rippedoff | NOCTIUM INBOX

[after this slightly worrying post from a teenager on the network, Travis is going right to the shitkid expert--]

hey shinobu
seeing as you've got the dojo back home you're pretty good with kids right?

[Shinobu definitely raises her brows at the message, because she was certain that no matter how she responded to this, the most likely thing was that Travis somehow got straddled with some kids.]

They seemed to like me pretty well, so I must have been doing something right.

Why? Did you get straddled with one of those plant babies?

uhhhh. well. yeah.

[because shinobu asked and, regretfully, he's starting to buckle a little on the kouhai thing:

>ATTACHMENT: IMG_9438.JPG
Travis' third 'child', a glorified chia pet. The leaves that make up its hair are dark and nearly black, sprouting tiny flowers. It's got something resembling Travis' nose in miniature, as well as a pair of the same tiger ears Travis has been sporting nearly every month since he arrived, but its eyes are a warm brown and a fox tail poking out from under the large, presumably adult, shirt it's wearing.]

that much i've got handled though
there is however some gembonded kid posting on the network about how she's trying to sleep on the street cause of the horny vines
can you like, gimme some backup or something idk how to talk to teenagers

[AW. Shinobu didn't want to make any comments that were going to be embarrassing for herself (because apparently embarrassing Travis on the network publicly didn't count), but she did think it was adorable nonetheless. Still, there is some lingering doubt on how well he really had it "handled".]

You're sure? I can come help out if you need it, Master.

[But reading the rest of his message, she's pretty sure she finds the relevant message. Oh! It's that kid, she was wondering how she was doing, but she had been busy with her own chia pet kid in the meantime to really have much time on the network.]

I think I might have actually met that girl when I first came to this planet, so I think I can deal with her. Just gimme a minute.

nah, this isn't really new for me, i got it

[In his defense, he's in the middle of trying to keep his manna bairn from scaling the cabinets in the kitchen again-- it doesn't occur to him that Shinobu isn't up on the details of his family.]

thanks. I knew I could count on you.

[???? There's a brief moment where Shinobu wonders if he actually knocked Sylvia up, but she immediately rejects that thought - she probably just used him up and spat him out once she was done with him. Instead, her mind goes for the more rational explanation.]

Did you get stuck babysitting or something?

But yes. Of course, Master.

[wait a second. oh god. he's run into Shinobu at least once before Noctium over the last.... seven... years.... but how much has he actually updated her on when it comes to his family life?

DID HE JUST LET THAT SLIP.]

uhhh... well... it's sort of more than that? i guess it doesnt make sense to keep my mouth shut anymore, so. i think i have to get you up to speed. on a lot.

[he checks the network to see what her progress with Buddy is, and--]

maybe when you don't have company anymore we can get coffee or something. i'd rather give you the whole spiel in person.

[?????????????????????????????????????????????]

Damn, all right. Show me a decent ramen place and you can tell me whatever you want. I'll let you know when I'm free.

[Oh, god. Well. Eventually, Shinobu's free, and they narrow down a ramen spot in the slightly-less-seedy part of the Ruby Underground with an outdoor stall and cheap, authentic grub. It's almost homey, reminiscent of the bowls of ramen they'd gotten together in virtual reality.]

So, um.

[Travis messes with the noodles in the broth in front of him, lifting them up out of the bowl, then right back in. He doesn't look over at her when he finishes his sentence.

There is literally no good way to break this news. This is so fucking awkward. Screw it: he shoves one last chopstick-load of ramen into his face, chews, and swallows before he launches right into it.]

I was... well, legally, still am... married, and we had kids? [Lifting on the end like a question; it's still so, so surreal an admission, even he can hardly believe it some days.] Twins. Guess that runs in the genes...

[Even if Shinobu hated being in a video game possibly even more than being brought to two different alien sex planets now, there's a sense of pleasant nostalgia as she sits down at the ramen stall - she couldn't deny that the noodles were surprisingly good in the Death Drive, at least.

Sitting in a comfortable silence as Travis worked up the nerve to tell her about his situation, she's in the middle of expertly eating some ramen once he finally manages to do so. Brows furrowed, she glances at him oddly as she inelegantly slurps the remainder of the noodle into her mouth. At least she manages to not completely choke on her food!]

No shit? [She manages after swallowing.] Hard to believe you're an actual father now.

[And twins on top of it all? Shinobu isn't quite certain of what to say, but she is curious enough to ask:] With Sylvia?

[Enough time had passed that Shinobu doesn't even hint at any sort of resentment in her question - she got over her thing over her Master and that had been a big part of why she had spoke so negatively of her in the past. Even if Shinobu still didn't exactly think well of her either.]

Hell, I don't really believe it myself most days. [Travis replies, with a self-deprecating little chuckle.

These last few months in Noctium have given him more than enough time to reflect on fatherhood-- at the very least, much more than he usually dwells on it all-- and it's still just as difficult as it's always been to look at himself and see a parent.]

Yup. After everything with that Batt bastard went down seven years ago, she disappeared. Took ages, but I managed to track her down and bring her back to Santa Destroy. One thing led to another, and, well...

[It SURE IS a good thing this place has beer, especially for this. He punctuates his story with a sip.]

We've been married for a few years. Were married. [he rubs the back of his neck, sheepish.] I think. I don't know anymore, I was hiding out in Texas for at least a year.

[Though Shinobu doesn't vocalize it, there's the slightest hint of concern in her expression as she wonders where his kids were through everything else going on in his life. Clearly, they weren't at the trailer in Texas and she wasn't so sure she trusted Sylvia to be able to take proper care of them either.

She keeps quiet on that thought, though, nodding and listening as Travis gave her the low down on the things that transpired in his life between the last couple of times they ran into each other in their own world.]

It seems like you need to have a long conversation with her, whenever you get back.

[Yeah, even if she still didn't think fondly of Sylvia, that seemed like a mess of a situation that was probably just going to eat at both of them until they could find some kind of resolve in the situation.]

I guess I kinda understand wanting to isolate yourself from everything for a little while, but- [She raises her shoulders in a shrug.] -you probably know just as well as I do that it never makes the issues go away.

[Travis scoffs.] Yeah. To say the least.

[He can vouch for the fact that Jeane and Hunter's physical needs have always been taken care of. Between Sylvia's cons and the last of his earnings before he'd gone underground, that'd been a non-issue. But Shinobu is right to worry. After the UAA he expects that she is, even if she doesn't say so.]

It's... [he sighs, shrugs a shoulder, idly spins a chopstick between his fingers.] It's half that and half safety, though. You know as well as I do that it's different when kids are involved, don't you? I dunno how much longer we can keep them away from all of this. Our world.

[Travis lowers his gaze.]

I don't want 'em to find out what Daddy does for a living 'cause some two-bit chump tried to kick the front door down.

[Shinobu frowns, glancing down solemnly at the remainder of her noodles as Travis brings up the topic of kids. She likely wouldn't have imagined that she'd be in the position she was now, ten years ago, but yet she's somehow found herself doing the best she could to follow in her father's footsteps to pass on the family's teachings onto a new generation. Maybe she wouldn't be as wildly known as her father, but she still felt good about helping out some kids in a bad neighborhood, nevertheless.

Yet, she knew all too well just how much of a struggle it was to try to balance the life of two very different careers. As much as she wished she could just drop the assassin life forever, there was just too many terrible people around and she didn't trust the rest of the world to bring the swift kind of justice she brought to the table.]

Yeah, this shit is hard, I'll give you that. I wish I could give you a plan to somehow make it all work out, but I really don't know how long you'll be able to live both of your lives.

Because yeah, it's not like you can drop the more lucrative job all that easily in our world.

That's what Sylvia said. Even she told me I should start working again.

[They've had their issues, sure, but if there's anything that Sylvia understands, it's the way that their shady corner of the underworld works. No matter what-- in her own words-- there'll always be someone around the corner looking to put a knife in your eye.]

Like, even if I really wanted to... I could never go straight. Just wish there was some way to keep them out of this. If there even is one.

[Maybe he shouldn't have had kids at all. Kept things less messy. But it's too late for that by far.]

[Shinobu nods quietly, taking the chance to sip at the remaining broth in her bowl. At the very least, she had a little respect for just how well Sylvia knew the ins and outs of the business, to the point she was willing to do favors for her just to get a favor in return ~~but who even knows what, because NMH2 NEVER EXPLAINED WHAT she got in return~~.]

It's always a struggle when assassins come knocking at your door and you've gotta make excuses to cut a day short. [Which Shinobu didn't like doing, but she at least had an assistant or two to take over on the days when she had to have a "conversation" with those that tried to start trouble at her dojo.] For what it's worth though... once we both make it back to our own world, I'll try to help you out the best I can, Master.

[Though there was part of her that still wanted to face Travis again someday, just to measure how far she had improved in a decade, her loyalty was always unwavering.]

And if you ever want it, I can try to train your kids in martial arts, so they at least have some form of self-defense, if they need it.

[Hearing that assassins do, in fact, come to call at the dojo gives him some pause. With so many students, it feels like the risk's multiplied for every kid whose head she's got to watch out for... but he'd trust Shinobu of all people to be able to handle herself. She's one of only a few people he knows who could probably ever stand up to him and come out on top.]

My kids, trained personally by Tim Jacobs' kid? Shit, sounds like a hell of a good deal to me. Maybe we could trade, even. You ever need backup at the dojo, you know where to find me. Especially since I'm planning to be around again.

[Travis takes another pensive sip of his beer.]

You ever think about opening up a dojo here, by the way? Seems like we've been stuck here for a while. Might be a good way to pass the time.

NOCTIUM INBOX

text; un: travis.touchdown

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1/2 yes this absolutely needed its own comment

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TO... ACTION.......

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eight million years later

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