2020.07.02 - Surfers, Magic, and Robot Spiders
Savings and more, at the Kirbyland Mall! Jacob is humming a cheerful tune, having seen a few commercials lately about the exotic Kirbyland Mall. He's arranged to meet with his friend Zachary at the Kirbyland Mall in order to check out a few stores, and currently, he finds himself at the food court, eating a large pretzel with thick, coarse hunks of salt decorating it. He checks his phone, humming the same promotional tune as he wiggles in his seat, dressed in his usual water-color hued t-shirt, blue jeans, and white flip-flops.
Even though it's been kind of a frantic week or two, Zach has been desperate to get out and have fun. Accordingly, when Jacob's text came through (finally!), he immediately dropped everything he was being bored with and spirited himself away to the Kirbyland Mall. He's been there for at least an hour already, just walking around and taking in the different ambiance than being at the Metropolis Dome, practicing. Again.
That gets old really fast, especially when Zach knows that if he messes up, he can just use real magic to wow the audience. No one will ever know.
When the young magician spots Jacob, he raises a hand and waves enthusiastically, already carrying some shopping bags on the other hand.
Looks like it's gonna be dinner AND a show! There's a guy over there, away from the tables and stuff, that's doing interesting stuff with a clear acrylic ball. Oh it's quite safe for work, notably. It's nothing magical either, just using skill to manipulate the acrylic ball over his fingers.
It's a blond guy, kind of thin and wiry, wearing faded clothes and scuffed shoes. He's sitting on a decorative feature somewhere in the food court, far enough away from the restaurants and tables that no one can really say he's 'blocking the paths' or 'harassing their customers' -- you know, the typical BS excuses buskers get for plying their trade in public places.
And he IS busking -- there's a small container near him, in front of a sign that says 'Yes This Is My Real Job. Please Support The Arts'. The container's close enough that he can grab it if he needs to. More than that, there are some golden threads wrapping around both the container and his ankle.
"Hey dude!" Jacob's California surferboy accent sounds bright and warm as he waves back to Zachary, perhaps -too- excited at the prospect of hanging out with his best friend, who happens to be the world's most popular and handsome magician. "I uh, got you a pretzel? But I didn't know what kind you want, so I got a regular one, and there's also like, dippable cheese dip?" Jacob points to the other pretzel on his tray, along with the cheese dip. "Have you already been shopping? Oh wait, I'm not like, late or anything am I?" Jacob looks nervously at his phone, then seems quite relieved to know he's as on time as one should be.
Jacob opens his mouth to say something else, then looks toward the stranger with his crystalline eyes widening. "Whoaaaaaa," he says, his pretzel missing his mouth and prodding at the side of his face. "It's like....David Bowie! Zach, do you see? What's up with that? That's so cool! I wonder like, how he makes it float n'stuff? Is that uh, magic?"
"Hey!" Zach cheerfully hurries to close the distance between the two of them, and he makes no attempt to disguise the desire with which he looks at those pretzels. "No, uh, whichever is fine. I was going to ask if you had any to spare, because I really want a pretzel. Like, right now. Actually..." He holds up a hand. "Cheese dip. Definitely cheese dip."
"Then he follows Jacob's gaze to see this performer. "Oh, he's probably a goblin or something. Anyway, I got here early because I just wanted to get out and do something. Come on, let's go see the goblin." Reaching out, he takes Jacob by the wrist and leads him over to where Theo is performing.
Goblin? Maybe, his hair's kinda messy. But, well, goblin or not, he seems reasonably skilled. He notes Zachary bringing Jacob closer, and offers a pleasant smile. And yes he will totally toss the acrylic ball onto the bridge of his nose and balance it. And then slowly lower himself down to sit, without letting the ball fall off his face.
This seems to be the end of his performance though, since he stands up directly after, tilting his head forward to drop the ball into his hands as he does. And he offers a flourish-y bow from the waist as he stands. He greets Zachary and Jacob with a pleasant, "Hello there."
Jacob beams to Zachary happily, offering a pretzel and the cheese dip. He stares over at Zachary at the mention of a goblin, his eyes growing wider, then finds himself pulled toward the stranger (as he often finds himself when around Zachary). "But like, not a real goblin? He's uh...not....scary, is he?" he asks softly, eyeing the stranger as they approach.
As the performance ends, Jacob claps for the stranger, his cheeks a hint red as he and Zachary are approached by him. "Uh, hey! That was like....really cool, man! LIke, with the....floating ball and all?" He slips his hand back into his pocket and pulls out some cash to drop into the bucket.
Zach takes both pretzel and cheese dip once they're in front of the performer. Not too close, because that would be weird, and there's every chance that Theo will recognize the extremely famous teen in front of him. But maybe not, if he's not a fan of stage magic and happened to have missed the posters everywhere. Zach also wears more clothes in them. He takes a big bite of cheesy pretzel goodness and chews as the show comes to a close.
When they're actually spoken to, though, Zach hurries to get his mouthful swallowed and offers a smile to the performer. "Goblins don't have to be scary," he murmurs to Jacob, before raising his voice so he can be heard addressing Theo. "Yes, great show. I'm only sorry I wasn't here for more of it."
The blond certainly doesn't look scary to the eyes. He's just a gangly blond teenager. Jacob's compliment gets a broad smile, and he dips his head. "Ah, thank you very much." This to both the praise and the cash. "I'm very glad you were entertained." He sounds pretty formal.
There's a bit of a chuckle to Zachary's words. "Thank you as well. Not to worry, I'm here most weekdays. Well, somewhere in the mall. I have to keep moving, you see. I actually don't believe I'm supposed to be doing this here."
Jacob's eyes widen at Zachary, though his attention certainly lands on the sranger as they chat. "It was really great! I hope I can like, see more of it again? Zachary, we should come back here sometime. Y'know, Saving and more at the Kirbyland Mall," Jacob sings quietly, suddenly acutely aware of himself singing so publically. "I uh, think it's relly cool. You're uh...I mean, I'm uh...Jacob!" The surfer's cheeks still seem bright as he blushes, his attention drifting back to Zachary slowly.
"You could always arrange something." Zach glances around, then back at Theo. "I'm sure they'd be happy to help keep the mall hopping. After all, it is how they make their money, and malls need all the help they can get." Though Kirbyland seems to be doing just fine. Probably because it's in the City of Tomorrow, and even something so commonplace as a shopping mall is more advanced than its peers. "I could put in a good word for you."
Taking another piece of pretzel and dipping it in the cheese, Zach devours more of the salty treat, chewing and then nodding to Jacob's suggestion. He's fine being here more. It's less time that he has to waste practicing his act that he could do in his sleep, backwards and in heels too.
If the blond minds Jacob's exciteability, he doesn't seem to react negatively to it. He actually chuckles, in fact. The introduction gets a nod, and a return of, "I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Theodore Rabanne. 'Theo' if you prefer. 'Teddy' sounds childish, and 'Ted' sounds like an accountant."
Zachary's mention of putting in a good word gets a wide-eyed look. And here, the formality disappears, just for an instant, and there's an equally exciteable teen there. "Really?! Would you?! That would be great, if you could!" Then he sort of reins it in. "Er, I... I mean... That would be very kind of you. I wouldn't be able to work 'on the books', though..."
Jacob blinks a few times at Theo, appearing to be quite deep in thought. "Uh...what's wrong with like, accountants?" he asks softly, confusion quite apparent on his face. "But like, it's totally nice to meet you! You're really good with your stuff! Y'know, Zachary is like, totally a great magician! That's uh, this guy," he says as he points to Zachary, a bright smile crossing his plush, pink lips. "He knows everyone! You're so nice, you know, Zachary?" Jacob thinks for a moment, then smiles back to Theo. "Maybe you guys can like, share trade secrets!"
"Oh, sorry!" Zach finishes his mouthful, licks his lips, and swallows down what he's chewing. "Zachary Zatara. I play the Metro Dome a lot. Like...a lot." He gives an uneven grin, though the clandestine quality of Theo's words do make an eyebrow lift. "Oh, are you in trouble or something? I admit, I don't do the capes and tights thing per se, but I have been known to get people out of tough situations sometimes." The magician flashes a smile to Jacob. "And this is Jacob. I forget if he introduced himself."
"Oh, there's nothing wrong with them," Theo replies, to the mention of accountants. "But I'm not one, and I wouldn't want people to expect it of me." He chuckles. Though he also has to note, almost sheepishly, "Ah, I'm not really a magician. This is just sleight of hand, that's all. There's nothing magical or supernatural about it. It's just practice."
Zachary introduces himself, and then Theo nods. "Ah, pleased to make your acquaintence as well," he offers. Though he question of whether he's in trouble? That... gets a sheepish look. "Ah... not... exactly. It's... kind of complicated. I'm a runaway, you see. --It's nothing anyone in my family did, just... I don't think it's right that I stay there, that's all."
"Oh yah, I'm like, Jacob!" Jacob had already introduced himself, as had Zachary, but the surferboy seems to have forgotten such things. "But like....you -could- be an accountant? Like, the future's unwritten, dude!" He looks suddenly to Zachary, his crystalline blue eyes coruscating as he stares hard at his pal. "We could like...totally be accountants!" he says excitedly.
He turns his attention to Theo, watchhing him curiously. "Zachary's like, really great at helping people n'stuff! If uh, you did need some kind of help. And uh, I'm here too!" He looks sheepishly to Zachary, then back to Theo, then over to the pretzel in his hand that he soon takes a bite of.
Another bite of the pretzel follows. Zach tries to balance his cordial approachability with the nigh-uncontrollable desire to feast upon that which pleases him, which almost always involves large amounts of cheese. More cheese than most think wise. Zachary Zatara scoffs at their comparatively paltry cheese appreciation level!
"Oh, uh, I can probably set you up with some help," he continues, as he licks his lips, then feels like he hasn't quite got it. "Jacob, can you wipe the cheese off my lip? It's just under my lower lip, on the left side I think...do you see it? We're not being accountants." The seeming non sequitur is glided effortlessly past, somehow. This must happen a lot. He waits for that request to be done, not moving so Jacob can pick out where it is.
"Anyway, there are anonymous youth support groups. It's not as uncommon as you think, especially in a world where you can wake up one day with super powers." Zach smiles more brightly, that winning kind of expression that can be seen on so many posters. Some might say he's never that cheerful, but that's because he's a hard person to know. Those who do know, however, see that smile more and appreciate the power of it. "Sleight of hand is magic, after all. It's stage magic, and it's an art and a superlative skill. It's nothing to be downplaying. I have to practice it for hours daily." Even if he jaunts off to Kirbyland Mall sometimes, to hang out with friends.
"Oh, I could," Theo agrees. "I just don't want to. I'm no good with maths." He chuckles. "That's very sweet, yes. Though I wouldn't want you to volunteer your friend for something without him agreeing beforehand." He doesn't seem to expect anything.
He's trying to be polite, and so covers hi smouth to stifle the chuckle when Zachary asks Jacob to clean the bit of cheese off his lip. But it's the mention of 'suddenly waking up with powers' that gets a little bit of a wince. Aha, did someone strike dangerously close to the nub of the issue?! "It's just... I don't think my mother should have to deal with my... issues. She's done enough for me."
And as if on cue, something appears. It's a tiny, quarter-sized spider, crawling up Theo's back and seeming to peek over his shoulder as if not sure it was safe to climb up there. But it's not just any typical spider. It's gold-colored, and metallic. It looks like it was made of tiny spoons and forks. And it has an almost human-like head. Well, somewhere between a human head and a skull. But it isn't really scary-looking -- the slack-looking jaw and extra metal 'eyebrow' only over one eye only really serve more to make it look like a derp. Theo seems oblivious to its presence.
Jacob looks to Zachary, observing his face as he perhaps had done many times before. He blinks a few times, an errant drop of cheese dripping to the floor as if wiped clean from Zachary's lip. "Ah...there, it's gone," he says, a cheerful smile on his face. He mostly remains quiet as he listens to the two chat, his attention shifting toward Theo as he explain some things, sorta. "Uh, like, what do you mean about that? I mean, uh, like, your issues or whtnot?"
Jacob still holds out a secret hope for his accounting dream, at least for another few moments, but his gaze is drawn to the mysterious movement near Theo's shoulder "Dude, there's like, something on your shoulder or something? I think?"
"So she doesn't have to," Zach replies, offhand. Then he quietly adds, "Thank you, Jacob." And he turns back to face Theo more evenly. "If you want, I can give you a card. I'm sure I've got one on me. These people deal with that stuff all the time. Every day. Oh my god I love it."
There's no real segue between those thoughts. Once the spider is presented, everything else is done for the moment. It's so derpy! Kind of disturbing, kind of weird, but mostly adorable. Its combination of whimsy with gothic horror is a perfect fit for appealing to Zach's strange sensibilities, but then, he does live in a magical house that may be haunted and definitely has a mind of its own. It's like the House of Mystery, but with less attempted fraternal homicide.
Theo draws a breath to explain, but then Jacob mentions something on his shoulder. He looks up, blinks, and then looks to his shoulder. Yes, automatically to the one that the spider's on. "...You can see that?" He looks back to Jacob, seeming surprised.
Zachary's moving from one topic to the other so quickly seems to confuse him for a bit -- then again, his surprise at Jacob being able to see the spider might have helped to place him off-guard -- but then he realizes what it's all referring to. "...You can both see it?" That seems to be the thing that surprises him more than anything else.
The spider realizes its been seen, and flails its front legs in a panicky way for a moment, with a quiet, squeaky little, "Mu-RIIIIII!". And then it hides underneath the folded-down neck of Theo's vest! Badly. The little bump of spider looks much like the kittybump in a bed where a cat has managed to get under the sheet or blanket.
Jacob blinks slowly as he stares at Theo and the spider-thing, those crystalline eyes of his more gemlike than ever as he seems quite curious. "I ust saw, uh...some like, movement or something?" He leans a bit closer and, upon seeing exactly what it is, Jacob yelps and backs up quickly.
"S-Spider! Robot spider! I-It's gonna burrow into your flesh and like, lay cybertronic robot spider eggs!" he panics, looking between Zachary and Theo in a gentle panic.
When the spider seems self-conscious, Zach allows a sound to escape that is absolutely unflatteringly near a squeal. It takes him a few more seconds, it seems, to notice that Jacob is freaking out, and he turns slowly to look at the other boy, before reaching over and patting him on the head. It's not easy with the pretzel in his hand, but he manages.
"Look at the little thing! He is precious beyond words." Zach nods, glancing back to Theo. "Is he your friend? Or did you make him? Is that your power?"
Believe it or not, realizing that the pair of them can see the spider... actually makes Theo relax a little -- finally, he's not the only weird one! Theo pauses, to reach to his shoulder and shoo the spider out from under the neck of his vest. "C'mon, now... you're only drawing attention to yourself," he mutters. Jacob's concern gets a shake of his head. "No, it's -- they're fine. They're... I don't know what they are, but they're mine." Saying 'they're' indicates that there are more of them than just the one.
He does finally get the spider out from under his collar, just in time for Zachary's squeal. Theo blushes a bit. And he nods to the question. "There's... there's a lot of them," he notes. "I don't know if I 'make' them or if they were just there one day, but..."
He pauses, to cover his mouth for a moment. When he draws his hand away from his mouth, he holds it flat, palm up, and there's another one on his palm. "Like I said, I don't know if I'm actually creating them, but they're mine. So don't worry, they're harmless. Just... I've noticed people don't seem to be able to see them under normal circumstances."
Between Theo's encouragement and Zachary's gentle patting of his head, Jacob seems rather soothed and content. "O-Oh. Uh....h-hey, little robot spider dudes," he greets quietly, shifting his weight around from side to side as he turns his attention to a safe spot: his pretzel. He nibbles at one edge of it, his eyes shifting toward Theo's shoulder every so often, his body shifting ever so sligtly towards Zachary's side.
"Uh...but like, they don't crawl out of you or anything, right? Have you uh, checked you rhouse for like, an infestation? We had ants once, and they had to spray and everything, and like...we don't even know where they came from!'
"Oh. Magic?" Zach looks up, as if really noticing Theo for the first time. He takes another bite of pretzel, then makes a few gestures in the air with it. Presumably, the pretzel is not a required implement for the casting of magic, but it doesn't seem like a particularly complex thing Zach is doing in the first place. "Hmm." Then he takes another bite, slathered in cheese.
It takes Zach a few seconds to break his silence again, but eventually he speaks. "I need a drink. Preferably something sugary and fruity. Come." Without waiting, he strolls in the direction of the smoothie place.
Theo smiles a bit a Jacob calms. But the question gets a bit of a wince. "They, uh. Do, but they're not dangerous," he replies. He looks to the spiders and tilt shis head to indicate 'come here', and they start crawling to his hand. Which Theo then covers his mouth with... and when he draws it away, they're gone. Poof! Like magic! "I know these are mine -- when they first showed up, it was... well, I wasn't in my house. And they appeared... from me, you know?" His formal way of speaking has been dropped now, in favor of a more hesitant, rather awkward way of speaking.
Though when asked about magic, Theo shakes his head. "Oh, I doubt it. I don't know what they are, but none of my family ever had anything weird about them, that I know of." And then Zachary is wandering in the direction of the smoothie place! And Theo's not quite sure he means all three of them, but either way, Theo picks up his little container and sign. The golden threads fizzle and disappear as he picks the container up, and he folds the sign so the words are hidden. Then he follows. He figures they can tell him 'no, not you' if they didn't mean him.
Jacob isn't quite sure of what he wants to say. He doesn't know what sorta questions to ask, so he lets Zachary handle that. He also doesn't know how to handle the information he's getting from Theo, so he does what he always does in situations like this.
"Like....do you like surfing?" he begins to ask, but then he finds that Zachary is heading toward smoothies, and he blinks a few times, looking nervously at the robot spider, before going long toward smoothies with the group.