victory_road | 009

Entry tags:

hank anderson (detroit become human)

009 - Log

Who: Hank Anderson | Shadowmaru | Handsome Jack
guest starring: Rocket NPC
Where: Goldenrod
When: July 10th
Summary: Shadowmaru comes to help Hank film his safety awareness show and things go a little wrong for him, then they make a little discovery.
Rating: PG for violence and R for language

A long time ago, when Hank was younger and more optimistic, he did things like run D.A.R.E. programs for schools. He'd get up in front of groups of students and watch 80% of them ignore him, 40% of them be happy they weren't having to do class work, and a good 10% of them that you could tell got their poor asses kicked by bullies on a semi-regular basis give him admiring eyes no matter what it was he was saying.

(Yes, the distribution of that math is strange, as some of those groups overlapped significantly).

This is a happy cheerful world, and Hank knows generally that the introduction of bad ideas to it would bring very unwanted vibes. In a whole society where sending your kid outside to confront the world is important he has to figure out the nicest possible way to tell kids how to be careful when they go head out into the world and tell them how to safely search for lost pokemon.

He's hoping the cause will help out Shadowmaru, too, since that uncertain expression is one of the saddest he's seen on a cop's face. A flamboyant robot ninja wolf tank with purple hair, but still a cop. He's gotta try to help him out however he can, 'cause that lost feeling is the fuckin' worst. He knows it all too well.

Hank waits for Shadowmaru outside of a food cart he likes, finishing off the last of a burger. He hands off fries to three drooling, intently staring dog pokemon as he hangs out.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No, we are not lost."

Is Shadowmaru's mildly irritated voice, drifting from down the street. He's heading for the older man's direction, having animated conversation with his Yamask, drifting beside him. His Frogadier hops at his side, with his Rockruff on the other. Not the dog pack hounding Hank -- no pun intended -- but hey, it's a start.

It's the Rockruff who spots the others first. Barking and trotting forward in greeting. Hello dog friends!! Hello! She is here and she brought her weird purple trainer!

Shadowmaru's expression is quick to perk up once he sees who's just down the block. Lifting his hand in greeting. After, you know, an aside to his Yamask: "I told you I wasn't lost."

"Hey, big guy. You want somethin'" He nods to the food cart as Shadowmaru approaches. Luann, in the meantime, does her level best to cover the Rockruff in rough motherly kisses between bouts of needy begging.

The little dog is getting the benefit of receiving one of the dispensed fries.

"Figured it'd be a good time to fuel up before we walked around the city. I've been taking notes on how to do this fuckin' thing- one thing. Can't swear during it."

He's guessing there's going to be some reshoots necessary, plus editting, because every time he's had to be filmed he's needed censoring.

"Ah, I'm quite all right, but thank you."

He says it with a little bow. A flourish. And a broad smile which... flickers awkwardly as the older man talks like -- well, like Hank usually talks. Somewhere along the line, Shadowmaru forgot about that.

Yamask drifts closer to the dogs, studying them with its mask. Hello...? Friends?

"I appreciate your forewarning, however, I don't see cursing as an issue for me."

He means that in the best way, he really does.

"Back when I did the D.A.R.E. thing I'd slip up sometimes. The kids actually loved it, they thought it was hilarious. But I'd hear from the parents and generally just fuckin' defeated the whole purpose."

Hunter the Houndoom follows the Yamask around, sniffing. Tubbs generally wags his pom of a tail, which is big enough that it could knock a man over as a fluffy battering ram. Hank's dogs are mostly friendly, for being large and intimidating and that Houndoom having a face set to permascowl.

Hank throws away the containers, including the now empty fry container, rubs his hands, and starts walking.

"So I was thinking we might end up going by the Pokecenter and asking some questions about how you need to treat and approach injured Pokemon that aren't yours. And uh... probably talk to the Jennies about what to do if yours go missing..." he says as he's walking, thinking hard on it, and open to ideas.

"The D.A.R.E. thing? Some sort of law enforcement education for children?"

That wasn't really a thing in the limited worldview of Shadowmaru. Partly because of Japan and partly because of the fact he spent his early days locked up in a warehouse with only one other robot for company. But that's hardly important.

He thinks, anyway.

He falls into step with Hank easily enough. Trusting Yamask to wrangle his Rockruff if the puppy doesn't end up following along with them. A glance, before Shadowmaru makes an attempt to copy his companion's stance as they walk. To blend in more effectively, he figures.

"Ah... if it isn't much trouble, perhaps discussing anything with the law may be more your jurisdiction than mine. They may remember me unfavorably... I was less than subtle with them when last we spoke."

He totally got sassy up in their faces, he means.

"Yeah, it's an American anti-drug program. Meant to keep kids off the streets." Hank doesn't really expect people to magically know everything he talks about. Either they'll get it or they won't and they'll ask and he'll answer it or not depending on his mood and the importance. This is at least relevant.

Hank has a sort of ambling stride. That walk that says, "He'll get there eventually but he's not going to kill himself rushing unless he has to." It's good in this case, too, because he's taking notes and not fully watching where he's going. Plenty of warning time before he bumps into someone or something.

Hank might not notice Shadowmaru watching his stride, but Tubbs is behind them watching their feet and sniffing their ankles in mild confusion. Luann the Lycanroc trots near the Rockruff babe protectively, high stepping as she goes, feet making little sandstone scratch noises on the pavement.

"Did you ever have to interact with children? Even to just show off?"

"Ahh... a way of discouraging delinquents. I see. I hope you were effective in your work."

It sounds like a noble effort, in his mind. That would mean less people were in trouble. Less trials of youth, less issues growing up. Really, for all his smoke and mirrors dialogue, he really does hope the work went well. From one officer to another, after all.

Well that makes two amblers. If that makes any sense. His Rockruff hops around the older rock dog, barking and trying to pounce on Tubbs, occasionally. Frogadier makes shushing motions -- to no avail.

"Of course. The boss of the Brave Police was one, in fact."

"I tried. I know we had a lot of trouble with adults on the streets when we started, and I figured I'd try to keep kids off that path. Luckily that's not a problem here. Tubbs head is probably larger than the Rockruff, so he puts it down to sniff that one. Hank just lets the dogs be over-intelligent dogs. They can do their thing.

"Wait... your chief was a kid?" A record scratch. "You mean the AI had a young personality or was there a flesh and blood child in law enforcement?"

"Crime in general hardly seems to be a problem here. The Rockets aside."

That's not going to stop a puppy, Tubbs. Rockruff is doing its level best to lick the other dog's ears. Excitedly.

Shadowmaru seems ... a bit confused by the questions. Has he not mentioned it before? No, he hasn't. Because he doesn't talk about himself.

"Tomonaga Yuuta is not an AI like us, no. He is... eight, I believe. Attending elementary school." His head tilts. "Is that so strange?"

"Yeah, that's real weird. Even if a kid is a genius, no way could he do that in America. Child labor laws are sort of a 'no exception' kinda thing."

Tubbs' ears are strange for an Arcanine. They flop rather than stick straight out. Probably his main exceptional trait. That makes them extra good to lick, and he leaves his head down for the attention.

But, that's beside the point he supposes. Hell of a culture difference in a Japan where the police use giant wolf police robot ninjas.

"How many robots are there? I know there were two but you've only mentioned one other one." And he can't remember the other's name, just that there were unfortunate attachments associated with water pokemon.

"Mm, I have no data on laws for other countries. Nor was I online for the Boss's appointment. Barring his arrival... I cannot say how precisely it happened."

Rockruff is super excited to have access to those floppy ears. Nipping playfully at them, licking if it makes contact. Play! Play! The only things he has to play with at the house are the Growlithe and Frogadier.

"Now?" He pauses in thought, tapping his lip. "Eight, counting myself. Deckerd was the first to be brought online. I was the ... " He almost says sixth. Which would be private information. "The fifth."

He notices the pause. It's one of those thick, heavy pauses. It carries too much weight, and it makes him suspect a bubble of emotion there. Or it could have been a human brain recompiling information. Sometimes he's known Connor to fumble.

Either way, he chooses to talk and ask around it.

"Back when I was in narcotics I had a unit of guys. I really liked 'em. We worked great together. Then I got bumped over to homicide. They stayed behind, one of 'em got promoted and took my spot. Still miss 'em sometimes, though.

"I guess you must feel the same, huh? I gotta imagine a bunch of big robots would work together even better than a bunch of humans, what with our fucked over meat-people hang-ups and all."

"That must be difficult. I ... cannot think of what it would be like to leave one's unit."

Mostly because, well. The Brave Police didn't have that option. They were their own division. For better or for worse. No matter who could or couldn't combine. Yuuta would have felt his loss, for sure, but the others...?

Well. Maybe Gunmax.

"They do. There is always some friction when a new model arrives. But they make do. Someone always relents, in the end."

"It wasn't too bad. I just missed 'em." But Hank's ability to maintain friendships has waned greatly. It's more difficult than getting onto a bike, because sometimes he can't stop the urge to be catty. He's figured out how easy it is to be.

"Seemed like it was easier for the androids to get along once they could think for themselves, too."

Meanwhile, behind them, he hears the sound of a soft 'clink'. And when he turns he sees Tubbs doing his level best to pick the Rockruff up in his mouth like a puppy. His big maw is huge around it.

"...Tubbs, the fuck are you doing?"

Tubbs looks up like he's been caught.

"And I assume they felt similarly about yourself." He really does think that way. That someone could miss the older man. After all, he would. Hank has been quite amicable and helpful, so far.

"Such as the one here, with you?"

Shadowmaru turns, too, his eyes widening briefly before he realizes how happy his Rockruff looks during this. The pup's tail is wagging, tongue lolling out. The very picture of a happy puppy dangling in the big Arcanine's mouth.

"... He seems all right with the situation."

Hank's sure they missed the guy he used to be. They probably didn't care much for the man he became, but his former self? A legend.

"Yeah, I uh... wish he'd had more time to try being an android. But, you know..." There's a whole can of worms he doesn't want to open there at the moment. A heavy, heavy conversation he's already stumbled around.

He looks at the poor pup being carried by Tubbs.

"He drools." He doesn't so much warn Shadowmaru so much as his poor baby. But, you know. If he's fine with it. And he's probably enjoying behind held up high by an Arcanine.

"Okay so I think I got a good area up here. Had a view of the beach? We end up losing a lotta water Pokemon out there. Might be able to film somethin' there when we get around to it. Wanna take a look?" He pats his friend's shoulder.

"Do I? I'm... afraid I don't follow."

For once, it's not Shadowmaru trying to deflect or mislead for his own comfort's sake. He's genuinely confused by the sentiment. Wasn't that what an AI would want? To be seen as alive? To be seen as close to human? Respected?

Kagerou had wanted that.

Rockruff looks back at Hank. Barks once, and wiggles all over. Clearly all right with this. Look! The whole world is below it now!

"By all means. As much as I am discomforted by the creatures, it is hardly the fault of the water pokemon. We must endeavor to do right by them, as well!"

So that's a yes.

"He just uh..... I don't know. Didn't get much choices in anything. Not in being a cop and not in being a human a guess... I don't know." The thought meanders off. "I guess it's probably easy for me to think about, having been human the whole time, and not having had to come to terms with having a pain-sensitive meat vessel. I really hope I get the chance to see him become comfortable and respected in his actual body one day. Fuckin'... don't know if that makes sense, though."

He continues to stumble awkwardly over the sentiment. He's always thrown by Connor's android knack for filling his life with more missions with each gym, no matter how human his brain and body are inclined to be. Maybe Shadowmaru gets it more than he does.

"Alright, so...." he trails off, rubbing his hands together. "I know a girl in the Sauvi Islands- Korra, right? Do you know her? Maybe I could hit her up for some extra advice with this." He starts in that direction. "I got a shit eye for good filming terrain, what would make a good backdrop?"

"It... rather does."

Wouldn't it have been nice, if Kagerou had that same chance? How long had it been now, since they last spoke? Was it years? What would he have become in that time? Would they still have been partners? Friends? Would... Shadowmaru have been able to combine, with him?

"It makes quite a bit of sense, to be honest. Perhaps one day that will happen for him."

But on to better things. Or, at least, easier ones. He shakes his head slightly, pushing a hand through his hair. "I have only briefly met her. We haven't spoken in quite some time, however..." A pause. "Not too much of the sea. Mostly sand, with some rock structure."

This is really for the best. Because if any of that had been spoken out loud, there was a very good chance that Hank would have eventually asked if the whole fusion thing was kind of a weird intimate thing and he doesn't want to know but he kind of wants to know and that's an odd thing to know.

"Alright, okay, soooo sand sand sand..." Says the man walking onto sand, turning every which way trying to find a good place.

Wait, there's a nice place that overlooks the ocean. He went there on a date. He points off in that direction, towards a nice low cliff. Not really dangerous, just inconveniently high. "We could put that behind us?"

You know, that's a good question, Hank. There are... many awkward implications there, but we won't go into that. It takes a lot of explanation. And then when you add more than two bots... yeah.

"Indeed. Astonishing, how sand seems to be so prevalent on the shore."

It's a joke. He's trying to be funny. As he turns, regarding the cliff in question, thoughtfully.

"I believe that could work, yes. You have a good eye after all."

While the two men are walking and talking, they're being watched.

Goldenrod, despite everything that's happened and how pretty basic Jack finds the place, is still mostly his base of operations. The Rocket base is here, one of his houses is here, people know to find him here...it just works.

It also means he has to be extra careful with his Rocket activities. He's currently sitting on a bench with a newspaper open, giant sunglasses, baseball cap and a very realistic fake beard covering the tell tell signs of his mask and mismatched eyes. There's a red haired young woman sitting beside him, wearing equally giant sunglasses and a fashionable scarf draped over her head that just so happens to be pinned in a way as to hide her face. Nothing suspicious here...

The easiest way not to get caught, Jack has found, is just to have his personal grunts to the actual work. And as soon as he noticed that shithead Hank heading by the day's declared territory, he knew they were gonna hit him. He wanted to stab Jack in the back? Okay, fine. But he's not getting away with that. He sent Claude to make the hit, Benni right on hand for backup if he needed it. Sure, it's one on two but Claude's packing and it's an old dude and some little fashion icon, how much of a threat are they really gonna be?

He can see what's going down from where he's sitting, though he's not close enough to be noticed. Far enough away to get the hell out of there if he needs to. Benni's on hand to help with that, too.

As Hank and Shadowmaru contemplate the cliff, a white clad figure in a domino mask springs out behind them.

"Today is your unlucky day, Trainers! Prepare to surrender your Pokemon!"

The worst part about this scenario is that this idiot actually still misses Jack sometimes. He just had to walk away because he knew how he'd react if he'd defended what he'd done to Angel. Maybe he should have asked, maybe he should have given him the chance to prove his expectations wrong.

But he probably shouldn't have, considering he just sent a rocket after him. Not that Hank knows this.

Tubbs freezes with the little Rockruff still in his mouth, making a questioning arc noise around it, muffled by what he's holding. Luann the Lycanroc growls and jumps between the Rocket and her owner, looking particularly stony.

Tubbs looks for somewhere to put the Rockruff, in the meantime. It ends up shoved at Shadowmaru, drool and all.

"God fucking dammit I was having a decent day," Hank complains, but puts himself between the Rocket and said fashion icon, actually reaching to try and get him behind him. Hank was kind of used to being a damage sponge as a cop. Big guys are good for that.

Shadowmaru fumbles for the Rockruff, who seems completely and utterly unbothered by the entire experience. It dangles in his grip like a ragdoll, wagging its tail. New friends? Hello! She is a dog!

His Frogadier, however, bubbles indignantly, and hops forward too, trying to look as tough as Luann does. He's the strongest one of Shadowmaru's bunch. He'll help!

"What on earth?" Is about the only thing the BP unit can think to say, for the moment, before things start to tick in his head. Hadn't Armin warned of pokemon being stolen? And hadn't the teen's own pokemon been taken in such a manner? That's all it takes for him to duck below the older man's arm.

He hasn't had a chance to do any sort of physical work in some time. But the combat stance is second nature to him. He was a ninja after all.

"You must be gravely mistaken."

Jack is still watching from his safe distance with his other minion, shaking his head slightly.

"Idiot, the grandstanding wastes time and loses you the element of surprise, you don't jump out and start talking, you jump out and attack! Alright Benni, be ready to get out of here quick. I don't like how this is looking all of a sudden."

Claude is still holding an aggressive and stylish pose. Yeah, the dude was clearly more into looking like a good Rocket than actually doing his job. Which hey, fine, it gives Jack a chance to dish out some discipline and remind the rest of the team that he's an important guy around here with power over them. But Claude has some Pokemon Jack doesn't want to lose...

Oh well. Something else to punish Claude for, when this is all over. He's sure there will be punishment, Claude is still villain monologing.

"I've made no mistake! Yours was paying so little attention I could get the drop on you! Prepare to be pummeled in the name of Rocket!"

Finally the Rocket goes for one of the Pokeballs at his hip.

Hank also reaches for a Pokeball, remembering, right... Shadowmaru is a fucking ninja, isn't he? He doesn't need to protect him. When Hank pulls the pokeball, presses the button, makes it bigger-

"I got this one," he tells Shadowmaru, and he throws it with the force of a pitcher right at Claude's face. Right into his nose. He follows up by running directly at them. Not by releasing a pokemon, but by just mauling the Rocket directly.

Luann makes a confused "Roc???" as her owner barrels by her, thundering like an angry mama bear at the nearest Rocket, and roaring in kind with indiscernibly angry words.

Tubbs makes a similar sort of Arc. He's not used to battles going down like this. Normally it's supposed to be him. So Tubbs runs forward to help guard the lower-powered ones that are out.

The Frogadier pauses too, looking at the dogs in complete confusion. This... is not how battles are supposed to go. Why are the humans brawling? Isn't this what gets people arrested here? His eyes widen, and he abruptly turns from the fight, hastening to use smokescreen in the direction of any onlookers.

... Look, he doesn't want to get his trainer and the other guy arrested, okay? He's seen what happens when humans brawl.

And, honestly, it's only Shadowmaru's programmed reflexes that keep him from falling over his feet as his companion just straight up starts swinging at the other human. His feet skip a few steps in the sand, circling the confrontation. Looking for an opening... to kick out behind the Rocket, knocking his feet out from under him.

If that's not enough, there's a handful of sand flung toward the unfortunate Rocket's eyes.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

009 - Log

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

SO I MANAGED TO FORGET IT WAS MY TURN. Let me know if I need to change dates again.

no worries!

Re: no worries!

no subject

no subject