[OPEN] Far from Skid Row, I dream we'll go

[guerrilla]

Who: Robin Hood, and anyone unfortunate enough to be in his general vicinity
When: Nebulously between the arrival in Cochrane and now
Where: Gammon
What: Robin Hood is an idiot and a scoundrel, do not associate with him.
Rating: Probably not.

[Arriving in a whole new city is really exciting! For about 0.04 seconds, and then it's time to just immediately fuck off and go roughing it in the country. He's spent an entire month getting to know Caissa, and he'll probably go through a similar canvassing process for Cochrane, but...maybe later. For now, Robin can be found in the following places:]

i. hello from the other side (inn).

[If he's even here at all, it's probably either to sleep or to immediately leave as soon as he wakes up. He's only just gotten used to Caissa, so being shuffled off to another huge city is pretty irritating. And that's not even taking into account that he's expected to fight in some war - that part doesn't bother him as much as it might other people, but if he's going to have to do something unpleasant he might as well enjoy himself until then.

And that means not sticking around any longer than he has to, so he can probably be found doing things like sliding down banisters or jumping halfway down a set of stairs so he can spend 2 fewer seconds indoors on his way out. Watch out, guys.]

ii. tourist trap.

[The countryside of Gammon is supposed to be beautiful, and that's where Robin is spending the majority of his time. Maybe other people are, too! And maybe they're observant enough to notice the pitfall trap a few steps ahead of them, but if they aren't, they're gonna have a bad time.

It's not very deep, and it should be pretty easy to climb out of, unless someone particularly short falls in. It's an annoyance at worst, but what might be more annoying than the trap itself is Robin laughing at anyone unfortunate enough to fall for it from his perch in a nearby tree.

Should someone avoid the trap, it wouldn't be unnatural to look around for who set it up, and while Robin is mostly wearing green, that red hair of his sure stands out when someone is looking for it. For his part, he'll just give anyone who doesn't fall in the most disappointed look.]

iii. mission fae-led.

[When Robin isn't being a jackass to people he might not even know, he's...actually, he's always being a jackass to people he might not even know. And that's not even strictly limited to other people. Raised as a druid, he's always been particularly sensitive to fairies, and seeing as people shunned him for this ability, he tends to prefer the company of fairies to that of his fellow human beings.

The fairies in Blanc are...not exactly the same as the ones he's acquainted with, but similar enough to be comfortable with them. The fairies in Gammon are...to put it bluntly, less willing to put up with his bullshit than any of the other kinds he's met. That's why he's got one climbing up his back, and another one chasing his Carrier around. He looks like a babysitter who got stuck with two overbearing children.

Incidentally, the Carrier, for such a small bird, seems to be putting up a pretty good fight. It's a plucky little thing.]

iv. wildcard.

[hmu if you want to do something else instead!]

Comments

[sealeted]

Right, right.

[She hums noncommittally and braces her leg against the pit ledge when it was close, and scaled up the last foot or so herself. She straightens up and pecks his cheek in one fluid little hop, clapping him on the shoulder.]

There you go, extortionist.

[guerrilla]

It's not extortion if you're the one forcing it on me!

[UGH. He wipes his cheek with his hand, griping under his breath. At least she doesn't smell like a winery this time.]

I should've just made you get out yourself.

[sealeted]

You threatened to do that when I said I wouldn't kiss you.

[What an ungrateful, contrary man.]

[guerrilla]

I threatened to leave you in there for sassing me, you brat! Don't think so highly of yourself!

[Being Robin is truly suffering, but he does it to himself.]

[sealeted]

If I'm a brat, then you're too petty to be called an adult.

[What was that? You want extra sass? You got it.]

[guerrilla]

If people stopped giving me reasons to be petty, maybe I wouldn't be.

[That doesn't even make sense.]

[sealeted]

Oh yeah?

[She gestures expansively.]

Go ahead. Tell me the inspiration for the hole.

[guerrilla]

You're the one who said I needed a break.

[This is his idea of a break, apparently.]

[sealeted]

This is your hobby, huh? Trapping girls in the middle of the forest?

[guerrilla]

You can think of it as a gracious, first-hand lesson about paying attention to what's in front of you. You know me, I'm all about helping people.

[The sarcasm in his voice is so sharp it could kill a man.]

[sealeted]

....right, well.

[Moving on!]

I was looking for you, anyways. Have lunch with me?

[guerrilla]

I'll pass. This pitfall isn't gonna reset itself.

[If he's going to be fighting in a war, he may as well make sure he's up to his own...standards, when it comes to this sort of thing. Duping people into falling for a harmless trap like this so he can laugh at them is one of the only ways he knows how to feel even a little less worthless for relying on things like this.]

Besides, I make it a general rule not to let anyone I've pissed off recently treat me to anything.

[His general rule is not to let anyone treat him to anything, ever, actually, but it's close enough.]

[sealeted]

I brought it with me, so we can eat here.

[She pats the bag on her back, grateful that she at least fell forward rather than backwards.]

Besides, if I haven't born a grudge until now, you being a pervert shouldn't be enough to tip the scales, should it?

[guerrilla]

Here's a hint from someone who's been around a lot longer than you, kid. If you want someone to spend time with you, maybe don't call them a pervert.

[He hasn't left yet, which is probably a good sign, but he has absolutely no intention of eating anything she's brought with her.]

[sealeted]

Here's a hint from somebody who's been around for less than a year. If you don't want someone to call you a pervert, maybe don't look up their skirt multiple times.

[guerrilla]

If you don't want people looking up your skirt, don't climb all over them while they're upside-down. The only way I could look to see what was going on was up, you know.

[He fusses with a small pile of sticks, working on remaking the cover for the pitfall.]

1/2

[sealeted]

For some insane reason, I thought you might at least hesitate to comment on it.

[She watches him work with obvious interest, shuffling up behind him and shifting her weight from hip to hip as she waits for him to finish.]

I mean, you went a while without doing it, I'll give you that.

[sealeted]

And, to be fair, I was kind of rescuing you, so don't forget—

[Quick as a bunny, there's a small foot planted in his back, with a surprising amount of force almost entirely focused and trained thanks to Jae-ha, in an effort to knock him into his own pit.

She keeps speaking, without the slightest pause.]

—you kind of owe me for that. I helped save your dignity, you know?

[guerrilla]

[>implying he ever had any in the first place

It takes him a minute to orient himself when he suddenly finds himself flat on his face in a pitfall of his own design, but when he straightens up to face her, there's a steely wariness in his eyes. He's more or less unhurt, but this only serves as a reinforcement of his paranoid belief that he can't let his guard down for even a second. It might seem ridiculous to other people - all Hakuno did was give him a harmless shove, after all, but that he dropped his guard enough for her to do it is...

It's terrifying, frankly, because after two years of living in situations where something like this would get him killed, he doesn't know how else to respond to it.

Something has snapped shut, as sudden and viciously as a bear trap.]

Like hell I owe you for anything.

[sealeted]

[Hakuno settles down on the edge of the pitfall, her knees together but her feet swinging idly—just shy of giving him his third show. She leans forward to look down at him, her chin braced on the heel of her palm. The sunlight filtering down from the trees dapples her with light, making her eyes seem a bit deeper, a bit darker, but also catching on something not quite hidden by her neckline and glinting red.

His pendant.

After a moment, she breaks the thoughtful little silence she had subsided into as she effectively stripped him with her gaze.]

Mm. You don't. It's more the other way around, all things considered. But, unfortunately, it turns out I'm actually a really selfish, stubborn person; even if you ask, I don't think I can leave you alone or let you shove me away.

[guerrilla]

What makes you think we're close enough for you to even be in shoving distance?

[As far as Robin is concerned, as long as he'd still be willing to kill someone if it benefited him, they're not friends. And so far, there isn't a single person here who's met that criteria. Not even Hakuno.]

[sealeted]

You're just about the closest thing I have to a childhood friend.

[Is she... joking? Is that a sad, terrible truth? Maybe. She blinks, and tilts her head.

Maybe.]

And, you're also somebody I was really jealous of, a little bit. There wasn't really a time to tell you that, back then, but it got worse the longer I fought.

[guerrilla]

Yeah, my position was really something to be envied, all right. Who wouldn't want to be thrust into some pointless war with a Master who forced their loss?

[Who wouldn't want to have to come to terms in the worst way possible that you're useless without all of the things about yourself that you hate? As easy as it is to blame Blackmore for taking away his way of fighting back, the fact that he didn't have anything else is ultimately what cost them the second round.

Two years of hell define Robin's entire existence. Take that away, and there's nothing left - there's nothing to be jealous of.]

[sealeted]

...how big was that village?

[She doesn't expect him to answer. She would fall over in shock if he did, honestly, so she continues on, her soft, quiet voice piercing in the stillness of the afternoon.]

A thousand? A hundred? ...more than just two people, right?

[Her mouth twists into something that could almost be called a smile, if it weren't so... bitter isn't the right word. It's a breed of bitterness, a kissing-cousin to it, shot through with a generous helping of naked self-loathing.]

Even if you hated every moment... even if there was only survival to cling to and desperately stumble towards, no matter how much you wanted to... to find some other way. In the end, even if they would have cut you down themselves, given half the chance—you managed to save them. Maybe they resented you, and for all I know you could have regretted it in those last, those last, lonely seconds, but—

[Her voice cuts out. Helplessly, brokenly, all she can say is—]

...did you know? The opponents I faced... before you, and directly after. Both of them were just children.

[guerrilla]

You don't get to talk about me like you understand.

[His tone is carefully neutral; Hakuno is treading on very shaky ground, but he tries to put his thoughts into words anyway.]

I don't really care about what happened to you, or who you happened to kill. You would have died if you hadn't killed them, right?

[It's not anything to be proud of, that's for sure, but...]

Sitting here feeling sorry for yourself is the same thing as insulting them, insulting me, and insulting my Master. You have a lot of nerve to sulk like this when you killed all of us for the sake of your own survival. I mean, I know I'm not worth the effort, but if you really care about those kids, then shut up and get over it. They didn't die just so you could throw a goddamn pity party.

[Bite your tongue and keep going, even if it's the most miserable experience of your life. Once someone else's life is on your shoulders, you can't afford to feel sorry for yourself anymore.

Robin's first victim was the man he'd been, so maybe that's why it's easier for him to detach himself from the people he killed. Maybe he just got used to it, maybe it was because never having any meaningful relationships meant he didn't think too hard about permanently snuffing out other people's. Whatever the case, this is probably the only advantage he has, from an emotional standpoint.

It's really, really easy not to feel anything at all. Not for himself, and not for the girl sitting at the edge of the pit.]

If you were just going to end up like this, you should have let me kill you.