(no subject)

[stridercentric]

Who: Bro Strider and AAANYONE | later Bro and Ron DeLite.
When: Saturday afternoon.
Where: The general shopping area in the plaza.
Style: Action
Status: First half is open | second half is closed!


[It's been about two weeks since Bro arrived in Vatheon and he's settling in quite nicely. However, he found there's one thing his apartment is lacking severely. Surely Davesprite won't mind a few Smuppets lying around. And maybe one or two normal puppets, if Bro can find the time, energy and resources to provide them, but Smuppets are so much easier to make and so much more hilarious.

Of course, he still tends to get distracted by all the free shit in the stores and what started out as a quick run for some sewing supplies ended up as a small shopping spree. He's browsing every single store that doesn't require tokens to score things he deems 'useful'. Baseball caps, junkfood, small electrical appliances that can be recycled... A cookbook to leave around the kitchen ironically, because he and Davesprite both know he'll never ever use the kitchen for cooking... And of course, boatloads of fabric, felt and plush stuffing. It's all going straight into the huge pink backpack he's holding. Yes, it's pink. He's waiting to see if anyone will comment on it.

Lil Cal is hanging from his shoulders again because, let's face it. If you're going to do ironic shopping for puppet supplies, you need to bring your prized puppet. That's just common sense. For the final touch, he's whistling the Mahna Mahna as he goes.]


---

[Once he's dumped all his new stuff and Lil Cal in a corner of the apartment, he sets out to corner Ron DeLite. He figured today's as good a day as any to scare the everliving shit out of this guy and begin the epic vigilante training. As much as he trolled Ron about this hero facade, he's dead serious about toughening him up.

Finding out where Ron lives was so easy it's almost depressing. Of course, being depressed about that sort of thing is what makes it ironic and that, in turn, makes it okay again. The philosophy behind living an ironic lifestyle is nothing to scoff at. Double the ironic depression for the fact that Ron left his window open. If you're going to be a vigilante with a secret identity, you do not leave your window open ever.

So he peers inside from a stategic location atop another building across the street, to make sure he barges in at just the right time. Ron doesn't seem to be doing anything of interest, so the coast is clear. Set phasers to troll! It's only the third floor, he can make it in there with ease. Flashstep, lunge, through the window and touchdown! He's so smooth, he doesn't even make a sound when his feet touch the ground. Of course, he'll make his presence know immediately by knocking on the windowsill behind him.

Sup Ron, Shades¤DeShade is in your home.]

Comments

[prissykid]

[Joshua has been in need of making a run for sewing supplies himself, but mostly for the purposes of repairing clothing rather than making anything. And it's here that he finds himself in the company of a rather familiar looking dude.]

I didn't think many people knew that tune.

[Yup, that's all this kid's commenting about.]

[stridercentric]

[Joshua sort of hit the nail on the head with that remark. Curiosity of how many people would even recognize the tune is what prompted Bro to start whistling it in the first place. Truly, how many worlds are familiar with the Muppets is a one of the universe's greatest questions.

He grins widely, shifting his stance a little as he turns to face Joshua.]

In this place? Probably not too many at all. And what a crime it is.

[prissykid]

Indeed, they are completely oblivious to how irritatingly catchy the song is. I think I'll be hearing that in my head for the rest of the week.

[He simply smiles back.]

A good thing our worlds seem to have that much in common.

[stridercentric]

[If Joshua does end up hearing that song in his head for the rest of the week, Bro will consider his day well spent already.]

Any other world that has the Muppets is okay in my book. I'm gonna take a wild shot in the dark here and guess you're from Earth.

[prissykid]

[It'll be a mystery.]

Your guess would be absolutely correct. Specifically, I'm from Shibuya, a district within Tokyo, Japan.

[stridercentric]

[Ohoh. Otaku senses tingling!]

Oh yeah? I'm from Texas, myself. It's pretty ironic, seein' as some people say the US and Japan are worlds apart.

[prissykid]

[Excellent.]

I wouldn't be one of those people who thought that. I do confess that the only Americans I've ever seen are tourists, and I've never actually visited America myself. Still, I don't think there's a terrible difference between the two cultures.

[stridercentric]

Naw, it's because of ridiculous shit like trains in Japan actually running on time and sitting on the ground when you eat. Folks like to blow it outta proportion.

[prissykid]

I find it rather flattering that our trains appear to run on time.

[White and black threads are so going into the basket. Now to figure out what colors match the rest of his wardrobe.]

What brings you to this particular shop, out of curiosity?

[stridercentric]

[Oh, he didn't mean trains running on time is ridiculous. There are some train companies in the US who might find the concept ridiculous, but that's not the point. He meant people pick ridiculous little things to illustrate how straaange Japan is.

Aaanywho.]

You mean aside from the fabrics and sewing supplies?

[prissykid]

[Who's trolling whom, though? That's the real question.]

Would that be the only reason?

[stridercentric]

[The easiest way out is to say they're both winning at trolling.]

I heard a rumor about bigscreen highdef TVs, but somethin' tells me I've been hoodwinked pretty damn bad.

[prissykid]

[Sounds like a good compromise.]

A terrible shame! It might have come true a couple of years ago, and you missed out on it.

[dancinglydescend]

[Ron squeaks and jumps at the knock, jumping towards the door before realizing it came from behind him--

His alarm vanishes under a wave of excitement when he sees Mr. DeShade there; if he were a puppy, his tail would be wagging.] Mr. DeShade! You should have told me you'd be coming by! Did you come in through the window? That's amazing, I didn't hear you at all!

[To borrow the phrase: soooooo cooooool!!!]

[stridercentric]

[Oh Ron. Ron no. So much misplaced excitement. Bro will teach him to dread the moment he comes knocking again. Or at least put on a proper pokerface. Like the one he's wearing right now.]

Simmer down, kid. I told you to be ready at any time, so here I am. [He folds his hands behind his back and starts striding through the room, looking left and right, almost like he's inspecting it. Which he is, in a way. There's a great lack of weapons in here. He suspected that, of course.]

[dancinglydescend]

Oh, right, of course! [Ron straightens up and tries to look at least slightly competent as Bro surveys his fairly bare apartment. Ron's gotten a few mystery novels, some clothes, and (in a round hat box in the bottom of his closet) a large, floppy green hat and a cheap domino mask.

Otherwise, the apartment is barely lived in.]

[stridercentric]

[It's a good thing Bro won't go so far as to inspect the closets. Maybe some other time, but right now he's sticking to the living room area. He continues to pace around with slow strides as he speaks.]

First thing we've gotta do is analyze your personality. See what motivates you, what sort of choices you make. See what makes you tick. That's why you'll be subjected to... [He reaches into his pocket, takes out a piece of paper, unfolds it and slams it down on the hard surface of the table.] A pop quiz.

[dancinglydescend]

[Ron salutes, absurdly, and chirps,] Yes sir, Mr. DeShade! [without the least hint of irony or awareness of how silly a pop quiz is. He sits at the table and fishes a pen out of his pocket, and asks, brightly,] Is it going to be timed?

[stridercentric]

[You know Ron, gullible is a word that can't be found in the dictionary. True fact, look it up.]

You bet your ass it's gonna be timed! Three minutes, and the clock starts... Fifteen seconds ago. Better hop to it! Failing the test will result in punishment.

[The best part is that Bro isn't actually wearing a watch. He's going to stop Ron whenever he feels like it. The test consists of twenty various questions, some relevant and some... not so much. A few notable examples are "Were your parents murdered before your eyes?", "Do you cry when you stub your toe?", "Would you arrest a man for kicking a puppy?", "What are the most important qualities of a sidekick?" and "Is the pen mightier than the sword?". The final question of the test is "What is this I don't even?"

Enjoy, Ron.]

[dancinglydescend]

[With a squeak, Ron sets to scribbling, as fast as he can but also as honestly.

His replies to those questions in particular: "No," "Only sometimes," "Yes, that's cruel!" "Bravery, loyalty, dependability!" and "DePENds on the sword!", respectively.

Yeah he totally just made a pun there.

Does he get to finish before Bro calls time?]

[stridercentric]

[If Ron gets to all the questions within roughly four minutes' time, then yes, he gets to finish. As he waits, Bro leans back against the wall, right next to the window to assess the apartment further. It's got a few suitable nooks and crannies for boobytraps. Not as many as he'd like, but... yeahhh, he can work with this.

Once he finds enough time has passed, he flashsteps forward to snatch the paper away right from under Ron's nose. One second it's still there, the next second it's gone and Bro will be sitting in the chair across the table to read the answers.]

[dancinglydescend]

[A question every twenty seconds? Ron can do that, though they'll be a bit hard to read-- he has excellent handwriting when he takes his time, but there clearly wasn't enough time right now, the cursive a loopy girly scrawl.]

[He makes a startled noise when the paper vanishes out from under his pen, blinking at Mr. DeShade, and waits for the verdict.]

[stridercentric]

[Hm. Hm... He can already tell turning Ron into a real man is going to take a lot of goddamn hard work. The guy's got a good sense of justice and his heart's in the right place, but that alone doesn't make a strong hero, let alone a strong fighter. There needs to be a solid driving force and an ability to get up after a setback without wasting time moping. It wouldn't hurt to be more physically fit, either.

Still, Ron gets brownie points for the pen thing, which Bro almost cracks a smile at. Almost. Can't drop the charade just yet. When he's done reading, he lowers the paper to fix Ron with a piercing gaze. Or, well, it would be piercing it if weren't for the shades.]

Drop and gimme twenty pushups.

[dancinglydescend]

[Ron is nervously attentive at the stare, looking back with an uncertain smile; and when he gets the order, he chirps,] Yessir, Mr. DeShade!

[He nearly jumps out of his chair, drops into the nearest open space, and starts doing pushups, murmuring the count under his breath.

He's more in shape then he looks! He's breathing a little heavily by twenty, but considering he doesn't look like he could lift so much as a heavy cat without straining something, doing twenty pushups without any trouble is pretty impressive.

When he's done, he sits back on his heels, smiling up at Mr. DeShade and waiting for his next instructions.]

[stridercentric]

[Well well. He was half expecting Ron to be unable to do even one push-up. Looks like he underestimated the guy. He gives an idle wave of the hand.]

Ten more.