2012-09-30 Good Mark - Coming Together

Mandrake stands on the roof of a recently condemned building. He stands alone with a cellphone in his hand, the light breeze pushes his cape to the side as he slowly dials a number given to him by The Phantom. Finally, he hits talk on the phone. "Hello, my name is Mandrake, the Man with the Wolf gave me your number, he said you could help me with a problem that I have..." He says quietly into his phone.
Helena Bertinelli is walking along heaven knows where when she feels the burner phone vibrate in her jacket pocket. Pulling it from her pocket, she frowns at the caller ID (unfamiliar number) before answering it. She doesn't have a chance to say anything before the person on the other side of the line speaks, and she's momentarily speechless. "Uh...I might be able to help," she offers equally quietly.
Mandrake The Magician continue to speaks into the phone. "That would be good." He lets out a sigh. "Someone is trying to kill me, our mutual friend, the Man and the Wolf, thinks only you can help me. Said you are a Hero." He pauses once more. "I am on the roof of the old Silent Film theatre. I am alone and in the open. You can verify before you come...please, I need your help." Mandrake voice sounds shaky as he talks.
Helena Bertinelli stops in the middle of the sidewalk, closing her eyes and rubbing one hand across her mouth at the shaky tone of the caller's voice. These jerks are gonna pay for THAT if nothing else. "Okay. I'll meet you there soon." She hangs up the phone and starts walking again. Things to do before she goes to meet Mandrake: decide whether or not to show up in costume... probably better if she didn't, actually. That saves some time. Next thing to do: figure out where this 'old silent film theater' is.
Smiling to himself, Mandrake hangs up his phone as he closes his eyes. He folds his arms over his chest, as he begins breathing slowly...his thoughts which were racing begin to slow as he thinks about his next move. "What if Kit is wrong...what if it is her." He breaths deeply. "He isn't ever wrong about these things, but what if..." He sighs. "Fate will tell."
Helena Bertinelli has to take a few minutes to ask at a local news stand, but soon enough she's on her way to the aforementioned theater building, walking in the front door like any other person then sneaking her way up onto the roof. That, at least, is familiar to her. She makes it onto the roof and waits to make sure she wasn't followed, then finally steps out toward where Mandrake waits.
Smiling to himself, Mandrake senses the women behind him, main because she makes her presence known. Pivoting on his heels, he turns to face Helena, for a fraction of a second his face freezes as he sees her, the build, the frame, the posture. All the same. Recovering, Mandrake doffs his hat and bows deeply. "My name is Mandrake, and I am honored to make you acquaintance..." As he raises back up, he reaches into his hat, and begins to fling items at Helena's feet. A fancy communicator, a quiver, and a couple of crossbow arrows. "These are the two you put in my friend, Lothar. And myself." He says as he places the hat back on his head, dropping back into a combat stance, for the first time he looks her in the eyes, he didn't see her face last time, but he did see a bit of her eyes. He stares at her eyes, his brow furrowing. Something...isn't...
Helena Bertinelli just stands there and looks at Mandrake for a moment, but when he starts tossing stuff at her feet she pales and takes a step back. She looks from the items back to the tophat-wearing man, her confusion clear. "I didn't do that. The assholes who set all this up want you to THINK I did." She moves her hands slowly, holding them out away from herself to show that she's not brandishing any weaponry. (But not that she's unarmed. She's still got her boot knife, though she now really wants to look into getting or making some way to carry her crossbow and a small quiver under the back of her jacket.)
Staring at the women's eyes for a long moment, Mandrake relaxes every so slightly. "Hmmm, yes. Your eyes...there is a kindness there. Not the near infinite pit of sorrow, I witnessed last time." Finally, he lowers his hands down, making sure not to waggle a stay finger, as he averts his gauze. "The eyes are the windows into the soul..." He straightens back up, his hand on his chin. "I apologize for my rudeness." He bows his head. "It was not gentlemanly of me. But I take it you recognize this items? And you have an idea who may have taken them?"
Helena Bertinelli kneels down slowly to look at the items without touching them. "I only recognize the bolts. They're mine, but they look like they've been fired at least twice. I'm not in the habit of re-using my bolts." But she IS going to have to get into the habit of 'policing her brass' to use a term from all of those military movies. "These other things, I've never seen them before." Maybe Robin can track the weird little disk-thing. "The quiver is a standard design you can get at almost any sporting goods shop. It's not even a very good one."
Mandrake The Magician steeples his hands in front of his chest. "Yes, one of them hit me in the thigh." He motions to his leg. "And the other, hit my friend...nearly killed him." He pauses thinking. "I will make you a deal, Ms...?" He leaves the name open. "You fill me in on everything you know, and we work together to catch these people." He smiles very politely, he noticed she eyed the device."And I let you have the Communication device."
Helena Bertinelli looks up at Mandrake when he repeats himself, frowning a bit. "What do you want me to do? Kiss the boo-boo and make it better? I heard you the first time. It's not like there's shit I can do about it now beyond find the assholes and make them pay." She mutters a few choice insults half under her breath, using Italian and Latin without thinking about it.
Mandrake The Magician taps a finger against his lip. "Hmmmm...I see." He moves towards the equipment, his steps measured as he approaches the items. "Oh, my dear. It isn't polite to say such things. Really, my mother was a fine women, and I assure married to my father when I was born." He reaches for the items. "And I don't have an Oedipus Complex." He flashes his good natured stage smile to the Women. Mandrake does speak and understand both Latin and Italian. "It just seems odd to me. We never met before tonight, and yet the same people want to kill both of us. That means we have a connection, or at least, someone thinks we have a connection. Or maybe someone wants to frame you and thinks I am a suitable patsy. Or maybe someone is curious to see..." He pauses for a moment. "To see, who knows who..." He grabs the communicator. "Either way, it seems we should pool, our resources...But if you aren't interest, I understand. I do not take kindly to being attacked, and I will make sure those responsible see justice. With or without your help. It would just be faster if we worked together."
Helena Bertinelli frowns at Mandrake some more, mostly to hide her shock at his understanding what she just said. "None of that was aimed at you." She picks up one bolt and looks it over, studying the two different scratch patterns on them, then blinks up at Mandrake again. "Wait, what?" Is he ALWAYS this confusing to talk to? "Who said we weren't going to? God. Quit jumping to conclusions."
Mandrake The Magician cocks an eyebrow at Helena, and smiles. "My dear, I think I have been called everything under the Sun. And that is just by my friends." He nods his head towards her. "A character flaw, jumping to conclusions. I always want to figure out the trick." He offers her the Communicator, smiling. "But I'll work on it, partner." He says. "Still didn't catch your name."
Helena Bertinelli promptly stops paying attention to Mandrake's rambling, squinting and turning the bolt over slowly to angle it toward the light a little better. "The hell is this?" She blinks and looks around. "Do you have a magnifying glass?"
Helena Bertinelli takes the magnifying glass with a quiet "Thanks." then uses it to study the bolt more closely. "Looks like someone etched something on this bolt. Kind of a '2'. See it?" She offers the bolt and the magnifying glass to Mandrake, then if he takes them she reaches for the other bolts to see if they've got similar markings.
Mandrake The Magician takes the offered items, looking at it, pondering for a moment. "2, that is strange. When the vagabond that attacked called their employer, she said 'six' in response to a question, asked to her. It was the number of arrows she shot." He purses his mouth. "It seemed odd at the time...Now, eight...that would make sense, but six...So unusual."
Helena Bertinelli looks up at Mandrake, her frown back. "This one's marked differently. Let me see the magnifying glass again." She's not at all sure what this means, but it's got to be something significant. She really needs to let Robin know about these new developments, and she should probably ask him before letting either Kit or Mandrake know that she asked him for help.
Mandrake The Magician hands back the Magnifying glass, smiling once more. "You seem concerned." He offers politely. "So...why would someone be out to get you? Outside a touch of vulgarity you seem, quite friendly."
Helena Bertinelli takes the glass and studies the second bolt. "This one's got a thirteen on it. Oh, and, um, I don't know. Maybe they thought they could frame your murder on me and people would believe it?" She lowers the magnifier and sighs. "Let's just say that I've got a bit of a bit of a reputation in Gotham, and as unfounded as it is, some people think it's more true than reality."
Mandrake The Magician smiles to Helena. "A true gentleman, never listens to rumors about a lady." He smiles. "Oh, in my travels, I have learned reality is seldom straightforward." He shrugs. "It flatters me, that people would think enough of me that my death would be taken seriously enough to see you framed for murder." He then flips the communicator towards her. "You can keep this and the two bolts. And the magnifying glass. They come in handy." He smiles. "I have a few things I need to research, and judging by your demeanor, you have someone you wish to consult with? So, let us adjourn for the evening and agree to speak in twenty-four hours?"
Helena Bertinelli takes the little communicator and moves to stand again. "Okay. Talk to you again in twenty four hours. Here again? I'm thinking not, can't be too careful."
Mandrake The Magician bows to Helena at the waist. "A valid point. I picked this rendezvous, it is only polite you get to pick the next one." He smiles at her. "While I know the voice box saved my number when I called." He reaches two fingers back into his shirt sleeve, pulling out a card, which he offers Helena. "This has my number. Just give me the time and the place and I will be there."
Helena Bertinelli accepts the card and nods. "I'll be in touch." It's probably about time for her to retire this burner phone anyway. She pockets the bolts and the little comm unit along with the business card, already mentally planning her next step. Things are getting complicated. Fast. And she hates complicated.
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