robowest | [ DEPARTURE ]

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game: end

[ DEPARTURE ]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go.

Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.

"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."

This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.

After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

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[His jaw clenches. Of course. Of course Will had lied about that and he wonders why. Then again, the voice in the back of his head asks him again why he'd lied about having a role in this game.

'Stop making excuses.']

…we're together. It'll be fine. Whatever happens next and whatever we remember and think about, we're together and we're fine.

[In the end, Will did something wrong. It's something he'll probably talk to Will about himself if he can for his own peace of mind, but this isn't Natalie's burden right now. They should be celebrating going home, but…the game still sort of won this way, didn't it? Permanently changing people this way with pain. In the end, he knows both of them are too deeply intertwined with those two. It's why he backs down and settles for sitting up finally to properly look at her. He ponders for a moment, and though he knows the answer already he calmly asks:]

Do you know how to surf?

[After a moment or two, her lips quirk into a smile.]

I'm from a small town in central Washington. Take a guess.

Good. I need someone who also doesn't know what they're doing to make me look a little less stupid. [The words are casual but he's smirking anyway.] Could be fun.

You say that, but is it physically possible for you to be bad at anything water related?

[A thoughtful pause.] Probably not, but surfing is more about balance and that might be the harder part. Call it a failsafe.

[He hums.] Does everything work like normal on the train?

You're going to have to be a little bit more specific for me to know how to answer that, I think.

If I'm going straight back into Tartarus after two months without my powers, I kind of want some practice time in before Dirt Face shows up.

Oh. Well, I basically have no way to know, being all not superpowered and stuff. Only one way to find out, I guess?

The least you could've done for me is check out other people, Nat. [He rolls his eyes but he's mostly just teasing her as he fidgets to fish his pen out of his pocket. He stares at it in his hand for a moment before uncapping it--

--and, you know, nearly dropping it in surprise when it actually elongates into its full three-foot bladed glory.]

Guess that answers that. Cool, one less thing to worry about.

Yes, of course, that absolutely should have been my first priority. How dare I, et cetera, et cetera.

[That surprise of his is mirrored, though, her eyes opening wide as she instinctively takes a huge step back.]

Holy shit.

[He's still staring, but he's at least polite enough to move so there's plenty of space between them before giving the sword a test swing.]

It'll probably take some getting used to. [Given how he's comfortably handling the sword, it's clear he means it'll take Natalie some time to get used to it.] Probably means my abilities are back, too. Anyway I think I can forgive you for slacking on your scouting duties. You've got time to get better.

[Please punch his dumb, smirking face. This isn't helpful to anybody.]

[A snort.]

Don't overestimate how happy I am to see you, Jackson.

Believe me, I'm not. [But he's also touching the cap of the pen to the sword's tip to shrink it back down.] Besides, I know you aren't as happy to see me as you were to see Jason.

[...still smirking. Oops.]

You are so lucky there's a ban on violence here.

[But she's going to remember that!!]

[:)]

I'm just saying. You're also not saying I'm wrong, so...[But he tones down the teasing just a bit.] You'll be good for each other. Damian already asked me to make sure we take Jason with us instead of letting him try to return to his own world.

Shut up, I hate you.

[But.]

It'd be cool if he wanted to, I guess. And I'm preemptively telling you to shut up again.

I know, you hate me so much you're coming home with me. [He gives a lopsided grin.] ...I talked to Jason about Manhattan earlier this week and about my mom. I think he'll go just to make sure I own up to my promise I'll come home. Plus from what I understand his home's pretty...not great anyway.

Exactly. I'm glad you understand this.

[She nods.]

That's kind of the impression I got, too, but it seemed like he was still thinking about it when I brought it up to him after he got here. I told him he should do whatever would make him happiest.

He's worried about sending Damian back to Batman. [With Natalie, at least, he can say the name and she might get why he still finds this whole thing bizarre as hell.] He's finally settling in the big brother role and now he doesn't want to send him home where he can't protect and support him. I totally get it. But...you're right. He needs to do what's going to make him happiest. Sometimes those two things aren't the same. After everything though Jason deserves it.

He'll listen to you probably more than he'll listen to me anyway.

Yeah. Sucks that we can't bring both of them. He'd probably feel a lot better about it that way.

[She rolls her eyes, though.]

I don't have magic powers that make him agree with everything I say, you know. There's no reason he'd listen to me more.

Damian wouldn't allow it. I thought of that, but I know he'd say no. He needs to go back, face his father, and determine his own judgment. The kid's pretty brave, I'll give him some credit. But it definitely doesn't make it suck less.

[A shrug.] Thank the gods you don't have charmspeak. [Because that's a thing. That is definitely a thing. But he shakes his head anyway.] Let me give you some guy advice. When a guy really, really likes a girl he's a lot more willing to listen and agree with what she's saying. Trust me.

[This is how Annabeth usually wins. It's awful.] He might argue it, but in the end he will listen.

You know, assuming charmspeak is exactly what it sounds like, I'm incredibly offended. Clearly I would only use it for incredibly responsible purposes.

[That is such a lie. And then she's shoving at his shoulder lightly, mostly to hide the fact that she might be going a little red.]

It was two kisses. It's not like it's a big deal.

It's exactly what you think it is. Aphrodite kids can use it. Piper's used it to bail us out of trouble a few times already. [Granted Piper's also used it to steal cars and jewelry but he doesn't quite know that.] But sure, we'll pretend it'd only be for responsible purposes. I know I'd use it to talk people into giving me the last slice of pizza in any situation.

[He doesn't mind the shove but he does roll his eyes.] It was one the last time we talked, Natalie. You do the math. Two is still two more than he's gotten from anybody else on this train.

No pretending necessary. I'm a mature and sensible person who absolutely would not abuse that power.

[Wrong.]

No, it was always two, they just kind of happened right after one another? So I was counting it as one before that, but I guess that's inaccurate. Also, shut up.

Okay, Ms. Sensible. I'll believe it when I see it.

[There's a mock-sigh.] There's a huge difference between one and two. One and two was the difference between me and Annabeth being friends and dating. [Because he spent like a year pondering what the hell it meant when Annabeth kissed him. Percy's fine.] But the real point is that you trust Jason more than anyone else here, don't you? And vice versa.

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