i_assist Email to Jesse
Jesse, I found something on one of the security cameras the people I'm living with have installed around. I was looking around for Didi, trying to maybe help her find the man who took that ankh she was looking for yesterday. Well, I found him and now I'm really scared.
I have the tape, and I was wondering if I could bring it to you to show you? I'm pretty sure about who it is, but you'd probably better confirm it, because you'd know what the Saint would look like better than I would, right? I don't know why he took her ankh, I can't tell from the tape, but it didn't look likehe hurt her other than that.
If you email me back, I'll head down to you as soon as I can get out of here.
Jesse pulled the small computer from his coat pocket and read the message from Max.
He had to read it twice to get it through his own head what he was reading.
"Oh shit."
Jesse looked at Didi, and then quickly responded.
Max
I have no doubt that it's him. If it looks like a chicken and walks like a chicken... don't leave the house. Don't come find me. I can't have you in the middle of this. Please. If he finds me right off, he won't bother with anybody else, but if you're here too... I don't know what will happen. I can't let you put yourself in that kind of danger.
- Jesse
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 14:59:39
Didi looked up at Jesse, worried at his tone. "What happened?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
In her pocket, the button had started flashing as the silent homing signal was activated.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 15:01:51
Jesse nodded. "Yes. There is something very wrong." He looked at Didi unhappily. "I know who has your ankh, and it doesn't bode well for anybody."
He sighed and pocketed the computer again and drew out his smokes. He lit one up and then offered one to her. He didn't know if she smoked, but he felt that now was as good a time as any to start.
"We've gotta find Strange."
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 15:07:08
She looked at the cigarettes, considered her heart, and then decided that it couldn't make things any worse right now. She accepted one, and let him light it. Interestingly enough, she didn't choke on the first inhalation, nor the second.
"Yeah. Let's go." Didi looked down at Kojak and tapped his head. "Help us out here."
They talked for a moment, in a language that consisted of scents and tastes, until Kojak had an idea of what he was looking for. He started walking, sniffing around carefully but quickly as he cut acros the park.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 15:10:30
Jesse watched the dog do his thing. He had no idea what had gone on between the two of them, but as long as it helped, that's all that mattered.
He followed with Didi, she'd have to take the helm on this one. He definitely didn't speak dog. Hell, he hadn't even known what to do when a stick was brought to him.
"You think he'll catch the scent?"
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 15:13:23
"If Strange has been around here, yes. There's Bloodhound in his line, didn't he tell you?"
She reached out and took Jesse's hand, pulling him along with her. It was just as reassuring as she'd hoped it would be.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 15:16:22
Jesse wrapped his fingers around hers. It was comforting to him as well. He may have acted tough, and like he knew what he was doing, but honestly, he was a little scared about going up against the Saint. About actually looking for him.
"He doesn't tell me much of anything, actually."
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 15:26:27
"That's weird. He doesn't seem to stop talking around me."
She took another drag on the cigarette. "You said you know who has the ankh. And then you gave me something to smoke. So I don't think I'll like this answer, but... who has it?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 15:30:25
Jesse squeezed her hand tight for a moment. "He's called the Saint of Killers. He's immortal. All this fucked up shit. He's. Nothing can kill him. Nothing. He's got these guns, and they never miss. Even if the shot is impossible. I watched one of his goddamned bullets go through tank armor and tag a guy square in the face. Well. Not watched so much, as saw the first part, and then saw the second guy climb out of the top screaming about the second part. He never has to reload them either." Jesse shook his head and inhaled deeply of the cigarette.
"The guy is. It's insane, Didi. He's literally taken a nuke to the chest without it even damaging his clothes."
He looked at her, somberly. "That's who has your ankh."
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 16:08:42
She remembered the gaunt face, the ice-blue eyes. The harsh voice. And she stopped, squeezing his hand. "Oh, no. Shit. Shit. That's..." She let go of him, running both hands through her hair. "That's not good. That's really not good."
She looked up at Jesse, her eyes worried. "He can't have it, Jesse. No matter what else happens, he can't have it at nine o'clock tomorrow."
Her hands clenched into themselves, and for a moment, she looked like she was going to stumble. "Even if it's not me that holds it, you have to get it away from him."
From: [info]i_estrange Date: 01/22/2006 16:12:30
The dream -- no, the nightmare -- concerning Death had consumed his sleep ever since its first appearance in his mind during slumber. And almost immediately upon awakening, or probably deep in his sleeping subconscious, he'd known and understood the threatening connotations of the event that was going to occur. Death as a normal, living, breathing mortal being was nothing short of a recipe for disaster. And Dr. Strange didn't need to see any warning signs or bright flashing lights to tell him when it had occurred. Because the moment she'd ceased being Death and had become the young Didi, the dimensions let him know; loud and clear.
It was chaos rising in the Dark Dimensions. Villainous creatures, unforeseeable evils, plaguing demons all stepping up in mutiny against their boundaries. Another piece of the puzzle that held the separating barrier between the world of night and the waking world of humans had been removed, and they were trying their hardest to slip through the cracks and infest the light dimension with their pestilence.
And it gave Strange one hell of a headache.
The fate of millions may rest in your hands if an event should cause the Dark Dimension to spread into our world, the Ancient One had told him. Chaos will erupt amongst the pocket universes. And even the Eternal Vishanti will have no means of stopping it. It must be prevented at all costs.
And so Strange kept himself in tune, so to speak, with the many planes of existence from the moment Death became human; watching, waiting, carefully keeping track of disturbances. The theft of the ankh not going unnoticed. Because from the moment that it was taken from her, there was a cry of ear splitting joy from the Chaos worlds that gave Strange a sort of mystical whiplash.
They didn't have to look too long for him. Because he was already quick on their search. And in a puff of purple sparkly smoke he appeared directly in front of them, fingers pressed hard against the sides of his head and the orb on his chest glowing brighter than usual.
"I agree."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 16:16:05
"He won't have it Didi, I swear to you. I'll get it back to you. Nobody will have it in their hands unless it's you, alright?" He squeezed her hand again. He wasn't quite sure why she was so insistent, but it didn't matter. "Don't you worry no...."
He was cut off by smoke and sparkles and Jesse blinked and gave a little cough. He squinted and saw Strange.
"Well." He said after a moment. That's convenient."
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 16:37:00
Convenient or fated, she didn't really care. He was here now, and maybe the universe had decided she did need some extra assistance. Since it had decided to dump this crap on her. It was considerably worse than the Jack The Ripper episode.
"You know why I need it back," she said, looking at Strange. "Do you know how we can find it?"
From: [info]i_estrange Date: 01/22/2006 16:46:40
"The man who has it is not easy to lose. He's practically a homing beacon of dark energy wherever he goes."
Strange closed his eyes for a moment.
"I apologize now if I seem inattentive. I've transplaced half of my psyche in order to hold back the northern walls of the chaos barrier. Everything is hanging by a thin thread right now. The universe is essentially up for grabs.. At least, the darker aspects of it is.."
He opened his eyes and stepped to the side. He mumbled a few Tibetan phrases and the Eye shimmered and emitted a holographic image of the Saint in his last location. Another convenient little method thanks to the science of light waves never completely disappearing.
"I can't retrieve the ankh from here. But I can take us to him. Although .."
And he gave a wary sidelong glance to Death, or Didi, before returning his gaze to Jesse.
"I don't think I need to say that it's going to be dangerous having Death with us, but I will anyway."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 16:52:05
He watched Strange do his thing. It was an amazing thing. And he'd have to find a way to thank him for all the help later.
"I can get the ankh back. Don't worry none about that. You just get me there."
Jesse looked at Didi when strange mentioned that it would be dangerous for her to be there.
"I'm not going to tell her she's got to stay behind, no matter how much better it would make me feel. If she wants to come, she does. But you're right. There's too much that could go wrong with her right there with us."
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 17:05:24
People talked about death a lot. When she was there, when she wasn't there, in passing, whenever. In almost all instances, they hadn't been aware that death was actually Death, and so she hadn't bothered giving it any thought.
But here she was with two men who knew her, and were still talking about her instead of to her. It made the mortal Didi a bit annoyed. "Well, since you two seem to have all this worked out, you probably don't need a perfectly normal, vulnerably mortal, non-superpowered damsel in distress causing any extra trouble for you. Just because she also happens to be Death."
From: [info]i_estrange Date: 01/22/2006 17:14:51
Strange opened his mouth to say something in response to Jesse, when he was cut off by Death's snap. Then he focused his attentions on her, his mind seemingly lost for a moment as if in remembrance of someone else he knew who would have made a similar statement.
"That is exactly why I am forewarning you both about this. If any harm should come to you, the entire nature of the universe will shift. All kinds of evil will spring up from their dimensions and attack this one with full force. We're weak and vulnerable right now, and becoming even moreso as long as he holds the ankh. And there aren't enough of us to hold it together if--"
He winced and pressed his fingers to his head again.
"There's no time to argue this."
He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, intertwining the fingers except for the index fingers which he held pointing towards the sky. The Eye glowed a darker hue of gold and in a few moments the space between him ripped apart, exposing a dark gap of nothingness on the other side.
"Quickly! Step through before the environment changes."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 17:19:23
Jesse didn't hesitate at that. He knew that Didi was upset, but there was no time to explain what he'd meant by what he said. Strang was telling them to go, and even though he was pointing at something Jesse didn't understand, he trusted the man to not do things to get him killed.
He tugged Didi's hand and stepped through the whatever it was and waited for whatever was going to happen next.
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 17:24:58
There was a sharp bark, and Kojak bounded through the rift after Jesse before Didi could tell him not to. She followed as well, without even giving the thought of hesitation the slightest chance of crossing her mind.
From: [info]i_estrange Date: 01/22/2006 17:40:00
The portal, which literally had been a rip in the fabric of the City's plane -- not an easy task to accomplish when half of your psyche was battling against the demons of the nightmare realm -- was cold and tingling. If they had remained in the distance between where they had been and where they were going for any long period of time, they would have been forever trapped in a realm of perpetual nothingness. And most of their atoms would have probably separated and disjointedly bounced back and forth against invisible dimensional walls for eternity; while they were still alive no less.
Thankfully, Dr. Strange had some background in using these quick teleportation methods, and it was a quick and painless transport to the opposite end of the City. A park, to be exact, which was eerily lacking children on the swingset and people walking their dogs. But what it wasn't lacking was the man whom they sought out. The thief of Death's ankh.
And once Strange stepped out of that portal, it pop! disappeared. And he immediately placed himself in front of Death. He would assist as was necessary, but someone had to make sure from the get-go that under no circumstances was she to be harmed.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 01/22/2006 17:44:26
Jesse looked around.
"Oh, goddamn it. The dog." He'd momentarily forgotten about Kojak, and seeing him here now didn't seem like a good thing. He'd have Didi and the dog to worry about getting hurt, and the knowledge that the Saint wouldn't care about hurting either one of them.
And there he was.
The Saint of Killers turned to face the three who had mystically appeared out of nowhere. Normally, something like that wouldn't bother him any, but he felt the one he'd been looking for. That put a smile on his face. A nasty one.
But he stood at his end of the park, not moving. His hand rested on the butt of one of his guns. He didn't have to be close to use it.
"Been lookin for you, Preacher." The Saint said, low, but it carried to them.
Jesse's heart nearly gave out on him. He instintively drew Didi behind him.
From: [info]i_amjustme Date: 01/22/2006 17:55:49
How nice it was that chivalry wasn't dead. Even Kojak was standing in front of her, his upper lip curled back and a snarl coming from his throat that was completely unexpected, given how sweet he'd been. His front paws were ready to pounce, and the hair along his back, neck, and shoulders was standing straight up.
With three males standing at her defense, Didi stood straight. "You have something of mine," she said. "I'd like it back. Now." Her voice was soft, and it didn't shake, but it carried far enough.
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Jesse, I found something on one of the security cameras the people I'm living with have installed around. I was looking around for Didi, trying to maybe help her find the man who took that ankh she was looking for yesterday. Well, I found him and now I'm really scared.
I have the tape, and I was wondering if I could bring it to you to show you? I'm pretty sure about who it is, but you'd probably better confirm it, because you'd know what the Saint would look like better than I would, right? I don't know why he took her ankh, I can't tell from the tape, but it didn't look likehe hurt her other than that.
If you email me back, I'll head down to you as soon as I can get out of here.
Jesse pulled the small computer from his coat pocket and read the message from Max.
He had to read it twice to get it through his own head what he was reading.
"Oh shit."
Jesse looked at Didi, and then quickly responded.
Max
I have no doubt that it's him. If it looks like a chicken and walks like a chicken... don't leave the house. Don't come find me. I can't have you in the middle of this. Please. If he finds me right off, he won't bother with anybody else, but if you're here too... I don't know what will happen. I can't let you put yourself in that kind of danger.
Jesse nodded. "Yes. There is something very wrong." He looked at Didi unhappily. "I know who has your ankh, and it doesn't bode well for anybody."
He sighed and pocketed the computer again and drew out his smokes. He lit one up and then offered one to her. He didn't know if she smoked, but he felt that now was as good a time as any to start.
She looked at the cigarettes, considered her heart, and then decided that it couldn't make things any worse right now. She accepted one, and let him light it. Interestingly enough, she didn't choke on the first inhalation, nor the second.
"Yeah. Let's go." Didi looked down at Kojak and tapped his head. "Help us out here."
They talked for a moment, in a language that consisted of scents and tastes, until Kojak had an idea of what he was looking for. He started walking, sniffing around carefully but quickly as he cut acros the park.
Jesse watched the dog do his thing. He had no idea what had gone on between the two of them, but as long as it helped, that's all that mattered.
He followed with Didi, she'd have to take the helm on this one. He definitely didn't speak dog. Hell, he hadn't even known what to do when a stick was brought to him.
Jesse wrapped his fingers around hers. It was comforting to him as well. He may have acted tough, and like he knew what he was doing, but honestly, he was a little scared about going up against the Saint. About actually looking for him.
"That's weird. He doesn't seem to stop talking around me."
She took another drag on the cigarette. "You said you know who has the ankh. And then you gave me something to smoke. So I don't think I'll like this answer, but... who has it?"
Jesse squeezed her hand tight for a moment. "He's called the Saint of Killers. He's immortal. All this fucked up shit. He's. Nothing can kill him. Nothing. He's got these guns, and they never miss. Even if the shot is impossible. I watched one of his goddamned bullets go through tank armor and tag a guy square in the face. Well. Not watched so much, as saw the first part, and then saw the second guy climb out of the top screaming about the second part. He never has to reload them either." Jesse shook his head and inhaled deeply of the cigarette.
"The guy is. It's insane, Didi. He's literally taken a nuke to the chest without it even damaging his clothes."
He looked at her, somberly. "That's who has your ankh."
She remembered the gaunt face, the ice-blue eyes. The harsh voice. And she stopped, squeezing his hand. "Oh, no. Shit. Shit. That's..." She let go of him, running both hands through her hair. "That's not good. That's really not good."
She looked up at Jesse, her eyes worried. "He can't have it, Jesse. No matter what else happens, he can't have it at nine o'clock tomorrow."
Her hands clenched into themselves, and for a moment, she looked like she was going to stumble. "Even if it's not me that holds it, you have to get it away from him."
The dream -- no, the nightmare -- concerning Death had consumed his sleep ever since its first appearance in his mind during slumber. And almost immediately upon awakening, or probably deep in his sleeping subconscious, he'd known and understood the threatening connotations of the event that was going to occur. Death as a normal, living, breathing mortal being was nothing short of a recipe for disaster. And Dr. Strange didn't need to see any warning signs or bright flashing lights to tell him when it had occurred. Because the moment she'd ceased being Death and had become the young Didi, the dimensions let him know; loud and clear.
It was chaos rising in the Dark Dimensions. Villainous creatures, unforeseeable evils, plaguing demons all stepping up in mutiny against their boundaries. Another piece of the puzzle that held the separating barrier between the world of night and the waking world of humans had been removed, and they were trying their hardest to slip through the cracks and infest the light dimension with their pestilence.
And it gave Strange one hell of a headache.
The fate of millions may rest in your hands if an event should cause the Dark Dimension to spread into our world, the Ancient One had told him. Chaos will erupt amongst the pocket universes. And even the Eternal Vishanti will have no means of stopping it. It must be prevented at all costs.
And so Strange kept himself in tune, so to speak, with the many planes of existence from the moment Death became human; watching, waiting, carefully keeping track of disturbances. The theft of the ankh not going unnoticed. Because from the moment that it was taken from her, there was a cry of ear splitting joy from the Chaos worlds that gave Strange a sort of mystical whiplash.
They didn't have to look too long for him. Because he was already quick on their search. And in a puff of purple sparkly smoke he appeared directly in front of them, fingers pressed hard against the sides of his head and the orb on his chest glowing brighter than usual.
"He won't have it Didi, I swear to you. I'll get it back to you. Nobody will have it in their hands unless it's you, alright?" He squeezed her hand again. He wasn't quite sure why she was so insistent, but it didn't matter. "Don't you worry no...."
He was cut off by smoke and sparkles and Jesse blinked and gave a little cough. He squinted and saw Strange.
"Well." He said after a moment. That's convenient."
Convenient or fated, she didn't really care. He was here now, and maybe the universe had decided she did need some extra assistance. Since it had decided to dump this crap on her. It was considerably worse than the Jack The Ripper episode.
"You know why I need it back," she said, looking at Strange. "Do you know how we can find it?"
"The man who has it is not easy to lose. He's practically a homing beacon of dark energy wherever he goes."
Strange closed his eyes for a moment.
"I apologize now if I seem inattentive. I've transplaced half of my psyche in order to hold back the northern walls of the chaos barrier. Everything is hanging by a thin thread right now. The universe is essentially up for grabs.. At least, the darker aspects of it is.."
He opened his eyes and stepped to the side. He mumbled a few Tibetan phrases and the Eye shimmered and emitted a holographic image of the Saint in his last location. Another convenient little method thanks to the science of light waves never completely disappearing.
"I can't retrieve the ankh from here. But I can take us to him. Although .."
And he gave a wary sidelong glance to Death, or Didi, before returning his gaze to Jesse.
"I don't think I need to say that it's going to be dangerous having Death with us, but I will anyway."
He watched Strange do his thing. It was an amazing thing. And he'd have to find a way to thank him for all the help later.
"I can get the ankh back. Don't worry none about that. You just get me there."
Jesse looked at Didi when strange mentioned that it would be dangerous for her to be there.
"I'm not going to tell her she's got to stay behind, no matter how much better it would make me feel. If she wants to come, she does. But you're right. There's too much that could go wrong with her right there with us."
People talked about death a lot. When she was there, when she wasn't there, in passing, whenever. In almost all instances, they hadn't been aware that death was actually Death, and so she hadn't bothered giving it any thought.
But here she was with two men who knew her, and were still talking about her instead of to her. It made the mortal Didi a bit annoyed. "Well, since you two seem to have all this worked out, you probably don't need a perfectly normal, vulnerably mortal, non-superpowered damsel in distress causing any extra trouble for you. Just because she also happens to be Death."
Strange opened his mouth to say something in response to Jesse, when he was cut off by Death's snap. Then he focused his attentions on her, his mind seemingly lost for a moment as if in remembrance of someone else he knew who would have made a similar statement.
"That is exactly why I am forewarning you both about this. If any harm should come to you, the entire nature of the universe will shift. All kinds of evil will spring up from their dimensions and attack this one with full force. We're weak and vulnerable right now, and becoming even moreso as long as he holds the ankh. And there aren't enough of us to hold it together if--"
He winced and pressed his fingers to his head again.
"There's no time to argue this."
He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, intertwining the fingers except for the index fingers which he held pointing towards the sky. The Eye glowed a darker hue of gold and in a few moments the space between him ripped apart, exposing a dark gap of nothingness on the other side.
"Quickly! Step through before the environment changes."
Jesse didn't hesitate at that. He knew that Didi was upset, but there was no time to explain what he'd meant by what he said. Strang was telling them to go, and even though he was pointing at something Jesse didn't understand, he trusted the man to not do things to get him killed.
He tugged Didi's hand and stepped through the whatever it was and waited for whatever was going to happen next.
There was a sharp bark, and Kojak bounded through the rift after Jesse before Didi could tell him not to. She followed as well, without even giving the thought of hesitation the slightest chance of crossing her mind.
The portal, which literally had been a rip in the fabric of the City's plane -- not an easy task to accomplish when half of your psyche was battling against the demons of the nightmare realm -- was cold and tingling. If they had remained in the distance between where they had been and where they were going for any long period of time, they would have been forever trapped in a realm of perpetual nothingness. And most of their atoms would have probably separated and disjointedly bounced back and forth against invisible dimensional walls for eternity; while they were still alive no less.
Thankfully, Dr. Strange had some background in using these quick teleportation methods, and it was a quick and painless transport to the opposite end of the City. A park, to be exact, which was eerily lacking children on the swingset and people walking their dogs. But what it wasn't lacking was the man whom they sought out. The thief of Death's ankh.
And once Strange stepped out of that portal, it pop! disappeared. And he immediately placed himself in front of Death. He would assist as was necessary, but someone had to make sure from the get-go that under no circumstances was she to be harmed.
"Oh, goddamn it. The dog." He'd momentarily forgotten about Kojak, and seeing him here now didn't seem like a good thing. He'd have Didi and the dog to worry about getting hurt, and the knowledge that the Saint wouldn't care about hurting either one of them.
And there he was.
The Saint of Killers turned to face the three who had mystically appeared out of nowhere. Normally, something like that wouldn't bother him any, but he felt the one he'd been looking for. That put a smile on his face. A nasty one.
But he stood at his end of the park, not moving. His hand rested on the butt of one of his guns. He didn't have to be close to use it.
"Been lookin for you, Preacher." The Saint said, low, but it carried to them.
Jesse's heart nearly gave out on him. He instintively drew Didi behind him.
How nice it was that chivalry wasn't dead. Even Kojak was standing in front of her, his upper lip curled back and a snarl coming from his throat that was completely unexpected, given how sweet he'd been. His front paws were ready to pounce, and the hair along his back, neck, and shoulders was standing straight up.
With three males standing at her defense, Didi stood straight. "You have something of mine," she said. "I'd like it back. Now." Her voice was soft, and it didn't shake, but it carried far enough.
Strange clasped his hands together in a prayer posture, and began to chant a few Tibetan phrases that seemed to have a very sonnet-esque rhyme scheme to them. And within a few seconds a light blue, and slightly opaque, screen went up around Didi's figure; a protective shielding spell that he hoped would outlast whatever confrontation they might have to endure.
Then again, he wasn't familiar with Saint's powers or abilities. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious. And provided that he didn't receive too much in the means of physical harm to his own body it should have been enough for a while. He hoped, at least.
That, of course, was forcing him to put a lot of faith in Jesse. A man he didn't know too well.
The Saint's finger tapped the side of the trigger, as if he was thoughtful. He laughed cruelly when Death demanded her necklace back.
"And why on Earth would I give that back to you, little girl? It seems a fine thing for me to keep."
Jesse's eyes narrowed. Somehow he'd forgotten the cruelty the Saint had.
"Just give her back the necklace." Jesse didn't turn to look at Strange or Didi. He didn't want to see their faces. "Give it to her, and I'll stop running."
It was a stupid move. Stupid. He knew that. But it was about all he could think of to offer.
As for Strange, this wasn't his battle. Not yet anyway. When it started to effect the dimensions on a larger scale. When the creatures starting creeping over from the Dark World. Then yes, he would step forward and make a move.
But Jesse said he could get the ankh back. And that meant he was running the show. If he needed Strange's help, then he would. But for the time being he held to his role of Didi's temporary guardian.
The Saint laughed again. He might have been actually amused. "I really don't find that to be a good enough reason."
His eyes shifted to Jesse, and hardened. "And I don't need your pathetic offers, Preacher. You're in my sights already."
His gun was drawn. It was done in the blink of an eye. The hammer pulled back, which didn't need to be done, and gave Jesse a chance to work through his momentary panic and indesisiveness.
At first he started to run forward, to get the target further away from Didi, and he stumbled when he thought of something else. His brain was skipping things.
"STOP!" He screamed, looking directly at the Saint.
Jesse was relieved when the Saint's hand froze in mid air, and though scowling like an angry demon, he wasn't doing anything.
Didi didn't realize when she'd stopped breathing, but she guessed it was sometime just after Jesse had made his offer. Since then, there hadn't really been a chance for her to draw a breath since. Now, looking from the frozen and glaring man, to Jesse's burning eyes, her lungs reminded her that air was a necessity for mortals, and would she kindly return to taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide, please?
She did. "Jesse?" she said, looking at him, unsure of what had happened. But she could feel the ankh nearby, calling to her. It was so close. So close!
These lulls were causing Strange to have a little bit of difficulty with his focus. The fight that the rest of his psyche was involved in was becoming much more difficult to ward off with only half of his strength; and with each passing moment that he kept himself split, he could feel his mystical energy sources draining in power. If he was required to play an important role in the fight for the ankh, he'd almost certainly have to recall the rest of himself.
And that would leave a few seconds of vulnerability in the dimensional realm.
Not to be impatient, he sent the telepathic message to Jesse, but this is quickly becoming more serious with each moment that Death is not herself .. If you need assistance..
Jesse had never encountered telepathy before, and it was a shock. He was already trying to catch his breath and slow his heart. He glanced back at Strange and frowned. It'd sounded like that man's voice... in his head.
"No." He answered out loud, not knowing any other way to do it.
Jesse turned back to the Saint who still had the gun pointed at him.
"Give me the necklace." Jesse said to the ancient cowboy.
The Saint was angry, and getting angrier. But he had to obey, he couldn't not. His hand dove into his pocket and tossed the necklace at Jesse. It hit him directly in the forehead.
"Ow fuck! Shit." Jesse said, rubbing his head and picking up the necklace.
He looked back at the Saint, ankh in hand. "Now,get lost." There was anger in his voice when he said it. And a little fear when the Saint didn't immediately comply.
"I'll be back, Preacher. Your little power don't last forever." He was angier than he'd been. Much. "And when I come back, you're going to be a lot less happy."
He faded like the twilight. The Saint was gone.
Jesse collapsed on his back in the grass and held the ankh out to Didi.
As soon as the necklace was away from the mad cowboy, Didi was already walking towards it. When the Saint vanished she ran forward the extra steps.
One hand slipped the ankh back around her neck where it belonged. The confusion in her eyes vanished immediately, and her other hand clasped Jesse's. "So," she said, a bit of a smirk in her voice. "Does this make us even? I saved your life, you saved mine?"
That was a rather odd encounter. But Dr. Strange wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. So the moment that the Saint disappeared and he presumed it was safe, he dropped the protective spell he'd placed over Didi and took a deep breath.
He was quiet. Standing statuesque on the lawn a few feet away from them. His face somewhat blank for a few minutes as though he were somewhere else entirely. A twinkling purple shine around his long flowing cloak. But afterwards he shook away that displacement and looked over to the two.
The Dark Dimension was temporarily paralyzed from encroaching into their world. He'd have to mend a few fragments later, after she was Death again. But so long as she remained in safe hands. The problem seemed to be rectified.
"Darlin, if even's what you want to be, then even's what we are."
He didn't move to get up at all. He wasn't sure that his feet would hold him. Every time he enountered the Saint of Killers, he found himself closer to death. Every time, things progressed further than they had before. And he had no idea what steps were between cocking the hammer and firing the gun that would give Jesse time enough.
Jesse looked at Strange and nodded. "Thank you, for helping. I'd never have found him on my own."
You're not on your own. Genesis chimed in.
"Yes, but you're not helpful." Jesse spoke in a normal outloud voice to the inside voice, not caring who heard him and who got confused.
Didi let out a sound that was somethink like a smirking giggle. "Well. I didn't exactly risk my life to save yours. And I broke your date earlier. So I think I owe you."
She turned a bit and looked at Strange. "And you. Things will be completely back to normal tomorrow morning."
Still kneeling beside Jesse, Didi leaned over, pushed her hair back, and gave him a kiss on his cheek, but barely gracing the corner of his mouth. "Thank you, Jesse Custer."
"You're welcome," Strange replied. All in a day's work, really. This was how his life was. One moment he was shopping in the grocery store, the next he was dropping a bag of Fritos and spewing incantations against evil magi from other realms.
It was sort of expected nowadays and rather customary. Like waking up in the morning and brushing his teeth or putting on his slippers.
He nodded to Didi.
"I'll be glad to see you as yourself again. If you should need anything, feel free to call. I scan the telepathic network frequently..."
And then the scene got somewhat cutesy and sentimental, and he felt a bit awkward. So he called upon his mystical sources of levitation and began to hover back towards his Sanctum, not really up to the extra energy level of teleportation.
"Nothing fun?" Didi waved a hand. "I still have..." she looked up at the sun, now starting to descend low in the western sky. "About fourteen hours left. And believe me when I say this City doesn't sleep."
Then she frowned a bit. "I did make plans for this evening. And since I already missed lunch and various other things that were supposed to happen, I really need to make it to the last of them." She already felt bad about having forgotten about her plans with Bruce. But that's how it went, when she was removed from her sigil of power. The essence of Death faded, until she couldn't remember anything that had happened while she was Death.
"I still feel like I owe you a breakfast, though. If Maxine doesn't mind." Now she knew the girl's name, and remembered how she had interrupted them.
"I'll send her an email and let her know. I don't think she'll mind." He shook his head a little. "I'll explain everything to her later. In person. Once she knows, she'll be calmer."
He said that, thinking of how she'd stormed off. She was upset, and he knew it, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. He didn't have the energy.
"You go to the rest of your plans, and I'll go take a long hot shower and have a nap. Or the other way around, I haven't decided. You can call or. Show up. When you're ready to go."
How to respond to that? "I don't know." He was a little confused. "Stay like... you want to use the spare bed? Or stay like.... stay. Or. Like. <i>Stay</i>?"
There were three very different things there, and Jesse had a feeling that Didi would understand what he meant.
Didi took the button out of her pocket and pressed it. She would still have a few moments before someone came to fetch her, she assumed, and she really needed to apologize to Bruce and Tim.
"When we first talked about this, you seemed fairly intent on version number three." She shrugged. "But seeing you and Maxine earlier, I think the situation has changed a bit." She gave him a smile. "It's okay. I'm happy for you. She's very sweet."
Jesse nodded. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer, darlin, I couldn't do that to Max. She is very sweet. And special. She'd be destroyed if I did something so low."
He adjusted his position again. "Don't think that I didn't mean what I said though."
Jesse smiled. "But I know she wouldn't mind if you needed somebody to hold you while you fell asleep, if that's what you need. If you needed a friend to sit around and talk with." he could go on with senarios, but she'd get the point. He was getting used to her 'know all' way of things.
Didi gave him a wide and beautiful smile. "Good. That's the answer I was hoping for."
She got to her feet, and stretched her arms out to help him up. "Let's see how the rest of the day goes. But, if nothing else, we can try for breakfast tomorrow? Say, 8am? While I still have time, of course."
She was laughing. "Do I? Well. Maybe if you could get the entire world to agree that 'flush and rosy as Death' works so much better than 'pale as Death', we can work something out."
Didi leaned in and gave him a tight hug. "I'm not going to forget this, Jesse. Never. Thank you."
He hugged her back. "You're welcome. Very welcome. Though, I doubt you forget anything."
Jesse smiled. "Go, I think your ride is here. I don't want you to miss out on any other plans. You've got to have fun the rest of your day, alright? You have to have as much fun as possible. Promise me."