11156/Local Problems

Local Problems
Date of Scene:	06 March 2020
Location:	Bushwick Creek, Bushwick, NY
Synopsis:	Riana looks for a peaceful spot to train out in nature, but winds up fighting harpies alongside Poseidon instead!
Cast of Characters:	Wild Rose, Poseidon

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Wild Rose has posed:
     It was a quiet, calm morning on a day off for one Riana Mackenzie. With Old Man Winter's grip upon the area easing up somewhat, it was a perfect morning to find a spot by one of the myriad local waterways to practice and train in peace. It had taken some research online, as well as a few inquiries amongst area locals, but a small inlet known as Bushwick Creek seemed idea. It was quiet, out of the way, with plenty of grass and sky for a bit of serenity that few if any were likely to disturb this early in the year.

     So it was that, dressed in simple gray sweatpants, sneakers, white t-shirt, and a dark green hoodie tied about her waist for a bit of extra warmth later, she piles her staff and her one-eyed dog of questionable ancestry, Jack, and makes the drive out to the creek. Human and canine arrived at the creek without incident, and it seems as if it would be a perfectly normal morning of training, right? Right!

     Wrong!

Poseidon has posed:
People have this very very bad habit of playing with magic, of opening portals, of pressing that button labeled "don't press this button" and read that spell labeled "don't read that spell!" and so it is that someone just decided it would be fun to unleash something that could be fun, on its own. When there's more than 10000 of those somethings, though, it's far from fun, it becomes quite dangerous!
The day is sunny, the weather is calm, but a cloud soon covers the sun above the location of Riana's training. A cloud that becomes larger and larger, and even seems to approach the ground! And then...
Is it a bird? Is it a woman? Oh no! The creature that swoops down from the sky has the lower half of an oversized bird, the upper half of a very naked woman, and some talons that noone would like to find buried in their flesh.

Wild Rose has posed:
     A virulent oath escapes Riana as she ducks to cover the little dog, shielding her canine companion with her body. What /were/ those things?! Her car was, thankfully, not very far away, so as soon as the bizarre creature is skyward bound again, she scoops up the dog--who, to his credit, is barking furiously at his attacker, and races to put him safely in the protective shell of her white 2008 Volkswagen Beetle--complete with its blue and red racing stripes, and the "53" painted on the front hood.

     With Jack ferried to relative safety, Riana scoops up her staff and takes up a strong fighting stance. Whatever those creatures were, they were going to be back, and fast. But the even bigger question was, where were they coming from, could they be sent back, and how?

Poseidon has posed:
Not one, but three of those birdwomen come flying down now, at least two aiming for Riana, the third just flying above her in circles. The first comes from Riana's right, the second, a moment later, attacks from her left. If she were to look upwards, however, she could see a dozen more of those creatures slowly flying downwards, and some more behind them!

Not at all fun times...

Wild Rose has posed:
     The odds definitely did /not/ look to be in Riana's favor. She glances quickly this way and that, assessing the immediate situation. The two Harpies dive-bombing her were met with a smack in the face from her staff, each in turn at close to her full strength. Okay, this was likely to piss off the rest, but so be it. Damned if she was going to let them have her, her dog, or any innocents in the area.

     But where had she heard of these things before? Some old childhood stories, most likely. It poked and prodded at the very edges of her memory, bothering her to no end. If she could only remember, maybe she could also remember a weakness these creatures had--if any at all!

Poseidon has posed:
It doesn't seem like harpies have that particular weakness to anything, but on the bright side, their bones are relatively fragile! So a staff to their face probably resoults in a bit of curses in ancient greek and the two birdwomen falling to the floor, one rolling towards the car where it stops, motionless. The third one though is coming towards Riana, from behind, talons extended! And the ones above are descending too, at least six, coming en masse. Swarming seems to be a tactic, right?
At least, help is coming...

Wild Rose has posed:
     Riana's hearing is ringing right about now with the ferocious, shrill cries from the Harpies, their shrieks threatening to overwhelm her senses. While she is forced to take a moment to try and concentrate and refocus her hearing so she is not left in deep trouble, the third Harpy comes swooping down behind her, talons extended.

     Talons that easily rend fabric from flesh, and flesh from bone, leaving some rather nasty-looking claw marks along the length of Riana's back.

     Riana lets out a scream, struck down, sinking to her knees to catch her breath. These odds were /not/ good. Thankfully, almost as soon as the talons sunk into her flesh, the cuts began to close, sealing themselves in a matter of moments. However, if help did not arrive soon, then this could spell trouble for the martial artist....

Poseidon has posed:
The situation is dire indeed, as five harpies are now flying towards Riana, talons extended, and the one that just got some of her flesh is also coming back for the second round!
Except the ones coming towards her are cut in two. Their human half and their bird half are literally separated by what looks like a floating, blade of, water? A blade that turns into a watery spear, piercing the sixth harpy and then finding its resting position in the hand of a man dressed in a green scaled armour, with a golden cloak flowing from his shoulders, white hair, an ageless expression, and eyes that are trying to pierce holes through the swarm of harpies "tell me you didn't summon them, please do..." he states, sending his spear flying towards another group of incoming harpies. And Poseidon, now, is standing not more than three meters to Riana's left! When did he arrive anyways?

Wild Rose has posed:
     What. The. Hell?! First there were creatures that looked like something out of a child's nightmarish imaginings, and now there was a white-haired stranger in green scaled armor, wielding weapons of water that were every bit as effective as the finest Damascus steel? What kind of area had she moved into, anyways?! Riana just pushes herself to her feet, the last of the gashes on her back sealing even as the stranger looks on, but the damage to her shirt and the hoodie tied around her waist have been done, the latter being stained with a good amount of her own blood.

     "Do I even /look/ that crazy? I don't know the first thing about magic, mister, and if magic creates these creatures, I sure as hell don't /want/ to do that kind of thing!"

     Back-to-back with the green-armored stranger, Riana takes up a more aggressive stance with her staff, keeping her eyes on the skies. Maybe the odds had just gotten a bit better after all.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shrugs, pointing at a swarm of approaching harpies and releasing lightning bolts from his fingertips, thanks Zeus for teaching him that trick! The resoult is scores of fried falling birdwomen "you never know with humans, they keep doing all sorts of stupid things like summoning harpies... I bet some idiot thought a half bird half woman with bare breasts would've been sexy." he mutters, the spear returning into his hand in time to pierce a creature flying towards them. There's also some flying towards Riana though! Surely her staffwork could be required very soon

Wild Rose has posed:
     Okay. Since the harpies didn't seem to like Riana's staff, then that was exactly what they would get. The red-headed, befreckled woman wrinkles her nose, looking utterly disgusted at the very notion of these creatures having any sort of carnal appeal. "That's just... disgusting!" There is the sickening smack of oak wood against flesh, feather, and bone, as Riana's staff finds its mark on three more harpies, sending them spiraling away. "Are these things going to just keep coming? How do we stop them?!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shrugs again, stabbing, slamming his water staff towards other harpies, and sending the occasional bolt of lightning or water towards them. He moves with speed and strength, and apparently, a couple of harpies that come too close, just break their talons on his skin "we keep killing them until I've enough power to just fry them all or dispel them all. Right now my focus is elsewhere or we'd be done already." he states plainly, those things keep coming! Now it's a vortex of feathers, piercing screeches, human faces and bird talons around them.

Wild Rose has posed:
     Well, whoever this was, seemed to know his business about the harpies! Too, it seemed wiser to have him as an ally rather than to be on the wrong side of him! Riana had no such magical means of disposing of the winged foes, however--simply good reflexes, training, and a few things that most humans would not have. Riana's staff finds its mark again and again, with feathers, blood, and shrieks filling the air. "Then we'd better hope you reach full power soon!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles, continuing to fight tirelessly "ah, it'll be a minute... Try not to die meanwile!" he states, chuckling some more and preparing to unleash quite a lot of power. Seconds pass, harpiss die, and when Poseidon aaises his left hand, releasing the spear, a stream of pure water shoots from it. Except the stream divides into smaller ones, and those into even smaller ones, and each flows towards one of the harpies! One by one they start to dissolve, surrounded and then disintegrated by the water.

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie lets out a low whistle, relaxing her stance when she sees that maybe, just maybe, the last of the harpies has been dissolved into nothingness. "Wow. That was... impressive." Spinning her staff about one more time, then leans forward on it to catch her breath. The back of her shirt is in shreds, but the claw marks upon her flesh have already faded and healed. "So, what were those things, how did they get here, and... are you alright?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon glances briefly around, pacing in circles around the place, and the car, to check for signs of harpies. Spotting none, he turns towards Riana to answer "they were harpies, I don't know who's the fool that summoned them, I'm allright and your shirt needs fixing." he states, waving his right hand towards her, channeling just the tiniest bit of magic, what's needed to repair the clothes anyways! "are you allright, apart from the wardrobe malfunction you're having?" he inquires.

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie nods slowly, shifting about a little bit. The thin layer of her shirt is whole once more, and just before the threads re-wove themselves back into a whole garment, one could see that the flesh beneath was, by some miracle, unblemished. "Yeah, I am. One of those things took a good chunk of flesh out of me, but I heal pretty fast."

From the car, there's furious barking, with a brown-splotched white dog, with one ear flopped over, the other upright, and one eye missing. "Oh god... Jack!" Riana runs over to the car to let the little guy out, leaning her staff against the side of her vehicle and scooping up her canine companion in her arms. "Shhh... hey, take it easy, we're okay. They're gone. Not going to let anything happen to you!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon keeps his respectful distance, but nods to indicate he understood. He looks towards the dog, then towards Riana "did the harpies blind him or was it already a thing?" he asks, clasping his hands behind his back

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie smiles, bringing Jack over. "He was already blinded," she begins. "He reminded my boyfriend of the Jack on a playing card, so that's what we've been calling him." Jack, for his part, is a friendly little guy, whose tail seems to be wagging him instead of the other way around! He sniffs Poseidon cautiously, and then... licks his arm, trying to make nice with the sea god! Riana tries and fails to hold back the laughter. "I think you have a new friend there. Oh! I'm Riana, by the way. And you are...?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon lets the dog do, even reaching out to pet its head "ah, I see!" he states, then at the introduction he just looks at Riana for a moment before saying "poseidon, a pleasure to meet you Riana, and you as well, Jack..."

Wild Rose has posed:
     For a long moment, there is dead silence, and a raised eyebrow. "If I hadn't seen what I just did, I'd call you crazy. As it is, I'm more inclined to believe the evidence of my eyes." Jack doesn't seem to give a care one way or the other, as long as he makes a new friend."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon keeps petting Jack's head and shrugs "well I suppose you wouldn't be the first to call me crazy, probably won't be the last. But anyways, I'll really have to find the idiot that decided to summon a flock of harpies, or, several, really, cause they were literally an army... And lets hope none of them laid any eggs around."

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie nods once in agreement. "Definitely. Some things should not breed." Jack's tail just keeps wagging up a storm, and Poseidon has his hand licked again. And again. "Well... it's good to meet you, Poseidon. Wow. Never would have thought it." She cracks a smile, just shaking her head. "Do you usually walk the lands among us mortals?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shakes his head "yes and no" he states "I do, but not in this form... Lets say I walk around like this only when there's stuff to fix that concerns me or my sphere of influence... Or when I have nothing else to do which rarely happens anyways." he admits

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie nods, scratching Jack gently behind the ears. "For what it's worth, I was going to just come out here and train in peace for a little while. If it'd help any, I can keep an eye out for more of those things... those... harpies." Her brows knit with concern for a moment or two. "Though I doubt I could take them on alone. If these turn up again, how would I be able to tell you?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon ponders and considers the question "I'd probably sense it if I'm nearby. Otherwise," he peers at the woman "just pray, I'll hear you, probably. Considering just a few people pray to me now aday it's easier to pick out individual prayers"

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie nods. "I will. Though that's got to get boring for you sometimes, people just praying to you when they need something." She cracks something of a quirky smile, setting Jack down on the ground. The dog of questionable ancestry but of great heart, for his part, yips happily and runs around between Riana and Poseidon, happy enough to have made a new friend.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shrugs "sometimes, but it also gives power, so, I guess it's convenient for them to pray. The more people pray and believe, the more powerful I become, and in turn, the more I can help them..." he states "some centuries ago I could've fixed that harpy problem without even leaving my throneroom."

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie crosses her arms as she listens, frowning slightly. "Seems the bigger problem would really be finding the source of where they're coming from, and plug up the leak. I could maybe talk to my boyfriend, see if he knows anything about who to talk to about that kind of thing, if it would be any help?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon starts to shake his head, then shrugs and nods "sure, try that route if you want... It's probably, as I said, some idiot playing with a spell, but still finding the idiot is something that should be done... Though now it's harpies, last week we had a cyclops... Something tells me something's at play here and we should definitely find out what..."

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie grimaces and nods. "Indeed. Look, I don't know a thing about magic. That's more in your wheelhouse. But I can ask questions, and keep an eye on this area." Yes, something was indeed at play. But what? And who was behind it all?

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods again "very well that'd work." he states "I do need to go soon. I trust you and, Jack, will be safe?" he asks

Wild Rose has posed:
Riana Mackenzie nods, and smiles. "I think after this we should probably just go home, and train here another day. Thank you for stepping in when you did." She reaches out, offering her hand to Poseidon. "Maybe the next time we meet will be a better day."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon grins, shaking the offered hand and then stepping back "not difficult at all considering how this day has been. Be well Riana" he states, snapping his fingers and summoning a dog threat, that he tosses at Jack. Then, soundlessly, he just vanishes!

Wild Rose has posed:
     Jack, for his part, looks more than happy to snap his little jaws around the dog treat, bearing down on it with a /crunch/. Riana rolls her eyes and laughs. "Yeah, he's got your number doesn't he, Jack?" She ruffles the pooch's ears and chuckles. "Come on, let's go home. Maybe Remy will know who to ask about some of this stuff."