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WHO: Freddie Lounds and Kate Bishop
WHERE: A coffee shop!
WHEN: Evening of 6/23/14.
WHAT: Talking.
WARNINGS: Mentions of torture (both physically and psychologically), likely references to issues of consent. Will be updating as needed.

[If asked, Kate Bishop would have preferred to have gone about this course of events differently. But the more influence that Frederick Chilton achieves among their community, the more Kate herself requires answers about his actual involvement. The fact that she's seeking out other individuals from his world to corroborate what happened was fairly low on her list of desired things to do, but here she is, doing precisely that. Hank Pym had asked her a point blank question, after all: does she trust Frederick Chilton?

The answer was no.

But who else had the same insight that Kate happened to have? While she thought that Chilton had been arrogant and pompous, she hadn't believed him to actually be cruel. That he had that strain of being in his tactics had turned her mind differently, and the surprise had disconnected any chance she had to be completely rational in the situation.

She's had time to sit on it, though, and she finds herself needing to continue the investigation. She's come across information that would normally grant her the opportunity to speak to him and give him the same patient time of day as what she had originally provided Abel Gideon. The fact that Danger was more of a dangerous factor had been a surprise. That they were a trio of dangerous individuals rather than two men and a manipulated third party had been a wake up call for Kate. But there was no way in hell that she was going to make that apparent, knowing that there were few individuals that could have provided her with that information, and even fewer would actually volunteer it. The last thing she wanted (wants) is to implicate David.

Instead, she chooses to go about it a different way, communicator placed into her purse as she heads into the coffee shop. Truthfully, Kate would like to record this conversation for posterity, but she chooses to forgo that for the moment. Her memory is outstanding enough to count, and that's what matters. It's not as if this is an official investigation, anyway. Kate's spoken with enough people from Chilton's world that she expects that she'll have to think fast here. Gideon and Chilton are clever enough. Will Graham is unlike both of them, but that doesn't mean that he's not clever. He certainly seems to be. So she expects the same from Freddie Lounds.

Kate breathes in the atmosphere and orders a cup of coffee in one of their mugs, and then she takes a seat near the window, keeping an eye out on anyone who might pass by.]

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[ Well this was going to certainly be an interesting conversation. Freddie knew that she had the upper knowledge when it came to timeline games. The fact that she dangled the knowledge of Chilton's hospitalization like a person dangling a mouse just out of the cat's reach told her enough. And that was something that she was going to keep to herself. She hardly had any idea who this Kate person was, or what the incident between Chilton and Gideon was--though the fact that there was an incident hardly surprised her. The same people, under different circumstances, but relatively the same results.

Of course, she hardly knew what sort of information Kate wanted. Freddie was more than happy to spill the beans on Gideon. She watched as the man disemboweled Chilton, she kept Chilton alive until the paramedics came. There was no love lost between Freddie and Gideon. He was a great story, of course. But she was in a town of superheroes. There would be better stories.

Chilton...well that depended on the questions, didn't it. After all, out of everybody here from home, Chilton was the one that Freddie hated the least. Which...said a lot about Freddie's personality and people skills, but eh. Whatever.

As she walked up to the coffeeshop, she double-checked it with the address on her phone. Yep--that was the place. Lingering outside of the window, she shot off a text to Kate: ]

I'm here. Wearing a white blouse, leopard print skirt, black camera bag.

[ She didn't know what Kate looked like, after all. Entering the coffee shop, Freddie walked right past Kate (who she just assumed to be your average Heropa college student) and walked right up to the counter, ordering some sort of overly sugary monstrosity with way too much whipped cream. ]

[Before she received the text, Kate had already delivered a massive judging sentence about Freddie Lounds' attire. The fact that she dared to wear that kind of print in this weather, atmosphere, and setting was ... brave, and it was also incredibly tacky. That she receives a text that assigns an identity to that woman makes her draw back.

Just a bit, anyway.

Kate's knowledge of Freddie Lounds was limited, but she did know that she was aware of Chilton's status back home. It meant that what had come to be would at least be in her knowledge banks—or so she assumed. She's well aware that she's going to have to play this carefully. While she wants confirmation about what Chilton had done to Gideon, she can't pose too much of a threat to anything. That would be unwise.

Kate waits until she's turned to wait for her drink to wave her hand in greeting, an easy smile falling over her lips.

Even if this is a meeting that may not go her way, Kate finds it easy to play nice and look cheerful. Growing up a socialite, she's had a lot of practice. Then again, she is a good person: being nice comes naturally. Chats like this, once they get underway, actually don't.]

[ As she turns to wait, she catches Kate's eye. Almost instantly, Freddie's struck by how young she is. This girl can't be that much older than Abigail, and yet she's already 'conducting an investigation'? How cute. Almost instantly, Freddie starts to rethink her strategy. What would a kid like Kate want to know about Gideon and Chilton? More specifically, what was she trying to accomplish? ]

Kate Bishop, right? [ Freddie responded, with a smile. ] Be there in a moment, after I get my drink. [ As if they heard her, the barista slid her that whipped cream monstrosity she requested. Grinning at the barista, she walked over towards Kate, sitting down in front of her. ]

So, mind telling me more about this little investigation? [ Especially since now that she had physically seen Kate, she had second thoughts. ]

[Much of this was rehearsed in her head, and she knows the last thing she can do is let any piece of information get back to Chilton, though Kate has a feeling that it will. Of course it will, but she can't press too hard. She has to get what she can out of this situation, and it's quite unlike Los Angeles. She's not going to catch anyone in the act, and she isn't going to find some weed dealer without a conscience to utilize the situation to her favor.

In some ways, this world is worse than Los Angeles. In other ways, it's better. For all Chilton's hundreds of words about his hurt feelings, he isn't beating her until she's black and blue. There are always bonuses.]

Yeah, a couple months ago, a friend of Frederick Chilton announced that he had been attacked. You can guess who did the crime, right? Apparently there's some history there.

[ Some history there was an understatement. Massive history would be more like it. Freddie calmly sipped her drink, watching Kate as she talked. So, Gideon had tried to attack Chilton...again. ] And let me guess, you want me to fill in the blanks?

[ Sighing slightly, Freddie set her drink down, with a frown. ] I don't know everything about those two, you know. If you're looking for a play by play, you're asking the wrong girl.

I know ... [Kate allows that to trail off for a moment, and finally shakes her head.] I don't need a play-by-play. But I'd like a better understanding of it. They're both involved in the lives of a number of imPorts here, and I can't help but wonder about what came before.

It's complicated, [ Freddie simply said. ] Back home, Frederick Chilton is in charge of the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Abel Gideon is one of his preeminent patients--and both men have a very interesting relationship with a serial killer known as the Chesapeake Ripper.

I think I've seen the name around. [That piece of information is something that Kate offers before she takes a sip from her coffee. She doesn't want the lie (albeit largely by omission) to be something that Freddie can really notice. She really hopes it's not noticeable.]

Though I'm surprised it's come up here. Or is there something I should be worried about?

It's something you should know. Abel Gideon believed himself to be the Chesapeake Ripper, Frederick Chilton was later accused and arrested of being the Ripper himself. [ Freddie took a sip of coffee, mostly to let the information sink in. ]

Neither of them are the true Ripper, though. Gideon was in jail during some of the Ripper murders and Chilton, gifted psychiatrist that he is, doesn't have the surgical skills. [ Of course, 'gifted' doesn't mean the same as 'ethical' or 'morally sound.'

The true Chesapeake Ripper, at least in Freddie's mind, is Hannibal Lecter with possible help from Will Graham. Of course, that's a piece of information that she's not letting Kate know, partly because she's not entirely sure how accurate it is, partly because Freddie wants this to be her first big scoop, Tattlecrime: Heropa's first big article.

It would certainly pack a punch. ]

[Much of this lines up with Chilton's responses immediately upon returning—and additionally, explains some of his bad feelings. If only she had that going into the discussion with him. Yes, he had touched upon the Ripper, but it's hard to grasp the full depth of the situation.

She runs her finger along the mouth of her coffee cup, considering its contents as she processes all of that.]

And the real "Ripper"—they're not here, so there's nothing to worry about? [She does study Freddie for a moment.] Unless you're telling me that it's you. [It's not said seriously, though. No, she's not making light of it, but it definitely doesn't come across as a suggestion in its delivery. If anything, it's coaxing her to go on.

More than anything, Kate needs to understand this convoluted situation better.]

[ Freddie let out a snort of a laugh, shaking her head as she took a sip of her drink. ] God no, I'm not the Ripper. What kind of serial killer would report on her own crimes? [ The unspoken answer to that question is 'a bad one.' She smiled, setting her drink down. ] To the best of my knowledge, the real Ripper isn't here.

[ She just maybe had his protogee Will Graham to deal with. Just Freddie's luck. ] Anyway, the Ripper isn't the only thing that links the two men. [ There's a tentative pause. This next aspect involved her...but surely Freddie could tell the story while minimizing her impact, right? ]

Did Doctor Chilton ever tell you why he walks with a cane?

An overly confident one. You haven't seen some of the villains from my world. [And that's not counting the time the skrulls decided to make a public announcement about their inevitable takeover. They had already killed and captured numerous people by that point, though thankfully, they hadn't killed them to boot.]

And he referenced an incident back home. [She knows it's Dr. Gideon, but she doesn't say that explicitly.] I assume you know more about it.

I do, [ Freddie remarked, small smile on her face, obviously going to enjoy this. ] There's bad blood between Doctors Chilton and Gideon. One day, Gideon managed to escape from the hospital during a transfer, killing two guards in the process. He captured Chilton and vivisected the man, disemboweling him and removing his organs.

[ She pauses for dramatic effect. Like hell Freddie's telling Kate about her part in this. The fact that Gideon made her watch as he mutilated Chilton. The fact that she had to keep him alive with a ventilator. Whatever this business between Gideon and Chilton is, she wants to stay out of it (...aside from possibly writing an article if the business turns homicidal). ]

Thankfully, the paramedics came and were able to take Chilton to the hospital. They even put back in all his organs--well, minus one kidney, of course. Gideon took that for himself.

[That fully explains the depth of Dr. Gideon's dangerous capabilities, but Kate doesn't know what to do with it. It does tell her one thing: nearly everything the man said could be a lie.

Her lips twist downward uncomfortably, and she says nearly exactly what she's thinking:] He has a way of presenting himself as more harmless than he actually is. Strange and eccentric, but hardly a murderer. [Hearing it from both Chilton and Freddie clinches it. Though there is a chance they could have discussed this meeting—and she's not discounting it—there hadn't been much time for it.

She pauses, considering what else to say.]

Why did he go after his psychiatrist?

[ Now that causes Freddie to pause for a bit. She liked Chilton. Of course, she didn't like him personally, but she wasn't super keen on the idea of throwing him under the bus like this. She takes another sip of her drink, as if to stall for time. ]

I don't know for sure. [ A technical truth. ] But supposedly, Chilton manipulated Gideon into thinking that he was the Chesapeake Ripper when he wasn't.

Again, I don't know for sure, [ said with a frown, ] but that's what I heard.

[Given her lack of fondness for Gideon—which was displayed already—and Chilton's willingness to offer her the opportunity for them to work in tandem, Kate chooses to take that as face value. She can't press, she can't ask for resources. That would be too suspicious, and she knows that.]

That's ... that could be very bad, if it was true. [It's stated with hesitation.] Either way, that makes the whole situation very messy.

The situation is messy to begin with, [ said with a frown and a sigh. At least this she was fine with talking about. Gossiping about how trouble the boys were? Done and done. ] Put Gideon and Chilton in a room together and the situation's...explosive.

It gets messier. [Kate needs to spell it out,and she's willing to show her allegiance here. There's no point in hiding it. There's a good chance that Freddie would find it out later, anyway.] While Dr. Gideon is incapacitated, Dr. Chilton has made quite the name for himself here. He's the premiere psychiatrist to a ... great deal of individuals, all from worlds that have their own share of problems. If it's true, he could easily find another individual ... [She doesn't spell it out, but "I'd like to offer psychiatry to Lucifer" seems pretty clear to her.]

[ Freddie sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. However? She looks totally interested. ] I have a feeling that if a patient isn't "interesting," Frederick would actually try to help them. Of course, the problem now is that by nature of being brought here, that automatically makes people interesting.

Precisely. More than that, if he regains a similar position to what he had before—[She realizes she's really showing her hand here. She knows what Chilton's previous position was, and exactly what it entailed. But she presses on just the same.]—he could have access to the most interesting individuals.

I know this is a bit of a stretch, but do you have any idea who Chilton's patients are? I could warn them about the dangers, at least. [ Freddie's putting on a good air of worried...but really, she just wants to use the patients to get the dirt on Chilton and Gideon. Pretending to give a damn would have to work. ]

I know some, but I think you can understand why I'm not willing to share their names. [Her friends make up some of those names she has, and Kate can handle telling them herself. There's also the part where Kate isn't keen to kick the hornet's nest, so to speak.] Honestly, there's also the matter of a clean slate here. If someone's helping, and the most we have is him preying on people on the network to pry into their so-called insecurities, it's mostly a sign of him being an asshole psychiatrist. And if they went anyway ...

[ A for effort. But really? Freddie doubted she would get the names in the first place. As Kate mentions Chilton being an asshole psychiatrist though, Freddie can't help but smirk slightly, feelings obvious. Chilton was a bit of an asshole. ]

Asshole aside, has Chilton done anything here that's worrying? Beside that fracas with Gideon, that is.

[ Said calmly, as if an attack was nothing more serious than the two gossipping at each other. ]

It's more his history that I'm concerned with. He's expressed interest in wanting to offer psychiatry to the devil, and he has a relationship with a couple of questionable people. He seemed to dismiss their own behaviors, though. [Kate is using "their" when she shouldn't be using the plural, but she doubts strongly that anyone would be able to find the identity of both of the individuals she's referring to. The most obvious of them all happened to be Norman Osborn, but it seems that her new knowledge of Danger is not widely known.]

[ And then Freddie straight up chokes on her drink.

The conversation comes to a pause thanks to Freddie choking on her coffee at the incredibly ridiculous (yet oh so true) statement of Chilton wanting to psychoanalyze the devil. One small coughing fit later, she regards Kate with a purely dubious expression. ] You know, I wouldn't put it past Chilton to think that he could cure the devil. [ But surely Chilton would recognize that someone claiming to be the devil would probably be bad news and definitely be a source of more trauma and tumult in their lives.

Freddie did not want to write "noted psychiatrist gruesomely murdered," thank you very much. ]

I wouldn't worry too much about the questionable people, though. It seems like all the people brought here from our Baltimore are...questionable. Maybe Chilton wants to surround himself with like company?