sollux shook his head. "I uthed up all my get out of death free cards," he shrugged. "I told you about my dream thelveth, how the only reathon I wath able to come back wath becauthe of them. Now I don't have them. The only reathon I can come back now'th becauthe of god tier. The game probably hath thomething that can override that and make it tho that I have to die a thpethific way, or elthe the entire thethion ith void." He paused, frowning some. "Do you have a dream thelf? That you know of, I mean."

[fearofpiggies]

"I've been awake on Prospit since forever ago," Dib said with half a shrug as he looked down at Sollux with a passive expression. "I didn't say anything about it because I don't think you need more reasons to get your head fucked up about everything you can't control. When you told me about Skaia, I immediately knew this world was strapped to a timebomb, I've just been waiting for the clock to start counting down. It doesn't matter, really; this reality has been going to pot since before I was born, and if it's going to get destroyed, at least it isn't at the hands of Zim." He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, sighing it out. "So long as I can figure out where my second player is in time, I'll be fine. If I can't, I'll just jump through. But it's a moot point at this juncture. Six months is a pretty long time in the scheme of things. Being in the incinisphere is going to get stupidly boring, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine."

[apocalypticduality]

"And in all of thith you're probably the motht prepared perthon for all of thith in thith particular reality tho I gueth I really shouldn't be worrying. Can't really help it though," replied Sollux with a quiet sigh of his own. He knew that worrying himself to death over Dib was pointless, especially given the multiple safeguards surrounding the end of this world. But this was his friend, and he'd seen the havoc the game could wreak on one's psyche. It wasn't something he'd wish on anyone. "Here'th hoping you find your thecond player in time, then. Jutht...be thure to let them know exactly what they're getting into."

[fearofpiggies]

"I'm not sure anything can prepare someone for this game, Sollux." He put his hand through Sollux's hair and smiled. "You're worrying again. Relax. I've got this." He raised an eyebrow before standing up to go grab another beer. "I guess the only problem this makes for anybody is that when the doomy stuff happens to you guys, you can't come to my place to wait it out after I'm in the game. That'd just be putting you closer to danger." He settled down beside Sollux again, handing another beer to him. "So I guess now we're just going to have to enjoy ourselves as much as possible until then." He quirked a brow about halfway through his pull of beer. "Oh. Question. I know you hacked your chat client to show the person you're chatting with who's in the game, regardless of cameras or lack thereof. Since I'm pretty sure you'll be watching me do this shit, you're going to be actually be watching right? You know. Just wondering."

[apocalypticduality]

"I'll probably have to actually get you a download of the hacked chat client in order to inthure that it workth but yeah, after that'th done it'd be eathy enough for me to eyeball your every move." Taking the offered beer, Sollux leaned back against Dib's shoulder again and started to suck it down in gulps. After a couple moments he continued, "I could probably have a few otherth on thtandby in cathe you run into any thnagth. Our betht Time player'th a complete dink but he knowth hith shit. For Thpace I know I can talk to Jade. Provided she'th not distracted by tentacle monthterth."

[fearofpiggies]

"Oh, I wouldn't want to make Jade go out of her way to help," Dib said with a shake of his head, "She seems really busy. I feel bad that she 's already done so much for me. But if my partner and I have any questions, I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to ask." He leaned back and relaxed against the arm of the sofa, and moved in such a way that Sollux could use his chest as a pillow. "I'm no good at games, but the way you put it, it sounds really much closer to survival camping and stuff like I actually do. It's going to be pretty interesting to see what it turns out to be."

[apocalypticduality]

Instead of taking up his chest, Sollux leaned back until he was once more laying in Dib's lap, going back to his phone. "The firtht part of it ith, anyway. Then shit really getth good. Betht of luck to you, broham. I'll help where I can."