2201/Worlds collide

Worlds collide
Date of Scene:	24 June 2020
Location:	Rooftop above Mutant Town
Synopsis:	Two worlds, not so far apart as they keep vigil for Mutant Town.
Cast of Characters:	Kurt Wagner, Thea Queen

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Kurt Wagner has posed:
New York City is sometimes called the City that Never Sleeps. An apt nickname really. Most of the time. Right now it feels that both the city's inhabitants and the city itself might be in something of a stunned stupor. But that can happen when a piece of yourself is simply ripped away. Great trauma tends to produce shock. And shock seems to be a very appropriate response to having an entire neighborhood carved out of one of the premiere cities in the world, leaving a gaping hole -- a gaping wound -- in it's wake.

It is a helpless sort of feeling really. To stand here, on the edge of where a burgeoning neighborhood once stood. Families, businesses -- a growing community. Carving themselves out a life in one of the greatest metropolis' on the planet. And now? Nothing. No people, not even buildings left behind as a reminder of what stood here. Just a whole in the ground. Police tape cordones of the area -- though hopefully no one would be so foolish to cross it given the steep decline that awaits. And on the rooftop of a nearby building Kurt Wagner crouches on a ledge, wrapped in the shadow of the growing evening darkness, staring down at the void left in New York.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea Queen can't stay away. She's tried, pushing down the horror that was watching the television, but the worst part of it was how the stations blinked out as their towers fell and communications were severed. Not just broken.. severed. Ripped apart. It broke her heart.

Thea tried to push it all down; she has a life in Starling City. After all, it didn't happen there, did it? Horrible things happen there, but she's still standing. Her family, such as it is, has survived. But this?

She's drawn to it. But, she's not drawn as Thea Queen.

It's not only Kurt that can perch on a rooftop, no. A figure with dark silhouette is on another rooftop; showing only because she wants to be seen, even if in shadow. She's in her red, a mask, and an outline of a bow sits in a quiver on her back. It's a pilgrimmage, certainly, but it's also...

Thea moves, and movement usually gives away position, but it's in regards to movement down below. It's what she's watching for.. if she even knew? People to use this to their own advantage..

Kurt Wagner has posed:
There is nothing to safeguard down below. No worry of some sad, hate-filled group hassling the residents for being different. No worries about storefronts being firebombed by hoodlums raised in intolerance. No reason to be up here at all really. Except that it is hard to pull one's self away. Kurt Wagner knows that feeling well. So he crouches on that ledge, the only hint of motion from him the tail that slowly flicks behind him, just the tip of it. And his lips, murmuring out those soft, barely audible prayers for those stolen away, seemingly by forces and powers quite literally not of this world.

There is no reason to be watchful up here. Not really. There city is silent, almost eerily so. No harm can be done to this place and Kurt certainly does not have a monopoly on the sight of that crater where people once lived. But that flicker of motion catches his attention, those yellow eyes drawing in every last bit of light, illuminating the world for him as if it were still day. He sees the woman in that red costume, considers for just a moment and then vanishes in a inky-cloud that smells of brimstone...

...only to reappear on the same rooftop as that costumed figure, a dozen or so feet away, perched atop an air-conditioning unit. Which might mask that little *bamf* sound that accompanies his arrival. Perched there, his indigo fur making him little more then a shadow on a rooftop full of them. "Guten... good evening. My apologies for interrupting your vigil," he says quietly, basically announcing his presence. He's found that usally cuts down on misunderstandings.

Thea Queen has posed:
If Thea gave it any real thought, perhaps...?

Still, she stands closer to the edge, though the bow isn't drawn, so there doesn't appear to be any overt action to do so. Speedy, that is, may not catch the bit of airy implosion, but it's a little harder to miss the smell of sulfur on the light breeze. Turning around, masked and shadowed (to her!) blue eyes search where the voice has come from.. and to say she's surprised?

Understatement of the year.

She draws a breath, takes a step the side, and has her hand up to her heart in that moment. "Oh dear lord.." Funny how one calls out to Him? "I.."

Okay..

"M-m-my vigil.." What? Oh, right. Thea's gaining a little more footing again, and she cants her head. "Did you just..."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Dear God indeed. They are sentiments that Kurt has heard many times before and the sting that he might have felt as a child has long since passed into understanding. There is a hint of a smile -- difficult to make out as he does not reveal any of his teeth. The too long canines would be unlikely to help in the least in setting her any more at ease, but he does dip his headever so slightly.

"I do not mean to alarm you frauline. I saw that you, like me, were looking out over what remains below," he says, waving a hand -- one with only two fingers in addition to his thumb -- towards the giant, gaping hole left in the middle of the city. "I thought I would check with you to make sure that everything is okay. That you have not seen anything untoward below," he suggests quietly.

He might have a demonic caste to his features but his words seem gentle and articulate enough. He hesitates for just a moment, before continuing. "This is, perhaps, something easier observed with another. The immensity of what was done here is rather overwhelming," he offers up before giving a slight nod. "You are correct of course. I am able to move rather easily," he offers up, those gleaming teeth visible for just a moment as he smiles once more. He does not teleport again however, even in demonstration. No need to offer up more shocks.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea pretty much had uttered the impossible, right? No one just 'shows up'.. he must have been there all along and she hadn't noticed.. right? But...

Thea stands quietly; to make a sound might destroy whatever it is that is happening, but finally, she realizes that she isn't breathing, when she tries to speak. Finally, there's that breath, and she nods first before looking over the hole. "I'm okay," she answers. "As okay as anyone can be who sees that?" She gestures towards the gaping hole. "Better than the ones that experienced it, though." Small mercies.

Thea takes a step from the edge, and other, that brings her quiet footsteps closer towards the figure still mostly cloaked in shadow. She gets a better look, and there's no doubt he's seen the look before; the attempt at reconciliation between appearance and words. She hasn't resorted to violence, as she is obviously armed, and behind that mask, and under that hood sounds a young woman.

"Overwhelming is right. I'm not even sure why I'm here?" It's an admission, certainly. "I just feel like.. someone should be and I don't know anyone else who is?" A light shoulder lifts in a shrug, but it's far from dismissive, "I don't know too many people in the City is all. I guess?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Of course he is not unaware of the first impression he sometimes makes. It must be that much more so on a darkened roof with no one else apparently around. The fact that she has not screamed, has not turned and run, nor has attempted to attack him is usually a good start and while the demonic-looking mutant has dealt with all three of those reactions enough to no longer be hurt by it, it is always nice when the reaction is more... reasoned.

"Of course. I was attempting to come to terms with it myself," he admits solemnly, those gleaming yellow eyes particularly piercing in the dark. He hops down from his perch atop the air conditioning unit and lands in a easy crouch, rising slowly but otherwise not stepping any nearer. Shortening the distance a little -- not a lot -- and doing his best not to do anything too frightening.

"I am not a resident of this city myself, though I live not that far outside of it," he offers up. "And believe me when I say that I know exactly what you mean. I knew a number of people who lived in Mutant Town of course, though no close friends,: he adds before offering a gentle smile once more. "Ahhh, but excuse my manners. I have not introduced myself. Some call me Nightcrawler. You may also call me Kurt if you would rather," he says, his little bow cut short, not nearly the dramatic sort of gesture he would make. Troubled times.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea finds a spot, perhaps another small outcropping on the roof on which to sit. She's not running away, not making any obvious defensive acts; she may get yelled at later for that, but it's her call! That doesn't mean she doesn't keep her gaze on the figure that now shares her rooftop, but this is more considering, more studyingly.. and she's curious.

"I'm torn between believing I can sit here until they return, knowing they need someone to care about them, and wondering if they'll just never come back and get on with life." Like when her brother and father had disappeared. "This time, I don't want to move on. I don't want to believe they're gone." Thea smiles tightly, but it's not an expression of amusement, "And I don't know anyone there. It's.. kinda weird." Here, however, her voice breaks and she turns away for a moment to gather her thoughts.

She's quiet for a moment to regain herself, and when she does, she takes a red-gloved hand and pulls her hood down, revealing that dark brown haired wavy bob. Thea also takes off her mask... what the heck would Ollie say?!

Her choice.

"Speedy.. which is kinda dumb still.. But I'm Thea." Thea Queen, if anyone catches the news out of Starling City as her face has been plastered on TV and news due to her less than legal exploits in the last 7 years or so, since she'd turned 18. Heiress of Queen Consolidated.

"Nice to meet you.. on this dark rooftop, Kurt." She gives something of a cry-laugh, sounding like she hadn't quite finished that tearing. She wipes at her eyes again and nods, clearing her throat. "I'm open to ideas."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The warm, humid evening is broken only by the breeze that sweeps over the rooftops, enough of one to rustle the indigo fur of the mutant. He does not crowd the woman, letting her take up her spot while he moves to the ledge a short distance nearby, perching there as if completely comfortable with the height -- and the drop that waits on the other side. Despite being so very different, those yellow eyes seem to only reflect that same curiousity and perhaps some concern. Not human eyes certainly. But not hostile in any respect.

"It speaks well of you Thea, that the plight of strangers can move you like that. Too many of them of those that live in that neighborhood have not been afforded such kindness anywhere near as often as they should have," he says quietly. He has done this sort of thing long enough that he is not unaware of the significance of one removing their mask, of offering up a name -- both professional and otherwise -- to a stranger. A not insignificant gesture, one that Kurt clearly sees as heartfelt.

"Speedy, hmmmm? I suspect that there is a story around that. Alas, mine is fairly obvious. I happen to be excellent at climbing and my fur is rather dark. Nightcrawler," he says with a faint smile, doing what he can to lighten the mood just a little. This is no place for levity perhaps, not right now. But sometimes it is better to laugh then cry. "I fear that I have no great insight to offer you Thea. Like you I very much wish that those that are taken are alive and well. That they will be returned to us. I am sure some of the mightiest of us are already searching for a way to do just that. And I choose to trust that will be enough to bring them back to us safely," he offers up quietly. "Should I have the opportunity to do more the help them, I shall do so. So, I suspect, would you. For now that must be enough," he says gently.

Thea Queen has posed:
Truth be told, Kurt had done it first, the offering of a name. Or, maybe it was a function of survival? Put a name to a victim and perhaps the aggressor will see the other as a person, something more than an object. To Thea, however, this thought comes second to the 'unveiling', the offering of a name on this, a dark rooftop, overlooking the result of horror. She's learned the technique in self-defense classes when she was younger; sometimes, the police had said, it worked.

Still, there she is.. the younger of the siblings in New York City, away from home in Starling City. She does nod in the offrance of opinion regarding the lack of kindnesses shown. "We have our own sections of town like that. Not.. not like down there, though. But people who just aren't given a chance to have a better life." She pauses and smiles wanly, "So sorta like down there."

Thea turns and when Kurt is settled comfortably, she lets out a puff of air in a soft, reluctant chuckle. "Yeah," she nods, "Not my fault. Family nickname." Though his own moniker is one that she does attend when he explains. It brings a slight smile to her face. "That is handy," she admits. "And probably very useful, considering.." and while she's not directing 'it' at him, she gestures at the emptiness below. "I'm sorry."

Thea nods and makes to rise from her spot. "I.. I should go." She takes a breath, a soft, sniffle sounding as she gathers herself. "But, I'll be back. And maybe I'll figure out what I can do so I just don't feel like I'm waiting for someone else." Thea moves to set the red eye mask back on, and flips up her hood. "It's not just for the mightiest of us. Not this time." Now, she looks into those yellow eyes, and there's a moment when she's just.. looking. "If you find anything that can be done, please.. I'm in Starling City. I'm easy to find there. Or, leave a message up here? If I find out something, I'll leave a message for you here?" She pauses before, "Please, Kurt?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It admittedly probably helps that a secret identity verges on the laughable in his case. It is unlikely that anyone with eyes -- and perhaps a nose -- would ever mistake him for anyone else. Most people claim to want to be unique. Certainly Kurt has that much going for him and while others might shy away, it would appear that he has embraced his difference. Which is probably a good thing because there is certainly no easy way to hide from it.

"Ahhh, yes, family. I understand. I too got my performing name from family," he agrees with a smile, no longer quite so cautious now that they have been introduced, letting those enlarged canines flash with that gesture. Technically, of course, in his case it would be foster family. But both the sentiment and the end result are very much the same, right? "It can come in handy, yes. And again, I thank you for your consideration," he says with a gentle smile.

As she rises to leave, he does so as well, getting back to his feet and dipping his head in her direction. "But of course. Should anything come up I shall find a way to contact you Thea from Starling City," he promises with a more extravagent bow this time. "You have my word," he assures her on a more serious, somber note. "It has been a pleasure Speedy. I do hope that the next time we should meet that it will be under more pleasant and cheerful circumstances," he says, wiggling those fingers at her almost playfully.

And then there is that *Bamf* sound again and Kurt is gone, a cloud of inky darkness rapidly dissipating in his wake and the faint hint of brimstone filling the evening air. Once again he appears perched on that air conditioning unit a short distance away, not yet ready to cease his own vigil this night.