As the profile said, this is all a prompted fic challenge that remains unfinished because I? Am soo lazy. But what I got done before the laziness inevitably settled in is here. The first prompt was from the letter E, word: Erasure; of course, centering around Robin Goodfellow.

Because the word revolves around Robin, just ask him, he'll tell you.

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Erasure-
In mathematical logic, a logical system has the erasure property if and only if no subset of the propositions can be added to another subset of the propositions to refute a consequence.
For instance, if proposition A means "the store is open from 8:00 to 22:00" and proposition B means "except Tuesdays", the system AB does NOT have erasure.

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Sometimes, Robin wondered how the Peri'd gotten his number, but after a while he realized that he'd given the thing to so many others, it wasn't really too shocking that it'd eventually fallen into enemy hands. Close to enemy, anyway. More like Switzerland, really, but more annoying.

"Ishiah, I'm in a rare bout of good temper; I'll give you four words to explainwhy I shouldn't simply hang up on you instead of the usual: none."

"And I'm sure ballads will be written of your generosity forever after." Ishiah ignored Robin's threats, as usual. He sounded tired, "Now, extend me a fraction of the patience I've lavished upon you for the centuries."

Robin was about to point out that it wasn't patience, but infantile obsession. Understandable, yes, but one must eventually learn when 'no' means 'stop stalking me'. Sadly, Robin's charming and elucidating words were cut off by the molting bastard. He thought about hanging up, but... No. Not yet.

"Why were you mucking about in that troll's lair last night?"

"You knew about that? Tch. Typical." It wasn't that surprising, though. The bastard worked in a bar, and news of Robin's exploits did get around.

"Yes, I knew about that. I've only been watching your idiotic behavior for centuries, now, it shouldn't come as so much of a surprise."

Though, really, the surprise was why Ishiah hadn't come and helped him when he'd needed it. That Auphe bastard had used him as a distraction, where was Ishiah? Making someone a drink.

Not that he liked the stalking, of course, but if something's going to be as annoying as angel cakes riding on his tail for the span of several civilizations, it might as well have its perks.

Anyway, all attention is good attention.



"Now. Tell me." Yes, yes, Ishiah sounded angry and weary and tired.

Robin preened. "Which 'why'? Why am I so magnificent? Why are you calling me? Why do you persist in bothering me? Why-"

"Why would you do something so stupid, Robin?" Angry and weary and tired and... something else. Robin couldn't place it. He didn't want to, it seemed kind of irrelevant. If Ishiah's nose was actually wanted poking in his business, maybe he'd give a dirty handkerchief, but as things stood? No way in Hades. He could deal with his own problems until he left Robin to deal with his. Alone.

But Robin'd let none of those emotions leak into his voice if he could help it. He shrugged, "A good idea at the time. You know. I'm fine now, of course, don't lay an egg."

"You idiot-" And there was a familiar one, disappointment. But still, Ishiah's voice was tinged with something Robin couldn't place. What was it, now? Robin kept listening. The Peri kept talking, "Just- are you just bored or have you finally become suicidal? I can't always-" But Ishiah didn't say anymore, and Robin could hear the steady breathing, an attempt at calm, and imagined he could hear the wings folding back and disappearing again. There was a last, bitter sigh, and Robin could place that odd emotion, suddenly, and it chilled him. "And there I thought-..." But he broke off, and silence settled in.

And Robin felt like the world had just changed its shape. What was that emotion?

Surprise.

He'd surprised Ishiah? What had he done? What could he possibly do, after all these years, to surprise that Ishiah?

And, was it a good surprise?

...Not that it mattered to Robin, of course. But he's check, just in case. It was in his interests.

"You thought...? Really, if you're going to waste my time, you might as well do me at least the courtesy of completing your sentences."

Robin heard a huff from the other end of the line. Yes. Surprised. Ishiah sounded surprised. "I had thought you may have at least had a good reason for going. They're whispering about humans, Robin, I thought the matter might have concerned them." A lengthy pause was provided. It bridged the gulf of Ishiah's audible disappointment, and Robin felt that and took it 

for his own; knowing he could destroy someone's confidence in him was good, it meant he didn't care about that someone. Ishiah continued on when Robin didn't fill the gap with his own words, however. "But, no, of course not, you were just... What did you do to them, Robin, what new low have you steeped to?"

Because this disappointment sounded like a challenge, though, Robin bit back, "I helped them like the good Samaritan I am. Without me, they'd be dead." Take that for surprise, you winged idiot.

And the silence over the phone, the much more obvious shock, was a good answer, if short lived.

Ishiah started again, but Robin knew his attack had hit home.

"You're lying." Over the phone, Robin could hear Ishiah's sigh, "But it's a nice lie. You're not an erasure, but you like to pretend to be, why should now be different?"

"No. I am. No exceptions. I don't need people, I don't need to be close to people, especially people like you," Robin added insult to injury; always fun, "no exceptions. That's an erasure."

Ishiah sounded... different, again. It was the surprise; Robin just wasn't used to it. "Then why did you help them, if your 'no helping' rule is an erasure?"

"Boredom." Robin provided a long yawn over the phone.

There was another substantial pause from Ishiah's end, and Robin realized he was thinking things out. Deciding if he was going to believe Robin or not. Finally, he said, "Of course, you felt need to risk life and limb with a troll because you were bored. Why didn't I think of it sooner?" Another huff, "Do you even know who these people are? Are they safe?"

Robin clicked his tongue, ignoring the hurt in Ishiah's voice. At least, it sounded like hurt. Robin wanted it to be hurt. He was used to that. "Ishiah, my not having a mother isn't an invitation for you to take up that office, hmm? Now go fly into a plane engine."

"My position in your life is hardly matronly, or I would've disowned you long ago." Ishiah's voice didn't waver, now; it'd found some sort of new confidence. "So you'll risk your life for strangers? I'll find out who they are no matter what you do, but it'd make my life easier if you'd tell me their names."

"You're free to learn their names all by your lonesome; I'm hardly going to assist you in stalking me. Of course, seeing as I'm never going to see the two of them again, it doesn't really matter 

either way, now, does it?" Robin slumped back into the (empty) bed he'd been sleeping in before Ishiah had called him. Really, what was it with birds and waking up before noon?

"...Really, Robin. Tell me you didn't kill them." Though the complete flatness of his voice told Robin that he wouldn't be surprised if Robin had.

And that caused an emotion rarely surfaced in Robin Goodfellow: Vaguely righteous indignation.

"No, I helped them. I risked my life for them. I put myself out on the line for them. I've known them for hardly a week, and I've already done more for them then I've ever done for you."

Robin wasn't sure if that was true or not, he couldn't remember all of the finer details of his and Ishiah's relationship and past history, but the sharp intake of breath from the other end of side of the phone conversation showed he had hit some kind of nerve.

Good.

"That's your choice. It's always your choice."

What did that mean?

But he didn't get to find out. Ishiah hung up, and Robin lay down in his bed and felt tired and satisfied and successful and cruel.

He had an erasure-- a rule without any way around it: Don't get close to people.

No exceptions.