(no subject)

[orange_lily]

[OOM: In which there is multi-lingual Disney, Phantoms, talon-fives and becoming a Rider.]

The door opens on something grey and shifting, like smoke, and a figure in shining (and possibly slightly glowing) red and gold armour steps through. Pauses. Peers at the bar.

It's been nearly six months. Yugo wasn't expecting to see the bar again at all, let alone at this - admittedly slightly inconvenient time.

"Dude," he says, and although the armour distorts his voice into a deep, supervillain boom, his inflections are at least recognisably his. "Surpriseharsh."

As if to stop him from trying to leave, the door slams shut behind him.

Botherable.

Comments

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah - who is on the couch reading - looks up from her book at the sound, if only because Supervillain boom gets her attention on a visceral level.

She stays looking up, eyebrows raised questioningly, just in case she needs to kick ass.

[orange_lily]

Yugo raises his hands placatingly. "Sorry, Dinahdude. Didn't mean to, er, disturb your readi - what are you reading?"

What are secret identities?






We just don't know. Or at least Yugo doesn't.

[raptorcanaria]

Oh well, if it's Yugo.

Dinah relaxes.

Then sits up. The book - which has a black cover bearing a picture of a gray necktie - stays on her lap.

"It's a romance," and don't you dare judge her.

"Hi, Yugo...

?"

Fancy explaining?

[orange_lily]

"Oh, is that that Fifty Shades of Grey book, or ...?" Carefully neutral tone.

It takes him a moment to realise that evasion isn't going to work here. Also, that he's still armoured.

He raises one finger, and then reaches to his wrist, slowly rotating the gold disk there back around to its original position. There's a momentary glow while the armour disintegrates.

"Hey, er, Dinah. Dude," pause. Then: "How're you?"

[raptorcanaria]

"I'm okay."

She's pretty good. There're things going on in her life. She'd like to tell him about them.

But.

Um.

"What's with the armor?"

[orange_lily]

Yugo gives her a look that says 'I was trying to evade the subject'.

"It's a long story. I've been gone for about five, six months, my time?" he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I may have gotten kidnapped for a human sacrifice ritual. And, er, a monster may have tried to burst out of my body. And then some Riders may have suppressed it with this thing here." He taps the gold disk on his wrist, with the still livid purple-red marks around it. "And then I might have joined them."

He doesn't mention that he knew he was probably going to die and deliberately didn't let anyone - except Autor, in a moment of weakness - know. This isn't required information, right? Right?

Beat.

"So, what part are you up to? I - well, I've never read it, dude, but I hear there's ... stuff."

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah listens, biting her lip, worried.

But now the story's out, she holds up the book, with a bookmark about a third of the way through it.

"I'm well into the 'stuff,'" she says. "And yes, I'm enjoying it. It's good stuff."

[orange_lily]

Yugo grins brightly at her.

"So, what've you been up to? I don't know how long it's been here, but it has to have been at least a month or something, right?"

[raptorcanaria]

"It's been more like two for me," she says. "I took a break while my Mom was recovering from surgery - she's got the all-clear, now though."

This is huge news, and her grin shows it.

[orange_lily]

"Dude! High-five," Yugo says, raising a hand. "What was she having surgery for?"

[raptorcanaria]

"She had a couple of tumors in her pancreas," Dinah replies.

She doesn't add that this is the second time around, and about the lying, because that's not important anymore.

"And now we're in remission."

[orange_lily]

"That's awesome," Yugo says, with enthusiasm. "I'm glad to see this place again. I didn't think it was ever going to show up again - but I've been at the Rider's, er, monastery-thing, so maybe they just don't get doors there."

Beat.

"Sounds like you've had a really rough couple of months, though, even if it did all turn out okay."

[raptorcanaria]

She sighs, and nods, but keeps smiling.

"It was tough," she admits. "But we got through. I'm moving out, though, now, which makes me feel like a terrible daughter, even if we both agreed to it."

[herr_bookman]

"Surpriseharsh."

And Autor, who had been heading to the library from the grounds, turns around so quickly he smacks his already injured nose into an armored elbow.

"Ow!" he cries, and checks to see if he's bleeding. Thankfully he's not, so he pops a hand on his hip and soaks the sight of the armor in. Huh.

"What material is this made of?" he asks, blinking. "And what temperature can it stand? Does it chafe around the--Wait, no, belay that!" he says, a little surprised at quickly he gets distracted.

Autor stomps his foot. "Where the hell did you learn to say what you said!"

[orange_lily]

"... Er."

Where on earth does Yugo begin?

"Okay, um, firstly, dude, it's me, Yugo, and I learned to say that from just general me-ness," Yugo says slowly, "I think the armour is just made of some kind of undisclosed magical metal. I dunno what temperatures it can stand. It doesn't really chafe anywhere."

Beat.

"Especially not where you're thinking of, kittenbrodudeskiman."

[herr_bookman]

Oh, the kid thinks, and trembles.

Yugo is back. This person is unequivocally him, or a very convincing double, which is within the realm of possibility but the boy doesn't wasn't to dwell on it. Yugo's here, and that's great.

It means Autor gets to be pissed at him for up and dying so inconsiderately. "So did they bury you in this? Or was that just a side effect of the--wait, what? No!" he squeaks, flailing. "I was thinking of chafing around your underarms, not--not anywhere where you think I was thinking and am certainly not thinking now because--augh!"

THUNK.

Here, Yugo. Have Autor's battered head on your armored arm.

[orange_lily]

"I'm not dead, bro," Yugo says mildly. "I got rescued. I'm a Rider now."

Beat.

Yugo nudges Autor's chin. "What happened to your face, dude?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor raises his head and looks away. "Self-inflicted wounds via another person's fist. Happens."

Then he brightens again. "But you're really alive? How'd they rescue you? Who takes care of your armor as a Rider?"

[orange_lily]

"- Wait, dude, self-inflicted ... explain what you mean right now, young dude," Yugo says sternly.

He also takes the opportunity to twist the disk on his wrist, dismissing his armour. "And the armour doesn't need taking care of. It generates itself brand new every time it's summoned."

[herr_bookman]

The kid jumps back when the armor recedes. "Whoa--what! Whoa. That is the most convenient thing!" he says, marveling. "How is it powered?"

Upon seeing the man, most people would probably give him a hug, or say something along the lines of, "I'm glad you're okay." There may even be tears.

Instead, Autor seizes him by the wrist--the solid, warm wrist--and checks his pulse. He sags a bit when he finds one, and glances up with a smile.

[orange_lily]

To be fair, if there was any of those things from Autor, Yugo would be wondering if he was ill.

"I power it. Or the monster inside me does. It's still there, just suppressed," Yugo says, and gives Autor a nudge. "Sorry for worrying you, little dude."

Beat.

"You still haven't explained about your face, though."

[herr_bookman]

He'd pass tears off as strange pollen that Yugo'd brought with his. Or an allergy to the armor.

Autor crouches to examine the gold disc. "And this not only protects you from the phoenix, but also feeds your armor?" he says, barely holding back from tapping the thing. "That's brilliant. And also extremely ironic."

The kid carefully adjusts his glasses. "I already told you what happened. Someone else's fist. I got myself punched."

Then he stands. "Anyway, are you hungry? I'm still shocked you're not dead."

[orange_lily]

"Dude, I was kind of looking for how that happened."

Pause. Then, with practice nonchalance, Yugo shrugs: "Oh, well, it doesn't really matter, dude. I mean, your life is your own and all."

Beat.

"S'a shame, though. I was going to ask if you wanted to stop by the Rider's monastery sometime. It has a library. Archives. People to interrogate. But you might accidentally get yourself punched, so I guess not. It's a shame, dude."

[herr_bookman]

"You-!" Autor starts, and then draws a breath through his nose.

He turns away for a second, to rearrange his face. So to speak. When he turns back to Yugo, he's smug. Confident. Both of which bleed out of him as he speaks.

"I'm not entitled to study at your monastery," he says enviously. "Though I'd like to, and I don't mind being punched."

He glances around the bar. "But since you must know, this"--and here he points to the mottled blue trimmed in yellow--"is my stage make up."

The kid waits for a moment, to offer Yugo a chance to examine them. Conveniently, he's looking away, so he doesn't have to meet his eye for this next bit. "I wanted to garner sympathy from someone, so I went out and deliberately got myself punched before talking to them."

[orange_lily]

Yugo just stares at him for a moment.

Then: "Dude! That's going way too far! Not to mention that it's really dishonest, bro."