Log:The Sisters Grimm

Grimm Family Matters 2020/09/10 	 Radical Timewarp Slinger Grimm

17

Grimm only has one person on her mind now that everyone's alive and the light has appeared: Gwen! As she runs, she starts to feel some of her energy returning and teleports the rest of the way.

Slinger continues shaking the ick off of him- or maybe just the feeling, when he senses movement behind him. He turns quickly to spot Grimm running away.

"Woah! That's some 'How do you do?! Thanks for not dying or letting me die, Dae' Wait up!" He calls out bounding after her- using the environment to his advantage to catch up as quickly as possible.

Timewarp is still concerned about everyone's wellbeing - and so, she runs to check on Grimm once other people are healed.

Radical gets up to his feet and he follows after Grimm. He shuts off his harness...not wanting the ominous noises to become something...much, much worse. That makes his chances of catching up much less likely.

The light is quite bright against the darkness, but not harsh. It is familiar to Grimm, certainly, as well as Radical. The source, for those nearing it through the trees, becomes obvious: a nearly three-meter high oval glowing portal.

Grimm stops in front of the portal and pants, looking at it eagerly. As Slinger and others catch up, she says, "Sorry, time for thanks later. Not sure how long this portal will stay open this time. I have to go get my sister!" She says excited and worried at the same time, and runs through.

Slinger doesn't dawdle- black ick and all, he hurls himself through the portal before he's left behind... in France.

Timewarp rushes through the portal as well - figuring that if the portal is time-limited her help may be needed!

Radical hesitates just a moment...knowing he'll have no way back on his own unless he effects some repairs. But when he sees the others head into the portal, he follows.

All arrive in the order they stepped through. Where do they arrive? A ... hallway, of sorts.

Several meters wide and seemingly hundreds, thousands(?), hundreds of thousands(?) long, the floor, walls, and ceiling are formed of something like white stone (or metal?), yet with a satiny reflective finish. The sole source of light is at the far end, the same golden hue of the portal, yet several factors of magnitude more intense. Despite this, the light is not painful to look at.

Even with the single source of light, there are no shadows. In fact, there is no darkness at all. This extends even to the blackened state of the group's flesh, which almost immediately evaporates away to reveal and/or return them to their normal skin tones.

"Ok... I'm not sure what I was expecting, but..." Slinger begins to say, still shaking his hand until he realizes all the yuck is gone.

"Woah- luminal shower portal. That's pretty impressive." He says, being sure to stick with Grimm just in case more trouble is on the horizon.

Timewarp looks relieved. "I was wondering how we were going to get that off. I tried washing it, but..."

Grimm lets out an exerted breath as her powers are suppressed. Just like when Radical used his harness to suppress her powers, Gabrielle's black hair changes to a natural blonde from root, traveling all the way down to tip. Her clothes, torn as they are, remain black. "It would've gone away with time," Grimm answers Timewarp. She sounds distracted, and begins walking down the long hall in search of the Shepard.

Timewarp says, "Can I help you look?"

Slinger is too busy looking around when he remembers to finish his thought about what he expected- that is until he spots Grimm as a natural blonde.

"Say wha--" He says before tripping over his own two feet in shock.

He rolls to his feet and bounds to the wall to get a different perspective.

"Holy schick- roots and all! He exclaims before he begins laughing. Likely inappropriately.

Timewarp pulls some of her art supplies so she can make marks on doors, walls, etc to make sure they don't get lost!

Radical follows after Grimm. He smiles at Slinger's comment, but Connor already has photographic evidence of Grimm's natural hair color, so he doesn't speak up.

Grimm nods to Timewarp. "Last time the hall looked longer than it was. Or maybe I was walking for ages and didn't realize."

Timewarp marks the arrival point on the wall (if the mark will take). "OK, how do we find her?"

Radical points to the end of the hall. "I suspect that direction."

"I...don't know. I don't think many other people are held here. There's an entity that oversees this place. That's what we need to find," Gabrielle explains, then looks over to Slinger as he trips. She suddenly looks to her shoulder and realizes what he's looking at as she spots her natural hair color. She pulls a "ugh" face as her secret is out. "Don't make me wipe your memory of this," she makes an empty threat to Slinger.

Timewarp doesn't react to Grimm's change of hair colour either, but she may have seen it blonde in the past. Or the future. Or just got over her surprise so fast no one noticed.

As people move forward, the impossibly-long hall seems to reach its end after only a few steps. For those behind, those moving ahead seem to wink out and back in far ahead, then nearer as the observer moves 'closer' to observed. The laws of three-dimensional space don't seem to be entirely the same as all are accustomed to, if at all. This leaves Timewarp's markings to become strange smears, there, then not, possibly visible ahead, behind, above, on the floor, despite the reference point that they were left at.

After only a dozen steps, or what seem like it, all have reached the bright light at the end of the tunnel. It's luminosity make it initially unclear whether it is a tiny point or large sphere.

With all before it, its radiance flickers, and then dims from a flare to a glowing point. This point then expands and takes shape into something more comprehensible by those present: a feminine humanoid shape, roughly Grimm's height. There are no detailed features, thus no mouth moves when a voice emits that is both heard and felt.

"You return, Gabrielle Grimm, with friends and allies."

Timewarp thinks. o O (This must be how others feel in the time vortex....)

Slinger continues laughing but being threatened with a brain wipe when that's literally all he has of his original self is enough to at least get him to stifle his laughter a little bit.

Occasionally his part of the peanut gallery can be heard snickering or needing to cover his mouth after another glance at Grimm. When the voice shows itself he mutters quietly, "Surprised she didn't call her Mali-Emo Barbie."

He brings his closed hand to cover his mouth as if he were coughing and clears his throat.

"The portal opened after we stopped Victor and we came," Gabrielle states the obvious. She glances around to check for her sister, then looks back to the Source. "My sister. Where is she...?"

Timewarp is glad at least she wasn't needed to take everyone down a corridor of maybe-infinite length.

"She is here," the being known to Grimm as The Shepherd (or formerly The Source) assures her. "You accomplished what needed done. Victor Price is no longer Victor Price, and what he became is no longer in your realm. His hunt for Gwenneth ended, and we sent for you."

Grimm is excited at that, momentarily missing the troubling things mentioned. She gasps and cups a hand over her mouth as all she hears is her sister is there, and the hunt has ended. It's been so long. She hasn't seen her sister in ten years. "Please," her voice cracks a little. "Let me take her home."

Slinger waves to the mysterious 'Source' as he tries to compose himself.

"So... we did it?" Slinger asks with surprise. "Awesome." He doesn't mention expecting some kind of Wizard-Related Gotcha.

Hearing Grimm's voice crack, he puts a hand on her shoulder and gives a light squeeze.

Radical remains quiet...just listening for the moment.

The Shepherd's light pulses briefly, and a sense of ... comfort? peace? warmth? can be felt by all. It's glow then diminishes further, and the hovering form lowers the small distance so that it's 'feet' touch the 'ground' immediately in front of Grimm.

Before it can be acknowledged that the alleged extra-dimensional being is now slightly shorter than Grimm, the light all but fades completely. This reveals, or is replaced by, more fine details. Namely, a young woman with waist-length blonde hair covered in a shimmering translucent and opalescent gown.

A young woman who promptly wraps her arms about and embraces the now-blonde Gabrielle Grimm whom she remarkably resembles. Her next words do not reverberate, and are soft, but may still well be felt.

"We've missed you, too, Gabby."

For once Slinger is silent too, letting go of Grimm's shoulder so she can have her moment. He smiles gratefully beneath his mask.

Radical smiles, watching the end result. It worked. It was worth it.

The last time Grimm saw her sister, she was ten years old. She's seen one other dimensional version of Gwen that she knows if, but they looked a bit different from the woman standing before her. She's not even sure that her sister would recognize her. The resemblance in hair color, eyes, and facial structure is evident, though Gabrielle's life makes her look harsher by comparison.

Tears well up in Gabrielle's eyes as Gwen recognizes her and gives her sister a big hug. "I've ...I've missed you so much, Gwen. I'm so sorry. I've been looking for you for so long," her voice trembles with emotion. She finally allows herself to shed tears of joy. She holds Gwen a few moments, not even bothered by being called Gabby. That's what her little sis always called her.

And then, something finally hits Gabrielle. "We...?"

Timewarp smiles warmly - perhaps we have a genuine happy ending?

Slinger caught that too, but didn't want to pull that string & ruin the moment. He's glad Grimm didn't balk at the opportunity. He stands quietly and now listens curiously for the answer.

Gwenneth embraces Gabrielle back firmly for those moments, nor is she immune to tears as a pair roll down her cheeks. Despite how long it's been, how much she has waited, and her desire to never do so, she releases Grimm and straightens again.

She's still smiling as she nods. "We. The Shepherd... or Shepherds... and me. We're ... joined." She can't say that they're one, and seems to have difficulties finding the right words.

Grimm blinks a few times at that. And needs time to process. "You're...what? Like...merged joined?" she asks as troubled tones creep into her voice.

Radical finds himself reminded of what it was like as the Cartesian. And perhaps...that mantle was easier to relinquish than what has happened to Gwenneth. "Will you be able to return to Earth with us?"

Timewarp thinks. o O (Shick. Maybe no happy ending after all....)

Gwenneth thinks on the question a moment and finally nods again. "Merged." There is a pause as she tries to find words that match what she knows. "They had no ... form. They were ... fading away. They needed my help, and they helped me. Helped you. Helped mom and dad. Many, many others.

She doesn't glance to Radical, eyes remaining on her sister. Another breath and then she answers his question. "No. We can't."

Slinger gasps, frowning as things turn.

Grimm's expression falls at the answer. "W...what? Why? But...mom...dad. They still don't know you're alive. They miss you still. *I* miss you. Victor's gone. He's not a threat anymore," she says, heartbroken. Her shoulders slump, having let her hopes up, only to have them dashed.

"There's got to be something we can do..." Slinger says. "Grimm has had a long hard road to get here- to find you. To bring you home." He elaborates. "You guys are all wizards and warlocks- there's not some app or something you guys all have to scroll through the mystical tomes to find a way after all of this?" He asks incredulously. He knows Grimm must be taking this hard and the injustice of it all may have him a little heated in his jammies by the end of his question.

Gwen puts her hands on Grimm's shoulders. "W- I love you, Gabby. I miss you, and mom and dad... but I can't go back. Not like things were..." Her form regains some of its glow, especially in her eyes, and again there is a felt wave of warmth and compassion.

"We could visit, physically, for a time," her voice now carries more substance, harmonics, and power, "but we are Shepherd to all things. Everywhere. We've helped so many, but there will always be those in need." One hand lowers from Grimm's shoulder to rest over Grimm's heart.

The glow subsides once more and Gwen's voice returns to its 'norm.' "He did terrible things to you. Gave you that power to do terrible things... but you took that power. Made it your own. You use it to help so many others..."

"We...I have the power to help, when it's needed. How can I not do the right thing, like my big sister?"

Radical looks over toward Slinger, and just shakes his head. He looks back to Gwenneth....wondering if she was deliberately misleading previously. After all, she 'couldn't return while Victor was looking for her'. But that didn't mean she would return once that barrier is gone. The possibility is there now...she's just choosing to not take it.

Grimm sniffs and wipes at her eyes. So much is going through her mind right now, and with others around, she's trying not to crack. "I...I never thought you'd look to me as an example," she lets out a brief laugh. "I've been a terrible sister. But just a visit for a time would mean the world. Mom and dad would be ecstatic. They've blamed me for your disappearance this whole time. They don't even know I have powers. So maybe you can hide the glowy thing when they see you? Oma would be happy to see you, too," she tries to smile. And manages it, though the smile doesn't reach her eyes.

Something else is nagging at Grimm, but not the same thing Radical's noticed. Maybe it's the wanna be detective in her, or she's spent too much time around Carpenter. "Were you the source all along? When I came last time? And Victor? You said Victor's something else and is no longer in this realm. So he's not dead?"

Slinger's shoulders slump a little but her perks them back up, if only for Grimm's sake. Still- this is nevertheless an improvement, so he decides to take it. At least as long the moment will allow- though Grimm's questioning is opening up whole new and terrifying branching options in his mind.

He clenches his jaw and listens, seeing that not even a reunion is as it seems with magic users. He frowns a bit.

"We have been the Shepherd ever since that day, in the forest," Gwen nods slightly, lips pursing and face contorting at everything going through Grimm's head. "We couldn't risk that I would go with you, or even that you knew... not with Victor still searching. If he found you, and learned the truth... or if we visited mom and dad, and he found us..." It wouldn't be good for anyone, especially their family, if just as leverage.

Her face contorts more, into a scowl. "Victor is... with them. One of them. Corrupted into something like the ones he serves... but, like them, he can't come to your realm. Not on his own, not easily."

Grimm stares a bit as she realizes she was talking to Gwen whens he was sent to deal with Victor. Her own sister...and she lied to her. "I...understand why you kept it from me," she says, covering up the hurt. She rubs the bridge of her nose, though. "Shick. Did we somehow turn him into an elder god?"

"It was ...our decision," Gwen admits softly. Not that it absolves her of blame. Nor guilt, judging by her expression. "I'm sorry." Her expression shifts afterwards to a tentative, perhaps hopeful smile. "Can we still see mom, dad, and Oma?"

Radical says quietly, "You should set up a way that Grimm can contact you, as well. In the future."

Grimm nods with Radical's idea, having been too shocked to think about that. "Great idea." She smiles warmly and sniffs once. "Yeah. Of course we can. We'll...have to figure out what to tell them. The magic stuff may be too much for them."

"We will," Gwen assures Grimm with an energetic nod. A gleeful, perhaps even giddy... and possibly mischievous(?) grin blooming. "We've always been good at fooling them." So she seems to recall from a decade ago.

This time, she spares Radical a glance, along with her smile. "We can hear her." Back to Grimm, though her smile is now tempered with regret. "We always have. We just couldn't answer, until now."

The tempering to her smile increases, though doesn't completely overshadow the smile, itself. "You need to return. This place only existed because we willed it, and they can only .. be dormant for so long. It will fade, and we will be whole again, soon."

Grimm's face turns bright red. "Oh ...god. Seriously? Not everything, I hope?"

Gwen releases Grimm to reach her fingers to her lips. A mimed close, twist to lock, and a flick to throw away the key. Her lips are sealed, just as when they were kids. "You should go, all of you. Thank you for helping my sister."

Radical nods. "You're welcome."

Slinger nods, not sure how to feel about any of this- but that's becoming his norm with conflicting personality traits backed in.

Grimm's face is still red. "-Everything-? Oh my god, seriously, you need to not..." she starts to insist as they're dismissed and time is running out. "You better come visit soon or I'm coming for you again," she scolds, as lovingly as a big sister can before they're shunted back to reality.

Log:Epilogue: The Long Track Ahead