savetheearth | [closed] who you gonna call?

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[closed] who you gonna call?

Who: Danny Fenton, Karl Aurion
When: 5/19
Where: An alley.
What: A cop catches the pain in the ass vigilante who's made his paperwork hell. And conveniently remembers his echoes.

[Just another day out for a walk ended in a sudden chase after a magical floating vigilante. Only with luck like his would someone end up spending a break like this. Karl stops in his tracks as he glances around, mentally cursing at the fact the kid seems to have eluded him. Chasing a kid who shoves bad guys through walls and makes them cry sometimes may have been futile effort from the start. Sigh. It's not as though he wanted to hurt him (okay, maybe there was that one doodle of pushing him through a wall and him getting stuck in there), all he wanted was to chat. About what? Everything and everything pertaining to this little intangible vigilante act.

Karl almost couldn't believe it when he saw it. Never did he think he'd cross paths with magical boy in the act of wall shoving. It STILL is beyond belief that someone could do that, but not much remains impossible when you have actual aliens touch down in your city. Thinking about supernatural can come later. Right now, the focus is hunting the supernatural down. Given the lack of glowing boys in the area, however, the hunt has just ended in failure. A defeated sigh escapes him. Oh well, he tried. E for effort or something. Dammit, he's getting himself that 5 shot Americano for this. You know what, make it 6. Yeah, 6 sounds good.]

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[The hunt isn't over just yet.

Danny had been heading home after working on some homework at Olette's when he spotted somebody getting mugged at knifepoint. It wasn't anything nearly as dramatic as giant rampaging staplers or stone snakes, but that was partially what moved him to action--it was something small and simple. He knew without a doubt he could handle this, and it wouldn't even take long, so why would he just leave this poor woman when he could easily stop it?

It took about five minutes to phase the mugger's arm through a nearby wall and refuse to let him go until he handed back everything he'd taken and gave up his knife. And that was all he needed to do--after that, the mugger took off and so did the woman, with all her possessions in tact. Cure Phantom's work was over, and he was content to leisurely make his way back home until he spotted a cop running after him. Technically, cops weren't after network people any more, but then why would they chase someone who just SAVED someone?!

Which is why he's now trying to cut this little chase down by flying into an alleyway to transform. Lucky for Karl, the alleyway right next to him lights up with an inexplicable bright light and sparkles just behind the dumpster.]

[Thoughts of the glorious caffeine rush just waiting at the nearest Starbucks get cut short due to a nearby alleyway not acting like an alleyway. Alleys don't normally light up for no reason, right? Right. An investigation of this anomaly feels necessary. Karl frowns at the abnormally behaving alley before approaching it. For some reason, something behind that dumpster had glowed. If this were pre-aliens, a wild imagination may be to blame. Post-aliens, this could very well be a magical dumpster genie.

He's so close, so very close, to uncovering the secrets this very special dumpster holds (only a few steps away) when suddenly a year worth of echoes comes crashing back into his brain. Not a fun thing to experience between the memory of horrifying food and the plastic thing and -- DEAR GOD HE LOST HIS ECHOES RIGHT AFTER AGREEING TO BE EXCLUSIVE WITH MELISSA, DIDN'T HE? This realization momentarily distracts from checking out the garbage can because, seriously, who the hell is lucky enough to remember echoes for ONE DAY only to forgot them the next? Ugh.]

[Phew, safe from the cops now. There's no way they could track him down now--after all, he looks nothing like the guy! He didn't think he'd ever want to say this, but: thank god for white hair and spandex.

So when Danny finally steps out from behind the dumpster and sees the cop there, he freezes up. A closer look tells him it's Karl, which makes him feel relieved for a split second before causing a spike in panic. He hadn't heard from the man in weeks, Danny just assumed he'd lost all his echoes. And if he doesn't have his echoes...that makes this encounter significantly trickier.

So does the Cure Phantom mask that's fisted in his hand.]

UHHHH.

[He's talking before he even realizes it, and tries to figure out exactly what name he's supposed to use with the guy when his echoes are gone. He really can't keep Karl's names straight.]

H-hi, K--uh, M-Mr. Lo--Aur--Officer! Officer. Hi, Officer.

[Yelling at the universe about it finding a new plaything gets cut off when the garbage genie emerges. This magical genie looks oddly familial between the goofy expression and the stuttering and even the mas-- Wait. Mask? Cue an intense stare at the piece of clothing as the pieces fall into place.

...

The kid Karl wanted to shove into a wall is Danny, isn't it? Well. Danny need not ever learn of those doodles in those various reports. Those can just stay between him and the super officer who gave him that 'are you really handing these in like this? well whatever, sums up what I want to do, too' look. Ah, right, he should probably say something. His newly red eyes, hidden behind the usual sunglasses, shift from the mask and onto the kid holding it.]

Hello to you, as well, Danny. Care to explain the mask?

[And why you keep shoving people through walls? Can't you just be like normal superheroes and use gadgets instead of abilities that make writing paperwork about them hell?]

[Danny slowly starts to pocket the mask, trying to move as subtly as possible to try and keep attention from it. His eyes are very pointedly looking away from Karl.]

It's, uh, an early start for a Halloween costume?

[He hasn't noticed any signs that Karl's regained his echoes. As far as he can tell, this is his former chemistry teacher talking to an old student.]

[Memo to self: explain to Danny the dos and don'ts of being sneaky. This? This is just a sad attempt of sneaky right here. To emphasize how bad it is, Karl makes the most unimpressed face ever complete with the loveliest and most unimpressed eyebrow raise. Even the eyebrow would look unimpressed if eyebrows could make facial expressions.]

And making an alleyway light up is all just an elaborate prop to go along with said costume?

Edited 2014-05-22 01:19 (UTC)

...yes?

[Oh god oh god oh god maybe if he lies REALLY WELL here, he won't have to explain to a non-echoed cop that he actually has ghost superpowers.

In a deep, deep part of his mind, somewhere hidden from his consciousness, Danny is fully aware of the fact that his lying is way too crap to ever convince anyone.]

And you earnestly think I'd believe such an answer?

[Insert the most unimpressed look ever (even if the glasses sort of hide it). Really, Danny, REALLY? Does Karl have to give you a crash course in making up believable lies? Bad as it sounds, allowing someone to keep making such poor lies feels far worse.]

Edited 2014-05-24 01:52 (UTC)

[He opens his mouth to tell a lie, but one doesn't come to mind and he defaults to the truth instead.]

Well...I was kinda hoping you would, yeah.

[There we go. Now was that so difficult? Honesty also scores Danny some points with Karl. Maybe one day he'll teach the kid the ways of not lying but not being honest. Maybe.]

Your lying abilities are lackluster, though whether that be a bad or good thing is arguable.

[Danny shrinks down into his shoulders, feeling small and exposed.]

So...what are you gonna do to me?

[Intimidating Karl looks intimidating. Will he toss the kid in jail? Will he expose his identity? Will he force him to wear his old jacket in exchange for silence???]

Ask that you tone down the vigilantism or at least continue doing so in a way that results in less paperwork for the department and offer to drive you home should wish.

Wha--r-really? That's it?

[He's starting to think that maybe, just maybe, Karl does have his echoes after all...]

Do you want there to be more?

[Like getting arrested? Spending the night in jail? Having a rumor spread at school about how you are secretly a drug lord? Become super cool because of potential drug lordness? Have all the girls and jocks at your heels? And then have the FBI drag you away one day because of these rumors? DO YOU WANT THIS.

Ah, there's an annoying spec on his sunglasses, isn't there? Karl takes them off to give them a quick whip with his sleeve and gives Danny a nice view of very obviously red eyes in the process.]

[...ah. Danny doesn't know if Karl's echoes included red eyes--he honestly can't remember--but that color certainly isn't normal by any stretch of the imagination. It must be an echo. Which means Karl's have returned--along with all his memories and knowledge of network related information.

That makes things...slightly easier?]

No! I mean--no, it's okay. Believe me, I'm completely okay with the, uh, vigilante request.

[The reply gets a nod of approval as Karl slips his sunglasses back on.]

Good. Noble as the deeds have been, those of us who have to do paperwork on them have developed quite the dislike for the wall vigilante.

[Put evil doers through the walls until they agree to come up with a believable story instead of turning themselves in while in tears and crying about how a ghost made them go down the right path. First time someone came in with that story, they got an insta-drug/alcohol test. Negative results led to half the the department being in awe and the other half dreading writing reports.]

[He cringes a little at the tone of Karl's voice when he says 'wall vigilante'.]

Well, at least it's better than 'Spooky Badger'...

Just, uh. Just one question: how exactly would I go about doing it so that it makes less paperwork?

[Danny has no idea how cops and their processes work, despite having bust into a police station to break some people out.]

[Without super hearing device on him, that muttered sentence becomes 'yeast is better than spooning batter'. Yup, definitely heard that wrong. Pain the ass sensitive hearing may be a pain, but at least it doesn't lead to hearing a kid talk about yeast.]

Use your persuasive abilities to force them to think of believable reasons for turning themselves in, for one.

[Change of heart > SOME GHOST SHOVED ME THROUGH A WALL TILL I SHIT MYSELF.]

[Danny's curious expression falls into one of skepticism, face flat and one eyebrow raised.]

I'm a C student. How am I supposed to think of a persuasive reason for anything?

[The skepticism has little effect on Karl. He fully believes Danny capable of this task.]

A C student capable of superhuman abilities ought not underestimate themselves.

[If you can fly, you can learn to be persuasive.]

Yeah--not underestimate superpower stuff, maybe!

[He keeps his voice as a loud whisper at best--the last thing he needs is some random passers by to hear some kid shouting about superpowers.]

This is like--high school report card stuff. And you've seen my report card.

Grades don't always reflect intellect. Your report card may never see the front of the alphabet, but I believe you are capable of more than you give yourself credit for.

[It's obvious from the way that this is said that it's genuine. Danny could do so much if he tried, in Karl's opinion. All he needs to do is just try.]

[Danny gives him a flat, exhausted look. He really doesn't want to hear the inspiring "I know you're so much better than this" speech--if it doesn't immediately ring false (which it somewhat surprisingly doesn't, in this case), then it just reminds him of his parents' pleas and encouragements to do as well as his sister, a sentiment he is rapidly finding himself sick of.]

I'm already helping people the way I'm doing it right now! What's so wrong with that? I thought the police was supposed to stop muggers and stuff.

Helping one person can hinder another. It's all dependent on perspective.

[Flat look does not stop the philosophy lessons. Or what Karl assumes falls under that category. That class in college had been one he practically slept through and still got an A in.]

I am not saying stop helping those in need; I'm asking for a favor to make those of us doing paperwork on your deeds to appear less in need of a psychiatric evaluation in the eyes of our superiors.

[Yes, the superiors know about Numbers. No, they don't think ALL these bad guys magically get put through walls and think that the cops are using the Wall Vigilante to make the paperwork easier on themselves.]

[His brow furrows in confusion--not so much at the bit about helping one person hurting another, he can understand that. It's the second bit that confuses him.]

Wait, what? Psychiatric evaluation? Why?

[Everyone knows superpowers are a thing now, right?]

[Okay, how to explain this so that Danny gets it? Ah, maybe this will work. Karl gives a teeny sigh before speaking.]

If one day, a super-powered being accidentally destroyed your homework and you told your teacher that, they may be irate but believe your story given all that's happened. Doing so continuously, even several times per week, will make the teacher think you're, simply put, bs-ing them and saying that to get out of doing actual work.

[It's not that they don't believe the supernatural stuff; it's that the frequency of it coupled with how much people love paperwork makes them weary.]

[The example works brilliantly--Danny understands the problem now.

What he doesn't understand is the solution.]

So...are you saying I should pretend to be someone else when I do stuff now? Or that I should...punch the bad guys?

I'm saying threaten to continue putting them through walls until the day they die if they don't come up with a good excuse for why they're turning themselves in.

[Keep fighting crime!! Really! It's good! Just threaten some of the guys to say that they found Jesus and it made them magically good and caring and loving! ...Why does that sound like a bad comic book plotline? Ah well, whatever, it's good enough for the LCPD.]

Oh. So just...make sure they say something other than "Cure Phantom made me turn myself in"?

[Just to be sure he's clear on this. He thinks he understands what Karl is saying but it sounds kinda...shady.]

Precisely. Anything else so long as it's different than that.

[Shady, maybe, but getting that 'goddammit Aurion, you're writing these to not have to write up a report' lecture again is not happening if it can be prevented.]

Alright, I...think I get it now. It doesn't matter so much what I actually do to stop them, so long as they say something else!

I can try getting them to blame something else.

[He doesn't think of himself as a very persuasive person, but Danny is finding that flying three feet in the air plunging a guy's hand through a dumpster makes him a very authoritative figure indeed.]

I ask for nothing else. You needn't do it all the time, either, just sometimes to make my officers and myself not seem nearly as eager to avoid doing busywork.

[Because believe him, none of them enjoy the paperwork. Karl does and diligently so but still hates it. Speaking of paperwork, some still remains to be done to be done today. Time to start heading back now that the Wall Vigilante has been dealt with.]

I'll start heading on back to the station.

[He almost turns to walk off but pauses in doing so. One more thing remains to be said. It has to be said.]

I wish continued succeeds in your apprehending of criminals. No matter if it annoys some of us, you are doing a good thing, Danny.

[Danny was just about ready to head home himself, after this slightly crushing confrontation, but halts before he can take a step when he sees Karl pause. Hearing approval like that, especially from someone so typically stoic and critical, makes a grin spread on his face despite his best efforts to keep it down.]

...Thanks.

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[closed] who you gonna call?

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