2651/Rainbow in the Dark

Rainbow in the Dark
Date of Scene:	30 September 2017
Location:	West Chelsea Hill, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	An unusual arrival in Gotham gets the attention of SHIELD and WAND people. And others besides.
Cast of Characters:	Gale, Melinda May, Winter Soldier, Peggy Carter, Dean Winchester, Claire Temple

---

Gale has posed:
It's a niceish afternoon in Gotham. The fall rains and fogs are coming in, like old friends with worn tweed coats coming back after a day working. How you doin'? Yeah, yeah. Today's weather is a soft grey, the gentle fuzz of cool overcoming the summer warmth and enveloping the town in a soft cloud. It's not unpleasant in the slightest, unless one hates moisture in the air. And then there's the futile endeavour of catching the little drops in the air. People are still at work, so the sidewalks are thin, with the elderly, errand runners, students out early. The usual sorts.

Sidewalks with pattered, worn cement contrast to gleaming buildings. A few cars are parallel parked here and there, one the victim of some wily birds arguing over Will. FIRE AT WILL! Oooh... that sports car was freshly washed.

Rain herself is out, with what looks like a cheap smartphone, and responding to a text. She has a dog on a leash, bringing it to someone from the Groomer's. And that's when the shadow arrives. At first, it's just a shadow, square.

And then it gets larger... And larger... and larger. And then it hits- a payday loan place and a small bootleg shop. It's like the hamsters in people's brains just - stopped, and the wheel kept going, flinging the hamsters off. A house. Landed. In Gotham.

Melinda May has posed:
WAND HQ, the Triskelion. Just as a HOUSE is landing on a quiet street in Gotham, one of the staff psychics starts babbling. After a few moments one of the WAND staff is able to glean enough useable intel to share it with agents already out in the field.

May receives a call, listens to the information being shared, and looks at whomever all is with her. "Just got a report of sudden magical presence. In Gotham." She's going to have to try to get word to her contact there, to make sure that toes (or capes) don't get stepped on, but as it's not necessarily crime-related, she suspects that there will be no conflict from that side.

"Who's going with me?" Because she has every intention of heading out that way RIGHT now.

Winter Soldier has posed:
It's been 'staying active' and 'in contact with other humans' that has kept Bucky Barnes relatively sane so far, after his traumatic recovery from his indentured servitude as the Winter Soldier. The 'in contact with other humans' part was hard for him -- much of him still wanted nothing more than to just start running and never stop, because he desperately fears the moment those close to him will suddenly see him for what he truly is -- but by their gentle (sometimes not so gentle) insistence, he's stuck around. He's been to the Triskelion a few times, spending time with Steve and Peggy and undergoing various debriefs, info handovers, and psychological detoxes, but he's not there now.

The reason is that one of his other touchstones has been Claire, and on this day -- one of his more bleak days -- Claire told him that if he really wanted to make things up to her, he could stop being guilty and nut up and be useful, because she needed to pay a house call in Gotham and she didn't exactly have money for a bodyguard.

The Night Nurse's mission of mercy went uneventfully, though whether that had anything to do with the former 'deadly assassin' at her side was a matter of debate. They got Starbucks afterwards, though Bucky made Claire and the entire rest of the line EXTREMELY ANGRY by slowly asking the barista to tell him what was in every drink -- and then ultimately deciding it all sounded ridiculous and just getting a coffee.

"You can't just buy things without knowing what you're getting," he's telling a peeved Claire as they continue down the street, when they're interrupted by a HOUSE falling out of the sky. Stunned, Bucky looks at the house, then at Claire, then at the house.

"...You know, I saw Wizard of Oz in theaters, and I thought it was just fiction," is about what he thinks of to say about this.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Thought generally not a part of WAND, Peggy Carter tends to fill in the gaps of misisons. She's used to strange sightings and while perhaps not magical effects, she's an experienced enough agent - as far as everyone knows - to generally handle herself in most situations in the field.

The news of a house suddenly appearing in Gotham and there are people needed to help figure out what to do with it. "I'll go." Then, dryly, she adds, "Though, I'm not exactly sure arresting a house is within SHIELD jurisdiction."

She's almost always ready to go on a mission while she's in the Triskelion and so she's certainly ready to go right away.

Dean Winchester has posed:
Paperwork has never been Dean Winchester's forte. As a consultant, working entirely on contract, he spends most days avoiding it. Consequently, whenever he finally does turn up at the Triskelion, there are literal mounds of work to wade through. While his brother has taken to wearing suits, unless actually trying to pass off as an FBI agent (old habits die hard), everything about Dean doesn't quite belong. His lightweight nearly casual SHIELD-issued clothing, complete with his favourite shirt (it really does match his eyes) doesn't make him look like he belongs here.

The way he fills out paperwork almost does. Almost.

He hasn't taken to word-processing. Instead filling out countless forms with ink. His hand has began to cramp.

The question sees his head snap up and opportunity favours the bold. Or, at least, those who want out of paperwork. The pen is set down, and the paperwork left in the 'in' box on the guest desk, and Dean slides away from the desk. "What kind of magic?" he arches a single eyebrow.

Gale has posed:
Except it isn't fiction. And while thankfully, no HUMANS were crushed, there is a single pair of red high heels by the manor's porch. People are starting to emerge, pointing their smartphones, having their hands over their mouths, and gaping. A couple of people even hold their phones horizontally to get pictures. Then, the head of an orange tabby cat pops out from a dark haired, scruffy woman with purple eye's hoodie. "Hoooooooly sheiiiiiit," Captain quips.

Rain is staring in utter shock. One of the few aunts who didn't treat her like an extra? Just totally went splat. Even the aunt's dog seems surprised. "That's ruff." Criiiiiiinge.

"This is bad on so many levels. We're gonna get the attention of SOMETHING big-" One doesn't just uncork THIS much magic, then lose it not to draw some unwanted attention, mundane or otherwise.

Actually, on the way towards the scene? Is a MYSTICAL VW VAN with a wizard painted on the side. That can't be good. But thankfully, it won't arrive ahead of the WANDies. Because macguffins are delicious. Or was it muffins? Nevertheless, Rain is unwittingly near Winter and Claire. "Oooh... shit." The witch finally manages. "Okay. Uh." Frantic arm wave at the people. "Please go! This is juuuuuust a house, thanks." It's not working.

Claire Temple has posed:
Even though Claire Temple -- thanks to her recent two-month disappearance -- may be officially out of a job at Metro-Gen Hospital, it doesn't mean her night nurse moonlighting is out of business.

If only this job /paid./ Of course, it doesn't, which is why she has to do it -- has to go patch up the vigilantes after making damn fools of themselves doing stupid things, and though Hell's Kitchen is her protectorate, and New York her stomping ground -- word of her spread among some of the capes in Gotham.

And Claire, for all her sharp words, has the softest of hearts that can't tell anyone no.

She can, however, inject a little bit of necessary impetus into a certain ex-assassin brooding a bit too hard around her place, and force him to come with on her patch job.

Long cleaned of someone's blood off her hands, and back into order -- it's her decision, helped with a glance on Bucky Barnes, to insist they tarry a bit. She needs air, and he needs a change of scene.

"You near caused a /riot/ in there," she sputters incredulously back at Bucky, between needed sips of some whatever-flavoured-what'sthat latte in hand. "I'd never seen so many soccer moms and man-buns bent out of shape. You don't just /make/ some poor kid recite the full menu and ask for a coffee! Either way --"

She chin-nudges at the particular name written on Bucky's coffee cup. "--Looks like the kid got his revenge on you. 'Becky.'"

Claire smiles to herself, amused, actually relieved for something of a moment of normalcy after so much insanity, and thinks to herself how nice it -- ohandthere'safallinghouse.

"Jesus Christ what!" she shrieks, almost losing her own latte, jumping as it hits. And then the van. And then the newcomer telling them it's just a house. Claire is the picture of incredulous. "You for real?! God just started playing /Monopoly/ right on TOP of us!"

Melinda May has posed:
May looks to Peggy and nods, always glad to have Carter along because the woman is more than able to roll with any and all surprises, and if needed, she's got FAR more diplomatic skill than May. "Someone needs to go investigate," she tells the younger-looking SHIELD agent. "And be ready to handle what might have landed with the house."

And then Dean perks up from where he's been sitting like a kid stuck taking his SATs, and while she knows he's just wanting a reason to get out of filling out those forms, she can't really blame him for wanting to get out for a while. And, really, his knowledge and expertise could prove to be very useful.

"The psychic didn't offer that level of detail, Winchester. That's why we're going. Get your gear and meet at the quinjet in five minutes."

No, she doesn't yet know why that last statement might have been poorly planned.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Most of those people in there looked like people who deserve to be bent outta shape," Bucky grumbles. "I don't know what the hell happened to America while I was gone. Nobody was ever that rude back in the day." He might be sore about the 'Becky' thing. "I'm gonna start telling them 'James.'" Definitely sore about the Becky thing.

Thankfully, before Bucky can really get going on the topic of Back in the Day, a house descends from the heavens and causes a considerable amount of property damage. ...Okay, maybe not /thankfully/. Swift powers of perception tell him there's no immediate threat even before his enhanced reflexes would have him pulling a gun. Which is probably for the best, because pulling a gun tends to instantly escalate any situation.

The gaze he turns on Gale, as she tries to shoo people away from the house, is equally as astonished as Claire's. "You're damn straight it's just a house," he says, bewildered, to the girl trying very hard to chase them and everyone else off. "But just a house that fell out of the sky."

He glances around at the rubberneckers, who are also 'not going anywhere' and are mostly still gawking. "Hey! The lady told you all to fuck off." Because whatever is going on, having 'civilians in the middle of it' isn't exactly great.

Gale has posed:
Well, in fairness, Gale's not a malevolent entity. The talking cat with his head poking out of the hoodie regards Claire evenly. "I think he just passed Go," The cat quips. "Anyway, what she MEANS is something big is gonna be drawn by all this magic and MAYBE people shouldn't just sit by it." The cat speaks with a deep, rich Gotham tinged accent. Captain is definitely a baritone. "I mean, not to be mean. It's just gonna be awkward if something soul eating comes along." He's actually a bit gentle in the wake of GALE JUST HAD HER AUNT LANDED ON.

The van will arrive as May and the others do, because that's how the universe works. So it's not quite parked just yet. But it is a weird ass van. Who spray paints wizards on things anymore? Then Gale looks pained. "... it landed on my aunt." And that's probably hard to deal with, too. "I told her never to be drunk when she cast magic." But when you're a 700+ year old alcoholic, well. "Guess she called it a little early." Frown. "Honest to Gods, this is -" Gale reeks of nerdliness. Like she just might have a d20 in her bag, ready to roll. But she also looks slightly homeless. Scruffy. "This is bad." She's panicked. "I don't have enough power to put it back," Frown AGAIN. FROWN BOOGALOO. "Crapcrapcrap." Captain baps her head. "Okay! Hi! You two have ANY experience with falling houses?" Get it together, Gale. She does at least look grateful Claire and Bucky are near.

Meanwhile, OMINOUS 80S VAN DRAWS NEAR. AT THE PACE OF PLOT.

Gale has posed:
And indeed, Captain nods at Winter Soldier. At least he might be slightly better at dispersing crowds.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy gives the WAND Agent Winchester a bit of a look as he joins along with them to check out a magic house that has appeared in Gotham. "Psychic?" she asks May. There are some aspects of WAND that she still doesn't understand. "We have those?"

By the time the quinjet arrive, Peggy steps out and immediately notices Bucky Barnes. A head tilts as she studies the man. For some reason she's not surprised to see him in a place where a house fell out of the sky.

Glancing around, the van does catch her attention - weird things are already happening and so she's on the alert for it. "What exactly is going on here? I'm going to assume the psychic didn't have that information."

Seeing the red shoes and the house, she can't help but tilt her head and study it. "Is this a Wizard of Oz thing?"

Dean Winchester has posed:
A crooked grin follows the assertion that Dean should get his gear. There's little question he's thrilled at the prospect. Taking time away from the paperwork alone will merit joy--regardless of the magic involved in the incident. "Aye.. Agent." He actually smirks at that, in a way that indicates something funny has occurred to the class clown, but he knows better than to share it with the rest of the class.

It doesn't take Dean long grab his gear--most was already on his person. It's rare that he goes anywhere without having at least some equipment concealed beneath his clothes. In this case, the guns, including THE Colt that he or Sam still needs to talk to SHIELD about (five bullets will never be enough), knives, and various other implements are already hidden beneath layers of SHIELD-issued fabric.

He's at the quinjet in less than five minutes, ready to go and all too keen if only to take a breather from the stacks that threaten to eat him and his attention again. There's probably a lesson in there that Dean won't learn, even if Sam takes particular care to mention the importance of tying a ribbon on each case the moment it ends.

When Peggy draws attention to the word psychic, Dean casts May a long look. It's possible he's judging SHIELD right now. It's also possible he's thinking about lunch. It's really hard to tell.

When the quinjet arrives and the agents spill out of the vehicle, Dean's lips purse and his cheeks puff out. His eyes flit towards Peggy and he hums, "Definitely seems like something out of a fairytale." Of course if it is the Wizard of Oz, "Where's the witch the house dropped on?" he begins to walk around it and pulls out the EMF meter from his pocket. He doesn't expect ghosts, but habit says always do the scan just in case.

Melinda May has posed:
Because she was piloting, May is the last off of the quinjet, and as the WAND agents spread out to help deal with rubberneckers et al she completely ignores the reaction from both Peggy and Dean at the mention of having pulled the intel from a psychic. It works for WAND, okay? Deal.

Her own quick visual evaluation of the area finds two familiar faces, so she walks right on up to Claire and Bucky. And then she gives the young woman with the dog on a leash and the cat in her jacket's hood a quick glance. Harmless, but not nearly as weirded out by this as everyone else.

"Barnes. Sit rep."

Claire Temple has posed:
And then, the talking cat starts to talk to Claire.

Claire, aware of enough social acumen to remain polite as houses fall, cats talk, and other miscellaneous mass hysteria exists, diplomatically holds Captain's feline eyes when spoken to.

However, one of her hands reaaaaaches out to urgently clasp Bucky by his closest arm because seriously, look at this -- look at this right now.

"Uh, hi," replies Claire, who looks like someone who is at least trying to readily adapt to the situation. Her eyes crease with apology. "And that sounds fair. Reasonable advice. And you're a talking cat. You're actually not my first talking animal. I think the third? So it's still -- I saw a wererhino once."

It still bemuses her.

Casting Bucky a helpless glance, still trying to sort out the very good question of OH GOD WHAT'S HAPPENING, Claire acknowledges Gale back in a quick look. "Wait -- your aunt? Got -- oh."

She's a damn good nurse, but she's not that good. "We have experience with falling... structures. Usually falling because of explosions-falling. Not because of falling-falling. I'm no stranger to magic --" good Lord, she isn't, " -- can you tell us what's going on?!"

Winter Soldier has posed:
Bucky notices the talking cat for the first time when the talking cat starts to /directly address them/. He stares blankly a moment, a little poleaxed, then looks at the house, then back at the talking cat. Then he looks at Claire, who is equally bemused. "I thought shit was already weird enough back in '43, with men flying around naked and on fire," he complains, though in keeping with Captain's warning about 'soul-eating monsters,' he yells at the civilians to get lost.

"Uh," he starts to ask, "no experience with falling /houses/ in specific. But what's the /likelihood/ of a soul-eating monster showing up -- ?"

And that's about when the cavalry arrives. Sorry May. Bucky was already warned not to say that, so he does not; he just glances up reflexively when May asks for a sitrep, lifelong military training making it pure instinct to snap to attention. "Well ma'am," he starts dryly, "A house fell outta the sky. Apparently, on... this girl's aunt?" A gesture towards Gale. "Nothing else happened -- yet. Though once you need something killed, I'm on board for that." A morose pause. "There's apparently some risk of something hostile showing up."

Peggy notices Bucky, and Bucky sure notices Peggy. He immediately looks awkward, his hands gesturing in the age-old 'it wasn't me' signal.

Her remark about the Wizard of Oz, a moment later, defuses some of the tension at least. "That's what I said," he mutters.

Gale has posed:
Well. There -is- a witch. Gale registers as a magical being. It courses through her veins and soul. And a very dead witch and her enchanted shoes beneath the porch. There's a familiar- Two, really. Captain and the dog. Apparently. "Do you think turning into a bear would clear the crowds or make it worse?" Is Gale asking her cat? Claire and Bucky? Who knows? She might even be asking just to hope the heavens answer. Nevertheless, Gale is there with a cat riding in her hoodie. "Well... these guys don't seem to have much in the way of survival instincts," Captain notes. And in SOME cities, they have had to pad light posts for texters.

"Well," Gale starts. "The dead witch is my aunt. I come from an ancient clan of witches. I mean, I wasn't ALWAYS a witch, I'm sort of an outcast. So my aunt came to visit. She has a problem with drinking and... this was her house." Wince. Gale looks apologetic. "I just- knew it would catch up to her one day." So it seems alcohol and magic are a bad combo. Captain looks to Clair, his left ear swiveling back a little. "That's fair. I'm Captain." He is.

Yes, it's a talking cat, a dazed witch in shock, a dead witch and - if the EMF meter picks up magic, it'll read a STRONG reading from the van. Which has finally found a parking space nearby. Out of the van step two men with popped collars in polo shirts, and far, far too much hair gel.


Dear gods, it's the NECBROMANCERS! "Dude, this manor would make a bitchin' hideout." "Totally. We could play SO MUCH Maul of Dooty." SO MUCH. They start heading towards the SHIELDies and the witch. "So like, this is our house now. And it's gonna get real if you don't evacuate." There's a slight rumbling beneath the cement, as a skeletal hand pops out. There's two of these necbromancers. It seems that much magic in an area does bring out some... characters.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The look from Dean to May in regards to her is met with a very level one from Peggy. She doesn't seem to care if he judges her or SHIELD. She's been judged by men most of her life and generally doesn't care one way or another what they think about her.

There's a lot of information to get through. First of all a house falling on an aunt, then a witch, then men in popped collars talking about hideouts. Perhaps there's a reason Peggy doesn't go to Gotham all that often.

As Barnes gives everyone the low-down, she takes in the talking cat and the magic with merely a raise of her eyebrow. Dean's question about the witch is met with a dry, "I will assume she is still under the house." After all, a house landing on someone generally means they're not going to get out from under it any time soon.

Claire's question to Gale is certainly a logical one and she waits for an answer...only to not really receive one. Instead, she has some sort of explanation, but not really answers. "Is it possible to...send the house back to where it came from?" She's not exactly sure what the proper terminology for that is.

Dean Winchester has posed:
Dean looks towards Gale and his eyebrows draw together sharply, "So your aunt accidentally dropped a house on, what, herself?" His skepticism follows Peggy's assumption, and with a frown that suggests he agrees with her assumption, his arms cross over his chest.

"It'd be good to clear the house," he agrees lowly. The talking cat merits a sharp lift of Dean's eyebrows as his gaze flits over to May. And while he walks EMF meter doesn't immediately spark concern. But the van brings about a different story. He reaches into his jacket and extracts the weapon loaded with salt rounds. Not that he fires or even attempts to. Instead, Dean edges closer to the vehicle. And then there's the men stepping out of the van.

The skeletal hand warrants a deep frown. The EMF meter falls to the ground, busting as it meets the pavement (Sam will likely remark on it when he finds it in Baby's arsenal), and Dean reaches for a handful of salt from the pouch at his waist to toss at the bones.

"Anyone got a light?!" he asks. His trust zippo is somewhere in the depths of the jacket, and time is of the essence.

Melinda May has posed:
May seems okay with letting Claire try to glean information out of the young woman with the unusual pets -- she knows that the woman is far more openly empathetic and she's willing to let her play to those strengths -- and then she nods to Barnes' assessment of the situation thus far. If anyone would be prepared for 'something hostile', it would be the Soldier.

The gawkers that Captain so helpfully points out are already being herded away by the other agents that arrived in the quinjet with Peggy and Dean. So there's that at least. But the van and the two dudebros that just disembarked from it managed to get past the agents. Never good.

Peggy's got her mind on dealing with the house itself and couldn't be in better hands, and Barnes will likely be only too happy to remind the necbromancers what REAL manners are like, so May promptly over to help Dean when he asks for a light, pulling that tiny butane torch she's used previously from her jacket to offer to him.

Skeletal hands are never a good sign.

Winter Soldier has posed:
What Gale gives is... an explanation, of sorts, though not necessarily an answer. It mostly leaves Bucky even more bemused. He glances again at Claire, perhaps wondering whether he should just start backing her out of this scenario, but he's distracted when WAND shows up on the scene.

The sitrep is brief, and Bucky tries to avoid looking at Dean throughout (still super awkward... he hasn't really seen or spoken to Sam's brother since Everything). It's also soon enough cut off when some extremely douchebaggy necromancers suddenly appear on the scene. Barnes looks as offended about the popped collars as he does about the threats.

There is only so long a man can remain confused before he decides to solve things in the way he knows best to solve things. For Bucky, that involves unholstering the .45 that is so permanently concealed on his body as to probably be governed by fixture law.

To be fair to him, skeletal hands are now popping out of the ground.

"/Something/ is gonna get real here," he says grimly, "if people don't settle down." He seems to take 'killing things that are already dead' as just another level of challenge, though he does not fire on the living until his unique brand of gunboat diplomacy proves ineffective. He's reformed!

Gale has posed:
    Admittedly, Gale's in shock. she just lost an aunt and has to deal with this whole house thing. There's a deep frown. "I could ask... my family ... for help moving it to somewhere less populated, but none of us has access to my aunt's personal pocket plane," She explains. "I know this sounds weird. Up till a couple of years ago, I was just like, getting my engineering degree." Gale furrows her eyebrows. The woman's most notable feature, beyond her cat, is her deep violet colored eyes. Guess someone lucked out on the witch's mark.

Gale seems relieved as bystanders are herded off at least. "Thanks, guys... I was taking her dog from the groomer's to her. We were gonna have lunch." She's a little more at ease talking to Claire and Peggy and May nearby, though Dean warrants a curious glance. "Haven't seen someone use salt in ages."

Mercifully, necromancy tends to be a slow art as the hand and what follows is emerging but going to be trapped by the circle.

"I wish I could send it back and have my aunt back," Gale admits, looking apologetically to them. "Hang on." She takes a deep breath and looks to be meditating or concentrating. One of the dudebros becomes a newt, in a tiny popped collar shirt. "I honestly think you guys may have to - um, scare them off." Or jar the newt, who is frantically cursing in a soft, eldritch language. The non-newted bro looks to Winter. "Whoa, sweet arm, bro. But this is like, our house now, brotatochip. Spoils go to the strongest." A squeak from the newt. "Yeah, man." Yeah. But with all those agents, necbromancer is baaaaaacking up into his fan, about to scoop up the newt. Just a little nudge should be good. And hey, Winter's using his words! Go Winter.

Claire Temple has posed:
It comes hand-in-hand with being a good emergency nurse (which she was until she was fired): Claire is an expert multi-tasker.

She multi-tasks absorbing the story Gale has to tell her, listening with cursory looks down on that talking cat (he has a name, he tells her), and turning every-so-often glances back at Bucky. The look on Claire's face is transparent: where is Mercy Thompson when they need her?

She also multi-tasks this with taking in the others fresh on the scene; Claire notices fast May calling Barnes by name and requesting intelligence in the way of some superior officer -- SHIELD, she's already aware -- and Dean is familiar that Claire warrants a short, weak lift of her hand, and Peggy she doesn't know. But Bucky sure does: information filed for later. As for the present?

"OK," she paraphrases, sounding winded under the information the way some people do running a mile in a dead sprint, "falling house. Magic. Bad things. Welcome to Gotham, too, where here is pretty much saturated with it. Here's how it can go. I'm Claire, this is James, I'm really sorry about your aunt, and whatever happens next we'll deal. I should just call a friend of mine; she's really good at these sorts of --"

And then the NecBROmancers. And that skeletal hand come popping /out of cement./ And newts.

And so much more happening Claire isn't sure if she's keeping up. She gives her latte a look as if accusing it of being possibly drugged.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Realizing that she has been somewhat callous with this poor woman. Peggy gives Gale a more sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about your aunt."

Skeletal hands and necbromanacers then, however, get quite a lot of her attention. Stepping in a protective stance front of both Claire and Gale, she looks surprised as one of the popped collars turns into a newt.

Pulling out an ICER, she points it at the one that is attempting to pick up the newt. While Barnes can deal with the skeletal beings and those already dead, she can handle those that are still alive and keep them that way.

"Step back from the newt." She tells them and she can't believe that she's even saying this.

Winter Soldier has posed:
And then one of the men turns into a newt.

Bucky is even less disposed to shoot an amphibian than a man. He looks at Claire, his turn for an 'are you seeing this shit?' moment, before he returns his attention to the necromancers.

I think you guys might have to scare them off, Gale says. Peggy's using an ICER already, but you know what's better than one gun? TWO guns.

"All right." And, Winter Soldier face back on, he levels his pistol dead at the non-newted necromancer's face, with the kind of studied nonchalance that screams 'I've done this a whole lot.' His left arm clacks a metallic accompaniment to the gesture, as the steel plates fan aggressively and lock into place, transparently ready for a fight. "Spoils to the strongest, right?"

This is, uncomfortably enough, about the same time Claire is trying to reassuringly introduce him, as 'James,' to a stranger.

Gale has posed:
It is surreal. Welcome to Rain's world. Being AROUND magic is enough to be caught up in it. The necbromancers are thoroughly subdued by all the agents, and certainly - Winter and May are two incredibly intimidating presences with Peggy's peggness adding to it.

"I'll - call my family soon. We can - move this," Gale explains. "At least to an empty plot of land." She's still a bit dazed. A weak smile to Peggy and Claire. "Thanks... it's - never mix alcohol and magic, I guess. I knew she had a problem, but..." But Gale hadn't thought her that far gone. Headshake. "I'll go where you ask to answer things. I'm homeless, which is super illegal, but-" But well. They helped because without them, Gale would probably be hanging off the nearest mailbox wedgied.

Nevertheless, the ending is well. None but one witch was smushed, and the necbromancers are subdued. Gale goes along, to answer questions and start paperwork.