#robin:post

Robin was afraid.

She had agreed to meet up with Ichi later today, and hadn’t expected to run into the girl while she was enraged. The experiment’s hair swung around wildly, completely obliterating nearby trees. Some of the trees that had been knocked down served as blockades to prevent anybody from coming closer to Ichi... not that Robin wanted to. The last time they had dealt with the monster it had to be knocked out, something Robin wasn’t capable of doing.

For a moment, she simply watched it roam around. Striking anything in its path. The beast ignored every animal it saw, only attacking inanimate objects. It was an odd little detail, but maybe it meant it didn’t attack living things? Not wanting to lose sight of Ichi, Robin jumped over a few knocked down trees to get closer.

The caretaker’s movement had alerted the monster however, and its cold gaze made Robin freeze where she stood... but, she was safe right? It wouldn’t have made sense if it ignored everything but singled her out.

At least that’s what she thought.

A bit of hair shot out and at Robin, moving at an impressive speed. Luckily the target wasn’t very close, and Robin was able to duck in time. The tree behind her had been pierced through, a clean hole where the experiment had struck. The beast let out a terrifying shriek, then began barreling towards her. 

What could she do? Run back home for help? That would risk putting others in danger. Fight it? That was suicide. Try to hide? Not a bad idea, but it was clearly faster than her.

Jay tilted his head and raised his eyebrow. He was talking a stroll around the forest behind his house. He was honestly pretty out of it, unable to focus clearly after Robin confronted him. The look of betrayal in her eyes stuck with him. Almost of the entirely of his walk he had been mentally berating himself. His little home was empty now, with Ichi, Ayano, Lily, and Robin all gone.

So why was Robin wandering around the forest?

Upon making eye contact Jay froze, unsure of what to do. Robin had made it painfully clear that she wanted nothing to do with him, so he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to do, what to say, nor which mask to use. Robin looked a little hesitant, also unsure of what to say to the boy as well. As she approached him, Jay didn’t move. Expecting to be yelled at again, he mentally braced himself.

“There you are. I’m sorry.”

The last bit was said while she hugged him. Jay didn’t hug back, still uncertain of the whole situation. Hell, she looked so serious when she confronted him that the hug felt strange. 

“I shouldn't have blown up at you. I should’ve gave you a chance to explain yourself. You’re trying to be a better person now, and I’m just making it harder for you by abandoning you.”

Although the entertainer stayed silent, he hugged back. All he felt was relief. Robin was one last person he could truly trust, and it almost drove him psychotic realizing he was alone. So all he felt was relief.

Although that feeling was cut short as soon as he felt something sharp pierce through his back.

Letting out a strangled cry he let go of Robin, who pushed him to the ground before he could react. The look in her eyes was as cold as ice. In her right hand was a bloody knife, in the left was a gun. He wasn’t quite sure when the caretaker had grabbed them, and he didn’t have much time to question it either. Only seconds after he hit the ground, Robin shot her gun down at him twice. Once of the shots hit his mechanical arm, and the other pierced through his hip. Finally, she slammed her foot into his stomach. The waves of pain coursing through his body almost made it impossible to focus.

“You didn’t really believe that, did you? You murdered a child, and executed numerous students. You even forced Ichi to hurt her friends before. A monster like you doesn’t deserve redemption. If there’s even the slightest chance you’ll hurt my children, I’m not willing to risk it. You’re better off dead. Rotting in hell and unable to hurt anybody else.”

After taking a moment to look down on him, she finally turned around and began walking away. After Jay was out of sight, she began singing softly.

The friendly Lily seemed to have snapped. She pulled away from Ayano’s grip, looking rather cross while she did so. Ayano looked exasperated, growing tired of trying to convincing Lily to come with them. Robin had tried to convince the girl to come with them to the orphanage as well, but the stubborn child refused to do so. Even when Robin lied and told her that Ichi was coming as well, Lily hadn’t moved an inch. Robin didn’t want to give up though, terrified of what could happen to the 5 year-old if they were left with Jay. Growing tired, Ayano tried to drag Lily with them. Alas, the only thing Ayano succeeded in was scarring her.

Jay hadn’t seen the look of betrayal on Robin’s face in a long time. It was something he hoped he wouldn’t have to see again, and yet here he was, standing before Robin as she had a look of hurt. He couldn’t tell if she was angry, sad, or confused. Nevertheless, he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“...child? Are you talking about Lily or-”

He was cut short as Robin flung a VHS tape at him. It startled him, but he was able to catch it just in just before it hit the ground. Rather than question why she threw it at him, he looked back over at her.

She was pissed.

The look of anger she had terrified him. It sent a chill down his spine, and his body felt cold. Finally, he looked back down over to the tape. Whatever she was talking about was probably about whatever the video contained. Of course, he paled simply reading the title.

How did she get these?

How much did she see?

He was so lost in thought he almost forgot that Robin was in front of him. Unsure of what to do, he dropped the VHS tape and tried to lie his way out.

“Hold on... I know I’m in the videos, but what made you think I’m responsible for what happened? This wasn’t my fault...”

Alas, Jay had forgotten one crucial detail.

How odd.

Robin couldn’t help but stare. Jay left a bunch of VHS tapes on top of his desk, most of them piled on each other. Most of the tools surrounding the tapes were rather sharp, which meant they could damage them if the tower fell. The entertainer usually wouldn’t have made such a careless move, but she supposed it hardly mattered, people make mistakes. Moving her way into the empty room, she took a few of the tapes, about to find somewhere else to move them. Noticing letters, she ready through the title of one.

15th Killing Game Beginning.

Not quite expecting such a thing, she dropped the VHS tapes in surprise. Maybe a few days ago the title simply would’ve raised an eyebrow, but now the title surprised her badly. 

“...”

What is he doing with these?

“...”

Robin had made it a point to take Jay outside once every other day. It hardly mattered where they went, as they enjoyed each others company regardless of where they roamed. Jay’s mood seemed to be improving drastically, which was a huge relief to Robin. Despite this, Jay never brought up what his time with Two was like. And she knew better than to ask. Whenever they tried to catch up over a cup of coffee, Jay always avoided talking about Two, or his classmates at Hope’s Peak. No matter how odd it was, she didn’t want to pry. The last time she tried to pry for a bit of information, she quickly regretted it. From the look of regret and hopelessness, to his trembling hand, she knew it wasn’t a good idea to press him for answers.

By the time Ayano and Lily arrived at Jay’s house, Ayano looked like a complete mess. Her hair was in knots, and her clothes had all kinds of stains on it. Lily on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly okay. Not only was she unharmed, but she didn’t look anywhere near as messy as Lily did. 

As soon as they closed the front door, they ran into Robin and Jay, who were both in the living room sitting against each other. While Jay was reading a book, Robin was playing some game on a console. Despite how focused they once were, their immersion soon broke upon hearing the duo. 

Although Ayano was about to run and hug Robin, she froze upon seeing Jay. The last time she saw him, he was trying to hurt Ichi. What the entertainer and caretaker were doing together, Ayano had no idea. Unlike her friend, Lily ran over to hug the adults. Finally, there were people to make her feel safe. Both of them jumped at the touch, confused as to why a small child was hugging them. 

Ayano quickly pulled Lily off the duo, scared Jay would hurt her. Jay hardly reacted, hell, it didn’t even look like he remembered who Ayano was. On the other hand, Robin looked rather confused. What was Ayano doing here? What happened to her? Who was the other girl?

It was ages that they’ve spent any significant time together, let alone went outside together. Robin had already tried different methods of cheering Jay up, but the dark cloud above him always persisted. Unsure of what to do, she thought maybe going outside might help. As long as she kept him busy, it would distract him from whatever was bothering him. At least, she hoped.

Jay never told her what happened, and Monokat refused to tell her as well. The cat had good intentions, as it wanted Jay to be the one to explain the recent events. But the problem was, Jay never did. Robin simply knew something was seriously wrong, but that was about it. Without any clues to go on, she decided it would be best to distract him to the best of her ability. The weather today was perfect too. Warm and sunny. Despite the weather, Jay wore a sweater and flipped on the hood to attract as little attention as possible.

Almost immediately things went south. They were just on their way to an aquarium, with Robin talking to Jay about meaningless little things to distract him. A small gust of wind was all it took for Jay’s hoodie to come off though, and when it did, people began staring. 

Cursing to herself, she began running down an alleyway with him. How could she forget? He was the ultimate entertainer, of course Jay would attract attention. At first, she simply thought the hood he wore was just to cover his awful mood, but now she realized its true purpose. 

Dragging him by the arm, she kept running, constantly changing directions to throw off the crowd behind them. Quick as she was, Jay was having a hard time keeping up. He was nowhere near as fast as Robin, and was in no condition to be outrunning a crowd. After a while, the duo dove behind another alley. By now, the crowd was almost gone. Only a few persistent fans remained, although none have spotted them yet. Flipping on Jay’s hoodie for him, Robin gave him a warm smile. 

“How about we visit somewhere else?”

Silently, Jay nodded and followed her. He was clearly exhausted from all the running, but he didn’t mind a little more walking if it was for Robin. Besides, it was a terrible idea to stay where they were. For a moment, he glanced back up to where the sun was. It was only now that he appreciated the perfect weather. Not too hot, not too cold. Even with a sweater he was comfortable. 

They finally arrived at an Arcade. All without attracting any unnecessary attention. The bright lights and loud noises made for a perfect distraction. Jay had a small smile as he looked around the area, it reminded him of somewhere he visited before, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Rather than think too hard on it, he simply let himself get lost in the endless games.

Robin completely dominated any gun-based games, while Jay crushed her in fighting games. Trying to find something they were both good at, they settled for a rhythm game. Unfortunately, both were quite bad at it. But it didn’t matter, Jay was laughing and having a good time, and that was all that mattered to Robin. 

After a few hours, they finally exited the arcade. The sun right above them, signaling it was around twelve. Thinking about where else to go, she failed to notice the storm forming above Jay. 

It was only now that he recalled what the Arcade reminded him of. It felt like ages ago, but he killed time in the final killing game by playing in the Arcade with his friend. It always amused him watching her stumble around the area, unsure of what to do or where to start. What was once a fond memory, now made him feel bitter and hollow. 

Finally glancing over at Jay, she realized his good mood somehow deteriorated. Her worried expression only lasted a few seconds before she figured out another potential place to visit. With a smile, she held his hand and dragged him off once more. She was determined to improve his mood.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a cat cafe. It was a fairly popular place, and she was well aware that Jay was fond of the little creatures that roamed them. They both ordered their favorite drink and waited. Robin tried to coax one of the kittens to get closer, and failed miserably. When she looked back at Jay, she realized the boy was almost covered in them. He was like a magnet, and he seemed to be enjoying the attention he received. Managing to lift one up, he placed it on Robin’s lap, which she greatly appreciated. Then, he struggled to give the cats all the attention they demanded. Taking advantage of the situation, Robin pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. Then slipped it back into her pocket before he could notice. 

After receiving their drinks, they began talking about a random assortment of things. Unlike before, Jay was doing his best to hold up his end of the conversation, and even if he wasn’t doing a good job, at least he was trying. After they finished, Jay took a few minutes to pry each of the cats off him. Robin simply pet the one she had, looking down and admiring the spotted patterns on it. Like before, she failed to notice his deteriorating mood.

For a moment, he stared at Robin. His chest tightened and his hand quivered. The soft expression she had while petting the kitten reminded him of somebody else, and that reminder hurt even worse than the one before. 

Leaving the cafe, Robin noticed the sun was almost gone. The sky was a bright orange, and the streets weren’t as busy as before. The stormy cloud above Jay had grown significantly, and Robin’s eyes flared. Maybe going outside wasn’t the solution, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to give up. 

Bringing up little bits of trivia, she kept him distracted as they began walking home. It was becoming harder to get him to smile, and she was struggling greatly. Maybe if she knew what was wrong, she would’ve been able to help him, but all she could do now was try to distract him. 

Passing a book store, Robin’s eyes lit up. Maybe she could read to him like she did before. A good story would be perfect for providing a distraction, and getting his mind on something else. Letting his hand go, she wandered inside looking for a fairy-tale. It only took her a minute before realizing that Jay hadn’t followed her inside. Making her way back out, she found him standing in front of the entrance. 

“Jay?”

Even when she gently place a hand over his shoulder, he didn’t react. He simply hung his head and looked down. Robin was about to call his name again, until she noticed a tear drop fall. Then another, and then another. Sharply inhaling, she moved her hands to hold his, and bent down so she could see his face. There weren’t any emotions on it, simply a blank face with tears still flowing.

“Let’s go home, okay?”

By now, the sky was a dark blue, and the moon illuminated the streets. Their walk home was silent, with Robin desperately trying to come up with another idea.

When they finally made it home, they were met with a silent household. All the lights were off, and not a sound could be heard. The moonlight seeping through the windows was the only source of light available. Jay almost instantly began gravitating towards his room, but Robin held his hand a little tighter.

“Please?”

Unsure of what she meant, Jay stopped moving and let Robin lead him elsewhere. The caretaker brought them to the living room. The area was spacious and open, perfect for what she was thinking of. Bringing them to the middle, she began humming and moving to a rhythm. Jay didn’t understand what she was doing, until he recognized the song she was humming. With a small smile, he began mimicking her movements. After a while, their movements became quicker, and his soft smile returned.