[His trip to Sternbild had been part of a contractual agreement between his company and the renowned HeroTV. On paper, it was to encourage relations between the two countries, as well as provide an interesting aspect to the television program. Just a little something different. Part of it was also competition, to see how well NEXT from other countries could stack up.
Because already, the duo of Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks Jr. had shaken up the scene– there'd never been a team of heroes before, not ones that worked together as partners in any case. Adding a new face on top of all that had been going on was sure to make things a little more exciting, which is all he cared about in any case. All the politicking was engaging, but nothing beat actually being out on the field and getting to work on a pseudo-team (as well as rack up all the points– he was number one in England for a reason). Still, he wasn't expecting much else out of this experience other than to be in Sternbild for a few months, look classy, level up points, and then go home.
To say that isn't what happened is a vast understatement.
Granted, he's still got three months left on his contract here, but he's already considering renewing on it. England was lovely, he missed his partner in crime (April) fiercely, however, there was something about this particular group of heroes that was way more interesting than he'd thought.
(Not to mention the sheer amount of trouble they seemed to get themselves into was astonishing.)
Moreover, he was having fun. Working alongside (and yet, against) Tiger, Bunny, Karina, Ivan... all of them had managed to get under his skin enough that he'd found himself completely attached without even meaning to be. Some had dug a little deeper than others (not that he'd openly admit this, at least not yet– he had a reputation to keep up). It hadn't all started this way, of course. The last couple months had been a little rough with the adjustment period and just the sheer amount of snarks being slung back and forth, particularly between him and Barnaby. But, once they'd reached some sort of camaraderie, the snipes became less dig-worthy and more of a friendly (and expected) banter.
Which is how it was now.
No literally, right now. They're all finishing off another episode, camera crews having cut to where Fire Emblem and Dragon kid were handling another portion of the crime. Kotetsu, Barnaby, and himself had been sent out together, to see how well the trio could hold up. The consensus? Fairly well, except for the sharp tongues.
Not really a downside in his book.]
Getting slower in your age, aren't you two? I'd expected to get to him last.
[ Nowadays, it wasn’t particularly strange to have Heroes coming in from elsewhere for a stint on HeroTV. Similar programs had been started around the world, but Sternbild was where it had all started, and so companies were keen to send their Heroes there to see what they could learn and experience. It didn’t hurt that some of the most famous Heroes worked there, too; it was a big drawcard, and so it wasn’t uncommon at all to have people come and go.
Most didn’t stay for long, and Barnaby knew better than to get comfortable and familiar with any of them. They’d be gone soon enough, wouldn’t fit into their ongoing dynamic for enough time, and so Barnaby tended to keep his distance. Politely, of course. That became rather difficult when many of the new Heroes were interested in him, but part of him still considered this to be a job. No need to take it too far.
November was different. Barnaby had started to realise that over the past few months, around the time when their bickering had turned into friendly banter. Few people could get through to him on the same level that November had, and he found that he was thoroughly enjoying the challenge. Not only that, but another capable NEXT to have fighting by his side? What could possibly go wrong? It didn’t hurt that the audience loved all three of them. Agnes was happy.
Barnaby was fairly sure that he was happy, too.
Even now, when November is making yet another dig at him, Barnaby simply smiles pleasantly. There’s only one appropriate way to handle this; that being instead of rising to the bait… ]
I'd say that I'm looking rather good in my old age, then. Kotetsu, on the other hand…
[ it really wasn't too weird to have heroes from overseas come work for heroTV every now and then. kotetsu has seen a lot of them come and go during his entire ride with the show, but november is perhaps one of his most favourite ones. it isn't just because the three of them together work so well as a team, but mostly because he enjoys the guy's personality. he's never seen someone rile barnaby up so fast like he does, but november does it differently; he engages in the snarky side the rabbit tries to throw at the old man every now and then but it doesn't quite work.
it's just a whole lot of fun to see the snarkfest, mind you. but not so much when the target becomes him. ]
Oi, I'm the oldest one here and I look the best.
[ not to boast too much since that's never been his style (until barnaby or november forces him to, and if both of them do it, he has to up the ante a little). it's pretty obvious he isn't all too serious about it thanks to the smile on his face but you never really know when kotetsu is with these guys.
but at least this way, he can deflect any snark coming his way. it will likely be a lot given the company. ]
[As expected, Barnaby deflected his comment to Kotetsu. This right here was their little game, the one that they played on and off-screen. It was the banter that had started off as sniping and then turned into a friendly sort of fun. The thing that Agnes had crowed over once they'd started getting along, since the humor drew in more ratings than she'd anticipated. Ratings, scores, all of that… he'd only been invested in that when he'd first gotten here. Some of that still mattered, of course, because what better way to keep track of how one was doing?
But, his perspective had shifted. Thankfully, November took well to a change in plans.]
Really now, old man? I think you're just jealous of Mister Bunny and I's stunning youthful looks.
[The smirk that he'd started with got a little wider at that, and he casts a knowing glance over at Barnaby. It might not entirely be fair to gang up on Kotetsu but…
…it certainly was fun. Besides, the older man could hold his own enough. At least until they really started to corner him.]
You do look surprisingly good for your age, old man. I wasn’t sure that you’d be able to keep it up that long.
[ Of course Barnaby is going to force Kotetsu to up the ante. He always does; it may as well be his job. It would be a very successful side business, if he ever decided to capitalise on it. For now, it’s worth it simply to see the look on Kotetsu’s face… and on November’s, for that matter.
His eyebrows raise slightly as he listens to the other man’s retort. It’s not as though he’s wrong -- far from it, in Barnaby’s oh-so humble point of view. But hearing November talk about him like that was something else entirely. He sees the knowing look and returns it easily. Kotetsu makes himself an easy targe for being teased; who’s to say what’s fair and what isn’t? ]
Are you trying to get at something here, November?
[ sometimes, kotetsu wonders who did he piss off to end up in a situation like this: with two brats trying to bully him out of nowhere. it was bad enough when it was just barnaby, well, okay, maybe not bad because it was fun to tease the guy right back, but now he has to double his efforts? that's just rude, and he feels a little ganged up on (rightfully so).
not that it deters his spirit or makes him want to hide away out of fear, because this is fun to him. this makes the rest of his day play out in a much smoother fashion than expected. plus, it's pretty easy enough to throw a comeback.
you can say he's used to it. ]
I don't know what you guys are talking about. Everything gets better with age, y'know? [ he shakes his head at the two of them. ] But ganging up on an old man like me isn't very nice.
[ that's just mean.
but here he is anyway, happily taking in the verbal beating. he may also be a little curious in what november is trying to get at, here. ]
[Is he trying to get at something? Maybe. He can't really deny that there's a bit of a tension settling between the three of them. Not the bad sort, no, not at all. In most cases, it was an easy thread, the sort that drew them together comfortably.
And then in other times (like now), there's an undercurrent as the line is pulled taut. There's definitely a name for it, he knows, but he's not quite ready to admit it to himself (or to them). Instead, he falls back on tugging on the wire from time to time, testing the feedback.]
I'm simply making an observation, of course. It doesn't appear Mister Tiger agrees, but that was to be expected.
[Sorry Kotetsu.]
It could be worse; the ganging up on you, I mean, old man.
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Because already, the duo of Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks Jr. had shaken up the scene– there'd never been a team of heroes before, not ones that worked together as partners in any case. Adding a new face on top of all that had been going on was sure to make things a little more exciting, which is all he cared about in any case. All the politicking was engaging, but nothing beat actually being out on the field and getting to work on a pseudo-team (as well as rack up all the points– he was number one in England for a reason). Still, he wasn't expecting much else out of this experience other than to be in Sternbild for a few months, look classy, level up points, and then go home.
To say that isn't what happened is a vast understatement.
Granted, he's still got three months left on his contract here, but he's already considering renewing on it. England was lovely, he missed his partner in crime (April) fiercely, however, there was something about this particular group of heroes that was way more interesting than he'd thought.
(Not to mention the sheer amount of trouble they seemed to get themselves into was astonishing.)
Moreover, he was having fun. Working alongside (and yet, against) Tiger, Bunny, Karina, Ivan... all of them had managed to get under his skin enough that he'd found himself completely attached without even meaning to be. Some had dug a little deeper than others (not that he'd openly admit this, at least not yet– he had a reputation to keep up). It hadn't all started this way, of course. The last couple months had been a little rough with the adjustment period and just the sheer amount of snarks being slung back and forth, particularly between him and Barnaby. But, once they'd reached some sort of camaraderie, the snipes became less dig-worthy and more of a friendly (and expected) banter.
Which is how it was now.
No literally, right now. They're all finishing off another episode, camera crews having cut to where Fire Emblem and Dragon kid were handling another portion of the crime. Kotetsu, Barnaby, and himself had been sent out together, to see how well the trio could hold up. The consensus? Fairly well, except for the sharp tongues.
Not really a downside in his book.]
Getting slower in your age, aren't you two? I'd expected to get to him last.
[Enjoy your snark.]
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Most didn’t stay for long, and Barnaby knew better than to get comfortable and familiar with any of them. They’d be gone soon enough, wouldn’t fit into their ongoing dynamic for enough time, and so Barnaby tended to keep his distance. Politely, of course. That became rather difficult when many of the new Heroes were interested in him, but part of him still considered this to be a job. No need to take it too far.
November was different. Barnaby had started to realise that over the past few months, around the time when their bickering had turned into friendly banter. Few people could get through to him on the same level that November had, and he found that he was thoroughly enjoying the challenge. Not only that, but another capable NEXT to have fighting by his side? What could possibly go wrong? It didn’t hurt that the audience loved all three of them. Agnes was happy.
Barnaby was fairly sure that he was happy, too.
Even now, when November is making yet another dig at him, Barnaby simply smiles pleasantly. There’s only one appropriate way to handle this; that being instead of rising to the bait… ]
I'd say that I'm looking rather good in my old age, then. Kotetsu, on the other hand…
[ The answer is clearly to transfer his target. ]
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it's just a whole lot of fun to see the snarkfest, mind you. but not so much when the target becomes him. ]
Oi, I'm the oldest one here and I look the best.
[ not to boast too much since that's never been his style (until barnaby or november forces him to, and if both of them do it, he has to up the ante a little). it's pretty obvious he isn't all too serious about it thanks to the smile on his face but you never really know when kotetsu is with these guys.
but at least this way, he can deflect any snark coming his way. it will likely be a lot given the company. ]
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But, his perspective had shifted. Thankfully, November took well to a change in plans.]
Really now, old man? I think you're just jealous of Mister Bunny and I's stunning youthful looks.
[The smirk that he'd started with got a little wider at that, and he casts a knowing glance over at Barnaby. It might not entirely be fair to gang up on Kotetsu but…
…it certainly was fun. Besides, the older man could hold his own enough. At least until they really started to corner him.]
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[ Of course Barnaby is going to force Kotetsu to up the ante. He always does; it may as well be his job. It would be a very successful side business, if he ever decided to capitalise on it. For now, it’s worth it simply to see the look on Kotetsu’s face… and on November’s, for that matter.
His eyebrows raise slightly as he listens to the other man’s retort. It’s not as though he’s wrong -- far from it, in Barnaby’s oh-so humble point of view. But hearing November talk about him like that was something else entirely. He sees the knowing look and returns it easily. Kotetsu makes himself an easy targe for being teased; who’s to say what’s fair and what isn’t? ]
Are you trying to get at something here, November?
[ Or perhaps, should he say get somewhere? ]
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not that it deters his spirit or makes him want to hide away out of fear, because this is fun to him. this makes the rest of his day play out in a much smoother fashion than expected. plus, it's pretty easy enough to throw a comeback.
you can say he's used to it. ]
I don't know what you guys are talking about. Everything gets better with age, y'know? [ he shakes his head at the two of them. ] But ganging up on an old man like me isn't very nice.
[ that's just mean.
but here he is anyway, happily taking in the verbal beating. he may also be a little curious in what november is trying to get at, here. ]
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And then in other times (like now), there's an undercurrent as the line is pulled taut. There's definitely a name for it, he knows, but he's not quite ready to admit it to himself (or to them). Instead, he falls back on tugging on the wire from time to time, testing the feedback.]
I'm simply making an observation, of course. It doesn't appear Mister Tiger agrees, but that was to be expected.
[Sorry Kotetsu.]
It could be worse; the ganging up on you, I mean, old man.
[Ah.]