1982/Fellini and postdialectic ennui- Or: Slow Sundays

Fellini and postdialectic ennui- Or: Slow Sundays
Date of Scene:	14 August 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	In which much soul-searching is done.
Cast of Characters:	87, Insight

---

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal hates slow Sundays. He can't be at Georgie's office pretending to be him, and earlier in the day he had been fighting an island-devouring super-plant with the Titans... which you'd THINK would not amount for a slow day. But, unfortunately, it is a slow day when you're one of the people on cleanup detail afterwards because your portals make for great debris disposals.

So now he's in his underwear, sitting at the comfy chair- but 'sitting' in a way that means that his legs are hooked over one arm-rest, and his back over the other. His feet in the air, and a book in his face, resting there as a sort of sleep aid.

He is snoring, gently.

Insight has posed:
Georgie's day isn't nearly as interesting as Vorpal's. He had no giant plant monsters to fight. He didn't even really have any friends in the area he could visit. He simply spent a day at the local movie theater watching old movies that they decided to put back on the big screen for just this sort of slow Sunday.

Life with the hippy doctor is possibly a bit different than what Vorpal is used to. He's a regimented and fastidious sort. He cooks and he cleans without even asking! The place often smells of homemade granola and other various baked goods. Seems the good doctor makes some pretty fine pastries... if one is into such things. How he keeps as fit as he does is almost a mystery if you look at his diet.

He's smiling when he lets himself back into the apartment. He notes the softly snoring cat, so he shuts the door and locks it quietly, hoping not to disturb Tommy. He makes his way to the bed area and strips himself down, taking a moment to check on his nearly healed wounds. The bruising is down to a mild yellow and green, all but gone despite its tenacity. He probably shouldn't, but he can't help but take a moment to admire the sleeping cat boy. He slips a towel over his shoulder and sighs just a little. He laughs a little and turns for the bathroom. "Stupid hippy," he mutters to himself.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"What's so stupid 'bout hippos?" Tommy's voice comes, muffled by the book. He yawns and takes the book off. His eyes are bleary, and it's clear that he's just woken up, probably because of the subtle sounds Georgie made that normally wouldn't wake up a sleeping human. He sits up.

"Oh!" he says, his eyes growing wide of all of a sudden.

Insight has posed:
The doctor blushes, blousing out his towel a little. "Nothing! I... sort of think hippos are cool actually." Georgie clears his throat and works on controlling his blush. "I tried to be quiet, but uhh." He laughs with a hint of self-deprecation. "I haven't made a lot of headway with being a ninja just yet." He rolls his shoulder in a shrug and then asks, "Did you eat? I could... uhh... whip you up something if you haven't."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire cat smirks and stands up, stretching and yawning. "Nah, I ain't hungry yet." He walks over to Georgie and then sits on the bed by him, smirking. "I honestly didn't think it would be dinner and a show, though. Though I think you've forgotten the other six veils here," he teases, reaching out and tugging at the towel very gently with a claw, to extend his meaning.

"The bruise is looking much better, too. Soon, I'll even let you exercise again," the cat says, reaching out to run a fingertip over the wounded area. The rule of the house was no exercising when injured, and the cat had been a total butt at enforcing it. Any workout equipment had been hidden somewhere, and he had threatened terrible retribution if he were to come back and find Georgie doing even so much as a handstand.

Harley may be the terror doctor, but Vorpal, when he wanted to, could be a total Nurse Ratched.

Minus, you know, the malice.

Insight has posed:
Georgie laughs leans over to nudge the Cheshire cat, giving a tactile greeting. "Seven veils smacked of exercise and I didn't want you to have to break the house rules." He laughs again and shimmies a little with the towel. He glances down, releasing the towel again, letting it drape over his shoulder once more. He pokes at the bruise again and agrees, "Can barely feel it. I could sleep on my stomach and everything last night." He snickers and glances up at Vorpal. "Once it's better, I can show you a move or two too if you want. You're quick and have a really good foundation. I bet you'll pick it up really fast." He winks. "If I can do it, anyone can!"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"It's not schoole, most of it is just pure instinct, you know," the cat says and smirks, "It'll do me some good to have some structure." He reaches out and grabs Georgie's hand, pulling him over. "Alright, so! Tomorrow I am back to the office. I ran into Batman and Robin the other day, as I mentioned, and Batman doesn't approve of what I'm doing. And Robin thinks I'm not qualified to deal with Harley."

He leans down and pats the space next to him on the bed. "So... I need your professional opinion and experience about Doctor Quinzel."

Insight has posed:
"Natural talent is a pretty good foundation though," Georgie says as he slips closer beside Vorpal and stretches out. The towel pools on his lap and he sighs as he stretches out. "Yeah," he admits. "I... well... I met Robin too. I guess he's been watching from afar for a while now." He leans a little closer, trying to slip an arm around his friend's shoulders. "I obviously disagree with their assessment or I wouldn't have come to you."

Georgie thinks a moment, chewing his lower lip. "She's a trained doctor like me. I don't think she reads people like I do, but she'll notice far more than she'll ever let on. I think that while she's more than a little crazy, I think her foundation actually is rooted in love." He stops and bobbles his head. "Not like you or I will ever understand it." He reaches up and raps on the wall as 'knock on wood.' "She..." He sighs and glances over and looks at Tommy for a long moment. He searches for something and seems to make a decision. "I... umm... I spent a year in a mental institution. I also do some... um... less than reputable fighting too. I think she knows both of those things, so I think I tug on those particular heartstrings."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"That's awfully sweet of you. I'm doing my best." Tommy says and leans over to nuzzle Georgie's cheek, scooting up close to snuggle against him and into the arm.

"There's something in there, though. The Joker is madness, and he found a way into her not because she was whole but because she was broken. He could probably smell it in her. What I worry about?"

He reaches over and puts his arms around Georgie's waist, looking into his eyes.

"What I worry is that she may be looking into something like that in you. I know I'm asking a lot, but... if there's anything, anything at all that she may have picked up about you that makes you vulnerable... or 'broken' in the way she'd see it..." He trails off.

"I would like to know. She's more of a threat than just a physical one. I don't worry about myself because I am already mad, and my madness suits me *fine*, there's no room for her in me."

Insight has posed:
Georgie thinks for a long moment, happy to have the Cheshire close as he approaches his own confession time. "Nobody goes into psychology because they're stable." He starts and the stops a few times before he confides, "She does smell it. The broken in me. Have you ever heard of Dr. Crane? Jonathan Crane?" He looks into Vorpal's eyes, unsure on if he wants the hero to know or not.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Robin would punch me if I said I'd never heard of him. Yeah, I've heard of him..." he nuzzles Georgie's cheek, "Go on, it's ok. You're safe here, you know."

He looks back into Georgie's eyes and gives hiis waist a squeeze. What does Georgie have to do with Crane? Now his curiosity is aroused, and it's going to bother him if he doesn't find out.

Insight has posed:
Georgie's blue eyes shine with tears as he whispers, "I'm... I started college early. I.. umm... I had Dr. Crane for a couple of my classes. He... he was one of the few instructors that treated me just like any of the other people in the class. I went to his office hours pretty regularly and he wrote one of my letters of recommendations. I probably wouldn't have gotten in without him." He draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He lifts a hand and wipes some of the unshed wetness from his eyes. "After my first year in the doctoral program... I wasn't even nineteen yet... that summer he gave me a call and asked if I was in town. He said he could use an assistant."

He pauses and lets out a shuddering breath. "I said yes." The tears slowly trickle down his cheeks at that confession, starting to shiver like he's getting cold.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire frowns and draws Georgie close, wrapping his arms around him and letting his head rests against his chest.

"... what did he do to you, hon?" he asks quietly, stroking Georgie's hair.

Insight has posed:
Georgie lays his head against Vorpal's chest. His breath hitches a few times before he starts to choke out, "They were experiments. First they were simple. He was just measuring me for phobias. What I feared, you know? It all made sense. It was good science." He draws in a shuddering breath. "But after the first couple weeks... it changed. It became more pointed. More poignant. I mean, what does a faggot mutie brainiac really fear?!" His voice cracks on the last sentence repeatedly. "People," he breathes. "And standing up to people isn't enough to get rid of the fear. You have to take back your power, right?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"And how did he... intend for this to finish?" the cat says quietly. The empath may pick up a spike of rage in Vorpal that isn't betrayed by the gentle movement of his hand on Georgie's hair. It subsides quickly, as if he is putting it aside and locking it up to examine later. Priorities.

Insight has posed:
Georgie swallows and shrugs. "I don't know," he admits softly. "He was caught by Batman and that was the last I heard of Dr. Crane until it was all over the news as to who he was. What he had done." He tries to sit more upright. He draws a deep breath, quivering less. "Killing people I would suspect. I was canvassing a couple hate groups. Anti-gay. Anti-mutant. Haters, you know? Almost... almost building a case, but just finding justification. Violence is power and... I've went over it a million million times and that's where I would have taken it. Killing them all." He blushes and gulps. "If I were... like him, that's what I would have tried to get someone to do." He looks up with pleading eyes. "But I didn't. I didn't kill anyone. No more than just... hurting." He sighs and shakes his head. "They swept it under the rug. Put me in private facility for a while. Until I could go back to Cambridge."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat nods slowly, the missing pieces falling in neatly. He wonders. "It's ok, Georgie. He took advantage of you." He leans forward and gives him a very light kiss, resting their foreheads together. "I don't blame you, you were manipulated. He preyed on your fear, that's what he does, but fear is usually our friend. It tells us when we're in danger. When we should flee. Crane takes that and twists it and turns it into our enemy."

He holds Georgie close, stroking the back of his neck with one hand. The other side of him knows more than the part of him that has never really had to face true fear, except at the moment of his death. "But you wonder every now and again if it'll come back, no? You're afraid that it might."

Insight has posed:
Georgie closes his eyes at the kiss, lips parting as he feels the lips on his cheek. He sighs softly and seems to draw some strength from it. "He made me not afraid anymore. Not of..." He pauses and finally gets to the revelation. "I'm a monster, Tommy. I'm a monster, but I can still do good. I do good. I help. I'm not like Bat...," he says, nearly growling the name before he cuts it off. Probably another thing he has in common with Harley. He starts to relax then, like a flip was switched. He calms down almost immediately, his mental fortress rebuilding right there in the cat's arms. He whispers, "It's always there. I do worry, yeah."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy nods. "And I always am on the edge between moderation and unleashing Wonderland on the world, Georgie. But we have to cling to the things that make us human. The things we like, the things we dislike. Each other."

"If you need me to ground you, I'll be here. But this is why I must be the one to face her for now. The Joker took advantage of her, too, didn't he? He preyed upon some hidden fear and pushed it until it was madness."

He reflects, a hand stroking Georgie's cheek, "Have you read Harley's file, at all? Because I wonder. The Joker is... nihilism incarnate. I wonder if Doctor Quinzell ever feared that the world was unexplainable and that everything, at the very end, was meaningless, theories being the fairy-tales we tell ourselves to assure us that the universe is sane."

He smirks, "Because we have someone like that in Wonderland. They call him the Architect of Loss. He's the *other* kind of madness. The one we don't usually speak of."

Insight has posed:
Georgie squeezes Vorpal a little tighter when he says, 'Each other.' He listens thoughtfully to the rest, not saying anything until Tommy has finished. He avoids the cat's gaze and says, "It was a case study in school. I know her file fairly well." He pauses and murmurs thoughtfully, "I don't think she was particularly unstable going in. I think she was as sane as any. She was by all accounts driven and ambitious."

The doctor runs his hand over Tommy's stomach as he speaks. "The Joker's in, in my opinion, is love. True love will forgive anything, will overcome anything. Believe it or not, being around them made me drunk with it. The shards of glass in the brain, of course, but I could barely walk under the assault of the sheer volume of their feelings." He shivers and sighs, shaking his head to shake off the memory.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Don't romanticize them too much," the cat warns, even as he purrs under the stroking. "He may be in love with her now, but remember that he basically *made* her. This is a Pygmalion in love with his creation, because it reminds him of himself, I wager. And she... well. She is broken by him."

It is now his turn to run his hand over Georgie's stomach, "And that look of temptation you had while looking at the invitation. You felt you could have that if you joined them, certainly more than if you stayed on Batman's side?"

His eyes look at Georgie's with curiosity. "I don't know if it's your powers... but you need people. In some ways, I think you may be over-dependent on them to feel better about yourself? Please feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. I'm not you, I'm just a crazy theorist."

Insight has posed:
Georgie corrects mildly, "Demonizing is just as biased as romanticizing. I didn't say that he didn't break her. I said it was his in." He mmm's and is distracted by the hand on his stomach, glancing down and pleased that the towel is strategically placed. He clears his throat and refocuses. "But no. I didn't go there to join in on their crazy-pants thing. I wanted to go so they didn't get mad at all the people that didn't attend and gas Gotham U because I snubbed them. Sacrifice the one to protect the many."

He lifts his gaze and looks into Vorpal's eyes. "I do need people. I am dependent, but not in the way you think."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"What do you mean?" the cat says, lazily stroking Georgie's stomach. He is curious, again, so he leans in. "I promise your secrets are safe with me. Everybody knows cats keep secrets very well."

Insight has posed:
Georgie get's caught in the cat's eyes, but nods after a moment. He finally breaks eye contact and says, "Mutants... we aren't as clean as most metas. Seems the more powerful the more messed up you are. Some are blue or furry or scaled or can't turn their powers off. There's almost always a cost though." He glances up and sighs, smiling wanly, drawing back some to give Tommy his space should he need it. Assuming he needs it even. "Sometimes I need to feed on emotions. Particularly strong ones. Like... a vampire. It's easy enough in my profession. Even helpful. When someone is hurt enough, I can just lap it up, so to speak and they don't have to hurt so much." His eyes fill with shame even though his face doesn't betray it. "When I use my power, it drains that nourishment and if I don't feed, I... well... it's the same as going without air or food."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Hm." The cat is silent for a few seconds, but he draws Georgie back in.

"Well. As long as you know the dangers involved. It sounds like you know how to put them to a good use."

A curious thought hits him. "Have you ever fed on me?"

Insight has posed:
Georgie is drawn back in, but then draws back, looking scandalized. "No!" he protests, turning pale. "I don't... I wouldn't!" He takes a breath and then smiles a bit bashfully. "You'd know it if I did. It's not exactly subtle. My eyes go all stupid and I get sort of gaunt. With patients, it's easy enough to hide it since they're consumed with their own grief or whatever. And it's a breakthrough... of a sorts." He shrugs. "Or the fear of some small time thief or... thug... or rapist..." He tries to settle back in and runs his fingers along the cat's abs, tracing and admiring the muscles. "Never on someone that matters though. Never on something they should keep either."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"I don't know. Your eyes do sort of go all stupid every time you catch me in my underwear." The cat smirks. He has noticed, of course. "Well, if it helps them process their grief, then there's no harm done."

He purrs again, half-closing his eyes, and grins, leaning in. "You are a lot less subtle than you think you are, Goodspeed," he teases.

Insight has posed:
Georgie laughs and whispers, "They do that cause I'm undressing you with my eyes, Tommy. Devouring in a whole other sense." He laughs, almost apologetically, and shrugs, sobering some. "I don't think I'm subtle most of the time. I make an effort not to be. It seems only fair when I can feel how someone else feels." His hand traces a little greater in breadth, giving some appreciation to the feline's chest, stopping still at the waistband on the lower journey. "I think people don't appreciate each other quite enough." He glances up and smiles. "I assume this is as far as we're gonna go, but you are gorgeous. Why try to pretend you aren't? Seems like we're both just missing out on some good feelings then."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"You have a very strange concept of beauty," Tommy grins and leans forward, placing a kiss on Georgie's chin. "But thank you, I think you are as well." He raches down and puts his hand over Georgie's. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be taking a shower?"

The cat playfully pushes Georgie off the bed, "You should go and take one, because there's a nap with my name on it, and it doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Insight has posed:
Georgie sighs and nods. He doesn't really want to extricate himself from furry cuddles, but it's been an emotional talk. Grudgingly he admits, "Yeah. I really should. I've been at the theater all day and you never know about those places." He flashes a grin. "You have a good nap, Tommy. I'll try and be quieter this time." He leans in and gives a peck on the corner of Vorpal's mouth.

With that, he makes his way to the bathroom, bath towel in tow. He flashes a smile over his shoulder and closes the door, whispering, "Night."