Soooo bored. The twins lounged on their ratty couch, staring vacantly into space. It was only 9:32 in the morning and they had already exhausted all means of entertainment in their apartment. Nadir opened his mouth to propose something, only to have Zenith cover it up with his hand. No, they agreed, that wouldn't have been an entertaining idea at all. Suddenly Nadir leapt up from the couch with a laugh. They looked at each other mischeviously, waggling their eyebrows and pointing at each other.
"Brother, we must." Zenith grinned as he, too, rose. "Yes, Brother, we certainly must. It is the only option available to us." Zenith dashed to their bedroom to get changed while his twin searched for their flip phone to enact their plan. He frowned for a moment, then leapt to the couch and pulled off one of the cushions where the phone had fallen the night before. In their small kitchenette, they kept a rolodex with everyone's numbers, some encrypted and some not. Flipping through the cards, Nadir finally managed to find Alex's number, whom he promptly called. In the other room, Zenith just finished arranging his outfit, which consisted of a loose, warm colored shirt in traditional gypsy style, pants and sandals. He traded Nadir for control of the phone to allow his brother to change as well.
Ringringringringring!
Oh lord, why was his phone going off at 9:34 in the morning? That was basically the middle of the night, a fact that Alex grumbled incoherently about as his hand fumbled about his nightstand. Eventually he managed to grasp his cell phone, bringing the device to his face and answering the call with a relenting huff.
“This is Alexander Sanderson, may I ask who’s speakin’?”
"Alex!" came the jubilant reply. "It is Zenith! We wish to treat you to a grand excursion of the town. Do you accept? Of course, you must invite everyone as well. We promise it will be delightful." Nadir shouted something in the background, but the poor microphone quality of their phone made it incomprehensible. "There are such sights to see. We do not feel you get to experience the city where it is most alive often enough."
"Uh... English please." Alex snorted. The Twins' vocabulary often flew right over his rural head.
Snatching the phone from his brother's hand, Nadir put in the crook of his shoulder while he fixed his hair in the kitchen mirror.
"Alex, we are asking you to bring your lovely madamoiselle on a day trip to our favorite places. Would you enjoy to do this?"
That wasn't much better.
"Mada- wha?" Alex inquired, wiping some excess saliva away from his mouth. There was a reason he took Spanish class in high school instead of French.
"Your...how do you say...girlfriend?" The words came out awkwardly, as if he was unfamiliar with the concept. "Jay. The one you spend all your time with? Yes. You two simply must come with us to explore. Bring your friends, s'il vouz plait. Arrange your plans and call us back." Nadir closed the phone, casually tossing it on the counter and turning to face his brother. They sized each other up, making small touch ups to their outfits and hair, before turning to leave. They'd have to get in contact with some of their mystic aquaintances to put on a good show for the Mavericks that decided to show up.
At the last second, Nadir remembered to dash back in to grab the phone. They fired up their old jalopy and headed to the first place, an old Voodoo shop run by a legit priestess from Louisiana. She wasn't particularly powerful, but she knew a few tricks to get by. That, and her cooking was amazing.
Meanwhile, Alex managed to find the strength to sit up, rubbing his eyes and thinking about the Twins’ invitation. He had nothing to do until the evening, and he hadn’t really gotten to know the Zenith and Nadir yet, so hey, why not walk around the city he put his ass on the line to protect for a while? He brought up Jessica on his contacts list and dialed her number.
Jessica, who had only managed about six hours of sleep the previous night, was scrawling in her journal when her cell rang. Her little world of solace intruded upon, she flipped her phone open and answered without checking who it was.
“Hello?”
“Mornin’ Jay,” Alex’s ruggedly soft voice answered. There was something about Alex’s tone, its compassionate inflection despite hardships that made even Jessica smile a little when hearing it. “The Twins wanna take us and the gang to town. You dig?”
The invitation was sudden; she’d barely even spoken to the duo outside of Mav meetings. However, she supposed some down time with the crew would help her trust them, which is probably what the le Fay twins were aiming for.
“I guess I really have nothing better to do. You coming here or am I going to you?”
“Can you come here please? I haven’t even gotten outta bed and I kinda need to shave.”
Jessica chuckled.
“Fair enough, I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“You’re the best Jay.”
“I know. Love you too.”
------
At the park nearby their apartment, the Twins sat on a bench with loaves of bread, feeding the pigeons. Every once in a while, one of them would lean over to pick up a dislodged feather, examine it for a moment, and then discard it. Once they'd scattered all their bread, they rose and began walking down the path that circled the park. Their birdies were disappointingly light on information today, though they did catch a bit of hearsay about Pink dealings. They were becoming more widespread, and thus more of a problem.
Of everyone they'd called to arrange meetings, only four people responded, and of those four, only two were truly gifted. Still, they reasoned that it should still be entertaining enough, especially if they showed their friends the fakes first. Mark and Tanya were 'mediums', claiming they could speak with the dead and tell fortunes. In all their experience with the "paranormal", the Twins had never found someone with the ability to truly commune with the dead. They reasoned that it was most likely impossible, for any number of reasons, the most obvious (to them) being that souls aren't real. Once you die, that's it. You're just a sack of meat.
Queen Shaunti was kind enough to allow them a visit, even after the shenanigans they'd caused last time, probably because she secretly enjoyed it. Vince Yates also agreed to see them, and promised a good show. As a telepath, he had a small ability to influence the minds of others, but only if they were receptive, which is why he chose to become a Hypnotist. He could force people to help themselves and fix their lives with his line of work. Nadir pulled out his phone for the fifth time that hour to make sure he didn't miss a call, though he hadn't, and he honestly wasn't surprised. Alex didn't really strike them as the sort to fret about keeping people up to date with info unless it was life or death. Not out of spite, of course, just absentmindedness.
Speak of the devil, the phone went off in Nadir's hand, singing some sappy love song. He flipped it open and answered.
"Nadir le Fay, Private Investigator," he announced without thinking.
"Alexander Sanderson, Judd Malone's assistant." Alex replied back, chuckling a little. "I was able to talk Fritz into taggin' along, though Ana and Dylan are busy. Where'd you wanna meet us at?"
"We are currently at Valentine Park. It is near to the first stop we would like to make. Is there any way you could convince those coming to come 'ere?"
"Already did. Sent a text to Fritz while you were talking."
"Tres magnifique! We will await you 'ere." Nadir paused for a moment. "Merci beucoup, Alex. We appreciate you all taking the time to allow us to get to know you all better." He hung up the phone and stowed it in his pocket. They took a seat on a bench facing the street, legs crossed and mirroring each other.
--------
"I see a time of great misfortune ahead of you, but it won't last longer than you can bear it. You will pull through in the end." Madam Tanya intoned seriously, holding Alex's hand and staring at his palm. She'd been rambling on about something inane for the past five minutes, and the Twins couldn't really contain their giggling much longer. Her 'predictions' always struck them as hilarious, mostly due to how generic they were. The sheep that normally sought her council snapped it up, of course, but they hoped that Alex was smarter than that.
Zenith cleared his throat loud enough to catch her husband's attention and made a subtle 'terminate mission' gesture. Mark gently nudged his wife with his toe, and she furrowed her brow, putting her hands to her forehead in sudden concentration. "Ah! I had a sudden vision! You will find twenty dollars on the ground today." She sat back in her chair, wiping her forehead in mock exhaustion. "Phew. I'm getting up in years. This whole psychic thing is starting to wear on me." She laughed and leaned against her husband's shoulder. "So tell me, kiddo. How do you know these two troublemakers? They haven't caused you any grief, have they? I'm not too old to box their ears!" Her husband smiled at the group assembled in their cozy parlor, clustered around an ornate round table and seated on lush pillows. They did their best to present a very 'mystical' atmosphere to do their performances in.
Alex snickered a bit at the prediction. He didn't really believe in magic or voodoo or whatever Madam Tanya practiced exactly, but perhaps she was just using some advanced psychological reading technique that was much too complex for a simple man like he. Whatever the case might have been, he leaned back in his chair and shot a glance at Jessica, the couple communicating something indiscernible with their eyes.
"We work with 'em." Alex said after a moment. "And no, they ain't too much trouble. Usually."
Tanya's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Work with them? Are you freelance? They've never mentioned having co-workers before," she said, giving the twins a 'you rascals' look. Zenith and Nadir exchanged worried expressions, but ended up shrugging without making a comment. They would rather let Jay and Alex reveal what they wanted to.
"We uh, help them and their PI work." Alex continued. It wasn't completely a lie, right? "Sometimes venture out into the field. Gives us somethin' to do, y'know?"
Jessica, only half paying attention, nodded in agreement.
"Oh my, isn't that lovely!" Leaning forward conspiritorily, she put a hand up like she was keeping something from someone. "You know me and my darling husband help them with their PI work too. We've got our ear to the ground, so to speak. Helped 'em solve three cases already!" She sat back in her chair, feeling somewhat self-satisfied.
"Well thank you, we need any help we can get." Alex remarked, nodding unconsciously, as if acknowledging his membership in the secret society. "So where did you find 'em? The Twins I mean."
Tanya and Mark shared a laugh. "Oh, you know. It's a small community, us psychics. Some of us aren't as blessed as others, unfortunately." The Twins suddenly looked embarassed, intently interested in absolutely nothing behind them.
"My husband and I met them one day when they delivered us a small crystal I'd lost, oh...a year back. I thought it gone forever, and lo and behold these two darlings just up and show at our doorstep. They'd even cleaned it off, the dears. Of course that's a suspicious circumstance, to just guess that it belonged to us, so we invited them in for a chat. I still remember the day. When they're in sync and talking at the same time, it's electrifying! We told them our trade, which they'd already gathered from taking a short look around the shop, but common courtesy and all that. We've been in contact ever since." She chuckled. "Isn't that right, boys? Fast friends!" The twins 'mmm'ed in agreement.
Near the front of the shop, the door bell jingled, indicating another customer had entered. "Oh goodness me! I'm sorry dears, but I have an appointment to take care of. Mark will show you the way out. Remember," she winked at Alex, "If you ever need an ear on the ground, you know where to find us." Mark stood up and gestured towards the door with a smile.
"Thank you for coming out to see us. It's great to know that the Twins don't have to work alone anymore. This city's too big for just two men to clean." He held out his hand to Alex, giving him a firm handshake. "Thanks for all you do."
A warm smile graced Alex's face. He wasn't doing it for fame, glory or even recognition, but it still made him happy to know someone appreciated the superhero movement.
"Just a concerned citizen." He innocently insisted. Adjusting the top button of her shirt, Jessica met Mark's eyes and gave an implied farewell before standing beside the door.
"Well, we really should get to it." Alex announced. "Take care."
Mark bowed them out, then rushed back to his wife's side to help her 'channel the spirits'. Outside, the Twins met up with the others to explain their true intentions. In an effort to appear more normal, they decided to take turns speaking this time.
"We 'ad a second motive for this trip," Nadir admitted sheepishly. "We feel it is necessary to share resources, no? These people see and 'ear much in the city. People confess things they would not normally speak of to a policeman or a, ahem, detective. A psychic would already know all the things you could 'ave to say anyways, so why would you not simply say them? It is the Atheist version of confession, we suppose."
Zenith nodded in agreement. "The next two stops we 'ave are gifted, 'owever. They 'ave been much more helpful in the past than Madam and 'er Monsieur, as much as we enjoy going to them."
"I figured them to be quacks." Jessica said as-a-matter-of-factly. They were nice enough, she supposed, but she could smell shenanigans from a mile away. "But if they get the job done, I'd say it's irrelevant."
"So these next fellas are legit huh?" Came Alex's inquiry. "Do they talk to the dead? Levitate objects? Guess the color of your underwear?" He added the last remark with a slight laugh.
Zenith looked at Alex seriously for a moment, then turned to his brother with a slight huff. Nadir reassured his twin with a pat on the shoulder.
"Alex, there are such things as psychics in this world. My brother and I 'appen to be two of them. As for your questions, no one we 'ave ever spoken to can truly speak with the dead. We do not believe it possible. Leviation is child's play for a skilled faker or mild telekinetic, and your underwears are irrelevant. Would you like us to give you a true demonstration of psychic power?"
Well, they were certainly getting professional.
"Sure, go ahead."
"We need to touch you for this to work. Is that okay, Alex?" The Twins held out a hand each, indicating that he should put his in theirs.
"Well, sure." Alex answered, hesitating for a moment. Had he said something wrong? Though the sudden change in tone made him slightly uncomfortable, he complied and shot a half smile at Jessica. "Here I go."
Taking a deep breath, the Twins prepared themselves to examine Alex's psyche.
"We See..." They closed their eyes and let his inner being show them what they needed to say to convince him. "We see much guilt. A guilty conscience borne of dark acts commited in the young and foolish days. We see stripes, a broken identity, and fear. We see the fire within, which consumes this Alex with a desire for redemption." Their eyes snapped open as they dropped his hands, slightly disoriented by the sudden shift back into reality. Nadir touched his nose, though this time it hadn't burst a blood vessel.
"Our community is taken too lightly, Alex," chided Nadir gently. "It reminds us of the stories we 'ave 'eard from this country's past. When people were discounted because they possessed different skins. It is a great injustice." Zenith remained silent, eyes closed again as he steadied himself.
At this point, Alex had to force himself not to stare at the ground. It was true, the Twins were no shams, something he might have admired more if the darkest depths of his psyche hadn't been aired out publically. Sensing that Alex might have been shaken up a little by this experience, Jessica wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he breathed through his nose and brought up his head.
Surprising both of them, it was Zenith who spoke up this time. "We apologize, Alex. Our...gift is not always comforting. We cannot control it when in direct contact with another 'uman. If it will ease your burden some, we also saw a great goodness in you, and a true change. You are a good man, Alexander." He made a motion to touch Alex on the shoulder, then retracted his hand suddenly as if burned. They didn't want to further upset him.
Fritz stared on as the exchange was made, feeling no need to cut in. Now, though, it seemed as though the air needed clearing. If they were going to be visiting psychics, the last thing they needed was more talking about psychic powers. "So, after we're done with these, uh, psychics or what have you, does anyone want to go do something else? Maybe get some food or just, I don't know, run around? Enjoy ourselves, y'know?"
"Noodles? We know of a ramen stand that is divine!" Nadir clutched his hands over his heart, salivating just thinking about it. "If it is preferred, we may simply talk business with the others. I would like to 'ave them on dial for the future, but of course we would need your approval, Jay. Seeing as you are one of our leaders." The Twins examined the group with slightly nervous smiles.
Removing herself from Alex, Jessica eyed the pair before nodding.
"As long as everything works out, then yes, you may add them to our contacts list."
Clapping their hands together happily, the Twins gave their comrades the next address, which would lead them to Vince Yates' office of psychotherapy. He was a talented hypnotist, though most of his 'talent' came from his power, which allowed him to induce hypnosis in even hardened cases, though only if they were willing to allow him to work. The Twins had gone to him in the past, and regularly referred clients to him for rehabilitation from PTSD caused by some of the crimes perpetrated against them. Of the four, Vince would be the most useful to the Mavs, if they ever needed to interrogate someone without harming them physically.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Vince's office, one of many medical offices clustered together in a strip. The twins went in ahead to make sure that Dr. Yates hadn't accepted any walk-ins before their arrival, which fortunately he hadn't. They leaned out the door and waved everyone in. The reception room felt cozy, but not homey, just tastefully decorated enough to relax anyone that found themselves needing the good doctor's services. His receptionist sat dutifully at her desk, typing away and ignoring everyone else in the lobby. She didn't see anyone enter or leave, as far as she was concerned. Dr. Yates opened the door to his office and waved the group in.
"Zenith! Nadir! What brings you two to my office? It sounded interesting over the phone, but you were pretty scant on details." He turned to the group with a smile, not wanting to alienate them. "Mr. Sanderson. Ms. Park. Mr. Kravitz. Please come in. I have enough seats for all of us."
"Hey, thanks. And call me Fritz, if you would." Fritz said, nodding his approval and sauntering in to sit down. The place smelled like some mix of doctor's office and museum; musky, almost like leather. It unsettled him a bit, having a less than favorable history with physicians, but he tried to ignore it. No point in complaining about what one could never change. Besides, they had chairs and his feet needed a rest.
"So...Alex, Jessica and Fritz. Were you the only three free today? I'd have loved to meet Richard. He seems like my kind of guy." Vince chuckled to himself. "Never mind. Just a joke. Anyways, I'm rather glad you three decided to accompany your associates today. In all my years, which I assure you have been many, these two are the only people I've never gotten a read off of. Very unsettling. Spooky even. However, I know that while my baritone might be pleasant, I don't want to put you all to sleep. Why not engage in a little conversation? Make things more comfortable?" He leaned towards Fritz and pushed his spectacles back up his nose.
"I'm sorry my office smells uncomfortable. I'd light a candle but my smoke detector is very sensitive." He turned to the group at large and leaned back in his plushy leather chair. "So, please, enlighten me as to how I may be of service."
"We are 'ere on...business. These fine members of our society are 'elping us with our work, and we wished to 'ave everyone aquainted with everyone else." Zenith turned to Jessica for approval. She merely gave them a affirmative glance.
"Oh is that so? Secret squirrel business, I'd imagine. You two love your mystery novels, so I can't say I'm surprised." He looked at Jay then, having seen everything he needed. "So, Jessica. How might I convince you that I am indeed a trustworthy asset for your..ahem...group? I know it's not as simple as saying 'I can be trusted', but I'd like the world to move that way someday." He steepled his fingers, gazing at her expectantly, yet friendly.
Folding her arms, Jessica examined the shrink in front of her before huffing slightly, sitting up. She wasn't exactly adept to talking to psychologists and the like, but if the Twins insisted on broadening their network, she wasn't going to debate too much.
"Well, just be frank I suppose. Who are you exactly?" She asked politely enough, but indifferently.
"Hmm...yes. I see. Very well. My official title is Dr. Vince Yates, Psychotherapist. I'm a hypnotist and therapist, and I specialize in treating post crime traumatic stress. However, I also moonlight as somewhat of a Watson to your Holmes' here. I advise them, assist with their investigations, and treat their clients, if necessary. I find that it is much easier to work with someone who understands me, rather than scoffing policemen who dismiss my work as mumbo jumbo. If I am hearing correctly, the Twins want to expand my services to your group as well. Let me say, I would be delighted to do so. If you require credentals, I have a bundle of files concerning cases I've assisted the le Fay twins in solving. Does that satisfy you?"
That was good enough.
"It does." Jessica concluded. "I suppose you would like to know what our identities are?"
The Twins shared a laugh. Vince clucked his tongue in amusement, but tried not to sound haughty.
"My dear, the question isn't do I want to know them, but would you like me to tell you who you are?"
Jessica's eye briefly met the Twins'.
"Did you tell him?" She questioned, drier than usual.
Throwing their hands up defensively, the Twins spluttered something in French, trying to explain the situation until Dr. Yates stopped them.
"I assure you, Jessica, that your coworkers have been most discreet. They shared with you that I have a certain talent, correct? That talent is Telepathy. People's minds are open books to me, though I generally try not to read too deeply into things. Makes them nervous, and understandably so. I assure you, however, that I am perfectly capable of keeping any secrets, especially ones that may potentially harm others. Your identities would be classified as such. However, I'd advise you not to worry about what may or may not have been discovered by me. I'm very surgical; I only find what I'm looking for, nothing more."
A hum of geniune surprise escaped Jessica's throat. A legitimate telepath? She'd heard the stories, but never seen one in person; it was impressive to say the least. Folding her arms, Jessica leaned back and let a wry smile adorn the bottom of her face.
"I suppose I have no choice but to trust you, Dr. Yates."
"You always have a choice, Jessica, but I appreciate it all the same. Here, have one of my cards." Fishing out a business card from a drawer in his desk, he passed it to the twins who in turn passed it to Jessica.
"If any of you ever feel like you need to see a therapist, my door is always open." Vince smiled at the group. "Any last questions? I know you all are hungry and eager to leave."
The group bid farewell to Dr. Yates and congregated outside his building. Nadir got a phone call, which he distanced himself from the group to take. Zenith put his hands on his hips, sullenly pouting.
"Queen Shaunti cannot see us today. Something about 'er children are acting up. Ah well," Zenith shrugged slightly, still a bit upset. "So where did you all wish to eat? Noodles? Or other sorts of food. We know many excellent dining locations."
"Say, they got any good fish places 'round here?" Alex piped up. "I'm kinda in the mood for fish."
"Indeed there are." Zenith replied, motioning in the direction of a local seafood restraunt. "Let us proceed immediately, we 'ave waited long enough already."