[open] 007: Investigations

[thebeastwithout]

WHO: Beast Boy and You
WHERE: Around Recolle
WHEN: September 5th - 12th
WHAT: Hero Patrol!
WARNINGS: None

They've been trapped in a video game...

For a normal human being... this would probably be a difficult situation. Friends and family reduced to NPCs, the world transformed into a pixellated, slightly unfocused landscape. But Gar was not a normal human being. No... Gar was...

A superhe --

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH THE FIRE IS BLOCKY JUST LIKE IN MINEKRUFT."

Super game nerd.


[a: The Wiffle Waffle Waffle House, 8 bit mood]
[Following the announcement of the murder, Gar had reluctantly decided that perhaps he had been a little too harsh on Zee. It seemed as if he were just another victim in all of this as well. But with everyone outside the Recolle app being reduced to single sentence spouting automatons... The trail was definitely going to go cold if they waited for things to go back to normal.

The Wiffle Waffle waffle house was a place he had visited frequently in the past - so it wouldn't be a good idea to present himself as normal.]

Hey!

[Anyone visiting the restaurant will be accosted by someone wearing a purple mask with pointy ears and a purple hoodie.]

Sorry! Before you get your waffles, Official Policehero Business! What were you doing on the night of the 28th?

[b: A Hero On Patrol, 8 bit mood]
[A world of games...

This was a good chance for him to practice, too. After what he had seen and remembered from the last two months... he didn't have a shred of hesitation anymore about committing to the bit. And now, while no NPC could actually commit any crimes unless they were programmed to, for some reason, all he had to deal with would be the other PCs.

Over the course of the next few days, Gar pops up any and everywhere there's even a hint of trouble. Most of the time, this involves the little bugs -- ]

I got this! Take cover!

[He'll leap out in his (terribad) costume and smash the insects in the blink of an eye.

But maybe there are people up to shadier dealings - or maybe you're up to nothing at all, but you just feel like there's someone watching you in the night. Whatever the case, he's ready to pop out and flex his newfound power the moment he sees a need.]

[c: Monster Master, 8 bit mood]
[Of course, this doesn't mean he's not causing trouble, either.]

Pyrhino! Use Flamethrower!

[...His tiny little digital creature gets up on its back legs and valiantly breathes a tiny puff of flame. The fire is indeed blocky just like in Minekruft.]

THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

Hey you!

[He points at his eyes, then at whoever's crossed his path.]

Our eyes have met! Now we have to battle!!!

[Wrong game!]

Comments

waffle

[maidofmistakes]

Whoa! [Lina stumbles back a bit.] I was just -- wait, is that you?

[thebeastwithout]

Oh hey Kara!

[Gar grins brightly under his garish mask before pulling it up a little bit. ...The fact that every part of his skin showing is green is probably a dead giveaway, but.]

Yeah! Pretty neat, huh? I got a mask back from Retrospec and I thought I should probably wear like, a matching shirt.

...Not that I had a purple hoodie so I had to spend a big chunk a' my allowance...

[maidofmistakes]

Kara's my sister, G -- uh, super guy. I'm Lina, remember?

[Lina laughs nervously. Maybe it's because she can't come up with a decent super name. More likely, it's because of the visions she saw in Gar's and Shuji's dreamscapes, where her name was Kara and her life sucked.]

I need to get on that. I mean, I have the formal dress, but that's not really something to fight in. I haven't gotten any stuff back in a while, unless you count something Kara got that was both of ours. Oh, did I tell you? Retrospec gave us a dog!

A

[heiroglyphs]

[Seriously? The whole world is a pixelated nightmare and all she wants to do is go have breakfast for dinner like a responsible adult, but now some wackjob in a mask is accosting her?

Sorry Gar, but she's not in the questioning mood, opting instead to get the jump on the masked hoodlum in an attempt to get him into a headlock.]

Haa--!

[thebeastwithout]

Ow! You can't just attack the police!

[not that he was police
but Weiss's headlock proves to be unfruitful when Gar vanishes beneath her arms and reappears a few meters away, scowling angrily.]

I'm, uh... taking this as proof of suspicious activity!

[heiroglyphs]

[Okay, so she wasn't expecting the vanishing act, but Vera will push back into a defensive stance and do her best not to look rattled.]

The hell kind of cop wears a mask when questioning people?

[Wait a minute she recognizes that voice, those ears, and that scrawny physique.]

...Also aren't you in, like, high school?

wildcard bc i do what i want

[frostythehitman]

[ By the time Gar shows up, James is already at the Wiffle Waffle, dressed in his superhero best. He doesn't much like this whole outfit, especially not the red tights, but he figures if he keeps those on, he's less likely to be recognized. After all, James Barnes would never wear red tights. (Too bad his left arm's bulk and larger size is way more noticeable now than usual.)

He waves at Gar and waits until he's in close enough range that he can talk without having to raise his voice. ]

Alright, "Beast Boy." Where do you wanna start?

[thebeastwithout]

Hey, I can hear those air quotes.

[Gar narrows his eyes through his terrible mask.]

It's a great superhero name given to a great superhero. ...That's me, I'm the great superhero.

...Nice getup, though.

[He means that pretty sincerely.]

'K. Asking around is fine and all, but I think we gotta go after bigger proof. All a' these fast food places should have cameras trained on the doors.

[frostythehitman]

[ James nods. ]

Right.

Just one problem--how the hell are we gonna get in to see the footage when we're dressed like human skittles?

[ They should've worn something more discreet. But James was already dressed discreetly when he antagonized this place last time, so he doesn't think that would work well in his favor. ]

C

[spirithacker]

If I don't have a Pogglemon I'm exempt from the rule.

[Also he's nine again. Why are you picking on literal children, Gar.]

I can get my tank but that'll take ages.

[thebeastwithout]

If you don't have a Pogglemon, you gotta fight with your bare hands!

[like a MAN shinji needs to grow up and stop being a child]

........'K, fine.

Wanna help me train my digital whatever then?

[spirithacker]

[He'll be grown up in another nine years!]

Sure. What do I have to do, throw frisbees?

A.

[hauhra]

[ Bakhura looks up from his waffle and swallows the chunk he had bitten out before being harassed by this masked assailant, nearly choking on it from shock. Fortunately, he's able to coax it down his throat with a few strikes to his chest, gasping for air afterwards. He snatches his hot chocolate, glowering at the stranger as he takes a sip. ]

Show me your badge first.

[thebeastwithout]

No problemo!

[Gar helpfully gives Bakura a tap or two on the back with an open palm before he digs something out of his pocket.]

Here!

[It's something made from cardboard that says 'Official Superhero'. It has a (badly drawn) logo and everything.]

[hauhra]

What the...?

[ Bakhura snatches the badge from the stranger and peers at it carefully. ]

First of all, there's no way this badge is real... and second of all... you do know that impersonating an officer of the law is illegal, don't you?

[ Take it from a guy that's had a few run-ins with the police, Gar. ]

a

[windeity]

[What. In the world. John just kind of pauses with his hand hovering over the door of the waffle house, giving this masked crusader a very blank look as he raises an eyebrow.]

Uh. I have an alibi if that's what you mean. What's this about?

[thebeastwithout]

This is about... justice!

[and the american way]

See -- everyone in the city's turned into an NPC, right? So that means... all a' the police officers are, too!

So who's crackin' down on crime while everyone's outta commission?

[windeity]

...huh. Okay, when you put it that way I didn't even think about that. People could get away with a lot of stuff right about now if someone's not watching them. [But.] You're working alone?

B

[argone]

[Well here Kara was, minding her own business in the Digital World with her not-so-digital Superdog when suddenly...Gar?

Also digital bugs, but still...Gar? That outfit. What.]

...What on earth are you doing?

[thebeastwithout]

Superheroism!

[Gar announces proudly as he performs a roundhouse kick in mid-air and smashes a centipede-looking thing.]

I've decided it's my new thing. ...I mean, it was always my thing. But now I'm really leaning into it!

[argone]

Yeah?

[Kara looks at Krypto. Then back to Gar. Then back to Krypto. Then back to Gar.]

...You uh. Want some help there, hero?

a

[physix]

Hey, I remember you from before. You're Gar right?

[ Everyone became someone else for a while and it was terrible. She's happy to see him well. ]

On the night of the 28th I was taking care of kittens. Of course I can't prove it or anything. Do you believe me?

[thebeastwithout]

Wha --

[Come on how is he that recognizable... is it the green skin maybe he should dye his skin. Gar frowns underneath his mask.]

I don't need you to prove it, I just need to find someone who was nearby here that night.

[physix]

[ Yep, it's the green skin and noticeable Gar like features that she notices. ]

Is that so? Well that makes my life easier. You should try looking at every nook and cranny. I think something might turn up.

I can help.

Monster Master!

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Luna was clearly unprepared for that sudden declaration as she walked around a corner, judging from the split second when her eyes went a bit wide.]

What?

[On the ground behind her, her weird little 8-bit duck thing leaned out to peer at Garfield, quacking curiously.]