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Entry tags:

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Character(s): Robin (Damian Razem), Luki
Location: Training Center
Rating: PG
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed
Summary: Robin's decided to sneak down to the Training Center to get some practice! ... Except he doesn't expect his sorta-kinda bodyguard to be down there too.

At least he'd been transported to this world with his costume. (Robin didn't know what he'd do if he had to rely on other people to remake his utility belt! Slag, these people couldn't even get the slushie machine to work some days.) Adjusting his green gloves, Robin took a deep breath and kicked yet another Grat in the face.

When no one else was around, Robin could practice in peace. He'd learned to practice at night ever since he ran into that crazy Homo Magi - and quickly to avoid suspicion, but there was just something so satisfying about beating up Grats that he remained for much longer than normal. Maybe it was because Damian couldn't practice and fight... or maybe because he was so devoted to keeping his identities secret that he was just letting everything out... but he wanted to stay and keep beating the living stuffing out of these monsters.

Even when the going got tough, and the monsters shifted from weak Grats to T-Rexaurs, Robin wasn't phased. He just kept fighting - with batarangs and his collapsible staff if he had to! - and punched his way to victory.

Surveying the monsters he defeated so far, Robin finally let a sigh of relief escape his lips. "Good," He remarked to himself. "I haven't lost my touch yet."

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Meanwhile, Luki had been training elsewhere in the Training Center. Visiting this place was a part of her regular routine. Although she did like Big Sis Azula, her 'playtime' with Katara had taught her that she had to be very clear about what kind of tag and hide and go seek she intended to play, because most people would be frightened and could get hurt with the way Luki sometimes played. She didn't want to hurt anyone too bad (anyone who couldn't handle a few scrapes and minor bruising from wrestling was just a big baby, though). Ultimately, the grats and T-rexaurs were the best way to have that sort of fun. Luki had realized that most people did not heal at the rate that she did, so she had to be gentler with everyone else.

Sometime into her training, Luki's attention was caught by a boy in a brightly colored outfit. He fought quite capably, and after she had finished with her own fights, she crept closer to watch him. He had some neat weapons, and he was doing well just using his fists, too.

Luki had a talent for sneaking up and catching people, and managed to get within a few feet of the young warrior before a small twig snapped underneath her shoe.

"Who's there?"

It didn't even take Robin five seconds to swerve and stare at... Luki. Figures she'd be the first person to catch him here this late. Putting his batarangs and staff back into his utility belt, Robin then folded his arms and stared at her.

She probably couldn't see him glaring - not under the mask, at least - but he sighed and tried to make his voice sound deeper, "... You were training here too?"

Great. Why didn't he notice that? Robin made a mental note to himself: next time, try not to be so obvious with the fighting skills.

Luki couldn't help but notice the initial similarity to Damian. He was about the same height, at first his voice sounded the same...then he spoke a little deeper. Maybe she'd just startled him a little?

"Yeah! I couldn't sleep, and it's way more fun to be here than trying to do homework...so here I am!"

She beamed at him. One of the coolest things about Balamb Garden, in her opinion, was that the Training Center was the exception to the Garden's curfew. It was perfectly okay to beat up on grats and T-rexaurs in the middle of the night if you couldn't sleep. It was good to know that the teachers had their priorities straight.

"You know, you remind me of my new friend Damian, except you fight a lot better. You're the same height and your voices sound kinda similar and everything! Are you brothers?"

Was it that obvious? Robin didn't know if Luki was even being sarcastic or genuine... part of him desperately hoped for the latter, but could someone even be that dense? (Probably, if past experiences with the new Batgirl were any indication.)

Facepalming, Robin tried to resist the urge to snark at her. Really? She had to ask?

"Yes," He sarcastically commented while remembering to keep his voice lower, "I'm totally related to someone I've never even heard of." (Better to pretend that he didn't know who this Damian kid was, right? Even if he knew himself pretty darn well.)

Performing a handstand, he casually stood on one hand as he smirked, "Tell this Damian jerk I said hi. My name's Robin."

"Huh? Are you long lost brothers, then?" The sarcasm was lost on Luki. As capable as she was at combat, tracking, and sneaking around, that talent did not extend to picking up on little social things like sarcasm. She did know that people could lie.

She made a face when he referred to Damian as a jerk.

"Damian is not a jerk! He's a nice boy, Robin, so there!"

Admittedly, she was impressed enough with the handstand to try it out herself.

He facepalmed, slowly dragging his hand across his face. She couldn't even distinguish sarcasm? What kind of world was this? "No," He sighed, disgruntled. "I've never heard of him. We can't be brothers."

Nice? Him? Robin jumped back onto the ground and watched Luki attempt the handstand. He could barely repress that smile. No one'd ever called him nice before--- at least, no one in the context of this school and this new life. They usually claimed he was a "brat" - some old form of "twip" - and left it at that. The natives, especially, didn't seem to think much of him... when they didn't mistake him for one of their own.

"He is?" Robin found himself asking, sitting down to watch. "Is he a friend of your's, then?"

"Sure you could," insisted Luki. "All you need is the same gen-" She found herself unable to remember the rest of the word. Mama was the scientist, after all. Luki didn't pay much attention to science at all. She'd never been expected to. "...the same DNA, right?"

Her balance was a little wobbly, but she was able to support herself on one hand like Robin had. She held herself up as best as she could manage while they talked, if only to see how long she could keep it up for.

"Yeah! Well, I don't know him very well yet, but I think of him as a friend."

She had a point there. He shrugged, not willing to bother, "... I guess." Part of him desperately wanted to avoid this conversation (because even twins didn't have the same fingerprints), so he shrugged, "We'll see later."

Instinctively, he sat in a position that'd let him catch her if she fell. He remembered learning how to perform handstands like that - and just how many times he fell before he learned how to keep his balance - so part of him sympathized with her, in a way. (Not that he'd bother to say so out loud. It just wasn't something he did!)

"... I see," He finally replied, resting his hands under his chin. "That's pretty schway."

"I've got family that's not blood related to me, too...but I guess you'd have to know them first before you could call them family. Noki - my twin - is the only one that's related by blood."

Her competitive spirit was determined to try to stay up in the handstand position as long as she could. Although Robin seemed all right, he had still called Damian a jerk. She felt like she had to compete for Damian's honor, in an odd sense.

"What does 'schway' mean?" Luki asked, wiggling her feet and shifting position a little in an attempt to try to readjust her balance. It didn't work.

She was strong enough to keep the pose up for a while before she finally got too wobbly to stay up and toppled over.

"Nifty... uh... cool... something like that," He shrugged. "It's very common slang back home."

Erk! Robin immediately tried to catch her - or at least, he held his arms out for her - before he commented, "Idiot." Part of him'd never stop lecturing, it seemed, even if she didn't exactly deserve it. "Lu--Miss, what's your name?"

Stupid. She'd probably question how he knew her name - and really, he didn't want his secret out this quickly - and figure it out at this rate. Robin frowned, pulling his hood over his face. "Just, uh... be careful next time."

"Oh! Then that word is...very schway," said Luki, giggling a little.

She wasn't distressed by the fall, but she smiled up at Robin when he caught her. She didn't even mind being called an idiot...although she thought it was odd that he seemed to know her name and then pretended not to. Maybe he'd heard it in the hallways? But then there was that similarity to Damian...

Come to think of it, as she looked up, Robin's nose, chin and hairstyle were just like Damian's, too.

"I'm Luki!" she said, introducing herself (although she was starting to suspect that Robin already knew who she was. Hmm). "When did you get here, Robin? I've never seen you around before."

How could schway be schway? It didn't even make sense... Robin appropriately cast a confused look in her direction.

Coughing at the mention of his arrival, Robin responded, "This morning." Which of course was a complete lie, but she didn't need to know that, "I spent the whole day talking to professors about my classes. Now's the first free moment I had all day."

Lies, lies, lies... it seemed that Robin had his work cut out for him. Sighing, he avoided Luki's gaze as he pulled the hood again. "You've been here a while, then?"

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