Log:Entreating the New Cartesian

2020/01/15 Grimm Cartesian 1

This park is the site of where a famous battle between the English and French took place. It has battlements, covered now with professionally trimmed green grass, surrounding a large empty field. Footpaths are worn into the battlements where visitors have hiked around placing themselves back in time as if they were a soldier during the fight. Mock antique cannons are set up upon some of the battlements to give those history buffs an idea of how the battle was waged between the two opposing sides. The park is surrounded by various tall trees giving shade to some benches and picnic tables that have been set up for recreational purposes.

Cartesian

A woman, dressed in a pure white suit and matching white trenchcoat. Her hair is similarly white, with skin that matches. Her face is completely featureless, like she's wearing a mask, though it's hard to tell if that's exactly what's being seen. She also looks very muscular, like she might be a weightlifter.

After making arrangements, Grimm made sure to get a head start to account for traffic, deciding to take her bike. She rides up and parks the black sporty motorcycle Malcolm built for her over a year back, taking off her helmet and ruffling away her helmet hair. She looks about as she gets off the bike and stows her helmet.

The Cartesian appears from behind one of the trees, seemingly from out of nowhere. She looks in Grimm's direction. She folds her arms and waits a moment, assessing the subject of her gaze. "You wanted to speak with me?"

Grimm smiles at the Cartesian's entrance. It's only been ALMOST two days, and Grimm is having to adjust with normal transportation. "Yes. Well, to petition for your help, hopefully. It involves helping innocent people," she says as she walks closer. "And! It may even align with your Lords' goals in a way."

There's no facial expression to read. Instead she just nods, "I see. What is it that you want help with, Miss Grimm?" Apparently Grimm is known well enough by those in the know.

Grimm is a little surprised, but then, she hasn't kept her identity a secret. "You may have seen on the news or HeroNet already about some entity converting animals into giant bugs. We found out it's doing the same to innocent people. Altering them physically and mentally into insectoids that have hurt others. I've had dealings with the past Cartesians, and know they have a spell that can revert them back to the way they're supposed to be. I was hoping you'd be willing to help us turn some of these people back to normal as we capture them."

The Cartesian tilts her head, "I...am unsure about what spell it would be, but I have a suspicion. Do you have any further description of what it does?"

"Aside from returning things to their natural state? Umm. I'm not sure if it has a name." Grimm hadn't thought that this Cartesian hasn't learned all the spells of the former ones.

The Cartesian nods. "I think I know which one was referred to, then. Restoring a pattern." She shrugs, "I'm afraid that my focus has been on combat spells, but I do know that one. I just haven't had a practical use for it. Yet."

Grimm looks over the Cartesian's biceps. Man, those might even be more girthy than the others. "Right. Makes sense. Helps put down the Big Bads pretty quickly. But a spell like that could be useful when dealing with the Anarch's antics. Being able to put right what's been made wrong? No amount of blasting could help that."

The Cartesian nods again. "I see your point. And I agree. I should widen my skills a bit." She watches Grimm for a few long moments, "You have dealings with the prior Cartesians, you said?"

Grimm is glad she agrees and smiles. "Uh, yeah, from time to time, I got tangled up with them while trying to help stop Lazare," Grimm admits.

The woman in white continues to watch Grimm closely. "And are you friends with them?"

Grimm chuckles. "Professionally? I've had to maintain relationships. They're both a bit out of my age range to be hanging out with." She does recall Randal asking her to try and be friends with Connor, but they're not there yet. Randal? Well, Grimm is fond of him, but isn't sure if friend is the right description. "If you're looking for someone who was friends with them, I could introduce you to Amelia Steinberg. She knows way more about them and Lazare than I do."

The Cartesian nods slowly as she considers that. "Tell me more of these bugs you were referring to. What are they doing, exactly?"

Grimm raises a brow at she changes topic. "The bugs seem to be burrowing deep underground and amassing according to...well, one rumor. The commander of Starguard Gamma is checking into it. The ones we've found on the surface have been doing things from just scavenging, to eating other animals, to attacking people. A few metahumans got injured in Harrisburg by them."

The Cartesian paces back and forth slowly. "I see. I was initially hesitant to be willing to help, due to your association with my predecessors. But...I do see the benefit in helping to return to their normal lives."

"Guilty by association? Heh." Grimm finds that ironic now. "I don't deal much with Order or Chaos unless it affects innocent people." She did have a hand in helping Randal destroy the ataxianate, though. She wonders if the Lords of Order hold a grudge over that. "I'm glad to see you see the benefit in helping people. Otherwise, why take up the mantle?"

The Cartesian chuckles. "My dear...my job doesn't really have anything to do with 'helping people'. The mantle requires me to follow orders, lest I have it taken away from me. Those orders usually have...only a tangential connection to saving lives, at best. I do like to try to help people while I can in my spare time, but it is not the purpose of what I do. Not directly."

"Indirectly? True. You keep Lazare and chaos in check. I consider that helpful," Gabrielle smiles, though knows both sides can be dangerous if one sways the balance too far in their favor. Now she wishes she had more time to talk to Carpenter about reading people. Though since the Cartesian doesn't have a visible face, that part is tricky. "I understand the orders part. I work with Starguard Gamma, after all. I'm approaching you on their behalf for help, at least until the research department can figure a way to medically fix them. If you can master a spell to restore them, perhaps you can help them in your spare time. We'll do the work catching them for you."

The Cartesian nods once more, "I do know the spell, so I should be able to help restore those you capture. I am unsure if I should get more involved than that, however. I shall have to meditate on that."

Grimm nods. "Understandable. I wouldn't expect you to be able to get too directly involved. I'm just happy that you're open to the idea of fixing what we can't."

The Cartesian chuckles. "There are benefits to doing so for my superiors. And it does help people, as you say. So, it is the best of both worlds, so to speak."

"Yeaaah, true. Power always has a price in some form or another," Gabrielle grins. "What'd be the best way to contact you if we manage to detain more victims?"

The Cartesian produces a business card from a pocket and hands it to Grimm, "Contact me there." The card is blank aside from a single phone number in hte middle. But there are more digits than normal.

Grimm takes the card and looks it over. "I'm guessing this is going to hit my long distance minutes," she chuckles, and slips the card into her back pocket. "Thanks. HeroNet's a good way to contact me. I got the app and alerts turned on." She looks the Cartesian over as she cocks a hip. "Maybe one of these days you and I could get a drink and just have a less format chat. You can tell me about how you get those gains," she grins, nodding to the Cartesian's weightlifter build.

The woman in white stares at Grimm for a long moment again, considering her offer. "Perhaps. Though I suspect that formality will be hard to avoid." She looks down at herself, "I suspect the answer you're looking for in this regard is...hard work and eating right. Work out. Get enough sleep."

"Get a few drinks in, things will be a bit less formal," Gabrielle grins and winks. The get enough sleep echoes in her head briefly. Oh god, everyone keeps harping on her about sleep--ohh right. She's talking about gains. "I think my love of ramen bowls and drinking are going to hurt my efforts on getting that fit."