11339/The Dark and The Lights

The Dark and The Lights
Date of Scene:	15 April 2020
Location:	The Narrows, Burnley
Synopsis:	When two users of The Light meet in darkness...
Cast of Characters:	Sparrowhawk, Dagger

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Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Around the outskirts of the narrows, near the strips of land beneath bridges and along highways, there are a string of homeless camps. Those who dwell against the boarders of the Narrows, in spite of the dangers because they have nowhere else to go.

    It was here that The Gotham Beacon did her best work, she felt. Slipping between camps, clad in a gray coat with a hood, scarf pulled up to hide her face in shadow, the figure is as quiet as a ghost. Here and there she climbs over barriers and swings herself over fences, dropping paper bags with food and little boxes with ibuprofen and deoderant. Shampoo and soap. Handiwipes. The little things that might help. And where she can, she pauses... and heals.

    She was hidden under an overpass, for now, catching her breath after helping with a swollen, septic wound that had taken its time to heal, but the man would be able to keep his leg now.

Dagger has posed:
The trail continues to lead deeper and deeper into more festering cities, from New York to Gotham. Cloak and Dagger have been on a mission as they track down missing children. There has been several reports of vagrant children having gone missing beneath the bridges in Gotham, linked to a specific gang in New York.

Currently Dagger is dressed in a pair of snug jeans, a baggy gray sweater and her hair pulled up behind her into a messy bun. She has a hoodie over her sweater with the hood pulled up over her head and fingerless gloves. As she makes her way past the down on the luck crowd, her blue eyes scans the tends and bonfires, not making too much eyecontact with anyone in particular. She seems to be seeking something out in particular.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    It wouldn't be difficult to mistake Phoebe for just another homeless teen, a wanderer -- especially with her jacket grubbed up from wriggling over fences. She had heard the rumblings of street kids going missing in the Narrows -- but the people in that area of Gotham are tight-knit, and dangerous if you poke around too much.

    Still, the college freshman felt like she had to help. Somehow, in spite of the danger.

    So she breathes out, slipping her scarf and domino mask into place again, giving pause before heading back to her mission, her head tilted a moment -- was that tires she heard?

Dagger has posed:
As always, she can feel Cloak's presence nearby, even if she can't actually see him. Tonight, Dagger is supposed to be potential bait, and the eyes on the ground, while he lurks in the shadows, ready to snap anyone up in an instant.

At times, someone may call out to her, using some type of raunchy pick up line but she blatantly ignores it as she trudges along the newspaper covered concrete. Her senses are open and her guard is up, so the sound of tires draws her attention as she slows her step.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    A white van pulls up, illuminating a teenager standing in the way. She wears a gray jacket, gray leggings. Her face was hien somewhat byy a hood, somewhat by a scarf beneath as gloved hands curl a moment.

    "Ay! Yo! You lookin' for work? A hit? Whatever you want babe, we got it!" comes a catcall from the van -- and two men hop out the side.

    "I'm not interested in anything you have." the teen replies quietly.

     The engine idles, and there's a muffled cry from inside the van itself before the sound of a hand striking flesh is heard, and a hissed 'shuddup!'

Dagger has posed:
That definitely catches Tandy's attention as she spies the woman being harassed by the two men that came out of the van. She starts over towards her with a quick, yet casual pace, hands sliding out of the pockets of her jacket.

The sound of someone being struck from the van hits her ears like a drum and she can feel the adrenaline spike through her veins, surging angrily. She can feel the dark presence of Cloak urging her on to hunt, to prepare him a meal. She flicks her hand out to the side, three glowing blades appearing as she throws them at the van from behind, looking to tear the back wheels apart and at least leaving the vehicle useless.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    That same adreniline was spiking in Phoebe's body as she grips her hands down at her sides, and makes an approach.

    The blaes of light split the rubber on the van, causing a loud, double BANG that catches the two approaching The Beacon's position.

    "What the--" one begins, and then Phoebe moves in. Ordinarily she's not on the offensive, but the attack of opportunity couldn't be missed. A bright flash of light brightens the belly of the bridge as her staff comes to life, sweeping beneath one attacker and sending him sprawling, before using her momentumn to smack the other across the face.

    "Looks like they are, though."

    Two more guys appear from the van, presumably the driver and whoever was in the back.

Dagger has posed:
As she continues forward, Dagger's hands begin to glow brighter as she calls out, "Hey assholes! I'm going to strip every last bit of hope from you and leave you quivering in your piss." Her voice is angry and ragged in her throat as she holds up another trio of blades between her knuckles to show them she means business. The other girl with the glowing staff gets a glance, then back to the two men. "And from what I can see, you two are so out of your league."

Once she reaches the van, she slashes forward with her hand, bringing the blades of light down across the back door, looking to open it up with a creak of metal. "I heard you! Are you okay?"

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    That is some serious statement, and Phoebe has to be careful to not yell 'language!' as a matter of habbit as she delivers another couple of strikes with her staff to make her two stay down.

    The staff disappears, and the younger lady regards Dagger with a curious look.

    The backdoor doesn't stand a chance. Its metal rends easily, opening up. There is a scared, scruffy looking teen boy there, tied up, a black eye, gagged with a length of rope doubled up around his face. It looks like he might have been crying

Dagger has posed:
The look of the boy's face practically makes Dagger crumble. Emotion sweeps over her as she flicks out another blade in her hand. "I am the light and I am here to save you." She says as she cuts the rope free. Tears threaten to spring from her eyes as she peels away from the van, turning upon the two men as she storms towards them.

Now? Dagger is glowing like a hot dwarf star, forming a long blade within her hands. "You think this is funny!? You think hurting kids is a game!" Her voice rises upwards, screaming now as she burns brighter still. "I am going to turn you to dust!"

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    The teen boy gives a cough as he's freed, and he stumbles out of the van, running for the highway in mixed fear and relief, not even giving a thank you to Dagger as he flees the scene.

    Tandy's anger burns brightly as she makes her approach on the other two. One falls to his knees.

    "I've got bills to pay! My kid's sick and no one else will help!" he cries out.

    The other is tripped up as Phoebe makes her way around the van, drawing a foot out and sweeping him off his feet so that he lands face-down in the dirt, and she withdraws slightly, looking to Tandy.

Dagger has posed:
"Then get a fucking job at McDonald's and flip some damn burgers!" Tandy screams down at the man on his knees. Her hands flare brighter now, her eyes streaming light as if they were burning teardrops. She steps forward, then showers the man with her light, looking to seek the truth from him. His hopes. His dreams. He will be in awe of her light. Struck by the hand of the Lord. She is not gentle though. It's going to sting.

"Don't go anywhere." She rumbles to the other man. "You're next."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Not nearly as altruistic. He has kids... somewhere. Doesn't know and apathetic to it. His dreams were to be rich. Lots of cash, lots of drugs, lots of pretty young woman at his beck and call, all if he helps smuggle kids out of the Narrows and down to the docks.

    And it burns. It burns to his very soul.

    Phoebe winces, drawing one hand up to cover her face from Dagger's brillianc.e

Dagger has posed:
"You are a liar! You do not care about your kids. You don't even know where they're at. All you want to be is rich, even at the cost of another's life." Tandy's voice quivers with pain as she pulls her hand back, blazing like a star, then slams it into his face. "Now that you have seen the light, you will be stripped of it! You are nothing but poison and you are not fit to have such luxury!" Her blade hand comes down, stabbing him through the chest, even if it's not physical. She shocks him to the soul, paralyzing him with her powers as he will succumb to his guilt.

Glancing to Phoebe for a moment, Tandy has a storm in her eyes before she moves towards the next man, squeezing her hands tight. "You are next." A growl rumbles in her throat as she slams him with her light, seeking the truth, his desires, his hopes.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    The man succumbs, keeling over where he was kneeling, his rouse over.

    The next man in line gasps in pain as he rolls to his side, curling up.

    Him, he had troubles. Lack of opportunity. Not precisely the brightest bulb in the pack, he was told all he had to do was drive. He had to make two more trips, and his 'contract' was over, he'd get two thousand dollars and a one-way ticket out West somewhere, where he planned to keep his head down and work ranches until he couldn't anymore. Recovering addict.

Dagger has posed:
Shaking her head, Dagger rubs a hand along her face, looking to be in distress. Her light washes over him, not as painful as the first man, though it will sting to serve him a strong lesson. Any drugs he has will be detoxified immediately, as if he went through an instant rehab and came out clean on the other end. Once the light flickers and he is left stunned and defeated, she gives a shake of her head, walking away from them, knuckling tears from her face. As she looks up at Phoebe, her voice trembles out. "Call the police, please. I won't give them death, but they need justice."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "The police won't come." Phoebe replies softly, crouching down a moment.

    "This is the Narrows. I'm not sure even Batman would come to this place." she motions towards the derelict area of the city. Her weight shift a moment as she looks over.

    "I can alert one of the camp cheifs that they're here. They'll hold them until morning, and might escort them to the station on the other side of the river."

Dagger has posed:
There is a loud snort from Dagger. "It doesn't matter. They will wear my scars for the rest of their lives." She lets out a low sigh, then lifts her chin up to her. "You have a magic staff." She says simply, brows lifting upwards. 'Are you one of Gotham's heroes or just someone minding their business? My partner and I are investigating missing mutant children and our trail has led us here to these Narrows."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "You're investigating the missing as well?" Beacon inquires, her voice lilting upwards. She stands.

    "I am... the Gotham Beacon. I'm not associated with the Batman." she replies, and rubs the back of her head. "More 'helping the ones who get left behind'. But yes. Magic staff of light. I don't suppose you heal magically as well, miss...?"

Dagger has posed:
"I don't heal in the way in which I can mend wounds. I can only mend the soul." The angel of light says. "My name is Dagger, and my partner is Cloak. Cloak and Dagger." Her lips turn upwards. "We are from New York City. We are on a mission to rid the city of the poison and evil that makes it's way through the streets from gangs and drugs and those who hurt and prey upon the innocent. "

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Then you are allies of mine. I'm working to restore hope to the city." Beacon replies, looking to Dagger quietly.

    "I roam the homeless camps and hopeless masses, healing what wounds I can, helping where I might. I'm afraid I'm not much for fighting."

Dagger has posed:
"I was once a young, innocent girl until everything was taken from me. Stripped me down to my core and tore my soul out. Now, all I know in life is fighting." Dagger says as she turns to stare out across the expanse of Gotham city. "And I still have more hunting to do." Her lips twitch upwards for a moment. "Beacon of Gotham, huh? So what can you do? It sounds like you're another weilder of the light."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "I have been lost and found all my life." Beacon replies quizically, and she looks out in the same direction, her back to the Narrows.

    "As far as I know, I weild the Light, but my talent is in healing the body." he gives a small smile. "The staff is only so handy when your opponents can be healed with an errant touch of your body."

Dagger has posed:
"It looks like we use the light in different ways. Perhaps one day I will find a way to use it to heal those of body instead of their soul." Dagger says with a wry smile on her face. "I can feel Cloak's hunger and I need to tend to him. He feeds on my light and keeps me from burning up from it. Without him, my powers will destroy me, and vice versa. We are staying for a few days. Would you like to get dinner tomorrow?"

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "I... I can try. Schedules are notoriously difficult to keep in Gotham." Beacon replies with a wry note to her voice, "Always an emergency. You should see when they light up the sky."

    "Where shall we meet?"

Dagger has posed:
"Pick a place you feel is safe and where people may not blink an eye at a large black man covered in robes." Dagger laughs as she tucks her hair back behind her ear. "He doesn't have a body. He's just ... living dark with a head. It's what happened when our powers came to be. They swallowed him in the dark, and they bathed me in the light. Perhaps we can work together while we are here, see if we can save some innocent lives."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "... Dagger, this is Gotham. No one will bat an eye at it." Phoebe replies quietly, but she gives a slight smile.

    "Meet here, tomorrow then. Until we meet again."