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[ Nelson walks over to him, breathing quickly. ]

Where? When? What day? What happ-- tell me. Gilbert, please.

[ He raises both hands to pacify Nelson while he shakes his head once more. He doesn't look at him either. ]

Friday night... I ran into him. He was stopping some criminal, but he went too far.

[ Stopping some criminal. Somehow that relieves Nelson slightly, though not completely. Hooded Justice is at least still around and all right (or was, last Friday), but the why still resounds heavily. ]

Tell me everything, did you... speak to him? Was the criminal-- [ He pauses. ] He survived, didn't he?

Edited 2013-07-18 09:08 (UTC)

Yes, but he was in terrible condition. [ There could have been internal bleeding. Gil did his best, but he couldn't stick around for long after he had tipped police off to his whereabouts. Whatever his crimes were, they would deal with it. ]

What happened to H-- [ He stops himself, swallowing and shaking his head. ] I mean, that's good that the man didn't-- that... I'm sure there'd have been a story in the papers if...

[ He gets to the point: ]

Did he say anything?

Nothing of importance. [ Which is mostly true. He's trying to spare Nelson, although he feels he should know what HJ did not pity Gil, but to understand that man is dangerous. ]

Was he angry? Especially angry, I mean, he's always more violent when--

[ He bites his lip. ]

Why didn't you tell me sooner?

He always seems angry. [ He can't help but pull back, feeling Nelson is encroaching on his personal space.

And he feels guilty, despite his best intentions. He didn't want it to come to this. ]

Because he was acting out. I felt it was best for him to stay away from you. He's not... of sound mind, I think. He definitely was going to kill that man if I hadn't shown up.

[ Nelson's eyebrows furrow and he bites his lip a little harder. ]

I know he's-- he's twisted, there's something wrong with him. [ "Sick in the head," Nelson had said once, but he isn't sure anymore. ] He won't kill someone for just no reason, Gilbert. If anyone can handle him it's me.

You just said criminals like that deserved it. [ He's not about to let that go. ] I know I don't know a lot about this "hero" business, but what he was doing was wrong.

Well--

Some of them. Not death, mind you. I wouldn't-- [ He clears his throat. ] There are all kinds of criminal lowlifes out there, sometimes an example needs to be made. That's all I meant.

[ A beat. ]

Hooded Justice said something similar.

[ Nelson goes a little red. ]

D-don't twist my words around, Gilbert. Hooded Justice goes much farther than I-- I'm not saying he's always right.

[ Gil lets out an exasperated sigh. ]

I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I haven't seen him since and that man he attacked was taken into custody.

I hope he's all right.

[ Which "he" could he mean!! He steps back slightly, glancing away. ]

Thank you for letting me know, I-- [ Swallowing. ] Should probably try to find him myself. Before he hurts anyone else too badly.

You shouldn't. [ It may be cruel to say, but he says it. Nelson is going to get hurt eventually -- he can feel it in his bones. ] He's lashing out and might even hurt you.

Edited 2013-07-18 11:30 (UTC)

[ Nelson wrinkles his nose. ]

I can take it. It isn't as if I've never been punched before. You don't understand, Gilbert -- if I give up on him he's got no one else.

He's causing enough trouble on his own. You shouldn't let him drag you down into that. I know he's... important to you, but... he's acting even stranger than usual.

If something's wrong-- wouldn't you want to know, if it were your friend? The last time something like this happened I didn't step up when I... [ He hesitates. ] I can't let him down, don't you understand?

[ He mulls over it.

Of course if it were him he wouldn't think twice about it. He doesn't think about himself, he just does whatever he needs to for his friends and allies. Him and Nelson are alike in that manner and it's eerie. ]

... What will you do?

[ His lip reddens as he bites it harder, mulling himself. ]

I don't know. Talk to him before he does something drastic. I think he only ever hurts ev-- anyone because he doesn't know what else to do.

I think he knew exactly what he was doing. [ He says more to himself than Nelson. ]

He thinks it's up to him to fix the entire world because he's been fighting his entire life.

[ Nelson doesn't know for sure. But he has plenty of reason to at least assume. ]

He's got no concept of proper boundaries.

He can't carry on like that in this world.

That's why I can't abandon him now. [ Even though Hooded Justice abandoned him first. ] ...If I can find him, and if he'll even listen. If I can't, then... w-well, at least I tried.

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