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. )
But when he sees that familiar face turn the corner, you better believe that that goofy grin of his is going to be plastered all over his face. Bunny's presence here has been the first shred of good news since his arrival, since Ivan didn't exactly show up in the best state of his life.
It was one bad thing after another, but seeing his partner just broke that mould.]
Oi, Bunny! [A friendly shout, before he's sprinting up to him. His arm waves excitedly over his head in greeting, the other secures his hat in place.] Took you long enough to show up!
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There’s a brief flicker of relief somewhere in his chest, strong enough to make him stop in his tracks. It’s a familiar face, finally - now he can start figuring things out.
But the respite is there and gone, kicked aside by what Barnaby considers to be good sense. Of all the familiar faces, it just had to be him, didn’t it? And Tiger is smiling like an idiot, like he always does, beaming at him and it just makes Barnaby feel all the more agitated.
Of course he knew what an idiot the man was. But he’d thought that he’d at least recognised the gravity of the situation. The dire importance. How could he look like that, when Sternbild was being held hostageHe barely even hears a word Tiger says, otherwise he might consider it ( ... )
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He isn't about to let things end on that note, though.]
Hey, wait a second! [He quickly catches up, and is once again hovering over his partner.] Are you all right, Bunny?
[All of this was starting to piece together in his mind. Ivan asking about Jake and those oh so familiar injuries he arrived with. And Bunny's attitude toward him was reminiscent of that time when he...]
... Did I do something wrong?
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That was, if Sternbild didn't come crashing down around their ears.
That is, if he can get back to Sternbild. And for all he wouldn't leave the other hero here, he sure as hell has no intent of letting him ruin things again. Why can't you trust me?
But his composure was neatly snapped at Tiger's next question. He froze where he stood, head lowering, shoulders drawn tight together.
(There was a genuinely logical part of his mind, aside from his anger, that realized then that this wasn't right. Tiger had thrown their partnership in his face, but he'd known about it, and this was a far cry from him running up to try and apologize. Unless this was some bizarre, stupid way of dealing with it. ( ... )
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That wasn't the only thing that stung though. Barnaby had been so much different after the incident with Jake. He was happier, something Kotetsu himself was happy to see, as if a burden had been lifted. But apparently, according to both Barnaby and Ivan, that burden was still heavy on their shoulders. He could help them back home, and he had, but here... all he could do was explain.
And if his partner really couldn't trust him anymore, then how could he take his word on this?]
No... I haven't forgotten what happened. [He throws his arms out before him.] We already stopped Jake! You were losing and I figured out how to stop him, and then I came to help you! [He take's Barnaby by the wrist and points to his hand.] I gave you a bomb, and I told you it was ultrasonic but it was actually stun and ( ... )
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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 ( ... )
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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 ( ... )
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