Summary:Jimmy tells Kori what he's learned from Whitestar. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
  |
About a week ago, Jimmy had quite an encounter with a super-powered, overloaded woman. He has thankfully healed from that, and now he's back on the case. There are two people he needs to meet. One, he's only before met at the Cafe Wha, so here he is to take the chance that she'll appear again. He sits at a table with a view, keeping his eyes up for someone with 'Maltese'-toned skin. He has a cup of tea, and a bag of M&Ms which he slowly snacks from.
It doesn't take forever for Kori to show up. The leggy Tamaranean enters during the late evening, with a characteristic and eternal bounce in her step. She walks like she's in her own private ray of sunshine. One can almost hear birds singing around her.
She's dressed in eye-searingly pink yoga pants and a grey tee-shirt, one that'd look oversized if it obviously wasn't meant for a woman to wear off the shoulder as Kori does. She gets to the counter and digs in her purse, momentarily lost in the minor task of finding a credit card. "Hello! May I have of the espresso?" she requests. "And some cold cream, and one of your spiced egg bites." Oblivious, she doesn't notice Jimmy immediately.
The people at Cafe Wha are professionals, and soon have the order all served up and ready for her.
Jimmy, however, does immediately notice her. He leaves his snack on the table as he approaches. "Kori, hi." Just a greeting isn't anything to be secretive about; the rest can wait until they're at a table.
Kori turns when she's hailed and beams a smile at Jimmy. "Hello, friend Jimmy! I am pleased to see you again," she bids him. Utensils and condiments are retrived and she moves to the table opposite his chair. She makes no motion for the seat, as if it doesn't occur to her to sit. "How have you been since the last time I saw you? I hope you are doing the wellness? No diseases or severe injuries?" she asks, quite politely.
Whew. Managed to avoid a super-hug, though his bruises have at least gone down enough that he could survive one. He gets back into his seat, but then notices that she hasn't sat down. "Ah, please, make yourself comfortable. And, well… one severe injury, yes. Something I need to talk to you about, actually." His voice lowers. "Have you ever heard of a woman named Whitestar?"
Kori goes completely still when the word 'Whitestar' is mentioned. It's almost uncanny; even her ever-flowing red hair freezes in place. It's hard to tell she's even breathing, and the look she gives Jimmy is difficult to read but somehow expresses an inordinate readiness for violence.
It passes after a moment. "You wish to know if she was speaking the truth," Kori says, leaping to the obvious conclusion. "Or she passed a message to me from you. What is it?" Steam rises from the drink and snack clutched in her hands, temporarily forgotten.
And that confirms it. This is the person she was talking about, the person she threatened. Jimmy's face goes hard and clear. "She didn't state it as a message. But she said that she intends to kill Koriand'r. I don't know if that's just a nickname to you or what, but I remembered Mr. Grimm using it for you. So I thought I should at least warn you if I could. And…" He takes a breath. "I don't know how much of this you already know. But her power is unstable. She's trying to stabilise it, by stealing technology. I couldn't stop her." He had mentioned being injured pretty recently.
Kori inhales sharply. "I understand. I did not realize she was so unstable, nor that she was taking steps to address it. She has some…" Kori looks down. As if remember her drink, she uncaps it and swigs down several gulps heedless of the temperature. It's set on the table and she drops in some heavy cream, the egg bite, and a bunch of table pepper. It's mashed and muddled with a fork.
"She is extremely violent and very powerful," Kori tells Jimmy. "It is to your credit that you defied her at all. Please be careful," she begs him. "She could maim or kill you very easily."
Jimmy isn't even in the mood to be surprised by Kori's drink choices. He lays a hand over his chest. "I got that impression. But… I also got the impression that she didn't want to. Except for her anger at you, she just seemed… scared. Desperate. Doing everything she felt she needed to for her own survival. And…"
He glances around the cafe. Nobody else is looking his way right now. Time to be a bit more honest. As he looks back to Kori, he glows. It's just for a moment — just long enough for her to see — but his eyes become like torches. He only speaks again once it's faded. "I have a certain gift for reading people. She doesn't want to hurt anyone… except for you. Some overblown vengeance, it sounds like."
Kori takes a few swigs of the concoction, though it seems like she's barely noticing the flavor. Her hair starts moving of its own again, though in such subtle ripples one would be hard pressed to notice it without a preternatual awareness. "Yes… she wants to hurt me. I've been trying to avoid her," Kori says. "Because I do not wish her to get hurt, and I don't wish for her to hurt me. But it is not overblown. I did… something very, very terrible. She paid the dearest price for my failure. Her vengeance is quite well deserved."
That surprises Jimmy. All too often, those seeking vengeance inflate the perceived crimes, and intend punishment far beyond what would be deserved.
But, even if Kori has done something terrible… Jimmy shakes his head. "Not to the point of murder. I can't abide that, and that's what she's looking for. After she's fixed." He drums his fingers over the table. "I think, if we can convince her to accept help from others, from people who know how to deal with unstable powers — I have friends in SHIELD, you know the Fantastic Four, and there are… I don't even know how many others — then we could avoid a lot of violence. But getting her to that point, and getting her to stop wanting to kill you, those are not exactly small tasks." And likely to result in her getting violent anyway, yet he doesn't seem to be shying away from that.
"I worry for the consequences if she finds some means of stregthening herself," Kori confesses. "She is quite powerful from all accounts. And she was always a strong and skilled warrior."
The redhead slurps down more of her strange brew. "There are those who would assist, but I still… I do not wish to bring people into this conflict. I am not convinced I don't deserve to die. Letting someone else die in my place would only confirm this," she says, sadly.
Jimmy shakes his head. "Paying for a mistake with your life is… look, I'll just be blunt and say it's foolish. If you give your life, then that's it. All the good you could have done in the world is gone. Real atonement, I think, is done by living. By working to make the world better. But…" He shakes his head, his gaze lowering. "That's just a general philosophy. I don't know the specifics here." And he's not prying, either. This has all the marks of being very very private, so unless she offers the information, he won't ask for it.
Kori's brow furrows. "But that is not a currency of any value. The 'mights' do not outweigh that I live, while others died. I 'might' do great good in my life, or I *can* join the victims of my foolishness. It is far more reasonable to secure an immediate restitution than to hope someone makes amends after a lifetime."
She shakes her head. "But it is not important. I am gratified to know she does not wish to harm any bystanders. Perhaps…" Kori frets her lip. "This is useful information. Perhaps I can contain her violence. I thank you, friend Jimmy." The redhed offers a tidy, polite bow. "You have done me a great kindness. I shall not forget it."
Jimmy's hand rests on his tea. His lips purse, but he doesn't pursue the philosophical argument any further. He focuses on the here and now. "Any time. I mean it — it's part of what I'm here for. Whether you call me Jimmy, or Heavensent, I'm here to help. And I want to help more. I could give you my phone number, so you can get in touch if I could be helpful?"
"That would be the welcome, friend Jimmy," Kori says. She digs in her purse for her old cell phone and unlocks the smartphone, then offers it to him. The display screen is an image of Kori hugging a raven-haired woman close in a smiling selfie. "I am unsure what you can do as well. I would hope you avoid Whitestar at all costs," she clarifies, fretting. "She is quite dangerous and you risk much if you fall under her wrath."
Jimmy taps his number into the unlocked phone and saves it, before pulling his own out, ready to save hers in return. "Better me than civilians. I'm not going to suddenly jump in and attack, but… I was making progress with her before." Even after she smashed him into the ground. "I'm happy to explain, but actually demonstrating would be rather… overt." He'd have to do a fair bit more than glow like he did before.
"Please do not do of the attacking," Kori begs Jimmy. She texts him almost immediately from her own phone, then tucks hers away. "I would be filled with the regret if you were injured."
She looks down at her drink, appetite waning. "I should return home," she concludes, regretfully. "I must think more about how to deal with Whitestar. If I can keep her from hurting anyone…" She trails off, then looks to Jimmy. "My thanks again, friend Jimmy. Please let me know if you see or hear from her again."
Jimmy saves that number with a few taps and slips the phone back into his pocket. "I will, Kori. I hope we can resolve this without anyone else being hurt, but…" Well, it's almost never that easy. It's easier to persuade ghosts not to rage than it is to stop a desperate super-powered… whatever Whitestar is. Nobody's given him the cliff notes. "I have others I need to catch, too, starting with Spider-Man." He finishes his tea. "I should be off, too. Have a date tonight."