3715/About the thing.

About the thing.
Date of Scene:	06 October 2020
Location:	China Town, sekrit back room
Synopsis:	Arthur gives Nessa a gross statue and she touches it.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Nessa Donovan, Arthur Curry

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Melinda May has posed:
There's a little hole-in-the-wall dim sum place in Chinatown that doesn't often see 'tourists'. Melinda May has known the owner for years; rescued his son from some nasty business in Shanghai. Since then? *Honoured guest*.

Thus, when the agent asks the woman if she can borrow the back room for a quiet little get together with a couple of friends, the proprietress is more than happy to oblige.

May was careful to let both Arthur and Nessa know where, and counselled them that the better entrance to use was off a side street in behind, rather than through the front entrance. Less stares that way.

So, now, she sits at a red table in a gold-and-red back room, jade dragons on the walls and a bottle of baijiu set before her. Waiting. She's garbed casually -- jeans, a neat blouse, chunky heeled boots and a leather jacket. No sign of SHIELD on her tonight.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Having been properly returned to her prior form and safely un-bunnied, Nessa is back to her usual garb. Jeans, a long-sleeved turquoise shirt, boots, and gloves with a black leather jacket over the whole thing. Only difference this time is that instead of her hair long, she's got it braided to one side. A little more Elsa, though she'd likely icicle anyone who suggested as much.

Slipping inside through the side entrance, she takes a quick peek around before she heads over in May's direction. For safety's sake, she does a quick check for neaby magic--Loki's got her a bit paranoid now. "Agent May, it's good to see you and under much better circumstances."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    The man there with May, he's settled on one of the other chairs turned inwards with his elbows on the table and oh so uncouth, his chair twisted around just a touch so it's askew and behind that chair is a canvas sack that looks as if he was just discharged from the merchant marine and it carried some souvenir of old. Which, in some ways, matches the man himself with his cargo shorts and open green and white Hawaiian shirt. Other than that he might be noticed for his beard and wild hair. And the fact that he's damned big.
    But there with some tea and an occasional glance for the door to their room, Arthur Curry glances, and glances back, then glances again. And then there's a Nessa.
    A hand lifts from the base of his tea cup and he lifts a hand. "Hey." He offers, likely waiting for introductions to be made.

Melinda May has posed:
Beside Arthur, May gives Nessa a light nod. "You, too," she says. Her head cants. "You're definitely looking better." Not furry is an improvement, indeed.

The only magic in the place is in the form of traditional Chinese folk wards against evil spirits and ill luck. Nothing 'sorcery' like. The agent reaches for the bottle. "Can I interest you in a spirit?" A beat. "The less spooky kind."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Satisfied that there aren't any lurking Lokis, Nessa moves to take a seat at the table. "Yeah, thankfully I've got some pretty reliable allies." She nods towards the bottle, though there's some amusement at the mention of spirits. "I'll certainly take something a bit less spooky and more beverage." Once she's settled, she lets her gaze shift towards Arthur.

She holds a hand up in a return wave. "Hey Justice League." She doesn't expect him to remember their brief meeting, but she does.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Lifting the tea cup in the hint of some small salute, the half-Atlantean shifts in his seat to the side and faces Nessa more directly, though he does spare a glance toward May as if to silently make sure that this is the person they're there to talk to.
    But then his amber eyes meet Nessa's gaze and he squidges his eyebrows together, one hand lifting to point at her as she can almost see the gears turning.
    "Waitress gal in the basement."
    He nods slowly, "With the amorphous water critters that were..." He stops himself and sort of half-smirks, then nods. "Yeah, how's that going?" That cafe she was working at and all. "I got another thing to throw you at."

Melinda May has posed:
May pours the baijiu, a clear sorghum liquor. It packs a serious kick, however. And she has been careful to only pour one small glass for herself. She offers Nessa the same courtesy. None of them need to get plastered, here. She does, however, take a moment to raise her glass once Nessa has picked up hers. "Cheers," she says. It's an abbreviated, modern version of the more traditional ceremony around the drink.

Once that business is attended to, as as she can see the pair with her here are at least marginally acquainted, she says, "Arthur, Nessa. Nessa, Arthur. I take it you two have met."

She sets her glass down, explaining. "Arthur has an interesting object he'd like a magical opinion on. It's a little out of my league, so I thought perhaps you'd be willing to help."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Cook," Nessa corrects, leaning against the table slightly. "And that place is fine. It's not my usual place of employment. I was filling in for a friend." She lets her attention drift between Arthur and May, her expression curious. "Somehow I take it this is a little less about bacon given Agent May's presence here."

She takes the glass and holds it up before taking a sip of it. There's the slightest bit of a raised eyebrow at the punch of the alcohol, but it doesn't seem to phase her too much. "We've met briefly," she explains, but nods towards Arthur after the introduction. "Alright, what have you got? I can't promise I'll have all the answers, but at the very least I've got connections and resources and I'm a pro at researching these days."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Without too much preamble, Arthur reaches to the side of the chair and produces that canvas sack, lifting it up and setting it down with a /thump/ upon the tabletop, though making sure not to discombobulate May's drinking. He tells Nessa, however. "It's an idol. Ugly. From some critters under the ocean, most call them Lurkers, but to be fair Atlanteans call anything that is an 'other' a Lurker to an extent."
    Which might say something about the Atlanteans as a people.
    He gives a nod, "Let me know if it gives you the heebie jeebies before I take it out of the wrapper, but basically a bunch of them were trying to get it from a boat, then it sunk over the side, so some of us went to get it. Figured I'd have a finger-wiggler take a look."

Melinda May has posed:
May gives a bland shrug at Nessa's assessment of her presence. It's the ice queen's equivalent of a small smile. At least her expression is relaxed. Apparently she likes both of her companions, tonight. That's a rare thing.

As Arthur launches into his explanation, she remains silent, merely watching Nessa for her reaction. She's really hoping the 'finger-wiggler' doesn't get the heebie-jeebies, yes.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I'm a pro at finger-wiggling, at least," Nessa demonstrates with a gloved hand before she turns her attention to the sack. "Well, the good news is no heebie-jeebies yet. Doesn't mean there aren't any, but at the very least it's not doing any harm the way it is currently. If it needs contained, that bag's doing a well enough job."

She gestures towards Arthur. "Go ahead and take it out. Did anyone touch the thing bare-handed during all of this? Might come into play." Given the recent experience with something jumping into someone else's body... it seems a wise question.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Curiously enough, Arthur seems to be fairly at ease with May there as well, as if the two had worked together before and had some vibe from that handling of things. He's definitely a smidge nicer compared to the time Nessa saw him last, and actually explaining things. That tends to help.
    But now, with some a magic-user here and without them flipping their lid and running off screaming, he feels reasonably at ease to produce the object which he does by slowly pulling open the mouth of that sack and drawing the sides down until the seated idol is revealed. It's a dark turquoise in color, a carved image of some squat ugly creature that's seated and holding under its knees with its clawed hands, resting its ugly visage upon its knees like some gargoyle without a cathedral to perch on. It looks old, and Nessa...
    If she's worth her salt.
    Well she might well definitely feel a subtle enchantment to the thing that's sitting there, an old spell that is durable and attached and long-lived, but not powerful in whatever is maintaining it. More like a trigger or the like waiting to be tripped should she be so inclined. Yet not enough energy in it to be physically dangerous or at risk of explosion or conjuration at the least.
    In answer to her question if anyone touched it he nods and tells her, "Yeah, tons." And as if to demonstrate he casually flicks the thing's tiny ear.

Melinda May has posed:
May reaches out to take another sip of her drink. Her job is mostly done, really, barring anything untoward happening. She's just the fixer in this scenario. Nevertheless, she is attentive -- learning, assessing, and keeping quiet watch. They're unlikely to be disturbed here. But if something does decide to come stalking, she'd rather not be caught flatfooted.

Wendy Woo might revoke her 'honoured guest' status, otherwise.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
While Nessa's magic usage in general is oriented towards ice, her ability to sense magic is one of her strengths. So once the idol comes out, she leans in closer to get a visual assessment while getting a magic one. "Well, the good news is I don't think people touching it is making a difference. No one's gonna be possessed by any spirits, I don't think."

She sits up a bit straighter, taking a sip of the alcohol before continuing. "What you do have is a hint of magic. I don't think it's going to explode or do any damage, but it's got just enough of a trace of something that has significance... and it's been on there a long time."

She glances to May briefly, before looking back at the idol and she squints at it, as if somehow that helps a better sense of it, or perhaps it just allows more focus. Somehow. "It could be a key or a lock, perhaps something that would resonate with a particular magical 'frequency' so to speak. It's kind of just sitting there waiting for something. Like a command prompt on a computer."

She tilts her head, then glances to Arthur. "I could poke at it, but I'm not entirely sure what that would accomplish. It might remove it and prevent your Lurkers from coming for it, though, but I'd wager it might be more useful to try and figure out how to use it. Find out what they wanted."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Lifting a hand and brushing thumb and forefinger down the line of his mustache, Arthur ponders Nessa and the statute. Then he spares a look for May to see if she has a horse in this particular race before he shrugs and looks back at the mage. "I'm not exactly the most cautious of fellas, but if you want go ahead and poke it. If nothing else it might solve this thing and get it outta my hair. If not, there's no such thing as bad data."
    Which might be a strange phrase to hear come out of his mouth, learned from somewhere or someone in particular perhaps.
    "Go ahead, unless it's too weird for you. May and I will cover you if anything goes too crazy." Oh so easily does he volunteer the efforts of the SHIELD agent.

Melinda May has posed:
May snirks softly as Arthur offers up her services as body guard. Not, mind, that he's wrong. Just cavalier. "Just, let's try not to set off any magic bombs, okay? WAND gets testy when operatives outside of their department start bringing them too many crises."

Not that too many of them would actually argue with *her*. Palamas, though... Rank has its privilege.

And May has her attitude to deal with it. Life goes on.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Well, to be honest the amount of magic that's on there is pretty small. Like an enchantment that lost its power source years ago and has just sort of faded since," Nessa explains. "I don't think it's got enough juice in it to harm any of us, but poking at it might be a good way to determine what it's supposed to be used for."

She seems to contemplate the prospect for a moment before she tugs one of her gloves off. She gives Arthur a cautious look. "Don't touch my hand." It's a weird warning, but one she feels is necessary. Placing her hand on top of the statuette, she takes a moment to let her senses feel the magic within it, but then send her own in to try and get a better idea of the nature of the enchantment.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Leaning to the side slowly, Arthur says gently sidelong to May, "Did you just snicker?" He turns those amber-golden eyes to look at her own gaze and smirks a little, shaking his head. "That's too cute." He says under his breath a little, though his voice is deep enough that the words might well carry. Likely much to May's chagrin.
    But then Nessa has his attention again.
    "Alright," He won't touch her hand. He draws his own back, folding his arms over his broad chest and watching her as she rests that hand upon it. There's a small connection felt as she touches it, a hint of the tendrils of power touching her own and she can feel the general vibe of what the thing /wants/ to do. It feels strong in longevity, in duration, if not in outright power or potential energy. An old spell, something from pre-Mesopotamian sorcery, or perhaps... the framework of it. But there have been later touches of power, as if other mages have left their mark over the years. There is a sense of portent to it, yet unfulfilled for now.

Melinda May has posed:
May shoots Arthur a sidelong glance that, while not hostile, is a little frosty. Cute, indeed! Keep it up, fuzzball, and she'll be flicking your ear. Which is not nearly as harmless as it sounds.

Her head cants, though, at Nessa's warning. She's noticed the woman rarely takes off her gloves. Even in summer. In fact, this is the first time she can recall seeing her barehanded.

She'll have to ask about it later. She doesn't want to interrupt the investigation now.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa removes her hand after a moment or two, neatly sliding the glove back on before she looks at the two of them. "No trap there, so you don't have to worry about /that/, but the thing is... mm, someone originally put something on there a long time ago, but it's like people have put their own magical fingerprints on it over the years. But my assessment of the computer command prompt is probably the best way to explain it."

There's the squinting as she looks at it again. "It feels like it might be a signal of something. A warning beacon or a way to find a particular person or thing or place. It's waiting for something. I wouldn't say it's dangerous, but I'd be incredibly curious what sets it off. Could be a treasure map of sorts, you could play a game of hot-and-cold and see what you find. I don't think it'll be out of your hair anytime soon, though, not with how long that spell's been on there."

She gives May a wry smile. "So you won't have to be explaining any magical explosions today, Agent May."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Arthur's smile is a wry thing, and although he's likely earned some small amount of Maywrath, his expression seems to be of the sentiment that it was worth it. Still.
    "Well," Arthur looks across the way to Nessa, then back at the thing. "You want to trigger it? I figure get an idea of what it wants to do or whatever, then I can either break the thing or bury it somewhere in like, Arizona so the Lurkers won't get it."
    Which might not be a bad idea, all things considered.

Melinda May has posed:
"You sure?" May says to Nessa. She doesn't know much about this magic stuff, but she's picked up a few things over the past few weeks. Not the least of which is: Murphy's Law is exponential when magic is involved. Thus, she eyes the two of them. "I really like this restaurant."

Just sayin'.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's a look from Nessa that slides from Arthur to May, as if checking what they want to do with it. "Well, it's old which is always a risky thing. You never know how something old's going to respond. But the amount of magic that's on there shouldn't be enough to endanger lives... or really, ruin the restaurant." She assures the agent. "I can't say what it will do, though. Could show us some illusionary map to a lost treasure or it might signal some sea creature from the deep." She gives a shrug, mostly because she's not sure what it'll do... but she's /curious/. The glove, which had been put back on, is once again removed.

Reaching her hand over to the statuette, she doesn't touch it this time, but her hand hovers near it. There's a soft blue and white glow to her hand, almost like it's frosting over. Her gaze flickers to Arthur briefly. "I'll let you know if I think we need to smash it."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Always thinkin' with yer stomach." Arthur says idly without looking at May, his arms still folded over his chest as he watches Nessa and the way she manipulates the magical firmament around the statue. He takes a deep breath and considers what she's doing...
    For when she completes the subtle tripping of the contained spell, suddenly the thing gets a little blue glow of its own, swirling around itself, twisting inwards, then outwards, only for what seems to be runes or... letters of some sort of cuneiform-like language from ages ago. Runes that flash up into the air in a stream of procession clearly imparting some sort of message that is akin to the twisted ancient Arabic that is seen in some of the older more forbidden texts.
    That message continues, then the seemingly holographic writing changes as another message unfurls, slithering the other direction across the air as if pointedly noting that it is a different message. Though the writing is another form, which has Arthur blinking and frowning.
    "Wait, wait, can you slow it down? I think I can..." Then his lips move as he says, "This is ancient Atlantean, shit I was terrible at this stuff." In his studies with his mentor. "Father show me the.. of madness. Free me from something of sanity... free me from the three walls. Father set me free. That is my... call to you? I will give my life?"
    And then it continues on, another message coming through... and another. All old languages though eventually one comes through in English that proclaims.
    << I have read the ancient prayers, and all I want from the mother of our minds is for her to /take/ them! Take our minds, mother, take our minds and I will sacrifice everything to you! Free us from he suffering of man, free us from the suffering of the surface. Drown us, cleanse use, show us the freedom of /chaos/! >>
    Though the power from that last message still seems to be roughly a hundred... a hundred and fifty years old perhaps.

Melinda May has posed:
May arches a brow as Arthur starts translating the writing. The lightshow is impressive. Holograms are still cool, even if they are pretty commonplace at work. As the English text is revealed, her arched brows draw in and she scowls. "That's..." She looks over to Arthur. Then, she lets out a long-suffering sigh. "I hate dealing with crazy people."

She regards Nessa. "Is insanity a foregone conclusion with mages or just part of the retirement plan?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"It's like a giant message board of people adding things over time," Nessa notes, looking at the holographic writing as it shifts between languages. "That's why it felt like fingerprints. Some weird Cthulu worshipping thing, it sounds like." She looks from it, back to Arthur. "Kind of sounds like you have a cult on your hands. If you don't mind me borrowing this, I know a guy who just happens to be a pro at really old languages, he might be able to translate some of the earlier things."

She nods at the idol. "Alternatively you could keep it and I can get him to meet up with you at some point, if you'd prefer that." She does, however, offer May an amused glance. "My family's /full/ of mages. Insanity becomes relative at that point. Mostly you just end up with a bunch of drunks singing in weird languages..." She offers a half-shrug.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Alright, you can take it. So long as you're sure it's not sending off some kind of magic signal or whatever? Since I don't want stuff tracking you down and attacking you or whatever." He shoots a look at May as if to verify if that's a wise course of action even as he gets to his feet. "The Lurkers really wanted it, so maybe take some precautions if you can." Though as to what those could be... who knows?
    Then he gives a nod toward May, "C'mon, let's go, you're my ride." He says as he reaches into his back pocket to check his phone, swiping it to life for a moment, then extending it toward Nessa to exchange information before he starts to head out.
    "Like I said, be careful."