ROBIN √ 001 √ 3-19-13

[usedacrobatics]

[The gear snaps on after falling out of the bag. Heard in the background is the sound of a Pokeball releasing its occupant, and wings flapping. The Pokemon, a Taillow, nudges the Pokegear towards the edge of—yes, it’s a roof. The bag was tossed up on to the roof of Mom’s house, the gear and Pokeball were jostled by the impact, and they are now both looking over the edge at a boy dressed in a red and black bodysuit, with a yellow and black cape. He’s climbing out of the bedroom window. The Taillow focuses the camera on the “R” logo on the kid’s chest. It looks important!]

Ooookay. Definitely not in Kansas anymore. Kansas would be so good right about now.

[He edges a little further out, seating himself on the windowsill, back towards the outside, and sizing up the roof. He catches sight of the bird holding the camera and grins, the eye lenses of his domino mask widening to reflect slight surprise. He doesn’t realize that it’s recording yet.]

Me not being in Kansas anymore must make you Toto, huh? Or Dinah. Birds holding cameras seem a bit more Wonderland than Oz, but I’m not the expert. So long as you’re not Cheshire, I think we can work with it, though.

[He looks back up at the roof, still grinning. He grips the edge with both hands, and pulls himself up with a grunt, and mutters:]

Since when does this require effort?

[Another grunt of exertion, and Robin forces his body upwards into a handstand, trying to balance on the edge of a sloped roof, before turning a quick tumble into a crouch.
It… doesn’t work that way. His legs are wobbling slightly, and when he tries to swing into the tumble, his balance shifts and he topples over with a brief yell of shock.

In the opposite direction.

Off the roof.

Shocked yell out of the way, Robin begins trying to grip something, anything on the wall while the Taillow squawks in distress and drops the camera. The Pokegear rights itself on the ground just in time to see the bird grasp the Boy Wonder’s cape.
It slows his descent, but the weight is too much for a small, level 5 Taillow and the two crash into the ground, Robin groaning as his knees absorb the impact. He gives the bird a pained, but grateful look.]

Well, you have Superman’s color scheme down. We can work on the rescuing thing.

[He flops over, lying on his side. Taillow uses his wings to shade his eyes from the sun, and Robin gently strokes the bird’s breast. Annoyed:]

I cannot believe I just fell off a roof. Nobody saw that, right? I just fell off a roof.
Batman would kill me if he knew I actually fell off a roof. I mean, there goes my reputation. Say nothing of the mystique. A roof. Not even a big roof. It’s only two stories—and—

[He notices the Pokegear Taillow dropped. It’s lit up.]

Why is that thing—

[Click!]

Comments

video;

[staystraught]

[His eyes narrow rather dangerously, and his voice lowers into an unintentional impression of his mentor.

Because this? This is freaky. Just randomly coming up with that? To him? When he'd just coined it to shout at Artemis scant hours ago? Yeah.]

Who are you?

video; private

[usedwatergun]

[Her? She is a person veeeeeeery unprepared to be on the receiving end of that look.] Well, I--

[Dude stop that's kind of terrifying. Like the kind of look she'd get from her DAD when he's really, really disapproving of something she and/or Sokka have done. Also, give her a second, frowning, she switches the fed to private like she'd been shown during her previous stays. When she's done she tries again, still frowning, but hoping he'd see that she was perfectly willing to answer whatever questions he had about herself, how she knew him, or the situation.]

My name is Katara. You've been here before- I was friends with you and Wally.

video; private

[staystraught]

And, conveniently, you don't really have any way to back up that statement, do you?

video; private

[usedwatergun]

Actually, I do. I have videos and pictures to prove it. [This is not going well. It's not going HIDEOUSLY, and it could be way worse, but it's not going well.]

video; private

[staystraught]

[That's not a bold claim at all.

It kind of bugs him that she knows his BFF's name.]

All right. But I have no memory of any of this.

[He sighs, running a hand through his hair and deflating a bit.]

But I also can't do a simple a back-tuck on to a roof, so really...

video; private

[usedwatergun]

[To which she just echoes his sigh with one of her own, some of the tension dispelling a bit on her end, too.]

It's this place. I'm sorry. It messes with people's memories a lot. Most people who leave don't remember being here in the first place if they come back. I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones. I've already been here twice.

[Off topic. Getting back on point.] I understand if you don't really believe me. This whole situation is a lot to take in without strangers claiming they know you.

[Not sure if he's actually expecting her to send over that proof or not.]

video; private

[staystraught]

[Uh, yeah, he's expecting it.]

All I know is that I used to play this video game as a kid. And that this bird seems pretty intent on following me.

And if you know me, you know that I hate knowing that little.

video; private

[usedwatergun]

That's because he's your "starter" Pokemon. And you know more than I did when I first got here. We don't have stuff like video games in the world I'm from. Or electricity for that matter.

[She'll just send over this video and this video too, then, working as she talks, so her eyes are on that. It kind of hides the being shaken up just a little. She's glad she wasn't on the receiving end of THAT look before now.]

The offer still stands for me to tell you what I can, if you're okay with that. There's a lot to tell.

Re: video; private

[usedacrobatics]

...he's a bird.

[Thematically appropriate, yes, but]

Starters are always Fire, Water, or Grass-type. Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle.

[He's thinking out loud, honestly, as he loads up the videos...]

...ditching work is an arrestable offense. Huh.

video; private

[usedwatergun]

[She lifts and lowers her shoulders, a helpless shrug. She had no idea there were rules. Instead of commenting on that--]

It is, and they take it very seriously.

video; private 2/2 - I lied.

[usedwatergun]

So...? [She's kind of hoping that this clears her, because seriously. She does not want to start off her third visit making enemies of former friends.] I'm not asking to try to pick up where we-- I mean, where I remember leaving off, I just don't want you to think I'm a threat, or some crazy stalker or something, either.

3/3 - I lied again.

[usedwatergun]

[... Oh sh--] Wait- no, that came out wrong! It's not that we left off with anything!? [liar]

[usedacrobatics]

[...]

You're way too guileless to be a real threat. Besides tipping your hand, you don't have much of a poker face.

[He'll just. Not react to that final line.]

[usedwatergun]

[The look on her face is a cross between recovering from mortification and not being sure if that's an insult or a compliment, or somehow both, or somehow neither.] Yes, well, I don't really make a habit out of lying.

[Just, sighs. Thank you for that. Thank you so much for that.]

Anyway, the next town ahead of you is called Cherrygrove City. It's three days by foot, but I could send one of my Pokemon back to make the travel faster, if you want. Seeing as "mom" only packed enough food for one day.

[staystraught]

[He hesitates at that. Well. It's kind, it comes from a kind place, but he's got instincts telling him she's all right, but common sense telling him that's got way too much information and not enough time to sort through it, or not enough information and even less time to sort through it...]

Can you, um. Afford that? I don't want to put you in some kind of peril.

[usedwatergun]

It's fine. I'm already in town, and even then I still have Carla, Kishi, and Arnook here.

[He might or might not hear a Marowak off screen, at that.] He's... um, well, he'll remember you from before, so he'll let you ride.

[usedacrobatics]

Are you just in the next town, then?

[usedwatergun]

Yeah. I stayed back in case there were any other late arrivals. [Can't travel as easily from Goldenrod or Kanto as she can from Cherrygrove to New Bark.]

[usedacrobatics]

[...you are an immensely kind person and while he's still off-put he's. He's working on that.]

Will you still be there long enough for me to... return your Pokemon?

[usedwatergun]

[This is pretty normal for her, so much that she doesn't even think twice about the kindness being out of the ordinary.]

I should be, depending on when you leave. Just a second.

[She turns away for a moment, the feed shifts, and there's the sound of a Pokeball releasing. When she shifts the gear again she's showing the gear to her Rapidash.]

You remember Robin, right?

[A snort and a shake of the head, it looks suspiciously like a horse's nod.]

I need you to help him out. Take him where he wants to go. [This should be the easy part.]

[usedacrobatics]

[...this is just. Strangely cool all of a sudden. He waves hesitantly at the screen.]

You are incredibly... I guess everyone has to help each other here, but this is pretty above and beyond.

Does it have a name?

[usedwatergun]

[... Well it's kind of hard not to notice when it's being pointed out. Just. Okay. RIGHT then. Jet whinnies in recognition for the gesture.] Oh, well, I just really like helping people. It's the right thing to do.

[Especially friends, even if said friends can't remember. And Sokka might have something to say about that. Something about blowing up factories and breaking into prison to break people OUT of prison, and cleaning polluted rivers, things like that.]

But yes, his name is Jet. He should get there pretty soon.

[She slips his Pokeball into one of the saddlebags that she has him equipped with.]

[usedacrobatics]

I'll try not to keep him too long.

[It's something all performers have to say, "Sure, I can ride a horse."

Of all the rich boy things Bruce didn't teach him, horseback riding.

Addressing the Taillow:]

You want to ride or fly along?

[Unintelligible chirping while he turns back to Katara.]

I hope Jet is a descriptive name, though. This place gives me the creeps.

[usedwatergun]

[When Jet responds with a rough snort (as though to say Of course it's descriptive!

Katara understands what it's about. She rubs his snout soothingly but otherwise is wearing a smile.]

Well, from what Wally told me about them it's pretty descriptive, minus the flying part. I promise the rest of the place isn't nearly so... [Eerie, freaky, creepy, Stepford Wives--] ... weird.

[staystraught]

Yeah. And if that promise is wrong, what do I win?

[He nods to the Taillow and starts making his way to meet Jet, straightening his cape. Johnny's fluttering along with his bag, and he'll need a change of clothes... did "Mom" pack one, he wonders.]