A Clandestine Encounter (IC)

[Sandman XI]

Wesley had just finished slipping on a shirt and belt. He walked to the kitchen slowly. He was slightly shaking a bit. Barely noticeable, but he obviously had the willies. He greeted her with a hug and then looked down to her, "Robin," his voice sounded like there was a crack of sadness in it, "I have to tell you something. There is something I have been keeping from you. It's not pretty, but I have to tell you it." He takes a step back, "I've been a witness in a murder." Before she could speak, he began to explain himself, "This is not what you think. Several months ago," he paused. "No, I want to tell you the real truth. I can't say it I want you to go into my head and see for yourself. You can do that, right?"

[Heritage]

Lynn was visibly relieved to hear Taylor's calm if exasperated voice, and she plopped down on the edge of the bed next to Colt.

"You still there? Okay, good. Now, just calm down. There's... well, it's not a sane explanation but there is an explanation."

"You're right, I should have know you could take Jack if you needed to. Listen, I know this was something he cooked up with Wesley, though I have no idea why; I'm going to meet with Wes in Liberty Park, pretty much now-ish."

She smiled evilly.

"You wanna help me interrogate my ex-boyfriend?" :twisted:

[alderwitch]

"Well, like I said, there's a very convoluted explanation to all of this. Sure, we can meet you in the park. I'll bring Jack to help clarify a few things." She covered the phone and there was what sounded like an argument but it was muffled and not in English so it was rather hard to make out. Taylor was fully aware that at least in this case Jack would follow her but it would be better for everyone at least in Taylor's mind, if he started out visible . "...We might be a few minutes but we'll be there."

[Heritage]

"...We might be a few minutes but we'll be there."

Lynn nodded vigorously, hopping back up to her feet. "Okay, awesome. Heroes Knoll, at the Sgt. Shrapnel statue. See you soon."

She snapped the phone closed, then a thought hit her. "This is gonna get nuts..." Then she nervously turned to her current boyfriend, the interdimensional cowboy who could shoot a hole through a quarter at fifty yards. "Uh, you should probably leave your guns at home, Colt."

[quotemyname]

Lynn nodded vigorously, hopping back up to her feet. "Okay, awesome. Heroes Knoll, at the Sgt. Shrapnel statue. See you soon."

She snapped the phone closed, then a thought hit her. "This is gonna get nuts..." Then she nervously turned to her current boyfriend, the interdimensional cowboy who could shoot a hole through a quarter at fifty yards. "Uh, you should probably leave your guns at home, Colt."

Colt laughed. He actually laughed. It was an unexpected reaction to say the least. But Grim soon understood why. Calming down, Colt fixed her with a very level gaze, "Honey, maybe y'all better sit down, I think all'a this here excitements been goin' ta yer head." Colt stood from the bed. He crossed the room, and pulled on a pair of jeans. Then he came back and stood in front of Grim, face to face. "Leave ma guns here? Y'all cain't be serious. Meetin' yer parents was one thing. But I reckon ya go'n wake me up in'a middle'a the night, which in'n of isself ain't no real problem, but yer talkin' 'bout severed heads'n vampires'n ex-boyfriends'n yer askin' me'ta leave ma guns here?" Colt smiled, and touched her face with his hand. "Honey, I love ya'n all, but ya gotta be loosin' it!"

[Heritage]

"Honey, I love ya'n all, but ya gotta be loosin' it!"

After all that talk, the corner of Lynn's mouth started to twitch, and then she was doubled over laughing, so hard that it almost hurt. It was a full minute before she was able to compose herself.

"Haha! Oh man, I guess you're right." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "This is just...crazy." She vigorously rubbed her face with both hands and shook her head clear. Jumping up and down in place, she continued.

"Okay, you finish getting dressed, we'll all go out to the park and get this resolved once and for all. Worst case scenario, Taylor can just blast us into another dimension of it gets too rowdy."

---

Out at Heroes Knoll, Grim stood perched on the head of Sgt. Shrapnel, just as she had a year ago the first time she'd met Wesley here; she scanned the trees with her nightvision, and her nostrils twitched as she sniffed the air.

"C'mon, where are they...?"

[quotemyname]

Colt hadn't needed to do much dressing. Grim was obviously in a hurry, so the only things he bothered putting on were his boots and his gun belt. He didn't bother finding a shirt. He then rifled through his drawers and pulled out a few boxes of ammunition. Muttering something about vampires. Lifting his coat from the rack in the corner of the room, he dropped the boxes into the side pockets where they would be easily accessible.

Colt threw on his coat and hat, grabbed his guns, and was out the door after Grim, spurs clinking in a hurry.

---

Grim's radio crackled to life. "I ain't seen nothin' yet."

Colt leaned up against the statue that Grim sat atop of. The Stellar Cycle lay propped up on it's kickstand nearby. The engine purred quietly, ready for a quick getaway if necessary.

Colt stood with his arms crossed and his hat pulled down over his eyes. Jericho was strapped to the side of his leg as usual, and Marlin was cradled in the crook of of his left arm.

"I gotta tell ya, Grim. This here's sure'a great way'ta introduce me'ta yer ex." Colt smiled beneath his hat, clearly giving his girlfriend a hard time. Now that he was fully awake (and had about half a liter of coffee in his system) he was much more personable, it seemed.

[Raveled]

Robin hugged back with one hand, holding her staff away from Wesley; she was never sure how her magic would interact with his aura, and this didn't seem the time to deal with it. Still, his request wasn't something to do lightly, and she craned her head around to look the taller man. "Why," she asked, simply. "Invading another person's mind isn't something I do lightly, Wesley. You're going to have to give me a better reason than 'it'll be faster.'"

[Sandman XI]

"Well, I thought admitting to witnessing to a murder and my reluctance to speak on it would be explanation enough," Wesley said half joking, but still shaken, "but yeah, that's exactly the reason. I really can't tell this story without breaking down. It is a dark skeleton in my closet," he got down on his knees, "and... and I need your help. I don't think I can do this without you. This whole mess. I'm going to own up to the person that this happened to. I need you to be there for me."

[Raveled]

"You murdered someone," Robin said softly, "and now you're going and now you're going to own up to them about it." She shook her head sharply, like she was trying to dislodge a thought. "There are easier ways to exorcise spirits," she muttered, but even as she berated Wesley the sorceress was shaking her hands out, freeing them from the overlapping cuffs of her jacket. She placed her hand on Wesley's temples, touching him only with her fingertips. As she muttered under her breath, a faint glow encompassed them both and grew in intensity, until they outshone the lights overhead. She... Well. Words don't work so well. She thrust her mind into Wesley's, riding the current of his surface thoughts back into his deeper memories, back to the cause of his nightmares.

The entire experience hit Robin at once, and she staggered back from Wesley. The sorceress clutched at her staff, leaning heavily on the shaft of wood for a moment. Her face was covered in a sheen of sweat and new lines seemed to be etched on her face. She took a few shaky breathes, then spoke. "Where do you need to go?"

[Sandman XI]

"Give me a second," Wesley reached for his phone and dialed Avenger's number. He inhaled and pressed the button and exhaled as it rang. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.When Avenger answered the phone, he spoke quickly. "Avenger, it's Wesley. I know it's been a while but we need to talk. It's about Ly... Grimalkin" He paused as he had almost given away her secret identity, "Can you be there?"

[Heritage]

"I gotta tell ya, Grim. This here's sure'a great way'ta introduce me'ta yer ex."

Grim chuckled mirthlessly. "Well, I can't say it was what I had in mind; actually, I'm not huge on the whole 'boyfriend encounter' situation. In my experience, they usually don't go so well..."

She dropped down to a crouch and stared off into space. "I brought Chinese food, the first time we met here. Avenger was helping me with this problem I had-"

Suddenly her eyes went wide, and she stood bolt upright.

"Oh my god...I know why he made the head. I mean, not exactly, and I could be wrong, but I think it has something to do with my old landlord..."

The changeling shook her head, in disbelief and almost admiration.

"That sick, sneaky sonavab*****."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Yeah, that one looks really nice on y..." Jack took his hand off the phone. "Oh, jeez, Wesley! She must have called you first! Sorry about that, man. Yeah, I tried giving her the head as a joke, but she just about had a heart attack. After I mentioned your name, of course." He paused for a minute, then said, "Say, Wesley...you did eventually TELL her about the head, right?"

[quotemyname]

"Really now, Grim," Colt began, lifting his head slightly to peer off in the opposite direction she had. "I reckon any explanation't all'd do me some good."

Colt reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a long metallic object. He affixed it to the top of the Marlin's barrel. He lifted the gun to his eyes and peered through the scope. He swept the rifle around in a complete circle, actually pausing to look straight at the statue at one point. Unbeknownst to Grim, he was actually looking straight through it.

"Ain't seein' nothin' downfield yet."

[Sandman XI]

Wesley froze for a second, breathless from shock. A joke? He didn't believe what he just heard. A major part of his psychological nightmares came from that. His voice wavered weakly as he spoke. "I... I did not tell her. Avenger," he swallowed deep, "You don't tell people those things. I thought this was supposed to be kept a secret. Never to be found out again." His voice regained strength, "Was this just a prank? Did we really need to do such a stunt? Avenger, there a lot of hardship riding on this. Please don't tell me the last six months of my nightmares have been for your enjoyment."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Aw, Wesley..." Jack winced, getting The Look from Taylor on his end of the line. "Six months of nightmares, really?" He thought back to the sound the knife had made cutting through the altered pig's neck, the look on Wesley's face as he dissolved the remains of the mutated animal with his powers. Chewing his lip, he said, "C'mon, Wesley, you remember how happy Lynn was that she didn't have to worry about her landlord anymore. And believe me, she really doesn't have to worry about him anymore. Look, I sort of assumed she'd talked to you about it, and so she would be able to just...laugh it off. Did you really have nightmares for six months?" He had only an abstract understanding of those, anyway.

[Sandman XI]

"Avenger, there are certain things you don't talk about," Wesley's voice was quick and distressed, "I'm glad we saved her. It was the best thing that came out of that little inciden. But people usually don't talk about murder nonchalantly. Especially when it involves themselves. What was I supposed to tell her? 'Honey, to save you from the your landlord we had to turn a pig into you and then behead you and then decompose your body'? Do you know how completely monstrous that sounds?" Wesley took a second to breathe, his voice went back to somewhat normal. "Well, I guess it's time to pay the piper. How long will it take you to get there? We can swing by real quick and pick you up if you need a lift."

[Avenger Assembled]

"What!?" Jack sat bolt upright in bed. "Wesley Octavius Knight, did you tell Lynn and her...bunch that we murdered someone for that head!? It was a pig! It was a pig that you changed with your powers to look like a person! Aw, and now you've got Taylor looking at me like she wants to...Oh, that's real nice, honey." Avenger snapped. "Lord, no wonder she thinks I'm a psychopath! Sorry, honey, sorry, I'm almost done here...look, Wesley, we'll be there, okay? I'm sorry you've been so messed up. We'll talk later. And don't tell anyone I murdered people!"

[Sandman XI]

Again, Wesley froze. It was the middle name ultimatum. He had told no one that. Not even Lynn. There is no way anyone knew that name unless they called home. It was as if Avenger had been spying on him. This could not be happening. He was not going to get paranoid. His voice heightened into somewhat of a defensive, but firm, "I did not tell anyone anything about that. The only ones who know about it are you and me, and now apparently Grimalkin because of your prank." He sighed and looked to Robin, "I also had to be straight forward with someone a few seconds ago so I could get their help. I have told no one about this until now." It was quiet for a second. That second felt like it hung in the air forever. "We really need to get there quickly. I can get us all teleported, If you wish."

[Heritage]

"Really now, Grim," Colt began, lifting his head slightly to peer off in the opposite direction she had. "I reckon any explanation't all'd do me some good."

Grim hopped down off the statue, and as she started to explain her theory, her hands became more and more animated.

"Okay, like I said, I could be wrong, but I used to live in this squat, y'know, in the Fens? The Imperator Hotel. And all the folks who lived there, including me, were major freakshows. There was like a fish lady, and a stretchy guy, and this one guy up on seven was just a giant head with robot spider legs."

She visibly shudders at the memory.

"Eyugh, creepy Mr. Rivian! So anyways, I figured out that our so-called landlord Mr Pitt, this guy who let us live there, was some sort of shady character. I think he was like a space zombie or brain in a vending machine, I dunno for sure. So I asked Mr Avenger, the hero of the Fens who I never suspected was a frickin' vampire, to help me get rid of this freakjob and help the misfits at the Imperator. He says we need the help of this guy Knight, who it turns out is my future boyfriend Wesley, the superhero who can't think up a decent supername."

The changeling began to pace back and forth, stroking her chin; at some point a deerstalker and Meerschaum pipe appeared.

"Wesley never said how they took care of Pitt, and neither did Avenger. To be honest, I never gave it a lot of thought after we started dating, although now I'm starting to think this explains a lot..."

[quotemyname]

Colt lowered the rifle from his eye, and looked at Grim. The look in his eyes was a very flat one. It told her she might not like what he was a bout to say, "Yer tellin' me that yer thinkin' yer ex'n his vampire buddy went'n killed the man? That ain't right." Colt frowned and gazed at the area around the statue once more. Seeing nothing he turned back to Grim. "I reckon I still don't see where Avenger's obsession wit' preserved heads enters in't all'a this. I..." Colt's speech came to a screeching halt. "No... Y'all don't think't... Grim? How far, exactly, do them life controllin' powers Wesley's got go? He wouldn't be able't, say, change th'pearance'a one severed head'ta look like'a 'nother, would'e?"

[Heritage]

"Yer tellin' me that yer thinkin' yer ex'n his vampire buddy went'n killed the man? That ain't right."

Grim shot Colt a dismissive look and snorted. "What? No, I don't think Wesley killed anybody; the guy doesn't have a mean bone in his body! Mr Jackvenger, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about...I mean, I honestly don't know what he's capable of anymore..."

"No... Y'all don't think't... Grim? How far, exactly, do them life controllin' powers Wesley's got go? He wouldn't be able't, say, change th'pearance'a one severed head'ta look like'a 'nother, would'e?"

Still looking off into the distance for any sign of Taylor and Jack, or Wes, the changeling spoke in a very level voice.

"See, that's the problem; I don't think Wesley can do anything with dead tissue. That's what has me worried...well that and why the #### Jack gave me the creepy thing in the first place."

[quotemyname]

"Well, I reckon that's what we're here'ta find out." Colt reasoned, "Now all's we gotta do's wait fer that blasted ex'a yer's ta show. He ain't'a fan'a bein' to punctual, is'e?" Colt asked his girlfriend as he stood, waiting for the others they were supposed to meet.

[Sandman XI]

Avenger politely declined the offer and said that he would be there as soon as possible. Wesley said goodbye and gave Robin the go ahead. Instantly the two were in front of the Sergeant Shrapnel statue. He remembered the good times he and Lynn had there. Their first date wasn't the only time they went there. It was like a marker for them. That and the rose garden. Though that was the past. This was not. Time to face the music. Hopefully this would be as painless as possible. He turned to see Lynn... and a guy with a gun? Who was this? Was it that bad? Holy crap did he have some explaining to do. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled. "Hello, Lynn."

[Heritage]

"Now all's we gotta do's wait fer that blasted ex'a yer's ta show. He ain't'a fan'a bein' to punctual, is'e?"

Lynn held up a hand in a warding gesture. "Hey, it's cool; we didn't agree on a time beyond 'right away', which admittedly might have been kinda dumb, but don't worry, he'll show." She smiled with a certain satisfaction. "He's too scared not to."

"Hello, Lynn."

Noting Wesley's arrival, Grim turned back to her current boyfriend. "See, what'd I tell ya?" She turned back to her ex-boyfriend and sighed deeply, shaking her head.

"Wes, Wes, Wes...how the hell are ya, bud? Made any interesting gifts recently?" Peering past him, she noted the young woman with the long red coat and the staff. "Ah, I see you brought back up as well! Always a good idea when seeing the ex again, am I right?" She indicated her teammate with a jerk of her head. "This here's Colt, my well-armed boyfriend. So who's your friend, Wes?"