...

"And you will consent because it is the only thing left you can do." [RP blog for a Guardian!Batter from OFF, based loosely off of the comic Joker.]

[decussatingdefender-blog]

the monster and the ghost

[decussatingdefender-blog]

The crocodilian snapped open his jaws and instead caught the sweater with his teeth, playfully shaking it as if a dog with some sort of chew toy as he huffed his amusement, the impure Guardian feeling in a much better mood with Zacharie around. Palling around like this was definitely something that could lighten the mood up, though being in his more instinctive-driven form probably helped too.

Forget giving the spirit his sweater back though, if the merchant wanted it he’d better get ready for wrestling match #2.

[specterie-deactivated20160203]

Zacharie groaned, he should have figured that would have happened. Note to self: Don’t throw things at Batter, he will eat them. He crossed his arms and assessed the situation. Any way he went about it, his sweater was sure to get ripped, not to mention the holes forming from his friend’s sharp teeth.

It didn’t seem like there was any way of going around this. The specter ran at the crocodillian, and scaled his arm, trying to see if he could bring him down from the top, and maybe not ruin his sweater as much as the last item that Batter got his maws on.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

Batter tossed his head back immediately upon the ghost of a merchant climbing up top, instinctively unhappy with the close proximity both to his very vital-to-life brain and his fragile eyes, especially in a form where they were so exposed.

He snarled defensively and tried to throw the other off of him, because knee-jerk reactions were what this beast-like form was made out of and unless he had been expecting it his startled reaction was a lot less rational than it would have been in his normal body.

Slavering jaws snapped at the pest on its back, or at least attempted to. Zacharie may have been secure enough to test the crocodilian and trust him to not chomp him in two, but the Guardian couldn't control himself like this all the time, and if those teeth fastened around the spectre there probably wouldn't be much left for him to salvage until the Batter realised what he had lashed out at.

Essentially, startling him in this form was what was colloquially known as a Very Bad Idea.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

thedreamermadotsuki replied to your post: “Batter! I have something for you.” Madotsuki smiled, and pulled a small purple mp3 player from the pocket of her skirt. “Here. I found it.”

If the Guardian who had received the present had understood what it was (or indeed, been any happier about what he suspected the purple object he had been handed happened to be), he would have clapped his hands together gaily and likely let out of some distorted form of a delighted coo.

As it was, he still looked pretty pleased about the gift, all but snatching it out of the girl’s hands in his eagerness to examine it, before he paused, at a complete loss as how it worked and glanced at Madotsuki in askance.

“This is that Emm Pee Three you were telling me about, correct? How does it function?” The Batter still carefully phrased MP3 like it was three separate words rather than acronyms, which made it sound just the slightest bit odd but his point almost certainly still got across.

[25effects-moved]

She’s a bit shocked by the fact that he takes it so quickly, but she laughs a bit and takes it back.

“Here, lemme show you.” The girl takes it from him, unwraps the earbud wires from it, and turns it on.

With a satisfied smile, she turns back to him after a few moments, and hands him the earbuds. “Put those in your ears, I’ll pick a song.”

[decussatingdefender-blog]

The man rewarded her command with a vaguely puzzled stare, cocking his head to the side slightly before doing as she suggested, carefully taking the strange, vaguely bean-like things attached to the wires and doing so, with only minimal fumbling once he figured out where the 'L' and 'R' were supposed to go.

He still had no idea how this would let him listen to music, but then again it had already been established that Mado's world in general was just ridiculously strange, so the Batter tried not to let it get to him too much.

[leisureincipient]

Where are you...

[leisureincipient]

…: bigbootybatter: decussatingdefender: bigbootybatter: Where are you all…

[leisureincipient]

…: bigbootybatter: …: bigbootybatter: decussatingdefender:…

[leisureincipient]

...: bigbootybatter: …: bigbootybatter: …: bigbootybatter:...

He gave the other an odd look as he spoke but listened carefully. "...." As soon as the other said he was a guardian he took a step back, readying his bat. "A guardian?.... How is that possible?... What came of the others?... The Guardians of the other zones.... Did you kill one of them to take their place?.." He questioned, feeling somewhat nervous suddenly. Sure his original mission was to kill all the guardians but after his puppeteer left early on within the game he had started to reconsider a few things. 

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"No. I had, nor will I ever have, no desire or lust for power. The only reason I hold the position I do is because of Zacharie. I certainly didn't originally want to be a Guardian. That would be helping to fester and foster the impurities of the land. But as I went along with my mission, as I cleansed everything, the Judge realised he didn't want my version of purity, and turned the player against me just before I could fulfill the last part of my job and purify the whole world." His voice was terse, but it became especially taut after the last mention of his past, expression darkening at the mention of the betrayal the Batter had gone through. "I lost, of course. Zacharie used the last Joker in the world on me, and proposed a new mission for me to have rather than futilely once again attempting to flip the switch when the formidable housecat was guarding it. So there you have it."

[decussatingdefender-blog]

the monster and the ghost

[decussatingdefender-blog]

What plastic that got onto his scales easily slipped back off and ended on the metal. However, his clothes themselves were not nearly so repellent and his fondly-regarded jersey was quickly dampened by the spectre rolling around on him. The Batter, however, was a little too preoccupied with the fact that he had been hugged at all (and the accompanying surprise) to react just yet, the great beast completely freezing for a few seconds before shaking it off with a sly coo and he added his own slobber into the already-soaked merchant’s mix.

Hugs were nice, he supposed, even if it was from Zacharie fooling around and trying to get him as wet as he was.

[specterie-deactivated20160203]

“Oh gross!” not only was he wet, he was sticky with Batter drool. Zacharie stripped his sweater off, wiped the drool off with it, and then tossed it at scaly beast’s head, hoping to get his face with it.

He sighed contently, feeling the warm sun shine down on his black skin as he roughed about with his friend the beast.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

The crocodilian snapped open his jaws and instead caught the sweater with his teeth, playfully shaking it as if a dog with some sort of chew toy as he huffed his amusement, the impure Guardian feeling in a much better mood with Zacharie around. Palling around like this was definitely something that could lighten the mood up, though being in his more instinctive-driven form probably helped too.

Forget giving the spirit his sweater back though, if the merchant wanted it he'd better get ready for wrestling match #2.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

“If it makes you feel any better, not all of the books are like what you just read.” The man offered, though the dry tone of voice he had said it with suggested he was more amused by her reaction than he was letting on and his attempt to comfort her was half-hearted at best, not out of genuine concern. Of course, considering it was just some rather graphic novels, the Batter likely didn’t feel like there was a need to.

However, like she had suggested, now that the brief pause (as in he didn’t have a pause at all while Effie had sat down and read) was over, the Guardian obligingly turned and headed back out before continuing his way into the central plaza that had originally been the starting point of the city. The buildings definitely gave this away, as the ones closest to the empty space all faced inwards and looked very clearly somewhat more aged than the others, though whether that was because they looked darker and dirtier or they just felt a little less lively despite still having a moderate amount of Elsen loitering around was a mystery.

The air here seemed a little more subdued, like this place was where people hid their words behind cupped hands and spoke in hasty whispers, though clearly this was no library and there was nothing enforcing such a thing. Still, maybe in part due to this being the starting point of the zone, it was still a little more somber, and the Elsens here seemed a little more shady. Or quiet. The two were interchangeable when it came to Batter’s ones, though perhaps not always for a just reason.

Still, for whatever reason, even the man who was loitering in what must have been the place’s first cafeteria was more or less silent rather than roaring out his trades, propping his feet up and browsing a book in his small little store, which might have been an anomaly simply because the rest of the buildings here were both ridiculously tall and also just apartments for people to live in, though who knew if they were actually being utilised right now.

[effieelsen-deactivated20130706]

“This place..it feels…weird..” She commented on the sudden change of feeling in the air, it draped over her like a giant blanket, she held her arms together as too the temperature felt that it changed some as well, becoming colder. “Your Zone it’s so..odd…why i-is it all G-Gray and dull? ” Effie turned to him, it was something that too caught her attention when she first walked in, but forgot to ask. 

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"It's not grey, exactly." The Batter hastened to correct her, seemingly unaffected by the cloying atmosphere despite everyone else adhering to it. Maybe just because he was the Guardian, or because he wasn't an Elsen. Either way. "It's a sort of... Creamy yellow. It was just the closest I could get to the pure white without it actually being that colour. It's not dull, I just didn't want to kill people's eyes like the old Guardians seemed to have a fondness for doing."

[decussatingdefender-blog]

the monster and the ghost

[decussatingdefender-blog]

The monster’s previously mentioned jaws opened wide as he let out some sort of barking sound that was clearly laughter, wide white eyes crinkling with mirth as he once again rose to his feet and padded to the other’s side, regarding him with a sort of amusement that wouldn’t have been unfitting on the face of some sort of stereotypical feline, tongue lolling out slightly as he watched Zacharie take an impromptu bath.

“Hi.” The Batter cheerfully greeted the spectre with a growl, cocking his head to the side as he continued watching.

[specterie-deactivated20160203]

Zacharie pulled himself up, dripping onto the docks. “Don’t make me pull you in here.” he grumbled, “And don’t think you’re getting out of this either.”  He gently lifted his masks up off his face for a moment to let the liquid drain through before, with a chuckle; he pressed his wet body against Batters with a hug, trying to get as much moisture off of himself and onto his friend, though most of it ended up on the ground, squeezed out of his sweater.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

What plastic that got onto his scales easily slipped back off and ended on the metal. However, his clothes themselves were not nearly so repellent and his fondly-regarded jersey was quickly dampened by the spectre rolling around on him. The Batter, however, was a little too preoccupied with the fact that he had been hugged at all (and the accompanying surprise) to react just yet, the great beast completely freezing for a few seconds before shaking it off with a sly coo and he added his own slobber into the already-soaked merchant's mix.

Hugs were nice, he supposed, even if it was from Zacharie fooling around and trying to get him as wet as he was.

[leisureincipient]

Where are you all coming from?…..

[decussatingdefender-blog]

“Considering you and I are technically one and the same, I...

[leisureincipient]

…: bigbootybatter: decussatingdefender: bigbootybatter: Where are you all…

[leisureincipient]

...: bigbootybatter: …: bigbootybatter: decussatingdefender:...

Goes silent for a moment, thinking over the other's words. He wasn't a purifier anymore yet he wasn't one of those monsters bent of consuming everything...Did this mean there were other paths to take that didn't lead to him becoming a monster if he strayed the path he tied so hard to follow. "If you don't mind.... what is this new job of yours....I don't quite understand... I figured the only paths we could take was either to purify the zones or to consume them...."

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"I suppose you might take this one as consuming them in quite a different way, considering what we did to the originals, but." The Batter stood up a little straighter as he adjusted his grip on his bat, expression as firm as always as he tensed, as if readying himself for a blow. And considering what he was planning on saying next, he may very well have had to before his alternate beat his head in. "I'm a Guardian."

[decussatingdefender-blog]

the monster and the ghost

[decussatingdefender-blog]

There was an acknowledging growl in reaction to the expression of genuine gratefulness, the beast blinking slowly and turning his head to the side so he wasn’t facing the other. Now that all the antics were over, Batter was half-way back to sinking into his melancholy thoughts once again. In an effort to stir himself from the unhappy stupor his mind was trying to lead him to, the huge, hulking creature suddenly rose up slightly on its haunches before leaping in Zacharie’s direction, a daunting sight for anyone.

Considering the sheer size of the Badder alone, even ignoring the fact that his teeth made an impressive display of ‘oh shit I don’t want that anywhere near me let alone pissed and charging in my general direction’, the fact that he could jump past the spectre with barely any repercussions other than the dull ‘thump’ and the trembling of the platform under him from the heavy weight that had just abruptly reacquainted with it, the motion had probably more than startled the merchant.

Though of course the crocodilian had had no intention of attacking Zacharie, instead flopping back onto his side with another metallic twang and the only prospective danger being if he squashed the other’s arm or something. The Batter was just… Restless. He didn’t want to stay still. That’s all.

[specterie-deactivated20160203]

Zacharie’s view of the slowly drifting clouds were interrupted by Batter’s maw appearing above him.

“Oh no no no no” Zacharie scrambled backwards till his arm slipped off the platform, dunking his upper body into the wet plastic, his lower half soon following. A few bubbles floated up to the surface and popped before Zacharie resurfaced, thoroughly soaked.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

The monster's previously mentioned jaws opened wide as he let out some sort of barking sound that was clearly laughter, wide white eyes crinkling with mirth as he once again rose to his feet and padded to the other's side, regarding him with a sort of amusement that wouldn't have been unfitting on the face of some sort of stereotypical feline, tongue lolling out slightly as he watched Zacharie take an impromptu bath.

"Hi." The Batter cheerfully greeted the spectre with a growl, cocking his head to the side as he continued watching.

[leisureincipient]

Where are you all coming from?…..

[decussatingdefender-blog]

“Considering you and I are technically one and the same, I could ask the same of you.”

[leisureincipient]

“I am as lost as you are on this….I do hope…you havent lost your purity like some of the others…”

[decussatingdefender-blog]

...

[leisureincipient]

...: bigbootybatter: decussatingdefender: bigbootybatter: Where are you all...

"I have seen other versions of us that have become horrible monsters..." He murmured, thinking back some. "They have stopped trying to cleanse the word..instead just destroy everything in their path....causing needless bloodshed of elsens...Its vile and cruel...."

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"Well, I don't know how reassuring my answer will be to you then, in that case." The Guardian in turn resisted the urge to fold his arms in case the other decided to strike him and he would be prompted to defend himself. "While I have indeed lost the right to qualify for our holy mission and taken up a new job, I have no intention of losing my mind and attacking all that crosses my path. In fact, I've been doing the exact opposite. Take that as you will."

[leisureincipient]

Where are you all coming from?…..

[decussatingdefender-blog]

“Considering you and I are technically one and the same, I could ask the same of you.”

[leisureincipient]

“I am as lost as you are on this….I do hope…you havent lost your purity like some of the others…”

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"That depends on what your absolute definition of purity is, since it seems to vary from one of us to another, but I suspect I may not pass yours if you've already seen previously impure alternates. Then again, maybe there are spectres versions of ourselves that I just haven't noticed. Either way, I need you to elaborate a little more here before I can correctly answer that."

[leisureincipient]

Where are you all coming from?…..

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"Considering you and I are technically one and the same, I could ask the same of you."

[decussatingdefender-blog]

thesicklyhugo replied to your post: *plays his music box for you*  Hugo smiled nervously. His peace offering seemed to work, at least, for this particular Batter. He slowly stopped to wave a bit. “H-hi…"

"Yeah, hi, whatever." And the man known as Hugo's father displayed his superior parenting skills immediately with that one dismissive reply. Clearly they hadn't improved despite his becoming a Guardian, which technically made him the dad of the entire zone. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with your mother or dead or something."

Still not one to mince words unless he found it necessary, the Batter went directly to the questions he had been intending to ask before he had been distracted by the song his son had played. Though just that one simple thing had been enough to get the childsomepoints in the former purifier's book. 

[decussatingdefender-blog]

thecorruptedplayer started following you

There. There it was. That all-familiar, slightly prickly sensation of being watched, not in the common sense but rather by someone who was outside this world. A Player. The Batter was immediately tipped off by the sense of innate wrongness that this one was definitely not the pure-seeking one he was a little more accustomed to, though he didn’t quite understand why there was that aura of corruption about them. Ah, well. Irrelevant of who exactly this person was, the Guardian had developed a certain sort of aversion against Puppeteers peering at what he was doing, which made the man not particularly comfortable with the stranger already, nevermind the added dose of oddness in this one’s presence, like they weren’t supposed to even exist.

Scowling just the slightest bit as he set his shoulders, the Batter at his Zone Gate peered up into the sky, a frown evident on his face as he spoke. 

“Would you mind not doing that?”

[thecorruptedplayer]

It was true that the player had been peering at what this Batter had been doing. Very close, in fact, probably resulting in the overwhelming feeling of wrongness that the subject of its interest was feeling. But it just couldn’t help it. The Batter was standing at the ate of a Zone it had never seen before, something that until now it hadn’t thought possible. And this zone didn’t seem to be a glitch or a hiccup in the programming. It was perfectly normal, save for the fact that the Corrupted wasn’t all sure such a thing should exist. It was so focused on figuring out the mystery of what was on its screen that at first it hadn’t realized that the Batter had spoken.

“…Mmmm?” It made a questioning noise in its throat as it blinked, straightening up instinctively from the monitor. “Pardon me, but did you say something, Batter? I’m sorry, am I doing something that is bothering you?”

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"Yeah. Could you stop it with the whole impure and completely corrupted feeling you have going on there, please. It's uncomfortable." The man answered in his usual blunt manner, still craning his neck in the direction he assumed the puppeteer would be. 

The Guardian, of course, had absolutely no clue what the higher entity (so to say, considering their position in his world) had been doing, though once the Corrupted stopped scrutinising its screen quite so closely and the almost static-like tingling at the back of the Batter's neck faded a little, he could breathe a small sigh of relief. However, that didn't make the newcomer any more well-known, and if this was someone hellbent on cleansing everything in their path he needed to know now so he was aware where he should stand in their conversation.

"Are you a purifier?" He added to his previous words, stance firm and the grip on the handle of his bat even tighter than before. "Are you here to fight me with some puppet I've yet to see? Or are you only here for renaissance purposes?"

The former-cleanser probably could have gone down the even terser path and asked if the mysterious player was a friend or a foe, but he felt what he had said got the point as succinctly, so whatever worked.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

the monster and the ghost

[decussatingdefender-blog]

While the other flicking him like he was an unruly hound got him a growl in reply, the Batter still was back at it in seconds, and once the canvas itself had torn(really, what had Zacharie been thinking, trying to wrest the thing from him by force? It was obvious just from the crocodilian’s sheer size alone that attempting that would be like trying to push over a mountain with your bare hands), the former purifier wasted no time helping the other retrieve his items, even leaning over the platform to snag a few slightly soggy Luck Tickets and Jokers for the merchant while letting out an admonishing croon, as if calling the spectre a god damn moron for even attempting that in the first place.

Still, the Guardian managed to salvage most of what had been in the backpack for the ghost before it had been ripped in half, though he couldn’t help but mournfully watch the pieces of meat he hadn’t managed to save as they slowly sunk into the depths of plastic. (The Batter had tried eating them and then immediately regretted his decision. That was not something he ever wanted to attempt again.)

Though the mass destruction of the merchant’s wares hadn’t been intentional, the creature still didn’t seem particularly sorry despite having, as previously mentioned, done it all on accident, preferring to lay his massive head on his paws (or hands, he wasn’t even sure what to call them himself) instead of look apologetic in the slightest. Hey, he had got most of the shit back for the guy, hadn’t he? Sheesh.

[specterie-deactivated20160203]

He groaned and deposited what little merchandise he got on the ground, and soon joined them, choosing to lay down on his back, his arms and legs splayed about. That was dumb. That was really dumb. He sighed, he could probably get a new backpack elsewhere, or spend some time fixing this one up. It wouldn’t be too hard, it’d probably just take a lot of time. He flickered, and instead of being on his back, he was on his stomach, making ripples in the plastic with his hands.

“Thanks.” he glanced over at the Batter. He was being sincere despite the sarcasm that would have bubbled from his mouth. His bag may have been ripped but most of the merchandise was saved, albeit somewhat moist.

Zacharie took his hand out of the plastic and shook away all the droplets until his hand was damp instead of soaked, and wiped the rest away on his sleeve. He flickered once more and was on his back again, looking up at the puffy white clouds.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

There was an acknowledging growl in reaction to the expression of genuine gratefulness, the beast blinking slowly and turning his head to the side so he wasn't facing the other. Now that all the antics were over, Batter was half-way back to sinking into his melancholy thoughts once again. In an effort to stir himself from the unhappy stupor his mind was trying to lead him to, the huge, hulking creature suddenly rose up slightly on its haunches before leaping in Zacharie's direction, a daunting sight for anyone.

Considering the sheer size of the Badder alone, even ignoring the fact that his teeth made an impressive display of 'oh shit I don't want that anywhere near me let alone pissed and charging in my general direction', the fact that he could jump past the spectre with barely any repercussions other than the dull 'thump' and the trembling of the platform under him from the heavy weight that had just abruptly reacquainted with it, the motion had probably more than startled the merchant.

Though of course the crocodilian had had no intention of attacking Zacharie, instead flopping back onto his side with another metallic twang and the only prospective danger being if he squashed the other's arm or something. The Batter was just... Restless. He didn't want to stay still. That's all.

[ask-the-imposter-ghost-deactiva]

“Ah, I’ll h-have to be careful around them…”

He wasn’t exactly new to the idea of people assuming he wanted to attack them. Thankfully, in most cases he could calm them down before things got too bad. There were exceptions, but they were few enough that he could deal with them as they came up. Though, there was something else that caught Imposter’s attention.

“What do y-you mean, ‘grudge?’”

Perhaps if he could understand just what this man had against spectres, he could better avoid trouble in the future. The Batter’s alternates hadn’t exactly seen fit to explain anything on the past. He decided not to try to focus too much on that, and returned his attention to the zone itself.

He smiled at the description of the soap.

“The designs they make, wh-what do they l-look like?”

Imposter had a strange fondness for artwork, and while he was surprised to hear about the soap being used in such a way, he found the idea a nice one. He figured more zones could do with something like that.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

The man tilted his head thoughtfully before correcting himself. “Well, I suppose grudge isn’t quite the correct term for this. It’s more of an assumed prejudice, I suppose? ‘Guilty until proven innocent’ and all that. Most spectres are either mindless, malicious or both, and since I spent a lot of my time combating them, I tend to quickly assume that they are and strike first unless they look particularly unusual. I’ve been trying to step back just the slightest with my instinctive swinging (hence why you’re not dead), but it’s still a gut instinct making me want to beat spectres until they’re so many globs of ectoplasm. My Elsens don’t have that because they never had to travel the old zones purifying things.”

Of course, what the Batter had said likely hadn’t told Imposter much, other than there was still an underlying instinct in the Guardian that was still urging him to beat the spirit’s brains out instead of passively standing there chatting to him and that it was a reflex he had gained from a large amount of ghostbusting. Still, that was more or less the only reason other than that was what he had been programmed to do, so the man couldn’t exactly elaborate any more.

“Oh, that depends on the Elsen, of course. Most of them act obnoxious and rude and similar in nature, but I’m fairly certain they’re all different in some way, though I barely notice. Some of them make rather depressing pieces, like people dying and rising as spectres or, I don’t know, chained or something. You know, shit like that. Others are just as immature as ever and create some genitalia then collapse into a giggling mess on the floor, while more just aren’t very good at it at all and can’t carve for shit so they end up with rather surreal carvings. Of course, not all the surreal ones are like that because of bad skills, but I don’t pay all that much attention since those ones are usually just taken home and kept rather than sold or used.”

[ask-the-imposter-ghost-deactiva]

Imposter listened carefully, nodding as he did. As unpleasant as it was to hear, he couldn’t exactly deny what this man said about spectres as a whole. If this man been fighting for a long time, it made sense that the underlying instincts would still be there. Imposter supposed he should be thankful that the Batter was as calm as he was. There was no doubt that if it came to a fight, Imposter would be seriously outmatched.

“In th-that case, I’m glad that you didn’t a-attack me. I ah, m-much prefer talking to f-fighting.”

The spectre found that he still didn’t quite understand why the Batter had taken to fighting spectres in the first place, but he was starting to feel that it would be a bad idea to press further. The last thing he needed was to cause someone reasonably friendly to become less so. As curious as he was, dwelling on such a thing seemed dangerous. Imposter shrugged, and smiled faintly. All things considered, this was a fairly enjoyable encounter.

“I g-guess it makes sense that th-they’d vary… S-still, I bet th-they’re all interesting in their o-own way.”

He spent a moment trying to visualize some of the carvings, and nodded mostly to himself. Imposter figured after a moment that if the soaps were indeed transported throughout the other zones, than there was still a reasonable chance of him getting to see at least a small sample of the carvings himself. The idea was a nice one.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

"Like I said, I've been attempting to curb my instinctive reactions only for when they're strictly necessary, so just think of it as practice." The Batter answered offhandedly. "Be as glad as you want to be that I've mostly got a mastery of resisting them, and that you didn't bump into one of my alternates. They almost certainly wouldn't have been so lenient as to let an impure being past them, no matter how sentient and peaceful you were."

Of course, the Guardian likely could have struck the spirit before him and taken him out. It would be less of a security risk. But what was life without a few dangers? The spectre before him seemed too fragile to be much of a threat, anyway. Company was always appreciated, provided they weren't the obnoxious attention of his own Elsens, which he would rather do without. He'd had enough of minding them to last a lifetime, thank you very much. 

Which, incidentally, was why he didn't know much about the carvings, or the people in general. The man was only filling his job to a T, not the general concept behind a Guardian. Yes, his people were safe and sound, but technically (not that the Batter cared for technicalities) the job of a Guardian likely needed to also care for his people and pay attention to them and their worries. 

The man this one housed had no time for any of that and would only speak to them when there was a danger, a breach in security of some sort. Ain't nobody got time for all that socialising business. The Batter had spectres to kill and a zone to watch over. Not that it mattered all that much in this current situation, so the former-purifier only shrugged and answered Imposter's other comment with a simple, concise reply.

"I wouldn't know. You could always ask one of them to make one or something, I suppose." 

[decussatingdefender-blog]

thedreamermadotsuki replied to your post: “Batter! I have something for you.” Madotsuki smiled, and pulled a small purple mp3 player from the pocket of her skirt. “Here. I found it.”

If the Guardian who had received the present had understood what it was (or indeed, been any happier about what he suspected the purple object he had been handed happened to be), he would have clapped his hands together gaily and likely let out of some distorted form of a delighted coo.

As it was, he still looked pretty pleased about the gift, all but snatching it out of the girl's hands in his eagerness to examine it, before he paused, at a complete loss as how it worked and glanced at Madotsuki in askance.

"This is that Emm Pee Three you were telling me about, correct? How does it function?" The Batter still carefully phrased MP3 like it was three separate words rather than acronyms, which made it sound just the slightest bit odd but his point almost certainly still got across.

[decussatingdefender-blog]

theterrorofballville started following you 

At first glance, the Batter might have mistaken the man in front of him for yet another one of his alternates. But there were differences, in uniform and face. If this was another Batter, he had certainly fallen far from the apple tree. The Guardian at his Gate frowned at the stranger, studying the other's face yet again as he tried to decipher why they were still vaguely familiar to him despite marking out him being a clone until it finally clicked to the former-purifier.

Of course. How could I have missed it?

"Ballman." The Batter finally said, though not in the same triumphant tone you might have expected out of him now that he had puzzled out who was standing in front of him.

To be honest, however, the idea of a comic book villain being real bewildered the Guardian less than it should have. He was part of a video game himself, after all. You couldn't get much more meta than that.