15810/No Chickening Out

No Chickening Out
Date of Scene:	07 September 2023
Location:	Candle, Booke and Belle
Synopsis:	When Joshua Foley, hot on the heels of becomming a chicken via a curse from ancient Greek spellcasters, needs to be cleared before returning to work, Nettie Crowe and Billy Kaplan come to the rescue.
Cast of Characters:	Nettie Crowe, Billy Kaplan, Joshua Foley, Tynan Ireton

---

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    It started with a couple piano hits.

    "You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain! Too much love drives a man insane -- You broke my will, but what a thrill Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!!"

    The haunted jukebox is settled into the Oldies this afternoon, which was just fine for the usual occupants haunting the shop. Nettie Crowe was leaning over her tea counter by the antique brass cash register. She gives a hum along with the music, her book not a tome of magic, nor arcane lore or secrets, no --

    Historical romance. Early 1900's with a pair of women with floofy dresses on the cover and a cottage in the background covered with pink roses. Her eyes are scanning the pages when she mutters:

    "That wasn't in style for at least another three years." and highlights the passage.

    Overhead, her familiar Corvax was nestled among the pumpkins of the Halloween decorations that have been steadily increasing.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
The bell above the door rings as Billy Kaplan enters. No magical duds, just street clothes, old and beat up so he looks like he's all rough and tumble. It costs a lot of money for the son of two successful doctors to look like he's from the wrong side of the tracks.

"Hey," he says in greeting. "I had a vision of the shop for some reason when I was on the E, so I figured I should stop by."

He points at the jukebox. "Hey, dope song."

Joshua Foley has posed:
As Billy and Nettie are talking, the bell rings again. But at first, there seems to be noone that comes in.

But then the music changes on the jukebox. The Jackson 5 - How Funky is Your Chicken. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWgllMhbeIs )

And if one were to look down towards the ground, they would see a chicken with golden feathers that is currently trying to pull in a skateboard with a messenger bag sitting on top of it. Both items Nettie can identify as having belonged to one Joshua Foley.

Who has not come back from the errand that Nettie sent him on for delivering some items to Retirement Center in Metropolis.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    The Jukebox does have a sense of humor. Nettie, upon hearing the bell ring at the door, closes the book and stashes it beneath her counter with a small smile.

    "Hullo poppet -- how are you doing today, Billy?" she greets Billy, and then gives a small line of a frown "... you weren't on the E *alone* were you? That can be dangerous." she murmurs.

    And then a chicken walks in, with the Jackson 5 asking how funky the chicken is.

    And Nettie tilts her head. She opens her mouth, she closes her mouth, and then asks "... am /I/ on the E?" she questions, and then hops over the counter.

    She looks to the board. She looks to the bag, and then -- minding her gloved hands she squats down and just picks up the chicken.

    "Josh. Squawk twice if that's you."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
The reality bender lets out a small smirk/laugh. "Trust me, Nettie, there is nothing on that E train that is dangerous to me." Maybe Billy is boasting a little bit? Yeah, he's boasting a little bit.

He spins in place and glances down at the chicken. And the skateboard. And the messenger bag. There was a time, believe it or not, when this sort of thing would have surprised Billy. But it doesn't take long when one spend time at the Candle, Booke and Belle to become inured to such trivialities as message-delivering, skateboard chickens.

"Friend of yours?" Billy asks Nettie deadpan and matter-of-factly.

Joshua Foley has posed:
When Nettie jumps over the counter, the chicken releases his grip on the bag and leap-flaps, landing in her grasp. The chicken is completely golden with bright blonde feathers.

The beak moves up and down, as if trying to say something, instead, it's just a series of clucks, before it catches the cue that Nettie asked.

And the rooster crows, because a crow caws. It doesn't make sense.

One, then a second loud the sun is up type crow, letting Nettie know that yes, Josh has been KFC'd. Kentucky Fried Cursed.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Are we talkin' about the same E, Billy? It's more 'I'm hallucinating and accidentally magic the nice man across the way into an eldrich abomination. Or a chicken. Ducky, how did this happen?" she questions the chicken, and heaves a small sigh.

    "Corvax? Be a dear and grab the Curse Bag with the silver pen in it, would you?" she asks of her familiar.

    The crow rouses, grouses, and then hops down from his perch to land on the counter. And Nettie tucks the chicken under one arm, and then looks to the crow. "And a towel."

     -- what is the towel for?

    "Ha, ran a-fowl of some shape shiftin' magic, lad? No worries. Nettie will fix you right up. Or we have a capon!" he gives a jolly bit of laughter, and caws his way towards Nettie's apartment below.

    "Have you ever encountered a shapeshifting curse before, Billy?" Nettie inquires as she sets the poor cockerel on the bar. That can't be sanitary.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
Billy watches all of theses goings-on with a calm demeanor. Not much surprises him these days. "Shapeshifting curse?" the spellcaster repeats. "Not that I'm aware of." He nods in the direction of the chicken. "So this was something, or someone else before becoming a bird?"

He reaches out and gives the chicken a small poke in the side. "I don't sense a magical aura," Billy murmurs as he looks curiously at the animal. "Must be im...peck...able magic." A small tug at the corner of Billy's lips.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshken is carried over to the counter. He told Nettie once he was okay with hugs. This is not what he had in mind. When Corvax talks, the chicken gives him a sideye. He'd probably do worse if he knew what a capon was.

Then Billy makes his joke and the chicken Popeyes at him, squinting one eye and glaring with the other. He does take a swinging peck at Billy's finger when poked. No touchie!

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Aye, this is one of mine. Mr. Foley is one of my League recruits and has been helping out in the shop. An' mind your manners, how'd you like to be poked at when everyone's ten times your size?" Nettie states good naturedly.

    "This is strong magic. I can sense the tail ends of it. Something very old and very powerful did this at whim. It'll take some unspooling, it may feel a little odd." Nettie states quietly, the last part to Josh, "But I can straighten you out."

    Corvax returns with a small, black velvet bag, and a moment later, drops a bright pink-and-purple flowered beach towel.

    Nettie removes what looks like a silver inkpen, made for dipping into ink rather than a ballpoint. There's a couple silver charms and some chalk. Nettie plucks from one of her drawers a glass vial of dark purple ink.

    "So, Mr. Foley here has been cursed to be a chicken. I would wager he would much rather be himself. Let's get to work, shall we?" she asks rhetorically, and begins to draw on the tea counter with the chalk.

    "Now, I'm rather old school, and not quite as powerful in the raw energy department as some of the younger members of my League Dark. This is going to require foci, a transferral of the energy, and -- a sacrifice."

    Corvax, notably, caws harshly and flies back up to the rafters!

Billy Kaplan has posed:
The young reality bender quickly retracts his finger when he gets pecked. It's all good. He had it coming. He watches as Nettie prepares her tools like a physician might prepare her tools before a procedure. "So someone cursed him for no reason? Seems like a lot of magic to unleash for no good reason, doesn't it?"

"Can't you just..." Billy gestures in small circles with one hand. "...disassemble the curse? Just, you know, tell it that it's not wanted here anymore." One could easily surmise from Billy's cavalier tone and body language that he considers this to be small potatoes. Oh, and potatoes go really well with chicken...

Joshua Foley has posed:
If they were in a Church, Joshua would probably be more worried. God, as if his parents haven't already disowned him enough. He'd need a wing and a prayer if they knew about this.

Though when Nettie mentions a sacrifice, the chicken gives a panicked little squawk and starts to back up a little. It starts clucking. Any angry caphony of clucks as his feathers fluff up to try to make himself bigger than what he really is.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Eh, sometimes old magic users get testy because they get bored. That's why I have hobbies. I went to Oxford for a while. Studied mythology, took classes from Tolkien. He's half the reason I own this building you know. I won it in a card game in Tibet." she comments cheerily, and she looks as Joshua puffs up.

    "Easy, easy Joshua, no one's sacrificing you, you're the one we're reversing the spell on dear. That'd be a waste." she comments gently, pointing at him with the chalk in her fingers.

    "And no, I can't just tell the curse to buzz off. This was made by something a fair bit stronger than me. Not stronger than you, likely., but with more experience and control. It takes a lot of skill to just do farm animals willy-nilly while wrecking a bit of Metropolis. No wonder Underpants didn't show up." Nettie murmurs, half crossly as she gets back to work. Her array is carefully planned and drawn out on her table.

    She takes a bit of parchment from under her counter, and dips the pen in the ink. She scrawls in very neat letters, and begins to murmur under her breath as she removes her glove with her teeth, showing that her own left hand has blackened skin, with the texture of burnt paper, crinking off a little as she goes.

    Dark violet lines trail around her fingers, mixing with black energies.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
Folding his arms over his chest casually, Billy leans sideways with his hip against the counter. Despite the gravity of the circumstances, the reality bender can't help but let out a smirk. "You wone this building in a card game? In Tibet? From the creator of the Lord of the Rings? Nettie, sometimes I wonder if you're just having us all on and this is all your own personal inside joke."

He nods in the direction of the chicken. "So you're Joshua, eh? When she turns you back I want to hear everything about what it's like to be a rooster." He adds, "I'm Billy, by the way. I go by the handle Wiccan." A shrug. "Or whatever."

Joshua Foley has posed:
The chicken settles when Nettie reminds him that he's not the sacrifice, and the Golden Chick swivels around to look at Billy. There's a nod of his head, but no more attempts to lash out.

Instead, as he notices Nettie's hand, the rooster leans forward. He lays his head on the witch's hand, trying to heal the damage he sees, but without understanding how magical damage works, it's a hard ask, even as his golden glow increases further.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie had smiled, her eyes closed at the exchange between the two lads, it was a tonic, truly, to see people getting along well.

    And Josh, thouch a chicken, his powers intact, lays his head on the blackened hand, and Nettie gives a startle, and she hitches a breath in, her eyes blank, going wide, and completely colorless -- even the aquamarine of her faded eyecolor was gone, just lines over white irises and an unsteady pulse of a glow. The magic kicks up unexpectedly in the room.

    Joshua would see his death, what he had experienced -- but also Nettie's. A fourteen-year-old girl with brown hair and eyes the color of fresh-turned earth, with a younger boy at her side. Skulls and bones in ossuaries and tombs about them, and the scream when a soul is ripped roughly from its body, and that hot, boiling pain under his skin, like being flash-fried.

    And so many horrors she'd seen. Piles of the dead.

    And Nettie graps onto the dark magic used to transform Joshua -- and the pendelum shifts HARD in the room as she exerts her will over it.

    She grabs it, she pulls it, and then she SLAMS her hand down on the teacup that had been on the counter, violet and decorated with silver fluting along the edge as she grits her teeth, catching the edge of her tongue so that it bleeds.

    The magic is still hanging around her, though, not totally dispelled as she gives a sharp hiss, her head tilting forward, her other arm coming up protectively over Josh.

    "Billy -- Billy dispell it!" she calls out, "My concentration broke!"

Billy Kaplan has posed:
When you're the future demiurge everything is just A-okay...until it's not. As Nettie so aptly suggested, Billy has a lotta lotta lot to learn about pretty much every fucking thing. And when Nettie's eyes go all white and the room fills with arcane energy thick like enchanted syrup Billy has absolutely no idea what to do or what to make of it. /NETTIE/ is the one he looks to for reading how serious a situation is, she is the one he relies on to set limits and define the corners and edges of the unseen things in the world. But she's all magicked right now!

Looking around the room to try to find the source of the disturbance, Billy murmurs a phrase three times...

"Be gone the curse..." It's his normal voice, maybe a bit more stern than the usually easy-going way in which he talks.

"Be gone the curse..." His breath is magic now, and the arcane beats of his syllables can be felt in people's hands and eyes and other more delicate parts of their bodies.

Now comes the tick from one arcane moment to a moment even more arcane, it feels like it takes forever, like the three of them are lost together in a moment that never begins and never ends.

"Be gone the curse..." Now comes forth the real strength of Billy Kaplan, of Wiccan, of the one who will one day become the disembodied spirit of all magic. All of the magic keeping Joshua bound up in that unnatural form is gone so fast one wonders if it was ever there at all. Several objects fall off shelves. A tea cup shatters on the floor. Even the jukebox stops playing.

Then Billy stands there, eyes wide, wondering what the fuck he just did and what just happened.

"Nettie," he whispers faintly, some fear dancing in the back of his throat.

Joshua Foley has posed:
When Joshua touches Nettie's hand, he is flooded with information. None of it good. Blue eyes go wide in shock and panic as he relives his previous death, just a short year ago, as well as unfamiliar faces and deaths.

As Nettie slams back the pendelum and his curse is shaken and then torn asunder by the magic of Wiccan, the rooster nearly comes off the ground. There's a loud, angry, fear-filled squawk.

And then there is silence as the jukebox goes dark. The curse, suddenly gone, causes Joshua's feathers to fall off and fade. Wings return to being arms. The breast exapands and grows into a torso as wiry chicken legs fall off as human legs returned.

Joshua Foley, back as a human, collapses onto the counter of the shop. His body is twisted enough into a fetal position to hide most of his nudity. His skin is a golden hue, the same color as found in a gold bar - his hair dirty blonde.

And he is very much unconcious, overwhelmed by the magic, what he felt, what he /LIVED/ through and what he saw.

That's why Nettie asked for the towel.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    The whole of the shop is a bit of a mess. Papers have been flung everywhere. The parchment Nettie had written in was burning on the counter. She breathes in as if she were breathing in for the first time.
    Her left hand, once blackened, is made whole. There's a sigil on the back of it. She looks around the shop, and her jaw falls a moment as she breathes. Just breathes. The dragon's blood, the smell of tea. The feeling of the floor beneath her feet. The normalization of the wards ringing through her head like being six feet from a church bell.

    And she asks, out loud: "Lads -- still here?"

    And she opens one eye, back to its normal aquamarine, and makes a FACE.

    "Goodness gracious--" she murmurs, and applies the towel to poor Josh!

Billy Kaplan has posed:
It's going to take a good few minutes for Billy to process everything that just happened. He watches as the motherly Nettie respectfully covers up the naked Joshua. He peers around the room at the various objects that have been tossed and broken, though by which arcane energies is unclear. He rubs his fingertips along the edge of the counter to bring himself back to this reality, to anchor himself to the real world.

A gentle, apologetic whisper: "I think I broke your jukebox."

Joshua Foley has posed:
With the towel protecting his modesty, Josh continues to lie on the counter of the store. Slowly, however, he starts to come to. Sitting up with a start, he lets out a silent scream before his hands feel over his torso, only stopping when he feels his heart beat. "...oh god..." he looks to Nettie in worry and concern, his eyes wide and afraid as he draws in shaky, short breath.

"Two old witches. They were fighting... and I got changed and then Franklin made me human, said I had twenty-four hours. I didn't make it. I didn't make it..." he murmurs, tears streaming down his face.

He relived so many deaths in a short amount of time. Will he ever be powerful enough to reverse /that/?

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    The Jukebox, after a couple minutes of silence, kicks up hesitantly with Night on Bald Mountain. https://youtu.be/iCEDfZgDPS8?si=OAkVZK3efWDjxeFe

    And as Josh comes back to life, Nettie is right there, drawing herself lose and -- since he's already seen what there is for her touch to ovver, she throws her arms carefully around him like she would have one of her soliders back in the day, when they realized they would never see home.

    "Shh, shh love. You're okay. You're straightened out now, her curse is lifted off you. Billy did a bang up job of sending those energies back out where they'll not do you harm anymore, lad." she whispers softly, holding Joshua so that he's not falling off her counter and into the shop.

    "And truly, bang up job now, Billy. Wonderful work." she whispers softly. "Go to the cooler behind me, pull out two chocolate milks for you lads. I keep 'em on hand for such occasions. Nothing dispells residual sorrows like sweets, yeah?" she asks of Billy as she holds Josh in place.

    "You're safe, Josh."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
There is a look of relief that washes over Billy when the jukebox starts up again. It's just a jukebox, but it has suddenly become a proxy for this situation in Billy's mind. Broken jukebox = chaos. Chaos = uncertainty. Working jukebox = good.

"Of course," Billy says quietly, gently when Nettie bids him retrieve the milks. He comes back with two bottles. Glass bottles of chocolate milk. Very classy. Very old world.

"Here you go, Joshua," Billy says in an empathetic, soft tone. "This'll make you feel better." He holds the milk out for the recently transformed kid.

Then Billy's gaze shifts to Nettie. He seems calmer now. Sure, he's a powerhouse like few others, but he does not know what the fuck he is doing. Like at all. Nettie's expertise and state of mind is keeping the young reality bender grounded and sane right now. "Thanks, Nettie."

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua sobs for a few moments in Nettie's embrace. "You-you were hurting. I just wanted to help!" he sobs and takes several more deep breaths. He accepts the milk gratefully from Billy. "T-Thank you." He wants to ask Nettie about everything he saw. But he can't.

Instead, he finally realizes his state of dis-dress and golden cheeks darken further. "I.. I'll be right back!" He sets down the milk, sliding off the counter and pulling the towel around his hips as he runs for his room upstairs.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie motions to her crow, who giving a caw goes to follow Josh to make sure he'll be all right.

    The woman, so much older than how she looks, takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. Yes. Good quality chocolate milk with real chocolate and sugar, not some corn syrupy nonsense, and she collapses down to sit on her stool behind the counter.

    She looks straight ahead.

    And she digs a flask out of her pocket, unscrews the top, and empties it.

    "It'll all be all right." she states, and then she looks at her counter and tilts her head... yeah. That's a buttprint, Probably, in the chalk.

    "That could have turned out so much worse. I'm an old hand, but the bitch that did THAT to him? Even Older."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
Kaplan grabs a chair and slides it closer to where Nettie is sitting. He eases himself down into the seat. He gives Nettie a few unharried moments to collect herself and take stock of the moment before he speaks.

"I'm glad Joshua is alright," he says in earnest. Then the young magic-user takes a big swig of the milk. He can't help but blurt out a little laugh as he wipes the back of his hand across his lips. His eyes glitter and his cheeks glow. Like they did before the magical detonation. "You weren't kidding. This stuff is amazing."

Billy leans back a bit in his seat, folding one leg over the other. "Is this going to become a thing? Is this other witch gonna be pissed that we undid her thing? Come looking for some payback?"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie gives a smile, and she shakes her flask before she sets it down.

    "Aye, I don't stock the *bad stuff* for my duckies. Josh's had it tough. Not my story to tell, but --"

    Corvax returns with a caw, and lands on Nettie's shoulder.

    "'E's a dumpster baby." he states, settling himself in. "She tricked him into employment an' now she's all Gramma Nettle on them all. Watch out, lad, or she'll adopt you too!" the crow crows , and satisfied that he's made Nettie a little more tempered, he settles down on her shoulder.

    "... you're a brat." Nettie states to the bird good naturedly.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
A small snort of laughter from the caster. "I'm all full up on parents, thanks. Two moms and a dad. Three brothers." He sort of stares off into nothing as if just right then it occurs to him for the very first time how lucky he really is. I don't know my magic mom or magic twin brother as well as I wish I did. But I fucking love the whole lot of them. Even my bratty little brothers who are always messing with me."

His gaze goes to Corvax then to Nettie. "I guess I'm doing something right because the universe keeps putting really good people in my life." A shrug. A small shadow over the eyes for a moment. "Maybe to make up for the hell that will be my life forever once I'm done on this world." Another drink of milk. It really does help. Like, really.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Returning from upstairs, Joshua has pulled on a black t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants with skateboards all over them. He wears socks with a pair of slippers on his feet. His skin is still the same golden color -- with a small black blot that is around his forearm, otherwise marring his brightness.

"Thank you. Thank you both." he offers to the pair as he reaches for the chocolate milk he had left behind. "It was a couple of witches... arguing over a name. I snapped at them for hurting people... and that happened." He shakes the bottle before opening it to take a swig from it, chugging it, really once he realizes how good it is.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Its...been several months since anyone has seen or heard from Tynan. Yeah, Nettie gave her a job that put her in Europe for some time away from everyone. For the sanity of everyone, especially Nettie's! Well, Ty has returned to the States, and has took some time to settle some affairs before returning.

    The woman is dressed in something a bit...cleaner then most people would expect the merc to be in. She's in a full body dress that 'V's just short of her chest, and a soft slit that runs thigh high. Its a blue shade, just short of midnight. She also appears to be wearing a dark pair of sunglasses that seem to fit with the dress as part of the style. The woman carries a white silver brief case that has gold crosses on the corners of it. The woman walks up to the door, and takes off a velvet glove, and gently knocks on the door. Ty knows she's the only one who does this, and that she's allowed in, but well, yeah. "Is Miss Crowe available to discuess term of a transaction?", she says with a professional tone.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Excellent, because I'm not Bruce Wayne, I'm not in the business of adopting random children." Nettie states with considerable good will to Billy, and she settles in her stool a moment before reaching over, grabbing a cloth, and beginning to wipe the chalk away from the bar -- starting with the possible buttmark.

     "A name or a Name? Two different things..." Nettie states, and she raises her left hand again, turning it this way and that.

    "You know, Josh... your power is pretty remarkable." she states, her eyes drawing to the Golden Boy, "Time's taken its toll on my body, and it's rare that I find anyone who's able to reverse the effects of --"

    And the door opens. NEttie purses her lips, drawing to a stand before Tynan makes her approach. And of course the door opens to Tynan. She's one of the League Dark.

    "Tynan!" she greets her former student. "What an interesting surprise. Come on in -- Billy, Josh, this is Tynan. A former student of mine who is also in the League. Tynan, Josh and Billy, two of our newer prospects." she introduces them simply, and goes to sip from her flask again before realizing it's still empty.

    She gives a rather cross expression at its emptiness.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
Billy offers a warm, genuine smile to Joshua when he returns. "Hey man," the caster says, "I'm, like, really glad you're okay." He briefly holds out a fist in case Joshua is into the whole fist bumping thing.

"I'd offer to, y'know, fill the flask for you but it would probably taste awful. I don't drink much and I'm sure you're used to the good stuff," the magic-user offers to Nettie. "You should have some chocolate milk. It'll make you young again."

When Nettie starts the round of introductions, Billy stands. His parents would be horrified if he was impolite when meeting someone new. "Nice t'meet ya, Tynan. Billy Kaplan. A.K.A. Wiccan." He shrugs a little. "It used to be Asgardian, but some of my friends pointed out the problems with that name." His cheeks redden ever so slightly.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua starts with returning Billy's fistbump. "Nice to mee you, Billy. Even if the situation was crap." he grumbles slightly as he finishes off his bottle of milk and sets it down.

When Nettie tries to compliment his power, Josh ducks head and shakes it. "There's so many better ones. I'm just a freak..." he murmurs, downplaying it as hard as he can. "I can't fix... the worst things. I kinda of have to be able to picture what it is what I want to do to make it work."

When there's the knock on the door, he makes his way over to open it. "Miss Nettie, you have a visitor!" he calls out, before Tynan walks in. He stands there for a moment, dumbstruck as someone who looks like they just left a fancy formal comes in. With Nettie making the introductions, he raises his hand in greetings. "Hi. I'm Joshua. Or Josh. No codename."

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty nods her head to Billy and Josh. She sucks in a deep breath. "Pleasure. Have either of you had any training?", she lightly asks. The woman bites back any other comment for just a moment. "Also, is it safe for me to remove my glasses in front of them? Like how deep in the well are they?", the merc asks. She stretches a little bit, feeling her joints pop, and muscles stretch.

    "Sorry the job in Rome took so long. So many channels to deal with, plus the fact that there's more catacombs there then there was in Paris.", she says. The woman pronouces Paris as Pair we. She places the case in front of Nettie, and opens it up to show a small demon in a saltglass jar with several crosses on the jar. The demon mutters as it looks up, and gives the middle talon before noticing Nettie. "....Is that Nettie Crowe? What the Heaven did I do to deserve being sold to Nettie Crowe!", it whines!

    ty lowers her head a little to look at Nettie. Her eyes are brimstone yellow. She's been overusing her runes again. She turns to Billy and Josh. "Oh, and while I'm a member of the Dark, I'm also not the girl you talk to your parents about. My magicks are bit...awkward for most people.", she tells.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie gives a small smile. "One of 'em's not magic. Also, not a freak, Josh." Nettie states a sshe pulls her glove back on her left hand. She gives a small smile and shakes her head "Aye, Roman police can be a bit of a worry, not to mention they've got their own supernatural team. Why not ask Patience next time? She's got a chip on her shoulder for the Church." Nettie states quietly, and then she takes out her halfmoon glasses, and looks to the demon in the jar.

    "Pair /we/? Paris is not pronounced with a 'wee'." Nettie murmurs slightly, and picks up the jar.

    "Ah! An addition for my curio cabinet." she pronounces the wee demon.

    "Joshua, say one nice thing about yourself, if you please."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
Billy is having a hard time hiding a smile that is struggling to break free on his face. "I promise I will not talk to my parents about you," he says to Tynan. The young reality bender's tone and body language don't indicate he's mocking Tynan, it's just that how she worded her caution tickled Billy.

He approaches Josh. Unless Josh indicates resistance, Billy gives him one of those one-armed bro hugs. "Hey, I gotta bounce, but I want you to know that I've known you for like 20 whole minutes now and I can already tell you aren't a freak. I'm glad we got rid of that curse. I mean, you were a rooster. You wouldn't even have been good for fresh eggs." He grins warmly at what he hopes is a new friend.

He turns to Nettie. "Nettie..." The caster shakes his head as he is at a loss for words. "...thank you. I'd be lost in a deep, dark hole if it wasn't for you."

He gives one last glance to Tynan. "My parents /do/ know about magic, though. They know all about my magic." He winks and intones thrice: "Take me home." With each repetition, the energy in the air thickens. And even if there are wards against teleportation here, our young reality bender vanishes instantly. Some forces just can't be contained.

Joshua Foley has posed:
While Tynan may have been poking fun with the whole taking her home to meet the parents, Joshua feels it keenly as he gives a shake of his head. "No worries about that here." he grouses slightly. "What do you mean by training?" says the kid that has very little training.

And then Nettie is correcting him. Say something nice about himself? Is there anyhthing? He looks pensive, lost in thought on the whole idea of what could be nice about him.

The hug from Billy helps heaps, but at the same time, he's very sure. "If you knew the whole story, you'd probably hate me too." he manages. But he gives a wave to Billy as he prepares to leave and he blows out the breath he was holding.

"My skin is a nice shade of gold." Then he adds. "Except for that blotch of black."

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty blinks a little it. "I'm a mercenary. Pay me money, and I can deal with a lot of issues.", she tells. "And by training, I mean magical and military style. I ask cause I'm...not really the traditional type of mage.", the woman explains. She takes off her sunglasses showing off those demonic yellow eyes with slits in them. "Its gonna be a few days before this wears off.", she tells.

    The woman watches as Billy disappears. "...I need to learn that one. If it works here...", she says. The woman lets out a long sigh a bit as she watches Nettie with the little demon. "Careful. He was physically possessing descendents of Gladators, and feeding off them. He almost was a bit too much to handle without a team.", she admits.

    "And, kid? Unless you're from where I lived, you're already better then I am. I'm the Black Sheep in this group, and the pain in the arse to Nettie. I've studied magic from a succubus and a kitsune. Two beings that Nettie expressly said not to learn from. Oh, and I learned from Nettie. Sometimes can't tell which of the three was the evillest.", Ty teases a little bit. Then she slips bac into professional mode. "I...just have issues with sending people in the field who havn't...had a little experience under them first."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Ah-ah-ah, you leave it at the 'nice shade of gold'. Now come up with another nice thing. Like... 'I pull mad ollies when at the skatepark'. I'm not sure if that's the correct verbage to use, but I'm certain since you can ride th e contraption, there are also mad kickflips to be had." Nettie tries her best.

    "Tynan, say three nice things about *yourself*. You are not a pain in my arse, I never forbid you to learn from them as far as I can recall." Nettie states, looking at her betrayal of a flask, and then she reaches back, grabs a hand full of chocolate milks, and sets them on the now cleaned counter. One each for Nettie, Josh, and Tynan.

    "And you should have contacted one of us." Nettie scolds lightly "If he was almost too much, then he was too much. You're supposed to comeback unscathed."

Joshua Foley has posed:
"No military or magical training. I heal people. Or hurt them." Josh starts to say, glancing aside to Nettie. "But you're taking all the best stuff." he grunts with a small smirk before he reaches for the new bottle of milk.

It's been a hard twenty-four hours for him.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    "I think you said never make deals or learn magic from demons?", Ty says. "Either way, three nice things? Ummm, I can snipe a target at 1,000 meters, learned magic from three sources, and I'm still alive dispite everything?", she says. Ty nods her head at the cup in thanks. "And Nettie, you trust my judgement on if I can take a target or not. I don't take jobs that I can't walk away from. The only coin the dead spend is to Charon."

    Ty looks over at Josh a little bit. "I don't think we'll do much onthe field. You'll probably be patching me up on the regular basis.", she tells Josh, watching as he drinks the milk. "And easy on the milk. You can have too much of a good thing.", she says. The woman looks at the milk, and blinks. "If you put a cookie in front of me, Nettie Crowe, I think I might learn a fireball...", she tells. THe woman looks at Josh a bit. "Oh, and I can't use any offensive magic. Or defensive magic.", she says.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    If this were a show, the camera would pan to Tynan's other elbow, and show a happy red plate with a chocolate chip cookie, one of those big ones that you have to break apart to get into a glass of milk.

    "Demons, yes, and... well, I suppose at that point you were out of my lesson plan anyway." Nettie remarks.

    A similar cookie is set in front of Josh on a plate, and Nettie settles back onto her stool, looking tired.

    "If you wanted some training, Josh, in magics or tactics, I'm sure there are plenty in the League who would be happy to help. My friend Barnes is a brilliant fighter, you've met him. There is also Talia and Detective Pezzini. Or Detective Chimp." she states thoughtfully.

    And breaks off a bit of a cookie of her own as Corvax returns, and takes up a spot on her shoulder again.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"I don't think mutants can be mages." Joshua responds dourly. "Not that they can be much of anything..." then he pauses. He considers, looking at the bottle of milk. And he takes a drink from it. Once that is down.

"That's a lie. I have had some military training. Before I found out I was a mutant freak..." Josh opens up on it for the first time for Nettie. "...I was a stupid kid. One who believed his parents when they said that mutants were an affront and abomonation before God. One that let the person who thought he was his best friend to convince him to join an anti-mutant group."

"A stupid, bigotted kid who thought that the Reavers were only looking for a way to cure mutants. Who hated on the girl who was only trying to set him straight and only realized the last moment before he died."

"A stupid, bigotted, racist kid who woke up in a morgue drawer when he thought he died. And then he learned that he was everything he had been taught to hate. And that same girl, a sweetheart that he shut down at every turn, that he spoke so derogatory of, still tried to help him. Even got her friends to help. Especially when the Reavers discovered his secret, wanted him even more to use as a weapon. Who rescued him from his bigot parents when they realized he was the very freak that they hate every Sunday. And now no longer have a son."

"So yes, I have experience."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Their loss. Now I have a son." Nettie states as if it's completely already decided that she was actually going to adopt Josh, as easily as one talks about the weather.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty blinks a little bit. "Ummm, I'm a mutant with two mutations, and three schools of magic. I was born in Madripor, and wanted internationally for several reasons, including assassination. I have the ability to create portals in which I store weapons. And my orignal power?", she comments. The woman sits...exactly like Nettie, and perfectly mimicks Nettie. "One of the reasons why I came to America from Madripor was to learn with Taskmaster. My orignal mutant power is similar to his abilities. And yes, Mutants can learn magic. I answered a ad in the paper for a few magic lesson from Nettie, and the spell I learned from her as saved my life, and others thousands of times.", she tells.

    Ty pulls out a copy of the charm in her shoe. She tosses it over to Josh. "This charm, when energy is placed into it, pulses out, and rebounds back. What it hits all around in a dome, goes straight into your head. Imagine as a mercenary, knowing the position of EVERYONE in the room next to you. And its the simpliest of spells. It was the first spell I learned.", she points out.

    "You know how many people absolutely hate me, just for being a merc? And thats cause they don't like mercs in general. I have rules about how I do business. If I wanted to forget the rules, and use my abilities to their very highest, while I'm not very strong, I could end governments before anyone knew what happend.", she tells. "Like I said before, I may fight on the side of angels, but don't damn well think that I am one.", Ty says. "And people laugh at my dream all the time. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna make it happen just to piss'em off. Hell, I'm gunnin for being the first owner of a PMC that has a contractor contract with the Justice League and the Avengers. There's some sweet sweet money to be made there."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie leans back a moment, looking between the two mutants. She steeples her fingers, and decides to let Josh handle this one his own. She trusts him. She's not angry with him, but she does reply, thoughtfully.

    "Josh... you were all those things. Are you *still* all those things, or have you become something new?"