It Never Rains But it Pours

[demonologist]

WHO: Wes and YOU?
WHAT: Delta's run away from hospital and Wes is FML
WHERE: Creepy Gothic Mansion
WHEN: Couple of hours after this message on the network.
NOTES: Multiple threads welcome, threadjacking encouraged!
WARNINGS: None. Perhaps some coarse language

Comments

[mr_dominic]

Dominic leaned out of his doorway to spy the black cloud storming up the stairs. "You're not the first person he's given the slip to, you know." But Wes was new and would have to get used to Delta's dogged determination and ingenuity. "And you won't be the last."

[demonologist]

Wes paused at the sound of Dominic's voice and turned towards him, nodding grimly. "It may be small comfort right now, but thank you all the same." Since Dominic was there, he might as well ask for more intel. "Delta mentioned before that he had an imprint go utterly out of control and that the police forced him to take a handler to minimise the damage should it ever happen again. This doesn't seem a similar scenario. The Christopher imprint while outspoken, doesn't appear to be dangerous. At least not to others. And he seems focussed on achieving a task. Even bargained with me. Presumably you were around for the last incident, what are your impressions?"

[hewed]

Claire was meaning to speak with Dominic, in the utmost privacy, in person for once. The network was secure as far as she knew, unhackable with her skills at least, but Dominic she had no reason to avoid when it came to professional matters and she wanted to make it impossible for him to avoid her in return. She was on her way to his room, as purposeful as ever when she had the Dollhouse on her mind, but stopped short, rounding a corner to see Wesley there. Hesitating, she retreated, deliberating on what to do. Wesley was exactly the topic she wished to discuss. Was it more underhanded to do it in front of him or behind is back, and did she even care?

[mr_dominic]

"My impressions are that he's going to do what he feels he has to do, no matter what anyone says or does. Sometimes that can get him into trouble, so I'd be cautious, but I've found that he knows himself better than any of us ever will. If and when he feels like telling you what's going on, you can be sure that he will."

Dominic shrugged and leaned against the doorframe. "Don't worry about Christopher. He and the other two with him--y'know, the Victorian types--are slippery but don't do any harm. The most the trio'll do is swipe a few things and manage to get out of slippery situations, as he's shown. And as far as I'm aware, the personality that caused all the trouble for the last incident is gone."

[demonologist]

"That's a relief at least." Wes murmured, rubbing tiredly at his brow for a moment. "Well, it's not the first time I've had to work with a headstrong person who'll do what he thinks is the right course of action, even if it's at great risk to himself. I've told him to check in periodically with me via the network and he's promised to do that."

[hewed]

That was some comfort. At least Delta was remaining in touch with his handler... and there, again, was the problem she wished to address. Claire looked around the corner before stepping out entirely. She would rather Dominic were the one Delta was keeping in contact with.

"I need to speak with you," she said, looking past Wesley.

[mr_dominic]

Good man, Wes. Maybe. The fact that Dominic hadn't really known the man before Delta made him his handler still prickled, but he seemed to be all right.

And then Claire showed up, and he raised his eyebrows. Well, sure, of course they could talk. Even if he still felt that sometimes they were on some shaky ground, but they were allies, at the very least. "What's on your mind?"

[demonologist]

As soon as he heard Claire's voice behind him, Wes's posture stiffened considerably. The incident in the kitchen had left a sour taste in his mouth, but still, there were other issues which needed priority at the moment. His prime concern was making sure Delta returned safely. Turning to acknowledge Claire, he presumed that whatever she had to say was related to their errant active and so he didn't yet feel the need to withdraw from the conversation.

"Doctor Saunders. I have urged Delta to at least allow you to examine him, since he's still experiencing some pain. But, so far, he's refusing."

His tone was as briskly professional as he could muster.

[hewed]

She didn't thank Wesley, or even nod at him. Her acknowledgment was a quick sideward glance, and then her attention was back on Dominic.

"Why was I not informed that Echo was in the city?" She could call her by her "real" name but it wouldn't impart the impact the discover has had on Claire, and she isn't sure Faith will ring the right bells with him. She's still uncertain as to whether a clear distinction has been made between them, and if the different is real across realities and not only time.

[mr_dominic]

Oh, well, something was going on between those two. Interesting development to say the least. But bringing Echo into the conversation made him straighten. Not the best name to hear, really. "Is she?" He hadn't heard about it, and while he liked to think he would know, that wasn't a sure thing.

[demonologist]

"It's not Echo. As I have already told you repeatedly." Wes insisted, turning to level Claire with a glare. So, she was going to bring that up. He should have known. More black marks against him. She was on a war path, that much was certain.

[hewed]

"Not yet," she replied a bit too sharply, but still wouldn't face him. Dominic's demeanor didn't seem sarcastic, at least. If he hadn't known about it either then she wasn't being kept in the dark, and that was something, but something very small in the wake of Echo's mere presence. It tended to be followed by general danger and upheaval.

"A girl by the name of Faith. She's from years before either of our employment. Was there anything you found about Caroline to suggest she was another imprint?" She did believe that Wesley had known her for years, and had no reason to lie - or was under the impression that he did, with no better knowledge. Dominic, with his particular vocation as well as his NSA knowledge and his time spent in the Attic, might be able to confirm it one way or the other.

[mr_dominic]

"If she's from years before us, then it's not Echo. Unless Caroline's operating under a different name, in which case, she wouldn't be too much danger, since Rossum was always her target, and Rossum isn't here. I can't tell you if any of her personalities went by the name of Faith. With how long Echo was active, and how many were just one-time uses, that's not something I know offhand. Is there anything else you can tell me about her? Don't want to go dragging in some girl to poke around in her head a bit if it's just someone who happens to have Echo's face."

[demonologist]

Wes' expression becomes stony, and he launches into a reluctant report. He faces Dominic since Claire won't even look at him. "I've known her for three plus years. Her name is Faith Lehane, born December 14 1980, in Boston, Massachusetts. She's a Vampire Slayer from my world. Which means she has supernatural abilities. Superhuman strength, stamina and agility. Enhanced intuition and superior combat reflexes. She also possesses accelerated healing and can take more physical damage and stress than most people could possibly handle. I was originally assigned to be her Watcher, but she turned rogue, killing some innocents before being stabbed by another Slayer and falling into a coma for six months. Once she woke up, she escaped to Los Angeles where she tortured me and nearly killed an associate of mine before she eventually turned herself in, having come to a moral crisis of sorts. The Faith who is in Bete Noire was taken from before she made it to LA."

[hewed]

Claire looked between them, absorbing Wesley's report and unable to get a word in edgewise, but the moment he wrapped up, she interjected, directly to Dominic, "Just someone who happens to have Echo's face?" Unless she was mistaken, that was called a doll. Maybe he'd been here too long, or she hadn't been here long enough. It was an awfully offhanded way to offer an insane possibility. Unless, here, it actually did make more logical sense, which equated to living in an insane world. Something she tried every day not to submit to.

[mr_dominic]

Wes' story sounded plausible enough. The only way that couldn't be was he was a doll, too, programmed with that information, and there wasn't any doll like him at the house.

Since he wasn't about to play mediator between them, he'd deal with them separately, like they seemed to want. With a nod and gruff thanks to Wes, he rounded on Claire. "Yes. Someone with her face. Someone who happens to look like her, maybe even sound like her, but isn't. Was I unclear?"