It was almost time to go to bed, the sun was setting, turning the sky orange. But Stephanie was at the edge of town, behind the billboard on the small platform and struggling to open the hatch to Robbie's lair. She knew he knew something more than he lead on. And since she wouldn't know how else to get to talk to him, she would just visit him. Unannounced. Just coming into his home.
Well, she didn't know what else to do! So what of it if she was breaking and entering? She wasn't really breaking after all, though just entering someone's home without asking still technically is..
Finally opening the hatch, she climbed into the tube and let herself fall down. It wasn't that much of a bumpy ride like she would've imagined, but it was really fast and really dark. She was glad when she finally tumbled out of the tube, rolling a little over the floor after she landed.
"You have no manners, have you?", Robbie asked, looking over to the pink mess on the ground from his place at his workbench. He was tinkering away at some kind of machine, though it was impossible to tell what it was or what it could do.
"I wouldn't know how else to get your attention! So a visit it is", Stephanie replied with an angry pout and got back up on her feet, dusting off and straightening her clothes again. She still loved to wear pink, just not as much as before. Especially since her hair was bright pink as well.
"And what do you want?", Robbie turned his attention back to his work, knowing Stephanie wouldn't touch anything here, at least nothing that looked like it could be dangerous, which was most of the things that stood around.
"I wanted to ask how you know so much more about the heroes than anybody else", Stephanie said and walked over to Robbie, keeping her distance from him though. She had some kind of respect for him now, or maybe even a slight fear. Just from how he had acted the last time they had talked.
"Sticking your nose in things that aren't your business, huh?", Robbie laid down his machine and turned towards her. He looked straight at her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable under his gaze.
"W-well, I wouldn't have thought you knew much more than me!", she tried to defend herself, looking away from him. "But you were always a mystery for me too... you don't seem to be normal like me and the other's either", she carefully looked up to Robbie. And he broke into a grin and soon laughed at her.
"Me? What do you think I am then?", Robbie asked and smirked, still watching the girl. She seemed uncomfortable being here now, and she regretted coming down here. She felt vulnerable.
"I- I don't know. I just, I can't believe that we're still falling for your disguises even though we're older now. There has to be something!", she took a slight step forward, trying to be brave. If Sportacus was really an elf like Robbie claimed, then why shouldn't Robbie be something kinda magical either? It would explain why they fell for his disguises still.
"Now now Pinky, have you never learned to mind your own business?", Robbie asked, still grinning at her, but it was much more unsettling for Stephanie now. Just... the tone in which Robbie talked, it wasn't how she was used it to be.
"I- I really want to know though! Please tell me?", she couldn't rest until her mind was put at ease, until she knew about everything she could know about. She knew she could get answers from Sportacus or Robbie, but both seemed so uncooparative, she didn't know what to do.
Robbie grabbed something from his workbench and pulled it off, taking a step towards Stephanie. He was holding a baseball bat, what material Stephanie couldn't really tell. It scared her though, making her take a step back.
"It be oh so kind of you to leave my home now, Pinky. Don't you know Sportakook's crystal doesn't work down here?", Robbie chuckled, seeing the surprised look on her face. There was a reason as to why his crystal didn't pick up trouble that was down here, but that was a secret.
"Why not? Can't you- can't we just talk? Like before?", Stephanie took another step back, stuttering in her speech. Robbie was menacing, swinging that bat leisurely around in his hand, slowly walking towards the girl while she walked backwards.
"I'd rather break your shins than talk with you again, little brat. Thinking you can allow yourself anything. Just dropping into my home, not even leaving if I ask you to", Robbie shook his head in a disapproving manner, before he chuckled again.
"If you'd like to be able to walk still, you should really use that ability now". He was faster in front of Stephanie than she backed away, since he did much bigger steps than her. But hearing the threat, she paled and turned around, quickly running towards the tube again to climb out. Only looking back once, to see Robbie still slowly approaching with that almost creepy grin. And out she was.
oooo
The next time someone dropped into his home without being allowed to wasn't that much later. It was maybe a day or two, when Sportacus landed in Robbie's lair, the villain in question sitting in his orange fuzzy chair.
"Robbie, we need to talk", the hero said, his voice for once rather stern. He walked towards the other man, not stepping onto the orange carpet though, where the chair with Robbie in it stood.
Said man was just simply sitting there, one leg propped up on the other, his foot laying on his thigh, and his arms on the armrests.
"And what would be important enough to just enter my home to talk about?", Robbie asked, annoyed, and rolled his eyes. Why did people always think it was okay to just drop in? Just because he had no front door or because he didn't usually lock his hatch?
"You cannot threaten a child to break their shins", Sportacus stated, looking at Robbie like he wanted him to know that he was for once extremely serious.
"Oh, was the poor little girl scared of me?", Robbie asked mockingly, chuckling softly. Of course Stephanie would eventually tell Sportacus about it. "You realize she just entered, like you, and didn't leave when I had asked that brat?", Robbie remarked then, growling slightly. He couldn't stand Sportacus and how he always trusted the kids more, believing they did everything right.
"It's still not-", "It wasn't even a bat that could do any serious damage. It's made of plastic. Not even you could break shins with that", Robbie interrupted Sportacus, rolling his eyes once more. He just had wanted his peace back, and the pink brat hadn't wanted to leave him after he had asked her.
"Stephanie had only wanted to talk with you Robbie", Sportacus' voice and gaze got softer again. Seems like he understood Robbie -though he would never agree to such means.
"But I didn't want to. Persistent noisy brat. Sticking her nose into business that's not hers", Robbie scoffed. That pink girl was nothing but annoying. He had better to do than talk with her and tell her things she could just ignore not knowing.
"Robbie..", Sportacus sighed. He knew Stephanie had been very interested in the heroes before him and about himself as well, but he hadn't known that she had bothered Robbie with it as well. But it did make him wonder, why would she want to talk with him? Did he know something?
"I have the feeling you're hiding something" Sportacus said then. He always had had a strange feeling about Robbie, especially while Robbie was wearing his disguises. Sportacus could always feel something strange around him then, masking who Robbie was. Something that felt familiarly like magic.
"Aren't you hiding something as well, Sportacus?", Robbie asked, smirking. He got up from his chair and stepped towards Sportacus. "The never lying hero, hiding the fact he's not human. That he will outlive all of the kids, most probably. That he can use magic", Robbie circled Sportacus, his tone was amused, he was still wearing his grin.
Sportacus became uncomfortable, hearing Robbie say it all out loud. How did he know all that? How did Robbie know so much about the heroes, about Sportacus himself?
"How do you know all that?", Sportacus finally asked, looking at Robbie. He just laughed though, amused how no one knew anything.
"You've never met many other heroes, have you?", Robbie asked then, standing in front ot Sportacus again. He had his hands behind his back, still grinning at the hero. It really was kind of unsettling, even for Sportacus.
"I've met Nine and Eight. They didn't tell me much about the other's though", Sportacus replied, watching Robbie, trying to see what he was thinking and feeling through his stormy grey eyes.
"What did they tell you about the first numbers?", Robbie asked, showing a strange interest in what Sportacus knew. The hero could only guess why that was, maybe Robbie had at least known Nine? He could be old enough to have met the hero before Sportacus at least. Maybe Nine had told him something once, and he wanted to know what he had told Sportacus?
"Neither knew what happened with One and Two. Three had settled down with his family and four is exploring the world. Eight believes One and Two are dead, though Nine believes that One is still alive somewhere", Sportacus answered Robbie, after a moment of hesitation. He himself wondered about the other heroes too, but not very often.
"Dead or alive hm?", Robbie hummed and chuckled. "Like Schroedinger's cat. You only know when you check. Too bad no one knows where he hides", he laughed at that, turning away from Sportacus and walking away from him.
Sportacus' brows furrowed, what did Robbie mean by that? Did he believe One is still alive and just hiding somewhere? But why? That wouldn't make any sense, One was a hero just like the other's! He would have no reason to hide away from them...
"What are you saying, Robbie? What is it you're hiding?", Sportacus watched Robbie walk to a closet, pulling it open. It seemed rather old and dusty, boxes and clothes wrapped in foil inside, to keep them clean and protected. He rummaged through the boxes, before pulling out a small wodden box.
"I'm about to show you my secret", Robbie answered and shrugged. He had as much reason to show Sportacus as he had not to show it. So why not? Sportacus seemed curious enough and he wouldn't tell either. And hey, it'd be a great way to get some attention, right?
"Your... secret?", Sportacus frowned, still just watching Robbie. The villain chuckled and nodded, setting the box down on one of his workbenches and opening it. He pulled out a little velvet pouch and threw it towards Sportacus, who catched it easily.
He looked questioningly at Robbie, feeling through the velvet in his hands that whatever was inside was magical. He could hear and feel that it where many smaller things, sounding like glass or stone.
"Go on, put it in your hand. Just be sure not to lose a piece", Robbie said, waving a hand at him in a gesture to sho Sportacus to just go ahead. So the hero complied, pulling the pouch open and emptying it into his open hand. What he saw shocked him.
A shattered crystal.