Log:Hamburger Helper

Grimm Family Matters 2020/07/09 	 Radical|Connor Grimm Moonshadow

4

Connor says to Grimm, "Can you get us to Germany quickly? I'm not sure what your range is like."

Grimm shoulders a backpack filled with some travel essentials, just in case. "I can get us anywhere in the world, and anywhere in the multiverse. So I can get just about anywhere. Sometimes with some extra hops to find my way," she answers as she slips her other arm through the strap. "Might be better for me to find my way there, then open a gate to you."

Connor nods. "If you want to do it that way, I'm good with that. I'll get my gear ready."

Grimm nods. "I'll find a private spot to get you through," she offers. "Should I go for the accident location first?"

Connor chuckles. "What's the other option? Yeah, I think that's where we should go."

"Somewhere in Hamburg to track Freelink?" Gabrielle shrugs. "I'll open a gate to you soon." She takes a step back and vanishes in a swirl of darkness and a rush of whispering voices.

Connor shakes his head, "He was last seen in another city. Neustadt, I think?"

Connor goes to get his gear on while Grimm finds the location. He also grabs a couple of protein bars to bring with him, just in case.

While Grimm may not have internal GPS, the coordinates do help with visualizations, especially when combined with such things as Gaggle Maps. A first jump takes her there, and a second, far shorter, fine tunes to as best she can extrapolate.

It is dark, and the winding road is nestled snugly between tall trees. The area is rural, so there are only a few twinkles of home or other lights in the distance, and none over the roadway save for the vehicles that use it. At present, traffic is nonexistent. The scene isn't quite that of a dark, haunted forest, but it isn't so terribly far off.

Grimm steps off the road and to the trees.

 Grimm says, "I think I'm here. You ready for a portal?"

 Radical says, "I'm ready. Just finished."

Grimm closes her eyes and concentrates, holding her hand out before her as she tries to pictures Connor in her mind. He might sense her visualizing hm in her mind. A portal swirls open before her as he sees the same before him. As the dark portal grows to full size, the darkness lightens a little to reveal Gabrielle and the rural road.

Radical is in his complete costume now. And he steps through the portal. "Founds the intersection?"

Grimm nods as the gate closes behind him. She takes a breath and turns towards the road. "This is where the coordinates on my phone led to."

It is quiet, save for expected sounds: occasional scurries or rustling of animals, a breeze through the trees. The roadway is dark and empty. There are no conspicuous signs of a crash scene, though it was over 8 years ago.

Radical nods. "Alright. I'll take a look at the intersection...and look back in time. You should be able to see what I see through the link, as before."

Grimm gives a bob of her head, though she's very noticeably more somber and trying to prepare herself for what he may see. "Got it. I'll keep watch over you to make sure nothing comes up on us."

Radical remains in the trees, just in case. He focuses on the intersection and reaches out a hand toward it, with his fingers spread. And he looks back into the past...trying to filter to the time of the accident. He uses his Magic Sight at the same time, just in case there's something to notice along those lines.

The precise time of the accident isn't known, but the time of the note and estimates from the new article allow for a rather accurate starting point. A rapid flash in reverse brings Radical to the sight of an overturned panel van, or the blackened remains of it following a fire, with EMS and fire present.

Reversing further shows the van burning when a single other vehicle on the road stops and a man gets out. He is only out briefly before moving back to his car, presumably to call emergency services. Prior to that is the actual crash, which is rewound and then viewed at normal speed as it plays out.

The van is moving at a good pace, but doesn't appear to be speeding. As it comes around the turn, there is a sudden squeal ot brakes and a swerve that causes it to overturn and slide into a tree off the edge of the road. One possible reason would be the form standing in the roadway that was avoided: a twisted, black quasi-humanoid... thing. One that radiates magic, and of a flavor that both would be familiar with, if appearance alone didn't give it away.

There is yelling as two men crawl out of the passenger side window (now facing up). The rear doors are kicked open as another man exits, helping a young blonde girl out with him as he does.

Radical furrows his brow as he relays what he's seeing in the past. He realizes that must be Gwen. He makes a point of following her status, but also trying to keep a view on the thing that was in the road.

Grimm watches and inhales softly yet sharply when she sees Gwen getting helped out of the vehicle, still alive.

The ..creature turns to approach the tipped van and... a firefight breaks out. The ShipEZE personnel are fairly well-armed for deliverymen as large-calibre automatic are loosed on the creature. Germans are very talented at making firearms, after all. Two are bullpup assault rifles and one a fully-automatic shotgun. Of note to Radical senses, the rounds, though not the weapons, bear magic, which is made more notable when they impact the ..thing. As well, they move with some tactical familiarity, though not as adept as formal military or police.

The stand is enough to slow the thing, but not ultimately stop it. The two from the cab are rather swiftly dispatched as the man in the rear moves behind the vehicle for cover, putting Gwenneth behind him and further into cover. As he continues to fire, Gwenneth's attention seems caught by something in the woods. A sight or sound that neither the man covering her, nor Conner, now, can see or hear. Whatever it is, she is lured by it as she darts off into the woods.

Radical stops focusing on the intersection and instead focuses on Gwen's thread which he can see once again now, trying to follow her as she runs.

Grimm's tenses as she watches the shared vision from the spell, seeing Gwen escape and run away. And the nature of the thing after her.

Following Gwen's thread, Radical is able to make out... something further ahead in the forest. Magically, a spot of light, but diffused, like a flashlight in fog. As Gwen heads towards it, she, and her thread, become similarly diffused and lost in the fog of ...uncertainty? obfuscation?

Grimm immediately feels the urge to follow the path in the woods Gwen took. But she knows she can't go and leave Radical along while he's casting his spell. So she stays at his side, gut churning at what this new force that took her could be.

Radical narrows his eyes...and focuses on the power he's seeing...trying to determine if it's magic, and what kind.

 Radical says, "That...is another player. The magic is...cosmic. Something like the Lords of Order or Chaos. But it's neither of those. Is there a force that directly opposes Qliphothic powers?"

 Grimm says, "Not that I know of. Well...Dialydd's people had 'gods' that were probably just an alien race. That bracer of his felt...weird to me. Repulsed me a bit. He said it was because Cosmic energy is Qliphothic's opposite. The Kings of Edom are Qliphothic entities. Elder gods. Hmmm...let me think..."

 Grimm closes her eyes as she recites some stuff from her readings. "I don't...think I know of any pure cosmic entities. But some people have that source of energy. I read only a little about the Lords of Nature and the Lords of Artifice, but...I'd have to research more. Dialydd mentioned one of his 'Lords' by name. Maybe he knows something about it?"

 Radical says, "He might. It's worth a shot."

Radical continues trying to follow Gwen as far as he can...seeing if he loses the thread entirely again.

Alas, the thread is lost in the "fog" and Gwen's trail goes abruptly cold.

 Grimm says, "If he doesn't know...maybe I could go to the Sanctuary Inn and bargain some knowledge from the Sisters. I bet they'd know. It'd have a price, though."

Radical traces back to the intersection...to see what happens with hte creature and the 'shippers'.

It is now last man standing, as the lone gunman shortly realizes that 'the package' is gone. He has no time to search for her, or... he choses not to? Cursing loudly (another thing that Germans might be good at), he moves towards the creature as he empties his weapon. A venting that ultimately amounts to naught, as Cliff swats him aside, into the van, and steps past. It looks around, obviously searching. When it seems to discover no more than any others present (or watching), it returns to the winded last man.

It crouches before him and clasps his entire head in its clawed hand for a moment, which provokes a choked scream from the man before he appears to pass out. He is once more tossed aside casually, into the road before Cliff strikes the vehicle hard enough to slide it, grinding, another foot across the pavement. This grinding throws up sparks that subsequently ignite leaking fuel and the van begins to go up in flames.

In this flickering glow, Cliff stalks off into the woods, fading into the darkness.

 Radical says, "Little wonder that he ended up needing a psychiatrist after that."

Gabrielle nods, then realizes he can't see that. << Yeah, no kidding. What the heck was that, though? >>

Radical breaks the link to the past, and his senses return the present. "Not...sure. Some kind of Qliphothic creature, but my ability to identify those is limited, I'm afraid."

"Could be something summoned by a morbane or other mage familiar with channeling that sort of power. Or...some other manifestation." Gabrielle looks towards the path Gwen took when the light lured her away, and finds herself drawn to start stepping in that direction.

Radical furrows his brow as he looks into the woods, "So, we should look that direction. Keep in mind...forests in Germany are likely to have fae of some variety."

Radical says, "In fact, it could be them who sheltered your sister."

"Fae? Out here?" Gabrielle asks skeptically as she looks over at Radical. "I thought they stuck mostly to Undermoon."

Radical follows after Grimm, "Different kind of fae. Deep forests have been known to be gateways to the fae worlds. Like all of hte stories of King Arthur? Often it's a deep forest where someone got lost."

Radical says, "That isn't a coincidence."

Gabrielle nods softly. "I know the forests in Germany and many other places inspired all sorts of stories and fairy tales," she comments. She listens carefully to Radical. "Huh. We should stay close, then."

Radical nods. "Exactly. Fairy tales have one foot in reality. Don't lose sight of each other."

Radical keeps walking with Gabrielle toward the location where he lost connection with Gwen again. "I'm somewhat frustrated that I couldn't maintain a connection to your sister. But I feel...hopeful that she's still alive.

Grimm keeps pace with Radical after her urge to hurry is tempered by his words. She keeps alongside him, her senses spread out in the forest to keep track of where they are. "You did your best. It's more than I could've ever hoped for. Without you? Without Randal? I would've never gotten this far, or ever known what happened or why," she says encouragingly. "So...don't be frustrated," she smiles gently.

Radical knows that without Randal...perhaps Gwen wouldn't have disappeared at all. But then again...whatever dark fate would have struck. He keeps the thoughts to himself for the time being. No need to rip that bandage off again.

Grimm slows and looks about the air, her head tracking from left and then to right. "There's a trail of qlipothic magic crossing here. Something old and faint," she says, pointing out a path and direction.

Radical nods. "I'm afraid I can't sense it. That might be the creature trying to follow."

Radical says, "Can you tell if it's the same signature as teh creature we saw in the past?"

"They were both qliphothic, but I couldn't sense it directly through your senses in that way," Gabrielle confides. "The thing probably searched for her here. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's the same thing. I mean, how many things like that could be around here?"

Radical nods slowly, "That makes sense. You were limited by my understanding of what I was sensing. I know the light she saw was something else."

"The only thing I sense is that trace. Whatever the light was, I can't sense it either, but I think it was coming from...that way?" Gabrielle points in that direction.

Radical nods. "Well, might as well follow what you CAN trace. After all, maybe it could sense what it was following."

Grimm thinks on that and nods. "Okay. This way," she shifts to that direction and starts walking, following the faint, old trail she can sense.

Radical nods and follows after Grimm. He's already starting to think about what the other possible avenues of investigation might be. This is close to a dead end.

Trail continues on for some distance, and turns repeatedly over time. If it was directly following some other source, the prey was being quite evasive. As an alternative, the switchbacks may be part of some type of search pattern.

"Hmmm...I guess it was...searching? I'm not sure it was able to actually follow anything," Gabrielle asks along the trail. She's still ready to follow this trail for as long as it takes.

Radical nods to himself as they continue following. "It lost track of her. I agree. It was searching."

The meandering continues. That is, until, it doesn't. With still no notable landmarks or signs of civilization, or anything else, for that matter), the trail appears to abruptly halt.

"It was persistent," Gabrielle adds. As they go, she keeps following the trail. And then she suddenly stops in place. "That's...that's it," she sighs and looks around. "The trail ends here. It must've given up."

Radical shakes his head, "Or its time on Earth was at an end. Summons can't remain here forever."

"If it was summoned, maybe we can follow the trail the other way to see where it started?" Gabrielle suggests. She slowly turns in a circle as she looks around the ark woods.

Radical nods. "That won't help find your sister, but it might help find the threat."

Grimm thinks it over. "I know it won't help directly. But if we're at a dead end otherwise, perhaps discovering what the threat was may help us understand who or what intervened. It may still be worth checking all the possible evidence."

Radical nods. "You're right. I'm just letting my frustration start to set in."

Gabrielle looks over to Radical in surprise. She's the one wanting to chomp at the bit. "Why are you frustrated? This is a cold case. One I've been trying to work for...well...almost half my life. You've provided the best lead so far in all that time," she says softly.

As Grimm makes a full circle looking about and returns her attention to Radical, she does gain some insight as to the threat. Rather, -a- threat. Specifically, the sudden uprising of black, Qliphothic... stuff into a form she would recognize, based on what she sw through Radical's eyes. Gabrielle, Cliff. cliff, Gabrielle.

Unfortunately (for Radical) the sudden amalgamation is facing Grimm, from behind him. Though he is made abruptly aware of its presence, via an unpleasant sensation at his back.

Radical is struck from behind, and lands on the ground...bleeding. He never saw it coming.

Radical is also unconscious...albeit probably only briefly...but that's enough.

Gabrielle sucks in a breath as she feels the swell of Qliphothic energy. Before she can give a warning, she feels Radical fall. And something wet spreading across his back. "Radical!" she cries out in worry as she turns towards him.

In a panic, Gabrielle drops to a knee beside Radical while glaring at the construct that struck him down. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here," she promises. She clenches her fists, and an extra arm of shadow branches out from the dark field that springs up around her protectively. It moves to lay a hand on him.

Gabrielle carefully lifts Radical into her arms with the help of her extra shadow limbs. Black, feathery-looking wings of shadow sprout from her back just as she flies up into the air with him to clear the tree canopy. She arcs up and away, trying to head back towards the road. "Shick. How was it still there? I'm sorry, Radical," she says in a rush of worried words.

Now that the two are above the trees, the forest seems rather peaceful... except for the one tree below then that now wobbles and sways, with the sounds of rustling and breaking branches.

Radical coughs and wakes. "Ow...what was that? Was it the creature?"

Grimm senses down below. "It was that thing. That thing from your vision ambushed us," she says in a panic as she boldly flies away, away. "I've got you. It's gonna be okay," she says, scared that he's seriously injured. "It's following us. Are you going to be okay? I...I can get you to a hospital."

Radical shakes his head, "We can't leave it down there. It'll attack someone sooner or later. I don't want to fight it in the dark...but I want to come back in daylight to deal with it."

"I totally agree that thing needs to be destroyed," Gabrielle says. "We'll find some place to get you patched up, and come back when it's bright and sunny."

Radical nods. "Sounds good. No need to be foolish about it and fight on its terms.

Radical nods. "We should head to Steinberg Tower for the clinic. They can heal me...without having to answer questions."

Grimm keeps flying, her senses extended to make sure they're outpacing. She slows down to a hover and nods. "I can get us close to there and hop us the rest of the way. I can't teleport us straight there. Let me just take a moment to try and memorize this location."

Below, they can just make out Cliff at the treetop, though Grimm has flown too high too quickly for it to give chase. It doesn't appeara to have wings, or the ability to grow them.

It takes two teleportation jumps. The first jump finds our heroes in Gabrielle's living room. There's still some repairs needed from David Flyte's final assault. Just as a few drops of Radical's blood hit the floor, she teleports again, this time arriving in Steinburg's Clinic. "Somebody! I need help over here!"

Radical shows up with Grimm at the clinic. He's...bleeding quite a bit from a wound to the back.

The clinic darkens, and foreboding whispers issue forth as Gabrielle teleports into the Tower's clinic. Her arm's around Radical for support and for teleporting. "Somebody! I need help over here!"

Radical is holding up okay...but is a little wobbly. One of the nurses comes out to take a look. "How did he get injured?"

Grimm lends physical support to keep him steady, careful around his injury. "It...it happened pretty fast. Some dark energy creature ambushed us. It was qliphothic in nature," she says hesitantly, worrying how that may look.

Upstairs in the penthouse, and downstairs in the security office, red lights start to flash...A few moments later Moonshadow's cloak unfurls out of nowhere. "What's going on...Radical!"

Radical waves to Moonshadow. "Injured. Got clawed...or stabbed...by...something. Grimm can explain it a bit better while they're working on healing me." A minute or so later, one of the magical medical staff comes out to look at the wound...and to start using magic on it to heal the wound.

Grimm remains by Radical's side while they tend to him. "I'm still not sure how it happened. We were following an old magical trail. It was so faint. We were following up on...a cold case," she decides that's how best to phrase it at the moment. "Then suddenly the thing we were trailing ambushed us and attacked Radical. It shouldn't have still been in that area. I still don't understand how it was still there. Maybe we activated something."

Gabrielle looks to Radical. "I saw Radical go down and decided to get him away and to help as soon as possible. Fortunately, it wasn't able to follow us in the air."

Moonshadow calls the security office, "...code alpha-one-omega. Yes. Just an emergency arrival at the clinic. Yes, known to me personally, and to Ms. Steinberg."

Radical nods. "We'll need to go back at some point to take the thing down. When it's daylight there." He pauses and says by way of explanation, "The location is in Germany."

Moonshadow says, "If necessary, I can provide moonlight."

She shudders, "I'm just glad I didn't see this happen..."

"If I thought it was anywhere near us, I would've warned you, Radical," Gabrielle apologizes, looking guilt ridden. "I should've thought of summoning light while we were in the woods. Sometimes...sometimes I forgot people aren't always able to navigate the dark."

The healers go ahead and heal the wound, and Connor clearly starts to feel better as the wound heals. Radical says as they work, "We had no way of knowing it was still there. We were following...an eight year old trail. Nine years? Something like that."

"Nine. A bit over. And I couldn't sense it was there until it attacked," Gabrielle confirms.

Moonshadow says, "Maybe it wasn't?"

Radical looks to Moonshadow, "What do you mean?"

Moonshadow says, "Someone sent it in from elsewhere, maybe. I mean, I was upstairs, until I was here, right?"

Radical thinks about it. "It's....possible. But it was originally chasing...a person, nine years ago. I was tracing its actions back in the past, and it appears it never caught its quarry. It's possible it was re-summoned or sent. but I think it was more likely that it just decided to lie in wait to see if its target turned up again."

Moonshadow says, "Or it was just shielded from detection until it attacked...or maybe both."

Grimm falls quiet and thinks on the creature as they throw around theories.

Moonshadow says, "But why would it attack you, unless you were the quarry..."

Grimm shakes her head. "We weren't. The case had nothing to do with Radical."

Radical nods. "I think I just got too close to where it was lying in wait."

Unless it sensed you tracing it through time somehow.

Moonshadow says, "Unless it sensed you tracing it through time somehow."

Grimm blinks and looks to Radical. "Is that possible?"

Moonshadow quotes, "Didya ever have the feelin' you was bein' watched?"

Grimm realizes her hands are shaking and quickly closes them into fists to hide it. "I know at least for sure it wasn't crossing dimensions to get to us. It was still on this plane of existence. Dormant."

Moonshadow says, "You're the expert there, not me."

Radical takes a deep breath and thinks about it. "I don't see a reason to believe it was able to see across time. But then again...I didn't get a good look at it. I was hit from behind and dropped. Grimm got me out, and by the time I got my wits about me, I was being carried to safety."

The healer finishes up and pats Radical on the shoulder. "Take it easy for a day, but you should be fine now."

Radical nods to the healer, "Thank you for the help. I greatly appreciate it."

Moonshadow says, "You guys want to come upstairs?"

Grimm hasn't even realized she has a bit of blood on her from evacuating Radical. Since she's wearing mostly black, it's hard to tell save for where it's visible on the band logo of her tank top. She looks to the healer and smiles in relief. "Thank you for helping him so quickly." She looks back to the others. "Whatever sent it may have been alerted. Maybe it was activate by our movement being there? Which makes me think it was ...I don't know, like one of Amelia's spirit servants."

Radical tuns to look at Grimm when she speaks, "Umm..." He points to her shirt. "Be sure to use cold water when you wash that."

Moonshadow says, "Could it have been...*her*? Half-Demon?"

Moonshadow's fists clench at her sides.

Radical shakaes his head, "Not likely her. I'd have been able to recognize her magical signature. This was Qliphothic. Not...demonic? If that makes sense?"

Moonshadow says, "Outer Realms, not Lower. Got it."

"No. Half-Demon isn't part of this at all," Gabrielle says with certainty. She blinks as Radical points at her shirt and looks down. She looks livid for a moment. "Shick. Um, thanks. Maybe I can wash that off somewhere around here," she murmurs. For some reason seeing it has her shook up, and she starts looking around for a restroom. "Qliphothic isn't quite outer realms. It's more like...the dark side of the tree of life. It gets complicated. Studying the Tree of Death makes mystics go crazy."

Radical nods. "There IS an opposite of sorts, as far as we can tell. But it's kind of mysterious. I need to do some research.

Moonshadow says, "I think we should get out of the way here. Why don't we go upstairs?"

Grimm nods. "You need any help still, Radical, or are you good?" she offers a hand to him.

Radical nods. "I'm okay, I think. We can head upstairs."

Grimm nods and lowers her hand, smiling with relief. She looks to Moonshadow and nods. "Upstairs, then."

Radical nods and walks with the others. He winces a little bit, but it's mostly due to the muscles being stiff rather than a gaping wound. So...that's good. He pats Grimm on the shoulder again, "Tahnks for getting me here quickly."

Grimm looks to Radical and smiles, though her brows are knit a bit with guilt. "You're welcome. But if I had sensed that thing sooner, you probably wouldn't have gotten hurt on my account again..."

Radical chuckles. "I'd say, 'No harm, no foul'. But I got harmed." He shakes his head, "It's not your fault. I also let myself get blindsided."

Moonshadow leads the way to the elevator, and from there to her apartment on the top floor. It's not as big or fancy as Amelia's penthouse down the hall, but it suits her.

Grimm winces a bit at the mention of him being harmed. "I'm just glad you're going to be okay. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know," she says warmly, then looks ahead as Moonshadow leads. "Since you need to rest for a day, maybe you can sit and rest. Get a drink. I could repair your suit?" she offers.

Radical nods. "Sure, if you can fix kevlar? I mean, I can take care of it with some of the armor pieces I have in my workshop."

Grimm smiles and cracks her knuckles. "I can fix just about anything with a bit of time. So let's get you resting first, then I'll take a look."

Once inside, Laurel helps get Radical installed on the sofa. She then reaches into her cloak and pulls out a cold pitcher of orange juice and a couple of glasses. "Given your blood loss, I think you should start with this." She turns to Gabrielle, "And given that you found some of that blood, the bathroom's down the hall and on the left."

"Thanks. I'll be back," Gabrielle says, heading down the hallway and finding the bathroom to go wash off.

Moonshadow calls after her, "If you need something to wear, my room's across the hall. You can see if anything fits you."

Grimm calls back just before she closes the door, "I'm sure I'll be fine, thanks."

Radical nods and takes the glass, and pours himself some juice, "Thank you. I appreciate it." He pulls his mask off and runs a hand through his hair briefly before taking a sip.

Moonshadow pours herself a glass, and sits on the sofa a short distance away. She looks at a framed photo standing on the table, three men and three younger women, all in costume. "I remember when that was taken - two Christmases ago - right down the hall."

Radical nods. "Nice photo. It's been some time, hasn't it?"

Grimm washes her hands and under her nails as she looks at herself in the mirror. The washing slows and she sighs. . o O (This is always what happens when I get involved with people. Someone gets hurt. Maybe I should go it alone...)

Moonshadow says, "Yeah. I think that was the last time we were all together and nothing was going wrong.""

Moonshadow says, "That was the day I told Jak who I was...well, I told everyone, but half of you already knew..."

Radical nods. "Have you heard from him at all?"

Moonshadow says, "Not a word."

Moonshadow says, "I've had to move on..."

Grimm starts washing her shirt off with cold water. She can still sense they're seated. She could be gone and back before they notice. Probably.

Radical nods slowly. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out. I haven't heard from him either. Which means...we should track him down." He frowns and shakes his head, "It keeps getting backburnered."

As Grimm looks up from her washing, at the mirror over the sink... the face she sees isn't her own. For a fleeting moment, she thinks it might be one very similar, just a bit younger... but, no, it must be a trick of the mind. It is actually a silhouette of not quite a face: nothing but light. Bright, but not blinding. Powerful, but soothing. "Gabrielle Grimm..." a call, in a whisper.

Then a blink and it is Gabrielle Grimm that stares back at her.

Moonshadow shakes her head, "If what Amara told me is true, he won't want us to find him. She said he was responsible for...I don't recall what exactly, but it was pretty bad. Major disaster bad.

Radical nods. "Right...right. I forgot about that." He shakes his head and sips from his glass.

Grimm looks up at the mirror as she turns off the water, her mind set on going back to check on one more thing in Germany when she suddenly sees the fleeting reflection in the mirror. She stumbles back a few steps back. Then when it says her name but is smoothing, it strikes her as familiar. When she blinks and it's gone, she said, "Wait! Come back!" She steps up to the mirror quickly and puts her hand against it.

Moonshadow says, "But back to that Christmas...Did Mr. Dodgson provide you with any new insights?"

Radical thinks about it, and then nods. "Lewis Carroll? Absolutely. Thank you again." He smiles. "It was a very thoughtful gift."

Moonshadow says, "Well, you are my favorite teacher, Uncle."

Grimm squints at the mirror. She can't sense...anything. Didn't sense anything. Was it in her head? Gabrielle steps back slowly, still watching her reflection before heading out of the bathroom and walking back down the hall.

As Moonshadow needs to deal with some private stuff, Radical leads Grimm to the Arcane Studies Centre. He rubs his chin, "What's the next step?"

"The next step....is we repair your armor and you rest a bit before we go back and make sure that thing isn't a threat to anyone," Gabrielle states, motioning to his back.

Radical nods. "Well...yes. But I meant the investigation." He chuckles.

Grimm steps behind Radical to take a look at the extend of the damage. "Well, there's...something I wanted to tell you. I just didn't want to interrupt Moonshadow. I saw something in the mirror while I was washing up. A vision. But it wasn't magic. Or supernatural. Or anything else. Maybe I'm just rattled and seeing things, though."

Radical raises a brow. "What was it?"

"I saw a silhouette of light in the mirror. It was really bright. I heard my name whispered, and then it was gone next time I blinked. It didn't really register as anything. I could only see it with my normal senses," Gabrielle explains as she carefully reaches to his back to check the jacket and the armor through the wholes. "Let me know if it's still tender and if I'm hurting you."

Radical flinches a little bit. "The muscles are a little sore, but that's it." He thinks about it. "Mirrors have a kind of power. There's a reason they're often used as a focus for magic. I used to use one to contact Lord Antherion. But...you said it wasn't magic. And it wasn't supernatural. But that doesn't mean it was in your head. It could have been some other kind of power. A mental message. Or someone using some other means of sending a message?"

Grimm freezes as soon as he flinches. "Sorry," she apologizes softly. "I just needed to see so I can try to fix it. But maybe you should use some of those spare armor pads to reinforce this?" she suggests. She focuses on the suit beneath first, trying to alter reality to repair the kevlar. "That...makes sense. The first time I was ever at R...the prior Cartesian's house on a case, I noticed a big mirror. There was something about it...I couldn't quite place it at the time. I didn't sense anything psychic, but it could be something else. But all it did was say my name. Maybe it couldn't get a further message through. Or I just couldn't perceive it anymore?"

Grimm blinks as nothing happens. "Oh. Hah. Your harness," she chuckles. "I can feel is fighting me."

Radical chuckles. "Um....sorry. One moment." He hits a button on his bracer...and some white noise...that you hadn't even noticed up to this point...stops. It sounds very quiet now. "I think that should help."

"Thanks," Gabrielle smiles and focuses again. "You know, probably tonight, a hot soak in some epsom salt will probably help with some of the soreness," she offers. "Hmmm. Know of any other entities that communicate through mirrors?"

Radical shakes his head, "It could be a number of people. But no one in particular comes to mind." He tilts his head, "I'll point out...that the magic that we saw was also light based. Perhaps it was the same source as what we saw in the past?"

Grimm nods silently as she concentrates. "It could be? Hmm. Maybe. Yeah," she sounds a bit hopeful. With time, his armor knits together to become whole, and then his jacket. "There. Hopefully good as new," she smiles and moves around from behind him so they can talk more face to face. "I hope that didn't hurt too much." She thinks for a few moments. "Maybe we need to spend more time around mirrors so it can communicate? Does the type of mirror matter? Do certain mirrors work better than others?"

Radical shakes his head, "Normally the type of mirror likely doesn't matter. Scrying can be done with a mirror or a pool of water, for example. The important thing is the reflective surface." He holds up a finger, "But...I think the key is you, not the mirror."

Radical pauses and adds, "The next time you see a vision like that...just...breathe deeply, and try to communicate. Try to not flinch and freak out.

Radical says, "I know that's easier said than done."

Grimm's brows knit at that. "Me?" She nods slowly at his advice. "I'll try that. I did flinch. I'm used to bad this happening when they just materialize. I'll practice," she smiles, though there's a bit of worry and doubt in her eyes.

Radical nods. "You heard your name. If it wasn't...just in your head, then it was someone trying to contact you."

Grimm takes in a deep breath and nods. "Definitely. I'll spend some time in front of mirrors checking that out."

Log:Into the Weirding Woods