“How else do you rob a store but walk in, duuuuuuuuh,” Bluebell rolled her eyes, her foot bounced and she bit her lip. Her anxiety spiking, “You’re the one messing this up,” she whined suddenly, “I totally would have been out by now but you’re throwing me oooooooooff and rushing me.”
Making a noise of frustration, bell agitatedly spun in a circle, “What else, what else?!” she worried her lip until it started to get red, she knew she was forgetting something. She grabbed a huge handful of gum off the shelf and stuffed it into her pockets, “This is all your fault, okay!”
“Stupid blond cat girls and their stupid cute clothing,” she grumbled as she stomped towards the back exit in a pout.
Seeing the girl stuffing her bag full of gum, Lyn couldn’t help but feel the rush of sympathy. Sighing she reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. Even as Bell walked away grumbling as she was, Lyn didn’t openly react to the accusation, shaking her head even more. “…Bothersome..” She grumbled mostly to herself, dropping her hand as she glared at the girl’s back.
She didn’t hesitate much longer before she’s walking after Bell, the door to the back just barely closing before it was opened again to reveal the feline. “Ey! Blueberry,” she called out, not really caring if Bell would like the nickname to begin with. Trotting to catch up, Lyn reaches to take hold of Bell’s wrist.
“Come on, this way. I got a place for ya,” she urged, not truly knowing if Bell would follow what she was doing…
Back stiff, Bell’s shoulders tightened at the nickname. Her jaw clenched and she was about to curse when the girl grabbed her wrist, “Hey! Why am I gonna trust you, huh?”
Her bottom lip came out in a big pout as she was dragged along. She needed to flee regardless and this girl did seem like she knew her stuff even if she had MESSED EVERYTHING UP! Bell was still fuming internally over that. She was sure she had it right! Her head rotated and she sped up as she heard the distant sound of sirens.
“Fuck! Yeah, yeah! Okay, I’m coming,” she glowered, “If you try anything, this thing does more then cube people, kay?”
Syx’s eyes widen in shock at the little hand coming at him. He started to pull away, then bit his lip and lean in slightly. Touch was good right? If they couldn’t talk. Touch was so important to him when he was that little.
“Yeah, see? Safe,” Syx murmured in hushed tones.
Minion made supportive nods and tried not to move. His fins fluttered nervously, though. It looked like a baby, but he hated taking chances with his Sir’s safety.
Still not understanding what was being said, nonetheless the little alien pulls away quickly, a quiet hiss along with it as he opens and closes that hand. Trying to get used to the difference in their skin, still.
Again with the same chattered question, focus flickering between Syx’s face and the other fish-like alien behind them.
Syx sighed heavily and Minion made placating gestures. Refocusing on the child, the blue teen tried to let the little baby as much freedom of movement as possible without letting him escape.
“You can’t understand English, that’s clear. Or just can’t speak it?” Syx rubbed his large forehead with one hand, “Either way, I can’t understand you.”
“It does appear to just be a baby, Sir,” Minion reasoned, “We were scared when we got here,” though it was only a guess influenced by their own experience to assume the child was new to earth. Or even a baby for that matter.
“And hungry,” Syx mused, “Do you need food? What do you eat?” the sharp teeth so similar to Minion’s gave him an idea, “Fish?”
“Really? Seriously? Remind me which of us built functioning robots and artificial intelligence again? Oh wait, it was me!”
“Remin’ me who exactly runs things aroun’ here, i’ ain’t you an’ yours.”
“It’s not you either. Fine, ego aside, I’m neutral. Now how about we talk straight and you tell me what ‘around here’ means? Because from where I’m standing I don’t see any great king pin like changes to make your gang any more worthy of my considerations than my Doom Syndicate. Frankly I’m more worried about the fucked up government than I am about you.”
“So either scare me into line, or stop wasting my time.”
“Well, I haven’t seen you around before…” Minion tried to prompt further conversation, still not really clear on if his lunch invitation had been accepted. It seemed so but the fish man was clearly still uncomfortable.
“I take it you’re not much of one for small talk, huh?” Minion shrugged a robotic shoulder.
“Iz better to hide.” Safer, for sure, but phrasing it that way was easier for him. Focus flickering over toward the fish Minion was carrying, he takes the chance of closing some of the gap between the two of them, trying to look more at ease with the unfamiliar alien’s presence.
Trilling softly, the sound is apologetic. “Not ve bezt wiv viz language.”
“Oh!” Minion brightened, “If English is a problem I know Russian, French, Korean, and Japanese fluently. Not nearly as many as Sir, but I am fairly decent at a few others too if that helps.”
Chuckling a bit he added, “It is a bit exposed out here, isn’t it?” he twirled around in his tank, “We can certainly go somewhere less in the open,” he hummed thinking about the area around here, he’d been planning on just going back to the Lair, “Any suggestions?”
The amount of different languages on this planet still caught the alien by surprise when the subject came up. “No, voze are… not needed.” More because Azlariel didn’t know them himself, partially because keeping up in English as it stood took some work. When he had a better grasp of that language he’d try something more.
“Ha’e a plaze vat can work.” Not near home, but close. Useable, as well.
“Well, as long as you’re sure,” Minion shrugged one large padded shoulder. Hefting up the container of fish, he bobbed in his tank with a toothy but friendly grin, “Lead the way.”
“Okay, okay, okay, scared? Yeah, you’re prolly scared,” Syx bit his lip, “I’ll let you down, just please don’t run. I wanna help, k?”
He looked up at Minion and down to the little child. His loyal fish made soothing motions towards the ground, his eyes wide and locked on the child. Slowly Syx sat the kid on the ground within the circle of his legs as he sat. Letting the jacket fall away, he whispered, “It’s okay. Safe, you’re safe. I wanna help.”
He really hoped he was helping…
The same confusion is still strong enough that the little alien peers up at Syx’s face with narrowed eyes. His expression otherwise doesn’t change, asking more questions in that same unfamiliar language he’d used before.
Leaning away from the taller alien at first, he reaches up suddenly, one little green hand against Syx’s face as if he wants to see if the blue is real.
Syx’s eyes widen in shock at the little hand coming at him. He started to pull away, then bit his lip and lean in slightly. Touch was good right? If they couldn’t talk. Touch was so important to him when he was that little.
“Yeah, see? Safe,” Syx murmured in hushed tones.
Minion made supportive nods and tried not to move. His fins fluttered nervously, though. It looked like a baby, but he hated taking chances with his Sir’s safety.
Minion swirled around in his tank, disoriented, “Sir? Miss?”
He’d been up far too late into the night himself on his guilty pleasure the early final fantasy games. He never quite knew when to put the game down so he only let himself play when there weren’t any evil plans in the near future. The shouting and commotion had roused him, but it had taken far to long to actually get his robotic limbs moving.
As it was, Minion didn’t know what he was looking at. Seeing Anna comforting a strange woman and his Sir looking very distressed, Minion looked between them and started heading towards his Sir with a confused frown.
“Wh- Minion!” Syx shouted in panic, reaching out towards his brother, “That’s nOT ME!”
“Uhhh, Sir?” the hench-fish squawked, looking around the room in growing distress.
In her state, Minion’s appearance doesn’t make Veda any more comfortable. Shying away even with Anna trying to help, she finds herself unable to focus on any of the group for very long, switching between the three every few seconds to try and figure out what was going on.
“I- you have-.” But of course he did, some small part of her reminds, a part that was easy to ignore right now.
Keeping her arms around her mate in female form, Anna ran her hands up and down his spine in an effort to keep her highly energized love calm. She knew her own calm nature and her ability to stay calm in many situations would be what would hopefully be able to get them all through this. Though unfortunately Syx had spoken and Minion had acted before she could actually say anything to de-escalate the situation before it even started to begin with. By now, one would think that she would be used to the fast pace that everything seemed to take from time to time in this area… but for now she merely sighed some and pressed a lingering kiss to the temple of her mate’s head.
“Minion, there has been some kind of accident. Syx and … “ she trailed off, looking to Veda now as she realized that she didn’t truly know her name. “I’m sorry.. what’s your name?” she prompted, motioning towards Veda where she sat in Syx’s body.
Minion spun in his tank, blinking his big brown eyes, “Holowatch?” he tried hopefully, maybe there had been a malfunction… both sets of eyes were green… he squinted at the not-Sir… no those were definitely the right eyes. What was going on here?
Syx pressed himself into Anna and drew in a tight breath, “Minion,” he felt so weak and helpless, “I need you?”
Despite his confusion, Minion responded to the plea. His large furry arms wrapping around both Anna and true-Sir, “It’s all right, Sir. We’re home, Sir. Everything will be better in the morning, you’ll see.”
They were words he’d said so often, like a ritual.
Having looked around the tattoo parlor he found himself in, considering bringing Mira here at some point, striking up a conversation was more than easy. Though the blue woman’s choice of topic takes Ulric by surprise, forcing a low laugh in response. “Nah, can’t say I did. Are they really?”
Bluebell popped her hip out and placed a hand on it, “Oh yeah. Can’t really even tell the normal tentacles from the mating once until he reaches out and sticks it in,” she traced one of her tentacle tattoos with a finger, “Oh course the whole thing is rather risky for the male. She likes to eat him when it’s all over.”
She’d been in the shop to plan out a new tattoo, the tentacles were still so new but she already wanted more ink. But this time something more symbolic and sweet for her loves. Plotting out that idea was proving far harder.
His eyes were drawn instantly to the scar, a confused frown gracing his features as it distracted him from the question. Harrison’s Wayne had scars but the very idea of these tremendously powerful being ever being seriously hurt shook his very world view. Even more so now as a scar like that… Not only painful but potentially very deadly.
Snapping back to the conversation, he stuck his chin. He’d been mocked every which way about his name. Expecting someone do so again just validated the coil of resentment in his stomach.
His lips thinned as he spoke, “Syx, with a Y,” he drew in a breath to say something spiteful to nurse old childhood pain, but… he sighed and looked away. So much had changed in the last year and part of that had been the slow acceptance that maybe he did need to give people more of a chance, “It’s a pronounceable variant on my given name.”
His heel bounced in nerves so he started walking, towards the food court. If she was a danger to him it really wouldn’t matter where he was and he didn’t have gear on him to even begin to hope to take on a Glaupunk. Shrugging a shoulder in forced nonchalance, he told her, “I don’t know about you but I’d rather talk where I can get a cin-o-mon pretzel.”
[She had seen his eyes flick upwards and knew he wanted to ask. If he would stop being defensive and fearful, and be more observant instead, he might find a clue or more questions. Still, it would be interesting see what the twitchy little alien does.]
Cinnamon. [The correction is automatic. Suppressing the urge to add an insult afterwards is not. This is not her Megamind, so she doesn’t quite have the right to step all over his speech quirks. Though, it is amusing that he expressed something of a distaste for people not being able to pronounce his full name, then immediately butchers a simple english word.]
And I half expected you to get donuts. [Grinning, she and Fakk 2 follow behind him. If he’s going to leave the invitation for further conversation open, there isn’t much reason for her to not take it. Then again, if he had flat retreated, she would probably still have followed just to watch him squirm.]
“Tomato, tomato,” Syx shrugged off, pronouncing the word the same both times. He squinted up at her over his shoulder, “I mean… donuts are nice… but why would you assume that?”
Winding through the crowd proved not to be difficult at all. It turned out being blue and flanked by a huge woman with a dog meant they were given quite a bit of breathing room. Far more than he was used to since he normally only shopped (during business hours) in disguise.
When they made it to the soft pretzel stand, he held his chin up, expecting to be refused service. He made sure to flash the cash before the cashier could even question him, “Two of your finest pretzels. With butter and cin-o-” he glanced at Wendalyn, “Cinna-men,” getting closer but the word still felt weird on his tongue today, “And please tell me you have the cream cheese.”
He was actually rather shocked when the woman took his order without defiance or questioning him. It was still so strange for his skin not to immediately get him kicked out of everything on principle. The cashier looked up to Wendalyn, not sure if the two were together but guessing so as they had walked up together.
Megamind breathed through his nose, tightening and loosening his fists rhythmically as he worked through the pain, “Now to deal with this mindless imbecile.”
Pushing himself up to a knee, he peeked around the side of the pillar again. The layout was really horrible for a clean shot at the guy… he needed some cover so he could move. Biting his lip, he spun the de-gun’s setting to de-stroy and pointed up, “Stay down.”
Pulling the trigger, the ceiling exploded into a cloud of dust and small debris that rained down. Using the distraction, Megamind sprinted to counter that would give him a cleaner shot at the criminal. Random shot flashed through the dust cloud behind him as the man shot wildly and shouted profanities.
Scarborough shrugged one shoulder, then ducked and covered her head to protect it from the falling debris. She may not be able to feel pain, but she would much rather not have to reattach her own head. Not while in the human world, at least. That would be a bother to explain. So for the moment, following the blue-skinned fellow’s instructions was probably for the best.
With a flash of blue light, Megamind finally managed the shot. Hitting the target, the shooter fell to the ground as a tiny blue cube. Sagging with relief, the blue villain slowly made his way over. Toeing it with his boot, he started giggling, “Ha! How you like tHAT!”
Muttering ‘asshole’ under his breath, he turned his gun to de-coupage and coated it in glue so it couldn’t easily be re-hydrated. That complete he added a note saying “I’m the bad guy!” then started looking around for around for an exit. Just in case the cops decided to arrest him too. There was no trust between him and the badges.
“Sorry about him,” Syx fidgeted and tapped his foot, “I do promise the food is good,” he bit his lip, smelling her sudden anxiety as she passed.
“Weeeell,” Syx looked around hopelessly and sat down with a thump, “Yeah, Uncle Freddy has always been rather rough around the edges,” Syx frowned looking at his hands as he twisted his fingers, “He’s not a bad sort, though. I mean… he is, but the good bad, not the bad sort of bad,” he waved his hands in the air, “You know?”
Looking to Syx as he spoke, she had to work to not fidget herself, though she was certainly more at ease now that it was just the two of them rather when his uncle had been around. She listened to him.. and while she did believe that the food would be good, she wasn’t so sure that this entire thing was a good idea now. Not because of Syx himself, but because of how touchy and gruff Freddy already showed himself to be. Syx’s words had confusion coloring her expression however, brows furrowing a bit as she regarded him.
“..Uhm… not really,” she spoke with an almost apologetic look. “How can you be a good bad..? Isn’t that kind of contradictory?” She paused when she realized what she was saying and who she was saying it to.. well shit.
“You know… the good bad,” Syx gave a helpless sort of shrug and waved a hand as he spoke, “Not I’m going to murder you, evil, just…” his gaze wandered to the direction his Uncle had left by, “The sort of bad where you have to decide between following the law or surviving.”
With a look of faint confusion, he tried to explain what to him seemed obvious, “Good bad is taking care of your family and protecting your people. It’s not giving up just because some jerk sheeple in a fancy suit tells you that you’re worthless. It’s rejecting the faulty ethics of a corrupt city where everything is stacked against you and making a life despite it,” he waved his hand around at the restaurant around them, “It’s surviving despite the law, and the government, and the corrupt cops, and the hateful assholes. It’s not letting them turn you into something you’re not. Not giving into them.”
He sighed, fidgeting with his fingers, “I… haven’t always been able to hold to that idea as closely as I’d like… but I always shoot for good bad and not evil bad,” because he felt like that might need clarification as well, he added, “Evil bad, not bwahaha I’m evil, like I do, but like… serial killers and murderers and sadistic thugs. True evil is the people who don’t give one fuck who they hurt. Not just that they don’t care, they enjoy it.”
His eyes were hard and distant, “In prison terms… if you know those? Good bad is min-sec, white collar or those that got jailed for drug possession or minor theft. True evil is ultra-max. None of my Uncles were ever higher than medium,” he bit his lip and looked back to his hands, “You’re already sitting with the only person in my extended family to ever be in max.”
RP backup 