capeandcowllogs | Psychobabble [IN PROGRESS]

WHO: Slade "Odysseus" Wilson (

wantsapprentice) and Jonathan Crane (

phobiaasphyxia)
WHERE: The land of creeperdom.
WHEN: May 30th, sometime after the midnight hour.
WARNINGS: Epic levels of creeperness.
SUMMARY: Crane is a creeper who likes to creeper around at night. Slade runs into him. Plottings ensue.
FORMAT: Whatever!

Since his run-in with the Bat, Slade had gotten a bit bolder, taking to the rooftops with more frequency as opposed to simply locking himself away in one of the numerous hideouts he had scattered throughout the City. He had nothing to fear from the vigilante, him or his various associates and proteges. It'd been months now since Robin's kidnapping, and they were still no closer to catching him than before. Not that he was being any less careful - quite the opposite. However, there was something to be said for taking a more hands-on approach from time to time. In fact, that was the very reason he was out tonight: surveillance.

Landing silently on a rooftop, cloaked in shadow, he took a moment to survey the street below. Not much to see beyond the usual. Decrepit, sagging buildings seemed to be the norm in the less savory part of town. Still...

He paused, movement below catching his eye. It was man, tall and thin with a rather unique silhouette. It was overcast, the street lamps dim, so it wasn't until a ray of moonlight managed to get through that he recognized the figure.

Crane. Jonathan Crane. Also known as "Scarecrow".

Well, well, well...

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He walked the streets like a ghost still looking for the remnants of its ruined body, almost floating from one dilapidated building to the next, his eyes peeled for movement in every nook and cranny that showed itself to him. Jonathan honestly could not afford any surprises this late into the game, and he knew that the Batman was onto him -- he had been too blatant with his attack on the teenager for there to be any other outcome but that.

This knowledge, unproven as it was, drove him to a near paranoid edge; made Jonathan jump at nothing as he walked and noises sounded off in the background, his nearly-fragile nerves fraying more and more as his suspicions were constantly proven wrong.

There was no one after him. He -- he simply needed to repeat this, over and over and over, until the fact stuck at the forefront of his mind.

Hopefully he would be right.

He watched for some time, keeping his movements as silent and precise as possible, mindful to keep himself and his shadow out of sight. There was no point in alerting the man to his presence, after all - or at least, not yet. Slade wanted to know what he was dealing with first. He couldn't know what power(s) the Porter had bestowed upon him so that was reason enough to be cautious. Also, Crane seemed quite...agitated. Understandably so, perhaps. He was wanted for torture now, among other things, so he supposed it was only naturally that the man would be jumpy.

Pausing again, Slade considered, weighing his options. He could let the man go, as he was obviously in a somewhat frayed state of mind, and not bother with him beyond this coincidental encounter. However, there was a part of him that was curious. The man had said he had a plan, and though Crane had been slopping in his methods thus far, there was no question the man was intelligent. A little too rash for Slade's tastes, but the curiosity lingered until finally, he decided.

His mind made up, Slade kept his eye on Crane a moment longer, determining where he would be in the next minute or so before moving ahead and descending. Then, hovering in an alleyway, he leaned against he wall, still blanketed by shadow for the most part. Then, when the other man was close, he spoke, greeting Crane in a low, soft voice.

"Doctor."

He froze. The voice was -- immediately he knew that he wasn't dealing with either the Batman or Rorschach, which meant that he could relax, somewhat. Most of the "heroes" in this city had a moral code to follow when it came to villains, so he could -- realistically, he could still gas the man and book it, never apologizing for overreacting, but. But. But.

Jonathan slowly turned to take in the man, eyes narrowing, his hand wrapping tight around the Magnum holstered at the inside of his jacket. Threads or no, he would hate to have to use his powers on a normal street urchin.

"Yes?"

The tension was still there, sizzling about the man like so much smothered fire. Still, Slade was calm, his posture non-threatening - or as non-threatening as a man clad from head to toe in black could be - as he straightened to face him, his one eye lingering briefly on the tell-tale bulge in Crane's jacket. A weapon of some sort - probably a gun. Crude, but effective in most cases. It would not be so with him.

"Guns, Doctor?" His mouth tilted slightly. "I would have thought them beneath you." A pause, and then: "My name is Odysseus."

Ah.

Crane relaxed by degrees, his fingers loosening from around the butt of the Magnum as he faced his "ally" on equal terms, his stance square and his hands loose at his sides. He had -- well, he had to worry about such a man, in the long run, but there seemed to be no point to second-guessing his presence, here. Odysseus did not seem the type to simply appear somewhere for no reason.

"A man must be careful in these trying times," he lied, tone jovial and light. "There are no certainties in life, after all."

The man seemed to relax a little - or at the very least realize he was in no immediate danger for the moment. Progress, however small, had been made. Still, whether or not they would continue to do so remained to be seen.

A brow lifting at the tone, which was somewhat...incongruous given what Slade had observed in the man's disposition already, he lifted his shoulders a fraction, his words just as low and smooth as before.

"Some more than others, it seems." A pause, considering. "How's the belfry?"

He let out a nervous laugh despite somewhat knowing that the man before him would do him no harm. Again, Odysseus did not seem like the type to do things out in the open, where others may have had the chance to see.

"For lack of a better word? Empty," he gave up, after a moment's pause. "It seems our little mutual friend has been somewhat absent, as of late."

Slade wasn't the type to do things where others could see - or at least not without an ulterior motive. That's why, despite the cover of darkness, this particular locale was a bit too...open for his tastes. Though he had to wonder, given the obvious nervousness Crane was exhibiting, whether the man would consent to entering any sort of enclosed space with him. He'd have to see.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The 'Bat' will have his day." He eyed Crane closely, his masked gaze piercing. "Has the belfry been prepared?"

He thought on the rather banal pun, and then nodded.

"In some ways."

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MAN I FORGOT ABOUT THIS.