14986/A day in Hell's kitchen.

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A day in Hell's kitchen.
Date of Scene: 22 May 2023
Location: Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis: Sam and Berto meet Calum and give the kid a chance at help.
Cast of Characters: Samuel Guthrie, Roberto da Costa, Calum Wixx




Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie had volunteered to take a patrol for the normal NYPD. He got into special units pretty quick and figured putting in some foot patrols will help him with cred amongst the other officers. He has been patrolling earlier today and now it is time for lunch. Since Berto called and said something about grabbing lunch Sam agreed, but told his buddy it had to be in Hell's kitchen as that is where he is working today. So thats where we find Sam in uniform, chatting to one of the shop owners as he waits for his friend.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa is standing in line at a hot dog vendor waiting for Sam, there are a couple of people in front of him and he is looking around, for once he is unaccompanied by his entourage. He smiles as he watches Sam, his phone is in his hand, "According to Yelp this is the best hot dog cart in the city, I mean next to that one up near Central Park. How many do you want?" Berto is dressed in an immaculate three piece suit per usual but seems almost casual in his usual everything all at once demeanor.

Calum Wixx has posed:
Kick, push, kick, push, coooooast. K-chuk, k-chuk, k-chuk.

A teenager on a skateboard who couldn't look more ordinary is sailing down the sidewalk on his board -- a big no-no in NYC, but here in the Kitchen where he has been skating practically since he was old enough to stand who is going to stop him?

Clearly he is well-known here in this neighborhood. Several people greet him by name and high five him as he passes. Everything is really just an ordinary spring evening.

But a studious observer might see more. Calum weaves through people with the ease and speed of a zephyr. He never even comes *close* to hitting anyone. If someone moves left, he has already janked right. If someone drops something, he has already swerved to avoid it. It's almost like he sees everything before it happens.

Well, almost everything...

He turns to smile at a hot young lady and nod to her as he passes, and he goes right. Into. The. Cop.

"Shit!" he exclaims as he ends up on his ass looking up at Sam.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie was stepping over to Berto, waving a hand to him, and calling out "Two or maybe make it three, been walking a lot today." Yea it may seem a lot to some, but with the metabolism of those at Xavier's it aint that big a thing. Sam does look up at folks saying something to the kid, and is just turning to look as he gets ran into. Be it his police training or other training, as he realizes he is going to be hit he braces a bit so he does not end up on his butt as well. He looks down at the kid "Hey kid you ok?" He asks, at least his first reaction is not hollaring at him.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa grins as he watches, letting Sam handle it, actually waving away a few concernced passersby. He also orders an even dozen dogs, he knows what three really means and thinks they have a friend for lunch anyway, mainly dogs with kraut and mustard, but he also orders other styles based on what he knows Sam likes two cans of grape soda, a cola, a seltzer and couple of bottles of water. He hands the guy a hundred and tells him to keep the change before moving over to Sam, "Officer Guthrie, making friends and influencing people in the neighborhood." He takes a bite of dog and manages to offer the kid an hand without spilling a single dog, "You really need to work on your situational awareness, Scott would be so upset." He raises his eyebrows with a grin.

Calum Wixx has posed:
With a scowl, Calum tongue-clicks at the cop. "Dawg, watch where you goin'," he murmurs as he grabs Roberto's hand and hauls himself off the sidewalk. He starts to inspect his skateboard. "You mighta damaged my expensive hardware." The skateboard is a beat-up piece of shit.

He looks to Roberto and nods to the man. "Yo, you see that cop run into me? You a lawyer?" Calum's gaze takes in the expensive clothes the man is wearing. "You gotta card or somethin' in case I need a witness?"

The girl that had Calum's attention moments earlier giggles a little bit and walks away into the crowd. Calum tongue-clicks again.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie crosses his arms and looks to the kid "Really?" He will say "There are camera there, there and there. He points out some of the stores, some of which might have working cameras "Look kid, you ran into me, and no he aint a lawyer, he is a corporate big wig." He says motioning to Berto "Who seems to have bought a few extra hotdogs." Sam will look at the skateboard and says "And looks like time has done more damage to that that Ah could."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa smirks, "Hey, I could have been a lawyer. I mean if it wasn't for all that... law. I am pretty sure he has you trumped with the cameras there, Ese." He offers Sam a few dogs and a grape soda. "I don't know Sam it might be a collectible, people are into that sort of thing, I hear." He munches as he stirs the pot. "How's your patrol going? Is Lieutenant Hotty impressed by your work ethic and everyman mystique?"

Calum Wixx has posed:
Calum folds his arms over his chest with the front truck of the skateboard draped over his forearms. His gaze does fall momentarily on the rather huge bounty of hot dogs that Roberto is carrying. But he quickly looks away. Kid's hungry.

He tongue-clicks again. Apparently it's his favorite way of expression displeasure. "So what, you gonna arrest me and trump up some kind of murder evidence and put me away for like, I dunno, forty years?" The teen's lips twitch as he sort of tries to hold back a smile. Underneath the grump is a goof, apparently.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks to the kid and says "First off, ah don't arrest folks, for anything unless they did it or at least seem like they did it. Second, the most I could get you for would be assault on an officer, and you didn't mean to hit me, mind you taking ya in for being a smart ass is tempting, but thats not against the law." He will look over to Roberto, and says "Problem with Authority, a smart ass, and to proud to see when someone is trying to give him some help. Remind ya of anyone?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa deapans, "Why no Mr Officer Guthrie sir, no one at all." He offers to share some of the dogs and the other grape soda with the kid, "Here, consider it compensation." Then nods to Sam, "You're lucky he was in a good mood. He is usually much more of a hard ass than this." Berto chuckles, "You've met my Father Sam, it is no queston where my issue with authority comes from, the problem I'm having is what happens when you become the authority, it's an existental crisis, my friend." He munches on another dog and offers one to Sam, dog for everyone it seems.

Calum Wixx has posed:
Calum is a dirt-poor kid from the Kitchen. He never, ever turns down a handout. In fact, when Roberto offers some of the swag Calum scoops up three of the hotdogs and a soda before anyone can object. The first hotdog is gone in exactly two huge bites. Then he pops open the soda and drains half of it in a single, unbroken drink followed up with a burp. As has been established: the kid is hungry.

Maybe this isn't such a bad place to chill for the moment. There's free food. "Yo, so you're not like some kind of undercover cop or somethin'?" Calum asks Roberto. "You HAVE to tell me!" he says, repeating the common misconception that police are required to identify themselves if asked.

With a small chuckle, Calum nudges Sam with his elbow. "Yo, he couldn't chase a bad guy for shit in that suit."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie smirks a bit and says "Oh Ah don't know about that, you would be surprised, he aint as me but he can be pretty fast, and no they don't have to tell you if they are undercover if you ask. Your watching to many movies." He eats one of his hotdogs, and says "So, whats your name kid? Ah/m Officer Gurthrie, Sam is your not being a jerk, this is Roberto." He thumbs towards his friend.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa nods, "Even if you are apparently." He grins and offers a few more hot dogs to Calum. He eats a second but seems in no hurry as he also offers the soda. "I mean, I could be but I'm not. I am too rich to bother with the paperwork."

Calum Wixx has posed:
By the time Roberto offers him more food, skinny Calum has already wolfed down a second a dog. "Yo, yer rich, huh? You some kinda businessma..."

And then it all happens. Normal, mundane people never notice it. It all happens so fast, and normies don't *want* to notice stuff like this. They want their lives to putt along as average as can be, thank you very much. But Sam and Roberto are far from normal and mundane, so surely they see everything in the order that it happens.

First, the hotdogs and half-finished soda that Calum was holding are suddenly falling to the sidewalk. Why? Because he's not there anymore. He simply vanished.

Next, a woman's scream of "Oh my god, I dropped it!" can be heard from an alley very near to where the trio are standing.

Then, a window air conditioner that someone on the third floor was trying to put in her window is falling toward a young girl of maybe six years of age.

But Calum is instantly standing next to her and he scoops her up in his arms effortlessly.

Finally, the air condition SLAMS VIOLENTLY on the alleyway floor, shattering into scores of pieces. Did it hit the pair?

No, because somehow Calum and the now-crying girl are standing at the far end of the alleyway where he is attempting to comfort her. He apparently knows the girl because he refers to her by name.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, Kasha, you're safe," Calum coos as he wraps her in a hug.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie sees the kid has poofed, and he might have said something but then there is the scream, and Sam is turning to start heading that way, and for a moment there is an extra roar in the area, as there seems to be a glow around him, but the unit has already fallen, and even as fast as Sam is there is no way he can make it there. So seeing Calum there and then a moment later down the alley, he blinks, the roar and glow fading as the scream and falling AC probably kept others from seeing it "Ok, well thats interesting." He says softly loud enough so Berto can hear it but probably won't travel much past it.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa reacts to the cry and the falling AC unit more than the disappearance. HIs arm is vanta black as he calls on the sun's power and a corona of energy swarms about him as he reaches out towards the falling unit. He is quick and skilled, quick enough to notice Calum intervening and pull back allowing the AC to hit in the empty space. He notes the apartment with a blinking stare, and a furtive glance towards Sam. "Folds space? Not sure it's time oriented but some sort of extradimensional awareness?" He kneels down, offering the girl a shiny pen that he has in his pocket and half a hot dog, "No, no, sauerkraut and mustard it's the good kind. Kasha? It's okay, I cried too the first time someone teleported me, but that was because there were demons, and she was hot. No one that hot should have so many demons. But no, no demons here. You're safe. Here we have food. He also offers a cookie from his pocket, it's like calories don't matter when you metabolism burns solar energy.

Calum Wixx has posed:
Like Calum, Kasha is a poor local. So scared or not, she takes whatever Roberto offers her. Calum stands up, glancing back and forth between Sam and Roberto. He's not used to people noticing him, you know, do his stuff. "You, uh, you guys saw all that?" he asks. It's a strange expression on his face: a mixture of equal parts fear, suspicion, and, strangely enough, relief.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie nods his head a bit to this and says "Yea, your not the first person we have saw able to do it, at least you don't leave a smell or brimstone." What are the two demon hunters or something? He looks to the kid, and says "Ah was wondering superspeed or teleporting at first." He admits. He looks over to the others and says "You fill him in a bit Berto, I will take Kasha to her mom." He offers to take the girl, and says "Lets get you back to your momma ok?" He asks her, preparing to get the little one to her mom and let her see the girl is safe.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa feeds the girl and nods, his demeanor is matter of fact even as the rest of the street is finally catching up, his arm has returned to normal. "This isn't even the strangest thing I've seen today. Hi, my name is Roberto Da Costa, I am the CEO of the X-Corporation, we work with mutants to help them understand their powers and how to use them to live full and rewarding lives." The spiel is well-worned having been said dozens if not a few hundred times. We can offer you help with housing, public assistance, job training, medical services. Our headquarters is in Mutant Town." He produces a stylized card and hands it to Calum, "Look us up we can do some basic testing and help you out."

Calum Wixx has posed:
With a deep frown, Calum crosses his arms over his chest, not accepting the card. "I ain't no *mutant*" Calum scoffs, but there is very little conviction in his voice. Clearly he has been dealing with these abilities for some amount of time but has not had any guidance on their usage or their origin.

He watches wistfully as Sam escorts Kasha to the apartment building a few doors down. The girl's mother suddenly comes bursting out of the front door and runs crying to scoop up her daughter. Like little kids do, Kasha starts crying harder when she sees her mother. At a young age they learn how to tug the correct heartstrings.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie will look to the woman and says "She is ok ma'am, one of the young men nearby saw her and got her out of the way, she will be ok." He has been trained abit in this type of stuff, even if it is a bit more in Rahne's wheelhouse. She has always been good with empathizing with people even if she does not realize it. He takes a moment and reassures the woman the girl it ok, the AC unit, well it is toast." He spends a moment and gets her name and some info. Yes tomorrow Sam will be back with an AC unit to help her install it safely.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa nods slowly considering, "I wish I had the chance to be reticent regarding my own status. But for some that die is cast before we can make a choice." He shrugs, "Keep it, you never know when you might be able to help someone else." He looks after the girl, "More mutants everyday."

Calum Wixx has posed:
Reluctantly, Calum does finally grab the card and shoves it in the front pocket of his jeans. For once the smart ass teen doesn't have a retort. He squats down and picks up the hotdogs he dropped. They're in paper wrappers and he isn't proud. Even at his age, he already knows what it can be like to be hungry and have no food. He starts shoving dogs into his mouth hungrily. Almost certainly Sam and Roberto must recognize this. Huge amounts of energy were just expended, and now it has to be replenished.

To his credit, Calum doesn't run. He just kind of stays there watching Sam and Roberto to see what, if anything, happens next. It's like some stray dog finding some people and hanging around them.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie will come back after a few moments, and says "Ok, everything is cleared up there, Ah did not tell her who saved the kid, but Ah am sure if she asks someone can tell her. Not sure if you want to hide it or not. As for not being a mutant you might not be, you could be an alien half breed, bitten by a radioactive higgs boson particle, or found a magical skate key." He offers to the kid. "If you want to find out, my friend here and his friends can help you. And from that help, they can possibly help you in other ways. Just cause you have powers, mutant or other wise does not mean they have to change you, but if your wanting to make a change in your life, my friend here can help guide it, and it is all on the up and up, they even have a web page and such. Ah work in Bushwick, Ah know folks who have had bad experiences when folks including themselves find out they are a mutant, but trust me it is better to find out and decide how ya want to deal with it, rather than let others find out and decide how they want to react to you.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa head tilts at Sam, "You know when you run for office I'llfund your campaign." He smiles and looks at his empty hands, "Are you still hungry? I could go for ice cream. local kid who has the best ice cream around here? Sam, cone or sundae?"

Calum Wixx has posed:
Standing up straight again, Calum shrugs. "Name's Calum," he murmurs. He glances around up and down the street, considering. "If yer talkin' hard ice cream, then it has to be Bango's around the corner. If yer talking soft serve, then honestly you can't go wrong with a McDonald's hot fudge sundae. But you wear fancy clothes 'n stuff so you prolly want Tiffany's Parlor for your soft serve because it's all, like, gourmet and shit."

As he talks, he unconsciously moves slightly closer to Roberto. Maybe he's starting to feel less distrust toward the man?

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks over and says "Hey Ah am partial to Mootant Milkshakes, but again, Ah work in Bushwick most of the time." He admits. He looks at his watch and says "I got about another 15, but if you want to continue this conversation in about 4 hours, Ah will be off duty and can come back.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa nods and offers his hand, "Nice to meet you Callum. I do like my soft serve snooty, it's true. Roberto shrugs and basks in the sun for a moment or two, "I can last that long. How about I shadow you. see if there are any investment opportunities in this neighborhood?