sixwordstories | (no subject)

A person can't be good at everything.

No, they can't. Or, more accurately, not all the time.

You could have covered your tracks better.

[This situation is either him cottoning onto her trail, or a trap. Either way, when the ball is rolling, give it a push.]

If you want a great detective to show, you give him a puzzle to solve.

Preferably while not wearing a green suit covered in question marks.

A lot of people say that when they come in.

["Jeremy Quinn" gestures around them at the bar with its London Underground theme. There's no band playing tonight, and where the stage often is, there is instead a doorway leading to the back rooms of the bar.]

Did you come here on business or can I get you something?

Well I'm here now.

[He crosses his arms, seemingly at ease.]

So let's try talking. It doesn't have to end one way.

Edited (I can spell, I swear) 2021-01-25 20:18 (UTC)

Business.

[He usually leaves this establishment alone - it is, in its way, informally neutral ground. And it never pays to kick a hornets' nest, unnecessarily. But tonight is an exception.]

I'm looking for information.

[And a photograph of a man slides across the bar.]

Milton Graves. He's tied up with the people who took over the Valestra mob. He's not done anything terrible, not yet - but he's in a corner. If I don't get to them first...

Keeping track of human criminals is hardly my specialty, Batman. They bore me, they have no imagination.

[He does, however, dutifully lean over and look at the picture. A small, round crystal appears in one hand and he rolls it back and forth across his hand as he thinks. He does recognize the face, but he doesn't say anything yet. The face of Milton Graves appears in the crystal, but Jareth keeps the crystal moving too fast too get a good look.]

This Milton Graves and the Valestra mob. Describe them. What do you think will happen if you can't find him?

This isn't normally my business. There's a thin line between cleaning up the aftermath and getting attention I do not want.

But there are lines, and I am not equipped to shut it down.

[OOC: Don't stress! Misspelling comes from us all.]

But you can point me towards the where, so that I can.

[He's not sure about this one. He's seen magic, real magic. But he's also seen charlatans. And both at once - what he knows for sure is that the name is false. But also that he hears about everything, sooner or later.]

After their boss died, the remnants are having to fend off Rupert Thorne to keep their territory. They're doing it by getting more violent. And they need soldiers.

They have only one initiation. This man has a wife. A daughter going to college. It's not too late to save him.

[It's the same story. Desperation, cornered with 'opportunity'.]

You or the next caped crusader who follows the trail and is willing to interfere.

It's not like you don't inherently have a choice in things.

[Jareth watches, with an expression that might have been more appropriate on an owl hunting. Truthfully, he doesn't care a bit about the sob story, but the group of criminals...]

I don't consider this a favor or helping. If you find them, they'll only be getting what they deserve.

[He holds the crystal up where Batman can see it. Inside are the faces of two of the Valestra mob's goons. They're standing hunched over talking, with an old warehouse and what might be a river in the background. Milton Graves is there.]

Those two used to come in fairly regularly, until they threatened several of my patrons as well as myself. I allow many things, but I won't be threatened in my own realm, however laughable the idea is of them actually trying to follow through.

I'm not standing aside and letting it happen.

Tell me what I want to know - innocent lives are at stake!

[He does. He always does. People think he is relentless; and in many ways he is. But there's more to it. Justice isn't always about locking someone up.]

[And he watches for a long moment, wondering at that. Perhaps there really is magic here at play, after all. He peers more closely. He knows where that is.]

[He picks up the picture again, slipping it into the cape.]

Following through is about to be the least of their problems.

[Jareth laughs, and as he does, so do the pair of bouncers and several of the guests. For a second, the illusion making them appear human fades, and instead the goblins appear as they are. Scaled feet, tails, horns, fur in all colors, and crudely made clothes or armor are all on display. Then the illusion is back, and except for the bouncers still sporting armor and their lances, everything is as it should be.]

Far be it from me to keep you here if you're in a rush. Do mind your step on the way out, it has a habit of changing.

And yet here you are. You must want something very badly, to try diplomacy instead of your usual methods.

[He pauses at that, and the eyes of the cowl narrow. But otherwise, he allows no surprise to come over his face.]

So the stories are true. The magic is real.

[He steps closer, coming out of the shadows, every single determined inch of him.]

Diplomacy is one word for it. I want a name. An address. One way or another, the drug ring ends tonight.

That is my diplomacy. Tell me, and it will be the easy way.

[Jareth rolls the crystal around in his hand, then stares down at it. A dark shape moves in its depths, winged, like a bat in flight.]

Who knows what's real and what is merely a dream? Perhaps it's the world above that's merely an illusion, and you a dreamer going back to sleep?

[He's the wrong mark for that sort of thing, really. He'd fought his way out of more pleasant dreams by sheer will before. Gotham isn't a dream. A nightmare, perhaps, but the one he'd chosen to walk in.]

[Promises made, long ago. Faithfully kept.]

I do.

[And he strides for the door.]

[Lifting a finger to his sunglasses, he pushes them back up on his face and smirks, the mask of ostentatious sincerity he'd wear in public now set aside.]

I can give you any name or address you want. But why should I? I'm not one of those gaudy costumed criminals you hobnob with.

[That said, should Batman take another step closer his coy tone will drop.]

Place one hand on me, my friend, and I can guarantee you'll be hunted to the ends of the Earth.

[He almost smirks as the threat. As if better than him haven't made that threat, and tried to carry it out before. Look to them now.]

Maybe you're a force back home. But you're visiting Gotham, now. My city. And you have nothing to threaten me with.

[One fist enters the other, cracking knuckles in preparation.]

You have three seconds.

[The young woman nods, appearing to understand. She knows who he is, even his real identity, but she'll keep quiet about it. She wouldn't tell anyone. That's not her business, and she has more than enough problems of her own to deal with.

To her, it hasn't been really surprising to find out this Earth exists.

No, this isn't her Earth. Clearly not. If they were both native to the same reality, then Batman would have already known about having seen her name and face on the news stations--being lied about. He would have likely looked into all he could about her and some close friends' deep involvement with meeting and helping other-worlders who were confused and lost...]

I guess you let your fists do most of the talking. That's what most crime-fighters do, right?

Still, I have one or two questions of concern. About something you might want to look into.

[Mari hesitates, and looks troubled. She stumbles with her words as she'll try and gradually explain.] I mean, this city, no doubt it's got plenty of crazy and dangerous people, and other problems... My not-normal problems, and enemies--it might get too much for Gotham.

When we have to.

[It's a simple response, but a true enough one. The assumption of course is that violence is his first choice. But it is always his last.]

Very well. If it's more than I can handle, there are others.

[If his instincts about her are true, then Dr. Fate will be getting a call, same for Zatanna.]

[There's a bit of relief she feels over the possibility of being others that could possibly assist. She nods.

For a moment, she organizes her thoughts. She knows she has to break down some information she knows to be important, into pieces.]

First, I have to explain a little on who I am, and how I got here.

[She's feeling bad and apologetic as she considerably adds;]

I won't try to take up a lot of your time. No doubt you're a very busy guy. So, I'll do my best to summarize all this.

[She pauses to sit down. Part of her wants to think or say a reference from a much older Batman universe. Unfortunately, she lacks the space in her brain to do so.]

[He comes to one knee as she does that, reaching out - if she's willing - to place a hand on her shoulder.]

If you're in trouble, if you need help...that's my number one priority.

[In other times, other places, there are Batmen who are paranoid, mission-driven to a degree far past where it ought to be - he is not them.]

[Holy Blankety Blank, Batman! I can't think of a good zinger to help relieve any stress!

No, that wasn't very good of a reference, but at least she tried.]

I frequently seek help, and advice. Not that I'm truly alone with my troubles.

[She wouldn't mind if he does touch her shoulder. She's not afraid of him at all.

Her voice goes quiet. She'd rather proceed to summarize anyway. Most of the time, that is easier for her to do.]

It's complicated. Other worlds and alternates of worlds complicated.

[She's not one of the ones he wants to be afraid - he has another side of himself for that.]

Try me.

[She'd appreciate it.

Now is the time to introduce herself.]

My name is Mari Broderick. I'm not from this Earth, but from another. One of at least five hundred other ones.

[She smiles a bit nervously when mentioning that detail, unsure if Batman--this Batman anyway--has been already aware that several Earths exist.]

One of my biggest problems has been trying to find mine, so I can return home.

[She reaches into her coat pocket for what basically looks like a cell phone in shape and size. Batman would probably be able to see the lit up home screen, that looks like a a black background with stars all over. In the middle is the start of list of names that don't like they'd be the names of people.]

I was tricked into arriving in this Earth, by someone who somehow knew of friends I've been trying to find. I used this device to teleport here.

I'm thinking the asshole was probably a telepath. But, I couldn't feel him in my head.

[She's irritable when mentioning that conman as she slides her finger over and over the screen to scroll down, showing Batman that this list is a really lengthy one.]

What I'm showing you is a list of worlds. It goes on forever. But there are some I put in the bookmarks tab. Which works similar to how you bookmark a website on an internet browser.

[He just nods, listening and observing. It's what he does, after all.]

[And that's good enough for her, as she continues to explain.]

Going back further, over a year ago in my past. A lot of folks from their own worlds were bizarrely appearing in mine. My parents, friends from home, and I were doing what we could to help them figure out what was going on.

These creeps who showed themselves around some of my friends--they're like ghosts with powers none of us could really understand... They call themselves Mind Wraiths.

[Mari's eyes lower, but they're not focusing on the device in her hand.]

The only thing I got from one of them was a disturbing nightmare. I never saw any, so all I know on them is based on what my friends back home have explained to me.

The appearances and disappearances of our other-worlder friends were caused by them.

[Her voice feels and sounds tight in her throat. Her arms tremble a little.]

I worry they might be back, but it's hard to know for sure. Doesn't help when they're selective over who they show themselves to.

[It's never easy, talking about them. Mari can't exactly imagine just how screwed Gotham would be if the Wraiths were around and stirring chaos. She just knows it would get so seriously bad.]

[And this one is officially out of his realm and well into Dr. Fate's. He nods.]

I'll have to make a...long distance call on this one. But I know some people with experience in matters like this. Would you tell your story to them?

[This has to do with the others Batman knows. She puts her trust in him as she nods.

Going to him was a great idea.]

With them, I'll just start at the very beginning.

[Mari's calming her emotions. After all this, I'll be able to know for sure how safe Gotham will be. Then, I could return to safe base. Maybe.

She knew that she was going to be away from there for a while.]

While you make the call, I'll leave a message on the multiverse social app. I have friends who might worry if I'm gone too long. Where I've been is safer than other worlds I know of. Aside from a few door portal anomalies and that conman, I haven't been through as much danger as I had been in the past.

[Seriously. She'd rather stay there to do all the important searching she knows she needs to do. Mari won't have to worry and be paranoid about her device getting stolen by any of Gotham's villains, or anything else really terrible that she wouldn't want to think about.]

Edited 2021-02-04 02:59 (UTC)

[And he steps away, holding a hand up to his hear, and speaking to J'onn on the Watchtower. There are a few moments of exchange before he can step back.]

Dr. Fate will be here, soon. Where he'll take you...I'm not sure anything can get to you, there. He'll be summoning others who can help.

[She's almost done leaving her quick message, typing and editing up the minor mistakes on the touch screen. Upon hearing Batman's words, she pauses. She looks up to him, and blinks in surprise.]

Well that was fast!

[An appreciative smile comes from her.]

I'm not fully sure myself, but I think I'll be alright. Thank you.

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(OOC: Meant to drop this last time -took a peek at her profile, hope this fits!)

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[OOC: I thought you might have! It definitely works!]

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