revivalproject | Cats Hate Water, Right?

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Cats Hate Water, Right?

WHO: Robin Buckley, You
WHERE: Temba Bubble
WHAT: Clumsiness with swimming, Chased by Predators
WHEN: During MerMay
WARNINGS: Possible injury/blood in second prompt

I. Even More Clumsy

If you were always a mer, and clearly they were always mer what are you talking about, then clearly one should not get tangled up in their own tail. Right? Right. Clearly. That is the only absolute truth that one should be able to take away from all of this. There should be no clumsiness.

Except there's Robin. Who definitely pulls the short end of many sticks in her tail and fins. The tail is long, slender, graceful looking, at least when Robin's not moving. And her fins are wide, billowing, beautiful like a fancy male betta fish. In motion the dark green, gold, and bronze swirling patterns of her long tail and fins should be beautiful.

Except she's Robin. And in the moment she's somehow managed to get herself tangled up in her own too-long tail which was also then tangled in with a bunch of greenery. Not to mention the fact that her shirt was clearly caught up in some prickly sort of plant.

She's stuck. And Robin is just struggling enough to make it worse. Because of course she was.

II. The Aquakat Issue

The best part of this whole place is that it's so wonderful and safe. Super safe. Like, sure, Robin sometimes got tangled up in all mess of things because she was not the most coordinated mermaid, but there wasn't any real danger. This place was so much better than Hawkins like that. There wasn't even anyone who was really against her as a person. She almost felt like she might be safe if she shouted out to the limits of the world that she liked girls. Except for the few situations where things in Temba had gone very weird, they were safe here.

So yeah, there's no problem with Robin enjoying some time stretched out on the 'roof' of a ruin, fiddling with her communication device to try and explore more functions of it. There's no reason she should be watching out carefully, right?

Problem with that theory: there are predators in the waters. Including some that normally wouldn't range in Temba. Not that it was the first time an Aquakat had ended up in the city. Just, you know, the first time that it had arrived in a fully aquatic environment, making it even more deadly than before. Such a creature had slipped into Temba before the dome closed, and... Well...

If nothing else, at least Robin has a decent instinct for when shit is going bad. She doesn't see the cat specifically, but there's something that has her suddenly sitting up and tucking her comm device away.

"Is someone out there?" she calls, looking around. "It's not funny if you're staring and being a creeper!"

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Oh. There's someone. Robin looks up and catches sight of him. Barely. Dude's still in a bit of shadow and he's definitely darker in appearance. Which is working for him. Probably. She's not a good judge.

"Yeah, that's hilarious," Robin dismisses. She knows she isn't a looker. "Seriously, were you though? Staring?"

It probably didn't much matter what Tony said, it rarely did and most people heard what they wanted to, so he committed after dropping his chin into one hand where he could drum his fingers thoughtfully against his cheek. "I could be. If you were doing something extraordinary that you're feeling self-conscious about, though, I did miss it, you'll have to run that one by me and I'll let you know if you have anything to worry about," he suggested.

More like Robin didn't think she was at all that enchanting. Hasn't had a lot of suggestions that way in the past either, so it wasn't like she knew how to believe it. Hell, she didn't even believe it from Steve and she believed a lot of things from her best friend.

"If you weren't... I just... I just had this feeling that someone was watching me. Guess I'm crazy."

She's not. But she can't tell that there's something swimming just out of sight in a kelp patch, considering lunging at her.

In Tony's experience, a gal developed that keen sense for being observed by experience, and he did give a cursory glance over his shoulder to try to find what was triggering that sensation. "Maybe," he did allow, "but a respectable scientist rules out all reasonable possibilities before committing to their conclusions. You didn't answer me, when I asked if someone's been bothering you." He tipped his head, then gave another look around for who in town might have been putting Robin on edge. There were some reasonable options. In fact, he pushed away from the wall, floating out over the open street to get a better view below, because one of them did stick close to the ground if he could help it. "If you've been spending time in the library, it's not really a personal thing, but it is pretty hard to shake..." he muttered.

Oh, no, it’s definitely not experience. At least, not when there is people. It’s monsters. Perhaps that’s why she’s scared. But she doesn’t know what to do with it.

“No, no one has been bothering me. So, taking it as given that you’re a scientist,” because if he was going to claim it, who was she to argue, “what would you theorize is leading to the heebie jeebies here?”

Thanks, Dingus, for putting that into her lexicon.

“Because I swear my scales are all shivery in a bad way.”

Wait, library?

“I haven’t been in the library lately.”

Tony took his theorizing very seriously, or at least that was what his crossed arms to stroke thoughtfully at his beard said. With lofty confidence, he declared, "Typically, the source of a heebie and/or jeebie is similar to that of deja vu, or a sense memory with an unrecognized trigger. An unanticipated shift in the water pressure, perhaps. Without reason to be on alert for a stalker, or less malevolent watcher, we must interrogate the subject's previous jeebie experience." He came floating closer again, but still kept the facade of the building as a boundary, leaning forward on his elbows to be as close as he would permit himself so his electric smirk was at least partially effective as he invited, "We could start by exploring your range of shivers."

Yeah, she's used to people who take it very seriously, so she's not going to begrudge him it. Maybe she's not as science talented as some of the brats had been, but she is going to listen and take it seriously.

"Usually my previous 'jeebies' had to do with monsters about to attack us," Robin points out. Which probably isn't a good thing. "But there's no predators here, so that's not likely."

Robin was even more serious in person. Worse, it didn't seem like Tony was getting a reaction from her as much as he was encouraging it. His smile waned, and he drew his hand up to rest his chin again, black fingers fanning out then drumming back in against his cheek like clockwork. "What makes you say that?" he had to ask. "There's plenty of monsters. You've seen them. Is this a philosophical thing?" One finger lifted to twirl thoughtfully as he produced the axis they were trying to define. "The difference between an animal, a predator, and a monster? A person isn't an animal, but he can be the other two. Maybe an animal can't be a monster, not really." Maybe it was him that Robin had sensed from the start.

Yeah, sometimes she was just like that. But if she wasn't tense over the whole 'being watched' thing he'd definitely see she's a goof. AS it is, she's frowning. Because she wasn't expecting a philosophy question here. Not that she can't roll with that. It just feels... Well, it's weird to have it next to the threat sense she's got going on.

"We may use 'predator' to describe a person, but I don't think a person is really a predator in the sense we use it in. They aren't alike. Might as well have different terms. And Animals only do what is natural, so they are never monsters. But monsters are."

Like Demobeasts. She doesn't care. Those are monsters. No debate.

"And..."

She goes very still in the second, because she could have sworn she saw something move. Without thinking she darts closer to Tony. Just, you know, safety in numbers.

"I think I saw something move."

"Monsters are monsters," Tony was ready to agree, but his smirk barely lasted to his final hiss, which trailed off as Robin went rigid with her focus snapped off of him. When she suddenly came at him, he pushed up straighter, prepared for a punch and less prepared for how strong she might be, and very quickly had a change gears with a reassuring hand on her elbow to draw her in. Actually seeing something was more of a problem than a creepy feeling. Keeping his focus on her, other hand up and hovering to box that in so she knew someone was watching her back so she could look around, he murmured, "Do you still see it?"

Does she still see it? No. Because it was barely even a motion before. But she’s definitely cowering. But it was nice to have someone jumping to the defense here.

“I don’t-“

And then there’s motion again rushing between buildings. Fuck.

“It was there,” she says, pointing.

As far as Tony knew, Robin was just seeing one of the lobsters waddle its way down the street. Even if that was all, though, it was enough to really freak her out, so he advised quietly, "Keep an eye on it." That way, she wouldn't have to turn her back as he pulled her closer with both arms this time, then pulled them down into the security of the window where his tail was still draped and twined around the first sturdy object he could feel.

"Trying," she promises, twisting her head to try and catch the movement again. Except the thing is moving so fast that she doesn't really have much of a chance.

Getting pulled into what might be safety is welcome though. And timely. Perhaps it's luck, or fate, that has Tony pulling her close just in time to avoid the blur of the Aquakat lunging for where Robin had just been.

It was supposed to be a fairly gentle and methodical move, to avoid bumping Robin against anything. That plan was rapidly scrapped as Tony gasped, "Shit!" and went jerking away from the sudden movement that was definitely a real threat and not a figment or a lobster. Instead, he was rapidly yanking them inside, then pushing away from the wall and open window. "Not to alarm you or anything," he said, breathing a little too fast to be entirely casual, "but I think there's something out there."

At least she's mostly safe. Fuck, where is Steve with his bat when she needed him?

"Oh, is there? How could you tell?"

It's said with bite and sarcasm, but not the sort that comes from disliking someone. Just the sort that people like her fall back on when they are scared and tense.

"What WAS that?"

"Fast," was the only answer that Tony had at the ready for her, and gave a shrug with wide eyes, because it wasn't something he had ever seen before. Worse, there was plenty in this city that was just baseline alien to Tony and could have been hiding around the corner this whole time, or this could have been a sign of the next horrible thing that was being inflicted on them. It didn't often happen in broad daylight like this. That didn't make it any less unnerving as Tony tried to listen for the creature, gaze roaming along the ceiling like he could pinpoint its steps. He had to get a better answer for Robin, so he went snaking his way back toward the window when he didn't hear anything, cautiously sliding out on his back.

Yeah, fast was right. She didn't even see it. It had been luck that kept them out of lasting harm. For now.

"Woah, wait," Robin says when she sees him trying to slip out through the window. "You could get hurt!"

Tony raised a hand, both reassuring and cautioning her to be patient, then was pulling himself further up to where he had been sitting. Without Robin, the roof looked empty, except for the place where the tiles were cracked. That was unnerving. On the other hand, he could call back, "I don't see anything," even as he kept searching, straight up for good measure. "Any of those monsters you know come out of nowhere like that?"

It's not reassuring. He's going to get eaten or something! Doesn't he have loved ones he wouldn't want to have lose him? What's he thinking?

"Please, just-"

SHe was going to say 'come back in', but he's asking a question. She swims closer to the window to look up and out toward him.

"I mean, yes. But demogorgons aren't good at staying quiet, and the rest attack in packs."

He did acquiesce enough then, mostly because he wasn't finding anything out here to report, to sink down where he could sit on the windowframe, one hand braced on the top to keep from floating out any further and long tail making a wide loop around Robin like marking a boundary line. "We've got to work on making you less tempting, I'm afraid," he suggested. This was one more random monster attack than she should have experienced. "I don't think that thing's going to stick around long enough to rationalize with."

"Trust me, no one calls me tempting."

And yet here she was, almost hunted or something. Unlike...

Nope. Not unlike Tony. Because another lunge was being made at him by the aquakat, this time with claws and fangs out.

He saw it in her eyes first, still not fast enough to react. Just enough to be ready to feel it hit him, and even then he couldn't have accounted for just how hard, and the claws digging into his shoulder and back. He had to let it carry him forward with a yell, ducking his head down to roll just as the teeth grazed his neck, and grabbing blindly for a fistful of skin and fur over his shoulder to haul it with him, letting his own claws shred mercilessly to keep hold. They tumbled into the room with Tony's tail lashing with a series of bright flashes, until he had wound it constrictor tight around whatever had slammed into him. He had to be efficient with his energy. He snarled, "Out!," at Robin before he lost his hold on the now panicking beast.

Oh god.

"Tony, no!" Robin says, shouts really. Damn she wishes she was armed.

But of course he has more of an advantage against the thing than Robin would have been. Claws and constricting has the beast growling through its pain. It bares its teeth and tries to lean in enough to bite Tony.

"Shit, I'll find a weapon," Robin calls, because someone has to save Tony!

It was hard enough to focus on keeping these teeth out of him without worrying about what Robin was planning, and Tony could only snap, "Out!," again as he got an arm around the animal's neck to try to pin it. It wouldn't be the first leopard he had wrestled, but the last thing he wanted to do was kill it in front of the girl, and he was rapidly running out of options the longer she stuck around.

As if she would be traumatized by that. Already has plenty, and this wasn't up there. So when she found a piece of rebar, you better bet she was hauling it loose and then swimming for where Tony was. She was going to help dammit.

She was not going to let him die!

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