Owner	Pose
Georgie Goodspeed	It's late in Gotham City. It's nearing the witching hour when Georgie finally talks himself into doing the singularly most unprofessional thing he's ever considered in his short career as a therapist. He sighs as he pulls up Tommy's number on the computer. Georgie stares at the numbers on the screen for a minute before he slips the cell from his pocket and digit by digit makes the most painful call he's ever had to make.     He allows the phone to ring, nearly trembling where he sits at his desk. He prays that he doesn't wake up Beast Boy and get Vorpal into any trouble for his late night call from some dude he barely knows. When it's answered, he says with obvious strain and the tightness of terror, "Hello. Tommy? This is... umm... this is Georgie Goodspeed. This... I know this is unprofessional as hell, but... I'm really in trouble and..." He hates himself for having to admit it, his voice betraying it as he spits, "I need a hero."
Vorpal	"Where are you?" Vorpal's answer is short and urgent, "Are you in your office?" There isn't even a wait for Georgie to answer. Suddenly, reality acquires an extension out back and there's a confluence of places as a hole opens in mid-air. There is a brief glimpse of a bedroom, but it is too dark to see if there's anyone in there- until Vorpal jumps through the hole. He's, basically, in his underwear briefs, though he's got a tank-top halfway down his torso as he passes through and the hole closes behind him. His stance clearly indicates that he's expecting to come into the midst of a fight... nd then he realizes he isn't. "... I guess I jumped the gun a bit."
Georgie Goodspeed	About to answer, Georgie feels that strange stretching and pulling at reality. He says into the phone anyway, "Yeah. In the office. Safe for now, but... I need..."     But then he sees Vorpal in what he guesses must be bedroom attire. Georgie, for his part, has a bare torso himself, not actually expecting such a rapid response. He was going to ask for a lunch date or something.     His torso is bare, jacket and shirt hung up on a rack behind the desk. And Georgie looks like he had recently been hurt fairly bad. His arm hangs in a sling and that same side looks like he was hit by something hard enough to crack ribs. It looks a couple weeks old by the green and purple of the bruises.     To add to his unprofessional night, his eyes trail down the half naked hero. It brings a blush to his face, which is followed by an apologetic smile. He wets his lips and says, voice soft, "I... yeah... maybe just a little." He tears his eyes away after a moment, looking up at a new picture hanging over his desk. He blushes a little deeper and shifts with a bit of sudden discomfort.     The picture, should Vorpal pay it any mind, is of Georgie in a fine looking suit in midstride. Oddly, he's wearing a domino mask, but he very much looks like he's confident and without a care in the world. It's an incredible piece for a sketch, but it looks nothing like the drawn, wounded man sitting at the desk right now.
Vorpal	The Cheshire at smirks, noticing Georgie's eyes, and far from looking shy, he leans and then sits on the desk, leaning on one hand. It's an occasional boost to the ego to find someone who doesn't look at you as if you've stepped out of the freakshow. The smirk fades, though, when he notices Georgie's wounds. "Who did that?" he asks, looking at the sling and the bruises. He follows Georgie's eyes to the picture, and he noties it. He doesn't say anything about it, but he turns around to face Georgie again and leans over, "... I've missed something interesting, haven't I?"
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie is a good candidate to give a man a bit of an ego boost. His eyes flick back to Vorpal, drawn to the movement as he sits on the desk. Georgie slides further into the desk, hiding his lower half lest he embarrass himself anymore tonight. His eyes though, they fill with a heat that any gayboy that goes to the club learns to recognize.     The words though, they snap him back to the terror of reality. His eyes grow more fearful, his shoulders drawing up as the tension resumes after such a brief respite. He murmurs, soft and nearly defeated, "You could say that. Yeah."     He reaches into his desk and pulls out an envelope: an invitation. He passes it over to Vorpal and whispers, "To start from the beginning, I received this a couple weeks ago."     It's a red and black envelope that is stamped with silhouette's of Joker and Harley on the outside and sealed with a gold wax happy face that is delivered to the criminal psychology department in a white padded envelope declaring it to be from the infamous Dr. Harleen Quinzel. It's unlikely to be comforting that it's emblazoned with a bright white 'You're Invited!' scrawled across the front of it and the fact that it has a little too much weight and bulk to it to be something as slim as a card inside.     Inside the envelope, aside from the booby-trap of black and red diamond-shaped glitter is a letter formed of parts cut out from a magazine. The weight comes from a bunch of pills that have been poured into the bottom of the envelope: Baa baa little sheep Have you any pills? Yes sir, yes sir Please take your fill! One for the Batsy One for his brat One for the headshrinks That are gonna go splat! XOXO Harley Quinn
Vorpal	The Cheshire cat crosses his legs and frowns as he reads the invitation. "Sloppy meter... obsession with bats. Fascinating. You could do a whole Freudian analysis on this, can't you?" he peers over the looks at Georgie over the edge of the invitation. Looking at the pills, he hmms. "I noticed you didn't dispose of these." He lays down across the desk, prepping himself up on an elbow, looking at Georgie dead on. "It seems you've attracted the attention of the Joker's girlfriend."
Georgie Goodspeed	The doctor looks at The Cheshire cat, only mustering a half smile. "Freud isn't really a thing anymore." He shrugs and looks at the pills, almost vacantly. "I..." He draws a breath and lets it out. "I thought he would come. The greatest detective. Evidence? Something." He hangs his head. His elbows rest on the desk and he props his head in his hands. "I went. I was there. Batman didn't come and I wasn't the only doctor to go. I thought if nobody goes and he escapes, he'd kill us all. Gas the school, yaknow? Blow it up for the slight. So I went. Better one than all, right?" He musters a smile, but it flickers away fairly fast. "It... so many people died. I saved as many as I could, but the gas and the screams." His eyes show just how much it hurt the empath to feel that. He draws a deep breath and lets it out again. "They used me as a hostage. Paper even mentioned I was there. Batman showed to that and disarmed The Joker. So I jumped him. I hit him over and over, as hard as I could, but he just laughed and laughed. Then I didn't see her coming and she hit me with her bat. Harley."     He rubs his side gently and sighs. He flicks his eyes back up to Vorpal and whispers, "I thought for sure he'd come then. Batman. He saw me. Shielded me when they shot at me." He shakes his head. "He didn't. I'm not... regular people aren't that important I guess. And I was wrong again because she came here. Harley. She came here to bash in my skull."
Vorpal	And Vorpal slips off the couch and walks around to hug Georgie from behind. He does so carefully, because breaking your shrink's ribs again is probably a good way to get a referral to another doctor somewhere. But he also reaches up to pat at his hair. This is the kind of comfort he knows, since he's a very contact-oriented person. A lot more now that he also has to deal with his feline nature. "I'm so sorry," he says quietly. He has, as of yet, not had to deal with the loss of life. The fact that Harley came -here- is worrisome, but he's going to ask about it in just a bit. First... "Batman's just a man, Georgie. Ordinary people are important. But each one of us can only be in one place at a time. Except for those who can be in more places than once." Because, when he briefly went to Xavier's, he heard about a mutant who could do that. Which was awesome. "If I'd known, I would've come. The thing is we just... can't be there all the time, for everyone. Most of us are only human. Even Superman isn't omnipotent."
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie tenses some at the touch, one of the first meaningful moments of comfort he's had since his return to Gotham. It doesn't stop him from saying with bitterness, "What the hell is the point if people only matter when they're dead and a clue." He softens some though, leaning back into the hug and drawing another breath. "Sorry. I know I'm not being fair." He doesn't think and admits, "When I'm out there, I follow up. Victims need that. Saving isn't enough because the attacks keep coming every night after that and destroys them just as surely." His eyes widen a second after that and he shuts up.     After another moment he just pets Vorpal's arm and slowly, slowly starts to actually relax. "She's going to be back. She wants to know my patients. She wants me to..." He shrugs. "I'm sorry I didn't call, but... I'm being so unethical. If anyone found out that I called a patient for help... I'd lose my certification so fast." He laughs without much humor. "But they're going to kill me." He shrugs and admits, "I guess a job isn't worth dying over."
Vorpal	The cat tries a slightly different approach. "Yes, they need follow-up, and you're the right kind of profession to do it. Batman doesn't have the best beddside..." he pauses, "Seriously. Imagine Batman trying to give someone therapeutic treatment. We know that is /not/ his forte." Because mad clown and deranged Harlequin. "And I'm not your patient right now, I'm someone who makes sure people are safe." He reaches out and pats Georgie's cheek, keeping his head against his. "She wants to what?" he asks quietly, trying not to sound prodding. The contact and the comforting are a little manipulative, perhaps, but it IS Harley Quinn. Any information Georgie might be holding back could get him killed. Or worse. "You can trust me."
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie turns just a little, trying to make a little room for Vorpal to sit some if he cares to. He thinks on what Vorpal says before he says, "She wants to know them like I know them. What I plan to do with them. I assume to get me to... give blackmail or change my treatment to something more nefarious. Or get my skull bashed in." He tenses a little more and sighs. "I dunno if she's watching the University. I know she's worried I'll tell one of the Bats, she threatened that specifically. Not like I have them on speed dial though. But... I did have you." He nuzzles the cat's chest lightly and says, "And it's either trust you or do this alone. I have no chance alone." He shakes his head. "I... they..." He sighs and wets his lips. "Okay. If I'm going to trust you, I'm... well... going to." He pauses and thinks a moment.     "So... I'm a mutant. An empath specifically. I'm pretty in tune with emotions, which makes me extra good at my job, yaknow? But really strong feelings or masses of them can be staggering. All that pain and death. And the sheer... chaos of their emotions... it's crippling. It... it's like a direct conduit that they dump that chaos into me and...." He shrugs and sighs. "I'm not sure I can deal with them long before they... make me more like them."
Vorpal	"Some people can't handle chaos, doc," Vorpal says quietly, patting Georgie's head with a hand. "Me? That's all I am." He slowly pulls away and looks at Georgie, the wheels in his head spinning. "You're moving in with me." The statement is made matter-of-factly, as if it were a given thing, really. "We'll stop by your place and grab a few things, then we'll be at my place. You'll stay with me until this situation has been resolved or we've made some headway." He holds up a finger, to forestall any objections as he launches into further instructions "You will cancel all patients until further notice and we're moving your computer with their files out of here tonight, too. Then you stay home, while I-" and then Vorpal leans over until his nose touches Georgie's. His eyes focus hard on him, as if he were studying every detail of his face. Which he is, because in a second Georgie is facing Georgie, "-take your place here."
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie gives a laugh, as real as any he's given in a while. "You might be chaos, but not like theirs'. You're..." He squints as he looks at Vorpal far deeper than he had before. "You're softer, less sharp edges... except the claws. More of a growing... purr. More the inspiration side of chaos. The genius side. They're... razor blades sliding up arms, broken glass in the lube, and daggers in the feels."     Georgie listens and doesn't make to object right away. He chews his lower lip while his prodigious mind runs the numbers, the odds. Finally he nods. "My ex... partner... he said I should move to Boston, so I guess that's a fairly popular opinion." He wets his lips and says, "The office is getting a new assistant... some computer dude to do..." he waves his hands and shrugs. "Computer things? I guess?" He shrugs again. "His name is Leander. I'll need to meet him a few times at least, but I can come up with excuses and do it over in... New York? Or whereever you live." He pauses and then looks horrified. "Wait. What will Gar think?"
Vorpal	The cat nods, and then smirks. "What, you think Gar might object that my hot shrink is staying in my apartment for an indeterminate amount of time until I beat Quinn off or she gets a new obsession?" He chuckles and leans back on his haunches. "You will sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on the couch... which sounds fancier than it is because I have a studio apartment. So we'll basically be sleeping in the same room, but at least I don't snore." He pauses. "At least, I don't think I do. In any case, nobody knows Tom Hunter is Vorpal, only you, so they won't look for you *there*. Especially when they won't see you leave here by the front door, thanks to my rabbit holes."
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie lets a real bark of laugh slip. "Well, yeah. I think he just -might- object to that. People get defensive when they have an amazing boyfriend." He gives a little shrug, his tone suggests that he doesn't really understand it fully. This hippy shrink isn't particularly confident on that institution.     Another breath is drawn and he stands up. He unslings the healing arm and tosses the sling on his desk before he slowly starts to draw his shirt on. He might have had the bones mended, but the bruises are still deep and stupidly painful. "Don't get hit with the bat," he mutters. "I have some cash at home. I can go to ground for a while without using cards and all that. A couple burners too." Someone is prepared for a rainy day. He runs out of steam about the time he gets both arms through their holes. Buttoning can come later. More importantly, he hits a few keys on the computer to secure his files into a main Wayne Foundation Cloud, letting Vorpal know what he's doing. He gathers a few odds and ends, glancing at the picture with a pained look. It hurts, but he reaches up and takes it down. "I'll drop this off at home so it doesn't get burnt or anything."     Panting and red from the exertion, he flashes a smile with his too red lips and says, "Okay. I think I'm about ready." He pauses a beat and then says, "And I can take the couch. It'll be easier on me."
Vorpal	"You don't need to worry about Gar. He's cool and kind. I'd rather say I'm the one with the amazing boyfriend." He smirks and opens up a Rabbit Hole leading straight to his apartment. "Wait. Stop for a second." He looks at Georgie and then steps close to him. "Did Harley touch you? When she was here, I mean. Has she laid a hand on you or anything you were wearing?"
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie smiles a little, appreciating Tommy's outlook on boyfriends. "That's the trick really. S'long as you both believe that, there isn't much else that matters. Communication and the belief that you're the luckiest guy ever." That brings a sad smile to his lips, but he shakes it off. The final question gives him a good enough distraction. His brow furrows as he remembers, "Yeah." He lifts a hand to his cheek. "Kissed me right here."
Vorpal	Well. Considering Georgie wasn't tripping balls, Vorpal can discard any hallucinogeics or tracers delivered that way. The sad smile makes the cat frown. He leans forward and patpats his hand over where Harley's kiss was. "Let's erase that bit of crazy. And cheer up. You're bound to find someone who thinks you're amazing. Because you rather are, you know." He smirks and reaches out to scratch Georgie's chin, "Not every guy out there rushes into the jaws of madness because it's the right thing to do, you know? Heck, I'll fix you up with someone, there's bound to be a great guy out there!" He pauses and adds, "After we've fixed the murderclown thing. Now, I need you to prep me for the role of being you. And I want you to tell me everything you know about the once respected Doctor Harleen Quinzell." He reaches out and grabs the invitation. "I want everything you know, everything you've read, even if they're her patient charts. As for these..." he holds up the invitation, "I'm team-mates with the Bird, though he's away on leave right now. That more or less qualifies me to bring this to the Bat's attention. Or at least to one of the bat-likes that he works with, like the guy ... What's his name? Buttwing?" He frowns, "That doesn't sound right. In any case, let's head out and then we'll drop by your apartment."
Georgie Goodspeed	Georgie sighs and shakes his head at the Cheshire's enthusiasm for fixing him up. "No. No, I'm not... I'm not ready for that. I'm rebounding, so Mr. Right Now is all I'm ready for for a while. Once I'm done grieving the loss, then... maybe."     The doctor sobers up then, mentally getting things in order in how to prepare someone to be... well... him. He's startled though at Buttwing, laughing before scowling. "Hey now!" An elbow is half-heartedly thrown with a laugh. "One of my first crushes there! Be nice." he laughs and runs his hand through his tousled midnight hair and sighs, enjoying being able to find something to laugh about. "You're a good cat, snicker-snack. Shall we?"
Vorpal	"Oh, I don't blame you, that ass was the sexual awakening of half of Gotham," Vorpal jokes back about Nightwing, eager to keep Georgie out of the grips of gloom and doom. "Yes, let's vamoose from this goose." He puts an arm around Georgie, carefully, and walks towards the Rabbit Hole. "Oh, one last thing. If you happen upon a spider or a similar creature that is green... try not to squash it. Gar sometimes likes to play pranks on me." And the Rabbit Hole closes behind them.