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Post by The Mad Hatter on Jan 15, 2017 14:52:08 GMT -5
The Hatter gasped at his watch being destroyed and began to thrash and weep bitterly.
"Not fair, not fair!" he bawled, his whole little Wonderland destroyed as the congregation finally came to their senses entirely and dropped their weapons, murmuring among themselves as to what was going on and how they got there. The priest's body was quickly rushed to by a man in the congregation who professed to be a doctor. He was still alive.
The police kicked in the adjoining doors on either side of the church and came in with their guns held at the ready, telling everyone to remain calm and that nobody move.
The Hatter ceased his childish outburst and glared up at Barbara before she spoke...and it seemed it broke however strong his delusion had been in that moment. His face dropped and he seemed an entirely different man almost, having to recognize that he was not in fact the Mad Hatter.
"...J-Jervis....Tetch...." he said in a very frightened sort of voice, "Oh dear I have done something terrible haven't I? It can be so difficult, you see, to...distinguish this....reality...."
He slipped back into his rhyme scheme and his glare returned, struggling to get free of Babs' grip again.
"I want a clean cup!" he shouted, "Let’s all move ONE PLACE ON! CRASH THE BELLS AND BANG THE WALLS UNTIL THIS WICKED CITY FALLS!"
He thrashed and flailed as best he could, unable to escape her grip, his eyes darting back and forth between here and the policeman coming toward them, holstering his pistol. It was as if the Hatter...or Jervis...or both, didn't recognize either of them and had never seen them before. The Hatter often had little recollection from one minute to the next.
That is, after all, usually what becomes of a one who spends far too much time in Wonderland for tea.
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Post by Batgirl on Jan 15, 2017 18:23:59 GMT -5
Hearing that the priest was still alive was a relief. Seeing that everyone that had been hypnotized was alright was a relief. Everything was turning out okay, and the police were here now. Thankfully, they were cops that Barbara had worked with before, so they didn't jump to conclusions about her holding this small man by the collar with a gun nearby. They knew her well enough to know she tried to diffuse situations, and sometimes things got out of hand.
They didn't know, however, that sometimes she had a tendency to get physical if that's what it took to get a crazy man in a hat to stop hypnotizing people in churches. Which, honestly, she never thought would be a problem until today.
Thankfully, for however short a time it was, the man did calm down. He said his name. Jervis Tetch. He admitted that he had trouble distinguishing realities, which made sense. It fit in with what Barbara assumed was going on. He had his delusions, and he was particularly deep down the Rabbit Hole, so to speak.
One of the police officers grabbed the Hatter by the arms and held him still while another helped Barbara to her feet. Barbara took this chance to explain things. "Be careful with him, okay? He's not right in the head. He thinks he's the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, and he was hypnotizing all these people to be his cards." She looked at the Hatter, and just couldn't bring herself to resent him. He was crazy and delusional. Perhaps if he wasn't, he'd be a decent person. "Hey, Jervis?" She hoped she could get through, past his delusion. But just in case... "Be what you would seem to be–or if you’d like it put more simply–‘Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise."
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Huntress
Heroes 
Every hero has a story, not that I'm some kind of hero.
Posts: 47 
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Post by Huntress on Jan 15, 2017 19:32:59 GMT -5
Eventually Helena regained a hold of herself, dried her eyes and stood back up. Crying was not the answer, and if Barbara had been hurt while she was busy sobbing, she would never forgive herself. Finding her shoes nearby, which had been a happy miracle, as they had gone clattering down the steps when she kicked them off, she re-entered the church sanctuary and came face to face with two police officers. Shock clear on her face, she hadn’t heard them approaching the door, nor could she clearly hear the chaos that was happening in the room. Being that close to the ringing bells must have temporarily damaged her hearing. Touching her ears with a shaky hand, she was grateful to find no blood, nor was she in any pain. There was only minor hearing loss. People were giving statements though their voices were muffled, as were the voices of the officers in front of her. It took her a moment to realize they were asking if she was all right. Nodding, Helena gestured up the stairs. “There’s a man at the top. He… he and another chased and attacked me. They….” She didn’t wanted to mention how one had fallen off the tower.
The two officers gestured for a third to take her as they went up the stairs to confirm her story. He led her aside, probably wanting to take her statement, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do, since he spoke softly, Helena couldn’t read lips very well, and she was more worried about finding Barbara safe and sound. As if hearing her prayers, a familiar-looking redhead stood up from the crowd, along with an equally familiar hatted man.
Forgetting about the officer and his questions, Helena hurried over to Barbara, embracing her in a tight hug as on as she could, not giving a damn about what any onlookers would think or say. “Thank god, you’re all right. I should have come sooner. I tried to run back down, I did. But it… I didn’t… the priest and the guns….” She felt the tears welling up again and realized that she was feeling very similar to the night her family was killed. Did looking at the evidence Barbara provided cause this bout of emotions or was it something else? Either way, she wasn’t about to let her friend go easily, not unless she told her so, and that was mainly due to the fact that she couldn’t hear anyone else at the moment.
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Post by The Mad Hatter on Jan 15, 2017 21:48:56 GMT -5
The Hatter...or more appropriately at the moment of this sight, Jervis Tetch, stared at Helena being all right, hugging Barbara. It was a tender sight of relief for any normal person, he was sure of that.
He felt bitter. Mournful even. An unhealthy mix of both as he hung his head and looked at the floor.
"Would not...could not..." he said as the officers put him in handcuffs and removed his hat, "Would not, could not....could not join the dance..."
And with that, the officers dragged Jervis Tetch away toward the main doors which were being cleared of the statues, his feet dragging by their toes along the floor. His watch was in pieces, his spell was broken entirely, the whole of his Wonderland had fallen.
Like a house of cards.
It had only been his intention to bring others into his Wonderland, after all. If a few had to be taught a lesson in the meanwhile, that was just as well. Jervis Tetch never fully understood what he wanted as the Mad Hatter. It could sometimes be four things or maybe only two. Or nothing at all. It could all be so confounding.
But Barbara. Barbara Gordon. She had played his game with him. No one ever played his game with him. Her last words danced in the back of his head on little soft shoes. But Jervis Tetch was not part of his deck of cards, nor was he invited to tea. He was such a dull, useless fellow. But perhaps Barbara was right?
Time would tell.
If only Time would speak to him again and they might be on better terms...
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Post by Batgirl on Jan 17, 2017 2:21:59 GMT -5
Barbara watched almost sadly as the police carried Jervis Tetch away. Jervis had looked so confused. The poor man probably didn't know what he had done. Or, if he did, he didn't know that you shouldn't have done it. Insanity was something she couldn't help but pity a little bit. Especially when, like in the case of Mr. Tetch, it seemed as though he just needed a friend. She resolved that she would go visit him in Arkham. Maybe they would have that tea party. Maybe if he had a friend, he wouldn't feel the need to hypnotize people and hurt them. Maybe he wouldn't hurt people. Maybe it was just something she could hope for, but hope was really all she could do. She wanted the best for him. She really did.
Suddenly, she turned and she was hugged by a familiar Italian girl. She had to stop herself from crying out in surprise, but she happily returned the embrace, hugging Helena back tightly. Almost immediately, Helena had tried to explain herself, and Barbara saw the tears in her eyes. She shook her head and shushed her, holding her even tighter, not unlike how an older sister would embrace her. "It's alright. It's alright. The priest survived. He'll be okay." Her voice was already raised so Helena could hear her. The bells HAD to have done some damage to her hearing. She pulled away from the embrace only to offer her brightest smile. "Apart from some damaged stone and a couple of broken statues, everything's fine."
The officer that was trying to question Helena came back over to try to question her again, and Barbara shook her head. "Phil, it's fine. I've got this. This is Sophia Scicolone. She was in the station a few days ago. I'm working with her." And true to the rules of lying, she gave just enough detail to satisfy him, but not enough detail to over saturate the lie. "I'll write our statements and hand them in. Save you boys the paperwork for the two of us." With her bright smile, she turned her attention back to Helena and hugged her again. "Thank you for thinking of the bells. I never would have considered that."
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Huntress
Heroes
Every hero has a story, not that I'm some kind of hero.
Posts: 47
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Post by Huntress on Jan 19, 2017 7:14:00 GMT -5
The priest survived. Those words she heard clearly, or rather, she felt them through the embrace and the vibrations of Barbara’s voice. They were sweet words too, which made her sink further into the hug despite the woman’s efforts to show that she was okay, along with everyone else. Now that Helena knew the man she had been sent to kill was all right, she didn’t give a damn about anyone else. Right now, what she needed was comfort from her friend. she had no idea she was that bad off.
When the officer approached her once again, Helena looked away, knowing that wasn’t the smartest thing she could do, but she wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk to anyone, especially if there was the small chance people would start pointing to her as the one who initiated the shooting. Thankfully, Barbara was already there and thinking for the both of them. Whether the officer believed them or not, she wasn’t entirely sure, but he walked away anyways, apparently satisfied for the time being. “I don’t know what to do about being the shooter. I couldn’t stop myself, Barbara. Surely the people around us will tell the police I started this all. I don’t want to go to jail, I can’t go to jail.” They would find out that the name Barbara had given was false, and the both of them would be in deep trouble. Even her being praised about using the bells did little to brighten Helena's mood. “It was the only loud thing a church has. Sound disrupts the hypnosis. I just worried that leaving you would have been a mistake.”
Despite her concern at being pointed out as the shooter, once the medical workers arrived and began putting the priest on a gurney in order to take him to the hospital, Helena rushed over to the man, getting down on her knees and begging for forgiveness for what she had nearly done to him and what had still happened despite everyone’s efforts. The ambulance driver protested at the delay, but hushed himself when given a look from the priest. He smiled at Helena and placed a hand on her head, though the movement clearly pained him. He said that he forgave her for being led down the wrong path, but warned her that God would ultimately be the judge for her actions, so she should strive towards being a righteous and good woman. He also asked that she attend mass next week and introduce herself properly afterwards, should he be the one officiating. Helena nodded quietly and let the man be wheeled away after that. It was a little bit of a blessing and reassurance, but she would most certainly take it.
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Post by Batgirl on Jan 22, 2017 23:39:55 GMT -5
Barbara watched as Helena begged forgiveness from the injured priest. She was resolved not to let the girl go to jail. She briefly gave her story to the questioning officers, telling them that the Hatter was hypnotizing everyone, and had hypnotized the two of them, ordering Helena to shoot the police. She pointed out to the officers that someone that truly wanted to shoot a man of the cloth didn't stick around to see that the bad guy was detained. Lucky enough for Helena, they trusted Barbara and the story seemed to fit the other reports well enough.
The only thing they expected of her in return was that she keep an eye on the girl. She was more than willing to do that. Especially if they were going to New York. She told them as much, that 'Sophia' was traumatized enough after these events that perhaps it was best that they leave town for a few days. She requested, though, that her father not be told. He'd worry too much. They didn't seem willing at first, but they agreed, possibly deciding they didn't want to be the messengers telling Commissioner Gordon that his daughter was leaving the city with a strange girl.
Statements said and done, Barbara walked over to Helena and helped her to her feet, offering her kindest smile. "Come on," she said. "Let's get out of Gotham tonight. Maybe this whole ordeal was a sign that the sooner we get to New York, the better." She gave Helena another tight hug, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to promise more, but she knew better. Dealing with cases like hers was always dangerous, and there was no guarantee that they'd be able to solve it, but there was always hope.
Quietly, she led Helena to the doors of the church and led her to her car. They had to leave tonight. Before her father caught wind of her plan to leave and tried to stop her, they had to leave.
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