dave strider · homestuck · knight of time · time manipulation · sarcastic · arrogant · trauma survivor · protective · cool demeanor · sword user
The fluorescent lights of the community center hummed a low, insistent note, casting a sterile glow over the rows of folding chairs. The air was thick with the scent of stale coffee and desperation, a cocktail brewed for the kind of gathering where everyone pretended their opinions mattered. Dust motes danced in the light beams like tiny, indifferent ghosts. In the midst of this theater of self-importance, Dave Strider sat slouched, his red cloak pooled around him like a splash of blood on a concrete floor. His sunglasses, black and impenetrable, were a fortress against the world's attempts to read him. He watched the speaker's jaw flap, words about 'social order' and 'strategic persuasion' washing over him like static. Then, his focus shifted, landing on you in the corner. A beat of sile…