1547/Floating the air like bricks don't

Floating the air like bricks don't
Date of Scene:	18 July 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Thing, Dragonfly (Arazello), Vector

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Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
When one thinks of Greenwich Village, theytend to think about how weird the place is. It's where artists and urban rebels and poets (those are artists too, right?) and hipsters live and /have/ lived for a few generations now. And sure, the place has gentrified and modernised somewhat but it's still "The Village", right? So you see some weird things now and then...

Though few are as weird as the broad shouldered orange brick (literally) of a man in blue shorts, a blue and white hawaiian shirt and flipflops walking down the sidewalk. Okay, maybe he's not /too/ weird, sindce he doesn't get as many strange looks as one would think. Then again, it makes sense since this is the ever-famous ben 'The Thing' grim enjoying a mid evening stroll... Enjoying the nightlife, or at least heading to do such. He has an unlit cigar clenched between his big white teeth and offers a pleasant nod to anyone he passes..

Yep, He's a real class act, Ben Grimm is. The Idol of Millions!

"ya still got it, Benji.." he says to himself. "I think ya should treat yerself ta a nice cold one.. Why I do believe yer right, Mister Grim. I do belive yer right..."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy has promised to show Liz what life in the Village is like when you're with friends. Hipster-watching is a fun activity, as is trying to decipher the prattlings of "street poets" who fancy themselves the next Laurie Anderson. "Laurie who?" "Exactly." To be fair, too, the buskers can range from decent to stunning, and the avant garde cafes can be very nice if you overlook some of the stupid politics behind them. All in all it's a great place to experience the so-called "counter-culture" in all its conforming non-conformist glory while not being really all that threatened by it.
    Currently Nancy's waiting at the corner, looking to see if she can spot Liz before she arrives. Bookies currently place the odds at approximately a Googol to one.

Vector has posed:
    The bookies have it. Eliza appears next to Nancy. She actually ran here via Brooklyn and made a pit stop at one of her favourite pizzerias, then got hungry on her way into Midtown and stopped for gyros, the last of which she can be seen eating as she slowsdown to a pace other peopel can actually follow with normal eyesight. Liz could be counter culture if her features didn't lend themselves so well to Disney Channel levels of cheerful.
    A high collared long-sleeved blue-grey shirt with navy and white stripes on the arms. how avante garde. Dark eyes study Nancy for a moment as the woman is pushing he last of her sandwich into her motuh and balling up the wrapper therefrom, blinking. She gives the wrapper an overhand toss toward a nearby garbage can that misses badly, then explodes into motion to catch it before it hits the ground, throw it into the can and 'nonchalantly' drift back into place.
    "Hello, beautiful. Am I late?" Bookies place /that/ at a Googolplex to one, considering.

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
A cold one still sounds nice. A tall sudsy brewski! That would hit teh spot like /nothing/ else. And it's still early eonough that the few local bars he actually like won't be filled to the brim with man-bun sporting 'freethinkers'... But a growling stomach (which scares a passing old lady and her twelve little dogs on leashes who yap at him) makes him ponder. One? "Hey ma'am.. can ya get yer mutts away frum my feet?" and b) "Ya know.. I'm hungry.. I could really use a hot dog!"

One of these stop the woman in her tracks... Heehee..

With a jaunty step OVER the yappibng dog wraps, Ben finds himself a few moments latter at a Hot Dog cart. "Manny! Buddy!" he says to the mexican tending the cart. who grins at rocky giant. "Senor Grimm! It is nice to see you!" and from there Ben starts to place his order.. which may or may not empty out the whole cart.

He doesn't notice the two women walking his way as Manny starts pilling condements on his largest dogs... We're talking 10+ dogs here, too, with all the fixins. He also doesn't notice any much else as he is fixated on said food, and the selection of soft drinks. "Oh, add a Diet pepsi ta that, Manny.. Gotta keep an eye on my figure, afterall.."

So he is just as surprised as anyone as there is a sharp rappoirt from one of teh small storefronts not far away.. A cracking sound that cuts through the hub-bub. Three figures in dark hoodies and masks run out of what appears to be a small gallery, each weidling guns.. Two with pistols and one with an shotgun.. and all three carrying cheap black dufflebags. "Wheres tha CAR!!!" Pistol A screams, firing a shot back into the small store, shattering a window.. and an alarm FINALLY goes off. Pistol B is looking around frantically. "I DUNNO! DAMNIT!" Shotgun says nothing and hefts the bag over his free shoulder and pumps a round into the chamber..

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "You're not late. Of course." Nancy shakes her head and hides her phone's betting app. Won't be making that long shot. "Now ... I see you ate already, but I'm starving. I was thinking ... Falafels? Ever had those? A Greek thing, I think." She thinks wrong. In some circles she'd be punched for thinking that out loud. "..."
    The sight of Ben Grimm ordering hot dogs stops her thoughts (and her) in her tracks. "Oh. My. God! Is that who I think it is!?" she asks out loud. "Hold on, Liz, I've got to see if that's that guy!" She steps one step Ben's way as all Hell breaks loose.
    Can't even have a night out without getting interrupted.
    "<redacted for Ben's delicate ears>!" she exclaims, narrowing her eyes and looking for a place to change.

Vector has posed:
"Falafel? NotGreek. It's, um... Chickpeas, right? I think it's ... Something Middle Eastern." Liz is frowning, tapping her toe against the ground in a rather frenetic way, shifting her weight from left to right.
    The smaller woman turns when Nancy yells, her eyes going to Ben, and then to the chaos that is beginning to go down. She pauses for a second.
    "Will you all SHUT THE <REDACTED> UP?!" The tiny Brazilian girl takes a deep breath, drawing herself to her full, impressive size of 5'3" and 112lbs. So intimidating. "I am TRYING to have a date with the prettiest girl in Greenwich! So <redacted> the <redacted> out of here!" She waves her slender arms too.
    Someone hired a stick figure for security here?

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
Ben Grimm doesn't turn around. No, he does NOT turn around. This is his knight out, Darnit, and all he wants is Hot DOgs then some beers and to be fawned over as the Idol of Millions as he freakin deserves! he will NOT Turn around...

Damnit.. He has to turn around.

Shoulders sagging the rocky fantastic four member (in mufti) pivots slowly on a four-toed foot (in flip flips) and spots the scene.. The two pistol guys seem to eb reloading, looking franticallyfor this car of theirs, while the shotgun dude is looking in the OPPOSITE direction from him. "Really!" Ben cries out, ahis hand behind him motioining for Manny to take cover. "I get, like, one FRIKKEN night off after savin tha universe.. YET AGAIN.. and you freakin hooligans have ta RUIN that fer me! Don't ya know who I am?!?"

Yeah, /that/ gets their attention and all three guys turn and stare at Ben, like they don't believe who they see. because it CAn'T be him, can it?"

"Oh. My. God! Is that who I think it is!?" a girl squeals...

Ben sighs. "See?!? /She/ knows who I am!" he exclaims/

Of course teh other girl, the one NOT running, has to speak her mind. ""Will you all SHUT THE <REDACTED> UP?!"

That makes ALL the guys, Ben included, look at HER! "Well now.. That ain't very nice!" Ben says, then looks at the trio of bad guys. "Women, ya know? Yeesh."

Teh Three guys stare at the girl.. then at ben.. Then at each other. Then they all raise their guns and start firing on Ben.

"Oh fer CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Oh, good! That focuses attention on Ben. Nancy steps between cars, crouches down, and ... uh ... oops. The blast is actually big enough to lift the fronts of the cars and dent them a little. No fewer than four car alarms go off as hellishly bright blue light flashes like lightning while thunder rips down the street. Dragonfly stands up, looking a little chagrined.
    Still, at least they're not shooting at her, right? I mean why would they shoot at the woman who just appeared in a flash of lightning and thunder when they've got BEN GRIMM in front of them, The Thing himself?
    Yeah, life doesn't work like that. Mr. Shotgun squeezes one round off at Ben before reorienting to point at Dragonfly.

Vector has posed:
    Liz is a bit red in the hceeks, clearly getting worked up as hse animatedly flails about and makesa convincing show of intimidating force.. That is utterly wasted when it comes from someone who looks and sounds like her .Say what you want, but petite strung out beanpoles just aren't scary. It seems that Liz has finally resigned herself to that fact when she hears the warning klaxon of explosive force that denotes the appearance of Dragonfly.
    Now the woman takes a deep breath, her eyes darting around to all of those arrayed in front of her. "oh, that is IT," the speedster grumbles, shaking her head slowly. Then a shotgun is levelled at the blonde-haired bombshell appeared from the lightning. Liz disapproves. So she casually walks over ot the man, burying her fidgeting hands into her pockets.
    "Hey," the brunette offers blandly. "That guy over there is Ben Grimmm and the blonde one who is completely invincible is my girlfriend.You should probably leave before you get hurt." Liz pauses and then frowns. "Oh, right. You should probably be afraid of me too or something."

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
The smalelr caliber rounds from the pistols don't do MUCH damage.. Well, they do NO damage, really.. These guys arne't the best shots in the world, after all. The shot gun is another matter. No, even it diesn't hurt Ben but.. well.. it makes a mess out of his favourite shirt. he staggers back, mainly a reflex, and looks down at hs ruined clothes. "Hey.. Stop shootin. You're hurt someone!" he yells.. another Loud BOOM fills the street and another huge whole in his shirt. "Come ONE! STOP IT. I AIN'T KIDDIN!"

Manny is ducked behind his cart, already on his cell calling 911.. which a dozen other people around who are ducked behind cars are doing as well.

EVERYONE stops, for a moment when there is another blast.. coming from BETWEEN two cars.. And a tall platinum blonde in a green insectoid-themed suits steps out from there.. "Whut the.. Who tha heck are /you/?" he asks.. which is what everyone else is probably thinking as well.

Shotgun pivots on his heel and points his gun at Dragonfly about to fire when.. Liz steps between her and Draonfly. "She's your girlfriend?" he asks, actually looking confused... He looks between the two women, his friends still firing at Ben, who is looking more pissed, though not pissed enough to NOT throw a quip one. "Well, ya know what they say, right? About tha good lookin ones?" he asks as bullets ricochet off him. He reaches out and grabs a parking meter, ripping it from the ground. "They're either all taken, or 'wear comfortable shoes' .. And in either case their girlfriends seem ta 'ave big brass ones.. No offense.. So.. You put those guns down, specially you Shotgun Willy... Cause if ya don't stop pointin yer gun at tha lady, who is CLEARLy not interested if ya know what I mean, then I'll hafta use my catch phrase.. and ya don't want me usin my catchphrase.."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Dragonfly," ... uh ... Dragonfly says to Ben. "That's what I go by. And, uh, Vector? Sweetie? Could you get out of the way of the nice man and his shotgun?" She walks toward Mr. Shotgun. "I'm not one for catchphrases," she says conversationally. "See, thing is, I kind of suck at them. I'm actually kind of terrible at this whole heroing thing. So, if you don't mind too much, I'd kind of prefer you surrender now. You're interfering with my night out. You're interfering with Vector's night out. You appear to be interfering with the large gentleman's night out. And you've ruined his shirt. None of these are going to go places that are good if you keep them up."
    She smiles sweetly as she reaches him. "So just for me, please give up?"
    His shotgun speaks. Right to her midsection. Right to where her waist narrows the most. Dragonfly is thrown backward to hit the ground.

Vector has posed:
    "Yes, what? Is it so hard to believe we could be...? You know? Nevermind. I don't want to hear you answer that." Liz shakes her heand and rolls her eyes, those grey eyes daring around the people present beforere coming to rest on Ben Grimm once more. She is studying the giant rockof a man form head to toe for a second then, frowning while she does.
    "No respect at all. You know what? Don't say I didn't warn you." The small woman crosses her arms over her chest and takes a step back, nodding at Dragonfly as she acquiesces to the request being made. She watches with a glower as the woman approaches, talking to the gunman.
    Then the gun fires and Dragonfly soars. Liz's eyes widen and she's just- staring. Visibly confused, dismayed, or both.

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
Ben Grimm frowns. "My shirt.. what ya mean.. Aww c'mon!" he cries, coming to a stop to look down at his thouroughly ruined hawaiian shirt. He fingers the large tatters. "Do ya know how HARD it is ta get a shirt that FITS! I get these things /custom made/." He groans... and more shots pepper him as he looks at the two women. "Wait, I 'ave no problem if girls are yer thing! I Mean, Each ta their own, right? Love who ya want? Hqalf my friends are datin members of different freakin species so who am I ta judge?!" he says, then frowns.. "Oh, ya mean THESE mooks.. Sorry.. Got confused fer a sec... Yer name is Vector? Well, thats better than Victor, 'cause I gotta tells ya, I don't like that name!"

Yes, he is carrying on a conversation WHILe being shot at.

"And pleased ta meet yam, Dragonfly? Ya a friend of Spidey? Cousin? Neighbour?" he asks, then looks at the guys.

"Fer tha luv uv Pete! She asked NICELY! STOP IT! Ya can still..."

*BOOM*

Ben looks horrified as the shot takes Dragonfly in the stomach, his fingers clenching the steel pipe of the parking meter as if it were tinfoil. "THAT'S IT! IT'S CLOBBERIN TIME!" he cries and foots it toward shotgun dude first, as he is closest, because he doesn't know what Vector can or will do and he is pissed. Shotgun dude looks like he is gonna wet his pants.. And only mere feet away Ben seems to leap at him.. but it isn't a leap.. he is encompased in a green glow and is floating, weightless..

"WHUT! Why am I...?"

Pistol dudes have stopped firing and one of them had reached into his bag and pulled out a green gem, apparently one they must have stolen from the gallery.. It glows as well.. the same color as the light enveloping Be and keeping him aloft.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly clutches at her stomach, staring down in shock, jaw slack. "Bullets!" she exclaims, looking over at the shotgun wielder, her voice going weak. "My only weakness! How did you know?"
    Her head slumps back with a death rattle.
    A suspiciously fake death rattle.
    As fake-sounding as her twitching is.
    Then the laughter starts. Dragonfly gets up, dusts herself off, and grins. "Nah, only shitting you. Didn't hurt. Now put the nice man down or my next request won't be as polite as his.
    She lets her sunglasses slip down to reveal her faceted, insectlike eyes.
    "And when I get impolite, I eat souls."

Vector has posed:
    'Vector' is giggling as Dragonfly climbs to her feet and launches into a witty rejoinder. She bobs her weight from left foot to right, scanning her surroundings with the idle nonchalance of someone who really isn't involved with the chaos that is going on around her. Then the gem comes out. She sighs exaggeratedly, inhaling through her nose.
    "Thanks," the brunette calls. "People never compliment my name. I worked hard on it. At least it's better than 'Trajectory'. Or Victor. Anyway..." There's a sharp crack as the girl breaks the speed of sound. A few times, really. Refuse is thrown into the air behind her, caught in the inevitable wind tunnel of her passing. Liz heads right for the guy holding the green gem.
    Really, the girl is just going to clothesline him and then snatch the gem out of the air when he drops it if she can manage. really, most people wouldn't get up until tomorrow.

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
Ben Grimm flails in the air, as if gravity has no hold on him.. which it doesn't. "Ya bastards!" he cries, seeing Dragonfly on the ground.. "When I get my mitts on ya I'll...." But he is cut off as Dragonfly stirs, laughs, and gets up.. And then frowns even more as her girlfriend is laughing as well. "That was /not/ funny!" he fumes.. and crosses his arms, stubbornly, as he slowly turns round and round... "I thought ya were really hurt! I'm gonna call tha Bug-Division of tha superheroe union and complain!" because of course he will. He tries once more to move.. swim even.. but can't.

Then Vector /cracks/ the speed of sound, seeming to gain speed. And he gets what she is going to do. "Oh no... Oh no.. Don't do it!" he says and starts flailing faster,... because he is pretty damn high now.. He needs to move! How...

"Grimm, yer an idjut!" he exclaims. "An /astronaut/ idiot.. Every action 'as an equal and opposite reaction." He looks at the meter he still holds.. then throws it.

Force one way pushes him in the /opposite/ direction.. and he floats speedily towards the non-gem holding pistol guy.. Dragonfly can take care of Shotgun... But Vector assails gem-dude when he is still almost fifty feet in the air..

And the green light quickly fades. Ben sighs. "Whut a revoltin development.." he gripes.. and as the light FULLY goes away, gravity takes hold.. Because of course it does.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Ben's shouts attract Dragonfly's attention, to the (very temporary) relief of Mr. Shotgun.
    "Don't move a muscle," she says to him, slipping her glasses back up. Then up in the air she goes, catching Ben on his way down.
    Well, OK, she tries. She even succeeds. Arms catch him. Thing is, 15 metres isn't a lot of time. By the time she's there, it's 10. Then when she figures out that she's GROSSLY underestimate his mass it's 5. By the time she applies the correct force to lift him out of harm's way, he's hit the ground. Or, rather, hit her. Who hits the ground on his behalf.
    ".ou.d y.u m.nd .et.in. yo.r b.tt .ff .y f.ce?" her plaintive, muffled voice asks from under his bulk, her body slammed into the ground. And by this is meant literally. There is a Dragonfly-shaped hole in the pavement with a Ben Grimm sprawled on top.

Vector has posed:
    Liz is holding the gem. She looks up slowly and then lifts a thumbs up to Ben Grimm, still movign at her intensely accelerated rate. Then seh realizes he is starting to fall. To her credit the speedster tries. She zooms around the immediate area looking for something she can use to help. Cars are out of the question as would be leaves, steling people's shirts... Sos he goes further afield. The speedster's exploration takes her as far as a mattress store where she ascertains that she likes the Sleep Nubmer Experience and that her number is 47 before zooming off again to run in circles through the department stores and other buildings. Liz doesn't actually know what hse is searching for.
    As ar result the woman returns empy-handed and goes badck to standing right whre she was when she started, looking for all the world like she stood there stupidly and waited for Ben to tumble from the sky. Then Dragonfly catchews him.
    "Oh, Good! -Oh. I, Um... That's not how you catch people, honey! ...Ooh." They hit the ground and Liz walks over to the Dragonfly crater and stares for a second. "She's- rpboably okay...?"

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
Well... /That/ was fun. Not that a fall would have hurt him at all but even now, after years of being the Ever Luvin' Thing, there is still a human instinct to dislike falling. And he does. Dislike falling that is. Thankfully, Dragonfly broke his fall.. and apparently broke the street as well. Lying on His back, Ben stares up at the night sky as muffled words float from beneath him. "Whut did ya say? I can't hear ya cuz my butt's in yer face." he deadpans, then rolls OFF of the new hero and pushes himself up to his feet. Green Gem guy is down and the gem absconded by vector, thankfully, and Shotgun is sitting on the ground, not moving, since he was nicely asked too.. after being threatened with an eaten soul (which, why not, right? He doesn't know if that was true or not.) and also being threatened with a Clobberin(TM). Nope.. he is gonna sit right here all nice like.. Also, Manny walked over, took the gun, and is covering him. So that just leaves Pistol B.

Where is Pistol B?

Frowning, Ben looks around as he offers his big hand to Dragonfly. "My hero.." he says, with a self depreciating humor and a grin.. "I didn't squish ya much did I, Bug-Girl?" he asks.. Then looks at Vector. "I think yer girlfriend is jus' fine, toots. Hey, Did ya see where.. Oh.. Well that solves that."

Apparently Pistol B was standing on the edge of a pothole cover.. and Ben and Dragonfly hit the opposite edge of it. They narrowly missed crushing the guy but the cover pivoted at it's circumfrence and acted like a see-saw.. Now Pistol B is unconcious high in one of the few trees along the side of the street. "Looks like we can leaf him alone..."

He grins and looks at the two women. "See whut I did there?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly picks herself up from the hole she was test-fitted for, glasses knocked off by the impact. Her unblinking insect eyes turn on Ben as she dusts herself off, bleeding profusely from severe laceration of the dignity.
    "Not quite how I wanted to meet," she mutters, largely to herself, but a bit loud to be private.
    "What?" she asks, a bit tetchily, spitting some rocks and dust out of her mouth. "Lucked out?"
    That's just mean. So is what happens next. Mr. Shotgun comes sailing over to the pair of heroes, as does his unconscious companion. She grabs the shotgun as an afterthought, compressing the firing chamber until the rounds in it cook off and explode in her hand. They're then twisted as a very primitive handcuff to tie the pair together at the elbow.
    "Pleased to meet you," she finally says to Ben, a bit more graciously, her irritation worked off. "As I said, Dragonfly. This is Vector. Yes, we're 'a thing'." She stares at Mr. Shotgun with an evil smile. "And I don't eat souls. You lost control of your bowels for no reason."
    You're The Th... ah Ben Grimm, right?" she asks.

Vector has posed:
    "She might not eat souls," Liz begins, "But I absolutely CAN repeat the 'Song That Never Ends' over and over again so fast that it activates a neurolinguistic programming trigger and forces you to play that song over and over in your head for the next year without any breaks." She shrugs at this, her threat made, and then looks around at the prople surrounding her.
    "Okay," Liz reports. "I'm Vector. Pleased to meet you too. Sorry about the whole falling to earth and leaving a massive crater... thing..." She turns her gaze on the grene gem and then quickly stows it away into her clothes- far faster than the eye can see, in fact. Then the brunette sthurgs. "That seems like it went well," Liz notes then before coming to stand beside Dragonfly, close enough to touch. She then reaches out to pat one of Ben's massive arms.
    "Yeah," Liz says. "I see what you do did there."

Ben Grimm (333) has posed:
There are sirens in the distance.. since this whole thing didn't take too long in reality.. perhaps four or five minutes.. At least for the two no speedsters. Ben pats down his shirt for a cigar.. but then remembers his shirt is pretty much just rags, and his cigars with it, so lets out a long suffering sigh before looking to Dragonfly. "Yep.. Thats me.. Good Ol' Ben Grim.. But ya /can/ call me Tha Thing... It ain't an insult." At least not this far into his career. He then smirks and looks between the pair of women. "And I'm pleased ta meet ya both... Hey, did ya see where dat gem went?" he looks around, then shrugs. "Ah, tha cops will find it... Speakin of which..."

He waves to Manny, who nods and goes back to his cart to get the hot dogs. Because crime fighting works up an appetite. "If ya two are here when tha cops arrive ya will be detained fer HOURs ta make a statement and stuff.. and since ya guys were goin out on a date, well... Not like I had anyone waitin er anythin.. So..."

He shrugs and offers a slight goofy half smile. "Ya kids go.. Get outta here. I'll deal with tha fuzz. Ya both go and have fun and don't do nuthin that I wouldn't do.." half smile turns to a grin. "Ya two deserve it."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "The rumours are true," Dragonfly says, dignity rebuilding, smile forming. "You are both a softy and a gentleman. If we had time ... and if this damned outfit had a pocket ... I'd ask you for an autograph." She slaps Ben on the back, and now having felt his mass knows how much force to apply to make it a comradely slap on the back and not something imperceptible. "I'll get it from you later, OK?" she asks with a grin.
    Beat.
    "Just please ... don't sit on my face next time."
    A brief, petty kick is directed at Mr. Shotgun.
    "Oops. Sorry. Let's go, sweetie. We can still salvage the night."
    Dragonfly slips an arm around Liz's waist and launches into the air, moving opposite the sound of the sirens.

Vector has posed:
    "...Thanks," Liz respond earnestly to Ben, blinking as she does. Rather than speak when Dragonfly has already covered all the bases she wiggles her fingers at Ben, taking a deep breath as she does. Then Dragonfly scoops her up and they disappear into the sky.
    There's the barest hint of green in the air as Liz zooms away.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Up in the air can be heard, floating down in a stray breeze, "THAT WAS ACTUALLY BEN GRIMM!"