16743/Northern Seas

Northern Seas
Date of Scene:	09 January 2024
Location:	North Sea
Synopsis:	Unfinished
Cast of Characters:	Nettie Crowe, Sara Pezzini, Talia al Ghul, Michael Hannigan

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Nettie Crowe has posed:
    The Justice League, Dark Division, the sorts who deal with the mystic, the unusual, and the stuff no one else seems to want to contend with, get send about on the most unusual missions.

    In this case, it has come that select members of the League are in the cabin of a boat.

    A sea-going boat, manned by a squat man with a legit whalebone peg leg, named Nigel Seaward.

    His Boat? 'Opportunity'.

    The seas are angry, gray with winter storms brewing.

    Nettie herself is looking a bit green about the gills.

    "All right, lads and lasses. Here's the deal. There's two ships that have disappeared. Cargo carriers, so we're not looking for dinghies." she states, looking to the Justice League Friends who have determined that the winter sea is where they REALLY wanted to be. Icebergs loom in the distance.

    "Not a peep from the radios, just suddenly - bloop. Gone, on the high sea. Friend of mine here says he saw it happen, just a bright light an' then -- boom, No more ship."

    "Aye, whaddae ye wan' mor' den datwen itgohs dawhn t' debottom." the man states, in a thick, far Northern accent. His peg leg taps on the floor of the cabin cruiser as a swell makes the boat pitch again!

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara did not like boats, or more correctly, ships. She wasn't fond of being on water, though she could swim, and would rather have chewed through solid steal than got on board, yet there she was. Standing fully armored, though presently no wings, she listened to Nettie speaking and even offered her some candied ginger, which was meant to help with sea sickness.

"Sounds too much like the Bermuda Triangle," she comments, then looks over to Nigel and just... stares.

"I apologize, I know you're speaking English but I have no idea what you just said."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would lean back, already pondering whether it's easiest to just nerve pinch the man, or go the more classic route of concrete boots and being thrown overboard and shoved from a plank. If they're going the traditional ways might always go all out. She has her fingers curled together.

"The Bermuda Triangle is a myth beyond belief and supersition enabling power. Statistically speaking, it's the smae as anywhere else in the world wtih similar weather patterns."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike is not phantasmed at the moment. And as such he can very much get a hint of the cold going on where they are. But with some forewarning and Mike was able to prepare somewhat. While the knit cap is worn, there's also a HOOD to the coat he picked up for the trip. Since they are indoors, the hood is down and gloves for the hands are currently situated in the pocket. Other adjustments are made to his usual wardrobe as well. Fortunately this trip isn't job related so he doesn't have to worry about disappointing any fan girls with the excessive layering of clothes.

He seems to be doing reasonably okay on the boat. he glances over as Sara suggests the Bermuda Triangle. "Or someone picked up a copy of 'Fun with Portals.'" He quips back. "Either way if someone is responsible, kind of wish they chose to do it in a warmer place."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "He said what do you want more than when it goes down to the bottom. Nigel doesn't think it's magic--" Nettie begins as the boat pitches HARD and suddenly to the left-hand side.

    She goes sprawling. Her two crows? Flapping in panic.

    A sudden bright light to the starboard side comes up, shining brilliantly into the cabin of the little craft in the rough sees as a high-pitched keening fills the air, a mixture of white noise and static and that high-pitched whine from an old television left on but up in volume.

    The ship shudders, tilting slowly more and more to port!

    That's left, not the alcohol.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would go to brace herself, hand going on down to the side while glancing at the others, "So, does anyone have an idea as to what exactly we're doing here? I'd much rather not sit up here and have to wait for whatever spills to happen." Glancing over at Sara on purpose. She was the one that could serve as an anchor after all.
    She moves to take out a small pair of wax plugs, inserting them into her ears. Someone knew of the ways of the sirens and was playing it safe just in case.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
As the first second of the boats tilt begins, Sara looks like she might go sprawling as well, however even as the wings appear on her back in miliseconds she is already hovering in the air. None of this was her choice, it just happened in reaction, to keep her from being bounced around the cabin.

Reaching out as quickly as she can to catch Nettie from ending up being thrown all over the place, her head turning toward the light as it appears. "I think we're about to find out!" she calls out loudly, and in that moment the tendrils of metal wrap up and over her head to form a helmet. She does in fact attempt to offer other parts of her floating form for people to grab onto, because she can hover there motionless no matter what way the ship might turn and others might not want to kiss the left then right wall, or port and starboard... whatever.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
With the tilt not being immediate, Mike initially compensates by just leaning the opposite direction. But with the continued adjustment it becomes obvious this is not a typical wave. Mike sighs as his form starts to mirror itself. As the ship continues tilting, he remains fixed to the floor, walking along it like normal. He moves over to the left, seeing a window to look out. "...Maybe a whirlpool?" He ponders aloud.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Oh good gods--" Nettie dry-heaves a moment as Sara catches her, and she turns over her shoulder to look into the light.

    "AYE NAH LAED NAH WIRLPUL 'ERE LAD ISSA MUNZTERFRUM D'DEEP!" Nigel shouts, peg leg rattling as he picks up a harpoon and shakes it, leaning out the door to the cabin to yell at the creature when the light brightens and then --

    It settles. The boat is floating on a flat plane of water. There are two cargo ships that appear as if they've been here for quite a while, one has a large hole taken out of the hull, its metal punched inwards as if by teeth. Now a rusted hulk, listlessly it floats.

    The boat's motor isn't running.

    Ther eis no sound at all.

    Not even the flapping of the birds as they return to Nettie's shoulders. Torny opens his beak several times, but no sound comes out.

    And even if any speaks, the silence is deafening.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Holding Nettie steady until the boat comes to a complete stop, only then does she let go of the woman, looking her over to ensure that she's alright, albeit green.

There is silence from the outside world, but inside her mind there is Witchblade whispering what he knows, what he senses, possible ways to break through the silence, but none of these things can be offered verbally. In fact, they can't be offered via ASL either due to the Gauntlet on her right hand, and the metal glove on the left.

Moving over to the map on the map table, she grabs a pencil resting there and uses the margin to write out, "Environmental magical effect of silence. Side Dimension." With the Gauntlet the writing isn't perfect, but it is at least legible.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Lovely, they're in a veil of total silence. Talia goes to take her hands up, first to use ASL to see if any of the signs are recognized. Then she goes to try and mouth out words - seeing how well the others are at lip reading. There has to bea f aster way they can all communicate than just writing down things on signs on sticks. She goes to move to a defensive stance. Something unnatural is about..
    And she keeps the wax plugs in her ears, just to err on the side of safety.
    TEmptation tot hrow the ship's pilot overboard still there, but not rising.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As the ship settles, Mike looks to the group joining him along the floor. His lips part but as sound doesn't come out, he cocks his head aside. The shoulders lift to a slight shrug before he shoves his head through the window to glance outside, taking in the visual of what is there.

Well. Found the ships at least.

...Not sure about survivors though.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    It's not Nigel's fault .

    Nettie looks out the windows. She looks ot the 'crew'. And then she gives an exagerated 'thumbs up' and motions towards the ships.

    And then gives a look around with a hand over her eyes, and then mimes people walking using her fingers, and then puts her hands on her hips as she looks at Sara being the Common Sense one.

    She purses her lips, and then gives a small nod.

    And then she takes Corvax off her shoulder, and gives him a toss out the window. Corvax mutely crows, and then flies off.

    Torny stays right by her and looks *TERRIFIED* for a bird.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara had not expected Nettie to throw her bird out the window, who knew what was out there other than the ships. Clearly /something/ was out there, due to the opening in the side of the ship, but she had to assume Corvax knew what he was doing.

Pointing to herself first, her next gesture is to point out the window. Next she points to the others, one at a time, and holds up her hand in a 'wait' position, followed by pointing two fingers to her eyes and quickly gesturing away to the window. Easiest translation, she was going out there, the others should wait but watch for the moment.

With that game of cherades played, she hovers over to the cabin door, and flies out. A part of her expected her mere presence to cause some sort of attack, so she didn't go far from Nigel's boat. If there was something large and hungry, she wanted it to attack her first.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia goes to take out a grappling hook, ready to launch it over towards one of the nearby ships if they have to. She gives a glance over at Sara, whoms he's sure has more than enough firepower to handle any sort of situation that come sup. It's very good to have a trump card of a perverted semi-senile elder god present when one needs it.
    She goes to also take out a small spyglass with her other hand, going to try and sweep along the cargo ships to see if she can pick anything out.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike is a musician. And sometimes, an actor. But he apparently sucks at charades. It may have helped if his head had been inside of the cabin at the time people were making their silent gestures. But unfortunately, the man of dreams was already looking to the scenery. The glimpse of Corvax heading out without his feathery companion raises alarm bells. With a push off the floor, the phantasm passes through the cabin walls to be outside of the ship.

Tumbling forward, the form shifts into that of a raven and he soon flies after Corvax.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Talia can pick out the GIANT HOLE in the side of one of the cargo ships, listing listlessly in the smooth water, has what look like ants, eating away the ship.

    Except each ant is about a foot and a half long, and slowly consuming the metal with jaws like pincers. Which is incidentally, what ants jaws are like.

    Following Corvax on the wing, Sara and Mike find much the same -- ants of unusual size eating away at the cargo ship's hull.

    THe other, too, is beginning to have an ant problem as they come up out of the water.

    And underneath the boat they were just on?

    If you guessed that there were ants, piling atop one another through the unnervingly clear water, trying to get up to Opportunity -- you'd win a gold star!

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The string of curses that pass Sara's lips go unheard, but her intent changes the minute she sees the boat they arrived in about to get anted.

Structural integrity in mind, she turns in the air and flies quickly back to the Opportunity. The silence was the part that made it all difficult, no way to offer warnings, so she does what she does best... just acts.

Hovering at the side of the boat, tendrils of metal begin to reach out from the armor to find just the right spots. Wrapping those locations with metal fingers, to ensure that as she lifted the entire thing up and away from the ants it wouldn't fall apart, she focuses her mind with Witchblade's to achieve the task of ensuring they had a ride home.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would muse over to herself, "Why, t's like someone's made some sharkmarauders." That's signed over to the others as she goes to glance over at the ants. Pausing for a moment. Too many to fight, even if they would be able to dislodge them. And the ants swarming all over them if they tried to attack would be bad. Maybe one or two of them would make it out.. That's about it. Is there sufficient fuel on the cargo ships to obliterate all the ants?
    No, that would require them to no be in the fire radius, which a sufficiently large blaze to clear out the ants would definitely have them in it.
    They should have brought a bigger boat.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The visual of the ants is indeed concerning. There is a momentary temptation to go back but with Corvax deployed and two ships to look at, it makes sense for two to at least look to the other ships.

Sara turning around makes the choice a bit easier as Mike continues along with Corvax, splitting off to go check the second ship when the time for splitting up is near. The ship's cargo he's willing to consider lost but if there's the chance someone's still alive- It'd be quite shitty of them not to check, wouldn't it?

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie, who speaks neither ASL or BSL, just sort of stares owlishly at Talia.

    She opens her mouth, then closes her mouth, then just shrugs, and she takes a deep breath and lets it out, soundlessly, and turns to Nigel who is SWEARING UP A STORM mutely AND WAVING HIS HARPOON AT THE SKY.

    The ants continue to climb up themselves under the water, trying to get to the ship while Sara and Witchblade make some structurally sound decisions, and airlift the boat.

    The boat does not need to be bigger, poor Sarah lifting it.

    Corvax goes to circle one ship, giving a nod of his smoller corvid head to Mike, and then disappearing as he dives down the other side.

    The other ship?

    It must be the more recent capture. There's still two people on board. At least two people Mike can see. They are on the deck, and they appear to be exhaustedly keeping above the ants on some of the cargo containers. With a lot of salt in a circle around them.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Bingo! As the bird flies in, taking stock of the situation. He glides forward, flipping once more before he shifts to that of his other form. However, the hood of the coat is now up and casting an unmoving shadow over the face. He lands within the circle with the pair. He gestures to the two of them. With each person pointed at, a finger on the other hand raises. A head tilts in inquiry to see if there's any others nearby.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia goes to shake her head over at Nigel. That's a bad idea, it will only get them killed. Now where's a giant shark that eats smaller sharks when you need it? WEll, probably swarming ants. There's probably not a big enough one in the water. Instead, she goes to try and keep an eye on the ants. Hmm. She goes to watch them from a distance. If they're constructs or not, ants target things based on scent and phermones.. So if that's cleared off, it will confuse them. But.. if it's something that can stay adhering even through salt water.. And she would need enough to cover a very wide area. And so leaving the deck, Talia is going through the engine room of the ship. Looking to see if there's enough chemicals in there for her to make something in bulk. Coolant, spare fuel, acid.. Anything used for mechanics. Her intent is to make up a very, very, very large light flamer that she could hurl through the air.. But, it will take several minutes to assemble it.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The others would have to deal with survivors, which Sara really hoped there were, as her entire being was wrapped up in keeping the boat out of the reach of the giant ants. Yes, it did occur to her that giant ants in a side dimension shouldn't be a thing, but there wasn't really time to think about it. With the vow of silence embedded in the very existence of the place, it was impossible to even talk about it.