3748/Mimsy Were The Borogroves

Mimsy Were The Borogroves
Date of Scene:	27 January 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	87, Jimmy Olsen

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Vorpal (87) has posed:
There are some unusual reports coming from the park, particularly at night. It is nothing that should alarm most people, but it does draw the attention of some who specialize in unusual phenomena. Strange things have been seen at night, and strange voices have been heard, but without anyone being there. Among some other reports.

Not too long before dusk, the park is filled with the gentle gleam of approaching sunset, and the Swan Carousel is resplendent, golden cresting and drop rods reflecting the sunlight for a nice effect.

Parkgoers stare as Vorpal walks along the perimeter of the carousel, arms crossed and looking for all the world like a tourist taking in the sight of the amusement landmark. He hasn't even bothered to change into civilian clothing- because, what's the point, when he looks like he does?

"Evenin'" he says to a couple he catches staring, and gives them a grin. They smile back and hurry on, slightly embarrassed at being caught. He doesn't seem to mind at all. At least some of them seem to recognize him, which is omething, right?

His eyes go back to the carousel, as if he were looking for something...

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Returning to Metropolis was supposed to be soothing after weeks trotting around the globe, capturing the most brutal and horrific images in new-breaking hotspots, tempered with shots of the people involved making their way through.. Surving. James Bartholemew Olsen is not a name that pops up much on 'strange' stories these days, as if he has distanced himself from the world of capes and cowls.

So yes, returning to Metropolis was supposed to be a way to decompress after imbedding himself with a British SAS regiment in the Mid East. And still being jet-lagged he found his sleep schedule all screwed up.. he needed to tucker imself out, stay up until his internal clock and the local timezone synced.

So he went for a walk.

And... he came across a /weapons deal/ of all things in the alley NEXT DOOR TO HIS APARTMENT!

And.. he couldn't help himself and took some pictures... And somehow got spotted.. So he Ran.

Jimmy is a VERY good runner. Almost parkour worthy, but he needed to get where there were crowds.. people.. to ensure his getaway.. and being a friday the park ALWAYS has people.

There is a chance his followers already gave up, but to be safe the photographer has ended up buying a hat from a vendor near the Carousel and is now trying to act unsuspicious...

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Fortunately, the unusual-looking creature in the tights is a good attention-soaker. By now, he's installed himself by one of the balustrades, perched like a gargoyle and seemingly taking in the view.

What some people may not notice is the quick gesture that Vorpal makes, causing a very slight purple glow to leave his hand and touch the carousel- which then begins to slow down to a crawl, and then to a full stop. There is some confusion, and the riders slowly dismount the horses and loiter around while the nearby crew operator tries his best to find the source of the problem...

"Sorry, folks, gotta close up for now." The line entrance is roped off while a maintenance crew is located. Eventually people begin to disperse.

And Vorpal, crouching near a planter, looks completely innocent.

Or tries to, anyways.

The gesture had been very slight, and most people missed it. But someone who is observant...

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Jimmy Olsen is hyperalert at the moment... not that he isn't usually alert to begin with.. But he WAS just being chased less than five minutes ago... So he is on the look out for anyone or thing that stands out..

Thats when he notices the strange.. guy... near the carosel.. A guy in costume? Well, he isn't tearing up tehplace so he isn't a bad guy, but he's also no someone that Jimmy knows of so...

He frowns as the Carosel slows down and stops... It hadn't run the alloted span of time. And Jimmy KNOWS that time since he has seen that damned thing from his window since he was a kid. He wonders what is up, like maybe one of the guys after him did something ut.. why would they? That would make no sense..

So when he spots the casial gesture that the strange kid did.. and the timing between that and the stop of the ride gel...

The camera, half tucked under is jacket, is raised and he fires off a canonade of about a dozen shots.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire Cat slips off the balustrade and saunters towards the carousel. He begins to walk around the perimeter of the carousel with a curious expression, seemingly absorbed by the details of the scrollwork-

And one of his ears twitches, and he stops cold in his tracks. A few more twitches, and then Vorpal turns around, eyes slightly narrowed, to look in the direction of the barrage of muted clicks, which he hears on the periphery of his very sensitive hearing. His eyes settle on Jimmy, and he raises an eyebrow.

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Well... Crap..

He should have realized that those ears weren't just for show.

This just wasn't Jimmy's ight, was it.

Lowering the camera, the redhead just stares back at the young costumed.. person.. and shrugs. A sort of "Whatchya gonna do?" kind of shrug.. and then grins and quickly turns and tries to hide himself in the crowd.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal grins as Jimmy begins evasive actions. The Cheshire cat shimmers in the air for a moment and then disappears.

Invisible as he is, he does his best to quietly trot and climb up one of the nearby trees, seeking a bird's-eye view of the area in order to locate the man. His curiosity had been awakened, and the investiation of the carousel could wait a little...

If he manages to catch sight of him, he will leap off the tree and proceed, invisible, to try and head Jimmy off in a less crowded area. He had questions.

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
So, we said that Jimmy was a good runne, right? Well he's also very good at dissapearing in a crowd. As he meandered throughpeople he would stop and ditch the hat.. Around another turn he would take off his coat, turn it inside out (turning it from brown to blue), and he pulled out a NO FEAR skull cap and pulled it over his hair. In moments, out of sight, he changed from one person to another..

No, no weapos dealers or supers are gona get /him/ tonight!

After grabbing a hot dog he casually starts down a path to the side, until he is out of sight.. And then breathe a sigh of relief..

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal cheats, of course. Most people don't have Rabbit Holes they can open and from which to peer down from a height, in order to watch the movement of crowds. It takes him a little, but soon he eventually does find his way to the camera man. He has changed his apeparance, and he had looked for red hair, like his own, until by pure happenstance (or the inevitable wake of chaos that he is caught in from time to time, depending on who you ask) he catches a glimpse of the face of the man in the skullcap.

He doesn't have eidetic memory, so he isn't sure if the man in the blue coat with the skullcap is the same. He looks... similar, around the face, but it's enough to make Vorpal doubt himself.

He follows into the side path until they are at a secuded enough spot, and tiptoes ahead of him just enough.

He has no idea if this is the guy for sure, but there's only one way to find out.

The first thing that appears is his smile hanging in mid-air as if suspended from a thread. Then the rest of his body fills in- first the stripes, then his head and finally his body. Vorpal grins at him, arms crossed, leaning on thin air. Maybe it's something invisible, or maybe he's just playing at being a mime.

"Hello there!" he says brightly.

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Jimmy Olsen gahs, all but walking into the materializing smile (and the accompanying body). "Jeezus H Murphy!" he exclaims, flailing slightly as he falls back on his rear. He stares up at the super, blinking once... Then tries to look as innocent (ie: dumb) as possible.

"No habla anglais!" he says... because of there are of course a whole lotta redheaded mexicans around.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Well," Vorpal says and crouches down to look Jimmy in the eyes, "I know you can't possibly be a paparazzi 'cause I ain't even famous." As much as he hated to admit it, the fact that a lot of his work nowadays was covert and in the shadows meant that his moment in the spotlight came from being briefly associated with the Teen Titans and, for two months at least, dated Beast Boy before leaving the team and seemingly vanish out of the public eye.

"How about you be a pal and tell me why you were so intent on not catching my best side?"

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Jimmy Olsen raises a brow now and slowly pushes himself up, brushing off his pants and grumbling. "The spanish NEVER works.. why the hell did I take it in school, anyways?" he asks himself, then gives Vorpal the stink eye.

"One, if I wanted to be a paparrazi I could be. I mean, I do got the cazmea for it it. Two. There is no law taking pictures of people in a public venue. So I don't really need to explain myself."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"And that's a /very/ good point!" Vorpal concedes, straightening up as well. "However, since there is currently a secret society potentially casing me and some of my colleagues for potentially nefarious purposes... well, it does pay to be cautious."

The cat shrugs, "And while I am happy to respect your rights, I am almost one hundred percent sure Robin will be a lot more concerned about what you were doing, for what purpose, and for whom. And... well. You know how the Gotham crowd works."

He leans in and whispers conspiratorily over a cupped hand, "A little bit of a bee in the bonnet there. I mean, how sane can a man be, dressing up as a /bat/?"


He leans back, his demeanor laid back and friendly, but his eyes are attentive, just in case he does turn out to be a hired agent and might decide that now it's the perfect time to put a knife between his ribs.

"Just between us, you don't want Robin to pay you a visit. He's got anger issues. Feistiest little murder-puffin you'll ever meet. Not that he kills people!" he quickly corrects himself, "He just looks like he could. Especially if you drink the last bottle in the fridge and don't replace. That reaaally gets his goat."

He tilts his head and looks at Jimmy, waiting to see how he reacts.

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Jimmy Olsen just blinks... and blinks again. "Wait.. was that... Was that a /Threat/?" he asks.. his voice quivering. But then the quivering spreads to his shoulders.. and suddenly a snort erupts from him as he clutches himself and starts laughing.

Wow.. he is laughing hard.

it's just too much! He clutches his sides, like he can't hold it back and guffaws and giggles... he starts hicupping.. his entire body wracked with mirth..

Finally, wiping tears from his eyes, he holds up a hand. "Oh god.. I.. I'm sorry. I just.. I haven't been threatened by a super, good or bad, in a while." he wheezes.. then starts laughing again... But he gets it under control a bit quicker.

"Look.. Kid.. I ain't part of some conspiracy. I'm a reporter. And threatening me with Robin, /any/ Robin.. That's /hilarious/. I mean.. I've been threatened by aliens... gods.. /Alien Gods/. Hell, I've been threatened by /Batman/... I'm sorry but.. Robin ain't just gonna cut it..."

Jimmy dabs at the corner of his eyes. "But please.. please go ahead.. Tell him if you like. Not sure what version of Robin we're on at the moment. I'm sure Batman has him up to date on who's who." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a business card and presses into Vorpal's hand.

"I'm sure when he sees this, whoever he is, he'll get a laugh."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal frowns. "It isn't a threat, you know. I don't threaten, I am just telling you what would happen, exactly, because Robin will find out. And he usually wants to do his own risk assessment." Because he can't lie to the brat. He suspects it had something to with reading body language, or maybe it was his tells. He's quite sure he's managed to master his tail not giving him away. Most of the time.

He reaches for the card after Jimmy laughs, and shakes his head. "You clearly don't know the new Robin, if you think he's a laughing matter. He's more like a young Batman clone without any of the charm and twice the psychopathy. As far as I go? I'll feel equally threatened by an alien god or by the kid who was created to basically be a perfect ninja from the womb, 'cause I ain't Superman and my skin bleeds just the same."

He looks at the card, and then he looks at it again.

He looks up at Jimmy, frowns, and then looks back at the card. He carries on looking for a while before he looks back up again.

"Okay... what are you playing at?" he says quietly, holding the card up with a frown. "You expect me to believe this journalist is snapping pictures of somebody almost nobody has heard about? The dude's covered important stuff all over the world, and now he's snapping pictures of toddlers on the merry-go-round?"

He fingers the card and purses his lips. "Or maybe you could be..." he trails off, remembering the hair. He reaches out into thin air and suddenly pulls a smartphone out of what seems to be a tiny rift in the fabric of reality. He taps Jimmy's name, hopefully trying to find any of his old coverage of Superman, and see if an easily accessible picture was in any of the bylines. Or the websites.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm probably being paranoid. But if you *are* who you say you are, you might actually be what I need the most right now." He looks up at Jimmy while he waits for his search to take. "And there's a story in there. A potentially huge one. If you're interested."

Jimmy Olsen has posed:
Jimmy Olsen ois and rolls his syes, shaking his head as well. "Why would I be taking opictures of, oh, some catlike dude who just happened to be making strange, and dare I say it seemingly arcane, gestures when the pride of the park carousel just stops working?" he asks. "Heck, Why do I take /any/ pictures? I don't pick and choose, dude. I take pictures all day and ever day of just about everything. I don't choose the stories. I pick them out of whatever I capture..."

"Hey!! There he is!"

Jimmy acks and looks past Vorpal, spotting a few of those guys from earlier. They are a few hundred feet away and moving fast towards them.

"Aaaaaand, speaking of capturing, that is something I am /trying/ to avoid." he says. "You just.. do what you're doing with your magical smartphone and I will me skidaddling... You got my card if ya need me!" he says and turns around. "Feets, don't fail me now!" And he is off!

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"HEY! Wait a mi-" Vorpal calls out, but then he hears footsteps coming in his direction from behind. The men Jimmy was running away from.

"If there's one thing I absolutely //hate//," the Cheshire cat says, turning around to face the incoming dealers, "is when some wise-ass interrupts me!"

He grins at them, but the grin is positively enormous and unettling. His claws appear to have grown an enormous amount, and he's packing a lot more muscle all of a sudden, making him a looming presence.

A trickle of blood drips from one corner of his mouth.

"Let's teach you some manners!" the cat says, in a voice that is low, and mostly roar and rumble.

Illusion powers: Never leave home without them.

He will use some carefully-placed Rabbit Holes to disable the men and get them all tied up for the police. But, as he's feeling frustrated at Jimmy bolting away, he may decide to play with his prey a little, first.