13077/A Mouse's Tale - An Explanation

A Mouse's Tale - An Explanation
Date of Scene:	17 October 2022
Location:	Main Room - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Kaida shares a lot about herself and a bit of what she knows about a new threat.
Cast of Characters:	Kaida Connolly, Hank Hall, Michael Hannigan, America Chavez, Gar Logan, Donna Troy, Kate Bishop, Victor Stone, Caitlin Fairchild

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Kaida Connolly has posed:
By now, most of the Titans have been made aware that the being known as Coyote had paid a visit to the top of Titan's Tower. He was laying in one of the lounge chairs, all meancingly (not at all menacingly). However, given the Titan's past with people just showing up to the tower, people came to confront him right away. It turned out, he was here to visit Kaida and to a degree, also Terry. He was ominous, unclear, and gave a couple of cryptic warnings. So, all in all, what one might expect from a Native American trickster.

After it was over, apparently something he said had Kaida rather tired and she wanted to go sleep and would give out some information she knew later. As such, she actually posted that she wanted to call a meeting with available Titans tonight and even went (with some help) to get pizza for people.

Now, she is standing near a pizza box, casually eating on a piece of crust while she waits for people to show up. She looks somewhat distant, as if she's not sure how to broach this or even if she wants to broach this. She's never been exactly forthcoming about everything that brought her to the point she is at now and there's a lot of negative mememories associated with that.

Hank Hall has posed:
The promise of pizza has lured Hank to the meeting. He was not present during the visit that led to this meeting, which was probably something that most of the Titans considered a good thing. He was not exactly known as the best welcoming committee. Although he of course had had his own history being on the wrong side of a greeting - few Titans have shown up blind drunk and shouting at the cameras. Perhaps only one.

But that was a different Hank. Or at least, so he believed it to be. This was the calmer, more collected Hank. As the internet jokes would go, 'Tell me Dove is back without telling me Dove is back.' Although she was not present as of yet at the meeting, which may cause a minor bit of nerves in the veteran Titans. But for the moment, Hank is simply chowing down on his pizza. And looking at least somewhat confused about the entire thing.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
While not a Titan, Mike had been at the tower the day Coyote had made the visit. So when the general invite came around, Mike opted to show up again. Pizza or no Pizza.

A purplish black raven flies into the room, gliding over to an area that's not occupied by others. Risk of hitting someone else limited, the bird flips forward, form elongating and shifting more humanoid. As the figure walks upon its newly formed feet and turns around, the familiar look of one Michael Hannigan comes into view. And look!

It's knit cap season again. The musician moves over, looking over to the food that's been gathered for the intended meeting. Giving a nod to those who have already gathered, he investigates the contents of the boxes before finding one with toppings he likes. A slice is secured and he steps away, leaving the rest for the more hungry. "Hi guys."

America Chavez has posed:
    America hasn't been on this Earth for a time. In fact, she hasn't been on -any- Earth for a little while. The obligations of awareness on a cosmic level sometimes drive her to worlds that even -she- isn't aware exist until she's there--and this one was a doozy.

    Sure she's been to saurian worlds before, and yes they are often hyper militant, galactic supremacy-touting jerks; but most of the time they're confined to a single system. This last one was galactic in scale and she had to make some declarations and decisions that even she--at the ripe age of 20--wasn't entirely certain she was comfortable with.

    Nevertheless, a shimmering outline of a large blue, five pointed star sratches its way into reality before the internal workings of time and space fail and it's just blue light in the same shape in the main room of the Tower. The familiar form of America hops out from that endless shining blue void and waves a hand in greeting before pulling the mass of her dark curls into a messy pony tail to keep it from her face.

    "Did I miss it?" she asks those present; from Kaida, to Hank (who she doesn't quite recognize), to Mike, to anyone else present. "The meeting about the latest demigod--or literal god--to wander onto Titan's property that is." It's good to clarify these sorts of things after all.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan had not been there for the rooftop encounter. He is here for the follow-up to it. Pizza also being here is an extra motivator, no question about it.

How do they know he's here? Because the coyote that pads into the room is fully green. While it /could/ be a trick, no alarms are going off and the animal heads right over to snag a slice of pizza in his teeth, so as far as hints go that's a fairly obvious one.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna had a face like thunder when she heard about the divine visitation, for reasons she doesn't elucidate but can be summed up by the fact that she briefly contemplates putting a sign on the tower door that reads 'no gods allowed'. She's not foolish enough to give voice to the thought though.

    The moment has passed, and she's back to her normal smiles when it's time to get the reveal straight for the horse's mouth. Or rather the mouse's mouth. "Hey Supermouse!" she calls on her way down the staircase from the dorm corridor, and "Hey everyone" as she steps off the bottom step. As with so many others the temptation of pizza calls to her and she makes straight for the kitchen counter to grab herself some pizza, pretending to shoulder barge Mike with a grin as she snatches a slice from one of the pies he had his eyes on.

    "You're right on time, America! There's still pizza, and Kaida hasn't started yet. Grab pizza, grab seat." Donna is following her own advice because, with pizza secured, she hops into a comfortable seat on the giant couch to consume pizza and listen to mouse."

Kate Bishop has posed:
    I mean, pizza is a natural lure and appology for calling a meeting. At least amongst the Titans.

    "Don't think you missed anything Mac." she notes as she walks in and takes two slices of pepperoni and folds it into a NY style pizza sammich.

    She makes her way to the couch and plops down to take a bite and look to Kaida.

Victor Stone has posed:
    "If they take on human form and seem like normal, if kinda cryptic people are they really gods? What does God need with a Mouse and a Cheshire Cat?" Vic has a piece of pizza--well, a whole box, really, but who's counting--and is pondering just where to sit.

    He was here for the rooftop encounter, and he found it odd, but his focus is on helping Kaida. He greets everyone who's joined up with a nod or two and goes to take a seat on the couch.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's there a little late; she drags in from the elevator looking exhausted, wearing pink scrubs and soft-soled shoes, and with a heavy bookbag and a duffel in her arms. "Hey. Sorry I'm late," she apologizes, wearily. "Residency hours tonight and they wouldn't let me leave until all the patient history was done." She drops her gear near the door and heads to the pile of pizza, and pulls a box out. Four huge slices of pizza are folded on top of each other, mashed flat, and Caitlin devours half of it in three messy bites.

"'id I miss 'nythin' 'et?" she asks from behind her hand, still chewing.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"Everyone is on time." Kaida says, slapping together two tiny hands and swallowing a little. She looks like she's about to start speaking but she instead hops on top of a box to sip at a bendy straw that is inside of a soda can. She swallows it down and stretches her arms up after before slapping her hands together again. She turns to look at everyone and then lets out a long breath.

"OK! So, uh, I don't really talk a lot about my past because well, it's really sad and I don't like sad things so I don't talk about it but...umm, well, it is here and now I have to deal with it and so I'm just gonna talk about it." She nods her head and then looks around briefly before clearing her throat.

"So, Coyote was here and he warned me about Dr. Marcus Wilson who turns out to be a DoctorThatI used to WorkFor and I thought HeDiedAndItTurnsOutHeDidn'tAndHeTriedToBlowUpAMallToGetToMe AND..." Kaida kept speaking faster and faster as she went and finally took a deep breath before leaning forward a little and frowning.

"And now Coyote is warning me about him because he's partially to blame for why I am as I am I think...maybe."

Hank Hall has posed:
As the others pile in, Hank meanders around, keeping away from claiming a seat. He does, however, pass by the pizza table a second time, and snags a second slice as he does so. He nods to the various Titans as they filter in, even the ones who show up that he doesn't know. Reasonable assumption that anyone here is a Titan or ally, of course.

He settles into a lean against a column as Kaida begins to offer her story. He nods along as he follows, trying to make sense of it.

He opens his mouth as if to make a comment, and then performs a quick WWDD, and decides to stuff the pizza into it instead.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Grab what you want before Gar and Vic's done." Mike replies to America, half joking. His head turns to look to Donna as she 'barges'. There's a bit of a look before the brain catches up. He gives a nod to her before backing away, not surrendering the slice he had already secured. "Coyote is a trickster God. So that alone might make for him to recognize a Cheshire. And based from the conversation, I think this Coyote knew Terry's father."

That's about all Mike contributes to that general question as the meeting starts up and Kaida gives a VERY quick summation of what Coyote was talking about in relation to her. The musician blinks as he works to parse out the string of sound to their separate words. "So, the mouse thing isn't a genetic thing?"

Gar Logan has posed:
The Garyote makes eating pizza look like more of a chore than it needs to be, mainly because he's got it between his paws while digging in for a few bites.

"Wait, so you're saying you weren't always a little mouse?" Gar asks, an ear turning a bit to one side, just like his head as he tilts it toward Kaida. "If you need me to, I could find this crazy Doc and drop an anvil on him for you."

He sounds like he isn't taking things seriously, but one of the things he does when he determines someone is uncomfortable is resort to attempts to get them to laugh. Coyote + anvil = laughs for all.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Yes, Cait," Donna calls out with a grin. "You missed the pizza, Gar just grabbed the last slice," she lies. "And Vic? In my experience if someone's looking for a cat and a mouse, they're probably planning on casting for a cartoon.

    The light-hearted banter comes to a halt when Kaida's ready to speak though, and Donna sits back with her pizza waiting, attending closely to her explanation. "Terry's father was also the Cheshire Cat," Donna says to clarify Mike's comment for Hank's benefit, as he may not know that detail. "It's hereditary. So yeah, not that surprising that his father hung out with a trickster god at some point. "

    Gar has pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as Donna's concerned, so she gives a quick nod in his direction. "Right. We put this doctor on the system, start doing some digging, and arrest the guy. He's just a regular scientist type then, Kaida? Not a meta or anything? It's important to know because if so we probably better only drop the anvil on his foot."

America Chavez has posed:
    America floats over, hovers really, to the pizza box and grabs a slice before moving to a spot about 6 feet high up against a wall to listen. Kaida's words are hyperfast--much like the miniature lady herself--but America's close friends with at least -one- version of Speed who does -everything- fast: she's practiced at following speech in that fashion.

    At Mike's question she arches a brow. It's something she's been wondering herself so she fixes Kaida with a specualtive look. "I think a number of us don't know much about you beyond the fact that you're the Mightiest Mouse that ever Moused" she says. "Maybe start there, if you can?" she suggests. "To give some background on what comes next."

Kate Bishop has posed:
    "I definitely will never understand powers, gods, and demigods...." she mutters and takes another bite of pizza.

    "Okay question. The Doctor or Coyote is partially responsible for you being the way you are.. or both?" she didn't quite parse that portion from the explanation.

    Not that it surprises her that Coyote might be involved in a super powered mouse hero. It is about a tricksters speed really.

    "Also... what is the doctor capable of?"

    She indicates what Mac said "I ewcho all that too."

Victor Stone has posed:
    "It was a reference," Vic notes. "What does God need with a starship? Star Trek V? Underrated even if it's goofy as hell--anyway."

    He focuses on Kaida then, listening as her speech speeds up. "It's hard to talk about... why we became the way we became, for some of us. We weren't all born like this." He grins at Donna, briefly. "And... I think we've all had struggles and loss." A brief glance to Hank. "So we understand if it's hard to talk about, yeah? Take your time."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin stops chewing and stares at Kaida, trying to parse... all that. The others are already making helpful contributions ,most of which seem to echo her senitments of 'slow down and start over'. So she steps over to the same column Hank is borrowing and leans her shoulder against the other side of it. The redhead looks over at Hank, eyes narrowing, and then gives him a cool 'sup' with her chin, eyes hooded, as she takes over the other half of his Place To Lean And Look Nonchalant.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Looking at everyone, Kaida seems a little overwhelmed right now. She almost looks like someone reliving something. If anyone here is aware of it, they might recognize minor signs of PTSD from the mouse girl as she rubs up the side of her head and grips on to an ear before swallowing and tugging at it a little before finally she sucks in a breath and drops to a crouch. She looks back at the others and then finally goes behind a pizza box briefly. She stays back there long enough that someone might think to check on her before she finally hops up on to the box and nods.

"OK! I...I used to be an intern at a lab working to become a biochemist and the lab was run by Dr. Marcus Wilson." She nods her head, "There were many experiments going on there but one involved mice and one mouse in particular was, well, like I am now. Like me." She swallows and takes another long drink of soda before letting out a loud burp and then laughing a little and looking to Gar a moment before looking at the others. She seems to have heard much of what they said but it's a if she's trying really hard to focus on this.

"And I was gonna just be an intern and then a scientist and that was it. Ya know, make some medicines, solve some diseases. Ya know. Stuff." She shrugs and then swallows and then closes her eyes.

"Then the alarms went off and they said Doomsday was coming toward the lab and everyone was going to evacuate and my mom always told me, ya know, before she died, that you gotta help people who are weaker than you if you have the power to do so." She nods, "And no one was helping the animals. I ran to where they were, trying to get all the cages open and then there was a loud explosion and then the walls started to collapse and something started to roar." And a side of Kaida few have seen or likely would ever see, a side she wished no one could see comes out.

Kaida starts to shake and starts to tear up and starts to hug herself and slowly squats down and hugs her knees and starts to sob and and and...

"The darkness came." She says to no one at all as she stares down at her knees and swallows, "It was so dark and so cold..."

Hank Hall has posed:
His gaze remaining mostly on Kaida while the mouse begins to tell her tale, Hank does, politely, take a moment to consider some of the other folks as they speak. His face twists slightly into a frown at Victor, but that is all - a positive sign that something is working to help Hank restrain himself. That seems to spell the end of Hank looking elsewhere, though, as if he is seeing the potential for reaction, and elects to stay as far away as possible so as not to update Kaida at her own meeting.

Caitlin, though, does earn a nod in response as she takes on the challenge of holding up the other side of the column. Then Hank's gaze goes back to Kaida, considering her story carefully.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Hearing Victor's words to Kaida, Mike gives a nod in confirmation. He doesn't say anything, drifting to a silence of his own as he waits patiently for Kaida to give her story. His head tilts forward, eyes closing as she describes the scene. The line of his lip conveys a less than happy expression.

Gar Logan has posed:
"Yeah, just start from the..start," the coyote says, only to grow quiet at the tale of woe that's shared. Seeing the way Kaida's affected by just the retelling, he pushes up to his feet and reverts to normal Gar. Then he heads closer and takes a new form, that of a mouse much like Kaida herself.

From more her size and shape, he holds out his arms. "Come here. Bring it in. I got you. You're with friends, family. You can do this." A mousey hug is offered, a show of support. "Talking about stuff helps. What happened next?"

America Chavez has posed:
    America frowns as Kaida relays the tale of her origins. Not everyone has the happiness of Utopia at their starting point. She's almost ready to push off from the wall to give the small young woman a hug when Gar is there to do it much better than she can. She leans back and nods in silent agreement to the man's sentiments. This is Kaida's show and sometimes things start with turmoil and darkness as often as with peace and light, unfortunately Kaida got the former it sounds like.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna nods her head to herself and puts the pizza down beside herself on the seat before getting up and walking over to join Kiada, and she leans an elbow on the counter close by Kaida so she's crouching a little next to the mouse.

    "Hey Kaida," she says gently. "You don't need to give any more details than you're comfortable giving, but you're one of us. Family, right? Just as Gar says."

    "Don't rush yourself to talk about anything until you're ready. We trust you and if you just want to give us the minimum to find this asshole and grab him, that's okay. We trust you. We got you." Donna's too big to offer a mouse hug the way Gar can, but she can offer a fistbump at least.

Victor Stone has posed:
    Vic listens quietly, brow furrowing a little. He eats his pizza but barely really notices. It all sounds horribly familiar, lab experiments that may or may not be questionable, an accident leading to catastrophic bodily changes. He sighs, but stays quiet otherwise.

    He does glance down at his hands for a moment, considering something, but then shrugs and grabs another slice of pizza from his box. Questions can wait for the mouse girl to be done with her story.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    At the level of emotion and tension, well, Kate will fall quiet and just eat the pizza silently. She absolutely does not wanmt to rush or pressure Kiada on this point at all.

    Also Gar has it from her own size now and is doing the hug and bring it in offer that she expects most of the Titans want to do for their friend. They all can't group hug the mouse though.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
The same follows for Caitlin. The redhead pauses her eating while Kaida bears her soul, and the expression on Caitlin's face is one of wanting to rush over and comfort the mouse. But there is much love and so little mouse, and Gar seems to have the situation 110% handled.

She does dig a tissue from her scrubs pocket and daubs at her eyes as they mist up a little, though.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Looking at everyone as some just listen and others speak, Kaida seems unsure. She blinks at Gar and his mousey form. She seems hesitant but then rushes to him and hugs him tight. Donna will have to wait a moment until Kaid realizes her fist is out and she offers it out but doesn't let go of Gar. Gar would likely notice that, while she's not crushing him, at this size, Kaida is pretty damn strong. She's trying her best not to smoosh mouse Gar in a hug.

"I don't know what happened next." She says, trying her best not to sob out her words, "I woke up like this." She swallows and pushes back from Gar a little, giving him a sad, thankful smile before she looks down a moment and looks at one hand. She flexes her hand, as if she were seeing it for the first time before finally continuing.

"I just know that I found out later that people said that Dr. Wilson died in that mess." She looks down, "And I thought maybe the mouse he was experimenting on, the one who was more like I am than the others died. According to Coyote, her name was Shara. I don't know what happened to her but the way Coyote talked, she is dead." She nods her head, "But Dr. Wilson, he isn't." She shakes her head, "I saw him. He came to see me. I don't know if he has any powers but he has tech. Tech so good that even I couldn't detect him when he left us to find his bombs."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike tilts his head up, eyes opening to look over to Kaida. "So, the one that was more like you, is it possible they had your abilities and they somehow passed it to you around when they passed?" It's a stretch but considering others he's encountered, not much of one. "And this bomb-happy doctor knows it?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Little..lighter..please." Gar does have to remind Kaida to watch it with her hugging. It's still pretty damn strong. All the same, once she's let go of the hug he gives her a suitably mousey smile before hopping back down to return to normal. The moment was all she needed, and if another is called for again, she knows he can be one to help.

He wonders, "Yeah, that's the part I'm not really getting. Did something transfer over to you? And what's Coyote's involvement?" At the mention of the other mouse, 'Shara,' apparently dying, but Kaida left behind, he rubs the back of his head in thought. Mouth opens. Mouth closes. No, don't throw /that/ question out there. It wouldn't make sense anyway.

Or would it? Stranger things could happen. Stranger things /have/ happened. He bites his lip enough that the underbite shows more visibly than usual, a foot tapping a few times. Not so much impatiently, but with a hint of apprehension. "I..had a thought, but I don't know if you guys really want to hear it." Fidget. "Besides, if that doctor is still out there..."

Victor Stone has posed:
    "Coyote said he knew Shara, right? And Terry's father. So--I guess that's his involvement? Kinda? I wonder, though." Vic's eyes narrow and then he grunts.

    "This Wilson guy sounds like he /definitely/ needs an anvil or two dropped on him," he mutters. Then shakes his head. "Speaking of..." He looks to Gar. He wants to hear it, but this is Kaida's show.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate looks between Vic and Gar and then the mouse. She missed the Coyote visit so this is all useful news and conjecture.

    "Maybe I missed it... do we know what the doctor wants.. why he showed up all bomb happy? What is the endgame?"

America Chavez has posed:
    America listens and is all for going after this mad doctor. Scientist with nefarious intentions? Bad. Scientist with weaponry? Bad. Both in the same situation. Very bad. But Gar might be onto something and the man's got a good head on his shoulders... most of the time.

    She bites the line he's tossing. "What's up, Gar? I mean, there's questions gallore to be had here... if you might have an answer... might as well toss it out so we can chew on it for a bit." She smirks at the green mouse next to Kaida and gives him a reassuring wink..

Donna Troy has posed:
    There are things Donna's not saying right now that she might choose to say at some later time. Things that are complicated to explain and raise lots of questions, the answers to which Donna doesn't have. Things that are vague and ill-formed in her mind; hints and clues rather than facts, intertwined with an awareness that was not truly her own but belongs to the faint echoes of the memory of being someone else for a while. She looks long and hard at Kaida, but now is not the time.

    "In the first instance," she says, "We concentrate on finding and grabbing this doctor. Maybe he has some answers. But more importantly, if Kaida's getting warnings this guy is still alive and might cause trouble, that makes him an active problem for Kaida. And an active problem for Kaida is an active problem for all of us. Anyone who causes trouble to any one of you needs to have the error of their ways pointed out to them."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"I really don't know." Kaida states and looks down a little, "I honestly just thought I woke up alone. Everyone involved had died. No mouse, no doctor and many others hurt in the..." She swallows, "After what happened." SHe looks to the side and Kaida shrugs a little before smiling a little, though there's still a lot of sadness there.

"I just found a new life. I embraced it to escape what happened." She looks up at various faces, smiling at Gar a little before looking then to Michael and his theory and then to Victor. She glances then to Kate briefly before hearing more from Donna and then she puts her tiny hands up.

"Look, I know he was doing something with this Shara before I...became this." She gestures at herself, "I know we need to find him. I just...I don't have answers." She shakes her head and looks to Gar, "But if you have an idea, I'm willing to hear it."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike nods to Donna's assessment. "Yeah, I'd rather this doctor not be in a position where he can be causing problems. The part with Kaida's concerning enough but also trying to blow up a mall?"

You thought he didn't catch it in that flurry of mouse speak earlier but- he did.

Mike looks over to Gar as Kaida does. He's forming theories as well but if someone has one that makes more sense than his 'like ___ only with Kaida' one. Well, yeah he'd listen.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan holds up his hands. "Hey, you know I have an active imagination, but this is probably something I should say to Kaida privately first. I don't want to be out of line about it." That alone should tell the group he's arrived at a very...interesting hypothesis.

With some of them looking his way, and even Kaida suggesting he just come out with it, he has a deep breath that results in his shoulders rising and falling visibly. "Look, so a lot of us have stuff about us that everyone else would think is weird as hell. I caught a lethal virus and the only cure made me green and I could turn into any animal I can think of. Raven's dad is, well, you know. Starfire's from outer space. America's from another dimension. Vorpal's from /Wonderland/ and that doesn't even get into the whole deal with his dad and the Cheshire Cat passing on to him."

Clearing his throat, he gestures back to Kaida, the little mouse. "If Coyote's involved somehow, that means there's some sort of god-thing going on. I'm just saying..the thought crossed my mind that what if..uh..you didn't, you know, survive that explosion? I mean, the old you. And you were told Shara died? What if you, you know, ended up whatever Shara was?"

Given his shift in expressions, the doubt combined with his own wonder shows his uncertainty, but also his attempt to make sense of what may or may not have happened.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna frowns slightly at Gar's theorizing, and raises a hand in a 'stop' gesture. "You are raising complicated questions of identity here that are probably unnecessarily complicated, Gar. I mean this is getting pretty close to metaphysical questions about whether we can be said to truly be the same person that we were yesterday, given that we have another day's worth of experiences shaping us, and like the Ship of Theseus, we don't have all our original parts even without mad scientists and explosions involved simply through the natural replacement of cells."

    She glances briefly in Vic's direction. "Kaida is Kaida. That's what's important. We've all undergone significant changes in our lives."

    "As for the god thing... yeah. This has god nonsense written all over it. And if you take my advice on how to deal with that... don't. Gods work on their own timetables. We'll find out when it's time to find out. The important thing here is grabbing this doctor before he blows up any more malls, or causes any more trouble for Kaida. Kaida? If you can put together all the information you have on this guy, we'll start tracking him down."

Kate Bishop has posed:
    "I'm with Donna on this one." she chimes in getting up from the couch and heading towards the pizza boxes to see if they have been utterly decimated or if she can snag another slice.

    "We focus on what we can do, get this doctor, prevent more trouble there, and I imagine like Donna said.. either this will tease out the answers to the harder questions ... or he has those answers himself." she shrugs.

    She isn't dismissive, but guessing in this space... is just goingf to be guessing.

Victor Stone has posed:
    "Yeah, I mean--that's important stuff to figure out, but /first/ we've gotta make sure this crazy doctor doesn't bomb anything else." Vic smiles at Kaida. "You don't gotta have answers. We'll find them together. Like Donna said--causing trouble for a Titan's just bad news, and bad people need to know that."

America Chavez has posed:
    America blinks at Gar's theory. "You know... stranger things have happened... and it could be the case... but I think Donna's words on this one still stand regardless. Kaida is Kaida." She frowns. "Might be worth while to get feelers out on multiple fronts."

    She looks to Donna and Kate. "Maybe we can do some digging on the New York front in case he's basing his ops outside of Metropolis?" She arches a brow. "Couldn't hurt in the long run, could it? And, if it goes well and he's somewhere in the middle," she smacks one fist into the palm of another. "I do love me a pincher attack." She offers a toothy grin to the rest of them.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Kaida's entire body stiffens at Gar's proposal and it feels like her hair stands on end but then she sucks in a breath and closes her eyes. She listens to the others and focuses on that before putting up a tiny hand toward Gar and swallows.

"I'll umm, come back to that." She says to him and then looks at Donna with a nod and also at America, Kate and Vic. She shifts in her spot before pulling out another piece of pizza and looks down at the plate before nodding her head. She pulls off a pepperoni and sits down.

"I know Coyote said something about finding him. He said to look where the mice aren't." She shrugs, "But there's no place like that. I mean, mice are really everywhere. I don't know for certain what he means unless it is somewhere mice are avoiding." She shrugs her shoulders.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike listens to Gar's explanation. There's a quirk of the lip as he nods. The rocker has no idea if Gar's idea is the correct one but flavored a bit by Coyote's interactions with Terry, Mike's thought process was leaning towards a quasi Cheshire like origin.

When Donna tells Gar to stop, the musician shakes his head. He looks over to Gar first, "It's not a bad theory. Thank you for sharing it."

The musician looks over to Donna. "Gar asked first. Kaida was ok with him sharing the theory. And yes, while it might be a 'complicated thought', if its true, it could give a bit of insight to what that doctor's thinking or how he might go about with matters."

Mike looks over to Kaida, "On that note, Donna's right in that regardless of how it happened, you are still you. This does not change our view of you."

Saying his piece, he goes quiet, listening to the response from Kaida. The reminder about the tidbit Coyote gave does cause for him to give a thoughtful look. But he's quiet this time.

Gar Logan has posed:
"I wasn't saying she isn't.." Gar begins, feeling like some of his guess is being misinterpreted. It causes his brow to furrow. Regardless, Donna's attempt to focus and Kaida's own acknowledgment get him to quiet himself, with or without Michael's efforts to defend the idea. "We can figure all that out later," he suggests. "I agree we need to find the doctor dude first."

However, it doesn't seem as if he has anything to offer by way of thoughts dealing with figuring that part of the equation out. Instead, he goes over for another slice of pizza and merely nibbles at it instead of attacking it with the usual gusto. Figuring out riddles at the moment? Don't look at him.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "A place where mice aren't," Donna repeats. "It kind of sounds like some kind of puzzle or clue. But let's keep in mind that it may be quite literal." She returns to her seat and recovers her uneaten pizza. "I mean this guy doesn't exactly have the best of track records with mice. And seeing that we know that magic is involved here, it's certainly not impossible that someone is helping mice avoid him in some fashion. There may literally be no mice within a hundred feet of him or something. Maybe we could rig up some drones with mouse-sized passenger capacity, have a few of them sectoring the city and watch the mice for signs of not wanting to be where they are. See if there's an area of the city that mice do not want to go."

    She tilts her head to the side. "New York too, of course. As you say, America. However let's get all the info we can get on this guy and put it into the systems first. Maybe we can track him through some reliable method like credit cards of cell phones rather than relying on the guess that there's some kind of mouse magic at play."

Kate Bishop has posed:
    "I'd ask why Coyote can't just speak plainlyu...but.... I know that is a big old waste of time with tricksters..." she just muses as she settles back in now with the acquired extra slice and a bottle of flavored water from a quick duck to the fridge.

    "I got nothing but I'll think on it."

Victor Stone has posed:
    "We can definitely get on that part," Vic notes to Donna. "Tracking him down through credit cards and cell phones. We've got several people who can do that kind of hacking." He grins. "And if that doesn't work? Maybe mouse-drones. That could be doable."

    Nobody suggest he rig the drones to flying Roombas. Although it's there in the glint in his eye. The /temptation/. Mouse-sized Roombas.

    After a moment's thought he adds, "There aren't mice in the sea, though, right? I mean. There's places the mice aren't. There's places to look."

America Chavez has posed:
    America whistles low. "I really hope we don't have to go into the water to get to him, dicey at the best of time and with the Atlantean presence offshore we might get into more hot water than we want to." She shrugs. "We'll do some searches on our end digitally as well, I can get Viv on it at the very least. Nadia too if she needs the hand."

    "Coyote will let us know if we're on the right track or he won't... I'd rather this be in our own hands than leaving it to the whim of a god, if it's all fine and well." She fixes Kaida with a hopeful grin. "We'll get to the bottom of this. We all got you, Kaida. That's what family does. When trials come up, we close ranks and step to it without hesitation."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A look at the others and Kaida smiles a little before nodding her head. She shifts her spot a little and casually drags a plate over to a box and drags another slice of pizza on to it. She picks the plate up and swallows.

"Well, if it is ok with everyone, I'll think more on this later. I think I need some alone time and then sleep time." She shifts carefully under her plate, "I am sure I will help think of something, too. Later." She nods her head and then casually starts toward the edge of the table.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan hmms, more to Vic than anyone else, though he includes America in the look he gets. It's one that Titans would know well. The wheels are spinning inside that green head of his as he pulls out his phone to thumb through things on it.

"If he /does/ have some underwater base somewhere, we can find it. After all, we've got Garth, and if he's not around, I still have this." He morphs into that hybrid Atlantean/fishman creature he spent some time as while recovering from his doppelganger's attack on himself. Black compression/bike shorts and nothing else over his scaly body. "And if we need more subtlety, I got you that way too."

He sets the phone down on the table Kaida's on, turning into a crab so he can place himself next to the mouse in order to serenade her with a song as the phone plays the backing music. A real crab, that is, not a cartoonish one.

"Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea"

This /is/ subtle for him.

Then he scuttles away as quickly as he can, lest someone throw him in a pot of boiling water.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate nearly spits water but does end up choking a bit and coughing.

    For a moment one has to wonder if this is how Hawkeye dies.

    Thankfully though she manages to breath and jsut wipes her eyes. "Damnit..."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Mice can swim," Donna points out with an air of amusement mixed with bemusement. She seems to be carefully ignoring Gar's resort to song, apart from making an effort to defuse the effects by patting Kate on the back and checking she's not about to actually die from being Garfielded. She's known Gar long enough to be immunized against such things herself. Partially, at least. "Also there's a lot more sea to cover than land. So yeah let's mark that down as a possibility, but the mouse powered drones could have an advantage if there is some kind of mouse ward in play. We might be able to triangulate and narrow things down real fast, if he is in the city."

    "Credit cards and cellphones first though," she adds with a nod to Victor.

    Donna flashes a smile at the sleepy mouse. "Thanks for letting us know Kaida. We'll start the hunt in the morning when you've had some thinking and resting time, okay? And if you want to talk about... anything... you know where to find me."

Victor Stone has posed:
    Gar has an occasional partner in crime in these things, and Vic provides a brief light show to help with the serenading. Look, maybe it'll cheer Kaida up! Maybe not. But it's worth a shot.

    When the lights go off he says, "We've got this, Kaida. But go get some rest, yeah. Gotta be ready to get out there and solve this mystery." He snags the last slice of pizza out of his box. "And, hey, for what it's worth--I'm glad we met, and I'm glad you're a Titan. The reason might suck, but you're terrific."

America Chavez has posed:
    America just blinks as Vic and Gar go Sebastian and the Sea tunes on the group. When it's over she chuckles and peers down at an almost dying Kate. She goes to -gently- help the woman clear her airway, no need to give her a broken back as well as drown after all. "Careful there" she says to the jokesters. "Almost got me humming 'Le Poissons' there. We'll all end up in a musical number of our own if you keep that up."

    She nods to Kaida. "Get some sleep. We'll get on our own ends and start the search. If you need Kate and I, just a comm away." The Young Avenger's compound and the Titan's Tower were integrated together only recently, but the tests had gone well so she was certain that a call to action wouldn't break anything.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Kaida smirks at Gar and then peers out from under her plate at Vic for his part in this crime. She shakes her head and then lets out a sigh before smiling and casually saying to all of them.

"Thank you all, I'll be fine though. I'm gonna sleep and in the morning, it'll be business as usual." She nods her head and starts to walk toward her room, "And we'll figure out Dr. Wilson and put an end to his schemes just like any other nut." She nods again before she is out of ear shot.