Are you trying to ask to eat heart tonight?

Why surprised? I would think this is good news for you!

You know what I mean, mister! Maybe I should rescind my blessing, hmmmm...

...Just kidding. Even those threats are kind of empty with Godtier, aren't they? It would be a better idea to snap your spinal column just so, that keeps you alive but in a lot of pain and unable to move. You'd be a good rug with such nice, fluffy hair. Like a baby chick! You could serve as a reminder to all of Jake's suitors, I guess?

Wow, that was really morbid, I am sorry!

Hurray! Thanks.

Can you bend down a little bit?

Now I really want to touch it.

[ but okay, she won't. she'll settle for flicking his forehead as hard as she can, pulling her middle finger back with her thumb and then letting it go. ]

That was the wrong answer!!

It would not be a Just death. That's not how they work.

[ probably a joke, she reasons, but. hey. ] You have to think a little bit better of yourself!

Do not forget that you have met a dragon too! [ plus at least one alien, though karkat is as hard to miss as terezi is. it's probably two, by now. ]

I have nooooo idea what you mean by "hypocrisy." None at all. [ she knows exactly what he means. ]

Maybe... a little bit. But it is very different when you are trying to involve someone else in your life. If you are a little kinder to yourself, you will regret a lot less later... I can promise you that much.

[ self-deprecation leads to self-pity which leads to selfishness and then you find yourself alone. it's a nasty cycle. jade doesn't know if she can break it, but.

you know, it's a lot easier to believe in dirk and jake. ]

[ ah, yes. there it is. her punishment. she takes it gracefully - that is to say, as gracefully as one can when they slap both hands over their poor, poor, poor, abused forehead, nearly losing their balance in the process. ]

Ouch!

[ but... okay. he's not wrong, and she thinks back to the conversations they've had. in the past, she's been unable to really accept things dirk says about her. in this case, she can't call any kind of bluff. dirk's monotone drones on, but she feels like it's a little more firm than usual. it's probably his choice of words. ]

...Do you think it's because of the game?

[ the lack of confidence, the inability to process compliments, the fact that it's just so difficult to see anything worth... anything in yourself. but she admits it, yeah. dirk's right - she's not fair to herself, and it's hypocritical to demand he's fair to himself for jake's sake. she's not arguing, at least. ]

Sorry, I asked something kind of difficult to answer. [ her face is a perfect recreation of the :/ emote. ]

But... okay. I get it. I can't exactly say it's because I want you to be happy in this instance because even if that is true, you ca parrot it back at me! It is pretty hypocritical of me. I am sorry, Dirk. Just take it as relationship advice, at least, though?

[ oh.

jade rubs at one arm, feeling a tiny bit silly. ] Thank you, Dirk. I do not know what else to say, but I do appreciate you looking out for me like that. [ um. ] This was kind of supposed to be about Jake, but I guess it became a mutual discussion, heh.

No, it's not! [ it reminds her of someone else, back when things weren't so difficult. jade, however, doesn't want to make him feel like a ghost of someone else. ] You're a lot like Becquerel was, but you haven't grounded me, at least, hehehe.