7597/When Elves Go Wandering

When Elves Go Wandering
Date of Scene:	23 May 2019
Location:	Lower Manhattan, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Kurt and Sibiance meet, and then Kurt meets The Punisher.
Cast of Characters:	Nightcrawler, Sibilance, Punisher

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Nightcrawler has posed:
    The city regularly calls for Kurt, in one mask or another, and today is no different. In part due to the mid-town fire, following the whispers, and also to reach out to the communities as he goes. A man with a cup, head down in exhaustion is handed a cup of warm coffee, a hot sandwhich, and a card detailing information for a shelter. A woman selling newspapers taken from a nearby rack to passersby is presented with similar. Each time his hands are emptied, Kurt slips into a corner store or the like, acquiring more to hand out, and from time to time have murmured conversations with the ones who are familiar with his face.
    Hunting leads on the fire, and of these sightings of lizard people - should there be people with needs that he and some others are particularly capable at assisting with.

Sibilance has posed:
    It doesn't take a lot of effort to track down Sibilance. Known by the immediate locals as Ainsley Garcia, they describe her as a Spanish-speaking mutant, and descriptions of her more harrowing exploits has some of them seeming startled by the idea.

    "That sounds like Miss Garcia, but... Why, she gave me a bouquet just the other day, she seemed so quiet and sweet. She's another of those superheroes, then?"

    "Sibil did that? Guess you can't judge a book."

    Word is that she's a new face. She lives here in Lower Manhatten somewhere. Some questions lead him to where she's usually seen during the morning hours, a cafe with some outdoor seating where she can sit and watch people walk by, while holding a cup of coffee in both of her hands. Seems like she's the kind of person that responds to disaster when it happens nearby, and not necessarily someone that goes looking for trouble to thwart. Except for the fact that she's wearing a gym hoodie with the SHIELD logo.

    She's still got some bandages on her face and hands from the burns caused by that day of rescue efforts.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    The sight of Ms. Garcia out in public, open like that. It stops Kurt short as he rounds a corner on his way to the cafe he was pointed to. Blinking owlishly for a moment before he approaches, head canting at the sight of the SHIELD logo now catching his view.
    He uses the routine of getting himself coffee to gain a few more moments of observing before he approaches, a strong cup in one hand, a small plate of biscotti in the other and standing at a, hopefully, polite distance from her table, opposite of the side she sits,
    "Guten Morgen, miss." beaming a bright smile at the snake woman, "May I join you?" No apologies or other such, no judgement in his gaze either.

Punisher has posed:
With other business dealt with, The Punisher's gotten around to doing some homework after the Midtown fire. New players are on the radar in New York, with Sibilance being among them... and today, he's going full civilian for covert surveillance of the Very Obvious Mutant who has potential SHIELD connections.

So he sits at a bench nearby, reading a tablet PC in a baseball hat and sunglasses.

He'd already done some checking with the neighbors, and been helping Microchip get physical access to internet lines in the area; internet traffic and known searches tell a lot more about a persons fears and hopes than an interview ever could, usually.

Sibilance has posed:
    Sibil looks up from her coffee, surprised by Kurt's offer. She answers softly, "Si, go right ahead." It's notable that no one is sitting near her. She also sits with her back to a wall so that no one can sneak up on her. She's a paranoid or fearful sort of soul. She smiles after Kurt sits down, and silently enjoys the company for now, as if this were simply a pleasant surprise for her.

    She's quiet, and doesn't make eye contact. Not yet at least. She seems shy.

    Frank and his ally would get a brief 'net footprint about her. Apparently she's a flower enthusiast, but she's careful not to say when or where she takes the pictures she posts. She doesn't want to be tracked, she doesn't want to be hunted. She's as skittish as the reptile she resembles. She isn't, however, capable of covering up her trail completely. You do enough weird or superpowered things and it becomes newsworthy.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Allowing the young woman her quiet at first, Kurt does slide the plate of biscotti towards her after selecting one for himself, dipping and stirring his coffee with it. "I envy you, miss. I wish I had your courage." he looks down at the table, at his hands specifically and then back to his coffee up which he lifts with the bowl of the mug, not the grip of the handle.
    "My name is Kurt, miss, may I ask yours?" He's been told it, yes, but it's rude to own somone's name before they've given it to you, after all. He takes a bite of his coffee cookie, offering another, hopefully, enearing grin on his features.

Punisher has posed:
"Frank, she's got all the marks of someone trying to be subtle about her trail electronically. Not much of the way of opinion in there, and by all accounts she's staying intentionally neutral." Microchip offers in reports after a while.

Then someone new walks up to Sibilance, and Punishers attention is on them, "We can talk later Micro, got someone new here." Punisher notes over his transceiver.

Time to listen in.

Sibilance has posed:
    Sibil hesitates at the word 'courage.' She looks up at him, as if surprised he'd even mention her features, or perhaps not happy it was even hinted at. But then she takes a big gulp of her coffee and lets the feeling erode away. "My name's Ainsley," she says, in her deeply Spanish accent. "You can call me Ainsley, Sibilance, or Sibil." She flashes a bigger smile at him, and reaches out to accept the proffered biscotti. She pops it in her maw, showing off her ... un-snake-like teeth. They look bestial in a way unlike a proper serpent. Probably makes talking and eating easier.

    "Are you a mutant? Mutant family?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Watching, facinated, Kurt tilts his head to one side. No judgement, fear, or any of that tosh in his expression as he takes another bite of his own. "I'm a mutant, yes. I represent a group of us, a place where one can learn about their powers in a place of peace and without judgement." his smile falters slightly as he gives a moment of further thought,
    "I'd hate to say a controlled environment," his own accent running ws and vs as a single letter it seems, "But I know most of our kind don't appreciate the term control. And saying a safe environment make people think of a trap." setting his cup down now. "But I do offer for you to come, and speak with us, and perhaps meet a few more like you, whether you feel gifted or cursed - we can help with the support you might need, ja?"

Punisher has posed:
With the shotgun mic built into the tablet listening in, Punisher is hearing the conversation. "You gettin' this?" Punisher asks over the transceiver, "Recording the whole thing for later checking, Frank."

For now, The Punisher is content to be a passive observer, it seems.

Sibilance has posed:
    "Hnn." Sibil's response to Kurt admitting he's a mutant. Her eyes narrow briefly as she probe's Kurt's surface thoughts, his words on help and his caution not eliminating her paranoia. But when her discoveries come up positive, she smiles again at him. "A dear friend tried to convince me that the scales are beautiful," she explains, "And so I stopped hiding them, for his sake." Her tone suggests more than 'friend,' especially her smile, but her wording is careful.

    "I am interested," she adds, in a soft tone of voice. "Mostly because of your own peculiar feelings, but because you're a genuinely good man. I can tell." She flashes a knowing smile at him.

    "Envious... so strange..." She looks away thoughtfully. It may be clear to Kurt that she's a mind reader of some flavor, or an empath, because of his own experiences.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Blinking at that, and the mention of envy, the Bavarian blushes a little and nods, "I did not stare, but from what I've seen the marking of your scales is quite nice. I might look more, if it was not rude - I know staring can feel almost as bad as scorn, ja?" Coffee lifted again, guarding his thoughts a little more closely as he is reminded of working with Charles, or Emma, or Jean.
    "The group I work with, I know at first would wish to initially help you in the unfortunately named Mutant Town - to start. We're cautious to a fault sometime. I welcome you with open arms and heart, so I want you to know I apologize for such... additional hurdles. We have an outreach program there, courses for learning control, history, even some courses if you needed to finish primary education or if you were looking to get a step up on college I can see what we can arrange. So it's not just... being a mutant, but helping you with being a person, becaue there should be no difference in the words."

Sibilance has posed:
    It's Sibil's turn to blush at mention of her markings. A hand goes up to press to her nose, and run over the rattlesnake pattern that coats her skin. She flashes a wan smile at him as he mentions Mutant Town... not a great place to hang out, she knows, because it's a segregated community at the root of it.
    "I have plenty of help with education," she admits. "I wouldn't mind having a few more friends, though. It can be difficult to find people that sympathize, at the very least, or people like you that genuinely care." She seems warm to Kurt, ever since her scan. "I'll check out the place. I always avoided it before now... not sure why." She rubs at her jaw, and then gulps down more of her steaming coffee.

    "Anything else, Señor?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    With a nod, Kurt spends a moment digging into his jacket and drawing out a card, "This is a number you can reach me at Mein Dame." to a phone built by Forge due to all the tracking Striker and Trask are big on.
    "I can be there very quickly, to help show you around. It does not look like you'd have much trouble, but some of the more downcast let their sadness and anger get the better of them." he looks pained at that and sighs with a deep frown before he adds, "But there is always hope, ja?" he sets his cup down, empty and offers a polite bow of his head. "I'll not take up any more of your time Thank you for listening, and I hope you have a pleasant day."

Sibilance has posed:
    The card is accepted and tucked away in one of her pockets. She flashes another smile at him. "Thank you." Then Sibil gets up and starts walking down the sidewalk, breathing a little sigh to herself, like she's happy about the meeting. His compliment apparently stuck. "Will have to make something..." she murmurs aloud.

Punisher has posed:
"I get the feeling this is a fairly secretive group." Punisher muses over the transceiver to Micro, "any luck with the background check?" There's a pause of about ten seconds on the other side, before Microchip responds, "Not a thing. He's a blank." A moment passes as Punisher watches the two with a frown, "some sort of disguise? I'm not spotting a wig or makeup."

Then, As Kurt bids his farewells, Punisher tsks, "looks like I'm gonna have an opportunity to find out. At least we can tag the girl as neutral."

When Kurt looks about to leave, Punisher moves to tail him casually.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Moving along the street, opposite in the direction Sibil had taken. Hands stuffed in his pocket, walking at a slouch and humming to himself a moment before he looks down suddenly, without breaking stride, murmuring... to his jacket?
    If close, it's in German, sounding like he is saying "Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich nicht damit anlegen..." and then gives a shake of his head as he pulls his coat a little more closed,

Punisher has posed:
Hearing the words over his tablet, Punisher can't help but squint under the sunglasses, "My Germans rusty. What was that?" Punisher mutters to Microchip over the transceiver, "Thank you for not messing with that." Microchip states with a hint of amusement.

He doesn't stop in his tracks, but Punisher does suddenly get a tenseness to his body, his stance shifting from casual pedestrian to coiled viper, ready to pounce.

Finally, he speaks up just a bit, "No point in keepin' it casual then." Punisher starts to walk up to Kurt, going side by side, if he doesn't disappear.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Kurt's steps do faulter as he hears the voice and then sees the man striding up abreast of him, eyes wide. "OH! I'm... Hello, sir?" mouth pulling into a nervous frown, but he doesn't try to flee just yet. "Guten tag, Mein friend - do you need assistance?" head turning slightly to try and get a look at the man's features. While Kurt's eyes see right through shadow, sunglasses and the like - well that does change features. Especially if they've not run into eachother often, if at all.
    "Did you need something sir? What is there to be casual about? I'm always happy to help my fellow man." beaming a smile again, trying not to look too nervous.

Punisher has posed:
"Your actual identity would be nice." Punisher asks, entirely too casually. "You're a total blank, which means resources." Punisher continues to walk side by side with him, entirely like he's having a normal converation.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Ermmm... It's Kurt sir, that is my name." brow up, looking in various directions for a potential exit point. "I don't know about resources either, Mein Friend." smile weakening a little. "Sir... I don't know what you are thinking, but I'm just a man looking to help out my fellow man, ja?" Yellow eyes peer, briefly, from inside the collar of his jacket before he pulls the clothing close against himself again, lips pursing.

Punisher has posed:
"Just someone lookin' to help, huh." Punisher glances to the side, at Kurt, "you're a total blank, which means you don't officially exist. I was thinking disguise... but I've seen elaborate disguises before, and I'm not seeing any wigs or anything of that sort. Which means something more complex, or you had your records erased."

"As for me... call me The Punisher." Rather bold of him... but Frank Castle is not known for being stupid.

Nightcrawler has posed:
The Bavarian stops dead, blanching at the admission from Frank. Eyes widening. "Not here? Not... where I would draw attention? I'll prove I'm not trying to harm anyone, agreeable, ja?" brow knitting as he takes a moment to study the man, the sag in his features knowing it's true.
    "You pick the alley, proof that I won't try an ambush, or something like that eh? I don't want to hurt anyone, I just want to help."

Punisher has posed:
There's no body language response from The Punisher as Kurt explains himself. Instead, he brings up his tablet, types something into the map, and points to a location. It's in Midtown, in an alleyway, "meet me there."

Without another word, The Punisher breaks off and walks away, disappearing into New York.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Of all people to ask you to meet you somewhere, Kurt can at least be punctual. It's only a matter of slipping to an alleyway, one of the Bamfs slipping out of his jacket to look around and give a thumbs up while Kurt steps quickly behind a dumpster, ducking and checking visually before he disappears in a burst of displaced air, and a dark cloud of Brimstone. Moving across the rooftops of the city, spanning the distance in moments, aiming to be atop one of the roofs that can be used to look down into the depths of said alley, well in advance.