20309/Club-related Chaos, Continued

Club-related Chaos, Continued
Date of Scene:	26 March 2025
Location:	Seedy Vampire Club - Somewhere Unsavory, NYC
Synopsis:	Blade sets fire to a club. Again. Rogue is just in time to babysit.
Cast of Characters:	Eric Brooks, Rogue

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Eric Brooks has posed:
This nameless techno club was the site of a recent reverse-ambush gone sideways with a dash of mayhem added, all of which Blade had been on the wrong end of. He managed to escape through a narrow skylight, with no small amounts of cuts and bruises. So, as one does, he lobbed down several grenades and then bravely turned his tail and fled. The last time he'd looked over his shoulder, the building had caught fire.

Sadly, it didn't burn down, so he's come back. Doing what he always does. Looking for trouble with a borderline kamikaze-esque disregard for his own safety. Because if there are still vampires here, they're definitely going to be pissed.

But Blade doesn't care about that. He finds caring about things to be cumbersome and problematic at the best of times. So, instead of doing that, he's returned to the scene of the crime because it sounded like a great way to kill a Tuesday evening. He's on the same roof where he'd made his escape with a howling horde on his heels. Already having determined the fire damage is superficial (sad face) and there's still plenty of activity (things are looking up) he peers through the broken glass.

Jackpot. The horde is more hordelike, and they're definitely still howling. If anything, there are more vampires in the now-defunct club than there had been during the initial conflict. And, of course, one of them sees Blade's bald head pop into sight. Seconds later, the entire hive is in motion.

And yet Blade seems unbothered, because that's how he keeps simple things simple. Humming a little tune under his breath, he unlimbers his sidearm and starts firing silver hollow points down into the sea of suckheads that are climbing and leaping toward him.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was actually on her way home after a night of patrolling as Mighty Woman. She shared a route with some other local heroes, and through it they were able to be contacted via a public phone app, that basically served as an 'alert a hero'. One of their teammates had been called in to a place, and ambushed recently, though, and because of it they had to adjust a few things. The life of a public super hero was a challenge, even if Mighty Woman was a guise in and of itself. Rogue's face was attached to the persona, with social media pages even findable online, where she posted all kinds of modeling-esque photos, and kept up to date with her little corner fanbase. 2025 was a wild time, and having fans online could even yield money donations, which could then go toward Mutant causes.

Here and now, though? She was flying back toward Westchester, when she heard gunfire.

It instantly drew her eyes, as that kind of automatic weapon fire was unmistakable. Her shoulder caped whipped in the wind behind her left shoulder, as Rogue turned her form in the air, and swept down out of the sky. She could see a figure on a rooftop, where the sounds of the gunfire was coming from, and because of it, she was flying right at him, at tremendous speed!

What was he shooting out? She didn't know, but she came in hot and fast, with the intention of smacking his gun right out of his grasp!

Mighty Woman arrives, out of the depth of the dark night sky!

Eric Brooks has posed:
Blade's fire discipline is flawless. Each shot is exactly one second apart. Just enough time to find a new target he can be certain he'll hit in the head or the heart. Then it's just wash, rinse, repeat. Bang, bang, bang, almost as precise as a metronome. The problem is, even if he had all the time in the world, there are a lot more vampires than he has bullets. Also, he's pretty much out of time and he's already low on bullets. He flicks on the UV tactical light that's mounted to his pistol. The beam sears the vampires with all the same effects of the sun, helping to keep them at bay.

Bang. Click, empty. Reload. Bang. Bang. Bang.

He's methodical and precise, like a piece of machinery. Each round turns a vampire to dust and ash. The pinpoint beam of his tac light helps a little, but it's not broad enough or powerful enough to change the tide of the conflict.

Click, empty.

Out of ammunition, Blade is about to stow his pistol when someone *knocks it out of his hand.* Someone who's attacking from above, which is absolutely his move. And it's not even a vampire, it's a person. Clearly, one who suffers from a condition known as 'the audacity'.

Scowling, he draws his sword with a metallic ring that would make Kurosawa blush. A quick glance down at the vampires elicits an annoyed grunt. He's only got one grenade left, but it's a good one. A WWII-era white phosphorous grenade that scatters countless white-hot shards of burning metal into both the climbing vampires and the structure's rafters. Already dried out from the previous blaze, the old building quickly catches flame again. This allows him to address Audacity Woman directly. He opts for an eloquent, well-considered explanation of his philosophy as a whole, as well as how it applies to this situation in particular.

"Fuck. Off."

Rogue has posed:
With the gun kicked aside, Rogue landed upon her metal thigh high boots. She spun around, to see him tossing a greade inside the building that rattled its very foundations. With a scowl on her pretty facial features, the young woman glared at the Vampire man, now clutching a sword, and cursing at her in a gravelly voice. With white bangs flowing against the sides of her face in the night time wind, Rogue put one hand upon her shapely hip and just shook her head. "Now now, Sugah... That's no way to talk to a Lady..." She decried, in a naturally husky tone of voice, each word tinged with a burnt-end flavor for one's ears to savor.

She was dressed in a form fit bodysuit of dark green, charcoal greys, and white line trim around the edges. A low-scooped neckline gave a tantalizing view of her chest, and the metal armored boots addded a touch of rough and tumble edge to the look. It was a good look, an expensive getup. It reeked of a Super Hero type, but the flying may have already given that away.

"What you plannin' on doin' with that blade, Mistah?" She asked, her voice clearly southern in nature, the Mississippi Nagnolia on a summer's midnight wind.

Eric Brooks has posed:
"Lady." The way Blade says the word sounds more impatient than contradictory or accusatory. Blade's eyes narrow behind his sunglasses as he takes in the new arrival A quick flick up and down, then he angles his nose down just far enough for him to look over the rims and into eyes. A few silent heartbeats pass.

Blade blinks. Proverbially speaking, that is. He doesn't actually blink, but his eyes flicker down to the generous expanse of generosity that is the neckline of that bodysuit. It's a fraction of a second, but it proves he's at least half-human and there is in fact blood in his veins.

He decides Lady is a perfectly appropriate form of address, so he sticks with that. After a peek through the skylight to ensure that being on fire is keeping the vampires busy, he looks back at the newcomer, studiously focusing on her eyes. "Lady, it's a sword. Pretty much only good for the killin' and the dyin'. I'll let you imagine the more creative places I could put it, because I'm a gentleman. Sort of. Sometimes."

Rogue has posed:
As he responds, Rogue walks very casually to the side, to get a look down inside the skylight. She can see the flames, and it does not take her long to realize who those people are down there. They are Vampires. She happens to be friends with a Vampire... very good friends. But, she's wise enough about them, to know that most of them are not very much worth befriending.

When she looked back at him, as he gave the not so subtle threat of sheathing that sword in her, she smirked at him again.

"So these blood suckers did somethin' to piss ya off, I take it?" She asked him. "They look like they plan on comin' up here, any minute, to take their anger out on you. Looks like ya did a number to..." She grimaced at some of the sights inside. "Dear lord..." Rogue muttered, as she stepped back from the broken skylight, hearing the chaos unfolding inside the building.

She looked back toward himm, and raised her dark green gloved hands up. "Look... I thought you were ... I'll admit, I don't know where I fall when it comes t'slayin' Vampires. I've met some good ones, but the vast majority of'em seem to be... less than good people..."

She up nodded at him then. "If you're here to exterminate them? I mean..."

She glanced away, and bit her bottom lip lightly. "Fuck. I should've paid attention durin' trainin' more."

What were the Professor and Cyclops' opinion on killing Vampires? Rogue didn't know, she exhaled sharply, and looked back at him, still biting her bottom lip.

"Okay, I'll not intervene on this. It's... probably outta my wheelhouse...."

Eric Brooks has posed:
Blade might be out of grenades, but he's a long way from being out of tricks. He pulls a flat, flask-shaped plastic bottle from one of the countless pockets in his voluminous coat. "Good. As much as I kind of want to kill you, I'd rather not."

It's a contradictory and understandably confusing statement. The half-vampire raises an eyebrow. "What? I'm a bad man, but even I'm opposed to ruining works of art. I'd sooner destroy a Botticelli with a B-2 Bomber."

Another half-instant, this time while the corners of his mouth tug upward in the barest suggestion of a smile. Then, with a subtle bow of his head, he turns toward the broken skylight again. "Do you kill things? The costume parade usually doesn't like to get their hands dirty."

Rogue has posed:
Her green eyed gaze refocused upon his sunglasses, and she smirked at him when he both stated his intrest in killing her, and in just offering her a physical appraisal. "Oh, to be presented with such charming words, all with the back drop of burning Vampires." She fired back in her naturally sultry tones. She glanced again to the skylight, before she looked back at him. "Lets hope everyone in there IS a damn Vampire, and not any Humans just lookin' to hang out at some Matrix reject party..." She trailed off, before she shook her head at his question.

"I don't kill, unless I have no other option. Which... generally there are always other options." She gave a slight grin, before she shifted her weight from one armored boot to the other, along with which hand was upon her hip, leaving her left to hang at her side now. "You go ahead, and do what you do best, I'm gonna hang around out here, an' make sure no innocents get caught up in this little ... blood feud?"

She turned to walk toward the edge of the building, though she did turn her head to look over her left shoulder at him, as she walked, with her charcoal-hued shoulder cape flowing gently in the wind behind her as she walked. Her gloved hands went to the ledge of the building, and her eyes looked out to its parking lot, attempting to spy any movement down there.

"Did you lock them all inside?" She asked, assuming he was still there.

Eric Brooks has posed:
There's a brief, cheerful whistle as Blade uncaps the plastic flask and squeezes it, sending brief spurts of napalm into the blaze, both to keep it growing and to drive back the last of the vampires who're trying to ascend through the skylight.

A few seconds later, a low, dull thud comes from below, followed by another, then several more, each more frantic than the last.

"Of course I did. Don't worry, the humans all cleared out the first time I set fire to the place." Rather than the skylight, Blade's voice comes from so close behind the costumed superheroine that it's nearly over her shoulder. Say what you will about the man, but he's quieter than a ghost's shadow when he wants to be. His tone carries notes of both curiosity and approval. "That's an interesting thought for a decorous, dignified young woman to have. You've got a couple of rough edges under that southern sass and style."

Rogue has posed:
It had been a few years back, but Xavier's School had been attacked by a rather large Vampire coven. That had resulted in a number of negative interactions with the ilk, and had shaped rogue's disinterest in actually helping them. Still, though, when she heard the screames behind her, she frowned at all of it. It was a dirty world, and she knew it better than most.

Her chestnut hair was tied up in a tight bun on the crown of her head, but her thick white bangs were left to flutter around the sides of her face, and as he essentially appeared behind her, she suddenly turned around to face him, a look of surprise on her youthfully pretty facial features.

Her gloved hands went to either sides of her hips on the ledge of the building that was now behind her, and her green eyes rested squarely on his shades.

She smirked at him, that sass returning to her visage that had been previously surprised that he had snuck up on her that easily.

"Clearly you're experienced at this... rather deplorable act. Me? I'm not new ta the darker side of this world, or the worlds beyond it..." She said, making her come across as a bit of a bravado-rich young woman, or perhaps just a local super hero who talked up a big game. Either way, there was confidence in her personality, and how she held herself.

As she stared at him, she nodded over his shoulder, when some glass shattered, an a rather nasty looking Vampire was pulling itself up out of the building, while engulfed in flames. "Think you got a fan, comin' to get an autograph, Sugah..." She said lowly, her voice extra sultry when she spoke quietly.

Eric Brooks has posed:
"You flatter me, but I think you're more his type." With a brief, mirthless laugh, Blade looks over the edge of the roof, the stiff breeze barely ruffling a leather jacket weighed down with more weapons and armor than a small infantry division. "I'm Blade. I kill vampires. You? And what do you, y'know, do? Fly, jetpack, something like that? I don't love that you got the jump on me from above while I was on the tallest roof on the block."

Rather than irritated, he sounds begrudgingly respectful. He's also resigning himself to looking up a lot more often in the future. While he ponders the particulars, he dribbles the last of his napalm off the edge of the roof, creating a sticking, dripping trail all the way down to the vampire. Then he scrapes the tip of his sword across a metal roofing tile, creating a shower of sparks that ignite the Wile E. Coyote deathtrap.

It's the voice that gets his attention again. Half of it is honey-sweet, while the other half is molasses-languid is that inimitable Southern way. He lets out a rumbling laugh that's so brief it's barely there. "And people say I'm dangerous."

Rogue has posed:
When he moved, and her eyes caught sight of the arsenal he was carrying on his person, she marveled at it for a very brief second. Rogue hated guns, but to see this guy was armed like he was... How does one even get that much hardware, let alone find creative ways to get it all organized like that upon their form. She looked up at his face again, though, when he spoke once more. She stepped to the side, and watched what he began to do, with the fluid and his sword.

She smirked, her right gloved hand laying on the ledge, as her left was positioned on her hip, her shoulder cape gently swaying behind her left bicep, her white bangs fighting over whitch one gets to pet the sides of her face next.

"Mighty Woman, is what I go by publicly..." She replied to him. "Rogue, is what I go by privately." She smirked again at him. "Marie is what I go by, if I like ya..."

another scream drew her green eyes from him, to the skylight, as the flames were starting to make the building blaze. "Fire Department is gonna be here soon. Those ... things... better be all ... cooked up by then..." She said, the words making her grimace again, as she glanced at the man's sword once more, before she looked back to his covered eyes. "Look. I just do this public super hero thing for stavin' off boredom, on slow nights. Gets me a bit'a extra money, that I can shove toward charities that matter t'me. I thought you were some kinda ... I dunno, psycho.." She grinned, as she raised her left hand up to pull her bangs from that side of her face, and tuck them behind her ear there. "You definitely are, but maybe not quite as I was worried."

Eric Brooks has posed:
"Well, Mighty Woman Rogue Marie, I might keep on thinking of you as 'Lady.'" Now Blade does smile. It's still subtle and tight-lipped, but it's there. There's a sort of rusty-yet-genuine cast to it, as if this particular smile isn't one he dusts off very often.

Then, like all good things, it comes to an end. He's back to looking faintly amused, but little more. "Nothing to worry about here. I get the feeling I don't want any trouble with you. No one's that calm standing on top of a burning building full of vampires unless they don't have a reason to worry. Or they're a psycho."

He lets out a brief, mirthless chuckle. "I could guess which, but I'm dying for a little confirmation."

Rogue has posed:
Fire was as interesting of an element as one could possibly hope to observe in the universe. The two were on the roof of the burning building, and the burning building was being rapidly consumed by it. At this point, those screams had likely died down too, and an orange glow was cast up all around them. Blade's words were well received, in so far as to say that Rogue just very slightly lifted her chin, almost imperceptibly, and a second later she lifted up off of the roof, and floated three feet in the air, then four, then five... She looked down at him, with her bangs swweeping off to the south, and her shoulder cape doing the same behind her left arm. "I'm capable of a lot, Mistah... More than I can easily explain..." She said it in as flirty of a way as any woman could possibly hope to, with a voice in pitch and tone that outdid even the best femme fataelle's.

"But, in the now? I'm gonna go fly a few blocks over, an' let the Fire Station know they got a blaze they need ta come attend to. You best be on your way too... Less you wanna deal with the sirens, the badges, and the questions..."

She grinned more openly at him, before she turned to the east, and began to silently glide off in that direction.

Eric Brooks has posed:
"Hey!" As Rogue floats off, Blade lets out another chuckle gives his head a quick, rueful shake, calling after her. "Eric! But if you ever call me that in front of anyone, I'll have to wreck a Botticelli."

A half-second later, he soars through the air with his coattails flapping behind him, moving fast enough to overtake Rogue and laughing audibly. It's an easy fifty feet to the next roof, along with a thirty foot drop, but he lands as comfortably as if he were stepping off of a curb. Then, with one more of those smiles, he touches two fingers to his brow in an old-fashioned gentleman's salute to a lady. An instant later, he steps off the edge of the second rooftop and drops out of sight.