micromanaging and strategy, you say...

[prevail]

[Robin's been aware that he has his work cut out for him from the getgo. He just had no idea how true that really was. Once he's got books piled in a haphazard semicircle around him, complemented by charts and loose pages of notes, it's so very evident that he has quite a lot to do and not the most accurate of information to work with.

And this might not be so bad if his memory was all there, but it's...not. An accident has assured this much, so Robin has taken it upon himself to cram every bit of knowledge he can into his mind, so that he can fulfill his responsibilities as a saniwa.

One might be given to assume this means that Robin is studying all of these things for some high and important purpose. And he'd argue that it is. As time crawls by he thumbs his way through various historical texts from a slew of authors, jotting down information as he comes across it - whether it agrees or conflicts. Just as he has in days previous, this is the way he spends his downtime.

And as with the days which preceded this, he eventually falls asleep in his pile of books and notes.

What is he studying with such determinations? Why, the swords he's got to work with, of course. Nobody can have a winning strategy without first understanding what one has at one's disposal. Strengths and weaknesses, assets and flaws, it's all right there scrawled on the papers littered around him. The sole exception being the sheet of paper pressed to one side of his face, ink smeared against his cheek]


[ooc: In Robin's original canon he had a tendency to somehow find out or notice all kinds of things about his allies. And he'd write them down in a roster. Some of these things were so deeply embarrassing or private that people were willing to risk their lives to get that roster back when it was stolen in a DLC episode. Gentleswords, he now has a roster with entries about you]

Comments

[acquazzone]

[Squalo is enraged the way one of his former masters used to be and Robin has the balls to ask what seems to be the trouble?!

The spatha wants to slice him up and mount those so-called brass ones on one of the flagpoles just for that comment.

Instead, he slaps his handful of paper on the table, smack in the middle where Robin cant ignore it, and looms over the saniwa. Meanwhile, his flesh hand is already in his coat, ready to pull out his sword and attach it to his left hand if he doesn't like the answer.

(In all honesty, he probably wont like anything that comes out of Robin's mouth.)]

Put that fucking tongue of yours to work, and explain this.

[He smacks the table again with an open hand for good measure. The poor piece of furniture is lucky that Squalo decided to rein back his strength, otherwise it would get more than just a bit of abuse from an angry sword.]

[prevail]

[If Robin is intimidated by this, he doesn't show it. He does watch Squalo carefully, but the smacks to the table don't make him so much as flinch. After the second one, however, he does take a moment to arrange himself so he can sit up a little straighter.

And then he looks at the paper in front of him and...smooths it out so he can see what it was. Following that, he quickly glances around and gathers up the others into a stack, placing Squalo's much-abused paper at the top]

This is my research. In order to better formulate winning strategies, and put you all at the best advantage possible, I first need to understand you to the best of my ability. I can't highlight your strengths if I'm ignorant to them, can I?

[It's not a rhetorical question - he does welcome Squalo's opinion on the matter, and clearly he has one]

[acquazzone]

[God fuck, but that calm tone infuriates him even more. Why cant he show even some bit of fear?]

What, and you call my fucking schedule something important that you have to write down every little thing that I do?! What, you go sniffing around my room for clues like some fucking trashy inspector now?

VOOOOOIIIIII, OR DO YOU WANT A WRITE UP OF MY BATHROOM HABITS TOO?!

[He'll amend his previous thought. He'd rather get scrapped-- broken down into pieces, tossed into the fire and melted. He'd rather die again and go to where all good little sword souls go when they're not needed rather than stick around someone who has no sense of privacy.

Shit, he's going to need a good cleaning now.]

Newsflash, commander-- my personal life is my personal life. THAT MEANS STAY THE FUCK OUT OF IT.

[prevail]

[Although Squalo has a tendency to be loud and...expressive, Robin can recognize when something really bothers him. At least, he thinks as much tends to make itself rather readily apparent even when it's more yelling that heralds it.

He's rather flying off the handle now. Or the hilt, as it were.

And while this concerns Robin, he does make an effort to remain calm - it's important that he address this and not escalate matters]

It would be needlessly invasive to do either of the things you've described. Nor do I think that it would do very much for any level of trust, which is another problem.

[Because if Squalo can't trust him further than he can throw him, that's a pretty big problem when they're supposed to be something of a team. All of them are]

What I've written down is the product of analyzing existing texts, and things I've happened to observe.

[acquazzone]

[Squalo's only just getting started though. He's a lot less wrathful than his last owner, that's for sure (but then again, anyone is a lot less angry than him, and even the Buddhist wrathful deities cant hold a candle to the man, he's pretty sure), but that doesn't mean he cant blow his top like a volcano.

It just takes special circumstances to do so, contrary to popular belief.]

What, and you don't think writing down my habits while working the fucking fields or dealing with the horses and their stinking piles of shit, or calling the trash outside names are needlessly invasive? You think writing all of this shit and leaving them around for everyone to see [gestures at the papers scattered about] is going to fucking make me TRUST YOU?!

[You are so full of shit, says his tone.]

Fuck this-- the rest of the trash might be able to buy this pretty, fancy-schmancy crap you're spewing, but NOT ME.

I MAY BE A SWORD, BUT I'VE GOT SOME GODDAMN PRIDE IN ME, HEEEEEYYYYY! I'D RATHER BE TOSSED BACK INTO THE FIRE THAN LET YOU POKE INTO THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T GET YOUR DAMNED BROWN NOSE INTO.

[prevail]

[Well that's all very well and loud, and Robin will wait until he thinks Squalo is quite finished. Granted he's not sure that Squalo even needs to stop for air, but he does wait politely for such as time as his company decides to pause for any length of time.

Because he does think that some kind of reaction is expected from him. Some sort of answer. Else, why would Squalo remain in the room?]

No, and it was my mistake falling asleep with my notes left out like this. And for that I apologize.

[Since that is a shortcoming on his part, and for all his calm exterior he means it. If tone says anything about what he thinks, he takes the matter quite seriously]

How you deal with horses is relevant to battlefields that may indeed include horses. How you get along with the others, too, is something that I need to know lest I come up with a strategy you won't accept because of whom you'd be working with. And I expect that as with anyone trust is earned and not simply given.

[Has he addressed the important points...? Hopefully]