3806/Rooftop Reminiscing

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Rooftop Reminiscing
Date of Scene: 05 January 2018
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Redstar, Shadow, Shadowlite




Redstar has posed:
It is late in the evening well after the SuperBowl and Mutant Town protests. An empty park with an empty playground. Well it is almost empty. Alone on a swing sits a lone figure, gently swinging back and forth. Vicky's eyes are on the sky and the moon that peeks through the clouds.

No one really comes to these places at this time of night. No one except lonely teenagers and drunk protestors heading home from a night of their brand of 'Social Justice'. The girl is oblivious to their approach, lost in thought, as the group of men creep up behind her.

A bottle is thrown and cracks solidly into her head. It rocks her forward just a bit and she turns, "HEY!" She shouts in irritation. It didn't hurt, but who likes getting hit in the head? The men sneer and another lobs his empty bottle and it bounces off her wing. "Stop it!"

"Get out of here, freak!" The one who threw the first bottle yells at her, drunkenly slurring and jabbing a thick finger at her. "YEAH!" The other shout.

Shadow has posed:
    Whatever they intended to say as a follow-up to their eloquent statements is cut off by a harsh, sinister voice coming from behind them. "Didn't your mother teach you to pick on people your own size?"

    As Vicky is already looking in the right general direction, she has the near-unique opportunity to watch as a now-familiar dark figure does not so much appear or walk up as come into focus, like a picture that changes depending on what points you're looking at. The figure is standing just out of melee range of the drunks, but looms quite impressively as its blue eyes rake over them...

Shadowlite has posed:
Then, the two who shouted suddenly disappear, as black holes appear in the ground below them.

"So Sorry, I must have slipped up on my coordinates." Comes the voice scrambled voice of Shadowlite as he steps out from behind a building. His black Darkforce suit and trenchcoat are worn as he reaches out, a black mist forming as the two portals are redirected over the heads of more people tossing shit. if they move? It moves with them, until they're out of sight.

"I don't play nice like the X-men." Shadowlite gives as he suddenly flares up in black mist, "Run."

Redstar has posed:
The men turn and blink in confusion at the blurry image of the Shadow looms behind them. "Aahh?" The usual for drunks. They glower and say, "Ahhh! Mind your own business, asshole," One of them says as the others turn back to Vicky.

They find her face stoney and hard, glaring at them with only the swings between her and them. Then first one, then another disappear into familiar black portals and a grin blossoms on her face. Vicky turns to look towards the voice eyes dancing. "Well hi!" She says in pleased surprise, before turning back to the remaining thugs. They are looking much less certain with the Shadow's oppressive aura and the fact that their leader just was swallowed by darkness.

They begin to back up as Vicky, emboldened by earlier challenges, pushed past the swings towards the men. "You picked the wrong girl on the wrong day," Vicky says with actual iron in her voice. "I'm way nicer than he is. Run while you can." They back up and turn to run, only to find themselves facing the Shadow.

Shadow has posed:
    And those impossibly blue eyes bore into theirs, holding them immobile not by magic or hypnosis but by sheer Will. "You will go home," that voice intones, not even giving an order, but simply stating the facts of what will happen. "You will go to sleep and sober up. And when you do, you will have forgotten ever coming here."

    The Shadow holds their attention for a moment longer to let the instructions sink in, then releases their paralysis. "Go."

Shadowlite has posed:
Then, the two from before are dropped on their heads, via the portals above them.

Oops. Sorrynotsorry.

Shadowlite himself steps out and places his hands in his trenchcoat, heading over to Vicky, "I heard about something going on at the super bowl. There are reports you were spotted." The tone isn't... concerned, per say, but curious.

He moves to take a bench near the swings, letting Natasha do whatever she wants with the humans, "Should I be concerned over anything?" Shadowlite inquires of Vicky, as he crosses his legs and places his arms on the top of the bench back.

Redstar has posed:
"Holy Mary Jesus Fucking Christ!" The first guy says, his voice shrill as he backs up against his companion. His hands come up and he nods quickly before pushing off his friend and bolting. His friend, pushed to the ground, scrambles to get back up. They both bolt off into the dark and towards wherever home might be.

Vicky watches them go and then reluctantly looks back to those crazy-blue eyes. Her own aren't a natural shade, but they don't glow without glowing. That is just creepy. She drops her gaze and nods to the Shadow before turning to join him on the bench. A hand moves to circle him into a hug.

"Well...yeah. Starr wanted to see what everyone always gets excited about, so she flew down last night. Then got curious and instead of listening to me complain about her not doing something she...kind of put me in a position where I had to do something," Vicky says, pausing in her hug and pulling back. She looks incredibly sheepish as she speaks, pulling her braid over one shoulder and playing with it nervously.

~What is this? Avoiding the truth? I'm so proud!~ Starr's voice slips through Vicky's mind. And though it is mocking, there is actual pride in the voice. That is what makes Vicky cringe and look away from Shadowlite, her eyes falling on Natasha instead. She gives them a lopsided smile.

"Umm...you look familiar..." Let's change the subject. Always a good tactic.

Shadow has posed:
    The figure's head tilts fractionally, the brightness of those eyes dimming briefly as the brim of the slouch hat shades them. "... I see the reports of dual personalities were accurate, Miss Jones. Starr might remember me more clearly.".

    The figure then turns to regard her friend, looking him up and down with an air of consideration and calculation. "Shadowlite, I take it?" the voice asks after a moment more.

Shadowlite has posed:
Finally, Natasha gets a look from the man wearing a black hood and AR goggles, and he stares in silence for a moment. "That's my public name, yep." The voice scrambled name replies, cautiously, "I remember you from the time I had those demon cunts chasing me across the planet. Glad to see they didn't eat you." He quips, before he looks back to Vicky, "Super bowl fans are insane. There are a number of cities in the US where fans destroy their city if their team loses. I've watched it a few times." He shakes his head, before he leans forward, his tone amused, "I did some research. They had a number of rich people in there this time, including Luthor. So, did you impress anyone?" Shadowlite teases Vicky.

Redstar has posed:
~I remember her well.~ Starr replies as her attention and presence comes forward, curious, to hover like someone over Vicky's shoulder. It is an uncomfortable sensation that the girl has never quite gotten used too. And it is worse now, her demonic aura flickering against her mind and soul.

"She does," Vicky says with a jerky nod of her head. "And...you're familiar. Did...did she hurt you? Or try too? I'm sorry if she did..." It is much more likely that the demon would hurt someone, to be remembered, than not.

Starr's presence snorts making Vicky jump slightly, lips thinning into an irritated line as her gaze drops to the ground. Her hands are balled into fists in her lap. ~I didn't hurt her. I recruited her.~ Starr drawls in amusement. ~You always think the worst of me.~ If a mind could pout, Starr would be.

"Will you shut up and leave me alone!" Vicky blurts out at no one in particular, eyes on the ground, her frustration boiling over.

~Kitten has found her claws. Mmmm...very well.~ Starr retreats to the darkness of thought, watching and listening in silence once more.

Vicky takes a deep breath and then puts on a somewhat fake smile as she looks between Natasha and Shadowlite. "Sorry...umm," She glances sideways at Shadowlite as he teases. "Well...SHIELD didn't arrest me when they stormed in and...uhhh...well Lex Luthor kind of invited me to come by his office."

Shadow has posed:
    Shadowlite's comment earns a noise somewhere between a huff and a snort -- it's a bit hard to tell which with that voice. "I'm harder to eat than that," comes the response before the figure turns its attention back to Vicky and shakes its head. "She warned me of what was coming. That warning allowed me to save several lives." There is the briefest of pauses before it continues. "I am under no delusion that she did it out of altruism; her father's defeat won her her freedom. It is, however, a mark in her favour. How she chooses to spend it remains to be seen."

    At Vicky's outburst, the Shadow nods in consideration. "SHIELD has a... Reputation for paranoia and preparedness, but what my sources tell me they prefer to observe and only take action on a direct threat; nonhuman entities that aren't causing an actual problem are generally left alone until and unless they start being a problem. Luthor, on the other hand..."

Shadowlite has posed:
"How you approach him depends on who you ask." Shadowlite notes, before he brings up a hand and gives a dismissive wave. "He rubs people the wrong way a lot, but if you don't cross him, you generally don't have to worry about him." Shadowlite then shrugs, before he looks to Nastasha, then to Vicky, "it's the governments that typically want control... and SHIELD is part of the government." Shadowlite points out.

Redstar has posed:
"The lead agent said what I did likely saved lives. So it counts as a good ledger in her book. And her offering to lead me out wasn't a trap. So I kind of believe her when she said she would put it in her report," Vicky says, visibly relaxing as Starr's presence receeds.

The discussion of the billionaire makes her head come up, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Well...All I know is what I've seen on TV. And...I don't like people judging me on sight or rumor. So I very well can't do the same to someone else," Vicky says after a moment of thought.

~You are so boringly pure. Uuuugh.~ Starr can't help herself sometimes. A slight darkening of her frown flickers across Vicky's face.

(There is nothing wrong with that. Now hush.) O O Vicky thought angrily at her demon counterpart.

Shadow has posed:
    The figure nods at Vicky, conceding her point - and apparently ignoring Shadowlite's outburst entirely. "Fair," it concedes with a hint of reluctance in its voice. "And in his defense, what I know about him is insufficient to warrant an investigation - even if Metropolis were mine to patrol. All I have is," the figure pauses briefly, a tinge of distaste entering the voice. "a hunch."

    The figure nods again. "You have the right to make your own choices -- you certainly fought hard enough to earn that right," the figure continues. "At the same time, I do recommend you be /very/ careful."

Shadowlite has posed:
As he is ignored, Shadowlite looks to Natasha, then to Vicky, before he grunts. "I'm going to head back. I just wanted to see if you were alright." With that, Shadowlite moves to stand, and heads for an alley. "We can talk about Luthor later."

Redstar has posed:
Vicky glances up at the Shadow and listens and nods slowly. "I'm learning all about the differences between careful and not lately," Vicky says with a laugh before she shakes her head. As Shadowlite stands she reaches out to grab at his hand. "Oh, wait. I'll go with you."

Getting to her feet she trots the first few feet before pausing and turning to smile at Natasha. "Thank you for helping against the demons. I'm glad she listened to me," Vicky says before waving and taking a few long skips to catch up with him. That alone speaks to her relative innocence considering the world she now exists in. Careful? She has a long way to go before she is jaded enough to be suspiciously careful.

Shadowlite has posed:
"Alright." Shadowlite gives in reply, not stopping. Soon enough, he's around the corner, and the sound of reality being smashed as Vicky and Shadowlite head... somewhere.

Shadow has posed:
     And another moment later, the park is empty save for the still-moving swing set -- and an utterly unremarkable taxi driving down the street, perhaps looking for a paying ride.