11634/Ghosts in the church

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Ghosts in the church
Date of Scene: 17 June 2020
Location: St. Margaret's Church, Bushwick
Synopsis: Cloak and Dagger try and be normal for an afternoon.
Cast of Characters: Dagger, Cloak




Dagger has posed:
It's a warm evening in New York and Tandy is currently sitting in the church in one of the pews, skimming the news with her phone. There is a small lamp set up to offer some light in the church, and there is a lot more canned and dry food now inside a couple of backpacks. Humming to herself, she scrolls her finger along the glass, then offers a grin as a message pops on the screen. She responds to it quickly, giggling.

Cloak has posed:
Tyrone Johnson is no fool. He knows Tandy has been making a bit of a life outside of their insular, hyper-focused world. There's jealousy - both over her and her freedom to really get to know the world. Part of him is still human, and he'd be lying to himself to deny that. But, in the same vein he doesn't stop her, doesn't speak up. For as much as it may sting him, he finds some quiet joy in seeing her happy. So he leaves her be and has been largely quiet and away much of the time.

For now, though, he is home. The shadows congeal and spit him out near the back of the church and he steps into the space with a quiet, tired noise. "Hey." He says quietly as he sees her on her phone while he turns to begin moving through the pews. "I miss anything?"

Dagger has posed:
Sticking her phone into her pocket, Tandy looks over to the voice. "Hey, Ty! No, you haven't missed anything. I have just been surfing the Internet, trying to find any more clues. It seemed like since we took the warehouse raid down, we sent them scattering underground. I just wish we could have got a prisoner or two to interrogate."

Heading over to him, she tilts her chin up to look at him, offering up a smile. "How about you and I go out tonight and do something? Maybe we can sneak into a movie, or we can .. I don't know, just hang out. Do something normal."

Cloak has posed:
"Underground like the rats that they are." Cloak says decisively. "A prisoner would have been nice, but at least we got out safely. Hopefully they stay quiet, but we're never that lucky."

At her suggestion, he looks down at himself and the flowing curtain of cloth he wears. "It... has been awhile since I tried to just do something... normal." He doesn't sound very confident. "And I can't go out like this. I can... -try- to just be normal. It's not easy, but, I can give it a few hours. Only because I like you, Tandy." And in a quieter voice, he adds. "And I do miss popcorn sometimes."

Dagger has posed:
"You can go out like that if you want. Who cares if people stop and stare? What are they going to do?" Tandy says with a low snort in her throat. "If The Hulk can walk around New York City, so can you. Maybe it's time that we just stop .. you know.. pretending that we aren't human. The last few weeks have been fun for me. I am out meeting people.." Reaching out, she takes his hands in hers, squeezing them.

"I don't think I've ever seen you happy, Ty. Like naturally happy. I'd like to give that a try. Have a night of being happy and feeling normal. If you think you can turn this off ... that is cool too, but you don't have to, not for me."

Cloak has posed:
But he isn't normal. His hands are cold compared to her's, and feel like they'd collapse to dust if she squeezes harder. It feels like he was barely pulled together. "I somehow doubt anyone is comfortable around a man like that. It's not that I'm not used to being looked at - as Cloak or Tyrone - and that's not what bothers me." He gives her hands a squeeze in return, strong despite their shadowy nature and bolstered by her light. "I just feel like the more I'm like this, the less of Me there is. I've taken back control before. It's not easy and not comfortable, but I can do it. I think I should do it, to take some of me back for a night."

Dagger has posed:
"I can always feed you more light if you're hungry, Ty." Tandy says worriedly to him. "I have plenty to spare. All that I have is yours for the taking. You only need to ask me." As she squeezes his hands, a surge of bright warmth explodes from her, channeling it through his hands as she glances up into his face.

"I just want you to be happy, Ty. I know that we have our mission and it's important, but this is important also. Knowing when to breathe and take a step back and remember what it's like to be Tandy and Tyrone."

Cloak has posed:
"I know, I know." Cloak says with a frown forming on his face which seems clearer and more pronounced as the light diffuses through him. "And I can't stand it that never being able to say no. You're not my fridge, Tandy. It's not fair that you have to be the one looking out for me. We're friends, and I care about you, and I hate myself for being your prison." His grip goes more slack as he looks away, "You'll never be able to have a normal life without me."

Dagger has posed:
"You are not my prison, Cloak. You are my partner and my best friend. We may be bond together by circumstance, but I am so happy that it's you. The work that we do together is meaningful." Tandy says, trying to assure him once she is done feeding him her light.

"Just don't think like that, okay? It's fine. Without you, I would burn up inside like a terrifying fever. So I need you as much as you need me." With his hands more solid, she gives them a tighter squeeze. "I could nuke you for a day also, hit you with so much light that I burn the dark away. It could probably hold off for a few hours."

Cloak has posed:
"Hmf." Cloak huffs with dour amusement. "Some people can fly, or make plants grow, or shoot fireworks. Not us. Ours will kill us, if it wasn't for one another. Maybe that's the price for power we weren't meant to have, because someone wanted to play God."

His mood at least seems lifted by her gift, and he reaches out to drape an arm over her shoulders for a sideways hug. "I suppose we can try it so long as you wouln't wear yourself out doing it. We'll squeeze in a quick movie then see how we feel after and, if we're still doing good, then we'll see what else we can fit in to do. We'll just have to avoid getting ourselves into trouble."

Dagger has posed:
"I am sure we can avoid getting into trouble for a few hours." Tandy says as she leans into him, giving him a hug in return. She takes a moment to focus, then suddenly the church is filled with a blinding light. So much that it explodes out the windows and into the street, even if it was for a hot, brief instant. She hits him with the full force of her powers, looking to banish the cold, dark hostel of his body away and replace it with once more flesh and bone.

Once completed, she gives a wobble on her feet, feeling her head swim dizzily. "Oof. Did it work?" She asks as her own natural glow flickers away, leaving her pale skinned and tired looking.

Cloak has posed:
"You say that." Cloak says to her with a faint smirk.

In their embrace, the transfer of power is brilliant and stunning. It's a powerful enough blast to stagger even Cloak who's used to her glow. He lets go of Tandy and takes several steps back and is swaying like a drunk man as he raises a hand to his face where his eyes are blurred by the light. Bit by bit, the darkness of Cloak flickers away from his body like burnt paper. The cloak itself looses its mass and unnatural billow and hangs like a simple, tattered old sheet.

Gingerly, he slides the fabric away to show Tyrone underneath. Jeans and a t-shirt, tennis shoes; the same things he had on when they'd escaped so long ago. Under the clothes, a young man of very real flesh and blood and not a shadow to be seen.

"I... it d-did." Tyrone says carefully, feeling the weight of his stutter take the place of the darkness.

Dagger has posed:
"It worked." Tandy says as she slumps down into the pew, letting out a loud groan. "Oof. I feel tingly all over. I'll need a soda and a few minutes to get my senses back before we head out." She rubs a hand along her face, then peeks out at him with a grin. "I almost forgot what you looked like, it's been so long. Wow. You're so tall."

"And gangly." She teases him a bit. "Can you get me a coke from the backpack? I don't even care if it's flat or warm. Long as it has enough sugar in there."

Cloak has posed:
Tyrone Johnson starts to look proud when she says tall, but then the word gangly is added on and he deflates slightly with a scrunch to his face. "Y-y-yeah, well... b-ba-sketball." He mutters by way of an excuse. It probably wasn't the malnutrition and drugs during the last of critical growth spurts.

He walks like he's been on a boat for months. Gravity is awkward when you had been largely intangible. By the time he's retrieved a tepid Coke can and makes his way back to Tandy, he's moving with some more certainly. He even has one for himself. He takes a seat next to her and holds out one can. "...d-don't re-rem-member w-w-when I h-had one l-last."

Dagger has posed:
Reaching out to take the can, Tandy cracks the tab, then leans in against his shoulder. She takes a long sip from it, then lets out a happy sigh. "It's so not good for you." She says in regards to the soda. "But it tastes so amazing, even if it's warm." She takes her phone out and taps along the screen to pull up movie listings. "Guess we gotta buy our own tickets since I just burned out our teleporter." She teases. "But that means we get popcorn also. I got some money that Dick gave me the other day, so we can use it on that."

"He said it was for emergencies but this seems like a pretty big emergency." She doesn't talk about Dick often, outside of a few mentions. Perhaps she doesn't want him to get jealous, or to feel replaced.

Cloak has posed:
And who's saying that Cloak doesn't keep a distant eye on his best buddy and partner when she's out? They have, after all, made their fair share of enemies.

There's a pensive frown on Tyrone's face as he looks aside to Tandy. "W-well... then w-we can p-p-pay him ba-ack. Or r-r-restock it." He suggests tentatively, as if they were talking about running off with a borrowed car opposed to a few bucks. "W-we c-can f-f-figure s-something out." Then he turns to the Coke in his hand and pops the top open to take a slow sip. It may be warm and partly flat, but his face is a blend of surprise and a flood of memories. He doesn't say anything, only gives a quietly satisfied sigh and leans back in the pew.