Log:A Favor to the Former Cartesian

2019/10/23 	 Radical|Connor Duran Randal Duran Grimm

1

It's a dark day when the Grimm comes a-knocking. And it's pretty dark. It's been some time since Gabrielle met the original Cartesian. She hasn't had occasion to really visit since he lost his powers, and it's usually best to stay away from normal people who could be in danger being around her.

But, she feels an obligation to the old hero. So here she stands at his doorstep, knocking on the door, unsure if he'd really remember her.

Randal comes to the door. He's not getting around quite as well as he has previously. He has a cane now, which he doesn't lean on overly, but it still clearly helps him get around. He opens the door and he smiles. "Ah. Hello again, miss. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

Randal Duran

An older man, most likely in his 50s or 60s. His goatee is grey, and his head is completely bald. There's a pair of round-lensed glasses on his face, and he's wearing a nice blue button-down dress shirt with black slacks.

Grimm's eyebrows raise as he says again. She smiles. "Oh, so you remember me some?" She's a little surprised by the cane, but tries not to stare at it. Not that she has to with her shadow sight. "It's been some time. I thought I'd come see how you were doing. Given the news, I wasn't sure if you'd need help getting somewhere safe."

Randal comes out onto the porch of his large home. "Miss Grimm, of course I remember you. How could I not?" He motions to the two rocking chairs on the porch. "Come, take a moment to sit with me. I was waiting for my nephew to arrive. He's intending to take me someplace safe as well. You can argue with him about it."

"Sure...thanks," Grimm says with a smile. She takes the further rocking chair so he doesn't have to walk as far. She raises an eyebrow at the mention of his nephew. "Didn't he lose his powers? I thought the lord of Orders stripped him of the mantle," she asks as she carefully eases herself into the chair. She rocks slowly, finding the chairs novel. "I ...really didn't come here to argue. I just wanted to pay respects to a hero. And help if it was needed."

In fact, Grimm even removed some of her piercings for the visit to look a little less rebellious. But she still has her leather jacket, black band t-shirt, and skinny black jeans with Doc Marten's on. What can she say? Black is her thing.

Randal grins. "So...you knew that my nephew was the Cartesian, then? After my stint? I'm impressed if you figured that out."

Grimm laughs a bit. "Well now I know for sure. I thought that the Cartesian role was a birthright. I have to say...I was more impressed with you as the Cartesian. I never really got to know the person who took the mantle after you."

Randal smiles. "It WAS a birthright. It was in our family for generations. All the way back to about the time of the Civil War. I have volumes of the exploits of my ancestors inside, in the library. Connor took over the mantle after I had it pulled from me." He looks out toward hte road, while a truck passes by. "But when he refused an order to kill someone, he had the power taken away from him. The new Cartesian isn't from our family."

Grimm lets out an appreciable whistle. "The Civil War? Wow, I had no idea it went back that far." She rocks gently and listens with interest and some awe. "Not at all related? I wonder how far they're willing to go," she says thoughtfully. "I don't understand enough about the forces of Order and Chaos. Just that trouble's going to happen when one gets ahead of the other."

Grimm thinks for a few moments as something bugs her in the back of her mind. "Connor. Duran. Wait!" She suddenly sits forward in the rocking chair, eyes wide. "Connor Duran? As in...Professor Duran?" Grimm's stomach lurches from the bad memories in that math class.

Randal nods. "True enough. I realized, perhaps a bit too late, that balance is more important than Order winning." He pauses when he sees Grimm realize who Connor is, and he laughs. "That's him. Speaking of..." He motions to a hovercar pulling into the driveway of the house. It's a late model Honda, but a fairly sporty one. A coupe.

"..the devil, you say," Grimm utters. She's face all sorts of eldritch horrors, but none compares to her former math professor. She struggled to barely get a C- in that class. Partly due to lots of absences and sleeping. She wasn't prepared for this ambush!

Sure enough...when the door opens, it's Professor Connor Duran. He has a backpack with him slung over one shoulder as he comes up to the porch. He waves. "Hey there." When he sees Grimm, he smiles. "Miss Grimm. I'm surprised to see you here."

Grimm swears she just experienced the sensation one gets from the Alfred Hitchcock zoom. "No...friggin'...way," she says under her breath. For some reason, she stands up. "P-Professor Duran. Uh, hi...I...was visiting an old acquaintance." And suddenly, she doesn't feel like much of a Mistress of Tenebration. She feels like a struggling college freshman.

Connor looks between Randal and Grimm a couple of times. "You met while he was working as the Cartesian, didn't you?" Randal shakes his head, "My boy, you are terrible at the secret identity thing. But if it makes you feel better, I had given away that you were my successor already."

Grimm holds up her hands to wave away any guilt. "I didn't know while I was in your class!"

Connor shakes his head, "I'm not as careful as I should be about my identity." He comes up onto the porch and leans against hte railing. "Miss Grimm, your timing seems a bit...timely? I'm guessing this wasn't entirely a social visit?"

"I...uhh...was here for a bit of social and business. I met your uncle and tried to help out sometime back when he was the Cartesian. With everything going on, I thought he might need help getting elsewhere just in case," Grimm tries to explain herself. "The offer extends to you, too. Or any other family? Pets?" She looks between the two men.

Connor

A man standing about five ten, dressed in a purple button down dress shirt and charcoal slacks. His brown hair is styled well, and he looks like he might be one of those people who is...a little overly orderly, based on how he holds himself.

Connor smiles and looks to Randal. "You didn't tell her, did you?" Randal shakes his head, "Only about the Cartesian. Nothing further." Connor nods and looks back to Grimm, "I...we...appreciate the offer, but it isn't necessary. I have a means of making sure that we're safe.

Grimm blinks and looks between the two of them cluelessly. "I only got here a few minutes ago. I don't think that was enough to spill any vital secrets," she grins.

Connor considers. "We're close enough to the end of the world that I might as well alleviate your concerns. I have a new hero identity. I go by 'Radical' now. I created a harness to allow for travel across the various dimensional barriers. I intend to take Randal and my few other relatives to my old sanctum."

Grimm slides her hands into her pockets, her smile dimming, as she doesn't realize he means off-dimension. "You sure? Because there isn't going to be a safe side of this planet if that particular Porter drops the moon on us," she comments, looking up tot he sky. Her eyes suddenly swivel to Connor as they widen. She looks to Randal and grins wryly. "He really -is- bad at keeping--wait, what??" Yes, it just hit her that her feared Professor is also Radical, whom she only knows by reputation.

Connor nods. "I figure that another dimension...even a pocket one, should be safe enough. I've been working on getting small groups of people to safety for the last day or so, but it's a drop in the bucket."

Grimm sighs and grinds her heel into the porch. "It is. And...hard to keep track of everyone to get them back. I tried during the Overlord attack. And the Rift Crisis. It's not enough. But it's something. Porter came to me with his daughter. Asked me and Malcolm to get her off world and do what I could to help, but," she rubs her face and sighs. She had to grow up fast, as most heroes do. Her hands drop and she changes what she was going to say. "We do what we can," she says somberly.

Connor sets his backpack down and opens it up, showing Grimm the mask of his costume, including the goggles that allow him to see across dimensions. "I did a lot of research after I lost the mantle of Order. And time moves differently in the Great Library than it does elsewhere. I was able to fit more research in than I otherwise would have been able to. I was able to replicate some of the magic I was able to perform previously, and came up with other options to supplement."

Randal nods. "I helped him with the research as well. I was too old to continue, but I was able to help him with his efforts."

There's also a hint of magic from his bag, now that it's open. Not much, but there's a hint of it. A small mana battery.

Grimm grumbles to herself, "...could've used that my freshman year..."

She then snaps back to paying attention. "So...you're...a hero." Still wrestling with that? Yes. Yes, she is. "But you're so...so..." . o O (Don't say boring, Don't say boring...

"...normal...?"

Connor says, "...stuffy?" He laughs. "You didn't even notice the change in personality when I lost hte mantle, did you?"

Grimm winces at the stuffy comment, and looks very guilty. "No. I was too busy worrying about my grades. I mean you were a little less 'extra' with the erasing and correcting. Some of the other students had their theories," she says, blushing a bit. "Ahem, anyway," she quickly tries to steer away from that, "I'm just glad you're both going to be safe."

Connor grins broadly. "The magic of Order and Chaos have an effect on the person channelling them. When one of us Cartesians used the magic of Order, we became more orderly. More...stiff. It cannot be avoided. The same is true of the Anarch. He gets more...chaotic after using his magic."

"Man, that explains so much about Lazare," Grimm suddenly realizes. "Now he's a bit more fun. But dangerous."

Connor nods. "I'm not sure I would call Lazare 'fun'. He can be quite deadly under hte right circumstances."

"Well...I did say dangerous," Grimm offers a faint grin. She folds her arms over her chest, her grin growing as she looks a bit impressed. "Got to say...um. Now that I know about that," she motions with one hand to Connor's gear before it returns to its folded position, "that was an impressive punch you gave Dr. Fogg. I never would've in a million years expected Dr. Duran capable of something like that."

Randal chuckles. "A couple of years ago, he wouldn't have been able to. Too busy with his head stuck in books."

Grimm smiles over at Randal, laughing at his comment. "I bet you punched a bunch of bad guys in your day, huh?"

Randal nods. "I did. But I'm not as good at it as Connor is. When I had to fight, it was kind of like...well, the old pulp stories. Boxing. That kind of thing. Connor learned far more than I did about hand to hand fighting."

Connor smiles and nods. "Umm...well, when I lost my magic powers, I had an idea to recreate my powers, as I mentioned. But I needed time. You'll notice I did so really quickly. But it only seems like it. I spent time in the Great Library and in worlds where time travels at a different rate." He shrugs, "And while I was gone, I studied an art called 'Kampfringen'. It's related to the Kabbalah."

Connor adds, "It's an older German martial art, focused heavily on grappling techniques. But there are a few strikes. And I used my gear to make it possible to bypass Fogg's armor."

Grimm raises an eyebrow at Randal's comments about Connor being more skilled in hand to hand. That look is shared over to Connor with a look of doubtfulness. "Wow. That's some determination. I've never heard of it, but if that's what I saw you doing to Dr. Fogg? Kudos." She looks thoughtful a moment, and a bit more serious. "What made you want to pick back up? I mean...you weren't the Cartesian for long. You could've just gone back to your life."

Connor nods. "That was what I used, yeah. I'm not overly strong, but I could take a guy like Fogg in hand to hand with a hand tied behind my back." He smiles. "Randal was old enough that he retired. He had been the Cartesian a long time. I, on the other hand...only had the job a few short years. I felt like I had...failed the family's tradition. I was the last of our family line to hold the role. And...my decision that cost me my job...saved a life. I wanted to be able to contine to do good. To save more people."

Grimm glances towards Randal curiously. "Are you upset about him losing the family tradition?" she asks, just curious. She has a feeling Randal doesn't mind as much as Connor does.

That guess would be correct. Randal shrugs, "It did run in the family for...200 years. But all things come to an end. I had assumed the last of our line would be me." He smiles. "And then Connor came to speak to me because he had been chosen. I still find that a curious choice by the Lords of Order. After all, I had refused an order. I'm not sure why they felt Connor would be more willing to be obedient."

"Second chances? Or...keeping tradition because that seems orderly? Fool me once, shame on me?" Grimm guesses on all of those with a shrug. "How'd your family get chosen? I'm not exactly sure how they'd choose a new family or person. Hmm...who was the Anarch in your day, Randal?"

Randal says, "The stories about why the original member of our family was chosen...are a bit sketchy. The first was Holly Duran, during the Civil War. The books seem to indicate that it was somewhat random, but I have found that little the Lords of Order do is truly random." He chuckles. "Well, Lazare was the Anarch when I retired. Prior to him was a guy who went by Iolas. I believe his full name was...Iolas McArthur."

"Any relation?" Grimm asks with interest. "Sorry I'm so curious. I just never really understood what was going on with the forces of Order and Chaos. I've just got a broad idea."

Connor shakes his head. "I don't know of any kind of family tree connection or...any other connection for the agents of Chaos. Sometimes, they're not even from this planet."

"With names like Lazare and Iolas, I can see that," Grimm smiles a bit. Then she gazes up at the sky and sighs a bit. "I may not have enough time to understand it all. I better let you two get ready to go. Sky's supposed to be falling, after all." She glances back down to the pair of them. "If the world's still intact in the end...maybe I'll come by to visit and talk some more. Over tea or coffee?" It's a bit more aimed at Randal, but Connor isn't quite excluded, as she looks to him to add, "And maybe we'll get that talk you mentioned after the incident with Dr. Fogg."

Connor smiles. "Sure. I'd be happy to sit down and talk. Or if you want to just hear the old man's stories, I won't feel offended." He chuckles, and Randal also laughs. The older man says, "I'm always happy to chat." Randal pauses a moment, "Connor...did you look at the future? Can you still do that?"

Connor nods. "I did. The threads don't end, as far as I can tell. So, I think we'll pull through this particular incident."

Grimm chuckles. "I really am interested in Randal's stories." She suddenly looks surprised and intrigued at the talk between them. "You can see into the future? Well...sounds like we'll get to have that chat another day," she says, breathing a sigh of relief.

Connor nods. "One of the two magic spells I've relearned. I can see the future...and the past. Things are vague, but I get a general gist. I relearned it to try to learn about my own future. And I was blocked from seeing my own future by a strong magician."

"Wow, that's cool. Also...a bit creepy? I mean, looking into your own future. I...don't know if I want to see where mine goes," Grimm says. She looks a little haunted, briefly. "Why'd they block you?"

"Although..." Grimm starts to think suddenly. "Can you see if I'm going to pass my finals this semester? Joking, joking," she quickly holds up her hands.

Connor chuckles. "It's...complicated?" He takes a deep breath and rattles off the short version, "A robot from the future came back to try to kill my grandmother. I needed to know why. And the word is...it has to do with my descendant. So, I was trying to figure out who I ended up marrying...or why my descendants were so important. I THINK I know who my future wife is...the daughter of the famous Moriarty, Elizabeth. But I'm not entirely sure."

Grimm blinks and stares. "Heavy, Doc," she comments after taking a few moments to digest that. "Time traveling terminators? That's a whole level of dangerous I wouldn't even mess with."

Connor nods. "I went back in time to try to stop it. With help from Timewarp. I can see thorugh time...not travel through it, normally."

Grimm narrows her eyes slightly. "Timewarp? As in...the kid that ran around with Amelia back in the day? Oh, of course. A cluster like that has Amelia's crew written all over it."

Connor grins. "I'm part of that group."

Grimm's manner becomes cold suddenly. She even takes a step back. "Oh no. Not again. I'm not cleaning up after any more of her messes!" she growls. "You'd think she'd learn after every screw up she's done. Was this what that voice message was about? She wanted me to step in once again to help after some person involved with her got traumatized."

Connor raises a brow. "No idea what you're talking about in terms of a voice message. But it sounds like you're referring to Moonshadow. I helped heal her mind already. That's the other spell I relearned. Most of the trauma is taken care of."

Grimm frowns still. "Good. Because I'm tired of Amelia coming to me every time she messes up. Or her friends coming to me to help when she got herself killed. You're probably the a**holes that have Empress V'han trying to hunt me down across the multiverse," she says, having gone from friendly to aggressive. Or just venting? There's clearly a lot of bad blood involved.

Grimm takes a breath and tries to calm herself down, and finding it difficult. "I'm going to excuse myself now. I'm glad you're safe and taken care of, Mr. Duran," she tries to be polite to Randal. She looks to Connor, and only scowls. "You got yourself tied in with a dangerous, reckless woman drunk and greedy for power. Good luck." She takes another step away and vanishes in a swirl of dark energy and forboding whispers.

Randal looks to Connor, "Do you know what that's about?" Connor says, "I know that Amelia tends to play a little fast and loose with things. But...Randal...I should warn you, I have too, recently. Time travel? I need to tell you a couple of stories of what happened recently. Well in my timeline."