An important debriefing. ((for sweetcandygirl))

[fiveofnone]

Not too far from the Plaza there is a coffee shop -- a hole in the wall, really, although the coffee is quite good. This is where Caspar texted Harley to meet him to talk about Josh's cabin in the woods, and what the former Suicide Squad member found out about him.

The café is not entirely his style -- a little too dark, a little too drab. But it means that they're unlikely to be disturbed, and more importantly, it's as far from Josh's usual haunts as possible.

He doesn't want to take any chances.

When Harley heads down a small flight of stairs into the café proper, she'll spot Caspar in the corner, dressed in his charcoal gray suit, nursing a cup of coffee, and waiting patiently.

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

Adia listens without comment, her expression one of disbelief. The things Harley describes initially are weird, certainly, although as she always does with Josh's "quirks", she tries to excuse them away. He was upset by Caspar's coldness towards him, people appear and disappear from the Nexus all the time...

The mention of the persian tickles something in the back of her mind, but Poochyena's appearance distracts her. As does Caspar's involvement in the story. She gives her boyfriend a look. "You knew about this?" she says, clearly disappointed.

Caspar doesn't drop his gaze, although he clearly wants to. "I was worried about you. This guy is bad news."

She sighs and shakes her head, opening the binder. It feels intrusive, but she'll look through it if Caspar and Harley think it's important. And at first, she's made uncomfortable, especially because it's now obvious that Josh has a crush on her. And apparently flirted with suicide...

The news of the game makes her raise an eyebrow, a trick she must have picked up from Caspar. "Do you have actual evidence that he hurts people?" she says. One last holdout for the sake of her friend. "Because so far it all sounds circumstantial at best..."

"She needs to see a video of the game." He says this to Harley, which makes Adia frown a little. Hello, she's right here! "Do you have something I can plug the flashdrive into?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"A whole squad of police showed up at his house Adia. They don't do that unless it is a serious situation."

Harley grabs her laptop and places it on the coffee table, so that Caspar can plug the flashdrive into it.

"I also took a scan of his Persian." Harley holds out the Pokedex with the scan of the cat-creature that she and Poocyhena faced.

[chiron_survivor]

Caspar does just that. Within seconds, the video begins playing.

At first, there is a long stretch of silence, the dolls on the screen unmoving, as if patiently waiting for the game to begin.

Then the show's host speaks. And Adia squirms uncomfortably. Because that is Josh's voice. Not his real voice, but the distorted one he used when he first spoke with her. It's ominous, it's... sadistic. This isn't some innocent trivia show she had initially assumed. It'd dark and macabre.

But they're just dolls. Right? Avatars for the real contestants? Except in his journal, Josh had written about what he was attempting to do with those dolls...

She watches the whole thing, clearly disturbed but not quite convinced. Okay, maybe Josh is more off-balance than she assumed. His emotions are clearly coming from a dark place. His feelings for her are borderline obsessed. But... a murderer?

Then Harley shows her the picture of the persian.

She has seen this cat before. And all at once, she remembers where.

Her stalker. The tableau of death he created for her during the Khan invasion. His shadowy outline on the laptop screen, grilling her about her willingness to care for others.

And one smug, cat-like pokémon.

Paling to ghost-white, Adia brings her hands up to her mouth in horror. "No no no, she whimpers, her voice soft and strangled. No, no. He can't be. He can't be.

"Adia." Caspar has his hands on her shoulders, staring at her worriedly. He expected her to be upset, but he's never seen her this terrified. "Adia. Adia, talk to me. What is it?"

Her eyes shut, like she might cry. "It's him. He's..."

Caspar is clueless. Adia never told him about her stalker. His eyes wide and desperate, he looks to Harley for help.

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley immediately moves onto the couch, to wrap Adia into a supportive embrace. Her hold is not too tight that Adia can't get out of the hug, if she wants to.

She remembers Adia telling her about her stalker. About her promise that she would find out who he was. And Adia's reaction tells Harley that she has kept that promise.

"He is the one who was threatening you?" She softly finishes the sentence.

[chiron_survivor]

She barely registers Harley's hug, but leans into it all the same. Caspar puts a hand on her knee in an effort to keep her grounded. To keep them both grounded.

It's a truth that she doesn't want to face. She keeps her eyes squeezed shut, as if somehow that will keep it away. How can someone she considered a friend turn out to be a sadistic killer? Not only sadistic, but willing to use that sadism to toy with her? Josh has always treated her kindly, doing whatever he can to make her happy...

Harley's question is answered with a subtle nod of her head and a soft groan. All the strange things that Josh said and did come rushing back as huge red flags. She should have known. She especially should have known since Halloween. Why had her own intuition failed her?

Beside her, Caspar stiffens at the news. "Someone was threatening you?" Josh was threatening her? Oh. He is so dead.

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley knows exactly what Adia is going through right now. It is exactly what Harley went through -- when she finally woke up to the evil and hate that was Joker. And it was hard to face the truth. To feel that her trust had been ripped away. That her faith had been misplaced.

So she will just hold Adia as long as the other woman needs.

Harley knows better than most how it feels to be blind to red flags.

She shakes her head slightly at Caspar. She knows that he is upset too, but that is not what Adia needs right now. She doesn't need a reminder that the person who she thought was her friend was someone who had wanted to hurt her in horrible ways.

"I understand Adia. I truly do."

[chiron_survivor]

"Someone was stalking me," Adia says, barely above a whisper. "I should have told you, but it was months ago and I didn't want you to worry..."

Caspar's anger gets snuffed out immediately, replaced with worry and shame. She was trying to protect him from his own fears. "Oh, sweetheart..."

His words, Harley's words, they barely register as she sinks deeper into a spiral of terror. This is so much more than a murderer being obsessed with her. This is about trusting someone who had lied to her about his identity and his intentions.

If she was wrong about him, then how can she know if she's right about anyone else?

"I have to go." She stands abruptly, pushing herself out of Harley's gentle embrace. Her chest is tight, and each breath she takes is shallower than the last. "I can't -- if he's --"

"Hey, hey." Caspar keeps her from going out the door, his hands on her shoulders once more, sliding down to her wrists so she stops worrying at the sleeves of her coat. "Let's go home then. Okay? Let me take you back home."

She nods numbly, tears threatening to fall, her body going slack in Caspar's arms. He wraps an arm around her and pulls out his PINpoint before looking at Harley. "I'll take it from here. Text me if you find out anything else."

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley does not know what to say, when Adia pushes herself out of the embrace. And just watches Adia stand, a little concerned.

She draws her knees up to her chest, watching how Adia is falling to pieces. And there is nothing she can do to help.

Right now her fury and anger are carefully bottled up, until the next time she meets 'Josh'. He is not going to get away with this.

Harley is only somewhat aware that Caspar has said something to her. She turns her head to him. And nods. "Take care of our girl."

[fiveofnone]

Caspar's fury isn't so easily contained. It leaks out in the slight tremble of his hands, the ever tightening line of his jaw. But he can keep it under control for Adia's sake.

If he ever sees Josh again, it isn't going to be pretty.

He presses the PINpoint button, and they are gone.