Chapter Text
Dave could hardly hear himself think. Everyone was gathered in the auditorium yammering on and not even paying attention to where he was on the stage at all. As the appointed MC (and DJ, but his ill beats weren’t scheduled until a bit later) for their halloween bash, he was on a bit of a schedule to make sure that everything went along smoothly. Time was Dave’s thing after all, so if he were the one appointing himself, he would expect nothing less. Dave tapped the mic, hearing a bit of feedback through the speakers. Yeah, no. Even Sollux, who was off in the corner on his gamegrub or whatever, hadn’t looked up from his *ever so absorbing* game. Typical. Time to get the big guns out.
Dave: HEY
Okay, that seemed to get everyone to focus.
Dave: all right everyone
Dave: lets get this show on the road
Dave: pedal to the metal and all that
Dave: because were all about family here
Dave: but like any good family theres no harm with some competition
Dave: or gumption as the case may be
Yeah... looking into the crowd now Dave could see some of them losing interest. Silently cursing his mouth under his breath, he tapped the mic again.
Dave: ok talk times on pause
Dave: stopping that like a dime bouncing of a puppet ass
Dave: going straight out one second and back towards you the next
Dave: just like were all going back to the next thing on the schedule
Dave: which is
For a moment, Dave paused to catch his breath, looking around at his audience to gague attention; his plan seemed to be working. He made a big show of turning his notes over before getting on to the next big event of the night.
Dave: the costume contest
Dave: i hope you remembered to bring something better than charlie brown
Dave: god damn im already feeling bad for him
Dave: nothing but a bag of rocks to show for all his trouble
He cleared his throat before he got too offtrack. Maybe he should have gotten Terezi to assist with the mic and keep him on track. But John *had* wanted him to do this... It’s fine. It’s always fine. Just gotta keep going on, as they say. That’s what cool dudes like himself do all the time after all; Ain’t nobody gonna keep this cool dude down for long. Smiling, Dave continued.
Dave: ok back to buisness
Dave: like a particularly wealthy ceo waltzing back into the office
Dave: everyones like
Dave: hey boss we need to make some budget cuts
Dave: and then you know hes going to start complaining about obama
Dave: everything was good under obama
Dave: ok besides obama
Dave: contest starts in 30
Dave: get your bread and circus together and your ducks in a row
Dave: because its about to be a real zoo in here
Giving a thumbs up over to Rose, Dave saw her turn the lights back on from the side before walking back over to where Kanaya and Vriska were chatting. Looking around further, it seemed that everyone was already in their groups: Jade, Tavros, and Feferi seemed to be hanging out near the food, with Jane and Terezi helping serve them and presumably share how they put everything together. Once again, Dave was thankful that they had such a masterful chef with them (even if she preferred baking over cooking as a whole). He didn’t understand why Jane had let Terezi help, given her propensity towards inedible red objects, but Jane was super smart and observant, so nothing bad got past her watchful eyes. Hopefully. Gamzee was also nearby, currently eyeing Tavros as he idily ate some chips and salsa. Dave didn’t like the troll, but he wasn’t causing any issues, so he decided to look elsewhere.
Standing in front of the stage itself, Dave spotted John, Feferi, Aradia, and Jake chatting. Of course, the background din was gradually rising back to where it had been pre-announcement, but he could still see the smiles on everyones’ faces, showing that they were all having a good time with one another. Idily, Dave wondered what they were talking about, but it’s not like him knowing would really change anything given that he’s supposed to be the Main Dude™ for the Halloween party — or at least that’s what he decided on after a moment. To their side, Roxy and Nepeta had both cornered Eridan and were doing something to him as Equius held him carefully. Poor dude. Knowing Equius’ hyperhidrosis, he would probably smell like a horse for weeks. Dave made a mental note to check in with the seadweller after everything had concluded.
Finally, Dave turned his attention back to the wall where he had noticed Sollux earlier. Apparently, Karkat and Dirk were now trying to converse with him, but from where Dave was, all it looked like was Karkat getting angry at Sollux while the latter brushed the former off, complete with Dirk there to try and keep the situation from becoming too heated.
In all honesty, Dave had worried that Dirk would decide not to come to the Halloween party at all. He was a busy dude, after all. And besides, that breakup with Jake? Dave wouldn’t wish that on anyone; messy on all sides. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Now sure that everyone was having a good time, Dave waltzed off the stage to try and get his own costume together. He wasn’t expecting that he would get the most votes (that honor would probably go to Kanaya with her excellent fashion sense), but the whole event was for fun moreso than anything else. Taking one last look at the auditorium before leaving, he noticed Nepeta looking towards him with an obvious wink that you could probably see from space. Whatever she had planned, Dave knew that it was going to be something big. A bit worried now, Dave stepped out quickly and retrieved his costume, not sure what to expect on his return in the slightest.