BUNNY 。００１
Who: Barnaby and YOU. maybe. hopefully.
Where: A street in Somni's business district.
Style: I'll follow!
Status: Open!
( possibly spilery for episodes up to 12. )
Where: A street in Somni's business district.
Style: I'll follow!
Status: Open!
( possibly spilery for episodes up to 12. )
Which is almost precisely what is happening now, as Barnaby listens to his ridiculous explanation. And it went boom. He's just managing to scowl at him again, vaguely aware that his wrist was seized at some point.
Truth be told, he barely even listened. He's too used to it, and he's about to wrench his wrist free and keep walking when the other hero finishes, his voice soft and - what? Earnest? Honest?
Part of him would laugh at this, but the amusement is hollow and mirthless and far away. The anger is similarly cold all of a sudden, and he's left staring at the older man, studying his face for the punchline or the thing that'd make this all fit together in a reasonable, sensible way.
He pulls his wrist away, but stays where he is.
What he's telling him can't be true. But his voice is completely lacking in conviction when he says:]
That didn't happen. Don't -
[He shakes his head, sounding more sure of himself.]
Don't try and make up more ridiculous stories at a time like this!
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He shakes his head before lifting his gaze. Eyes that would usually glint with excitement, happiness and optimism despite everything wrong in his life are now stained with an unfitting sort of seriousness.]
You don't trust me, do you?
[That's said rather softly, as if he already knows the answer. It might even carry an undertone of "but I trust you, Bunny" in there. He had definitely screwed up in the past, but he had made up for it. And if he'd keeping screwing up, he'd keep making up for it.
This was no exception. They were partners, he'd learned that faith is a key element to that. So is trust. And he'd find a way to prove it once more.]
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Straightening, his hands fist at his sides once more. His lips part and it looks almost like a snarl - he stops, sucks in a breath, and starts again, his voice calm and cold.]
I put my trust in you. I asked you to do the same for me.
[A partnership was based on that - trust, compromise, mutuality. He'd asked for his partner to put his faith in him, and instead, everything he'd worked for his entire life --
throat suddenly tight, eyes burning, he looked away, setting his jaw.]
Apparently I asked too much.
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He doesn't, at this very moment, know how to remedy this. As long as what truly happened back home remains unseen by Barnaby, then he'll remain this way. He's having a hard time digesting the fact that things might never be the way they were before he arrived here.]
Will you at least let me tell you where you are?
[It's the least he can do, and even if Barnaby won't listen to him, he'll work from afar to make sure things work out for him here. His meddling can never stop, as long as he's willing to not leave his partner behind.]
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He looks away once more, looks at the towering buildings around them, the unfamiliar streets. This is the last place he wants to be, and the old man is the last person he'd want to be stuck with. He doesn't speak up, doesn't give him a yes or no - staying where he is, he feels, should be answer enough. Go ahead.]
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He wouldn't be surprised if Bunny up and walked away after hearing all of this, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Taking the okay to speak, he begins simply by stating:]
Somarium. [He takes a moment to pull that nervous breath back in once more.] It's... a dream world.
[He waits before continuing, an anxious little smile joining that nervous breath. That's the key element, and he's going to wait and see how the other reacts before continuing. Formulate a plan based around that... except not really because this is Tiger we're talking about.]
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He draws his shoulders together and closes his eyes for a moment. Some of the tension clearly threaded through him seems to ease, his exhalation sounding almost like a sigh. This is beyond ridiculous, even by Tiger’s standards. And that’s what gives it credence. That, and the fact that this isn’t Sternbild, this is nowhere near where he was minutes ago.
He meet’s the old man’s smile with a frown. The expression is oddly flat, guarded, but the anger has dispersed from it.]
Continue.
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Okay, where to start. [He lifts a finger, as if he's all knowing.] No one knows how or why we're here. We're sleeping back home, apparently.
[He's pretty oblivious to Barnaby's inner turmoil here. But he's sure to find out soon, and that is directly related to his next point. He digs around in his pocket and pulls out his Dreamberry.]
We all got a new phone, too! It'd be pretty cool if it didn't record dreams...
[Another nervous chuckle.] Oh, and we can't leave.
[Y e p. He's trying his best to mask the severity of the situation for his partner here. Is it working, Bunny? He's here for you, you know!]
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(Actually, that's worse. Because that means he's not kidding.)
He looks at the 'new phone', then frowns. Reaching into his jacket, his eyes widen once again, and he pulls out a copy of it. His gaze slips from Kotetsu to the dreamberry in his hand and he stares at it, fiddles with it briefly as if expecting it to be familiar. It isn't, simple as it is.
By the time he tucks it away, the old man is done talking, and Barnaby is furious again.]
You're telling me that we can't leave, just like that? [In truth, he's all but forgotten Tiger's slap dash explanation of what happened with martinez.]
There are people trapped here - and you haven't done anything to try and stop it? I can't stay here!
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His partner. Someone he trusts more than anything. A friend. Someone he confides in. Blaming him, calling him out on things that he did in the past that he's not very proud of, that he took measures to fix. He casts his eyes to the floor, to the side, angles his hat to cover them, anything to break eye contact here.
It's hard enough responding without those green eyes fiercely boring into the back of his head.]
W-well... I don't think there's anything we can do. I spoke to someone who's been here for three years, Bunny.
[He really wants to help, but for once he just can't figure out how.]
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He has his Hundred Power, sure. But that won't help here unless he can kick his way out. That won't help here, and it didn't help him twenty years ago - the crescendo in the music, the heat of the flames, the shadow tall as a giant looking over its shoulder at him and -
His breath shudders in his chest, unsteady, and the tension spasms in his shoulders, makes one arm jerk a little. He wants to punch something, but around him is only air and - Wild Tiger.
The wave of something too close to defeat hits him, hard, and for a moment the most difficult thing in the world is remembering how to stand. He shakes his head, wishing he could disbelieve, and then sags, focus falling to the ground he's standing on. Whatever response he had, retort or otherwise, dies in his throat.]
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He may not be the brightest tool in the shed, but he can tell when people are down better than anyone. He's a father. He was a husband. He has copious amounts of practice, and it's paying off right now, as he can see his partner's defeat clear as day.]
Hey, we'll figure something out. [He lifts a hand and claps it right on his shoulder and removes any kind of lingering doubt, defeat and sadness from his own expression, and instead replaces it with a beaming grin.] We're heroes. Not all hope is lost, we just have to make the best of it for now.
[He knows this advice would be easier to take if Barnaby could just remember what happened with Jake, and remember that everything had turned out fine. Barnaby couldn't force himself to, as Kotetsu had told him before, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be reassuring and supportive.]
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If it comes to waiting, then he'll wait. He's waited two decades, and whilst the idea of waiting longer still makes him feel restless and desperate and bitter, he knows that he can handle it. If the city can wait, so can he. No matter what happens, he'll believe in the knowledge that he'll get his chance. He has to. It's all he's ever been able to really put his faith in.
...Unlike his partner, he reminds himself, and after a few long moments of reflective, heavy silence, he shrugs the man's hand away.]
I appreciate the information you've given me. [His voice is curt, a little stiff, a little terse.] ...But don't think this changes things.
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His partner may not trust him. He may be angry with him. He may not remember everything done to fix the gap that a gesture done in good faith with poor execution had created between them. But at least Kotetsu has seen that Barnaby can be happy.
Let's go, Kotetsu.
Things can be fixed. Trust can be rebuilt. All he has to do is believe and work for it once more.
He clears his throat.] So... wanna take a look around with me, Bunny?
[He asks this with renewed enthusiasm, the hand not buried in his pocket gestured out before him, as if pitching an idea.]
I haven't had the chance to yet, so I was just wondering.
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But he doesn't. In fact, he nods and falls into step with the other man, though his gaze is fixed ahead, hands in his pockets and shoulders drawn taut. The last thing that he really wants to do is accept that this might actually be happening, but it seems like his logic is overcoming his supposed good sense. If they're going to be stuck here - three years, they could be here for three years - then they'll need to know their way around.
He, that is. With no company to please, no cameras to smile for, he doesn't need to think of the old man as his partner.
He tells himself that, anyway, as he walks in sullen and anxious preoccupation.]
What else can you tell me?
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He rubs his chin and hums quietly to himself at that question. There's not a whole lot else he can tell Barnaby that hasn't already been heard or said. The most practical idea he can think of right now is what leaves his mouth next.]
I can tell you that you'll need a home here.
[Albeit however temporary it might be, he won't rest easy himself knowing that Barnaby has no where to stay. He takes a moment longer to ponder on that. Should he help him find a place? He shouldn't have to because...
His head shoots up, amber eyes glinting with excitement, as if he's just thought up the best idea ever.]
I know! You can stay with me. Origami already is, and there are two extra rooms in the apartment. [He sounds so triumphant, but it's an honest invitation.] I don't know why I picked such a big place.
[He laughs and rubs at the back of his head. He picked such a big place incase this might happen, so he can house as many of them as he can should they end up in a situation like his. It's not like Wild Tiger to plan ahead, but it's just like him to want to be helpful and keep an eye out on everyone.
Or in another, more common phrase: "meddle" in the affairs of others.]
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