wilderlogs | Overheard at Camp Melai; Does this mean Robbie's Klinger?

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Overheard at Camp Melai; Does this mean Robbie's Klinger?

Who: Robbie and anyone (special starter for Dixon and Sirius)
What: OVERHEARD AT CAMP, Robbie accidentally figures out the healing thing. Someone tell him about it in the morning.
Where: Camp 1 - Melai Temple
When: Shortly after arrival. All conversations will pre-date that with Dixon and Sirius.
Warnings/Notes: "Overheard at camp" is basically my idea for posting several quick, one-off lines that can be taken out of context (or maybe in context) and seeing what people make of them. Possibly some talk of Dixon and Sirius' injuries.

[ 1: In the kitchen. ]

Dibs on the fleshhook!

[ 2: In the main hall, as he dumps a collection of wood-ish things in a pile in the center of the room for an anticipated fire. ]

Yay, carbon monoxide!

[ 3: Anywhere. ]

Hey, V- guys? This old Enya statue won't not stop undressing me with her eyes. It's freaking me out.

[ For Dixon and later Remus. ]
[ When Robbie heads over to Dixon, he doesn't have a specific plan in mind. He's got what small bits of cloth he could find, not wanting to cut up blankets; anyway, he's unsure how to bandage a face without mummifying Dixon. He remembered to clean them by boiling and to boil separate water for cleaning the wound, which has him feeling rather pleased with himself. He's no doctor, and he wouldn't call any of this sanitary, but Robbie's doing what he can. ]

Hey, I figured you might want to... I don't know, get the day's crap off of that.

[ He looks pointedly at the burn and then resumes talking to Dixon's face as a whole. ]

Or whatever your doc told you to do. If it's one of those things where you flinch too much to do it yourself, I'm not skeeved out by it. I can help.

[ Infections are nasty business, and his pockets don't have any Tylenol. You get a high fever - you're dying. ]

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[ E tu, Goggles? The hair, the bug-eyed demi-cowl. He had such high hopes for a sense of humor that matched Robbie's inner 15-year-old as well as the uniform look did.

Instead he just picks at the hem of his hoodie. ]

They're fine for now, sure. Winkwink, nudgenudge.

[ That 'winkwink nudgenudge' was something he'd heard from Kon enough times to get that this was probably a sex joke, maybe? ]

Oooohh.

So you want her to take your clothes off...Wait-...no that dosen't-...

[ He's back to looking confused, and eventually slightly defended. ]

I don't get it.

[ Sorry Robbie. He tried. ]

[ He backs off immediately, not wanting to embarrass the kid for not getting the joke. Clueless - yep, Robbie can remember being that innocent. ]

Ah - no. I like my clothes where they are, and I'm not auditioning for any Mannequin remakes. Let's leave it at that.

[ That's probably for the best. ]

Is Mannequin a movie or something?

[ Robbie grins. ]

Oh, dude. It's this old movie form the 80s. It might be the best worst movie I've ever seen. Kim Cattrall was a hottie when she wasn't old enough to be my mom.

Oh! I think Preston's talked about that one before!

[ His expression lights up as the conversation takes a turn into slightly more familiar territory. ]

I never really got the whole good bad movies thing, but he and Waid think they're hilarious. And they've told me something about how you can sometimes learn more about film and what not to do when making one, from watching bad or weird movies, than you can from watching the good ones.

Are you into filmmaking, too?

Edited 2018-03-29 18:10 (UTC)

Preston?

[ Robbie spins his finger around in a slow circle as if looking to point out Preston somewhere in the vicinity. ]

Your friends are right - bad movies are hysterical. I just watch them for the overdone dialogue and lame special effects though. I'm not studying film-making or anything like that.

He's not here. He's one of my school friends.

[ AKA not a superhero, unlike some of the other teens running around their group. ]

I already have a hard time with good movies. They're just so long. I've tried watching a few bad ones with my friends though, but not that one. Mostly horror stuff.

Oh, okay.

[ Robbie nods, like being school friends obviously explains why the other kid isn't here. Actually, with schools like Avengers Academy and Xavier's Institute floating around, 'school friends' is probably a liability in Robbie's universe. ]

Enh, I'm not crazy about horror. Murder and gore isn't entertainment. I like comedies and action. Dumb stuff that doesn't make you think too hard. The only way they seem too long is if the script isn't funny.

All movies are too long for me. Kinda helps if I can do other stuff while I'm watchin'um, but people get annoyed when I do that.

And I'm not real big on the horror movies that are supposed to be good. They're either boring or gross.

[ It doesn't help that there isn't much that genuinely scares him. ]

But as far as bad movies go some of the cheesy horror ones can be kinda funny, I guess. Like the ones with Vincent Price. I do like action movies though. 'Specially the fast-paced ones, or the sci-fi ones. Oh! Have you ever seen Galaxy Quest?

I love that one.

Hey, it’s your free time. As long as you’re not making too much noise or standing in front of the screen, you should do what you want.

[ Definitely getting an impression that Impulse has ADHD, and he can see how it might bug people. Robbie still hopes the kid’s friends accommodate him a little. ]

Vincent Price? Dude, that’s some real oldschool. Nice. [ He has to think about Galaxy Quest though. ] That’s the one where Tim Allen plays a total idiot actor, right? I can’t get through the first fifteen minutes. Sorry, I've tried.

That's what I've said! But no one believes me when I tell them I can pay attention to the movie while I'm doing something else.

[ Thank you, Robbie. ]

Yeah, Tim Allen was probably my least favorite part of it. But I liked Allen Rickman and Tony Shalhoub.

But why should they care if you're paying attention? I've got friends who act like they've spaced out on the conversation entirely, but they will remember every single word you said about doing this or that and hold you to it. It's like dammit, Aracely, we will get to Disneyland eventually.

[ He has to think to place the names. ]

I liked Rickman in Prince of Thieves. He was the Sheriff of Nottingham. But I don't know who Tony Shalhoub is?

I think sometimes it's because they were watching it specifically so I would see it. Or we're watching it as a group and I guess it's just rude or something.

Carol and everyone from Young Justice are cooler about it, so long as I'm not being distracting, but my friends who don't know I'm Impulse can get annoyed pretty quick.

[ He gives a slight shrug and leans against the wall, lightly thumping the heel of his foot on the ground. ]

Who's Aracely?

[ And why haven't you taken them to Disneyland? ]

Tony was the one with the short curly hair that kept getting easily distracted, and couldn't see what was weird about any of the sci fi stuff going on. Pres said he's on a TV show too, but I haven't seen it. I know he was on an episode of X-Files though.

[ Carol, Tony, Preston, the names just drop all over the place for someone who has a codename. Yeah, Robbie knows exactly what 'my friends who don't know I'm Impulse' means, or near enough, and he has suspicions about 'everyone from Young Justice', too.

He doesn't want to lecture about secret identities, though, so he fakes at trip and mumbles about falling over all these names on the floor. ]

Aracely is my teammate.

[ And she doesn't count as him blabbing about her real name. Aracely probably told half of Houston and half of Prague who she was. She has no filter, and no common sense.

She's at home, dying in a doomsday device, his brain interjects. Robbie rushes to change the subject. ]

Young Justice?

Edited 2018-04-03 23:14 (UTC)

[ Aracely and Bart apparently have some things in common. Unfourtunetly Robbie's joking hint that he's dropping too many names goes right over his head, and he gives the man a slightly confused and concerned look. For a moment he even looks at the floor like he actually expects to see something there.

But when he doesn't he just kind of lets it go. ]

Young Justice is my team. Or it was. Most of us are part of the Titans now.

[ Most of them that were still alive and didn't quit. ]

Some of them are here actually. Wondergirl and Superboy.

[ There was also Tim, of course, but he's at least aware enough to keep from mentioning him while he's here in his civilian identity. If Tim decided to trust anyone else here with that information, then he would do it himself. ]

They're the ones wearing the red S and a gold bird. Going for a more civilian look lately, which is kinda weird. Makes me feel out of place bein' the only one in spandex.

[ He pulls at the fabric on his chest a little. ]

But I don't think I could pull off doing the whole jeans and T-shirt thing. I run too fast in jeans and they catch on fire.

[ He looks back up at Robbie curiously. ]

You've got a team?

[ Robbie didn't look like he was exactly wearing a costume, and for all he knew, he could be talking about a baseball team or something. But if Tim could get brought here in his civies that still might mean others did, too. ]

Huh.

[ Titans is another team name, obviously, and Robbie kind of files that and the codenames away under 'good to know'. He hopes they don't look as painfully young as Impulse does, but Rob can't throw stones. He wasn't really any older than Impulse looks - or bigger, for that matter - when he started running around in tights. ]

Sorry, I left my special jammies in a pocket kinetic dimension that I can't get to right now. For the record: not spandex.

[ He wonders if they haven't unlocked unstable molecules where the kid is from, but it seems pointless to ask as he has absolutely no idea how to unpack the concept of the material to anyone. That's what happens when everyone steals their uniform tech from a supergenius. It's a shame, because it would solve the pants on fire problem. ]

Oh, you're a speedster.

[ Said like it's the normalest conversation in the world. ]

At least you're not a dick about it like Quicksilver can be. And, yeah, I've got a team. I'm one of the New Warriors. No, nothing happened to the old ones.

[ He says it like it's a joke, and it is a very old, worn-out joke indeed. But Robbie doesn't really want to talk about them, so he's trying to close off that part of the conversation as quickly as possible. ]

[ Old as it might be, the joke is new to Bart, so Robbie actually gets a smile and a slight laugh out of it.

And at the mention of his costume being stuck in a pocket dimension, he gives a small knowing nod, assuming that meant his powers were gone, too. That seemed to be going around. ]

Cool. That kinda sounds like what the Flash can do. His costume's made from Speed Force energy. Which I guess is something I could maybe do, too. But I've never really figured out how.

And yeah, I'm a speedster, or I was. I don't think I've heard of Quicksilver before, though.

[ He wasn't always great at keeping his heroes and villains straight in his head, but he knew all the speedsters. Even the ones outside of the 'Family'. And while that definitely didn't sound like the name of any current speedsters he knew, it did ring a bell.

It takes him a moment of thought to dig up where he'd heard it before though, and when he does, his eyes go wide. ]

Wait! Do you mean Max!?

[ The exclamation came out sounding alarmed, and laced with hope and desperation. ]

I have no idea who this Flash guy is, but he sounds awesome.

[ A summonable uniform is a cut above changing in a phone booth or Quinjet. Sorry, all other heroes, you're just not as awesome. ]

Don't sweat the whole "was" thing. I've never heard of anybody losing their powers permanently.

[ Well... there were thousands - if not millions - of mutants who did, but wow, is it not the time to bring that up and depress them both. Robbie glances down at his hands as if he can will them to work.

He can't.

Jerking his head back up at the sudden enthusiasm, Robbie wracks his brain to come up with anytime he'd ever heard Pietro Maximoff go by Max. He thinks it's ludicrous, but the guy has to have real friends. Or a girlfriend. This could be his kid... oh damn, he hopes not. ]

White haired dude? Got a bit of an accent? Thinks he's the greatest thing since Cheez Whiz, if he could bring himself to acknowledge Cheez Whiz exists?

He's my cousin. And trust me, he's really only cool in theory.

[ Excitement disappearing, he deflates at that somewhat, and there's suddenly a slightly bitter tone in his voice. It's not just the compliment to Wally that got to him though. It's the fact that Robbie doesn't know who the Flash is. There is no chance that someone from his world that works with other heroes hasn't heard of the Flash. ]

But if you don't know who the Flash is then, either you were stuck in virtual reality a good portion of your life, or...you must be from a different universe.

[ He chews at the edge of his lip a little as he tries to think this through. Because...that doesn't exactly sound like it's NOT Max. Maybe it was the Max from whatever universe Robbie came from, and he stayed Quicksilver there? But then again, who's to say Max couldn't have ended up in an alternate universe at some point. Ultimately Max had kept a lot of his past close to his chest. He knew some of it sure, but there were plenty of gaps. And adding his penitent for time travel into the mix, things just get confusing. ]

Is he an older guy? Or wait...if he's going by Quicksilver he might not be. But if...nonono if he's younger he'd be brunet. Unless this is some weird alternate universe thing...

[ Running a hand through his hair, he tugs on it a bit in irritation the more he works himself up.

Did it really even matter in the first place? An alternate universe Max wouldn't really be Max. And if this was some younger version of him doing some universe hopping stuff he hadn't heard about, what then? What good did that information do him? Would he find a way to hop into this guys universe and warn Max about the future? Something Max had very adamantly warned him against ever doing. Yeah, that would just be brilliant.

Maybe it was best to just not know in the first place. ]

Actually, nevermind. Stupid thing to ask about.

[ Robbie has enough sense to recognize that there is Family Stuff floating around. He doesn't want to pry or stomp on any toes - family can be difficult enough to navigate without random strangers telling you to not say that your cousin is lame.

So he chuckles like Bart's made a joke. ]

Meanwhile, here you are, cool in real life.

[ And that is it for the Flash conversation. Like with asking too many questions about Impulse's friends, right now, he's not ready for the level of commitment that delving more deeply would me. He could get teleported somewhere else any second and never see or hear about Flash or Preston ever again. Or find out how Impulse's life in tights turns out. He hopes well.

On that note, Quicksilver isn't here. He will never know the faux pas that Robbie is about to undertake. He might not even care - he's been an Avenger, he worked for the government at one point. Who's to say that his identity is secret? Pietro's distress is a theoretical future; Impulse's is here and now. ]

He's older than me, but I never asked his age. His hair messes up my perception. Maybe 35? He could be younger, but I don't think much older. And his name is Maximoff.

[ His voice takes a much kinder tone. ]

It's never stupid to ask about your friends.

[ While the comment about him being cool gets him to smile a little, it doesn't last long as his mind drifts back to the topic of Max, and whether or not he should even continue asking into this possible other version of him. In the end, it's too hard to resist prodding further at the topic, despite his better judgment. ]

Max wasn't a friend, he was [ The closest thing he had to a father. ] family.

[ Thinking over the few times he'd seen or heard Max's full first name, he chews the edge of his lip again. ]

And I don't think that's what his name was short for...unless he was lying about that. But he was definitely older than thirty-five. Except he might have been thirty-five when he was Quicksilver. He's always been kinda vague about his history.

But, even if they are the same person he would probably be a different universe version of him. Or some time-traveling dimension hopping version of him. Which means he wouldn't be the version of him I'm looking for.

[ Getting himself a little too worked up, he throws his arms up in frustration, before settling himself back down with a vexed sigh and crossed his arms over his chest in a way that he's unintentional hugging himself a little. And as he glares at the ground his shoulders hunch uncomfortable. ]

Which I guess is the kinda stupid part. Like, even if it is him, it's not as if I can just hop-skip over into your the universe to drop in and say 'Hey, how're you doing? Oh, by the way, could you maybe stop sticking your turkey neck into the Speed Force? Because bad things always seem to happen to you when you do that.'

[ This is definitely above Robbie's pay grade. Even if he had a road map of the kid's life, he would not want to steer this conversation. Any idiot could put the story together, or at least any idiot superhero could. Impulse is related to a speedster with white hair who goes by the name of Max, codename Quicksilver (and isn't that too much of a coincidence to not be Pietro Maximoff?), who has had Something Bad happen to him. Maybe he's missing, maybe he's in a coma, maybe he's dead.

But nobody would suggest hopping universes to warn someone about anything less. It's serious business.

And Robbie's exacerbated it by supplying details about his world's Quicksilver. He doesn't know what to do, because everything he can think of sounds stupid and uncomforting.

All of it still sounds better than nothing though, so Robbie crouches down next to Impulse and puts a hand on his shoulder. ]

I promise I will gladly chew Quicksilver out for sticking his turkey neck into the Speed Force, whatever that is, and that he should go spend more time with his family and to not be such an impatient dick about everything. That last one's for me. Maybe it's not the right one, but at least I can try to get a warning to one.

[ His hand squeezes the thin shoulder underneath and lies through his teeth. He just wants to make it better, and he knows he can't, but he's stubborn and has to try anyway. ]

I think that's the hardest thing I ever had to learn in tights. Something is better than nothing, and you can't give up hope on everything.

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Overheard at Camp Melai; Does this mean Robbie's Klinger?

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