12582/It Starts With Pie...

It Starts With Pie...
Date of Scene:	23 December 2020
Location:	Fred's Diner - Mutant Town
Synopsis:	Tyler, Andrea and Nevada run into each other at a diner. Then they do some heroing.
Cast of Characters:	Twitch, Rage, Barghest

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Twitch has posed:
The small diner is fairly busy today. Not a whole lot of room available between all of the customers currently there. In one of the booths Tyler Grant sit with a trio of other young adults, all with the remains of meals on the table in front of them. Tyler seems to be the more dominant personality at the table as he speaks to his companions, "Alright. You folx all know what to do. Stick around the neighborhood and keep me in the loop." They all signal affirmation somehow before heading for the diner's door. Tyler, meanwhile, has more on his mind, namely flagging down a server for some more food, "Slice of cherry pie, please. Just when you get the chance, no hurry."

His cell phone is in his hands, but he's doing a good job of maintaining situational awareness despite the device in front of him.

Rage has posed:
The doors swing open to reveal Andrea and Nevada. The twins are heading in for breakfast before they hit up the new Health Clinic that opened up to do a meet and greet with the staff. Now that it has been opened for a few weeks, she just wants to peek in and say Hello and see how things are going.

As they head to a table, there is a bit of murmur amongst the crowd as the mutant celebrity is spotted. She takes it in stride as she engages in conversation with Nevada, plucking up a menu. She's a familiar face around Mutant Town as it is.

"So, we'll be in Kentucky for the weekend. You can come if you want, unless you plan on hanging out with Grace." She says with an amused grin.

Barghest has posed:
"No plans for Christmas itself since she'll be with family, though she and I were talking about something over New Years." Nevada replies as he follows along aside Andrea. "Weather depending, like usual. I miss summer. The cold is murder on my bones." Complains Nev, for all the guy looks to be college age and shouldn't be getting hit with arthritis this early. Given his stiff walk, though, maybe he is.

He sinks down into a chair with a flicker of a relieved expression as he gets a menu, "She's awesome, but at least you and Jay I don't need to hide my horrible eating habits. She'd probably look at me like a freak if I crammed four cheeseburgers in my face."

Twitch has posed:
When folks start taking notice of the twins' arrival, Tyler looks up to see exactly what's happening. A smile appears on his face and he rises to his feet, lifting a hand in a wave, and calling out in a friendly tone of voice, "Hey there!" As his pie is delivered to him he grabs the plate and fork from the server, "Thank you."

Slipping out from his booth, now armed with dessert, he sidles up to the other table, "What's this about four cheeseburgers? I mean, I usually call it at three, but there are times when it's easy to plow through that fourth one." His head twitches to the side a little bit, but he's still wearing a grin.

Rage has posed:
"Well, why don't you come to Kentucky with us?" Andrea asks Nevada as she props her chin up in the palm of her hand as she lazily glances around the menu. She already decided on pancakes, but she may as well see what else is out there in case something may change her mind.

Peeking over at the sound of Tyler's voice, she gives him a smile. "Oh. Hey Ty. Long time no see." She glances over to his other table at the sight of the others, then looks back to him. "Out with some friends?"

Glancing to Nevada, she smirks at him. "Your eating habits is fine. You just have a black hole for a stomach. It's not like you slam your face in a bowl and go at it like a starved dog." Her brows lift upwards, giving him a playful poke.

Barghest has posed:
"I dunno, sis, you don't see me with cereal at three in the morning. Rules are off the table at that hour." Teases Nevada with a wide grin on his face before looking over to who joins the table. There's no recognition on Nevada's face, but his sister clearly knows the guy and that seems sufficient for him.

"Pie before noon? Alright, I like you. Hm, actually wonder if they have fruit pancakes. I have ideas now." He trails off in a mumble as his nose goes back in his menu, apparently intent on devising things that may not be offered to normal god-fearing people.

Twitch has posed:
"Yeah. We're working on a project," Tyler confirms for Andrea with a slight nod of the head. "Just finished out our little meetup, though. I was just sticking around for a slice of pie." He shows off the plate in his hand. "How are you? The clinic is a big help to the people around here. I'm really glad you got it operational."

Turning to face Nevada, Tyler grins, "Never too early for pie. And they do have fruit pancakes here, but I got the meat breakfast this morning, had to get the pie to sweeten things out at the end." Still smiling, he adds, "I'm Tyler, by the way."

Rage has posed:
"A project? You got a real job now? Last you told me, you were kinda .. you know .. homeless and sorta grifting." Andrea says as she raises her brow upwards. She gives a glance towards the door that his friends exited out of, then back to him. "Which by the way still bothers me. I've worried about you a few times now that the cold weather is approaching. You can probably go back to Xavier's and get your GED."

As she eases back into the chair, she puts in an order to the waitress that comes over. Short stack and sausage links for her. Largest OJ she can find in the back. She loves her OJ.

"Do you have holiday plans?"

Barghest has posed:
"Excellent." Nevada all but purrs in that evil overlord sort of way, except his only plans for domination amount to tackling an alarming amount of carbs. "Oh! I'm Nevada." He adds, once he realizes the introduction was there. His order is a full stack of blackberry pancakes, three eggs scrambled with cheese, hash browns, and an order of both bacon and sausage. And an order of toast to go along with... water.

"Ah, good old school." He murmurs in that knowing sort of way, but keeps his nose out of discussions regarding living situations.

Twitch has posed:
"Not a job so much as helping the community," Tyler explains with a shrug. "Keeping some people from getting hurt and taken advantage of and all that. My friends are just keeping an eye on things until I can find this prick and plaster him doing the wrong thing all over social media." There's a shoulder shrug. "I'm in a good spot now. Got some money coming in regularly from training fighters at Mack's Gym."

As for holiday plans, the young man shrugs his shoulders, "Not really. I was thinking about going up to the mountains for a minute and learning to ski. I bet I'd be good at it once I learn the basics."

"Good to meet you, Nevada," says the one young man to the other.

Rage has posed:
"Really now? Is this something you should fill me in on? I know all about social media."

Obviously when it comes to Mutant Town affairs, it catches Andrea's interest. "Also, when did you become an 'enforcer' of some type? Are you in a gang, Tyler?" She asks as she props her chin up in the palm of her hand. "Like, the Crips or the Black Dragons or whatever they're calling themselves these days?"

Barghest has posed:
"If you're in a gang, lemme know what colors to avoid and where." Says Nevada as he sips water, sounding not too concerned if he is.

"Sounds like you know Andrea well enough, though. So if you need her help with something, let her know. Especially with all the trouble around Mutant Town right now. Hopefully all of this cure uproar settles soon."

Twitch has posed:
"Somebody, possibly a cop, is shaking down businesses for protection money," Tyler explains to his friend. "Police aren't doing anything about it, claiming there's no evidence, which strikes me as really weird. So I'm going to get some evidence of my own..." He lifts his cell phone up. "And then share it with the world. My friends are out trying to figure out where they'll show up next so I can be there to record anything they do and intervene is someone's going to get hurt."

There's a soft chuckle, "I'm no banger. Too much involvement in stuff that's not just illegal but immoral. I'm literally just trying to help people."

Nevada is given a deep nod, "Watch out for purple around here, primarily. Yellow in Hispanic sections of town. Blue and red if they're in groups in lower middle class and poorer areas." His head shakes, then twitches, at the idea of a cure, "I don't like calling it a cure. Some folks like being mutants and wouldn't want that part of them stripped away."

Rage has posed:
"Shaking down businesses here in mutant town?"

There's a raise of Andrea's brows upwards a bit higher. Drumming her fingers on the table, she lets out a light noise in her throat. "Well, any information you want to pass my way, you know that I have the connections to dig into it. I kinda see Mutant Town as 'my' town and I'm not about to see the little guy get worked over by a jerk."

Barghest has posed:
"Police don't care too much about folks in Bushwick, less so after the shit that happened during the concert. Not surprising." Nevada remarks with a faint frown before he settles into quiet, waiting for food and letting the two of them talk.

Twitch has posed:
"There's a whole little crew, apparently, but they think the leader is a cop. Probably from another precinct, but who knows any more?" Tyler shrugs his shoulders. "That's kind of all I've got for right now, other than the names and businesses of some of the victims. Apparently today is the day he's collecting for his racket. So we're watching some of the businesses to see if he shows up. If he does, I'm going to record the whole thing. If you want to share it on social media it'd be a really big help getting the word out there. Hopefully get the police to respond."

Rage has posed:
Furrowing her brows, Andrea says, "Nah, I'd rather be there front and present. Soon as we finish breakfast, we'll head out." She popstarlet looks agitated now as her brow furrows tightly. "I may even make a few phone calls depending on how this goes.

"Pretty sure showing up with some X-Men would put a stop to whatever bullshit this guy has going down. You know how Logan can be. I bet he'd love a beer run and a rumble with some jackass."

Twitch has posed:
"Sounds like a plan to me, then. Once you finish eating we'll go to Mel's convenience store, likely to be the first place on the list. If it's not, it's close to other businesses that have been targeted and my friends are out there keeping any eye on things."

A faint smile crosses Tyler's lips, "If we're going to be throwing down this asshole's in serious trouble anyway. He'd land himself in traction, or worse, if he tried to go toe to toe."

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, well .. I am X-Man trained after all." Andrea says with a boasting tone in her voice. "I don't know what you've been up to since you bailed on high school, but I'm sure it didn't involve over twenty thousand hours of Danger Room experience."

As the food comes, she licks her lips hungrily and tucks in. She'll surely lose a race to Nevada when it comes to wolfing breakfast down, but she's a close second. She is not a savage, but determined. Big bites.

Twitch has posed:
"No Danger Room shit, but I've more than stayed in shape," Tyler lets a smile appear on his own lips. "I broadened my martial arts repertoire further and started working out more than ever."

His own pie long since devoured, the young fellow occasionally checks to see what's happening with his team by glancing at his cell phone. On closer look it's rather expensive burner, probably obtained to make use of the better camera it offers. "Still looks quiet out there. Usual morning routine type of stuff."

Rage has posed:
"Mm. You don't even have a name on this guy, or an alias?"

Andrea finishes off her pancakes, then washes it down with the OJ. Sliding her hand into her purse, she puts some cash on the table to cover the tab as well as a generous tip. She gives a glance over to Nevada, then back towards Tyler.

"Got a description as well? So far it's been pretty vague on the details."

Twitch has posed:
"'Call me "Jack"' is what he says to his victims. Flashed a badge at one, but they didn't catch the number on it," Tyler says, getting back down to business. "White male, six foot two. Muscular build with a bit of a belly. Brown hair, no beard or mustache, often wears sunglasses and a raincoat or trench coat and a Yankees cap. Cameras at the businesses failed to pick up his face clearly, though."

"Crew is made up of four others," He continues. "They usually hang outside the businesses he targets. Look younger than he does. Two men and two women. That's all I got on them."

Rage has posed:
"Probably not a real cop then. A real cop wouldn't risk doing something as stupid as that. Not in this age. Especially in mutant town. Sounds like a jackass who is trying to make cops look bad, or scare people." Andrea rises up from the table and gives a long stretch, then shoulders her bag over her neck and shoulder.

"Nev and I are ready." Her lips twitch upwards as she glances at her brother, then back to Tyler. "Oh. We're twins by the way. He and I. Our 'thing' sorta runs in the family if you catch my drift."

Twitch has posed:
"Yeah?" Tyler asks as he looks between Andrea and Nevada, cracking a smile. "Nice."

Then he leads the way out the door, holding it for the others before heading down the street towards the convenience store in question. "Might be a cop, might not. Doesn't matter to me, scumbag's going to get messed up one way or another."

As he strolls down the sidewalk his phone buzzes and he looks down at it, "Alright, looks like he's pulling up there now. Brown Chevy Impala and a Fiat smart car of some make. Double parked on the street."

As they get closer to their destination Tyler will point out the vehicles up ahead by nodding towards them. He readies his phone, switching it to camera mode and beginning to record video. His fingers hit the screen several times in rapid succession, "Damn thing's not working. Everything is blurred out all of the sudden. Knew I should have bought a Stark model."

Meanwhile the Impala lets out a guy in a trench coat and a Yankees hat. Late thirties, clean shaven, well built. With him is a young woman in her twenties wearing a knit cap and a long puffy coat with fake fur trim. The driver of the vehicle has a green fauxhawk. In the smart car is a woman with shaved head and a man with dreadlocks. Those still in the car seem content to wait there. For those with particularly good hearing, the puffy coat woman says to Yankee hat, "I'm tracking the surveillance cameras inside and a cell phone trying to take video of the street. Nothing to worry about, got it blurred out."

Yankee hat replies to his companion, "Good job. Keep a look out out here." Then he moves to head inside the little store.

Rage has posed:
There is a twitch of Andrea's ears as she heads down the sidewalk towards the store. She gives a glance towards the car for a moment and the woman inside, then heads for the doors as she pulls her hoodie up and over her head. She doesn't need to be recognized right off the bat. Today she's dressed in a pair of flexible jeans and a baggy sweater. While she has a recognizable face, the hood may deter most people from catching her.

"I'll be back in a moment, going to snag some drinks." She calls over to Nevada and Tyler before she makes her way in. She catches the door and tugs it open, keeping her head down as she heads for the fridgerated section.

Twitch has posed:
"Sure," Tyler replies to Andrea as she makes her way inside the store. He turns to look over the rest of Yankee hat's crew, appearing pretty casual about it. They are double parked like assholes, after all.

Inside the store the guy in question leans against the counter, looking over it at the cash register, "Alright. You know the deal." This is directed at the owner, a woman of late middle age.

She ducks behind the counter to open a safe, watched intently by Yankee hat the whole time to make sure she's not going for a gun. When she comes up with a bag and hands it off the man in the trench coat looks inside, nods his head and smiles at the woman, "Thank you very much. Pleasure doing business with you."

Rage has posed:
"Unlucky day for you."

Is Andrea's voice from behind the large man as she draws her hoodie down. "Hyper senses told me that the cameras don't work in here, which means what I'm going to do to you won't be recorded. You really thought you can walk into my town and rob my people in broad daylight?"

"Your friends outfront? They're about to get a world class assbeating while I make your dentist a happy man." The rumble starts low in her throat as she cracks her neck to one side, drawing the zipper down from her hoodie before she shrugs out of it. "Ma'am." She calls over to the store owner. "You're gonna wanna head off to the back. I wouldn't want you to witness this."

Twitch has posed:
"You really going to accost a cop in broad daylight, while I got four witnesses outside?" Yankee hat asks as he turns, pushing his jacket aside to show off the badge and holstered gun next to it. "I mean, if you wanna get froggy, little lady, then you can just go ahead and jump." There's a very mean looking grin on his face.

One of the crew outside who'd been watching the goings on in the store gets out of the vehicle and pounds on the side of it loudly enough to alert the other three. Puff coat steps out of the way of the convenience store's door as the other three approach it.

That's when Tyler's head twitches to the side for a moment and he steps up towards the door to try to block it, "You're not welcome. Better just get back to your cars and fuck off."

The owner of the convenience store keeps her head down and heads for the back room, where there's probably a rear exit to the building.

Rage has posed:
"Well, you're not really a cop." Andrea says as she gives a sniff at the air. "And what would the world believe? That a big burly cop like yourself got his ass handed to him by a little girl? I don't think that's something you're gonna brag to the homies about. You also hope that gun spits out a nuke."

There is a loud cracking of bones, followed by the jolt of her body as she swiftly shifts upwards into her war form, towering over him in pitch black fur and long curved claws. Her jaws part widely. The better to eat you with my dear.

"Put. Money. Down. One. Warrrrrning."

The English is dragged out of her throat as she points a talon towards the counter, swaying her tail behind her.

"Orrrrr. Else. Yoooour. My. Bitch."

Twitch has posed:
"Knew this would happen someday," Yankee hat says, shaking his head slowly. He moves to set the money down on the counter, "Too bad I didn't bring my own mutants." He stops and leans next to where he rested the money, "Oh wait."

Outside, Fauxhawk takes a swing at Tyler. It doesn't go well for him as the ninja proceeds to dodge the strike and return with a combo that sends him sprawling on the ground. The bald woman suddenly sprouts silver feathers from her head. She reaches up and plucks them out to launch them at Tyler. As he twists acrobatically to avoid them they bury themselves in the brick wall behind him, except for where one hits a window and shatters it. Dreadlocks stomps down on the ground, cracking the concrete under his foot and causing everyone on the street to nearly stumble before he makes his way towards Tyler, "You're dead, man."

Rage has posed:
"Too. Bad. I. Brrrrrrought. Miiiiine. Also."

There is a blur of movement from Rage as her large paw grabs the man by the neck, hefting him upwards as her other paw slams on his hip to cover the weapon holster. She leans forward, baring her jaws at him as drool drips down her jowls. She looks like a primordial terrifying beast of legend.

With that, she starts to carry him back towards the front doors, lumbering with heavy thumps of her paws, ears wilting backwards in an aggressive manner.

Barghest has posed:
As Andrea and Tyler approached the store, Nevada stayed behind at the car. Or so it seemed. The back seat of an empty car was a good place to change one's form without risking undue attention. Now, a large, shaggy, black shepherd mix deftly unlatching the door and jumping out of the car might not be so normal. Neither is shoulder-checking the door closed after. Well, maybe they just have a well-trained service dog?

Or not. Because the dog's back end slopes in a way that doesn't imply health. More, it settles its eyes on the group advancing on Tyler and bares his teeth in a wicked snarl. The dog kicks off and races across the pavement, zeroing in on the silver-headed harpy to leap and tackle her to the ground.

Twitch has posed:
"Hey! Get off me!" Yankee hat exclaims as he struggles in vain to get away from the wolf monster. "Bobby, don't worry about the skinny kid, hit this one instead," he says to Dreadlocks.

Quickly, Dreadlocks moves towards Andrea, "Never punched out an endangered species before." But he's about to try, hands balling into fists as he gets closer.

Feather head doesn't stand a chance as she's bowled over and taken to the ground by the surprise animal attack. "Oh shit," she exclaims as she goes down under the beast's weight.

Tyler's not about to let Dreadlocks go after Andrea while she's otherwise occupied. He tells the fellow, "I'm not done with you, asshole." And throws himself into the fight. It's clear that Dreads is strong as hell, but he can't seem to land a blow against his more agile opponent. Tyler continues to drive blow after blow into his adversary's face and body, darting in and out between attempted strikes. Strong as he is, it doesn't appear Dreads will last long under the onslaught of attacks.

Rage has posed:
Snarling over towards Dreads, the eight foot monster bares her yellow eyes upon him. Rage is practically begging for him to try something, especially with her claws wrapped about the throat of 'Jack'. Once she is clear of the store, she slams the man to the ground, planting her foot upon his chest as she leans down down to stare at him.

"You. Ever. Come. Back. Here. I. Will. Tearrrrrr. Yourrrrr. Thrrrrroat."

She puts a bit more pressure on his chest with her heavy weight to show that she means business. One clawed hand swoops down to slice through the gunbelt, then snatches it up. There is a sickening crunch of metal as she twists it in half after popping the clip free.

She gives a quick glance towards her brother and her friend, then looks back down to Jack with a wide, cruel wolfish grin, showing off many teeth. "We. Good?"

Barghest has posed:
Nevada clamps his teeth around the defending arm of Feather, just like those classic clips of a police dog dropping a suspect and holding them while their partner does the apprehending. There's a loud snarl in the back of his throat and the full array of his teeth on display as they're pressed into skin. He doesn't look to be actively harming her outside of the inevitable scrapes and marks a struggle causes. He doesn't seem to be any stronger than a very large dog would naturally be, but that's quiet a bit when paired with a standard human physique. The threat remains, however, along with a direct and all too intelligence stare in yellow eyes. He'll do worse if she doesn't settle and yield.

Twitch has posed:
"Fine. You win," Yankee cap says from where he's pinned to the ground, especially after getting a look as his backup also on the ground. "I don't need to do this shit anyway." His hands are held away from his body, showing he doesn't have anything planned.

Fauxhawk starts to get up at this point, looking more than a little punch drunk. He starts stumbling down the street, clearly trying to get away from the goings on.

Puff Jacket goes to get back in the smart car, looking like she's just going to drive off.

Tyler, apparently, isn't letting Dreads go without a fight. Now wobbling on his feet, the super strong dude doesn't seem to have much fight left in him. Tyler twists his body around to deliver a kick to the face that knocks the guy over. Then he turns towards where Feather is pinned to the ground, looms over her and says, "Leave. Don't come back. You're not welcome here." The fight has clearly gone out of her.

Rage has posed:
As she shifts down with a sickening loud cracking of bones, Andrea stares at the man below her, then gives a visible glower. "Mutant Town is under the protection of the X-Men and those who ally with them. I got your scent. I have your friend's scent. I have resources that can track you down to the ends of the Earth. You step another foot in here again, and it's over for you. These people work too fucking hard to scrape by in a world that already hates them, and you're gonna take what little they got left? Fuck you."

Straightening up, she stps off of the man and cracks her neck to the side, eyeing the rest of the combatants. "And you guys are the worst. Stealing from your own. Hurting your own people. Working with some .. flatscan. You should be helping to build your community up, not tear it down."

Sliding her phone out of her pocket, she taps along the glass. "Cops are called. If I were you, I'd get the fuck out before they show up."

Barghest has posed:
With one last growl of warning, Nevada slowly releases Feather's arm and backs away to give her space to rise. He begins a slow walk with his head down and hackles up, staring at each of the thieves like a dog herding sheep. And herding he is as he presses inward and moves to urge each of them to get back to their vehicles with haste. Someone moves too slow or starts to move a little fishy? They get a snarling bark in their direction. Move it along, git, scat.

Twitch has posed:
The would be protection racket gets out of dodge pretty quickly, either getting back in the cars or, in the case of Fauxhawk and his concussion, head off down the street. It will not be long before they vacate the scene.

Tyler looks over at Andrea and then at who he assumes is Nevada, giving them each a nod, "Nice work."

Rage has posed:
Nodding her head, Andrea picks her hoodie back up and slides it over her form. Her clothing is torn in a few places now, but it seems that she at least brought out the unstable molecule undies. She doesn't need a TMZ moment. Once she zips up, she gives a grin to Tyler.

"Easy peasy. No one wants to fight a werewolf. Or two." She squints her eyes at Tyler for a moment. "Your fighting style is interesting. This was fun. We should do this more often. You know .. street team superheroing for the little guy."

Barghest has posed:
Nevada snorts loudly as he watches the thieves take off. Only once he's reassured that they are buggering off, the black dog circles back around to rejoin Andrea and Tyler. He leans his shoulder into the leg of his sister as he looks up towards Tyler.

"Fancy moves." He says in clear English. Well, as clear as it can be through pointed teeth and no lips to speak of. "Let's go, 'fore the cops get here."

Twitch has posed:
"Yeah, that was a blast," Tyler says with a grin. "I do this kind of thing from time to time, keep normal people from getting stepped on." His hands slide into his jacket pockets and he leans against the wall, "I'm not going to stick around too long either. Rather not deal with any cops, myself, but it was definitely good seeing you two."

Rage has posed:
"I'll stick around to give a statement and let the owner know it's okay. I'll contact some of the X-Men... maybe Logan.. make sure there they stay gone and no retaliation. You know Logan and his booze."

Andrea gives a glance around for a moment, then furrows her brows. "If you wanna take off Nev, I'll see you later at home. Just let Jay know I'll be late."

Barghest has posed:
"Will do. Stay off the news." Nevada says up to Andrea before looking back to Tyler. "Be safe out there."

And then he's off. His run is a little stiff and awkward, but four legs are still faster than two when one needs to cross several city blocks. Besides, he knows of a little butcher shop a few blocks from here who has a soft spot for the city's strays. Time for some second breakfast.

Twitch has posed:
"You too, man," Tyler tells the dog as he watches it trot off. Then he turns towards Andrea and nods at her, "Alright. I'll be nearby if you need anything from me. Take care of yourself out there." Then he starts to head off, making his own way down the street before quickly turning into a neighboring alleyway.