Log:Bargaining for Knowledge

Grimm Family Matters 2020/08/22 Night Marshal Grimm 12

After dinner at the Chinese restaurant, Gabrielle strolls with Jack and helpfully opens a gate to his neighborhood for a shortcut. She walks with him back to his place as they just chat, holding his hand if he's willing. She's reluctant to leave him and wants to spend what time she can with him.

As they reach his apartment door, Gabrielle sighs at the date being over. "I guess this is where I get to kiss you goodnight before I run my errands and go deal with my other self. Hopefully that gate in the Upper East Side is still there. See you in the morning if everything goes okay?" she says as she gives his hand a squeeze. "I promise I'll bring coffee," she smiles.

Carpenter smiles and kisses her, "Sounds good. I'm looking forward to hearing from you." He pulls away and smiles. "I'll catch you later."

Grimm kisses him back, then watches him longingly as he pulls away. "I wish I could just spend the night with you," she sighs, smiling back. "I'll miss you, but it won't be long. Have a good night." She steps back a few paces and blows him a kiss before turning away and vanishing in a swirl of darkness.

Carpenter waves...and decides that perhaps he can be of assistance anyway. There might be time to go change and be up in the Upper East Side at the right time.

Gabrielle -did- say she had a few errands to run beforehand. He'd still have to be quick.

Carpenter changes into his costume and glides over to the Upper East Side, moving as quickly as he can.

After arriving at the Upper East Side, still relatively early in the evening, but night has fallen. It may seem like he's too late, until he spies one of Gabrielle's portals opening in a run down commercial part of neighborhood. Most of the stores are closed and out of business around here. Gabrielle steps out into a sidewalk near an alley, holding a compass in her palm. As the gate closes behind her, she looks down at the compass and whispers something, then tries orienting herself while watching the needle.

Night Marshal glides down toward where Grimm is, landing about ten meters away...but not trying to be sneaky about it.

Grimm lifts her head as he arrives, smiling roguishly. "Hey there, Cowboy. Any luck finding the Judge?"

Night Marshal tips his hat to her. "Even'in. No luck, I'm afraid. What're you up to?" He points to the compass, "You lost?"

Grimm smiles at the hat tip, finding his politeness charming in a way. "Not quite. I'm looking for something. The doorway to a special private...hmm...'venue'. Part elite club, part...wretched hive of scum and villainy, you could say."

Night Marshal tilts his head, "And it's here? Seems like an odd place for it. Or is it a magical thing?"

Grimm chuckles. "It's a magical thing. It moves around. That's why I need the compass. I had to make a deal to borrow it," she says as she looks down at the compass and turns a bit. "Hmmm. There," she notes as she looks across the street towards a closed down theater.

Night Marshal looks down in the direction she points in. "Would you like a little backup in this 'hive' you're heading into. I promise to not get into a bar fight."

Grimm smiles at the offer. "Hmmm. Well, if you think you're up for dealing with some of the weirder elements of the city and beyond...I suppose I wouldn't mind the backup. No shoot outs, either. Deal?"

Night Marshal nods. "No shootouts. Got it." He gives her a thumb's up.

Grimm smirks and shakes her head in amusement. "Well, come on then, Cowboy," she says and starts walking towards the boarded up theater, still consulting the compass. There's the remnants of a poster of the last musical show that was performed there: Little Shop of Horrors. "The place I'm looking for has some strict rules about harming others, anyway. No rules against tricking people and other mischief, though," she explains.

Night Marshal nods. "Mm....this some kind of neutral ground for magic folks?" He follows along after her.

"Yeah. And entities. Good, bad, so long as they play by the rules, they're allowed," Gabrielle explains. She looks around before gesturing to the chained up doors, and a dark portal opens up to the inside. She steps through and waits for Night Marshal. "It's also a place to cut back and indulge. Sort of an entertainment venue. Fitting that the gate is in this place, I guess."

The interior has seen better days. There's peeling wallpaper and torn up carpet, plus graffiti tags along the walls from when kids snuck inside.

Night Marshal steps through the gate and follows her into the building. "Hmm." He looks around carefully, just being cautious.

The gate seals shut. It's mostly quite. Gabrielle holds up her other hand and a ball of light appears, hovering above her palm an lighting the way. She checks the compass and leads on to a side door that leads to backstage. "Employees Only". When she opens the door, it reveals a well lit antechamber. There's a bouncer sitting on a stool, reading a book, and a steel door behind her.

The bouncer is big, pot bellied, bearded, tattooed, and dressed in biker leathers with t-shirt and jeans. What is not so usual is that this six foot six bouncer is also quite obviously female. She casts no reflection. She looks up and studies the pair. "Password?" She has a voice that sounds like honey mixed with gravel.

"Crowley's closet," Gabrielle replies.

The bouncer, Gloriana, cracks a smile. "Bringing a mundane with ya?" She looks to Night Marshal and takes a big sniff of the air. "This your first time?" she asks the cowboy directly.

Night Marshal looks at the bouncer for a moment, sizing her up. "Yeah. First time. I know to not start any trouble. Anything else I should know?"

Gloriana raises up a hand and raises a finger with each listed item. "Three main rules of The Inn Between Worlds: 1) Do no harm. 2) Pay all debts. 3) Play nice." She lowers her hand and fishes out a key to open the lock on the steel door and swing it open. It reveals...a mirror? Night Marshal can see him and Grimm's reflections, but not Gloriana's.

Gabrielle leans in to whisper to Night Marshal, "And don't make any deals you aren't prepared for. Knowledge has a price there."

Night Marshal nods to Gloriana, "Thank you." He then nods to Grimm as well, "Got it."

Grimm smiles and nods. "Alright, then, Cowboy. Let's go. Hopefully your backup won't be needed, but...better safe than sorry, right?" She's used to making these trips on her own. But now she has extra reasons to be more careful. She nods to Gloriana. "Thanks, Gloriana. Take it easy," she says before she walks towards the mirror and straight through it, the surface rippling like water from her passage.

Night Marshal takes a deep breath, and follows Grimm into the mirror. And finds himself wondering if this was really a good idea.

Grimm is waiting on the other side, smiling. "Wow, you just dived on it. I was thinking I should probably have gone back to explain and help you through," she says approvingly. There's music playing all around. They're at the inner entrance of the Inn Between Worlds. Inside, it appears as a dimly lit industrial night club. The music, however, has an upbeat irish or fae flare to it, with someone playing madly on the fiddle. There are some modern elements to it, and no lyrics as of yet. There's the murmur of crowds beyond the entrance where the club opens up.

There are two long carved wooden bars in the club: one near the stage and one in the back. Tables, chairs, cushions, and sofas are scattered randomly on the main floor as well as on a walkway/floor above that lies 13 feet from the main floor. There are also two large staircases that twine around each other going up into the roof about 25 feet above and down into the concrete and tile floor below. The place is filled with all manner of people and creatures.

Night Marshal looks around after he's through. "I've been to another dimension. Once. I figured I'd just follow your lead through it."

Grimm smiles in surprise at that. "It takes some getting used to, but it sounds like you got the hang of it." She takes a breath and looks around, anxious as she pockets the compass in her jacket. "Man, I am not looking forward to this," she mutters.

Night Marshal nods. "Who are you here to talk to? I don't think you told me."

"Right. Umm." Gabrielle looks a little embarrassed. "I'm trying to find another version of me that sometimes comes here. She's much more experienced with her powers and I thought...maybe...I could get some advice from her on how to deal with someone."

Night Marshal nods once, "Another version of you. Got it. Someone you don't like, though." He looks around again, "So where in this place do we have ta head?"

Grimm nods. "Yeah, she's irritating as hell. A self-styled queen and ruler of her dimension. We have a...a truce, I guess you could say. I stay out of her universe, and she stays out of ours." She plants her hands on her hips and looks around. "Oh, I imagine we'll find her holding court somewhere if she's hear. Either around the main part of the club or upstairs perhaps. Just don't go downstairs."

Night Marshal tilts his head, "What's downstairs?"

The sharpshooter spies a part of the club beyond the dance floor that's darker than the rest of the dim club, like the shadows have swallowed it. There's some dark curtains around the VIP seating area over there. A waiter, carrying a tray of fine glasses and wine, is approaching with a look of veiled terror as they deliver their tray.

Grimm rubs the back of her head. "Well...this place is suited for...all tastes. The ground floor is the main drinking, dancing, and socializing area of the inn. Upstairs are the more cerebral pursuits. Bookish types, those with a hunger for knowledge. It's quieter up there. Downstairs...downstairs is more for...physical pursuits. And it can get awkward if you take a wrong turn."

Night Marshal nods, "Mmm. I see." He nods toward the VIP area. "I reckon the person you're lookin' for is over there, if I were to hazard a guess."

Grimm blushes a bit. "They've got nice spa services for recovery," she tries to explain the awkwardness of wrong turns, then notes where he nods. She floats a few inches off the ground to peak over the crowd, a little too short to see it. "Hmmm. Seems like." She drifts back down to the ground and takes a breath. "Okay. Let's go." She flexes her fingers, clenching and unclenching them nervously, then works up the nerve and starts to make her way through the colorful crowd.

The crowd itself is bizarre. Entities of light mixing with satyrs. A very large troll is tapping its massive foot in time with the music. Will o' Wisps are dancing with a...a woman, one might think, wearing pioneer dress from the 1800's, but with a horse's skull for a head, with a head of long black hair. That La Cegua is cutting a rug.

Night Marshal follows Grimm through the crowd, keeping a wary eye out. He definitely feels tense, realizing what the crowd is like here.

As they approach the VIP area shrouded in shadows, there's finally a line of sight on the occupants. There's several attractive men surrounding one woman, there for her entertainment.

The woman definitely looks similar to Gabrielle. Same face, blue eyes, and dark hair. But this version has a much more regal bearing in body language, makeup, and attire. She has an elegant off the shoulder dress of black lace and embroidery with gothic designs. The sleeves are long, covering her wrists, with the end of the sleeve pointed. She has a jeweled lace choker around her neck, and a black thorny crown on her head with glittering red gems. There's a wine glass in her hand, being filled by the server.

Her cold blue eyes settle on Gabrielle as she and Night Marshal approach. "You," she announces with a narrowing of her eyes and disgust evident in her voice. Her eyes drift to Night Marshal. "And you've brought a cowboy," she notes in amusement.

Night Marshal tips his hat to the other version of Grimm, "Ma'am."

"Ohhh. And he has manners," she adds, still amused. Until she looks back to Grimm. "Why are you bothering me? This is supposed to be my relaxation time."

"When isn't it your relaxation time?" Gabrielle retorts in resentment, then quickly bites her tongue. She's bad at this. "I mean. I seek counsel with the Queen of the Void," she eats crow and does a courtesy.

The Void Queen laughs, then makes a dismissive gesture to makes the waiter get away from her. Which they're all too eager to do. "Now this must be something to make the Grimm Traveller bow before Us," she smiles darkly, sounding like she already feels she's at an advantage.

The Void Queen has a few familiar faces in her court. Some are kept as eye candy. Others perhaps for their expertise in handling her business affairs. Most are metahumans, which are the ones Night Marshal recognizes, and all are dressed in fancy suits. Among them, Malcolm "Forge" Gibbs, although he sports a bald head, and Griffin "Sentinel" Freeman, but his eyes don't glow.

Night Marshal does look over the various members of her court, not letting his gaze linger too long on any single person. He doesn't want to come across as staring at anyone.

While the Void Queen is sandwiched between those two on the plush upholstered couch, there's another famous face of the Senator's son, Wade Lockwood, dressed in a tuxedo and in a chair adjacent to the Queen. Behind her and to her right is a man in a three-piece suit, holding a tablet. He seems like the bookish sort, her Seneschal, Connor Duran. And then, in the shadows at her left is a militant looking officer who steps forward and leans down to whisper something to the Void Queen ominously. Night Marshal most definitely recognizes this other version of himself.

Night Marshal takes a longer look at...himself, and he finds that he's happy he's is costume. Finally he returns his attention to the woman that Grimm is talking to.

"No, that won't be necessary yet, Chief Carpenter," the Void Queen says dismissively.

That causes Gabrielle to suddenly notice the man. She sucks in a soft breath, a tiny gasp. "H...he's new," she comments. She looks to the boy scout's alter. "So's he."

The Void Queen smiles. "Mr. Lockwood finally saw the error of his ways." Something about Wade seems...off. Vacant. Controlled, perhaps, based on the implying tone of the Queen. "And I decided it was time to utilize the police force to help deal with the remaining heroes who haven't seen things my way. He's quite useful," she says in conversational tones. Then her eyes narrow again. "Now what do you want?"

Gabrielle's thrown off by seeing Jack there, not realizing her Jack is secretly right by her side. "I...I need your expertise. You know how to wield the Dark better than I do. I need..." she hesitates, looking to Lockwood, then back to the Void Queen. "I need to master it like you have. To control and change someone like you did him," she nods to Wade.

Night Marshal furrows his brow, wondering exactly why she needs to have this conversation. Who does she seek to...change, exactly? He keeps his mouth shut, though. He figures that if she speaks too much, there's a good chance that at least his own analogue will recognize the voice.

The Void Queen listens. And then smiles slowly like that cat who caught the canary. "So you've finally gotten over your squeamish nature and are ready to embrace what you -really- are? After all that holier than thou condemnation about me being irresponsible with those powers?" She considers it a moment as she sips her wine, taking her time. "Very well. But," she holds up a finger. "It will cost you. I'll even begin teaching you up front. And while you're doing that, your cowboy friend can retrieve your payment for the lessons."

Night Marshal raises a brow, "What do you mean, exactly?" He tries to keep the sentence short to limit the chance that his alt will recognize the voice.

Grimm raises a brow at the Void Queen's suggestion. Chief Carpenter is keeping his eyes on the room, but he does study Night Marshal and Grimm both.

The Void Queen leans back and crosses her legs, swirling her wine. "Just a simple go-for errand. There's a fruit I desire. He can fetch it for you while we discuss your evolution. Just a short jaunt into the Tatterdemalion."

"No. Absolutely not," Grimm says firmly.

Night Marshal furrows his brow, "What is the Tatterdemalion?"

"A trifle," the Void Queen shrugs.

Gabrielle seems less pleased. "It's a jig saw puzzle of leftover dimensional fragments."

Night Marshal tilts his head, "Given my inability to travel across dimensions, I reckon I can't do that on my own. It would require Grimm to do the travellin'."

The Void Queen smiles. "Either of us could arrange getting you there."

Gabrielle doesn't seem comfortable with that idea still. "And how will he get back? I'll go," she volunteers.

"If you both insist on going, you'd best be quick about it. I won't be here all night," the Void Queen sniffs.

Night Marshal looks to Grimm, "Either you can go on your own and I stay here, so you can go quicker. Or we can both go. Up to you."

Grimm seems to be distracted a bit. Night Marshal sees her keep looking to Chief Carpenter. And he seems to notice her looking at him. Though Grimm also seems to be looking to the Alt-Connor with similar concern and distraction, equal to her concern for Carpenter.

Grimm thinks carefully on Night Marshal's suggestion. "It could be quicker to go alone. But dangerous. I can't ask you to go with me there."

Night Marshal places a hand on Grimm's shoulder, "I'll go with you, then."

Grimm looks surprised by his offer, but also a little relieved. "You're sure?" If she realized who it was behind the mask offering to go with her, she'd be touched by him volunteering.

"Touching," the Void Queen rolls her eyes, her voice dripping with disgust. She holds up a palm and a glowing blue fruit, the size and shape of a large mango. "This is what I want. It's from a dimension that no longer exists, but a fragment of it still exists within the Tatterdemalion."

Night Marshal nods, "I'm sure." He looks at the image of the item they'll be looking for. "Hmm."

Grimm studies it as well. "It's magic?" she comments, sensing something Night Marshal can't about the image.

"Yes, this same signature. That should help your search," the Void Queen sounds bored. She closes her hand and the image vanishes. When she opens it again, she holds a stone with a rune on it and tosses it to Grimm. "That will open a gate to the general region you need to go to. Take it outside to use it." She smiles wickedly. "Lesson one: If you were smart, you'd try using you powers to make that compass of yours home in on that signature."

Gabrielle looks surprised at the suggestion. She pulls the compass out of her pocket and looks down at it. "I can...do that?"

"You won't know until you try," the Void Queen smiles darkly. Then quickly frowns. "Now get going."

Night Marshal tips his hat again to the alternate Grimm, and then goes to head out with Grimm. He waits until they're out of earshot before he says to her, "Don't worry about the alternate versions of people you know. I saw you staring a bit. They're not the same people. They're not."

Grimm walks with Night Marshal for the exit. She blushes a bit at realizing she was noticeably staring. "I know. I just...I care about my friends. That extends to their alters. I know it's dumb. I know that's not...Detective Carpenter," she tries to keep things professional, but her feelings are easily apparent to Night Marshal.

Night Marshal nods, "Yeah, I know. It was jarring seeing him for me, too."

Grimm smiles faintly at Night Marshal's comment. o O (But not in the same way it was jarring for me, I bet.) "It's just weird to see that evil witch of a version of me using all of them like...like...arrgh!" She hasn't the words for it.

Night Marshal adds, "...servants?"

"Yes! That!" Gabrielle agrees. "That's a nicer term that whatever was bubbling through my mind," she steams a little as they reach the mirror that leads out and walks through it.

Night Marshal follows Grimm through the mirror, trying to relax as he does so. He's going to have to trust in Grimm's abilities to get them where they're going, after all.

Grimm leads Night Marshal out into the abandoned theater's lobby. It's quiet again. She fishes out the rune stone the Void Queen gave her, peering at it as she holds it up between thumb and forefinger. "She just uses everyone for her amusement," she grumbles, then sighs and focuses. "I think this is a navigation stone. If this ISN'T a trap, that is." She looks to Night Marshal and extends her hand out to him, palm up and open. "You still sure about coming?" she asks as she waits to see if he'll take her hand.

Night Marshal takes her hand. "Absolutely. I'm coming along."

Grimm smiles softly, encouraged by his certainty and the backup. "Thanks," she says with genuine gratitude. "I'll get us back somehow." She looks to the rune as her hand closes around his and holds up the stone. With a focused expression, a black swirl of energy swirls up from their feet an swallows them, transported them to the Tatterdemalion.

The place is a mishmash of clashing colors. Purple rocks, pink grasses, floating mountains and rocks. Some of the floating rocks and soil have trees growing out from them. The land looks shattered, and then knit together with whatever spare random dimensional land would fit. A clash of biomes lay before them.

Gabrielle takes a breath as she looks around. They're currently in a field of tall pink grass.

Night Marshal looks around cautiously. "Let's do this quickly. Which direction do we need to head?"

Grimm pulls the compass from her pocket and looks to where it's pointed. It spins at a moderate pace without end. "Hrm. She said I could change this. I think she means alter the enchantment. I...I can try. It feels more like wishful thinking, since I don't know -what- to change it to. All I have is that fruit to go on." She frowns faintly, skeptical in her abilities.

Night Marshal nods. "Well, worst case, you can't figure it out, and we head back empty handed. Then you don't get what you were looking for."

Grimm nods, but looks worried about that. "If I don't get her help, I'll have to do something I'm going to regret for the rest of my life." But she'll do it anyway if it means Gwen can come home at last. She cups the compass in both hands and closes her eyes. She thinks, focuses, and wishes, her mind on the fruit they're looking for. Dark energy seeps from her hands into the compass slowly. It takes a few moments before the energy stops and Grimm lets out a breath of exertion. She uncovers the compass, and it finally points to the north east ahead of them. "Maybe that did it?"

Night Marshal nods. "What is it you want from her?"

Grimm takes a deep breath and sighs, staring at the compass rather than look at him. "I want the power to have an alternative to put an end to an evil man's plans to end the world that won't involve killing him," she says quietly, though in the silence of the Tatterdemalion, her words sound loud.

Night Marshal nods slowly. "Okay. So, what does that mean? What would this alternative be?"

Grimm finally looks up to Night Marshal. "It means maybe I could change his mind when talking wouldn't stop him. Maybe remove the dark parts of his mind, or his desire to do evil, so he'd no longer be a bad guy. Or not -as- bad and big a threat. It's...not great. I don't like the idea of forcing someone to change. But it beats the alternative."

Night Marshal nods slowly, "I understand. Having options is a good thing."

Grimm nods. "Yeah. I want to have options, and right now, I'm not happy with the only one I have. Unhappy enough that I'm willing to deal with that witch," she sighs. She looks off in the direction the compass points. "I could just be home right now, relaxing with...--well. Nevermind. I won't feel like I can really do that if I don't try to find a better option." How could she just be with Jack if she has to become a killer? "I think I can make the trip shorter of I teleport us along the path the compass directs us."

Night Marshal nods. "I'm good with that. Move us as quickly as you like. I'll be fine."

Grimm nods and smiles faintly to him. She's clearly troubled, but then focuses on the mission. Her hand reaches for his again, and once contact is made, she begins teleporting them. She teleported them quite a ways, or maybe only a short ways, as they find themselves in a freezing blizzard surrounding by snow drifts and howling winds.

Night Marshal shivers, "Okay...this is unexpected."

Grimm squints against the swirling snow. "That's the problem with this place...you don't know what to expect!"

Through the snowstorm and snowblindness, Night Marshal's IR Eyepiece helps him pick up something not so distant in the storm. Heat signatures. Two of them, traversing together. Quadrupedal. About the size of a bear, but with long tails. It's not quite like anything he recognizes based on the heat signature shapes.

Grimm is focused on the compass, which has frosted over quickly in the below zero temperature storm. She rubs at the glass to clear away the frost.

Night Marshal points in the direction he's seen the creatures. "Two creatures off that way. We need to move."

"Huh?" Gabrielle looks up and squints, not seeing them. She quickly and more urgently scrapes at the glass. "Okay, got it!" She puts a hand on Night Marshal's shoulder and they vanish again to reappear in a night time jungle from some alien world. Blue mushrooms with glowing spots dot the trees, and many of the ground plants and the bugs flying around them are biolumiescent.

Gabrielle looks dizzy and sways.

Night Marshal puts an arm around Grimm to steady her. "Are you okay?"

Grimm is steadied by Night Marshal, putting a hand to her head. "Yeah, just...just vertigo. This place is all wrong. All these worlds and dimensions, cracked and shoved together. It's messing with my dimensional senses." With his help, she manages to straigthen up. "And I need them to sense where I'm teleporting to when it comes to distant teleports."

Night Marshal nods and looks around warily, just making sure they're not being stalked by something else. "Gotcha."

Some of those bioluminescent dots swirl slowly together in a uniform pattern, flowing oddly. There's no heat to them, but rather a cold patch. He makes out the shape of a large jaguar, not made of flesh, but of starstuff. It looks like a moving constellation with darkness outlining its body to form its shape. And it's stalking towards them, ready to pounce.

Night Marshal draws his weapon and takes aim, saying to Grimm, "Another stalker." He then fires.

The creature yowls in a deep tone like a lion. The blast hurt it and has knocked it senseless for the moment. Long enough for Gabrielle to check the compass and teleport the pair of them again.

This time, they find themselves knee-deep in water, with waterfalls about them. They're in some sort of sunken city. The ruins of a metropolis. The buildings are cracked, some shattered. Water swells in the ruins. The waterfalls are from run off from the buildings. Some buildings are crooked and half toppled. And above, like some dreadnaught ship, one of the buildings is floating due to the mysterious forces of the Tatterdemalion.

Gabrielle sways again, more dizzy than before.

Night Marshal again goes to help support Grimm and then watch for any predators. "It's probably for the best that I was along with you."

Grimm has to lean a bit against Night Marshal for support. "Y-yeah. Given how this place makes me feel, you have no idea how grateful I am you came."

This sunken city seems like a tomb. At first glance. But the presence of the living have brought out the dead. Carrionites, whose semi-undead flesh constantly remolds itself into different forms, start to shamble from the depths of a nearby hollowed out building. They at first seem like human zombies. But as the first steps out into the light--for it's dawn in this part of the tatterdemalion--reveals it to be misshapen and grotesque. Its form and features split and melt and reform into something else, and the sounds it makes are unnerving croaks.

Night Marshal sighs as he sees them. He says quietly to her, "I don't have enough bullets. We'll need to get out of here as soon as you're ready." He mutters, "This seems more dangerous overall than a simple fetch and grab mission."

"From what witch? I'm not surprised. If it were so simple, she could do it herself," Gabrielle mutters. Then seems suspicious. "Or send her minions. Why didn't she...?" She shakes her head. No time for that. she looks to the compass and tries to orient herself. "Just hold it off one more second..." she asks as she tries to get a lock on the location and charge up for a long range teleport.

Night Marshal opens fire at the closest one, hoping to just keep it away long enough to stay out of hand to hand combat with it. Or hand to...whatever.

The creature shrieks with an inward croaking sound. It starts to run forward, its lead leg splitting apart like it was ripped open, then quickly healing up to form into two legs. The now three-legged thing runs faster, yet awkwardly, and tries to sweep its gnarled, clawed hand at Night Marshal.

Night Marshal manages to avoid the claw, scrambling to his left and keeping out of its reach.

That bought Grimm enough time. She gasps, and lays a hand on Night Marshal before they teleport away. This time they're in some grasslands again. It looks fairly normal. A field of flowers. A few meters ahead of them, the landscape changes drastically to serene hills of golden light, dotted with trees. Near the border between those two realms is a blueish glow hanging from a fruiting tree.

Night Marshal looks around again, "This should be the field of poppies that makes us fall asleep, right?"

Grimm laughs a bit, preemptively using him as support for the vertigo. It passes as she stops using her senses. "Knowing how things have gone so far? Might just be," she shakes her head. "Don't breathe too deep, I guess?" She straigthens up, able to stand on her own, then checks the compass before looking ahead and pointing. "I think those're them. The fruit she wanted."

Night Marshal nods. "So, anything going to attack us for taking it?"

"I...don't know. Hard to sense anything properly here." Grimm starts to walk towards the glowing dimension that looks heavenly and serene. "Since she's not willing to come herself when she's more powerful than me, I bet something's u--uuhhnnn!" As soon as Gabrielle's foot crosses the threshold, her body tenses like she's in agony. Something about the golden sliver of land is repelling her powers. Dark waves scatter away from her as she doubles over, starting to curl into a fetal position as she falls.

Night Marshal grabs her as she falls, and pulls her back to make sure she's not in pain in the zone that hurt her. "I guess that's why she didn't do it herself. And if her minions have that same power in them, they wouldn't be able to do this either."

Grimm shudders in agony, teeth grit and sweat breaking out across her brow. As he pulls her back across, she finally goes limp with a sigh of relief. She can't even stand at the moment, panting raggedly. "Yeah...or her spell...on them would break," she manages to get out.

Night Marshal nods. "So...I can tell...this means I have to get it, huh?"

Grimm tries to sit up, weakened and exhausted. "If that's going to do the same to you? I...don't know that you should go. Maybe that's why she suggested to go alone the first time. Or maybe it was a trap. If I had teleported deeper into that area...I don't know what'd happen. Just that first step felt like...like being ripped apart."

Night Marshal shrugs, "It seemed to affect your powers. I don't have them, right? So, I can give it a shot. What can you tell about the fruit from here?"

"Right," Gabrielle nods, wiping at her brow with the back of her hand. She looks over at the fruit. The effort makes her feel sick again. "It's...magical. And potent. It's...teeming with life energy. There's something divine...I can see it now."

Night Marshal furrows his brow, "I'm wondering if this is actually worth getting for her. Especially if this is like...'tree of knowledge' fruit."

Grimm nods, still taking a breather. She rubs the back of her skull like it hurts. "I think you're on to something. Getting this...this may be worse than whatever solutions she could give me," she sighs.

Night Marshal nods. "I'm not comfortable providing her with something divine. But I'll do it if you still want to do it. I'll trust your assessment."

Grimm takes a deep breath and lets it out, sitting in silence as she looks to the fruit. So close and yet seeming so far. "I...think you're right," she says, sounding defeated. "If I trade that for knowledge, and she uses it for greater evil than I'm trying to avoid...? That may as well be blood on my hands, too."

Night Marshal nods. "Then again...what if we recovered it for you?" He tilts his head, "What would you do with it yourself?"

Grimm looks up at Night Marshal curiously, then looks back to the fruit. "I'm...not sure. I'm not even sure what it can do or what it really is. I'd have to research it."

Grimm thinks a moment, then cracks a smile. "World domination? Get the cute guy?" she jokes through her exhaustion. Her smile grows a bit, since she's already got the latter.

Night Marshal chuckles. "You get five minutes to research right here."

Grimm sits up and rubs her temple, still resting on the ground. "Five minutes? Talk about a cramming session," she smirks faintly.

Night Marshal nods. "Well, we're not giving it to her, so I guess we don't need to hurry."

Grimm nods. "Yeah, good point. That'd at least give me a chance to look it up. Consult some sources."

Night Marshal nods. "So, think about it, then."

Grimm chews on her lower lip. "Well...if we leave it here, we can guess she won't get it."

Night Marshal nods. "Not without getting someone else to get it for her, at least."

Ca-click. "That's why she sent insurance." Night Marshal hears his own normal voice, though calm, collected, and unaccented. Chief Carpenter stands beside the large tree his was hiding behind. He moved quietly enough that Night Marshal couldn't hear him step out and cover Grimm with his gun. "To make sure you get her prize. No funny business. Should be a cake walk for the vigilante. I'll just babysit until you get back."

With Grimm's powers fried and the Tatterdemalion messing with her senses, she never saw him coming. She twists from her resting spot on the ground and looks in surprise. "Shick..."

Night Marshal stands back up slowly and looks at his alternate. "Hmm. Do you have a way to get back on your own? Or are you going to need our help?"

"It's handled," Chief Carpenter answers, keeping an eye on pair for any sudden moves.

Grimm grumbles. "Insurance? So much for a favor and exchange of information." She tries not to make any sudden moves.

Night Marshal nods slowly. "Okay...so...Mr. Carpenter...if I'm going to grab it, I need to know more. Is it safe for me to grab? Otherwise, I wont' be able to get it back to you here."

"-Chief- Carpenter," Carpenter corrects. "It should be something even you could handle. And so long as you don't try anything, everyone gets to go home."

Grimm looks conflicted. "You know...you could get it yourself, too," she says to Carpenter. "That place might even free your mind from her influence."

Night Marshal nods. "I don't see why he can't grab it himself, honestly. He should be able to, if I can."

Chief Carpenter smirks at their comments. "The Queen's granted me superior abilities. Which unfortunately prevent me from stepping foot on that cosmic ground."

Grimm frowns. "Or else it'll dispel the changes she made to you," she realizes.

Night Marshal chuckles. "Well, I reckon they don't seem so superior if they keep you from doing things, right?" He's partially just delaying a little to help give Grimm some time to recover.

Grimm is trying to recover. And also get up the nerve to do something against an alter with Jack's face.

Chief Carpenter frowns. "Just this one thing," he says as his eyes narrow.

Grimm makes her move. She starts to sweep her arm to channel her energy to do...something. But since she's covered, Chief Carpenter pulls the trigger as soon as she starts moving.

Grimm was already prone on the ground. She barely gets a leg under her before Chief Carpenter fires. The impact slams her back into the ground, hitting high on the right side of her chest.

Night Marshal's pistol practically leaps into his hand. He says, "I'm doing for you after that. Good luck getting your fruit." He then opens fire.

Chief Carpenter says, "Don't do anything stu--ARGH!" Night Marshal's aim is uncanny and causes Carpenter's body to go rigid in pain. It leaves him dazed for a moment.

Grimm grits her teeth and twists a bit on the ground. She regains some of her senses and tries to put pressure on the wound.

Night Marshal fires again, fanning the hammer, and trying to press his advantage. "Don't do something stupid? Like attack the person you were holding hostage, you mean?"

Chief Carpenter turns enough that he's hit off center, gritting his teeth. He starts to get his wits about him. "You're forgetting. You need her to get home. I don't," he threatens.

Grimm rolls onto her side and coughs, her breath rattling. She shoots a glare at Chief Carpenter as she manages to stand up.

Chief Carpenter is as skilled as his counterpart in speed. He's a bit faster this time and fires on Night Marshal.

Night Marshal takes a glancing hit off of his kevlar shoulder pad, and he fires again as his counterpart. "I'm sure killing me will get you what you want. Wait...no, it won't."

Chief Carpenter grunts as he's hit. He shudders as his gun falls from his hand and drops first to his knees, then down on his hands, dazed and panting. "G...good shot..." he utters before losing consciousness and dropping.

Night Marshal sees his counterpart drop...and he walks over to grab his jacket...and pull him into the divine zone.

Once they cross the barrier, black tendrils of smoke-like energy billow out of Chief Carpenter's body for a few seconds, dispersing until there's nothing left.

Grimm remains on her current side of the barrier, though she does shamble closer. "Seriously. Good shooting, C-coughcough!--Cowboy..."

After several seconds, an unarmed Chief Carpenter groans and begins to stir.

Night Marshal reloads his pistol quickly while he waits for the Chief to recover. He only had one round remaining. He then aims at Carpenter. "How are you feeling, Grimm? Able to get us out of here?"

"Not good. But I can still get us out of here," Gabrielle offers weakly, voice laced with pain. The all black clothing hides just how much she's bleeding.

Night Marshal nods, "I guess the question now is...will he be able to get out of here on his own? Or not?" He keeps his gun aimed at his counterpart as he reaches down and picks up the heavy pistol that was dropped.

Chief Carpenter sits up slowly, not making sudden moves. "I'm...free. Free from that < Bleep >'s influence," he says as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "The teleportation stone she gave me is probably fried. Maybe for the best. It'd take me right back to her."

Grimm watches Chief Carpenter as she keeps applying pressure to her wound. Then she looks to Night Marshal. "What..ow...what do we do with him now?"

Night Marshal takes a deep breath. "Leaving him here seems like a problem, doesn't it?"

"Well...yeah. I'm not suggesting we leave him. I haven't exactly seen edible stuff except for that fruit." Gabrielle looks about. "We could take him back with us. To our dimension."

Chief Carpenter shakes his head. "I need to go back to my home dimension. Do what I can to help the resistance and overthrow the Queen."

Night Marshal looks to Grimm, "Are you up for making both trips? There and then home?"

Grimm smiles faintly at Chief Carpenter. "That's more like the Carpenter I know and l...like." She winces as she has to apply more pressure to the wound, then nods. "I can get us back. Then he can either rejoin the Queen at Sanctuary, or I can open a gate to somewhere else in his home dimension."

Night Marshal nods, "The alternative is...get back. Get you some help. And once you're able, you get him home."

Grimm smiles and does seem a bit out of it. "Y-yeah, that sounds even better," she agrees.

Former Chief Carpenter nods. "Either sounds good. I'm sorry about shooting you," he says to be amicable to his potential rescuers. It remains to be seen if they won't just abandon him here.

Night Marshal keeps his distance as he holsters his own pistol, and unloads the Chief's weapon with the practiced efficiency of someone used to dealing with firearms. So clearly he doesn't always use revolvers. "Alright, let's do that. Back to our world. Get you patched up. Then we get him home."

Grimm nods, trying not to move around or shift her body too much. She looks ahead of her and a portal begins to form, without the need of gestures or her drawing a circle as she tends to. It's just old habit from when she first started using her powers. Also it helps her visualize it a bit. On the other side, it looks like a city. Somewhere near Old Town based on the architecture. "There's..uhhnn...a private clinic in Steinberg tower. They got magic healers there. And they're discrete, if you ever need to get patched up, Cowboy." She starts shuffling toward her own gate.

Chief Carpenter lets her lead and follows up behind. Grimm may not have made a connection on the gun use, but the look on Carpenter suggests he understood the significance.

Night Marshal chuckles, and says with a slightly sarcastic tone, "Yeah, I'll just show my tin star and they'll let me in, right?" He keeps an eye on the Chief as he follows through the gate. He doesn't completely trust the other version of himself.

The other Carpenter is keeping his hands visible and at his sides. He's side-eyeing Night Marshal as well.

As they all step through, Gabrielle laughs, then winces and hisses in pain. "Hah-aaooww. Yeah, no questions asked. And it's free. Some service to the city's metas. I had misgivings, but it beats the hospital. They won't even ask for your secret identity." The gate shuts behind them and she finally can use her shadow sight without feeling nauseous. "They still haven't set up wards to prevent gating into the place, so they haven't managed to keep me out yet," she grins weakly. Another gate opens, this one opening into the clinic's lobby, and Gabrielle steps through slowly.

Night Marshal nods and follows through the second portal. "I'm guessing they work quick, then? Magic?"

Grimm nods. "Yeah, healing spells. Still leaves you a bit sore, but no marks left behind, so no questions," she grins. And winces. The portal closes once they're all through. She's made a habit of coming there recently, usually with others, so the current attendant rushes over.

"You again, Miss Grimm? Already? How many of you are hurt this time?" the attendant asks, supporting Grimm on her good side and leading her to be looked at.

Night Marshal nods, "Just her. Any wounds either of us have will be fine in a bit."

Chief Carpenter shakes his head. He hasn't got any complaints. "Better to keep my bruises. It'll help any story I have to make up if I get caught."

Grimm's taken aside to a room. Another woman dressed in robes enters shortly after.

Night Marshal nods and says to his counterpart, "How'd she get you in the first place?"

Carpenter frowns faintly. "She can be...very seductive," he says uncomfortably. "And when that doesn't work, she gets inside your head."

Night Marshal glances toward the room where Grimm went. "I can...imagine."

Carpenter studies Night Marshal a bit and smirks. "Do yourself a favor. If she starts getting power hungry, take her out. You'll be doing your world a favor."

Night Marshal chuckles quietly. "I reckon that's not going to happen." He makes a point of throwing in a 'reckon' again just to try to hide his voice a little more.

Carpenter seems suspicious, but isn't able to figure out why. The accent throws him off, but there's something he's on to. "She does seem a lot different from the one I know."

Grimm wasn't kidding about it being fast healing. It's only been a few minutes before she's walking out, rolling her shoulder a few times and wincing at the soreness. "Way better...but that'll smart for a day."

Night Marshal nods to the Chief. "Different dimensions...so very different. Probably true for lots of folks."

Chief Carpenter just nods.

Grimm looks between the two. "So what'd I miss?"

Night Marshal tips his hat to Grimm again, "We were just talking about the differences between dimensions. And how your counterpart snared him."

"Oh?" Grimm smiles to herself a bit. "It looked to me like she used her magic to convert him."

Chief Carpenter smirks a bit. "After her initial attempts failed, yes."

Night Marshal nods slowly. "Well...we should get him home before your counterpart starts to wonder where he is."

Grimm nods, then realizes something. "So where do you want me to drop you off on your world? Are you planning to go back to her?"

Chief Carpenter thinks on it. "I'm...thinking I'll go back and work on taking her down from the inside by passing along help to the resistance. Maybe wear a mask to help more openly."

Grimm laughs a bit like that. "You? A vigilante?" she finds it preposterous. "Well...she'll know at a glance that you're not under her control anymore. Unless I do something about that..."

Night Marshal nods slowly, "Masks do make some things easier."

Carpenter looks suspicious. "What're you planning on doing? Getting in my head, too?" he asks unhappily.

Grimm looks surprised, and a bit hurt. "I wouldn't do that to you. I...I think I can add magical traces that looks like the stuff she did to you so she won't realize you're free. I don't you don't have a reason to trust me, though..."

Night Marshal nods slowly, "It would be like a magical mask. A veil of sorts."

Carpenter thinks his options over. "Alright. If that's all you're doing."

Grimm nods and steps closer to him, offering him a kind smile. "Yeah, exactly that. You won't even notice it, and she'll think she's still got you under her control. And with an ego like hers, she won't ever suspect you if she thinks you're under her influence."

Carpenter nods after some thought. "Do it."

Gabrielle reaches out, hesitating a moment before touching his shoulder. Dark energy swirls down her arm and around him briefly as she crafts a magical aura that reads like what she saw on him before. The darkness vanishes and she lets go. She looks him up and down and smiles. "There. That should do the trick."

Night Marshal nods, "She might still suspect, but if you're a good actor, you should likely be able to fool her, I reckon."

Carpenter grins. "I think I can play the part."

Gabrielle smiles, then opens another gate, this one to the lobby outside Sanctuary. "You can head back and say we beat you or whatever you need to do. The rest is up to you. I made a promise not to step foot in her dimension again if it keeps her out of ours, so I can't help you directly. But...maybe there's some things I can still do for you if you can get a message across. Good luck, and be careful," she smiles, though she looks worried sending him back into the Lion's Den.

Night Marshal hands the Chief's pistol back to him. Unloaded.

"Thanks for this," Chief Carpenter takes his weapon, then waves to them both. He steps through the gate and Grimm watches a few more moments, looking guilty before closing the gate.

Gabrielle takes a deep breath, then turns to Night Marshal. "I hope we did the right thing. I feel bad sending him back alone. And for dragging you with me on this fool's errand. But I really appreciate having you by my side through all that," she smiles, looking tired and troubled.