Participants:
| Scene Title | Kendall's Day Out |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Magnes and Elaine pull Kendall out of his lair, force him into cosplay, and drag him out to the streets to go LARPing. |
| Date | June 20, 2010 |
Kendall hasn't been outside in days. Ever since his birthday party, when he got all this cool stuff, he's been in his room, with the door shut. Often, loud music can be heard muffled through the walls, mostly Guitar Hero. After all, his new iPhone can't be that loud. Comic books are all over the place, in various stages of being read.
Magnes had a feeling Kendall might not be getting out as much as he should, so formulated a plan he brought Elaine in on. Upon arriving at Kendall and Melissa's place and getting let in, he marches up the stairs with her and knocks hard on Kendall's door. When the teen opens it, he'll find Red Robin and Stephanie Brown Batgirl, blonde and all, her real hair hidden tightly under a wig. And best of all, Red Robin Magnes is holding a zipped up black bag that seems to have even more clothes. "Time to go LARPing!"
It's one thing to stay at home and play Rock Band in costume, another to go to a convention in a costume, but LARPING? Elaine isn't totally sold on the idea… but if she has to do it, they say misery loves company. "Come on, you aren't going to stay in there all day." She states, as cheerfully as possible, with an undertone of 'At least not unless you let me hide in there too'.
Kendall blinks at the door, and at the people coming in. "Uh… did you guys walk through the city dressed up like that?" he asks, eying them oddly. "I… think I'll pass, thanks."
"No way, I spent weeks making you a costume, late birthday gift. Besides, we took a car, I have a car now." Magnes unzip the bag, then holds the costume out to Kendall. "Damian Wayne Robin."
"Come on, at least try it." Elaine begs, then stage whispers. "If all else fails, I'll distract him and you can sneak away later." She pretends not to have said anything, though she's grinning.
"You don't need to make me a costume, you know." Kendall points out. "I can make anyone believe whatever I like." did Magnes forget the party? The costume is eyed. "Why am I a supporting character?"
"Damian Wayne isn't a supporting character, he's Robin! And I'm Red Robin, and she's Batgirl. I admit he's not my favorite Robin, but there's prestige that goes along with the suit. And I'm already Tim Drake, so would you rather be wearing a pantsless costume with a skirt like Dick?" Magnes asks, shaking the costume a few times, as if urging him to take it. "And how exactly are you gonna explain it when you're not wearing the costume in a photo?"
"Just do it! Give in! Peer pressure!" Elaine insists, chuckling a bit. "Don't leave me alone with the crazy costume-making Magnes!" She's still grinning, though. "Besides.. maybe we can convince people we're like one of those Improv Everywhere skits or something."
"Well…" Kendall's resolve is weakening, likely due to the fact that he does often cave in to peer pressure. He's just a weak person like that. "But… out in public?" no, he'll take this one over the pantsless one, that's for sure.
"Catch!" Magnes just tosses the leathery costume. It's pretty damned high quality fabric, like something they use in movies. It's easy to see where all that extra income from having far cheaper rent went into! "So my idea is, we kind of improv LARP, and I found this lot we can plant fruits and vegetables in, then soon neighbors will start joining in, and it'll turn into a whole big thing!"
Blinkblink. "Wait, we're planting veggies?" Elaine looks really confused. "Superheroes garden?" She looks between Magnes and Kendall. "Uh. Like, really? We're going to start a community garden dressed up like Batman characters."
"Wha… you want us to wear costumes like this and go plant stuff?" Kendall eyes Magnes. "You've lost it. At the very least we should, uh, I dunno, do something heroic." or something. When the costume is tossed, he kinda fumbles it and almost drops it.
"Well we can't just go out and fight crime." At least when Magnes does, he can't bring Kendall and Elaine. "We'll be helping the community, that's heroic! What else would we do?"
Uh oh. It seems that Elaine is now being swayed the other way. "I.. kinda liked it better when we played Rock Band." And by we, she means everyone else while she watched. "I.. don't know, it seems kinda wussy to plant a garden. We're /superheroes/!"
"I dunno, but gardening? In costume? That'd be freaking hot, y'know. Just because we were in danger of being frozen to death a few weeks ago doesn't mean it's still cold out." Kendall has an excuse and he's sticking to it!
"Alright alright, how about this." Magnes holds a finger up, the finger of compromise! "You put the costume on, and we'll go anywhere you want in the entire city. And did I tell you my car is the same one the Winchesters drive?"
Elaine is now looking pleadingly at Kendall. After all, Magnes is likely to still do the gardening thing in costume if Kendall doesn't give in to at least that. "See, that's not so bad, is it? We could go see a movie.."
"A movie, huh…? What movies are out now?" Kendall considers. "Didn't Toy Story 3 come out?" really? Cosplaying superheroes to a kid's movie will end up with them likely being mobbed to death by kids.
"Toy Story 3 is out, so yeah, we can go see that!" Magnes nudges Elaine, grinning. "Wanna go see? We still haven't gone to the movies together… oh! Maybe we should get Kendall a date. Do you want a date?"
"Oh, that'd be cute. We can be like celebrities. And it makes a lot more sense to go to Toy Story 3 in costume." Elaine seems pleased at this idea. "And you're right. We haven't gone to the movies together." She peers over at Kendall. "Yeah, we could totally find you a date. If you want, that is."
"I could just draw myself a date." the teenager points out. "Like maybe Starfire." Kendall smirks at Magnes. "But then Elaine here might get jealous due to Magnes drooling over her."
"I'm sleeping with Batgirl, Starfire can go suck it… I mean someone else's it." Magnes coughs a bit awkwardly, waving his hand in a dismissive motion. "Get dressed, then we can go."
Elaine sticks her tongue out at Kendall, proceeding to strike a dramatic pose. Hey, she's in costume, after all. "Ha! See, eat that. If you want to draw yourself a Starfire, sure.. but really after a while you'll kinda want a real girl, I think."
"Ok, fine, I'll go change." see, it'd actually be ok for him to go LARPing so long as there's people older than him going with them. He can just claim that he's the mature one of the group because it's expected for teenagers to be more willing to do stuff like this. Kendall firmly shuts the door after shooing them out of his room, and they can hear some fumbling about and then the TV is turned off. Then he comes out wearing most of it, sans mask, and sighs. "I feel silly." the mask is held in his hand, and he eyes it thoughtfully.
"When you're out there, people are gonna be asking 'Who's that awesome guy dressed like Damian Wayne'?" Magnes says with a firm nod, completely sure in his sage wisdom as he starts to head downstairs. "While we're out, I'll buy you one of the new Pokemon games, Silver or Gold." That'll mean he has to go out and walk.
Man, what is this? Everyone seems to have no problem buying lots of expensive things for this kid. Elaine never got that much! Then again, the foster system didn't tend to give out many presents. "Trust me, no one will know who you are if you wear the mask, just in case you run into someone you know." Yeah, that's a good thing…
It's because his parents abandoned him for being Evolved, it's all just pity… and bribery, in Magnes' case. "All right." Kendall seems a lot happier now that there's more stuff in the offing. "But since it'd be embarassing if any of my friends saw me like this…" he puts on the mask, and his entire appearance changes. Oh, the outfit's still there, but it's not him anymore. Actually, it's pretty close to the actual character, like he was real or something. All in all, it's possibly the best cosplay of the character ever.
"That's very good! I didn't think my costume would make that much of a difference." Magnes finally heads to the door, then out to his Impala, opening the doors for them as he walks around to get into the driver's seat, making sure his cape's pulled in. "Don't forget, cape checks!"
"Wow.. that's.. pretty impressive." Elaine peers at Kendall for a very long moment before following after Magnes, sliding into the passenger seat. "I never thought I'd have to do a cape check before getting in a car."
"Capes, hah." hey, that's weird, even Kendall's voice is different. He moves to claim the seat in the back, pulling the cape after him and shutting the door once all limbs were in the vehicle. "What, no batmobile?"
"Wait a minute." Magnes looks back, straightening his mask a bit to get a closer look at Kendall once he's in the car. "What the hell did you do to yourself?" he asks, finally noticing the change after hearing the voice. "And Elaine, your cape in?"
"I dunno what he did, but that's one way to pick up chicks. Any nerd girl on the face of the planet that catches you like that.. ohman. We're gonna have to beat 'em off with sticks." Elaine comments, making sure her cape's in the car. "Cape's safe. Lets roll!"
"What? You're the one who wanted me to be Robin." Kendall replies, still sounding not-like-himself. "Why shouldn't I go all out? This way no one will know it's me, I've got a real disguise."
"But how'd you do that? And hey, we've got real masks, no one will know it's us, well, except by our voices…" Magnes starts up the engine with the turn of a key, then pulls off, being a fairly good driver. "And hey, don't pick up girls with anything but your own face, or else it's unethical."
"Least I don't know anyone who'd embarrass me about this. Plus I've got a wig. And I can always pretend to be foreign." Elaine chuckles, then looks back to Magnes. "What? Why shouldn't he use his abilities to pick up chicks. You did. Technically."
"What's wrong with that?" Kendall asks, surprised. "I mean, it's not like I can't look like this whenever I want. Aren't there stories of people who change the way they look to better appeal to their partners? Like wigs and stuff?" or stuffed animal heads, Kendall's seen that commercial.
"It's unethical because it's not being yourself. Someone is entitled to the right to see what's behind the mask of their lover." Magnes sits back, keeping his hands at ten and two, seeming pretty at ease at the moment. "You should always be yourself. Me and Elaine have all sorts of awkward moments, but we're better for it in the end."
"I think we're awesome cause we're awkward." Elaine pauses. "But I don't think it's unethical. I mean, if he gives someone the chance to see who they are, yeah, but there's nothing wrong with playing pretend, obviously." She gestures at the outfits. "And besides.. it's his ability. Isn't that kinda a defining factor of who we are? If I stopped learning languages, would I really be fully myself?"
"But… I don't like being myself." Kendall admits after a short pause. Well, he certainly likes all the gifts, sure, but. "Wait, languages?" Kendall looks at Elaine. "What is it you do, anyway? I know what Magnes does, but…"
"Exactly, and if you keep using your ability to escape from who you are, you'll never have confidence and be truly happy with yourself. You can enjoy your ability, but you can't be dependent." Magnes turns a corner, a few people honking when they get a good look into the window. "There's a line when it comes to abilities."
"Nothing spectacular. I learn languages very, very quickly. It's kind of fun, but nothing like what Magnes and you can do. It got me a job, which is nice, but it's not terribly spectacular. Sounds cool, don't have to watch stuff with subtitles either." Elaine frowns a little, glancing back to Kendall. "Why is it you don't like who you are?"
"Well, many reasons why." there's another pause, and then he shakes his head. "Nevermind, forget I said anything." Kendall shrugs. "I'm just glad my ability allows me to become someone else, even for a little while."
"There's nothing wrong with you. Women love artists, and you've got that whole Link thing going on, and who's manlier than freakin' Link? Hero of Time and everything." Magnes moves a hand to briefly pat Elaine on the shoulder, then grabs the wheel again. "I'm a geek, and I got a girl like her, so who's to say you can't?"
"Try me. I mean, I could think of lots of reasons I might not like who I am. Maybe we can figure out ways for you to feel better about it. And there's really nothing wrong with being a geek. Geeks are the people who always end up making the most money in life, too. Computer developers, software engineers, video game designers.. you think they're jocks?" Elaine chuckles. "I think you've got a lot more going for you than you think."
"I can't do stuff like that though, all I can do is draw stuff. You never hear anything about artists getting all the ladies. And besides, is it really a good thing to attract women because you're rich?" Kendall shakes his head.
"I was a pizza boy, I make clothes, and I cook. I'm basically a girl with a penis, you think guys like me are supposed to get the girls? But this isn't Hollywood, and it's not high school either. Things change, it's not how you think it is. Your personality, your passion for art, those are all you need." Magnes makes another turn, and they seem to be getting close to the mall. He did not say they'd have to walk through a mall to go to the movies. "The first night we, um, met, she specifically said 'I like geeks'. There's lots of girls like Elaine."
Sneaky Magnes. Of COURSE he'd come up with a way to make them walk through in costume. Elaine shakes her head a little bit. "You think comic book artists are paupers? They aren't millionaires, but you don't need to be a millionaire to have a pretty luxurious lifestyle if you know how to spend your money. Little goes a long way." She pauses. "Besides. Being rich isn't what should attract people, but it allows you to take girls to nice places or to wear some cool clothes and stuff. But you have a good personality, you're set."
Kendall shrugs. "Well personality isn't one of my strong points either, I've got too many issues to have a good personality." kid, everyone's got issues. "If there are lots of girls like her, I haven't met any." that's because you lock yourself in your room all the time, idiot.
"How are you supposed to meet girls if you don't go out? And as far as issues go, I may not be able to tell you the context, but I've fought super powered serial killers, robots, been kidnapped, had a girlfriend who lost her memories and I had to break up with her because she couldn't remember me, I've been shot around five times, and I accidentally destroyed a landmark and got banned from a country." Magnes lists just a few of his problems, parking the car and turning so he can look back at the youngest of the three. "I've had all these problems, but I don't let them hold me back, I just push on and try my best to be myself."
Elaine chuckles. "Which is a lot of issues, but they're hard to relate to." She looks back to Kendall. "You just need a good place to meet people, and you need to try and be confident. You'd be surprised at the amount of issue's I've got, but I'm pretty okay, aren't I? Least, I hope I am. And hey, you know if you ever need anything, I'm around. Him too, but I'm the cute one." Elaine smirks, glancing to Magnes before looking back to Kendall.
"Well I'd have to agree with you on that." Kendall states with a quick glance towards Red-Robin-Magnes to make sure there won't be a rabid overprotective boyfriend leaping down his throat from the driver's seat.
"Well she is Batgirl." Magnes points out, leaning over to peck her on the lips, then unlocks the car doors. "You can hang out with me at the comic shops I go to, you'll meet friends and then you can go on your own. Now, let's get to the mall!" Though he does give Kendall another glance. "And I'm just pointing it out, but if someone takes a picture, your illusion is probably not going to hold up."
"Even if someone takes a picture, though, he's still gonna be wearing the costume, so it won't be half-bad. And it works for the time being." Elaine slides out of the car, stretching her legs. "So, gentlemen… lets go look awesome, shall we?"
"Well, sure." Kendall shrugs. "I bet if you had a piece of paper I could make your car look like something else if you'd like." oh, so now he needs a sheet of paper to draw?
"We'll see when we come back out." Magnes laughs, then walks around to help Elaine out. "Come on, 'Stephanie'. This should be fun." And so they head through the mall, go shopping a bit, get captured on film a few times, and turn some heads as they finally go to the movies. It's a fine day for Kendall!