Lewis meets Hastie

Jekyll1886: Lewis waited until Dr. Lanyon's last appointment of
the day had come to an end. Then he approached the door and gave it three soft
raps.
Hastie
Lanyon:  *Hastie
had been drowsing in his chair before being woken abruptly by the sound of
someone knocking on his door. He quickly straightened his clothes and made a
futile attempt to shake the sleep from his mind.*
Come in!
Jekyll1886:  "Good
evening, Dr. Lanyon," he greeted, entering. "Sorry to disturb you. My
name is Lewis Weir," he explained, proffering a card, "and I've a
matter of some import to discuss with you, if you've the time."
The card read:
Dr. Lewis B. Weir
Transcendental Metaphysicist
and, below this, listed an address on Hanover Street.
Hastie
Lanyon:  *Hastie
inspected the card before looking back up.*
Welcome, Dr. Weir. What matter would you discuss with me?
Jekyll1886:  Weir
shut the door for privacy before continuing.
"It's regarding Dr. Helen Jekyll," he explained, lowering his voice.
"Or, more specifically, her Hyde. I understand she's apparently caused
quite a bit of trouble for you and some of the lodgers, yet matters remain
essentially at a stalemate, with no real solution in sight. I believe I may be
able to help you remedy that, if you'll allow me. The situation dovetails
nicely with my area of expertise, you see; I would find it a fascinating case
study. Let me also assure you that I am the soul of discretion, should you
require it."
Hastie
Lanyon:  *Hastie's
eyes darkened when he named Helen.* This is a confidential matter, doctor. May
I ask how you got hold of this information?
Jekyll1886:  "Through
an acquaintance of mine in another dimension, oddly enough. I understand your
quite natural concern, but, rest assured, he's told no one else in this realm
about her case, so you needn't worry on that account. I'm the only one who
knows."
Hastie
Lanyon:  Another
dimension, you say... *Hastie rubbed at his eye, mildly exasperated but not
entirely surprised.*
If what you say is true and your intentions are fair, why should I trust you with
this? Especially considering I am capable of handling this with the resources I
already have at hand?
Jekyll1886:  "In
that case, you have my apologies, Dr. Lanyon. Perhaps the information I
received was in error. I certainly don't mean to 'step on any toes,' as the
saying goes. If you have a workable solution which will allow everyone involved
to live their best lives and become self-actualized without harm to anyone,
including Hela herself, then I've no desire to get in your way. I humbly ask
your pardon; I simply thought I might be of some assistance to you, and that I
might be allowed to study at least one Jekyll & Hyde in return;" a
quaver crept into his voice, "I've devoted my entire life to gaining a
better understanding of the phenomenon." He looked crestfallen, but tried
to hide it, blinking hard in order to stifle what threatened to be tears.
"I..." he pressed his lips together, "I apologize for the...show
of emotion," he managed, trying to collect himself. "I know it
is...unbecoming. This matter is very important to--it's...very personal; I
lost--oh, I am so terribly sorry." He closed his eyes and shook his head,
overcome for a moment and embarrassed for it, struggling mightily to rein in
the wave of disappointment and despair which threatened to swallow him under.
He breathed in deeply, then out slowly.
"Right. Sorry," he apologized, on a more even keel now, his tone
leveling out. He shook his head. "Let's try that again, shall we?" He
looked Hastie square in the eye, serious as a funeral. "I can tell you
won't be satisfied with anything less than all the answers, and rightly so.
Believe me--or don't, as you will--when I say: I truly wish to give them to
you. However, there are certain laws of time and space which I must not
violate, no matter how tempting it may be. The Butterfly Effect, causality,
that sort of thing--and a terrible price to pay, should I stray from the narrow
path. Just know that I am supposed to be here. To
help. It will cost you nothing; I don't require lodgings, and I have a
regular source of employment. Lending my expertise to the Society, for the
benefit of many of its members, is exactly what needs to be
done; otherwise..." he trailed off. "Let's just say there are
over 223,000 different ways this place could go to Hell in an eyeblink. I'm
here to prevent approximately 34,000 of them. More to the point..."
He lowered his voice, wistful sorrow and fondness permeating his gaze as he
looked at Lanyon, "I'm here to keep you safe, Hastie. Never doubt
that."
Hastie
Lanyon:  *Hastie
tilted his head slightly.* Keep me safe? *He rose from his chair behind the
desk and walked over to Lewis.*
Where do you come from? How is this personal to you?
Jekyll1886:  "I...my
dimension had a Hastie Lanyon. He was my dear..." he considered his
words, "...friend. He didn't look exactly like you, but he acted much the
same. The trouble is...my realm also had a Henry Jekyll. And an Edward Hyde.
You--he, my Hastie--ran afoul of him. And...and I lost him. We all lost
him--that other you. And it cannot be undone. Laws of time and
space." He shook his head sadly. "Imagine my hope...and then dismay...when
I learned there were other dimensions, other versions of you...only to
find out nearly all of them met tragic ends. You're the only one who has a
shot, Hastie. And it's a 'maybe' at best; my presence here muddies the
waters until the future is a clouded thing, death and life equal
possibilities for you. Which, granted, beats certain doom...but it's still no
guarantee."
Hastie
Lanyon:  *It
took Hastie a moment to consider what he had just been told. It would make
sense, wouldn't it? For some poor bastard from another dimension to die... But
certainly he wouldn't?* If... what you say is true, and I... What course of
action would you recommend, doctor?
Jekyll1886:  "Let
me try to help some of the Hydes & Jekylls come to terms with their
condition. Hela's--or Helen's--state is particularly worrisome; in all the
scenarios my acquaintances have run, if you die, it's usually at her hands.
That said, trying to kill her sometimes results in your death as well,
inadvertently." He shook his head. "Allow me to treat her. She's
priority patient number one; if I can't help her find balance, you might not be
the only one she takes with her."
Hastie
Lanyon:  You
would let Hela live? She cannot be reasoned with, she would destroy Helen.
Jekyll1886:  "To
let Hela live is to let Helen live. She may not have listened to the reasons
other people have used to try to sway her, but self-interest can be an
excellent motivator, I find. If that doesn't work, there are...other methods.
But I must admit to a little confusion regarding your assertion that Hela would
'destroy' Helen. Could you be more specific in what exactly that entails, and
how you think it would come about?"
Hastie
Lanyon:  Hela
breathes chaos and destruction, do you really think she would let her very
essence go for "freedom"? I, for one, have a very hard time believing
she would. Helen, on the other hand, would lock herself up and throw away the
key to keep Hela from coming out. That isn't a life worth living. I... I just
want her to be able to live freely.
Jekyll1886:  Weir
knew what he'd told Lanyon was a lot to take in. He wanted to give Hastie as
long as he needed to process it. "As do I, Hastie. The
freedom to live a life worth living is a noble aspiration for Helen, for
anyone. It is my goal that, at the end of her course of treatment, she will be
able to do just that."
Hastie
Lanyon:  Then
what will become of Hela?
Jekyll1886:  "She'll
be integrated into Helen. Through my studies, I've found Hydes become
vastly less destructive and capricious when they're mixed into their native
Jekylls. It's a...balance, of sorts. She won't be exactly the Helen you knew,
nor the Hela you know. But she will be herself--fullyherself.
To put it another way, she'd be neither angel nor devil, but simply...human,
complete with free will and all it entails. It's the only nonlethal way I
know of to resolve her condition."
Hastie
Lanyon:  *Hastie
thought about what the newcomer, Lewis, had said. In an ideal world Hastie
would have loved to seperate Helen and Hela, but if it were true that the
seperation would kill them both... then he would have to settle for the next
best thing.
But to leave the job to a stranger..?*
You must understand that this almost seems too convenient, doctor. Suddenly, as
if heavensent, a stranger shows up at my doorstep with the exact thing I need
to solve this mess. But I am desperate enough to not look this gift horse in
the mouth.
I will allow you to help, but under one condition. I will personally monitor
your progress.
Jekyll1886:  "As
you wish, Hast--er, Dr. Lanyon," Weir corrected himself. This might
be a version of his friend, he reminded himself, but this Hastie was one with
no prior knowledge of Lewis nor any idea how deeply Weir cared for
him. And, as he thought about it, he realized his arrival likely looked
highly suspicious--a little too good to be true, really. Desperate or not,
Hastie was only being prudent, a quite natural response; he couldn't fault the
man for it. "That's more than fair--quite good of you, honestly," he
agreed. "And, should you wish to know how and why I'm here, I'd be happy
to explain the particulars, 'gift horse' or no."
Hastie
Lanyon:  That
would be mot appreciated, thank you. But I am afraid you will have to tell me
another time. Paperwork can't wait forever, I'm afraid.
Jekyll1886:  "Of
course. Another time, then. Thank you for your attention and your
understanding, Dr. Lanyon. I look forward to seeing you next we meet."
Hastie
Lanyon:  Likewise.
*Hastie sent him off with a nod. After Lewis had closed the door behind him he
looked at the stacks of paper overflowing his desk and sighed before getting
back to work.*
I really need a drink after his...
== Obtained From ==
Lewis RP contd
Role-playing page for pg. 70!
Category:Main Plot
Category:New and Old Faces