16279/Goose 3: Fowl Happenstance

Goose 3: Fowl Happenstance
Date of Scene:	18 November 2023
Location:	Candle, Booke and Belle
Synopsis:	When the Candle Booke and Belle gets wrecked, it's up to a small cadre of interested personalities to determine where the owner has vanished to
Cast of Characters:	Nettie Crowe, Joshua Foley, Belinda Gutierrez, Richard Stadler, Michael Hannigan

---

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
    There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
    I bless the rains--the rains--the-rains--the rains--

    The Candle, Booke and Belle's shop side is usually kept well organized by Nettie and her growing family of castaway children and adoptees.

    Usually.

    The shop today was wrecked. There were deep gouges in the tea bar. The heavy brass register had been overturned, coins and bills spilling out. The credit card reader was melted. The heavy steam kettles to keep water to temperature were ripped from the walls. Jewlery and cloaks were broken apart and torn.

    And the cheery fire was out.

    The decor had been stripped off the rafters, and all around, broken china teacups and saucers made a deadly, dangerous grounding for anyone who might lose their balance.

    The acid-green jukebox has been turned onto its side.

    --"down in AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFRICA --"

    ... and the door was hanging open, dangling from one hinge.

Joshua Foley has posed:
It had been a couple of weeks since Sara had offered Joshua a place to stay with her at her house with way too many rooms. He had assumed things were looking up. Things were looking up. And he had forgotten the rules. When things are going really well...

...it all comes crashing down twice as hard.

The bag of groceries he was carrying for the shop drops to the ground. If Josh had stayed, if he was still living here... he could have... maybe he would have...

But to be fair, there's nothing he could have done, most likely. But that doesn't mean he can't feel guilty about it. But instead...

"NETTIE! CORVAX! BELINDA?!" he calls out for the shop's usual tenant as he feels the golden skin on his hands turning black, but forces it back as he will need to heal, what if they're hurt?? Or worse.

He can't handle losing another family.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
"Over here!" comes the cheerful voice-- perhaps slightly forced, but underscored with determination as the dust-covered young lady rises. Brushing her hands off, Belinda Gutierrez casts a a quick wave Joshua's way, visibly relaxing with a sigh of relief.

"We had a bit of a sour tussel," she explains, grinning with welcome cheer-- pausing to grumble, shoving the Haunted Jukebox <tm> back upright. "Cleaning day in grande fashion! Watch your steps; there is glass. Might still be around."

Richard Stadler has posed:
     That Halloween party had actually been rather nice, and Rick wasn't afraid to admit that. He had just gone over to the place to have a rather pointed chat with Ms. Crowe, and not only did he have his fears allayed in a rather expert fashion, but he had been invited out of the cold for some interesting drinks, a good bit of food, and some networking with some rather colorful characters.

Stadler hadn't been blind to the fact that networking was, perhaps, the greatest gift there was at places like this (besides the fact he didn't have to spend Halloween watching World War II documentaries and handing out the odd snicker's bar). And it wouldn't hurt to keep the networking going, and provide a bit of thanks at the same time. And who didn't like those expensive frosting covered cupcakes in this city?

However, the shop didn't actually look open, which was a bit odd; he'd checked the hours, and was certain...

That door didn't look like it was in good shape... and all it took was a quick look through the windows to see that the place had been... torn up. Badly. He could see the way things had been thrown about, ripped from the walls, and he slowed his walk, silently cursing as he reached into his pocket for the small folding knife that wouldn't get him arrested. He flicked it out, for some small comfort that he can do anything at all, tucking the pink cupcake box under his arm, as he moved to peek through the door. Okay... well.

"You two kids all right in there?" He calls in, still from the door frame. It paid to be cautious before rushing into situations like this.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
While Mike has been to the Candle Books and Belle a few times. He's far from what he'd consider to be a regular.

...

Ok fine, he's technically a regular. But he's not as frequent a visitor as other members. He's a busy guy so his visits tend to be with some type of purpose.

So, with the purposeful stride to the entrance, Mike does have one in mind. But upon seeing the door in the condition it is, that is soon forgotten. What smile that was on Mike's face has shifted to a frown and his steps quicken.

Fortunately with the cold weather, the signs of tapping into his ability are somewhat obscured. This is pretty convenient as he does not stop next to the teacher but instead continues to go in.

Finding Belinda, he gives a sigh, "You okay? What the hell happened here?"

Mike pauses, glancing around to survey the damage. In the process, he finally takes note of the man he passed to get in. "Oh hey Rick."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    The door collapses in on itself and lands in the dust behind Mike and Rick.

    There is no sign of any of the crow(e)s, Nettie, Corvax or Torny.

    A couple wires spark overhead. And the whole of the place begins to have a particular smell...

    Goosefat and Brimstone.

Joshua Foley has posed:
With the others tending to Belinda, Joshua is looking around when the smell hits his nose. It's a smell he knows well.

It wasn't that long ago he was covered in the stuff and had to spend three hours and two bottles of body wash to feel normal again. So much stench.

It does nothing to lessen his frown. "...Gossifier." he murmurs, his lips pulled into a thin and angry line.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda's next words are carefully chosen-- though she casts a happy wave to the newcomers, Mr. Hanngan and-- "Mr. Stadler!" she breathes, exhaling in long relief. Adults are Now In The Room. Except they might not be In The Know.

Her nose wrinkles at the unspeakable smell; frowning, she rubs at her brow, glancing back with uncertainty.

"Mrs. Crowe is not here," she announces, smile fading to a firm nod. "When I arrived for work, everything was tossed about--"

She glares at the fallen door, postively annoyed. One more thing to fix!

"..so, we shall not be taking deliveries or business today," she adds, casting a glance towards Joshua. Casting an eye towards the dangling chimes and crystals, an orrerry drifting lazily overhead.

"...the cooker is down too," she adds in totally convincing fashion.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     Stadler doesn't realize whose passing him until Mike walks into the doorway that Rick himself is so carefully observing. He closes his eyes for a few seconds, enough time to take a deep breath to hide his mild annoyance, before moving to walk into the shop itself. Taking stock of the people here, the rather significant damage-

And then, after a long breath through his nose, he grimaces. "Oh, that's not something I like. Not at all." He says. He may not have heard what Joshua had said, but he could guess from the man's body language he knew what it was too.

As for Belinda, he recognized those words. The practiced lie of omission, and well. Simply no time for that.

"Ms. Gutierrez, please sit down for me, and take a bit of a rest." He asked, before turning over to Mike. "I assume you can-" He starts, before the door collapses behind them. Rather dramatic. "I assume you can smell that. I think that means we have some... thing to blame for all of this. I believe, from hearsay, Ms. Gutierrez knows, as well, what we're looking at. And that we'd certainly appreciate any other information that she might have..." He says, looking pointedly at her.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Interesting smells about as there may be, Mike is blissfully unaware of the scent going on now that he's given up that sense to be subtley phantasmed. But when Joshua brings up the name of Goosifer, he turns his head to look to the golden boy. "..."

He could question the name but, in retrospect, is it REALLY the weirdest thing he's heard of or run into? "...Ok. I've never met this guy so humor me a little... HOW literal is the name to the culprit?"

When Rick asks him if he can smell what the goose is cooking, Mike shakes his head. "No sense of smell at the moment." He admits, "I wasn't running in without some precaution."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    It couldn't be Goosifer, that gander was dead. As was Beetlegoose. So what was left?

    What fowl creature stunk up the Candle, Booke and Belle and left it such a wreck?

    And how can our stalwart heroes seek out to follow it?

    All around them the flotsam and jetsam of the destroyed magic shop flows like a trash tide, broken shards of china everywhere. A feather here and there -- deep black, more than a crow feather, and larger in form.

    One of the lights overhead sparks, and falls to the floor with a CRASH.

Joshua Foley has posed:
When the light crashes down next to him, Joshua jumps slightly. And he comes to the realization that he is out of his league and depth. He's no detective. He's not supernatural. And while the others are tending to Belinda, he goes over to a corner.

If Nettie's besom is still here, he'll take it out to start sweeping up the glass. If not, he'll find a normal broom and do it. Either way, she's going to come back. She's going to come home.

And he needs to clean the shop to make sure it's tidy when she returns.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
If she had fur (right now), Belinda would definitely be puffed up and trying to look bigger-- a great fuzzy bear. But at Mr. Stadler's words, Mr. Hannigan's appearance, she physically, visibly wilts, exhaling with a long, long breath. She casts the store a last, longing glance, visibly frustrated before giving the hanging crystal frames another glance. "Everything was wrecked when I arrived," she says gently, moving back towards one of the remaining bar stools, sitting down carefully on the ripped cushion. "I know that Abuela is not hurt--" She glances at the crystal chimes, hanging from their collection of strings. "--but I do not know when or where she was taken. But the evil smell, the nastiness--"

She gestures at the air, waving helplessly. "El Ganso Diablo. Goosifer. We met when I first came into contact with Mrs. Crowe and the Dark." She wrinkles her nose, quivering. "Had to shower for AGES after. Am still trying to figure out where...." She bites back a breath, exhaling anew as she pinches her nose-- grimacing as she remembers to remove the thick latex gloves from her hands first. "...it took her. Somehow!"

Another long breath, focused and forced. "But fight was only here; no other rooms were affected. Given the other things that are still where they should be, he was after Abuela. But how the Evil Goose came--"

She chuffs, frustration mounting as she gazes to the heavens, as if the falling light fixture were solely to blame. "I do not know! It is like, this thing just appeared, and they fought, and it took her-- and then, gone again! Everything smells muy horrible, so foul!" Caught between frustrated tears and a low-key growl, she bites her lip, exhaling with focused purpose. Grrmph.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     Stadler gives a nod to Belinda, his own expression softening as she seems to compress down into a more defeated looking form. He debates sitting down with her... would that send the right message? He supposed it was better to remain standing, walking about, leaning down to pick up one of the feathers from the ground and examining it a bit closely. "Thank you, Ms. Gutierrez I think I know the person you're talking about... and the smell of it, certainly. And.. well, if the fights were just in this room, and no other, either there's some passage we don't know about in this room, or there's some... hocus pocus going on. Granted, I happen to know a lot, but not about magic... But we'll... figure something out. Don't worry. You too, Mr. Crowe." He was taking a guess at that last name, but he had gotten that Joshua was Nettie's son, one way or another. It was a good bet. "I imagine... the first step might be clearing some of this stuff-"

He's interrupted again, jumping this time at the crash of a light fixture and a sparking of wires. "Scratch that. First step is someone telling me where the breaker box is. Son?" He says, referring to Joshua. Good to give him a task.

And he owed an apology internally to Mr. Hannigan. He shouldn't have thought the man wasn't walking into this room prepared, doing that... ghost thing of his. But. well. That did bring up a good point. "Mike, you know much about this... magic stuff? I remember there were something like... portals at that castle." Belinda wasn't the only person who could remain vague. "If there's something we could do to... I don't know, detect one..."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie's Besom, Broom, is present.

    It also appears to come to life in Josh's hands -- Josh being Son of the Witch, it reasons, he must be safe. It attempts to lift him up in the air. It turns over rapidly, whipping its straw back and forth as the ancient broom attempts to try and get attention, shivvery as if in a panic. Broom floats over Josh, spins around, then zips around the room like someone set its twigs on fire, and then seems to whip itself over to the fireplace, between the two comfortable chairs (perilously overturned).

    The feathers that Rick picks up are much larger. They're not wing feathers, not formed for that. They appear to be feathers from elsewhere on a body of a large bird. But they're oily.

    ... definitely waterfowl.

    Broom flicks around the whole of the room.

    And there's a tiny, thin cough, as a hooded crow falls from one of the rafters!

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike drifts quiet as Belinda sums up what's going on. And he definitely got an answer to his question. Goosifer is a VERY literal name. Annnd based from the comment about showering for ages...well, maybe it's a good thing he can't smell at the moment.

"So, a ...goose devil took Nettie?" The mental image Mike has is probably all wrong because it's making it a bit hard to accept immediately. Maybe not 'took' but more... 'accompanied'. Nettie's no damsel in distress. It could very well be a purposeful thing on her part.

Now if he could just believe that she did it with a PLAN in place...

"Pale eyes look over to the boy who is starting to clean. Taking note of the general stress going about, he gives a slight nod.

He glances to Rick for a moment, considering the question. "Mine revolves around dreams and the adjacent. So, I could feasbily rule out that method at least."

Mike looks back to Belinda and then Joshua. "Funny thing is, Nettie is a lot like a mutual friend of ours. They have a knack for coming back. Nettie didn't get as far as she did if she couldn't handle situations like these. Now, the key thing is being ready to provide assistance should the time comes for us to supply it."

As the Crow falls, the Phantasm leaps up to catch it. "...Ok like so."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda's sharp gasp accompanies widened eyes, the protesting squeak of the stool as it spins behind her leap towards the fallen crow.

"Capitan!" she exclaims, all pretense forgotten as she races over to Hannigan's side. She moves over, hovers over the dark frame hesitantly, examining with every reach of sight and scent. "Corvax, are you hurt? Injured?" Moving back towards the bar with a look of focused determination, she ducks back behind the counter, glancing blearily at the smashed crockery, the teacups, the---

A barked laugh of exclamation rises from the back; she holds up a simple saucer, small but intact; rummaging quickly for a small brown jug, Belinda is quick to circle back around, moving towards the duo.

"Captain Corvax," she explains gently, eyes alive with concern. "I have your rum, sir."

Richard Stadler has posed:
    Stadler will, one of these days, get used to the fact that the crow is treated like a person, but, well. Perhaps not today. He looks over the crow in Mike's hands, and Belinda moving over to render aid, and then a quick digging around for-

"Rum? The crow drinks rum?" He has to ask, incredulous. But a lot was happening at the same time, and it seemed Belinda had it well in hand. It was enough for Rick to look toward the other flutter of acitvity....

Oh, Lord. An honest to God broom, sweeping about, flying, lifting Joshua up a bit before rushing over to the fireplace. It seemed... rather agitated.

He ran his hand over the feather experimentally, grimacing at the oily feel, no doubt the result of diabolical preening, if there were such a thing. The fireplace itself... well, some over turned chairs, which he does make an attempt to move and lift, setting them upright to look for anything underneath them, before... hmm.

Brimstone and fire were it's calling cards. Could it have come from fire? He moved to kneel down, placing his pants in spilled soot, to examine the fireplace more closely. "There's no... secret passages about here, correct?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike looks over to Rick to the question. "Human soul stuck in a crow's body." He supplies. It may not be entirely detailed, but it should be sufficient for the question at hand. "I think a ship's captain too. If he wants rum. Give him rum."

Mike glances around for a somewhat clean and comfortable place to set the bird down and ends up opting for the stool that Belinda had quickly vacated. If it can support a human, it should do fine supporting a bird. Holding the bird close, he allows the crow a chance for some semblance of dignity by giving him the opportunity to walk off of Mike's hands to the stool. "So Corvax, did you see what happened here?"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    This was a different bird, not Corvax, no. This one is smaller, a hooded crow rather than the black carrion crow of Nettie's older familiar, and this one looks absolutely sickly.

    "I'm not... stupid... Corvax," it breathes out, and coughs, trying to shake. And then can't stop shaking.

    "Torny. Used to be... doesn't matter. Nettie... she tried to tether me to the building." he coughs. "Can't stay too far away from her, you know? Short leash."

    The chairs are turned over right-side, ashes falling from one of them. There are no secret passages.

    There's no other signs, other than scorch marks and -- you guessed it, more goosefat smells.

    Torny flaps his wings uselessly.

    Broom the Besom flicks about, and seems frightfully agitated.

    "Nettie was issuing homework to me when we started to smell burning." he grunts, and then flops onto the stool, spread out, and flattened.

    "She made with the magic and a fight broke out. Corvax told me to hide up in the higher rafters with the skulls. Did you know she keeps *SKULLS* up there? Did you know she has MINE?" he asks incredulously, interrupting his own recount, and then he grunts, and flops to his stomach.

    "Didn't see much. Some weird... bright lights and vacuum-powered thingie in the fireplace? But Corvax flew after her. I'm... I'm not supposed to be too far away from her yet. It /hurts/."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
The young lady bites her lip, torn in answering... Exhaling with a soft sigh. "No, sir," she explains, "None of which I know of." She bows her head, rallying with a nod. "Pretty sure there are none to be had, in fairness. While an old building, it is still an old building in Nueva York; not a castle of Vlad or Dr. Frahnkenschtene." She pauses as she gets a better look at the new crow-- heart rising at the news, then falling just as swiftly-- a whirlwind of emotions. She nods, setting the jug back on the counter, turning to the young crow as she kneels down to face him.

"I am Belinda," she answers gently, quietly, voice focused and soft. "Once, when she was very far away and needed help, I was able to go to her." She bites her lip, sparing her teacher a glance before looking back. And if he thought getting *shot at* was the worst thing to be faced...!

"....will the Passage work here, to get to her again?"

Richard Stadler has posed:
     Mike's given a nod... and then a grimace as the crow speaks up, and announces his identity. Well, it seemed to be a bit of crow drama here. "Well, then, Torny, good to meet you. I... feel like we need to have a talk with Ms. Crowe when she get's back on the... amount of skulls she has. And why she has yours." And the fact that she seems to keep crow slaves? There was probably an explaination here, certainly, but the answer wasn't terribly critical. Just add it to the list. But...

"Fireplace, you say? I might assume that's why this... broom is very... agitated. Can you- look, just... can you sweep once for no, twice for yes. Did she happen to travel through this fireplace?"

Mike get's a bit of a nod, again. "I don't think she was taken through the dream realm... scratch that, I'm not basing that on anything but feelings. But she must have been dragged out of this room /somehow/. Ms. Gutierrez..." Okay, she's really learned a good amount about keeping to OpSec. "Can you explain what... Passage, you're talking about?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Mike." Mike supplies to the bird. He'd probably feel bad about getting the bird mixed up but considering how many people keep mislabeling his raven form for a crow, that he at least mistook a crow for another crow is a comparative win.

Mike hurms to the information regarding skulls in the rafters. "Considering what is said about skeleton storage...You'd think they'd be in the closet."

...

Ok too soon. Got it.

"...Do you know if the level of hurt is dependent on distance?" He looks over to the agitated broom. "Or if that broom can sense where Nettie is?"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Sorry, chica, I can't help much there. I came out during the Halloween party and haven't learned the ins and outs of this stupid place yet." Torny states in irritation.

    Broom though, broom begins to sweep. Twice for yes. She can sweep twice for yess. And then twice again for yes, Nettie traveled through the fireplace.

    And then she begins to sweep in absolutely furious motions, drifting around in a circle and kicking up some of the china.

    And that's when the chimes above begin ringing.

    Not like you would expect the delicate bars to ring merrily. They don't move, no wind stirs them.

    But they begin to ring, like the vibration after a heavy iron bell has been struck. A low, flat tone, a growling that clings to the soul.

    And they begin to turn a blood red.

    "Hell." Torny whispers. "Nettie was dragged to Hell through the fireplace."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda blushes sheepishly, biting her lip anew. Forming Bad Habit!

"When I started work with Mrs. Crowe," she begins, a last breath as she gestures to the colorful chimes above, crystals and herbs and bells hanging together-- for all the world, one more colorful decoration, hanging from the rafters. "One of the things I am able to do is..." She pauses for a heartnbeat, shrugigng it off before forging ahead. "...rescue and first aid. I am not as fragile as she is, sometimes. We have a 'Go Bag'--" She points absently towards the ened of the bar, relatively untouched in the ruins of the store. "--put together. First aid things. But the Passage..."

She glances at it again, looking back. "...it is like that 'beamer' thing on the science fiction shows. Only less sparkly, and more unpleasant to the stomach. It is only for emergency, but can reach... I think, anywhere. Almost anywhere."

She looks bnack to the crow-- Torny --listening with quiet intensity.

The chimes sing. Red. Scarlet. Bloody crimson. And the faint, for human senses, that briefest whiff. Garlic.

"I am going after her," Belinda replies, straightening with a grim fervor. Gloves are unravelled, snapped off, tossed aside. She leaps over the counter, diving back beneath at the least-wrecked corner, emerging with practically ancient green rucksack, festooned with pockets, zippers, snaps, set to bulging with the contents.

"Mr. Stadler, Mr. Hannigan, please set the door back... against the frame when you go," she continues, shrugging out of her shirt with a flurry of rapid motion. "The store will be safe."

Richard Stadler has posed:
     This is a very... very worked up broom. "All right- All right, easy, settle down! I've got it, we've got it. Torny's..."He says, before looking up to the chimes above. They didn't sound right. They sounded off in a way that raised the hairs on his neck and had him feel an... irrational fear. So be it. There was danger here. And it came through the fire place. But like always, there was more to fear than inaction today. Like the way Belinda mentioned a Go Bag and the way she snatched it up.

"Oh, that sounds like a perfect plan. I can imagine the discussion with Doctor MacIntyre. 'Oh, sorry, ma'am. The last I saw of Ms. Gutierrez, she travelled through a portal to hell to do battle with a demon. You know, win some, lose some.'

" He shakes his head, and the next words aren't suggestions. "So, what you are going to do, Gutierrez, is sit your butt down on that stool. Prep yourself. Go through your kit, inventory your gear. I will be back in," He says, looking at the watch on his wrist. "90 mikes. I need to drag some kit over here. Once I am back, as I do not believe I can /stop/ you from accompanying us, we will follow this demon goose into hell and be /prepared/ for it." He says, moving toward the door, and at least setting it next to the frame. "If you're gone by the time I get back, I will be /incredibly/ cross."

And then, of course, he taps the pink box left on a table on the way out. "You may have /one/ cupcake."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike is quiet for a moment as Torny gives the reveal of the location. Is it fear that keeps him silence? Awe?

"Which one?"

Confusion. Definitely Confusion.

"There's technically more than one."

As Belinda starts to tell them to head out, he shakes his head.

As Rick voices his concern. Mike nods in confirmation. Pausing a moment to ponder where Rick is going to find 89 more of him.

"In short. You're not going alone Belinda." Mike re-iterates, unphantasming to save some energy only to regret it as the smell hits him.

"Oh f-" He grimaces. "Of course it'd be one of the brimstone ones..."

He sighs, looking back to Belinda. "...You're still not going alone."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda knows better than to argue with her elders; she shrugs out of her jeans, leaving only the odd choice of underclothes-- a dancer's unitard, carefully and cleverly hidden, worn just to be beneath the clothing. Inhale, exhale-- breath of air, long and deep. But she sits herself firmly down on the stool, nodding to Mr. Stadler as she glances at the chimes, the crystals.

"...90 minutes," she repeats quietly. "Please hurry."

And intoning to herself the first of the Words, a mantra of repetition:

"I am Belinda Isabella Francesca Gutierrez..."

...and pausing. For cupcake.

Just one.

Just in case.

...and pass box over to Mr. Hannigan. Because: cupcakes. Very important before rescue mission.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    ELSEWHERE --

    Her head was pounding. She couldn't see. All she could smell was fire and burning. All she could taste was brimstone and blood.

    And of course, her first thoughts were 'Good thing none of the kids can see me.'

    And her second thought was 'Good lord, did I piss off Ketch? Or Reyes?

    And her third thought: 'At least I have my clothes this time.'