event: a gentle arrival

[thestewards]

I won't give up so don't give in
You've fallen down but you can rise again

► The OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

► Direct all questions to the mods at this link.

SWEET DREAMS AREN'T MADE OF THIS
The dream isn't unpleasant, just strange. Mist curls around you long after the woman fades. You hold a Jewel in your hand, marveling at its multifaceted surface and feeling the thrill of new, untapped power. Anticipation surges in you: that feeling of wrongness that so often accompanies a nightmare you can't wake from. Anticipation becomes fear. You look up, certain that at any moment the mist will pull back and reveal something gruesome and terrible.

A scream. A piercing wail, that sound that accompanies a violent death. The sound doesn't come from your dream, and it jolts you awake. You…

i. Are alone in your room, and have a moment to gather yourself. Wherever you laid down to rest, you've woken up somewhere different. Somewhere strange. There's a comforting weight in the air—a feeling of welcome, of belonging. Then another scream pierces the night. In your dream, the woman asked for a hero. Maybe you already consider yourself a hero or maybe you don't, but now seems as good a time as any to either be one or start pretending.

ii. See a dark shape looming over you. You have no time to assess the place you've woken up, though you have a quick flash of insight that your dream must have been more than a dream and the woman to whom you spoke has brought you to her world and her home. There's no time to marvel at this. The shadow above you draws back, a pistol Breaker in their hand. Even if you've never seen a gun before, you can somehow taste their malice and hatred. They're pointing a weapon at you, and your scream might be the next to tear through the midnight darkness.

Landen Hunters have infiltrated the Queen's Residence. How stalwartly you choose to fight them off is up to you, but you'll quickly encounter members of Fayura's First Circle defending against the attackers. Allairavar rallies the people of the court, ensuring the most vulnerable are well guarded in the massive dining hall. Loren maintains a Green shield around the room, and only those of the court or the Strangers can enter. There, Healers tend to the wounded, and the children who live at the residence are kept safe.

Amidst the turmoil, you overhear snippets of conversation:

A Healer, quietly, to her patient: If the Lady isn't here, she and Prince Verim must be working some spell to protect us. Rest easy, Prince.

Lord August, speaking quickly to Prince Lachlan as they rush by: —monsters find out the Queen would be bringing help to us tonight? Who told the Hunters—

An injured footman, worried: —see the flames through the window. Landens live in Old Town. How unsurprising that the Guilds would come up with a distraction that hurts their own, too.

FLAME AND FURY
Beyond the Queen's Residence, the Old Town Bazaar burns. Horrified faces gather at the east-facing dining hall windows, and distraught whispers fill the air. Someone cries out that their sister lives in Old Town.

Loren reacts first. He calls for volunteers from the Strangers, and you have the distinct impression that he measures you by your response. "The Hunters—" He grimaces, realizing the Strangers probably don't know what he means. "—landen assassins came in the night to kill you. They've lit part of our city on fire to prevent us from following them. We don't know who, specifically, came for you, but we know where they've gone to ground, so we don't need to chase them down. What we do need to do is stop the fire from spreading. The First Circle will stay here and defend the residence. Who among you Strangers, those of you who came here tonight, will help with the fires?"

Those who agree to help are sent with Allairavar to put out the flames. As you travel with him, Allairavar provides a crash-course in creative application of Craft.

*You wear the Jewels, so you can shield. You should know how, if the Lady's spell worked. Shield yourselves to protect from the flames. Use Craft to shield the buildings and starve out the fires,* he says on a psychic thread so that everyone can hear him and he doesn't need to waste his breath by shouting. *Rescue anyone trapped in the buildings regardless of who they are. Be on the look out for Hunters—the assassins Loren mentioned. They're sneaky bastards, and they'll use our focus on helping the people to put knives in our backs if they can.*

Put out fires, use your powers or Craft to support buildings before they collapse, and rescue landens and Blood alike from the damage done by the Hunter Guild. Be wary and alert, and try not to damage the city more than the fires already have should you encounter Hunters. Blood families will go with the Strangers more easily than landen families, but Allairavar makes it clear that if you have to physically remove someone from a burning home or one that is about to collapse then that is exactly what you should do.


REST FOR THE WEARY
Dawn breaks on the horizon, painting the city of Draega a hazy red. With little wind, the smoke hovers around the city. In Old Town, even buildings that didn't burn begin to smell like the fire.

A somber weight falls on the Queen's Residence. In the aftermath of the night's events, Loren introduces himself to each of the Strangers individually if possible but to groups if he must: He is the Queen's Steward, and his Queen was the one who worked the spell to bring them to Draega. He apologizes for the circumstance of their arrival and that the Queen is currently indisposed. Everyone, he explains, can stay in the residence for as long as they would like, and he makes it clear that by no means are the Strangers required to remain in the residence nor will they be viewed with suspicion or distrust by the court if they decide to find their own homes.

Those with medical skills or healing powers are brought to the dining hall to help the Healers. The Healer in charge is a young, Yellow Jeweled woman who has exhausted her Craft and desperately needs assistance. Anyone who inquires about her position within the court, either to her or others, learns that she is highly skilled and spent her childhood in the landen Medico Guild before taking a chance on her half-Blood heritage and making an Offering. While she wears one of the lightest Jewels in the residence, even Allairavar submits silently to her attentions and he offers no excuse when she chastises him for getting injured.

Midway through the day, Allairavar and Loren make the mistake of having an unshielded conversation near the dining hall. Anyone nearby can overhear…

"I spoke briefly to Verim," Loren says, voice low and urgent. "They weren't caught in the fire, but Allairavar…"

A muscle in Allairavar's jaw ticks. His massive, membranous wings fan out to fill the hall before he pulls them tight to his back. "She's injured."

Loren nods. "Badly. The backlash of power struck her hard, and Verim couldn't help her absorb it." Tension lines Allairavar's body, and Loren quickly adds, "You can't kill them. She brought them here to help us—"

"Our Queen is vulnerable," Allairavar hisses. "There are strangers in our home." A dangerous, wild look fills his eyes. "Does she plan on doing this again? We're not letting her." He rocks back and forth on his feet with the nervous energy of a man contained and about to explode.

"So we'll strand these people here?" Gentle concern fills Loren's eyes. "She'll need to do this once more to send them home."

All that nervous energy abruptly vanishes, and Allairavar bends a sleepy-eyed, malevolent look on Loren. "Would you ask our Queen to destroy herself for these people?"

Violence cloaks both men, but the threat of action rests solely on Allairavar. Loren keeps his voice gentle. Soothing. "Do you really think she would have made the offer if she couldn't send them home? Do you think she would truly be so cruel as to demand they come here with no chance of ever returning home?"

Allairavar is quiet for a long moment. The tension slowly flows out of him, leaving him looking weary and exhausted. "Yes," he finally says, tone grim. "Because to her, the price is worth it to save the world. And she would accept it for any of them if they asked." He runs a hand over his head and sighs heavily. Without another word, he turns and walks away. Loren does not call after him.

AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you're spinning the dial on your own device, you'll hear…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] Just because the Blood have no law against murder doesn't mean you can kill anyone on the street—or in their homes, isn't that right, Lord Aren?

[Aren's voice is chipper and bright. He sounds more like an eager boy than the full-grown man he is.] Quite true, Evandra! Unless someone has done something to merit execution, wanton murder is generally frowned upon. A Queen can demand a price for the death of someone in her Territory or court.

[A thoughtful hum from Evandra.] So, the Hunter Guild's attack on the Queen's Residence last night isn't illegal, but it was incredibly gauche. And now they face possible retaliation from her and her court. How ghastly!

[Aren agrees.] A dreadful affair. Remember: just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[Evandra:] Quite so. Something for us all to consider. As always, I'm Evandra.

[With solemn dignity, Lord Aren says:] I'm Aren, and you've been listening to…

[Together:] Etiquette with Evandra and Aren. [Jaunty outro music plays. Perhaps they should reconsider this particular tune on dark occassions.]

the weather
[A soft-spoken man's voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He's pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] …overcast and snowy days with temperatures hovering around freezing during the day and dropping at night. Need to tune up your e-line heaters? The Elektriline Guild is offering a limited-time discount this week to ensure you stay warm around the clock.

the news
…distressed to hear of the incident at the Queen's Residence. [The man speaks in a slow, smooth voice. His words ring with heartfelt sincerity.] Though Lady Fayura and I don't often see eye-to-eye— [He chuckles at this, as though he's made a joke. Another man, presumably an interviewer, chuckles along with the air of someone who isn't sure this is a joke they should be laughing at.] —I condemn the actions taken by the Hunter Guild. Destroying people's homes is simply unacceptable.

But one wonders what that surge of power was just prior to midnight. Craft, surely, but to what end? Was that the spell the Queen used to summon these… Strangers from other Realms? Surely we can agree that such action, taken independently of the Guilds and the Ebon Council, much as we don't get along, is cause for concern. I believe the Lady has overstepped, and it is my firm hope that Lord Grejor issues an injunction against her for such flagrant disregard for the law.

[The interviewer speaks, and his voice is faintly strained.] Thank you, Grand Master Niall, for talking to us on this issue.

Comments

closed

[stickypete]

SWEET DREAMS AREN'T MADE OF THIS

i. who am I to disagree? | Velvet

[Waking up to his spider sense going off is like waking up to ice water dumped directly onto his brain. Peter yells a growling yell, like a bear stirred early from hibernation. It sounds a little like:]

BwaRAAGargh!

[He flips up to the wall almost immediately after he sees the attacker, avoiding one shot, then flips again to a corner of the room to avoid another. Feather down fills the air from the unfairly punished mattress. The way he clings to the corner makes him look like a scared spider about to spring.]

I don't know if it's a mix up with the concierge, but I didn't ask for a wake up call!

[This is the scene that Velvet walks into, a man clinging to the wall and ceiling, ready to spring again, wearing a strange red and blue costume with a mask, covered in spider web designs.]

ii. everybody's looking for something | Rocket

[Unlike most people, when Peter hears gunfire, he runs towards it. Or swings towards it. But the halls here don't really have great space for swinging in some places, so he's on foot when he turns a corner and nearly trips over a...]

[Uh. A mammal?]

Whoa!

[He jumps instinctually to avoid slamming into the little...guy. And lands on a wall and sticks.]

This again. [He's not quite as cartoonish as Spider-Ham, but it's still close.] If that gun fits in your pocket, Warner Brothers is going to sue you to death just for existing, I'm calling it now.

[Footsteps are approaching from both directions down the hall. More Hunters are chasing both of them.]

[The man sticking to the wall has a uniform that might be at least a little familiar to Rocket, thanks to the webbing and spider design. Except it's less shiny. And he sounds older than the other guy. And is bigger - both in height and a little bit sideways.]

FLAME AND FURY

iii. we didn't start the fire | Takame

[The problem with all this flagrant flammability is that saving people sure leaves you vulnerable to attack. After hearing some screams in a building, Peter swings right up through the upstairs window, crashing through the glass. The people cowering there shrink away from him; his costume and mask make him look slightly intimidating.]

[He holds up both hands and speaks to them in a gentle tone he's spent 22 years perfecting.]

It's okay. It's okay. I'm here to help you. My job back home is rescuing people from fires. [It's not actually a lie. It's at least one of the things he does. A lot. New York's Bravest usually don't seem to mind the backup.] Don't mind the strange clothes, they're a special firefighting suit.

["Why do they have a spider on them?" asks a tearful child.]

It was either this or get it monogrammed and that seemed pretentious.

[Wood creaks ominously. The flames downstairs are creeping upstairs and the smoke is going to make things awfully difficult soon.]

[He smashes the rest of the glass out of the window with a fist. (He learned a very long time ago how to do that cutting himself.) Then he taps his web shooters exactly the right way and a wide web stretches between different structures outside - a side of a house that's not burning yet, some streetlamps, etc...

I just made you a net outside. I promise it's safe to jump.

[The family really has no other choice and after another soft nod of encouragement from Peter they usher their children to safety first. Peter helps the children out, one at a time. Then the mother. Then the father. Each one lands in the net and bounces safely out. He made it just the right stickiness so they can roll out of it without getting stuck.]

[After the last of them is out, Peter moves to jump out of the window himself - and then his spider sense flares up, screaming in the back of his head. It's so strong that he doesn't have control over his body. He flips up to the ceiling just as a breaker shot zips through where his head just was. The Hunter fires again towards the ceiling and he moves again, reflexively, further into the room. Unfortunately, it takes him right within range of another Hunter, who slashes a dagger. He twists enough that it only grazes his bicep.]

[They have him pinned in a way that is...not good. With his spider sense that much more potent, it's not easy to make moves based on well reasoned tactics and decisions. He keeps reacting based on pure instinct - and his instincts don't always move him in the right direction. Every time he thinks about punching, webbing one of them, or trying to use the magic, his brain nopes out and makes him react instead of act. Stupid new power levels. Stupid gem.]

Would you - [slice - flip] - please - [bang - flip] knock that off?! Before I start [bang - flip] clipping through the floor [stabby stab - backflip] and T-posing into the stratosphere?

[This is almost as bad as how he and the other spiders were occasionally "glitching" and losing control of their bodies during the fight near the supercollider. It feels like his own brain is betraying him.]

iv. we didn't light it | Aithne

[Aithne joins the rescue at the best/worst time. The scene before her as she reaches the upper floor of the building is...complicated. Most of the floor is either burning or has already collapsed into the furniture(?) store below. Five Hunters are balancing on what's left of the floor, trying to keep their clothes from setting on fire as they try to kill Peter. Peter is up in the corner of the room, sticking to the wall near the ceiling, a crying baby in his arms.]

[He looks at her.]

How good are you at playing "the floor is lava"? And/or babysitting?

[The floor's going to collapse soon, the ceiling not long after, and the smoke is getting pretty bad - not good for a baby. If they all fall through to the first floor without dying, that will be an improvement, at least, since the roof and second floor caught fire first, but they still need to get out of here and the situation is devolving fast.]

v. but we tried to fight it | Steve Rogers

[The problem with these old-timey cities is how they're set up.]

[Peter grimaces under his mask as he swings in, squinting his eyes.]

This world definitely hasn't invented urban planning yet.

[It's the perfect recipe for disaster - an extremely narrow street, not much wider than an alley, filled with homes and shops. The fire on one side has leaped right over and set fire to buildings on the other side, causing the entire street to try to evacuate at once. But people evacuating from other areas in a panic are blocking the exits at the end of the streets. There are people still trapped in some of the buildings trying to get out, fire brigades of some kind trying to rush in, and confused people standing in the middle of the street, frozen because they don't know what to do, blocking it up even more.]

[Truth be told, Peter doesn't know exactly what to do, either. In situations like these, he usually just zips around, follows his instincts, triages, and thwips everyone out in the nick of time. He knows there's probably a better way than flying by the seat of his pants, but he's not exactly good at getting people to do things.]

It's like the bigger code infractions fell passionately in love, got married, and had a bunch of bouncing baby safety violations.

[He gets ready to jump in, but if someone else that's competent takes charge, he'll certainly follow their lead. (Hint hint, Cap.)]

[ooc note: I'm going to leave my plot post locked to the people I made plans with, but I'll do a set up for influence missions later when plot's over that'll be OTA.]

ii

[quitsmiling]

[Rocket does indeed recognize the outfit. It's a little more blue than he remembers, but it at least keeps Peter from getting shot in the face. Not from getting the gun pointed at him, though. He glowers a little in annoyance over the barrel of the wide-muzzled rifle, then says,]

I don't know who those people are, buddy, so keep your stupid human cultural references to yourself.

[He pauses, turns towards the approaching hunters, and fires, currently using regular (if heated) bullets, so the attacker goes down with a little scream. Rocket then glances back over his shoulder at Peter and guesses,]

You're not with the people tryin' to kill us in our beds, right?

[stickypete]

There's a very well-ventilated mattress and overly aggressive pillow fluffing back there that says I'm not.

[He uses webbing to disarm one of them with a dagger, then webs them by the chest, yanks them forward and knees them in the head. Boom, bad guy down.]

Hey, cool it with the bullet shower over there, Tex.

[His voice takes a slightly more serious tone, but it's not judgmental. He has no idea what kind of rough and tumble universe this guy might be from, and he's tiny so hand to hand probably isn't easy. Instead of moralizing, he tries logic.]

One, you might hit someone with friendly fire since a lot of people that are not-them are running around here. Dos, the more of them we leave alive, the more of them we'll have to interrogate and we'll have a better chance of having at least one crack. We need to know who they are, where they're coming from, and why they're gunning for us.

[He flips up to the ceiling to avoid a dagger blow and then back down again with a punch. The Hunter falls, out cold.]

Drei, I don't want to get blood on this costume. It's dry clean only.

Do you have any stun rounds? Or can you at least settle for a light knee-capping? [He doesn't like the idea of him being that aggressive but he and Rocky Raccoon here don't have time to fight each other.]

[quitsmiling]

[Rocket makes a disgusted sort of noise.]

I'm pretty sure there's enough of the official guard people around that we don't need to do any interrogating. And if I wanna switch projectiles, I gotta take a break and swap stuff out. This is good tech I got here, but it ain't magic.

[He does, however, oblige with a kneecapping of the next two, turning around to catch the ones coming from the other direction.]

Not killing 'em means they're more likely to still try to hurt us, though. Not-dead means still dangerous.

[stickypete]

Those guards will still need live bodies to stare at from across a table.

If you get them down I promise I can take care of the safety-proofing.

[To prove it, he covers one of the kneecapped Hunters with webbing, completely immobilizing him. It also has the added benefit of bandaging those very painful knee wounds.]

I can also cover you if you make with a switchy switchy.

[Come on, Rocket, don't make this difficult.]

No judgment here. I don't know what kind of rootin' tootin' shootin' universe you come from or how bad it is there, but I'm thinking about how to leave this neat and pretty for the people that might have to dig into it.

[Live witnesses/suspects generally = good thing.]

Plus, just think about the poor janitorial staff. I don't think club soda is going to cut it for getting blood stains this big out of the carpet.

[quitsmiling]

[Rocket shoots him an annoyed look.]

I'm a bounty hunter, a mercenary, and a two-time galaxy saver. I know what I'm doin', buddy.

[Of course, only one of those occupations requires live targets at the end of the job, and that only sometimes.]

You're worse than Gamorra. Ruinin' all my....

[He trails off, remembers Gamorra is missing and presumed dead, like the rest of his crew, and shuts his muzzle with a little growl. The next one gets shot in the gut. Sorry, Peter.]

[stickypete]

[Peter webs the guy down, concentrating on the gut, hoping it can act as bandaging, hoping they have surgery in this world. He knows they're trying to kill them. He knows he shouldn't care. He knows.]

Whoever this Gamora person is, if they're the type to appeal to your better nature, maybe they're worth listening to.

[He tries to keep thrashing guys pretty effectively, an unspoken 'No, really, I'm watching your back.']

C'mon, pal, I'm trying to work with you here. I'm clamping down pretty hard on my Dudley Do-rightery and trying to at least overlook moderate maiming. I'm usually one of those law and order types.

[kesi]

[Between the dodging, slashing, shooting frenzy, the clash of metal against metal could be heard soon followed by a shocked swear from one of the attackers. The knife the assassin just had a firm hold on flew through the air, lodging itself firmly into a support beam already on its last leg. Before they could turn around to see that Takame had disarmed them, he had their arm in his own tight grasp with his other hand occupied by his blade.

He didn’t need both hands to swing the assailant by their arm, giving it a twist and a deep bend backwards at the elbow, then twirling his body to throw them into the pistol wielding Hunter for them to both collapse into an already unstable wall.

He’d hoped to avoid collateral damage, but he imagined this would give the strangely clad ceiling-clinging man time to breathe and defend going forward. Takame knew there would be more, and anticipating that he didn't lower his sword even as he addressed the man.]

Are you alright?

[stickypete]

[Peter's eyes twitches under his mask as his brain frazzes and tries to find some kind of equilibrium. He flips down to the floor again.]

I think so. One of my powers is slightly on the fritz from the magic making it stronger. Normally it helps me sense danger and dodge attacks but it's like it's hyperactive right now.

[The fire probably isn't helping. The low grade dangerdangerdanger underneath is making everything extra sensitive.]

[In fact, his spider sense suddenly flares loudly again, but he sees no one else in the room and the roof doesn't seem to be collapsing yet.]

Like right now it's freaking out again but I don't see anythi -

[Two arms suddenly punch through the weakened paper-thin wall behind him, from another sectioned off part of the building.]

--IIIIIING!

[The arms yank, pulling Peter through the wall, knocking it down.]

[He throws an elbow and kicks free, flipping onto a wall in this new room and oh. Oh, that's a lot of guys. At least six.]

[He calls out to Takame.]

Looks like the after-party's in here! [He kicks off the wall and kicks one of them in the face.] I'd say bring a six pack but it looks like somebody else beat us to it.

[kesi]

[Takame barely had a chance to process what Peter said about this power he had, one that sounded very familiar, before he’s forced through the wall. He didn’t sense or see the assailants until the wall collapsed fully and he was warned of the sheer number, albeit in a way that took a moment to click.]

If you’re making a jest, ‘tis lost to me I'm afraid. [Jests had no place here either way. Not while he charged with full force into the other room with blinding speed not stopping until he tackled one of the Hunters into the floor hard enough to break a few ribs under his considerable weight. He would have went straight in for the kill if not for a second Hunter foolish enough to point his breaker right in Takame’s line of sight.

Had he charged further in he wouldn’t have needed the extra reach of his sword to smack the weapon out of the Hunter’s hand. That should have been his first hint that something was amiss with his abilities. Regardless, he lunged forward to grab the pistol wielding assailant by the collar and slam the blunt end of his katana into their face, following up with a brutal left hook to their jaw, and one more to the center of their face with enough force to stun the Hunter.

Assuming this as his best opportunity with two Hunters phased, he sheathed his weapon again though not to cease his attack. He was simply preparing a stronger attack, his Iaijutsu, channeling power to his sword to finish the two off. Though what it looked like was him letting his guard down, and a third Hunter from behind him saw his own chance to get ready to put a few bullets in the Au Ra’s back. He’s in a bit of a tight spot, isn’t he?]

[stickypete]

They're not all winners. I have a feeling this little adventure is going to force me on a quest to divine the essence of universal humor.

[Peter kicks his current attacker out the window, then darts over to it. He sees that he landed in the escape net web outside and shoots some webbing down to keep him stuck in it since he'd made it relatively non-sticky. One of the other Hunters tries to jump him from behind but his spider sense gives him warning and he simply ducks, causing the man to hurl himself through the window. Then he webs him to the net, too.]

I love when they giftwrap themselves all nice and pretty for the cops.

[Or whatever passed for cops here.]

[The guy is good. It's nice. Very nice. He's used to doing all this alone so this new trend in his life of competent allies is great.]

[But it still looks as if someone getting their sneak on, so Peter tries to watch his new buddy's back.]

Nope, that's cheating.

[He shoots a webline at the Hunter behind Takame and yanks him towards him. When he's close, he pulls him down low and knees him in the face. Then he hurls him out the window too, and webs him to the web there.]

Hey, help me take out the trash. [They have the two in here stunned but still trying to fight, the one still standing, and then the unconscious ones in the other room they need to toss out a window. Then maybe they can focus on the fire a little.]

[kesi]

[It's okay Spidey, this one's sense of humor is Just Not There.

He felt something off as he was preparing his Iaijutsu. It felt like it took more time. Always in a battle did he put keen emphasis on every minute, every second, the time between those seconds. That's how he knew.

Thankfully, that extra half second and another other person being in the room made a voice in the back of his head cry out. One that there was intent to kill in his direction and two, to not kill them. Not yet. It was thanks in part to that voice in him that the wave of energy surging out in front of him as he drew his blade again was withheld enough to only give the Hunters serious injury. Enough for them to leave consciousness but not this life. And if the fact that Takame didn’t attacked was any indicator, it looked like his fellow fighter had his back.

It's then that he moves on to the only one left standing who is now shaking in his boots at the fact that two people made such short work of his little unit. The fact that Takame looked like a straight up ferocious dragon person didn't help. The only thing that stopped Takame from knocking this one's head into the nearest wall is Peter asking him to do some cleaning up.]

Yes. Yes, of course. ["Sir" wanted to pop out, but he caught it before it had the chance. Rather than bashing heads, Takame kicked the last conscious hunter hard in the stomach causing him to drop his weapon, then lifted him up over his shoulder. He didn't go along with Takame without a fight once over the initial pain, but it was hard to wring away from someone of Takame's height and stature. Ironic that he was short for his race. He approached the window, somewhat confused but ready to do what was asked.]

... Outside, then. [The hunter didn't even get his chance to scream "WHAT??" before Takame tossed him outside like yesterday's waste. He assumed this off web man would take care of the hunter in some way, but he did his duty. Regardless, he took this moment to turn towards Peter.]

Are there others?

We totally didn't light it

[hardlyanangel]

The flames did not bother her, in fact they retreated a bit from her presence and she took a moment to survey the situation. The reference she did not quite get but she released her wings and hovered in the middle of the room. Partly as a show to distract the hunters, in part to fan the flames (with a bit of encouragement by her words at those at the opposite of Peter's position.

Non pulsed, but in a loud enough tone to be heard above the inferno. "Toss the child to me. She will be safe. Then it is time to leave, the building is lost as are these assassins."

[stickypete]

[It's a very gentle toss. Peter knows how to do this, he's tossed many people of varying weights into many things. The baby is bundled tightly in some kind of papoose thing, her head is well supported. Clearly a Model BAF-F56 baby, he's tossed this variety around before.]

[He does still keep a little webline on the bitty on just in case he needs to play last-minute catch. But no, this other Stranger seems to have it.]

Time to play some cold potato. No defensive fumbles, please, the competition looks pretty steep this game.

[He weblines a breaker out of one of the Hunter's hands.]

I'll hold them off long enough for you get her out of -

[His spider sense blares but be has no time to react before the entire floor collapses under them, dumping them into the furniture store. Aithne had better be able to handle landing with the baby safely. If not, Peter's open but it'll definitely be a complicated pass.]

[hardlyanangel]

Aithne's left arm came up and cradled in the babe as she sunk closer to the floor to lessen the risk. A minor adjustment to ensure the little one was tucked close to her side before she drew the sword on her hip with her right hand. Wheeling in the air as she contemplated their exit as Peter disarmed another one of these assassins.

"I do not think they came well prepared." Her sword positioned in a gird over the girl. "I have spotted it follow..."

And that is when the floor collapsed and her ally disappeared into the flame filled first floor. Along with the hunters and she hung in the air supported by slow beats of her wings. Without hesitation she folded her wings over her and the infant and dropped as well. The difference being she was prepared. Within a moment of her landing one of the hunters had the sense enough to wheel his weapon in her direction, much to his not long lasting regret, as she tucked her right wing behind her and simply rushed the man impaling him.

Aithne tried to tame the flames further to aid in her search for Peter but she was tiring. Calling out into the smoke and flame. "Where are you?"

Her count was three or four left, though that did not matter. Her current plan was to find the other Stranger and get all three of them through the front door. She had enough to ensure the flames would not touch any of them. Worse case, she would give the girl back and toss them both out of the building and sort the rest after.

[stickypete]

Over here. Under these delightfully hot flaming floorboards.

[He uses his magic to extinguish it because ow. And then pushes them off himself.]

[Whoop, spider sense.]

Behind you!

[One of the Hunters is creeping behind her, trying to use her wings as a blind spot.]

Hot potato!

[He holds out his hands for her to toss the baby.]

[No more cold potato they're going to have to maybe pass this baby around.]

[hardlyanangel]

Hot potato indeed.. A gentle toss towards her compatriot as she flared her wings. Shielding both the child and Peter for a moment. "On me." And those wings folded as she turned and burst towards the ones behind her. Peter could tag along or not, because she is currently engaging each on the path of their egress.

"Move." It was almost a commanding tone as she laid into each successive with her sword. Aithne did not care for a wound or kill, just a clearing of the path that was presented. Too and fro she moved, but her speed did not break until the breeched the building into the clear.

[handvore]

[ When Velvet ran into the room, she isn't sure what she expected to see in there.

What she does know is that she most certainly didn't expect this and she is dumbfounded at the sight of someone being on the wall. It catches her so much by surprise her mind doesn't register the fact that they are still in danger. ]

What the -- [ Those are the only words to slip out of her mouth before a shot is directed at her. ]

Hey! I was talking.

[ Sort of. Velvet narrows her brows and looks up at Peter. ] If you're not going to be useful, get out of here.

[stickypete]

[Peter springs off the wall at a deceptively fast speed, given that he looks a little...saggy, kicking the attacker in the face on the way down.]

Does that count as useful?

[The Hunter is surprisingly sturdy so he starts to get up again, and whoops, there's also another one in the doorway. Peter dodges another shot, landing on the ceiling this time.]

What's with the old-timey guns? [He tilts his head, squinting.] I've lifted a startling array of weird guns off of bad guys, but this exact configuration of 'old-timey' is a new one.

[handvore]

... Sure.

[ Vaguely useful in her books until he is back clinging to something else. Once the first attacker is on his feet again, Velvet summons her claw to pin him against the wall. That is one down.

The other one is still at large with his weapon at the very least and that makes it a little tricky for her to move while she has this other guy. ]

Does the guns age really matter? [ She doesn't see the point to, well, pointing it out. ]

[stickypete]

[Peter launches off the wall and kicks the other guy into the opposite wall, then webs him there.]

It's less about age and more about categorization. [He taps his temple.] I see a lot of guns in my work so I have a system.

[He points to the guy she has pinned.]

If you move your giant claw thing [He says it like he doesn't see any issue with someone having a giant claw thing] I can web him to the wall.

[handvore]

[ Okay. The whole web thing is pretty chill so she will give him that. He isn't as useless as she first imagined him to be. Velvet is still confused about the whole gun situation, however.

Perhaps it would be wise for her to not ask about it. ]

He's all yours.

[ No meal time for her. She removes her claw from the attacker and it shrinks back down to a normal hand, covered in bandages and Velvet lets it hang by her side. If Peter ends up being slow, she can at least be ready to jump into action again. ]

(ง'̀-‘́)ง

[dextral]

[This world definitely hasn't mastered urban planning yet. Sure, there are people who complain about the crowded streets of New York but there's something to be said about the grid setup and its ease of evacuation. This is just a mess of narrow, winding streets and side alleys and far too many panicked people.

He's reminded of the invasion in New York and Steve wishes he had the help that he had then.

At least he's not alone and though he doesn't recognize the red-and-blue clad figure, he does recognize a potential ally. One whose comments actually make him crack half a smile because really, it's giving voice to a lot of what he's feeling himself.]

Get the civilians moving this way! [He calls out, indicating the direction away from the fire brigade. Their first step is to get a flow of traffic organized, get people out of the way to get the rescue workers in.] Let's move this debris, open up the lane for traffic, get these people out of here.

[He's already in motion himself, leading the way and hoping that help will fall in.]

[stickypete]

[The people all stop and stare at the man shouting orders, look at each other, seem to come to a decision that an authoritative voice shouting things that make sense ought to maybe be listened to and get to work following them. Someone needs to take charge and Cap seems to know what he's doing.]

Huh. [People never do that when Peter's doing the yelling.] People actually listening to a superhero guy in red and blue. Now I've seen everything.

[It's Christmas come early, honestly, this guy showing up.]

[Peter gets to work on the debris because this street needs to be cleared. The people escaping burning homes will just be trapped if they can't get out of the street. He uses the magic to put the fire out so it doesn't burn him to touch it, then deadlifts the half-fallen beam at the bottom, using it to leverage the rest. It's easily a few tons but he manages to push it up and then webs it all to one of the sturdier buildings that's still standing, clearing the narrowest part of the street.]

Lane's cleared, hoss!

[Peter jumps up on the side of one of the buildings to let people start rearranging the traffic patterns and evacuate below. It gives him a good view of the side of the street that's burning fastest. One house is going up faster than the others.]

Got some people trapped in that house over there. [He points, then hops to the top of a statue so he's close enough and uses his magic to stifle the fire of the outside wall. Then he attaches a web line between the house and the statue, well over the foot traffic, like a tight rope.]

[That's for later, so he can carry them onto it and have a surface to lower them down in the middle of street instead of near the still-hot surface of the house.]

There's three on the lower floor, four in the upper floor. You go low, I'll go high!

[With that he jumps through the second floor window.]

[dextral]

[Well, why wouldn't people listen to a superhero type guy? Several reasons of course, Steve's lived quite a few of them, but he's also found that the best way to get the masses to do what you need them to do is to demonstrate that it can be done. Give them a way and show them authority and people tended to follow.

At least it seems to be working right now, and though Steve's impressed by the feat of strength and by the whatever-it-is that's holding up the debris, he can't focus too much on that right now. Questions can come later; what's more important is to get people moving and helping each other, and Steve is certainly in the thick of it].

Great job!

[A cheerful, positive call; that can only help motivate people to help themselves, right? Right. So. Moving on, he focuses on hustling people and on shielding who he can from debris when it falls. It's not a pretty scene at all but at least they're making some progress. Steve's instantly alerted at the cry about trapped people though, looking up to acknowledge—

—and cursing a moment later when the other man just flings himself through a window. It's reckless and foolhardy (and something Steve himself would do). But there are people to rescue and Steve wastes no time diving through the front door of the house, shield leading the way. The flames are blocking the people trapped inside from getting to safety but it's not the first time Steve has run through literal fire and it probably won't be the last. The important thing is getting everyone out, which takes two trips, and out on the street again Steve is looking for his unknown helper.]

Hey! Where are you?