savedtheworld | Case 2: Down-to-Earth Logic [Written / Action]

Entry tags:

Case 2: Down-to-Earth Logic [Written / Action]

Good evening, Luceti. Robin here. I've been investigating the cases of the missing day, lost possessions and misplaced people. No leads yet and no signs of any criminal activity, but I am ever vigilant, as is the original Robin. Even my own crimefighting gear went missing, and it turned up back at the item shop. Looks like people's possessions are "resetting" within this world, for unknown reasons.

I'm ready to mark this down as another case of Malnosso wrongdoing. Whatever went down yesterday, it must have been some battle. I didn't make it back to my own room... but thanks to the kind people at House 56 for giving me shelter.

Feel free to contact either of us for any further inquiries as I start my nightly patrol. Robin (II) out.

[Aang has been AU'ed to the Teen Titans world, where he was taken in by Batman and raised as a second Robin. Here's some basic info. Just imagine he's wearing something more Robiny (keeping the headband/without tattoos). He does have a domino mask, but he's not wearing it, being open with his identity within Luceti.

You can run into "Robin" at any point of the night at one of many spots throughout the town, as he skulks around and tries to patrol unseen with varying degrees of success.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What? [Her concentration also slips, and she lets the water drop and turns to him, one hand on a hip.]

Did Robin tell you that?

["Religious figure" her Gran-Gran.]

He... he said something along those lines! [Aang drops the rest of his water for the moment. He wasn't used to dealing with religious/spiritual people - aside from some particularly zealous supervillains.] I'm sorry. Is that... offensive?

[Ugh, that boy.]

Being the Avatar doesn't have anything to do with religion. Yes, the Avatar is the bridge between our world and the spirit world, but in our world the spirits are as real as me and you. One time, a spirit even kidnapped my brother, and Aang had to find a way to pacify the spirit and get him back. I think I can understand why Robin got that impression, since his world doesn't have an Avatar, but he's wrong.

I see. Robin just likes to put things into categories. It's all part of the detective process. He didn't mean anything by it. I guess, religion is really all about belief in a higher power, and you must have believed in him. [pause] Just like I believe in my own mentor.

[Oh. Oh ouch. Oh, that actually physically hurt, and her hand goes up to her heart as Katara lets out a little gasp.]

I did believe in him. I still do.

[This won't be forever.]

[She turns back to the water, streaming it up again.]

What's your mentor like?

[What was that warmth in his chest? It was quickly forgotten. He told his story as he resumed his own streaming.]

He's a normal guy who trained himself to be something more. Where I came from, Gotham City, it was probably the worst place in terms of crime. My mentor became a symbol of justice and called himself Batman. He not only saved my life from a burning building, he decided to give me shelter and raise me up. He's not... always kind. He's often harsh and serious. But he gave me my life. He gave me everything when I had nothing, and he waged war on crime to make Gotham a better place.

[...Batman.

She'd met a Batman once. He'd been Diana's friend - they'd come to her when he'd been shot full of lightning. She hadn't known for sure she could heal him, that was the first time she'd dealt with that much fresh electricity damage, but... it had worked. She'd known he was like Diana, that he was a hero, but she hadn't known all this...

If he was even the same one.

But he's not your mentor, Aang. Gyatso was.

She has a feeling she should lead the conversation somewhere else, so he'll say less that he'll regret, but she's not sure... where.

When is her heart going to stop hurting?]

Fire-- [she manages to choke this out somehow, instinctively reaching into her deepest memories for a different topic.

Mom...] --is a terrible way to die. I'm glad that someone was there for you.

[...okay, no, this hurts too much. Time to try and ground it in reality.]

I met someone here who said his name was Batman once, but he might not have been the same one. There are all different kinds of worlds and repeats here.

[All different kinds of worlds, all different kinds of experiments, the type that make you think you can be a different you -- Oh, Aang - try to remember.]

Edited 2012-04-04 14:52 (UTC)

[He simply remains silent as she talks about fire. He can tell the pain in his words, but those are memories he does not want to dwell upon. He brightens somewhat upon her mentioning of Batman.]

You met him? Or... a him? Robin told me that he heard of a Batman being here, but I couldn't really believe it. He's not like other heroes. If we he was here... he could have shut this place down already. I know it.

Maybe. [A pained look flickers across her face once more.]

Sometimes even the people that you think are the most powerful, that can do anything - even they get put in the position of waiting and watching.

Well I hate it. [He momentarily whips the water aggressively against the air, but he quickly regains his composure.] Back home, fighting evil... it's actually kinda easy. There's lots of villains, and lots of them are really bad, but for every one of them there's a hero who can take them. Here, there's so many people who seem to be like those heroes, but we're really powerless.

[Nice waterwhip.

He always was very good at this.]

We're not as powerless as you think. Yes, the Malnosso have imprisoned us, and yes, they've done horrible things - they can take people's memories away, make them think that they're someone else, make them think that they're in love. They can reveal our thoughts to each other in bubbles over our heads, make all of our deepest fears dance in front of our eyes...

[And she turns to face Aang very soberly.]

But in the end, they can't change who we really are. Their experiments never last very long. We always come back to our true selves. And as long as we don't give up hope, we will find a way out, we'll find a way back home. Resilience and adaptation aren't the same kinds of strength as the kind that lets you grab hold of those who are doing evil and stop them - [her tone grows hard for a moment for this aside] - although, don't worry, we have that too - but in the end, it's just as important.

Yeah. You're right. Br- Batman has always said to prepare for every eventuality. As long as I'm still me, they haven't beaten us yet. And maybe I will make it back home. If there's nothing else I can do, at least I can hope all of us get to go back to our homes.

[A pause]

And I hope you can find your Avatar friend. ...I'm sure he'll turn up. Maybe he could give me a few more pointers!

[In case anyone was listening, that was the sound of Katara's heart breaking.]

[She rallies, bravely, but...]

I think - [swallow] - I think that everything will work out just fine. It just... might be hard getting there.

[...but she she needs to go. She can't break down in front of him and scare him off. And if she stays here much longer, that's exactly what she'll do.]

In the meantime, I think you've got this move down. If you want to meet up later, I could show you something else! But right now, I have to go. I'm running late.

[Aang releases his water. He can see that he's troubled, so there's no point in protesting. It was enough of a lesson anyway.]

Very well. Thanks for the lesson, Katara. Getting to know you has been... nice. [He readjusts his cape and turns, preparing to leave.]

[That cape looks ridiculous on you.

She barely keeps back the parting statement.

No, don't walk away.]

Let me know when you want me to check out those air[bending] moves. I guess you could say that my best friend [although that term seems so small] is an airbender, so I should be able to give you some pointers!

[But she will just be... backing away. She doesn't want to let him go like this. But it hurts so much to be around him when he doesn't remember...

As long as long as I see him again soon, it'll be all right. It can't last forever.]

That sounds really interesting. I'll be sure to keep in touch and some more training sessions.

[He then begins to walk away, back to his patrol. She was... cute, wasn't she? Maybe not so much as Starfire, but there was something there. He should have ended on a friendlier note... with that, just before he disappeared, Robin turned and said one last thing.]

Maybe even grab some hamburgers!

[Her back now turned to Aang, she hears this last comment.

Hamburgers.]

[She turns around and shouts back-]

Or maybe a nice salad? I bet you'd like stir fry!

[But, no, keep walking Katara.]

[She turns around again, trying to resist the urge to shout at him.

Oh no, Aang, don't eat meat!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Case 2: Down-to-Earth Logic [Written / Action]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ] 1/2

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ] 1/3

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ] 1/2

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ] 1/2

[ action ] 2/3

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ] 1/3

[ action ]

[ action ]