13856/A bad day to be a thug.

A bad day to be a thug.
Date of Scene:	16 January 2023
Location:	East Harlem
Synopsis:	The thugs are defeated, and gives a new meaning to 'The Hand'
Cast of Characters:	Franklin Richards, Embershroud

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Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin walked, and he had been walking for a long time now. It was late, most likely around midnight, though he had not checked his watch in a while. He looked like he normally did, as he wore head to toe in Fantastic Four Merchandise! From the black, and blue hat with the hat with the black and blue hoodie over it, to the black and blue pants that also had the four. He still wore the Valeria shirt he had on before, and he looked like a normal young adult though his shoes had seen better days. He had been walking for hours, and they showed it as the rubber on the bottom has started to break off a bit as he walks. Of course he didn't realise his mind a million miles away, though his body here enough to walk, open doors, wander through hallways, etc, as the natrual actions take little to no thought.

That is how he ended up in this dump of a place condendemed though never tore down, people sleeping in corners out of their mind though on drugs not in thought like Franklin. He walked and walked running into stairs as he made his way up. He didn't even see the multiple cars parking outside, or the multiple of people in each car armed, and faces covered with Durags, or balaclavas. They had just missed his entry so had no idea Franklin was their as they had a whole other goal. It was a shake down, and they were here to pressure the people inside to leave on their own accord. Steal, beat, anything to threaten them though their boss said to not tell them to leave. Of course thugs didn't know why, but they would follow orders as a large person in the front car points to the front door and half of the group.

Obviously, as they are starting to follow the order, it means half enter the front while the other half goes to the back. They didn't want someone randomly walking out, though for a street thug it was... a surprising amount of planning. At each entrance will soon to be ten people, and with the three drivers still in the three cars with the leader by the front car. Of course Franklin didn't know any of this slowly just walking up the stairs alone in his thoughts thankfully ignored by the people inside who have bigger worries.

Embershroud has posed:
    Embershroud had just been passing by when she saw the cars pull up, and then men with guns pile out and start to surround the building. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it was going to be bad. When the men with guns kicked the door open and started to pile into the building, that's when the dark heroine took action. The vehicles were her first target, and she hit the first with the landing. Like a bolt of fire from the heavens, she slamed into the engine compartment of the car, crushing it beyond use. She didn't even look to the driver as she extracted herself from the twisted scraps of metal, her eyes glowing red as if with flame. As she approached the second vehicle, the driver already panicking and trying to shift into gear, Embershroud clenched her fists. They burst into flame, and when she reaches her target, she delivers a hammer-blow to the engine compartment with both fists, smashing it inward. Certainly, the noise and sudden shouting was bound to draw attention from within the building! Embershroud certainly wasn't being stealthy about her approach!

Franklin Richards has posed:
The drivers never saw it coming, and that did help to get to the cars cutting off their escape at least that way. Unfortunetly the leader knew the score and as soon as she landed he was already running towards the entrance shooting behind him with a pistol as he leeps inside slamming the door closed behind him with a foot. He can be heard yelling inside telling his people to fire in Embers direction. Most likely this isn't the first time he had run into something as this was New York he was just glad it wasn't a spider.

Now on the second floor Franklin stopped looking up again then around him like the first time he has seen this area. With a sigh he tries to figure out where he ended up this time looking at his shoes, and shakes his head. "Not again." he says, but then stops as he hears just a huge smash outside followed quickly with gunshots. He turns his head to the side, as he thinks that came from under him. Looking a bit confused he moved to the window, as he hears behind him in the stairs there are already people running up. Seeing another thing that does make a little more sense, a flaming... woman of course it was. Taking a finger he makes a little circle in the window, and when done taps the piece of glass out. "Uh.. Heelp me fire woman.." then thinks about it, is that how it is done chuckling to himself as he takes a seat his legs killing him as he figured he had done his part.

As things move since Ember has landed the ten people in the back has moved to the stairs, and the ten inside the front are currently shooting her direction with varied weapons, They are all standard firearms, bullets, etc. As they are just people doing a job. Also the leader is moving away still keeping low as he just dodged inside and doesn't want to get shot, but knows it is best to just keep running.

Embershroud has posed:
    The sudden hail of bullets was alarming. Embershroud isn't exactly stopped by gunfire, but it can still put holes in her! Thinking quickly, she uses one of the smashed cars for cover, pulling it in front of her. She furrows her brow a bit as she hears the call for help from inside the building. Turning, she delivers a solid kick to the side of the car, denting it inward and sending it sliding towards the front of the building. It gives her enough cover as the men scatter to get out of the way, and suddenly she's smashing through the window on the second floor, where Franklin had called out to her. Landing on her feet, she looks around, and then down at him sitting on the floor. "...Who are you?" the zombie-woman asks, her voice a gravelly alto, "Are there other people here?" Close-up, it's pretty obvious that this woman is far more unnatural than just having her hands engulfed in flame.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin is sitting as the building shakes the car hitting it with force and then has to roll out of the way as throw the window she comes smashing though but is sitting still just out of the way as he smiles up at her. "There were a few people down-stairs but they should be alright." he adds as the people who entered from the back kick in from the stairs rather surprised to see her up here now not expecting to see her again the leader stammering out.. "S...Shot her!" though Franklin holds up his hand with a smile.

The seperated people downstairs are going to start to run not getting paid nearly enough to deal with this. Not getting caught is prority to them at this point as her display had convenced them to just run. The only reason the other ten not doing so is because of the leader being there. Speaking of which are all pointing their guns in the direction of the two triggers pulled, and then just.. 'Click' as nothing happends.

Franklin looks up and smiles a bit, "I Changed the rules, do not worry they will not work. You may swing away Miss, and my name is Franklin... Franklin Richards." he gives a small wave to her. "I wold help but man feels like I have been walking for miles!" he turns to look at the surprised thugs still trying.. "Not a good day for you guys!" and chuckles.

Embershroud has posed:
    Embershroud is about to shield herself with something from the inevitable bullets, but when there's nothing but clicks and Franklin says she's free to swing... Well, that's what she does. Ember launches herself towards the thugs, crashing into them with force. It doesn't take long for her to send them one by one flying out the window she came in through. It seems she's not one of those superheroes who has a moral quandry about not hurting the bad guys. When the second floor is cleared of men with guns, she moves down the stairs, boots thumping as she finds any stragglers and sends them packing out the front of the building. There's only one working car left though, and it's long gone by this point. The rest of them scatter, the ones that are able to at least.

    When the fight is over, and it was over quickly, Embershroud floats back up to the window but doesn't come back into the building. "Franklin Richards," she says, "Don't think I've heard of you before. What was it you did? Something about changing the rules?" She folds her arms as she floats there, just a foot or two outside the smashed window.

Franklin Richards has posed:
As she smashed Franklin watches a bit interested as he does raise a finger as she throws one out the window catching him in the air he brings the scared man back through the window, and smiles at the man. "Do not interupt, and we will have a nice discussion on who sent you when we are done here. Now sleep.. Ahem.. Sleep." the guy stares at him like he is carzy though is very quiet listening out of fear, it takes him a second time but the man nods and closes his eyes laying still as if he were asleep.

Franklin turns and looks at the approaching Ember and chuckles, "That is rare for me to hear.. Fantastic Four.. Baxtor Building.." he looks at her to see if any of this matches what she knows. With a sigh Franklin thinks about how to answer her question. "A gun needs many thing in order to function. One of them being compustion." he smiles at her, "Without it they are just paper-weights." and he tries to stand leaning against the wall.

"I do thank you for the help though. I hate getting physical with people." he looks at her, "So you know who I am who you are you? Though I warn you human torch is already taken!" and chuckles a bit to himself.

Embershroud has posed:
    "Really, I thought you were just a fan," she replies, nodding towards the outfit he's wearing. "I don't exactly keep up to date on every super-being that's out there, so you'll forgive me for having not heard of you before. I've sort've been living in a cave the last three years." There's a pause where she just floats there with her arms folded casually. "I go by Embershroud now," she tells him, "I don't set myself on fire the same way the Human Torch does, it's more of a..." She pauses a moment, lifting a hand, which bursts into flame while she inspects it. She flexes her fist and then the flames go out. "I don't know what to call it. I never expected to control fire so I didn't exactly do my research on it. Pyrokinesis? No, that's not quite right." She furrows her brow thoughtfully. "Whatever," she says a moment later, waving a hand dismissively. "I appreciate the assist as well. Bullets won't exactly kill me, but bullet holes are a nightmare to stitch up."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin chuckles and shrugs, "It wear it me hidden so I can't blame it for working. There is nothing to forgive!" he is streaching a bit as his legs still hurt he considers how far he must of walked this time hopping it wasn't all the way from the upper east side. He looks back out at Ember, "So you lived.. in a cave? Was there mushrooms, or other substance in there?" he seems to be asking more out of curiousity as he had never lived in a cave for even near that long.

Though he chuckles again as she talks about her power, "Yes as it seems.." he looks at her again head to toe, "You create the flame other then controling it from another soure.. which is interesting as the process for doing so could mean you change the rules as well." as everyone one knew fire needed things to burn, to create it out of 'thin-air' might be changing the rules or using them he did not have enough proof either way yet. He stops, and looks at her with a grin.. "OH right.. sorry family of scientist I tend to over explain."

Franklin does quickly add in the end though, "And think nothing of it I was in the line of fire too, and unfrotunetly I am not so it was self-preservation though I would always help a firey stranger!" and chuckles again. "Even if they are a bit violent." he looks at the mess that was the ten people though he doesn't seem that disturbed.

Embershroud has posed:
    Embershroud didn't necessarily kill anybody, but she certainly didn't check to ensure they landed safely or managed to get away uninjured. It was only a fall from the second floor, after all. Worst case scenario is probably some broken bones. "Lived," she corrects him, "Though compared to where I'm staying now perhaps the cave was better. It was certainly quieter." There's a pause and she continues. "I don't need to eat anything, though I thought I might at first. Old habits and all that." Embershroud considers him for a few long moments. "You're a bit of an odd one, aren't you," she remarks, "Though I suppose there's a lot of that going around." As he looks down at the men scattered on the street, she does as well. "Any idea who they were or what they were doing here?" she asks, "It looked like a bunch of people on drugs in the building, they can't have had much to offer in the way of petty theft."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin smiles, and corrects himself.. "Lived... You umm you didn't stay.. here did you?" he looks around a bit. she was here before he came back from his walk so it was possible. Though he listens, "Interesting... you don't eat." he considers this, it must take energy to create the flames, not to mention movement. Normally food would be a requirement to gain that energy though his thoughts are interupted, "Yes.. I am told that a lot." he kind of looks down, "When your view gets wide enough it is difficult to keep focus on those things ahead of you." he says a bit quietly. "I do try to stay in the moment but it can be difficult sometimes.. I again apologize" and grins a bit returning to his normal cheery self.

"And these guys..." he adds after a moment of silence happy to change the subject. "I am sure our friend here will tell us if we ask nicely." he raises a finger, as the 'sleeping' man starts in motion again with a "Wh.. wh.. what!" as he lifted foot first into the air to hang upside down as a now standing Franklin turms though to Ember he says, "I saved the one that went out the window." then to the hanging man he spoke again. "Now answer the Lady's question.. Or else I might give you back to her." and chuckles.

The man worried as he was lifted is now terrified as he looks out the window at Ember as he hung upside down he helplessly tried to move around but always just fell back to that same postion because of gravity. Finally on the threat of being given to her he speaks up, "Alright! Alright! All I know is boss told us that we needed to scare em! Beat'em up, not kill." he fell quiet again.. "And... and to not tell them to move out.. why would he say that right?" though Franklin drops him just an inch before lifting him up again.

Frankling wags a finger infront of him.. "More answers less comentary.. Any other questions?"

Embershroud has posed:
    Embershroud watched the man work as she remained floating outside the window, passively observing the interrogation and the threat that it would be her turn next. "No. It sounds like they were a bunch of thugs sent to harass the people here for anything of value they had, and then leave them here to scrape together more and do it again." Ember floats into the window again, stepping down onto the floor. She crosses to where the suspended man is dangling, and she crouches down to address him face to face. "Here's what's going to happen now. You're going to go back to your boss, and you're going to tell him these people are off limits. I'll be watching. And if I see any more of you lot skulking around this place and harassing these people..." She presses her hand to the side of his face. There's a sudden smell of burning flesh and a sizzling. The man screams in agony, but her hand is only there a moment. She pulls it away, revealing a handprint seared into the man's flesh. It will heal, eventually, but for now it's painfully obvious. "Be sure to give him that message." She stands again, nodding to Franklin. "I'm done here."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin holds him there though winces a bit when she burns him as sure he didn't mind she wasn't the meanest person he had worked with, as that would go to one of the Mercs and that did make him chuckle. He mearly waits in silence, as he looks at the floating man finally adding a "Yeah!" not having much else to say though he stops holding the man as the scarred man hits the ground hard though is up right away again. He is holding his cheek looking at them "What is wrong with ya folk." scared out of his mind he looks to Franklin, "You... both.. are!" though he just decides other then finish that he is just going to run for it. He would tell his boss, but this was it he was done, enough fire people and wierd folk dressed up in F4 gear... No more for him as he ran out of that building into the night as fast as he could.

Once out of earshot Franklin starts chuckling again looking at her, "You know it is going to be hard to get a normal job with a handprint on the side of your face right?" he asks her with a smile. Of course he didn't know the man would turn around, but if he did that might be as hard as a tattoo or something. Though he shruged not too woried about it, he turns back to look at Ember, "Look.. I am trying to start a connection with different people so this might sound strange." he pulls out a card with his name and number on it. "If your helping New York we can do better then a cave. Call me and I will see about trying to get you a normal place, and maybe even a normal job if you want one."

He holds up a hand, "I know a few places that won't judge, and I am happy to help someone who I believe I can trust get back on their feet again." he looks at the card then her. "Only if you want thought of course." and smiles a bit trying not to sound too akward as he was new at this.

Embershroud has posed:
    "He'll be fine. It'll blister and look like shit for a few weeks but it won't scar," Ember says, as she watches the man run from the building and down the street, observing from the window. "What I gave him was about the same as touching a hot stove. Sometimes people need to get burned before they'll learn the lesson." There's a pause as she's presented with a card containing a name and a telephone number, but after some consideration she takes it from him. "You know, it's strange. I've been in this city for a few months now, and most people avoid me. Then in the last week, two people are handing me cards with phone numbers on them." She tucks the card away, though. "Maybe I'll give you a call," she says, "I... need some time to think about it. I'm... not exactly accustomed to living around people. And most people... I make them nervous. Think I'm gonna eat their brains or something, like in those old horror films." She moves to lean against the window, as if about to climb out of it. She looks back to Franklin again though. "I appreciate the offer though. Maybe I'll call ya."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin chuckles as she gives away it wasn't as bad as it may of looked noding, "Sure scared him though so well done indeed." chuckling a bit. As she takes it he mearly nods in thanks as he only hoped to help, and if it was not doing that then of course he would not mind if she did not call though he would never say that. "Welcome to New York" is all he says to the people giving her numbers to call, and hoped she would find her way as it could be a big city, not to mention the sewers under it. He had been hearing... wierd stories about that though that was for another time.

He gives her a wave as she floats out and adds. "Everyone needs help sometimes.. There is nothing wrong with asking! Just becareful who you get it from okay?" as again this was New York and there were lots of scammers out there though he said nothing else just wave at the disapearing Ember as he was sure they would meet again.