11427/And it just keeps getting worse

And it just keeps getting worse
Date of Scene:	03 May 2020
Location:	Midtown, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Nick and Grifter prevent Creed from abducting another guy... For now.
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Grifter, Sabretooth, White Fox

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Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Oh God. What a day.

The sun has long since gone down and many have already went home for the evening to rest up for a full day of work tomorrow. There are few still walking the streets at this hour and it would be kind of peaceful. If only-

Ok in rewind, Morning and afternoon? Eh, typical day type of stuff. Even had a nice but awkward dinner with his aunt. But AFTER dinner was when things just started freefalling. Oh geez.

Well, after having to sit around making statements about the death he witnessed in Hell's Kitchen, Nick is now, FINALLY making his way home. The knitcapped musician sighs, hands stuffed into his pockets as he slowly walks back to the building where his condo lies.

Grifter has posed:
Oh for....

It's him again. For fuck's sake...it's him. What, is Marlowe putting Grifter on shadow detail for Nick or something? Or is it Grifter's in the right spot at the right time? Well, let's s se...

Grifter's on his own for this. WildCATS got to bring the musician in. Yeah that sounded easier till everyone else started showing up. Okay, fine. Marlowe. You want to make this dificult and cause international incidents? Great, let's have at it! Grifter checks his weapons inside that trenchcoat, his pistols, a stun grenade....or five, some zip ties, a few more zip ties, some explosives, because, really, why not at this point, and oh yeah, night vision goggles. Which he's not wearing yet.

Sabretooth has posed:
    The weather is finally starting to break. Sometimes it feels like Spring is skipped right over in favor of Summer, but tonight is a comfortable Spring night even as the sun goes down. The wind still has a soft bite in the air, but really it is comfortable to walk about the city. Here in Midtown, the hustle and bustle tourists crowds have given way to the calmer Broadway crowd. There are folks still moving back and forth for dinner, but many are rushing to their theaters in an attempt to making the opening.

    One such man is a tall, thin gentleman with a goatee that narrows into a point. He is wearing a long black jacket and carrying a cello case. He moves quickly as if late for his appearance at one of the smaller stages that dot the city. He is somewhat pale, perhaps Eastern European in appearance, but seems confident in the way he moves.

    Victor Creed leans against a crosswalk pole at an intersection. The Red Don't Walk is flashing right now as he watches the crowd with a quiet manner. He is dressed in a white tshirt that is stretched tight over his broad chest with simple blue jeans and combat boots. He has his long, shaggy hair tied behind his head so out of his eyes at the moment. His arms are crossed in front of him and his fingers tap on his forearm.

White Fox has posed:
Sometimes, even friends need to eye each other carefully. Which in the case of states means... yea, even allied states have agents in each other's country, more or less openly, spying on one another and recruiting other agents. Just to keep the balance of power in line. So White Fox is eying down from a building, clad in a blueish-black combat suit, a white mask on the face while she waits for her actual target to show itself. Not the musician with the knit cap. It's a well known mercenary she planned for. And fittingly, the little operation was dubbed Homotherium.

As she finally spots him on the crosswalk, she smiles to herself, tapping against the mask once to give a feedback that she sighted the target.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
While the tired musician is intent on getting home, a familiar face he has seen draws his attention. The instrument case providing a hint to the why even if the name eludes him. He gives a polite, if slight nod of acknowledgement but doesn't slow his own pace until he reaches the crosswalk.

Not privy to what's going on. Nick just continues being a mix of tired and annoyed. He's not really searching for anyone, but he is being mindful to a point of his surroundings. Weird stuff happening today and all.

Grifter has posed:
Okay, now this is interesting. Grifter's not an agent of any state. Well, it's complicated. Grifter's trying to keep out of sight and looks for all the world like he's just wearing a mask and a coat, instead he looks around, and sets to cross the street. He too has spotted somebody interesting. Not his actual target...well not yet

Sabretooth has posed:
    The man with the cello checks his watch as he hurries along the street. As such, he doesn't even notice the massively large man at the crosswalk and proceeds right past him. Victor lifts his head to snif at the air. His nostrils flare slightly and he smiles. He pushes himself up and away from the pole and moves to follow The Man with the Cello. He does not move quickly almost sauntering in his manner. He has the man's scent now. It doesn't matter if he cannot be seen.

White Fox has posed:
Ami Han smiles as she starts to follow her own target from above. Which means she tracks Nick by tracking the tracker. She might track him by scent if she wanted, but for now? She had his physique in the eye, and so she could follow on sight, from some floors above. Rooftop to rooftop, along the edges.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
When someone as huge as Victor Creed walks by, it's like a watchtower being buzzed by an aircraft. You just kind of have to look. Now, with it being a huge guy and it being New York, you look indirectly to avoid causing problems. Head turning, he glances back, looking more towards the celloist.

And then it hits. "...Dimitri." He mutters, shaking his head. Right. THAT's the name. He turns away, starting to cross the street as he repeats the name a few more times to try and remember it a bit better. Well. It's not like he works with orchestras THAT often...

Grifter has posed:
Now this just got comical, Victor leading him to the target? How nice. Though Grifter listens intently to Nw York city traffic, phone chirping as he laughs. Hey all to blend in, right? Right then. Blend in, follow the big guy, and...quite literally follo in the big guy's tracks. This is oddly easy.

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor moves through the crowd. People doen't even see him coming up behind them, but they almost feel it. They move at the sound of a growl or the smell of something that doesn't seem to belong in the big city. He is rapidly gaining on Dimitri now. His fingers flex at his side as his claws grow out slightly.

    Dimitri is a musician, yes, but he was trained in spy craft as well. Something feels wrong. He pauses before crossing another street, glancing in a store shop window. The night lights reflect, but also give him a good look behind him. Victor is hard to miss. The thin man scrowls and begins to move faster. Almost walking into Nick as he does. "Oh pardon me," he says in an accented voice.

White Fox has posed:
Following above, the White Fox' eyes wander over the man that Victor almost runs into. Unlikely to be an accident... Was that a contact of the mercenary? Or a genuine accident? Hard to tell in the business. But down there was much too crowded for the Fox to make her move. So she waits, some floors above, a shadow on the edge of the roofs. Maybe a look up might show her, but who looks up in NYC?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick blinks as Dimitri nearly runs into him. Okay this is weird being that he just saw the musican go- "Dimitri?" He asks, hoping he recalled the name correctly. With his luck as its been recently maybe it was actually 'Bob' the Eastern European Celloist. "Are you alright?"

Ok maybe it's the time from earlier but with the increased speed Demitri was moving and that he essentially backtracked, Nick is seriously getting the 'Something's off' vibes now.

Grifter has posed:
Grifter doesn't. That's for sure. He's hiding behind Victor. Which is funny to Grifter, the whole hiding behind the large Sabertooth guy and, not looking up part. Instead he's listening keenly too, and wondering just how he's going to pull this one off. Okay, think, Grifter. Think...

Oh and don't look up, either.

Sabretooth has posed:
    Dimitri looks confused as he regards Nick. "Do I...It is...Nick?" The thick accent heavily emphasizes the k at the end of his name. He stops to look at Nick, but suddenly realized why he was turning around and trying to get out of there. "Excuse me. I must be.." His words are cut off as a large hand falls on Dimitri's shoulder. Claws dig into the meat of the body as the large man behind Dimitri rumbles with laughter. "You've been spying on the wrong fells, Boris," Victor says with a laugh. Dimitri goes white as he looks up at the massive man. "No...No...I am musician..." He stammers out the words.

White Fox has posed:
The White Fox stops, chuckling a moment as she watches what happens below, readying herself to come down in a few. Like, when there was a chance to not get seen too much by the crowd... like when they might go into a side alley... but for now? Watch.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick watches as the brief moment of confusion on Dimitri's face goes from confusion towards a faint recognition as he manages to put together Nick's name in a few moments. The ends of his lips twitch upwards forming a wry smile as he in a way got confirmation that he did get the name right.

But when the large man from earlier clamps a hand down upon the acquaintance's shoulder, causing for the fearful look. With the guy calling him another name, Nick shakes his head.

"No you've got it wrong." Nick corrects Victor, shaking his head, "That's Dimitri, he's just a Celloist. You must've mistaken him for someone else."

Grifter has posed:
Behind the lenses and rag, Cole's watching. Then holy shit he gets smacked by a psychic blast. Ow. Oh he has a feeling he knows who did it...and he glares around, clutching his head. God. Fucking. Damn. Voodoo! Fucking....A.

Yeah, Voodoo had just gone and given them all a psionic wake up call, or rather, an area of effect blast. Great. Cole's gonna need dvil after this.

Still though, he's clutching his head in pain. kay, not cool, Priss. Not cool...

That's the one thought that goes through his head as he just...kinda, sorta is staying on his feet. Mostly by leaning on the wall, eyes shut and not a fan of psionic weapons. No thanks.

It's why he has his guns, sheesh. It's why he's got his guns after all...a nd by the way, Grifter's going to have words with Voodoo once this mission's over. Next time, let Grifter know so he can get out of the area...

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor still has his claws digging into the Celloist's shoulders when the blast hits. Teeth grind and he growls as the psionic energy lances through him. Dimitri cries out in pain from the blast to his head and the claws digging into his shoulders. The musician would probably be falling to his knees if Creed wasn't holding him up. With Creed, however, there is a slightly different reaction. His eyes flash and the snarl that comes out of his mouth is a lot more feral. He tenses up and then is shaking as the Glow flows through him. His claws retract and Dimitri falls to the ground weeping. Victor starts looking around, sniffing at the air, trying to locate who just hit him.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
And then it hits. Nick steps back as he feels what he could best describe as a brain centralized charley horse. "FU-" He bites his lip trying to halt the obscenity that wants to leave his mouth. Arms lifting up his head tilts down as he ends up cupping his hands over the back of his head. The jacketed forearms blocking his face in the process.

It is a good thing for the jacket being there as Nick's need to move away from the physical pain is enough for him to want to switch over to his phantasmed form. The sleeves block the view of the scar on his right forearm fading and appearing on his left The arms block the view of his facial features mirroring themselves. But being no one here is a super fan, it's likely not to be noticed.

The sudden loss of a pulse and his scent on the other hand. Ok, well that can be a problem.

Grifter has posed:
Grifter's more liable to shoot whoever just did a number on his head. Holy waffles...

He knows it was Voodoo mostly since his phone in his pocket buzzes and he reads it, spitting out a string of swears that sounds like an academy full of longshoremen tried to tunnel their way out by their toes...

Or, he's mad. he's spitting mad at Voodoo, and she's run off. Great. Just freaking great...and he's not noticed the Phantasm since he's too busy thinking up ways to kill Voodoo for this. Ah give it time and he'll calm down some. Maybe?

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor is hyperaware right now because of the hit. The anger and animalistic side is calm, but the hunter is still there. Dimitri tries to crawl away after being dropped, but reaches down and grabs the man by the back. He grins, sharp teeth easily seen, and snarls, "You going somewhere, Meat?" He is completely oblivious, however, that they are out on the streets of the city. He doesn't care. Claws rip at the jacket the Celloist has on as the man is lifted. Victor chuckles, but then turns his head as he notices a scent disappeared that was near by. Dimitri just dangles from Victor's grip as he tries to find the "hole" that was left.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick's still visibly there and not aware of what Victor's doing, the hole continues to exist as he remains Phantasmed.

Feeling a bit better, the phantasmed Nick lowers his arms, re-focusing on the situation. Ok Case of mistaken identity involving a peeved off big guy and a fellow musician who is very much still in the grasp of the larger man. Crap.

"I think you got the wrong man," Nick repeats the statement from prior to the attack, trying to be a calm voice in the matter, unsure if he can separate Dimitri from the clawed man safely by any other means, "That's Dimitri. He's just a musician. There's no one named Boris here..."

Grifter has posed:
Great. Creed's going to hurt the guy, and....Marlowe wants Dimitri intact. Hmm, now let's see here...

Cole's watching quietly and watches and steps back. Cole could use some help with this one. He's not wanting to pick a fight.

"Let him go" Cole says gently. "You hurt him, everyone's going to come after you. You let him go, put away the claws and teeth and shit and wait" he says softly

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor turns to look at the two addressing him. One is the hole. There shouldn't be anything there even as VIctor can see Nick. He growls, but then his attention is brought over to Cole. "That isn't anything new. My boss paid me to shut this man up so..." He shrugs as he looks at Dimitri hanging from his hand. The sound of cloth ripping is still going on as Dimitri hangs there. "The man tells too many secrets, and frankly, I don't care what his name is besides dollar signs."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hearing another voice, Nick glances to the other speaker, frowning as the mask he saw just earlier comes into view. "...Oh you've got to be kidding me." The musician mutters.

It's just not one of those nights.

He looks back towards Victor, and to Dimitri. As the larger man seems focused more on the target, he takes the slightest step forward. Unaturally quiet. He glances over to Cole, wondering just what his next move will be.

Grifter has posed:
Grifter looks through his mask to Victor. "Then pay him to be quiet" he offers. Logical, bribe the poor guy...mostly so the celloist doesn't drop to the ground and lose a fight with gravity. Cole's not okay with that. This was supposed to be simple, a nice simple grab and take him in mission. So much for that one...as Cole shakes his head. "Let him go, put him on the floor"

Cole's thinking on his feet.

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor snorts and starts to lift Dimitri up onto his shoulders so the man's head is against Victor's back. "Yeah, I don't think so. To either option. I'm being paid to keep the rat quiet so you are going to have to offer more cheese rather than threaten me with a larger trap." He chuckles as he begins to turn away from the pair.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Shit. This doesn't bode well for Dimitri. Ah well, dammed if you do, damned if you don't. And he's already got one life on his conscience today.

After Victor turns his back to Nick. The musician quietly takes a running start, leaping towards Victor to try and latch on.

Grifter has posed:
Cole turns and sees Nick in mid leap. "The hell?" he asks and makes a grab to try to latch on to Nick. So. Nick's trying to latch on to Creed. Grifter's trying to latch on to Phantasm. Grifter's other hand is also trying for latching onto Victor, too. Because why not latch on to both? Well, then. Cole's in trouble and he wants to keep his head on his shoulders, hence why one hand is trying to go for Phantasm's ankles, and Victor's shoulder.

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor can't smell or really sense Nick before he leaps, but begins to turn slightly at the sound of surprise in Cole's voice. "Wh.." he starts to say before he suddenly has Nick clinging to him and Cole grabbing at him as well. He growls and swings one free hand towards Cole with his claws extending back out now to get the man to back off. He also swings his torso as he tries to dislodge Nick and keep hold of Dimitri.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Being that Nick doesn't see Cole reach to grab him, there's no subconcious reaction to give Cole something to grab. The hands pass through Nick with no resistance, giving him more space to grab at the Victor underneath.

Nick holds on easily, focusing on the grab and then, gradually extending some of his powers into Creed, taking away the sense of touch, taste, and smell. Well, it seemed to do a number on one of Nick's friends, so, we'll see, right?

Grifter has posed:
Cue Cole spinning awkwardly annd switching which hand he's grabbing toward Victor. No desire to get clawed and slashed thanks. Nah....as he lets go and steps back. If only to....well, he could shoot at Victor but no...no...he's watching Nick and Victor now. This is getting interesting.

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor growls as he can't seem to shake Nick off and certainly not while trying to still hold onto Dimitri. After swiping at Cole and the other man backing up, Victor is trying to grab at Nick with his free hand. Even if he can't catch hold, perhaps a slash of claws. Suddenly, his senses are becoming duller. Being hightened to begin with, it takes a little time to get to regular human levels. "Get off me, you little worm," he roars.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick CLINGS, not really wishing to be on the front end of the angry Sabretooth. Ok think. You have a peeved off killer trying to buck you off holding on to an aquaintance that he intends to kill. So maybe he can just dream travel Creed out of here.

The musician's eyes widen. Leaving Dimitri alone with the other guy who wants him. DAMMIT.

Ok. MAYBE this wasn't thought out all the way.

The arm holding Victor seems to get a cut from the claws but the musician doesn't whimper or shout in reaction.

"LET GO OF DIMITRI." He yells into Creed's ear.

Grifter has posed:
Cole's thinking this just went up to 12....and getting out is the smart play. He's...well...yeah he's not stupid and not wanting to need stitches either. Snitches get stitches. Not idiot WildCATS members who just want to finish their mission...

Cole steps back. "Fine. Keep him" he says and looks from Nick to Victor, then steps back again backing into street furniture. Great. This is New York. Probably people recording this. Cole's smart enough to have a mask and general every day clothing.

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor drops Dimitri now, but it wasn't really because he was asked so nicely. He wanted both hands to catch hold of Nick. As Dimitri hits the pavememnt with an ooof, Victor pushes backwards as he attempts to catch Nick between Victor and the wall of the closest building. Dimitri is trying to crawl, but he is bleeding badly and now sore from being bounced on a shoulder and dropped on the ground.

    Around the scene, people with cell phones now have them raised. Watching what is going on, thinking they will be the next YouTube Star with this footage. Granted, they are filming from a respectable distance. Those claws look bad after all.

Grifter has posed:
Cole's got his team. And...he texts them. Cause Marlowe's not given enough oh for comms. Sure, sure, Cole could use them, but to blend in, his phone it is. "You okay buddy?" he asks Dimitri. "Somebody needs to help him, poor guy's bleeding" Cole calls, and backs away, he's got concern. More for if his target's dead, well....crap. Chalk that up as a mission that failed. Or a missed paycheck. Still though Cole's figuring out his next move. He's good at planning paramilitary operations, and now's one. First off. Get a car. Rush this guy into the ER and...go from there. And most importantly. Don't get stabbed or slashed, jeez

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Objective achieved, in a way, Nick does his damndest to cling on but with all the movement, and the loaned out power, it's getting to be difficult to manage while maintaining appearances. With the audience present, Nick glances back, mimicking a grunt as the group hits the wall. The semblance of impact becomes audible, rewarding Victor and those watching with some sign of effect. At the glimpse of the phones in his periphiral vision, Nick turns his head away from the cameras before getting flung off of Victor. SHIT!

With Nick and the source of the powers removed, Victor goes back to normal.

Sabretooth has posed:
    As Victor's senses come rushing back, he is blinking several times. He looks down beside him and sees Dimitri is gone. He turns and snaps his jaws at Nick before growling and beginning to run quickly down the sidewalk before ducking between buildings. He will just have to catch back up with the target later. He has the scent. He will find hime.