[closed]

[wroughtiron]

Characters: An NPC (wroughtiron), Annabeth Chase (sophos), Hellboy (histruename), the Doctor (iwaspromisedtea) and Zatanna Zatara (backwordscompatible)
Date: November 25/28th.
Location: The Mainland.
Situation: These characters are tracked down by an NPC and given some information, as well as asked a few things in return. Individual scenarios are in the main body of the post itself.
Warnings/Rating: Shouldn't stray much above pg-13, but if it does I'll let you know.

Comments

[wroughtiron]

You calling me a bitch, mate?

[She winks a little - it's a joke, calm down - and takes the chain. The way it coils against her palm... it feels warm, somehow. Almost alive. She closes her fingers over it.]

This woman.

[She tosses the chain lightly in her hand.]

Elizabeth. Something to do with... heat. Sunlight?

[... ah.]

No. Fire. She's definitely gone, but not permanently.

[histruename]

[Hellboy only stares at the joke, completely unamused because jeez. Luckily they're back to business before things get too awkward, and that's fine by him.

As the woman fiddles with the chain, and goes as far as mentioning Liz's name, he realizes what's going on here. Psychometry. Psychic ability through touch. He's seen it in action quite a few times in the past, and watches her with mild interest as she continues her reading.

Hellboy's worked with plenty of psychics over the years. Enough to know most of them aren't worth their weight in crap half the time. But every now and then you run into a real one, and they actually prove useful for a change. Either this girl has some serious information gathering skills, or she's the real deal.

If she's real, he might be able to get some more information out of this.]

Gone where? And what does that have to do with the Emperor?

[She said something about her deeming Liz superfluous before, but if she's not gone permanently, that doesn't make any sense.]

[wroughtiron]

Just gone. As in 'not here anymore'. Home, maybe. I can't be more precise than that, do I look like a miracle worker?

[Don't answer that.]

Sometimes it's that people aren't... necessary to what the Emperor wants of them. But sometimes they just slip through the cracks. See, everybody's anchored here. Sometimes trauma can... sever that anchor. She did something recently, didn't she? And she felt... guilty about it.

[She purses her lips, and drops the medal down to dangle at the end of its chain.]

Guessing that's what did it. You guys aren't really here. Not... in the traditional sense. I mean, you're standing here and you're talking to me, but it's still due to a psychic link between your world and this place. It's more mental than physical, even though the physicality's a part of it. Sort of.

[histruename]

Liz disappeared because she was guilty?

[He rubs at his forehead with his normal hand, just below the stumps of his horns. This's what he gets for trying to make sense of things. More psychic crap. Give him a monster to fight any day, but figuring out this kind of metaphysical stuff has never been his thing.]

Right.

[Now he just has to figure out what to do next. If her disappearance really is temporary, he shouldn't stop looking. And even if this psychic seems like the real thing, he knows better than to take her word as law.

But most of all, he knows he can't stop because that's just not what he does.]

[wroughtiron]

I'm not saying it's the answer, just an answer. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not. I don't have the corner market on 'sanity', you know.

[She holds out the necklace for him to take.]

[histruename]

Sure.

[He reaches out to take the pendant with his flesh-and-blood hand.]

Thanks for the help.

[It didn't really get him anywhere, but she tried.]

[wroughtiron]

[She cocks her head to one side.]

How would you feel about a little more?

[histruename]

[Hellboy was about ready to excuse himself and be on his way, but her offer throws him off guard a little. He furrows his brow, pocketing the charm into one of the pouches on his belt.]

I guess I'm not sure what you mean.

[wroughtiron]

Cagey sort, aren't you? Is that part and parcel of being all-- you-ish?

[She gestures at him to imply 'all of him'.]

[histruename]

Me? No... desert full of monsters in another dimension, what's there to worry about?

[Okay, so he's a little on edge. So what? With all the crap he's been through lately, he has every right to be. That and he just really hates psychics.]

You offered me more help, and if she's really gone, I guess there's not much more you can do.

[Going back to the Turtle and posting a notice on the network about her disappearance he's pretty sure he can handle on his own.]

[wroughtiron]

I can give you this.

[No word on when she thought to pull this little item out of her bag, but she holds it out to him now - it's an old, intricate star chart. The calligraphy and workmanship put into it seems almost surreal, each star is neatly labelled and upon closer inspection the damn things actually glow in an approximation of the luminosity of the real thing.]

You know. If you'd take it.

[histruename]

[He takes the map and studies it. Seems pretty innocuous despite the glowing. And old, beautifully crafted, though it doesn't really seem to impress him all that much. If anything he's just kind of confused.]

It's pretty nice, but I don't really see how that's supposed to help me.

[wroughtiron]

What can it hurt? Maybe it'll come in handy somewhere down the line, hm?

[Though by her smile, she's not about to tell him how.]

You'll get out of the desert by going thataway. If, you know. You're lost.

[histruename]

...Right.

[Oh, how he hates this kind of crap. But he'll take her word for it. God damn psychics.]

I think I'll be all right.

[wroughtiron]

Oh, I expect so. But if you get lost, give me a shout, hmm?

[She mimes a phone.]

I imagine you're easy to find, big fellow like you.

[histruename]

[All that earns her is a flat stare. He's pretty used to traveling like this, and he doesn't get lost all that easily. It's just weird she's so bent on helping him, giving him things, playing up the whole mysterious act. All it does is make him more and more leery of her. People like this always seem to lead him into trouble.

Okay. Maybe it's time to cut the crap.]

Listen, I appreciate the offer, but I don't know why you're so set on helping me. And what are you doing out here, anyway? Hunting can't be all that great.

[She has to be out here doing something more productive than sitting out in the desert handing people maps.

He's not even clear if she's one of them, a Foreigner. Before he'd been so determined about finding Liz to even care. But what she had implied earlier made it sound like she wasn't, and she doesn't look much like a kedan to him.]

[wroughtiron]

I'm not helping you.

[She says that with a slight nose-wrinkle.]

I'd help anyone I found, not just you. Kedan too, if they came out this far.

[SO THERE.]

And no, the hunting is atrocious, but I don't have anywhere else.

[Her tone is actually a tiny bit angry now, whoops.]

[histruename]

[He holds up his normal hand in a peaceful gesture because jeez, lady. Don't be so touchy. He has his reasons for being so suspicious.]

All right. My mistake.

[He didn't mean to sound self-absorbed, but he is pretty used to getting singled out for one reason or another. He just wants to make sure that reason isn't something he should be worried about.]

I should probably be going.

[wroughtiron]

[She glares at him a moment longer, and then relents and waves her hand in a dismissive gesture.]

Yeah, yeah. Good luck.

[histruename]

You too.

[Then he's on his way.]