The Good, The Bad, and The Extra dimensional (IC)

[quotemyname]

Tucking her hands into her jean pockets, Taylor lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug, "Jack's fine, if busy. We both have a lot on our plate these days. He really doesn't need me to work him too hard as he manages that himself just fine. He's working at the moment."

"I'd say'e does't that." Colt replied with a knowing glance at Taylor's stomach. He wouldn't say anything directly about it unless she did. After all, Grim might not yet know. Though it wasn't like he couldn't tell.

She smiled and looked between them, "So, you need a consult on interdimensional hijinks?"

Colt retreated to where Grim was and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Sure do." He gave her a wave towards one of the other rooms in the house. One with some comfortable chairs from the look of it. "Why don't'cha come'n stay awhile. Reckon it'll make storytellin' easier that way." Colt reached up behind him and grabbed a button down shirt from a hanger that was dangling from a door frame. He placed the towel in it's spot. As the walked into the next room, he slipped into the shirt and began buttoning it up.

[Heritage]

Grim was happy to see Colt up and about, and she gave her a firm squeeze to celebrate, but she was a bit distracted; when she gave Taylor a friendly hug, something felt wrong, like she was-

No, that's impossible, she can't be...but that would mean... :shock:

With tremendous effort, the changeling kept her mouth firmly shut, though she was fairly sure shock passed across her features; it was Jack and Taylor's business, not her's. She took a seat on the sofa, staring blankly ahead for a few seconds.

Talk about a lot on your plate!

[alderwitch]

Taylor gave Colt a sharp glance at his pointed look before noting the shell shocked expression on Grim's face as the shape shifter put two and two together. Sighing, she settled down into a chair. Was it really that obvious? Either she was going to have to come up with better disguises or hide away in the apartment.

Lifting up her fingertips, Taylor tossed off the detection spell to discern what alternate earth Colt came from while they settled in, figuring she could spend the time doing that while they gathered their thoughts. When she was done, Taylor laced her fingers together in her lap and waited almost expectantly.

[Heritage]

I can't think of anything to say; my mouth doesn't work anymore.

At long last, Grim took a deep breath and slapped her hands on her lap. "So, what do we do about these space cowboys? What our options?"

She continued blithly speaking, but managed to create a small sign that read simply 'CONGRATS!'; it existed for only a few moments, then faded from view.

"Can you trace their interdimensional heat signiture or something?"

[quotemyname]

Colt suddenly remembered the papers that the Freedom League had given him when he arrived in this world. "Hold that there thought. I reckon I got somethin' that just might help." He dashed off to retrieve them from his room. Once he returned, he held a stack of papers out for Taylor to examine. "This here's what'a got when'a got here. The Freedom League told me it was like a dimensional passport're somethin'. I ain't looked at't too hard, cuz'a reckon I don't know too much about that stuff."

[alderwitch]

Taylor gave Grim a smile and gestured with her fingertips placatingly, "Thank you. You can grill me later if you'd like, but lets deal with your space cowboys here first. I didn't exactly tell Jack I was doing superhero work when I lft the house."

She accepted the paperwork with a little snort of profesional disdain, "As if the league has the time or ability to regulate interdimensional activity.... Yes, I know of this cluster of worlds. They're time shifted, if I recall correctly."

She handed the paperwork back and glanced quizically to Grim, "Are they still in the city do you know? Tracking them generally involves a lot of teleporting and spell casting and then more teleporting. More of an art than a science."

[Heritage]

"Are they still in the city do you know? Tracking them generally involves a lot of teleporting and spell casting and then more teleporting. More of an art than a science."

Sitting on couch next to Colt, Grim was happy to ignore the whole pregnancy issue for now, though Tayor's question did leave her mildly puzzled.

"Uh, I think so, but Colt's really the go-to guy on this issue; I'm just the girl with the cellphone and lots of interesting friends."

She took Colt's hand and began to gently knead it between her fingers.

[quotemyname]

Colt smiled and glanced at Grim. The look alone was enough to show his gratitude. "Not sure, really." Colt began, "Alls I know's that they're still nearby somewhere."

Colt looked down at the carpet and scuffed his foot against it. "Gillman's made't pretty clear't I'm his target. Ain't no way he's leavin' town anytime soon. That'n I'd suspect it's pretty hard ta find gas fer'a ship like that anywhere other'n Freedom."

[alderwitch]

"Well if he's in the city, we can head up to the rooftop and I can see if I can ferret out where he's gone to ground. It might take a bit though. Anything else you needed from me?" Taylor asked curiously, her expression relatively mellow at the tale of interdimensional bounty hunters. "Are you planning on aprehending him or am I going to stuff him in my cloak and drop him back off in Johnny Cash land?"

[quotemyname]

Colt frowned, "Oh I reckon I'll be bringin'em in. He's gone'n made it personal. I reckon I can't let'em get away wit' what he's done." Seeming suddenly nervous, Colt shifted in his seat. He squeezed Grim's hand briefly before speaking. "An', yeah, I reckon there's one more thing. Ya mentioned the worlds're time shifted. What exactly does't mean? When I got that recordin' from Gillman, he mentioned it'd been years since I left. It's only been months here. How c'n'at be?"

[Heritage]

"An', yeah, I reckon there's one more thing. Ya mentioned the worlds're time shifted. What exactly does't mean? When I got that recordin' from Gillman, he mentioned it'd been years since I left. It's only been months here. How c'n'at be?"

Grim shrugged. "Well, it works that way for some dimensions; like when I went back to Avalon, it seemed like I was there for a few days, but when I came back here, it had only been a few minutes. There are folk tales of some guy living with the faeries for a few years, only to come back to Earth and find hundreds of years have past, and everyone they know is-"

Realizing where she was going with this, the changeling cut herself off abruptly.

"But it sounds like time is going nowhere near as fast over there, right Taylor?" :oops:

[alderwitch]

"Not that fast, but fast. Years in months as you've noted. It isn't one I've made a great study of, but I'm passingly familiar with it. Its not in flux, though, like Avalon is. Time flows forwards, backwards and sideways there. This is pretty linear." Taylor said with a little shift of her shoulders. "Time isn't always linear, you see. Each dimension is dfferent, with its own quirks and unless its on my radar, I usually know the big strokes. I can always pop over to check it out completely when needs arise. In this case, time moves on fast forward."

[quotemyname]

Grim shrugged. "Well, it works that way for some dimensions; like when I went back to Avalon, it seemed like I was there for a few days, but when I came back here, it had only been a few minutes. There are folk tales of some guy living with the faeries for a few years, only to come back to Earth and find hundreds of years have past, and everyone they know is-"

Colt stood abruptly from the couch. Running his hands through his hair he took a few paces away. Barely even registering the rest of what Grim was saying, let alone Phantom's part. With a sigh, he forced himself to listen.

"Not that fast, but fast. Years in months as you've noted. It isn't one I've made a great study of, but I'm passingly familiar with it. Its not in flux, though, like Avalon is. Time flows forwards, backwards and sideways there. This is pretty linear." Taylor said with a little shift of her shoulders. "Time isn't always linear, you see. Each dimension is dfferent, with its own quirks and unless its on my radar, I usually know the big strokes. I can always pop over to check it out completely when needs arise. In this case, time moves on fast forward."

Colt gazed out the window. After a long thoughtful silence, he spoke. "So I reckon what yer really sayin' is..." He glanced at phantom. "If'n I don't find a way back home soon, it ain't gon' be home no more, is it?"

He turned and fixed a sad, pleading gaze on Grim. "That is, if'n I even wanna leave..."

[Heritage]

"So I reckon what yer really sayin' is..." He glanced at phantom. "If'n I don't find a way back home soon, it ain't gon' be home no more, is it?"

Lynn felt sick to her stomach; it was like all those legends of old she'd read up on when she found out she was fae. Through a quirk of fate, a man could lose everyone he'd ever love, and return to find them dust and bones. She tried to imagine her own family, every one of her pathologically messed-up kin all gone forever, and a dagger of ice sliced down her spine.

Because if she really was fae...then that might actually happen... :shock:

Oh god...oh god...

"That is, if'n I even wanna leave..."

But then her lover's voice snapped her back to the here and now, and all she cared about was Colt; she'd never seen him this scared before. She went to him, and as she rose from the sofa she grew taller and taller, like some weird giraffe girl; at first it made no sense why she would do this, but then she took him in her arms and rested his head on her shoulder and shushed him, like a young mother comforting her son, running long fingers through his hair. The sensation was odd, maternal yet otherworldy, too; sometimes Grim's heart took her metamorphic flesh in strange directions.

[quotemyname]

Colt always felt strange about Grim's shape shifting. Part of him was afraid of it. Another part of him was fascinated by it. Another part of him loved it.

Colt wrapped his arms around Grimalkin. He was thankful she was there. Very thankful. He was reminded of their short stay in the forest. Of how he would be lost without her. Of how she meant so much to him she was priceless. He did bury his face in her shoulder for a while. But after a moment, he took a deep breath and came up for air.

"Well, reckon I was afraid that was gonna happen." Colt leaned his shoulder into Grim. With his left arm around her back, he turned to his right and placed his eyes back on Taylor. "Whelp. I 'spose it cain't be helped. Steller Cycle ain't no good't crossin' dimensions, an' there ain't no use worryin' bout somethin' I cain't change. One thing I do know, though. I ain't lettin' ol' angel-eyes outta my sight next time I see'em."

Colt ran a hand through his hair. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Ya think ya got'a homestead all marked out. Them some squatter goes'n moves in'n ya..."