It seemed that the gods were listening that night, as Barnaby woke up to the sound of his alarm clock, no dreams had come to him but instead, he had slept fitfully. Getting up, he stretched and headed to his bathroom, he may as well get the day started. He stepped into the cool water of his shower, relishing in having a clear head. He started running through how he would address Agnes, tried to formulate how the flow of conversation would go.
As he stepped out of the shower he decided that Agnes was too unpredictable to ever guess how this might go, and that the best bet was to hope she would bend a sympathetic ear, and have some sort of helpful suggestions on how to mitigate the shitshow that was the media.
After getting fully ready he had an hour to kill before he needed to be at the restaurant. He decided that driving there in his sports car might give away who he was and figured walking and taking the elevators between stages would serve two purposes. One: get him there without anyone noticing him and two: be able to leave right away and not have to sit around watching the minutes tick by. The added bonus to the location and walking was that Barnaby would be able to walk past Kotetsu's old place.
He slid a ghastly green hoodie on, tucked his hair up into his knit green hat, atrocious hipster thick-framed glasses on, and slid his house keys and wallet into his pockets. Stepping out onto the street he made his way towards the Gold Stage elevator. The air was crisp and the sun felt warm on his face. Autumn in Sternbild had always been one of his favourite seasons, the weather perfect for outdoor activities, the lingering heat of summer and the crisp fresh air of winter; a perfect combination.
He thought of his birthday approaching as he strolled. Though he dreaded his own birthday every year before he met the other heroes, somehow he couldn't bring himself to hate it or look forward to it this year. It was less than a month away and he hadn't once thought about it until just now. The lingering regret at having cut himself off from his only friends was beginning to eat away at him; perhaps he would feel better after seeing Agnes.
Stepping into the elevator he waited patiently for it to stop at Silver Stage before continuing to descend to Bronze Stage. As he stepped off the air felt cooler, there was less sunlight to warm the area down here. He slid his hands into the hoodie pocket on his stomach and walked a bit more briskly towards his destination. He would stop by Kotetsu's old place on the way back, he didn't want to chance being late by lingering near it for too long.
As he walked into the little eatery Agnes was already there, a solid fifteen minutes early, already sipping a cup of coffee. It was so like her to be overly punctual, it made Barnaby smile a real full-blown smile. He walked over and took a seat across from her, her eyes flicked up and down over him, a look of shock crossing her face before a deep frown pulled at her lips. Recognition hit and she barked out a laugh. "Bar-" he cut her off by holding a hand up in front of her face and a finger in front of his lips. He had found her expression utterly amusing. He really didn't look like himself lately. He had let his stubble fill in, the red-blonde hair coating his cheeks and chin obscuring his chiselled jawline. The thick square frames in place of his sleek octagonal glasses, the frumpy clothes in place of his modern tight fit jeans, shirt and jacket.
"Please, I don't want to be recognised, call me a nickname if possible." He said with his trademark smirk in place, even with the changes in his hair and clothes it was still obviously him. She grinned looking him over once more.
She took a sip from her coffee, shifting in her seat before saying, "well Handsome hardly describes you anymore, you look like you fell out of a magazine about what not to wear." She looked him over once more, this time her smile slipped from her face. "Honey, you look awful, and I don't mean because of the scruff or outfit, are you alright?" She obviously knew this lunch wasn't just about a simple chat; she was never one to beat around the bush.
"I have been better, but I have also been worse. It's the reason I called you, I need someone I trust to talk about some things that have been happening, and honestly, I couldn't think of anyone more suited to help me than you." He felt like he blurted these lines out, though he had practiced them in his head, they sounded all wrong, jumbled, rushed.
Agnes looked surprised at his words, she had never been a part of his inner circle, that had been reserved for Tiger and perhaps, just a little, the other heroes. She took another sip of coffee, he suspected it was a stalling technique, he wished he had something similar to do with his hands. Glancing over to the counter he hoped a server would come by soon for his order. As she set her cup down she seemed resolved on something.
"While I'm touched you thought of me for help it leaves me a little concerned about the nature of your problem," Agnes said with a deep frown marring her face. "However, whatever you need from me you'll get, even if it means putting my job on hold at Hero TV, you and Tiger saved this city, and everyone in it, not once but twice from utter destruction. Whatever you need, you've got." She set her elbows on the table, resting her chin on the backs of her hands as she smiled at him.
It was Barnaby's turn to be surprised by her words, while they had never been close; he knew that Hero TV was her entire life. He had never felt supported like this; he thought the only other person willing to put their life on hold for him had been Kotetsu. He blinked back tears, he had never felt this emotional before, but since the dreams, since retiring, he felt like everything hit a little harder, a little closer to the heart. He refused to let his exterior slip though and held the emotions at bay.
"Agnes I… I don't think it will be necessary for you to do anything that drastic, but I appreciate your enthusiasm." He said with a bit of a chuckle, but as he was about to continue a waitress chose that particular moment to finally walk over.
"Sorry! Can I take your order, it's a bit busier than usual in here," she said with a blush and a slight bow of her head. Barnaby smiled up at her, the practiced grin he used for television interviews and magazine covers, he was on autopilot.
"Yes, may I please get a chai tea latte, double vanilla syrup, no foam," he rattled off with practiced ease. The waitress blushed crimson, even with his scruff and frumpy outfit Barnaby's charms still hit full effect. She nodded and looked to Agnes wondering if she needed anything else.
"Nothing for me, just the coffee is fine." She said with a smile, so much for it being a lunch date.
After the waitress walked away Barnaby looked back to Agnes. "So, like I was saying, I don't need much but I was hoping to get your opinion on something as well as any suggestions you may have." He steepled his fingers in front of his face as he said this, tapping his fingertips on his lips after he finished speaking.
Agnes nodded along with him as he was speaking. "Of course, I am at your disposal. But before we get totally into it, how have you been? Total silence from you - not even a social media update in almost a year. Honey, people started wondering if you died."
Barnaby felt a shiver run down his body, he sometimes wondered if after Maverick died if a part of him had too - the part that knew who he was. "I've been alright, for the most part, I travelled all over the world. Just got back from London last month, stayed in the British Isles for a while actually. Before that I was in Africa, bouncing between countries every few weeks, before that South America, similar idea, just moving around constantly. It was fun… sort of."
She smiled as he described his travels, vague and non-descript as per usual, this was the man they all knew, keeping everyone and everything at an arm's length. "Well, I'm glad you got to see the world a bit, maybe take some pictures and post them where your friends can see them next time. You know, so I don't get phone calls from Pao-Lin and Ivan wondering if I knew where you are every few days."
"I didn't realise people would actually worry about me…" he said as his cheeks burned red, he knew he was being scolded by her but he couldn't help but feel embarrassingly happy about the others caring about him enough to harass her.
"Well, Honey I guess you should start realising that everyone at Hero TV cared about you, you just never let any of us in," Agnes replied as she leaned back in her chair.
"I'm sorry; I'll be more thoughtful in the future. It has been an odd year for me," he admitted as the waitress set his drink down in front of him, a smile on her face.
"Let me know if you need anything else," she said before turning and walking to another table.
Lifting the mug to his lips, he blew gently before taking a sip, his pinkie lifted ever so slightly as he did so. Some habits die hard, and really was having proper manners such a bad thing? "Anyway, most of my travelling was just me wandering around trying to figure myself out, so it wasn't really that much fun. That is actually why I phoned you, Agnes. I was hoping to get your help with 'figuring myself out'' I have been having… I don't know… flashbacks? Since Maverick died," he set his cup back down on the table, his pointer finger tracing the lip of the mug as he spoke.
"Hmmm… while I am a woman of many talents, being a psychiatrist or therapist is not one of them—"
"I know — that's not what I meant," he said quickly cutting her off, "I never meant for you to help me directly, but you know the media, you know what a beast they can be over health or mental health issues of celebrities and Heroes. They get their mitts on a story and they blow it out of proportion. I can't let that happen, I can't let Maverick smear my name even after he is gone." he spoke quickly, but quietly, he didn't need anyone eavesdropping on them.
"If it has to do with the media, I'm your woman. What exactly do you need me to do?" She asked with a grin on her lips. If there was one thing Agnes Joubert could do, it was controlling the media.
"It isn't so much what you can do now, but what you can prevent from getting out. I need to see a therapist, I have been suffering from memory flashes, everything Maverick altered over my life are starting to come back." He spoke slowly, slowly, Maverick's name felt like poison in his mouth. "What I need from you is a recommendation for a therapist, as well as what to do should the story get out… also, if you know of anyone else that has been experiencing dream memories."
"I can help you on all three fronts. I know of a few people who had to take some time off work, personal days; all around the same time. I can't guarantee that they are all people Maverick hurt, but I suspect some of them are, as I too was under the weather around the same time, if you get what I mean," as she spoke she thrummed her fingers on the table in front of her, her manicured nails tapping against the stained wood. "As for the media circus and the therapist, those are easy. I'll send you to my therapist, she is already aware of what happened with Maverick. She is also on a very high retainer by Apollon Media, it's amazing how tightly sealed lips are when you pay people exorbitant amounts of money."
"I knew I could count on you Agnes," he didn't know what else to say, he often forgot how immature he was in comparison to those he worked with, he didn't feel like an adult, not when someone as put together as Agnes was around.
"Honey, if there is anything else I can do, name it. But for now, relax, enjoy yourself. The dreams will end eventually, they did for me," her smile and calm demeanour relaxed him slightly.
"Well, if you say so. It's hard to enjoy myself when it's hard to tell if I am awake or dreaming." He set his cup down, looking Agnes in the eyes. "But, I think you're right, I need to get out more, maybe it will help clear my head."
Their conversation shifted to more mundane topics, what had been happening in the city over the last year, how he found some of the countries he visited. The afternoon passed easily, they did end up ordering some food once they realised they had been sitting chatting for over an hour. When Barnaby looked at his phone, he realised they had spent nearly three hours together chatting in the little cafe.
"Oh Agnes, it's past three already! Don't you have to get back to work?" he asked in surprise, he hadn't meant to take up so much of her day, the time had simply flown by, he hadn't had such a nice afternoon in so long.
"I took the afternoon off, the only thing that might drag me away from seeing you was if an incident as big as Jake Martinez happened again. Other than that I left Cain in charge for the day," she said with a laugh.
"I won't keep you any longer, you probably have other things you could be doing with an afternoon off," He pulled his wallet out, picking up the bill.
"It has been an absolute pleasure sitting here chatting with you, anytime you need to bend my ear, just let me know. It's nice seeing you, even looking like a street bum, you seem more… relaxed," She smiled and slid out of her chair, holding her hand out to him, "I'll see you around kid, and if you ever change your mind about being a Hero, you know the door is always open to you."
He took her hand, shaking it as he stood as well. "I'll keep that in mind, but for now I think I better just work on not going crazy," he laughed as he stepped around the table.
"Handsome, you better think about getting a hobby, it helps with the not going crazy thing," She spoke as she moved towards the door, "Just some friendly advice."
He nodded and handed the receipt over to the cashier, waiting for her to input the amount from the receipt into her machine. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks," the cashier handed him the machine, he input a tip before tapping his card against the top of the machine, "I don't need a receipt," He said as he slid his wallet into his pocket; turning towards the door.
"Have a nice day!" the waitress called after him as he exited out the door behind Agnes.
"Need a ride anywhere Honey?" she asked as she stood by her car. "I noticed you didn't drive here."
"No, I prefer to walk, while the weather is still nice," the sun was at that awkward angle, the one where it didn't matter which way you looked it seemed to be in your eyes. He squinted a bit against it as he watched Agnes climb into her car.
Agnes rolled down her window and leaned on the door looking out at him, "I'll see you in a while, make sure you get ahold of my therapist sooner rather than later, she will help you I promise."
"I'll call her as soon as I get home, thanks again and see ya," he said this in his trademark way, giving a two-finger salute. Agnes couldn't help but laugh as she slid her car window up. Barnaby turned and started walking, heading in the direction of Kotetsu's old townhouse, he would take a look at it before heading back to his place on Gold Stage.
As he walked past Kotetsu's old place, a child and her mother came out of the front door, probably heading out for some fun in the afternoon sun before the weather turned too cold. Barnaby wasn't sure if Kotetsu had sold the place or just rented it out, but it seemed a lovely family was living there now. A fitting thing for a place that had at one time been filled with so much love between Kotetsu and his own family.
He stood and looked at the house for a bit longer, thinking of the few times he had visited this place. He wondered if they had changed it much, what the inside looked like without all of Kotetsu's retro belongings. He sighed and moved off, heading back towards the elevator, to make some phone calls.