12000/Please Don't Barbecue the Messenger

Please Don't Barbecue the Messenger
Date of Scene:	13 July 2022
Location:	2D - Terry's Apartment
Synopsis:	Agatha O'Neil has been apprised of Terry's situation. Good luck, Titans, you're going to need it.
Cast of Characters:	Kian, Terry O'Neil

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Kian has posed:
    Kían didn't really need a key to Terry's apartment.  It was easier to just know which window was left unlocked.
    Hint: it's not near the fire escape.  It doesn't need to be.  And in any case, it's after dark, so he can slip in unseen and no one need know which one is open.
    Kían doesn't waste any time, and sprawls out on the bed—like the rooms, small by his standards, but he doesn't need to share it this time.  He would have done this in his own room, but the location will help him focus.  He's sleeping with a mission tonight.
    Slipping easily into sleep, it's not long before he's dreaming… perched on the fire escape outside Terry's apartment on a warm day with a gentle breeze rustling his feathers.
    Thinking about Terry.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Ugh," Terry's voice comes from over Kian's shoulder, "Summer?  Really?  It's sweltering hot already and you want to dream me into summer still instead of a nice breezy spring?"
    The metallic clicking of a soda can opening, and the sputtering of carbonated drink ripping down on the fire escape.  Terry leans against the railing with a smirk, sporting a red tank top and yellow shorts.  "Oh well, it could be worse.  It could be Canarsie…."  He arches his eyebrows and looks around, and huhs.
    "You came by yourself this time, love.  You are planning something?" he asks, his smirk turning conspiratorial.  "I'm in.  Whatever it is."

Kian has posed:
    "Summer is the only time this planet's weather is sensible," Kían asserts.  "And I dreamed up a breeze!  Besides, you remember what my world was like."
    And there… he kind of dries up, looking Terry over.  "I have… I miss you," he says.  "I thank the Gods we at least have dreams to share, but it's not the same."
    It's a false start.  It's clearly not what he wanted to say, that he stumbled over before veering off into what's still a true statement, but not his true purpose.
    He tries again.  "Not really planning something, but… nnh.  I'm afraid you're going to be mad at us, and I'm afraid of what I still need to do."
    He clears his throat, and just puts it out there: "I don't think anyone's told your mother what happened to you yet."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Terry raises his eyebrows again and looks into the distance, letting out a low, quiet whistle.  He doesn't answer right away but takes a chug of his carbonated beverage, a brand that doesn't really exist in real life: Chershire Fizz.  And no, I won't tell you what it tastes like, it would ruin the fun.
    "Well…" the redhead says after a moment, pursing his lips, "I guess it's time for you to become acquainted with another fine Earth tradition."
    Another sip.
    "The fear of the Mother-in-Law."

Kian has posed:
    "I don't even know how to tell her I need to tell her something without her thinking that I'm going to tell her something even worse than you being stuck in Wonderland!  You remember when I told her about your arm… well, no you don't, you slept through that and I almost think you slept through it deliberately!"  Kían is approaching getting really worked up, but manages to catch himself.  "If anyone has talked to her, I don't know about it, and I doubt anyone has because she's not at the Tower making sure we're working every living second on figuring out how to get you back home.  I mean, really, Terry, she almost drove her car through the lobby door when you were just injured to find out what happened."
    He chuckles softly.  "Your mother is kind of scary sometimes, you know that?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Oh you think she is scary NOW."  Terry glances at Kian.  "Imagine what would happened if I died and she got the Cheshire Cat?"
    He leaves Kian to think about that for a moment while he finishes his soda, and then he throws the can over the edge of the fire escape.  In dreams, littering is allowed.
    "I'm afraid there's a little bit more of bad news, hon.  How many days as it been since I fell asleep in Wonderland?  Time is… a little elastic, here."

Kian has posed:
    "It is, was the twelfth?  I'm not sure what time it is in the waking world, it might be the thirteenth by now.  I—"
    This is where Kían imagines Agatha O'Neil as the Cheshire Cat, and he pales and his eyes widen.
    He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head once, vigorously.  "Actually, that might help.  Since neither she nor your cousin is the Cheshire now, you can't be dead.  I'm just not sure she's going to find that acceptable since you're also not here."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Terry tsks tsks tsks.  "So… do you remember the videos I sent you when I got… you know.  Lost in space?"
    Terry turns around to lean on the handrail and look at Kian directly.  "Well, Lois was right, one week was too short a timer for a dead-man's switch anyways… two weeks are definitely better, to avoid that issue."
    He clears his throat.  "What I'm trying to say is… remember that twenty minute interval where I went back to the Tower and said I needed to do something?  I made a video for mom.  And, well… if today's the thirteenth, that means you only have one day before it fires into her inbox…."

Kian has posed:
    "That," Kían rasps, he mouth suddenly dry, "is not much time to prepare myself."
    He reaches in through the window, and withdraws one of his sugar waters.  Dreams are handy that way.  At least being confronted with multiple problems at the same time seems to have pushed Kían into a more analytical frame of mind.  "Well.  First, can we stop that message from being sent?  And second, how do I tell her I need to tell her something without her gearing up like she was going after that Michael angel thing?  I mean, I've been mistaken for an angel before on this planet, except I know I'm not shotgun-resistent!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Well, you'd need access to my dead-man's switch app which is…"  He pauses.  "On my phone.  In Wonderland."  He reaches over and strokes Kian's cheek with a slight smirk.  "So you are going to have to work under pressure here, I'm afraid.  You know, I should have thought of a two-factor authorization thing, since it's locked to my fingerprints on the app."
    He reaches for another soda, off-frame, and tap tap taps the top of the can with a finger to prevent a geyser.  "Do you really think my mom is going to come gunning for you, Kian?  I get she can be a little intense, but she's not a psycho."
    Pause.  Sip.  "At least I'm pretty sure…."

Kian has posed:
    "You are soooo reassuring," Kían says in a sarcastic tone that sounds almost exactly like Gar's.  "Yes, I know, I'm being ridiculous, but this is going to be difficult for her, and for me.  I can't even imagine how they broke the news of my own disappearance to my parents, and they would have had no expectation of ever seeing me again.  And I'm probably not going to bring Gar along since everything has to happen so fast now… come to think of it, if we both showed up on her doorstep, she would assume the worst, wouldn't she?"
    Impulsively, he leans forward, puts his hands on Terry's shoulders, and kisses his forehead.  "Tenár'h, I need to know how to make this easiest for her.  I know there's no way to make it easy, but there are a lot of ways to make it worse.  And I really don't know how Earthers think—sorry, but you and Gar and the rest are not normal Earthers, you don't count.  Should I see her at her home, at her office, ask her to come to the Tower?  I don't really like that last, she might try to park her car in the lobby again.  Honestly, I don't know how you slept through that…."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Oh… when you live with her, you learn how to sleep through things," Terry grins.  "But in my defense, I was recovering from almost being shredded spiritually in two.  I was a little too exhausted to really pay much attention."
    He ponders this, though, and is quiet for a few minutes as he drains his can, more slowly than he really needs to.
    "Okay, the first thing you need to know is that mom hates being coddled.  If there are bad news, she wants to know them right away with no pussyfooting.  She will hate it if she thinks you are trying to treat her with kid gloves.  But that doesn't mean you have to be blunt… just… outlining the situation as clearly and in as few words as possible, I guess.  It's not like you're telling her that I'm dead…."
    He glances up at the sky.  "And she thought I was dead before when I got trapped in another dimension, so now she has actual experience with this sort of thing, if you think about it."

Kian has posed:
    "So… just tell her, basically," Kian says.  "That's actually a very Akiár way of doing it.  We would know something was wrong anyway, even if everyone was keeping their minds to themselves.  We can't isolate our minds from each other that completely, even when we're not actively scanning."  He's got that look of concentration like he's deliberately mentally filing that away.
    "Should I just go to her home?  I don't think I know where her office is.  And I don't think there's a good way to ask her to come to the Tower that isn't going to make her think the worst."
    He looks up into the sky too, wondering what Terry's looking at.  "You are complicated to have as tenár, you know?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "I did warn you about it.  Now it is simply too late to return me, the trial period has expired."  The redhead grins and squashes the can, which then drops to the ground and sprouts little legs like a tin crab, and does a little dance.  "Her home will be best, at the office Hayes and Addison can be a little nosy…."
    He glances back down at Kian, and smirks.  "I'm afraid it's going to be a little unpleasant, but I have aways to compensate…."  He glances back up at the sky again, and grins.
    "If your family is dreaming right now, I could bring them over for a brief barbe—er, get-together before you all wake up."
    He reaches over to brush his hand across Kian's, "You know… as an apology for always being such a handful."

Kian has posed:
    Kían grips Terry's hand tightly.  "If you're complicated, you're at least worth the trouble.  No, I think seeing my family would be too distracting and I need to keep myself focused.  And as for the compensation I plan to get out of you, we'll see how much that will be after, not before.  Part of it will definitely be a vacation on my world, once you're back.  I am not negotiating that."
    He grins, and kisses the tip of Terry's nose.  "But I don't think you'll mind going anyway, right?  And for now, well, we have some time to ourselves before I have to wake up…."

    In the morning, it's fair to say that Kían feels rested, and even feels better, but one would be hard pressed to say that he actually feels good.  And of course, he can't have coffee to get going, just raw willpower… and a lot of sugar.
    Terry may need to restock when he returns to this world.  It's an open question as to whether his bowl of cereal was more Wheaties than it was sugar, or the other way around.
    But it turned the trick, and he's awake, and he's standing on the front porch of Agatha O'Neil's home…
    …and he has no idea what he's going to say to her.
    He hasn't pressed the doorbell yet.  A little corner in the back of his brain wonders why the kirát hasn't informed Agatha yet that there's a visitor, and he has to force himself to remember that Earth homes don't have telepathic operating systems.
    He continues staring at the doorbell, and then loses his nerve completely and taps so very, very quietly on the door, more for his own sake than to rouse the inhabitant.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Unbeknownst to Kian, there was the next best thing to a telepathic doorbell—the Ring cam, which many homeowners preferred nowdays thanks to the very convenient alerts that let them know that someone is moving in the vicinity of the door, be they burglar, guest, or out-of-focus moths that amateur 'ghost finders' will immediately claim is a ghost or an angel or both.
    It is no surprise to most that Agatha has one such device installed, and just as Kian manages his second tap on the door, it swings open to reveal Agatha in full… well, Agathahood.  Her office attire speaks 'classy' and it is part of the upscale detective agency look that her partners want to project… even if, at the end of the day, Mr. Addison still ends up scarfing down McDoubles in his beat-up clunker in the midst of a long stake-out and wizzing into used water bottles in order to not have to take a bathroom break and potentially miss a break in the case.
    No, really, that is a thing detectives do.
    Agatha prefers the kind of stake-outs where you rent a modest but cozy hotel room across the target and spend a good afternoon listening to Dizzy Gillespie on the radio while keeping your long-range telephoto trained on the target in order to catch them in flagrante delicto.
    Unfortunately, due to the very inconsiderate zoning laws in the city, cozy hotels aren't a dime a dozen every block.  But she still likes it best in the odd times when the stars align.
    "Kian!" she says with mild surprise in her voice, the silver-and-navy suit accentuating how tall she is, and how red her hair is.  "This is unexpected, I'm getting ready for work, do you want to come in?" she asks, and waves her hand inwards.  It isn't a question so much as the pretense she's asking a question, since she immediately goes back into the house with the expectation that Kian will follow.

Kian has posed:
    "I… uh…" Kían begins, for lack of anything else to say, and follows Agatha inside as much on reflex as anything else.
    "So, uh…" he begins, not bringing much more clarity to the situation, and definitely appears a bit out of sorts.
    He clears his throat and tries again… to not much better effect.
    "So, uh…" he repeats, and this is by now probably doing no good for Agatha's sense of well-being.
    In a little bit of a panic, he blurts out, "Okay, the good news is Terry isn't dead, and—"
    —and he stops there, folding his wings tight against his back, realizing that was probably not the right way to start this conversation.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Agatha stops on a dime and then slowly turns around, one eyebrow raised in a gesture that is very Terry's.  Or, rather, a gesture that Terry must have inherited from Agatha.  Her green eyes look at Kian with that analytical glint, and she purses her lips just a little, tilts her head just a little.  Taps her foot.  Just a little.
    "Well.  That is good to know," she says slowly, her hands buttoning up the cuff of her blouse.
    "Well, at least we can establish that this will not be a 'mother went up on the roof' kind of situation.  Go ahead and have a seat and take a deep breath… and tell me the rest of it."

Kian has posed:
    Kían does seat himself… on the back of the couch, perched delicately with his wings hanging over the back.  The normal way one would sit on a couch.
    He sighs heavily.  "He's in Wonderland.  Keeping it alive.  It has to be dreamed to keep it going and the last dreamer woke up and the whole world would have died so Terry is dreaming it now and even if he weren't I don't know what would have happened to him because he's the Cheshire Cat and without Wonderland would he even exist without it?"
    That run-on sentence leaves him half-gasping for breath, but it's only a pause along the way.
    "But we were told that this was not his fate to stay there and we will get him back out again, but we don't know how or when.  We won't stop trying until we have him back.  Gar and I need that more than the rest of the team."
    He looks up, directly at Agatha.  "Maybe not as much as you will want him back."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    She stands as still as the tallest tree in the middle of the forest in the calm before the skies open up and a storm drowns the world.  The tall tree, defiant of the thunder and lightning, remains still.
    Her expression is hard to read, but the focus of those green eyes doesn't dim.  In fact, for a moment they seem to be the only things that are alive, the rest of her face nothing more than fixed geography.
    "You were told this was not his fate… by whom?" she asks, slowly, in the same way that she interrogates her more cooperative leads.

Kian has posed:
    "His name is Jonathan Sims.  I don't know how he knows, and I believe him mainly because I so desperately want to believe Terry is coming back," Kían says.  "Because now I can not imagine my world without Terry in it, and because it would hurt Gar at least as much.  But for now he's keeping a whole world alive."
    The birdman slumps forward a little.  "He has got to stop getting lost in other realities.  It does no one any favors."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    There is no response for a few seconds, and then she says very calmly: "Let me bring you some tea.  I believe I need some myself."
    With a quick about-face, she walks towards the kitchen with the energy and determination of a general charging up an enemy hill.  She vanishes into the next room, and for a few seconds there is the sound of the water tap running.
    And then there is a horrifying sound, like something quite heavy thrown with great force against a wall, like a very small cannonball.  There is the thud, the clattering of metal parts, the sound of spilled water and some residual clanging as other unimaginable things fall.
    A few seconds later, Agatha comes out, her blue and silver suit lightly speckled with dark stains from some liquid or another, her face still as it was before.  "I seem to have dropped my kettle, careless of me.  Here."  She offers him a glass.  "Peach nectar in lieu of tea."
    She remains standing, however.  "Why did Garfield not come to see me with you?" she asks.

Kian has posed:
    Kían sighs again.  "There wasn't time.  I can talk to Terry in my dreams, and do you remember when he disappeared and sent out videos saying goodbye because he thought if he was missing for a week it meant he was dead?  He did it again, except he has waited longer than a week.  And he's still wrong, he's not dead, but his videos are about to go out again.  You'll probably get one today, and you can ignore it.  I spent most of my sleep time with Terry in dreamspace; there wasn't time to get Gar, I had to be here first thing in the morning to tell you.  And I am so sorry it took until now to tell you but we have been recovering physically, psychologically and emotionally."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Agatha nods slowly, and her eyes have a far-away look.  "I remember Jonathan Sims.  He was at Saint Patrick's Cathedral when we—"  She trails off, and then crosses her arms, a look of concentration on her face.  "You said he can 'sense fate', but I imagine that is all he told you.  Very well, I think I will go see Mister Sims first."
    She breaks off from her stance to reach for her cell phone on the dining table and quick-dials a number.  Someone answers on the other side, and she speaks.
    "Agnes, it's Agatha.  Hold all my appointments today."  A pause.  "Yes, it's Terry.  No, I don't know what yet.  It's complicated, tell them I'll reach out soon, I need to follow a lead.  I will tell you where you can have my calls forwarded.  Yes, Agnes.  I will let him know."
    She lowers her phone and frowns slightly.  "Kian, I want you to listen to me very carefully.  Tell them I'll be arriving at the Tower tonight after I have spoken with Mister Sims.  I need to pack."

Kian has posed:
    Kían blinks.  "Pack?  If you are wanting to go to Wonderland, I don't know how we get there right now.  I… I can probably dream you to talk to him, if you want.  But not until tonight.  He has to spend some time actively dreaming Wonderland."
    He glances at her, and then away.  Those eyes are a bit too intense.  "But I will warn… I mean tell the Tower that you are coming tonight."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "I am not going to Wonderland, Kian," Agatha says, "I am going to stay at the Tower until we figure out how to bring my son back."
    She isn't asking for permission, she is merely stating a fact.  Those eyes of her could be emeralds by how much they glisten at this moment.  "Now finish your nectar, I know you need your sugar.  I would let you stay but I really can't think clearly about packing when there's a guest in the house.  And I have much to do before that, such as finding where Jonathan Sims is currently living."
    She walks to the door once Kian has finished his nectar, inviting him out without hostility.  It's not like they aren't going to see each other soon enough.  This time she might not even park the car in the tower Lobby.

Kian has posed:
    Kían allows himself to be shown to the door.  He kind of expected it; Agatha O'Neil is a person of action and when she sets her mind on something, she's going to do it.
    He is very careful not to make physical contact with her.  He rather suspects it would be overwhelming.
    "I will let them know you are coming tonight, then," he says as evenly as he can manage.  The more he thinks about it, the surer he is that 'warn them' would be more appropriate, but he won't say so aloud.
    Hesitantly, he adds, "Agatha Téri'chal… if I could have, I would have stayed with him.  So would have Gar.  We were not allowed to.  Someone knocked us both out and brought us back.  If… if there was a way to bring him back, we would have, but the whole world there was dying without him."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "I know, Kian.  I am not blaming you, nor Garfield.  We will talk more at the tower—the sooner I am done here, the sooner we can talk there."
    Then something is pushed into Kian's hands.  A Capri Sun juice bag.  "For the trip," she says.  Where did it come from?
    That question will need to remain unanswered as the door closes and Agatha O'Neil vanishes back into the house.
    For the next half hour, there is much that needs to be done.  House sitter to be arranged (Mrs. Montgomery's daughter is free), appointments to re-schedule, and then her standard Stake-Out bag to pack (sans binoculars this time, and a few more outfits.)
    When that is done, there are still more things to do.  She sits at the dining table and pulls up her phone and sets it on 'do not disturb' for the next two hours.  The lock screen is a picture of her and Terry from last Fall.  It's at Planet Herowood and the Titans are in the background, so it must have been taken at the joint Beast Boy/Robin birthday party.  She stares at it in silence.
    "…damnit," she says in a voice that is tight and bursting with anger and with a lot of other emotions as well.  The phone is set down on the table and her hands go to her face, hiding the eyes that had glistened with intensity half an hour ago when Kian was here, and now the source of that intensity is given free rein as Agatha O'Neil begins to cry.
    And if a tear falls in the forest but there's no-one to hear it, does it make a sound?