1335/Log

From United Heroes MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Log
Date of Scene: 07 July 2017
Location: Uknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Wu, Black Canary




Wu has posed:
    Overcast. Threatening rain for a day, but so far the sky has not made good its threat. It's just brooded overhead, staring down at the ant-like people going about their daily business.
    Alice sits cross-legged on a low bench next to a small park. A bag from Los Pollos Hermanos graces the surface beside her, a sandwich between her fingers, as she gazes out over the crowd to get a feel for the city and its rhythms.
    The homeless guy dressed for the Arctic who "zaps" passing cars with his hair dryer.
    The bag lady picking through the litter bins with deft fingers looking for anything recyclable or resaleable.
    The crowd of kids on skateboards doing tricks up and down the stairs and ramps before the dark facade of the penitentiary.
    The traffic cop blowing his whistle frantically as cars pay him little heed in the intersection with its flashing red light.
    Every so often her hand wanders to the jade pendant--the Bodhisattva Guanyin--hanging by red thread from her neck as she inspects something.

Black Canary has posed:
    And the woman who just turned the corner, striding out of a copse of trees like she belongs there. Or at least, with the air of someone not immediately worried about would be muggers. She pauses as her blue eyes scan over the park, flicking from person to person...then settling on the woman on the bench. She slides her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and starts sauntering that direction. As she gets close, it's obvious she's...oddly dressed. Possibly a prostitute, but...not enough actually showing, and something about the way she walks is more of a stalk than a strut.

Wu has posed:
    Alice resettles slightly in her place. Nothing overt. Sandwich carefully rewrapped and placed in bag. Legs shifted a bit into a looser position. Vest loosened a bit. Her eyes don't quite rest on the arriving woman but ... nor are they *not* quite resting on the approaching one. It's a useful trick, that one, for surveillance. Her left hand runs briefly through her short red hair, trying in vain to put it in place. Quite by accident the lapel of her vest flips over briefly in the process, flashing a badge that is almost immediately covered again by the lapel's return.
    Accident or warning.
    Alice's hands rest folded in her lap as she waits.

Black Canary has posed:
    The woman saunters over, but as she gets closer she takes her hands out of her pockets, holding them out away from her body so Alice can see she's got nothing in them. "Easy...just wanna talk." she says, a faint smile teasing her lips now. "If you're not busy., that is."

    She gestures to the bench. "...if you're hungry, there's a good BBQ place down the street, in fact. I"ll buy." she offers. "Best ribs in town..."

Wu has posed:
    A quick rake over the woman with appraising eyes. A short pause. Then, just as subtly as before, the demeanour changes back to one less guarded. Alice picks up her bag and meticulously removes the wrapper from the sandwich again, folding it back to hold it carefully by paper without it touching her hand.
    "The offer is appreciated," she says. "Unfortunately there are two small barriers. First, I have already started my meal; indeed I've eaten half of it. Second, I'm afraid I'm not in the habit of having meals with perfect strangers."
    The mouth doesn't move, but the eyes wrinkle at the corners in a silent, slightly amused smile.
    "The second is easily enough remedied. I am called Alice Gulliver. Detective Alice Gulliver." A very small amount of emphasis on the title. "And now we are half way to resolving the second barrier. The first, however likely remains unbreachable."
    She takes a small bite. Chews carefully.
    "I must say, I do not understand why your 'KFC' is so popular when this exists."

Black Canary has posed:
    "Honestly? Cheap food, lots of carbs and calories...some people like it, some people can't do better." the blonde says, taking a seat on the bench as she eyes the sandwich. "That DOES look good...fair enough." She tilts her head, then says. "...this always feels weird, I have to admit. So..." She offers a hand. Up close, Alice can see she's wearing some kind of fingerless glove with an armored metal back made out of a dull gold metal. "Black Canary. A gentleman with an unruly cloak suggested that I be the welcome wagon here." She grins. "...the alternatives were kinda grim for welcoming anyone, mostly."

Wu has posed:
    Alice nods at the explanation, accepting it. "Pity," she opines before taking another bite. She appears to be using the chewing cycle as an opportunity to sort out racing thoughts, given the way her eyes move.
    "Stephen?" she finally asks. "I'm surprised he remembers me." Her hand wanders to her pendant again in an almost religiously reverent tic. She looks over at Dinah appraisingly, her eyes oddly out of focus.
    "I'm confused. What's your affiliation with Stephen?" she finally asks, her eyes back in focus, pendant hanging back down. "You don't seem to be his type."
    Double-meanings for the win.

Black Canary has posed:
    "He's definitely not mine." Dinah mutters, then says. "More of a friend of a friend in this case. I didn't get the whole story, just that he felt it would be..what was the word....'polite'...to have someone come by to answer questions about your new posting. And the more interesting nighttime activities you may or may not have already heard about." Which is a polite way of saying bad guys getting punched in dark alleys at times. She crosses her legs comfortably, resting her arms on the back of the bench. "Mostly because it seems neighborly to help out other...gifted people when they show up." She sighs. "...right, I kinda suck at this, fair warning. So. Imagine me being your 'Dummies Guide to Gotham and Things That Go Bump In the Night That May be Batlike', among other things."

Wu has posed:
    "It's very kind of him to ..." Alice pauses, seeming to search for the right word. "... care? Or is it more fear?"
    Another bite for the awkward pause. Thankfully she seems to only have two of those left.
    "I got the impression that he felt that I felt he was responsible for my mother. Reassure him that I don't hold that view in the slightest. My presence here is more one of fortunate coincidence."
    She locks gazes with Dinah briefly, then moves the gaze on back over Dinah's shoulder and nods.
    "But the impulse to help is appreciated, Ms. Canary." A brief puzzled frown. "Or is it Ms. Black?" She shakes her head and carries on. "The environment here is both oh-so-familiar yet oh-so-alien. It has been a bit disorienting, and from what I've gathered in my own explorations ... well, a so-called 'Dummies Guide' could be very helpful. So thank you."

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah snorts at the names. "Welcome. And Canary is fine." she offers. "When we've known each other a bit, we can decide on the whole 'miss' and/or first name business." she says with a smile. She tilts her head. "I admit I don't know everything about that, just that you have some magical talent." she says slowly. "Though it's fine if you don't want to discuss it. Oh! Before I forget.."

    She pauses to open her coat a bit more, then tugging out a small card she offers to Alice. "Here's a line you can reach me at, for a start. I might not always be able to answer immediately, I tend to be hopping around a lot. But there's a voice mail and I can get back to you as soon as I listen to it usually."

    She idly reaches up to brush a stray strand of blond hair behind an ear as she lets her jacket close again. "So...what would you like to ask first, then? Anything in particular?"

Wu has posed:
    The card is accepted with two hands and then quickly secreted. Then her penultimate bite-driven awkward pause ensues.
    "I ... do not cast spells," she carefully equivocates. "Stephen does not have to worry about that. I won't be calling attention to the mystic side of life. I'm not my mother; not the August Wu of the Coral Island." Tight smile, slightly amused. "That's too long-winded for me anyway. I'm just the Wu now. Much shorter. More modern. Snappier."
    She shrugs. "As far as everybody is concerned, I'm one of those ... uh ... 'cops who plays by her own rules'. I work alone, mostly. My boss probably likes that I'm half a world away because he can wean himself from his headache medicine for a while. In the mean time, I can hunt in virgin territory where I'm not known yet."
    Her gaze flicks over to the homeless man. "So I guess my first question is this: do people not know that the man over there with the hair dryer is haunted?"

Black Canary has posed:
    A blonde brow raises as Alice announces herself as the Wu. She restrains herself from making a 'woo woo' magic joke with great discipline! Also she's not sure if that's the sort of joke she can make around her yet. She nods as the explanation happens, though when she gets to the least question, Dinah pauses, looking over at the man. "....nope. I can safely say I did not know that, and I'm pretty sure most other people wouldn't either." she says thoughfully. "So you see ghosts?"

Wu has posed:
    "I'm just a cop," Alice says with a sly smile. "Like any cop I can only see what my eyes give me." Her hand slips to the pendant again. "Of course, like any cop I use tools to enhance my senses and skills. Body armour to stop bullets. A little charm to see ... otherworldly things."
    She watches the man for a while.
    "There. See him shooting with that hair dryer? It looks like he's aiming it at a car, but ... he's not. He's being tormented by something and he's shooting at it."
    Her hand drops from the pendant.
    "He's quite mad, of course," she says ruefully. "But he's been driven there. I can't stop the madness; I ... lack that power. But I can and will stop his torment tonight."
    Tight smile Canary's way. "Assuming this meets with the local community's approval, naturally."

Black Canary has posed:
    Canary purses her lips at that, tapping a booted foot idly. "...okay." she says, accepting that. Equipment makes sense. And she doesn't have a...Batabelt, or whatever Bats calls it, filled with magical thingees. Charm she can deal with.

    "How exactly are you going to stop his torment?" she says curiously. "Exorcise him or something? Or does he need more than that?" She's not exactly up on the ghost thing.

Wu has posed:
    "For big things," Alice says with a grin, eyes twinkling as she prevaricates mercilessly, "I shoot them. Sometimes a lot. Little things like that one, though, just get a shiv in the back." A light shrug pairs with a head tilt as her eyes stray over to the beleaguered man. "What can I say? I'm very basic. What I can't punch, I knife. What I can't knife, I shoot. It's all very elementary.>"

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah sits up at that, resting her hands on her knees. "So you can...what, stab a ghost to make it go away?" she says, watching the man now. "I mean..I can probably arrange for him to be brought somewhere if he needs...I dunno. Special help after that. You definitely don't want the poor guy going to Arkham, that's just asking for him to come out wearing a mask and thinking he's the reincarnated spirit of vengeance or something."

Wu has posed:
    "If you have the right tools, Ms. Canary, you can accomplish anything." Lips quirk in a suppressed teasing grin. "I have many tools. Bullets with charms. Knives with hexes. Pendants with imbued spirits. I've been watching that man for a few days until I could figure out what was tormenting him. Now I know, and I've made the tool to fight it. It will be clean and quick. The man will be freed from his torment, and the spirit will be returned to its own place, also freed of torment."
    The last bite is taken. The last awkward pause.
    "And yes, indeed, often the tormenting spirits themselves deserve mercy. I have general tools that would have made short work of that spirit within five minutes, but it wouldn't be very compassionate of me to destroy it so painfully. I needed better."

Black Canary has posed:
    Canary holds up her hands. "Hey, you're more of an expert on this stuff than me. If you say the ghost deserves a little mercy...fine." she says simply, still looking curious. "...do you need a distraction or anything for this, or is it not an obvious thing when you do it?"

Wu has posed:
    Alice purses her lips and looks over Canary. "The chief danger I face will be if the spirit tries to protect itself from the assault--it won't know my motivation, obviously--by persuading our hair dryer-wielding friend there that I'm murdering someone or something near and dear to him. The poor man will attack me thinking he's saving someone from my foul murder."
    She pauses thoughtfully.
    "I can hold him off and do my thing, but ... it would be easier if he were simply not paying attention. I don't want to injure him, but there is risk of that if he intervenes."
    She crumples up her bag into a meticulous ball. Another way to insert awkward pauses!
    "And there is, of course, the risk that the ritual fails and the spirit remains, strengthened. If you could assist me, it won't take but a moment. Just ... distract him while I take away his tormentor."

Black Canary has posed:
    Canary nods, then idly cracks her knuckles. "Sure. I can do that." she says cheerfully. "One distraction coming up."

    She hops up, then skips a bit towards the man in question as he spins around, shooting at another imaginary opponents. She makes her way past, then turns to face the guy, then waves her hands as if she's trying to flag the guy down. "Hey, Tex! Over here!" Okay, it's not the smoothest distraction ever, but she figures he's not all there to begin with, so subtle likely won't work as well.

Wu has posed:
    Alice herself leaps into action behind Canary, crossing behind her and stepping past the man to where he was just shooting. An oddly-shaped knife of bronze appears in her hands as she slashes the air. She winces as if hearing a scream. A scream the man Canary is distracting appears to hear too. A scream nobody else here, although more than a few people passing by seem to sense in some other way, hands raising halfway up to ears while looking around confused.
    Canary, too, senses something, rather than hearing. She, however, has her hands full with a crazy man who seems now intent on turning around to where The Wu is standing, knife held forward into thin air, yet seemingly being pulled around like it's stuck in a thrashing body.
    "Hold ... him back," she gasps over her shoulder. "This is taking longer than it should."

Black Canary has posed:
    As the man is distracted, Canary quickly steps up to the man as he tries to turn, smoothly reaching out to take hold of his and twisting him into a judo joint lock, holding him. "I got him..." she says, all business now as she grits her teeth at the man's struggles. But she's good. If he's just a normal street guy..he's probably not getting out of that.

Wu has posed:
    He's a normal street guy. One possessed by the strength of madness, but in the end just a human. It's a struggle to hold him, until Canary's skill at turning his own strength against him comes into play. He just screams bloody murder instead, attracting the attention of passers-by.
    Alice for her part grits her teeth and stands like a statue, her arm being jerked around until it sinks. She carefully cleans the untouched blade with a handkerchief and then puts the knife back into her pocket. She turns around to face the pair, idly flashing her badge at someone who looks like he's working up the nerve to intervene.
    He doesn't.
    A tear spills down one cheek, getting savagely wiped away. "I know you don't understand this right now," she says to the raging man, "but your daughter was never there. And she will never be back. She will never lie again about how you failed her." She swallows with some difficulty, her voice thick. "And maybe someday you can be whole again."
    She nods to Canary as the man continues to struggle. "Shall we go?"

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah glances at Alice, then at the man she's holding, her gaze softening in sympathy. Still, when she shifts to let him go, she gives him a little push to put some distance between him and the two women, not sure how he'll react exactly.

    "...trippy.." she says softly. "But good job." She smiles a bit at Alice, then tilts her head, as if listening to something. This close, Alice can faint hear what sounds like a voice coming faintly from the earrings she's wearing, then sighs. "...I'm sorry to distract and run, but I need to deal with something." She meets Alice's eyes directly, her own twinkling. "Gives you time to think of more questions though." She waves a finger at her. "Remember, you need a hand, you're not alone out here. Okay?"

Wu has posed:
    The man, when released, seems at a loss as to how to behave. His invisible tormentor is gone. The killer of it crying. The strumpet able to hold him with ease. It's all so confusing. Best to probably just sit down and croon softly to himself while ignoring the world around him, hair dryer gun ignored.
    "I'm sure I will have many more questions. The spirits here are ... of a different character to those in my home. I have the research material, but books aren't the same as the reality. This ... was harder than I expected. I'll need to learn more."
    She shrugs easily, a mask of 'devil-may-care' slipping into place. "And, of course, I have that Tong pipeline to close down before any more people are driven crazy to the point of murder. These are nasty things coming in; the worst opiods we've ever seen. Not all monsters are invisible and non-human, it seems"
    A persistent strand on her forehead gets pushed aside in a lazy salute.
    "I will see you around, Ms. Canary. And keep me in mind if you need someone to shoot things. I'm very good at that. Even when they're invisible."
    The eyes are twinkling, but the face dead serious as she turns and walks away, throwing the balled-up Los Pollos Hermanos bag into a garbage container on her way back to the Major Crimes building.