11760/Crashing a Party

Crashing a Party
Date of Scene:	11 July 2020
Location:	Somewhere in the outskirts of New York
Synopsis:	The Hulk comes out in a routine incident, and runs into Rift and Shannon, who get him out of the city before anyone else can piss him off
Cast of Characters:	Hulk, Rift, Nightingale

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Hulk has posed:
With the current situation in the United States -panic, confusion, fear- it was bunker mode for one Bruce Banner. He had been keeping out of the public eye for weeks, in an attempt to not make the situation worse.

Of course, he had to get supplies once in a while... and it was during those times that human contact had to be risked.

This time, it went poorly.

As Kitora went along, there was a roar in the distance. A loud roar. A bestial roar.

There was no visible source. Yet.

Rift has posed:
Rift was chowing down on a footlog sub she bought, heading back towards the outskirts of the city. She doesn't like gravity-shifting around people. She hmmmmmms softly as she then hears that roar. Oh crap. That's... something inhuman. She can't place it, but it is definitely trouble.

She slips into an alley, and turns on her powers. An eerie red-glowing figure ascends from the alley and heads towards that sound. Of course she's still carrying her sandwich - and even took a bite of it. She's not going to waste it. It was a delicious roast beef. She gets to the source of the sound and looks around.........

Hulk has posed:
It was a distance away, maybe a few block, more likely a mile. Then, there's another roar. This time, it was closer.

Then, it becomes clear what the source of the sound is when a car collapsed into itself like tinfoil as a huge form drops in from the sky on top of it.

Anyone who pays attention to the news at all will know him; The Hulk, in his new green uniform. The uniform stretches over his body from feet to neck, and looks very similar to the Fantastic Fours uniform... except it doesn't have the symbol... and it's Hulk green.

Eleven feet of pissed off Hulk stomps once on the remains of the imploded car. He's obviously angry about something, but he's just standing there for the moment, hunched over, seeming to get his bearings.

Rift has posed:
Rift just stares at the Hulk flattening a car like he's playing the bonus round of Street Fighter II. Oh crap. Hulk is _so_ not in her weight class. It's well-known that Hulk is fueled by rage - she wonders if she could calm him down. Quite sure that trying to contain him in a stasis field would not do the trick.

She then glances forlornly at her half-eaten sandwich, and sighs. She then puts it in a stasis field and floats it towards Hulk. Maybe floating succulent roast beef would tame the raving beast. The sandwich, glowing with a red air, moves near Hulk, directed by the red-glowing girl who is staying well out of arm's reach.

Hulk has posed:
Well, the sandwich certainly gets his attention, at least.

The angry expression softens -just a bit- to one of angry curiosity as he watches the floating food, and he tilts his head in a 'what?' manner, one finger coming up to scratch at the side of his head in confusion.

"Hulk doesn't see magicians for floaty food..."

He slowly gets off the car -the sound of wrenching metal painful in the air as he does so- and starts to walk over to the sandwich.

Rift has posed:
Rift nods as she floats up at Hulk's eye level, but a fair distance away, smiling softly. She hopes it'll do the trick as he looks a bit less angry at least. She only has half a sandwich - it might not do the trick for long, but maybe it'll be just good enough to turn Hulk Mode off.

"I just got it from that really nice deli on 11th Street," Rift calls. "I thought you might want to share." She is watching carefully, making no sudden motions as the sandwich floats in midair, held by a tightly contained gravity field, which she'll release when Hulk grabs it.

Hulk has posed:
"Hulk isn't hungry. Hulk was just trying to get away from puny humans. Humans like to gang up on Hulk, and Hulk is bored of swatting them away." Hulk informs her, his green eyes glancing up and down the street.

If the sandwich held his attention before, it isn't now.

Then, he looks to Rift, his eyes following her as he keeps that bestial hunch, "Who are you?"

Rift has posed:
Rift blinkblinks. She wasn't expecting... any kind of intelligence from the Incredible Hulk. Glad that Hulk didn't ruin her sandwich, and isn't attacking, she pulls it back to herself. "My name is Rift. I'm a mutant. I was just walking by and heard your roar. Thought I'd check it out."

She glances around - nobody else is here to bother right now and she hopes it stays that way. Now holding her sandwich again, she smiles. "I never realized that you were so tall, Hulk. The pictures simply DON'T do you justice. The new costume really suits you." Now she's going to try flattery. Her goal is simply to calm you down - she's QUITE sure that any efforts to contain you with her powers will backfire - horribly.

Nightingale has posed:
     Even on the outskirts of the city, there was quite the foodie scene. Local delis, BBQ joints, Thai restaurants, and who knows what else. Savory smells vied with sweet and spicy for one's sensory attention, each singing its own siren's song. Rift wasn't the only one looking for some good eats. Shannon had left a note in her dorm that she was going out for some Thai food and would be back in a little while.

     So it was that she was just coming out of a little hole-in-the-wall thai restaurant with a bag full of containers of goodies to nosh on. She's dressed in a pair of blue jeans that flared out from knee to ankle just slightly, and had ribbon embroidery all up the sides of the legs, a strappy black tank top tucked into the waistband of her jeans, and well-worn but well-loved white sneakers. As always, she had her little brown bag with her as well.

     As a musician, she also had damn good hearing--and there was no missing that roar. It was a roar she'd heard before, on at least one other occasion.

     "Ah, crap."

     Winging her way into the air, she follows the sound to its source, staying just out of reach when she confirms just who it is. This was going to be an interesting night.

Hulk has posed:
As Rift speaks... he... stares at her. Blankly.

"Hulk doesn't care about human clothing. Puny Banner does. Hulk not bothered by it, so Hulk doesn't care." Another headscratch, and Hulk sniffs at Rift. It's the sniff of a beast trying to understand an unknown....

Then, after a few moments, Hulk glances away from Rift and up and down the street, to the humans running like their lives depended on it. Hulk, however, doesn't seem to care about them. Then, he looks back to the car, "Hulk likes land on street better. Too pointy." Hulk concludes, before he starts walking down the street, in the direction of an alleyway.

The thumps of his footsteps cause minor local quakes, and leave footprints in the street and sidewalk as he goes.

Engine of destruction indeed.

Rift has posed:
Rift calls after Hulk. "Hey - there's a lot of scared people out there. Why don't we just stay here and talk?" She follows after Hulk. "It'd suck if someone got hurt." She then takes a big bite of her sandwich, hmmmmmming happly as she floats along - she's not going to get in the Hulk's away. "Or we can go out of the city? I bet the soft ground would feel better on your feet than asphault."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Miss Grey's gonna kill me for this...."

     Shannon could hear Rift calling out to the Hulk, trying to calm him down. It also didn't sound like it was entirely working. Would having someone at least somewhat familiar present help? It was worth a try, to see if she could get in his line of sight and give Rift an assist.

     It only takes her a minute or two to catch up, soaring at a decent altitude above the Hulk and Rift. She'd seen how high he could jump from ground level if he wanted to, and if he was startled, had no wish to be in his way. "Hulk?" she calls out, hoping the sound of her voice might be recognized first, announcing her presence rather than just show up in front of him. As she banks around to hover within his line of sight, she smiles. "Hey there, Hulk... remember me?"

     Fingers crossed, maybe he would indeed remember--or at least pause for a moment to think it through, and give folks a chance to get to safety.

Hulk has posed:
He snorts dismissively, "Humans always afraid of Hulk. That will never change. Hulk doesn't care. Hulk just wants to be left alone." Hulk growls out at Rift... though she can tell that he's just in general angry. There's no malice in his eyes directed towards her; she hasn't tried to stop him or attacked him, after all. Instead, he simply walked along.

Then, Shannon could be heard above, and the Hulk looked in her direction, "Why is Wings here? Hulk just traveling." He growls out, though Shannon can easily tell that there's no anger directed at her; The Other Guy is simply naturally angry. All. The. Time. It's his default.

Rift has posed:
Rift glances at Shannon, shrugging. "'Wings' is a friend of mine," she chirps, darting forward around Hulk to float by Shannon, keeping a distance in case her gravity field woudl disrupt her 'natural' aerodynamic-based flight. "I'm scared of you too, but I'm trying to face my fears. It's what a hero does." She glances at Shannon, a question in her eyes about 'how do you know him'.

Nightingale has posed:
     "To be honest, Hulk? I was just getting some Thai food." Shannon offers a smile, and stays put right where she is, hovering in the air. She had something of an idea that chances were good he might not remember just /what/ triggered the transformation. Something had irritated him enough, though, hence the general anger and the wish to be left alone. She scratches the back of her head and thinks for a moment.

     "There's some good quiet areas just outside the city, if you're wanting some peace and quiet," Shannon suggests. "I've got enough food here to share. Maybe we could travel that way and grab a bite al fresco?"

     A quick look is given to Rift, and she shakes her head. That unspoken question would be answered later.

Hulk has posed:
This actually seems to get the Hulk's attention, he hunches slightly, pausing in obvious thought, before he gives a loud sniff and wipes his nose. "Hulk almost never likes cities anyway. Mountains are quiet, humans hate them."

Then, he looks to Rift, "Red girl can go back to eating."

With that, Hulk leaps, 'casually' up to the rooftops above. There's a *LOUD* crash as he hits the floor. "Hulk will follow." He calls out.

Rift has posed:
Rift just blinks as she ascends upwards to the roof, and then smiles. "Here... let's make this easier." She then concentrates as a portal starts tearing open in front of Hulk. She then concentrates even more, gritting her teeth as she makes it bigger and bigger until it's Hulk-sized. Through it is the forest outside of the town. "There... I'm not used... to making such a large portal... can't hold it long." Her voice is rather strained.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Aim that for the Poconos if you can, Rift, and keep it away from the resorts there. We're looking for peace and quiet, not dropping in as uninvited guests." Shannon just smiles, trying to show the Hulk a little bit of trust by dropping a bit more altitude, and hovering in the air a little bit closer--yet still at a respectful distance, so as not to crowd him.

     "My folks were married at a little resort there," she comments. "They took me to see it once when I was small. The area around it's nice and quiet, and it's probably one of the closest spots in the mountains to the city."

Hulk has posed:
Hulk eyes the portal suspiciously. VERY suspiciously. "Magic Men like to use portals to trap Hulk in bubble worlds, where he can't get out." Hulk growls. "You are not Magic Man. Hulk will trust you.. but Hulk will SMASH you if this is a trick." Hulk warns.

Given who it is, that is not an idle threat.

Then, he growls again, sniffing the portal, before he walks into it.

Rift has posed:
Rift gulps. "I... am not magic. That's... ummmmmm...." She blinks. "Mutant powers meet science." She then gestures. "It's about two miles northeast of here. As far as I can channel a portal this size." She then floats through the portal after Hulk, panting softly - it's a struggle to make such a large portal as she sinks to the ground, and the moment Shannon passes, she'll close it and messily and rapidly eat the rest of that now-cool roast beef sandwich.

Nightingale has posed:
     Okay, so it wasn't the Poconos. But at least it was outside of city limits, and better still, it was /quiet/. Backwinging to a somewhat graceful landing nearby, Shannon kneels down to check on Rift. A light chuckle escapes her. "Oh yeah. Metabolism kicks ya hard after you use your gifts, too? I get that after a lot of minor healings, or one major one. Appetite goes into overdrive for a day or so."

     True to her word, she does open the bag she has with her, pulling out each container. There's various noodle dishes, chicken, pork, and even soups. "Nice, quiet spot to eat out. Good call, both of you."