[OPEN] Some house apes don't domesticate well

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Casey just wanted everything to be...no big deal again.

He'd been cooped up in the apartment too long, with himself and an overflow of energy and a lot of bad thoughts. Greg had come back from the dead and everything was good. Wash had come back from his home (or...wherever) and everything was cool, right? They were basically playing on God Mode now. Yeah, it freaked his friends out at first, but it ought to make them all feel invincible now.

Why didn't it?

Why couldn't he even figure out if it made himself feel invincible?

The question had left him completely restless. He hadn't slept well the night Greg came back, and there was only one cure for it: patrol.

Well, OK, more like looking for a fight. It's just how he unwinds when he's stressed.

He'd mastered the art of climbing out the window in the middle of the night, though he hasn't absolutely nailed down yet if the people he's living with hear him every single time he does. Maybe after he does it five nights in a row...

The thick air, the sounds heightened by silence, the heavy black of the night promising action and danger and the excitement he lived for. He could spend it skating from roof to roof, hunting Nox, seeking out his fellow night owls for whatever adventure they find after all decent people have gone to bed.

He's got his padding and his mask and a head full of steam. Let's see what's goin' down...]

Comments

[whitescientist]

[ Casey will probably find Eridan pretty quickly, whether he's looking for him or not. He's not exactly hiding, just sitting on the balcony on the outside of an apartment building, feet dangling over the edge and his chin resting on the lower bar of a safety railing. Probably safe to assume that the apartment behind him is actually his, since the lights are on and no one is telling him to get lost.

He's sorting through papers - any closer observation, and Casey will see that they're maps, with things circled and crossed out methodically in a thick marker pen.

Eridan stops what he's doing and glances up, suddenly aware that he's not the only one awake. He's just as restless as anybody. ]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[He certainly does find Eridan while he's jumping from roof to roof. Of course Eridan heard him jump down to land on the bar in a way that Casey was pretty certain looked pretty awesome.

Looks like he's making himself a plan of some kind.]

Little late at night for homework, dude.

[whitescientist]

[ He did hear it, and when he claps eyes on Casey, he can't help but looking a little appreciative. Theatrics is totally his thing.

Uh, it does remind him how messy he looks right now though. Eridan smooths his hair back, accomplishing nothing. ]

i wwork better at night
seems like you do too

[ And because they're partners in crime now, Eridan gets to his feet and holds up one of the maps. ]

if you got any idea wwhere the riddler or the guy wwith the swweepy hair is you should grab a pen
im gettin wwhat i wwant if it takes forevver

[jonesiseverywhere]

Awww yeah. Nighttime's when any good city comes alive!

[He was sort of hoping for a scrap hops off the bar and takes the map, studying it. Seems like Eridan's being pretty thorough.

He gives Eridan an annoyed look. Use names sometimes dude.]

Dunno who the guy with the sweepy hair is, but it sure seems like a lot to go through for a gun.

[whitescientist]

look if i kneww or remembered his name id be usin it
anywway evveryones sayin that but its not about the gun itself
its the principle a the thing

[ He lets his arm fall back to his side, then turns away and leans on the railing. He'd look more cool and wistful if his hair wasn't flopping over his face again. ]

havve you evver lost anythin real important to you an then had people tell you its JUST a somethin or other

[jonesiseverywhere]

Then describe him a little, geeze. I dunno if you pay attention to human haircuts but there are a lotta guys with sweepy hair.

[He seems flippant, but he's actually reading the map pretty hard. Looks like there are still a couple likely places left to search. He doesn't want to get into the whole "aliens and humans" thing again but apparently that's always where it goes.

He shrugs.]

Nah, never had anything that nice.

[whitescientist]

yeah believve me i noticed [ minor facepalm ] remind me to givve some a you schmucks some lessons on fashionable innovvation later on
hes an adult an he looks like hes the captain a somethin or at least wworks in the navvy or somethin
i dunno he just has that look about him an i got a hunch or twwo

[ He shrugs and relaxes against the balcony. ]

wwell its pretty useless noww so i wwouldnt call it all that nice
but it USED to be powwerful an it USED to belong to my ancestor an then it USED to belong to me
its not about the gun see its about the theft of an important heirloom an teachin an important lesson about respectin the property of others
so are wwe gonna find him or wwhat

[jonesiseverywhere]

Uh, yeah, again, that could be a lotta people around here.

[Including a lot of people that he knows. And cares about. It's Bones, Wash, or the new guy...York. He grits his teeth a little. The Riddler needs to be stopped, but he's not about to let this guy go after his friends. Let's change the subject.]

Besides, we already got hair dye, dude. Don't think they let you put streaks of purple in your hair in the navy.

[Oh, OK, sounds like the cause of a few ninja things he's heard about over the years.]

Like it's an artifact to your clan or whatever? Sure, I gotcha. Looks like you already checked the warehouses, so I'd try under the bridges.

[whitescientist]

[ He makes some vague derisive noise and lets the topic slide. There are things to be getting on with. ]

somethin like that i guess
either wway probably a good plan
i can covver street levvel if you wwanna stay roofwwards
dont see wwhy wwe cant do this thing tonight

[unrecovered]

[Wash could understand needing to burn off steam. It'd been stressful around here - more so for everyone who'd been left behind when he was sent back to Chorus and Greg died - so when he woke up to the sounds of Casey sneaking out the first night, he let it go. Casey needed space. It would be okay.]

[By the third night, he was fairly certain Casey wasn't taking backup with him.]

[By the fifth night, he figured it was venturing into unhealthy territory and therefore time to stop. When Casey comes back in his window at the end of the night, he'll find Wash sitting on Casey's bed like he's meant to be there.]

We talked about this.

[The tone is calm, not at all accusatory - for now, it's a statement of fact. They had indeed talked about Casey's habit of sneaking out. The fact that that conversation was months ago for Wash didn't make a difference.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[It's sort of hard to look in your room when you have to go in through the window legs first, but the light is on and Wash is apparently some kind of psychic when it came to catching Casey doing something he wasn't supposed to.]

Yeah, we did. And I'm fine.

[Closing the window, he moved to unbuckle his armor.]

So I'm clearly doin' everything right!

[Casey isn't 100% convinced that logic ever works on adults, but it's worth a shot.]

[unrecovered]

[Or, you know, an ex-Special Ops agent trained in stealth. That could be the reason.]

Or you're lucky.

[It's the same calm tone; it's way too late - or too early - to be fighting, especially if they don't want to wake Bones up, so he may as well head that one off at the pass. Instead, he pats the bedspread next to him. Sit down, kid.]

Are you okay?

[jonesiseverywhere]

Whatever you wanna call it.

[He does, after he takes off everything that can rip, tear, poke, or bunch up, but his posture makes it clear this is not a conversation that he wants to be having. Seems like everyone in his life right now is making a hobby of prying into his business.]

Yeah. Yeah, everything's cool.

[unrecovered]

[Well, it's a conversation that's happening. Wash gives enough lip service about being okay to be able to recognize it in someone else.]

You've been out all night for the past five nights in a row. That's a record, or at least it is here. You're going out without backup, you're exhausted during the day, and you lied about where the first aid kit was. That doesn't sound like you're okay.

[jonesiseverywhere]

Ya'know there's such a thing as meeting people places, right?

[He sucks at his teeth a little. He's just...still not sure what the issue is.]

Look, this is just...what I do. It's what I've always done. Not the lying about the kit part, but the going out at night part. I mean, it's not like I got school in the morning.

[Not that that would change much of anything.]

I just...don't get the big deal.

[unrecovered]

The big deal is that you've started going out all night, every night, and that's not usual for you. The big deal is that you're lying about the kit, which tells me that you got injured at some point and didn't want anyone to know. The big deal is that you've been through something traumatic and you're acting differently, and I'm worried about you.

That's the big deal.

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Ordinarily Casey would appreciate the straightforward no-bullshit way Wash rips off the band-aid, but this time he's poking at something that's not really any of his business. He doesn't want to talk about this anymore, he wants to be able to forget it and keep going.]

Yeah, fine, I was mad about Greg and I may've lost my temper and punched a wall, OK? I didn't want anyone to know because I didn't want Bones to lose his mind over a few scratches, that's all.

But Greg's back and things are cool again. So, why worry?

[starvelingsoulless]

[Alexis is no stranger to using the night to practice -- then again, they only go out at night, so it's reasonable. The Nox aren't too hard to take out, with practice and an agile hand...and with adrenaline. Coat the knife with a thin edge of water, gift it a magical edge -- who can stand against it?

The thing looks like a dog. Or it did, before Alexis went most of the way through with killing it. Now it doesn't look like much of anything except black smudges on the rooftop.

They don't notice Casey at all.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Whoa, who's this?

...Good is what they are. Casey only watches them for a moment or two before he leaps into the action, lighting his hockey stick on fire as he does. The flames illuminate the contours of his mask as he spins it in a way that he is convinced looks super cool.]

Need a hand?

[starvelingsoulless]

[Alexis would say something,but as soon as they see the fire their mind shuts off -- uncontrolled, panicky -- and they dump about two pounds of water on Casey's head out of thin air with a wild gesture of their hands. Turn it off. Put the fire out. There can't be fire here, not here, not now.]

...'m good. 's fine.

[jonesiseverywhere]

Oh c'mon-!

[-is as far as Casey gets before he's drenched. It swirls through his mask and gets up his nose and down his throat, leaving him coughing and hacking. What is it with water magic users and dumping the stuff on his head?!]

...You coulda asked!

[starvelingsoulless]

You had fire. Not around me. ...Too flashy.

[Alexis furrows their brows, looking him over. Bit like a drowned rat, but then again: that's due to them, isn't it? There's a bit of a quake in their voice before they deem flame too flashy, and only just enough to betray that's not what caused the reaction.]

The water's not showy. 's better for making less noise.

[jonesiseverywhere]

[He's not falling for that one.]

You don't like fire, fine. Whatever. But it seriously limits my Nox-smacking potential when you drench me like that!

[He narrows his eyes behind his mask before flipping it upwards to spit out some water.]

Not like fire even makes THAT much noise...

[starvelingsoulless]

It's too bright. Lights up the night. If anyone can see it, and they will, means you've lost the hope of stealth.

[Alexis holsters their knife, tucking it back into their belt and extending a gloved hand.]

Alexis Tucker. You? n' out ov curiosity, what year're you from...?

Casey's canon is such that he could be from between 1960-2015

[jonesiseverywhere]

Not exactly a stealth guy here. If I can't hide from them, just means they can't hide from me.

[Enjoy your soggy handshake.]

Casey Jones. Is this gonna be one'a those things where you're from the year 80 million and gonna laugh at me for being 21st century?