what use is a present if you just leave it to look pretty

[dustless]

For all the time they've been at the castle, Frisk's never really hung around the Edge.

What would the point be? There's a lot more inside, where the rooms are ever-shifting, and the gardens are always full of sunlight and only a few clouds high above. If they really wanted to watch clouds moving, they could just go into one of the towers or higher halls and watch out the windows.

...and the Edge was a reminder that the castle's all there really is, and they don't...like thinking about that all the time.

But now that they've been guiding newcomers there to prove yes, this is all real, they've realized...it's not bad out there. It's beautiful, seeing the clouds close up like that, and the grass is comfortable, and the wind is nice against their face, even if it's kind of cold. And that last bit is helpful in another way, too--

High above the Edge, maybe even visible from the castle's other towers and the gardens, a red kite flies--after several attempts, almost staying in the air before falling out of sight again, once, twice, three time, four...eighth time's the charm.  It's Frisk's gift from Serif and S-4, with its kitty face, though that's impossible to see from so far below. 

Frisk themselves is just sitting cross-legged in the grass, holding onto the kite's spool tightly, watching it disappear and reappear with the clouds' movements. 

They hadn't thought about how that would telegraph exactly where they are, but that's fine. They won't mind if people come to keep them company.

Comments

[dustless]

"Yeah!" Wow, what a kid. They love it and hug him right back--well, once they adjust their hold on their kite.

They don't quite back off at the second bit, eyes examining his face. "Really? But you're not old?" Aren't really old people the ones who retire? Kotetsu's hair isn't even grey.

[oldmantiger]

Oh, good, it's okay to hug Frisk. He does try to pay better attention to physical boundaries where children are concerned. After all, much as he adores his own child, she's at the age where hugs are still considered uncool outside of life or death situations. So he especially doesn't get many, which is a drag sometimes.

If they don't quite back off, he won't quite back off. He'll even reach out a hand to help steady their kite, if it proves necessary - even without his powers, his reflexes are good. It's just his luck and timing that's terrible.

At their question and incredulous expression, he laughs, scratching at his head and looking faintly embarrassed. "That's really nice of you to say, Frisk. But, well, I am kind of old." He shrugs, carelessly. "Bunny even always used to call me 'old man' when we first met." As payback for being called "Bunny". "Heck, I was tied for oldest of the heroes with a high school buddy of mine."

He doesn't necessarily want to mention the real reason for his retirement. Not when he's still trying to get Frisk to not worry about him.

"When he actually started calling me by name, it was one of the best days of my career."

[dustless]

"...how old are you?" Maybe...superpowers make people look younger than they are, or something.

Incredulity fades into neutrality; neutrality slowly warms up into a big ol' smile. That's...really, really nice. And cute. And-- "Cool," Frisk says, nodding. "Took you guys a while to get along?"

[oldmantiger]

Kotetsu lifts his chin proudly. "I'll have you know that I will be turning thirty-seven soon." All joking aside, Kotetsu has never been too sore about the fact of his age. He's lived a full life in a short time and he's grateful for it.

He knows he's luckier than some to have made it so far.

Kotetsu lets out a short bark of amused laughter at their question. "You could say that." Along with a few much more emphatic and less delicate things about their first couple of months as partners. He draws a knee up to his chest and rests his free arm across it, staring into the distance at nothing very much. "Bunny was just starting out in the hero business. I was...hah. As far as everyone else was concerned, I was kind of a dinosaur in the business, by that point."

Much as he blustered and complained about that assessment, while keeping up a good front and aggressively continuing to crush things for justice anyway, hearing as much so frequently and relentlessly from so many sides had started to wear Kotetsu down a little bit. Especially since he hadn't been unaware of the fact he reveals next. "They...pretty much paired us up because they thought I'd make him look good. I'd been a hero for probably a decade by then, and I was supposed to be his sidekick." That had stung. That had hurt. And it certainly hadn't made Kotetsu more inclined to give his new co-worker a chance for a while. "Neither of us really wanted a partner anyway, but it's like I said before. If the sponsors say 'jump', usually you've at least got to stand on your tiptoes."

He half reaches up in a habitual attempt to tug his hat down a little over his face, before remembering that it's still missing. It's his usual response when emotional subjects come up. But right now, talking about emotional things doesn't hurt quite so much. Maybe because, ultimately, he's still mostly talking about Barnaby. And Kotetsu likes talking about him, nowadays. "At the start, I thought he was just a hotshot kid who only cared about scoring points and giving interviews. But...I guess we got used to each other. I got to know him. And I guess he got to know me, too, because before I knew it, I was rubbing off on him. And he didn't even seem to mind."

Kotetsu thinks back to a bar after a fight. Remembers how he'd had a drink in his hand, how he'd been seething and at his wit's end, and how he'd looked up at the screen. He'd seen Barnaby there, in an old interview he'd never even known his partner had given, talking about the one man he most respected and admired. Talking about how he hoped to live up to that person's standards and make him proud. And Kotetsu remembered setting the drink aside.

"We had a pretty rocky start. But if I do say so myself...I think we turned into the best damn team that city ever saw."

[dustless]

Thirty-seven, wow. They woulda just thought thirty.

They stick their tongue out at the 'sidekick' thing. "Not fair. 'Sides, you don't seem like a sidekick."

'Points' are relegated, in Frisk's head, to something like 'points of pride'. And 'partners'--they rapidly reassess that behind their grin, that maybe, maybe they were right about the Undyne-and-Alphys comparing stuff before. That they weren't actually dating.

Time for some gentle prodding with words. "You guys're good friends. You were both really worried about each other right when you got here."

[oldmantiger]

"We both were? Huh." That's...actually kind of heartwarming to hear, even if it shouldn't be remotely surprising. Kotetsu's smile widens a little further, before he shrugs expansively once more.

"Well, I mean, we'd just had a pretty worrying time of things. Bunny got kidnapped, I almost died." Among other things. So many other things. Despite this, Kotetsu's tone remains very casual. Even genuinely casual. "I guess we were both hoping things would settle down a little after that. Especially with both of us retiring. But...hah." He gestures at the sky above them and the castle around them. "Not so much. I guess he thought I'd still be a little banged up from that fight. And trust me, having him go missing on me once before was one time too many."

"Besides. When there's trouble, we have to be the first one each of us thinks to call. That's just part of being a good team." He glances down at his wrist - it's still weird, not seeing his communicator there anymore.

[dustless]

Kidnapped and almost died, really. "Hero business musta been probably really hard."

Wait. Frisk tilts their head. 'Both' retiring? "How old's Bunny?" They don't even notice their complete slip that time. He seems--well, looks younger. How old are heroes supposed to be when they retire? Why do they need to retire anyway?

"'S a good thing you got brought close together, then. I mean--um, mostly. Sorry." They look away, uncomfortable. As much as Kotetsu cares about Bunny, he misses home a lot.

[oldmantiger]

"Bunny? Oh, he's coming up on twenty-six." Kotetsu will definitely have to make sure to keep tracking days here so he doesn't miss it. But then he looks down at Frisk, frowning in faint confusion.

"Is 'retire' not the right word? It's not quitting." Kotetsu is adamant on this point. "He didn't quit. But it wasn't even completely his choice to get into the hero business in the first place. So I guess when I left, he decided to try and figure out what he really wanted to do with his life." Kotetsu shrugs, not sure what anyone else would ever want to do with their life, but definitely not begrudging Barnaby wanting to find out.

"Sorry, English is, like, my...third language?" He taps a finger against his forehead. "So sometimes it's hard to think of words."

At their discomfort, he smiles in reassurance even if they can't see it, and pats them carefully on the shoulder. "It's like you said - if we have to be stuck here, at least we're not alone. If we have to be here, it's good that it's together. I'm thankful for that."

[dustless]

"Um...I dunno. I thought you had to be really old to retire." Frisk doesn't know much about that kind of thing. All their experience is from what they watch on TV.

"That's okay. It's my first an' I forget them a lot. What's your other ones?"

The pat is a comfort, and they bob their head, reeling their kite in slightly. "Yeah...some people don't have that here. Do their best to make friends and stuff though. Usually."

[oldmantiger]

"Well, pretty much everyone is still 'really old' compared to you. How old are you, anyway?"

And then...whoops. There he goes, accidentally tipping his hand. Kotetsu ducks his head a little, embarrassed now. "Oh, y'know. Japanese, Spanish, English...andafewotherones." It's much easier to admit to being a polyglot when he's apologizing for forgetting words. Still, he probably doesn't have to worry. Frisk doesn't seem to be easily impressed by much.

"And yeah, I'm starting to notice that. The people here seem usually nice. Which is why I don't want the big green jerk to go around ruining it for everyone, y'know?"

[dustless]

"I'm..." Pause. They were nine when they got here, and then ten not long after, but...no, no, it hasn't actually been a year since. "Ten."

Frisk leans forward. Yes, they did catch that. "Other ones?"

Then--he said Japanese. They lift a finger, sifting through memories. Meeting Ryoji. What was that polite thing...? "Kotetsu-san!" they say triumphantly.

They glance over their shoulder at the castle wall. Croc wants to get them... but they shouldn't say that. "Yeah. Still, must be...mad for a reason."

[oldmantiger]

Kotetsu opens his mouth...and then closes it again. Ten. That is...that is the same age as Kaede. Frisk is so much shorter than her, though. He never would have guessed. Then again, it probably doesn't help that they're almost certainly not eating right, here in this place. He'll need to see if he can do something about that, and deep down, he knows he's only thinking these thoughts to avoid the fact that he misses her so much all over again. Kaede is ten, and he still isn't there for her.

Not to mention that it's just a little bit alarming that Frisk obviously had to think before they answered.

No, try not to think about that. There's no point in dwelling on that. He'll be home, soon. He has to be.

Fortunately, Frisk provides another distraction. "Other ones," he says casually. It's not that it matters now, right? They can still talk in English just fine.

And maybe Japanese, too! He laughs happily at their success. "That's right. But seriously, you don't have to worry about that around me." He waves a hand dismissively, though he's still smiling. "I'm out of the habit of using honorifics anyway, when I'm not visiting family." But he makes it work to get the same points across in English, when he has to. No wonder Bunny hates being called lil' Bunny when he says it in the same tone he might say Bunny-chan.

"Everyone's always got a reason for being mad. Doesn't give them the right to eat people."

[dustless]

Frisk tilts their head, grinning back at his laugh. That doesn't stop them from asking-- "What other ones?" Kids are curious, Kotetsu. "And okay. Honorifics. I forgot that word. It's polite though, right?"

The grin fades a little. "No. But...still. 'S usually good to know why people are doing bad stuff."

[oldmantiger]

Kids are remarkably curious, about the most unexpected things. But Kotetsu can realize when he's been caught.

"Oh, y'know. Italian, French, Mandarin, Hindi, Russian..." He immediately waves a hand dismissively. "You've got to know how to talk to people, right? And sure, they're polite. Well, that one's polite. By rights, I should be calling you Frisk..." And then he gives them a second look, and hastily discards the first two possibilities that come to mind as not fitting. So he corrects himself, changing tact. "Well. There's 'honorifics' just for adults to use towards kids, weird as it sounds when I say it out loud." Though really, given how helpful they've been, would 'Frisk-san' really be so weird? Hell, he could probably go as high as 'Frisk-sensei'. It'd mostly just sound more formal than he wants to be.

...his grin fades a little. "And we can ask. When he's secured." Kotetsu is not remotely above talking to his enemies. But most of them weren't actively trying to kill or eat him at the time.

[dustless]

...Frisk is pretty sure at least one of those is a sort of food. They nod anyway. "Yeah. 'Portant thing for a hero to know."

The sudden shift is unexpected. Maybe it's weird 'cause they're friends and not family, or he's not their teacher, or something like that. (They've heard of '-sensei', though they don't actually know how it applies to language.)

"Secure him where? Don't think a tower's gonna be good enough to keep him in," they say matter-of-factly.

[oldmantiger]

Kotetsu replies adamantly. "This place has got to have a dungeon somewhere, right? What kind of a castle doesn't have a dungeon." This one, possibly, because he's been looking and hasn't found one. "I mean, getting him down there could be a problem. And it's not like we could just let him starve. But it'd be something, right? He could tell us all about why he's going around hurting people when he's behind bars."

He has a certain understanding of the way the world works, and is not remotely ready to give it up even in the face of this much provocation.

[dustless]

It's good to know, though with the size of Croc, they don't think he'd be easy to feed. "...maybe. Dunno if there's dungeons, the only stuff under the castle's a lake. Plus it'd be hard to do and might just make him...madder...if he gets out again."

When he gets out again, they think.

[oldmantiger]

"...a lake, huh?"

That's news to Kotetsu. He frowns in renewed consideration.

"Maybe that's where he hides out when he's not rampaging through libraries. I mean, crocodiles like water, right? Or am I thinking of alligators?"

He frowns, trying to recall the difference between them. Or if there even is a difference. "But there's probably, like, fish down there! Or birds. He could eat those."

...either way, even if he were capable of coming up with a plan right now, it's not a plan he would want Frisk involved in. So Kotetsu waves a hand to dismiss the subject. "Anyway. Not like I'm running off after him right this second, or anything."

[dustless]

They shrug, knocking the tips of their shoes together. "I dunno. It's hard to get back up from there, usually, so it might be a good...trap. 'Cept I think there's a bunch of ways down there, and there's a trap door in the garden that's easy for anybody to fall in to get down there, so there might be...other ones."

The mention of birds is enough to distract them, and Frisk gives him a small glare. "Don't think there's birds there. I don't want him to eat the birds, I like them."

[oldmantiger]

Yikes. Frisk has a surprisingly scary glare for such a small child. Or maybe Kotetsu is just especially susceptible. Either way, he draws back a little, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"You've got it. No eating birds." Fortunately, his mind is already ticking over to other possibilities. "There's, like, a lot of meat under the kitchens? No idea where it comes from. But I'm pretty sure it's chicken. Maybe he can have some of that until we figure out a better plan."

[dustless]

They immediately relax, smoothing their expression out a bit. "Good. They're nice, too. Mostly. Peacocks are kinda rude, but shouldn't get ate."

Frisk nods, lightly frowning. They still have a tight feeling in the pit of their stomach that trying to lock him anywhere will just make things worse in the long run.

"And maybe he can eat other stuff. I dunno. He's not just a crocodile, he's a crocodile monster." Can't ever guess all of what a monster might eat.

[oldmantiger]

And now it's Kotetsu's turn to frown just a little, although for entirely different reasons. He finds himself feeling curious, more than anything, and turns a little where he sits to properly face Frisk.

"I'm...not really seeing what the difference is. You say 'monster' like it...means something?" No, that's not right, of course it means something. What does he really mean? It's just that...

"I kind of think we might be working off of different ideas of what a monster is. Since I'm not running around trying to find my partner right now, mind filling me in?"

[dustless]

Frisk blinks. They...forgot they hadn't talked to him much about it. They just said not to fight most, right?

"Um...monsters...I know a lot of them where I'm from. They're people, like humans, they're just made of mostly magic and look really different. Does your world have stuff like that?"

[oldmantiger]

"Kind of? I mean, my mom used to tell me a lot of stories about monsters that were magic and not human. Like kitsune, and tengu, and bake-neko." He ticks off three fingers, knowing that he could go on for hours, before shrugging helplessly. "But I never saw any. And they all had different names. And some of them were really scary. Even worse than crocodile monsters."

[dustless]

Kitsune. That word sounds familiar--they might've read that word in Alphys' lab, actually.

They nod. "I dunno how many names there are for monsters, even though there's lot of different kinds. I just know Boss Monsters--they're big and look like goats in a human sorta shape. Toriel an' Asriel are those, you might meet them around here. Nobody saw any for a long time--humans got scared of them 'cause of their magic and locked them under a mountain. So everyone home thought they were just made up."