Fifty-Eighth Theory [Voice/Action]

[i_speak_softly]

Open Voice

The person who made the little wind-up dragon... can I have another?

Action for Nezumi

[The reason Don needs another dragon is because he took the first one apart to make a camerabot for someone he doesn't even know. He hopes this was a good idea.]

[He heads to building three, floor one, room five, as he was told, and knocks five times.]

Action for Isamu

[After making that delivery, Don circles southward to the home of one Isamu Nitta. Allegedly some other people live here too, but Don has never met them. Hopefully, if they exist, they won't mind too much that a giant turtle is climbing in their window. Isamu did say to surprise him.]

Action for Buffy

[Around sundown, Don makes his way to House 7. He knocks here too, though he doesn't count how many times. He has a question to ask...]

((Housemates of the people Don is looking for are welcome to tag in, and of course the Voice part is open to anyone pinged by clockwork draconids.))

Comments

[i_speak_softly]

[A skeptical look - but teasing.]

I used to be short and jumping still seemed to work fine.

[herotypical]

Yeah, well? Maybe turtle jumping is different from Slayer jumping.

[i_speak_softly]

Maybe a Slayer should go running with a Turtle more often and learn how to jump better.

[... That's an acceptable way of asking for a recurring not-date, right?]

[herotypical]

...We do that and you know I'll just inevitably be able to kick your ass in a week or two. I'm a fast learner.

[ she sprints to the far side of the bar's roof. ]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don follows. Conversation while running is not a problem for him.]

I already got my shell kicked a few days ago. I can't believe I lost a roof-running race in Manhattan.

[herotypical]

Who did the kicking?

[ the dropping down is done with much more ease and grace -- landing on her feet. there's too much space in this part of the village to simply jump from one roof to the other. further on, though... ]

[i_speak_softly]

[A flip, and a light landing in the grass.]

Her name is Ran Fan. [He pronounces it the Japanese way, so it's hard to tell whether the first letter is an R or an L.] Do you know her?

[herotypical]

Nope. Sounds like my kinda person, though.

[ buffy jerks her head at the building across the wide path. next target. ] We're talking a friendly spar, right? Not...y'know -- grr argh evil?

[i_speak_softly]

No. I saw her roof-running, and - invited her home. Sort of.

[What? Sometimes he moves fast. He eyes the next building and decides to attack it with a pole vault, gaining a third-floor windowsill and leaping up the facade from there.]

[herotypical]

[ she laughs as she jumps and grabs for handholds -- skittering up the side of the building in his wake. when they reach the top, she combat-rolls onto the roof and pops to her feet. ]

Invited her home! [ she follows up on what he'd said before. ] I thought you were happily attached, Hef!

[i_speak_softly]

[Ouch, Buffy. Instead of answering, Don just looks out across the Luceti skyline, such as it is.]

[herotypical]

[ she knows enough to notice when a joke sinks... ]

Donnie?

[i_speak_softly]

Yes.

[Part acknowledgement, part highly-simplified answer to the question. Are you going to press him for details?]

[herotypical]

[ for a moment, she looks as though she might be nosy...

but then? ] I double-dog-dare you to jump straight to the next roof.

[i_speak_softly]

[It's disconcerting how Buffy sometimes seem to channel Don's brothers, and he can sense her settling inexorably into the Sister Zone. It's disappointing to have that happen again, but it's probably better this way. Given the whole 'happily attached' thing and all.]

That roof? Barely worthy of a single-dog-dare.

[He stows his bo, paces back the way they came, then sprints across the roof and easily clears the jump.]

[herotypical]

[ she soon follows -- clearing the gap with startling ease, now that she was limbered up. ]

Last time I did this...[ she confesses with a flush of adrenaline in her cheeks ] a town was collapsing behind me.

[i_speak_softly]

[Sideways glance. Couldn't you pick a more agreeable subject?]

Nice to just run, without the for-your-life part.

[herotypical]

I have you to thank for that. [ a beat. ] So? Thank you.

[i_speak_softly]

[He tilts his head.]

You weren't going anyway?

[herotypical]

Not up so high. I was thinking of heading out into the woods, actually. This is less...lonely.

[i_speak_softly]

[He looks away again.]

I've spent a lot of time on the roof of your bar, you know. Not being lonely.

[herotypical]

How does it rate? [ she kicks at a loose bit of concrete. ] Roof-wise? 'Cause I used to know a guy who did a lot of roof-chilling. Or roof-brooding, I guess. In his case. But he never properly reviewed the bar.

[i_speak_softly]

I like it. I can hear all the conversations. [He glances over his shoulder.] Anyone I know?

[herotypical]

He was...here a few times. Generally stuck to the rooftops at night. Went by the name Angel? Tall, dark, and broody...

[i_speak_softly]

[Don shakes his head. He doesn't know any guys named Angel.]