8996/Wisecracks About Hot Tin Roofs Aside...

Wisecracks About Hot Tin Roofs Aside...
Date of Scene:	29 August 2019
Location:	Roofops, Alphabet City
Synopsis:	Two cats meet on a rooftop, and end up stashing a pile of money in one of their hideouts. Not remotely suspicious- at all.
Cast of Characters:	87, Nemean

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Vorpal (87) has posed:
Summer is a tough time for Vorpal to patrol. Having what is essentially a full-body fur coat that you simply can't check at the counter means that any daytime activities require a great deal of water, or you patrol at night. That's the price you paid for having fur /and/ a full-body uniform. Jokes aside about Going Tigra, he simply can't bring himself to do anything of that sort. The sleeveless design is the farthest he is willing to compromise when it comes to comfort versus decorum.

The night-time isn't so bad, anyways. You get to meet a lot more interesting people than you do during the daytime, especially in Gotham. Gotham is full of all sorts of interesting characters, yes siree.

Which is why Vorpal is currently leaping across rooftops across the East Village at the moment. While Truth, Justice and the Cheshire way were excellent mottoes to live by, it had been a long week and he felt like this part of the world was a little more his speed right now.

Besides, he wanted to test his new boots. They were more like boot-spats, really, as they had to leave his toes open to allow for his claws, and his heel to allow for style because otherwise the design looks unbalanced. But, all in all, he had to admit that the extra grip that had been added by Solinsky felt fantastic.

The Cheshire slows down to a light jog and then stops after leaping upon a particularly large rooftop. It gave an excellent vantage point for some of the more troublesome alleyways in this location, and so he quietly makes his way to the edge and crouches, gargoyle-like, at one of the corners, peering down.

He maintains the stoic pose for a few seconds. And then, his stomach growls.

Nemean has posed:
If there's one thing about rooftops in New York City, you're always bound to find somebody up there brooding or observing the city. At the moment, it seems that not only is Vorpal doing a rooftop patrol, but another large cat has found his way onto the rooftops of the East Village as well.

The large mutant named Nemean has been scouting out a stash house of the Gambini crime family. Despite not officially being a member of the FBI anymore, he has a lot of unfinished work that he's not going to allow his being kidnapped and transformed to stop.

He is standing on the edge of the roof with a pair of binoculars, though he lowers them when he hears something not too far away. With those big ears of his, it's hard not to pick out sounds that are unusual, even amongst all the constant buzz of the city.

Tucking the binos away, he moves to find the source of the noise, which appears to be on a nearby rooftop. He takes a running leap, and lands not too far from the brightly colored other feline, "What the hell." He has never seen that particular color combination on a cat before.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal can be easily startled. He has a tendency to focus on things too much sometimes, often to the detriment of his other senses. Had he been alert, like Robin often nags him to be, he might have heard Nemean running. He did not, however, and the thud of his landing is the first thing he hears. He turns immediately and, in a moment of pure reflex, becoming completely invisible.

And then, very slowly, a voice from nowhere echoes "What on earth-" he has never seen a lion *this* color, either.

Cautiously, and slowly, he becomes visible once again, curious to see if he is about to be attacked.

Nemean has posed:
The sudden invisiblity is something that catches Nemean off guard. He sniffs the air a couple of times to try to find where the other cat went, but he slowly turns visible again, "What the heck are you doing up here?" He asks. He obviously has no intention of attacking first, unless he gets attacked, but he seems intently curious about the other cat now.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Words instead of claws. Good. "Well, that's a very fine question." The Cheshire slowly begins to stand up, his green eyes fixed on the lion. "I thought I was exercising the universal right of cats to go wherever we pleased. In this particular case, I happen to be up here because I want to watch-" he points towards the streets, and the alleyways, "Down there."

He hops off the ledge and onto the roof, proper, hands behind his back, and begins to take a few cautious steps to pace the area around Nemean, watching him.

"By that same token, I could ask you what you are doing up here, too?" he says, and flashes one of the grins he's famous for. Or, well, his literary self is famous for, anyways.

Nemean has posed:
"Stakeout." Replies Nemean, simply enough. He doesn't like not seeing someone's hands when he's talking to them, that's the easist way to get shot. But then again he's seen people's hands and still been blown up by magic once before, so that's kinda moot in this kind of place.

"Humor me for a moment. Skintight outfit, prowling rooftops at night, you're a superhero of some stripe, yes?" He asks, as he rests his own hands on his belt buckle, near the front holster on his gear, "I've had enough run ins with them to know one when I see them."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal tilts his head and stops as Nemean interrogates him. He looks down at himself, and then back up at Nemean. "Well, not just some stripe, but many." he gestures to his strong arms, which are striped by the crimson spiral stripes that seem to stop at his shoulders. "I am particularly proud of this one myself," he reaches over and seemingly tears the stripe off his arm. It shouldn't be possible, but with one firm yank it becomes a strip of long fabric, which he then uses to drape around his neck like a scarf. "But you would be correct," he says, glancing down at the lion's belt, holster and gear. "I do hope you're not the kind of cat who likes to shoot at superheroes. I'm allergic."

Nemean has posed:
"Haven't shot any superheroes in a while." He muses, as he looks at the stripe now hanging around his neck, "Some kind of magic user, I'm guessing." He tends to be pretty good at guessing abilities and such from observation. He was a detective once upon a time, after all.

"I'm kind of...Hmm." He considers his wording, "I'm in a bit of a transition period, right now, you could say." He says, simply, "You can call me Nemean, if you wish."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire cat raises an eyebrow at that. Seemingly dissatisfied with the new addition to his costume, he shrugs off the scarf, which slithers back onto his fur and becomes a regular stripe once again.

He takes a short leap and lands on an air pipe which runs the length of the rooftop, whereupon he stretches and leans back on his hands, looking at Nemean. "That is a very... literary name. Mythic. I should introduce you to Diana, I think she would think it delightful."

He pauses, and looks briefly downcast, "Well, maybe not. Herakles did eventually, you know..." he draws his finger across his neck before he sits up and crosses his legs in front of him.

"So you are transitioning from... what? Police agent to ... magnificent rooftop-prowling beast of the night or something? I mean, I don't blame you, the first is a rather saturated market while the second one still has room for a young cat willing to stake his claw against the world. But surely there's a story behind it."

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Nemean has posed:
That actually gets a bit of a laugh out of Nemean, who shakes his head a bit, "You're not too far off." He replies, "I was a FBI agent. Then I pissed off the wrong people, and they decided I'd be much better as a big cat than a human."

He turns away from the other feline for a moment, looking back out across the city, "But those bad folks who changed me messed with my head. Had me really confused for a while, made me hurt some folks. I'm not happy about it, and intend to take it out of their hide, one way or another."

He turns back around, and hmms, "So what's your deal?" He asks, as he lets his hands move away from his weapon, to make sure that The Cheshire can make sure of his intent.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"No offense... I think you look great like this," he gestures to Nemean, "But then again, I am a completely biased audience." He then frowns, and hmms. "... yeah. Transformations are interesting. Being used as someone else's cat's paw is not. "

He looks up, now that it is his turn to tell his story. He decides to make it entertaining.

"Here, have a seat."

Out of nowhere, a tear in the fabric of reality appears, showing a perfectly normal apartment. With a snap of one of his fingers, one of the beanbag chairs flies out of the tear and lands on the rooftop, tear closing behind it. "It's ok. It's my favorite one, it's sturdy." Indeed, there's pink fur on it. Vorpal sheds.

"A long time ago, in a land far, far away, in Brooklyn." He holds his hands out and a storybook appears. This book opens by itself and pop-up paper figures emerge from it, detailing the story he is about to recount. "There was a handsome young man who decided to try his hand at journalism. Superhero journalism, in fact. And he did quite well, for a while!"

The little paper doll that represents him, human with a huge smiley face and curly red hair, waves its arms in the air. "And then, one day, it just so happened that he was caught in a crossfire between a superhero and a villain..." the scene has changed to a museum of sorts, and little paper people are running around everywhere. It's hard to tell who the supers in question are, because they are caught in a paper dust cloud with special effects coming out of it in the likes of 'POW!', 'BLAM!' and 'ONOMATOPEIA!'

"And then, tragedy struck!"

The little paper Vorpal is thrown against a nearby antique mirror by a shockwave of sorts. The mirror shatters, and a shard of the mirror pierces his chest in a rather gruesome manner, for a paper puppet show.

"And that's the day I died."

The little paper guy has two x'es for eyes now.

"But wait, there's more! For, you see, that was a magic mirror... and in that mirror, why, there happened to be a captive soul."

The book suddenly turns around and becomes a completely different book. Alice in Wonderland. The scene pops to the famous illustration of the Cheshire Cat on the tree. "And that soul just happened to be that of the Cheshire Cat. The actual one. And then, well..."

The book flutters and it is back to the old scene. The Cheshire cat climbs out of the mirror shard and enters the young man, and after a "POOF" cloud, a little paper doll of Vorpal as he is now stands there, hands akimbo, grinning.

He closes the book. "And that, boys and girls, is how I became as you see me here before you." He grins, the book vanishes.

Nemean has posed:
The lion sits on the beanbag chair once it's offered, and relaxes to watch the show. He pays close attention to the paper dolls as they figuatively dance around in front of him. He does actually wince a little bit at the mirror scene.

Once the show has concluded, he hmms a little bit and rubs his muzzle, "So you're still you, but also the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland? Interesting.." He says, as he remains seated in the beanbag for now. It's comfy. "So you decided to become a superhero thanks to the powers you were given by the incident? You must have had some kind of desire for that kind of thing before hand.."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Well, yeah, of course," Vorpal chuckles, nodding. "I must be that transparent... but yeah. You should have seen my room in highschool. Posters of Wonder Woman. Superman. Huuuuuge crush on Beast Boy. I thought Robin was a dork, though," he laughs, and then leans back on his hands. "I wished for nothing more than the ability to do what they did. Funny, since then I've actually met Batman and I work alongside one of Robins. And like I suspected," he holds his arms wide, "Huge dork! But I've also gotten to meet Wonder Woman, and she is absolutely fantastic!"

He clears his throat, realizing he's getting a little carried away. "But yes. Ahem. I guess I could've been a villain. But if I had been, I would've been the kind that just plays tricks on people, bugs Superman and at the end of the day leaves nobody worse off for wear, since I do enjoy mischief... that's the Cheshire talking. But my human side did give me the moral compass that the other side was missing. So here I am."

He tilts his head at Nemean and walks over to him, getting up from the pipe to sit down at the lion's feet on the ground.

"So... have you decided what you're goin' to do when you've visited justice onto the deserving?"

Nemean has posed:
"I met her once myself...When I was still human. You're not wrong."

It was a while back, though, he'd admit, "Bet you still like playing pranks on folks, though. I'd just assume those pranks don't usually leave anyone permenently altered."

He looks down a bit and considers, "If my life spent in t he military and law enforcement has taught me anything, no matter how much justice has been dispensed, there's always going to be folks who need it still."

He shakes his head a bit, thinking, before he continues, "But I'm not going to go down the route of the Punisher and murder everyone through some twisted sense of punishment. No, I want to do it in a way that helps the little people...And maybe hopefully helps people see the error of their ways."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"That's good. Nobody likes the Punisher." That's not true. What he means is, nobody who counts likes the Punisher. At least, to him. "So... I imagine that your old life is kind of a no-go zone, what with what happened to you."

A pause. "you do have a place to go to, right?" Vorpal asks.

Nemean has posed:
"At the moment, yes. My old life is somewhat no-go. I have a safehouse I've been using. Why, do you wanna follow me home?" He asks, as he lays back in the beanbag a bit, "I'd have to ask my dad if I can keep you."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal laughs and sits up a bit, and then stands up and rests a knee on the beanbag chair, half leaning in, half standing. "Why, I was merely concerned that a fellow feline was having hard out in the street. I have a very tender heart, you know, the Queen always wanted to get her paws on it."

He grins. "What would you do if I followed you home?" He shifts into his jesting, teasing mode. "I bet you don't even have a box big enough for me to hide in!"

Nemean has posed:
"That's true." He says, "But I mean I'd hope you were at least house trained, that'd make it somewhat easier." Nemean replies, as he eventually gets back up from the beanbag, so he can stretch out, "Glad to see you have concern even though we just met. That's good."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Well, you seem to be one of the good guys." Vorpal snaps his fingers and the beanbag disappears into a Rabbit Hole. It makes tidying up so easy... "And we cats have to stick together, right? It's a cruel, cold world out there and there's a dearth of sun-spots to go around, if you know what I mean." He walks around Nemean, looking at the hue of his fur. "I have to admit, I'd never seen a lion this color before. Ooh! Can I touch your mane?" he suddenly asks, walking to Nemean's front and looking positively giddy, "I'm curious, I've never touched a lion's mane before. Well, not without almost getting my hand bitten off."

"Actually, it was the stone lion at the library and I was still kind of loopy from a dental procedure, but you know what I mean."

Nemean has posed:
"Best I can figure, the color is a result of the DNA alterations done to give me the impenetrable skin." He replies, "And yes you can touch my mane, though don't be trying to take any so you can get a DNA sample and clone me or anything. One of me is quite enough."

The lion keeps his hands down to his sides, and bends down just a bit to allow easier access to the fur.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Nemean's answer makes the Cheshire chuckle. He reaches over and begins to comb his hair through the lion's mane, making note of the texture and the feeling. "Nice! See, I still have the same hair I had when I was human. About as red, too." He pauses. "No, that's not accurate. It used to be a little redder."

"This feels interesting..." He stops, and then puts his hand to Nemean's cheek, and huhs, "No fair. You've got softer fur. I bet you don't shed, either, and it's just the easiest thing in the world to dry. It takes me three hours to dry out!"

Nemean has posed:
The lion rumbles ever so slightly as his mane gets combed and then the touch on his cheek, "I'll admit nobody's really touched me other than the ocasional hand on the shoulder or pat on the back since I got changed. This feels..Nice."

But then back to being silly it seems, "I had to buy my shampoo from a pet store website. It works though."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Yeah, I have to do the same. Clearly we're going to have to exchange brands!" He smiles, and he seems surprised. "Oh, don't tell me you've never... here."

he reaches over and begins to move his hand gently following the outline of Nemean's cheek up to his temple and back, "You've never had this done? This is your crack, man," he chuckles, "At least to us small cats it is. No idea how it is for the big ones. "

Nemean has posed:
The lion is a bit surprised at the sudden handsyness of the other feline but lets it go, "What're you doing?" He asks, not sure where he's going, but it feels pretty good. It's probably the same thing for big cats as it is for the little ones, all things considered.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"It's just something we cats do," he says, grinning, "Mind you, it feels even better when it's cheek to cheek, but I figured you might bite me." He winks and lets his hand stop for a second, "Unless, of course, it's actually uncomfortable. I can stop right now!"

He looks at his hand, and then back at Nemean. "I am rude. You can call me Vorpal!"

Nemean has posed:
Nemean does offer a grin, "No it's okay." He says, "I just am not used to being a cat, is all. I'm sure in due time I'll get used to all these instincts and feelings. The other mutants have the advantage of having been an animal first.."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"You'll get used to being a cat in no time flat. I may have to give you lessons." Vorpal blinks, hmmm "The other mutants being animals first?" This seems very familiar. He reaches with his claw and scratches just under the lion's chin, just to see what happens. "Tell me... have you come across any, oh, say... green guys? Just a thought. I know a certain someone who knows four guys like that." Vague enough, but specific enough as it is.

" Now... You told me you were doing some sort of stake-out. Pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, he says "Maybe I can help out?"

Nemean has posed:
"Yeah." Nemean replies, "Four green guys. A white fox lady and a dog." He replies, "Seems you've encountered them before. Or at least know of them." He says, as he hmms, and then looks back over his shoulder.

"Oh right! Yes, that building down there, the one that looks like a closed convinience store, it's a stash house for the Gambini crime family."

He moves back over to the edge of the building, "I was waiting to see if any one of their big guys showed up before I hit it."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Technically speaking I haven't met any of them in person but I know a friend of theirs. She's a news woman."

As the lion turns his attention back to the building, the Cheshire Cat walks up beside him. "I see you are doing things the old way. How about you take advantage of me and my abilities? We could walk in there without anyone seeing you and you could take a close look at everything!" he crosses his arms, "Stakeout Wonderland style."

Nemean has posed:
"I'm not opposed to trying new things." Nemean replies, leaving it at that, "So if you want to do it your way, we absolutely can." He turns to face Vorpal, "You gonna use some invisibility magic or something? Shrinking magic? It's been a while since I read the book or watched the movie, I admit.."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"At least you've actually read it. Robin never has. Can you believe that?" he says it as if it were a terrible offense, a crime even. "While your memory is good, I actually can't change someone's size. We'll have to go invisible which, at first, can be a shock, going around not seeing your body. Wanna start from the roof down? I can rabbit hole us to the rooftop and then make us invisible. "

Nemean has posed:
"Yeah that's probably the best way to do it. We can scout it out from the top down and make sure of what they've got in there. It's most likely cash or drugs, but this place is pretty lightly guarded because nobody's supposed to know about it." He has no idea what getting rabbit holed feels like, but it's probably going to be disorienting

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Sounds like a plan! Come on!" As it happens, the Rabbit Hole is not so disorienting. Or, at least, this particular variety thereof- Vorpal has been known to indulge slinghotting himslef through concatenated Rabbit Holes, accumulating momentum and flying across the city in a wonderland rollercoaster.

It's not for everyone, understandably.

This particular hole is merely a tear in the fabric of space, leading immediately onto the other rooftop and closing obediently behind them. No disorientation!

"Now, what follows is a little extra. I can make us both invisible. Thing is, you won't know where I am and I won't know where you are, precisely. This can be a tactical issue. Usually when I go into situations like these I keep in contact over communicator with the Titans. Failing that, leading by the hand works..." he pauses, and takes a look at Nemean. "Maybe you should lead. You're kinda huge. Not in the bad way, the good way- but you might step on me."

Nemean has posed:
"Fair enough." Nemean repliies, "I might also be able to keep track of you by scent...Unless being invisible makes you stop having smells too, I don't know how this magic stuff works." He says, as he looks out from the rooftop to the one they had just been standing on a moment before, "I can take point though, either way."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Sounds good- I'll do my best to follow you..." and Vorpal's face breaks into a grin, "Of course, I could also just ride on your shoulders. You're big and strong enough for that. But you'll probably forget I'm there and do something like give me a concussion on the door." He smirks, "Up to you, but I'll follow your lead. You're the super-experienced secret agent man."

Nemean has posed:
"Just grab my tail. Just be careful not to yank it too hard." He says, as he turns around and moves up to the door, tail twitching a bit but trying to give Vorpal a place to grab it, "Ready when you are. Lets do it."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Time to go through the looking-glass, Alice," Vorpal says cheerfully and grabs a hold of Nemean's tail. In a second, the two of them have vanished from sight.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Vorpal says, giving Nemean's tail a little shake, "If at any point you need to see your body, just reach out and grab me and I'll know, okay? Not everybody deals with having their bodies vanish like that the first time."

Nemean has posed:
"Whoa." Nemean is looking at his hands, or at least where his hands should be, but there's nothing there. He begins to slowly move forward after pushing the door open. They locked it, but it was easy enough for him to force the lock with his hands.

"Hope that didn't make too much noise." He whispers.

Yeah, having some psychic comms or something crazy like that would be super useful right now, but they'll have to do it the old fashioned way.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Don't worry. I can use illusions to distract, if need be." Vorpal is speaking very, very quietly. One good thing about being a cat? Very sharp hearing. He hopes his lion team-mate's hearing is as sharp as it should be. He keeps close, with a firm grip on the other's tail to be able to match his step.

He's somewhat of an old hat at this. And yes, of course, he's had the Bill Nye in his mind ask 'How come I can see? Because that means my rods and cones aren't gettig any light at all if it all just passes through me...', but at which point the Doug Henning of the mind comes over, puts a finger on questioning lips, and hushes pesky inquisitive thought with a mellifluous 'Shut up, it's magic.'

Nemean has posed:
That thought didn't even cross Nemean's mind. Mostly because he doesn't bother to think about stuff like 'why' something is working when they're entering a dangerous situation, just if it's working.

They reach another door, and Nemean pushes his ear against it to see if he can hear anything on the other side. Once he determines it's clear, he opens it and slips inside. This is some kind of storage room, but not the main stash room. This place did used to be a convineince store after all.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal sniffs the air, just to see if there is anyone within sniffing distance. He assumes Nemean is doing the same, but two noses are better than one, anyways.

It occurs to him that he might have wanted to brief his team-mate on the rest of his powers... but he figures that at this point, it's a little too late for that.

Oh well. Surprise is the spice of life, he has heard.
5

Nemean has posed:
If it comes down to it, Nemean is sure he'll find out one way or another. Once they go through the storage room, they come to a set of stairs which leads down, "This place has a basement, that's probably where the stash room is. Most of the guards will be on the floor below us. Can you take them out without giving us away? Or should I do it the old fashioned way?" He asks, as he lifts the hatch to go down a level

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal ponders this for a second, and then nods, "I can take care of them... When we get to them, I'll take point. If it doesn't work... then you'll come in."

He gets closer to Nemean so he can look down the hatch before they climb down. Just in case.

Nemean has posed:
Nemean nods..Even if Vorpal can't see it, and then once they're down on the 1st floor, steps out of the way, "I'll do my best to stay close. Just yell if I step on your tail or something." He says, putting a hand on Vorpal's shoulder so he can let the other feline guide him

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal puts his hand over Nemean's and begins to move forward. As any feline should be, he is quite stealthy and his steps barely produce any sound at all. Eyes and ears at the ready for the first sign of guards.

It doesn't take long, however, before he comes across the first set of guards. He gives Nemean's hand a squeeze, to signal a stop, and then he asseses the situation.

As predicted, there is a number of guards, a goodly enough number that storming the front is a foolish idea for anyone who is not bulletproof.

The lion was, but the Cheshire certainly was not. "Stay..." he says very, very quietly, and lets go of the Lion's hand, tiptoeing through the area. He has had an idea, but it involves getting to the other side of this particular room, where some heavy chains are stored, most likely employed for storage and transportation purposes.

The trick is, of course, to make it through without bumping into any guards walking the area, or making enough noise to raise the alarm...

Nemean has posed:
There's always a rub. Nemean holds on tight as he lets Vorpal take the lead. There's a good chance that the Cheshire has been doing this a lot longer than Nemean has, even if Nemean is older, the whole 'superhero' thing is a pretty recent development.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
There is one close call- of course, the lion can't see it. There is a number of guards gathered around a table, socializing if you will, to make the long hours pass. There are also a few guards who every now and again make it their job to pace and patrol. These groups often, at irregular intervals, exchange functions. the Cheshire cat was almost caught in the flow of one group becoming another, and it is but a miracle that he did not end up stepped on, and revealed.

Fortunately, he makes it to the chains just in time, and lets out a quick breath. He then takes a moment to examine the metal chains, and decides that they will do.

This next part, though, he has to blow part of his cover for. He reaches over and touches the chains and summons the magic within.

"Everybody here needs a BIG hug!" he calls out enthusiatically-

And that might have given him away completely, had the magic not discharged and entered the chains... which, in one frenzied instant, take life and start darting about the room like some sort of crazed metallic serpents.
'Huuuuuuuuug!' they screech with metallic voices not unlike the clinking of chain links. Each set of chains seems to fixate upon a guard and, although some try to flee, they are all suddenly enveloped from head to toe in very, *very* friendly chains that just want to give them the best of hugs.

Vorpal laughs, becoming visible for a moment, as he feels there is no further threat. However, he couldn't have known that there was still one guard standing- the one who had made a quick detour to the gents, and who now emerged from it to find a room full of his colleagues hogtied by sentient, wiggling, affectionate *chains*

"What the-" he reaches for his gun and aims it at Vorpal's back, ready to fire.

Nemean has posed:
Vorpal must have missed that guy. Nemean was watching in awe as the chains whipped around the room, but upon spotting the last guard, moved to quickly place himself between the guy with the gun and Vorpal. Still invisible, the shot goes off, and impacts Nemean in the chest.

The sight of an angry lion man fading back into visibility after having just been shot is probably not something the guard thought he was going to see today. Nemean grabs him by the shirt and headbutts him, sending him into Concussionville, and then drops him back to the ground.

"Well, cover's blown, might as well destroy whatever's in the stash below us. C'mon." He says, as he steps towards where the trap door tothe basement is located.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal actually looks sheepish, following after Nemean, "I'm sorry. I guess I got cocky... I didn't count on one of them having a weak bladder..." he looks around, just to make sure there are no other guards left before following after Nemean.

Nemean has posed:
"That's why you never go into these things alone." He says, looking down at the trap door, and then smashing the lock off with one of his feet. He opens the hatch up, and hops down inside. Thankfully he has great night vision, so he won't need to turn on the lights, "Yep. This is a money stash house." He hmms, "You got any way to make fire?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"I do have a way- I can grab something using my Rabbit Hole... but," Vorpal says slowly as he comes down the hatch, "Why not deliver a blow that will hurt even more, with all this cash?" the Cheshire cat says, his own night vision helping him navigate the environment rather easily.

Nemean has posed:
"I'm listening, if you have an idea." Nemean replies, "I was gonna torch the money and drag the guys out front and call the cops." He picks up a stack of money, to check it. All 20s, gotta be at least 10k in his hand.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Got any favorite charities? Orphanages? Medical research groups?" Vorpal walks by, his claw tap tap tap tapping on the stacks as he approaches Nemean, and then he leans on him, looking up into his face, "These sons-a-dogs have wrecked how many lives? We could set it all on fire, drag these bungholes out and be done... or we could take the money, parcel it out and deliver it all anonymously to many different worthy causes over the course of several weeks. Let's save ten lives for each one they've ruined."

Nemean has posed:
"I like the way you think." Nemean replies, "I know a few children's hospitals we could donate to, for sure." He hmms, just a little bit, "We need to leave some, however. At least enough for the cops to bust these guys. But we can take the rest, and make sure it gets sent to the right people..Do your thing."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"And I like your bullet-stopping chest," Vorpal quips, "I need to get me one of those. Life would be a lot less complicated." He snaps his fingers and concentrates. Soon, the Rabbit Hole opens under each stack, sending it plummeting to the other side-- his living room. It doesn't take long, and he judiciously leaves behind enough to be incriminating... but also a small enough amount to make it embarrassing- after all, what kind of half-penny crook gets caught for anything less than a mil, right?.

"Thing is done, Mister Lion. The dosh is safe in my apartment living room- and before you ask, it's very safe. It hasn't been cleaned for years." He smirks.

Then he puts up one finger, "But just in case the suspicion of me walking away with it arises... well." He tilts his head. "What the hell," Vorpal reaches out and touches the spot where the bullet bounced off of Nemean "You took a bullet for me, It would be unbelievably ungrateful of me to hold off any secrets. You can come over to my apartment and see for yourself the dosh is safe."

Nemean has posed:
"Sure. I'll go to your apartment, make sure the cash is there. Maybe spend the day keeping it safe." He says, as he looks back at the pile they left, "Lets go. I'll call the cops once we're away from here, let them know I heard gunshots and a scuffle from here...They should respond pretty quick."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Sure, gotta make certain it stays safe," Vorpal says, gesturing. The Rabbit hole opens to reveal his apartment. There's a lot more stuff there than there used to be, and by 'stuff' we mean, of course, money. "You can make sure it's all there and I'll get you a lemonade or something. Provided I can reach the refrigerator." if not, there's always the convenience store in the corner, of course...