16747/Squirrels Are the Messengers of God

Squirrels Are the Messengers of God
Date of Scene:	02 January 2024
Location:	North Woods
Synopsis:	Moe the talking squirrel talks to the Squirrel talker who talks to Frank and tells him that the thign he doesnt remember is really important which give him a migrane and he runs away. Meanwhile his attempts ot investigate the Fetch only increase the suspicion and interst of the Foot Clan.
Cast of Characters:	Frank Noble, Shredder, Doreen Green

---

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble is missing two years of his life. He is tracing it back thread by thread, and while he has a qualified detective on retainer (albiet an unorthodox one) he isnt sure given how he left things he still does...though the advance hasnt been returned....either way he is slowly chasing down leads on his own. That has brought him to the woods, with a vague feeling that he is on the right track.

There are two problems with this.

The first, is that a being who looked like him, sounded like him, and acted almost like him, promised the lead papers on some very interesting chemicals that could be very destructive but that definitely interested the right resonances once taken back to the appropriate vetting of the molecular structures; despite having no more than a face and a code name...Mr. Boom....

And the powers that be are seeking Frank....by sending a Squirrel through a small golden portal in the woods as the small fellow has a walking cane and a tiny little French cap. Frank himself is looking around the area, checking notes and trying to determine if it jogs a memory or if there is some clue he is supposed to find.

Shredder has posed:
    The news about chemicals hit Karai's ears, and she was more than eager to find out more, given the Foot's need for a constant method to stay ahead of the powered heroes in the city. She did her part with the Foot scouts to find out where Frank was before taking up the responsibility herself, and set out to track him into the north woods.

    The young ninja granddaugher of the Shredder isn't certain whether she should expect directly to have a conclusion regarding this, or whether more will be needed to find these aforementioned chemicals.

    Either way, she finds herself a quarter mile back, following after the tracks he's left, her mask over her face as she makes her way after this curious character.

Doreen Green has posed:
The North Woods of Central Parks was one of Doreen's favorite places. It was pretty, and more importantly many of her other squirrel friends live out here! Yes, it's true that squirrels do hibernate during the winter. But what people don't realize is that unlike some animals squirrels don't sleep the entire season, and are often out to scrounge for food or dig up reserves on nicer days. So she regulately comes out here to check on them and make sure there's food tucked amongst the roots and such for them to find. Which is what she's doing.

In fact she's so focused on that it isn't her that notices anything, but the squirrel with a big pink bow lounging on her shoulder does. And even Tipy-Toe has to sit up and rub her eyes with her little forepaws to make sure she wasn't dreaming when she saw the squirrel with a dapper cap and cane appear. Then she reachs over to tug Doreen's ear to get her attention. Her real ear (the squirrel ears are just a cute headband as part of her costume) that is.

"You know, maybe I should try to modify one of those autofeeders people have for dogs... but batteries don't like when it gets cold--eek!" She squeaks rather squirrel-like herself at the tug, and turns her head to side-eye at Tippy. "What was that for?"

Tippy-Toe chirrups a bit and gesticulates towards the dapper capped squirrel. "Huh?" Doreen's tail flicks the other way to keep her balance as she gets to her feet and turns around to look. "No, that's not one of mine, I'm pretty sure I would remember giving a squirrel such a stylish outfit." Curiousity perked she starts in that direction, not wanting to startle the fellow, but waving and calling out all the same. "Hey, mister dapper squirrel, you looking for something?!"

Frank Noble has posed:
The Squirrel looks up and breaths a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness, I thought this was a fools errand...I see Srendipity is already working in my favor. I told Mr. Right he was wrong..." What is wrong is every word comming out of his cute dapper little mouth. He talks Squirrel, but if Tippy Toe spoke American English, this guy is speaking Squirrel Esperanto...its Squirrel but...not..but Doreen can still absolutely understand it. Indeed, if she listens close enough, its almost like a bizarre scooby doo style squirrel chittering...a normal person could understand it with a LOT of practice...but to a Squrirrel it sounds freaking weird.

The young woman is easily able to track the fellow, though there is decidedly something not quite right about the situation. Nothing physical, but there is a mystical tinge to this that her chi resonates as positive, primal but with a faint undercurrent of...curses....its barely detectable, but it is there.

Frank, meanwhile looks at a piece of paper saying that "he" made some kind of transaction here in a small black ledger, that is one of the only things he knows he did not do or leave before the memory gap. He is none to pleased about the compound here, an early and higly destructive form of the Cesium ino compound. But...its a park. The only hint that there might be something here was the periodic dead drop schedule, and this would be the time for a meet if either party wanted to proceed.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green tilts her head to one side. Tippy-Toe tilts her head in the opposite direction. No, there's no issue in understanding what was said, her innate ability to communicate with squirrels made certain of that. But it is an... accent for lack of better phrasing, that neither of them have ever heard before. Or can at least recall hearing.

None the less Doreen walks up and then squats down, resting hands on her needs to steady herself and get closer to the capped squirrel's level. "You must be from out of town, I've never heard a squirrel with your 'accent' before. Do you have a name? Do you need help?" Tippy-Toe chitters something that translates approximately as "And who's your tailor?". All very important questions.

Shredder has posed:
    Karai closes in, a certain uneasy feeling about this whole process. Something isn't quite right, and it causes her to pause. She looks to the path ahead, and takes a less direct following, making her way up, she stops when she hears talking. A girl? Though she can't yet see Doreen, the sound of her voice does cause Karai to consider her next moves. She is looking to remain out of sight, not to have to silence any witnesses.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble can have great powers of perception when he wants, but he is looking for buyers of chemicals, not talking squirrels. He does spot Doreer about 30 feet away and waves politely but keeps looking around for....well, people like Karai. Of course, untrained as her grandfather or not in the mystical senses that come with Chi mastery; she is DEFINITELY trained in the ways of stealth and Frank sees nothing. He checks his watch, yes, right time. This makes him worry; bad as some kind of duplicate of him running around, the idea that the whole thing is in his head is even worse. Did "Mr. Boom" just write the whole thing as a prank? A joke? What the hades was going on? Karai does notice one thing....as she moves, small things increase the odds of her being noticed...a dry leaf here, a twig there...she can avoid it, but the pattern is noticable to someone with excellent senses.

The Squirrel seems to understand Tippy Toe even if Tippy Toe might not understand him, "I am Squire Morthbroughton Borbick the Third. But you can call me Moe. I've come looking for Grenademan, and I have a limited amount of time before the mirror pulls me back. He's rather hard to miss. Many grenades, large spike on his head...I dont suppose you've seen him about?"

He has to think about his taylor but finally nods, "I believe my Taylor was Mrs Sharpshire but she might be alas unfortunaely not likely to be visited unless either of you is a mage...you may have the hat but the stick was a gift from Lord Ash."

Doreen Green has posed:
That is definitely an out-of-town name, though very suiting for a very dapper squirrel. And while Doreen has no magic she does know it's a thing that exists, she's seen several superheroes using it, so the remark about mages actually... well, it doesn't so much explain things as make it more clear this is not your typical squirrel matters. "Mmmm." Doreen rubs her chin with her hand. "Can't say I recognize the name, and that's a pretty distinct appearance... though a lot of people around here do use alter-egos in public. Let's see..." She stands, notices the man waving and waves back. Then turns to call something back into the woods in squirrel-talk, asking if her friends have seen anyone.

And then the wave from a moment before really sinks in. "Wait a minute..." She's got a magic squirrel looking for an unusual person, and an unusual person wandering around the park. They're not necessarily connected, but stranger things have happened in her life. "Well Moe, there's that odd guy over there." She jabs a finger in Frank's direction. "If you were sent here to meet someone and someone is meandering around it might be connected."

Shredder has posed:
    Karai watches the thumb move in Frank's direction. That must be him. Strange girls in the park don't concern her. She can talk to squirrels all she wants. Who would listen to a person who talks to squirrels? She makes her way forward, moving to close in on Frank, and try to determine what, precisely, he is doing.

Frank Noble has posed:
Existential questions aside, Frank is calling himself an idiot. He folds the black journal/ledger into his backpack and stretches. Just as he is about to leave,possibly chucking the thing in the trash, in a series of remarkable coindicence, Karai appears while Squirrel Girl points to him with her thumb.

"I'm not sure" Moe says, genuinely confused, "No one but a small handful of people ever saw him without his mask. He spoke rather pontificatingly and loquatiously about the need for a super ehro to protect their identity. By the by, there is a bit of a betting pool back home as to what prey chance a superhero actually is. Is it like a hero but very nice?"

Frank considers his options, "I...am....waiting for someone...interested in...the package. Is that you?" Well that was a bit of James Bond there that was.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green nods her head. "Yup, that sounds exactly like using an alter-ego. Well there is one way to find out!" She's optimistic as always, even as she offers a gloved hand to Moe, and put him on her other shoulder opposite Tippy-Toe if he accepts. "And even if it's wrong it's better than not trying and having to live with that right?" She darts in the man's direction, even as someone else is coming up as well. Doreen is fast. Not super speed fast, but super nimble and agile fast, with a bouncy stride not unlike you'd expect a squirrel to use if they didn't run on all fours. Which she can also do, but it looks reeeeeally weird if it's not drawn well.

"Most of them are really nice, because they help people with problems and dangerous things that normal people can't really handle themselves, though some of them do like to act too serious for their own good," Doreen explains to Moe as they go. He can hold onto the collar of her bomber jacket for extra support if he needs to, that's what Tippy-Toe does. "People call them superheroes because they often have exceptional powers. Like being super strong, or super fast, or so on."

Shredder has posed:
    Karai smiles behind her mask, listening. This man should be easy to overcome. She loses the stealth, walking plainly toward him, revealing her presence. Only to have Doreen suddenly bound into the lead ahead of her. It causes her a pause for a moment, and she lets out a sigh. So much for her intimidating introduction.

    "Not all of them are heroes, though," she says, cutting in after Doreen. "That's why you have to be careful. Particularly with who sees your face. And who handles your secrets. Like the one you want to give to a newspaper, of all things, to talk about dangerous chemicals."

Frank Noble has posed:
Well that solves that problem. Of all the odd reactions, Frank breathes a visible sigh of rleief. This is definitely not him being crazy. Well...unless...he is hallucinating a giant Squir....wait, he's seen her, "You're Squirrel Girl, I saw oyur videos...clever stuff..." so...not a hallucination, but he needed information, "The person who sought to perform this transaction was not me. But its my formula. I'm not going to pretend to know who you are, but I am wiling to pay for any details that you have or were given to help me track them down. The dangerous chemical in question, alas, is not for sale."

He listens to Frank and says, "Well...he isnt yelling or doing dramatic poses, so he is certainly better than the Maroon Minstrel, who everyone knows is Lord Dunsakap. He fools no one but insists on dressing as a masked avenger of right. I think that if I tell the others that these superheroes are heroes who dress like masked avenging minstrils I'll be laughed out of court. But I appreciate you answering me."

He chitters directly to Frank, "Grenademan" he sys in somewhat but not really comprensible squirrel english like gibberish, "We beseech you to return toSunfire City and rechallenge the Lich. Mr Right belives he has found aloophole."

Frank doesnt understand Squirrels, but he does seem to undertand this one. Well, the words, "The what? Lich? What lich?"

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green chuckles a little at Moe. "Prooobably don't make that comparison. But the costume can be important part of the superhero task. For protection, or for neat gimmicks like the flaps that let me glide from high places like a flying squirrel."

The man recognizes her, and that makes her smile brightly, front buckteeth shown to the world. "That's me, Squirrel Girl!" Doreen poses proudly.. and then ahems softly, because much of what the other girl said can be true about some people. Not that she has an option when it comes to identity matters. Tippy-Toe nudges her cheek to keep her on track. "Oh, right! I have someone here that might want to speak to you mister." She let's Moe say his part, for the moment not thinking that she might be the only one to understand him because of her powers.

But no, he seems to. And the mention of a lich makes her tail twitch and bristle. "Ick, undead. Never fun."

Shredder has posed:
    Karai frowns. Squirrel Girl? Of course she is. "I am interested in the package," she states to Frank oncec she hears that he doesn't know exactly who the person is that he's supposed to meet. "I specialize in keeping dangerous things secret."

    She glances at Squirrel girl and the many chittering rodents. "I dare say I may have a more secure place than the hole of a tree for such things."

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble looks long and hard at Karmi. She has information he wants, and he defintely has plenty of options besides the Cesium....but its a non starter. If she is a keeper of secrets, she is not going take that as answer. "Mr. Boom is, as near as I can discern, literally no longer existant

He looks at the Squirrel, "I'm afraid I dont know about a Lich. And I am not..." he is finding it oddly hard to lie to the ernest little fellow, "I am not in a condition to deal with such..." andfinds theidea of refusing the call to battle aginst anseen foe of evil impossible. This is worse than being insane. Partially sane is not working well. "I dont know whats going on, but if you like....give me an address, I'm sure thre are qualifying heroes who can do the job. Maybe that new app." Yes yes pipe down, Grenadmean can be one of them but why not get reinforcements.

Before their eyes, a golden portal appears behind Moe and slowly overcomes him as he fades,"Oh dear. This is not good. Not good at all" the last word fading until an echo.

He looks at Karai and Squirrel Girl, "Just confirmmed that Squirrel with the wlaking stick and cap just faded into another dimension right? I didnt imagine that?

Shredder has posed:
    Karai arches a brow. The things happening here are very strange to be sure. She doesn't answer at first. "Perhaps you should hand that formula over quickly, before more strange things happen." She glances at the woods around. She doesn't know what's happening, but she needs to get her mission accomplished and leave.

Doreen Green has posed:
Oh no! Doreen looks right upset as the dapper squirrel starts to fade. "I'm sorry Moe, I tried to help as fast as we could!" But that's it and he's gone. Doreen slumps a moment as she exhales a sigh. "Ugh, time limits are such a bother."

Welp, nothing to do but to keep pushing forward. She straightens out, recomposes herself. "He did say the magic that allowed him to come was restricted. So yes, he likely faded back to the magical realm he came from. Pity that." Tippy-Toes, the squirrel with the pink bow still sitting on her other shoulder, chitters at her. "Yeah, and work out something that's less.. random about meeting the people they're looking for." Another sigh and a shake of her head. Then a thoughtful clasp of her chin. "I wonder where Sunflare City is..."

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble has a sudden splitting headache, like miraine level as two equally powerful magics hammer and anvil his head. He had a clever comment to Karai but says, "No." That much he can manage, "And tell your superior he isnt going to get it, thats my formula and the person who offered it was a thief. I dont sell my works unless I konw who they are. If he wants to reveal the man who wasted his time, then use the same method of contact...."

The headaches gets worse. And worse and worse, "Excuse me....."

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green is so busy trying to puzzle out the small bits of information she does have that she fails to notice most of the continued exchange between Frank and the masked girl. "Maybe he'll try to come back, we'll have to watch for him. That message did sound pretty important.... Though he's not wrong about maybe they'd want more than one hero. Liches are really nasty undead according to most books."

Then her attention snaps back to what's in front of her when Frank starts acting like he's having an issue. "Mister are you okay? I know that was a weird experience..." But he's already hoofing it out of there. ".. And he's gone." Her tail flicks a few times. "This was a little weird, even for us."

Shredder has posed:
    As for Karai, she is a little stunned at this whole process. Is there even really a formula? She watches as the entire demeanor of Frank changes. Perhaps this is something that she should observe a while longer before making a full commitment to....someone who may need to be committed.