3741/Shine: Do you smell smoke

Shine: Do you smell smoke
Date of Scene:	08 October 2020
Location:	Roof - Renovated Theatre - The Roost
Synopsis:	Attempting a rooftop celebration, a quartet of Outsiders are on hand when tragedy strikes! Phoebe Beacon's home is burned in the beginning scene of the plot. That means it can only get better from here, right?
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Bart Allen, Roy Harper, Cassie Sandsmark

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    DECEMBER 1 - Rooftops of Gotham

    The rooftop was set up with food and heaters to combat the chill coming off the ocean beyond Gotham. Phoebe Beacon had it in her head that there was something to celebrate, and she had sent the alert out to the whole of the Outsiders for 'free food'.

    So there was a folding table set up, with a centerpiece of a crockpot full of some spicy bean stew. There were rolled grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, chickpea croquets deep fried and served with cucumber-yogurt dip, savory roast tomatoes stuffed with couscous and seasoned spicy. A very vegetarian feast!

    A couple of chairs had been set up (also around a heater), and even as Phoebe finishes up last minute preparations, laying out napkins, she's clad in a light jacket against the chill, and warm looking fingerless mitts with a cheery pattern of snowflakes on them.

    There's classic rock music playing from one of those portable speakers hooked up to her phone, and even a smaller crock pot of hot, mulled cider for everyone to enjoy.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen has come to see what kind of free food is about, cause lets face it, speedsters and free food, that is always a yes. He comes up the stairs dressed pretty much as normal with a sweater on as a concession to the cold a bit. He looks around and says "Hey whats up?"

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy happened to be at the roost. So often, he splits his time between Happy Harbor, Starling City, and Gotham, that there's no telling where he will be on any given day. But today he happens to be around and there are people chillin' on the roof (literally as well as figuratively), so he decides to come on up and check it out. He's got on his usually red chucks, a pair of faded jeans, and a yellow thermal shirt under a dark red hoodie because he has no particular method of keeping warm save bundling up. He pulls a pair of dark red fingerless gloves onto his hands and tucks them into his pockets as he makes his way out. "So, what are we celebrating again?" he asks Phoebe with a faint grin.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Free food will always do it!

Being that it's a rooftop shindig, Cassie skips the annoyance of all the security doors and comes in for a direct landing at the end of her commuter flight from New York. Her clothes are a little more seasonal, with a (still Wonder Woman branded) hoody and jeans, and she has her backpack, suggesting she's made the trip over directly from school. Touching down, she lifts a hand in greeting to the small gathering. "Hey Pheebs." Then a glance at Roy, who apparently speaks her own mind. "Yeah, not that I'll turn it down, but there some kind of special occasion?"

From there, it's on to explore the table with the grub, Bart getting a little grin as she passes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "We're young superheroes who get into -- and out of -- all manner of issues. Do we need a reason to celebrate?" she questions, and she looks at all the food laid out. "... also I felt like cooking, and maaaaybe got a little carried away." she jokes, setting Roy up with a plain white mug, lifted from the kitchen below, and fills it with that spicy, citrusy cider. She gives a slight smile to the group, and she shrugs her shoulders.

    "But... really, it's... nice to feel a part of something, after feeling appart from everything. We're working together better, there's hope in the city, people are being inspired by heroes -- what's not to celebrate?" she questions.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over, and smiles "Hey I got to help in Gotham the other night and did not get in trouble for it, that is always a reason to celebrate " He does smile back at Cassie, and moves checking out the food. He gets some and looks at it and then over to Phoebe "You a vegetarian? If so I need to make sure I bring more veggies in when I do food runs."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Good enough for me!" declares Cassie. She does not require a lot of convincing as regards reasons for celebrations, food, and generally being cheerful.

Once she makes it to the spread, she gives it all a look-over and then glances back at the chef. "This is some very Amazon-appropriate grub," she observes, noting the vaguely mediterranean flair to the whole thing. "Of course they're not strictly vegetarians, what with Artemis' role in their society, but by the same token, they'd probably really appreciate the notion." Either way, she starts loading up a plate. A growing demigoddess gotta eat!

"Speaking of, we're getting close to fall break, so maybe I can bug the Queen about that visit again..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah, mostly." Phoebe admits at Bart's question. "I grew up on a lot of plant-based stuff, since my mom's a vegetarian. We occasionally have eggs, fish and dairy -- but don't worry about me. I live close enough that I can make a food run to my own kitchen if I have to. And I miiight have had some tips from Ferdinand. I asked politely on the best place to get the grape leaves." she gives a joke, and takes a deep breath, looking around to the group. It was small, but nice. "... to Themysceria? I've heard it's a fascinating trip." Phoebe gives a smile... pretty infamously a homebody, though. Rarely ever leaves Gotham.

    "Is someone... grilling something?" she questions, sniffing the air for a moment.

    There are flashes of red and white in the distance.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen is starting to get himself some food, and looks over at the comment. He will set his food down and run down and come back up with a pair of binoculars to look over towards the flashes to see whats going on. "Well will try to remember to bring more veggies and veggie friendly stuff on my runs."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy gives Phoebe a little grin and a shrug of his shoulders. "Just curious." He accepts the mug that she hands over with the spicy cider in it, lifting it to her in salute before taking a sip from it. He lets out a sigh of contentment at the warm liquid. He smiles a little wryly at her declarations. "Thanks, Pheebs." Whether he believes that all of those things are true or not isn't terribly clear, but he seems willing to have some hot cider in their name, anyway. He moves over to take a look at the food, brow knitting just a little bit as he sniffs at it curiously. Then he grabs a bowl and puts a couscous stuffed tomato in it, grabbing a spoon.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Once she has some food, it's not long before Cassie has some food in her mouth, possibly talking around the first few bites of it. And indeed, she's only just about gotten to trying one of the wraps before Phoebe gives up the secret to her recipe. "Aha!" she blurts. "That's why they're so good. I'm not sure I could even tell the difference from his." She loves that crazy not-a-Minotaur.

"But yeah, me and Donna had been talking about taking a few people we could trust, Titans mostly, but you should definitely come when we get it figured out! If Queen Hippolyta wasn't so cautious about outsiders, we'd have done it already," Cassie explains. "But she said she'd take some time to consider it all. Hopefully, we'll still be able to do it." There's a bit fo a frown, but she shoves that aside...

...as attentions tourn to the horizon. "Uh, this isn't really the season for fireworks, is it?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Diana had said something about --" Phoebe tries to turn her attention back to the conversation, but it doesn't t urn back when Bart brings out the binoculars.

    There are firetrucks speeding their way down a street, slowed inevitably by traffic clogging the way. There's an orangey, sickly glow against some of the brownstone rowhouses, where an end unit with a back yard that can just barely be seen from the rooftop of the Roost appears to be in considerable danger -- fire on the horizon!

    The teen in the green hoodie takes a step closer.

    "Is... that a fire, Bart?" she questions hesitantly.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and says "Yea, it looks like we might need to eat afterwards. " He looks over to Cassie, and says "You got Roy, and Phoebe, and I got you?" He clicks his ring and in the blink of an eye he is in his Impulse costume. He holds his hand out to Wonder Girl, and says "Super speed kite flying?"

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy's gotten several bites of tomato into his mouth before he suddenly looks up in the direction of the fire. When Bart is ready to go, he says, "Whoah there, Silver. I'm in street clothes and I'm human, remember? I need to grab a thing or two. Go. I'll meet you there." Because he doesn't want to slow down those who are faster and able to just plink into their suits instantaneously. He shoves another bite of tomato into his mouth then sets down his bowl and runs back into the building.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Mm. Looks like it could be," Cassie agrees with Phoebe's guess, although having Bart check it out is definitely the best way to confirm it. Which, in turn, leads to his... uh, 'super speed kite' suggestion, which is admittedly a new combo move for her to consider.

"Uhhhhhh."

Then she glances at Roy, and back, and gives Bart a helpless smile. "You may as well scout ahead and we'll catch up? You may be super-frictionless, but I'm not sure the rest of us would be. Could be kind of a rough trip." She glances over at Phoebe. "Can give you a ride if you want, though." Regardless of their exact organizational approach, she makes a point of hiking up the arms of her sweatshirt to make her bracers a little more accessible, while she drops off the backpack and fishes out a more carefully tucked-away lasso.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe isn't moving.

    "... if you can get me there on the quick, Bart --" she trails off quietly, looking at the neighborhood.

    "... that's my block. I... think that's my house."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will scoop up Phoebe, and he takes off, running not through the building but down the wall of the apartment and through traffic like it is not there. He trusts Cassie and Roy to get there Asap, and if Phoebe's home is on fire, he wants to get there to help as soon as possible. He does a loop around the neighborhood getting an idea of what all is on fire and the efforts being made. When Bart carries someone like th eothers he lends some of his speed to them, so they can see what he sees not just a blur.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy's already dashed back into the building, so he misses the part that the house may actually be Phoebe's that is on fire. He's too busy ducking into his room to do an almost comical little dance of hopping into his suit and grabbing his bow, a few things he needs, and then running downstairs to his bike. And thus he misses that initial reveal of information. Even as quick as he manages to be, he's no match for super speed, so he'll be lagging a little bit behind. He'd been prepared for roof party, not fire brigade.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Oh crap," would be Cassie's reaction to Phoebe's realization. "Yeah, Bart, just go."

And with that, the two of them are off, and Roy is downstairs, so she takes off at a somewhat slower but still pretty fast airspeed, hurtling over the neighborhood at a pretty low altitude. Enough that there might be 'Wonder Girl sighting' cellphone snaps (which she will undoubtedly like from her official account later) as she buzzes some backyards and rooftops. No doubt the former pair will have plenty of time to scope it out from the ground, so she makes a point at getting aerial recon before diving to rejoin them.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Indeed, the rowhouse with its cheery blue front door with the round window, a basket of dried, bottled cooking herbs on the front porch caught fire, its glass containers shattered all over the sidewalk, crunching underfoot as first responders try to clear people away. The back yard is untouched, so far. There is the sound of glass breaking, busting outwards as the fire begins to make its way up the building on the inside.

    There is a rooftop skylight that Cassie could see into the room beneath, where there is a curled up and terrified dalmatian.

    Below, gawkers are trying to get past the barrier to try taking pictures. The Gotham FD trucks are still a half block away, but it looks like the fire is pretty close to staying at the wall of the end-unit townhouse, traveling upwards.

    Phoebe's hands are holding tightly onto Bart, her eyes watering from the speed, and as they do a circuit she recognizes some of the neighborhood kids.

    She's not sure if he can hear her over the speed, but she whispers "Put me down to the back of the crowd!"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen does, for those inside the speed it is like normal to them. He puts her down at the back of the crowd, and is off again. He calls out tot he others describing the fire. "Cassie, you got the hottest end, I'll take the middle and Balm and Arsenal take the coolest side to help people. Bart has to concentrate now, though, he runs, keeping his speed precise, trying to carry as little wind with him as e can heading inside.

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal arrives on his bike, weaving through traffic a little bit after the others are already on the scene. Into his comms he says << Going to work on evacuating those in the attached units while you guys see what you can do in the unit. >> He immediately heads toward the brownstones that are not on fire, checking with the crowd to see if there is anyone still inside the attached units, and then heading into the nearest one to do a quick run through.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"I saw a dog," Cassie explains, half-shouting, as she dips down near them. "Through the skylight on the top floor."

Which apparently contradicts Bart's immediate plan for her, as she reverses her flight to head back up rather than immediately inside. Switching over to her comms as she gets over the building, she suggests, <<I can take people out that way so they don't have to go down through the burning areas, if any are trapped above it. I'm gonna check it out.>>

And so she does. There's not much hestitation about breaking through the skylight (though she picks a panel she can fit through if she can avoid wrecking the whole thing and showering the area with glass) and then drops in on the doggie. "Hey buddy, you wanna get out of here?" She holds out a hand, palm up, in usual make friends with dog fashion. Also: curse her lack of obscure lesser-known Wonder Woman powers like talking to animals!

While trying to coax the animal, she looks around a bit, and then calls out, "Anyone home?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe is not in costume.

    She's watching, wide-eyed, and tries to make a break through the crowd.

    "Phoebe! You got out!" someone calls out, and she struggles, searching the crowd, calling out: "Mom? MOM?"

    The crowd parts with difficulty, as she makes her way through.

    Bart would find that the insides of the house are pretty smokey. Lots of soot and smoke, the heat making it difficult to breathe in the first floor as he goes through. The fire's made the floor trecherous in some places, flooring bubbling, wood singing, couches and curtains aflame.

    The aged dalmatian gives a bark of surprise as Cassie breaks through the window. Cassie, as she looks around, would find there's a lot of house plants, a lot of books, and a lot of geeky collectables, along with the silvery flowers with the skulls in the middle that Phoebe wore to the event at the embassy. It appears this is Phoebe's room.

    There is thick, black smoke coming from under and around the door to the room, hanging open however, and the wall is crackling and popping. The lightbulb in one of the lights bursts and crackles as wires fry.

    The dalmatian hesitantly sniffs at her hand, and gives a whine, tail firmly between his legs.

    The accompanying house is empty, its door open and its occupants outside watching their neighbor's house burn, but as Arsenal comes through the house to look for people to evacuate, he might see a shadowy figure hop the fence dividing the burning house's yard and the next lot over, making an escape!

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will continue to check, making his way to thebasement if there is one. He keeps his steps fast to not go through the floor, and once in the basement, he will call out "If we make sure none are in the houses, I can create a vortex, and stop the fire, at least think I can, have seen the records of both Flashes doing it." He coughs softly looking about.

Roy Harper has posed:
Seeing someone hopping the fence, Arsenal takes off after them, heading out the back door and taking off across the yard. He hops the fence with ease, not even hesitating for a moment as he chases down the shadowy figure making a break for it. He pulls an arrow from his quiver, one designed to split open into a bola for tripping. The bow is out and the arrow is ready as he continues to give chase, trying to get an opportunity for a good shot. If he gets one, then he takes it, attempting to entangle the escapee's legs and bring them down.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Hey there, that's a good dog. This is, oh, are you Phoebe's? I'm her friend. I won't hurt you." Yes, Cassie is talking to the dog. Look, maybe she DOES have talk to animal powers and she doesn't know about them yet. How would she ever learn if she didn't try? "I'm gonna get you out of here, OK? I'm gonna take you to see your mom." She offers some scritches first, and then carefully, slowly, tries to loop an arm underneath its chest. Dalmatians are pretty huge, but fortunately, super-strength makes it rather managable to lift the guy up under her arm while even keeping the other free. With it, she snags up that single token she remembers of Phoebe's, tucks them in her front hoodie pocket, and gives a last, louder shout, "Anyone? Is there anyone here?"

Finally, she pauses in consideration, perhaps ready to go, but decides to hauls a step forward and gives the smokey door a kick.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    No one in the basement, but Bart would find a window has broken to the inside -- that shouldn't be the case! There's a chunk missing out of the wall, wires are hanging out, a box is melting off the wall.

    Aresenal takes off after the figure, who is running away from the scene of the crime. As Roy takes out the trick arrow, Roy gets a shot lined up, and with the arrow loosened the bola is released, catching around the legs of the running man who gives a cry as he kisses pavement in a Gotham back alley.

    "N-NO! NOT THE BAT!!" he yelps out, "They told me he'd be buuusssyyy!" he whines. Doesn't seem terribly peturbed.

    Dalmatians are large, but this one seems to be relatively calm (or exhausted from the smoke, give or take), and the dog stays close to Wonder Girl as she lifts him under one arm -- and he gives a soft 'boof'.

    The smokey door is kicked -- and the waft of air from the room begins to suck in more oxygen, drawing any stray strands of hair forward as the burnt-out places in the fire get fresh ignition.

    Something below explodes on the third floor. Glass and burning books and bricks eject outwards into the alleyway.

    And the man Arsenal has downed just gives a giddy sounding laugh. "OOH! That's a good one!"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will look at the box closely, and then he is heading back up. No one has called clear so he is moving like lightning. His foot barely hitting step or debree before moving off again. He coughs a bit morebut keeps going. the white of his outfit looking more black and scorched but he does continue his search on the second floor, he finds someone hurt, and hates to move her but he has little choice. He uses his ring again pulling his regular clothes out to wrap around the woman some, and then zooms out vibrating them both through the wall, and down the side of it heading towards where the ambulances, and balm maybe "I got someone, looks like may need Balm. " He says hoping Phoebe has her communicator on.

Roy Harper has posed:
"The bat's got other business," Arsenal says as he comes up on the downed man. He promptly goes to work on trying to cuff him, giddy laughing and all, shaking his head and muttering something about crazy firebug. "Who told you?" he asks, "Someone put you up to this?" He tries to pull the guy to his feet, enough so that he can drag him back toward the others and the authorities. Into his comms he says << I got a guy fleeing the scene. Bringing him back. How's it looking over there? >>

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Cassie obviously isn't a fire-fighter by training, though she's seen a TV depiction or two- maybe opening the door is pretty stupid, although she probably assumed it hadn't quite made its way up this high. Fearful of a renewed blaze, she turns her body so that her back is mostly to the open door- so any of the heat, or even fire, will hit her and not the doggo, who gets hugged a ilttle more closely to her chest.

Still, she risks any searing blaze to get a look over her shoulder into the room and make sure no one is in there.

"HELLO?"

And if this last shout doesn't get anyone, she's gone.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The firebug laughs, and laughs. "WELL. I had an opportuuuunity!" he giddily replies to Arsenal, playing hard to get with his hands as he twists about. "They let me out! They let me out and they told me where I could go! I could get the whole set! Father, mother, child, and their little dog too! HA HA HA HAAA!" he laughs, tilitng his head back. All of his teeth are broken and browned, and he's very skinny.

    "OOH Took me a couple of years!"

    The woman isn't concious. She's badly burned, much of her hair is gone.

    The firetrucks are making it through now, the ambulence just behind. Police are setting up a barrier. pushing others back.

    Phoebe is pushing through. "I have to get in there! That's my house! /My mom's in there/!" she cries out as neighbors have to bodily hold her back.

    The doggo gives a whine, but is a good doggo. His tail wags just a little against Cassie's hip, and he's rescued bodily, up and out the skylight!

    Hoses are beginning to be turned on the building to control the fire. There's moderate cheers.

    Bart will find the ambulence before he finds Phoebe in the crowd; ambulences are big and generally brightly colored.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will move to the ambulance, and says "Got some bad burns here, had to move her, don't know what else might be hurt." He says offering the woman to the first paramedics, he sees. He knows he can find Phoebe after they start to take care of the woman, trusting them to do what best for her while he looks for the healer.

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal's not having any of this guy's shit. He might be human but he's stronger, and healthier than this writhing idiot, and he'll knock him out if he has to. He gets his hands bound, giddy or not, and then begins dragging him back toward where the others are. "Come on, let's get a move on." His voice is rough, but there's a bit of worry there. Get the whole set. Was there someone in the house? << Did everyone get out okay? >> he asks into the comms.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Once clear of the skylight, Cassie makes the same quick trip down to the street where everyone is gathered, although coming in from above, she can at least avoid the crowds and aim to drop down beside Phoebe directly. She's still clutching the dog to her chest, and giving him some reassuring pets as they make the flight. Because maybe flying is probably a little scary for a dog!

"Pheebs, you know this good boy?" She lets him get paws back on pavement as soon as they're down, although she keeps a light grip on his collar for a few seconds, just to make sure he doesn't get scared or bolt.

"-your mom?" she only catches the end, and looks back frightened. To comms: <<Bart? You find anyone?>>

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The EMT's are surprised to see Bart, and then get over their surprise when they see the burned woman.

    They get her secured. There's a flurry of activity. There's no response from the eyes. Fingers and hangs are shaking, circulation negligible. They check for pulse. It's not a good sight as one pulls their hand away, and skin is attached to it -- they close one of the doors as they get ready for immediate transport to Gotham General.

    Phoebe had not been wearing her comm; she hadn't thought she needed it. She hadn't grabbed her gear. The dog's tail is wagging as the dalmatian is set down, and the dog, while terrified of the fire and the flying, coughing from smoke, the dog sees Phoebe and begins barking and wagging and attempting to get out of Cassie's arms to get to Phoebe.

    "Scout!" Phoebe states, alarmed -- and she opens her mouth, and then closes it.

    "... my mom wasn't with him?" she asks softly, exchanging the grip on the collar. She takes off her scarf, and uses it as a make-shift leash.

    "Ooh, ho ho! But I've already got a move on! And other ons too! Ooh this was a good one, I can feel it!" the skinny man replies, though he does get the chance to see his handiwork as they begin to go back.

    "-- whoa, your mom said you were volunteering at the Embassy, but I didn't know you knew Wonder Girl! HEY! MISS GIRL! Can I get an autograph?" someone from the crowd calls out.

    The air immediately around Phoebe doesn't match the horror on her face.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will call over the com. Got a woman burned bad, mid 30s to 40s I would say. I got her to the paramedics, but she may need Balm to make it. They are heading to the hospital now." He tells them where he found her . "Also the basement, there was a broken window, and looked like this was arson."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
While she's very happy to hand the dog over to his best friend, Cassie's expression grows increasingly worried in an echo of Phoebe's own, and she shakes her head. "I shouted, no one was answering, tried looking around the apartment some but it was getting real bad in there, didn't want him," and she gives Scout a pat, "breathing all that too much longer. I'll go back in."

Then the comms from Bart.

"Maybe that's her? Who else lived in the building with you? Can you make it through all this," and she gestures at the crowd, "to the EMTs?" Without even really waiting on an answer, she starts pushing making some room, albeit gently. At first.

Which is also her response to the apparent fan in the crowd. "Later. I'll be back out here to sign things if anyone wants, give a statement for the news, but right now I need to double check and make sure the building is clear and assist the GCFD if they need it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "No, just my mom would have been home." Phoebe confirms quietly, and she moves. She picks up Scout (who doesn't seem to mind), and places the spotted dog over her shoulder as she walks quickly through the crowd, ruffling along the dog's head as they make their way towards the ambulences. "Look! There's --" she begins, and she pitches her voice a little different "A speedster!"

    Because Impulse is too complicated a thing to remember, and she makes her way to the EMT's. She can smell the char of flesh.

    And she makes her way to the wagon, Scout getting set down as she cries out "MOM! Please -- please that's my mom--!!"

    Arsenal and the firebug would come around the corner of the burning building now. Water is being used, and is beginning to flood the back yard and alleyway with gray-black streams, bits of roofing, shattered glass, pages of books half ashed out.

    "Sooooo you're not a Bat! You use funny tricks... hmmmm... maybe I'll run into you in another city?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will move to intercept Phoebe, and speaks softly "She is going to need healed, do you want to do it as Phoebe, or get the costume?" He raises his voice "Miss, I am not sure if the paramedics will let you ride with her." He tries to cover the whispered conversation

Roy Harper has posed:
"You're not going to be running into anyone anywhere other than jail tonight, buddy," Arsenal tells the firebug as he drags him around the corner. He can see the chaos going on, the water washing through, the ambulance. He can hear Phoebe's cries and there's a ticking of a muscle at the edge of his jaw, his grip on the firebug tightening painfully. He drags the man toward the GCPD on the scene and informs them that he caught the arsonist fleeing the scene, who apparently has confessed to setting the fire, and apparently has it out for Phoebe's family. << It was definitely arson, >> he says over comms. << Got the firebug with PD now. >>

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Even the confirmation from Phoebe that there was no one else in the house doesn't stop Cassie, although it does keep her from being quite as reckless and simply charging into the burning building. Still, the Fire Department is here, and even if they're just working to keep the property damage to a minimum and (more importantly) to keep the fire from spreading any further, they're putting their lives at risk. She speaks to the fire chief on the scene for a moment and briefly disappears into the building, moving at high speed - there's a few crashing sounds until she finally bursts into visibility again from a window several floors up, right where the GCFD is starting to put up a ladder.

She comes out looking sooty, but... not badly harmed.

"OK, I handled a couple of points that might have been dangerous for your people, hope that helps- sorry I don't really have the freeze-breath thing."

With that out of the way, she starts convering on the ambulance to meet with the others, while catching up with Roy's adventure on the comm. <<Arson? You- oh you've got him already? Nice.>>

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "An Arsonist? MOI? How dare you! I was just taking a walk when I /heard/ the /explosions/. And /sirens/." the man protests, "I'm absolutely /innocent/ until proven guilty, am I not?" he asks, giving a brown smile to everyone assembled, adn then narrows his eyes, turning, and spying the teens by the ambulence -- and his face falls.

    "Oh. Drat. Missed the pooch and the kid. Oh well. A Mother and Child Re-u-uuuunion is only a moment away!" he giggles, and reaches into his -- well. He would reach into his pockets, but the cuffs stop him. He puts a petulant expression on and looks to Arsenal.

    "You're no fun." he states.

    "Thanks, we'll take him from here. Bernie, you were told to stop playing with fire --" one of the officers says -- apparently already familiar with the gentleman in question.

    The ambulence pulls the doors shut, and pulls away. Sirens are blaring as the street clears. Phoebe is left, shocked, her eyes wide and her expression numb.

    The FD cheif looks up as Cassie comes out of the building, and he gives a slight nod to Wonder Girl as he direcs a few more to carefully make sure that the danger's passed.

    It'll be a while until things clear up.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will offer to carry Phoebe to the hospital if she wants and offers Wonder Girl here maybe willing to watch your dog and bring him to you later."

Roy Harper has posed:
When the firebug reaches for his pocket, Arsenal grips his arm tighter and reaches into that pocket, himself, looking for whatever it is that the guy was reaching for there, his gloved fingers searching gingerly just in case there's something sharp in there he wasn't aware of. His gaze narrows at the cop's somewhat nonchalant manner with a guy who nearly killed a woman and lit the neighborhood on fire.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Phoebe, if you want to follow the ambulance-" And Bart again makes the obvious cover, with Cassie giving a nod. "Can you help her? With your powers, that is? If it's a matter of covering for it, we'll get you some privacy or a distraction. Heck, we can hijack the ambulance for a minute if you -really- need." She says the second part in a bit less than the usual outside voice because... you know, discussing things that are technically illegal! "Just tell us what you want to do."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The arsonist, appropriately named Bernie, has a zippo lighter in his pocket. He giggles maniacally, and tilts his head back, looking to Arsenal.

    "Keep it as a souvenier! I'll see you for it eveeentuaallly! Keep a good watch on the girl, it'd be a /shame/ if something were to happen to her!" he chimes out, cackling as he's lead away.

    Phoebe seems numb for a moment more. and then she takes a breath out, looking to Cassie, and she shakes her head. "I.. I don't... if the big B found out--" she trails off, unsure, and she wraps her arms around herself. She looks to the trio of other young heroes, and she opens her mouth, then closes it.

    Scout coughs, wheezes, then leans up against Phoebe. "I'll need... I'll need my stuff anyway. From the Volunteer Hang-Out." she states, then looks to the crew.

    "... thank you. At least with you all, she has a chance."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and says "Well miss, direct me to the place to get your stuff, and we will get you there and get you to the hospital." He puts on his authoritative voice. Who would have thought Bart even had one of those." He does cough a bit after it, the smoke yea not that he seldom sounds like that.

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal doesn't dignify the firebug with e response. He hands the lighter over to the cops as evidence, and then he goes over to rejoin the others, glancing between them, "The guy's in custody." He reaches out and lightly puts a hand on Phoebe's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hey," he says quietly. "One step at a time. Let's go make sure your mom is going to be okay."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Wait hold on seriously?" Cassie stands, blinking, but not quite following.

"You're worried about helping her because of Batman? A- we've met Batman. He didn't seem that bad. Heck, Hope SHOT him, and he still gave us some toys. B- even if he had a problem with it, uh, fuck that guy then," and yes, in this case, Cassie does go full blue. "But OK, so we won't make a big splash, cause any problems but we can still go to the hospital and make sure you get in to see her. We'll do it legit, if we can, you're family you'll be able to see her. And you just do it real quickly, quietly."

While Bart is playing authoritative, she keeps her voice low as she makes sneaky plans. "Why don't you take her to get her stuff and bring her to the Hospital. I'll go there directly. Maybe put in some calls on the way, heck I could even see if Diana will talk to the DEO, clear the super-power angle. But we are not leaving this to chance, Pheebs."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's ears darken, and she rubs her shoulder a moment as Cassie goes full on blue. A couple of police officers take a step closer, but they're stopped by others -- no one wants to mess with angry superheroes. Gotham just doesn't have time for that.

    "I... can explain later my reasons." Phoebe replies quietly, as evenly as she can, but she rups at the bottom of her nose with her gloved hand, and she turns to Bart. "I... I have Scout too, will that... I mean, the dog." she explains, and she looks back towards her home. "... if I can get access to her, it'll be fine. I can do something when they're not looking -- B-Bart, if you,, I just..." she stammers a moment, her knees shaking. "If I can get a ride to the hospital, cool, but Scout needs someplace to hang out."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen hmms and nods his head a bit and says "WG you able to bring Spot to the hospital, when you and Arsenal finish here?" He trusts the others, and will move to lift Phoebe to carry her if she lets him. "I can come back and get spot if you want after getting her there."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Phoebe, you're overthinking this. We'll take care of Scout. You take care of your mother." And Cassie's voice has gotten very firm, very stubbornly set, like she isn't too willing to take no for an answer here. "If there's any chance in the world you can help her, you do it. Understand? This isn't something to overthink or second-guess." And yes, they have Roy, and a speedster, and a flying demigoddess, so really, getting the dog away from the trouble doesn't seem like it's too big of an ask.

"It'll fine. Let's just go to the hospital. We can still beat the Ambulence. How long do you need with her, to do your thing?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I... I don't know. I didn't see her injuries very well. But if they're rushing her it can't be... I mean at least they didn't call for a helicopter, right?" she asks, rubbing the back of her head and then she looks to the two. "Let's go. Might not let Balm in, but they'll let me in. After all -- we're all the family we have."