13387/The Cauldron Heats Up

The Cauldron Heats Up
Date of Scene:	18 November 2022
Location:	Sheldon Park - Bleake Island
Synopsis:	While hunting an escaped convict, Osprey stumbles across Windrose and Alopex, and recruits them into helping him capture his target.
Cast of Characters:	Austin Reese, Audra Meridian, Alopex

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Austin Reese has posed:
The Cauldron is an interesting piece of land in Gotham City. Originally a mine back when the city was really just six buildings made out of wood somewhere, the area that makes up the Cauldron features dramatic drop offs and buildings constructed on multiple levels of the massive pit that has had construction fill it over the years after the mining stopped.

It's primarily industrial, an expected follow up from it being part of the mining from back in the day. Because of its industrial nature, the Cauldron has a lot of warehouses which store any number of things.

That's why it's often included in night time patrols by the vigilantes that work with Batman. Which is how Osprey has found himself currently crouched atop a rooftop across from a long-closed smelter. Too expensive to demolish it, it's just another abandoned building that attracts Gotham's criminal element. There were so many like it, it's hard to keep track of them all.

Audra Meridian has posed:
You know what makes patrolling easier? Being able to fly, that's what.

Though technically Windrose wasn't specifically on patrol. She was testing some adjustments made to her booster pack, and the mish mash of construction and derelict buildings of the Cauldron gave her more room to practice maneuvering around large structures without actually putting anything important risk should something go afoul. So if you see a blip of lavander looping around a building or winding through old scaffolding infrastructure, that's her.

Alopex has posed:
    It sucks when home doesn't feel like one.

For the last long while Alopex had gone on a bit of a break, all the way to Fairbanks AK, to do a little tending to the area that had been burnt down. Planted trees, helped the local volunteers with a fwe other things that needed taken care of, and then 'suddenly' 18 months had gone by. ... Wow.

It took a while to wander back town from the great far northern state, but it seemed that by the time she reached the Foxden, she discovered a whole lot of hooligans had moved in. Not to her home but the surrounding park. SIGH. That will ... take some tending to. And with no contact with the brothers or anyone else? Well. She needed to plan. Planning had started on a ride on the Loop, and then along the rooves of Gotham, among the drakes, gargoyles, and large statues. Randomly hopping from one structure to the next, almost on autopilot, while thing about a LOT of things. She's not really trying to hide up there.

Austin Reese has posed:
Recently a gang calling themselves the Freaks had been operating around this abandoned complex. Osprey was specifically looking for someone who was going by the street name of 'No-Nose'. He wasn't hard to miss, because his nickname was the result of a prison fight that left him without that specific body part.

His attention is pulled upwards when he spots the figure flying through buildings and weaving through scaffolding. Osprey tilts his head faintly, and then realizes who it is after catching a better glimpse. Whole flight rig? That's new.

He needs to give her The Talk. Or at least, A Talk. Batman has rules for operating in Gotham. And Osprey does have to at least make an attempt to talk her out of doing heroic things. Even though she's wearing a flight suit and has weather manipulation technology and he started with a hoodie and a bandana. It's probably not a fair comparison.

A flash of white catches his eye from Windrose, and he turns to look, spotting Alopex for a brief moment as she leaps between a couple of rooftops, "Well that's new." He muses to himself, as he pulls out his grapple gun and fires a line, maneuvering in front of where Alopex is running, though keeping himself hidden for now, "Don't take this the wrong way, but that's a pretty cool costume." He says, loud enough for her to hear. Though with her enhanced hunter's hearing, she may be able to pinpoint where he's hidden.

Alopex has posed:
The only reason the fox hears Osprey, despite being lost in her own thoughts, is because of her fairly sharp hearing. That's all, though, because when she skids to a halt on one of the buildings, she isn't able to really figure out where the voice came from, "You know, you say that, but you're going to find out something really interesting!" she calls out, taking a long look around, even spotting Windrose in the process. ... Huh. HOod comes down.

        "Not a costume!"

Audra Meridian has posed:
Ionized vector thrust gleams against the dark Gotham backdrop as she ducks down under a half collapsed shute, then rises up to spiral around the storage silo it's still partially connected to. It's at the peak of the move, as she flips backwards over the apex, that Windrose catches a glimpse of white that stands in stark contrast to the surroundings even more than she does. Well that's interesting.

Rotating out of the flip dive the woman glides down towards where the white stopped. So definitely not hard to spot.

As she comes to a halt and hover she opens her mouth, but Alopex reveals its not a costume before she can even state what was likely a related question. "... Oh. Well, that's different." Though she doesn't seem too shocked by it.

Austin Reese has posed:
That thing is very maneuverable, Osprey thinks to himself as he watches Windrose wheel around and land on the rooftop. He wonders how she built it, if it's all proprietary tech. He shakes his head for a moment as he observes the fox and the "You'll have to forgive the theatrics. Consider it a courtesy, I like to figure out the intentions of rooftop runners in Gotham. Call it a hobby."

He remains hidden, for the moment, but does acknowledge the armored flier, "Windrose, at least this time we're not meeting under a hail of gunfire." She'd recognize the voice, of course. Though if she can figure out where he's hiding, that's something else entirely. Considering what he's seen her do she might be able to read the EM waves his gear puts off or something. Because his domino mask can certainly do that.

Alopex has posed:
Once Osprey speaks again, ears twitch, she turns, and simply takes a seat facing his general direction. "I'm used to that. The rooftops aren't exactly a lonely place, as you - .. both are probably aware." Windrose gets a looking over, a nod, and then the fox simply lets her arms cross as she settles in. "So are you both residents here or are you on the roam like me?"

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian glances up from the fox when she hears the other familiar voice. "Oh, hey Osprey. Yeah, funny how that works." Then turns her attention back and shrugs a bit. "Moreso the latter at the moment." She jabs one thumb over her shoulder at the booster pack. "Giving this a proper rundown."

Austin Reese has posed:
Osprey does finally emerge, from the direction that Alopex is looking, after a few moments of silence, hands visible, resting on the front of his belt, "Wandering can be helpful, I know." He replies, "And I'm local. I work with the big man here in Gotham." She should be able to figure out what he means. He pulls his own hood down, brushing a hand through his hair, as those white LED lenses from his domino mask overlook the two of them.

"Windrose, I've been actually wanting to talk to you, so I'm glad I caught you." He says, as he turns to acknowledge the stormchaser, "Just some info, if you're going to be operating in Gotham."

Alopex has posed:
"Ah, part of all that? Seems like he has a lot of little birds and bats running all around here... no offense." Just a phrase, nothing else! "It's nice when you need time to think, or to test, or train, or .. well you all know well enough." Hmm. Something about Gotham? Alopex seems curious.

Audra Meridian has posed:
"He does. Last time we crossed paths it was a whole flock of 'em. And trust me, I know the feeling. I'm not the coop up sort of person either." Windrose turns her head towards Osprey as he emerges, then gives it a tilt. Though the curious quirk of one brow is lost behind her protective goggles. "Yeah? What's that?"

Austin Reese has posed:
They actually call themselves Bats and Birds, but this fox-person doesn't need to know that for now, "So Batman has a rule. No killing. That applies to everyone that operates here. You break it, and we will come after you." He's seen Windrose operate, so he is pretty certain she's already following that rule. But it has to be said.

"Second, technically I am supposed to try to warn you off from operating in Gotham. Or really operating in general." He says, looking between the two, "But since you're wearing a high tech portable weather control device and you.." He looks at Alopex, "Are...Well I mean I don't really know what you are, to be honest. You willing to give me a hint?"

Alopex has posed:
"Eh?" The fox wasn't reall ready for Osprey's inquiry. The rule is fine, at least. "Never been a big fan of killing, so I have no issue with that." What's the Bat Family's opinion of a thug throwing a punch so hard they fly off a building though? Eh, better to not ask. Accidents happen. Hopefully they know that.

"Oh, a sort of mutant. There's quite a few of us over around New York. If you haven't heard of the four brothers I'd be honestly surprised."

Audra Meridian has posed:
At the mention of killing Windrose holds up her hands. "Whoa, easy there. I don't do this to go around thrashing people. You've seen me in action... really, I started doing this more as an emergency assistance type thing. Search and rescue, disaster response, you know... It just kinda happened to cross over into fighting villians and weirdos and, well, here we are." Which is followed by a laugh. "So a little late to be trying to tell me to not to operate!" She's taken having 'the talk' in good humor at least."

Then her attention turns back to the fox again. "... wouldn't happen to plod around in trenchcoats with a news lady that tends to dress in yellow outfits would they?"

Austin Reese has posed:
"I figured as much." Osprey replies. He doesn't mention that they have opened a file on her. Alopex's mention of mutants gets a nod out of Osprey. They ARE aware of the mutants in New York City, from one means or another..But since they're not in Gotham it doesn't take top priority.

"Well how would you like to put that pack to good use tonight?" Osprey says to Windrose, "There's a wanted criminal that I have tracked down to that abandoned smelting plant." He jerks a thumb in the direction he had originally come from, "I was going to go in get him, but having to fight through his guys with some help is not something I am opposed to."

Alopex has posed:
There's a light laugh and then a grin given to Windrose from the fox, "Yeah, that sounds about right. They're still a bit.. secretive. More than I care to be. I understand why, but I just.. don't really see the point anymore. Not with so many heroes, villains, and other kinds of mutants running around. I'm not the weirdest thing folks have seen. Not in the least. I mean have you -seen- the Hulk?"

Hmm. Turns out there's someone here that needs taken down a peg? "Sure, sounds fun, helps with first impressions, right?" This is when the fox finally gets up and stretches out before looking directly toward Osprey. "Lead on, then."

Audra Meridian has posed:
"You want a hand? Sure thing. It'll give me a chance to test the enclosed quarters operation, as well." Windrose lifts one hand to tap at some unseen controls in the gauntlet with the other, and the sci-fi greebles of her equipment start to glow a little more noticably as the other systems power out of stand-by. "They'll never see this storm coming."

Austin Reese has posed:
"Alright." Osprey says, as he looks between the two, before reaching into his pouch and pulling out a couple of earbuds, "These are set up for local comms. It'll let us use sub-vocals." Once the two of them have their earbuds, he does a quick comm check so they can hear him, then nods, "So I did run a thermal scan of the building. It seems they've set up a bonfire in the smelting chamber, and they're having some kind of party. Expect a lot of noise and a lot of chaos."

He pulls a smartphone out of his pouch, and flips to a picture of No-Nose. He's a guy in his early 30s, and is indeed missing a nose, along with several other scars across his face. His black hair is shaved into a high and tight style haircut, "This is Jake 'No-Nose' Phillips. He's the primary target, but anyone who is hostile, well you know. He can't escape, it's taken me a week to track him down to this party."

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian takes the earbud, and takes a moment to shift the strap of her goggles and tug the partial cowl she wears under it to get it into her ear. "Well he's not going to be hard to miss in a crowd. Sounds like the kind of party that needs to be crashed." With that set she turns and heads for the smelting plant. Though to remain less noticable she's keeping to a moving hover instead of going into full flight like she was rocketing about earlier. Figure from up here she's got a good vantage point to get an eye on the place while the other two are moving in.

Alopex has posed:
Oooh. Tech. Tech is always fun. The fox fiddles for a moment, gets the gear in place, gives Osprey a nod, and then has a look at Mr. Nose. Who lacks one. "Mm. Noted, then. No one gets out. I'm actually pretty good at this sort of thing." Hood goes up! Her normal gear is checked, (the sword isn't here, but these two wouldn't notice that, and then she seems ready. "Loud, eh? Hmm. Appreciate that little warning."

Austin Reese has posed:
On the roof of the smelting plant, there is a skylight roof that has been broken for years that allows for easy entry from the roof. Osprey had spotted it while scouting, and that's where he's headed.

When the trio arrives at the smelter, Windrose is able to see through the skylight, and see the smoke rising up from the smokestack from the bonfire inside.

What's visible inside is a relatively large group of people, at least eight visible. No-Nose is not one of the visible ones, however. Which means there's probably more than that.

Osprey uses his grapple gun to get onto the top of the building, and then drops in through the broken skylight and onto a cross beam running over the top of the open plant area.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Windrose lowers herself down to the skylight and glances down through it. Her keen eyes for details glances over the visible part of the gathering, but doesn't see anyone lacking the nose. So she switches to a different track. Considers the smoking bonfire for a moment, then looks up to the others. <<I think I can give you guys a bit of cover to get down to the floor level.>> Osprey is already jumping down into the rafters, so that's a good place to start.

As she hovers through the broken skylight Windrose powers up her gauntlets, then points them down and unleashes a downburst of air. To make the bonfire flare with the extra flush of oxygen and send it's smoke billowing out across the smelter floor instead of escaping overhead. Improvised smoke screen!... with literal smoke.

Alopex has posed:
Ah, the convienent skylight in a building. Always the faithful entry point. It being broken is even better! The fox, like the others, has a look around from the opening before dropping in beside Osprey. As he goes one way, she goes the other, trying to spot someone missing their nose, the leader, she figures. "Nothing yet.." At least with her hood up and her garb adjusted her white fur doesn't break her stealth as badly.

Austin Reese has posed:
The sudden reversal of the airflow in the chimney sends the smoke flowing back out into the room proper. It was the perfect cover for the group.

<"Hit 'em hard and fast, try to draw out No-Nose.">

Osprey drops off the cross beam towards one of the formerly partying Freaks, who is now coughing on the sudden smokescreen. He smashes a forearm into the coughing gang member, who grunts in surprise as he gets flipped through the air, only to catch an elbow downwards from Osprey, putting him down for the count.

There's a moment of silence as the Freaks cough and yell and try to figure out what's happening. Add in the pounding music from the makeshift DJ booth with one Freak using the stolen equipment, and it's a recipe for the kind of chaos that Osprey thrives in.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Windrose continues to lower into the smoke until she's just above the ground. The stabilizers fold back into her back, but the thrusters and the arrays on her boots remain active to keep her hovering. Conveniently her goggles keep the smoke out of her own eyes as she glides up behind one of the Freaks and grabs his shoulder with a hand, giving him the same stunning taser shock she did the guy in the mall. Except this time instead she uses the grip to turn and toss him back into the confused masses.

This gets the guy he stumbles into yelling, and it turns into more chaos as they start throwing hands at each other for the perceived slight. Why fight everyone when she can get some of them fighting each other?

Alopex has posed:
Oh? You're letting a -ninja- fight in -smoke- whilst being entirely -concealed-? ... You all saw the MOVIE right? It will probably be just as hard for Osprey and Windrose to see as it is for the Freaks, but some of them just start.. dropping. Just on the ground, unconscious, from no decernable reason. Except the one that suddenly eats a wall nearby. It's all with barely a sound. Just the occasional flash of a white tail. Little else.

Austin Reese has posed:
It really is a clash of styles. The smoke is filtering out a little bit, but that's not really helping the goons. The guy that gets hit by Windrose's gauntlet is out, but the guy falls into another, who stumbles into a third. The third guy hits the 2nd with a haymaker and jumps on top of him, starting to hit him until he realizes it's his buddy. Which is about the time he catches a big boot from Osprey, who had switched to thermal vision to see through the smoke. That puts two down for the count.

They're probably the lucky ones. The others are getting picked off one after another by a ninja they can't even see. When a few realize they're getting picked off, they scramble to get out of the smoke.

There's at least six more guys still standing, and up on a balcony above the party, No-Nose has stepped out of what probably used to be the manager's office, "What the fuck are you idiots doing with the smoke?!" He has no idea they're under attack.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Thugs trying to run away? That's what Windrose likes to see.

Switching the settings on her gauntlets she lets loose with a much more frigid blast. The mutant arctic fox shouldn't have a problem with the drop in temperature. The Freaks on the other hand will find the floor abruptly freezing over, and their scramble from the smoke turning into frantic skidding and slipping around haplessly. Except for the one that gets a speeding shoulder check from the stormchaser a moment later, and goes careening off to the side to crash through a table set up with snacks and drinks and probably some much less legal 'party favors'.

Alopex has posed:
"Target spotted," Alopex transmits, just to let the other two know she's still here, as she continues her weft and weave through the smoke, taking out one or two more before vaulting upward, back almost to where they came in, getting a nice clear look at the target. She just wants to sync up with the others.

Austin Reese has posed:
When Alopex says she's spotted the target, Osprey looks up, spotting him up on the balcony, <"Moving on him now, take the others out."> He tells the pair over the comms, before he pulls out his grapple gun and fires it upwards.

The spike sticks into the wall behind No-Nose, and Osprey sails upwards out of the smoke and hits the big guy with a flying shoulder tackle, propelled by the grapple line.

"Hey Jake. Shouldn't you be at Blackgate right now? We better get you back there."

No-Nose apparently doesn't like the idea of going back to Blackgate, as he scrambles back to his feet, "I ain't goin' back, and I am gonna kill anyone who tries!" He rushes at Osprey, who meets the rush with a right handed punch from those armored knuckles.

Downstairs the smoke is starting to clear. One of the Freaks tries to run at Windrose, not realizing the floor has turned to ice, and he knocks himself out as he lands on the back of his head. That's probably a concussion.

Audra Meridian has posed:
At least he will live through a concussion.

Windrose's attention is also drawn up to the balcony. There goes Osprey, those grapples are pretty neat. For the people that can't fly.

Though she doesn't have to fly up there and get in the way, anyways. Instead she'll make sure Osprey and No-Nose can have a proper throwdown. "You boys need to stay right here." She reverse the flow on her gauntlets, and instead of blasting wind out creates a vaccum effect to drag the goons in her direction before they can run off to try and help their leader. "Your boss is busy with a private visitor."

Alopex has posed:
Oh, bouncer time! Cool, bouncer time. The main floor is ice, which honestly wouldn't bother an Arctic Fox, but rather than drop down and deal with the remaining goons that Windrose seems to have well in hand, Alopex parks herself at the stairs nearest to Osprey and Nose, and introduces the mooks to either fists, kicks, bashes, or blades. Really depends on their 'weight' class. Light, Heavy, and Oh Lawd They Comin. Which usually involves a weapon of some sort.

Austin Reese has posed:
No-Nose gets punched in the not nose, and stumbles backwards, as Osprey sweeps his leg out from under him. He catches a fist to the gut as he's taking him down though, the stronger Nose pushing Osprey back off of him as the two get to their feet.

Osprey whips something out from behind his back, bouncing the Batarang off of Jake's chest, making him stumble backwards against the railing he had been leaning over a moment earlier.

Osprey swings around and kicks him in the chest, knocking him off the ledge. A moment later, Jake finds his foot wrapped in a cable, which is then anchored to the walkway, as he's left dangling there upside down.

It seems that both Windrose and Alopex have managed to bring down their share of the few remaining goons, as a little over a dozen gang members lay sprawled around on the stairway and floor, "I'd say that about wraps it up." Osprey says, as he hops over the ledge and lands next to where Jake is dangling upside down, "Jake, buddy. Don't worry. I'll make sure the GCPD swings by to get you down. Eventually."

After taking a few moments to secure the other gang members as well, he motions for Windrose and Alopex to head out to the roof. He meets them up there a few moments later, "I'm sending an alert to the GCPD. They'll be here in.." He pauses for a moment, "Well we're in the Cauldron so probably about an hour. Still, I wouldn't recommend lingering too much." He turns and heads to the edge of the roof, "Thank you both for your help. And do you happen to have a name?" He asks Alopex, "I don't want to refer to you as Unnamed Fox Mutant. Sounds like a weird indy video game."

Alopex has posed:
"Oh, right, Alopex. If you're ever around the Botanical Gardens, just look for a really big Beech tree that has a door hiding under it," and that's the only clue anyone here is going to get. "Just.. be careful. I was up in Alaska and the Purple Dragons kind of setup shop around the park. So.. feel free to lend a hand. They're like roaches ever since I came back."

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian dusts her hands off against each other. "Duley noted. I kinda got the feeling before it's best to deal with the cops as little as necessary around here. I'll just be back off on my breezy way." She raises one hand in a faux salute as she deploys the full flight rig once more and takes off. Purple Dragons sounds like such a goofy gang name.