heyfreemagic | [1st wand]

[Riddler's in the area, though he isn't sticking out quite as much. He looks nearly as outlandish--his costume is enough for most to skirt around him--but he's mostly walking along the edges of the crowd.]

[He's paying far more attention to what he can feel than see, and he's close to the royalty before he actually notices and veers off slightly.]

[...Shorter than he expected.]

[Bruce is coincidentally also window-shopping, although unlike Eridan he looks much more intent about it. (He's missing a lot of equipment; it's worth scouting the area to see what materials are available.) But apart from the intent look, and the fact that Bruce is noticeably bigger than most of the other people at the mall, he blends in much better than Eridan does.]

[As such, he probably notices Eridan first.]

[He debates a moment before approaching him. Eridan's a... concerning individual, and Bruce decides it wouldn't hurt to check in. He raises his voice to be noticeable over the background noise of the mall.]

Eridan.

[And if Eridan turns, he'll see Bruce standing at the window of an electronics retailer. The intentness has faded now that he's switching to Socialization Mode.]

What brings you here?

[ It's too late, Nygma, the terrible teen has spotted you.

He narrows his eyes in Edward's general direction and stops sipping his coffee, and proceeds to do what any respectable highblood would do in his situation: heckle him. ]

Hey. Hey! You!

[ Eridan perks up immediately, and it takes him a second or two to pinpoint the source of the noise. He actually glances around again after that, as if Bruce might possibly be talking to some other Eridan, and then cautiously stalks over to him like he's being accused. ]

Nothin'. Just lookin'. [ ... ] You're that guy. [ wow well done ]

[Oddly, Eridan's caution just seems to make Bruce relax more. He gently reminds the sea troll of his name:]

Bruce Wayne.

[Not being recognized is going to take some getting used to.]

I don't think we've spoken much, lately. How are you adjusting to Freesia?

[Ugh.]

It's Riddler, actually. [Use his name, you ass. He doesn't actually stop.]

[ He scuffs his shoe at the floor a bit. Being recognised without a dirty look is going to take some getting used to, too. ]

Fine. I guess. [ He sips his drink, then peers up at Bruce suspiciously. ] It's weird. Is this how people are back wherever you come from as well?

Whatever! [ And boy was THAT a mouthful in his accent. Eridan starts heading over, oh god. ]

Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot or somethin'. I got a precedin' reputation to live up to. It was just your unconscionable rudeness I couldn't tolerate, you know? [ aw hell ]

[Reputation. Riddler stops to scoff, putting a hand on his hip.]

As do I, and it certainly doesn't involve minding my manners for wannabe royalty. Especially if they so egregiously struck first. [Never has there been such a mocking voice within these walls.]

What! [ oh he stopped. Eridan almost bumps into him. ] There is nothin' egregious about me! I can't believe we only just got to see each other an' you're already resortin' to name-callin'.

You know what, I take it back, we got off on the perfect foot an' you deserve everythin' I said to you. But we should get one thing absolutely clear before we let ourselves be looped into any kinda altercation.

[Riddler bends his neck to look down.] Nothing, not even that accent, I'm sure.

[He exaggeratedly gestures at Eridan's mouth with his free hand. His anger is actually quite the mood boost.] Is that so?

[This child is dismissed as a threat immediately, but it wouldn't do for him to brush off the obnoxiousness and walk away. That wouldn't be any fun.]

[He can feel the wiring in the lights in the high-above roof humming. It's almost like they're waiting.]

[If Alfred were here, he might say something about that coffee stunting Eridan's growth. Not that Bruce is sure if it works that way for sea trolls.]

[Upon Eridan's question, Bruce glances over at the rest of the mall. He makes a thoughtful sound.]

I wouldn't say the people in Freesia look all that different from the people in Gotham, no. Is that what you were referring to?

[ LOW BLOW ] My accent is an acquired taste what I reckon you ain't got none for. So you can just, [ waves cup ] shove it!

But the point I was gonna make is that I got no tolerance for waxin' inky with anyone right now. Especially you. If we're doin' this rivalry thing, it's real. But it ain't a Thing. You ain't my type. [ thus begins the awkward alien misunderstandings deauugh ]

I guess. [ He feels a little out of his depth, so he draws the cup close to his mouth as if he's about to drink from it, and speaks from behind it while glancing around faux-disinterestedly. ] That and no one's fightin' each other. Everyone's gettin' along or whatever.

You know. No system but money. That normal too?

[...Riddler has no idea what you're talking about. That's a bit irritating.]

You're not nearly good enough to be a rival of mine, and I'm not going to encourage it. But you should know--

[The lights directly above them go out with nary a flicker, hidden wires disconnecting and writhing from their places to tunnel through the ceiling, curl around each other and descend.]

--I'm not going to tolerate any level of obnoxiousness from anyone, no matter how young or important they're supposed to be.

[ Eridan flinches straight into squaring his feet. He's dealt with surprise ceiling traps before, clearly, which might be surprising for someone his age. ]

That's cheatin'!

[ The Florabucks cup is dropped, and Eridan pulls out his rifle instead: an impressive-looking thing, and not something you'd presumably want to be on the wrong end of. ]

Call 'em off.

[How quickly the royal reacted is a surprise--he files it away as something to possibly investigate later. He doesn't particularly want to get hit by that.]

That's using resources. [He actually does, though, putting his hands in the air as the wires stop. Not as smoothly as he wanted, though--Riddler shoots a dirty look upwards.]

[Behind Eridan's back, the lights from the window writhe together to make something like ropes. One of them is covered in fairy lights; he leaves them to gleam because why not.]

You really shouldn't threaten me.

[He sounds incredibly calm, despite the weapon, and the wires crash through the class.]

That's right. See, I knew we could work things out if you just- AAGH!

[ It's not a dignified squawk, but he was caught by surprise. He's rapidly learning that this human is a dirty cheater (by his rules, anyway) and it's only a brief struggle before Eridan just topples over backwards onto his ass and the rifle clatters out of his hands.

He makes a valiant effort at disentangling himself with his hands. ]

How are you doin' that! Get your filthy wires off me, dirtkisser! [ the yelling is only making his humiliation more obvious ]

[Riddler strides forward and casually picks the rifle up.]

Don't tell me you haven't figured anything out? If you were paying attention the first day here, you'd know. [He sounds outright pitying.]

[As he examines his prize, the wires act erratically. Some of them tighten too much, some of them loosen enough they nearly let go without Eridan's struggling.]

Edited (fuk) 2015-06-09 20:28 (UTC)

Attention to what! Some stupid unhelpful clod with no fashion sense makin' dumb videos o' himself? [ ZING ] There were a few o' those. [ DOUBLE ZING ]

...Hey! Don't touch that! ow-! It ain't yours!

[ Genuine distress! He renews his struggles, and perhaps due to the Riddler's loss of concentration, just manages to free himself and charges straight at the Riddler to try and make a grab for his rightful property.

...This is going to be one of those pitiful keep-away scenes, isn't it. WHY IS THIS HUMAN SO TALL ]

[ That kind of talk is definitely getting Bruce's attention. Eridan may notice Bruce's expression growing more serious. ]

Well, yeah. Most people don't start fighting unless it's something really important. Especially not in public. Is it different on Alternia?

Way different. [ He senses going into detail might offend Bruce's delicate sensibilities, so he doesn't. Yet. ] But I won't bore you with all that. It's all history. Literally. Since the planet got meteored off the face o' the universe.

...What do you want, anyway?

Not stupid. [His tone is more mildly admonishing than actually offended. He smirks at the unhelpful part.] My fashion sense is less try-hard than yours. Capes are overkill.

[Riddler makes an alarmed grunt and--yes, exactly. He holds the rifle high and instinctively shoves a hand at Eridan's face to keep him away.]

Don't you fuckin' dare! This cape is new-OOF! [ WHY HAND. Eridan slaps it out of his face and takes a second to regroup ~~and straighten his cape~~. ]

Give that back. It's an heirloom. You got no right.

The cape is garish. [Riddler takes a few steps back. There are automatic doors to his left--]

I don't care. I thought you were experienced with plundering?

[And Riddler's walking through those doors. If Eridan is very fast, he won't need to deal with them slamming shut and locking him out for as long as Riddler wants.

[ That's a fairly terrible thing to relate so casually. ]

I'm sorry.

[ Bruce sounds sincere, but there's obviously A Long Story that Eridan's not telling, and Bruce wonders if-and how- the destruction of Alternia relates to The Empress Who Would Have Been. ]

Me? I just came here to look for supplies for my apartment. I recognized you, and I thought I'd say hi.

[ That seems to bait him. Eridan darts forwards - maybe a little too late, but unbeknownst to him some arbitrary shielding shimmers into place to stop the doors from closing on him - and chases the Riddler down.

He's surprisingly quick when he gets going, and he's built strong for his age. The Riddler might have to work a bit harder to shake him than he expected. ]

Get back here with my gun, mudcrawler!

[ Shrug. ] I'm probably the best troll to tell you that all hope was lost right from the start, an' I don't mean to wax poetic there. It's just sort of a thing that happened. [ He is not doing a good job of convincing Bruce it's not a big deal, is he. ]

Well.

Hi.

Was that it, or did you have somethin' to say or ask me or somethin'? [ he is not used to this. he's awkward, it happens ]

[ Not doing a good job at all. ]

[ Bruce shrugs as well, and turns his attentions to the display window, even though it's mostly just a boring pile of fancy radios and TV screens. ]

I was wondering if you were doing okay. You seem a bit young to be on your own.

[Riddler doesn't see the shield, but he definitely notices the lack of a thump into glass or the tearing of cape in a near miss. Pity.]

I don't think so, fishbone.

[He was in the street and--alright, yes, Eridan was quite a bit faster than he anticipated. He takes off himself. Any pedestrians leap out of the way with panicked screams and curses.]

[There's so much he can feel/hear suddenly, and he smirks. The cell phones and the like are fairly useless for now, but there are larger things...]

[He pauses and looks back--there's nobody between him and Eridan--and focuses on the streetlight above.]

[Bzzt.]

[It flares and then falls.]

Young is subjective. Sounds like your species doesn't have the long lived perk that comes with a real blood hue system. [ ...Okay yes he'll probably live a long time, but he hasn't yet. This is pretty clear. ]

Point is, I'm doin' just fine without anybody's help. So if you've come to gloat or cast your (COMPLETELY PLATONIC) pity my way, you got no reason to!

[ ... ] But if you just wanted to talk. Then. That's okay, maybe.

[ Eridan practically snarls as he tears down the street after him - it's disappointingly easy to get him riled up - and it seems like he only realises the danger when it's right on top of him. Literally.

Eridan (just barely) manages to dodge in time, flinging himself sideways and landing heavily on the pavement. ]

Holy shit. [ breathe. ] Okay. Okay! That's about enough!

[ Now or never. Without giving himself time to stand, Eridan pulls out a white wand and aims it at the Riddler. Heads up - a small bubble shield is about to try and spring up in front of his feet to trip him up. Better slow down there, buddy, or that's gonna be a nasty fall. ]

What--

[Riddler doesn't, actually. His foot catches on it and he smashes into the ground with a nasty sound--but he's dealt with worse, and he uses the momentum to roll back to his feet with minimal time down.]

[Okay! Now he's kind of irritated. And the streetlight's still there, with just enough juice left to flare in an attempt to blind at his only half-thought command.]

[ Bright lights do not sit well with a nocturnal species. Eridan yells something and flings an arm over his eyes, at the same time as he flings another shield "spell" in the Riddler's general direction.

This one is quite a bit larger, because Eridan is pretty angry now, and because he's no longer looking at it, no longer bubble-shaped. It's more like a misshapen wall, and Eridan attempts to shove-throw the Riddler sideways with it. Maybe pin him against a wall or something? But, uh, he's inexperienced. It has about as much force behind it as someone at a walking pace. ]

[What the hell is that.]

[Riddler can't stop a distressed shout as it careens into him--but then it doesn't hurt. Right.]

[He takes a step back and puts his empty hand up, stopping it dead.]

Ah. So that's what you have.

[He tries to shove it back, intent on heading to somewhere slightly better.]

[ Eridan is still blinking away the blind sparklies, but he can hear just fine. ]

Not like you were hidin' yours. [ gingerly picks himself up, kinda wobbly. screw you, dude. ] Give me my ancestor's gun back. Or I'm huntin' you down.

[Riddler keeps walking away, tossing words back over his shoulder.] Will you, now? [Instead of handing it over, he spins it, confident he won't hit the trigger by mistake.]

[ He's angry and humiliated, but all those old scuffles with Sollux have taught him when it's time to lick his wounds and regroup.

Eridan dusts himself off and glares at him until he's gone. Then he spins on his heel and heads back in the direction of the mall, trying to pretend like his side isn't bruised.

He'll be back!!! ]

[Riddler doesn't care.]

[He'll surely find a use for this--though even if he somehow doesn't, the satisfaction of using his new abilities and finally discovering another's makes the trophy worth it.]

Don't tell me you're actually a thousand years old? [Which Bruce supposes is an actual possibility- it's not like he's an expert on Alternian biology- but since Eridan looks, sounds, and acts like he's around Dick's age it's hard to keep the incredulous tone out of his voice.]

Alright, point taken. You look well enough.

[Eridan, you are an odd kid. Apart from the whole "alien" thing.]

[ mildly alarmed: ] GOD, no. ...But I might o' been someday, if I'd played my cards more careful. Or still might be someday. Still not sure what the deal is there.

Just 'cause I'm curious, mind: what's the last thing you remember before all this happened? [ vague gesture to... everything around them. ]

[ Yeah, okay, there's no way Bruce can let that bit of mumbling go without comment. ] Might have been? What happened there?

[ Bruce hesitates. ]

Me? Um, I was helping with the cleanup after an alien invasion, actually. [ And wearing a batsuit at the time, not that Eridan needs to know that. ]

[ He shrugs the question off, and waits for Bruce to finish. ]

...Nothin' was attackin' you? That you know of?

Like. Nothin' was goin' on that might lead you to believe you ain't alive any more. Right now I mean.

'Cause that might blow my theory outta the water a little.

[What the fuck Eridan.]

[What the fuck.]

...No. There was a lot of rubble, but I wasn't in a position where anything might fall on me.

We're definitely both alive.

Right. ...No, yeah, that... that theory was a load o' melodramatic nonsense, I dunno why I thought...

[ He trails off. And maybe looks a little tiny bit relieved. ]

In regards to your question maybe I'll be a thousand someday if I don't get eaten by shadow rats beforehand. Highbloods live a long time when they ain't dead. [ duh ]

You were in a lot of trouble back home, weren't you?

[ A destroyed homeworld, an Empress disposed- dead?- and a near-death experience, on top of everything Eridan's already hinted at about Alternian culture. ]

[ He doubts Eridan's going to go into much detail however, so his tone slips into a more teasing one. ]

Then you're in luck. I don't think the shadow rats have digestive tracts.

[ If you're looking closely, his face-fins flag downwards just for a split second. ]

Doesn't matter now though, does it.

[ ....ew??? but also kinda funny, not that he cracks a smile ] Ugh. I don't wanna think about what happens instead. Speakin' of, has anyone figured out how to kill 'em properly yet?

[1st wand]

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handwave that eridan would recognize bruce from the spire?

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by all means! :^)

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i may have misread heckle as tackle at first

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FLING yourself at the tall stick man

shatter every single bone

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