1025/Oops...

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Oops...
Date of Scene: 19 June 2017
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Dragonfly (Arazello), 319




Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    It's one of those annoying days: not rainy enough for an umbrella, too rainy not to have one. Nancy stands in the doorway of her townhouse looking over the quiet street with a baleful eye before deciding. She reaches inside her door, behind it, fishing around before pulling out a black trenchcoat and fedora. Yeah, this will do perfectly. She heads down the street to the subway station.
    A few streets over Detective Greene and his long-suffering partner are watching an apartment window. And watching. For inexplicable reasons the partner is getting antsy spending time with Greene.
    "Look, I tell you she isn't coming back."
    The edge of Nancy's trench coat catches on the mirror in a brief gust as she walks past the unmarked cruiser.

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    Harpe is busy glowering at Detective Greene, her features flushed and contorted with annoyance. But Sebastian seems unperturbed as he remains there in the passenger seat, his gaze distanced and watching their assigned apartment building. A ring of third story thieves had been making the rounds and this block was theirs because one of the gang members supposedly lived in this burg. But Greene couldn't very well tell Harpe this gal wasn't going to turn up since last week she'd been the victim of a tentacled monstrosity that had eaten her face.
    So it really all was entirely pointless, but that didn't mean that Greene's mind stopped functioning, "Look, you have somewhere to be? This is our job for now we might as..."
    But then his words trail off as that fedora and trench coat saunter on past. Harpe doesn't see her, or really notice her. But Greene, he does. "Hm."
    "Shit yeah, I've got somewhere to be, Greene. Unlike you I got a life." Harpe scowls as she leans against the door jam."
    "Alright then, why don't you go do whatever you need to do. I'll cover for you."
    "What?"
    "I'll cover for you."
    "Why would you do that?"
    And then, as if he were angry, he lifts his voice. "Because I'm tired of your whining. Shit." For some reason the expletive isn't quite as heavy coming from him. But the door opens and closes behind him as he steps out onto the curb, waving her off. "I'll cover here, you go do your thing."
    "You sure?"
    "Yes."
    "Alright."
    It only takes a few moments for Harpe to key the engine and start rolling down the street. It's only when she takes a corner that Detective Greene sets off after Nancy.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    It's easy to keep up. Nancy doesn't appear to be on the clock and is stopping at small shops, greeting vendors by name, picking up a few portable food items for breakfast and generally moving in the direction, eventually, of the subway station. The flashes of red from under the trenchcoat make her easily spotted even when crowded around by others in similar garb, in fact. A red sleeve when she reaches out to inspect a magazine cover. The crimson clasp when she pays. Always surrounded by people, she is.
    And yet always alone. She knows people. They know her. They even talk with smiles and nods and light physical contact. Yet it seems there's no deep connection with anybody she talks to. She's apart from it all.
    Finally she heads down an alleyway, apparently taking a shortcut to the station. Away from people.

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    It's only once Nancy is away from others who might know her or know of her, that's when Sebastian increases his pace, his footsteps quiet as he moves as for the moment stealth is terribly terribly important. It's only when he has closed the distance that she'll hear the familiar voice with that curious inflection, the slight lilt to it and the accent that could be from anywhere south or north. But what it says might be more of interest to her.
    "Dragonfly?"
    It's the oldest gambit in the book. The idea to step to someone and catch them unawares with a name both their own and not their own. When she looks at him he'll offer a small smile, innocence personified as if he were just playing some sort of silly joke. But then again it might help her take a moment to consider the situation before pummeling him.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    'Dragonfly?' Sebastian needs to check into his education because somewhere along the way he seems to have acquired the ability to summon. A bright flash of light and the noise of thunder fill the alleyway, physically pummelling the detective with the shockwave. And in the eye-searing aftermath of the event, the tall, statuesque, form-clad woman with the silver mane is standing, head turned behind her in shock as she reacts, belatedly, to Sebastian's gambit.
    "What th...!?" Dragonfly's tongue stumbles as approximately fifteen different questions and verbal ejaculations collide in her mouth. "What are yo...?" starts another question.
    She then gives up on asking questions and zips at an astonishing speed to Sebastian, grabbing him by his jacket collar and slamming him (not paying much attention to his comfort) against the alley wall.
    "What the HELL do you think you're doing!?" she demands, her tongue finally untying now that it's paired with action.

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    The detective is /sprawled/ he's been knocked back by the impact of that brilliant flash of light and the shockwave that it caused. He hits the wall and then seems terribly discombobulated as he adjusts his hat and tries to straighten his tie even as he's recovering and staggering forwards with all the grace of a drunken trucker trying his hand at ballerina for the first time.
    But that staggering has him falling /right/ into her hands as she /fwooshes/ right into him, grabbing him by the jacket collar and /slamming/ him into the wall with a crunch. He winces, eyes squinching shut as the pain jolts through him, but then he shakes his head trying to gain enough focus to see the here and now.
    "I was... detecting." It's clear he's seeing about three of her or so, blinking rapidly as he tries to focus fully on the one that seems most likely to clock him. "Didn't quite expect this reaction though."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    For a few seconds you can almost hear a clock's second hand ticking. Which is amazing since nobody wears mechanical watches anymore; most don't wear watches of any kind. Dragonfly's sunglass-clad eyes stare into Sebastian. Her face is a mask, but a mask with muscles twitching beneath her pale skin as thoughts of various reactions--some apparently not very pleasant--travel through her, leaving somatic evidence of their passing in their wake. She finally releases the detective, setting him down and ineffectually dusting him off.
    "Sorry," she says, her voice no longer filled with hysterical anger. It's more subdued, in fact. More shamed?
    "You surprised me. That was a dangerous time to surprise me. And it's dangerous to be near me when I change."
    Her face softens somewhat.
    "Are you OK? Do you need to sit? Something to drink? I can get a coffee."

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    The detective sways on his feet a bit and he's not entirely sure footed to begin with, but then he straightens up and blinks a few times, adjusting his tie again just out of habit probably. He's seriously on the wrong foot. Usually, when he's out doing field work, Harpe plays the heavy, so without her... he might feel a little helpless.
    "It's ok. I'm an asshole." He says that with such dead pan aplomb that it might surprise her. He looks at her askance, and then shakes his head. "And really. I should apologize. I don't need to know who you are. I saw a mystery..." He adjusts his tie again and shakes his head as if disappointed with himself, "And thought to solve it."
    He takes a breath then nods as she mentions the danger, "I know that now. You're... strong." Then he nods again, "I'm fine. I'll be alright. Not thirsty."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Yes," Dragonfly says, turning to pace in a short strip. "I'm strong. I'm very strong. I can juggle jetliners, or didn't you hear that news? I'm strong. I can fly. And I can pick things up and move them around from a distance. I also can't really be hurt most times. I'm not Supes-grade, but I could stand toe-to-toe with him for a while if push came to shove."
    She pauses and looks back at Sebastian with a bit of a weak grin. "I might even last a millisecond."
    She continues her lecturing rant. "But that's not my biggest danger. Mostly I have all that under control." Her head swings over to look at Sebastian again. "Mostly." She returns to pacing. "But the transition? I blew up a public washroom at the stadium a while back when I transitioned. They blamed it on a broken gas main thankfully. And nobody got hurt, even more importantly. You can't be near me when I change or ... well, you saw. And if you're closer you ... go away. Vanish. Never to be seen again."
    She turns to face Sebastian. "Do you understand how close you came to being vanished? If you'd decided to come up and tap me on the shoulder instead, for example, YOU WOULD BE GONE." Fury is building in her voice and face. "AND I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THIS TIME!" she almost shouts.
    Her posture collapses along with her voice.
    "And another of my very few ..." She searches for the right word. Then goes for broke. "... friends would be gone from my life. And I wouldn't even know why this time."

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "This won't do." Sebastian looks her up and down, his gaze going over her as if trying to espy some sort of tell tale sign that this isn't entirely true or something hasn't been disclosed. "This is untenable." He adds after a moment. She can almost see the wheels in his mind working, rolling together over and over as if trying to chart out some path through which this situation can be recovered.
    "I need your assistance for the future. Matters proceed apace and I had hoped to transition your help from just with police work to with my personal work. I can't really do that with this imbalance in trust. I have a great secret of yours. If I am to trust you and you are to trust me we have to equalize it."
    He adjusts his tie again, instinctive. "Do I have anything worthwhile to relate. Perhaps. It depends on your judge of its worth." He steps towards her, very close, lowering his voice.
    "What I am to tell you, it may very well I may be mad and do not recognize I am mad. I know I am a creature of finite perceptions. Yet I must recognize my own possible fallibility."
    "I believe I am not human. I believe I have exchanged forms with another being from another dimension. I have complete recollection of both lives, and I can offer only a little proof to my beliefs of this. Yet I am open to the possibility I am deluding myself."
    He pauses as the words sink in then he adds, "I am aware you are well capable of capturing me, rendering me unable to continue my mission. But I am telling you this because ultimately my mission may well hinge on your trusting and believing me."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "..."
    From shock and fear to righteous fury to self-pity to ... silence. Dragonfly stares at Sebastian like he's suddenly grown a third eyeball in the centre of his forehead. And not a friendly human eye. Something disgusting or disturbing. More disturbing than even her eyes.
    "You're an alien. From another dimension."
    Two things of interest. She's not asking. She's stating it. Second, she's not putting an incredulous tone to her voice. It's stated dully. As if surprising yet somehow not surprising.
    "Typical," she finally says with a laugh tainted at the edges with a patina of bitterness. "I just can't have normal people in my life, can I?"
    She removes her glasses. Her inhuman eyes stare omnidirectionally at the alleyway as she does the all-too-human thing of pressing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. She sighs and mutters something about "Max" to herself.
    "Leaving aside your other interpretation," she finally says, "which I'll keep in mind but reject for now, how long ago did you switch places and why?"

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "A little less than a year ago. Sebastian Greene was struck and rendered brain dead when he was hurled into the East River by some of his former compatriots who were afraid he would speak publicly about the corruption he had perpetrated with them for the three years prior." He meets her curious eyes easily with his own, though he has no way of telling where she is looking. "We exchanged forms. I am primarily here because my race is responsible for several servitor races who have rebelled. Several of them have fled here. If they are left to evolve then it would bode ill for your people."
    He is apparently speaking crazy talk, and she did recently give him a head injury, but crazily enough he sounds sincere. "Our conglomerate intellect decided to allow them to do what they would here. I decided I did not wish to follow that moralistic path and indulged my right to radical freedom. So here I am."
    He then points at he, "I can deal with this situation myself, but with a being like yourself aiding me... it will be monumetally easier."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Some skepticism in stance and voice, but Dragonfly isn't dismissing Sebastian's claims outright. "What kind of ... uh ... servitor races are we talking about here?" she asks. "And are they," she adds with a sly grin, "something I can punch or tear apart? 'Cause that's really what I'm best at. I've proven terrible at stealth, it seems, given how easily you found me."
    She pauses, wrinkling her brow.
    "Yeah, wait a second. How *did* you find me? How long have you known?"

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "Just now. You walked by. Coat. Fedora." Sebastian answers her directly, no need to prevaricate, for at this moment there are no secrets between them. "As for the servitors they are creators charged with preparing planes for arrival of those above us. Their form, like many of us, is a malleable thing. With the laws they are forced to abide in this particular area of your euclidean space, they are capable of great growth and compression, assuming the shapes of their vessel creatures."
    He takes a breath, purely because he needs it physically. Then continues, "I have encountered two and they no longer live. Their remains are strewn along the Eastern portion of the Hudson, currently gelatinous and inert."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Again the pinching of the nose bridge. "The damned outfit. I didn't even think of that." She looks up at the sky. "Why didn't you tell me double lives were so hard?" she asks of nobody in particular.
    She turns her attention again to the detective. "I ... uh ... well, how exactly did you 'destroy' these things?" she asks. "I mean, not to be obnoxious or anything, but when I body-slammed you I didn't get the huge impression that you're exactly able to tear things up easily. Are these servitors made of paper?"
    Skepticism seems to be winning out a bit.
    "I mean if you can already destroy these things, where do I fit in? I can just kill them faster and easier?"

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    His lips seem to go to war with themselves as if he were trying to get rid of some peanut butter stuck above the front of his teeth. But then he tells her, "You would most likely be unable to find them and if directly confronted they would flee through ways you could not perceive. I can create local phenomenon that renders them localized and solidified. In my proximity they are susceptible to some of the aspects of my..." For a moment he stops and seems to look for a word that fits.
    And he searches.
    And he searches.
    "Biology." That is perhaps the best he can come up with.
    "I can offer some proof of this... if you will attend."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Skepticism drops. Wariness replaces.
    "So how can I help," she asks pointedly, "if I can't sense them, or follow them, or even touch them? I mean really, I mess things up physically." A bit of self-pity. "And socially." Back to normal. "I'm not really very good at helping with things that I can't touch ... unless you mean maybe I can touch them with my brain like this?"
    A dumpster next to and slightly behind Dragonfly lifts, then drops.
    "So, yeah, colour me interested in this proof ... but I'm going to need more to work off of here, Detective Greene."

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "You could, if I'm there." But then he stops and takes a breath. "Also, the part of me that remains Sebastian Greene recognizes, that if I do this, and you do not perceive it. Then I may very well be mad. If that is the case..."
    His brow knits together as he looks away, then back towards her. "I would have you take my firearm from me and turn me in to a suitable mental facility. For I have been operating on erroneous parameters." He waits a moment, for perhaps some sign of agreement from her before he nods and then goes on.
    "Now, please... stand back."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly, all too aware of what interdimensional hijinks involve, takes a few paces back with alacrity. "Is this far enough?" she asks. "Or should I take to the air for a bit or something?"
    It's heartening that she's at the very least playing along rather than dismissing the detective.
    She crouches into a stance that seems oriented toward rapid take-off or rapid attack. The key word being "rapid". Her deceptively-shaped frame tightens with her muscles as she prepares seriously for action.
    "Fire away," she says. "If things get out of hand I'll try to help contain it."

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "This... might be spectacular... or not." But he looks to her and steps away, his arms lift and he opens his hands towards her palms up. Then Sebastian looks across the way towards her, and as he speaks she might begin to discern subtle differences to the way the world seems to be around him and between her. "I can perceive things in different ways than you can, an explanation would be ultimately meaningless. It would be the typical concept of explaining colour to the blind. Forgive me for seeming a bit patronizing."
    Then as he speaks his arms and the space between him and her seems to compress... on some level it looks like his limbs are streeeeetching towards her. "To me I am perceiving a shifting of the three dimensions between us, closing the distance, creating a localized singularity which allows me to... tap your shoulder like so."
    And as he says it he does it, but then he says quietly. "And if you are not witnessing this, then I am mad."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    There is a long silence as Dragonfly observes, her face remaining neutral, her eyes, as usual, betraying nothing. She wets her lips, her tongue briefly protruding and then vanishing again like she's just eaten a bug.
    "That's it?" she asks. "You can tap me on the shoulder from a distance?"
    She makes a slight motion with her finger. Then she looks confused and tries again. She looks positively disturbed and tries again. This time he feels it. The phantom tap on his own shoulder. Her eyebrows knit together as she puts her sunglasses back on.
    "Weird," she says. "You were a lot closer than you were supposed to be. Interesting."
    Her head furiously races through thoughts of her own.
    "You're twisting spacetime manifolds in some way. Looks to me like you're blasting past even Riemann manifolds and hitting on something we don't even know about yet. I'd love to get you in my lab for a few hours..." She glances over Sebastian's way with a brief hopeful expression, then shakes her head. "No, that won't happen will it?"
    "Oh, I believe you, by the way."

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    His own answer might surprise her as well as her response surprised him. "I could not resist you if you wished to experiment on me, I would not care for it, however." But he tells her simply, "I believe you may be correct, though I would not recognize those particular names attached to the phenomenon. Though..." He seems to get an idea. "I could relate to you the basics of the language..." But then he's looking at her curiously.
    "I do not not the limits of your anatomy." Perhaps amongst some species that would be a come on, but from him he's just sort of curious. He shakes his head, "In any case. I am... pleased I am not insane."
    He takes a steadying breath and frowns, holding his hand to the back of his head he murmurs quietly. "I do believe you have damaged Sebastian Greene."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I wouldn't experiment on you. I'd use some equipment I had to measure things while you did your little trick. But ... that would get messy. It's not my equipment and I'd not be the only person there. Things would get too complicated too quickly; you and me knowing about each other is fine. Me telling anybody else would ... cause troubles. Both for you and me. See, they don't know about this."
    Dragonfly's hand waves vaguely down the anatomy that has been mentioned.
    "It's better for now that nobody else get involved in this. Especially since I don't know the limits of my anatomy either, yet. There've been unpleasant surprises enough in that regard. I'd rather not be on the receiving end of scientific mercies for more."
    At the mention of damage, her face flushes. "Do you need me to carry you to hospital?" she asks, concerned. "And do you need assistance in bill payment?" she adds as an afterthought. "Does the police have a decent health plan or are they cutting back on that like with everything else?"

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "I am thankful you wouldn't." Experiment on him he means as he answers her evenly, but then he draws his hand away from the back of his head and there's a discoloration of blood upon his fingertips. It's not a lot, considering head injuries tend to bleed profusely, but this is barely a smudge. "No. I am sure this will heal."
    But he steps away from her slightly, turning to look down the alley. He takes another breath and says, "I can trust on your aid in this?" He looks to her, again measuring her with that gaze, looking up and down. "For if so then I have calculations to make and a course of action to plan." He starts to walk away, footsteps quiet as he heads back down the alleyway, but not too quickly should she wish to stop him.
    "I will find you later?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I will help you if I can," Dragonfly says. "Provided I don't find out you've been stringing me along of course." She stands, unmoving, like a statue, in the alley with her fists bunched up and at her hips. She's been practicing her poses, it seems. "But..."
    Nothing really changes in her stance or her expression. Nothing visible to most, at least. Yet the demeanour seems one of hope.
    "...maybe you can help me figure out what the Hell I am and how the Hell I rein it in. Because really, this whole Dragonfly thing is spinning me around and making me dizzy."

Sebastian (319) has posed:
    "Really Dragonfly, you seem to be doing an amazing job." He stops and looks at her, and there's that weird distant awkward smile of his, "For a creature of limited dimensions." And with that he turns back, walking off.