2013.07.11 - The Bodyguard

"Much better..." Eddie Thorson, fresh out of the shower, trails off as he makes his way out of his bedroom and towards the living room. Just in his baggy shorts, he left the t-shirt he intends to put on draped over the couch. This puts all those scars and marks that cover his torso on display. Normally he wouldn't do this but since Vic was out with friends and he didn't think he had to worry about any gods popping in, he's a little more relaxed. Spread over the coffee table is a map of the city with various points marked off. Apparently Eddie is trying to track someone or something down.

No gods pop in, no siree. But the cat came back, the very next day.

Or, well, several days. Keith is at the door to the apartment, and he rings the doorbell. He's not, for once, dressed in his hero outfit, but rather is wearing clothes that are designed to cover as much of his body as possible- a trenchcoat. IN SUMMER. And a fedora. As if he were trying to hide his identity.

Not that hiding it under that was smart. He was cooking... but also attracted attention to himself. When the buzzer goes off, Eddie jumps. He scrambles to the door but quickly goes back to get his shirt to pull on...brand new homemade Young Allies logo shirt...before buzzing in whoever's at the door. When Keith gets up to Eddie's apartment specifically and Eddie opens the door for him, the power booster blinks. "Umm..."

"... you can say it, I look like a Dick Tracy reject."

GOD, he was burning up. He takes off his hat to reveal his purpleness. "Hi Eddie, remember me? It's Keith?" He smirks, "I know I'm rather forgettable, but if you jog your memory I think you'll find me in there somewhere."

He was teasing, of course. He was purple. Unfortunately, he was hard to forget. He does look somewhat different, though-- mostly because his face looks like he has had one hell of a beat-up, though the swelling has had a bit to go down to a manageable level.

"Who's Dick Tracy?" Eddie asks, head tilting to the side. "And I know it's y-you, I was wondering why you're wearing that...it's like um, 90 degrees out there," the concerned teen frowns, gesturing for Keith to come in. "C'mon, I'll get you some water and ice and you c-c-can tell me why you're all b-beat up."

The cat takes off his trenchcoat as well, showing he was wearing a black tank-top and bike shorts underneath, and black sneakers. "Well, considering what happened, I'm not exactly keen on being seen in public. I take it you didn't look at some of the tabloids... 'Vigilante lets Insane Clown Possee Escape from Arkham'. I've never been so ashamed in my life," he says as he comes in, brushing a hand across his hair to move it out of the way.

"The tabloid writers are jerks," Eddie replies simply. "I haven't c-c-caught up on the news yet," he adds, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge and getting an ice pack for Keith. "Keith...you d-didn't -let- anyone out..."

"Oh, yes I did. I completely failed to keep one of the most dangerous men in the world from escaping."He takes the ice pack and thanks him, putting it up to his forehead. "Just like I failed at catching the dark elf your father suspects was sent to kill you." Boom, just like that.

"Okay, stop right there," Eddie takes a deep breath and gives Keith a firm look. "One, unless you held the door open and told him to leave, you did no let him go. You d-d-didn't stop him but none of us are perfect. Breaking out of Arkham is one of those things he just -does-. Even Batman can't stop it. And from what I read about the whole thing so far, you were r-r-really out numbered. So stop beating yourself up. You're still a hero and I'm positive you d-d-did your best," he says simply. "He got out, so we just have to hunt him down and p-put him back," his eyes start to glow bright blue right now as his faith-powers kick in. He applies a boost to Keith, increasing the cat's powers and even making it so he heals faster. "And second...what dark elf?"

Oh crap. That's right... Thor hadn't told him.

"...I... I can't remember what Thor called it. It sounded something LIKE 'Slartibartfast'... only with a lot more v's thrown into the works. I caught this elf-like creature in the park, he tried to kill a jogger and we fought. He slashed me right here," he touches his side "and I got him spooked and running away with some of my illusions. But what I didn't know was that his dagger was poisoned. Fortunately your father came around with some of his men and found me. He took me to Asgard and had someone heal me, otherwise I would have died. From what I am told, that poison is fatal. They concluded that it was some sort of assassin sent from one of the realms to assasinate you. And that is why I'm here."

Still boosting Keith without realizing he's doing so, Eddie listens to what Keith says. He looks at the spot Keith touches, frowning. "And you're definitely okay? No more poison?" he asks. Yes, he's more worried about Keith's injuries than any assassins coming his way. "They're sure it's me and n-not Torunn?"

"You're the crown prince. And these idiots think it's a good idea to target you. Well, that's why I'm here. Until Thor comes back to Midgard full time, you can't go out on your own, at least not without someone who can back you up-- I'm not saying you can't take care of yourself... but this guy meant -business-. Two people are always better than one."

Eddie frowns. "Keith," he sighs. "I appreciate the concern but I d-d-don't need a bodyguard," he says, sitting down next to the cat. "I've fought Dark Elves before. I'm n-not worried about one more."

"That may be, but I'm not just your bodyguard. I'm your friend, even if we haven't known each other that long. And -I- don't feel right letting you fend for yourself against someone who has the kind of poison that can snuff out a god. Even one scratch from that and a mortal is putty. I was lucky because your father was -right there-... but trust me, I wasn't in my right mind the moment the poison started working, you wouldn't be able to call the Bifrost. Heck, you wouldn't be able to stand up. I know you feel like you're being babied.. but try to see it from your father's point of view. He has obligations to attend to in Asgard and can't be here to help..." he sighs. "I've recently lost a very good friend, Booster Gold. I wasn't there to help him, and maybe if I had been there he wouldn't have gotten blown up. I would really prefer if you let me help you. But if you don't, I'm not going away..." a mix of a cheshire grin and a smirk "... I can become invisible, you know."

Eddie frowns, the boosting fading now that Eddie realizes he's doing it. "Keith...I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me," he sighs. "YOu, Thor, or anyone else. If this assassin is c-c-coming for me, I don't want him hurting anyone I care about to get to me," he says. "Wait...what about Booster?" he asks. "When d-d-did this happen? I was just talking to his teammates and they didn't seem fazed at all..." he trails off. "My b-boyfriend turns invisible too. And so can I," with the right mimicry but he doesn't say that.

Keith sighs "I don't think his teammates even KNOW, which is just inexcusable." The cat gets a distant look and says "Michael was shooting a commercial, and there was an altercation. All the clear footage was confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D, but there was some cameraphone footage leaked to the web. Some... six-armed woman attacked, and she hit Booster with something that looked like lightning, but it was hard to tell. Then Booster began to glow and he flew upwards and... well... exploded." He trails off, sighing. "And I could not find anyone to help me. That's why I contacted John Constantine. Made a deal with the devil, so to speak, metaphorically."

"Six armed woman?" Eddie frowns. "Were some of her arms metal?" he asks, eyes narrowing. "He exploded? Was it all...like um...light? Or was there smoke and f-f-fire?" he asks. And then Constantine is mentioned and Eddie jumps. "What kind of d-d-deal did you make?" he asks. He doesn't know much about Constantine but he'd heard enough rumors when he was poking around about magic.

"No, I think all of her arms were real... or at least I think so. The footage didn't show her well..." he sighs "I had Constantine go into the Afterlife and look for Booster... you know, to see if he was dead or not." The cat lowers his head "Constantine said that, as far as the bureaucrats in the Afterlife were concerned, Michael didn't exist."

"I n-need to check on some things but I don't think that this is the first time this w-woman has appeared," Eddie replies. "Did anyone hear if she gave a name?" he makes a thoughtful noise. "Wait...he doesn't exist?"

"No idea, all the footage was confiscated by SHIELD, and I have no contacts there...." the cat answers to the questions, and then shakes his head "No. He doesn't exist, according to the bureaucrats of the afterlife. His soul wasn't there, and they apparently never heard of him..." "I d-don't really have contacts either but I might be able to ask Agent Coulson..." Eddie trails off. "That might mean he's n-not actually dead," Eddie chimes quietly. "He c-could have just been teleported somewhere. Like...another dimension. Or time traveled."

"That could be it, Eddie... but the afterlife bureaucrats didn't even have a record of him existing at all. The way Constantine put it, if you're born at any point in time, they have heard of you, at least that's how it came across to me." He sighs, and stands up. "That's beside the point. The point is that I'm not going to lose someone like that again, which means I'm going to be watching you." He takes out a card and tosses it on the coffee table. "Put this number into your phone. If none of your friends are around and you have to go somewhere, call me. If someone is following you and you don't have any of your allies near, call me. I mean this, Eddie." The cat says, crossing his arms. "You can ask Patrick. I don't take 'no' for an answer. That's how he became my boyfriend." a smirk, trying to dispel the melancholy look across his face. "I need to go drop by the Legion headquarters and see if -anyone- can give me information on what happened to Michael. Otherwise I'd stay here longer and talk you into giving in until your ears bled. So why not save me the time and capitulate? I mean... what are friends for, if not to be a nuisance and being there when you need them?"

"Bureaucrats are easy t-t-to fool. And with the sheer number of people I've met from different timelines and realities, I d-don't trust things like that at face value," Eddie replies. "So don't give up hope," he says firmly. He sighs as he takes the card though. "Keith...how m-much about my past do you know?" he asks. "Because anyone thinking they c-c-can follow me in this city is in for a surprise," he mutters. Street rat experience, go! When Keith mentions Legion headquarters, Eddie jumps. "Watch out for Atom Girl. She's a little um...overenthusiastic about monitor duty," he says, remembering the guns shoved in his face the previous day.

The cat smirks "I know you didn't have a home at one time. I grew up in the Bronx and fought gangs all of my life. Look.." Keith puts a hand on Eddie's shoulder. "... let me help you. If I can help keep at least one friend safe, it'll make me feel like less of a failure."

It was a dirty card, but cats always fought dirty. And after his encounter with the elf, he didn't want Eddie hurt, nor see Thor and Sif dealing with the loss of a son. At least this was better than the Puss In Boots eyes.

Eddie sighs, looking down at the card and then up at Keith. He considers a moment before nodding. "Alright...I'll c-call if I need some extra backup."

The cat reaches over and gives Eddie a hug. "I'll hold you to that promise, or else." He says, with a smirk. "Please be careful, alright?" He gathers up his coat and puts it on, and on goes the hat. "Have a good rest of the day, Eddie."

Eddie returns the hug, being careful not to make any of Keith's injuries worse. "-You- be careful too," he says. "You too. And good luck at Legion HQ."