NOR // PSL

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin would like to think that his constantly being shuffled from dimension to dimension is something of a joke, a cosmic giggle at his expense. that would at least imply that there are true Gods out there somewhere, orchestrating this tangled web of timelines, and he wouldn't have to admit that something like this could be coldly, apathetically random.

it's one thought of many as he gets walked (or dragged, when Robin decides to do the whole "ha ha, I'm a pain-in-the-ass prisoner" bit and stop lifting his feet) down an extravagant hallway. extravagant for the area, anyway. he's seen fancier. and newer. context is coming to him very slowly, as is the part he thinks that he's supposed to be playing. quickly apprehended for being some sort of spy (or something?) isn't really new to him, but he's so out of his depth just trying to adjust to what looks like a Gratian city from several thousand years ago.

he supposes he can just roll with the punches. the worst that could happen is getting locked in a prison cell and experimented on, probably--and at least then, he'd get some time to think. he stays quiet while he is "escorted", pulling together the start of a fake story and trying to decide if he wants to bother trying to sell it.

world-hopping never gets any easier, man.]

Comments

[monsterparty]

[some things here seem pretty standard, pretty expected. politics are happening around him, leading the way as he's marched into the heart of the keep, and the lucky few born into enough privilege to be hanging around get to gawk at him from the sidelines. he's probably seen it a million times.

but a few details hint at actual information. the tension is running higher than may be normal, and those in charge of security seem primed to act instead of standing around waiting for their shifts to end. the accusation of "spy" seems like something they're expecting and ready for, instead of something to occupy their otherwise dull hours with. some big active concern has been here a lot longer than Robin has, and he is just lucky enough to fit into the image of it.

and then, when he is finally brought before the ruling collective during what seems to be an already active court, not every detail there is quite as expected either. granted, they are doing a fine job of wearing their masks and playing their parts, but it's even more like stepping into the center of an ongoing performance than entering a ruling court usually is.

there's not enough chatter. even for a noble court, it's too quiet, too still. the stone of the hall is coated with an alien energy, and the silver-haired man on the throne fails to blink as he leans forward to see what his guards are bringing him.

really, the entire counsel gleams just a bit too much. the woman in the second throne looks rather like a beautiful, icy doll, and the captain of the guard at her elbow it too tall, too fierce-eyed. and beside them both, in his lovely silk brocade, the treasurer is far too pretty to be normal. the delicate black lines that curl at the corners of his eyes push it right over the top.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[the energy in here makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. he shrinks down in its presence, ducking his head and looking much more like something captured and wary before a ruling court. he pulls his energy in along with it, becoming practically human-passing--not a subtle move on the middle of the floor, but if someone here can read magic, maybe he can pick them out by how they react.

as his eyes move from one occupied throne to another, he starts to think that maybe it's not a matter of who so much as what. this scene doesn't look or feel right, but it's obvious that he's not supposed to know.

but then he spots a familiar face. looking openly startled, he shouts in the silence--]

Hey! Asshole!

[well, if he didn't have everyone's attention before, he certainly has it now. forget the king or the duke or whatever he is, forget the guards--a certain beautiful "treasurer" is the only thing Robin can give a shit about. irately.]

What the fuck is going on, here?

[heresyandlace]

[that startlement is obviously and immediately contagious--all eyes widen and gasps skip all around the room, but it's the treasurer who is struck the hardest. his shock at first matches the others, but then his fair skin drains of even more color as a second wave of realization hits him.

it doesn't take long for the others to notice.

the captive's pointed stare brings their attention right to him, of course, but he's still looking surprised and guilty when the eyes start to turn his way. the guard looming right beside him glares the hardest.

Tek turns to glance the captain right in the eyes for a moment, is obviously expected to answer for this... but he skips that step entirely, leaving his place in the line and stepping around the captain in order to lean in and whisper to the woman on the throne instead.

and it's not a short word. her features remain cold but her whisper is a sharp, low hiss in reply, and Tek quickly matches it.

Robin will have to wait a minute during the deliberation.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[if the people in this room think this is some violent and dangerous breach of identity, they may find a little solace as Robin rolls his eyes and groans impatiently. he doesn't look like he thinks this is serious. and in a sense... he really doesn't.

there's a certain relief in seeing Tek damnably guilty and going to sort things out. there's relief in Tek being here at all, even if it raises a lot more questions than it answers--but with a few gnawing worries off his back, it leaves him free to be irritable about how bullshit like this keeps happening, and how he always has to put up with waiting before he learns anything.

so he swears again under his breath, trying to shrug himself out of the grip of his guards. he can't interrupt while a story is being told, but he can sure look like he's already ready for it to be over.]

[heresyandlace]

[Robin may not be the only one to look at Tek's distress somewhat favorably, judging by the way that the guards' hands seem to loosen a little as Robin shrugs around in their grip. the famously unflappable treasurer is suddenly very flappable, and the whole thing is becoming quite the show. in a court so full of tension, always waiting for the next spark that will set the tinderbox alight, everyone is eagerly waiting to see how this debacle will play out.

is this a dangerous spy, caught in the middle of an assassination attempt? has the court itself failed in some plot? is some traitor about to be revealed in their ranks? perhaps some juicy, valuable piece of information is about to slip right out into the open.

the lady of the hall is intent to keep the answer bottled up tight, however. when she finally leans away from the pleas of her treasurer, it's to pin Robin in place with a cold stare and simply state, "Gag him."

the wave of her hand that follows conveys the rest of the message: take him away, before he infects them with whatever his business is. and as a pair of guards in the chamber step forward to help their comrades in ushering the nuisance off to his fate, the treasurer straightens loyally at the lady's side, watching carefully to see that his orders are properly carried out.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

--Hey!

[oh, he is not down with being gagged. he finally starts putting up something of a struggle, wriggling away from the hands of the new guards just long enough to spit out another string of insults.]

You've got to be kidding me--you son of a bitch!

[it's partly for show. offended as he is, he knows that this is probably Tek's attempting to keep Robin from digging them both into a hole they won't be able to climb back out of. the less he says, the less chance he has of exposing whatever it is he has to expose. and to the others, he should at least look like he might warrant restraints--so he doesn't feel bad snapping his teeth at the guy who finally slips the gag over his face.

he doesn't look at Tek as they drag him out. he makes ineffectual noise about how much he hates the bastard, but he doesn't want to risk making it look like he recognizes him in a meaningful way, any more than these people are already guessing.

during his trip to wherever they decide to detain him, it occurs to him that he hasn't actually been locked up in a jail cell for... years, now. nice personal record. shame his streak is about to be ruined.]

[heresyandlace]

[without special instruction, they don't take him to the worst of the places they could have--they know to keep him away from other prisoners, but that is more due to the special relationship that some of the citizens have with their rulers here than anything else. if he is a spy, it's best to keep him from colluding with his cohorts, and if he's not, they don't want him influenced by the traitors who are.

so, he is unceremoniously ungagged and deposited in a lonesome cell somewhere in the dark nest of them beneath the keep, and forgotten there while whatever mess he'd left behind him slowly untangles itself.

he'll be left alone with his thoughts for at least an hour or two before he's finally visited again. and when he is, he can hear the click of fine heeled boots, followed by the iron thud of armored ones, long before he can see them.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[and once he's left alone, he gives up all pretense of identity pretty quickly. with no reason to pretend to be human, he hunkers down in the corner of his cell, puts his head down, and stays still and quiet for nearly the whole couple of hours.

this is what he used to do when the Priesthood would put him in holding chambers and prison cells when he was still a child. he learned early that it was better just to stay put and wait; causing a commotion was just a waste of energy. funny, even after being dragged so far away from home, something about these places still makes him feel very small again.

he lifts his head when he hears familiar footsteps. the spark of hope is quickly smothered when he also hears the footsteps of someone much heavier--meaning he isn't going to get quite the free little chat he would have wanted.]

[heresyandlace]

[no, Robin isn't free of anything yet. his friend is here, but he belongs to another time and place as long as there is another pair of eyes on him. the towering, gilded form of the captain stops just far enough down the corridor to still be within easy earshot of their conversation, so Tek is continuing to play the part that he is expecting to hear. Robin gets to observe Tek in his carefully-crafted natural habitat, wearing his many layers of guise like a fine mantle. if it hadn't been for his reaction in the throne room before, the confidence that he strolls forward with now might have been perfectly believable.

his expression is empty and serious--either an unconscious reflection of his true state, or one last, subtle attempt to communicate the situation to Robin--until he's within a foot or two of the cell. then, as he strolls right on up to the bars, he puts on a sudden, warm smile. he's another person entirely; he's nothing but polite and almost believably friendly. he even clicks his tongue in sympathy when he gets a good look at Robin's current quarters.]

I must apologize for the rough welcome you've received, my friend. I'm afraid that you've stumbled into quite a tense situation here... and, unfortunately, protocol states that the rude treatment may not be quite over.

[he's standing within easy arm's reach of the prisoner, without fear. he even goes so far as to rest his hand on the crossbar, glittering rings and all, looking comfortable in the presence of this person that he obviously knows and expects to have little quarrel with. all important little details offered for the benefit of his watchful babysitter.]

I hope you know that if I'd had any idea that you were in the city, I would have sent a courier to greet you before this mess had ever happened.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin hasn't played this game in a while, but the moves come back to him as if he were remembering how to dance. he uncurls from his isolated corner and stands with a sigh, dusting off his pant-legs to help his heavy sarcasm along.]

No, no, the cell has been very charming. I don't know what you mean.

[out of the corner of his eye, he can see the big guy down the hall. not great. he walks up to the bars looking just as irritable as he had been before, and kicks one of the metal rungs just enough to make it audible.]

And being arrested for suspected--treason, is it? Am I to converse with you as my punishment? [--well, he cracks a small smirk, here.] Because I would prefer another round with the gag, honestly.

[heresyandlace]

Oh, I'm sure you would.

[ah-- and there is a good smirk. much more familiar. they are at least allowed to be friends like that. Tek even drums the fingers resting on the bars once, as if he idly wishes there wasn't a barrier standing between them. hopefully, the sentiment is at least halfway genuine.]

However, it may be some time before your name is properly cleared, and I still have a busy day full of important matters to attend to.... so, you will unfortunately have to keep yourself entertained in the meantime.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Ah.

[his expression drops again. Robin can handle being left alone, but the person he's pretending to be isn't about to take kindly to it. he looks pointedly over Tek's shoulder.]

And I suppose your friend down the hall won't be of much help either.

[heresyandlace]

[and when Tek's smile momentarily fades, it is quite genuine--whether for Robin's benefit, or merely a natural reaction to the subject of the armored man being brought up at all.]

Ah... [a shallow, shell of a smirk returns only to be sent ruefully back over his shoulder. might as well further placate the captain by demonstrating some supposedly-goodnatured loathing. it might even put a smile on the awful man's face.]

No. Not exactly.

[and when Tek returns his attention to Robin, he maintains the little wall of deception keeping distance between them, but he pats the crossbar a few times and leaves his hand resting there. lingering just a bit before he'll ultimately have to leave him again.]

I'm afraid patience is the only thing that will help you now. Just a little bit of waiting, and you'll be out of there before you know it... though, you may have the misfortune of missing dinner.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[after an amazing night, the demigod sank blissfully into a long, deep sleep.

there, he dreamed of somewhere very far away. it felt like waves, or floating, and sometimes he could walk while other times he could fly above the ground with only a thought. he was himself but also not completely present. it wasn't a bad dream, but he was there for a long time, long enough to make waking a confusing ordeal.

he opens his eyes and sees the cut stone of another time, like the house of a diplomat or an aristocrat back home. half-wondering what kind of bender he's waking up from this time, he sits up. he stairs blearily at the wall as the last twenty-four hours come back to him in pings of ramping anxiety.

but when he looks over, Tek is still there. he remembers their passionate escapade, and their honest words before it, and brings a hand up to run fingers through his own hair.

bits of it are sticking up at unsightly angles, after last night. part of his stomach sinks, a wave of nausea and secondhand embarrassment. had he really said all that gushy stuff to Tek? had Tek actually meant any of it back? what in the Haunting had they been drinking, to break their one, constant rule of mutual disingenuous banter?

he's happy that he's here, honestly and truly. but Gods in their Kingdoms, he doesn't want to deal with whatever cosmic cost he'll have to pay for it. muttering a swing of ancient curse-words under his breath, he quickly wilts back down under the covers. he half-buries his face under a pillow in the hopes that maybe if he pretends there isn't a world out there, it won't notice and come bother him.]

[heresyandlace]

[for a while, they are allowed their lie that nothing will change. there is a knock on Tek's chamber door at some point, but the dragon doesn't budge an inch, and whoever it is doesn't get bold enough to escalate into a louder demand for their attention. the two of them are quickly left alone again, to continue pretending that they are untouchable. Robin could even claim a little more time to sleep, if he lets himself.

eventually, an hour or so later, someone else comes calling, and they are much more insistent about it.

this time, the pounding on the door is loud enough to finally stir the dragon from his desperate slumber. and whether or not Robin is in a position or state of consciousness to see him, Tek opens his eyes into a fit of feral confusion. he never wakes easily, and when the pent-up anxiety from the night before hits his system, the effect is dramatic.

at first, he only moves enough to open his eyes, glance around at details that don't make sense together (familiar stone walls, the shock of seeing Robin's face--is he in a tower?) before a vicious, possessive instinct takes over. he has nice things, he's in a place that he doesn't want to leave, and someone is trying to break him out of it.

so, upon another round of pounding sounds intruding into his space, Tek's still-waking patience snaps. with a snarl of rage, his face suddenly twists out of its mask, and he slithers out of bed and onto his feet in one fast motion.

he is viciously intent on making whoever is trying to wake him up very sorry that they've succeeded.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin never quite sinks back into true sleep. Gods know he tries, keeping his eyes closed, letting his mind wander, shutting out reality as much as he can... but just when he starts to slide away, something enters his sphere of awareness and yanks him back.

so he drifts in and out of fitful drowsiness for a few hours. at some point he hears the first knocks, but he also hears the rattling of leaves outside, ambient noise from the other side of their door, and a number of other sounds that may not have even been real. they leave him staring uncomprehendingly at furniture across the room before he even realizes he's not sleeping anymore.

the loud knocking is strangely not a surprise, but it takes him a moment to fully understand that it's actually happening. he keeps his eyes closed, hoping that it will go away like the other sounds. maybe the dragon will take care of it. maybe he can just... keep trying to sleep...

but something deep within him, perhaps the thing that has been insistently trying to rouse him this whole time, gives him a sharp nudge--because the aforementioned dragon is snarling and getting out of bed, and his face looks monstrous.

he's going to kill that thing on the other side of the door. if it's a dragon, that's one thing, but if it's a human--he barely has to go a thought further, he's already pushing himself up out of bed, scrambling to catch up with him--]

Tek, wait! Tek-- [he hisses this between his teeth, just grabbing Tek's arm as his own feet bump up against the invisible magic at the edge of his circle of runes. some small part of him expects the rage to turn right back on him, but better him than whoever is on the other side of the door.] Tek, you're not--

[heresyandlace]

[that rage does whirl back on him, but it's only for an instant and it never actually hits him. Tek bares his teeth and snarls horribly, but the sight of Robin actually gives him some pause instead of more-or-less inciting him, like it has in other lifetimes. Robin is still the thing that he wholeheartedly likes, here. so, his growl stops short and he doesn't lash out--but, he does yank his arm out of Robin's grip, at least looking spiteful about it, before he continues his tirade toward the door.

Robin's fast thinking does have an effect. right before Tek turns away completely, his features are seen shifting, and by the time he reaches the door, his posture isn't quite so feral and murderous.

There's a very real possibility that has Robin saved the life of, or at least prevented the hideous maiming of, whoever is on the other side of that door.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he blinks once as Tek whirls around, ready to be hit, bracing but not flinching in the face of unquestionable danger... but then the wave of fury subsides to simple splashes and he finds himself standing alone behind his little barrier, while Tek answers the door with the face of someone at least mostly human.

he can imagine blood all over the hallway outside so clearly. a huge splash of it, bright red, hard to clean. it would have been... so much drama to sort through and cover up, when he honestly still barely knows where he is or what he's going to do here.

he slinks back onto the bed, not taking his eyes off the door until it occurs to him that he should probably put some pants on. as he does this, it also belatedly occurs to him that Tek doesn't really rip people apart so much drain them of living essence, so they may have only had a cold corpse on their hands, had this gone south.

still. it's too early for murder. just... too early for that kind of thinking.]

[heresyandlace]

[there may be no physical murder, but the intent is certainly there in Tek's voice when he cracks the door open enough to seethe out of it. his voice is such a hiss and a growl that it takes a moment to definitively tell that he is actually speaking the language of humans and not of his own reptilian people. the whisper practically spits venom as he demands to know what the person on the other side of the door could possibly think is worth their own life in disturbing him over.

Robin can't hear the exact words, but it's probably something along those lines.

the only part that is clear enough is the slightly raised snarl of "then she can come tell me herself" before he slams the door, shutting the world out again.

he doesn't go anywhere, after that. back leaned against the door, shoulders tight but head hung a little low, Tek immediately has his face covered with one hand. he may not even be breathing--cornered by nothing against the door, full of tightly-held tension.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he listens. he waits. he watches as the door is slammed shut and the dragon is crushed up against it by nothing but his own pent-up energy. he tries to feel for whatever blood-filled person might have been outside, hoping to catch them leaving... before he slowly gets off of the bed again, pulling in his aura as he crosses the threshold and approaches his anxious friend.

once he's close enough, he reaches out to him... but lets his hand hang in the air before making contact. instead of touching him, he sends out a little of his own presence, letting the energy pool up in his palm. he is here, and Tek can feel him, but it is up to him whether or not he wants to reach out and take him up on the offer.]

[heresyandlace]

[the person outside the door feels at least mostly human, and they do in fact hurry on their way and leave the dragon to his rage. they're undoubtedly going to deliver the message that he sent them off with, but until it is delivered and retaliation arrives, the pair inside the suite have a little time to themselves.

at the invisible touch, Tek slides his hand down to his mouth, peering over his fingers at Robin with stressed eyes. there's a big mix of things brewing in there, but he has most of it pulled back below the surface, now.]

...You're still here.

[he sounds a little haunted about it, honestly. staring at a ghost that has somehow followed him into the daylight.

reality is finally beginning to set in.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Yeah.

[he peers back at Tek, both of them caught in a moment of tense apprehension. the anxiety from the night before is back. Robin, semidetached, notices the cogs beginning to turn in his own thoughts as ideas with knife-sharp edges start to pile slowly on top of one another. the survival mechanisms are kicking in, for the both of them.

he then glances past Tek, at the door, feeling for other things beyond it. his hand still hangs in the air between the both of them, fingers loose and forgotten.]

I still meant what I said. [he nods to himself, eyes back on Tek.] Whatever you need, I'll do it.

[heresyandlace]

[and Tek still means what he'd said. it's not good that Robin is here. he'll undoubtedly latch onto the potential for opportunity that Robin represents, eventually--especially now that he is being reminded of it--but all he can manage at the moment is to hyperfocus on the rising sea of dangers.

after eyeing Robin's hand for a moment, he straightens and moves past him, pacing toward the window on the other side of the room. and once there, he peers outside with his thoughts, until he finally comes up with something he can let himself admit.

it's obvious, maybe, but he needs a place to start.]

I don't know what this means.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[the awful thing about having such a good night prior is that now, everything happening in this room feels cold and terribly lonely. he knows, logically, that this needs to happen... that Tek has to distance himself before the dragon can feel like he has room to draw closer again. but Robin can't help but feel clingy and insecure as it starts happening again. he wants to be reassured, or at the very least, be reassuring.

but there's none of that here. he closes his hand, bunching it into a loose fist as he turns to look at Tek peering out of the window.]

Me neither. It's never been like this before.

[heresyandlace]

[he only answers with a sound of acknowledgement--flat and noncommittal.

he needs to think. he absolutely needs to think, but as the variables stack up in his head, all desperately needing to be tallied and sorted, they're only bringing more factors along with them.

the calculating is quickly becoming too much, which unfortunately makes acting on blind survival instinct increasingly more appealing.]